And now, some low register screams...

Mid-summer has brought out a bevy of bleak, heavy and down-tuned releases. A perfect way to embrace the heat.

Disma Towards the Megalith

While I'm all for evolution in extreme music, sometimes that leads to musical dead ends. When death metal gets too technical, I'm just left cold. Give me crunchy riffs, heavy (if sloppy) bass lines and simple, pounding drumming and I'll be happy. The debut from this supergroup of sorts has all of that, along with enough musical chops to keep the listener fully engaged in the music. The guitar playing is tremendous, and any album that takes me to the "Vault of Membros" is a winner in my book.

Sourvein Black Fangs

You know another style that gets me right in the heart? Sludge. Again, it's music more about making noise and reaching for the heart than pure technical proficiency, and it's a style I've loved since making the jump into punk rock back in the mid 1980s (Minnesota had plenty of raw, sloppy and heavy bands back in those days, led by the likes of the Bastards, the Cows and Babes in Toyland). Sourvein first full-length in many a year again hits the sweet spot, moving easily between fast, aggressive noise and slower, heavy-duty jams.

Hail!Hornet Disperse the Curse

Considering that there are heavy connections between the two (band members, other bands that have included members, including Weedeater and the all mighty Buzzov*en) it's not a surprise that Hail!Hornet plies similar sludge and doom territory here, their long awaited sophomore release. You can heal the southern humidity and heat dripping off the songs, giving the whole album a thick, oppressive atmosphere that fits perfectly with these tales of hard drinking and hard living.

The return of Amebix

Amebix will release a new album this fall.

It's hard to put into words how thrilling that is to write. The fathers of British crust punk were inactive for more than two decades, leaving behind a pair of full-length albums and an album's worth of stray tracks.

So the reunion of a couple of years ago was exciting enough, and last year's Redux e.p. -- featuring a trio of rerecorded classics with the current lineup -- showed that the band's signature epic heaviness had not been lost to time.

But new music? Oh man.

This track is a teaser from the album, Sonic Mass, and while it doesn't turn back the clock entirely to 1987, it does bring the band's signature vibe. The track builds slowly, with vocalist/bassist The Baron singing almost clearly before the heavy-duty power hits about midway through the track, fueling the song until its end. It's a terrific snippet of crusty punk that while certainly modern, never wavers from what brought Amebix to the table in the first place.

The song is available as a stand-alone download, on CD or in a vinyl edition from Profane Existence, pressed on heavy-duty wax, with an etching on one side and access to an exclusive video for the song. Whatever the format, it's more than worth a listen, at the very least to tide listeners over until September.