Notable recent rock / metal releases, mid-August 2016

Metal Allegiance - Fallen Heroes : There are two offerings from this supergroup, a self-titled album of new material and an EP which is a tribute to some recently-departed artists.

The album, called Metal Allegiance, is definitely worth a spin, it's great music. It features a cover, which is also a tribute, Dio's We Rock. The track really does rock, but what turns me off is the number of vocalists taking it in turns, which makes the track sound like one of those charity singles.

The EP is superb. Iron Fist is a head-shaking version of a classic song. But I really like Suffragette City, It's always so good to hear a metal rendition of a familiar but not-originally-metal classic.
★★★★☆

Equilibrium - Armageddon : I'm a fan of Equilibrium's fun mix of metal, growl, epic and folk. But I can't help feeling that the symphonic elements would sound so much better as real orchestral recordings rather than the obvious keyboard sound. I bought the previous album on first listen. Is this one better? I've not decided yet. Extra marks for great cover art though.
★★★★☆

Helion Prime - Helion Prime : I'm not sure why so many albums feature '50s-style sci-fi imagery, but I'm not complaining. The cover gives a clue about the subject matter of this album, heavy with space adventure and current science theories. The music is powerful but melodic with multi-tracked female vocals, a mix that works brilliantly well for me. Re-release, originally self-published earlier in the year.
★★★★★

Elm Street - Knock 'Em Out With a Metal Fist : I've been listening to this for a couple of weeks, it somehow missed being listed here sooner. This is only the second full-length album from the Melbourne band as Elm Street (previously one album as Raid) Musically this is old-school metal verging on thrash. Vocals are growled but not in such an extreme way. I love it, and the previous album and EP are just as good.
★★★★☆

As usual, these and all of the new rock / metal releases I discover are in my New Rock and Metal Releases Spotify playlist. Sort it by date order to bring the most recent to the top.