Well, the Christmas/New Year period is well and truly over, so it’s time for new CD releases, after about 2 months of reissues and best-ofs. So let’s peer into the crystal ball and see what will be rocking your socks this week. Links to buy each title are at the bottom of this post.

The Empyrean by John Frusciante
The eleventh solo album from the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ guitarist. The Empyrean is a concept record featuring Flea, Sonus Quartet, Johnny Marr (woo!!!), and The New Dimension Singers.

A-LEX by Sepultura
Graar!!! Brazil’s most metallic export cranks it up with this concept album based on A Clockwork Orange. One for fans of brutal metal, citrus fruit, and/or watchmaking.

396 by Chris Duarte
Duarte has always been a monster player with chops out the wazoo. His new album is a collaboration with Japan’s premier blues-rock band, Bluestone Company.

Old Money by Omar Rodriguez-Lopez
This new conceptual solo album about exploitative industrialists from the Mars Volta guitarist is said to fit comfortably between his work with The Mars Volta and his prior rock-based solo releases. Sweet.