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MetalBite's Top 10 Albums of the Month - September 2022
MetalBite's Top 10 Albums of the Month returns! If August was a lighter for new releases, it's because it was the calm before the tidal wave that was September in metal. Holy fuck, there was a LOT of stuff out this month. Really good stuff, too. Check this out:
Razor - Cycle of Contempt
Firtan - Martyr
Vermin Womb - Retaliation
Reincarnated - Of Bootes Void Death Spell
Cainan Dawn - Lagu
Warforged - The Grove / Sundial
An Abstract Illusion - Woe
Dead Void - Volatile Forms
Cinis - Lies That Comfort Me
Writhing - Of Earth & Flesh
Acephalix - Theothanatology
Acausal Intrusion - Seeping Evocation
Cloud Rat - Threshold
…that's the September releases that DIDN'T make this list. Some of these were fantastic, too (Acephalix and Warforged were two I really wanted to get to) but none of us had enough verbal thoughts on them for a little hype paragraph. We simply don't have the person power. (this is my subtle, passive way of saying we need more people to contribute articles to this list. Apply within!)
Nevertheless, this is still appropriately massive - might even be our biggest Top 10 list yet. Let's not waste any more time.
-Nate
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Umbilicus - Path Of 1000 Suns
Listenable Insanity Records
Fun little side-project of Cannibal Corpse's Paul Mazurkiewicz (among others) that channels some classic Zeppelin and Sabbath influences into heavy, bluesy rock. Full review
-Michael
Ensanguinate - Eldritch Anatomy
Emanzipation Productions
After years of near-total obscurity, the Slovenian extreme metal scene is starting to gain something of a foothold internationally, and the debut album from Ensanguinate will certainly not harm this nation's credibility, delivering a tight and surgically precise set of death metal songs that offers an effective update on the thrashing death metal sound of early Morbid Angel and Deicide. Although delivered with great skill and competence, at times, the slightly featureless nature of what many would consider a stellar production job robs the Slovenians of a certain amount of personality that could help to set them apart from the pack. Thankfully, where the album absolutely succeeds though, is in the riff department. Here, Ensanguinate display a fierce, but not alienating level of technical ability, and pulverise the listener in a variety of ways, switching tempo and feel with ease, while at all times ensuring that within each flurry of dizzying guitar interplay, there are plentiful memorable phrases and rhythmic ideas, all of which contribute to a debut that the band can be immensely proud of.
-Benjamin
Revocation - Netherheaven
Metal Blade Records
As someone who subscribes to a lot of metal feeds and knows people who also listen to this kind of music...I've heard about this a lot. Revocation has that rare crossover appeal where entry level metalheads and more seasoned veterans alike all agree Double Dave has forgotten more riffs than you'll ever remember. In particular, The Outer Ones seemed to draw back in a lot of folks who might have previously lost the map on them.
Netherheaven is yet another chapter in this band's riff library, with more of a blitzing, thrashy tone to it than the previous full-length - though it still keeps the flirtations with modern dissonance its predecessor used to great effect, this album is a helpful reminder that Revocation has always been a thrash band at heart, despite all the frills and newer tricks.
My main issue with this (and why it didn't make the top 10 cut) is that it's…too professional, if that makes sense? My friend who saw them live recently (like, on the tour they're playing right now) said the same thing. Everything is crisp, clinically tight, and exactly where it needs to be, but the downside is that Netherheaven has no surprises. They already pulled a mid-career aesthetic augmentation with The Outer Ones, so where else do they go after that? Revocation has enough clout now to make bank touring off mediocre albums for the next 10-20 years…so I really hope that doesn't turn them into a comfortable, predictable band. Netherheaven isn't quite there yet, but it's going down that path, and I'm not gonna be praising their next album if they continue in this direction.
-Nate
Bloodbath - Zombie Inferno
Napalm Records
Uargh! After the very disappointing The Arrow Of Satan Is Drawn, it is refreshing to hear The Swedes (plus Nick Holmes on vocals) back to their old, ripping ways. On their 6th full-length album they offer us a lot of US-influenced death metal – you can pick out Death, Obituary and a lot of Morbid Angel influences in this album's dirty, rotten corners. Being seasoned pros, they effortlessly switch from fast, pummeling riffs to creepy, middling skin-crawlers with ease. 'No God Before Me' is the song Morbid Angel forgot to write before they decided to go into the realms of irrelevance with their "F"-album. Everything is perfectly curated to be decidedly old-school - art, production, and song titles. Malignant Maggot Therapy? Tales Of Melting Flesh? Hell yea.
Nick sounds pretty good here, he's particularly malignant on 'Zombie Inferno'. I wonder if part of it's just studio magic, as when I saw him with Paradise Lost in Essen last month he was…pretty disappointing. That being said, it seems like the addition of Lik's Tomas Åkvik motivated Bloodbath to go back to writing sick, crushing death metal instead, getting away from the black metal vibes that made Arrow such a snoozefest.
-Michael
Last Retch - Sadism And Severed Heads
CDN Records
Here in Ontario, OSDM isn't as big of a thing. Sure, there's been a couple of breakout bands like Tomb Mold, but they seem to just randomly pop up in isolation every blue moon - there's not really a "scene" of similar bands around to put on shows together and generally just push the HM-2 chainsaw sound to the masses as much as possible.
The fellas over at CDN Records seem to be doing their best to rectify this, first with Michigan stalwarts Centenary last year, and now with one of the more promising bands to come out of the gritty industrial city of Hamilton: Last Retch, whose sound can best be approximated as 70% Dismember chainsaw tone and 30% Cannibal Corpse influence in the rhythmic groove. 'Cannibals of Tuma' very much has the same feel in the drums as 'Acidic Twilight Visions', my favorite Undeath track. I want a little bit more beef in the production, but that's something that can be rectified easily on later releases. All quibbles aside, Sadism And Severed Heads has a nasty groove to it and it's incredibly refreshing to hear this kind of sound coming out of my region. I've already harassed these guys to come to my city for a show at least once and I plan to persist until they eventually cave.
-Nate
Megadeth - The Sick, The Dying And The Dead
Universal Music Group
The Sick, The Dying And The Dead may be the best album that Megadeth have released in the last 20 years. Dave's vocals sound fresh and aggressive, the guitar work is awesome (the solos in particular really kick ass here) and ol' Dave even has some more intricate songwriting. Dystopia had its moments, but was mostly mediocre mid-tempo stuff. This is not the case here. The title track has shades of Rust in Peace mixed with AC/DC's fun-loving nature, 'We'll Be Back' is the fastest song they composed since 1990, and my personal favorite track on this is 'Mission To Mars', a weird rock song with hooks, atmosphere and goofy lyrics ("Hello Ladies! Hello Moon Man!"). 'Dogs Of Chernobyl' kind of sucks, but for a band that's 40 years old on their sixteenth full length album, having one lame track out of 11 is impressive.
-Michael
Gaerea - Mirage
Season of Mist
Fuuuuuck this band just keeps getting more and more comfortable in their sound as time goes on. They can consistently conjure up harrowing, despondent emotions without having to rely on melody, instead slowly building up energy in a post-rock style climax - but there's blasting and double-kicking going on the whole time. The band always had a tremendous amount of potential, but their previous release, Limbo, didn't capitalize, despite a couple fantastic songs. This has much more of a boundless, colorful feeling to it, and my cursory listens indicate there's tons of layers in these tracks that will reward repeated listening.
-Nate
Blind Guardian - The God Machine
Nuclear Blast Records
It's a new Blind Guardian album, if that isn't enough to pique your interest just go back to listening to Pantera or whatever. Full review
-Michael
Miscreance - Convergence
Unspeakable Axe Records
This is the kind of thrash that everyone should be able to get behind - lots of Atheist and Cynic vibes in that the bass has tons of room to wander and noodle (and oh, does it ever noodle). Tons of odd tangents and a certain off-kilter nature that brings to mind King Crimson if you gave them steroids and put a Martin van Drunen-esque feral madman behind the mic.
Seriously, what part of that description didn't you like? Plus the cover art is sick.
-Nate
Ares Kingdom - In Darkness At Last
Nuclear War Now!
What even IS that guitar tone? I don't understand it, but Ares Kingdom gets a sound out of their melody that makes you want to pull the head off something. Their albums all have a different feel, but the production always manages to sear you right to your core.
This is obviously aided by the band being master songwriters, and in their veteran years the qualities of their craft age like wine - this group never forgets to pay tribute to the old masters, but simultaneously never remain stagnant and always find a clever and creative way to augment their core building blocks. You'll hear elements of death, black, thrash, speed, doom and whatever genre Motorhead is all fused into a hearty, seamlessly blended riff soup. It's heavy fucking metal, baby!
-Nate
Tribal Gaze - The Nine Towers
Maggot Stomp
I'm starting to realize that Maggot Stomp's shtick is just to add mutated steroids and brutal death metal aesthetics to hardcore, creating utterly simplistic, chug-focused, but nonetheless absolutely devastating music, and you know what? That's okay with me, especially if it results in music like this. This has an unhinged, but focused quality to it, like being in the vicinity of an unstable steroid addict who could snap at any moment and punch your face with MMA-level precision. There's also a passion and zeal to this music that's hard not to be infatuated by - even without visual references, you just kind of get the feeling these are a bunch of younger dudes who are absolutely stoked to be laying down heavy ass shit as they start to make their mark on the metal world. That's the kind of energy I want behind my riffs.
-Nate
Kill Division - Peace Through Tyranny
Redefining Darkness Records
Jeramie Kling, Dirk Verbeuren, Gus Rios and Kyle Symons have a new band called Kill Division. That's a stacked and interesting lineup. If you are into old Terrorizer, Brutal Truth or Napalm Death this is the perfect piece of grindcore for you. This kicks your ass right from the beginning with plenty of blasting, hate, and no adherence to trends - only pure, late 80s-early 90s fury. They threw in a Terrorizer cover in Track 11 just to make sure you know their influences. It's a little less chaotic and has a bit more structure than grindheads might be used to, but nonetheless whizzes past in an entertaining 25-minute blur.
-Michael
METALBITE'S TOP 10 ALBUMS OF THE MONTH
10: Gnipahålan - I Nordisk Vredeslusta
Purity Through Fire
A misty forest on the cover invites the listener to a mysterious, atmospheric trip through the Swedish landscape - a very good visual representation of the journey this album takes you on. I Nordisk Vredeslust evokes a powerful nostalgia with its keys and swirling blizzards of riffs. Simple pieces slowly cultivate a haunting atmosphere, the consistent keys in particular elevate the entire deal, with the ghoulish vocals underscoring the whole package. But beware – the album can feel taxing - aside from the intro and outro, the riffs are challenging and discordant because of their ferocious tempo and rawness. Once it sucks you in, though, it puts you in a certain meditative trance somewhere between Emperor, Vargrav and Abigor.
-Michael
MetalBite's Rating: 8.2/10
9: Altars Ablaze - Life Desecration
Lavadome Productions
I missed the boat on Beyond Mortal Dreams and got to the game a little bit late with Heaving Earth, so I haven't been as vocal about it as I should be, but Lavadome Productions has been on fucking point this year. Both of those albums crept their way into my top 10 of 2022 (so far) after giving them time to marinate, and Altars Ablaze is making a serious bid for that as well. There are some connections to Heaving Earth (they share a guitarist and have a couple other ex-members), which explains how they got in touch with their label, but where Heaving Earth is a sprawling fusion of Immolation and The Chasm with a slight black metal touch, Life Desecration is either a death metal-oriented version of Akhlys/Nightbringer, or a nuanced version of Angelcorpse, depending on your perspective. There's a similar turbulent blitz of blasting with a discordant bent, polished and stripped of its thrashy tendencies, but the real gold in this album is when the pace drops a bit and the band lets the little flashes of intricacy in the guitar swirl in the forefront. You can tell the group could have played far more complex material than this, but chose to focus their sound in the interest of a more cohesive sound and musical longevity.
-Nate
MetalBite's Rating: 8.2/10
8: Fallujah - Empyrean
Nuclear Blast
Despite the obvious display of tremendous talent on display with every album, Fallujah tends to be hit or miss for me. The Flesh Prevails? Excellent. Dreamless? Not as big of a fan. The key is if they channel their grandiosity and bombast into a song with flow, which Empyrean does as good as anything these Californians.
It's easy to forget that the founding members of this band are in their early 30s, despite being on the scene for what seems like forever and having five full lengths under their belt. You could argue the band is reaching their creative apex right now, with a sense of elegance and maturity to these compositions - typically that means the sound is more boring, but when the riffs hit on this one, they hit hard. They space it out with their trademark "ascend into the heavenly cosmos" atmosphere, but even those songs have some really smooth pickwork with chuggy motifs that dance in your head for weeks. A lot of heavyweight bands put out stuff worth checking out this month, but for whatever it's worth, this was the one I liked the most. Even the clean vocal sections in this are really cool, and I usually hate those!
-Nate
MetalBite's Rating: 8.5/10
7: Epoch Of Unlight - At War With The Multiverse
Dark Horizon
I've been so saturated with noodle-happy Artisan Era-core these past few months that sometimes I forget it can actually go the other way - there can be "technical melodic death metal" bands that put the "melodic death" piece of that descriptor right at the front. It's easier to execute because the guitar parts seem like they can be played by normal humans, but it's more difficult to create a memorable album because you've got fewer garnishes to play with. A lot of Epoch Of Unlight's riffs still have those holdovers from the Slaughter of the Soul era, but there's just enough window dressing to keep it up to speed. Moreover, they drill songs in your head through clever song construction: they like to start songs off on a brisk, energetic note and then somehow find a way to kick up the intensity even more midway through.
They have this way of keeping their secrets until the end. They'll start by teasing you with a very good riff - not an amazing riff, just a very good one. It'll have just enough to keep you listening to the song, but also builds anticipation for the dank riff that you know is going to follow it. When the big kahuna does hit, the resulting power is usually enough to carry the momentum of the rest of the song. 'The Numbing Stillness' is a great example of the uptempo, lead-heavy yet still slow-burning style that this Memphis group is great at. Not bad at all for a group getting back into the swing of things, this being their first full-length in 17 years and first proper release since 2015.
At War With The Multiverse occupies that rare space of "proper" melodic death metal - you know, the kind that has tons of great licks but also doesn't forget the "death metal" part of the equation in the quest for the biggest earworm. They're in exclusive company: Vehemence, Be'lakor, and the first Arsis album are some of the very few examples I can think of that also successfully execute the style. Great shit that is hella underrated so far!
-Nate
MetalBite's Rating: 8.5/10
6: Skare - Skare
Amor Fati
Out of absolutely nowhere (well, Australia actually), comes Skare's startling self-titled debut, which is a strong challenger to Pestilential Hex's own first assault as this listener's black metal album of the year. If the underground has most frequently been championing either scratchy primitivism and dissonant churn in recent years, it appears that the worm is starting to turn, as bands such as Stormkeep and now Skare are rediscovering the ability to add a dash of triumphant melody to their otherwise coruscating torrent of blastbeats and tremolo riffs. It is a genuine thrill to hear another band running with the adventurous spirit of the 90s legends (Dawn, Emperor, Obtained Enslavement), without too closely aping any single one of them. As the neo-classical pianos augment incandescent guitar work, this listener is lost in the kind of reverie and nostalgic haze that usually only a visit to the sub-genres early classics is able to evoke. Skare's debut is an absolutely enthralling piece of work that perfectly balances ferocity and melodic flair in a way that should ensure its longevity for some time to come.
-Benjamin
MetalBite's Rating: 8.7/10
5: Wolfheart - King Of The North
Napalm Records
Melodic death metal such as this, with the emphasis firmly on the melody, may be derided by those more interested in sheer extremity, but when a band gets it as spectacularly right as Wolfheart do on their stellar new release King Of The North, even the most cynical detractor may find themselves sucked in by the propulsive galloping riffs and surging emotion of a band that are arguably releasing their definitive statement in 2022 at the sixth attempt, following a run of well-received records over the past decade. The songwriting throughout is first class, tracks such as 'The King' providing a true journey through mountainous peaks and valleys and weather foul and fair, with judiciously used synths adding to the atmosphere without dominating the guitars, and huge melodies maintaining the listener's close attention in the same way that Iotunn managed last year with one of 2021's standout releases. Just occasionally, the rhythm guitars threaten to get a little too close to metalcore in tone and groove, but this is a minor criticism that is forgotten as soon as the listener is assailed by another relentless syncopated riff, or the guitars unfurl one more soaring lead figure. Wolfheart are a timely reminder of why heavy metal appealed so much to this listener in the first place, and King Of The North is a headbanging joy from start to finish.
-Benjamin
MetalBite's Rating: 8.9/10
4: Spiritus Mortis - The Great Seal
Svart Records
Although it wasn't a huge year for landmark doom metal releases, this may very well be Michael's AOTY for the genre (provided the new Candlemass album doesn't end up being even better). Nothing but pure, classic slow 'n' low goodness here from ex-members of Reverend Bizarre, among others. Full review
-Michael
MetalBite's Rating: 8.9/10
3: Autopsy - Morbidity Triumphant
Peaceville
For seasoned death metal maniacs, the appearance of a new Autopsy album is always cause for grim celebration, and with the arrival of Morbidity Triumphant seven years on from their previous full-length, the anticipation this time around is especially fevered. As soon as the opening strains of the delightfully-titled 'Stab The Brain' rumble into view, the listener immediately relaxes into a familiar state of gleeful torment, as if stepping into a comfortable pair of old shoes, albeit shoes that are unlikely to console the wearer with an anaesthetic before painfully and violently amputating the feet that fill them. Despite their advancing years, and time already served in the extreme metal underground, Chris Reifert and co still play ugly, monstrous death metal as if their lives depend on every last blastbeat and down-pick, utterly authentic, utterly monumental, and utterly destroying all pretenders to their throne. Autopsy are masters at effortlessly cramming countless rusty hooks into each track, from the infernal (and sneakily technical) harmonised tremolos of 'Tapestry Of Scars' to the brutalising suckerpunch of 'Skin By Skin', on which Reifert's death rattle rasp is hauntingly terrifying. Like syphilis, Autopsy are both infectious, and disgusting. Morbidity Triumphant, a title which could almost be said to symbolise the ongoing and unlikely success of the genre itself, meets and exceeds expectations in style, and Autopsy once against sit at the top of the pile of slain corpses that represents the competition, watching the world burn, and spitting on its charred remnants in the knowledge that they will outlast us all.
-Benjamin
MetalBite's Rating: 9/10
2: Slaughterday - Tyrants Of Doom
F.D.A. Records
Slaughterday brings the pulverizing death metal, with an extra trad metal tinge that gives it a distinct edge. The best death metal album Michael's heard all year, which is saying something if you read these articles and know how much he loves his early 90s OSDM worship! Full review
-Michael
MetalBite's Rating: 9/10
1: Mo'ynoq - A Place For Ash
Self-released/Independent
For whatever reason, I haven't been as high on black metal this year. Most of my highest-ranked picks for these lists have been in the tech and dissodeath realms (Carrion Vael, Inanna, Immolation, Soreption, etc) - and even then, the albums I was keen on (Nechochwen and Silhouette) I have been keen on were higher in the lists because they were released in months that didn't have as many standouts. Anyways, if for whatever reason I was falling out of favor with black metal, A Place For Ash aggressively grabbed me by the collar and dragged me right back into its depths.
I've seen this get a bit of flak (mostly in Angry Metal Guy) for being too blast-heavy and not capitalizing on the band's obvious potential…but my question is, what exactly would replace that? You're basically saying to cut out the meat of this band completely, or just change entirely what they're meant to sound like. Maybe it's because I don't hear this in the context of their previous album as much (I know of it, and know it's good, I'm just not super familiar with it), so I don't see a band dialing back elements that made them good before, I just see a group that has gotten more comfortable writing songs together channeling their disparate influences into a powerful, compelling stream of black metal. It's repetitious, with incredible stamina from drummer Justin Valletta sustaining a spirited blast groove for nearly three minutes at a time, but the way the band shifts the feel of the tempo while still maintaining the groove is hypnotic, adding texture and variety without removing the stark, uncompromising atmosphere. All three guitarists contribute vocals at different times, each adding their own distinct, shrieky cadence to the ordeal.
I don't know exactly why, but A Place For Ash has a different lasting effect than most black metal I hear today. It's hard to make any sort of second-wave comparisons to this, as parallels to groups like Wolves in the Throne Room and Oathbreaker makes much more sense - this is thoroughly modern in that way, but they kept the songwriting tendencies from the 90s albums that made them lasting listens. Incredible stuff that had me dancing in my kitchen while I did the dishes multiple times over.
-Nate
MetalBite's Rating: 9/10
Thanks again for checking our list out! If you still haven't got your fill of metal for today, here's our top 10s for 2022 so far to catch up:
And, of course, Follow MetalBite on Facebook and Instagram so you can be there right when the next Top 10 list drops!
Entered: 10/6/2022 10:07:15 AM
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MetalBite's Top 10 Albums of the Month - November 2022
Welcome back to MetalBite's Top 10 Albums of the Month! We're just a few short weeks away from 2022 being a complete wrap, and of course, a bunch of dope shit came out in November just in time to fuck up your year-end list. Maybe we'll do a big Top 100 at the end of the year to celebrate. Maybe we won't. Maybe I'm just making things up as I go. Aren't we all?
-Nate
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Epidermal Veil - Psalms Of The Flayed
CDN Records
Iceland is known mostly for its black metal, but lately there's been an undercurrent of tech-death permeating the small but mighty nation - Beneath was the first death metal band out of there with any sort of recognition, and then Cult of Lillith and Ophidian I stepped up their respective games and established a "scene" of sorts for people to fall into. With a country of under 400,000 people, there's bound to be some scene incest, and sure enough, the vocalist you hear here, Ingólfur Ólafsson, performed on Ophidian I's debut album way back in 2014.
Epidermal Veil aren't quite in the top tier of Icelandic tech death with them yet - they're only a year old as a project, an apparent continuation of Devine Defilement, a deathcore-styled act 3 of the members were also in. This EP seems to be more of a teaser of where the band has the potential to go, and in that regard, it's got me pretty excited to hear how this group develops. They're off to a promising start: this has a lot of those hard-hitting, no-BS qualities that deathcore excels at, but it's supplemented with some interesting chord shapes (perhaps owing to the off-kilter sense of melody their country's black metal bands are known for) and an impressive amount of technical dexterity. There are a couple of breakdowns, but they're integrated well and aren't a shoehorned excuse to round out a song. Tasty!
-Nate
Karg - Resignation
Art Of Propaganda
I've never given this project the same love I give to Harakiri for the Sky, this being vocalist J.J.'s solo venture where he's the primary songcrafter and visionary. There's a lot of overlap between the two, with Karg being more of a vessel for the midpaced post-rock and flittering ambiance that garnishes H4TS, with the black metal influence betting more of a residual, adjacent thing. The differences are hairsplitting, and while I do feel like Harakiri reaches loftier emotional climaxes thanks to the riffy black metal parts, Resignation feels more natural and smooth in its composition and the atmosphere that comes out of it feels richer and more lush.
Also, the vocals have this weird cadence that…doesn't gel? It works fine in Harakiri's stuff, but for whatever reason it's just not clicking here.
-Nate
Carnal Savagery - Worm Eaten
Moribund Records
I was confused when the Worm Eaten promo popped up in my mailbox because I thought Carnal Savagery already released an album this year. So, I double checked – this is, in fact, the second full-length this year for this prolific group, after Scent Of Death in 2022. Not much has changed in their sound since April - 11 more classic HM-2 Swedish old school death metal tracks crawling like maggots into your ears and drilling into your brain. Some rotten Autopsy vibes give the album a stinking, rancid touch ('Baptized In Mutilated Innards' or 'Edible Cranium') and they clean up the smell like a pine tree air freshener dangling in your car with some more "friendly" tunes that have that familiar Entombed/Dismember feel. More sophisticated songwriting makes this a more convincing album than the previous one. Good ol' Dan Swano's at the helm in the studio for this one, leaving no further questions as to what Carnal Savagery wanted this to sound like.
-Michael
Houkago Grind Time - Houkago Grind Time 2: The Second Raid
Independent
Goregrind from the Ripped to Shreds guy. This riffs harder than anything you will ever hear. What else is there to know?
-Nate
Vanandir - Beneath The Mold
Black Lion Records
I literally just heard this for the first time as I write this now. I was intending on using this space to write about the new Second to Sun, because I eagerly follow the Syosev brothers' work and loved the Grima album from earlier this year, but after several spins of Nocturnal Philosophy, I struggled to identify any moments that grabbed me. Then, as I desperately searched for things to say about it, Vananidr popped up on my youtube auto-play and it took all of maybe two minutes before I decided to write about it instead. I don't even care that it came out in October, we missed it last month and I'm breaking the rules so you can all hear this dope ass black metal album. (Plus Benjamin features Ultar later in this list, so we still give Gleb and Max some love.)
This isn't an experimental, unusual album. It's maybe a little on the melodic and atmospheric side, but this is a genre chock full of that stuff anyways, so really, Beneath The Mold is about as generic as they come. That being said…it doesn't need to be anything more than it is. The riffs have just what they need to be effective, the rise-and-fall in the songs is silky smooth, and overall it feels like this group of Swedes can just effortlessly write great black metal and have been doing so for decades.
Turns out they actually HAVE been making music for decades. The two guitarists have musical credits to their name going as far back as the late 90s, and their drummer is most notable for having a 15-year stint with some super-obscure band called…Amon Amarth. Yeah, these guys definitely know what they're doing.
-Nate
Cryptae - Capsule
Sentient Ruin Laboratories
While I haven't found a ton of material coming out of Oakland-based Sentient Ruin Laboratories that stands out past the swirling layers of murky dissonance, Cryptae are a stark and notable exception to this rule. They have much more of a distinct, unique identity, and this would have been the case no matter who put their albums out.
This Dutch group has an approach that's as thorough and cohesive as it is unusual. Though primarily existing in the death/doom genre space as drawn-out ambience mixes with choppy, quick riffing, There's a very mechanical groove to it that feels more like it draws from Throbbing Gristle or some kind of odd post-punk/industrial music. Godflesh is another good comparable, but rawer, and with an unhinged intensity still permeating through the very precise and calculated rhythms. There's a monotonous vibe, with more details in the texture than the taste of the melody, but at the same time' it's not repetitious - they switch up motifs and add layers pretty quickly/consistently. They could have easily added some sort of breakcore influence or just made this something along the lines of The Berzerker, but instead they opted to make a cold, unfeeling sound as organic as possible.
Weirder isn't always better, but fortunately, in pursuit of their novel identity, Cryptae did not forget to make their second full-length engaging to listen to. They've fattened up their sound and added more ideas (though none that are any less strange), and even with all the bizarro traits this does have, it's surprisingly easy to wrap your head around and groove to, owing a lot to the simple sense of melody and the fact that the drums are actually being played by a human.
-Nate
Fliege - One Day They'll Wonder What Happened Here
Independent
My homeboy Austyn (who I hope to get to write for these articles soon, wink wink nudge nudge) turned me on to this band, who uses black metal as a base for concept albums based on movies and then throws a whole whack of other shit in there to get the story across. There's tons of genre-bending weirdness that all has a certain rough, amateurish charm to it, and if you're a fan of The Thing, there will be even more to appreciate. Full review by Austyn here
-Nate
Disillusion - Ayam
Prophecy Productions
This has always been melodeath for people who don't listen to melodeath. Back to Times of Splendour, which holds a sort of forgotten-classic status for the genre, is rife with long-form song-structures, atmospheric repetition, and clean vocals that aren't focused on delivering chorus hooks. It's a prog album that build more bridges and long build-up passages than it does rock the fuck out, although this is far from devoid of more involved guitarwork. Their music is very deliberate, detailed even during moments of sparsity, and has a tremendous, layered sense of scope - like all good prog, they put out incredible albums when they do, but they also take really fucking long to write new stuff, so having the time and space for new things over the pandemic probably really benefitted this group.
-Nate
Encryptment - Dödens Födsel
Nuclear Winter Records
One of the filthiest extreme metal releases of the year. It does so with a heaping of d-beats, some blackened tremolo and a discordant edge to supplement the crunchy Swedeath and an intuitive sense of which riffs keep the song driving forward and make you headbang harder. It's an album of very carefully balanced elements delivered in a way that repeatedly punishes you. Heavy, fast, with low-key really intelligent song structuring and progressions. Simply put, this shit riffs hard, and who doesn't love a fun yet nuanced dose of blackened deathpunk?
-Nate
METALBITE'S TOP 10 ALBUMS OF THE MONTH
10: Ultar - At The Gates Of Dusk
RockMark Records
If it is rather unsurprising that the crucible of icy second-wave black metal was the frosty fjords and forests of Norway, it is equally logical that the freezing Siberian tundra would produce a band such as Ultar, whose excellent third album At The Gates Of Dusk is as good as soundtrack as one could hope to find to the windswept wastelands of the east, albeit a soundtrack that is filtered through the slightly less obviously Russian lens of unabashed Lovecraft worship. The author that brought the world Chthulhu is not a novel inspiration for metal, but when it is imbued with the kind of conviction and relentless savagery exhibited by Ultar, it matters not. The band are utterly adept at combining the kind of mournful atmosphere and stilted melodies of Mgla, or even Wolves In The Throne Room, with the unrelenting and muscular aggression of early Immortal and Dissection, and as such, At The Gates Of Dusk is an excellent and well-rounded album that acts as an excellent reflection of where the genre is today, taking the best elements of the various tangential paths that others have walked and consolidating into a sound that forges ahead without casting off any of the genre's history altogether.
-Benjamin
MetalBite's Rating: 8.2/10
9: Lamentations - Passion Of Depression
Willowtip Records
Willowtip has seemed more partial to winding, convoluted dissonance lately, so this came as a surprise, feeling more like a subdued Inferi album with all the techy melodeath nods and prog rock-esque bombast in the compositions. Every idea on this lands, though - it feels larger than life while maintaining a buttery smooth ebb-and-flow, and the delicate acoustic passages that dot most of the track are so wispy and emotional it feels like they're taking cues from DSBM. It's a mid-era Opeth album that uses Inferi references to add even more elaborate twists, never feeling too overstimulating or sparse all the while. Passion Of Depression has that immediacy to it that keeps you coming back after the first go-around, and the songwriting intricacy gives you more than enough cute diversions and garnishes to keep you entertained several times over. Forget Wilderun, bump these dudes instead.
-Nate
MetalBite's Rating: 8.4/10
8: Candlemass - Sweet Evil Sun
Napalm Records
With The Door To Doom, Swedish superstars Candlemass achieved their biggest success so far: (a nomination for the US American Grammys) and to top it off, they had a very prominent guest appearance by the legendary Tony Iommi. Now they are back with their 13th album Sweet Evil Sun. One may be superstitious about the unlucky number but if you have a look at other bands and their 13th release the Rolling Stones were pretty successful with "Goats Head Soup", AC/DC had "Stiff Upper Lip" and also Black Sabbath did a great album with "The Eternal Idol" (okay this one may just be my opinion). So there's a good chance they still have some juice left.
Starting with a doom stomper featuring all the Candlemass trademark gets your hyped for the rest, although they sorta rip themselves off with the guitar solo which sounds similar to one on Death Magic Doom ('Demon Of The Deep'). The title track is a highlight, featuring a fantastic atmosphere via some 70s-styled Hammond organ sounds - very catchy, with some really bitter and sarcastic lyrics. Another favorite of mine is 'Scandinavian Gods'. It has some doomy Manowar influences and may be the next hymn where everybody can join singing at the concerts. Two faster songs on the album are 'Devil Voodoo' where Jonas shows off a more melodic vocal style and 'Angel Battle' with its hammering, aggressive riffs and sophisticated songwriting full of tempo changes and breaks.
With Sweet Evil Sun, Candlemass once again rolls out a very good album which is an easier listen than The Door To Doom because of the catchier and simpler structure. Candlemass seldom venture out of their comfort zone (although they do have a few forays, such as "When Death Sighs") but if you liked the last few albums you will for sure like Sweet Evil Sun. A little bit more progression would have been interesting and would have perhaps brought some fresh energy into the fold, but what we have here is a very classic , back-to-basics doom metal album and that's a hard thing to complain about.
-Michael
MetalBite's Rating: 8.5/10
7: Jade - The Pacification Of Death
Pulverised Records
Apparently this band made a few waves with their demo, but I missed it - this is the first time I'm hearing of them, but they have a powerful sound that needs to be heard by any fans of layered, atmospheric extreme metal. Equal parts Bolzer and The Ruins of Beverast with a touch of Agallochy influences in the leads, this occupies that rare space in between melodic, atmospheric, riffy and heavy masterfully. The guitar tone is smooth but thick, the drums have that rolling double-kick groove, the vocals are a wet rasp with the occasional triumphant shout, and the songs slowly pack on layers until you're completely mesmerized by the groove and overwhelmed by its force.
They're one of the few bands I've seen in the genre with the genre "atmospheric death metal" on metal-archives. I can't think of a better way to describe it in three words. If the rare few bands that are in this sub-style are this good, it definitely needs to be more of a thing!
-Nate
MetalBite's Rating: 8.6/10
6: SubOrbital - Planetary Disruption
War Anthem Records
Say what you will about the Germans, but man, they know how to fuckin' riff. SubOrbital is not by any means a genre heavyweight, being a newer act, but that's not to say the musicians lack experience - they all look around middle age and each have a handful of contributions to scattered mid-range metal projects ranging from Gloryful to Night in Gales. For whatever reason, every single German band I stumble across in my musical journey is just, like…good. Leagues better than second and third-tier bands from other countries. Profanity? Golem? Cryptic Brood? Chapel of Disease? Sulphur Aeon? Not a lick of mediocrity to be found anywhere.
There's always a healthy amount of oldschool influences present to satiate the old guard, and SubOrbital is no exception: This is tech-death, for sure, but there isn't a trace of new-school influence to be found. Much of the fretwork and progressions is directly comparable to early Cynic and Nocturnus - with a helping of mid-era Death in there, as is the standard. The vocals have that feral, John Tardy feel, and even though it's musically impressive, it still feels like you can easily follow what the guitars are doing…but that's somehow not detrimental to a tech album. Planetary Disruption just has this way of sticking with you, never ceasing to throw in little twists to keep you on your toes while you follow the yellow riff road.
-Nate
MetalBite's Rating: 8.6/10
5: Detherous - Unrelenting Malevolence
Redefining Darkness Records
As I've established in past write-ups, I'm a picky thrash listener. There are basically two kinds of thrash that will get me to stick around: roided-up prog a la Miscreance, Voivod, Obsolete and Watchtower, or balls-to-the-wall death/thrash that can compete with modern extreme metal's unbridled intensity and seething aggression.
Detherous is definitely the latter. Skeletal Remains and Demolition Hammer are the obvious influences at play here, but perhaps more subtle are the Deicide and Morbid Angel cues that sneak into some of the groovier break riffs. Though these Albertan youngsters ooze the pure essence of thrash, they understand that you don't need to remain within the confines of the genre nowadays to riff like a motherfucker. It's focused and sharp while still having enough additional influences dotting the riffs to prevent the haymaker of skank beats and gritty tremolo from feeling samey. Damon MacDonald's shrieky, strained high brings to mind a more feral and less defined Morbid Saint (another good comparable as far as overall sound goes), and it sounds even more crisp and piercing in a live setting. I appreciate that the production has more of an analog, old-school vibe to it - the low end is a bit muffled, but it creates this chainsaw-type aesthetic without having to throw an HM-2 pedal on there.
Great band, great dudes that work their ass off. Definitely catch them live if you get the chance. I don't care if you have to work tomorrow. Call in sick or something.
-Nate
Are you ready for some brutal old school thrash with death metal influences? Straight from the beginning the tunes blow you away and hit you straight in the face. Unrelenting Malevolence takes major influence from bands like Skeletal Remains (whose vocalist Chris Monroe has a guest appearance in 'Reek Of The Decayed') or Demolition Hammer (including a very faithful cover of 'Skull Fracturing Nightmare'). "Slow" is not in this band's vocabulary. There's a hint of melody to keep you interested, but the song structures are bone-breaking. The drums, guitars and lyrical themes all have a healthy dose of gory death metal in them - titles like 'Gruesome Tools Of Torture' or 'Encased In Gore' don't leave much to the imagination. So if you like "Tortured Existence", "Spectrum Of Death" (especially the vocals) or some older Skeletal Remains this is your perfect stocking stuffer this holiday season.
-Michael
MetalBite's Rating: 8.6/10
4: Dream Unending - Song Of Salvation
20 Buck Spin
It's like funeral doom, but…faster? I didn't get it on the first album, which had some cool ideas swirling around, but failed to execute them or do much with a hypothetically neat sound. Song of Salvation shows this Tomb Mold / Innumerable Forms collab side project as being more comfortable in its own skin, playing around more with their building blocks to create arrangements that actually sound cool, instead of parts that just feel like they could have sounded cool.
Surprisingly, Skepticism isn't listed as a "similar artist" for this band on metal-archives, even though I think Dream Unending's keyboard presence mixed with a certain uplifting undercurrent parallels the delivery of the Finnish legends. I hear Thergothon influence in here too, but without the stark and uncompromising nature those fellas had. There are solos here, and the songs dwell on riffs less. The end result is like Worm's Foreverglade with an extra helping of color (and mushrooms).
The band is definitely a lot better at being soft and delicate than they are big'n'thick, which is why I find it hard to compare this to weightier atmospheric doom bands like Mournful Congregation and Evoken. Usually a metal album that isn't good at the heavy parts kind of sucks, but if you get into this the same way you would a band like Kayo Dot, where the ambient is actually the main course, it turns into a pretty solid listen. The glistening, drifting clean guitars create this lush ethereality that feels very relaxing and comforting to dwell in for a bit. "Dream doom" is a good descriptor, because this sits adjacent to a lot of atmospheric doomy styles, but it's hard to lump this group in with an already-established subgenre. It somehow managed to find some negative space somewhere between Ahab and Swallow the Sun and wrote an album in it. Since this is a project between already-established artists and it's on 20 Buck Spin, I imagine there won't be a shortage of press hype surrounding it, but at least in this case it's somewhat deserved because Dream Unending has caught on to a novel sound and went even further with it here.
-Nate
MetalBite's Rating: 8.7/10
3: 16 - Into Dust
Relapse Records
For so long have 16 operated under the radar, despite a long relationship with a label that are better than most at propelling deserving bands towards mainstream success, that one has to imagine the chances of a more significant breakthrough at this point in their career is minimal. This is a great shame, as their eighth album Into Dust is yet another superlative slice of Southern sludge that has obvious crossover appeal to fans of Down, Mastodon and Crowbar, as well as the many people of discerning taste who mourn the untimely loss of Acid Bath to this day. At its best, sludge is the decayed, rotten cousin of classic metal, dipping sonorous Sabbathian riffs in a foetid pool of despondent doom and crusty hardcore, and 16 absolutely embody this incestuous union, with an album that paradoxically combines grim despair with rampaging vitality and energy. On tracks such as the majestic 'Ash In The Hourglass', as the honeyed clean vocals of Bobby Ferry float effortlessly above the COC-style twin leads, before the chugging riffs propel the song forward again on a wave of disgust, one marvels at their ability to package their wide-ranging sound into such a taut and well-rounded track, a trick that they repeat again and again, as this listener's grim smile of riff-induced ecstasy threatens to widen far enough to suggest some kind of actual happiness is still possible in this world. If all we are left with when the polar ice caps melt is an uninhabitable hellscape and this album, it might just be an acceptable trade.
-Benjamin
MetalBite's Rating: 8.9/10
2: Drudkh - All Belong To The Night
Season Of Mist
Death, taxes and Drudkh putting out genre-defining atmo-black - the only certainties in this world. A lot of people stopped listening to these guys after Handful Of Stars, which I sorta get, but that also means you've missed out on some amazing moments, particularly on A Furrow Cut Short, which I hold right up there with Autumn Aurora and Microcosmos as one of the band's crowning achievements. Nowadays, the band has settled into a slightly melodic, midpaced atmo-black style, with less Burzum worship and more refining of the "signature Drudkh" parts.
The one knock I have about this album is the kick drum sound - it's got a very wooden, pitter-patter kind of tone with the steady, rolling beats that you need to get used to, and it stands out in a weird way if you hone in on it enough. The upside of choosing to amplify the low-end, though, is that the bass lines get underscored more, and that's always been one of Drudkh's more underrated draws. Bassist/keyboardist Krechet, who's been with them since Estrangement, always seems to know the perfect time to throw a divinely inspired lick into a long stream of hypnotic tremolo. Check out the middle point of 'The Nocturnal One' for an example of what I mean.
-Nate
MetalBite's Rating: 8.9/10
1: Crown Of Ascension - Transmission Errors
Xenoglossy Productions
Listeners of a certain vintage might recall the shock and awe of experiencing Anaal Nathrakh's now legendary The Codex Necro for the first time. While this listener is not necessarily suggesting that Crown Of Ascension's debut is quite as good as that, this UK band are in possession of a similarly overpowering aura, and have created a frankly terrifying miasma of cosmic black metal in the outstanding Transmission Errors. As a mechanical drum battery pushes the velocity beyond (all too) human limitations, guitars and synths merge almost into a single dissonant swirl that envelops the listener in an inescapable psychedelic vortex. This is not to say that Crown Of Ascension make totally freeform noise – while their music is incredibly dense and layers, the vapour trails of aggressive riffs and chord progressions are discernible, as are the ghosts of haunting melodies, but the primary force of their ceaseless assault comes from the textural impact of the harsh noise, augmented by A White's reverb-laden rasp. The nearest reference points would be Axis Of Perdition, Darkspace, and Blut Aus Nord's most obtuse albums, but Transmission Errors is sufficiently individual to transcend simple comparisons. This is black metal heard from beyond the event horizon, and a convincing impression of the sound of what might lie on the other side.
-Benjamin
MetalBite's Rating: 9.3/10
Thanks as always for coming here to check out new music! Remember to buy music and merch from all of them. Yes, literally all of them. Make yourself broke and destitute in the name of heavy metal. Then do it all again by checking out the rest of this past year's lists!
And, of course, Follow MetalBite on Facebook and Instagram so you can be there right when the next Top 10 list drops!
Entered: 12/8/2022 9:05:18 AM
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