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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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:

Augus 2022

July 2022

June 2022

May 2022

April 2022

March 2022

February 2022

January 2022

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

Previous Post MB Premiere and Review: CHAOS OVER COSMOS - 'A Dream If Ever There Was One' full album stream	Next Post Live Review - Blind Guardian - Turbinenhalle Oberhausen - 09/13/22

Welcome back to MetalBite's Top 10 Albums of the Month! We've got a huge list of ear-mutilating sonatas lined up as per usual, and as an added bonus, we've got a contribution from a new fourth writer. Lots to be excited about, so no need to waste my time rambling. Enjoy!

-Nate

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Catalyst - A Different Painting For A New World
Non Serviam Records

At times, this seems like it struggles to find an identity amidst all of the different influences and flavours, but that's also just a testament to the sheer range of motion these French folks are able to cover on their second full-length album. These songs rip through acrobatic, brisk sections with an Inferi/First Fragment feel spliced in with choppy grooves a la Gorod and Soreption. The clean vocals are an interesting choice, not necessarily my thing but they don't make me want to turn the song off completely, so they're better than most in that regard.
-Nate

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Aenaon - Mnemosyne
Agonia Records

Can saxophone just replace symphonics/synths in black metal as to the go-to atmospheric backdrop? White Ward already proved how well it can work, and more bands are realizing its loud, gritty brass tone fills a space that is otherwise absent without detracting from the riffs. Aenaon is one such band, and perhaps the first I've heard that incorporates it into the triumphant exuberance of Greek black metal. The combination of sounds results in some winding, carnivalesque sections but backed up with a starkly serious and triumphant approach to the riffing - it has the feel of Hail Spirit Noir without sounding like them aesthetically, if that makes sense. It doesn't reach emotional heights I never thought possible or anything, but still, Mnemosyne is a consistently interesting and well-composed release, with a lot of artistry and subtleties in the blending of different influences.
-Nate

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Abyssic - Brought Forth In Iniquity
Osmose Productions

Less is more is a good rule for life and metal criticism alike, and there's a lot to be said for bands that observe this maxim. However, all good contrarians will know that sometimes, more is more, and that is exactly what the listener gets from the opulent third full-length from Norwegian symphonic doom crew Abyssic. Across five lengthy songs, including a monumental eighteen minute closer, the quintet give free reign to their most extravagant impulses, layering the slow motion crawl of the guitars with lush and intricate orchestrations that deliver the kind of immersive cinematic expansiveness that fans of mid-period Dimmu Borgir, or more recently, Aquillus would find very comforting. Although Abyssic arguably lack the brutal emotional depths of Atramentus, or prime Evoken, both of whom are fairly good touchpoints for their brand of neo-classical doom, the delicacy and beauty of some of the cinematic arrangements ensure that wide-eyed wonder takes the place of the despondent anguish that those bands evoke. Brought Forth In Iniquity is an album to get lost in, a rabbit hole to plunge into that continues to reveal new branches with every listen, and given the current state of the real world, there is a persuasive argument for remaining within its warm embrace forever.
-Benjamin

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Metalian - Beyond The Wall
Temple Of Mystery

Every now and then I get an itch for some wailing falsettos, Maiden-worshipping dual leads, and 80s-themed nostalgic adventure, and Metalian has consistently been one of the unsung heroes of new-age traditional heavy metal. The songs are so well written that it feels like every line is a hook - even if there are choruses, sometimes you like the verses even better. There's a constant sense of "balls to the wall" in the blistering guitars and galloping drums, never losing the pocket. The crown jewel of the whole thing might be the vocalist - although every other musician has some time to stand out, his idiosyncratic, exuberant wail with smartly crafted vocal lines is addictive and makes any track a delight to listen to.
-Nate

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Deathsiege - Throne Of Heresy
Everlasting Spew Records

Very much in the same vein as Instigate, another recent Everlasting Spew release that was a torrential burst of fast drumming and lots of straightforward tremolo grooves, like the halfway point between the death/grind supremacy of Misery Index and the hellish edge of Imprecation (fuck I forgot they had a new album too and didn't write about it) or Black Witchery. There's a subtle flavor to this that feels novel, like there's more low-end and groove in a typically treble-dominated style, perhaps owing to regional influences - there's not a lot of death metal coming out of Israel, and the stuff that does (Sonne Adam, Venomous Skeleton) doesn't feel like it's just co-opting themes from popular extreme metal bands and strives to create its own atmosphere.

Also, this has a fuckload of blastbeats. You like those, don't you?
-Nate

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Human Corpse Abuse - Xenoviscerum
Caligari / Selfmadegod / Dark Descent

Goregrind supergroup? Goregrind supergroup. Not to say this is particularly star-studded, moreso featuring notable but underrated artists trying their hand at a less accessible style of music and nailing it. Guitarist Shelby Lerno plays in Vastum, who are well regarded but not necessarily "popular", and Adam Jarvis (Pig Destroyer, Misery Index, Lock Up) is the best drummer in extreme music that no one seems to rave about all that much.

Combined, they make a potent, riff-driven package that makes it apparent both of them have technical skill, but it still comes out caked in grime, screeches, and a haze of filthy noise. It comes at you fast and doesn't overstay its welcome, never ceasing to beat the listener into a pulp with a soup of d-beats, blasts, grind and powerviolence elements, thick, sludgy breaks and a groovy pit stomper of a closing track that features the frontman of Nails. This may have a bunch of death metal influences, but it never stops grinding. Seems like a bit of a fuck-around side project for a few buddies when they're not touring and have time to hang out, but actually ended up good enough that labels are taking notice and it could actually become A Thing. Shittier bands have blown up than this in the past few years, it could totally happen!
-Nate

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Obsidious - Iconic
Season Of Mist

A power metal-type vocalist joins up with all the dudes who left Obscura a couple years back to make what they all probably wanted the next Obscura album to be (did they really have to go with another band name starting with "Ob"? Just wanted to stick it to Steffen?). It's got a lot more stuttery Soreption riffs (as those seem to be all the rage these days in tech death), and generally more of an expansive sound with a bigger sense of groove. Even though they're usually growers, A Valediction gave me one of the weakest first impressions I've ever got from an Obscura album, so in that sense, I think I might be personally moving over to these folks as my preferred band. This is a solid first volley, but it'll take some more expansion and definition of their sound before I'm a full-fledged fan.
-Nate

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Riot City - Electric Elite
No Remorse Records

Hell yeah, bust out those Pit Viper sunglasses, Riot City are back in town! This time they dressed up their jaguar to bring destruction over the land. In comparison to the predecessor Burn The Night, which was an amazing premiere album, not too much has changed here. There is a slight line-up augmentation - Guitarist Cale Savy no longer handles vocals, with those being taken up by Jordan Jacobs to allow Savy to focus on his riffing. If I didn't know beforehand, though, I wouldn't have recognized that, because their styles are very similar.

This group brings forward the nostalgia with tons of references to the classic eras of Priest and Iron Maiden ('Beyond The Stars' and 'Lucky Diamond'). Though the style is the same, they've added some more speed and complexity in the riffing compared to the debut. . With 'Severed Ties' seems like it's a boring, closing ballad at first…I won't say more than that, just don't skip that track too early! 'Electric Elite' has some fantastic hooks that will bring you straight back into the 80s, adding to a strong Canadian heavy metal scene that includes bands like Striker, Skull Fist and Cauldron.
-Michael

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Antropofagus - Origin
Agonia Records

I do not remember this band slapping so hard? To me, they were always that group that sounded like Hour of Penance and Hideous Divinity, without ever reaching quite the same level...until now, I guess. M.O.R.T.E. put them on the map, and this just cements their presence as one of the current torchbearers of thick, blasting brutality.

It definitely helps having BrutalDave himself on the skins - he hasn't been on anything in the last few years, and this shows he's still got it. There's a little more emphasis on the footwork and less on the snare the same way as, say, Putridity, but it's still tasty as hell all the same. The real power in this, though, comes from the guitars in the verses- they never hang on to one note, instead preferring subtle little chromatic runs that snake around the stream of kicks to create a kinetic energy that seems like it's tapped into the secrets of perpetual motion. Brutal ass perpetual motion.
-Nate

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Exhumed - To The Dead
Relapse Records

I wrote this band off as forgettable and generic for years, but when I saw they had a new album out, I figured it was at least worth a refresher listen to remind me why I thought they sucked. Turns out Exhumed…actually fucks? Perhaps they have fucked this entire time and I was just being ignorant.

I think I wasn't hooked before because this isn't the type of band that has garnish. Exhumed doesn't fuck around with samples, interludes, counterpoint, time signatures that aren't 4/4 - they just riff. And the riffs are about as straightforward death/grind as they come. So basically, if your brain doesn't latch on within the first couple of tracks (or you don't listen to Carcass and Impaled exclusively), you're probably not going to get it. 'Putrescine And Cadaverine' has one of those riffs that's already in your head the second I mention it, evoking wonder at the fact that Matt Harvey can somehow cook up something engaging in this very specific 'Gore Metal' niche time and time again. Not a single moment on this album is wasted - even the solos have enough tact to not drag, and the rest is pure groovy, driving riffs that would sound thrashy if the band didn't love early Carcass so damn much.

Even with all of the evolution this band has done in the 30 years it's been around, you can always trace a straight line back to their influences - when it comes to grimy, gory music, there's not really much to innovate. Even then, though, I can't tell you why To The Dead hit, and every other album from All Guts, No Glory onward passed through my ears without me taking much note - perhaps I'm just in the mood for a Halloween slasher flick? It's certainly a great album for the season.
-Nate

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METALBITE'S TOP 10 ALBUMS OF THE MONTH

 

10: Hagetisse - De Verminkte Stilte Van Het Zijn
Babylon Doom Cult

This listener has never hidden his admiration for the many incarnations of Netherland's most prolific extreme music producer, Maurice De Jong. Such is the man's productivity, that one might posit that in fact De Jong doesn't exist at all, and we are simply the victims of a metal conspiracy, in which many Dutch musicians claim the same identity as some sort of situationist art installation / minor PR stunt. That would be a compelling narrative, were it not for the thread of pure quality that runs through all of his output, whether he is operating in the capacity of Gnaw Their Tongues, The Sombre, or in this instance, Hagetisse. While De Jong may have gained his initial prominence thanks to his output of painfully extreme black ambient, Hagetisse finds him operating in a more orthodox incarnation, indulging his much-vaunted love of black metal. The band's sixth album in five years takes its cues from the recent work of his own countrymen Fluisteraars and Laster, blending it with a healthy dose of triumphant Scandinavian melody, and wrapped up the kind of rough and ready production that characterised Weakling's Dead As Dreams. All in all, it is possible that Hagetisse are a little too in thrall to the heroes that they seek to emulate to ever truly transcend their influences, but realistically, this is probably the point. And when the result is this good, this listener will certainly not be ignoring it.
-Benjamin

MetalBite's Rating: 8.1/10

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9: De Profundis - The Corruption Of Virtue
Transcending Obscurity Records

I feel like it's been a while since I gave some love to Transcending Obscurity, who as always continue to pump out a diverse, consistently interesting stream of varied releases within the extreme metal spectrum. For a reviewer like me, seeing their promo email in my mailbox brings the feelings of a kid in a candy store - it's Every Flavour Beans but the beans are tasty riffs!

This is the second TO album for De Profundis, who themselves have an unusual trajectory that makes them an oddly perfect fit for the label - they start out as a melodic death/doom outfit kinda like Swallow the Sun, added more speed, complexity and bass presence to create a somewhat Akercocke-esque proggy death/black sound, and this most recent album here seems to have settled into a slightly progressive, slightly melodic death metal band with disgusting bass lines. They aren't mind-bogglingly technical, but they're impressive enough and stupidly tasty. Even without the tasty low end, the themes are similar to something like Carcariass, later Death and early Cynic - I wouldn't call it tech-death, but these fellas are definitely no slouches.

I remembered Kingdom Of The Blind, the band's 2015 release, being much warmer and quieter on the production front, with a lot more of the fry qualities coming out in the vocals on The Corruption Of Virtue - you almost think it's a different vocalist, but Craig Land has a way of enunciating that is immediately recognizable. Everything is more at the forefront, and I appreciate that I can hear more of the details - out of all the varying styles the band has dipped their toes into over the years, this feels the most at home. This band was never about raw aggression or musical virtuosity for its own sake, instead opting for intricate layers of diverse melody that keep a constant sense of progression while remaining interesting.
-Nate

MetalBite's Rating: 8.1/10

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8: Vacuous - Dreams Of Dysphoria
Me Saco Un Ojo / Dark Descent

The ever fertile partnership between Dark Descent and Me Saco Un Ojo has dug deep once more this month to unearth yet another gem from the death metal underground, in the shape of the UK's Vacuous, who offer up a meaty slab of filth displaying a maturity beyond their experience in the way in which it skilfully blends ugly, twisted riffing with an almost gothic gloom, balancing visceral thrills with memorable songwriting. Not unlike kindred spirits Undergang, Krypts and even Pissgrave, Vacuous clatter their way through a gleefully unpleasant noise that still brings enough caveman riffage to prevent the album from descending into repetitious monotony. The album reaches its apex on the fantastic 'Paranoia Rites', which plunges directly into cacophonous blasting, before slowing to an Autopsy-like dirge, disembodied voices buried in the mix cloaking the whole thing in a chilling atmosphere before a domineering D-Beat mosh section reminds us of the beautiful, but transformational simplicity of switching through a variety of rhythmic feels beneath unchanging guitar parts. According to 16th century philosopher Thomas Hobbes, the nature of life is "nasty, brutish and short". It is to Vacuous's credit that they remember that the nature of death metal should reflect the nature of life, and at a mere seven tracks (one of which is a creepy interlude that maintains the dank atmosphere appropriately), Dreams Of Dysphoria certainly doesn't overstay its welcome, instead revelling in delivering a vital blast of death metal supremacy.
-Benjamin

MetalBite's Rating: 8.2/10

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7: Darkthrone - Astral Fortress
Peaceville

It's been a big couple of months for Peaceville's roster of classic bands, with Autopsy putting out the brilliant Morbidity Triumphant in September, followed by Darkthone's twentieth(!) release this month. One imagines that their PR team have been racking up the overtime in recent weeks, although arguably, little promotion is required to drum up excitement for new material from such iconic acts. Of course, as with every Darkthrone album since The Cult Is Alive, the main question is exactly which iteration of the band will be presented with this time, the Norwegians having long left behind the death metal, necro black metal and metal-punk eras which occupy such a large chunk of the discography. Perhaps we have now reached the band's final form, however, as Astral Fortress is very much a continuation of the slightly doomy, intentionally esoteric, and vaguely trad metal sound which the band have been stuck on since Arctic Thunder. Once again, the most inspirational touches on yet another solid album come from the moments in which they catch the listener off-guard with something unexpected. Take, for example, the spacy synths that dominate album centrepiece 'The Sea Beneath The Seas Of The Sea', which echo the similarly startling sound of 'Lost Arcane City Of Uppakra' which closed Eternal Hails…, or the Iron Maiden twin guitars of 'Eon 2', which must surely have conjured a satisfied metal grimace in the band's rehearsal room during the track's recording. The extent to which you might enjoy Astral Fortress may well be a function of what you want from Darkthrone these days. If it's the bleak, monochrome hate of Transilvanian Hunger that you're looking for, then you're shit out of luck. If you're interested in a slightly ramshackle take on Omen, Manilla Road, and early Celtic Frost, however, (and why wouldn't you be?), then you should greet this album like the gruff and slightly safe, but reliable old friend that Darkthrone have now become.
-Benjamin

Ah, Darkthrone…you gotta love their album covers... But hey, we know what we're getting at this point - since the "punk trilogy" (and probably before that) they have never give a single fuck about the "conventions" of the metal scene, and instead just do what they want to do.

Fenriz's wool socks aside: 'Caravan Of Broken Ghosts' got my attention right from the beginning, stealing some acoustic guitar from Viking-era Bathory. The song morphs into trudging Celtic Frost riffing, and ends up progressing into even stranger realms. Darkthrone don't really play much black metal here (especially compared to their classic albums), with a lot more innate love for classic doom and heavy metal as later Darkthrone tends to have. The songs can be somewhat predictable, but it's much easier to get into than the somewhat haggard and inaccessible 'Eternal Hails'. You might love it, you might hate it, but you'll mainly have to see for yourself. I liked it quite a bit, anyway.

PS: Darkthrone wins my imaginary "best song title of the year" award: 'The Sea Beneath The Seas Of The Sea'. Amazing. It's one of the highlights of the album musically, too!
-Michael

MetalBite's Rating: 8.3/10

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6: Goatwhore - Angels Hung From The Arches Of Heaven
Metal Blade Records

If possible, I like to use these Top 10 lists as a platform to talk about the non-heavyweight bands in metal: the young up-and-comers, underrated artists that are amazing but no one seems to talk about much, independent and unsigned shit - you know, the hidden gems you find in the darkest recesses of the underground. I like to think anyone who reads these articles is probably already pretty into metal, so why spend my time saying a bunch of shit about Megadeth or Exodus that people already know already? They don't need any more free promotion/advertisement, they did their time in the 80s. They made it.

In addition, album number 10 from an established band is gonna be way less interesting than album number 2 from a band that formed in the last 5 years. I've been burned by enough "back to the glory days" type reunions in my reviewing career to know that the longer you continue as a band, the more challenging it is to have that genuine inspiration and write something that has more going on than the bare minimum it will take to get your fans to buy the album, listen to it twice and never touch it again. It takes a lot more for the veterans to win me over because my standards are inherently higher.

Basically, what I'm getting at with this: if a band like Goatwhore, who are on their 8th full length in 20 years, are making this list, there's a damn good reason.

This is even doubly so given the fact that Sammy Duet and Ben Falgoust have been putting out mediocre albums for about a decade now. I own at least two of their previous three releases - I can't remember which ones, because nothing from any of them has struck me in a way that warranted deeper listening. I love the slightly blackened groove of A Haunting Curse And Carving Out The Eyes Of God, but they got thrashier in the 2010s (perhaps trying to recapture the blistering intensity of Apocalyptic Havoc) and paradoxically nothing hit the same. I had pretty much given up on this band, and basically just gave this a courtesy listen because their '06 and '09 albums were pretty important to me when I was first getting into extreme music - which made it all the more stunning when this ripped my face off with the first track, and hadn't slowed down a few tracks later.

In essence, they kicked up the black metal overtones and that's probably why I'm fawning over this now, but I also hear much more rounded and cautious songwriting than I heard at any point during their stretch of mediocrity. They're not trying to write every single track with ball-twisting intensity, instead letting each song go where it needs to develop an identity of its own - and as a result, these songs are more effective. 'And I Was Delivered From the Wound of Perdition' almost has a Mgla/esque atmo-black feel, 'Voracious Blood Fixation', has that classic NOLA sludgy groove that never fully leaves this band, and an added bit of Watain-style tremolo fits so well with the whole package you actually forget they didn't have nearly as much of it before. The songs themselves sound focused and have fantastic push-and-pull between brisk, active sections that get your head nodding and geared up for the nasty drops and midpaced grooves that follow them.

The wheels on the Goatwhore bus were rusted and cracked, and it began to affect their ability to drive. Fortunately, the group has new life, but not because they reinvented the wheel - all it needed was some polish and a couple of bolts tightened. Sometimes you just need to restore what's already there.
-Nate

MetalBite's Rating: 8.4/10

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5: Theotoxin - Fragment: Totenruhe
Art Of Propaganda Records

Starting with a quite innocent and friendly doom-riff this little beautiful creature turns out into a poisonous beast after some seconds. Harsh black metal riffs with a Swedish touch burn down everything (lame pun for 'World, Burn For Us') and the hateful high-pitched vocals like the early Lord Belial albums do the rest to send you down into the abyss. Theotoxin doesn't know the meaning of "slow", but the songs don't devolve into pure chaos, maintaining comprehensible structures and very appealing melodies.

Best black metal out of Austria this year, and may be my favorite BM album of the year in general. The production is very balanced, saturated, powerful and is the final piece putting together a very good piece of extreme metal which will find its way into my stereo very often.
-Michael

MetalBite's Rating: 8.5/10

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4: Ripped To Shreds - Jubian
Relapse Records

Whoa, this don't take no prisoners . With a fine mixture of Swedish death metal sounds, Bolt Thrower and Florideath, Ripped To Shreds have created a groovy double bass monster. Vocalist Andrew Lee gasps through the eight songs like he's fighting for his last breath (in a good way). Though the instrumentals are written to serve the song, it's very apparent there's a ton of skill behind these four folks. Buzzing, bone-sawing guitar riffs go together with some brutal and powerful drumming frame the compositions which hover on the edge of grindcore-themed chaos at times… only to wander back into ripping old-school death.

Sometimes things even become a little bit doomy or progressive (best example is 'In Solitude - Sun Moon Holy Cult Pt.3'). Jubian is nasty and it definitely takes more than one listen to fully comprehend what Ripped To Shreds created with this.
-Michael

The race for "dankest guitar tone of 2022" is over and the only reason it was even close was because Ares Kingdom put out an album earlier this year. This has that classic early Entombed prickle remastered for the current day. The riffwork does well to back it up: thick, slightly punky but mostly metal in that way Relapse loves, lotta beefy chords traded off with tremolo passages, and a lot more of a "full band" feel than the previous full-length, as good as that was. The previous drummer felt more like a session guy, but Brian Do sounds like he's been able to jam things out with Andrew Lee in an actual room together and they have a lot more of a feel for each other's playing.

The structuring is more nuanced and elaborate on Jubian, which is sometimes detrimental - I could have done without the long song myself, as this band generally works best when they're ripping you to shreds (I just had to) with more concise, focused riffing - there's still enough soloing and tempo shifts in them to keep things fresh, and you can dial in more on the good stuff. The blasting and d-beat combination is hella tasty with that guitar tone, and Andrew is able to channel this rabid, screechy tone in his vocals that perfectly complements the crunch of the guitars. It's an excellent mix of caveman riffs that make you go UNNNNG and enough nuance and sensibility to make the UNNNNNG riffs have qualities that grow in repeated listens.

It's just unfortunate that Relapse picked up this band and not Lee's other one - Ripped To Shreds are CLEARLY the side endeavor to the creative force that is Houkago Grind Time, who you are almost certainly going to see on next month's list unless I am suddenly killed for not-completely-unrelated reasons. Unfortunately, I will die when I am killed.
-Nate

MetalBite's Rating: 8.5/10

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3: Hiss From The Moat - The Way Out Of Hell
Distortion Music Group

When it comes to ranking and rating these lists, it's hard to rely on anything other than gut feeling - the only sort of data I have to back up my choices would be the play count on my iTunes. By that measurement, Hiss From The Moat rocketed up this list over the course of the month, because this is damn addicting. (Yes, I still use iTunes to listen to CDs and promo mp3s. Don't hate.)

The Way Out Of Hell isn't the "most" anything. It isn't the heaviest, the shreddiest, or even the angriest album you've heard, but nonetheless these songs are constructed in such a way that makes you want to punch holes in drywall. They took a few hints from their early days as a deathcore band, and the fact that the punishing breakdowns are woven in a way that serves the song first makes them all the more enjoyable. Over time, I imagine this band started to veer more towards a pure death metal sound, and probably stepped up their game with the addition of Max Cirelli as well. I first became familiar with Cirelli's work through Helion, his shreddy tech-death band, which seems to be more his baby while he's more of a hired gun here. He adds a nuance that you can feel occasionally, although mostly seems to be taking a backseat to the other guitarist's compositions, which feel like Hour of Penance during the fast parts and Decapitated during the slow parts, with a blackened melodic edge lining the whole mix.

All this and I haven't even mentioned James Payne, who might be the star of the entire show. He doesn't have the most impressive resume you've seen, but at the same time, it includes Hour of Penance and Kataklysm, which is far from the worst…and while he isn't necessarily the fastest or most mind-bogglingly complex you've ever heard, something about his beats are just …punishing. They beat you. His snare feels like it's cracking your skull, and a lot of his beats use "bomb blasts" - basically doubling every snare hit up with a kick hit - it would be ignorant if it wasn't delivered like a jackhammer.

With this new album, this group has created a really distinct identity within the Italian death metal scene that I think deserves a lot more attention. Just listen to that glorious melodic chug that bookends the closing track - it's like Rotting Christ, but then it shifts into a monolithic tremolo break. Something about it feels so…Hiss From The Moat. Fuck these guys are cool. Random ass, relatively unknown bands like this that kick tons of ass are exactly why I do this shit.
-Nate

MetalBite's Rating: 8.6/10

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2: Faceless Burial - At The Foothills Of Deliration
Me Saco un Ojo / Dark Descent / Desiccated Productions

I wasn't super high on Speciation - it was okay, but nothing special - so when I got slapped with at least four nut-busting riffs in 'Equipoise Recast' before the track was even halfway done, I knew right away this Aussie group came to play. The debut was promising but unextraordinary, and At the Foothills Of Deliration capitalizes on every inch of potential the band displayed. Did you find yourself wishing for a bit more melody and delicacy in the fretwork, without losing the crunching heaviness and clear OSDM overtones? Perhaps some more shifty song structuring that keeps you on your toes and has you constantly unprepared for the next riff? Yup, this has you covered. Even the cover art is sicker. This, to me, is Faceless Burial's true breakout.

This year I've been very partial to slightly progressive (but mostly riffy AF) death metal: Inanna, Heaving Earth and Aeviterne have been some of my favorite stuff to come out of this year, and it fits in really nicely with those releases. It's clearly showing tribute to the greats like Immolation, Morbid Angel, Suffocation etc, without feeling like an imitation or third-tier rehashing. It sounds fresh, but pushes no boundaries in doing so and doesn't have to resort to ham-fisted multi-genre mashups. I liken it to Tomb Mold's Manor of Infinite Forms - it didn't reinvent the band's style, it was just clearly their best work and exposed them to a much wider audience. Sonically, the bands are similar, too - the same kind of crunchy, but flowing riffwork owing a lot to the early Finnish scene. Faceless Burial just throws even more sudden twists in.

I know it's super rare for folks from Down Under to come up here unless they're a massive band but I'm still going to put it out there: Faceless Burial North American tour needs to happen!
-Nate

MetalBite's Rating: 8.9/10

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1: Exordium Mors - As Legends Fade And Gods Die
Praetorian Sword Records

New Zealand death-thrashers Exordium Mors returned with their relentless sophomore record and managed to obliterate my already high expectations, as the band doubled down on everything that made their debut and early releases so good while also expanding and refining their music to deadly effect. Easily one of the best albums of the year and without a doubt my personal favorite record of October. Exordium Mors is a band I highly recommend to anyone and everyone into the most extreme depths of metal, as they embody that rebellious and unapologetic extremity to a tee. Full review
-Fernando

MetalBite's Rating: 9.8/10

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Thanks for coming out! Support the bands if you like em, follow them on the socials, let them raid your fridge and bang your wife if they come through on tour. Also, make sure to check out the past lists for more cool stuff!

September 2022

August 2022

July 2022

June 2022

May 2022

April 2022

March 2022

February 2022

January 2022

And, of course, Follow MetalBite on Facebook and Instagram so you can be there right when the next Top 10 list drops!

Entered: 11/3/2022 6:29:40 PM

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