News: MetalBite's Top 10 Albums of the Month - August 2024 : MetalBite

MetalBite's Top 10 Albums of the Month - August 2024

August - Top 10

Welcome back to MetalBite's Top 10 albums of the month! August was fairly dense for releases - we've got heavy hitters, we've got up-and-coming trend setters and buried underground gems. Get your fix of new music!

-Nate

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Anna Pest - You And Me At The End Of The Fucking World
Independent

I was a bit put off by the cover art - call me closed-minded or whatever, I'm just not a fan of the cartoony style for metal albums. However, one of my favorite current black metal bands, Crystal Coffin, has similar aesthetics, so I'd be remiss if I was put off checking out an album because of a cover.

Sure enough, this impressed me, and a couple spins in I'm still not sure what to expect. It takes a unique band to get slapped with the "Various" genre tag on metal-archives - I only know of these guys and Gwar. I don't think I've ever heard this many different styles packed into an album - sometimes it feels like blistering, intense black/death a la Anaal Nathrakh, but then it's turn on a dime and have a lot of mathcore vibes. On top of that, there's frequent clean vocals and a fairly significant amount of…emo-core? It's been over a decade since I listened to them frequently enough to know if it's an accurate comparison, but I wouldn't be surprised if Mindless Self Indulgence was an influence here. 'Search for Comfort in a City of Decline' has a lot of it.

On top of THAT, there's this djenty/industrial metal undertone too? Electronica in some form is present? I don't think I've ever heard something so hard to categorize, but perhaps the most impressive thing about this is that it doesn't sound like a mess. Somehow, all the transitions and drastic style shifts feel smooth and like all the musicians are on the same page with this - it's not a case of the guitarist liking one style and the bassist liking another, so they try and satisfy both at the expense of cohesion and memorability. Perhaps the backbone tying all of this together, drummer Colin MacAndrew has a real knack for writing beats that fit and amplify the impact of the riffwork, showing a solid amount of skill but always knowing their role and never showing off too much.

I could spend thousands of words trying to explain what this sounds like and I still wouldn't come anywhere close - You And Me At The End Of The Fucking World is just one of those albums that has to be heard to be believed.
-Nate

Nails - Every Bridge Burning
Nuclear Blast

One of the most popular bands in the modern metal realm that has some form of powerviolence in their music, their newest installment - another short but sweet monster that goes straight for the throat - caught the attention of MetalBite AOTM mainstay Michael. Read his full review here.

Oxygen Destroyer - Guardian Of The Universe
Redefining Darkness

You know what's better than thrash? Death/thrash. I may ruffle a few oldhead feathers wit that statement, but I believe in order to stay relevant and keep up with the ever-evolving extreme metal genre, thrash metal needs an extra supplement of chunkiness and brute force. Even my favortie thrash bands from the "golden era" tend to be the ones that were solely focused on pushing the envelope of heaviness and ripping your face off with riffs: Sepultura, Morbid Saint, Demolition Hammer, and Sadus. Right before death metal kicked it off the podium, thrash was getting pretty intense.

Oxygen Destroyer is part of a new group of bands that add a modern intensity to a stale genre, along the lines of Ripped to Shreds, Detherous and half of Redefining Darkness's roster. There's a meatiness to this that music from the 80s can't reach, but like all thrash, the priority in these songs is the riffs. Guardian Of The Universe has a more expanded palette than the first two full-lengths, with a continued emphasis on thick, lean guitarwork that trudges forward with a warlike intensity, further emphasized by the nasty drumwork which is frenzied and intense, but only uses uberfast footwork occasionally to add dynamicity to the performance. The Kreator-esque snarls fit in nicely, and this is coming from someone who isn't huge on Teutonic thrash.

I don't listen to this type of music particularly often definitely wouldn't call it my wheelhouse, but when I am feeling like I have the itch, Oxygen Destroyer is one of the best bands to scratch it.
-Nate

Tündra - Tündra EP
Independent

From Cleveland, Ohio comes a new blood in the form of a heavy metal band Tündra, following the footsteps of current great bands in the New Wave of Traditional Heavy Metal such as Eternal Champion, Visigoth and Night Demon. The band is still new, and this debut EP, contains reworked versions of their three songs from their last year's demo. The three tracks are solid examples simplistic but catchy heavy metal full of rock-hard riffs, energy and uplifting vibes. The strongest out of three would definitely have to be 'Voices Are Calling', especially for its bass solo in the intro, and how it serves as a nice build-up to the upcoming devastation that follows and then brings the house down with its simple yet effective mid-tempo attack.

Tündra, takes influence from bands such as Heavy Load, Gotham City, Visigoth, Accept and such, all in all classics that left a big mark in the golden age of music that was the 80's. This EP may not offer much apart from three simple but enjoyable songs, however I think that they are on a good path to make something so incredible and beautiful for the world to embrace. The riff work is fairly solid, yet I personally feel like it's not quite there yet, because even though they do give a pretty good time, they still feel like one step back from delivering that strong punch in the guts the way I like it. Even though this EP is a brief joy, it is a very strong start for a band which rightfully took its first step and is focusing to expand it even further in the near future. I believe that this is only a calm before the storm, or perhaps a tip of the iceberg that will be explored far deeper as the band progresses.
-Vlad

Carnophage - Matter Of A Darker Nature
Transcending Obscurity Records

Coming out of the empty and desolate desert of Ankara, Türkiye, Carnophage are part of the TRDM (Turkish Death Metal) movement and do their work on the more brutal and technical side of death metal. Immediately you'll think of bands like Nile or Cryptopsy, especially the former, for its mesmerizing atmospheres and crazy speed and technicality. The brutality also reminds me of Suffocation but sometimes, peeking out of this sheer pummeling brutality and dizzying solos, is a hint of melody, which makes the 33 minutes go down even faster. Maybe not as good as the new Nile album, but still solid and always cool to see metal has no borders.
-Raphael

Leprous - Melodies Of Atonement
InsideOut Music

With this full-length, you can't really attribute a "metal" tag to this band any longer - they were always tangentially connected at best, but even though there's an occasional distorted guitar section or something vaguely resembling aggression (did I hear a harsh vocal section in 'Like A Sunken Ship'?), this is prog rock through and through.

Nonetheless, I'm including it in a write-up for a website called MetalBite because they rule. Einar Solberg is one of the best singers on the planet right now, and while the argument could be band that Leprous is just his solo project with a backing band…is that really the worst thing in the world? The dude is so fucking talented and his range must span like 8 octaves. Dropping some of the metal pretenses opens up even more space for his delicious pipes to tickle the inner depths of your soul. They play a lot with more delicate emotion ('Self-Satisfied Lullaby') and while I suppose a part of me wants to hear the obvious talents of Baard to be showcased a little more, I can't say I'm unsatisfied with the end result. This band can do no wrong, and are maturing like wine.
-Nate

Dark Tranquillity - Endtime Signals
Century Media Records

This album is not recommended for diabetic people, with its number of syrupy melodies, but sometimes, I'm in the mood for exactly that! It's not all pure sugar though, they balance everything with heavy riffs here and there, fast drumming and Mikael's perfect raspy growls. It doesn't compare to the 2000s era or even 2016 Atoma, but there are enough bangers to make it enjoyable and not boring. Plus, the solos are particularly well done. It's also well-paced with heavier songs spread all throughout the 51 minutes runtime, making a more dynamic experience. After 33 years of releases, Dark Tranquillity are still untouchable, on the top of the melodic death metal mountain.
-Raphael

Avmakt - Satanic Inversion Of…
Peaceville Records

Darkthrone worship is a phrase most black metal aficionados dread hearing these days, but this Norwegian group has a better take on it than most, picking up right where Fenriz and Nocturno Culto left off on "Under a Funeral Moon". Full review by Michael here.

Demiser - Slave To The Scythe
Blacklight Media

Just from the first fews seconds of the first song, I knew I would love this album. A drum solo is what starts this unadulterated fun ride of an album. They do not take themselves seriously and it transpires with a lot of fun/funny moments, like the intro of 'Carbureted Speed', which is just the sound of a guy trying to start what I imagine is a motor bike. After a few tries you just hear "FUCK" then it starts, with the drums blasting full speed. But being sometimes funny and not taking things too seriously doesn't mean it's not serious music. This is some seriously proficient blackened thrash, with virtuoso musicianship and songwriting. They can sound melodic, technical and even, evil and cold. All with occasional soft and harmonic moments and ending with the 8min, behemoth of a song, 'In Nomine Baphomet', jammed packed with evil sounding riffs, fast drums and ending with a crazy technical but melodic solo.
-Raphael

Deceased - Children Of The Morgue
Hells Headbangers Records

I was completely unaware of this old school Virginia metal band and honestly, I feel a bit ashamed of that. They started in 1985 and it's their 11th full length, so I really have no excuses! All of that aside, I was not expecting this fun of a ride! I should have had a clue with the artwork, which is unsettling but, in a fun, old school spooky way. This album is a masterclass of melodic, fast and aggressive death/thrash, with a cool horror punk vibe, definitely don't pass on this one.
-Raphael

Teeth - The Will Of Hate
Translation Loss

Nightmarish dissodeath in the same realm as Defacement (who put out a fantastic album this year themselves which I unfortunately missed in these lists). There is a clear difference, though: Where Defacement leads you down a delightfully weird and cultured path, Teeth pulverise you through a vague hardcore influence intertwined with layers of fast, abrupt discordance. It's the difference between having a glass of expensive whiskey on the rocks and chugging the cheapest shit you can find straight from the bottle.
-Nate

Fohn - Condescending
Hypaethral Records / These Hands Melt

There is probably no metal sub-genre more susceptible to the accusation that the emperor is naked than funeral doom, given the minimal nature of such glacially slow-moving music. So, it's reassuring from time to time to come across a band that undeniably do bleak and despondent so well. Fohn's debut full-length, Condescending, is intriguing and compelling, enveloping the listener in a murky atmosphere of true despair, not unlike very early Anathema, Evoken, or Atramentus. The tension-filled single note riffs and distant guttural vocals are all present and correct, but it's the unconventional touches that really help Fohn to stand out – the brass and woodwind instruments that flit in and out of the opener 'Bereft' like ghosts on the edge of one's vision, for example. The album is long, but never tedious, and reveals the band's immense talent, and potential to challenge the established masters in the future.
-Benjamin

Longhouse - III: Nìjwàswe
Independent

Reminiscent of Pallbearer without the clean vocals, which isn't necessarily the best trade-off for me, as I love Brett Campbell's voice - but these riffs are seriously good, and rich enough in their melody that I don't long for some singing. The mid-ranged, tonal rasps add a bit of an edge, and there's a gritty sludginess that permeates the melody, although not enough to classify this as a sludge metal album. Doom can feel like a restrictive genre at times, but it's the grounded, intentional leadwork interspersed with a tender sense of emotions in albums like Nìjwàswe that really underscore its versatility.
-Nate

Wintersun - Time II
Nuclear Blast

I will not start the review by saying "it was about time", I don't remember how many times I've read that in the past week. The only thing I'll say about the "controversy" is that Jari made many fundraising campaigns to, according to him, be able to make his vision of what the album could be, happen. Ultimately, I don't care, I was always a fan, but I never had the means or interest really, to participate in the fundraising efforts. But I was curious to see if the album lived up to the insane expectations surrounding it. The answer? For me, I never had huge expectations but, I love every Wintersun album and if I try to be objective, it's musically probably the best thing Jari ever released. He shreds like crazy on guitars, with mind-blowing neoclassical solos. The drums sound huge and the bass, even if it's not the main focus, is always present, providing a nice heaviness. The orchestration is sublime, it's epic and emotive at times and I love the Japanese sounding traditional folk instrumentation. My only complaint, but it's kind of a big one, Jari's voice is too low in the mix! He has such a great voice, his cleans can be powerful and epic at times and other times, emotive and showing a lot of vulnerability. And what to say about his harsh vocals, his screamed growls are as good as ever but again, too damn low! So, was it worth the 12 years wait since Time I? I'd say no, not really. If it came out two years after, it would've been a decent follow up, but today, the vocal thing is too big of a flaw, you had 12 years Jari! Come on! That said, I will continue to listen to everything Jari does, he truly is a gifted musician and composer.
-Raphael

METALBITE'S TOP 10 ALBUMS OF THE MONTH

Pneuma Hagion - From Beyond

10: Pneuma Hagion - From Beyond
Everlasting Spew

This feels like a slam album by way of OSDM. There's lots of low-end palm muting riffing that provides respite from the faster sections but all of it maintains mid-era Morbid Angel vibes. Unlike a lot of brutal death, however, this has a lot of atmosphere - there's a sinister underlay to the whole experience that is familiar yet also hard to pin down. It helps give a bit of context when you realize this is a project of two Intestinal Disgorge members - now that's a band that knows how to create unsettling violence in audio form.

Both members are quite prolific, with about a dozen projects between them (many of which they're in together), but Pneuma Hagion sounds very distinct and developed regardless. It feels like they pull from various corners of extreme music to create something unique and…fuckin' dark, for lack of a better term. There's a certain murky aura to From Beyond that is hard to come by elsewhere.
-Nate

MetalBite's Rating: 8.2/10

Amiensus - Reclamation Pt. II

9: Amiensus - Reclamation Pt. II
M-Theory Audio

I would describe the music of the American black metal band Amiensus as if Enslaved was from the pacific northwest. The complex progressive black metal is drenched in ethereal and often peaceful atmospheres. But the music is jam packed with plenty of other influences, from death metal riffs and growls, folky guitars, Viking metal rhythms, beautiful and grandiose, ICS Vortex levels of clean vocals, always accompanied by superb melodies and even djenty riffs and rhythms. It all makes for a really dynamic listen making the already short (for progressive) runtime of 39 minutes fly by so quick. I definitely need to check out Pt.I now, even if it turns out it's not as good, it will be worth it! For fans of highly creative and technical but still atmospheric and melodic prog and black metal.
-Raphael

MetalBite's Rating: 8.3/10

Spectral Wound - Songs Of Blood And Mire

8: Spectral Wound - Songs Of Blood And Mire
Profound Lore Records

If you crave cold and evil, straight black metal but still with a "Dissection like" melodic sensibility, then Montréal's Spectral Wound is what you desperately need! First of all, what really stands out is the production, especially the vocals! They stand out in the mix, with Sam's piercing shrieks always in the forefront, but they also have lots of reverb, which makes them sound like an otherworldly banshee screaming from another dimension. And what can I say about the music, it's perfect black metal. Sometimes fast and cold riffs accompanied with faster blastbeats, sometimes a bit slower and melodic but always sounding evil. The production is organic, every instrument shines, the guitar solos and riffs sound clear but with that black metal lo-fi quality, even though it's certainly not lo-fi! The drums sound huge. When Jordan, aka Illusory, goes full speed on the double kick pedal, you feel the rumble in your guts! It's a wonderful feeling and overall, it's a wonderful black metal album.
-Raphael

Full review by Michael here

MetalBite's Rating: 8.3/10

Nile - The Underworld Awaits Us All

7: Nile - The Underworld Awaits Us All
Napalm Records

Perhaps Nile have just been too reliable over the years. Other, lesser bands have come and gone to greater acclaim, but like an Egyptology-obsessed Motӧrhead, Nile have just kept rumbling along, doing their thing, after their monstrously impressive entrance into the slightly stagnant late-1990s death metal scene. Had they split up after In Their Darkened Shrines, one imagines that their name might now be invoked in the kind of hushed tones that accompany the mere mention of Lykathea Aflame or Anata, and instead of releasing yet another superb album, they would instead be on the verge of a long-awaited comeback, conducting a victory lap around the European festival circuit, 'special guest' status assured. All of which is to say that it is incumbent on us to treasure Nile while they are around, and especially when they are still releasing records as devastating and inventive as The Underworld Awaits Us All.
-Benjamin

MetalBite's Rating: 8.4/10

Concrete Winds - Concrete Winds

6: Concrete Winds - Concrete Winds
Sepulchral Voice

There was a decent amount of attention given to the new Nails album, but if you want extremity and batshit insanity, this is the album you should be bumping. I first became familiar with this group through their previous release, Nerve Butcherer (although I have actually owned a CD by Vorum, their predecessor, for some time but never gave it much time), and have developed a fondness for their riff writing approach. It's reminiscent of taking a cheese grater to sandpaper and shifting the pitch to sharpen the attack. There's few bands that can eschew any sort of melody and have a similar effect - this doesn't even feel dissonant, it moreso sits right in this midpoint where music ends and noise begins. Mixed with the spastic but powerful drums and ranting, overlapping vocals, it creates a musical claustrophobia that is incredibly intense, but somehow doesn't wear on you. Perhaps it's because amidst all of the frenetic pounding and noisy thrashing, there's a certain precision in the musicianship. The inherent sloppiness you'd expect out of a grindcore album has been eschewed, and these maniacal Finns are versatile in their bludgeoning approach, with each track being carefully augmented to annihilate you in a different way. This sounds like the last thing that goes through a gazelle's head as it gets chased down and mauled by a lion - a bit of anxiety, a lot of sheer terror.
-Nate

A self-titled album, part way through a career can usually be read as a band making a statement, and that statement is typically "This is the definitive version of our band, and on this album, above all others, we have truly optimised very element of our music to the highest degree." Listening to Concrete Winds' eponymous third album, it's difficult to imagine them making any statement other than "KILL EVERY FUCKING LIVING THING NOW BBLLAAAARRGGGHHHHHH". On their behalf, however, this listener can confirm that this is indeed the definitive Concrete Winds album, at least of their relatively short career to date. At the risk of over-intellectualising their brand of utterly savage aural destruction, the layers of almost impenetrable noise actually seem to be concealing some quite sophisticated and technical composition lurking below the surface, as if Pyrrhon were played by Watchmaker. Concrete Winds' primary objective is still annihilation, but it is grimly fascinating to see them play a little with their prey before we're all sucked into their unending vortex of death.
-Benjamin

MetalBite's Rating: 8.4/10

Fleshgod Apocalypse - Opera

5: Fleshgod Apocalypse - Opera
Nuclear Blast

I remember, when I was still a young metalhead, back in 2011, watching for the first time the music video for the song 'The Violation' by the relatively unknown Italian death metal band Fleshgod Apocalypse and being completely blown away! The sheer chaotic brutality, mixed with the beauty and elegance of classical music, hits the bullseye of everything I love in music. 13 years later, the band is stronger than ever and Opera is a statement, that you can be brutal, fast and technical but in the most elegant way, that complex extreme music is thoughtful in its memorable melodies, its beautiful arrangements and layering of instruments. The addition of full-time opera singer, Veronica Bordacchini, really aids to make memorable and varied vocal performances, which elevates the whole thing even more!
-Raphael

MetalBite's Rating: 8.5/10

Förgjord - Perkeelen Weri

4: Förgjord - Perkeelen Weri
Werewolf Records

The obscure Finnish cult are back with another opus of raw, enthralling and oppressive black metal that hearkens back to the heyday of the Finn black metal scene, whilst maintaining a strong sense of progression and a timeless devotion. The album is a dark and merciless journey through the dark history of the band's home region of Savo, and it's accompanied by screeching riffs, haunting melodies, anguished and despotic vocals and an oppressive atmosphere. a must listen and an easy recommendation for any fan of truly wretched black metal with that unmistakable Finnish touch.

Full review by Fernando here

MetalBite's Rating: 9/10

Vile Rites - Senescence

3: Vile Rites - Senescence
Carbonized Records

I predict Vile Rites will be a force nobody will be able to ignore within the US death and prog metal scene and the broader metal world. They label themselves as psychedelic death metal and I feel like, though it suits them very well, it only describes one aspect of their sound. If I had to compare them to other bands, I would say old Opeth but with the modern approach of Job For A Cowboy (Moon Healer immediately comes to mind), throw in a touch of Gojira and Ulcerate and voilà! I love the pace of this album, you have three bangers for the first half, the short songs (and by short, I mean 6 minutes), an atmospheric pause, the sound of rain and thunder with a few guitar and synth notes and end with the 2 longest, for a perfect runtime of 40min10sec. What struck me the most is how well they balance the many sides of their sound. They have a big psychedelic side, you'll hear theremin-like synth waves sounds that gives a strong atmosphere on all the album but they also focus on pure technicality and musicianship, with complex riffs and all kinds of time signature changes. Senescence is also jampacked with just headbanging riffs, that satisfies my caveman brain. And don't forget the solos, which are creative, full of technical prowess, super melodic and even emotional at times. I'm sure this is going to be on many aoty lists! Remember the name Vile Rites! Oh, and did I mention it's their first album? Also, the crazy cover artwork by Justyna Koziczak evokes feelings of grandeur and emptiness with that psychedelic heart shaped octopus creature.
-Raphael

MetalBite's Rating: 9/10

Anciients - Beyond The Reach Of The Sun

2: Anciients - Beyond The Reach Of The Sun
Season of Mist

From the first acoustic guitar notes, playing a folky melody, building up to a short silence, followed by a simple and catchy heavy metal sounding riff, accompanied by his clean vocals, you feel like you've entered a special place, beyond this plane of existence, looking at vast cosmic entities. After a few minutes of progressively more complex riffs and drum work, the guitars get sludgy and distinctively heavier, with a darker atmosphere, culminating in his powerful death-growls. It then dramatically shifts to a softer and slower drum beat, filled with soft cymbal work, that accompanies a slow and bluesy electric guitar solo-ish, while switching back to his cleans, but this time, with an extra softness to them. The Opeth influences are on full display here. But, Opeth is one of many influences appearing on Beyond The Reach Of The Sun, soon after the softer section begins, a psychedelic synth appears out of nowhere, changing the mood from relaxing to more mysterious. And, as abruptly as it slowed down, it picks up at full speed once again, on the kick drum and with a death metal tremolo picking, even with a furious blastbeat exploding near the end, all accompanied by his impressive death-growls. The song ends on a droning fadeout transitioning smoothly to the next. This was the first song of an hour (1h15, if you listen to the bonus tracks) long journey, telling the story of a society that's enslaved by forces from another dimension, that is at its core a story about perseverance. The easiest way to describe their sound is, if Opeth and Mastodon fused together. But even that description is a bit limited to describe the scope of their music. Metal archives list their genre simply as, extreme progressive metal, which is extremely vague but I feel the only way you can accurately describe their sound. Kenneth Paul Cook provides both clean and harsh vocals this time, with his growls being as deep and guttural as ever and his cleans being at times sludgy and nasal but also can be soaring and epic as well as soft and showing vulnerability. Mike Hannay is still on the drums and they sound better than ever, they can sound huge, fast and complex as well as soft and slow, helping to change the vibes, working in tandem with everything else. The guitars go to everything from death metal to folk rock passing by doom, sludge and psychedelic. But at its core it's progressive so that means a lot of complexity, technicality and of course a lot of face melting solos. Their bandcamp description is; "Somewhere between sheer, apocalyptic heaviness and precise riffing, lays otherworldly ANCIIENTS—a Vancouver-based rock juggernaut forging crushing heavy metal." Every song has memorable moments, it's pure musical and lyrical magic. The theme of perseverance having so much meaning for me, being severely disabled and particularly in the last 11 months of witnessing the horrors of genocide. These lyrics, from the point of view of the tyrant, seem to fit with the Israeli regime so much: "Despise a world once owned Foresee fire A tyrant I've become Empathy escapes me Wrath I have come to claim my throne Waster of worlds Reclaim what's been bestowed Appearing without warning Incursion if your home Bringing death upon you" Beautiful lyrics that are vague enough that everybody will have a different interpretation, is my personal favorite kind of lyricism. It's rare an album leaves you speechless, even after your first listen. Beyond The Reach Of The Sun was an album like that but its beauty is that after every new listen, you will only discover more and more things you didn't hear before, a notable solo, an almost oriental sounding acoustic guitar picking, a different vocal melody, a crushing, doomy riff, an almost voivod sounding intro, an instrumental part probably inspired by Rush and each new discovery will make you fall in love even deeper with their musical world. Add this beautiful artwork from Adam Burke (Nightjar Illustrations) and you have an absolute highlight of the month and the year. This year is proving to be massive for progressive metal, showing how diverse it is and I'm here every step of the way, enjoying every moment.
-Raphael

MetalBite's Rating: 9.8/10

In Aphelion - Reaperdawn

1: In Aphelion - Reaperdawn
Century Media Records

After months of anticipation, I can conclude that Reaperdawn is an "all killer no filler" masterwork of Swedish black metal that successfully spread its demonic wings even more so than before. Long have I awaited this majestic beast to come out of its cage and now that I have finally heard it, I must say that I am both pleased and astonished. If you enjoyed their previous album Moribund, then stop wasting your time and go check out Reaperdawn right now, because I guarantee that it will make you bang your head even harder.
-Vlad

Read full reviews by Michael and Vlad here

MetalBite's Rating: 9.8/10