Welcome back to MetalBite's Top 10 Albums of the Month! January is a special month for this column, because the start of the year also marks our anniversary. We've been keeping this up, without missing a single month, for 4 whole years now! Writers have come and gone, the lists have fluctuated in size, but one thing that never stops is our love for all that metal has to offer and passing on our findings to you, our readers.

This is also a special month because we've got two new contributors cutting their teeth in this list. Welcome aboard Adam and Greg. Celebrations all around!

-Nate

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Tormentor Tyrant - Excessive Escalation Of Cruelty
Everlasting Spew

Legion is my favorite Deicide album, so it's no surprise that Excessive Escalation Of Cruelty tickles my fancy. This is propulsive, savage death metal that strikes a great balance between high-octane riff blitzes and nasty, midpaced grooves. I hear a fair bit of thrash influence, which makes sense given the old-school throwback vibes, but it's more of the Demolition Hammer/Beneath the Remains strain of thrash, so this can still hang with all the extremophiles and should appeal to all the kids that just want mosh music. With connections to Solothus, Pestilent Hex and even the underground legends of Wormphlegm, it's clear that Tormentor Tyrant has heaps of experience in the face-ripping arts.
-Nate

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Exul - Perpetual Catastrophe (EP)
Independent

One of the most promising thrash bands to come out of Poland recently, alongside the nearly homonymous Exist, Exul offer a brand-new EP in the dawn of 2025 with this Perpetual Catastrophe. The band's guitarist and main man is currently the new recruit of crossover thrashers Terrordome, but here we're at the total opposite – compositions are long, with a decent amount of twists, and, most of all, tons and tons of lead guitar goodness, like on their debut LP Path To The Unknown. Exul still convey the impression they could do ever so slightly better in the memorability department, but the welcome death metal tendencies, especially due to Bogdan Sroka's improved vocals and the new drummer's more extreme portfolio, more than make up for it. Plus, 'Deathbringer' might be their new all-around best track... for now.
-Greg

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Onirophagus - Revelations From The Void
Personal Records

Apocalyptic Death/Doom for our apocalyptic times. If you want your music to sound painful and desperate, Onirophagus from Spain have concocted something so disgusting, it's beautiful. The vocal performance is interesting, he can deliver the lowest, deepest growls and great cleans, that are a kind of howling scream/chant. This phenomenal vocal performance is accompanied by a perfect blend of slow and heavy doom with occasional bursts of faster but equally heavy death metal. If you like your death/doom disgustingly heavy, this is for you. And that cover by the master Paolo Girardi, chef's kiss!
-Raphael

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A Tyrants Lament - Offerings Of The Inhumane
CDN Records

It's hard for me to hype this up because I know all these fine folks personally, but I don't rep shit from the homies on this column unless I would listen to it of my own accord, and that is absolutely the case here. Kyle Sharpe's drumming alone makes this worth the price of admission, as his dexterity and tasty fill placement holds its own with all your favourite blasturbators. The guitarwork and song structuring is careful and flowing, with enough surprises to keep your interest but enough attention paid to the transitions because that's where the money is made. These fellas cover XenoChrist by The Faceless live, which is a good enough reference point, but I hear lots of Deicide and Job for a Cowboy (Genesis-Demonocracy era) as well. A nice helping of guest solos and vocal cameos gives a few extra garnishes and when you get right down it, this is just an all-around solid death metal album.

PS: check out the 2:20 mark on "Mountain Of Lies" :)
-Nate

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Tumenggung - Back On The Streets
Jawbreaker Records

A hard rock album, tinged with speed and hair metal, from East Java, Indonesia doesn't come along every day, and certainly not one that is as good as this. Indeed, if Tumenggung are part of a thriving scene in their homeland, it suggests that we should be paying rather more attention to what's happening in that part of the metal world than we generally do. Tumenggung are a pitch perfect recreation of the harder end of 1980s hard rock, occupying the denim 'n' leather filled space between Judas Priest, early Queensryche, and Van Halen, right down to the smallest tom-laden drum fill. The pristine production allows the crunching guitars to chug their way through 34 minutes of infectious rifferama, elevated by some heroic twin guitar solo passages, and enlivened by choruses that would not be out of place on the first W.A.S.P album. Back On The Streets is almost too much fun, but one should emphasise that the enjoyment experienced is absolutely not ironic. Tumenggung play things straight down the line, and the sincerity and conviction of their delivery shows that they are taking it just as seriously as you should. Java: not just coffee.
-Benjamin

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Thy Kingdom Will Burn - The Loss And Redemption
Scarlet Records

Melodic death metal from Finland, one of the most iconic sounds in metal. Folky and super melodic riffing, varied instrumentation sprinkled throughout the album, from piano to strings, with bursts of more aggressive blast beats, this is a beautiful, old school 2000 era, Finnish melodic death metal record. At first, I wasn't the biggest fan of the vocals, the growls in particular, because the cleans are epic as fuck but after a few listens, I've grown to like them.
-Raphael

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Rudra - Antithesis
Awakening Records

Vedic death metal is a great concept. Melechesh and Cult of Fire are a couple of immediate comparables, as they also have a distinct flavour that adds spice and atmosphere to their extreme riffing. and it's surprising that more bands don't incorporate Eastern influences like this because it seems like an easy way to explore relatively uncharted territory. But perhaps it's more common than I think…take Rudra for example, who have been doing this in some form since 1992 and are on their eleventh full-length album with the release of Antithesis. Maybe I'm just in my Western bubble and out of the loop on this?

Anyhow, this mini-review is my method of atonement for generally neglecting this style. This album effortlessly gives off a vibe without abandoning battle-tested extreme conventions. Reminiscent of Absu in that it's thrashy with some blackened death metal spliced in, there's lots of uptempo moments, but the speed never feels less than intentional. Glistening pedal effects make this feel…historical, like an unearthed relic of hymns used in traditional celebrations.
-Nate

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Mutagenic Host - The Diseased Machine
Dry Cough Records

Departing from the usual themes of death metal, Mutagenic Host "tackle the modern-day spectres of complacency, apathy, and the looming threat of AI". We used to call this science fiction, but sadly we are now living in a reality where AI does kill dozens of people every day, for the past 15 months straight… If you're interested, read: 'Lavender': The AI machine directing Israel's bombing spree in Gaza from 972 magazine to really understand how fucked up Israel's genocide truly is. Musically, Mutagenic Host do not reinvent the wheel but they are still super creative and blend OSDM with more modern compositions and production. Excellent soundtrack for our dystopian times.
-Nate

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Relics Of Humanity - Absolute Dismal Domain
Willowtip Records

If you were saddened by the demise of Belarusian tech-slam group Ominous Scriptures, you should find this to be a thoroughly satisfying replacement. Guitarist Sergey Liakh is a constant in both, and it seems as though Relics Of Humanity is now his main project.

For connoisseurs of all things brutal, this will be a satisfying addition to your repertoire - little bit of ping in the snare, a dash of slams in the guitars, a lot of gurgle in the vocals and a slightly jazzy touch in the standalone bass sections. Defeated Sanity are undoubtedly the kings of this style, but a band with even 60% of their power is bound to be worth your time.
-Nate

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Sarcator - Swarming Angels & Flies
Century Media Records

This album is best when they crank up the speed to the max, it feels like you're assaulted by pure rage, it's at times dizzying and it's awesome, think of a similar feeling as you get listening to Vitriol! They slow down a bit towards the half and add a touch of melody and they lose me a bit, especially with the instrumental but overall, it's a hell of a blackened thrash good time.
-Raphael

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The Halo Effect - March Of The Unheard
Scarlet Records

Being a big fan of In Flames, I absolutely love to see the old line up continue making music together. They get back right where the last album left off, bringing nostalgic melodies but this time, I think they truly found their own sound. It of course is very reminiscent of In Flames and Dark Tranquility but they add a few new touches that make the whole thing sound extremely nostalgic but new at the same time. It's not as good as their first but it's still pure Gothenburg melodic death candy.
-Raphael

March Of The Unheard has a lot of melody and Mikael Stanne adds a lot of character. This is catchy and infectious and the atmosphere evokes memories of classic 90s Gothenburg metal - mainstream and accessible enough, but still satisfying to hardcore fans of the genre. Songwriting is solid and well-done, the drumming provides a steady backbone, and while there's nothing here that hasn't been done many times before, the rousing, flashy choruses should be enough to make this an entertaining listen.
-Adam

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METALBITE'S TOP 10 ALBUMS OF THE MONTH

 

10: Unreqvited - Pathway To The Moon
Prophecy Productions

At times ferocious and ominous, other times symphonic and ambient, sometimes fast but most times, slower and peaceful with warm melodies and atmospheres, this post-black album has rich layers and textures, it's a heartwarming journey that will satisfy any fan of Alcest, Harakiri For The Sky and everything ambient and shoegazey.
-Raphael

MetalBite's Rating: 8.3/10

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9: Zero Absolu - La Saignée
AOP Records

Containing members of Alcest and Regarde Les Hommes Tomber, Zero Absolu are the renamed version of Glaciation, and their dreamy atmospheric black metal sits somewhere in between all of those bands. The crystalline guitar shapes of Alcest are present and correct, but Zero Absolu take a much more freeform approach to black metal than Neige's more song-oriented troupe. The artwork of the interior of post-fire Neseblod Records in Oslo (once Euronymous's Helvete) raises a wry smile, the band surely making some mischief here, given the short shrift that their pretty and expansive sound would likely get from the shop's more elitist patrons, but the warped vision of classic black metal that it suggests is not, in fact, so far away from the truth, as the odd furious tremolo line escapes from the twinkling math-rock of much of the first track. The second (and final) song, 'Le Temps Détruit Tout' is the stronger of the two, mixing some angular chord progressions with ambient passages that evoke Paysage D'Hiver, before climaxing with a series of stately cadences with serve to pull the band's amorphous threads together at the last moment. An auspicious start for a band that can ultimately travel to just about wherever they wish in the future.
-Benjamin

MetalBite's Rating: 8.3/10

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8: The Great Old Ones - Kadath
Season Of Mist

This French group has always been in an odd spot where they're clearly a part of the "mainstream underground" - signed to Season of Mist, tour with some bigger bands fairly regularly and have a substantial following on social media (almost 30k on Facebook) - but I never see them talked about in the online circles I frequent. Maybe it's because I'm in North America and all of their activities, live shows etc are in Europe? Hard to say.

Regardless, they're awesome and definitely deserve more recognition across the pond. Their brand of post-black metal is multifaceted and riffy, but generates just as much ethereal atmosphere as bands that lean more on repetitive hypnosis (Altar of Plagues, Forteresse, Harakiri for the Sky). Their dynamic song construction that includes many different motifs makes for a style that you don't get bored of easily, and the Lovecraftian angle, while not the most original conceptual theme, is a bit less explored in this subgenre, and it fits well.

Previous albums have the downside of too much exploration and not enough focused riffing, but Kadath strikes a better balance. While it still meanders a fair amount, there's more of a destination and the payoff is extra satisfying. We'll have to wait and see how this stacks up with the rest of the 2025 releases, and I wouldn't call this an immediate AOTY contender - but The Great Old Ones have a strong first volley for the year, and have an album that rewards repeated listens and also has a fair amount of surface appeal.
-Nate

MetalBite's Rating: 8.3/10

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7: Hazzerd - The 3rd Dimension
M-Theory Audio

Super varied thrash, with virtuoso technicality, and a great sense of melody. Here you get fast and aggressive songs, yes, but always with a lot of dynamics and never forgetting about musicality! Dylan Westendorp on drums and vocals brings a lot of these dynamics, he is comfortable with going crazy fast but he easily pulls back and lets the guitars be the hero, and trust me, they are, with a healthy dose of meaty riffs and incredible soloing. Vocally he has a raspy and high pitch aggressive shout/scream that pumps you up and makes me crave a Pabst blue ribbon. No, just kidding, ew.
-Raphael

MetalBite's Rating: 8.4/10

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6: Grafjammer - De Tyfus, De Teerling
Folter Records

Dutch black punks Grafjammer are back with their fourth full-length album and with this the stories about Dutch history, religious insanity and destruction continue. The band hasn't changed much since the last album De Zoute Kwel but you can find some surprises in songs like "Bertken" or "Rampokker". If you like a casual mixture of traditional black metal combined with a lot of Celtic Frost and some punk riffs, you can't go wrong with this.
-Michael

MetalBite's Rating: 8.5/10

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5: FaithXtractor - Loathing & The Noose
Redefining Darkness Records

I almost passed on this one, because of that stupid name, (which I now realize is pronounced faith extractor but I still read it as faith X tractor) and thank the lords of metal I did not! This is high quality death metal that sounds massive, incredibly precise, with a good amount of variety, going from fast paced brutality to slower, almost death/doom territories but always with impeccable riffing and shredding solos left and right. Death metal starts strong this year!
-Raphael

MetalBite's Rating: 8.5/10

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4: Disrupted - Stinking Death
Independent

Everybody who is into Swedish death metal should get all ears on this. It's old school as fuck. On Stinking Death early Dismember, Entombed are the main influences, with some Grave in the rougher parts. This album wears its inspiration on its sleeve and classifying it as a "worship album" is appropriate.

Has it ever steered you wrong before though? Didn't think so. Get your ears chopped off by this stinking album, you won't regret it. Only the unpolished and super rough sound (in comparison to Dismember or Entombed) might be a little bit unpleasant for the more pampered listener.
-Michael

MetalBite's Rating: 8.5/10

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3: Harakiri For The Sky - Scorched Earth
AOP Records

These Austrian boys are truly the masters of making intense but beautiful and super sad post-black metal. Every song delves in heavy subjects like depression, suicide and grief all accompanied by sad melodies with impeccable production. Michael Kogler aka J.J. has a distinctive screamed howling that perfectly conveys all of the pain described in the songs. The first thing that might turn off black metal fans is the production, it's a modern sounding record, nothing is out of place, every instrument sounds crystal clear and massive. As is the case for all their previous albums, it's a long one, an hour and eight minutes of moody and atmospheric post-black that is as beautiful as it is emotional.
-Raphael

Scorched Earth has a nice intense atmosphere to it. It shows a band playing blackened post-metal to good effect. There is an admirable harsh tone that enhances the emotional impact in a way that makes it an early standout for 2025 releases. Scathing guitars and strong vocals come together to create an expressive work.
-Adam

I must say I never cared too much about Harakiri For The Sky until I heard the hype about this album. That was a big mistake because this is great! On their sixth full-length album, so much happens that it is really hard to describe in a few lines. Eruptive outbursts full of desperation and hate go hand in hand with melancholic piano tunes and in many moments there also is this underlying hope, a feeling you can get redeemed from your own personal Weltschmerz. The tremolo-picking is dominant but in some lighter moments you will find some catchiness shining through the dystopian music. This is a really great example of how post-black metal can turn out great instead of getting lost into too many different emotions.
-Michael

MetalBite's Rating: 8.7/10

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2: Lunar - Tempora Mutantur
Saibot Reigns

The artwork for Tempora Mutantur, Lunar's fourth full-length, suggests that we are to be treated to some folky black metal, or perhaps something more traditional in the vein of Argus or Slough Feg. It is, therefore, a surprise, when the pure prog of opening track 'A Summer To Forget' channels Van Der Graaf Generator and Yes, before transitioning into a form of progressive death metal that alternates between slamming thrash riffs, and ornate flights of fancy that transport the listener to something far beyond the satellite of the Earth that their name invokes. Perhaps the nearest comparison is Still Life-era Opeth. Lunar's use of unconventional chord voicings, combined with classical metal phrasing is reminiscent of the Swedes at their most metallic, although it doesn't truly capture Lunar's broader reference points, and their tendency to dive much deeper into the progressive side of their music, as well as their more straightforward vocal melodies, such as the soraing 'Weakening Winter Touch'. In fact, this song and others recall early Dream Theater, particularly in the lengthy interplay between the guitars and keys, albeit without some of the more off-putting elements of that rather polarising group. Regardless of who Lunar remind the listener of at various points, what makes Tempora Mutantur so addictive is that it ultimately transcends its obvious influences, bringing something fresh, timeless, and grandiose, but not overly pompous. This may not be January's heaviest album, but it's certainly the record that this listener has returned to most often this month.
-Benjamin

MetalBite's Rating: 8.8/10

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1: Fleshbore - Painted Paradise
Transcending Obscurity Records

High quality technical death metal jammed pack with riffs after riffs, intricate bass lines, precise and powerful drums and a beast of a vocalist, doing Archspire style, rapid fire growled lines sometimes going slower, sometimes doing incredibly low, brutal death demon growls other times doing high pitch snarls. Musically it follows the eclectic vocal performance with more melodic and even catchy guitar chorus and then pummels you to the ground with a groovy, brutal death breakdown. The whole album has a real progressive side, with complex and melodic soloing and full of "djenty" grooves. The cover art, a beautiful digital art by Mark Erskine, depicts a tranquil scenery that makes you think this album doesn't sound like a hellish whirlwind of technicality and brutality but, thankfully, it does sound like that!
-Raphael

MetalBite's Rating: 9/10

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As always, thank you for checking out our lists! If you'd like to backtrack your way into 2024, here's the link to December's Album of the Month list, which links to all the previous year's lists, which you can slowly go down the rabbit hole of all the way back to 2021, when this column began. Happy digging!

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

Entered: 2/24/2025 3:22:47 PM

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