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MetalBite's Top 10 Albums of the Month - September 2025

September - Top 10

Welcome back to MetalBite's Top 10 Albums of the Month! We're oh so very close to being caught up. Only one month behind, right on time for the deluge of albums that are certain to be out in the next few months as album-of-the-year season approaches…will it ever end? Probably not. We hope not. As long as we have working brains and fingers, we'll continue to champion and platform real music created by real artists to combat the encroaching wave of AI-generated nonsense…anyways, I'm about to trail off into a tangential rant, so let's just get to the reviews!

-Nate

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Demiurgon - Miasmatic Deathless Chamber
Transcending Obscurity

Ferocious yet precise and calculated death metal that doesn't lean exclusively to one specific subset of the genre. It's technical, groovy, old-school, new-school, even atmospheric at times - a soup of all the things that make this music something I'll never get tired of. They waste no time in getting straight to the point, and know how to make it effectively - not that I expected any less from seasoned veterans of the Italian extreme metal scene.
-Nate

Last Retch - Abject Cruelty
Time To Kill Records

Hailing from the mysterious, decaying and faraway lands of Hamilton and St Catharines, Ontario, Canada, Last Retch plays a delicious kind of old school, caveman death metal where the riff is king. I would advise you to stay away if you have any kind of stiff neck because your head will move, this is a guarantee. So, whenever you feel tired, crushed by the weight of modern life under late-stage capitalism, put this short but extremely well composed death metal album to soothe your alienation and just headbang your anxiety away and reconnect with real life.
-Raphael

Ancient Thrones - Melancholia
Independent

A cohesive, but still multifaceted mishmash of black/death metal with some symphonic garnishes. The meat of the album is melodic while maintaining aggression, and the extra frills provide additional contrast and roundedness without coming off as hokey or overblown - this isn't anywhere near Dimmu Borgir / Carach Angren stylistically, though you may be able to hear occasional references to them. Another good comparison would be the underrated Vimur - Melancholia is riff-focused, meaty and technically proficient without being overblown. Very much "meat and potatoes" black metal if you get my drift. Also, bonus points for having a drummer/lead vocalist, one of the most impressive double-duty combinations - especially because these fellas play live. Would love the chance to see them come down to my neck of the woods in Ontario!
-Nate

Green Carnation - A Dark Poem Part 1: The Shores Of Melancholia
Season Of Mist

As much as I love this band - Leaves Of Yesteryear was my favorite album of 2020, and I could listen to Kjetil Nordhus's voice for years on end - A Dark Poem simply did not resonate with me as much. It's a solid album by a talented band, and I would absolutely dive into their back catalog if you haven't already - but these songs just aren't compelling me to listen on repeat the same way their predecessor did. Maybe it's just a matter of time.
-Nate

Fauna - Ochre & Ash
Prophecy Productions

Fauna are an ambient-leaning Cascadian black metal band from Washington State, affiliated with Wolves In The Throne Room, releasing their fourth full-length on Prophecy and, to be honest, that is probably enough information for the average black metal fan to determine whether they need to buy this record with the change left from their Fire In The Mountains ticket, or whether they should hold fire and blow their salary on another Blasphemy live album from the Nuclear War Now! webstore instead. For those who may be sitting on the (sturdy Pacific Northwestern timber) fence though, Ochre & Ash is a challenging and punishing slab of bleak, discordant black metal, not unlike the much-missed Altar Of Plagues, shot through with an industrial bleakness and creeping horror, enhanced by the ambient interludes that are so crucial to the structure of the album. Much of the record is a downbeat dirge, orthodox black metal transposed into a post-metal setting, which creates an unbearable tension that is nevertheless captivating in its desolate beauty. It is as if the band have deconstructed Weakling's Dead As Dreams, and rebuilt it from scrapyard debris. Perhaps Fauna is an ironic name, as nothing living emerges from this suffocating, but compelling and hypnotic record.
-Benjamin

Unaligned - A Form Beyond
Transcending Obscurity

Tasty tech in that Inferi/Demon King/Eschaton realm, with a handful of more established names sprinkled about - couple guys from Demon King and Fleshbore, one of the more prolific machinegun-for-hire drummers in Jack Blackburn, and the core of the project also being the main drivers behind Withered Throne. It's hard to tell if this is a supergroup side-project or if Unaligned has now become the main band, but it doesn't really matter much. If you dig songs with fifty acrobatic finger-twisting riffs, a proficient speed broken up by quasi-jazzy interludes, and you're the type that will gladly eat up anything The Artisan Era puts out (this was even mastered by Mike Low!), you're not going to be disappointed here. I do find myself waiting for that moment where they really set themselves apart from the pack and establish a distinct, unique identity - but for a debut, Unaligned has certainly proven they can hang, and I'm looking forward to seeing how they evolve and develop in the future.
-Nate

Firmament - For Centuries Alive
Dying Victims Productions

Firmament is a classic heavy metal band from Germany that truly stands out by their absolute mastery of melody. They write gorgeous melodies that are deeply catchy and sound absolutely magical. The harmonizing twin guitars of Philipp Meyer and Tom Michalik paired with the powerful and melodic voice of Marco Herrmann creates the kind of magic every heavy metal band only wishes they could create. And to top this already perfect sundae, this rhythm section man, holy hell, just listen to the intro of "An Anthem For The Spotless Mind", the delicate drums, the subtle bass lines, it's so tasty! Once again, Dying Victims Productions showing the world how music should sound!
-Raphael

Siege Column - Sulphur Omega
Nuclear War Now!

If you follow this AOTM column and pay attention to who is writing the entries (bold of me to think we have fans/regulars, but I've been wrong before!), you may have noticed my proclivity for modern, maximalist styles of metal - tech death, grandiose, atmospheric black metal, dense dissonant/avant-garde stuff. That is where the majority of my listening time generally lies - especially when it comes to new releases - but that doesn't mean I don't also dabble in stripped down, grimy metalpunk. I'm actually on a big Motorhead kick right now, and fundamentally believe that metal is about the power of the riff first, and everything else comes second. Bands like Bolt Thrower, Bathory and Venom are mandatory listening for anyone getting into metal (even though I'm personally not a huge fan of the latter). I appreciate the more primitive, old-school roots of this style as much as anyone, but as someone who listens to a LOT of new music, it becomes increasingly difficult to hear something that hits me in a novel and unique way within the confines of a style I've heard countless times. I get that black/thrash/speed/old school styled metalpunk is all about keeping it true and not reinventing the wheel, and there's a reason bands continue to play in this style - it works. But you've got to wade through significantly more mediocrity to get to the gems, and I simply just don't have the time to sift through the rubble these days.

The point of this probably-too-long preamble is that when I do stumble across a band that stands out like Siege Column, you should definitely pay more attention because I am much more picky with this stuff. At first, I wasn't sure what makes this better - it's fast, straight-and-to-the-point black/speed/death/thrash/whatever - raw and oldschool and reminiscent of a time when subgenres weren't clearly defined and everyone was just trying to write the nastiest, most evil music possible within more restrictive confines. But something about them hooks you in - there's enough variety that you don't know exactly what angle the riff will hit you from next, and it's always groovy, blistering and most importantly, engaging. The drums are organic, fit the riffs well, and show just enough technical prowess to elevate the guitarwork. It's rough and nasty on the surface, and you can just bang your head to it like a brainless maniac - but it rewards the more you peek under its layers, there's a surprising amount of elegance and compositional depth to be found.

I had to see who was behind this album and when I saw that it was a Joe Aversario project, everything made sense. He fronted Death Fortress, one of my favorite black metal bands of the 2010s, and has also been involved with a long list of bands including Abazagorath and Altar of Gore, both worth checking out. Simply put - this is a guy who knows what he's doing. No wonder Siege Column stands head and shoulders above the riffraff.
-Nate

METALBITE'S TOP 10 ALBUMS OF THE MONTH

Novembers Doom - Major Arcana

T-10: Novembers Doom - Major Arcana
Prophecy Productions

I'd say I have an on/off relationship with Novembers Doom, I fell in love with 2007, The Novella Reservoir, and more or less forgot about them until 2017 Hamartia! Their distinctive use of minor chords and heavy down tuned guitars with Paul Kuhr wonderfully savage growled vocals is such an effective mix. Throughout their long career they always managed to blend the dark, heavy and sad with expertly crafted melodies. And on Major Arcana they revisit all their strengths. With the sad, but hell of catchy, "Major Arcana" or the dark and brutal "Ravenous", they show they haven't lost any fuel throughout the years. This is the perfect record for the beginning of the cold and dark season.
-Raphael

You'd think this band would release more of their albums in November (fun fact: they've only done that 3 times in their career, and this is their 12th full-length album) But Major Arcana also works well to signal the unavoidable arrival of the fall. Sad, gloomy melodies and desperate and sonorous vocals (both sung and growled) invite a melancholic journey. Once again Novembers Doom manages to create this atmosphere where sadness and hope goes hand in hand because you never get the feeling to retreat into a dark corner to cry out shamelessly. There is always a riff or vocal line that picks you back up. A strong doom record by a very consistent band.
-Michael

MetalBite's Rating: 8.4/10

Faetooth - Labyrinthine

T-10: Faetooth - Labyrinthine
The Flenser

Self labeled as "fairy doom", this L.A. band is known for blending soft vocals, airy textures, contrasted with heavy down tuned chugs with the occasional screamed vocals. Think of the dynamics of bands like Alcest, but extremely slow and contemplative. It is the perfect autumn record with standout tracks like the eerie "Iron Gate", mixing ethereal and soft clean vocals with a slow and heavy riff, the super atmospheric and cathartic "Hole", the sludgy and shoegazy "White Noise" or the beautiful and moody doom of "October". Truly an outstanding doom record!
-Raphael

MetalBite's Rating: 8.4/10

Igorrr - Amen

9: Igorrr - Amen
Metal Blade Records

Gautier Serre, the mastermind behind the eclectic musical project Igorrr is back with it's 5th album Amen and how I've never given proper attention to this band before is beyond me. By now, after listening to Amen a couple of times, I see it! I am now a massive fan. If you somehow never listened to Igorrr, let me try to explain. They blend black and death metal with distinct breakcore elements and a multitude of sounds and influences, notably, classical, with piano, violins, a choir, classical guitar and Lili Refrain providing her magnificent operatic vocals. The album opens with "Daemoni", a crazy mix of metal with an industrial feel, injected with a live choir (recorded in a church for maximal impact), classical guitars and towards the end, savage blackened death vocals. Next is "Headbutt", with classical piano playing with a blastbeat over it. The breakcore elements are like little glitches spread here and there (think of Code Orange's Underneath) and the choir is heavily present throughout, making everything so epic. To end the song, he recorded an excavator crushing a piano. There is so many memorable moments, the baglama and violins of "Blastbeat Falafel", the freaking recorder on "Mustard Mucous", or the added snare hitting on a blacksmith's anvil with a giant hammer on "Pure Disproportionate Black And White Nihilism". The amount of care this guy puts in his music is inspiring, everything is live recordings, and he works with so many people, making real art. In a world plagued with AI slop, Igorrr shows us that real art will never go away, there will always be an audience craving it, demanding it!
-Raphael

MetalBite's Rating: 8.5/10

Christ Agony - Anthems

8: Christ Agony - Anthems
Deformeathing Productions

Almost 10 years after their latest album "Legacy", this Polish blackened death group is back with six super heavy, forward-moving songs. Kicking off quite slowly with the opener "Empire Of Twilight", this captures the listener with building tension, sinister vocals, catchy, brutal riffing and pummeling drums. "Anthems" is diverse and interesting because it connects traditional death-black stuff with more innovative sounds (like a didgeridoo introducing "Throne Of Eternal Silence") and it makes the 46 minute runtime fly by. Not that this blasts with inhuman warp 10 speed the entire time - it's more like a finely tuned steamroller grinding everything in sight.
-Michael

MetalBite's Rating: 8.5/10

Castle Rat - The Bestiary

7: Castle Rat - The Bestiary
King Volume Records

Let's get this out of the way now, yes, Riley Pinkerton is an incredibly attractive woman but is that the only appeal for the band? First of all, sexist question, she plays rhythm guitar, she sings, writes songs, makes her own jewelry and costumes. She's the whole package but also, Madeline Wright, the fifth member of the band, plays the role of The Rat Reaperess and only does on stage performances. I say only, but it's an important role that adds to the whole experience. So, I guess, sorry for being a misogynist pig. Anyhow, yes, the themes of sorcery and medieval fantasy is a bit gimmicky but it's metal, so it's kind of all a gimmick and I'm here for it! Musically they pick up where Into The Realm left off with their fuzzy doom metal/rock but everything is bigger, literally, clocking in at a whopping 49 minutes, it means more riffs, more infectious chorus, more solos and just, more Riley! Let's be clear, more Riley is never too much. She has such a powerful voice, and she even tries something new, on the song "Siren: The Pull Of Promise" in the break before the epic solo, she lets out a powerful "HUGH" for a devastating effect! Speaking of solos, The Count (Franco Vittore) goes crazy on this album, even more than on Into The Realm. I swear, everything is bigger and better, Riley can come up with the biggest earworms, like the song "Wizard: Crystal Heart", you merely think about it and voilà, it'll play on loop in your head for days! Expect a few surprises, like the strings on "Crystal Cave: Enshrined" and the crazy crescendo at the end of "Sun Song: Behold The Flame". All in all this is a superb album and just pure fun, if you like doom, don't skip this one.
-Raphael

MetalBite's Rating: 8.5/10

Paradise Lost - Ascension

6: Paradise Lost - Ascension
Nuclear Blast Records

This one is a bit bittersweet, after the absolute masterpiece that was Obsidian, I had high hopes for the new Paradise Lost. After they open the album with what is objectively one of their best songs ever, "Serpent On The Cross", and the supremely catchy "Tyrants Serenade" the album has such a good opening, but unfortunately at around halfway through, the album takes a weird, almost commercial turn with Nick Holmes using a weird kind of vocals. Now that I've heard some critics referring to them as "James Hetfield" vocals, I can't unhear it and it spoils the experience a bit. But the good parts are so good, it makes this album absolutely worth it!

Hopefully this isn't a farewell album, as much as the title might suggest it…
-Raphael

Ascension sounds like a retrospective of Paradise Lost's entire discography. "Serpent On The Cross" is a straight-up death-doom track in line with their early years. "Salvation" continues in the same direction with its heaviness and ugly vocals. Guest vocalist Alan Averill (Primordial) also does a great job to enhance the atmosphere. "Lay A Wreath Upon The World" sounds like a forgotten track from Symbol Of Life. Occasional synths, female vocals and some high-pitched vocal lines make for a smooth and easy listen. With "Sirens" we have a continuation of Shades Of God - That one has the cool vibes from "Mortals Watch The Day". Ascension is like a box of Quality Street: a lot of different stuff and quite tasty (and unlike Quality Street there's no fucking gross orange chocolates).
-Michael

MetalBite's Rating: 8.5/10

Der Weg Einer Freiheit - Inner

5: Der Weg Einer Freiheit - Inner
Season Of Mist

One of the best and most consistent modern European black metal bands - there are shades of the post-black style, but it's closer to Wolves In The Throne Room or Gaerea than it is Krallice and Deafheaven. The only reason I would consider applying the "post" tag is because the cathartic and uplifting guitar work is simply too far removed from the Scandinavian second-wave sound. There's no direct influences from post-rock or post-hardcore.

DWEF's previous album Noktvrn leaned more towards a bleak, brooding and ominous approach, and Innern releases the tension that album built. The melodic essence of this album is pure, delicate yet piercing, and almost spiritual in nature - like feeling a warm embrace as you ascend into the stars, slowly becoming one with the cosmos. Tobias Schuler continues to absolutely kill it on drums - legitimately one of the most underrated drummers in black metal. He's not the fastest you've ever heard (although he can certainly keep up with most) but his beat selection is always exactly what it needs to be, emphasizing the riffs in a way that makes them stick into your brain, with delicious cymbal placement and excellent dynamics.

Even though I've been following this band since Finisterre - still one of my favorite albums of that year - I have a tendency to underrate them. They don't typically come to mind when I'm thinking of the best newer black metal bands. They're not particularly flashy or original, they're just really, really good at what they do, and they never miss. It's about time we start considering Der Weg Einer Freiheit among the heavy hitters - myself included.
-Nate

MetalBite's Rating: 8.7/10

Violator - Unholy Retribution

4: Violator - Unholy Retribution
Kill Again Records

Since its beginning, thrash metal has always been connected in some ways to the political landscape, it's a vehicle used to speak truth to power and express frustrations with the way the world works, or rather, doesn't work. When combined with rich, complex, crazy fast and aggressive music and voilà, you have a recipe for a timeless form of art. It is now 2025 and for the last two years, the barbarism continues to reach new heights. Gaza has become worse than hell, with estimates reaching 600 000 deaths and the west bank is being carved out and leaving smaller Bantustans for the Palestinians to live in, constantly attacked by psychopathic settlers or the Israeli Occupying Force. It's these conditions that awakened Brasília's thrashing warriors, Violator, after 12 years of slumber. Good thrash can look at the world and correctly point out that, shit is fucked up, great thrash tells you why. Violator is of the great variety: "Obliterate the dissident, Persecute to destroy, Fascism is a capitalism paranoid, Tyrants of behaviors of pure insecurity". This album is 41 minutes of pure thrash riffs, with hyperactive drums, a fat bass tone and aggressive, shouted/singing vocals that are perfectly audible, think of James Heidfield but… good. Which is perfect because every word is so impactful: "Born in chains, Colonized!, See your land, Occupied!, Time to retrieve, Time to regain, Time to resist, Time for revenge!, Generations, Hummiliated!, Pacification, Devastated!, Apartheid by religion, Integration as a sin". This perfectly summarized explainer of what is happening in Palestine comes from the song "Chapel Of The Sick", one of the highlights of this record. The more I listen to Unholy Retribution the more I'm impressed and find small details I like, this is thrash the way it's supposed to be; riff worship, crazy fast with deep lyrics, and a raw organic sounding production!
-Raphael

MetalBite's Rating: 8.8/10

Achathras - A Darkness Of The Ancient Past

3: Achathras - A Darkness Of The Ancient Past
Cult Never Dies

Achathras may be a new name in black metal, but the release of their debut album on the selective Cult Never Dies, together with clandestine whispers about the identity of their members, mean that expectations are higher than one might reasonably expect. As the dreamy synth intro gives way to the furious explosion of tremolo guitars and rolling double-bass rhythms that propel the majestic "Anointed With Moonfire" inexorably forward, Achathras prove themselves more than capable of surpassing this listener's lofty hopes. Although the trio are capable of impressive velocity when required, A Darkness Of The Ancient Past is at its best when the band luxuriate in mid-tempo grandiosity, recalling the best of early Dimmu Borgir, Satyricon, and Gehenna, with neo-classical guitar figures adding opulent layers of sophistication. Through the Iron Maiden-meets-Dissection of "Emanation Of Chaos", to the inspirational climax of album highlight "The Despiser Triumphant", Achathras capture the feel of a lost classic, unearthed, allowing the listener to relive the feeling of sheer awe and wonder that symphonic black metal once-evoked, before its early-2000s saturation point. For all of its thrills, and there are many, some might argue that Achathras do little more than evoke nostalgia in those desperate to feel it, and this is undeniably part of the band's appeal. However, like Stormkeep before them, when the band are capable of executing to such a monstrously high standard as they do here, such overly self-conscious criticisms inevitably fall away, leaving just the music itself, indestructible and eternal.
-Benjamin

MetalBite's Rating: 8.9/10

Revocation - New Gods, New Masters

2: Revocation - New Gods, New Masters
Metal Blade Records

Man, what an album! First, the magnificent Paolo Girardi cover alone makes this album worth it! But it would not be Revocation without David Davidson and he keeps getting better with years, like an extreme metal fine wine. On New Gods, New Masters they went in a decisively more prog territory, and it suits them perfectly. On the title track for example, it's filled with tempo changes and a special attention to atmosphere, but, in a true David fashion, the solo still shreds. "Sarcophagi Of The Soul" has a super fun and catchy but technical riff, showing the delicate balance between technicality and musicality Revocation are the masters of. "Confines Of Infinity" features the demonic growls of Travis Ryan and has slow and original "caveman chugs", plus all the traditional tech wizardry. "Dystopian Vermin" and "Despiritualized" are more traditional tech death and thrash offerings with outstanding guitar, bass and drum playing. I'm not usually the biggest instrumental track fan, but holy hell, "The All Seeing" (feat. Gilad Hekselman) is such a great piece, with its syncopated drum beats and the incredible solo, I don't miss the vocals at all! The album closes with the prog and tech masterpiece "Buried Epoch" (featuring the legend of Sherbrooke, Luc Lemay). The track goes through many tempo changes, technical riffs and impressive soloing and has an end of the world atmosphere, which closes the album perfectly. Revocation does no wrong, hail David Davidson and every member of the band, Revocation, forever the best.
-Raphael

MetalBite's Rating: 9/10

Between The Buried And Me - The Blue Nowhere

1: Between The Buried And Me - The Blue Nowhere
InsideOut Music

Between The Buried And Me have a special place in my heart, as a fan of anything prog, it doesn't get any better than this band. With their new offering The Blue Nowhere, they once again push their experimentation to the limits. The album opens with one of their catchiest songs to date, "Things We Tell Ourselves In The Dark". The song is brilliantly constructed, it begins with a truly funky and 80s pop style song that quickly goes into the incredibly catchy chorus and when it ends, the middle part is a testament to the musical genius of every member of the band, you go through a multitude of musical journeys, technical riffing, short blastbeat bursts, funky bass lines, a heavy breakdown, slower grooves, all culminating in the infectious chorus playing for a second time and ending the song. For the next 50 minutes, it's pure BTBAM insanity. "God Terror" has a kind of electro intro, building up in a crazy crescendo. This track is pure avant garde craziness, with odd melodies, odd percussion, an absolutely crazy heavy breakdowns and ends with weird atmospheric synths. "Slow Paranoia" is a grandiose avant garde masterpiece with that circus feeling intertwined with loud and aggressive metal. The track features a long list of guest musicians and instruments. Are you ready? Susan Mandel on the cello, Adam Kramer on the viola, Taya Ricker on violin, Carmen Granger on violin, Baron Thor Young on the bassoon, Kate Serbinowski on clarinet, Isabel Aviles on flute, Ger Vang on the oboe, and Ray Hearne on tuba. Then, when you're feeling a bit overwhelmed by everything, enters "The Blue Nowhere" a relatively shorter song (by BTBAM standards) opening with a soft symphonic arrangement, the wailing electric guitars soon joins and finally the drums and bass, all leading to the emotional main riff, with Tommy Rogers's soft and vulnerable vocals. The song follows a pretty straight forward verse-chorus-verse-chorus structure and boy, that chorus is so touching, it makes me emotional each time. And finally, the album ends with "Beautifully Human", following their tradition of ending the albums on an emotionally charged and grandiose note, with songs like "Human Is Hell (Another One With Love)" or "White Walls". So, it might not be my favorite BTBAM album, but they once again showed the world that they have an endless well of creativity and every album they make ends up being a masterpiece, this one is no different!
-Raphael