Not sure about all of you, but we thought July was hooooot. In terms of metal releases, at least. Here’s the best from the TMO team.
Bitter Velvet – Unleashed Fears
Bitter Velvet formed very recently in a partnership between Ecuadorian guitar maestro Sage Zavage and his girlfriend Malixe, and my initially uncertain expectations have turned into complete appreciation for Unleashed Fears. This brief debut certainly represents “singalong of the month” for me, with all the hooks of old hair metal but all the power of modern heavy metal, including the riffs. A scrappy, sleazy streak colours the experience, although thematically it often deals with the reverse perspective to Mötley Crüe’s casual sexism, as well as feeling more primed for sweaty clubs than heaving stadiums. Either way, the duo supply just the kind of classic bloodrush that I’m looking for. (Edmund Morton)
Eleine – We Shall Remain
If you think symphonic metal should be darker, heavier and, most importantly with more riffs than ear-candy – then We Shall Remain is for you. Driven by Madeleine Liljestam’s impressive vocal histrionics and Rikard Ekberg’s chugging guitars, Eleine’s fourth LP is an unusually heavy album for the genre, harboring gloomy yet accessible and epic atmospheres in a way that is reminiscent of bands like Kamelot, Evergrey, Nightwish and Epica. It is a return-to-roots approach to symphonic metal which embraces a rule that is as simple as highly effective for a metal album: have riffs, will travel! (Daniele Nosenzo)
Evile – The Unknown
Finally, a thrash band has done what I’ve always wanted them to do… Though admittedly they don’t push it quite as far as I’d like. Baby steps, eh? Iconic new wave thrashers Evile present the aptly titled The Unknown: a moody, doomy, sludgy monolith of an album that only delivers the light-speed thrash assault the Englishmen are known for in tiny bursts. Everything is still tight as hell, as is to be expected from Ol & co, but they lean into the stomping chug to the nth degree. I can’t count the amount of times I grimace due to the relentless heft of this grinding riffage. I might have preferred Ol’s rougher vocals on Hell Unleashed, but with monsters like the martial thud of “The Mask We Wear”, the beastly “Monolith”, or the menacing masterpiece that is “At Mirror’s Speech” – The Unknown will easily be one of my top 5 of 2023. (Larry Best)
Machinations Of Fate – Celestial Prophecies
In the current climate, taking on multiple musical genres at once is probably actually more common than focussing on one, especially within metal. What is extremely rare however is a band who are able to carefully and subtly spread their abilities across them. Without any jarring shifts in flow or drop in quality, Machinations Of Fate effortlessly move between black, death and doom metal. At all times they infuse this with a personal progressive touch, making Celestial Prophecies one of the true standout underground releases of 2023. (Thomas Carne)
https://machinationsoffate.bandcamp.com/track/a-split-second-of-divinity
Pizza Death – Reign of the Anticrust
If you delve down under enough, you’ll find Australia is a hotbed of brilliantly quirky new wave thrash metal. The insanely niche Pizza Death sing about death, pizza and death by pizza – usually in songs averaging about 1 minute each. All the pastiche caricatures of crossover punk/thrash are here, but presented with such conviction it’s impossible to keep a smile off your face, and leave your head un-banged. The song titles alone have me grinning; especially “Eaten O-live by Zomb-olives” and “Pasta of Muppets”. But beyond the delightful silliness, there’s some superb riff-work and a surprising amount of variety on offer for something of this sub-genre. From the short sharp blast of “Meat Sweats” to the relatively expansive half-time riffs of “Frankenslice” and “Yeast of the Deceased”, Pizza Death will have you moshing round the oven thanks to their lightning fast approach, batshit dual-vocals, and hilarious samples. Their debut, Slice Of Death, was one of my favourite albums of 2021, and now the Aussie lunatics have just one-upped themselves…which I hope they continue to do year after year. Next time, maybe they’ll add some pineapple. (Larry Best)
The Raven Age – Blood Omen
Not a new band, but The Raven Age is new to me. While not generally the style I gravitate toward, this new album, Blood Omen, hit all the right notes for me. Part heavy metal, part dad rock, and catchy as hell. There’s a great sense of old school rock and metal here in the musicality, and the tracks are incredibly memorable and just fun. While not in the exact same vein, I haven’t felt connected to an album in this style since Dawnbringer was releasing music. As a fan of black metal, grind, doom, and generally more “extreme” takes on the genre, I feel confident in saying there’s likely something here for any metal head to get into and enjoy after many repeated spins. (Neill Bird)
The Spectre Beneath – The Ashen Child
I don’t listen to that much modern prog metal, because I’m afraid of all the wanky stuff I might accidentally see, but The Spectre Beneath (surely fans of Fates Warning) reassure me that some contemporary performers have things more under control. The English group have rather a special formula, with recognizable heavy/power metal as the base for a concept album that restrains itself to only 6 songs, which average about 6 minutes each. The vocals make a huge difference, however, with an unusual tone for this kind of metal – that of powerful, triumphant, and emotive feminine cleans that also aren’t afraid to reveal moments of weakness. Therefore, while the music turns tough at times, especially during frantic closer “Falling Off the World”, the immediate focus is the intimate tones and thoughts (expressed in the lyrics) of the new singer Stevie. I like prog/power, and with barely a moment wasted during The Ashen Child – plus only a minute of balladry, haha! – it’s easy to love what The Spectre Beneath are doing. (Edmund Morton)
Voyager – Fearless in Love
If you are still lamenting the lack of power metal in Voyager’s music, I can’t blame you. The Meaning of I was a masterpiece and they’ll probably never reach that peak again. However they’re not trying to and they don’t have to. This is a very talented band writing a really weird mix of prog, pop, djent, and hints of progpower here and there. They’ve certainly morphed into their own distinct genre and I kinda love it, even if some albums are hit and miss. Colours in the Sun was a big return to form for me and I was even more excited for this album after their EuroVision performance. Is this album as memorable as Colours? No, but it’s fresh, positive, and bursting with energy. Whatever you think of the music, Voyager is a great band, and the amount of mainstream attention they’ve gained in recent years is a good thing for all metal. (Ian Yeara)
