Autumn blues may hit you hard, but not as hard as September’s sickest metal albums
Ossuary Anex – Obscurantism Apogee
It’s been a fantastic month for metal with great new releases left, right and centre. Ossuary Anex just about made it at the last hurdle into the lead for me with a razor sharp, accessible set of very well constructed brutal technical death metal on their third full length. It was definitely worth the excitement I had on hearing they were bringing out new material, this record is an awesome time throughout.
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Cult of Lilith – Mara
Cult of Lilith have offered a tremendous surprise with Mara, considering the fact that it is their debut. The fantastic songwriting that ranges from punishing tech death to classical guitar passages influenced by spanish and gypsy jazz, is complimented to a great extent by the production values of the record. There is relentless energy all throughout the album and honestly, if that is their debut, I can’t even fathom what they are going to do next.
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Emyn Muil – Afar Angathfark
Think Let Heroes Sing Your Fame meets Old Morning’s Dawn, this is classic early 2000s Summoning and where the last Summoning album had great songs, but terrible mixing this album sounds great. They engineered this album to be a shining example of atmospheric black metal and I love it.
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Ayreon – Transitus
When it comes to building full-on concept albums, no rock or metal musician can truly stand on the same level as Ayreon. As far as presenting a story through music goes, Arjen Lucassen’s style of bringing together multiple musicians and forming a whole cast of characters must be the most authentic and engaging way of bringing that course of events to life. And in terms of storytelling, the latest release, Transitus, might just be the most over-the-top of the lot. With a theatrical dynamic between vocalists and the voice of Tom Baker narrating your way into each song, this album easily feels like listening to a musical audio-book. Accompanied by a comic book, it really creates an amazing experience of diving into a different universe, and especially given the multiple planes of existence that unfold in this particular story, that’s quite an exciting universe to dive into, although not exactly a very pleasant one. And musically, it might also be one of the most surprising things I’ve heard Arjen put together, not only because it might be the most bombastic and dramatic Ayreon album to date, but also because of the wide variety of elements that he managed to blend into his typical song-writing style. From his well-known synth effects, groovy riffs and catchy songs to folk elements (The Hurdy Gurdy), symphonic elements and a truly breathtaking choir, this album really has it all. Hit “play”, and for 80 minutes, the real world disappears. Enter Transitus!
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Varg – Zeichen
German Varg have been around for a lot longer than most people think, having released their first album all the way back in 2007. Zeichen is their seventh album to date and they have settled nicely at the crossroads of melodic death and black metal, with a generous sprinkling of pagan spirit. They pay some nice extra attention to variety within and in between songs, ensuring a very nice set of dynamics that make it far more enjoyable than the often used one-dimensional blasting. Be it acoustic guitars or female vocals, Varg utilize different elements for the best effect on the song without ever feeling overdone or gimmicky. Enhanced by a powerful and clear production, Zeichen is one of the best albums of its ilk of 2020 so far!
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The Ocean Collective – Phanerozoic II: Mesozoic | Cenozoic
The Ocean Collective’s Phanerozoic II: Mesozoic | Cenozoic, the follow up to 2018’s Phanerozoic I: Palaeozoic might be one of the most imposing prog metal records of 2020. The band’s branded sludgy prog takes some time to get into, but I feel like it’s more infectious on the new release and also diversified with black metal and psychedelic influences. The Germans carry us through the timespan from the dawn of the dinosaurs to the age of humans, adapting their sound to the various events that took place, while also encompassing a feeling of patience suggesting the slow passing of eons. With everything from monumentally heavy riffs and hectic drumming, to atmospheric melancholy, rich orchestration and unusual cathartic vocals, both clean and harsh, this band is all it takes to make geology look cool.
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The Brothers Keg – Folklore, Myths and Legends of The Brothers Keg
It was never just enough to move mountains or raise sea levels with their earth shaking clout, nor was it enough to surround themselves in the mists of their own mythology. Instead, London’s shamanic yeti brotherhood of Keg stride forth from their keep with such dynamic magnetism not a single soul is spared their charismatic pull. Their folklore, myths, and legends ignite the night sky with an hallucinogenic aurora, painting their epic origins in the ensuing conflagration, and stirring a long forgotten primal wisdom in the hearts and minds of their fellow brethren. This, ladies and gentlemen, is how empires are born.
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Ewigkeit – XXIII
James “Mr Fog” Fogarty has been back in Ewigkeit mode for a couple of years now, but no one expected a new EP based on The Illuminatus Trilogy books and stuffed to the gills with significant numbers. Released on the 23rd and clocking in at 23 minutes with a meaningful 5 tracks, XXIII posits Ewigkeit as what Sabbath would have done after Sabotage if they had got weirder and catchier, embracing doomy grooves and big old singalongs on ‘Bring the Eschaton’ and ‘Black Space Suits’. The whole experience is a total romp that doesn’t require a brain to enjoy, though unpicking the full tongue-in-cheek package certainly benefits from one.
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Darkened – Kingdom of Decay
Fans of Bolt Thrower and Swedish death metal should find plenty to enjoy in Darkened’s debut, Kingdom of Decay. Featuring members of Bolt Thrower, Grave, and AngelBlast, Kingdom of Decay is a very enjoyable platter of mid-paced, groovy death metal, crusty d-beats, and catchy choruses bolstered by a massive production courtesy of Dan Swanö. Kingdom of Decay contains many of the elements that made the classics so enjoyable, and while it’s derivative of the bands that its members made their names in, it’s an impressive piece of work in its own right.
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Napalm Death – Throes of Joy in the Jaws of Defeatism
The term that I always have in mind while listening to Throes of Joy in the Jaws of Defeatism is “grindcold”. The music styles on the album are very diverse and the whole is really eclectic, but what is common to most of the songs are the cold guitar melodies here and there that remind of… yes, black metal! But most of these melancholic parts isn’t black metal-inspired, but post punk-inspired. During the full spin the listener hears a catalog of the band’s inspirations, for example: 80’s hardcore punk, mentioned above post punk or industrial. Still the classic Napalm deathgrind style is present, especially in the very energetic and straightforward title and opening tracks. All of it makes Throes of Joy in the Jaws of Defeatism transcend musical boundaries and despite not being perfect, being one of the most intriguing extreme metal albums this year so far. This in turn makes Napalm Death still stand out after all these years, but in a bit different way than before.
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Skeletal Remains – The Entombment Of Chaos
Sending shockwaves through the underground back in 2018 with their storming sophomore effort Devouring Mortality, the new old school death metal warriors of Skeletal Remains strike back in ample time with The Entombment of Chaos. I didn’t think their sound could get much better but this is a thundering beast of a record. Enormous thick grinding guitar tones crunch away over blast beats that hit with such impact, it’s difficult to know whether to bang your head off your shoulders or step back and nod in awe-inspired appreciation. Despite the band’s relative consistency, there’s more twists and turns to enjoy this time around, with plenty of hulking grooves to break up the maelstrom. A better death metal album you will not find this year – guaranteed.
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