MetalMatters: The Best Metal Albums of July 2024

Summer means suffering from the heat! For this reason, I only have two short suggestions for you. One, you can lose yourself in some experimental, otherworldly music. Something that transports you to bizarre realms where the atmosphere prevails, like the new Vuur & Zijde (also make sure to check their split with Impavida) or through the psychedelic craziness of Malconfort’s debut. If that does not appeal to you, then take the angry way out. Relish the melodic black metal of Vimur and Wormwitch, surf through the hardcore of Kijamet, and experience the grindcore nightmare of Zvezde Grajnda. Or allow for Wormed’s technical brutal death metal to swallow your mind. That should get you started, and then you can dig in! – Spyros Stasis

Blind Girls – An Exit Exists (Persistent Vision)

There are many acts out there that can offer a quick payoff of aggression and one-dimensional sentimentality wrapped around the screamo mantle. But few can take it further, passing through many different moods. Even fewer can pass through different sonic territories. Blind Girls have honed their craft in creating two excellent 20-minute-long records, and now they are aiming for the trifecta with An Exit Exists. On an emotional level alone, this is a devastating ride. Blind Girls travel from the erratic and maniacal (“Less Than Three”) to the somber and introspective (“Bemished Memory”).

In this fashion, Blind Girls move closer to the current screamo scene, joining the likes of Frail Body and Heavenly Blue. However, a deeper sonic identity pulses through the record’s backbone. The echoes of Envy are expected, the beautiful weaving melodies of “Lillac” setting a tumultuous yet delicate scenery. It aptly contradicts the mathematical configuration of “Dissonance” that echoes the Botch-ian approach or the grindcore-esque, wild ferocity of “Closer to Hell”. But, there are also further diversions, be it through the noise rock motifs of “…It’s Starting to Rain”, the sludge of “Make Me Nothing”, or the powerviolence of the sardonically titled “AI Generated Love Letter”. No matter the case, the result is an impressive, highly dense distillation of screamo music for our times. – Spyros Stasis

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ColdCell – Age of Unreason (AOP)

Helvetic black metallers ColdCell cater to the bleak rather than aggressive facets of black metal and do so with utmost abandon. While their music is built from elements typical for the genre—thundering tremolo storms, strings of brutal blast beats, choirs of inhuman growls—the atmospheres that arise from this nihilistic tapestry of sound and the band’s disappointment in humanity veer closer to funeral doom and gothic rock. The result is sonically devastating and psychologically oppressive—a dark, starless night with no end nor respite in sight. – Antonio Poscic

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Death Racer – From Gravel to Grave (Dying Victims)

Motor sport-themed metal. It’s a thing now. Really. As if responding to the NASCAR-inspired brutal death metal of Richmond, Virginia’s Restrictor Plate and the heavy vibes of Portland, Oregon’s I Am the Intimidator, Austrians Death Racer now bring the Euro-centric world of Formula 1 into the fold of punkish speed-cum-black metal.

Much like the (very literal) flaming fireworks of their live shows, From Gravel To Grave is outrageously fun, if slightly dangerous. Each of the eight high-octane cuts zooms around at reckless speed. Buzzing riffs and grumbling bass lines are their gas-guzzling engines, and sky-tearing screams become their pilots. The foursome are particularly interested in the gruesome side of racing, with near-fatal disasters like Niki Lauda’s 1976 Nürburgring accident (“Motormentor”) and tragedies such as Ayrton Senna’s deadly crash (“Imola ‘94”) becoming fuel for pumping, mean-spirited but strangely touching thrash and black metal attacks. However unlikely, within all this vrooming turmoil, they even find space for moments of atmosphere (“Traumatized In Traffic Jam Ejection”) and anthemic choruses (“S.M. Death Worship”). A debut worthy of a pole position. – Antonio Poscic

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Diocletian – Inexorable Nexus (Nuclear War Now!)

Brace yourself because the bomb the Diocletian dropped in Amongst The Flames of a Burning God has gone off, and the nuclear winter is upon us with Inexorable Nexus. The New Zealanders’ focus is singular, and from the hammering snare hits that kick off “Global Slave Enigma”, they do not let go. The exhilarating machinations ensue, but the mid-tempo groove also constructs moments of inescapable, towering force. It is banal to say it, but this is the sound of war. Diocletian might sometimes rely on samples, in the noises of battles and hails of bullets flying by in “Heathen Siege II”, but their compositions alone can deliver this feeling. “Barbaric Hunt (Feral Pray)” and “Violent Eradicating Hammer Strike!” naturally produce imagery of the carnage of war, a bloodlust that is deep and inherent in Diocletian’s core.

While many of the elements are familiar, Diocletian give prominence to both their and the genre’s history. As such, Inexorable Nexus moves closer to works like War Against All and Doom Cult. The lineage is clearer, as the proto-death metal lead work reigns supreme through cacophony and unpredictability in “Subjugation Before Annihilation” and parts of “Heathen Siege”. It is from a time when thrash and death were interchangeable, not long before Blasphemy spread their black wings and fallen angels came crashing down from the skies. Punk and doom influences come through, the former providing angst and chaos and the latter a pensive outlook where the scenery of devastation has settled. Nothing less should have been expected. – Spyros Stasis

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Kijamet – Dok je daha (Independent)

Although anticapitalist and antifascist sentiments are at the core of hardcore punk, bands that manage to bring these messages and their musical manifestation so successfully together as Zagreb’s Kijamet are truly rare. Inspired by, among others, Silvia Federici’s Marxist feminist critique (Caliban and the Witch), Walter Benjamin’s judgment of historicism (On the Concept of History), and Mark Fisher’s writings, their lyrics eschew the pitfalls of on-the-nose edicts and instead take the shape of cerebral, subversive poetry, without losing any of hardcore’s fire or ideological edge.

Similarly, their music is simultaneously tight, uncompromisingly direct, and unexpectedly diverse. Each of the eight compact cuts on Dok je daha (As Long As There Is Breath) endures radical breaks and tempo shifts, instilling a sense of turmoil in the ebb and flow. Above all else, the group’s delivery—of anger, of empathy, of pain—feels urgent and lived in, as if their very lives depended on each scream, growl, drum blast, and bustling riff. This is the sort of music to accompany us when we take to the barricades. – Antonio Poscic

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Laceration – I Erode (20 Buck Spin)

Immolation, early Morbid Angel, early Death. If a contemporary death metal outfit splashing happily around in the same primordial soup that gave birth to the aforementioned three bands sounds appetizing, then Windsor, California’s Laceration might just tick all the right boxes for you. The group’s sophomore record continues where 2021’s excellent Demise left off, with scuzzy, grooving old-school death metal performed with gusto and impressive technical prowess. The pure grime of “Excised”, the hints of D-beat and thrash on “Vile Incarnate”, and the sheer brutality of “Impaling Sorrow” are definite highlights on a record that is devoid of fillers and even remotely boring moments. I Erode rips all the way down. – Antonio Poscic

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Malconfort – Humanism (Transcending Obscurity)

Even though named from a Deathspell Omega track, Malconfort travel back to the origin. The UK-based act, which features members of the exquisite Sea Mosquito (check out Igitur) and Amaltheia, relishes Ved Buens Ende’s discordance. But instead of simply rehashing the grandeur of Written in Waters, Malconfort augment the experience with their debut record, Humanism. The awkward jazzy rhythms of “Compulsion (Ecstasy)” show the way, naturally falling into the dissonant methodology. The off-kilter playing and the abstract progressions fill the space, and Malconfort can slide naturally to any form, ranging from chamber jazz to krautrock (channeled by way of Virus), as with “Inertia (Condense)”.

While dissonance is one pillar, the other two foundations are ambiance and psychedelia. In the former, Malconfort aptly sculpt an otherworldly presence. At times, it takes the form of a feverish dream, elusive and incoherent. Then it morphs into a volatile experience, as with “Stain (Fantasy)” where waves of distortion devour all. On the psychedelic front, they contort their ambiance and structure to take a delirious semblance, as “Cruelty (Elation)” suggests with its spiraling riffing and subliminal delivery.

A few black metal touches establish the Malconfort’s pedigree, lashing out with brutality in “Rage (Indulgence)”, and the sorrowful passages of “Carnivore (God)” evoke a strangely soothing sentiment in this sea of disharmony. In recent years, many have tried to reach for the mystique of Written of Waters, with the likes of Laster and Doldrum making a significant dent. Now Malconfort join this list, putting out one of the strongest works of this year. – Spyros Stasis

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Mages Terror – Damnations Sight (Invictus)

A new band featuring some extreme metal royalty from the land down under. Here, Portal, Vomitor, Pestilence, and Consummation members come together to highlight the link between heavy and proto-thrash with extreme metal. The debut record from Mages Terror relishes the uncertainty of this time, where musical aspirations still relied on a traditional style but were pushing for something more unconventional. “Serpent Bat” introduces this concept; here, the traditional heavy metal ideas bend to produce something much more evil sounding. Much of this is based on the early works of Mercyful Fate, whose specter hovers over Damnations Sight. The melodic inclinations of “Demon Bell”, the vibrant progression “Master in the Black Cavern”, and the labyrinthine structure of the title track point to the great Danish act.

From there, certain connections travel further back in time. The NWOBHM concepts are unrolled through the sharp riffs of “Fane of the Slug Gods”, while the brisk quality of Diamond Head is made vitriolic in “Ruthless Guilt”. This sound naturally clicks with the speed metal inclinations of Mages Terror. The mid-tempo groove of the opening track gives way to the fast-picking, solo tearing approach that echoes with a malformed vision of Accept’s “Fast as a Shark” and Exciter.

Taking it even further, the proto-thrash lineage is complete with the 1980s worship riffs and schizoid lead work of “Paramount Specter Dust” and the cruel beatdown of “The Vomited Harvest”. Many acts today focus on the proto-death and proto-black metal scenes, while the proto-extreme metal link remains obscure. So, it is great to see Mages Terror’s appreciation for that sound while having them deliver a high-quality debut. – Spyros Stasis

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Mayhemic – Toba (Sepulchral Voice)

Introduction for old-school thrashers Mayhemic and Toba kicks off in true blitzkrieg fashion. The speed is dizzying as “Kollarbone Crushed Neanderthal” unleashes an assault that brings back to life the early blackened glory of Sarcofago’s fury and the proto-death metal stench of Slayer and Possessed. It is undoubtedly a belligerent affair further fuelled by a love for speed metal (“Extinction & Mastery”). And while it is extremely intricate and precise, it appears to result from a more organic compositional process. When the title track comes in, it is feeling that guides Mayhemic through this schizoid corridors, rather than forethought planning.

In that way, it brings to mind the early works from the European thrash metal scene, in Kreator and even more Sodom. A defiant affair, Mayhemic don’t offer any respite. They deliver an endless beatdown in “Triumph Portrait” and “Olduvai’s Lullaby” without mercy. These guys will not even be breathing heavily while you try to compose yourself. Just observe the guitar work, which is especially spectacular in the instrumental “Eschatological Symphony”. Fast and poignant, but able to still be coherent and razor sharp. It is the same with the drumming, which might appear at first simply straightforward and simply fast, but pay attention to these cymbal hits in “Hazardous Prowler”. So yes, while this is a retro band, and a successful one, there is more going on in Mayhemic’s debut than initially meets the ear. – Spyros Stasis

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