MetalMatters: The Best Metal Albums of July 2024

Occulta Veritas – Irreducible Fear of the Sublime (I, Voidhanger)

Occulta Veritas is one of those rare projects that successfully balances the edge between discordant, ostensibly avant-garde black metal and the genre’s more aggressive synthesis with death metal elements. Masterminded by Turin-based guitarist and vocalist Daniele Vergine (also of Noise Trail Immersion), Irreducible Fear Of The Sublime slips in and out of atmospheric and utterly chaotic passages, slithering between them with ease and elegance.

The coexistence of dissonance and melody is especially evident and effective on the layered “Metonimia”, whose riffs, vocals, and drum patterns fuse together into a gorgeous texture, and the haunting ambient cut “S(A)”, whose spectral guitar licks feel like an essential deconstruction of everything that came before and after. Aside from the somewhat tedious, if not naïve Lacanian discourse woven through the tracks, this is an unusually gorgeous black metal record. – Antonio Poscic

Octoploid – Beyond the Aeons (Reigning Phoenix)

Helsinki-based outfit Octoploid play a decidedly analogue-sounding, folk-tinged kind of progressive death metal. While the band’s style should come as no surprise, considering it’s a project of Olli-Pekka Laine, a long-time bassist and vocalist in Amorphis and Barren Earth, it packs enough punch and fresh elements to separate itself from obvious influences. Alongside the vocal contributions of Swallow The Sun’s Mikko Kotamäki, the songwriting and riffing are particularly strong points on the full-length debut Beyond the Aeons, with the songs flowing through sections of lovely melodicism, heady psych-outs, intense death metal gallops, and stretches of moody balladry, all the while retaining a masterful sense of 1970s hard rock groove. A pleasantly warm and lovely album, just in time for the summer. – Antonio Poscic

The Other Sun – Daimon, Devil, Dawn (The Ajna Offensive / Invictus)

The re-discovery of occult rock during the early 2000s has dominated heavy music and has even sipped into the mainstream. While some of it has fallen into repetitive motifs, few can still provide powerful experiences that stay true to the original mystical essence of the 1960s genre. The Other Sun are among these few, and their tumultuous relationship with the surf rock sound makes their debut, Daimon, Devil, Dawn, an enticing ride. “Stalking the Stalker” takes the swag of the genre and imbues it with a sinister tone. Similarly, the à la Dick Dale guitar playing of “A New Dawn” is enhanced through a metallic timbre, giving it a more in-your-face and gritty quality. Within this space, the Other Sun extend their scope further, dwelling into the bluesy tone in “Black As Gold”, while establishing a Morricone-level cinematic essence.

This core aesthetic naturally fits into the psychedelic sound without overt struggle. This is also the most striking aspect of The Other Sun, as their ability to craft this otherworldly essence feels effortless. The relaxed guitar strums and keyboards combine nicely to build this ethereal domain in “Shaking Ground” and “Lion Spell”. Within this fold, the Other Sun rail in the bizarre folk notions of Swans, establishing a decadent, quasi-apocalyptic domain. The staccato guitar strums of the opening track, the poisonous melodies and distortion of “Conjuring Others”, and the overall application of pressure and chase of ecstasy point toward the Michael Gira school of thought. This link between the 1960s sound and the off-kilter no-wave makes Daimon, Devil, Dawn so enjoyable. – Spyros Stasis

Scald – Ancient Doom Metal (High Roller)

In 1994, when Solstice released their heavy/epic doom opus Lamentations, Scald from Russia were low-key releasing their first demo, North Winds. In 1997, they would unleash one of the scene’s strongest records to date in Will of Gods Is a Great Power, the same year that their vocalist, Agyl, tragically passed away. This twist of fate would forge the band’s fate to stay under the radar, their relics nourishing the underground. Indeed, in recent years, an abundance of excellent new doom acts has unearthed the treasures of Scald and made them their own in Atlantean Kodex, Crypt Sermon, and early Spirit Adrift. But, it is finally time for the masters to return with Ancient Doom Metal, where they are joined by Felipe Plaza Kutzbach (Naglfar, Deströyer 666) on vocals.

It is an astounding return that sees Scald stay on the path. The early signs appeared through the majestic 2017 EP, There Flies Our Wail!, but they are now complete. From the start of the title track the pillars are set. On the one hand, the early romanticism of Candlessmass, and on the other the epic grandeur of Bathory. Sagas and tales are told, reaching powerful crescendos with the Quorthon-ian, singing from the mountaintops approach, ringing through “ALU (My Protection)” and “Far Northern Corner.”

But it is the melodic ingenuity that nails it for Scald. The riffs are heavy and catchy, the verses and choruses stick in the mind, and the folk-inspired inclinations of the guitar work steal the show. It is an interesting formula that ties with the Slavic/Nordic themes, particularly standing out with simple yet effective flourishes in the bonus track, “The Enemy Among Us.” It is the Varangian link between the doom and grandeur of Scandinavia and the Slavic tradition, and it makes for an outstanding return. – Spyros Stasis

Sick/Tired – Whip Hand Paranoia (Nerve Altar)

Not the most active of bands, 14 years since their last full-length and almost a decade since they have last released new material, but Sick/Tired return with a beating of a record. Their grindcore is fierce and unforgiving, annihilating all with “Moveable Feast” and “Inner Ruth.” Its immediacy is inescapable, its pressure intolerable, as “Elevage” details. Sick/Tired aptly manipulate the rhythmic component to navigate through the short-form offering, as the start/stop strategy of “Late Frost” and “Cult Bait” put the chaos under some sense of control.

There are two more components that Sick/Tired have mastered, and that is also the case in Whip Hand Paranoia. On the one hand, there is an unbroken bond with the origin. The punk well is often visited, its fervent character evoked in “Thin Blue Spine” and “Mil Spec”. It arrives with fury and conviction, through frenetic energy in “Shortcut” or with a dissonant edge in “Tickets to Maldek.” On the other end, there is a move toward alternative applications. These are pronounced through the slight crossover touches of “Fearful Symmetry” and “A Dinner of Onions”, where metallic components become more apparent (even throwing in a guitar solo in “Wellness Vulture” for good measure.)

This naturally leads Sick/Tired into the sludge intersection, with “Hospital Friend” and Dying in Dog Years” moving closer to the likes of Backslider and Weekend Nachos. On top of that, let’s put in some noise (because this is obviously not extreme enough) just to make things more interesting in “Paranoia” or some ambient notions to kick off “Dying in Dog Years”. I had to wait a long time to experience the 18 minutes of Whip Hand Paranoia, and I hope I do not have to wait that long again. – Spyros Stasis

Vimur – The Timeless Everpresent (Avantgarde)

Faraway, the thunder echoes, the winds blow, and then Vimur strike a single, echoing note, and the game is afoot. The start of the band’s fourth full-length, The Timeless Everpresent, finds them as hungry and combative as ever. Their melodic inclinations merge with a furious attitude, warmly embracing the anti-cosmic metal of death. It is a force that arrives in various forms, with a mid-tempo groove in “Wound Window”, or traditionally metallic notions in “Fortress of a New Faith”. In its most glorious manifestation, it contorts the trademark Norwegian black metal grimness with a Swedish melodicism in “The Cold Only We Know.”

While this traditional, melodic black metal is the origin around which Vimur navigate in The Timeless Everpresent, they explore anew. The atmospheric ideas have always been there, but here they unfold further. “Fire, Glory and Thinking” reaches for a spiritual essence, while “The Embrace of Mercilless Indifference” achieves an ethereal moment of Agalloch-ian grandeur. Similarly, the Watain influence is there but is now infused with the Quorthon-inspired lead work in “Sons of Another Light”.

To top it all off, the start of “Fortress of a New Faith” descends into the chaotic machinations of Emperor (minus the majesty), and the latter part, “Astride the Centuries”, recalls the Hellenic scene’s grand presence. Vimur are stalwarts in navigating the black metal sphere, always producing work of astounding quality that stays true to the genre’s origins. The Timeless Everpresent is no different. To be listened back to back with the new Wormwitch record. – Spyros Stasis

Void Witch – Horripilating Presence (Everlasting Spew)

Leave it to this self-declared “bunch of middle-aged dads” from Austin, Texas, to create one of the year’s most potent doom-death metal albums. What separates their debut, Horripilating Presence, from a sea of very good to excellent releases by equally solid bands in the field—we seem to be in a fruitful era for the genre—can be traced to the fact that their foundations draw from the filthy, gruesome side of old school death metal, like something you’d find on 20 Buck Spin. After they weigh things down and bring them to a crawl, you’re left with doom-death that feels supremely wicked and mean rather than melancholy, while the occasional bright flicker of a bluesy guitar solo or towering funeral doom atmosphere further emphasizes the slime and grime that surround them. Lovel… I mean, grisly stuff. – Antonio Poscic

Vuur & Zijde – Boezem (Prophecy)

With members from Terzij de Horde, Laster, and Witte Wieven, Vuur & Zijde is the newest and perhaps strangest branch to grow from the reliably excellent Dutch black metal scene. Superficially, the starkest departure from established genre tropes arrives in the vocal department. Famke Canrinus’s silky, saturnine vocals fill in the jagged spaces between riffs and syncopated drum patterns in which otherwise growls might nestle. But beneath the surface, Boezem has as much to do with post-punk as it does with atmospheric and post-black metal. Its jangling structures and stuttering cadences remind of Killing Joke and Killing Joke inflected avant metal experimenters like Virus, while serrated riffs and threads of vocal lines seem to float disjointed above the rhythmic foundation, lending the music an ethereal, kaleidoscopic quality. Hypnotic, captivating music. – Antonio Poscic

Wormed – Omegon (Season of Mist)

Wormed’s 2003 debut record, Phanisphærium, established them as one of the most promising acts in the brutal/technical death metal sphere. What propelled Wormed to the upper echelons was a dedication to the pioneers of that scene, but at the same time, seeing a path to move forward. That remains their focus, with their first record in eight years, Omegon. The monstrous capacity goes back to the point of origin, calling upon the savagery of Suffocation’s Effigy of the Forgotten in “Pareidolia Robotica” or the schizoid, out-of-control bestiality of Cryptosy in “Protogod” and “Gravitational Servo Matrix”.

Tying the sci-fi concepts in death metal is not new, Nocturnus have pioneered it, and acts like Blood Incantation have taken on the mantle. But, to adorn the genre’s brutal/technical side with that topic is unconventional. The jazz elements that Wormed introduce aid in that task. It is not the experimental outlook that Atheist or Cynic pioneered, but rather the distorted contortions that Defeated Sanity and Malignancy sprouted. It adds unpredictability and deviancy to “Virtual Teratogenesis”, this feeling of an uncertain cosmos following a logic that cannot be comprehended. But what fully drives the idea is the atmospheric approach of Wormed.

Again, do not think these guys weave the melodic inharmonicities of Ulcerate. Sure, they use minimal means at times, with the spoken word passages being very effective, but they forge their path. The clean melodies on top of the drumming and guttural vocals craft a union of opposites. It is what completes the Daedelian structure of Omegon and establishes the sovereignty of Wormed. – Spyros Stasis

Wormwitch – Wormwitch (Profound Lore)

Releasing a self-titled debut is expected, providing an introduction to your art. Announcing it as your fourth installment reads more like a statement. Wormwitch followed the tricky path from the crust-infused days of Strike Mortal Soil to the melodic black metal of Wolf Hex. In that regard, their self-titled record does not deviate, the sound still relying on the melodic black metal edge. So what has changed? Well, the anger by which it is delivered. A hot burning intensity defines Wormwitch’s latest offering, a momentum rampaging through barricades as soon as “Fugitive Serpent” arrives. It is imminent and potent, at times reaching for a polemic mid-tempo stampede (“Envenomed”) or a destructive and unyielding assault (“Godmaegen”). It even delivers a Marduk-level onslaught of blasting with “Bright and Poisonous.”

Despite this unearthed fervor, Wormwitch do not give up on their trademark melodic inclinations. Guided by Dissection, circa The Somberlain, they craft some serious hooks. In this, they are quite versatile, able to conjure an epic presence, or moving toward a more death metal-informed area via Necrophobic or early At the Gates. It allows them to easily tap into some classic heavy metal pool, with the main riffs of “Wormsblood Necromancy” and the solo of “Envenomed” showing some love for the 1980s sound. There is even a sluggish doom moment halfway through “Godmaegen” to establish that connection. Wormwitch is not so much a record of change as one of recalibration, and it feels like Wormwitch have cracked the code here. – Spyros Stasis

Zvezde Grajnda – Jedemo zemlju (Independent)

While the mirth of their name—a pun referencing a popular Serbian singing reality show titled Zvezde Granda—and acerbic, punch-in-the-face-of-the-oppressor nature of the lyrics will only fully connect with people from ex-Yugoslav countries, the sonic impact of Croatian group Zvezde Grajnda (Grind Stars) and their mixture of grindcore, crust, and hardcore punk are visceral and brutal enough to smash through any and all language barriers. Jedemo zemlju (We Eat Dirt) is as good as a grindcore debut you’ll get this year. Merciless. Short. Not even remotely sweet. – Antonio Poscic