MetalMatters: The Best Metal Albums of November 2024

Mitochondrion – Vitriseptome (Profound Lore)

The prayers have been answered! Earlier in the year rumors of the return of Mitochondrion were floating around, and the moment has arrived for the famed Canadian to return ambitiously, 13 years since their previous full-length Parasignosis. With their new record, Vitriseptome, they continue to do what they do best, balancing between the bestial black/death side and the dissonant scene. The former fully blooms from the get-go as “Increatum Vox” settles in, with the warring black/death arriving through discordant leads and pummelling blastbeats.

In this mode they cut straight to the core, retreating into their most monstrous form with “Viabyssm” and “Antitonement”. They even channel the earlier Portal playbook, veiling their primal nature with quasi-atmospheric allusions. Yet, they still relish their most blasphemous and unyielding perspective, be it through the repetitive mantra of “Flail, Faexregem!” or the harrowing setting of “Oblithemesis”.

While this barbaric perspective, fuelled through the proto-black/death scenes via way of Blasphemy, is fundamental for Mitochondrion, they reach toward the eerie aspects of earlier days Ulcerate via way of Deathspell Omega. The start of “The Erythapside” is a marvelous exploration of the darkest sides of the psyche, while “Argentum Mortifixion” sees the dissonant melodies echo through the darkness. There are times Vitriseptome reaches for a more distinct melodic quality, but worry not, it is only fleeting.

Still, the start of “Cruxitome” carries a strange doom/death-like melodic inclination, adding to the sorrow, while the Middle Eastern applications in “Viabyssm” point to the grandeur of Nile (and naturally to Morbid Angel). Overall, this is a perfect return to form for Mitochondrion. A challenging record, spanning 90 minutes of dark, dense, and extreme music. Exactly what the doctor ordered! – Spyros Stasis

Neon Nightmare – Faded Dream (20 Buck Spin)

OK, this is a strange one. The mysterious Neon Nightmare (now confirmed to be the project of Spirit Adrift’s Nate Garrett) sprouted out of nowhere just in time for Halloween. Their music is a mixture of gothic rock with doom metal foundation and tendencies toward a rock ‘n’ roll and even the punk-ish side. In other words, they worship Type O Negative. It is rather obvious from the opening notes to “Lost Silver”, where everything from the hooks to the lyrics echoes with the lost greatness of the Brooklyn band, as the chorus repeats “We buried you in silver and gold”.

Doom notions come through the retro weight of “It’s All Over (For You)” and combine with a rock ‘n’ roll feeling for “LATW2TG” and “They Look Like Shadows”. Similarly, the melancholic, dream-like essence radiates in waves through “She’s Drowning” and “Promethean Gift”. It is difficult to separate Neon Nightmare from the tradition of Type O Negative because they owe so much to this singular entity. And sure, there are some tinges of like-minded artists in the likes of mid-period Paradise Lost and Tiamat, but there is one obvious point of reference. And that is the weakness and strength of this work. On one hand, it feels rehashed, lacking novelty and identity. On the other hand, it has some very catchy tunes that firmly grasp the Type O Negative vibe. It makes me want to go back through TON’s entire discography, so take that as you will… – Spyros Stasis

New Skeletal Faces – Until the Night (Peaceville)

Another one strategically released close to Halloween (along with the Neon Nightmare debut), the sophomore record from Skeletal Faces oozes with a dark throwback aesthetic. This is the sound of the 1980s when darkwave and deathrock juxtaposed joyous celebration and a gloomy essence. The title track’s bass lines resonate with this attitude, as the Christian Death inspirations elevate “Wombs”, and Sisters of Mercy’s delicate and otherworldly essence defines “Enchantment of the My Inner Coldness”.

Skeletal Faces keep things simple, but there are some interesting alterations. They balance the post-punk pseudo-finesse and the punk raw energy, with tracks like “Disexist” and “Pagan War” crafting a dim ambiance, while a sense of aggression gives more weight. It also introduces a delicious sense of mania, as with “Zeitgeist Suicide”, which opens the pathway toward metal applications. On that alteration, they again inform their deathrock with 1980s metal influence, which has something of WASP but also travels to the early days of Bathory, with a cover of “Raise the Dead” fully establishing that connection. Until The Night is a fun ride, and it will not disappoint anyone looking for a touch of 1980s nostalgia. – Spyros Stasis

Old Wainds – Stormheart (Darkness Shall Rise)

Hailing from Murmansk, not far from the Finnish border, it is easy to see how Old Wainds black metal has embraced much of the Finnish and Scandinavian traditions. And they were there from the start, releasing their first demo in the mid-1990s and returning with their fifth full-length Stormheart. The main influence remains the early period of Immortal, and the Pure Holocaust destruction evokes the appropriate bitter and unyielding tones in “Northern Starfall”, and a Hate Forest-informed polemic in “To the Moonlight”. The icy winds of Blasphyrkh continue to rage in “Heart of the Storm”, at times embracing a mid-tempo à la Celtic Frost stampede (“The Eternal, the Dead, the Arcane”).

There is no deviation to be found here. It is just that in between these raging battles, eerie applications will appear. “Watch the Midnight Unveil” sets a harrowing tone, the disharmony cruelly applying over the cataclysmic riffs. There are still certain tilts toward the more melodic, even if it comes with a certain grit (“Of Night and Ice”). It clicks with an underlying epic characteristic that stays under the radar for the most part, still making a triumphant appearance in “Snow Swarm”, along with an unexpected dose of sorrow and melancholy. If you are looking for tradition, then Stormheart is for you. – Spyros Stasis

Paysage d’Hiver – Die Berge (Kunsthall)

Out of the forest, haunted by the ghosts, and now to the mountains. This journey started with Paysage d’Hiver’s first full-length, Im Wald, and has now produced the latest entry, Die Berge. Mainman Wintherr sets the same scene, an Alpine setting at night under heavy snowfall. So, it is no surprise that opener  “Urgrund” becomes an elemental force, as black metal riffs and blasting drums craft a towering presence. This is the primary feeling that Die Berge conveys, this fear of insignificance in the face of a tremendous and never-changing aspect of nature.

This overwhelming power manifests in a few different ways. It can be unyielding, as the relentless havoc of screams and drums echo through a desolate landscape in “Verinnerlichung”. It can also become beautiful in its terror, with “Transzendenz II” and “Gipfel” taking on a doom perspective, the pace slowing down and a radiant sorrow oozing from the proceedings. The key, however, as with previous Paysage d’Hiver releases, is the circular and ever-changing but always static motif. The meditative quality of “Transzendenz III” shows the way, unfolding a deeply hypnotic procession. Wintherr has mastered this repetitive motif, and it has resulted once again in a record that produces a mystical experience. – Spyros Stasis

Primal Code – Opaque Fixation (Relapse)

While I do enjoy forward-thinking and out-there death metal, filled with progressive, or even better psychedelic, inclinations, there is a time when I need to get back to basics. Primal Code’s debut record, Opaque Fixation, is the perfect vehicle to do this. The Chicago trio cut through all the bullshit and get straight to the point with a death metal barrage that evokes the heavier, groove-laden side of the genre. To that purpose, they encapsulate the sluggish Obituary approach, as Tardy-esque vocals rise in “Hive” and the stench of death becomes prominent in “Extinction”.

Still, Primal Code take a wider view of the groove-laden death metal scene. They take a cue from the UK scene, with a mid-period Napalm Death dimension showing in “Derelict” and its punk-ish influence. But, it is the Bolt Thrower quality that prevails, arriving with polemic inclinations in “Terminal” and “Angler”, and also infecting the melodic underpinnings of “Totem” and “Anapsid”. The other interesting point here is that despite the heavy 1990s applications, Primal Code appear surprisingly modern. it is a combination of the production, which suits their music perfectly, and a sludge leaning, reminiscent of Lord Mantis’s opus Death Mask. If you are looking for something immediate and to the point, you cannot go wrong with Opaque Fixation. – Spyros Stasis

Sun Worship – Upon the Hills of Divination (Vendetta)

Around since 2010, Sun Worship have established themselves as one of the most dependable outfits on Germany’s contemporary black metal scene. If dependable sounds like a euphemism for safe and boring, fret not: the Berlin quartet are anything but. Similar to its three predecessors, Upon the Hills of Divination is an album of cosmic magnitude compressed into dissonant but always mean-spirited and tight-sounding post-black metal.

At times, as in the opener “Within the Machine”, they’ll take the atmospheric, synth-laden soundscape of the universe and explode it into some of the most vicious and unhinged black metal forms, with grumbling tremolos grinding against a flurry of blast beats. At others, like on “Serpent Nebula” and the titular “Upon the Hills of Divination”, they’ll slither around at hyper speeds, growls and chants intertwining with near-grooves, evoking the ferocity of Eld era Enslaved with a dash of melody thrown in for good measure. – Antonio Poscic

Veilburner –  The Duality of Decapitation and Wisdom (Transcending Obscurity)

Pennsylvania black/death metal duo Veilburner open their seventh full-length, The Duality of Decapitation and Wisdom, with a menacing plexus of growls, riffs, and rolling drum thwacks that extends and rises from the abyss like some eldritch god. Soon after, “Tem Ohp Ab in Mysticum” launches into a beautifully dissonant flow, balancing a beguiling atmosphere with outright ferocity.

While avant tendencies in all forms—from cacophonous textures to labyrinthine structures—have taken over much of metal’s contemporary landscape, Veilburner count among a select few groups that manage to incorporate these elements without sacrificing any of black and death metal’s no-nonsense aggression and poise, even as cuts “III Visions of Hex-Shaped Hiss, Behead the Howling Spirit” and “Shadows of a Shadow” threaten to disintegrate while they are being pulled in opposite directions by a whirlwind of melodies, harshness, and relentless brutality. – Antonio Poscic

Yoo Doo Right – From the Heights of Our Pastureland (Mothland)

Three years and several releases removed from the excellent debut Don’t Think You Can Escape Your Purpose, Canadian group Yoo Doo Right somehow, surprisingly even, still appear fresh and chock-full of ideas—a real accomplishment considering the age and general tiredness of the genres they operate in. Their specific blend of psychedelia, krautrock, post-rock, shoegaze, drone, and everything but the kitchen sink continues to sound dynamic and engaging, shifting from huge droning riffs and pumping grooves (“Spirit’s Heavy, But Not Overthrown”) to moments of poignant atmosphere (“Lost in the Overcast”), without ever trailing off or losing focus. Despite the sheer volume and elevation of their sonic form–this year rivaled only by Slift’s Ilion—it warms the heart to hear their lyrics so down to Earth, confronting head-on the crumbling reality of late-stage capitalism. – Antonio Poscic