September was a HUGE month for Extreme Metal. I use YouTube Music as my streaming service of choice, and I have a playlist for each month, and by far, September 2022 exceeds any other month with the number of tracks that were added. I could easily have made this a top 20 for this month. It was hard to narrow it down to just five full lengths and three EPs. So here goes nothing…
Escarnium – Dysthymia
Death Metal from Brazil
Redefining Darkness Records
This definitely doesn’t feel like an EP. This album sounds like a complete wall of sound that is pact with nuances that makes this a complex, dizzying, and ultimately rewarding experience. This Brazillian quartet has been doing their thing for a while now. Their last, and in my opinion best album came from 2016s Interitus. But if this is the indication of where the band is heading going into 2023 and beyond, I think we can expect big things from Escarnium. This is death metal with that that Brazillian groove usually found in more modest styles of metal. It’s interesting because I haven’t really heard that, ever. Really great listen. If you have half an hour, I encourage you to give it a go.
Erzfeynd – Muspilli
Black Metal from Germany
Ván Records
If the pandemic gave us anything positive, is that we got a lot of one-man Black Metal projects. Like a lot. Maybe way too much. It’s almost a chore to sift through what’s good and what’s not. I’m here to tell you Erzfeynd is good. The entity behind Erzfeynd, Nahdrut Herlarecks, has done a great job of really bringing forth that eerie atmosphere that so many bands try and fail to provide during our listening pleasures. The heinous screams coinciding with church bells at the end of the intro track really do a great job of solidifying the atmosphere of the EP. Right after that you have the title track, and I’ll be honest, the second I heard the guitar tone, I was a little put-off, but then the rest of the instruments crept in and created a black metal symphony that made sense. this was an EP to think about.
Skelator – Blood Empire
Epic Heavy/Speed Metal from Seattle, Washington
Gates of Hell Records
I wasn’t sure what to expect when I first heard this EP. If you aren’t aware, retro video games, besides music are kind of my thing. It took me a couple of listens to really get this one, but once it clicked, I realized how good, fun, and epic it was. The vocals aren’t going to be for everybody. But if you’re into NWOBHM stuff, you’ll probably enjoy it. I know after the first listen I couldn’t stop thinking about this record and that’s what made me go back and listen. this EP is riff city and the population needs to be you
Ellende – Ellenbogengesellschaft
Ambient Post-Black Metal from Austria
AOP Records
I mentioned earlier that the pandemic gave us a lot of one-man black metal projects. What it also did was force most bands to take some time off, or prolong the process of writing and releasing an album. That’s why this year and this last year have been so good, because the quality of music being released is a concentrated brew of time, pandemic lockdown, and for a lot, isolation. Ellende certainly isn’t a one-man project, but you can tell that this release wasn’t a hasty one. And thankfully what we got was an excellent, well-produced, beautiful post-black metal record with heart.
Phobophilic – Enveloping Absurdity
Death Metal from Fargo, North Dakota
Prosthetic Records
In the early 2000s, we were treated to a New Wave of American Heavy Metal. Bands like Remembering Never, Lamb of God, Killswitch Engage, Shadows Fall, etc. We all kind of collectively see those bands as metalcore nowadays, but if you are my age and really discovering music at that time frame, those were some great times! With that said, I truly believe that we are in another renaissance right now with death metal. Mortuous (which we will be hearing about a little later), Malignant Altar, and Undeath just to name a few, but one of those bands that are without a doubt a part of this incredible renaissance is Phobophilic. Their debut LP is something special. The guitar work is incredible. It’s subtle and reserved into some insanely cohesive and tight instrumentals, but when it’s time to shine, it really makes a splash. This record isn’t something I’d expect from a first album, but I am so thankful that we get this horrendously spooky autumnal album to enjoy for the remainder of the year.
Herbstlethargie – Melancholie im Blattfall
Atmospheric Black Metal from Germany
Northern Silence Productions
Back onto the one-man black metal bands from the pandemic. One of the best I’ve heard has been Herbstlethargie. Brought to us creatively by a man named Herbst, we have a beautifully atmospheric and nature-driven black metal record that calls on influences from Panopticon, and the good parts of Ghost Bath, amongst others. A top contender for the logo of the year for certain, Herbstlethargie is so much more. Adding “atmospheric” to a genre of metal is commonplace nowadays, but Herbstlethargie is the real deal. You hear the pain and anguish of mother nature crying out in a not-so-subtle way that brings on the state of melancholy we on this planet are feeling. On a personal level and most definitely in our environment. Great vocals with a constant onslaught of killer riffs and a barrage of drums. If you’re missing Panopticon this year and want to scratch the itch. Definitely check this one out.
Mortuous – Upon Desolation
Death Metal from San Jose, California
Carbonized Records
Last year, Carbonized records jumped on my radar with Funeral Chant’s debut LP. Since I’ve discovered what they put out, it is all top-notch quality releases. And that certainly goes for the sophomore record from Mortuous. A band I mentioned earlier as heralding the current death metal renaissance we are in, they release upon humanity this slow-burn demon of brutality, horror, and evil. A great response to their 2018 debut, Through Wilderness. Piggybacking off of my Phoboliphic blurb, the guitar work is incredible, perhaps some of my favorite vocals and drums in a death metal release this year, and that violin work on Nothing. Haunting, to say the least. And with the always reliable 8 tracks, this is an album-of-the-year contender for sure. But speaking of possible albums of the year…
Gaerea – Mirage
Black Metal from Portugal
Season of Mist
I was dumb guys. I admit it. When I first saw what Garerea was trying to do, I wrote them off as trying to be a mix of Behemoth and Midnight. I couldn’t be farther from the truth. Mirage, Gaerea’s third album will be on a lot of year-end lists, and deservedly so. This album is at times emotional, and nails exactly what the state of mental health is for most in this world in 2022. A typical intro into what turns out to be anything but typical once the intro track Memoir kicks into full gear. I haven’t heard a band in a long time do what Gaerea is doing with mid-tempo black metal. Wel produced, meaningful, heavy as anything in this universe. They 100% would be just as big if they didn’t have their look. I have a rough idea where my top albums of the year will fall and I definitely just took in another album to add to the list.
So what was your favorite album from this past month? I know I missed a lot but please let me know in the comments what you think.
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Stay Disgusting.
