MetalMatters: The Best Metal Albums of October 2024

Help – Courage (Three One G)

Punk and old-school death metal are similar in how ostensibly simple they are as musical forms yet demand a specific kind of virtuosity to work. In the case of punk and its derivatives, it takes conviction and authenticity to make music with the power to affect and move. Portland trio Help have both in spades.

They imbue their sophomore EP Courage, born out of a metalized mixture of post-hardcore, noise rock, and punk, with an ardor that feels earned and lived in, whether they are raging against systemic mechanisms of oppression or confronting personal pain head-on. Bundled here with tracks from their 2019 self-titled EP, Courage delivers on all fronts, bringing forth music that’s simultaneously anxious and optimistic, lost in despair and audaciously marching forward. – Antonio Poscic

Human Impact – Gone Dark (Ipecac)

Noise rock in various forms, but particularly the Cows/KEN Mode kind of caustic chaos, is going through a proper resurgence at the moment, with both old (the Jesus Lizard, Cherubs), new (Couch Slut), and newer (Chat Pile) bands making a mark. In this landscape, Human Impact emerge as a de facto supergroup assembled from members of genre luminaries Unsane (Chris Spencer on guitar and vocals), Cop Shoot Cop (Jim Coleman on keyboards/electronics), Made Out of Babies (Eric Cooper on bass), and Daughters (Jon Syverson on drums).

However, unlike most of the members’ original groups, Gone Dark sees Human Impact reach for a more stable structure, all post-punk syncopations drenched in industrial filth and organ-shaking heaviness. Eschewing the squealing insanity he dishes out with Unsane, Spencer’s guitar here becomes a marching monolith, carving a path through sludge for the rest of his group to follow with a cloud of pounding clatter while his voice takes on a Bauhaus-esque “Bela Lugosi’s dead” gothic tone. The result is enthralling, like listening to a preacher who’s finally meeting the doom he so long prophesied. – Antonio Poscic

Immortal Bird – Sin Querencia (20 Buck Spin)

Tracing a definitive artistic trajectory can be challenging for stylistically eclectic metal bands. Rather than evolve, they usually mutate, sidestepping into various forms, increasing the presence of certain elements at the expense of others. Yet, while the ingredients for Chicago’s Immortal Bird haven’t changed significantly since their 2015 debut LP Empress / Abscess—corroded and corrosive black metal and technically inclined death metal meet pummeling sludge and bits of grindcore—the execution has improved tremendously.

As much as their 2019 sophomore album Thrive on Neglect tightened and elevated upon what could be heard on Empress / Abscess, Sin Querencia feels like a giant step forward for the group, encapsulating their mixture of metallic tropes into an incredibly effective and oft-chaotic whirlwind of music. The album doesn’t take long to show off its feathers, with the opening cuts, “Bioluminescent Toxins” and “Plastered Sainthood”, delivering a one-two of twisted, swinging doom-death and thrashing blackened death metal. Things only increase in intensity from there, backed by a fiery rage for justice, and culminate in the punk and hardcore-fuelled “Ocean Endless”. – Antonio Poscic

Life Abuse – Systematization (Armaggedon Label)

Another one in the growing family of the Dropdead-ran Armaggedon Label, and there are no surprises here. Life Abuse sees hardcore veterans Mark Telfian and Dan Barker reconnecting for the first time since the dissolution of Deathsquad back in 2004. The result is a high-octane work that channels the attitude and havoc of Negative Approach in all their abrasiveness (“Strategy of Tension”) and chaotic (“Give Rise”) glory.

The old-school methodology hits many targets. The D-beat is pivotal, kicking off the death spiral in “Life Cycle”, and its combination with the anthemic vocals makes for an impressive call to arms. Crust applications further embellish the proceedings, lending affirming melodies to the exhilarating drive of “Failure By Design” and “Poisoned Chalice”. Of course, they also provide a warlike attitude to “No Perspective”.

Still, Life Abuse dig a bit deeper. Some directions are expected, as is the case with the heavier Black Flag-inspired grooves of “Threnody” and “Chosen Path”, which bring in the sludge element. However, the unexpected quality here is a metallic tilt, highlighted by the lead guitar work especially in “Systematization” and “Reconciliation”. It is the finishing touches on a work that will not disappoint any fans of hardcore music. – Spyros Stasis

Master Boot Record – Hardwarez (Metal Blade)

Italy’s Master Boot Record alias Victor Love alias Vittorio D’Amore appeared on the scene a few years after the synthwave hype of the early 2010s—championed by Perturbator, Mega Drive, and Carpenter Brut—had already begun to die down. While his approach was more varied, branching into chiptune, gothic metal, and industrial, the computer-themed nature of the project felt somewhat gimmicky, arriving too late with too little of its own to say.

Fast-forward to 2024 and Master Boot Record’s latest makes me want to eat my own words. While the rest of that 2010s synthwave crew remained stuck in time, D’Amore continued honing his style, crafting a synthesized arsenal of metallic elements that sound more vibrant and alive than the real thing and evolve with each album. Hardwarez is a culmination of this process, a record that doesn’t rely on any tricks but instead rides along pumping electronic rhythms and majestic riffs (some of them from overdubbed, real guitars).

At times, like on “BIOS”, these are made to sound as if belonging to a power metal band under neoclassical influences, with wild arpeggios and tremolos swirling in a cyber thrash mosh pit. Elsewhere, “GPU” slows to a crawl and doubles down on melodies, almost a digital mimicry of a melodic doom-death strut. Between them, the sequencing takes the listener on a wild ride, alternating moments of bombastic heaviness and brutality with 1980s, neon-drenched charm. Lovely stuff. – Antonio Poscic

Melted Bodies – The Inevitable Fork (Independent)

The music of Los Angeles quartet Melted Bodies takes us back to the 1990s when quirky experimental metal bands freely roamed the Earth. Mr. Bungle, Estradasphere, Dog Fashion Disco, Unexpect, and a plethora of copycats adopted a spirit of dadaist mischief by way of Rock In Opposition, then embedded it into contemporary music of that time, often toying with and subverting alt, nu, and extreme metal tropes.

Considering Sleepytime Gorilla Museum’s recent resurrection—Of the Last Human Being comes highly recommended—and the appearance of new outfits like Bye Bye Tsunami, Callous Daoboys, and, indeed, Melted Bodies pushing outré takes on metal, I wonder if the time for idiosyncratic metal-adjacent bands is upon us again.

Although still dealing with a combustible, frenzied mixture of styles that happily borrows from everything, pop and hip-hop included, Melted Bodies eschew the abstract themes of their predecessors and instead use chaotic aural attacks to frame painfully real subjects, not flinching as they take a close look at themselves and the world around them.

For all its manifest chaos and despite being composed of three separate EPs, The Inevitable Fork feels like a cohesive, if slightly surreal, whole, helped by spoken word intermezzos provided by Xiu Xiu‘s Angela Seo. Her snippets become both glue and guide while the band move from the scorching cyber metal insanity of “Bloodlines” (think Annihilator circa Waking the Fury) to the darkwave-tinged “State of Mind”, shifting between styles and modes of attack with some sort of deranged elegance. As strong a sophomore album as they could have wished for. – Antonio Poscic

Mother of Graves – The Periapt of Absence (Profound Lore)

In 2022, Mother of Graves released one of the finest melodic doom/death modernizations with their debut record, Where the Shadows Adorn. Now, with their Profound Lore debut, The Periapt of Absence, they further perfect their sound. What distinguishes Mother of Graves is the breadth of their doom/death sound and heritage. Sure, they will take a cue from the usual suspects, as the introduction to “Gallows” oozes with the Peaceville Three lineage. The slower parts of “Apparition” and the violin in the title track shamelessly point to the grand melancholy of My Dying Bride, but that is just one side.

Soon enough, the scope widens. At one point, they descend to death metal depths, either arriving with more grit in “As The Earth Fell Silent” and “Like Darkness to a Dying Flame”, or simply embracing a full-blown death/doom methodology with the brutal start to “Shatter the Visage”. On the other hand, they take some of the mid-era contorted rock of Katatonia and reconfigure it to fit their doom/death mold (“Upon Burdened Hands”) without moving into the gothic rock space themselves.

To top it all off, they unearth the mystery and atmosphere of acts seemingly falling into obscurity, with “A Scarlet Threnody” bringing to mind the glory of Daylight Dies and Rapture. Is it a novel record? Not really. But it does not need to be. These guys have a spectacular grasp of the genre’s core and history and display a genuine love for it. Oh, and they also have hooks for days. That always helps! – Spyros Stasis

Oranssi Pazuzu – Muuntautuja (Nuclear Blast)

From the surrealism of Vanolielu to the witchcraft of Värähtelijä and the kosmische musik of Mestarin Kynsi, the alchemists behind Oranssi Pazuzu have moved without repeating their steps. Their new record Muuntautuja (aptly translating to “shapeshifter”) does not break from that tradition. The psychedelic melodies and krautrock motifs of “Ikikäärme” traverse familiar territory but do so in a novel way. On that occasion, the stronger shoegaze aspect pushes the envelope, which also invokes the spirit of My Bloody Valentine (“Voitelu”).

The closest comparison would be Oranssi Pazuzu’s previous work, Mestarin Kynsi. The post-punk and noise rock influences are primarily pivotal, especially with the opening track “Bioalkemisti” setting into a Killing Joke progression by way of Big Black animosity. Yet, it is the electronic component that has mostly evolved. Strangely enough, the main vibe here is reminiscent of the The Money Store and No Love Deep Web Death Grips era. The distorted drum beats provide this decadent groove, that naturally clicks with the hypnotic essence of “Hautatuuli”, and ties in with the cosmic repetition (“Valotus”). In short, this is another fine work from an act with the uncanny ability to transform and reinvent themselves. – Spyros Stasis

Shaarimoth – Devildom (WTC)

Shaarimoth’s endeavor, through their sparse discography, has always been to retrieve death metal’s blasphemous origin. They are not interested in either the gore of the genre or its subsequent progressive inclinations. Thus, their third record in 20 years, Devildom, channels the discordance and brutality of the early days of Morbid Angel (minus the crazed Azagthoth-ian lead work gymnastics) in”The Midnight Sentinel”. From there, Shaarimoth touch upon both the genre’s proto-form, with some thrashy applications (“The Impulse of Rebellion”), but also its blackened evolution. In that latter mode, they evoke a monstrous weight (“Blood Covenant”) that brings them closer to the Zos Kia Cultus era Behemoth.

Everything is adorned with an orthodox black metal veil, which infects the ambiance as soon as “Call to Prayer” settles in. The often applied ritualistic pacing, the chant-like and preaching vocal delivery, and the infernal guitar melodies all coalesce toward this aesthetic. It also ties with the latent Dissection influence that brings in the anti-cosmic metal of death stylistic, and while, for the most part, they do not share the Swedes’ melodic inclinations, they allow for some lapses (“The Voiceless Call”). Overall, it is an excellent to-the-point work of heavy, groove-laden death metal with a blackened edge. – Spyros Stasis

Undeath – More Insane (Prosthetic)

The more I write about old-school death metal, the more I realize that succeeding in this particular idiom requires a higher level of sheer talent and instinctual understanding of metal than perhaps any other subgenre. The tropes have been defined ages ago. The rules and playfield are well-known to all. To win, you must possess mastery, just like Rochester, New York’s Undeath do, crafting the right vibe without ever resorting to flair à la Blood Incantation.

By definition, the group’s third album, More Insane, does not and cannot stray from their previous works. Yet, it feels bigger and better in every way, each of its ten cuts bending OSDM’s simple principles for significant effect. They roll through “Dead From Beyond” as if chased by an angry posse composed of Cannibal Corpse and Autopsy members. In “Brandish the Blade”, they take a short detour toward tech metal, further splintering an already twisting flow with breaks and tempo changes. Meanwhile, “Cramped Caskets (Necrology)” gestures towards early Carcass with more than just its title, pumping a filthy grindcore-like groove into concrete-cutting riffs, and “Disattachment of a Prophylactic in the Brain” embraces death metal’s occasional melodicism. – Antonio Poscic