The masterful progressive work of Caligula's Horse, the reinvigorated spirit of Winter through Goden and Old Man Gloom's return alongside a healthy dose of black metal, hardcore-infused outbreaks, and noise rock highlight the month of May in heavy metal.
In times of quarantine we listen and we write, so here are 20 extreme (and some experimental) records to spin during these times.
In 2010, the metal world honored the memory of Ronnie James Dio in the coolest possible way: by making it the best year for new music the genre saw in a very long time.
The first ever hip-hop/metal crossover from Translation Loss is an exciting joint venture that seamlessly melds two seemingly disparate genres.
Worlds collided when punk and metal realized they were opposite sides of the same coin.
March's MetalMatters features extreme tunes to get you through difficult times. Hopefully, they will momentarily allow you to escape from this harsh reality.
February in heavy music features long-awaited returns from Psychotic Waltz, Envy, and Today Is the Day, along with a healthy dose of black metal and experimental music.
Hunter Hunt-Hendrix and his comrades in Liturgy combine ambitiousness, risk-taking and sheer skill into a fresh triumph on H.A.Q.Q.
Living dark may be the best revenge as Cleveland's Frayle suggest on their debut LP. Fans of gothic and black metal will rejoice as will those who love Portishead and Cocteau Twins.
The new year, and the new decade, kick things off in the most promising way possible as a combination of newcomers and established acts produce amazing works across death, black, metalcore, power and thrash metal.
Liturgy founder Hunter Hunt-Hendrix discusses religion, philosophy, history, and music from Johannes Brahms to Waka Flocka Flame.
The last month of the 2010s was defined by an explosion of black metal grimness, modern and retro sprinkled with death metal brutality, caustic hardcore and some historic re-releases.
Poppy lays bare a necessary reminder to reject conformity and encircle empowerment. Whereas I Disagree explores what is confining and liberating - the latter is the album's unequivocal focal point.
Filled with everything from extreme doom/death and progressive death to experimental avant-garde jazz induced visions and screamo dreams, November does not disappoint.
For yet another year, metal shows its endless well of creativity through fierce musicianship and ambitious outlook, highlighted through these 20 exquisite records.
Minneapolis noise rock band, Buildings return with a new album and a new cut that speaks to the frustrations we face every day. Buildings make boredom sound (almost) fun on "Sit With It".
The companion piece to Sunn O)))'s masterful Life Metal completes the most organic and minimal chapter in the drone masters' journey.
Boston's Wilderun construct an epic combination of folk, classical, metal, and progressive rock on their third LP, Veil of Imagination. Hear it in full before it's release tomorrow.
Everything that fans could want—and everything that makes blackgaze stand out—is contained within Alcest's Spiritual Instinct.
October is dominated by heavyweight returns from noise rock pioneers Swans and Lightning Bolt, while also filled with the black metal bleakness of Blut Aus Nord and the Great Old Ones, while Vastum continue 20 Buck Spin's death metal master class streak.
The world's greatest metal band, Metallica unite with their hometown symphony for a concert of symphonic metal magic to ring in opening night at San Francisco's new arena.
Italian gothic metal outfit, Lacuna Coil return with their ninth and heaviest album to date. Co-lead vocalist Cristina Scabbia reflects on the album's inspirations: "This record is basically us saying that it is OK not to be OK."
Twenty years into their career, instrumentally-driven trio Dysrhythmia still find new ways to surprise and astound listeners. Virtuosity isn't the only thing that matters here but it sure gives us a lot of marvel at on Terminal Threshold.
September is filled with exciting heavy releases, most notably the return of post-metal icons Cult of Luna, the sophomore record of post-black metal mavericks White Ward, and the resurrection of experimental proto-black metallers Mortem.
Neurosis and Jarboe collaborated on a stunning album of heavy metal experimentation back in 2003. Now the album has been remastered and it's time for a fresh appraisal.
Tool's Fear Inoculum meets nearly every expectation admirers could have and ranks as a worthwhile extension of the band's legacy.
For what is generally considered to be quiet month, the unearthly forces of the underground have produced a surprising amount of excellent works, with death metal and its black/death extension taking the lion's share.
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard go full metal to craft a brutal warning against ecological destruction on their 15th studio album, Infest the Rats' Nest.
Lingua Ignota's second full-length CALIGULA continues her blend of opera, neoclassical darkwave, and death industrial. She transforms shattering lamentations into empowered declarations against misogyny, while also complicating the dominant narratives of women's trauma.
Sweden post-rockers Oh Hiroshima return with their first album in four years. Though some of the sounds are familiar, the band escape cliches and emerge with a deeply satisfying LP. Hear it in full ahead of tomorrow's release.
Ecstatic Vision's "Shut Up and Drive" challenges notions of heavy rock as it adds acoustic guitar and synthesizers to the spectrum.
Unconventional rock albums, from poppy sludge outfit Torche, noise rock masters Uzeda and post-hardcore outcasts Cherubs, along with the black metal fury of Falls of Rauros, False, Arkhaik, Celestial Grave and Sanguine Eagle and uncategorized extremists Immortal Bird are among this month's extreme output.
On Nighttime Stories, instrumental quartet Pelican make the most out of working without a singer, proving that some narratives are best built without words.
Admission isn't an enormous change in the sound of Torche, but rather an affirmation that this band insists on forging new paths and confounding expectations.
Slough Feg carry on their heavy metal journey while Darkthrone keep digging towards their proto-punk/heavy metal core. Baroness return with their most ambitious work to date, while Pinkish Black continue to explore the endless possibilities of synth driven extreme music.
The Spanish outpost of the legendary hard rock UK festival is back to confirm its place on the European hard rock map.
Just about every listener—no matter their history or prior opinions—will deem Gold & Grey Baroness' masterpiece.
© 1999-2020 PopMatters.com. All rights reserved.
PopMatters is wholly independent, women-owned and operated.
