The 20 Best Metal Albums of 2019
For yet another year, metal shows its endless well of creativity through fierce musicianship and ambitious outlook, highlighted through these 20 exquisite records.
27 Nov 2019
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Opium Lord's 'Vore' Ends the Band's Time in the Wilderness
Opium Lord's Vore is a soul-blackened missive tailor-made to spark crowds as well as to reward contemplative listening.
04 Nov 2019
Alcest Deliver Exceptional Blackgaze Catharsis on 'Spiritual Instinct'
Everything that fans could want—and everything that makes blackgaze stand out—is contained within Alcest's Spiritual Instinct.
24 Oct 2019
MetalMatters: October 2019 - What's That Noise?
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.
22 Oct 2019
MetalMatters: September 2019 - Back to the Grind
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.
30 Sep 2019
Groupthink and Other Painful Reflections on ​Thee Temple ov Psychick Youth
TOPY and Genesis P-Orridge's knowing adoption of cult iconography and organizing principles quickly slid from satiric emulation to full embrace -- and we all went along with it.
27 Sep 2019
Ghosts of Glaciers Deliver a Powerful, Intelligent Instrumental with "Epigenesis" (premiere)
Colorado trio Ghosts of Glaciers combine the primitive pounding of thrash metal with the intellectual nuances of progressive rock on a new track, culled from the upcoming album, The Greatest Burden.
31 Jul 2019
MetalMatters: July 2019 - It's Never Too Hot for Dark, Heavy Music
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.
22 Jul 2019
Torche Continue to Mine a Complex Brand of Metal With the Mesmerizing 'Admission'
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.
11 Jul 2019
MetalMatters: June 2019 - A Month Full of Long-Awaited Returns
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.
25 Jun 2019
San Diego's Those Darn Gnomes Up the Weirdness Game With "Birds" (premiere)
Can slime mold be a muse? Can you cross more streams than this collective? All those answers and more are shrouded in mystery on new track from Those Darn Gnomes. Maximum weirdness.
04 Jun 2019
MetalMatters: May 2019 - Back to the Basics and Prepare for Takeoff
Masters of drone Earth return with their more minimal record to date, Full of Hell continue their rampage through power electronics and No Negative carry on bouncing around garage, punk and post-punk. Newer acts Vale, Suspiral, Onkos, and Verwoed take the next step and sound like veterans of the scene.
21 May 2019
MetalMatters: April 2019 - It Is April So "Why So Serious?"
Sunn O)) return with a magnificent beast, Vaura fully embrace their experimental new wave tendencies, and Dead to a Dying World solidify their position in the extreme metal pantheon, among more exciting new works. And a few announcements regarding the column.
19 Apr 2019
Inter Arma Have Created Another Stunning Collection with 'Sulphur English'
From Sulphur English's all-encompassing reverie to the LP's themes of the arcane, Inter Arma are most certainly in their wheelhouse, continuing to redefine what it means to be a modern-day metal band.
18 Apr 2019
Florida Metal Trio Thunderclap Makes Auspicious Debut With 'Inebriocean' (album stream) (premiere)
Have you lost control? Are you nearly drowning? Or are you able to survive? Thunderclap asks these questions and more with heavy hooks and DNA-altering riffs on their new album Inebriocean.
Jedd Beaudoin
Music
28 Mar 2019
MetalMatters: March 2019 – Beware the Ides of Metal
From Drastus' monumental second LP to Mystifier's righteous comeback, to Venom Prison's evolution towards death metal infamy, and enthralling debut full-lengths from Devil Master, VLTIMAS, Heaume Mortal, and more, March's MetalMatters highlights a bounty of subversive brilliance.
15 Mar 2019
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