Well, August proved to be one of the quietest release months of the year so far, with the big-name releases seemingly few and far between. But, that certainly doesn’t mean the quality music was lacking. In fact, it meant that there were more underground gems just waiting to be discovered, and discovered they were. This month proved that there is always quality music waiting to be found in the heavy underground. Here are the very best heavy metal albums of August 2022!
Be sure to check out July’s best albums also!
Autonoesis – Moon of Foul Magics
Genre: Black / Thrash / Death Metal | Country: Canada | Label: Independent | FFO: Skeletonwitch, Darkthrone, Mayhem
Every now and again, a release drops that is so unexpected that it catches you completely off guard. Moon of Foul Magics is one of those albums. I’d never heard of Autonoesis and their latest release wasn’t on my radar at all. Even after it had dropped and I saw the grainy, lo-fi cover on Bandcamp, I wasn’t expecting much. But, on a whim, I gave it a shot and boy am I glad I did. Moon of Foul Magics is an impeccable amalgamation of old-school death, thrash and black metal, all devilishly intertwined into one ferocious assault on the senses. The riffs are incredible and dangerously infectious, reminiscent of the old-school classics and are interspersed perfectly into every arrangement. The vocals are bleak and harsh, like the nineties Norwegian black metal scene but they aren’t misanthropic. Instead, they blend perfectly into each track, creating an infernal energy that feeds off of the ferocious riffing. There are wicked guitar solos, chugging leads that devolve into breakdowns of sorts, tempo changes that invoke awe and intrigue and an awesome atmosphere that feels fresh yet warmly nostalgic. Moon of Foul Magics is a seminal amalgamation of death, thrash and black metal’s best features, expertly bridging the gap between old school worship and new school innovation. It’s a compelling affair that promises to pique the interests of any heavy music fan. Autonoesis have emerged from the darkest depths of obscurity to drop one of the year’s best albums. Remember their name, do not sleep on this.
Blackbraid – Blackbraid I
Genre: Black Metal | Country: USA | Label: Independent | FFO: Pan-Amerikan Native Front, Vital Spirit, Hulder
Over the last few years, a new sect of black metal has begun to blossom in North America. Bands such as Pan-Amerikan Native Front and Vital Spirit have begun fusing the storied cultures, histories and hardships of the local indigenous populations into the ferocious atmospheres of black metal. Blackbraid is the latest addition to this growing scene, a solo project led by Sgah’gahsowáh from the depths of the Adirondack wilderness. His debut endeavour, Blackbraid I, is a journey into the mountains and culture from which he resides. This is atmospheric black metal done to the highest order, with every piece of the puzzle fitting seamlessly together, creating an impressive piece of art. The riffing is top notch with tremolos bringing the fury but with a warm guitar tone that embraces rather than freezes. Drums keep the tempo in a dynamic way, not merely just bludgeoning out blast beats but adding intricate fills and enthralling time signatures that accommodate the captivating riffing, creating a thoroughly satisfying allure. Sgah’gahsowáh’s vocal performance is stellar, with piercing shrieks cutting through the instruments like a knife. The two instrumental tracks piece the longer arrangements together perfectly. Nuanced acoustic guitar work creates a vibrant and embracing ambience that invokes the naturalistic semblance of the Adirondack wilderness. It’s the closing track though that really exemplifies this album. Elements of death and doom are introduced with guttural vocals and a slowed tempo, creating a monolithic atmosphere. The transition into the tempo change is the prime example of Sgah’gahsowáh’s songwriting capabilities, with an invigorating sense of energy being injected into the mix. The song continues building impeccable energy, closing the album out in an epic crescendo. For a debut album, Blackbraid I is incredibly well-written, with a myriad of engaging elements, smooth tempo changes and crushing heaviness. Indigenous black metal is now in full swing, with Blackbraid now leading the charge.
Doldrey – Celestial Deconstruction
Genre: Crust Punk / Death Metal | Country: Singapore | Label: Pulverised Records | FFO: Discharge, Slayer, Darkthrone
You’d be forgiven for not being able to name a single band from Singapore, aside from Wormrot of course. The tiny city-state nation is hardly known for its heavy exports, but Doldrey aims to change that, bringing the heat with their fiery debut endeavour, Celestial Deconstruction. One look at the cover and you can tell you’re in for a ride. This is the kind of music that bellows through the lair as you brave the darkness and battle hydras, wielding nothing but a battleaxe. Punky, HM-2 laden death metal goodness with a penchant for ferocity, groove and razor-sharp riffs, ready to slice and dice any potential foe that lurks in the darkness. There’s d-beat galore, enough to make Discharge smile, providing a fun, in-your-face attitude that accompanies the riotous riffing superbly. The vocals are just as aggressive, snarled out with a reverb effect that only intensifies the dungeon-esque atmosphere. Each track is discharged at a phenomenal pace, with that crusty punk-metal passion that is stupidly infectious. The title track acts as a rest stop of sorts, a moment to slow down and regain some vital health points and restock on supplies, but it’s not long before ‘Age of Extinction’ kicks in and the battle picks back up. There might not be much in the way of variation aside from this track, but there doesn’t need to be. Doldrey have mustered up a sound that is overtly exciting and invigorating. Equip your best battleaxe and enter the lair, the Celestial Deconstruction quest awaits.
Ósserp – Els nous cants de la Sibil·la
Genre: Deathgrind | Country: Spain | Label: Independent | FFO: Nails, Napalm Death, Wormrot
From one look at the album artwork, you can tell this is going to be a big album. A goddess in a chariot, lead by a seven-headed snake-cross-beast abomination in the heavens above whilst the planets look on. Is that a volcano too? It’s a wild scene with a lot going on that beckons for attention. That’s exactly the kind of music you will find nestled within this world. Ósserp play a riveting blend of deathgrind, with a multitude of elements and inspirations embed throughout. Els nous cants de la Sibil·la is one of the most varied albums of the genre you will hear this year. There’s a vicious intensity held within the fast songs that takes the deathgrind aesthetic and pushes it to the max, infusing groovy hardcore energy deep into the essence of each track. It’s a vivacious blend that expels chaos and yearns for movement. The slower songs build a world of their own, with grandiose atmospheres that slowly rise, creating unfathomable energy that is soon unleashed in a blackened death metal frenzy. Perhaps most impressive though, are the transitions and pieces in-between that stitch everything together. Atmospheric black metal riffing seamlessly gels into punishing death, while the bludgeoning grind and chaos seeps into grubby sludge. Ósserp have created a monolithic album that perfectly blends atmosphere and chaos, melody and unsettling grimness. Embrace the dread, clutch the devastation, Els nous cants de la Sibil·la has it all.
Psycroptic – Divine Council
Genre: Technical Death Metal | Country: Australia | Label: EVP Recordings | FFO: Decapitated, Necrophagist
Hailing from the lands of Tasmania, the southern island of Australia, the now four-piece have become tech death mainstays over their enduring two-decade tenure. Divine Council, their eighth full-length release might just be their best work yet. This is an album of absolutely ripping guitar work and intricate songwriting that is as devastating as it is engaging. A myriad of utterly infectious grooves engross each track, the type that seed deep within your cranial goop, sprouting and flowering and ceasing to exit for days at a time. These are seriously some of the best tech death riffs you will hear all year. Clean, polished and catchy; they’re clearly intricate and technical but don’t create a riff salad that just ends up sounding virtuosic. Psycroptic have laid down a masterclass in songwriting here, with each song being not only heavy as hell and technical but also thoroughly engaging. The transitions between passages are slick and seamless, while the guitar solos are perfectly placed and wail out with pinpoint precision. There’s also the subtle use of synths to create a broader atmosphere, one that elevates the album to a higher level and provides an intriguing sense of grandeur and scale. Pyscroptic have once again proved why they are one of the genre’s elite, dropping an album that oozes with technicality and explodes with heaviness. After 20 years, they’re still at the top of their game.
Raat – Celestial Woods
Genre: Blackgaze | Country: India | Label: Independent | FFO: Alcest, Deafheaven
Raat is the one-man black metal band, spearheaded by S.R. out of New Delhi, India. Following in the footsteps of blackgaze trailblazers Alcest and Deafheaven, Raat merges the ethereal worlds of shoegaze and vicious black metal. Yet, unlike the aforementioned trailblazers, Raat seemingly goes without the recognition that the project rightfully deserves. Since starting out in 2018, S.R. has put out an impressive and consistent amount of material, creating an immense back-catalogue of atmospheric and gazey black metal. His latest release, Celestial Woods, is just another prime example of his penchant for atmosphere that deserves to be spoken in the same breath as Alcest and peers. Ethereal guitar tones and spirited keys create melodies that dance with vicious screams that sit just enough distance away that they blend and assimilate into the soundscape, creating a wall-of-sound that is more serene than severe. Delicate interludes are interspersed throughout, offering soothing moments of reprieve before subtly delving back into the blackened intensity. It’s these combinations of sounds and moods that transport you to the tranquil woods depicted on the cover. A place of serenity and peace, but with perhaps just a hint of uneasiness brought upon by the remoteness and an unsettling feeling of loneliness. In the case of closing track ‘Nail and Wound’ though, it turns into full-blown fear and dread with an intense, sinister atmosphere taking over. Celestial Woods is another notch in Raat’s ever-expanding belt that shows his broad spectrum of talents in invoking moods and feelings. This is definitely an album not to be missed by any fan of atmospheric black metal and beyond.
Revered and Reviled Above All Others – Swinevoid
Genre: Powerviolence / Doom Metal | Country: USA | Label: Independent | FFO: Primitive Man, Nails, Body Void
Upon first glance at their Bandcamp page, seeing the tracklist and the grimy black and white album cover, you’d be forgiven for thinking this was another noisy powerviolence/grindcore outing. Perhaps don’t be so quick to judge an album by it’s cover though as you’d be sorely mistaken in this case. Although it has the characteristics of high speed, powerviolence furore, Revered and Reviled Above All Others play their own personal brand of violence, dubbed doomviolence. Taking the noisy aesthetics and short track times of powerviolence, RRAOO ambitiously blends these with the low and slow sounds of doom metal. It’s a strange crossover that sounds bizarre on paper, but it works phenomenally. Here we have twenty short yet slow fragments of relentlessly chaotic and unsettling trepidation. There’s no time for build-ups, each track enters and hits like a truck, bulldozing everything and everyone in its path before moving to the next one. Bone sawing guitar tones lead crushing drums and a violent, gangrenous vocal delivery that spews forth anti-police rhetoric. There’s a particular, lo-fi aesthetic that emanates from the record also, just enough murkiness and grit to fully encapsulate the noisy leanings without detracting from the overall sound. It creates a deeper, more cavernous vibe that accommodates the doom leanings perfectly, creating an utterly suffocating and obnoxiously heavy affair. RRAAO have boldly blended two seemingly polar opposite genre’s into a perfect amalgamation of heavy dread and precision-driven chaos. Swinevoid is a gruesome effort, one that should be revered, not reviled, above all others.
Honourable Mentions
Abaddon Incarnate – The Wretched Sermon
Aronious – Irkalla
Pilori – Quand bien même l’enfer et le déluge s’abattraient sur nous
Rotten Soil – From Beyond The Grave
Thanatophobia – Rebirth Through Destruction
To Obey A Tyrant – Omnimalevolent
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