FAITHXTRACTOR : "Loathing & the Noose"

This duo out of Ohio is back with their 5th album that finds the onslaught dialed into a well-shaded blend of aggression. It throbs with enough darkness for the atmosphere to provide dynamics to the double bass and gnashing of teeth. The riffs follow an angular slither that carries an almost blackened menace to it. "the Loathing' has more chaos, and packs a juggernaut of a punch that leans more toward the hyper-aggressive Deicide side of death metal. This means the brutality has been refined into a jagged machine of interlocking riffs rather than the more brutal Cannibal Corpse side of the genre that is more blunt force trauma to the ears. 

"Fever Dream Litanies" blasts by in a blurry frenzy as they give things over to speed. The result is more pummelling. The relent on the tempos midway into "Flooded Tombs" creates a more dynamic range and sets the stage for the chaotic bursts of solos to make sense rather than sound like rushed cacophony. There is a more commanding riff leading into "Ethos Moribund", the blinding fast guitar sections keep the intensity up, as the drumming allows for tension in the build-up before they open the floodgates and just pour on the speed. There are a few cool riffs, but the rule here is 'cool riffs alone does not a good song make". The vocals stuff at the kind of gruff growl you expect from death metal. 

The breather leading into "Caveats" is needed, an this atmosphere helps create a dynamic space keeping everything from just pounding into your ears again. They carry this further into the song so it simmers in darkness and becomes the album's best song. They lay on the speed for about thirty seconds at the end of the song and it works as it's not just a relentless hammering. On 'Beholden Nightmare" the lay more of the speed, with guitar solos racing out from every corner.  This results in the song just blasting by with a uniform aggression flowing through it. "Cerecloth Vision Veil" opens with a more morose mood lingering over it. This allows the guitars to create melodies over it. The double bass bubbles in a more deliberate patter. The riffs shift fludilt, but nothing really commands you with its hook. I will give this album an 8. It works for what they are doing but sometimes gets overtaken by the aggression that comes with the territory in this genre. The is dropping on Redefining Darkness.  

7

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Sarcator : "Swarming Angels & Flies"

 This album starts off as pretty straightforward thrashing black metal. Coming from Sweden this is not surprising, as it's not unlike Watain's rawer more feral moments. The first two songs find the vocals carrying a similar snarl. Energetically they are also very similar in their urgent attack, though the guitar playing begins to get a little more melodic as the second song progresses. The buzzing guitar driving the title track gives way to the unrelenting almost punk drumming that collides with it. To their credit at least it is not just droning blast beats and is something more riff-oriented., The emphasis however is placed more upon being in your face than offering a wider range of dynamics. This lack of atmosphere also causes it to not be as dark as what I normally want from black metal. Watain who does similar opens the door for a more ritualistic throb that is missing here.

"The Deep Ends" has the hookiest riff so far. While it still gallops into bad with a similar snarl coming from the vocals, there is more of a traditional metal influence simmering under the razor-sharp jab of the guitars. You can hear the growl of the bass cutting through the guitar on this one which gives it more punch. Things do not begin to switch up sonically until they open "Where the Void Begins" with a clean guitar intro. The verse is allowed to groove more. Stormclouds roll in from the chords to darker the song, "The Undercurrent" reverts back to the rabid thrashing that album opened up with, but things get more interesting on "Closure" which has more of a gloomy swagger mixing the wild west with post-punk tension. It's the first totally original moment the band has allowed themselves to create. They do build it up into more of the stomping thrash that has been their signature. It is an instrumental, as their vocalist does not attempt to sing over it, and his scowling narrative would be too heavy-handed for it. 

There is a marginally darker feel to "Unto Sepulchres" which is the last song before they include three covers. So this last original finds them in a taunt uptempo thrash riffing. It reminds me a little of Kreator. The three covers they pick are very telling in regards to what this band is about as they are thrash, punk, and death metal. Anti-cimex's "Dogfight" is the first up and it sounds very Watain if we are talking about when they are in their rawer punk mode. It's always been funny to me that Brazil's Sarcofago has left such a big impression on so many Swedish bands, but their influence is undeniable on black metal. Sadus' "Torture" is perhaps even more obscure than the previous song. They keep a raw tone that does it justice. I'll give this album an 8.5, it's well done, when I am in the mood for this style of black metal I am personally more prone to listen to Watain as they have a wider dynamic range, but if you want something punkier and thrashy this album is worth checking out. This is dropping on Century Media. 

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Soft Vein : "Through Blinds"

 

The first entry in the goth revival for the year comes from this synth-heavy project that grooves out with some atmospheric cold wave. It respects the 80s while falling somewhere in the Sonic zip code between TR/ST and Boy Harsher. The vocals are slightly more refined than those acts, with a smoother croon sliding out from a murky mix as if the vocals are being uttered from the depths of the smoke machine. It's hooky and melodic, pointing to the fact that Justin Chamberlin cares about writing songs and not just making sounds hungry for nostalgia. 

Sometimes the vocals are more of a texture. This leads to a song like "God Whispers" being more of a synth wave backdrop to a cinematic pulse invoking sci-fi soundtracks from the 80s. The drum machines used on this album lend more weight to this. You can hear something like this moving the dance floors late in the evening at your local goth night. "Gray Space" is not as dark, but finds the groove gaining more momentum. The vocals are a more detached narrative and just ride the beat. This is far from the most original take on the genre but works well for what he is doing. 

"Soft Devotion" is more of a ballad though coming from a Clan of Xymox place, than a Depeche Mode-like yearning you might expect.  "Falling" is a little darker, but works of a similar 80's 80-minded groove as what we heard on the first few songs. The vocals are breathed through the murky filter of effects to give them more brooding. This dials back their melodic emphasis. "Oblivion" finds the mix more opaque, to create a stylistic haze over the song. If the vocals provided more melody to latch onto her it might work better. "Black Bag" has more of a synth wave throb, and the vocals are a steamy mutter from the shadows. The way the vocals are used as a texture is more effective on "Wasting Days", though the arrangement of the song works on a vague neon drone. Dynamically it's one-dimensional, but the sound vs song formula plays in their favor here,. 

"Dreaming" closes the album in a similar manner of atmosphere that they first introduced with "Soft Devotion" It's close to being a ballad, but surreal instead of poppy. I'll give this album an 8.5, putting it ahead of your average dark wave band, though it would be more accurate to call them a dark synth-wave project. If you like synth wave but are trying to get into goth this serves as a decent entry point before moving onto Depeche Mode and Clan of Xymox. 

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TAYNE : "Love"

 

This British band takes notes from HEALTH when the album gets in its groove with lighter androgynous vocals, giving melodic chant that is not unlike the delivery of their California-based predecessors. It sounds good but too familiar. HEALTH is one of my favorite new bands, so I like the sonic texture of this sound. Still, I do not need a HEALTH tribute band in my rotation as I can just listen to the genuine article, so the goal of this review is to listen for who is band is, and seek out answers to who they are as artists. Rachel from Cage Fight lends her scream to "Coherent". The vocals deviate from the HEALTHy vocal phrasing, which helps solidify their identity. 

"Scars" finds them reaching a middle ground of leaning on their influences but spreading the sonic wings a little more to step out from that shadow. The guitars commonly do not occupy the forefront of the mix, which would give things a heavier crunch if they were, though the other side of this argument is it does create a more unique sonic space, rather than these guys being a metal band who dabbles in industrial. Still, they self-identify as an industrial noise-pop band, which is a fair enough explanation given the fact that industrial beats are the primary percussive drive. "Cause// Worthless" has a robotic march that is tempered by an ethereal ambiance. 

"Fear" steps into more of a middle ground by taking on most of the sonic colors they have already used and not committing to push them too strongly in either direction. In doing so this provides a pretty accurate version of who they are, if someone asked to hear this band I think it would be the most honest snapshot of who they are. "We' has more of an industrial groove to it, that coasts along the lines of what synth-driven cyberpunk sounds like in 2025. More atmosphere and experience than the previous songs. The vocals are just a haunting texture. "Wasted" has more punch and hook to it. The guitars play a larger role. 

"In This Trend" has more movement, bringing some sound from the late 80s into their pretty hate machine of sound,. It works for what this is. While the dynamics shifts on this album follow a pretty solid formula, their overall sound is cool, despite not being the most original,  I'll give this a 9, though not sure how much rotation it will get since I am more likely just going to listen to HEALTH when I am in the mood for this, but you might just want industrial noise pop and ask less questions regarding its origins. 

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The Metal State of the Union 2024

The State of the Union is where I take a look at where metal came from this year, and what genres are getting the biggest push as that paints a bigger picture of what metal looks like. It is taking a more prominent place on festival stages. Granted this comes from a filter of albums that I actually reviewed. Still, when it comes to bands getting a buzz, I will be inclined to review them even if it's not something I would normally listen to, because let's be real those bands will draw new readers, and I am not just talking into a void here. I got 523,000 new readers this year. I appreciate every one of you, old and new. Thank you for every minute of your life you have given my words, I hope I've offered you perspectives that do not just toe the line of the media's current narrative. Thank you once again for spending time with me here to analyze these stats and perhaps give you a glance at Metal's state this year which might give a glimpse into its future.

I'm breaking things down by each genre, looking at the total albums of each genre I reviewed and the countries those bands were from. Then for American bands, I will break it down into a glance at the states churning out the most metal as a whole, though I am not breaking it down by genre when I get to the states.

Black Metal 

63 albums 

1- Norway- 11

2-USA-10

3-Finland- 7

4-Germany-6 

5-France-5

6-Sweden-4

7-England-3

8-Greece-3

9-Canada -2

10-Russia-2

Additional albums from Bulgaria, Switzerland, Austria, Portugal, Hungary, Chile, Brazil, Columbia, Italy, Czech Republic

 

America is right behind Norway as the top exporter of black metal with three other Scandinavian countries in the top 5 which is no surprise. In terms of quality, Norway won, as 3 of the top 10 black metal albums of the year were Norweigan, with Finland, America, Columbia, Canada, France, Hungary, and  Austria. all being represented. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/12/the-top-10-black-metal-albums-of-2024.html

 Death Metal 

67 Albums 

1-USA- 38

2-Sweden- 5 

3-Italy- 4 

4-Germany - 3

5-United Kingdom- 2

6-Japan-2

7-Spain- 2 

8-Belgium- 2

No other country is coming close when it comes to the amount of death metal being pumped out and a great deal of it is coming from the West Coast. It is not a surprise Sweden is in a distant second place. 

1 album from Portugal, Netherlands, Denmark, Ireland, Canada, Norway, Poland, New Zealand, Czech Republic, and America dominated the top 10 death metal albums of the year with 8 albums, and the other two came from Northern Europe. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/12/the-top-10-death-metal-albums-of-2024.html

  Thrash

15 Albums 

USA  13 albums - albums from Germany and Canada

  This Genre does stick to it's Bay area roots, with some interest bubbling up from Texas. 

Metal Core

13 Albums  

1-USA -7 

2- Australia-3,

3-Germany-2 

4- Canada 

Despite not covering a ton of bands that fall into this sub-genre as they all tend to sound the same this is enough data to provide what feels to be an accurate assessment of the global breakdown as it's more of a Tik Tok marketed genre. 

Prog Metal

9 Albums 

1- Sweden- 2 

2-USA-2 

Additional albums from, Hungary, England, Canada, Scottland, and Germany 

Another genre where not have a ton of coverage, but Anglo-leaning demographics for this type of nerdy metal seem obvious. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/12/the-top-10-progressive-albums-of-2024.html

Hardcore

29 Albums 

1-USA -19

2-Denmark -3 

3-Finland- 2

Additional albums from Greece,  Sweden, Australia  Norway, and England

Eight of the top 10 hardcore albums came from America, the other two being Australia and Denmark. There has been a rising tide for European hard core so listening for more of that in the year to come. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/11/the-top-10-hard-core-albums-of-2024.html

 

SLUDGE

28 Albums 

1-USA-14

2-England-3

3-Denmark-2

4-Canada-2

Additional albums from France, Sweden, New Zealand, Poland, Italy, Scottland and Spain

Seven of the top ten sludge bands this year are from America, with Itlay, England and Spain being numbered alongside them. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/11/top-10-sludge-albums-of-2024.html

Grindcore

12 Albums 

USA-7 

Additional albums from Norway, Iceland, Canada, Sweden and France

This is another sub-genre that I have warmed up to more, but still has not gotten as much coverage as other genres, and I tend to only like bands who take this and temper it with darker more atmospheric elements. Three of the top 10 extreme metal bands were grind-core, so that is a step in the right direction. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/12/the-top-10-extreme-metal-albums-of-2024.html

Doom

35 Albums 

1-USA - 17

2-England - 4 

3-Finland- 3

4-Denmark-2

5-Germany-2

6- Italy 2 

Additional albums from Portugal, Norway,  New Zealand,  Greece and  France 

This genre is all over the place in terms of where it's coming from. Hoping to find more great doom albums in 2025, than I did in 2024, it seems digger deeper into the European underground this year I might find them. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/11/the-top-10-doom-albums-of-2024-6.html

Nu-Metal 

15 Albums 

l-USA - 7

2-Germany- 3

3-England-3  

Additional albums from Canada and Italy 

This genre is more of a nostalgia thing for younger Americans who missed out on it the first time, which is why System of a Down is now playing stadiums. 

Industrial

13 Albums 

1-USA -5 

2-Finland - 2 

2-Germany- 2

Additional albums from Italy, France, Norway and Portugal 

 New industrial bands are exciting to me, hoping to hear this grow. 

Crust 

Sweden - 2 

Additional albums from England, USA, Spain, and Germany 

Another sub-genre gaining more ground with me , it seems to be gaining traction in the world as well. 

Power-Metal

10 Albums 

USA - 5

Norway - 2 

Additional albums from Canada, Sweden, and Finland

It's not a growing genre, nor one that I cover a great deal as it is too happy for me. 

Hair Metal is gaining ground in Germany both of the albums I checked out were German. Traditional Metal, , tends to fall under power metal but the albums that took a heavier more leather-clad approach of the four albums I heard two were from England the others from Germany and America. 

How it breaks down in America By State, 

The top 10 States with the most metal bands pumping out albums 

1-California - 28

2- New York- 9 

3- Florida - 8

4-Illinois - 8

5-Arizona -8

6- New Jersey- 6

7-Pennsylvania - 6

8-Ohio- 6 

9-Texas- 5 

10- Virginia -5

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This Gift is a Curse : "Heir"

 

This Swedish band plays a confrontational style of black metal that carries hard-core roots in its aggression. The first track does not just blast at you but brings various influences. I like how they are layered with the spoken female vocals when things break down by the end of the song. "No Sun, Nor Moon" finds the more hard-core side of the band surfacing on the chorus, though it blasts along in the vein of most black metal bands these days. I like the darker creep to "Void Bringer" though the vocals are more chaotic and work less with what is going on. 

"Death Maker" is the typical blasting you expect from black metal though a tad more feral in its frenzied snarl. "Seers of No Light" also falls along the more wrathful slant of black metal, and is not as sonically interesting as the more experimental and ambient take they embark on with "Cosmic Voice" even though it does work off more of a drone, and might not fall into the hooky bounds of songwriting, it shows there is a time and place for everything, and this type of willingness to play with the formula and think out of the box is something many of the other songs could benefit from as well. Fans of just black metal might find this to be their least favorite track if they only listen to black metal for their brains to become battered by blast beats. 

"Vow Sayer" falls closer to the expected bound of black metal, with some eerie melodies that create ambiance behind the more in-your-face onslaught in the front of the mix. In some ways, it's closer to the chaos of a band like Deathspell Omega. There is a darker atmosphere to the song "Old Space" that throbs with a darkness that I find more pleasing, along with a whispered vocal that is more brooding. All of these things are more pleasing. This swells into a more sludge-like mood, but is the first moment in this album that feels like this. The last song finds the vocal back in a crazed snarl that stirs things into a more chaotic vision of black metal. I'll give this album a 9, it's dark enough black metal that it works for me, though due to the unhinged vocal approach which is not as purposeful as what I normally look for I'm not sure how much I will actually listen to it, but there is no denying the success of what they created here.Out March 7th on Season of Mist.  

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Mutagenic Host : "the Diseased Machine'

The hardcore kids in England joined either Death Metal or Sludge bands. This trend is carrying over into 2025 with this band, which has some punchy slappers and is setting the bar for death metal bands in the coming year.  The opening track is impressive as it has angular moments, while still paying homage to the classic death metal sound that is infused with the street-wise aggression of what sounds to be their hard-core roots. This is my second listen to the album, this time I put headphones in and it brings out the guitar tones in the mix. "Genestealer" is powered by a convincing chug. The vocals are articulated rather than just being a gurgle, so the lyrics punch out at you. They lay on the double bass when the pace picks up but do not just rely on speed. There are grooves and hooky accents to their songwriting. 

"The Twisted Helix" has a slower crunch before, they go into an attack with a more tangible punk undercurrent. It returns to the sweet meaty riff and gives you something to headbang to. This is where I begin to think they do care about songwriting. Not that this was not heard in the first two songs, but most bands can at least get a couple right, the great ones get all of them right. They bust into a riff that reminds me a little of Sepultura. This is aided by the bombastic drumming. Granted to play death metal a great drummer is a requirement, more than any other metal genre. Case in point when it comes to consistency"Artificial Harvest of the Obscene' finds them beginning to sound like every other death metal band. To their credit, they are sticking to lyrical themes, this is a concept album of sorts bringing to life twisted science fiction. 

"Organometallic Assimilation" stomps with greater purpose thanks to the vocals playing a larger role in the song.. "Incomprehensible Methods of Slaughter" finds a few more vocal colors introduced, it is another song that makes the most of its hooky chug to trample you with a wall of guitars.  Lyrically it's more of a grocery list of gote, but it could play into the album's overarching narrative.  "S.W.A.R.M" hits you with an onslaught of steady double bass, while it is very heavy it feels like it occupies the middle of the death metal road. The chorus finds them back in a more hard-core mood. I feel pretty confident that their bass player is just a metalhead. 

"Promethean Dusk" works well enough and no doubt gets a pit churning, but it's not as catchy as some of the stronger songs on this album. Catchy is a quality that most death metal fans take for granted. But something has to hook you into a song and make you want to listen to it again. The last song I had to listen to a few times for it to sink in, there is a cool futuristic ambiance at the beginning, and when the metal kicks in it is slow and powerful, and oddly instrumental, that just builds on the one riff.  Strange as it is also one of the album's longest songs. I'll give this one a 9, as it's setting the bar for death metal to come. Coming out on Dry Cough Records. 

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