Soulfly : "Chama"

 

Let's see if Max can bring it again. I really liked their last album, as it had an almost Slayer feel. The first track starts off with a darker apocalyptic drive, which I am also here for. This album carries a more industrial pound that is a mix of 'Roots' era Sepultura, though maybe less Korn in the grooves and more Code Orange. The first three songs are defiant in-your-face bangers, then on "No Pain = No Power," they blend a wider range of sound and include some melody and atmosphere that catches me by surprise. Some of these are thanks to Gabriel Franco from Unto Others who sings on it in places.,  This does not mean there were not some surprises on the first three songs as Todd Jones lends his voice to the track. 

I like how the vocals on this album are produced. Max's voice sounds strong. "Ghenna" gets the point home in under two minutes, but does not rush things like grindcore bands tend to."Black Hole Scum" has some interesting guitar sound layered and works well to continue the sonic mission statement of this album. There is almost more of a Ministry feel to the attack of "Dystopia". The Slayer influence rears back up when it finds its groove.  It also has plenty of space for the song to shift between crushing grooves. This occurs in other places in the album but feels more likea hardcore breakdown here.

Things get even more brooding with the lurking stomp to "Always Was, Always Will Be". This highlights what works so well for me with this album: it is darker than the previous one. The title track closes the album in a crushing manner that not only upholds this band's legacy but also upholds the Sepultura legacy. I will give this one a 10 as it delivers everythinig I want from this band in a darker, more 2025 way. 

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Sanguisugabogg : "Hideous Divntiy"

 This is an album I have been looking forward to, so expectations were high. Halfway into the first song, I can hear where the needed tweaks I wanted from these guys in terms of production have been made, and it is rocking fucking hard. There is more attention to detail in songwriting as riffs have purpose and are not just shifting into the next heaviest chug possible. Songwriting is storytelling,  and the message is coming through with a more mature and perfected vision. Devin still does what he does, though his phrasing is refined and more articulate without sacrificing brutality. 

On "Felony Abuse of a Corpse," they provide some unexpected grooves. The thing that is really winning me over so far is that it is not just crushingly heavy but a fun listen.  "The Ritual of Autophagia" is a little more straightforward, driven by impressive drumming and a steady chug that finds them the successors to Cannibal Corpse's throne. This song features a guest vocal by Todd Jones from Nails , who summons a higher snarl he has not used since "Abandon All Life": The title track alternates between dense grooves and blast beats, which come in spurts as Devin unleashes the more gore-grind-like gurgles and pig squeal that their fan base grew up on. You can debate if those labels still apply to the band, but it has always fallen under the death metal anyway. 

"Abhorrent Contraception" is the first single that came from this album, and it felt like they were taking things into a more classic death metal direction then. There are a few riffs that carry what might be described as having a breakdown feel. "Repulsive Demise' might be the album's most interesting moments as it works off a darker tension, rather than the kind of steamrolling riffs you associate with the genre. Despite its simplistic nature, the industrial drone it carries might be one of the most unique metal songs of the year. "Erotic Beheading" is a brutal blasting that looks back at where they came from and finds it tightened into where they are now. 

"Sanctified Defilement" was the first song I had to stop and listen to a few times beofe it clicked with me. Even though there is more blasting than what is offered on most songs, it is still balanced out with more deliberate riffage. 'Semi Automatic Facial Reconstruction" works off a syncopated dissonance that is different for them. Travis Ryan from Cattle Decapitation brings some higher-pitched screams to the occasion.  The almost eight-minute "Paid in Flesh' throbs with a tremendous groove, and finds Cody Davidson working overtime behind the kit. I normally do not give death metal drummers tons of praise, as it is in the job requirement that you have to be a monster to play death metal. Dylan Walker from Full of Hell lends his tormented anguish to the song. "To Build a Mountain" is more deliberate and sonically crushing. I will give this a 10; it exceeds expectations and shows they are one of the best new death metal bands worthy of carrying the genre forward. 

Thanks for reading, give a listen to the song below, and  please "like" and share on social media to give music a voice 

https://www.facebook.com/abysmalhymns

Check out our Podcast here ... https://www.youtube.com/@abysmalhymns666

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Blood Monolith : "The Calling of Fire"

Not unlike Nails, the band Shelby Lermo hails from this band plays a grinding style of death metal that is high on the intensity, though more guttural and blasting than the hardcore attack of Nails. This band also features members of Undeath and Genocidal Pact. At opening bands' most melodic moments, it carries a Slayer-like throb. "The Owl in Daylight" has a more thrashing groove that hooks you in before they go hurtling into a dizzying display of hyper-aggression. There is some thought put into the songwriting, though their intention is to steamroll you with the sheer weight of their sound that hits like a sonic predator. 

I can always appreciate a good Conan reference, so the title "Prayer to Crom" stands out, though it is largely just a blathering blast of dense riffs of the most brutal order. Midway into things slows to a more deliberate punch, but it does not really grab me. The occasional sample between songs provides a modest amount of atmosphere. The difference between what is being done here and what made the golden age of American death metal so endearing is that bands like Morbid Angel and Deicide had hooky songs. Even early Cannibal is not as brutal as it seems when compared to today's more grindcore flavor assaults on your ears. 

The battery this album descends into at best comes closer to when Deicide stormed your eardrums back in the 90s, though without any regard for anything but sheer speed and intensity, which shifts into more of a gallop in a few places for "Cleansing". At the beginning of "Slaughter Garden," it seems like there might be more hope for even a more nuanced death metal riff that holds some thrash in its veins, but alas, they give in to a storm of sound that overcomes them and the listener.  When there is a more deliberate touch toward the end of this song, it's too little, too late. There is a little Morbid Angel in the DNA of the last song as it finds more a mechanical grind. The vocal stay at the same low gurgled growl as they have for the entire album. I will give this one a 7, as they are heavy as hell, but not much in the wya of consistent songwriting.It drops May 16th on Profound Lore.  

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The Top 20 Albums of 2024 : 20 to 11

This year I have decided to expand what was once the Top 10 Albums of the Year to the Top 20. The Top 10  was a little limiting considering there are now 20 best-of-genre lists, so a Top 10 would leave off ten albums that captured the top spot for their respective genres.  In doing this it's expanded said list into two parts. This is the first part counting down from album 20 to 11.  These are the albums I listened to most. When you take into consideration the fact I listened to over 900 albums this year, it's impressive for these albums to have endured the influx of new music that hit My inbox every morning and made me want to hear them again and again. Yes, this is the culmination of all the other lists done up to this point for other blogs and was refined down to this master list of all genres.; So here ya go...

1-Iress -" Sleep Now, In Reverse" 

Taking the top spot is this beautiful wave of gloomy gazing from this  Los Angeles-based band.  It was a tough call between this album and Bleakheart, with the vocals of Michelle Malley being the tiebreaker as she delivers an emotionally stunning performance that creates a wonderful contrast to the storm clouds the band summons beneath her sublime melodies. The drumming gives this album a great deal of focused intention which in turn creates songwriting magic as they grow as songwriters. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/07/iress-sleep-now-in-reverse.html

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20-iRESS -

19-REZN - "Burden"

The new album from Chicago's Sonic Sorcerors found them expanding their minds and sound The dark groovin' drive that lurks as the heartbeat of this album, might not be metal, but it is aggressive enough to get the point across.  The plea of the vocals echoes out into the expansive place they have created here. It feels darker than the previous album, but darker in a more hazy moonlit manner. When it comes to making melancholy stoner rock that is heavy on the atmosphere this year these guys can not be beaten. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/05/rezn-burden.html

 

 18-Charli XCX -"BRAT" 

If you strip away the cultural marketing tactics that put her in the spotlight this year, she already has released an album of Strong Bangers, but she was not letting it just be a great album. It's the nature of the beast she is in the belly of, but that aside, these songs bump seriously, and I have been a fan of hers for some time now, so glad to see she is getting the recognition she deserves. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/06/charli-xcx-brat.html

17-Witnesses - "Joy" 

 Despite my preference for Kody Ternes as the vocalist, things changed, and  Bibby from Seventh Angel is handling the vocals this time around. He is more of a metal singer than Ternes, he does make melodic choices that think outside of the power metal box, some doom singers lean toward. His voice grew on me.  Not as dark as some of their previous work the album deals more with self -actualization. There is a highly emotive nature they invoke with the atmosphere. It is one of Greg Schwan's strengths as a songwriter. Things are very dynamic, with the vocals soaring above it all. They once again excelled, and if you are a doom fan who enjoys melody then this album is a must.  This band is onto something and it is one of the more original expressions of doom I have heard in a minute. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/11/november-is-doom-witnesses-joy.html

 

16-Crypt Sermon- "The Stygian Rose" 

Taking their  80s-flavored metal down its darker grittier path, not unlike Savatage or Metal Church, the songs benefit from more vocal colors going on this time around. The riffing carries more thrash, as they hit their stride as songwriters.  There are lots of tasteful guitar solos that relentlessly hit you with killer riffs. This album finds them coming into their own, and standing shoulder to shoulder with the albums these songs draw inspiration from.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/07/crypt-sermon-stygian-rose.html

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15-Planes Mistaken For Stars - "Do You Still Love Me ?" 

The late Gared O'Donnell recorded this album while undergoing Chemo, before succumbing to his chance at 44. They were always too gritty and real to break through to the mainstream. Their take on rock n roll still pounds the song into you. Unless you share in the inner darkness with which these songs were conceived you might not know what to make of the brooding. To my ears it's beautiful. Some brighter guitar tones on this album than in their previous work, it's clear he was ending things in a manner that still pushed their sound forward. Gared you are missed

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/11/planes-mistaken-for-stars-do-you-still.html

14-Chelsea Wolfe -"Unbound" 

 If She said the versions of these songs found on this EP were how they were originally written, before being re-mixed into what was presented on "She Reaches Out to, She Reaches Out to..." it would make perfect sense as this sounds more like who she is. This is emotionally powerful and feels like a true expression of who she is. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/10/chelsea-wolfe-unbound.html

 

13-Full of Hell-"Coagulated Bliss"

This album grew on me more than any other this year, partly due to catching these guys live where it all clicked. It's also a huge step of maturity in songwriting. From a production standpoint, it's more organic. They were not darker, but more punk than the sludge-tinged gnarliness that comprised their guitar tone on other albums. The guitarist claims that he learned how to serve the song during their sessions for the album with Nothing. Things here reflect that due to the fact it is angular and mathy, but not spastic. The vocals are more deliberate as well.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/04/full-of-hell-coagulated-bliss.html

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12-Death Killer -"Total Destruction of the Entire Universe" 

Here is the kind of industrial album I was waiting for. It is both pissed and heavy as hell with a fair dose of chaos in its veins. There is a great balance of instrumentation and programming/ electronic elements. It is not industrial music to dance to it is industrial music that is going to kick your face. Not unlike Ministry's "Filth Pig" album in that regard though this is heavier. It blasts at you like a jackhammer, as it sonically fucks your brains out right from the first song

 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/10/gothtober-death-killer.html

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11-Nails - "Every Bridge Burning" 

It's been 8 years since the last album from this California-based hard-core band. They are just as angry as they were on "You Will Never Be One of Us".  The grind-core influence on the band has them spitting out minute-and-a-half songs propelled by an unrelenting momentum. The faster moments that create a frenzied wall of sound are balanced out by the intentional songwriting masterstrokes delivered here, and find this album to be worth the wait and put the band on the top of the hard-core heap. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/09/nails-every-bridge-burning.html

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The Top 10 Metal Albums of 2024

As the world finds itself coming closer to critical mass, We need heavy music more than ever. This is the culmination of all the other metal lists. Yes, I have done other metal lists for other blogs, and I see them as being a refining process for when I make this list. The results might vary to at the end of the day I checked my Last FM to see what I actually listened to the most and here we are with these results. Truth be told this still included most of the number-one picks from the varied sub-genre lists, though other albums that ranked maybe two are three on their respective lists, also earned a place here, due to growing on me or replay value of their albums. While results may have varied, this is the final word. 

The very fact these bands made it to this list means they are cream of the crop so it's not a slight that the number 8 album is above the 9th album, there is something that just gives it an edge that makes me want to listen to it more. After all, we can try to look cool and pick the hippest bands for a list, but at the end of the day what makes an album the best is that it makes you want more, you look forward to listening to it again. You can bitch and complain about your favorite band not being on the list. However, I listen to over six hundred new albums this year, so chances are  I heard your favorite album and was not impressed.  I hope you can find your next favorite on this list and have included links to reviews of these albums if you want to check out audio on these guys. Anyway here are the top 10 Metal albums of 2024

10-Deadform - "Entrenched In Hell" 

This is the first full-length from this Oakland-based crust trio which features Dino Sommese from Dystopia on drums as well as sharing vocal duties with Brian Clouse from Stormcrow, who is also playing bass in this project. The furious sounds unleashed on this album highlight the things I love about the Crust genre. It's heavy, yet grooving in its pummeling. There is also a dark apocalyptic mood churning from the songs. The tones coming from their blown-out amps are burly enough to belong to a sludge band, but they are played with more of a punk attitude. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/09/deadform-entrenched-in-hell.html

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9-Maul- "In the Jaws of Bereavement" 

This album clicked for me right away as it packs a powerful punch, yet does not shy from guitar melodies to show they care about writing songs. North Dakota is not where I would expect this to come from but here we are. There is no shortage of head-banging grooves. This album makes a strong argument for having the bass prominent in the mix when it comes to death metal. There are some technical thrashing riffs, that are balanced out by locking into chugs to bring a more deliberate attack that plays to their strengths. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/09/maul-in-jaws-of-bereavement.html

8-Witnesses - "Joy" 

 Despite my preference for Kody Ternes as the vocalist, things changed, and  Bibby from Seventh Angel is handling the vocals this time around. He is more of a metal singer than Ternes, he does make melodic choices that think outside of the power metal box, some doom singers lean toward. His voice grew on me.  Not as dark as some of their previous work the album deals more with self -actualization. There is a highly emotive nature they invoke with the atmosphere. It is one of Greg Schwan's strengths as a songwriter. Things are very dynamic, with the vocals soaring above it all. They once again excelled, and if you are a doom fan who enjoys melody then this album is a must.  This band is onto something and it is one of the more original expressions of doom I have heard in a minute. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/11/november-is-doom-witnesses-joy.html

 

7-Crypt Sermon- "The Stygian Rose" 

Taking their  80s-flavored metal down its darker grittier path, not unlike Savatage or Metal Church, the songs benefit from more vocal colors going on this time around. The riffing carries more thrash, as they hit their stride as songwriters.  There are lots of tasteful guitar solos that relentlessly hit you with killer riffs. This album finds them coming into their own, and standing shoulder to shoulder with the albums these songs draw inspiration from.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/07/crypt-sermon-stygian-rose.html

6-Full of Hell-"Coagulated Bliss"

This album grew on me more than any other this year, partly due to catching these guys live where it all clicked. It's also a huge step of maturity in songwriting. From a production standpoint, it's more organic. They were not darker, but more punk than the sludge-tinged gnarliness that comprised their guitar tone on other albums. The guitarist claims that he learned how to serve the song during their sessions for the album with Nothing. Things here reflect that due to the fact it is angular and mathy, but not spastic. The vocals are more deliberate as well.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/04/full-of-hell-coagulated-bliss.html

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5-Death Killer -"Total Destruction of the Entire Universe" 

Here is the kind of industrial album I was waiting for. It is both pissed and heavy as hell with a fair dose of chaos in its veins. There is a great balance of instrumentation and programming/ electronic elements. It is not industrial music to dance to it is industrial music that is going to kick your face. Not unlike Ministry's "Filth Pig" album in that regard though this is heavier. It blasts at you like a jackhammer, as it sonically fucks your brains out right from the first song

 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/10/gothtober-death-killer.html

4-Nails - "Every Bridge Burning" 

It's been 8 years since the last album from this California-based hard-core band. They are just as angry as they were on "You Will Never Be One of Us".  The grind-core influence on the band has them spitting out minute-and-a-half songs that are propelled by an unrelenting momentum. The faster moments that create a frenzied wall of sound are balanced out by the intentional songwriting masterstrokes delivered here, and find this album to be worth the wait and put the band on the top of the heap. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/09/nails-every-bridge-burning.html

3- Weston Super Maim- "See You Tomorrow Baby"

This band is out to crush you with their industrial-strength metal, possessed by chaotic outbursts of jarring mathematics like a grind-core version of Meshuggah. This album proves you can go to the extremes of heaviness while still having a huge sound. At times electronic sounds enter the fray. Impressive guitar work does not hinder the sheer weight this album hits you with while writing memorable songs. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/08/weston-super-maim-see-you-tomorrow-baby.html

 

2-200 Stab Wounds - "Manual Manic Procedures" 

 Less than a year after the previous release, the guys have worked hard to perfect their craft, as this is more nuanced and dynamic songwriting. My only complaint about the first album was that it was so straightforward that there was little to separate it from veterans like Cannibal Corpses. Now they are really bringing it hard this time around. They give the oppressive pounding. Plenty of syncopated punches and little nuances make it clear that this operation is meticulous. Perfect blend of creepy melodic parts, and aggressive hooky riffs. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/06/death-is-june-200-stab-wounds-manual.html

1-Glassing-"From the Other Side of the Mirror" 

 This band has a history of ruling, and it's not stopping. This album was darker and more melodic, giving me more of what I wanted from them. At times, the screamed vocals offset what might otherwise be creepy bass-driven shoegaze. They get feral and deface your eardrums with their tangible sense of anguish. Though none of this is contrived or thought out from a marketing perspective by a record label this is just where they are, perhaps even angrier than the previous album though there is a wide range of emotional colors being used here making them the best metal album of the year with the inner apocalypse they project outwardly

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/04/glassing-from-other-side-of-mirror.html

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The Top 10 Hard-Core Albums of 2024

Much like punk, hard-core finds itself in an interesting place in this angry world,  There is no shortage of people claiming to play it, but to find real hard-core that is not afraid to point the finger at all sides while refusing to conform is a harder aspiration, given the masses' willingness to conform.   These albums captured the true spirit of hardcore by doing their own thing and bringing the anger.   After I sort through the top 10 albums of all the respective genres, I use those lists to compile the top 10 albums of the year. 2024. The very fact these bands made it on the list speaks to how great these albums are, so it's not a slight that the number 8 album is above the 9th album, there is something that just gives it an edge that makes me want to listen to it more. After all, we can try to look cool and pick the hippest bands for a list, but at the end of the day what makes an album the best is that it makes you want more, you look forward to listening to it again. Perhaps you can find your next favorite on this list; and have included links to reviews of these albums if you want to check out the audio on these guys. Anyway here are the top 10 Hardcore albums of 2024.

10--Rejoice-"All of Heaven's Luck"

 Rejoice is a band from Ohio who are kicking some venomous brand of metallic hardcore. Their singer's malicious snarl gives it a darker edge along with the Slayer vibes coming from their riffs. They are not afraid of guitar solos but do not overindulge in them. They mosh on the fine line between hard-core and metal. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/01/rejoice-all-of-heavens-luck.html

         

9-Lifesick - "Loved By None, Hated By All" 

This Danish hardcore band packs a punch that is more metallic than not. They take you back to the 90s when this style really began popping off. If you were a fan of Victory Records styled hardcore then these guys will appeal to you. If you just like in-your-face, hyper-aggressive metal you might also dig this. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/10/lifesick-loved-by-none-hated-by-all.html

8-New Skeletal Faces- "Until the Night" 

I was not expecting this to be a thrashing hard-core album. Sure some of the death rock guitars tones are in place, but the vocals are screaming at you with more aggression to rally the rest of the band to fall in line behind them. This has more in common with old AFI than it does Night Sins. It is more in-your-face and hard-core than I was expecting, but the songwriting works with the blend of sounds they fused in a more organic manner, that plays to the originality infused into these old sounds. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/11/new-skeletal-faces-until-night.html

7-Terminal Nation - "Echoes of the Devil's Den" 

This dark hard-core band opens up their new album with a bleak doomy sound of dystopia burning. The vocals snarl and bark with animalistic anger. When they gain momentum it's difficult to hear where the metal ends and the hard-core begins. The chug driving this album is powerful. One of the year's heaviest albums for sure. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/04/terminal-nation-echoes-of-devils-den.html

6-Knocked Loose -You Won't Go Before You Are Supposed To" 

This album's grooves grew on me.  It was heavier than expected.  It's hard-hitting without falling into too many of the metal tropes. This is the album, that is poised to break these guys big, yet they offer little compromise. The music press miscalculated when trying to hype these guys, as the poster children the next nu-metal revival. These guys declined the position and stuck to their hardcore roots 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/05/knocked-loose-you-wont-go-before-youre.html

5-SPEED- "Only One Mode" 

These guys have captured the feel of NYCHC pretty well. They pack the metallic punch of hard-core while staying true to the thrashing of the late 80s. The riffs and the overall sound left me pretty impressed by the end of the first song. they found a great balance of hooky metal riffs, breakdowns, and being true to old-school hard-core while trying new things in their homage to it. They took chances with this formula that paid off.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/08/speed-only-one-mode.html

4- Umbra Vitae - "Light of Death" 

 Despite being less of a love letter to the classic death metal these guys grew up on, the sophomore release from this supergroup is every bit as angry as their first album. Riffwise there are more hints of Jacob Bannon's main band Converge. His screams are less guttural than what we heard from him with "Shadow of Life".  The hard core intensity that commands the metallic attack is deadly serious, maker for a darker album. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/06/death-is-june-umbra-vitae-light-of-death.html

3-Take Offense- "T.O.tality" 

This band is kicking up 80s-era skate punk. This means "Join the Army " era Suicidal Tendencies. There are a few more foot-on-the-monitor guitar heroics, so other late 80s cross-over hardcore could be referenced. The most important thing is they are not just trying to dial in the sound, but they are focused on writing hooky songs, even if they took notes from their heroes on how to do so. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/05/take-offense-totality.html

2-Candy-"It's Inside You" 

This band's 2022 album "Heaven is Here"  took the number two spot on our Top 10 Extreme Metal Albums list of the year, and tenth on the best overall Metal list of the year.  The bar was high and they cleared it with ease, this album sits more firmly on the side of hard-core but finds them experimenting with industrial sounds on this album in bold new ways, making this one of the year's more interesting listens, even when the lay heavy on the Ministry influence. 

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/05/candy-its-inside-you.html

1-Nails - "Every Bridge Burning" 

t's been 8 years since the last album from this California-based hard-core band. They are just as angry as they were on "You Will Never Be One of Us".  The grind-core influence on the band has them spitting out minute-and-a-half songs that are propelled by an unrelenting momentum. The faster moments that create a frenzied wall of sound are balanced out by the intentional songwriting masterstrokes delivered here, and find this album as being worth the wait and puts the band on the top of the heap, this time it's the hardcore heap rather than the extreme metal one. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/09/nails-every-bridge-burning.html

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September's Top 10 Albums

It's time for September's top 10 albums. Staying abreast of the month's highlights might help casual readers see what they missed and check these artists out. I am not writing little blurbs on them and just linking the reviews. I am using this to organize my lists for the end of the year, by listing the genre of music the album falls under. Inclusion here does not mean that these albums have been released this month, but it is a list of new or upcoming albums I have enjoyed the most, I have albums in my in-box that are not coming out til  November so I am normally way ahead of the curve in this regard. They are ranked in order of what I have listened to the most. This month there is a wide variety from Pop to Black Metal so you may find your new favorite among them. Here are the Top 10 albums for  September of 2024.

10-Ellende - "Todbringerin" 

Black Metal 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/09/ellende-todbringerin.html

9-FANGE- "Perdition"

Industrial 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/09/fange-perdition.html

8-Mamaleek - "Vida Blue"

Prog- Fusion

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/09/mamaleek-vida-blue.html

7- Crippled Black Phoenix - " 'The Wolf Changes Its Fur But Not Its Nature"

Prog Rock 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/09/crippled-black-phoenix-wolf-changes-its.html

6-Brume - "Marten" 

Post Rock 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/09/brume-marten.html

5-trauma ray- "Chameleon" 

Shoe-gaze 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/09/trauma-ray-chameleon.html

4-Mothica- "Kissing Death"

Alt Pop

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/09/mothica-kissing-death.html

3- DEADFORM -"Entrenched in Hell' 

Crust

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/09/deadform-entrenched-in-hell.html

2-Maul -" In The Jaws Of Bereavement"

Death Metal 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/09/maul-in-jaws-of-bereavement.html

1-Nails - "Every Bridge Burning"

Hardcore

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/09/nails-every-bridge-burning.html

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Nails : "Every Bridge Burning"

 

It's been 8 years since the last album from this California-based hard-core band. They are just as angry as they were on "You Will Never Be One of Us".  The grind-core influence on the band has them spitting out minute-and-a-half songs, and something finds their momentum causing them to run together. This means I am having to give repeat listens to pick this apart, so it's not one sonic battering ram hitting. Normally when I hear a band this extreme, the jaw-dropping heaviness leaves me stunned so I do not bother asking if they can write a song til my ears stop ringing from the opening track, but these guys are one of my favorite bands on the more extreme of the spectrum, so I know they are capable, my only concern is are they going to let this intensity run away with them? 

One noticeable thing is rather than relying on a breakdown-style riff they just ease off the gas enough for a big moshing chug, which works really well. "Give Me the Painkiller" has a little more rock n roll in its more Motorhead-like DNA. This reminds you that the vocals have a purpose here, though moodwise they share a feral nature like Converge. The production is very raw, and I imagine it is close to what this band sounds like live. "Lacking the Ability to Process Empathy" is killer all the way through with its more deliberate riffing, as the chug is powerful. 'Trapped' finds it easier to make a song in 38 seconds than I would have expected. Though it's not the album's best song it's the shortest.  "Made Up In Your Mind"  is a pretty solid piece of metallic hard-core. 

"Dehumanized" finds them continuing to pour on the speed. The drums blast with fury until they throw in another one of their hooky riffs. "I Can't Turn it Off' is another chugging beast that moves in a direction more aligned with hard-core. If you were accusing them of writing a more accessible song this would be it. After all, there is even a guitar solo. "No More Rivers to Cross" is not just the album's heaviest song it might be the year's heaviest song, with a deliberate pounding that is equally catchy and powerful. I am going to go ahead and round this one up to a 10, as some of the faster moments that create a frenzied wall of sound are balanced out by the intentional songwriting masterstrokes delivered here, and find this album as being with the wait and puts the band on the top of the heap, this time it's the hardcore heap rather than the extreme metal one. 

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Terminal Nation : "Echoes of the Devil's Den"

This dark hard-core band opens up their new album with a bleak doomy sound of dystopia burning. The vocals snarl and bark with animalistic anger. When they gain momentum it's difficult to hear where the metal ends and the hard-core begins. The chug driving this album is powerful. "Written By the Victor" gains more speed and finds them attacking with the hyper aggression of death metal. His vocals even focus more on a lower guttural growl. Todd Jones from Nails lends his voice to this song as well.  This might be one of the heaviest albums you have heard in some time. "The Spikes Under the Bridge" starts at a more deliberate pace, then gains steam from the double bass that bubbles up beneath it. 

The ebb and flow of this album seem to find them in a tug of war against the need for speed and this weightier chugging. It is not a perpetual breakdown being fostered, but a more metallic spirit that flows through their musical DNA. They are raging against the system pretty well, and seem pretty angry at the police, In fact, it is the album's angriest moment so far. They push further into death metal, while still balancing things with a hard-core stomp. They are riff-oriented enough to keep things hooky, even when the vocals lock into a barbaric chant. There is a Metallica feel to "Embers of Humanity" where they indulge in impressive guitar solos. 

They pour on the death metal speed for "Merchants of Bloodshed". They are skilled enough to not attempt rushing the song, by but allow for grooves to develop. Lyrically it's about the military-industrial complex which I can appreciate. Jesse from Killswitch Engage lends his voice, to provide a more soaring climax to the song. "Bullet For a Stone" has more of a modern metal groove to it. "Dying Alive" finds them stomping onto the gas, and accelerating to more of a thrashing speed that brings earlier Entombed to mind. While the logic to their songwriting is influenced by hardcore, they do not conform to the breakdown formula. 

The production of this album is very raw and in your face. Despite being incredibly dense, the guitars sound like they are being cranked through blown-out speakers. "Immolation" has more of a death-metal feel to it. They also bring back more of the Entombed influence that lurks in the background. Dwid from Integrity joins them on the last song. He fits well within the scope of what they are doing here. Dwid has an almost Lemmy-like rasp here. I will give this album a 9.5, it's a dark and gritty take on metallic hard-core that crosses it with death metal in a manner that is more deserving of being called metal core or deathcore than the kids who have taken on those labels. 

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Death is June - ZOUS:"No Ground to Give"

 

Nails drummer Taylor Young has released what is a solo album under the moniker ZOUS.  He has written, preformed, produced and engineered this entire album. Well, he does enlist his buddies to come in a help out when it is time for the obligatory guitar solo. This project like to think of itself as old school death metal, and while it is not djent or wanting to be In Flames or anything blackened, it grinds and crunches with more of a modern hard core feel than anything in the zip code of Morbid Angel. Which makes sense when you consider his day job. It is very heavy and crushingly intense.  So much so I had to listen to it a few times to see if I had perhaps just gotten knocked out by the heaviness, so I did not take note of things like the song writing.   

"Pray a Lie" is even more aggressive than the opening track. The vocals are at a low gurgle. They are perhaps the most old school thing about their overall sound. Though on this song you can hear how it might be more easily traced back to Tampa death metal in the late 8os, than the first song which was more like Nails. "Stepped On" is even more informed because the verse riffs groove a little more and is a reminder that death metal came out of thrash.  Brad Boatright of From Ashes Rise fame, contributes more shouted vocals that yell out from the back ground in a more Tom Araya manner.. This is the also the first song that shows them lay on the speed for a little while. 

Leon Del Muerte of Murder Construct lends a guitar solo to "Authoriticon". It reminds me of "Formulas Fatal to the Flesh" era Morbid Angel, in the way it grinds like a mammoth tanklike machine of death. Things are more deliberate on " Event Horizon" which has some of the most relentless riffs ever to crush your skull.  Chris Reifert lends vocals to the songs which amount to some ranting in a middle section, but I am all for more vocals colors here. The main vocals sounds like it is gurgled a little lower on this one. I will round this guy up to a 9.5 , as it is just the kind of heavy I want.     

Terror : "Pain Into Power"

 I prefer the other band Todd Jone's is in . Nails to these guys. But 20 years in the hard core game is no joke. Jones has returned to produce their 8the album. The entire album clocks in around 20 minutes. Often the songs are so fast and aggressive they speed by and it is hard to tell where on ends and the other begins. "Unashamed" has the kind of frenzied fury that reminds me of S.O.D.  The lyrics "make no mistake, this was no passing phase, the passion remains" says they are true to hard core in ways the ever shifting social culture of today can not aspire to. I appreciate the conviction, but if adherence to the genre causes all songs to begin to sound the same in the assault of tough guy break downs then I might call it into question.

As long things are not rushed and the riffs have hooks on the level of " Outside the Lies" then I am cool with it., or even a fan. The more mid paced hard core of " One Thousand Lies" still has the emphasis on the right parts at the right times and keeps you engaged.  When things are blast ahead at the frantic pace of " Can't Let Go" it sounds like every other metallic hard-core band who does this sort of thing,. George Corpsegrinder Fisher lends his growl to " Can't Help But Hate", which is little more than an accent though I appreciate how angry the song is and it's more deliberate moments,.  "On the Verge of Violence" is a social commentary, things are kept both tense and intense on this song. Though it sounds more like every New York hard core band from the 90s.   

The riff leading into "Prepare for the Worst" reminds me of the Cro-Mages, which is a positive. While i appreciate the sentiment of the lyrics when the song really takes off it losses the more creative edge it had by conforming to what it should sound like. The last song has more of a thrashy gallop to it's chug, but falls in line with your standard hardcore. I will give this album an 8 as it is very well done and fans of the band should be pleased even with the more overt metal direction, but they are true to themselves for sure. 

      

The Top 50 Heaviest Albums of All Time : 10 - 1

Here we are the top ten heaviest albums of all time. If we are counting hard core as metal  then all but one of these albums are metal. But no matter what you want to call them what they have in common is that all of these albums defy description. Blurring lines of genres to create monsters of their own. Unless you are a regular reader or have the tastes of our regular readers ...meaning are not afraid to dig outside of the mainstream into the more underground sectors, there might be some bands where you are like who the fuck is this? Of course some of these albums would have to come from the more underground corners of the scene because they are too heavy for your run of the mill metal head to digest.  If you think Slipknot is heavy, you might not be able to handle this.


10- Author & Punisher - "Ursus Americanus"

The heaviest industrial album of all time. A man and his machines beating the fuck out of your head. 

9-Nails- " You Will Never Be One of Us" 

This album is mean as hell, bullying you into submission. Is it hard core or grind core? It's both fist fucking one another. 








8- Code Orange - "Forever"

These kids used to more closely conform to the hard core genre, other influences like industrial crept in over the years. They became heavier in introducing these elements. I think what really secured their place here, is they do this is a way that makes you believe each note they are playing. 

7-Leviathan - "True Traitor True Whore" 



As with the previous band if you can make me believe you mean every note of anger or torment and are honestly throwing the dark places in your life in your songs, if will feel heavier than if you are just going through the motions of metal. Whitehead had some fucked up shit going on in his life when he made this one. Black metal often postures here it oozes will malice and ill intent. 

6- Zohamah- "Spread My Ashes"

This is where I might lose some of you as we are going to start diverting from mainstream metal. This blackened Doom band is vicious. They play ugly chords and make you feel their anguish. 

5-Altar of Plagues - "Teethed Glory and Injury" 


This Irish band's take on sludgey black metal is dark and dissonant. Yes there are blast beats , but done in a manner that crushes and not just drones. Noise laden atmosphere adds a depressing touch.  Sadly this was their swan song. 


 

4-Anaal Nathrakh- "Vanitas"



Another black metal band proving it works best when you bring other elements to the table. In this case it's grind core and industrial. If Emperor had gone completely insane from smoking meth they might have created something similar.


 

3- Dragged into Sunlight- "Hatred For Mankind" 


It's rare when the fury of the vocals makes an album heavier than it is. That is the case with this nasty blackened sludge fest. If you asked me what album lives us to it's title, I would point to this one.

2-Lord Mantis - "Pervertor"

Less black metal influence that Dragged into the Sunlight. The density of their brand of hammering sludge, is still very musical, but it hits like a rabid wall of sound.

 1- Hexis - "Abalam" 

I got this album six years ago and have not heard anything that comes close to touching it's grinding blackness since then. That is impressive if you take into consideration how much metal I am sent on a weekly basis



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the Top 10 Hardcore/Punk Albums of 2016

This is going to encompass anything that is a bastard son of punk from grind core to emo. This was an emotionally charged year, but none of these albums are really that political. And yet every one tried to console themselves after the election by saying at least punk will get good. Well the tried and true NOFX's have gotten old and might not have been bad, they just are not as good as any of the bands on the top ten hardcore punk albums of 2016 list. If you wanna hear what a band sounds like and are too lazy to find them yourself, then use the review links. 10-Meek is Murder-"Was" The Brooklyn trio returns and the first song is about a minute making it almost as grinding as it is hardcore. Almost like a more spastic and less powerful version of what Nails does . They sometimes opt for a more punk jangle. Very ADD, these guys are pretty fucking impressive when they commit to the results. http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2016/07/meek-is-murder-was.html 9-Thraenenkind-"King Apathy" This band features members of Heretoir, so for some reason they get pegged as being post-rock, post-punk, but it feels like crusty metal to me so I am a little confused. Sure there is some atmosphere to it. The bass player is on point. The title track is straight up metal with little need to try and dress it up with other sub-genres, though it's obvious these guys influences hail from the days of Myspace. Unlike Heretoir I would not call them gaze anything either. They do go from a mid-paced emo like riff into black metal, but that is really as close as they come to that whole thing. While this album is heavier and more metal than Heretoir, it doesn't pull me in as quickly.The throaty vocals feel like this is a more metal version of Hotwatermusic or Coalesce. So post- hardcore is a more fitting sub-genre than post-whatever else. Given the organic feel of this music I am not surprised that these guys are straight edge vegan anarchists . Once upon a time it was more surprising to find some one in the hardcore scene who wasn't. http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2016/05/thraenenkind-king-apathy.html

8-Naive-s/t It's easy to become jaded about post-punk. If you are an old goth who has been listening to the original bands for over twenty years or longer, then you heard most of it played better then first time around. They take the more typical Joy Division sound loosen it up with an almost surf rock guitar tone and female vocals. They curve balls keep coming with the surreal dynamics employed that make you feel like you are on acid.Not what I expected going into my first encounter with this German band. There is more of punk attitude to the second song. Think that weird melodic place that 7 Seconds eventually wandered off to. http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2016/04/naive-st-lp.html

7-Terrible Love-"Change Nothing" Hard-core with a British accent can rub me the wrong way as they never sound angry enough, so I had to go into this pretending it was more along the line of Iceage. Tonally these guys are pretty dynamic and have the sonic palate to create a dark enough sound, without having to go all Converge on us here. They often jangle more than they chug.Even when the pace picks up into a more frantic punk buzz, it's hard for me to think of these guys as hard-core. I like what they did on the first song more than where they go on MT. Misery. I don't need breakdowns, I do need the punch that they eventually find on this one.I suppose post-hardcore is a fitting title for what they are doing since it sounds more like angry indie rock. http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2016/03/terrible-love-change-nothing.html 6-Terminus Cursus-"ON OF" What the hell is going on in Florida? These guys from St. Pete are killing it. Here is a band that came out of no where and really got weird in an original fashion. They are heavy, but not metal, so you know I am going to be a fan of that. the vocals really take it into a more feral place, when these guys explode they come closer to a more garage rock version of the Refused, though the bass line recalls Fugazi. The vocals are more punk than not even when coasting on more of an angular groove. - http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2016/07/terminus-cursus-on-of.html

5-Apologies I Have None-"Pharmacie"

 If you are British it's ok to have a poppier take on punk. You accent and attitude will make it all work out in the end. This is the first lesson we are learning from the opening track of this band's new album. By pop punk think more Brand New than Blink 182. "Wraith" is more introspective and explodes in a manner than expresses aggression in a way that darkens back to Myspace ...in other words bordering on emo. But it is darker so that makes up for it. This album's strong points are it's lyrics and the over all honesty of the emotions poured into it.

 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2016/08/apologies-i-have-none-pharmacie.html

4-Bleached-"Welcome the Worms"

 The pop punk swagger, touches on the pop influence from the 50's that the Ramones carried rather than anything like Fall Out Boy.  The album's strength lies in when the instrumentation has the punk attitude without cramping the vocals. The songs are narratives on the party life of West Hollywood's legendary rock scene that still finds band's trying to chase the ghosts of Motley Crue. These girls might have more of dark side than say the Donna's they are more thoughtful than just getting wasted and throwing their t.v. out of the hotel window.If you are looking for something fun, then take a ride with these gals.
 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2016/04/bleached-welcome-worms.html


 3-Death Index- s/t

 Carson Cox got his start playing in hard core punk bands before starting Merchandise. It is weird hearing his  croon over the more pounding pieces. It makes more sense on "Dream Machine" which has more swagger and finds them meeting at that cross roads in the 80s that I am such a big fan of where punk got darker and more melodic. "The Meal" finds this throbbing down an even darker sonic alley. It's not smoothed out like Merchandise, and has feedback squealing off the edges. When they throw themselves into a more boisterous punk on the short blast of "Furio Controllo" it  has more in common with more the Stooges that say Negative Approach. The punk spasms come from unexpected places.Overall there hasn't been a punk album dark enough to do much for me in sometime so it's good to hear something fresh from an old familiar voice

. http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2016/02/death-index-st.html

 

 2-Nails - "You Will Never Be One of Us" 

 I predicted 2016 as the year grind-core and power-violence breaks through into the metal mainstream. What Weekend Nachos failed to deliver is being jack hammered into your face by this band.  Their guitar tone is as nasty as you can get and still play riffs that hold together actual songs. Even then when I used the word songs here I am describing sharp bursts of anger. Grind-core has never been my forte, typically because of the genre's limited range of dynamic expression. Coloring with only the red crayon of anger can limit what you do, this band from Southern Los Angeles colors with this crayon so well, I know what I'm in for and can hold on for the jolting ride. The first song and title track fakes you out as it seems so maturity might have come into the song writing process for these guys.Fans of their previous work are getting what they asked for after "Abandon All Life " made them scream for more. For them to have sold me on this genre was pretty impressive.

 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2016/06/nails-you-will-never-be-one-of-us.html

1-Planes Mistaken for Stars- " Prey"

 These guys were always ahead of their time and finds music of today coming a little closer to meeting them in the middle. There has always been an unhinged side to the band and this is what the new album opens with. "Til it Clicks" is less explosive, but more of what I want from this band. The darker melody hangs around on "Riot Season" even after the pace picks up. The yowls of self loathing still haunt Jared's gravelly vocals riding the line between screaming and singing. The guitar to "Fucking Tenderness" carries some melody before tightening the tension. The vocals fill the spaces in the song perfectly and the band touching perfectly on all their trademarks without feeling like this song is any less urgent than it is.They are back in fine form and not standing stagnant in the legend of yesterday.

http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2016/10/planes-mistaken-for-stars-prey.html