Top 10 Extreme Metal Albums of 2026 ...so far

Extreme Metal is even more important as the Doomsday Clock races; time speeds up with 2026 at its midpoint. Extreme metal is anything too heavy for the other sub-genres, with an emphasis on crust and grind, but we also have a few blackened bands who are too heavy for the normal black metal list.   These lists serve as a decent snapshot of where the year is heading in terms of music. I have already received promos for albums dropping as far out as August in my inbox, so they are really going to need to bring it to compete with the top five albums on this list. No matter the genre,  darkness trumps speed when it comes to heaviness, so these bands reflect that sentiment. These albums provide a fitting soundtrack to the demise of the US.  I have included links to full reviews if you want to check these out, and with all that said, here are the top 10 Extreme Metal albums of 2026 so far. 

10-Nunslaughter-"Satanic Chaos Legions"

This American band is a staple of the extreme metal scene; they are an aggressive yet dynamic blend of black metal and death metal. The vocal rasps are really the only black metal element. As far as the satanic elements, they are pretty much just lyrical. I am not sensing they are darker than any other death metal band of this type, with Deicide and Archgoat being the unholy standards here. A song like "Jesus Fucking Dies" is fun, but on the thrash side of death metal. There is some tremolo-picked guitar in places that blur the lines a little here and there. They are very good at placing the vocals in the right places for maximum effect, as they are spit out as an accent to the faster guitar flowing under what they do.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/06/death-is-june-nunslaughter-satanic.html

9-Reverse-SUFFER & REMEMBER" 

This Los Angeles-based noise punk band gets things off to an interesting start with a dissonant clamour that still carries a great deal of atmosphere even amid its hazy attack. It's an intersting approach to crust punk that goes toward the blasting end ofthe spectrum 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/06/recvrse-suffer-remember.html

 

8-Harms-"Rebirth of the Cold"

This band from Finland plays a hyper-aggressive blend of metal and hardcore that is in-your-face when it wants to be, without forsaking melody. When they kick back into things after wandering into more atmospheric places, they kick back in with full-on anthemic gang vocals. Then you begin to hear the touches of black metal perhaps in their DNA, jsut from the geography. Granted, there is also a great deal of goth metal in Finland, but darker music seems to be the vibe. It is more aggressive in a hardcore sense than a death metal one, so perhaps atmospheric blackened hardcore might be your best category for these guys, which at this point, we are making this shit up as we go.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/02/black-metal-history-month-harms-rebirth.html

7-Anti-Sapien-"At The Mercy Of The Merciless"

Brooklyn-based ANTI-SAPIEN drops some filthy, crusty, death metal that carries the aggression of Deicide in its angry churn forward. They are capable of shredding when it is called for, but prefer staying locked into the locomotive charge. The kind of hyper-aggression that Nails blurs the genre lines with. When they slow down and lock into a chug, the results are powerful

 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/01/anti-sapien-at-mercy-of-merciless.html

6- World Peace- "For No Man Shall See Me and Live"

What this San Francisco-based band does it pretty interesting as it has groove to it.  But the songs stay true to grindcore and are clocking in at 30 seconds apiece, meaning they lock into these, and then it is over. . If you like your grindcore short and to the point, then this album is worth your time. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/06/world-peace-for-no-man-shall-see-me-and.html

5-Fistula-"Galaxies of Disappointment"

The joking is over on the opening track to Fistula's new album. They go for the throat with the momentum of death metal behind them. The barrage is a powerful sonic force that goes for heft over some of the songwriting smarts they have shown in the past, but it works for what it is. They continue to flex their raw sonic power

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/03/fistula-galaxies-of-disappointment.html

4-Balmora-"These Graven Halls"

Here is another album that blurs the lines between metalcore and death metal. I suspect these kinds of kids feel cooler by having a label for themselves that is not just death metal, since that has become, in some circles, like thinking of it as dad rock

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/06/death-is-june-balmora-these-graven-halls.html

3-Lair of the Minotaur-"I Hail I "

These bruisers are back with more hardcore grit to their attack. The vocals come across as being less growled and more of a burly command. The grooves are as dense as you might want them. There is almost a sludge weight. The aggression is not a full-speed-ahead charge but a massive grind of distraction chugged with malicious intent. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/03/lair-of-minotaur-i-hail-i.html

2-No/Mas -"No Peace"

On the more punk side of grind-core, NO/MAS are angry as fuck. They have a dialed-in guitar sound rather than just a raw outburst, and just because they play grind-core does not mean they have not refined their attack on their instruments. At times, even grooves slide into the riffs, which is an ear for detail,l considering that these songs clock in at two minutes more often than not. They are certainly influenced by Slayer in how some of the riffs are nuanced. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/01/nomas-no-peace.html

1-Portrayal of Guilt ="...Beginning of the End..."

 "We Are Always Alone" stands as a masterpiece against which this band's work is to be measured. Up to this point, they have not met that head-on, but played around with more extreme and experimental sounds at various genre crossroads in heavy music. Grindcore being one of the more frequent ones, hardcore is another more notable sonic flavor they have painted their compositions with. This album finds them expanding their arsenal to include a wider range of sounds, while tightening the songwriting to craft songs that are digestible for broader metal audiences without compromising their unsettling, confrontational style. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/04/portrayal-of-guilt-beginning-of-end.html

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April's Top 10 Albums

April has breezed by already, so let's get you abreast of new releases. This might help you, casual readers, with what you might have missed.  I am not doing little blurbs on them, just linking the reviews. This helps me organize my lists for the end of the year by listing the album's genre. This 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 won't come out until June, so I am normally way ahead of the curve in this regard. They are ranked in order of how much I have listened to them. This month, leaned more on heavy stuff ranging from Hardcore to Doom, so perhaps you will find your new favorite among them. Here are the Top 10 albums for April of 2026.

10-Nine Inch Noize- "S/t" 

 

Electronic

 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/04/nine-inch-noize-st.html

9-Bad Stuff-"s/t" 

Doom- Lounge 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/04/bad-stuff-st.html

8-GODTHRYMM - "Projections" 

Doom

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/04/godthrymm-projections.html

7-Last ten seconds of life -"The Dead Ones." 

Death-Core

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/04/the-last-ten-seconds-of-life-dead-ones.html

6-Sun Don't Shine -"From Birth to Death." 

Grunge

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/04/sun-dont-shine-from-birth-to-death.html

5-Monolord- "Neverending" 

Doom 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/04/monolord-neverending.html

4-A, A Williams - "Solstice." 

Post-Pop

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/04/aa-williams-solstice.html

 3-Restless Spirit- "s/t." 

Stoner Metal 

 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/04/restless-spirit-st.html

2-Terror - "Still Suffer." 

Hardcore 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/04/terror-still-suffer.html

 1-Portrayal of Guilt- "...Beginning of the End."

 

 Power Violence 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2026/04/portrayal-of-guilt-beginning-of-end.html

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Portrayal of Guilt : "... Beginning of the End"

 "We Are Always Alone" stands as a masterpiece that this band's work is to be measured against. Up to this point, they have not met that head-on, but played around with more extreme and experimental sounds at various genre crossroads in heavy music. Grindcore being one of the more frequent ones, hardcore is another more notable sonic flavor they have painted their compositions with. This album finds them opening their arsenal to include a greater range of sounds, while tightening the songwriting to make songs that are digestible to broader metal audiences without compromising their unsettling, confrontational style. The opening track is more of a David Lynchian guitar piece that sets the stage before they launch into a darker and more melodic mood while still packing a punch that hits more like sludge.

"Heaven's Gate" is more explosive, but anchored by a beefy bassline. Ambience still haunts the corners of the song, creating dynamics rather than just bashing your ears out. "Under Siege" has more hardcore in its punk-driven charge. They show you can be hooked into music this abrasive by providing hooks even amid the unhinged fury. The vocals bark with purpose. The songs have something to say. The album is well broken up with the more experimental forays into things falling outside of the bounds of metal, breaking it up and giving the listener room to breathe. "Ectasy' was one of the lead singles, so I was prepared for its brand of weird that draws from 90s alternative while not forsaking the rough edges. 

"Death From Above" takes a turn down a darker alley. More metallic stomps accent the shadows here. The vocals drop into a more resonant death-metal growl. "God Will Never Hear Me" is another beautifully brooding song that is not dark in a post-punk or goth manner, but effective at introspective self-loathing. The counterpoint is a more dissonant, sludged-out, clanging. A more unexpected direction is Texas rapper Slim Guerilla appearing on "Chamber of Misery."  At only a minute, it's more of a bizarre interlude.

The riff that opens "Total Black" might be the most pleasing to more mainstream metal. The song grooves in its own way, even when the riff drops out to create space. "Object of Pain" is less intense and almost mroe like Crippling Alcoholism in how it slithers over ashtrays and empty liquor bottles. They close the album with the more in-your-face explosion of "The Last Judgement" that opens up on the verse, so give the vocals room to be more than an afterthought. These guys once again show that you can make one of the heaviest albums going this year without having to skimp on hooks to keep you engaged in the song. It's not too experimental; your ears are just boring. I'll give this one a 10, not even  Neurosis and Converge took this many chances. 

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the Top 10 Extreme Metal Albums of 2023

Extreme metal encompasses many sub-genres, all of which shun mainstream aspirations with their commitment to intensity, but that is not to say that these albums are the heaviest ever, as all of the albums listed in our Top 10 Extreme Metal Albums of 2023 list are very song-oriented, some even have melody, perhaps this year even more so than the past. The bands here did not fit neatly into other genre lists, because they blended other harsh genres, such as black metal or hardcore into these warped versions of grindcore or screamo.  They are all very dark and lash out with their own forms of sonic fury, but they are the albums that proved best at it.  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. 2023. 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 Extreme Metal albums of 2023.

10-Melancholia - 'Book of Ruination" 

There is something about this raw crusty attack combined with a memorably melodic hook to its savage riff that My ears find compelling. The drummer is really serious. There is a jazz-like manner in which he turns some of his percussive phrasing around. The organic nature of the recording sounds like they are jamming in their rehearsal space you stumbled in on their creative moment. The punchy attack is relentless, but they are hitting you with worthwhile riffing. This album is a  testament to the quality stuff Brutal Panda is putting out these days. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/11/melancholia-book-of-ruination.html

9-Bandit- 'Siege of Self" 

Philly grinders are perfecting this brand of death grind. The guitars are the most death metal in their approach. The vocals are screamed in a manner of many extreme sub-genres of metal. The guitar solo on the title track seems to be more intent on just causing chaos.They rage while still writing catchy riffs. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/12/bandit-siege-of-self.html

8-Rana- "Richtfeuer" 

This German band hits a sweet place of sonic darkness. They carry a crusty pulse before they throw themselves into a malicious black metal blast. The more hard-core stomp this evolves into owes a debt to their crustier side. feel that represents how well they wove these sounds together. I can understand why some might think of this as black gaze, but there is a great deal more going on here. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/12/rana-richtfeuer.html

 

7-the Sept-  "MMXXIII" 

This Irish band is a late entry into this year's metal race, but a weird and wonderful one. They balance out a death metal lace grind-core with some raw and unsettling atmosphere. The vocals are uttered in a low growl or a rabid snarl. The grindcore side of their songwriting equation keeps things very economical and makes every chug count.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/12/the-sept-mmxxiii.html

6-Year of the Knife - "No Love Lost" 

 Madison Watkins proves she can cut it as the vocalist. Her abrasive scream gets the proper emotion across.  With a guest vocal spot from  Devin Swank of  Sanguisugabugg, Year of the Knife shows they are not as death metal as Devin's band but prove that Metal Core does not have to conjure images of the last days when Myspace ruled the Earth. , Despite being possessed by hate that is singular in focus, the energy and execution pull it through

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/09/year-of-knife-no-love-lost.html

 

5-Left to Suffer -"Feral" 

This metalcore band is not just jumping on the White Chapel bandwagon. They took things in a darker direction and seem to have just as much in common with the bands in the nu-metal revival. Sure "Artificial Anatomy" is geared toward the Tik Tok generation with its spastic electronic glitching. The commonplace phenomenon that occurs with bands who deal in the extremes of heavy, no matter their sub-genre, is they hit you with something that is sonically stunning in its immense sound. This earned a great deal of repeat listens.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/05/left-to-suffer-feral.html

4-Portrayal of Guilt -"Devil Music" 

At first, you might be fooled into thinking this is a more straightforward metal album, at least until you get to the atmosphere and dissonance that you might have come to love from these guys. They do however open up the album with some solid grooves. There are fewer moments of black metal menace or grindcore explosions, but it still works. There is an abundance of chaos, as the drummer attacks the riffs. The second half of this album is the first half reconstructed for a chamber orchestra. Bizarre indeed, but they are boldly going where the devil wants them.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/04/portrayal-of-guilt-devil-music.html

3-Sanguisugabogg : "Homicidal Ecstasy" 

At the core when you strip away the gore fixation that might seek to label them as gore-grind these guys are a death metal band. Their biggest influence is Cannibal Corpse, which can be heard in the drumming and the low muffled gutturals. How they set themselves apart from just being another spawn of Cannibal Corpse is their fetish for grooves. Does this have more of a hard-core feel? At times but it doesn't diminish the fact they are a death metal band.These guys learned you can be heavy as a hundred fucks and still write good songs

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/01/sanguisugabogg-homicidal-ecstasy.html

2-Fuming Mouth -"Last Day of Sun" 

This album of crusty death metal-infused anger grew on me with each listen. They lean into more of hard-core's punk side with the drumming putting them in the sonic zip code of bands like Ringworm  I appreciate the lyrical sentiments, and the overall oppressive mood, that still leaves room for melody shows they care about songwriting, but do not have to compromise to do so. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/11/fuming-mouth-last-day-of-sun.html

1-Dreamwell -"In My Saddest Dreams, I Am Beside You" 

This is not the heaviest band on the list, but they are the most extreme metal band whose songs beg for you to listen to them more than the other bands on this list. They shift from black gaze to more melodic forms of hardcore and harsher expressions of metal. Their singer is a pivotal force in what enables these transformations. Sometimes hard-core shouted vocals bring the abrasion crashing against the transcendence, which is littered oddly with blast beats. It is not the first time I have heard screamo blended with black metal, but this is done in an angular fashion that is more unique.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/12/dreamwell-in-my-saddest-dreams-i-am.html

Portrayal of Guilt : "Devil Music"

At first, you might be fooled into thinking this is a more straightforward metal album, at least until you get to "Burning Hand" which has the atmosphere and dissonance that you might have come to love from these guys. They do however open up the album with some solid grooves. There is less black metal menace or grindcore explosions, but it still works. There is an abundance of chaos, as the drummer attacks the riffs. The second song has some interesting guitar sounds. Odd angular spaces let in strange places. They lock this into a solid grooving head bobbing riff. Almost a Helmet or nu-metal sense of movement. The vocals stay at a scornful rasp. While he is a wild man, the drummer is really making himself felt on this album. 

"Where Angels Come to Die" is one of the first songs that strikes me as black metal, Though I have not always thought of these guys as a black metal band, but as a band influenced by it. They do throw in a creepy middle section into the song, and deliberately make things stompy, before embracing the blast beats, which has not always been their thing. The title track finds things delving even further into darkness. The percussion takes on a more industrial crunch. That is before they blast off into a cosmic abyss. We are very much supportive of any excursions into an abyss here. The lyrics are spat out in a manner that you can understand he is exclaiming that he wants to watch you suffer and feel your pain. This is beautiful. When I read the lyrics on their Bandcamp it painted another picture, one that seemed to use BDSM as a metaphor perhaps, this may or may not be for the devil but either way it feels like the band is their inner darkness. 

The plot twist comes after the title track where they take the same five songs they originally presented and discard the guitars. They replace the metallic sounds with string, and are darker in so doing. 'One Last Taste of Heaven " is too close to call, if pressed which version is better. I think the unnerving dissonance is given a more chilling sensation on the string rendition of "Untitled". It reminds me a little of Sleepy Time Gorilla Museum. The spoken vocals that were buried in "Burning Hand' are given more focus in the new arrangement of the song.  "Where Angels Come to Die" is stripped of the black metal sounds, leaving the scowling vocals to be exposed in their hateful intentions. The guitars raging around the title track pounded the point of the lyrics home with more conviction in the original version. I am only rounding this down to a 9, due to the fact I would prefer five more songs, but feel their experiment was successful and a bold artistic statement, now with that out of their system hopefully another full-length waits in the wings? 

The Top 10 Metal Albums of 2021

We have needed heavy music more than ever this year. This is the culmination of all the other metal lists. Yes, I have done other metal lists for other blogs, and I seem them as being a refining process for when I make this list. So, while result may have varied, this is the final word.  I know many of you are ready for 2020 to be over with. Hate to break it to you but nothing is getting better next year. At the very fact these bands made it on the list means they are the 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. Sure, you can bitch and complain about your favorite band not being on the list. However, I listen to five new albums a day so yes, I heard your favorite album and was not impressed. No, I do not care what you think about it. 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. Anyways here are the top 10 Metal albums of 2021

10-Hooded Menace - "the Tritonus Bell" 

 This band from Finland never struck me over the course of their careers so far as being as creative in the song writing department as they have so midway into the first song of this album. The have really paid more attention to their guitar melodies without becomes cheesy melo-death. The low guttural vocals could always turn into the one-dimensional element that shoots this inspiration down as the album progresses so we will see.   

Abysmal Hymns: Hooded Menace : "The Tritonus Bell"

 

9- Ruin - "Spread Plague Death " 

They come back nastier and grimmer on the title track of their new album. I really love "Human Annihilation". It had a very tangible hate to its sound. In the time of metal growing kinder and gentler I need it to be more hateful. These miscreants deliver. It is not until a few songs in that things pick up into the faster pounding most death metal is known for. They have not gotten any softer and it is still just as effective when they go from the jack hammer into a more deliberate crunch. All too often heaviness seems to sacrifice a willingness to care about song writing yet here we are with the most dismally gurgled vocals and the songs still have me engaged.  Perhaps this meanness is the only edge they have over Hooded Menace, it is almost too close to call. 

Abysmal Hymns: Ruin : "Spread Plague Death"

8- Flotsam and Jetsam- "Blood in the Water" 

These guys are the masters of power thrash. The album is way heavier than expected, but the songs are hooky, and Erik's voice sounds great, so what else can you ask for these guys, who keep surprising us with some of their best work coming this late in their careers. Songwriting is what beats out the brutality of Ruin. 

 Abysmal Hymns: Flotsam & Jetsam : "Blood in the Water"

 

 7-Glassing- "Twin Dream" 

At first you think ...ok this is a sludge album with a great deal of post rock atmosphere, not an uncommon sub-genre these days. As this album unfolds your ears are bathed in a great deal of powerful heaviness that hits you outside the sonic scope of sludge. Angular twists and turns as well as sections that pound at you like an angry hard- core band, or I suppose screamo since that tends to blend its sonic texture more in this direction. Darker a more powerful emotionally than Flotsam's more headfirst assault.

Abysmal Hymns: November is Doom - Glassing - " Twin Dream"

6-Witnesses - 'the Collapse"

They bravely follow up to "Doom II " which was such a perfect album, In my head this bar they set for themselves, they did not make the same album twice. Instead, they approached this more another angle. Perhaps, not as desolate and dark in the way it occupies sonic space as their previous album. But after a couple days of playtime, it is clear the guitar melodies are as equally haunting. I think in doing so for this album they have allowed the vocals to convey a similar emoting with more subtle flow as the take on a rawer edge. Heavier and more metallic it works in its own way.  Riffs are what beats out Glassing. 

Abysmal Hymns: November is Doom- Witnesses : "the Collapse"

 

5-Converge & Chelsea Wolfe - " Blood Moon "

I like these two artists almost equally it brings out Converge's best side as I prefer their dark creepy melodic stuff over when they are just a total punk rock freak out the album leans in more of a sludge direction though by the highly experimental definition of that sub-genre, Wolfe's solo work had those elements previously, so this is not a surprise. They work together in a masterful way to create heavy music that is still beautiful in different ways. The range of sonic colors beats out Witnesses. 

Abysmal Hymns: November is Doom - Converge & Chelsea Wolfe :"Blood Moon"

4-Hypocrisy- "Worship"

The 90s never left. This is the vibe I get from the first album in over a decade from one of Sweden's best death metal acts. I first got into them back in 1994 with the 'Fourth Dimension" album. They were ahead of the curve when it came to lyrics dealing with alien conspiracies. Their experience as song writers prevails and makes this better than what a younger band eager to prove how heavy they are would do. Lyrically it is very fitting for the past year so wish it had come out earlier but will take it. They impressively beat out Converge and Ms. Wolfe's collab as these songs hooked me in more. 

Abysmal Hymns: Hypocrisy : " Worship"

 

  3-Bloody Hammers - "Songs of Unspeakable Terror"

What gave these guys the edge is that this album came out back in January and hung tough as an album I would return to at least once a week or so. An impressive feat when you consider how much new music I ingest. This time the band leaned into the punk side of their influences, and it works much better. It is not total Danzig as the Elvis side of the coin is toned down. The vocals are great and very catchy. I can appreciate how this is married to an almost edgy cock rock side of 80s metal, but all horror anthems which earned their place at the top of this list. They beat out Hypocrisy because I just got a little more mileage out of this one. 

Abysmal Hymns: Bloody Hammers : "Songs of Unspeakable Terror"

2- Iron Maiden- "Senjutsu" 

There is no real filler on this album, the first single is the weakest song on the album and that is a relative term as it is still better than anything another band trying to be them could do, and a solid song in its own right even if it is not just what I showed up for, If this is their last album it is a fine summary of their legacy.  They beat out Bloody Hammers, because well this is Iron Maiden and they do not just stick to one riff no matter how cool it is their songs are an adventure. 

Abysmal Hymns: Iron Maiden : "Senjutsu"

1- Portrayal of Guilt - "We are Always Alone"

This time around they brought the more sonic kind of heavy I love. They are pretty deliberate using very chilling chord structures.  From the first listen I knew that this was going to be the fucking album to beat this year this shit kicks your face in and is a beautiful dark mess, just what the world needs right now/The parts that did not tug at me right away grew on me, making this an almost perfect album and the best of the heaviest. Beating out Maiden because they took more chances.      

Abysmal Hymns: Portrayal of Guilt : "We Are Always Alone"

 

The Top 10 Extreme Metal Albums of 2021

This list is new to encompass anything heavy that does not fit neatly into a sub-genre. Some lists were overcrowded and not a good fit so those bands who are just about sonic hedonism are here to haunt you.  Much like in years past I sort through the genre lists before making the overall top ten of the year list.  The fact these artists 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. I do 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. Anyways here are the top 10 Extreme metal albums of 2021

10-Archgoat - "Worship the Eternal Darkness" 

These guys from Finland are one of the few bands who bring the legit Evil on a regular basis, sometimes it has a track record on hitting you with all the brutality and not placing the most emphasis on songs. This time that is not the case. These are strong songs that stand on their own. There is a measure of restraint used as they slow into a more mid-paced throb at times, but their mission statement seems to be one that wants to punish you.  

Abysmal Hymns: Archgoat : " Worship the Eternal Darkness"

9- Succumb- "XXI"

The very fact they are on the Flenser, as label with a reputation for forward thinking artists means they are not going to simply be recycling Incantation riffs. There is a fair amount of chaos. Yes, grind core and especially Napalm Death is an influence. At times offering more mood and breathing room, for the punkish snarl of the vocals before reverting back to that more primitive state of brutality.

Abysmal Hymns: Succumb : "XXI"

  8-Culted-"Nous" 

A first this seems like a black metal band proving you do not have to live on blast beats alone, which is welcome. Eventually it transitions into an album that owes more to Godflesh than Darkthrone which was not what I went into the album expecting, but it was a surprise I enjoyed. 

Abysmal Hymns: Black Metal History Month- Culted : "Nous"

7-Seeping- 'the Watcher" 

The mournful quality of their sound does not overtake the aggression. Their songwriting is very compact, never sprawling out past the five-minute mark. The guitar sound is much dirtier than death doom. This rough around the edges approach helps place them closer toward death metal, though at the end of the day all the working parts of this nightmare machine made it a fun listen. 

Abysmal Hymns: Death is June - Seeping - "the Watcher"

6-Apparition - "Feel" 

California based death metal band who is clearly fixated on Incantation. They do slow things down and offer enough atmosphere to jump on the death doom bandwagon. They have some hooky riffs and sometimes speed up to a more Obituary like pace . and win out at the end of the day with their very dirty and dark sound.

Abysmal Hymns: November is Doom - Apparition " Feel"

 

5-Severed Boy - "Tragic Encounters" 

This duo summons a very dense sound for just the two of them. The come of a dark and dirty corner of the sonic world where sludge and death metal collide. There are moments of hurtling speed placed between very deliberate walls of lumbering fuzz. They are not about making noise as spaces are left for you to catch your breath Unlike many sludge-oriented bands thanks to their death metal intentions they do not drag things on into sprawling drones and keep their songs under the five-minute mark.

Abysmal Hymns: Death is June - Severed Boy : "Tragic Encounters"

4-Portrayal of Guilt - " Christfucker" 

Most bands would be lucky to release something as dark and beautiful as " We Are Always Alone" , but no, these guys had to go and get even heavier and more dissident with this album that sounds like a discordant blend of indie rock with black metal vocals before the aggression overtakes it.  There no abbreviated grind core blasts of songs that are under a minute, at this point they are fully committed to song writing, even when it's a feral thrashing that they give you with the deliberate chug 

Abysmal Hymns: Portrayal of Guilt ; "Christfucker"

3-Fawn Limbs - "Darwin Falls" 

Much more metal in their intentions than say Portrayal of Guilt, I do admire bringing some jazz into the equation which makes some of the mathematics make more since after they step on the distortion. It also makes the heaviness they hit you with easier to digest and reflects back on more musical moments. The vocals are more death metal where other influences are all over the place

Abysmal Hymns: Fawn Limbs : "Darwin Falls"

 

2- ERDVE - "Savigaila"

If you have found yourself complaining it is hard to find music that is heavy enough for you these days then this band has got you boo There is more to this than just punishing your ears, there are some layers of eerie atmosphere to set off the breakdowns. You can have music that is blisteringly heavy and still care about the songs and make it well yes, catchy.

Abysmal Hymns: Erdve : "Savigaila"

1- Portrayal of Guilt - "We are Always Alone"

This time around they brought the more sonic kind of heavy I love. They are pretty deliberate using very chilling chord structures.  From the first listen I knew that this was going to be the fucking album to beat this year this shit kicks your face in and is a beautiful dark mess, just what the world needs right now/The parts that did not tug at me right away grew on me, making this an almost perfect album and the best of the heaviest.     

Abysmal Hymns: Portrayal of Guilt : "We Are Always Alone"

Portrayal of Guilt ; "Christfucker"

Most bands would be lucky to release something as dark and beautiful as " We Are Always Alone" , but no, these guys had to go and get even heavier and more dissident with this album that sounds like a discordant blend of indie rock with black metal vocals before the aggression overtakes it.  There no abbreviated grind core blasts of songs that are under a minute, at this point they are fully committed to song writing, even when it's a feral thrashing that they give you with the deliberate chug of "Sadist". They album is produced in a much rawer fashion. This finds the vocals distorting as they collide with the guitars. 

You hear a more punk influence on "Fall from Grace" though it does slow into a creepy section. By the end of the song hard core tendencies are beginning to win out. "Dirge' is like many of the other songs here where it sounds like there is more of a black metal sound until the song unfolds and spits out angular grind core tendencies. "Bed of Ash " works more off noise in its deliberate stomp. 'The Crucifixion" is more overt in the punishment it deals to your ear drums.  It is darker than the previous song, though hard to sort through the layers of heavy on this album as a whole. There is a demonic layer of ugly coating this song. The vocals go into a lower gurgle for "Master / Slave".  This is a slower more groove-oriented flow of death metal they hit you with. 

The riff to "...Where the Suffering Never Ends" reminds me of Bloodlet. They sludged out danger in how they ride the chug is pretty eerie. "Possession" starts off heavier handed, and then they develop the dynamics and give it something to ebb back down into. They work their way around to a pretty powerful riff that crushes skull of all who listen.  It is more death metal at first before into the kind of creepy excursions they have become more fluent in over the years. This builds into a devastatingly heavy riff.  This feels like they are either recording older songs or intentionally going back to what they used to sound like while this is still great and I will give this a 9 it is not as good as "We Are Always Alone" but what is?