Cooper’s Picks
10. Dystopia A.D. – Doomsday Psalm (US-NJ)
Style: Progressive/Melodic Death Metal (mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Slugdge, Opeth, Death
With Doomsday Psalm, Dystopia A.D. have launched themselves to the upper ranks of my “underground bands to watch out for” list. Doomsday Psalm sits at the intersection of countless metal subgenres where it is able to carve out a diverse and varied sound that never falls into pastiche. While not the most technical release by any standard, Doomsday Psalm makes up for with satisfying song structures and clever writing.
Recommended tracks: Fields of Carrion, Imperial Dawn
You may also like: Ashen Horde, Deathbringer
9. Hath – All That Was Promised (US-NJ)
Style: Progressive Blackened Death Metal (harsh vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Bloodbath, Gojira, Slugdge
With their sophomore release, Hath have proven themselves to be a force to be reckoned with in the metal scene. While perhaps not as consistently strong as Of Rot and Ruin, All That Was Promised still delivers the groovy bouncing riffage and ballistic drumming of its predecessor in spades, and I still can’t get enough of the bellowed vocals found throughout.
Recommended tracks: Kenosis, Lithopaedic
You may also like: Warforged, Wake
8. Ashbreather – Hivemind (Canada)
Style: Progressive Sludge Metal (mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Mastodon, Baroness, Slugdge
If there’s one thing I love in my progressive metal, as you’ll surely come to see, its albums that are one long song. Hivemind is one such album, and it makes use of the concept beautifully; motifs and callbacks support an otherworldly concept. This is one sludge alum you don’t want to miss out on.
Recommended tracks: Hivemind I – XI
You may also like: Dvne, Anciients
7. Bríi – Corpos Transparentes (Brazil)
Style: Minimalist Folk/Experimental Atmoblack/Trance (mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Kaatayra
Corpos Transparentes is undoubtedly the greatest fruit of my endeavors in the year where I devoted myself to listening to the most obscure music I could get my hands on. While it certainly isn’t the flashiest record on this list, its devotion to atmosphere and minimalism makes it the most interesting by a long shot. It’s just as suited for intense listening as it is more background music while studying or reading. (It’s also just one long song.)
Recommended tracks: Corpos Transparentes
You may also like: Salqiu, Wreche
6. Obsidious – Iconic (International)
Style: Technical/Progressive Death Metal (mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Obscura, Beyond Creation, Dyscarnate
Iconic is a monument to the technical skill of metal musicians. Each moment is taught with a vivacious energy only possible through the ultimate prowess of guitar, drums, bass, and vocals. Simply put, it’s a blisteringly quick masterclass in everything technical.
Recommended tracks: Under Black Skies, Sense of Lust
You may also like: Virvum, Dystopia A.D.
5. Salqiu – Pariah (Brazil)
Style: Avant-garde Black Metal (harsh vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Bathory, Emperor
Raw black metal is usually not my forté, but something about Pariah attracted me when I first heard it. Yes, it may be dissonant and noisy and loud, but there is a subtlety within that keeps me coming back for more. Ultimately, Pariah may be unpalatable to first-time listeners, but with repeated listens and an open mindset Pariah will unfurl itself into a beautiful tapestry of the resonance of disparate sounds. Fans of progressive music will certainly find value here. Also, if you like Pariah, be sure to listen to its sister album, The Colossal Weight of My Illusion.
Recommended tracks: The Mordant Fascination of a Murder (While the Devil Plays Jazz), Pariah
You may also like: Kaatarya, Sjálfsmorð af Gáleysi, IER, Thermohaline
4. Arkaik – Labyrinth of Hungry Ghosts (US-CA)
Style: Technical Death Metal (harsh vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Obscura, Fallujah, Rivers of Nihil
2022 was a strange year for me and tech death. In years past, my listening in the genre was often dominated by a limited number of hyper-successful records (i.e. Relentless Mutation, Aria, Gloire Éternelle), but there wasn’t a tech death release this year that captivated me so. Instead, I listened to a huge array of tech death bands. It was through this process I found Arkaik’s Labyrinth of Hungry Ghosts. It’s the archetype of modern tech death with its sleek production, tight riffage, and even tighter drumwork, but it puts a unique spin on the formula with a tone that I can only describe as epic. While it may not go down as the GOAT in the tech death history books, Arkaik’s latest release is well worth a listen.
Recommended tracks: The Orphion Descent, The Vertical Road
You may also like: Irreversible Mechanism, Exocrine, Alustrium
3. An Abstract Illusion – Woe (Sweden)
Style: Atmospheric/Progressive Death Metal (mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Opeth, Ne Obliviscaris, Aquilus
There is little I could say about this record that my colleagues – and the progressive metal scene at large – haven’t already said. It is a behemoth of an album that only gets richer upon repeat listens. At times, I had goosebumps. At other times, my jaw was on the floor. An Abstract Illusion truly deserves the attention they received with this release, and I cannot recommend enough that you listen to it. (Another long song!)
Recommended tracks: Woe
You may also like: Alustrium, Burial in the Sky
2. Psychonaut – Violate Consensus Reality (Belgium)
Style: Progressive/Post Metal (mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: The Ocean, Intronaut, Lucid Planet
I still remember the first time I heard Unfold the God Man back in 2018. The record captivated me like nothing had ever before thanks to its interplay between atmosphere and crushing heaviness. When I heard news that a sophomore release was on the way, I was ecstatic. With Violate Consensus Reality Psychonaut has delivered upon us a masterful follow up that is able to stand separate from – and often outshine – its predecessor. If you’re a fan of Psychonaut’s heavier side, this is the record for you.
Recommended tracks: All Your Gods Have Gone, Hope
You may also like: Astrosaur, Hippotraktor
1. Devenial Verdict – Ash Blind (Finland)
Style: vant-garde/Dissonant Death Metal (harsh vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Ulcerate, Gorguts
I often think about what the perfect death metal album would even sound like, and just as often, I fail to come to any conclusion. Through Ash Blind, though, Devenial Verdict has made that image a lot clearer – and on their debut album no less! Ash Blind is the platonic ideal of a dissonant death metal album with its evocative atmosphere incessantly torn and reshaped by ever-confounding riffs and with its spastic torrents of drums that forge a path for even more spastic and mind-bending guitar solos. Simply put, the album is amazing, and it is essential listening for any fan of dissonant death metal.
Recommended tracks: Sun Hammer, The Contemptor, World Breaker
You may also like: Replicant, Light Dweller, Diskord
2 Comments
Liam · February 18, 2023 at 21:31
It’s finally here, really enjoying the format you guys chose for this year. Now it’s time to sit down and give all of this a thorough listen!
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