To paraphrase Steven Wilson, the months just pass like trains; I wave but they don’t slow down. Fortunately, we’re slowing down the months by picking out the best releases especially for you! Isn’t that nice of us? You might call us the greatest heroes who ever lived. Ok, maybe that’s going too far. April offered some great highlights with something for everyone: arty, gothy, posty, adjectivey rock; super stanky death metal; hypnotic, acoustic black metal; dynamic, blackened heavy metal; theatrical, orchestral prog metal; that barking dog record; and super stinky death metal. Grab a clothes peg for your nose as we take a dive into the annals of April!

---

Kaatayra – Caminhos de Água
Recommended for fans of: Agalloch, Colin Stetson, Panopticon
Picked by: Andy

Caminhos de Água is my eighth time reviewing an album from Caio Lemos, mastermind of Kaatayra, for the Subway, but it’s my first chance to review Kaatayra itself, despite being my introduction to Lemos’ corpus. Unshelved from an indefinite hiatus that ended up lasting five years, the acoustic black metal project didn’t miss a beat upon its return—Caminhos de Água is another timeless masterpiece. Inspired by the Preto River in central Brazil, the album flows with ease, and watery field recordings make the whole album function as if it were a river with the running water’s constancy. Polyrhythmic percussion, acoustic guitar, and chanted vocals build in post-minimalist crescendos, exploding into blast beats and black metal. And the river is also a metaphor for the life of Lemos’ grandmother, who passed away during the recording; the record is a cathartic, touching tribute, culminating in the finale, “Remanso de Maria.” While other Lemos projects, like Vauruvã and Bríi, have had their excellent albums, there’s nothing that hits quite like Kaatayra. 

Recommended tracks: Rio sem Nome, Águas Passadas, Caminhos de Água
Related links: Bandcamp | original review

---

Scimitar – Scimitarium II
Recommended for fans of: Hammers of Misfortune, Negative Plane, Molten Chains, Malokarpatan
Picked by: Justin

Hot on the heels of the Scimitarium I‘s underground success, Scimitar return after only a single year with their sophomore effort, aptly titled Scimitarium II. Such a quick turnaround has left no time for Scimitar‘s edge to dull or rust—on the contrary, the sound is sharper than ever. Layers of arcane heavy metal and esoteric black metal fold over each other, the resulting blade of riffs hungry for blood, its powerful swings propelled forward by intensified drum work. Shaam A remains the crowning jewel encrusted in Scimitar‘s hilt, her ethereal vocal performance balancing Scimitarium II‘s violent power with a subtle grace. If the quality and timeframe of the first two albums are any indicator, Scimitar are primed to be one of the most exciting and prolific groups of the decade.

Recommended tracks: A Reverence Warning, Lunacy Jewels, Mobula Mobular
Related links: Bandcamp | original review

---

Reeking Aura – On the Promise of the Moon
Recommended for fans of: Entombed, Death, Carcass, Worm, Blood Incantation
Picked by: Cooper

As much as I like to think of myself as a connoisseur of the elevated, progressive side of death metal, there is still no better way to get my head banging than with irreverent caveman riffage, and Reeking Aura’s On the Promise of the Moon delivers it in fetid heaps. Malodorous melodeath, bilgy black metal, and even some decomposing doom wallow together in a swamp of churning blasts and gurgling vocals. And yet, despite the muck, On the Promise of the Moon remains highly listenable thanks to its occasional bouts of ambience and the stellar production which sees each putrefying detail rendered in perfect detail. Reeking Aura have delivered a gruesome yet refined slab of OSDM that, like a stench on your clothes that you just can’t get rid of, will be sure to stick around till year’s end lists come about.

Recommended tracks: Gorged Beyond Grudges, The Cathedral’s Calculation, Manure Like Magma
Related links: Bandcamp | original review

---

Einar Solberg – Vox Occulta
Recommended for fans of: Leprous, Devin Townsend, Hans Zimmer
Picked by: Christopher

Despite the title, Einar’s voice is hardly hidden on the Leprous frontman’s grandest statement yet. Theatrical sojourns, poetic arias, symphonic progressive metal epics; Solberg runs the gamut, zeroing in on a solo sound that feels tailor-made for him. With a full orchestra behind him and a cadre of prog metal talent backing, Vox Occulta is a seamless melding of symphony and metal, as sunken djent riffs and polyrhythmic drum grooves sprawl out beneath magniloquent strings and thunderous brass. At the centre of it all is Solberg himself, employing the full range of his astonishing vocals, from screeching falsetto to evocative restraint to agonised screams. The talent of his collaborators is fully utilised too, with instrumental highlights aplenty: operatic crescendos, noodly bass rhythms, and some truly transcendent soloing. Vox Occulta stands proudly alongside Solberg’s best works and showcases his ever-evolving talent in a niche that works for him.

Recommended tracks: Vox Occulta, Grex, Medulla
Related links: Bandcamp | original review

---

Archspire – Too Fast to Die
Recommended for fans of: Necrophagist, Psycroptic, The Zenith Passage
Picked by: Francesco

Reaching nearly Spinal Tap levels of absurdity, Archspire outdo themselves once more with Too Fast to Die. Despite the tongue-in-cheek title and the band’s propensity for taking the piss, the album is a serious contender for one of the best death metal releases of the year, as it pushes the limits all the way up to 11: more blast beats, more arpeggios, more BPM (440 to be exact). In addition, proving that they’re no stranger to writing a good melody, the album features plenty of memorable hooks—not something I’d ever thought I’d be writing about a death metal record. But with Too Fast to Die, scientists are concerned the band may be approaching the theoretical limits of technical death metal. It’s like, how much more fast can it get? And the answer is none. None more fast.

Recommended tracks: Red Goliath, The Vessel, Limb of Leviticus
Related links: Bandcamp | original review

---

Crippled Black Phoenix – Sceaduhelm
Recommended for fans of: Pink Floyd, The Gathering, Chelsea Wolfe
Picked by: Cory

With a narrower focus and tighter songwriting than their previous work, end-time balladeers Crippled Black Phoenix notch another success with Sceaduhelm. Across twelve diverse tracks, bandleader Justin Greaves and his crew explore the artsy, dark-rock universe, bringing a host of stylistic influences along with them. Standout tracks “Beautiful Destroyer” and “Under the Eye” build and crescendo magnificently in typical CBP fashion, while “Ravenettes” and “Vampire Grave” might be the band’s most immediate rockers yet. Elsewhere on the album, shades of moody post-rock, post-punk, gothic rock, prog, and even trip-hop color an improbably cohesive listening experience. Throughout much of their career, the band have held tightly to a particular adage: a wolf changes its fur but not its nature. Sceaduhelm is a new look for the same beast; refined in its approach but uncompromisingly and unabashedly CBP, compelling from end to end.

Recommended tracks: Ravenettes, Under the Eye, Beautiful Destroyer
Related links: Bandcamp | original review

---

Ordh – Blind in Abyssal Realms
Recommended for fans of: Blood Incantation, Sulphur Aeon, Inter Arma
Picked by: Clay

In their debut album, Vermont’s progressive death metal outfit Ordh modulate their sound to mirror the visuals of Paolo Girardi’s otherworldly spiral artwork. The result is an adventurous and winding death metal opus with a Sulphur Aeon-like vibe of lovecraftian cosmic horror performed with the reverberating gruff sludgy guitar tones of Inter Arma. Layer upon layer of harmonized guitar melodies provide a rich auditory texture and depth to the production, while wild guitar solos flash like strikes of lightning. Ordh distinguish themselves from the death metal pack through the incorporation of extended serene acoustic passages, scattered throughout Blind in Abyssal Realms. Seamlessly meandering through searing and gentle, Ordh employs masterful pacing with fluid transitions between contrasting sections. For progressive death metal fans this is unmissable.

Recommended tracks: Apis Bull, Moon of Urd, Phlegraean Fields
Related links: Bandcamp | original review

---

Non-Subway Picks

Sofia Isella – Something is a shell . (alternative pop)
With her third EP, Sofia Isella further cements herself as one of the most relevant voices in pop. Continuing her slow dance with the disgusting and dirty, Something is a shell . sees the young singer take swipes at the religion and porn industries in equal measure all the while maintaining the emotional core that anchors the EP’s quieter moments. It’s her balance between sardonic provocativeness and genuine intimacy that makes Isella so intriguing; if you aren’t listening, you’re missing out on something special.
Picked by: Cooper

As Everything Unfolds – Did You Ask To Be Set Free? (Alternative Metal, Metalcore, Post-Hardcore)
Hooky and infectious, Did You Ask To Be Set Free? sees the young UK act continue to nurture their emotive, sometimes seething, breed of post-hardcore / alternative metal. Thumping, buzzing synths ride shotgun alongside bendy metalcore riffs as vocalist Charlie Rolfe pulls some of her rawest harshes on tracks like “What You Wanted”. Her spirited delivery alongside the band’s dancey rhythms, metallic edge, and heartfelt center continues to speak to me in ways few bands in the genre can.
Picked by: Vince

Spirit Adrift – Infinite Illumination (stoner metal, doom metal, heavy metal)
In their seventh and final album, Spirit Adrift let their doom influences shine through. Slow, pounding grooves and vocal hooks fill Infinite Illumination up to the brim. With riffs crystalized in harmonies and soaring guitar solos, Nate Garrett and crew have brewed up a consistently rich and satisfying doom-tinged heavy metal brew. Though light on innovation, the album represents a culmination of the band’s infectious song-writing, performed with a vital consistency without an ounce of filler. Fans of old-school classic doom and heavy metal should not miss Spirit Adrift’s farewell.
Picked by: Clay

Fall of Messiah – Green Lands (post-rock, post-hardcore)
Another month, another prog-adjacent atmospheric post-hardcore group to recommend. Fall of Messiah land more on the soft post-rock side of things than Chalk Hands from last month, featuring long, emotional instrumental sections fueled by frenetic percussion. Still, when the sparse vocals do drop in, they make for a uniquely sharp contrast with their punky hardcore edge set against the spacious soundscapes.
Picked by: Doug

Skaphos – The Descent (death metal, black metal, doom metal)
At the crossroads between death, black, and doom metal, a leviathan awaits to drag you down into the depths of heaviness. Skaphos operate in an amorphous style of extreme metal: Dissonant tendrils of hyperventilating tremolos wrap around your body as near-endless blast beats pummel you from all sides—the pressure increases. Lucid yet thick production and fantastic raspy harshes push the Frenchmen’s extreme metal album to the seafloor; once you’ve heard The Descent, there’s no return.
Picked by: Andy