It’s list season in the metalsphere. You are probably being bombarded with recommendations and subjective rankings on a daily basis. Everyone has their own list of festivus grievances; albums that have criminally underlooked when it comes to official accolades. I looked back into my post archives and noticed it has been years aplenty since I did my last list of album suggestions in a Decibel Magazine post. Here’s a list of ten albums in the metal underground you should seek out before the calendar flips to 2024.
Megaton Sword – Might & Power
When I tallied up all my year-end stats, this is the album I listened to most. Megaton Sword are an epic heavy metal band from Switzerland, and this is the sound of a band truly hitting their stride. Like most releases from Dying Victims Productions, there’s a celebration of heavy metal tradition without being imprisoned by nostalgia. The riffs and memorable choruses don’t stop until the album does. Amazing vocal performance filled with emotion, desperation, and yes, POWER as the title promises. Song for song, this is my favorite album of the year. Song suggestion: “Power”
Oromet – Oromet
This is the debut from Oromet, a Sacramento doom band specializing in 10+ minute dirges. Rife with bittersweet melodies and crushing passages, it’s a lush and oppressively heavy album. It was originally released on tape with Transylvanian Recordings, one of my favorite underground labels. Funeral doom requires patience and close attention, and this album is well worth it. Song suggestion: “Familiar Spirits”
Scolopendra – VM18
Italian death metal dripping with throwback horror. This is another grimy underground gem from Caligari Records, perfect for fans of Mortuary Drape. Song suggestion: “The Five Stages of Putrefaction”
Triumpher – Storming the Walls
For metalheads that dismiss power metal as a goofy nostalgia trip, I introduce you to Triumpher. These Greek newcomers combine soaring vocals and melodies with a blackened element that grounds the album in the blood and mud of battle. I am a sucker for this combo of epic heavy metal and snarling aggression, and this is definitely a band to watch in the new year. Song suggestion: “The Thunderer”
Auralayer – Thousand Petals
South Carolina psychedelic sludge with a nod to grunge and stoner boogie rock. King Volume Records releases exceptional, vibrant albums that push at the boundaries of those adjacent genres. So if you want the 420 buzz of Fu Manchu and Torche plus the adventurous spirit of Mastodon, look no futher. Song suggestion: “Monstrum”
One of Nine – Eternal Sorcery
Melodic black metal that leans hard into an epic atmosphere befitting its Tolkien inspiration. If you love Dissection and prefer reading the Lord of the Rings over watching the extended Peter Jackson director cuts with commercials on cable, listen to this ASAP. Song suggestion: “Moonlit Sacrifice”
Deathchant – Thrones
The band isn’t listed on Encyclopedia Metallum, and that’s fine. Whether the songs are based more in rock or metal tradition means nothing when the songs are this damn good. Riding Easy Records released this record, so you know it has that heavy psych smoke. But picture Baroness with harmonized Thin Lizzy leads and you’re getting closer to what this party sounds like. Song suggestion: “Thrones”
Wyld Timez – Nefarious Instinct
Black thrash is one of my favorite genres, and Wyld Timez ride the same lawless Ohio highways as Midnight. Greasy and guitar-forward, the album succeeds on the strength of the songs, which are banger after banger. It’s a killer offering from Morbid and Miserable Records, who have been bringing Midwestern heaviness to new ears for the past 3 years. Song suggestion: “To the Gallows”
Valdrin – Throne of the Lunar Soul
Another album from Ohio artists, but from the opposite songwriting approach. Epic black metal that feels like a quest. Valdrin’s melodic approach to the genre creates numerous memorable moments along the journey. This album is well over an hour long, and you won’t regret surrendering to it. Song suggestion: “Vagrant in the Chamber of Night”
Sadistic Force – Midnight Assassin
UK label Mercenary Press has been bringing upper-crust metallic punk and black thrash to the underground with some great records the last few years. These texan speed freaks have released a bunch of slice-’em-up rippers the past few years, and Midnight Assassin is the nastiest one yet. This is a rabid and raging blast of blasphemy for fans of Hellripper, Venom, and early Sodom. Song suggestion: “Midnight Assassin”
