Kult-Zilla’s – Essential Dozen Metal Albums – 2024!

1. // Dödsrit – Nocturnal Will (Wolves Of Hades)

Nocturnal Will is the fourth release from the masters of melodic Black-Metal. Originally a purely studio based solo project from ex Totem Skin multi-instrumentalist Christopher Oster, the Swedish musician created two fine releases – Dödsrit (2017) and Spirit Crusher (2018) – which were both superbly crafted and captured the attention of the Black Metal scene. In 2018 Oster developed his project into a full band, bringing the Amsterdam based Wolves of Hades label boss and Destructo frontman Georgios Maxouris in to join him on vocals and guitar, as well as Destructo bassist Joelle Soolsma and drummer Brendan Duffy. The resulting release – Mortal Coil (2021) – was another record of the highest quality, matching the standards of the music that came before, while propelling Dödsrit into becoming a fully functioning live band.

Nocturnal Will picks right up where they left off and might just be Dödsrit’s finest release, as the songwriting combination of Oster and Maxouris has had time to gel and develop – both in the studio and on the stage. ‘Irjala’ kicks things off and sets a frenetic pace, as well as a ridiculously high standard from the get go. The song provides an intriguing blend of fast and hypnotic atmospheric Black Metal, with influences of classic Heavy Metal and even Punk within some of the riffing – a staple of the Dödsrit sound. This is emotionally charged music of the highest quality, a sound we had already come to expect from the two equally as impressive pre-release songs – ‘Nocturnal Fire’ and ‘Celestial Will.’ The album provides a mid-point break with the acoustic interlude of ‘Ember and Ash,’ and the slower paced instrumental ‘Utmed Gyllberhens Stig.’ Before bringing back the energy full throttle on ‘As Death Comes Reaping,’ a perfectly executed masterclass of the genre from Dödsrit. KZ

2. // Zeal & Ardor – Greif (Redacted Gmbh)

Masterminded by Swiss multi-instrumentalist and singer Manuel Gagneux – Zeal & Ardor have a unique style which blends elements of Post-Black Metal, with an alternative Delta-Blues kind of influence. And from their debut Stranger Fruit (2018) through to the release of their incredible self-titled album in 2022, this is a sound that Gagneux has honed to perfection. With Greif, for the first time the visionary musician has invited his touring band into the studio to record with him. And the result is a record which may just be their finest yet, as it develops their style and takes the music deep into new waters.

Opening with Gagneux’s instantly recognisable vocal tones on the intro of ‘the Bird, the Lion and the Wildkin,’ a rumbling and ominous bass tone drops before the incredibly catchy ‘Fend You Off’ takes a hold of your senses, in the best possible way. ‘Kilonova’ is incredibly funky and melts into the soft and chilled ‘are you only one now?’ – lulling you into a false sense of security before the song delivers a blackened blast of fury. Some of the tracks such as ‘Disease,’ ‘Thrill’ and ‘Sugarcoat’ provide a crossover Rock sound similair to QOTSA or The Black Keys. While others such as ‘Clawing Out,’ ‘Solace’ and ‘Hide in Shade’ provide intriguing experiments in darkness … a curious blend for sure! KZ

3. // Bipolar Architecture – Metaphysize (Pelagic)

Metaphysicize is the second LP from the Berlin based Bipolar Architecture, and follows debut Depressionland which dropped in 2022 – after they formed from the ashes of the Death-Metal band Heretic Soul. And this is one hell of a follow up, exquisitely produced with a tone that perfectly conveys their blend of Post-Metal with futuristic DJent poly-rhythms. The title track softly opens the release with an isolated guitar that slowly builds the tension. A tremelo lead provides a melodic Post-Metal style, before the song kicks in with the rasping vocals of singer / guitarist Sarp Keski – while the complex and intricate drumming of Fathi Kamil helps build the exquisite atmosphere. The music of Bipolar Architecture is heavy but full of melodic emotion, and ‘Dissilusioned’ comes across in an aggressive Tool style, mixed with Blackened Post-Metal.

‘Death of the Architect’ beautifully ebbs and flows – a powerful song with driving energy, featuring an emotional instrumental section. ‘Kaygi’ begins in a slow-burning Post-Rock style, softly meandering while guitar parts loop in a Russian Circles fashion – before building into a robotic and mechanical Meshuggah style. While ‘Alienated’ flys out of the traps hard and fast with full on abrasive aggression. ‘Immor(t)al’ begins with another beautifully composed melodic intro. Dark and melancholic, before coming on heavy in a DJent style and a pulsating bassline. And ‘Dysphoria’ completes a near perfect record, as the band throw everything they have into a mesmerising climax. KZ

4. // Chat Pile – Cool World (Flenser)

Hailing from Oklahoma City, Chat Pile formed in 2019 and released a couple of indie EPs before signing with Flenser Records. The label then put out their cover of Sepultura’s ‘Roots Bloody Roots’ as a single – prior to dropping their extraordinarily unique debut album God’s Country in 2022. The album showcased their varied and thoroughly quirky style, incorporating everything from Noise-Rock, Grunge, Hardcore and Sludge-Metal. Their track ‘Why’ stood out for its strong anti-homelessness message, delivered in a purely twisted and maniacal fashion – and Cool World arrives two years later, absolutely following suit while exploring the wholly individual Chat Pile style even further.

Ever wondered what it would sound like if Henry Rollins had sung on the first Korn record? Well opener ‘I Am Dog Now’ goes someway to answering that question with its unique flavour of down-tuned machine-funk. Eerie leads add a sinister element to the sound, which is evident again on both ‘Frownland’ and ‘Funny Man’ – with singer Raygun Busch showcasing a maniacal scatty style to his vocals. ‘Camcorder’ is one hell of a song with yet another deliciously clanking rhythm, while ‘The New World’ features a sumptuous pulsating bass line. ‘Masc’ opens with a Helmet-esq sludgy Grunge riff and ends up something like a psychotic version of Deftones, while ‘Milk Of Human Kindness’ has a lazy off-kilter vibe, with an oddly intoxicating repetitiveness. KZ

5. // Gaerea – Coma (Season Of Mist)

Gaerea are a Portuguese Black Metal band shrouded in mystery by way of their mask wearing members. They’ve made waves in the scene with a string of fine releases including their excellent third album Mirage (2022), while crafting a reputation as one of the finest current purveyors of European Post Black-Metal. With the release of their fourth album Coma, Gaerea remain firmly at the forefront of the scene by producing a record that features a plethora of new songs which sit among their finest. This is a great release, full of powerfully emotive music which sends chills down the spine of the listener.

‘The Poets Ballet’ opens the record with a classical guitar, serene synth, and chanting clean vocals – before the song drops with deep ferocity and earth-shattering power, managing to be both dark and uplifting. ‘Hope Shatters’ conveys equally intense emotion, fast and heavy with deep melodic undertones, while ‘Suspended’ is slower and doomy with a tasty melodic break. ‘Coma’ is dark and pounding from the off, with a twisting snake-like lead hook – while ‘Wilted Flower’ drops heavy with a sweeping riff. ‘Shapeshifter’ has a wonderfully eerie isolated guitar, joined by tortured sounding vocals – before typically exploding once again. ‘Kingdom Of Thorns’ finally closes things out, providing a fast, complex and deep climax to the record. KZ

6. // Hidden Mothers – Erosion / Avulsion (Church Road)

Hailing from Sheffield in the North of England – Hidden Mothers are a band with somewhat of a cult following by virtue of the fact that they have released very little music since their debut single ‘The Longest Journey Yet’ arrived in 2019. Yet in the post-pandemic era they have built up quite a reputation as a live band, consistently gigging throughout the UK while landing themselves a deal with Church Road Records for their debut LP Erosion / Avulsion. And with the record dropping at the end of November, it lands as one of the unexpectedly strong underground Metal releases of the year. The album opens heavy yet atmospheric on ‘Defanged,’ and it’s apparent from the get-go that Hidden Mothers are a band with many strings to their bow.

They contrast heavy rasping vocals over blackened Hardcore one minute, with clean singing over Grungy guitars the next. Both ‘Death Curl’ and ‘Still Sickness’ provide a dream-like, almost shoegazey atmosphere – which contrasts with blasts of aggression, perfectly blending the light with the dark. Their songs have a complexity in their arrangement, often progressive, as highlighted on ‘The Grey’ which perfectly ebbs and flows. While ‘Grandfather’ is stripped back with a sultry Bluesy vocal. Both ‘Violent Sun’ and ‘Haze’ provide a melodic darkness, with vocals that fans of Sleep Token will enjoy. But the heavy stuff is never too far away, as Hidden Mothers journey through a plethora of styles on what is a fine debut album. KZ

7. // Kollapse – AR (Fysisk Format)

Hailing from Denmark, this Sludge heavy Post-Metal three-piece released their debut album Sult on Fysisk Format in 2021 – and absolutely caught the attention of those in the know. And AR arrives with Kollapse in fine form, with the base of a solid reputation to build on. The record delivers from the opening bars of intro ‘R,’ where the vocals of guitarist Peter Clement Lund and bassist Thomas Martin Hansen duel with aggression over a distorted bass. First song proper ‘Autofagia’ opens with an atmospheric guitar lead, before the slow dirge of the bass-heavy rhythm section drops in alongside rasping vocals. There is an infectious stop-start rhythm at times, strong lead hooks, and a chugging section that can be best described as Post-Groove Metal.

The blend of Noise, Post-Hardcore and Sludge on ‘Død’ draws comparisons with the likes of Ken Mode, and it is a abundantly clear that this is a slower example of heavy music which is of the upmost quality. The longest track at 8 min 30 seconds is ‘Dekomposition’ – where the arrangement allows Kollapse to experiment with changes in pace, where they show a more hectic Converge – esq style at times. A comparison also prevalent on ‘Kokon’ where the guitars specifically have a strong Kurt Ballou edge to them. The album ends with the very cool Prog-Sludge of ‘Tramsformation’ – a strong finish to a very consistent record. Lyrically dealing with a myriad of issues dealt with by the human psyche, AR (translated as ‘Scars’) is an abrasive and dark yet thoroughly absorbing assault on the senses. KZ

8. Heriot – Devoured By The Mouth Of Hell (Century Media)

Heriot are a bastion of the contemporary Heavy-Extreme Metal scene in the UK. Rising to prominence in the post-Covid era by touring relentlessly, and maintaining a strong online presence with a succession of single releases – and with a memorable and unique visual style spread across their videos. Their rise up the festival bills has always been strongly supported by the UK’s Heavy Metal press, and Heriot released Profound Morality, a strong debut EP with vocalist / guitarist Deb Gough on Church Road Records in 2022. Century Media came calling, and another two years spent on the road with bands such as Rolo Tomassi, Architects and Zeal & Ardor, has seen them mature as a band as well as song-writers.

Devoured By The Mouth Of Hell is their first full length LP, and sounds absolutely fantastic with crystal clear production from ex-Architects guitarist and current Sylosis frontman Josh Middleton. With the sumptuous bass-tone of Jake Packer sounding especially sweet as the pulsating heartbeat of the band, alongside the drumming of Julian Gage. While there are some cool shreddy solos dotted throughout, with second guitarist Erhan Alman providing heavy duel guitars alongside Gough. Pre-release singles ‘Foul Void’ and ‘Siege Lord’ are both heavy as hell, with the opposing vocal styles of Gough and Packer trading blows throughout. But Heriot are certainly no one-trick-pony, as they contrast the extreme elements of their sound with passages of melodic atmosphere – where the serene clean singing of Gough often takes centre stage on songs including ‘Opaline’ and ‘Lashed.’ KZ

9. // Glassing – From The Other Side Of The Mirror (Pelagic)

Glassing are a band who have consistently blurred genres since their inception, releasing a succession of albums which have all been built around a core of blackened Post-Metal – but which have all then ventured off into all sorts of different musical territories. And with From The Other Side Of The Mirror, the Texas based trio continue their exploration of Metal, while further enhancing the experimentation within the dynamics of their own sound. The eclectic nature of their music makes Glassing one of those unique bands often thought of under the Post-Metal umbrella, who absolutely set themselves apart from the crowd. And this album only confirms the fact that they are a group of highly individual songwriters, as they deliver another impressive collection of songs that cohesively jump from one sound to another.

From the opening song ‘Anything You Want,’ Glassing deliver an intoxicating mash up of styles. The track starts with harsh blackened vocals over a mire of Doomy-Sludge, before giving way to an uplifting chorus with distinct Indie influences. ‘Nothing Touches You’ contrasts blasts of aggression with melodic surf-guitar style highs, to create an alternative and unique style of Black-gaze. While both ‘Defacer’ and ‘Nominal Will’ provide enjoyably frenetic cuts of blackened Post-Hardcore. Respite and reflection is provided by two mins of a droning bass on ‘Sallow,’ as well as with the serene soundscapes and tranquil synths of ‘The Kestrel Goes.’ With the latter slowly building to the albums climax of ‘Wake’ – and another infectious slice of Indie infused Black Metal. KZ

10. // Spectral Wound – Songs Of Blood And Mire (Profound Lore)

Spectral Wound rose from the Black Metal scene in Montreal, Québec – to establish themselves as one of the premier genre bands in the Canadian / North American scene. In particular their 2021 release A Diabolical Thirst stood out as one of the best Black Metal releases in recent years. They’ve always purveyed a dark, frenetic and thoroughly Old-School style of the art, with a high quality of music that has firmly established their reputation. And it’s safe to say that ‘Songs of Blood and Mire’ delivers more of the same quality across seven new intoxicating songs.

‘Fevers and Suffering’ opens with a Speed-Punk infused rhythm. The vocals are piercing and venomous, yet sit perfectly in the mix – never over-powering the music. ‘At Wine-Dark Midnight in the Mouldering Halls’ opens with an infectious tremelo riff, dark and deadly in its execution. It then drops the pace momentarily, with the arrangement and style drawing comparisons with recent releases from the likes of Dödsrit and Downfall of Gaia. ‘Aristocratic Sucidal Black Metal’ is as Old-School sounding as it gets, and a little Black N Roll in places. The riffs are intensely dark throughout, yet the rhythm is often uplifting – as showcased on ‘A Coin Upon the Tongue,’ and the epic closer ‘Twelve Moons In Hell.’ KZ

11. // DVNE – Voidkind (Metal Blade Records)

Hailing from Edinburgh, Scotland – DVNE named themselves after Frank Herbert’s legendary Sci-fi opus back in 2013, and have slowly built themselves a fine reputation over the proceeding decade. With their music very much moulded by the concept and mythology highlighted by their name, and the Sci-fi / fantasy influences that fuel their songwriting. DVNE released their debut record Ashen in 2017, and subsequently found themselves touring with the likes of Eyehategod and Elder. Their second album Etemen Ænka (their first for Metal Blade Records) arrived in 2021, and would further enhance their reputation as tours with High On Fire and Bossk followed – along with festival slots at the likes of Hellfest, Arctangent and Damnation.

‘Summa Blasphemia’ opens Voidkind with an infectious rhythmic groove. Heavy vocals then give way to a strong clean vocal hook in the chorus. This is powerful, emotive, progressive music – which perfectly encapsulates what follows on the rest of the record. ‘Eleonora’ invokes an Old-School Mastodon feel with a succession of intricate guitar hooks, while ‘Reaching For Telos’ has a huge chorus which will sound absolutely amazing live. There is an impressive complexity in their songwriting as highlighted on ‘Reliquary,’ which again conveys heavy Mastodon vibes – and on the epic ‘Abode Of The Perfect Soul’ with its delicious rolling riff, and a Maynard James Keenan esq clean vocal segment. ‘Pleroma’ also provides soaring clean vox, while album closer ‘Cobalt Sun Necropolis’ drops like a rollercoaster, before weaving its way through to an stunning conclusion. KZ

12. // Jerry Cantrell – I Want Blood (Virgin Records)

Jerry Cantrell is an extraordinary artist who’s legendary career has spanned over 30 years, and with I Want Blood he shows us that his skills as a master song-writer are nowhere near diminishing. As the guitarist and one of the singers of Alice In Chains, he found immediate success when the song ‘Man In The Box’ from their debut album Facelift (1990) became an MTV hit. But rather than courting commercial success, Cantrell and singer Layne Staley would next release one of the darkest records in Alternative-Rock – Dirt (1992) – and success would come anyway. Cantrell would somewhat reluctantly become a solo artist with the release of Boggy Depot in 1998, when he realised the songs he was writing were unlikely to see the light of day on a new AIC record. Then following the tragic death of Staley, he would release the mournful Degredation Trip in 2002.

Over the last couple of decades Cantrell has mainly been focusing on his resurrected version of AIC, with singer / guitarist William DuVall replacing Layne Staley. But in recent years has managed to find time to release his third solo album – the Bluesy / Southern Rock influenced Brighten (2021), before returning to his darker sensibilities with this years I Want Blood. And from the opening bars of ‘Villified,’ it is apparent that this is a reflective musician, looking back at the heavier Alternative-Metal provided on Dirt, and in moments on Alice In Chains (1996). His riff writing is as cool as ever, as shown on the likes of ‘Off The Rails’ and the Black Sabbath drenched ‘Let It Lie.’ While vocally, his voice soars wonderfully – as it always has done throughout the finest moments of his back catalogue. KZ

Words by Abstrakt_Soul

Kult-Zilla’s Essential 20 Metal Records 2023