Hello! Welcome to my favorite iteration of Editors' Picks because it means the Summer is almost over! Cursed Summer! Be gone! It's not just the heat, it's also the double-edged sword of the sheer amount of releases that get released during these months. Don't get me wrong, I don't want there to be less releases of course but there is a curse inside the blessing which is the constant stream of new things to pay attention to. Soon, the year will die down and releases will slow a bit (though never disappear, remember) and I will be complaining about that. But, for now, it's nice to feel more on top of things, especially as great releases are waiting at every corner, as the column below will show you.
-Eden Kupermintz
Mountaineer - Dawn and All That Follows (shoegaze/dream-pop)
I am not the blog’s biggest fan of shoegaze but that’s probably more because of my lack of familiarity with the genre. Everything else is there: I love melancholic music, I love guitar effects, and I have the patience for genres that can be very ambient and build up based. And so, I find myself falling in love with at least an album or two from the genre each year and this year’s first release is Mountaineer’s Dawn and All That Follows. It probably helps that the band are both post-rock and doom adjacent, with big, delayed guitar effects and equally big and heavy riffs. Mix all of that together and you get a very atmospheric and very emotional release, perfect for long walks, drives, and/or gazing into the horizon. However, at the core of this release is also something that sets it apart from many other albums in the genre: great vocals.
Now, don’t get me wrong - it’s not that there are no good shoegaze albums with great vocals. It’s just that the genre is not very well known for its effective vocalists or, at least, I don’t find myself being wowed by them. But Dawn and All That Follows has excellent vocals, laden with just enough emotion to drive home the atmosphere of each track without surrendering themselves entirely over to “just” musical tonality. Instead, they also have a lot of power and impact in their own right. “Cradlesong” which opens the album might be the best example, where the vocals take center stage from the very first moments of the album and do a great job of arraying the album’s range before us. However, “You Will Always Be One of Us”, the album’s sixth track, is my favorite deployment of vocals on the release. There’s something so moving about their combo with the track’s main riffs, a shining light that cuts through the melancholy and arrests the listener, even so far into the album’s runtime.
There’s plenty else to love about Dawn and All That Follows, don’t get me wrong; the riffs are really well written, the track structures are just long enough to really sink into but short enough to not overstay their welcome, and the heaviness created by the drums and the crashing guitars is very pleasing. But, for me at least, the vocals stood out as something truly unique, which transformed this album into something to really pay attention to and savor. All in all, if you are, like me, more a fan of the genres surrounding shoegaze rather than shoegaze itself, this album has a lot to offer you. Especially if you pause and really pay attention to the vocals and all they do. There are even some screams in there for you.
-EK
Defacement - Duality (Dissonant / blackened death metal)
Netherland’s Defacement are perhaps one of the best most slept on bands in death metal right now. The enigmatic outfit have been steadily growing a following since 2019 catering to the progressive and avant garde extreme underground through releases with boutique labels I, Voidhanger and War From A Harlots Mouth / Nightmarer guitarist Simon Hawemann’s Total Dissonance Worship, quickly cementing their place as a highly consistent and forward thinking band in an already fast growing and crowded field of dissodeath. It’s hard as it is to stand out amongst the chaos, especially when the defining characteristic of this specific niche is noise. Murk chords borrowed from Gorguts and Deathspell Omega set to a flurry of reckless percussion and incomprehensible growling are the name of the game and a dime a dozen at this point, but the bands that truly stand out - like Defacement - continue to push the envelope beyond the admittedly shallow aesthetics to keep things interesting.
On their third LP Duality, the group toy with atmosphere to much greater effect, taking times between songs to not just provide mere transition tracks for the sake of filler, but to expand the Defacement soundscape and establish the atmosphere of Duality. Introduction track “Optic” takes darting industrial synths and seemingly projects them from the back of a cavern, with alternating tracks to follow throughout the record playing with sound design and melodic ideas in a film score mentality that frames the “real” death metal tracks here with sincerity, intention, and context for mood. The trading-off of ambient synthesizers and distorted, pulsating beats with truly caustic extreme metal seems more than an afterthought here, especially when they’re done so well and evoke such a consistent atmosphere together.
The “main event” of Duality however is obviously the absolutely punishing triumph of blackened death metal. “Burden” is deceptively melodic for a dissodeath record, and utilizes some uncharacteristically soaring guitar leads for the band, bringing to mind the fusion-inspired atmospheric grandiosity of Fallujah. “Barrier” however is one of the most thrillingly brutal songs I can recall all year and is such a blueprint for dissodeath in 2024. The grand finale, the 16-minute title track, showcases the band at their absolute best, leaning in on their black metal influences in savoring the epic track length, with wailing atmospheric guitars and flurries of blasts blurring into soundscapes of their own. One would anticipate a reprieve in such a track, perhaps some incorporation at the synth work that was hinted at across the album a la Blood Incantation, but the track is wall to wall blackened dissodeath in its various forms and shapes, with a glorious crescendo paying off at the end and capping the album in a high note.
Duality is equal parts majesty and depravity, and could be a sleeper hit in 2024’s already stunning death metal climate that should be put in the rotation if you’re already wearing out the grooves on those new Ulcerate and Wormed records.
-Jimmy Rowe
State Faults - Children of the Moon (post-hardcore/screamo)
I wouldn’t consider myself a deeply qualified person to review a State Faults record. Post-hardcore, outside of an abiding love of Touché Amoré and La Dispute, is not a genre that I’ve ever strongly connected with. I’ve only heard one State Fault record previous to this year’s remarkable Children of the Moon, that being 2019’s Clairvoyant, which I honestly don’t remember very well. So why am I reviewing this record at all? Because I firmly believe you don’t need to be an expert in a particular style of music to see its value and/or be greatly moved by it. Children of the Moon made both of the above a reality for me over the past few weeks, and I’m utterly smitten by this record. It is one of the best releases in any genre I’ve heard this year, and an absolute standout in the worlds of post-hardcore and screamo.
Given my general newness to State Faults, I don’t have much to offer in the realm of historical perspective regarding Children of the Moon’s place in the band’s discography. But what I can tell you is that this record truly enraptured me from its opening moments. Blending the emotional tone of American Football with the ebullient energy of The Story So Far and bouts of hardcore harshness akin to Loma Prieta, State Faults contains multitudes, all of which is clearly on display in Children of the Moon. After an unusually stirring sample-heavy intro track that feels anything but tacked on, “Blood Moon” kicks off the record proper on the highest of notes, flush with beautiful melody and explosive energy. The performances on this track are indicative of the quality of the rest of the record, with each individual musician bringing nuance, power, and unexpected subtlety to their instrument of choice. It’s a beautiful medley of sounds that feels hard won. Not every band sounds this connected, and it’s truly special to hear.
These excellent performances are never once wasted on subpar songwriting, either. From a genre-specific perspective, Children of the Moon contains some truly remarkable songcraft, with each track fitting into the grand scheme of things while feeling simultaneously like its own small world, replete with enough emotion and technical skill to fill entire lesser records. State Faults have honed their craft to a fine point, needling listeners like a group of quality acupuncturists, placing each glorious riff and unbridled scream in just the right place to create some kind of relief. The one-two punch of “Palo Santo” and “Leviathan” is a truly remarkable stretch of music that highlights State Faults’ supreme talents as songwriters and musicians, ebbing and flowing in a manner that is as easy to get utterly lost in as any music I’ve heard this year.
It’s hard to fully describe how strongly Children of the Moon has pulled on my heartstrings. It’s an effusive, sometimes understated, often bombastic, never less than excellent collection of tracks that has me utterly and completely transfixed. To the point that I’m lining up post-hardcore records to listen to in order to reacquaint myself with the broader genre. I’m going to start by listening to the rest of State Faults’ discography. If it’s anything close to this, I might not be able to extricate myself from it. A truly special and impactful record that will absolutely make an appearance on my year-end list.
-Jonathan Adams
Wormed - Omegon (brutal technical death metal)
The sci-fi saga that is the Wormed discography was extended by another chapter with Omegon, the Spanish band’s first album in five years. Ever worth the wait, the next installment in the epic of Krighsu delivers the futuristic slams that have become the signature of Wormed since their emergence in 1999.
Omegon picks up exactly where Metaportal left off with a futuristic interpretation of slam and brutal death metal that filters raw aggression through a cybernetic dystopia. Each song is dense enough to form its own gravitational force, yet each note hits with devastating precision. The miasma is almost thick enough to form an atmosphere, but far too intense to fully qualify. Pristine riffs and grooves emerge from the storm, punctuating Krighsu’s journey as he battles cosmic forces at the edges of reality. Like our hero’s surreal surroundings, the production on Omegon is so sharp that it reveals each bludgeoning breakdown, guttural roar, and swirling riff in blinding detail.
Technical and even progressive flourishes are seamlessly merged with unrelenting aggression, forming an onslaught that distills brutal death metal into its purest, most textural form. There’s no way to fully process Omegon, one simply has to feel each inhuman moment for what it is: a reality-warping adventure from the farthest reaches of the universe.
-Bridget Hughes
Further Listening
Scarcity - The Promise of Rain (avant garde black metal)
One reliable measure of an incredible metal act is that it’s fronted by Doug Moore of Pyrrhon, Weeping Sores, Glorious Depravity, and Seputus fame. Instead of the usual weirdo death metal he’s known for, in Scarcity, he’s providing the shrieks and howls in some of the most unsettling black metal you’re liable to hear this year. Expect guitars howling like fire alarms, raucous noise rock grooves, and apocalyptic doom. Honestly, it’s kinda like your favorite Liturgy album without all the horns or religious baggage, so that’s nice!
-JR
Orange Goblin - Science, Not Fiction (stoner/heavy metal)
Orange Goblin have been making incredible stoner/doom/heavy metal for nearly 30 years, and it’s absolutely wild how little their verve has diminished over time. To be frank, if Science, Not Fiction is any indication, one could argue that their talents have only expanded over time. One of the most alive and thoroughly balanced records of their career, this feels like the kind of creative shot across the bow that revives careers. Which is impressive, given that Orange Goblin never needed that kind of shot in the arm to begin with. They just did it anyway. Because that’s who they are. Fun af and a highlight for the genre in 2024.
-JA
Circle Of Sighs – URSUS (weird/brutal prog-death)
What can I even say about these guys at this point? You never really know where they’ll go next, from psychedelic rock, through weird avantgarde, and all the way to pop and death metal. This one is the latter - incredibly aggressive and high octane brutal death metal which tells the story of a bear that ingests ayahuasca and melds consciousness with a trans-dimensional being. Yep.
-EK
Shun – Dismantle (post alt-rock)
I should probably say that “I don’t like grunge” at this point, since I seem to listen to a lot of it. Or, at least, grunge inflected post-rock, which is what Dismantle is. If you want melancholic and atmospheric post-rock accompanied by some excellent, smoke-drenched grunge vocals, this is the album for you.
-EK
Grotesque Desecration - Dawn of Abomination (slamming brutal death metal)
Inherited Suffering Records strikes again with a relentless slab of sci-fi slams fresh from the underground. Grotesque Desecration’s full-length debut is downtuned devastation punctuated by neck-breaking slams and inhuman vocals. Add in guest appearances by Cranial Bifurcation, Cepharea, and Insect Inside (your favorite slam band’s favorite slam band), and you have a feast of meaty slamming death metal that’s guaranteed to please.
-BH
COLDCELL – AGE OF UNREASON (DOOMY BLACK METAL)
DEATH RACER – FROM GRAVEL TO GRAVE (BLACK THRASH)
IRESS – SLEEP NOW, IN REVERSE (DOOMGAZE)
JUGULATOR – IMPERATOR INSECTOR (PROGRESSIVE/TECH-DEATH THRASH)
KAONASHI – A SECOND CHANCE AT FOREVER: THE BRILLIANT LIES FROM CASEY DIAMOND (POGRESSIVE POST-HARDCORE)
RESPIRE – HIRAETH (POST-BLACKENED HARDCORE)
SUMMONING THE LICH – UNDER THE REVILED THRONE (PROGGISH DEATH METAL/CORE)
WORMWITCH – WORMWITCH (BLACK METAL)
WRAITHFYRE – OF FELL PEAKS AND HAUNTED CHASMS (SYMPHONIC BLACK METAL)
CEREMONY OF SILENCE – HALIOS (BLACKENED DEATH METAL)
CONGLACIATION – CONGLACIATION (BRUTAL PROG-DEATH)
OCCULTA VERITAS – IRREDUCIBLE FEAR OF THE SUBLIME (WEIRDISH POST-BLACK)
DISKORD/ATVM – BIPOLARITIES SPLIT (WEIRD/BRUTAL PROG-DEATH)
LORD BUFFALO – HOLUS BOLUS (DARK FOLK, POST-DOOM)
MITHRANDIR – LATLAÚS (BLACK METAL)
VANESSA FUNKE – VOID (PROGRESSIVE/GOTHIC BLACK METAL, BLACKGAZE)
BIG SUN – RITE DE PASSAGE (INDUSTRIALISED OCCULT/DISCO-METAL)
DUEL – BREAKFAST WITH DEATH (STONER THRASH)
KRALLICE – INORGANIC RITES (WEIRD DOOMY BLACK METAL)
LIMINAL SHROUD – VISIONS OF COLLAPSE (PROGRESSIVE POST-BLACK/DEATH)
MALCONFORT – HUMANISM (WEIRD BLACK/GOTH METAL)
PIAH MATER – UNDER THE SHADOW OF A FOREIGN SUN (PROGRESSIVE DEATH METAL)