The Best Heavy Metal from 2023 Q3
With year-end lists on the horizon (somehow), it felt like a good time to get a pulse on what was good in the last few months. As we did earlier in the year for Q1, we asked our writers to give us five albums released specifically in the last quarter, or in this case July 1st through September 30th.
Below, you'll find a list of the albums that came up across multiple writers' lists, as well as some highlighted favorites from our crew.
Keep scrolling and see if you missed anything from the last quarter.
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Tomb Mold - The Enduring Spirit
September 15th (Prosthetic Records)
The Enduring Spirit is a bold step forward from the Canadian death metal group. Dreamlike progressive elements play a big role here, but so does riff-packed death metal. It’s a strange combination, but a fun one.
-Ted Nubel, Upcoming Metal Releases 9/15/2023
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Agriculture - Agriculture
July 21st (The Flenser)
Agriculture break a lot of black metal’s perceived boundaries on this album, ditching misanthropic trappings for their self-described ‘ecstatic’ black metal sound and re-imagining how the key parts of the genre can fit together. Lap steel, violin, and saxophone all play a part in this, though they’re skillfully applied as interesting embellishments, not stand-alone gimmicks. Altogether, Agriculture has created something that genuinely does feel new, and that’s incredibly rare. Read Luke Jackson’s excellent interview to learn more about the album.
-Ted Nubel, Upcoming Metal Releases 7/21/2023
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Blut Aus Nord - Disharmonium - Nahab
August 25th (Debemur Morti Productions)
The mystique of Blut Aus Nord extends to more than their music as the French band take on new aspects with each release. Treading the very edges of the abyss, BaN (led by Vindsval), either veer towards horror or enlightenment and the second instalment of Disharmonium tends towards the former. Taking Lovecraft as the base and encompassing all that Blut Aus Nord have done before, Disharmonium – Nahab is a distressing and manic voyage into the greatest unknowns. Black metal horror and it’s most terrifying.
–Cheryl Carter, Upcoming Metal Releases 8/23/2023
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Hexvessel - Polar Veil
September 22nd (Svart Records)
From Luke Jackson's interview with Hexvessel:
The band makes change look easy, pulsing through folk, psych rock and Americana like an author adding chapters to a novel.
With their new album Polar Veil, McNerney retreats deep into the Finnish landscape he calls home, summoning a blizzard of black metal texture to serve as a foundation for the band’s odes to place and belonging.
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Urfaust - Untergang
August 18th (Ván Records)
Droning and hallucinatory at points and fiercely invasive at others, Untergang is a fantastic capstone to the bizarre Dutch band's career. "Bands that sound like Urfaust" has always basically been a trick question, and that's true again here: maybe one of their million facets could be found elsewhere, but never in the same place.
-Ted Nubel
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Colony Drop - Brace for Impact
August 25th (Nameless Grave Records)
From Tom Campagna's interview with Colony Drop:
Schafer’s vocals can at times remind you of GWAR’s Sexecutioner, which he himself refers to as his 'anime villain voice.' It adds another layer of complexity to the songs that are in your face and well curated with an attention to detail that is tough to compare against. Guitarists Ben Burton and Ryan Moon channel the very best to ever do twin leads, Ari Rosenschein’s bass and Eric Harris's d-beats, “Tank Beats”, and more keep things chaotic yet stable.
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Moonlight Sorcery - Horned Lord of the Thorned Castle
September 29th (Avantgarde Music)
Energetic and driving, Moonlight Sorcery leans heavily into the ‘melodic’ side of power metal, combining orchestral pads and wild solos into something glorious.
-Ted Nubel, Upcoming Metal Releases 9/27/2023
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The Zenith Passage - Datalysium
July 1st (Metal Blade)
For fans of: synth-laced technical death metal, mechanical perfection, and terrifying feats of rhythmic intensity.
-Ted Nubel
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Ushangvagush - Pestmo'qon
September 22nd (Vigor Deconstruct)
From Jon Rosenthal's premiere:
Across its length, Ushangvagush blasts and melts into many different forms, but what makes this particular album so special is that it doesn't feel as long as it actually is. Remaining exciting and interesting across its 45 minute stay, Pestmo'qon is a refreshing new entry into the ever-changing US black metal landscape.
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Sacred Outcry - Towers of Gold
May 19th (No Remorse)
Grecian heavy/power metal that ventures into epic territory. The killer vocals are a standout feature, but so is the sense of grand adventure that runs throughout the record.
-Ted Nubel
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The Night Eternal - Fatale
July 14th (Ván Records)
Gothic-tinged, yet invariably heavy metal at its core, Fatale is a joyful descent into luxurious darkness. Come for the over-the-top trappings, stay for the powerful songwriting and killer chops.
-Ted Nubel, Upcoming Metal Releases 7/21/2023
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Filth is Eternal - Find Out
September 29th (MNRK Heavy)
This album is a triumph and somehow manages to both be one of the catchiest and heaviest albums of the year and also the most heartfelt. Every song is a banger and also memorable, and we can't wait to hear what's next for Filth is Eternal.
-Addison Herron-Wheeler
[Read Tom Campagna's interview with Filth Eternal here]
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