Monthly Overview – the Best of April 2019

Well, there were so many high quality albums that came out in April it was quite impressive. I had a shortlist of 20 that I wanted to highlight, but decided that 20 was a bit too excessive. So, after great pained deliberation, I give you the ten below…

We’ll start with Lord Dying‘s multifaceted rebirth as masters of progressive sludge metal with Mysterium Tremendum. The band have changed, and definitely for the better. This is a rich and textured journey across a landscape of death, as the band explore all things ending.

UK doom band Blind Monarch unveiled What Is Imposed Must Be Endured in April, and what a crushing piece of work it is. Combining horror and beauty, (with a preference for the former), this is cruel and nasty doom that demoralises and destroys over four lengthy tracks.

April saw the return of underground Swiss post-black metallers Forlet Sires, and Holy lived up to my expectations. Amalgamating black, doom, and post-metal into huge slabs of serrated darkness, Holy is a release to turn to when you want something almost totally devoid of light.

Heaven That Dwells Within, the latest album from black metallers Wormwitch, is a release that I’ve particularly enjoyed. With memorable songs and melodic appeal, it’s easy to get on board with what this band offer, and Heaven That Dwells Within is a really satisfying listen.

If richly portrayed and well-textured blackened doom is your thing, then Dead to a Dying World‘s Elegy should be right up your street. This album showcases a strong new development in the band’s history, and this atmospheric work is highly engaging and layered.

Waldgeflüster‘s Mondscheinsonaten is a monster of atmospheric folk-infused black metal. Vibrant and characterful, but with an emotive atmosphere and tasteful folk influences, Mondscheinsonaten is a captivating collection of songs.

Mord’A’Stigmata are one of black metal’s dark delights, and over the years they have been crafting themselves into quite the underground presence. Dreams of Quiet Places is their latest opus, and what a stunner it is. Atypical and filled with dark personality, this is an essential listen as far as I’m concerned.

April gave us Inter Arma‘s latest, darkest masterpiece Sulphur English. These post-metal titans are increasingly hard to define as a style, but as there’s also a corresponding development in quality and depth of the music, that’s no bad thing at all.

Hath’s progressive blackened death metal colossal Of Rot and Ruin is sure to turn some heads, and rightfully so. Emotive and atmospheric, while also being face-meltingly brutal, Hath have produced a record that definitely firmly catches the listener’s attention. Wonderful.

We’ll end April’s roundup with A Passage for Lost Years by Varaha. This is an atmospheric metal album that’s wreathed in engrossing mood and depth of feeling. This is an album that’s worth exploring at length, and with your full attention.