August came and went, and left us with some top tunes to enjoy. Here are a selection of those that I’ve particularly liked…

We’ll start with Speciation by Faceless Burial; their brand of Morbid Angel/Immolation-flavoured old-school death metal was very well-received last month, and for good reason. Full of thick riffs and macabre atmosphere, Speciation delivers the goods.

Uinuos Syömein Sota by Havukruunu is a special record. The band’s brand of melodically-charged blackened heavy metal is so well-written and well-crafted that it just begs to be played over and over again. And you should, because it’s that good.

Nuklearth by Cytotoxin is precisely the sort of high quality modern death metal that gets the blood pumping around these parts. It’s a greatly enjoyable collection of songs, and really hits the spot when you want some well-considered brutality.

The colossal riff-fest that is Breach Us by Hymn is another album that is hard to stop listening to. The four slabs of mighty heaviness that make up this album each have their own depths and quirks, and make for a very moreish and rewarding listen.

Finally, I give you Spring in Blue by Svnth. This is over an hour of post-black metal that combines atmosphere, resplendent melody, and emotive aggression. Highly engaging, these songs are lengthy exemplars of how to write this sort of hybrid blackened music.