Let’s take a quick tour of some of July’s best metal releases, shall we?
We’ll start with the visceral death metal assault of Diabolizer’s Khalkedonian Death. An utterly brutal slab of unrelenting death metal fury, this is an uncompromising display of death metal mastery from a band who clearly know their stuff. Diabolizer’s debut album is the stuff of brutally devastating dreams.
Hädanfärd by Night Crowned hit me harder than I expected it to. An exemplar of death-tinged second wave black metal, Hädanfärd reminded me strongly of the 90s, while also making me appreciate what the style has to offer in 2021. For song-based grandiose melodic aggression, look no further than this.
Doubtsower’s Asphyxiation of a Seasick Soul crawled straight out of the dismal doom metal underworld and straight into my heart. This is a superlative album that only grows stronger the more you listen to it and absorb its dark, atmospheric message. This is richly bleak in the best of ways, I’m really happy that I’ve discovered such a filthy gem.
If progressive rock is your thing, then July supplied us with an absolute corker. Moon Machine’s self titled debut album is filled to the brim with great songs, all of which positively scream talent and quality. Moon Machine packs an emotive punch and is full of catchy depth, so make sure you give this one a thorough listening to.
We’ll end with the sophisticated darkness of King Woman’s Celestial Blues. The band’s atypical take on atmospheric doom metal and doomgaze is infectious and absorbing. The songs have a hypnotic, unreal quality to them, and the album’s rich multifaceted delivery is a wonderful thing to experience. King Woman have created something special here.
Wonderbox Metal 