30. PAYSAGE D’HIVER, “Im Wald” (Kunsthall Produktionen): Swiss black metal project Paysage D’Hiver has been in existence since 1997, but 2020 finally brought us the band’s first full-length “Im Wald,” a 13-track, TWO-HOUR display of wintry, noise-scuffed black metal that really is quite the handful. Yes, taking on this entire record at once isn’t a wise choice based on the sheer girth of this thing, but however you take it on, you’ll find wondrous, nightmarish, freezing black metal that sole creator Wintherr has been dreaming about for years. (Jan. 25)

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/PaysagedHiver.Official/

To buy the album, go here: https://en.kunsthall.spkr.media/

For more on the label, go here: https://kunsthall.ch/

29. DRAINBOW, “The Tower of Flints” (self-released): Nicholas Sarcophagus, why are you trying to destroy us? “The Tower of Flints,” his debut record under the Drainbow moniker, isn’t just one of the most batshit insane metal records of 2020, it’s one of craziest things I ever heard. And it’s a wonder to behold and experience, which you’ll likely do with cocked head the whole time, as tracks including “Funeral for an Imaginary Rabbit,” “The Death Owl in the Tower of Flints,” and “Callipygian Hunger” callously poke you in the eyes and insult your panic attack. (July 7)

For more on the band or to buy the album, go here: https://drainbow1.bandcamp.com/

28. ORANSSI PAZUZU, “Mestarin Kynsi” (Nuclear Blast): Finnish wonders Oranssi Pazuzu brought some maniacal psychedelic trauma into our world with their fifth album “Mestarin Kynsi,” their first for giant Nuclear Blast. Yet, the new, larger label didn’t impact their creativity or Krautrock-fueled weirdness as they continue to push into alien terrain on this six-track, 50-minute record that further solidifies this band as one of the most imaginative and entrancing in all of metal. Oh, and when you can again, see them live and be blow away. (April 17)

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/oranssipazuzuband/

To buy the album, go here: https://shop.nuclearblast.com/en/shop/index.html

For more on the label, go here: https://www.nuclearblast.com/en/label/

27. ULTHAR, “Providence” (20 Buck Spin): These Bay Area brawlers upped the ante on their second album “Providence,” an eight-track, 37-minute piledriver of a display that never relents. The band piles layers of vicious, pointed destruction that digs inside your nerves and chews them up so you can feel the same horrors that punish every corner of the world in which this record inhabits on tracks such as “Undying Spear,” the tumultuous title track, and “Narcissus Drowning.” Just a killer record.  (June 12)

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/Ulthar-386850314846106/

To buy the album, go here: https://www.20buckspin.com/collections/ulthar

For more on the label, go here: https://www.20buckspin.com/

26. FORMER WORLDS, “Iterations of Time” (Init): Former Worlds make music that you can get inside of psychologically and take the emotional journey along with the band, as their great debut “Iterations of Time” will make clear right away. Combining vocals from Erin Severson and a session vocalist brought in for the vocal tradeoff, the band creates music that can align with your blood cells and grow in light and dark such “Spectre,” “Variations on a Cave,” and epic closer “Widow Moon” that’s treated with their brand of sludgy doom.  (Jan. 31)

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/formerworldsband/

To buy the album, go here: http://initrecords.corecommerce.com/

For more on the label, go here: http://www.initrecords.net/

25. CANIS DIRUS, “Independence to the Beast” (Bindrune Recordings): Minnesota black metal duo Canis Dirus hadn’t released a new album in eight long years, but “Independence to the Beast” ended that string, and the world is better for it. This six-track crusher feels explosive and raw at the same time, a new blast of fury from two guys (vocalist Rob Hames, multi-instrumentalist Todd Paulson) who take their time and craft their work to their own specifications. This is forestal black metal designed to bring out the wolf that lives within you. (March 6)

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/CanisDirusOfficial/

To buy the album, go here: https://shop.bindrunerecordings.com/

For more on the label, go here: https://bindrunerecordings.com/

24. WAR ON WOMEN, “Wonderful Hell” (Bridge 9): Punk/metal firebreathers War on Women have been battling against injustice, sexism, and abuse for years, and they keep bringing that fight on “Wonderful Hell,” their best record so far. As much as this album revels in the hell the Trump admin created, it also infuses the music with hope and a stuff kick in the ass to keep working and never forget what dragged us here so we can ensure it never happens again, with a blistering vocal performance delivered by the great Shawna Potter. Highlights are opener “Aqua Tofana” “This Stolen Land,” justified punch back “Her?” and dark closer “Demon.” (Oct. 30)

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/WarOnWomen/

To buy the album, go here: http://www.b9store.com/

For more on the label, go here: http://www.bridge9.com/

23. EYE OF NIX, “Ligeia” (Prophecy Productions): “Ligeia,” the third full-length from mind-warping progressive metal machine Eye of Nix, is almost like standing in the eye of the storm, trying to figure out which way you’ll be forced. Named after one of the sirens in Greek mythology that lured sailors to their demise, the record has its moments of dark seduction that pull you into devastating waves. Joy Von Spain is spellbinding as always going from beastly to angelic, and the stirring progressive doom the band creates just keeps getting more immersive and wondrous. This is ideal music to take on when you’re in the midst of heavy storming. (June 19)

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/EYEOFNIX/

To buy the album, go here: https://prophecy.lnk.to/eye-of-nix-ligeia

For more on the label, go here: https://en.prophecy.de/

22. AARA, “En Ergô Einia” (Debemur Morti): The first thing that really struck me about Swiss black metal duo Aara’s second record is the total wave of melodies that lap up and practically pull you under. “En Ergô Einia” delivers five tracks in about 33 minutes and adds a sense of effusive power into what’s otherwise a sub-genre that revels in utter negativity. Vocalist Fluss and multi-instrumentalist Berg soar on imaginative, crushing tracks such as “Arkanum,” “Stein Auf Stein,” and bursting closer “Telôs,” which brings to an end a record that won’t let you drown in the shadows. (April 3)

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/Aara-941630312665011/

To buy the album (North America), go here: https://debemurmorti.aisamerch.com/

Or here (Europe): https://www.debemur-morti.com/en/12-eshop

For more on the label, go here: https://www.debemur-morti.com/

21. FEMINAZGUL, “No Dawn for Men” (self-released): The incel babies have had a real fit with this record, which we absolutely fucking love, because anything that upsets those weaklings pleases us. But “No Dawn for Men” also packs passionate, destructive moments as trio of lead vocalist Laura Beach, multi-instrumentalist Margaret Killjoy, and violinist/theremin player/vocalist Meredith Yayanos packs savagery, sorrow, and ridiculous amounts of melody into their ashy black metal that refused to let a virus prevent its entry into the world. We just love “Illa, Mother of Death,” “Bury the Antler With the Stag” and “Forgiver, I Am Not Yours,” though every track kills. (March 17)

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/FeminazgulBand/

To buy the album, go here: https://feminazgul.bandcamp.com/album/no-dawn-for-men

Or here (vinyl): https://tridroid.bandcamp.com/

For more on the label, go here: https://www.facebook.com/tridroidrecords

40. SKELETAL REMAINS, “The Entombment of Chaos” (Century Media): California death metal squad made their full Century Media debut with “The Entombment of Chaos,” a skull splitter of a record that is the most cohesive of the band’s four albums. Everything on here screams true death as they pound out 11 tracks in 48 minutes, one of those an Disincarnate cover. They rip through “Illusive Divinity,” “Tombs of Chaos,” “Enshrined in Agony,” and “Eternal Hatred” on this complete monster of a record that effectively cracks skulls. (Sept. 11)

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/SkeletalRemainsDeathMetal

To buy the album, go here: http://www.cmdistro.com/

or more on the label, go here: https://www.centurymedia.com/

39. LOTUS THIEF, “Oresteia” (Prophecy Productions): This year has been so long and bizarre that it feels like Lotus Thief’s wondrous “Oresteia” came out five years ago rather than one. That said, the Bezaelith-led band added more male vocals to their mix, bringing multiple perspectives to this progressive and spellbinding music that retells the Greek tragedy of the album’s namesake that tackles issues such as the ethics of killing to the emphasis of gender roles. As always, the music is heavy, stirring, and wonderfully atmospheric, and it deserves another trip if you haven’t been in a while. (Jan. 10)

For more on the band, go here: https://www.lotusthief.com/

To buy the album, go here: https://prophecy.lnk.to/lotus-thief-oresteia-rervm

or more on the label, go here: https://en.prophecy.de/

38. WAYFARER, “A Romance With Violence” (Profound Lore): Hailing from Denver, cinematic black metal machine Wayfarer dug even deeper into the Old West and cowboy mythos on their great fourth record. The two “Gallows Frontier” sections make up the bulk of the record’s first half and leaves you choking with dust before they round to “Fire and Gold” and the sprawling closer “Vaudeville” that puts a bloody dagger into the record’s soul. Awesome display by a great band. (Oct. 16)

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/wayfarercolorado/

To buy the album, go here: https://profoundlorerecords.merchtable.com/?

For more on the label, go here: https://www.profoundlorerecords.com/

37. PYRRHON, “Abscess Time” (Willowtip): When Clark Griswold demands Tylenol after his raged rant on “Christmas Vacation,” it sort of reminds me of how I felt after tackling Pyrrhon’s insane new album “Abscess Time.” Look, this band isn’t for the faint of heart and never has been, but holy shit do they ever turn up the psychological torture on this 12-track, 58-minute monster that lays waste to you. “Down at Liberty Ashes,” “The Lean Years,” “Cornered Animal” and “Rat King Lifecycle” are absolutely what you need if you’re trying to turn that panic attack up to full blast. (June 26)

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/pyrrhonband

To buy the album, go here: https://www.willowtip.com/bands/details/pyrrhon.aspx

For more on the label, go here: https://www.willowtip.com/home.aspx

36. LIE IN RUINS, “Floating in Timeless Streams” (Dark Descent): Finnish death squad Lie in Ruins pulled back from the extra generous serving they offered on “Towards Divine Death” with a slim, trim, utterly devastating new record “Floating in Timeless Streams.” While the record is shorter, they don’t skimp on the brutality as they put you to the test on 10 tracks that run an economical 42 minutes, every second of which is spent battering you. (Nov. 20)

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/lieinruins

To buy the album, go here: http://www.darkdescentrecords.com/store/

For more on the label, go here: https://www.darkdescentrecords.com/

35. FUCK THE FACTS, “Pleine Noirceur” (Noise Salvation): Canadian grinders Fuck the Facts never really stayed in their lane when it comes to their sound, and that’s made the band one of the more interesting and inventive in all of heavy music. The band’s 10^th full-length album and first in five years expanded their sound even further, keeping their roots in place but liberally branching out on these 12 tracks and 42 minutes. The trio rips a hole in time, they show ferocious dexterity, and vocalist Mel Mongeon sounds as beastly as ever. (Nov. 20)

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/FuckTheFacts/

To buy the album, go here: https://www.fuckthefacts.com/

34. SUMOKEM, “Prajnaparadha” (self-released): In Sanskrit, “Prajnaparadha,” means a crime against wisdom, something that prevents us from achieving enlightenment, and it’s the title of and thematic element woven in Sumokem’s excellent third record. The songs here really soar, taking your emotions and spirit along with them as they bring their stoner-friendly doom to new heights on “Nihang,” Sadhu” and closer “Khizer.” This is their best record in an already stellar collection, so get on this if you haven’t and get ready for an adventure. (Sept. 4)

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/SUMOKEM

To buy the album, go here: https://sumokem.bandcamp.com/

33. ADZES, “No One Wants to Speak About It” (Tridroid): Forest Bohrer is fighting the good battle against issues such as human and environmental issues as well as the thrust of capitalism that has crushed so many, and he’s doing so with his project Adzes, whose debut full-length “No One Wants to Speak About It” dealt a massive offensive. He blends all sorts of sounds here from black metal to noise to punk to doom on this heavily enriching record that’ll fan the flames of frustration in your heart and mind as you battle along with this heavily righteous eight-track, 50-minute mauler. (May 29)

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/Adzesband/

To buy the album, go here: https://tridroid.bandcamp.com/

For more on the label, go here: https://www.facebook.com/tridroidrecords

32. ETERNAL CHAMPION, “Ravening Iron” (No Remorse): Austin’s Eternal Champion practically are the living embodiment of heavy metal glory, drawing back to the years when this style of music was still bubbling liquid waiting to be poured. On their masterful second record, the band blasts out anthem after anthem from amazing opener “A Face in the Glare,” “War at the Edge of the End,” “The Godblade,” and the smoldering title track. This band has created their own fantastical world, and they’re handing you the sword to battle alongside them. (Nov. 6)

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/eternalchampion

To buy the album, go here: https://www.noremorse.gr/products?searching=eternal%20champion%20ravening

For more on the label, go here: https://www.noremorse.gr/

31. KAATAYRA, “Toda História pela Frente” (self-released): Brazilian musician Caio Lemos has done the unthinkable, which is create a black metal record that can take you away into the world of maximum meditation. But just calling this album, one of two Kaatayra for the year, black metal is selling it too short as he also works in psychedelics, Brazilian folk, and tribal melodies into something that feels more like an excursion into a plane beyond your own on one of the most immersive metal albums of the year. Turn this on, turn off the lights, and get lost in your dreams. (Aug. 18)

For more on the band, go here: https://kaatayra.bandcamp.com/

To buy the album, go here: https://kaatayra.bandcamp.com/album/toda-hist-ria-pela-frente

KHEMMIS, “Doomed Heavy Metal” (20 Buck Spin): You’ve got to be a real son of a bitch to cover Dio’s all-time classic “Rainbow in the Dark” and think you’re going to do it justice, but damnit if Khemmis didn’t pull it off expertly. That’s just the opening track on their Record Store Day release “Doomed Heavy Metal” (which was pushed back due to you know what), and elsewhere they add their own glorious fingertips to “A Conversation With Death” and include their Decibel flexi single “Empty Throne” as well as three great live cuts on their 20 Buck Spin swan song. (April 17)

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/khemmisdoom/

To buy the album, go here: https://listen.20buckspin.com/album/doomed-heavy-metal

For more on the label, go here: https://www.20buckspin.com/

ANHEDONIST/SPECTRAL VOICE, split (Dark Descent): Combining a band we lost too soon with one of the best death metal bands on the planet, this split brought together sinister power and unrelenting darkness. Anhedonist bowed out in 2014 after one record, and sadly, guitarist Kim Harrington passed away this year, but they left us “Abject Darkness” that reminded of their coal-black power. Spectral Voice take you right into the heart of cosmic violence on “Ineffable Winds,” a reminder that they remain one of the sub-genre’s heaviest hitters. (Feb. 12)

For more on Anhedonist, go here: https://anhedonist.blogspot.com/

For more on Spectral Voice, go here:  https://www.facebook.com/Necroticdoom/

To buy the album, go here: http://www.darkdescentrecords.com/store/

For more on the label, go here: https://www.darkdescentrecords.com/

VULGARITE, “Fear Not the Dark Nor the Sun’s Return” (self-released): Margaret Killjoy had quite the productive year, first with this pitch-black nightmare “Fear Not the Dark…,” as well as her work with Feminazgul, who we’ll visit again in a few days. But this EP that struck at the turn of the year actually ideally encapsulated the hell we were about to endure with tracks such as ghostly opener “What Curse Comes This Way,” the strange miasma of “His Words Are a Void,” and atmospheric closer “A Decade, a Prophecy” that’ll chill you to the bone. (Jan. 6)

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/vulgaarite/ To buy the album, go here: https://vulgarite.bandcamp.com/releases

MORTIFERUM/HYPERDONTIA, split (Carbonized Records/Me Saco Un Ojo): This destroyer is still fresh in our memories as we just talked about this devastating split pitting Washington’s Mortiferum against international destroyers Hyperdontia. The bands bring their best, splattering you with relentless death that simmers in doomy waters as far as Mortiferum is concerned and absolute hell when it comes to Hyperdontia. Two tracks and a little more than 13 minutes are all you need to have your face bruised and your psyche permanently scarred. (Dec. 7)

For more on Hyperdontia, go here: https://www.facebook.com/hyperdontia

For more on Mortiferum, go here: https://mortiferum.bandcamp.com/

To buy the album, go here: https://carbonizedrecords.bandcamp.com/album/mortiferum-hyperdontia

Or here: https://mesacounojo.bandcamp.com/album/split-7-3

For more on the label, go here: https://www.facebook.com/carbonizedrecords

And here: https://www.mesacounojo.com/

LYCHGATE, “Also Sprach Futura” (Debemur Morti): Taking breaks between full-length efforts, the strange and enigmatic Lychgate pulled into Debemur Morti’s shores and delivered this spellbinding four-track EP that’s equal mix black metal horror and organ-driven insanity. Nothing this band does ever comes free of musical drama, and we wouldn’t have it any other way. They chill and splatter on imaginative songs such as deadly opener “Incarnate,” mind-bending “Simulacrum,” and rushing closer “Vanity Ablaze” that might as well soundtrack a real-life haunted house. (March 13)

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/Lychgate

To buy the album (North America), go here: https://debemurmorti.aisamerch.com/

Or here (Europe): https://www.debemur-morti.com/en/12-eshop

For more on the label, go here: https://www.debemur-morti.com/en/

Other EPs and splits we loved: Auroch, “Stolen Angelic Tongues”; Body Void/Keeper split; Carcass, “Despicable”; High Command, “Everlasting Torment”; Old Nick, “Witch of the Northern Vill” and “No Solace in Sunlight”; Putrescine, “Devourer of Gods” and “Reek of Putrescine”; Throane, “Une Balle Dans le Pied”

We’ve said it from the start that though this is a site dedicated to heavy metal, to only immerse yourself in that type of music would be incredibly boring. There’s a lot going on outside of that massive realm, and we wanted to highlight some of the records we really loved this year that deserve praise. There are a few albums I want to mention that we didn’t write up below—Fiona Apple’s “Fetch the Bolt Cutters,” Waxahatchee’s “Saint Cloud,” Phoebe Bridgers’ “Punisher”—that we just adored, but they’ve been written about in pretty much every publications’ lists. So, yes, we love and own them, but let’s look at 10 other records that are absolute must haves as well. These are listed alphabetically.

MOANING, “Uneasy Laughter” (Sub Pop): The icy, synthy, sometimes claustrophobic music made by this LA-based trio really peaked on “Uneasy Laughter,” their great second record. The music also is driving and impossibly catchy quite often as songs such as “Ego,” “Fall in Love,” and “Connect the Dots” can attest. You get the feeling a lot is going on in their psyches, much of it dark, and it came across brilliantly on this album. (March 20)  

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/moaningmusic/

To buy the album, go here: https://megamart.subpop.com/

For more on the label, go here: https://www.subpop.com/

MIDWIFE, “Forever” (Flenser Records): Madeline Johnson terms her music as “heaven metal,” and while it’s not particularly loud, it can definitely make you feel like you’re existing on a different plane. This record, her second under the Midwife banner, was written in remembrance of her friend and creative partner Colin Ward, and it’s gripping, emotional, and devastating front to back. (April 10)

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/Midwife-1544620965823272/

To buy the album, go here: https://nowflensing.com/collections/flenser-releases

For more on the label, go here: https://nowflensing.com/

MRS PISS, “Self-Surgery” (Sargent House): It’s not like Chelsea Wolfe and Jess Gowrie make easy-to-digest music for the most part, but their alliance here on noise-mashed “Self-Surgery” is the most abrasive work of either of their careers. It could have been at home on the metal list, but we felt it belonged better here. It’s a blast that’s over fast, but you pay the price over and over again on “Downer Surrounded by Uppers,” “Knelt,” and the title cut. (May 29)

For more on the band, go here: https://sargenthouse.com/mrs-piss

To buy the album, go here: https://www.hellomerch.com/collections/sargent-house

For more on the label, go here: https://sargenthouse.com/

MARGO PRICE, “That’s How Rumors Get Started” (Loma Vista): Whatever the fuck most people call country music is about the worst shit ever, but there are great artists operating away from the influence of the CMA who are making fantastic art. Margo Price is one of them, and her awesome third record is the portrait of a bad-ass woman battling broken heart, pain, assholes, and misunderstandings, coming out of it bruised but tougher than ever. (July 10)

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/MargoAndThePriceTags/

To buy the album, go here: https://bodega.lomavistarecordings.com/collections/margo-price

For more on the label, go here: https://www.lomavistarecordings.com/

PURITY RING, “Womb” (4AD): I admittedly was kind of worried about Canadian electro pop duo Purity Ring after their second record “Another Eternity” fell really flat for me five years ago. “Womb” is more of the alien fog weirdness and psychedelic sugar they introduced on “Shrines” but worlds apart, as they just shine on “rubyinsides,” “peacefall,” “silkspun,” and “stardew,” one of the best album closers of the year. Also, Megan James could sing the back of a cereal box and be absolutely otherworldly. (April 3):

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/purityringmusic/

To buy the album, go here: https://4ad.com/store

For more on the label, go here: https://4ad.com/

ULVER, “Flowers of Evil” (House of Mythology): It’s still funny putting Ulver on a non-metal list, but the days of their black metal trilogy are way behind us, and we’re solidly entrenched in their synth-driven rock, which again just nails it on “Flowers of Evil.” There is darkness, death, cults, and even a dream into their past on this incredibly infectious record, peaking on “Russian Doll,” “Hour of the Wolf,” “Apocalypse 1993,” and pain-drenched closer “A Thousand Cuts.” (Aug. 28)

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/ulverofficial

To buy the album, go here: https://store.houseofmythology.com/

For more on the label, go here: https://www.houseofmythology.com/

US GIRLS, “Heavy Light” (4AD): Meg Remy has that rare gift of being able to put out an entire album of songs that all have distinct personalities and sound nothing like each other, yet they work so perfectly as a whole. This is her finest moment yet, and “4 America Dollars” is in the conversation for one of the best songs of the entire year. But there’s plenty of good stuff here including hot “Overtime,” “Born to Lose,” and “The Quiver to the Bomb” that’ll get you moving and then gut you. (March 6):

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/yousgirls/

To buy the album, go here: https://4ad.com/store

For more on the label, go here: https://4ad.com/

KATIE VON SCHLEICHER, “Consummation” (Ba Da Bing): Immersing yourself in Katie Von Schleicher’s world demands a commitment to her psychedelic darkness and allowing yourself to be washed away by her alluring voice and wonderfully dreamy music. “Consummation” is loosely based on an alternative version of Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo, and it has so many arresting moments including “You Remind Me,” “Loud,” “Brutality,” and “Nowhere,” which is one of my favorite songs of the entire year. (May 22)

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/KatieVonSchleicher/

To buy the album, go here: https://www.badabingrecords.com/store

For more on the label, go here: http://www.badabingrecords.com/

WAILING STORMS, “Rattle” (Gilead Media): This band is here to shake your cages, which “Rattle” does over and over again. In fact, if the title track doesn’t grab you and hold you under, then I wonder about your ability to feel emotion because it’s a pounder. The band claims they jammed grunge, doom, rock, and blues into their mix, and you can hear that on every bursting edge of “Rope,” “Grass,” “Teeth,” and “Crow.” This is a record you’re required to play on whatever top volume you can achieve, other people’s feelings be damned. (May 15)

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/wailinstorms/

To buy the album, go here: https://gileadmedia.bandcamp.com/album/rattle

For more on the label, go here: https://gileadmedia.net/

JESS WILLIAMSON, “Sorceress” (Mexican Summer): Jess Williamson’s great fourth record “Sorceress” was a revelation to me. I didn’t know much about her before this album came out, and I was pulled right in by the woodsy title track, complete with her pantomiming whip sounds and ending with an exhilarated “wooo!” Elsewhere, there are country-flavored folk tracks such as “Wind on Tin,” “How Ya Lonesome,” breezy “As the Birds Are,” and “Smoke,” where she drops, “Every couple months, I like to be bad,” as she saunters off to break you. (May 15)

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/jesswilliamsonmusic/

To buy the album, go here: https://shop.mexicansummer.com/

For more on the label, go here: https://www.mexicansummer.com/

We’ve come to the end of what has been an utterly miserable, terrifying, infuriating, and crushing year, and this is our final review of 2020, as well as the last Pick of the Week for these awful 12 months. May this year rot in disease and filth and be burned in the annals of time. But we still have a bit more business to conduct, so let’s end this shit with one hell of a bizarre record.

“Devotionals” is the fourth record from Oakland-based doom story weavers Cardinal Wyrm, and this collection might be their most mind-numbing yet. You’re never going to get conventional from this band, and we’re forever thankful for that, but this one took me a few trips before I fully wrapped my arms around it. But it finally sunk in, something that matches the effects of their previous albums, and I was completely engulfed in the madness they create on this eight-track, 50-minute opus. The band—vocalist/drummer Pranjal Tiwari, guitarist/vocalist Nathan A. Verrill, bassist/vocalist Leila Abdul-Rauf—takes each track and sets up an entirely different world for each, feeling like they’re drawing from stories and lessons of ages past that remains applicable in today’s fragile society. Yet it all works together as a whole, as wonderfully maddening as it can be at times.

“Gannet” starts the record on a zany path, making you question your decisions, as Tiwari howls, “Something else is here with me, in the dark I feel its weight,” as the track wrenches. Cool soloing lights up the horizons and makes you wonder if you’re about to be swallowed by a beast before gnarly vocals strike, and everything comes to a fittingly weird end. “Mrityunjaya” strikes with trudging power, chanted yells, and warm soloing that hovers in the air. “Hex upon the weakened!” Tiwari repeats with deranged power as the bass thickens, and the psychedelic clouds get so close, you can taste them. The vocals then sprawl, the pace slurs, and we brawl to a finish. “Imposter” starts clean with higher-register vocals and an uncomfortable vibe that’s both dizzying and violent. The drunken playing melts away and gets kind of jazzy, with the bass slithering dangerously before a strong solo burns brightly. The track bustles as clean calls spark, and everything crawls to an eerie end. “Selimesh” is just a mind fuck in the best way with riffs confounding and the playing scrambling your brains. The wild yelps of, “In gog magog!” are impossible to get out of your head and revel in Biblical barbarism while Abdul-Rauf’s vocals add more texture and keep the song sweltering. Things pile up, the guitars scorch flesh, and the track ends in a trail of its own ash.

“Canticle” brings churning guitars and an essence of coolness that shows a different side to this madness. The chorus is another killer with Tiwari calling, “And when you are lost, I’ll be the star you see, so many have found their way to the grave with me.” The guitars then explore before unleashing devastating soloing, leaving one more strike for the chorus before mauling to the end. “Abbess” is another standout, crunching and spiraling into weirdness as the verses warble. “And when she’s dancing on our graves, drunk upon the world she’s made, we’ll know this game was rigged to lose,” Tiwari warns as weird bellowing strikes, and burly power pushes through. The leads lather as the verses add to the intrigue, and Abdul-Rauf viciously growling the track’s title as the song rushes out. “Nightmarchers” cuts in with a classic power metal-style riff that darkens with the barked words. Weighty sludge and speak-like vocals mix with the heavy crunch, adding muscle and glimmering wonder before the door is slammed shut. “Do We Have Another Battle Left in Us” is your closer, and it melts in with chilling bass and a psychological edge, merging into Pink Floyd-style flesh crawling. “But do we have another round? Do we have, our spirits getting thinner, do we have, this fading town, do we have, a place among the sinners?” Tiwari wonders with anxiety as harder punches are thrown, and things continue barreling out of control. The lyrics are lengthy and involved and too much to fully cover here, but at the end, Tiwari calls, “So damn them all, we’ll find escape, with clouds of green and walls of ice, a final place beyond this world, for this we’ll make our sacrifice,” hoping for some kind of salvation as the track ends in illuminated, heated embers.  

It’s fitting we end a tumultuous, chaotic year with this record, Cardinal Wyrm’s deliriously bizarre, dramatic doom throwback “Devotionals,” the most aggressive and ambitious of their four albums. This record won’t be for everyone, and I’m sure they know that, but for those who connect, they likely will hard and with force. This is a captivating, peculiar record that injects some fun back into metal but also leaves you psychologically flattened, which you might find yourself deviously enjoying.

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/Cardinal-Wyrm-157603967620024/

To buy the album, go here: https://cardinalwyrm.bandcamp.com/album/devotionals,

For more on the label, go here: https://svartrecords.com/

The element of mystery is something that’s largely gone in the world of heavy metal as social media has stripped away a lot of the puzzle (remember when we didn’t know who was in Ghost?), and therefore we get to know more about the individuals behind the music and what makes them tick. It’s a nice quality, but it’s also alluring when we can’t see behind the curtain.

Australian black metal force EOS are like phantoms in the night, albeit really loud and terrifying ones, and their debut record “The Great Ascension” is horrifying and nightmarish. In fact, if you look at the band photo, they kind of look like they’re about to drop a rap album, but don’t let that fool you. These three masked figures have been working on their great opus for several years now, and it is a savage, yet thought-provoking work, something that mars your psyche and drags you on a strange journey through the excesses, tragedies, and evils of humankind that have their hooks in all of us.

The title track hammers open, splattering the walls with blood as the vocals gurgle, and grisly playing increases the pressure. The playing allows trickles of melody into the DNA as maniacal howls devastate, and group wails sicken as the song blazes out. “Valkyrie” has gruff vocals and the drums utterly pummeling as melody spills into the darkness. Vicious howls destroy while guitars flood the senses with gigantic ruffs, wrenching hell heats up dangerously, and everything ends in brute force. “Amour Propre” opens in grinding chaos as insane howls spit shrapnel, and black metal-level melodies darken the skies. Detached calls open a trance as shadows thicken, and everything burns to ash.

“Draugar” simmers in its juices as the vocals tears open flesh, and the relentless pace puts you in imminent danger. Heavy and slurry, the track turns you inside out, leaving battered limbs behind as the roars push and the leads heat up, stabbing toward an abrupt end. “Memento Mori” heats up as glorious riffs glimmer, and then shit just rams open the castle walls. Drums hammer as the vocals are delivered through gritted teeth, and then the playing loses its mind and swings sharpened blades. Leads spiral, making the room spin, while everything barrels toward a vicious end. “Black Winter Bloodbath” brings choked riffs and drums drubbing hard while the growls creak out as if from a dusty crypt. The ferocity then multiplies as the melody rushes in waves, the playing stampedes, and everything ends in a pile of muscle and sinew. “Illumination and Will” ends the record and delivers a sprawling assault that causes disorientation. The vocals unleash hell while the black metal streaks smear grease, bringing a grittier pace as throaty vocal snarls poke wounds. The heat continues to increase while the pace takes apart skeletal structures, ripping out its own guts and blasting to the end.

EOS’s mysterious guise and relentless black metal make “The Great Ascension” a perplexing but rewarding listen. It took me a few visits to really explore the peaks and valleys these Aussie freaks have woven into this creation, and ultimately that amplified my enjoyment level. Black metal has been at oversaturation for quite some time now, but EOS prove that it’s still possible to make morbid waves in this subgenre and create something creepy and memorable.

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/eos.black.metal

To buy the album, go here: https://brilliantemperor.bigcartel.com/product/eos-the-great-ascension-lp

For more on the label, go here: https://brilliantemperor.bandcamp.com/

Forgive the brutal assault on the dead horse, but December is not a dead zone for music, and a major reason why I don’t rush my final top 40 of the year is I wait until I have properly processed everything I need to hear. I’m lucky in that way in that this is a site and not a print publication with a long lead time on getting lists done, so I can fully appreciate everything that comes deep in the year.

One of those records that definitely should not be allowed to fly under the radar is “Radiant Abyss,” the debut from New Orleans-based maulers Kavyk who pile doom, death, and strange atmospherics into their five-track, 42-minute assault. Formed with members of Barghest, the band—vocalist/guitarist Troy Bennett, guitarist Max Kimmons, bassist Brian Eiermann, drummer AJ Martinez—combines similar elements of filth and chaos you find with that project, but there’s such a heavy cosmic vibe to all of this that it manages to capture the imagination while also delivering heavy bludgeoning. That makes this crusher a pretty damn great time, and a smothering one at that.

“Radiant Abyss” opens with a drubbing rumble and vicious death growls ripping from Bennett’s bowels. The track then adds a heavy dose of space dust, one of the factors that makes this record as fun as it is vicious, as a huge charge comes from the stars. The drums crumble wills as the vocals ramp up, and melody combines with a feral surge to add an exclamation point at the end. “Cathartic Voices” runs a healthy 9:40 and starts with warmth before the tempo is torn to shreds, and chaos begins to reign. Vicious growls and a trucking pace lead into muck pockets and then a psychedelic fog, and out of that, things heat up in a hurry, the playing trudges, and everything hurtles toward a hungry black hole.  

“Civilized” is a beefy 8:58, and it rips through the atmosphere, bringing menace and trudging haymakers. The playing pounds away and promises bruising while that washes over planetary force, jarring you awake with the drums clobbering. Bennett’s shrieks mar time, leveling into atmospheric pressure, sweltering guitars, and a mangling finish. “For Those Who Long to Die” combines doom and progressive winds at the start, and that slowly loosens rock and sediment as the growls gut you. Both mystifying and troubling, the track adds intensity as it weaves its way toward a sound vortex. Closer “Comatose Simplicity” is the longest track here, running 10:41, and it totally explodes, blasting into calculated heaviness. The vocals rip through rocky paths as the storming envelopes, and the playing plasters. Proggy weirdness works its way in before things are surrounded by alien strangeness that surges and finally finishes off with trance-inducing violence.

It’s great that the end of the year no longer is a burying grounds for records that didn’t cut it, and Kavyk’s monstrous debut “Radiant Abyss” is an album on which you definitely should not sleep. Cosmic death and doom are all over this five-track beast, and every single inch of this thing will leave you bruised and battered. This is a titanic debut that brings brute force and entrancing creativity in equal, twisted doses.     

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/kavykband/

To buy the album, go here: https://caustichollowrecords.bandcamp.com/album/radiant-abyss

For more on the label, go here: https://www.caustichollow.com/

I’ve never been to Hawaii before, and I’m just going to guess I never will be because I don’t want to fly, and that sounds like a long time to be in the air. Oh well! But I’d imagine it’s amazing there, a place that just takes your breath away, surrounded by thousands of miles of ocean that makes it hard to get there and difficult to leave.

Yet, there’s a darkness in what seems like paradise, and that bubbles to the surface on “II,” the first full-length release from Verlust. Helmed by single musician J, the music on this effort does pay homage to the artist’s home in these isolated islands, including the rich nature surrounding everything there. There also is a history of religious persecution and violence done over the ages by missionaries (a topic we also broached last week with Heretical Sect), so J’s anger and violent lash back against Christianity based on that history also is woven in with blood into the music. This release is filled with second-wave black metal power, with a nice dash of melody for good measure, and the fury and ill intent that fuels the music is apparent and striking from the moment the initial sparks feed the fire.    

“Introduction” starts with birds chirping and nature unfurling as guitars slowly awaken, and the world comes alive as it heads toward “Vision of a Mighty Serpent” that rushes to life with as flood of melody. The drums crush as J’s savage growls eviscerate, while the pace stomps guts before settling into calm. The music trickles along before a new gust bursts and delivers rage and power, with J wailing, “The serpent crept forth, transformed to a new entity, androgynous and baphometic, goat and serpent, man and woman.” “Mountains” gasps open as great riffs encircle, and vile cries go hand in hand with the raucous blasting. The playing tumbles violently toward earth as the track turns relentless, jarring to the very end. “Promethean Fate” has raw melody jolting and growls tearing away. The drums rumble out of a brief respite with an explosive burst and J howling, “The mountains echo our insignificance, silent monoliths of eternity,” as the track comes to a fiery end.

“A Sword Turned Towards Heaven” punches in and crushes right away, drilling through rock and unleashing spellbinding guitars that leave you dizzy. That enrapturing tempo keeps building as the war is raged with great gusto, with J declaring, “Spew forth blasphemy! Ye are the true traitors! We destroy your sacred spaces, desecrating the remains, as we build monuments to your demise.” The force is storming and driven while assault continues its push until it crushes through the front gates. “Deep Dark Waters” wrenches with raw menace and a hammering approach that keeps wielding violent tools. The track slows a bit but remains impossibly heavy, though speed is a factor again later, the drums power the ship, and gears continues to spin until the smoke collects and chokes out everything. “A Door into Emptiness” tears open as guitars stir and the vocals scrape, while black metal majesty spirals into a volcanic attack. The pace is sweltering as the guitars play tricks with your mind, and the fury is complete madness, dismantling systems and heading into monster riffs. The track eventually begins to relent but only after earth and flesh are scorched, leading toward closing track “Outro (Farewell).” The instrumental piece has waters rushing, guitars trickling, and the force of nature at the forefront again.

J packs a lot of emotion, disgust, and homage into the eight tracks on “II,” an album that sharpens its blades and heads right into the heart of war. For a first record under the Verlust banner, this establishes them as another strong foot solider in the battle against oppressive faith and those who seek to continue harming the earth. Verlust see you as the enemy, and the only acceptable outcome is your total and unquestioned demise.   

For more on the band, go here: https://verlust.bandcamp.com/

To buy the album, go here: https://shop.eihwazrecordings.com/

For more on the label, go here: https://eihwazrecordings.com/

It took almost the entire year, but we finally have a record that completely defies logic, explanation, and reason to a degree where I just sat there the first time this record ended and wondered what had just happened to me. Sure, there have been other records that stand out creatively and challenge mentally in 2020, but I don’t know there’s anything anywhere that could match Folterkammer.

The Swiss/American black metal band (and that’s a very rigid description for a beast so wild) delivers “Die Lederpredigt,” which translates to “The Leather Sermon,” a seven-track adventure that mixes dark theatricality, operatic fury, and metallic ferocity in such a strange way, it’s hard to even describe. A lot of that is because of ridiculously savage and flexible vocalist Andromeda Anarchia, whose voice needs to be heard to be comprehended, and I won’t do her justice here at all, hard as I’ll try. She’s such a force, a tornadic wave of insanity and dramatic terror that you cannot take your attention from her, and you’ll only understand her words if you speak German. She’s joined by guitarist Zachary Ezrin (of Imperial Triumphant, who also are no strangers to challenging, mind-defying music), bassist Darren Hanson, and drummer Brendan McGowan on a record that conjures the evil spirits of black metal, exposes the abusive nature of religion and authoritative power, and comes from the perspective of a scorned goddess looking to shed blood.

“Die Nänie” dawns with organs swelling and Anarchia’s hushed singing before she goes operatic and tears paint from the walls. Her shrieks cause muscle spasms as the pace goes nuclear, delivering spellbinding madness as the chorus wooshes back for more, and the track ends in a sticky pool. “Die Hymne” arrives with Anarchia going for the stratosphere vocally, as the playing lands heavy punches, and her shrieks are nuanced by her theatrical hacking and splintering, which is just a morbid joy. The pace hammers away as the track gets vexing as hell, with some outright extraordinary singing pumping blood, and the final moments gurgling out. “Die Elegie” is gently psychedelic as it gets started, with the words coming in ghostly speaking as the foundation explodes. Her growls mar while choral backing sends chills to your soul, as everything that comes from Anarchia’s mouth, even if you don’t understand the words, displays her alien range. The playing unravels further while also soaking up a pastoral vibe before disappearing into darkness.

“Das Gebet” enters the room frantically as Anarchia mixes operatic singing with vile speak-like growl bursts that crawl up your spine. It’s madness. As the song progresses, it actually turns a really catchy, almost pop-like display that explodes like sugar in your blood, and Anarchia’s playful, manic gush of words is both utterly charming and completely terrifying, calling out for dark forces that likely cannot be controlled. “Das Magnificat” has riffs sweeping and creaky growls crawling through blood before the singing gets more breathtaking (if that can be believed). The playing thrashes as evil is allowed to operate without constraint, with wild shrieks crushing glass, and the whole thing storming to a gut-wrenching finish. “Das Sinngedicht” starts mystically and has a chamber music feel, while the singing surges, and the fog thickens. The guitars charge up as Anarchia hisses in dark tongue, sprawling into wild fury and twisted organs. The guitars jolt as the singing dares the gods, blasting shut and canceling the light. “Das Zeugnis” closes this experience with organs signaling doom, and slow, dark tidings bleeding ever so slowly. The singing pushes, starting with a glimmer of hope before turning ugly, and the song unloads with ill will, bringing with it pumps of Gothic soot and black waves of horror. Anarchia’s singing flutters before turning into growls of rage, crushing throats and adding to the claustrophobic suffocation of the album’s final moments.

With mere weeks left to go in the year, 2020 dropped one final destroyer in “Die Lederpredigt,” a record that has no equal when it comes to ambition, metallic ingenuity, and hellish character. Folterkammer deliver something completely different from anything else you heard this year and likely will for a while, and it’s an incredible experience. This record lashes back against power structures, does so with horrifying and gorgeous horror, and it’s something that you won’t be able to get out of your head well after the music ends.

For more on the band, go here: facebook.com/folterkammer.music

To buy the album, go here: https://gileadmedia.net/products/folterkammer-die-lederpredigt-lp

For more on the label, go here: https://gileadmedia.net/

Our roles as stewards of nature and the entire world around us is a bloodied ballad that’s been suffocated by certain members of the United States government, treating our woes as a hoax, while others continue to fight to save the place we live so that it’s here for generations beyond us. There are some signs of hope moving forward, but the struggle against science deniers looks unending.

And it’s not just them. We all have a role in how healthy the environment is, and all of us fail in some way. But having a caring, nurturing attitude toward our world could play a major role in keeping it inhabitable. We are caregivers for this planet, a major theme on “Mothers Weavers Vultures,” the excellent new record from Grayceon, one their most sobering and vital to date. Musically, the band’s progressive doom sounds as rich and powerful as ever five records into their run. Their words always held a lot of weight, but what Grayceon—vocalist/cellist Jackie Perez Gratz, guitarist Max Doyle, drummer Zack Farwell—bring on this record involves us all and serves as a reminder that even as many of us try to do our best for our surroundings, we also can be destroyers if we drop our guard.

“Diablo Wind” dawns with Gratz’s cello scraping as guitars open up, and the energy kicks in. “The fire winds are coming strong, the future is dark, future is dark,” she warns ominously before the track sweeps, and Gratz’s vocals go from ethereal singing to piercing shrieks. The playing jolts and loosens foundations while sludge enters the mix and muddies the waters, and wordless calls soar and pull closed the doors. “The Lucky Ones” bursts through the gates with Gratz calling, “If you want the moon don’t hide from the night, if you want the rose don’t hide from its thorns.” The track plays with light and dark, softness and heaviness as the riffs darken, and the cello pours the drama generously. “Open your eyes,” Gratz prods repeatedly as harsh shrieks rain down, and the cello swelters, sparking an aggressive burst of playing. Doom drives, the playing gets heavier, and the track rips again before resting easily.

“This Bed” is punchy and agitated, and it has a strange Alice in Chains vibe, or at least that’s how it strikes me. “Yesterday is gone, is it too late to say sorry?” Gratz wonders as trouble is battled, regrets and pain confronted. The strings feel dusky later, taking on a classical vibe while the singing floats amid darker progressions, as Gratz calls, “Let us fade away in this bed we’ve made.” “And Shine On” is burly and punchy, as Gratz demands, “Don’t let them break you down.” The melody stirs as the playing carves away, muddy riffs add muscle, and everything is shaken and stirred before dissolving into mystery. “Rock Steady” is your closer, and it’s a heartfelt love letter as cello adds blankets of sound, the playing is slower and solemn, and Gratz lures, “Somewhere under the rainbow, that’s where you’ll find me.” The track then is shredded at the seams about four minutes into this seven-minute cut as shrieks devastate, and the guitars storm. “We won’t be together forever, but I’ll love you until my days are done,” Gratz vows as waves lap, the earth quakes, and a warm glaze bleeds over the track’s last moments.

Grayceon spend their riveting “Mothers Weavers Vultures” reminding us we are the protectors of the place in which we live, and too often we let our responsibilities dissolve into nothing. The line, “We are all mothers of this place we call home,” is that urgent message on “The Lucky Ones,” and as you visit these songs and the words, it turns into a needed warning that might be too late to answer. Powerful music and environmentally urgent messaging long have been a part of Grayceon’s creativity, and never have those been more important and needed than right here, right now.

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/grayceon

To buy the album, go here: https://translationloss.com/products/mothers-weavers-vultures?_pos=1&_sid=f9f2505bb&_ss=r

Or here (digital order proceeds will be donated to Defenders of Wildlife and the Wildlife Conservation Society): https://grayceon.bandcamp.com/

For more on the label, go here: https://translationloss.com/