The Metal underground of today is such a vast ocean. So many bands and releases circling round that it’s hard for everybody to keep up, hard for the audience to get hold of all the gems, and for the bands to have the exposure to the public. Just so much going on!
Here at The Metal Wanderlust we spoke about all of this and figured out that maybe a monthly list of our own favourites would help people to discover something they would not have picked up otherwise. Maybe the list would also give more of a push to the bands as well, and this is our way of bringing our very favourites into daylight for you all to see.
We thought it was worth a try at least. So here’s the first of monthly TMW STAFF lists to come… One for February 2019.
Enjoy!
20 – Onirophagus – “Endarkenment“
Onirophagus have been going on for a bunch of years already, but seem to have hit the bull’s eye now, with their latest record. If into “Medusa” by Paradise Lost, or bands like Hooded Menace one really should give these guys a go as this is marvellous Death/Doom done just as it should be.
19 – Oblivion – “Oblivion“
If you loved the Depravity album last year, this new Oblivion record is a must. A fine slab of independent Technical Death Metal with a fat Suffocation vibe here and there, their self-titled album is a record worth looking into. Death Metal heads – do yourself a favour and dig into underground brutality of Oblivion.
19 – Miscarriage – “Imminent Horror”
Are you too happy with your life? Well, listen to Miscarriage and it should be easily enough fixed. This is as an abrasive a listening experience as it simply can be, mixing elements of Noise, Sludge and Grindcore for a devastating effect. Aural violence, boys and gals. This is what Miscarriage is all about.
17 – Saor– “Forgotten Paths“
Here’s a well crafted piece of atmospheric black metal soaring from Scotland. Fans of Panopticon, Summoning, Sojourner or Caladan Brood should find this piece well worthy of a listen. Do not forget the main man Andy Marshall’s side project Fuath either. That band released a great debut album some years back, which is like a more rough edged lost brother of Saor.
16 – Vanum – “Ageless Fire“
The Black Metal banner is flying high with the new Vanum release. USA equivalent for Icelandic Black Metal delivers the goods with their latest. Hypnotic and powerfully melodic, this is a record that is bound to be in the top of the Black Metal tree in 2019.
15 – Wounds – “Light Eater” EP
Necrophagist fans – alert! Here’s some Technical Death Metal from Chicago with massive hooks and blunt groove. They have recently been picked up by Everlasting Spew Records, how good is that!
14 – Véhémence – “Par Le Sang Versé”
A quick fix for peculiar atmospheric Black Metal, right here! Their mix of medieval music and 90’s kind of atmospheric Black Metal is an interesting mix, to say the least. This needs to be heard to be understood. Definitely stands out from your regular necro-fests.
13 – Úir – “Óenach Tailten“
Folky Black Metal with immense Celtic vibes… Who could resist such a thing? Here’s a fine underground release for those of you, who seek something genuine amongst all these fake Folk bands, only jumping the bandwagon to be rock stars.
12 – Obscure Devotion – “Ubi Certa Pax Est”
An oldie, but spinning a lot amongst TMW staff just recently. Slightly Technical Blackened Death Metal that went largely missed around the time of release. Now we all have a chance to take that back and give this beast the listen it deserves.
11 – Wretched Fate – “Fleshletting”
Calling all Old School Death Metal heads! Here’s a record with the most violent HM-2 sound on this side of Dismember Records. Violent, murky and serious in what they do, Wretched Fate kick arse in very thorough fashion. Yes, it is a meat and potatoes Death Metal thing, but damn we still feel sorry for your butt-cheeks! Give these guys a go!
10 – Charnel Altar – ‘Demo’
One of the most impressive demos of 2019 so far? We’d like to think so. All you underground extreme metal devotees, run quick to their Bandcamp and give your local mainstream guys something to feel puzzled about. Pure underground perfection.
9 – Kommand – ‘Demo 2 2018′
More brilliant demo mayhem in form of crunchy Death Metal that does not forget the melodies, or tasty Slayerisms either. This just cries out for a full album and here we have a chance to embrace the band before they get it done even. Miss at your own peril.
8 – Blue Hummingbird on the Left – “Atl Tlachinolli”
War Metal perfected! A heavy dose of old Mexican culture thrown in with the legacy of many other bands of this kind such as Blasphemy and Archgoat. The results are unique, psychedelic, dynamic and still brutal as a war elephant in a telephone booth. This is one of the very best records out in 2019, without a doubt.
7 – Encoffinized – “Chambers of Deprivation”
And now – pure filth! Absolute sonic vomit from west coast USA. If not into overtly polished and technical, here’s your new favourite release. Snare sounds like somebody beating a garbage bin with a stick and vocals remind us of a dude vomiting on a helpless bin chicken, happening to stand too close to the action. Sweet, isn’t it?
6 – Pounder – “Uncivilized”
Heavy metal is the law! After all the extreme metal hooliganism on our list, it’s a refreshing thing to hear some traditional Heavy Metal riff attacks for a change. With Pounder, Matt Harvey of Gruesome and Exhumed fame has proven himself to be a solid Heavy Metal musician as well. Calling this an album worthy of a listen, is a criminal understatement.
5 – Horrisonous – “A Culinary Cacophony”
An absolute TMW STAFF fave of recent weeks, Horrisonous deliver a perfected form of murky Death Metal. There’s enough Doom, respectable amounts of gloom and a marvellous old school vibe running through and through. What is the coolest thing here, are the lyrics though. Horrisonous is not congregating around the black altars of Satanic void with ritual oils, candles and cloaks, but remind us of those original gory days of Death. What else could you make of songs like “Perpetual Mincing“, “Crispy Chunks of the Obese“, or “Nourishment Through Excrement“, huh?
4 – Surgery – “Absorbing the Roots“
Death Metal the old way! This is what “Absorbing the Roots” is all about. There’s the semi-melodic headbangable quality of Swedish greats Unleashed and Hypocrisy here, mixed up with the sledgehammer mechanics of Gorefest and Asphyx. Enjoyable and not a single bit dull, Surgery have delivered one of the real Old School Death Metal gems of recent years. The album itself was released last year, but this has been a steady staff favourite at the TMW office, and it is getting only better the more we go mental about it! As a matter of fact, whenever we play it, The Great Mackintosh falls into some weird kind of headbanging trance and runs around trashing shit, but at least it keeps him kind of busy and not talking all the time about bin chickens and other nonsense!
3 – Plague Throat – “Evolutionary Impasse” EP
A real contender for the best Death Metal release of the first parts of 2019 is this baby right here. Slightly technical, but still nicely in touch with the Old School song-oriented approach and original Death Metal ideas, Plague Throat have come up with a winner of a release. This release made us here in The Metal Wanderlust grin like a bunch of rabid raccoons , so we can not recommend this new EP highly enough.
2 – Funereal Presence – “Achatius“
No matter what happens in 2019 one thing is for certain: We had at least one genuine Black Metal masterpiece released this year. This is not a classic to be, this is a bloody classic 100% already. Imagine Darkthrone, some Thrash Metal, and the ambitious song writing of Mercyful Fate all clustered into one infectious pile of music. This is a masterpiece and a definite grower. The Metal Wanderlust highly recommends!
1 – Soen – “Lotus“
A definite TMW STAFF favourite this month is pure eargasmic perfection. Slightly Proggy, still always comprehensive and loaded with emotion, Soen have delivered an absolute gem of an album in early 2019. This is a must have for fans of Tool and Opeth, and also expands to territories enjoyable to any fan of Progressive Rock, or riff-based heaviness. The most enjoyed and praised album amongst The Metal Wanderlust people this month and for a reason. An album we cannot recommend enough.
That’s that then! We all hope you got something out of this, and we will see you next month with more!
The Metal Wanderlust team.
The Metal Wanderlust 