The Best Metal and Extreme Music from September 2020

Featuring Deftones, Svalbard, and more exciting new entrants into the metal scene

Oct 12, 2020

The past four years I’ve spent a lot of time considering the assertion that Trump’s time in office would at least result in good punk music, and how that turned out not to be true. Looking back, it’s easy to see that good punk was never going to be a “thing” in the same way it was during the 70’s-90’s. Not only is the genre just not as powerful as it once was, but the politics of punk were almost all about the expression of personal identity. A philosophy of fighting back against those who would put you in a box, rather than those who would put a boot on every face.

What the past four or so years have gifted us with is a wealth of metal releases. At first, I wasn’t sure why metal, a not particularly protest-y form of music, was flourishing under a far right administration. But metal isn’t about non-conformance, it’s (often) about pouring your wicked and violent feelings into a song. Most good metal is vile by necessity, it’s not so much a fascination with death and dark imagery as it is an acceptance of those things as reality.

Metal has also flourished because of its roots. Where punk was an offshoot of the bratty baby boomers anti-authority stance, metal has its roots firmly planted in the plight of the working person. Pretty much any metal band can draw a straight line from themselves to Black Sabbath in terms of influence. This is especially true when you tiptoe into doom, sludge or post-metal where the sonic and thematic influences of Sabbath are most tangible (those who wish to learn more about those genres should read J.J. Anselmi’s, Doomed to Fail).

Sabbath is a product of Birmingham, a rough and tumble factory town in England. For Americans, it may help to think of Birmingham like Detroit, Cleveland or another industrial city in the Midwest. Working in factories at a young age, losing fingers to machines and watching their city succumb to the ravages of poverty, petty crime and environmental disaster, the lads that would form Sabbath became disillusioned quickly. This hopeless outlook, targeted it’s rage at the economic factors that sat so far outside of Sabbath’s control. These themes would go on to become a foundational influence in future forms of metal.

Looking at this, it’s easy to see why metal has taken the place of punk, (well, technically hip-hop has but this isn’t a hip-hop newsletter and I’m not a genre expert) the easy-to-grasp message of “this world is messed-up” is more resonant than ever. Add an economical death spiral similar to the one that preceded the Great Depression and you’ve got a recipe for a new wave of depressive metal that is rooted in economic anxiety and anti-consumerism.

So why the long transition? Well, this month not only provided a solid selection of top-notch music but it also presented two albums in particular that speak on the ails of consumerism and poverty in great detail. For my money, there are few albums that capture the hellish implications of this time with greater clarity, and hardly any that do so with the nightmarish sonic assault that the current moment demands.

Melted Bodies - Enjoy Yourself

Our first entrant in the duo of economic anxiety metal albums is Enjoy Yourself. A relatively new band, Melted Bodies pulls together a surprisingly complex album with some of the most searing and acerbic lyrics in metal. The sound of the album is immediately going to register to most as “System of a Down but harder” and that’s actually a pretty fair comparison. Not only does the vocalist mimic Serj Tankian’s manic approach, but the lyrical content is relatively similar. Much of the record focuses on the ravages of consumerism on the human psyche, but does so in a zoomed-out view. Instead of leaning into the individual, they tackle large concepts like private healthcare (“Funny Commercials”), mental health (“Club Anxious”) and advertising (“Ad People”). This leads to moments that are downright hilarious such as “Ad People’s” declaration “We only want the pretty-pretty people, get the hell out genuine people.” but also presents a pretty harrowing look at society. The preceding track, “99 Scents” takes a break in the center of the track to visit the internal monologue of a working class stiff who just lost his job but they’ve “got a little money saved up, and (they) can afford it, because (they) deserve it.” The group’s absurdist delivery underscores the futility of centering our happiness on consumption. Of course no solutions on how to break the cycle are presented. This sends the album spiraling downwards into a “laughter in the face of impending doom” feeling that one might get from Chapo Trap House, Disco Elysium or early System of a Down. Panicked, frantic and acid-tinged, Melted Bodies levels your expectations of modern metal from track to track and reevaluates the best bits of the nu-metal scene by mixing the sounds of that era with the politics of sludge.

exhalants - Atonement

Rounding out the duo of anti-consumerism albums, Atonement takes a closer look at the effects that a consumption based system has on individuals. Drawing on the crunching noise-rock and sludge-metal of groups like Crowbar, Chat Pile and Unsane, exhalants (stylized with a lowercase “e”) shines a blinding light on the pain of the downtrodden. Nowhere is this more apparent than on the spine tingling “Crucifix.” An inversion of the crucifix as a device to save humanity, the track follows a person living a dead end life in a town that has been gentrified beyond recognition and beyond his means, and tracks their journey to their death. Stick around for when the crucifix comes in to play and tell me that your jaw doesn’t drop. Throughout the record, they make sure that no listener can escape the pummeling sounds of their instruments or the vicious wail of the singer. Their relentless approach mimicking the very system that keeps people like the character on “Crucifix” in a state of perpetual stress and fear. Sonically the group shows more than a little ambition as they fiddle with woozy, atmospheric sounds on tracks like “Definitions” and “Lake Song.” “Definitions” even calls to mind groups like Black Country, New Road, with its tight narrative and clattering, post-punk sound choices. The technical difficulty of the instrumentation impresses as well. “Passing Perceptions'' and “The Thorn You Carry in Yr Side” showcase microscopical detail in the bass work and some of the best drumming in sludge. Despite all the yelling, exhalants sells a down to earth message that is sure to appeal to anyone who has been put through the wringer, while sonically conveying the pain of poverty.

Deftones - Ohms

Whether or not you consider Deftones to be a part of metal, they’ve left a deep crater on the surface of the genre. After dozens of impersonators have tried (and failed) to recapture the post-hardcore and metalcore brilliance of the group, the big dogs have stepped back into the ring. Released ten years after Diamond Eyes, Ohms hearkens back to that tremendous era of Deftones music. The riffs are gnarlier, the drumming tighter and of course the irreplaceable Chino Moreno brings his vocals to a level unseen since Diamond Eyes. Best of all, Ohms is easy to listen to. Deftones have always been masterful at combining the harsher sounds of post-hardcore and metalcore with the propulsive production of pop-punk, and they prove it on this record. In particular “Ohms,” “This Link is Dead” and “Pompeji” display their cautious restraint. Antithetical as it may seem to metal, Deftones ability to drop back and let the listener get lost in the texture of their songs makes it all the more impactful when they rip off an unhinged bridge or a piercing shriek.

Svalbard - When I Die, Will I Get Better?

Not to completely leave social reform out of the party, metal has taken to tackling these issues as of late too. Svalbard does so graciously and violently on their chillingly titled When I Die, Will I Get Better? Looking for evidence? Turn to the opening lines of “What Was She Wearing” which beg “Is this too much? Is this not enough? If I don’t cover up, does that make it my fault?” This simple refrain is obvious in its intent, but Svalbard has the musical force to back up the anguish, confusion and guilt that pop simply can’t provide. From there, the group continues with their slow, disarming march toward the center of the song, but even the most casual of listeners will feel a storm brewing in the background. At 2:18 the dam finally bursts. A female guest vocalist begins to repeat “showing flesh” over and over as the previously disparate twinkle of the guitars begins to coalesce and ripple with energy. Simultaneously the drums move into a more perceptible driving pattern, until it all shatters at 2:48. With a heart lifting crescendo the instruments rise to a furious roar as the singer howls “Why are we still being punished / just for having a body? Why are we still being judged / solely on our clothing?” This relatable, relevant and gut-wrenching emotional honestly bleeds all over the album, carving out a beautiful space for social activism in the oft-blind world of metal.

Chrome Waves - Where We Live

Though the overall theme of this month is activism through music, listening to Chrome Waves’ impeccable third album, Where We Live, you could just as easily claim that the theme is “atmosphere over all else.” Drawing heavily from post-metal titans like God is an Astronaut and Pelican, Chrome Waves makes magic with minimalism. What makes this group stand out though is their unique approach to vocals. To those unfamiliar with metal it may seem as though the twin vocal pair of James Benson and Jeff Wilson are screaming the same as any other metal group. But a close observation reveals something different. The vocals, despite their harsh quality are easy to understand, a rarity in the more extreme or atmospheric genres of metal. They also aren’t a one trick pony, “Gazing into Oblivion” pushes into classic heavy metal, while “New Skin” plays footsie with the metal-core/nu-metal sounds of Deftones. Though it isn’t the most cohesive album in the world, it never falls apart under its own weight, and does its damndest to bring everyone to the same table.

Morwinyon - Pristine

At the risk of relitigating my review of this album from the October 11th newsletter, Pristine asserts Morwinyon as one of the freshest and most engaging voices in modern black metal. Despite having only four tracks to make an impression, Morwinyon manages to worm their way into your heart and ears with shocking efficiency. Like Chrome Waves and Svalbard, Morwinyon cobble together pieces of atmoblack and post-metal into something astounding. You’re constantly forced to stay on your toes as the album whips through roaring peaks and starlit valleys, but the listening experience never feels demanding or exhausting. This is a bath to soak in under a full moon, a cool breeze of an album that isn’t afraid to unleash a peal of thunder when necessary. Few groups could bear the weight of the ambition found on Pristine but given how easy Morwinyon makes it look, on their debut album no less, we may have another breakout star on our hands.

Uniform - Shame

Not content to be locked into a single genre, Uniform has come bursting out of the gates with their most metal offering yet in the form of Shame. Though the group retains their noise rock/industrial rock edge, Shame shows them tinkering with elements of black metal, hardcore, powerviolence and even sludge metal. Though the opener will immediately summon flashes of their previous record The Long Walk, the subsequent songs hit all over the map. Between the furious rush of “Dispatches from the Gutter” and “This Won’t End Well” to the soaring “Life in Remission,” Uniform pushes the boundaries of their own proficiency. Clearly their recent collaborations and tours with The Body as well as the time spent working with other Sacred Bones groups has expanded the group’s horizons and unleashed new potential.

If you’re interested in a longer, more detailed review of the album, check out the full length review of Shame I wrote for mxdwn.com.

Putrid Offal - Sickness Obsessions

Spinning back over to the more vicious side of metal, Putrid Offal’s Sickness Obsessions is one of the most suffocating death-grind albums of the year. Each second of the album is positively pummeling, but that relentless pace doesn’t make for a dull experience. Unlike many grind style bands they utilize enough shifts in instrumentation that just when a blast beat is getting old they swing the guitar riff to a new tone, pulling your attention in a different direction. Dissected like that it may seem to be a cheap trick, but it’s a tactful acknowledgement of the limitations of the genre. Their addition of death metal tones and riff styles allows them to ever so slightly lengthen their songs beyond that of a normal deathgrind/grindcore band without becoming obnoxious. Sickness Obsessions won’t be for everyone, but if you can drag yourself over its sea of broken glass, you’ll find treasure on the other side.

knifedoutofexistence - Just Barely

Though not metal really at all, it seems worth it to include things that exist in the realm of extreme music. knifedoutofexistence (stylized with a lowercase “k” and no spaces) is noise, plain and simple. But it’s not the genre they operate in that makes them worth your time. Unlike most harsh noise musicians who tinker with the idea of just how much they can put their audience through, knifedoutofexistence is focused on maximum impact in the smallest amount of time. Stretching out over only 20 minutes, Just Barely, pushes the intensity of noise to the point of insanity. The thrumming bass note that opens the EP on “By a Thread” is positively seismic. It’s almost difficult to put into words. Sitting out on my patio at night with a pair of decent headphones, it almost felt as though the earth and sky were being ripped apart around me. That said, Just Barely is dynamic, forceful and enthralling. It doesn’t stagnate like Merzbow and Prurient at their most self indulgent. It constantly wheels in interesting rhythms that use the unconventional sound palate of harsh noise and power electronics to it’s utmost advantage.

That’s it for the best of September. I hope that you found something new to try out. If I missed out on a record or overrated something, let me hear about it in the comments! Sometimes there isn’t enough time to get to everything so if there’s something out there I haven’t heard I wanna hear it.

Apotheosis

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