Written by Kep, Kirk, Westin, Rae-Aila, and Ellis
Well would you look at that: not only is 2024 well underway, but a whole damn month is done already. And with one month down, that means it’s time for our Noob Heavy release roundups to get rolling again, too. January wasn’t a slouch, either; that motherfucker was packed with great music, and we’re here to highlight a bunch of our favorites for you.
Quick links to our full reviews of January releases:
Rough Justice – Faith in Vain
Neck Deep – Neck Deep
Resin Tomb – Cerebral Purgatory
Underneath – From the Gut of Gaia
Lotus Thief / Forlesen – Lotus Thief – Forlesen
And now for the rest of our favorites!
Baazlvaat – Ridiculed by the Common Soldiery
Raw black/folk metal from the US
When I first heard Flint, Michigan’s own Baazlvaat a couple years back I couldn’t get into it. I’d been meaning to give them another shot, though, and then here they came with a surprise release at the perfect time. Now I want to use this space to publicly apologize for being an absolute idiot. Baazlvaat is fucking wonderful. Ridiculed by the Common Soldiery is a joy to listen to, boisterous and silly buzzy raw black metal bursting at the seams with charm and whimsy. It’s just so *fun*, with synth melodies galore, energetic riffage, surprisingly rangy vocals (courtesy of the delightfully-named Nlorgpipe), and oodles of rowdy charisma. They’re the kind of band that just brings a smile to my face: bold, tongue-in-cheek, authentically nerdy, unquestionably talented. It’s easy to see why they’re (very very) underground darlings, and I can’t believe I doubted them.
– Kep
Wizard Death — I Am the Night
Trad/power metal from the US
One of the things I love about heavy metal is how it feels like more than just a fanhood. In many ways, metalheads the world over can feel like family. This sentiment feels even more true for the music of Wizard Death, which is a literal family. Featuring the father/son duo of Alexander and Tim Kenefic, this seems like the likely conclusion of a really intense family D&D campaign: LET’S START A BAND. The music is surprisingly heavy, and the lyrics are fun, which kinda goes hand-in-hand for trad and power metal. Believe it or not, heavy metal doesn’t always have to be serious all the time; it can be fun, and that’s a great way to describe the debut EP from Wizard Death. It’s FUN.
– Kirk
Darkat Yuuyamihn – apesar de tudo, você ainda será você
DSBM/blackgaze from Brazil
If you’re looking for some morosely moody black metal, this is a fantastic EP. Yuuyamihn‘s strength is their ability to build a powerful tone of melancholy and overwhelming feeling – melodies are pained, guitars wash over, and the drums are like a heartbeat that won’t cease. The EP is built on themes of gender identity and conformity and the related depression found in the conflict of expressing the abstractly personal, or inability to do so. Made more powerful by the front half being pure instrumental, only the last two tracks feature vocals, raw and dripping with pain – accented by some phenomenally artistic musicianship. This is only the latest EP by an unknown-to-me artist, and everyone should put their eyes on them.
– Westin
Escuela Grind – DDEEAATTHHMMEETTAALL
Death metal/hardcore from the US
I mean, the title kind of speaks for itself. Escuela Grind has found themselves in the sweet spot between hardcore and death in ways that remind me of last year’s “It All Returns to Nothing” by Burner (which was easily one of my favorite projects of 2023). I don’t think screaming gets better than Katerina’s, though. She sounds like she’s unlocked a new pocket where she slips in between the drum rhythms like butter, like on “Punishment Ritual” where she’s damn near just rapping. It’s one of those projects where you only need a single listen to have you looking up tour dates to see them live. Death, grind, whatever… there’s truly something here for everyone. If it was up to me, Escuela Grind, you would always be famous ❤️
– Rae-aila
Gray State – Under the Wheels of Progress
Metallic hardcore from Finland
The Coming Strife put out most of the best proper metalcore of 2023 and having kickstarted the new year with this new album from Finnish outfit Gray State it would seem they have every intention of doing the same in 2024. The H8000 is mad strong with this one, as are the themes of environmental destruction which find a suitable match in the general apocalyptic feel of the music. It’s got just the right amount of blackened char and is elevated at multiple points through the use of some proper massive heavy metal leads and solos like those of the album’s stand-out title track.
– Ellis
Knoll – As Spoken
Funeral grind from the US
A couple months back, nobody had any clue what the hell “funeral grind” was. Then Knoll released As Spoken and we all collectively said, “Oh yeah, that’s it, obviously.” Rarely do bands evolve so compellingly, but here the young Tennesseans are blending mathy grind, death metal, crushing doom, and avant-garde Portal worship together into a horrifying Frankenstein’s monster that truly occupies its own unique space in the scene. It’s an enormous, ugly sound that takes over you. You’ve gotta give it up got Knoll at this point; two highly acclaimed albums in and they’re already rebuffing stagnation, innovating and growing palpably before our eyes. The album is suffocatingly dark, unflinchingly grim, wildly unhinged, and its atmosphere is so filthy and thick it’s like breathing roiling black smoke. And they’re such great songwriters to boot; you won’t ever find yourself less than enthralled.
– Kep
Roscian — The First Disgrace
Industrial noise from the UK
On January 1, lovers of extreme, experimental, progressive, and dark music got some terrible news: beginning in May, Trepanation Recordings will stop releasing new music for the remainder of 2024. Possibly for good. And while that sucks a really big fat one, at least they’re starting off 2024 with a bang. Allow me to introduce The First Disgrace, the debut album from Bristol’s industrial noise duo Roscian. Featuring the vocal talents of Jake Harding and the sonic mastery of Simon Mason, The First Disgrace is a delectable deep dive into cinematic industrial noise. Fans of dark, experimental electronic music won’t want to miss this album; be sure to pick up a CD while copies last!
– Kirk
Ὁπλίτης – Παραμαινομένη
Progressive black metal from China
Hoplites is back, baby. The fourth record (in just one year) from this one-man band is possibly the most boundary pushing yet. Whereas the first two dabbled with mathcore and death metal elements, the third leaned thrashy, and this newest leans even harder into the death metal. This is gnarly, heavy and rifftastic, but still retains that core sound of progressive black metal. The opening track has wild jazzy horns, chanting and some crushing forward momentum once it explodes out of bass-y grooves. I said as much on Twitter but I fully expect this record to make my AotY list already, much like last year’s debut. Hoplites has quickly become one of the most engaging projects in the scene. By the end of the year I fully expect to hear at least another record, and I can’t wait.
– Westin
Beryllium – Your Laughter is an Echo in My Head
Dark ambient/drone/black metal
If you know me, you know I looooooove weird shit. Portland label Total Dissonace Worship gives us Beryllium’s “Your Laughter is an Echo in My Head”, an album that can be felt more than heard. Drone and ambient soundscapes corrupt atonal screams through layers of reverb and distortion, making everything simultaneously incomprehensible and emotionally gripping. The power is in the dynamics; moments like the transition between “Labyrinthine Tunnels” and “Aurea Sealed in Torment” weave the general sense of anger into deeper, more complex feelings of tragedy. The amalgamation of acoustic guitars and digital synthesizers places this a few degrees away from Liz Harris’ Grouper project, but if she couldn’t stop screaming into the abyss. Experimental metal is back.
– Rae-aila
Witnesses — Joy (Beyond the Sound of My Voice)
Atmospheric doom metal from the US
Hard to believe it’s been over a year since we’ve had new music from Witnesses. We got The Holy Water EP on July 15, 2022 and then The Curse of Tarry Town, or The Hessian’s Diary five months later on December 14. Taking a slower, more deliberate approach to his upcoming full-length record, mastermind Greg Schwan teases us with a lead single that is nothing if not triumphant. Give it a spin; it really puts the “epic” in “epic doom.”
– Kirk
Bib – Biblical
Hardcore from the US
Psychedelic hardcore? Count me in! Bib returns with their first release since 2020’s Delux with their new Biblical EP, and it rips so fucking hard in its ten minutes of absolute madness. Vocals take the spotlight for me — the reverb/delay combination is almost reminiscent of dub music. On my personal favorite “Better Mind”, there’s a sick falsetto backing that reaches a register you don’t normally hear in the current landscape of hardcore. Cool stuff happening here and I hope to see more vocal experimentation like this.
– Rae-aila
Upon Stone – Dead Mother Moon
Melodic death metal from the US
The last few years seem to have brought melodeath back from the grave. Upon Stone‘s full-length debut feels right at home with some of my favourite In Flames records. This is retro melodeath honing the essence of Gothenburg perfectly – It’s crunchy, it’s aggressive, it’s catchy, and it does not compromise. What stands out to me about this record is that it’s very dynamic, maintaining the flowing highs and lows that made the iconic records of the 90s into beloved mainstays. Songcraft is probably Upon Stone‘s greatest strength, and I expect I’ll be listening to this record a lot.
– Westin
Bloody Keep – Rats of Black Death
Black metal from the US
Another absolute fucking banger from Abysmal Specter, who I’m convinced is a genius. Bloody Keep is probably the least raw of his many projects, but it’s no less quirky. This, the first full-length after a slew of five EPs reaching back to 2021, is nothing short of a triumph. Someone in the Noob Heavy Discord server called it “hummable,” and that’s the damn truth; there are too many catchy melodies on this thing, sometimes cheery, sometimes eerie, sometimes just a step short of downright silly. But truly, the most impressive aspect of the album is its staying power: despite its runtime of well over 50 minutes, the cohesiveness of its instrumentation (prominently featuring organ and synth) and its killer songwriting keeps Rats of Black Death engaging from start to finish.
– Kep
Mouri Sunlight — Nestos Me Toi?
Experimental noise rock from Canada
If last year’s DB4 was your first introduction to Mouri Sunlight as it was mine, this year’s album, Nestos Me Toi?, will likely come as a surprise. Living up to their tag line on Bandcamp–“Multi-genre artist from Canada. Anywhere from digital fusion to brutal groove metal can be found here.”–in other words, if you’ve come here seeking cybergrind, you will likely be disappointed. Actually, no, that’s a lie; you will likely be surprised. Nestos Me Toi? feels more like the score to a suspense/thriller movie that wins “Best Film” at this year’s Cannes Film Festival than anything else. It is as engaging as it is haunting, so be warned. Or advised. Not sure which is more appropriate.
– Kirk
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