Written by Espi Kvlt
Brat summer may be over, but black metal fall is just starting, and with it, my favorite month of the year. Piggybacking off Westin’s wonderful idea of previewing upcoming death metal releases for the month of October, I am here to offer ten albums coming up in the black metal variety (with one album that technically releases November 1st, but I think midnight on Halloween is the absolute perfect time to blast it so it counts). As was pointed out previously, this is only scratching the surface of all the wonderful music releasing this month, but these are the albums I was personally looking forward to the most, and they did not disappoint! Let’s sink our vampire teeth into the releases coming out just in time for Samhain.
(Editor’s note: This article was supposed to go up earlier in the month, but life is a fickle bitch. It’s 100% my fault that this is landing on the first release day instead of ahead of it. Sorry!)
October 11th
Hell is Other People – Moirae
Post-black metal from Canada
An ultimately extremely sad album about fate and how we are all destined to follow it no matter how hard we might try to free ourselves from the shackles of destiny. While post-black metal generally tends to have lighter tones of hopefulness, there are none at all to be found here. It is an extremely bleak album that is perfect for autumn, the leaves falling to the ground to be stomped on by thousands of feet and return to the earth, just like we all will. Though a depressing album, it is also a beautiful one, with melodic textures and an overwhelming wave of nostalgic soundscapes. The standout here is the guitar tone, which practically sounds like its giving out its own death knell in parts. I advise listening to this one on a cold night.
FOR FANS OF: Agalloch, Ellende
Oranssi Pazuzu – Muuntautuja
Psychedelic black metal from Finland
After their spectacular release from 2022, Mestarin kynsi, Oranssi Pazuzu return to unleash some more chaotic, mind-bending black metal into the world. I wasn’t sure how much more experimental it could get, but it managed to do it, featuring a lot more harsh noise than was on previous albums and fully leaning into the aesthetic of the raw black metal sound mixed with their particular brand of weirdness. There is a part on the song “Valotus” that becomes a literal harsh noise wall, and I was so here for it. The synths are great, there are of course interesting sounds in here (at one point I thought I heard whale song?), and the vocals deliver the hardest they ever have. It’s the perfect follow-up to that great release from 2022, honing in on their found sound and letting that direct the course of the music. My favorite effort from this band yet.
FOR FANS OF: Terra Tenebrosa, A Forest of Stars
Doedsmaghird – Omniverse Consciousness
Black metal from Norway
Not to be confused with Dødheimsgard, Doedsmaghird is the new project from Yusaf “Vicotnik” Parvez and Camille Giradeau, two of that iconic black metal outfit’s members. With this new project, the duo have created something feral and urgent, something raw and riveting. Unlike the polish and poise of Dødheimsgard, Doedsmaghird sounds primitive and ritualistic. The energy exuding from this album is exciting, and it got me wanting to jump up and move. It’s fast, it’s loud, it’s great black metal.
FOR FANS OF: Limbonic Art, Aura Noir
KrvL – Donkere Paden
Post-black metal from Belgium
A tremendous and heavy atmosphere covers this band’s nice blend of 90s Norwegian black metal with modern post-black metal. While there is a lot of classic black metal worship, the band also ventures into new territories and tries new things, providing moments where the listener goes from a captivated and passive audience to wide-eyed and intrigued by what this band is pulling out and what they’ll do next. The drumming was interesting in particular. There was far more usage of chimey cymbals sound than I normally hear on a black metal record, and I really enjoyed it. With great riffs and a fantastic vocal performance, this anonymous band has offered us something that is as respectful of the old as it is inventive with the new.
FOR FANS OF: Imperium Dekadenz, Aara
October 18th
Immortal Bird – Sin Querencia
Blackened death metal from the US
After their career-defining 2019 album, Thrive on Neglect, Immortal Bird are back to ravage all our ears in the best way. While putting “blackened death metal” was the most accurate genre tag, this band experiments all the time, with a lot of jump between elements of crust, hardcore, sludge, and noise rock. Sin Querencia in particular blends these elements together perfectly, with memorable riffs, pounding and danceable drums, and vocals harsh enough and aggressive enough to blow your face off. This album is an absolute joy to listen to. It’s fun, it’s angry, it’s unique, it’s the best offering from Immortal Bird yet (which is saying a lot after how good Thrive on Neglect was).
FOR FANS OF: Full of Hell, Krallice
October 25th
Black Curse – Burning in Celestial Poison
Blackened death metal from the US
This supergroup burst onto the scene with their 2020 debut, with members from Blood Incantation, Khemmis, Spectral Voice, and Primitive Man all coming together to release the remarkable Endless Wound. Now they’re back with an album even more punishing and unrelenting than the first. Strap in for this one, because this record is going to assault your senses for its entire 45-minute run, and you’re going to like it. While not much is different between the sound of Endless Wound and Burning in Celestial Poison, that’s fine with me. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!
FOR FANS OF: Dead Congregation, Devil Master
October 31st/November 1st
Tryblith – Draconis Maleficium
Black metal from the US
Right off the bat, every single riff on this album is sexy and catchy as hell. I was new to the band with this release but was immediately interested when I saw the cosmic aesthetic of their discography, and I was not disappointed. While not straight-up cosmic black metal, it still scratches that particular itch with its own unique elements of mysticism. I simply cannot emphasize enough how great the guitarists on this band are. They had my full attention from beginning to end, with sick blast beats and nasty vocals that complemented them perfectly. Went from complete unknowns to me to new favorites, and I will be devouring their full discography and looking forward to their next project.
FOR FANS OF: Mare Cognitum, Vorga
Sorry… – Drowned in Misery
DSBM from Greece
If you’ve been following my writing at all, you would probably know I cannot get enough of this project. They were on my AOTY list two years in a row in 2022 and 2023 and it’s looking like it’s going to be three for three. While not afraid to experiment with their sound, they’re not afraid to make classic, great DSBM, either. And with this album, they have done exactly that again. It’s difficult to not repeat myself but man, these vocals are wild. A.W. can screech and wail like no one’s business in a way that, as I’ve mentioned before, is a huge inspiration to me personally. The vocal range on this one stands out in particular, with songs going from deep, standard black metal growls into harrowing screams. The music that accompanies it is as great as ever, layering depressing sounds that radiate from the guitar behind mesmerizing drum rolls. This band has yet to not deliver.
FOR FANS OF: Exiled from Light, Dreariness
Strja / Ticinum / Kre^u / Vrim – Voces Antiqui Sanguinis
Black metal from Italy
An ambitious four-way split between four Italian black metal bands that all sing in their unique Italian regional dialect or autochthonous language, this album is as much a cultural study as it as a musician output. Strja are a powerful opening act for this record, starting with a ferocious song as the opener and then settling into a second track that is as captivating and melodic as it is brutal. Ticinum follow them up, and the vibe completely changes when folk instrumentation comes out from the speaker followed by an incredible scream that leads us into the riffs and blast beats. The two types of music dance together in a beautiful duet that I couldn’t get enough of, even having a section of clean singing over the folk music reminiscent of a Renaissance Faire, with sprinkles of extreme vocals throughout. Then their other song completely changes the vibe again, throwing us right into a brutal assault of black metal. However, the folk music returns swiftly, worry not. This band reminds me a lot of one of my favorite bands in the world, Dawn Ray’d, and having no idea who they were before this, they have a new mega fan. We’re only halfway through this album, however, as Kre^u follows up that act with their own flavor of melodic black metal that has sections of clean singing that sound like they should be in a church. The riffs from this act, aside from the obvious tremolo picking, were reminding me a lot of classic rock n’ roll, which paired perfectly with the unique vocals. Closing out the record is Vrim, and it was definitely a difficult ask to follow up three powerhouses, but they nailed it with a brutal closer to this loaded split. The blast beats are a standout from the band’s drummer, the guitar tone polished, and the vocals classic black metal goodness. Overall, this was a random split that was sent to my inbox and piqued my interest with the interesting linguistic nuances it provides, then hooked me completely with four great bands that I can’t wait to hear more of in the future.
FOR FANS OF: Italian black metal and Dawn Ray’d
Eldingar – Lysistrata
Black metal from Greece
Closing out this list is the only one listed as a November 1st release date whereas everyone else chose to go with the October 31st route, which I respect, and still chose to put on my list for reasons stated in the opening. This album is hauntingly beautiful and is the absolute perfect note to end October and Halloween on. The pure black metal sections have melodic, captivating riffs with powerhouse vocals and enchanting drumming. The acoustic sections made me ache both in the gorgeousness of the instrumentation as well as the urgency I felt beneath the chords. Knowing the play Lysistrata quite well, I went in slightly skeptical, as it does have a bit of misogynistic comedy that was difficult to overlook. However, the reverence for the character of Lysistrata herself is evident in these songs, and they clearly hold the powerful, war-ending woman in high regard. All in all, a touching, captivating album that weaves seamlessly between its aggressive black metal and soft acoustic sections.
FOR FANS OF: Grima, Fall of Rauros