The Best Things We Heard in March

Well that was a hell of a month. I (Kep) had a whirlwind March for reasons unrelated to music, and thus the whole thing sort of disappeared into a time warp and I’m still wrapping my head around everything that happened. But! The metal and metal-adjacent releases were still plentiful and excellent, so we’ve gathered our favorites here to share with you. Pardon the lateness, it won’t happen again (it probably will happen again).

As per usual, albums we reviewed in full aren’t eligible to be selected as monthly favorites. Here are those records and links to our writeups:

Ingrown – Idaho
Snooze – I Know How You Will Die
Jivebomb – Ethereal

And now, the monthly picks:

Ellis: Backxwash – Only Dust Remains

Industrial hip hop from Canada

The much-anticipated follow-up to the phenomenal trilogy of albums Backxwash released from 2020-2022 feels considerably lighter, freer, and more vibrant than its heavily industrial predecessors. As both a producer and a rapper this is Backxwash‘s finest work yet, with intricate and often melodic soundscapes providing a suitably diverse and striking backdrop to her wide-ranging reflections on themes of life, love, grief, death, addiction, and injustice. All of it’s a must-listen really but if you just wanna dip your toes in check out the track “History of Violence” specifically for its incendiary second half that turns its attention to the ongoing genocide in Gaza:

“Never mention the kids or you’re in league / Never mention the men or you’re in league / Never mention the women / Never mention the children / Never mention the victims or you’re in league / Never mention the toll or you’re in league / Never mention the war or you’re in league / Never mention the cause or you’re in league / Never get involved or you’re in league“

Kirk: Feijoa Tree – A Day in the Life

Dungeon synth from New Zealand

If I had to name 2025 after an album, it would absolutely be How Could Hell Be Any Worse?. It really is remarkable to wake up each morning and ask yourself, “What new and awful thing(s) will happen today?”. It’s no wonder my mental health has been doing the “I Just Turned 21” porcelain hug; fortunately, March provided the perfect balm for my existential ulcer: new music from Arcane Chapel. Ziri is the unofficial empress of dungeon synth with a plethora for projects under the dungeon synth umbrella, but Feijoa Tree is a little different. The perfect album to celebrate the coming of Spring, it feels less like dungeon synth and more like cottage synth (if that’s a thing). Very similar to Apparition Gauntlet’s The Beckoning House, which is a dungeon synth album that’s so, so much more than your average dungeon synth album, A Day in the Life is more of a celebration of life and nature using dungeon synth as a template. It really helped me break out of my funk, plus I got the Fiadh Productions subscriber exclusive tape release, which definitely didn’t hurt.

Kep: clipping. – Dead Channel Sky

Experimental/industrial hip hop from the US

That’s right folks, we’re Noob Heavy, the metal and hardcore site, bringing you nothing but non-metal and non-hardcore picks this month! I won’t apologize for it, though, because dungeon synth rocks and the relationship of acts like Backxwash and clipping. with the metal community is well-established. The last clipping. album, Visions of Bodies Being Burned, is one of my favorite hip hop records ever, and now Dead Channel Sky is equally great. Daveed Diggs‘ flow remains impeccable and his lyrical abilities are nothing short of remarkable, while the producer team of Jonathan Snipes and William Hutson manages to strike a balance between beats that would feel at home bumping in the club and moving even further afield into noise-ridden, electronics-heavy horror shows. Technological narratives weave into cerebral musings on a plethora of subjects, all enhanced by some truly immaculate touches and mutations in the beats. This is as complete an effort from all parties as I can even imagine. I don’t care if you’re one of those metalhead who doesn’t branch out to other genres; this is one of the best albums you’ll hear this year, period.

Here are our three runners-up for March: