Cover shot – EVERYDAY METAL
Kicking off our list is Sydney’s Thy Art Is Murder. It was a controversial year for the band, yet they took the reigns replacing their vocalist with Tyler Miller of Aversions Crown, and re-recorded all the vocals just two weeks before the album dropped.
Self-described as ‘WEST COAST DEATH VIOLENCE’ this band takes filth, darkness, and aggression to a whole other level. This album is not easy to describe so you just need to blast it in your ears and hold on for the ride.
🎸@scalp.oc
KHANATE is a drone doom supergroup featuring members from OLD James Plotkin and Alan Dubin, Tim Wyskida of Blind Idiot God, and Stephen O’Malley of Burning Witch and Sunn O))). This is KHANATE’s first new music since 2009, ‘To Be Cruel’ features three tracks with a run time of just over an hour and is drone doom at its very best.
🎸@officialkhanate
Awaiting The Dawn is the perfect palate cleanser, a journey into darkfolk that is filled with uplifting and emotional instrumentals that make you feel like you are wandering through the woods in a time gone by.
🎸@tirofficial
This is the first record in 6 years from Australian death metalers Burial Chamber. This record feels like a modern take on classic 90’s death metal with a healthy serving of groove in the mix.
Brisbane metalcore act Crave Death brings absolute fury to their latest record. If you get a chance to see this band live, you are in for a good time.
🎸@cravedeath
Heavy hardcore from right here in Melbourne. This is Terminal Sleeps second release with four hard-hitting tracks, standouts include ‘Tried and True’ and ‘Elicit Fear’. This is another band you need to see live to experience their fresh take on the Aussie hardcore scene.
🎸@terminalsleep
Self-described as ‘All meat no potatoes Death Metal’ this Western Australian band comes across as a bunch of larrikins, yet lay down some seriously devastating death metal. Pretty much every track on this record is a banger, some of our favorites are ‘Ritual’, ‘Harbinger’ and ‘Cursed Rebirth’.
“We are not a band, we are a collective, a movement, we are an idea, a dogma’. Athens based collective WOTHROSCH gained attention with two singles in 2022 that went on to be part of their debut 2023 album ‘Odium’. This record is black death metal in a raw and honest form, a very impressive first outing.
This album is seriously good fun! If you are having a shitty day or just need to get pumped up, this record is for you. Filled with infectious grooves, catchy lyrics, and polished production quality, this record will have you coming back for more.
🎸@afterearth_swe
Abscisson is a sonic journey of bleakness, aggression, and introspection. The band describes it perfectly ‘Our collective dialogue of rupture and renewal, this is a deeply personal record we are immensely proud of. It’s a raw and crushingly heavy document of the last few years of our lives’.
🎸@torpor_uk
Founded in 2014 by Deftones vocalist Chino Moreno and guitarist Shaun Lopez, their earlier material had a reserved, stripped-back, and minimal sound. ‘Goodnight, God Bless, I Love U, Delete’ shows a more layered and synth-heavy approach with the record being complex, emotional, and upbeat, with an unexpected collaboration with legendary rapper EL-P, one half of Run The Jewels.
🎸@crossesmusic
The Australians have been unstoppable this year, crushing it with records coming from every sub-genre of heavy music. EKOSA brings a fresh take on progressive metal using indigenous Australian instruments such as the didgeridoo to create an enthralling and enveloping sound.
🎸@ekosa.band
TOMB MOLD never disappoints, this album sees the band head in a slightly proggier direction yet is still filled with aggression and technical proficiency. Each track bobs and weaves through tempo and complexity keeping you guessing for its entirety.
🎸@tombmoldband
This album is complete brutality, with sections so heavy it will make your ears bleed. That being said, Signs Of The Swarm shows how they are maturing as a band with flourishes of technicality which is presented throughout the album.
Blackbraid is a solo Indigenous black metal project by native American artist Jon Krieger. Gaining critical acclaim for their first project, they released the aptly named ‘Blackbraid II’. This record is some of the tightest and most honest black metal we have ever heard.
🎸@blackbraid_kvlt
It’s no secret that we are massive fans of these local legends. 2023 has been good for this band, not only was their latest EP ‘Pain Ouroboros’ extremely well received, but they were also able to tour Australia supporting the mighty BEHEMOTH. This record follows on from 2019’s ‘Towards Extinction’ and is filled with their signature black grinding death, yet this record isn’t just heavy, it has an infectious chug that will have you headbanging for days.
🎸@muntgrind
This record had our attention with the cover art alone, featuring Goya’s Witches’ Flight, ‘The painting represents a rationalist critique of superstition and ignorance, particularly in religious matters’. This record is extreme experimental metal at its finest. The genre has never been the most accessible, being intentionally grating and challenging to the listener, so if you are new to the genre this album is a great place to start.
🎸@thantifaxath_
This enigmatic anonymous collective has skyrocketed to atmospheric success in 2023 and we have had the pleasure of following them since their very first release. Their latest ‘Take Me Back To Eden’ is the conclusion of a trilogy that is steeped in lore and raw emotion. The record shows how Sleep Token can seamlessly weave through genres, blending metal, pop, rock, and electronic elements to create what fans have hailed as a masterpiece.
🎸@sleep_token
Veterans of the Australian sludge metal scene, LO! brought us ‘The Gleaners’ in 2023. This record is furious, unrelenting, and addictive. It takes the top slot on our list as it delivers exactly what it sets out to do. There is not a single weak track on this record, yet some stand out from others such as ‘Cannibal Culture’ and ‘Rat King’.
EVERYDAY METAL – SUPPORT LOCAL HEAVY METAL
