Every month we collect our favorite albums of the month. Here are our favorites of January:
Leon:
I’m a sucker for nature-themed atmospheric black metal. One man project from Slovenia evokes scenes from the beautiful Bled region with grandiose, even uplifting melodies.
Spenser:
How do you follow up a mammoth such as Songs of The North? While it may not be as ambitious, Swallow The Sun’s latest offering is still a wonderful slice of depressive gloominess that grows with each listen.
Ethan:
Black metal intertwined with death – doom fill three tracks all on the long side. I have been impatiently awaiting this release since their live EP was taken down and the first recorded track replaced it. Fans of being there early to witness a band on the rise would do well to check them out asap.
Rutger:
I actually came across this album by accident, so I was surprised it was such a good album. Technical death metal that doesn’t stay the same for more than ten seconds, with atmospheric interludes that make your skin crawl. Highly recommended for those into dissonant and technical music!
Connor:
Swallow the Sun’s powerful dynamic range and enveloping soundscapes are as strong as ever, a highlight in an otherwise soft January for metal.
Hannes:
German Gothic Metal with members from The Vision Bleak and Eisregen. Solid album with a very cold and dark atmosphere.
Joey:
No nonsense, Judiciary are here to break everything in sight. Every song is packed with fun stomping riffs. The vocals are intense & passionate, plus there’s plenty of vocal features to keep things interesting. Pure god damn fury. Check it out!
Elias:
It’s a very melancholy doom metal album with lyrics and instrumentation that will make you reflect on life.
Eric:
Three piece heavy technical death metal out of Japan. If you’re looking for some straight-forward tech death, get into this thing. These guys always put out good material. In what I saw as a slow month for metal, this was a highlight.
JP:
This is a stunning debut album from North Carolina (US) band, Mo’ynoq. The album artwork is what intrigued me the most and ultimately caused me to check out the album. Dreaming in a Dead Language is a marvelous start to 2019 for the Atmospheric Black Metal subgenre. Do not sleep on this if you’re into post-black metal or black metal in general!
Darryl:
The second part of the Black Crystal Sword Saga starts with a bang. Sara Squadrani sounds incredible throughout the entire album. This may be their best album yet, both musically and lyrically.
“The demo was better.”