Best Metal Albums of June 2024

Cutting the Throat of God by Ulcerate is a powerful dive into dissonant death metal, featuring complex, chaotic compositions and a dark, oppressive atmosphere. The album’s intricate drumming and layered guitars create a haunting soundscape that explores themes of nihilism and existential despair. Each track hits hard, showcasing Ulcerate’s technical skill and emotional depth. This album stands out for its intensity and offers listeners a deep, immersive experience.

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The Center that Cannot Hold by Replacire combines technical death metal with progressive elements for a captivating, complex experience. The album features intricate guitar work, dynamic rhythms, and powerful vocals, delving into themes of chaos and inner conflict. Each track displays the band’s technical brilliance and creative depth, making for an intense, thought-provoking journey. Replacire skillfully merges technical precision with emotional depth, making this album a solid launch.

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It’s Inside You by Candy is an intense and raw album that blends hardcore punk with elements of noise and experimental music. The record is filled with aggressive, frenetic energy, and explores themes of inner turmoil and existential dread. With its unrelenting pace and visceral sound, Candy creates a powerful and immersive listening experience that leaves a lasting impression. This album stands out for its unapologetic intensity and emotional depth, capturing the essence of the band’s confrontational and thought-provoking style.

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Holycide delivers classic thrash metal with a modern twist, incorporating themes that reflect current events and societal issues. Their latest album, Towards Idiocracy, features top-notch production and a thematic focus on war, violence, nuclear destruction, and politics. Formed in Madrid in 2004, the band is known for its aggressive sound and sharp commentary on contemporary topics. Their discography includes notable releases like Annihilate… Then Ask! and Fist to Face, with Towards Idiocracy continuing to solidify their reputation in the thrash metal scene.

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Manifesto by Sunburst blends progressive and power metal, featuring intricate guitar work and powerful vocals. The album explores themes of personal struggle and societal issues with a human touch, making it relatable and emotionally resonant. Formed in Greece, Sunburst’s music combines technical skill with heartfelt songwriting, and Manifesto is a standout release that showcases their growth and depth as a band.

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Schizophrenia delivers a brutal thrash metal experience with addictive and ferocious riffs, maintaining the band’s signature aggression and violence. Despite its raw production quality, the album has a unique charm that appeals especially to nostalgic fans seeking new material. Formed by ex Sepultura brothers Max and Igor Cavalera, the band continues to explore themes of society, violence, and war. Their latest release, Schizophrenia, stands out in their discography alongside albums like Inflikted and Psychosis.

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The Stygian Rose blends heavy and doom metal styles, reminiscent of classic bands like Black Sabbath. The album maintains a dark and mysterious tone, featuring guitar solos and sound effects that evoke a medieval and fantasy atmosphere. It’s a solid release that continues the band’s tradition of epic doom metal. Formed in Philadelphia in 2013, Crypt Sermon explores biblical and religious themes, with notable releases including Out of the Garden and The Ruins of Fading Light. Their latest album, The Stygian Rose, has received high praise in the metal community, which we believe is totally deserved.

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Les Chants de l´Aurore captures the essence of Alcest with a more serene and melancholic, yet somehow joyful, twist. It retains the band’s emotive core but lacks the aggression seen in previous works. This album offers a pleasant and nostalgic listening experience, reminiscent of the end of summer. Formed in France in 1999, Alcest blends post-black metal and shoegaze, exploring themes of nostalgia, childhood, and spirituality. Their discography includes acclaimed releases like Écailles de lune, Shelter, and the recent Les Chants de l´Aurore.

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The Formless Fire by Kvaen starts modestly but improves with each listen, featuring Viking Black Metal with neoclassical and folk elements, including impressive guitar solos. Highlighted by the track “De Dodas Sang,” the album showcases the band’s thematic focus on paganism, nature, and war. Formed in Sweden in 2019, Kvaen’s discography includes notable releases such as The Funeral Pyre, The Great Below, and the recent The Formless Fires, reaching a high standard in the Viking Metal niche thanks to the impressive guitar work.

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Huntsmen’s The Dry Land offers a distinctive mix of American folk, doom, and black metal, creating a genre-defying experience. This album transports listeners to a cinematic realm full of mystery and intrigue, with its originality and expert execution making it a strong contender for album of the year. The track “Cruelly Dawn” particularly stands out. Huntsmen’s innovative artistry shines through in their seamless blending of diverse genres into a cohesive and captivating whole, demonstrating their unique musical vision and expanding metal music to new horizons.

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