Mining Metals is a monthly column from Serious Consequences staff writers Landon Hickman and Colin Dempsey. The focus is on notable new music emerging from the alternative metal scene, with a focus on releases from small independent labels or even unsigned bands.
Let’s take a moment to state the obvious – metals will remain healthy in 2023. It’s arguably at the height of its health, as it actively honors its past and boldly transcends its parameters. Mainstream metal may not be to everyone’s liking for clean production and flat soundscapes (although some do like that), but even the divergence of tastes shows the diversity of the scene, which leads to a healthier school. Currently, underground metal is home to exciting trends that would have been isolated incidents years ago. Collaborative albums—like full-length LPs where two bands record together rather than separate tracklists—are released regularly enough that you can’t keep track of how many you’ve made; The moments of madness don’t feel like they’re spoken in a dead tongue; and enough people know the difference between Black Whiplash and Black Death that you can compare and contrast them in one sentence.
All of which is to say that, even away from the genre’s mainstream tendencies toward alternative rock and Djent (itself a wild moment in history), metal remains fresh. There are plenty of mid-year charts this month, and looking back at 2023, metal musicians have been raving. Not just recording, but touring. Immolation is on their second tour in less than a year and still puts most death metal bands to shame. Personally, I’ve seen 3 200 stab wounds, but only one was intentional. That’s not a complaint, because there can’t be too many stabs; I’m just glad I stumbled across a band I like.
June, in particular, has been a great month for metal, with several hit albums, notably the shock of Avenged Sevenfold’s first album in seven years. In the case of any other album in the band’s catalog, Life is but a dream… Does not raise any eyebrows. Yet this is a true “what the f**k” album, and the words can’t convey a sense of surprise without a barrage of belligerent punctuation. It’s worth at least a listen, to experience the stylistic thrash of one of metal music’s greatest acts, not only risking it, but throwing yourself off a cliff, the only guarantee being its popularity. It’s not so much about whether the album is a good one as it is about the confidence with which “Seven Revenge” performs.
However, if you don’t want to spend nearly an hour listening to the latest from M. Shadows and the Loud Boys, here are eight albums from this year’s metal underground’s strongest month. There’s a healthy dose of black metal, folk, and a release that should be on everyone’s radar until the end of the year.
(We’re just not discussing Godflesh here, as we’d rather highlight lesser-known shows. That said, go hear the new Godflesh.)
— Colin Dempsey
clogging – obstacle
Life is a bewildering cavern of dappled darkness, chaotic light, suffocating with strange lichens and mold spores, all before the abyss that inevitably silences our consciousness and buries us forever. Yet despite these brutal services, death metal persists. Claustrum don’t innovate: they master. The morbid progressivism of “Sick Angel,” the churning goo and goo of “Spell,” the riffs that culminated in their stomach-churning low-key whining, with hellish post-killer pinch harmonies; these are our A tool that has long been experienced and executed with aplomb. I’ve said it many times, and while I love a lot of music, death metal is the heart, the key, the presence. Claustrum, like other modern Italian greats Bedesall, did great justice to these hallowed halls.purchased at Band Camp. – Landon Hickman
high priest – pray
Sources may tell you it’s stoner metal. They are wrong. High Priest’s sound is filled with a variety of more exciting sonic touchpoints, such as Baroness’s wailing and progressive/Southern rock dual leads, Thin Lizzy-esque hard rock/heavy rock, and, frankly, some of the most catchy, most Striking piece of clean sound I’ve been listening to for a while.Confession: I watched the Cave In scene recently and they were Unbelievable, which reignited my craving for heavy rock records. It’s a very, very good thing when your metal records remind me of Captain Beyond and Queens at the height of the Stone Age. I’ve listened to it several times now and am still in awe of how much I love it. Cynics can go to hell, and we love the honest happy surprises here.purchased at Band Camp. – Landon Hickman