Recent Metal Albums you should try out  

by: Aniruddh Nambudiri

This is pretty much a grab bag of some metal releases I have been thinking of over the past few weeks. These all range from post hardcore to post metal and some genres in between. These are five in particular that I believe are not talked about enough and I will also be relating them to some bigger artists you might have heard of if you have tried these genres before.  

fawn – foxtails 

This album is the reason I am making this list. This album came out at the start of 2022 and ever since then, I think this is maybe one of the best albums of the decade. Just an overwhelming experience of pure emotion on display. What distinguishes this from your usual screamo is the addition of violin which turns songs like ‘paper tiger’ into full experiences towards the end of the album, especially when it syncs up with the guitars on breakdowns perfectly. The vocals on this project are also exactly what you would want in a screamo project. High pitched yet filled with moments you can clearly hear the vocalists shine. This is also a project made by non-binary people and that experience is clear in the lyrics which are exceptional all throughout. If you are looking for more screamo, this is absolutely one of the best of the decade and in the genre’s recent history.  

Rouge Carpet Disaster – Static Dress 

Genre – Metalcore 

RIYL – Knocked Loose

I am not a big Metalcore fan. I think the genre is really hokey at points, but I get it being the gateway for so many people to get into metal as a whole. I like two Bring Me The Horizon albums and I liked Knocked Loose’s album from last year which is less a metalcore album and more just a loud mass of a project. This is different though. This is pretty much a metalcore album with all the electronics of it and the cleaner vocals in choruses, but this one injects that little bit of screamo and other genres to keep it interesting to me. This album sounds like the precursor to that Knocked Loose album in terms of sheer volume but instead of the guitars being the part that cuts through, it’s the vocals. There is a certain moment in ‘courtney, just relax’ where the vocals become a buzzsaw through the breakdown. The production is great as well, managing to make the album sound artificial without it sounding too clean, a problem I have with a lot of modern metalcore. There is still a certain grime and human touch to it that I love and that keeps this project grounded to me. A heavy recommendation if you want to try something with a bit more bite in the metalcore genre.  

De Doorn – Amenra 

Genre – Post Metal, Extreme Metal  

RIYL – Cult of Luna  

The first break from their incredible ‘Mass’ series of albums, this album is still what makes Belgian metal band Amenra so good. The atmosphere, the guitars, the slow buildup and speed with the short moments of speed up. The key to all of this, like with most albums on this list to be fair, is one of the best vocal performances in the genre’s history. Colin van Eeckhout has been at the genre’s apex for a while, but this one is different even for his standards. He is known for doing the basic opposite of post-metal with his ear-shrilling high pitch screams that are on full display in a track like ‘Ogentroost’. The slow buildup with the spoken word parts before going to his vocal sections which make him sound like he is in full pain whilst screaming. The guitars also sound like walls of sound which help contribute to the sheer atmosphere of it all. A great album to listen to and take in as a full experience as well, the only real way to listen to the genre.  

No – Boris 

Genre – Crust Punk? Sludge Metal? Bit of both?  

RIYL – Boris 

This is an underrated recent release from legends of metal. Boris has been in the game since 1992 and has been remarkably consistent throughout. Switching between extreme genres like it’s nothing whilst working with names like Merzbow and Sunn O))) over the years. That being said, this might be top 5 in their long discography. There is a certain fire to this album that harkens back to classics like Akuma No Uta. It also infuses some of the key sludge metal elements that have made them appealing for years. What this leads to is a defiant expression of not slowing down after the years but getting faster and having more bite in their songwriting throughout a 40-minute run time. Still going through all the buildup but with the climaxes being faster, louder and more concise than ever. The first suite of the album that leads into ‘Anti-Gone’ is one of the best openings in their career. Particularly with the drums and guitars helping add to each other’s volume and the flair that gets added by actually hearing the bass loud and clear in a metal song. If you picked up Feedbacker or Heavy Rocks and want more, this is absolutely a great next step to take.  

all you are is we – Emma Goldman 

Genre – Emoviolence 

RIYL – Orchid  

My album of the year so far might be this. 28 minutes of just intense fire filled with emotional lyrics, incredible performances all around, a drum and bass break and everything you would want out of an emoviolence record. What also helps is another aspect that maybe carries throughout all of these releases, sheer volume. This is up there for one of the loudest albums I have heard in the last few years, yet it never feels like the mix is falling into itself. The strong base it is built on helps every element sound distinct in the mix but together it makes this sound like a wrecking ball. ‘It Rubs the Boycott Ketchup on Its Brand New Slacks’ is one of my songs of the year. The lyrics and the vocal performance here are stellar, but it adds this element of breaking up the chaos for a bit to make it all sound even louder in the end. This album has that ebb and flow and uses it effectively throughout and it is something I keep going back to as more time in the year goes by.