There is so much heavy, extreme, and beautiful metal music being conjured all around the world that it can be overwhelming. Fortunately, Metal Has No Borders has curated the best of the best released this past month, from Hungary and Indonesia to Turkey and Japan, as well as everything in between.
Enjoy our hand-picked favorite albums, singles, and videos for June 2023 below. Enjoy and share which bands you were headbanging to this past month in the comment section!
Album of the Month (Gold Tier)
Thy Catafalque – Alföld
Released via Season of Mist
Hungary
Folk-tinged progressive black metal one-man project Thy Catafalque’s eleventh full-length studio recording is both comforting and harsh, in tones, in dynamics. Vocals bellow out like wizards, damned to be hermits in frostbitten caves, as blackened riffs reflect also the Winter bitterness. Alföld slowly unravels, presenting a range of cold, callous compositions to whimsical immersion. The nine-minute title track and following piece “Folyondár” are most emblematic of this breadth, showing the vast stylistic spectrum and emotional gamut on par with Midsommar (2019) hostility. While mastermind Tamás Kátai runs the show, this album would not be complete without the guest musicians featured, a diverse display of American, Brazilian, Hungarian, Israeli, Italian, and Latvian vocalists and instrumentalists. Alföld is cogent, undoubtedly herculean.
Alföld by Thy Catafalque is awarded Best Album of the Month (Gold Tier) for June 2023
Favorite Songs: “Néma vermek,” “Alföld,” “A csend hgyei“
FFO: Ihsahn, Sigh, Arcturus
Album of the Month (Silver Tier)
Exnun – Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death
Released via Time to Kill Records
Turkey
A backlit expose on the subconscious, Exnun curates extreme music into a state as palatable as possible, given the unforgiving subgenres present. Like well-paced horror stories, Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death brings a much more adventurous and modernized grindcore-deathcore fusion. This record is sadistic; it is the equivalent to scraping off rust to find the luster beneath.
Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death by Exnun is awarded Album of the Month (Silver Tier) for June 2023
Favorite Songs: “What’s Wrong with the Lobotomy Kid?, “The Diseases, and Casualties, this year being 1632,” “Majör Arkana Pt. 1. – The Mind”
FFO: Black Tongue, Napalm Death, Enterprise Earth
Album of the Month (Bronze Tier)
Seek – Kokyou De Shinu Otoko
Released via Silent Pendulum Records
Japan
Like the bitter, metallic, and addictive taste of blood in your mouth, Kokyou De Shinu Otoko is primal thrill. There’s a threatening adrenaline that one endures through the listening experience of blackened hardcore. Although abrasive, there is a comforting space found between the vocal acidic anger and pessimistically heavy instrumentals; we applaud Seek for creating this fully unheard space.
Kokyou De Shinu Otoko by Seek is awarded Album of the Month (Bronze Tier) for June 2023
Favorite Songs: “Kuroi Ame,” “Shinkai,” “Yotsuyu Ni Utsuru”
FFO: Envy, Cult Leader, Wolf King
Album of the Month (Honorable Mentions)
Varmia – Nie nas widzę
Poland
With our interest piqued on their previous pagan metal bal Lada release, the greater focus on a blackened folk-driven fusion allows Varmia to reach a wholly purposeful quality.
Listen to “DAINA 4“
Táltos – A remény kora
Hungary
There are few times in my life where I’ve discovered a new band and have no idea how to categorize or compare them. Táltos is a true abundance of enjoyable experimentation, exploring dense folk, prog, and punk.
Listen to “A remény kora (Age of Hope)“
A’sh (עש) – לא שם (Lo Sham)
Israel
Spewing out blackened death-sludge, this debut LP from A’sh is tormented darkness in the form of music.
Listen to “לא שם (Lo Sham)“
Check out All Recent, Upcoming, and Past Notable Releases by Clicking Here
Single / Video of the Month
Voice of Baceprot- “What’s The Holy (Nobel) Today?”
Indonesia
I recall the explosion of hype around this initially teenage project a handful of years ago when Voice of Baceprot (“noisy” in Sundanese) covered the likes of Slipknot and System of a Down. Now in their early-twenties and writing original material, the sensationalism behind the Muslim female trio is beyond justified as their unique identity parallels their superb songwriting. With previous songs threading youthful revolutionary themes to funky alt-metal, such political sentiments continue in the latest anti-war “What’s The Holy (Nobel) Today?” single. Frontwoman Firda Marsya Kurnia, bassist Widi Rahmawati, and drummer Euis Siti Aisyah deliver the most satisfying vocal offense and Faith No More grooves. I absolutely foresee the charisma of this already attention-worthy group expanding with time.
“What’s The Holy (Nobel) Today?” by Voice of Baceprot is awarded Best Single / Video of the Month for June 2023
Single / Video of the Month (Honorable Mentions)
Gutslit – “The Killing Joke”
India
The third chapter in the Indian deathgrinder’s discography is coming next month, and this single is impressively as brutal as Pig Destroyer or Cryptopsy; listen here
赤潮 (Redtide) – “Never King“
China
“Never King” possesses modern-core Darko bloodthirst and Reflections-like zeal; listen here
Shepherds Reign – “Finally“
New Zealand
With a similar Oceania flair as Alien Weaponry, this Polynesian act is authentically, undeniably heavy, even on an anthem; listen here
0%Mercury – “Cat Lady“
Ukraine
On the heels of their combative “2000 Rockets” single, it only makes sense for alt-mathcore rockers 0%Mercury to take an existential turn for their next headbanger; listen here