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 Japan and Brazil to Israel and Ukraine, as well as everything in between.
Enjoy our hand-picked favorite albums, singles, and videos for September 2023 below. Share which bands you were headbanging to this past month in the comment section!
Album of the Month (Gold Tier)
Sim
Playdead
Released via UNFD
Japan
Hot off the momentum of single “Red” as the theme song for the violent Netflix anime series Kengan Ashura, as well as “The Rumbling” and “Under The Tree” featured on the iconic Attack on Titan: The Final Season Part 2 & 3, Japanese reggae-punk-metal enigma Sim finally caught my attention after two decades, five LPs, three mini albums, and an EP. Now on their sixth full-length studio album titled Playdead, a menagerie of influences in the melting pot include Korn or Slipknot nü-metal vocal aggression, melodic metalcore Volumesesque dynamics, and most pointedly, a reggae / ska undertone. Admittedly, not all of the nostalgia pop punk lyrics and deliveries are my cup of tea, nonetheless the tenacity and bold fusion consistently propelled in the face of our staggering modern genre compartmentalization is genuine, even intrepid. This sensationally diverse tracklisting would sound cogent performed live from your local dive bar to a stadium area.
Playdead by Sim is awarded Best Album of the Month (Gold Tier) for September 2023
Favorite Songs: “Red,” “Kiss of Death,” “BBT”
FFO: Enter Shikari, Skindred, Electric Callboy
Album of the Month (Silver Tier)
Torture Squad
Devilish
Released via Time to Kill Records
Brazil
Every passing month, I’m more convinced that Brazil is bound to be the new cultural hotspot for heavy music. On the surface, metalheads gesture to Sepultura, but the regional scene has spawned a more sprawling scene of Angra, Crypta, Deafkids, Jupiterian, etc. in recent decades. Another notable group would be Torture Squad, who has consistently churned out solid death-thrash material since the 90’s and their new Devilish effort is boasting a more progressive intellect in their venomous bite. A shift to include latin rhythms and symphonic elements interlaced with lyrical themes from mental illness to video games prove the band’s stamina and lack of stylistic stagnancy. With features including Andreas Kisser (Sepultura) on “Buried Alive,” a plea for Amazonian preservation on “Uatumã,” and an overall non-restraint in the name of aggression throughout, the ninth LP by Torture Squad beckons headbangers worldwide.
Devilish by Torture Squad is awarded Album of the Month (Silver Tier) for September 2023
Favorite Songs: “Hell is Coming,” “Uatumã,” “Mabus“
FFO: Crypta, late Sepultura, Revocation
Album of the Month (Bronze Tier)
Obsidian Tide
The Grand Crescendo
Self-Released
Israel
While the vast metal community is mostly accepting of each other, there seems to be a separation within the prog scene. The Grand Crescendo aims to tear down the generational divide, paving a sanctuary for both Dream Theater boomers, Periphery millennials, and all across the genre spectrum. Obsidian Tide finds the comforting middle ground between experimental classic rock and modern progressive death metal, exerting quirky rhythms, gentle melodies, occasional woodwinds, and intense bursts of heaviness. This hour-long record is a satisfying venture into the triumphantly unorthodox.
The Grand Crescendo by Obsidian Tide is awarded Album of the Month (Bronze Tier) for September 2023
Favorite Songs: “Clandestine Calamities,” “Halo Crvsher,” “The Invasion on Paradise“
FFO: Riverside, Opeth, Between the Buried and Me
Album of the Month (Honorable Mentions)
Karpathian Relict – Never Be After
Poland / Ukraine
Bringing the bass-driven and technical chops of Beyond Creation or The Faceless to Eastern Europe, this prog-death effort is gripping intensity.
Listen to “Bury in the Past“
The Emergent – Split
Ukraine
In conjunction with metalcore brutality on par with late Emmure rises gorgeous Silent Planet clean melodies for such a promising nü-metalcore debut.
Listen to “Peaceful Warrior“
Sinnery – Below the Summit
Israel
Only a year following the sludgy death-thrash Black Bile record, this new EP brings even greater amounts of energy and aggression.
Listen to “An Ode [Knife of Erato]“
Click Here for All Recent, Upcoming, and Past Notable Releases
Single / Video of the Month
Abstracted – “Introspection – Ego Death”
Brazil
If Cynic was resurrected with a more modern prog-death focus and vocals as if Dream Theater actually knew had to growl and carry a pleasant melody, you would find the Brazilian extreme metallers consisting of vocalist Rosano Pedro Matiussi, guitarists Artur Hermani and José Consani, bassist Riverton Alves, keyboardist Carol Lynn, and drummer Fernando Pollon. Off their recently released debut full-length Atma Conflux, 13-minute opening track “Introspection – Ego Death” has been treated to visuals, adding artsy, sadomasochist narrative to this already painfully beautiful and mercilessly heavy song.
“Introspection – Ego Death” by Abstracted is awarded Best Single / Video of the Month for September 2023
Single / Video of the Month (Honorable Mentions)
Inferno – “Stars Within and Stars Without Projected Into the Matrix of Time”
Czechia
Originally off their 2021 record Paradeigma (Phosphenes of Aphotic Eternity), the hallucinogenic cosmic visuals added to this Blut Aus Nordesque avant-black metal atmosphere is the best kind of overwhelm; listen here
As the Palaces Burn – “Into Emotions”
Brazil
Nothing is more musically apt for fighting one’s inner demons like Trivium-driven heavy metalcore; listen here
The Materia – “Fire“
Poland
We’re too excited for the forthcoming Darklander record by progcore personal favorites, The Materia, and this sinister, nasty composition is superbly desire-quenching; listen here
Eshtadur – “Umbra“
Colombia
Since it has been nearly a decade singe quality Dimmu Borgir original material, you may get your symphonic black metal in Pereira instead; listen here