There is so much heavy, extreme, and beautiful metal music being created from every region of the world; it can be overwhelming. Fortunately, Metal Has No Borders has curated a handful of must-listens released this past month, from China and South Korea to Chile and Mexico, as well as everything in between.
Enjoy our hand-picked favorite albums, singles, and videos for April 2024 below. Share which bands we missed in the comment section…
Album of the Month (Bronze Tier)
Spit on Your Grave
Arkanum
Released via Concreto Records
Mexico
Hailing from the northeastern city of Monterrey, these death metallers are unveiling a full-length album inspired by nine tarot card pulls (The Devil, The High Priestess, The Hanged Man, The Hermit, etc.). Elizabeth Castillo, Caro Saturni, Kenichi Om, Marlene Muñoz, and Nico Garza conjure an array of insane riffs and heavy moments, bound to please classic Cannibal Corpse dads or modern Orbit Culture circle pitters.
Arkanum by Spit on Your Grave is awarded Best Album of the Month (Bronze Tier) for April 2024
Favorite Songs: “The Heretic,” “Vigilia,” “The Infection“
FFO: Crypta, Dying Fetus, At the Gates
Album of the Month (Silver Tier)
Ater
Somber
Released via Torque Records
Chile
If music could appear in the form of a disease, Ater would manifest as an infectious wound. The addictive thall-grooves stabbing throughout the blackened atmospheres of Somber are bound to leave scar tissue. Multi-instrumentalist Feroz concocts an exceptional realm of extremely dismal, yet delightfully enjoyable music on their highly recommended second release.
Somber by Ater is awarded Best Album of the Month (Silver Tier) for April 2024
Favorite Songs: “Descending,” “Shrine,” “Somber“
FFO: Vildhjarta, Black Tongue, Meshuggah
Album of the Month (Gold Tier)
OU
蘇醒 II: Frailty
Released via InsideOut Music
China
OU‘s debut record was impressively experimental a couple years ago, yet somehow, their follow-up brings avant rhythms and lush melodies to even further provocation. 蘇醒 II: Frailty is as sensual as trip hop while as overstimulating as shrooms in a foreign country. The miraculous amalgamation of prog, hyperpop, jazz, electronica, art rock, and djent has me at a loss for words.
蘇醒 II: Frailty by OU is awarded Best Album of the Month (Gold Tier) for April 2024
Favorite Songs: “Purge” ft. Devin Townsend, “Frailty,” “Ocean”
FFO: Haken, Jacob Collier, Poppy
Album of the Month (Honorable Mentions)
R.A.I.D. Dominion
India
Hardcore is back in the metal scene in a huge way, and the Hyderabad-based act’s new EP boasts the arf arf energy, groove, and blackened bite of Knocked Loose, late Decapitated, and Wolf King respectively.
Listen to “D.I.N.A.S.“
Chaos Doctrine Bellum
South Africa
While quite reminiscent of the extreme output of the early 2000’s, the Johannesburg-based unit presents a bold and riveting industrial thrash, alike Strapping Young Lad.
Listen to “One of My Bad Days“
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Single / Video of the Month
Madmans Esprit
“蟻夢”
South Korea
It’s a beautiful moment when a band manages to escape all pigeonholes. Slithering upward out of the Seoul underground, Madmans Esprit mastermind Kyuho stays afloat in the murky cauldron of depressive black metal, prog, post-rock, and death metal. In the recent video for the single, “蟻夢” (“Euimong,” which translates to “Ant’s Dream”) finds middle ground between the extreme and eccentric tendencies of Ghost Bath, David Bowie, Dir En Grey, and The Ocean.
“蟻夢” by Madmans Esprit is awarded Best Single / Video of the Month for April 2024
Single / Video of the Month (Honorable Mentions)
ARKA’N ASRAFOKOR “The Truth”
Togo
In anticipation of their forthcoming record, Dzikkuh, the Togolese folk-groove-thrash group continues to entice with feel-good melodies and earthy metal; listen here
Lilla Veneda “Pytasz co w Moim Życiu”
Poland
A couple months ago, we praised Wroclaw’s atmospheric, symphonic, and progressive black metal project Lilla Veneda for their tremendous record, Primordial Movements. This new video for the closing track shows apt visuals for the track’s solemn, near evil mood; listen here