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 Singapore and Hungary to Turkey and Greece, as everything in between.
Enjoy our hand-picked favorite albums, singles, and videos for August 2024 below. Share which bands we missed in the comment section…
Album of the Month (Bronze Tier)
Carnophage
Matter of a Darker Nature
Released via Transcending Obscurity
Turkey
The bane of brutality, Carnophage prods the pervasive nerve of death metal. With technical guitar melodies that crawl like insects and blunt force trauma riffs with the ability to fight armies, Matter of a Darker Nature is the tender core of extreme music.
Matter of a Darker Nature by Carnophage is awarded Best Album of the Month (Bronze Tier) for August 2024
Favorite Songs: “Matter of a Darker Nature,” “In My Bones,” “From Possibility to Actuality”
FFO: Dying Fetus, Suffocation, Ulcerate
Album of the Month (Silver Tier)
Reserate
Introspect
Self-Released
Singapore
The New Blood Spotify playlists are overflowing with hungry modern metalcore projects. While the endless cup of entertainment may quench thirst of the masses, it’s difficult to sink your teeth into an artist when their voice is being lost in the noise of an over-saturated scene. Reserate emerges from Singapore with a scattershot approach – Bring Me the Horizon modernity, 80’s synths, sing-a-long choruses, mosh pit energy, hyperpop fusion, demonic breakdowns, a touch of Linkin Park, and a driving force by drummer Ridwan Johari (Goose 我鳥). Although I’m hoping for a more clear vision of identity in future material to surpass the aforementioned noise, Reserate’s dense and diverse arsenal is undeniable. Introspect is worth a genuine full-listen, unveiling all the impressively varied paths that are explored within ten tracks.
Introspect by Reserate is awarded Best Album of the Month (Silver Tier) for August 2024
Favorite Songs: “Lavender Town” feat. Haziq Didie, “Break the Silence,” “The Longing”
FFO: Silent Planet, I See Stars, Erra
Album of the Month (Gold Tier)
Absence of the Sacred
IV: The Hand That Wounds
Self-released
Singapore
Fronted by Mia Priest (you can read our interview about the Phnom Penh scene and trans-figures in the metal community) of the Cambodian death-thrash act Nightmare AD, Absence of the Sacred‘s fourth record is held up by Singaporean guitarist Darren Chua, Argentinean bassist Emanuel Salgado (Unreal, Nightevil), drummer Kevin Paradis (Benighted, Demonic Resurrection), and Microchip Terror – the extreme, experimental noisemaker of Singapore. With such an international lineup of scorching musicians, this perfect storm of groovy thrash and technical, melodic death metal kept me digging in the murky rabbit hole. Each track unearths the mastery of Death‘s Chuck Schuldiner, while also focusing on a cerebral cosmic horror of radioactivity and echo chambers.
IV: The Hand That Wounds by Absence of the Sacred is awarded Best Album of the Month (Gold Tier) for August 2024
Favorite Songs: “Die Hand Die Verletzt,” “Zealot,” “Radioactive Ghosts of Fukushima”
FFO: Allegaeon, Nile, Necrophagist
Album of the Month (Honorable Mentions)
Death League Inferno
Greece
August is proving to be the month of phenomenal death metal, considering the In Flames-flavored melodic debut from the Greek supergroup, holding members from Aenaon, Black Fate, and Disharmony.
Listen to “Closer to the End“
Sidewinder Talons
New Zealand
A new era of stoner-sludge metal is awakening in New Zealand, leading to this heavy, bluesy sophomoric release, for fans of Royal Thunder or Kylesa.
Listen to “Prisoner“
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Single / Video of the Month
Thy Catafalque
“A gyönyörű álmok ezután jönnek”
Hungary
I’m still in awe of last year’s Alföld record, so I’m particularly shocked that we’re already getting another release by the infamous Hungarian experimental project Thy Catafalque. While it’s normal to expect the unexpected when it comes to mastermind Tamás Kátai, this lead single is certainly a different sound when compared to the avant-garde-folk-black metal fusion heard on past pivotal albums Vadak or Naiv. Nonetheless, “A gyönyörű álmok ezután jönnek” is undeniably alluring with an upbeat 80’s prog energy. The title track comes off the upcoming record, dropping on November 15th via Season of Mist.
“A gyönyörű álmok ezután jönnek” by Thy Catafalque is awarded Best Single / Video of the Month for August 2024
Single / Video of the Month (Honorable Mentions)
Ground of Chaos “Sisifo’s Glory”
Colombia
Teasing their upcoming Serpent’s Gen EP, this single meshes the polished symphonic deathcore grandiosity on the level of Lorna Shore; listen here
Gai 荄 “Vive la Déception”
This group have been churning out nastiness lately with a modern take on that Sworn In or Emmure nü-deathcore sound; listen here