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 Brazil and Poland to Ukraine and Colombia, as well as everything in between.
Enjoy our hand-picked favorite albums, singles, and videos for October 2024 below. Share which bands we missed in the comment section…
Album of the Month (Bronze Tier)
Death Like Mass
The Lord of Flies
Released via Terratur Possessions
Poland
With a rusted stabbing sting alike the extreme and discordant nature of black metal pioneers Mayhem or Venom, Poland’s black metal trio Death Like Mass spews out their first full length – The Lord of Flies. Vocalist Left Hand Path (Cultes des Ghoules) gargles out of the slithering, blackened distortion, conducted by guitarist / bassist Eye of Urge (Lucifyre) and drummer M (Enthroned). A bloody tough, jagged pill to swallow, but the pain brings pleasure.
The Lord of Flies by Death Like Mass is awarded Best Album of the Month (Bronze Tier) for October 2024
Favorite Songs: “Wygnaniec,” “Sorcery Unbridled,” “Czwarta Bestia Z Góry Horeb,” “
FFO: Emperor, Behemoth, Belphegor
Album of the Month (Silver Tier)
Krypta
Krypta
Self-Released
Ukraine
With roots earthed in the goth and death-doom metal scenes, this Kyiv-based group differentiate with a classical, folksy coating. Across forty minutes, wartorn vocals plea out with operatic grace aside a gorgeous harmony of piano, violin, death growls, acoustic guitar, and triumphant doom metal grooves. While notable and listen-worthy, Krypta’s debut self-titled record still has some beginner stage fright, but there’s inevitable greatness in future material.
Krypta by Krypta is awarded Best Album of the Month (Silver Tier) for October 2024
Favorite Songs: “Uroboros,” “Ftor,” “Shum”
FFO: Lacuna Coil, Paradise Lost, Heilung
Album of the Month (Gold Tier)
Isaurian
The Pulsing Rush
Self-Released
Brazil
Like the ruins of a primal Lovecraftian culture found in the wilderness, doom metal has an earthy and significant weight, plodding along with monumental grooves and suspense. Isaurian orchestrate atmospheres of heaviness unlike before on their debut – The Pulsing Rush, gushing and churning with lofty soundscapes, perfect to be pensive in. Vocalist Hoanna Aragão humanizes the copper-dense post-metal pieces, providing a longing emotion as she calls out and pleads through the heat of the Mastodon–Faetooth–Deafheaven hybrid sound.
The Pulsing Rush by Isaurian is awarded Best Album of the Month (Gold Tier) for October 2024
Favorite Songs: “Heart Like a Curse,” “Carved Earth,” “Great Hunger”
FFO: Chelsea Wolfe, Helms Alee, Earth
Album of the Month (Honorable Mentions)
Thaw Fading Backwards
Poland
Like a rabid anxiety attack, Thaw‘s sound is a relentless wall of intoxicating noise. Now on their fifth full-length, the Polish five-piece further perfect their experimental blackened mixture to a nightmare grip ambience.
Listen to “The Great Devourer“
Saatane Manifestations of the Black Sun
Colombia
Truly occultish, this Medellin-based group consists of Iblis, Hastur, Moortus, Exael, and Tenebrae. Their debut record is pitch dark heaviness, gnawing black metal, and catacomb atmospheres altogether.
Listen to “Manifestations of the Black Sun“
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Single / Video of the Month
Patriarkh
“Wierszalin III”
Poland
The Batushka / БАТЮШКА controversy has finally ended, with Bartek Krysiuk officially rebranding his project to now be titled… Patriarkh / Патриархь. With the announcement of an upcoming album next year, a new single “Wierszalin III” / “ВЕРШАЛИН III” has spawned, drenched in black and doom metal drama. Harnessing choirs and folk instrumentation, the composition reaches the spiritual heights of an Eastern Orthodox mass. Hold your breath until January 3rd, for Patriarkh will unveil Prorok Ilja / ПРОРОК ИЛИЯ via Napalm Records. Also, be sure to catch the eerie cult on their upcoming trek throughout Asia, Australia, and Poland.
“Wierszalin III” by Patriarkh is awarded Best Single / Video of the Month for October 2024
Single / Video of the Month (Honorable Mentions)
Spineless “Disease“
Greece
Chrysa Tsaltampasi’s dynamic vocal expulsion, in the vein of Julie Christmas or Chelsea Wolfe, adds an unsettling, uplifting twist to the experimental and industrial churns of this new single off the upcoming Dysphonia album.
Fiasko “Wniwecz“
Poland
Sludgy, blackened, and vigorous – the Warsaw quartet spreads an invigorating infection on this pre-release track towards the forthcoming record Amok • ꓘoma, mastered by Haldor Grunberg (Behemoth).