THE TOP 20 ALBUMS OF THE MONTH should be self-explanatory, an ordered ranking of twenty albums that’d resonated most throughout this month. If you’re new to the site, the tendency is heavy and/or surreal music. Choices are selected based on temporal immersion, personal connection, impressive style, point of view, aesthetics and with consideration for the lasting value of each selection. All choices are ultimately personal and come without consideration for populism, nepotism, cronyism or perceived “relevance”. Any records left off this list will still be considered for end of the year lists. I am just one man, writing about music is a passion I afford as much time as is manageable and I am grateful to have so much to choose from. Thank you.

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I. Though this wasn’t the blockbuster of a June one might’ve expected now that we find more bands breaking loose of pandemic-imposed poverty and disillusionment but we did find a reasonable enough clip of good heavy/extreme metal records to chip through. Between summertime activities and a pretty dry sixty+ hours with Diablo IV I’ll admit I’ve been distracted, tired, and kind of put off by a barrage of strange bullshit this month. Much as I’ve liked to share the process of shit I’m working on behind the scenes in the past, I’ll keep that stuff off the plate until it is ready.

II. July is the anniversary month for GrizzlyButts.com which I’d began circa 2017, expect the annual State of the Site recap post soon. Reviews are already underway for July with several already in-process right now, expect about one longform review per day on average this month as I attempt to streamline my thoughts a bit more. There are some Album of the Year contenders coming up in the next few months so, keep an ear out for some more exciting releases sooner or later.

III. In 2023 most written reviews will now also have an additional video component. Both edited and off-the-cuff videos will now be embedded or posted to the site regularly (weekly). If you enjoy these please consider following on YouTube.

IV. Each day I meditate with all-consuming gratitude aimed toward the bands, labels and PR firms who choose to work with me — Not to mention the kind few readers who donate to the site intermittently. The goals and ethos of Grizzly Butts have not changed in 2023 but I will be looking for ways to more efficiently cover more music worth talking about on a regular basis. Thank you.

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#1	Album of the Month
ARTIST:	THANTIFAXATH
TITLE:	Hive Mind Narcosis
RECORD LABEL(S):	Dark Descent Records

On their second full-length album Toronto, Ontario-based abstract black metal trio Thantifaxath bathe in the fumes of the sunbaked and forest fire lit human dementia of today, breathing deep of the reeking waves of burnt skin under Sol’s gaze as smoking landscapes lend their craft the horrors of cataclysm-in-scene as they illustrate our quickly accelerating downturn. As a ritual of ruthlessly intentional feats ‘Hive Mind Narcosis‘ is an unhealthy intoxication, the bacchantes embodied from more than two angles in many-sided analysis of collective madness and the terrifying yet inspiring possibilities that come with a thoughtlessly reactionary polis and too-late revolution. By stretching the possibilities of their avant yet connective craft through an even more deeply mathematical honing of expressive shapes these folks remain painfully human, organische in their characterization of the unreal fractal machinations of the species at seeming peak potential. It is sublimely coherent art-black metal music with impressive contempt for our current era of blandest categorical functionality.

>> FULL REVIEW <<

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#2
ARTIST:	PASSÉISME
TITLE:	Alternance
RECORD LABEL(S):	Antiq Records

A lost feeling, a trait of great poètes maudits of the past who lived terrible, passionately sparking lives and left behind little more than dust-addled culture and literary boon after death begins to bite and bleed at the ear as Nizhny Novgorod, Russia-based décadent melodic black metal trio Passéisme once again flap their triumphal zeal in generous erupting throngs of golden leaf’d and black-veined subversion here on their doubly inspired and matured second full-length album. What potency these fellowes revive here is nothing short of engrossing in its beauteous maze-like weave, no less rapturous in its eager striking upon the iron of austere and gloriously brutal melodicism yet they’ve curated plenty more depth beyond chansons de geste and wild arrogance herein, lending a biting purgatorial frustration to the persistently flooding exuberance of the experience otherwise.

>> FULL REVIEW <<

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#3
ARTIST:	HELLWITCH
TITLE:	Annihilational Intercention
RECORD LABEL(S):	Listenable Records

The score for this album hinges heavily on personal bias/fandom, adjust your impressions accordingly. — Leave it to Fort Lauderdale, Florida-based technical death/thrash metal trio Hellwitch to finally return to the trenches amidst the muck and muddy flab of nowadays faux ‘old school’ death metal and present the real thing, a merit-based alternative with an enduring, uniquely thrashing mad personality still all their own. Their third full-length in thirty-nine years of existence ‘Annihilational Intercention‘ is not a passively farmed “comeback” but rather a vitally achieved continuation of their one-of-a-kind sound spawned from the very nascence of extreme metal. By pulling in a few decades old unrealized pieces and revivifying them next to brand new ideas the trio compound not only their historical relevance but enforce the timeless application of those standards as an undying art where 80’s death metal, death/thrash and technical thrash metal still present limitless mutant variation at an outrageous standard.

>> FULL STREAM <<

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#4
ARTIST:	ALTAR OF OBLIVION
TITLE:	Burning Memories [mLP]
RECORD LABEL(S):	From the Vaults

Suspended in time and ever dejected in their soulful yet wilting determination the wheels are a’grinding beneath Danish epic/doom metal quintet Altar of Oblivion‘s battalion in order to meet the accelerated pace of global apocalyptic ruin as the fiery peak of Death’s spell fumes destruction and paranoia around them. Stifled by change, spurned-on by change, and now taking stock of the glorious damage done beyond years of work and waiting ‘Burning Memories‘ is both a relic and a necessary point of passage as a nearly seven year-old recording that’d captured the former line-up of the band in the midst of their inspiring third full-length album. It is a final archival piece from their old font in crystalline capture of their peak within that configuration, a pillar in tribute and a pyre enduring.

>> FULL REVIEW <<

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#5
ARTIST:	COFFIN MULCH
TITLE:	Spectral Intercession
RECORD LABEL(S):	Memento Mori, At War With False Noise, Gurgling Gore

An astral possession by the prayers of an ancient, unspeakable horror grips me as Scottish death metal quartet Coffin Mulch burn and barge through this impressive, somewhat unexpected debut full-length album. Tinged with the reek of easily identified classicist tastes and given spirited, blazing abandon per some supernatural insight ‘Spectral Intercession‘ serves shocking energy enough that it cannot help but inspire with its mortified and surrealistic grooves, impressive with charismatic insight rather than dry bluntness. The available density of sharp-cut action quickly realizes and fine-tunes a signature touch upon the ground covered thus far, tailoring their wares to the speed and detail demanded by the most serious and insatiable minds of (mostly Swedish style) death metal fandom.

>> FULL REVIEW <<

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#6
ARTIST:	ADVERSVM
TITLE:	Vama Marga
RECORD LABEL(S):	Moribund Records

Where the indigo-shaded crux, or, vesica piscis shared between endtime mysticism and the will to power cross in darker shade so sits this third and magisterial full-length album from Norden, Germany-based funeral death/doom metal quintet Adversvm who return with new membership and their inarguable finest work to date herein. ‘Vama Marga‘ reclaims the inventive esoteric spiritus of surreal death and funereal doom metal as the band deeper hone their craft to suit an exponential gain in atmosphere and precision alike.

>> FULL REVIEW <<

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#7
ARTIST:	BURIAL HORDES
TITLE:	Ruins
RECORD LABEL(S):	Transcending Obscurity Records

Musing upon the decimation of a post-apocalyptic scene prone to aftershocks of the great collapse Athens, Greece-based blackened death metal quartet Burial Hordes return with album number five, their deepest trenches dug and most crippling brutality explored to date within the unique atmosphere they’ve been fostering and mutilating for over two decades now. ‘Ruins‘ is driven yet eccentric in its choices as it depicts fatal downturn, a thrilling coast-and-crashing down sensation which provides cumulative realization between classic muse and abstract modernity that speaks to the haze of death worship as much as it thrives within the caustic atmosphere of its own frequent eruption events. At the very least it’ll be a notable event for those invested in the limitless potential of black and death metal’s most complimentary traits of expression.

>> FULL REVIEW <<

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#8
ARTIST:	DIPYGUS
TITLE:	Wet Market [mLP]
RECORD LABEL(S):	Frozen Screams, Headsplit Records

A meeting of ancient technology, simian displays, cryptid marvels and horrified pseudoscientific muse Santa Cruz, California-based death metal crew Dipygus open their ‘Wet Market‘ mLP as an interstitial bounty of experimentation where both signature wiles and freshly vexing craft spin the roulette in signaling what may come.

>> FULL STREAM <<

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#9
ARTIST:	SERPENT OF OLD
TITLE:	Ensemble Under the Dark Sun
RECORD LABEL(S):	Transcending Obscurity Records

Yanking wide the flesh of the eyes ’til the skull can no longer clench shut its sight away from the face of the great conqueror, death Türkiye-based blackened death metal quintet Serpent of Old mirror the nihil of the natural world back into grotesquely deluded spiritus of humanity by way of abstract, calamitous sermon here on their debut full-length album. ‘Ensemble Under the Dark Sun‘ arrives without preamble or introductory showcase as an elaborately stated vision of modern black/death metal carrying a high taste level and plenty of riffs in hand. Leaving a crater wherever its dark revelations are aimed yet providing a familiar admixture of sensations throughout, no doubt these folks haven’t hidden their influences too far out of earshot but the bar is aimed to such a high level of craft there can be no reasonable complaint made of referential technique when the actions herein are far above average.

>> FULL REVIEW <<

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#10
ARTIST:	NEMESIS
TITLE:	Nemesis
RECORD LABEL(S):	Duplicate Records

Sickened by the inescapable shadow-self and the nauseating lullaby which stabs unrepentant at the back of the skull, goring the holes that bleed deeper per the pierce of its call, the wounded terror and fading senses expressed on this debut full-length album from Haugesund, Norway-based surrealistic black metal project Nemesis spell out our protagonist’s acceptance of death, a miserable storm of centering thought as doom casts its curse aloud. ‘Nemesis‘ is the spiral of the drain, a descent which begins with chaos and looms aghast as the path downward only becomes more treacherous. Heady, modestly achieved and obscurant as it may prove upon introduction this impressive solo acts first strike is one to immerse into doom before setting the mind horrified, sickened with dread and back again.

>> FULL REVIEW <<

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#11
ARTIST:	GRAFVITNIR
TITLE:	Into the Outer Wilderness
RECORD LABEL(S):	Shadow Records

Transformed by illuminating nightmares of restless flesh, called forth to strike by auld fantasies of subterranean flames and made zealot by the blood-boiling shriek of the ancient spiritus Stockholm, Sweden-based melodic black metal duo Grafvitnir return for their ninth full-length album with a newly ‘vigorated and sprawling set of spells to cast upon the willing devotee and the unsuspecting marauder alike. Invoking a hard turn back to the embrace of the natural world and the oaken magic held withing that bond ‘Into the Outer Wilderness‘ offers a step into a portal of blood-hunger, predatorial skirting, and fantastical scenes of horror-rites as visions of sacrifice to now forgotten gods become more than illusory thoughts. The knowing ear can expect nothing short of self-made mastery from these devotees to regional melodicism here after years of pristine iteration, a level of riffcraft years-honed yet still passionately struck within each new chapter released.

>> FULL REVIEW <<

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#12
ARTIST:	STATIC ABYSS
TITLE:	Aborted From Reality
RECORD LABEL(S):	Peaceville Records

Skinned alive, screaming otherworldly horrors make up the heaping gore filled-to-the-brim horizon ahead of us, a vision spilling over the edge of flat earth with sloshing scenery jammed sky to cosmic sea as the landscapes of this second full-length album from Oakland, California-based surrealistic death metal duo Static Abyss reek outwardly of apocalyptic devastation, securing a realm of doom where boiled-loose flesh and panic-ridden minds stew with poisoned thoughts and visions. ‘Aborted From Reality‘ falls from the crotch of the endtime sluice with a slow squelching slap, a horrified procession unto death which once again features these well regarded musicians scrawling and scratching out an all-too unreal realm of unhinged monstrosities. Though still a brand new entity, a side project between two old pros, there is some life behind the thousand eyes and quickly expanding death/doom metal creep herein, a still experimental ooze which they’ve shaped into something with its own distinct radiation at this point.

>> FULL REVIEW <<

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#13
ARTIST:	SACRENOIR
TITLE:	Comme des Revenants Parmi les Ruines
RECORD LABEL(S):	Sepulchral Productions

Lain across the crushed cemetery stones and cenotaph spires at the bottom of the hill we find Montréal, Quebec black metal duo Sacrenoir on no certain quest to free the ruins of their deathly purlieu but rather to soak in the torment of the place. Their debut full-length album ‘Comme des Revenants Parmi les Ruines‘ embodies the creep of ghouls, the stirring lament of captive monstrosities as a point of atmospheric scenery where a cursed place and its nightside glow are captured in a mélange of black metal anciency. When the accomplished pair aren’t focusing on their collective most obvious strengths, fluidly achieved master strokes of melodious upheaval and inspired rhythmic lilt, there is an old stoking of grey coal herein which otherwise surprises and enriches their feast of supernatural suffering.

>> FULL REVIEW <<

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#14
ARTIST:	SARMAT
TITLE:	Determind to Strike
RECORD LABEL(S):	I, Voidhanger Records

While many reached for comfortable tribalism, degenerative normalcy and whatever cobbled together puddle of meaning they could grasp with their greasy pincers beyond anno pestis MMXX the folks behind New York City-based avant-garde progressive death metal quintet Sarmat lost themselves in the challenge of creating a far-out science fiction world at war by way of a mutant jazz fusion’d avant-death metallic voice. Seemingly improvisational in the guidance of each missile yet mathematical in its core formatting their debut full-length ‘Determined to Strike‘ is recklessly indulgent, scrambling and scaling in its trumpet-crowned and freely sloshing prog metal rhythms to a point of eerily effective evocation and swaying-mad momentum. Brass gilded dissonance, oil-slicked shred-level meander and odd-stepping movements characterize the listening experience with heavy flowing and surprising mannerisms all of which begins to manifest as an addition to the greater jazz-death conundrum rather than the usual drain upon it.

>> FULL REVIEW <<

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#15
ARTIST:	HELLERUIN
TITLE:	Devils, Death and Dark Arts
RECORD LABEL(S):	New Era Productions

Groningen, Netherlands-based musician Carchost hasn’t yet defined a truly esoteric path untrodden. Yet the work done by way of his solo black metal effort Helleruin is especially fine, outright ambitious as the now live-capable group begins to exceed the bounds of tutelage with soaring high and texturally rich melodicism amidst traditional black metal’s high-minded gallantry. A feast for the eternally starving nightside of the mind ‘Devils, Death and Dark Arts‘ dares to seize when and where so many hesitate and in this sense an unmistakable passion begins to define the artist’s work.

>> FULL REVIEW <<

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#16
ARTIST:	SAMMATH
TITLE:	Grebbeberg
RECORD LABEL(S):	Hammerheart Records

Documenting three days of death in heroic defense of their country this seventh full-length album from Netherlands-borne black metal trio Sammath escapes the doldrums of World War II themed black metal with a personal connection to these events which is matched by an evocative, mournfully charged score to the well-documented realities of war. Rooted in real events but fantastical in its depiction of the wildfire of wartime chaos and disorder ‘Grebbeberg‘ sketches the machinery of war just as vividly as it does the decimation it leaves behind, giving the listener more than shellfire and mortar blasts worth considering within this particularly fine seventh full-length record. Here we find an artist quite well-set in their voice and skillful mannerisms after three decades yet still capably adapting to suit both cruel havoc and inspiring heroism for the sake of amplifying their own narrative value and reinforcing a somewhat singular, ever-evolving craft.

>> FULL REVIEW <<

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#17
ARTIST:	CLAUSTRUM
TITLE:	Claustrum
RECORD LABEL(S):	Unorthodox Emanations

Claustrum have thus far functioned as a central processing unit and a place of sacred gathering, a proponent of ‘old school’ death metal instantiation in the Italian trio’s hands as they’d converged for the sake of solidarity and the focused sanity of expression during the onset and durance of cursed anno MMXX. Their debut full-length album, ‘Claustrum‘, functions much like a scientific or religious symposium an exploration of collective sentience fueled by apocalyptic fear and overbearing eye-contact with morbidity. Filthy and spitting, tormented in atmosphere and stricken down by impending doom we get an deep impression and a solid sketch of what a grip of classic death metal records, a lot of “free” time per a worldwide public health crisis can conjure here on this high potentiate first showing.

>> FULL REVIEW <<

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#18
ARTIST:	SATURNUS
TITLE:	The Storm Within
RECORD LABEL(S):	Prophecy Productions

The flow of ruthless thoughts and the solitude of a storm-bound opus at sea offer the same starting point to be resolved within this fifth full-length album from Danish melodic death/doom metal sextet Saturnus as they return more determined than ever to free themselves from dread and reattach to the dharmic wheel. ‘The Storm Within‘ is perhaps the inevitable point of wisdom gained from decades of slow-going determination amidst self-defeat as our journey along with them today begins with turbulence, steadily aligns with purpose, and lays itself down next to personal truths redefined.

>> FULL REVIEW <<

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#19
ARTIST:	BLACK EUCHARIST
TITLE:	Inn of the Vaticide
RECORD LABEL(S):	Stygian Black Hand

The “depth” of this Profanatica influenced record hits within its second half that isn’t to say that Black Eucharist don’t show you what they’re all about up front but that they take their time delivering upon the core idea before elaborating upon it in a serious way. What develops along the way only becomes more engaging with its rhythmic interest even if they are grinding away at the same pulpit throughout. Seamless performances, wrathful attack, and even a few memorably set songs make this debut worth some considerable buzz for the USBM classicist who appreciates the death metal adjacency of the form while also hungering for an evolutionary event which isn’t saccharine, faux sentimental or forcedly raw.

>> FULL REVIEW <<

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#20
ARTIST:	SOUL GRINDER
TITLE:	Filth Encrusted
RECORD LABEL(S):	Self-Released

Greasier, mangier, and snarling a bit louder this second full-length album Portland, Oregon-based heavy/thrash metal trio Soul Grinder may very well pick up where their debut left off in terms of neon-glowing retro globbin’ kitsch but that doesn’t mean they’ve chosen plain iteration over progress made in the years between. The goalpost has shifted very slightly in terms of bringing a sharper enunciation to their brand of thrash-fed 80’s heavy metal, a less extreme undertaking which still feels entirely over the top in its exploration of classics minded, Troma-touched radioactivity but now manages catchier arena-size pieces here and there to shake loose the goo and grit their work naturally accumulates.

>> FULL REVIEW <<

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HONORABLE MENTIONS

• THORNAFIRE – Leprosario Lazareto (Great Dane Records)
• ORDER OF DECAY – Mortification Rites (2023) | REVIEW
• AODON – Portraits (2023) | REVIEW
• HATE MANIFESTO – Α​​​π​​​ο​​​σ​​​τ​​​α​​​τ​​​η​​​ς (2023) | REVIEW
• TORTURE RACK – Primeval Onslaught (2023) | REVIEW