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.

---

I. Art which is presented with vitality, studied capability, emotional intelligence, and the pursuit of knowledge ingrained within personal development on a singular path only occasionally seems like too much to ask from a musician, much less a coordinated group of ’em, but every month we do ultimately get a taste within our deeper palming into the grab bag of heavy music. This month I couldn’t be bothered anything less than the complete devotion of the self most of the time but still managed to choke down a few memes, explore outside of my e-mail inbox here and there and enjoy myself.

II. August is five weeks long and after a few days of extensive previews I’ve got four weeks worth of records to talk about. Expect various lists and features to finally come to fruition after several months of indecision and planning. I’ll probably announced a new release through Spirit Coffin Publishing soon, whenever it is ready.

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.

---

#1	Album of the Month
ARTIST:	WYRGHER
TITLE:	Panspermic Warlords
RECORD LABEL(S):	I, Voidhanger Records

Stuck in mind of the prolific and always impressive Zürich, Switzerland-based musician Menetekel (Ungfell, Lykhaeon, et al.) since the mid-2010’s surreal cosmic horror black metal project Wyrgher present their second go at a unique form of vibrant psyche-bending science-fictive disso-atmospheric craft with this impressive full-length. ‘Panspermic Warlords‘ communicates the grand chaotic reaches of biotic infest and usurpation through cinema worthy advancements made by the artist in the years since his 2015 debut. The narrative of this album posits human beings as the product of panspermic spreading of life throughout the universe for the sake of claiming territory with their insectoid advance; With the Helvetic Underground Committee landing nearby its tenth year of union it must be said that their collective work has long reached world class status, genuinely impressive results not only in terms of fidelity of recording but the creative depth of each work. FFO: Svartidauði, Oranssi Pazuzu, Sinmara. 

>> FULL REVIEW <<

---

#2
ARTIST:	TONGUES
TITLE:	Forml​ø​se Stjerner
RECORD LABEL(S):	I, Voidhanger Records

Yes, not only were the two best releases of July released on the same day through the same label but each wields stratospheric presence, calculated aggression and deeply considered narrative. — Aarhus, Denmark-based esoteric occult death-metallic doomed atmospheric black metal trio Tongues speak to the disillusioned self, the draining sensation of willful spiritual fortitude in recede. Sovereignty found in the meditative loft of dreams and nightmarish scenarios alike, the outstretched hand of doom and psychedelia-imbued relief within marks ‘Formløse Stjerner‘ as a deeply enriched and lunging stride beyond past works. With every step the gloom of their muse grows deeper set in mind as the threat of detachment from purpose hums in ear, nearly as loudly as the lull unto the fish-eyed blur of infinite introspection. FFO: Bølzer, Suspiral, Sweven.

>> FULL REVIEW <<

---

#3
ARTIST:	SOMNIATE
TITLE:	We Have Proved Death
RECORD LABEL(S):	Lavadome Productions

The echo chamber that removes us from our mortality in the disinformation age is the main subject of this fine album, using post-modern author Richard Brautigan’s short novel In Watermelon Sugar as inspiration for bookish but expressive Czechia-based post-black metal quintet Somniate‘s second full-length album wherein its already dark events are restructured, telling the story from its dark side. Passion for the subject matter and its personally derived meaning can be felt per the authorship of ‘We Have Proved Death‘ as its interpretation serves a variety of modes and unexpected nods outside of the black metal realm for the sake of wilder coloration. The theme of the album is equally notable, intending to shake loose the blindness of those living in false realities, to exorcize those who are possessed by their cult by way of a brief yet engaging strike of poetic discourse and quick-witted modern black metal practicum.

>> FULL STREAM <<

---

#4
ARTIST:	FEN
TITLE:	Monuments to Abscence
RECORD LABEL(S):	Prophecy Productions/Lupus Lounge

Parsing anger and hopelessness into outward-shot outlet a greater emotional beast has arisen this better-rounded and deeper wounding monstre event via London, England-based atmospheric/post-black metal trio Fen as they greet the greying skin of a sickly new world with their teeth bared on this remarkable, eclectic seventh full-length album. ‘Monuments to Absence‘ might initially appear as a welcome recension of their code, a regression back to darker ages and a hungered state of action but in fact they’ve built upon their sound in an even more elaborate and impressive way. Heaviest, twisted into form work helps to belabor a nuanced argument that with complacency comes corrosive reversion, yet this experience nonetheless reads as a point of vitality for the longstanding British post-black metal adjacent crew, an even more inherently progressive black metal album which manages an expressive feat which threatens to tower over past works.

>> FULL REVIEW <<

---

#5
ARTIST:	SERPENT CORPSE
TITLE:	Blood Sabbath
RECORD LABEL(S):	Temple of Mystery Records

Chewed away at the joints and rotting from the inside from inception the discharge-slimed attack of Montreal, Québec-based death-doomed metalpunk quartet Serpent Corpse refines up to a pro standard here on the band’s debut full-length album, making good on evolving their already unique take on extreme punk tainted death metal classicism. Yielding a crossover-level event that reads authentic on either side looking in ‘Blood Sabbath‘ intertwines two complimentary tongues within its core hybrid, a feat which will read death metal from one point of view and doomed hardcore punk inflected aggression from another with all of it in service to swerve-heavy riffcraft. Not to be mistaken for beginners these folks’ve made thier debut statement appear effortless, a high standard achieved which is easily among the strongest debut LPs of the year thus far.

>> FULL REVIEW <<

---

#6
ARTIST:	STANGARIGEL
TITLE:	Metafyzika Barbarstva [mLP]
RECORD LABEL(S):	Medieval Prophecy Records

This Slovakian black metal band comes from folks associated with Malokarpatan and the quality and nostalgic tap of it all is up to that level. Their debut LP, ‘Na Severe Srdca‘ was one of the best releases of 2022 and this substantial ~20 minute EP is no less effective. Their own take on mid-90’s folken romanticist style of black metal was a quick favorite and so far they haven’t missed.

>> FULL STREAM <<

---

#7
ARTIST:	DEITUS
TITLE:	Irreversible
RECORD LABEL(S):	Candlelight Records

An even more dissonant mood, fewer dissonant riffs. — Seeking agency in a collapsing diorama of mud and fire yet finding profound doom, hopelessness in the heat of glorious cataclysm the third nail from London, England-based black metal band Deitus provides a peaking, unholy plateau to solidify upon before the ground begins to give and all limbs begin to flail. Just as quickly as panic wakes the ulterior eye so does acceptance arrive, ‘Irreversible‘ may be a bleak sepia-toned landscape of wreckage yet one shouldn’t walk into this long awaited third full-length from the band expecting a loss of will and vigor as their brand of classicist yet adventurous black metal retains its thrashing merits while shades of doomed melodicism creep into their vernacular this time around.

>> FULL REVIEW <<

---

#8
ARTIST:	ASCENDENCY
TITLE:	A Manifest of Imperious Destiny
RECORD LABEL(S):	Me Saco Un Ojo, Dark Descent Records

In saeculum obscurum… — Envisioning and embodying the brutal rise-and-fall of a great medieval empire has thus far turned out fitting enough format for the formative years of Copenhagen, Denmark-based black metal trio Ascendency as their own form of death metal braced bestial-austere craft sources its identity from a patchwork of phrase-first guitar melodies and gnarled grooves. Their second in a three-arc line of mLP releases, ‘A Manifest of Imperious Destiny‘ proposes a vignette-sized view into an indomitable reign beyond their first official release. The din of conquer and the ascension to the throne were a bloodied, messiest affair but now that these folks’re seated within a great hall so does the landscape change before our ears in this expansive, vainglorious chest-beaten gaze upon the spoils of manifest destiny. While the greater effect of the band’s work is still a dark, underground black metal affair the scope of this record is exponential in its gains, granting the listener tangible progress made as they soak in the breathtaking dominion resultant.

>> FULL STREAM <<

---

#9
ARTIST:	MIZMOR
TITLE:	Prosaic
RECORD LABEL(S):	Profound Lore Records

Mid-paced, sludge thickened black metal expressionism. A hymnal parsed from freely running thoughts on happiness as a captive paradigm, of purpose and the gloom-ridden breaking-away motions from the futility of servile strictures this fourth full-length album from Portland, Oregon-based black/doom metal entity Mizmor is less a conceptual treatise and more an exploration of the moment and the musing thoughts of years passing by. ‘Prosaic‘ could very well speak the realization that the ordinary and the mundane moments of life might be profound, representing folk music in an obscure sense, or perhaps even devastating when set next to old unrealized ambitions. Either way the medium is yet grotesque and beautiful at once, a sound born from a painful and disturbed extreme tempered with unsteadily calm, broken glowering.

>> FULL REVIEW <<

---

#10
ARTIST:	AURALAYER
TITLE:	Thousand Petals
RECORD LABEL(S):	King Volume Records

Greenville, South Carolina-based stoner rock/doom metal trio Auralayer might give the visual read of a kundalini-machine in motion yet the grunge-era stoner rock and doom metal they’ve sewn into this ‘ready accomplished bout of spaced yet mindful songwriting has its own sort of recognizable boogie n’ ache to it up front. ‘Thousand Petals‘ builds its repertoire from variously hedonistic, existential and enlightened parts which amount to a belly-rubbing beast of a heavy rock record with all manner of electric energy coursing through, landing its appeal as a record outside of time and a little too wise for its years. If you can handle just how accessible they lean there’ll be a fairly substantial modern doom-adjacent stoney rock record to hug up on.

>> FULL REVIEW <<

---

#11
ARTIST:	AGELESS SUMMONING
TITLE:	Corrupting the Entempled Plane
RECORD LABEL(S):	Dark Descent Records

Scotland and England-based death metal quintet Ageless Summoning saw a gap in the undying death metal psyche and acted with heroic fortitude in braving an old, dead abysm. While their debut full-length album, ‘Corrupting the Entempled Plane‘, may very well cut and build a surreal realm from well-established yet under-represented architecture that should not suggest they are working from a plain, typified template. As an introduction it is a sprawling scene, one which animates and weirds-about as if hallucinated in tiny incremental dodges of the eye, yet there is something eerily comfortable and “real” about this dreamed-together realm which satisfies, blasphemes and corrupts to such a degree that I could not turn away.

>> FULL REVIEW <<

---

#12
ARTIST:	DESEKRYPTOR
TITLE:	Vortex Oblivion
RECORD LABEL(S):	Blood Harvest Records

Fueled by the unknown realm of cadaveric consciousness and the visceral inversion of the flesh post-mortem Fort Wayne, Indiana-based death metal duo Desekryptor present their debut full-length album as a the re-animated corpse ‘old school’ death metal with a very different function of atmospheric loft and intensely savaged actions in mind. The splattered dementia of a possessed corpse is just one way to describe ‘Vortex Oblivion‘, where their “fucked up” take on classicism acts in opposition to current mainstreamed appeal, clearly exists to catch the diehard ear, while risking supremely ugly and unexpected turns taken for the sake of death metal that is textural and ruthless enough to sate their own unnerving proclivities.

>> FULL REVIEW <<

---

#13
ARTIST:	ASTRALBORNE
TITLE:	Across the Aeons
RECORD LABEL(S):	Prosthetic Records

In a relatively outsized format and on a bit of tear through pandemia-adjudicated introspection Toledo, Ohio-based melodic death metal trio Astralborne once again produce anthems in acceptance of the void, sourcing their core inspiration from existential ponderance while celebrating late 90’s Scandinavian melodic death metal’s dramatism and flourish in excess. ‘Across the Aeons‘ does what any sophomore full-length release ought to in that it wastes no time recalling the core inspiration of what came before and iterates upon cadence and form with a wizened and inspired touch for an improved station, establishing a presence which somehow holds fast for nearly a full hour.

>> FULL REVIEW <<

---

#14
ARTIST:	ODZ MANOUK
TITLE:	Bosoragazan
RECORD LABEL(S):	Blood Coloured Beast

Ten years beyond Rhinocervs‘ collectivist output and thirteen years beyond their first record Odz Manouk quietly released two full-length albums via cassette earlier this month. Both albums are among the best you’ll hear all year in terms of abstract atmospheric black metal and my score for ‘Bosoragazan‘ is obviously tentative as I finish writing the review for it, that’ll change. I’m not sure I’ll include a review for ‘Ծ​ո​ւ​ռ (Tzurr)‘ but each album has its own feeling and production values that make them singular in experience, both worth checking out.

>> FULL STREAM <<

---

#15
ARTIST:	IZROD
TITLE:	Sarajevski Odisej
RECORD LABEL(S):	Signal Rex

Demystified of unreal symbolism and trampled by coldest representations of history’s meaning applied to the present, the ominous hallucinogenic crawl of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina-based black metal quartet Izrod along the stygian expanse does not plainly succeed the spiritus of its dead second gen ancestral form but rewires its ambitions towards a more sophisticate line. A debut on paper but a third full-length from a long-established crew in spirited mannerism ‘Sarajevski Odisej‘ isn’t expressly avant-garde per the realm of black metal so much as it is uniquely romanticist in its unheard-of voice, an intense yet rarely erratic reading which surprises and even presents a few challenges along the way.

>> FULL REVIEW <<

---

#16
ARTIST:	GATEWAY
TITLE:	Galgendood
RECORD LABEL(S):	Transcending Obscurity Records

Bruges, Belgium-based solo death/doom metal act Gateway manifest the voice of death, the Grendel in providing antithesis to civil modernity as their barbarous step now achieves its second full-length album. Eight years and countless shortform releases beyond their previous LP ‘Galgendood‘ takes us to the medieval gallows before speaking in tongues, incantating great daimonian forces spreading ominous curse across the gathered polis. Bringing their classicist touch to a homebrewed insignia the artist finds a wretched, feral pit of funereal death metal at a crushing pace beyond what they’ve done before. Easily one of the heaviest records I’d heard in July.

>> FULL REVIEW <<

---

#17
ARTIST:	ORNAMENTOS DEL MIEDO
TITLE:	El Cosmos me Observa en Silencio
RECORD LABEL(S):	Darkwoods

Burgos, Spain-based melodic funeral doom metal act Ornamentos del Miedo holds the listener on the perilous edge of relief away from existential dread’s pooling in mind, the throes of anguished introspection draining in majestic downward flow. Feigning some connection with firmament to survive the moment ‘El Cosmos me Observa en Silencio‘ is both glowing blissful torpor and glowering abysmal distress, a font of glorious empyrean lament which appears to freeze or contain time for a full ~72 minutes of pleasurably sojourned agony. Fixation and obsession may very well define much of this projects touch but this fourth full-length album bakes-in much needed relief, eases the tension it creates at just the right ratio that its excess feels entirely necessary, rounding what might’ve been melodic doom metal tropes abounding into nuanced melodramatic brilliancies.

>> FULL REVIEW <<

---

#18
ARTIST:	ASHTAR
TITLE:	Wandering Through Time
RECORD LABEL(S):	Eisenwald

In the curious case of the third and now most forlorn full-length album from Basel, Switzerland-based black/doom metal act Ashtar having gone rogue, or, solo in spirit amplifies the sensation of weirding, uncertain doom as they narrate tales which are defeatist yet romanticist at once. The forces of feminine nature and personal singularity are suggested as the buoyancy which helps to keep ‘Wandering Through Time‘ from amounting to complete and utter despairing doom, an important juxtaposition which keeps their textural wonderland alight and aligned despite this pointedly dark turn taken.

>> FULL REVIEW <<

---

#19
ARTIST:	EMBODIED TORMENT
TITLE:	Archaic Bloodshed [mLP]
RECORD LABEL(S):	New Standard Elite

Returning beyond their well-received 2015 debut LP Sacramento, California-based brutal death metal quartet Embodied Torment is the vision of guitarist/co-vocalist Joaquin Chavez who you might recognize as the live guitarist for Brodequin since they’d reformed mid-last decade. Their whole gig intends to put a darker spin on a style of brutal death which still holds reverence for classic Suffocation but takes it to the absurd extreme, truly volatile stuff along the lines of the first Defeated Sanity record and of course Disgorge. While that specific early-to-mid 2000’s leaden weight of brutality is the main pull-in when soaking up these three pieces at face value each of the three songs on this CD go places, showcasing a different side of their idea, kinda hitting Sarpanitum-level leads on some of these songs. Looking forward to what these guys do next. 

>> SHORT REVIEW <<

---

#20
ARTIST:	TRHÄ
TITLE:	Lhum’ad’sejja
RECORD LABEL(S):	Self-Released

Abstract/depressive raw black metal project Trhä comes from the guy behind post-black/ambient excess pool Sadness and for all of the micro-genre touting, random note generation going on in this overly prolific project most of his releases under this name are worthy enough listening per their tonal estrangement. This one comes in contrast to the two EPs he’d released alongside it this year and generates most of its value within its strong opening piece and slightly more inventive closer. I’m not sure if he’s pitched-up the vocals for some of these songs but it does sound somewhat comical the first time through (especially “qilahhqhja”). I definitely had more substantial records I could have talked about and included here but this was something different that I’d returned to for the strange pit it’d dug each time I listened. If nothing else check out the first song.

>> FULL STREAM <<

---

HONORABLE MENTIONS

• ATONEMENT – Sadistic Invaders (2023) | REVIEW
• THE PIT – Of Madness and Evil Whispers (2023) | REVIEW
• PUTRIDITY – Greedy Gory Gluttony (2023) | REVIEW
• PURTENANCE – The Rot Within Us (2023) | REVIEW
• ASTRAL TOMB – Total Spiritual Death (2023) | REVIEW
• ETERNITY – Mundicide (2023) | REVIEW