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 any outside factors including perceived “relevance”. 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. This month on MystificationZine.com included 27 longform album reviews, 36+ video reviews/features, 13 short album reviews, and I am eternally behind on written interviews. As much as I try to cover there is a vast, vast number of overlooked releases that are yet worth seeking out.

II. Mystification Fanzine Issue #7 (via PDF) will arrive in about 1-2 weeks per a few personal delays. In the meantime please considering purchasing some records from my Discogs store, I’m selling some recent stuff (mostly 2020-2023 releases) to help pay for much needed dental surgery in late July.

III. In 2024 written reviews will now have a video component which will post at the bottom of each review or feature at the end of each week (Thursday or Friday) If you enjoy these please consider following on YouTube. We are hovering around 950 subscribers and I’m hoping to hit the thousand mark in 2024.

IV. As always I’d like to express my gratitude for the bands, labels and PR firms who choose to work with me. Thank you.

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#20
ARTIST:	WRAITH
TITLE:	Fueled by Fear
RECORD LABEL(S):	Prosthetic Records

Without intending to put down where this band started, a sound somewhere in between Midnight and Toxic Holocaust, it now feels like there is something less average about what WRAITH are doing on album number four as they move away from blackened speed metal toward a heavier, more serious chunker of a record here. If you are a fan of certain Protector records or heavier modern crossover/metalpunk they’ve got an extra moshable hardcore punk edged sound here which kinda drones on a bit but makes for a solid, repeatable modern thrash metal experience with some classic consciousness applied.

“Indiana-based black-thrashing speed metalpunk quartet WRAITH ride the uncanny valley into the worst possible scenario as their collective psyche goes nuclear on this fourth full-length album. Intending to convey a better-rounded, continually evolving oeuvre representative of their interests and inspirations ‘Fueled by Fear‘ shapes paranoid nightmares into a classic-yet-new vision of thrashing, extreme metalpunk with a raw edge sans any loose ends or half-thought measures.“

>> FULL REVIEW <<

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#19
ARTIST:	FU MANCHU
TITLE:	The Return of Tomorrow
RECORD LABEL(S):	At the Dojo Records

As a longtime fan of this Orange County heavy rock band, having discovered them in my teenaged years in search of stoney punk-Sabbath isms, there is a ton of nostalgia feeding into my enjoyment of this record but that doesn’t necessarily cloud my ears of the vivre, the gusto and personality dripping from this latest FU MANCHU album, their first double LP and some of their catchiest/heaviest songs in a while.

“San Clemente, California-based stoner rock quartet FU MANCHU return for album number fourteen. This new horizon still has some of its doomed-ass clouds lingering about as these Orange County heavy rock legends return fortified by their strong sense of self, now carrying two albums worth of all-signature, no filler material to reward the six year wait. Rather than framing their work here as two sides of the same coin I’d characterize this album as an exploration, an experience justified in its indulgence per a full self-examination that sources and represents nearly four decades worth of energy put into their collective. “

>> FULL REVIEW <<

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#18
ARTIST:	SICULICIDIUM
TITLE:	A halal tengely
RECORD LABEL(S):	Sun & Moon Records

There is some great love for early 90’s alternative/psychedelic rock and early post-rock in the rhythms of this Romanian black metal duo’s songcraft which gives us a less eclectic, still weirding look at where one could take the post-’93 vision of bands like Master’s Hammer and apply their own personage to it. SICULICIDIUM are clearly aiming to do their own thing and I’d say between their previous LP and this one they’ve found an aura worth expanding. That said, this feels like one “extreme” a focal point which is an experiment and expansion on its own. Don’t skip its companion album, released at the same time, to see what else they are capable of.

“Our gaze turns to the realm of Harghita mountain-lurkers up in their hallowed eastern reaches, a duo of Transylvanian miscreances identified as Romanian black metal abstractors Siculicidium as their proposed death-axis acts to further erase the canonical notions of the sub-genre for the sake of embodying the philosophy inherent. Their singularity sits as jutting spire to the core value of the act, a clear channel to the spiritual mysteries of life and death as much as it is a defiance in principle. A mystic yet ghoulish pale graces ‘A halál tengely‘ conveying a sense of lingering existential dread, luminous life and looming death in a not at all self-conscious set of pieces set as one of two albums simultaneously released, suggested as two vital halves.“

>> FULL REVIEW <<

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#17
ARTIST:	FEED THEM DEATH
TITLE:	The Malady
RECORD LABEL(S):	Brucia Records

You might recall I’d covered each of Italian musician Void‘s releases via this always challenging, ever-changing band since their debut back in 2018 and the evolution only continues to surprise and impress with this ‘old school’ proto-grind, noisecore, and sludged-up noise rock infused fourth album which breaches newly stylized territory once again. Haunting yet furious in its presence, demented by truly avant-garde choices made at every turn, there is something satisfyingly “weird hardcore punk” (see: Born Against, Deep Wound) about this particular record that’d kept me returning to it for the unsettling way it all comes together. I’d appreciated how utilizing two additional members changed the sound of the band from a hyper-grinding buzz to something far more thrilling in its step, harried and challenging but also the type of music I’d want to see performed for the sheer energy it exudes.

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#16
ARTIST:	APHELION ENTITY
TITLE:	Aphelion Entity
RECORD LABEL(S):	Lifeless Chasm Records

Death metal could always be more unreal in terms of its statement, the extremes and the borders of its weird-ass side(s) have been explored endlessly, yet there is some magick in a band that can conjure an atmosphere and feeling from their work while remaining coherent. Without necessarily making tuneful craft of it this New York City-area band bring shades of technical brutality into cosmic horrified death metal and produce a gravel-whipping spiked tail of a debut EP. We get the beast and the fear it spreads but also the miasma leaking from its wounds here, a presence which I’d really like to see expanded… more spaced, more brutal, etc.

“New York-based brutal death metal quartet APHELION ENTITY creep, growl and splatter in cavernous menace embodying a yet unidentified monstrosity on this cosmic horror-themed self-titled debut EP. ‘Aphelion Entity‘ threatens to be a weird-ass beating to a pulp to start, shanking the listener with the odd fang to get the poison in our veins.“

>> FULL REVIEW <<

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#15
ARTIST:	SUMAC
TITLE:	The Healer
RECORD LABEL(S):	Thrill Jockey

It has been some time since I’ve enjoyed a truly challenging sludge metal record and, well, of course it is a SUMAC release that caught me ear. I am more of a fan of their earlier work, the first two albums are brilliant and halfway coherent in their miserable angst, but I think all of those more recent Old Man Gloom records wore me down and my love of improvisational music helped find me stuck in the pit of ‘The Healer‘ and admiring the singular over-the-top wilding of its depths. Expect a double LPs worth of absolute harassment and pain. Maybe I’ll start writing about sludge again?

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#14
ARTIST:	INHERITS THE VOID
TITLE:	Scars of Yesteryears
RECORD LABEL(S):	Avantgarde Music

While their goal is a mixture of modern atmospheric black metal and classic melodic black metal this French solo act have managed to spellbind me with their throttled kick through a few (clearly modern) but tuneful records. ‘Scars of Yesteryears‘ is sentimental, frustrated, violent and depicts an abysmal yet fantastical vision which I’d found myself entirely transfixed by, even enjoying the more poppy melodic death metal jaunt of a few of the songs. If there was a best case scenario for a follow up to their second record I think INHERITS THE VOID have managed it with this one. Only thing is I think the keyboards could take a bit of backseat at times.

“Clermont-Ferrand, France-based atmospheric blackened melodic death metal project INHERITS THE VOID carries an air of resentment for the powers that’d shaped the western world and how their fangs still emit poison despite the head being long severed and the body decayed on this accomplished third full-length album. A work from an artist who invokes modern sentiment and profound nostalgic sounds in tandem ‘Scars of Yesteryears‘ intends a more direct delivery than before without losing the surreal yet sentimental atmosphere available to past recordings. “

>> FULL REVIEW <<

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#13
ARTIST:	CRYPT SERMON
TITLE:	The Stygian Rose
RECORD LABEL(S):	Dark Descent Records

Though the conversation around this album came and went very quickly ‘The Stygian Rose’ is yet one of the better heavy metal albums in this style released this year and not so much for its production values or hype but for the personality they’re able to pulse into every single song. You’ll rarely get the sense that CRYPT SERMON are wasting time or filling air despite their while gig being centered around epic heavy/doom metal yet every moment of this record is either catchy, shredding, riffing, and generally captivating the mind with constant substantive action and atmosphere. In fact I think atmosphere is what’d set this one over the top for my own taste, it just feels heavier with its layers and slightly less dependent on studio effects.

“Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-based epic heavy/doom metal quintet CRYPT SERMON speak to power and possession through angels and demons on this third and most refined full-length album as they step beyond their first decade of existence and deeper into their own. The ambitions and intentions of the now reconfigured crew are clear enough on ‘The Stygian Rose‘, making it crystalline that they’re in it to create the best possible heavy metal album, taking one more crucial step into heavy rock and epic doom informed style of their past work and away from too obviate inspirations. “

>> FULL REVIEW <<

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#12
ARTIST:	THANATOTHERION
TITLE:	Alienation Manifesto
RECORD LABEL(S):	I, Voidhanger Records

A black metal album from the minds who’d brought you Ulthar and Black Fucking Cancer. ‘Alienation Manifesto‘ embodies nihil and estrangement with an abstract verve applied to most every song but most importantly it brings its own thrashing wild, elaborately stated energy which’d helped it stand out for my own taste this month. I haven’t returned to it a whole lot beyond review but when I have the full listen quickly proves itself. Riffs, ghost choirs, and plenty of haunted atmosphere all make this one of the better, I’d say underrated thus far, releases of the month.

“Alexandria, Virginia-based black metal duo THANATOTHERION make their first impression calling for the end of times to accelerate so that the planet might sooner reclaim its dignity beyond the inevitable extinction of mankind. ‘Alienation Manifesto‘ is a call for doom, a press upon the self-destruct button and a feat of diabolical thrashing black metal mayhem which challenges and accosts the viable futurity of the human condition riff after riff.“

>> FULL REVIEW <<

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#11
ARTIST:	HAIL SPIRIT NOIR
TITLE:	Fossil Gardens
RECORD LABEL(S):	Agonia Records

While I emphasized the black metal side of HAIL SPIRIT NOIR returning in my review of course if you take a ride through the biggest standouts are more in the progressive rock/metal vein as this Greek band lean away from the outright abstract toward a soulful muse, a thinking and feeling whirr through the wilderness of the unknown and the unknowable. I found myself returning to this album much more than expected even if I’d generally preferred ‘Eden in Reverse‘ in terms of style. What this album has over most records in terms of comparable progressive/modern black metal vision is simple enough, a few very catchy melodies, wherein their songwriting finds its bigger and smaller arcs either in vocal cadence or rhythmic progressions which only increase in value over time.

“Lost in a sea of cosmic wonderment and their own signature illustrious forms this ~sixth full-length album from Thessaloniki, Greece-based psychedelic/progressive black metal sextet HAIL SPIRIT NOIR intends to bask in the majesty of the unknown as viewed in the abstract, using experimental forms and chaotically achieved whorls to illustrate what it is to be out towing ones own line into the unknown. ‘Fossil Gardens‘ feeds off of an aura of awe, uncannily stomping and floating its way through a beauteous, sleekened quest.“

>> FULL REVIEW <<

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#10
ARTIST:	FELLWARDEN
TITLE:	Legend
RECORD LABEL(S):	Eisenwald

Taking inspiration from a classic of high fantasy literature and developing a bigger, more robust expanse of heavy metal touting atmospheric black metal from it this third album from London-based project FELLWARDEN feels voluminous, dramatic, and driven in a way which feels like grand progress made in terms of expression and vision. For me this is a huge compliment considering what a fan I am of the fellowe’s work in the now progressive-edged band Fen and such, having enjoyed this bands previous album while spending an inordinate amount of time with this record.

“England-based ‘epic’ atmospheric black metal project FELLWARDEN’s latest opus introduces the rugged sword-and-buckler level fantasy backdrop which now replaces their contemplative naturalist vision. Writ in direct tribute to the fantasy literature of author David Gemmell, this third and latest release from the band is a chance for a strike at the iron-aged epic heavy metal side of things which yet presents their own voluminous yet rabid black metal press. In this way ‘Legend: Forged in Defiance‘ is an extension of their past work which meets up squarely with a freshly ambitious goal, presenting a notable shift in tone while remaining uncompromised, which is clearly inspired at the chance to depict this realm.“

>> FULL REVIEW <<

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#9
ARTIST:	INCONCESSUS LUX LUCIS
TITLE:	Temples Colliding Into Fire
RECORD LABEL(S):	I, Voidhanger Records

This Manchester-based heavy metal trio have been simply possessed throughout their run as INCONCESSUS LUX LUCIS creating increasingly traditional craft from a spiritually driven black metal perspective which stands apart from the usual black/speed metal tripe by way of serious conviction and strong performative flair. By shuttering themselves to all but the most vital heavy muse they only concentrate their own vision and as such ‘Temples Colliding Into Fire‘ rifles through its statements without falter and with strong fealty to classic ‘evil’ heavy metal. While I didn’t see a ton of conversation around this album their previous records took some time to generate extra traction just as well, the truly invested black/heavy metal type should race toward this one.

“The same essential beast is renewed within the revelation offered by the inherent singularity of Manchester, England-based blackened heavy metal trio INCONCESSUS LUX LUCIS who return with greater lustre and fearsome striking power on this third full-length album. The ancient knowledge revived within ‘Temples Colliding in Fire‘ comes via a different level of devotion, an obsession and wrath which leaves poison dripping from fang enough to nail these seven targets and secure their kill. That is to say that the allure of their ancient wisdom is also part of their attack and the ever-intensifying potency of their work which finds its next-level step here nearly seven years beyond the last.“

>> FULL REVIEW <<

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#8
ARTIST:	MALIGNANCY
TITLE:	Discontinued
RECORD LABEL(S):	Willowtip Records

My appreciation for MALIGNANCY comes from nostalgia for a different era of brutal death metal when technical death metal was on the uptick and the intelligible extremes of those forms were still exploring their outer limits alongside fealty to the classic origins of the sub-genre(s). After many years and a handful of albums ‘Discontinued‘ is a record bearing a signature that goes beyond the sonic personae of the group but their modus in general, a tightly wound but grotesque machine obsessed with future horrors and of course riffs above all else. Punishing as their discography was to revisit I’d found that part of my brain which loves the overstimulation of brutal/tech death again, enjoying the violence a bit more this month because of this one.

“Yonkers, New York-based brutal technical death metal quartet MALIGNANCY promise a grinding, technical thresher on this much anticipated fourth full-length album. A legendary monstrosity to brutal death heads and NYDM fanatics in the know and a noted name to all else the expectations are set high for these folks heading into ‘…Discontinued‘ and without question their standards remain well above the status quo even when remaining steadfast to the old ways. “

>> FULL REVIEW <<

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#7
ARTIST:	VENDEL
TITLE:	Out in the Fields
RECORD LABEL(S):	Dying Victims Productions

Though I’d spent much of the month listening to death metal you’ll find just as many epic heavy metal records out in June that’d been substantial and count ‘Out in the Fields’ among the best in terms of bringing some of their own classic power metal and darker edge into it via this Russian band’s much anticipated debut. VENDEL are almost proudly traditional and aren’t all that original in any sense but their work on ‘Out in the Fields‘ was yet one of my most listened to records of the month for how consistent and full of conviction it’d all been. The vocalist hits a few raw notes, some of the songs plod more than they need to and all of this only adds to the authentic, or at least enjoyable spin for my own taste.

“An endless feast served for ravens and wolves, the early Middle Ages-set clashes over turf, serf and settlement depicted within the themes of Moscow, Russia-based heavy metal quintet VENDEL are heroic both in terms of the scale of dark age carnage alluded to and in their treatment of dramatic and extended heavy metal pieces. Though they’re not yet full-on bardic storytellers just yet this still relatively new band present a wizened debut full-length album in ‘Out in the Fields‘, a high standard achieved in study of the canon and the timbre of epic heavy/doom metal where they fit in rather than stand starkly out within the limited stage for this niche tradition. “

>> FULL REVIEW <<

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#6
ARTIST:	SEVERE TORTURE
TITLE:	Torn From the Jaws of Death
RECORD LABEL(S):	Season of Mist

Another point of brutal death metal nostalgia, Netherlands brutal death wraiths SEVERE TORTURE definitely left an impression on me back in the early 2000’s with albums like ‘Misanthropic Carnage‘ but here we’ve gotten a chance to take stock of what they’ve accomplished and developed since 2005 as their sound has evolved into both technical and progressive aspects over several albums. ‘Torn from the Jaws of Death‘ yet feels classics-bound in some sense, a pure death metal album that is brutal, yes, but never stupid so much as it is predatory in its attack. I’d appreciated how ruthless this one was without being grating or resorting to the lowest common denominator type riff, plus I think if you still love Centurian and such these guys still have that high standard in mind for riff after riff type death metal.

“Feeding on despairing times with cruelest predatory intent the hammer-handed strikes of Boxtel, Netherlands-borne brutal death metal quintet SEVERE TORTURE serve to reclaim their long-empty throne as apex-level torturers of the realm. For their sixth full-length album the psychotic, malignant and defiant nature of morbid death metal held to an impossible extreme is yet revived per the uncannily approachable ‘From the Jaws of Death‘.“

>> FULL REVIEW <<

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#5
ARTIST:	PORTRAIT
TITLE:	The Host
RECORD LABEL(S):	Metal Blade Records

Swedish epic heavy/power metal band PORTRAIT put out a concept album? What took so long? Of course this is well suited to their 80’s heavy metal inspired style and a chance to really go over the top with everything, all of the skills and grand visions mused over the last ten plus years. I’d been such a huge fan of their second and third albums and felt like a lot of what’d made those records great, of course the guitar work and the distinct vocal style, are front and center here with a direct focus. It might sound odd to suggest a 75+ minute album is focused but this is a band that’d had a broader ranged 70’s Priest inspired side that now sticks to its King Diamond meets Manilla Road dynamic to tell its tale. A long album but worth the time invested in every case.

“This sixth full-length (and first concept) album from Kristiansand, Sweden-based heavy metal quintet PORTRAIT. ‘The Host‘ is the big show, the grand theatric apex of their nigh two-decades of development, revealing the guts and the gusto of the band at their best from every possible angle. Fans of epic and traditional heavy metal of a certain caliber should instantly recognize the ambition and the over-the-top nature of this band and appreciate their potential being now even more thoroughly realized in a serious way as this horrified, sordid narrative comes to life.“

>> FULL REVIEW <<

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#4
ARTIST:	HYPERDONTIA
TITLE:	Harvest of Malevolence
RECORD LABEL(S):	Dark Descent Records, Me Saco un Ojo Records

While I think it would be fair to say that the very focused bite-sized chunk of ‘Deranged‘ (2023) was perfection this follow-up full-length does well to capture that same level of aggression, groove, and classics-minded death metal attack which Turkish/Danish death metal band HYPERDONTIA have always done so well. They are out to make the best version of death metal they can, nothing complicated or ego-driven about it, pure respect for not only the ‘old school’ mindset but also the clear talent for the riff that cuts through this tense and groove-ridden hammerer.

“Nine years later and now three albums deep into their ‘old school’ death inspired trip Danish/Turkish quartet HYPERDONTIA have, either by way of adaptation or simply honing their attack, presented a different angle of auld enlightenment with each release. Zoning out and manifesting its own authentically sinister yet adept riff-focused aggression this third album continues that enduring thread wherein their broadly stated goal seeks its best-yet example of classics-minded death metal, upholding a simple enough point of purpose. “

>> FULL REVIEW <<

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#3
ARTIST:	NOXIS
TITLE:	Violence Inherent in the System
RECORD LABEL(S):	Rotted Life Records, Dawnbreed Records

Though I am always a hundred percent behind every generation of death metal fandom becoming the next wave of musician I’ve not been so sure about the half-baked, mosh riffing, sleepy death metal that’d arisen for the sake of hardcore-adjacent popularity these last ten years. Has it produced a classic yet? I’m not sure but I think we can count Clevelanders NOXIS among the true talents for compositional insight, exciting work which has the fervor and conviction of the real thing and that means they’ve got boppers, maniac brutality, a kinda prog-level virtuosic side, and a big personality brewing in all of the rot. Is the album title taken from a Monty Python sketch? Is that a tuba? The whole thing has been a joy to see develop beyond their tentative smaller releases leading up to this one and man, what an album.

“Cleveland, Ohio-based death metal quartet NOXIS addresses the death-drive, the ego, and the dissolution that comes without purpose beyond proliferation (among other topics) as they present their impressive debut full-length album. After just ~five years, a pandemic, and a handful of key line-up changes in their wake a band as freshly formed as this rarely produces an album as thoughtfully crafted and vitalized as ‘Violence Inherent in the System‘, a broadly ranged treatment of brutal, technical and classic death metal elements in a vibrant here-and-now sort of way. “

>> FULL REVIEW <<

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#2
ARTIST:	ALTAR OF OBLIVION
TITLE:	In the Cesspit of Divine Decay
RECORD LABEL(S):	From the Vaults

A concept album, a call back from the grave for auld pieces, a showcase of all that they bring into the future ‘In the Cesspit of Divine Decay‘ is the big and glowing personae of ALTAR OF OBLIVION in the pocket, finding a brilliant place where the epic doom metal dirges of the past might meet up with the epic heavy metal striding gloom of their more recent developments. Though I am a ridiculous fan of all of their work this one’d proven itself through fixation, constant listening. I’d found the full listen an addictive trance, a dark story told, and just a great heavy metal record which upholds an exceptional vision of what epic heavy/doom metal is as a medium.

“Aalborg, Denmark-borne epic heavy/doom metal sextet ALTAR OF OBLIVION always bore the mark of timeless ambition, a sense of greatness initially unrealized which is now well proven through time and toil. Upon unearthed bones and revision ancient ideation this darkest-yet fourth full-length album, ‘In The Cesspit Of Divine Decay‘, directly reaches for pieces written as long ago as the mid-2000’s and in the process usurps the fumes and growing pains of auld beginnings with one eye set upon the past and another squarely set in the present. It isn’t so much the method as it is the madness, the music and its dramatic muse that is remarkable herein as these folks take to their earliest instincts at a time when their mastery is well-proven and their approach to epic doom metal singular, affirming beyond most else.“

>> FULL REVIEW <<

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#1	Album of the Month
ARTIST:	ULCERATE
TITLE:	Cutting the Throat of God
RECORD LABEL(S):	Debemur Morti Productions

Though it’d be fair to say “Of course.” this’d be my album of the month, I did after all set their previous record as my album of the year back in 2020 and haven’t lost any of my enthusiasm for this band’s work, but ‘Cutting the Throat of God‘ had to do some work to convince me that I should get -that- thrilled about another round. As it turns out their vision for the next-level comes by way of searing guitar work, more minimally stated lustre that focused on memorable yet unfathomable cyclic whorls of suspenseful and despairing prose. We are beyond the end of times and the grey stewing of destruction, here the face of existence is ground into the pavement humiliated and bleeding profusely. Anyhow, an inspiring work which I’ve ranted on about well enough.

“This seventh full-length album from Auckland, New Zealand-based unorthodox blackened technical death metal trio ULCERATE proposes a kenotic examination of reality itself, a blooding-out of the nature of morality in relation to the self, and treatise on just how insignificant all earthly perception is from the calloused eyes of divinity. A singularity likely to blind and deafen even the most ruthless peon ‘Cutting the Throat of God‘ hones in on the ominous dramatism they’d developed over the years and crafts an ever-splaying lotus of it, leaving behind little yet expanding upon the most resonant emotional centre of the trio’s efforts. “

>> FULL REVIEW <<

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