THE TOP 10 ALBUMS OF THE MONTH should be self-explanatory, an ordered ranking of ten 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 (or will ultimately include) ~10 longform album reviews, 30+ video reviews/features, 16 short album reviews, and over 90 albums featured in other coverage for end of the year stuff. As much as I try to cover there is a vast number of overlooked releases that are yet worth seeking out. I’ve focused on the top ten favorites overall and of course very few artists send out December release promos knowing most online outlets won’t cover them. The selection here are all the very best of what I’d had access to as of December 17th, 2024.

II. List season is here, so there’ll be a focus on those throughout the rest of December. My coverage of January releases will begin on December 28th but I will be out of town from December 31st through January 3rd, so the weekly review schedule will officially return on January 6th. Next month’s releases absolutely smoke, I will (possibly) have to go back to a Top 20 of the Month to cover all the great work in store.

III. In 2024 (and 2025) written reviews will have a video component which will post at the bottom of each review or feature at the end of each week (~Friday or Saturday) If you enjoy these please consider following on YouTube. We are hovering just above 1,100 subscribers and I’d like to see if next year we can gear up to 2,000.

III. 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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#10
ARTIST:	PUTRID VOMIT CHRIST
TITLE:	Perpetual Intercourse
RECORD LABEL(S):	Godz Ov War Productions, House of Ygra

Putrid Vomit Christ don’t necessarily do anything you’ve not heard before in terms of the more hypnotic vision of death/doom metal with some blackened traits applied but they present this first official demo/EP recording with style and vision beyond the norm. ‘Perpetual Intercourse‘ showcases their taste and wield of the riff first and foremost as they trod and press through these pieces, most of which fans of (early) Hooded Menace and Coffins should appreciate off the bat yet there is a tinge of sludgy, almost stoney bent in their work which suggests they’ve got more to bring into this already well above average showing.

“Levitating in their grime-rendered depiction of a skybound abomination mid-birth with all manner of unthinkable monstrosities oozing outward Hanoi, Vietnam-based death/doom metal duo PUTRID VOMIT CHRIST arrive upon a modern high-enough standard for doomed death metal on this second demo tape. As they muse over the horrors of a thousand tendrils’ scourging ‘Perpetual Intercourse‘ rings of an above-average arc for their particular niche as a mechanically sound, riff-focused entrant which readily suggests pro-level insight. What this first step fully lacks in unique personage is made up for in capability, a general awareness which crafts sinister and cavernous doomed death with a rasping volatility to its verbage without the usual amateurish hindrances.“

>> FULL REVIEW <<

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#9
ARTIST:	LORDS OF QUARMALL
TITLE:	Quarmall is All
RECORD LABEL(S):	C.B. Centauri

From the mind of Olympia, Washington-based artist and musician Reuben Storey (Christian Mistress, Vision Master, et al.) comes this third feat of idiosyncratic, epic heavy metal and now in full-length, full-strength formation. Themed on sword n’ sorcery, anti-wizardry sentiment is abundant in the realms of Fritz Leiber, and rich with boastful hymns and steady-cut riffs Lords of Quarmall is part stomping beast of 70’s-cum-80’s heavy metal trod but also a beast dripping with the adventurous rhythmic spiritus of groups like Manilla Road and Slough Feg. The burst-fire bass guitar tone, the organic throttle of the drums and some unique yet sparing choices of keyboard/synth tones make for a surreal but energetic album experience, one which only just breaches the half hour mark before ducking out. This means it all bleeds fast and loud, slashing through these songs at three or four minutes a piece with a riff and a bark leaving the bodies wherever they may fall. This one certainly deserves a full review but for now I’ll direct folks to “All for Quarmall”, the mega-riffs of opener “A Tunnel Vision”, and ye auld adventure riffing travels of “Bourdour in the Village” as prime points of interest.

https://archive.org/details/LordsofQuarmall-QuarmallIsAll

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#8
ARTIST:	KILDONAN
TITLE:	Embers
RECORD LABEL(S):	Caligari Records

An ocean’s worth of musing and work whittled down to a primed and personality rich volley of devastating arrows this debut LP from Hamish MacKintosh‘s Kildonan already feels fully formed, knowing in how it rains down its overall effect, and sophisticated enough in its design that repeat listens were all but guaranteed. ‘Embers‘ carries an unsettling determination within its beauteous and ghostly walk, a black metal album which is much more than that sub-genre was ever meant to contain. If this proves a great surprise for you, as it was for me, make sure you also check out Sluagh another of his bands which brings a unique sensation to black metal bones.

“Accessing the awe of the land means examining its scars, revisions and overall tormented relationship with civilization as Scottish black metal solo project KILDONAN reframes and finally grants its long-time-coming debut full-length birth unto purposeful statement. Wide-angled and bristling at the cold winds and eroded stones of the Highlands ‘Embers‘ draws upon the holistic spiritus of place beyond setting and a sense of self, causing a veritable eruption of melancholia and high-expressive outbursts for the sake of uniquely voiced works. “

>> FULL REVIEW <<

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#7
ARTIST:	TONY TEARS
TITLE:	La Società degli Eterni
RECORD LABEL(S):	I, Voidhanger Records

Typically reserved for the deeper underground reaches of the Italian dark necro-doomed and prog-assisted metal idiosyncrasies the work of Tony Tears has always been fascinating, varied and wild in the possibilities it explores and they’ve certainly gotten it right on past releases but this time around there is something wild in the air. ‘La Società degli Eterni‘ gives us access to the cult, walks with us robed through the underground halls which house occult horrors and heavy doom/rock vision. Of course a unique soul behind the guitar has always been enough for this troupe, and his work shines brilliantly in shaped the overall experience, yet it is the sum of all parts and performances milling here that sustains this nearly hourlong album from start to finish.

“Imbued with the robust channeling of a well-seasoned magickal practitioner amidst untold interactions with unspeakable entities the aura surrounding Genoa, Italy-based experimental doom metal/progressive rock collective TONY TEARS is pitch black gemmed and sparkling as they introduce us to their latest mascherata infernale. An hourlong glimpse into the society of the eternals presented as their eighth full-length album, and arguably their fifth canonical metal/rock LP attribution, ‘La Società degli Eterni‘ walks us through its macabre operetta as one with the bump-in-the-nightside order, creeping and hollering ’til the odd Sabbath ’til Fate groove fully grips the soul.“

>> FULL REVIEW <<

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#6
ARTIST:	TODESTRIEB
TITLE:	Corona Tenebra [EP]
RECORD LABEL(S):	Avantgarde Music

Todestrieb is a very new but not at all insignificant addition to the moderne Polish black metal pantheon where unorthodox yet fluid fluxion drives their spiritual and philosophically driven ideation. And they’ve made quick work of their idea, having only just formed last year. ‘Corona Tenebra‘ is short but impactful, finely crafted and very well enhanced by session work from drummer Michał “The Fall” Stępień (Mgła, Hauntologist, et al.) who absolutely elevates this record to an above-average feat. If you are a fan of Polish black metal and watch the greater underground like a hawk this material should stand out quickly as something which sees a world bigger than scene and city, broadening its attack to suit both ambitious expression and pleasantly flowing textural ideas.

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#5
ARTIST:	EPITAPH
TITLE:	Path to Oblivion
RECORD LABEL(S):	My Kingdom Music

If you aren’t already familiar with the history of Italian doom metal band Epitaph and their various incarnations beyond the disbandment of Black Hole many see their efforts as a more-or-less authentic continuation of that spirit though their work always pivoted to suit the possibilities various vocalists brought to their sound. The classic free-spirited vision of Italian doom metal remains unbroken here though with this new vocalist there is a focus on the traditional ‘epic’ doom metal sound most of the time and this is helped along by brightened production values, heavier riffs leading the way through each song and a symmetrically designed running order which is extremely sophisticated in its parity between its two halves/sides. For my own taste I kinda miss the weirded side of the band but cannot deny that this is a well above-average work and possibly their best to date.

“Thirty years beyond death and now a decade deep into their haunted undead tirade Verona, Italy-based doom metal quartet EPITAPH manage a freshly extra-dimensional breach on this impeccably achieved third full-length album. Though ‘Path to Oblivion‘ now finds their work decidedly within the ‘epic’ spectrum of doom metal tradition in terms of style the expected eccentric movements and dark occult muse is yet alive in their work, albeit with a new centre-set voice taking the lead. Easily their most refined running order and best clarified production values offered to date this’ll be a grand point of entry, and simply a well above-average doom metal record, per the greater sub-genre fandom.“

>> FULL REVIEW <<

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#4
ARTIST:	MAVORIM
TITLE:	In Omnia Paratus
RECORD LABEL(S):	Purity Through Fire

Bavarian black metal duo Mavorim continues to evolve steadily from album to album having found some serious value in taking on a more pagan black metal minded vision in recent years. ‘In Omnia Paratus‘ follows up the clear successes of last years ‘Ab Amitia Pulsae‘ (2023) with something overall more complete in its vision but less explosively melodious. This makes for a long, grand opus built by their very consistent and prolific hand. As they achieve a fifth full-length in just a handful of years it is worth pointing out not only steadiness of craft but also their vision avoiding the typical doldrums that come with frequent authorship. While there are many German black metal bands I’ve some great reverence for these days Baptist‘s vision continues to be one which surprises and impresses with each fresh stab taken.

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#3
ARTIST:	SARCOPHAGUM
TITLE:	The Grand Arc of Madness
RECORD LABEL(S):	Nuclear Winter Records

Much in the way that a band like Suffering Hour might find a variation on a theme which runs through an entire album and link all pieces with techniques or motif so does this debut LP from Sarcophagum carry a consistently strong voice, telling its tale and selling its vision of somewhat dissonantly struck fluidly layered death metal in careening arcs. Between the lithe movements and imposing roar of ‘The Grand Arc of Madness‘ if feels as if some manner of beast is only just coming to life, resurrected and supernatural in its aura and to the point that these folks who’ve some close associations with Golgothan Remains have managed to differentiate and hone in on a concise and potent introduction beyond their first 7″/EP. I wasn’t surprised that this was great, of course their prior work in this band and others is prime in every case, though I was surprised at the coherence of its vision and how it’d all come together while still feeling untamed, irreverent in voice.

“With a thousand oaken cracks resounding at once the greying heaps of ruined flesh that lay rotting within the catacombs begin to articulate into monstrous warrior forms, thundering their horrors arisen by the undead sorcell of Sydney, Australia-based death metal quartet SARCOPHAGUM who bring their vision screaming back from the underworld on this debut full-length album. Using decayed limbs and madness-lit eyes yanked from all manner of subterranean horror-depths ‘The Grand Arc of Madness‘ is the ritual, the army and the movement upon the realm of the living in one succinct yet spell-rich chapter. Weighted by golden-red strands of dissonant heave split into duel-woven guitar swells their work is beset by dread and momentous darkness, restless death metal which flows and roars in tragedian washes.“

>> FULL REVIEW <<

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#2
ARTIST:	MOONDARK
TITLE:	The Abysmal Womb
RECORD LABEL(S):	Pulverised Records

After thirty years of deeply buried underground legacy riding on one remarkable ~35 minute demo tape the nondescript legend of Moondark comes fully realized with a debut LP, new and somehow exceptional material which makes good on the style and hard-kicked heft of their long distant past. Not only is it rad as fuck that they’ve done this at all but ‘The Abysmal Womb‘ basically fuckin’ smokes all skulls, a well above-average death/doom metal record that I’d had on repeat from the moment it’d hit my inbox. Any fan of ‘old school’ conscious death/doom metal should give this one a roll, especially folks who’d been there for the early days of sludge metal’s extreme tonal pulse. Pure class and a guaranteed spot on my best of the year, easily.

“Avesta, Sweden-borne death/doom metal quintet MOONDARK finally take shape beyond their stillborn encasement, embodying their ancient sinister ambitions on this hulking tank of a debut full-length album. Still carrying the meandering handed grooves of death metal’s apex in congress with doom ‘The Abysmal Womb‘ wills back to life the rune-carved bones and white-eyed skulls of the old ways, dragging a thousand ton guitar tone and a hundred riffs focused on doom as they explore fresh horrors channeled from beyond.“

>> FULL REVIEW <<

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#1	Album of the Month
ARTIST:	MONTE PENUMBRA
TITLE:	Austere Dawning
RECORD LABEL(S):	Norma Evangelium Diaboli

There was a surreal, nigh psychedelic haze fuming throughout the layers of the previous Monte Penumbra LP and here on its unexpectedly prompt follow-up they’ve evolved while showcasing their grasp of the most essential guitar voicing one could manage for second wave adjacent sounds. That doesn’t mean we’ve gotten something retro-visionary but rooted in what is both timeless and future-death obsessed in its wrath. ‘Austere Dawning‘ simply called for deeper listening, reached for a certain echelon of riff that’d nested in mind longer than any other December release this year. Any such escalation of both authorship and fitting production values, remarkable sound design overall per the character of the artist, deserves some extra praise from my point of view.

“Portuguese black metal project MONTE PENUMBRA bring clawed fists and sulphurously struck bent on this unexpectedly prompt yet enriched third full-length album. An eclipse-shielded emergence from their chaotic den of psychoactive darkness ‘Austere Dawning‘ once again lifts a freshly loosened layer of burden, taxing only the riffcraft incited part of the brain as they raise a dagger to these seven rituals and wrench loose a third adventurous formae of hypnosis. Conscious of the classic nox of eternal black metal yet presenting an evolved titration of noveau techniques this experience holds great parity with their recent work yet excels in its clarified voice, a symptom of increasing liberation within each creation.“

>> FULL REVIEW <<

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