Mining Metal is a monthly column from Heavy Consequence contributing writers Langdon Hickman and Colin Dempsey. The focus is on noteworthy new music emerging from the non-mainstream metal scene, highlighting releases from small and independent labels — or even releases from unsigned acts.
Let’s take a moment to state the obvious — metal is healthy in 2023. Arguably, it’s in peak health as it actively honors its past and boldly looks beyond its parameters. Mainstream metal may not be to everyone’s liking as it favors clean productions and flat soundscapes (though some people dig that), but even that division in tastes demonstrates diversity in the scene which leads to a healthier genre. Currently, underground metal is home to exciting trends that were isolated events years ago. Collaborative albums — as in full LPs with both bands recording together rather than splitting tracklists — are released regularly enough that you can lose count of how many Thou has made; nu metal is back in a way that its craziest ass moments in history don’t feel like they’re spoken in a dead tongue; and there are enough people who understand the difference between blackened thrash and blackened death that you can compare and contrast them in a single sentence.
All of this is to say that, even away from the mainstream sect of the genre which leans towards alternative rock and djent (itself a crazy ass moment in history), metal remains fresh. There are plenty of mid-year lists circling around this month and reflecting on 2023, metal musicians have been having a ball. Not just with recording but with touring. Immolation are on their second tour in less than a year and still put most death metal bands to shame. Personally, I’ve seen 200 Stabs Wounds three times and only once was that intentional. That’s not a complaint, since it’s impossible to have too many stab wounds; I’m just giddy that I can see a band I enjoy by accident.
June, in particular, has been a great month for metal with a few marquee albums, and it’s worth mentioning the shock that’s Avenged Sevenfold’s first album in seven years. Were it any other album in the band’s catalog, Life Is but a Dream… wouldn’t raise any eyebrows. However, it’s a genuine “what the f**k” album, a surprise that text cannot convey without a belligerent stream of punctuation. It’s at least worth listening to just to experience the stylistic whiplash from one of metal’s biggest acts not just taking a risk but hurling itself off a cliff with the only security being its name recognition. Whether or not it is a good album is less of a concern than the confidence with which Avenged Sevenfold act.
However, if you don’t want to spend nearly an hour listening to the latest from M. Shadows and the rowdy boys, here are eight albums from underground metal’s strongest month this year. There are healthy doses of black metal, folk, and a release that should remain on everyone’s radar until the end of the year.
(We only aren’t covering Godflesh here because we’d rather highlight lesser-known acts. That said, go listen to the new Godflesh.)
— Colin Dempsey
Claustrum – Claustrum
Life is a confusing cavern, dappled in darkness and confounding beams of light, strange lichen and mold spores choking the air, and all before the pit that inevitably silences our consciousnesses and buries us forever. Yet despite these cruel ministrations, there is always death metal. Claustrum do not innovate: they master. The sickly progressivism of Morbid Angel, the churning goop and slime of Incantation, riffs that crest over their stomach-churning low-tuned grumble with hellish post-Slayer pinch harmonics; these are the tools we have long experienced executed with aplomb. I’ve said many times that while I love a great deal of music, death metal is the heartwork, the key, the presence. Claustrum, like fellow modern Italian greats Bedsore, do great justice to these hallowed halls. Buy it on Bandcamp. – Langdon Hickman
High Priest – Invocation
Sources might tell you this is stoner metal. They are wrong. High Priest flood their sound with all kinds of more exciting sonic touchpoints, such as the keening and prog/southern rock-flecked dual leads of Baroness, the Thin Lizzy-styled anthemic hard/heavy rock, and frankly some of the most catchy and compelling clean vocals I’ve heard in a while. Confession: I saw Cave In live recently, who were effing incredible, and that’s stoked my desire for heavy as hell rock records again. When your metal record makes me think about Captain Beyond and peak-era Queens of the Stone Age in equal measures, that’s a very, very good thing. I’ve listened to this a good handful of times now and am still in awe of how much I love it; cynicism can go to hell, we love an honest joyful surprise here. Buy it on Bandcamp. – Langdon Hickman
