2026/09 Listening Log

Genre: Brutal Death Metal

I came across this on YouTube on a video essay about Brutal Death Metal, and I’m actually amazed that I didn’t hear about this when it came out three years ago.

This is one of the most brutal albums I have ever heard in my entire life. Everything about this is extreme, from the toilet gurgle vocals to the absolutely blistering double bass drums and death metal chugs.

I know this is niche, but god damn, I can’t help but be awestruck by how intense and wild music can get without devolving into plain noise. There’s actual musicianship and a creative vision here, but it takes a trained ear to tell. And I think that’s what I love about it.

Tier: A
(Awesome)

Genre: Power Violence / Grindcore

Here we go, some fucking power violence again finally. My only complaint with this is that there’s too much reverb all over the place. A bit more modern production techniques would suit this very well in my opinion. I’m sure it’s an artistic choice though, and that’s fine, it’s just not my preference.

This album has balls of steel, and just thunders through every single track on it. Not the kind of music I where I can really listen to a whole album in one sitting, but thankfully this record doesn’t waste your time and is less than half an hour long.

Tier: B
(Better than average)

Genre: Blackened Progressive Death Metal

Quite an interesting genre blend of a record, with a good sense of musicality, and a fairly dark and menacing vibe. One of those where I respect the work more than I actually enjoy it.

Tier: B-
(Better than average, but just barely)

Genre: Crust/Grind Punk

Everything about this eclectic and grimy album appeals to me. It’s fun, it’s funny, and it’s easy to mosh to. I love this weird shit, man. It’s not quite SOAD levels of good, but it’s close!

Tier: B+
(Awesome)

Genre: Progressive Metal

A grand and epic magnum opus that I would never consider listening to in its entirety twice. I’m in my 40s now, ain’t nobody got time for that.

Tier: C-
(Cool, but not my thing)

Genre: Beatdown

Another release that could be so much more enjoyable to listen to if it wasn’t compressed to shit. I’m not sure why these bands all feel like they need their records to be louder than everyone else’s like some sort of dick measuring competition, cause it’s certainly not doing the music any favors.

There’s potential here. It’s heavy shit, with a real edge and even some swagger to it. It’s really too bad that it’s overshadowed by constant clipping and harmonic distortion.

Tier: C+
(Cool, I like it)

Genre: Death Metal

Rumour has it that this entire album was recorded in one take at one of their concerts. If that is indeed the case, I find it extremely impressive. Not just from a musical standpoint, but from a technical one; This genuinely sounds like it could be a studio recording. These guys have got the groove down, the attitude, the power, the fierceness. The songs are dynamic and interesting as well, so it’s the complete package. They’re even a local band for me, which is very exciting.

Tier: A-
(Awesome)

Genre: Pop

I love the dark electronic style of beats on this one. For a pop album it sounds very unpretentious, and it has this diva attitude about it without being obnoxious (you know, like Beyonce). In fact, I’d even hesitate to call this a straight up pop album cause we even get freaking drum n’ bass beats on one of these tracks. Then suddenly jazz trumpet?? Regardless, with how unique this record sounds I could see myself loving it on repeated listens.

Tier: B+
(Better than average, and then some)

Genre: Sludge / Hardcore

I love it when I find music that actually stands out in a genre where most of it sounds the same. This album is bursting with energy and innovative compositions without sacrificing what makes this genre great. Catch me moshing to this if I ever get to a show of theirs.

Tier: B+
(Better than average, and then some)

Genre: Thrashy Death Metal

Oh yeah, we have some proper underground goodness here. Chock full of blistering thrash gallops and hard-as-hell guitars, this is just a whole lot of musically impressive death metal fun. I have a hard time faulting this for anything other than a slight lack of variation in the vocals and the songs in general. Very good, but not great.

Tier: B
(Better than average)

Genre: OSDM

It’s very interesting when I come across releases that squarely fit into genres that I’m not that into, and I still end up thinking “Wow, this is pretty good”. It’s like the musicianship, the creativity and the vibes come through anyway, you know? Even though it doesn’t do much for me personally, I’m still impressed. I could see this growing on me.

Tier: B
(Better than average)

Genre: Metalcore

To me this EP just sounds like someone trying to mix the DOOM: Eternal soundtrack with the style of Orbit Culture and ending up with something that doesn’t add up to what a combination of those two things should be.

It’s not bad, it just could be so much better.

Tier: C+
(Cool, I like it)

Genre: Deathcore

This EP is the musical equivalent of a sledgehammer to the sternum. It’s compressed to shit, which only accentuates the power and energy contained in this music. I’m generally not a fan of this production style cause it gets quite fatiguing really quickly, but I’m not sure how this band’s style would come across if they didn’t do it this way.

This one may be the straight up hardest release on the list this month, which I love. But, it’s not a full album, and I doubt I could stomach listening to an entire album of this clipping mess anyway.

Tier: B+
(Better than average, and then some)

Genre: Metallic Hardcore

A more traditional metallic hardcore release here. Good grooves, gnarly guitar tones, and arm-flailing breakdowns. Sounds a bit generic, but still a good time.

Tier: B-
(Better than average, but just barely)

Genre: Brutal Death Metal

A very technically impressive bdm album. Crispy and hard-hitting, it does pretty much everything right for this genre. Unfortunately for me, they get a bit too proggy and erratic with their songwriting and I feel like I can never settle into any of these songs as they barrel along.

Tier: B-
(Better than average, but just barely)

Genre: Deathcore

The sonic onslaught of this record is quite something, but it’s ironic that when bands try this hard to be extreme and sacrifice all songwriting in order to do so you end up with music that’s only impressive for five seconds before the shtick gets old.

Tier: C-
(Cool, but not my thing)

Genre: Metallic Hardcore

Yep, you read that artist name right. No, it’s not actually David Bowie. Why a band like this would call themselves that, I have no idea. It’s stupid.

Anyway, the music is actually fairly good. It’s explosive, violent, abrasive, and raw. It’s missing that x-factor, however, which would otherwise push it from ‘good’ to ‘great’.

Tier: B
(Better than average)

Genre: Blackened Death Metal

A punchy and energetic record that I enjoy in short bursts. The sound is pretty much perfect, but overall, there’s nothing here that really elevates it above the pack.

Tier: C+
(Cool, I like it)

Genre: Black Metal

This Diablo-inspired album unfortunately falls a bit flat to me. It doesn’t quite have the punch or the evil tone that would suit a concept like this, in my humble opinion. No shade on it otherwise though, it’s a cool idea.

Tier: C-
(Cool, but not my thing)

Genre: Melodic Black Metal

The intro track on this one is a bit weird, but the rest is pretty damn solid black metal. Raspy shrieks, galloping drums, and infectious riffs. It slightly misses the mark for me with regards to how sinister I prefer this genre to be, but I had a good time with it anyway.

Tier: B
(Better than average)

Genre: Nu-Metal

I have to admit, I kind of dig what these guys are going for. They have some catchy tunes here, and there’s clearly an effort here to go beyond what nu-metal traditionally has been. Unfortunately, it’s brought down by a lack of strength and passion in both the instrumentation and vocals. It’s rich in original ideas and personality, but lacks impact.

Tier: B-
(Better than average, but just barely)

Genre: Alt Pop

I’ve enjoyed some of Agnes’ music in the past, and while I didn’t actively dislike this, there was no point during listening that I could feel myself being drawn in like with some of her previous material. It’s quite pleasant regardless though.

Tier: C+
(Cool, I like it)

Genre: Death Metal

I usually like this style of death metal, but there was simply nothing here that got me excited. Probably worth it if you really love the genre but for me this is a skip.

Tier: C-
(Cool, but not my thing)

Genre: Blackened Heavy Metal

A very competent piece of blackened heavy metal that for some reason did not connect with me whatsoever.

Tier: C-
(Cool, but not my thing)

Genre: Japanese Progressive Folk Metal

Amazing instrumentation, memorable songs, and bursting with personality and flair. You gotta love that shamisen!

One of the most interesting and unique metal albums of the month. That said, I wish this was a bit more aggressive and manic like the other stuff I’ve heard from them.

Tier: B
(Better than average)

Genre: Post Deathcore

This one is dark, y’all. This is a fantastic, grandiose and sinister piece of work that is both excruciatingly heavy and haunting to listen to. The most interesting deathcore-adjacent album of the month for me, no contest.

Tier: B+
(Better than average, and then some)

Genre: Alt Pop

The lyricism is what gets me about this one. The music is fine too, don’t get me wrong, but the way that Alex enunciates the very well chosen words of these songs is what sells it. Especially the second track Statue Down made me do a couple of double takes the first time I heard it.

Tier: B
(Better than average)

Genre: Deathcore

I’ve heard a couple of positive mentions of this album in the past few weeks, and now that I’ve listened to it I feel like we may all be so burned out on this genre that we can’t really distinguish what’s good and what isn’t anymore. I’m not really hearing any personality or innovation whatsoever here, and I would not choose to actively listen to this again.

Tier: D
(Didn’t remember anything)

Genre: Progressive Groove Metal

Mastodon is a band that is very hit and miss for me. There are certain songs that I absolutely love, but most of them tend to be their earlier work where they had a much more aggressive sound. I don’t dislike their music, but most of their material simply doesn’t get me excited. This album falls into that category of ambivalence.

Tier: C
(Cool)

Genre: Melodic Death Metal

I’m not really able to compare this to any other band that I know. These guys have a tinge of prog in their music, incorporating some odd time signatures here and there and some of that typical progressive noodling and ambience, but still manage to keep within the genre bounds of melodeath. This all makes for a very interesting listen with some pleasant surprises and unexpected flair in an already competent melodeath record. The production is a little muddled, and could definitely be better, but the music is good enough to make up for it.

Tier: B
(Better than average)

Genre: Blackened Heavy Metal

This is one of those records that you pull out if you want to give someone an example of modern underground metal. It sounds big, angry, and those drums are mighty as hell. The vocals have a nice gravelly quality to them and the guitars are just working overtime on those riffs. I’m missing those “fuck yeah” moments, but they just have the fundamentals down so well that I can’t be too mad about it.

Tier: B+
(Better than average, and then some)

Genre: Modern Death Metal

I really enjoyed Nekrodawn’s last record. Although this doesn’t quite match the fantastic groove of their previous outing, this still has plenty going for it. The absolute rumble and sheer energy blasting from your speakers from the second you hit play is undeniable. The songs have plenty of variation and power, but not the same levels of catchiness that the last album had. Still one of the better releases of the month IMO.

Tier: B+
(Better than average, and then some)

Genre: Thrashy Death Metal

This sounds like it was mastered for vinyl, and not for 2026. For many, that seems to be a cool thing. I’ve seen some buzz around this release, and I can understand why. This is slightly too old school for my taste though.

Tier: C+
(Cool, I like it)

Genre: Technical Groove/Death Metal

This aussie band has some chops. Unfortunately, they way they compose their songs is too erratic and ADHD coded for my tastes. You might wanna check it out if you like a touch of prog and strings in your death tinged groove metal.

Tier: C-
(Cool, but not my thing)

Genre: Progressive Death Metal

This record is all over the place (complimentary), which makes it a bit of an assault on the senses (derogatory). Not for me, but I respect it.

Tier: C-
(Cool, but not my thing)

Genre: Metallic Hardcore

A competent piece of work that goes from relatively normal hardcore chugs and breakdowns over into full heavy metal style bridges and solos, and then suddenly bursts into melodeath blastbeats. Although it does most of this just fine, it ends up having a bit of an identity crisis and doesn’t excel at any of it.

Tier: B-
(Better than average, but just barely)

Genre: Blackened Death Metal

A very musically interesting album let down by a very weird and hollow sounding production where the snare is strangely loud and the guitars are all the way in the back of the mix. To my ears this production is almost unacceptable for music this good.

Tier: B-
(Better than average, but just barely)

Genre: Death Metal

This caused serious stankface for me within the first ten seconds of the first track, and that feeling remained through most of the runtime. We have some extremely downtuned and heavy death metal here, and it just tickles my cockles. There’s good variation in the vocals, great rhythms and grooves, and it has the sonic brutality that this genre needs to work.

Tier: B+
(Better than average, and then some)

Genre: Hardcore

If you told me that you didn’t think there was anything special about this, I wouldn’t argue with you. For me though, there’s just something about the way these guys compose their songs that just leaves a grin on my face. Yeah, it’s cookie cutter, but it is one of my favorite cookies.

Tier: B-
(Better than average, but just barely)

Genre: Death Metal

Some old school Heavy Metal inspired death that will probably scratch the itch of those that are into that particular genre blend. For me, this felt a little flat.

Tier: C-
(Cool, but not my thing)

Genre: Groove Metal

Groove Metal with a touch of melodeath. Very powerful grooves and drums on this one. The competent vocals are also reminiscient of Randy Blythe, which is perfect for this genre. Unfortunately the songs themselves are not very catchy or memorable, despite being cool as fuck.

Tier: B-
(Better than average, but just barely)

Genre: Unknown, but it’s definitely not metal

Fantano went nuts for this one, and while I can see why, it just did not appeal to me. This stuff is for those that really like to challenge themselves musically, and most likely understand music on a deeper level than I do.

Tier: C-
(Cool, but not my thing)

Genre: Post-Metal

Very well-made and well performed post-metal by this band who’s now been at it for 20+ years. A primarily instrumental affair with grandiose ambitions and a hefty soundscape. Gets plenty heavy and bakes in more than enough artsy flair to satisfy those with more sophisticated palates than mine.

Tier: C+
(Cool, I like it)

Genre: Stoner Doom

Very compressed and peaky production on this one which makes it a bit fatiguing to listen to. Plenty of stoner power in the sound, but too much doom style in the songwriting, which just leads to me being bored.

Tier: C-
(Cool, but not my thing)

Genre: Post-Metalcore

DISCLAIMER: A member of this band is an old friend/acquaintance of mine, so there will be some bias here.

I actually think Kingseeker have managed to find a sound of their own, and they’re doing very interesting things compositionally in their music that I don’t really hear many other bands doing. That said, the screamo vocal style they do is not my favorite, and they almost slide into millennial-core in certain sections of the songs. Despite all this, it’s clear that they have an artistically coherent vision going, and they’re writing pretty decent music at this point.

Tier: B
(Better than average)

Genre: Metallic Hardcore

Great energy and breakdowns, but unfortunately doesn’t offer much beyond that.

Tier: C+
(Cool, I like it)

Genre: OSDM

The kind of album where the production makes every single instrument, including the vocals, sound weak and uninteresting. Nothing exciting going on compositionally either.

Tier: C-
(Cool, but not my thing)

Genre: Progressive Tech Death

A record full of impressive musicianship and complex rhythmical structure, but somehow void of actually interesting or appealing music.

Tier: C-
(Cool, but not my thing)

Genre: Latin Folk

The vibes on this album are immaculate, much like on their last album Sonido Cósmico. It instantly transports you to a different time and place where you’re standing in a sun-drenched dry landscape with blue skies, and you can practically feel the gentle breeze on your face. It’s great, but I do feel like they’re rehashing some of their material with this one.

Tier: B
(Better than average)

Genre: Singer/songwriter

The legend that is Beck has seen fit to grace us with Sea Change 2.0 with this album, and I am very much here for it. Finally, a slow and chill record that I feel like I can get lost in. Haven’t felt that for a long time.

Tier: B+
(Better than average, and then some)

Genre: Blackened Metallic Hardcore

Yes, you read that right. This record has a very interesting genre blend going on, and it is vicious in its sonic expression. A big record with big songs that pull no punches.

Tier: B
(Better than average)

Genre: Deathcore

Crown Magnetar’s music fits squarely into modern deathcore, but to me they still have a sound of their own. They somehow come across as more gnarly, gritty and grimy than most other bands in the genre. I think it’s a combination of the timbre of their vocalist and their guitar tone. Based on their sonic identity alone I tend to favor their material over many other bands, even though the music itself isn’t really that different compositionally.

Tier: B-
(Better than average, but just barely)

Genre: Death Metal

Holy crap, we have a winner here, folks!

It’s groovy, it’s heavy, it’s punchy, and it’s pissed off in the best possible way. The whole record is like a barreling train of righteous feminist rage. Dark and menacing riffs in songs that are full of attitude and personality, with great variation throughout. Inventive and catchy songwriting makes it feel like the album and the band have an actual identity instead of just being another death metal release.

Might be my favorite album of the month, and there were plenty to choose from.

Tier: A
(Awesome)

Genre: Hardcore

Groove-laden hardcore like this is usually right up my alley, but this just sort of fell flat for me even though I can’t put my finger on why. A bit too ‘by the numbers’ I guess.

Tier: C
(Cool)

Genre: Thrash Metal

A slightly heavy metal styled thrash record which does a lot of things right. Crispy production, a hefty pace, and powerful drums keeps the momentum going throughout. Not much to critique here, to be honest, other than the fact that they stick to what works in this genre and aren’t really doing anything interesting with it other than just doing it really well.

Tier: C+
(Cool, I like it)

Genre: Death Doom

The initial impression had me thinking this was a Deathcore record due to the vocals and sheer heaviness of the riffs, but it never picked up the pace and actually became more somber and dark as it went on. Church choir and organs helped me nail the genre down once the EP was halfway done.

All in all, I’m fine with this, but I keep getting bored of the slow pace and lack of punch.

Tier: C-
(Cool, but not my thing)

Genre: Death Metal

A modern, groovy, and chunky death metal album which keeps things interesting by introducing some well-fitting melodic elements into to this otherwise really heavy and brutal genre. The vocals are a bit generic but other than that I have a very good time listening to this.

Tier: B
(Better than average)

Genre: Speed Metal

An oldschool type thrash record with a lot of reverb, a great bass tone, and a whole lot of speed. Not my taste, but I respect the style a lot.

Tier: C
(Cool)

Genre: Metalcore

A “millennial-core” album that does a couple of interesting things for flair but ends up not being any more than the sum of its parts.

Tier: C-
(Cool, but not my thing)

Genre: Deathcore

This EP features some pretty stompy and punchy music (which I enjoy just on a general basis), but it’s clear that this band don’t have it in them to write entire albums. Like most other deathcore releases these days, the album relies too much on novelty and bursts of extremes, which is fine in smaller doses, but not if you wanna make music that will still impress and capture listeners ten years from now.

Tier: C
(Cool)

Genre: Death Metal

An album that switches between what I would consider fairly standard OSDM fare and extremely cool groovy passages. As it constantly keeps swinging from meh to awesome I find it hard to rate it, so I’ll just put it straight in the B tier and say that overall it’s pretty good.

Tier: B
(Better than average)

Genre: Thrash Metal

A pleasant surprise! This leans into the style of Slayer (especially in the vocals), only with a much better and grittier production. There’s quite a visceral sound signature here too. It sounds alive, which I really appreciate in this genre. They also know how to throw in the occasional whimsical guitar solo.

Between this, and the recent Evisarize release, thrash fans are eating well!

Tier: B+
(Better than average, and then some)

Genre: Heavy Metal

This band certainly has a style of their own, and I have to say I respect it. They have catchy choruses, easy to sing along to, and still keep that authentic heavy metal edge through it all. It’s not my favorite, but I would never object to someone putting this on at the function.

Tier: C+
(Cool, I like it)

Genre: Progressive Death Metal

Clearly a band who know what they’re doing, but to me they don’t quite lean far enough into neither groove nor melody nor interesting instrumentation for long enough periods of time in order to hook me as a listener. They’re constantly switching between doing different cool things without lingering long enough for it to make any impact, so it just comes off as a disjointed and stressful listen to me.

I’m sure this is someone’s cup of well-brewed tea, but it’s not mine.

Tier: C-
(Cool, but not my thing)

Genre: Melodeath

A completely anonymous piece of work that I forgot as soon as I finished listening to it. Has all of the musical ingredients but none of the charm or personality needed to make it interesting.

Tier: D
(Didn’t remember anything)

Genre: Deathcore

Perfectly fine Deathcore with a touch of melodeath. Not much here to separate them from the pack though.

Tier: C-
(Cool, but not my thing)

Genre: Blackened Thrash Metal

An absolutely blistering and relentless thrash album that does not take its foot off the throttle for even a minute. The production has a delightfully organic taste to it where you can immediately tell that the drums here are not beatmatched or synced to a grid, and yet the music still sounds punchy and tight.

The most immediate comparison I can make to the guitar work is actually Dragonforce, but this band seems to have none of the pretense that Dragonforce does. This is the best and most fun Thrash Metal album I’ve heard so far this year.

Tier: A-
(Awesome)

Genre: Sludge Rock

This strikes me as Chat Pile’s most well-produced album yet. The bass guitar and vocals especially are coming through very clearly, and to the music’s benefit. There’s a clear Grunge and Nu-metal influence here, which could either be a great or terrible thing depending on your perspective. For my part, the biggest flaw of this band is their very monotonous compositional style and lack of instrumental variety. Combined with the fact that pretty much every single song is so somber and serious, fatigue sets in pretty quickly and I can never get through an entire album in one sitting.

I’d still classify this as quite good music however. That might sound strange, but I’m considering my lack of ability to stick with albums like these for more than fifteen minutes at a time as a personal flaw rather than a weakness of the music itself.

Tier: B
(Better than average)

Genre: Hip-Hop

It’s been a long time since I listened to an entire Hip-Hop album without skipping half of it. I guess when you combine the old-school type beats with rappers that came up during what I consider to be the golden age of the genre, AND you get Tom Hardy of all people to rap alongside them under the Frankie Pulitzer alias, you get a winning combination. The track Mad Technology especially is a real banger.

Tier: B
(Better than average)

Genre: Metallic Hardcore

Here we have another example of a situation where each individual musical element is appealing, but the way the band writes their songs does not resonate with me at all. I don’t actively dislike it, but it doesn’t do much for me either.

Tier: C-
(Cool, but not my thing)

Genre: Sludge

A very raw and abrasive record, whose production makes the music turn to aural soup at times, yet still has the songwriting chops and dynamics to make it interesting.

There are melodic elements, synths, choral vocals in the background, and it can get really heavy and intense. In the end this still doesn’t quite match my taste, but I can recognize it as good metal music.

Tier: B
(Better than average)