From the hardcore boom to the boundless expanses of extreme metal, the 2020s has brewed some truly unforgettable music. As the most cursed decade rolls on, let’s give some attention to these wildly underrated metal albums. Speakers on!
This album is a fucking nightmare come to life. From the twisted brain of Cameron McBride, Methwitch‘s 2020 album Indwell blends extreme metal, hardcore and industrial elements for a wildly overstimulating experience. This is what a Benadryl overdose must feel like.
So much great psychedelic metal goes under the radar, including Gaupa‘s groove-laden 2022 album Myriad. The vocals of Emma Näslund evokes the names of occult rock legends like Coven‘s Jinx Dawson and modern rock powerhouses like Royal Thunder‘s Mlny Parsonz, while Gaupa‘s instrumental section digs deep into desert rock licks.Â
No prog metal from the 2020s is more under-appreciated than The Reticent‘s 2020 opus, The Oubliette. A concept album about the tragic mental decline of those affected by Alzheimer’s, The Oubliette is a gorgeous and brutal work in the vein of Opeth. Listen only if you’re ready to be filled with existential dread.Â
In an age rich with collaborative albums, this 2023 work from Full of Hell and Nothing is sorely underrated. Bridging the gap between extreme metal and shoegaze, When No Birds Sang goes heavy on soundscapes as it jumps between opposite styles. Will Putney‘s production is just icing on the cake.
Warfect is thrash Renaissance magic. The Swedish band’s 2020 album Spectre of Devastation is pure hesher fuel, delivering a classic European style of thrash with some killer blast beats thrown in. Warfect don’t skimp on the big riffs either.
Debemur Morti Productions DOES NOT MISS. The record label is always lurking at the most expansive edges of extreme metal, and in 2024 they signal boosted a phenomenal black metal album by Venezuelan band Selbst. Despondency Chord Progressions gets the blend of beauty and brutality just right while “Chant of Self Confrontation” delivers a shockingly high quality music video for a black metal single.
We gonna party as the world burns! Candy‘s Flipping EP is pure modern-day hedonism — flipping, fraying, fighting, fucking. It’s some of the most mind-melting hardcore that’s come out in the 2020s, perfectly capturing the nihilism of the age.
Wytch Hazel isn’t necessarily a Christian band, but their stand-in-the-light righteousness works beautifully with the band’s ‘60s and ‘70s throwback style. If Blue Öyster Cult discovered the Spear of Destiny and stood toe-to-toe with Beelzebub himself, it’d sound like this album.Â
Fuck yeah, Gregor Mackintosh! This is Vlad the Impaler-level cruelty transformed into crusty death/doom metal. Strigoi‘s Viscera is not a pleasant listen, but good luck escaping this album’s morbid vortex. Underrated for sure.
Miss those classic Nachtmystium and Mgla albums? Germany’s Non Est Deus may scratch that itch. Legacy is a brilliantly measured and melodic piece of work, maintaining a meditative pace throughout its runtime. Zone out to this one.
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