5 Best Metal Albums Of June 2018
Nine Inch Nails? Ghost? Lizzy Borden? Nah! This month, it was all about the underground.
After last month found its quality metal being dominated by larger names like Ihsahn and Jonathan Davis, diehard metalheads will be overjoyed to learn that, this time around, WhatCulture’s “5 Best Metal Albums” list is being ruled with the most unforgiving of iron fists by the genre’s underground favourites.
Without any exception, these five following names are all youthful darlings toiling away in the small clubs and bars of the modern metal world. Every band is rooted firmly in the 21st century, with a young skip in their step that has let them easily overtake their veteran elders.
However, simultaneously, these young bucks also couldn’t be more different from each other, with some specialising in stoner rock-infused heaviness straight from the 1970s, while others utilise fascinating cultural histories to perpetuate thrashing narratives against racism and persecution.
The kids are alright, as the old song goes, and this month they definitely proved it unequivocally! So if you’re a loyal fan that loves to see the next generation of music get its just recognition (or if you’re just a hipster), please read on with glee.
5. ASG – Survive Sunrise
Commencing this month’s countdown is a duology of slow-paced, doomy destroyers, opened by metal’s most underrated stoners, ASG.
Despite their firm residence in the heavy music underground, these American aggressors are experts in their field, with almost two decades of weed-laced power under their belts. And on their monstrous seventh album, Survive Sunrise, their pedigree and expertise are on display front and centre.
At its core (and this is written with the utmost reverence), Survive Sunrise is the stoner metal album for people that don’t really like stoner metal: it resides perfectly on the border between restrained, accessible and melodic mastery, and all-out, twisted psychedelia. For every moment that recaptures the soaring weirdness and avant-garde euphoria of Sleep or Dopethrone, there’s a tight, catchy chorus or hook ripped straight from a particularly scorching Led Zeppelin anthem.
And then, of course, there’s some good ol’ guitar heroism to boot, which this record boasts in spades! If you’re a fan of the vintage, flashy fretboard dancing of Jimmy Page or Jimi Hendrix, but wish it had a touch of more modern, metallic power, then Survive Sunrise could well be your album of the year thus far.
So much brilliance, and the list has only just begun…