10 Incredible Metal Albums You May Have Missed In 2021
2021's metal albums that you NEED to check out.
In a year that brought us earth shattering releases from big hitters like Gojira, Mastodon and Iron Maiden, along with powerful statements of intent by up and comers like Alien Weaponry and Spiritbox, the tyre fire of 2021 appears to have been one of profound inspiration for the Heavy Metal community.
Whilst the world continues to go to Hell around us, the frustrations, rages, sorrows and brief glimpses of hope have all coalesced to inform true works of art across the scene.
With the bright lights and critical acclaim lauded upon these icons and industry darlings, it’s easy to miss some of the hidden gems buried in the murky depths of the Metal underground. The brutal, the beautiful and the downright bizarre don’t always grab the headlines, but for those of us willing to take that trek to the fringes, the rewards can often be just as good, if not better, than that album the reviewers won’t stop raving about.
10. There Is No God Where I Am - Cruelty
It’s no secret that 2021 has been one hell of a miserable year, and who better than a band named Cruelty to take that misery and rip it apart with cathartic vigour.
A sense of despair permeates the entirety of this album, as the collective rage of the modern age is condensed into 42 hate-filled minutes. Opening with the fittingly titled ‘An Introduction’, the album lurches into feedback-soaked life, with a scream exalting the album title, before coming out swinging with full throttle hardcore in the vein of Converge. Indeed, the album’s impenetrable riffage and spitting vocals owe a lot to the Massachusetts standard bearers, but Cruelty have enough dirt underneath their fingernails to make this more than just a facsimile.
Whilst grounded in hardcore, the album makes frequent flirtations with Death Metal, finally giving into its filthy desires and delivering the promised goods in ‘Dead Culture’. Similarly Doomy elements bubble beneath the surface of the swamp, before rising to prominence in the churl of slow instrumental ‘Cut’. Though both stand as obvious deviations from the album as a whole, they nevertheless fit in organically amongst the other tracks. Moments of coming up for air above a raging ocean of feedback and riffs.
Closing off proceedings with the seven minute title track, Cruelty focus the raucous despair of the entire album into a razor point before slowing down proceedings for the extended outro. Over rising Post-Metal beauty, that familiar title phrase is brought back from ‘An Introduction’ to bookend the album, howled cathartically at an indifferent world.
Listen To: There Is No God Where I Am