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The Year In Review – Top 10 Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Albums of 2025

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“Who the fuck is Justin Bieber?” – Ozzy Osbourne

There’s not much to celebrate in rock and metal music in the same year when we lost the one and only John Michael “Ozzy” Osbourne. Nothing will ever be the same without the Prince of Darkness, the Madman, The Wizard of Ozz. There isn’t a single artist or band reviewed in the history of The Headbanging Moose that wasn’t influenced in several ways by Ozzy and, of course, by Black Sabbath. It is a very sad year indeed. However, Ozzy was always in a great mood, always happy, and I’m sure that, wherever he is now, he wants to see us all smiling and laughing, because that’s what life is all about. He also wants us to keep attending rock and metal concerts to have a good time with our loved ones, with our closest friends, just like Keith Ibbitson of Metal Paparazzi and I did so many times this year, covering incredible bands the likes of Blackbraid, Ne Obliviscaris, Cattle Decapitation, Blind Guardian, and so on. I’ve also had the utmost pleasure of seeing the mighty Judas Priest in Dalhalla, Sweden, a dream come true for this fanboy here, and I can’t wait to “run for my life” in 2026. Having said all that, let’s honor the life of Ozzy with The Headbanging Moose’s Top 10 Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Albums of 2025, excluding EP’s, best of’s and live albums, and keep on rockin’ like the Madman until our very last breath!

1. Blackbraid – Blackbraid III (REVIEW)
Behold the stunning next chapter in the musical and spiritual journey of the witch hawk of Black Metal hailing from the Adirondack Mountains.
Best song of the album: Wardrums At Dawn On The Day Of My Death

2. Werewolves – The Ugliest of All (REVIEW)
The torchbearers of “Caveman Death Metal” continuing to annihilate intellects with an unlistenable barrage of truly hideous music.
Best song of the album: The Ugliest of All

3. Testament – Para Bellum (REVIEW)
Let’s prepare for war to the sound of the breathtaking fourteenth studio album by California’s own masters of old school Thrash Metal.
Best song of the album: Para Bellum

4. Helloween – Giants & Monsters (REVIEW)
These German giants of Heavy Metal and monsters of Rock N’ Roll are back with their ass-kicking seventeenth studio album.
Best song of the album: Majestic

5. An Abstract Illusion – The Sleeping City (REVIEW)
This incredible Swedish Progressive Death and Black Metal entity returns with their heaviest and most atmospheric work to date.
Best song of the album: Like a Geyser Ever Erupting

6. Allegaeon – The Ossuary Lens (REVIEW)
World domination awaits to the sound of the striking new beast by one of the must-see bands of the current tech death scene worldwide.
Best song of the album: The Swarm

7. 1914 – Viribus Unitis (REVIEW)
Trench warfare meets blackened death and doom in 1914’s fourth onslaught of war-torn fury.
Best song of the album: 1918 Pt 3: ADE (A Duty to Escape)

8. Cryptopsy – An Insatiable Violence (REVIEW)
Canada’s own Death Metal machine returns with their ruthless ninth studio album.
Best song of the album: Until There’s Nothing Left

9. Baest – Colossal (REVIEW)
Back from the fires of Denmark, this unstoppable creature will crush you with their fourth studio album.
Best song of the album: Colossus

10. Diabolizer – Murderous Revelations (REVIEW)
The torchbearers of diabolical abomination unite once again to drag us down into the fiery abysses of Turkish Death Metal without warning.
Best song of the album: Deathmarch of the Murderous Tyrant

And here we have the runner-ups, completing the top 20 for the year:

11. Lorna Shore – I Feel The Everblack Festering Within Me (REVIEW)
12. Impureza – Alcázares (REVIEW)
13. Crimson Shadows – Whispers of War (REVIEW)
14. Primal Fear – Domination (REVIEW)
15. Serenity In Murder – Timeless Reverie (REVIEW)
16. Khôra – Ananke (REVIEW)
17. Panzerchrist – Maleficium – Part 2 (REVIEW)
18. Ominous Ruin – Requiem (REVIEW)
19. Wrath of Belial – Embers of Dead Empires (REVIEW)
20. Grima – Nightside (REVIEW)

Not only that, here’s once again our Top 10 EP’s of 2025, proving once and for all that the duration of an album is not that important in the end. As long as the music is great, the whole thing can be only one second long, like the classic “You Suffer” by Napalm Death!

1. When Plagues Collide – Kingmaker (REVIEW)
2. De Profundis – The Gospel Of Rot (REVIEW)
3. Fimbul Winter – What Once Was (REVIEW)
4. NecroticGoreBeast – Brute (REVIEW)
5. Serpent Corpse – Retaliate (REVIEW)
6. Akouphenom – Connections To The Erebus (REVIEW)
7. Necht – The Inevitable Suffering (REVIEW)
8. Discovery Through Torment – Telesynthetic Rebirth (REVIEW)
9. Der Rote Milan – Verlust (REVIEW)
10. Eleine – We Stand United (REVIEW)

Do you agree with our list? What are your top 10 albums of 2025? Also, don’t forget to tune in every Tuesday at 10pm BRT on Rádio Coringão to enjoy the best of classic and underground metal with Jorge Diaz and his Timão Metal, and every Thursday at 8pm UTC+2 on Midnight Madness Metal e-Radio for the best of underground metal with The Headbanging Moose Show!

Metal Xmas and a Headbanging New Year! See you in 2026!

And of course, as we really don’t like those boring Christmas songs here on The Headbanging Moose, we’ll leave you with what’s perhaps the most emotional and strongest metal hymn of the year, the charity version of “War Pigs”, by Black Sabbath, recorded by Judas Priest and with Ozzy himself sharing the vocal duties with the Metal God Rob Halford! This is the epitome of rock and metal music!

Generals gathered in their masses
Just like witches at black masses…

Album Review – Werewolves / The Ugliest of All (2025)

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The torchbearers of “Caveman Death Metal” strike again with album number six, continuing to annihilate intellects with an increasingly unlistenable barrage of truly hideous music.

By now, everyone knows Melbourne, Australia’s own Werewolves and their insane mission of releasing ten Death Metal albums in ten years. Now in 2025 the torchbearers of “Caveman Death Metal” strike again with album number six, The Ugliest of All, continuing to annihilate intellects with an increasingly unlistenable barrage of truly hideous music. Mixed and mastered by Joe Haley at Crawlspace Productions, and once again displaying a visceral artwork by Mitchell Nolte, the beleaguered artist of the previous albums, the sixth blasphemous offering by Sam Bean on vocals and bass, Matt Wilcock on the guitars, and David Haley on drums is not only a worthy follow-up to their 2024 beast Die For Us, but a lesson in primeval, visceral Death Metal by one of the most (if not THE most) demented bands to ever arise from Down Under.

There’s not a single second of peace in the bludgeoning opener Fools of the Trade, with David already doing what he does best, which is crushing our damned bodies with his inhumane technique; and we gotta love all of their song titles such as I Want to be Offended, with the music being a lecture in ruthless Death Metal led by the scorching riffs by Matt. Skullbattering keeps the level of animosity absurdly high, with Sam barking the song’s violent lyrics nonstop in another lesson in brutality from the stunning Australia. Sam roars like a rabid beast in Unoriginal Sin, offering an overdose of blasphemy flowing from all instruments for our total and depraved delight, whereas more of David’s unstoppable, thunderous beats and fills will shake the foundations of the earth in the demolishing The Enshittification, inviting us all for some quality time inside the pit.

Logorrea sounds like some of their darkest creations from From the Cave to the Grave and My Enemies Look and Sound like Me, which obviously means it’s an awesome onrush of brutality, gore and rage, ending in a truly insane mode and connecting instantly with Rats Versus Snakes, one of the first singles released, showcasing the trio’s trademark fury spearheaded by the deep guttural by Sam. Then adding hints of Punk Rock and Hardcore to their undisputed Death Metal sound, it’s time for a no shenanigans, fast and furious aria titled Slaves to the Blast, again with Matt delivering pure electricity from his maniacal riffage. And last but most definitely not least, ending the album we have the demonic title-track The Ugliest of All, one of their strongest songs to date, sounding simply infuriated form start to finish, with David yet again hammering our cranial skulls mercilessly until our very last drop of blood leaves our frail bodies.

“Why did we call the album The Ugliest Of All?” Sam asks himself, seeing as though there’s no-one actually asking him any questions. “On the one hand, we are turning into a fearsomely hideous old-man band. We’re all grey, I’ve got a gut, it’s like if The Hills Had Amps. Also, I read an interview with Malevolent Creation where Phil Fasciana was bragging about how they were the ugliest band alive, and I thought that was the coolest thing ever. Hi-top sneakers are cool. Denim shorts are cool.” In the end, it doesn’t really matter if you follow those headbanging bastards on Facebook or on Instagram, if you stream their pulverizing, no shenanigans music on YouTube or on Spotify, or if you purchase the indomitable The Ugliest of All from their own website or BandCamp page, from Direct Merch, from Nightshift, or from Plastic Head. Even if no one cares at all about The Ugliest of All, 2026 will see the band returning in full force with album number seven, because that’s what Werewolves are all about. They’re bringing to us this year the ugliest of all albums, aiming at becoming the heaviest of all bands.

Best moments of the album: I Want to be Offended, Skullbattering, Logorrea, Slaves to the Blast and The Ugliest of All.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2025 Back On Black Records

Track listing
1. Fools of the Trade 4:08
2. I Want to be Offended 3:36
3. Skullbattering 3:15
4. Unoriginal Sin 4:13
5. The Enshittification 3:40
6. Logorrea 3:21
7. Rats Versus Snakes 3:43
8. Slaves to the Blast 3:01
9. The Ugliest of All 3:28

Band members
Sam Bean – vocals, bass
Matt Wilcock – guitars
David Haley – drums

The Year In Review – Top 10 Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Albums of 2024

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“Fans still compare me to Bruce Dickinson. I have people coming up to me and saying, Don’t you know that could’ve been you? And I tell them, That was me! I just didn’t want it..” – Paul Di’Anno

It’s hard to put into words the loss of our beloved Paul Andrews (17 May 1958 – 21 October 2024), better known by his stage name Paul Di’Anno, one of the most iconic musicians in the history of heavy music, helping Iron Maiden be what they’re today by giving that edgier vibe to the albums Iron Maiden and Killers, therefore influencing all future generations of musicians not only in Heavy Metal, but also in Punk Rock and Rock N’ Roll. He was a legend and will be sorely missed by anyone who loves good music. There’s not much we can do at The Headbanging Moose to honor his life and work, but we’ll keep celebrating heavy music in his name for as long as we can. I wish he could have played one final show in Toronto so Keith Ibbitson of Metal Paparazzi and I could have registered such a unique moment in the city, but unfortunately time is not always in our favor. Anyway, it might be a very sad year to the metal community worldwide with an irreplaceable loss like that, but heavy music lives on, and that’s why here we have once again The Headbanging Moose’s Top 10 Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Albums of 2024, excluding EP’s, best of’s and live albums, to keep the spirit alive and keep raising our horns to countless metal musicians like our great Paul Di’Anno.

1. Judas Priest – Invincible Shield (REVIEW)
Nothing can stand in the way of the Metal Gods as they raise the invincible shield of Heavy Metal.
Best song of the album: The Serpent and the King

2. Werewolves – Die For Us (REVIEW)
Australia’s most savage beast is back with their fifth studio opus, a lecture in Death Metal perfect for beating anyone back to life.
Best song of the album: Spittle-Flecked Rant

3. Aborted – Vault of Horrors (REVIEW)
These Death Metal and Deathcore beasts open their demonic vault of horrors to bring brutality, gore and evil to our damned souls.
Best song of the album: Death Cult

4. Necrowretch – Swords of Dajjal (REVIEW)
This French Blackened Death Metal horde returns blacker than ever with a magnificent opus dedicated to the Islamic Antichrist.
Best song of the album: Vae Victis

5. Gaerea – Coma (REVIEW)
The torchbearers of present-day Black Metal arise again, erupting with intensity, casting forth black ashes over the world.
Best song of the album: Coma

6. Blood Incantation – Absolute Elsewhere (REVIEW)
Blood Incantation offer us all two sensational compositions that are as confounding as they are engaging in their scope.
Best song of the album: The Stargate [Tablet I]

7. Benighted – Ekbom (REVIEW)
Let’s dive into the auditory abyss with this Brutal Death Metal and Grindcore entity armed with their newborn beast.
Best song of the album: Fame of the Grotesque

8. Fleshgod Apocalypse – Opera (REVIEW)
One of the torchbearers of Symphonic Death Metal worldwide returns with their strongest opus to date.
Best song of the album: I Can Never Die

9. Arhat – Secrets of Ancient Gods (REVIEW)
The newborn spawn by this Ukrainian horde will take you on a journey into the world of ancient gods and mysterious rituals.
Best song of the album: Abyss of Flame

10. Grand Magus – Sunraven (REVIEW)
Sweden’s own Heavy and Doom Metal institution is back with a new collection of battle hymns inspired by the tale of Beowulf and Grendel.
Best song of the album: Skybound

And here we have the runner-ups, completing the top 20 for the year:

11. Ecclesia – Ecclesia Militans (REVIEW)
12. The Last of Lucy – Godform (REVIEW)
13. Rotting Christ – Προ Χριστού (Pro Xristou) (REVIEW)
14. Rage – Afterlifelines (REVIEW)
15. Ingested – The Tide of Death and Fractured Dreams (REVIEW)
16. Blaze Bayley – Circle of Stone (REVIEW)
17. Striker – Ultrapower (REVIEW)
18. Kerry King – From Hell I Rise (REVIEW)
19. Accept – Humanoid (REVIEW)
20. Hiraes – Dormant (REVIEW)

In addition, as I always like to say, sometimes a band doesn’t need to release a full album to kick some ass, and that’s why we also have our Top 10 EP’s of 2024 to show that sometimes less is more, or maybe I should say, less is heavier!

1. Rifftera – Coda (REVIEW)
2. Trollwar – Tales from the Frozen Wastes (REVIEW)
3. Atavistia – Inane Ducam (REVIEW)
4. Ways. – Are We Still Alive? (REVIEW)
5. Enforced – A Leap Into The Dark (REVIEW)
6. Gutvoid – Breathing Obelisk (REVIEW)
7. Onslaught Kommand – Visions of Blood and Gore (REVIEW)
8. Golgothan Remains – Bearer of Light, Matriarch of Death (REVIEW)
9. Infernalivm – Conquering the Most High (REVIEW)
10. Dragoncorpse – Fall of House Abbarath (REVIEW)

Do you agree with our list? What are your top 10 albums of 2024? Also, don’t forget to tune in every Tuesday at 10pm BRT on Rádio Coringão to enjoy the best of classic and underground metal with Jorge Diaz and his Timão Metal, and every Thursday at 8pm UTC+2 on Midnight Madness Metal e-Radio for the best of underground metal with The Headbanging Moose Show!

Metal Xmas and a Headbanging New Year! See you in 2025!

In the end, there’s no Christmas-inspired song this year, nor anything festive like that, but I’ll leave you with the official video for one of the most important songs ever recorded by Iron Maiden, one with a strong punk and thrash vibe, with the one and only Paul Di’Anno on vocals. Let’s raise our horns to him forever and ever, my fellow metalheads! RIP legend!

Album Review – Werewolves / Die For Us (2024)

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Australia’s most savage beast is back with their fifth studio opus, a lecture in Death Metal perfect for beating anyone back to life.

If you weren’t there in 1992, your taste in music’s shit. This is the exact message that Melbourne, Australia’s most savage horde, the ruthless Technical Death/Black Metal beast Werewolves, in sending out with their amazing new album, simply titled Die For Us, the follow-up to their also insane 2023 album My Enemies Look and Sound like Me. Recorded by Matt Wilcock and Adam Calaitzis at Toyland Recording Studio (guitars), by Sam Bean (bass), by Jack Hartley at Jack Hartley Audio (vocals), and by Joe Haley at AAA Studios (drums), mixed and mastered by Joe Haley at Crawlspace Productions, and once again displaying a visceral artwork by Mitchell Nolte, the new opus by the aforementioned Sam Bean on vocals and bass, Matt Wilcock on the guitars, and David Haley on drums is a lesson in violence recommended for fans of Hate Eternal, Deicide, Krisiun and so on, ticking every box for modern Death Metal with excruciatingly violent blasting straight out the gates and very little let-up until the bitter end, being the perfect depiction of what the band likes to call “Caveman Death Metal.”

The album already starts in full force as one of their traditional sick intros explodes into the most brutal form of Death Metal in the title-track Die for Us, with David showcasing already all his dexterity, violence and passion for heavy music behind his drums; whereas a demented laugh by Sam kicks off the fulminating Beaten Back to Life, where Matt sounds ruthless armed with his scorching riffs while David continues to hammer our cranial skulls mercilessly. Furthermore, it’s indeed a beautiful song about the glory of 90’s Death Metal (“If you weren’t there in 1992 / Your taste in music’s shit / Fuck you / If you never tape traded / Or raided corner stores for vinyl / You’re lacking something spinal / Fuck you”). The trio keeps delivering sheer animosity and rage in Fuck You Got Mine, another awesome tune that will certainly ignite some wild mosh pits whenever played live, and featuring guest vocals by Australian veteran Rok (of Sadistik Exekution) we have My Hate Is Strong, even more infernal and brutal than its predecessors, carrying the perfect name for its sonority with Sam roaring and barking like a rabid creature.

If you think they’re going to slow down or sell off, you’re absolutely wrong; quite the contrary, it’s pedal to the metal in an infernal Death Metal attack by those demented Aussie wolves titled The Company Wolves, followed by Spittle-Flecked Rant, another fantastic Death Metal onrush by the trio with its riffs sounding inspired by Cannibal Corpse while David once again blasts his drums nonstop in a lecture in savagery and rage. We All Deserve to Be Slaves, the second single of the album, is as acid, visceral and brutal as it can be, with Sam barking the song’s rebellious lyrics like a beast, flowing into Under a Urinal Moon, the darkest of all songs, with Matt extracting Stygian, cryptic sounds form his axe, being therefore perfect for some neck-breaking activity. And their violence keeps going strong in the closing tune Stay Down, where once again Sam and Matt slash their axes in the name of pure old school Death Metal.

Having already expressed the purpose of releasing ten albums in ten years after their inception back in 2019, Werewolves are hitting the halfway mark with Die For Us, and let’s say they’re just getting better and better with each one of their demonic, austere albums. Hence, go check what those middle-aged bastards are up to on Facebook and on Instagram, and grab a copy of the infuriated Die For Us from their own website or BandCamp page, as well as from Direct Merch in Australia and New Zealand, Night Shift in the United States, and Plastic Head Distribution (CD or LP) in the UK and Europe. Just to make things clear to you all, they will beat you back to life to the sound of their newborn beast, because their hate is strong and you all deserve to be slaves, until you die again in the name of ruthless Death Metal. I think you got the idea now, right?

Best moments of the album: Die for Us, Beaten Back to Life, My Hate Is Strong and Spittle-Flecked Rant.

Worst moments of the album: Absolutely none.

Released in 2024 Independent

Track listing
1. Die for Us 4:48
2. Beaten Back to Life 3:22
3. Fuck You Got Mine 4:16
4. My Hate Is Strong 4:07
5. The Company Wolves 3:30
6. Spittle-Flecked Rant 2:51
7. We All Deserve to Be Slaves 3:21
8. Under a Urinal Moon 4:46
9. Stay Down 4:25

Band members
Sam Bean – vocals, bass
Matt Wilcock – guitars
David Haley – drums

Guest musician
Rok – vocals on “My Hate Is Strong”

The Year In Review – Top 10 Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Albums of 2023

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“Whatever your age may be, when you go to a heavy metal gig, you’re a teenager again.” – Rob Halford

I believe that quote from the Metal God himself perfectly represents the year of 2023 for most of us metalheads, including of course myself and my buddy Keith Ibbitson of Metal Paparazzi as we’ve been to countless metal gigs this year (and you can see detailed reviews with amazing professional photos for each one of them HERE), keeping our inner fires burning during such difficult times for the entire world. A never-ending economic crisis that’s dragging tons and tons of people to poverty everywhere, the Russo-Ukrainian War that persists for almost two years now, the extremely sad and inhumane Gaza–Israel conflict, all environmental disasters that in the end are all mankind’s fault, and so on. On the heavy music side, we witnessed the final concert ever by KISS, the end of great bands like The Agonist and Betraying the Martyrs, and the deaths of Sebastian Marino (former guitarist of Overkill and Anvil), Michael “Majk Moti” Kupper (former guitarist of Running Wild), Jon Kennedy (former bassist of Cradle of Filth and former vocalist of Hecate Enthroned), Hiroshi “Heath” Morie (bassist of X Japan), Charlie Dominici (former vocalist of Dream Theater), and several other talented musicians.

Despite all those losses, it was a very good year for heavy music, as bands kept fighting for rock and metal no matter what, putting on fantastic albums and memorable tours for us fans, with some already voicing their dissatisfaction against Live Nation and Ticketmaster for their sky-rocketing ticket prices, shady fees, and an obscure ticket reselling “mafia” running in the background that inflates those prices even more. In 2024 we’ll surely (and hopefully) see more of this insurgence against their ticket monopoly, and while we wait for that let’s enjoy The Headbanging Moose’s Top 10 Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Albums of 2023, excluding EP’s, best of’s and live albums, offering our avid ears the perfect soundtrack to every single moment in our lives, even if that moment is the apocalypse.

1. UADA – Crepuscule Natura (REVIEW)
One of the rising stars of the current Melodic Black Metal scene returns with their majestic fourth album, unleashing upon us five sonic vessels.
Best song of the album: Retraversing the Void

2. Cattle Decapitation – Terrasite (REVIEW)
Fear the devourer of earth in the form of the brand new and absolutely majestic album by California’s own Deathgrind masters.
Best song of the album: We Eat Our Young

3. Overkill – Scorched (REVIEW)
One of the pillars of old school Thrash Metal will scorch the earth to the sound of their breathtaking new album.
Best song of the album: The Surgeon

4. Hellripper – Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags (REVIEW)
Behold this infernal storm of Blackened Thrash Metal by a one-man army deeply rooted in his Scottish origins.
Best song of the album: Goat Vomit Nightmare

5. Viscera – Carcinogenesis (REVIEW)
UK’s own Technical Death Metal/Deathcore monster returns with their striking sophomore album.
Best song of the album: Sungazer

6. Cannibal Corpse – Chaos Horrific (REVIEW)
The mighty Corpse is back with another pulverizing album of old school, undisputed Death Metal, blasting gore, blood and violence.
Best song of the album: Chaos Horrific

7. Primal Fear – Code Red (REVIEW)
German Power Metal masters are back with their thirteenth opus, a hard-hitting metal lesson and living proof of the healing power of music.
Best song of the album: Play a Song

8. Werewolves – My Enemies Look and Sound like Me (REVIEW)
The most savage Blackened Death Metal band from Australia returns to the battlefield in full force with an even more demented offering.
Best song of the album: I Hate Therefore I Am

9. Vomitory – All Heads Are Gonna Roll (REVIEW)
All heads are gonna roll to the sound of the infuriated new album by one of the most important bands in the history of Death Metal.
Best song of the album: Raped, Strangled, Sodomized, Dead

10. Marduk – Memento Mori (REVIEW)
One of the pillars of Swedish Black Metal is back with a devilish new album, reminding us that we all must die.
Best song of the album: Blood of the Funeral

And here we have the runner-ups, completing the top 20 for the year:

11. Angelus Apatrida – Aftermath (REVIEW)
12. Immortal – War Against All (REVIEW)
13. Blackbraid – Blackbraid II (REVIEW)
14. 4ARM – Pathway to Oblivion (REVIEW)
15. When Plagues Collide – An Unbiblical Paradigm (REVIEW)
16. Hrothgar – Rise of Ragnarök (REVIEW)
17. Mystic Prophecy – Hellriot  (REVIEW)
18. Tsjuder – Helvegr (REVIEW)
19. Hyperia – The Serpent’s Cycle (REVIEW)
20. Sarcoptes – Prayers to Oblivion (REVIEW)

In addition to all that, let’s bang our heads with our Top 10 EP’s of 2023 to prove once and for all that not all great albums of the year have to be so long. The EP’s from this list are simply awesome, showcasing the band’s talent and their ability to sound epic even if the music lasts for only a few minutes.

1. Imperial Demonic – Beneath the Crimson Eclipse (REVIEW)
2. Spectral Lore – 11 Days (REVIEW)
3. Admire the Grim – Rogue Five (REVIEW)
4. Saint Vermin – Together as None (REVIEW)
5. Lost Brethren – Dimensional Rift (REVIEW)
6. Cryptosis – The Silent Call (REVIEW)
7. Nemesism – Nemesism (REVIEW)
8. Decompose To Ashes – In The Eternal Silence (REVIEW)
9. Dysease – Era of Decay (REVIEW)
10. Throat Locust – Dragged Through Glass (REVIEW)

Do you agree with our list? What are your top 10 albums of 2023? Also, don’t forget to tune in every Tuesday at 10pm BRT on Rádio Coringão to enjoy the best of classic and underground metal with Jorge Diaz and his Timão Metal, and every Thursday at 8pm UTC+2 on Midnight Madness Metal e-Radio for the best of underground metal with The Headbanging Moose Show! And if you lost some of our latest special editions of The Headbanging Moose Show, including our Top 20 Underground Albums of 2023 – Parts I and II, go to our Mixcloud page and there you have hours and hours of the best of the independent scene, sounds good?

Metal Xmas and a Headbanging New Year! See you in 2024!

And before I go, I need to talk once again about Savage Lands, a nonprofit featuring members of Megadeth, Sepultura, Obituary and other legends of metal to support forests in Costa Rica, who released an amazing single titled The Last Howl back in November. The Last Howl is a howling tribute to the howler monkey, which are endangered in Costa Rica. The song features Savage Lands co-founders Sylvain Demercastel and Dirk Verbeuren (Megadeth), as well as support from John Tardy (Obituary), Andreas Kisser (Sepultura), Poun (Black Bomb A) and Etienne Treton (Black Bomb A). 100% of the song royalties will help fund nature sanctuaries, establish green zones and other land preservation projects in Costa Rica. Having said that, why don’t you go and make a nice donation to the cause, and learn more about Savage Lands on their official website? I’m sure Sylvain and Dirk, plus everyone else involved in this magnificent project, will love to receive that Christmas gift from you!

Concert Review – Archspire (Factory Theatre, Sydney, NSW, Australia 10/13/2023)

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There’s nothing better than slamming into the circle pit Down Under on a Friday the 13th, courtesy of three of the best tech death bands of the current worldwide scene.

OPENING ACTS: Werewolves and Ingested

I honestly still can’t believe that in the middle of my business trip to Sydney, Australia, I was able to catch WEREWOLVES, INGESTED and ARCHSPIRE during their phenomenal Tech Trek Australia Tour 2023 at this really cool and well-located venue named Factory Theatre this Friday night. Not only that, if you’re not familiar with the public transportation system in Sydney, let me tell you that it makes it extremely easy to get anywhere you want, which allowed me to get to the venue as soon as the doors opened at 8pm without rushing or anything like that, giving me enough time to buy some merch from Werewolves, grab a beer, and even chat with some locals who were all truly surprised I came all the way from Toronto for the show.

Precisely at 8:30pm, with the venue being almost full already, Melbourne, Australia’s own Technical Black/Death Metal savages WEREWOLVES kicked off the night with a pulverizing and memorable performance for the delight of everyone who was already positioned inside the pit for some action. Vocalist and bassist Sam Bean, guitarist Matt Wilcock and drummer David Haley (that man is a beast on drums!) took no prisoners during their short and sweet set, blasting our ears with their uncompromised, venomous hybrid of Black and Death Metal with songs from all of their insane albums, including their latest beast My Enemies Look and Sound like Me. Those Aussie metallers know exactly what needs to be done on stage to inspire the crowd for some wild headbanging and circle pits, and songs like No More Heroes, Under the Ground, Crushgasm, and specially the closing one, the antisocial hymn I Don’t Like You, sound even better live than in the studio. There were even some wild howls coming from some (drunk) fans in the audience, just to prove how awesome the band was.

I’m extremely happy that I had the chance to see those guys live in Australia, and hopefully the metal community worldwide will give them the attention they deserve and we’ll finally see Werewolves assaulting the stages in North and South America, Europe, and anywhere else where violence and hatred are an intrinsic part of music. Furthermore, don’t forget to stream their visceral creations on BandCamp and on Spotify, and if you ever witness Werewolves live I highly recommend you go chat with the band after their show as they’re fantastic guys. Sam even joked by asking me if I had a suggestion for a name of their next album, which they’re already working on, but I missed the chance to say something like “Powerslave”, “Painkiller” or “Reign In Blood”. Well, maybe next time I’ll be quick enough to come up with something like that, right?

Setlist
Know Your Place
No More Heroes
Sublime Wartime Voyeurism
Under the Ground
Crushgasm
Crushing Heaven’s Mandate
Showering Teeth
I Don’t Like You

Band members
Sam Bean – vocals, bass
Matt Wilcock – guitars
David Haley – drums

After a short break, it was time for Manchester, England-based Slam/Brutal Death Metal/Deathcore outfit INGESTED to crush their fans in Sydney for the first time ever  with their infectious brutality and endless energy on stage. I must admit they sounded even tighter in Sydney than the last time I saw them in Toronto, just to prove how excited they were to finally blast their wicked music Down Under. Still promoting their 2022 album Ashes Lie Still, the band spearheaded by the charismatic and lunatic Jay Evans was on fire throughout their entire performance, with songs like I, Despoiler and Skinned and Fucked turning the circle pit at the Factory Theatre into pure madness and devastation.

Jay was by far the most excited for playing in Australia, and it was actually hard to take pictures of him on stage because the guy doesn’t stop moving not even for a single second, as if he was part of the crowd, like a fan who will slam into the pit until the very last second of the last song. By the way, when the band announced their last song, the bloodthirsty aria Echoes of Hate, all hell broke loose inside the pit for the pure delectation of Jay and his crew. It’s a real pleasure seeing a hardworking band like Ingested going places, and based on the rowdy reaction they got from their fans in Sydney I’m sure they’ll return to Australia sooner than you can say “slam”. Hence, don’t forget to also check the band’s furious fusion of extreme styles on BandCamp and on Spotify, and to keep an eye on their tour dates to avoid missing the opportunity to see them crushing your city to pieces live.

Setlist
Impending Dominance
Invidious
I, Despoiler
Shadows in Time
Skinned and Fucked
Echoes of Hate

Band members
Jay Evans – vocals
Sean Hynes – guitars, backing vocals
Thomas O’Malley – bass
Lyn Jeffs – drums

ARCHSPIRE

It was close to 10:30pm when the main attraction of such fun and entertaining night, Canadian Technical Death Metal masters ARCHSPIRE, kicked off their breathtaking, mesmerizing performance, generating a schizophrenic atmosphere with their flawless fusion of violence, wrath, dexterity and energy on stage. Their flammable frontman Oliver Rae Aleron is not only a superb growler (and I’ll never be able to fully understand how that guy can sing guttural so fast as if he was rapping in the name of evil), but his charisma allowed him to basically control everything the crowd was doing, with his requests for some insane mosh pits being promptly answered by an avid Australian crowd.

Having released the album Bleed the Future in 2021, the band put on a beyond extraordinary show, with songs like Bleed the Future, A Dark Horizontal and Involuntary Doppelgänger sounding perfect live thanks to the undeniable, superb musicianship by all band members, with guitarist Dean Lamb and bassist Jared Smith stealing the spotlight with a lecture in shredding. If you’re curious to know more about one of the fastest and most talented bands of the current Technical Death Metal scene worldwide, you can enjoy all of their wicked albums in full on BandCamp and on Spotify. However, I must warn you that the demented vocals by Oliver will haunt your damned soul for all eternity so insane they are.

And last but not least, I have to say the Canadian humor and jokes the band presented on stage were simply awesome, adding a very welcome touch to their irreprehensible performance. For instance, before playing one of their bestial songs, Oliver asked the crowd to split the pit in the middle, but this time it wasn’t for a traditional wall of death; he threw a Twister game mat to the crowd, and then out of nowhere several sweaty fans were playing Twister instead of doing their regular slamming and headbanging. Then after another couple of songs he invited two fans for a shoe drinking contest named “shoey”, a gross Australian drinking tradition that for some reason Archspire seem to love. Well, it was gross, no doubt about it, but seeing the winner receiving a custom shirt made by one of the guys form the band with some weird drawing of Wolverine and a dingo was a really cool moment of their show. I would never, ever drink beer directly from my shoes, but one thing I’ll certainly do is to attend all concerts I’m able to by Archspire in the future for more awesomeness in the form of Canadian tech death.

Setlist
Bleed the Future
Abandon the Linear
A Dark Horizontal
Remote Tumour Seeker
Golden Mouth of Ruin
Human Murmuration
Calamus Will Animate
Involuntary Doppelgänger
Drone Corpse Aviator

Band members
Oliver Rae Aleron – vocals
Dean Lamb – guitars
Tobi Morelli – guitars
Jared Smith – bass
Spencer Prewett – drums

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Album Review – Werewolves / My Enemies Look and Sound like Me (2023)

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The most savage Blackened Death Metal band to ever arise from Australia returns to the battlefield in full force with an even more demented offering.

Formed in 2019 in Melbourne, Australia, the ruthless Technical Black/Death Metal horde that goes by the name of Werewolves has been making a name for themselves in the worldwide extreme music scene not only by the undeniable quality of their music, but also by their hard work and passion for what they do, as now in 2023, only a few years after the band’s inception, they’re unleashing upon humanity their impressive fourth studio album, the annihilating My Enemies Look and Sound like Me. Recorded by Chris Themelco at Anubis Studios (drums), Matt Wilcock and Sam Johnson at Holes & Corners Studio (guitars and bass), Jack Hartley at Jack Hartley Audio (vocals), and Marc Russo at Beveridge Road Studio (additional vocals), mixed and mastered by Joe Haley at Crawlspace Productions, and displaying a sick artwork by Mitchell Nolte (with design and layout by Sam Dishington), My Enemies Look and Sound like Me is a lecture in hatred, nihilism and violence by Sam Bean on vocals and bass, Matt Wilcock on the guitars, and David Haley on drums, taking the band’s fury to a whole new level in the majestic follow-up to their critically acclaimed albums The Dead Are Screaming (2020), What a Time to Be Alive (2021), and From the Cave to the Grave (2022).

There’s no peace in the music by Werewolves, and the opening tune Under The Ground is the perfect depiction of that, already offering our putrid ears the demonic drumming by David accompanied by the rumbling bass and devilish roars by Sam; whereas the title-track My Enemies Look And Sound Like Me sounds like a hurricane of Black and Death Metal that will demolish your senses, or a bestial devastation by the trio with Matt showcasing all his dexterity, rage and passion for extreme music armed with his axe. Get ready to break your freakin’ neck headbanging and to slam into the pit like a beast to the sound of Bring To Me The Kill, another infernal Black and Death Metal aria where David continues to hammer his drums manically, and those Aussie metallers show no mercy for our damned souls in Brace For Impact, blasting more of their frantic Blackened Death Metal spearheaded by the thunderous blast beats by David.

In Destroyer of Worlds we’re treated to devilish, obscure words vociferated by Sam (“Plead my cause against an unfaithful nation / Rescue me from those who are deceitful and wicked / An abomination / Nausea and tears / I am become Fake / Destroyer of worlds / We are not his image / Creature of blasphemy / Spitting in their eye / Pissing holy water”) while the music is the most cryptic form of Black Metal you can think of; and back to their more ferocious, ruthless vibe it’s time for a circle pit feast titled Neanderhell, with Sam roaring nonstop supported by the caustic riffage by Matt. I Hate Therefore I Am carries a beautiful name for a demonic, pulverizing hymn by Werewolves, making it impossible to stand still to the venomous riffs by Matt in one of the best songs of the album hands down. I Knew Nothing Then And I Know Less Now is another song with a classy name, offering our ears one more round of the band’s visceral Black and Death Metal. Put differently, simply bang your head nonstop to the stone crushing drums by David, and be prepared for the last tune from such hellish opus, titled Do Not Hold Me Back, which will punch you hard in the head one final time with Sam sounding darkly evil on vocals.

The demolishing, unrelenting My Enemies Look and Sound like Me can be appreciated in full on YouTube and on Spotify, but of course if I were you I would certainly grab a copy of it from the band’s own BandCamp page or by clicking HERE. Don’t forget to also follow Werewolves on Facebook and on Instagram for news, tour dates and so on, keeping your damned heart as black and evil as it can be while listening to the first-class extreme music by this amazing Australian band. Will Werewolves keep the momentum going and release another jaw-dropping full-length album in 2024? Do your enemies look and sound like you? Hopefully the answer to those two questions is yes, as Werewolves are quickly becoming one of the must-see names of both the Australian and the worldwide Black and Death Metal scenes, offering us all nonstop action, adrenaline and hatred in the form of their sick creations.

Best moments of the album: My Enemies Look And Sound Like Me, Bring To Me The Kill, Neanderhell and I Hate Therefore I Am.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2023 Prosthetic Records

Track listing
1. Under The Ground 2:29
2. My Enemies Look And Sound Like Me 3:46
3. Bring To Me The Kill 3:01
4. Brace For Impact 3:14
5. Destroyer of Worlds 5:41
6. Neanderhell 3:28
7. I Hate Therefore I Am 3:23
8. I Knew Nothing Then And I Know Less Now 4:07
9. Do Not Hold Me Back 4:52

Band members
Sam Bean – vocals, bass
Matt Wilcock – guitars
David Haley – drums

Album Review – netra / Ingrats (2017)

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The perfect soundtrack for late-night walks in the city, combining several different music genres into a coherent stream of melancholy, might be right in front of your eyes thanks to this exquisite Urban Black Metal one-man project.

Conveying images of a grey, boring and anxiogenic city life, Urban Black Metal one-man project netra is back with its third full-length album, titled Ingrats (which is French for “ungrateful”), the perfect soundtrack for late-night walks in the city, combining several different music genres such as as Ambient Black Metal, Trip-Hop and moody Jazz into a coherent stream of melancholy. Put differently, the music found in Ingrats is highly recommended if you like bands such as Manes, Katatonia or Burzum, and especially if you are not afraid of trying something truly new that will defy your senses and concepts in music.

Formed in 2003 by French multi-instrumentalist Steven Le Moan in Quimper, a citiy located in Brittany, in northwestern France, netra relased its first album Mélancolie Urbaine in 2010. Two years later, netra presented the highly claustrophobic Sørbyen, recorded after relocating to the city of Gjøcik, Norway over the course of a year. In addition to that, netra also collaborated with Californian rap duo We’rewolves in 2013 to create a true hybrid between Hip-Hop and Black Metal, the EP entitled Dreading Consciousness. Now in 2017, after moving to Auckland, a major urban city in the North Island of New Zealand, Steven and his netra found the right amount of inspiration to mesmerize us once again with the Depressive Black Metal and all other styles featured in Ingrats.

Gimme a Break, a Jazz-like intro with smooth piano and drums, introduces us to the universe of Ingrats before netra’s Black Metal strikes the listener like a lightning bolt in Everything’s Fine, a dark and aggressive composition where netra manically grasps the song’s lyrics, full of anguish and hatred. Furthermore, the song’s hints of Jazz and Experimental Metal, together with some clean vocals by the end of the song, make the whole experience of listening to this multilayered tune even more exciting. In Underneath My Words the Ruins of Yours, an atmospheric instrumental composition alternating between electronic music and sheer obscurity, simply close your eyes and savor its musicality, getting ready for the melancholic Live with It, continuing with netra’s wicked fusion of sounds and proving music doesn’t need to be heavy and fast all the time to be good. Its clean vocals are spot-on, not to mention the gentle balance between acoustic guitars and electronic elements, turning it into one of the top moments of the album in my opinion.

Infinite Boredom, an instrumental bridge displaying gentle piano notes under the rain, paves a gray and sorrowful path for Don’t Keep Me Waiting, a movie-inspired creation by netra where all instruments keep growing in intensity, transpiring melancholy and pain. It’s interesting to notice how the saxophone somehow “replaces” the vocal parts, with a dense background voice, as well as the song’s Atmospheric Black Metal beats, enhancing the overall darkness present in the music. And A Genuinely Benevolent Man, the most modern and electronic of all songs, blends Trip-Hop with Atmospheric Black Metal elements, with the music gradually increasing in intensity while netra delivers only a few sick growls throughout the whole song.

The hopelessness depicted by netra continues in the ambient Paris or Me, where subtle hints of Jazz and Black Metal coming from the piano and guitar lines add to this instrumental piece a delicate feeling of solitude; whereas in Could’ve, Should’ve, Would’ve I highly recommend you keep your eyes closed and follow netra in his walk through the dark and hazy urban streets where he lives. Bringing forward Industrial and Alternative Metal nuances, there’s no sign of happiness in the music, which can be felt through his clean but acid vocals, reminding me of some of the best creations by Nine Inch Nails and Marilyn Manson. And how about a sweet Jazz song as the closing act of this unusual album? In Jusqu’au-boutiste you’ll not only get that, but netra also offers trenchant riffs and blast beats in the best Atmospheric Black Metal style imaginable, like a sharp razor cutting our ears while the piano parts give peace to our souls, ending the album in a tempestuous fashion.

Only time will tell what’s next for the urban black metaller netra, but based on the amazing quality of the music found in Ingrats (which you can listen in its entirety HERE), I don’t think he’ll take too long to release more of his eccentric music. While we all wait for another blast of his multilayered creations, let’s keep in touch with him through his Facebook page, and purchase a copy of Ingrats through the Hypnotic Dirge Records’ BandCamp (where you can find some interesting bundles like the “ultimate netra listener pack”) or official webstore in a 4 panel sleeve with 8 page booklet format or as a fantastic package containing the CD, a 11cm x 7cm all-weather vinyl netra sticker and a beyond awesome “Urban Black Metal” shirt, as well as on Amazon and on CD Baby. Now please excuse, as I’m going for a lonely walk through the dark and cold shadows of Toronto, and I guess you know which album I’ll be listening to.

Best moments of the album: Everything’s Fine, Live with It and Could’ve, Should’ve, Would’ve.

Worst moments of the album: A Genuinely Benevolent Man.

Released in 2017 Hypnotic Dirge Records

Track listing
1. Gimme a Break 1:19
2. Everything’s Fine 5:24
3. Underneath My Words the Ruins of Yours 3:36
4. Live with It 4:30
5. Infinite Boredom 0:44
6. Don’t Keep Me Waiting 4:32
7. A Genuinely Benevolent Man 5:10
8. Paris or Me 3:32
9. Could’ve, Should’ve, Would’ve 5:00
10. Jusqu’au-boutiste 5:55

Band members
netra – vocals, all instruments