November’s article marks the final Territory’s Edge entry for 2023. December is known to be a sparse month for new music releases. That being said, HEALTH released their fantastic album Rat Wars within that timeframe, a record self-described as “The Downward Spiral for people with at least two monitors and a vitamin D deficiency.” November contained a plethora of great new heavy music in addition to the material covered below, ranging from the sludgy post-metal of Adzes to the melodic metalcore of Spiritbox to the “cybergrind” of Zombieshark. Read on to explore some of the best new releases across the heavy metal spectrum this month.
Silent Planet – Superbloom
Though some bands from the metalcore scene have distanced themselves from their heavy roots to gain radio play and a wider audience, Silent Planet’s successful venture on “Antimatter” feels much more refreshing. The song, an industrial-tinged banger reminiscent of HEALTH and Nine Inch Nails, is on track to become their most played song to date. Lyrically inspired by a harrowing van accident frontman Garrett Russell and his bandmates experienced on November 3, 2022, the song carries an ethereal, dissociative atmosphere that hit home with many listeners.
The rest of Superbloom, a conceptual release inspired by supernatural lore from the region of Northern California where Garrett Russell grew up, is experimental in nature. The record contains the band’s two heaviest songs to date, back to back – the dark, unpredictable “:Signal:” and fearsome “Annunaki” – as well as the melodic singles “Antimatter” and “Collider”. The closing title track “Superbloom”, in contrast, starts off sounding almost like a 2000s alternative rock ballad before building up to a thunderous conclusion. While the band ventures into new territory, Superbloom is undeniably Silent Planet.
Fuming Mouth – Last Day of Sun
While Last Day of Sun was initially written as a concept album about a city on the brink of impending doom, vocalist Mark Whelan’s unexpected 2021 leukemia diagnosis would later shape the direction of the songwriting. Thankfully, he received a needed bone marrow transplant and is now cancer free. His diagnosis and recovery lends a sense of triumph amidst suffering, which permeates the album. Tracks like the vicious “Kill the Disease” are lyrically straightforward. Throughout Last Day of Sun, Fuming Mouth’s hardcore-influenced death metal is sinister and punishingly heavy. In the midst of hopelessness, rays of sunlight break through the chaos.
Whelan described “I’ll Find You”, released as a single in October, as the band’s first love song. “It’s about overcoming all the obstacles between you and the person you love. No matter how tired you are. No matter how lost they get.” On “The Silence Beyond Life”, he proclaims:“I should have died” on a triumphant chorus. Musically, the tempo varies from the fast-paced and frantic “I’ll Find You” to the brooding “Leaving Euphoria” and the title track. If you’re a fan of dark, metallic hardcore or death metal, you should definitely give this record a listen.
Insomnium – Songs Of The Dusk
Insomnium’s most recent album, Anno 1696, released earlier in the year and thematically discusses the dark history of northern Europe. Songs of the Dusk was intended as an addendum to the story explored on that album. As the band explained, “We simply had eleven great songs, and we thought that this material is too good to be ‘just’ bonus tracks“. That being said, Songs of the Dusk also functions quite well on its own as a three-song EP from the Finnish melodic death metal band. Each one of the three tracks found here is distinct and captivating. The first song, “Flowers of the Night”, is the most straightforward melodic death metal track with bright riffs. In both sound and lyrics, the majestic “Stained In Red” brings to mind images of a pack of wolves on the hunt in a snowy forest. This song pulls influences from Opeth and black metal. Finally, the triumphant “Song of the Dusk” is the longest, most progressive song, at nine minutes in length.
Dying Wish – Symptoms of Survival
Melodic and aggressive, Dying Wish’s second album is comparable to the early 2000s metalcore sound popularized by bands like Killswitch Engage. In particular, riffs on standout tracks “Torn From Your Silhouette”, “Path To Your Grave” and “Lost in the Fall” are reminiscent of that era. Additionally, the album features artwork from Paul Romano (known for his 2000s Mastodon and Trivium album covers, including the iconic Leviathan). Midway through, the atmospheric, ballad-like “Paved in Sorrow” builds up and transitions nicely into the volatile “Tongues of Lead”. This emotional two-song sequence shows off the band’s dynamics and vocalist Emma Boster’s versatility.
While fiercely urgent, Symptoms of Survival maintains a strong sense of unity and flow. Emma referred to the album as a whole composition, “an eleven-part piece covering the complexity of human suffering in all forms”. Dying Wish maintain a unique identity while paying tribute to their influences. The result is an excellent record that should appeal to fans of Bleeding Through and Killswitch Engage as well as Spiritbox.
Northlane – “Dante”
Northlane has continued to experiment and develop their sound throughout their catalog, but 2019’s Alien really marked a turning point for the band. Here, Northlane introduced prominent industrial, electronic, and nu-metal influences into their sound. Guitarist Jon Deiley’s production, reminiscent of The Matrix soundtrack at times, provided a suitably dark backdrop to frontman Marcus Bridge’s confessional lyrics, which detail the harrowing abuse and violence he experienced at the hands of heroin-addicted parents. Obsidian continued to further that dark atmosphere and electronic influences, with “Xen”, “Clarity”, and the title track being prominent examples.
Currently, Northlane seems poised to further develop and explore this innovative new era, as evidenced by first single “Dante”. The track is quite reminiscent of the standout Alien song “4D” and is bolstered by a soaring chorus from Marcus Bridge. This song was produced by Will Putney of Fit For an Autopsy, marking the first time Northlane has worked with him since 2015’s Node, the first album to feature Marcus on vocals.
Suffocation – Hymns From the Apocrypha
Suffocation, no breathing…
The band Suffocation needs no introduction to any death metal fan. In 1991, the band’s brutal, highly technical debut Effigy of the Forgotten pushed boundaries. Subsequent albums like 1995’s Pierced From Within and the 2006 self-titled continued their legacy as one of the most influential and technically skilled founders of death metal. September single “Seraphim Enslavement” marked Suffocation’s first material with new vocalist Ricky Myers, who replaced longtime frontman Frank Mullen in 2019. Like a swift cheetah on the African savanna about to bite the throat of her prey, “Seraphim Enslavement” is lightning-fast, deadly, and skillful, accelerating from a standing start with no introductory riff. Much like its first single, Hymns From the Apocrypha is brutal and relentless right away.
