Top Metal EPs of 2020 (So Far)

The metal underground has seen a massive revival in the digital age, and it can be daunting to parse through dozens of terrible one-man basement black metal groups to find a gem. I can attest to this, as the 11 EPs and demos that make up this list are only a fraction of my total listening and I know I’ve still missed much. I encourage you to use this list as a jumping-off point; many of the labels behind these excellent projects have a Bandcamp page that you can follow to streamline your search for your next favorite band!

To be clear, this list is not in any particular order, though I tried (unsuccessfully) to randomize the order across genres. However, I am heavily biased towards a few subgenres of metal, and their overrepresentation is obvious. I tried to highlight a diverse cast of projects I love, but I just don’t listen to everything and I can’t help that most of the death metal I’m excited about isn’t out yet. I hope any fan of guitar-based music can find something to love in this list, but if you loved everything on it, then you might actually just be me. 

Gabestok – På herrens brakmark (On the Lord’s Fallow Land)

Gabestok is a group of black metal punks from Denmark operating within the relatively notorious Korpsånd circle, and this short length demonstrates exactly why they deserve the attention. Gabestok revels in a hypnotic mid-paced groove on the lead single “Jeg slæber” like a shambling corpse unable to rest. That is not to say that the album stays in this pocket, and there are the fun skank beats and blast beats one would expect from experienced metalpunx. The sneering vocals sound corrosive as acid across the project, but there is nonetheless the cheeky tone I have come to associate with this musical movement where fun underlies all the evil. Needless to say, this is an album for those who like their music filthy and raw; guitars often sound like heavy machinery over cacophonous blasts of grimy drums. Gabestok revels in the ugliness of this style of music, and fans of filth will revel as well.

Meurtrières – Meurtrières

Named after the slits in castle walls that allow for arrows to be shot (literally “arrow holes”), Meurtrières are a female-led French traditional heavy metal band that released their promising self-titled EP only a few months ago. They are already, to me at least, one of the most exciting acts in modern traditional metal off the strength of this release. Meurtrières musically takes after Paul Di’Anno era Iron Maiden, peppering the punk energy of their music with beautiful guitar leads. The crescendo on “Rosae Bellum” is absolutely gorgeous, and yet the song feels muscular for its driving rhythm and powerful vocals. I also cannot think of a single moment in music from this year that energizes me as much as hearing singer Fleur spit a contemptuous “en garde!” before the bridge of “Alienor.” The artwork continues the awesome trend in traditional heavy metal of a hero(ine) on a horse before a gargantuan citadel, with a unique color scheme to boot. 

Satan’s Cross – Celebration of the Fallen

I love the primal evil expressed by the first wave of black metal, and Mexican occult black metal band Satan’s Cross clearly feels the same way. Celebration of the Fallen is an EP with a surprising amount of variety for its brevity. “First of the Fallen” counterbalances the spooky keys that open the track with an absolutely pummeling riff and vocal melody that will have the most pious Christians headbanging. The vocals of the mysterious “M” fit the music perfectly, sounding simultaneously decrepit and passionate in his exaltation of Satan. “Second of the Fallen” forgoes the groove for blast beats and thrashy riffs that show off the faster side of early black metal (see: Venom), and “Third of the Fallen” incorporates all of the above elements into a progressive take on otherwise deliberately simple music. Altogether, this is a short, fun first wave album that never overstays its welcome. 

Left Cross – Prophecy of Conquest

Death metal needs two things in order to succeed for me: riffs and intensity. Virginian death metal band Left Cross brings both in spades on EP “Prophecy of Conquest,” which is easily my favorite death metal release of the year thus far. Maybe it’s superfluous for a list that contains many extreme metal albums, but it needs to be said that this album is unbelievably heavy. I do not often notice drumming as much as guitar work on an album, but the crushing strength of the album is buoyed as much by its relentless drumming as its tectonic guitar. Technical blast beats give way to whiplash-inducing skank beats on a dime on opener “Hail of Doom”, while the guitars may ditch a conventional tremolo-picked melody for a power chord assault more expected in black/death metal like Archgoat near the end of standout “Consecrated in Victory.” I think what makes this EP stand head and shoulders above most death metal is the deliberateness and care that goes into the songwriting — from front to back, it often feels unexpected for the genre and, when it does fall back on convention, there is a flourish by at least one member of the band that keeps it from feeling stale or unoriginal. On top of all that, this thing riffs from start to finish – what more could one need?

Sign of Evil – Psychodelic Horror

I vacillate between being peeved by the misspelling in the album title Sign of Evil uses to make a bad pun, and reluctantly enjoying the endearing campiness. Mostly I feel the latter, and that sums up how I feel about the album as a whole. If you loved Devil Master’s influential debut album from 2019, you cannot afford to ignore the Chilean black metal punks behind Sign of Evil. This is a short, fun release with clean, reverb-soaked guitars that offer up suitably trippy melodies over punk skank and d-beats, interspersed by the occasional barrage of blast beats. At least 25% of the 12 minute runtime is taken up by various samples of campy horror soundtracks that solidify the scary acid trip vibe the album strikes, making it feel surprisingly varied for such a simple, cohesive album. The blast beats on “Horror!” feel raw and vigorous, while the ascending and descending guitar lead on “Spilling Black Signs” has the swagger of a drunken partier barely fighting back nausea…in the best way? What this album lacks in originality it more than makes up for in fun, and I always have time for more music like Devil Master.

Smoulder – Dream Quest Ends

Smoulder is an exceptional female-fronted Canadian epic heavy metal/doom metal band that, to me, released this EP as a victory lap. Their debut full length from 2019 was universally lauded in the metal community, and outside of 2 new tracks, this is a low-stakes compilation of demo tracks and a cover of one of the most important bands in underground heavy metal, Manilla Road (RIP Mark Shelton). Of the new material, the title track is the strongest output, and arguably their best song to date. The slow, deliberate riff in the verse belies the Black Sabbath influence, and Sarah Ann’s vocals dip and soar over them like Ronnie James Dio. The melancholic doom riff that opens the song is even stronger when reframed behind the beautiful chorus melody that is only first heard after the instruments fall away. Featuring exciting, tonally contrasting vocal harmonization between Sarah Ann and bassist Adam Blake, this chorus introduces an exciting new dimension to Smoulder’s universe. The demo tracks are as impressive now as they were when they were first released in 2018, though the rerecordings that made it onto the full length are better overall in my opinion, produced (as this EP is) by legendary underground producer Arthur Rizk. Smoulder are a must-listen band for fans of epic doom metal.

Midnight Dice – Hypnotized

2020 has been an exceptional year for female-fronted trad, and Chicago-based Midnight Dice have the strongest female fronting of them all. Mandy Martillo’s powerhouse vocals land somewhere between Pat Benatar and a warrior queen, and she has been cutting a swathe in the underground with her incredible singing since her critically acclaimed Satan’s Hallow project. “Starblind” showcases those vocals in a dramatic, spacious chorus that changes as the narrative of the lyrics evolves, while “Speed City” is captivating speed metal in its pacing and self-assurance. Lyrical themes on Hypnotized fall outside the conventions of the genre, with the title track expressing the feeling of powerlessness one experiences in an abusive relationship. It is a refreshing take on metal catharsis from a perspective not seen often enough in the genre. For these reasons, this release feels more grounded in reality than much of the above traditional heavy metal, not so much about escaping into a fantasy world and more about feeling empowered within the reality of our existence. 

Lör – Edge of Eternity

Lör is a unique beast, and their new EP Edge of Eternity condenses that fact without compromising on it. Self-described as an amalgam of folk, power, and progressive metal, Lör operates in many different modes that realistically go even beyond the above elements. Beautiful acoustic sections color the project, comprising the majority of “Relic” and the basis for the depressive bridges before the bombastic crescendos that Lör revels in on every track. One may even forget that this is metal until a blistering solo and impassioned shrieks dispel the illusion. Harsh vocals are used sparingly so they retain their power. The title track is the clear highlight, not doing anything much differently from the other tracks but containing the strongest chorus and most efficient use of the musical elements that they fit into each song, including a crushingly heavy, fast guitar solo. The clean vocals on this album are a marked improvement from their debut release, and the gang vocals are as kinetic and effective as ever. Lör is a band with the ambition and talent to write a classic, and they progress closer to it with this EP.

Black Sword Thunder Attack – March of the Damned

Epic heavy metal has always been a niche sound, but it has maintained its most passionate fanbase in Greece. Black Sword Thunder Attack have been teasing music since their first demo surfaced on the internet over a decade ago, but March of the Damned is their first official EP. Unlike epic doom metal in the style of Smoulder, the emphasis in Black Sword Thunder Attack remains always on the riffs, which are typically accompanied by midpaced and sparse percussion, and expansive synths. These synths often provide an emotional weight to the driving pace of each track, forming a sensitive counterbalance to the muscular guitar. Even the vocals cede center stage to the guitar most of the time, sounding buried underneath the wall of riff and synth. Singer Mareike channels epic metal at its most mystical; she is clearly inspired by the legendary Manilla Road as well as the renowned groups, Warlord and Lordian Guard. Black Sword Thunder Attack deign not to reinvent the wheel here, but March of the Damned is atmospheric, epic, and ancient-sounding. In other words, this is fantastic bread-and-butter epic heavy metal from a group who knows exactly what makes the genre so fun. It is frustratingly difficult to find even a download of this project, but undertaking the quest is worthwhile, and thematically fitting.

Lunar Swamp – UnderMudBlues

Whether you plan on cruising through the bayou around midnight or you plan to fire up your bong (with strictly legal substance) immediately after waking up, Lunar Swamp have written the perfect EP for you. The Italian stoners in Lunar Swamp here provide nearly a half hour of hazy, bluesy metal harkening back to metal in its nascency. If the band sounds like Black Sabbath, then the singer has been aptly compared to “the perfect match between Jim Morrisson and Glenn Danzig,” (DoomCharts March 2020) with a gloriously deep, booming drawl, echoing in the mix as if from the other side of a cavern. Like any great stoner doom project, the guitars sound fuzzier than the best weed you have ever had, and the psychedelia saturating the project strongly implies the band exists in that altered state of mind while recording. This is a relaxing, yet intoxicating, release from a group with a ton of promise and a twist on stoner metal convention.

Knight & Gallow – Men of the West

Tolkien fans rejoice! It would be unthinkable for me to include so much excellent traditional heavy metal on this list without any of them reveling in the mythos of the father of epic fantasy. Knight & Gallow flexes their knowledge of various influential fantasy series in the lyrics across the 3 tracks that make up Men of the West while flexing their musical muscle in gritty, fast riffs as punctuation. The result is a fast-paced, high-energy demo that makes an excellent musical power fantasy. The title track is focused on the final battle of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and astute trad chads will recognize “Stormbringer’s Call” as a reference to the decidedly darker Moorcock Eternal Champion series, a perennially topical lyrical subject in the genre. The amateurish production may put off some, but I found the project exceptionally endearing and authentic. That is more than enough for me to recommend well-crafted heavy metal from a California band that I hope continues to make similarly inspired music. I eagerly await their next offering. 

Honorable Mention: Bindrune Recordings – Overgrow to Overthrow

Technically a compilation and therefore not eligible for an EP list, I felt it necessary to mention. Black lives matter. This excellent collection of demos and live recordings and new songs from across the metal and punk diaspora is the single purchase I’d most highly recommend even among this collection of my favorite non-LP releases in metal. The proceeds go entirely to Black Lives Matter as well as the Life After Hate nonprofit which seeks to de-radicalize violent bigots. On top of going to several fantastic causes, it features music from such names as Cloud Rat, Thou, Obsequiae, Agathocles, Dawn Ray’d, Panopticon, Inexorum, and many more. Considering the plethora of disparate sounds, I highly recommend checking this out if you want to listen to more extreme music and are unsure where to start. it’s a guarantee that the bands associated with this project are not Nazi shitheads, and anyone deep into metal will tell you that that is a rare guarantee.

Article by Tyler Harding