SONIC SELECTIONS (((o))): 10 Essential Metal Albums released in September, 2025

 

Well another month is behind us and although we say goodbye to September, it’s time for my monthly recap of the amazing music released in September and share with you my top 10 records of September 2025, otherwise known as our 10 essential Sonic Selections (((o)))

Over the course of September, I listened to an astonishing amount music and that equated to 6575 minutes (or roughly 109 hours) from 88 artists and over 478 individual tracks. In terms of this feature, our sole purpose is to focus on new music released in September and so over the course of last month, I listened to 20 new albums, and the quality of music was such that whittling it down to just ten albums was extremely difficult.

From a personal standpoint, September was a fantastic month for new music, so please do check out my favourite album(s) and I hope you can enjoy some if not all the music below.  Who needs words to review the music, when the releases are this good.  See you next month and don’t forget to check out my weekly playlists and essential records of the week which I share regularly. 

10).

⚔️ Artist: Leaker
🩸 Title: “HAPPYHOUR”
⚔️ Release date: September 12th, 2025

🩸 genre/tags: noise rock, post hardcore, sludge

9).

⚔️ Artist: viile
🩸  Title: “A Bottomless Curse, A Bottomless Sea”
⚔️ Release date: September 19th, 2025

🩸  genre/tags: progressive death metal, technical death metal, metalcore, deathcore

8).

⚔️ Artist: Motherless
🩸  Title: “Do you Feel Safe”
⚔️ Release date: September 11th, 2025

🩸  genre/tags: black metal, experimental metal, doom, sludge

7).

⚔️ Artist: Cult Burial
🩸 Title: “Collapse of Pattern, Reverence of Dust”
⚔️ Release date: September 5, 2025

🩸  genre/tags: blackened death metal, dissonant death metal, experimental death metal

6).

⚔️ Artist: Paradise Lost
🩸  Title: “Ascension”
⚔️ Release date: September 19th, 2025

 
🩸  genre/tags: goth doom, melodic death doom

5).

⚔️ Artist: Novembers Doom
🩸  Title: “Mercy”
⚔️ Release date: September 19th, 2025

🩸  genre/tags: doom

4).

⚔️ Artist: Intercourse
🩸  Title: “How I Fell in Love with the Void”
⚔️ Release date: September 12th, 2025

🩸  genre/tags: noise rock, hardcore, sludge

3).

⚔️ Artist: Crippling Alcoholism
🩸 Title: “Camgirl”
⚔️ Release date: September 12th, 2025

🩸 genre: noise rock, goth rock, synth rock, new wave

2). 🥈

⚔️ Artist: Lorna Shore
🩸  Title: “I Feel The Everblack Festering Within Me”
⚔️ Release date: September 12th, 2025

🩸  genre/tags: symphonic blackened deathcore

1). 🏆

⚔️ Artist: Revocation
🩸  Title: “No Gods, No Masters”
⚔️ Release September 25th, 2025

🩸  genre/tags: technical death metal, death metal, thrash metal

ESSENTIAL METAL ALBUM (s): #WK39 Monday, September 22, 2025 to Sunday, September 28, 2025

 

⚔️ 🩸 Album of the week:

#275

⚔️ Artist: Revocation
🩸  Title: “New Gods, New Masters”
⚔️ Release date: September 25th, 2025
 
Genre/tag: technical death metal, death metal, thrash metal

🩸 Essential Release (s)
 
 
#269

⚔️ Artist: Sunniva
🩸  Title: “Hypostasis”
⚔️ Release date: September 19th, 2025
 
🩸 Genre/tags: doom, sludge, post metal

#270
 
⚔️ Artist: Paradise Lost
🩸  Title: “Ascension”
⚔️ Release date: September 19th, 2025
 
🩸 Genre/tags: goth doom, melodic death doom

#271
 
⚔️ Artist: Tithe
🩸  Title: “Communion In Anguish”
⚔️ Release date: September 119th, 2025 genre
 
🩸 Genre/tags: black metal, death metal, grindcore, sludge

#272
 
⚔️ Artist: Novembers Doom
🩸  Title: “Mercy”
⚔️ Release date: September 19th, 2025
 
🩸 Genre/tags: doom, death metal

#273
 
⚔️ Artist: Deaf club
🩸  Title: “We Demand A Permanent State of Happiness”
⚔️ Release date: September 19th, 2025
 
🩸 Genre/tags: grindcore, hardcore punk, power violence

#274
 
⚔️ Artist: viile
🩸  Title: “A Bottomless Curse, A Bottomless Sea”
⚔️ Release date: September 19th, 2025
 
🩸 Genre/tags: progressive death metal, technical death metal, metalcore, deathcore

PLAYLIST: The Sludgelord's Weekly Hitlist #WK38, Friday, September 19th, 2025 to Thursday, September 25th, 2025

⚔️Total streams: 451
🩸 Top Artist: Death 125
⚔️Top Album: Novembers Doom – “Major Arcana” 56
🩸 Top Track: Mother Knife  – “Fix Your Heart or Die”  8
⚔️Artist(s): 19
🩸 Albums: 26
⚔️Tracks: 170
 

My biggest tracks from Friday, September 19^th, 2025 to Thursday, September 25^th, 2025

1).
⚔️ Song: “Fix Your Heart or Die”
🩸  Artist: Mother Knife
2).
⚔️ Song: “Regicide”
🩸  Artist: Mother Knife
3).
⚔️Song: “Mercy”
🩸  Artist: Novembers Doom
4).
⚔️Song: “At The Altar of Starving Childen”
🩸 Artist: Tithe
5).
⚔️Song: “Infected Blood”
🩸 Artist: Tithe
6).
⚔️Song: “Ostiary”
🩸 Artist: Tithe
7).
⚔️Song: “The Fruits of Spiritual Aparthied”
🩸 Artist: Tithe
8).
⚔️Song: “Weaponized Goodwill”
🩸 Artist: Motherless
9).
⚔️Song: “Bleed Static”
🩸 Artist: Novembers Doom
10).
⚔️Song: “Chatter”
🩸 Artist: Novembers Doom
11).
⚔️Song: “Major Arcana”
🩸 Artist: Novembers Doom
12).
⚔️Song: “Ravenous”
🩸 Artist: Novembers Doom
13).
⚔️Song: “The Dance”
🩸 Artist: Novembers Doom
14).
⚔️Song: “The Fool”
🩸 Artist: Novembers Doom
15).
⚔️Song: “Burn The Throne of God”
🩸 Artist: Tithe
16).
⚔️Song: “Shallow Grave of Karmic Retribution”
🩸 Artist: Tithe
17).
⚔️Song: “See Through Dreams
🩸 Artist: Death
18).
⚔️Song: “Symbolic”
🩸 Artist: Death
19).
⚔️Song: “Zero Tolerance”
🩸 Artist: Death
20).
⚔️Song: “Abrupt Violence
🩸 Artist: Motherless
21).
⚔️Song: “Christian Math”
🩸 Artist: Motherless
22).
⚔️Song: “Darling, You Don’t Look Well”
🩸 Artist: Motherless
23).
⚔️Song: “Insect Politics”
🩸 Artist: Motherless
24).
⚔️Song: “Reptile Dysfunction”
🩸 Artist: Motherless
25).
⚔️Song: “The New Romance”
🩸 Artist: Motherless
26).
⚔️Song: “You See So Damn Sure”
🩸 Artist: Motherless
27).
⚔️Song: “Dusking Day”
🩸 Artist: Novembers Doom
28).
⚔️Song: “XXII”
🩸 Artist: Novembers Doom
29).
⚔️Song: “Deceivers”
🩸 Artist: Paradise Lost
30).
⚔️Song: “Diluvium”
🩸 Artist: Paradise Lost
 

ALBUM REVIEW: Paradise Lost, "Obsidian"

By: Thomas Gonzales

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 15/05/2020

Label: Nuclear Blast

“Obsidian” CD//DD//LP track listing:

01. "Darker Thoughts"
02. "Fall From Grace"
03. "Ghosts"
04. "The Devil Embraced"
05. "Forsaken"
06. "Serenity"
07. "Ending Days"
08. "Hope Dies Young"
09. "Ravenghast"

The Review:

Death/Doom is a genre that at times, can feel contrived; leaning too heavily towards either side of its genre spectrum, sacrificing nuance that gives it an identity. Amidst the mediocrity however, one band has constantly set the standard for craftsmanship, and that band, is Paradise Lost. Often emulated, but never duplicated, Paradise Lost has cemented themselves as one of the most iconic bands of the extreme metal subgenre. Blending depressive and melancholic themes, with crashing furry, every album is a roller coaster of emotion, evoking chills without compromising the epicness of even their most brutal peers.

Recognized as one of the mythical Peaceville Three, Paradise Lost formed in 1988 before signing with Peaceville Records, alongside juggernauts My Dying Bride and Anathema. Credited with inspiring bands from Amorphis, to HIM, and Cradle of Filth, their influence reaches far past the confines of a singular music subgenre, and instead has left its impact on anyone who has been fortunate enough to experience it. Gothic and disparaging in their sensibilities, Paradise Lost are as influential now as ever, and “Obsidian” expands their scope to a much wider audience.

Yes, it’s still heavy, and yes, it still features the primal growl of front man Nick Holmes, but where in the past there might’ve been moments of crunchy riffs, they have chosen to fill the space with sweeping guitar solos, more clean singing, and heavy, pulse racing hooks, accented with a ringing and mournful key track. As veterans of their craft, Paradise Lost are no longer discovering themselves, but are instead working to expertly execute their art with focused precision. It makes sense, as the band has had one of the most stable line-ups in amidst long standing bands, featuring vocalist Nick Holmes, guitarists Greg Mackintosh and Aaron Aedy, and bassist Steve Edmondson, the band has only ever changed drummers on a few occasions. 

Stand out tracks “Darker Thoughts” and “Ending Days” showcase the band’s Goth Metal tendencies. Opening with industrial style instrumentals or acoustics respectively, the macabre spirit of their content is put on display, painting a depressive vision with sound. There is such a diverse approach to composition throughout the album, one could easily spend an entire blog post waxing poetic over the sheer artistry, but that would be a disservice to the sonic experience. This is an album that will easily find a place amongst most year end list, and deservedly so.

Whether you are familiar with Paradise Lost or not (how could you not be?), “Obsidian” is a metal release worthy of the accolades it is sure to receive. It can be enjoyed by fans of various genres of metal, and still be appreciated for its technical execution, and heaviness. More importantly, this album is more Paradise Lost, and who wouldn’t want that!? Expect people to talk about “Obsidian” for months to come, as their influence spreads further, with a dark and beautiful opus.

“Obsidian” is available HERE

Band info: facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Un, "Sentiment"

By: Richard Maw


Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 28/09/2018

Label: Translation Loss

For listeners prepared to take this grim journey, there are impressive rewards to be had. Not for the faint hearted, but certainly this album is one of the best releases this year in doom or any other genre. The whole album is a grim steed, plodding inexorably towards its own fate. Fantastic.

 

“Sentiment” CD//DD//2LP track listing:

1). In Its Absence

2). Pools of Reflection

3). Sentiment

4). A Garden Where Nothing Grows

The Review

Well, there are four tracks here, nothing much under twelve minutes in length and there has been a sizeable buzz surrounding this record for many weeks prior to me sitting down to review. So what is going on with Un's “Sentiment” album- their sophomore release?!

For starters, melancholic clean work opens up and then gives way to a truly huge and crushing passage of music. Obviously, from the song lengths alone, it is reasonable to assume that this is an album that is in the arena of the doom genre- and it is, loosely. This is nothing really like Sabbath, Vitus, Trouble, Candlemass et al- it is not trad doom by any stretch. It does fit into the more modern interpretation of the genre label- think Conan, Yob and so on.

The vocals are of the growled variety (not on every track though, so keep an ear out!), the sound is absolutely enormous and the mix is excellent. This is very, very weighty stuff indeed and by the time opener “In Its Absence” has finished, the tone has been set. There is nothing uplifting here: only the darkest and murkiest riffs and sounds are to be found here. It's a downbeat listen, as song titles such as “Pools of Reflection” suggest. The title track is just as sprawling and epic in approach and utilises the same clean opening (yielding a promise of something sweeter than the bitterest of fruit which is actually then served up).

There are echoes of Paradise Lost at their gloomiest, echoes of Yob at their trippiest and there are hints of death metal, psychedelia and even shoe-gaze here and there. The closing statement of “A Garden Where Nothing Grows” is a dark and bleak vision and it really sums up the whole record very well. Any track here would sum up the release as a whole as it is a very strong whole and is nothing if not consistent.

Yep, “Sentiment” fits into the doom bracket, but there is a great deal going on here. For listeners prepared to take this grim journey, there are impressive rewards to be had. Not for the faint hearted, but certainly this album is one of the best releases this year in doom or any other genre. The whole album is a grim steed, plodding inexorably towards its own fate. Fantastic.

“Sentiment” is available HERE

Band info: bandcamp  || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Cauldron, "New Gods"

By: Richard Maw

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 07/09/2018

Label: The End Records

If you want melodic traditional heavy metal with a penchant for hard rock sensibilities, there are few bands better and you won't hear a better album of that style than this one released in 2018.

“New Gods” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1. Prisoner of the Past
2. Letting Go
3. No Longer
4. Save the Truth – Syracuse
5. Never Be Found
6. Drown
7. Together as None
8. Isolation
9. Last Request

The Review:

Cauldron are back, close to three years after “In Ruin” and are not straying too far from their original raison d'etre: old school heavy metal, old school sounds, old school songs. Yep, Cauldron are plugging away; on the road, in the studio, presumably in a less than salubrious rehearsal room... Cauldron keep on keeping on.

“Prisoner of The Past” picks up where “In Ruin” left off, with tight and crunchy riffage- plus a dose of melody of course. The drums still thud like 83, rather than snapping like 2018 and reverb is present on the vocals and, indeed, all instruments. “Letting Go” is a melodic and dark track as the title suggests; with both of the first two tracks sounding like a wound down Accept, musically, if not vocally. Nice chorus and anthemic riffs combine to good effect.

Truthfully, I think the likes of “No Longer” could stand to be a little shorter (oh sweet prescient irony), but these are not thrashing and urgent tracks. They are hard rocking, but with quite some emphasis on rock rather than metal this time out. Again, the spectre of early Leppard is present at this feast- but it is a welcome apparition. The darkness of “Save The Truth- Syracuse” is well honed as the band again find their mid tempo groove.

“Never Be Found” doesn't move things around too much in terms of initial approach but the pre-chorus and chorus really lift this up. Great song writing and hooks. “Drown” sounds like a prime Paradise Lost track at first- a turn up for the books, but I was waiting for the tempo to lift and it did! This time, the band rip out some more thrashy riffs and it is a welcome throw back to the “Chained To The Nite” opus. Great cut.

“Together as None” is very light weight in comparison- there is plenty of light and shade on this album, for sure, but this particular track is a little too (bitter) sweet for my tastes and could easily have turned up on any hair metal album you could care to name. “Isolation”, meanwhile, fulfils its titular promise of dark sounds, being as it is an instrumental and a good one. It's maudlin and brooding and one of the best things on the record. It sets thing up nicely for the appropriate “Last Request” which is another album highlight; a little quicker, a little heavier, a little more bite.

“New Gods” represents both more of the same for Cauldron and is also leaning a bit further towards the melodic song writing present on all their releases thus far. For me, I yearn for some of the crunchier riffage that was present on earlier career tracks such as “Conjure The Mass”, but no one can deny the quality of the songs here. If you want melodic traditional heavy metal with a penchant for hard rock sensibilities, there are few bands better and you won't hear a better album of that style than this one released in 2018.

“New Gods” is available here

Band info: facebook