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The third quarter of every year traditionally gets even more exciting than Q1 and Q2, leaving the careless festival Summer season behind and entering the more serious part of the year. The previous July, August and September were no different, turning up the volume as we slowly approach the last few months of 2023, and delivering another batch of outstanding modern metal releases with quite a few potential AOTY contentenders in there.
20. ERRA - 'Pale Iris'
A synonym of contemporary djenty metalcore of the highest quality, ERRA returned with some of the best music they have ever made on their latest single 'Pale Iris', first from their new body of work that is still in production.
19. Code Orange - 'Take Shape' (ft. Billy Corgan)
Fully embracing their grunge and nu metal side, core wunderkinds Code Orange dropped the surprisingly alternative singles 'Take Shape' and 'Mirror' before finally sharing their latest gem The Above and first release for the newly founded Blue Grape Music.
18. Badcast - 'HELL'
A fine piece of exemplary underground rapcore from the heart of Bulgaria's capital Sofia, 'HELL' premiered as the lead single from the local heroes Badcast's long awaited debut record Paranoia Playground that came out on the 11 Sep.
17. Elyne - 'DEAD END, EMPTY SHELLS'
A second Italian band to make it into our quarterly charts this year after Dead Like Juliet, ELYNE kept dropping outrageous modern metal bangers like 'DEAD END, EMPTY SHELLS' before eventually delivering their sophomore self-produced LP IDENTITY just last Friday.
16. Windwaker - 'SIRENS'
A second track with their new lineup, the ridiculously catchy 'SIRENS' came out in early July to remind us just how awesome the Aussie legends in Windwaker really are.
15. The Ghost Inside - 'Earn It'
At long last, first new music from veterans The Ghost Inside since their emotional self-titled comeback from 2020, their latest groovy rager 'Earn It' hitting as hard as expected.
14. Beartooth - 'Doubt Me'
The latest in a series of fantastic new singles by Beartooth, 'Doubt Me' turned up the heat ahead of their upcoming fifth album The Surface, schedulled for 13 October later this year.
13. Asking Alexandria - 'Let Go'
A proper way to celebrate the release of their brilliant eight album Where Do We Go From Here?, 'Let Go' perfectly sums up everything that is so good about Asking Alexandria's surprisingly mature, balanced and versatile latest effort.
12. While She Sleeps - 'SELF HELL'
The fine gents at While She Sleeps are back at it again, making a refreshing and successful change to their sound and vision on their latest bouncy and synthy banger 'SELF HELL'.
11. Banks Arcade - 'Worship The Internet'
It's been a full year since Melbourne newcomers and UNFD wildcard Banks Arcade shared their fantastic debut Future Lovers, and the guys are already dropping new ragers starting with the psychotic single and video for 'Worship The Internet'.
10. The Plot In You - 'Forgotten'
Unique and massive as always, The Plot In You went ballistic on their high octane latest single 'Forgotten', joining the emotional 'Left Behind' and breathtaking 'Divide' as the third promo single off the hugely anticipated successor to the outstanding Swan Song (2021).
9. Left To Suffer - 'Noah'
Still fresh off the release of their raw and uncompromising latest LP Feral, newcore heavyhitters Left To Suffer did not waste any time and dropped their unexpected Noah EP, a different but equally powerful collab with the renowned Judge & Jury production team.
8. Resolve - 'Older Days' (ft. ten56. & Paleface)
A genious move to include Aaron Matts (ten56.) and Marc Zelli (Paleface) to Resolve's single 'Older Days' taken from the already fantastic mix of modern metal bangers in their huge latest conceptual album Human that is bound to be on repeat until the end of the year.
7. Aviana - 'As Above, So Below'
Easily one of the most exciting acts in Europe in recent years, Aviana simply don't miss with their beautiful latest effort 'As Above, So Below' the beginning of something new and exciting as we approach the first anniversary of their phenomenal Corporation.
6. Spiritbox - 'Jaded'
New Spiritbox music is always a guaranteed highlight, their latest single 'Jaded' being no different and showcasing the band back at their top form and going strong towards a hugely anticipated upcoming EP The Fear Of Fear scheduled for 3 Nov.
5. Orbit Culture - 'From The Inside'
Never one to slow down, Orbit Culture once again stormed the modern scene with their thunderous new single 'From The Inside' that quickly led to their latest and expectedly flawless record Descent that raised the bar even higher for their contemporaries.
4. Polaris - 'Nightmare'
The metal world is yet to recover from losing one of its brightest stars Ryan Siew back in June, but Polaris honoured his untimely passing with the outstanding videos for 'Nightmare' and 'Overflow', and the premiere of Fatalism as the last full body of work he worked on.
3. Imminence - 'Heaven Shall Burn'
Words are getting weaker and weaker to describe the stunning beauty of Imminence's new self-produced releases, with their latest masterpiece 'Heaven Shall Burn' reaching new highs and following the direction of 'Desolation' and 'Come Hell Or High Water'.
2. Annisokay - 'Throne of the Sunset'
Another modern metalcore masterclass by German powerhouse Annisokay, dropping the fantastic single 'Throne of The Sunset' and later sharing the outstanding Abyss Pt 1 EP which also featured the thunderous 'Human' that topped the Q2 chart.
1. Silent Planet - 'Antimatter'
No competition here, Silent Planet's huge single 'Antimatter' was easily the most emblematic release this quarter, quickly followed by the equally great 'Collider' and 'Anunnaki', paving the way to their upcoming record and potential 2023 highlight SUPERBLOOM set for 3 Nov.
Watch this space as we count the days until December and the traditional festive advent calendar with the final end-year charts for the best albums and EPs of 2023!
The Most Anticipated Releases For Quarter 4:
Of Mice & Men - Tether (SharpTone), 6 Oct
Beartooth - The Surface (Red Bull), 13 Oct
Crosses - TGoodnight, God Bless, I Love U, Delete (Warner Music), 13 Oct
Within Temptation - Bleed Out (Force Music), 20 Oct
Hollow Front - The Fear Of Letting Go (UNFD), 27 Oct
Poppy - Zig (Sumerian Records), 27 Oct
Silent Planet - SUPERBLOOM (Solid State Records), 3 Nov
Spiritbox - The Fear Of Fear (EP) (Rise Records/Pale Chord), 3 Nov
Dying Wish - Symptoms Of Survival (SharpTone), 3 Nov
Bleed From Within - Shrine (Deluxe Edition) (Nuclear Blast), 10 Nov
Wildcard: Atena - 'Hard Day'
A personal favourite from the rising Norwegian heroes Atena, who dropped the awesome single 'Hard Day' earlier this year, joining their previous bangers, and finally sharing their awesome debut self-produced album Subway Anthem just last Friday.
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