I hope this request isn't too vague. I haven't really been listening to too much metal as of late honestly. Most of the new stuff I hear generally just sounds derivative or tried. Don't get me wrong though, I love extreme metal, and many of my favorite albums are metal albums. I'd just like to hear something new though, and something that really sounds new. When I think of bands that were transgressive, Gorguts with Obscura is an obvious one, Portal, Deathspell Omega as well. The gist of my being taken aback by those bands is in that they were extreme metal bands but created very unique sounds for themselves that were truly something distinct for their time when I'd first heard them. So if anyone could think of some stuff that's just really out there, a truly fresh take on extreme metal, I'd love to hear it.

Really just what came to mind immediately: Sühnopfer's "Offertoire" and Gridlink's "Longhena". Both of these albums I associate with sounding fresh and exciting as opposed to stale and boring.

Anything by Fjoergyn

I'm not a fan, but i have to admit that Fallujah's last two albums have a really personal and distinctive sound, even if you can easily track down the roots in Cynic.

I think that is very different from what are you looking for (super polished, hyperfast, consonant and melodic) but fresh and recognizable, even if it's not my thing

Ingurgitating Oblivion, Pyrrhon, Nightmarer, and Gorguts have all released innovative and enjoyable albums of late.

Been a long time since I replied here but I appreciate the responses. So far I'm really enjoying Pyrrhon and Nightmarer. Very alienating, completely insane music. Just what I wanted.

i think dragged into sunlight have a very distinct style - check out their debut if you're not yet familiar

also, rogaty released their debut "diabel" this year, which has a rather wholesome feel to it

The Portal/DSO sound is the biggest trend in black metal at this time, so giving recs of other cacophonous, dissonant bands would be the opposite of a request for something transgressive and innovative. Their transgression and innovativeness in their time has not gone unnoticed by other black metalers. Quite a few older bands even returned from the darkness to put out fancy new DSO inspired theistic satanism type albums. Was quite amusing for a while.

The new Thy Catafalque, "Geometria" is pretty innovative. I can't think of another metal album where the songs morph so seamlessly back and forth between metal instrumentation, acoustic folk instruments, and electronic sounds while maintaining a consistent tone throughout. Tjolgtjar's recent album "Vruguun" was innovative by being the first career spanning greatest hits album to consist entirely of new songs. Nachtgeblut's recent album "Dying Echoes of a Past Forlorn" is innovative both in being possibly the most contrapuntal album in metal history, but also the most successful attempt to write metal songs as though they were classical music. "Khram" by Arkona this year is also quite innovative by showing what post black metal should have been all along: deconstructed black metal songs with a lot of drama and variety in rhythm and creativity in conception instead of the boring, simplistic stuff we've been inundated with over the years. Malokarpatan also reinvented the heavy metal wheel on "Nordkarpatenland", possibly the largest collection of original and rad riffs on a metal album in multiple ages of man. Those are the ones that have wowed me lately in terms of uniqueness and creativity. Also Altú Págánach of course.

Of course if what you want is just stuff that sounds like Portal, check this thread: https://www.metal-archives.com/board/vi ... 1&t=120221

Lykathea Aflame
Mithras