September is a time for many things: the return to school, the anticipation of Halloween the following month, and birthdays galore. This September, however, has also been bursting with an utter smorgasbord of music releases, including artists ranging from Imagine Dragons to Lil Nas X.

During the first week, thrash metal legends Megadeth gave the world, after six years of debate and production, “The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!” This is their 16th full-length studio album. The album features some more of the intense thrash the band has been giving fans since the release of “Killing is My Business… And Business is Good!” in 1985. Beginning production shortly after the release of the band’s 2016 grammy award winning album “Dystopia,” the album’s creation was halted twice. Firstly by the diagnosis and subsequent treatment of lead vocalist David Mustaine’s throat cancer, and secondly by the firing of longtime bass player David “Junior” Ellefson in May 2020 after he was embroiled in a sex scandal. The album was preceded by the singles “We’ll Be Back,” “Night Stalkers” (which features actor and rapper Ice-T), and “Soldier On!”

The first three singles can easily blend together to the untrained ears of a novice rattlehead (a term used to describe fans of the band), or somebody who has never much heard Megadeth before, but this is what makes the album stand up against the rest of the band’s high-ranking discography. The album as a whole shows that Dave, despite being 60 when the album was made, is still giving his blood, sweat and tears to his fans. The solos and instrumental work doesn’t show a man who intends to slow down and won’t let even cancer scare him into dialing his music and his messages back. Standouts include the first single, alongside the title track and “Mission to Mars,” which calls back to the band’s seminal 1990 album “Rust in Peace.” September 2 also saw the release of alternative rocker Yungblud’s eponymous third studio album.

September 9 saw the release of an expanded edition of Las Vegas rockers Imagine Dragons’ debut album “Night Visions” in honor of its 10 year anniversary, featuring B-Sides, rarities, and two unreleased demos that hadn’t ever been heard by the public. This day also saw the release of heavy metal god Ozzy Osbourne’s thirteenth studio album “Patient Number 9,” featuring guest appearances from Zakk Wylde (Black Label Society, Ozzy’s touring band), Jeff Beck (The Yardbirds, Solo), Eric Clapton (The Yardbirds, Cream), and his old guitar-slinging bandmate Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath, Jethro Tull). Irish-American Celtic punk rockers Flogging Molly’s seventh studio album “Anthem” also released, with a sound that continues the band’s beautiful combination of the fury of punk with the harmoniousness of traditional celtic instruments on songs like “These Times Have Got Me Drinking/Tripping Up the Stairs” and the pro-Ukraine track “A Song of Liberty.”

A single by Euphoria soundtrack composer Labrinth in the form of “Kill For Your Love” was also released on this day. Finally, German electronic/industrial metal legends KMFDM’s album “HYËNA” was released as well. The album comes off a three year hiatus and features standouts like the title track, “BLINDFACE,” “DELUDED DESPERATE DANGEROUS & DUMB,” and “IMMORTALLY YOURS.”

A week later, Polish extreme metal band Behemoth released their 12th studio album “Opvs Contra Natvram” on September 16. The album was preceded by the singles “Ov My Herculean Exile,” “Off to War!,” “The Deathless Sun,” and “Thy Becoming Eternal.” The whole album’s feel is subdued and laid-back in retrospect to their distinguished career. They were banned from playing live in Russia from 2014 to 2019 following Visa disputes. The lead singer, Adam “Nergal” Darski, is also an open and vocal condemner of Christianity, with his words having him put on trial numerous times in the Polish courts. Their most well known album is also entitled “The Satanist,” which was made during treatment for his leukemia, and its title also earned them criticism. But it still holds in it more fury and vigor than an angry dog protecting its owner.

The whole band’s sound feels like a darker and less theatrical-focused version of Swedish avant-garde metal giants Ghost, who recently found some success this month with their 2019 song “Mary on a Cross” becoming popular on TikTok. It became so popular that the band of nameless ghouls released a slowed down and reverb-heavy version of the track on September 9, just for the fans who enjoy using the line “your beauty never ever scared me.” Listeners were also graced with the 2018 remixed version of psychedelic-rock gods Pink Floyd’s album “Animals” for the first time on CD, blu-ray, and vinyl. A first look at Dutch symphonic metal legends Epica’s new EP, titled “The Alchemy Project,” was released in the form of the single “The Final Lullaby,” and features a guest appearance from the lead vocalist of Norwegian Metal band Shining, Jørgen Munkeby.

September 22 saw the return of the king in the form of part-time American rapper and full-time professional jokester Lil Nas X, who released his first bit of new music since he dropped his debut album “MONTERO” in September 2021. The track, titled “Star Walking”, was made for the “League of Legends” Championship, which has featured songs by artists like Imagine Dragons, Denzel Curry, and Zedd in the past. This was followed up the next day with the release of punk-icon-turned-80s-rocker Billy Idol’s EP “The Cage.”

This month saw the release of numerous singles. Industrial metal junkies Dope released the third single from their seventh studio album, entitled “Blood Money Part 0,” with “Fuck It Up” dropping on September 7, with rap groups like N.W.A. influencing their style alongside artists like Marilyn Manson and Ministry. Metalcore group Black Veil Brides released their first single from their third official EP called “The Mourning,” due to come out October 21. This came in the form of a sequel to their track “Saviour” from their second album “Set the World on Fire,” which was released on September 6. Alternative metal band Lamb of God released the third single, “Grayscale,” from their newest album “Omens,” due on October 7. This single continues the group’s brand of punk metal that has very intense vocal growls from lead singer Randall “Randy” Blythe.

American industrial metal powerhouse Celldweller released two singles in the form of both “Soul Parasite” and the album version of the song “Blind Lead the Blind” releasing on September 2 and 23 respectively. Both tracks are from their fifth studio album, lead by multi-instrumentalist Scott David “Klayton” Albert, entitled “Satellites” which is due out on October 14.

This month has since come to a close and was bookended by easily the greatest stopping point for any month. After three years of total secrecy and only little droplets being fed to the maggots, American alternative metal legends Slipknot have returned with their seventh studio album, “The End, So Far.” The album was preceded by the singles “The Chapeltown Rag,” “The Dying Song (Time to Sing),” and “Yen.” The album was recently leaked, but with said leak came immense praise from fans, who found the album to be full of the type of music they could only expect from a modern day Slipknot. The leaked album has been compared to their 2004 album “Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses)”. Lead percussionist Shawn “Clown” Crahan described the album as simply “God’s music.” The band also hyped up the album with the three singles, little one-minute snippets of each unreleased song in the week leading up to September 30, and playlists curated by all nine members, from Sid Wilson to Corey Taylor, and an expansive tour that saw the band go basically around the world in just 2022 alone.

This album is easily the best way to send off an entire month full of music from every walk of life, from small to large, from rock to pop, from Slipknot to Yungblud. However, there’s still three more months left until 2023, and what can one expect from October? Well, as stated previously, bands like Lamb of God, Celldweller, Black Veil Brides, and more are all releasing new albums or EPs in October, as well as country-icon-turned-pop-sensation Taylor Swift with her tenth and newest album “Midnights” releasing on October 21. The same day, English rockers Arctic Monkeys’ seventh studio album “The Car” will be released.

With numerous people still not fully recovered from the current state of affairs globally, music offers a solace one can not find anywhere else. This September gave many that solace in the form of music from all over the musical spectrum. But if the bands mentioned above are truly bringing their A-game to it, then the world can have another month of music being a saving factor in its mental health.