Post by archdukeofmetal on Dec 7, 2015 17:58:13 GMT -6
I decided to post this in the outskirts, as obviously it will be mixes of christian and secular. Here's my massively thought out list, with blurbs on them all.
This year has certainly, in my opinion, been a monumental year for metal. With ease, I can say it has been the first time I have ever had to pick and choose which albums I thought to be in my top ten, and continually have to boot some off because new discoveries had been made. This year also shown to be a rise for the newcomers, as almost half featured on my list are relatively new, and the albums included are their first full-lengths.
1. Amestigon - Their:
I was a bit late to the game when it comes to Amestigon, having found them towards the end of last/beginning of this year. When I first came across them, there was no news of this album being released, and I gave a full plunge into their first album, Sun of all Suns, and I hated it. Something about it failed to click with me, so much so, I took it off my iPod and deleted it from my computer. A few short months later, I saw news far and between that they had another one coming out, this time, only featuring Silenius as a guest vocalist. The idea of that turned me off even more, as I have always been a fan of most of what he has contributed. Once the time came, and they previewed the song "358", I found myself at a loss for words. It was devastatingly good. It encompassed an atmosphere that weighed on me heavily and hauntingly. Once I got my hands on the entire album, I binge listened to it. Time after time, I found myself falling in love with how everything melded together in this almost "doomy black metal" style, and how hateful and abrasive the vocals were. The title track, being my favorite, is a massive ride as well, and is the track featuring Silenius,and it clocks in just over twenty minutes, but every time I play it, it's almost as if its just moments long. After the first few initial listens, I knew that this album would be at the top of my list for they year, and it also gave me a desire to go back and give the other album a chance, which I now find quite enjoyable.
Favorite track: Their
2. Downfall of Nur - Umbras De Barbagia:
This album was by far the biggest surprise of the year. I initially found it on a blog site, downloaded it, and completely forgot about it. Two or three months later I found it on my iPod while at work one day, bored out of my mind on everything else I had been listening to, and decided to give it a spin. Immediately feeling regret, due to the fact I had forgotten about it. The guitar tones are cold as fuck, the use of traditional folk instruments brings a massively heavy melancholic atmosphere to the overall album, which is a change, as most folk elements tend to make an album feel joyous, altogether ruining the atmosphere. But the biggest thing that hit me were the vocals. They are so shrill and terrifying. Once everything came together, I found the album almost to be oppressive and horrific, but in the greatest way possible. I absolutely look forward to the future of this band, and the talented young man behind it.
Favorite track: The Golden Age
3. Swallow the Sun - Songs From the North III:
Swallow the Sun had always been one of those bands you love or hate, but personally, were always a favorite of mine (minus the Emerald Forest, which only had a good track or two). I saw that they would be releasing a triple album, and kind of scratched my head at the idea, as generally quality in the writing is sacrificed when a massive project like that is taken on…and quality was absolutely sacrificed. The first disc, without a doubt, is the worst material I have ever from Swallow the Sun, and exactly what I expected it to be. Generic, watered down, recycled shit. There were quite a few times that I almost wanted to stop the album and give up on the trilogy. However, I finally made it to the end, and pursued forward into the second disc. Which…wasn't much better. Musically, it was nice, but Mikko's clean vocals have taken a turn for the worse. I almost wish this entire album was instrumental, as it would make for a great "easy listening" album. I figured, however, since it wasn't as bad as the first one, I would continue on and see what was in store on the third…and i'm thankful as fuck that I did. This is exactly what I have been waiting for. Heavy. Slow. Crushing funeral doom. The simplicity of its nature allows a lot of reflecting time during listening, and allowed me to examine myself, while my ears got permafucked by the aural beast. I would hope to see more of this sort of material churned out by them in the future, but, I know it's beyond unlikely.
(did anyone else catch the choir singing a christmas hymn in the third track?)
Favorite track(s): Empire of Loneliness, 7 Hours Late.
4. FIN - The Furrows of Tradition:
I could keep this review to just a few short words, even though I won't. But if I had to, those words would be along the lines of: "Charles is a fucking mastermind. No bullshit, one of the most talented guitarists in metal, and he can do no wrong."
Alongside Dan, the two make a fucking unstoppable force. Charles has always given me pointer tips on guitar, and taught me a handful of technique, and always ended up showing me new riffs he wrote for FIN, and I was always dumbfounded. Everything he does flows with perfection, and there is never a single dull moment in this entire album. Typically, I like a lot of atmosphere in my music (as far as favorites go), but the fact that this album never. stops. fucking. going. is unreal. It was one of those albums that I tossed into my car stereo and just let it rip for probably two or three months, and I could continue to listen to it a multitude more times before becoming sick of it.
Favorite track(s): Abscond as Smoke to the Sky, How The West Was Won.
5. Alda - Passage:
To be honest, I didn't want to like this album. I tried not to like this album. I had never been too huge on their previous albums, and always just sort of had them play for background noise, and while Passage isn't anything new, as it follows the same formula, but this one had a captivation factor much higher than the previous ones. Perhaps it was a time and place sort of instance, but it spoke to me in many ways. The clean vocals on the album may be the most captivating aspect, as it reminds me of the simplicity of older folk artists, such as Glenn Yarbrough (not saying the two sound similar, just reminiscent in a way). I would certainly recommend the album to people who enjoy the style, but not to those who have a distaste for the whole "cascadian dark folk" sound.
Favorite track(s): The Clearcut, Weathering.
6. Wiegedood - De doden hebben het goed:
We're always told not to judge a book by its cover, but quite frankly, I think, at some points, that's a load of fucking horse shit. As often times, it can play in your favor, this being one case. I knew as soon as I saw the cover art for this album floating around that it was going to be a massive hit in my book. To say the newcomers bring something new to the table would be false, but they certainly have, in my opinion, mastered an art dying by many. The album is absolutely abrasive, creative, and sends chills down my goddamn spine more times than not. I don't know that I really have a whole lot to say about the album, because I get lost in the sonic thunder it presents almost the entire duration of the album. I would highly recommend it to those looking for a solid black metal release though.
Favorite track: Svanesang
7. Chelsea Wolfe - Abyss:
Everyone and their mother seem to be jumping on the Chelsea Wolfe train, and for a while, I didn't understand why. I've followed her work since Ἀποκάλυψις, and have always found certain tracks to be dear to me, but never really fell in love with entire albums she previously created. Something always seemed to be missing as a whole. This album broke that stigma for me, though. The dark atmosphere encompassed within it is gripping, yet soothing at the same time. While there were a few tracks on it I didn't care too much for, the good certainly outweighed the bad, and I may even go as far to say that Color of Blood is one of the best songs released this year. The way she slurs her goddamn words when she sings in it makes for an instant chub.
Favorite track(s): Color of Blood, Survive, Carrion Flowers.
8. Blaze of Perdition - Near Death Revelations:
These guys have silently been kicking around for quite a few years, and my discovery came when Rosenthal gave the comparison to Shining's Halmstad album, saying something along the lines of "it's the album he's been waiting for to follow it up". This peaked my interest, as all of us well know, after Halmstad, is when Shining started to lose their authenticity and become gimmicky, and not saying I don't enjoy XI, XII, and Redefining Darkness, because I certainly do, but this album absolutely carries the torch from where Halmstad left off. Everything about this album screams at you. And I don't mean to call these guys a mid-era Shining clone whatsoever, because this album covers a shitload of ground and by no means sounds like a clone.
Favorite track(s): Into the Void Again, Dreams Shall Flesh
9. Selvans - Lupercalia:
Another newcomer, whose EP generated zero interest in me whatsoever. My buddy Chris recommended them to me based off of a sample from the full-length that was posted, and regrettably, I skipped the sample and went straight for the EP, which fell short of expectation. Luckily, I didn't write them off just yet though. Once Lupercalia finally hit the shelves, I gave it a shot, and found myself ensnared by the use of folk instruments and the brand of black metal played. Again, no joyous bullshit here. Just soothing melancholy, or at least from my perception on every listen, as i'm sure some of it could be perceived in a happy manner by some.
Favorite track(s): Hirpi Sorani, N.A.F.H.
10. Akhlys - The Dreaming I:
Again, another case where I saw the artwork for the album, and knew immediately that this would be a winner in my book. Dark ambient has always peaked my interest when intwined in black metal, but this album may just be the pinnacle. At times, it almost seems suffocating and claustrophobic, laced with relentless terror. I had (and still haven't) checked out Nightbringers discography, but, it is on my list of things to do, and if any albums are reminiscent of this material, then it could be considered a win in my book.
Favorite track(s): Tides of Oneiric Darkness, The Dreaming Eye.
Honorable mentions:
Abigail Williams - The Accuser: Exceeded expectations, and the track Path of Broken Glass is easily one of my favorites of the year, had all the tracks been as abrasive, it would have found more of a spot in my heart.
MGLA - Exercises in Futility: A solid follow up to With Hearts Toward None, and a fantastic album, that saw quite a bit of spin time, but not nearly as much as those that made it into the top ten.
Ahab - The Boats of Glen Carrig: I've always loved Ahab, with the Giant being their pinnacle for me. This album had a lot of solid moments, but the slow passages seemed less heartfelt than previous albums, and just made the overall impression boring. However, the song I originally found to be my least favorite, Like Red Foam, turned out to be my favorite in the end.
Glaciation - Sur les falaises de marble: A great spin, and was on my top ten when it first came out, but got bumped off with all of the other impending releases.
Barshasketh - Ophidian Henosis: Again, a super solid black metal release, but it brought nothing new to the table. Got quite a few spins, and will certainly be on my playlist for a while.
Non Opus Dei - Diabel: This album had a lot of fucking positives on it's side. The length of it played against it though.
Regarde les homes tomber - Exile: Sludgy post black metal that does it right. Will certainly be keeping my eye on them.
Enisum - Arpitanian Lands: A lot of solid atmosphere, but didn't flow well at certain points.
Altars of Grief/Nachtterror - Of Ash and Dying Light: This would have been towards the top of my list…had it been a full Altars of Grief album. I didn't dig on Nachtterror at all, but Altars sound fills the massive shoes left behind by David Gold.
The letdowns:
Shining - IX - Everyone, Everything, Everywhere, Ends: Couldn't even sit through the goddamn thing.
Ghost Bath - Moonlover: I enjoyed the bands previous album, Funeral, and I love the track Golden Number off the album, but the rest of it was pretty shitty.
Nechochwen - Heart of Akamon: I had super high expectations for this album, but it fell short. The riffs seemed like something a big name folk metal band would write, just boring generic shit. Don't get me wrong, there were a lot of cool moments on the album, but as a whole, it didn't do shit for me.
Dodsferd - Wastes of Life: I wanted to love this album. The band stated it would follow the same vein as their material on The Great Depression I, and while it did, to an extent, the emotion wasn't there.
This year has certainly, in my opinion, been a monumental year for metal. With ease, I can say it has been the first time I have ever had to pick and choose which albums I thought to be in my top ten, and continually have to boot some off because new discoveries had been made. This year also shown to be a rise for the newcomers, as almost half featured on my list are relatively new, and the albums included are their first full-lengths.
1. Amestigon - Their:
I was a bit late to the game when it comes to Amestigon, having found them towards the end of last/beginning of this year. When I first came across them, there was no news of this album being released, and I gave a full plunge into their first album, Sun of all Suns, and I hated it. Something about it failed to click with me, so much so, I took it off my iPod and deleted it from my computer. A few short months later, I saw news far and between that they had another one coming out, this time, only featuring Silenius as a guest vocalist. The idea of that turned me off even more, as I have always been a fan of most of what he has contributed. Once the time came, and they previewed the song "358", I found myself at a loss for words. It was devastatingly good. It encompassed an atmosphere that weighed on me heavily and hauntingly. Once I got my hands on the entire album, I binge listened to it. Time after time, I found myself falling in love with how everything melded together in this almost "doomy black metal" style, and how hateful and abrasive the vocals were. The title track, being my favorite, is a massive ride as well, and is the track featuring Silenius,and it clocks in just over twenty minutes, but every time I play it, it's almost as if its just moments long. After the first few initial listens, I knew that this album would be at the top of my list for they year, and it also gave me a desire to go back and give the other album a chance, which I now find quite enjoyable.
Favorite track: Their
2. Downfall of Nur - Umbras De Barbagia:
This album was by far the biggest surprise of the year. I initially found it on a blog site, downloaded it, and completely forgot about it. Two or three months later I found it on my iPod while at work one day, bored out of my mind on everything else I had been listening to, and decided to give it a spin. Immediately feeling regret, due to the fact I had forgotten about it. The guitar tones are cold as fuck, the use of traditional folk instruments brings a massively heavy melancholic atmosphere to the overall album, which is a change, as most folk elements tend to make an album feel joyous, altogether ruining the atmosphere. But the biggest thing that hit me were the vocals. They are so shrill and terrifying. Once everything came together, I found the album almost to be oppressive and horrific, but in the greatest way possible. I absolutely look forward to the future of this band, and the talented young man behind it.
Favorite track: The Golden Age
3. Swallow the Sun - Songs From the North III:
Swallow the Sun had always been one of those bands you love or hate, but personally, were always a favorite of mine (minus the Emerald Forest, which only had a good track or two). I saw that they would be releasing a triple album, and kind of scratched my head at the idea, as generally quality in the writing is sacrificed when a massive project like that is taken on…and quality was absolutely sacrificed. The first disc, without a doubt, is the worst material I have ever from Swallow the Sun, and exactly what I expected it to be. Generic, watered down, recycled shit. There were quite a few times that I almost wanted to stop the album and give up on the trilogy. However, I finally made it to the end, and pursued forward into the second disc. Which…wasn't much better. Musically, it was nice, but Mikko's clean vocals have taken a turn for the worse. I almost wish this entire album was instrumental, as it would make for a great "easy listening" album. I figured, however, since it wasn't as bad as the first one, I would continue on and see what was in store on the third…and i'm thankful as fuck that I did. This is exactly what I have been waiting for. Heavy. Slow. Crushing funeral doom. The simplicity of its nature allows a lot of reflecting time during listening, and allowed me to examine myself, while my ears got permafucked by the aural beast. I would hope to see more of this sort of material churned out by them in the future, but, I know it's beyond unlikely.
(did anyone else catch the choir singing a christmas hymn in the third track?)
Favorite track(s): Empire of Loneliness, 7 Hours Late.
4. FIN - The Furrows of Tradition:
I could keep this review to just a few short words, even though I won't. But if I had to, those words would be along the lines of: "Charles is a fucking mastermind. No bullshit, one of the most talented guitarists in metal, and he can do no wrong."
Alongside Dan, the two make a fucking unstoppable force. Charles has always given me pointer tips on guitar, and taught me a handful of technique, and always ended up showing me new riffs he wrote for FIN, and I was always dumbfounded. Everything he does flows with perfection, and there is never a single dull moment in this entire album. Typically, I like a lot of atmosphere in my music (as far as favorites go), but the fact that this album never. stops. fucking. going. is unreal. It was one of those albums that I tossed into my car stereo and just let it rip for probably two or three months, and I could continue to listen to it a multitude more times before becoming sick of it.
Favorite track(s): Abscond as Smoke to the Sky, How The West Was Won.
5. Alda - Passage:
To be honest, I didn't want to like this album. I tried not to like this album. I had never been too huge on their previous albums, and always just sort of had them play for background noise, and while Passage isn't anything new, as it follows the same formula, but this one had a captivation factor much higher than the previous ones. Perhaps it was a time and place sort of instance, but it spoke to me in many ways. The clean vocals on the album may be the most captivating aspect, as it reminds me of the simplicity of older folk artists, such as Glenn Yarbrough (not saying the two sound similar, just reminiscent in a way). I would certainly recommend the album to people who enjoy the style, but not to those who have a distaste for the whole "cascadian dark folk" sound.
Favorite track(s): The Clearcut, Weathering.
6. Wiegedood - De doden hebben het goed:
We're always told not to judge a book by its cover, but quite frankly, I think, at some points, that's a load of fucking horse shit. As often times, it can play in your favor, this being one case. I knew as soon as I saw the cover art for this album floating around that it was going to be a massive hit in my book. To say the newcomers bring something new to the table would be false, but they certainly have, in my opinion, mastered an art dying by many. The album is absolutely abrasive, creative, and sends chills down my goddamn spine more times than not. I don't know that I really have a whole lot to say about the album, because I get lost in the sonic thunder it presents almost the entire duration of the album. I would highly recommend it to those looking for a solid black metal release though.
Favorite track: Svanesang
7. Chelsea Wolfe - Abyss:
Everyone and their mother seem to be jumping on the Chelsea Wolfe train, and for a while, I didn't understand why. I've followed her work since Ἀποκάλυψις, and have always found certain tracks to be dear to me, but never really fell in love with entire albums she previously created. Something always seemed to be missing as a whole. This album broke that stigma for me, though. The dark atmosphere encompassed within it is gripping, yet soothing at the same time. While there were a few tracks on it I didn't care too much for, the good certainly outweighed the bad, and I may even go as far to say that Color of Blood is one of the best songs released this year. The way she slurs her goddamn words when she sings in it makes for an instant chub.
Favorite track(s): Color of Blood, Survive, Carrion Flowers.
8. Blaze of Perdition - Near Death Revelations:
These guys have silently been kicking around for quite a few years, and my discovery came when Rosenthal gave the comparison to Shining's Halmstad album, saying something along the lines of "it's the album he's been waiting for to follow it up". This peaked my interest, as all of us well know, after Halmstad, is when Shining started to lose their authenticity and become gimmicky, and not saying I don't enjoy XI, XII, and Redefining Darkness, because I certainly do, but this album absolutely carries the torch from where Halmstad left off. Everything about this album screams at you. And I don't mean to call these guys a mid-era Shining clone whatsoever, because this album covers a shitload of ground and by no means sounds like a clone.
Favorite track(s): Into the Void Again, Dreams Shall Flesh
9. Selvans - Lupercalia:
Another newcomer, whose EP generated zero interest in me whatsoever. My buddy Chris recommended them to me based off of a sample from the full-length that was posted, and regrettably, I skipped the sample and went straight for the EP, which fell short of expectation. Luckily, I didn't write them off just yet though. Once Lupercalia finally hit the shelves, I gave it a shot, and found myself ensnared by the use of folk instruments and the brand of black metal played. Again, no joyous bullshit here. Just soothing melancholy, or at least from my perception on every listen, as i'm sure some of it could be perceived in a happy manner by some.
Favorite track(s): Hirpi Sorani, N.A.F.H.
10. Akhlys - The Dreaming I:
Again, another case where I saw the artwork for the album, and knew immediately that this would be a winner in my book. Dark ambient has always peaked my interest when intwined in black metal, but this album may just be the pinnacle. At times, it almost seems suffocating and claustrophobic, laced with relentless terror. I had (and still haven't) checked out Nightbringers discography, but, it is on my list of things to do, and if any albums are reminiscent of this material, then it could be considered a win in my book.
Favorite track(s): Tides of Oneiric Darkness, The Dreaming Eye.
Honorable mentions:
Abigail Williams - The Accuser: Exceeded expectations, and the track Path of Broken Glass is easily one of my favorites of the year, had all the tracks been as abrasive, it would have found more of a spot in my heart.
MGLA - Exercises in Futility: A solid follow up to With Hearts Toward None, and a fantastic album, that saw quite a bit of spin time, but not nearly as much as those that made it into the top ten.
Ahab - The Boats of Glen Carrig: I've always loved Ahab, with the Giant being their pinnacle for me. This album had a lot of solid moments, but the slow passages seemed less heartfelt than previous albums, and just made the overall impression boring. However, the song I originally found to be my least favorite, Like Red Foam, turned out to be my favorite in the end.
Glaciation - Sur les falaises de marble: A great spin, and was on my top ten when it first came out, but got bumped off with all of the other impending releases.
Barshasketh - Ophidian Henosis: Again, a super solid black metal release, but it brought nothing new to the table. Got quite a few spins, and will certainly be on my playlist for a while.
Non Opus Dei - Diabel: This album had a lot of fucking positives on it's side. The length of it played against it though.
Regarde les homes tomber - Exile: Sludgy post black metal that does it right. Will certainly be keeping my eye on them.
Enisum - Arpitanian Lands: A lot of solid atmosphere, but didn't flow well at certain points.
Altars of Grief/Nachtterror - Of Ash and Dying Light: This would have been towards the top of my list…had it been a full Altars of Grief album. I didn't dig on Nachtterror at all, but Altars sound fills the massive shoes left behind by David Gold.
The letdowns:
Shining - IX - Everyone, Everything, Everywhere, Ends: Couldn't even sit through the goddamn thing.
Ghost Bath - Moonlover: I enjoyed the bands previous album, Funeral, and I love the track Golden Number off the album, but the rest of it was pretty shitty.
Nechochwen - Heart of Akamon: I had super high expectations for this album, but it fell short. The riffs seemed like something a big name folk metal band would write, just boring generic shit. Don't get me wrong, there were a lot of cool moments on the album, but as a whole, it didn't do shit for me.
Dodsferd - Wastes of Life: I wanted to love this album. The band stated it would follow the same vein as their material on The Great Depression I, and while it did, to an extent, the emotion wasn't there.