The final
and most important post of the year, the one post I've been thinking
about ever since the beginning, and mainly the reason I keep the blog
alive. It's whether you have the high fidelity syndrome or you don't,
so I hope the people who will spend time on it are the ones who
approve of the process of personal documentation at the end of every
year. It's not fun. We don't enjoy it. It enjoys us, and we do it
because we have to.
2015 will
leave a bitter taste and a desire for better days to come, I went
through some health issues with apathy since I don't care about the
damage that much, I moved out and I spent more nights than usual
drinking with friends. The second part of the year was pretty much a
dead period of no productivity but I'm slowly getting back on track
with the listening sessions, my responsibilities and the world in
general. Close friends, excuse my absence.
As for the
music, I listened to significantly less new releases for my
standards, or at least that's how I feel now that we're drawing to an
end, therefore I'm thinking of keeping track of the exact number of
albums I fully listen to in 2016. I'm also thinking of rating them
every time I listen to them, so I know how many times I got back to
the specific record and what impact it had each time. It sounds neat
and I hope I will make it happen.
All of the
above has nothing to do with this list though! I spent time listening
to certain bands a lot and there was more than enough good black
metal this year, which is really great. I think I probably overheard
the American “popular”, correctly marketed bands and I spent less
time digging underground quality material. I also stubbornly avoided
most of power / heavy metal, maybe I missed good albums there.
I present
you the 100 albums I picked out of everything else. If you want the
best albums of the year, go to RYM. If you wanna know about my
favorites, keep going!
Check
out the rest of (smaller) lists I made this year:
I also suggest you
take a look at the selections of brother blog Industries of Inferno,
very much to-the-point.
|
And now... |
100. The Crinn –
Shadowbreather
99. Katavasia -
Sacrilegious Testament
98. Djevel – Saa Raa og
Kald
97. Chapel of Disease -
The Mysterious Ways of Repetitive Art
96. Inverted - The Age of
Harvest
95. Vastum – Hole Below
94. Encyrcle – Encyrcle
93. Nile – What Should
Not Be Unearthed
92. Satan's Wrath – Die
Evil
91. Archgoat - The
Apocalyptic Triumphator
90. Dopethrone –
Hochelaga
89. Crypt Sermon – Out
of the Garden
88. Frontierer – Orange
Mathematics
87. Speedtrap –
Straight Shooter
86. Blaze of Perdition –
Near Death Revelations
85. Yellow Eyes – Sick
with Bloom
84. George Kollias –
Invictus
83. One Master –
Reclusive Blasphemy
82. Nadiwrath – Circle
of Pest
81. Dry Insides –
Doorway
80. Infernal War –
Axiom
79. We Deserve This –
Pacific
78. Skeletal Remains –
Condemned to Misery
77. Oblivionized – Life
is A Struggle, Give Up
76. Pedestrial Deposit –
The Architector
75. Caverne - Aux
Frontières Du Monde
74. Diabolicum – Ia
Pazuzu
73. Castrensis –
Hierarchies
72. Svffer – Empathist
71. Black Fast – Terms
of Surrender
70. Barshasketh –
Ophidian Henosis
69. Crom Dubh – Heimweh
68. A Forest of Stars –
Beware the Sword You Cannot See
67. Deathhammer – Evil
Power
66. Katechon –
Coronation
65. Thulcandra –
Ascension Lost
64. Malepeste –
Deliquescent Exaltation
63. Oceanwake – Sunless
62. Himinbjorg – Wyrd
61. Kampfar – Profan
60. Iskra – Ruins
59. Ufomammut – Ecate
58. Necroblaspheme –
Belleville
57. Hæthen - Shaped By
Aeolian Winds
56. Cut Up – Forensic
Nightmares
55. Drudkh – A Furrow
Cut Short
54. Acherontas – Mai-On
(Formulas of Reptilian Unification)
53. GosT – Behemoth
52. Shroud of the Heretic
– Unorthodox Equilibrium
51. Murg - Varg &
Björn
50. Lustre – Blossom
49. Slægt - Ildsvanger
48. Shape of Despair –
Monotony Fields
47. Merzbow – Konchuuki
46. Stoned Jesus - The
Harvest
45. Cattle Decapitation –
The Anthropocene Extinction
44. Hate Eternal –
Infernus
43. Thy Catafalque - Sgùrr
42. Selma – Phoenix
41. Doomed – Wrath
Monolith
40. Nocternity – Harps
of the Ancient Temples
39. Skinless – Only the
Ruthless Remain
38. Teethgrinder –
Misanthropy
37. Der Weg Einer
Freiheit – Stellar
36. Elder – Lore
35. Spectral Wound –
Terra Nullius
34. Ninkharsag – Blood
of the Celestial Kings
33. The Grand Astoria –
The Mighty Few
32. Obsequiae - Aria of
Vernal Tombs
31. Triumvir Foul –
Triumvir Foul
30. Malevolent Creation –
Dead Man's Path
29. Marduk –
Frontschwein
28. Arcturus –
Arcturian
27. Mgla – Exercises in
Futility
26. Desolate Shrine –
Heart of the Netherworld
25. Amestigon – Thier
24. Carach Angren - This
Is No Fairytale
23. Death Karma - The
History Of Death & Burial Rituals - Part I
22. Melechesh – Enki
21. Tangled Thoughts of
Leaving – Yield to Despair
Long list you most likely will ignore... It gets more detailed now.
20.
Imperial Triumphant – Abyssal Gods
[Opposing
holiness]
Everyone praised
them from the first EP but I didn't like it that much. They won me
with Abyssal Gods, which is like the weirdest, craziest house made by
the craziest architect. Extreme metal stands strong because of
enigmatic, powerful albums like these. Give in to the scourge.
[Review]
19.
Solefald - World Metal. Kosmopolis Sud
[Arrows
of eternity, of all the ones I loved]
I don't want to say
much about Solefald anymore, if you like peculiar
experimentations in your metal, they are amazing. World Metal
has some of their catchiest songs. Mainly the fans, you should
worship it. I consider it their second best album after Pills
Against the Ageless Ills.
18.
Pale Chalice – Negate the Infinite and the Miraculous
[Bent
by carapace chain]
An essential black
metal record of the year. Pale Chalice's debut offers a lot of
energy and variety, great melodies and a sense of keeping it's roots
as well as a glimpse to the modern and future scene, it's well placed
ideologically and provides and strong aural pleasure that black
metallers need more of in their lives. Don't listen to the old stuff.
Listen to the new bands. Thanks.
17.
Vattnet Viskar – Settler
[I
fly into the arms of god]
Didn't appreciate it
after the first listen, turned out to be a superb album. Vattnet
Viskar are setting their own unusual standards and establish them
with great music and a record stronger than their less oriented
debut. It will be hard for the old fans of the genre, but it's superb
nonetheless. [Review]
16.
Dragged Into Sunlight & Gnaw their Tongues – NV
[Alchemy
in the subyear]
Have you ever been
terrified by a band collaboration? Dragged Into Sunlight and
Gnaw their Tongues joining forces is like a nightmare come
true and it crushes the will to live through one of the filthiest and
most hateful albums I heard this year. I love both bands and this
record sums up the love to infinity. NV is a misanthropic and
grandiose black metal / noise album everyone out there needs to
listen to.
15.
Prurient – Frozen Niagara Falls
[Cocaine
daughter]
I'm not an expert in
Prurient's discography, since there are a lot of albums to
listen to and I discovered him rather recently. When I listened to
the new album Frozen Niagara Falls, it was more out of
curiosity and I didn't expect it to have the impact it had after all,
I actually feel I haven't totally gotten used to it yet. There is
plenty of noise, ambient and experimental sound waving, while the
vocal range is awesome (screams, narrations, whispers...) and the
total length is an hour and a half, more than enough.
14.
Scythian – Hubris in Excelsis
[As
tyrants feast]
Listening to Those
Who Stand Against Us..., I remember not liking it. What happened
these six years? Was that album as good as this and I didn't get it?
Who knows... The fact is that Hubris in Excelsis rules, it's
very energetic, with great ideas and top-notch musicianship. It is
death / black / thrash for everyone.
13.
VI - De Praestigiis Angelorum
[The earth will
continue to smolder]
De Praestigiis
Angelorum has a lot of energetic riffs and a dismal atmosphere, I
have come to the conclusion that I will never dislike something
connected with Antaeus / Aosoth.
12.
Peste Noire – La Chaise-Dyable
[Blow
up the capital]
There are some bands
you can't help but fully adore. At least musically. I enjoy Peste
Noire's new record as a Star Wars fan craves for the new movie,
these feelings are pure and I can't help it. Anyhow, La
Chaise-Dyable is intimidating
and kills with it's dissonant, experimental style. The first two
tracks are among the best music I heard this year.
11.
Tempel – The Moon Lit Our Path
[Dawn
breaks over the ruins]
I discovered this
band last year and I was overwhelmed by their debut. The second album
is just as awesome, an instrumental mixture of post-metal,
progressive and a bit of doom, but most of all it's addicting because
it's well written and with awesome melodies. Tempel are a
skilled band and deserve more attention.
10.
Abigail Williams - The Accuser
[Forever
kingdom of dirt]
The
path of this band is an interesting one. Hearing comments like “I
don't like how they have changed their style over the years, I prefer
their symphonic deathcore roots instead of black metal” is somehow
ironic, right? Apparently, the old true fans of the band are the
deathcore kids who enjoy their first EP. While I didn't like Becoming
that much, The Accuser is a perfect black metal album.
Scandinavian elements are fused with American black metal and an
ounce of post-punk (especially in the last track), plus awesome
vocals. I recommend black metallers to listen to it, even if you hate
Abigail Williams.
9.
DHG – A Umbra Omega
[The
dull ache of twisting space]
You have read much
about this already. A Umbra Omega is THE complete DHG
record, it's a journey and nothing less. The sheer talent of these
musicians aligned, it's an unrepeatable event and we're lucky it
happened during our lifetime. [Review]
8.
Macabre Omen – Gods of War-At War
[Who
says eternity lasts only once?]
It's
pleasing to see Greek bands making it in high spots of many end year
lists the recent years. Macabre Omen have won the hearts of
the public audience with their second album, ten years since the
previous. Gods of War-At War combines the golden heritage of
Viking metal Bathory with the true spirit of Hellenic black
metal and it reaps the skies open in flames. The old-school
metalheads will love this.
7.
Enslaved – In Times
[Across
the dimensional dome]
If
you think of consistent bands and don't come up with Enslaved
from the first minute, you're not quite there yet. In Times
follows up the spectacular RIITIIR and introduces an even more
melodic / progressive touch to the music, while making sure it will
be no disappointment to anyone. Tracks like “Thurisaz Dreaming”
and “A Thousand Years of Rain” are what Enslaved is all
about, don't miss out.
6.
Akhlys – The Dreaming I
[Countenance
of terror]
The mastermind
behind a dominant black metal band of our days, Nightbringer,
decides to form his own project and it's even better than you think.
The Dreaming I is inhuman and overpowers the listener with
it's atmosphere, including some of the best black metal written this
year. His characteristic style is obvious and known from
Nightbringer, this record effected me deeply.
5.
Mouse on the Keys – The Flowers of Romance
[I
shut my eyes in order to see]
When
I discovered this band, I was really excited and then all of a
sudden, they released a new record. It is an euphoric, extravagant
cooperation of drums and piano for the most part, purely with no
vocals. I thought Tempel would release my favourite
instrumental album this year but this Japanese act came out of
nowhere and snatched the title.
4.
Cruciamentum – Charnel Passages
[These
tombs are sacrosanct]
The
evolution of death metal as a genre has reached the point of
perfection, channeled to the listener through bands like these (Grave
Miasma, Dead Congregation etc...). It should not be a matter of
taste. This is the best death metal out there. Unadaltered, serious
and hammering. Cruciamentum finally release a full length album and
it's nothing less than a menacing masterpiece. [Review]
3.
Ahab – The Boats of Glenn Carrig
[The
storm's roar made all else silent]
The
release of this album was a happy coincidence, since it dropped
during a period of Ahab-worship
I was having then. I honestly think The Boats of Glenn Carrig is the
band at it's peak, all they stand for musically and lyrically, is
presented in this record at it's best. Even in short Ahab tracks like
“Like Red Foam” they are bulldozing the listener. The doom and
the heaviest riffs. The clean parts and the wonder what's coming
next. [Review]
2.
Leviathan – Scar Sighted
[Made
as the filth of the world]
Everyone keeps
saying how Wrest is a pure musical genius and how Leviathan
are one of the most deranged and intriguing acts out of the USA. I
come along to say that they are the best American black metal band I
have ever heard (I do not forget Panopticon, just not into them as
much as all of you), while Scar Sighted is his best album to
date. The instrumentation and the vocals are insane, the melodies and
the clean guitar parts are haunting and there are elements from the
first hymn of a record, which is awesome. It was #1 but somewhere
along the way I changed my mind.
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
☆ 1.
Sulphur Aeon – Gateway to the Antisphere ☆
[Amidst
the thrall of cosmic darkness]
It was not clear to
me whether this album or Scar Sighted would be the #1 this
year, in fact for some time I think that
album was the main contender for the throne instead of Sulphur
Aeon's. However, this turns to be the most powerful and most
consistent record I listened to and it's way better than their debut
(also amazing stuff there). One of the best death metal bands brings
out a gargantuan record that will totally own your world as long as
you give it the spin it demands. Mind-blowing. I bought it on vinyl
and I don't collect vinyls. Just for the big version of the GOD DAMN
INSANE artwork.
The
continent of the US won easily again:
USA: 27%
Norway: 11%
Germany: 10%
UK: 8%
Greece: 7%
Finland: 6%
France: 5%
Poland: 3%
Denmark: 3%
Canada: 3%
Ukraine: 3%
Sweden: 3%
Japan: 2%
Italy: 2%
Hungary: 1%
Holland: 1%
Austria: 1%
New Zealand: 1%
Russia: 1%
Australia: 1%
Israel: 1%
I didn't have the
time to absorb the following albums but I believe they would make the cut:
Abyssal
- Antikatastaseis
Avatarium
- The Girl With the Raven Mask
Enforcer
- From Beyond
Gorod
- A Maze of Recycled Creeds
High
on Fire - Luminiferous
Horrendous
- Anareta
Intronaut
- The Direction of Last Things
Panopticon
- Autumn Eternal
Paradise
Lost - The Plague Within
Satan
- Atom by Atom
Tribulation
- The Children of the Night
Tyranny - Aeons
in Tectonic Interment
Goals
for 2016:
- More thorough listening to new and old music.
- Actively avoid death.
- Deal with the university like a man.
- Improve drinking habits.
- Find time for Arson Cafe articles.
Known
anticipated releases:
- Abbath – Abbath
- Cirith Gorgor - Visions of Exalted Lucifer
- Fleshgod Apocalypse – King
- Ihsahn – Arktis.
- Master – An Epiphany of Hate
- Oranssi Pazuzu - Värähtelijä
- Pensées Nocturnes - À boire et à manger
- Rotting Christ – Rituals
- Seven Sisters of Sleep - Ezekiel's Hags
- The Body - No One Deserves Happiness
- The Wakedead Gathering - Fuscus: Strings of the Black Lyre
- Ulver - ATGCLVLSSCAP
- Urgehal - Aeons in Sodom
Thanks for your
attention... We'll meet again sometime next year.
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