Favorite Metal Albums of 2015 - Part 2

I’m actually finishing my top 5 before New Year’s Eve. Santa must have given me some inspiration for Christmas. That and it’s raining (instead of snowing) so there’s not much else to do other than stare at the tree and watch the Grinch steal Christmas again.

My top five for 2015 is decidedly heavier and a bit more doomy than the rest of my top 10. Bonus points for some nice vinyl options and Swallow The Sun’s box might get its own shelf, if only to support the weight of 5 LPs.

#5 Shape Of Despair - Monotony Fields

One of the best of the genre-defining Finnish doom bands returns after 10 long, cold years to plumb the darkest depths of the human experience. With their latest, Shape of Despair chills the bones of the listener, burying them in the sonic landscape of darkness and ice. At times suffocating and at others wildly freeing, it's wonderful to get lost, knowing that you cannot return unchanged.

#4 Myrkur - M

I think Myrkur was in my top 5 last year, too. This year's full-length release was highly anticipated and has been well-received by fans and critics alike. Amalie Bruun's 'black metal project' breathes unique life into black metal forms. In doing so, she creates a fascinating blending styles and cultures- from ethereal choral passages to bleak blast-beat ferocity - all in the blink of an eye.

#3 Paradise Lost - The Plague Within

It's always nice when you find a new band that isn't new. UK's Paradise Lost have been around for some time now. On this one, everything comes together and the band delivers a clinic in melodic death metal. With diverse songs- from slow burners to thrashy riffing to catchy clean/growl interplay - there's always a reason to come back to listen to some more.

#2 Amorphis - Under The Red Cloud

Amorphis. Ambassadors of Finnish mythology, heavy metal icons for over two decades, and the most metal microphone in music. When I say I will travel for music - this is the band that I have traveled the furthest to see (and in doing so I've been introduced to the land and people of Finland and Scandinavia). So it should be no surprise that their new album is one of my favorites this year. Under The Red Cloud contains all the epic poetry, heavy riffs, soaring vocals, death growls, and folk instrumentation needed for the perfect exemplar of Finnish death metal.

#1 Swallow The Sun - Songs From The North: Parts I, II, & III

Sometimes a single album isn't enough. Or even a double album. Swallow the Sun goes all-in on a three-disc album, with each disc dedicated to a particular aspect of death metal, attempting to match the depth and complexity of their native Finland. Songs From The North Part I is an album showcasing STS's signature sound - a blend of emotional highs and lows accompanied by slow, brooding beats with both elegant and guttural vocals. Part II is an acoustic affair, stripping the wall of sound back to its foundation. Part III is true funeral doom. With the speed and power of tectonic forces, the despair is real and reverberates through your bones. There's a lot to listen to and it will probably take a full year to make it all the way through this one. But that's ok because the rewards are as epic and vast as the scope of this record, even at the price of all your emotions and maybe your soul.

GreenChamber's Favorites of 2013

I know, I know, when the temperature drops and the Christmas decorations go up, every writes up a list of the “best” music from past 12 months. But hey, it’s fun to look back on the year (or the parts you remember) and reflect on the joyous tunes that got you through the dark winter, sweltering summer, and holidays with your family. This year, as I read through the multitude of other lists posted out there, I also notice how much music I’ve missed. Evidently, my theme for 2013 was to latch onto just handful of albums. I admit that I still have plenty of music from last year in heavy rotation. Even so, I decided throw together a little list of my own for your enjoyment while you’re finishing last-minute Christmas shopping (I wear a medium t-shirt, anything black). So here goes: a random list of five albums that I picked up this year and haven’t put down yet.

Katatonia - Dethroned and Uncrowned. Brooding with the dark elegance that Katatonia is renowned for, Dethroned embarks on a journey to reimagine the entire Dead End Kings album, stripping each track its gothic bones and building layers back up, gently guided by Jonas Renske sweet croon. The softer and more delicate that Katatonia’s sounds become the heavier they feel. Here’s hoping they bring their Dethroned tour to the US in 2014.

Soilwork - The Living Infinite. It’s hard to deny the ambition of Soilwork’s latest - a 20-song effort that showcases their driving, hard Swedish metal sound, tinged with subtle nods to some of the black and doom sounds that surely have served to influence them over the years. No, they didn’t need to put out such a lengthy record and certainly took a risk by doing so. Over the span of 20 songs, you could forgive (and probably expect) things to go soft somewhere around the middle. Hell, plenty of bands do it over of the course of 12 songs. Fortunately, Soilwork churn through each and every song with intent and passion, ensuring enough hooks and aggression to keep you battered track after track.

Amorphis - Circle. Departing from the epic Finnish folklore that served at the basis for past album, Amorphis choose to create their story with this year’s Circle. Blast beats, folk-tinged flourishes, and Tomi’s brutal growl make this a complete Amorphis album. The Finnish group continues to demonstrate the prowess and energy that years of crafting death metal can produce. The album is dense and rich, as the guitars are pushed forward, leaving the vocal to tear through the curtains - which Tomi achieves through guttural growls and distinctive harmonies.

DevilDriver - Winter Kills. I will be forever drawn to DevilDriver’s music. There’s something about the swagger and blistering rage that erupts throughout each song. Every album offers hints of different influences or directions that they could take, while swerving down the line of pummeling American death metal. Their relentless touring schedule means there’s always an opportunity to see how they do it all live and how songs, both new and old, consistently swirl into an inevitable circle pit.

Windhand - Soma. I read the reviews when this album was released and was intrigued enough to pick it up for myself. Soma is dark, dirty, and immensely isolating. The sound is gritty and scratches deeper with each passage. The repeated riff structures batter against you like a relentless wave, picking up the debris and sand from the ocean floor and showering it against your cold, bare skin. And while there is little daylight in this place, there is beauty buried beneath the noise. Just let it wash over you, to cleanse the ache away and start over again.

Looking ahead to 2013

Well, musically, 2012 had some good stuff (an attempt to make up for the rest of the year, perhaps). Here's hoping for a better 2013 and some good music, too:

DevilDriver
DevilDriver #6 is currently underway. The follow-up to Beast promises to be as punishing as ever. It's amazing these guys have time for new material given their relentless touring. I'm not complaining, having seen them a handful of time over the last couple if years. If the past is any indication, the next record will be blistering on CD and on stage - make way for the groove machine.

Black Sabbath
The first new Black Sabbath songs in years?! This is something every metal head has been waiting for. The grandfathers of doom, death, and progressive metal are set to return with a new album in 2013. All hail the kings!

Filter
Richard Patrick, founder and driving force behind Filter, as been doing things his way since the band's early days. Filter's last album was a return to form with the catchy riffs, soaring choruses, and dark lyrics that make this an enduring band. This new record, the follow-up to The Trouble With Angels, reminds the front man of Title of a Record and that is a very good thing.

Soilwork
Soilwork has been working on new material for their next album. With a recently released track, it's clear that the trademark guitar attack and vocalist Speed's gruff howl and melodic croon are in full effect. I've got a few of Soilwork's previous records, each with outstanding tracks, so the new record has a lot to prove and there is no doubt that they are up to the task.

Behemoth
Behemoth promises to return in 2013 with the best material and stage show yet - and that is saying something given their awesome tour this year. Lead singer Adam Darski released his autobiography this year and there's rumor of an English version in the near future.

Tool
Pioneers of American progressive metal in the 90s and early 00s Tool is roumored to be working on their 5th major release, the follow-up to 10,000 Days. It will interesting to hear what they have to offer the prog metal/rock genre and their die-hard fans.

Best of 2012 (1 of 3)

As 2012 comes to a close, I've been thinking about my favorite music from the past year. I'm emphasizing 'favorite' instead of best, because I haven't listened to every CD released this and certainly don't consider myself an authority onslaught 'best of...' lists. So, here are some of the best, err, I mean my favorites from 2012:

Swallow the Sun
Finnish doom metallers, Swallow the Sun released Emerald Forest and the Blackbird. The album is awash with sweeping melancholy passages juxtaposed against thick guitars and tortured screams. As layered sounds build around vocalist Mikko Kotamäki, steady tempos keep the listener on edge, waiting for the tension to release in some beautiful horror. Definitely one of my favorite albums of the year.

Lamb of God
Lamb of God released their 6th album, Resolution. A sober Randy Blythe dials up the emotion and carnage with coarse vocals, backed by blistering guitar work from Morton and Alder. Highlights include Undertow in which Blythe shreds his vocal cords on “I am the one who’s left to take the fall,” Ghost Walking (check out the video), and the inward-looking “King Me.” Brutal and to the point, but not lacking in substance, technicality, or scope, Resolution will continue to be in heavy rotation on my playlist.

Marilyn Manson
Being a product of the 90’s, I’ve always been fan of Manson. This year he released Born Villian, a creepy, goth-metal drenched record that again reaffirms his place in the genre. Start to finish the album is stripped back to bare flesh, exposing all the goodness that only Manson can bring.