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.
It’s that time of year again - the annual scramble to dust off my blog and pull together a list of great music from the last twelve months. As usually, the following list is a list of my personal favorites from 2015 and only include albums that I purchased (digital, CD, and/or vinyl). This was a really great year in new metal releases and there are many records that I didn’t even get a good chance to explore (or didn’t want to cough up the money, considering I’m not independently wealthy). I did enjoy reading a lot of reviews and end-of-year lists from metal writers across the internet. And clearly I'll be busy catching up well into the new year.
Here I'll begin my favorites list with number 6-10 (in no particular order):
#10 Coal Chamber - Rivals
After 13 years, you'd wonder if a new record would make sense. It's hard to judge the right time to come back with it being dismissed as just a 'comeback.' Coal Chamber demoed their chops on tour before recording a new album. That momentum, combined with the skill and wisdom that comes from age, thunders through on every track. Coal Chamber proves that they can lock into their signature heavy, down-tuned groove and tear the house apart.
#9 Marilyn Manson - Pale Emperor
Another solid bit of swaggering, blues-inflected dysfunction from the antichrist superstar. Pale Emperor is a polished tome of solid musicianship. The art is allowed to breathe and rise with a life of its own. Manson feels dangerous again, flirting with the great fire that once made him the most feared in all the land. Also, bonus points for rhyming Mephistopheles and Los Angeles.
#8 Lamb of God - VII: Sturm Und Drang
The latest from Lamb of God debuted at #2 on the billboard chart thingy and even has a Grammy nominated song. Despite all of that, I really like it. As expected, this is a fierce riff and hook-heavy record complete for guest vocalists and a few surprises. On Overlord, for example, we hear a different side of the LOG sound and vocal approach. It's refreshing to hear a band stretch and experiment. (And yes this album was born out of tragedy - go watch the As the Palaces Burn documentary). On an unrelated note, is it me or is guest vocalist Chino Moreno’s (Deftones) singing getting harder and harder to understand?
#7 Ahab - The Boats Of The Glen Carrig
This year was good for doom, especially the slow-burning soundscapes produced by European bands like German nautik doom four-piece, Ahab. Two albums removed from their epic homage to the classic Moby Dock, the group tackle another novel about life and loss at sea. Long songs will reward careful listeners, chilling them with salty sea spray and the punishing depths of icy waters. Bonus points for an awesome album cover.
#6 Between The Buried And Me - Coma Ecliptic
With an eclectic blending of styles, textures, and structures BTBAM has produced another excellent album. Sure, it's a concept album that tells a story, but I'm more enraptured by the music itself. The vocals are as dynamic as the instrumentation, as the band continues to push boundaries. Bonus points for keeping keyboards cool.
Time again for the obligatory 'end of year' list. By no means is this a best of 2014 list. I certainly do not have neither the time, funds, or critical ear to provide an unbiased comparisons of one record to another. As in previous years, this a list of my personal favorite albums - the ones that left an impression and remain in heavy rotation. Interestingly, none of the albums on my list are from American bands. Evidently, none of the US releases left a last mark this year. To be fair, however, I didn't have a chance to give a list to bands like Tombs or Yob, which seemed to garner a lot of favorable reviews. Maybe I'll pick them up in an after-Christmas sale or something... Anyway, here they are (in ascending order):
In Flames: Siren Charms This is the beginning of my top/favorite albums of 2014 list. Sweden was well represented this year - Opeth, Scar Symmetry, At The Gates - but I'm starting off with In Flames. Siren Charms is simply In Flames doing what they do best: the collision of chunky riffs, melodic choruses, and vocalist, Anders Frieden's multifaceted delivery. The album, similar in style to their previous, ebbs and flows between stomping melodic metal and tender-sounding moments that pull you close to the speaker. It's catchy enough to get stuck in your head, though you may not always be sure which song you're singing. It’s also worth mentioning that, having recently seen In Flames live, the new material sounds great. Anders and company never fail to deliver whether their showcasing new songs or playing fan favorites from their deep catalog.
Next on my list is Opeth's Pale Communion. As a follow-up to 2011’s Heritage, the new record finds the Swedish metal crew basking in the grooved glory of proggy nostalgia. The songs are tight, technical, and exquisitely layered. Many people might be tempted to bemoan the lack of 'death' in this death metal band, but listen closely and you'll instinctively understand that this is wholly and truly an Opeth record. Without doubt, it’s probably their most accessible album, full of lush vocals and complex arrangements which push the boundaries into a rounded hard rock sound. The keyboards are pushed forward in the mix and one could spend weeks trapped in Martin Axenrot’s beautiful percussion work. If you’re not up on the latest in metal, but you've got a soft spot for old school prog rock, then there's a lot here for you, too (the instrumental "Goblin," for example... I wonder where they got that idea from ). Overall, Pale Communion is another excellent outing and one that will surely shine played live, alongside the rest of their deep catalog.
Katatonia:Kocytean
While the digital age has made buying a song or album effortless, there's been push to get people back into record stores to buy physical CDs and, increasingly, vinyl. The metal music scene has responded and you'll find that on a lot of new releases come with a vinyl version. Record labels are also reissuing back catalogs of albums on those giant plastic circles. This year, Swedish goth metal band, Katatonia released a collection of B-side material from past recording sessions exclusively on vinyl (bright orange vinyl - which, by the way, looks pretty cool spinning around on a record player). The six tracks span to back to 2006 and gently walk the tender trails of Katatonia's more melodic side. It's a peaceful listening experience, good for a cold raining day. At the same time, it serves as a reminder that music can (and should) aspire to be more than just a collection of bytes on your phone, jostling for a moment of your precious time. It's good to slow down and watch the music spin.
So far, most of my list has contained bands with 20+ years of bringing metal to the masses. My next choice is another act (from Sweden, again!) that has been around, too. At The Gates, known for death metal perfection in the early-to-mid 90’s, released a high anticipated (and hyped) album, At War with Reality, their first record since 1996. The new album is bristling with a ferocity - thick in its sound and intense in its execution. Absence makes the heart grow fonder - an 18 year hiatus makes fans rabid. I say a record this good was worth the wait. At The Gates delivers the metal world an album that will spin forever, renewing the faith of old fans and earning a new legion of loyal fans.
Ghost Brigade:One with the Storm
I’ll make a geographic move on this next one... All the way to Finland. Ghost Brigade returns with their mixture of hauntingly heavy melodic metal. This year’s One with the Storm came together quietly - at least from the outside. While a lot of bands use social media to bait fans during the course of completing a new record, Ghost Brigade went to the studio with barely a word posted to Facebook or Twitter. The fourth album from the Finnish sextet finds them digging in similar soil, traversing the same graveyards as in previous releases, but more focused and deliberate in their execution. The back-and-forth of harsh growl and melodic vocal is neither cliche nor schizophrenic. The impact is brilliant - at times chilling and peaceful, and at others their sound is thunderous and crushing.
Myrkur:Mykur EP
Combining the starkness of black metal with ethereal, often beautiful vocals, Myrkur, the self titled EP by Dannish musician Amalie Bruun, pushes the genre-bending envelope. Drawing on a myriad of musical influences, Myrkur paints the stark Scandinavian landscape with a warmth that keeps you enraptured. The US take on black metal is often gritty, full of fuzz and dirt. From across the Atlantic, Myrkur reminds us of the genre's arctic roots while broadening the depth of its reach.
Solstafir: Otta
With their latest album, Icelandic band Sólstafir creates a sonic universe as textured and riveting as the land from which it's born. Soft and sweet, heavy and hypnotic, Otta elegantly mirrors the ebb and flow of the tide on a volcanic beach. Within these enchanting rhythms, you can feel the sting of arctic wind and the beauty of a midnight sun.
Behemoth: The Satanist
In the years since Behemoth's last album, frontman Nergal has battled free speech and leukemia. Released in February, The Satanist is still in heavy rotation on my listening schedule. It's been a long year with a lot of bands putting out stellar records, but for me, The Satanist stands alone. Nergal and company find the groove within the blast beat of heavy metal. Each song blisters with tight, technical rhythm and voracious vocals. Start to finish, you'll sway, headbang, and roar alongside this massive force. The Satanist is a record that doesn't need to be topped - a rare gift from the metal gods that exceeds expectations at all levels. In fact, it might be perfect.
