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1.
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Cult Of Luna - The Long Road North
8.6 - I really really wanted to like Cult of Luna, for so long.. But somehow despite really liking some songs, I always felt disconnected after a few tracks on their older albums. This one is the first that managed to keep me deeply interested until the very end, even leaving me wanting more.. after more than hour of listening. That's quite a rare feeling. Hopefully this will be my way into the band now! |
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2.
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Diablo - When All The Rivers Are Silent |
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3.
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Celeste - Assassine(s)
[ 8.2, Black / Post / Sludge ] - Celeste is a band I always forget to come back to, but this album might change that. Such a heavy album with a massive production that's crushing your body. In terms of songwritting, no big surprise, we still get this blend of black and post / sludge. But that mixing towards a more heavy sound was a game changer for me. |
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4.
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Wolfheart - King Of The North
8.5If you're a Wolfheart fan-boy like I am, there's not a single reason to complain about this one. After the slight mis-step on their previous album, Wolfheart are back with an amazing album full of catchy riffs, emotional and dramatic atmospheres. The two guest appearances are well incorporated, the new guitarist adds clean singing to the mix and it works wonders. |
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5.
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Vermilia - Ruska
8.3 Excellent pagan / atmo black! I get an Arkona meets Havukruunu from this, love it. |
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6.
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Shape Of Despair - Return To The Void
[8.2 - Funeral Doom Metal] - Very good album, that feels more consistent than their last to me. Great atmosphere, clean vocals are very emotional. |
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7.
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Russian Circles - Gnosis
8.1 My favourite Russian Circles album so far, hands down. Very intense, the drumming is strong, varied, I'll give this one many spins. |
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8.
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Ultha - All That Has Never Been True |
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9.
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Verikalpa - Tunturihauta
7.5 Nice vibes of Folk Metal that manages to feel like a good drinking companion whithout being cheesy and cliché. |
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10.
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Hangman's Chair - A Loner
8.1 Very deep and intense atmosphere, I love the guitar tune reminding me of Type O Negative. Saw them live after the release of that album and it gave me a whole new apreciation for it because live it sounded more post metal somehow, even though the tracks were exactly the same. Great discovery for this year. |
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11.
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Blackbraid - Blackbraid I
8 |
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12.
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Blind Guardian - The God Machine |
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13.
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Cave In - Heavy Pendulum
8Exactly the kind of Sludge I like. It's punchy, groovy, the harsh vocals are so cool. And this album is varied enough so that 1h10 feel much shorter. |
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14.
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Wind Rose - Warfront
8 Best power metal this year so far. |
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15.
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Kampfar - Til Klovers Takt
8.0 |
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16.
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In The Woods... - Diversum |
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17.
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Inanimate Existence - The Masquerade
7.9 - Bring back the danger in metal |
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18.
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Sabaton - The War To End All Wars |
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19.
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Brymir - Voices In The Sky |
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20.
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Battlelore - The Return Of The Shadow |
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21.
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Desolate Shrine - Fires Of The Dying World |
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22.
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Moonshade - As We Set The Skies Ablaze |
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23.
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Fallujah - Empyrean |
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24.
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Venom Prison - Erebos |
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25.
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Battle Beast - Circus Of Doom |
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26.
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Aenaon - Mnemosyne |
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27.
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Evergrey - A Heartless Portrait (The Orphean Testament) |
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28.
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Aeviterne - The Ailing Facade
Menacing, dark, suffocating, dense, this album is quite something to swallow. Take a dive into the obscure realms of dissonant tech death.Comparison to the masters of Ulcerate is obvious, but the productions sometimes also reminds me of Autokrator.Originality: 7 / Production: 9 / Songwriting: 8 / Performance: 8 |
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29.
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Misþyrming - Með Hamri |
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30.
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Vanir - Sagas
7.7This is not very original, but this feels very good to me. The drumming in particular I like a lot. This is groovy, catchy and has nice riffs which I chant along. |
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31.
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Obsidious - Iconic
7.7 Good tech death mainly with clean singing, and very melodic. I'm a sucker for all bands gravitating around Obscura, and this one is no exception. |
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32.
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Sergeant Thunderhoof - This Sceptred Veil
8.1 - Stoner MetalI listened to their previous a couple times, but this one is making a lasting place in my collection. Not a boring moment in here, and that is an impressive accomplishment for an album this long. Loads of cool riffs, some very energetic tracks, and some more atmospheric ones, and the whole thing flows naturally. Great album. |
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33.
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Toundra - Hex
[ 7.8, Post-Metal / Post Rock ] - Another impressive effort from the Spaniards. I somehow was expecting these guys to evolve towards a softer sound after IV and Vortex which felt lighter and brither than their previous efforts. And it's actually the exact opposite that happens here. Hex is darker than any of their music to date, and I couldn't be happier about it. And all the other elements that made Toundra a band to follow for me are still here, namely heavy riffs, eeries passages and killer drumming. |
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34.
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Wine From Tears - I'm Fine |
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35.
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Frayle - Skin & Sorrow |
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36.
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Deserted Fear - Doomsday |
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37.
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Stormruler - Sacred Rites & Black Magick
7.8 - Very good meloblack |
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38.
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Darkane - Inhuman Spirits |
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39.
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Krisiun - Mortem Solis
7.7Good, efficient death metal, but nothing more. Good thing I like good and efficient death metal. |
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40.
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Lord Belial - Rapture |
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41.
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Jade - The Pacification Of Death |
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42.
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Gaerea - Mirage |
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43.
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Hath - All That Was Promised
7.7Good proggy death with an atmosphere. Like the first one though, I feel like I should like it more than I do, but the connection is not fully there .. |
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44.
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Zeal & Ardor - Zeal & Ardor |
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45.
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Behemoth - Opvs Contra Natvram |
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46.
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Abyssic - Brought Forth In Iniquity |
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47.
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Revocation - Netherheaven |
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48.
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Motionless In White - Scoring The End Of The World |
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49.
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The Mist From The Mountains - Monumental: The Temple Of Twilight
7.3 Nice meloblack. |
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50.
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Saidan - Onryō II: Her Spirit Eternal |
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51.
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Thornhill - Heroine
7.8 I've only started listening to Deftones recently, and this album was a pretty addition to my collection now that I got used to the style. |
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52.
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Infected Rain - Ecdysis |
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53.
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Konvent - Call Down The Sun |
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54.
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Dagoba - By Night
[ 7.4, Groove Metal, Industrial, Cyber ] - I've been a huge Dgoba fan for several years, Post Mortem Nihil Est being one of my all time favourite albums. While I felt the last two albums were a bit less intense and didn't grab me so much than the ones before, I still enjoy all recent Dagoba.The first singles that came out hinted at a more "cyber" feeling, and that's exactly what the album is. Being a fan of anything cyber (Sybreed and the projects revolving around it coming to mind) I am really hyped by this album so far. |
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55.
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Once Human - Scar Weaver |
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56.
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Vorga - Striving Toward Oblivion
7.1Nice meloblack, nothing ground-breaking, but it's a good listen. I was a bit disappointed not to really hear "sci-fi" influences in the sound, whatever that can mean. It's pretty much straight melo black, done well. The production feels particulary good to me though, thicker and denser than most albums in the genre, and the drums sound very clean. |
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57.
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Shadow Of Intent - Elegy
[ 6.5, Symphonic Deathcore ] - I was expecting a bit more from this release, especially knowing that Bryce Buttler is now behind the drums. This guy always impressed me with his varied playing in his other bands. Unfortunately, I got the exact opposite feeling for the album as whole, it lacks variations. It felt like 1 hour of the same, and I got bored pretty fast. There are some good moments, but overall I couldn't really differentiate one track from the other. I'll give this one another spin eventually because I liked there previous album, but that probably won't be my highlight for 2022. |
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58.
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Toadeater - Bexadde |
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59.
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Hexis - Aeternum |
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60.
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Origin Of Escape - Shapes |
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61.
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Machine Head - Øf Kingdøm And Crøwn |
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62.
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Vanhävd - Vila |
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63.
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Black Lava - Soul Furnace
7.5 Very fun and groovy. The drums are killer. Overall it's a short and punchy album, very high replayability. |
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64.
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Path Of Might - Deep Chrome |
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65.
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Mathan - Darkroot Tzantza |
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66.
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Perpetual Night - Aconitum |
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67.
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Euphrosyne - Keres |
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68.
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Witcher - Lélekharang |
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69.
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Panzerfaust - The Suns Of Perdition - Chapter III: The Astral Drain |
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70.
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Consvmer - Obsession
5.5 I really the production and the sound texture, but the songwritting wasn't too exciting for me sadly.. Hopefully they'll get better with the next one, cause I really dig that massive sound. |
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71.
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Wintershadows - Planes of Perception |
