2024 - Metal Storm

2024

Thumbs up:

Subjective as fuck.

Created by:

Vurlok | 17.01.2024

	1.	Ὁπλίτης - Παραμαινομένη [𝟖.𝟓] 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥, 𝐀𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 — Their best release. Avantgarde as fuck, outstanding drumming, insane riffs, and THAT SAXOPHONE. So good I don't even feel guilty about rating something so high at the beginning of the year.
	2.	Chapel Perilous - The Tower Of Silence [𝟖.𝟓] 𝐌𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐜 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥, 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥, 𝐏𝐬𝐲𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 — This fucking release has genuinely and easily become one of my favorite metal albums released in the last couple of years. This is so imaginative, insanely well-written black metal with just the right dose of progressive/psychedelic elements. I'm not even sure what my favorite thing about this is, the perfect production, the mellotron, the keyboards that keep switching between psychedelic and just straightforward melodic black metal, or the guitarwork.
	3.	Cave Sermon - Divine Laughter [𝟖.𝟓] 𝐒𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥, 𝐏𝐨𝐬𝐭-𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥, 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 — A heavy, unique and surprising album. The song structures are top tier and probably my favorite thing about this release, the guitar work and the short interludes being the crux of the biscuit. Birds And Machines In Brunswick/Divine Laughter will probably remain of one of my favorite 2024 songs.
	4.	Sacrificial Vein - Black Terror Genesis [𝟖.𝟓] 𝐀𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 — This might be the most gripping and dense album I've heard this year. I'm not sure what's more impressive, the tight, abyssal atmosphere this band created or the fantastic songwriting, and holy shit, those vocals. I like Olson's work with Nothingness, but this is a whole new level. And while they're clearly influenced by DsO and Blut Aus Nord, they managed to create a very unique sound and this will undoubtedly be one of my favorite 2024 releases. I enjoyed every second of this album, but Cruciatum Aeternum and Throne of Perversion just blew me away.
	5.	Convulsing - Perdurance [𝟖] 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 — The songwriting on this release is absolutely fantastic. The dissonance, the disharmony, the progressive elements, the fitting production, I love everything about this album.
	6.	Chapel Of Disease - Echoes Of Light [𝟖] 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥, 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐲 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥, 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐤 — This is SUCH A GOOD ALBUM. Probably the album I enjoyed the most this year (for now at least). This is far from your regular death metal, there's so much to this— progressive rock, traditional heavy metal, even some Tribulation-like gothic. I find myself listening to it over and over again, the guitarwork is just insanely good, the solos, the riffs. The only thing I didn't quite like were the vocals, but ultimately, with instrumentation as good as this, I wasn't exactly bothered by them. The most fun album I've heard in a while.
	7.	Vitriol - Suffer & Become [𝟖] 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥, 𝐁𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 — There is so much to this album. Starting from the sheer technicality and amazingly executed brutality of it to the blackened sound that fits the rest so well. This is one of the best death metal releases I've heard in a while. Other than wonderful guitar and drum work, the vocals are the highlight of this album. The Isolating Lie Of Learning Another alone could be enough for the magnificence of this album.
	8.	Verberis - The Apophatic Wilderness [𝟖] 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥, 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 — Verberis has been one of my favorite blackened death metal bands since I first heard their Adumbration of the Veiled Logos, so I'm probably a bit biased when it comes to them. This album isn't as good as the aforementioned, but it's still a great album and crushing dissonant sound you want from this band.
	9.	Slift - Ilion [𝟖] 𝐏𝐬𝐲𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐤 — This is such a good album that I didn't even notice how long it is. The songwriting is outstanding, the atmosphere just perfectly fitting. I enjoyed every little thing about this release, from how the songs are structured to the vocals.
	10.	Kvadrat - The Horrible Dissonance Of Oblivion [𝟖] 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥, 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 — This is such a great and well-written album. A fantastic tight blend of dissonant black and death metal, just my favorite kind.
	11.	Ihsahn - Ihsahn [𝟖] 𝐀𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥, 𝐄𝐱𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 — A great great album. Very symphonic, orchestral in the best way possible, and not lacking on the metal front either. Each section of each song is so well and thoroughly crafted. One of my favorite Ihsahn's releases.
	12.	Theophonos - Ashes In The Huron River [𝟖] 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥, 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐞 — I thought Nightmare Visions was a decent album, but this one is better on all fronts. It's chaotic, it's dissonant, imbued with math riffs. Worthy of being a Serpent Column successor.
	13.	Saevus Finis - Facilis Descensus Averno [𝟖] 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥, 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 — Well crafted, dissonant, chaotic synthesis of black and death metal, a great start of the year and right up my alley.
	14.	Malist - Of Scorched Earth [𝟖] 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 — Now this is one hell of an album. It's melodic, atmospheric, depressive with moments of pure aggressiveness. Not being much of a DSBM fan, I'm surprised by how much I like this release.
	15.	Dissimulator - Lower Form Resistance [𝟖] 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐡 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥, 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐥 — Catchy hell of a debut. So good that I don't mind the lack of originality. Obviously heavily influenced by Obliveon and Voivod. The highlight of this albums are the drums, death metal riffing being the close second.
	16.	Mourning Dawn - The Foam Of Despair [𝟖] 𝐀𝐭𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜 𝐬𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥, 𝐏𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥, 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐝𝐨𝐨𝐦 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 — This is a heavy fucking album. Slow and heavy. It's a beautiful mixture of atmospheric sludge and post metal, with an amazing tight and crushing tone. Many great things about this release, but the highlights are the vocals and the dirty, smudged production.
	17.	Vanta - Kollapsar [𝟖] 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 — Approximately three minutes in, I knew I'd love this release. This is a great progressive black metal album infused with The-Great-Old-Ones-likish atmosphere, what else can I possibly want.
	18.	Labyrinthus Stellarum - Vortex Of The Worlds [𝟖] 𝐀𝐭𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 — I've never been too big on this kind of atmospheric black metal and even less this type of production, but man, this band. I remember their last-year debut and I enjoyed it a lot, but this album is even better. The atmosphere they manage to create is fantastic, the usage of the muddy production is flawless, and the synthwork is just great. It's borderline impossible to be original within this subgenre of metal, but this band is surely one of the few that does it.
	19.	Suldusk - Anthesis [𝟖] 𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐤, 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐠𝐚𝐳𝐞, 𝐍𝐞𝐨𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐤, 𝐆𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐜 𝐝𝐨𝐨𝐦 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 — Don't think that music can get more beautiful than this.
	20.	Vassus - Warlike Madness [𝟖] 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 — Well, definitely an insane release. This is chaotic low-fi black metal combined with absolutely mad-sounding dungeon synth. One of the most weirdly-fun albums I've heard in a while.
	21.	Etoile Filante - Mare Tranquillitatis [𝟖] 𝐀𝐭𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 — A great, weird fucking journey through space. Insane keyboards and occasional beautiful melodies buried beneath the cosmic atmosphere.
	22.	Hauntologist - Hollow [𝟕.𝟓] 𝐀𝐭𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥, 𝐏𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 — Mgla, if they played post metal which shouldn't be surprising since it's basically Mgla. Turns more post metal as the album progresses.
	23.	Andracca - To Bare the Weight of Death [𝟕.𝟓] 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 — When I read the name Andracca, I thought this would be yet another Tolkien-inspired atmospheric black metal band. Being a big fan of Tolkien, and an avid hater of the same, overused Tolkienian black metal formula, this was a really pleasant surprise. This is a great black metal album filled with fantastic riffs and guitarwork in general. It's melodic, it's atmospheric, but it's still primarily more straightforward black metal. Oceans Of Fire is one of the best black metal songs I've heard this year.
	24.	Spectral Voice - Sparagmos [𝟕.𝟓] 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐝𝐨𝐨𝐦 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 — I've never been that big of a death doom fan, but I really enjoyed this release. Even though this is nothing groundbreaking, there's just the right amount of atmospheric and then heavy, crushing tone, just perfectly balanced, everything is so well-placed in the mix. I particularly liked the vocals.
	25.	Petracorensis - Larmes et dures peines [𝟕.𝟓] 𝐌𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐜 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 — The Frenchiest type of melodic black. The folk (accordion) sections on this album are the most beautiful music I've heard this year (thought it's only March), and would get so long sometimes that I'd forget I was listening to a metal release. The black metal sections are pretty melodic and simple, and they work well with the other elements. I particularly enjoyed the few beautiful guitar solos, but my absolute favorite thing about this album is the accordion.
	26.	Hamferð - Men Guðs Hond Er Sterk [𝟕.𝟓] 𝐃𝐨𝐨𝐦 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 — While I think this is Hamferð's weakest album and despite some serious lack of the atmosphere that their previous releases had, I still found myself enjoying it quite a lot. Mostly due to Aldará's stellar vocals.
	27.	Blood Red Throne - Nonagon [𝟕.𝟓] 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 — I'm not sure what do I like more about this album, the production or the bass. A great, brutal album that delivers exactly what you expect from this band. Another gem in their discography.
	28.	Eternal Storm - A Giant Bound To Fall [𝟕.𝟓] 𝐌𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐜 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 — Since I rarely listen to any melodic death nowadays (though calling this melodic death is pretty limiting), I didn't think I'd enjoy this as much as I did. The musicianship, the songwriting on this album are fantastic, imbued with a constant melancholic undertone. I still think 70 minutes is a bit too long for a release such as this and it feels like some of the sections were unnecessarily stretched. Still, this is a great album, one of the few MDM releases I'll probably come back to.
	29.	Chelsea Wolfe - She Reaches Out To She Reaches Out To She [𝟕.𝟓] 𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐰𝐚𝐯𝐞, 𝐏𝐨𝐬𝐭-𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥, 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐤 — Chelsea Wolfe doing Chelsea Wolfe doing Chelsea Wolfe.
	30.	Borknagar - Fall [𝟕.𝟓] 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥, 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 — I'm not sure how bad something ICS Vortex did vocals on would have to be for me not to like it. Which isn't me saying this is bad by any means, but it's not as good as their previous releases either. And while they continued with the same great formula, this album feels pretty uneven, with songs like Moon, Stars Ablaze and Unraveling being noticeably better than the rest of the album. I see myself returning to these songs, but not to this album as a whole.
	31.	Judas Priest - Invincible Shield [𝟕.𝟓] 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐲 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 — I didn't expect this to be this good. It's insane how this band still has so much to offer. The guitarwork is typically spectacular, the production is genuinely perfect and Metal God sounds surprisingly incredible.
	32.	Necrophobic - In The Twilight Grey [𝟕.𝟓] 𝐌𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐜 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥, 𝐌𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐜 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 — At this point, I don't think this band can go wrong. It's the same formula over and over again, but Necrophobic is just one of those bands that I don't dislike for that. This is another pretty good album, though not as great as the previous two.
	33.	Vorga - Beyond The Palest Star [𝟕.𝟓] 𝐌𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐜 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 — Pretty good cosmic, sci-fi back metal. Nothing too original, but the riffing is great and I enjoyed the album a lot.
	34.	Μνήμα - Καταραμένα Λείψανα [𝟕.𝟓] 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐢𝐬𝐞 — I really enjoyed this, despite thinking that some of the vocals were absolutely ridiculous. The title fits the music perfectly.
	35.	Brodequin - Harbinger Of Woe [𝟕.𝟓] 𝐁𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥, 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐠𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐝 — Really nice to see these guys improving their production. This release is brutal and groovy, has a powerful deathgrind-y sound. A memorable album that stands out from the usual unrelieved (shitty) brutal death.
	36.	Vemod - The Deepening [𝟕] 𝐀𝐭𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥, 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐠𝐚𝐳𝐞 — A beautiful album. Very Alcest-like. Blend of atmospheric black metal and blackgaze. Nothing too original about it, but definitely a voyage worth taking. I particularly enjoyed the second track.
	37.	Farsot - Life Promised Death [𝟕] 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 — Agalloch is strong with this one. This is a good album for sure, yet it somehow didn't really click with me. While I love the song structures and think it's interesting that each song is somewhat different than the previous, I also think that it lacks consistency. I enjoyed some of the songs, especially Chimera and Descent, but just went through others. I didn't feel like the album was very cohesive.
	38.	Narzissus - Akt III: Erlösung [𝟕] 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 — There are some outstanding moments, and as a whole— it's a decent release. The longest track is my least favorite one, a track that goes nowhere. The last track, on the other hand, is matchless.
	39.	Necrowretch - Swords Of Dajjal [𝟕] 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥, 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 — Kind of unsure about this one. It's a good (mostly) black metal album, but it's probably more fun than it is actually superb. Given the title and the cover, I expected it to have a more Arabic sound to it. It's still a fine, enjoyable and catchy release. Great album cover too.
	40.	Griffon - De Republica [𝟕] 𝐌𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐜 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 — Melodic black metal done well. Above averagely well. There are some elements here I didn't think would work well together, yet they did, and I definitely didn't expect to hear any post metal on this release given the title and artwork and just the album concept, which also worked really well for this. In conclusion, Aharon's been doing a great job, with both Griffon and A/Oratos.
	41.	LVME - Of Sinful Nature [𝟕] 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 — I went into this expecting not to like it as much on the sole grounds of the band's name, then again, I loved the artwork, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I gave this a few listens, mostly trying to determine just how akin to DsO this is. And while the similarity is undeniable, the usual DsO clones stick to the same dissonant black metal formula, and while a lot of this is no different, the way they structured and wrote Without Light Or Guide and Into Ashen Stone is the exact thing that makes me love DsO so much. The atmosphere, the melodic lines, the rhythmical structures. While I'm waiting for new DsO material, these two tracks in particular made the wait easier.
	42.	Darkspace - Dark Space -II [𝟕] 𝐀𝐦𝐛𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 — Being a big fan of Darkspace, I can't exactly say this was what I wanted to get from them. It's an insanely immutable album, almost fixed, barely anything changes throughout the entire track, so much that it becomes unrelieved toward the end. While I enjoyed the atmospheric and ambient elements of this album, I really wish there was more some actual black metal on this. I didn't hate this release (and I'm probably biased when it comes to this band), but I didn't loved it either, it almost felt like a background music that fails to be memorable.
	43.	Diabolic Oath - Oracular Hexations [𝟕] 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥, 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 — Despite wishing the production was a bit cleaner, this is a great album that delivers exactly what I expected from this band, brutality and some great riffs.
	44.	RiTchie - Triple Digits (112) [𝟕] 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐇𝐢𝐩 𝐇𝐨𝐩, 𝐀𝐛𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐇𝐢𝐩 𝐇𝐨𝐩 — A great dazed and surreal debut with a melancholic undertone.
	45.	A/Oratos - Ecclesia Gnostica [𝟕] 𝐌𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐜 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 — I enjoyed this album so much and at the same time, I expected more from this. It's far from a bad album, but there is nothing outstanding about this. I suppose I was slightly mislead by the way they described themselves, gnostic black metal, I expected something musically closer to Gnosticism, but this is still really well-done melodic black release.
	46.	Sirpinmurtaja - Ajanvalajain nouseva myrsky [𝟕] 𝐒𝐲𝐦𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐜 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 — This is a fine album, but not really the most original release you could listen to. I enjoyed the atmosphere on this album, there are some fantastic epic passages and the beautiful piano in the background.
	47.	Wasp Mother - Digital Pollution [𝟕] 𝐆𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐞 — You shut the fuck up, Clem Fandango. 10 minutes of brutality. A very promising EP.
	48.	Einsamkeit - Íyök Se’ [𝟕] 𝐀𝐭𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 — Íyök Se’ stands for indigenous land, and it's just the perfect title for this release. An atmospheric tribal lo-fi black metal EP by a band from Costa Rica. An interesting release all together, but what stood out to me the most were the folklore elements in this. I particularly enjoyed Cukùrä, Ngäbe's Heart.
	49.	Misotheist - Vessels By Which The Devil Is Made Flesh [𝟕] 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 — Icelandic black metal from Norway. Nothing about this blew me away, but this is DsO done really well. I particularly enjoyed the first track and the second half of the last one. Enough to make me listen to the rest of their discography.
	50.	Acathexis - Immerse [𝟕] 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 — This is a fine album, but I don't think that such lengthy songs work as great for this band. Perhaps shorter songs would be more memorable and make this a memorable album as a whole. This way, there are some standout moments on this release, but I don't see myself coming back to it too many times. Also, at this point, I'm certain Déhà is a robot.
	51.	Boarhammer - II: Chemognosis – A Shortcut to Mushrooms [𝟕] 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 — First wavy, Master's Hammer-y type of black metal combined with some heavy metal and psychedelia. A good album but not entirely my cup of coffee, I don't really see myself coming back to this.
	52.	Persefone - Lingua Ignota: Part I [𝟕] 𝐌𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐜 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥, 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 — I LOVE this band, one of the few melodic death metal bands I still like. This EP, however, isn't really doing it for me, and I've given it quite a few listens. One of the reasons is probably the fact that this is only a part 1 and it feels unfinished (which it is). I'll probably have a clearer opinion on this after Part II. For now, the highlight of this EP are the vocals.
	53.	Ponte Del Diavolo - Fire Blades From The Tomb [𝟕] 𝐃𝐨𝐨𝐦 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 — The vocals on this album are phenomenal and the guitarwork is fine. A band that has a lot of potential.
	54.	Praise The Plague - Suffocating In The Current Of Time [𝟕] 𝐀𝐭𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 — A post/doomish black metal album I did enjoy, but I don't see myself returning to this release. What they, however, do really well is moving from one passage within a song to another which makes this album incredibly coherent. The versatility of vocals is fantastically displayed.
	55.	Oscillation of Void - In Night's Embrace, the Woods We Shun [𝟕] 𝐀𝐭𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 — I really liked the black metal parts section of this album, the guitarwork is actually more than descent, but the atmospheric interludes slightly ruined it for me. Not a bad album, but also not very memorable, your standard instrumental atmospheric black metal album. Other than those questionable intros and interludes.
	56.	The Body - Orchards Of A Futile Heaven [Collaboration] [𝟕] 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 — If this release had started with Holy Lance and contained only the last three tracks, I would've liked it way more. While I really enjoyed the vocals on this, as a whole, I didn't find this to be a particularly interesting or original album.
	57.	Resin Tomb - Cerebral Purgatory [𝟕] 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐠𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐝, 𝐒𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 — Dissonant cross of deathgrind and sludge metal. Neat bass and excellent drums, but as a whole— an average release.
	58.	Czernina - Na Pograniczu Usidlenia [𝟕] 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 — I was pleasantly surprised by how technical this album is (for a black metal release at least) and by the guitar tone itself. Lustro is an absolute highlight of this album, the guitars, the drums, the outro. I'd love to see them moving in that direction in the future.
	59.	Counting Hours - The Wishing Tomb [𝟕] 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐝𝐨𝐨𝐦 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 — Not the type of death doom I generally enjoy, but still a beautiful album, vocals being a stand-out.
	60.	Pestilential Shadows - Devil's Hammer [𝟕] 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 — Just straightforward black metal with sporadic depressive undertones. Nothing original but an enjoyable, good release nonetheless.
	61.	Fathomless Ritual - Hymns For The Lesser Gods [𝟕] 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 — Demilich done well.
	62.	Hadit - Metaphysical Engines Approaching The Event Horizon [𝟕] 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥, 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 — The production here is absolutely hideous. I liked this album a lot, but the way this was produced genuinely makes me angry. It's so smudgy that it feels sloppy, it's always the wrong things that are prominent in the mix which is such a pity since this could have easily been one of my favorite releases of 2024.
	63.	Verwoed - The Mother [𝟕] 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 — I enjoyed this album, especially the tight atmosphere, but I don't think the music itself is very memorable. Nice cover though.
	64.	Aborted - Vault Of Horrors [𝟕] 𝐁𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥, 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐞 — Despite their relatively recent inclinations toward deathcore, I was slightly surprised by just how deathcore this is. It's still an enjoyable album, still as aggressive as always, but a downgrade from their previous release. Insane selection of vocalists though.
	65.	Hollow Woods - Like Twisted Bones of Fallen Giants [𝟕] 𝐀𝐭𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 — Not too original (Primorial-ish), but an enjoyable album nonetheless. I enjoyed the clean vocals and I wish there were more of those.
	66.	Krvna - The Rhythmus Of Death Eternal [𝟕] 𝐌𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐜 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 — Your usual melodic black metal. An enjoyable EP despite the complete lack of originality.
	67.	They Came From Visions - The Twilight Robes [𝟕] 𝐀𝐭𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 — A nice atmospheric black metal album, though I didn't really find anything special about it, anything I could pinpoint and even thought it was pretty one-dimensional. I still think it's an enjoyable, fine and extremely monotone release with some nice folkish touch.
	68.	Sun of Nothing - Maze [𝟕] 𝐀𝐭𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜 𝐬𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 — A decent sludge metal band that has the potential to grow into something better. As for now, I really liked both the more atmospheric sections and elements on this EP. I thought the rhythmical structures of some songs were really interesting as well, especially Voidhanger. Still, while I don't mind the vocals, they're just way too prominent in the mix and they often smother the music beneath.
	69.	Dzhatinga - Forgotten And Lost [𝟕] 𝐌𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐜 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥, 𝐌𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐜 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 — An averagely good album. I don't think there's anything that makes this album special, but it still isn't a bad listen. The most memorable thing about this is the name of the band. Great album cover though.
	70.	Sovereign (NOR) - Altered Realities [𝟕] 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐡 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 — A fun, enjoyable and not a bad album, but I fail to find anything that would make this stand out.
	71.	Hannes Grossmann - Echoes Of Eternity [𝟕] 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 — Exactly what you expect from this man, a crazy display of his skills. Enjoyable but not too memorable.
	72.	Romuvos - Spirits [𝟕] 𝐅𝐨𝐥𝐤 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 — Really enjoyed this one. I didn't think it was anything particularly good, or original, but it's a sweet mix of neo-folk and folk metal.
	73.	Shamael - Il suono di mille orchestre parte II [𝟕] 𝐅𝐮𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐝𝐨𝐨𝐦 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 — Your usual funeral doom metal album. Nothing that stands out about this, but it's a sweet listen.
	74.	Askel - Cycles Of Ruin [𝟔.𝟓] 𝗦𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗴𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗹 — A murky tight sludge release with even murkier production.
	75.	Departure Chandelier - Satan Soldier Of Fortune [𝟔.𝟓] 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 — Not like I am the one to say, but this album genuinely makes me angry. I expected more from this band. There are some insanely good moments on this album, but other than that, it's just old-school lo-fi black metal. I really hoped the music itself would be far more atmospheric and I really hope they'll move in that direction in the future.
	76.	Dionysiaque - Diogonos [𝟔.𝟓] 𝐃𝐨𝐨𝐦 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 — This is a decent release, but boy, aren't those vocals annoying?
	77.	Thy Shining Curse - Theurgia [𝟔.𝟓] 𝐒𝐲𝐦𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐜 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 — Septicflesh & Fleshgod Apocalypse worship. Despite not being that much of a symphonic death fan, I didn't actually mind this. Sweet little album.
	78.	Hulder - Verses In Oath [𝟔.𝟓] 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 — An unoriginal release, which occasionally makes it a bit boring. Still, there are some nice melodies here, riffs that you can't go wrong with, and occasional beautiful moments.
	79.	Vipassi - Lightless [𝟔.𝟓] 𝐄𝐱𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 (𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥) — Ne Obliviscaris without violins and vocals. Far from a bad listen, but this does absolutely nothing for me. The only thing I can highlight is the bass which is really good, especially in Morningstar. Other than that, I think it's an average extreme progressive release.
	80.	The Meads Of Asphodel - Tomb Songs From A Dying Bedlamite [𝟔.𝟓] 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥, 𝐀𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 — Just O K A Y.
	81.	Defying - Wadera [𝟔.𝟓] 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥, 𝐀𝐭𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜 𝐬𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥, 𝐏𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 — I loved the atmospheric part on this album, but I think it's lacking on the other segments. The atmosphere is often lost for the sake of faster parts, combining the two would've worked much better. This way, there are some great moments but they are quick to become generic and forgettable.
	82.	Keres - Homo Homini Lupus [𝟔.𝟓] 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 — Far from terrible, far from great. It's an average blackened death album with nothing for me to pinpoint. It's not likely that I'll remember this album or return to it, but I did generally enjoy the riffs on it.
	83.	Lord Dying - Clandestine Transcendence [𝟔.𝟓] 𝐒𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐌𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥, 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐌𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 — This is a very inconsistent album. If more of it had sounded like I AM NOTHING, I AM EVERYTHING, I would've probably liked this release significantly more. This way, I found it forgettable and was slightly annoyed by the clean vocals. Some great guitar solos on this album, but that meant little considering how the entireties of the songs were just unmemorable. Great musicianship though, the bass was the highlight for me. There's only one Lord of sludge after all.
	84.	Messiah - Christus Hypercubus [𝟔] 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 — Despite being kind of surprised by the first track on this album, or certain atmospheric and melodic aspects of it, this release proved to be pretty unexciting. There is some sweet riffing on this, but even the musicianship is pretty average and songwriting is just mediocre. And while I liked what Seebach did on the vocals, there are some hideous moments on this release — like all those unnecessary effects.
	85.	Abhoria - Depths [𝟔] 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 — Before getting to this release, I figured this would be a brutal death metal album, judging by the cover. They describe themselves as a dystopian black metal band, which— no, this wasn't how I imagined dystopia would sound like. This is your standard blackened death, and despite being the biggest fan of the subgenre, this album really isn't doing it for me. Drumming is the highlight.
	86.	Astral Lore - Astral Lore [𝟔] 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 — I feel like I've heard this album a hundred of times at least. It's the same generic (atmospheric) black metal with low quality production. The songs are just too long, they feel stretched and dragged out, even more so as this is a pretty repetitive release. I didn't mind it as background music but that's pretty much all.
	87.	Far Beyond - The End Of My Road [𝟔.𝟓] 𝐒𝐲𝐦𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐜 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 — This is ridiculously symphonic. Almost constantly. On the edge of symphonic/melodic death and extreme power, with some folkish elements. A bit cheesy, and while I enjoyed some parts of this album, I don't think there is much to it. I found the clean vocals to be annoying af.
	88.	Tantric Bile - Cursed Conception [𝟔] 𝐀𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐭-𝐆𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞 𝐌𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥, 𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐆𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐢𝐬𝐞 — Not sure about this one. I really enjoy the noisy parts of this, but I also feel like there were just too many samples which kind of ruined it for me.
	89.	Saxon - Hell, Fire And Damnation [𝟔] 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐲 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 — Kind of bland, kind of cheesy, but not really a bad album either.
	90.	Cognizance - Phantazein [𝟔] 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 — One more average technical death metal release. A fun listen, but very unmemorable.
	91.	Madder Mortem - Old Eyes, New Heart [𝟔] 𝐀𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥, 𝐆𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐜 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥, 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 — The vocals are the obvious highlight of this album, but as a whole, it didn't really work for me. Some parts of this album, especially the chord progressions made me feel like I was listening to bands like The Family Crest, which I generally love but it somehow didn't work well with the rest. And some parts were just plainly annoying. Relatively bland progressive metal release.
	92.	O Zorn! - Vermillion Haze [𝟔] 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥, 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐤 — I really liked how this album started and actually enjoyed the first track, but it only gets worse and more unmemorable from there. An average forgettable stoner release. Also, I fucking hated Never Saw It Coming.
	93.	Karkosa - Esoterrorcult [𝟔] 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 — While I'm a big fan of blackened death, it's never this what I have in mind. This album is heavily influenced by Behemoth, and I don't think it offers anything new or interesting for that matter. There are some good riffs on this, but in the end, I find it to be a very colorless release.
	94.	Deadyellow - What Was Left Of Them [𝟔] 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐠𝐚𝐳𝐞 — I hated the vocals on this release. Music-wise, not necessarily a bad release but very unmemorable.
	95.	Devastator - Conjurers Of Cruelty [𝟔] 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐡 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 — Dull songwriting, but not a dull album as a whole.
	96.	Udåd - Udåd [𝟓.𝟓] 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 — Other than some guitarwork (though the production sucks), I really didn't like this. The mixing is really bad, the vocals are plain annoying. It's extremely repetitive and in the worst way possible, it's usually just the guitar that's so prominent in the mix that plays the same melody over and over again.
	97.	Ribspreader - Reap Humanity [𝟓.𝟓] 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 — Another unimaginative death metal album. That's pretty much all I have to say about this.
	98.	Abyssius - Abyssius [𝟓.𝟓] 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐥 — I'm not really sure what this band was trying to accomplish with this album. The musicianship on this is undeniable and this is probably the only good thing I can say about this. The songwriting, on the other hand, is so bad I feel like all those skills were wasted on it. This album is all over the place, the passages feel unconnected, and the vocals were usually just plain bad and annoying.
	99.	Orecus - Dreadnought [𝟓.𝟓] 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 — Unmemorable album that doesn't deliver anything I could even pinpoint.
	100.	Panzerchrist - All Witches Shall Burn [𝟓.𝟓] 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥l — A pretty boring release, but what else could have I expected from this band anyway. One of the tracks is actually named Sabbath Of The Rat. "She's a Witch" and this is shit. Not sure about the witches, but this EP should definitely burn. All joking aside, the guitar isn't that bad, thus the 0.5.
	101.	Master - Saints Dispelled [𝟓.𝟓] 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 — This band hasn't really moved either forward or backward, has it? This wouldn't have been good even in the 90s.
	102.	Atoll - Inhuman Implants [𝟓.𝟓] 𝐁𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 — I'm not even sure how did I get to this album. This is just plain dumb. Lyrically. there's a song called Gay For God on this. Musically, it's the most unmemorable type of brutal death metal. Shit album art.
	103.	Morta Skuld - Creation Undone [𝟓] 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 — I really try not to rate releases this low. Usually, I just won't listen to something that seems like crap to me. However, I wasn't expecting this to be exactly shitty. But it kind of is. It's an extremely lazily done and written album, I feel like the AI art reflects the entirety of this release.

Disclaimer: All top lists are unofficial and do not represent the point of view of the MS Staff.
[ More lists by Vurlok ]

Hits total: 174 | This month: 2

Vulgaris	Dionysiaque
Prognan	Dordeduh

	In Vain Solemn
	Dool The Shape Of Fluidity
	Couch Slut You Could Do It Tonight
	Selbst Despondency Chord Progressions
	Deicide Banished By Sin
	Necrot Lifeless Birth
	Morgul Blade Heavy Metal Wraiths
	Verwoed The Mother
	Frail Body Artificial Bouquet
	The Vision Bleak Weird Tales

	Wait A Minute! This Isn't Metal! March 2024
	Clandestine Cuts Vol. 14 Issue #3 Awesome New Demos and EPs
	Emperor Glasgow, Scotland, 22nd March 2024
	Wait A Minute! This Isn't Metal! February 2024
	Celestial Darkness Festival 2024
	MS Awards 2023 Staff Picks!!
	Clandestine Cuts Vol. 14 Issue #2 Awesome New Demos and EPs
	Shattering Xpectations Xentrix Live In Reading