SubRosa - No Help For The Mighty Ones

In a sadly frequent number of cases the inclusion of the female vocal in the more extreme end of metal is typically employed for mere novelty effect (if not for the "crumpet" effect), occasionally adding another shade to the proceedings where it might. Not only do the three-fifths female outfit SubRosa manage, without effort, to waylay this unfortunate paradigm, they succeed in turning the sludge genre on its head and make the unconventional female vocal (think Bloody Panda rather than Nightwish) and the jarring violin (think A Forest Of Stars rather than Apocalyptica) its prime catalyst, creating a distinct and unusual approach to the sound. Both offbeat and dissonant whilst heavy and crushing (but not without a woman's touch) this is quite possibly the album of the year because of it.

Staff pick by: Unknown user
Endorsed by: Unknown user (x), BloodTears, X-Ray Rod, Ag Fox, Susan, White Winter Sun, KwonVerge

Oranssi Pazuzu - Kosmonument

A bizarre, contorted journey through the multiple stomachs of an alien on the cosmic equivalent of Dimethyltryptamine. There's little more one can say about it than that.

Staff pick by: Unknown user
Endorsed by: Unknown user (x), KwonVerge, Marcel Hubregtse, X-Ray Rod, Troy Killjoy, hanna of steel, White Winter Sun, BitterCOld

Rudra - Brahmavidya: Immortal I

Quality Singaporean outfit showcases their 6th album of intelligent, riff-heavy metal soaked in exotic influences. For fans of Melechesh methinks.

Staff pick by: Unknown user
Endorsed by: Unknown user (x), Ag Fox, Promonex, Marcel Hubregtse, Daniell, White Winter Sun, X-Ray Rod, wormdrink414

Skullflower - Fucked On A Pile Of Corpses

*Play* CCCCCCCCHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH - KKKKKKKKKKKEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRR - SSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH - CHUKACHUKACHUKACHUKACHUKA *30 minutes later* DDDDDDEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRRR - CHUKACHUKACHUKACHUKACHUKA - KKKKKKKKKKEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRR - CCCCCCCCCCHHHHHHHHHHHH *End of the record*

Staff pick by: Unknown user
Endorsed by: Unknown user (x), X-Ray Rod, wormdrink414

Abruptum - Potestates Apocalypsis

Hell. Rich, noisy pulsating soundscapes, surprisingly restrained and varied with distant chants and hopeless patriotic songs, pounding drum beats like bomb blasts caught in time and inaudible chatter over broken radio static. Paints a picture of an old war; those constant drones the sound of fighter planes with nowhere to go. It's its own visual pallet - just close your eyes. Not a single element of metal here though aside from the sound of scraping iron. Just instinctive nothingness, death.

Staff pick by: Unknown user
Endorsed by: Unknown user (x), KwonVerge, X-Ray Rod

In Flames - Sounds Of A Playground Fading

Let's nip this in the bud: this ain't no Jester Race. But ain't no A Sense of Purpose either.

Take a few deep breaths, maybe think of a nice time you spent with girl/boy/horsefriend and gently let all your preconceptions slide off you, much in the same way those lovely girls who you watch mud wrestle slide all over each other on those lonely Friday nights... I'm sure I had a point, something about the new Morbid Angel? I can't really remember. Oh yeah, the new In Flames. It's really very not bad, plenty of thick leading harmonies harking back as far as Reroute To Remain do a plenty fine job of rekindling a little bit of the love you felt for these guys.

Staff pick by: Unknown user
Endorsed by: Unknown user (x), KwonVerge, Daniell, X-Ray Rod

Morbid Angel - Illud Divinum Insanus

So you thought you'd heard the pinnacle of experimental metal? Think again buster, Morbid Angel are here to please their fanbase with everything they could have ever wanted: rip-roaring hardcore snarls, air-punching electro-beatz, brutal, technical Rammstein-worship and truly forward-thinking lyrical content such as the never before contemplated "KILL A COP COP, KILL A COP, KILL-A-KILL-A-COP!" all of which will have you grabbing your glowsticks, squeezing into your favourite UV neon-latex vest and before you know it you'll be throwing shapes down your local Goth-pit, big-fish, little-fish, cardboard box style. Yeah, Morbid Angel know what they're doing and are making metal sexier than ever before.

Staff pick by: Unknown user
Endorsed by: Unknown user (x), X-Ray Rod, Deadsoulman, KwonVerge, Ag Fox, Fat & Sassy!, Daniell, White Winter Sun

Dirge - Elysian Magnetic Fields

Ok ignore that last classification, that was just a bit of self-indulgence. Then again who knows, it might catch on. This is something that positively vomits underground mass appeal; the kind of thing if more people were aware of they'd be frantically sprinting to the nearest tattooist to get the cover art etched into their forehead. Planet-sized dirges (appropriately enough) that melt into epic cleans and deep ambient nuancing over a monolithic 75 minute journey of dripping atmosphere, texture and melody with the odd Jesu and Cult of Luna inflection.

Quite possibly the only album you'll need this year? Oh yeah, they're French too. Quelle surprise.

Staff pick by: Unknown user
Endorsed by: Unknown user (x), Deadsoulman, Ag Fox, BloodTears, Troy Killjoy, BitterCOld, Introspekrieg, X-Ray Rod

Aaskereia - Dort, Wo Das Alte Böse Ruht

A lot of people were perturbed by Aaskereia's rather nifty 'Mit Raben und Wölfen' record due to the unusually wail-y vocals present, despite being a top notch display of ultra catchy pagan black metal. Regardless, returneth they do with their first full length in over 7 years and they haven't lost it, in fact they've grown in maturity exponentially. While the shrieks are still present they're combined with a veritable amada of other vocals styles from dramatic cleans, deathly growls and even a hint of Attila inspired insanity - Grim (yes Grim) is an extremely versatile vocalist. All serve exceptionally well to the driving, melody drenched black metal akin at times to Nagelfar's indomitable 'Hünengrab im Herbst' record.

Quality crap.

Staff pick by: Unknown user
Endorsed by: Unknown user (x), Troy Killjoy, X-Ray Rod, Deadsoulman, Promonex

Zoroaster - Matador

Continuing the annual trend of finding (or in this case re-visiting, more or less, ignored) records that should have found their way onto "Best Of" lists the year after their release Zoroaster, a band I'm largely unfamiliar with, are one of the first objects of retrospective desire. Supposedly denizens of the sludge genre this little beauty seems largely devoid of most of the characteristics that adorn that musical subset, the bludgeoning force still present but wrapped in a veil of a stoned-out, mind melting maelstrom, the closing title track being a particularly delicious exercise in Skullflower-driven dronery. And yes, dronery is a word.

So yeah, don't be a toaster, go grab Zoroaster.

Staff pick by: Unknown user
Endorsed by: Unknown user (x), Troy Killjoy, BitterCOld, Marcel Hubregtse, Doc G., Promonex, Ag Fox, White Winter Sun

Yakuza - Of Seismic Consequence

A crunchy and delicious combination a hardcore delivered aggression and intensity with lengthy, post-influenced smoky jazz concoctions; a visual palette of neon lights in slow, nostalgic motion.

The saxophone never sounded so good.

Staff pick by: Unknown user
Endorsed by: Unknown user (x), Marcel Hubregtse, Deadsoulman, jupitreas, Thryce, BloodTears, Fat & Sassy!, X-Ray Rod