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1.
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CSSABA - Underground Lo-Fi Songs
CSSABA may be underground, but it's on topground here; droning, blackened industrial and tribal soundscapes |
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2.
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Indesinence - Vessels Of Light And Decay
incredible artwork to go with some incredible music |
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3.
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Monolithe - Interlude Second
More monolithic than the band's name. It's that extreme. |
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4.
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Nadja - The Primitive World
Can't go too wrong with Nadja, but perhaps they should collaborate more with Vampilla because this is seriously good |
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5.
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In The Silence - A Fair Dream Gone Mad
a gem of a debut for progression metal with hints of the post metal sound |
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6.
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Lord Mantis - Pervertor
Love my music being so filthy, just like how hot sex is meant to be. |
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7.
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The Foreshadowing - Second World
Definitely been a few years since a Gothic album has been released that I love |
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8.
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Metallic Taste Of Blood - Metallic Taste Of Blood
Merzbow X Porcupine Tree. Literally |
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9.
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Sunpocrisy - Samaroid Dioramas
Atmospheric without forgetting to actually GO somewhere. If you know what I mean. |
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10.
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Mindplotter - Event Horizon
Instrumental album of the year perhaps? Progressive, electronic and even a bit of Djent |
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11.
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Emptiness - Error
Definitely an error on your part if you claim to like death metal and haven't checked this one out |
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12.
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Verdunkeln - Weder Licht Noch Schatten
a paradox: kvlt and accessible at the same time (though the debut is better) |
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13.
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Gnaw Their Tongues - Eschatological Scatology
epitome or Chaos with Order and Order within Chaos o.o |
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14.
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Lunatic Gods - Vlnobytie
Death metal version of Thy Catafalque |
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15.
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Prong - Carved Into Stone
Alternative thrash; these veterans really know what they are doing. |
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16.
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Enslaved - RIITIIR
it's like... it's on almost every best of 2012 list, right? |
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17.
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Vaura - Selenelion
Post Metal that's... adventurous...! |
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18.
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Agruss - Morok
So RAW it lubricates my ears. With blood of course. |
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19.
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Wilds Forlorn - We, The Damned
Well, be damned if you claim to like atmospheric black metal and haven't listened to this beauty |
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20.
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Germ - Wish
Atmospheric Rock with electronic elements and hints of black metal undertones by Tim Yatras (Woods Of Desolation, Grey Waters etc.) |
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21.
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Royal Thunder - CVI
should be heard by anyone who loves female vocals, or stoner, or anything if you just want to have a good rockin' time |
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22.
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The Water Witch - The Heavens In Traction
another band with "witch" in their name. Music is top notch BM with their own stamp though |
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23.
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Dissona - Dissona
More extreme than your average progressive metal album. Varied and memorable. |
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24.
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Atoma - Skylight
beautiful and easy on the ears that anyone not into metal can enjoy |
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25.
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Black Space Riders - Light Is The New Black
from the album title, the band should be originally called Light space riders? Music is as trippy ;) |
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26.
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Faal - The Clouds Are Burning
Not only the clouds are burning... Blackened Doom that burns your speakers |
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27.
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Earthen Grave - Earthen Grave
hard-hitting traditional heavy / doom metal with a pleasant twist |
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28.
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Nightmare - The Burden Of God
Heavy metal still has something to offer! |
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29.
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Yakuza - Beyul
more focused and streamlined than before |
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30.
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Skyharbor - Blinding White Noise: Illusion & Chaos
TesseracT 2.0 |
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31.
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To-Mera - Exile
If I were in exile, this would be among the discs I'd take with me. Beautiful and challenging at the same time that will take many spins to fully appreciate |
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32.
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Cloak Of Altering - Ancient Paths Through Timeless Voids
more controlled, more electronic, more goodness |
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33.
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Goatwhore - Blood For The Master
Thrashy Black Death metal with melody |
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34.
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Elysian - Wires Of Creation
seen it labelled as melodeath, but it's really some fresh sounding prog with growled vocals. Good stuff |
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35.
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Incoming Cerebral Overdrive - Le Stelle: A Voyage Adrift
this one is like a zombie: it really requires your brains |
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36.
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The Deadstation. - Episode 01: Like Peering Into The Deepest Ocean Abyss.
another great prog debut, but at a much quicker pace and driven sound that's sometimes djenty |
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37.
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Orbeth - The Way
silversurfer metal |
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38.
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Stealing Axion - Moments
dunno whether axions exists, but stealing my heart would be a more romantic way of putting it; well executed djent album |
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39.
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Eternal Deformity - The Beauty Of Chaos
Melodic Black hasn't sounded so fresh in a long time. |
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40.
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Primal Rock Rebellion - Awoken Broken
Adrian Smith of Iron Maiden & Mikee Goodman of SikTh, that alone should warrant your attention if you don't know this already |
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41.
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Kontinuum - Earth Blood Magic
proggy, atmospheric and sometimes blackened post-metal |
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42.
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Abstracter - Tomb Of Feathers
COntrary to the band name, there's nothing abstract about these guys. Unless crushed body parts upon listening to them is abstract art >.> |
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43.
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Bloodshot Dawn - Bloodshot Dawn
(Brutality + Technicality + Melody) * Epic leads = winning formula for a melodic death album |
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44.
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Converge - All We Love We Leave Behind
I love this! wait... that means I need to leave it behind...? D: |
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45.
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Ufomammut - Oro - Opus Alter
let's just say expectations have been exceeded even after the first opus |
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46.
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Monolithe - Monolithe III
a single 52 minute track. Monolithic indeed |
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47.
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The Faceless - Autotheism
creativity explosion? this is miles ahead of their previous album... |
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48.
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Ne Obliviscaris - Portal Of I
Almost worth the wait after such a promising demo. Almost because the wait has been too long and I don't see much improvements. But then, the demo was great, so it's hardly a fault when the debut is almost as good |
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49.
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Fester - A Celebration Of Death
Not the fastest, nor the most technical and brutal. Death metal that actually has it's own sound, so of course that alone is worth checking out. |
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50.
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Enabler - All Hail The Void
A groovier version of Converge; void of boring moments |
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51.
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Klone - The Dreamer's Hideaway
progressive alternative metal; fantastic vocals, could rank higher, but the songs feel a bit samey. |
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52.
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Castle - Blacklands
so you like female-fronted-retro heavy/doom metal bands? Definitely the best one of the year for me so far |
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53.
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Motorpsycho & Ståle Storløkken - The Death Defying Unicorn
proggy, jazzy and fresh; not usually a fan of long albums as my attention span tends to die, but the climax towards the end is... truly climatic! So yeah... death defying |
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54.
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Threshold - March Of Progress
speaking of death defying, I really think Andrew "Mac" McDermott could do with some of that (RIP), but either way, Threshold has truly marched on in style with Damian doing an excellent job |
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55.
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Words Of Farewell - Immersion
reminds me of Enthrope, which released the best melodic death album in 2010. Time will tell whether this is the best in the melodeath scene in 2012, but it's among the creme of the crop for sure |
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56.
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Between The Buried And Me - The Parallax II: Future Sequence
never managed to get into these guys despite acknowledging their music being forward and unique. This album changed everything though |
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57.
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Aluk Todolo - Occult Rock
Psychedelic black metal. Or Kraurock. Whatever that is >.> |
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58.
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Blut Aus Nord - What Once Was... Liber II
the eureka moment when you realise the end is the beginning... |
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59.
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Bong - Mana-Yood-Sushai
perfect for background music or for a hypnosis session |
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60.
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Dordeduh - Dar De Duh
Had there not been OM, this would have ranked a lot higher. But you know... expectations and such... It's still a very pleasurable listening experience though |
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61.
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Pythia - The Serpent's Curse
Symphonic galloping marching foot-stomping goodness |
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62.
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Xandria - Neverworld's End
Oceanborn continued |
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63.
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Galahad - Battle Scars
Neo prog heavy on the synth sauce :3 |
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64.
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The Levitation Hex - The Levitation Hex
the Alchemist lives! |
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65.
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Tempus Fusion - To End It All
yet another new prog band that doesn't follow the moulds of Dream Theatre, Opeth and Riverside; exciting times, yes? |
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66.
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Frequency Drift - ... Laid To Rest
drifting... off to sleep... yes... very pleasant and calming |
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67.
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Ufomammut - Oro - Opus Primum
I'm STOKED about their second Opus after this one... |
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68.
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Unipolar Manic-Depressive Psychosis - Psychodelicus Decibeli
some eclectic but cohesive form of extreme prog that I can't quite pigeon hole. Check it out and you will know what I mean ;) |
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69.
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Reverence - The Asthenic Ascension
french black metal. so you know it's gonna be better than good |
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70.
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Ihsahn - Eremita
a bit inconsistent at times, but there are some truly great moments here; torn between an 8 and a 9 |
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71.
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Moonspell - Alpha Noir / Omega White
wow... A double album that does not suck o.o |
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72.
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The Algorithm - Polymorphic Code
Electronic metal? or Metal electronic? |
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73.
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Wildernessking - The Writing Of Gods In The Sand
The last two tracks are epic. Epic that actually means epic, instead of meaning keyboards, synths and that type of fanfare. |
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74.
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Abyssal - Denouement
"Swansong Of A Dying Race" - bloody fantastic closer; Progressive Death |
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75.
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Shear - Breaking The Stillness
female fronted power metal. Got some balls. Wait... tranny? o.0 |
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76.
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Litrosis - I Am Death
reminds me of the first time I listened to Bodom i.e. supercharged melodic attack, with some black sauce |
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77.
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MΛKE - Trephine
pretty chilled sludge doom |
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78.
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Towards Darkness - Barren
Majestic sounding funeral doom. Just how I like it |
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79.
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My Sleeping Karma - Soma
chilled... trippy psychedelic stoner rock that can allow even the most casual listeners to relax (check out the gorgeous artwork too!) |
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80.
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Adrift - Black Heart Bleeds Black
blurs the line between sludge and post metal |
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81.
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Krallice - Years Past Matter
similar to Diotima, their previous effot, which is cool; if it ain't broke, don't fix it |
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82.
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Cancer Bats - Dead Set On Living
Hardcore in Southern sauce. Rats never sounded so tasty...? |
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83.
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Abnormality - Contaminating The Hive Mind
The Quintessential brutal / technical death album of the year. and check out the front woman :D |
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84.
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Evoken - Atra Mors
colour me depressed... erm. Impressed |
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85.
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ÆGES - The Bridge
similar to the thunderpop Torche with a more post-hordcore / alternative vibe |
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86.
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Nachtvorst - Silence
black sludge and doom and atmosphere tied together nicely |
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87.
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A Forest Of Stars - A Shadowplay For Yesterdays
A Forest Of Stars has once again delivered a black metal album with their own quaint style |
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88.
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Kälter - Ubuntu
plenty of musical ideas going on with nice melodic leads throughout that melodic metal fans will surely enjoy |
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89.
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Valerinne - Kunstformen Der Natur
the post-rock scene is clearly rather over crowded and it's hard to stand out. But this one definitely makes my money and time worthwhile |
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90.
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Inborn Suffering - Regression To Nothingness
Melodic death doom that really knows how to bowl you over |
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91.
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Lento - Anxiety Despair Languish
Icon was pretty good, but inconsistent. Anxiety Despair Languish has rectified the consistency issue |
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92.
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Soulfly - Enslaved
seems like Max has his fans and haters; in this case at least, we should give him some love |
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93.
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Pale Divine - Painted Windows Black
straight up no-frills doom. powerful vocals and a nice rocking psychedelic vibe |
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94.
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Distorted Harmony - Utopia
classic neo style prog with plenty of fluidity |
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95.
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Kong - Merchants Of Air
had it not been Mindplotter, this would have been the best instrumental album of the year |
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96.
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Seven Kingdoms - The Fire Is Mine
more female fronted power metal without the symphonic bits |
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97.
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Stolen Babies - Naught
whacky, whimsical, adventurous and memorable. Naught for naughty? |
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98.
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Windhand - Windhand
Electric Witch anyone? |
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99.
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Hour Of 13 - 333
Catchy, fun Doom |
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100.
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Kamelot - Silverthorn
Ghost Opera extended |
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101.
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Horn Of The Rhino - Grengus
Stomping... like angry rhinos |
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102.
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Shever - Rituals
all female death doom outfit with a sludge groove |
