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1.
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Pallbearer - Heartless
(9.5) (Doom) Pallbearer have pushed themselves to a new level with this album and etched out a sound all their own. |
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2.
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Almyrkvi - Umbra
(9) (Industrial Black/Death) The debut EP was good. This is great. Icelandic black metal just can't be stopped. |
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3.
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Tyrannosorceress - Shattering Light's Creation
(9) (Black) I saw these guys on the bill for a festival with Skaphe, Volahn, Arizmenda, Yellow Eyes and Inquistion and the terrible band name piqued my interest. Low expectations yielded a diamond in the rough. There is no shortage of memorable riffs here. Its hard to decide what modifying label to put on this black metal. No two songs use the same formula. Some lean progressive, some have post metal moments, some veer into doom territory. All have a good mix of solid riffs, dissonant bending notes and excellent instrumentation. The vocals are harsh and very well done. All in all this adds up to a gem of an album that I've been coming back to all year. |
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4.
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Dodecahedron - Kwintessens
(9) (Technical Black) No longer simply a Deathspell Omega clone, these guys have stepped up their game in a big way. |
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5.
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Amenra - Mass VI
(9) (Post-Sludge/Doom/Hardcore) It took me a while to warm up to this for whatever reason but it's a fantastic album, reminiscent of Neurosis but uniquely it's own thing. |
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6.
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Blut Aus Nord - Deus Salutis Meæ
(9) (Industrial Black/Death) Vindsval is back to making the industrial black metal that made this project great. |
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7.
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Impetuous Ritual - Blight Upon Martyred Sentience
(9) (Murky Death) This is one of those albums that's so murky and reverbed that you hear sounds that may or may not actually be there... Maybe that's just me. Its a great listen when straightforward melody gets tiring and you just need a borderline psychedelic maze of sound. |
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8.
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Entheogen - Without Veil, Nor Self
(8.5) (Psychedelic Black) I don't consider myself an Alex Poole fanboy but now this makes 3 albums on which he is at least featured this year in my top 5. Here he is only on vocals but the quality matches what I've come to expect from any project of which he is a part. This seems to me to take some inspiration from a couple of my favorite albums: Wormlust's The Feral Wisdom and Arizmenda's Within The Vacuum of Infinity. While not quite reaching the lofty heights of those masterpieces, this performance stands tall as one of the best albums of the year. |
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9.
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The Great Old Ones - EOD: A Tale Of Dark Legacy
(8.5) (Post-Black) The third full length from these French Chtulu worshippers sees them again step up their game a little bit. I was slightly worried with them signing to a bigger label but Season Of Mist does it right. |
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10.
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Israthoum - Channeling Death And Devil
(8.5) (Orthodox Black) This is black metal in its purest form, done damn near perfectly. The riffs here are great, the pacing, the songwriting, the production, all add to an amazing listening experience that I return to again and again. |
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11.
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Elder - Reflections Of A Floating World
(8.5) (Stoner/Jam/Progressive) I can't tolerate much stoner doom these days as it pretty much all sounds the same or just shitty. But these guys have been making elite stoner doom-lite since 2011. They don't disappoint here. |
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12.
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Skáphe - Untitled
(8.5) (Psychedelic Black) This 22 minute track serves as a tasty epilogue to last years full length. Just fantastic. |
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13.
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Spectral Voice - Eroded Corridors Of Unbeing
(8.5) Death/Doom |
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14.
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Pylar - A Ella Te Conduce La Sagrada Espyral
(8.5) (Drone/Free Jazz) I don't find myself listening to much drone. Frankly, I'm too impatient and look for more instant gratification from the stuff I listen to. But this hit me in just the right way probably due to the jazz elements present throughout. |
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15.
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Venenum - Trance Of Death
(8.5) (Progressive Death) A tour-de-force of progressive death metal. These Germans have made a big statement with this, their debut album. |
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16.
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Netra - Ingrats
(8.5) (Black/Trip-Hop/Jazz) You might not think those 3 genres could come together to create a cohesive sound. You would be wrong. |
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17.
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Spirit Adrift - Curse Of Conception
(8) Traditional Doom/Heavy |
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18.
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Turia - Dede Kondre
(8) (Avant-Garde Black) Trance inducing black metal. The Dutch really know how to make great metal. |
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19.
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Cormorant - Diaspora
(8) (Progressive Black/Melodic Death) This album has so much to offer beyond what any genre tag might indicate. A very eclectic mix of sounds, tempos and moods. |
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20.
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Tchornobog - Tchornobog
(8) (Blackened Death/Doom) Think Esoteric with more of a black metal influence. In fact, Greg Chandler lends his vocals to a track or two here. This is a must-listen. |
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21.
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Desolate Shrine - Deliverance From The Godless Void
(8) (Murky Blackened Death/Doom) A step up from their last release, this leans more into a Doom ridden Death metal sound. The atmosphere is as oppressive as ever. |
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22.
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Ashenspire - Speak Not Of The Laudanum Quandary
(8) (Avant-Garde/Victorian Black) I listened to a bit of this album earlier in the year and was too turned off by the vocals to carry on. Decided to power through and was rewarded with an enjoyable listen. The vocals take some getting used to for someone who hates A Forest Of Stars but there are also plenty of instrumental passages to cleanse the palette. |
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23.
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Ophis - The Dismal Circle
(8) Death Doom |
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24.
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Sorcerer - The Crowning Of The Fire King
(8) Doom |
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25.
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Dumal - The Lesser God
(8) (Black) This is purely old school black metal but its so fucking good it simply can't be ignored. |
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26.
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Pyrrhon - What Passes For Survival
(8) (Technical Death) Excellent slab of outside the box tech death. This album has proved to be not unlike much other elite tech death in my book: the first listen is near orgasmic. Upon revisiting, I find myself scratching my head wondering why I was so in love while still appreciating the album for what it is. |
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27.
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Satyricon - Deep Calleth Upon Deep
(8) Black |
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28.
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Chaos Moon - Eschaton Mémoire
(8) (Atmospheric Black) Alex Poole returns to his most prominent project with the dark wisdom of his Skaphe project on full display without simply being a rehash of those ideas. Wobbly, disorienting guitar leads are complimented by more standard rhythms and melodies to great success. The utilization of a full band adds a more organic feel than what we've heard in the past from this project. |
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29.
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Wormwood - Ghostlands - Wounds From A Bleeding Earth
(8) (Melodic Black/Folk) Undeniably good. Kind of a Windir/Dissection vibe going on. You've just gotta listen. |
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30.
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Progenie Terrestre Pura - OltreLuna
(8) (Sci-Fi/Electronic Black) This is the heaviest this project has sounded. Not many mellow ambient moments like the first album and the vocals are much harsher. Lost some of their unique charm in the process. |
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31.
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Suffering Hour - In Passing Ascension
(8) Blackened Death |
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32.
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Undergang - Misantropologi
(8) Filthy Death |
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33.
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Krallice - Go Be Forgotten
(8) Black |
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34.
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DSKNT - PhSPHR Entropy
(8) (Black/Death) Lets start by saying this is very obviously yet another DsO clone. However, much like Grey Heaven Fall from a couple years ago, the form is so well done that one is forced to accept the album for what it is: terrific. |
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35.
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Lorn - Arrayed Claws
(8) Dissonant Black |
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36.
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White Ward - Futility Report
(8) Atmospheric Black/Jazz |
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37.
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Sunless - Urraca
(7.5) Progressive Death |
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38.
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Merkabah (POL) - Million Miles
(7.5) (Avant-Garde/Jazz Metal) This is a bit too abstract for my liking but an eye opener nonetheless. |
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39.
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Loss - Horizonless
(7.5) Funeral Doom |
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40.
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Ulsect - Ulsect
(7.5) Tech Death/Post Black |
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41.
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Whoredom Rife - Dommedagskvad
(7.5) Orthodox Black |
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42.
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Succumb - Succumb
(7.5) Death |
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43.
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Bell Witch - Mirror Reaper
(7.5) Funeral Doom |
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44.
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Artificial Brain - Infrared Horizon
(7.5) Tech Death |
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45.
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Time Lurker - Time Lurker
(7.5) Post-Black |
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46.
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Rebirth Of Nefast - Tabernaculum
(7.5) Black |
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47.
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Regurgitate Life - Obliteration Of The Self
(7.5) Brutal Death |
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48.
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Bestia Arcana - Holókauston
(7.5) (Black) The sound achieved here is amazing. Unfortunately its all a bit too samey throughout the course of the album to be elite. |
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49.
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Godflesh - Post Self
(7.5) Industrial |
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50.
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Nightbringer - Terra Damnata
(7.5) Black |
