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1.
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Cynic - Ascension Codes
(prog) It's really surprising how this works even without both Seans. I wouldn't mind if this was their last, it's beautiful, transcendental and basically almost everything I wanted given the circumstances. The ambient interludes feel like an esoteric Seirom which is great and something I didn't know I wanted until now. I think this is my favourite Cynic album even? Very gorgeous and very catchy somehow too. |
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2.
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Between The Buried And Me - Colors II
(prog, metalcore) Literally how. Literally how can a band have a bit of a dry run after a bunch of phenomenal records in the late 2000s and early 2010s, then release a sequel to their most beloved record in 2021 and fucking nail it? How did they pull this off. This never happens. The 3 song run of "Revolution in Limbo", "Fix The Error" and "Never Seen / Future Shock" might be my favourite thing by them ever. This is definitely my favourite since Parallax II and I might even like it more than Colors I. Just absolutely insane feat to pull off. Hats off to BTBAM. |
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3.
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Amenra - De Doorn
(post) They've done it again. I was at first a bit skeptical about the vocals, but really they fit nicely. The more raspy vocals really help make the album more sinister. Which generally seems to be the tone, compared to the last few, more sad offerings. The whole record being in flemish is a nice touch, I don't understand much but I like the sound of it. The spoken word passages are maybe a bit long at times, I liked them more when they were seperate poems like on MASS VI. But overall, pretty great. Will be hard to top this year. |
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4.
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Skepticism - Companion
(funeral doom) I was not that hyped when I heard the pre release tracks, but the entire albums flows surprisingly well. Their faster sound on this one is sure not something I thought would've worked, but it ended up doing just that. Really stellar stuff. |
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5.
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Japanische Kampfhörspiele - Neues Aus Dem Halluzinogenozinozän
(avant-garde) GOD what a title already. JaKa have basically left grindcore behind, this is just a seamless mix of tons of stuff from black metal to grindcore to punk to rap?? to eurodance???? Lyrics are a blast as always and god is this thing catchy. This will be really hard to top this year. |
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6.
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The Body - I've Seen All I Need To See
(noise, post) Injecting that depression right into my bloodstream. Really good, doesn't overstay its welcome, incredibly heavy and suffocating, sometimes haunting. "A Lament" might be my favourite track by them. It's just amazing. The record maybe lacks a bit of the variety and listenability that made me respin "No One Deserves Happiness" so much, but really it's top tier still. |
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7.
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Emptiness - Vide
(ambient, post-punk) After the last record I wondered: Will they make more weird, atmospheric, airy sex music? Well the answer was apparently yes. A great album to drift off too, this is not a sing-along or moshing record. But Emptiness is one of those bands that was always about atmosphere for me anyways. And they deliver. Their first album that really sounds like their band name. |
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8.
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Amigo The Devil - Born Against
(folk) Well, here is the newest album by what has very quickly become the project I've been listening to the most. And it is pretty good. The songs are much more diverse and compositionally interesting than before. A lot of them are super dense with sounds and all sorts of stuff. Songwriting and topics are also good as always. What I think suffered a bit from this transition to more musically diverse songs, is the lyricism. Amigo the Devil is a treasure trove of amazing lyrics: word plays, great flow and dark humor are all basically as good as they can get on his earlier material. On like half the songs here, this lyricism doesn't match the earlier stuff. But then there's more simple stuff like the closer, which makes it all fine again, lyrics wise. Still very excited to see where this project goes, and will undoubtably become my most listened record of the year, like his previous material has been before. But I do think it's his weakest so far (comparing the first full length and the Volume 1 compilation), as the lyrics are really what I listen to Amigo The Devil for. |
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9.
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Diphenylchloroarsine - Subterranean Existential Warfare
(slam) After last year I am really enjoying slam and the more brutal forms of death metal. Diphenylchloroarsine has been the best most recent band I found on that regard. And this one is just, more of the same really. I don't expect anything groundbreaking from slam, just fun and that is delivered here in spades. |
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10.
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Code - Flyblown Prince
(prog, post, black) There's always these kind of proggy black metal ablums once in a while that intrigue me. And really I can't pinpoint why. I remember liking one of the older Code albums (Nouveau Gloaming, which is impossible to write correctly on your first try) and didn't pay any attention to them since. But this flows so well and is really interesting, so I'll definitely have to go back. Name is terrible though. The "Flyborn Prince" I first read was way better. |
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11.
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Papangu - Holoceno
(prog, sludge) Just very nice on the ears and enjoayable. Incredibly accessible and enchanting. Not much else to say. Listen to it! |
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12.
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Aztlan - Legión Mexica
(folk) Talk about a super unique approach to folk metal. Kind of what I've been waiting for all this time. It very much is "caps lock" folk metal and I really love that about it. If only it was like 30% shorter. |
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13.
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Acausal Intrusion - Nulitas
(blackened death) Now this sounds fucking cool right here. It's super dissonant and strange sounding, but not in the typical way dissonance is sometimes utilized. Just found this on bandcamp because of the cover and oh wow. Also my compliments to the vocalist! A lot of death metal has a bit boring sounding vocals but this is almost funeral doom levels of deep over much less grand sound scapes. I live for interesting shit like this. |
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14.
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Coffin Lurker - Foul And Defiled
(funeral doom) I sometimes forget how cool funeral doom can be. Filthy, muddy production and heavy riffs make this a sonic joy. Fits the theme perfectly. Mories should really do more doom stuff he's pretty good at it? It's not anything suuuper special, but good nontheless. More of this darker funeral doom in general please, stop being sad guys let's be eeeeviiiiil. Speaking of which, what's Tyranny up to these days? |
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15.
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The Water Witch - The Eternal, Unrelenting Daylight
(folk, ambient, black) Sure didn't think I would see another record by this project. Really evolved itself as well! While the first one was more of a "AU A Forest Of Stars", this feels more unique. Nothing that blows me away, but some nice ideas for sure. |
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16.
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Bríi - Sem Propósito
(black, electronic) This is basically as good as last year's release. It weaves electronic music, psychedelic rock and atmospheric bm perfectly. It may lack a few hooks here and there to really make it that perfect record, but I love how this is going so far. |
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17.
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Gatecreeper - An Unexpected Reality
(death, grind, doom) More. Small. Albums. That. Have. Fun. Ideas. I don't care much for Gatecreeper usually, but this combo of grindcore and the doom finisher is really great. Seems like I've heard half the riffs before, but even then it's nothing bad. |
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18.
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Earthshine - My Bones Shall Rest Upon The Mountain
(doom, black, blackgaze) With a WITTR title like that, it almost seems incredibly uninteresting. But somehow, the production on this is fantastic, as are the vocals. This has tinges of dsbm, but also lies deeply in the blackgaze category, which you don't usually see with this rough a production. This is one of those rare cases where nothing in the actual compositions blows me away, but the simple presentation (particularly vocals and production) kick this up a fair few notches. Great stuff. |
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19.
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Trivium - In The Court Of The Dragon
(alternative, thrash, metalcore) What the fuck? |
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20.
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Decoherence - System I
(industrial bm) Industrial bm in a way we don't usually hear it. I like the rave like quality it has, but it does get a bit same-y. Excited to see where this project goes though. |
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21.
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Aureole - Alunarian Bellmaw
(black, ambient) A nice cozy release here. Weird words to say about a black metal EP, but oh well. |
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22.
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Merzbow - Black Crows Cyborg [Collaboration]
(noise, ambient) Some very surprisingly somber noise here from some of the biggest names in the genre. Similar to the Emptiness release, this is something to put on on a rainy day and just lose sense of time. The warm synth in the background does SO much to help the atmosphere, it almost just feels like a drony ambient album. Great stuff and a huge surprise for me. I don't usually relisten to these kinds of ambient records (hint: Drown), but here I can really see myself doing so. |
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23.
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Sugar Wounds - Calico Dreams
(metalgaze) I always wanna like this gaze stuff and I always find it a bit underwhelming, but the more aggressive and fast approach here really helps making it more enjoyable. Also doesn't overstay its welcome. Solid. |
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24.
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Body Void - Bury Me Beneath This Rotting Earth
(sludge) Body Void has been one of those "funeral" sludge bands that have shown a lot of promise to me. Devestating, heavy stuff. If you listen to this on a bad day then oh god help you. But then again it has the same "problem" I felt their music had before: it lacks a bit of that memorability, to stay with you just that extra bit longer. |
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25.
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Last Days Of Humanity - Horrific Compositions Of Decomposition
(goregrind) LDOH returns from being literally the most annoying and abrasive thing in the world to regular ole, solid goregrind. It's great. Love the production, love the vocals, love the riffs, it's not too long. A bit unmemorable, but that's what people say about me too so who am I to judge? Phenomenal cover and album title btw. |
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26.
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Five The Hierophant - Through Aureate Void
(pyschedelic, drone) Very much sounds like Dark Buddha Rising, but that's not a bad thing in the slightest. Hypnotic and heavy, sometimes really quite relaxing as well. A very pleasant listening experience with it's thick sound and stuttering synths. |
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27.
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Krallice - Demonic Wealth
(ambient black) LOUD NOISES. That's what I remember from the previous Krallice discography. Somehow at 10% of volume it still feels t0o loud. This one though has a great degree of subtlety, the synths really add a new dimension too. Almosts sounds like Murmuüre in a few moments here, really great stuff. |
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28.
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Alkerdeel - Slonk
(blackened sludge) Alkerdeel is one of these weird cases where there is definitely a huge comedic element to the titles and covers, but then there's this fucking dirty, heavy, ugly sludge behind it. Not as good as the debut definitely, but it's just good to see them doing more stuff. |
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29.
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Tribulation - Where The Gloom Becomes Sound
(goth) 2021 is the year of goth for me and so I decided to check this one out after being disappointed by "Down Below". It's fine mostly. It still lacks the great riffs I loved so much about their sound before, but the vocals are great as always and it has some fun moods. I am, however, left to wonder after finishing it: Where *does* the gloom become sound? |
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30.
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Exosphere - Nightmares
(extreme prog) Thouroughtly enjoyable, at times heavy, at times playful. Kinda what I really want out of prog and it avoids the "terrible vocals" pitfall a lot of prog falls into. I'm not sure how memorable it is, but since it's so short (thank god), respins are maybe gonna happen here and there. |
