Leaderboard

Baby girl Zoe was delivered by C-section just after 10 this morning. Mom and daughter are doing well, currently resting. Bandcamp and hangovers can wait.

Immolation - Acts of God (2022) Number eight on my end of year list that if I am being honest, the boredom of being unable to do much of anything with COVID has led me to do an end of year list. I have listened to a lot of death metal in my lifetime. Give or take a couple of years, I have been active in the genre from its beginnings and have explored all manner of variants, sub-genres and cross-genre blending over the last 30+ years. In that time, I have seen bands hit real runs of form in terms of consistency and finding their peak output (Death from more or less start to finish) as well as simply finding amazing one-off releases from the more obscure artists in the far corners of the globe. I have watched bands like Morbid Angel define the very essence of the genre and then tragically run out of gas yet inexplicably carry on despite there clearly being nothing in the tank, whilst other old favourites like Obituary seem to have more than enough determination (if not necessarily the quality of old) to still bang out some serious death metal material. Inevitably with so many choices out there, some bands slip through the net initially. Some quite well-known names in fact because I did not listen to any Immolation until well into the noughties. Over time, as I have discovered more and more of their output, they occupy a rarefied space in my buying habits whereby I will buy pretty much anything they put out, cold. Whilst I am unable to stipulate that the band has a flawless discography, their levels of consistency for over three decades is unable to be matched by many of their contemporaries. Such is my admiration of them I waited three long months to listen to their latest offering on vinyl as opposed to just going for the instant streaming option that is so easy to access nowadays. For reasons I will go into shortly, upon initial purchase, I undertook a second full listen through in the digital format as there was a genuine need to compare the two following my initial spin on my trusty turntable. The over-arching statement first though is that this is Immolation through and through. Technically capable without being overly technical death metal, urgent without being sloppy and beastly without needing to be utterly monstrous at the expense of structures or form. You could pick this album up knowing nothing about the band and tell instantly that this is a record written and performed by guys who have been around the block a few times and who know their stuff as a result. The disdain for organised religion still sits at the heart of their lyrics and song themes and instrumentally they still balance pace and tempos well to offer a varied playbook out of which they pull every play possible over a lengthy fifteen tracks. Complete with superb artwork from Eli Kantor, Acts of God is an album staged on very familiar and welcoming ground. However, as much as there is to be celebrated, there are also some challenges which keep the scores on the doors well away from being a full compliment. Firstly, Acts of God is too long. Now, this is not to say that it outstays its welcome – far from it. As a vinyl experience though you have two discs to play and each side averages around three songs so the overall experience gets a bit stop-start. Absolutely my choice to go with vinyl of course, but this really emphasises that there is a lot to get through here. As I mentioned above, once I had heard the vinyl version of the album I reverted to the digital version for my next run through. There were two reasons for this. Oddly, Dolan’s vocals sounded too monstrous upon first listen, to the point of them sounding artificial. Clearly just and oddity in the formats as this is not an issue on the digital version. I also thought the production sounded a little too muddy on the vinyl format and again, this is not an issue with the streamed format. Whilst neither of the above challenges ruin the listening experience overall it was worth exploring the detail on this occasion. Worthy of noting that the album sound on vinyl is (as you would expect) absolutely huge. Although by no means flawless, Immolation’s eleventh studio offering is well worth the five-year wait (as well as the extended couple of months due to issues with the vinyl pre-orders). It still sounds like a mature, well-established death metal band that are still able to sound relevant and individual at the same time. There cannot be many more of these in the tank – at least not based on my already noted experience of other bands in the genre who began at approximately the same time – and so to all intents and purposes Acts of God should be celebrated for the fine death metal album that it is.

MERCYFUL FATE - Melissa

Overkill - The Grinding Wheel, 2017 Condor - Unstoppable Power, Norway 2017 Sodom M-16, 2001

Slayer - Hell Awaits, 1985 Celtic Frost - To Mega Therion, 1985

Went a little crazy on bandcamp this morning. Picked up some things I've had on my list for a while, a few I thought I had, and some new items. The Moulting by Tomb Mold The Bottomless Perdition by Tomb Mold Deathbed Sessions by Sepulchral Curse Moon of Foul Magics by Autonoesis Black Cascade by WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM Diadem of 12 Stars by WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM Age of Excuse by Mgła With hearts toward none by Mgła Apocalypse Sun by Nightbringer Two Hunters by WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM Groza by Mgła Queen Of The Night by Vandal Moon SPLIT 2017 by культура курения/regnmoln Обскур by культура курения Некрофилия by культура курения Холодные Провода/Цемент (EP) by культура курения Рвота (EP) by культура курения Blackbraid I by Blackbraid Is Your Heart Still Unmoved Towa... by Pleasure Policy Shadows by Twin Tribes

Kingdoms Disdained, I find that the riffs lack clarity, audibility. When I listen to this album, I hear a magma of guitars where I have difficulty perceiving the variations of notes. Until now, I confess, I always listened to it in MP3, which is not the best quality in audio files. I will try a FLAC version with good material to see if my opinion changes. So... Morbid Angel - Kingdoms Disdained (2017) Ok, I revise my opinion on this album that I listen to in FLAC format on a Fiio M11s and a BeyerDynamics DT-770 PRO 32 Ohms wired headphones. The sound is more voluminous, more spatialized and the riffs are finally more audible. Massacra - Enjoy the Violence (1991) A little jingoism can't hurt, can it? 😁 Napalm Death - Throes of Joy in the Jaws of Defeatism (2020) Seance - Salt Rubbed Eyes (1993)

Massacre-From Beyond (1991)

I dunno about skipping BATM. Fucking Jake E. Lee is awesome on that album. Black metal classics day: Emperor - In the Nightside Eclipse Immortal - Pure Holocaust Mayhem - De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas Inquisition - Into the Infernal Regions of the Ancient Cult Bathory - Bathory Darkthrone - A Blaze in the Northern Sky Judas Iscariot - Distant in Solitary Night

Obituary - Slowly We Rot

Cannibal Corpse - Gore Obsessed (2002)

Motorhead - Orgasmatron

Enslaved - Eld

Enslaved - Isa Enslaved - Monumension

Man there's a lot of music I've never heard (of) this year. Here's my Top 21 list (why 21? Because why not?) 1. GGGOLDDD - This shame should not be mine Easily the best album of the year. Emotional, cathartic and empowering. This isn't really metal, but there's certainly heavy sections. I think this would appeal to the likes of @markm and.... 🤷‍♂️ 2. Jordfäst - Av stoft Just like previous album, Av Stoft is a fantastic journey through hardships and torment via the vehicle of black metal. Jordfäst play folk metal in the very essence of the word; recalling a 18-19th century layer of working class toil on their music and lyrics, without using accordians or folk songs. The perspective is always the worker, looking up at the unjust rulers and the unjust sky. 3. Saints n Sinners - Rise of the alchemist When I first heard this in march it was clear that this was gonna stay with me for a long time. The greatest power/heavy metal album of the year comes from.... fucking Turkey? Yep, with incredibly catchy riffs and choruses and a singer evoking Bruce Dickinson without the needless higher register wailings, SnS is fucking phenomenal and I can't wait to see where they go next. 4. Erzfeynd - Muspilli / Behaft bekert / Wyrm / Split The lone German has had an incredibly productive year and while most material was written last year, 2022 saw the literal ketchup effect of no less than 4 EP:s/splits, and they all rule. This is by far my favourite discovery of the pandemic years and I can't recommend him enough. 5. Misthyrming - Með hamri It's Misthyrming, you know it rules! 6. Besna - Zverstva A hidden Slovakian gem of atmospheric black metal coupled with hints of post-metal. A really wonderful treat, and a band that I think will break big with their next album, similar to what happened to Gaerea. You heard it here first. 7. Ultra Silvam - The Sanctity of Death Just as viciously sharp as The Spearwound Salvation, but with slightly more refined song writing. The chaotic feeling of wheels coming of is intact though! 8. Venus Principle - Stand in your light A mellow, rocking, beutiful album featuring ex-members of Crippled Black Phoenix, with paired male and female vocals. 9. Tchornobog/Abyssal - Split Tchornobog (and all Markov Soroka's bands) have quickly become one of my favourite entities of dark, abyssmal churnings and the split did not only not disspoint, but also introduced me to U.K.'s Abyssal. Both bands deliver 20+ min songs that both wreck minds and corrupts spirits. 10. Absent in Body - Plague God A honest to god super-group that actually delivers. Featuring current or former members of Amenra, Neurosis and Sepultura AIB's main strength is the atmosphere of dark corruption in the music and the absolutley filthy vocals of Colin van Eeckhout (I think). I would also like to highlight the excellent lyrics who also has a very distinct and rhythmic pacing to them. The lyrics could work just as well as spoken word-poetry. 11. Cult of Luna - The Long Road North The undefeated kings of posthardcore/metal. The Long Road North is like the perfect blending of Vertikal and A Dawn to Fear; futuristicly cold and arboreally hostile, while also infinitely beautiful. 12. An abstract illusion - Woe A modern take on death metal with breakdowns, synths, but without falling into the trappings of death/metalcore or djent. 13. Mortuus - Diablerie The true forgotten gem of 2022 black metal. I don't think I've seen this on any AOTY list. This is mid-paced orthodox black metal with a great balance between atmosphere and agression. Topnotch stuff. 14. Egregore - The Word of his law American death metal with a very out-there approach. It's like listening to a round metal cube forcing itself into a square wodden hole. 15. Moonlight Sorcery - Nightwind: The Conqueror from the Stars These Finns surprise-dropped this EP towards the end of the year and just like "Piercing..." there are fleet-footed black metal with a huge dose of 80's shred guitar and tons of charm. Standout track is definitely "Constellations". 16. Shaam Larein - Sticka en kniv i världen The only doomrock band on the list, so you know they must be great! Has a bit of the occult rock flair but packs a lot more attitude and brassknuckles than your usual Devil's Blood-clone. Great, soulful vocals from Shaam too. 17. Kvaen - The Great Below You know this one. The Funeral Pyre set the meloblack scene ablaze two years ago and it's no surprsie The Great Below continues with equal prowess. 18. Kuggur - حصاد ضَوْءٌ النُّجُوم An electronic, ambient album by former Sólstafir drummer Gummi, musing on the artistic similarities between Icelandic and Middle eastern folkmusic. The result is beautiful. 19. Det Eviga Leendet - Reverence Swedish black metal band with Jacob from Mare Cognitum on vocals. A tempered iron gauntlet weilding a spiked flail to your temple, over and over. Hints of dissonant chords keep you on your toes, but you're mainly here for the beating. 20. Deathspell omega - The Long Defeat The most accessible and catchy album by the Frenchies, with some wellsuited guest vocals from M and Arioch. unfortunatly shithead Aspa is still there. 21. Moonlight Sorcery - Piercing Through the Frozen Eternity This EP dropped in febuary and it took me well into the summer before I discovered it. Glad I did though since it's a very, very fun EP. Finnish black metal with extra everything.

I guess I'm up...I'll get the write ups done later...maybe...but for now* Oh...and these aren't ranked, just in loosely alphabetical order *List subject to change depending on the day of the week Top Albums Ancient Death - Sacred Vessel (Death) Blood Chalice - The Blasphemous Psalms of Cannibalism (black/death) Blutumhang - Moonchants to Eternus (black) Concilivm - A Monument in Darkness (death) Ch'ahom - Excavation (black/death) Dolchstoss - War Is Eternal (black) Damnation Lust - Lords of Evil Power (Black/death) Frozen Graves - An Age of Emptiness (black) Fellwinter - Night of the Blood (black) Glemsel - Forfader (black) Gauntlet Ring - Tyrannical Bloodlust (black) Hyngwar - Eternal Glory (black) Innumerable Forms - Philosophical Collapse (Death/Doom) Nither - Cast in Dark Grandeur (black) Necrolatría - Where Light Has No Domain (black) Pâlefroid - S/T (black) Prehistoric War Cult - Under the Sign of the Red Moon (black/death) Phobophilic - Enveloping Absurdity (death) Rotten Tomb - Visions of a Dismal Fate (death) Skare - S/T (black) Serpentfyre - Baptism of Shadows (black) Suppression - The Sorrow of Soul Through Flesh (death) Sadistic - Rotting Eternal (death) Satan's Blade - Curse of the Blade (heavy) Tension - Decay (heavy) Vorgfang - Skammens stein (black) Vultyrium - S/T (black) Walghinge - Primordiaal verlangen (black) Whirlwind - 1714 (Heavy) Warhawk - Pray for War (Heavy Metal) Honorable mentions Blasphematory - The Lower Catacombs (death) Nocturnal Triumph - S/T (black) Total Maniac - S/T (Heavy/Speed Metal/Punk) Triangulum - Victory in Death (Black) Wampyrinacht - Night of the Desecration (black)

Nice work on the lists, gents! My turn now... Starting things off with some honorable mentions, as is the way of things... Panzerfaust - The Suns of Perdition, Chapter III: The Astral Drain: A worthy, if slightly disappointing follow up to their previous couple masterworks. I like Panzerfaust better when they quicken their pace, which they don't much here, but they're competent enough at slow, brooding, nightmare fuel as well. Hersker - Hudangst: By far the best blackened hardcore release I've heard in years but came across it too late in the year to warrant a place in the top 10. Needs more time to sink in for now. Prehistoric War Cult - Under The Sign Of The Red Moon: Best war metal release I heard this year, bar none. The Chasm - The Scars of a Lost Reflective Shadow: Legendary band returning with an excellent album that should've garnered a lot more hype and acclaim than it did. But I guess these guys have always flown under the radar so it only makes sense. Pharmacist - Flourishing Extremities On Unspoiled Mental Grounds: I had this one as a lock to make my top 10 all year long and it hurts to leave it off now. Best early Carcass worshipping album I've heard.... maybe ever? They give Exhumed a run for their money, and some. Straight up facts! Grima - Frostbitten: Another album I previously had as a lock for the top 10 but was knocked out by some late-year powerhouse releases. I really appreciate Grima's lean, straight forward approach to melodic/atmospheric black metal with no agonizingly long, meandering build-ups that go nowhere or banal samples of trees rustling in the wind or anything like that. To the point melo-black, done very very well. The top 10 10. Downcross - Hexapoda Triumph (Black Metal, Belarus) Very well-rounded, very headbangable black metal that's lighter on the atmospheric side but doubles up on riffs. These guys paint with very broad strokes and cover a lot of the black metal spectrum without ever boxing themselves into any one specific sub-sub genre. A little bit second wave, little bit melodic, little bit black n' roll, a little bit of dissonance but a whole lot of awesome! 9. Stangarigel - Na Severe Srdca (Pagan Black Metal, Slovakia) Side project from one of the Malokarpatan guys and damn near equal in quality to the main band. Emotive, folky and atmospheric is the name of the game, no goats to be found here. This is black metal of the mystical, enchanted forest variety. Very approachable and warm-sounding. The perfect compatriot to a rainy stroll though the woods. 8. Kampfar - Til Klovers Takt (Pagan Black Metal, Norway) I'm a longtime lover of this band. Kampfar are lowkey the most consistent, and overlooked, Norwegian black metal act and firmly in the upper tier of Pagan BM. 'Til Klovers Takt' is another strong addition to their impeccable catalogue and only a slight step down from the band's best work. If you liked any of their previous albums, you're pretty much guaranteed to enjoy this one. 7. Immolation - Acts of God Everyone knows who Immolation are and where they stand with them. Immolation are for sure my favourite death metal band. They are, in my opinion, the closest any metal band has ever come to having a perfect discography. Even the worst Immolation album is still a solid 7.8/10 in my books. Acts of God does fall into the lower half of my Immolation discography ranking, however, though that's more of a testament to how amazing some of their other albums are. My favourite death metal release of 2022, easily (though it didn't exactly have any stiff competition). 6. Daeva - Through Sheer Will and Black Magic (Blackened Thrash, USA) Black/Thrash has long been a micro-genre that I've enjoyed but not loved... until I discovered this album. This record absolutely smokes! If you want blistering speed, face-melting riffs and unhinged vocals, Daeva’s got you covered. If you want dark, foreboding, sinister atmosphere replete with all the grit one needs in extreme metal to sound truly nasty, Daeva's got you covered. This album ticks every box. 5. Sisyphean - Colours of Faith (Black Metal, Lithuania) Icelandic Black Metal.... from Lithuania. Yeah, that's how'd I'd describe Sisyphean in five words or less. Very modern sounding, slightly dissonant and borderline atonal. A rather tempered sound for this style of black metal but Sisyphean really excel at crafting thrilling and engaging songs that are coherent and don't ever feel like a mere collection of riffs. Just a very well written and well arranged album. Really enjoyed this one. 4. Wake - Thought Form Decent (Post/Black/Death/whatever, Canada) Wake really impressed me with their 2020 release, 'Devouring Ruin', claiming the number three spot on my list that year. Their follow-up EP, 'Confluence', later that same year was also fantastic. 'Thought Form Descent' picks up right where the EP left off with a more melodious, emotive and blackened twist on their death/grind/post-metal hybrid. I wasn't quite as blown away by this new one and I do miss the sheer "fuck-your-face-off" aggression of past albums like 'Misery Rites' but there's no denying that Wake have really come into their own with a unique brand of progressive black/death metal. 3. Ultha - All That Has Never Been True (Black Metal, Germany) This album really caught me off guard as upon seeing the album cover I thought for sure there was no way I was gonna like this. Never judge a book/album by it's cover, so they say, but we all do it. 'All That Has Never Been True' is a visceral, atmospheric and melodic opus of Black Metal and a very rewarding listening experience. The album expertly flows between harsher and moodier sections while finding creative ways to supplement the atmosphere without going into cliché heavy/acoustic/heavy/mellow structures. Unquestionably one of the very best of the year. 2. Misþyrming - Með hamri (Black Metal, Iceland) Misþyrming are one of my top favourite bands. I've loved every one of their albums with their last one being my AOTY for 2019 and this Icelandic juggernaut knocked it out of the park again with their surprise, late year release 'Með hamri'. These guys have an immaculate talent for blending melody with dissonance that that I absolutely adore. They also had a real anthemic angle on their last record which I'm glad to hear has carried over to give some fist pounding clamor to the overall hostility of their sound. Black Metal at its most malignant and abrasive but also melodious and triumphant. Misþyrming hold my favor as one of the best bands in the genre. 1. Gevurah - Gehinnom (Black Metal, Canada) Well, after six long years since the band's debut, and four since their excellent 'Sulphur Soul' EP, Gevurah finally graced us with what should go down as their magnum opus. 'Gehinnom' is a statement of intent that solidifies the band as one of the most lethal and menacing forces in contempoary black metal. Seriously, this record is just viscious, but not without dynamics. What really strikes me about this album is how rare it is for both atmospheric and dissonant black metal bands to riff this hard, and minus a handful of tempo reprieves, this record is a punishing onslaught of furious riffing set to pummling blasts. A standard setting release and I would hope a trend setting one as well. I would very much like to hear more black metal bands take a page from Gevurah's playbook. Less Gaerea, more Gevurah!

Enslaved - Eld (1997)

Got invited to my nieces school awards last night, she was up for a few awards which we were all proud of but the highlight of the night for me was the musical interludes. I'll give the first kid credit, I'm not an Ed Sheeran fan but the kid singing gave it her all and it sounded okay. The second song was some other pop song I didn't know. But the third song just before the end of the night was brilliant. The lights went down and in the shadows we could see a 15-16 year old kid with long hair stepping up to the mic, 3 other musos with their instruments behind him. Into the mic the young guy mildly says, "This one's for Chuck, gone too soon". I read earlier in the day that the previous day was the anniversary of Chuck Schuldiner's death, but I really didn't think much of the kid's comments. The the lights came up covering the stage in a blood red colour, the kid put up the horns and the band broke into Pull The Plug. The kids did a darn good job but the look on some of the parents and carers faces in the audience not expecting some loud death metal song from school concert was absolutely fucking priceless. Kudos to the teachers for letting the kids express themselves with the music they wanted, but I'll still never forget the look on some peoples faces.

Metallica - Ride the Lightning (1984) Morbid Angel - Altars of Madness (1989) Slayer - Seasons in the Abyss (1990)

I hate this forum.

Sodom - Persecution Mania (1987) Christ Passion ! 😍🤘🏻

The horns up sign is perfect for acknowledging all this stuff. It shows solidarity. Thumbs up would be for an asshole. I don't know what "ideal" is for childhood, but my run was fairly smooth. I did have a brother that died (as a baby) when I was 3. Did not affect me because I was too young, but my parents have carried it all their lives. My dad tried to say something once a few years ago, like some kind of weird apology "sorry I was not there more" which left me perplexed. "But, dad, you were home at 5pm for dinner every day and were available whenever I needed something....what are you talking about?" So, geez, even good people don't think they did a good job. My mum is pretty crazy now, but was fantastic and supportive when I was growing up. My brother (not the dead one, one that followed) was a different story. He ran away from home at about 15. But everyone's all good now. He has come out the other side and I'm prouder of him than anyone else I've known. Hmm. So maybe it wasn't ideal. Every family has its dramas. Just glad it is resolved now. You don't get a second chance and shouldn't take any of the wins for granted.

Asphyx - Last One On Earth (1992) Asphyx - Deathhammer (2012)

Onslaught - The Force (1986) Death - Human (1991) Judas Priest - Painkiller (1990)

There's no need to introduce the album, is there? Ride the Lightning, I discovered it in 1986, a few months before Master of Puppets was released. I was in high school. A friend of mine came up to me and handed me his headphones, saying: listen to this, you'll be amazed! I hear the introduction of Fight Fire with Fire and all of a sudden this big riff comes in before Lars' drums kick in. Indeed: I was hallucinating! So much so that today, 36 years later, I still love Thrash Metal. I haven't listened to Metallica for years (um... 1991?) but it's a style that gave me a lot of pleasure and without which I probably wouldn't listen to Metal nowadays. The musical style, AND this album. Note: the same day, I ran to my record store to get "Ride". I have the record with the green cover

Bolt Thrower - Realm Of Chaos

Monarchies can have good monarchs. Doesn't make the ongoing concentration of wealth and power into the hands of one family over generations a good thing. Democracies and Republics can also have good leaders as well as bad. Doesn't make the concentration of wealth and power into the hands of a few a good thing either. Your point our fair @Dead1 about Scandanavian countries is valid, but as @Hungarino points out, those are smaller countries with more homogenous populations. Governments are always going to be more effective on a smaller scale and with those conditions. Doesn't hurt that they are resource rich. Unfortunately, there are few if no examples of government being able to successfully scale to govern large areas with disparate populations. The US has arguably been the most successful at doing so, but as you point out the future success remains to be seen. A truly benevolent government that tried to meet the needs and wants of a population, say the size of the US, would either need more resources than one could imagine or be completely ineffective. We do have an unbelievable amount of resources and the best position to pull it off, but our self-imposed limitations of the 2 party system and convoluted electoral system among others leads us towards the concentration of power subject to the whims/desires of an outspoken minority (say christian evangelicals) instead of a true representation of the best interests of the majority leads to the disfunction we see today. I would agree that the US needs a constitutional overhaul to bring it into the modern era, and I think the process of reviewing and updating the foundational document of any government should be ingrained in said document. Not what we currently have where it takes a vote from a super majority to invoke that process, but instead at a predefined time. Changes being taken independent of each other and put to popular vote for ratification. I'm in no way arguing that the US system is any better. It is an empire with all the problems that brings. My thoughts on the US and the UK are pretty much the same, that it would serve all of the people better to be governed by smaller regional governments with favorable trade and cooperation agreements rather than centralized power with bound vassal states. Neither form of government (monarchy, democracy, republic, etc) is inherently bad, but the implementations that are problematic.

Finally got to see a gig after many years of COVID induced nothingness! Band was Fridge - an old Tassie stoner rock/sludge/grunge band featuring one of the guys from King Parrot. Also tried out some new earplugs which worked really well and I could still hear the guitars and bass! Bloody brilliant and an awesome way to get back to live music.

MEGADETH - Peace Sells...But Who's Buying?

Starting the day off with a classic. Stoked to see them next week even though they will play the same set I've seen twice before. NP: Emperor - Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk - as much as I prefer ITNE, this is the superior album. After that going for some bands I'll see at Psycho that I've never seen live: mgla - Exercises in Futility mgla - With Hearts Towards None Katatonia - The Great Cold Distance Paradise Lost - Shades of God Paradise Lost - Icon

Horna ~ Hengen Tulet Heyy everyone hope all is well with you all.

AC/DC - High Voltage - need to knock it back a notch after Vital Remains and Meshuggah! AC/DC - Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap Black Sabbath - Sabotage

Binging some Bathory today... The Return Under The Sign Of The Black Mark NP: Blood Fire Death

Enslaved - Below the Lights Enslaved - Monumension

MEGADETH - Rust In Peace

Darkthrone - A Blaze in the Northern Sky - 30th anniversary of this classic, so why not.

After much debating and lots of procrastination, I've finally settled on my top 30 albums of 2021. As usual, last year was ridiculously strong, so strong that I'm honestly surprised some albums didn't make the cut. Anyway, here goes: 30. CULT OF LUNA - The Raging River Red Crk. CoL was kind enough to grace us with a palatte cleanser before unleashing a full-length in... 2 weeks. While slightly uneven, opener Three Bridges more than makes up for the price of admission. 29. HÄXKAPELL – Eldhymner Nordvis. A stunning debut album by Häxkapell. Pulling from the rich soil of Scandinavian black metal and imbuing it with arcane practices of Vinnland, Eldhymner is a must-buy. 28. GOLDEN BLOOD - Serpent Chariot Self-released. This is not the last time you'll find Austrian tour de Force Erech Leleth on this list, this time it's with heavy/black/punk metal hybrid Golden Blood. A ridiculously entertaining and catchy album! 27. PAN-AMERIKAN NATIVE FRONT - Little Turtle's War Death Kvlt Production. The rightous fury and passion on this, and indeed all PANF releases, are magnificent and really what gives this band the edge over many US bm-bands. 26. VINTERKRIG - Härskare över stjärnorna och mina drömmar Graveless Souls Records. An obscured and forgotten gem of 90s melodic black metal from Sweden, lovingly unearthed by GSR. The missing link between Gates of Ishtar, Dawn and perhaps Dissection, with some dashes of early Limbonic Art. If you haven't LISTEN TO THIS! I would love for this to get the vinyl treatment in the future... *Wink wink* 25. SPECTRAL LORE – Ετερόφωτος I, Voidhanger Ayloss continues to bend and shape the confines of what loosely is called atmospheric black metal into all manner of twisted forms, and I'm all here for it. 24. ANCIENT MASTERY - The Chosen One Death Kvlt Production See, I told you Erech Leleth would return. This is probably his most popular band, and for good reason. AM mixes pummeling black metal, atmoshperic passages and triumphantly tooting brass-sections, all wrapped up in straight-up nerd shit! 23. THE NIGHT ETERNAL - Moonlit Cross Ván. A previously unknown band for me, The Night Eternal plays heavy metal with a wide stance and tight pants, without forgetting to add the dark streak. 22. NOVAE MILITAE - Topheth Sentient Ruin Speaking of dark streak, Novae Militae is all dark, no streak, no light, only death. Music to get lost in. 21. LLNN - Unmaker Pelagic These Danes have managed to make one of the heaviest albums without actually being metal. Their blend of Godflesh, Author & Punisher and pissed off post-hardcore is mesmerizing. Like staring into that famous head-shaped hole Trent Reznor talked about. 20. HIPPOTRAKTOR - Meridian Pelagic Pelagic again, that label knows how to find interesting bands. Hippotraktor is alternating between beautiful postrock passages to brick-heavy riffs that are probably the closest I'll come to listen to djent. 22. BLODTÅR - Blodtår Nordvis The best Scandinavian folk-infused black metal since Thyrfing? Absolutely. Carl MUST record a full-length. Now. Just listen to Svartsejd, you won't regret it! 18. THE SUNS JOURNEY THROUGH THE NIGHT - Demo II Self released Building upon his latest full-length Demo II sees No One further fine-tune his craft. Fantastic black metal alternating between raw buzzings, cosmic atmoshperics and inner turmoil. 17. ESCUMERGAMËNT - ...ni degu fazentz escumergament e mesorga... Avantgarde Escumergamënt gives me the same feeling of mystery as when I first heard Bathory and was trying to figure out what the hell was going on. No other similarities though. Way too many have slept on this album. 16. SAIDAN - Jigoku: Spiraling Chasms Of The Blackest Hell Obscurant Visions Much hated, but I still can't get over how engaging and catchy Jigoku is. 15. ANCIENT MASTERY - Across the mountains of Drämmerskoll Death Kvlt Production Oh look, it's Erech Leleth again, here to steal all your girlfriends! 14. MIDNIGHT ODYSSEY - Biolume Part 2 - The Golden Orb I, Voidhanger Dis Pater is just as much a musical chameleon as Ayloss and that's probably why I always tend to get them and Jacob Buczarski mixed up together. Biolume pt 2 is a sharp change from pt 1, much more insistent on the clean vocals and a very strong melodic heavy metal vibe, only filtered through black metal sensibilities. This is the kind of album you can return to and find new details for years. 13. NESTOR - Kids In a Ghost Town Nestor Music Group Straight out of nowhere, Nestor dropped like a bomb in my lap and they haven't left my car stereo ever since. Truly fun and catchy 80's heavy metal with a top-notch singer and tasteful keys and guitar-licks. Amazing! 12. FERRITERIUM – Calvaire Epicureal Still fucking bummed that I forgot to order this fantastic riff-machine of an album. If anyone want's to sell their copy, hit me up! 11. WHOREDOM RIFE - Winds of Wrath Terratur Possessions WR continues to dominate the Norwegian black metal scene together with Djevel, this being perhaps their most curated and well-balanced album. 10. 1914 - Where Fear And Weapons Meet. Napalm Records. The Blind Leading the Blind socked me in the jaw and sneaked up as my #1 album of 2018, so this follow-up had A LOT to prove! And as you can see by the placement, 1914 didn't quite live up to the pressure, but that is in part due to the VERY stiff competition this year. All in all, this album is really, really good, make no mistake. 9. MARE COGNITUM - Solar Paroxysm. I, Voidhanger. I've waxed poetically about this album numerous times before but in short it's a fantastic and mesmerizing journey across the five tracks (clocking in at a total of 56 min). Rooted in atmospheric black metal, Jacob Buczarski travels from the rich soil of Earthy black metal riffs, out into spacious synthscapes and the scorching, blast-beat filled surface of our sun. Just listen to Luminous Accretion and feel your soul expand. 8. CRADLE OF FILTH - Existance is Futile. Nuclear Blast. In a way it's a thing of beauty, as well as poetic justice, that Cradle of Filth releases one of their best albums 30 years into their career. For all the scorn and ridicule Dani Filth and gang have endured (including past me), it's nice to see that sticking to your guns and trusting your vision pays off if you know what the fuck you're doing. Existance is Futile is a fantastic testamet to this credo, melodic, riff-driven, and with tasteful vocals and lyrics. If you, like me, lost touch with the Filth years ago, here's your chance to make it right. 7. ANCIENT WISDOM - A celebration in honor of Death. Avantgarde. Words can't express how happy I am to finally hear a new Ancient Wisdom album (the one-man Swedish doom/black band, accept no American substitutes!!). Vargher may work slowly, but by Satan it's worth it when he conjures up songs like Breaking the Circle of Life and Those Who Do Not Exist. 6. STORMKEEP - Tales of Othertime. Ván Records. I was not too impressed by Stormkeep's first EP Galdrum, so imagine my surprise when The Serpents Stone dropped and it was 100% everything I needed in my life at that time. Super-symphonic black metal that is thiiiiis close to being camp, but manages to balance on that razor's edge. 5. SPECTRAL WOUND - A Diabolic Thirst. Profound Lore. As soon as I heard "Frigid and Spellbound" I knew this was gonna be a heavy contender for AOTY. What I didn't know was just how ridiculously fierce the competition would be. Any other year and Spectral Wound would've taken the crown. 4. NINKHARSAG - Dreadmarch of Solemn Gods. Vendetta. I had my eye on these brits since the "Discipline Through Black Sorcery" single and Dreadmarch of Solemn Gods did not disappoint. Melodic black metal that is as surgically precise as it is wildly headbangable. 3. ZORNHEYM - The Zornheim Sleep Experiment. Noble Demon. For some godforsaken reason it took me almost into October before I bothered listening to the sophomore album from Zornheym. I don't know why, since "Where Hatred Dwells and Darkness Reigns" was a sleeper favourite of 2017. Well, I fixed that with prejudice. If Spotify Wrapped was actually correct it would've shown "Slumber Comes in Time" and "Keep The Devil Away" to be my most listened songs of 2021. No contest. This is the finest symphonic death metal since... well, the last album. Insanely catchy, with a ton of details in the riffs and orchestra arrangements, not to mention a truly impressive vocal performance from Bendler. 2. MALAKHIM - Theion. Iron Bonehead. This album came out in January so you'd think it would run the risk of being forgotten over the course of the year. Well, not if you are Malakhim and you know how to harness the fire of black metal and forge it into a barbwire cudgel to bash your fucking head in. That'll leave an impression. Like Whoredom Rife and Stormkeep this is an album where every aspect from packaging, cover art, calligraphy to individual drawings weaves into a perfect whole. 1. ARCHSPIRE - Bleed the Future. Seasons of Mist. The undisputed king of 2021. For every single Archspire released I grew more and more impressed until it all culminated with the release of Bleed the Future. What's amazing is not the incredibly technical skills of each individual musician or that they found a verbose freak in Oli Peters that could match them with his vocals, but that Archspire writes songs that do not compromise on brutality, technicality OR catchiness and tasteful composition.

….here is a list of records I liked most in 2021…. CONVERGE AND CHELSEA WOLFE – Blood Moon CARCASS – Torn Arteries MIDNIGHT ODYSSEY – Biolume Pt. 2 CRUEL MASTER – Repeat Offender MIST OF DOOM – Night ILLVIJIA – Morkret PARALLAX SMILE – Bruised Fruit IGNORED – Ignored MINUTES OF DECAY – Xanax FINAL KILL – Total Collapse SAVURA – Nekropunk Attack RANA – Armament HUNGRY WOLF – Forgotten Frozen Lands WORLD IN RUINS – In Misery BLACK KNIFE – Murder Season BOMBER – Black Ultra Anarchy DEVILSPIT – Ethylic Dark Crusade TERMINAL FILTH – The Plague Sessions GRAVERIPPER – Radiated Remains ROAD PIG – Road Pig THE GRAIL – Black Craft VIOLENT HEX – Black Mass In The Attic BASTARD DESTROYER – Suffering NIHILISTISCHER WAHN – Sinistre Zotenlieder MUNICION – Fukk Off In Hell LUCIFUGE – Internal Power BLURR THROWER – Les Voutes MONOCHROMATIC RESIDUA – Eternal Mountain BRIDGEBURNER – Disempath OUTLAW – Death Miasma MORBIFIC – Ominous Seep Of Putridity CRYPT CRAWLER – Future Usurper GOAT RIDER – Tsundere VORVAN – Awakened PLASMODIUM – Towers Of Silence PHANE – Phane MISOTHEIST – For The Glory of Your Redeemer S.H.I. – 4 Death STEEL BEARING HAND – Slay In Hell GOD’S HATE – God’s Hate MIASMATA – Unlight: Songs Of Earth And Atrophy ORDER – The Gospel VALAC – Burning Dawn Of Vengeance FERITERIUM – Calvaire GORGON – Traditio Satanae OSSUAIRE – Triumvirat WHITEHORSE – Death Weight ALKDERDEL – Slonk GRALAGHORR – The Divine Spectacle Of Birth THOU AND EMMA RUTH RUNDLE – The Helm Of Sorrow SKIN TENSION – Machinic Impulses Of The Hyperreal PLEBIAN GRANDSTAND – Rien Ne Suffit SERMON OF FLAMES – I Have Seen The Light And It Was Repulsive BONECARVER – Evil SUFFERING HOUR – The Cyclic Reckoning YAUTJA – The Lurch ANTI RITUAL – Expel The Leeches EVIL PREVAILS – Dirt And Decay MANY EYED SERAPHIM – Many Eyed Seraphim DODSRIT – Mortal Coil ....sorry, WhiteNoise and markm, that it took so long....been a little busy lately...and I hate typing..... ....there was a shit ton of other good stuff that came out this year and they were all as good as any of these, but I had to type something.....

RIITIIR turned into a minor Enslaved binge: Axioma Ethica Odini Eld Mardraum I imagine I'll be picking this back up tomorrow.

Sacred Reich - Ignorance (1987)

Morbid Angel - Altars of Madness

The Misfits - The whole Danzig era on shuffle

Opeth - Blackwater Park

This guy MDF's. Agree with everything Surge says here. It can be a slog at times, but with planning and experience you get through and have fun. Pacing is the key. I love festivals and dirty club gigs equally. Festivals however give you the opportunity to see bands you never would ordinarily. For instance, I've seen Emperor, Tryptikon, Destruction, TROB, Demoncy, Candlemass, Mortician, Coroner, Demolition Hammer, Nuclear Assault, Rippikoulu, Satyricon, Cult of Fire....the list is long. These bands would never tour anywhere near me if they tour at all. Sometimes, a fest may be your only chance to see a band. Case in point, going to see Mercyful Fate in a few weeks. They don't play outside of fests anymore. I did 5 days at MDF this year with the pre-show. It was much. I was a little crispy by Sunday. Still had a blast. 3 days at Hell's Heroes which is the perfect amount imho. Will do 3 at Psycho. A 7 day fest sounds rough, not sure I could hang. These fests are also time away with the guys. I travel with a group of 3 of my best friends. I look forward to that just as much as the shows. It's also some of the only time I get away from day to day drudgery. Escape from reality. If I didn't get to go with this group, I'd still enjoy the fests, but not as much. I love time with the wife on vacation, but I'm usually bored as hell and have to compromise a lot. Sit around for hours for her to get ready to go do something meh. Metal fests mean I get to do what I want when I want. Navy's rules for festival success 1. Take multiple pairs of shoes. Rotate them daily. Pack more skivvies and socks than you think you will need. 2. Don't drink to excess. Never understood spending big bucks on tix to see a show only to get obliterated before the good shit starts. Throw in adequate amounts of water between beverages too. Don't take drinks, pills, or candy from strangers either. Be safe. A trip to the hospital or jail in a strange city wouldn't be fun. 3. Ibuprofen is your friend as is ear pro. 4. Don't try to see every band, and if one isn't stiffening your willy, walk out and find a place to chill for a bit. Plan your days to make sure you know who, when, and where you want to be. There will be sacrifices. Choose wisely. 5. Stay out of the pit and off the rail. Leave that shit to the kids. 6. Talk to random people. Metal heads are without a doubt some of the nicest and weirdest people on earth. I've hung with people from all over the world and met my fair share of band members. All genuinely cool people with rare exceptions. 7. Get in town the day before. Helps account for travel delays and give time to get acclimated. Take the day off after you return. Makes unpacking and catching up on sleep easier. 8. Have a travel kit. Add to it as you go. I have a dedicated lot of charging cables, ear pro, toiletries, meds, and other general necessities ready to go at all times. Makes packing easier and more reliable. 9. Don't stay in shitty places. A comfy hotel room makes rest and recovery much better. 10. If it's a new place for you, get out and see something cool. Local record shops are my usual target, but historical landmarks and oddities are big too. Navy's top festival list: 1. 70K Cruise - more fun than any of the rest. Huge variety of bands. Also you can sit for almost all shows. Most expensive fest by far. Attracts the widest array of people. Something like 100+ countries represented last time I went. 2. MDF - the grandaddy of US fests. Baltimore is a shit city, but this is the most well organized and most professional operation going. Glad to see it will be back in 24. 3. Psycho Las Vegas - catching up to MDF. Great location. Plenty of food, drink, and reasonably priced hotel rooms. More eclectic lineup that pulls in some heavy hitters. 4. Hell's Heroes - this is the next US fest to grow like crazy. I've been every year and attendance is going up exponentially. Mostly trad metal, but there is some variety (Dark Angel headlined one night this year, Oath of Cruelty is a regular, Whiplash). Starting to pull in the big boys. Houston is a cool joint with good food and cool people. Easy to get to. 5. Mass Destruction - this was my first festival experience. Only 2 days. Usually gets in a decent lineup. If you want filthy club vibe, this is your best option. I definitely have a few I want to get to in the future. I want to do a European fest, maybe Obscene Extreme. US-wise, Oblivion Access in Austin is on the agenda for next year. And possibly Messe de Morts up in the great white north.

King Diamond - The Eye

Blut Aus Nord/Hallucinogen Blut Aus Nord/Memoria vetusta II: Dialogue with the Stars

Iron Maiden - Somewhere In Time Iron Maiden - Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son