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Mark had asked about my never finished year end list for 2023, so I figured I'd share what I had before I gave up on it. I'd only just started making cuts, so this will be a lot longer than normal. Because of that I'm going to post it a little at a time and break it up by genre...and since the black metal list was the longest, I'll post it first. Black Metal Arnaut Pavle - Transylvanian Glare Arbor - Behold... The Age of Pagan Blood Atheosophia - Shadowgate of Winter's Spirit As the Shadows Envelop Me – Fedrekult Astral Tomb of Yearning - Summoning the Impenetrable Night Aeon Furnace - Providence Descends Abisma - Disciples of the Black Ram Black Hurst – S/T Blutschwur - Those of My Blood Crucifixion Bell - Mirages in Izar Ceremonial Crypt Desecration - Unholy Black Metal Against the Modern World Dai-Ichi – S/T Dominance - Slaughter of Human Offerings in the New Age of Pan Demoncy - Black Star Gnosis Ebony Pendant – S/T Fellwinter - The Dawn of Winter Final Eclipse - The Dark World Flaming Ouroboros – Blood Gauntlet Ring - Beyond the Veil of the Night Graf - Rite of Nocturnal Passage Gam - Alt hans væsen Geistaz'ika - Midnatsbøn ved djævelens port Helleruin - Devils, Death and Dark Arts Hinsides - Hinsides hörs djävulsklockans urklang Iron Firmament – Keepeater Kringa - All Stillborn Fires, Lick My Heart! Krigstjørn - Mod guders svig Kurgan - Ascetic Dissociations Lja – 1943 Mavorim - Ab Amitia Pulsae Motstand – S/T Mycorrhizae – The Great Filtration Noitila – Langennut Nöldr - Chaotic Mysticism from the Tormented Silence Nahasheol - Serpens Abyssi Nartvind – Breath of Night Orkblut – Ghost Paths to Septentrion Obsidian Grave – Blood of the Night Oerheks - Grondslagen Regnum Tenebrarum - Légendes noires Ravensrealm - A Crash of Heathen Thunder Sulphuric Night - Black Metal Tyranny Tsjuder – Helvegr Trest - Sorginak Unholy Craft - Naar all tid er omme Vestígio - Vestígios (^Mark and FA will both want to check out the above album) Versteck - Symbols of Seven Harmonies

Killing Joke - Killing Joke (2003) Coroner - Grin

I believe that is what really turned me off to IPAs. Like Surge, I won't turn down a perfectly good beer if someone is handing it to me, but they're never my first choice. Down here, breweries either try to see just how bitter they can make a beer as some kind of badge of honor or how many weird ass fruit combos can be added. It's akin to the hot wings trend, let's make these perfectly good chicken wings inedible as some test of manhood by adding 43 ghost peppers and top it with a scotch bonnet. People claim to enjoy them, but I can't see how. And it's all fine and good. Plenty of beer out there to like for everyone. Just annoying that every brewery has to have 60-75% of the menu dedicated to the same variation of style. In stores, seems that's all they carry anymore and most just suck (the ones you mentioned, Voodoo Ranger, Space Dust, 420, the list goes on). Many started out good, but over the years got bought out by conglomerates or over expanded and the quality dropped. Stone was sold several years ago and had never been the same. Everyone has their own preferences. I personally don't like German beer. Lukewarm on IPAs and Pilsners. Will never seek one out, but will never turn down a freebie.

Obituary - The End Complete (1992)

GLOATH - Solitude Consciousness

I don't know if it's worth a damn, not having tried it, but I've seen in my local that several of the better known foreign brewers like Paulaner and Weihenstephan are making non-alcoholic versions of their beer. If anyone can pull off a reliably decent tasting non-alcoholic, it's probably going to be one of them. What's interesting about those breweries though, is because their beer is so "blah" in flavor, their quality control is absolutely topnotch. It has to be because being so lacking in actual flavor any deviation would be incredibly noticeable

Obituary ‎@ Frozen Alive recorded at Stodoła Club, Warsaw Poland. August 24th, 2006

Motorhead - No Sleep Til Hammersmith 40th anniversary

Napalm Death - Throes of Joy in the Jaws of Defeatism (2020)

Bloodbath - The Fathomless Mastery

Terrorizer - World Downfall

Testament - The New Order (1988)

Yo JT can you explain to me sir how these Whiskey Rebel dudes play "southern metal" if they're from fucking Sheboygan, Wisconsin? Can't get much less southern than that unless you go to Alaska. Or is 'southern' just a state of mind? Back in the day our "southern rock" bands were Skynyrd, Hatchet, ABB, MTB and the Outlaws. And even as a New Yorker I loved all that shit. But those bands were all from Florida, Jaw-ja and Carolina. No one would have accepted a "southern" rock band from up north in Yankeeland. Nowadays it seems they have "southern" bands from up north and I even saw one or two you posted that were actually European. What's up widdat? Also I'm mildly curious to try one of these modern post-Udo Accept albums you keep posting just to see what they sound like without Udo. (which one would you recommend I try?) But I never actually do it because I'm sure I'll be disappointed. I only ever liked two Accept albums to begin with even back in their hey-day, R&W and Metal Heart, so I'm not exactly a super-fan. Did see them once at L'amour in '85 though and I have to admit they put on a helluva show. I saw TT Quick a few times a few years before that back when they were a LI club band and I even had their first EP so I'm somewhat familiar with MT, and I don't think I could accept that guy as the front-man for Accept. It's Udo's band dammit. His thick German accent and being just barely over 5 feet tall was part of the appeal. I guess change can be hard for us old guys. Accept - Metal Heart 1985

VORGA - Beyond The Palest Star

First album was pretty good and I caught them live in Denver on that tour back in '17 opening for Denmark's Undergang which was a solid performance. But this new album's a snoozer, listened to half of it one time, wouldn't buy it. Just checked, it's the same 3 guys, wonder what happened? Turns out writing memorable death metal isn't as easy as it looks. Pungent Stench - For God Your Soul... For Me Your Flesh, Austria 1990 Benediction - The Grand Leveller, UK 1991

DOWNWARD - Cruel World

Necrot-Lifeless Birth, I dunno, these guys don't do a lot for me

Satyricon - Nemesis Divina (1996)

Kreator - Enemy of God (2005)

Love me some Tyr! The epic feel to the music, the melodic compositions, and the stellar vocals all make this band a great listen at any time. Can't go wrong with Body Count either! The last couple of albums have been fantastic.

Body Count - Murder 4 Hire

Tyr - Battle Ballads

Hardbone - "This is Rock 'N' Roll" Hardbone - "Bone Hard" Overkill - "Scorched" Facebreaker - "Dead, Rotten, and Hungry" Fantastic, mid-paced death metal!

Been on an Annihilator binge the last couple weeks. Not that I've had much time to listen to music. Only heard their 1st two albums in full before now. Tight, fast and catchy riffing. That's what makes the band. They can be cheesy at times but when the musicianship is this good, I'll allow it.... Started off with Refresh the Demon on which songs 1-3, and 5 are killer. Went over to King of the Kill where I only enjoyed "21" and "Second to None" (except the mellow middle part). Checked out their S/T (2010) and it's overall pretty solid. And finally currently listening to Metal which is also pretty good after one listen. And speaking of riffs, also been revisiting random tracks off this old favorite of mine:

Megadeth - RIP

Ebola - Distorted Romance Weald and Woe - For the Good of the Realm ASET - Astral Rape

Non-alcoholic beer is actually a big trend with the kids and breweries are ramping up production to match. Personally, I don't see the point, but whatever floats their boat. If I want something non-alcoholic, many better choices. But hey, for folks with legit medical reasons to avoid alcohol but still want to enjoy a beer, it's a boon.

How does it feel to be part of the basic-bitch casual crowd that can't handle the throat-eradicating, tongue-petrifying bitterness real men crave? I think part of the reason they're everywhere is that they're easy to do an ok job on quickly, and the hop flavor and bitterness can cover up a lot of little flaws and inconsistencies that would ruin a more nuanced beer. But that doesn't make for a great experience. They are not all like that. If you're ever up this way, like for Messe Des Morts, lemme know. Too much good beer up here for you not to try some.

Mütiilation - Black Metal Cult (2024) This one snook past me.

>Brewers in Belgium using recipes crafted and honed over hundreds of years - "Our beers are malt forward, mildly bitter, with some noticeable dark fruit flavors" >Some dude in Australia who thinks beer is a synonym for yellow, fizzy water - "Beer should taste like beer, not a fruit bowl" Well, I'm convinced

Funkadelic - Promentalshitbackwashpsychosis Enema Squad. (The Doodoo Chasers) Fried ice cream IS a reality. Aosoth - Complete Show Live In Paris, Oct 27, 2016

So much beer, so little time. I do prefer a beer you can't see through too. As I write I'm thinking fondly of the time I spent in Belgium last year. Mrs Thatguy wanted to see Art Nouveau architecture and eat mussels and chocolate. I wanted beer. We were both happy. If I were 30 years younger I would definitely cultivate a man bun and there's nothing wrong with that.

Both of these are swill in my book. They're better than Bud but that's not saying much. I can understand not liking IPAs, especially if you've never had a really good one as fresh as possible, or maybe if you're someone (like my wife) who finds hop bitterness disgusting. Even under good conditions the flavors can take a while to click. But unless you've tried the real deal, you don't know what you're missing. I was burned out on the hazy ones until I lost my sense of smell to Covid the first time around. Hazy, hoppy IPAs were the only thing that cut through the noise and tasted "normal" to me. Lucky me, northern VT is the land of plenty.

If it weren't for beer nerds like us, we'd all be stuck with 1980's piss domestic swill for choice. Maybe just Bud Light for us yanks and Fosters for you folks on the wrong side of the planet. Be grateful for beer nerds.

Ondfødt - det österbottniska mörkret (2023)

Evil Dead - The Underworld

New Necrot is bland as fuck... ...that is all Necrot - Lifeless Birth https://necrot.bandcamp.com/album/lifeless-birth?from=discover_page

Slough Feg - Traveller

Devastation - Idolatry, death/thrash Corpus Christi Texas 1991 Assorted Heap - The Experience of Horror, death/thrash Germany 1991 Cyclone - Brutal Destruction, Belgian thrash 1986

Helloween - Walls Of Jericho

Vinyl palooza this weekend. That's what happens when I go out of town and my wife leaves me alone in proximity to a record store. Went in just to grab my daughter a couple for her birthday and walked out with a stack. Bathory - Hammerheart Bad Religion - Suffer The Sound - Counting the Days Sepultura - Bestial Devastation Sepultura - Morbid Visions

Iron Maiden - Killers

Hellish - La Danza de las Cuatro Serpientes Elementales Chilean blackened thrash https://entheosrecs.bandcamp.com/album/la-danza-de-las-cuatro-serpientes-elementales

King Diamond - Conspiracy

Armored Saint - Symbol Of Salvation

IMPERIUM DEKADENZ - When We Are Forgotten

Sorry if already posted Loving these, goat-a-licious Krwawy Pontyfikat | Okrütnik (bandcamp.com) Crucifier - Led Astray | Iron Bonehead Productions (bandcamp.com)

Listened to this very recently 🤟 Paradise Lost - Gothic

Hello, im Mihael from Croatia. Just joined in, hope to meet good people here 🤘🍺

Stop...you're going to make me blush. 😁 I am actually alive and well, and amusingly enough just happened to be looking in on the forum late last night when I saw my name go up, so I figured I'd check in. Didn't mean to completely wander off like I did, tends to happen with me sometimes when it feels like conversation at a place has gotten too quiet or fallen into too much of a rut...something else will grab my attention and off I go...and yeah, the new job, while not overly taxing by any means, definitely has moments where it needs a lot of my time (the next several weeks for example). So, that certainly doesn't help. As for Whitenoise and my taste, there is quite a bit of overlap. We definitely cover a lot of the same ground, and I've pulled some good reco's from him over the years, but he's right when he says we have different priorities in our music. Usually a lot of the stuff he likes best would get just get a "not bad" rating from me, and he'd probably say the same about a lot of my personal favorites. In recent years my tastes have been running toward bands that like to hide a surprising level of melody under a thick layer of fuzzy production...the so called "raw black metal" trend. Though, I'll admit, it's a trend that's quickly wearing out its welcome. I'm also probably a lot more forgiving of the use of synth, even though I seem to be one of only 5 people who's already over that Moonlight Sorcery band that's making everyone cream their shorts. Regarding my year end list...honestly, I got tired of trying to whittle it down to a manageable number, and since there was no real pressing need to have one, I figured why make myself nuts, and basically just kind of stopped working on it. If you want to see it "as-is" though, I'm more than happy to post my rough list. Hope everyone is doing well