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Top 3 albums/eps of the week.


MacabreEternal

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  • 4 weeks later...

Vanum ‘Ageless Fire’ - so many influences on this that tease their way to the surface with repeated listens.  I didn’t get on with it at first but something made me hold on to it and return.  Black Metal, hardcore monotonous vocals and some sheer heavy metal riffs galore.

Deceased ‘Ghostly White’ - pleasantly surprised by this.  Not that I am a regular listener to Deceased but this seems so much more pure metal than the previous menacing thrash of previous outings I have acquainted myself with.

Only two this week.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Mgla - 'Exercises in Futility'

The great work, an excursion that marries the emotive with the philosophical to produce transcendence. 

Fleshgod Apocalypse - 'Veleno'

A huge, meaningful, album of symphonic death. 'Veleno' is Italian for 'poison', and each song is about a particular poison: alcohol, dogma, heroin, love. Transcendent. 

Sabaton - 'The Last Stand'

Nothing really philosophical about these sing-along power-pop gems. Songs about last stands in war with a bubblegum soundtrack. Strange mix but it works dammit. 

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Deftones ‘White Pony’ - still find this enjoyable after all this time and also not withstanding the fact that I can’t stand most Nu-Metal.  There’s much more here than just Nu-metal angst though.  The melodies balanced with the downtuned riffs, the hazy/gazy vocals and the atmospheres of Delgado giving some real texture to things.

Immolation ‘Close to a World Below’ - fast becoming my preferred Immolation release, it is just stacked with riffs man!  That shifting, morphing and yet all the while murky/muddy sound is really well delivered.

Flowers for Bodysnatchers ‘Babi Yar’ - a bit of noise/dark ambient to this week to soothe my soul after a busy assed week trying to get work wrapped up for annual leave.  Any record that makes wildlife sound menacing deserves a slot in my top 3.

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Symawrath - Scaena I : Incestuous Overture in the Crystal Auditorium

This album is truly a talisman to the transmundane. Feel the Wrath, Symphonic, Majestic!  

 

Cadaveria - The Shadows' Madame

Beautiful witch! Beautiful witch!  Give light to this black muddy sky! 

 

Opera IX - Sacro Culto

Crucified on The Oak!

 

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Taake - Nattestid Ser Porten Vid

It's not often a debut shows this level of class. Dark atmosphere? check, well-written songs? check, I prime example of Norwegian black metal.

 

Mournful Congregation - The Incubus of Karma

These guys just keep getting better and better. Melodic, heavy, melancholic and perfectly written funeral doom.

 

Sun Worship - Elder Gods

If you're a fan of the Cascadian black metal approach you have to hear this. It's a darker take on that style. Beautifully written, well played, sit back and let the atmosphere wash over you.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Forgotten Tomb - ‘Hurt Yourself and the Ones You Love

This has really grown on me and it’s amazing. It’s packed full of jamming groove riffs while remaining dark and unhinged. I’ve owned their debut album for 15 years but I really really like this change of direction. 

My Dying Bride - ‘As the Flower Withers’

I’ve this album for 23 years and I think I like it more now than I ever have. What an atmosphere from a simpler (better!) time. 

Mutiilation - ‘Black Millenium’ 

Not my favourite of theirs, but like their best this has the unique atmosphere of this band. I’m wearing a Mutiilation beanie right now in honour of their French greatness. 

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Sun Worship - Elder Gods

This has really taken over my life the last couple of weeks. It's dark, brooding, atmospheric black metal and I love it.

Agalloch - The Mantle

Beautifully written folk/black metal. I love this album more with each listen.

Katatonia - Dance of December Souls

The beautiful melancholic melodies, the tortured vocals, this is a phenomenal album. IMO the best album they have ever released.

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32 minutes ago, RelentlessOblivion said:

 

Katatonia - Dance of December Souls

The beautiful melancholic melodies, the tortured vocals, this is a phenomenal album. IMO the best album they have ever released.

Hey man how’s it going?

Great guitar riffs for sure, but gosh those drums. Just so distracting in their terribleness. I just can’t get past them long enough to enjoy the brilliant music and lyrics. Worst drum performance by a long way in my book. 

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Conan - Existential Void Guardian 

Just when i tought i was getting tired of these guys they flip the script and sped things up a little for some much need variation. Itt still sounds like Conan and they still play doom metal but they managed to expand their horizon with this one.

Bathory - Under the Sign of the Black Mark

An album which i must have heard hundred of times but... These new bootlegs which are ripped from the first vinyl releases sound infinitely better then the so called remasters Black Mark gave us in the early 2000´s. I´m really re-discovering this album (and the two previous ones) thanks to some much added clarity and balance in the sound.

Mortiis - Ånden som Gjorde Opprør

I´ve been on a dungeon synth trip these last few months and i just keep coming back to this album. To me without a doubt the crowning achievement of Mortiis (only like the Era 1 stuff) and of the whole dungeon synth genre if you ask me. Simply outstanding.

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Immortal Bird Thrive On Neglect

Had endless hours of fun with this album this week, managed to nab a CD copy so could play it in my car too.  Deathgrindy, proggy almost mathy greatness.

Sonic Youth diRty 

In other news, I spread my wings recently into the obscure, alt-rock, indie, grunge, noise rock of Sonic Youth.  I won’t pretend to love all of this record (it goes on far too long) but when it is on point, it is on point.

Saxon Thunderbolt 

Ah, Barnsley’s finest at their finest.  Love this record out of most of the latter day Saxon releases.  It’s got balls, it’s got showy leads and it has consistency too.

 

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Howling Sycamore - Seven Pathways To Annihilation   ...this one has taken a while to really sink in, but it's a great album. Superficially very similar to the debut, it sticks with the same melodic palette and general riffing/drumming/vocal style, but it's quite a bit more complicated, both in the way the parts are layered and in terms of song structure. Not as immediately catchy, but deeper and maybe more rewarding.

Deathspell Omega - The Furnaces Of Palingenesia   ...these guys took the opposite route this time. These songs are more streamlined and less chaotic than their other recent albums, I daresay even "accessible" by DSO standards. It pays off -- nothing feels dumbed-down or commercialized here, but the riffs are allowed to breathe and build "organically" into memorable sections. Less of a maelstrom, more of a nicely paced, enjoyable trudge through pervasive gloom.

I always have trouble finding a third album for this thread. Don't have one at the moment.

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Marduk 'Those of the Unlight'

Still sits in the shadow of the coat tails of 'Dark Endless' but a step up in terms of songwriting prowess and structures.  Good use of atmospherics and pace overall to give the record that more rounded feel yet still obvious that they had space to grow into at this stage.

Masters of Classical Music 'Mozart'

Slightly unorthodox second entry this week but my Dad gave me his entire classical music collection and I still have never listened to more than a fraction of it.  A lot of it is compilation based like this one and that suits me as I explore the collection as I can flick and flip to my heart's content.  Anyway, 'Eine kleine Nachtmusik', 'Turkish March' and 'Piano concerto in A major' have all kept me sufficiently pleased this week.

Rippikoulu 'Musta Seremonia'

Finnish death doom at its very best really.  Get a real sense of cavernous spaces from this, filled with that brooding atmosphere and the dirge of the sheer weight of the sound.  Really should play this more.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Northumbria 'Helluland'

As stated elsewhere on here this week I had been struggling to make much of anything stick with me musically.  Even all my stalwart "revival" albums that I spin when I am feeling a bit "lost" did nothing.  Enter this piece of majestic dark ambience to awaken my soul.  There's two songs on here called 'Catching a Falling Knife' (Part 1 and Part 2) and it is perfect iconography for the sound they produce over both tracks.  Tense, atmospheric, dangerous and overwrought.

Memoriam 'Requiem for Mankind'

This is just fun, fun, fucking fun all day long.  Catchy without being predictable.  Defiant without appearing immature and exuding poise without pomp or circumstance.  It's almost effortless for the band too, there's a real sense of them not even needing to break a sweat to produce this level of consistency.

Drastus 'La Croix de Sang'

I have become a little more French of late with my BM leanings.  Drastus show a level of songwriting and authenticity to their sound that is often lacking in most newer BM I find.  There's a subtle complexity to proceedings in places but it always feels solid and focused.  The arrangements are varied and the pace also allows sufficient deviation to keep the listener on their toes.

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Three Mighty Albums of the Week

1. Turilli/Leone Rhapsody - 'Zero Gravity'

The latest release from Luca Turilli's version of Rhapsody (which is so easily the best version, my god), with original Rhapsody vocalist(!) have produced a beautiful follow-up to 'Prometheus'. Part classical, part power metal, part electronic, part sound effects, these songs are anthems to science and God in equal measure. Just glorious and amazing, uplifting music. Three tracks in Italian. That's classy. 

2. Fleshgod Apocalypse - 'Veleno'

The second Italian band in my current three - that's interesting. Maybe I'll grab some pasta, pizza and a fucking vino rosso. Get around me. Anyway, this album is the symphonic philosophic album of the year. Darker than TL Rhapsody, more punches in the gut. More classical beauty. 

3. Mgla - 'Exercises in Futility'

Eternally darkly melodic exclusively. 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Pig Destroyer - Head Cage - Totally missed that these guys released a new album last year. At the core it's still the same chaotic grindcore sound that i love, although this time they incorporated some more groove elements. Not that it sounds like Pantera but this is easily their most accessible album so far. I like they built upon their sound but i hope they don't stray too far from ther roots.

 

- Cattle Decapitation - The Anthropocene Extinction - With the new album being announced recently i decided to revisit their last album. These guys keep amazing me by showing enormous growth within the last few albums. Normally i'm not a big fan of tech death metal but these guys really nail it. Their previous album "Monolith of Inhumanity" is still their undisputed masterpiece. With this follow up they opted to slow down things a little and play around some more with the clean vocals. Great effort but at times it feels like they copy their previous album a little too much.

 

- Order of the Ebon Hand - VII: The Chariot - Freakin' 14 years later these greeks finally decide to release their new album. Their previous album was a pretty big surprise for me at the time so i really had high hopes for this follow up. Unfortunately i must say it's somewhat of a dissapointment. I like the more thrashy influences that creep up on tracks like "Dreadnaught" or the hammond organ passages which add a little texture to some songs. But the straight up black metal tracks sound pretty generic and the production is way too clean for my taste. I guess my expectations were just too high after 14 years. But still it's somewhat dissapointing this is all they came up with after their last fabulous album.

 

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