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Listmania 2021


navybsn

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Nice work Navy my boy! I know you've been through the wringer this year so I'd like to express my sincere thanks for taking the time to share your list. I have 5 of your top 20 that will absolutely be on my list (#2,3,5,6,&14) and 3 more possibles (8,10&13). The only ones you've mentioned that I am not yet familiar with are: Krolok, Frozen Soul, Starer and Rope Sect so I guess I'll have to get on those tonight.

Reading your post I'm reminded that I never bought the latest Sarke album so I will have to remedy that with my next truckload of purchases. I am also reminded that I will need to listen to the Darkthrone, Clandestine Blaze and Warloghe albums yet again to check one last time if I believe they are list worthy. Darkthrone has the best shot of making it I think. I'll probably give that CoO record one more shot as well even though I've listened to it 8 or 10 times at least.  I know they're all good albums but I have some real cold blooded goat slayers in my top 20.  

There's just been so much unbelievably good shit to sift through this year, with quite a bit of it coming very late in the year. I have been working on this shit diligently for several hours almost every night over the last couple of weeks. The problem I'm having is that every time I eliminate an album as not quite list-worthy and think I'm starting to make a little progress, I'll find another one that's slipped through the cracks and the list never really seems to get any shorter.

I am resolved to keep my black metal list to a hard cap of 40 and I think I can get there. It will mean leaving off some really strong albums but I guess that's kinda the point, right? Narrow it down to the best of the best. I think with a little luck I can probably have it ready to go by this weekend. I flirted with the idea of mixing all the sub-genres together on one top 50 master list like normal people seem to be able to do, but the whole apples & oranges aspect of comparing black metal to death metal and trying to decide which one is 'better" makes my fucking head explode, so I'm back to the old black vs death format. Death metal list will of course be much shorter than the black, I'm thinking 20 would be a good number.  But that'll have to wait until after I've sorted out the black metal, that's my first priority.

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It was a much weaker year for DM than BM. Those I listed were all I bought this year. Some killer shit, but not a deep field. That Frozen Soul is straight Bolt Thrower worship but isn't derivative. You probably won't like that Rope Sect, very post-punk Sisters of Mercy-ish, Krolok is the guy from Marlokarpatan of course, and Starer is pretty good but probably not evil enough to crack your list. All good stuff, but I'm sure you have a million to choose from.

I missed a bunch this year. The boys and I shared lists today. I hadn't even heard of half their stuff. Plenty of review to do for the next few days. We did Spotify playlists, at least for what we could find on there. I missed releases by Urfaust, Hooded Menace, Zemial, Necromantia, and Desaster among others. Certainly looking forward to everyone else's contributions to see what else I need to take a look at.

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17 minutes ago, KillaKukumba said:

Unsurprisingly any list I make wont look anything like that. I only bought about 20 albums this year and some of them might not have been good enough to even make the top 20 list!

 

But go for it anyway!

I won't be doing a list this year for two reason - firstly, I am still in post-retirement recovery mode and can't get myself together to organise a list, and secondly - because I am a dick - I will enjoy shaking my head at other people's lists more than doing one of my own. Pathetic, innit?

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Forum will no doubt merge my previous one liner with this one but too bad. (or maybe it wont)

Here's my 2021 list for people to shake their heads at!!

 

1. Exodus - Persona Non Grata

Love all the killer riffs, Zetro’s vocals are an acquired taste and they aren’t always perfect but for the majority of the album they do fit really well. It was a long wait for this album and for me it paid off.

 

2. Flotsam & Jetsam - Blood In the Water

In any other year this album would be number one, especially as a follow up to End Of Chaos, but for me Exodus has always been on top of Flotsam & Jetsam. This album doesn’t have any dull points and

 

3. Angelus Apatrida - Angelus Apatrida

This is just superb thrash from start to finish. These guys have been amazing from their debut and this album doesn’t let up.

 

4. Bonded - Into Blackness

Killer German thrash from ex members of Sodom. Not as good as their debut, but definitely a great album.

 

5. Iron Maiden – Senjutsu

Loved this from first listen. I can see why some people have suggested it’s not the greatest album and that Maiden are past their prime but I simply don’t agree.

 

6. Evile - Hell Unleashed

Evile never let their fans down.

 

7. Blazon Stone – Damnation

Perhaps Running Wild should take a few tips from these guys.

 

8. Hidden Intent - Dead End Destiny

Aussie band that has been playing the local scene for a while now. They are definitely moving forward with each release and this one is another great journey of thrash, heavy music and song rife for the live pit.

 

9. Effigy Of Madness - As The Page Burns

Great debut Aussie, it did take a bit to grow on me and with a few more spins it might even rise on this list. Can’t wait for a second album

 

10. Nekromantheon - The Visions Of Trismegistos

I actually thought this would rate a bit higher on my list but it’s been a better year than I thought. That said I do prefer Divinity Of Death

 

 

 

Worthy mentions but not contenders

 

Running Wild - Blood On Blood

Running Wild wont ever be what they once were, but there is still something about the band that keeps me interested. This album has some great hooks and melodies but it’s definitely not what Running Wild were known for in the 80’s.

Desecrator – Summoning

Another Aussie band that has been around for years regularly playing with bands like Harlott and Hidden Intent. This album is apparently going to be the last from the band, and while it’s ok, with powerful riffs and head banging tunes I would have liked more from their last effort.

Black Mass - Feast At The Forbidden Tree

Okay but nowhere near as good as their previous efforts

Ravager - The Third Attack

Solid, fast and powerful but just not a front runner for the year

Nervosa - Perpetual Chaos

Not sure what happened to Nervosa, they seem to have dwindled a bit in recent years, maybe it’s member changes, maybe it’s something else.

Wizardthrone - Hypercube Nerodimensions

I got a bit loyal too Alestorm with this purchase. Nothing overly wrong with the music but the vocals definitely aren’t to my liking.

Paradox - Heresy II (End Of A Legend)

Another album that for me lacks something to make it great. There is some good stuff on it but it just doesn’t carry far enough.

Militaria - Remains With Pain

Had high hopes for these Aussies after reading some of their press releases but for me it don’t pay off totally

 

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6 minutes ago, KillaKukumba said:

Forum will no doubt merge my previous one liner with this one but too bad. (or maybe it wont)

Here's my 2021 list for people to shake their heads at!!

 

1. Exodus - Persona Non Grata

Love all the killer riffs, Zetro’s vocals are an acquired taste and they aren’t always perfect but for the majority of the album they do fit really well. It was a long wait for this album and for me it paid off.

 

2. Flotsam & Jetsam - Blood In the Water

In any other year this album would be number one, especially as a follow up to End Of Chaos, but for me Exodus has always been on top of Flotsam & Jetsam. This album doesn’t have any dull points and

 

3. Angelus Apatrida - Angelus Apatrida

This is just superb thrash from start to finish. These guys have been amazing from their debut and this album doesn’t let up.

 

4. Bonded - Into Blackness

Killer German thrash from ex members of Sodom. Not as good as their debut, but definitely a great album.

 

5. Iron Maiden – Senjutsu

Loved this from first listen. I can see why some people have suggested it’s not the greatest album and that Maiden are past their prime but I simply don’t agree.

 

6. Evile - Hell Unleashed

Evile never let their fans down.

 

7. Blazon Stone – Damnation

Perhaps Running Wild should take a few tips from these guys.

 

8. Hidden Intent - Dead End Destiny

Aussie band that has been playing the local scene for a while now. They are definitely moving forward with each release and this one is another great journey of thrash, heavy music and song rife for the live pit.

 

9. Effigy Of Madness - As The Page Burns

Great debut Aussie, it did take a bit to grow on me and with a few more spins it might even rise on this list. Can’t wait for a second album

 

10. Nekromantheon - The Visions Of Trismegistos

I actually thought this would rate a bit higher on my list but it’s been a better year than I thought. That said I do prefer Divinity Of Death

 

 

 

Worthy mentions but not contenders

 

Running Wild - Blood On Blood

Running Wild wont ever be what they once were, but there is still something about the band that keeps me interested. This album has some great hooks and melodies but it’s definitely not what Running Wild were known for in the 80’s.

Desecrator – Summoning

Another Aussie band that has been around for years regularly playing with bands like Harlott and Hidden Intent. This album is apparently going to be the last from the band, and while it’s ok, with powerful riffs and head banging tunes I would have liked more from their last effort.

Black Mass - Feast At The Forbidden Tree

Okay but nowhere near as good as their previous efforts

Ravager - The Third Attack

Solid, fast and powerful but just not a front runner for the year

Nervosa - Perpetual Chaos

Not sure what happened to Nervosa, they seem to have dwindled a bit in recent years, maybe it’s member changes, maybe it’s something else.

Wizardthrone - Hypercube Nerodimensions

I got a bit loyal too Alestorm with this purchase. Nothing overly wrong with the music but the vocals definitely aren’t to my liking.

Paradox - Heresy II (End Of A Legend)

Another album that for me lacks something to make it great. There is some good stuff on it but it just doesn’t carry far enough.

Militaria - Remains With Pain

Had high hopes for these Aussies after reading some of their press releases but for me it don’t pay off totally

 

Nice list. I didn't even know Flotsam had a new one out. Always loved those guys and they're killer live.

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10 hours ago, navybsn said:

It was a much weaker year for DM than BM. Those I listed were all I bought this year. Some killer shit, but not a deep field. That Frozen Soul is straight Bolt Thrower worship but isn't derivative. You probably won't like that Rope Sect, very post-punk Sisters of Mercy-ish, Krolok is the guy from Marlokarpatan of course, and Starer is pretty good but probably not evil enough to crack your list. All good stuff, but I'm sure you have a million to choose from.

I missed a bunch this year. The boys and I shared lists today. I hadn't even heard of half their stuff. Plenty of review to do for the next few days. We did Spotify playlists, at least for what we could find on there. I missed releases by Urfaust, Hooded Menace, Zemial, Necromantia, and Desaster among others. Certainly looking forward to everyone else's contributions to see what else I need to take a look at.

I was pretty tired last evening after schlepping heavy shit upstairs, mixing mud, and tiling the 2 bathroom floors yesterday so I fell asleep early (for me) around 12:30 I guess it must've been. I do remember hearing fireworks going off outside at midnight but I don't remember too much after that. When I came to in my computer chair just after 5am and the fog cleared I realized we're not planning to do any work today, I don't have to get up at any certain time so naturally instead of going to bed to try and get a few more hours sleep, I decided I should start working on my death metal list.  

I think to say it was a weaker year for death metal than black kinda goes without saying, ya know? But I don't think I would say much weaker. I did come across less truly high quality dm releases last year than the massive load of killer black metal we received, but still imo the standouts from the death metal side of the aisle thump pretty damn hard. Had no trouble coming up with a killer 20 and indeed as it sits currently I have a solid 30 since I assimilated my handful of top black/death picks into my death metal list. I'm actually quite excited about it.

 

FYI: That last Urfaust album came out Thanksgiving of 2020 unless you mean the comp which was just previously released tracks from some of their splits 'n shit.

 

@Doc:  Stop whinging and make a fucking list you bludger. What the fuck else do you have to do all day now?

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17 hours ago, Thatguy said:

But go for it anyway!

I won't be doing a list this year for two reason - firstly, I am still in post-retirement recovery mode and can't get myself together to organise a list, and secondly - because I am a dick - I will enjoy shaking my head at other people's lists more than doing one of my own. Pathetic, innit?

thirdly - There just weren't that many list-worthy jazz infused avant-post-black-drone albums this year.

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21 hours ago, navybsn said:

Can't believe it's NYE, and I haven't seen a proper Listmania thread yet. Guess I'll do the dirty deed and kick the party off. I wasn't as engaged for all of 2021. Lots of shit going on between COVID, job promotion, and deaths in the family, but I still managed to listen to a good deal of new stuff. My list won't be nearly as exhaustive as the General's 964 entry listapalooza, but hopefully you can find a thing or 2 on here that you may have missed that hits your sweet spot. Without further adieu...

All the goods I considered for the final cut:

Black Metal
Marras – Endtime Sermon
Circle of Ouroboros - Kiromantia
Starer – 18” Below the Horizon
Archgoat – Worship the Eternal Darkness
Warloghe – Three Angled Void
Lamp of Murmur – Submission and Slavery
Clandestine Blaze – Secrets of Laceration
Spectral Wound – A Diabolic Thirst
Cryptospital – Scythe of the Black Death
Këkht Aräkh – Pale Swordsman
Escotrilihum – Dy’th Requiem for the Serpent Telepath
Antichrist Siege Machine – Purifying Blade
Albionic Hermeticism – Psalms to the Father
Cult of Eibon – Black Flame Dominion
Krolok – Funeral Winds & Crimson Sky

Death Metal
Frozen Soul – Crypt of Ice
Outre-Tombe – Abysse Mortifere
Worm – Foreverglade
Cerebral Rot – Execretion of Mortality
Malignant Altar – Realms of Exquisite Morbidity
Vomit Spell – Vomit Spell
Nekromantheon – Visions of Trismegistos
Genocide Pact – Genocide Pact

In Between
Sarke – Allsighr
Mork - Katedralen
Apsu – Apsu
Iron Maiden – Senjutsu
Ophiuchi – Shibboleth
Darkthrone – Eternal Hails
Craven Idol – Forked Tongues
Apostasy – Death Return
Poison Ruiin – Poison Ruiin
Mastodon – Hushed & Grim

EPs

Escotrilihum - Urionhsol (Seven Demons)
Ancient Mastery – The Chosen One
Kaldeket – Vitiae
Ancestral Shadows – Eldritch Illuminations
Enslaved – Caravans to the Outer Worlds
Lamp of Murmur – Punishment and Devotion
dai-ichi/Lamp of Murmur – Virgin Womb of Eternal Black Terror
Rope Sect – Proskynesis
Witch Vomit – Abhorrent Rapture

20-11

20 – Iron Maiden – Senjutsu
19 – Phrenelith – Chimera
18 – Frozen Soul – Crypt of Ice
17 – Cryptospital – Scythe of the Black Death
16 – Warloghe – Three Angled Void
15 – Antichrist Siege Machine – Purifying Blade
14 – Albionic Hermeticism – Psalms to the Father
13 – Sarke – Allsighr
12 – Rope Sect – Proskynesis
11 – Starer – 18” Below the Horizon - late year discovery that could have easily been in the top 10.

10-1
10 – Clandestine Blaze – Secrets of Laceration - if you don't know what you're getting from Mikko at this point, I'm not sure what to tell you. Probably the best thing he's ever put out, and that says a lot. Just a wee bit better than the new Warloghe in my opinion, but if you like legit old school Finnblack from the masters, don't sleep on either.
9 – Escotrilihum – Dy’th Requiem for the Serpent Telepath - freaky, weird, progressive black metal from France (pronounced Fraunse). This dude has been fairly prolific over the past 3 years. Not quite as good as Eternity of Shaog, but not far off.
8 – Darkthrone – Eternal Hails - it's fucking Darkthrone. They could release a Madonna cover album and I'd buy it. I dig the direction they've been going with the past 2 albums.
7 – Ophiuchi – Shibboleth - a little more coherent of an album than Bifurcaria Bifurcata (a deeply unsettling album - would make a great horror movie soundtrack). This one is a bit doomier. Some of the riffs are a bit "congested" or overlapped which gives them a unique sound. One of my most listened too albums for 2021.
6 – Worm – Foreverglade - old school Florida death metal worship with a twist. The best straight DM album of 2021.
5 – Archgoat – Worship the Eternal Darkness - c'mon. Anyone that has been around me on forums over the years had to know the ultimate goat(s) would show up on my top 10. Not as strong as The Luciferian Crown (my #1 of 2019), but filled with mid-tempo satan worshipping goodness.
4 – Lamp of Murmur – Submission and Slavery - narrowly edged out for the 3 spot. The mix of styles here really sets this album apart from his earlier work. M appears on my list 3 times this year and each entry is worth your listening time. This one, however, is far and away the best. Reminiscent of some of the genre mixing from Wagner Ödegård's Om Kosmos Och De Tolv Järtekn (an excellent album from 2020 in case you missed it).
3 – Spectral Wound – A Diabolic Thirst - ferocious face-melting black metal from the frozen wasteland of Quebec. Easily the best thing released on this continent in 2021. I've yet to hear anything from these boys that didn't make me want to carve a pentagram into my forearm and worship the dark lord to.
2 – Mork - Katedralen - riffs on riffs on riffs. When I put this album on, I feel like I'm 16 cruising in my car listening to classic Van Halen. The volume knob can't go high enough. If the boys from Finland hadn't released one this year, this would be at number 1. Just an all-around banger.
1 – Circle of Ouroboros – Kiromantia - a return to a previous more black metal sound. Still elements of psychedelia and post-punk from the previous decade or so of releases. You never get the same album twice from these boys, and I haven't heard one I didn't like.

So there you have it, the Circle of Ouroboros boys reign supreme for 2021 followed very closely by a banging Mork album. Lots to look forward to in the new year like a new Immolation, maybe possibly that new DAWN that was teased as being mixed over the summer, a new one from my fave USBM act Demoncy, a rumored new Negative Plane, I'm sure there will be more. Let's just hope the COVID holds off long enough we can get a few more festivals in before we all die.

Thanks Navy for breaking the ice! I recognize most and will have some on my list (still under construction)

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22 hours ago, navybsn said:

 

All the goods I considered for the final cut:

Black Metal
Archgoat – Worship the Eternal Darknessd
Lamp of Murmur – Submission and Slavery
Spectral Wound – A Diabolic Thirst
 

Death Metal

Outre-Tombe – Abysse Mortifere

In Between
Mork - Katedralen
Iron Maiden – Senjutsu
Ophiuchi – Shibboleth

Mastodon – Hushed & Grim

20-11

20 – Iron Maiden – Senjutsu
 

10-1

7 – Ophiuchi – Shibboleth - a little more coherent of an album than Bifurcaria Bifurcata (a deeply unsettling album - would make a great horror movie soundtrack). This one is a bit doomier. Some of the riffs are a bit "congested" or overlapped which gives them a unique sound. One of my most listened too albums for 2021.

5 – Archgoat – Worship the Eternal Darkness - c'mon. Anyone that has been around me on forums over the years had to know the ultimate goat(s) would show up on my top 10. Not as strong as The Luciferian Crown (my #1 of 2019), but filled with mid-tempo satan worshipping goodness.
4 – Lamp of Murmur – Submission and Slavery - narrowly edged out for the 3 spot. The mix of styles here really sets this album apart from his earlier work. M appears on my list 3 times this year and each entry is worth your listening time. This one, however, is far and away the best. Reminiscent of some of the genre mixing from Wagner Ödegård's Om Kosmos Och De Tolv Järtekn (an excellent album from 2020 in case you missed it).
3 – Spectral Wound – A Diabolic Thirst - ferocious face-melting black metal from the frozen wasteland of Quebec. Easily the best thing released on this continent in 2021. I've yet to hear anything from these boys that didn't make me want to carve a pentagram into my forearm and worship the dark lord to.
2 – Mork - Katedralen - riffs on riffs on riffs. When I put this album on, I feel like I'm 16 cruising in my car listening to classic Van Halen. The volume knob can't go high enough. If the boys from Finland hadn't released one this year, this would be at number 1. Just an all-around banger.

Excellent work per usual, sir! We definitely have some overlap. As usual, you have a lot more depth in the obscure black/death side of the stream and some I want to check out. I never bought Mork-it's been sitting in my BC to buy list for ever and is very good. Darkthrone was a minor disappointment for me-first album since Underground Resistance that was underwhelming for me. Not that it sucks or anything, it just feels flat and overly conservative. Archgoat won't be list worthy for me, but fun for my first excursion with the band. Mastodon will probably be a grower and suffers from being too safe, but has the potential for being a radio friendly rock classic for today's generation. I'd call it more of a rock album and 1st album since Crack the Sky I didn't think was horse shit. Maiden's a grower (haven't purchased it yet) but is prolly their best since they started getting creative in their longer form of prog suite albums in the 2000's. I've enjoyed them all since A Matter of Death, but none really stick with me more than a year. Senjetsu has the potential to elevate their millennial albums other than the last handful of 10+ minute songs like the death of the Celts.

Also, the fact that you and I both listen to Ophiuchi of all things is hilarious. Great minds think a like. 

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1 hour ago, markm said:

Also, the fact that you and I both listen to Ophiuchi of all things is hilarious. Great minds think a like. 

I mean if I read a description of their albums on a blog or something, I'd probably just skip right over it and keep browsing. I took a chance on the first one I heard from them and something just strikes a chord with me. Not sure what exactly that is, but I dig what they are laying down.

4 hours ago, GoatmasterGeneral said:

FYI: That last Urfaust album came out Thanksgiving of 2020 unless you mean the comp which was just previously released tracks from some of their splits 'n shit.

Good to know. I saw it on several lists, but with the sliding calendar some people use for"year end" list time, you never know 100% if an album is from the actual calendar year. I try to stick to 1/1/xx - 12/31/xx as much as possible.

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7 hours ago, GoatmasterGeneral said:

@Doc:  Stop whinging and make a fucking list you bludger. What the fuck else do you have to do all day now?

Alright, you sarky bastards, I will do a list - or actually a few lists. I decline to rank these albums. These are the ones that stood out to me when I looked through my 2021 acquisitions today. On a different day I may have made a different list.

 

1.RE-ISSUE OF THE YEAR

 

VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR - The Charisma Years 1970 - 1978. This is the final word. Re-mastered, stereo and mono versions, live recordings. You either already own this or you will never be interested.

 

 

2.NON-METAL

 

THE MASTOLETTOS - A Romantic’s Guide to King Crimson. Lovely versions of KC songs with a female singer. If you have the original versions you can do a playlist alternating the original with the Mastolettos version, and that was a good way to waste an hour or two.

 

FLOATING POINTS, PHAROAH SANDERS AND THE LONDON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA - Promises. This album has been hyped all over the music and non-music sites this year, but you know what? It is terrific.

 

CHORD - IV. Yep, there is another one. You won’t like it.

 

AUSTRALIAN ART ORCHESTRA etc - Hand to Earth. Australian Indigenous singing, Korean art music, electronics etc. - a mixture of sounds I had not expected. Just a gorgeous album.

 

AROOJ AFTAB - Vulture Prince. What a voice this woman has! Beautiful mix of Pakistani music and New York hipster pop.

 

FRED FRITH TRIO with Lotte Anker and Susana Santos Silva - Road.  Is it jazz? Is it whatever? It is a journey into the night.

 

3.METAL

 

ALTARAGE - Succumb. This has just about everything Thatguy likes in a metal album. Big, noisy, rather chaotic sounding and musically interesting.

 

SPECTRAL WOUND - A Diabolic Thirst. More straightforward.

 

BIG/BRAVE - Vital. This is better than the split/joint album from later in the year I think. More to the point.

 

JUTE GYTE - Mitrealität. The guy is a genius.

 

PORTAL - Avow/Hagbulbia. Well, of course I haven’t listened to Hagbulbia more than once.

 

THE SLOW DEATH -Siege. Doom done right.

 

WHITEHORSE - Death Weight. Doom done different, still right, but.

 

ICHOR - Black Raven. I just enjoy this, and great cover art.

 

SUCCUMB - XXI. Yep.

 

KAYO DOT - Moss Grew…An album of rare beauty and sophistication. I will be coming back to this indefinitely.

 

ARCHSPIRE - Bleed the Future. It’s fun guys. Even Thatguy likes a bit of fun.

 

HORNWOOD FELL - Keres. Also fun, but of a different kind.

 

TARDIGRADA - Vom Bruch bis zur Freiheit. Buzzes nicely.

 

HOPE DRONE - Husk. These guys just go from strength to strength. Each album is uniquely them, but also different. This is another album I will still be listening to in 10 years.

 

And that will do. Get it into you.

 

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Father Alabaster, I cannot reveal high security secrets yet, but in the interest of list making, I'll make a list of pretty much everything I've bought in 2021. I'm not expecting anybody to remember my posts, but to review, I got off the new-metal hamster wheel officially this year. I've been trending in that direction, but this year, I was pretty overwhelmed with other stuff and largely disengaged. 

Life got busy as a teacher with COVID. I picked up extra summer teaching jobs this summer due to COVID, and have had a stressful return to school as most educators have, moved into a new school, new staff, blah blah, blah. I'm an avid kayaker and also work as an instructor as my side hustle.

So, I waited until the end of the year to grab stuff. Not sure that's the best strategy but I really stopped following the weekly onslaught of music except very superficially. 

I have a good idea of my top 5 or so albums, but of the 45 or so titles below, I grabbed 31 in December and am still very much digesting. A few of these I've yet to purchase, but I will, and it seems I've got more albums in my 2021 BC wishlist than I can shake a stick at, which grows every day with new lists including many of the posters here.  I'll prolly come up with a top 10-20 out of these, which I've listed in alphabetical order thereby avoiding any implicit bias:

Mark's 2021 Get:

Death Metal and black/thrash/death

  • Archgoat/Worship the Eternal Dark
  • Antediluvian/ The Divine Punishment
  • Dream Unending/Tide Turns Eternal
  • Gatekeeper/An Unexpected Reality
  • Diabolizer/Khalkedonian Death
  • Deimiser/Through the Gates of the Eternal
  • Hooded Menace/Trtonus Bell
  • Mortiferum/Preserved in Torrent
  • Outre-Tombe/Abysse Mortifere
  • Succumb/XXI

Black Metal

  • Bhleg/Odhin
  • Grimma/The Rotten Garden
  • Ethereal Shroud/Trisagion
  • Funeral Mist/Deiformed
  • Lamp of Murmor/Submission And Slavery
  • Mare Cognitum/Solar Paroxysm
  • Mystras/Empires Vanquished And Dismantled
  • Paysage d'Hiver/Geister
  • The ruins of beverast/The thule grimoires
  • Spectral Wound/A Diabolical Thirst
  • Wolves in the Throne Room/Primordial Arcana

Avant-garde, Experimental, core or beyond genre classification 

  • Autarkh/Form in Motion
  • Bummer/Dead Horse
  • Converge & Chelsea Wolfe/Blood Moon
  • Dorderuh/Har
  • Pupil Slicer
  • Plebeian Grandstand/Rien ne suffit
  • Sadness/ April Sunset

HM, Hard Rock 

  • Iron Maiden
  • King Woman/Celestial Blues
  • Mastodon/Hushed and Grim

Doom, sludge, stoner and Prog

 

  • Amenra/De Doom
  • Big Brave/Vital
  • DVNE/Etemen Ænka
  • Ophiuchi/Shibboleth
  • Subterranean Masquerade/Mountain Fever
  • Spelljammer/Abyssal Trip
  • Vouna/Appropos

Non-Metal

  • Grouper/Shade
  • Low/Hey What
  • Marissa Naddler/The Path of the Clouds
  • Emma Ruth Rundle/Engine of Hell
  • The War Drugs/I don’t Live Here Anymore

Non 2021 Purchase-

Neurosis/Souls to Zero

Overall, not a bad year's haul for a guy who started paying attention in late November. I tend to go for the better known releases. And I maintain, it was worth the time savings. I know I miss a lot of hidden gems, but I do feel that the exceptional albums tend to get attention in the end that can easily be ascertained by end of year list reading, review and streaming . 

I bought a fair amount of late 19th C/20th C classical that aren't relevant to this discussion, but I spent quite a bit of time with Schoenberg, Scriabin, Strauss operas, Debussy and a bunch of such fuckers. 

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Well unless you're a total fucking lunatic like me the point really isn't about not missing out on hidden gems, the point is to add some new stuff that flips your switch or does the trick for you in some way. And if you've done that and feel good about the stuff you've found that's all that matters. We can all put as much or as little time into this hobby as makes sense for our lives. I think it's pretty cool that we all don't have to be into the exact same stuff, we each chase what makes us happy and yet even some of us on nearly opposite ends of the taste spectrum usually still have at least a little bit of overlap.

Out of Mark's 45 I have 7 of those. Out of Doc's list I have 2. But I'm listening to Ichor and kinda digging it right now after giving up on my 2nd run at P d'H halfway through and aborting my Slow Death, Whitehorse and Big/Brave missions after about 3-5 minutes each.  I'm gonna have to disagree with the good Doctor though that Archspyre is "fun," because I reckon fun is like when your date sticks their finger up your butt. With Archspyre I just have to stick two fingers in my ears and that's no fun.

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Like my lists to have some rationale behind them so a bit of read for anyone interested.

10. Spectral Wound - A Diabolical Thirst

Setting their stall out early on, Spectral Wound slash open the melody wound from the off with the domineering Imperial Saison Noire which is as solid an album opener as you could wish for. It marks the arrival of the album perfectly, sets the pace nicely and whets the appetite immediately for more. This is black metal played with such a high level of fervid and dogged determination that I cannot help but be captivated from the off. To a large extent, I don't care if the album fails to vary all that much; when the output is this good why fix what ain't broken?

9. Wolvennest - Temple

For an album that celebrates the darkness of its existence so openly there is very little in the way of threat in Wolvennest’s sound. Instead, it is an album that plays as a performance, delivered in an intimate and sensual environment. I find it to be a very calming and richly rewarding listen that delivers a real sense of texture on each spin. The only comparison I can think to draw on is Wolvserpent but here the likeness is more around the atmosphere since the Belgians are much more accessible in their style, deploying a cleanliness in their crisp and melodic leads that are able to permeate the at times dense fog that cloaks the record.

8.Kanonenfieber - Menschenmühle

In terms of musical content you get hateful black metal vocals (which are all the more enhanced by being done in German which just adds perfect edge to them), interwoven with harsh blackened death metal that is used really well to ramp up the pace and add further intensity to tracks. There's even an acoustic, folk number at the end sang in a clean yet benign and resigned tone that really underlines the futility of the war. The artist/s (there's no much info on who the band are or how many of them there are in the band) uses the sounds of the battlefield to good effect without giving the feel that this is some Marduk record and they use pace really well with most tracks having some genuine traditional/heavy metal moments.

7. Ænigmatum - Deconsecrate

To reference a relevant also "liked" similarity, Deconsecrate reminds me of VoidCeremony’s debut full-length from last year. Entropic Reflections Continuum: Dimensional Unravel which was another bass driven affair that referenced enough DiGiorgio style of playing to make me be like all 90s an’ shit. Brian Rush does a similar job on Deconsecrate, often playing his own thing as he does runs and plays seemingly outside of the rest of the proceedings yet somehow seamlessly connected to the very core of what is going on. The bass coupled with the remarkable drumming of Pierce Williams are the two standout performances on what is still overall a very tight and well composed record. Watching videos of both Rush and Williams perform, it is clear they are the main driving talent of the band yet neither dominate the performance. The lead and melody work of Eli Lundgren and Kelly Mclaughlin is crisp and clear, and their busy riffing style applies an important gravity to the tracks.

6. Defacement - Defacement

In the midst of the blackened death metal there are moments of death / doom also that remind me of Abyssal whilst in overall attitude and outright horror I draw comparison with the amazing Altarage. This clever use of pace is prevalent on opening track (proper) Shattered and later on Disenchanted has a superb atmospheric run to really emphasise the terror-filled aether that envelopes the record. There is also more obvious references to Incantation and Grave Miasma but Defacement manage to create a layer above the core sound of the album that I do not recall happening all that often on other records that incorporate these genres. Having two guitarists absolutely helps this layering effect. It sounds at times like one guitarist is doing one thing and the other is off on some other terrifying tangent yet somehow they still marry both parts together to maintain a real sense of cohesion.

5. Wardruna - Kvitraven

A truly consuming listening experience that provides a seamless connection to history and nature in equal amounts. A record that can take you far away from your surroundings and utilise the most minimalist approach to instrumentation to still build an exceptional sense of power.  Wardruna are virtually untouchable at this stage in their career with not a single dud in their discography and this album sounds like an album from a band that are at the top of their game.  Accomplished, majestic yet ultimately earthy at the same time.

4. Panopticon - ... and Again Into The Light

Although not as abundant as in other releases, elements of folk and bluegrass do still flourish on this album. This time around the emotion that drives the song writing has seen a much more aggressive sound with a doom-like density applied to the whole album but the snippets of the more roots-laden music act as palate cleansers (or appetiser in the case of the opening track). I think the direction of Panopticon in 2021 is just superb though and if Lunn can continue to write such challenging and frankly raging extreme metal then long may it continue. Equally, the exuberance of tracks like The Embers at Dawn are so absorbing in their ethereal beauty that some of the most soothing music of 2021 for me also exists within these eight tracks. Again, the build on this track in particular before it becomes a blasting bm piece is excellent and heightens the sense of tracks always developing and flourishing.

Despite closing with two twelve minutes plus tracks, I sit right to the end of the album. I find I am just as eager to get to the next track as I am to uncover the detail of the current one playing at the time and there are very few albums nowadays that can hold that excitement for me. This has shook up my end of year list quite substantially.

3. Kowloon Walled City - Piecework

Never crashing and bashing, always calculated and poised in their delivery, the four-piece exude a maturity to their gritty and deep content that although rarely varies never gets boring. What Kowloon Walled City manage to do on Piecework is build instantly and then maintain a direction that becomes the absolute spine of the album. Most tracks do sound the same and the album tracks do all tend to blur into one. However, I cannot remember one other album in recent years where this linearity is so utterly perfectly placed (and paced). This fusion of the tracks (in my head at least) really works in making the album so successful in relaying its message. It is an album that is not adorned in any way, shape, or form with anything unnecessary or surplus. It turns up to the party with its own keg of home-brewed beer and sits, supping from its own mixture – offering pint pots of it to anyone who expresses interest, whilst acknowledging it is perhaps an acquired taste.

2. Mare Cognitum - Solar Paroxysm

I hear a lot of influences in the sound here. From the lush tremolos of Fen and Drudkh to the warm and full melodies of the latter of the aforementioned bands. But there's also the earthy dankness of WITTR present in the shift, passage and flow of tracks. The sum of all parts shows a penchant for ethereal layers of atmosphere that build into entities reminiscent of Spectral Lore and Darkspace also. I even get a smattering of Xasthur on Terra Requiem as Jake's vocals drop into a ghastly whisper riding over a rolling tremolo riff. What you get here is a very textured and tactile album, you almost want that amazing artwork on the cover to be raised and ridged like the music itself so you can trace your fingers along the landscape as you listen to the music.

1. Altarage - Succumb

This is a very tactile listening experience for me. Seemingly designed for that one sitting listen through for you to fully appreciate the quality of the album. There are no real individual parts to call out as such as despite there often being clear breaks between tracks it all feels interconnected and cohesive to the point of being conceptual almost. Track lengths vary and at first glance the format looks busy and confusing (which is part of the charm for me of listening to complex release and trying desperately to unravel it) however this structure to the composition of the album track listing is devilishly clever. The build that gets created here is superb and it sets some tracks up to be real eruptions of powerful and cavernous death metal that simply vents at various parts of the album.

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Cool to see the lists coming. Here's one I prepared and I know I am missing quite a few releases that I believe should be on it. Worm, Mortiferum, Funeral Mist, Obscura, Phrenelith, Imperialist, Abscession to name a few are potential list material but haven't found the time to listen. My new job that I took back in June is awesome but tremendously busy. Making super much hours in the week so I cant spend to much time online/ listening music. Taking the time to elaborate on my picks I haven't found either. So for people interested below here's my list unfiltered and not ranked. I see it does lean towards the technical death metal side though. And maybe Archspire should be higher.

Top 20 best of 2021:

Ophidian I - Desolate
Malformity - Monumental Ruin
Diskord - Degenerations
Stortregn - Impermanence
Eximperitus - Šahrartu
Spectral Wound - A Diabolic Thirst
Suffering Hour - The Cyclic Reckoning
Crypts of Despair - All Light Swallowed
Acausal Intrusion - Nulitas
Unflesh - Inhumation
Blindfolded and Led to the Woods - Nightmare Withdrawals
Leiþa - Sisyphus
Cognizance - Upheaval
Ænigmatum - Deconsecrate
Craven Idol - Forked Tongues
Diabolizer - Khalkedonian Death
Schavot - Galgenbrok
Kanonenfieber - Menschenmühle
1914 - Where Fear and Weapons Meet
First Fragment - Gloire éternelle
Wesenwille - II A Material God

EP:

Obvurt - The Beginning
Unfathomable Ruination - Decennium Ruinae
Nordjevel - Fenriir
Exhumed - Worming
Witch Vomit - Abhorrent Rapture

Honourable mention:
Mefitis - Offscourings
Kjeld - Ôfstân
Gosudar - Morbid Despotic Ritual
Intonate - Severed Within
Alustrium - A Monument to Silence
Archspire - Bleed the Future
Inferi - Vile Genesis
Infidel Reich - N.W.O. - New World Outrage
Anakim - The Elysian Void
Sunless - Ylem
Svneatr - Chinook
Ferriterium - Calvaire
Atvm - Famine, Putrid and Fucking Endless
Replicant - Malignant Reality

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2 hours ago, MacabreEternal said:

Like my lists to have some rationale behind them so a bit of read for anyone interested.

10. Spectral Wound - A Diabolical Thirst

Setting their stall out early on, Spectral Wound slash open the melody wound from the off with the domineering Imperial Saison Noire which is as solid an album opener as you could wish for. It marks the arrival of the album perfectly, sets the pace nicely and whets the appetite immediately for more. This is black metal played with such a high level of fervid and dogged determination that I cannot help but be captivated from the off. To a large extent, I don't care if the album fails to vary all that much; when the output is this good why fix what ain't broken?

9. Wolvennest - Temple

For an album that celebrates the darkness of its existence so openly there is very little in the way of threat in Wolvennest’s sound. Instead, it is an album that plays as a performance, delivered in an intimate and sensual environment. I find it to be a very calming and richly rewarding listen that delivers a real sense of texture on each spin. The only comparison I can think to draw on is Wolvserpent but here the likeness is more around the atmosphere since the Belgians are much more accessible in their style, deploying a cleanliness in their crisp and melodic leads that are able to permeate the at times dense fog that cloaks the record.

8.Kanonenfieber - Menschenmühle

In terms of musical content you get hateful black metal vocals (which are all the more enhanced by being done in German which just adds perfect edge to them), interwoven with harsh blackened death metal that is used really well to ramp up the pace and add further intensity to tracks. There's even an acoustic, folk number at the end sang in a clean yet benign and resigned tone that really underlines the futility of the war. The artist/s (there's no much info on who the band are or how many of them there are in the band) uses the sounds of the battlefield to good effect without giving the feel that this is some Marduk record and they use pace really well with most tracks having some genuine traditional/heavy metal moments.

7. Ænigmatum - Deconsecrate

To reference a relevant also "liked" similarity, Deconsecrate reminds me of VoidCeremony’s debut full-length from last year. Entropic Reflections Continuum: Dimensional Unravel which was another bass driven affair that referenced enough DiGiorgio style of playing to make me be like all 90s an’ shit. Brian Rush does a similar job on Deconsecrate, often playing his own thing as he does runs and plays seemingly outside of the rest of the proceedings yet somehow seamlessly connected to the very core of what is going on. The bass coupled with the remarkable drumming of Pierce Williams are the two standout performances on what is still overall a very tight and well composed record. Watching videos of both Rush and Williams perform, it is clear they are the main driving talent of the band yet neither dominate the performance. The lead and melody work of Eli Lundgren and Kelly Mclaughlin is crisp and clear, and their busy riffing style applies an important gravity to the tracks.

6. Defacement - Defacement

In the midst of the blackened death metal there are moments of death / doom also that remind me of Abyssal whilst in overall attitude and outright horror I draw comparison with the amazing Altarage. This clever use of pace is prevalent on opening track (proper) Shattered and later on Disenchanted has a superb atmospheric run to really emphasise the terror-filled aether that envelopes the record. There is also more obvious references to Incantation and Grave Miasma but Defacement manage to create a layer above the core sound of the album that I do not recall happening all that often on other records that incorporate these genres. Having two guitarists absolutely helps this layering effect. It sounds at times like one guitarist is doing one thing and the other is off on some other terrifying tangent yet somehow they still marry both parts together to maintain a real sense of cohesion.

5. Wardruna - Kvitraven

A truly consuming listening experience that provides a seamless connection to history and nature in equal amounts. A record that can take you far away from your surroundings and utilise the most minimalist approach to instrumentation to still build an exceptional sense of power.  Wardruna are virtually untouchable at this stage in their career with not a single dud in their discography and this album sounds like an album from a band that are at the top of their game.  Accomplished, majestic yet ultimately earthy at the same time.

4. Panopticon - ... and Again Into The Light

Although not as abundant as in other releases, elements of folk and bluegrass do still flourish on this album. This time around the emotion that drives the song writing has seen a much more aggressive sound with a doom-like density applied to the whole album but the snippets of the more roots-laden music act as palate cleansers (or appetiser in the case of the opening track). I think the direction of Panopticon in 2021 is just superb though and if Lunn can continue to write such challenging and frankly raging extreme metal then long may it continue. Equally, the exuberance of tracks like The Embers at Dawn are so absorbing in their ethereal beauty that some of the most soothing music of 2021 for me also exists within these eight tracks. Again, the build on this track in particular before it becomes a blasting bm piece is excellent and heightens the sense of tracks always developing and flourishing.

Despite closing with two twelve minutes plus tracks, I sit right to the end of the album. I find I am just as eager to get to the next track as I am to uncover the detail of the current one playing at the time and there are very few albums nowadays that can hold that excitement for me. This has shook up my end of year list quite substantially.

3. Kowloon Walled City - Piecework

Never crashing and bashing, always calculated and poised in their delivery, the four-piece exude a maturity to their gritty and deep content that although rarely varies never gets boring. What Kowloon Walled City manage to do on Piecework is build instantly and then maintain a direction that becomes the absolute spine of the album. Most tracks do sound the same and the album tracks do all tend to blur into one. However, I cannot remember one other album in recent years where this linearity is so utterly perfectly placed (and paced). This fusion of the tracks (in my head at least) really works in making the album so successful in relaying its message. It is an album that is not adorned in any way, shape, or form with anything unnecessary or surplus. It turns up to the party with its own keg of home-brewed beer and sits, supping from its own mixture – offering pint pots of it to anyone who expresses interest, whilst acknowledging it is perhaps an acquired taste.

2. Mare Cognitum - Solar Paroxysm

I hear a lot of influences in the sound here. From the lush tremolos of Fen and Drudkh to the warm and full melodies of the latter of the aforementioned bands. But there's also the earthy dankness of WITTR present in the shift, passage and flow of tracks. The sum of all parts shows a penchant for ethereal layers of atmosphere that build into entities reminiscent of Spectral Lore and Darkspace also. I even get a smattering of Xasthur on Terra Requiem as Jake's vocals drop into a ghastly whisper riding over a rolling tremolo riff. What you get here is a very textured and tactile album, you almost want that amazing artwork on the cover to be raised and ridged like the music itself so you can trace your fingers along the landscape as you listen to the music.

1. Altarage - Succumb

This is a very tactile listening experience for me. Seemingly designed for that one sitting listen through for you to fully appreciate the quality of the album. There are no real individual parts to call out as such as despite there often being clear breaks between tracks it all feels interconnected and cohesive to the point of being conceptual almost. Track lengths vary and at first glance the format looks busy and confusing (which is part of the charm for me of listening to complex release and trying desperately to unravel it) however this structure to the composition of the album track listing is devilishly clever. The build that gets created here is superb and it sets some tracks up to be real eruptions of powerful and cavernous death metal that simply vents at various parts of the album.

Nice read. For some reason however, it showing up as a blank post. Maybe it's my mobile, but I had to click on a spot and select all to read it. Not sure if it's an issue on my end or the site.

And a good one from @JohanV. A few there I'll have to give a spin. Thanks for taking the time guys.

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1 hour ago, navybsn said:

Nice read. For some reason however, it showing up as a blank post. Maybe it's my mobile, but I had to click on a spot and select all to read it. Not sure if it's an issue on my end or the site.

And a good one from @JohanV. A few there I'll have to give a spin. Thanks for taking the time guys.

Not sure what’s happening with my post.  I have the same issue now on my iPad and this morning on another site my list (not same one) got duplicated.  Fucking gremlins.

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Here's my 2021 top whatever in rough "best to worst" order

 

Kanonenfieber - Menschenmühle
Funeral Mist - Deiform
Zornheym - The Zornheim Sleep Experiment
SUNNATA - Burning in Heaven, Melting on Earth
Frummyrkrið - Dauðans Myrkri
Dordeduh - Har
SPECTRAL WOUND - A Diabolic Thirst
Sur Austru - Obârșie
Green Lung - Black Harvest
Iotunn - Access All Worlds
Leiþa - Sisyphus
Kabbalah - The Omen
Mānbryne - Heilsweg: O udręce ciała i tułaczce duszy
LINGUA IGNOTA - SINNER GET READY
Demoniac - So It Goes

 

Really dug what Noise(Kanonenfieber and Leiþa) did this year. There's another project(Non Est Deus) with a record early 2022 that was instant preorder. But now bandcamp tells me there are already Non Est Deus releases!

Frummyrkrið is weird. Advertised as icelandic bm, but seems to have been erased from the internets to some extent. The record is gone from my bandcamp collection. Good thing I downloaded? I read an italian blog that says they might actually be a brazilian band. So bonus points for the mystery/fuckery.

Good year for the Negura Bunget tree too, and I haven't even checked out the last NB album yet.

 

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Alright well I wasn't feeling very inspired to do a list this year but I guess if everyone else can slap something together than there's no reason I can't...

 

15. Panopticon - ...And Again Into the Light (Atmo-black, folk)

14. Helleruin - War Upon Man (Straight up black metal)

13. Crypts of Despair - All Light Swallowed (Blackened death)

12. Malignament - Hypocrisis Absolution (Black metal)

11. Qrixkuor - Poison Palinopsia (Blackened death)

10. Lamp of Murmuur - Submission And Slavery (Black metal)

9. Archgoat - Worship The Eternal Darkness (Black metal)

8. Drawn And Quartered - Congregation Pestilence (Death Metal)

7. Stormkeep - Tales of Othertime (Epic, melodic Black metal)

6. The Temple - S/T (Black/death)

5. Human Serpent - Heirlooms Eternal (Black Metal)

4. Worm - Foreverglade (Death/doom)

3. Morgal - Nightmare Realm (Thrashy Black metal)

2. Ethereal Shroud - Trisagion (Atmo-black)

1. Spectral Would - A Diabolic Thirst (Black metal)

 

That's it that's all. I usually do my lists complete with album covers and little write-ups/descriptions for each and every album but..... I dunno, the motivation just isn't there right now. Good job on the lists everybody! And happy new year! 

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