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EOTY Listmania Extravaganza 2022


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5 hours ago, Sheol said:

Thanks for dropping your list for us Johan. I thought we had lost you for awhile there over the summer.

5. Misthyrming  -  Með hamri

It's Misthyrming, you know it rules!

Meh. It's OK. I've listened twice now but I was probably distracted so I'm gonna give this thing one more shot to win me over. And that's because it has a building on the cover and I happen to have a thing for album covers featuring buildings, especially large imposing edifices.

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 off is intact though!

Good album, was on my short list all year but you'll be disappointed to learn it didn't make the final cut. Too refined for me maybe? Was one of only two Swedish black metal albums of the 50 I had under consideration. The other being Mara, aslo a good album which ultimately didn't make the cut either. Can't remember the last time I had no Swedish black metal on my list. I will have 3 Swedish death metal albums though.

17. Kvaen - The Great Below

You know this one. The Funeral Pyre set the meloblack scene ablaze two years ago and it's no surpprise The Great Below continues with equal prowess.

I had totally forgotten about this one from last spring. Yeah this was good. Not list-worthy good in my filthy world, but still really good. No edifice though.

20. Deathspell Omega - The Long Defeat

The most accessible and catchy album by the Frenchies, with some well suited guest vocals from M and Arioch. unfortunatly shithead Aspa is still there.

Not accessible enough unfortunately. That most accessible DSO title surely belongs to the marvelous Inquisitors.

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.

Everything except filth! Which is of course the hallmark of true kvlt Finnish black metal. Shame because it has a cool castle on the cover.

 

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I'll go along with Dark Angel, Gene's almost promised it will be this year, although I'm more interested in what him and the wifey are going to throw out there.

Kerry's band will just be a continuation of Repentless, even he's admitted that, therefore the likelihood of it being an AOTY are slim. However those chances are made even slimmer by the prospect that so many people are reporting that he wants Fuckwit Phil Anselmo to do the vocals.

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On 1/2/2023 at 11:16 PM, zackflag said:

 

Starting things off with some honorable mentions, as is the way of things...

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

 

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.

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!

 

Nice work as always Zack! I always look forward to your articulate lists as you know you have pointed me towards some great albums on the gnarlier side of metal. I need to give Chasm another listen and will have to listen to Pharmacist as well as the rest of your list. Wake, Immolation and Daeva have all made it into my collection this year. Grimma and Misþyrming are top contenders for me for sure. Thanks for highlighting Misþyrming. Got my physical copy today. Your like the guy in the group that chooses his words carefully, so when you say you like something, I really listen. 

Shout outs to Sheol, Surge and Jon....got some serious homework from you guys. 

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On 1/1/2023 at 6:09 PM, Thatguy said:

Thanks Navy for your thoughtful lists. Thanks Mark for dumping everything. Thanks Orca for promising but not delivering. And thanks in advance GG. Your list will be late and long but we know we can rely on you.

This is what Thatguy thinks this week.

 

THATGUY’S TOP 17.

METAL

In alphabetical order and not order of merit. I don’t think there will be too many surprises here. Don’t expect in depth analysis - that’s not Thatguy’s style - and you’ll see the word fun a lot. Good music is always fun. It may be other things too -  beautiful, challenging, thought provoking, sad, noisy, kind of annoying etc etc - but if it’s not fun then I probably won’t be listening, because in 2022 it was again - so much music, so little time.

ARTIFICIAL BRAIN - Artificial Brain. This is a fun album full of metal goodness. Fuck youse all for a miserable bunch of sad sacks if you can’t enjoy this.

ASHENSPIRE - Hostile Architecture. Angry Scots ranting and interesting music with saxophone. What’s not to love?

ASUNOJOKEI - Island. I just love this band and this album in particular. Smart-arse chords and high pitched shrieking. Get it into you.

DESOLATE SHRINE - Fires Of A Dying World. Dark, dense, angry. It’s everything I want from a metal album.

DRUDKH - All Belongs To The Night. I think I’ve heard some of these chord progressions before from this band, but I don’t care. I enjoy this more with each listen so that makes it list-worthy.

IMMOLATION - Acts Of God. Yep, I agree with everyone else that it is too long - but it rocks.

IMPERIAL TRIUMPHANT - Spirit of Ecstasy. I know there isn’t much love for these guys around here, but on re-listening and reflection, I like this album quite a lot. It’s a lot less wanky than their previous one and is actually a metal album, dissonant and iconoclastic enough to amuse me and all in all a lot of quirky fun.

MALIGNANT AURA  - Abysmal Misfortune Is Draped On Me. Miserable. Miserable but in a good way.

MESHUGGAH - Immutable. The title sums it up. This is what it is, love it or hate it. There is so much happening here, and an instrumental track that is maybe the best track.

MOURNFUL CONGREGATION - The Exuviae of Gods - Part 1. This is what I’m talking about. Beautiful, miserable but, yep, fun. These guys can do no wrong in my book. I hope Part 2 appears in 2023.

OLHAVA - Reborn. Lots of atmospherics but enough BM to keep me hanging on. The goats won’t like it.

OSSERP - Els nous cants de la Sibil-la. Like the Desolate Shrine, this just hits the spot.

PHARMACIST - Flourishing Extremities On Unspoiled Mental Grounds. Every time I listen to this I just think - wow.

TOADEATER - Bexadde. Almost worth listing just for the band name, but also for the mix. Bass, guitars and vocals about equal with supportive drums. A nice change from buried vocals and inaudible bass.

ULTHA - All That Has Never Been True. I hate the cover art - it reminds me of the Electric Callboy video ‘We Got The Moves’ (ear and eye worm of the year even if not released in 2022). But the music is dense yet lively, interesting and engaging with fine examples of NON-CHEESY SYNTH all the way through it. This should be on everyone’s list. And they released a very good B side/demo/live album for NYP this year too. Thanks Ultha.

WIEGEDOOD - There’s Always Blood At The End Of The Road. Excellent album by consistently good band. I think they would absolutely slay live.

WORM MANTLE - Worm Mantle. I raved about this early in the year then left it alone for a long time. On re-listening, yep, I still love it. Lots of metal and a good deal of atmospherics - all guitar I think and no synths to whinge about.

 

NON-METAL

AKKU QUINTET - Live.Jazz so chill and groovy that there ought to be a law against it.

BITCHIN BAJAS - Bajascillators. Radiant ambient/electronic/jazz. Check out the cover art. The music is just like the art.

BORIS - W. Boris albums are so diverse that you can’t really say you do or don’t like the band. This is an electronic art rock/pop album. Noice.

ELDER - Innate Passage. So musical, so engaging.

loscil - The Sails Pt. 2. Radiant beauty as all his albums.

Nils FRAHM - Music for Animals. Saw him live in 2022 and now I get him. Lovely and interesting electronics.

Valentina GONCHAROVA - Ocean - Symphony for Electric Violin and other instruments. This is one for the ‘modern classical’ lovers I guess, but it’s also noisy and annoying.

ŠIROM - The Liquified Throne of Simplicity. Long instrumental tracks of alternative folk/ambient with all sorts of weird instruments. Really very engaging.

SPOOK- Spook. Chill.

Midori TAKADA - You Who Are Leaving To Nirvana. Chanting, percussion and I think electronics. Ethereal and beautiful.

 

COLLECTIONS

ART ENSEMBLE OF CHICAGO - The Art Ensemble of Chicago and Associated Ensembles (on ECM). As I wrote in the jazz thread, this anthology contains the essence of all of jazz and of life.

Olivier MESSIAEN - 100th Anniversary Box Set. So much Messiaen, so little time. I wish I had written this music, but I’m not a French, Catholic mystic organ virtuoso.

Steve TIBBETTS - Hellhound Train: An Anthology. Jazz/rock/ambient, whatever. This is really entertaining.

Anton WEBERN - Complete Works. Essential listening for the ‘modern classical’ lover and I’m glad I have this to listen to whenever I feel like it. I wish he had lived longer and widened his palette.

Thank the goats for Thatguy, listening to all this random shite so we don't have to!

Good stuff. But we are still not worthy. 

Also, this is motivating me to get cracking on the list. It's all there in my brain just have to shake it loose.

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To whom it may concern below is my blurred view on what is best of 2022 - this list if more material listened too would be likely little different:

Album #1: Artificial Brain - Artificial Brain
Album #2: Negative Plane - The Pact...
Album #3: In Aphelion - Moribund
Album #4: Vorga - Striving Toward Oblivion
Album #5: De Profundis - The Corruption of Virtue
Album #6: Sadistic Ritual - The Enigma, Boundless
Album #7: The Antichrist Imperium - Volume III Satan in His Original Glory
Album #8: Spider God - Fly in the Trap
Album #9: Immolation - Acts of God
Album #10: Wormrot - Hiss
Album #11: The Chasm - The Scars of a Lost Reflective Shadow
Album #12: Revocation - Netherheaven
Album #13: Theotoxin - Fragment Totenruhe
Album #14: Wrang - De vaendrig
Album #15: Misthyrming - Med Hamri
Album #16: Wiegedood - There's Always Blood at the End of the Road
Album #17: Veilburner - VLBRNR
Album #18: Altars Ablaze - Life Desecration
Album #19: Verberis - Adumbration of the Veiled Logos
Album #20: Faceless Burial - At the Foothills of Deliration
HM: Werewolves, Hath, Thundering Hooves, Inanna, Altars, Golgothan Remains, Decapitated, Concilivm, Cryptic Hatred, Ripped to Shreds
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15 hours ago, JohanV said:

To whom it may concern below is my blurred view on what is best of 2022 - this list if more material listened too would be likely little different:

Album #1: Artificial Brain - Artificial Brain
Album #2: Negative Plane - The Pact...
Album #3: In Aphelion - Moribund
Album #4: Vorga - Striving Toward Oblivion
Album #5: De Profundis - The Corruption of Virtue
Album #6: Sadistic Ritual - The Enigma, Boundless
Album #7: The Antichrist Imperium - Volume III Satan in His Original Glory
Album #8: Spider God - Fly in the Trap
Album #9: Immolation - Acts of God
Album #10: Wormrot - Hiss
Album #11: The Chasm - The Scars of a Lost Reflective Shadow
Album #12: Revocation - Netherheaven
Album #13: Theotoxin - Fragment Totenruhe
Album #14: Wrang - De vaendrig
Album #15: Misthyrming - Med Hamri
Album #16: Wiegedood - There's Always Blood at the End of the Road
Album #17: Veilburner - VLBRNR
Album #18: Altars Ablaze - Life Desecration
Album #19: Verberis - Adumbration of the Veiled Logos
Album #20: Faceless Burial - At the Foothills of Deliration
HM: Werewolves, Hath, Thundering Hooves, Inanna, Altars, Golgothan Remains, Decapitated, Concilivm, Cryptic Hatred, Ripped to Shreds

Sick list Johan - lots of good ones. Also, I have listened to or am aware of most of them so that's always nice!

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Nine Circles has 3 new 22 EOY lists off the presses with some of the fine album that have been prominently featured in the lists here urging me to overspend in late December and early January including Zyklonius who used to post with us occasionally at M-F who was a great resource and metal bro of mine back in the pre M-F days over at Head-Fi with the likes of Alex and Ferday. Man, the six degrees of metal separation  goes back way deep.

https://ninecircles.co/

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1 hour ago, markm said:

including Zyklonius

I had a look at his list. As ever, theres's a few I hadn't heard, a few I didn't rate and a few I really like. Pretty good list though. The only glaringly wrong selection is CoL. I used to love this band but they seem to be stuck in a rut and the latest album does not pull them out of it.

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8 hours ago, Thatguy said:

I had a look at his list. As ever, theres's a few I hadn't heard, a few I didn't rate and a few I really like. Pretty good list though. The only glaringly wrong selection is CoL. I used to love this band but they seem to be stuck in a rut and the latest album does not pull them out of it.

I was feeling that way  after Mariner up until Long Road North which took a few times to sink in but very much enjoy.

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29 minutes ago, markm said:

I was feeling that way  after Mariner up until Long Road North which took a few times to sink in but very much enjoy.

That's odd. There was only one album (plus an EPs, and bits and pieces that don't count) between Mariner (which was spine-tingling in some moments with Julie Christmas singing) and Long Road North (which is serviceable if not exactly jaw dropping). That inbetweener album was A Dawn to Fear, which is great.

@Thatguy as our Alex-Fi was fond of saying, "YMMV" (which I had to look up the first time). CoL is a very consistent band but you could justifiably call that a rut. They certainly churn it out to keep album cycles and touring going, but I gotta respect them for that. The formula is there and whether an album is great or average just seems to be down to how the listener feels at that moment in time.

NP - Access All Worlds | IOTUNN (bandcamp.com)

This has some clean vocals it took me a while to accept, but it's a good all rounder. Random recommendation from someone I used to hang out with a billion years ago...

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7 hours ago, JonoBlade said:

"YMMV" (which I had to look up the first time)

And I just looked it up too.  

And fair enough. This is like something I wrote the other day. How you evaluate music depends on how you are feeling on the day and in how you feel in general.

I agree CoL are consistent and I have still bought their albums up til now -  I just haven't got much from the latest one. Will I go again? For my sins, probably. And I would love to see them live.

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01 Worm - Bluenothing (20 Buck Spin)
02 Immolation - Acts Of God (Nuclear Blast)
03 The Chasm - The Scars Of A Lost Reflective Shadow (Luxinframundis/VIC)
04 Hearse - Traipse Across The Empty Graves (Sinistrari)
05 Old Sorcery - Dragon Citadel Elegies (Essential Purification/Dungeons Deep)
06 Autopsy - Morbidity Triumphant (Peaceville)
07 Megadeth - The Sick, The Dying... And The Dead! (Universal/Tradecraft)
08 Corpsegrinder - Corpsegrinder (Perseverance)
09 Spectrum Mortis – Bit Meseri - The Incantation (Listenable)
10 Vacuous – Dreams Of Dysphoria (Me Saco Un Ojo/Dark Descent)

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Ok, let's get this one on the record! I wish I was on here bullshitting with you bastards more but work and life, you know the drill. Many thanks for everyone's posts and humoring my diatribes.

EPs/Demos: (no particular order)

ESKHATON – Horracle. Brutal black death. Australia. EP

Tomb of Annihilation - End of Time. Melodic DM. Richmond VA. EP

Malum Mortuus - Ashes of the Traitor's Cross. Black crust thrash. Denver

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Necroblasphemy - Necroblasphemic Rites (Demo). OSDM grind. Germany

Shrouded Infinity - Through Caverns Unknown. DM. USA

Deviants - Legion (EP). Death-thrash. Chile

Nahasheol – KAAOSOTH. Black dark metal. Netherlands

Saudade - From Desire to Demise. Black. UK

Devouring Famine - Dirge for the devoured(Demo). Raw black. USA

YRR - Sokeiden Valtakunta. Black. Finland

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Mørkt Tre - Марення Осені. Atmospheric black. Ukraine

Abysm Diabolis - Visions from the Haunted Realm. OSDM. Canada. EP

QRIXKUOR – Zoetrope. Black atmospheric death. UK. EP

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Left Cross - Promo 2022. Death. USA

Eschatology – Eschatology. Black /Black-n-roll. Sweden/Poland

Prehistoric War Cult - Under the Sign of the Red Moon. Fuckin’ war. Germany.

 

Full Lengths: (in no particular order)

Concilivm - A Monument in Darkness. DM. Chile. Heavy fisted repeated punches to the gut DM.

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Primordial Serpent - Kingdom of Darkness and Despair. Black. Canada.

Serpentshrine - Allegiance to the Myth. Black. USA

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Cabinet - Claustrophobic Dysentery. Black death doom. USA. Just the most heavy and nauseating DM you could find in 2022.

Axxmaxxius Devastruktor - Blood Seeps into the Black Earth. Death grind. Australia

Druids – Shadow Work. Psychedelic Doom. USA. My college self would have blown a gasket discovering this. Many years later this is still jaw-droppingly good despite my love of goat metal.

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Dinbethes – Balans. Dutch Black. Netherlands. Very cool, atmospheric and somehow sounds original. A black metal stand out this year.

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Autonoesis - Moon of Foul Magics. Space Black thrash. Canada. Each fret gets a run in this black metal moon shot. Fun for light years.

Nexwomb – S/T. Black death. USA. Unrelenting and uncompromising DM.

Defiatory – Apokalyps. Thrash. Sweden. Pretty straight forward thrash metal, but thrash will never die.

Misþyrming - Með hamri. Black. Iceland. I won’t argue with anyone who makes this AoTY. Its easily that good.

Cult of Extinction - Gnosis of the Wicked. Black Death. Germany

Ritual Mass - It Ever Turns. War grind. USA

Manticore - Endless Scourge of Torment. Brutal black death. USA. A shade less excellent than Persecutory, but right in line with the same punishing black/death assault.

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Desolate Shrine - Fires of the Dying World. Black death. Finland. Excellent, if not a touch on the depressing side. This one faded some as the year went on tbh.

Suppression - The Sorrow of Soul Through Flesh. Death thrash. Chile. Could have cracked the top 10 depending on the day.

Lunar Tombfields – The Eternal Harvest. Atmospheric black. France.

Mulyfication – Feed. Cavernous DM. Ukraine. Surprisingly lively and fresh considering it is moldy-corpse DM.

Satan's Blade - Curse of the Blade. Metal. USA. I love elaborate genre-bending, but this is can only be described as metal.

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Necromutilator - Oath of Abhorrence. Black death thrash. Italy. Goaty in all the fun ways.

Abhorrency – Climax of Disgusting Impurities. War. USA. Cross between Ascended Dead and Profane Order, so yes it is painfully good.

Schizophrenia - Recollections of the Insane. Death thrash. Belgium. Back with a new banger!

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Critical Defiance - No Life Forms. Thrash. Chile. These guys slay!

Imprecation - In Nomine Diaboli. OSDM. USA

Void Wraith – II. Black. USA.

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Serpentfyre - Baptism of Shadows. Black. Finland.

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THOS ÆLLA - Sempiternal Mobocracies. Blackened thrash. USA. Almost too much guitars...but not too much at all.

Ares Kingdom  - In Darkness at Last. Death thrash. USA. Right up there with Besieged as the best still doing it.

Rotborn - On the Perspective of an Imminent Downfall. OSDM. Brazil. It is rotten but really good. Brazilian OSDM and not Sepultura worship.

Vessel Of Iniquity - The Path Unseen. Black death noise. UK. Sanity testing extremity that attacks the boundaries of music.

 

Top-10: (order-ish)

Thebes - Ziggurat Beyond the Unseen Shroud. Atmospheric black doom. Hits all the right feels for an atmospheric black/doom without getting boring or sad.

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Desecresy - Unveil in the Abyss. Cavernous DM. Finland. And just like that these guys come roaring and rumbling back with a flawless album. Same sound, but better execution.

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Blackbraid – Blackbraid I. Black. USA. I don’t do black-folk but this transcends. It also slays.

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Beyond Mortal Dreams  - Abomination of the Flames. DM. Australia. Intense and immersive, this is DM taken to a higher level that most bands only aspire to.

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Karmanjaka - Gates of Muspel. Melodic progressive black. Sweden. So cool and varied. I feel like a cool person because I like this.

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Persecutory - Summoning the Lawless Legions. Black death. Turkey. Another band that returned to perfect their sound. Punishing, but layered and deliberate.

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Perdition Temple - Merciless Upheaval. Black Death. USA. Never heard of these guys but this one is death-fucking-tastic. Reminds me in all the best ways of the Polish style of punishing and exact black death that I love.

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Golgothan Remains - Adorned in Ruin. Blackened DM. Australia. These goats have evolved into a new disturbingly heavy and complex monstrosity.

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Besieged - Violence Beyond All Reason. Death thrash. Canada. When you kick out the best death thrash in recent memory you deserve your spot, even if countless bands have tried the same style. Greatness is greatness.

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Spectral Souls - Towards Extinction. DM. Peru. I don’t gaf, I kept hitting play on this and it never disappointed. Just a fun, raucous, barely contained and at times out of control extravaganza of metal enthusiasm.

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On 1/13/2023 at 7:37 AM, JonoBlade said:

That's odd. There was only one album (plus an EPs, and bits and pieces that don't count) between Mariner (which was spine-tingling in some moments with Julie Christmas singing) and Long Road North (which is serviceable if not exactly jaw dropping). That inbetweener album was A Dawn to Fear, which is great.

Yeah, just one album and that EP that I didn't buy but have heard. Seems like it's longer than that but I'm opposite with you. Dawn to Fear was just OK for me-it didn't really connect. TLRN is a big step up for me....but it may just be time/place and the fact that I spent more time with that album during the first part of the year than just about any other. Since, I tend to hedge bets and buy more at the end of the year, invariably the albums I actually do buy closer to their release dates, get more time spent by years end.....and you know how CoL take time to really ooze into your bloodstream. 

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9 hours ago, navybsn said:

Same as above. @Hungarino bringing the heat. BTW - Alex from Ares Kingdom is also in Perdition Temple, Gene from Angelcorpse, and Ron Parmer from Malevolent Creation these days. They're last one, Sacraments of Descension, also slays.

Nice list brother goat. Lots of homework there.

Gene Palubicki Bass (2009-2012), Guitars (2009-present), Vocals (2009-2013)

See also: Demonized, Hexorcist, Malefic Throne, ex-Angelcorpse, ex-Apocalypse Command, ex-Blasphemic Cruelty, ex-Impiety

Ron Parmer Drums (2011-2016, 2018-present)

See also: BlightMass, Bloodmessiah, Brutality, Insatanity, Malevolent Creation, Phalanx Inferno, ex-Catalysis, ex-Amon, ex-Kerasphorus, ex-Cruciamentum (live), ex-Kill Division (live), ex-Angelcorpse (live)

Alex Blume Bass, Vocals (2018-present)

That actually explains a lot!

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On 1/14/2023 at 4:52 PM, markm said:

Yeah, just one album and that EP that I didn't buy but have heard. Seems like it's longer than that but I'm opposite with you. Dawn to Fear was just OK for me-it didn't really connect. TLRN is a big step up for me....

Same, Mariner was kinda grating and annoying, ADtF was ok, I disliked it in the beginning but last year I revisited and found the C/D side stronger than the A/B. But the EP was a promising sign and I really liked TLRN. It felt like a good mix between the teutonic, mechanical style of Vertikal and the softer, more organic stuff from Eternal Kingdom and A dawn to fear. Johannes also released a collaboration with Perturbator called Final Light, that may be why you feel more time (and albums) has passed?

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