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Top 10 Albums of Any Given Year


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Actually, I just went back and looked at my list, and I'm surprised that a few of my entries weren't on yours Requiem. It seems like the Virgin Black and Green Carnation albums would be right up your alley. My list is back on page 8 if you're interested, might be worth checking out if you haven't.

 

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2 hours ago, BlutAusNerd said:

 

Since you put it that way, my response does seem a bit off the cuff. True, I have spit out a fair bit on this community, so I figured most would knew where I stood on that point, but I haven't exactly been super active since you joined.

Follow the Leader is a vastly different album from Follow the Reaper, and is one that I hope never appears on any of these lists, haha! Typos aside though, I see what you're saying, some people hate the likes of CoB while worshiping that blasturbatory Swedish nonsense that I simply can't stand. Bands like Dark Funeral and Legion era Marduk rob black meta of its roots and any possible dynamic range or impact with a bunch of hyper-blasting pap that I have a hard time believing actually impresses anyone. It's objectively dull and trite, but for me, subjectively abhorrent, a parody and mockery of the genre I love that I simply can't tolerate. This is the case with Dark Funeral or Enthroned more so than Marduk, as they would still show glimmers of hope every so often that would re-emerge when Mortuus joined, but this stuff still actively irritates me. I'm glad that a lot of this norsecore drivel came to an end by the mid-00's, it's nice to hear some newer mainstream black metal bands actually playing riffs again. Hopefully that clears it up.

 

What's perhaps even more disturbing is that some people - many in fact - would claim that 'Follow the Leader' beats everything in any of these lists. It was a real type-o negative on my part there. 

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On 11/04/2012 at 7:40 AM, BlutAusNerd said:

Re: Top 10 Albums of Any Given Year BlutAusNerd's Top 10 Albums of 2001: Absu: Tara - High speed black/thrash with some of the most insane riffs and drumming ever, relentless Church of Misery: Master of Brutality - Fun and heavy stoner/doom metal, perfectly captures old Sabbath Finntroll: Jaktens Tid - Highly entertaining folk metal, very silly and fun, but I love it Gorguts: From Wisdom to Hate - Less insane, but more controlled and still fantastic Green Carnation: Light of Day, Day of Darkness - One long and beautiful progressive/atmospheric song Hollenthon: With Vilest of Worms to Dwell - Epic and original folk/melodeath mixture, amazing songwriting My Dying Bride: The Dreadful Hours - Dreary, mournful gothic/doom metal, one of their best Opeth: Blackwater Park - Progressive metal masterpiece, melancholic atmosphere and perfect composition Sigh: Imaginary Sonicscape - Sigh's most progressive, as usual very unique and well done Virgin Black: Sombre Romantic - Strange and awesome operatic gothic metal, dark and beautiful Another varied year, with progressive and avant-garde albums actually in the majority, which is probably a first for me. I think this decade will lean more in favor of bands that were really branching out and doing their own thing, or at least more so than in the past. In any case, not too many of these albums are "typical" metal, nor do they possess much similarity to my lists of the 90's.

Here it is on page 4 rather than 8, but I had a lot of enjoyable reading getting to it. 

Yeah, I like a lot of these. We both have MDB and Finntroll on our lists. I really like 'Blackwater Park' and 'With Vilest of Worms to Dwell'. I never really got into Green Carnation as much. 

The Virgin Black album is brilliant. I've seen them play quite a few times here in Melbourne and a friend of mine played guitar in the touring line-up for a while. I actually bought 'Sombre Romantic' right when the band first self-released it. I sent Samantha the guitarist too much money and she actually bothered to send me a two dollar coin back with the CD which was a nice gesture. I've hung out with her at a gathering. Then another friend of mine went out with her for a while - not sure if they're still together. So yeah, big fan of the band. 

Also, these old posts are hard to read due to the lack of paragraphing which I assume is due to an older forum format? I see you and that NTRT guy posted nearly every year, which gives me some ambition now. 

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I'm just going to work my way through the years in chronological order like the old guard have done. 

 

Requiem's Top Ten 1995

10. Dark Tranquillity - 'The Gallery'

A melodic death metal album with great heart and ambition. There is clear hunger in this band at this time and the music is exquisite. 'Lethe' is an all time classic. 

9. Cathedral - 'The Carnival Bizarre' 

I know every single word of these lyrics and I'm sure I'll remember them until I die. 'Hopkins' and so many great tracks. Easily my favourite Cathedral album. 

8. Blind Guardian - 'Imaginations from the Other Side'

The right blend of melody with some beefy riffs and an album of great scope and enterprise. 

7. Ulver - Bergtatt

Black metal nature perfection. A beautiful album to listen to. 

6. Darkthrone - 'Panzerfaust'

I really think this album is underrated. I love every minute of it. It's cold, dark and has great riffs. 'En Vind av Sorg' tears the heart out. 

5. Moonspell - 'Wolfheart'

A fantastic debut album, one of the best debut's I've ever heard. God I love Moonspell. 

4. Anathema - 'The Silent Enigma'

Pastoral, romantic, solemn, with great heart. An incredible album of doom metal. 

3. My Dying Bride - 'The Angel and the Dark River'

This could easily be album of the year if it was in almost any other year. 'The Cry of Mankind' and 'From Darkest Skies' are two of my all time favourite songs and this album impacted me in a huge way when I was 15 in the year of release. 

2. Paradise Lost - 'Draconian Times'

Gothic metal perfection. 

1. Dissection - 'Storm of the Light's Bane'

An untouchable work of art. 

1995 was an amazing year for music and it was tough amping up the adjectives as I went with these song descriptions....

 

 

There are a lot of great albums in 1995 and I had to leave a heap off the list. 

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On 11/04/2012 at 7:40 AM, BlutAusNerd said: Re: Top 10 Albums of Any Given Year BlutAusNerd's Top 10 Albums of 2001: Absu: Tara - High speed black/thrash with some of the most insane riffs and drumming ever, relentless Church of Misery: Master of Brutality - Fun and heavy stoner/doom metal, perfectly captures old Sabbath Finntroll: Jaktens Tid - Highly entertaining folk metal, very silly and fun, but I love it Gorguts: From Wisdom to Hate - Less insane, but more controlled and still fantastic Green Carnation: Light of Day, Day of Darkness - One long and beautiful progressive/atmospheric song Hollenthon: With Vilest of Worms to Dwell - Epic and original folk/melodeath mixture, amazing songwriting My Dying Bride: The Dreadful Hours - Dreary, mournful gothic/doom metal, one of their best Opeth: Blackwater Park - Progressive metal masterpiece, melancholic atmosphere and perfect composition Sigh: Imaginary Sonicscape - Sigh's most progressive, as usual very unique and well done Virgin Black: Sombre Romantic - Strange and awesome operatic gothic metal, dark and beautiful Another varied year, with progressive and avant-garde albums actually in the majority, which is probably a first for me. I think this decade will lean more in favor of bands that were really branching out and doing their own thing, or at least more so than in the past. In any case, not too many of these albums are "typical" metal, nor do they possess much similarity to my lists of the 90's.

Here it is on page 4 rather than 8, but I had a lot of enjoyable reading getting to it. 

Yeah, I like a lot of these. We both have MDB and Finntroll on our lists. I really like 'Blackwater Park' and 'With Vilest of Worms to Dwell'. I never really got into Green Carnation as much. 

The Virgin Black album is brilliant. I've seen them play quite a few times here in Melbourne and a friend of mine played guitar in the touring line-up for a while. I actually bought 'Sombre Romantic' right when the band first self-released it. I sent Samantha the guitarist too much money and she actually bothered to send me a two dollar coin back with the CD which was a nice gesture. I've hung out with her at a gathering. Then another friend of mine went out with her for a while - not sure if they're still together. So yeah, big fan of the band. 

Also, these old posts are hard to read due to the lack of paragraphing which I assume is due to an older forum format? I see you and that NTRT guy posted nearly every year, which gives me some ambition now. 

 

Must be because I'm on Tapatalk and it lays out the pages differently. Fucking phone interface. I'm surprised on the Green Carnation, though I never cared for them much outside of that album, I think Light of Day, Day of Darkness is genius. I've listened to that album so many times, and it speaks to me now just as much as it did when I got it 13 years ago on a blind recommendation.

 

Virgin Black is amazing. I think the two Requiem (coincidence?) albums are my favorites, but I love Somber Romantic and Elegant... and Dying as well. They were one of the most unique and powerful forces in symphonic/gothic metal, genre's that I'm admittedly not crazy about overall, but they were simply too wonderful and powerfully moody to ignore. Another blind recommendation from the same guy as the Green Carnation album for me actually. That's rad that you have some connections with them, I really hope that they finish out the Requiem series at some point. That reminds me, check out Lycanthia if you haven't. I hung out with them at Denver Doomfest a few years back and they were cool as shit. They came from Australia and Vanessa was buying me beers and they were all too eager to trade and hang out after discovering that Aaron Stainthorpe did our album artwork. You Australians are too fucking nice.

 

I think you would have gotten on pretty well with NTNR. He and I play in a band together, and he's big on gothic metal and doom metal above all else. We had some fun with that project, especially with comparing and contrasting how different our lists were while maintain cohesive songwriting with one another, haha. You should do more of these, even if you don't run through all of the years. I know I have some recent ones to finish, but I suck at keeping up with new releases, so the new ones are hard for me.

 

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MacabreEternal's Top Ten Albums of 1998

10. Absu "In The Eye Of Ioldanach"

9. Hammerfall "Legacy Of Kings"

8. Opeth "My Arms, Your Hearse"

7. Diabolical Masquerade "Nightwork"

6. Nile "Amongst The Catacombs Of Nephren-Ka"

5. Death "Sound Of Perseverance"

4. Incantation "Diabolical Conquest"

3. Horna "Kohti Yhdeksan Nousua"

2. Blind Guardian "Nightfall In Middle Earth"

1. Gorguts "Obscura"

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6 hours ago, BlutAusNerd said:

 

Must be because I'm on Tapatalk and it lays out the pages differently. Fucking phone interface. I'm surprised on the Green Carnation, though I never cared for them much outside of that album, I think Light of Day, Day of Darkness is genius. I've listened to that album so many times, and it speaks to me now just as much as it did when I got it 13 years ago on a blind recommendation.

 

Virgin Black is amazing. I think the two Requiem (coincidence?) albums are my favorites, but I love Somber Romantic and Elegant... and Dying as well. They were one of the most unique and powerful forces in symphonic/gothic metal, genre's that I'm admittedly not crazy about overall, but they were simply too wonderful and powerfully moody to ignore. Another blind recommendation from the same guy as the Green Carnation album for me actually. That's rad that you have some connections with them, I really hope that they finish out the Requiem series at some point. That reminds me, check out Lycanthia if you haven't. I hung out with them at Denver Doomfest a few years back and they were cool as shit. They came from Australia and Vanessa was buying me beers and they were all too eager to trade and hang out after discovering that Aaron Stainthorpe did our album artwork. You Australians are too fucking nice.

 

I think you would have gotten on pretty well with NTNR. He and I play in a band together, and he's big on gothic metal and doom metal above all else. We had some fun with that project, especially with comparing and contrasting how different our lists were while maintain cohesive songwriting with one another, haha. You should do more of these, even if you don't run through all of the years. I know I have some recent ones to finish, but I suck at keeping up with new releases, so the new ones are hard for me.

 

 

ha, Lycanthia. Yeah, I know the guys. My band actually played a show or two with them a few years ago in Melbourne. I can't really remember the individuals any more though. There were quite a few really cool gothic doom bands in Australia a little while ago.

Another great album in that genre from Melbourne is The Eternal's 'The Sombre Light of Isolation' which was their debut from 2003-ish. Great Paradise Lost/MDB sort of thing from the guy who used to be in Cryptal Darkness. I'm throwing these names at you because you seem to know all the bands. Wait, Aaron Stainthorpe did your album artwork? That's awesome. 

Green Carnation I really need to hear more of, as I don't actually own any of their albums. I'll check them out (again) and give them a good run. 

 

2 hours ago, MacabreEternal said:

MacabreEternal's Top Ten Albums of 1998

10. Absu "In The Eye Of Ioldanach"

9. Hammerfall "Legacy Of Kings"

8. Opeth "My Arms, Your Hearse"

7. Diabolical Masquerade "Nightwork"

6. Nile "Amongst The Catacombs Of Nephren-Ka"

5. Death "Sound Of Perseverance"

4. Incantation "Diabolical Conquest"

3. Horna "Kohti Yhdeksan Nousua"

2. Blind Guardian "Nightfall In Middle Earth"

1. Gorguts "Obscura"

Awesome! I don't know, I love Blind Guardian but I really can't seem to enjoy 'Nightfall' as much as the others. I think I feel it's just on the wrong side of cartoony or something. It's got some amazing moments though. In fact, it's the song 'Into the Storm' that I heard on a Century Media sampler in about 1998 that ultimately put me off exploring BG again for fifteen more years. What a tragedy that was, because now they're one of my favourite bands once I realised I needed to chillax about power metal. 

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Requiem's Top 10 1997

 

10. Gorgoroth - 'Under the Sign of Hell'

A great album of atmosphere and attitude. This is definitely Gorgoroth's heyday. Some really nice melodies buried in there too. It's a riff album. 

9. Empyrium - 'Songs of Moors and Misty Fields'

No one talks about this band, but I loved them. This album is amazing and arguably should be higher in my list. Atmospheric folk/gothic/black songs with flute and all sorts. 

8. Mayhem - 'Wolf's Lair Abyss'

An amazing release and the first without Euronymous. Maniac's first since his guest vocals on 'Deathcrush'. This came out stunningly well in my opinion and I love everything about it. 

7. Ulver - 'Nattens Madrigal'

Despite the necro sound there is something still very accessible about this album. Maybe because it's hard for me to drag it out of the trilogy that it's in. A cold, beautiful, black metal album. 

6. In Flames - 'Whoracle'

Bubble gum metal with just the right amount of chutzpah. The last truly great/fun In Flames album. Great melodic death metal. 

5. Dimmu Borgir - 'Enthrone Darkness Triumphant'

Yes, I rank it this high. Fantastic production, great riffs, Shagrath sounds panzergodly and those big cheesy keyboards are odes to the dark lord! 

4. Rotting Christ - 'A Dead Poem'

Their first real gothic metal album and it's fantastic. Melody driven, catchy and atmospheric in a rocky sort of way. 

3. Arcturus - 'La Masquerade Infernale'

Amazing release of highwayman/circus metal. They stood and delivered with swirling keyboards and some of Garm's best vocal work. This is the second album that Garm sings on in my list. 

2. HIM - 'Greatest Lovesongs Vol 666'

I'm risking banning for this. But yes, this, the debut HIM album is about as good as dark rock gets. Tracks like 'Your Sweet 666' and 'For You' are untouchable for romantic gothic rock. Ville Valo's songwriting and voice are freaks of nature. Even the most nekro of us needs love metal in their lives. 

1. Emperor - 'Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk'

Hard to beat. 

 

Kind of sad in the end to have to bump Paradise Lost's - 'One Second', but what can I say. It just ain't that good an album. Fuck off electronic/industrial gothic metal. 

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6 hours ago, BlutAusNerd said:  

Must be because I'm on Tapatalk and it lays out the pages differently. Fucking phone interface. I'm surprised on the Green Carnation, though I never cared for them much outside of that album, I think Light of Day, Day of Darkness is genius. I've listened to that album so many times, and it speaks to me now just as much as it did when I got it 13 years ago on a blind recommendation.

 

Virgin Black is amazing. I think the two Requiem (coincidence?) albums are my favorites, but I love Somber Romantic and Elegant... and Dying as well. They were one of the most unique and powerful forces in symphonic/gothic metal, genre's that I'm admittedly not crazy about overall, but they were simply too wonderful and powerfully moody to ignore. Another blind recommendation from the same guy as the Green Carnation album for me actually. That's rad that you have some connections with them, I really hope that they finish out the Requiem series at some point. That reminds me, check out Lycanthia if you haven't. I hung out with them at Denver Doomfest a few years back and they were cool as shit. They came from Australia and Vanessa was buying me beers and they were all too eager to trade and hang out after discovering that Aaron Stainthorpe did our album artwork. You Australians are too fucking nice.

 

I think you would have gotten on pretty well with NTNR. He and I play in a band together, and he's big on gothic metal and doom metal above all else. We had some fun with that project, especially with comparing and contrasting how different our lists were while maintain cohesive songwriting with one another, haha. You should do more of these, even if you don't run through all of the years. I know I have some recent ones to finish, but I suck at keeping up with new releases, so the new ones are hard for me.

 

 

ha, Lycanthia. Yeah, I know the guys. My band actually played a show or two with them a few years ago in Melbourne. I can't really remember the individuals any more though. There were quite a few really cool gothic doom bands in Australia a little while ago.

Another great album in that genre from Melbourne is The Eternal's 'The Sombre Light of Isolation' which was their debut from 2003-ish. Great Paradise Lost/MDB sort of thing from the guy who used to be in Cryptal Darkness. I'm throwing these names at you because you seem to know all the bands. Wait, Aaron Stainthorpe did your album artwork? That's awesome. 

Green Carnation I really need to hear more of, as I don't actually own any of their albums. I'll check them out (again) and give them a good run. 

 

Ah, didn't know you were in a band. I would have likes to play with them, but we played at Denver Doomfest the year prior with Novembers Doom and Pallbearer. The following year's lineup was way better with Evoken and The Skull (Trouble) headlining, and other bands like Shroud of Bereavement and Lycanthia coming in from abroad. Australia did seem to be a hotbed for that sound for a while, as I do remember NTNR playing me some albums from The Eternal and others. I'm usually more into the harsher side of doom, so my down under doom intake is mostly that of dISEMBOWELMENT, Paramæcium's debut, and Mournful Congregation, but I've always been happy with everything I've found. I wouldn't mind some more suggestions if you have any.

 

Yeah, Aaron did our EP and album artwork, and was a terrific guy to work with. When they played at Maryland Death Fest a few years ago, I got a chance to shake his hand and thank him in person, and he was really cool about the whole thing. They also played an amazing set, opening with The Dreadful Hours which was one of our subjects above, and throwing in a bunch of their heavier songs for the fest. Definitely a highlight for me out of an extremely stacked lineup.

 

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2 minutes ago, BlutAusNerd said:

 

Ah, didn't know you were in a band. I would have likes to play with them, but we played at Denver Doomfest the year prior with Novembers Doom and Pallbearer. The following year's lineup was way better with Evoken and The Skull (Trouble) headlining, and other bands like Shroud of Bereavement and Lycanthia coming in from abroad. Australia did seem to be a hotbed for that sound for a while, as I do remember NTNR playing me some albums from The Eternal and others. I'm usually more into the harsher side of doom, so my down under doom intake is mostly that of dISEMBOWELMENT, Paramæcium's debut, and Mournful Congregation, but I've always been happy with everything I've found. I wouldn't mind some more suggestions if you have any.

 

Yeah, Aaron did our EP and album artwork, and was a terrific guy to work with. When they played at Maryland Death Fest a few years ago, I got a chance to shake his hand and thank him in person, and he was really cool about the whole thing. They also played an amazing set, opening with The Dreadful Hours which was one of our subjects above, and throwing in a bunch of their heavier songs for the fest. Definitely a highlight for me out of an extremely stacked lineup.

 

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We're all in bands. It's part of the modern metal fan's journey. 

This NTNR chap sounds like a bang up fellow. What's his schtick these days? Has he left the forum. 

You've pretty much named most of the main bands I guess. Also bands like Chalice (like Theatre of Tragedy) and Okera (like Daylight Dies) were really good in their days. 

Regarding meeting personages of great artistic merit, the guy from The Eternal who happens to be a good friend on mine had Duncan Patterson (ex Anathema etc) stay at his place for a while as they were working on a project and I made sure I was hanging around all the time. He had some amazing insights into the rise of Anathema and what it was all like. I was, and remain, a complete fanboy. He's a class act that guy. 

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On 4/8/2017 at 10:55 AM, BlutAusNerd said:

 

Metalucifer wasn't the subject of that comment. I don't have that album, but I do have Heavy Metal Drill and think it's great, so I'm assuming that one is great too.

 

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I knew it probably wasn't, I just posted it because it's an over-the-top cover and seemed like an amusing and fitting reply. In response to the other comments between here and there, I didn't take issue with any of it of course and you explain your perspective on the subject well. Maybe a lot of Marduk and such albums by Dark Funeral and Zyklon do sound like shallow, mindless blasting to some and that's understandable. Since the conversation's moved on already, I'll just say that one man's trash is another man's treasure. And after IX Equilibrium, Prometheus was redundant. Cheers.

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On 4/8/2017 at 10:55 AM, BlutAusNerd said:  

Metalucifer wasn't the subject of that comment. I don't have that album, but I do have Heavy Metal Drill and think it's great, so I'm assuming that one is great too.

 

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I knew it probably wasn't, I just posted it because it's an over-the-top cover and seemed like an amusing and fitting reply. In response to the other comments between here and there, I didn't take issue with any of it of course and you explain your perspective on the subject well. Maybe a lot of Marduk and such albums by Dark Funeral and Zyklon do sound like shallow, mindless blasting to some and that's understandable. Since the conversation's moved on already, I'll just say that one man's trash is another man's treasure. And after IX Equilibrium, Prometheus was redundant. Cheers.

 

Hmm, interesting. I get people not liking Prometheus, especially their old black metal fans, but it's pretty different from everything else they did. Good or bad, it's not redundant of anything.

 

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10 minutes ago, BlutAusNerd said:

 

Hmm, interesting. I get people not liking Prometheus, especially their old black metal fans, but it's pretty different from everything else they did. Good or bad, it's not redundant of anything.

 

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It has it's moments, but nothing about it really made an impression on me. When I first heard it, I gave it the benefit of the doubt and decided it was just over my head or something and after subsequent listens I'd get some better grasp of it. But still, nothing about it stuck with me. It's like every song has parts that butcher any momentum that starts to build. Prometheus is basically an Ishahn album.

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10 minutes ago, BlutAusNerd said:  

Hmm, interesting. I get people not liking Prometheus, especially their old black metal fans, but it's pretty different from everything else they did. Good or bad, it's not redundant of anything.

 

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It has it's moments, but nothing about it really made an impression on me. When I first heard it, I gave it the benefit of the doubt and decided it was just over my head or something and after subsequent listens I'd get some better grasp of it. But still, nothing about it stuck with me. It's like every song has parts that butcher any momentum that starts to build. Prometheus is basically an Ishahn album.

 

It's really more of a progressive metal album than a black metal album, and it does have a really bizarre sense of pacing. It's eccentric and out there and pretty inaccessible, and it can certainly be overindulgent at times. It's most definitely the first Ihsahn album, since Samoth is merely listed as "additional guitars" in the credits, and was a clear departure from the Emperor sound in most cases. I dig it, but I also dig Ihsahn's solo albums and Peccatum.

 

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33 minutes ago, BlutAusNerd said:

 

It's really more of a progressive metal album than a black metal album, and it does have a really bizarre sense of pacing. It's eccentric and out there and pretty inaccessible, and it can certainly be overindulgent at times. It's most definitely the first Ihsahn album, since Samoth is merely listed as "additional guitars" in the credits, and was a clear departure from the Emperor sound in most cases. I dig it, but I also dig Ihsahn's solo albums and Peccatum.

 

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Cool, I've got Strangling From Within on right now.

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33 minutes ago, BlutAusNerd said:  

It's really more of a progressive metal album than a black metal album, and it does have a really bizarre sense of pacing. It's eccentric and out there and pretty inaccessible, and it can certainly be overindulgent at times. It's most definitely the first Ihsahn album, since Samoth is merely listed as "additional guitars" in the credits, and was a clear departure from the Emperor sound in most cases. I dig it, but I also dig Ihsahn's solo albums and Peccatum.

 

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Cool, I've got Strangling From Within on right now.

 

That's my favorite from them. They get shit on a lot too, but I dig a lot of that post-black avant-garde Norwegian metal, some more than their middling releases from after the initial 2nd wave boom in the country. Arcturus, Solefald, Fleurety, Peccatum, lots of cool stuff.

 

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10 hours ago, morbidspectre said:

 

It has it's moments, but nothing about it really made an impression on me. When I first heard it, I gave it the benefit of the doubt and decided it was just over my head or something and after subsequent listens I'd get some better grasp of it. But still, nothing about it stuck with me. It's like every song has parts that butcher any momentum that starts to build. Prometheus is basically an Ishahn album.

This is sort of how I feel about 'Prometheus' too. I remember my friends and I were obsessed with it when it came out though, and it still has some incredible moments. 

Alright what am I up to? 

 

Requiem's Top 10 Albums of 1998

 

 

10. Bruce Dickinson - 'The Chemical Wedding'

This album came out of nowhere for me and my buddies back in 98. A collection of very catchy, very rocking songs. We were very happy with the more modern structures and production compared with Maiden. The first few tracks in particular are barnstormers. 

9. My Dying Bride - '34.788%... Complete'

The huge experiment after Paradise Lost went dance music with 'One Second'. Nevertheless, tracks like 'The Whore the Cook and the Mother' and 'Base Level Erotica' are two of their greatest works. So many drunken parties were spent listening to those two tracks in particular. Overall an interesting album but glad they didn't repeat it. 

8. Moonspell - 'Sin/Pecado'

Another gothic metal album with electronics/industrial tinges, thanks again 'One Second'. This is much more consistent than MDB's effort though, and has a stunning atmosphere. I've walked around the streets of Porto in Portugal listening to this and it's perfect. 

7. Falkenbach - 'Magni blandinn ok megintiri'

Another band you don't hear much about these days, but they were once one of my favourite bands. This album is brilliant viking metal with atmosphere and amazing vocals. 

6. Katatonia - 'Discouraged Ones'

No electronics here mercifully. This is such a brave album (no pun intended) as it's just so bleak and downbeat. Songs like 'Gone', 'Saw you Drown' and the immortal 'Deadhouse' are special moments in time. 

5. Opeth - 'My Arms Your Hearse'

My equal favourite Opeth album with 'Still Life'. This is pastoral, haunting and mysterious. The atmosphere reminds me of decaying and overgrown English country houses full of secrets, ghosts and the echoes of love. 

4. Sentenced - 'Frozen'

Beautiful Woodhouse studios production, this crisp collection of suicide songs is where I first caught the Sentenced bug. Fantastic depressing lyrics, and as usual one of metal's greatest riff writers in Miika Tenkula writing bleak pop songs of self-destruction. 

3. Theatre of Tragedy - 'Aegis'

A near perfect album, this is beautiful gothic metal with spoken male vocals and the seriously alluring Liv Kristine with her soft soprano. A lot of late teenage sexual angst was created by this woman, let me tell you. Songs like 'Cassandra' and 'Lorelei' with their amazing repetitive choruses are simply stunning. Each song's lyrics is about a woman from history/mythology, which I also dig. 

2. Cradle of Filth - 'Cruelty and the Beast'

One of the greatest heavy metal albums to ever come out of England, this is a masterpiece. Cool concept made brilliant through some of the best gothic poetry you'll ever read/hear in the modern era, coupled with long, epic songs, this is such an exciting album for me, even 19 years later. 

1. Anathema - 'Alternative 4'

"We are just a moment in time. The blink of an eye. A dream for the blind. Visions from a dying brain. I hope you don't understand." 

 

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MacabreEternal's Top 7 Albums 1999

7. Summoning "Stronghold"

I fall out with this record quite consistently as I find I really have to be in the mood for it's lengthy passages.  However, when I am in the mood it's a journey.

6. Horna "Haudankylmyyden Mailla"

A step down from "Kohti.." the year before perhaps owing to its unnecessary length, trim 4 tracks and you have a contender for a much higher place.

5.Mercyful Fate "9"

I enjoy this quite regularly, it isn't "Don't Break The Oath" or "Melissa" by a long stretch but it is still entertaining.

4. Darkthrone "Ravishing Grimness"

Post-"Panzerfaust" the boys went off the boil a bit and managed to pull things back into some sense of order with this, sadly short lived though.

3. Cirith Gorgor "Onwards To The Spectral Defile"

Criminally neglected BM classic!

2. Opeth "Still Life"

"Face Of Melinda" may still be my favourite Opeth track ever.

1. Immortal "At The Heart Of Winter"

The pinnacle of Immortal's creativity in a sometimes inconsistent discography, painting a grim, cold world with BM riffs and vocals doesn't get better than this.

 

So yeah, a struggle for me to find ten albums for 1999 may be because I dipped out of the scene a bit around this time and have only recently gone back and found the likes of "Ravishing Grimness" and "Haudankylmyyden Mailla" but looking through some other lists on the internet it wasn't massively strong a year.

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Requiem's Top 10 Albums of 1999 

 

 

10. Marduk - 'Panzer Division Marduk'

A stunning release, the production, riffs, sound effects and packaging all combine to make a real WWII based classic. Amazing album. 

9. Type O Negative - 'World Coming Down'

While not my favourite of theirs, this is the last album that I actually enjoy. Songs like 'White Slavery' and the Beatles Medley are amazing. Some filler here too unfortunately. 

8. Dimmu Borgir - 'Spiritual Black Dimensions'

The rougher production actually does this album some favours as this sounds great to my ears. Bombastic keyboards and brilliant songwriting. The first album with Vortex lending his smooth operatic voice to these dark anthems. 

7. Emperor - 'IX Equilibrium'

A challenge at first but this album really grew on me. Obviously not the greatest Emperor album, but some classic tracks here. Lots of attitude too which is nice. 

6. Anathema - 'Judgement'

The first album without the great Duncan Patterson, this is nevertheless a warm and beautiful exploration of human emotion and yearning. 

5. Opeth - 'Still Life'

This is where 1999 really takes off for me. This album is well produced, haunting and like MacabreEternal states, 'Face of Melinda' is a classic along with 'The Moor' and 'Benighted'. As opposed to 'Blackwater Park', this is where Opeth's apotheosis takes place in my opinion. 

4. My Dying Bride - 'The Light at the End of the World'

The return to doom. When this came out I was 19 (actually when all these albums came out I was 19, go figure) and very excited by the sound, the artwork (great stuff!) and the emotional intelligence of the album. Still sounds absolutely classic to this day. No violin but you really don't miss it here. That would come later in their career...

3. Katatonia - 'Tonight's Decision'

My bois. A beautifully bleak album of regret and missed opportunities. The booklet is also my favourite all time artwork/booklet, created by Travis Smith back when he used photos to haunting effect. 

2. Immortal - 'At the Heart of Winter'

The greatest Immortal album and one of the second wave's untouchables. Coldness but also a new epic quality refined by Abbath at a time when black metal was really in need of innovation. 

1. Windir - 'Arntor'

Hail Windir. Hail Valfar. From the accordion intro through to the historical epics of elaborate blackened folk metal, this is one of those albums created by a true genius of the genre. 

 

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My 1998 picks, in no order. I may edit this with little write-ups soon, but somehow I'm finding myself tongue-tied when it comes to several of these albums.

Katatonia - "Discouraged Ones"

Opeth - "My Arms, Your Hearse"

Cradle Of Filth - "Cruelty And The Beast"

Enslaved - "Blodhemn"

Death - "The Sound Of Perseverance"

Ulver - "Themes From William Blake's The Marriage Of Heaven And Hell"

Converge - "When Forever Comes Crashing"

Gorguts - "Obscura"

Beyond Dawn - "Revelry"

Meshuggah - "Chaosphere"

 

Honorable mentions:

Cannibal Corpse - "Gallery Of Suicide"

Burning Witch - "Crippled Lucifer" (would be in the top section but it's comprised of two earlier recordings, and I doubt I could bump any of the others)

Isis - "This Is Mosquito Control" EP

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Requiem's Top Ten Albums of 2000

Overall, not a strong year for me, but all of these albums received heavy love from me when I was 20 years old in 2000. 

10. Carpathian Forest - 'Strange Old Brew'

I bought this based on the great album name back in 2000. This is a fairly dirty album but an engaging one throughout. There is something unsettlingly authentic about Carpathian Forest, and this album is a sick anthem to atavistic tendencies. 

9. Nile - 'Black Seeds of Vengeance' 

A rare appearance of a death metal album in my list. I like Nile a lot and really like this album, and a theme band like this one is a lot more interesting to me. 

8. Graveland - 'Creed of Iron'

Politics aside, this is an amazing album, as are most of Graveland's output. Great Bathory/Burzum vibe with some epic pagan riffs. 

7. Rhapsody - 'Dawn of Victory'

This is one of the great power metal albums. If you don't like pomp and circumstance, steer clear. The CD booklet is basically a fantasy novel, complete with map and a narrative. It's amazing. 

6. Borknagar - 'Quintessence'

Vortex on vocals, this is one of my favourite Borknagar albums. Great progressive metal that isn't too widdly and weak. There is something stylish and sophisticated about Borknagar. 

5. Cradle of Filth - 'Midian'

The last truly great Cradle of Filth album. Songs like 'Saffron's Curse' and 'Lord Abortion' are spine tingling, as is the end of 'Tortured Soul Asylum'. 

4. Thyrfing - 'Urkraft'

Fantastic viking metal album including one of the genre's ultimate anthems in the opening track 'Mjolner'. This band would go on to even greater things. 

3. Mayhem - 'Grand Declaration of War'

Incredible ambition and scope, this is so revolutionary that a lot of people hated it. For me it was like a revelation and I just had so much respect for the band. Hellhammer's best drum performance too. 

2. HIM - Razorblade Romance

Look, the more I edit my lists to put in bands I've forgotten, the more I question this, but I'm going to pretend it's metal. 

1. Saturnus - 'Martyre'

I'd forgotten to include their 'For the Loveless Lonely Nights' in my 1998 list. This is one of the most beautiful, deep and moving gothic doom albums of all time. A stunning, near untouchable, release. 

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Requiem's Top 10 Albums of 2002 (2001 is on an earlier page of this thread). 

10. Nightwish - 'Century Child'

Their last album before they tweaked away from power/fantasy into a more modern symphonic sound, this is a catchy, deep and an adventurous album with great vocals from Tarja when they were all still a tight team. Classic Nightwish. 

9. Xasthur - 'Nocturnal Poisoning'

This album came out of nowhere for me back in 02. It's long, it's downbeat and it's dark, there are no forest anthems here. This is the sound of the grave with some amazing atmospheres and riffs. Great one-man black metal. 

8. Blind Guardian - 'A Night at the Opera'

Terrible album artwork aside, this is a grand and bombastic album (I quite like those if you haven't noticed). Some of Hansi's best vocals, this is hit after hit with that perfect blend of Metallica, Iron Maiden and Queen. Stunning stuff. 

7. Arcturus - 'The Sham Mirrors'

Now we're getting into the serious albums. This masterpiece was Garm's last with the band and a real journey to another galaxy. Fantastic keyboard wizardry from Sverd and a guest vocal from Ihsahn, drums from Hellhammer. What more could you want? 

6. Immortal - 'Sons of Northern Darkness'

The last truly classic album from Immortal. This has atmosphere and power all over it without too much thrash watering down the tight black metal. They're really at their peak here which makes it strange that they seem to put crappy albums ('Blizzard Beasts', 'Damned in Black') between their classics ('At the Heart of Winter', 'Sons of Northern Darkness'). They should have called it a day with this one. 

5. Tyr - 'How far to Asgaard'

The debut album from this Faroese band, I couldn't believe it when I first heard this when it came out. I was in my huge viking metal phase and this just blew me away with its folk melodies and amazing clean vocals. This album is amazing. Check out the corny but cool video for 'Hail to the Hammer'. Beware though, because the band re-recorded it and of course made a hash of it. 

4. Taake - 'Over Bjoergvin graater himmerik'

Hail Hoest and hail the great city of Bergen where I once got drunk. Highlights of this album include the 3 seconds of piano and that bouncy mouth harp sound. Boing!!!

3. Thyrfing - 'Vansinnesvisor'

Thyrfing's greatest album, this is powerful yet has wonderful keyboard led melodies. One of metal's most underrated vocalists in Thomas Vanaanen. This album also has probably the most beautiful photo/artwork booklet of any viking metal album that I've seen. Truly stunning. 

2. Rapture - 'Songs for the Withering'

Melancholic, emotional, two great vocalists covering growls and cleans, to a template of older Katatonia. This is a phenomenal album.

1. Sentenced - 'The Cold White Light'

Album of the year by miles and one of metal's greatest accomplishments. This is the penultimate album by Sentenced and their best. Songs of suicide with just incredible lyrics of self abasement, amazing production, incredible riffs from Miika Tenkula. If you want an example of my kind of music this is it right here. 

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Requiem's Top 10 Albums of 2003 

 

10. Drudkh - 'Forgotten Legends'

Brilliant atmosphere that conjures images of folklore and a world that has long since disappeared. I can almost smell the pine needles in those Ukranian woods. 

9. Septicflesh - 'Sumerian Daemons'

They're at the cusp of something great here, as you're about to see from my 2008, 2011 and 2015 lists. This album is very good but at times a touch too squeaky and beepy. It's a very 'burger with the lot' type of album. I also think the production could have been sweeter and less dense. Everything else though - my god. What songwriting. What scope. 

8. Windir - 'Likferd'

The final Windir album before Valfar's untimely yet oh so 'true' passing, this features brilliant songwriting in its odes to Norway's past. It's also reminded me that I forgot to include the album before this one in a previous list of mine...

7. Moonspell - 'The Antidote' 

Massively underrated album. No one ever talks about this album but I think it's one of their best. Great production, dark songs, a bit more heaviness coming back into their sound. It's not an album of hits, but as a package it's perfect gothic metal sophistication. 

6. Falkenbach - Ok Nefna Tysvar Ty

The best Falkenbach album, this is where they sort of bring it all together and nail what I feel they were trying to do. Foot tapping rhythms with the clean vocals of a wandering bard telling tales of grand adventure. I love the mid-paced chug of this album. It's so damn catchy. 

5. To/Die/For - 'Jaded'

Probably the best album from these gothic rockers who were just amazing back in this era. The songs sparkle with melody, great production and vocals, and they're just all round engaging.

4. HIM - 'Love Metal'

There's metal in the title, so calm down. A true classic of dark rock, this album was HIM at their peak and they could do no wrong. Songs like 'Buried Alive by Love' and 'The Funeral of Hearts' are heartbreak classics. 

3. Katatonia - 'Viva Emptiness'

My bois. One of their greatest albums, tracks like 'Evidence', 'Criminals' and 'Omerta' are untouchable classics. The unofficial 'crime' theme that runs throughout is engaging and cool, and the choruses here are depressingly rousing. My only complaint is that there's a bit of filler here, and ain't nobody got time for that. 

2. Moonsorrow - 'Kivenkantaja'

A classic. This is Moonsorrow at their best. It's slightly more polished than their more recent efforts, but with tracks coming in between 7 and 9 minutes it's a hell of a lot more immediate and focused. This is my second favourite pagan/folk/viking metal album of all time and would easily take the number one place this year if it wasn't for...

1. Tyr - 'Eric the Red'

Holy shit, when this dropped so did my jaw onto the damn floor. After the great 'How Far to Asgaard' they lost their lead vocalist, and who knew that their guitarist and songwriter Heri would step up to the plate and goddamn outdo the old guy with one of metal's great vocal performances. Go and listen to 'The Edge' right now from this album. This album had a huge impact on me in 2003, and clearly still does. It's such a pity that they've become a twiddle-diddle power metal band of emptiness whose trebly melodies hurt the ears physically and emotionally. This album, however = masterpiece of pagan art. The combination of English and Faroese language; the 'metal' feel yet traditional folk melodies; the tales of viking era events; the sheer epicness. Classic. 

 

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Requiem's Top 10 Albums of 2004

 

10. Enslaved - 'Isa'

A rare appearance for the more modern Enslaved in my list. There's something about this album I really like, from the title track to the overall vibe. It's hard to get super excited, but this is a decent album. 

9. Cradle of Filth - 'Nymphetamine'

Probably the best in-the-wilderness era Cradle album (between 'Midian' and 'Hammer of the Witches'). The songs are of a high quality and I find myself going back to this album quite a bit. Great lyrics as always. 

8. Mayhem - 'Chimera'

A lot more streamlined than 'Grand Declaration of War', this has a lot of necro meat on the bones. This is the last truly enjoyable Mayhem album in my opinion. Also the last with Maniac on vocals. 

7. Nightwish - 'Once'

This is a terrific album. More symphonic than pervious works, this is next level for Nightwish. 'Ghost Love Score' is probably my favourite Nightwish song. This is where they move from corny to classy. 

6. Finntroll - 'Nattfodd'

Probably the most commercial Finntroll album with the (near) Top 40 hit 'Trollhammeren', this is a brilliant album of pagan beer drinking songs. I don't know how they make songs about trolls seem to have such substance, but they do. Actually, it's because their main songwriter is the guy from Moonsorrow...

5. The 69 Eyes - 'Devils'

The best album from this Helsinki vampires. This whole album is filled with goth rock classics. Probably won't win me many metal points around here, but when I'm walking around the house in sunglasses and plastic vampire teeth it'll be you guys who miss out. 

4. Drudkh - 'Autumn Aurora'

The classic sounds of black metal in autumn. 

3. Insomnium - 'Since the Day it All Came Down'

Thus begins the era of Insomnium, as they turn melodeath into a meaningful and emotional musical journey. This album has my favourite Insomnium song 'Bereavement' on it. Just amazing emotion. 

2. Rotting Christ - 'Sanctus Diavolos' 

The first truly great Rotting Christ album of their modern era. This album is pure class and so damn catchy. The first and last tracks are masterpieces. 

1. My Dying Bride - 'Songs of Darkness, Words of Light'

This was a real surprise when it came out. This is world class My Dying Bride at their best. They're a bit hit and miss during this era but this album is all killer no filler. All hit no shit. 

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On 10/03/2012 at 3:54 AM, NTNR said:

Re: Top 10 Albums of Any Given Year 1995: 1. Iron Maiden - The X-Factor 2. At the Gates - Slaughter of the Soul 3. Paradise Lost - Draconian Times 4. Anathema - The Silent Enigma 5. Morbid Angel - Domination 6. Anathema - Pentecost III 7. Theatre Of Tragedy - Theatre of Tragedy 8. Blind Guardian - Imaginations from the Other Side 9. The Gathering - Mandylion 10. Death - Symbolic Honorable Mention: In Flames - Subterranean Iced Earth - Burnt Offerings Cathedral - The Carnival Bizarre Skepticism - Stormcrowfleet Sentenced - Love & Death Rammstein - Herzeleid

Apart from your number 1 choice which doesn't quite resonate with me on the same level, this is close to the perfect list for me.

If I were here five years ago I would have told you so. Now, in 2017, I can only call to you through the echoes of time and maybe, somewhere, somehow, you feel me reaching out across the years..

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