Year-in-Review: 2018 Metal

As is tradition, a few months into the new year (it’s June?!!), I recount my favorite metal albums of the past year. 2018 was an eventful and busy year for me, with the usual ups and downs, but certainly in the net-positive zone; I think I can say that for the music as well! While there were some releases from big names that didn’t really do it for me, there were many great records from upcoming bands and newcomers.

Honorable Mentions:

• Sleep - The Sciences
• Parius - The Eldritch Realm
• Necrophobic - Mark of the Necrogram
• Monstrosity - The Passage of Existence
• Michael Romeo -
• Gozu - Equilibrium
• Gaerea - Unsettling Whispers
• Deicide - Overtures of Blasphemy
• Amorphis - Queen of Time

Here is my top twenty list (with a sentence or four; as always, click on the artwork for links to YouTube):

20. Bosse-de-Nage - Further Still

Bosse-de-Nage sit right in the middle where hardcore meets black metal; breakdowns and accelerated d-beats/blastbeats are accentuated by harsh, shrieking vocals which are then layered on top of tremolo-picked, quasi-melodic riffs. For my money, a much grittier and chaotic sound compared to others that flirt with this mixture (Deafheaven or Ghost Bath).

19. Hamfer∂ - Támsins Likam

Hamfer∂ is the Faroese term for sailors lost at sea and Támsins Likam, their sophomore effort, sees the doomsters’ sound sink into one evocative of their name - ghastly, unsettling, and at times, crushing. The album is an impressive effort to meld melodic-tinged doom metal with folkish tendencies and a dissonant, yet progressive edge.

18. Crone - Godspeed

Crone show depth and flexibility in their songwriting ability on Godspeed and fuse grunge, progressive and alternative rock with metal elements. To give you an idea, there are parts which remind me of Pink Floyd, Alice In Chains, and David Bowie, but also parts that are similar to mid-era Katatonia or Opeth. A solid listen.

17. Anicon - Entropy Mantra

Fast, frenzied, melodic, technical, and thoughtful, Anicon continues to push boundaries on the foundation paved by the NYC black metal avant-garde (e.g., Krallice, Woe, and my favorite, Castevet).

16. Harms Way - Posthuman

Full of aggresive riffs and breakdowns, although Harms Way certainly wave the ‘bro-metal’ flag high and proud, Posthuman never becomes monotonous and is rather multi-dimensional. Along with the face-pummeling in-your-face swagger, there is a vibrant noisy, industrial facet to Posthuman that is intriguing and edgy.

15. Rivers of Nihil - Where Owls Know Your Name

Taking a slight departure from their previous output, Rivers of Nihil, opt for a more progressive and “ethereal” sound that strongly resembles Fallujah’s catalog. While this appears to be a point of contention for many, it works, and I don’t really think it deters from their original brand of technical death metal. The production on Where Owls Know Your Name is really well-balanced - polished, but not to the point of being overproduced.

14. Gorod - Æthra

Æthra is an excellent technical/progressive death metal album - memorable, groovy, and hard-hitting - Cynic jamming with Mastodon and Gojira. Unlike many others in the techy business, Gorod ensure that top-notch, virtuoso musicianship doesn’t come at the cost of artful songwriting.

13. Horrendous - Idol

While this is not Anerata (IMO their finest hour), Horrendous plunge forward in their exploration of progressive-tinged, old school death metal with Idol. The nods to Atheist, Death, and Cynic are still present in the sound (e.g. plopping bass) and songwriting (e.g. jazzy, jerky structures) but Idol is fresh, original, and quite simply a highly entertaining slab of metal.

12. Panopticon - The Scars of Man on the Once Nameless Wilderness I and II

This double-album is really quite tough to pin down. “A fusion of black metal and Americana folk” would not be a wrong description but at the same time would be doing a disservice to the multifaceted manner in which these two genres are fused.

11. Psycroptic - As the Kingdom Drowns

Clinical and catchy - Psycroptic bring their absolute A-game with As the Kingdom Drowns. Never before have they sounded so furious, frenzied and yet, evocative and majestic. There is a depth to this album that is palpable and brought about by bold experimental leaps (e.g. operatic vocals overlaid with death metal growls) which is also a sign of successful execution.

10. Usurpress - Interrgnum

Sampling a vast array of influences and styles ranging from krautrock to old school death metal, at its core, Interrgnum is a dark, brooding album where Usurpress craft original doom metal material with melancholic leads, epic melodies, and grimy undertones.

9. Mos Generator - Shadowlands

Oh yeah! With Shadowlands, Mos Generator drop a new stoner/blues rock scorcher, which is perhaps, their finest effort thus far. More than anything, the band’s songwriting shines on this record with catchy tunes, clever structures, fantastic solos, and nostalgic choruses; Shadowlands spans the stoner rock spectrum.

8. Burial Invocation - Abiogenesis

Abiogenesis came out of nowhere! The debut album from Burial Invocation (of Ankara, Turkey) is an exemplary display of ominous, murky, old-school death metal. This album invokes the spirit of Demilich, Nocturnus, early Immolation, and Dimembered amongst others, and perfectly straddles the line between Floridian brutality and Swedish creativity.

7. De Profundis - The Blinding Light of Faith

Taken at face value, The Blinding Light of Faith delivers precisely what the album art conveys: pummeling, lightly-blackened, death metal with atonal melodies, screeching solos, and a deeply anti-religious vibe. Don’t be fooled however, because this merely scratches the surface; deeper down, De Profudis show off some incredibly mature songwriting, progressive musicianship (including jazzy breaks and offbeat time signatures), and as far as death metal goes, are not afraid of melodic leads. Fantastic stuff!

6. Sigh - Heir to Despair

What can I say? I am just glad that there is a new Sigh album out for our enjoyment. As oddball as ever, and as catchy and eclectic and cool and thunderingly bizarre as ever, Heir to Despair is another excellent addition to the artform practiced by Sigh.

5. Thou - Magus

This one is a dense and dark one. Full of unfiltered, thick, sludgy riffs that slowly slither about in a murky, crusty atmosphere, Baton Rouge’s Thou create a sonicscape of chaos without any need for speed. “Shapeshifting through life” croons lead singer Bryan Funck, and somehow this is a fitting description for the evolution of Magus.

4. Satan - Cruel Magic | Judas Priest - Firepower

Satan and Judas Priest have done it yet again (I couldn’t pick one)! How these two bands have managed to perfect the NWOBHM formula without getting stale baffles me, but here we are… Whereas both albums are filled with arresting riffs that latch onto your head, charged with melodies and dueling guitars and soaring vocals, the themes driving the music contrast each other. Judas Priest (as per usual) are infatuated by fantasy, technology, the supernatural, and… firepower - accordingly, the sound on Firepoweris polished, crisp, and large. On the other hand, Satan are in league with the occult, magick, and other philosophies, with a gritty, neoclassical, and almost “eastern European” sound (as opposed to the more conventionally Western melodies on Firepower). Also the lead singers couldn’t be more different. Yet, both albums are amazing.

3. YOB - Our Raw Hearts

Oregon’s doom metal stalwarts YOB haven’t released many albums that I don’t value dearly; Our Raw Heart is not an exception. Plaintive, dense, and not an easy listen, Our Raw Hearts is also filled with hope, mystique, grandeur, and nostalgia. At times groovy, at times lofty, and at times, crushingly heavy, each song is entirely cohesive with pummeling drums, buzzing riffs, and emotive, rusty vocals. Clocking in slightly over 70 minutes, there is nary a moment that doesn’t add to the overall epicness of the journey. Our Raw Hearts is the doom metal soundtrack to Westworld.

2. Messa - Feast for Water

Feast for Water is the incredible, sophomore effort from Italian doomsters, Messa. Frontwoman Sara’s sultry, calming, and enigmatic vocals are the star attraction of this show but the music on offer is the perfect accompaniment. Sparse, warm, and humble, the guitars and keyboards transition across genres from soft bluesy interludes to heavy, doomy passages and from acoustic, jazz-like breaks to staccato-filled crescendoes. Feast for Water is a completely unique metal experience.

1. Voivod - The Wake

Considering all the technicality that 2018 brought, it is only fitting that Voivod takes the crowning spot. Voivod are no amateurs - The Wake is their 13th offering. What is amazing about this album is that after about a decade or so, Voivod are sounding less like a collection of people who play for Voivod and more like their former selves 20 years ago. Of course, their erstwhile future was highly uncertain when Piggy, their frontman, passed away tragically in 2005, but with Dan Mongrain (perhaps one of my favorite guitarists of all time!) stepping in and taking more of lead role over the last few years, Voivod are looking stronger and more consistent than ever. The Wake is thrashy, dissonant, psychedelic, schizophrenic, catchy, and technically, quite incredible. It isn’t too often that I come across new music thinking “I did not expect that!” but this album was filled with such moments, song after song. The mix on this album is also perfect with the guitars packing a punch, the bass and bass drum centered and allowed to shine, and the vocals not hidden away. The Wake is as cohesive and as engaging an album that you’ll find - it may not all make sense together at first, but then the brilliance of Voivod, shines through.

Podcast Review: Bubble

There’s a new podcast on the block called Bubble, put out by Maximum Fun and it has been an immensely enjoyable ride so far. Bubble is set inside the city of Fairhaven, in the not-so-distant future (or alternative present), where a giant bubble protects the town from the “brush” outside. The brush is a wild landscape with exotic plants, psychedelic herbs, and deadly prehistoric monsters — some of which manage to get inside Fairhaven from time to time. It is also filled with mysterious peoples who have shunned the cushy life inside the bubble and tend to fend for themselves; fierce, proud, and earthy. If you’re inside the bubble, however, you’ll find yourself in a millennial utopia(/dystopia) replete with the uber-ification of pretty much everything, including monster hunters with IG profiles for when the terrors of the Brush decide to show up in your house; but make sure you give them 5 stars only if you think their special powers are totes entertaining. The main plot revolves around Morgan, Mitch, Annie, and Van Joyce - late 20/30 somethings who are somewhat unwittingly pushed into the business of monster hunting. 

Where Bubble succeeds is its potent mixture of sci-fi landscapes and cyberpunk charm, bolstered by the depth of the characters and the quirks of the city. Ultimately, the podcast relies on a strong plotline with sharp, tongue-in-cheek, absurd, and deprecative humor dotted along the way, which fans of BoJack Horseman, Arrested Development, or 30 Rock will not find out of place. Bubble is the podcast version of Archer set inside a Transmetropolitan-lite world, seen through the eyes of Broad City's lead characters. Oh and also, Bubble has a star-studded cast with many guest appearances. The arc is set to last for a total of eight episodes, and Episode 6 came out this week — so its relatively easy to catch up. 

Go check it out. 

Year-in-Review: 2017 Metal

Just a little late to the party, but the early part of 2018 has been a busy (and productive!) time for me. All the better, because now I know which albums stand the test of time and were not mere flashes in the pan. Overall, 2017 was an outstanding year for metal in my books - easily surpassing 2016 in terms of quality, and helping me weather last year as well as this year's early storm of bustling activity. The downside was that picking only a select few albums was difficult! Hence, as opposed to last year's 15, here is a list of my twenty top records from last year, ranked in order of enjoyment (from "most enjoyable" at 20 and "incredibly-super-duper enjoyable" at 1). As always, click on the album covers for links to songs:

Honorable Mentions:

• Blut Aus Nord - Deus Salutis Meæ: Another fine addition to Vindsval's impressive outpouring of ambient horror black metal.
• Squalus - The Great Fish: A progressive/sludge concept album about Jaws.
• Black Sites - In Monochrome: An impressive debut mixing Mastodon, Voivod, Pantera, and everything good about those bands.
• Mastodon - Emperor of Sand: Still not Crack the Skye; However, still catchy, still relevant, still groovy.
• Godflesh - Post-Self: Dirty, glitchy, and droning, a huge improvement from 2014's comeback album.
• Morbid Angel - Kingdoms Disdained: Talk about coming back to life...
• Iron Monkey - 9-13: Their first full-length in 19 years! As raw, crunchy, and punky as ever.
• Pain of Salvation - In the Passing Light of Day: A matured, travelled band returns to progressive metal - awesome stuff.
• The Great Old Ones - EOD: Lovecraftian atmospheric death metal has never been done this genuinely.
• John Frum - A Stirring in the Noos: Technical death metal with all its structure and fury made "light" with post-metal and jazz passages.
• Fleurety - The White Death: Dissonant, artsy, theatrical, nostalgic, quirky, and belligerent black metal.
• Hellripper - Conjuring Darkness: Infectious black/thrash that injects new fuel to the field with riffs that would make Aura Noir and Venom proud!
• Wolves in the Throne Room - Thrice Woven: The black metal soundtrack for Game of Thrones. Or it could be.
• Bell Witch - Mirror Reaper: One one-hour long song of intricate funeral doom; exhausting and expansive.

20. Chaos Moon - Eschaton Mémoire

Haunting, hellish, and chaotic, Eschaton Mémoire is by far Chaos Moon's finest hour. The album veers between frenetic, technical tremolo-picked riffs and incredibly lush, rich passages structured around evocative melodies and gut-wrenching howls. Although there are several clones, there aren't many bands that are genuinely advancing the Xasthur/Leviathan/Krohm model of depressive American black metal like Chaos Moon.

19. Usnea - Portals into Futility

Dirge-like funeral doom is hard to do without putting the listener to sleep but Usnea excel at this art form. They manage to conjure up an utterly bleak landscape and hold the listener's interest by building on sorrowful melodies alongside slabs of thick sludgy riffs.

18. The Ominous Circle - Appalling Ascension

Hearkening back to the raw, buzzing guitars and bludgeoning wall-of-riffs reminiscent of early death metal classics such as Onward to Golgotha or Osculum Obscenum, The Ominous Circle create a 'blackened' atmosphere on Appalling Ascension with an aggressive and gritty edge.

17. Impure Wilhelmina - Radiation

Impure Wilhelmina's Radiation is exceptionally catchy, rocks out when it wants to, broods, purrs, and has multiple existential crises throughout its course. This album feels like the logical successor to Katatonia's Discouraged Ones with equal parts doom metal and equal parts The Cure, without losing the charm of either.

16. Dyscarnate - With all their Might

Although #16 on my list, With All Their Might wins the competition for Best Gym Music of 2017 as well as Best Music to Break Something and/or Everything. Admittedly, I'm not a big fan of self-styled "modern death metal" but my word, there are some riffs here that would make the most kvlt of old school death metal fans nod their head in wishful appreciation.

15. Elder - Reflections of a Floating World

I thought this album would feature higher on my list, especially after my self-proclaimed adoration for 2015's Lore - but that seemed to be the problem, that there was nothing like Lore before it, but Reflections of a Floating World is very much like Lore. I am unfair of course because Elder has put out yet another incredible album that ebbs and flows with free-flowing psychedelic melodies and seamlessly marries desert rock and progressive metal.

14. Archspire - Relentless Mutation

Archspire tread that fine line of overt virtuosity and brutality that borders on the tongue-in-cheek and the finesse of writing a technical death metal song remotely memorable and groovy (like Martyr or Spawn of Possession) --- and they do so really well on Relentless Mutation! Those still disappointed that Necrophagist's fourth album never materialized ought to be satiated by this offering.

13. Unearthly Trance - Stalking the Ghost

Claustrophobic sludge/doom delivered the way only Unearthly Trance can, Stalking the Ghost is a crushing, heavy, and destructive piece of work. It is an intense and grimy listen with slab-after-slab of filthy riffs that carry forward the legacy of Morbid-Tales-era Celtic Frost into a dark, relentless, and unforgiving future.

12. Planning for Burial - Below the House

Below the House is tough to pin down. Jon Rosenthal over at Invisible Oranges writes "Depression and depersonalization have historically set the stage for Planning for Burial’s idiosyncratic fusion of metal, slowcore, shoegaze, post-rock, and drone." I am surprised by how warm and nostalgic this album sounds despite its hardcore-tinged sound and psychotic disposition. I equate this album to the deranged heavy music doppelgänger of Arcade Fire's The Suburbs, recounting an altogether different perspective of suburban landscapes.

11. Dying Fetus - Wrong One to Fuck With

Nothing more to say about this than what the title says: do NOT mess with these battle-scarred veterans; they are at their peak performance. If you're a fan of anything even remotely close to death metal, there is no reason you will not enjoy this blisteringly fast, incredibly technical, and downright groovy album.

10. Power Trip - Nightmare Logic

These guys have come a long way since I saw them ~8 years ago at the old Emos in Austin, TX. Nightmare Logic is a catchy, catchy thrash metal album, plain and simple. Chunky guitars, neck-snapping riffs, in-your-face drumbeats, politically charged lyrics, and an "I don't care" attitude only found in pre-1995 albums make Nightmare Logic an absolute delight.

09. DVNE - Asheran

This album is an incredible journey, with a complex and elaborate approach to stoner metal songwriting. Although there are riffs aplenty for the seasoned headbanger, Dvne bring in an epic, vibrant, and theatrical atmosphere to the tried and tested formula. Although the comparisons to Elder are warranted, Asheran was a far more enjoyable (and heavier!) listen than Reflections of a Floating World.

08. Biblical - The City that Always Sleeps

This album caught me by surprise. Admittedly not (entirely) metal, The City that Always Sleeps is psychedelic rock that is progressive like a Pink Floyd album, memorable like a Blue Öyster Cult (or Ghost) album, jarring like a CAN album, and fluid like a toe album. It is immersive, relaxing, and highly intriguing.

07. A Pregnant Light - Devotion Unlaced

I simply do not know how Damian Master is as prolific and consistent (and peculier) as he is. Even though Devotion Unlaced is not a full-length, and is an EP, the material on it, like most of his other EPs is fantastic. A Pregnant Light makes music that brings together black metal, shoegaze, indie rock, and gothic rock, in a manner that's lush yet sparse, bleak yet hopeful, and gray yet vibrant. Devotion Unlaced is as good a place to start with A Pregnant Light's catalog as any of the other albums or EPs.

06. The Night Flight Orchestra - Amber Galactic

Night Flight Orchestra is pure, unadulterated fun. If you think that a group of Swedish melodic death metal musicians getting together to play late 70's/early 80's pop-rock would be a barrel of fun - you're absolutely right. And we're talking full. on. early 80s here - think Police/Toto/Supertramp/Billy Joel - yes, this is #6 on my 2017 "metal" album list. Go check it out!

05. Toke - (Orange)

(Orange) exemplifies the less is more formula: its an incredible thing listening to a band that doesn't stray far off from the major root of stoner/sludge/doom metal - Black Sabbath - and one that simultaneously manages to be unquestionably fresh in their approach. Toke unabashedly wear their influences on their sleeve and deliver catchy, Southern-rock-tinged sludge metal that you can't help but nod your head to and listen to them plod along. (Orange) is as if Iron Monkey released an album in 2017 - oh wait they did - this one is better!

04. Night Demon - Darkness Remains

This is sheer, good ol' classic heavy metal at its very best. Of course, you could write this off as Iron Maiden worship and enjoy it just as much, but you'd miss out on all the other NWOBHM tributes lurking throughout this riff-packed album including Diamond Head, Thin Lizzy, Jag Panzer, Angel Witch, Satan, and Dio. However, Darkness Remains is much, much more than a generic NWOBHM tribute and is an impressive album in its own right with a distinctive take on dueling guitars, galloping bass riffs, soaring choruses, and triplet drum fills.

03. Chelsea Wolfe - Hiss Spun

What an ambitious effort! Singer/songwriter experimental sludge doom - who knew that could be a thing done so well? Hiss Spun twists and writhes as Chelsea Wolfe's haunting voice and brooding lyrics crawl alongside the massive wall of sound created by Ben Chisholm's guitars, static noise, and industrial glitch.

02. Unsane - Sterilize

Unsane's latest addition to their unique noise-fueled approach to metal is best chronicled by vocalist Chris Spencer on the opening song of Sterilize (in his distinct, painful yows): "Welcome back to this world of confusion." Unsane are back and show no signs of slowing down since their debut ~26 years ago! This time though, their chaotic, manic, and aggressive breed of noise metal has a characteristic wistfulness and uneasy warmth about it. Rather than portraying a menacing mood throughout its course, Sterilize details the soundtrack of the moments of clarity oscillating between insomnia and insanity - a grand accomplishment!

01. Hell - Hell

Oh wow, this album came out of nowhere. Hell is the soundscape of the apocalypse rendered in sludge format. Hell consists of thick, viscous, brownish riffs repeatedly drilled into your cranium without any sign of subsidence, as the drums and bass summon up an ominous and ethereal background hellscape. The word demonic is freely used and abused in metal literature, but I cannot think of a more appropriate descriptor for the vocals on this record. Hell also shows signs of unexpected sophistication where the closing tracks utilize acoustic guitars and violins to color the hellscape with even more malevolence.