. . .
We’re halfway through 2011.
What are your favorite metal records so far?
Here are the first 10 that came to my mind, in alphabetical order.
Amon Amarth – Surtur Rising
Argus – Boldly Stride the Doomed
Blut aus Nord – 777 – Sect(s)
Colosseum – Chapter 3: Parasomnia
Dark Castle – Surrender to All Life Beyond Form
Darkest Era – The Last Caress of Light
Grayceon – All We Destroy
Satan’s Host – By the Hands of the Devil
Vastum – Carnal Law
Witch Mountain – South of Salem
At least five more records – The Gates of Slumber, Hate Eternal, In Solitude (is Metal Blade kicking ass this year or what?), Autopsy, Tombs – could have easily slotted into that list. They didn’t come to mind as immediately because I’m still digesting them.
Some of you would grouse, “I’ll stick with [insert name of album from the '80s], thanks”.
To which I’d say, “I respect the past but don’t live in it, thanks”.
So much good metal is out there. It’s up to you find what works for you.
What works for me is the new Argus record. You can hear a song from it below. It doesn’t have fancy marketing or cool costumes – just a lot of soul and songcraft.
. . .
Argus – “A Curse on the World”
. . .
Since I do keep a pathetically anal Excel document of everything I hear in a year with rankings up to 10, here’s what’s currently in those top ten slots:
1. Altar of Plagues – Mammal
2. Protest the Hero – Scurrilous
3. Burzum – Fallen
4. Anaal Nathrakh – Passion
5. Fucked Up – David Comes to Life
6. Woods of Desolation – Torn Beyond Reason
7. Evergrey – Glorious Collision
8. Subrosa – No Help for the Mighty Ones
9. Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues
10. Lionize – Destruction Manual
Top two so far:
Hate Eternal – Phoenix amongst the ashes
Rotten Sound – Cursed
My two favorite metal albums of the year are “Surtur Rising” and “No Help for the Mighty Ones.” I like “South of Salem” too. I’ve tried getting into that 40 Watt Sun record but it’s not clicked with me. Neither has “Redemption at the Puritan’s Hand.” I like “All We Destroy” but have not played it very much.
I do like the latest by Gang Gang Dance, EMA, The Joy Formidable and Fleet Foxes.
By far my favorite album of the year is PJ Harvey’s – “Let England Shake.” It is just godly and I highly recommend it…even to the most metallically-minded.
That Argus record is in my eMusic queue. I’ve been debating it. Hmmm…
i’m in the same boat here chris, let england shake will easily go down as my favorite and most played album this year. —this being her 10th studio album and it being (i find) easily her best is incredibly impressive….
The Liturgy, Krallice, Hate Eternal and Pentagram records have all hit me hard (not to mention the godly Death reissues), but my favorite metal-related album of 2011 so far is definitely Protest the Hero’s Scurrilous. Mutant post–Mars Volta Canadian opera-core! Obscenely catchy and exciting: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVpbrdj6GSU
Hexvessel – Dawnbearer
Integrity – Detonate VVorld’s Plague
Blut Aus Nord – 777
Dead Language LP
This is what I have so far, knowing that I have so many releases yet to hear it’s not even funny…
My top two:
Krallice – Diotima
Primordial – Redemption at the Puritan’s Hand
Albums that will without a doubt end up in the top tier of my year-end list:
Ash Borer – Ash Borer
Belphegor – Blood Magick Necromance
Mitochondrion – Parasignosis
SubRosa – No Help For The Mighty Ones
Ulcerate – The Destroyers of All
Albums that might move up to the top tier section or the honorable mentions:
Blaspherian – Infernal Warriors of Death
Blut Aus Nord – 777 – Sect(s)
Demonical – Death Infernal
De Magia Veterum – The Divine Antithesis
Defiled – In Crisis
Honorable mentions:
40 Watt Sun – The Inside Room
Book of Black Earth – The Cold Testament
Dirge – Elysian Magnetic Fields
Liturgy – Aesthethica
Oremus – Popioly
Petrychor – Effigies and Epitaphs
Vastum – Carnal Law
Woods of Desolation – Torn Beyond Reason
“Albums that might move up to the top tier section or the honorable mentions:”
should be “or down to the honorable mentions”, of course
Loss “Despond”
40 Watt Sun “The Inside Room”
Krallice “Diotima”
Primordial “Redemption at the Puritan’s Hand”
The Gates of Slumber “The Wretch”
Dornenreich “Flammentriebe”
Virus “The Agent That Shapes the Desert”
Altar of Plagues “Mammal”
Dornenreich “Flammentriebe”
Drugs of Faith “Corroded”
Deafheaven “Roads to Judah”
Burzum “Fallen”
Really digging the cover of that Argus. Will check out he music when I get home. So far I haven’t listened to enough new stuff to have a top 10, but I did hear the Vastum and liked it quite a bit and I’m sure I’ll fall in love with Tombs and Withered once I listen.
I’ll stick with my Hans Naughty collection, thanks.
No, not really.
Top 10 as it stands now:
1. 40 Watt Sun
2. Alpinist
3. Deafheaven
4. Krallice
5. In Solitude
6. Owen Hart
7. Miasmal
8. Trap Them
9. Indian
10. Pentagram
My favourite metal albums of the year so far have to be Wormrot’s ‘Dirge’ and Crowbar’s ‘Sever The Wicked Hand’. I’m still catching up on various releases – looking forward to hearing Krallice’s ‘Diotima’ for sure.
On the non-metal side, I’m liking Black Spiders ‘Sons of the North’ too. UK hard rock that kicks serious arse. They’re not doing anything new but they do it really well.
havok- time is up
portrait- crimen…
autopsy- macabre eternal
in solitude- the world…
ulcerate- the destroyers of all
abysmal dawn- levelling…
bill callahan- my apocalypse
new lows- harvest of the carcass
rene hell- terminal…
conan/slomatics- split EP
1. Obscura – Omnivium (This is my top pic and I can’t believe it hasn’t been mentioned yet)
2. Hate Eternal – Phoenix Amongst The Ashes
3. Blut Aus Nord – 777 Sect(s)
4. Witch Mountain – South Of Salem
In no order: Battlelore – “Doombound”; Darkest Era – “The Last Caress of Light”; Jag Panzer – “The Scourge of the Light”; Gridlink – “Orphan”; Earth – “Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light I”; Primordial – “Redemption at the Puritan’s Hand”; Tyr – “The Lay of Thrym”; Prizehog – “Thought Nest”; Looking for an Answer – “Eterno Treblinka”; Alex Skolnick Trio – “Veritas”
ha wow, yes i’ve been keeping a list this year, funny this should pop up. alphabetical aswell:
TOP 10
Autopsy – Macabre Eternal
Argus – Boldly Stride The Doomed
Blood Ceremony – Living With The Ancients
Dark Castle – Surrender To All Life Beyond Form
The Gates Of Slumber – The Wretch
Portrait – Crimen Laesae Majestatis Divinae
Primordial – Redemption At The Puritans Hand
Saturnalia Temple – Aion Of Drakon
Tombs – Path Of Totality
Witch Mountain – South Of Salem
RUNNER’S UP:
In Solitude – The World, The Flesh, The Devil
Loss – Despond
USX – The Valley Path
Orchid – Capricorn
Rotten Sound – Cursed
TOP EP’S/SINGLES
Thou – To The Chaos Wizard Youth 12″
Bongripper – Sex Tape/Snuff Film 7”
Premontion 13 – 7”
Enslaved – The Sleeping Gods EP
AND NON-METAL
PJ Harvey – Let England Shake
Neil Young – A Treasure
Grails – Deep Politics
Zombi – Escape Velocity
Young Widows – In & Out Of Youth And Lightness
have not heard the vastum yet, will have to get that one next, have high expectations.
Just finished listening to that Endstille album. Really good stuff, I’m gonna have to make room for this one.
Oh, and I’d imagine this one will make the list. I just haven’t had much time to listen to it yet:
Origin – Entity
Thanks for mentioning Origin. I’m buying the album right now.
The only album I can think of as great this year is Obscura’s “Omnivium” BTW.
I’ll stick with Johann Sebastian Bach, thanks.
On a more serious note, I don’t think that I’ve yet heard an album made this year which I can see taking a place among my highest rated records over time. On the other hand, I haven’t really looked too carefully for albums made this year, and I can be a bit behind the times when it comes to metal, so I can’t really pass a verdict on how things are going at the moment. I will say, though, that this year has been fairly consistent so far when it comes to albums by older bands; while Jag Panzer’s album doesn’t really equal their best works, it’s still pretty competent stuff, while I could see Satan’s Host’s album being quite enjoyable for people who liked their first album, although I’ve never really gotten into their general vibe, which seems a bit superficial at times. In fact, this year has seen some pretty notable returns along with the Satan’s Host reunion, with John Cyriis coming back into the fold to some degree as well; while Cyriis didn’t last long in Agent Steel, if his SETI thing pans out I will probably be very, very happy.
I imagine that I could find some albums which I would like more if I looked around for newer semi-obscure prog bands and such, given that that’s the kind of music which I tend to like, and that I haven’t really put too much effort into finding recent albums in the genre due to being a bit busy. There’s probably not much by way of good technothrash, though, because the Cold War is over. I tend to generally end up listening to albums about a year after they’re put out, because I don’t really keep up with the news in metal, so we’ll have to see how that goes.
…For example, Pentagram have a new album? I did not know that.
metal blade made quite a commotion about the pentagram album, it’s the first with victor griffin back in the band, i think at least half of it is pretty good with lots of recycled songs of course.
Thanks for the summary. I’ll have to take a look at that, then.
Helm – Announcing to the world that you don’t know something has as much value as announcing that you do know something.
I am not Helm, I am Zero. I am also nowhere.
In any case, I’m just an English literature student who likes metal, and after all we have to contribute to society somehow in order to make up for being a useless drain of social resources, so I figure that I may as well do this by yapping about metal a bit. It’s not much, but at least it’s not Derrida.
No ranking order yet, but these have all been getting heavy rotation when not changing diapers or rocking out to Toddler Tunes:
Crowbar – Sever The Wicked Hand
Barghest – s/t
Rotten Sound – Cursed
Dark Castle – Surrender To All Life Beyond Form
Jesu – Ascension
Wormrot – Dirge
KEN Mode – Venerable
Gridlink – Orphan
SubRosa – No Help For The Mighty Ones
Cauldron – Burning Fortune
So far?
1. Altar of Plagues
2. Dragged into Sunlight (re-release)
3. SubRosa
4. Trap Them
5. Liturgy (sorry, folks…it’s a great record)
6. Weedeater
7. KENmode
8. Black Skies (trust me on this preemptive strike!)
9. Ummm…drawing a blank here…
10. Sylosis (a few tracks I could do without, but…)
Unmetal:
1. Arboretum
2. True Widow
3. Skull Defekts
4. Grails
5. Earth
6. Belong
7. Panda Bear
Whoa, thanks for that Black Skies tip! Awesome. And to the guy below who pointed out it is streaming on bandcamp.
In Solitude, Portrait, Ghost, Darkest Era, Gentlemen’s Pistols, The Gates Of Slumber, Primordial – yes, Metal Blade is kicking ass all around this year. A great year so far.
Tough call dude.
Miasmal
Autopsy
Necros Christos
Witch Mountain
Batillus
Dark Castle
Bones
Weekend Nachos
Acephalix
Vastum
Acid Witch
Ga’an
Cold Cave
Ah fuck, forgot about:
Inquisition
Black Witchery
Cianide
Grave Desecrator
Sabbath Assembly
I do agree that this year’s been really tough with catching up with new releases.
Im a few months behind on music purchases. So far Amon Amarths and Trap Thems new ones top the list for me. Still gotta get the new Primordial,Hate Eternal and a bunch of others.2011 is shaping up to be a pretty good year for metal releases,should be alot of arguing about some of the year end lists.
ok man, enough of that
can we get the next Kill ‘em All song already? : )))
Krallice is (and will probably continue to be) my favorite. Also enjoying True Widow, Trap Them, Rotten Sound, The Mountain Goats, KEN Mode, James Blake, Horseback, Higuma, Mamaleek, Gridlink, Giles Corey, Ghostlimb, and Battles.
So far 2011 is defined by me struggling to keep up with all the records I’d like to listen to… I have, but have not properly listened to, new records from Tombs, Ensorcelor, Jesu, Liturgy, A Storm of Light, TV on the Radio, Hexvessel, Fucked Up, American Heritage, and all of the new Thou EPs.
Disappointed by new Radiohead, Okkervil River, and David Bazan.
Looking forward to Disma, Engineer, Oathbreaker, and the Horseback/Locrian split.
No rankings but here are the albums that have been in rotation the most for me…actually, the new Batillus, Gridlink and Gigan albums are probably the ringleaders right now for me…
Batillus – Furnace
Gigan – Quasi-Hallucinogenic …
Gridlink – Orphan
End of Level Boss – Eklectric
Miasmal – s/t
Red Fang- Murder the Mountains
Premonition 13 – (Forgot the title)
Ghost Empire – Demo
Morne – Asylum
Across Tundras – Sage
Dark Castle – Surrender to All Life Beyond Form
Trap Them – Darker Handcraft
Gates of Slumber – The Wretch
I’m glad somebody else likes that Darkest Era record. It arrived with almost no fanfare or acclaim, but I love it.
So far my most spun records of 2011 are from 2010: Ghost and Triptykon.
My favorites of 11 so far, though:
Anna Calvi – Anna Calvi
Anaal Nathrackh – Passion
Meads of Asphodel – The Murder of Jesus the Jew
Pin-up Went Down – 342
Primordial – Redemption at the Puritan’s Hand
Ulcerate – Destroyers of All
Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues
Grayceon – All We Destroy
SubRosa – No Help for the Mighty Ones
Protest the Hero – Scurrilous
Obscura – Omnivium
I don’t listen to enough new stuff to have a Top 10, but I did stumble upon the Argus (thanks to Decibel) and am currently loving it. Looking forward to the new Symphony X, Opeth, and (hopefully) Mastodon this year.
I’m glad S. mentioned the new Kyle Spence-produced Black Skies album, b/c it is a beast…it has been streaming at the band’s Band Camp page for weeks, but I have yet to see if/when it will be released to the masses…anybody know?
listening now, haven’t heard of them before and it’s pretty good stuff. thanks.
Don’t think the band knows themselves at this point.
Addendum to anticipated releases: NEW YOB. Stereogum just premiered an excellent new track, and they’re actually playing Houston later this summer. Can’t wait.
HOLY SHIT!!! YES!!! This will likely be my AotY. YOB are my favorite.
That song desolyzates! I’ve been debating getting into Yob. Yes, I have not done it yet. But that new track has me feeling like 1985 and hearing an Exodus off their forthcoming, “Bonded By Blood” debut…
Crowbar, Grayceon, Krallice, Galhammer, Alpinist, Trap Them, Gridlink, ULCERATE.
also Capsule’s No Ghost.
Full (or official) albums instead of demos, rehearsals, etc.? The Ash Borer cassette, the new Autopsy, almost all of the Black Twilight Circle stuff. That’s about it. I also dig the new Aosoth…
Gridlink, Autopsy, Mitochondrion, Weekend Nachos, Gates of Slumber, Tombs…does Ghost count since it was a domestic release this January?
Gridlink’s “Orphan” is the only new album I’ve heard this year that’s managed to really impress me.
I definitely agree with you on the new Argus.
I’ll put these on the best of list as well:
Twisted Tower Dire “Make It Dark” ( Cruz del sur is also kicking ass)
The Gates of Slumber “The Wretch”
40 Watt Sun ” The Inside Room”
In Solitude “The World The Flesh The Devil”
Kind of in order
Wormrot-Dirge
ANb/Despise You-And On And On…
Robocop-Robocop II
KEN Mode-Venerable
Noisear-STDP
Total Fucking Destruction-Hater
Weekend Nachos-Worthless
probably some more I am forgetting, and a lot more I need to get
Been a decent year so far.
Blut Aus Nord
Autopsy
Barghest
Endstille
Sargeist/Drowning the Light
Inquisition
Were all fantastic.. On a different note, I am absolutely sick of hearing about Altar of Plagues, Ash Borer and Fell Voices. Also, Black Castle may be the worst band name of all time.
Dark Castle, sorry
Much better
great band though, lately there have been plenty of band names and album titles that are straight ouf of the heavy metal band name generator. ‘doom of the occult’ comes to mind.
>I am absolutely sick of hearing about Altar of Plagues, Ash Borer and Fell Voices…
No disrespect to the other 2 bands you mentioned, but IMO the Ash Borer LP is in a completely different category. Have you given it enough time to sink in, reach some kind of resonance?
With this album (again, IMO) they reached something way outside of their earlier work. I love it.
Tombs,Autopsy,Altar of Plagues,Blut aus Nord
This is kinda in order, kinda not.
Tombs-Path of Totality
Northless- Clandestine Abuse
Autopsy- Macabre Eternal
Dark Castle- Surrender to All Life Beyond Form
Fleet Foxes- Helplessness Blues
GridLink- Orphan
Grayceon- All We Destroy
Fucked Up- David Comes To Life
Weedeater- Jason… The Dragon
deafheaven- Roads to Judah
In boring alphabetical…
Ash Borer-s/t
Autopsy-Macabre Eternal
Barghest-s/t
Dark Castle-Surrender To All Life Beyond Form
Deafheaven-Roads To Judah
Fell Voices-s/t
Inquisition-Ominous Doctrines Of The Perpetual Mystical Macrocosm
Negative Plane-Stained Glass Revelations
Subrosa-No Help For The Mighty Ones
Thou-all the stuff they’ve put out so far this year!
Tombs-Path Of Totality
Yob’s ATMA will undoubtedly be my number 1, Opeth will win my heart yet again, and hopefully Neurosis graces us with a new one before the end of the year!
Stoked to see all the votes for SubRosa. None of my friends seem as stoked on that album as I am!
digging this jam, thanks!!
At the moment these albums stand out and are holding my attention:
Primordial – Redemption at the Puritan’s Hand
Negative Plane – Stained Glass Revelations
Blut aus Nord – 777 – Sect(s)
Bloody Ceremony – Living With the Ancients
Burzum – Fallen
Earth – Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light I
There’s a lot of albums currently out (Autopsy, In Solitude) that I need to still get and quite a few coming out later in the year that I’m looking forward to (Opeth). But still, this time last year there were already a fair bit of albums out that absolutely floored me (Triptykon, Darkthrone, Watain) and I’m not feeling that at this point this year. So, so far I’m rating this as a weaker year than 2010.
Thank you though Cosmo for posting that Argus song. Never heard of those guys before that song rules, so I’ll have to check that out.
Yeah, I suspect YOB, Dark Castle and Lock Up will all make their way into the top ten once I give them thorough listens…
Deafheaven – Roads to Judah
Tephra – Tempel
Amon Amarth – Surtur Rising
Grayceon – All We Destroy
Havok – Time Is Up
Krallice – Diotima
Ulcerate – Destroyers of All
Abysmal Dawn – Leveling the Plane of Existence
American Heritage – Sedentary
Trap Them – Darker Handcraft
I still got A LOT of catching up to do though…
The ones that really stand out:
Altar of Plagues-Mammal
A Storm of Light-As the Valley of Death…
Between the Buried and Me-The Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues
The Black Dahlia Murder-Ritual
Devin Townsend Project-Deconstruction
Jesu-Ascension
Krallice-Diotima
Primordial-Redemption at the Puritan’s Hand
Tombs-Path of Totality
Honorable mentions:
Bruce Lamont-Feral Songs For the Epic Decline
Burzum-Fallen
Clair Cassis-Luxury Absolute
Explosions in the Sky-Take Care, Take Care, Take Care
Fen-Epoch
Grayceon-All We Destroy
Luturgy-Aesthetica
Novembers Doom-Aphiotic
Protest the Hero-Scurrilous
Scale the Summit-The Collective
Thomas Giles-Pulse
Besides engaging in DsO-Woship a few albums made me smile so far
(in no real order yet)
Ulcerate – Destroyers of All
Amon Amarth – Surtur Rising
Blut aus Nord – 777 – Sect(s)
Apsoth – III
Nader Sadek – In The Flesh
Burzum – Fallen
Blut Aus Nord – 777
Hexvessel – Dawnbearer
Ulcerate – The Destroyers of All
40 Watt Sun – The Inside Room
The Gates of Slumber – The Wretch
Deafheaven – Roads to Judah
Krallice, Earth, Liturgy, Indian, Weedeater, Dark Castle, Bongripper (a 2-song EP, but solid). The Deafheaven debut left me horribly underwhelmed. And the new Altar of Plagues is very fine work.
I really didn’t expect to see that Argus cover on this site today! I snagged it last month and pretty much love it, but didn’t think I’d read anything about it, here or elsewhere. I need to check out more of the Cruz del Sur stuff… last year’s Atlantean Kodex was unbelievably kickass, and I didn’t hear anything about that either.
Here’s my quick list, looking through my itunes “2011″ filter:
Amon Amarth
Argus
Autopsy
Batillus
Blut Aus Nord
Deafheaven
Demonaz (dumb and unoriginal yes, but still fairly awesome)
Gates of Slumber
Gridlink
Miasmal
Ulcerate
And looking forward to checking out my latest acquisitions: Ravencult, Book of Black Earth, Crucified Mortals, and Dia de los Muertos.
I have belatedly come to the conclusion that the single best riff of 2010 was from Atlantean Kodex’ Pilgrim.
Haha, that record had one riff!
Acid Witch-Stoned
Amon Amarth-Surtur Rising
Mitochondrion-Parasignosis
Primordial-Redemption At The Puritan’s Hand
Romero-Solitaire
Seidr-For Winter Fire
Witch Mountain-South of Salem
Graveyard, Parasytic and waiting for YOB!
Great list! That In Solitude record is my favorite so far. Metal Blade really killing it lately.
Good to see you’ve included Darkest Era – a fantastic LP…
gridlink
to add to my earlier list, a non-metal album worth hearing: Julianna Barwick – The Magic Place. it’s ambient, hazy dream pop with a fascinating, abstract approach to the human voice.
I just got the Julianna Barwick record this week and have been enjoying it very much!
≠. Kevin Hufnagel’s ukulele #1-9 (echos connect me w/ Randy Rhoads’ Dee and mbv’s Loveless)
≠. Godstopper’s Empty Crawl Space. especially the song clean house. my god. my godstopper.
Not necessarily in order…
Top ten:
Dragged Into Sunlight – Hatred For Mankind (Re-Issue)
Vreid – V
Noisear – Subvert The Dominant Paradigm
Belphegor – Blood Magick Necromance
Assaulter – Boundless
Destruction – Day Of Reckoning
Svart Crown – Witnessing the Fall
Amon Amarth – Surtur Rising
Autopsy – Macabre Eternal
Anaal Nathrakh – Passion
Honorable mention:
Despise You / Agoraphobic Nosebleed (split) – And On And On…
Eastern Front – Blood On Snow
Obscura – Omnivium
Indian – Guiltless
Wolf – Legions Of Bastards
The Gates Of Slumber – The Wretch
Ulcerate – The Destroyers of All
Gridlink – Orphan
Batillus – Furnace
Krallice – Diotima
Well…being employed now after a LONG stint is such a relief…as such, my situation should improve and I’ll be able to finally see more shows now and buy more music. But fuck, this economy still sucks, and my list shows that. I’m gonna include things I’ve been waiting for:
Money!
Shows!
Summer! (I live in Portland so that’s pretty exciting)
My List: Autopsy, Witch Mountain, Liturgy, Wormrot, Saturnalia Temple and looking forward to Yob–they CRUSH it live. Also looking forward to Mammatus’ new record.
That Bazillion Points Thrash Book.
NOT looking forward to the crappy summer movies–altho the samurai flick “13 Assassins” and Werner Herzog’s “Cave of Forgotten Dreams” were cool.
Thats all I got.
My favorite this year by far is the new Trap Them record. Another grind record I really like is the Owen Hart record.
I also really like the new Neuraxis and Origin, which is surprising, because I thought I hated tech-death.
Anyways, other stuff I liked…
death metal:
Deicide
Hate Eternal
Mitochondrion
Panzerchrist
Requiem
doom/stoner/sludge:
Crowbar
American Heritage
after consulting my iTunes, here is the rest of the stuff I forgot:
Bones
Crucified Mortals
The Swan King
Endstille
Sepultura
Mammoth Grinder/Hatred Surge
The Force
Tombs
The Black Dahlia Murder
Nephrolith
Hey, Argus is good shit. I think of Iron Maiden meets I don’t know, Alice In Chains? Thanks for putting that up there. Without people like you as a guide to the new, making it easy for me to listen, I just wouldn’t give a fuck as I’m getting old and a fairly new parent with the full time job.
They were on a lot of last years lists because of their availability as imports but I didn’t hear Deathspell Omega or Kvelertak until 2011. “Paracletus” is a masterpiece and Kvelertak , along with KENmode and Trap Them, make me think that maybe, just maybe, Kurt Ballou might indeed be a God.
My favorite though so far this year is SubRosa and I’m a little suprised but not at all shocked that they’re getting so much love here.
Probably:
KEN mode – Venerable
Altar of Plagues – Mammal
End Of Level Boss – Eklectric
Japanische Kampfhörspiele – Kaputte nackte Affen
Trap Them – Darker Handcraft
Vomitory – Opus Mortis VIII
Keitzer- Descend Into Heresy
Yeah, that’s only seven. Still haven’t heard the latest from Dark Castle, Gallhammer, Gates of Slumber and Tombs yet …
I miss Bloodiest-Descent
and Cave In-White Silence on a lot of lists!
The only album that has really knocked me around this year is Mitochondrion’s Parasignosis.
My Top 10 so far:
Trap Them-Darker Handcraft
Krallice-Diotima
Blut Aus Nord-777 sect(s)
Batillus-Furnace
Autopsy-Macabre Eternal
Burzum-Fallen
SubRosa-No Help For the Mighty Ones
KEN Mode-Venerable
Book of Black Earth-The Cold Testament
Primordial-Redemption at the Puritan’s hand
Honorable Mentions: Maruta, Crowbar, The Gates of Slumber, Altar of Plagues, In Solitude and Liturgy.
Still Digesting: Hate Eternal, Gigan, Dark Castle, Aosoth.
Eager to listen: Tombs, Morne, Peste Noire, Vastum and Nader Sadek.
Non-Metal Top 10 so far:
Fucked Up-David Comes to Life
The Swan King-Eyes Like Knives
PJ Harvey- Let England Shake
Grails-Deep Politics
Gang Gang Dance-Eye Contact
Young Windows-In and Out of Youth and Lightness
Jesu-Ascension
Iceage-New Brigade
Tv on the Radio-Nine Types of Light
Bill Callahan-Apocalypse
Very rewarding year for all of us obsessed with metal and music in general!
So far, in no particular order (except what iTunes gives me)…
The A Team:
Altar of Plagues – Mammal
The Beast of the Apocalypse – Henosis
Blut Aus Nord – 777 Sect(s)
Krallice – Diotima
Tombs – Path of Totality
Gridlink – Orphan
Maruta – Forward Into Regression
Rotten Sound – Cursed
Wormrot – Dirge
Total Fucking Destruction – Hater
Acephalix – Interminable Night
Origin – Entity
Northless – Clandestine Abuse
Sub Rosa – No Help For The Mighty Ones
Ghostlimb – Infrastructure
A Storm Of Light – As The Valley Of Death Becomes Us, Our Silver Memories Fade
The B Team:
Autopsy – Macabre Eternal
Miasmal – Miasmal
Bones – Bones
Mitochondrion – Parasignosis
Sonne Adam – Transformation
Noisear – Subvert The Dominant Paradigm
Crowbar – Sever The Wicked Hand
Jesu – Ascension
these have stood out the most (in no order):
Mitochondrion – Parasignosis
Loss – Despond
Autopsy – Macabre Eternal
Barghest – Self Titled
Aosoth – III
Negative Plane – Stained Glass Revelations
Inquisition – Ominous Doctrines…
Blaspherian – Infernal Warriors of Death
I just read through this whole list to help me make my radio playlist for tonight… Funny how many internet people I know that I can recognize solely on taste. I guess it’s only fair I list my most listened bands this year so far…
Despise You
Autopsy
Blut Aus Nord
Column of Heaven
Drugs of Faith
Maruta
Maruosa
No Gang Colors
Robocop
WADGE
Wormrot
Albums I’ve enjoyed the most so far have been:
Gridlink – Orphan
Blut Aus Nord – 777
Inquisition – Ominous Doctrines of something or other
I just got the Tombs and Autopsy albums yesterday, but they both sound promising initially (Tombs over Autopsy, which I didn’t expect) and I’m sure I’ll be spending some time with both. Will probably look more into that Negative Plane album as well.
I’m also eagerly awaiting my copy of the new Dark Castle, as well as new albums from Vektor & Opeth to come later in the year.
Lastly, I don’t remember exactly what I voted for for my top 10 last year, but I only seem to find myself revisiting Dawnbringer, Ludicra, and occasionally Agalloch with any regularity.
“I don’t remember exactly what I voted for for my top 10 last year, but I only seem to find myself revisiting Dawnbringer, Ludicra, and occasionally Agalloch with any regularity.”
That is just eerily creepy. Having just listened to “The Tenant” twice yesterday, “Marrow of the Spirit” today and ponder spinning the “Nucleus” vinyl tonight. Wow…
Nice. I can think of much worse ways to spend an evening.
I also forgot another carryover from 2010 – the last Hail of Bullets album. I didn’t get into it until over the winter, but man, that one grew on me quickly.
Inquisition came out in 2010 but I’m happy to see people listing it this year too. Would be in my top 10 for a cumulative 2010+2011 ranking.
Not metal at all, but Boris’s _Attention Please_ is a really nifty detour into full-on shoegaze bliss. They’ve been heading in this direction for a while (see their _Ranibow_ collaboration with Michio Kurihara), and I think they’ve reached a point where there pop /psych stuff is more interesting than their “heavy rock” material. Those here who recently professed their love for Mazzy Star would do well to give it a listen. Check out “You,” for instance (preliminary bong rips optional): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMnUG7Kc3Dg&feature=related
*their
Damn you, internet.
Agreed. My favorite of their 4 releases this year, with Klatter (w/ Merzbow) a close second.
I’m not quite up to ten yet this year.
Metal:
Gridlink
Krallice (though I like “Dimensional Bleedthrough” better and still listen to it A LOT)
Liturgy
Tombs
Non-metal:
Africa Hitech
Tune-Yards
Faust
Still digesting/need to hear more: Dark Castle, Gigan
Disappointments: Battles, Boris, Indian
Need to buy: Drugs Of Faith, Jesu, Nader Sadek
Seconded on Vastum, should give the new Darkest Hour a whirl, and based on that album cover I NEED to hear that Argus album.
1. Gridlink – Orphan
2. Wormrot – Dirge
3. Noisear – Subverting the Dominant Paradigm
4. Vastum – Carnal Law
5. Hatred Surge/Mammoth Grinder split
6. Ash Borer – Ash Borer
7. Autopsy – Macabre Eternal
8. Meek Is Murder – Algorithms
9. SubRosa – No Help for the Mighty Ones
10. Blut Aus Nord – 777 Sect(s)
So far, in my opinion…
Altar Of Plagues – Mammal
Indian – Guiltless
Terra Tenebrosa – The Tunnels
Whitehorse – Progression
Seidr – For Winter’s Fire
Seraphim – The Light In The Distance
Desolate Shrine – Tenebrous Towers
Owl – Owl
Sonne Adam – Transformation
Mitochondrion – Parasignosis
Leucosis – Pulling Down The Sky
Tombs – Path Of Totality
Yellow Eyes – Silence Threads The Evening’s Cloth
Miasmal – Miasmal
It’s been a great year thanks to these great releases…
The Tombs album is a fucking landmark document. It’ll be on a lot of “best of the decade” lists nine years or so from now.
Along with that; Burzum, Krallice, Blut Aus Nord. It’s looking like a black metal sort of year for me. And I’m a guy that is generally into a lot of stoner/doom type of stuff, but I’m not really hearing anything that direction that floats my boat. The new song from my YOB rules, but that album is still a couple of months away.
Yeah the new Tombs is badass, another one that will have to go on my list. It’s streaming on bandcamp in case someone hasn’t heard it yet:
http://tombsbklyn.bandcamp.com/album/path-of-totality
I’m not going to type out what would be a pretty repetitive list. Ok fine, I already did but it somehow got wiped out before I could post. It looks like I have some serious catching up to do anyway…
Here are a few non-metal albums that rule:
The Weeknd – House of Balloons. Free online. R. Kelly and Burial go on a three day coke bender. Throw in lots of debauched alcohol and drug-fueled sex and that sums it up. It’s ridiculously disturbing AND catchy. My girlfriend hates how much she loves it.
Mogwai – Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will
Batillus – Furnace. Ok that’s metal but it wasn’t mentioned often.
Pig Destroyer, Fistula, YOB, Opeth, Mastodon will most assuredly rule.
Havok – Time is Up
Wormrot – Dirge
Meek is Murder – Algorithms
Gridlink – Orphan
Liturgy – Aesthetica
Autopsy – Macabre Eternal
Cave In – White Silence
Shining – VII: Fodd Forlorare
Sylosis – Edge of the Earth
Omnium Gatherum – New World Shadows
Northless – Clandestine Abuse
Non-Metal:
Fleet Foxes
Starfucker
Porn on Vinyl
Dumbo Gets Mad
Destroyer
“The Tombs album is a fucking landmark document.”
Most over-hyped album of the year.
“I respect the past but don’t live in it.”
Dunno where that came from, but it’s genius. If it was mined from your head, I congratulate you, sir! Hope you don’t mind me using it. It’s gold!
It’s not all that deep, but feel free to use it! I’m sure other people have said it better!
My Top Albums so far:
Satan’s Host: By the Hands of the Devil
Ulcerate: The Destroyers of All
Primordial: Redemption at the Puritan’s Hand
The Gates of Slumber: The Wretch
Crowbar: Sever the Wicked Hand
Amon Amarth: Surtur Rising
Cauldron: Burning Fortune
Vomitory: Opus Mortis VIII
Psycho: Pain Addict Pigs
Destruction: Day of Reckoning
Unfortunately with opening a law office and getting married, I have not had as much time to check things out as I normally would.
Congratulations on both milestones, Mr. Esq.! Also, fine list you’ve got there.
Here’s mine:
1)Dragged Into Sunlight
2)Kvelertak (US release was in Feb)
3)Autopsy
4)Origin
5)Obscura
Kypck – Ниже
That’s one metal release definitely going to be in my top this year.
Gridlink, Liturgy, KEN mode already mentioned, so let me add some other albums I liked:
Monkey3 – Beyond the Black Sky
Matana Roberts – Coin Coin Chapter One: Gens de couleur libres
Hijos de Mayo – In Sound Underground
Der Blutharsch and the Infinite Church of the Leading Hand + Aluk Todolo – A Collaboration
Wreck and Reference – Black Cassette
Zeadron Del Gomez – Hold My Hand? No
Red Fang – Murder the Mountains
Leyland Kirby – Intrigue & Stuff (Vol. 1)
Oh, and Krypts EP for one more metal title.
Actually, today- July 1, marks it half way through the year.
metal heads….
I thought the new Weird Al would at least be somewhere near #1.