photo by Eija Makivuoti
(As our 2013 Listmania series continues on its first day, occasional NCS contributor and hard man to please KevinP offers up this year-end list of his top 25 albums of the year, with notes on the top 10.)
I made a big stink about only doing a Top 10 last year and that was my plan again. But I found it nearly impossible with the sheer amount of quality releases. I went to 15, then 20, and finally settled on 25. Heck, I could have easily done 40, but I had to draw the line somewhere.
25. Majestic Downfall – Three
https://www.facebook.com/majestic.downfall
http://chaos-records.bandcamp.com/album/three
24. Attacker – Giants of Cannan
https://www.facebook.com/AttackerBand
23. Tribulation – The Formulas of Death
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tribulation-Official/169889709720460
22. Sulphur Aeon – Swallowed by the Ocean’s Tide
https://www.facebook.com/SulphurAeon
21. Lantern – Below
https://www.facebook.com/lantern666
http://darkdescentrecords.bandcamp.com/album/below
20. Grave Miasma – Odori Sepulcrorum
https://www.facebook.com/gravemiasma
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxht_NzTd8I
19. Ataraxie – L’Etre et la Nausee
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ataraxie/16996636490
18. Artillery – Legions
https://www.facebook.com/ARTILLERY.DK
17. Andy Winter – Incomprehensible
https://www.facebook.com/andy.winter.official
16. Supuration – Cu3e
https://www.facebook.com/sup.supuration
15. Blut Aus Nord – What Once Was…Liber III
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Blut-Aus-Nord/53193141113
http://dmp666.bandcamp.com/album/what-once-was-liber-iii
14. Onslaught – VI
https://www.facebook.com/onslaughtuk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPVykpmRhew
13. Oliva – Raise the Curtain
https://www.facebook.com/JonOlivasPain
12. Cult of Luna – Vertikal
https://www.facebook.com/cultoflunamusic
11. Pryapisme – Hyperblast Super Collider
https://www.facebook.com/pryapisme
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rim-m4Wtcqo
10. Universe 217 – Never
If Ann Wilson and Janis Joplin merged and sung to some doom metal. One of those finds I’m not even sure how I stumbled upon. Luckily I did.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Universe217/128661547232566
http://universe217.bandcamp.com/
9. Abyssal – Novit Enim Dominus Oui Sunt Eius
Heavy and absolutely crushing, soaked in evil atmosphere.
http://abyssal-home.bandcamp.com/
8. Portal – Vexovoid
Did Portal just make an “accessible” album? Well, the term is relative. This album will buzzsaw your brain in half with a swarm of bees.
https://www.facebook.com/PORTALDEATH
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olWih7eajpk
7. Bolzer – Aura (EP)
One of the freshest pieces of music I heard all year. This Swiss duo create such a dizzying, hypnotic, and ultimately memorable 23 minutes of music, you can’t help but lust for more.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/B%C3%96LZER/108657105834227
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfjO84q-vA4
6. Hail of Bullets – III The Rommel Chronicles
Their third album and their best. Heavier production and song writing refined with a fine tooth comb (it’s a joke people, 3/5ths of the band are bald).
https://www.facebook.com/hailofbulletsofficial
5. Zombie Inc – Homo Gusticus
Eclipses their debut in every way. And it’s Martin Schirenc singing about zombies. What’s not to love?
https://www.facebook.com/zombieinc666
4. Oranssi Pazuzu – Valonielu
Psychedelic and spacey Finnish black metal. Well, its not really black metal in the traditional sense, but it has the overtones of such. I’m not really sure how to describe this album, as I’ll fail to do it justice. Just listen.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Oranssi-pazuzu/58437793552
http://listen.20buckspin.com/album/valonielu
3. Autopsy – The Headless Ritual
When I interviewed Eric Cutler earlier this year, he felt that they needed and were able to eclipse 2011’s highly praised Macabre Eternal. At the time, I did’t agree with that sentiment. Now, after months of allowing myself to fully digest this album, I wholeheartedly agree. A more “to the point” album with a nastier production to boot. Simply amazing that a band that has been around since 1987 is able to mine the same well and still come up with something fresh and original without any compromises.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Autopsy-Official/162194133792668
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B88XiAjqaqc
2. Wolfheart – Winterborn
Take everything that you love about Tuomas Saukkonen and his previous bands (minus the clean vocals) and roll it into one delicious package. If there’s any justice in the metal world, the man will finally get his “due” with this effort.
https://www.facebook.com/WolfheartRealm
1. Immolation – Kingdom of Conpsiracy
As great of a year as this was for metal releases, there was really no contest when it came down to it. The boys from Yonkers have been on a roll since 2010, releasing some of the greatest material in their career, and this album was no exception. Absolutely punishing and unrelenting for its 40-minute run time, with enough variation to allow this to seep into your cerebral cortex.
https://www.facebook.com/immolation
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ix139BakrOo
13 Responses to “TOP 25 OF 2013: ÜBER-ELITIST EDITION”
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The best thing about these EOY lists for me is catching releases I overlooked or missed during the past 12 months. That Universe217 is awesome. I admit to often being disappointed by female vocalists, but not this time.
I plan on catching up myself in January after going through everyone elses lists for the releases I overlooked or didn’t even know about.
You call that list uber-elitist? P’shaw. My list is of bands you people aren’t even ALLOWED to hear of, let alone hear. You have to go to weird orgies on Long Island and give the password of “Fidelio” to even look at the cover of their cassette releases.
Oh crap, I didn’t just type the password, did I?
:’D
LOL!
That’s about where I would put Immolation, too. They’ve been putting out some of their best material these past few years. Good call on Bolzer, too. There’s a lot on this list I haven’t heard yet, looks like I have my work cut out for me.
Great list Kevin.. Supuration is finally getting noticed.Immolation’s was a good release but their production quality was a bit of a downer. Fleshgod Apocalypse’s on the other hand was the worst.
I like your list. Enough that I might make my own and steal your format because I don’t feel like writing a whole lot for it. Let the music speak for itself.
That Supuration album turned me off in the beginning, but it won me over by the end. I’ll have to checkout the handful of these I haven’t heard. Also nice to see Lantern and Tribulation.
royalties are accepted 🙂
fuuuuuuuuuuuuck. I totally forgot that Attacker and Grave Miasma had released new albums this year. Need to fucking get on that.
Portal!!!!!!!! 🙂
Great to see Tuomas so high upon your list! I also feel like that man deserves a lot more credit and attention for the work he’s been putting out than he has thus far.
Finally, someone else who recognizes the greatness that is Pryapisme. I am admittedly higher on them than you are (as you shall see in the coming days), but they’ve been criminally overlooked.