DECKARD CAIN’S MALADIES OF THE EAR — SCROLL II

 (Our friend, fellow blogger, and regular commenter deckard cain has delivered a two-part year-ender for our LISTMANIA series, and here’s Part 2. Or rather, Scroll II. The first scroll can be found here.)

Greetings fellow brethren…

I hope the last scroll was sumptuous enough. If not then scroll II might just suit your tastes.

Choices

1. Thy Light – No Morrow Shall Dawn

If Eye of Solitude successfully harnessed the deepest yet emotional shade of doom, then Thy Light probably does the same for Black Metal. From a band that named its last album Suici.De.Pression, you just cannot expect anything else than something a lot bleaker than the last. Coupled with post-rock, this makes a truly captivating listen, even if it’s a heart-rending one at that.

Track : No Morrow Shall Dawn ( Feat. Tim Yatras)

 

 

2. Kongh – Sole Creation

Kongh mix sludge and doom to produce something greatly enjoyable. Just 4 songs, but 4 winding serpents that hiss melancholy at every corner.

Track: Sole Creation

 

 

3. Cerekloth – In the Midst of Life We are in Death

This for me is one of the best death metal releases all year. They infuse life into that ever so relied upon and overtly stale cesspool that the genre has grown to become. Riffs coated in mammoth blood ebb and flow through each song, accentuating it.

Track: Praeludium

 

 

4. Monsterworks – Earth

Now there is probably nothing cheesier than choosing Earth’s genesis and evolution for a concept album. And yet Monsterworks seem to have used it as a canvas to further their brand of eccentric hard rock/ metal hybrid. A track or two and you’ll find yourself capitulating into their verve.

Track: Late Heavy Bombardment

 

 

5. Nami – The Eternal Light of the Unconscious Mind

Had it not been for one of Grover XIII’s posts on Facebook I would never have heard about these guys. They play a brand of progressive metal that places song structure and cohesion at the forefront and they avoid the natural proclivity of such bands to just senselessly wank off. These guys seem to be a distant relative of France’s Klone, but all the better for that.

Track : Silent Mouth

 

 

6. The Privateer – Monolith

Just when the Viking/folk genre seems to have hit a wall (with Amon Amarth hopelessly running out of ideas), The Privateer is a welcome breath of fresh air. The band employs a violinist, which accentuates the folky ship-crew setting.

Track : Ember Sea

 

 

7. Stormlord – Hesperia

Consider this an alter ego of Shade Empire’s Omega Arcane. I need to lash myself for not having picked this up earlier. Hesperia draws inspiration from Roman exploits, and a vivid depiction of their highs and lows, now ossified in human history. For the topic at hand you need something that is nothing short of grandiose.

Track : My Lost Empire

 

 

8. Azure Emote – The Gravity of Impermanence

If you happen to dig Unexpect’s brand of avant garde metal, then Azure Emote might just leave your spine tingling.

Track: Puppet Deities

 

 

9. The Flight of Sleipnir – Saga

Folky Blackened Doom, which might just find similarities with Man’s Gin and Ancient VVisdom. One moment you are greeted by beautiful yet emotive croons, while the next you are overwhelmed by raspy vocaled black metal. The lo-fi production of it all, perhaps unexpectedly, adds a certain charm to the whole record.

Track : Heavy Rest the Chains of the Damned

 

 

10. The Fall of Every Season – Amends

A doomy melodic death album in the vein of Insomnium and several of Tuomas Saukkonen’s endeavors. This stands alongside Omnium Gatherum’s Beyond and Wolfheart’s Winterborn for some of the best in the microgenre this year.

Track: Aurelia
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j39-ZpYfAH4

 

 

11. No Omega – Shame

My growing interest in hardcore warrants a mention of this band. Shame is emotive, in the sense that it does not lament about faux relationships but instead caters to politically charged ideas. Unlike most of modern hardcore, this is memorable, and my liking for it has grown with repeated listens.

Track: V(Control)

 

 

12. Negative Voice – Infinite Dissonance

It took one of my regular Bandcamp abusing sessions to stumble on this Russian band. If the masterfully carved melodies of In Mourning, Daylight Dies, and Be’lakor appeal to you, then this definitely is something you ought to listen to. The album comes with the “name your price” tag, which is again great.

Track: Grey Pools Heaven

 

 

Obvious Ones

Bolzer – Aura EP
Omnium Gatherum – Beyond
Man Must Die – Peace Was Never An Option
Ulcerate – Vermis
Wolfheart – Winterborn
Inquisition – Obscure Verses For The Multiverse
Carcass – Surgical Steel
Hate – Solarflesh
Man the Machete – Idiokrati
Caladan Brood – Echoes of Battle
Beastwars – Blood Becomes Fire
ASG – Blood Drive
Cortez – Phoebus
Facebreaker- Dedicated To The Flesh
Eye of Solitude – Canto III
Deafheaven – Sunbather
So Hideous – Last Poem/First Light
Feared – Vinter