Happy Black Friday. We’re not selling anything and we have no discounts to offer. Instead, we want you to give us something.
We’ve reached a pivot-point in the year, with Thanksgiving now behind us here in the U.S. Now begins the countdown to the end of the year and the official commencement of the annual holiday season onslaught. In the world of metal, we’ll also start seeing more and more lists of the year’s best albums.
Back in 2009, when this site was just a few days old, I wrote a post about year-end lists and why people bother with them. The best reason still seems to be this: Reading someone else’s list of the albums they thought were best is a good way to discover music you missed and might like.
We don’t do an “official” NCS year-end “best albums” list. However, we publish the picks of each of our regular staff writers as well as a large group of guest writers (which we’ll start doing in December), and every year we also invite our readers to share their lists. If YOU have made your own list of the albums, EPs, or splits released in 2014 that you think are the best of what you’ve heard this year, we invite you to share it with us in the Comments section to this post.
We don’t have any hard and fast rules about year-end lists. Your list doesn’t have to be a specific number — doesn’t have to be a “Top 10″ or “Top 20″ list, it could be a Top 2 list or a Top 15, or any other number.
And it doesn’t have to be a cross-genre list, i.e., the best of all metal you’ve heard this year. It could be the best hardcore albums you heard, or the best death metal, or the best black metal, or the best grind, or the best folk metal, and on and on — pretty much whatever you want to do and feel comfortable doing, as long as it fits your definition of metal.
Don’t be shy, and don’t worry about being judged — if you haven’t figured it out already, it ain’t our style or the style of our commenters to ridicule what someone else thinks is great metal.
And if you don’t have a list ready yet, no sweat, because you can come back to this post whenever you like and add your list later — or comment on the lists others have posted. I’ll put a link to this post at the top right side of every page so people can find it quickly — look for the link to 2014 NCS READERS’ YEAR-END LISTS. That will make the comments to this post a collection point for “Best of” readers’ lists.
So start thinking and start commenting (please, and thank you).
72 Responses to “LISTMANIA 2014: READER LISTS OF THE YEAR’S BEST METAL”
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this was tough but so far its…
1. behemoth: the satanist
2. dead congregation: promulgation of the fall
3. nightbringer: ego dominus tuus
4. sinmara: aphotic womb
5. primordial: where greater men have fallen
6. tortorum: katabasis
7. lvcifyre:svn eater
8.vanhelgd: relecis of sulphur salvation
9. Domains; sinister ceremonies
10.akrotheism: behold the sons of plagues
11.erebus enthroned: temple under hell
* awaiting the new ascension in order to put it on the list.
also enjoyed death vomit, soulburn, enthroned, the new sargeist and perdition winds, the new drowned, the new incantation, antropormorphia
Good list here overall…Enthroned dosnt do much for me, find them kind of boring and the Sargeist was a bit of a let down compared to their previous stuff, but Vanhelgd, Dead Congregation and Sinmara were all topnotch
i didnt like the new sargeist at all when i first heard it..the production they used sucked and diffently
muffled all the new great riffs they put in the songs, but after a while it grew on me.
these are no specific order and i’m sure there’s albums that i forgot, but here goes:
Massacre – Back From Beyond
Aborted – The Necrotic Manifesto
Mushroomhead – The Righteous & The Butterfly
Vader – Tibi Et Igni
Arch Enemy – War Eternal
Wretched – Cannibal
Origin – Omnipresent
Entombed A.D. – Back To The Front
Pathology – Throne Of Reign
The Haunted – Exit Wounds
Cannibal Corpse – A Skeletal Domain
Decapitated – Blood Mantra
The Acacia Strain – Coma Witch
Revocation – Deathless
Rings of Saturn – Lugal Ki En
Abysmal Dawn – Obsolescence
Obituary – Inked In Blood
Unearth – Watchers Of Rule
Job For A Cowboy – Sun Eater
Bloodbath – Grand Morbid Funeral
Exodus – Blood In, Blood Out
Behemoth – The Satanist
Bloodshot Dawn – Demons
Dead Congregation – Promulgation Of The Fall
Hideous Divinity – Cobra Verde
Bloodtruth – Obedience
shit i completely forgot about the origin album. Will need to listen to it.
Too many great releases this year. In no particular order and no particular genre, these are the releases Im digging so far.
Jute Gyte – Ressentiment
Execration – Morbid Dimensions
Dead Congregation – Promulgation Of The Fall
Emptiness – Nothing But The Whole
Mare Cognitum – Phobos Monolith
Nero Di Marte – Derivae
YOB – Clearong The Path To Ascend
Vermin Womb – Permanence
Today Is The Day – Animal Mother
Thou – Heathen
The Great Old Ones – Tekeli-li
Thantifaxath – Sacred White Noise
Swarrrm – Flower
Skaphe – S/T
Pyrrhon – The Mother Of Virtues
Psalm Zero – The Drain
Panopticon – Roads Of The North
Orgone – The Joyless Parson
Nux Vomica – S/T
Nightfell – The Living Ever Mourn
Nightbringer – Ego Dominus Tuus
Merkabah – Moloch
Kriegsmaschine – Enemy Of Man
Kayo Dot – Coffins On Io
Inter Arma – The Cavern
Griefloss – Ruiner
Godflesh – A World Lit Only By Fire
Epitimia – (Un) Reality
Epistasis – Light Through Dead Glass
Dephosphorus – Ravenous Solemnity
Darkspace – Dark Space III I
Ævangelist – Writhes In The Murk
Anatomy Of Habit – Ciphers + Axioms
Artificial Brain – Labyrinth Constellation
Bast – Spectres
Bird Eater – Dead Mothers Make The Sun Set
Black Monolith – Passenger
Blood Farmers – Headless Eyes
Couch Slut – My Life As A Woman
Swans – To Be Kind
Spectral Lore – III
Secret Cutter – S/T
Phobocosm – Deprived
Nasheim – Solens Vemod
Internal Rot – Mental Hygiene
Sick/Tired – Dissolution
IDYLLS – Prayer For Terrene
Hateful Abandon – Liars/Bastards
Piss Vortex – S/T
Gas Chamber – Hemorrhaging Light
For me, there are three albums of 2014 (so far) that particularly stand out from the rest. There are, of course, a lot of other great albums of 2014, but these three are way above all the others.
1. Thy Darkened Shade – Liber Lvcifer I: Khem Sedjet
2. Orange Goblin – Back from the Abyss
3. Sólstafir – Ótta
1349: “Massive Cauldron of Chaos”
TRIPTYKON: “Melana Chasmata”
BEHEMOTH – “The Satanist”
BLACK CROWN INITIATE : “The Wreckage of Stars”
FALLUJAH: “The Flesh Prevails”
ENTHRONED: “Sovereigns”
EMPINESS: “Nothing but the Whole”
LVCIFYRE: “Svn Eater”
BLUT AUS NORD: “Memoria Vetusta III: Saturnian Poetry”
DARK FORTRESS: “Venereal Dawn”
SCHAMMASCH: “Contradiction”
DARKSPACE: “Dark Space III I”
AGALLOCH: “The Serpent and the Sphere”
FALLS OF RAUROS: “Believe in No Coming Shore”
PANOPTICON: “Roads to the North”
MARE COGNITUM: “Phobos Monolith”
NIGHTBRINGER: “Ego Dominus Tuus”
AEVANGELIST: “Writes In The Murk”
PHOBOCOSM: “Deprived”
INCANTATION: “Dirges of Elysium”
TEITANBLOOD: “Death”
DIOCLETIAN: “Gesundrian”
DEAD CONGREGATION: Promulgation of the Fall”
THANTIFAXATH: “Sacred White Noise”
PRIMORDIAL: “Where Greater Men Have Fallen”
SEPTICFLESH: “Titan”
DECAPITATED: “Blood Mantra”
AT THE GATES: “At War with Reality”
HOUR OF PENANCE: “Regicide”
BLOODTRUTH: “Obedience”
MORBUS CHRON: “Sweven”
VAMPIRE: “Vampire”
AUTOPSY: “Tourniquets, Hacksaws and Graves”
CANNIBAL CORPSE: “A Skeletal Domain”
ABORTED: “The Necrotic Manifesto”
JOB FOR A COWBOY: “Sun Eater”
BLOODBATH: “Grand Morbid Funeral”
ANAAL NATHRAKH: “Desideratum”
SOLSTAFIR: “Ótta”
BLOODSHOT DAWN: “Demons”
FRAMEWORK: “A World Distorted”
HIDEOUS DIVINITY: “Cobra Verde”
SHORES OF NULL: “Quiescence”
NERO DI MARTE: “Derivae”
REVOCATION: “Deathless”
HORRENDOUS: “Ecdysis”
PALLBEARER: “Foundations of Burden”
NACHTMYSTIUM: “The World We Left Behind”
NIDSANG: “Into The Womb Of Dissolving Flames”
INESTUS: “The Reflecting Void”
AUROCH: “Taman Shud”
ALLEGAEON: “Elements of The Infinite”
ORIGIN: “Omnipresent”
TRAP THEM: “Blissfucker”
VALLENFYRE: “Splinters”
MAYHEM: “Esoteric Warfare”
PYRRHON: “The Mother of Virtues”
SARGEIST: “Feeding The Crawling Shadows”
THOU: “Heaten”
TORTORUM: “Katabasis”
APHONIC THRENODY: “When Deat Comes”
INSOMNIUM: “Shadows of the Dying Sun”
BURIAL HORDES: “Incendium”
CORPSESSED: “Abysmal Thresholds”
LIE IN RUINS: “Towards Divine Death”
KAMPFAR: “Djevelmakt”
CULTED: “Oblique to All Paths”
SOEN: “Tellurian”
NE OBLIVISCARIS: “Citadel”
BASTARD FEAST: “Osculum Infame”
GOATWHORE: “Constricting Rage of The Merciless”
BENEATH: “The Barren Throne”
NIGHTFELL: “The Living Ever Mourn”
MISERY INDEX: “The Killing Gods”
MASS INFECTION: “For I am Genocide”
ARTIFICIAL BRAIN: “Labyrinth Constellation”
WINTERFYLLETH: “The Divinations of Antiquity”
WOODS OF DESOLATION: “As The Stars”
I forgot these releases.
BOLZER: “Soma”
DEATHCULT: “Pleading For Death…Choking On Life”
SINMARA: “Aphotic Womb”
SVARTIDAUDI: “The Synthesis of Whore and Beast”
MAVETH/EMBRACE OF THRONS: “A Plague Through the Heavens”
EXODUS: “Blood In Blood Out”
OVERKILL: “White Devil Armory”
So now that you’ve wowed us all with your encyclopedic-like knowledge of all the metal albums you’ve listened to, how about giving us your “best of” list??? Or is it all the best?
Is it all the best of 2014 in my opinion, my personal list!
This is quite a long list but I can’t blame you for it. I’m having trouble paring mine down to a top 40; lots of quality this year. As it stands it’ll have some overlap with your list: Nightfell, Nachtmystium, Morbus Chron, Dead Congregation, Darkspace, Triptykon and maybe a handful of others. In conclusion, this is a good list.
Thank you very much, eighty-five releases in my personal list this year because I think 2014 is a golden year for metal music, maybe we can we speak until two hundred and more, there is no limit, probably to what is good, instead of 2013 in which I left astounded about a thirty releases only but you know, tastes are different. The current list that I made is based on what left me a vivid memory and an emotive impact. Sincerely my list colud be longer, now the year is ending and I have “The great excluded album” that is “The Aftermath” by Just Before Dawn just because I’m listening to it since one week and I have to be honest, I need more time, bye mate!
Here are my favorite metal releases from 2014 in no particular order. These are the ones that pop up immediately, so I know they left an impression on me.
Behemoth – The Satanist
Inter Arma – The Cavern
Gridlink – Longhena
Dead Congregation – Promulgation of the Fall
Spectral Lore – Spectral Lore III
Artificial Brain – Labyrinth Constellation
Blut Aus Nord – Memoria Vetusta III
Darkspace – Darkspace III I
Blood of Kingu – Dark Star on the Right Horn of the Crescent Moon
Botanist – VI: Flora
Belphegor – Conjuring the Dead
Hail Spirit Noir – Oi Magoi
The Body – I Shall Die Here
Kriegsmaschine – Enemy of Man
Indian – From All Purity
Kampfar – Djevelmakt
Woods of Desolation – As the Stars
Sun Worship – Elder Giants
Ghost Bath – Funeral
Panopticon – Roads to the North
I’ve been so out of the loop this year I feel I can hardly comment. A combination of a whole bunch of factors has meant very little metal-listening time or money for poor wee Booker. So here’s the list of the only albums I’ve got my hands on this year… yes, sad I know, but here goes (on the plus side, there’s been lots of ‘misses’ – albums I’ve wanted to listen to but haven’t got to yet, so I know I’m in for some goodness when I get some more time to catch up):
Allegaeon – Elements of the Infiinite. Quite a different take from Formshifter, and some unexpected choral elements. Solid album
Ne Obliviscaris – Citadel. I need more time to absorb this, but it feels more mature than Portal of I. Not that I felt that album was ‘immature’, but somehow with Citadel you can see their approach to songwriting has evolved.
Xerath – III. It took me a few spins to ‘get’ this album, but it’s been on heavy repeat ever since.
Septic Flesh – Titan. It’s got a lot of flack, but feels like a natural progressor to The Great Mass in many ways. Not quite as furious or catchy as the former album, but still a great album.
Lorelei – Lore of Lies. Horror-themed metal done right. It’s sad their vocalist left after the album came out, and the newer track they’ve put out since didn’t tickle my fancy at all. So this may turn out to be a once-off album from my point of view. My fix of Lovecraft-inspired tunes for this year.
Signs – United in Tragedy. Black metal with some symphonic elements. Similar vein to Scorned Deity.
Trepalium – Voodoo Moonshine EP. The first track ‘Moonshine Limbo’ nails it, but I didn’t feel like the remainder of the EP kept up the same standard. Still a great musical accompaniment to a fine whiskey 😉
Machine Head – Bloodstone and Diamonds. More commercial than would normally feature on NCS. If someone told me in 2002 that these guys were about to start a decade of the best albums of their career I would have thought they should be committed. This album’s a taken slightly different direction to The Blackening and Unto The Locust, which were very similar-sounding in their approach. I’d rate B&D as good, but not great. The only real drawback for me is that it seems too long and drawn-out, like they could have chopped down the quantity and focused on the creme de la creme. The old ‘more killer, less filler’ approach.
Aversions Crown – Tyrant. Do you like heavy tunes that assualt your senses and come bearing alien overlord lyrical themes? Of course you do….
Siegewyrm – Harvest Begins. It’s like a trip down memory lane, but a parallel universe of someone else’s memories – familiar, yet novel.
Babymetal – of course I don’t need to explain this one around here…
Eye of Solitude – Dear Insanity. Is this music or a mood made into sound? And is there a difference?
The Down Troddence – How Are You? We Are Fine, Thank You. Debut album from an Indian metal band. A mix of modern metal similar to new wave of American metal styles, with ethnic interludes and overtones.
Mechina – Xenon. Empyrean is still my favourite release from these guys, but Xenon still delivers – and the way I see it Mechina really are off in their own niche, far from the madding crowd.
… and not metal, but Anika Nilles – EP. Some drumming tunes for any fans of sweet in-the-pocket grooves.
And although not 2014 releases, these two albums I’ve had on high repeat this year, catching up from previous years:
Shade Empire – Omega Arcane (2013). This is now on my desert island list. A post-apocalyptic masterpiece.
Munruthel – CREEDamage (2012). One man metal from Ukraine. I hope this guys okay with all the shit going down there. A mix of equal parts black metal, classic metal, even some power metal, with symphonic elements, ambient interludes, and is that eastern European folk? I don’t even know, but it fills my ear holes with enjoyable compressions of air.
Black Crown Initiate- “The Wreckage of Stars”
Machine Head-“Bloodstone and Diamonds”
Slipknot-“.5: The Gray Chapter (So sue me)
Archspire-“The Lucid Collective”
Abysmal Dawn-“Obsolescence”
Dark Fortress-“Venereal Dawn”
Darkest Hour
Pallbearer-“Foundations of Burden”
Singularity
Revocation-“Deathless”
Young and in the Way-“When Life Comes To Death”
Aborted-“The Necrotic Manifesto”
At The Gates-“At War With Reality”
Behemoth-“The Satanist”
A Hill To Die Upon-“Holy Despair”
Bloody Hammers-“Under Satan’s Sun”
Body Count-“Manslaughter (so sue me again)”
Mastodon “Once More ‘Round The Sun”
In no particular order:
1 Tempel- “On the Steps of the Temple”
2 Opeth- “Pale Communion”
3 Mastodon- “Once More ‘Round the Sun”
4 Panopticon- “Roads to the North”
5 Falls of Rauros- “Believe In No Coming Shore”
6 Ifing- “Against This Weald”
7. Pallbearer- “Foundations of Burden”
8. Atlas Moth- “The Old Believer”
9. Inter Arma- “The Cavern”
10. Blut Aus Nord- “Memoria Vetusta III: Saturnian Poetry”
the Ifing album is wonderful.
I’ve missed a lot this year, but these are my favorites from what I have.
Ancestors Blood – A Moment of Clarity
Ancient Ascendant – Echoes and Cinder
Behemoth – The Satanist
Black Label Society – Catacombs of the Black Vatican
Cara Neir – The Overwatch
Demonic Resurrection – The Demon King
Eternal Valley – Screams of Eternal Emptiness
Funeral Chic – S/T
Goatwhore – Constricting Rage of the Merciless
Killer Be Killed – S/T
Mastodon – Once More ‘Round the Sun
Moab – Billow
Norot – Nathrach
Pallbearer – Foundations of Burden
Panopticon – Roads to the North
Thou – Heathen
Vampire Squid – Nautilus World
Waldgeflüster – Meine Fesseln
Blut Aus Nord/P.H.O.B.O.S. – Triunity split
Dead Congregation – Promulgation Of The Fall
Diocletian – Gesundrian
Impetuous Ritual – Unholy Congregation Of Hypocritical Ambivalence
Khthoniik Cerviiks – Heptaedrone
Old Wainds – Nordraum
Omnihility – Deathscapes of the Subconscious
Panopticon – Roads to the North
Plebeian Grandstand – Lowgazers
Swallowed – Lunarterial
I’m sticking to ten, but it still seems wrong that Teitanblood isn’t on this list, but that Swallowed album sneaked up and stole the spot.
Swans – To Be Kind
Emanation – The Emanation of Begotten Chaos From God
Teitanblood – Death
Black Magic – Wizard’s Spell
Amulet – The First
Gravmaskin – Volym 1
Swallowed – Lunarterial
Autopsy – Tourniquets, Hacksaws and Graves
Thou – Heathen
Funereal Presence – The Archer Takes Aim
Something like this…
1. Centiment – Streets of Rage
2. Code Orange – I Am King
3. Architects – Lost Forever Lost Together
4. The Great Old Ones – Tekeli-li
5. Thantifaxath – Sacred White Noise
6. Infestus – The Reflecting Void
7. Black Crown Initiate – The Wreckage of Stars
8. Emptiness – Nothing But The Whole
9. Young And In The Way – When Life Comes To Death
10. The Atlas Moth – The Old Believer
11. Siberian – Modern Age Masoleum
This year, my list is divided into a clear top-3 and an unordered ensemble of further releases. So without further ado:
1. Inferi – The Path of Apotheosis
Countless are the times I’ve spun this one during the year. It is an album without any real weak spots; each song on its own could’ve catapulted another release from mediocrity into greatness. So this
(something went wrong there)… So this is basically a one-hour monolith of tech-death perfection. For me, The Path of Apotheosis takes the spot of best album of all time.
2. Insomnium – Shadows of the Dying Sun
Ever since I discovered them, Insomnium have taken a place in my heart with their exceptional songwriting. While this disc has had to grow on me, the shells have fallen from my eyes by now, and I can see its greatness. The most epic moment for me is still the conjunction between While We Sleep and Revelation.
3. Bloodshot Dawn – Demons
Although it arrived late in the year, this album has completely wormed itself into my brain. It was a close call with Shadows of the Dying Sun, but for me, the combination of Black Hole Infinity and Human Void constitutes a (relatively) weaker section of the album. The rest is absolutely killer and I’m sure I’ve annoyed (or rather, educated) a lot of people with my headphones in public transport on these tunes. The absolute pinnacles on this disc are, in order of appearance, Consequence Complex, Inadequacy, and The Image Faded.
The other releases that impressed me this year, though not as much as the above, are:
Fallujah – The Flesh Prevails
Tempel – On the Steps of the Temple
Misery Index – The Killing Gods
Origin – Omnipresent
Allegaeon – Elements of the Infinite
Archspire – The Lucid Collective
Primordium – Aeonian Obsolescence
Starkill – Virus of the Mind
Crepuscle – Draconian Winter
Giza Remains – The First Encounter
Pantheon I – From the Abyss They Rise
Demonic Resurrection – The Demon King
Job for a Cowboy – Sun Eater
Beyond Creation – Earthborn Evolution
Black Crown Initiate – The Wreckage of Stars
Aevangelist – Writhes in the murk. Just pure darkness. Antimatter, blacko hole-kinda dark.
Anaal Nathrakh – Desideratum. These Brits never dissapoints. Reliable as fuck.
At the gates – At war with reality. The comeback we’ve all been waiting for and it didn’t let me down one iota. Building on their legendary past but above all relying on The ALmighty Riff to prevail.
Avatar – Hail the apocalypse. This years surprise for me. Avatar used to be the worst offender when it came to shameless theft of the Gothenburg sound but on Hail the apocalypse the Swedes have created something quite appealing wedged between groove metal, pop sensebilities and circus beats (yeah, don’t ask me how that works, it just does) and above all hella fun!
Behemoth – The satanist. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. O father, o satan, o sun! is approaching Bathory and Primordial-ish levels of bombast, while still sounding like Behemoth.
Bloodbath – Grand morbid funeral. Another band that worships The Riff, gleefully accompanied by filthy, rancid Ol’ Nick.
Dark mirror ov tragedy – The lunatic chapters of heavenly creatures. A Korean band trying to bridge the gap between Dimmu borgir, Cradle of filth and classical music, and sometimes succeeding better than Dimmu borgir themselves.
Dying out flame – Shiva rudrastakam. Ethno metal for the fucking win. Death metal with hindi influences, like being bitchslapped by Shiva.
Håll det äkta – Sabotage. Swedish hardcore band that while not the angreist or heaviest, is one of the most interesting. Particularily ending song Billisteapmi that mixes HC with Swedish indigineous jojjk.
Misantropic – Split EP. A Sacrilege (U.K.) for the new millenia.
Nasheim – Solens vemod. Swedish depressive black metal with more layers than an ogre.
Opeth – Pale communion. Barely metal at all anymore in sound, but definitely in spirit.
Persuader – The fiction maze. Melodic power metal that avoids the usual trappings by injecting some thrash-vocals and aggression.
Primordial – Where greater men have fallen. The Irish just can’t go wrong as of late.
Slugdge – Gastronomicon. Thanks to NCS for tipping me off to this great (if gimmicky) death metal duo.
Soreption – Engineering the void. Together with Spawn of possession Sorpetion is my favourite technical death metal band. Focusing on great songwriting while still teching (that’s a word, promise) it up like hell. Breaking the great narcissit is easily one of the most infectious songs of the year.
The Great old ones – Tekeli-Li. French glacial doom metal that sings about Cthulhu and sneaks in some Moribd angel vibes here and there; what’s not to like?
Thy darkened shrine – Liber Lvcifer I: Khem Sedjet. Another NCS discovery and really impressive in both execution and vision.
In no particular order:
Behemoth – The Satanist
Fen – Carrion Skies
Blut Aus Nord – Memoria
Bolzer – Soma
The Contortionist – Language
Dead Congregation – Promulgation
Diocletian – Gesundriam
Nightbringer – Ego
Unaussprechlichen Kulten – Baphomet
Rude – Soul Recall
Like many others, I dislike precisely determining which albums are exactly my favorite. I guess “Insomnium – Shadows of the Dying Sun” could go for the 1st spot, but others are in more or less random order:
Behemoth – The Satanist
Gridlink – Longhena
Vinterbris – Solace
Morowe – S
Beneath – Barren Throne
Decapitated – Blood Mantra
Furia – Nocel
Entartung – Peccata Mortalia
Beyond Creation – Earthborn Revolution
Still, there are so many albums from this year I haven’t digested yet… And every second a new album comes into my mind that could replace one from this list (e.g. the awesome Liber Lvcifer that NCS brought to my attention). Making lists of “best releases” is truly hard.
Glad you posted this. I checked out Vinterbris as I missed it when it came out. Really good.
Agree with you on Furia – Nocel. One of the year’s best.
If you guys liked Furia, do check out Odraza. Members of Massemord split into those two bands and its hard to say which is better. Theyre both awesome and unique metal records. And theyre both on my list.
Here’s just a small number of my favorites
1. Behemoth – The Satanist
2. Agalloch – The Serpent And The Sphere
3. Vallenfyre – Splinters
4. Insomnium – Shadows Of The Dying Sun
5. Bloodbath – Grand Morbid Funeral
6. Aborted – The Necrotic Manifesto
7. Pyrrhon – The Mother Of Virtues
8. Vader – Tibi Et Igni
9. Delain – The Human Contradiction
10. Mayhem – Esoteric Warfare
11. Cannabis Corpse – From Wisdom To Baked
12. Lord Mantis – Death Mask
13. Dead Congregation – Promulgation Of The Fall
14. Nightbringer – Ego Dominus Tuus
15. Blut Aus Nord – Memoria Vetusta III: Saturnian Poetry
16. Mastodon – ‘Once More Round The Sun
17. Beyond Creation – Earthborn Evolution
18. Skinfather – None Will Mourn
19. YOB – Clearing The Path To Ascend
20. Septicflesh – Titan
21. Young And In The Way – When Life Comes To Death
22. Lazer/Wulf – The Beast Of Left And Right
23. Cynic – Kindly Bent To Free Us
24. Dark Fortress – Venereal Dawn
25. Fallujah – The Flesh Prevails
No particular order for these, they are all excellent albums in their own ways.
Dammit Cynic! I completely forgot to check this out. Better remedy this situation….
Looking back, I didn’t listen to much metal this year, but, I do check in now and again, so here’s what I’ve found tickled my fancy (nb: my penis):
Lantlos – Melting Sun
Cynic – Kindly Bent to Free Us
Morbus Chron – Sweven
YOB – Clearing the Paths to Ascend – Shout outs to YOB, saw them live in October and they killed Bristol.
Conan – Blood Eagle – Again, saw live and, again, killed Bristol.
Swans – To Be Kind (Killed Bristol when it was trying to get back up).
Crippled Black Phoenix – White Light Generator
Brant Bjork & the Low Punk Desert Band – Black Flower Power
King Buzzo – This Machine Kills Artists (great addition to these acoustic records hardened road warriors have put out in these last few years ala Scott Kelly, Wino, Nate Hall…)
Opeth – Pale Communion
Disemballerina – Undertaker
Wolves in the Throne Room – Celestite
Blaak Heat Shujaa – The Edge of an Era
Objective #1:
Slugdge – Gastronomicon
Tie for 2nd:
Alterbeast – Immortal
Inferi – Path of Apotheosis
Pallbearer – Foundations of Burden
Allegaeon – Elements of the Infinite
Anaal Nathrakh – Desideratum
Bloodshot Dawn – Demons
Abysmal Dawn – Obsolescence
Dark Fortress – Venereal Dawn
Vampire Squid – Nautilus World
This year was mostly me finding hidden gems in years gone by mostly, not much new stuff.
Hard choice, but so far, my list looks something like this
The top ones are maybe in order, but the rest is not.
Primordial – where greater men have fallen
Triptykon – Melana chasmata
Ne Obliviscaris – Citadel
Behemoth – The Satanist
Battleroar – Blood of legends
Solstafir – Otta
Vesania – Deus Ex Machina
Anaal Nathrakh – Desideratum
Belphegor – COnjure the Dead
Vintersorg – Naturbål
Falconer – Black Moon Rising
Noneiclid – Metatheosis
Anubis Gate – Horizons
Novembers Doom – Bled White
The Deathrip – Deep drone master
Elvenking – The pagan Manifesto
Brainstorm – Firesoul
Shores of Null – Quiescence
Iced Earth – Plagues of Babylon
Voyager – V
A hill to die upon – Holy despair
Need to spin more to decide:
Fallujah – the flesh prevails
Origin – Omnipresent
Darkest era – Severance
Winterfylleth – The Divination of Antiquity
As Light Dies – The Love Album – Volume I
Myrkur – Myrkur
Wayfarer – Children Of The Iron Age
Fides Inversa – Mysterium Tremendum et Fascinans
Gormathon – Following the Beast
Nader Sadek – The Malefic: Chapter III
Triosphere – The heart of the matter
Taake – Stridens hus
Voices – London
Revocation – Deathless
Abazagorath – The satanic verses
Varathron – Untrodden Corridors of Hades
Sinmara – aphotic womb
JFAC – Sun eater
Forgot a contender for the very first place! thought it came out last year not this.
We all die (Laughing) – Thoughtscanning
Odins Eye this is a good one! 33 minutes of pure bliss.
In a general sort of order. Its likely that given my mood the top 5 could be reshuffled endlessly, and the same goes for the other sections of the list. Overall, it was a painful list to make as I left off a number of things that I really enjoyed and will continue to do so for years. But… as weve all experienced, this is a high water mark sort of year.
1. Panopticon – Roads to the North
2. Falls of Rauros – Believe In No Coming Shore
3. Mare Cognitum – Phobos Monolith
4. Fen – Carrion Skies
5. Sinmara – Aphotic Womb
6. Nightbringer – Ego Dominus Tuus
7. Spectral Lore – III
8. Floor – Oblation
9. Slugdge – Gastronomicon
10. Vanhelgd – Relics of Sulphur Salvation
11. Thy Darkened Shade – Liber Lvcifer
12. Emptiness – Nothing but the Whole
13. Barbelith – Mirror Unveiled
14. Nuklear Frost – Subjugation
15. Vinterbris – Solace
16. Unaussprechlichen Kulten – Baphomet Pan Shub-Niggurath
17. Furia – Nocel
18. Oubliette – Apparitions
19. Odraza – Esperalem Tkane
20. Schammasch – Contradiction
ALSO NOTABLE (ie. How could I not include at least these):
Thantifaxath – Sacred White Noise
Abigor – Leytmotif Lucife
Mutilation Rites – Harbinger
Auroch – Taman Shud
Bastard Sapling – Instinct is Forever
Good stuff, several obscure bands I had to look for. Great list and thanks for the tips on the good music I missed!!
Cool to see people still checking these lists. Thanks for your comment.
Best metal:
Vader-Tibi Et Igni
Septicflesh-Titan
Insomnium-Shadows of a Dying Sun
Delain-The Human Contradiction
Mechina-Xenon
Infestus-The Reflecting Void
Best other stuff:
Devin Townsend & Che Aimee Dorval-Casualties of Cool
Nothing-Guilty of Everything
Anathema-Distant Satellites
Keep Shelly in Athens-At Home
Spc-Eco-The Art of Pop
SiJ-Brink of Time
Ligea-Illusiions
Alas, for this old man 2014 will be known as The Year This Old Sucker Mellowed Out, because for the first time in years my favourite music wasn’t metal. I myself don’t know how it happened.
Anyway, the first half of the year was dominated by Swans’ “To Be Kind”, an album so primal and powerful that makes the most blackened black metal band out of the northern forest look like nerds on a school trip.
Honourable mention to The Oath, though not extreme metal, still the best band to revive the spirit of early Black Sabbath, and we all know A LOT of people tried to do just that, this year.
Tryptikon was surely strong, but I just couldn’t enter their world, just look at it from the window. Maybe with time.
The best band I discovered through this beloved blog of mine was Mysery Index, their “Summoning the Cull” remains the best extreme metal song of the year for me.
Iron Regan made the best metal video of the year with “Miserable Failure”, a true epic win there.
And that, more or less, is it. I listened to a lot of other stuff but dropped it along the way and into oblivion.
What am I listening to, you may ask? Well, I know I’m risking my life saying this, but it’s mostly quiet stuff.
Sun Kil Moon’s Benji (although Kozelek is something of a metalhead himself)
Smiling Dogs and Rebellion Hymns by Man’s Gin (side-project of Cobalt), they are not new but I’m finally beginning to “get” them
And yell what you will, Gaga and Bennet’s classic jazz album “Cheek to cheek”. Say what you want about Lady Gaga, but this album is a pearl.
Off into the bunker now….
For me, the top 3 albums really stood out this year, and after that it got tough to narrow it down. So many good releases that deserve mention, but here is more or less my top 10, based on how much I listened to them. However, the new Nihill and Taake might creep up once they’re released.
1. Blood of Kingu – Dark Star on the Right Horn of the Crescent Moon
2. Thantifaxath – Sacred White Noise
3. Philm – Fire from the Evening Sun
4. Emptiness – Nothing but the Whole
5. Winterfylleth – The Divination of Antiquity
6. Coffinworm – IV.I.VIII
7. Godflesh – World Lit Only by Fire
8. Morbus Chron – Sweven
9. Taurus – No/Thing
10. Mayhem – Esoteric Warfare
Honorable Mention goes to: Artificial Brain, Rage Nucleaire, Secret Cutter, Tyrant of Death
Best EP’s: Bolzer – Soma, Deafest – Alpine Expanse, Godflesh – Decline & Fall
Non-Metal albums: Run the Jewels II, OFF! – Wasted Years, Casualties of Cool, and Temples – Sun Structures
Thanks to those above for helping me discover some more gems. That Emanation album is a beast!
Alruane – The Process of Self Immolation
Coffinworm – IV I VIII
Barghest – The Virtuous Purge
Heathen – Thou
Teitanblood – Death
I definitely didn’t check out enough new music this year, but there were certainly a few albums that really clicked for me.
#1: CORMORANT – Earth Diver. I cannot get enough of this album. They took the smorgasbord of genres I loved in Dwellings, left it in a dank cavern to blacken, and it crawled out VERY upset. The doom-y finisher “A Sovereign Act” is probably my favorite song of the year.
In No Particular Order:
BLACK ANVIL – Hail Death. A delicious mixture of black, death and traditional metal (Check out “Seven Stars Unseen” for some Painkiller-era Judas Priest riffing), with a sprinkle of hardcore on top.
PALLBEARER – Foundations of Burden. I bought this just the other day, and it’s already proven to be a melodic doom masterwork. From the choral vocal layering in “Worlds Apart” to the soothing keys of “Ashes” (with vocals oddly reminiscent of Alan Parsons Project!), there is enough variation to keep things fresh for the long haul.
DARKEST ERA – Severance. Folk/Thrash/Traditional metal with outstanding vocal melodies. Good mixture of aggressive (“Trapped in the Hourglass”) and melancholic (“Beyond the Grey Veil”) tracks.
EXECRATION – Morbid Dimensions. OSDM enveloped in mummy dust and Deathspellian dissonance. The crisp production works well for this album, with the bass popping through nicely. Spooky stuff!
ARTIFICIAL BRAIN – Labyrinth Constellation. Guttural vocals, a strange metallic production (which does wonders for the spacey, alien atmosphere) and melodies that would make a Xenomorph blush. It’s difficult to assign a genre tag here. Dissonance takes center stage, with blackened tremolo runs and death metal blasts forming a solid backbone.
TRIPTYKON – Melana Chasmata. Absolutely crushing doom/sludge/thrash. The inclusion of Simone Vollenweider’s haunting voice adds texture to songs like “Boleskin House” and “Waiting.” “Black Snow” splinters my fragile human body every time!
PANOPTICON – Roads to the North. I was blown away by the mixture of orchestral, bluegrass, black, and death metal styles found on this record (I know, I’m late to the party, this is the first album of his I’ve listened to).
1. Fallujah – The Flesh Prevails
2. Inferi – The Path of Apotheosis
3. Babymetal – Babymetal
4. Whispered – Shogunate Macabre
5. Insomnium – Shadows of the Dying Sun
6. Ne Obliviscaris – Citadel
7. Words of Farewell – The Wild Black Yonder
8. Monuments – The Amanuensis
9. Hour of Penance – Regicide
10. Allegaeon – Elements of the Infinite
This year’s top ten in my opinion:
Ne Obliviscaris – Citadel
Thantifaxath – Sacred White Noise
Harakiri For The Sky – Aokigahara
Insomnium – Shadows of the Dying Sun
Triptykon – Melana Chasmata
Hoth – Oathbreaker
Allegaeon – Elements of the Infinite
Doom-VS – Earthless
Vader-Tibi Et Igni
The Great Old Ones – Tekeli-Li
I’ve been meaning to comment here forever but kept forgetting. Better late than never, I suppose.
I feel like I didn’t really listen to much new metal this year. Of the handful of stuff I did listen to, “Ego Dominus Tuus” by Nightbringer and “Grand Morbid Funeral” by Bloodbath were the two that really stood out to me as just stellar all-around albums. Both of those definitely belong on any “Best Of 2014” list.
Honorable mentions for albums that I thought were really good but, for one reason or another, fell short of being truly stupendous: “Conjuring the Dead” by Belphegor, “A Skeletal Domain” by Cannibal Corpse, and “When Life Comes to Death” by Young and In the Way
Agh. Forgot an honorable mention for “The Killing Gods” by Misery Index.
Barely kept up with any new releases at all this year, but here are the ones I liked the most.
(no particular order):
Bolzer – Soma
Bastard Feast – Osculum Infame
Eyehategod – s/t
Black Anvil – Hail Death
Autopsy – Tourniquets, Hacksaws, and Graves
Death Penalty – s/t
Vallenfyre – Splinters
Hooded Menace – Labyrinth of Carrion Breeze
Top 3:
1. Triptykon – Melana Chasmata
2. Yob – Clearing the Path to Ascend
3. Secret Cutter – s/t
This year was weird. Quite a few anticipated releases ended up leaving me dissatisfied or disappointed. But there were quite a few that held up to expectations and even a few new surprises popped up even though I have been increasingly less interested in discovering new music(damn you age). So in alphabetical order here is my list for 2014 with notes for albums I rarely see get recognized elsewhere.
Abysmal Dawn – Obsolescence: I liked the previous release more but this was still solid.
Accept – Blind Rage: I was a detractor when Tornillo was announced as the new guy but after this solid third installment in his era it’s definitely Udo who?
Agalloch – The Serpent and the Sphere
Allegaeon – Elements of the Infinite
Cripper – Hyena: I enjoy this band more than Arch Enemy. No frills just good death/thrash. They actually experimented some on this album too.
Bloody Hammers – Under Satans Sun: Riffs and occult rock/metal? Yes please.
Exodus – Blood in Blood Out: Welcome back Zetro, don’t screw it up this time.
Illdisposed – With the Lost Souls on Our Side: Criminally underrated death metal from Denmark.
Legion of the Damned – Ravenous Plague: These Dutchmen always bring the fun to death/thrash. Those riffs.
Mayan – Antagonise: Of late this side project has become better than Mark Jansens main gig in Epica. More of the death growls and less of the pretty side of metal. This sophomore effort distances itself even more from the other gig and thats a good thing.
Misery Index – The Killing Gods
Necrophagia – Whiteworm Cathedral: This was just a fun listen from beginning to end.
Rise of Avernus – L’Appel Du Vide: Australian death/doom that reminded me of one of my favorite bands in the genre, Draconian. This is one of those rare gems out of Oz that needs a wider audience.
Sabaton – Heroes: Another solid slab of classic metal. I wish more bands would keep that genre alive because it’s a dying form and what I grew up on.
Sanctuary – The Year The Sun Died: Let’s be real, this is Nevermore Mark II. It’s really good though and actually better than Nevermores swan song (for now).
Septicflesh – Titan: My favorite death metal band. After listening to Titan other death metal just sounds one dimensional and half assed.
Vader – Tibi Et Igni
Vallenfyre – Splinters: This album is nothing like the first but I still dug it. I hope these guys can keep up the quality for years to come.
Xerath – III: This one is DGRs fault. Film Score level orchestration overlapped over technical prog death? Twist my arm.
Alcest – Shelter
Audrey Fall – Mitau
Coffin Dust – This Cemetery…
Dying out Flame – Shiva Rudrastakam
Hyperion – Black Lore
King of Asgard – Karg
Lathspell – Impious Incantations
Nautilus-Nautilus
Portal- Far all that is…
Scumpulse – By design
Sorcier des Glaces – Ritual of the end
Svartt Jern – Ultimatum Necrophilia
The White Tomb – Theorectical thanatology
Theogony-Theogony
Tides of Man – Young and Courageous
Toxoid – Aurora Satanic
Vampire – Vampire
Young and in the Way – When life comes…
Best of 2014 from my view (not in any particular order).
Necrophagia – Whiteworm Cathedral
Trepaneringsritualen – Perfection & Permanence
Entombed AD – Back to the Front
At The Gates – At War with reality
Sargeist – Feeding The Crawling Shadows
Mayhem – Esoteric Warfare
Desaster – Live In Bamberg
Swans – To Be Kind
Godflesh – A World Lit Only By Fire
Origin – Omnipresent
In no particular order, my favorite metal albums of the year:
Panopticon–Roads to the North
Impetuous Ritual–Unholy Congregation of Hypocritical Ambivilence
Mournful Congregation–Concrescence of the Sophia
Nux Vomica–Nux Vomica
Woods of Desolation–As the Stars
Lindskold/Fantome de Sang–Where the Shadows Lie
Saor–Aura
Blut Aus Nord–Memoria Vetusta III: Saturnian Poetry
Swans–To Be Kind (metal? anyway, intense and heavy as shit)
Jute Gyte–Ressentiment
YOB–Clearing the Path to Ascend
Awesome year, really, and this is of course just the stuff I listened to most happily. Ton of other goodness out there.
My metal list kinda looks like that: [really surprised nobody yet listed Tombs]
1. Nux Vomica – Nux Vomica
2. Behemoth – The Satanist
3. Panopticon – Roads to the North
4. Tombs – Savage Gold
5. Thou – Heathen
6. Blut Aus Nord – Memoria Vetusta III: Saturnian Poetry
7. YOB – Clearing The Path To Ascend
8. Artificial Brain – Labyrinth Constellation
9. Pallbearer – Foundations of Burden
10. Agalloch – The Serpent And The Sphere
11. A Pregnant Light – My Game Doesn’t Have A Name
11. Mayhem – Esoteric Warfare
12. Murmur – Murmur
13. Thantifaxath – Sacred White Noise
14. Hail Spirit Noir – Oi Magoi
15. Winterfylleth – Divination of Antiquity
The rest:
1. Run the Jewels – RTJ2
2. Flying Lotus – You’re Dead
3. Sharon Van Etten – Are We There
4. Cloud Nothings – Here and Nowhere Else
5. Sun Kil Moon – Benji
6. Swans – To Be Kind
7. Warpaint – Warpaint
8. BadBadNotGood – III
9. Freddie Gibbs and Madlib – Pinata
10. Angel Olsen – Burn Your Fire for No Witness
It’s been another grand year for metal and music in general. I wish I had more time to allow for more recent releases to settle in, but alas, if I don’t write this up now I am afraid I won’t get to it before somewhere next year.. And I always enjoy the hell out of making these kinds of lists, so here goes!
WARNING: this list also contains musical works from the realm of unmetal. I personally enjoy making a comprehensive list containing all genres the most, so I didn’t go through the trouble of making unmetal honorable mentions. Besides, some of the excellent ‘metal’ releases from this year (Anathema, Solstafir, Opeth and Alcest) aren’t exactly metal either.
1/ The Haunted – Exit Wounds: I had more trouble picking the # 1 than other years, but I award the Haunted this position solely because it took me completely off guard. I have been a great fan of Dolving-era the Haunted, so I was more than skeptical when I heard the Haunted were working on a release without him and another band member. I have never been so wrong to be skeptical… Exit Wounds rips open your throat at the beginning of Cutting Teeth and leaves nothing but a bloody mess after the final moments of Ghost in the Machine. Best album of the Haunted thus far. Period.
2/ Anathema – Distant Satellites: Another excellent release with some of modern-Anathema’s finest moments thus far. I had the privilege to see these guys live recently on their newest album-tour and this only strengthened my positive opinion of this album.
3/ Insomnium – Shadows of the Dying Sun: Hardly a surprising release, but it has everything I want in a new Insomnium release. And since I am quite the fanboy, this one ends up high on my list.
4/ Doom:VS – Earthless: One of the best doom/death records I’ve heard in quite a while, with six beautiful tracks dripping with despair. Especially Oceans of Despair and The Slow Ascent – in combination with the clean singing – are downright gorgeous.
5/ Septicflesh – Titan: I am glad these Greeks decided to continue exactly where they left off with The Great Mass, because this is another beast of an album. Though not as epic as its predecessor, Titan slays much harder when it tries to (on Order of Dracul for example).
6/ Solstafír – Ótta: I was familiar with Svartar Sandir, but this record is amazing on a whole new level. There are few albums dripping with pure emotion as much as Otta does; and I can’t even understand the words.
7/ Lord Mantis – Death Mask: A disgusting album, in a very good way. I am really pleased with the high number of excellent sludge releases this year, of which this one was the best IMO.
8/ Opeth – Pale Communion: I was quite unimpressed by Heritage and at the time mourned the fact that Mikael turned his back to metal influences, but if he keeps making albums such as this one I am more than satisfied.
9/ Ghost Brigade – IV: One With the Storm: Did not make quite the overwhelming impact Until Fear No Longer Divides Us did on me, but that’s mostly because that album introduced a new take on Ghost Brigade’s sound which they merely continue on One With the Storm. Regardless another fine album, dripping with melancholic atmosphere in a way only Ghost Brigade can deliver it.
10/ Alcest – Shelter: I hate the fact that Alcest ‘quit black metal’, but I love this album. It’s catchy and faerie-like uplifting. Initially I didn’t want to like this album, but in the end I couldn’t help myself.
11/ Stealing Axion – Aeons: I am still getting familiar to this album, but I think in the end I might end up liking it as much as I liked Moments. Aeons brings more of the grandiose combination of modern, djent and progressive metal. Especially Final Moments of a Dying Sun cause some serious goosebumps.
12/ Behemoth – the Satanist: A modern and rather catchy take on furious, old-school death metal. This album sounds fucking evil and I love it.
13/ Indian – From All Purity: I liked 2011’s Guiltless a bit better, but From All Purity still positively sounds like a decaying corpse (I’m not sure how that can be positive, but somehow it can).
14/ Vallenfyre – Splinters: More old-school death metal! This ‘supergroup’ once more delivers an amazing album, that IMO is an improvement on their debut in every way.
15/ Damien Rice – My Favorite Faded Fantasy: The most unmetal album on this list, but this album is of such quality I can’t leave it out. Somehow this album is much more depressing than many good doom albums I’ve listened to this year, so that’s saying something.
16/ Fallujah – The Flesh Prevails: Though it suffers a bit from a loud, monotonous brick-walled production, the high-level songwriting of this album cannot be denied. The Flesh Prevails sound to me a bit like a more dynamic Fleshgod Apocalypse, which is excellent.
17/ Hail Spirit Noir – Oi Magoi: A bastard child of unrelated genres, this album manages to be weird in many good ways. Especially the opening track is killer.
18/ Fen – Carrion Skies: An excellent atmospheric black metal release that I have recently discovered by already left a lasting impression on me. There’s so much good shit going on here that I’m sure this’ll be stuck in my playlist for quite some time.
19/ Panopticon – Roads to the North: I’m not the biggest folk fan, but this album made me a believer. Partially because of the excellent black metal going on here, partially because the album is just damn good.
20/ Pink Floyd – The Endless River: The last swansong of a band from a previous musical era. Not their best release by a grand margin, but hearing something new from Pink Floyd one more time makes super nostalgic, so end-year list it is.
21/ Anaal Nathrakh – Desideratum: Vanitas was easily one of my favorite albums of 2012, but unfortunalely Desideratum doesn’t impress me half as much. Still, less than half as good as Vanitas is still pretty damn good.
22/ Mors Principium Est – Dawn of the 5th Era: Only just released, but I can already tell this is an excellent release in a classic style of melodic death metal that’s getting rare these days.
23/ Kaunis Kuolematon – Kylmä Kaunis Maailma: After hearing some individual tracks in 2012/13 I thought this was one of the most anticipated albums for me this year. Managing to combine the best elements of Before the Dawn and Black Sun Aeon in a relentless way, I was sure this was an album to look out for. Unfortunately, Kylmä Kaunis Maailma is far more average on half of its tracks than it should be, but when it shines it shines very, very brightly (Itsestään Kuollut, Kivisydän, En Ole Mitään, Aamu).
24/ Downfall of Gaia – Aeon Unveils the Throne of Decay: An album quite reminiscent of Altar of Plagues’ older albums, and it’s quite excellent.
25/ Darkest Horizon – Continuum: Especially Interdimension slays so very hard. For the rest a really nice space-concept progressive death album.
26/ Bloodbath – Grand Morbid Funeral: Bloodbath surprised everyone with their new line-up, but their album does not surprise much at all IMO. But it doesn’t have to; it reeks of rot and dead things and it’s awesome.
27/ Kuolemanlaakso – Tulijoutsen: Kuolemanlaakso make some significant steps since their debut, making Tulijoutsen a great album with some very fine moments that are musically somewhere between Barren Earth and Swallow the Sun.
28/ Junius – Days of the Fallen Sun: Albeit only a handful of songs, this EP got me really stoked for Junius’ upcoming 2015 release. Forgiving the Cleansing Meteor is simply fabulous.
29/ Bloodshot Dawn – Demons: Fast-paced thrashy melodic death metal at its finest.
30/ Agalloch – The Serpent and the Sphere: Even though this album pales in comparison to older epics such as the Mantle and Ashes Against the Grain, this album still is enjoyable in many ways.
#1 Young and in the Way – When Life Comes to Death
#2 Tombs – Savage Gold
#3 Black Anvil – Hail Death
#4 Behemoth – The Satanist
#5 Nidsang – Into the Womb of Dissolving Flames
#6 Nachtmystium – The World We Left Behind
#7 Goatwhore – Constricting Rage of the Merciless
#8 Lord Mantis – Death Mask
#9 Pallbearer – Foundations Of Burden
#10 Ahluna – Awakening the Forest
#11 Enabler – La Fin Absolue Du Monde
#12 Mayhem – Esoteric Warfare
#13 Wolvhammer – Clawing Into Black Sun
#14 Contempt – Skinwalker
#15 Black Monolith – Passenger
#16 Rigor Mortis – Slaves to the Grave
#17 Entombed AD – Back to the Front
#18 YOB – Clearing The Path To Ascend
#19 Obliterations – Poison Everything
#20 Generation of Vipers – Coffin Wisdom
No particular order
* Ghost Brigade – IV: One With the Storm
* Unearth – Watchers of Rule
* Raunchy – Vices.Virtues.Visions
* Soilwork – Beyond the Infinite [EP]
* Allegaeon – Elements of the Infinite
* I Killed the Prom Queen – Beloved
* At the Gates – At War with Reality
* Darkest Hour – Darkest Hour
* Decapitated – Blood Mantra
* Fallujah – The Flesh Prevails
* Illdisposed – With the Lost Souls on Our Side
* Insomnium – Shadows of the Dying Sun
* Unearth – Watchers of Rule
* Within the Ruins – Phenomena
Not enough time to digest:
Mors Principium Est – Dawn of the 5th Era
Song of the Year:
Whitechapel – Diggs Road
So when I started making my list I found a large number of albums I enjoyed over the year, despite real life preventing me from enjoying much music for long stretches at a time. My initial list was about 23 or so, then went up to 25, and then I divided it into a top 7 and the rest, but ultimately I wasn’t satisfied with that. I wanted the great albums to stand out from the merely very good. So finally I just to take a stand and be decisive and do a top 10 list. Here are my 12 favorites in roughly the order I added them to the list:
StarGazer – A Merging to the Boundless Overall just a phenomenal listening experience. I love the noodly bass.
Nightbringer – Ego Dominus Tuus Sorry Greeks, you came very close, but this is the best black metal of the year.
Swallowed – Lunarterial After waiting fucking forever to hear this, I am too scared to be disappointed.
Occultation – Silence in the Ancestral House Finest doom-tinged occult rock you’ll hear this year, and an improvement on their previous album, though I wasn’t sure that was possible.
Necros Christos – Nine Graves This is only an EP, but at 40 minutes long it’s long enough for me to tack it onto a list of full albums, and I wouldn’t have minded if it went on even longer, as it’s easily one of my favorites this year.
Cannibal Corpse – A Skeletal Domain Where the hell did this come from? I didn’t know they had it left in them, but this is killer.
Teitanblood – Death This just rips your guts out and laughs at you as you moan and bleed. Beg for mercy elsewhere.
Diocletian – Gesundrian Evil, vicious music. I love it.
Varathron – Untrodden Corridors of Hades While I’m listening to this I can’t imagine how anyone put out a better album this year. Thanks to Decibel for the early stream.
Thy Darkened Shade – Liber Lvcifer I: Khem Sedjet Maybe even better than Varathron.
Morbus Chron – Sweven Their newly progressive direction doesn’t detract from their stellar songwriting.
Incantation – Dirges of Elysium This just feels right, like a zombie scratching an itch deep down inside for you.
Vestal Claret – Cult of Vestal Claret Something about Phil Swanson’s voice just resonates with me, and since Briton Rites couldn’t be arsed to put out their new album this year, this will have to do. Also, it’s a great album.
Impetuous Ritual – Unholy Congregation of Hypocritical Ambivalence Holy fuck I think I just broke my auditory cortex.
Lvcifyre – Svn Eater This just demands recognition. I was a bit disappointed with their debut album, after the excellence of their demo work, but this is exceptional.
Dead Congregation – Promulgation of the Fall Power, ferocity, texture. Greece strikes again. This is just too good to omit mention of.
Behemoth – The Satanist I can’t quit you Nergal!
(band/album names link to youtube samples)
I was trying to take the time to go through all the stuff I’ve heard this year and really do 2014 justice but that’s just not happening. Between working at work, working at home, and holidays with the family I can’t find enough time to clean the brain matter off the floor from the first time I listened to Teitanblood let alone make a decent stab at this but, fuck it whatever…
Been a real death metal year for me…in particular:
Auroch-Taman Shud
Dead Congregation-Promulgation of the Fall
Deathcult-Pleading for Death… Choking on Life
Diocletian-Gesundrian
Impetuous Ritual-Unholy Congregation of Hypocritical Ambivalence
Lvcifyre-Svn Eater
Phobocosm-Deprived
Teitanblood-Death
Unaussprechlichen Kulten-Baphomet Pan Shub-Niggurath
Vainaja-Kadotetut
Vanhelgd-Relics of Sulphur Salvation
I could keep going but here’s some other stuff I really enjoyed:
Bastard Sapling-Instinct Is Forever
Chaos Moon-Resurrection Extract
Coffinworm-IV.I.VIII
Falls of Rauros-Believe In No Coming Shore
Indian-From All Purity
Nashiem-Solens Vemod
Nux Vomica-Nux Vomica
Panopticon-Roads To The North
Winterfylleth-The Divination Of Antiquity
Wolvhammer-Clawing Into Black Sun
Young And In The Way-When Life Comes To Death
A few notable splits:
Falls of Rauros/Panopticon
Vassafor/Sinistrous Diabolus
Majestic Downfall/The Slow Death
If I could list all the stuff I listened to I would. I can honestly say I enjoyed something out of everything I heard this year. But there it is…some kind of list anyway.
Keeping it short and trying to think of just 20 rather than every single good release of the year.
20. Azooma – A Hymn of the Vicious Monster EP
19. Hail Spirit Noir – Oi Magoi
18. Black Crown Initiate – The Wreckage of Stars
17. Anaal Nathrakh – Desideratum
16. Revocation – Deathless
15. Dark Fortress – Venereal Dawn
14. Septicflesh – Titan
13. Bloodbath – Grand Morbid Funeral
12. Thy Darkened Shade – Liber Lvcifer I: Khem Sedjet
11. Horrendous – Eclysis
10. Autopsy – Tourniquets, Hacksaws & Graves
9. Job For A Cowboy – Sun Eater
8. Misery Index – The Killing Gods
7. Inferi – The Path of Apotheosis
6. Volturyon – Human Demolition EP
5. Vallenfyre – Splinters
4. Earth Rot – Follow the Black Smoke (Really surprised no one seems to have heard of the band)
3. Hate Storm Annihilation – Storm of Flames
2. Sludgde – Gastronomicon
1. Bloodshot Dawn – Demons
Honorable mentions go out to Holocausto Canibal for their Larvas EP. Some mindblowingly good tracks on that one. Also worth mentioning is Cult of Fire’s Čtvrtá Symfonie Ohně, which features possibly my favorite track of the year – their interpretation of the classical masterpiece Vltava.
Damn, I’m really late this year. I feel like I’m leaving out so much great stuff, but it’s supposed to be a list of the best/favorites, not an encyclopedia of everything I listened to this year,right? Besides, 2015 is coming up fast-
, Alkaloid, Mephistopheles, Black Fast and so on and so on... I've had a lot of trouble paring it down-so much great music came out in 2014. The albums/EPs that made the list are the ones I keep coming back to. In no particular order,these were my favorites:God Disease- Abyss Cathedral (EP)
Aenaon- Extance
Behemoth- The Satanist
Epitemia- (Un)Reality
Stam1na- SLK
Lord Mantis- Death Mask
Noneuclid- Metatheosis
Benighted- Carnivore Sublime
Inconcessus Lux Lucis- Crux Lupus Corona (EP)
Black Crown Initiate- The Wreckage of Stars
Anopheli- a hunger rarely sated (EP)
Nero di Marte- Derivae
Kvlthammer- s/t
Varathron- Untrodden Corridors of Hades
Arctic Sleep- Passage of Gaia
Daggers- It's Not Jazz, It's Blues
Fides Inversa- Mysterium Tremendum et Fascinans
Schammasch-Contradiction
My personal Album of the Year, metal:
Ne Obliviscaris- Citadel
Non-metal/ Metal adjacent:
Rishloo- Living As Ghosts With Buildings As Teeth
Also enjoyed: Cormorant, Nux Vomica, Emblazoned, Deus Otiosus, Solstafir, Slugdge, Gloson, Job For A Cowboy, Cemetery Filth, Schizoid Lloyd, Vinterbris, Disemballerina, Emptiness, Serdce, Coffinworm, Thantifaxath, Vyrion, Wolvhammer, Xerath, Execration, Hvile I Kaos.
2013 release that I found late,so it's a 2014 to me:
Empyrean Throne- Demonseed
1. Shores of Null – Quiescence
2. Taake – Stridens Hus
3. Saor – Aura
4. As Light Dies – The Love Album Volume I
5. Oubliette – Apparations
6. Empyrium – The Turn of the Tides
7. Furia – Nocel
8. Winterfylleth – The Divination of Antiquity
9. Blut Aus Nord – Memoria Vetusta III – Saturnian Poetry
10. Mare Cognitum – Phobos Monolith
my full list can be seen here http://deadrhetoric.com/features/daniel-keating-best-of-2014/
10 releases that I love:
Bagarre general: YONL Split
Orchestral post-metal. So good
Abigor: Leytmotif Luzifer
Pushing the boundaries of BM without losing melody or heaviness.
Stargazer: Merging
Menacing, dissonant and beautiful all at once.
Fallujah: Flesh Prevails
The kings of progressive TechDeath
Beneath: Barren Throne
My favorite DM of the year. Works on so many levels.
Execration – Morbid dimensions
Dense, intricate DM
Goatwhore: Constricting rage
A million years together and still nobody quite sounds like them.
Owl: Into the Absolute
Love all the stuff on Zeitgeister and this is no exception
Slugdge: Gastonomicon
Maybe not as strong as the debut but still worth seeking out
Woccon: Solace in Decay
For those of you missing Daylight Dies, Slumber, etc.
BEST OF 2014 in no order
Woods of Desolation
Lvcifyre
Nasheim
Phobonoid
Conan
Coffinworm
Kampfar
Tortorum
Entaurtung
Bast
The Great Old Ones
Enthroned
Black Monolith
Svffer
Lantlos
Sun Worship
Agalloch
Dead Congregation
Vallenfyre
Bastard Sapling
YOB
Schammasch
Alcest
Dirge
Grey Widow
Coltsblood
Tombs
Young and in the way
Diocletian
Direwolves
ACxDC
GURT
Crib45
Ad Infinitum
Mutilation Rites
Wrought Iron
Forn
American
Code Orange
Darkspace
Megaton Levithan
Nightbringer
Blut Aus Nord
Winterfylleth
Cult Leader
Usnea
Fides Inversa
Mare Cognitum
Vaiya
Jig Ai
Mantar
Nuklear Frost
Best e.p.
Possession-Anneliese e.p.
Blut Aus Nord split e.p.
Ornamental Headpiece e.p.
Dead Instrument e.p.
IMPOSER CONTRA OMNIA e.p.
Deathwinds-Endless Wastelands e.p.
Hetroertzen/Dodsengel
Void Ritual
Svartidaudi
Mammoth Grinder
Vuyvr
Gnosis of the Witch
Ascension
Moss
Gateway
Well, I suppose I’m a little late to the party, but here it is anyways:)
1. Noctem – Exilium
2. Job For A Cowboy – Sun Eater
3. Darkest Hour – Darkest Hour
4. Texas In July – Bloodwork
5. Woccon – Solace In Decay
6. Allegaeon – Elements of the Infinite
7. Abysmal Dawn – Obsolescence
8. Behemoth – The Satanist
9. Lord Mantis – Death Mask
10. Insomnium – Shadows of the Dying Sun
11. Cormorant – Earth Diver
12. Agalloch – The Serpent & The Sphere
13. At The Gates – At War With Reality
14. Fallujah – The Flesh Prevails
15. Belphegor – Conjuring the Dead
16. Backtrack – Lost In Life
17. Inanimate Existence – A Never-Ending Cycle of Atonement
18. Slipknot – .5: The Gray Chapter
19. Killer Be Killed – S/T
20. Korn – The Paradigm Shift
This seems to get harder every year. At least I decided on an order before February this time:
40. Inanimate Existence – A Never-Ending Cycle of Atonement
39. Xandria – Sacrificium
38. Torrential Downpour – Truth Knowledge Vision
37. Sawhill Sacrifice – Weri loca Waluo
36. Phobocosm – Deprived
35. Falconer – Black Moon Rising
34. Execration – Morbid Dimensions
33. Zombiefication – Procession Through Infestation
32. Vampire Squid – Nautilus World
31. Fallujah – The Flesh Prevails
30. Doom’s Day – The Devil’s Eyes
29. Primordial – Where Greater Men Have Fallen
28. Derdian – Human Reset
27. Doctor Livingstone – Contemptus Saeculi
26. Darkspace – Dark Space III I
25. Dead Congregation – Promulgation of the Fall
24. Machinae Supremacy – Phantom Shadow
23. Vestal Claret – The Cult of Vestal Claret
22. Triptykon – Melana Chasmata
21. Whispered – Shogunate Macabre
20. Divine Ascension – Liberator
19. Nachtmystium – The World We Left Behind
18. Arcana Coelestia – Nomas
17. Giant Squid – Minoans
16. Funereal Presence – The Archer Takes Aim
15. Cloak of Altering – Plague Beasts
14. Profetus – As All Seasons Die
13. Morbus Chron – Sweven
12. Sons of Crom – Riddle of Steel
11. Nightfell – The Living Ever Mourn
10. The Wolves of Avalon – Boudicca’s Last Stand
09. Anubis Gate – Horizons
08. Ceremonial Castings – Cthulhu
07. Aenaon – Extance
06. Voyager – V
05. Saor – Aura
04. Shroud of Despondency – Tied to a Dying Animal
03. Hail Spirit Noir – Oi Magoi
02. Howls of Ebb – Vigils of the 3rd Eye
01. Abigor – Leytmotif Luzifer (The 7 Temptations of Man)
Best not quite metal:
Empyrium – The Turn of the Tides
Mars Red Sky – Stranded in Arcadia
Boris – Noise
Solstafir – Otta
The Order of the Solar Temple – s/t
Greenleaf – Trails & Passes
Behemoth – The Satanist
Carnifex – Die Without Hope
Disentomb – Misery
Winterfylleth – The Divination Of Antiquity
Inferi – The Path of Apotheosis
Alterbeast – Immortal
Aborted – The Necrotic Manifesto
Cannibal Corpse – A Skeletal Domain
JFAC – Sun Eater
(not 10, but hey-ho)
1. Behemoth – “The Satanist”
2. The Project Hate MCMXCIX – “There Is No Earth I Will Leave Unscorched”
3. At the Gates – “At War With Reality”
4. The Haunted – “Exit Wounds”
My album of the year was definitely Thy Darkened Shade’s latest, however as always there were tons of amazing albums released this year as well as albums I’ve missed. Anyway here it is:
ASCENSION – The Dead of the World
ATRIARCH – Unending Pathway
BEHEMOTH – The Satanist
CRETIN – Stranger
CHAOS MOON – Resurrection Extract
DARKSPACE – III I
DOWNFALL OF GAIA – Aeon Unveils the Thrones of Decay
EMPTINESS – Nothing but the Whole
FALLS OF RAUROS – Believe in No Coming Shore
GIANT SQUID – Minoans
GOATWHORE – Constricting Rage of the Merciless
HIDEOUS DIVINITY – Cobra Verde
HORRENDOUS – Ecdysis
HOWLS OF EBB – Vigils of the 3rd Eye
MARE COGNITUM – Phobos Monolith
OMMADON – V
PALLBEARER – Foundations of Burden
PHOBOCOSM – Deprived
PRIMORDIAL – Where Greater Men Have Fallen
SATANIC WARMASTER – Fimbulwinter
SOLSTAFIR – Otta
SPECTRAL LORE – III
SWALLOWED – Lunarterial
SWANS – To Be Kind
THANTIFAXATH – Sacred White Noise
THY DARKENED SHADE – Liber Lvcifer I: Khem Sedjet
VINTERBRIS – Solace
WINTERFYLLETH – The Divination of Antiquity
WOLVHAMMER – Clawing into Black Sun
WOVENHAND – Refractory Obdurate
YOB – Clearing the Path to Ascend
I couldn’t include a lot of great albums otherwise the list would’ve been way too long but these were the best of the best!
Also definite song of the year goes out to ‘Vltava’ by Cult of Fire: an outstanding track.
No more listmania, I guess it’s time to wrap things up 🙂
Blut aus Nord – “Memoria Vetusta”
Cormorant – “Earth Diver”
Emptiness – “Nothing”
Kuolemanlaakso – “Tulijoutsen”
Saor – “Aura”
Spectral Lore – “III”
Thy Darkened Shade – “Liber Lvcifer”
Tryptikon – “Melana Chasmata”
Vainaja – “Kadotetut”
Woods of Desolation – “As the Stars”
Honourable mention: Lascaille’s Shroud – “Interval 02” – would have been in my top ten with some length reduction!
I don’t know if yours will be the last list, but if it is, it’s a damned good way to go out.