(I invited Patrick Bruss, aka Crypticus, to share his year-end list with us, because I had a high degree of confidence I would like everything on it that I knew about and would need to track down everything else I didn’t know about. And I was right.)
BRUTALLY DECEASED – Black Infernal Vortex
Listen to those chainsaws! Lots of Sunlight Studio-style bands these days, but only a few have the special rotted & filthy feeling that made those DISMEMBER & GOD MACABRE albums so much fun. These guys are bathing in it. Savage yet melodic riffs & a slaughterhouse production.
http://brutallydeceased.bandcamp.com
DESECRESY – Chasmic Transcendence
Over several albums they’ve been slowly developing their own unique style of haunting Death Metal with hypnotic Science Fiction atmospheres. A great soundtrack for exploring an abandoned space station full of dead monsters.
http://xtreemmusic.bandcamp.com/album/chasmic-transcendence
FORESEEN – Helsinki Savagery
This year’s POWER TRIP. It has become one of my favorite Thrash albums ever. Over-the-top in the same way “The Ultraviolence” & “The Legacy” were. This album literally commands you to Mosh.
http://listen.20buckspin.com/album/helsinki-savagery
GRIM LEGION – Unholy Resurrection
Nothing new here but some seriously nasty & bass-heavy Death Metal in the old JL America tradition, but you know, not shitty. Old School without being retro. Thick-ass bass sound! Get this instead of that boring new OBITUARY album.
http://hpgd.bandcamp.com/album/unholy-resurrection
HATE STORM ANNIHILATION – Storm of Flames
These guys from Chicago are a drum/guitar duo like CRYPTICUS. Kind of like NILE without all the Egyptology or BEHEMOTH without the Hellraiser cosplay, but having their own style. Just fucking big destructive Death Metal without pretense. Really nice guys too.
http://www.reverbnation.com/hatestormannihilation
http://youtu.be/PQDYXiB8hvw
HOUR OF PENANCE – Regicide
I’m very jealous of some of these riffs. I’d never been into these guys before but they really upped their game with this album & forced me to fall in line. Just a class in powerful Death Metal riffery. The speed & extremity never overshadow the crushing & tasteful guitar work.
http://hourofpenance.bandcamp.com
MORBUS CHRON – Sweven
Just a rotted psychedelic mushroom of an album. A lot of people didn’t get it, but maybe they didn’t listen to it stoned in a foggy park after a blizzard? (Probably not) I’ve said it before – If there was Death Metal in the early ’70s it would sound like this. Progressive Post Death Metal? Also some of the my favorite guitar playing this year. There’s nobody else right now like MORBUS CHRON.
http://noisey.vice.com/blog/morbus-chron-sweven-lp-stream
THE SILENCE INDUSTRY – Brother Sing, Sister Shout
Warning: Not Metal. I’m a big fan of FIELDS OF THE NEPHILIM, early THE SISTERS OF MERCY, etc. so it was a great surprise to discover this band. Imagine Pornography-era THE CURE if they had a Metal drummer.
http://thesilenceindustry1.bandcamp.com/album/brother-sing-sister-shout
http://youtu.be/-Rre04syCwQ
USURPRESS – Ordained
Crusty D-Beat Death played all on the neck pickup for extra morbidity. VOIVOD-esque blower bass provided by that guy who wrote the “Swedish Death Metal” book. ‘Nuff said.
http://doomentiarecords.bandcamp.com/album/ordained
VANHELGD – Relics of Sulfur Salvation
Been following these guys since their first album but I was not prepared for this. With this they jump from merely being “fun” to having something powerful to say. Dark & epic.
http://listen.20buckspin.com/album/relics-of-sulphur-salvation
OFFAL – Horrorfiend (not yet released)
This may be cheating since I handled the mastering for this album, but it’s honestly some of the most quality Goregrind I’ve heard in years. Fans of early CARCASS & MACHETAZO, keep an ear out for this great album.
https://www.facebook.com/offalgore
16 Responses to “LISTMANIA 2014: A YEAR-END LIST FROM PATRICK BRUSS (CRYPTICUS)”
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Brutally Deceased, Desecresy, Grim Legion, Usurpress and Vanhelgd all had top notch releases…definitely some of my favorite death metal albums of the year are on this list
Excellent recommendations you gave yesterday. The classics all slew me to my core, naturally. Of the new bands, Hooded Menace stuck out to me the most. The definitely worship in the church of the riff. I also really like Swallowed’s newest. Think I’ll stick on deathdoom for a while. Seems to go hand in hand with my recent love affair with doom. You definitely know your death metal. There’s a band local to Atlanta called Disfigurement. They put out an EP late last year called Soul Rot. From what I can tell they are working on a full length for 2015. Solid material, and probably a band to keep an eye on if you haven’t heard them already. They show lots of promise and would likely appeal to any of the bands mentioned here or those you suggested to me.
Yeah, Im a big fan of Hooded Menace as well…as you say, they have some killer riffs. You cant go too wrong with any of Lasse Pyykkö’s projects, he has a knack for making great metal, though he seems to get bored very quickly. Check out his stuff from Claws, Phlegethon, and Acid Witch (though hes not with them anymore, band is still awesome)
I’ll definitely check into Disfigurement, anything that channels that early death metal sound will probably interest me
Well I know what I’ll be listening to in the wee hours of tomorrow morning. I guess Islander was right.
Don’t you hate it when that metal poseur Islander gets things right? ugh, the worst.
cant trust Islander..he likes everything 🙂
Except you. 🙂
I get that a lot
I am the shame of the metal gods. Says so right in the subheader.
You and your ilk, whoever that ilk is.
I wish people would stop talking about my ilk. I’ve been taking medication for it and am contemplating surgery to have it removed.
Well whatever happens to your ilk, you better stop playing with it. You might go blind.
I think he meant “elk”
Well then the blindness is inevitable.
Foreseen is awesome. And dammit, I need to actually listen to Sweven in full.
this is a killer list! : )