KEVINP’S ALBUMS OF THE MONTH — JUNE 2015

 

(Another month is in the history books, and so it’s time for KevinP to name the releases from last month that most impressed him.)

Half the year has come and gone.  Yeah, it’s beyond cliche to say “that was fast”, so I won’t.  But what got me thinking was how people like to compare different years and judge which ones were better for metal releases.  Since 2012 I’ve been doing Best Of lists here at NCS and I’ve been very happy each year with the plethora of releases I’ve been fortunate to hear.  I can’t really say any one year has been “off” or “poor” for metal.   Nor can I say one year was better than the next.  So on that token, here’s 5 more great albums of 2015.

 

5.  Theoktony – Loss

This is the sophomore album by these chaps, and their first in 7 years. And like most bands NOT named Bolt Thrower from England, Anil Carrier is naturally involved. Pure blistering death metal is the order of the day. With plenty of hooks and memorable moments that worm their way into your brain.  In case you missed my interview back in April, you can check it out right here —> https://www.nocleansinging.com/2015/04/13/get-to-the-point-liam-millward-theoktony-and-a-full-stream-of-loss/

https://theoktony.bandcamp.com/album/loss-2

 

 

 

 

 

 

4.  Temple of Gnosis – Mysterivm Magnvm

The debut EP from a single-member Serbian band. Doomy symphonic occult ambient death metal. Lyrically/conceptually this deals with Western esoteric traditons and the alchemical process of enlightenment (which I had to Google to figure out what that meant).  It’s a slow (but not funeral) burn.

http://templeofgnosis.bandcamp.com/releases

 

 

 

 

 

 

3.  Abyssal – Antikatastaseis

After two albums of black/death/doomy full-on oppression, I expected more of the same from this UK duo. So to my surprise (and initial confusion), they’ve added a heaping dose of atmosphere and melody that runs concurrently with all the madness you would expect. The reason I say I was initially confused was because of how utterly suffocating the first 2 releases were. When I heard actual melody I was like, “are they going soft”? But what they did here was quite clever. Who needs 3 of the same exact albums from the same band in a 3-year period? This adds another dimension to their sound, expands their horizons, shows proper progression, while still maintaining their kvlt-ness. What more could you ask for from a band?

https://profoundlorerecords.bandcamp.com/album/antikatastaseis

 

 

 

 

 

 

2.  Blaze of Perdition – Near Death Revelations

After Outre’s Ghost Chants was released in April, Polish black metal has had an unreasonably high standard to meet going forward.  But Blaze of Perdition (featuring members of Ulcer, Oremus, and Abusiveness) have hit their own kind of home run here as well. While you are surely going to get your blitzkrieg black metal assault in spades, like their fellow like-minded countrymen, they know when to practice restraint and inject atmosphere/melody for maximum affect. Poland is officially in the discussion now for Best Metal Country 2015 based on these 2 releases.

(My apologies to BoP for discussing another band in their writeup. I don’t mean it to be lazy or take away from their acheivement by any means. If anything, I consider it a huge compliment based on how highly I view Ghost Chants, even though both bands/albums don’t really sound alike.)

https://agoniarecords.bandcamp.com/album/near-death-revelations

 

 

 

 

 

 

1.  Sunset in the 12th House – Mozaic

I’m reluctant to use the term “one for the ages” as I tend to think people view it as pure hyperbole. But I’m willing to throw caution to the wind and run with that mindset. Feel free to read my review over at Metal Bandcamp here —> http://metalbandcamp.com/2015/06/sunset-in-the-12th-house-mozaic.html (which will then link you back to NCS for my interview with drummer Sergio Ponti).

https://sunset-in-the-12th-house.bandcamp.com/releases