Today is Independence Day here in the United States, a day on which many Americans celebrate the beginning of the country’s great (and occasionally bizarre) experiment in democracy with vast quantities of cold beer, cookouts, and ardent efforts to blow off their own digits with equally vast quantities of illegally deployed explosives. Here in the metallic realms of NCS, however, it’s just another day (partly in consideration of the fact that more than half our readers are located outside the U.S.).
We have a couple of good song premieres coming your way, and maybe the second part of a SHADES OF BLACK post I began on Sunday, and who knows what else.
But to begin the day I want to talk about hot dogs, and then I want to ask our readers for your opinions about the best metal releases of 2017 so far.
There is an organization in the U.S. known as the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council. I imagine something like the Round Table from the days of King Arthur, at which an array of large wieners are seated, draped in sauerkraut and secretly plotting and planning the course of our lives. How could this be any worse than the people who are actually doing that from D.C. and Wall Street?
Sadly, the Council is instead an industry trade association. Whatever else they do, they are a source of data about the American consumption of hot dogs.
They tell us, not surprisingly, that the Fourth of July weekend (which has extended well into the work-week this year), is when Americans consume the most hot dogs. Depending on where we live, we might choose to top the dogs with mustard, coleslaw, cream cheese, chili, or peppers. This year, the Council estimates that Americans will celebrate their independence by eating 150 million hot dogs (and the number would undoubtedly be higher if they included vegetarian and vegan dogs, which of course they don’t).
During the peak hot dog season lasting from Memorial Day to Labor Day, the Council estimates that Americans typically consumer 7 billion hot dogs, which on average breaks down to 818 hot dogs being consumed every second. You probably can’t guess which U.S. city eats the most hot dogs.
Because you probably can’t guess, I’ll tell you: it’s Los Angeles. (This particular study of rankings by the Nielsen survey organization may be skewed because it includes only purchases from grocery stores and doesn’t include consumption from hot dog carts or restaurants).
Metal has also delivered a large quantity of tasty musical hot dogs for our hungry ear holes this year (how’s that for a transition?). With the month of June reaching an end, many print and on-line publications have been rolling out lists of the best releases from the first half of 2017. Such lists have been popping up on metal sites as they have in locations devoted to other genres of music. We, however, did not do this — mainly because I didn’t get my act together in time to canvass all our writers for their picks. But I almost never do that anyway…
…because I’m even more interested in finding out what our readers have heard, and what’s gotten all of you excited. So, as I’ve done in other years, I would like to invite you to use the Comment section as a vehicle for sharing with us (and anyone else who drops by for a visit) your list of what you deem to be the best metal albums, EPs, or splits you’ve heard during the first 6 months of 2017.
I’d like to suggest that it be a Top 10 list, in an effort to ensure that some serious thought and winnowing has taken place, to make the lists more valuable as a guide to other people hunting for new things to hear. But if you want to make it a Top 5 list or a Top 20 or a Top Any Other Number, no one is going to berate you. I mean, shit, I’m not capable of making a list at all, so I’m not exactly in the best position to criticize.
SO, please give us your hot dogs.
Source of data in this post: National Hot Dog and Sausage Council and Fortune on-line.
The flag above made of black smoke is an art installation called Western Flag by John Gerrard (details here). It is set in a simulation of Spindletop, Texas, a site considered to be the birthplace of the modern oil industry, but it is in face located at Somerset House in London, England. The installation was opened to commemorate World Earth Day in April of this year, and “will stand as a symbol of climate change and modern society’s dependence on oil”. I just thought it looked metal AF.
70 Responses to “HOT DOGS: THE BEST METAL OF 2017 SO FAR (AN INVITATION FOR YOUR LISTS)”
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Uhm. Would say my top BDM albums so far are :
1) Bacteremia – Furiosly Reduced
2) Animals Killing People – Eat your Murder
3) Seminal Embalmment – S/T
4) Dissociative Healing – S /T
5) CENOTAPH – Perverse Dehumanized Dysfunctions
6) Abuse – Nothing is Safe
7) Interminable Corruptions – Xenodimensional Conflux
8) Barbaric Penetration – Graveyard Hunt for Carnal Pleasure
9) Defleshed and Gutted – The Profecy in The Entrails
+ \m/
Gonna do another top 10 (Non BDM releases)
My favourites so far….
Venenum – Trance of Death
Havukruunu – Kelle Surut Soi
Full Of Hell – Trumpeting Ecstasy
Artificial Brain – Infrared Horizon
Immolation – Atonement
Lantern – II : Morphosis
The Ominous Circle – Appalling Ascension
Wode – Servants of the Countercosmos
For those of us who like Some Clean Singing:
Below – Upon A Pale Horse
Unleash the Archers – Apex
Top 5:
1) Suppressive Fire – Nature of War
2) Death of Kings – Kneel Before None
3) All Hell – The Grave Alchemist
4) Nemesis – Atrocity Unleashed
5) Hellripper – Coagulating Darkness
Hey guys, long time reader, first time commenter. NCS kicks ass and I’m glad there are people so dedicated to the scene sharing all this good shit with others. Anyways, here’s my mid-year list in no particular order–
Impetuous Ritual– Blight Upon Martyred Sentience
Triumvir Foul–Spiritual Bloodshed
Ascended Dead– Abhorrent Manifestation
Full of Hell– Trumpeting Ecstasy
Necrot– Blood Offerings
Ensnared– Dysangelium
Artificial Brain– Infrared Horizon
Dying Fetus– Wrong One to Fuck With
Weregoat– Pestilential Rites of Infernal Fornication
Obituary– S/T
Suffering Hour– In Passing Ascension
The demos from Sovereign and Command Sacrifice are fucking sick too, and the Witch Vomit MLP absolutely kills it.
Wait..when you say Command Sacrifice…are you talking about the demo by the band Ceremonial Bloodbath?
Yeah I am, my bad on the mix up.
Cool…just wasn’t sure.
Definitely a good call though
Thanks, man. Good calls yourself on Bestia Arcana, Lantern, and Phrenelith.
1. Svartsyn- in death
2. Merrimack- Omegaphilia
3. Nargaroth- era of threnody
4. Havukruunu- kelle surut soi
5. Orm- orm
6. Nightbringer- terradamnata
My list, so far, and in no particular order.
That transition tho…
Woe – Hope Attrition
Bufihimat – I
Ingurgitating Oblivion – VWISOL
Black Harvest – Attrition
Norse – TDLOANS
No particular order.
The Ominous Circle – Appaling Ascension
Power Trip – Nightmare Logic
Extremity – Extremely Fucking Dead
Necrot – Blood Offerings
The Ruins of Beverast – Exuvia
Pallbearer – Heartless
Highland – Loyal to the Night Sky
Below – Upon a Pale Horse
Mutoid Man – War Moans
The Obsessed – Sacred
Shit…know I’m going to forget a bunch of stuff, but…
Father Befouled – Desolate Gods
Harvest Gulgaltha – Altars of Devotion
Triumvir Foul – Spiritual Bloodshed
Ruins of Beverast – Exuvia
White Death – S/T
Bestia Arcana – Holókauston
Cemetery Urn – S/T
Condor – Unstoppable Power
Inferno – Gnosis Kardias (Of Transcension and Involution)
Nightpröwler – Unholy Rawness
Hellripper – Coagulating Darkness
Pig’s Blood – S/T
Sickdeer – The Wretched of the Earth
Lantern – II : Morphosis
Phrenelith – Desolate Endscape
Ah, that Bestia Arcana album.
No way! Another person who is loving White Death. Have you checked out Ende’s newest release, it’s got my black metal release of the year written all over it.
Oh yeah..that White Death album is killer! Told Islander to check it out, but I’m sure it got lost in the huge amount of music he gets all the time
Haven’t checked out Ende, but I’ll put them on my list for sure…thanks for the reco’
Been an outstanding year so far. My top-10 looks like this:
1. Au Champ des Morts – Dans la joie
2. Sorrow Plagues – Homecoming
3. Archivist – CONSTRUCT
4. Mesarthim – Absence
5. Vanum – Burning Arrow
6. Violet Cold – Anomie
7. White Ward – Futility Report
8. Imber Luminis – Nausea
9. Wode – Servants of the Countercosmos
10. Enisum – Seasons of Desolation
And then there’s a whole bunch of releases, which have also been great. Among these are new shit from Warbringer, Venenum, Artificial Brain, Planning for Burial, Persefone, Nightbringer, Falls of Rauros, Ascended Dead, Au Dessus and Power Trip.
So… “Absence” was definitely a 2016 release… BUT… that just means you get another pick!
Also, good to see that Violet Cold album on there. And another album which I’m reviewing for Friday too.
Ah, I just checked, and you’re right, of course – I was just confused that it says 2017 on Apple Music. But then it’s awesome that I was just about adding Asira’s ‘Efference’ on my list. It has grown on me that last couple of weeks – definitely a top-10 album so far.
And looking forward reading that review on Friday then 🙂
Oh, and Solbrud! Vemod is nearly as good as Jærtegn.
Acrimonious – Eleven Dragons
Immolation – Atonement
Venenum – Trance of Death
The Great Old Ones – EOD: A Tale of Dark Legacy
Wode – Servants of the Countercosmos
Dodecahedron – Kwintessens
Ingurgitating Oblivion – Vision Wallows in Symphonies of Light
Dumal – The Lesser God
Sunless – Urraca
Au-Dessus – End of Chapter
Ende – Emën Etan
Great year so far, also strong albums by Nightbringer, Obitus, Emptiness, Tomb Mold, Rebirth of Nefast, Au champ des morts, Whoredom Rife and Contaminated among others.
I haven’t put too much thought into yet, but this is what has received the heaviest play for me this year.
Power Trip – Nightmare Logic
Death of Kings – Kneel before None
Hideous Divinity – Adviniens
Pale King – Monolith of the Malign
War Crab – Scars of Aeons (not sure this counts, but put it anyhow)
The Ominous Circle – Appalling Ascension
Skeptic – Worship the End
The Fevered – I Have Seen Death
Incendiary – Thousand Mile Stare
Unleash the Archers – Apex (Yes, it’s power metal. Yes, I hate power metal. I have no idea why I can’t stop listening to this, but I’m too old to care. I like it.)
that Fevered disc is great
War Crab is awesome.
Definitely. War Crab is stunningly heavy.
Good live too.
Amazing year so far
LP
1) Contaminated – Final Man
2) Phrenelith – Desolate Endscape
3) Sublime Cadaveric Decomposition – Raping Angels in Hell (NOT bdm, French death metal/grind)
4) Excommunion – Thronosis
5) Harvest Gulgaltha – Altars of Devotion
6) Gorephilia – Severed Monolith
7) Vintersong – Till Falls
8) Blasphemer (UK) – Self Titled
EP/Demo
1) Cosmic Void Ritual – Transcendence
2) Mortiferum – Altar of Decay
3) Ljosazabojstwa – Piekla
4) Hyperdontia – Abhorrence Veil
5) Crypt Rot – Embryonic Devils
Reminds me that I’ve been meaning to check out Mortiferum (thanks).
Immolation: Atonement
Memoriam: For the Fallen
Extremity: Extremely Fucking Dead
Ingurgitating Oblivion” Vision Wallos in Symphonies of Light
Necrot: Blood Offerings
Au Champ Des Morts: Dans la joie
Wiegedood: De Doden Hebben Het Goed II
Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs: Feed the Rats
Power Trip: Nightmare Logic
Gnod: JUST SAY NO TO THE PSYCHO RIGHT-WING CAPITALIST FASCIST INDUSTRIAL DEATH MACHINE
01 Rebirth of Nefast – Tabernaculum
02 Bestia arcana – Holókauston
03 Triumvir Foul – Spiritual Bloodshed
04 Nightbringer – Terra Damnata
05 Venenum – Trance of Death
06 Marthyrium – Beyond the Thresholds
07 Inferno – Gnosis Kardias (Of Trascension and Involution)
08 Turia – Dede Kondre
09 Ulsect – Ulsect
10 Dodecahedron – Kwintessens
** Sinmara/Misthyrming – Split
i like that shcammasch ep
not enough to spell it correctly in my sleep induced haze though, lemme tell you about 2016
also the nathan’s hotdog contest is fucking disgusting, it takes what little joy left out of an already garbage food and smashes it into a fine water and bread paste.
Hot dogs are mainly a condiment-carrying device wrapped in a bun and infused with nostalgia.
And btw, the two hot dogs I bought from a street vendor on the last night of NWTF on the way to Highline are probably the only reason the Orange Goblin I had there didn’t hit my head like a poleax.
I watched that dude flip the sign from a $5 hot dog to a $7 hot dog right when they rolled the cart up outside of Neumos and remained angry about it for the whole night. I did the same thing when I watched Rams Head flip the six to an eight (or nine?) at MDF when it came to Beer prices that one year. I work retail and understand the markups on a captive audience but you have to be a little less cavalier about it with me watching.
Oh man…that was two years ago at MDF, and it was some goddamn bullshit. That still pisses me off…no one should ever have to pay $7.00 for fucking Budweiser
They should have paid you $7 to drink s a Bud.
The only thing worse than $7.00 Bud is warm $7.00 Bud…that shit should have a warning on the label
Like a biohazard symbol. 🙂
There are a ton of great records that I just haven’t listened to enough yet, but I keep going back to these, no particular order:
Coldfells – s/t (AOTY for me)
Phrenelith – Desolate Endscape
Elfsgedroch – Op de Beenderen van onze Voorvaderen
Ende – Emen Etan
Shaarimoth – Temple of the Adversarial Fire
Laster – Ons Frije Fatum
Havukruunu – Kelle Surut Soi
Acrimonious – Eleven Dragons
Artificial Brain – Labyrinth Constellation
Orm – Orm
Woe – Hope Attrition
Coldfells – S/T
Tomb Mold – Primordial Malignity
Contaminated – Final Man
Phrenelith – Desolate Endscape
Venenum – Trance of Death
Fluoride – S/T
Captain Caveman – Failed Species
Ruins of Beverast – Exuvia
Full of Hell – Trumpeting Ecstacy
Elder – Reflections of A Floating World
Not in any order.
Sunless – Urraca
Echopraxia – Candle Cove
Dodecahedron – Kwintessens
Artificial Brain – Infrared Horizon
Raster Density – Mother ov Mankind
Bufihimat – I
Ingurgitating Oblivion – Vision Wallows in Symphonies of Light
Midnight Odyssey – Silhouettes of Stars
Moonloop – Devocean
Arphael – Ancient
Fuggin Vonlughlio +1 – one of best lists I’ve found.
Man, there’s a lot of good reminders in these lists. 2017 has been a hell of a year so far.
Death:
1. Suffering Hour – In Passing Ascension
2. Impetuous Ritual – Blight Upon Martyred Sentience
3. Azarath – In Extremis
4. Immolation – Atonement
5. Artificial Brain – Infrared Horizon
6. Heresiarch – Death Ordinance (I have promos from Dark Descent, if you asking)
7. Bacteremia – Furiously Reduced
8. John Frum – A Stirring in the Noos
9. Dark Matter Secret – Perfect World Creation
10. Hideous Divinity- Adveniens
Black:
1. Ulsect – Ulsect
2. Falls of Rauros – Vigilance Perennial
3. Time Lurker – Time Lurker
4. Endon – Through the Mirror
5. Tome of the Unreplenished – Cosmoprism: The Theurgy – Act I
6. Dodecahedron – Kwintessens
7. Inferno – Gnosis Kardias (Of Transcension and Involution)
8. Progenie Terrestre Pura – oltreLuna
9. The Ruins of Beverast – Exuvia
10. Hexis – Tando Ashanti
Other Metal/non Metal (no order):
– The Heads Are Zeros – The Heads Are Zeros
– Elder – Reflections of a Floating World
– Pharmakon – Contact
– Incendiary – Thousand Mile Stare
– Condor – Unstoppable Power
– Arca – Arca
– Planning for Burial – Below the House
– Power Trip – Nightmare Logic
– Full of Hell – Trumpeting Ecstasy
– Spaceslug – Time Travel Dilemma
In no particular order:
-Violet Cold- Anomie
-Shaarimoth- Temple of the Adversarial Fire
-Miserist- Miserist
-Aversio Humanitatis- Longing for the Untold
-Cloud Catcher- Trails of Kozmic Dust
-Havok- Conformicide
-Craven Idol- The Shackles of Mammon’
-The Night Flight Orchestra- Amber Galactic
No order.
Goatwhore – Vengeful Ascension
Mastodon – Emperor of Sand
Mavradoxa – Lethean Lament
Arcadea – s/t
Death Fortress – Triumph of the Undying
Condone – World of Human Wreckage
Wode – Servants of the Countercosmos
Mother Moon – Bathed in False Light
Pallbearer – Heartless
Devilish Art – Temple of Desintegration
GOATWHORE!
AVERAGE!
Speaking of which, here’s a recent video I shot right up at the stage with my phone at Northwest Terror Fest a couple weekends ago:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQf8xP6wVoU
Fuck yes! The only time I’ve gotten to catch them live was at a tiny place called Ziggy’s in Chattanooga 2010-11ish. There were about 25-30 people there (including the other bands) and it felt like a private show. Those guys played like it was a full arena. I was already a fan, but that’s where my true love for GOATWHORE!!! was born.
As per usual I’m way behind on my metal listening these days, and these lists are just a reminder of that fact. But a few picks I haven’t seen mentioned so far:
Ulvegr – Titahion- Kaos Manifest
Dawn of Ashes – Daemonolatry Gnosis
Wolfkhan – Cyber Necro Spirituals
Diablerie – The Catalyst vol I
No order:
Horn – Turm am Hang (2017)
Witherfall – Nocturnes and Requiems (2017)
The Ominous Circle – Appalling Ascension (2017) !!!
Heretoir – The Circle (2017)
Synaptik – Justify & Reason (2017)
Hellripper – Coagulating Darkness (2017) !!!
Loved that Hellripper album! So freaking fun!
Seide – Beyond the Fallacy
Atrexial – Souverain
Aversio Humanitatis – Longing for the Untold
Au Champ des Morts – Dans la joie
Eskapism – Tales of Elder Forest
NONE – NONE
Whoredom Rife – Dommedagskvad
Solbrud – Vemod
5 to start–and judging from the number of albums mentioned above that I’ve not even heard yet, lots of discoveries yet to make! Good problem to have.
ENDON–Through the Mirror (I mean, holy fuck)
VIOLET COLD–Anima
FALLS OF RAUROS–Vigilance Perenial
DARKFLIGHT–The Hereafter
PHRENELITH–Desolate Endscape
Really psyched to check the new Pyrrhon in a month or so.
Been building mine since Jan. Tons of great stuff so far.
Including my finds of older stuff too cause it’s all been heavily listened too as well.
1. Pallbearer – Heartless
2. Dool – Here Now, Then There
3. Wormwitch – Strike Mortal Soil
4. Black Anvil – As Was
5. Forming the Void – Relic
6. Venenum – Trance of Death
7. Wode – Servents of the Countercosmos
8. Tyrannosorceress – Shattering Lights Creation
9. In the Company of Serpents – Ain-Soph Aur
10. Azarath – In Extremis
11. Henry Kane – Den Förstörda Människans Rike
12. Goatwhore – Vengeful Ascension
13. The Furor – Calvalries of the Occult
14. Assault – The Fallen Reich
15. Dig Me No Grave – Immemorial Curse
16. Wrath From Above – Beyond Ruthless Cold
17. Barbarian Swords – Worms
18. Norska – Too Many Winters
Top older records found in 2017
1. Necropanther – S/T (2016)
2. Bewitcher – S/T (2016)
3. Sear Bliss – Eternal Recurrence (2012!)
4. Goat Semen – Ego Svm Satana (2015)
5. Hellbringer – Awakened from the Abyss (2016)
6. Funeral Chic-Hatred Swarm (2016)
7. Graveir – Iconostasis (2016)
8. Slugdge – Dim & Slimeridden Kingdoms (2015)
9. Barbarian Swords – Hunting Rats (2014)
10. Orwell – AVOHFASIH (2011!)
Personal 2017 Top 10 so far (with so much to hear)
Mors Principium Est – Embers of a Dying World
Persefone – Aathma
Dark Portrait – A Harrowing Atrocity
Serenity in Murder – The Eclipse
Falls Of Rauros – Vigilance Perennial
Depeseblo – Nightmare Desolation
Pure Wrath – Ascetic Eventide
Wormwood – Ghostlands: Wounds From A Bleeding Earth
Nightbringer – Terra Damnata
White Ward – Futility Report
Falls Of Rauros- Vigilance Perennial
Pillorian- Obsidian Arc
Grima- Tales of the Enchanted Woods
Arkheron Thodol- Thaw
Cover of Night- The Depths
Fen- Winter
Fellwarden- Oathbearer
Honorable Mention:
The Hill You Die On- Morningstar EP
Greetings fellow metal miscreants:
I’m a frequent reader of NCS, but I have now lost my commenting virginity–horray! Every year is packed full of great metal releases and 2017 is definitely not different in that sense. Without further adue, I’m just going to list a few bands that have appealed to me the most thus far:
Death metal Band So Far:
Hideous Divinity (the demon child of Hate Eternal and Hour of Penance)
Very close runner up:
Immolation
Black metal band so far:
Corpus Christii
Grindcore band thus far:
Phobia
I will have many more to post once the official year-end Listmania season arrives.
Thank you to all the resourceful metal maniacs that peruse and post on this site.
What I’m listening to right now that I’d recommend: Heresiarch
Welcome to our foul lair, de-flowered brother. We look forward to more comments from you!
Oh, forgot something in yesterday’s post. One album no one here has mentioned that I deem very worthy for others to check out: Samsara – “When The Soul Leaves The Body”.
Melodic doom/death with a great balance of heaviness and melodies. FFO: Eye of Solitdude, Majestic Downfall, Décembre Noir.
Woops, typo. Eye of Solitude*
Our contributor Wil seems to agree with you — he put it at No. 6 on his list of Top 10 releases of he year so far:
https://www.nocleansinging.com/2017/07/07/wil-cifers-top-10-of-2017-so-far/
that flag is anarchist as fuck.
Indeed it is. Pretty sick when you watch it move too:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLkmQWPfWEI