(Andy Synn’s week-long series of year-end lists continues with his personal list of The Critical Top Ten for 2016. Click these links to see his lists of the year’s Great Albums, the Good Albums, and the Disappointments.)
For those of you unfamiliar with how this works, I always wind-up my week-long retrospective with two lists, the “Critical Top Ten” and the “Personal Top Ten”.
Now the second one is probably pretty self-explanatory, in that it’s just a list of the ten albums I’ve loved, lived with, and listened to the most this year. It’s really just a snapshot of my personal listening habits/tastes over the last twelve months.
The idea behind this one possible needs some explaining though.
You see the “Critical Top Ten” is where I try (as best I can) to remove my own personal biases and downplay any favouritism and instead attempt to name the ten albums (unranked) which I feel honestly represent the best of the best from the last year in Metal.
Of course it will always be coloured by my personal tastes a little bit, as I obviously can’t comment on albums I haven’t heard. And, to an extent, it will always be informed by the more underground-focussed perspective we have here at NCS too.
However, that doesn’t mean that we’re biased against the bigger names. In fact many of my previous entries have found me selecting a number of more popular releases as being amongst the “best” of the year.
But since we’re not beholden to our audience here at NCS (although we love our readers, we don’t write our articles to pander to them — we write what we want to write, in the hope that it will be appreciated on its own terms) it frees me up to dig a little deeper, and look a little further afield, for what I consider to be the true cream of this year’s crop, without having to concern myself that I need to include x-number of mainstream artists so as to maximise our exposure.
Now I’m not saying the albums I’ve selected below are THE ten “best” album of the year. For one thing I don’t have the authority to set down in stone what the “best” albums of the year are, as if my opinion on the matter is some sort of incontrovertible fact. And, for another, ten albums simply isn’t a large enough sample to adequately represent every nook and cranny of the many-faced and multi-faceted genre we all love.
But I am confident enough to include each one as a representative of just how good, just how great, this year has been.
One thing I’ve done differently this time around is that, instead of supplying a list of “Honourable Mentions”, I’ve chosen to pair up each of my main selections with an alternative suggestion, just to widen the scope a little, and provide our readers with something else they might be interested in checking out. Hopefully it will prove to be a change for the better.
So now, without further ado, here are my choices for ten of the absolute best albums of 2016.
WITHERED – GRIEF RELIC
Why does this album deserve to be considered as one of the year’s very best? It’s just so goddamn nasty. In the best possible way.
Now Withered have always been one of the most consistently devastating – and consistently underrated – bands in the worldwide Metal scene, and although Dualitas is possibly still my personal favourite, their fourth album is arguably their best work yet.
A cacophonous, chaotic (yet always controlled) conglomeration of blistering Black Metal, lurching Sludge, and heaving, angular Death Metal, the material on Grief Relic is both physically crushing and mentally challenging. This is an album that doesn’t play nice, and doesn’t pull any punches, and which deserves to be heard by anyone with a true appreciation of extreme art in all its glory and ugliness.
If you like this, try: The Lion’s Daughter – Existence is Horror
Speaking of “nasty”, Blackened Sludgemeisters The Lion’s Daughter practically revel in their own filth and nastiness on Existence Is Horror, whose ten tormented tracks are practically tailor-made for anyone who wants to take a walk on the wicked side.
https://thelionsdaughter.bandcamp.com/album/existence-is-horror
HARAKIRI FOR THE SKY – III: TRAUMA
Vital, visceral, and positively overflowing with melancholy melody and raw emotion, III: Trauma is the sound of a band finally hitting their stride and delivering something truly special.
The eight tracks that make up this album have energy and hooks to spare, and though I still feel like “Dry The River” would have been the perfect closer, I also have to admit that there’s not a single weak moment on this album. Every single song has its own identity, its own style and soul, and every element, from the fiery, impassioned vocals, to the majestic, melodic guitar work, absolutely shines.
Of course I still have some issue with people calling the band “Black Metal” (I prefer the term “Post-Traumatic Blackened Melodeath” myself), as the tag really doesn’t fit the music these days (if it ever did), but no matter what you call it, this album is a real gem.
If you like this, try: Oathbreaker – Rheia
I’ve mentioned before that this album has been wildly overhyped by some people (largely those who wouldn’t otherwise be caught dead listening to “Black Metal”), but that’s not Oathbreaker’s fault. They just make music. Forceful, dynamic, deeply affecting music which is taken to a whole new level by the versatile, vivacious, and volatile vocals of Caro Tanghe.
https://oathbreakerband.bandcamp.com/album/rheia
OBSCURA – AKRÓASIS
Above and beyond all the backbiting and infighting which plagued the band this year there remains a simple truth – Akróasis is the most progressive, most creative, and simply the most outstandng album which Obscura have produced thus far.
Packed with more complex, inventive riffs, intricate, progressive melodies, and clever twists and turns, than you can shake a stick at, this album sees the quartet picking up the baton left behind by Cynic in the wake of the ground-breaking Focus and slipping the surly bonds of earth, burning brighter and more boldly than ever before.
And though the band is clearly Kummerer’s baby, the contributions of new drummer Sebastian Lanser, now-departed guitarist Tom Geldschläger, and long-time bass maestro Linus Klausenitzer – whose slippery, sinuous bass lines are always a highlight – shouldn’t be diminished, as it definitely takes two, or, in this case, four, to tango.
If you like this, try: Blood Incantation – Starspawn
For a more firmly “underground” alternative to Akróasis look no further than Starspawn, the frankly flabbergasting debut from Denver denizens Blood Incantation. Mixing old-school Death Metal vibes with some more modern progressive twists, it really is an incredibly immersive statement of intent by a relatively young band (though I feel like it needed maybe one more killer track to fully seal the deal).
https://darkdescentrecords.bandcamp.com/album/starspawn
WODE – S/T
Sometimes innovation is overrated. Especially when it comes at the expense of potential perfection. And, for anyone who calls themselves a fan of Black Metal, auditory experiences don’t get much more perfect than they do on the self-titled debut by Mancunian metallers Wode.
Tracks like the storming “Death’s Edifice” and the dramatic, dynamic “Plagues of Insomnia”, find the Mancunian three-piece (recently upgraded to a quartet) channelling the true spirit of classic Black Metal with unflinching, unapologetic ferocity, without ever resorting to simply aping the classics themselves.
I realise I’m taking a bit of a risk in selecting this as one of the ten best albums of 2016, but quite frankly I haven’t heard another album this year which delivers the thrills and chills of pure, unadulterated Black Metal in the same way as this one.
If you like this, try: Inquisition – Bloodshed Across the Empyrean Altar Beyond the Celestial Zenith
If that mouthful of a title isn’t enough to choke you, then the plethora of rampaging riffs spread ten-feet thick across the length and breadth of the latest, and quite possibly greatest, album by the infamous Inquisition possibly might. Just make sure to take a deep breath before you dive in.
LYCUS – CHASMS
As I said in my column yesterday, I honestly don’t think I’ve heard another album as utterly cavernous and as captivating as Chasms this year.
The sheer, oppressive weight of this album is a true sight for sore ears, every humongous, groaning riff and hoarse, guttural bellow delivered like the desperate gasps of a dying man. Each of its four songs is a colossal slab of funereal Doom and gloom, loaded end to end with ominous passages of crushing, claustrophobic intensity and sudden eruptions of blasting ferocity, punctuated by moments of desolate melodic beauty.
And yet, for all its dark, depressive density, it’s an incredibly compelling listen, with the moody cello of Jackie Perez Gratz in particular helping to conjure an atmosphere of mournful, morbid romanticism.
This is one for the darkest nights of the soul, make no mistake about it.
If you like this, try: Monolithe – Zeta Reticuli
Cleaner in sound than Chasms, Monolithe’s sixth album (and the direct sequel to 2015’s similarly stunning Epsilon Aurigae) is a cosmological journey of doomy grandeur and titanic grooves, split into three epic movements of prodigious, pan-galactic power. ‘Nuff said.
https://dmp666.bandcamp.com/album/zeta-reticuli
UNFATHOMABLE RUINATION – FINITUDE
It was a close-run thing between this and Krighsu for which band represented the best of the brutal this year, but the British barbarians ultimately just snatched the title from the grasp of their Spanish cousins with their savage second album, Finitude.
The funny thing is that, although Finitude is without doubt one of the most ear-bleeding, face-meltingly violent and punishing releases of the year, it’s also somehow incredibly catchy as well, overwhelming and infecting the senses like a particularly virulent strain of STDM (Sonically Transmitted Death Metal).
Chunky, churning grooves, convulsive, slamming twists and turns, blasting drums that pound and pulverise, riffs that carve and slash and slaughter – plus a sanguinary splattering of bleeding melody – are what Unfathomable Ruination deliver on every single track of this album, leaving 99.9% of their peers broken and bleeding in their dust. And that’s why it’s on this list.
If you like this, try: Wormed – Krighsu
I mean… duh? If you want an alternative slice of unremitting , unforgiving brutality – only, you know, IN SPACE – then go and get yourself some Wormed in your diet immediately.
https://wormedsom.bandcamp.com/album/krighsu
DÉPARTE – FAILURE, SUBSIDE
Harrowing, heart-wrenching, and utterly devastating – both sonically and emotionally — Failure, Subside is not only one of the finest albums of the year, but also one of the finest debuts I’ve heard in the last decade.
Overflowing with atmosphere and armed to the teeth with a blackened cascade of acid-drenched riffs, and scalding blastbeats, these seven songs of tempestuous, twisting dissonance and spiteful, spine-tingling melody are seemingly designed to strip the listener of all their illusions and defences, exposing the raw nerves and bleeding wounds which dwell just beneath the surface of the everyday façade.
Particular credit must go to the lyrics and vocals of Sam Dishington, who practically bares his soul with every guttural utterance and mournful clean-sung passage, adding a painfully human element to the band’s apocalyptic auditory assault.
This is a perfect soundtrack to the end of days. So crack open a Fosters, crank your speakers up loud, and settle in to watch the world collapse.
If you like this, try: Zhrine – Unortheta
Ulcerate and Deathspell Omega comparisons aside, there’s no denying that Unortheta is one of the most fascinating releases of the last twelve months. Spacious, dynamic, eloquent, and effortless in its extremity, the fact that it didn’t make my main list doesn’t stop this being one of the year’s best albums.
https://zhrine.bandcamp.com/album/unortheta
MITHRAS – ON STRANGE LOOPS
What more can I say about this album? In a year full of awesome Death Metal releases of the more Technical/Progressive variety, On Strange Loops is the clear victor by a solid parsec.
The meteoric bombardment of gatling-gun blastbeats, fret-mangling solos, and utterly MASSIVE riffs on this album is an absolute delight. The vocals hit you right in the solar-plexus with an almost physical, palpable force, while the hooks dig themselves right into your brain stem.
And, despite the air of relentless forward motion which drives the album, these tracks are still brimming with atmosphere, from the proggy diversions which punctuate stunningly ferocious songs like “When The Stars Align” and “Time Never Lasts”, to the eerie ambient touches which introduce “Odyssey’s End” and “On Strange Loops”.
If you’re going to take a nearly ten-year break you have to make sure to come back with something truly special. And that’s exactly what Mithras have done with this, their new magnum opus.
If you like this, try: Fallujah – Dreamless
With a more ambient-tinged, and slightly less brutal (though still f***ing heavy) approach, ex-Tech-Death-Core tykes and now Prog-Death wunderkinds Fallujah made some serious waves this year with their third album, and for good reason. It’s a beautifully bombastic, truly fantastic release, and one which fully deserves all the hype.
MANTAR – ODE TO THE FLAME
How to describe the band’s sound? Stadium-Sludge? Doom-Thrash? Blackened Death-Punk? Who knows… and who cares? All you need to know is that no other album this year has been able to match the sheer steroidal energy and sneering swagger of Mantar.
With a sound that’s bigger and ballsier than other bands with twice as many members, the German duo kick out the jams on this album like they don’t have long left to live, spitting forth cruel, calloused hooks, knife-edged riffs, and thundering grooves with reckless abandon.
Tracks like the monstrous “Praise the Plague”, the priapic, strutting “Born Reversed”, and the brooding beatdown of “Sundowning” – not to mention the utterly contagious “Era Borealis” – are amongst the heftiest, hookiest, and most anthemic slabs of metallic vitriol produced by any band this year, and would serve equally well as the soundtrack to a drunken squat-party, a street-sweeping riot, or a meth-fuelled multiple murder spree.
And, really, what more could you ask for?
If you like this, try: Cobalt – Slow Forever
Double your album, double your pleasure? It’s a risky tactic, make no mistake. But the potential payoff is huge. And even though, as I said in my review, it’s probably a little too long for its own good, it’s hard to know what you might cut, since so much of this album is Grade-A, prime metallic meat.
https://profoundlorerecords.bandcamp.com/album/slow-forever
IN THE WOODS… – PURE
Comeback of the year? Quite possibly. Most majestic album of the year? Most definitely.
There’s lots of words I could use to describe Pure. Sombre. Melancholy. Mature. Uplifting. Progressive. Intense. Grandiose. Forward-thinking. But not one of them or, indeed, any grouping of them, would be able to fully capture the astonishing nature of this album.
The songs are deep and enigmatic compositions, instantly accessible and yet endlessly rewarding. The guitar work is sublime, all gripping, growling riffs and soaring, spiralling leads. The drums are nimble, powerful, creative. The keys add an air of mystery and magic to every single song. And the vocals… the vocals express so much emotion, hope and despair, loss and longing, pain and pride, that it’s almost impossible not to get caught up.
Absolutely, 100%, one of the most captivating and rewarding albums of 2016.
If you like this, try: King Goat – Conduit
From one legendary act making their long-awaited return, to a band making their unexpectedly awesome full-length debut, Prog-Doomsters King Goat deserve to held up alongside the very best of the year’s offering with the borderline-masterpiece that is Conduit, which sees the Brighton-based quintet setting a ludicrously high bar, not just for themselves, but for anyone else who thinks they can follow it.
https://kinggoat.bandcamp.com/album/conduit
******
So there you go. That looks like a pretty good cross-section of this year’s best releases to me, touching base with everything from Black Metal to Sludge, from Progressive melodic musos to Tech Death titans, with some Doom, Punk, and Grind-edged brutality thrown in for good measure.
I don’t expect everyone to agree with my selections of course (chance would be a fine thing), but I can hold my head up proud and say that I truly think these ten albums represent 2016 at its absolute best.
Tomorrow I’m throwing all semblance of care or caution to the wind, and publishing a list of my ten favourite albums of the year. So, if you’re interested into where my personal tastes have been leading me over the last 365-ish days, make sure you tune in again.
72 Responses to “2016 — A YEAR IN REVIEW(S): THE CRITICAL TOP TEN”
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Awesome list, really love and agree with the idea behind Critical vs Personal. That said, these lists make me feel like I’m the only metalhead who still actively enjoys Power Metal. Why is it that pretty much every big metal site completely ignores it?
Because it’s terrible. And you are terrible.
Now… LEAVE THE HALL!!!
(Kidding, obviously. I guess Power Metal is just one of those genres we don’t really touch upon here, because I don’t think any of our writers are really “into it”. Though I occasionally dabble in some Power-adjacent bands, such as Firewind and mid-period Mercenary)
Oh, and Into Eternity. Really can’t wait for their next album.
They used to be one of my favorite bands growing up! Still a big fan of several of their records.
Didn’t you just recently do a Synn Report on Shatter Messiah, a band that I would describe as “Nevermore-core”…i.e., aggressive and technical, but still very much power metal?
I know that I’m in the minority by being a big power metal fan (as in, I have sung in a power metal band before) and still being a regular around here. As a metal fan, however, I love balancing all the darkness and aggression of the bands NCS covers with great power and traditional metal albums.
I know other people who like that same balance, and I’m glad that folks like you still visit here despite the dearth of coverage for power metal and “classic metal” releases.
I’m from a really diverse background as a musician: Americana, blues, and classic rock were the foundation my father built for me. I took up cello and classical vocal performance as a teen, and still love both (and have a huge classical record collection). But as much as classical melodicism (especially the English and French traditions thereof) influences a lot of what I like in power metal, I also took a liking to atonal and 12-tone composition in college. That was about the same time as I discovered Opeth, Meshuggah, Death and Gorguts – all of whom feel more like some sort of modern, brutal art-music to me than they do anything like conventional popular music. NCS and its community have really helped shape how I see and understand extreme metal, and you deserve a lot of praise for building such a diverse and thoughtful site, Islander. It’s a great place for the musically open-minded to visit and explore.
I can’t speak for other metal sites, but every writer at this site only writes what they personally enjoy and want to recommend, i.e., we don’t assign reviews. And I think it just happens that none of the regular writers here enjoy power metal. We each undoubtedly have our own reasons for that. In my case, one clue comes from the name of this site. 🙂
Believe it or not, I was raised on copious amounts of power metal. Rhapsody – Power Of The Dragonflame is still one of my favorite records ever, sue me! From time to time I have covered releases here that are heavily power metal influenced but not purely power metal ….like Gladius Sky (Which features Hannes Grossman on drums) https://gladiussky.bandcamp.com/album/ex-metallo
And Terracide to name another power metal influenced release I’ve covered here at NCS before! https://terracide.bandcamp.com/album/existence-asunder
But I’m just not as interested in new power metal releases or the style as a whole anymore compared to when I was a teen.
I may or may not have a melodic power(ish) metal release in one of my upcoming lists. I actually enjoy quite a bit of melodic metal.
If it makes you feel better I do enjoy some power metal myself, (and this is coming from a guy who almost put a band called Wargrinder on their year end list)…Its just that its one of those genres I really need to be in the right mood for to really enjoy it
As everyone else fails to grab the bull by the balls and give the most obvious answer, and rather aim to provide factual, thorough and rational answers like grownups, I’ll assume the roll as a troll’ish child:
Because this is No Clean Singing. It’s in the title, duh.
(I will, however renounce the opportunity to follow up with silly emoticons and incomprehensible three-letter abbreviations, as I’m only pretending to be 14 years old.)
My 12-year-old mind is clapping your 14-year-old on the back. And then punching it in the nuts for fun.
My 10-year-old self would totally give both you guys wedgies
Power Metal is no fun. Power Metal endanger the life and happiness of millions. It must stop.
We appeal in particular to the youth of today. Stop the madness. There are better things in life.
The website Angry Metal Guy gives power metal a fair shake and reviews entries to the genre fairly often.
This, of course, is one of AMG’s biggest flaws, but it seemed like something you might care to know.
As a trained medical professional I’ve recommended that they have that tumor surgically removed, but they don’t seem to be listening.
As a totally unqualified craftsman, I’d be willing to make them a very good deal, offering to remove it.
I’m sure it would only hurt for a few hours. I assume you would perform the job without anesthesia (I mean other than for yourself).
I recommend you go to Toilet ov Hell and introduce yourself to Randall Thor for your Power Metal needs.
Fuuuuuuuuuck I love these lists.
Thank you thank you thank you.
You’re welcome (x3)
Very nice list. I am happy to see Mithras on here, as they haven’t been popping up on many year-end-lists as of yet. I have no idea why….the album is monstrous. i would also add Schammasch for their work of art “Triangle” and would also add Waldgefluster – Ruinen…what a fantastic record!
I’m into power metal when it’s done properly like Lost Horizon, for example.
Absolutely shocked Clouds has had so little attention. Maybe you’re not FUNeral Doom fans though.
Don’t get the big deal about Harakiri for the Sky.
Wish I enjoyed that ITW’s as much as you did, my review of it just came up on Heathen Harvest.
I saw Withered years ago, can’t even remember with who at this point, and they put on a solid set, so much so a hundred bands later and I still remember them and not most others. I’ll have to give this a listen finally.
Personally, I would have to say Fyrnask-Forn is one of the top ten metal albums of the year, anyone who hasn’t checked them out yet I highly suggest.
Love how you’ve complained that we haven’t listened to Clouds on practically every list so far. Kudos.
Good! You doofus, that was the Doom metal album of the year! This is a true super group that has taken a genre to its ultimate limit. Not recognizing that seems simply absurd.
Doofus?!?! We don’t like that kind of foul language around here. Wash your mouth out with soap, twice, before bedtime.
Nope, Lycus was the Doom album of the year. It says so above.
Ahem. “Lycus”? That’s laughable! Clouds put out the best DOOM album this year – don’t deny it. Stop trying to be different – you’re only appealing to hipsters. Have fun with that. I thought I’d found a credible metal music site to frequent. Apparently not – laters!
We all had these lines written in our minds, but I’m still glad to see the actual words in print.
I wonder if that guy ever actually came back?
I hope he somehow finds these comment threads, it would probably make him feel really good to know what he’s inspired.
I think sometimes people miss out on a great album, and that is a shame. Do you really disagree with that?
I think you have a weird obsession, does that count?
Now THAT’S a list! Great to see Mithras up there. I liked Slow Forever more than Ode, but we’re splitting hairs at this point. And I love the Wode album. Bleak, heavy, and aggressive. I don’t pre-order many albums anymore (too many disappointments), but this year I pre-ordered the Mithras and Wode. No regrets about either.
It’s a hard hair to split imo.
Happy to see Wode and Lycus on here as well as an alternative recommendation for Zhrine. I was late to that Wod e album, but so glad I finally grabbed it. I know Forteresse got an ample amount of hype among those I’ve associated with this year, but for me Wode is so much more dynamic that it’s hands down the better of the two. I’d probably put Sorcier des Glaces album North just above it though, but only because my taste runs toward atmospheric stuff and North is such an elegant album, if any black metal could ever be described as such.
Ooh, elegant is a good word. I don’t use it enough.
I could probably recommend some other “elegant” Black Metal albums though, if I thought hard about it.
Well, first of all thank you for taking your time to make all those lists. I didn’t give your disappointing album list a proper view. But your good and great albums list were enjoyable and showed me some insight of what I have missed. Although just a handful of bands caught my attention and most of the others didn’t leave an impression on me, I usually go through your lists even if it means taking some time of from my regular listening habits (sometimes it took me a day to get all those bands I didn’t know before). Bands that made it are:
Teethgrinder
Departe
Glorior Belli
Deviant Process
Necronautical
Zhrine
Mithras new album didn’t live up to my expectations after hearing their previous albums, that’s the reason why Mithras won’t make it in my top 30 albums this year. Withered are in my top 30 and Harakiri For The Sky too. The rest of those bands mentioned on here weren’t to my liking.
I’ve been seeing Teethgrinder in a lot of comments, if not on a lot of article lists, and all this time I’ve been thinking, “Really? Did so many people really think that album was that good?”
But I’ve just realized that I’ve been thinking about Toothgrinder, not Teethgrinder. I haven’t heard Teethgrinder.
You should really check out Teethgrinder’s latest one. It’s so good.
I just heard one song of Teethgrinder and I thought “god damn, this sounds amazing, might be even better than Nails.” which are truly overrated. So I will give their album a full spin on monday and after that I can clearly say that I liked their new album as much as the one song I have heard so far.
No Black Crown Initiate? No Vervum? List INVALID!!!!!!
Virvum
Sigh…
I’m really enjoying Lycus now – thanks!
You’re welcome. Any time anyone is introduced to a new band with one of these lists I feel like I’ve done a good deed. Maybe one day I’ll get my wings!
Lots of good stuff on this list, though I can’t see how Obscura and Mithras can both be on here. To listen to Mithras is to understand how inessential the new Obscura really is.
False. Both are wonderful and deserve to be on these lists.
I disagree (well, obviously, right?) as I think both albums are clearly going for such drastically different approaches. Mithras is more of a Technical album, with some proggy influences, while Obscura is a more Progressive album which just happens to be played by some very talented people.
I am surprised though how THAT has been the album which has divided opinion the most out of all of these. That’s not what I would have expected.
Great list, but the Mantar does nothing for me, guess I’m in the minority there. Maybe it’s a grower. I’ll give it another listen eventually. The Unfathomable Ruination doesn’t really do anything for me either. The latter I’ll chalk up to my enjoyment of that style just diminishing in general, as I’ve been listening to bands that put a bit more effort into crafting an atmosphere or a vibe lately. If this was my list I’d probably replace that one with Zhrine or Blood Incantation.
And fuck it, I’ll agree with Gipson as well. Even as a bassist and lover of fretlessy noodling, the Obscura just sounds like an hour of showboatin’ to me. What’s the line from Amadaeus? Ah yea, it had too many notes!
To be fair, only a couple of these albums are amongst my personal favourites of the year (Mantar being one of them, FYI), as although I think UR (for example) are probably the best of the most brutal albums I heard this year, they’re not necessarily something I’d crank all that often. My list tomorrow (well today, really) will be quite different.
Also, don’t ever agree with Gipson. He’s a terrible person. He once bought an entire orphanage just for the free child labour.
Bravo for the Emperor Joseph II reference. Love that movie.
“So crack open a Fosters”.. wait, are you Australian!? Crickey 😉
No, but the band are…
It should be noted that noone in Australia actually drinks Fosters. (Plenty of people do drink other, worse beers than Fosters, but that’s a different story…)
There’s WORSE beer than Fosters?????
Kidding, kidding. I actually will drink a Fosters if it’s offered to me. It’s not the worst beer in the world.
Though it’s hardly my first choice.
Well, like all variants of the Australian standard style lager, Fosters should be consumed at as close as possible to zero degrees (the beer, that is; ambient temperature should of course be above 30), thus rendering the tastebuds ineffective.
Back on track, I really like your new selection-plus-alternative format here. Who says metal coverage is stuck in a rut? I really wish you’d found the time for Vektor this year, though. It’s still my number one album after giving everyone else about 6 months to retaliate. When forensic metal fans of the future look back through these contemporary reports, they’ll only find Vektor when they start to process the comments… Posterity is a hard taskmaster!
Thanks. I stole it from Aintitcool.com which, although generally a crappy site these days, still does a really good “Best 31 Horror Films Since Last October” list every Halloween, where they give a fun alternative to each of their main selections.
Also, truth be told I’ve never heard a SINGLE Vektor song in my life. I’ll get round to it one day. Probably.
OK. a dozen more albums slipping under the radar that need catch-up. From what I heard, Harakiri, Unfathomable, Wode are must listens, I give you that.
Haven’t heard any of these releases yet (shame on me). Some of them seem like very interesting releases.
I’ll definitely look into them!
Just when I think my personal top 20 for this year was pretty solid, you have to go and put up a list like this. Somehow I missed all but one of these (In The Woods, which wasn’t really my thing), so I’m working on rectifying that now. Started with Harakiri for the Sky, which is gorram amazing.
As always, my earholes love you…and my wallet absolutely detests you.
And I love your earholes.
Mithras smash Fallujah to dust. Not really fair to compare the two…
Seems pretty fair to me.
Very glad to see King Goat get some recognition, Andy. An amazing debut, yes, but also (to my ears) a welcome revitalization of the old Candlemass sound. Also, quite possibly, the vocal performance of the year.
I really wanted to make it one of the main top 10, to be honest, but felt it was just that tiny iota below the bar that, say, Into The Woods, had set.
It could easily have gone the other way though, as it’s an “amazing debut”, as you say.
I totally understand where you’re coming from. I did put Conduit in my Top 10 list, but keep feeling that there are a few other albums that just have a little more going for them and should be there instead.
I keep avoiding Pure, largely because of one very negative review over on a site run by a pseudo-Swede with whom you have an on-going camel joke. I’m going to get over that negativity promptly, however, in no small part due to your placing it in King Goat’s company.
Did AMG slate it?
I spend a fair bit of time over there, but sometimes I miss things.
What a solid, chock-full of riffs, list of hell this is. So many good items here.
Obscura is definitely one of my faves for the year. As is Mithras. Both just blew me away.
Nice to see Unfathomable Ruination getting some love. It’s definitely in my Top 3 for the year.