Every November here at NCS we renew a few year-end traditions that have been a part of our site since the early days, and I thought now would be a good time for a reminder, since we depend on our readers for help in rolling them out.
First of all, we’re approaching another birthday for our putrid site. We made our first post on November 21, 2009, and by resorting to higher math with the aid of a calculator, I’ve determined that in 10 days we will be five years old! We won’t need your help with that celebration when the blessed day arrives — we’re capable of patting ourselves on the back all by ourselves. We do accept presents; cash is preferred.
Second, we will soon be starting our year-end LISTMANIA series. There are three parts to that endeavor: We publish year-end lists of metal’s best albums that we find on certain “big platform” websites and zines; we publish year-end lists by our own staff writers and by special guests; and we provide a platform for our readers to post their own lists of favorite releases from the year that’s nearing an end.
We’ll need your help on that last part, so put your thinking caps on and start winnowing down what you’ve heard into the best of the best — we’ll invite you to start sharing your lists in about 2 weeks.
Third, in late December I’ll start rolling out my list of the year’s Most Infectious Extreme Metal Songs. I’ll need your help with that series, too: Early next week I’ll invite our readers to recommend songs released in 2014 that they’ve found to be most infectious (for newcomers, I’ll explain what that means in the invitation).
I listen to a lot of music every year, but I’ve not yet achieved a state of complete omniscience, and so I overlook things. With your help I can become part of a giant diseased hive mind of metal. I always look forward to that.
We have other year-end traditions, such as sacrificing annoying neighbor children as propitiation to the gods of metal, but those are performed in private.
So, now you’ve been warned. Start getting ready…
38 Responses to “NCS YEAR-END TRADITIONS ON THE WAY”
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Can we please make A Giant Diseased Hive Mind Of Metal the header?!
Done!
Let me just state, explicitly, that this site is NOCLEANSINGING.COM
We are not Decibel.
Or Rolling Stone.
Or any other blog.
Despite the fact that we refer to lists from those sites.
You’d think that would be obvious… but every year…
Thank you. Please be prepared to do this 20 more times.
Also, I can’t bear to post The Rolling Stone list this year.
Deafhaven. That’s laughable. Gorguts put out the best METAL 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
You, sir, have a long memory. 🙂
This still makes me laugh.
This will always make me laugh.
I wonder where he is now?
Well, i seem to recall Colored Sands being on this trve underground site called “Rolling Stone” so he is probably hanging out there with the rest of the Curmudgeons.
I love lists… #notOCD #iswear
I’m fairly convinced that all metalheads are OCD but undiagnosed or off their meds.
cant stop, wont stop 😛
Reading lists from major media sources/publications is always a cringe-worthy affair.
That is partly why I do it. 🙂 I confess that I have a sadistic streak. It’s kind of a window into what the rest of the world outside the underground considers good metal. Though most of the lists I post usually have a few gems salted in amidst the dreck, too.
i makes me sad when I see drek being considered the years best.
I mean, we al know rolling stone will count .5: Grey Chapter as best of the year on the basis of slipknots rep, not their skill or muscianship…
hell, they probably still want the top 10 of 2014 to be 70’s sabbath and 80’s maiden & metallica lol…
p.s.
I have masochistic tendencies, so I always fuind myself reading those lists….maybe we’re destined to meat, Islander? lol
and did I mention I can’t spell worth a crap?
HA! Join the club.
Oh god, Ive got a LOT of narrowing down to do
And I’m so looking forward to it!
My list will probably be procrastinated til the last moment, like most things in my life. But it will come.
I can hardly complain since I can’t bring myself to make a list at all.
so many awesome, awesome, awesome albums in the latter half of this year : )
Looking forward to seeing your favorites.
This year my list seems to be a top 50
Well, as you know, we don’t have any arbitrary limits on the length of these lists. 🙂
I might have my 2013 list done by the end of this year.
A good list requires an appropriate amount of aging in the cask.
My body is ready!
Im guessing the following will be on at least a few of the mainstream lists:
Mastodon, Arch Enemy, Atlas moth, At the gates, Agalloch, Behemoth, Opeth, Judas Priest, Machine head
4 of those I would be fine seeing, as I think 2 of them I think are legitimately fantastic albums, while the other 2 are also damn good.
1 of them I haven’t heard.
The rest…
Behemoth = Fantastic
At The Gates = still waiting on my copy.
The rest = Not to my tastes, or have not heard.
Although they might be good albums, there are always a few albums that get hyped across most mainstream lists. LIke deafheaven.I am guessing it might be Behemoth this year, as they have an interesting backstory, AND it is a fantastic album.
Christmas is best with NCS! This year might be the year I finally send in a contribution. I always mean to, and I wind up never writing any. 🙁
The best time of the year on NCS.
Many a malady of the ear this year. I cannot wait to find what’s new and pen my own down.
Nooo! It can’t be the end of the year yet… it’s far too early. I swear the year just started. Fucking time!!
I have a preliminary list with about 50 albums, and 10 albums i have not even heard yet. Hope to narrow it down to around 20 by the end of the year!
An admirable goal. If you’re like me, by the time you finish the narrowing process, you’ll have 70 on the list.