I'm confused - the final section of that song? I mean it's good, but the middle section of the song with the female vocals is much more memorable. 12:12 to the end has some awesome riffs for sure, but it isn't "majestic..."

Witch Mountain's self titled leaked, and it is great. Release date is this Friday 5/28/2018.

I'll be the first to second this. Just got through a couple of spins. I dig the rawness a lot. Never really listened to them before, so I can't compare this with their earlier albums. But this I like!

Abythic - Beneath Ancient Portals
https://bloodharvestrecords.bandcamp.co ... nt-portals

quite liked this one, not groundbreaking but still solid OSDM, specially liked the fact that instead of going for blasting speed they focus more on the atmosphere giving it a doom vibe at times, while still being fast when needed

kinda reminded me of Gorefest - False which is a old fav of mine

I know this album has been praised in every magazine and site known to man. But since I keep coming back to this album since I first heard it and haven't seen it mentioned here I thought I'd just make a quick mention of it here as well: Boss Keloid - Melted on the Inch



Prog-sludge-stoner-doom. Yeah it could be all that I guess. I just dig the shit out of this album!

Oh man, I know this band. I saw them live last year on a free show along with 10 or so other guys for audience. I guess that concert probably bited them in the ass economically speaking, but they weren't bad. Lemme check this one...

Barren Earth - A Complex of Cages

I haven't seen much talk on here about this album, but I love it.

This is the first album I've listened to by them and some of the "operatic" aspects of the vocals bothered me at first, but I've grown to love them. This album is filled with great melodies and memorable guitar parts.

I started with "On Lonely Towers" and it's basically the same formula as the new one. But "A Complex of Cages" seems to have more melodic parts. I appreciated it as well.

Yeah, it's a great album indeed. It sounds a bit more streamlined and easy on the choruses but they still play incredibly well. And Jon Aldará is easily one of my favourite voices nowadays so it's a killer combo right there.

Agreed on the Barren Earth album. I also had an issue with the vocals at first, sounded like a bad Roy Khan impression, but it really grew on me.

The new Voices album Frightened is pretty great.

here's a slightly proggy thrash debut from spain, i just randomly stumbled upon

an easily audible bass and nicely varied songwriting, that doesn't wear one out after two songs

first listen makes me think of a crossover megadeth, with some testament influence, tho' i'm sure that's a terrible description

The growling on that Barren Earth record sounds just like Nick Holmes on Gothic.

Of the 15-20 2018 albums I've heard, so far only one I feel is even top 10 worthy. I've been super disappointed in this year so far. I was happy to see Sleep released a new album, and it's in my list of things to listen to.

I really have been struggling to find things that seem good this year. Last year was pretty good, a lot better than 2018 so far IMO.

I've got a monster of an album coming this year, can't wait to post some more teasers when they are ready.

Yeah I'm waiting for it, my ears are ready. By how 2018 is going and my liking of the debut, I'm thinking it's going to be fitting into my top 10 at the end of the year.

A new Light This City. Only heard this song here but it already made me cum satanic blue stuff.

Just want to say thanks for suggesting this album. I'm all over this lately. It's beautiful, a real out-of-nowhere surprise.

I'm quite surprised that no none has posted info about the new Solstice album!



It's their third full-length, first in 20 years and its amazing epic doom metal - full of good riffs, solos and acoustic parts, so characteristic for Solstice. Solstice is really capable of building dreamy atmosphere in their songs. WHH is very, very good release, but I guess it's impossible to top "Lamentations", which is in my personal all-time top 10 of doom metal.
Anyone who's into Candlemass, Solitude Aeturnus, Scald, Atlantean Kodex and the like should treat this album as a mandatory one.

Bandcamp -> https://solstice-englander.bandcamp.com ... rse-hill-3

I'm quite surprised that you didn't read posts that were made around the time that the album actually came out

Svalbard – It's Hard To Have Hope



Holy crap. I just heard a few songs so far, but what a way to kick off this Friday!
It's a post metal album that sounds fantastic. If you're into this kind of metal then be sure not to miss it.

I would highly recommend
Kekal - Deeper Underground

It's avant-garde/experimental metal with electronic influences. I just posted the review here on the band's profile:
https://www.metal-archives.com/reviews/ ... her/315496

Gave it 90/100 just because of the sheer originality. FFO: Ulver, Sigh, Ihsahn, but musically it's not similar.
Worth checking out.
Bandcamp: https://kekal.bandcamp.com/album/deeper-underground
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/3WxKb4awMdQu0tQNxNxbzx

Cosmic Church - Täyttymys

A terrific farewell album for this project.. probably his best work among a really solid discography. This will definitely get repeat spins.

https://cosmicchurch.bandcamp.com/album/t-yttymys

I'll add one more..

D. from Woods of Desolation has a number of side projects which he's releasing demos from currently. Unfelled and Forest Mysticism have some good recent releases, but the pick of the bunch goes to Remete. The recent EP "The Winter Silence" is out on Cold Ways now.

https://coldwaysmusic.bandcamp.com/albu ... er-silence

It's very good for what it is, i.e. decent melodeath with soaring post-rock guitar melodies. Not as top-level as Insomnium or Enshine but still very enjoyable.

Also no one seems to have mentioned the recent solo record by Bob Katsionis. Great instrumental power/progressive with tons of infectious melodies and zero boredom.

I can’t vouch for or against Lik but the Ripped to Shreds debut is definitely great. One of my favorite death metal albums of the year so far. Andrew is a cool cat from a quick chat I had with him, and he’s already beginning to write new songs.

Autokrator is some nasty black/death, unique stuff.

Micawber - Beyond the Reach of Flame
https://micawberofficial.bandcamp.com/a ... h-of-flame

I'm still a few more listens away from deciding if this is awesome or just a good death metal album, but it's definitely worth checking.

This has yet to be released, but the entire album is available for streaming. Any fans of clean vocal, avant-garde, elegant, slightly theatrical (not symphonic) performance/soundtrack music should check this out. I listened to the whole album and it's really refreshing.

https://www.nocleansinging.com/2018/05/ ... ent-627305

the Aura Noir totally RIPS and is AotY for me (not that I'll be checking out a ton of stuff but hey)

The Wayfarer album that came out yesterday is interesting. Atmospheric black/folk with western themes (as in the American West). Need to give it a few more spins, definitely intriguing.

It is, but I don't like the production.

I had no idea he had new material. I will have to check that out.

Has anyone listened to Primitai's latest album? I'm always surprised they aren't talked about more. They've got a modern sounding take on traditional heavy metal with thrashy riffs, huge vocals, and melodies for days. This is one of the most fun records of the year for me.

I thought it was pretty good.. but so are their previous two albums. Not sure this one does anything much different, but its solid.

Among other albums worth mentioning this year:

Harakiri for the Sky: almost perfect insomnium-style post-black, not as sublime as last year's Der Weg Einer Freiheit and still a bit off to give it the highest mark but I've already played the album a hundred times after all
Syndrone: instrumental djenty/prog stuff, something like a cross between Paul Wardingham (whose recent album sounds like a complete disaster to me so far) and Sybreed
Ocean of Grief: Slumber v 0.5, not plain genius like stuff Lindholm writes but very good for what it is
The Ever Living: weirdly appealing post-metal with almost no prominent melodies but nice atmosphere and superb sound
Silence Lies Fear: crazy technical melodeath with deathcore flavor
Hinayana: because more Insomnium is more. Hope for further mixing improvements and more running time on the next release

This was pretty good, but....

Wow. Wow! This was absolutely beautiful. Thanks!

i didn't read through the whole thread but my picks in rough order:

ritual necromancy - disinterred horror <- holy shit what a disgusting incantation worship album. good mix of blasting destruction and slow doom
skeletal remains - devouring mortality: ass kicking combination of pestilence/demo hammer/death/suffocation. more chuggy/slammy bits than their previous albums, but the production is a lot more intense and actually captures how good they sound live compared to their previous albums
solstice - white horse hill: melancholic and epic. i heard some people complain that it's just the demos unchanged but since i didn't listen to those demos, i don't have a problem with that
torture rack - malefic humiliation: nonstop TUFF riffs
galvanizer - sanguine vigil: hm-2 deathgrind, like if rotten sound played death metal
exlimitir - it weighed itself in silver: total demilich clonery/worship but how often do we actually get that

demo/EPs i enjoyed:
sonic poison - yeah this came out in 2017 but it was december, good repulsion deathgrind shit
vile apparition - two ex-sewercide dudes doing tough suffocation shit
noose rot - vastum worship from gatecreeper and other guys
sentient horror - big step up their debut, drums might be mixed too loud but solid riffs and musicianship throughout

It's very rare for me to listen to US Black Metal as i tend to find Scandinavians just do it better, but this is very good indeed.

Uada - Cult of a Dying Sun
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tBMzPftXYM&t=268s

Freitot - Freitot



Debut album (I think) from three french guys playing pretty OSDM. I kind of dig this, at least after two, something spins. Band names that poped into my head while listening to this included Cemetary, Morbid Angel and Gorefest. Nothing groundbreaking, but, in my mind, worthwhile.

I think the songs on the album are way better than the demo versions, and they are changed slightly here and there. I kind of wished they didn't release the demo versions before the album the way they did. It kind of spoiled things a bit, especially when it's taken them 20 years for a new album and by the time it came out we've already heard half the songs on it. But either way, the album is fantastic and well worth the long wait.

I also think the bonus re-recorded version of Death's Crown Is Victory on the CD edition is far better than the original EP version.

Two more quick mentions today, both from Sweden.

Skogen - Skuggorna kallar



Atmospheric pagan black metal. Some of the songs drag on a little bit and sometimes I lose interest. But on the whole; not bad at all.


Snowy Shaw - White Is The New Black



It's Snowy and his first solo album. What else do you need to know?
Perhaps this: "Snowy describes White Is The New Black as a greatest hits album in reverse: this release compiles 12 tracks from six upcoming albums, two from each, and each pair of songs on White Is The New Black represents the sound we will some day hear from those future releases."