lord_ghengis
Still Standing After 38 Beers... hic
Joined: Mon Dec 04, 2006 8:31 pm
Posts: 5957
Location: Australia
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 Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2014 3:55 am |
I usually do a pretty detailed post at the mid way point of the year so I'll do it the sake of the norm, but be warned 2014 is looking awful shitty right now so I've got shit all to talk about. While the second quarter of the year has offered at least one top tier album and another very good one, things are still feeling pretty slow around here. My conditions for end of year list entry are always pretty low (85%+), but even then I've struggled to find too much stuff I'm desperate to sneak a mention of in. There's been quite a few well hyped albums around, but I've been almost exclusively unconvinced. After a really solid trio of years following the kinda sucky 2010, I'm pretty disappointed. There is one album which is right up there in top 10 of the decade contention which keep me from saying this year looks as bad as any I've been around for, but in terms of numbers of good album it really does. As for trends in specific genres there was a little bit to talk about. After a few years being my favourite development in the metal world dissonant death metal finally seems to be hitting something of a saturation point for me. I still really like the sound and it still makes up a significant portion of my preferred albums for the year, even if many aren't listworthy, but 2014 marks the point where I'm struggling to really point out anything special about the acts involved in the scene. In recent years I could always blabber more about what Aevangelist, Altars or Lithotome were doing within this sound, but now we're at the point where all I can say is "more stuff in the scene". I still love it, but baring some really cool shit popping up my fickle mind may be straying soon. Death metal in general still seems to be my only happy hunting ground with the vast majority on my list being a variant of it, the increased riff focus of the last couple of years seems to be remaining the key approach. Everything else has been going in directions I dislike for the main part. Given the relentless mediocrity of the full length offerings this year, it's quite surprising to see how good the standard quality of the EPs put out this year were. I don't like to put sub 20 minute things on my list (Unless it's a grind album) so sadly they don't get special placements, but I could make a mean top 10 EPs list release already, with top-line bands like Blut aus Nord/PHOBOS, Svartidaudi and Bolzer yet to make their entries into this shorter category. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- BestAs with last year I'm spoilering my 85-89% worthy albums, since they're not outstanding, more just things I liked enough to want to talk about. Last year it was kinda nescessary because the year was awesome and my list ran back to the mid thirties, so hopefully this won't look so ridiculous by December. Get your act together 2014.
8. Artificial Brain - Labyrinth Constellation (Technical Death Metal) {Profound Lore Record}
This one took a few listens to really appreciate fully. Basically it isn't what their awesome 2011 demo promised, and appreciating it for what it is took a few listens. In short this is a rather easy on the ears take of twisty death metal which brings Dysrhythmia to mind more than Portal, sharing about 50/50 time with straight up super noodly tech death, it's actually pretty fresh and cool. It's quite a lot more surgical and mechanical than I'd hoped, with most of that Demilich-y organicness lost in favor of complexity and technique, but it is pretty good. I'm pretty happy naming this my quality cut off point for list entry for the year.
7. Dirge - Hyperion (Post rock/Sludge) {Debemur Morti Productions}
This is my first revisit to this band in a decade, and things have gotten awfully mellow at the Dirge camp. The post rock side of things is ramped up, the harsh vocals are sparse, and there is very little in the way of relentless magnitude which made up a good half of their 2004 album. And I really don't mind, they've got a really enjoyable brand of post rock going on here, it's melodic, it lets them show off their atmopsheric side without resorting to tedious ambient stuff they were never very good at, and it actually moves pretty nicely (outside of the drawn out final song) with plenty of riff and melody changes. All very nice stuff which doesn't wear out its welcome or feel too derivative.
6. Akrotheism - Behold the Son of Plagues (Black Metal) {Odium Records}
I admit my enjoyment of this is at least partially related to my general ignorance of black metal as a whole. It's just not a genre I seek out frequently for either new or old stuff, so my knowledge of both classic and contemporary acts is quite thin. So with that said, this sounds pretty standard. I couldn't identify a single thing this DOES that is against the norm, I just feel they do it really, really well. Huge riff counts, subtley varied vocals, and bold and lively production, good drumming, nice melodies, I just really like it.
5. Lvcifyre - Svn Eater (Death Metal) {Dark Descent Records}
This is one of those ones I spoke about in the intro which play in my new pet-favourite style of dissonant DM but they don't really do anything unique with it. Basically they play the style, and play it well, and add very little to the mix. They're kinda in the same general school as as Maveth/Altars in that they're not all twisty all the time, instead using passages of discordance beside more traditional parts. However, they do add one thing and that is skullfucking brutality. This is easily the most relentless and violent album released in the style, with none of the mellowness which has been sneaking into the genre of late (*ahem*Artificial Brain & Dephosphorus*cough*), with every song dripping with insanely fast blast beats and intense brutality. It's kinda like a less-techy/less-Incantation-y Ignivomous with passages of Abyssals second album, but angrier. Pretty sweet stuff.
4. Halberd - Remanants of a Crumbling Empire (Death/Doom) {Self Released} I've tried not to get too excited by this one since I know the guys who made it, but in the end I've got to say I've failed. This is really great stuff, massively heavy yet catchy and riffy death doom with some Beanie-era Celtic Frost-esque faster parts. The vocals are fantastic (Chandy, make more Khanate worship btw), and the songs are diverse with subtle keyboard parts and melodic hooks breaking through the spiteful and crushing death doom I love so much, and it doesn't overstay its welcome like many doom albums. Seriously legit stuff guys. 3. Corpsessed - Abysmal Thresholds (Death Metal) {Dark Descent Records} I initially veiwed this is an album with great sound and some very cool parts but mostly average, but it has definitely grown to something I can feel confident in recommending freely and calling a deserving mention on my end of year list. This is by a huge margin the best sounding album Dark Descent has put out with a thick, massive guitar tone which successfully crushes all comers. Yet, unlike basically every successfully deep and devastating DDR sound before it, it remains dynamic and lively allowing the buzzier fast riffs to have a little bit of character to them. The higher pitched Finndeath leads are loud and clear and sound just great, and the band is fucking amazing at them (Middle of Ravening Times anyone?). They have a few too many parts where they play very slow and uninteresting riffs and admire their awesome tone, so I don't love it 100%, but the production, energetic bursts, lead melodies and just lead noises in general all blow me away, so I feel pretty confident saying this is one of the best things to come out of the retro death scene. 2. Impetuous Ritual - Unholy Congregation Of Hypocritical Ambivalence (Death/Black Metal) {Profound Lore Records} Oh, so this is where the good Portal ideas went. This is dark, distorted as hell and thickly obscured by its own filthiness, but, just like Portal used to do, this is deceptively busy and intricately composed music. While there is the slow, morbid number which thrives on simplicity and atmosphere, most of the album takes place between frenzied high tempo bursts of chaotic messy black/death with twisted and clashing riffs contrasting off of one another, with some more accessible just plain bent out of whack semi-grooves for colour ("Metastasis"). There is an insane amount of layering going on here, having two very distinct guitar parts playing at once is commonplace and it's very cool. Adding to the overall excitement of the product are the noisy and frequent solos, there's like two per song which is a real unique and fresh addition to an increasingly well trodden sound. This is a very good album which should keep me guessing and intrigued for quite a good stretch of the year. 1. Dead Congregation - Promulgation of the Fall (Death Metal) {Martyrdoom Productions} Now here's a follow up. After putting out one of the absolute landmark albums of the retro DM scene there hasn't been too much activity by these guys, but there's no doubt that they've still got it. The first few minutes of the album are actually pretty mundane, but once it finds its footing it is absolutely brilliant. The band is effortless in the manner they manage to balance varied atmospheres, tempo, riffing styles, weight, energy, amounts of melody, it's just a masterfully crafted death metal album. There's massive differenciation from song to song, any they're excellent at everything they do. Not quite[i] as good as [i]Graves..., but a complete ripper at any rate. The only album released this year that I'd go 95+ for. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ I do admit my total listening this year is down a little bit through a combination of stunted internet and life factors, but I've been sampling more stuff one song at a time than ever. In the spoiler tags here is everything I've heard in full, so if you think I've missed something awesome feel free to point it out, I may have sampled and dismissed it previously though.
List Worthy (85-100%)
Dead Congregation - Brings everything to the table, riffs, atmosphere, energy, heaviness, still at the top of the heap.
Impetuous Ritual - Oh, so this is where the good Portal ideas went, dirty and obscure but oozing with complexity and business in ever crevice.
Corpsessed - Amazing sound, some nice Finnish melodies, lead noise and plenty of filthy heaviness, more dreary churning than I'd usually go for, but the sound is great.
Halberd - Massively heavy death doom with beanie touches with some melodic relief and brilliant vocals.
Lvcifyre - Doesn't have a huge amount of identity beyond being a likely candidate for the most brutal dissonant death metal album out there, the violence is enough to get me past the general lack of creativity.
Akrotheism - Does nothing new, but does it well. Riffs 'n' energy with decent amounts of variation.
Dirge - Post rock up, ambience down, enjoyable and melodic stuff which moves along with decent pace and variation.
Artificial Brain - These guys have toned things down since their ripping 2011 demo, it's still a combination of tech death and Demilich styled dissonance, which is still cool, but the really twisted stuff has gotten rather mellow in style, being quite loose and friendly compared to the techy stuff all around it.
Good (70-85%)
Prajna - Fast, soloy, riffy power metal. (very) Weak vocals and few great hooks, but plenty of energy
Catharsis - Damn close to getting a spot. This is a worthwhile comeback from a 90s OSDM band, they've sacrificed the tech death for old school prog death, but it's good
Blut aus Nord - 2 song EP (plus an awesome cover) I know I know, I don't care, shit is fucking awesome. Like MoRT with more momentum. Honestly I think this is among best stuff released this year, but there's only 15 minutes of it.
Sunmata - The best nu-sludge I've heard in a while, very catchy stoner riffs, wonderful riff focus and plenty of addictive grooves. Even some kinda Nirvana vibes.
Agalloch - Retreads old works, doesn't look forward very much, has too many whispers, but hell, I like all the old allusions to stuff and they scrapped the shitty BM.
Mastodon - Here's a shock. This is poppy as fuck and you know what, it works. It's just catchy, radio friendly rock and it's inhertently enjoyable, no boring art shit.
Triptykon - Big heavy chugging riffs, beanie vocals, excellent production, not many real "holy shit" moments, but it's an enjoyable effort.
Domains - Good, unique stuff out of Spain. Has many rather "middle eastern" licks to many of the riffs, and has a rather intriguing guitar sound with a lot of high end which sounds almost symphonic over the death and carnage. Good shit.
Propast - Like Akrotheism, this is uninventive as hell but it's also legit. Only a three song + cover EP so it ranks lower, but the riffs, movements and sound all work.
Dread Sovereign - I know it's kinda the point, but it's a bit too stripped down and unambitious for it's own good. Has the ingredients for something stunning and settles for something cool.
Innsmouth - Sacriphyx was better. This is another sort of stripped back heavy metalised take on old school death/black, and it's a cool sound. Sacriphyx was better.
Conan - Not overly riffy sludge doom with a massive tone and kinda clean howls. Basically a cool sound over any sort of musical impressiveness, but it's a really cool sound.
The Wounded Kings - Massive Conan-esque guitar tone with some solid riffs, but the singer doesn't fit something so heavy. Basically she's a dirtier version of the chick from Mansion, and outside of the stunning title track I don't think it all works
The Ash Eaters - Aggressive, hectic and demented black metal. Both their most disturbing and extreme release yet.
Idolist - Lame soft song aside, pretty interesting little EP of solid BM with melodic, cascadian, rather heavy and ritualistic touches scattered about.
Terra Tenebrosa - More of the same no doubt, and it's starting to wear a little thin, possibly exasserbated by the super long song length.
Ea - Way more busy than they have been in the past, kinda like they're channelling Monolithe really, sad lead melodies are everywhere, faster parts, riffs. it's good.
Vainaja - Initially very cool death/doom on the slow death metal side, but it wears thing well before the meagre 38 minutes are up, and that's kinda sad.
Plebeian Grandstand - Kinda reminds me of Orgone? Sort of dissonant and semi-thin tech death with more hardcore inspired vocals.
Noble Beast - Iron Savoir by way of Manticora? Shamelessly cheesy, solid hooks, some songs think they're much more epic than they actually are.
Mayhem - I'm actually unfamiliar with post-DMDS Mayhem, kinda surprised to see how little Attila uses his range, it's got some weird, some brutal, not much great stuff.
Infestus - Some solid enough, floaty "weird" BM, has some dissonance, some twanging, some mechanical roboticness. Competent.
Slough Feg - Nothing overly new, a few moments I hated, and few moments I liked, vocals grated on me after a while. Has a few worthwhile tracks.
Abysmal Torment - The Katalepsy of 2014, just not as "big". Mixes together all the popular brands of BDM in enjoyable ways, but it was done better and more impressively a year ago.
Desecresy - Poorly produced which cuts back on the power of the midpaced stomp which makes up most of the album. Most of he Finndeath melodies are their weakest yet.
Thantifaxath - I'm getting Negative Plane flashbacks, a dissonant BM album everyone gets on board with, but I don't really feel the love. This a rather soft, melodic and clear one, and I dunno, without any real menace and destructiveness to go with it dissonant black/death just sounds a bit floaty to me. Panic Becomes Despair rules, but is an violent outlier.
Pass Mark (50-69%)
Primal Fear - Really like the vocalist, kinda somewhere between Rob Halford and the Hibria guy, but damn, these riffs suck.
Doom Vs: Not feeling it, just sounds like the boring Draconian songs with no female vocals.
Teitanblood - Intense with a good vocalist, riffs are few and far between and completly drag this down, I don't get this band.
13th Moon - Interesting for being one of the more difficult define black/death combos around, it's hard to tell which is more prevalent, still not a hugely impressive work
Behemoth - Blacker than usual, but doesn't really pack much punch and has very few good riffs.
Aeneon - Kinda a second fiddler to the AIDSy Hail Spirit Noir for quirky avant garde/progressive kinda-BM in the public mind, but this is pretty nice. Like most outwardly weird and genre swapping things it's not really GREAT at anything it does, but it's a very listenable, interesting album anyway. Stupidly overlong though.
Autopsy - Slow the fuck down. Lot of content, some actually fresh ideas but the execution is thoroughly uninspiring. Better than THR, but not by much
The Wizar'd - I hate the singer, lead melodies are good, riffs are meh.
Hour of Penance - This high position is very much owing to the strength of the first three songs, drops the ball hard. Brings in more chugging and toughguy crap than ever
Abaddon Incarnate - Disappointing, doesn't seem to have the same riffing quality and level of catchiness of the other albums.
The Atlas Moth - Noodles up, stoner grooves down, bored old man vocals up, cool hooks down.
Electrocution - "Lets reform and sound like a third rate band from 2002 with none of our defining traits"
Goretrade - God is this disappointing, their style of semi-brutal death just hasn't come over into the modern age all that well, There are good riffs are times, but there's way too much reliance of firing away on their lowest string and timing it alongside a blast.
Morbus Chron - Credit where it's due, this isn't an overrated copout like Tribulation last year: This is heavily committed to the psychedelic and retro rock touches. I couldn't say I like it, but it's definitely a genuine attempt at something. Honestly, it's kinda like the last In Solitude with screams, definitely not death metal, not that genre really matters, but anyone saying it's pushing death metal in new directions is a fool. I like the Solo Ripening Life and Start of Towards a Dark Sky, but most of this floated by me without an impression.
Anathema - Maybe I'm skewed by all the "they've gotten so wimpy" responses, but this pretty much the same as the last album, super gay and weak, kinda pretty at times, self apes a bit too much
Impaled Nazarene - I'm being very kind saying this is worth a 51 or more, this is mundane as hell.
Ribspreader - Bog standard. I remember enjoying myself well enough when I listened to it a couple of times, but for life of my I can't remember why.
Rubbish (0-50%)
Utter - I liked the first song for some reason when I sampled this, but everything from riffs, production, vocals and tempos are all just a bit off.
Zaum - Om with no swagger and nothing of interest to its ethnic sections, garbage.
Cynic - I listen to a fair amount of Euro power, and modern Anathema, but this is fucking gay.
Not yet rated.
Fungoid Stream - They're still the softest, most unmetal funeral doom out there, not as "aquatic" as the debut, but it does seem to be an inviting atmosphere. Needs time to sink in.
Slow - Another friend project I need more listens of to make sure I don't overrate, not in contention for my list, but pretty enjoyable, quite floaty and light funeral doom.
Naamath wrote: No comments, no words need it, no BM, no compromise, only grains in her face.
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I agree they are even better than the full length... I'm still waiting for my actual copy of the split, but I listened to the "SV" songs on their FB, pretty killer split all around. Seems both bands are actively writing and recording tons of new shit all the time.
