Fates Warning + Manilla Road?

Clearly I've been missing out...

Kinda surprised no one is raving about the new Argus. They've literally released a masterpiece with "Beyond the Martyrs" of 70s styled heavy metal. Right up this board's alley. The singer just kills it on every track, really powerful performance. Some of the guitars get a little thin in their melodies and throwback style (I'm used to the heavy crunch of German and Swedish power metal's modern production values) but altogether everything works well. Check it out.

The new Argus is indeed better than their last one. Only heard it once so far but yeah it's a very good album and it's leaving the doom influence aside to create a powerful and concise 42 minutes release.

SAcriphyx-The Western Front
Cultes Des Ghoules-Henbane



These are without a doubt my two favorite releases so far this year. Really looking forward to Nocturnal Graves though. Also Grave Upheaval should me a mammoth of an album.

Overall, 2013 has been a so-so year for me. I still ha haven't jammed the new Grave Upheaval enough to add it, but right now 2013 is:

Cultes Des Ghoules- Henbane
Wormlust- The Feral Wisdom
Bolzer- Aura

Bölzer is quite interesting, certainly. It's a rather strange album, but there's plenty of atmosphere in it, and it does sound quite great.

It's got a pretty high spot on my year end list which is odd for a 20 minute EP, I kinda think Entranced By the Wolfshook overshadows the other songs a little because it's so insanely great, but it's a ripping EP, I want a full length of their stuff already.

Here's what I liked...

well, everybody knows Voivod have released a great album, but the same can be said for the awesome Extol self-titled come back and for the last Darkane as well.
The true surprise is the debut full length of the incredible italian tech band Memento Waltz, entitled "Division by Zero"! Incredible technical skills at display without sacrificing the songs themselves, a must if you like Watchtower, Spiral Architect, Meshuggah, early Sieges even and tech bands in general!

After initially being disappointed by the new Arsis I revisited it and something just clicked. I think it's their best since the Diamond for Disease EP, will probably show up in my top 10 this year.

Hypothermia Svarti Loghin ‎– Tanke & Minne

Pentagram Chile's The Malefice album is incredibly great, and anyone who is a fan of primitive South American metal such as Vulcano or Sarcofago should give it a listen. The fact this is their first release in many years makes it even better, what a brilliant comeback! I think they're playing/played MDF as well...

Gehenna - Unravel

This is some serious surprise here. I have never been an expert on this band but this album is very different from what I have expected.
It is very oldschool and depressive album and it has some spirit, some songs are really "inspired". I'd rate it 8/10.

Damnit, I forgot Mansion! I'll add Tribulation too, so tough to do a top 10 -_-

Funeral Circle's self titled debut is AWESOME. I've only listened to it a couple times so far, so this is probably a very premature comment, however... best doom debut since Epicus Doomicus Metallicus? And yes, it is better than In the Rectory of the Bizarre Reverend, which is also quite good.

It's OK. Pretty solid, but I don't think they've really hit 'great' yet. Promising though.

LOL no way, dude. It's a good album but it's nowhere near In the Rectory, let's not exaggerate. Funeral Circle has good songs but overall it was underwhelming compared to their EP.

I like some Reverend Bizarre, but I've always found them kind of overrated. In the Rectory is a really good album, but to me it's not top tier. For Funeral Circle, I haven't heard the EP. As for the full length, it's got a great atmosphere all throughout, I love the sections with the guitar harmonies, and I love the vocals.

Really?
I knew Matthew and Stephen (who I had no idea was back in the band) several years ago, from shall we say formative but not-so-tr00 origins, but haven't talked to either in a very long time and as such have not really followed FC. Eager to check this out, both were really smart guys with great taste in their corner of metal (doom was never REALLY my thing).

Edit: The lineup listed on the CD is pretty much completely different from the current lineup listed on the band page apart from Matthew B. (Pilgrim). Are they both actually accurate?

All I know is, my CD booklet says this:

Matthew Barzegar Electric guitar
Jeremy Hannigan Vocals
Steven Mulleady Acoustic and electric guitar, bass, keyboard, drums

It also says, "Special thanks to Ian Tellier, Tanner Hartmann, Mike Cillis, Alastair Miller and Zak Garrett for musical input."

Just looked on MA's band page, and like you said, almost completely different lineup. That's a huge shame. Only one guitarist. I hope he will still do harmonies on record. Judging from how many instruments he's credited with on the CD, it looks like the main man behind the band was Steven Mulleady, and now he's not there. Bah. Although it appears he wasn't on the 2008 demo.

Well, in the very early days (the 2007 demo) the band was Stephen's, but then his life got complicated in some way and I believe he moved out of the Vancouver area completely. The band was really Matt's from that point onward I think, including the 2008 demo and Sinister Sacrilege EP. I don't pretend to know everything about it, I pretty much stopped communicating with them both around the time of the 2008 demo. As you can see though, Obelisk and Black Colossus are both much older songs from the 2007 and 2008, so it's not like their style has ever gone too off the tracks despite the change in songwriters/personnel, although there were certain inclininations toward NWOBHM on Sinister Sacrilege that interested me less than the early demos and this album (as I'm listening to it). Both were very committed to being a traditional doom band and probably agreed on a lot musically anyway (or at least enough to do an entire album together, apparently.)

Ecocide - Eye of Wicked Sight

Old School styled Death Metal with a lot of Bolt Throweresque grooves and a healthy injection of Thrash.
The lyrics deal with Sci-fi themes and are delivered with good deep and coherent growls. Very good riffs that never get stale and a neat production that allows you hear all the instruments.
In short, it's a banger from beginning to end.

Just got Rocka Rollas "Metal Strikes Back" and must say this is a delightful album and one of the best speed / power albums I have heard in a while. Every track is memorable and full of variety, total head banging heaven. Ced is a fuckin riff machine, he knows how to write stuff that will not bore the shit out of you but instead inbed itself in your brain. Already working at the follow up and if this is anything to go by I cant fucking wait. Move over Rock n Rolf...

If you go back to the early pages of this thread, all these random releases get rave reviews from posters and yet have not been mentioned elsewhere or since.

Anywho....no one has talked the new Kataklysm or Hail of Bullets and both are fantastic. HoB is their usual crank and Katakylysm's choruses are so much better than other DM acts.

The Rommel chronicles is easily one of my favorite death metal releases this year, but I can't bring myself to listen to the new Kataklysm album, I think I watched some glossy new video they did for this new release and couldn't even finish the whole song because it was just so new Kataklysm-sounding, if you get what I mean. This is the first praise or even mention of their new album that I've heard yet.
Pyrexia's new album Feast of Iniquity is pretty solid, anyone that was fond of Criminal Element's glory days or death/grind era dying fetus should definitely check this one out.

Wędrujący Wiatr - Tam, gdzie miesiąc opłakuje świt

Damn right I copied and pasted that.
The music here is Atmospheric Black Metal and as it is in most cases, the riffs are repeated a lot. But it works very well because the riffs are very beautiful and melancholic. The sound a bit muffled but you can hear all the instruments very well and it suits the music. The vocals are very good too, they remind a bit of Roman Saenko's. The songs are lengthy but the album is quite short(4 songs) and it leaves me wanting more.
Very good debut

I've been enjoying the Live Burial demo, proper old school Asphyx worship, sounds fucking filthy.

http://liveburial.bandcamp.com/album/demo-2013

A few of the members are playing in a tech. death band called Plague Rider who are putting out an album next month, sounds like old Atheist style riffy tech. stuff from the single they've got out.

Live Burial are quite cool, good discovery.

This.
I completely agree. I checked them out after seeing them on the rec thread and was very pleased. Beautiful is a good word to describe it.

Aye great band, class bunch of blokes too, been in a bunch of bands with the vocalist for years. If you're into grind check out his old band Rat Faced Bastard, sounds like a grindcore Bolt Thrower.

http://ratfacedbastard.bandcamp.com/

Blasfemia - Dioses/Humanos y Bestias (2013)
They finally have a full-lenght after almost 30 years of existence.
Quite weird vocals.

My list is pretty much engulfed in doom metal as usual, hehe.


Cathedral - The Last Spire
Alice in Chains - The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here
Ice Dragon - Born a Heavy Morning.
Gallow God - The Veneration of Serpents
Witherscape - The Inheritance
The Fall of Every Season - Amends
Voivod - Target Earth
The Flight of Sleipnir - Saga
The Ruins of Beverast - Blood Vaults
Nomad Son - The Darkening
Trouble - The Distortion Field
Skeletonwitch - Serpents Unleashed
Spiritual Beggars - Earth Blues
Kongh - Sole Creation
Kylesa - Ultraviolet

Anciients
Boards of Canada
Darkthrone
Gorguts #1
Grave Miasma
Helen Money
James Blake
Mogwai
My Bloody Valentine
Tim Hecker #1.2
VHOL
Wrekmeister Harmonies
Zozobra

still waiting on the new Big Business which I'm sure is going to rule

Motorhead - Teach You How to Sing the Blues

One of my favorite Motorhead albums - killer guitar tone, unstoppable attitude.

what do you think of Dark Gods Seven Billions Slaves (Von) and Divine Necromancy (Phantom) ?

here is the last one as it is not famous

Are you trolling with that song? In no way could sane human being give it more than 0%. Stupid bullshit.

I just bought kalmah's new album yesterday and I am enjoying the fuck out of it.

Regarding Funeral Circle, the current lineup is indeed not the same lineup that recorded the album, as I understand it, so the listing on MA is likely accurate at this time.

No, it's Matt. Hasn't been me since 2007. The album was mostly based on older material and some newer concepts and lyrics Matt wrote. Other than one song I never contributed anything new nor spectacular.

That being said, with all the older material out of the way the 2nd album should be a lot better. Matt has a lot of cool fresh ideas he's working on and I'm excited to hear it.

Celeste's new album Animale(s) has been a good listen so far. Definitely worthwhile if you're into sludgy black metal. They're a pretty good band overall and their albums don't disappoint.

Animale(s) can be streamed in its entirety here:
http://www.denovali.com/celeste/

Alright, sounds good. I'm assuming you're Steven Mulleady, so if so, it's cool to hear from you.