The Hesp of Sorrow: Fave Releases 2021
Everything is a 4 or higher. Top 10 are ranked, the rest is alphabetical. |
| 101 |  | Ad Nauseam
Imperative Imperceptible Impulse
blackened death metal
Favorite track: Imperative Imperceptible Impulse |
| 100 |  | Age Total
Âge ⱡ Total
sludge/doom metal
FT: Armure |
| 99 |  | Alora Crucible
Thymiamatascension
experimental
FT: Livanomancy in Jasper |
| 98 |  | Amenra
De Doorn
post-metal
FT: Ogentroost |
| 97 |  | The Armed
Ultrapop
noise punk
FT: Average Death |
| 96 |  | Ars Magna Umbrae
Throne Between Worlds
atmospheric black metal
FT: Metempsychosis (Transmigration of the Soul) |
| 95 |  | Big|Brave
Vital
sludge metal
FT: Abating the Incarnation of Matter |
| 94 |  | Black Sheep Wall
Songs for the Enamel Queen
sludge metal
FT: Ren |
| 93 |  | Blanket
Modern Escapism
alt metal/shoegaze
FT: In Awe |
| 92 |  | Blindfolded and Led to the Woods
Nightmare Withdrawals
tech death metal
FT: Rorschach and Delirium |
| 91 |  | Blurr Thrower
Les Voûtes
atmospheric black metal
FT: Germes Vermeils |
| 90 |  | Bridge Burner
Disempath
blackened crust
FT: Chlorine Eyes |
| 89 |  | BRUIT
The Machine Is Burning...
post-rock
FT: Industry |
| 88 |  | Charnel Grounds
Molecular Entropy Examined in the Bowels of a Grea
tech death metal
FT: Desecration of the Host: Madness Complete |
| 87 |  | Closer (US)
within one stem
emotional hardcore
FT: Landslide |
| 86 |  | Cold Cell
The Greater Evil
black metal
FT: No Escape |
| 85 |  | Converge
Bloodmoon: I
gothic metal
FT: Lord of Liars |
| 84 |  | Cult of Luna
The Raging River
post-metal
FT: Three Bridges |
| 83 |  | Cursetheknife
Thank You For Being Here
shoegaze
FT: In Dreams |
| 82 |  | Deafheaven
Infinite Granite
shoegaze
FT: In Blur |
| 81 |  | Decline of the I
Johannes
black metal
FT: Dieu Vide |
| 80 |  | Delta Sleep
Spring Island
indie rock
FT: The Softest Touch |
| 79 |  | Emma Ruth Rundle and Thou
The Helm of Sorrow
sludge metal
FT: Crone Dance |
| 78 |  | Eos (CAN)
Les Corps S'Entrechoquent
atmospheric black metal
FT: Les corps s'entrechoquent |
| 77 |  | Erdve
Savigaila
sludge metal/hardcore
FT: Betonas |
| 76 |  | Eremit
Bearer of Many Names
sludge/doom metal
FT: Secret Powers Entrenched in an Ancient Artefact |
| 75 |  | Every Time I Die
Radical
metalcore
FT: The Whip |
| 74 |  | Fawn Limbs
Darwin Falls
experimental metalcore
FT: Twitching, Lapsing |
| 73 |  | Five The Hierophant
Through Aureate Void
experimental metal
FT: Pale Flare Over Marshes |
| 72 |  | Frontierer
Oxidized
mathcore
FT: / Hope |
| 71 |  | Fyrnask
VII - Kenoma
black metal
FT: Helreginn |
| 70 |  | Glassing
Twin Dream
sludge/post-hardcore
FT: Absolute Virtue |
| 69 |  | Godspeed You! Black Emperor
G_d's Pee AT STATE'S END!
post-rock
FT: A Military Alphabet (five eyes all blind) (4521.0kHz 6730.0kHz 4109.09kHz) / Job's Lament / First of the Last Glaciers / where we break how we shine (Rockets for Mary) |
| 68 |  | Groza
The Redemptive End
black metal
FT: Sunken in Styx - Pt. II Descent |
| 67 |  | Hammock
Elsewhere
ambient/post-rock
FT: Future Past |
| 66 |  | Harakiri for the Sky
Maere
post-black metal
FT: Us Against December Skies |
| 65 |  | hawak
Nuoc
emotional hardcore
FT: unseen |
| 64 |  | Hiatus Kaiyote
Mood Valiant
neo-soul
FT: Chivalry Is Not Dead |
| 63 |  | Hippotraktor
Meridian
progressive metal
FT: God Is in the Slumber |
| 62 |  | Hollie Kenniff
The Quiet Drift
ambient
FT: Quell |
| 61 |  | Hope Drone
Husk
post-black metal
FT: Existere |
| 60 |  | Hundreds of AU
Acting from Remote Satellites
emotional hardcore
FT: Symbolic |
| 59 |  | In Mourning
The Bleeding Veil
progressive death metal
FT: At the behest of night |
| 58 |  | Kanonenfieber
Menschenmühle
black metal
FT: Grabenkampf |
| 57 |  | Kayo Dot
Moss Grew on the Swords and Plowshares Alike
experimental metal
FT: The Necklace |
| 56 |  | Lantlos
Wildhund
shoegaze/post-metal
FT: Amber |
| 55 |  | Lingua Ignota
SINNER GET READY
experimental
FT: THE SACRED LINAMENT OF JUDGEMENT |
| 54 |  | LLNN
Unmaker
sludge metal
FT: Interloper |
| 53 |  | Mare Cognitum
Solar Paroxysm
black metal
FT: Ataraxia Tunnels |
| 52 |  | Mastodon
Hushed and Grim
sludge metal
FT: More Than I Could Chew |
| 51 |  | Moanaa
Embers
post-metal
FT: Lie |
| 50 |  | Modern Color
Now, Life Is Living You
alt rock/shoegaze
FT: Now, Life Is Living You |
| 49 |  | MOL
Diorama
post-black metal
FT: Tvesind |
| 48 |  | Nadja
Luminous Rot
drone metal
FT: Fruiting Bodies |
| 47 |  | Noctambulist
The Barren Form
blackened death metal
FT: Depletion |
| 46 |  | Noise Trail Immersion
Curia
dissonant black metal
FT: Coercizione |
| 45 |  | Noltem
Illusions In The Wake
atmospheric black metal
FT: Illusions in the Wake |
| 44 |  | Perennial Isolation
Portraits
black metal
FT: Emanations from the Swallowed Twilight |
| 43 |  | Plebeian Grandstand
Rien ne suffit
experimental black metal
FT: Angle mort |
| 42 |  | Portrayal of Guilt
We Are Always Alone
blackened hardcore
FT: Garden of Despair |
| 41 |  | Pupil Slicer
Mirrors
mathcore
FT: Collective Unconscious |
| 40 |  | Really From
Really From
emo
FT: Apartment Song |
| 39 |  | Rorcal and Earthflesh
Witch Coven
black/sludge metal
FT: Happiness sucks - so do you |
| 38 |  | The Ruins Of Beverast
The Thule Grimoires
black metal
FT: Kromlec'h Knell |
| 37 |  | Sarah Neufeld
Detritus
ambient/neoclassical
FT: Tumble Down the Undecided |
| 36 |  | Sarin (CAN)
You Can’t Go Back
sludge metal
FT: Leave Your Body |
| 35 |  | A Secret Revealed
When The Day Yearns For Light
post-metal
FT: Monument of Guilt |
| 34 |  | Sermon of Flames
I Have Seen the Light, and It Was Repulsive
blackened death metal
FT: Vehemence |
| 33 |  | Shy, low
Snake Behind The Sun
post-rock
FT: Helioentropy |
| 32 |  | Siderean
Lost on Void's Horizon
death metal
FT: Sidereal Evolution |
| 31 |  | Slow Crush
Hush
shoegaze
FT: Hush |
| 30 |  | Snag
Death Doula
emotional hardcore
FT: Heirloom |
| 29 |  | Spectral Lore
Ετερόφωτος
black metal
FT: The Sorcerer Above the Clouds |
| 28 |  | Sugar Horse
The Live Long After
post-metal
FT: Terrible Things Are Happening As We Speak |
| 27 |  | Sunless
Ylem
tech death metal
FT: Ascended Forms |
| 26 |  | Sweet Trip
A Tiny House, In Secret Speeches, Polar Equals
dream pop
FT: Tiny Houses |
| 25 |  | Teeth (USA-CA)
Finite
tech death metal
FT: The Fog of Futility |
| 24 |  | The Temple (NZ)
The Temple
blackened death metal
FT: Void of Scars |
| 23 |  | Tenue
Territorios
emotional hardcore |
| 22 |  | Thou
Hightower
sludge/doom metal
FT: The Fool Who Thought He Was King |
| 21 |  | Tim Hecker
The North Water
ambient/soundtrack
FT: Seasick |
| 20 |  | Trophy Scars
Astral Pariah
bluescore
FT: Brother |
| 19 |  | Ulvik
Cascades
atmospheric black metal
FT: Nokhur |
| 18 |  | Vertebra Atlantis
Lustral Purge in Cerulean Bliss
black/death metal
FT: I Saw Thee Quietly Inurned |
| 17 |  | Vorvan
Awakened
metalcore
FT: Paths We Have Strayed From |
| 16 |  | A Winged Victory for the Sullen
Invisible Cities
ambient/neoclassical
FT: Total Perspective Vortex |
| 15 |  | Wolves in the Throne Room
Primordial Arcana
black metal
FT: Masters of Rain and Storm |
| 14 |  | Woman Is The Earth
Dust of Forever
black metal
FT: Crystal Tomb |
| 13 |  | Young Mountain
INFRAROD
emotional hardcore
FT: Lovely |
| 12 |  | Youth Novel
Youth Novel
emotional hardcore
FT: XVI |
| 11 |  | Zao
The Crimson Corridor
metalcore/sludge metal
FT: Croatoan |
| 10 |  | White Ward
Debemur Morti
post-black metal
FT: Embers
These two tracks are ALMOST on par with Love Exchange Failure, and I am very excited to see what will come next of White Ward's brand of jazz-tinged black metal. Also, that First Reformed sample is choice. |
| 9 |  | Dormant Ordeal
The Grand Scheme of Things
blackened death metal
FT: The Borders of Our Language Are Not the Borders of Our World
This was a very late game addition to the list, as it was only released at the beginning of December and I didn't hear it until today. But boy am I glad I made time for it before finalizing my list. It's a pulverizing death metal onslaught, and almost immediately I knew it was going in my top 10 for the punch it packs. |
| 8 |  | Demersal
Death Routines
blackened hardcore
FT: Worry
A delicious little slice of chaotic hardcore with a black metal aftertaste. If you enjoyed Noise Trail Immersion's Curia but found yourself getting impatient during the acoustic interludes, this EP is for you. |
| 7 |  | Genghis Tron
Dream Weapon
experimental metal
FT: Dream Weapon
Speaking as someone who was a big fan of Genghis Tron back in the late 00s, the new sound they exhibit on Dream Weapon was surprising but entirely welcome, even exciting. It's as though they skipped forward to what they would have naturally evolved into had they never gone on hiatus and instead kept releasing albums continuously for the past decade. It's a lot more polished and mature, but still retains enough of the bite that made their early work so enthralling. Color me intrigued to see where they go next. |
| 6 |  | So Hideous
None But a Pure Heart can Sing
blackened post-hardcore
FT: The Emerald Pearl
That genre tag up there is the best I can do, but honestly it doesn't do the album justice. I've spotted traces of everything from Ennio Morricone to the Mars Volta in the span of the album, and yet it all coheres into a gorgeously singular experience. |
| 5 |  | Los Males Del Mundo
Descent Towards Death
black metal
FT: Falling Into Nothing
I have no idea what to call this particular strain of black metal that Descent Towards Death falls under--which values urgent pacing and crisp production over the atmospheric aesthetic that is black metal's bread and butter--of which Der Weg Einer Freiheit's Finisterre seems to be the watershed moment--but I can confidently say that it's my jam. |
| 4 |  | Kvadrat
Ψυχική Αποσύνθεση
black/death metal
FT: Λήθαργος
2021 was a banner year for alloys of black and death metal (just scroll up if you don't believe me), but Kvadrat might just have nailed the formula. This EP is technically staggering like only death metal can be, but exudes the sort of atmosphere that only black metal provides, and weaves it all into tight, exquisitely crafted songs. |
| 3 |  | Der Weg Einer Freiheit
Noktvrn
black metal
FT: Morgen
Los Males Del Mundo put forward an extremely solid contribution, but DWEF remain the undisputed masters of this particular style. Noktvrn doesn't hit quite as hard as Finisterre did, but it still more than satisfies for any fan of that 2017 album. |
| 2 |  | Dvne
Etemen Ænka
progressive post-metal
FT: Court of the Matriarch
A common criticism of progressive metal is that it can easily get bloated and indulgent, and post-metal can often feel too sluggish for some listeners. Etemen Ænka is neither. Despite being over an hour long, it's so tightly composed and has such a fantastic urgency throughout that it flies by without a single second feeling superfluous. |
| 1 |  | The World Is a Beautiful Place...
Illusory Walls
post-emo
FT: Afraid to Die
Like Magus in 2018 and Clairvoyant in 2019, Illusory Walls was the album I needed in 2021. Several lyrics hit me like a goddamn semi, encapsulating specific anxieties I'd been having about the world in a way that made me feel less crazy, and "Fewer Afraid" gave me just an inch of hope about the future. |
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