Top 25 albums of 2019
I've decided to pull my finger out this year and give actual explanations behind my choices, so here's my top 25 albums of 2019 :) |
| 1 |  | Saor
Forgotten Paths
I don't believe a band has ever made me want to buy their full discography so soon after getting to know them, but seeing their immensely beautiful live set at Damnation 2018 was nothing short of spectacular. Here we are with 2019's Forgotten Paths, an album that is so well-balanced and effervescend that it should probably be a benchmark for where atmospheric black metal has come over the last decade, and moreover where it will go in the future. It may be too overdone for some and certainly treads the same path set in stone by Saor when they formed, but the latest full-length is a culmination of everything that works and still manages to sound fresh and unrivalled. Sole creator Andy Marshall should be proud of his achievements, and this is absolutely no exception. |
| 2 |  | Abigail Williams
Walk Beyond The Dark
Did anyone expect Abigail Williams to return with an album as brilliant as this? Maybe, maybe not, but you have to admit that Ken Sorceron has done something truly special here. Each and every one of these tracks seems to have explored all ideas in previous Abigail Williams albums and yet there are fresh, new ideas in addition. It's more progressive than ever before, indulging in Sorceron's penchant for ambitious and adventurous soundscapes, the usage of violins harmonizing with some of the most gorgeous riff work known in the band's history. You could really pick any song as the album highlight, such is the versatility on offer here, but “I will Depart” and “Black Waves” are two of black metal's greatest songs in recent times, and that's saying a lot. |
| 3 |  | Inter Arma
Sulphur English
Sludge metal, but not quite as you know it. Instead, it's psychedelic, brave, menacingly toys with your preconceived notions of the slower sides of metal and twists them into new forms, inviting you to embrace Inter Arma and their slow-burning albeit majestic musical ideas. The production is always shrouded in misty, disturbing echoes but consistently makes you feel as if you're wandering through a pitch-black atmosphere, never to escape and ultimately never able to scream for help. Instead, “Howling Lands” and “The Atavist's Meridian” drag you down to lower depths than eve before and prowl around your psyche before plumbing even heavier riffs into your eardrums. An intense effort for sure. |
| 4 |  | Abyssal
A Beacon In The Husk
Abyssal have been on the radar for quite a while but not like this. It's still ultimately murky stuff and definitely presents a challenge to listen to, but those who take the time to explore what Abyssal have done here will largely appreciate what the album has done for death metal in its most underground and mysterious state. Forever encapsulating mind-numbing transitions in “Awakening/Metamorphosis” and dwelling in some of the most hellish, hallowed vocal echoes thanks to the title track, A Beacon in the Husk takes you on quite the ride through the darkest recesses of your own soul. |
| 5 |  | Sinmara
Hvísl Stjarnanna
One of Iceland's finest black metal exports return with thrillingly intoxicating musicianship and such intricate, fiery riff work which encapsulates all that is great about this sub-genre. The band seem fit to present memorable, harmonious guitar leads but these only build into more explorative, hellish sounds and eventually the likes of “Mephitic Haze” and “The Arteries of Withered Earth” will sound as if they're eating your soul from the inside. |
| 6 |  | Esoteric
A Pyrrhic Existence
It seems sacrilege that I knew more about Lychgate than I ever did about Esoteric, yet here we are, with latest full-length A Pyrrhic Existence ending up in my top 10 of the year. Goodness gracious this style of funeral doom is absorbing. The msucianship always seems to drag you into new depths of despair, lengthy epics beckoning you ever closer to the abyss as Chandler's gurgled, helpless voice is akin to a world-ending sermon, whilst the hard-hitting thrum of the rhythm section sounds less like music and more like an unavoidable, inescapable earthquake. Indeed, it's THAT deep and monolithic, and by the end of “Culmination” you'll be questioning your presence in such an uncaring world. |
| 7 |  | Falls of Rauros
Patterns in Mythology
Atmospheric black metal can be pretty magical in its simplest form, and that's precisely what Falls of Rauros have done with their lates full-length. The band haven't done anything out of the ordinary and instead stuck to what has worked for them since day one, yet because of that they've created some of the most beautiful melodies and harmonies in modern black metal whilst also providing archaic bellows and a whole surround sound of nature-inspired acoustics, culminating in one of the finest albums of its kind this year. “Weapons of Refusal” and “Last Empty Tradition” and quite simply, divine. |
| 8 |  | Sunn O)))
Life Metal
The album title may be particularly tongue in cheek, but Sunn O))) aren't clowning around here. It's business as usual, with the same focus on exploring minimalist drones and synth-drowning mania, and of course a few horns here and there to unsettle your impression. From ghostly vocal work (“Between Sleipnir's Breaths”) through ever-descending one-note riffs (“Troubled Air”) and classically-inspired closing climaxes (“Novae”), Sunn O))) have simply created their most accessible work without trying to be accessible at all. Weird. |
| 9 |  | Acathexis
Acathexis
Similar in terms of approach to the latest efforts of Numenorean and Downfall of Gaia, but so much more in terms of brevity and sonic mesmerism. Acathexis is made up of members picked from different groups worldwide, but all musicians seem to culminate in one uniquely groundbreaking sound which continually storms the borders, and opens up atmospheric black metal into new, more accessible realms. Mostly thunderous, always haunting and never forgiving, the closing moments of “Veins Hollowed” and “Stillborn//Isolate” forever virtuous and relentless. |
| 10 |  | Lingua Ignota
Caligula
Arguably the most disturbing album of 2019, and it's not even black metal (failed attempt at a metalhead joke there). Kristin Hayter has lended her voice to so many extreme metal acts prior to the release of this effort but with Caligula, her work is arguably at its most bare-bones and honest. Continually exceeding expectations and burrowing its essence deep into the listener's soul, Hayter takes her multi-faceted appearance to new extremes and presenting cacophony of ever-changing moods, a nightmarish menace which never stops haunting you for hours after you've listened to the album in full. Just hearing “Do you doubt me now traitor” alone is enough to understand the scorn of its creator. |
| 11 |  | Cellar Darling
The Spell
Cellar Darling's debut didn't really move in waves, and it was almost a case of a former member from a successful folk metal act trying to reap new rewards. The Spell is so much more and one hell of a giant leap from faltering footsteps. Murphy sounds more invigorated, the musicianship is more adventurous and a brilliant storytelling ethic composed via progressive song structures culminates in one of the finest records anna Murphy has been involved in. The melodies are both sharp and gorgeous, “Death” and “Insomnia” exploring Gothic influences whilst at the same time presenting something for all music listeners to enjoy. A very well-rounded effort indeed. |
| 12 |  | Nekroí Theoí
Dead Gods
Here's a band I'd never heard of before, but boy was I pleasantly surprised. Not only is this a debut effort from a group of admittedly young and aspiring musicians, it also excels in the ideas department and consistently seems fit to break new territory, deviating from the norm of brutal death metal and instead opting for gargantuan, post-10 minute epics such as the title track and “The Name Above All Names”. The future for this band is already (ironically) bright. |
| 13 |  | The Great Old Ones
Cosmicism
It's no surprise at this point that an album by TGOO should appear on my end-of-year list. After all, this French group's previous two full-lengths have been my albums of the year in the past, and though it's not the same this time round, they've still pulled it off all the same. Amounting to crushing crescendos in almost every track and providing breathtaking atmosphere absorbed by punishing, vortex-inducing rhythms, the band continue to inspire their peers with the likes of “Lost Carcosa” and the absolutely phenomenal “A Thousand Young”. |
| 14 |  | Tyr
Hel
Not just a return from Tyr, but a fantastic return which has culminated in arguably the best full-length this Faroese group has released. Bordering a runtime of 80 minutes may initially seem difficult to get through but you'll soon be singing along to those big-sounding choruses and monolithic build-ups reverberating around “Sunset Shore” and “Alvur Kongur”, not to mention plenty of fantastic riffs to appreciate. |
| 15 |  | Pinkish Black
Concept Unification
No one was quite expecting this from Relapse Records, yet here we are. A clearly psychedelic, hazy effort which really does pull on your brain depending on your mental state (listening to this on drugs is probably recommended), Pinkish Black's latest effort explores Floydian soundscapes twisted into form via doomy synths and harmonic albeit quivering vocal deliveries, though at the same time it seems those same vocals are pulled through a vortex and the listener's headache will ensue (in a good way). “Dial Tone” is probably the best example of this, but be sure to check out the bonus tracks for this album too, in particular the aspirational “We Wait”. |
| 16 |  | Tomb Mold
Planetary Clairvoyance
Mundane, grim, a whole cluster of the most disgusting sounds to emanate from sludge and doom are all found in Tomb Mold's latest effort. It's an admirable full-length, never slowing down but also allowing ideas to evolve into clearly ambitious and progressive musical sections, “Infinite Resurrection” and its worthy successor “Accelerative Phenomenae” both presenting the band at their most triumphant. |
| 17 |  | Pijn and Conjurer
Curse These Metal Hands
Two of Holy Roar's finest bands collaborate to give us not just a taste, but a full gourment meal utilizing the best of both worlds. Pijn present their charm, Conjurer present their gritty melting pot of different extreme metal styles, but hearing both together is the work of a clearly enjoyable recording and the tongue-in-cheek self-awareness is humour at its finest (i.e. T-shirts adoring the band name on the front and “Gives you! Baroness Energy!” on the back). Jokes aside, one can only hope more will come from this project. |
| 18 |  | Rosalie Cunningham
Rosalie Cunningham
Those who thought there was to be no life after Purson's exit have been proven wrong. I always thought Rosalie Cunningham would go solo and here she is with her debut, a flowery throwback to the innovative sounds of the late 60s/early 70s in which Cunningham can pen one hell of a catchy tune. Not only are her distinctively British musical mannerisms presented at the forefront (See “Ride On my Bike” and “House of the Red Wine”, but she clearly also likes to jam and evolve with such a strong psychedelic flourish, as lengthy closer “A Yarn from the Wheel” shows. |
| 19 |  | Raventale
Morphine Dead Gardens
Similar to Monolithe in its surround sound but always compelling in its delivery, Raventale's latest full-length explores the usage of atmosphere with harmony in mind. Funeral doom has this in spades already, but the lengthy songs here have such a consistent build-up that the hour-long presence seems to sweep briskly by, “This Forsaken Place” and “Morphine Gardens” presenting such gorgeous climaxes after already well-presented rhythms and melodies. |
| 20 |  | Haunter (USA-TX)
Sacramental Death Qualia
Listening to this album reminded me often of what Venenum did with their near flawless Trance of Death record, but Haunter seem to give more of a straightforward focus in their songwriting and it shows, the lengthy yet thoroughly fluent “Abdication” and closing title track both proving this band is a pleasant surprise in the ever-changing world of death metal. The music is also finely tuned yet shrouded in murky production values giving it that extra essence of mystery. |
| 21 |  | Asagraum
Dawn of Infinite Fire
It's a little old now to be laughing at females in black metal bands, and one listen to Asagraum's latest effort will assure the audience that this Dutch group are as serious about their art as we'd expect from any other group. Fiery from the start and featuring some of the most consistent riff work from ANY modern black metal band thanks to “They Crawl from the Broken Crypt” and the majestic title track, Asagraum are surely on the up from this point onwards. |
| 22 |  | Blut Aus Nord
Hallucinogen
Beauty in atmospheric black metal is so common, but Blut Aus Nord seem to present their je ne sais quoi so often that it's surprising they're not held in higher regard by extreme metal listeners the world over. Their latest album, adorned with wondrous cover design and arguably some of the finest songs in the band's cannon (“Nobos Nebuleam”, “Sybelius”, “Anthosmos”), is surely one of their greatest works. |
| 23 |  | Full of Hell
Weeping Choir
They've been clawing their way through the ranks of grindcore but finally Full of Hell seem to have released the album which will break them into more popular territory. Of course it's only 23 minutes long and flies by in a blink-and-you-will-miss-it sort of way, but the fact that the album's outstanding highlight amounts to more than a quarter of the album's runtime (“Armory of Obsidian Glass”) is both unique and pleasantly surprising considering the sub-genre. Elsewhere, heads will bang relentlessly. |
| 24 |  | Renounced
Beauty Is A Destructive Angel
More greatness from Holy Roar, this time in the form of a group known for bringing the heart of early-to-mid 00's metalcore into more modern times. Sure, you'll likely be reminded of Killswitch more than a few times but you can't deny the fluent melodies in “In a Years Turning” and “Calloused”, not to mention a hard-hitting pitburner for the band, “Calculated Risk”. |
| 25 |  | Minors
Abject Bodies
Another example of a record from Holy Roar continuing to showcase fresh talent from the UK. This particular full-length effort is barely over half an hour long but is filled to the brim with grim lyrical realism and pressurized rhythms. Closer “Garden of Dismalism” is one of the best current examples of gritty, depressive metallic hardcore. |
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