End Of Year 2016...2017 We Dine in Hell.
Its true. Thank the universe for music huh? Because 2016 blew. The world looks ready to also blow (or flood) any minute and then we will be sitting on a rock eating your dead best friends thigh with nothing to listen to but the screams of the children. Enjoy years like 2016 while you can. |
| 30 |  | Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard
Y Proffwyd Dwyll
Best Name Ever, Welsh doom with killer female vox. Its clean. Its not filthy doom (my usual) and it makes a nice change to be honest. These guys will blow up. (not literally I hope)
https://youtu.be/0y2g0g3r6hY |
| 29 |  | Cities Last Broadcast
The Humming Tapes
The Master Kammerheits ode to the seance. Dark ambient. Its like walking through Silent Hill.
https://youtu.be/dWPXGShOYlA |
| 28 |  | Syndrome
Forever and a Day
The Amenra Guitarist's second Album as Syndrome. Layers of guitar loops and lush Soundscapes. Spacey light ambient and then sudden walls of sound creeping up on you. Introspective and Beautiful.
https://youtu.be/gfn5G9_5EEE |
| 27 |  | John Zorn
49 Acts of Unspeakable Depravity in the Abomina...
Metal Zorn. Fifth Simulacrum record and arguably the best. The trio are on fire on this. Pure Madness. The Organ playing is insane. So much fun.
https://youtu.be/jAVGQ8zVXuM?list=PLXTVqeEQKphHUDL9kSnUKUhUAF4VwfC-O |
| 26 |  | Inter Arma
Paradise Gallows
Artwork of the year for sure. Inter Arma are another ridiculously consistent group. This is on the hella long side but so was the last EP. Pumped to be seeing these in April.
https://youtu.be/soco4K-w_yw |
| 25 |  | Bolzer
Hero
Heard people slating the vocals I absolutely Love them. Its more of the same but still a wonderful debut.
Riffs for days as always. I love the cleans too, come at me.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9nVcEzB_Ys&ab_channel=MetalVault |
| 24 |  | Almyrkvi
Pupil of the Searing Maelstrom
One of Sinmaras side project. Superb record. Cosmic space black metal or some shit. Iceland doing it again.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btnWAwQnBAQ&ab_channel=OdiumNostrum |
| 23 |  | Roly Porter
Third Law
Huge part of my early years listening to Vexd. His sci fi ambient releases Ive enjoyed. Deceptively aggressive. I read somewhere 'the epic moments are earned' About right.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVZjxlerb1A&ab_channel=Voneuen |
| 22 |  | Yussef Kamaal
Black Focus
British New Jazz Rearing its head at last. 'Strings of Light' is a classic already.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYUR38Yo8aw&ab_channel=BrownswoodRecordings |
| 21 |  | Catherine Christer Hennix
Live At Issue Project Room
Meditative,Middle Eastern Influenced drone. Catherines Works from the 70s have only come into light in the last 10 years or so. Found a real good review that explains more than I can.
here.https://boomkat.com/products/live-at-issue-project-room
https://imprec.bandcamp.com/album/live-at-issue-project-room
https://youtu.be/S3_XraWrbXk |
| 20 |  | Amenra
Alive
Been dying to get hold of the acoustic stuff with the added violinist/female vox. Tool cover is absolutely perfect. The intensity of the band is carried over into the acoustic arena effortlessly.
https://youtu.be/ph_UDu7egB0 |
| 19 |  | Deathspell Omega
The Synarchy of Molten Bones
Came back from out of nowhere and dropped this gold. Its short but Its got more packed into half an hour than most have in an hour. Typical DO. Dense,Nasty and more reveals itself with repeated listens. Its like getting a box of old electrical wires out that have been in the cupboard for years and having to unravel them yet FAR more enjoyable.
https://youtu.be/_pa-gruFS1Q |
| 18 |  | Elucid
Save Yourself
Another record I've been waiting an age for. Elucid of Armand Hammer/Cult favourite is one of my favourite MCs. First tracks annoying with the baby crying sample but thats because I hate kids. Rest is dope af. WELL worth the wait.
https://youtu.be/thkNq1_t6GE |
| 17 |  | Cryo Chamber
Nyarlathotep
Once a year the untouchable Dark Ambient label release a collaboration with some of the best artists in the genre (20 artists and more) in a tribute to H.P. Lovecraft. They have all been stellar. This might be the best. All though sitting through the 190 minutes in 1 go is pretty damn difficult!
https://youtu.be/8aas1Qrksls
https://cryochamber.bandcamp.com/album/nyarlathotep |
| 16 |  | The Body
No One Deserves Happiness
Female vox work great for me. Another first class The Body release as is the standard by them now.
https://youtu.be/4-bRY46mh8o |
| 15 |  | Paul Jebanasam
Continuum
Never heard of this guy before. Thanks Sputnik. Incredible. 'Imax for the ears' A quote I saw. A trip. Makes me feel like I'm travelling inside that machine on the cover.
https://youtu.be/yps5zJ4CULc |
| 14 |  | Ital Tek
Hollowed
Massive fan of early Ital Tek. I wasn't really down with the footwork era but this is probably his best for me. More of the kind of score sounds a lot of older producers are going for right now but better than anyone else for me this year. This track especially is absolute magic.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFeDkDwWmCM |
| 13 |  | Throane
Derrière-Nous, La Lumière
I like most of the stuff Treha Sektori puts out. As well as his artwork. This captures his dark ambient/drone sounds into a a suffocating black metal tinged record, Brilliant.
https://youtu.be/J0dVwTCcwiA |
| 12 |  | Ocean Wisdom
Chaos 93'
If you'd have told me a year ago a UK hip hop record would be my favourite for the next year Id have killed you. Actually Id probably just have laughed. I get why many people don't get UKHH as for 20 years I didnt but now labels like High Focus and Blah records are doing their own thing and making absolute stellar records. No longer trying to sound American. Lyrically OW is top of the heap. His ability to change up his flow and his double timing are incredible. Its a joy to listen to and with that kind of grime style cross over too.
https://youtu.be/r9KxqBiE_YQ |
| 11 |  | Kassel Jaeger, Stephan Mathieu, and Arika Rabelais
Zauberberg
Inspired by the aura of Thomas Manns 'The Magic Mountain' This trio collected Field recordings from high in the Alps and recordings of the music played by the books main character. I read somewhere 'A slow moving ecology of decay' Nature and decay. Two of my favourite things!
“a meditation on the dissolution and persistence of the aura surrounding everything”
Bleak but beautiful Ambient in the vein of The Caretaker. Dont fight it.
https://schwebung.bandcamp.com/album/zauberberg |
| 10 |  | Death Grips
Bottomless Pit
Another band who can do no wrong. Unless you're one of those people who think they can do no right. Its all good. Im not you.
https://youtu.be/ZmcBdiBEI78 |
| 9 |  | Gorguts
Pleiades' Dust
I knew when I heard them play this live before it came out it would be mighty.I once did DMT and had to dive head first into a mathematical equation (literally). This reminds me of that. Marsden is not of this world. Gorguts can do no wrong.
https://youtu.be/ZhbYsjl-k9s |
| 8 |  | Mizmor
Yodh
Absolutely devastating record. The Doom parts are soul destroying.I loved the splits but this went up a notch. Crushing. The vocals on 'Yodh' are crazy too.
https://youtu.be/hCmbTMo14bw |
| 7 |  | BARST
The Western Lands
Been waiting for this to drop all year on the ever consistent Consoling sounds records and its been worth the wait. An exhilarating mix of drone, Ambient, Post rock, Electronic, Even Metal. It could have turned out really bad if not on the money but it is and then some. Lots of guest musicians and so much going on. Its a journey. The second 'side' has a guest appearance from Mike Armine of Rosseta, A 22 min epic electronic post metal/rock-esque track which subsides with the most beautiful 6 minute Instrumental. But the whole thing from top to bottom is Top,Topclass. And been getting much love outside this site from those who've heard it. Deservedly so.
https://youtu.be/Hk5xTN8YePs
https://barst1.bandcamp.com/album/the-western-lands |
| 6 | | SubRosa
For This We Fought the Battle of Ages
Its always going to be difficult following whats widely considered a classic. I didn't click with this at first. Sometime I felt like I was trying to make myself like it because I wanted to so bad. But it clicked and It was everything Id hoped this record would be. 'Black Majesty' is an absolute beauty of a track. One of the best they have written. Its a more mature Subrosa. The doom is still there though and The songwriting is exceptional.
https://youtu.be/ESAqOMvPsL0 |
| 5 |  | Oranssi Pazuzu
Värähtelijä
I didn't even know about Oranssi Pazuzu until I saw a ridiculous queue outside the Het Patronaat at Roadburn. I went home and checked and found they had just released this and fell in love with their whole catalogue and instant sadness of what I must have missed. 'Vasemman käden hierarkia' is one of my favourite tracks this year, No doubt. Finland got it happening right now.
https://youtu.be/v2V-ftsPqV0 |
| 4 |  | SUMAC
What One Becomes
Far better than their first which I also liked. Good to see Turner back on full form. One I came back too after maybe not realising how great it was the first time around. The opener is fantastic, but it all is.
https://youtu.be/ABSPDOwpuXg |
| 3 |  | Neurosis
Fires Within Fires
Its hard for me to put any record in front of Neurosis. For me they're probably the most important band of my life. Yes, 2017 Neurosis is not Through Silver In Blood Neurosis. Some people have to have a problem with the aspect of time. 'Fires Within Fires' Neurosis is 'A perfect, purified distillation of everything that makes Neurosis, Neurosis' my friend said. I think thats pretty apt. Gods.
https://youtu.be/a5DJkcdUctI |
| 2 |  | Ulcerate
Shrines of Paralysis
They churn out masterpiece after masterpiece at will and at such an incredible level of musicianship. Im blown away every time I listen to this. I like the vocals better on here than previous releases also. They're slightly more varied but in a genre I dont particularly listen to anymore I'm always extremely hyped for any new Ulcerate and have never been let down. Stellar album.
https://youtu.be/68r0WWKrsT4 |
| 1 |  | Oathbreaker
Rheia
I have a strange relationship with Oathbreaker in that Im a huge Church of Ra fan and I love 90% of what is put out surrounding it but I could never get down with Oathbreaker. Not to the point some people I know did anyway. It Wasn't like I disliked them, I just didn't see the fuss. 'Rheia' changed all that. For me they all upped their game on here.
The addition of Wim (Rise and Fall/Wiegedood/Supergenius) on drums on a couple of tracks (and now full time) I believe helps elevate it. Obviously Caro's performance is outstanding. Her,sometimes off key, cleans are so good. Its heart/Gut wrenchingly emotive but equally as fierce. Its slightly top loaded. But its my biggest surprise and most listened.
https://youtu.be/tMTAkIDRHiA |
|
