12/26/11
This has been an incredible year for music. I've been listening to metal for about 7 or 8 years now, and while I haven't always paid as much attention to new releases as I have for the past two or three years, I can easily say there have been more stellar to excellent albums released this year than any other year I can remember.
As close to perfect post-rock as you'll get from any band not named Godspeed You! Black Emperor or A Silver Mt. Zion. Read my review of it here.
2. *shels - Plains of the Purple Buffalo
A journey across a land
very different than our own, and a mind-altering experience that shows
the heights post-rock/metal can soar to. Like the air conditioning
inside your house that greets you after a day spent in hundred degree
heat, Butterflies on Lucy's Way is musical therapy. Read my review of it here.
3. Loss - Despond
Read my review of this monolith of despair here.
4. Falls of Rauros - The Light That Dwells in Rotten Wood
I'm not one to do track-by-track reviews, but I want to for this album.
1. Earth's Old Timid Grace (3:52) - You needn't even get to the black metal before Falls of Rauros' brilliant songwriting ability becomes transparent. This is the intro to the album. And it's not just some lame intro that has the same notes played over and over, maybe with a chant or something (the likes of which you might get from Ensiferum or Empyrium or Eluveitie). This intro continues to evolve throughout its duration. At 2:07 a lead guitar becomes noticeable, and from this point to the end of the song, Falls of Rauros demonstrate their masterful ability to intertwine melodies into a continuous flow.
2. Banished (10:46) - In the last seconds of "Earth's Old Time Grace" all that melody fell to a wall of black metal. This song begins with an aggressive riff that really makes a dramatic impression on the listener, especially considering it's the first black metal on the album. There's a great solo at 3:13. Close to the 5:30 mark the heavy sound collapses into soft melody and acoustic work (not unlike something you'd get from Opeth). But it builds. That's one thing this band never stops doing. With each variation in tempo or sound they never settle. They constantly build. The vocals are bleak and desolate. I absolutely love the drum beat that starts at 6:26. By the end of this song it's fairly apparent Falls of Rauros aren't nearly as folkish as they once were.
3. Awaiting the Fire or Flood That Awakes It (13:25) - This song opens with an acoustic intro that lasts for about the first 1:40. This is the longest track on the album. And it's probably the best structural piece of work on the album. This song shows that no matter what Falls of Rauros are doing at the time, they always give you something to grab onto. Such as the lead melody at 4:10 that plays a few times. Or the solo at 7:22. From the scream at 10:53 that marks the resurgence of black metal after a soft interlude, to the end of the song, is some of the most emotional material on the album. If you ever doubted Falls of Rauros' ability to construct complicated songs, this song should easily lay that misconception to rest.
4. Nonesuch River Chant (1:36) - The only song of little consequence on the album. It basically serves as a nice little single track interlude. I won't say it's a filler, because I don't think it is. It is, however, the only song on the album that features no real evolution.
5. Silence (9:38) - By the time this track rolls around it becomes obvious to me that this album is the smoothest of the year. The ability of this band to put so much into their music, so as to always keep the listener's attention, yet keep it flowing so smoothly, is really really really impressive. 7:22 marks my favorite part of this song, and one of my favorite parts on the album. It's just so damn emotional. The tone of this song is one of sorrow, and at the same time one of consolation. If you ever feel guilty of something, or feel guilty of acting a certain way, this track will humble you.
6. The Cormorants Shiver on Their Rocks (4:29) - The album's outro. Like the intro, it's acoustic. The previous track was one of sorrow, this one is one of grace. If you don't like it you don't have a soul.
The Light That Dwells in Rotten Wood wins best black metal album of 2011.
5. SubRosa - No Help For The Mighty Ones
I can't help but to compare it to Bloodiest's Descent. Both contain such unusual approaches to sludge/doom. This album is another case of brilliant unorthodoxy.
Whereas Bloodiest's Descent was a product of seven musicians, one of which sounds like a Native American, No Help For the Mighty Ones is SubRosa's second album that again features three females (not the same ones, however) and two males. Four of the five members show up on vocals at one point or another, but almost the entirety of the album features female vocals. So yes, SubRosa's one of the few famale-fronted doom bands out there, thus making for yet another somewhat uncommon lineup, and as you'd guess, an uncommon record. As if the female-frontedness wasn't enough, the album has violins. Any doom fan knows that's a rarity. There are only a handful of doom bands that've ever really incorporated violins/strings as an integral part of their music. My Dying Bride did it in the early days with Martin Powell on Turn Loose the Swans and The Angel and the Dark River, for sure, and Virgin Black, Elegeion, Anathema (a little bit), etc. come to mind, but overall it's a pretty unique trait in the doom department. The album also features what any great doom/sludge album should feature: heavy trance-inducing riffs. But what makes it such an unorthodox album for its genre is it's folk vibe, and at times psychedelic vibe. "House Carpenter" is a straight up traditional English folk song. The vocals, which as mentioned already are predominantly all female, aren't particularly skillful, but they're extremely soulful, and they sure work well with SubRosa's style of music. The females lead and one of the male's does rhythm (I believe). Memorable male vocals appear in the end of "Whippoorwill," when we hear "one day I'll be like a bird in flight..."
I will say the album ends stronger than it begins, at least I thought. The last four tracks are, as a group of tracks, better than the first four. The dirty bass is ever present, except on the one aforementioned track ("House Carpenter"). The drums are scarce, very slow (which isn't to say they're not accomplished - slow drums can be extremely difficult when timing is taken into consideration), and they're used more as a filler than what most metal listeners are probably used to. SubRosa might easily be compared to bands like Acid Bath. They've found their niche, it works beautifully, and there's not another band that's going to sound like them. They're a rare type of unique. I'm not kidding when I say this album is unorthodox for its genre, which is why the fact that everything clicks so perfectly is such an accomplishment.
Whereas Bloodiest's Descent was a product of seven musicians, one of which sounds like a Native American, No Help For the Mighty Ones is SubRosa's second album that again features three females (not the same ones, however) and two males. Four of the five members show up on vocals at one point or another, but almost the entirety of the album features female vocals. So yes, SubRosa's one of the few famale-fronted doom bands out there, thus making for yet another somewhat uncommon lineup, and as you'd guess, an uncommon record. As if the female-frontedness wasn't enough, the album has violins. Any doom fan knows that's a rarity. There are only a handful of doom bands that've ever really incorporated violins/strings as an integral part of their music. My Dying Bride did it in the early days with Martin Powell on Turn Loose the Swans and The Angel and the Dark River, for sure, and Virgin Black, Elegeion, Anathema (a little bit), etc. come to mind, but overall it's a pretty unique trait in the doom department. The album also features what any great doom/sludge album should feature: heavy trance-inducing riffs. But what makes it such an unorthodox album for its genre is it's folk vibe, and at times psychedelic vibe. "House Carpenter" is a straight up traditional English folk song. The vocals, which as mentioned already are predominantly all female, aren't particularly skillful, but they're extremely soulful, and they sure work well with SubRosa's style of music. The females lead and one of the male's does rhythm (I believe). Memorable male vocals appear in the end of "Whippoorwill," when we hear "one day I'll be like a bird in flight..."
I will say the album ends stronger than it begins, at least I thought. The last four tracks are, as a group of tracks, better than the first four. The dirty bass is ever present, except on the one aforementioned track ("House Carpenter"). The drums are scarce, very slow (which isn't to say they're not accomplished - slow drums can be extremely difficult when timing is taken into consideration), and they're used more as a filler than what most metal listeners are probably used to. SubRosa might easily be compared to bands like Acid Bath. They've found their niche, it works beautifully, and there's not another band that's going to sound like them. They're a rare type of unique. I'm not kidding when I say this album is unorthodox for its genre, which is why the fact that everything clicks so perfectly is such an accomplishment.
6. Burzum - Fallen
I was sitting in my apartment listening to this album and one of my
roommates brought some club from school back to the apartment, and all
these kids walked in right around the 4:30 minute mark of "Vanvidd"
(perfect timing). I don't think I've ever seen a group of college kids
look so uncomfortable.
I'm sure most of you are aware of the story behind Varg, so I see no need to talk about it. What I will say is that all the prison time seems to have enhanced Varg's songwriting prowess. Either that or he spent his long incarceration developing the ideas for this album (and Belus). Varg has created the catchiest album in his 20-year history with Burzum (yes, I think it's catchier than Belus). Part of the catchiness comes from the clean vocal chants he delivers, the likes of which we've never heard on a Burzum album before. This is especially the case in the first track after the intro, "Jeg Faller," as well as in "Valen," "Vanvidd," and "Budstikken." Of course the vocals are in Norwegian, and I haven't taken the time to translate and look up the lyrics, but I feel it's rather beside the point. These vocals really draw the listener's attention. Probably because clean vocal hooks/clean humming/murmuring of this sort aren't exactly emphasized focal points in the black metal rulebook.
The catchiness can also be attributed to the riffs and the guitar melodies. "Jeg Faller" serves as an example for this as well. The opening riff, and the one that comes in at 2:33 (following a brief acoustic bass line, it sounds like), are both extremely memorable. Plus, there's an eventual reprise of the opening riff later in the song. Nearly every song opens up with a highly memorable riff. "Enhver til Sitt" opens up with a slower riff that's one of the most memorable on the album, and it's reprised in various forms throughout the rest of the song (you can hear it solo at 0:01 and 4:21).
Also, the production. The production is very black metal sounding, but more importantly, it's clean and raw sounding simultaneously. Nothing about this is reminiscent of the cold, dismal, grey, desolate Burzum of the 90's. It sounds very polished for a black metal album, and I guess it's the production that accounts for that incredible guitar tone (if it's not I'm at a loss, because I've never heard equipment, or a combination of equipment, create a tone like that... then again I don't really know anything about equipment so maybe I shouldn't be commenting on this). Maybe it was an amp simulator or something. Bottom line, awesome tone. However Varg did it, it sounds incredible. Burzum's Fallen is the second best black metal album of the year.
I'm sure most of you are aware of the story behind Varg, so I see no need to talk about it. What I will say is that all the prison time seems to have enhanced Varg's songwriting prowess. Either that or he spent his long incarceration developing the ideas for this album (and Belus). Varg has created the catchiest album in his 20-year history with Burzum (yes, I think it's catchier than Belus). Part of the catchiness comes from the clean vocal chants he delivers, the likes of which we've never heard on a Burzum album before. This is especially the case in the first track after the intro, "Jeg Faller," as well as in "Valen," "Vanvidd," and "Budstikken." Of course the vocals are in Norwegian, and I haven't taken the time to translate and look up the lyrics, but I feel it's rather beside the point. These vocals really draw the listener's attention. Probably because clean vocal hooks/clean humming/murmuring of this sort aren't exactly emphasized focal points in the black metal rulebook.
The catchiness can also be attributed to the riffs and the guitar melodies. "Jeg Faller" serves as an example for this as well. The opening riff, and the one that comes in at 2:33 (following a brief acoustic bass line, it sounds like), are both extremely memorable. Plus, there's an eventual reprise of the opening riff later in the song. Nearly every song opens up with a highly memorable riff. "Enhver til Sitt" opens up with a slower riff that's one of the most memorable on the album, and it's reprised in various forms throughout the rest of the song (you can hear it solo at 0:01 and 4:21).
Also, the production. The production is very black metal sounding, but more importantly, it's clean and raw sounding simultaneously. Nothing about this is reminiscent of the cold, dismal, grey, desolate Burzum of the 90's. It sounds very polished for a black metal album, and I guess it's the production that accounts for that incredible guitar tone (if it's not I'm at a loss, because I've never heard equipment, or a combination of equipment, create a tone like that... then again I don't really know anything about equipment so maybe I shouldn't be commenting on this). Maybe it was an amp simulator or something. Bottom line, awesome tone. However Varg did it, it sounds incredible. Burzum's Fallen is the second best black metal album of the year.
7. Cormorant - Dwellings
I'll start by saying that everything about this album lives up to Metazoa, or, more accurately, everything about this album indicates that it should live up to Metazoa. I think I'm so used to Metazoa
that I'm having a hard time letting this album have the impact on me
that it should - the impact that it's fully capable of having if the
listener's capable of absorbing it. Because let's face it, this album
is brilliant. It's as coherent as any metal album I've heard this year,
it's far more technical than any album needs to be to be good, it's
tight and fluid all the way through (the band claims it's even tighter
and more focused than Metazoa), it's as dynamic as all get out,
the songwriting and tempo variations are flawless, the riffs are
melodic, the overlaying of instrumental melodies are executed with
pinpoint accuracy... this really is a titan of an album. And I'm not
the only one that thinks so. Dwellings might be the only metal album of the year more critically acclaimed than Tombs' Path of Totality. The only difference is, I feel Cormorant really deserves it.
Part of the tightness comes from almost sole use of metal instruments. There are no violins or cellos, and the only use of a piano comes near the end of "Funambulist," and it's extremely faint. This album's a lot more straightforward. As concentrated as it is, the influences are vast. Black metal, progressive metal, traditional metal, doom metal, jazz, and maybe even some post-rock. The band stated, which is definitely true, that the last track on the album, "Unearthly Dreamings," is probably the best showcase of all the band's styles and influences molded into and represented in one track. One of my favorite parts on the album comes at around the 2:15 mark of "Junta," and then the explosion at the 3:37 mark. And the riffs in the first one minute of "The Purest Land." And the solo during the last two minutes of "Funambulist," and the bass during the last one minute. There's so much to dissect with this album, between the different vocal styles, the guitar solos, the riffs, the lyrics... you could literally write a 10-20 page essay breaking this album down.
Part of the tightness comes from almost sole use of metal instruments. There are no violins or cellos, and the only use of a piano comes near the end of "Funambulist," and it's extremely faint. This album's a lot more straightforward. As concentrated as it is, the influences are vast. Black metal, progressive metal, traditional metal, doom metal, jazz, and maybe even some post-rock. The band stated, which is definitely true, that the last track on the album, "Unearthly Dreamings," is probably the best showcase of all the band's styles and influences molded into and represented in one track. One of my favorite parts on the album comes at around the 2:15 mark of "Junta," and then the explosion at the 3:37 mark. And the riffs in the first one minute of "The Purest Land." And the solo during the last two minutes of "Funambulist," and the bass during the last one minute. There's so much to dissect with this album, between the different vocal styles, the guitar solos, the riffs, the lyrics... you could literally write a 10-20 page essay breaking this album down.
8. Bloodiest - Descent
The most unique albums of the year have been 1) SORNE's House of Stone, and 2) Oranssi Pazuzu's Kosmonument. If there were to be a third "most unique album of the year," I think Bloodiest's Descent would get it.
Bloodiest is a sludgy post-metal band from Chicago comprised of, currently, ten members. I think there were only seven or so though involved in the recording of this album. They've been active for a while now, but this is their first release. If I had to genrify the record myself, I'd go with something along the lines of dark sludgy native Americana post-metal, if that makes any sense. When asked in an interview "What are some of the band members involved in when they are not playing music?," Tony Lazzara answered "cooking and hypnosis." Setting the foremost aside, let's zero in on that second "activity" momentarily - hypnosis. The humorous thing is, that answer should come as sort of surprising. It's not everyday you hear someone answer a question like that with "cooking and hypnosis." But for anyone who's heard Descent, it's not surprising. Because if there's any one perfect adjective to describe this album, it's "hypnotic." "Coh" is simply one of the most hypnotic songs I've ever heard. The first time I listened to that song, as it ended I swear I "snapped back to reality." I think it put me in a two-minute trance.
Pros:
- All the musicians work and play off each other to perfection (one of Bloodiest's greatest strengths)
- The vocals are incredible… rarely are vocals such a vital component of a band's sound. After listening to this album you realize they're an absolute necessity
- A "directionless" or "wandering" approach to songwriting is usually a bad thing, but here the album totally benefits from it
Cons:
- Album length. Descent is a bit short for a post-metal/sludge album...
The piano and acoustic guitar are pivotal to the band's sound, in addition to the vocals. When the album isn't hypnotic and tranquil, it's riveting and suffocating. This band seems to be full of all kinds of ideas. Bloodiest have created a highly impressive work of abstract art with this album. And the good news is, they're already working on their next one.
Bloodiest is a sludgy post-metal band from Chicago comprised of, currently, ten members. I think there were only seven or so though involved in the recording of this album. They've been active for a while now, but this is their first release. If I had to genrify the record myself, I'd go with something along the lines of dark sludgy native Americana post-metal, if that makes any sense. When asked in an interview "What are some of the band members involved in when they are not playing music?," Tony Lazzara answered "cooking and hypnosis." Setting the foremost aside, let's zero in on that second "activity" momentarily - hypnosis. The humorous thing is, that answer should come as sort of surprising. It's not everyday you hear someone answer a question like that with "cooking and hypnosis." But for anyone who's heard Descent, it's not surprising. Because if there's any one perfect adjective to describe this album, it's "hypnotic." "Coh" is simply one of the most hypnotic songs I've ever heard. The first time I listened to that song, as it ended I swear I "snapped back to reality." I think it put me in a two-minute trance.
Pros:
- All the musicians work and play off each other to perfection (one of Bloodiest's greatest strengths)
- The vocals are incredible… rarely are vocals such a vital component of a band's sound. After listening to this album you realize they're an absolute necessity
- A "directionless" or "wandering" approach to songwriting is usually a bad thing, but here the album totally benefits from it
Cons:
- Album length. Descent is a bit short for a post-metal/sludge album...
The piano and acoustic guitar are pivotal to the band's sound, in addition to the vocals. When the album isn't hypnotic and tranquil, it's riveting and suffocating. This band seems to be full of all kinds of ideas. Bloodiest have created a highly impressive work of abstract art with this album. And the good news is, they're already working on their next one.
9. Midnight Odyssey - Funerals From the Astral Sphere
Midnight Odyssey is a one man project from Brisbane, Australia. I know,
not typically a place we associate black metal with. But Dis Pater has
written a humongous amount of material for his first release, Funerals From the Astral Sphere.
Both sides combine for a total of two hours and four minutes in
length. At first I though it was a bit absurd, to debut a double sided
album like this, but at some point I realized the length of the album
just added to its mystique. This album begs to be listened to out on a
lake or something. Just go outside and listen to it, preferably around
dusk. It can do so much for you if you let it.
Trying to break down the album is a pretty daunting task. The opening track, "Falling From Firmament," sets the tone for the entire album. It's one of two 12+ minute songs, both of which (the other being "Those Who Linger at Night") stand out as two of the best tracks on the album. A lot of the material is very soft, ambient, and spacious. He's got the epic space atmosphere down to an art form. There's certainly nothing crushingly heavy about this album. However, there are plenty of black metal moments in the traditional sense. "From a Celestial Throne" is one of the heavier songs on the album, as is "Tears of Starfire." The whole thing is very shoegazish. Vocals are mostly screeches, but there are some moments with clean vocals as well (which are surprisingly effective). "Shores Serene," which isn't a metal track at all, features cleans. As does "An Ode to Dying Spirits," which is the oddball song on the album. The latter is an acoustic gothic sounding song, with clean vocals over an oriental guitar (might be a sitar?). Despite its length, the album flows in dark motion, subsides at times, but always picks itself back up. A truly beautiful album.
Trying to break down the album is a pretty daunting task. The opening track, "Falling From Firmament," sets the tone for the entire album. It's one of two 12+ minute songs, both of which (the other being "Those Who Linger at Night") stand out as two of the best tracks on the album. A lot of the material is very soft, ambient, and spacious. He's got the epic space atmosphere down to an art form. There's certainly nothing crushingly heavy about this album. However, there are plenty of black metal moments in the traditional sense. "From a Celestial Throne" is one of the heavier songs on the album, as is "Tears of Starfire." The whole thing is very shoegazish. Vocals are mostly screeches, but there are some moments with clean vocals as well (which are surprisingly effective). "Shores Serene," which isn't a metal track at all, features cleans. As does "An Ode to Dying Spirits," which is the oddball song on the album. The latter is an acoustic gothic sounding song, with clean vocals over an oriental guitar (might be a sitar?). Despite its length, the album flows in dark motion, subsides at times, but always picks itself back up. A truly beautiful album.
10. Tides From Nebula - Earthshine
When I first listened to this album, I though it was absolutely
fantastic, and a definite contender for post-rock album of the year.
For some reason I kept expecting its charm to wear off on me, but it
never did. And had I not learned of the two post-rock records that
absolutely blew my socks off and ultimately beat it, Earthshine
indeed would've been that record this year. There was not a post-rock
album released last year better than this one, if that tells you
anything.
There's a very cinematic quality about this album. This might just be because the album was produced by Zbigniew Preisner, a Polish composer who's compositional style represents a form of neo-romanticism. "I just can't put my feelings into words" is the epitome of what post-rock is based around. Many consider the absence of vocals a detriment, but when an album comes along like this one I really have a hard time understanding how people can't relate to the music in some form or fashion. The sheer beauty of it is awe-inspiring. No vocals could ever express the feeling captured by the instruments here. The album starts off with a piano and synths, shimmering and laden with atmosphere. Then tribal drums come in and slowly grow louder and louder until the guitars finally explode in a crescendo. The three minute build up to jumpstart the album is fantastic, and from there onward, dynamic, gorgeous, rich, melodic post-rock is what Tides From Nebula exemplifies with perfection. "Caravans" is my favorite track on the album, and "Siberia" is my second favorite; both of these seem to tell stories with their longer compositions. More aggressive tracks ("The Fall of Leviathan") contrast beautifully with softer ambient songs ("Waiting for the World to Turn Back"). This is just an impressively well constructed album, and super emotional to boot. This record cries for interpretation. Just relax and let your imagination flow, and this record will do great things for you.
There's a very cinematic quality about this album. This might just be because the album was produced by Zbigniew Preisner, a Polish composer who's compositional style represents a form of neo-romanticism. "I just can't put my feelings into words" is the epitome of what post-rock is based around. Many consider the absence of vocals a detriment, but when an album comes along like this one I really have a hard time understanding how people can't relate to the music in some form or fashion. The sheer beauty of it is awe-inspiring. No vocals could ever express the feeling captured by the instruments here. The album starts off with a piano and synths, shimmering and laden with atmosphere. Then tribal drums come in and slowly grow louder and louder until the guitars finally explode in a crescendo. The three minute build up to jumpstart the album is fantastic, and from there onward, dynamic, gorgeous, rich, melodic post-rock is what Tides From Nebula exemplifies with perfection. "Caravans" is my favorite track on the album, and "Siberia" is my second favorite; both of these seem to tell stories with their longer compositions. More aggressive tracks ("The Fall of Leviathan") contrast beautifully with softer ambient songs ("Waiting for the World to Turn Back"). This is just an impressively well constructed album, and super emotional to boot. This record cries for interpretation. Just relax and let your imagination flow, and this record will do great things for you.
11. Saturnalia Temple - Aion of Drakon
Read my review of it here.
12. Summer Fades Away - Unkind Time, Beautiful Memory
To quote a friend: "post-rock is one of the non-metal genres that most readily appeals to
metal audiences. Its penchant for atmosphere and intensity without
employing riffs or (usually) vocals sort of casts it as metal’s
intellectual, artsy brother – still interested in crushing skulls, but
with musings on Kierkegaardian despair rather than combat boots." Now,
while that may appear more relevant to This Will Destroy You's release, I
think it's relevant here as well, because Summer Fades Away crushes its
audience too, just in a totally different way. Recall in the Moonlit
Sailor blurb I cast Colors in Stereo as a rarity because of its
happiness and pop-esque upbeatness. Think me vain but I've always
thought darker post-rock, which is certainly more abundant, is more
powerful than the upbeat kind. Unkind Time, Beautiful Memory is
crushing because it's tone is so devastatingly, yet realistically,
dismal and melancholic, and maybe even misanthropistic. It personifies
the passing of time in a way that just seems so real and inevitable and
depressing. Unlike the #1 release of the year, this record focuses
solely on this concept. The result is an EP more powerful than most all
full-lengths of 2011.
Dynamic formulas, powerful aggression, guitar and piano ambiance, melodic themes, all lean towards (I know it sounds redundant at this point, but it's just the truth) incredible potential for this young band.
It's only thirty-one minutes in length, but an incredible thirty-one minutes it is. The first track, "Thank You," slowly builds for the first four and a half minutes or so until it really kicks in around the 5:00 mark. Then it gets soft again, then explodes at 7:33. The songwriting here is really, really, really impressive. "Forgiveness" is a short piano-led interlude between the two massive tracks. "A Pavilion" is the EP's crowning achievement. When you think it's going to end, it just keeps going. Truly a must listen for any grand style post-rock fan.
Dynamic formulas, powerful aggression, guitar and piano ambiance, melodic themes, all lean towards (I know it sounds redundant at this point, but it's just the truth) incredible potential for this young band.
It's only thirty-one minutes in length, but an incredible thirty-one minutes it is. The first track, "Thank You," slowly builds for the first four and a half minutes or so until it really kicks in around the 5:00 mark. Then it gets soft again, then explodes at 7:33. The songwriting here is really, really, really impressive. "Forgiveness" is a short piano-led interlude between the two massive tracks. "A Pavilion" is the EP's crowning achievement. When you think it's going to end, it just keeps going. Truly a must listen for any grand style post-rock fan.
13. Ordog - Remorse
Read my review of it here.
14. Mournful Congregation - The Book of Kings
I take issue with claims that these guys are the gods of funeral doom. And this isn't their best release. The Monad of Creation and The June Frost
were both better, to be honest. And after listening to this and going
back and listening to their back catalogue, including material from
splits, I suppose I just miss not dreading listening to what lays before
me. I don't like listening to mediocre material to get to the good
stuff. The Book of Kings is so long. Clocking in at an hour and
sixteen minutes, it's the longest album they've released by about
sixteen minutes. And that sixteen minutes makes a huge difference. The
material here is still solid. With The June Frost we saw the band craft more concise compositions. With this album, they've returned to the "Monad of Creation"
format - long, drawn out compositions, and fewer tracks. And as you'd
expect, certain segments of these massive tracks stand out and really
make the album. 14:50 minutes into "The Catechism of Depression," a
riff appears that immediately grabs your attention, and from that point
to the end of the song (the song eventually fades out with this riff)
marks one of the highlights of the album. If 75-90% of the album was as
memorable as the end of this track, you'd see the The Book of Kings
in my top 5. Another highlight comes at 9:13 in "The Waterless
Streams" (which as a whole is one of the better of the four songs). I
also love the soloing that starts after the 6:00 mark, then especially
around 6:45. Yes, the last half of "The Waterless Stream" is excellent.
"The Bitter Veils of Solemnity" is mostly acoustic and is the 'easy
listening' track on the album. As a general principle, all of these
songs end better than they begin.
15. Sey Hollo - Growth
Sey Hollo is a project by Sebastian Larsson from Sweden. He's mainly a
pianist, and this project was basically founded because he was
frustrated with the lack of piano music out there, so he decided to
start writing it himself. His being very interested in hard rock/metal
is apparent, but he's said his influences come from a variety of genres,
which isn't hard to believe when listening to his music. He's created
his own unique style of post-rock.
Growth is one of the EP's mentioned in the Moonlit Sailor review. Despite having less qualitative material than Colors in Stereo, it does more with less. I said in someone else's thread not too long ago that a smaller amount of excellent material is better than a larger amount of "okay" material, and I really do hold to that. Quality > quantity. I know a Moonlit Sailor fan would think me an imbecile, but what Sey Hollo accomplishes in the last 23 minutes of this album does more for me than anything Moonlit Sailor could ever do throughout the course of a 40+ minute album. This is just more my brand of post-rock. I find it much more emotional. The tracks are longer. There are build-ups. Songs evolve from fundamental melodies to elaborate compositions. When I think of excellent post-rock, this is the type of material I think of. Also, there's something really genuine about one man projects. And it's not because it's one person playing all the instruments, but because all the music, all the songwriting, all the thoughts, all the ideas, etc. are coming from one mind. There's no conflicting; it's the manifestation of one individual's self in musical form. Pure, uncontested creativity. Sebastian Larsson said “my song writing always starts with a message or an idea that I want to share. The music then builds itself up around this theme. Therefore, the music is just a tool, a small part of a greater process. This tool should be shared. That is why my music is (and always will be) free for all to download.”
Growth is one of the EP's mentioned in the Moonlit Sailor review. Despite having less qualitative material than Colors in Stereo, it does more with less. I said in someone else's thread not too long ago that a smaller amount of excellent material is better than a larger amount of "okay" material, and I really do hold to that. Quality > quantity. I know a Moonlit Sailor fan would think me an imbecile, but what Sey Hollo accomplishes in the last 23 minutes of this album does more for me than anything Moonlit Sailor could ever do throughout the course of a 40+ minute album. This is just more my brand of post-rock. I find it much more emotional. The tracks are longer. There are build-ups. Songs evolve from fundamental melodies to elaborate compositions. When I think of excellent post-rock, this is the type of material I think of. Also, there's something really genuine about one man projects. And it's not because it's one person playing all the instruments, but because all the music, all the songwriting, all the thoughts, all the ideas, etc. are coming from one mind. There's no conflicting; it's the manifestation of one individual's self in musical form. Pure, uncontested creativity. Sebastian Larsson said “my song writing always starts with a message or an idea that I want to share. The music then builds itself up around this theme. Therefore, the music is just a tool, a small part of a greater process. This tool should be shared. That is why my music is (and always will be) free for all to download.”
16. Necros Christos - Doom of the Occult
Doom of the Occult is about as creative and non-uniform a death metal record can be. Twenty-three tracks, an hour and thirteen minutes in length. The intro,
outro, and interludes comprise fourteen tracks on the album, all of
which are instrumental. Temple's I-VIII consist mostly of church
organs. Gate's 1-5 consist of Arabic folk instruments (including mostly
acoustics and woodwinds, see for example: "Gate 2").
These contrast impressively well with the death metal tracks on the
album, and they very successfully prevent the album from becoming
monotonous (which a lot of albums would over the course of an hour and
thirteen minutes). So if you do the math, there are only nine metal
tracks on this album. And as you may assume, they're all doom
influenced. "Baal of Ekron" and "Succumbed to Sarkum Phagum" are
examples of 'slow progression.' Starting out faster, like a more
typical death metal track, and subsiding to doom. “Doom of Kali Ma –
Pyramid of Shakti Love – Flame of Master Shiva,” which is the longest
track on the album at 9:27, as gathered from the song title and the
lyrics (Kali Ma - Hindu goddess of shakti/devi, all other Hindu
goddesses are considered her "manifestations in different light," and
the mention of Shiva - the Hindu god of destruction) it's about
worshiping mythical Hindu deities. This track is particularly doomy,
and really demonstrates Necros Christos' masterful songwriting ability.
"Descending into the Kinly Tomba" features a fantastic solo about 2:25
in, as does "Necromatique Nun" at 2:51 in. This album is really a
perfect example of structural death metal perfection.
17. KYPCK - Hnxe
Amongst all the doom released this year, I've seen this album mentioned
surprisingly little. KYPCK calls their music "Fast Russian Doomsday
Metal," even though it's the opposite of fast. Ниже crawls at a
turtle's pace, just like doom should. There's nothing fast about it.
KYPCK's guitarist plays a guitar that looks like a machine gun. It's
called a Lopashnikov (whatever that is). And if that's not weird
enough, their bassist plays a bass with only one string. Ниже is
very melodic and easy to get behind. There's almost a groove to it.
Album highlights "Posle (After)" and "Chuzhoi (Stranger)" both
demonstrate this. There's a real power to this band. The music
steamrolls right over you. Combine that with excellent production and
killer clean vocals, and this album is really damn impressive. The more
I listened to it the more I liked it. Most if not all the guys in this
band are old enough to remember the Soviet Union days, and according to
what I've read about the band, all the lyrics are about the U.S.S.R and
Russian national identity during the 90's. So if you're ever in the
mood, throw some of these lyrics into Google Translator and read about
the disgruntled, traumatized, post-communist Russians and their struggle
for national identity while you listen to this freight train of an
album.
18. Vektor - Outer Isolation
One of the most highly anticipated releases of the year for a lot of
folks in the metal community. I've yet to get a really solid idea of its
perception throughout the metal world. Outer Isolation's predecessor, Black Future,
was hailed by many as the best thrash release of the past decade, so
this album certainly had some hype to live up to. First with the
differences. Here are the noticeable changes Vektor made with Outer Isolation:
1. Less black metal sound and more progressive/classic thrash sound
2. More dynamic
3. Increased song variation
4. Better production
I wasn't one of those folks that thought Black Future was the greatest thrash album of the past decade. I thought it was an awesome album, but not a mind-numbingly awesome album. This time around, Vektor has created an album that's closer to being a "mind-numbingly awesome album." The sound of this thing is really something. It sounds like it's been sent back in time from a hundred years in the future. And it sounds like it's from a time where music is just produced differently than it is now. There's a very punchy sound to it. The guitar work is executed with magnificent precision. And it's beefier, with more substance. It's more explosive. The bulk of the album is speed, but I mentioned "dynamics" for a reason. There are definitely softer, more melodic parts on this album ("Tetrastructural Minds," for instance), whereas there really weren't on Black Future. Paces change really quick on this album, which is an instant improvement over the first. It's definitely the most technically proficient album on my entire list.
Not without cons, however: the drumming sounds irritatingly artificial, and the vocals aren't nearly as incredible as people claim. Sorry, but David Disanto doesn't hold a candle to Tom Araya.
19. Execration - Odes of the Occult
I really enjoyed this record more than I thought I would. This isn't
typical death metal. There are a lot of things going on here, and if
nothing else this album is an excellent showcase of how diverse death
metal can be. Importantly, tempo variations. A lot of this is played
at a doom pace (parts of the longest track on the album, "A Crutch For
Consolation," as well as parts of "Unction" and "Soul Maggot," for
example, roll along at a particularly slow pace), which is much to my
liking. Also parts of the album are played at a much faster pace.
Tempo variance is almost always a necessity for successful modern death
metal. The album opener, "Ode to Obscurity" opens up with a riff
reminiscent of Autopsy, and it's fairly obvious from the beginning that Odes of the Occult
is an album with classic death metal roots. I know when people think
of Norway they think of the black metal scene, but I'm here to say
anyone looking for some evil sounding music can find it in Execration.
It's definitely not overproduced. This is death metal with balls. No
breakdowns to be found. Parts are very straightforward, parts are very
technical, parts are catchy, parts are Autopsy meets My Dying Bride, but
it's all weird and creative.
There is no experimenting with genre crossovers here. There never has been with Taake (Hoest). This is pure Norwegian black metal. That's not to say this album is the same as all of Taake's others. Hoest has always experimented with different approaches to black metal, he's just never fully incorporated another genre in with it. This album contains a lot of heavy metal riffs. And a lot of them are quite memorable. "Nordbundet" and "Helvetesmakt" are examples of this (I wish that intro riff to "Helvetesmakt" lasted longer). This album definitely sits on the 'black metal with obvious heavy metal tendencies' side of the spectrum, yet it's not even close to being a heavy metal record. There's nothing hipster about this record (save one short segment in one song). There are a few very brief voice samples on random tracks, which always enhance the interesting factor. Oh, and if you want to hear a banjo in a black metal song, listen to "Myr."
21. Oranssi Pazuzu - Kosmonument
22. Florence + the Machine - Ceremonials
23. Russian Circles - Empros
24. Black Oath - The Third Aeon
25. Insomnium - One For Sorrow
26. Giant Squid - Cenotes
27. Wolves in the Throne Room - Celestial Lineage
28. Light Bearer - Lapsus
29. Corrupted - Garten Der Undewusstheit
30. Dammerfaben - Im Abendrot
31. Autopsy - Massacre Eternal
32. Sólstafir - Svartir Sandar
33. Deafheaven - Roads to Judah
34. The Atlas Moth - An Ache for the Distance
35. Moonsorrow - Varjoina Kuljemme Kuolleiden Maassa
36. Moonlit Sailor - Colors in Stereo
37. Negative Plane - Stained Glass Revelations
38. Tombs - Path of Totality
39. InThyFlesh - Claustrophobia
40. Alghazanth - Vinum Intus
41. Leeland - The Great Awakening
42. Farewell Poetry - Hoping for the Impossible to Ignite
43. Industries of the Blind - Chapter 1: Had We Known Better
44. Mastodon - The Hunter
45. Satan's Host - By The Hands of the Devil
46. sleepmakeswaves - …and so we destroyed everything
47. Wolvhammer - The Obsidian Plains
48. PJ Harvey - Let England Shake
49. SORNE - House of Stone
50. Omega Massif - Karpatia
22. Florence + the Machine - Ceremonials
23. Russian Circles - Empros
24. Black Oath - The Third Aeon
25. Insomnium - One For Sorrow
26. Giant Squid - Cenotes
27. Wolves in the Throne Room - Celestial Lineage
28. Light Bearer - Lapsus
29. Corrupted - Garten Der Undewusstheit
30. Dammerfaben - Im Abendrot
31. Autopsy - Massacre Eternal
32. Sólstafir - Svartir Sandar
33. Deafheaven - Roads to Judah
34. The Atlas Moth - An Ache for the Distance
35. Moonsorrow - Varjoina Kuljemme Kuolleiden Maassa
36. Moonlit Sailor - Colors in Stereo
37. Negative Plane - Stained Glass Revelations
38. Tombs - Path of Totality
39. InThyFlesh - Claustrophobia
40. Alghazanth - Vinum Intus
41. Leeland - The Great Awakening
42. Farewell Poetry - Hoping for the Impossible to Ignite
43. Industries of the Blind - Chapter 1: Had We Known Better
44. Mastodon - The Hunter
45. Satan's Host - By The Hands of the Devil
46. sleepmakeswaves - …and so we destroyed everything
47. Wolvhammer - The Obsidian Plains
48. PJ Harvey - Let England Shake
49. SORNE - House of Stone
50. Omega Massif - Karpatia
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