List of Grievances: 2023 Albums of the Year

Scribed by Sandre the Giant

Top of the list is one of the most unsettling albums of the year, and that’s just the cover art!

2023 has been one of the most challenging years of the blog’s existence, as we went full bore on a new massive anniversary series project, and it became the most incredible time sink. Yet unbelievably rewarding, because it gave us all new context for everything happening this year in extreme music. And what a year it was, making my top 20 incredibly difficult to organise, let alone the top 10. It has to be said that, if you were reviewed on this blog by me this year, I really liked your stuff. A lot. I don’t review things that I don’t like, there’s not enough time in this world for that. So, commiserations to you, and onto the final list.

Honourable mentions: literally all of you, you were all so good this year. Congratulations and I hope you sell shit loads of records.

20. Cruel Force – Dawn of the Axe: Pushing their music into more of a classic speed metal sound, while still keeping some of that blackened edge, Cruel Force are finding themselves as contributors to the rebirth of European thrash, rather than merely hangers on. ‘Dawn of the Axe’ is a record that gives us speed, riffs, hooks and enough Teutonic speed to satisfy even the most diehard, patchvest wearing mullethead. I’m talking about me, because I fucking love this record.

19. Mesmur – Chthonic: A staggering work of heaviness and grim doom, and as ‘Chthonic (Coda)’ brings us to a drifting, atmospheric end, we all have to raise praising hands to the sky for Mesmur. ‘Chthonic’ is a record of huge riffs, huge atmosphere and weeping funeral doom that is all you’ll need if you’re a fan of the genre.

18. VHS – Quest for the Mighty Riff: Remember when Municipal Waste reinvigorated thrash by being fun AND fucking great? Well, VHS could do that for death metal with ‘Quest for the Mighty Riff’. It’s Conan meets Golden Axe via Cannibal Corpse and At the Gates. Oh and by the way, their quest was definitely successful, for many mighty riffs are found within.

17. Rannoch – Conflagrations: The dynamics are incredible, the melancholic clean sections are glorious in their execution while the death metal is frenzied, fearsome and interwoven just perfectly. Rannoch have nailed it on this one, and this is definitely in the running for one of my favourite death metal releases this year. Stunning achievement!

16. Tetragrammacide – Typho-Tantric Aphorisms from the Arachneophidian Qur’an: Tetragrammacide are creating music that sounds like it’s barely hanging onto reality, a maelstorm of churning blackness and deathly power standing on your periphery, ready to suck you out into the abyss when you drop your guard. ‘Typho-Tantric Aphorisms from the Arachneophidian Qur’an’ is one of the year’s most serpentine and interesting death metal releases.

15. Dyspläcer – Temple Heights: ‘Temple Heights’ is a record that, despite its run time, never slows down or falls short of simply sublime It’s definitely one of the records I’ve revisited most this year. You’d have to be a miserable corpse painted prick to not have those horns in the air and your head banging. Thoroughly recommended

14. Frozen Dawn – The Decline of the Enlightened Gods: Remember that feeling you used to get when Behemoth kicked anything into gear around ‘Evangelion’? That’s what I get here, Frozen Dawn have grasped that tour de force and moulded it to their own particular melodic streak, which loses nothing in fury but gains exponentially in scope. ‘The Decline of the Enlightened Gods’ is an album that feels vitally alive and vibrant with black metal, which is a rarity in the genre at times. Dynamic, visceral and ferociously memorable, Frozen Dawn’s work has reached a crescendo right here, and it is thrilling.

13. Obituary – Dying of Everything: At the end of the day though, trying to fill a full review with variants of ‘It sounds like fucking Obituary so therefore it fucking kills and you should buy it’ is not as easy as you’d think but it is the honest truth. Turns out that death metal legends are really hard to keep down these days, and with Autopsy crushing 2022 and Obituary starting 2023 like this, who can possibly stop them?

12. Sarcoptes – Prayers to Oblivion: The songwriting is insidiously memorable, the tones of guitar and bass are excellent and the drumming performance is massive. Add just the right amount of keyboard dashes when required and you’ve got the kind of vast, powerful black metal I’ve been waiting for. ‘Prayers to Oblivion’ is classic black metal done with modern production values and it sounds incredible.

11. Sorrowful Land – Faded Anchors of the Past: Death/doom today seems to suffer from a quagmire of sameyness; bands repeating the same slow riffs, bleak melody lines and massive growls without putting any real heart into it. Sorrowful Land do not have that issue; each song drips with a genuine heartache and cold grasping sadness. You cannot help but wonder if what is going on in his homeland has given new weight to Max’s compositions here, adding poignancy to an already weeping monolith of crushing moroseness. Whatever it is, ‘Faded Anchors of the Past’ is a record coloured richly in shades of grey where both misery and hope lie entwined in a fatal embrace.

10. Coffin Mulch – Spectral Intercession: Coffin Mulch have found a place to thrive, locked in between old school Autopsy worship and something a little more uncomfortable, a little more dense and doomy that breeds such swampy brutality. That welded to a penchant for classic Swedeath guitar tone and riffs gives you a record that is genuinely recognisable as their own, which is difficult to claim at this point in death metal. This is a real contender for 2023’s best death metal record

9. Iravu – A Fate Worse Than Home: ‘A Fate Worse Than Home’ is the Wolves in the Throne Room-meets-2001: A Space Odyssey soundtrack mash up I didn’t know I needed in my life. An ambient influenced record that isn’t just dropping in random synth parts but having it as the underlying body of the music, a thick bed where the roots of atmospheric black metal can grow and flourish into black, flowering beauty

8. The Salt Pale Collective – A Body That Could Pass Through Stones and Trees: It feels like it is two beasts; a primal riff led brutality and a sleek, ethereal soundscape both possessing the same body. ‘A Body That Could Pass Through Stones and Trees’ is the sound of a band combining those two disparate elements with ease, and becoming a potential future of British doom

7. Tribunal – The Weight of Remembrance: As the crumbling edifice of ‘The Path’ snakes its way through mournful atmosphere, weeping riffs and morose melodies to a titanic conclusion, I can safely say that ‘The Weight of Remembrance’ had cemented its place at the top of my albums of 2023 by January, and only a few records managed to top the generational talent sweeping across death, doom and gothic splendour that is Tribunal. A masterpiece of emotive, haunting gothic doom

6. Helms Deep – Treacherous Ways: ‘Treacherous Ways’ is an absolute instant classic, giving you all the old school metal you could ever want. A heady mix of Agent Steel, Iron Maiden, Night Demon and Satan, given an injection of modern enthusiasm and thrust, means that Helms Deep are now absolute must listen material. This is amazing.

5. Tomb Mold – The Enduring Spirit: ‘The Enduring Spirit’ is a record set to blow those pretenders away and re-establish their place as kings of the genre. Tomb Mold didn’t forget about why old death metal bands are so revered; they didn’t bring repetitive riffs and growls, they created something vitally alive and interesting, as well as brutally heavy. That is the true legacy of those bands and only a rare band like Tomb Mold has the audacity to take that mantle into strange new worlds like this. Old school progressive death metal? Thank fuck for that then!

4. Impalement – The Dawn of Blackened Death: Impalement were always on my radar after their debut, but this is a whole new world for them. A stunningly atmospheric and furious work of majestic darkness. ‘The Dawn of Blackened Death’ is coming for us all.

3. Hellripper – Warlocks Grim and Withered Hags: Hellripper have always lived up to their name; tearing the nastiest of riffs from the bowels of Satan’s home and then rippping killer solos over the top to the chagrin of all who would challenge. But the new direction that this album suggests is a very interesting proposition. I genuinely thought Hellripper would struggle to top ‘Affair of the Poisons’, but clearly I was wrong. ‘Warlocks Grim and Withered Hags’ is a whole new level for Hellripper, taking the burning old school attack and forging a new, more potent weapon from the flames

2. Nine Altars – The Eternal Penance: This is proper doom; a rich tapestry of soulful blues riffs soaked in a morose melancholy and given voice with full, powerful vocals. It reminds me a lot of Twilight of the Gods, and their 2013 release ‘Fire on the Mountain’. That was ‘proper metal’, brought back to the fore in a big way and given a place again This is what ‘The Eternal Penance’ is, an album that feels out of time and yet still stunningly comtemporary because, let’s face it, metal like this is fucking forever. I love this record

1. Dwelling Below – Dwelling Below: A horrendous slab of the ugliest, most awe-inspiringly uncomfortable death/doom you may ever hear, ‘Dwelling Below’ is a record that thrives on a sense of unease, on which it builds slow motion devastation and dark, morbid atmospheres. There’s death/doom that is positively sepulchral in tone, and then there is this, which feels like the sepulchre exists beyond time and space, somewhere out there in the dark where the spawn of unspeakable things are ready to follow you back to our world.

List of Grievances: 2022 Albums of the Year

If ever an album was titled better to describe my entire view on music, I haven’t found it yet

Christ, this year has been a blur for me, what with real life work, blogging, the exponential growth in actual parenting I have to do (seriously folks, don’t complain when they’re babies, toddlers are busy little fuckers) but I’m always happy when I can get to the end of year lists. My Album of the Year is, this year, not a slam dunk the way some of the last few years have been, but it was closer than ever this year. We’ve got some heavy hitters, some sentimental favourites and some new blood all coming out of the woodwork with stellar work and I am constantly amazed at what music can do to help us get through life. As with last year, you can find full reviews of everything here on the site

20. Chaos Over Cosmos – A Dream If Ever There Was One: I really enjoyed last year’s effort and despite myself, I really fucking loved this one too. At first glance, it should be everything I don’t like in modern metal but this works so fucking well you’d have to be really nitpicky to not enjoy it. Spiralling prog tech melodeath power metal brilliance.

19. Rotheads – Slither in Slime: ‘Slither in Slime’ is a record that seems superficial and straightforward before you dive in, but unwraps its complexities and nuances with each track until you are left drained and bewildered. Rotheads are pushing a form of death metal that truly feels immersive, eldritch and ancient yet never relying on samples or interludes to get that across. Mournful soloing and a melancholic atmosphere lies across everything they touch, and it makes ‘Slither in Slime’ all the more special to me. Majestic.

18. Devenial Verdict – Ash Blind: Weaving songs equally built around dissonant beauty and skull caving devastation, Devenial Verdict pull notes from the miasmic melody of the galaxy and thread it through punishing drums and intense death metal riffing. An incredible emotive album, with each song revealing an inner fragility despite their fearsome execution. If you can imagine Blut Aus Nord covering Morbid Angel or Gorguts, you’ve got an idea. Even then, that doesn’t begin to cover the superlative nature of ‘Ash Blind’. This is special stuff.

17. Malignant Aura – Abysmal Misfortune is Draped Upon Me: A highly accomplished debut from these Australian death/doom newcomers, giving us all the granite slab dragging riffs mixed with the finest Autopsy-gurgling death metal rage you’ll find outside the band themselves. Definitely one to watch in the future

16. Autopsy – Morbidity Triumphant: Few original flagbearers for the genre maintain this level of quality for so long and with such consistency of vision and sound. Autopsy mix gory early 90s death with an imperiously deathly doom stride and a gurgling unhinged mania to such an incredible degree you’d almost believe this was released between ‘Severed Survival’ and ‘Mental Funeral’. Despite the vast swathe of bands that Autopsy have influenced over the years, there’s never anything quite like the originals is there?

15. The Otolith – Folium Limina: An album full of a beauty that is almost too difficult to describe. It hits all notes; from rumbling, crashing doom to delicate folk ballardry through pastoral shade and bright open space. The vocals are ethereal in the TRUE sense of the word, as if draped gently across the music but underpinned by rich tones and simmering strength. The interplay of violin and guitar could teach classic composers something about harmony, and it all comes together to create 2022’s most enriching aural experience

14. Et Moriemur – Tamashii no Yama: An album that may not feel as heavy musically as you would expect but as an emotional and grieving gut punch, then this is incredible. The judicious use of piano lends a really emotional atmosphere, while there is more than enough quiet introspective parts of the album to drift through amongst the granite riffing. I love how different from my expectations it turned out to be, and how positive an experience that was.

13. Monasterium – Cold Are the Graves: I feel like the world of proper epic doom struggles to find real champions in this day and age, with the genre tending to roll downhill towards death/doom and funeral doom. But if Monasterium have anything to do with it, there will always be a champion of the grand, striding thunder, wielding mighty riffs and powerful vocals. ‘Cold Are the Graves’ is that champion’s weapon of choice, and potent it surely is. All hail!

12. Venom Prison – Erebos: This isn’t just a glowing sermon of ‘Erebos’, this is an apology. I’m really sorry Venom Prison for having no idea who you were until this year. That is my failing and I am fixing it immediately. ‘Erebos’ is one of the best albums I’ve heard this year, a brilliant and subversive collaboration between bare-faced savagery and heartbreaking melancholy and melody. The UK’s latest new hope?

11. Helvellyn – The Lore of the Cloaked Assembly: ‘The Lore of the Cloaked Assembly’ pays tribute to all that is ‘old fashioned’ in black metal but in all the best ways. Scathing, rasping vocals? Check. Frostbitten riffs cascading from snow covered mountain tops? Check. An innately bleak atmosphere? Check. I fucking KNEW this band were something special, turns out all I needed was patience and some extra long lasting corpse paint. Take an oath to Helvellyn’s black light and let it bathe you in darkness.

10. Risingfall – Rise or Fall: Every year, one classic heavy metal band really gets to me and crashes into my top ten. Last year it was Ültra Raptör, 2022 it is Risingfall. ‘Rise or Fall’ is a shit ton of fun if you’re into classic metal and I love Risingfall’s energy, their enthusiasm and their execution of anthemic metal laden with hooks, solos and a love for the genre. Massive, dumb fun for all the family!

9. Live Burial – Curse of the Forlorn: ‘Curse of the Forlorn’ is a supreme regurgitation of the band’s career up to this point, taking everything learned in almost a decade of life and creating a masterpiece of modern death metal. It isn’t too shiny, it isn’t too technical, but it’s full of heart and soul. Diseased heart and someone else’s soul perhaps, but it doesn’t stop ‘Curse of the Forlorn’ being one of 2022’s death metal triumphs. Live Burial have fucking done it again. Stop it lads, it’s getting embarrassing at this point

8. Ashenspire – Hostile Architecture: ‘Hostile Architecture’ is a record that I had to stop and rewind sections numerous times, as I was always hearing bits I didn’t comprehend the first time. An invigorating shot in the arm for experimental black metal, Ashenspire’s work is beguiling, shocking and utterly enthralling at every turn. You won’t get it first time. But third or fourth time you’ll unlock the true genius underneath the complexity. Superb.

7. Tyrannus – Unslayable: ‘Unslayable’ is an absolute beast of a record, bringing together everything I’ve enjoyed about Tyrannus in the past and cranking it up a notch. The leap in songwriting and execution from their great but raw debut is amazing, and speaks to a band only gaining in power and ability. I’m glad I hitched myself to the Tyrannus bandwagon early, but I could never have foreseen the behemoth of progressive blackened deaththrash they are about to become. ‘Mon in folks, the fires of Hades are warm fer ye.

6. Sisphyean – Colours of Faith: ‘Colours of Faith’ will strike you immediately with its vibrant album cover, but the music inside is as black and cold as the heartless void of space. Balancing intensity and atmosphere with striking ease, Sisyphean’s work is savage, harrowing and emotionally draining, imploring you to invest your body and soul into their dark arts for a taste of pure black metal ecstasy.By the time you get through that final track, Sisyphean will have left an indelible mark on your 2022. This is an essential crafting

5. Boris – W: The companion piece to 2021’s ‘NO’, this shows Boris at their most introspective, emotive and ethereal. Touching upon their entire stylistic repetoire from ambient, drone, metal and beyond, their first release of 2022 was a staggeringly fragile glimpse at one of rock’s most important bands. And I was daft enough to think they couldn’t beat it…

4. Tzompantli – Tlazcaltiliztli: This is astonishing; as grindingly slow and devastating as anything you’ll hear this year, but with plenty of up tempo death metal destruction too. The whole album just heaves with abyssal weight, crushing your life from your veins with each damning riff. Tzompantli are a must watch band in the future, and this is the best debut record of 2022, no mistake.

3. Kurokuma – Born of Obsidian: If I had to describe this in one sentence, imagine that ancient temple of death in Alien vs Predator, but as sound, not as a backdrop to a terrible movie. Dragging up eldritch, tribal monstrosities and injecting them with a sense of venom and grace, Kurokuma seem to have made a suitable number of sacrifices to the Jaguar Gods and have been granted the skills to gift us this. ‘Born of Obsidian’ is a record that understands the balance between weighty riffs and weighty emotions, and therefore is spellbinding.

2. Darkthrone – Astral Fortress: If anyone ever tells you that modern Darkthrone isn’t as essential as their classic trilogy, they’re out of their fucking mind. Is it the sound they helped form and pioneer? No, not really even close. Is it the sound of a band that has no right still being this relevant and excellent after over 30 years? Yes it is. This ‘old metal’ approach that has characterised the band’s last decade or two has left tattered classics in its wake, and ‘Astral Fortress’ is just as essential as anything Darkthrone have ever crafted into those deep frozen woods. We all live in the shadow of their horns, and we will never see their likes again when they are gone. If my favourite bnd of all time hadn’t released a belter, this would’ve been number one.

1. Boris – Heavy Rocks (2022): I could write for eons about how important this band have been for me personally, and the journeys they’ve taken me but the simplest action is to just listen. Listen to a band who still sound as vital today as they did 30 years ago. A band whose exploration and experimentation with sound has proven to be so influential and like no other. When you’ve gone and done all that, you can write as many albums with the same name as you want. ‘Heavy Rocks 2022’ is a pure expression of Boris; Wata coaxing ribbons of exhilarating guitar melodies from the ether, Atsuo smashing that drumkit like a man possessed and the propulsive, impulsive bass of Takeshi. There’s nobody like them, and there never will be

List of Grievances: 2021 Albums of the Year

Not as emphatic as last year’s winner, but just as deserving of the top slot this year

When I look back on my favourite albums of 2020, death/doom and misery featured highly due to the ongoing world collapse, family bereavements and just general gloom. When I look at my picks for this year, it seems to have a lot more anger and brutality about it, reflecting my general frustration with the wreck of humanity we’ve got left. But my little daughter learned to headbang to ‘War Pigs’ so I can’t really get too down can I? 2021 was a banner year for death and destruction in the extreme scene, and I fucking loved every second of it. As always, there are albums that don’t make the cut, but rest assured, if I’ve reviewed it this year, I’ve enjoyed it. Life is too short for bad music.You can find the full reviews for each record on the site!

20. No Light Escapes – The Purity of Grief: A weird one this for me, as the style is something I normally find a bit stale and samey, yet No Light Escapes kept drawing me back in. The dizzying mathcore breakdowns, killer hooks, djent riffing and deathcore brutality all coalesce into a record that is proving to be irresistable to my sensibilities.

19. Alda – A Distant Fire: An epic slab of atmospheric black metal that helped me sink back into the genre this year, after last year’s disappointing showing. Alda mix in some post rock parts too, clean acoustics and a sense of melody that somehow plays off the more frozen blackened side nicely. Full of grandiose epics, this is a dark revelation

18. Bonehunter – Dark Blood Reincarnation System: A visceral romp through glorious blackened thrash, but with the signature Bonehunter attitude. Venomous speed metal riffing meets necrotic black metal and a serrated thrash attack, all culminating in a raucous and energetic record of barbed wired, complex yet catchy metal for pumping your spiked fist in the air at.

17. Utburd – Story of Frozen Souls: A multilayered masterpiece of atmospheric black metal that also subverts expectations by adding a bit of doom, a bit of gothic, a lot of traditional second wave stuff and remains jaw droppingly vast. One man behind this too, which just impresses all the more. Frosted majesty

16. Mienakunara – Blood Sun: A slow burn, trance inducing psychedelica trip of churning stoner doom, layered with shimmering krautrock freakout jams and basically every absolutely perfect stoner cliche you can think of. Inspired, mind melting solos tearing across sun scorched vistas on distant worlds. Glorious

15. Chaos Over Cosmos – The Silver Lining Between the Stars: a ludicrously overwrought, spirally tech death odssey that should be too long, too wanky and too much for me to enjoy is somehow not the case at all. I keep returning to this record and marvelling at how it mashes together Dragonforce, Scar Symmetry and Devin Townsend and isn’t a total fucking mess. Progressive technical metalcore death thrash power metal genius!

14. Necrogod – In Extremis: A death metal album by Rogga Johansson in a top albums list? WHAT YEAR IS THIS?! But serious, Necrogod’s work this year was almost comically good, and some of the most enjoyable, shit-eating grin causing death metal appears on this record. Sweeping the best from Europe and Florida, this is another example of 2021’s prime year in death metal.

13. Io – Fire: a harrowing, grinding, dragging sludge doom record that conjures Crowbar, EyeHateGod and Kyuss into a single minded, bubbling force of churning lava and death. Monstrous riffs, cavernous vocals and the kind of music that is maybe best left out on a desolate, fire riddled moon, lest it destroy us all.

12. The Ruins of Beverast – The Thule Grimoires: The eccentric depths of The Ruins of Beverast are always a delightful enigma, but on this record they play with death, black, doom, prog and dark ambient to a dazzling degree. At the core, it is the blackest and doomiest black metal but every track weaves so many different styles into the fabric that you’d be loath to pigeonhole them. ‘The Thule Grimoires’ is a vast beast of utter darkness, churning miasmic evil and otherworldly magic.

11. Soothsayer – Echoes of the Earth: I reviewed this all the way back in February and suggested it would cast a long shadow over the rest of the year’s releases and I was right. I find myself coming back to it again and again, a titanic sludgy leviathan that builds expertly towards the twin devastation of ‘Six of Nothing’ and ‘True North’, which could be one of the greatest two hit combos in all of sludge doom. A magnificent ode to the bleakness of existence.

10. Slimelord – The Delta Death Sirens: Although technically a rerelease of a 2020 rerelease of a 2019 record, the ugly gurgling primal force that is this debut took me by surprise on my first listen, and it has drawn me back into it’s terrifying depths a number of times this year. It’s very gratifying to see this kind of music belch up from the UK underground, and the agony drenched solos howling through the murk is the icing on the cake.

9. Alchemy of Flesh – Ageless Abominations: The world needs more Morbid Angel in it, and since the REAL Morbid Angel are a little hit and miss these days, we have Alchemy of Flesh ready to step in and take up the mantle of chief Lovecraftian beast-summoners. This is some of the most well written, varied death metal I’ve come across this year, sucking on the diseased teat of Floridian classics but steadfastly maintaining their identity. Each song is a new exercise in why other modern death metal is stale and boring, and why slow and heavy is ALWAYS best.

8. Nytt Land – Ritual: Ok, it isn’t metal, but ‘Ritual’ spoke to me on a primal level more than almost anything this year. I’ve really got into this type of Nordic dark folk this year, and Nytt Land are exactly what I’m looking for. The soundtrack to a frozen wood, a crackling fire, mysterious spirits and sinister shapes in the trees. My night time soundtrack, utterly perfect and evocative of past lives.

7. Skepticism – Companion: An instant reminder of my 2020 album of the year (Atramentus – Stygian), Skepticism’s work is timeless in its scale, its execution and the ability to generate emotion from every earth shaking riff, guttural roar and bleak beautiful melody. ‘Companion’ is the work of the finest craftsmen, wringing every drop of soul and feeling from torturous riffs and shrouding, dynamic atmospheres.

6. Archgoat – Worship the Eternal Darkness: black metal’s most evil and filthy sons decided to have a go at melody this year. Well, their interpretation of it of course, which means a little doom, a little gothic synth, even a dose of Behemoth-esque grandeur. All coated in a bestial, Satanic tar that smothers almost all of it. Thirty plus years has not dulled the edge of these Finns, and somehow they keep getting better.

5. Ültra Raptör – Tyrants: In a world where you need some fucking heavy metal to break all the bullshit apart, ‘Tyrants’ was that album for me. ‘Gale Runner’ is my absolute favourite track of the year and the rest is balls to the wall fist pumping heavy metal glory that makes you absolute yearn for the live gig experience. It conjures the spirits of Maiden, Angel Witch and Jaguar into a modern NWOBHM classic, complete with an utterly, ludicrously brilliant album cover.

4. Gexerott – Hallucinetic Violet Ignition: A black metal album that embraces an almost gothic doom approach to creating atmosphere and for me it is the surprise of the year. South American black metal has a tendency to be raw, visceral and necro as fuck, whereas these Colombians take as much from latter day Mayhem as they do from My Dying Bride. An infinitely fascinating record, haunting and absorbing in equal measure.

3. Hooded Menace – The Tritonus Bell: ‘The Tritonus Bell’ was where Hooded Menace decided to bring all their favourite heavy metal influences to the fore, which is why their filth-caked death/doom monstrosities had more than a couple of belting NWOBHM leads, striding classic doom riffs and a magnificent production from Andy LaRocque. Imagine if Mercyful Fate and Angel Witch had grown up in a Louisiana swamp and took loads of crystal meth, and you’d be close. A titanic record that reaffirms and reimagines Hooded Menace as one of the genre’s premier exponents.

2. Sepulcros – Vazio: You almost got number one guys, so close. ‘Vazio’ was my frontrunner all year, a sodden atmospheric masterpiece of truly gloomy death/doom that scraped the very bowels of the abyss and shook the earth to its core. But it is never afraid to drop into the blazing torrents of fiery black/death metal to create jarring contrasts of brutality. The core of Sepulcros’ work is the atmosphere of shuddering, suffocating oppression, hopeless and bleak. You’d struggle to find anything that comes close to this for quality this year.

1. The Slow Death – Siege: I went back and forth on this or my number two as my favourite album this year. But where ‘Siege’ wins it for me is the utterly haunting aspect to this massive, dirging behemoth of cadaverous funeral doom/sludge. Drawing all of the emotional heft from the clean guitar work, the female vocals and the oppressive majesty of atmospheric death/doom, The Slow Death manage to encapsulate everything you could need in an hour plus of some of the heaviest music set to tape this year. Heaviness comes in all forms, and ‘Siege’ has it all. Utterly devastating.

List of Grievances: Geary of War’s Top Albums of 2020

By Geary of War

As the fastest yet slowest year of everyone’s lives draws to a close it is time to address Sophie’s Choice of music. Albums of the year. Truthfully there is so much out there that even as I wrote this piece I was still finding new and exciting music to check out. I know that what is best is entirely subjective, not to mention I could wax on about loads of other great albums which nearly made the list, thus I shall call this ‘The Impactful Dozen’. Things that either were played loads or made me sit up and go, “Ooh that’s spicy”

12. Thou & Emma Ruth Rundle – May Our Chambers Be Full: The late arrival to the ranks is a blending the beautiful tones of Emma Ruth Rundle (check out a track called Marked for Death to see what she’s about) and the brooding threat Thou carry at all times. Casting up thoughts of Cult of Luna’s ‘Mariner’, this is a magnificent collaboration.

11. Killer Be Killed – Reluctant Hero: This groove metal supergroup showed they were not a flash in the pan and threw together another catchy classic. All the elements that got me into metal are front and centre and executed at the highest level. Fresh music that awakens nostalgia.

10. Tombs – Under Sullen Skies: Black metal with the ruthless aggression of hardcore? Yes please! The power and passion on display here is visceral. When the album ends it feels like a weight has been lifted, only it’s more like a dog sleeping on your leg; you can’t move but you don’t want to as it’s brilliant and engaging.

9. Sunyata – The Great Beyond: When I say this stunning album of grand and sweeping doom is epic and astral feeling I do it a disservice. It is that and so much more. Be it going for a long walk on a cold, dry day or lying on your back and relaxing this is a great choice.

8. Sad – Misty Breath of Ancient Forests: With one foot very much in the old school camp the other foot is off making best pals with all the ways to push the envelope. A sweeping black metal journey to be enjoyed again and again.

7. Oak – Lone: Oak delivered a masterful slice of funeral doom for us to enjoy this year, one that I loved as I took my dog a cracking long walk. The secret lies in their ability to know when to let the music stretch and breathe before slamming you back down.

6. Bull Elephant – Created from Death: With one of the wildest concepts I have ever encountered Bull Elephant creates music which demands to be listened back to back to allow you to truly appreciate the grandeur of the story they are trying to weave. Broad in scope and musical delivery I eagerly await the third part to this magnificent trio.

5. Poema Arcanvas – Stardust Solitude: From slow trudging and possesed growls to high tempo charges and rich soaring vocals Poema Arcanvas has ticked all the boxes here. This album manages to feel quite beautiful as much as it feels like a threat. The true act of brilliance here is how they made both elements work seamlessly together.

4. Imperial Triumphant – Alphaville: If you ran a classic black metal band together at high speed with Sunna Ra, like Station in Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey then you would get Imperial Triumphant. Brilliant, mad and utterly enthralling, Alphaville is one I will be unpacking for a while to come.

3. Atramentus – Stygian: One of, if not the best, album cover of the year. It’s something I would hang on my wall. There is a real sense of scope, foreboding and true otherworldliness about this album. If we ever get a proper Conan movie again this could be the soundtrack to his dungeon searching and battles with Thoth – Amon. This is an essential listen.

2. Wardaemonic – Acts of Repentance: In The Year of Doom, in more ways than one, Wardaemonic assaulted us with an outstanding slab of black metal. They pushed the aggression and violence to 11 all while crafting something with more and more to it.

1. Jupiterian – Protosapien: Jupiterian have created their own little corner of the doom/death metal world. Not quite fitting in either camp but drawing all the best from them all the same. This 35 minute experience is one to be taken a few times to truly appreciate what has been crafted. Very possibly a defining record.

List of Grievances: 2020 Albums of the Year

Untouchable at number 1

 

By Sandre the Giant

An end of the year list is always a struggle round my parts, when you get so much great music to hear how can you narrow it down to ‘just’ 20 or ‘just’ 10? Well I managed to get to 20, and my top 2 have been set for months. It’ll be no surprise to those of you who read my Atramentus and Jupiterian reviews that I gushed hard for them, and they were always going to be tough to beat.

I’ve had a very doom and death metal heavy year, and that is reflected below. Black metal is featured but it just hasn’t done much for me this year. Sometimes that just happens I suppose. My record label of the year goes to Transcending Obscurity with ZERO doubts, as they have four of my top ten and eight of my top 20. Kunal and team have one of the best eyes for extremity in the world, and the label drops masterpiece after masterpiece. If I’d done a top fifty, it’d probably have including most of their releases. Anyway, enjoy the list!

20. Revolting – The Shadow at the World’s End: Possibly the finest slab of merciless Swedeath worship this year, very tight with everything else Rogga Johansson worked on to be honest. How does this man create so much good death metal!? Terrifying, much like the rabid chainsawing death contained here!

19. Oak – Lone: the solemn march of loneliness inspires the gloom of Oak and ‘Lone’ was a tour de force of majestic death/doom. If this year hadn’t produced so many iconic records in this genre they’d have been much higher on my list, but they shouldn’t be forgotten. This is massive.

18. Worm – Gloomlord: a vast swamp of foul, filthy sludge doom that cast a reeking cloud over the rest of the year when it came out in January. Poisonous in tone, perhaps we should’ve taken its warning and sunk back into the murky depths ourselves.

17. Defeated Sanity – The Sanguinary Impetus: Nothing unexpected but then again, why would you change the imperious brutal death maelstorm that creates stuff like this? Unfathomably complex and heavy at times, this was an absolute head caver.

16. Bezwerung – Aan de wormen overgeleverd: an album that shows how shapeshifting black metal can be at times, and why all the influences on show here from Emperor to Deathspell Omega can somehow work in one place. A challenging but thoroughly worthwhile listen.

15. Atrae Bilis – Divinihility: Somehow feeling a little short just made me play this more. ‘Divinihility’ is a true exercise in technical mastery, and it may be a little wanky for some the sheer magic wrought from those frets is music to my damaged ears. Also, the only EP to make my list so that counts for something.

14. Shrines of Dying Light – Sadness: ‘Sadness’ is an apt title, for this is mournful doom at a real high point. The riffs are huge, the misery is real and the pain is endless.  A record of shimmering darkness.

13. Astral Sleep – Astral Doom Musick: a doom record that dares to yearn for a better place for us all, a happier ending to the sadness of life? ‘Astral Doom Musick’ has you covered, and weaves sinewy riffs of gloom through a psychedelic filter. Plus that vinyl is a thing of beauty.

12. Depravity – Grand Malevolence: A late addition to the list, and the sheer ferocity of this Australian bulldozer of death charged it to just outside the top ten. Spiralling guitar riffs coupled with powerhouse low end and a battery of drumming mean that Depravity had the tools, and they also had the writing skills. Devastating.

11. Old Corpse Road – On Ghastly Shores Lays the Wreckage of Our Lore: A welcome return to the more visceral of the UK’s black metal atmospherics, as this record manages to capture both the icy winds of our cold north but also the gentle and mystic folklore buried in these lonely hills. Sweeping majesty.

10. Dopelord – The Sign of the Devil: I begged Lee at Sleeping Shaman to let me review this for them, as I was captivated on first listen. Pure Electric Wizard fuzz throughout, and probably my favourite traditional doom record of the year. This gets spun all the time.

9. Paradise Lost – Obsidian: an album that hits on all of Paradise Lost’s career, from gothic misery to striding Yorkshire doom and makes most others sound like complete pretenders. A mighty return from one of the UK’s most important institutions.

8. Sad – Misty Breath of Ancient Forests: a tightly traditional slab of second wave black metal worship, but Sad breathe plenty of life into that frost bitten corpse. The scale is vast, the riffing frigid and the atmosphere colder than a driven snow. THE black metal album of 2020 for me.

7. Incantation – Sect of Vile Divinities: An album where the death metal legends cleaned it up a little, and all the better for it. I miss the murk but when a band who have kicked out classic after classic decide to change it up a little, I’d say just go with it. Every hallmark of Incantation’s legendary career collide into a monolithic slab of death

6. Death Courier – Necrotic Verses: a record that is simply FUN to listen to on repeat, over and over. Death metal can be utterly spellbinding when it is simple and straightforward, and ‘Necrotic Verses’ doesn’t fuck about. This is as straight as they come, and it is glorious for it!

5. Poema Arcanus – Stardust Solitude: These Chileans manage to out-Paradise Lost Paradise Lost this year, and considering how good ‘Obsidian’ was (see above) that is impressive. With versatile vocals, riffs for days and a grandiosity that would make My Dying Bride weep, this was glorious in its misery.

4. Undeath – Lesions of a Different Kind: probably the best of the oldest of old school death to come out this year, Undeath just get IT when it comes to this classic sound. This record is only half an hour long but when it is this filthy, that’s maybe all you can handle.

3. Subterraen – Rotten Human Kingdom: a latecomer to my list but the mix of blackened sludge and miasmic doom led Subterraen on the endless quest up the list. ‘Rotten Human Kingdom’ is the sound of a planet laying waste to us pitiful humans, and the lack of mercy is scary.

2. Jupiterian – Protosapien: Pipped at the last to second, nevertheless ‘Protosapien’ took everything Jupiterian created on ‘Terraforming’ and cranked it up. Crushing in its heaviness and so powerful in execution, this was a tour de force in heavy music for 2020 and is a worthy second place.

1. Atramentus – Stygian: It’s difficult to find any more words than I already did for this record, but this sits peerlessly alone at the top of my list. A creation of staggering bleakness and misery, and I’ll maybe never stop listening to it. It is hard to describe without hearing it, but I think this is the actual sound of the endless screaming void of space. An essential, iconic piece.

List of Grievances: Best of Doooooom!

I love doom. 2015’s doom has been in some places, magnificent. It is the most primal and emotional subgenre; the closest to the progenitor riffs of Iommi and ghostly wail of Ozzy. There has been some triumphs this year in this genre, and here are the Killchain top 10. It contains some of the same albums I put forward to the Sleeping Shaman as my top ten, but some have changed.

10. Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats – The Night Creeper: A last minute addition to the list, where the Deadbeats swoop in to amaze with their groove ridden psychedelic doom. The journey continues deeper into the bowels of doom

9. A Dream of Poe – An Infinity Emerged: An album designed to wring pure emotion from you in every way. Crooning vocals, mourning riffs and a creaking atmosphere builds into one of the gloomiest pieces of gothic doom art this year. Affecting in the most primal way.

8. Thorr-Axe – The Gates of Winter: Another masterpiece of riffing, a crushing swing of the doom sword to smote the enemies below. Thorr-Axe blend some hardcore tinges into their swelling post metal/doom mix, and the result is a heady album of bludgeon and glacial power.

7. Paradise Lost – A Plague Within: Yorkshire doom masters bring the heavy, the gothic melancholy, and just about everything else in their arsenal to create a monolithic slab of deathly doom majesty. Another prime example of how the golden oldies never fail to amaze or deliver.

6. Pentagram – Curious Volume: A triumphant return for one of doom’s legends. ‘Curious Volume’ sees Pentagram regain their place as one of doom’s figureheads with swaggering groove, achingly heavy riffs and Liebling’s soulful croon sounding better than it has in years. Don’t close the casket on them yet…

5. Shrine of the Serpent – Shrine of the Serpent: A pure evilness abounds in this three track crushing death/doom from these US newcomers. This is the sound of misery crushing you into nothing, with a fetid stench of death about every riff and every vomited incantation. Doomed to destroy

4. High on Fire: Luminiferous: RIFFS! That’s pretty much the whole modus operandi for High on Fire, and ‘Luminiferous’ delivers a metric fuckton of riffs. Matt Pike and co have always possessed this primal power in voice, riff and drum, and ‘Luminiferous’ may be their most definite statement yet.

3. Lucifer – Lucifer I: The sultry, smoky occult doom stylings of Lucifer bring me back to the feelings of joy last year when I encountered Mount Salem for the first time. The groove and the simple beauty of each riff is hypnotic, while the vocal hooks keep you from wandering. Stunning.

2. Windhand – Grief’s Infernal Flower: The band you rely on to fill Electric Wizard’s space when they’re off watching horror movies and smoking weed. Windhand have an uncanny knack of writing these dense, monolithic riffs that rumble through your very bones. Psychedelic groove that drags you to the void

1.Undersmile – Anhedonia: The scorching primal beauty of ‘Anhedonia’ is clear for everyone to see. Balancing heft with glacial beauty, melancholy with crushing power of riff, Undersmile’s 2015 effort was one of the finest records in any genre I got this year.

List of Grievances: Best Death Metal 2015

Death metal has been particularly healthy this year in the world of the Killchain. I’ve heard some storming releases, and to whittle it down to only ten seems unfair to the many great records I heard this year. I’m genuinely sorry to anyone I’ve reviewed that hasn’t made it in, because I’ve been totally into almost everything I’ve been sent! But it has to be done, and this is it!

10. Tormention – Chaotic Delusions: A solid, chunky death metal riff war machine of a record. Who needs to reinvent the wheel when the wheel has rarely sounded this good. Tormention crush and batter you into submission.

9. Kataklysm – Of Ghosts and Gods: Superb guitar harmonies mesh with a bombardment of double kicks, guttural but understandable roars and flesh searing riffs. Kataklysm may be getting a bit more melodic, but ‘Of Ghosts and Gods’ will still destroy a pit at ten feet.

8. Desecresy – Stoic Death: A slow, grinding album of Finnish death supreme, where speed has been traded in for a malevolent drudge through some of the darkest waters. Unholy, crawling chaos.

7. Putrevore – Tentacles of Horror: Probably my favourite of all Rogga Johansson’s releases this year, Putrevore smash you into the ground with pure, gurgling death metal. Viciously sludgy and with a simply awesome guitar tone, Putrevore slay.

6. Austerymn – Sepulcrum Viventium: A killer debut of pure Swedeath worship, the UK’s answer to Dismember pulled out all the stops to create a memorably brutal record with razor sharp song writing and crushing heaviness.

5. Obituary – Inked in Blood: Legends fade over time, but Obituary don’t. Still as strong today as they were when they dropped ‘Slowly We Rot’. Iconic vocal belches pepper an album built on heavy as fuck riffing and an atmosphere of reeking death.

4. Abyssus – Into the Abyss: Out Obituary-ing Obituary is no mean feat, but Greek death metal squad Abyssus manage to create one of the finest Floridian death metal albums never to come out of Morrisound. I love the raw, uncompromisingly 90s feel about it, taking me back to the heady days when death metal was a little bit more simple!

3. Shrapnel Storm – Mother War: Filling the Bolt Thrower shaped void in my life, Shrapnel Storm has spun more often than I ever thought it could this year. The band just execute a brand of deathly groove that is totally addictive. The rumble of tanks is alive and well

2. Necrocosm – Damnation Doctrine: Spiralling tech death metal with oodles of melody and stunning fretwork. ‘Damnation Doctrine’ is one of metal’s finest debuts, and is held off the top spot by one of death metal’s most influential and untouchable bands.

1.Nile – What Should Not Be Unearthed: Flailing, raging technicality meets the ancient power of the pyramids once again as Nile emerge from their tombs, laying upon us another blueprint of apocalyptic, ancient death. Once again proving that they are the greatest death metal outfit going, ‘What Should Not Be Unearthed’ is endlessly stunning.

List of Grievances: Best of Demos/EPs

Early releases in a band’s career can really show you where they are going, and sometimes can show you just how good they are going to be. Here’s my favourites from this year, and why a demo is still as important as ever.

10. Funerary Bell – Graveyard Seance: in a year where black metal didn’t strike me as often as I’d like, Funerary Bell’s EP gave me hope that the genre still has a lot of merit. Injected with menace, and a ghostly shriek pushes them onto my list.

9. Gaijin – Gaijin: Technical death metal carnage from a band who will be very interesting to keep an eye on.

8. Heathen Beast – The Carnage of Godhra: What would become the last third of ‘Trident’, ‘The Carnage at Godhra’ is a brutal piece of quality, chunky black metal that benefits from dashes of ethnic instrumentation and socio-political lyrics.

7. Exenemy – Overture: One of the finer bits of traditional and power metal I’ve come across this year, Exenemy rip some high quality riffs with oodles of melody. Killer stuff.

6. Heaven Abhorred – Opening the Gate: Raw, malevolent black metal goodness. Channeling second wave black metal legends, Heaven Abhorred are another to keep an eye on.

5. Severe Lacerations – Incantation of Sorrow: Killer North West death metal with a ruthless streak a mile long, this will be a band to keep an eye on. Brutality plain and simple.

4. Mist – Inan: What a beautiful piece of doom this is. Reminding me of my favourite record from last year, Mount Salem’s ‘Endless’, Mist have perfected this kind of Sabbathian groove. I love it

3. Hellripper – The Manifestation of Evil: Oh my fucking christ this slays. It slays so hard I bought the tape, and I don’t have a tape player! ‘Total Mayhem’ could be my favourite song of the year, although it has some stiff competition.

2. Runemaster-  Futhark Dawning: This is prime heavy metal. This is metal at it’s beating, stone heavy heart. Each anthem is catchy, each riff is killer, and the simple fact that it channels such a primal feeling of joy means that its a favourite.

1. Plague Rider – Paroxysm: This is one of the weirdest death metal mindfucks I’ve heard in ages, and that simple fact puts it to number one. Plague Rider are in no way afraid to do anything they need to create something truly special. ‘Paroxysm’ is my number one for its fearless invention and its brutality.

List of Grievances: Best of 2015

I did a full genre by genre breakdown last year, and while I’ll try to put that together in the next few days, I thought I ‘d start with my overall favourites. I spent 2015 listening to a shitload of independent, underground stuff, and a lot of older stuff. My favourite non-2015 record of the year was ‘British Steel’, closely followed by Accept’s superlative ‘Balls to the Wall’. It was clearly a classic metal year.I’ve also not heard anywhere near as many of the records I wanted to. So there’s probably been a few good ones you’re wondering why are missing. Tell me, so I can find them!

I’m adding a late disclaimer to this; at point of writing I haven’t heard the new Baroness record. It’d probably be in here, but its not fair to these other great records to stick it in just because I’m guessing how good it is.

10. Zgard – Totem: A Ukrainian windswept masterpiece of folky black metal. ‘Totem’ proved that while fellow countryman Drudkh has perfected the style, there are still bands that can challenge the supremacy. Majestic.

9. Paradise Lost – The Plague Within: What can be said? Yorkshire doom lords return with one of this year’s finest pieces of gothic misery. Proof that you can always rely on the old guard to bring it.

8. Plague Rider – Paroxysm: Only EP to make this list, English tech death stars Plague Rider makes this kind of mind bending death metal look easy. I cannot wait to hear what is coming next.

7. Islay – The Angels Share: German melodeath underground heroes Islay have written one of 2015’s most impressive records. ‘The Angels Share’ is an odyssey, owing debts to At the Gates and Amon Amarth, but always remaining their own.

6. Heathen Beast – Trident: One of India’s brightest hopes, and one of their most talented acts, Heathen Beast bring to you scathing, black metal with enough unique ethnic touches to make them stand out and be instantly recognisable.

5. Chiral – Night Sky: In a year where Sivjr Yar pushed him close, Chiral brought out my favourite black metal of the year. Epic in scope, majestic in execution, and truly heart-wrenching at points, ‘Night Sky’ is how atmospheric black metal should be done.

4. Undersmile – Anhedonia: A scorching, dynamic slab of proper British doom. Melancholy and bleak, but always vital and alive. ‘Atacama Sunrise’ is one of my favourite songs of this year, and it is my top doom record of 2015.

3. Shrapnel Storm – Mother War: In a year of epic death metal, Shrapnel Storm’s album kept getting played. Maybe it’s satisfying my craving for more Bolt Thrower, I don’t know, but maybe its just because it is a crushing machine of riffs and death. Love it.

2. Necrocosm – Damnation Doctrine: In any year where there WASN’T a new Nile record, this would have been my top record. I love the complexity, the unhinged savagery but also the supreme melodic flair with which these guys kill. ‘Damnation Doctrine’ needs to be the death metal record you hear this year

NUMBER ONE: Nile – What Should Not Be Unearthed: I love Nile. I love everything they do. I loved this album before I heard it. But then I did. I heard how Karl Sanders and co had brought their signature sound to yet more intricate, punishing and most importantly GREAT death metal. Writing songs for themselves should be what they do more often, we are all just lucky to hear it.

Did I miss anything essential? Please let me know and I hope you seek out and support all the artists here.

 

List of Grievances: Best of the Best

Now my previous lists have been specific to genre, but this is my ultimate top 20 of the year. It’ll include some records that you won’t have seen in previous ones as, for example, I only really heard two good power metal records this year, so I can’t really make a list from it. Also, where do you categorise certain bands, like Triptykon, who cover a wide spread of genres? Anyhow, my top favourites of the year are as follows:

20. Killer Be Killed – S/T – A supergroup that combines equal parts of their bands to create awesome

19. Grand Magus – Triumph and Power – Riffs of stone and hooks of great magnitude, the title track alone is one of my favourite songs of the year.

18. Winterfylleth – The Divination of Antiquity – Another record of spellbinding black metal from England’s finest. Windswept and vast

17. Edguy – Space Police – Catchy as hell and stupidly anthemic, Tobias and the squad bring some RAWK to their power metal greatness

16. Electric Wizard – Time to Die – A suffocating, occult riddled drag down doom alley. Evil and heavy as fuck

15. Mastodon – Once More Round the Sun – A big improvement over The Hunter and Mastodon’s prog doom trip extends further

14. Mayhem – Esoteric Warfare – A follow up to ‘Ordo Ad Chao’ was always going to be difficult, but the True Mayhem brought out another stormer

13. At the Gates – At War With Reality – Thank fuck we finally have the follow up to ‘Slaughter of the Soul’. They put all copycats to shame.

12. EyeHateGod – EyeHateGod – NOLA sludge titans send Joey LaCaze off with one of their most superlative records yet. Angry, harsh and utterly devastating

11. Decapitated – Blood Mantra – Poland’s finest sons of death continue their streak of blinding records with yet another punishing exercise in tech death

10. Anaal Nathrakh – Desideratum – Nasty, abrasive and skullfuckingly epic in parts, Anaal do things their way, and better than most

9. Inter Arma – The Cavern – A Spellbinding 45 minute trip through the mind of one of post metal and doom’s brightest sparks. Wonderful

8. Hour of Penance – Regicide – Always brutal and relentless, I’ve grown fonder and fonder of this record the longer the year has gone on. Death to all!

7. Dead Congregation – Promulgation of the Fall – Nasty, lurching death metal chaos, belching death and pestilence to all

6. Whalerider – Thanatos – A surprise late entry, and its been on constant rotation. A stormingly good rock record with doses of psych doom weirdness too

5. Panopticon – Road to the North – Soaring and scorching black metal, vast and hypnotic. Epic black metal is the theme this year, and its great

4. Sabaton – Heroes – I fucking love this band. No one writes more anthemic metal tunes than this. Fantastic record and catchy as hell

3. Mount Salem – Endless – A starkly beautiful trad doom record with perfect vocals and atmosphere. The fact it is third on my list is testament to its quality

2. Behemoth – The Satanist – The rebirth of a legend and a triumphant return. Any other year this would’ve been the best by a country mile

1. Triptykon – Melana Chasmata – Nothing could beat the pure misanthropy, despair and heaviness wrought from Tom G Warrior. A simply monumental release