Posts
10. Obituary – Inked In
Blood
Florida's Obituary have always been one of the few Death Metal bands I have rated. This is probably due to the slower, mid-paced tempo of the songs and to John Tardy's distinctive, unique guttaral vocal delivery. That said, I have struggled to really get into anything the band has put out since they reformed in 2003. They have just seemed to lack the punch they once had and I had long since consigned them to the "used to be good, but now they are just ok" pile. So imagine my suprise and delight upon hearing Inked In Blood and finding it to be not only to be a great collection of songs, but the band's strongest release in almost two decades. Inked In Blood is right up there with The End Complete and World Demise...and I can't think of higher praise than that.
9. Triptykon – Melana Chasmata
When Celtic Frost predictably fell apart in 2008, assumably for good, mastermind and mainman Tom G Fischer wasted little time in returning to the fray with his new band, Triptykon. If the band's debut album, released in 2010, became an immediate Extreme Metal favourite, then follow up, Melana Chasmata is nothing short of a classic. Everything - from Tom's distinctive, mournful vocals to the crushingly heavy riffs and the expertly implemented female vocals to the acoustic passages - is cleverly and subtly utilised to maximum effect.Breathtaking.
1. Agalloch – The
Serpent And The Sphere
Florida's Obituary have always been one of the few Death Metal bands I have rated. This is probably due to the slower, mid-paced tempo of the songs and to John Tardy's distinctive, unique guttaral vocal delivery. That said, I have struggled to really get into anything the band has put out since they reformed in 2003. They have just seemed to lack the punch they once had and I had long since consigned them to the "used to be good, but now they are just ok" pile. So imagine my suprise and delight upon hearing Inked In Blood and finding it to be not only to be a great collection of songs, but the band's strongest release in almost two decades. Inked In Blood is right up there with The End Complete and World Demise...and I can't think of higher praise than that.
9. Triptykon – Melana Chasmata
When Celtic Frost predictably fell apart in 2008, assumably for good, mastermind and mainman Tom G Fischer wasted little time in returning to the fray with his new band, Triptykon. If the band's debut album, released in 2010, became an immediate Extreme Metal favourite, then follow up, Melana Chasmata is nothing short of a classic. Everything - from Tom's distinctive, mournful vocals to the crushingly heavy riffs and the expertly implemented female vocals to the acoustic passages - is cleverly and subtly utilised to maximum effect.Breathtaking.
8. Primordial – Where
Greater Men Have Fallen
Irish Pagan Metallers Primordial have drifted further and further away from their Celtic Black Metal beginnings to become a unique and essential part of the wider Metal landscape. With each passing album, the band has further cemented its legacy with flawless songwriting and a sheer majesty that most bands could only dream of. That they do this with crushing, mid-paced riffs and (near) clean wailing vocals is nothing short of genius.
Irish Pagan Metallers Primordial have drifted further and further away from their Celtic Black Metal beginnings to become a unique and essential part of the wider Metal landscape. With each passing album, the band has further cemented its legacy with flawless songwriting and a sheer majesty that most bands could only dream of. That they do this with crushing, mid-paced riffs and (near) clean wailing vocals is nothing short of genius.
7. Einherjer – Av Oss, For Oss
Einherjer is a band that have been poised on the edge of greatness for their twenty plus year career but have always fallen frustratingly short of delivering THAT classic album. Well, ladies and gentleman, the wait is finally over. At its heart, Av Oss, For Oss (By Us, For Us) is an epic, majestic Pagan Black Metal masterpiece in the vein of bands such as Tyr, Månegarm and Thyrfing, but it is infused throughout with an off the wall, avant-garde flavour and has earned Einherjer the right to be spoken of in the same hushed tones of reverance as fellow Norwegian Prog Post-Black Metallers, Enslaved.
Einherjer is a band that have been poised on the edge of greatness for their twenty plus year career but have always fallen frustratingly short of delivering THAT classic album. Well, ladies and gentleman, the wait is finally over. At its heart, Av Oss, For Oss (By Us, For Us) is an epic, majestic Pagan Black Metal masterpiece in the vein of bands such as Tyr, Månegarm and Thyrfing, but it is infused throughout with an off the wall, avant-garde flavour and has earned Einherjer the right to be spoken of in the same hushed tones of reverance as fellow Norwegian Prog Post-Black Metallers, Enslaved.
6. Blut Aus Nord –
Memoria Vetusta III: Saturnian Poetry
A band that has always received huge praise from the music press and the underground, but one that has always managed to pass me by. I have tried to listen to their music at vary times over the years, but never quite "got it". After a long time in a self-imposed exile of experimental releases, the band has returned to the Black Metal based sound they were reknowned for...and now it all makes sense. Don't get me wrong, this is still progressive and experimental, but this time it definitely falls comfortably within the (admittedly broad) spectrum of Black Metal. My advice is to forget all the hype around bands such as Behemoth and Watain and listen to this instead. A remarkable piece of work.
5. Northern Oak – Of Roots And Flesh
I have been a fan of Northen Oak for a few years now, but even I didn't see this coming. Much like Robert Johnson at the crossroads, I can only put the huge leap forward the band has taken since 2010's Monuments down to a pact with the Devil himself. That isn't to say in any way that Monuments was a bad album (it wasn't), it was just a flawed album which fell a long way short of greatness. The same critism cannot be levelled at Of Roots And Flesh. This is a bonafide Folk Black Metal classic. There isn't a weak moment to be found here and the band has even allowed its Britishness to shine through in both the subject matter and the music. I'm willing to wager that you won't have heard a better Folk Metal album in 2014. Classic and essential!
4. Gormathon – Following The Beast
Although you could spend all day picking out influences in this, the second album from Sweden's Gormathon, the end result manages to sound thrillingly different. If I was to try to describe the band's sound, I would say that they come across as a Melodic Death Metal Judas Priest with the clean / growling vocal combination of Scar Symmetry, but such lazy comparisons don't do them justice as this is no mere copycat act. Instead, this is the sound of a band trying and (for the most part) succeeding to make their mark and to carve out their own style of Metal. Nothing these days is truly unique, but Gormathon have had a good stab at doing something original with a well-worn and familiar formula.
A band that has always received huge praise from the music press and the underground, but one that has always managed to pass me by. I have tried to listen to their music at vary times over the years, but never quite "got it". After a long time in a self-imposed exile of experimental releases, the band has returned to the Black Metal based sound they were reknowned for...and now it all makes sense. Don't get me wrong, this is still progressive and experimental, but this time it definitely falls comfortably within the (admittedly broad) spectrum of Black Metal. My advice is to forget all the hype around bands such as Behemoth and Watain and listen to this instead. A remarkable piece of work.
5. Northern Oak – Of Roots And Flesh
I have been a fan of Northen Oak for a few years now, but even I didn't see this coming. Much like Robert Johnson at the crossroads, I can only put the huge leap forward the band has taken since 2010's Monuments down to a pact with the Devil himself. That isn't to say in any way that Monuments was a bad album (it wasn't), it was just a flawed album which fell a long way short of greatness. The same critism cannot be levelled at Of Roots And Flesh. This is a bonafide Folk Black Metal classic. There isn't a weak moment to be found here and the band has even allowed its Britishness to shine through in both the subject matter and the music. I'm willing to wager that you won't have heard a better Folk Metal album in 2014. Classic and essential!
4. Gormathon – Following The Beast
Although you could spend all day picking out influences in this, the second album from Sweden's Gormathon, the end result manages to sound thrillingly different. If I was to try to describe the band's sound, I would say that they come across as a Melodic Death Metal Judas Priest with the clean / growling vocal combination of Scar Symmetry, but such lazy comparisons don't do them justice as this is no mere copycat act. Instead, this is the sound of a band trying and (for the most part) succeeding to make their mark and to carve out their own style of Metal. Nothing these days is truly unique, but Gormathon have had a good stab at doing something original with a well-worn and familiar formula.
3. In Flames – Siren
Charms
Where to begin. I want to start by saying that I had long since lost faith in In Flames' ability to write a good song, let alone a great album. Let's face it, this is a band that has had more ups and downs than a bi-polar trampoline artist and one that has been on a downward spiral for the last decade. Now, I'm sure that it hasn't escaped your attention that Siren Charms is at number three on my list of the best albums of 2014. So what has changed? Well, the short answer is quite a lot. While, on one hand, the band has somehow retained vestiges of their distinct and reconisable sound, on the other this is a whole new In Flames. Pretty much absent is the Melodic Death Metal that the band has called their own for two decades. In it's place is a more 80's influenced Goth Rock / New Wave sound. Siren Charms is a mature, layered Rock (not Metal) record that is more akin to Depeche Mode than it is to Soilwork or to Duran Duran than Dark Tranquillity. This isn't the band that released Clayman and if the above description doesn't sound like your thing, then it might be better to stick to the old albums. If you approach this album with an open mind, however, you might find yourself pleasantly surprised.
2. Judas Priest – Redeemer Of Souls
Judas Priest finally lives up to the hype surrounding the now nearly ten year old reunion with Rob Halford. That a band which formed in 1970 (44 years ago!), can sound so essential and vital in 2014 is genuinely astounding. There are, admittedly, one or two "filler" songs to be found here, but for the most part Redeemer Of Souls is a classic old school Heavy Metal record which will put a smile on your face and make you want to dig out your old biker jacket and bang your head.
Where to begin. I want to start by saying that I had long since lost faith in In Flames' ability to write a good song, let alone a great album. Let's face it, this is a band that has had more ups and downs than a bi-polar trampoline artist and one that has been on a downward spiral for the last decade. Now, I'm sure that it hasn't escaped your attention that Siren Charms is at number three on my list of the best albums of 2014. So what has changed? Well, the short answer is quite a lot. While, on one hand, the band has somehow retained vestiges of their distinct and reconisable sound, on the other this is a whole new In Flames. Pretty much absent is the Melodic Death Metal that the band has called their own for two decades. In it's place is a more 80's influenced Goth Rock / New Wave sound. Siren Charms is a mature, layered Rock (not Metal) record that is more akin to Depeche Mode than it is to Soilwork or to Duran Duran than Dark Tranquillity. This isn't the band that released Clayman and if the above description doesn't sound like your thing, then it might be better to stick to the old albums. If you approach this album with an open mind, however, you might find yourself pleasantly surprised.
2. Judas Priest – Redeemer Of Souls
Judas Priest finally lives up to the hype surrounding the now nearly ten year old reunion with Rob Halford. That a band which formed in 1970 (44 years ago!), can sound so essential and vital in 2014 is genuinely astounding. There are, admittedly, one or two "filler" songs to be found here, but for the most part Redeemer Of Souls is a classic old school Heavy Metal record which will put a smile on your face and make you want to dig out your old biker jacket and bang your head.
For me to
try to do this album justice in a few lines would be nigh on
impossible, so I will take a snippet from my own review from early this
year: "Every chord, every cold, crushing riff
and every drum beat has its place and purpose. Even the vocals, ranging
from ethereal whispers and clean singing to the tortured roars and Black
Metal rasps (being one of the only "extreme" things about the band) are
used sparingly and always to convey a sense of atmosphere. This music
is dense and deep to the point of being near impenetrable to the casual
listener, but give it your time and full attention and you will reap the
rewards". I think that pretty much sums it up. Unparalleled and peerless. There is no competition for album of the year as far as I am concerned.
Great stuff some bands to definitely be checked out
ReplyDeleteIt's been a cracking year for new music, mate.
DeleteInspiring reading as ever! I Will give some of these another listen. Thanks you! X
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