Hard to argue against Thou winning 2018. Release after release of fucking magic. My personal favorite was Inconsolable. It's been a rough year, and I cannot express how much this album helped soothe my troubled psyche. I am reminded of the first time I heard Jar of Flies, and how blown away I was by the change in sound/direction. As I said, it was all magic, and I could've gone with Magus or Rhea Sylvia, but Inconsolable was just perfect for this time of my life.
This band has been an absolute monster in my speakers/head for almost a decade now. Australia really does have a lot of great bands in many genres, and this is one of my absolute favorites. I feel Portal are kings of this demented Death Metal I have grown so fond of. Ion is easily their most accessible album to date, and it still won't make much sense to anyone who isn't completely damaged.
2018 will go down as the year I became enamored with Sentient Ruin Laboratories. This beast started that (Thanks GODSCOLDHANDS). Featuring members of such incredible bands as Wolvhammer & Gatecreeper (as well as others) this caught me off guard, and in the best ways possible. A volatile mixture of genres that combine to form one of the heaviest fucking albums this year had to offer. If you are into OSDM/Death Doom, this is an absolute must hear.
Another album/band that came outta nowhere, and delivered one of the tastiest offerings I heard this year. I kept reading people comparing this to Mastodon, and not that I have anything against Mastodon, but I just don't hear it. This is one massively aggressive form of Sludge/Doom/Etc. These mad lads from Rugby are ones to keep an eye/ear on from here on out.
Holy fuck! Have you heard this insanity? As an old school Horror fan, and one who has a seriously macabre mindset a lot of the time, this is the kind of stuff that speaks to my darkest nature. I dig everything about this band. It's like the film Maniac (1980) became a Hardcore band. I absolutely must see this live.
Been a fan of the members in this band for some time, and though I love their previous projects, I feel Cult Leader might very well be the best thing they have done to date. Venomous, and dark. This album appeals to my many manic mood shifts.
7. 夢遊病者 (sleepwalker) - 一期一会
I love this band. Absolutely unique stuff. I kinda wish this was around back when I would consume psychedelics on a regular basis. I can only imagine how much more head-fuckery would occur while listening to this genius album. Something for those who like their heavy a bit more experimental.
8. Møl – Jord
What was old is new again in the world of Blackgaze/Post Black Metal. One of those albums that manages to be heavy while also being uplifting. A light in the darkness, if you will.
9. Dopethrone - Transcanadian Anger
Took a while, but Dopethrone finally returned with another narcotic-fueled destroyer. Druggy Sludge/Doom doesn't get much better. The songs are varied, and are all pretty damn memorable.
10. Mortuous - Through Wilderness
In a year filled with incredible releases in the genre, I feel this might have gotten a bit overlooked. As I age I find I appreciate my Death Metal more towards the muddy/raw vein. This is a great example of that. An ugly, and brutal album.
Okay. I won't lie. It was a pain in the ass to assemble even a Top 10 at this chaotic time of year, and I could easily move some of these around. When you hear as much music as some of us do, it can be easy to space on something truly deserving of recognition. With that said, here is a list, in no particular order, of other releases in 2018 that truly did something for me. This was my first attempt at anything so cohesive, and I am hoping to improve as I do it more often. Enjoy.
Virginia Creep - Dark Corners
Virginia Creep - Dark Corners
No/Más - Raíz Del Mal
Recluse - Half Life
Nadja - Sonnborner
Atrament - Scum Sect
Assumption - Absconditus
Rolo Tomassi - Time Will Die, And Love Will Bury It
Panopticon - The Scars of Man on the Once Nameless Wilderness (I & II)
Wolftooth - S/T
Graf Orlock - Examination of Violent Cinema Vol. I
Those Poor Bastards - Inhuman Nature
GUNSHIP - Dark All Day
The Borkenlayne - Pain is the Fear Minder
The Body - O God Who Avenges, Shine Forth. Rise up, Judge of the Earth; Pay Back to the Proud What They Deserve
Anaal Nathrakh - A New Kind of Horror
Tomb Mold - Manor of Infinite Forms
Evoken - Hypnagogia
Mournful Congregation - The Incubus of Karma
Genocide Pact - Order of Torment
Jesus Piece - Only Self
Primal Rite - Dirge of Escapism
Phantom Winter - Into Dark Science
Ails - The Unraveling
Super Unison - Stella
CHRCH - Light Will Consume Us
So there are 35 things for y'all to consider. I wanna end this by thanking the clergy for bringing me on, and I wanna thank all of you in the chat who have been so kind. What a fucking year, eh?
2 comments:
Goddammit mortuous, another one i forgot. Awesome list man.
Thanks, Jerm.
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