We begin the new year, with a new blog, but with the same old love and it is suitable to begin with a 'best of' list for the passing year. It is always a nice way to tidy up 12 months of music and put in order the thing that we, metalheads, love to nerd about. Heavy metal music.
Every year it seems that there are more releases than the previous one, but that doesn't mean that the quality goes up. I'd say that, overall, it has been a rather mediocre year for heavy metal. However, there are some very good albums released this year, covering the whole spectrum of metal, but I'd say that black metal was the genre that stood out the most.
As I am writing this, I have covid with mild symptoms, and it seems that pretty much everyone will get the virus. Let's see if 2022 will be better.
20. Code - Flyblown Prince
I’ve known Code by name since their second album and I also knew that they move in a territory combining progressive black metal and a theatrical packaging to their whole sound. This, though, is the first album that I have actually spent time with and Flyblown Prince really grew on me, encouraging me to listen to their previous works.
Beginning from the riffs, varying from fast to mid tempo range, great drumming and a warm production with depth we reach to the very expressive vocal delivery that ranges from rasp and aggressive to clean and vulnerable. The listener can feel like participating in a Victorian gothic show of curiosities and weirdness. We are invited in a reality that is slightly off, where the performers truly embody their characters and at the end of it, leave a lasting impression to us, the viewers of this gothic musical.
19. Cradle Of Filth - Existence Is Futile
I’ll be honest with ya. I’ve never paid attention to any Cradle Of Filth album since Midian. From what I gather, they still play top of the game, extreme gothic metal and after listening to Existence Is Futile, I am inclined to spend some time with their previous works.
What is evident from the beginning is the quality of the musicianship. The songs come from a team of artists that know each other in a way that they work as a whole, creating a theatrical release of majestic gothic horror. This time, Dani deals with a metaphysical concept that is closer to reality, than fantasy. The futility of being.
Existential dread has always been a source of inspiration for a great number of artists and the way they expressed it differs from artist to artist. From Dostoyevsky, to Kafka, to Lovecraft, to Munch, to Deathspell Omega, to Altar Of Plagues, to Nietzsche, Sartre etc. the issue of being has troubled artists, philosophers, scientists, laymen. The uniqueness here is that the whole package is served under the familiarity of a specific sound, that of Cradle Of Filth.
18. Silver Talon - Decadence and Decay
American power metal is the power metal that I like. It has the heaviness and gloominess and sharpness that I feel is necessary to create something dark. Euro power on the other hand is just too happy for my taste, too upbeat.
Silver Talon play heavy power that creates the dark atmosphere that I just described. Heavy metal with great riffs and a voice that cannot not make you think of Warrel Dane and Nevermore. Complex structures, three guitars, solos that are exchanged between them and a towering voice along with aggressive drumming create a debut record that stands out from the rest, giving a promise that I am sure they will keep. Their first EP, Becoming a Demon, released in 2018, gave out this sense of robust power metal and a glimpse of that promise, and Decadence and Decay just takes it to the next level for these guys.
17. Converge & Chelsea Wolfe - Bloodmoon I
Who could have expected a collaboration between these distinct musicians? I surely didn’t. It is not that they can’t actually combine their visions, its just that these two visions seem incompatible; and when this happens the result might be laughable, like Lulu. But not here. What Converge and Chelsea Wolfe achieve in Bloodmoon is a perfect blend of gloom and extremity, of nails and tar, of melancholy and agony.
The songs oscillate from one sound to the other, like a dance between two extremes, and the blend is not a mix of sounds into a mush, but a successful marriage between two entities that conjoin while at the same time maintain their identities.
Let’s enjoy this collaboration while we wait for the sequel.
16. Khirki - Κτηνωδία
I used to like listening to heavy rock, but as I grow older so does my taste. I prefer sounds that are either in the background, filling out the space of my work – usually writing – such as ambient and movie soundtracks, or metal that is heavily infused with layers of atmosphere enough to make me submerge into it.
But here we have an exception. Khirki play heavy rock that is the exact opposite of the previous paragraph. While you listen to it you feel the need to move your head, maybe grab a beer and have fun with friends. It is great music for driving in a sunny day somewhere in nature. Kirkhi introduce their brand of heavy rock married with instruments and folk influences from the Greek tradition, creating a very successful amalgam of sounds.
It has been only a few years where the heavy sounds have started merging with the Greek folk music and the results are almost always impressive. Maybe the only aspect of the local scene that keeps me interested to these types of musical ventures is the combination of the past with the present and of the West with the East and Khirki do exactly that. Now, when the proper time comes, I will see them perform their material live.
15. Sarke - Allsighr
I went into Allsighr without knowing what to expect. I didn’t know Sarke and it surprised me when I heard a familiar voice. This is a Norwegian band with well-known names of the scene, Nocturno Culto being the one that stands out, since his voice is so distinct.
After reading some of their info, it seems that they started with black thrash that gradually transformed into what they are today. I say that because Allsighr isn’t black thrash. The best way to describe their music is rock with black metal aesthetics. Mid paced atmospheric songs, with keys and interesting atmospheres with sounds and, of course, the rasp delivery of Nocturno Culto, singing for the goddess of moons and dreams, or of the burning of someone from an angry mob, or the feeling of imprisonment in one’s own head. His lyrics are abstract enough to not give details of a story, so it is left on our imagination to create them.
14. Dold Vorde Ens Navn – Mørkere
D.V.E.N. are an all-star project of musicians that are or have been part of Dodheimsgard, Ved Buens Ende, Aura Noir, Ulver etc.. We have Vicotnik, Myrvoll, Cerberus and Havaard playing black metal in a unique style. I would call it black metal with sensibilities, or progressive black metal, not because it balances progressive metal with black metal, but because it has a more loose black metal identity with a sound that moves into catchy refrains, acoustic passages with viola, violin and cello, mid tempo songs with clean vocals and a feeling of melancholy that surrounds the black metal riffs.
I find Mørkere to be a very accessible and enjoyable album, especially if you consider that the previous works of the musicians in their other bands, was, to say the least, adventurous and demanding.
On a final note, the lyrics being in Norwegian give an exotic touch to it, since the listener, in order to follow the music, needs to be impressed and feel and create images from the music itself.
13. Lvcifyre - The Broken Seal
My first ever interview was with Lvcifyre. I remember how Svn Eater, a suffocating, almost impenetrable, swirling, dark album, grabbed me. It grew in me like a tentacled beast from the mind of chaos. Then I saw them playing their material live and they were absolutely fearsome.
Fast forward seven years later and The Broken Seal is released. There is no difference, except that they refined their dark craft. Still suffocating, still menacing, still commanding, they create ordered chaos. As a friend told me, they are the perfect blend of Morbid Angel and Nile. For me, Lvcifyre is one of the top death metal bands right now.
Will you resist their summoning?
12. Project: Roenwolfe - Edge Of Saturn
The founding guitarist of Judicator, Judicator being a very good U.S.P.M. band, left the band and decided to give her attention to one of her projects that moves in the same U.S.P.M. territory.
The first album of Project: RoenWolfe was released in 2013 and, at that time, I didn’t know them. When I first heard Edge Of Saturn I was immediately hooked and I had a feeling of familiarity with their sound, but I just couldn’t put my finger on it. After I learned some information, as you’ve already read in the first paragraph, it clicked.
Alicia, being a very good songwriter, along with two members of Theocracy, Ernie Topran on drums and Patrick Hoyt Parris on vocals, who, I have to say, gives an excellent performance, made an album of intense power metal with great guitars, great choruses and song structures that keep my interest throughout. I cannot not sing along with Mastermind Manipulators when it plays.
It has been a good year for power metal.
11. Iotunn - Across All Worlds
I’ve known Iotunn since 2016, from the first EP called The Wizard Falls -you should definitely check it out-. Their first full length introduces new elements into their music, both in composition and in vocal delivery. In the beginning they were a progressive, power metal band but now they incorporate some death metal vocals, and that is a good thing. Harsh vocals, clean vocals, excellent guitar work, both rhythm and lead, intense drumming, with a big production that shows the skill and the promise of Iotunn. Good things are coming from them and Across All Worlds is a testament to that.
10. Der Weg Einer Freiheit - Noktvrn
These German fellas play black metal but it is not coming from the pagan side of the German scene. They have a different approach; a more urban and a more post approach to the genre. But I wouldn’t call it post black. The range of sounds and colors coming from Noktvrn is pretty diverse and wide. From ferocity to melancholic melodies, from blastbeats to mellow passages, the overall feeling that gives me is that of a soundtrack when driving at night in empty streets and the city lights reflect upon the windows of the car.
Melodic riffs carry the listener, while at the same time blastbeats and intense basslines create the underlying structure that holds it all together and at the top comes the shouting and partially screaming voice. At times it creates a feeling of transcendence and relaxation, and that is a very good thing. Der Weg Einer Freiheit, meaning “The way of freedom”, truly express this sense of freedom though their music. Noktvrn shows the light into the deepest of the nights.
9. Sphere - π
Through his projects, Brouillard tries to manifest his different visions. Through Sphere, he creates cosmic black metal in the same wave length as Darkspace and he does it with grace. Without being a copycat, Sphere manage to create the same despair of cosmic horror, with assaulting guitars and a shriek that seems to stretch out into the void.
When I listen to cosmic black metal that is successful, I feel like the void is my home, floating in empty space, released from the ravages of time. Because of its structure, this subgenre of black metal is one of the most difficult to play. Repetitive and ongoing riffs with a lot of ambient white noise can be easily uninspired, but not here. Here we have a splendid journey to the horrors of the cosmos.
8. The Temple - S/T
I prefer death metal that is mostly based on atmosphere and riffs. One of the above just won’t cut it. I like it when there is a swirling, chaotic, suffocating atmosphere but at the core of it, there needs to be something more important; Riffs. Awesome riffs. There are times where bands go into the extreme and avant-garde path of deconstructing death metal and create the atmosphere that surrounds it, without having a solid core. It is like seeing a gigantic storm that sucks in and destroys everything within its range, but when you go into the eye of the storm, there is nothing.
The Temple are not like that. Into the eye of their storm, there is indeed an impressive structure. The reason for succeeding from their first album is simple. Experience. The band members are or have been part of Ulcerate; One of the few bands in death metal today that push the envelope, while having a distinct sound. Similarly, The Temple create structured chaos and reward the listener with a massive sound that, in the end, makes you feel lighter, less burdened.
Behind the liquid mass that is their sound, arises the voice. A growl coming from the deep end, placed a little lower in the mix, just to add to the atmosphere. It is like being trapped in the storm and you hear the screams and echoes of lost souls.
Truly, a great debut.
7. Amongst the Moonlight - A journey through darkness
Amongst The Moonlight play impressive and immersive majestic black metal, similar to the great old ones, like Emperor and Limbonic Art. The keys create the background, contained by the drumming and on this canvas, the guitars fill up the space with noise and melodic riffs. In the middle, the shrieking delivery of the vocalist, when at times it changes to a spooky narration, gives the final touches, creating pure majestic theatricality. There is also a funeral doom song in the middle of the album, because why not.
6. Funeral Mist - Deiform
What Arioch creates with black metal, very few can imitate. He takes Christian psalms and places them inside an apocalyptic vision of destruction of the divine.
With a vocal delivery that sounds like the delirium of a maniac, a zealot of the apocalypse, that sees visions of fire unto the heavens and destruction of the kingdom of God, aggressive black metal riffs and bombastic drums, he creates a chariot of war against that which is sacred.
Interestingly, there are only a few black metal musicians, like Arioch, that approach the religious aspect of Christianity in a way that feels, well, religious. He moves into religious territory and creates a vision of anti-divine intervention. It feels like he is most at home when he creates such majestic and dark tragedies; τhe equivalent of Goethe’s Faust in music if you like, or of Dante’s Divine Comedy.
Do not miss out on this.
5. Stormkeep - Tales of Othertime
It is quite an achievement to create such a good debut and it is understandable to think that maybe the members are seasoned musicians. Checking their background two names stand out, Blood Incantation and Wayfarer. Both have a more than mediocre history of releases and Tales of Othertime has a quality that is quite unique.
Majestic black metal is not an easy to play subgenre of black metal. What is easy though is to stuff it with synths and sounds to create the majestic feel, vocals that spread on that canvas and blastbeats. No riffs or structure is necessary.
However, Stormkeep created what would be considered a classic had it been released in the 90s. Synths of course play an important role, but they manage to keep the role that is best suited for an album like this. The melodic riffs and the shrieking delivery of the vocals are of course the prominent figures that stand out and the synths compliment the rest of the instruments, creating songs of majestic beauty and fantasy realms.
4. Spectral Wound - A Diabolic Thirst
It’s all about the riffs. Every song structure must have, in the end, something that carries the listener with it. Of course, ambient music and other genres work differently but they also feel differently. When it comes to metal it is about the riffs, and in the traditionally made black metal, the riffs are expanding in their repetitiveness. Let’s call them ‘railway riffs’, created by tremolo picking. The railway riffs are ever expanding, returning around a theme, but very precise and solid, making every song feel like a living nightmare. The shrieks and the assaulting drums dress each song with the necessary ferocity and Spectral Wound achieve the height of their craft with their third full length, A Diabolic Thirst. This is maximum black metal from frigid, screaming, haunting souls that live in the northern forests of the Americas and thirst for black metal greatness.
3. Pharaoh - The Powers That Be
In 2012 Pharaoh released Bury The Light, a U.S.P.M. record that became one of my all-time favorites for two reasons. The first reason is of course that it is a masterpiece. The second one is personal. The second half of 2012 was the most difficult period in my life and Bury The Light kept me company and gave me glimmers of light and peace and comfort. Every time I play it I have the same feeling.
Now, 9 years later, my life has been transfigured into something much better and I expected The Powers That Be to have a different feel. You cannot step into the same river twice, but that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t do it. A friend of mine considers this to be a better record than the previous one, and I’m fine with it, it might as well be. It is indeed a very good record, that encompasses all that power metal can be; Dark and aggressive, with melodies and great solos. Matt Johnsen’s guitars have a distinct identity and along with Tim Aymar’s voice, which is in great shape, we get that unique sound that only Pharaoh can create.
2. Mare Cognitum - Solar Paroxysm
I have a special preference for Mare Cognitum’s albums since the first time I heard them back in 2014 when Jacob released Phobos Monolith. I even had an interview with him. With each album he continues on the same path, exploring, refining, and bringing to music the concepts of cosmic mysticism.
What separates Jacob from other black metal cosmonauts is, of course, the guitars. Sprawling melodies carry you on multicolored nebulas that swirl into the eternal nothingness, but yet this journey does not create despair or terror. It creates exaltation, exhilaration, bliss, feelings of warmth and familiarity.
His cosmic vision is the opposite of a lovecraftian nightmare. Before the grand design of the cosmos, man feels loved and accepted.
1. Aquilus - Bellum I
Aquilus attained cult status with his first release in 2011, Griseus; an album that is considered a masterpiece by many. Bellum I moves in the same direction, even though 10 years have passed since the first album.
Bellum I begins with piano, setting a melancholic mood of a rainy day in nature and when we go into the next track, it breaks into a storm. Gradually it opens up and reveals its heart; a melodic, tragic, often times aggressive but most of all, tender and sensitive vision that comes into being through the talent and skill of Waldorf.
The comparison with Opeth is to be expected. Waldorf doesn’t hide his influences; instead he integrates them into his own style, creating truly exceptional songs and at the same time honoring his influences.
Walt Whitman, in his magnum opus The Song Of Myself, begins with
“I celebrate myself, and sing myself,
And what I assume you shall assume,
For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you.”
and communicates, in a rather mystical way, that through him his sees everyone and in everyone he sees him. A lover of nature, and a kindred spirit, Waldorf speaks in a language that is very close to my heart. From an aggression that only a storm that covers the plain fields can show, it turns into pure, melancholic passages played on his piano, creating a timeless signature that moves from nostalgia to love and longing, to sorrow and sadness. I may be exaggerating, though I don’t believe I do, when I say that Belum I is going to be a classic.
