2015 POLL RESULTS COUNTDOWN - ILM Metal(ish) Albums of the Year

Thanks to all who voted (61 ballots this year!) and special thanks to seandalai for tabulating (ie the hard bit). If you ask him nicely he may provide some stats after it finishes.

There's a playlist to subscribe to and you can enjoy listening to each album as they are rolled out or for your pleasure later.
https://open.spotify.com/user/pfunkboy/playlist/6mvdcu4DLqquTIC88GvjTD
Or put this in your search bar spotify:user:pfunkboy:playlist:6mvdcu4DLqquTIC88GvjTD

Are you ready to go?

we had a top 102 last year so a top 103 this year..

http://image.blingee.com/images19/content/output/000/000/000/7bb/775664702_648710.gif

HE'S READY

http://www.hammerheartbrewing.com/img/beerimg/fullfautzrauch.jpg

HE'S DRUNK

My body is ready

The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

http://www.nocleansinging.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Myrkur-e1439907651393.jpg

SHE'S FALSE

103 Khemmis - Absolution 153 Points, 7 Votes
http://i.imgur.com/97uhCov.jpg

https://open.spotify.com/album/5295mhJgFPB9QRpZ55Fapo
spotify:album:5295mhJgFPB9QRpZ55Fapo
https://khemmis.bandcamp.com/

20 Buck Spin has, over the course of the last ten years, worked with the best of the best in the doom genre; bands as diverse as Samothrace, Graves At Sea, Pallbearer, Yob, Mournful Congregation, Lycus, Atlantean Kodex and more. In that tradition, the label is proud to present KHEMMIS, a quartet from Denver, who, on their debut full-length Absolution brings components of many of the aforementioned label alumni and forge a venerable testament to what heavy doom rock is in 2015.

The six meticulously crafted songs on Absolution reveal a level of musicianship and writing skill seldom heard on debut albums. Often within the scope of a single song, KHEMMIS veers effortlessly between the crushing heaviness of Southern sludge and the somber melodies of traditional doom metal, cohesively weaving the disparate styles into their own immediately recognizable form. Vocally, KHEMMIS also utilizes a dual approach, sometimes harsh and guttural, but generally through a stunningly smooth classic doom/heavy rock delivery that even adamant fans of Pete Stahl and Wino will applaud. The powerfully adept rhythm section perfectly anchor the towering riff mastery and colorful dual guitar harmonies, all brought together by Dave Otero's (Cobalt, Nightbringer) pitch perfect production work.

From the album opener "Torn Asunder" to closing track "The Bereaved," the latter of which will stand as THE doom track of 2015, Absolution is among the highlight surprises of the year.
credits
released July 7, 2015

How long should this take?

we'll be done the whole thing in 20 minutes

lol

thursday is the traditional end day but we'll see

That armour has little protective value.

great cover art. Never heard of the band.

How anyone finds this kind of cover art acceptable beyond the age of 14 is beyond me… Oh look there's a sword. Oh look there's a big staff with some dildos on it. It makes me not even care that the music is good...

I was wondering what was on the staff, I'm not convinced it's dildos

it is reminiscent of Frank Frazetta, there's a wizard with some kind of drug staff, and there's skeletons. Sexist female depiction excluded, all that stuff is awesome.

i think the cover is hot but tbh one of the appeals of metal to me is that it operates on a 14yo aesthetic level much of the time

there was quite a lot of albums with 5 votes that didn't get near the top 103. Wonder if that's a record.

xp

what sort of mind thinks they are dildos?

Well, I'm sure this is the only artwork I will find contentious in this poll…

102 Corsair - One Eyed Horse 155 Points, 5 Votes
http://i.imgur.com/CzMGXCl.jpg

https://open.spotify.com/album/6DZG2yrdPoj2j1dnbQc5Al
spotify:album:6DZG2yrdPoj2j1dnbQc5Al

https://corsair.bandcamp.com/album/one-eyed-horse

"Where '70s hard rock meets early heavy metal, Corsair is King!" - Decibel Magazine

Fastnbulbous This pays off big time with the incredibly catchy “Brothers.” The vocals on the title track even manage to channel Phil Lynott’s soulful melancholy, no small achievement...highly recommended to those excited for the new Valkyrie and crave more. http://fastnbulbous.com/hard-rock-ascending/

Perhaps because there are so many albums with cartoon boobs, I kept thinking I'd heard this album, but hadn't until a few weeks ago. A mix of Sleep, Pallbearer, some NWOBHM, what's not to like.

Yawnsomely Literal Title alert! cool cover on this one though but very definitely not for me musically

Also there should be a hyphen in one-eyed and I'm finding that bothersome

maybe it means 'one horse that has an eye'

Or shorthand for one person eyeing a horse

This is okay. The second track sort of reminds me of emo band The Movielife.

idk if i'm getting burnt out on metal or there's just too much of it but like the khemmis album sounds really good and enjoyable to me but also like 30 other albums i've heard - many of them this year alone and it's hard to distinguish between albums. i don't want to say the genre is formulaic but it def feels like there are a lot of bands making [don't get me wrong very enjoyable] genre retreads. and then the corsiar i feel similarly about.

thing is Mordy but 'metal' as a genre is thoroughly meaningless like 'rock' or 'pop' or 'dance'. Its not the 1970's anymore when it was just Heavy Metal.

Metal has thousands of subgenres now.

metal isn't formulaic or a genre, but both the khemmis and corsair albums feel a bit like formulaic genre records, if you get me

prefer the corsair though - it's survived to a third track

In many genres, artists try to claim they are not influenced by anything, that they are completely original. Which is ridiculous and disingenuous. I like how most metal bands proudly wear their influences on their sleeves, sometimes literally. I like how if I get obsessed with a particular tone or style, I can find more like it. But if you do want stuff that sounds more unusual and alien it's out there too. And certainly some in this poll.

Showing my commitment to the cause by turning on this playlist instead of moving on to the next Ligeti piece. So far, the Khemmis sounds exactly like a record with that cover art should sound.

this (corsair) would make for good summertime car journey music

i am at home in winter watching football on my computer

The fact that metal is diverse and has many subgenres doesn't make the umbrella term "metal" meaningless. It's loaded with meaning.

101 Absconditus - Katabasis/Kατάβασις 156 Points, 4 Votes
http://i.imgur.com/OFCdMCm.jpg
https://open.spotify.com/album/3VmXybBCNKkPv3JrmkL9sr
spotify:album:3VmXybBCNKkPv3JrmkL9sr

https://i-voidhangerrecords.bandcamp.com/album/k

http://metalasfuck.net/zine/reviews/2015/absconditus-katabasis-i-voidhanger-records

French occult black metallers Absconditus (founded by Loxias after the dissolution of Borgia) have interesting ideas when it comes to time signatures; at first listen I found Katabasis to be a touch 'bitty' and kind of messy but then, after devoting some time to it, I began to appreciate the strange shifts in tempo and the (almost) conflicting rhythms.

Opening with the ritualistic Prologue a l'Agonie with its weird backward looping effects and lovely percussion, I immediately began to sink into the cushions - but then the blasting drums kick in as the guitars build via a string of repeated notes - haunting! The lead work of Loxias is distinctly left of field and this bizarre out of sync style is reinforced as Mystagogie des Limbes slips in. Session vocalist Aliexagore screams and croaks over some lovely dischordant tremelo picking and drummer Anderswo lays down some lovely fat beats - and this is where the off-kilter side of things comes in. Everything seems slightly off centre with these arrhythmic compositions and if you're not prepared, this may put you off - stick with it though and there's plenty to enjoy. Mystagogie dips into some mellow sections before reasserting its driving blast beats and swathes of various guitar parts and easily could overwhelm you. Brace yourself and press on.

Elegeia (Confession au Cenotaphe) starts all classical and operatic and then immediately goes completely nuts; it is, perhaps, a more traditionally structured piece of black metal but it is exceptionally violent and I suddenly found myself covered in ashes from the cremation grounds, which was nice. Exultet - L'Aurore Schismatique (even heinous black metal titles sound saucy in French) has a weird electro feel to it (despite there being no real electronics within the track) - such is the power of Loxias' guitar as it whines and buzzes like an industrial saw. I particularly *heart* this track - the mid-section is exceedingly bizarre as everything slows down and gets freakish - and this sums up the album in its entirety; freakish, bizarre and well worth getting in to (though again, I reiterate that it may require some time to penetrate).

Hm, I think I wanted Khemmis to stick with clean vocals but am listening.

Oh, this new one sounds like it could be my kind of thing.

i feel like it's almost worse that i like the khemmis. like if i disliked it maybe there'd be something about it i still hadn't figured out or some appeal i hadn't unearthed but it's so instantly engageable (i feel like what kogan would call a 'free lunch') that it ends up being really un-filling and i wonder if i would be able to remember much about what it sounded like tmmrw. this isn't necessarily a bad thing and i agree w/ u fastnb that part of the appeal is knowing what yr getting and purposely embedding yrself in a tradition (which is a conservative move but i think has value). but otoh just as a matter of priority how much time can i make in my life for sleep knockoffs?

It's okay, they don't need you. They have an audience who can embrace the element of Sleep and other bands without calling them a knockoff.

the last album seems like catnip to sund4r and louis

Yeah, I switched to Absconditus.
xp to Mordy

Absconditus are cool, I voted for this one. Nasty tech-BM or something.

Thanks for the blurbs, Cosmic Slop!

cant promise blurbs with everything as im doing it on my own but if its easily findable I'll try but mostly pulling them off bandcamp which makes it easier

100 Nameless Coyote - Blood Moon 157 Points, 5 Votes
http://i.imgur.com/bpmFvI6.jpg

https://namelesscoyote.bandcamp.com/

I'd recommend Nameless Coyote - Blood Moon because it's gotten pretty much ignored everywhere, though I can hear why, it's way too weird for the normal blackgaze crowd. It ain't Deafheaven that's for sure. Anyone who likes Mamaleek and/or Pyramids should give it a go though.

― ultros ultros-ghali,

tags: blackgaze dream pop rock shoegaze experimental rock guitar San Francisco

Name your price download on bandcamp.

Huh, I'm surprised that this actually placed but I'm glad it did.

I just listened to this yesterday. I like the shitty lo-fi blackgaze sound alright, but lost interest halfway through.

there's always surprises (like Disturbed got a vote this year)

Hm, I think I wanted Khemmis to stick with clean vocals but am listening.

― EveningStar (Sund4r)

For sure. Also I was expecting some doomy NWOBHM throwback stuff, but its not and what it is is kinda boring.

I didn't know Disturbed were still a thing.

is that old? I could swear I saw that before

Food for apoplexy

http://m.pitchfork.com/features/staff-lists/9772-the-best-metal-albums-of-2015/

that is ok until the top ten tbf

they're such cunts tho

heh, they're all on our list except for Paradise Lost I think?

xpo I don't know I just saw it on Profound Lore's twitter, I assumed it was from the latest issue of Kerrang

oh wait we didn't have Tribulation iirc

imago why the hate for pitchforks metal coverage? I think the metal writers they have are very good

Tribulation was #19 in ours

also I was scrolling quickly through the list and saw a huge ad with Drake's face on it around the middle of the list, which had me super confused for a moment

it's more what they exclude

xp that's how much I was paying attention

but really their monolithic claim to universality and trendmaking, it's sickening, probably projecting idk

think we need to keep the list on the page

FULL LIST OF VOTES

Rank Name Score Votes #1 Votes

1 Ghost - Meliora 1161.0 26 5
2 Myrkur - M 1156.0 32 1
3 Panopticon - Autumn Eternal 1016.0 26 1
4 Shape Of Despair - Monotony Fields 817.0 21 1
5 Thy Catafalque - Sgùrr 816.0 19 3
6 Chelsea Wolfe - Abyss 809.0 21 2
7 Skepticism - Ordeal 806.0 19 1
8 Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats - The Night Creeper 747.0 21 1
9 Sunn O))) - Kannon 723.0 20 1
10 Windhand - Grief's Infernal Flower 705.0 19 1
11 Mgla - Exercises In Futility 689.0 18 2
12 Krallice - Ygg huur 660.0 19 0
13 Sarpanitum - Blessed Be My Brothers 654.0 16 1
14 Liturgy - The Ark Work 623.0 17 0
15 Avatarium - The Girl With The Raven Mask 592.0 14 1
16 Pinkish Black - Bottom of the Morning 582.0 17 1
17 VHÖL - Deeper Than Sky 582.0 17 0
18 Jess And The Ancient Ones - Second Psychedelic Coming: The Aquarius Tapes 576.0 15 1
19 Tribulation - The Children of the Night 569.0 16 1
20 High on Fire - Luminiferous 567.0 17 1
21 Deafheaven - New Bermuda 555.0 16 1
22 Jute Gyte - Ship of Theseus 550.0 15 3
23 Dodheimsgard - A Umbra Omega 546.0 16 1
24 Elder - Lore 530.0 15 0
25 Leviathan - Scar Sighted 529.0 14 2
26 Christian Mistress - To Your Death 528.0 15 1
27 Glaciation - Sur les falaises de marbre 514.0 13 2
28 Cloud Rat - Qliphoth 509.0 12 2
29 Horrendous - Anareta 498.0 14 2
30 A Forest of Stars - Beware the Sword You Cannot See 494.0 15 1
31 Ufomammut - Ecate 477.0 13 0
32 Sumac - The Deal 475.0 13 1
33 Obsequiae - Aria of Vernal Tombs 450.0 12 0
34 Stara Rzeka - Zamknęły się oczy ziemi 444.0 14 1
35 Regarde les hommes tomber - Exile 436.0 11 1
36 Satan - Atom By Atom 430.0 13 1
37 Zombi - Shape Shift 425.0 12 0
38 Vattnet Viskar - Settler 424.0 14 0
39 Iron Maiden - The Book of Souls 420.0 14 1
40 ABYSSAL - Antikatastaseis 410.0 10 1
41 Goatsnake - Black Age Blues 403.0 11 0
42 Bell Witch - Four Phantoms 375.0 12 0
43 Baroness - Purple 356.0 9 3
44 Death Karma - The History of Death & Burial Rituals Part I 346.0 8 1
45 Magic Circle - Journey Blind 327.0 8 1
46 Napalm Death - Apex Predator - Easy Meat 321.0 9 0
47 Kowloon Walled City - Grievances 318.0 9 0
48 Zu - Cortar Todo 308.0 10 0
49 Torche - Restarter 303.0 10 0
50 Misþyrming - Söngvar elds og óreiðu 298.0 9 0
51 Nightwish - Endless Forms Most Beautiful 286.0 8 0
52 Monolord - Vænir 283.0 10 0
53 Ad Nauseum - Nihil Quam Vacuitas Ordinatum Est 278.0 9 0
54 Gnaw Their Tongues - Abyss of Longing Throats 277.0 8 0
55 Pyramids - A Northern Meadow 274.0 9 0
56 Envy - Atheist's Cornea 269.0 9 0
57 Lightning Bolt - Fantasy Empire 265.0 9 0
58 AEVANGELIST - Enthrall to the Void of Bliss 255.0 8 0
59 Fluisteraars - Luwte 250.0 8 0
60 Faith No More - Sol Invictus 249.0 10 0
61 Sannhet - Revisionist 247.0 7 0
62 Drudkh - A Furrow Cut Short 244.0 8 0
63 Mare Infinitum - Alien Monolith God 244.0 7 0
64 Mastery - Valis 241.0 6 0
65 Bosse-de-Nage - All Fours 237.0 7 0
66 Midnight Odyssey - Shards Of Silver Fade 236.0 7 1
67 Tyranny - Aeons in Tectonic Interment 220.0 7 0
68 Shining - International Blackjazz Society 214.0 7 0
69 Amorphis - Under The Red Cloud 214.0 6 0
70 False - Untitled 212.0 6 0
71 Sulphur Aeon - Gateway to the Antisphere 210.0 6 0
72 Akhlys - The Dreaming I 203.0 6 0
73 Thou & The Body - You, Whom I Have Always Hated 202.0 6 0
74 Melechesh - Enki 198.0 7 0
75 Dispirit - Separation 198.0 6 0
76 Kult of the Wizard - The White Wizard 197.0 5 1
77 Killing Joke - Pylon 196.0 9 0
78 Huntress - Static 196.0 7 0
79 Arcturus - Arcturian 196.0 6 0
80 Prurient - Frozen Niagara Falls 195.0 6 0
81 Caïna - Setter of Unseen Snares 194.0 6 0
82 Dead To A Dying World - Litany 193.0 5 0
83 Lamb of God - VII: Sturm und Drang 188.0 5 0
84 Boris - Asia 181.0 6 0
85 Brothers of the Sonic Cloth - Brothers of the Sonic Cloth 180.0 5 0
86 Intronaut - The Direction of Last Things 175.0 6 0
87 Nechochewn - Heart of Akamon 173.0 5 0
88 Amestigon - Thier 169.0 5 0
89 Noisem - Blossoming Decay 169.0 4 1
90 Ahab - The Boats of the Glen Carrig 168.0 6 0
91 Sigh - Graveward 164.0 7 0
92 Kylesa - Exhausting Fire 164.0 5 0
93 KEN Mode - Success 163.0 6 0
93 Locrian - Infinite Dissolution 163.0 6 0
93 Vastum - Hole Below 163.0 6 0
96 Nile - What Should Not Be Unearthed 163.0 5 0
97 Imperial Triumphant - Abyssal Gods 163.0 4 0
98 Lucifer - Lucifer I 161.0 5 0
99 Black Cilice - Mysteries 158.0 4 0
100 Nameless Coyote - Blood Moon 157.0 5 0
101 Absconditus - Katabasis 156.0 4 0
102 Corsair - One Eyed Horse 155.0 5 0
103 Khemmis - Absolution 153.0 7 0
104 Kadavar - Berlin 153.0 5 0
105 Cradle of Filth - Hammer of the Witches 152.0 5 0
106 Blind Idiot God - Before Ever After 152.0 4 0
107 King Woman - Doubt 149.0 5 0
108 Lychgate - An Antidote For The Glass Pill 147.0 4 0
109 Mutoid Man - Bleeder 140.0 5 0
110 Undergang - Døden læger alle sår 137.0 4 0
111 Black Breath - Slaves Beyond Death 136.0 6 0
112 Peste Noire - La Chaise-Dyable 134.0 5 0
113 Lost Soul - Atlantis: The New Beginning 134.0 3 1
114 Enslaved - In Times 132.0 6 0
115 Blind Guardian - Beyond the Red Mirror 130.0 6 0
116 Wand - Golem 130.0 5 0
117 An Autumn for Crippled Children - The Long Goodbye 130.0 4 0
118 August Burns Red - Found in Far Away Places 129.0 4 0
118 Sabbath Assembly - Sabbath Assembly 129.0 4 0
118 Snail - Feral 129.0 4 0
121 Minsk - The Crash and the Draw 128.0 5 0
122 Acid King - Middle Of Nowhere, Center Of Everywhere 128.0 4 0
122 Deathhammer - Evil Power 128.0 4 0
124 Fuck the Facts - Desire Will Rot 128.0 3 0
125 Five Finger Death Punch - Got Your Six 127.0 4 0
126 Howls of Ebb - The Marrow Veil 123.0 3 1
127 Ecstatic Vision - Sonic Praise 119.0 4 0
128 Au-dessus - Au-dessus 118.0 4 0
128 The Body - The Tears of Job 118.0 4 0
130 Negură Bunget - Tău 117.0 4 0
131 Hills - Frid 115.0 4 0
132 Spectral Lore - Gnosis 114.0 3 0
133 Motörhead - Bad Magic 113.0 5 0
133 Pentagram - Curious Volume 113.0 5 0
135 Big Brave - Au De La 111.0 4 0
136 Al-Namrood - Diaji Al Joor 109.0 4 0
137 Visigoth - The Revenant King 105.0 4 0
138 Sundays & Cybele - Heaven 105.0 3 0
139 Trivium - Silence in the Snow 102.0 3 0
139 Weedeater - Goliathan 102.0 3 0
141 Petrychor - Apocalyptic Witchcraft 101.0 4 0
142 Crypt Sermon - Out of the Garden 99.0 5 0
143 Master Musicians of Bukkake - Further West Quad Cult LP 99.0 3 0
144 Hate Eternal - Infernus 98.0 5 0
145 Kjeld - Skym 98.0 3 0
145 Soulfly - Archangel 98.0 3 0
147 Leprous - The Congregation 96.0 5 0
148 Mammatus - Sparkling Waters 96.0 4 0
148 Pissgrave - Suicide Euphoria 96.0 4 0
150 Fuzz - II 96.0 3 0
150 Tau Cross - Tau Cross 96.0 3 0
150 Valkyrie - Shadows 96.0 3 0
153 Quttinirpaaq - Dead September 95.0 2 0
154 Coliseum - Anxiety's Kiss 94.0 4 0
155 Scythian - Hubris in Excelsis 94.0 3 0
156 Echoes of the Moon - Entropy 94.0 2 1
157 The Great Tyrant - The Trouble With Being Born 94.0 2 0
158 Natural Snow Buildings - Terror's Horns 93.0 4 0
159 W.A.S.P. - Golgotha 93.0 3 0
160 Shooting Guns/Hawkeyes - Brotherhood of the Nod split 91.0 3 0
160 Witchskull - The Vast Electric Dark 91.0 3 0
162 Darkeater - Иней чёрного рассвета 91.0 2 0
163 Golden Void - Berkana 90.0 3 0
164 Sivyj Yar - Burial Shrouds 88.0 3 0
165 Embrional - The Devil Inside 87.0 2 0
165 Vanum - Realm of Sacrifice 87.0 2 0
167 Between the Buried and Me - Coma Ecliptic 86.0 4 0
168 Komara - Komara 86.0 3 0
169 Manilla Road - The Blessed Curse 86.0 2 0
170 METZ - II 85.0 3 0
171 Inculter - Persisting Devolution 85.0 2 0
172 All Them Witches - Dying Surfer Meets His Maker 84.0 2 0
172 Archivist - Archivist 84.0 2 0
172 Mustasch - Testosterone 84.0 2 0
175 Paradise Lost - The Plague Within 83.0 4 0
176 Shining - IX: Everyone, Everything, Everywhere, Ends 83.0 3 0
177 Desolate Shrine - Heart Of The Netherworld 82.0 4 0
178 Nocternity - Harps of the Ancient Temples 82.0 2 0
179 Dystopia NÃ¥! - Dweller on the Threshold 81.0 3 0
179 Ensiferum - One Man Army 81.0 3 0
179 With The Dead - With The Dead 81.0 3 0
182 Ethereal Shroud - They Became the Falling Ash 81.0 2 0
182 Sunder - Sunder 81.0 2 0
184 Graveyard - Innocence & Decadence 80.0 2 0
185 Draconian - Sovran 78.0 3 0
186 Sorcerer - In The Shadow Of The Inverted Cross 76.0 4 0
187 Rotting Christ - Lucifer Over Athens 76.0 2 0
188 Northwinds - Eternal Winter 75.0 3 0
189 Hooded Menace - Darkness Drips Forth 73.0 2 0
190 Immortal Bird - Empress/Abscess 72.0 2 0
191 Majutsu No Niwa - The Night Before 71.0 2 0
192 Enshine - Singularity 70.0 2 0
192 Kauan - Sorni Nai 70.0 2 0
192 Urfaust - Apparitions 70.0 2 0
192 Wo Fat - Live Juju: Wo Fat at Freak Valley 70.0 2 0
196 Basarabian Hills - Enveloped In The Velvet Cloak Of Midnight 69.0 2 0
196 Therapy? - Disquiet 69.0 2 0
196 VI - De praestigiis angelorum 69.0 2 0
199 Rwake - Xenoglossalgia: The Last Stage of Awareness 68.0 2 0
200 Cepheide - Respire 67.0 2 0
200 Dark Buddha Rising - Inversum 67.0 2 0
202 Refused - Freedom 66.0 2 0
203 Der Weg einer Freiheit - Stellar 65.0 3 0
203 Taman Shud - Viper Smoke 65.0 3 0
205 Awe - Providentia 65.0 2 0
206 Tempel - The Moon Lit Our Path 64.0 3 0
207 Mamaleek - Via Dolorosa 64.0 2 0
207 Roundtable - Dread Marches Under Bloodied Regalia 64.0 2 0
207 Swami John Reis, The Blind Shake - Modern Surf Classics 64.0 2 0
207 Tarot - The Warrior's Spell 64.0 2 0
207 The Body & Krieg - The Body & Krieg 64.0 2 0
212 Demon Eye - Tempora Infernalia 63.0 3 0
213 Amiensus - Ascension 63.0 2 0
213 Dodsferd - Wastes Of Life 63.0 2 0
213 Spelljammer - Ancient of Days 63.0 2 0
216 Hope Drone - Cloak of Ash 61.0 3 0
217 Lustre - Blossom 60.0 2 0
218 Freedom Hawk - Into Your Mind 59.0 2 0
218 Maladie - ...still... 59.0 2 0
220 Abyss - Heretical Anatomy 58.0 2 0
220 Subversion M / Tengger Cavalry / Nine Treasures - Mongol Metal 58.0 2 0
222 Rivers of Nihil - Monarchy 57.0 4 0
223 Author & Punisher - Melk en Honing 57.0 3 0
224 Black Fast - Terms of Surrender 57.0 2 0
224 The Black Dahlia Murder - Abysmal 57.0 2 0
226 Moonspell - Extinct 56.0 3 0
226 Saxon - Battering Ram 56.0 3 0
228 Eternal Tapestry - Wild Strawberries 56.0 2 0
229 Trna - Pattern Of Infinity 55.0 2 0
229 Windfaerer - Tenebrosum 55.0 2 0
229 byssion - Luonnon harmonia ja vihreä liekki 55.0 2 0
232 Clutch - Psychic Warfare 52.0 2 0
232 Heidevolk - Velua 52.0 2 0
234 Slayer - Repentless 51.0 4 0
235 Kamelot - Haven 51.0 2 0
235 Taiga - Gaia 51.0 2 0
235 violet cold - desperate dreams 51.0 2 0
238 TesseracT - Polaris 50.0 2 0
239 Armored Saint - Win Hands Down 49.0 2 0
239 Swallow The Sun - Songs From The North I, II & III 49.0 2 0
241 Sacral Rage - Illusions in Infinite Void 48.0 3 0
242 Cultes des Ghoules - Rise of Lucifer EP 48.0 1 0
242 Kroda - Ginnungagap Ginnunagagaldr Ginnungakaos 48.0 1 0
242 Regnmoln - Regnmoln 48.0 1 0
245 Venom - From the Very Depths 47.0 4 0
246 Fit For An Autopsy - Absolute Hope Absolute Hell 47.0 1 0
247 Dopethrone - Hochelaga 46.0 2 0
248 Clouds Taste Satanic - Your Doom Has Come 46.0 1 0
248 Nightslug - Loathe 46.0 1 0
250 Church - Unanswered Hymns 45.0 1 0
250 Dimesland - Psychogenic Atrophy 45.0 1 0
252 Arenna - Given To Emptiness 44.0 2 0
252 Imperia - Tears of Silence 44.0 2 0
254 Extreme Noise Terror - Extreme Noise Terror 44.0 1 0
254 The Sword - High Country 44.0 1 0
254 Warwulf - In the Glare of a Dying Horizon 44.0 1 0
257 Destruction Unit - Negative Feedback Resistor 43.0 2 0
257 Holy Serpent - Holy Serpent 43.0 2 0
259 Behold! the Monolith - Architects of the Void 43.0 1 0
260 Ice Dragon - A Beacon on the Barrow 42.0 2 0
261 Ayyuka - Sömestr 42.0 1 0
261 Kalmankantaja - Metsänkulkija 42.0 1 0
263 Triosphere - The Heart of the Matter 41.0 2 0
264 Adversarial - Death, Endless Nothing and the Black Knife of Nihilism 41.0 1 0
264 Black Tongue - The Unconquerable Dark 41.0 1 0
264 Grift - Syner 41.0 1 0
267 Lord Fist - Green Eyleen 40.0 2 0
267 Tsjuder - Antiliv 40.0 2 0
269 Genevieve - Escapism 40.0 1 0
269 Saviours - Palace Of Vision 40.0 1 0
269 Tank - Valley of Tears 40.0 1 0
272 Girl Band - Holding Hands with Jamie 39.0 2 0
272 Grimoire - L'Aorasie Des Spectres Rêveurs 39.0 2 0
272 Solefald - World Metal. Kosmopolis Sud 39.0 2 0
275 Ad Hominem - Antitheist 39.0 1 0
275 Macabre Omen - Gods of War - At War 39.0 1 0
275 Sans Soleil - A Holy Land Beneath A Godless Sky 39.0 1 0
275 Screaming at the Sun - Screaming at the Sun 39.0 1 0
279 Krisiun - Forged in Fury 38.0 2 0
279 Prong - Songs From the Black Hole 38.0 2 0
281 Battle Beast - Unholy Savior 37.0 2 0
281 Ithaqua - Initiation to Obscure Mysteries 37.0 2 0
281 My Dying Bride - Feel the Misery 37.0 2 0
284 Artrosis - Odi et Amo 37.0 1 0
284 Wailin Storms - One Foot in the Flesh Grave 37.0 1 0
286 Archgoat - The Apocalyptic Triumphator 36.0 1 0
286 Barbatos - Straight Metal War 36.0 1 0
286 Blood Folke - My Heart in the Brilliance of Fire 36.0 1 0
286 Deathcode Society - Eschatonizer 36.0 1 0
286 Desert - Never Regret 36.0 1 0
286 Korpiklaani - Noita 36.0 1 0
292 Children of Bodom - I Worship Chaos 35.0 2 0
293 Exxasens - Back to Earth 35.0 1 0
293 Horisont - Odyssey 35.0 1 0
295 Leaves' Eyes - King of Kings 34.0 2 0
296 Drohtnung - In Dolorous Sights 34.0 1 0
296 Gruesome - Savage Land 34.0 1 0
296 Monster Magnet - Cobras and Fire (The Mastermind Redux) 34.0 1 0
299 Khors - Night Falls Onto the Fronts of Ours 33.0 2 0
299 Magister Templi - Into Duat 33.0 2 0
301 Bloodway - Mapping the Moment With the Logic of Dreams 32.0 1 0
301 Civil War - The Killer Angels 32.0 1 0
301 Ommadon - Empathy For the Wicked 32.0 1 0
301 Sacri Monti - Sacri Monti 32.0 1 0
301 iwrestledabearonce - Hail Mary 32.0 1 0
306 Enforcer - From Beyond 31.0 2 0
306 Goblin Rebirth - Goblin Rebirth 31.0 2 0
308 Mirror - Mirror 31.0 1 0
308 RAM - Svbversvm 31.0 1 0
308 Saturnalia Temple - To The Other 31.0 1 0
311 Satan's Wrath - Die Evil 30.0 3 0
312 Poison Idea - Confuse & Conquer 30.0 1 0
312 Psalms for the Dead Sun - Holy Charade 30.0 1 0
312 Todesstoß - Hirngemeer 30.0 1 0
315 Stellar Master Elite - III: Eternalism - The Psychospherical Chapter 29.0 1 0
315 Sweat Lodge - Talismana 29.0 1 0
317 Die Krupps - V - Metal Machine Music 28.0 2 0
318 Mondo Drag - Mondo Drag 28.0 1 0
318 Orpheus Blade - Wolf's Cry 28.0 1 0
318 Unmothered - UMBRA 28.0 1 0
321 Blaze of Perdition - Near Death Revelations 27.0 1 0
322 Beaten to Death - Unplugged 26.0 1 0
322 Hate - Crusade: Zero 26.0 1 0
322 Helloween - My God-Given Right 26.0 1 0
325 Alustrium - A Tunnel to Eden 25.0 1 0
325 Chaos Divine - Colliding Skies 25.0 1 0
325 Deluge - Æther 25.0 1 0
325 Earthside - A Dream in Static 25.0 1 0
325 Gorod - A Maze of Recycled Creeds 25.0 1 0
325 Hegemon - The Hierarch 25.0 1 0
325 InAeona - Force Rise the Sun 25.0 1 0
325 Kontinuum - Kyrr 25.0 1 0
325 Maïeutiste - Maïeutiste 25.0 1 0
325 Mute Tale - Gordian Knot 25.0 1 0
325 Nevoa - The Absence of Void 25.0 1 0
325 Nocturnal Depression - Spleen Black Metal 25.0 1 0
325 Planks - Perished Bodies 25.0 1 0
325 Red Apollo - Altruist 25.0 1 0
325 Sirenia - The Seventh Life Path 25.0 1 0
325 Special Providence - Essence of Change 25.0 1 0
325 Sunpocrisy - Eyegasm, Hallelujah! 25.0 1 0
325 Vola - Inmazes 25.0 1 0
325 Öxxö Xööx - Nämïdäë 25.0 1 0
344 Angellore - La litanie des cendres 24.0 1 0
344 Enisum - Arpitanian Lands 24.0 1 0
344 Finsterforst - Mach dich frei 24.0 1 0
344 Hivelords - Tapered Limbs of a Human Star 24.0 1 0
348 Indesinence - III 23.0 1 0
348 Shroud of the Heretic - Unorthodox Equilibrium 23.0 1 0
350 Fear Factory - Genexus 22.0 1 0
351 Heretical - Daemonarchrist - Daemon Est Devs Inversvs 21.0 1 0
352 WitchSorrow - No Light Only Fire 20.0 1 0
353 Disenchanter - Strange Creations 19.0 1 0
353 Flight - Flight 19.0 1 0
353 Sentimen Beltza - Pagopean 19.0 1 0
356 Cave Of Swimmers - Reflection 18.0 2 0
357 Momentum - The Freak is Alive 18.0 1 0
358 Abigail Williams - The Accuser 17.0 1 0
358 Rosetta - Quintessential Ephemera 17.0 1 0
358 Soilwork - The Ride Majestic 17.0 1 0
358 Terzij de Horde - Self 17.0 1 0
362 Erraunt - The Portent 16.0 1 0
362 Moon Curse - Spirit Remains 16.0 1 0
364 Ironsword - None But The Brave 15.0 2 0
365 Blackout - Blackout 15.0 1 0
365 Demon Lung - A Dracula 15.0 1 0
365 Stoned Jesus - The Harvest 15.0 1 0
365 Whispering Woods - Perditus Et Dea 15.0 1 0
369 Dragonheart - The Battle Sanctuary 14.0 1 0
369 Spidergawd - Spidergawd II 14.0 1 0
371 Scarab - Serpents of the Nile 13.0 1 0
372 Shepherd - Stereolithic Riffalocalypse 12.0 1 0
373 Barren Earth - On Lonely Towers 11.0 1 0
373 Galar - De Gjenlevende 11.0 1 0
373 Night Demon - Curse Of The Damned 11.0 1 0
376 Black Sheep Wall - I'm Going to Kill Myself 10.0 1 0
376 Nécropole - Ostara 10.0 1 0
378 Encenathrakh - Encenathrakh 9.0 1 0
378 Marduk - Frontschwein 9.0 1 0
380 Dark Quarterer - Ithaca 8.0 1 0
380 Wiegedood - De Doden Hebben Het Goed 8.0 1 0
382 Cattle Decapitation - The Anthropocene Extinction 7.0 1 0
383 Disturbed - Immortalized 5.0 1 0
384 Viking - No Child Left Behind 4.0 1 0
385 Addaura - And The Lamps Expire 3.0 1 0
385 Morgoth - Ungod 3.0 1 0
385 Raven - ExtermiNation 3.0 1 0
385 Sonic Medusa - The Sunset Soundhouse Tapes 3.0 1 0

it's more what they exclude

― roughest.contoured.silks (imago),

dude get over it, noone covers the wildhearts or devin townsend anymore its not just pitchfork

lol

i dont actually read pitchfork unless someone links to a review on facebook, but when looking for blurbs for the poll i came across a lot of reviews and I thought they were good reviews.

I dont think jonviachi posts here now but I do feel his frustration of no new best music tho (except for deafheaven)

They could even call it New Best Metal. Missing a trick I say!

Best Nu-Metal

there's no real "they" with that metal list. that's just brandon's list of his own favorite records

there are a bunch of equally detailed contributor lists on the next page too

sorry i got heated at pitchfork

ay it's totally cool to get heated at pitchfork

its an ilm sport

I don't know why I didn't spend more time with the Panopticon. It's really good.

told you!

Not sure how I missed both Lost Soul and Cradle of Filth making the list. An earlier comment I made was in light of that. Yet there they are at 113 and 105, now that I'm going over the results another time. I can rest easy now.

they missed the top 103 rollout though

just a few hot takes.

Zombi
Zombi can no longer be comfortable in being one of a very few acts doing what they do. They need to answer to recent newcomers to the 70's & 80s italo-prog film score 'thing' like Perturbator and Dance with the Dead, and even Goblin themselves have returned. They fail to measure up to the new kids. This album is too slow, and it has no teeth. Where's the grit, the sense of the ominous or dreadful? There's nothing in the music that conjures up fleeing from hordes of zombies, or outracing a death car or escaping from any sort of cannibal holocaust. Also, if I want to hear Neil Pert drumming -- Rush is still touring and making albums.

Iron Maiden
A few people like taking the piss out of the last song about zeppelin pirates or whatever the hell its about, but I thought it was amazing and some of the best prog-rock to come out in ages.

Leviathan's music is terrible and has always terrible. Not surprised (at the time, or still) it comes from a rapist/attempted murderer. A shame this guy hasn't been cast into outer darkness of shame or righteously executed. More evidence that the Portland metal scene is the morally void heroin den I thought it was. Clean up your dogshit, Portland -- ffs, run this guy outta town.

The whole top 20 is amazing, minus its starter High on Fire, which has always been a dud for me even though I am a fan of Matt Pike in general.

http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6786020/rush-drummer-neil-peart-retire

High on Fire was one of my favorite bands of the 00s, but for some reason I stopped liking tgem with Death is the Communion

A shame this guy hasn't been cast into outer darkness of shame or righteously executed. More evidence that the Portland metal scene is the morally void heroin den I thought it was. Clean up your dogshit, Portland

wtf

is Leviathan from/in Portland? i didn't think so.

He moved to Oregon recently, right?

maybe! would just be the first I'd heard of it. which of course doesn't mean it ain't true.

Leviathan's music is terrible and has always terrible. Not surprised (at the time, or still) it comes from a rapist/attempted murderer.

Have you ever heard of the term "libel"? Have you ever heard of the concept of "due process"? Can you point me to a shred of credible evidence to back up your claim that Wrest is a "rapist/attempted murderer"? (No, you can't.)

If you don't like his music or personality, that is your right, and feel free to blab about it all day. But it doesn't give you an excuse to make shit up about him and libel him (or anybody) in public.

haha yeah that definitely counts as libel lol

I'm not saying there's a snowball's chance in hell that anyone would attempt to charge Frobisher for libel, but posts on message boards can indeed be admitted to libel trials if necessary. And my larger point is that it's ignorant to make stuff up about people and then post this ignorance on the internet. It's part of what makes the internet such a pain in the ass to visit some days, and it isn't usually the type of behavior that is accepted on ILM (which is why I like ILM a lot compared to some of the other hideous message boards out there). I guess maybe I just need to stay off message boards for a while. Peace.

Oh yeah, and Frobisher is a rapist/attempted murderer. (How do you like it, buddy?)

Sorry for the negativity everyone. I just firmly believe that every "criminal" deserves a second chance. I'm obviously taking things way too seriously, though. And sorry to Frobisher, too. I'm sure you're a decent person, even if you say stupid shit online sometimes. I still stand by my point, but it probably didn't really need to get made the way I made it.

Any recent thoughts on 2015 albums? I can't get into the Baroness record too much, despite the adoration it's been getting in various places. The production is indeed weird. I wish they would've gone for a more Albini-type of stripped-down production, since the playing is so tight. In particular, the reverb on the cymbals just muddles the mix and buries the guitar sounds in places.

Any recently discovered lost gems?

I've mentioned it before, I think, but at metal-archives there's a "worthwhile albums of 2015" thread, updated almost daily, and it's where I learn about half the shit I post about here. I highly recommend browsing it from time to time:
http://www.metal-archives.com/board/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=108625

(The end of the thread especially is where the lesser known stuff pops up in a year-end scramble, so: work backwards!)

The more I listen to it, the more I think that if I'd heard the Batushka record early enough, it might have ended up at #1 on my list. Holy fuck.

Terrorizer Albums of 2015

50 Cruciamentum - Charnel Passages
49 With The Dead - With The Dead
48 Torche - Restarter
47 Solefad - World Metal Kosmpolis Sud
46 Ufommamut - Ecate
45 Undersmile - Anhedonia
44 Bell Witch - Four Phantoms
43 Mutoid Man - Bleeder
42 Therapy? - Disquiet
41 Ares Kingdom - The Unburial Dead
40 Arcturus - Arcturian
39 Gnaw Their Tongues - Abyss Of Longing Throats
38 Black Breath - Slaves Beyond Death
37 Poison Idea - Confuse and Conquer
36 Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats - The Night Creeper
35 Pissgrave - Suicide Euphoria
34 Enforcer - From Beyond
33 A Forest of Stars - Beware The Sword You Cannot See
32 Prurient - Frozen Niagara Falls
31 Ken Mode - Success
30 Corrections House - How To Carry a Whip
29 Abyssal - Antikatastaseis
28 High On Fire - Luminiferous
27 Iron Maiden - The Book of Souls
26 Revenge - Behold.Total.Rejection
25 Gruesome - Savage Land
24 Horrendous - Anareta
23 Dodheimsgard - A Umbra Omega
22 Satan - Atom By Atom
21 Chelsea Wolfe - Abyss
20 Ghost - Meliora
19 Cloud Rat - Qliphoth
18 Lucifer - Lucifer 1
17 Myrkur - M
16 Melechesh - Enki
15 Sigh - Graveward
14 Royal Thunder - Crooked Doors
13 Vhol - Deeper Than Sky
12 Paradise Lost - The Plague Within
11 Amorphis - Under The Red Cloud
10 Goatsnake - Black Age Blues
9 My Dying Bride - Feel The Misery
8 Tau Cross - Tau Cross
7 Tribulation - The Children Of The Night
6 Mgla - Exercises In Futility
5 Clutch - Psychic Warfare
4 Baroness - Purple
3 Killing Joke - Pylon
2 Faith No More - Sol Invictus
1 Napalm Death - Apex Predator-Easy Meat

Time to go and vote for Glaciation, Krallice, Chelsea Wolfe and Envy

(you can vote for Ghost and Faith no More too but I'd rather not)

have you considered voting in the big poll? I think voting ends tomorrow night
ILM's 2015 End of Year Albums & Tracks Poll / VOTING THREAD

So has anyone discovered anything else from metal poll in the aftermath?

Not yet, Im still listening.

This never got past the nominations thread, but had I heard this in December it wouldve been top 5 of my ballot, holy shit Rwake's Xenoglossalgia

https://rwake.bandcamp.com/album/xenoglossalgia-the-last-stage-of-awareness

yeah i listened to that monumental closer on your recommendation - had some very cool passages from what i could tell, will def return to it. you know it's a remaster/reissue of an album from 17 years ago, right?

Yeah, an EP, Calibros/So Fucking Tired is new, I thought?, and takes over half of the album, so I figured it would count

(I swear imago that this was not a veiled attempt to get you to answer my post on the other thread though lol)

yes it was

You never said anything on the nominations thread did you, CS?

I don't believe so