~~~ End Of Year ILM Metal - Albums & Tracks Poll- Nominations 2014 (Ends friday11.59pm UK time Dec 5th) ~~~

Boris - Noise
Epistasis - Light Through Dead Glass (EP)
Lantlos - Melting Sun
Opium Warlords - Taste My Sword Of Understanding

I did not listen to a ton of metal this year but here's the stuff I happened to like & took the time to seek out

Black Monolith - Passenger
Woods of Desolation - As the Stars
Swans - To be Kind (someone said swans counted!)
Boris - Noise

I also liked the latest mastodon album but I don't think they fit the criteria round here anymore

I can think of no reason to disallow Mastodon

boris, swans, woods of desolation already nominated. There's a spreadsheet to check nominations
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1d8-3k-kVVhO2-0yA7OCWhN2c1jFTG4xxOlW0UH2GIXA/edit#gid=0

of course Mastodon count

whoops my bad

seems strange to nominate swans then say mastodon shouldnt count :)

I guess I wasn't sure if the past two mastodon albums were metal or more like hard rock, like queens of the Stone Age-ish (especially the hunter). then again as you said, swans latest albums aren't exactly traditional metal either and they def get love from metalheads.

tbf its still a hard rock/metal poll. Metal is a very broad church. Rolling Metal thread is hardly full of purists.

I'm somewhat surprised the Mastodon album hasn't featured in non-metal EOY lists like the last one. It's good enough and got good reviews inmost places.
Maybe metal isn't as in fashion as it was the past 5 years? Noticed a lack of metal and hip-hop this year in lists.

Has critical coverage started getting narrower?

I'm guessing it might be the token pick on a few forthcoming lists, although woods of desolation could take that honor as well, given its post-rock vibes, which ended up giving deafheaven the annual "metal album loved by non metal critics" designation last year

I expect Pallbearer to be the crossover hit, but I've been wrong more often than not.

mastodon's two late-aughts albums both ended up on multiple general albums lists with high rankings in several instances. skye was #3 in bloody time magazine!! and those are definitely full-stop metal albums.

flash forward to 2012 - the latest converge album was #1 on most metal/hard rock only lists and got me, before that point not a huge metal/hardcore guy aside from occasional mastodon dalliances - deep in love with that band and exploring a lot of really hard shit I wouldn't have previously explored. but it got little to no love from many general albums lists. and then the next year deafheaven is adored by tons of people who aren't traditionally into metal. it's impossible to predict

Dawnbringer - Night of the Hammer
Lotus Thief - Rervm

Maybe we should change the title to Hard Rock & Metal Poll then?

I'll go ahead and include all my hard rock/stoner/occult/psych then, as they certainly won't get any attention in the main ILM poll other than Goat. That is, unless we take over... Also, there's more than enough active writers here who could make a big difference in the Pazz & Jop poll. It only took 6 votes to get some albums in the top 100! Ask to be included at pazzandjop at villagevoice.com, it might not be too late!

Glad someone acknowledges Dawnbringer. Can't believe no one's mentioned Slough Feg yet.

I second Mansion - Uncreation EP. At 36:32 it's as long as some full lengths, and they are progressing nicely. Full length due early next year. Also, everyone listen to Spiders, please.

Spiders - Shake Electric
Slough Feg - Digital Resistance
Castle - Under Siege
The Oath - The Oath
Serpent Venom - Of Things Seen And Unseen
Purson - In The Meantime EP
Apostle Of Solitude - Of Woe And Wounds
Ogre - The Last Neanderthal
Demon Eye - Leave The Light
Alunah - Awakening The Forest
The Well - Samsara
Hands Of Orlac - Figli Del Crepuscolo
Ovvl - Screech
Heat - Labyrinth
Satan's Satyrs - Die Screaming
Monolord - Empress Rising
Moab - Billow
Electric Citizen - Sateen
The Socks - The Socks
Greenleaf - Trails & Passes
Dwellers - Pagan Fruit
Lo-Pan - Colossus
Hessian - Bachelor Of Black Arts
Lé Betre - Melas
Jeremy Irons & the Ratgang Malibus - Spirit Knife
Spiral Shades - Hypnosis Sessions
Hornss - No Blood, No Sympathy
Black Trip - Goin' Under
Ice Dragon - Seeds From A Dying Garden
Cardinals Folly - Our Cult Continues!
Purple Hill Witch - Purple Hill Witch
Sigiriya - Darkness Died Today
Mars Red Sky - Stranded In Arcadia
John Garcia - John Garcia
Saturn - Ascending: Live In Space
Big Red Panda - Big Red Panda
John Gallow - Violet Dreams
Jess & The Ancient Ones - Castaneda EP
Holy Mountain - Ancient Astronauts
Lecherous Gaze - Zeta Reticuli Blues
Deep Space Destructors - III
Helms Alee - Sleepwalking Sailors
Hypnos - Hypnos
Kröwnn – Magnafröst
Fellwoods - Gyromancer EP
The Shrine - Bless Off
Blood Farmers - Headless Eyes
Valley Of The Sun - Electric Talons Of The Thunderhawk
House Of Lightning - Lightworker
Salem's Pot - Lurar ut dig på prárien
Admiral Sir Cloudsley Shovell - Check 'Em Before You Wreck 'Em
The Grand Astoria - La Belle Epoque
Aleph Null - Nocturnal
Season Of Arrows - Season Of Arrows
Below - Across The Dark River
Convent Guilt - Guns For Hire
Mortalicum - Tears From The Grave
The Order Of Israfel - Wisdom
Darkest Era - Severance
Pilgrim - II: Void Worship
Vestal Claret - The Cult Of Vestal Claret
Mount Salem - Endless
Slomatics - Estron
Mausoleum Gate - Mausoleum Gate
11 Paranoias - Stealing Fire From Heaven
Horseback - Piedmont Apocrypha

An important nomination has been forgot.

The Soft Pink Truth - Why Do the Heathen Rage?

Woccon - Solace in Decay
Falls of Rauros - Believe In No Coming Shore
Aureole - Alunar
Sivyj Yar - From the Dead Villages' Darkness

<b>Auroch - Taman Shud </b>
<b>Atlas Moth - The Old Believer </b>
<b>Barghest - The Virtuous Purge </b>
<b>Wolvhammer - Clawing into Black Sun </b>

just realising how many profound lore releases i've loved this year.

Auroch - Taman Shud
Atlas Moth - The Old Believer
Barghest - The Virtuous Purge
Wolvhammer - Clawing into Black Sun

and here they are in bold.

the more the merrier. If people dont think theyre metal enough then they needn't vote. afaic these polls are to highlight stuff we like

I'm surprised i didn't nominate the slough feg. I would have remembered eventually.

Inter Arma - The Cavern
Revocation - Deathless
Wold - Postsocial

my nominations:

Aenaon - Extance
Anatomy of Habit - Ciphers + Axioms
Beyond Creation - Earthborn Evolution
The Contortionist - Language
Downfall of Gaia - Aeon Unveils the Thrones of Decay
Fen - Carrion Skies
Foscor - Those Horrors Wither
Ghost Brigade - IV – One With the Storm
Goatech - Exquisiteness
The Great Old Ones - TEKELI-LI
Helevorn - Compassion Forlorn
Insomnium - Shadows of the Dying Sun
Lost Ubikyst in Apeiron - Abstruse Imbeciles Nailed on Slavery
Nachtmystium - The World We Left Behind
Ne Obliviscaris - Citadel
Nero di Marte - Derivae
Nightbringer - Ego Dominus Tuus
Novembers Doom - Bled White
Shihad - FVEY
Skyharbor - Guiding Lights
Voices - London
Winterfylleth - The Divination of Antiquity
Words of Farewell - The Black Wild Yonder

most of the above are on spotify apart from:

Downfall of Gaia - Aeon Unveils the Thrones of Decay
http://www.metalunderground.com/news/details.cfm?newsid=107747
full album, but on spotify two tracks missing

Foscor - Those Horrors Wither
https://soundcloud.com/alone-records/sets/foscor-those-horrors-wither

Lost Ubikyst in Apeiron - Abstruse Imbeciles Nailed on Slavery
http://lostubikystinapeiron.bandcamp.com/

Shihad - FVEY
http://www.fasterlouder.com.au/news/40239/Listen-to-Shihads-brutal-new-album-FVEY-in-full
album only released by Warner New Zealand. no international / UK release yet.
Jaz Coleman produced

Wizard Rifle - Here In The Deadlights

Vorde - Vorde

I just saw a list that called itself "best heavy music of 2014".
I think that is what our poll is like

http://www.steelforbrains.com/post/103989943657/rb-best-of-2014

Yeah that's a good site.

If the hope for a 1991 or 1984 music history repeat is what keeps you pushing play, though, then disappoint will likely top your EOTY list every damn time.

There were some important albums those years, but I think 2014 is more fun and diverse. I have no complaints about the amount of good music this year.

I thought it was a year with a ton of decent records but few great ones. Certainly less than the last several years.

Is the Steel for Brains podcast still happening? I was enjoying them.

Yeah. We just had life force us both to take a break. Plan is to record a new one this week.

And thanks! I'm glad you enjoy it.

missed this thread yesterday ... two things:

1. lol at arguing Wovenhand and Mastodon's metal status within the same space. no shade at anyone, just, y'know ... that's pretty funny.

2. no way Woods of Desolation is the token metal pick this year. just not enough momentum behind it, plus it came out in January. and not with Pallbearer, Mastodon and, to a lesser extent, Triptykon and At The Gates albums available for those slots. i wish i thought we'd see a mini-Deafheaven-style surge for WoD but it ain't gonna happen.

I'd have pegged Agalloch for the Deafheaven slot, but I'm not sure anyone's still listening to that album.

As The Stars just isn't good enough, and their choice for a much rougher sound also doesn't help their crossover appeal. Torn Beyond Reason would've been huge if it were released this year.

I love As The Stars and think it's as good or better than Sunbather (yes, I like Sunbather), but I haven't heard Torn Beyond Reason. I should remedy that...

OMG this Spectral Lore.

Also, the Blut Aus Nord is surprisingly different from the last one but is really nice.

Wait, Spectral Lore turned into U2 for a minute.

2014 is probably one of the best years for metal I've ever known, though I've got a preference for experimental/proggy/shoegazey stuff rather than 'metal' metal though. Y'know what I mean.

At the start of the year I thought I was pretty much done with metal and then I kept hearing crazy shit and well, here we are. It's weird that the older I get the more metal black metal I listen to. idgi.

I never got U2 vibes from Spectral Lore I must admit

It was just that break in "Cold March". Album is mostly awesome so far.

Also, I may have been listening from the next room at that point.

Bastard Feast - Osculum Infame
Baptists - Bloodmines
Code Orange - I Am King
Couch Slut - My Life as a Woman
Idylls - Prayer for Terrene
Foreseen HKI - Helsinki Savagery
Krokofant - Krokofant
Oozing Wound - Earth Suck
Secret Cutter - "Self Titled"
Trioscapes - Digital Dream Sequence
Vampire - Vampire
Yautja - Songs of Descent

I'm sure we allowed Wind's Poem by Mount Eerie a couple of years ago. If that fits a BM definition then Wovenhand is surely ok.

It's weird that the older I get the more metal black metal I listen to. idgi.

― ultros ultros-ghali, Monday, 1 December 2014 02:49 (7 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalinkp

same

I got big into it once i passed 30 and once I passed 40 it hasnt changed

Yeah, 30 was when it started clicking for me too. Seems to be the norm here!

Looking back, I guess it was more 28/29.

tbh it was the nazi association stuff that put me off investigating. It was much easier to find who was and wasnt than it was at the time

Just the one nom from me, it came out very recently and is great

Raspberry Bulbs - Privacy

Serpentine Path - Emanations