~~~ 15 YEARS OF ILM POLL!!! ~~~ (Metal & Heavy Rock [+ related sub-genres] Edition) RESULTS & DISCUSSION THREAD

Nine from mine, I think. Relistening to Mastery now - a violent way to start the week.

Ok looking my ballot over: Rated O was my #5 & Secret Wars my #12. Rad Times Xpress IV was my #11. Carboniferous - #17. Valonielu - #19. Comets on Fire - #21.

Bardo Pond and La Novia were further down, so can't complain there...

I liked Cotar Todo, but this Zu album is something else! Inexhaustibly intricate.

Celestial Lineage being that far above Two Hunters is a bit of an eyebrow raiser to me, especially since I prefer the latter by far.

holy fuck, the opening track of Rengeteg is AMAZING

Crush the Insects is not unenjoyable.

The rest of Rengeteg is less good, but what an opening track!

Too bad both Summoning records placed low, although I guess they'll always be a bit of a niche thing.

Nokturnal Mortum was my #1 btw, could say a lot more but I don't think many people really want to hear about them.

that's actually the thing i'm going to listen to next, so please do say more

Too bad both Summoning records placed low, although I guess they'll always be a bit of a niche thing.

i rated let moral heroes super high and was hoping for a better placement, oh well

oh my word this is wonderful

OK well Nokturnal Mortum's an intriguing band. They're like the Ukrainian version of Emperor, started out around the same time too. Had a couple of good records in the style of In The Nightside Eclipse with slavic folk bits, but kind ran into the ground around the end of the 90s through a combination of blatant nazi themes and increasingly shitty incoherent music. Band is left for dead for about five years, main dude fires all the other members and restarts the whole thing with much more of a Bathory/Moonsorrow vibe, pushes out one decent album and disappears again. Then out of nowhere The Voice Of Steel pops up at christmas 2009, which is fucking amazing by turning everything about prog/viking/folk metal up to eleven, and includes some oddball stuff like psychedelic blues rock solos. The aryan/nazi stuff is traded in for a mainstream Ukrainian nationalist agenda and all looks rosy again, but their part of Ukraine gets invaded/liberated by Russian militias. The band can't record much, but they play benefit gigs for the Ukrainian army & manage to travel out sporadically to play metal festivals around Europe.

yeah this is full-technicolour metal glory. with blues solos

the rollout! Many surprises so far -- biggest one for me is the low placing of Cultes des Ghoules' Henbane. One of my favorite old-school black metal releases of the 21st C for sure.

Also surprised those Satan albums placed so low.

thanks for the context siegbran, i actually want to listen to that album now

I voted for both Satan albums. That's one of the best bands in the world right now, imo.

same!

170 A Forest of Stars - Beware the Sword You Cannot See 139 Points, 5 Votes
http://i.imgur.com/ZXhXEe8.jpg
https://open.spotify.com/album/10M9bimNf1sm0paabLv8Av
spotify:album:10M9bimNf1sm0paabLv8Av

this is another brilliant album, northern england's answer to ukrainian black metal ;)

This fell just out of my top 100, love the album cover tho.

Although what's that skeletal C3PO doing there?

Awww this album is fantastic! In my top 20 somewhere. Super melodic without being saccharine. Very fuzzy and magical, though that might be in part because his spoken vocals remind me of David Tibet.

xp He looks like he made a wrong turn at the ouroboros.

They're kind of metal's answer to steampunk, but they carry it well

And their songs are awesome

169 ASG - Blood Drive 139.6 Points, 4 Votes
http://i.imgur.com/gJfObIv.jpg
https://open.spotify.com/album/7AdrkC8Ul8z9dBtxsHbwra
spotify:album:7AdrkC8Ul8z9dBtxsHbwra

Beware The Sword... is great, yeah. Wasn't my highest-rated AFOS album but I don't think that will appear.

168 The Mars Volta - Frances The Mute 140 Points, 4 Votes
http://i.imgur.com/KDbhJwP.jpg
https://open.spotify.com/album/47gm8wkdx7eA2yGzLXCRN5
spotify:album:47gm8wkdx7eA2yGzLXCRN5

im sure i listened to this like 10 years ago but i have no memory of it

OK who didn't vote for this

Oh like all of you, because it 'isn't metal'. Such closed minds! ;)

My #8

it is Heavy Rock

its not that great though lets be honest. the mcr albums in the poll are prob better haha

It is ferociously good. And such great FUN!

167 Shape Of Despair - Monotony Fields 140.6 Points, 4 Votes
http://i.imgur.com/8tzAn8K.jpg
https://open.spotify.com/album/1Aw60nUgrLPrs8yRMynCc8
spotify:album:1Aw60nUgrLPrs8yRMynCc8

Oh hey I voted for this too! The track In Longing is especially beautiful

166 Wolves in the Throne Room - Diadem of 12 Stars 140.6 Points, 5 Votes
http://i.imgur.com/JViE5Oy.jpg
https://open.spotify.com/album/4aqJgxxo4nKUyXStKQUWWS
spotify:album:4aqJgxxo4nKUyXStKQUWWS

i voted for Two Hunters but this one is very good too

Oh and the opening track of Monotony Fields is also a stunner

I didnt vote for The Mars Volta cos theyre shite

165 In Solitude - The World. The Flesh. The Devil 141.1 Points, 6 Votes
http://i.imgur.com/legDmDc.jpg
https://open.spotify.com/album/25SYB9zU1aK8G4jjjVmy7s
spotify:album:25SYB9zU1aK8G4jjjVmy7s

164 Kylesa - Static Tensions 141.5 Points, 5 Votes
http://i.imgur.com/en96AFo.jpg
https://open.spotify.com/album/0Aj7YOQ3gK97MouZ487emF
spotify:album:0Aj7YOQ3gK97MouZ487emF

163 Oceansize - Everyone Into Position 142 Points, 4 Votes
http://i.imgur.com/aBh4kdE.jpg
https://open.spotify.com/album/2pTp9Bf8wLbTg3P8FaSbdJ
spotify:album:2pTp9Bf8wLbTg3P8FaSbdJ

Classic.

162 Fen - Epoch 142 Points, 6 Votes
http://i.imgur.com/GYgIIQQ.jpg
https://open.spotify.com/album/2Co5WjR7No5oNchGCUmsos
spotify:album:2Co5WjR7No5oNchGCUmsos

have a wild guess which of the last four albums I voted for

In Solitude were so great. That isn't my favourite album of theirs, but still good.

good band, yeah

The Fen album is excellent but I think I dropped it from my ballot

Recommended Oceansize track: You Can't Keep A Bad Man Down. Or The Charm Offensive.