THE ILM METAL POLL 2011 RESULTS (All lurkers/non metalheads welcome to join in!)

omar thanks for that!

Good section for me: Agrypnie, Jesu, Arckanum, ICS Vortex. The Agrypnie is nominally an EP, so I didn't vote for it in the P&J album poll, but I put "Augenblick" on my song ballot. Weird how nobody else ever votes for my "singles"...

What does the 'avant-garde' descriptor indicate musically in relation to Agrypnie?

ok ilx was down for me but i dunno if it was an isp prob or nortons didnt like a site one of the jpegs came from but maybe a mod should look at one of the recent images

93. WOODEN STAKE - Black Caped Carnivore (349 Points, 11 Votes)
http://altsphere.com/catalog/1285-1147-thickbox/wooden-stake-black-caped-carnivore-7.jpg
http://www.last.fm/music/Wooden+Stake

Doom metal with female vocals.

Vanessa Nocera - Vocals, Bass

if you like this check out Murkrat which I stupidly forgot to nominate and are even better.

where did everyone go? i hope there isn't a dodgy jpeg on here thats now preventing you all connecting

92. Rwake - Rest (350 Points, 14 Votes)
http://f0.bcbits.com/z/37/47/3747794631-1.jpg
Spotify
http://www.last.fm/music/Rwake

Rwake is a sludge metal band from Little Rock, Arkansas, United States, that began as a jamming four-piece in 1996. The band was originally called Wake.

emil.y what do you mean?

Way too low!! lol.. I actually like the fact that these guys with this record have moved away from so much black metal stuff.. more sludge, and more atmosphiric stuff.. Plus, they incorperate guitar solos in a really cool way, and they are never wanky, also fitting.. Not too many bands do that in this genre..

Oh, just that 'avant-garde' is somewhat over-used (by myself also), and frequently doesn't actually give you a hint as to what the music will be like. I mean, people use 'avant-garde' in metal terms to mean "sounds a bit like Sunn O)))". Or it could be that they have schooling in the classical avant-garde tradition. Or it could just be that "they're kind of weird"...

xpost

well they're not like sunn o))) but i have no musical training so i cant really answer but I'd say its more likely in this case "they're kind of weird"

91. Premonition 13 - 13 (351 Points, 12 Votes)
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OD8rFyvoAFw/TrPTckDA4sI/AAAAAAAAFhA/G_QApzn14Uw/s1600/PF.jpg
Spotify
http://www.last.fm/music/Premonition+13

WINO

it only needs that 1 word description.

http://woodenstake.bandcamp.com/track/black-caped-carnivore

I admire the Rwake album, but didn't rank it super high because I can't really enjoy it. Just like they were impressive live, but I also wanted to leave the room after 30 minutes!

okay so the last three albums + Murkrat sound kind of appealing to me

90. Anatomy of Habit - S/T (352 Points, 15 Votes, 1 #1)
http://c1.ac-postto.myspacecdn.com/postto01/3/e1a26571742d4246b2832276394f4abb/s.jpg
http://www.last.fm/music/Anatomy+of+Habit

Anatomy of Habit formed in October 2008, following the dissolution of the group Animal Law. Blake Edwards (percussion; also of Vertonen, ssseepage, Burrow, Series Founders, Startless, Crippled Insectual, ex-Animal Law), Dylan Posa (drums; also of Dylan Posa and Three Cheers for One Dead Man, ex-Cheer Accident, ex-Flying Luttenbachers, ex-Brice-Glace, ex-Animal Law), and Mark Solotroff (vocals; also of BLOODYMINDED, The Fortieth Day, A Vague Disquiet, Nightmares, ex-Super Eight Loop, ex-Intrinsic Action, ex-Animal Law) joined forces with Kenny Rasmussen (bass; ex-No Funeral, ex-Radar Eyes) and Greg Ratajczak (guitar; also of Plague Bringer) — the duo originally slated to engineer and produce Animal Law’s abandoned debut album. With less than 20 intense shows under their collective belt since their mid-2009 debut, Anatomy of Habit recently finished work on their first recordings, working with Andrew Ragin of The Atlas Moth at Phase Recording Studios. The band mastered the mini-LP in late-June 2011, with Bob Weston of Shellac, at Chicago Mastering Service. After their initial outings, people have mentioned diverse groups, including Joy Division, Swans, Einsturzende Neubauten, Killing Joke, Unsane, Bauhaus, My Bloody Valentine, Black Sabbath, The Cure, Jesu, The Sisters of Mercy, Death in June, and even The Doors, when attempting to describe the band. Part post-punk, part death-rock, part early-industrial, part noise-rock, part shoegazer, and part full-on doom-metal, this list of bands at least begins to describe where the powerful five-piece group might be coming from.

http://anatomyofhabit.bandcamp.com/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Anatomy-of-Habit/65210152926
http://www.myspace.com/anatomyofhabit
http://anatomyofhabit.bigcartel.com/

I'm sorta partly responsible for this being here even tho i didn't vote for it.
CAMPAIGNING WORKS FOLKS HERES THE PROOF
now over to the poster who stanned and gave it the #1..

Yeah that Rwake album is really great. Still haven't heard that new Wino yet though.

Agrypnie is one I heard after I mailed my ballot. I'm sure I've heard one of the earlier records, but can't say it left any impression - this is a great record however. Avant garde my ass btw, it is just good, catchy metal.

I'd like to think that the Arckanum placement is because of me Singing His Praise for the last couple years :) Also I can't decide what's more LOLworthy, Taake taking flak for being anti-muslim after spewing anti-christian bile for almost 20 years, or the fact that they were even nominated for a national award. That record is pretty grim (not too dissimilar to Arckanum, actually).

YAAAAAY Anatomy of Habit!
This band rules so much and let me tell you why:

* a gong
* a skilled vocalist with a low range and a good screaming voice too
* lyrics you can listen to or not, your choice
* super long songs that change a lot but do so gradually
* not too fast, not too slow

went to see them open for russian circles and left before RC played because the crowd was really annoying, but i bought the record on my way out and am not at all sorry about it
big fan over here

Siegbran you are probably right re your campaigning.

and there's the happy LL.
her drugs c money moment

Since theres only like 70 voters campaigning for stuff really works as it only takes 9 or 10 ppl to vote and it gets in, and then new people get to hear awesome music

89. Lifelover - Sjukdom (355 Points, 9 Votes, 1 #1)
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_wiWNf1FzEkg/TUVPQNnKxMI/AAAAAAAABBE/DDK6klK9PGw/s1600/Lifelover-Sjukdom500.jpg
Spotify
http://www.last.fm/music/Lifelover

Lifelover was a metal band hailing from Stockholm, Sweden. They split up after the death of B in 16th September 2011. Their lyrics are mainly focused on pure misery, drugs, hate and death, with elements of sarcasm and irony. Lifelover was formed 1st June 2005 by B and ( ) in Stockholm, Sweden. A demo called “Promo 2005” was recorded the same month, it contained two tracks, but it was never officially released. Their debut Pulver was released by GoatowaRex in July 2006.

On 14 February 2011, Lifelover released their fourth album called Sjukdom.

On 10 September 2011, the band reported through their Facebook page that band member B died the previous day, stating, “We are very sad to report that yesterday our bandmate and brother B has passed away. The concerts today and tomorrow are still to be performed, but in a different form in his honor. This information is valid and in its extreme sadness true. A final statement with further details is to come.”

If you have never heard Pulver go do so now, wonderful album. You wont get vinyl though, it was selling for $200 even before the guy committed suicide.

In other words "Lifelover" was a pretty ironic band name, eh?

88. Hands of Orlac - S/T (359 Points, 14 Votes)
http://www.metalmusicarchives.com/images/covers/hands-of-orlac-hands-of-orlac-20110910024903.jpg
http://www.last.fm/music/Hands+of+Orlac

Italian doom metal band with female vocals.

great album this

Jon the Premonition 13 record is good, but not great. More Wino, if you like Wino, you'll like it basically.

87. Kampfar - Mare (364 Points, 15 Votes)
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BQxNjUlJaG8/Tb0smGbd0cI/AAAAAAAACtQ/SZ29OiubSL8/s1600/folder.jpg
http://www.last.fm/music/Kampfar

Kampfar, formed in 1994, was born in the realms of the mighty Mock, in the early times of Norwegian Black Metal. The whole idea is to make music inspired by the nordic nature, folklores and myths

Glenn's becoming a bit of a hivemind centre here isn't he?

scary innit?

whoa, that's a nice cover.

I caught premonition live, and fwiw, I thought they were pretty dull. but I've never been a huge wino guy anyway...

I like that rwake record a lot btw. nice and grimey.

and I'll admit it - siegbran stanning for arckanum's (excellent) ÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞ record is what got me back on board with them. still haven't spun the 2011 release yet.

Hands Of Orlac was my #38. I probably first heard of them through Doomantia:

Hands of Orlac are a band from Rome that plays retro doomy old-school hard rock / heavy metal. The band get their name from the movie of the same name which was made originally in 1924. Of course they come from the great land who seem to produce a lot of this occult driven, horror rock. Some of the very best bands in this genre all come from the region; Abysmal Grief, Black Oath are just two worthy of mentioning but Hands of Orlac are a bit different, at least to my ears. Their style is much more 70's heavy prog mixed with traditional heavy metal than the morbid tones of Abysmal Grief and other such acts. Their main influence is Black Sabbath or to be more precise Tony Iommi...If you are one of those folks that has jumped aboard the Ghost bandwagon, then you will want to check this band out.

i sent their album out in the google group actually

86. GNAW THEIR TONGUES - Per Flagellum Sanguemque, Tenebras Veneramus (370 Points, 11 Votes)
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4GCyroSaUX8/TociZGeWG5I/AAAAAAAACJY/BGMiVE3B4P0/s1600/front%2Bgtt.jpg
Spotify
http://www.last.fm/music/Gnaw+Their+Tongues

Gnaw Their Tongues is an experimental black metal moniker of Maurice de Jong formed in Drachten, Netherland in 2005. Its named after a verse in the bible.

Glenn has a lot of influence

What's that Kampfar cover even supposed to be?

druids in red robes going up a mountain on a starry night?

druids with tails? shadowy figures? i like it.

I should probably be flogged for not having heard the Hands of Orloc album yet. Sounds way cool though...

i sent their album out in the google group actually

Yes, on Nov 16. But I heard about them in September via Doomantia. It also leaked via Epicus Doomicus Metallicus, Angrychairs and Metal Music Blog the day before. It is convenient to be in that Google group in case I do miss something.

I should pay more attention to Hands of Orlac, I think.

So, this year's Gnaw Their Tongues. Better than last year's I think, but still not as good as Epiphanic Vomiting of Blood?

Hands of Orloc

LOL @ me

85. Ordog - Remorse (371 Points, 15 Votes)
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_95msu-VwXUk/TUw8w-7U5wI/AAAAAAAABNU/a6GktL3bCM8/s1600/ordogremorse.jpg
Spotify
http://www.last.fm/music/Ordog

There are at least four bands called Ordog, which means “Devil” or a satyrical evil creature in Hungarian.

1) A doom metal band from Tornio, Finland formed in 2005. They released two demos titled “I” & “II” which were later compiled on “I-II”. In 2006 they released their debut “Crow and the storm”. In 2008 their 2nd album “Life is too Short for Learning to Live” has been released.

They consists of Aleksi Martikainen (vocals), Valtteri Isometsä (guitars, bass, drums) and Jussi Harju (keyboards). On live gigs they are supported by R. Väänänen, playing drums and K. Huhtala on bass.
Newest info can be found on their official site www.ordogband.com or on MySpace.

Finland really rules at Funeral Doom. So chuffed this album made it, it's awesome! Skepticism/Thergothon fans gets this now!

Think I've heard this one, though I didn't vote for it. Will give it another go...

You know whats frustrating about being a fan of metal? I feel like I've listened to a shitload of metal albums from 2011, but this list and the RYM charts remind me that I still haven't even come close to scratching the surface. There's almost too much!

there's never too much!

Hence the "almost", its just daunting to look at the list of albums I listened to and realize how much I still missed!

sign of a healthy scene creatively innit

I honestly don't mind this about metal but surely it's more a sign of tons of copycat?