~~~ 2014 ILM METAL POLL TRACKS & ALBUMS COUNTDOWN! ~~~ (Tracks top 30 first then Albums)

This one is pretty badass, epic and doomy and heavy. The sorta vocal breakdown around 10 minutes in is incredible.

My comment up above was about the first Watain song, by the way, "the ballad."

Am I the only one who voted for tracks? LOL, almost everything so far is on my ballot.

92 tracks received at least one vote. But I'm not sure how many tracks ballots there were. Metal fans on ILM, are like metal fans in general - they prefer albums.

I think there was 16 tracks ballots.

so what poor track got no votes?

AG is that your first time listening to Purson? They are a bit proggy. I've recently been listening to old psych-prog albums from 1969-70 by Affinity, Axe, Goliath, Julian's Treatment/Julian Jay Savarin, all with female singers, and noticing a lot of similarities with Purson, Blood Ceremony and others.

My landlord is mixing a sort-of-prog album with female lead vocals in my basement, so for just a split second hearing that Purson track I thought maybe someone was playing a weird joke on me.

25    Inter Arma - the survival fires    51 Points,    3  Votes
http://youtu.be/W-85l1QWI6A
http://open.spotify.com/track/5k09LZjCoHRpE2azjhYIvE
spotify:track:5k09LZjCoHRpE2azjhYIvE

The quiet bit around 5:00 of this one had me wondering if I was going to skip the rest, but the payoff totally makes it worth it. It looks like these guys are on tour with KEN Mode and Russian Circles in February, I might look into going to see that.

24    Anciients - faith and oath    52 Points,    3 Votes,   One #1
http://youtu.be/XMaI0xqVwok
http://open.spotify.com/track/4TvCcRi0D2qJilaH9KOONR
spotify:track:4TvCcRi0D2qJilaH9KOONR
  

Good stuff that

23 Bölzer - Entranced By The Wolfshook 54 Points, 3 Votes , TWO #1s
http://youtu.be/BXkP4WS8Y_Y
No Spotify

Glad to see an Anciients track, as they've been slightly underrepresented on most polls. We'll see how they do on albums.

Wasn't fond of the Anciients track, apparently I'm in the minority. 25 and 26 have been my favorites so far, for those keeping track.

That Bölzer track is massive. I hope their full length lives up to expectations (whenever it arrives). They are onto something special methinks.

22    Carcass - the granulating dark satanic mills    56 Points,    3 Votes,   One #1
http://youtu.be/5ppON4k_1kI
http://open.spotify.com/track/0CNArqK4FWOf6PzN0SyCP4
spotify:track:0CNArqK4FWOf6PzN0SyCP4

Wolfshook is the best thing ever. I'm so hyped for Bölzer, can't wait to see what they do next.

21    Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats - Mind Crawler   57 Points    5 Votes
http://youtu.be/yACaB6fzt_c
http://open.spotify.com/track/4FKXVuHbKGGJZ5OEQA42Tk
spotify:track:4FKXVuHbKGGJZ5OEQA42Tk

20    Windhand - Woodbine    62 Points,    4  Votes
http://youtu.be/XC0MQog6Omg
http://open.spotify.com/track/59ML0d8TWN9YIUK1KG62NC
spotify:track:59ML0d8TWN9YIUK1KG62NC

for years i have avoided 'metal' cos i never enjoyed it, well, certainly not the stuff i heard.
yet the last few months i have been listening to bands that are classed as metal (qotsa/mastodon/sunn 0)))/earth/ghost) more than anything else.
so, thought i'd try a few of these youtubes.

darkthrone : love it - but not sure i could listen to a whole album.
watain : oh yes. will investigate more.
uncle acid : top 10 album of 2013 for me.
dillinger : nah ..
anciients (great name !) : like this ..

so, looking forward to using this thread as a reference point to help me find more ...

is the onset of my midlife crisis taking form in a newfound love of a genre i have never really enjoyed ..

well it sure beats you listening to nu-metal!

haha.

carcass : i realise the importance and the love for these guys, but i aint feeling this. have tried before when the new album came out.

windhand : not sure ..

will dip back into this thread and check more, but i need to get back to tackhead now ..

windhand sound like the latter day Electric Wizard stuff you like

19    Suffocation - eminent wrath    63 Points,    4  Votes
http://youtu.be/IgOMuiRSJpA
http://open.spotify.com/track/3ZzF989swBny8VeqpQqeZB
spotify:track:3ZzF989swBny8VeqpQqeZB

saw that reference to EW in the youtube thread.

my local source of rock music, i.e. hmv !, has a few of the EW albums on cd ..

not hit the pay option yet, but could happen next week ..

xpost, agreed re: Mark's opinion on Darkthrone, that track is pretty much an album by itself. It's a lot to digest, they cover a lot of ground all in fifteen minutes (esp. for such a kvlt black metal band). Works great as an album side, though.

18    Noothgrush - Thoth    66 Points,   4 Votes  One #1
http://youtu.be/8yzZr68JfOc
http://open.spotify.com/track/2nN4RVg11hPat1dKdifstR
spotify:track:2nN4RVg11hPat1dKdifstR

17    Vhol - Grace    66.0 Points,   5 Votes
http://open.spotify.com/track/3Ap3V7FvHcrfkQOemkUX7M
spotify:track:3Ap3V7FvHcrfkQOemkUX7M

16    Ghost - Ghuleh/Zombie Queen    67 Points,    4 Votes,  One #1  
http://youtu.be/dQDaWoWwqdM
http://open.spotify.com/track/4yrxgaL6zAsxkeMCwCtORS
spotify:track:4yrxgaL6zAsxkeMCwCtORS

album highlight ..

such an immense track ..

genuine question : what makes ghost part of the 'metal' genre

to me the ghost album is more psych ..

with a ton of pop rock thrown in ..

Well, metal wasnt always "extreme" Blue Oyster Cult were still 'metal'
plus
this is guys from other metal bands (though identities are supposed to be 'secret')
subject matter and image is very old skool metal.

Some welcome a return to old skool metal with real singing (and some dont)

it matters not, as i love love love this album ..

i love the whole sonic excess, the image, the secrecy.

bands with a plan, an identity, a look etc always push my buttons.

(had no idea this was folks from other bands, as i have never felt the need to do the digging ..)

I didn't love the album, but I love this song. This is where they stuffed all of their good ideas.

15    Fen - Consequence    73 Points,    5 Votes
http://youtu.be/F0Zj3gtosAU
http://open.spotify.com/track/2fhcVncNegVhyZdbfQP3ck
spotify:track:2fhcVncNegVhyZdbfQP3ck

14    Deafheaven - Dreamhouse    75 Points,   5 Votes,   2 #1s
http://youtu.be/RWyVhIBmdGw
http://open.spotify.com/track/6l3A2EWZSOA8LTMmzRCyD3
spotify:track:6l3A2EWZSOA8LTMmzRCyD3
  

remember there's a spotify playlist for the tracks results
http://open.spotify.com/user/pfunkboy/playlist/3JEQkwsSD5C7VsXMg4k1HX
spotify:user:pfunkboy:playlist:3JEQkwsSD5C7VsXMg4k1HX

13    Ghost - Monstrance Clock    81 Points,    6  Votes
http://youtu.be/KCkoIEbjbsM
http://open.spotify.com/track/27n116KPPtEaryhXyMiTrN
spotify:track:27n116KPPtEaryhXyMiTrN

i have said all i need to say re this band.

clearly i am not alone in my love for their excess.

Best track on the album and best song they've ever done imo.

More occult rock up next..

12 Jess and the Ancient Ones - Astral Sabbat 82 Points, 6 Votes, One #1
http://youtu.be/5hgWxb1bXkE
http://open.spotify.com/track/72bB7G3kyg28jAA8lH65n0
spotify:track:72bB7G3kyg28jAA8lH65n0

mark e i think you would dig this band (its from an ep, check out their only album too)

Nice song. Weird that stuff like Jess is still subsumed under metal. The occult-psych trend could be this decade's freak-folk.

well its still heavy rock innit?

Last one for tonight coming up

11 Grayceon - Pearl 85 Points, 6 Votes
http://youtu.be/Ygk6iEmajJw
http://open.spotify.com/track/1gfVjGhMDDrk40JfZec9ml
spotify:track:1gfVjGhMDDrk40JfZec9ml

I totally slept on that Grayceon album.

Like Ghost and Purson, it dips a bit into 70s proto-metal. I felt the first Ghost album was definitely more metal than the newer one though.

sweet. i've read the manifesto but don't own it and it's sort of overwrought but interesting, especially (iirc) in its discussion of the ideological differences between the punk and metal traditions. liturgy's haters are for the most part repellant to me because they are coming from a place of small-mindedness and cultishness.

My Ballot - think I meant to switch Gorguts and Carcass, but my bad. Thanks for posting the blabbermouth link - very cool to learn a bit more about how the record came about.

Magic Circle - S/T
Voivod - Target Earth
Earthless - From the Ages
Carcass - Surgical Steel
Gorguts - Colored Sands
Satan - Life Sentence
Motörhead - Aftershock
Clutch - Earth Rocker
Avatarium - Avatarium
Pissed Jeans - Honeys
Queens Of The Stone Age - Like Clockwork
Black Sabbath - 13
Amon Amarth - Deceiver of the Gods
Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats - Mind Control
In Solitude - Sister
Darkthrone - The Underground Resistance
Bardo Pond - Peace on Venus
Havok - Unnatural Selection
Gris - À l'âme enflammée, l'äme constellée...
ASG - Blood Drive
Deafheaven - Sunbather
Jex Thoth - Blood Moon Rise
Altar of Plagues - Teethed Glory and Injury
Trouble - The Distortion Field
Red Fang - Whales And Leeches
Vista Chino - Peace
Blood Ceremony - the Eldritch Dark
Batillus- Concrete Sustain
Kylesa - Ultraviolet
Intronaut - Habitual Levitations (Instilling Words With Tones)
Spiritual Beggars - Earth Blues

new Liturgy album this year btw

i thought they dissolved?

me too but someone from Thrill Jockey said one was on the way

didn't the drummer quit? Wonder if he's involved

this In Solitude record is rather good, don't know why I hadn't given it a listen before

especially as you must have heard tracks from it in soundrop

That's a surprising ranking for Altar of Plagues. I saw a bit of positive chatter about it but not a lot of adoration.

It won the Last Rites reader poll and was #7 for the writers top 25.

#7 PopMatters, #20 Stereogum, #11 Rock-A-Rolla, #7 MetalSucks, #17 MetalSucks musicians, #36 Pitchfork, #2 Terrorizer, #633 Pazz & Jop

I'd say that's a fair bit of adoration

just saw the metal poll results & wanted to ask what else you guys would recommend. i didn't have a chance to vote, but here's what i liked this year. Algerian Goalkeeper (or anyone else) if you can recommend 2013 metal albums in a similar vein, that'd be AWESOME. thanks!

CARCASS—love this album, i usually don't go for grindcore or death metal or thrashy stuff, but this is a great mix of all of the above, enough variety to keep things interesting, plus the bits of British sounding heavy metal & Maiden influence are great.

SUBROSA—fantastic doom album. love this band, same with their first album on Profound Lore. the female vox & cello, etc. do lots to set it apart from the usual doom pack. plus great songs.

UNCLE ACID—not as good as the first one, but it's very solid.

MELT-BANANA—better live than on record. that said, i've played this several times & liked it a good deal.

DEAFHEAVEN—more shoegaze than metal. still pretty good.

KYLESA—i played the shit out of Spiral Shadow and didn't get into this as much. but i like these guys. wish they'd go weirder & less alt rock.

NAILS—good album, i can see the appeal BUT it's really too extreme for me (sorry)

QOTSA—not even close to their best album. dig this band though & try to keep up with their stuff.

GHOST—love the first album. didn't get into this one but i haven't really played it more than... twice? dunno.

JESU—good album, hardly metal, not their best. love jesu to bits though.

SHINING—not as good as Blackjazz. still alright.

BARDO POND—fantastic album (made my overall top 10 for the year). not metal. fantastic psych rock.

THE BODY—haven't heard the new EP & album. it's on my short list to check out.

BLACK SABBATH—good album, a lot better than i'd expect for a Sabbath reunion at this stage in their career.

PORTAL—not my thing.

CATHEDRAL—awesome straight doom Cathedral record, i think it's one of their best.

KEN MODE—pretty good rock/metal.

RUSSIAN CIRCLES—i bought this but haven't played it yet.

ULVER—much more soundtrack-y than Shadows or Blood Inside... didn't really love it, but it's interesting.

ENSEMBLE PEARL—love love love. more of a drone record than metal to me. but it's awesome.

PELICAN—wasn't blown away (i never really have been with Pelican) but it's alright.

LOCRIAN—surprised this didn't place higher, i love it.

---

anyway... what else would you folks recommend based on the above?

you seem to like doom, have you heard the Windhand, Lycus or Inter Arma albums yet

no i haven't. and yes, doom is pretty much my "thing"-- so i'll check those out! thanks.

you sound like you need advice of the wise sage markers

Avatarium should be right up yr street then. Also: The Fall Of Every Season, Lesbian, The Ruins Of Beverast, Officium Triste and Ataraxie.

yeah the Avatarium is awesome.

Seandalai you got any stats for us?

seandalai says he will knock something up so stay tuned (and give him thanks)

i like to find out metal neighbours n stuff

this Coliseum record has a definite DC hardcore thing going on, Fugazi or even Nation of Ulysses...

By Country breakdown of the top 100 albums -

44 - USA
12 - UK
9 - Sweden
7 - Norway
6 - Canada
5 - Germany
3 - Japan
2 - France, Finland, Italy
1 - Australia, Austria, Chile, Columbia, Czech Republic, Ireland, New Zealand, Poland.

has there been a new geopolitical realignment that hasn't made the news??

huh?

I did a quick version of voter stats for the metal poll, mostly useful for checking out hivemindness/loneliness/top neighbours: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AumbddEHET5xdERvTkNnTUlIdjRSdmtaSVl1di05NEE&usp=sharing

I meant to say for the albums poll.

awesome, thanks!

heh, johnny fever and mordy both got whiney as top neighbour.

proof that metal cures loneliness

djmartian appears to be most lonely

well, darkwave actually has the opposite effect

poor djmartian

Now I want to see BlackIronPrison's ballot.

Two albums I've discoveres that I totally wouldve voted for--Oranssi Pazuzu and Wolf People

Posted up thread...

I think this poll needs to be held in december next time. Gives everyone something to do before xmas and also a few weeks between big poll so everyone can check out the results.

Naw I liked the timeline. P&J + metal poll, first week, then tracks, then albums