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

hair metal sure put me off at the time though too until i heard better stuff in the early 90s

nu-metal had the same effect on metal that hair metal did to us older types too

love a bunch of these: ghost bc, jess + ancient ones, windhand -- i didn't vote in tracks but great list so far

some big hitters still to come too so make sure everyone is around late sunday afternoon UK time for the top 10 then the start of the albums countdown in the evening.

idk why metal just is not a tracks genre for me. it is very rare that i can name a single track title on even a favorite metal album.

"Proto-Metal" has been subsumed into Heavy Metal for a while now AFAIK, and bands that are going back to that retro sound thus count as Metal. Everything old is new again.

Because they all sound the same? ;)
xp

Tracks results playlist
http://open.spotify.com/user/pfunkboy/playlist/3JEQkwsSD5C7VsXMg4k1HX

recap
30 Purson - well spoiled machine 44 Points, 3 votes
29 Watain - The Wild Hunt 45 Points, 4 votes
28 Darkthrone - leave no cross unturned 46 Points, 4 Votes, One #1
27 Dillinger Escape Plan - prancer 48 Points, 4 Votes
26 SubRosa - The Usher 50 Points, 3 Votes
25 Inter Arma - the survival fires 51 Points, 3 Votes
24 Anciients - faith and oath 52 Points, 3 Votes, One #1
23 Bölzer - Entranced By The Wolfshook 54 Points, 3 Votes , TWO #1s
22 Carcass - the granulating dark satanic mills 56 Points, 3 Votes, One #1
21 Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats - Mind Crawler 57 Points 5 Votes

20 Windhand - Woodbine 62 Points, 4 Votes
19 Suffocation - eminent wrath 63 Points, 4 Votes
18 Noothgrush - Thoth 66 Points, 4 Votes One #1
17 Vhol - Grace 66.0 Points, 5 Votes
16 Ghost - Ghuleh/Zombie Queen 67 Points, 4 Votes, One #1
15 Fen - Consequence 73 Points, 5 Votes
14 Deafheaven - Dreamhouse 75 Points, 5 Votes, 2 #1s
13 Ghost - Monstrance Clock 81 Points, 6 Votes
12 Jess and the Ancient Ones - Astral Sabbat 82 Points, 6 Votes, One #1
11 Grayceon - Pearl 85 Points, 6 Votes

I love Purson, that was a top album of the year for me, I def. voted for that track. I can understand not "getting" Purson but to me I think they are producing some pretty awesome weird proggy folk-revival heavy rock tinged stuff that I can dig pretty hard.

Mordy & AG - Nail on the head, there's usually not "stand out" tracks on most metal albums I like... there's ones I prefer but really it's mostly the sound of the whole album that metal goes for. Metal bands don't typically focus on singles, but album cohesion -- just a fact of the culture surrounding the genre.

BTW I am really really into the recent trend of the increasing inclusion of females into the world of metal... finally some gender parity going on!!

I dunno, a lot of albums still have standout songs on them. People have favourites they want to hear at gigs for instance.

yeah that's true for sure... I didn't get around to nominating a lot of tracks I liked this year, and I don't think I was alone in that, but yeah -- fan favorites are "a thing."

gotta go do some chores for a bit so I'll be gone from the countdown for a few hours.

this is almost certainly bc i am a metal dilettante and metal listening only makes up to at most 15% of my music listening over a given year. that said i do have orphaned land track faves so there are exceptions to everything. these 2 ghost tracks btw i didn't recognize by name, but listening now they were definitely 2 of the best on the album. i feel like their album kinda got a critical panning or overlooking? too corny for mainstreamers??

the only thing on here so far that kept my attention was the Noothgrush, Inter Arma, and that Suffocation track... and I'm not a fan of Suffocation.

haha but you hate "singing"!

will start the top ten soon

and here we go...

10    Nails - Suum Cuique    105.0 Points,   7 Votes,   Two #1s   
http://youtu.be/GXd8DVlGvsY
http://open.spotify.com/track/4gKomxifSnukn7D65PNFtt
spotify:track:4gKomxifSnukn7D65PNFtt

Results Playlist
http://open.spotify.com/user/pfunkboy/playlist/3JEQkwsSD5C7VsXMg4k1HX
spotify:user:pfunkboy:playlist:3JEQkwsSD5C7VsXMg4k1HX

9    Jesu - Homesick    105 Points,    8 Votes,  One #1  
http://youtu.be/rxWEes8WZvo
http://open.spotify.com/track/4GJWAOdD3zmImgpVXvAWX3
spotify:track:4GJWAOdD3zmImgpVXvAWX3

8    Melt-Banana - The Hive    107 Points,    7 Votes,  One #1   
http://youtu.be/vsVH9CqrTeA
http://open.spotify.com/track/5WDpk8hngqHB2J8DZp1mjp
spotify:track:5WDpk8hngqHB2J8DZp1mjp

This song rules. I still have to hear the album.

I await the "they're not metal protests"

I'm seeing Godflesh soon and wish it would be a double bill with Jesu.

Melt-Banana are not remotely metal, but hey someone's gotta give 'em love. I saw them open for Shellac at a comedy club back in '94.

the good thing with this tracks poll is that nobody knew what will be in the top 30 and still dont really with the top 10

Melt-Banana album placed in the Decibel Albums Of The Year list iirc

Nobody is even prepared to guess the top 5 haha

7    Black Sabbath - God Is Dead?    108 Points,  7  Votes
http://youtu.be/OhhOU5FUPBE
http://open.spotify.com/track/42wFRybIJ2n5RoD7r9R8Rz
spotify:track:42wFRybIJ2n5RoD7r9R8Rz

next one up got FOUR #1 votes

6 Summoning - Old Mornings Dawn 123 Points, 7 Votes, FOUR #1s
http://youtu.be/-Y9TsxeWGt0
http://open.spotify.com/track/0WFTNQFHN57d5Z5ybNsdDg
spotify:track:0WFTNQFHN57d5Z5ybNsdDg

Great track

Kind of nice. I haven't looked into Summoning all that closely, they seem like not my thing.

I don't get the excitement around that Sabbath track at all. Nine minutes of tedium.

Jesu is boring live... Although I love Godflesh, I'm guessing they might me a bit sleepy live as well.

Saw Jesu live supporting Isis (Panopticon tour) when the 1st Jesu album was out. It was great. You wont be able to mosh to it obviously

5    In Solitude - Sister    131 Points,    9  Votes
http://youtu.be/R4EiRvFHrCo
http://open.spotify.com/track/6nAdP8LqFhEbJ95HE2AIoF
spotify:track:6nAdP8LqFhEbJ95HE2AIoF

4    Carcass - Thrasher's Abattoir    132 Points    8  Votes
http://youtu.be/n1YhxHLbqvM
http://open.spotify.com/track/0buuMlA8DY2I1ovnWicXnI
spotify:track:0buuMlA8DY2I1ovnWicXnI

what are the chances Carcass take up the last 3 slots?

Sad I only voted in the albums poll and not the tracks poll now.

Any guesses for top 3?

hah that was an xp

dog latin - there wasn't much enthusiasm for tracks poll sadly and hardly anyone subscribed to the nominations playlist to check songs out but we got enough ballots for a decent list i think. Just a shame more didn't vote.

3    Kylesa - Unspoken    136 Points,    8 Votes
http://youtu.be/VlbC-hk25Aw
http://open.spotify.com/track/4Vuk0wkvcchcx3dyYOCF6Q
spotify:track:4Vuk0wkvcchcx3dyYOCF6Q

If I'd voted for tracks, my #1 would've been the first one on the Rotting Christ; that's the song of their career, for me. I didn't think they'd ever top "Archon," and that was ... 18 years ago.

2    ASG - Avalanche    142 Points,    8 Votes,   One #1
http://youtu.be/oafRJH1F4Cs?t=6s
http://open.spotify.com/track/2uTYQHExe7ZrSbN5YzHmcQ
spotify:track:2uTYQHExe7ZrSbN5YzHmcQ

My #1

Anyone wish to predict the #1?

ILM METAL TRACK OF THE YEAR
1    Hell - Darkhangel    160 Points,    10 Votes,   One #1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZCdPcanZkw
http://open.spotify.com/track/4Ast7knf3y8JzPqufGFOJZ
spotify:track:4Ast7knf3y8JzPqufGFOJZ

Utterly ridiculous OTT brilliant live clip from Bloodstock that you need to watch!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ol1KyuCHC8U

I think they're
playing UK dates in february. Looks like a must see!  

Will start albums countdown shortly!

Bit of a tragic backstory for Hell

Hell are an English heavy metal band from Derbyshire, formed in 1982 from the remaining members of bands Race Against Time and Paralex. Due to a series of unfortunate and tragic events, the band originally folded in 1987, but were generally regarded as being many years ahead of their time, and have been cited as an influence by many notable musicians and bands of the genre. They were amongst the first bands to wear proto-corpse paint as part of their stage show, which features hysterical ranting from a Gargoyle- adorned pulpit, along with the use of a pyrotechnic exploding Bible which caused outrage amongst the clergy when it originally appeared in 1983.

They signed to the Belgian label Mausoleum, but two weeks prior to the recording of their debut album, the label collapsed into bankruptcy. Kev Bower subsequently quit the band. He was briefly replaced by Sean Kelley, though Hell split up soon afterwards, which led to the suicide of Singer Dave Halliday by carbon monoxide poisoning.

Although they were largely ignored by the media and record companies in the 1980s, their music became known through the underground tape trading phenomenon, and the band achieved a degree of cult status. In 2008 they reunited, and were signed by Nuclear Blast.[1] Their first full-length album, Human Remains, was released May 2011.[2] The album topped at No. 46 on the German album chart in its first week of release.[3]

The remaining original members of Hell reunited in 2008 to finally record their album which was entitled Human Remains. Sabbat members Martin Walkyier and Andy Sneap agreed to play on the album to replicate Dave Halliday's vocals and guitar tracks respectively, with Sneap also acting as the producer. Although Walkyier completed recording vocals for the entire album, the band have stated that no-one was really happy with the outcome since Walkyier's voice was so distinctive, and the result sounded "more like an unreleased set of Sabbat songs". Kev Bower's brother David (who is known as David Beckford in his career as a stage and television actor) was invited to do a voiceover for the song "Plague And Fyre" and subsequently joined the band as lead vocalist, re-recording all the lead vocal parts. Sneap subsequently also joined the band as their permanent second guitarist.

By the beginning of 2013, Kev Bower and Andy Sneap had completed demo recordings for the majority of songs which would appear on the band's sophomore album, with recording proper set to commence in the Spring. Since no early demo recordings were this time available to fill a bonus disc, the band elected to record a live DVD as a bonus complement to the album, and this was shot and recorded at the band's first 2013 show at Derby Assembly Rooms (UK) on February 23. The sellout event also unveiled the band's full Church Of Hell stage set and pyrotechnic show, with fans travelling from 13 different countries to attend. The band played a headline show at the R-Mine Metalfest (BE) and also appeared at Turock Open Air (DE), Hammer Open Air (FIN), Bang Your Head Open Air (DE) and made a return mainstage appearance at Bloodstock Open Air as one of the most heavily requested bands on the BOA user forum, and once again won the 'Best Mainstage Performance' vote. It was subsequently discovered that technical problems with the DVD recording at Derby had made some material unsalvageable, so additional footage was added from the band's appearance at this festival.

It was announced in August that the second album would be entitled 'Curse And Chapter'. To coincide with the album release, Hell were subsequently announced as being principal support for Amon Amarth and Carcass on the whole of their extensive European tour, taking in 25 shows in 13 countries, opening in Oberhausen (DE) on November 7.

Hell are most often described as a NWOBHM band, although they strongly distance themselves from this movement, citing that the NWOBHM was already in rapid decline by the time the band actually formed. Their progressive musical style incorporates elements of thrash, power, symphonic, gothic, speed, doom and black metal, encompassing great variety, and with no two songs ever sounding exactly alike. Underlying lyrical themes in much Hell material focuses on the occult and the darker sides of human nature. Typical themes include a distaste for organised religion, alien abduction, political imprisonment, mental illness, and historical events such as the Black Death and the Bubonic Plague. Although primarily guitar-driven, the band's sound is fleshed out by the use of keyboards and digital sampling to add depth and texture to the material. Their approach to songwriting is often unorthodox, with numerous complex tempo, time signature and key changes, along with a signature series of atmospheric, theatrical interludes and introductions to their songs.

really enjoyed that, thanks Kerr

well, not that (as int he tragic story), i meant the countdown. also the live performance of that track is awesome.