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

41 Castevet – Obsian, 325 Points, 11 Votes
http://i.imgur.com/NzEg7rJ.jpg
#13 Stereogum, #37 Rock-A-Rolla, #20 Pitchfork
http://castevet.bandcamp.com/album/obsian-2

Music is inescapably physical, whether it rivets you to your chair or propels you to the dance floor. This physical dimension is not uniformly distributed across genres: death metal tends to churn harder than black metal; thrash metal harder than power metal; and so forth. (This isn’t limited to metal, either: compare dubstep to IDM, or hard bop to free jazz.)

The counterweight of physicality is often intricacy or technicality. It’s not impossible to be intellectual and dispassionate while also striking with the force of a clawhammer, but it takes skill to balance the two. Think of Tool’s “Ænema” video: a clay figure inside a box which is then thrown. You can anticipate the arc of a rectangular prism in motion, but the effect on the flesh inside is both horrifying and unpredictable. New York’s Castevet call to mind such imagery on their nervy, harrowing second album, Obsian.

Castevet’s debut album Mounds of Ash condensed the slow creep and explosive crescendo of post-rock-influenced metal into tighter, mathier songs. Obsian manages a similar trick, but by exploding those structures from within, such that each song feels like build and burst — tension and release — are happening simultaneously.
That seeming paradox is possible because of Castevet’s command of rhythmic precision — largely thanks to drummer Ian Jacyszyn’s fierce economy, and the band’s willingness to spring from unison to contrapuntal dissonance in a flash. “As Fathomed by Beggars and Victims” is a fine, disorienting example; it opens with a groove that one can hardly pin down before it dives straight into lock-step machine-gunning. “Cavernous,” meanwhile, is not spacious and echoing as its title would suggest, but instead jitters and stutters and always winds back in on itself.
Castevet’s tonal palette is limited — this is a three-piece band, after all — but much like Ulcerate, that limitation is embraced as a challenge, leading to a hermetic album that is inventive, restless, and bristling with a singular vision. Obsian is Castevet’s first album with new bassist Nick McMaster (also of Krallice, with whom Castevet share an aesthetic kinship). McMaster’s bass often plays a lead role, as on the closing groove of “The Curve,” where his high-fret twangs snake up and out of the instrumental torrent below.

One of the most fascinating aspects of Obsian is that its mood is so mercurial. The overall tone seems equal parts malevolent and sorrowful, which is largely produced by the contrast between guitarist Andrew Hock’s vocals and melancholy chord voicings, which are odd even before they’re run through the band’s choppy rhythmic blender.
Though the mood feints and shimmers, the album’s closing two songs combine to form a relentlessly morose ten-minute suite. The band introduces some understated clean vocals (courtesy of Nick Podgurski of Yukon and Extra Life, among others) which call to mind the similarly goth-leaning excursions on Tombs’s Path of Totality. Although the album’s last minutes hint at some small glimmer of light, even that small cloud-break dissolves into a single, faint trumpet note, left to waver in the dark like an unanswered beacon.

No balance between body and brain — no matter how cunningly struck — can subvert momentum, not when the trajectory of all is to dust. – Dan Lawrence, Invisible Oranges

40-21 tomorrow around the same time!

Thoughts on todays results or indeed any previous ones?

Direct Link to poll recap & full results

Already there's stuff piling up that I need to hear this year and now here's the ghost of 2013 reminding me of all I missed. I just got that Obliteration from the Omega's recent sale and it indeed slays. I'm again realizing though that I'm out of step with a good deal of this board: the 'new retro doom' thing does little for me, and anything with 'post-' in the genre tag does even less. I'm already looking forward to whatever the next fads are. Personally I vote for Colored Sands' creating a symphonic progressive doom sludge subgenre.

Not really.

Quite a few rolling metal thread regulars dont do polls. So I wouldnt say you were out of step at all. This poll is only those who voted (obviously) plenty of others hate polls (funnily enough theyre usually the death metal loving doom not caring post-metal despising etc)

Stuff I voted for:

50 Voivod - Target Earth, 266 Points, 7 Votes
45 Black Sabbath – 13, 294 Points, 10 Votes, One #1
43 The Body – Christs, Redeemers, 307 Points, 8 Votes
42 Paysage d’Hiver - Das Tor, 316 Points, 9 Votes, One #1

I was happy that the EP by The Body made the list since I nominated it.

I think Voidod would have been higher if it wasn't released the first week of January.

The Paysage d’Hiver is so brilliant; it was #2 on my list (to something that might not even place).

Stuff I want to check out:

60 Coliseum - Sister Faith, 247 Points, 8 Votes
55 Autopsy - The Headless Ritual, 258 Points, 9 Votes
53 The Ocean – Pelagial, 261 Points, 8 Votes
51 Cathedral - The Last Spire, 263 Points, 8 Votes
47 Portal – Vexovoid, 282 Points, 8 Votes

I other news, I posted that incredible live video of HELL on my Facebook. A couple of friends chimed in on liking or disliking. And then the guitarist came along to post much to my shock... The internet is fun!

I'm still in the process of hearing 2013 stuff that would've made my list but for either procrastination or, in this case, total obliviousness: Keldian's Outbound, total cornball AOR/power metal with some kind of sci-fi theme. They did a crowdsourced run of physical discs and apparently will be an mp3-only outfit until they get a decent distro. I've been parked on their FB listening to their albums. For days. Definitely would have infiltrated my top 10 (which is to say, my entire list) and been the only album of that genre to do so. I meant to look back through the 2013 rolling thread to see if they were ever mentioned but it takes forever to load.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Keldian/133028643515879

ok NOW you're out of step

I certainly didn't expect to like, nay, love something that sounds like Europe and Stratovarius. Those choruses just make me all bubbly inside. (Actually what they really remind me of is Devin Townsend's Accelerated Evolution, which until now had been my cornball threshold.)

Not enough death metal on the list.

Too much! not enough non-americans voting!

Please remember to subscribe to the Album Results Playlist
http://open.spotify.com/user/pfunkboy/playlist/6fsnIonKsPLF5NzZ9hJg27
spotify:user:pfunkboy:playlist:6fsnIonKsPLF5NzZ9hJg27

Oh and please go vote in
ILM 2013 | End of Year Albums & Tracks Poll | VOTING THREAD (Voting closes MIDNIGHT EST on Friday, January 17th, 2014)

Lots of metal to vote for as well as other fine non-metal. Make your vote count!
Ballot: http://docs.google.com/forms/d/1IQ4ICRvEzhsG-xwd5T3hr8oqPMJI7UMFzNdTXMnGMeQ

Will resume in 20 mins or so after I have lunch

great. unexpected good timing for me.

Why you still up?

just a bad habit sustained over the xmas period. plus it's too damn hot!

1am right? what temp is it at 1am?

probably not so hot outside -- 24 C or something? inside is a different matter.

40    Manilla Road - Mysterium    326 Points,    10   Votes
http://i.imgur.com/ex86y25.jpg
http://open.spotify.com/album/0GMgU7XFeng3UVJGR1gJUE
spotify:album:0GMgU7XFeng3UVJGR1gJUE

http://www.deezer.com/album/6198954

http://youtu.be/71rTcilIZ7E
http://shadowkingdomrecords.bandcamp.com/album/mysterium

As is the case, I would imagine, with most of you, I spend time with people who have little to no knowledge of any music outside of the pop world. To my friends and acquaintances in spotify:album:0GMgU7XFeng3UVJGR1gJUEthe real world, I’m “the metal guy,” popping up at social events in a comfy Napalm Death shirt or my trusty King Diamond hoodie. And so it happens that, periodically, an adventurous soul will engage me in one inevitable conversation, sometimes phrased more politely (and sometimes not), but either way boiling down to: “How can you listen to that stupid/cheesy/ugly/loud/screaming $&#!?”

When the question is presented politely, the answer I give is usually some variation upon this: Though there are exceptions and some are borderline embarrassing, for the most part, I prefer music that is as unconcerned with mass appeal madness as music can be. Generally speaking, no one makes extreme metal with the express purposes of great fame or wealth. Sure, those who play any music want to be popular in some capacity because the ultimate goal is to at least make a comfortable living as a creator of music – only the mostmisanthropic of basement black metal miscreants would argue that they don’t seek at least some of the validation that comes with people embracing their work. But it’s a smaller, more personal validation, and in the end, in the underground and below, metal musicians make metal because they love metal.

A shorter, albeit less explanatory, form of that answer would be, “Because of bands like Manilla Road.”

For the entire duration of my life (not to make you feel old, Shark), Manilla Road has flown the flag of true heavy metal, all whilst being largely ignored by anyone outside the underground. I’m sure that the flag-waving has been anything but a highly lucrative career choice for Mark Shelton and friends, and their decades-old status as kings of the underground leaves them with a fan base that numbers but a fraction of that of many lesser bands. But, most importantly, there’s no denying the rabidity of the Manilla Road fans, and so theRoad goes on, ever forward, doing what they do for those who love metal because they themselves love metal. And God bless ‘em for it.

Mysterium is Manilla Road’s sixteenth album in thirty-five years, and it stands among their finest since their 1980s glory days, largely because, of their post-reformation discs, it’s the one that most feels like Crystal Logic, The Deluge, and the like. Gone entirely are the death-ish growls of the previous few, and only a few of the thrashier bits that characterized some later-day records are held over. And, though it still revels in that specific Manilla rawness, Mysterium thankfully rectifies the production stumbles of 2010’s Playground Of The Damned, which lost power through a mix that tucked much of Shelton’s guitar beneath an uncomfortably brittle drum sound. Complaints about Playground’s production led Shelton to seek outside help for the mix on Mysterium, and it paid off. It’s true that four ears are better than two, and Mysterium sounds the way a Manilla Road record should sound. The drums are live and punchy, but not clicky and dry; the guitars have been returned to their rightful place as the instrumental focus of the tracks.

More important than anything, however, is that Mysterium also brings its share of killer Manilla Road songs, particularly those that open and close, bookending and conveniently propping up a few slightly lesser entries towards the album’s midsection. (I’m looking at you, “Hermitage” and “Do What Thou Will.”) From the opening drum fill of “The Grey God Passes,” it’s evident that Manilla Road is back, bringing the epic, fist-in-the-air heavy metal that is virtually synonymous with their name. Concert crowds singing along to that track’s “Battle is nigh / raise up your EYYYYEEES!...” refrain is virtually guaranteed, and further suitably anthemic moments arise in “Stand Your Ground”
(“Defenders of the clans / onward we ride, hellbound...”) and “Only To The Brave” (“Wielding death by the hammer / glory comes only to the brave...”). The eleven-and-a-half minute title track ends the album on its most epic note, exactly the type of multi-part, guitar-driven, deftly layered song that Road fans love and crave.

Also of note: One of Mysterium’s standouts is also its least metallic. “The Fountain” is a great lilting, acoustic number, all 12-string guitars in 6/8 time with harmonized vocals and lyrics that effectively sum up the band’s longevity, the fountain of youth a metaphor for the power of heavy metal.
Search to the end of all time if I must
I’ll never give up my beliefs
Carry the torch ‘til my life turns to dust
Never let go of my dreams
No, I’ll never let go of my dreams
Still I believe...

Manilla Road remains both one of metal’s standard-bearers and one of its best-kept secrets, and only time will tell if Mysterium will grow their fan base or just appease the ardent followers they already have. If you’re new to the band, you can start here or with Crystal Logic or Open The Gates. And for those already traveling this Road, this album should land itself a cushy spot towards the uppermost reaches of the band’s extensive catalog. Thirty-five years and counting, and still making classic heavy metal... Great fame and fortune or none at all, that’s something to be damn proud of. Another one well done, Shark. Keep ‘em coming forever. – Jeremy Witt, Last Rites

I was surprised at how good this album was tbh. Gotta hand it to them, still got it after 30 years.

Someone needs to photoshop Mystery Inc into the background on that cover

think i struggled with the sound of this one (not the songs themselves). have tremendous respect for the band.

39 Church Of Misery - Thy Kingdom Scum, 335 Points, 11 Votes
http://i.imgur.com/mTrNOBa.jpg
http://open.spotify.com/album/39I4LiTaYVpI6KcZAArBul
spotify:album:39I4LiTaYVpI6KcZAArBul

http://www.deezer.com/album/6586515

#12 Obelisk
http://youtu.be/HYHb42yTIqo

In some ways, it makes sense to think of the new Church of Misery album, Thy Kingdom Scum (Rise Above/Metal Blade), as a sequel to Houses of the Unholy. Like that 2009 full-length (review here), the title is a pun with a religious theme also based on a classic album — the Japanese outfit had a song “Kingdom Scum” on their first album, Vol. 1, that finally got released in 2007 with an Emetic Records reissue in 2011 (review here) and was a take on Sir Lord Baltimore‘s 1970 debut, Kingdom Come . Both Houses of the Unholy and Thy Kingdom Scum also have seven tracks with one cover from the canon of classic heavy — on the 2009 album, it happened to be “Master Heartache” from the aforementioned Sir Lord Baltimore LP, and on Thy Kingdom Scum, it’s the bluesy “One Blind Mice,” a single from Quartermass that’s been included on reissues of their 1970 self-titled debut. Both covers are even placed the same, as the fifth of the total seven tracks — track five is also a cover on 2001′s Masters of Brutality and 2004′s The Second Coming. And of course the band’s long-running adherence to serial killer-worship and raw, Sabbath-derived heavy doom rock remains at the core of what they do. Like no one else on the planet, Church of Misery are able to make familiar riffs sound new again, and Thy Kingdom Scum continues that tradition. True to its predecessor and everything the band has done up to this point, these songs offer unhinged bombast propelled by druggy grooves that reflect the madness and psychopathy their lyrics convey. As ever, each song is about a serial killer. As ever, bassist Tatsu Mikami resides at the center of the songwriting. As ever, they are among the best in the world at what they do.

Thy Kingdom Scum shares a number of similarities on a number of levels with Church of Misery‘s last effort — which along with sundry fest appearances throughout Europe and the US and extensive touring in both territories, helped establish them as one of the heavy underground’s most potent acts — but even more pivotal to its ultimate success are the differences between the two. The methodology behind their craft is largely the same, Mikami feels no apparent need to deviate and at this point, Church of Misery have turned their obsessions into their aesthetic, but the personnel involved is different. Guitarist Ikuma Kawabe has come aboard as a first-timer, and vocalist Hideki Fukasawa returns from Houses of the Unholy, but has been in and out of the band along the way, while Mikami – appropriate enough for the bassist — is the anchor as the only remaining founding member and drummer Junji Narita marks the 13th year of his tenure. Mikami‘s songwriting is also more hammered out on Thy Kingdom Scum, and some of the elements that made cuts last time around like “Shotgun Boogie (James Oliver Huberty),” “Blood Sucking Freak (Richard Trenton Chase)” and “Born to Raise Hell (Richard Speck)” so memorable find further development and realization within “Lambs to the Slaughter (Ian Brady/Myra Hindley),” “Bother Bishop (Gary Heidnik)” and “Düsseldorf Monster (Peter Kürten),” as well as the mostly instrumental opener “B.T.K. (Dennis Rader),” which makes an immediate chorus of its riff and relies on samples to carry across vocal ideas. Not an unfamiliar tactic either for Church of Misery.

While the penchant for gruesomeness has only seemed to add to the band’s charm over the years, they’ve had to get fairly obscure in their source material. Easy enough to look up who Dannis Andrew Nilsen is (the British Jeffrey Dahmer) and what he did (killed people and ate them, duh), but I have to wonder at what point Church of Misery might just decide to go back to some of the mainstays of serial killerdom and shift their approach somewhat. They started out with the likes of John Wayne Gacy and Ed Kemper on 2001′s Master of Brutality, and to go from that to John Linley Frazier and Peter Kürten begs the question why they couldn’t just write a second song about Charles Manson. Hell, there’s an entire album’s worth of material there. Why not do a whole record about the Manson Family, or Ted Bundy? Some killers, with countless books written about them and studies done, are legends worthy of another look. I’m certainly not going to complain about the surprisingly strong hook to which “Brother Bishop (Gary Heidnik)” arrives when Fukasawa guts out the line, “We shall make a new world!” or Mikami‘s ultra-righteous Geezer Butler-ing in the same song, and I guess there’s an endless supply of killers to choose from — and at this point it seems unrealistic to ask Church of Misery to write a song about anything else – I just wonder at the need to spread the theme so thin. Would anyone get mad if Church of Misery did another song about Aileen Wuornos?

In that end, that has little to do with the thrust of the songs itself, which again, is in some ways the most accomplished of Church of Misery‘s career. Where earlier offerings like The Second Coming were unbalanced in the mix, Thy Kingdom Scum sounds both rough and crisp, so that as the band departs the freakout swirl that emerges in “Brother Bishop (Gary Heidnik)” for the slower groove of the early stretches in “Cranley Gardens (Dennis Andrew Nilson)” — though they’ll get back there by the time the song is past fives minutes in and Fukasawa is issuing “I’m gonna fuck you/I’m gonna kill you” threats — the bombast holds no more sway than it’s meant to, and though I’d never accuse the band of being refined, there’s little doubt they have their process and their formula nailed down by this point, and as Thy Kingdom Scum relates to Houses of the Unholy, there’s no question it’s a formula worth reapplying. “Cranley Gardens (Dennis Andrew Nilsen)” (which also appeared on the 2008 EP, Dennis Nilsen) crashes and feedbacks into the Quartermass cover “One Blind Mice,” Mikami and Narita seeming to especially revel in the shuffle as Kawabe takes an echoing solo soon met by swirls of wah bass en route to the thicker fuzz of “All Hallow’s Eve (John Linley Frazier).” The penultimate groover on Thy Kingdom Scum stops short initially where one expects a landmark chorus, but the second time through, Fukasawa‘s shouts and screams provide enough catchiness to give the track its base, setting up more choice interplay between Mikami and Kawabe.

At 12:46, closer “Düsseldorf Monster (Peter Kürten)” is the longest track ever to appear on a Church of Misery full-length. Cuts upwards and past 10 minutes have shown up on the band’s slew of EPs and live albums, and the closing title-track to Master of Brutality was over 11, but by and large, the band has steered away from getting as expansive on their LPs as they do to finish out Thy Kingdom Scum. Kürten, whose mugshot also graces the album art, was dubbed the “Vampire of Düsseldorf” and is obviously significant to the band, otherwise wouldn’t get the treatment he does here, gracing the cover and longest song. Even the intro, which is a take on Sabbath‘s blues jam that starts “Wicked World” feels special. Maybe it has something to do with the reception the band has gotten in Europe that they’d close with a German killer, or maybe the jam just emerged in the studio and they decided to roll with it, but it makes a fitting end to Thy Kingdom Scum either way, devolving into a psych boogie that shows off Kawabe‘s fluidity and finally emerges into one of the album’s most satisfying instrumental sections. Just before 10 minutes in, there’s a slowdown started by Narita on the drums and the central riff reappears to lead “Düsseldorf Monster (Peter Kürten)” out on one final run through the chorus, underscoring the fact that although Church of Misery demand and get a lot of attention because of their serial killer thematic, there’s a consistency in their songwriting that proves to be the root of a lot of their appeal. Thy Kingdom Scum doesn’t do much to expand the band’s palette, but it doesn’t need to. “If it ain’t broke…” and all that. The band comes into Thy Kingdom Scum with arguably their most momentum ever, and since they deliver exactly what’s expected of them while also continuing to grow the process that’s resulted in those expectations, there’s nothing here to disappoint longtime fans or give newcomers a reason not to return for more of Church of Misery‘s particular brand of debauchery. - The Obelisk, http://theobelisk.net/obelisk/2013/06/13/church-of-misery-thy-kingdom-scum-review/

Checking out the Portal, with Progenie Terrestre Pura to come (its description has me seeeeeriously excited). Portal is excellent. Maybe I should have voted huh :P but I can still discover loads of cool shit here

Portal is great! Voted for that and for Stara Rzeka in the last batch of results.

Early start today. Manilla Road headlined the Alehorn Of Power VII last year (was held later in the year than usual, November at Reggies -- next one should be back on schedule in summer and Slough Feg are coming so I hope some Midwest ILMers make it!) and they were so great. I hadn't been feeling that particular album previously, but after the show I checked out most of what I'd skipped since their 80s albums.

stara rzeka I already know & love, going on my main-poll ballot 4sho

yeah dont want to finish too late when ilxors have gone home but dont wanna rush countdown either. I'd rather post it at a nice pace that suits me. Plus the earlier days no uk workers were around as I was starting at 5 to get the west coast americans

38 Pinkish Black - Razed To The Ground , 358 Points, 9 Votes
http://i.imgur.com/d4MP39h.jpg
http://open.spotify.com/album/3ZVGco7dF7o3m8bsyXW3Ia
spotify:album:3ZVGco7dF7o3m8bsyXW3Ia
http://www.deezer.com/album/6901165
#48 Stereogum
http://youtu.be/s0NN-GmszLI

Just in time to provide the perfect soundtrack for those cold winter nights, Pinkish Black‘s sophomore album ‘Razed To The Ground‘ comes to us through a surprising new alliance with Century Media. Spawned from the ashes of the late, great Yeti, this follow up to the debut album from 2012 builds beautifully on the established characteristics of the duo’s sound and sees them soar higher and at the same time plunge, when necessary, into lower depths.

A duo comprising vintage synths and drums topped with the velvety, Morrison esque crooning of Daron Beck, Pinkish Black have that wonderful gift of having a sound that wears influences on its sleeve – think hints of the Doors, Christian Death, Goblin and perhaps even Tangerine Dream in places – but welds them together into an entirely individual identity. The minimal line up does nothing to prevent them creating a massive wall of dark, beautifully cosmic sound.

Atmosphere is key here but not at the expense of the songs. The pair have taken a mostly synthetic approach in instrumentation but produce results that are anything but the robotic, soulless sound you’d expect. Through rhythm and textures, this music is dripping with emotion – often melancholy or sadness as personified on the likes of ‘Astray Eyes’ or ‘Bad Dreamer’.

But it’s not all woe. Far from it. ‘She Left Him Red’, the opening track, is the sound of aliens landing and running amok, almost Zeuhl style in its jagged drumbeats and menacing synth attack.

And the track ‘Rise’, the second to last here, has in some ways been an absolute curse to me in trying to review this record for the simple reason I can’t get past it, I’ve had it on repeat for weeks.
It sums up the two sides of the band perfectly and blends them expertly – opening in an ominous but propulsive fashion with a cascade of rumbling drums and swirling keys over a dark, distorting sounding bassline. Beck’s expressive baritone adds drama in the verses and reaches its peak in the chorus. Unexpectedly then after this forward motion, the tempo drops into an almost funeral pace that has more in common with the average doom band. But rather than wallow in abject misery, the synths seem to expand, layering over one another and taking the song into a whole other, spacey direction. It’s like Neurosis trying to cover Eno & Kluster. One of the best songs I’ve heard this year and the perfect taste of what this band is all about. The Gothic and the Galactic meeting head on.

It feels like the closing ‘Loss Of Feeling Of Loss’ with its more luxurious pacing (it’s the longest track here) allows the band to let themselves get swept fully away by the tides their music creates around them, engulfing them, letting them slowly fade beneath the sonic mist. You should join them. It’s fine place to get lost. - The Sleeping Shaman, http://www.thesleepingshaman.com/reviews/album-reviews/p/pinkish-black-razed-to-the-ground-cd-lp-dd-2013/

Happy to see my non-metal friends make the top 40.

37 Inquisition - Obscure Verses For The Multiverse, 362 Points, 10 Votes
http://i.imgur.com/6C9hIdn.jpg
http://open.spotify.com/album/6hQRzUfPW4bflNzPzg2CGc
spotify:album:6hQRzUfPW4bflNzPzg2CGc

http://www.deezer.com/album/6937798

#5 Decibel, #3 Stereogum, #3 Pitchfork, #48 Terrorizer

http://inquisitionbm.bandcamp.com/album/obscure-verses-for-the-multiverse
http://youtu.be/QQwat8pB8Ko

When I was a very young child — before I had any interest in heavy metal or music in general, for that matter — I had a bad experience with peas. Didn’t like ‘em. Spat ‘em up. Refused to eat them again until much later in life. Of course I love them, now. This is not a unique story: our tastes change as we grow, mature, add new experiences to our lives, and expand our palates. That knowledge is so ubiquitous, actually, that people sometimes take it for granted.

Case in point: Inquisition. This Colombian black metal duo’s last album, Ominous Doctrines of the Perpetual Mystical Macrocosm, garnered rave reviews from many sectors of the metal underground, though admittedly not here. Like Cosmo, I didn’t like it. Spat it out. Didn’t want to listen again, until I remembered those peas. I’m glad I did, because Inquisition’s new album, Obscure Verses for the Multiverse tastes good.

There’s been enough verbiage crafted about this record’s good qualities in the weeks since its promotional copies dropped to make any more pontificating moot. Suffice it to say that Inquisition have managed to land in the precise middle ground between ’80s prog-thrash and modern black metal. Guitarist/vocalist Dagon invests all of his hooks in guitar riffs, and employs some tasteful natural and artificial harmonics—guitar techniques one doesn’t hear so often in black metal. The song structures launch forward, then lurch to a halt, and occasionally kick into high gear once again. In a genre that struggles with dynamic songwriting, Inquisition specializes in stitching moments into movements.

Inquisition lose fans at first listen for one reason: Dagon’s voice. Even for an extreme metal singer, his intonation is abrasive. He’s kept his vocal style on Obscure Verses, but added a little bit of emotion, and a few deeper death growls. The remaining croaking blends in better with the mix, as opposed to bobbing on top of it. Those slight changes make the whole sound go down much smoother — sometimes there’s only a hair’s breadth between ‘aggravating’ and ‘tolerable.’

Dagon’s detractors often describe his voice as frog-like, but a more accurate description might be Abbath’s Cylon duplicate. In fairness, that’s a perfect fit for the subject matter. Dagon’s lyrics straddle the line between Satan and Carl Sagan. Inquisition’s blend of occult and science fiction elements, as well as focus on memorable guitar work, call me back to the first few times I spun Watain’s Sworn to the Dark.

Obscure Verses for the Multiverse prompted me to give Inquisition’s back catalog another shot. On return listens, I like what I hear, even if their newest entry is the best of the bunch. This band has acquired a loyal (and growing) fan base based on merit. I’m sure many of those fans were turned off at first glance, as I was.

Listen to Obscure Verses for the Multiverse. Then, listen to something else by an artist you disliked before. Second chances come with rewards. - Joseph Schafer, Invisible Oranges, http://www.invisibleoranges.com/2013/10/inquisition-obscure-verses-for-the-multiverse/

dunno this

The music is great, but I'm never gonna warm to the toad vocals.

36. Earthless - From The Ages, 368 Points, 11 Votes, One #1
http://i.imgur.com/eytO1YO.jpg
http://open.spotify.com/album/1gD5vrYMJHGaR8LAwah7T2
spotify:album:1gD5vrYMJHGaR8LAwah7T2

http://www.deezer.com/album/6849244
#8 Obelisk readers
http://youtu.be/ymLczhr4pLs

From the Ages is the first studio recording from instrumental power trio Earthless since 2007’s Rhythms From a Cosmic Sky. Though the silence may have been deafening for their small but devoted cadre of fans, the wait was worth every moment. From the Ages finds Earthless at their most concentrated, and that distillation of psychedelic rock, stoner metal, and electric blues is a heady brew in the hands of Messrs. Rubalcaba, Eginton and Mitchell.

What makes this such a powerful mix—and what separates Earthless from other stoner rock bands with a tendency to go on (and on and on)—is that rarely, if ever, do they sound like a band merely jamming. Earthless is about improvisation, more akin to jazz than the noodling stoners that follow in the patchouli-drenched wake of jam band “explorations.” Listen closely to opening track “Violence of the Red Sea”, and hear the band state a theme, build a solo from it, and then react to the impact of the solo upon that initial form. This is not “Blues in A”, but a constructed form given room to breathe because of the near telepathic connections between the players.

Isaiah Mitchell is the obvious first attraction. His guitar playing is a constant surprise, soaring, diving, streaking through the sky like a hawk playing in the updrafts along the face of a cliff. But Mitchell isn’t untethered; listen closely, as time and again drummer Mario Rubalcaba and bassist Mike Eginton pull Mitchell out of a groundward spiral with a lift of cymbals or a rising bass line that meets Mitchell and buoys him upward. Or conversely, an insistent kick and snare line tugs downward when the guitarist seems ready to break free of gravity’s pull, the bass joining in to drag Mitchell back, the Stratocaster in his hands kicking and screaming. Earthless is like a stunt kite, and though you may be watching the guitarist and his acrobatic flights of fancy, it is the steady hands at the base that control the motion.

Even when the band dials things back, as on the nearly meditative, nearly OM-like “Equus October”, Earthless levitates in contemplation, unable to truly ground itself. Eginton’s soft, supple playing is a through line for the conversation of drums and guitar, and as those two instruments ramp, chatter, and rise in pitch and forcefulness the bass holds things neat and strong. His bass never controls that conversation, but like a good moderator he keeps it from turning into a screaming match.
All of this structure, connection, and conversational improvisation is what makes the title track work despite its more-than-30-minutes run time. “From the Ages”, first released on 2008’s Live at Roadburn, is where one measures one’s ability to handle what Earthless dish out. If “Equus October” was a pint, and “Violence of the Red Sea” and “Uluru Rock” fifths, then “From the Ages” is a gallon of the distilled spirit of the band.

In the five years since that Roadburn performance, Earthless have grown in restraint. While the live recording is a full-on burner, a nearly relentless charge from the entire band, here the themes are allowed time to evolve and reach a sense of resolution. It’s never a chore to listen to, and there are moments of pure delight greater than anywhere else on the record. But chore or no, it wears. It’s tiring to focus on their playing for such a long spell, even though that focus brings many rewards. For example, listen to the hypnotic, Arabic loops of bass, drum and restrained guitar that bubble up naturally out of the dense fug of aggressive riffs around the 13-minute mark. The slow, almost languorous build out of that passage, and the control of tension Earthless exhibit, is masterful. It isn’t the flashiest section, but the conversation these musicians are having is worth that close attention. But again, not everyone has the tolerance to drink in such a potent concoction.

Those who make it to the end, and who choose to listen again and again, will find a new Earthless; a band that has grown through side projects and geographic separation, yet returned with greater chemistry, intuitiveness, and understanding. From the Ages is not just the latest album from this long running band. It’s their best. - Erik Highter, Pop Matters, http://www.popmatters.com/review/176139-earthless-from-the-ages/

Boy, I totally slept on that Inquisition record. I'm going to correct that (and probably wish I could go back in time and edit my ballot!).

Earthless is too low. My #1 vote.

Oh, just noticed what review you used. Cheeky.

I feel like "pummeling" is the mot juste for the Inquisition

I've been following, enjoying (esp the covers!), could not vote but i want to say that this is otm re earthless, which is so great

Earthless is about improvisation, more akin to jazz than the noodling stoners that follow in the patchouli-drenched wake of jam band “explorations.” Listen closely to opening track “Violence of the Red Sea”, and hear the band state a theme, build a solo from it, and then react to the impact of the solo upon that initial form. This is not “Blues in A”, but a constructed form given room to breathe because of the near telepathic connections between the players.

the blurbs are collated by fastnbulbous

Mwa ha. If it weren't for AG's FB I wouldn't have even known that was you. I got to see Isaiah Mitchell do a cool solo acoustic set at Aquarius Records when I was in the area in October, but have not yet seen Earthless live.

Sorry if I don't always pick the best reviews, was just kind of rotating between different sources. Though EZ's review was certainly one of the best.

Thanks!

35 Anciients - Heart Of Oak, 370 Points, 11 Votes
http://i.imgur.com/KRMyjnB.jpg

http://open.spotify.com/album/6PaahtS8l43DjnCkd7YLKX
spotify:album:6PaahtS8l43DjnCkd7YLKX
http://www.deezer.com/album/6347460
#28 Decibel, #19 MetalSucks writers

http://anciientriffs.bandcamp.com/album/heart-of-oak
http://youtu.be/7VPkxD5yglg

Many people will argue that there are two types of bands: those that strive to perfect a previously established sound, or those that push for a completely new sound altogether. However nowadays it’s becoming increasingly easy (and lazy) for a band to claim to attempt both of these in one swing by simply calling themselves “progressive”. Modern progressive music is sort of an oxymoron, as it’s a genre that encourages a lack of genres. Bands tend to get slapped with this label by their producers when the reality is, they are just stereotypes of another band. We’ve all heard the Opeth clones and the Porcupine Tree wannabes, so how can we call these guys and their followers progressive if they are clearly forming a niche that can be replicated?

Whether or not Anciients have asked themselves this during recording isn’t really important. What is important is how they managed to perfect this stale and rehashed “prog” sound. What do I mean by this? Well what the Anciients have done here is nothing short of excellent. They have tried to do what many bands do all the time: blend a multitude of sounds to create a juxtaposed mess of music to garner a progressive label. This time, however, they have done it right. There is rarely a dull moment on this release and I’m not afraid to make that claim. Listening through front to back is pure pleasure and never a chore. Throughout it are elements of soft rock and extreme metal, and everything in between the spectrum. What separates Heart of Oak from every other band that has tried this before is how every riff, drum beat, bass line and vocal melody belong here. It sounds like they represent the perfect ambassador for whatever genre they may seem to be playing in at that moment. Unlike a lot of other “prog” releases, Heart of Oak has filtered out of any music that should not be there. Nothing sounds strained or like a missed attempt for the sake of being progressive. In layman’s terms, there are seldom, if any, forced passages on this.

The softer moments are great and can easily hold their own if alone on the album. Instead, they act as silver linings to the already astonishingly powerful metal-driven moments that make up the meat of the record. These heavier sections are incredible to say the least. The bone-crushing chugs twist around pounding double bass until they are rocketed into the next black metal riff of pure insanity. The rhythms are catchy and the solos are great. What is most surprising is how good it sounds on the first listen, even with the complexity kicked into full gear.

Heart of Oak is one of those albums that is so well done, it makes you wonder why other bands can’t do something like it more often. Then again, that would just become fuel to the vicious progressive paradox that has plagued many before. Other acts should still, however, take this release as proof that it is possible to push the envelope on what defines progression without having to take a blind leap of faith into uncharted territory. - TheSpaceMan, Sputnik Music, http://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/56611/Anciients-Heart-Of-Oak/

my mate made me listen to the new Earthless a few days ago while we were hammered and it sounded really good, as I guess you'd expect it to

I was surprised how many middling reviews there are of this album. Lots of complaints about influences, though the fact that they range from Opeth to High On Fire, Mastodon, Baroness and more, and no one seems to agree which is dominant is a good sign. I think it's a great album and the band has loads more potential.

34 Kvelertak - Meir, 375 Points, 12 Votes
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/31/Meir_cover.jpg
http://open.spotify.com/album/5PAjZGAD8j0XZANLxJWulb
spotify:album:5PAjZGAD8j0XZANLxJWulb

http://www.deezer.com/album/6284707
#4 Revolver, #2 SPIN, #9 Pop Matters, #22 Stereogum, #19 Obelisk readers, #12 Stoner HiVe, #18 Metal Hammer, #37 Terrorizer

The Needle Drop review - http://youtu.be/6KelOf9JfaY

On their second album Meir (simply, "More"), Stavanger six-piece Kvelertak haven't exactly refined the kitchen sink formula that made their eponymous 2010 debut one of the most welcome surprises of recent years; rather, they've bottled it, destroyed the recipe and knocked back gallons of the stuff like Vikings at a post-pillage feast. The Norse wild-men have thrown together a whole bunch of influences - some heavy, some not so much - that really shouldn't gel as well as they end up doing here and magically turned them into brain-meltingly brilliant hard rock party anthems.

There are probably a dozen metal sub-genres represented in some capacity over the course of Meir's fifty minutes, and whilst you might expect black metal and stoner rock, or folk metal and hardcore punk to coexist about as happily as hungry dogs squabbling over a dropped steak sandwich, they actually end up playing very nicely together. All metallic life is here, from Slayer to GNR to Mastodon to Converge (whose guitarist Kurt Ballou produces), but there are also nods to more mainstream heavy rockers, both past (Thin Lizzy, Aerosmith, Meat Loaf) and present (Foo Fighters, Queens Of The Stone Age), Rumours-era Fleetwood Mac, Slade and melodic pop-punks NOFX, to name but a few. On paper it's a train wreck, a mess of contrasting ideas and opposing ideologies, but these guys make it work, belting out hoarse-throated Cookie Monster vocals and terrace-style group chants over three-part guitar harmonies, thrashy solos and a rhythm section that turns on a dime from grindcore blast beats to glam rock stomp and back again.

This is a band that seem genuinely unconcerned with stylistic boundaries, who would no doubt be just as happy opening for Dave Grohl's Sound City project as they would touring with more obvious contemporaries like Torche or Kylesa; what’s more, you can be sure they would end up converting every crowd into a rabid, rapturous mass of wild-eyed believers.
 
So, will Meir make Kvelertak one of the biggest metal bands on the planet? Unfortunately, I don't think so. Although it lacks the element of surprise that boosted the debut's stock, Meir is a better, stronger, more accessible record overall; however, while kudos is due to new paymasters Roadrunner for allowing the band to use the same producer and even the same cover artist (Baroness' John Baizley) as before, they might have missed a trick by not insisting they throw a few choruses into the mix for non-Scandinavian fans to scream along to. Are American frat-boys really going to flock to download an album by a band whose name they can't pronounce, whose lyrics they can't understand and whose artwork suggests some kind of Game Of Thrones-fantasy over the English-speaking likes of Darkthrone or close spiritual cousins Turbonegro? Unlikely, but will Kvelertak give a flying fart? Certainly not, and neither should we: it doesn't matter one bit whether they're singing about burning bridges or finding trolls under them, and if you’re going to choose a moniker that doubles up as a battle cry (it translates as “chokehold”), then who can blame them for going full Motorhead and recording a band anthem with the same name?

Besides, coming from a country where heavy metal is basically the music of the gods, Kvelertak are working for a higher power than the global marketplace, and as long as they keep coming up with this awesome AC/DC-meets-Kiss-meets-Metallica racket, with music that feels this vital, then I’d no sooner argue with them than I would with Odin himself. Nobody could question the fact that these guys mean it with every fibre of their being, and Meir is music to make Norway proud; a new majestic fanfare to welcome hog-riding warriors into Valhalla. - Michael Dix, The Quietus, http://thequietus.com/articles/11778-kvelertak-meir-review

that album is great, voted for it in the main poll