Fuck Brumpxit its the 2016 Metal and Hard N' Heavy Rock Poll Results Thread (With spotify and bandcamp links)

LJ - The closing tune will be high on my tracks ballot here. It made my Village Voice (nee Pazz & Jop) ballot.

― EZ Snappin,

I wish you had voted in this poll

I couldn't make my mind about No One Deserves Happiness this year. I mostly liked it but it always felt like something was missing. Ended up not voting for it for this reason.

It's good but I bought All the Waters of the Earth... a month after it and have listened to it way more. I felt like No One Deserves Happiness really highlights how boring the guy's vocals are, unfortunately.

was the Trees of Eternity album nominated? I just heard it and I feel like I would have Top 5'd it.

If I had voted it would have been a joke. I tried to make a metal list and couldn't get to ten albums. It wasn't where my head was at this year. I'm following along to try and find stuff I might have liked if I was paying attention.

60 Anaal Nathrakh - The Whole Of The Law 166 Points, 5 Votes
http://i.imgur.com/QRvpVgT.jpg
https://open.spotify.com/album/42Hqedxo0WHJ2K2gZxI1zP
spotify:album:42Hqedxo0WHJ2K2gZxI1zP

https://anaalnathrakh.bandcamp.com/album/the-whole-of-the-law

huh huh huh, you said 'anaal'

cannot even remotely begin to get with this stuff

Gotta try it with a ringing endorsement like that. It's not bad, there's a lot going on though, between the choral vocals and the distorted screaming and the rest. Blackened orchestral grindcore?

such a fun album

I haven't loved every Anaal Nathrakh album, but this one seemed really gripping and powerful to me, maybe as intense as anything since the first couple.

like Atari Teenage Riot meets Emperor

Hmm, that makes it sound almost alluring. May try

I mean the first minute of "Hold Your Children Close..." will tell you if you might be into it or not

59 Amon Amarth - Jomsviking 174 Points, 5 Votes
http://i.imgur.com/b9B7V6Y.jpg

https://open.spotify.com/album/79GLbXCHnsOG9TBzvtS3sy
spotify:album:79GLbXCHnsOG9TBzvtS3sy

speaking of fun

yeah, I'm kinda digging this so far. I have their first album somewhere but couldn't find it or remember what it sounded like.

The production on that AN is seriously offputting.

58 Chthe'ilist - Le dernier crépuscule 177 Points, 6 Votes
http://i.imgur.com/abPBdPH.jpg
https://open.spotify.com/album/1CMw0rLUVCNjvPQp7UKyhv
spotify:album:1CMw0rLUVCNjvPQp7UKyhv

https://profoundlorerecords.bandcamp.com/album/le-dernier-cr-puscule

Whoops, there goes another of my top 20 guesses.

wow I missed a lot of rollout! I voted for the above, though it was a last minute addition, and I personally like the Zealotry album (from same braintrust) better. Still, hard to complain about bands ripping off Demilich

This was the Killed By Cars' extreme metal pick (at least in their half-year list)(last year's was Ship of Theseus) so I wanted to give it a real shot for my ballot. Unfortunately, didn't happen. I'll probably queue it up over break, though

Simon H - I emailed my ILX metal top 20 guesses to you. Did you get them? I probably should have posted instead.

yep, I got 'em!

57 Mesarthim - Pillars [EP] 180 Points, 5 Votes
http://i.imgur.com/aPBVI8U.jpg
https://mesarthim.bandcamp.com/album/pillars-e-p

The Imago effect gets the EP into the rollout instead of albums

The Anaal Nathrakh is indeed an excellent return to form. I am usually not so much into this modern digitally-overdriven grindcore sound but this has some great hooks, I should jump into more conversations yelling SHOW ME THEIR GRAVES!!!

Gets the one that came out in 2016 into the poll (yes, I know three came out in 2016 but this one was the shiniest and sparkliest ergo loveliest)

56 Cult of Luna & Julie Christmas - Mariner 185 Points, 5 Votes
http://i.imgur.com/pKsSQiE.jpg
https://open.spotify.com/album/7Gys3aNZTqk5o0bXqcMZwv
spotify:album:7Gys3aNZTqk5o0bXqcMZwv
https://cultoflunaofsweden.bandcamp.com/album/mariner

Why on earth doesn't Julie Christmas sing on this whole album / all the things in general

Actually, FOUR Mesarthim releases in 2016 now! Is The Great Filter any good?

(for clarity, she sings on 3/5 of this) xp

Wow. 2 x lovely. I voted for both of these

I def need to catch up on my Mesarthim, no doubt

Blah blah blah Turzi blah

55 Lotus Thief - Gramarye 186 Points, 6 Votes
http://i.imgur.com/e12RK1Q.jpg
https://open.spotify.com/album/37aMZKvvzW36w3CZkn8SXd
spotify:album:37aMZKvvzW36w3CZkn8SXd
https://lotusthief.bandcamp.com/album/gramarye

Lotus Thief is a San Francisco band that merges post-black metal, space rock and ambient music, seamlessly blending the genres into a unique and greater musical whole. Originated by two members of celebrated "green metal" group Botanist - drummer Otrebor and multi-instrumentalist / composer Bezaelith - Lotus Thief is its own entity; a project with a stated purpose of "lauding knowledge and illuminating ancient words and art through song". Lotus Thief released its first album, "Rervm" in 2014 to strong fan and critical acclaim. The debut was hailed as "a splendid record" and "one that establishes Lotus Thief as a band to watch for the future".

Now, two years after the release of "Rervm", Lotus Thief presents its new album, "Gramarye", which significantly expands the themes defined on the band's debut.
Whereas "Rervm" set passages from Roman poet and philosopher Lucretius' "De Rerum Natura" to music and speaks to the science of learning, "Gramarye" explores yet another aspect of human knowledge: the realms of belief. The record's overarching theme is subsumed in its very title: the word "Gramarye" is a Middle English modification of a Middle French word meaning 'grammar book' or 'book of sorcery'.
"Gramarye" compiles five different antique source texts that span nearly two thousand years and five different civilizations, ranging from the ancient Egyptian funerary passage "The Book of the Dead", to Homer's "Odyssey" and the medieval "Merseburg Incantations" (one of the only pagan incantations still in existence in Old High German) through to the Aleister Crowley-penned early 20th century occult literature, "The Book Of Lies".

The lyrical depth that "Gramarye" possesses is mirrored in its music, which is more riffheavy, dynamic-laden and varied in both pace and mood than "Rervm", yet preserves and cements the trademark sound Lotus Thief has already achieved at this very early juncture of its career. During the writing sessions for the new record, the band promised "something entirely different and beautiful in its own new way" and with "Gramarye", Lotus Thief has delivered that guarantee tenfold.

Buy in our shop here:

en.prophecy.de/artists/lotus-thief
credits
released September 16, 2016

Bezaelith: bass, synth, guitar, vox
Iva Toric: synth, backing vox
Otrebor: drums
tags
tags: black metal metal ambient electronic dark ambient doom post-rock postrock psychedelic space rock spacerock San Francisco

TOO LOW

54 Ulcerate - Shrines Of Paralysis 187 Points, 5 Votes
http://i.imgur.com/Rdp3EAk.jpg
https://open.spotify.com/album/3F61xA8pQADnq1EHfM5vv8
spotify:album:3F61xA8pQADnq1EHfM5vv8

https://ulcerate.bandcamp.com/album/shrines-of-paralysis

TOO LOW

Wow I did not expect Lotus Thief to place

This Ulcerate may be my fave Tech Death record ever. If you're not into the genre, and / or it didn't make your ballot - I encourage a listen - really awesome drum and guitar work throughout. If there's another Tech Death record that gets a higher place than this one, I'm going to just be amazed.

53 Sabaton - The Last Stand 190 Points, 5 Votes
http://i.imgur.com/0wY0fDP.jpg
https://open.spotify.com/album/595sUNPxfUvsRpaX9Uw66e
spotify:album:595sUNPxfUvsRpaX9Uw66e

Cult of Luna/Julie Christmas was my #3, way too low, way lower than I expected. jeez

Boosting works folks. There's a lesson for you Tom!

I'm semi-firm in my commitment to take a linear/chronological route into Julie Christmas fandom, from Ruiner to Bad Wife to any sort of recent collaborations--sorry, TV

I had Cult of Luna at #6. Excellent stuff.

Lotus Thief isn't the Otrebor trio I voted for, but here goes

53 Skáphe - Skáphe² 195 Points, 6 Votes
http://i.imgur.com/Fj61G4m.jpg
https://skaphe.bandcamp.com/album/sk-phe-2

Tags: metal asphyxiating death metal Philadelphia

Ulcerate was my prediction for #16, oops.

wow, didn't expect Skaphe to place this high/at all. Clearly underestimated number of fucked up people on ILM

Its ok, I liked the other Otrebor trio much more though. Gramarye seemed almost like a cross between myrkur & Locrian's Infinite Dissolution

Re: imago

Xp hey! Skaphe!

Really enjoying the Lotus Thief so far!