The 2018 ILX Metal n' Heavy Rock Poll VOTING + CAMPAIGNING thread! NEW EXTENDED DEADLINE! Ballots due by Friday, February 15th 11.59pm PST

Regarding Eigenlicht, my standards for that kind of bm are pretty low but I do think that it's an impressive record, though yeah it takes a while to get going.

Mamaleek are something else.

I hath voted

Going to try to do some campaigning later if i feel up to it

we dont have access to ballots so will need to ask seandalai to confirm they arrived (but usually they do)

I'll hold out for a while longer just in case. Do campaign, fellow lovers of loud filth.

Because my sloth knows no bounds, both Mylingar and the esoterically-named HWWAUOCH can be described as concentrated shots of unyielding, nigh unlistenable Hadean malevolence or some such.

https://hwwauoch.bandcamp.com

https://mylingar.bandcamp.com/album/d-da-dr-mmar

A week left to vote

I get too focussed on black metal so I'll just mention that Ails, Dispirit, Entropia and ION all made great albums last year, all more or less bm (Entropia especially good, like a more danceable Oranssi Pazuzu).

But one of my favourite discoveries of 2018 was El Efecto, a maximalist prog band from Brazil who include riffing heavy enough for this poll, lots of different folk styles, plus other tangents like Latin rap and some pseudo-Eastern classical but honestly it's better than I'm making it sound
https://elefecto.bandcamp.com/album/mem-rias-do-fogo

Also co-sign on Hamferd, Iskandr and Ungfell

The Entropia is brilliant.

As is the KHôRADA album
https://khorada.bandcamp.com/album/salt-luxus

Rising from the ashes of Agalloch and Giant Squid, a new group is born: Khôrada. Featuring former Agalloch members Don Anderson (guitar), Jason Walton (bass) and Aesop Dekker (drums) alongside former Giant Squid guitarist / vocalist Aaron John Gregory, KHôRADA creates colossal, textured, and emotionally powerful music.

As a completely fresh concept, Khôrada is an opportunity for the musicians to explore new soundscapes while challenging themselves creatively. With their debut album "Salt", KHôRADA forges breathtaking swathes of sound that swell, stretch, submerge and recede with panoramic power.

At once atmospheric, aggressive and apocalyptic, the album's emotion is driven by the band members' view of today's world; these are precarious times. "Salt" was written under the pressure and uncertainty of the beginning of the Trump-era, standing as a musical exploration of the routine madness we now live. Paired with the surreally visceral artwork by internationally renowned painter & sculptor Cedric Wentworth, the visual explorations prove to be as haunting as the ethereal vocals of Aaron himself.

The dissolution of two of America's most beloved underground groups has resulted in the formation of perhaps the scene's most highly anticipated new band. With a sound built upon a resolute sense of purpose, KHôRADA has arrived.

Pretty sure that sund4r, Imago & TT would love the Entropia

https://entropia.bandcamp.com/album/vacuum

btw you can help boost your albums by adding them to the playlist set up here https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0mWZOMQIfPnXb7wuSFQsr9

dont forget to subscribe to it

I'll give Entropia a listen. I thought the Ails album was pretty great; I liked the ION too

Pretty sure you will dig it (I assumed you had already heard it)

I'm still listening to the Mamaleek. It's pretty nuts! It's kinda got this vibe, like Locust Abortion Technician except goth-as-fvck, but there's all sorts of moments that almost sound like a heavy metal Yves Tumor...? I don't know. It might be a little out-there even for me

oh and for fans of weird arty kitchen sink metal hungarian/scottish mentalism dont forget perennial ilx faves Thy Catafalque https://thycatafalqueuk.bandcamp.com/album/geometria

Imago/TT have you heard it?

Huh, somehow I missed that Entropia till now. Not sure I'll have enough time to let it sink in before the deadline, but it sounds promising. Lots of good stuff coming out of Poland these days. The Gorycz album is one of my top faves, a bit like the Kriegsmachine or the Furia album from a couple years ago (all from Poland, I believe).

Entropia are so good

Listening through everyone's recommendations now and have so far really enjoyed DMBQ, Mamaleek and Funeral Winds.

Fluisteraars / Turia though...this is wonderful! That first track reminds me somehow of a more fuzzed-out blackened Aereogramme, and the second track is just wild. Sounds like they're doing so much more with the familiar instumentation of atmospheric black metal. Very twisty and psychedelic. Thanks so much for this!

Glad you like it!

I assume almost everyone's heard it by this point, but I'm still very much taken with Messa's Feast for Water, which has got to be one of the most accessible albums on our list. Trad doom-psych-drone-jazz with consistently memorable songs and fantastic female vocals.

That first track reminds me somehow of a more fuzzed-out blackened Aereogramme

Probably because its climax is almost literally the chorus of Post-Tour, Pre-Judgement ;)

I thought you were going to bring up 'Where Is My Mind?'

Cosign Feast for Water! That was the first doom album that really stuck with me last year.

For urgent listening:

Urfaust - The Constellatory Practice: I remember there being some hype for this on ILX at the time, but if anyone didn't get around to it, now is very much the time. Veers wildly between scuzzy, almost brit-pop-y black metal and swelling mountains of choral doom, all saturated in occult ritual. Much more beautiful than it is gross or scary. https://urfaust.bandcamp.com/album/the-constellatory-practice-2

Protoplasma - -: Cut and paste progge of brutal syncopation and wild nonsense. https://protoplasmaprotoplasma.bandcamp.com/releases

Shylmagoghnar - Transience: Spacey blackened death with spiralling synth lines and some little techno inflections that still manages to sound quiet ancient. I'm realising that a lot of the metal I like from 2018 is from the Netherlands - I wonder why? Is that a current trend? https://shylmagoghnar.bandcamp.com/

Yhdarl - Loss: Unrelentingly heavy from the first three seconds. Furious dbm, each track splitting off in a hundred directions, with a hopeless and grief-stricken desperation that is genuinely affecting. That doesn't sound like it would be a fun listen, but somehow the frenzied layering of shouted vocals and disoriented riffs elevate it. https://i-voidhangerrecords.bandcamp.com/album/loss

Ling Tosite Sigure - #5: Going to sandwich this cute little math rock album between two of the most brutal albums so that some of their energy rub off onto it and people think it's allowed. This is seriously wonderful though, and it had no chance of being heard in the main poll! It still gets plenty noisey alongside its lush intricacies. On YouTube

Bloss - Era Noire: The loest fi, the blackest metal. Nothing can be pinned down and it's not catchy, but sometimes there are eerie strings and the whole thing is an arboreal adventure! https://blosse.bandcamp.com/album/era-noire

Oh, that YT link goes to a random part of the LTS album, not intentionally selected. (A good taster track is the third one)

Cosign on the Urfaust, Shylmagoghnar and Blosse.

guys please add all your recommendations to the spotify collaborative playlist, that's the best way to get anyone to listen

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0mWZOMQIfPnXb7wuSFQsr9

I'm one of those bastards who signed up for Apple Music instead…

Re: El Efecto - you had me at maximalist prog! This is lovely.

Also, *Blosse, ffs

Yeah, the Entropia album slates right into the Oranssi/Aluk Todolo tradition of trance BM that always does very well in this poll. I definitely like it more than Voix, though maybe not as much as Occult Rock or the OP albums that I've spent time with

I recommend for anyone who likes the dancier moments on this to give a listen to The Oscillation's Wasted Space. It's one of my albums of the year, and though it's not really the same thing--this is more just a very adventurous space rock album--there are definitely some real affinities

https://youtu.be/ctko1fzjoeY

(^title track, on some sort of wild-sounding, Chrome-meets-Liquid Liquid ish, total Drugs bait)

Almost forgot to stump for Paara, a very melodic slab of atmospheric BM with lots going on but manages to stay cohesive

https://vicisolumrecords.com/album/riitti

^^ I loved this. Bits of the last track often swimming about.

Also, WOW this Khôrada album is so amazing to my ears! I don't know Agalloch or Giant Squid at all really, but if they sound anything like this, then I should. Sounds very accessible and pretty. I think that Elder fans (i.e. everyone) would find a lot to like here!

You don't know Agalloch?????? Time to immerse yourself in their entire output!

Don Anderson ex-Agalloch now in Khôrada is an academic I think?

Fully cosign on Paara as well.

You don't know Agalloch?????? Time to immerse yourself in their entire output!

Yeah, it might be time. imago: "they've got one good track"

hes talking shite

every single agalloch album is at least good

but they play it about twenty times!!!!1

Have you listened to entropia yet?

Yes. I think imago quite liked it and compared it (favourably) to Devin Townsend, but I couldn’t get into it somehow and I’ve tried a few times. Maybe it’s yet to grow on me? I like the album art.

their last album was great too. i think it made the rollout

we have 6 ballots in so far.

Voted.

I'll be voting. Every year, I am intimidate by the sheer number of albums I missed - even by bands I try to follow - and feel obliged to cram as much of it as possible to make sure nothing awesome escaped me.

Shylmagoghnar sound absolutely tremendous tbh - we're listening again now. You know how most prog metal is kind of wanky and boring? This is PROGGE ALMIGHTY

is that what's putting you off ?

My ballot is 8 records, including the decidedly non-metal AWK album. Was 2018 terrible for metal, or was I just too busy listening to Jandek and Joni Mitchell?

not good for metal imo but am belatedly finding some things

Concentrate on last year!

I voted!

Inspired by what I posted, I have now heard Dark Buddha Rising.

Folks. I mean, why didn't you say?

We did, years ago. You slowcoach.

Voted!

I can't remember whether through Kerr's metal email list or through EZ that I heard DBR but I could never quite get into them. They kind of reminded me of UFOMammut

Well, Ufomammut have never really moved me, but all I know is that this is *the shit*

Azusa currently bringing the sick post-hardcore tunez

My word, that got amazing.

Voted!

we might be able to start the rollout sat afternoon like how we used to keep fingers crossed

I am listening to the new Uncle Acid...this is actually pretty good. Maybe they were this year's Comet Control all along :/

but you all still have a whole 8 hours at least to vote. Seandalai will close the voting form when he's ready to tabulate.

32 ballots according to seandalai

Voted. Get yer ballots in ye swine

Yeah this Uncle Acid album was awesome

Voting is closed and I haz results. Not looked at yet of course.

If the george is ready I think we will start the rollout shortly.
maybe do 10 today and 10 tomorrow then 20 mon-thurs

Going to do a 125 for the lols. thats 25 bonus albums for the weekend and 100 during the week.

That’s a lot of metal! It’s going to be a wonderfully intense February. So glad it’s half term.

That is way too much - why not a cut off when the points start spreading out meaningfully? I guess it isn't my poll

ILM METAL POLL 2018 RESULTS THREAD!

That is way too much - why not a cut off when the points start spreading out meaningfully? I guess it isn't my poll