Rolling Metal 2019

I wish.

And finally, No Clean Singing's top 10:

https://www.nocleansinging.com/2019/12/05/2019-a-year-in-reviews-the-critical-top-ten/

lots of Angry Metal Guy overlap in that list

Of those I've heard, Misþyrming and Tomb Mold are the only two I'd put in a top 10.

I like that Car Bomb record a lot.

I haven't heard it yet, mostly because mathcore bores me for the most part, but I'll check it out nonetheless.

I liked the White Ward, and the Disentomb was OK but not even the best thing Unique Leader put out this year (Organectomy, Distant and Omophagia were all better).

White Ward is vaguely enjoyable while it's on – top 100 EOY material, maybe. Can't say I got much out of the Disentomb either, and I'm not familiar with Organectomy, Distant and Omophagia.

wait there was a new disentomb this year? that band rocks

I'm listening to it again and it's sounding much better than I initially gave it credit for.

very cool & good undertaking by NCS but weird of them to leave the aoty off every single list

I always feel like such a lump in that I buy hundreds of metal albums a year and then I look at the top ten list and have only heard two of them. and it's not like I have big subgenre blind spots!

more to listen to, I guess. I legit love the Tomb Mold and it's a top tenner for me, though I think Blood Incantation beat it slightly. IMO a great year for death metal in that a lot of the bands found progressiveness through economy rather than technicality. the Teitanblood is also great, need to spin that again.

I saw Venom Prison got an honorable mention - that would also make my list. surprised not to see the Crypt Sermon place.

crypt sermon was on the disappointments list iirc (where it belongs!)

nahhh

@imago the NCS person stated upfront that they hadn't heard the Wilderun lol

Actually, my initial assessment of the Disentomb was a wee bit too harsh but the album is kind of frontloaded and its chugging same-iness wears you down by the time you hit the second half, although 'The Great Abandonment' features a mercifully memorable riff.

I always feel like such a lump in that I buy hundreds of metal albums a year and then I look at the top ten list and have only heard two of them. and it's not like I have big subgenre blind spots!

I hear you on this, this year particularly feels like there are SO MANY things I'm missing out on or slide right by me. In part I think it's down to the continued expansion of tiny, more niche labels. It seems like more and more bands, particularly in metal, are moving away from even the more well-known labels to set up their own or work with European outlets. Which I'm sure is great for them in terms of controlling things, but it makes it a more difficult task to try and keep up with everything!

I've never listened to as much new music as I have this year, with metal as the backbone of my pathological diet, and I still feel a slight bit of awe (and a pinch of disgust) when I come across EOY lists that remind me of how utterly unending and overwhelming it all is.

An embarrassment of riches, yes, but it also makes it more difficult, if not impossible, to separate the chaff from wheat or to have so much as a common ground for cultural discourse. It also emphasizes how disposable and isolated most of this music is, even the better stuff: you listen to it a couple of times and discard it by necessity, as there is always so much more to discover.

for me I think it's cos I spent most of my earliest metal leaning years (late 90s) playing decades of catch-up, then took several years in the early 2000s barely listening to it at all, so had to play catchup again for several years around 2010 when I started aggressively listening again. so only the last few have I been in a place where I'm acquiring more new music than pre-existing.

lol yeah I'm def catch and release with the majority of it

it also makes it more difficult, if not impossible, to separate the chaff from wheat or to have so much as a common ground for cultural discourse. It also emphasizes how disposable and isolated most of this music is, even the better stuff: you listen to it a couple of times and discard it by necessity, as there is always so much more to discover.

― pomenitul, Thursday, December 5, 2019 11:26 AM (two hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

this is as true as it is depressing

my lone contribution to the EOY talk: the White Ward album has really grown on me. I enjoyed it right off (certainly more than Futility Report), but it didn't totally click until I listened three or four more times. Really into it atm

Really feeling the last string of posts... :-/

I'm w/ Paul Ponzi, White Ward has grown on me. I got my black metal fix this year mostly from Örmagna, Mgła's 'Age of Excuse' and 'Serpent Column's 'Mirror in Darkness'. But I dread all those classic albums I must have missed.

it helps to only really bother with about ten metal albums a year ;)

lotta falseness itt today

xp that is why it seems pointless to run a metal eoy poll

I might run one anyway if you're not up for it this year, Neech. I have no idea what the exact rules are but I could probably figure them out.

As poll runner you get to make the rules except one. That is the most important one and it must not ever be changed.

NEVER listen to anything imago suggests.

lol, I suspected as much.

Seriously though, I'd aim to maintain tradition, i.e. whichever rules we've been using for the past, what, ten years?

I still feel a slight bit of awe (and a pinch of disgust) when I come across EOY lists that remind me of how utterly unending and overwhelming it all is.

Covering metal full-time in the 2010s was fun, but nearly destroyed me. It's honestly impossible to gauge the entire genre with any semblance of accuracy - the global scope is far too huge - which partially explains the online critic hive mind. You're focusing on a couple dozen records and don't dare venture out of it because thousands of new titles are waiting to bury you.

And I love the new Crypt Sermon! They've become an American answer to Atlantean Kodex.

Rule #1 -Don't let Johnny Fever participate

It's honestly impossible to gauge the entire genre with any semblance of accuracy - the global scope is far too huge - which partially explains the online critic hive mind. You're focusing on a couple dozen records and don't dare venture out of it because thousands of new titles are waiting to bury you.
― A. Begrand

I'm sorry you feel that way - I can never understood this kind of FOMO/angst 'at our age' - it's so incredibly easy to venture out! Just pick a random record out of the RYM top 300 for 2019 with a cool looking cover, intriguing title or a weird/appealing combination of genre tags and listen to it a few times. Go to a random dive bar in town with bandnames on the bill you've never heard of. Who cares if the 5-6 biggest metal sites/mags have reviewed it or not, that was important to me when I was thirteen years old and wanted to get properly educated and felt I had to hear the stuff those all-knowing critics raved about. I love reading a well-argued review as much as the next guy but in the end these reviewers don't know more about metal than you or me.

I mean not to imply that you care too much about reviewers A, that's probably poorly worded. But their limited pool of reference for this years essential records doesn't necessarily have to be yours.

Rule #1 -Don't let Johnny Fever participate

― master of nuggets (Neanderthal), Thursday, December 5, 2019 10:03 PM (fifty-nine minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

Harsh.

pomenitul there's no rules as such. I've always allowed unlimited nominations, been loose on the definition of 'metal' and have up to 100 choices on the ballots, ran a top 101 rollout, allowed lurkers to participate.
The online voting form is much better than the old email voting system.

"As advertised, there's some good stuff on this list:

https://www.nocleansinging.com/2019/12/03/2019-a-year-in-reviews-the-good/

― pomenitul"

"Both brutal legends Nile and progressive overlords Borknagar responded to some unfortunate line-up changes"...

I can't take this seriously. Oh no did something UNFORTUNATE happen to a band who call themselves "Borknagar"

"I've never listened to as much new music as I have this year, with metal as the backbone of my pathological diet, and I still feel a slight bit of awe (and a pinch of disgust) when I come across EOY lists that remind me of how utterly unending and overwhelming it all is.

― pomenitul"

That was my 2018. My 2018 longlist was over 500 entries, and it's gotten longer since. And since then, well, it's done. I don't know most of the good stuff that happens. I don't need to, I'm not Aristotle trying to encompass all human knowledge. I can listen to good music when I want and if I hear something really good I'll probably want to hear it again at some point. I can listen to a song for ten seconds and decide I'm not interested in the band and they're not for me, which is fine because I can always change my mind later. I've never expected to recognize anything on these year-end lists; I browse them cursorily and if something jumps out at me I listen, "White Ward"? Sounds good. This other one? Doesn't, don't ask me what it's called, that was five seconds ago, I can't remember. Tell me your favorite 500 records and I'll find three that I like, more or less at random, and move on to something else. There's good metal in 2019, and I've heard a little of it. What could be wrong with that?

I can listen to a song for ten seconds and decide I'm not interested in the band and they're not for me

you're missing out on some really good harmonized lead guitar solos

But Toto sucks

no, they do not

Ignore me i am plasturred

you're missing out on some really good harmonized lead guitar solos

― Paul Ponzi

you say that but i'm listening to and enjoying bob wills' "twin guitar special" right now. i also once listened to a youtube video of all of thin lizzy's guitar solos even though they never much grabbed me as a band, they were pretty good

yeah i'm missing out on, like, wishbone ash or whatever but i can live with that

fwiw, i love love love metal poll rollout and hope it happens this year

if it helps at all, i promise to vote. in the past, i have always meant to and never actually done so. (maybe once, i did.)

Quality posts, Sieg & rush. Yeah, I have no idea why inflicted this upon myself – I guess because metal as a genre is especially prone to it and I only got into it 2-3 years ago so I had to get it out of my system.

I can totally understand in your situation pomenitul, catching up to 45 years of metal in the space of 2-3 years *is* an intimidating task.

And I love the new Crypt Sermon!

it is great imo! also I for one love the late-Floyd vibe of the Borknagar album

Pomenitul please check your ilx webmail, I messaged you.

Got it. Just emailed you back.

same

Rumours of the metal poll's death have been greatly exaggerated:

2019 Metal 'n' Heavy Rock Poll: NOMINATIONS thread (open until the 3rd of January 2020)

In the spirit of the earlier posts about losing track of new releases, I just remembered how much I love the new Cattle Decapitation