2019 Metal ’n’ Heavy Rock Poll: VOTING & CAMPAIGNING thread (open until the 21st of February)

did I hear someone say Wilderun

Voted - It's truly a year where, for me anyways, a lot of good metal records missed the top 50 cut - the ones bubbling under that number, for me, are awesome, too.

So what the heck - campaigning for my missed cuts:

Vircolac - Masque
The Great Old Ones - Cosmicism
Nightfell - A Sanity Deranged
Liturgy - H.A.Q.Q.
Imprecation - Damnatio Ad Bestias
Weeping Sores - False Confession
Helium Horse Fly - Hollowed
Pulchra Morte - Divina Autem et Aniles
Lunar Shadow - The Smokeless Fires
Ataraxie - Résignés
Maestus - Deliquesce
Ares Kingdom - By the Light of Their Destruction
Unfathomable Ruination - Enraged & Unbound

My record that climbed highest for me each time I listened to it, this year, and what I played while voting was 'Ceremony of Silence - Oútis' - really great riffs and atmosphere - if ya haven't heard it - try it!

I got the previous Amygdala album in the mail yesterday, and it also shreds. They still have copies of the second pressing available, and they threw in a free split 7" with Saligia for my troubles. Highly recommended.

I also finally got to listening to All Bitches Die, and honestly Caligula blows it away. Nuance, feeling, musicality, I'm not sure what it is, but Caligula makes ABD sound like a b&w photocopy.

I also finally got to listening to All Bitches Die, and honestly Caligula blows it away.

Ceremony of Silence - Oútis

I really enjoyed this one as well, even though it didn't quite make my preliminary ballot. Incidentally, your own list of missed cuts is remarkably similar to my own (I couldn't not vote for Maestus and Weeping Sores, though).

I'm listening to the Fly Pan Am album now, I'm not sure if it's supposed to be funny but I've found myself laughing a couple times. It's an intentional send up, right?

I just added about 80 albums to listen to and add to my ballot of 45 albums :/

The Kostnatění was great! Disorienting and jagged. Exciting like a bad trip.*

*author has never tripped. -ed

The Liturgy album is good too. Black metal, glitch, blues harmonica, ondes martenot, it's all here, man.

Okay, apparently no ondes martenot or harmonica (unless they call it 'harp' consistently in the album credits), but there's a lot of sound here and it's hard to keep it all straight.

Caligula is so good, it got me to submit my first ballot here. Goddamn.

I'm up to the Big|Brave album now, and I can't believe I skipped seeing them coming through Boston at least four times since 2015. Also the black/black cover of Ardor looks familiar, I could swear I saw someone selling it at a merch booth in Manchester NH but they've never played here, so it must just be a design similarity.

Digging this Ossuaire album

Does the Astronoid singer sound like Jim Adkins from Jimmy Eat World to anybody else? Wouldn't this be a fun direction for that band to go in.

I think I actively dislike Astronoid.

Big Brave fucking rules and I'll impale anyone who says otherwise

Kostnatění are my pick for 2019 BM dissonance, over and above the latest Deathspell Omega.

As for Caligula, it's one of my AOTY, but I couldn't in good conscience vote for it in this poll, for am I the anti-paladin of Tr0o m3t4L.

Liturgy was too much of a good thing imo. I liked it, but it didn't quite make it onto my ballot.

there's a lot of sound here is such a good description of HAQQ. I made a longlist, and turns out it's exactly 25 albums - yeah, not the biggest metal listener... - so I guess I'll order it and vote! But Deathspell Omega wasn't even nominated here?

Hah, you're right. I ctrl + f'd the noms thread just in case – not a peep.

My original noms list was 43 albums, I picked out like 80 albums that looked at least interesting, and of those I've now listened to 30 and added 8 to my ballot.

I mean, I didn't listen to 30 full albums in 36 hours, I'm not that hardcore.

The Weird Lord Slough Feg album is listed under just plain Slough Feg as well, btw

They go by both monikers, but since the album is listed twice, I'll delete 'Slough Feg'.

pomenitul, in your opinion as an indefatigable metal purist, is Motorpsycho metal? I just listened to and loved The Crucible but it seemed a little too pure prog-rock to count. I may end up voting for it anyway because it was really enjoyable and deserves attention.

I wouldn't call myself a purist, I just distinguish between successful and unsuccessful or merely intriguing experiments. I get most of my avant kicks from contemporary classical music so that may have something to do with it. Besides, quite a few of my all-time favourite metal albums (Negură Bunget's OM, Gorguts's Obscura, Agalloch's Ashes Against the Grain) can easily be construed as untrve. I'm also not big on thrash, so I definitely lack the credentials to be a gatekeeper!

Anyway, Motorpsycho is heavy enough to qualify imo, especially when they're riffing on Sabbath.

As for Caligula, it's one of my AOTY, but I couldn't in good conscience vote for it in this poll, for am I the anti-paladin of Tr0o m3t4L.

Ha I can see that. Shame it wasn't nom'd in the main poll! I had (and a few other albums) to give it some love. Hope it places high.

Oh wait ... it was. Goddamnit.

I prob won't listen to caligula before the poll bcz I'm saving myself for Scott Walker

Kostnatění otoh...

I guess I can see how Caligula isn't "metal" or "heavy rock", but it seems a shame that it isn't included here. Maybe in the future we can just call it a "heavy music" poll or something. I weighed it pretty high on the main poll so maybe I'll skip it here, too, though i doubt it will place there.

I'm sad to see two albums that I just recently discovered weren't nominated: TORPOR's "Rhetoric of the Image", and Vanum's Ageless Fire.

Oh, it's been nominated and you can totally vote for it. I personally won't, but that's my cross to bear.

It is a heavy music poll though, always has been always will be and its nominated and I'll be voting for it

Caligula's my #1, eff the haters

I voted it for it in the main poll, so you won't hear me grousing.

Thinking of extending the voting period by 2 or 3 weeks to allow 2 or 3 weeks listening/campaigning time after big album poll results are done.
Pom is on board but it all depends on it being convenient for seandalai.

Let winter commence

Winter, eh? *thick Canadian accent*

Good point. Winter here is having to wait for a bus in the sleet. But it makes us ANGRY

So yeah, it's official: everyone's got an extra TWO WEEKS, i.e. until the 21st of February, to send their ballots.

I REPEAT: THIS THREAD WILL REMAIN OPEN UNTIL THE 21ST OF FEBRUARY, SO VOTE & CAMPAIGN ACCORDINGLY!

That gives me two extra weeks to convince you that Caligula is a metal album :)

lol I’ll give it another spin with that angle in mind. I may be more easily persuaded to vote for it here if it doesn’t place in the main poll (‘twould be a true disgrace).

It totally should be voted for in metal poll if you like it.

If something is nominated that you like then please vote for it.
UNLESS you cant cut your shortlist down to the limit and its near the bottom of your list.

but please no its not metal enough BS. It wasn't vetoed during noms.

It's more entertaining exercise (to me) if I leave it out. Others are free to do as they wish, it goes without saying.

*It's a

Spotify Nominations playlist for you all to listen to

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1uKGEOJlIeCmzYH7kf5d9A?si=FjP5wLBLRkSN00DzuxNeHw

Thanks.

vote for major stars

Anyways, I'm going to confess unlimited wrongness and throw myself upon the mercy of the pollrunners and humbly request that these two albums which I didn't in fact hear in time but am asking now that they be added to the nominations list this late in the game:

Wyrmwoods - Spirit and Teeth
Pharaoh Overlord - 5

What say you, Neechy?

Btw Witch Trail stans should post about their love for that album itt. I'll listen to it later today.

I only ask because I do objectively think these are two of the finest metal albums to be released in the past year. The Wyrmwoods especially is a fine slab of that experimental BM syncretism that we all know & love around here, this time fusing it with Berlin School type synth kosmiche and ambient. The first track is downright batshit. imago & it, take note:

https://youtu.be/OCBoamIzK88

The extreme, nonsensical compression is the point: the next track clicks in at precisely four minutes--exactly twice the farmer's length-- and the track after that, 16 mins, w/ the last one at 32

(xp)

(imago & tt*)(grrr)

Um, ok, that Wyrmwood video is a pretty incredible few minutes of music. Is the whole album as good?

yeah add em