Voted. Never did get to listen to the Yellow Eyes record, someone convince me that was a major oversight.
― Schammasch Cannonball (Tom Violence), Saturday, 8 February 2020 01:05 (four years ago) link
It was.
― Oor Neechy, Saturday, 8 February 2020 01:07 (four years ago) link
I voted too btw.
If everyone could post when they have voted it means seandalai can check incase something went wrong.
― Oor Neechy, Saturday, 8 February 2020 03:50 (four years ago) link
Almost done with the preliminary ballot. Will post when I vote for sure and probably to campaign for things...
The Obsequiae album is pretty great! And Lord Weird Slough Feg! And give the Candlemass album a chance, I think it's their best in over a decade tbh.
― Frobisher, Saturday, 8 February 2020 04:46 (four years ago) link
I liked the Esoteric, surprisingly since I usually think the doom metal albums with the organs are goofy. As usual, I don't see the appeal of Obsequiae or Schammasch, despite many others really enjoying them.
It didn't make my ballot, but I'll point out the Ausmuteants "album," a 20 minute group of punk songs sung from the point of view of a cop, but written by crusty anarchists. Absolutely hilarious.
― Schammasch Cannonball (Tom Violence), Saturday, 8 February 2020 04:59 (four years ago) link
Three more suggestions:
Veiled – In Blinding Presence (pitch-black manic dissonance heightened through hypnosis)Belenos – Argoat (Celtic BM heroism from Brittany)Sur Austru – Meteahna timpurilor (ex-Negură Bunget, in keeping with that band's final albums)
― toilet-cleaning brain surgeon (pomenitul), Saturday, 8 February 2020 14:13 (four years ago) link
Jesus Wayne Rogers rules so hard, check the solo @ 03:10...unreal...
https://youtu.be/1XftyHePPNQ
― are you a fan of i.die music (Drugs A. Money), Sunday, 9 February 2020 10:27 (four years ago) link
major stars album fucking rules
― are you a fan of i.die music (Drugs A. Money), Sunday, 9 February 2020 10:45 (four years ago) link
Lol, I'm kinda getting into this. I have the most fake metal taste ever, but I did hear enough good stuff that it's kinda fun to finesse it into a top 25.
― Frederik B, Sunday, 9 February 2020 11:01 (four years ago) link
good good
― Oor Neechy, Sunday, 9 February 2020 21:14 (four years ago) link
Would be nice to get lots of ballots from ilxors who have never voted before.
Look at the nominations list and if there are albums you like, then please vote for them. Don't worry if you think you are not metal enough. If its on the noms list its metal enough.
― Oor Neechy, Monday, 10 February 2020 12:21 (four years ago) link
Exactly, I predict Weyes Blood will win this poll too. I'm holding off sending the ballot until the last day but I will vote as usual.
― Siegbran, Monday, 10 February 2020 12:26 (four years ago) link
Agreed.
There's a staggering range of sounds on that list, so everyone (well, except for Tuomas) can find something worth voting for.
xp
― toilet-cleaning brain surgeon (pomenitul), Monday, 10 February 2020 12:28 (four years ago) link
There are a couple albums I like but aren't voting for, because I don't consider them metal enough, though. Fly Pan Am and Blanck Mass. I don't begrudge anyone voting for them, they are good albums, but I'm having more fun creating a list without them.
― Frederik B, Monday, 10 February 2020 12:28 (four years ago) link
Blanck Mass might not be 'metal' as such but I have no problems classing it as 'industrial' and valid for this poll. Not sure if I actually like it enough to place it high tho.
― Siegbran, Monday, 10 February 2020 12:31 (four years ago) link
I did hesitate when finishing my ballot, as my picks are unlikely to surprise. The hesitation didn't last long though: this poll and the nomination process made for some excellent catching-up listening during xmas and after, and I can truthfully say I like to love all 25 albums I listed. I'll send it in this week.
― Le Bateau Ivre, Monday, 10 February 2020 12:38 (four years ago) link
I have no problem thinking of them as valid. They were on my first version of the list. But half the fun for me is digging into what it is I really value in metal records, and Blanck Mass belongs to a genre I listen to for other things. Cattle Decapitation, great use of climate change monologues, trve metal.
― Frederik B, Monday, 10 February 2020 12:39 (four years ago) link
You have a ballot of up to 50 albums and we encourage as many as possible to do so as possible so we get interesting results.
― Oor Neechy, Monday, 10 February 2020 12:57 (four years ago) link
I have my initial short list of.....81 albums. Hoo boy.
― bold caucasian eroticism (Simon H.), Monday, 10 February 2020 16:14 (four years ago) link
That's the spirit!
― toilet-cleaning brain surgeon (pomenitul), Monday, 10 February 2020 16:17 (four years ago) link
I've not-so-secretly added Aara's So fallen alle Tempel to the noms list.
Mildly lo-fi atmoblack from Switzerland with a gaze-esque melodic streak, the occasional Gregorian chant and non-clean female vocals. Superb stuff – I very much look to their next album, which will be out in April.
― toilet-cleaning brain surgeon (pomenitul), Monday, 10 February 2020 16:32 (four years ago) link
Please don't add more good records. My shortlist is exactly 25, and I'll get confused if I have to add + remove some...
― Frederik B, Monday, 10 February 2020 16:40 (four years ago) link
Or probably just ignore me and I'll ignore the late additions. Except Wyrmwood
*look forward to (xps)
Seriously, though, we've got 50 spots on our respective ballots unlike in the main poll, so we might as well use them all.
― toilet-cleaning brain surgeon (pomenitul), Monday, 10 February 2020 16:46 (four years ago) link
Yeah, but... There is only 52 weeks in a year, 25 albums for the main poll, 50 albums for the metal poll. Who has time for that?
I could of course just make a top 26, but that feels extremely wrong, somehow.
― Frederik B, Monday, 10 February 2020 16:53 (four years ago) link
I can afford to half-listen to music while silently plying my so-called trade, so… I do, I guess.
― toilet-cleaning brain surgeon (pomenitul), Monday, 10 February 2020 16:56 (four years ago) link
considering your dn that's impressive!
― sorry for butt rockin (Neanderthal), Monday, 10 February 2020 16:57 (four years ago) link
Loooool
― Frederik B, Monday, 10 February 2020 16:58 (four years ago) link
Tbf it's just an euphemism for trepanation.
― toilet-cleaning brain surgeon (pomenitul), Monday, 10 February 2020 16:58 (four years ago) link
I have my initial short list of.....81 albums. Hoo boy.― bold caucasian eroticism (Simon H.)
Easy, just let your sock send in a ballot
― Siegbran, Monday, 10 February 2020 17:02 (four years ago) link
3 socks = 3 top 25s, at the very least.
― toilet-cleaning brain surgeon (pomenitul), Monday, 10 February 2020 17:03 (four years ago) link
I will never sock.
― bold caucasian eroticism (Simon H.), Monday, 10 February 2020 17:05 (four years ago) link
Can't sockWon't sock
― sorry for butt rockin (Neanderthal), Monday, 10 February 2020 17:08 (four years ago) link
Mildly lo-fi atmoblack from Switzerland
Ha! I've just worked my way through twenty-odd Swiss metal albums from last year (most of them good - Cân Bardd, Rorcal, Schammasch, Bölzer, Kvelgeyst, Ateiggär) but I missed that one.
― Siegbran, Monday, 10 February 2020 17:09 (four years ago) link
the Schammasch record is really good
― bold caucasian eroticism (Simon H.), Monday, 10 February 2020 17:10 (four years ago) link
There are a couple albums I like but aren't voting for, because I don't consider them metal enough, though. Fly Pan Am and Blanck Mass. I don't begrudge anyone voting for them, they are good albums, but I'm having more fun creating a list without them.― Frederik B, Monday, 10 February 2020 12:28 (yesterday) link
― Frederik B, Monday, 10 February 2020 12:28 (yesterday) link
Aww don't be like that, vote for Fly Pan Am
― are you a fan of i.die music (Drugs A. Money), Tuesday, 11 February 2020 11:41 (four years ago) link
I enjoyed Kvelgeyst the most out of those, although I've yet to hear the Rorcal.
― toilet-cleaning brain surgeon (pomenitul), Tuesday, 11 February 2020 11:45 (four years ago) link
OK why didn't anyone tell me after 15 years of silence, Wigrid came out with a new album last year? Write-in vote incoming.
― Siegbran, Tuesday, 11 February 2020 13:23 (four years ago) link
No idea who that is, but I added it to the list.
― toilet-cleaning brain surgeon (pomenitul), Tuesday, 11 February 2020 13:49 (four years ago) link
It probably won't appeal to many but Wigrid sits halfway between Amesoeurs and Burzum, the old hypnotic "ten minutes, two riffs, one tempo, no frills" formula. Catnip for me.
― Siegbran, Tuesday, 11 February 2020 13:56 (four years ago) link
As an aside, is it just me or is there a tacit America vs Europe taste divide on ILM? I tend to gravitate towards European acts more readily, whereas others are seemingly more intent on American ones.
Based on my provisional ballot, 15 out of 50 bands are from the US. I'm curious to see which way this skews for everyone else.
― toilet-cleaning brain surgeon (pomenitul), Tuesday, 11 February 2020 14:24 (four years ago) link
I think Americans seem to prefer death metal and Europeans prefer black metal but as always there's exceptions.
― Oor Neechy, Tuesday, 11 February 2020 14:28 (four years ago) link
That's my impression as well. If memory serves, unperson doesn't listen to BM at all (partly because of the politics). Are there any ILM BM-heads who avoid DM altogether?
― toilet-cleaning brain surgeon (pomenitul), Tuesday, 11 February 2020 14:33 (four years ago) link
I think metal's center of gravity always has been European except for a fairly brief period in the mid/late 80s (thrash/early death)?
― Siegbran, Tuesday, 11 February 2020 14:36 (four years ago) link
I wouldn't consider myself a BM-head, but I got into the genre via blackgaze, and there's never been anything similar with DM? I've liked a lot of albums categorised as DM this year though, Blood Incantation, Tomb Mold, Wormed.
― Frederik B, Tuesday, 11 February 2020 14:37 (four years ago) link
It took me a while to warm up to DM as well, but I'm now at a point where I'd rate my preferences as 55 BM/45 DM or something like that.
― toilet-cleaning brain surgeon (pomenitul), Tuesday, 11 February 2020 14:47 (four years ago) link
Are there any ILM BM-heads who avoid DM altogether?
― toilet-cleaning brain surgeon (pomenitul), Tuesday, February 11, 2020 3:33 PM (five hours ago) bookmarkflaglink
That would be me. DM's hardly ever done anything for me. There's a certain melodic element to it that I really dislike; or rather, I regard it as something that doesn't befit what I want from my metal (pitch-black, drony and/or hazy, nihil nihil nihil). Occasionally I do try it again, like with Blood Inc, but it's just not for me. Black metal is more or less the only metal for me.
― Le Bateau Ivre, Tuesday, 11 February 2020 19:43 (four years ago) link
I came to metal via BM and for a long time I had zero interest for DM. Then I discovered a handful of exceptions (bands like Immolation, Gorguts etc.) but BM is still my favorite. Doom is fine too. Like LBV, I'm here for the bleakness.
― Dinsdale, Tuesday, 11 February 2020 19:54 (four years ago) link
And speaking of BM, Deathspell Omega wasn't nominated but I still intend to vote for it as it's my favorite metal album this year.
― Dinsdale, Tuesday, 11 February 2020 19:55 (four years ago) link
Not a DM fan either though I do like some of the earlier classics. Cant stand most of the vox though.
― Oor Neechy, Tuesday, 11 February 2020 19:57 (four years ago) link