2020 Metal ’n’ Heavy Rock Poll: NOMINATIONS Thread (open until the 8th of January 2021)

reissues do not count

If that's the case (which I didn't know) then I think only Skepticism - Alloy needs to be removed.

Riot - Rock World (Rare & Unreleased 87-95) has mostly newly released material, it's just old stuff that was never released before.

Sweven - The Eternal Resonance
Behold... The Arctopus - Hapeleptic Overtrove
Bindrune Recordings - OVERGROW TO OVERTHROW
Plague Organ - Orphan
Serpent Column - Endless Detainment
Serpent Column - Kathodos
Ocrilim - Plvence Abrost R Msitloun
殞煞 Vengeful Spectre - 殞煞 Vengeful Spectre
Touché Amoré - Lament
Gulch - Impenetrable Cerebral Fortress
Deftones - Ohms
Infant Island - Beneath
Skáphe - Skáphe³

(13/100)

that overgrow to overthrow comp can be overruled if you need to. it's a mixed bag including old stuff but not technically a reissue.

Aktor - Placebo
Lamp of Murmuur - Heir of Ecliptical Romanticism
Necrot - Mortal
Poppy - I Disagree
Ulcerate - Stare Into Death and Be Still

I’ll add ‘em all later but please be mindful of duplicates! Much appreciated.

I've got them but if there're any duplicates please post here to let us know so one of us can deal with it.

<strong>Mare Cognitum / Spectral Lore - Wanderers: Astrology of the Nine
Sunken - Livslede
Shaidar Logoth - Chapter III: The Void God
Xibalba - Años En Infierno
Fluisteraars - Bloem
Ahab - Live Prey
Bell Witch / Aerial Ruin - Stygian Bough Vol. I
Lanterns - Dimensions
Förfallet - Förfallet
Primitive Man - Immersion</strong>

Sorry for that :(

Mare Cognitum / Spectral Lore - Wanderers: Astrology of the Nine
Sunken - Livslede
Shaidar Logoth - Chapter III: The Void God
Xibalba - Años En Infierno
Fluisteraars - Bloem
Ahab - Live Prey
Bell Witch / Aerial Ruin - Stygian Bough Vol. I
Lanterns - Dimensions
Förfallet - Förfallet
Primitive Man - Immersion

I've not been able to keep up this year, and I don't like voting for albums I heard in voting period, so if anyone wishes to recommend or boost albums, then please do so now and I'll give them a listen.

As ever, we’ll have a designated thread for campaigning once the noms are closed but if people want to start early, that’s totally cool with me and, in some ways, preferable, since it gives everyone more time to catch up.

Dark Buddha Rising - Mathreyata
Wyrmwoods - Gamma
Crisis Sigil - Small Towns
Moldé Volhal - Into The Cave Of Ordeals...
Mystras - Castles Conquered And Reclaimed
Hail Spirit Noir - Eden In Reverse
Biesy - Transsatanizm
Elder - Omens
Salqiu - Orfeu
Azusa - Loop Of Yesterdays
Mamaleek - Come And See
Stabscotch - Twilight Dawn
Lychgate - Also Sprach Futura
Psalm Zero - Sparta
Fortress Of The Olden Days - Verlassenheit
Victory Over The Sun - A Tessitura Of Transfiguration

I would like to boost all of these, but especially Mystras (epic and extremely well-written folk-BM with a leftist historical viewpoint from Spectral Lore, best thing he's done), Dark Buddha Rising (fucken psychedelic monster-doom), Psalm Zero (magnificently melodic industrial art-metal from the Extra Life guy), Azusa (beautiful post-post-popcore) and Victory Over The Sun (gnarly microtonal and intense BM journey which interprets the artist's gender transition in terms of Andrei Rublev)

ok here's some noms

Esoctrilihum - Eternity of Shaog
Horisont - Sudden Death
Kadavar - The Isolation Tapes
Malokarpatan - Krupinské ohne
Wake - Devouring Ruin

Ahna - Crimson Dawn
Aseitas - False Peace
Autolith - Caustic Light
Balmog - Pillars Of Salt
Barishi - Old Smoke
Bastard Priest - Vengeance... Of the Damned
Bleeding Out - Lifelong Death Fantasy
Caustic Wound - Death Posture
Ceremonial Bloodbath - The Tides Of Blood
Chaotian - Festering Excarnation
Coffin Apartment - Full Torso Apparition
Deafkids & Petbrick - Deafbrick
Dødskvad - Krønike I
Errant - s/t
Exploatör - Avgrundens Brant
Funeral Leech - Death Meditation
Head Of the Demon - Deadly Black Doom
Hot Graves - Days Before Plague
Jordablod - The Cabinet Of Numinous Song
Karst - Genesis Of Nervous Decay
Okkultokrati - La Ilden Lyse
Perversion - Archaic Death Metal
Question - Reflections Of the Void
Raspberry Bulbs - Before the Age Of Mirrors
Seeds In Barren Fields - Sånger som rämnar
Sentient Divide - Haunted By Cruelty
Siderean - Sidereal Evolution
Skeleton - s/t
Socialstyrelsen - Med Rädsla För Livet
The Death Wheelers - Divine Filth
The Passing - s/t
Tøronto - Under Siege
Töxik Death - Sepulchral Demons
Transcendence - Towards Obscurities Beyond
Utzalu - The Grobian Fall
Void Rot - Descending Pillars

36/100

Ad Infinitum – Chapter I: Monarchy
Ænigmatum – Adorned in Wrath
Almyrkvi / The Ruins of Beverast – Almyrkvi / The Ruins of Beverast
Angel Morgue – In the Morgue of Angels
Armagedda – Svindeldjup Ättestup
Atavisma / Void Rot – Atavisma / Void Rot
Atramentus – Stygian
Ayyur – Balkarnin
Black Flux – Black Stream
Bognor – Brain Paralysis
Cultum Interitum – Poison of Being
Draug – Irreelle sindelag
Empyrean Grace – Bestowment of the Seraphic Key
Faceless Burial – Speciation
Genfærd – Blodhævn
Grifteskymfning – Bedrövelsens härd
Kaatayra – Toda história pela frente
Lowrider – Refractions
Mourning Beloveth / The Ruins of Beverast – Don’t Walk on the Mass Graves
Nero di Marte – Immoto
Plague – Portraits of Mind
Precambrian – Tectonics
Prosternatur – Mortuus et sepultus
Selbst – Relatos de angustia
Serment – Chante, ô flamme de la liberté
Slutet – Love & Beauty
Svartsyn – Requiem
Turia – Degen van licht
Wytch Hazel – III: Pentecost
Ygg – The Last Scald

(30/100)

EPs also fair game btw.

here's a few more

Dirt Woman - Lady of the Dunes
Núll – Entity
Tombstone Eyes - Land in the Sky
Worm - Gloomlord

9/100

Bedsore - Hypnagogic Hallucinations

(1/100)

Prometheus - Resonant Echoes From Cosmos Of Old

(2/100)

215 albums nominated so far.

Machine Girl - U-Void Synthesizer
Died - Less Life
Izthmi - To Traipse Alone
Uboa - The Flesh of the World
Shaam Larein - Sculpture
My Dying Bride - The Ghost of Orion
Cryptic Shift - Visitations from Enceladus
Los Hijos del Culto - Hijos del Culto
Vladislav Delay - Rakka
Borgne - Y
Dragged Into Sunlight - Terminal Aggressor II
Elephant Tree - Habits
Invent, Animate - Greyview
Mrs. Piss - Self-Surgery
Hex A.D. - Astro Tongue in the Electric Garden
Secrets of the Moon - Don’t Look Now
Godthrymm - Reflections
Lonker See - Hamza
Kvelertak - Splid
Odraza - Rzeczom
Yuri Gagarin (SWE) - The Outskirts of Reality
21/100

Khthoniik Cerviiks - Æequiizoiikum
Escuela Grind - Ppoowweerrvviioolleennccee
Nawaharjan - Lokabrenna
Fuzzriders - Fuzzriders
Bong Wizard - Left Hand Pass
Suum - Cryptomaas
Bernelius - Grave Dancer
Voidlurker - Industrial Nightmare
Dwaal - Gospel of the Vile
Adzes - No One Wants to Speak About It
Kvaen - The Funeral Pyre
Terminal Nation - Holocene Extinction
Body Void/Keeper - split LP
Modarin - In the Distance...

(14/100)
There's tons more I haven't gotten around to hearing yet, I might nominate those later but I felt silly nominating stuff I hadn't heard.

Gezan - Klue
Taras Bulba - Soul Weaver
Moor Jewelry - True Opera
Kooba Tercu - Proto Tekno

Svalbard - When I Die, Will I Get Better?

Caligula's Horse - Rise Radiant

1/100

Some of these are very obviously NØT TRVE METÅL (Vladislav Delay?!?!?) but I'll allow them.

I thought that might raise an eyebrow or two, but it's noise! Nøise cøvnts.

Limalla - ¿Ké futuro? Directo if live albums count
Faron - Interloper
Cosmic Putrefaction - The Horizons Towards Which Splendour Withers

(17/100)

The rules are:

Everything counts
In small amounts

xp

Live albums are fine btw.

Gareth Davis and Merzbow - Broken Landscapes
Stephen O'Malley - Auflosung der Zeit
Senyawa and Stephen O'Malley - Bima Sakti
Anaal Nathrakh - Endarkenment
Testament - Titans of Creation
Cloudkicker - Solitude
Verval - Beeldenstorm
Desolate Entity - Deconstruction
Gaerea - Limbo

(26/100)

xp yeah it occurred to me, discounting live albums would take the Triptykon out of the running, which I don't think anybody wants to do.

Or the Ahab, for that matter!

i haven't thought about nominating Rakka in here. on board with it

he used to play in metal bands, drums of course; it's documented his staning for all Death Metal Earache; and would anyone be surprised to spot a Beherit hoodie at one of his shows?

Live albums have always been allowed, dont recall if any of them ever get in the poll rundown.

You are all going to vote for Triptykon, right? 😠😠😠 Good.

I dont usually vote for live albums but we'll see.

Is everyone remembering to add their nominations to the collaborative Spotify playlist?

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3a0enQtah5VT4hADz1wdnf?si=qZiCkvMcSWa6hmqOFIcsnw

Triptykon's interesting in that part of what they played live was a new composition.

it feels like it was two years ago that this live album came out. when will 2020 end

for Deftones lovers

Loathe - I Let It In And It Took Everything

(2/100)

Afterbirth - Four Dimensional Flesh
Enslaved - Utgard
Human Impact - Human Impact
Huntsman - Mandala of Fear
Igorrr - Spirituality and Distortion
Intronaut - Fluid Existential Inversions
Darren Korb - Hades: Original Game Soundtrack
Leeched - To Dull the Blades of Your Abuse
The Ocean - Phanerozoic II: Mesozoic | Cenozoic
Voidceremony - Entropic Reflections Continuum: Dimensional Unravel

People should give the Enslaved another chance. It left me cold the first couple of listens, but eventually hit me the right way. I know they're pretty much nothing like they used to be, but I don't see how someone who loves music could not at least appreciate the craft of it even if it didn't resonate emotionally. I don't even know why I gave a new Enslaved release more listens or why I'm suddenly OK with pop-oriented Enslaved, but I'm glad I did. I might even go back and check out the last ten years of releases I skipped.

Igorrr doesn't get much any love around here, but Spirituality & Distortion kicks ass. If tracks Nervous Waltz or Himalaya Massive Ritual don't do it for you, you can probably confidently say you're not a fan and move on, but if you like and haven't heard 2017's Savage Sinusoid (which I also nommed that year, and I think it received one vote in the poll) which is slightly more chaotic and unfocused but probably slightly better for it.

Darren Korb's "Hades" soundtrack is worth checking out. It's on Spotify and Bandcamp. My young daughter who is ambivalent to most hard rock/metal I play absolutely loves it. The game is outstanding as well.

If anyone needs any help due to a bad memory then sites like RYM et al are worth posting links for

https://rateyourmusic.com/charts/top/album/2020/g:metal/

https://www.decibelmagazine.com/2020/11/12/spoiler-here-are-decibels-top-40-albums-of-2020/

Evangelist - Ad Mortem Festinamus

(72/100)

via the above poster

http://www.revolvermag.com/music/25-best-albums-2020

A few more:

Arvalastra – The Key to the Shrine of Putrefaction
Azarath – Saint Desecration
Blasphamagoatachrist – Bastardizing the Purity
Cénotaphe – Monte Verità
Golden Light – Sacred Colour of the Source of Light
Herxheim – Incised Arrival
HWWAUOCH – Protest Against Sanity
Kaunis Kuolematon – Syttyköön toinen aurinko
Live Burial – Unending Futility
Mahr – Maelstrom
My Death Belongs to You – The World Seems to Be Fading
Norrhem – Koitos
Odoacer – There the Vultures Will Gather

(43/100)

200 Stab Wounds – Piles Of Festering Decomposition
Ars Magna Umbrae - Apotheosis
Azath – Through a Warren of Shadow
Azoth – Magnitude of Extinction
Battle Dagorath – Abyss Horizons
Cardiac Arrest – The Day That Death Prevailed
Carnation – Where Death Lies
Cemetery Filth - Dominion
Chepang - Chatta
Coffin Curse – Ceased to Be
Cytotoxin - Nuklearth
Defeated Sanity - The Sanguinary Impetus
Draghkar – At the Crossroads of Infinity
Esoctrilihum – F’htansg
Exocrine - Maelstrom
Expander – Neuropunk Boostergang
Glorious Depravity – Ageless Violence
Judicator – Let There Be Nothing
MAUL – Deity Demise
Medium - Medium
Mesarthim – The Degenerate Era
Mesarthim – Planet Nine
Oil Spill - Ashlands
Solicitor – Spectral Devastation
Spirit Adrift – Enlightened in Eternity
Stormkeep - Galdrum
Thaetas – Shrines to Absurdity
Traveler – Termination Shock
TZOMPANTLI - TLAMNALLI
Ulthar - Providence
Undergang - Aldrig i livet
Visceral Mass – Visceral Mass
Wake - Confluence
Warp Chamber – Implements of Excruciation
Xazraug – Unsympathetic Empyrean
Xenobiotic – Mordrake

(36/100)

Didn't know there was new Mesarthim, I'll have to check those out.

Not to campaign on the noms thread, but if you prefer the first few Elder records to the direction they took after Lore, then the Slift album is for you.

Also:
Bring Me the Axe - Bring Me the Axe

(27/100)

new Mesarthim a clear step down

still worth hearing idk

You guys have most of my noms already covered, but here's a few in consideration for my list that I don't see:

All Them Witches - Nothing as the Ideal
The Atomic Bitchwax - Scorpio
Colour Haze - We Are
Incantation - Sect of Vile Divinities
Kind - Mental Nudge
Konvent - Puritan Masochism
Molassess - Through the Hollow
Nothing - The Great Dismal
Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs - Viscerals
Valkyrie - Fear
-(16)- Dream Squasher

(11/100)

Good list so far, folks.

Keep 'em coming.

So the question really is, would you like a campaign thread now so people can 'study listen' to nominations or leave it for the 2 week voting thread which starts after the big album poll rollout?

I’d be interested in seeing a campaigning thread now to study! And voting after the main poll is customary, right? Always good to discover some new metal in January.

It does give time for late releases in 2020 time to sink in and get past the initial listens to see if it still stands up.

Poll always ran in december but we changed it a few years back for the above reasons but voting usually was open before big poll voting opened but results were after big poll.

I think having voting period after big poll rollout allows 100% concentration on it. Lets see if it helps turn out.

I'll start a campaign thread tonight then, with a link to the spotify playlist that simon helpfully massively expanded.

Im playing catch up on albums now anyway and im sure its the same for a lot of you so why wait for voting period to start it.

I'll post the link below once I've done it, but I want a cup of tea first. Im gasping!

ILM 2020 METAL & HEAVY + Adjacent Albums Poll CAMPAIGNING THREAD IS NOW OPEN

As I lunched doing nominations for the main poll can we pls have -

Motorpsycho - The All Is One

Motorpsycho - The All Is One

(1/100)

Akantha – Gnothi Seauton
Grifteskymfning – Malignant Morningstar
Grifteskymfning – Svart materia
Hate Forest – Hour of the Centaur
Mors Principium Est – Seven
Omination – The Pale Horseman
Sinister Downfall – A Dark Shining Light
Vrenth – Baptism Death

(76/100)

A few Danish ones:

Afsky - Ofte jeg drømmer mig død
Orm - Mit blod
Sol - Bersærk

Sup Fred? Wb.

Haven't heard the last couple but I quite enjoyed the Afsky.

Sup Fred? Wb.

One in, one out ;)

we may as well not officially close noms just yet because there are always people who claim not to have seen the thread and voting wont happen for a few weeks yet

Thee Arcadians - Current Events

Noisy garage punk from Western Mass

(28/100)

Dira Mortis – Ancient Breath of Forgotten Misanthropy

(77/100)

fvck it, it's heavier than the Nothing album that's already nominated:

Black Foxxes - Black Foxxes

Hellripper - The Affair of the Poisons
Midnight Dice - Hypnotized

63/100

Montuln – Arquetipo

(78/100)

one more:

Old Nick - The Night Of The Ambush And The Pillage By The Queen Ann Styl'd Furniture, Animated By One Of The Dozen Or So Spells That Thee Eastern Vampyre Has Studied (T.N.O.T.A.A.T.P.B.T.Q.A.S.F.A.B.O.O.T.D.O.S.S.T.T.E.V.H.S)TYER

err nix that "TYER" at the end. boy that title sure is long and silly with those extra four characters tacked on!

More metal bands should channel Fiona Apple.

Vuur & Zijde / Impavida – Vuur & Zijde / Impavida

(79/100)

I think that's it.

One last big dump if that's okay as several of these I thought I had already nominated or just assumed other people would (looks like someone else mentioned Cirith Ungol above, but it wasn't added to the spreadsheet so I'm listing it again just to cover our bases).

Nucleus / Ectoplasma / Fetid Zombie / Temple of Void - 4 Doors To Death Vol. II (Split)
Atræ Bilis - Divinihility
Beneath the Massacre - Fearmonger
Bloodsoaked Necrovoid - Expelled into the Unknown Depths of the Unfathomable
Cirith Ungol - Forever Black
Contrarian - Only Time Will Tell
Cordyceps - Betrayal
Deeds of Flesh - Nucleus
Depravity - Grand Malevolence
Deranged - Deeds of Ruthless Violence
Foul - Of Serpents
Gorephilia - In The Eye of Nothing
Hemotoxin - Restructure the Molded Mind
Intellect Devourer - Demons Of The Skull
Katalepsy - Terra Mortuus Est
Miasmatic Necrosis - Apex Profane
Old Nick – Haunted Loom!!!
Ominous Scriptures - The Fall of the Celestial Throne
Possessed Steel - Aedris
Psychotic Waltz - The God-Shaped Void
Psycroptic - The Watcher Of All
Sépulcre - Ascent Through Morbid Transcendence
Voracious Scourge - In Death

(86/100)

No idea what happened there, re: Cirith Ungol, so thanks for the heads up!

still open for noms.

one more then . . .
Putrid Pile - Revel in Lunacy

(87/100)

HELL YEA

Nah, Hell Yeah didn't release anything this year

btw I think noms will be open til sat or sunday. Depends when seandalai sets up the voting form and weekends might not be a great time for him

Lie In Ruins - Floating in Timeless Streams

4/100

A couple more days left to nominate

Some more noms:

Growth - The Smothering Arms of Mercy
Dopelord - Sign of the Devil
Rotting Kingdom - A Deeper Shade of Sorrow
Abigor - Totschläger (A Saintslayer's Songbook)
Messiah - Fracmont
Valgrind - Condemnation
Proscription - Conduit
Mercyless - The Mother of All Plagues
The Spirit - Cosmic Terror
Bear Mace - Charred Field of Slaughter
Hydra - From Light to the Abyss
Häxanu - Snare of All Salvation
Ad Vitam Infernal - Infernal Comedy
Arsebreed - Butoh
Diabolic - Mausoleum of the Unholy Ghost
Jupiterian - Protosapien
Induced - Coproporeal
The Spirit Cabinet - Bloodlines
Oldowan Gash - Hubris Unchained

I'll add 'em in a bit.

Can we add, please:

Glorious Depravity - Ageless Violence

Saigan Terror - Anatomy Of Saigan
Cro-Mags In The Beginning
Mindforce - Swingin Swords Choppin Lords
Three Knee Deep - Three Knee Deep
CCR Headcleaner - Street Riffs
Turnstile x Mall Grab - Share A View
Hum - Inlet
Expander - Neuropunk Boostergang
Fu Manchu - Fu30 Pt 1
Nudie Mag - Our Milk
Omerta - Hyperviolence

sorry it's
Cro-Mags - In The Beginning

I don't think I heard any noteworthy melodic doom or stoner LPs in 2020.

last hours one assumes for nominating. Hoping to get voting started monday

I don't think I heard any noteworthy melodic doom or stoner LPs in 2020.

Fab album

Noms will close in 55 mins

xp Yeah this is what I need thx