Swearing can be a crutch when it comes to writing, but sweet shit-fucking merciful Christ in hell, this was a terrible fucking year. I don't need to go into much detail because it's pretty much impossible to exist in this world and not feel that something is deeply wrong, but it seems like every day brings fresh horror and fewer reason to believe in the future. Maybe it's having a day job that requires me to be online all day, but it feels as though there's something very dark churning just below the surface, and it's growing stronger every day. It would almost be kind of metal if it weren't so abjectly horrifying.
You'd think metal's generally negative subject matter wouldn't offer much relief from this horror but I've found that it's become more of a refuge than ever and release for all the negativity that builds up throughout the day. Metal, as they say, fucking saves. So yeah, here are the albums that have damn near saved my life this year. Give 'em a listen and they just might save yours.
10. Vesicant – Shadows of Cleansing Iron
Every year you need at least one suffocating and cavernous black/death album on your list and this year it's Vesicant. Sprung from the minds of two-man Australian wrecking crew Profanum and Mordance, the later of which has pulled drum duty in Impetuous Ritual and the monstrous Temple Nightside, Shadows of Cleansing Iron is the perfect soundtrack for being slowly crushed to death by a lumbering iron colossus. The guitar tone, which sounds like the inside of a collapsing star, is nearly enough to warrant a purchase on it's own, but it's also wrapped around some surprisingly dynamic compositions.
9. Worthless Life – Conscious in Coma
Not all depressive black metal has to sound like it was recorded at the end of a long hallway lined with tin cans to be effective and Worthless Life is proof. Conscious in Coma is clean and lush without sounding overproduced or losing its sense of sadness and desperation. With a strong emphasis on synths and melody, the cheese factor is a little higher here than some black metal fans like but depressive black metal fans looking for something a little different will get a kick out of this. Plus that artwork is cool as hell.
8. Ragana – You Take Nothing
In many ways the perfect band for these dark times, Ragana remain an unclassifiable ball of rage on their fourth full-length, You Take Nothing. Sometimes black metal, sometimes crust, sometimes doom or even alternative rock, this duo masterfully weaves many threads together into a sound that they can confidently call their own, and they've only gotten better with each release. Any fan of extreme music owes it to themselves to hear this incredibly special band.
7. Succumb – Succumb
Succumb's brand of twisting and amorphous death metal is as tightly composed as any you'll find, but the real icing on the cake here are the vocals of Cheri Musrasrik, whose hardcore punk-tinged orations take this material to another level. Her hoarse bellowing sounds like the ravings of a mental patient trapped in a fever dream, and frankly, it's awesome. Combine that with a band that plays like they could punch a hole through the earth and you've got a deserving addition to any Year End list.
6. Emyn Muil – Elenion Ancalima
I'm a total sucker for the Summoning/Caladan Brood brand of synth-y orchestral black metal, and with neither of those projects releasing anything new this year, something had to fill the void, and fortunately Emyn Muil was there to slake my thirst. This one-man band couldn't possibly worship Summoning any more (he even appeared on a tribute to the Austrian masters last year) but it's one hell of an impression, complete with some of the most beautiful melodies the genre has to offer.
5. Tomb Mold – Primordial Malignity
Oh no, not another Old School Death Metal album! Look, I'm SORRY. I know this stuff isn't revolutionary but Tomb Mold do it better than most and goddammit there's just something undeniably FUN about their bouncy, twangy approach to this well-worn sound. Plus they fucking murder it live. What else do you want me to say? This hasn't left my rotation for months and I don't really see that changing any time soon.
4. Devilgroth – Ivan Grozny (Narcoleptica Recordings)
This band just never stops surprising me. I first heard Devilgroth on their 2010 demo Sibur, and believe me when I say that they were truly horrendous. Barely tuned guitars, solos where the guitarist seemed to be repeatedly fucking up and starting over, garbage production… But there were enough intriguing riffs to keep me coming back and over the years I saw them evolve into a competent, and eventually interesting, raw black metal band, culminating with last year's epic Morena, an album brimming with off-kilter melodies and churning riffage. On their new full-length—based on the life and rule of Tsar Ivan the Terrible—the duo of Alexey Prolygin and Ruslan Ismailov has taken the project another step forward, embracing their strange ear for melody and incorporating a Root-like sense of occult dread. Just check out the spacey and trance-like "Messenger of God" to see what I mean. Their reach still (thrillingly) exceeds their grasp on occasion but the results are still mesmerizing.
3. Amenra – Mass VI
Belgium's Amenra make riffs in one size and one size only, and that size is fucking HUGE. Seriously, every riff on here sounds like an entire ocean of tears and blood crashing down on you. Even if post-metal-doom-hardcore-whatever isn't your bag (and it's never really been mine) the power and emotion on display on here is undeniable. How vocalist Colin H. Van Eeckhout hasn't ruptured every artery in his body by now is completely beyond me. Do yourself a favor and check out their live show as well. It's, uh, definitely something.
2. Bolt Gun – Man is Wolf to Man
I'd never heard of Australia's Bolt Gun before this, but they came out of nowhere late in the year to surprise the heck out of me with this incredibly moving two-track album. Mixing ambient electronics with black metal, funeral doom vocals, and the dreamy melodies of Corrupted's later work, Bolt Gun drifts gently along through an apocalyptic landscape that feels utterly barren, lonely, and damaged beyond repair. Man is Wolf to Man is a true journey. Listeners looking to head bang themselves into oblivion should probably look elsewhere, but if you want your soul completely broken then this is just the thing for you.
1. Big | Brave – Ardor
Montreal's Big | Brave are hardly anyone's idea of a conventional metal band (the drummer looks like he's about to try to sell me a jar of homemade switchel) but they're as heavy as anything on the planet right now. Over three tracks, the trio takes chaotic masses of feedback and simply pounds them into submission, forming a foundation of devastating atonal riffs for the silvery vocals of Robin Wattie. The effect is not entirely unlike what would happen if Björk decided to front some kind of mutant post-hardcore band. Ardor is simultaneously relaxing, anxiety-inducing, and destructive all at the same time, and it's unlike anything in heavy music today.
So that's it folks! 2017 can go burn in a ditch somewhere. See you all next time!
