You could say that end-of-the-year lists are nothing more than an arbitrary and pointless exercise in cred building and you would not be wrong. But even so, I dig ‘em to no end. The year end format is basically a music writer’s dream. Finally, you can just sit there and rattle off one cool and obscure record after the other without the pretense of context. This is pretty much what most music writers aspire to get paid for. It’s the end of the year. That’s enough for me. And if you’re reading this, then apparently it’s enough for you too.
So, without further delay, here are my favorite albums of 2015!
6. Abyssal Antikatastaseis
Death metal has reached Peak Murk in recent years (Hello, Grave Upheaval!), with swarms of Incantation clones hellbent on out-gurgling each other into muddy oblivion. So it’s very nice to hear a death metal album that can actually throw some damn hooks into the mix while still checking all the grim boxes.
Favorite Track: "The Cornucopian"
5. Big|Brave Au De La
Have you ever listened to a Bjork album and thought, “Hmmmm…. It would be great if Bjork was in a hardcore band?” Well, this is exactly that. Monolithic, atonal guitars pound out marching rhythms while Robin Watties' desperate wail ties itself in pretzels above the chaos. Impossible to pin down, this album will push buttons you didn’t know were there.
Favorite Track: "Look At How The World Has Made A Change"
4. Thy Catafalque Sgùrr
When I was a kid living overseas in the 90s, the only English channel we got was MTV Europe, which meant that any heavy music I got to hear was sandwiched in between hour-long blocks of dance pop. This is the most accurate distillation of that experience that I have ever heard. I’m not even sure what to call this (blackened folk pop?) but it’s trippy as hell and it rules.
Favorite Track: "Oldódó formák…"
3. Ragana Wash Away
After two promising but scattershot releases, this all-female Oakland troupe finally delivers the emotionally bruising, crusty blackened epic I was hoping for. Effortlessly shifting from raging, doomy riffs to delicate interludes, this album is like staring into a sunbeam. It’s beautiful but it hurts like a motherfucker.
Favorite Track: "Frail Flame"
2. Howls of Ebb The Marrow Veil
You could just submit the cover art in lieu of an actual review and it might actually be an even more accurate description. This is stringy, wet, clattering death metal that just oozes weird, repetitious riffs and rubbery bass lines from its infected maw. There may only be a little over 30 minutes of music here, but I guarantee that every one of them is absolutely gold. More like this please!
Favorite Track: "Iron Laurels, Woven In Rust"
1. Black Twilight Circle Desert Dances and Serpent Sermons
While this is technically a four-band split, it’s no mere throwaway compilation. Crepusculo Negro recording artists and Black Twilight Circle members Volahn, Shataan, Arizmenda, and Kallathon, have crafted a real individual album with clear and burning vision. Shrugging off the worn and dusty mantle of their Scandinavian forebears, Desert Dances takes you on a bizarre journey into the deserts of the American southwest and Mexico, where black metal is warped and twisted by the sands and by long forgotten gods. This is essential listening.
Favorite Track: Shataan – “Caminando del Destino / Desert Smoke / Wells Run Dry”
Biggest Disappointment:
Obsequiae – Aria of Vernal Tombs
Despite giving this a favorable review last May, it just hasn’t stuck with me in the months since. Maybe it’s the songs that seem to run into one another, the unimaginative drumming, or the weak production that seems to be trying to hide it, but this just hasn’t had the same effect as the still-magnificent Suspended in the Brume of Eos. We all make mistakes. Just don’t wait another four years until you try again, OK guys?
A Few Random Things I’m Glad I Discovered This Year:
Skaven — This band has replaced Bolt Thrower as my crusty war cry of choice.
Epsom salt baths — These really do work wonders on a back and neck destroyed by years of head banging.
The Angelic Process — I don’t know how they got this guitar tone but I want to bury myself in it. The most emotionally devastating music I’ve heard in years.
Long sleeve metal shirts — I’ve always been a t-shirt guy but I turn 30 next month and one thing I’ve noticed is that I’m cold all the time. These have been a lifesaver.
Stone Breath — This is not metal, sure, but if you like those little acoustic instrumentals on your folk metal albums that you play for your non-metal crush that you have somehow convinced to enter your apartment, you will love this.
Asunder — John Gossard is the devil. Show me a funeral doom album as emotive as A Clarion Call and I will eat my socks. One of the best albums of the 00's.
Nightgaunt Graphics — This one-man, Oakland-based outfit makes some truly awesome screen-printed band tees. I’ve actually gotten into bands just so I can order some of these shirts (Hence, Skaven).
That’s it everyone! Thanks for stopping by my particular end-of-the-year fireside chat. F*ck 2015 and I’ll see you next time!
Best wishes for a new year,
Your pal Dan!
