2017 may be remembered as the final curtain for true founders of heavy metal in Black Sabbath, but that's not to say that it hasn't been a banner year for the genre. By my unprofessional opinion, 2017 has been a fu**ing stellar year, with everything from thrash to death metal, black and avant-garde, sludge and hardcore all prominently featured. We thank you, O merciful and generous metal gods! It's a difficult and thankless endeavour narrowing down all of the vicious tunes I've ingested over this past year. We're all bound to piss off a host of metal fans with our choices, but I'm of the firm belief that opinions are like assholes, and mine is as likely to stink as the next guy's.
With that said, here are my top 10 albums of 2017. And have a Merry Metal Christmas and a Hardcore Holiday!
10. Goatwhore – Vengeful Ascension
These guys have been churning out punishing blackened death metal for 20 years now, and I'd argue that Vengeful Ascension stands up with the cream of their lengthy discography. The album is one ferocious punch to the senses after the other. The title track, Lovecraft-themed "Chaos Arcane" and pulverizing "Drowned in Grim Rebirth" are all epic wins. While they may straddle the line between black and death metal a little too finely to cater to diehards of either sub-genre, there is an endless wealth of murky, aggressive lyrics and punishing riffs to win over a sizeable chunk of fans eager for something a little less formulaic.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N80L292X4gk[/youtube]
9. Kreator – Gods of Violence
For my money, Kreator are one the most undervalued group in all of thrash metal. Pedigree-wise, I'd rank them just on the outskirts of Big Four territory, right in the same zone as Exodus and Testament. Pleasure to Kill ranks highly among the more influential albums in the early days of the genre, and while there have been ups and downs over the decades, the four-piece have largely churned out consistently excellent material. Their 2017 LP Gods of Violence, their first new album since 2012's Phantom Antichrist, serves up much of the same relentless riffage fans have come to love, with a decidedly ominous tone on standout cuts "Satan Is Real" and title-track "Gods of Violence". "Hail to the Hordes", "World War Now" and "Totalitarian Terror" are three of the more infectious tracks the band have unleashed in a decade.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUv8GxrqXPk[/youtube]
8. Pallbearer – Heartless
Slowing things down a step, Pallbearer have fast become my go-to fix for modern-day doom. Three years removed from their criminally underrated sophomore album Foundations of Burden, the Little Rock atmospheric wizards have really come into their own with their third studio outing, Heartless. Clocking in at a lean 59 minutes, the seven-track opus shifts from a stinging operatic melancholy with cuts like "Lie of Survival", "Dancing in Madness" and "Thorns", to the trip-inducing psychedelic tones of "A Plea For Understanding". There's a more polished and progressive feel throughout, while never sacrificing on creative output or tapered aggression. You can pick your poison in terms of standout tracks, as there is truly no wasted space to be found across the entire disc, but "I Saw The End" and the sludgy guitar-work of "Cruel Road" earn particularly high marks on my unofficial scorecard of awesomeness.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNl_18Kr56g[/youtube]
7. Cavalera Conspiracy – Psychosis
Being a massive fan of early Sepultura, Soulfly and Nailbomb may make me a touch bias, but I honestly feel like Max and Igor Cavalera can do no wrong. Four albums deep into the 10 year reunion of the impossibly talented Brazilian brothers, there is no indications of fatigue or retread. Psychosis is a kick to the guts with steel-toed workbooks from the onset. Leadoff singles "Insane" and "Spectral War" are destined to be played at C.C. shows for the long haul. This is heavy, neck-cracking metal that has been fine-tuned to mechanical precision. The frenzied pace of "Terror Tactics" and pulverizing album closer "Excruciating" are prime Cavalera, and remind fans why we have pledged our allegiance for this long. As a sidenote, the addition of Godflesh vocalist Justin Broadrick to deep cut "Hellfire" is some genius collaboration.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLal1s6Wv_o[/youtube]
6. Code Orange – Forever
Has their been a metal band that have burst onto the scene in quite a way as Code Orange in 2017? They've nabbed a f***ing Grammy nomination of all things (remember when those meant something?), and that's an encouraging step in the right direction for a group with no sealing in sight. Realistically, this is no overnight success story, but man has this past 12 months been meteoric for the five-piece hardcore punk outfit. There really are no weak links across the entire 11 tracks – the bulk of the attention has gone to album opener "Forever", which expertly merges the best of hardcore and metal. A more approachable mainstream hit like "Bleeding in the Blur" shows off a welcomed versatility, which is all the more impressive when paralleled with the mind-f***ery of "The Mud" and industrial tinted "No One Is Untouchable". Make these guys your next binge addiction.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ9JVxQVQy4[/youtube]
5. Moonspell – 1755
You don't have to speak Portuguese to feel the emotional heft that Moonspell brings to the table with their epic new album 1755. Epic is a word we use quite a bit when referring to the sovereign sons of Portuguese metal, but this latest work, which is recorded entirely in their native tongue, is a special beast entirely. The concept album chronicles the 1755 earthquake, subsequent fires and tsunamis, and total destruction of Lisbon, Portugal, which claimed the lives of upwards to 100,000 souls. The pain and anger conveyed from frontman Fernando Riberiro transcends any language barrier – this is particularly so in album opener "Em Nome do Medo". This is an album best experienced in a single sitting, front to back. The Goth metal masters take you on one hell of a journey. Tracks like "Todos Os Santos", "Evento" and "Desastre" pile on the aggression to perfectly compliment the weighty subject matter. This is Moonspell at the height of their creativity and one of the years most unique, standout works. Genre be damned.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ff54AQaDGbs[/youtube]
4. Cradle of Filth Cryptoriana – The Seductiveness of Decay
I'd imagine for some Cradle of Filth are an acquired taste, or one akin to choking on bile. I completely emphasize with this who don't relate with Dani Filth's particular brand of Gothic dialled up to the extreme, but like the ghosts that haunt their discography, there is just something endearing and bewitching about the lot. A homage to the Victorian Gothic era, Cryptoriana – The Seductiveness of Decay, just may be one of Cradle's more complete works in years. The guitar-work is more full and dynamic, the band as a whole more in-sync, and the epic tendencies we've come to expect hit on all the appropriate notes. Filth more than holds up his end of the bargain as the shrieking, enigmatic frontman – his return collaboration with "Nymphetamine's" Liv Kristine, "Vengeful Spirit", is particularly wonderful. Longtime followers will enjoy favourable cuts "Heartbreak and Seance", "Achingly Beautiful" and "You Will Know the Lion by His Claw". As a side, anyone lucky enough to nab the digital or vinyl version will be treated to a fresh take on the Annihilator classic, "Alison Hell".
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNRIaeg6EyY[/youtube]
3. Municipal Waste – Slime and Punishment
It took five long years for crossover thrash masters Municipal Waste to churn out a booze soaked new record, and by god did they hit the mark with Slime and Punishment. This is 28 minutes of non-stop, thrash foolishness – a cocktail of sweat, puke and, well, slime. Municipal Waste is everything that modern thrash isn't. They defy preconceptions and standards with nonsense lyrics and songwriting, themes that serve in stark contrast to their grim and angsty contemporaries, and above all, seem like they're having a f***ing blast in everything they do. Slime and Punishment, objectively, is the band's best album since their seminal 2007 barn-burner The Art of Partying. "Breathe Grease", "Amateur Sketch", "Bourbon Discipline", "Shrednecks" and "Excessive Celebration" are all top of the line thrash tracks and should be a staple of any honest fans playlist. Put these guys on, dial it up to 11 and go ballistic. It's what this stuff was made for.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwEf-1NkIpg[/youtube]
2. Ne Obliviscaris – Urn
I shamefully admit to being totally unaware of Ne Obliviscaris before this album. Jesus, these guys are something special. Prog meshed with extreme metal meshed with epic gloriousness. Urn is on a shortlist of the most immersive and captivating listening experience I've had in years. The combination of Xenoyr's growled vocals, the near angelic paring of vocalist Tim Charles, duelling epic lead guitar with violin of all things! "Liberia, Pt. I: Saturine Spheres" and "Intra Venus" are as close to an example you'll find of metal poetry. Brutal yet delicate, rough yet refined. It's that juxtaposition that have earned Ne Obliviscaris a permanent spot on my playlist. For those who are looking for a little bit extra out of your heavy metal, an added layer of complexity, this is that next brave step.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgUn4EKLMnU[/youtube]
1. Mastodon – Emperor of Sand
It was a damn challenge not throwing Cold Dark Place on this list, but I am of the opinion that EPs deserve their own special acknowledgement outside the realm of full-length LPs. The question has been bounced around this past year – have Mastodon become martyrs for mainstream metal, crossing over into the dreaded radio-replay territory? And while "Show Yourself" does have all the infectious earspin trappings of what you'd find on any year-end rock list, there is no mistaking that Emperor of Sand is a f***ing triumph for a band that has seen its fair share. While it would be easy to do a track-by-track breakdown of what makes this album great, Emperor of Sand is best savoured as a whole, examined by the sum of its parts. Conceptually, there's the timeless idea of grappling with loss, death and survival. It's sludgy, psychedelic and at times relentlessly experimental and mind-bending. "Sultan's Curse", "Roots Remain", "Steambreather" and "Jaguar God" are all must-listens for any long-serving Mastodon fan, or just about anyone with a wide appreciation of metal.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClZIQ-B__gQ[/youtube]
