“The Ride Majestic continues the slow and subtle evolution of the Soilwork sound; sounding fuller, richer and shinier than all that have gone before. In a career of great albums, the aptly named The Ride Majestic is truly outstanding.”
“While the main focus is still here in the now frontier, by opening the floodgates, Parkway have allowed themselves to write a batch of great metal songs that reference classic rock, traditional metal, 90’s groove metal and metalcore while still sounding resolutely and proudly Parkway.”
18. Dragged Into Sunlight / Gnaw Their Tongues – ‘N.V.’ (Prosthetic)
“A genuinely effective whole, the Noise elements are relatively subtly played, often used to accentuate and highlight the Metal rather than entomb them. Whether judged as a collaboration between two artists with similar aesthetic goals or as an album in its own right, N.V. is an unrestrained success”
17. Bring Me The Horizon – ‘That’s The Spirit’ (RCA/Columbia)
“That’s The Spirit is Horizon maturing into a fine young adult, confident, strong and secure in themselves and the knowledge that they are now master craftsmen. Successfully combining every good aspect of alternative rock and metal of the last fifteen years, That’s The Spirit is Bring Me The Horizon’s ‘Black Album’ moment.”
Exemplary progressive stoner metal, with meticulous dynamics and depth, breadth, power, restraint, and mountainous music that builds to an almighty epic of a crescendo
15. Between The Buried And Me – ‘Coma Ecliptic’ (Metal Blade)
Ghost Cult Album of the Month –October “The record that they were always promising to make but you weren’t sure was possible, on Coma Ecliptic, Between the Buried and Me have exceeded all expectations and delivered not only the album of their careers but one of the most monumental ambitious rock concept pieces this side of Operation Mindcrime.”
14. Gloryhammer – ‘Space 1992: Rise Of The Chaos Wizards’ (Napalm)
“Gloryhammer are ridiculously entertaining. If you somehow manage to listen to new album Space 1992: Rise of the Chaos Wizards without grinning like an idiot all the way through it, then quite simply, you’re getting Metal wrong.”
13. A Forest Of Stars – ‘Beware The Sword You Cannot See’ (Lupus Lounge/Prophecy)
“Enthralling storytelling and atmosphere, as well as explorations into psychedelic territory and pastoral folk amid the crushing black metal dynamics; fourth effort Beware the Sword You Cannot See is an unabashed masterpiece.”
“Clear, soulful tones elevate the songs above the rest of their stoner/doom brethren and vocal lines will lodge in your head for days after. An excellent comeback album from a band that has been away for far too long. Let’s hope they decide to keep this motor running for a little longer this time around.”
“There are no throw away songs on this album, and every track rewards repeated listens. Crooked Doors is the sound of pressure cooking sand into glass and then into diamonds, all with an alchemy fuelled by magic and loss.”
Part three of the Ghost Cult Magazine countdown to our Album of 2015.
And now the end is near, and so we face 2015’s final curtain, and once more the Ghost Cult army got together to vote for their favourites. The results? Over 20 writers pitched and voted on over 220 albums ranging from indie pop to the most horrific savage tentacle laden death metal showing the depth, breadth and class of the official Ghost Cult Album of the Year for 2015.
The countdown (to extinction) continues…
30. Tribulation – ‘The Children Of The Night’ (Century Media)
“The Children of the Night, save for snarled vocals and horror themed lyrics, is a classic heavy metal record, far more interested in melody and catchy songs than aggression and violence; a brave record from an exceedingly talented set of musicians who are just that more subtle when it comes to what style of darkness works best.”
“…something has happened here; an unsettling event or rite of passage, propelling this captivating outfit to the stars without drastically changing their identity. In doing so it has enabled the band to create its most sombre, hypnotic, emotive and supreme piece of work.”
28. Steven Wilson – ‘Hand. Cannot. Erase’ (KScope)
“Where The Raven… was mysterious and downright grave emotionally, the new album is poignant and uplifting almost all the way through. Even in somber moments, the songs have an underlying feeling of hopefulness that defies the melancholy. Wilson is a master delivering the unbridled beast of a song in a beautiful package.”
“Seething with a fulminating ire, yet showing unexpected versatility; if you’re pissed off with parents and / or bullies, but don’t want an ignominious revenge to stick you on the front pages, exercise your frustration with these guys instead.”
26. Drudkh – ‘A Furrow Cut Short’ (Season of Mist)
“Like all great Drudkh releases, this is an album that reveals more with every listen, a rousing yell of defiance backed by a passionate beating heart. Tenth full-length release A Furrow Cut Short is one of their finest efforts to date.”
25. Heart of a Coward – ‘Deliverance’ (Century Media)
“Writing this review is a bit like trying to make conversation with a devastatingly attractive woman – all I could initially think of to write about each song was “Fucking Brilliant”. In summary, Deliverance is a stunning piece of work that can only be criticised for coming to an end. More of this please lads.”
24. Nile – ‘What Should Not Be Unearthed’ (Nuclear Blast)
“Death jams like ‘In the Name of Amun’ and ‘Age of Famine’ give way to breadth and dizzying tempo changes, the kind of searing death metal that recalls prime Morbid Angel. If the prog fans and metal elitists can get past the death grunts and learn to love the blast beat they may just find a band fawn over other than Dream Theater.”
“A sprawling mini-opus, one that tells us much of where this band can really go musically in the future. While not as groundbreaking or original as Sunbather, which any band would be challenged to follow, New Bermuda hits you in all the right G-spots musically and emotionally for one of 2015’s undoubtedly finest releases.”
22. mgla – ‘Exercises In Futility’ (Northern Heritage)
“Despite the overwhelming misanthropy that is conveyed, the seamless flow and rousing melodies are emotive and enriching. It’s an album crafted with passion and dedication, which is overtly evident in their music. Mgła have honed a pioneering sound that is now getting the recognition it so very much deserves.”
Ghost Cult Album of the Month – June “The boys have put out one monster of a record. Don’t drink the Kool-Aid, get yourself a gallon of Pike Juice instead and keep an eye out for an upcoming tour date near you.”
Part two of the Ghost Cult Magazine countdown to our Album of 2015.
And now the end is near, and so we face 2015’s final curtain, and once more the Ghost Cult army got together to vote for their favourites. The results? Over 20 writers pitched and voted on over 220 albums ranging from indie pop to the most horrific savage tentacle laden death metal showing the depth and breadth of the official Ghost Cult Album of the Year for 2015.
The countdown (to extinction) continues…
40. Arcturus – ‘Arcturion’ (Prophecy)
“Once again every track has its own theme and spirit – the “carnivalesque” sound that has been part of their image since LMI is still present… but in terms of musical excellence and thematic power it matches or even exceeds that classic album. Whether or not you’ve ever engaged with Arcturus before, do so now.”
39. Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats – ‘The Night Creeper’ (Rise Above)
“Throw (it) on at the end of a long day and just let fuzz consume your mind…The Night Creeper is an album worthy of a place in your doom collection. It’s got all of the darkness and foreboding of regular doom but without putting you (me) to sleep.”
A swirling, enchanting brew of post-rock with touches of blackened metal and psychedelic swirls, as melancholia most vivid is wrapped in progressive motions and dreamy epics and delivered to the sub-conscious in swathes.
37. Cloud Rat – ‘Qliphoth’ (Halo of Flies)
“Qliphoth is a snapshot of a ferociously dedicated and hardworking band continuing to carve out their own unique sense of what Grindcore can be. Cloud Rat have offered something both rare and interesting, and have made themselves genuinely the best new Grindcore band in years in the process.”
A cocktail of stoner, progressive and doom metal, unafraid to stretch it’s mighty wings to allow an epic to pound and unfold, and proud to worship at the altar of The Riff.
35. Melechesh – ‘Enki’ (Nuclear Blast)
“If ‘Ethnic Metal’ is a poor fit for Melechesh’s music, Black Metal is almost as inappropriate. The snarled vocals and trebly guitars put it superficially in that style, but the song-writing owes more to classic Thrash and Heavy Metal, filtered through the ever-present Mediterranean voice.”
Album of the Month – November “Puscifer delivers money shot after money shot in the form of aural enjoyment. So, instead of pounding away at your keyboard on social media bitching about the next Tool album, maybe you should hit up YouTube and try out Puscifer.”
33. Black Breath – ‘Slaves Beyond Death’ (Southern Lord)
“Produced by Kurt Ballou, the album crawls, kicks, stamps, and screams abuse into your face, pulverizing you in a variety of different ways; never dull with the slower parts merely serving to accentuate the chaotic flurries of speed and aggression when they do arrive.”
32. Cradle of Filth – ‘Hammer of the Witches’ (Nuclear Blast)
“Hammer Of The Witches is a competent enough album by a band who know exactly what they’re doing, and fans of their most recent material will find something worth listening to here, but those still waiting for a return to former glories may need to decide whether we’re happy to settle for the next best thing”
31. Nightwish – ‘Endless Forms Most Beautiful’ (Nuclear Blast)
“Nightwish, the rulers of symphonic metal have returned and are ready to take over the world with their new album Endless Forms Most Beautiful. Trying to pick out highlights from this album is like trying to pick needles out of a stack of predominantly needles – there is not a strand of hay in sight.”
And now the end is near, and so we face 2015’s final curtain, and once more the Ghost Cult army got together to vote for their favourites. The results? More than 20 writers pitched and voted on over 220 albums ranging from indie pop to the most horrific savage tentacle laden death metal showing the depth, breadth of the official Ghost Cult Album of the Year for 2015.
The votes have been cast, the dust has settled… let the countdown commence…
50. Liturgy – ‘The Ark Work’ (Thrill Jockey)
“Despite what you may have heard, The Ark Work is neither the ultimate transformation of stupid music into art nor the final betrayal of Metal’s values by the poser hordes. It is, however, one of the boldest, most distinctive and utterly unflinching Metal albums you’ll hear all year”
“A startling, spellbinding piece of work. Having given us Sabbath, Napalm Death, Godflesh, and Anaal Nathrakh, Birmingham – and Khost – has just provided Metal’s latest evolution.”
“A strong, distinctive album with its own character and some genuinely excellent songwriting and works well as both an introduction to one of the most genuinely interesting metal bands of the last twenty years and an album in its own right.”
“Rather than fifty minutes of a constant snare and uninspiring distorted low tuned guitars, Rivers of Nihil have really focused on expanding, adding more atmosphere and a dynamic to keep a hold.”
“Now that they can’t be pigeonholed to djent or the “Sumerian sound” it leaves Periphery open to be viewed for what they truly are, a brilliant metal band. ”
“When I cranked this album on my laptop the last thing I expected was the musical equivalent of Joy Division on a collision course with Cave In, but what a lovely wreck it turned out to be.”
44. Gorod – ‘A Maze of Recycled Creeds’ (Listenable/Unique Leader)
“Complete with Gorod’s signature Bossa Nova-infused jazzy riffs and complex arrangements, A Maze of Recycled Creeds stands not only as Gorod’s crowning achievement, but also that of 2015.”
Lyndsey O’Connor
43. Shape of Despair – ‘Monotony Fields’ (Season of Mist)
‘Monotony Fields’ adds a touch of light to the overwhelming darkness of Funeral Doom yet, far from trivialising it, only increases its power to move and intrigue. This is as refreshing as it is heartfelt and affecting.”
“Bell Witch continue to confound, enthral, terrify and move in equal measure; and in creating a second album of such weight and emotion prove themselves peerless.”
“Armed with 12 new ditties toasting humanity’s self-destruction, the new Slayer album is a complex one. Overall Repentless is an enjoyable, fierce album that sounds essentially like a Slayer album should.”
From Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Sea Witch’s double cassette release of maritime influenced, nautical doom metal, blends a range of heavy atmospherics, folk and drone elements. Completely instrumental, this duo command the tides and drench your lips in the sea’s salty brine.
For the price I paid for this tape with shipping, I probably could have bought Sleep’sDopesmoker on vinyl but I like to think it was all worth it. For a stumble upon type find, Usnea, a sludgy mess of funeral, death and doom from Portland, Oregon are signed to Relapse and are reminiscent of bands like Lycus, Pallbearer, early Atriarch and Montreal’s Ensorcelor. It’s smouldering build of pent up rage and sadness colossally overpowers and pins you back under the weight of its single 14:19 track.
This experimental, occult black metal tape from Nashville, Tennessee bleeds with crackle and distain. Alraune’s vile self-titled EP sounds like Deathspell Omega played by crusties which could not be anything less than fucking awesome. Look out for their upcoming full length The Process OF Self Immolation on CD via Profound Lore and LP via Gilead Media.
“The idea that metal has lost it’s roots is nothing new. I’m sure you’ve heard it too. The complaints that metal has become way too polished and stylized these days. A sound which no layer of grit on your latest vinyl can compete with. I understand why bands do it too, but if these people would just quit their whining, they’ll realize there are plenty of talented bands out there that strive for the same dirty ascetic of their predecessors, who just happened to have limiting recording options. Take the first release from psych doom stoners, Wolf Blood from Burning World/Roadburn Records for instance…..” Click here to read the full review. (https://ghostcultmag.com/wolf-blood-wolf-blood/)
This tape was brought to my attention by fellow scribe @Berneau_Berns of Echoes and Dust. An essential for the the thrasher in all of us, this blazing riff powerhouse helps you dig your grave straight to Hell. “Constant Graving,” the title track has been on repeat for me all year. I just can’t get enough of this Toronto thrash madness!
I think American might just be one of the black metal bands to look out for of the past year. With the rising popularity atmospheric black metal bands like Ash Borer and the bloom of darker striations from the hardcore scene such as Full of Hell, American seems to nestle somewhere nicely in-between.
When feeling a tad too oppressed by the straight and narrow, it’s time to stretch every boundary and take in one of this years most obscurely evil, sonic experiences. Lord Time’s tape, A Destiny of Death is split between two pieces of about 22 minutes each. Black metal flows through it but not in the old school sense. There’s too many layers and staggered tempos to headband to a proper guitar riff but that’s sort of what I look for in a tape. A solid experience over definable tracks. A Destiny of Death was released on Universal Consciousness.
Phoenix, Arizona’s sludge/doom metal overlords, Funerary are akin to Unsea (recommended above,) Loss and up and comers Hush. this year. Infusing some psychedelic atmospherics and clearly defined guitar tones amidst the grey of bleakness, they’ve been featured on CVLT Nation’s Doom Nation Vol. V: MMXIV Edition mixtape and are a must to check out this year if you haven’t already.
You never know what might happen when you mix too many genres. What might sometimes be frowned upon seems to be working for these guys. In the case of San Fransisco’s Ambersmoke – Wear Your Love Like Heaven, atmospheric black metal elements, coupled with gothic synth, drone and walls of noise trick your body into dancing at times and swaying nervously at others. Unfortunately, the tape is already completely sold out, but the digital download is worth the $1.
Norway’s Töxik Death, trash back, speed demon style with their latest EP Speed Metal Hell. With a drummer with more energy than seems humanly acceptable, killer guitar solos and a punk attitude to boot, their rehashing of the classic sonic style of the early 80’s is bound to prompt a nostalgic boner for fans of Venom, Bathory, Destruction or Sodom with this cassette.
If you’re too impatient and pissed off for all these slow tempo recommendations, Turbochong are pissed off too. After doing some coke laced with speed, they’re ready to rage. Stripping down the grind and free throwing it into some warped out rage of spineless rebellion, “Disrespectful” is exactly that.
12) Birdflesh/P.L.F. – Cirkus Kristus (Split Tape):
Released on Haunted Hotel Records, this split tape features 11 tracks from Swedish grinders, Birdflesh and 6 from Huston, Texas’ grind force P.L.F. It’s devilishly comical blend of aggression, explodes with evil clowns dripping in blood, ferris wheel death traps and a main attraction of ghastly worship that might make some stomachs churn. Lighten up and grind to the gore.
13) Fejhed – S/T:
The duo, Fejhed releases their debut cassette on Chondritic Sound in May of 2014, featuring some experimental power electronics, minimal wave and noise to create their signature sound. Taking the force of Frederikke Hoffmeier (Puce Mary) and Jesse Sanes’ (HOAX) combined aggression, their sound builds under heavy synths, static and crackling vocals. Keeping things minimalist and refined, the empty space they create blankets a layer of illusion, bleakness and solitude over an industrial landscape.
Coming from someone who like’s very little pop punk, I’ve got to tell you, this Tony Molina has got something different going for him. Maybe it’s the hardcore in his veins but his track “Nowhere To Go” is playfully Weezer-esque with the longing lonely heart of a Milo (Descendents) type, singing of his “Silly Girl” with “Change My Ways.”
Despite being a tad on the over melodic side and not packing maybe the crunch of their early work, to be blunt its still fucking Mastodon. You cannot argue with tunes like ‘The Motherload’, ‘Ember City’ and ‘High Road’ for sing-along anthems, as well as the stunning ‘Diamond In The Witch House’ featuring Scott Kelly (as always). The album still has riffs in abundance and what more is there really to say, its Mastodon.
9.
Royal Blood – Royal Blood
The Hype train surrounding Royal Blood was coming close to being overloaded with jizz cannons and jizz cannon maintenance equipment, with it all coming to the conclusion we maybe preparing to appease the gods and sacrifice them for the corn harvest (South park reference).But in all honesty even without the hype trains none stop momentum, this album would have deserved its place on this list for simply its overall quality. Royal Bloods brand of Bass and Drum (never Drum & Bass) provides all the Queens Of The Stone Age/ White Stripes swagger you could want, whilst making one hell of a racket for just two blokes.
8.
Code Orange- I Am King
Doomy, Droney and at all times a crushing experience, Just like Tripytkon’s album was like living inside a H R Giger painting, Code Orange’s album I Am King is like transcending the plains of reality in a David Lynch film and experience all elements of the spectrum and so much more at the same time.
7.
Trap Them – Blissfucker
2014 is the year where Trap Them emerge as one of the brightest shining lights in the world of extreme metal. Nasty, dirty riffs smothered in the Entombed guitar tone played with super precision and grit. With Blissfucker, Trap Them show that they are fast becoming one of the most in form and aggressive bands in the world.
6.
Mongol Horde – Mongol Horde
Frank Turner’s return to hardcore could not have been any sweeter. Packed will all The Refused and At The Drive In post-hardcore vibes and riffage, Mongol Horde deliver a fun blast of anarchic punk that no matter what context I hear it in makes me want to wreck the place up. Also I challenge you to find two better lyric topics than Natalie Portman’s tapeworm leading a revolution and a the bastard child of a horse and a rhino being a unicorn.
5.
Against Me! –The Transgender Dysphoria Blues
Nowhere near the heaviest album to come out this year, but might just be the most powerful. Against Me where already being hailed as one of the best songwriters in the world before the news about Laura Jane Grace became public earlier this year, but on this album they have surpassed themselves. Grace’s brutally honest and poignant lyrics as well as an album packed with soaring choruses create one of the most emotional albums of the year.
4.
Young And In The Way – When Life Comes To
Savage black metal-tinged hardcore, which some say is becoming over done with bands such as Tombs already well established in this field. However its Young And In The Way who absolutely nail the sound of raw black metal crossed with razor sharp aggression spewing from every pour of this album.
3.
Marmozets – Weird & Wonderful Marmozets
Put simply, the most exciting band to break through in 2014. Sounding like a mish mash of System Of A Down, Rolo Tomassi without the electronic parts and a slight indie tinge to their guitar tone, Marmozets have made the biggest impact in terms of my opinion of them. At the start of the year I had no idea who they were and now they are barely ever off my iPod. A frenetic ball of fun and high pitched energy from start to finish, Marmozets have proved themselves to make a serious impact.
2..
Slipknot – 5. The Gray Chapter
Safe to say the return of the year. With all that has gone on in the past six years since their last release many people thought Slipknot were done and ready to be condemned to the scrap heap like so many fallen bands before them. But the new crazy Nine motherfuckers from Iowa returned in a big way, silencing critics and delivering their most savage and best album since IOWA. From the world conquering ‘AOV’ to the haunting electronic flourishes of ‘Killpop,’ to the already festival anthem in waiting that is ‘Custer,’ .5 The Gray Chapter is not just a return but it is a statement to the bands intent to remain one of the biggest and best bands metal will ever have.
1.
Machine Head – Bloodstone & Diamonds
After the post release kicking that Unto The Locust received (unjustifiably in my opinion, its not The Blackening but in all honesty could have lived up to that hype) Machine Head seemed backed into a corner as people began to talk down the bands achievements and their prospects going forward. So like a rabid wolverine backed into a corner, Machine Head did what they were always going to do in retrospect, come out fighting and tear everyone face off with their sheer magnificence.
Bloodstone & Diamonds is not just the best album of 2014, but might be a serious contender to being better than The Blackening. The album oozes riffs like a UKIP candidate oozes bullshit, the album has a return to out and out pace whilst still maintaining the complexity of the bands poster Supercharger work.
That’s without getting to the quality of the song writing on this album, with the likes of ‘Now We Die’, ‘Killers and Kings’ and especially the trash magnum opus ‘Game Over’ which may sound like Rise Against playing a Slayer song, but is still magnificent in the live arena. With the likes of ‘Beneath The Silt’, which sounds like if you rammed Deftones and Down into a jam room together and ‘Sail Into The Black’ sounding like Sunn0))) with notes showing the bands willingness to experiment is still as rampant as ever, Bloodstone & Diamonds is the song of a band at the top of their game, but most importantly reminding everyone in the whole world how good that top of their game is.
Amerced in a bleak world of dense unforgiving misery, Triptykon’s second album finds Tom G Warrior back at what he does best; making you feel like your inside a merciless world populated only by the world inside a HR Giger painting and distorted feedback. Misery condensed at its finest.
19.
Nothing More – Nothing More
An eclectic mix of radio rock, At The Drive In post hardcore and the right balance of eccentricity and anthemic tunes. Nothing More debut is a varied canvas of all the colours of the rainbow with just enough skill to not come across as all the flavours and ideas thrown together.
18.
Kyng- Burn The Serum
A real surprise here, as if Alter Bridge where really inspired by Kyuss grooves and took the occasional blunt. Combining big stoner riffs and grooves within the confines of four minute rock songs with soaring melodies to boot. Kyng prove to be
17.
Feed The Rhino– The Sound And The Sorrow
Despite being one of the UK’s premier hardcore bands for the best part of five years now, Feed The Rhino have still managed to slip the mind of most people outside of the select few in the know. The Sound And The Sorrow however could be the album to launch Feed The Rhino into the big leagues. With huge Helmet-esque riffs, chantable choruses and the weight of a herd of stampeding rhinos at feeding time, this is the band at their at most best.
16.
Cult Leader– Nothing For Us Here
Rising from the ashes of the mighty but short lived band Gaza, Cult Leader grab the baton of bleakness from their former selves with both hands and throttle the listener from start to finish with some of the most pummelling sludge you will hear this year. Mercilessly intense, heavy and crushing, I would advise you bring a crash helmet to your next listening.
15.
Tetama– Geocidal
Wacky, intense and unashamedly Mike Patton, Tetama is yet another side project from the man who can’t seem to sit still for a minute without forming a side project with whatever inanimate objects is in his general vicinity. Sounding like a bastard child of Fantomas, Peeping Tom and just a splash of insanity from Adult Themes Of Voice. This is another superb Patton project, for Patton fans and likely no one else.
14.
Behemoth- The Satanist
2014, the year Black Metal took on mainstream metal? Well The Satanist certainly established Behemoth as the première extreme metal band probably in the world as well as launching them to a level almost unseen before in the world of extreme metal. With its operatic scale of ambition and bombast in buckets, The Satanist is a vast sweeping epic as wide as the Sahara that the band has always threatened to make on previous albums.
13.
Krokodil- Nachash
With more meat on their riffs than a carnivore only buffet, Krokodil have managed to make a big impact on their debut album. Bringing a whole of lot of riffs and a hell load of swagger in the process the band, consisting of members of Gallows, Sikth, Slipknot. Most importantly, they delivered in a big way on their first album.
12.
Hark- Crystalline
What many thought Mastodon were lacking on their album, H A R K have delivered in abundance. Incredibly riffy tracks and with enough groove to satisfy even the most aggressive riff connoisseur, Crystalline packs more into 55 minutes than most bands would into their discography. Packing the majestic guest vocals of Clutch’s own Neil Fallon on ‘Clear Light Of…’ , Crystalline is everything you could hope from a debut album.
11.
Suicide Silence – You Can’t Stop me
Not many people thought we would see the return of Suicide Silence following the tragic death of vocalist Mitch Lucker, But even fewer though the band would then comeback to deliver the album of their careers in the process. You Can’t Stop Me sees the band transcend the deathcore brand to become one of the premiere new wave of metal bands out there today. Packed with the bands best tracks to date and a stunning performance from new vocalist Eddie Hermida, You really can’t stop Suicide Silence it seems.
Knifeworld– The Unravelling (InsideOut)- Ex Cardiac’s member Kavus Torabi has never been one for subtlety and simplicity and The Unravelling is the glorious embodiment of such. Eccentric, cartoonish yet at times very dark, unpredictable but on the whole very catchy; this is the album that should see Knifeworld placed around the top of the pile of modern Prog.
Opeth– Pale Communion (Roadrunner)- Sticking a big middle finger to those who whined about their shedding of death metal on Heritage, Opeth continued further down the rabbit hole on Pale Communion. With its roots in golden-era Prog such as Genesis, Goblin and Comus, this encapsulates Akerfeldt’s real influences and artistic vision perfectly and is thus arguably the band’s best opus to date.
Behemoth– The Satanist (Nuclear Blast)- The most important metal release of the year, Behemoth ascended further than possibly imagined with The Satanist, transcending beyond the extreme metal fan base and garnering universal plaudits. Controversy follows this band like a stalker but this and Nergal’s Leukemia contributed to a breathtaking opus that will be spoken about in years to come.
Voices-London (Candlelight)- A late contender but one that simply bulldozed its way into contention. Simply massive in scope and in range, this is simultaneously disorientating, ferocious and hypnotic. Another shining gem in UK extreme metal’s crown.
Anathema
Anathema– Distant Satellites (Kscope)- A few eyebrows were raised with some of the album’s more dance orientated direction but this is still full of pure emotional resonance, whilst showcasing the band as a forward thinking entity. Tears will still be shed and knees will weaken.
Scott Walker & Sunn O)))– Soused (4AD ltd)- Predominantly this is a pure Scott Walker effort, as Sunn O))) provide the perfect backdrop; honing his sense of eeriness and haunting whilst never overshadowing. Pant wetting levels of scary; once again Walker proves certainly not for the faint hearted.
Evergrey– Hymns For The Broken (AFM Records)- Masters of emotional and bold anthems, Evergrey continue their trend of deep, dark yet motivational numbers with perhaps their most personal effort and human effort to date.
Gazpacho– Demon (Kscope)- Based on the ramblings of a man searching for a ‘demon’; Demon is the perfect embodiment of Gazpacho’s prowess at conveying the mysterious and the macabre. Minimalist in part, yet still varied and ultimately heavy.
The Pineapple Thief– Magnolia (Kscope)- Following the passing of mainman Bruce Soord’s friend, Magnolia is oozing with sentiment and heart. This combined with a set of the band’s most compact songs to date and you have their most immediate and strongest effort.
Slipknot– .5: The Gray Chapter (Roadrunner)- How would Slipknot cope without the creative input of the late Paul Gray and departed Joey Jordison people asked. Pretty fucking well it turns out. The most visceral they have sounded in years accompanied with some touching tributes to their fallen brother, this is a true rise from the ashes.
Decapitated– Blood Mantra (Nuclear Blast)- Everyone by now knows how formidable and phenomenal an act Decapitated are and Blood Mantra more than cements their reputation and puts any doubts people had about Vogg’s decision to continue to the sword. Easily a match for their revolutionary early days.
North Atlantic Oscillation-The Third Day (Kscope)- These guys just get better and better with each album. Following on from Sam Healy’s solo outing Sand from last year this proves an even more expansive and heart warming affair.
Ageless Oblivion– Penthos (Siege Of Amida)- Pushing the envelope of extreme metal even further, Penthos is an evolution upon Ageless Oblivion’s debut album. Combining the most ferocious of death metal with the Cult Of Luna’s atmospheric post rock; this is a truly unpredictable, imaginative and volatile beast.
Pallbearer– Foundations Of Burden (Profound Lore)- It has to be said that independent label Profound Lore has had a spectacular year with new releases of the highest caliber. Top of the heap is Pallbearer, which kills the notion of the second difficult album. A more colourful and diverse effort than their debut, this shows an ear for psychedelic and prog influences alongside worship of riff masters like Saint Vitus.
Babymetal– Babymetal (Amuse Inc)- The most argued about album of the year. Fronted by J-Pop teenagers, backed by some of the most talented virtuosos Japan has to offer, altogether ranging from cute pop to death metal with everything from reggae to rave in between. One of the most forward thinking metal acts today, without a doubt.
Aeon Zen– Ephemera (Independent)- Always on the cusp of delivering something special, prog metal tykes Aeon Zen stepped up several gears this year. With the technical mastery of prog and tech metal, the drama and theatre of Devin Townsend and the quirky ear of Haken, this is the sound of their potential realised.
Bloodbath– Grand Morbid Funeral (Peaceville)- With Nick Holmes returning to his death metal roots and taking mic duties, Bloodbath have returned more energized and vibrant than ever. Grand Morbid Funeral takes you down the road to the sludgey, darker realms of death metal’s origins, with a little help of Autopsy alumni Chris Reifert and Eric Cutler.
Threshold– For The Journey (Nuclear Blast)- Marrying both the virtuosity of prog and the crunch and riffage of metal, Threshold are one of Britain’s most underrated gems, and For The Journey is evidence as to why they should be championed by both camps.
Triptykon– Melana Chasmata (Century Media)- Tom G Warrior and co return with another slab of pure, uneasy heaviness. Morbid, nauseating and even choking; this is a rocky ride through the darkest of emotions.
Matt Stevens– Lucid (Esoteric Antenna)- Encompassing his very wide musical taste from the likes of Voivod, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Celtic Frost and rich delights of Prog, this is Matt Steven’s most vibrant, diverse and complete work to date. Already a household name to the prog contingent, this is proof of his appeal to anyone with an open mind.
If you glanced at the musical year through a particular type of lens, you could be forgiven for thinking that it was a year when established acts reigned supreme. A fighting fit and positively rejuvenated Machine Head were on blistering form for their Bloodstone and Diamonds album, a massive statement of intent following the difficulties associated with the departure of their former bassist Adam Duce. A similarly creatively powered Robert Plant threw down several musical gauntlets to the naysayers, proving beyond any doubt that he remains the most creatively interesting of any of the members of his former alma mater. Plant’s love of life was equally matched by the stunning and jaw-dropping brilliance of Behemoth and their absurdly impressive The Satanist– an album that for all its dark subject matter was one of the most life-affirming records of the year. Nergal’s battle with cancer and the quite remarkable return were worth raising a glass or four too.
This battling of the odds, whether personal or collective, were themes that infused many of the year’s most interesting releases. The personal challenges of living in one of America’s most violent cities brought out a never less than fascinating album from Flint, Michigan’s King 810. Memoirs of a Murderer was a terrific album: diverse, harrowing, compelling. Solstafir’s Otta was pretty much in a class of its own: a soaring and often heartbreaking piece of dark melancholic beauty, it was a stunning step forward for the band and a reaffirmation that the narrative arc of an album remains a powerful medium of artistic expression. Decapitated’s Blood Mantra proved beyond any doubt (not that much existed anyway) that Vogg is a genius and that the Poles are the world’s best death metal band. Debate over. Against Me’s Transgender Dysphoria Blues took a challenging subject matter and infused it with such a level of personal intensity and honesty that it spent much of the year on my playlist, packed to its gunnels, as it was, with massive tune after massive tune.
Decapitated. Photo by Hillarie Jason Photography
Whilst these records were high peaks in a musical year, there were plenty of other quality aural presents for us, seemingly around every corner. English band Servers came out of the traps quickly at the start of the year with a blistering hard rock album that reminded everyone that albums should be all killer, no filler. Winterfylleth continued to cement their reputation as a black metal band with something to say and the equally impressive return of Fen and Primordial also underscored the richness of a genre. London’s Voices though took things to another level: a coruscating and unremittingly dark expose on London it was a proper ear opening. More please, gentlemen.
Opeth’s continuing levels of creative richness showed no sign of abating and whilst the death metal adherents might have baulked at the absence of any genuine Cookie Monster moments on their latest opus, the prog extravaganza of Pale Communion, they could hardly fault the quality of musicianship, songwriting and sheer bloody ambition which pervaded another great record from the Swedes. This writer’s personal thirst for hard rock with tunes was slaked by some excellent releases from Slash, Foo Fighters, Black Stone Cherry, Lionize and the properly promising Blues Pills. Outside of the world of heavy, there was also much aural pleasure to be derived from the likes of The War on Drugs, Sharon Van Etten, Manic Street Preachers, Springsteen, Gregory Porter. Oh, and the soundtrack to the Steven Soderbergh turn of the century hospital drama, The Knick, by his long term collaborator Cliff Martinez is all sorts of excellent.
So: plenty to choose from and plenty to get excited by. 2015 looks set to be another year of serious and seriously interesting records, if the schedules are anything to go by. So far, so lucky us. However, in examining the full state of the music industry, you are struck that it’s not all stadium shows and high roller lifestyles.
On the contrary, the reality for many of the bands that are supported and championed through our little part of the internet is that many struggle to make a living from the industry and each day can be a struggle. This is why at Ghost Cult we will continue to be hugely supportive and passionate about those bands that perhaps you haven’t yet come across or seen live. We’ll continue to champion the unheard ofs, the unsigned- not because there is a moral imperative but because the music they are creating is fearless, intrepid and downright brilliant and deserves a wider audience.
Championing the new and the underdogs: that seems like a terrific New Year’s resolution doesn’t it? Music, maestro, please…..
Being asked to reflect back on a year in music, much of it spent in the company of the extreme variety sounds like an easy gig; if truth be known, it’s anything but. When you’re writing, your perspective is skewed by the time of year you were writing your review, the mood that you were in when you were writing it so, as with many of these end of year lists/reviews you are probably wise to see this as just another opinion to add to the many that you have probably already encountered.
It’s de rigeur at this junction to opine on “what 2014 will be remembered for”; experience tells me that we will look differently upon the year past in another twelve months time when its ebbs and flows, challenges, opportunities, highs and lows have had some more time to creep into our collective consciousness and sub-conscious. With that caveat in mind, and probably about to look enormously foolish, my reflection on 2014 looks something a bit like this….
2014 has been an odd year. I think of it a little bit like a boxer. Lots of good sparring, lots of interesting upper cuts and deflected jabs but not one knockdown, championship winning punch of an album that could define a year (in the way that 1991 was dominated by Nirvana’s Nevermind or 1987 got taken by the scruff of the neck by a certain Guns ‘N’ Roses and their insatiable Appetite for Destruction).
I think it’s fair to say that 2014 was a year of not necessarily taking stock, but harrying around the canvas wondering where to land the next haymaker. No one trend truly caught the collective imagination, no one band truly dominated, no one sound sat glue like in our collective cerebellum. That doesn’t mean there wasn’t any great music in 2014 (there was bucketloads of it). The big difference is that you had to seek it out rather than it being a constant presence in society’s soundtrack.
The most debated record of the year was unquestionably U2’s Songs of Innocence which landed in the iTunes accounts of some 500m listeners and is, by some considerable margin, their “biggest” (26m copies and counting) record of the last few years. Most of the debate around the record focussed, somewhat understandably, on the process of getting the music out there as opposed to debating the merits of the actual music- ironically, then, as Songs of Innocence is perhaps the band’s best record in a decade. Similarly, the decision of Taylor Swift to remove her country pop album 1989 from all streaming sites again spoke volumes about the record industry’s travails in identifying a long term business model in an age of change and digital ubiquity.
Over here in the boundaries of extreme music, the mainstream is something that most of us don’t generally give two hoots about but there is, for this writer at least, an ongoing frisson of excitement when one of “our” bands makes a breakthrough into the broader public consciousness. I have never subscribed, and never will, to the notion that our music should remain in the underground- on the contrary, I want as many people to hear the amazing sounds, insights, ideas of much of the stuff covered in Ghost Cult. Consequently, the fairly triumphant return of Slipknot to the top of the Billboard charts and to a ground-breaking Knotfest extravaganza is something to be cherished and celebrated. Likewise, a creatively rich album from Atlanta’s Mastodon in the guise of Once More ‘Round the Sun having an equally critically and commercially positive impact is perhaps proof positive that intelligent, diverse and inexorably heavy music can generate a broad based level of support and enthusiasm.
20. Soilwork – ‘The Ride Majestic’ (Nuclear Blast)
18. Dragged Into Sunlight / Gnaw Their Tongues – ‘N.V.’ (Prosthetic)
17. Bring Me The Horizon – ‘That’s The Spirit’ (RCA/Columbia)
16. Elder – ‘Lore’ (Armageddon Shop / Stickman)
15. Between The Buried And Me – ‘Coma Ecliptic’ (Metal Blade)
14. Gloryhammer – ‘Space 1992: Rise Of The Chaos Wizards’ (Napalm)
13. A Forest Of Stars – ‘Beware The Sword You Cannot See’ (Lupus Lounge/Prophecy)
12. Goatsnake – ‘Black Age Blues’ (Southern Lord)
11. Royal Thunder – ‘Crooked Doors’ (Relapse)
