By the time the final album for 2018 is released, from Watain’s Trident Wolf Eclipse (Century Media) to Sulpher Aeon’s The Scythe of Cosmic Chaos (Van) – both of which were reviewed by Gary Alcock, and neither of which made the final list, trivia fans, – over 1,000 albums will have passed through the Ghost Cult reviews inbox, we will have covered just shy of 550 releases (we do a fair bit of filtering to protect our writers ears from some of the less inspiring releases), and our entire crew will have nominated and voted for 244 of them to be considered as our #1 for the year.
And here, below, is the first step in unveiling the democratically decided official Ghost Cult Albums of the Year 2018; a list that proves that, sometimes, people do make correct decisions when they exercise their right to vote…
70 Holy Grove – II (Ripple)
69 Deafheaven – Ordinary Corrupt Human Love (NPR)
68 The Temperance Movement – A Deeper Cut (Earache)
67 Sinistro – Sangue Cassia (Season of Mist)
66 Polyphia – New Levels New Devils (Equal Vision)
65 Palm Reader – Braille (Silent Cult)
64 Hate Squad – Reborn From Ashes (Massacre)
63 Bury Tomorrow – Black Flame (Music For Nations)
62 Immortal – Northern Chaos Gods (Nuclear Blast)
61 Bad Wolves – Disobey (Rise)
60 TesseracT – Sonder (Kscope)
59 Horrendous – Idol (Season of Mist)
58 Deicide – Overtures of Blasphemy (Century Media)
57 Rolo Tomassi – Time Will Die and Love Will Bury It (Holy Roar)
56 Tomb Mold – Manor of Infinite Forms (20 Buck Spin)
55 The Xcerts – Hold On To Your Heart (Raygun)
54 VOLA – Applause of a Distant Crowd (Mascot)
53 The Atlas Moth – Coma Noir (Prosthetic)
52 Sumac – Love In Shadow (Thrill Jockey)
51 Suede – Blue Hour (Warner Music)
50 Into Eternity – The Sirens (independent)
49 Anaal Nathrakh – A New Kind of Horror (Metal Blade)
48 Cancer Bats – The Spark That Moves (Bat Skull)
47 KEN Mode – Loved (Season of Mist)
46 Saxon – Thunderbolt (Militia Guard)
45 Panopticon – The Scars of Man On The Once Nameless Wilderness (Nordvis)
44 Khemmis – Desolation (Nuclear Blast/20 Buck Spin)
43 Between The Buried And Me – Automata I (Sumerian)
42 Conan – Existential Void Guardian (Napalm)
41 Dimmu Borgir – Eonian (Nuclear Blast)
40. PARKWAY DRIVE – Reverence (Epitaph) “If anyone thought that the heaviness of the music would get lost in the writing of the album then they were sorely mistaken… In terms of their canon of work this the best record they have written to date, edging out even the mighty Horizons. Parkway Drive can now truly be seen as one of the best metal bands on the planet. This is their Black album. And we all know what that meant for Metallica.” Review here
39. POWERWOLF – The Sacrament of Sin (Napalm) “If you were foolish enough to believe Powerwolf might be running out of steam, then you’d better think again. This is simple, powerful German Heavy Metal rippling with furry muscles and trademark anthemic choruses. Fangtastic!” Review here
38. HARM’S WAY – Posthuman (Metal Blade) “One of my favorite occurrences in the heavy music world of today is when a Hardcore band with metallic influences can reach fans of both realms. Harm’s Way has done this for a few releases now, but their latest, Posthuman, is certainly their best collective effort to date.” Review here
37. WINDHAND – Eternal Return (Relapse) “The album cover seemingly depicts Ophelia debating her plunge into darkness. It is often said that conflict is the penultimate torture for those beset by such demons yet Windhand has somehow created light whilst highlighting the tragedy of life’s battles. In doing so they have created arguably the most diverse, contradictory and involving album of their career.” Review here
36. SVALBARD – It’s Hard To Have Hope (Holy Roar) “A ferocious, exciting and compelling record. As my time with the record has lengthened, my view of it has grown in the proper sense of the word. I think this record has currency and resonance, guile and insight. It is unwavering in its vision, forensic in its execution and demanding to be listened to. It is thunderous.” Review here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PisDsQgviQ
35. COHEED & CAMBRIA – Vaxis – Act I: The Unheavenly Creatures (Roadrunner) “Unheavenly Creatures most definitely sees Coheed back in their comfort zone, as seven minute opening track proper ‘The Dark Sentencer’ contains every familiar element you’d expect, a progressive epic with Claudio Sanchez’ distinctive poppy high-end tones dancing over light guitar licks and the story begins again.” Review here
34. TURNSTILE – Time & Space (Roadrunner) Already well renowned for their frenetic live performances, this chaotic off-the-rails dash will see respect for their recorded work increase exponentially, and is, in the best way, barely held together. With a wild punk core, Time & Space isn’t afraid to cavort and career around with abandon throwing in a host of other influences to create a twenty-five-minute riot.
33. JESUS PIECE – Only Self (Southern Lord) “A truly stunning debut album from Jesus Piece that just shows what can be done with Hardcore and Metal music in 2018. As with Code Orange, there seems to be way more bubbling under the surface creatively here. So many places this band can go on future albums and it’s a future we all need to get on board with”. Review here
32. BLACK PEAKS – All That Divides (Rise/BMG) “With All That Divides, the English quartet has produced the album of dark, alternative, progressive heavy music interspersed with moments of beauty, that is always, always, held together with genuine emotion, drive and feeling; an album that, if there is any justice will push them through the glass ceiling”. Review here
31. CLUTCH – The Book of Bad Decisions (Weathermaker) “Sure the album has all of the sonic “Clutch” trademarks you have come to expect. But what really baked my noodle was how the band added subtle touches like Hammond organ, sexy horn sections, slide guitar, unique percussion, some Beatles-esq backwards masking straight out of ‘Tomorrow Never Knows’, and more”. Review here
30. PORTAL – Ion (Profound Lore) “That’s the paradox at Portal’s heart that some critics seem to miss – the more accessible they get, the stranger they become. Ion sounds like a bunch of trans-dimensional entities from a place where sound works differently trying to play Death Metal with the wrong number of fingers.” Review here
29. IDLES – Joy As An Act Of Resistance (Partisan) Imbued with a British Punk energy and vitality, on their second album IDLES are achingly, brilliantly “now”, with biting, insightful lyrics and snapping, lean anthems. This is stripped back, caustic honesty expelled in Indie Punk form.
28. CONJURER – Mire (Holy Roar) “Many bands try to pack so much range into their sound but very few can pull it off in a way that makes something unique to themselves, even less so manage to pull it off so strongly on their debut album. Conjurer has managed not only do so, but also manage to remember the art of excellent songcraft, and it’s clear that they are a special force with the ability to grow even further. Mire will come to be seen as an important moment in British Extreme Metal”. Review here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDK56BamkxM
27. THOU – Magus (Sacred Bones) “For those in the know, Baton Rouge’s Thou are a special act. Truly an underground cult, Thou have captured hearts with their intense and emotive brand of sludgy post-Metal that isn’t afraid to usher in new dynamics, forms or influence throughout. This is an album that marries the most inner and visceral emotions through a sonic palette of bone-shattering heaviness to pure beauty”. Review here
26. DAUGHTERS – You Won’t Get What You Want (Ipecac) “The band’s affinity for complex noise is undiminished yet has refined with age and experience. The tension bursting from the onset of opener ‘City Song’ is almost unbearable: largely Industrial in concept, the build-up of Ambient Fuzz, crashing electronic pulses and a startled, poetic vocal not unlike Zack de la Rocha is enough to make you jump out of your skin.” Review here
Part II is due shortly