It’s time for another Ghost Cult “End Of Year” Guest post! We’ll be sharing lists, memories, and other shenanigans from our favorite bands, partners, music industry peers, and other folks we respect across the globe all month long! Today we are lucky to have a list from Cold In Berlin. The band released their new album Rituals of Surrender on October 11th, via New Heavy Sounds and released a new music video for the single ‘Dark Days’ too! Check out their list right now!
Green Lung – Woodland Rites
Wayne Adams produced this beast and it was just blowing up as we started our session with him for our fourth album Rituals of Surrender, so we knew we were in safe hands. We got the inside take on the production of Woodland Rites and the efforts of all band members is clear. Great guitar leads, nice use of the organ and occultish vocals give the whole album a folk horror vibe that delights like a Hammer Horror scare.
Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard – Yn Ol I Annwn
Our New Heavy Sounds labelmates did it again this year as they continue to push the creative boundaries of doom metal. Encompassing more electronics than before, their crushing riffs are occasionally disrupted by Hawkwind-like keys and Tangerine Dream ambiance. But massive melody-driven doom riffs are never far away.
Brutus – Nest
Drummer/singer/force of nature Stefanie Mannaerts leads this Belgian power trio. Nest is an incredible album of locked in egoless grooves, heavy speed and tragic depth. To see them perform live is to experience something truly unforgettable.
Big|Brave – A Gaze Among Them
The Montreal trio continue their exploration into what can be achieved with one chord. This time the minimalist tension is allowed to spiral out into psychedelic soundscapes, shoegaze drone, and beautiful ambiance.
Gaahls WYRD – Ghosts Invited
After seeing Gaahl and his band at Incineration Fest 2017 I knew the album would be special. Shame I had to wait almost two years for it! Ghosts Invited is a great way to introduce Black Metal to the uninitiated. There’s an accessible punk vibe – like the reanimated corpses of the Ramones – giving the tracks a rawness as Gaahl flicks from Leonard Cohen like brooding to terrifying vocal assaults. Far braver and smarter than most Black Metal bands.
Kate Tempest – The Book of Traps and Lessons
As the UK reaches its last season, Tempest’s poetry chronicles the collapse better than anyone. Producer Rick Rubin brings a new restraint, stripping back and giving Tempest room to breathe, until the spine-chilling a capella of ‘All Humans Too Late’ features Tempest’s voice alone. This album captures what it is like to be alive in 2019, as we are tipped out of the political frying pan and into the fire of our burning planet.
Sunn O))) – Life Metal
Albini’s production gives Life Metal a raw punk edge that perfectly balances the lush drones, organs and samples – their most accessible album to date.
These New Puritans – Inside the Rose
Reduced to the core personnel of distinctly non-identical twins Jack and George Barnett, Inside the Rose marks a consolidation of their sound after the fearless Field of Reeds album. There’s an 80s pop feel to album but the mournful children’s choir, abstracted melodies, beats and chants ensure that this is a serious, artful and hauntingly romantic album.
The Murder Capital – When I Have Fears
Irish punk is so strong right now. Sounding more political and Joy Divided than fellow islanders Fontaines D.C., The Murder Capital’s debut album, produced by Flood, bristles like the soundtrack to a troubled community on the edge of real change. Class war now!
Max Richter – Voyager
If you have seen the films Ad Astra or Arrival or binged the TV shows Taboo or The Leftovers you were probably moved by the hauntingly beautiful scores. Richter is nearly 20 years into his career and will likely replace Hans Zimmer as the go-to composer. This year Voyager an essential compilation was released and it is a great place to start enjoying his work and classical music in general.