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.”

Review by Richie HR here

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.”

Review by Aleida la Llave here

38. Kontinuum – ‘Kyrr’ (Candlelight)

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.”

Review by Richie HR here

36. Khemmis – ‘Absolution’ (20 Buck Spin)

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.”

Review by Richie HR here

34. Puscifer – ‘Money Shot’ (Puscifer Entertainment)

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.”

Review by Tim Ledin here

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.”

Review by Gary Alcock here

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”

Review by Richie HR here

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.”

Review by Lorraine Lysen here 

ALBUMS 50-41