10s Essentials – The Results

In an effort to be tidy and fastidious, we offer you this handy and insanely organized assemblage of the full results of Last Rites’ 10-week salute to the 2010s. Perhaps a bit overkill? Eh, we love Overkill. Plus, it’s convenient to see it all stacked up in a neat little heap, no? Doing so also exposes a noticeable wrinkle in the fabric that could potentially mark us as biased: a whole lotta U! S! A! U! S! A! U! S! A! in those volumes. Despite having crew members on three different continents, we are a US-based site and obviously have an easier time putting our ear to the ground…well, here. In our defense, this is a big-ass country filled with big asses, and we produce a big-ass amount of metal music, so it’s not terribly surprising that a lot of it ends up pinging the radar in a very positive way. Hey, we gotta do something right.

Outside of the home field advantage, the biggest question is this: What the hell happened in 2014? You’d expect lower numbers from later years, but 2014 is pretty much right there in the middle and just waiting to throw down double-digit numbers. Nope. But in truth, it ain’t like 2014 was necessarily a bad year for metal—plenty of good rumbled down the conveyor from the likes of Dead Congregation, Swallowed, Crypt Sermon, Cretin, Riot, Dark Forest, Grand Magus, Falconer, Old Wainds, Pilgrim et al., but obviously not enough full crew sway to control the numbers.

Anyway, this is it: the full picture of 100 Essential Albums of the 2010s. It’s been a lot of fun for us to put it all together, and we hope you enjoyed revisiting all these records.

Hakkaa Päälle!

VOLUME 1

In SolitudeSister (2013 / Sweden)
NekromantheonRise, Vulcan Spectre (2012 / Norway)
Caladan BroodEchoes of Battle (2013 / USA)
Fates WarningTheories of Flight (2016 / USA)
HorrendousAnareta (2015 / USA)
VaderWelcome to the Morbid Reich (2011 / Poland)
Blind GuardianBeyond the Red Mirror (2015 / Germany)
Blut Aus NordMemoria Vetusta III: Saturnian Poetry (2014 / France)
HellHuman Remains (2011 / UK)
VenenumTrance of Death (2017 / Germany)

Volume 1

VOLUME 2

MidnightSatanic Royalty (2011 / USA)
DodecahedronDodecahedron (2012 / Netherlands)
UrfaustThe Constellatory Practice (2018 / Netherlands)
AmorphisUnder the Red Cloud (2015 / Finland)
Eternal ChampionThe Armor of Ire (2016 / USA)
The Ruins of BeverastExuvia (2017 / Germany)
DarkthroneCircle the Wagons (2010 / Norway)
Blood IncantationHidden History of the Human Race (2019 / USA)
MoonsorrowJumalten Aika (2016 / Finland)
GorgutsColored Sands (2013 / Canada)

Volume 2

VOLUME 3

IncantationVanquish in Vengeance (2012 / USA)
Hammers of MisfortuneDead Revolution (2016 / USA)
WormedKrighsu (2016 / Spain)
AgallochMarrow of the Spirit (2010 / USA)
LeprousMalina (2017 / Norway)
Iron MaidenThe Final Frontier (2010 / UK)
Unleash the ArchersApex (2017 / Canada)
DeceasedSurreal Overdose (2011 / USA)
Mournful CongregationThe Book of Kings (2011 / Australia)
CarcassSurgical Steel (2013 / UK)

Volume 3

VOLUME 4

Arch / MatheosSympathetic Resonance (2011 / USA)
PanopticonKentucky (2012 / USA)
GridlinkLonghena (2014 / USA)
SargeistLet the Devil In (2010 / USA)
SatanLife Sentence (2013 / UK)
Trees of EternityHour of the Nightingale (2016 / International)
VisigothConqueror’s Oath (2018 / USA)
Aluk TodoloVoix (2016 / France)
Woods of YpresWoods 5: Skies & Electric Light (2012 / Canada)
40 Watt SunThe Inside Room (2011 / UK)

Volume 4

VOLUME 5

Thy CatafalqueSgurr (2015 / Hungary)
Giant SquidMinoans (2014 / USA)
SaorAura (2014 / UK)
Anubis GateAnubis Gate (2011 / Denmark)
ExhumedAll Guts, No Glory (2011 / USA)
Defeated SanityPassages Into Deformity (2013 / Germany)
AntigamaMeteor (2013 / Poland)
OpethIn Cauda Venenum (2019 / Sweden)
VHOLDeeper than Sky (2015 / USA)
VoivodThe Wake (2018 / Canada)

Volume 5

VOLUME 6

Morbus ChronSweven (2014 / Sweden)
AcceptBlood of the Nations (2010 / Germany)
SólstafirSvartir sandar (2011 / Iceland)
Paradise LostTragic Idol (2012 / UK)
Sear BlissLetters from the Edge (2018 / Hungary)
Atlantean KodexThe White Goddess (2013 / Germany)
Macabre OmenGods of War – At War (2015 / Greece)
StarGazerA Great Work of Ages (2010 / Australia)
Christian MistressPossession (2012 / USA)
TribulationThe Formulas of Death (2013 / Sweden)

Volume 6

VOLUME 7

KatatoniaThe Fall of Hearts (2016 / Sweden)
LudicraThe Tenant (2010 / USA)
PallbearerSorrow and Extinction (2012 / USA)
DevourmentObscene Majesty (2019 / USA)
High SpiritsAnother Night (2011 / USA)
ObsequiaeSuspended in the Brume of Eos (2011 / USA)
AncestorsIn Dreams and Time (2012 / USA)
Manilla RoadThe Blessed Curse / After the Muse (2015 / USA)
Progenie Terrestre PuraOltreluna (2017 / Italy)
DødheimsgardA Umbra Omega (2015 / Norway)

Volume 7

VOLUME 8

ArgusBoldly Stride the Doomed (2011 / USA)
AzarathBlasphemers’ Maledictions (2011 / Poland)
Magister TempliInto Duat (2015 / Norway)
Devin Townsend ProjectEpicloud (2012 / Canada)
ImmolationMajesty and Decay (2010 / USA)
PyrrhonWhat Passes for Survival (2014 / USA)
Madder MortemRed in Tooth and Claw (2016 / Norway)
SvartidauðiRevelations of the Red Sword (2018 / Iceland)
Kowloon Walled CityContainer Ships (2012 / USA)
EnslavedRiitiir (2012 / Norway)

Volume 8

VOLUME 9

Pharaoh – Bury the Light (2012 / USA)
EvokenAtra Mors (2012 / USA)
Fuck the FactsDie Miserable (2011 / Canada)
SanctuaryThe Year the Sun Died (2014 / USA)
SolsticeWhite Horse Hill (2018 / UK)
Pagan AltarThe Room of Shadows (2017 / UK)
SubRosaMore Constant than the Gods (2013 / USA)
BorknagarTrue North (2019 / Norway)
VirusMemento Collider (2016 / Norway)
Oranssi PazuzuValonielu (2013 / Finland)

Volume 9

VOLUME 10

NileVile Nilotic Rites (2019 / USA)
ElderReflections of a Floating World (2017 / USA)
InsomniumWinter’s Gate (2016 / Finland)
KralliceYears Past Matter (2012 / USA)
Judas PriestFirepower (2018 / UK)
SlugdgeEsoteric Malacology (2018 / UK)
Napalm DeathApex Predator (2015 / UK)
OverkillIronbound (2010 / USA)
MeshuggahKoloss (2012 / Sweden)
IhsahnAfter (2010 / Norway)

Volume 10

ALBUM COUNT PER COUNTRY

Australia: 2

———

Canada: 6

———

Denmark: 1

———

Finland: 5

———

France: 2

———

Germany: 6

———

Greece: 1

———

Hungary: 2

———

Iceland: 2

———

Italy: 1

———

Netherlands: 2

———

Norway: 10

———

Poland: 3

———

Spain: 1

———

Sweden: 6

———

UK: 12

———

USA: 37

———

ALBUM COUNT PER YEAR

2010: 10
2011: 15
2012: 16
2013: 11
2014: 6
2015: 10
2016: 11
2017: 8
2018: 8
2019: 5

THE MULLIGANS

KatalepsyAutopsychosis (2013 / Danhammer Obstkrieg)
The ChasmA Conscious Creation from the Isolated Domain – Phase I (2017 / Manny-O-War)
TeitanbloodDeath (2014 / Captain)
Inter ArmaParadise Gallows (2016 / Zach Duvall)
Lunar ShadowFar from Light (2017 / Ryan Tysinger)
RwakeRest (2011 / Fetusghost)
OsturaThe Room (2018 / Lone Watie)
WakeMisery Rites (2018 / Andrew Edmunds)
UfomammutEve (2010 / Juho Mikkonen)
Altar of PlaguesTeethed Glory & Injury (2013 / Megan Astarael)

«»

Posted by Last Rites

GENERALLY IMPRESSED WITH RIFFS

  1. Was impressed with your choices, agreed with more than a few of these. Didn’t know quite a few as well so put together a play list of the albums so I could check them out. Link here > https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2NcBFeHonnQVPQNPmwriWw?si=eIGEPnv1TRqMp4k6Czl23Q
    Would add Bell Witch – Mirror Reaper & Cult of Luna – MARINER

    Reply

  2. Over the last few months I’ve managed to make my way through all 110 albums, except for the few I have already listened extensively to. There was a lot of impressive music in the list, with many albums I enjoyed coming from some of the sub-genres I normally don’t pay much attention to. There was only one album I truly disliked (funnily enough the review stated “It ought to take about 30 seconds to know if you’re going to hate it or love it, and there might not be much of a middle ground.”), and only a few that I didn’t get into. It was a varied and interesting listening experience, that led to several purchases.

    One thing that surprised me was revisiting albums like Panopticon’s Kentucky and Rwake’s Rest – albums that I had listened to when they came out, but didn’t really get into at the time. Nearly a decade later, I felt that I could hear something in them I didn’t before. So if nothing else, it’s been a good reminder of how our listening experience is so subjective even from listen to listen.

    Reply

    1. That’s some dedicated listening. Nice work, Kel! (and not just because you highlighted two albums I wrote about)

      It was a lot of fun going back through old favorites to see how they stand up today, especially strong recommendations from the group that were new to me, like Altar of Plagues or Azarath.

      Reply

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