Well, I say fuck god. Rules were made to be broken. This is rock ‘n’ roll, not a master’s thesis. Best I can offer here are the things I heard a little louder than everything else while journeying through the year. Hell, I have the privilege of writing with folks whose breadth of knowledge extends so deeply into genres I could, only on my best of days, stumble over an explanation of and I still feel like I haven’t heard enough. This year maybe more so than years prior–I almost feel guilty, selfishly stuck in my ways. And I wouldn’t–I couldn’t–change it for the world. This is where I was in 2022, and these are the releases I clung to that struck flint to steel and lit a spark under my ass.

Now that the “skip to the list” folks have skipped to the list, I’d like to thank you for taking the time to read the words. It is both empowering and humbling to know anyone cares what I have to think–I don’t believe for a second that any one album album or list of albums can define a year. So often the truly essential works reveal their importance over time–you have to let go of the outside and reflect inwards.

Sure, there are albums in the list that may become “back-pocket” albums, ones that require a blowing of dust before being returned to the platter–but that’s part of the fun and why I make lists in the first place. Should I lose all memory of this year save for a scant twenty albums, these are the twenty (and five EP’s) I’d cling to most to remember where I was coming from in 2022. Of course it’s personal. It’s always been personal.

I: Born To Walk Against The Wind

20. Northmoon – Shadowlord – My Soft Vision In Blood

Had Shadowlord come out about ten years ago, I have a feeling Northmoon would be a household name in black metal circles. Not a bad first impression from a debut! The Austrian band have a real knack for tapping into the more melodic veins of the Finnish style, complete with the spiteful aggression. It’s a bit of a meat-and-potatoes style, but the exceptional songwriting and keen variation made for countless rewarding returns.

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19. Satan – Earth Infernal

While Satan’s six studio album isn’t rating quite as high on my list as 2018’s Cruel Magic, please do not take this for any sort of drop in quality–just sort of the way the list worked out this year. Not only are they one of the best of the Old Guard of heavy metal, they’re simply one of the best traditional heavy metal bands, past or present, period. Earth Infernal is a delightful testament to their continued legacy, packed with brilliant, infectious licks and thoughtful, creative songwriting.

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18. Stangarigel – Na Severe Srdca

That Slovakian touch that the camp behind Malokarpatan, Krolok, and Remmirath have been honing over now decades is all over Stangarigel. Na Severe Srdca is a rich and immersive take on black metal tinged with folkish magic and melody that revel fresh secrets in every traversal through its moonlit, enchanted wood.

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17. Wiegedood – There’s Always Blood At The End Of The Road

Coming off a trilogy has to be challenging, and Wiegedood confronted it by doubling down. The album kicks out of the gates with rabid, boiling bloodlust and continues to turn up the heat across nine tracks of unsettling, disturbing aggression and fiery, smoldering rage. As sure as there’s always money in the banana stand, there’s always blood at the end of the road–and Wiegedood are setting the whole goddamn thing ablaze.

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16. Wandelaars – Verbroken

Epic, sweeping raw black metal that feels like an ancient dream. Dutch artist Robbert van Rumund crafts a masterful, patient work; Verbroken is perfect for getting lost in nostalgia on those grey, dreary days where the earth feels still. He’s had quite a year, his release under the Faceless Entity moniker is equally worth a listen for a more looming take on raw black/doom–an equally rewarding slow burn.

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15. Ares Kingdom – In Darkness At Last

Sure, there are zero to none references to the the First World War in In Darkness At Last, but that doesn’t keep images of crudely gasmasked soldiers storming the trenches from coming to mind. Something about Ares Kingdom feels at home in the chaotic evolution of war–there are both iron clad hooves of the calvary and the pummeling diesel smoke of crude tanks present in their death thrashing portrayal of Hell. Riffs reign like shells erupting in the fog of war–all become cannon fodder for the hellish massacre.

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14. The Otolith – Folium Limina

Doom metal for closing the eyes and finding peaceful serenity between the heavy-as-sin guitar, haunting twin violins, and bluesy croon of the vocals. Folium Limina feels of a funeral procession on a spring day, the warm rain pattering on matching black umbrellas, the solemn faces in somber black attire gathered to pay final respects juxtaposed by the season of hope and life.

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13. Blind Guardian – The God Machine

Blind Guardian have successfully conquered the Power Metal Story Mode and are having a fucking blast with the endgame content. The God Machine is Blind Guardian going back and playing fan-favorite levels with max stats, max power-ups, and max fun.

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12. Darkthrone – Astral Fortress

Admittedly I love how neatly Astral Fortress fits into the ongoing Darkthrone story–the wisened, old-goat doom bred from a hard drag through the mud cautiously raising its eyes once again to the stars. Even separating myself from my love for the band as best as I can, the album feels like a couple of greasy, mildly stoned mechanics taking a break from trying to fix a crashed UFO in their garage to pound a beer and hammer out some tunes–and shit starts getting a little on the Repo Man side of things (just less of The Plugz and more Celtic Frost).

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11. Ateiggär – Tyrannemord

Ateiggär’s retelling of the assassination of of Byzantine emperor Leo V The Armenian draws wisely from across black metal’s history to not only weave their story, but fully immerse themselves in it. Bombastic timpani thunder behind a smoldering pace that leaves plenty of room of the melodies to breathe; the inspired use of the choir (the legions of rabid Leo V fans know what I’m getting at here) still sends shivers down my spine. The storytelling is worked so well into the mood of the music, both tinged with a sheen of mysticism and depth, begging repeat listens to unlock its mysteries.

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II: Born To Hear My Name

10. SIGH – SHIKI

It is interesting to note Sigh’s proximity to Darkthrone’s entry here–both of the same era and tied to the same scene (and now same label), both with very independent goals from their peers. Sure, the two could not be more opposite in terms of how they transcribe the black arts–one working to totally deconstruct and the other diving headfirst into experimentation. Different paths, but they both walk them with the same commitment.

What is most curious is how both bands, in their own way, are reflecting on their own lives from an autumnal perspective on their 2022 albums. Darkthrone cloaks it a little more, but there’s certainly that “old goat wisdom” all over Astral Fortress, which concluded with a callback to their Soulside Journey debut. For Sigh, such reflection is the premise of Shiki, and the music reflects this. It is, of course, unmistakably Sigh, but it sounds like Sigh trying to just be Sigh. Like Darkthrone, certain albums of theirs reveal the arc of their musical pursuits, but Shiki feels very reflective of the band itself over time. It’s still got plenty of the unexpected twists in the music, but it never feels weird just to be weird, ya know? That magic of Sigh is in full force, and coupled with the best drum performance of the year, Sigh deliver atop their already expected greatness.

(I don’t know what they’re putting in Cialis these days, but with Sigh, Darkthrone, and Blind Guardian all releasing late-career albums that find ways to tap so fervantly into youthful exuberance with the wisdom of age, it’s doing something right.)

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9. WORMROT – HISS

From the second they leap from the quiet waters, Wormrot deliver a single graceful killing strike across the thirty-three minute runtime of Hiss. That violent slashing of the throat slices through arteries of grind, thrash, and hardcore, cleanly cutting across tendons of death and black metal, splitting the flesh as the band throw any influence into the proverbial grinder. The adrenaline rush of the drums, the frantic panic and terror in the vocals pump like blood spawn across the soundscape. The precision of the strike itself is perhaps the most appealing part of the record–it’s a surgically executed waltz with violence before Wormrot lurk back into the still night waters.

It is easy to forget how truly complex taking a life can be, and just how much really happens between the two parties in that all-too brief moment–and Hiss savors every bit of the kill.

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8. AUTONOESIS – MOON OF FOUL MAGICS

Autonoesis returned this year with a surprise release of their sophomore full length. Moon Of Foul Magics took the raw, natural musicianship and songwriting found on Autonoesis and refined it, adding greater depth and creativity to the songwriting and overall pacing. The music itself, at a well–balanced nexus between black, death, and thrash metals–feels even more free to indulge in stretching its technical and progressive legs without ever coming close to wearing out its welcome. Moon‘s sixty-six minute runtime operates in a wormhole, a vacuum of riffing and shredding where time becomes irrelevant and only riffs matter.

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7. THE CHASM – THE SCARS OF A LOST REFLECTIVE SHADOW

The Chasm is the most cursed band in heavy metal. Label issues. Proper distribution and press, or lack thereof. An ever-evolving lineup has been a double-edged sword. There have been a lot of outside voices that have played a crucial hand in shaping the history of the The Chasm, but make no mistake: the heart and soul of the band beats between guitarist/vocalist Daniel Corchado and drummer Antonio León.

The Chasm would not be the same band had they not had to overcome miles of setbacks for every inch they’ve gained. Any ground given has been earned in blood through the band’s commitment to shaping the occult voyage through the realms of death metal that the band hammer out from album to album. The Scars Of A Lost Reflective Shadow plays like an exposed heart of the band that’s been beating beneath every piece of music they’ve touched–it’s simply Daniel and Antonio doing what they do best: grappling with this gift/curse through some seriously riff-laden metal of death, stripped of its armor and revealing a black heart forged with iron will in the fires of trial and strife.

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6. BEYOND MORTAL DREAMS – ABOMINATION OF THE FLAMES

Evil-sounding death metal is awesome. Brutal-sounding death metal is awesome. Death metal that throws little surreal touches in to evoke nightmarish soundscapes is awesome. Put all three together and it’s a recipe for a real abomination (mayhap one that comes from some sort of fire?).

Beyond Mortal Dreams does exactly that on their sophomore album, Abomination Of The Flames. Hell, even the band name does a terrific job of describing their sound right there in the band name–night terrors of Old Gods. It’s so incredibly heavy, and just sounds so dark. Very little light escapes, save for moments when the flames rise in the form of tastefully seared shredding. The meat of the riffs and the heavy-handed rhythm section would be plenty to secure this album on any year-end list, but the way the little seasonings–the hallowed synths and the alien vocoder, for example–really bring the music to full flavor and make the album a rich, fully immersive experience.

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5. FER DE LANCE – THE HYPERBOREAN

Chicago’s heavy metal is no stranger to the year-end pages at Last Rites. With ties to the likes of Satan’s Hallow, Midnight Dice, High Spirits, Hitter, and Smoulder, Fer de Lance was bound to get excitedly passed around the office, particularly among those of us that hold high expectations when it comes to a genre tag like epic doom.

Not only do Fer de Lance deliver the goods, they carve the name of The Hyperborean atop the mountain next to the likes of Nightfall, Hammerheart, Resound The Horn, Beyond The Crimson Horizon, New Dark Age, Will Of The Gods Is A Great Power, The White Goddess, and (perhaps the secret ingredient that really sells it) a particularly spicy dash of Hall Of The Mountain King. All prerequisite boxes are checked: big, slow riffs that hold breathe and pause hearts, reverb that feels as wide as the sky. What makes Fer de Lance shimmer in the stars, however, is how they deliver the goods with their own voice. It never feels too close to their inspirations nor their contemporaries–conversely, they never feel like they’re shying away from either as well. More than worthy of carving their mighty name into the tops of epic doom

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4. INANNA – VOID OF UNENDING DEPTHS

For as much as I scream about how Chile is pumping out some of the best any genre of heavy metal has to offer these days, I’m remiss in only really getting into Inanna this year. It was a good time to do so though, as on the heels of the release of their third album, the prior two recieved excellent reissue treatments.

In the context of the band, Void Of Unending Depths feels like a balance between the raw talent of the debut and the unfiltered talent of the sophomore, striking a balance through lineup changes to deliver the band’s most realized work to date. The album practically begs for a sleek, black vinyl treatment; complete with a second etched 12″ to house the epic, unwavering force of nature of album closer “Cabo de Hornos.”

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3. HAMMERS OF MISFORTUNE – OVERTAKER

Every time I listen to Overtaker it forces an image of thousands of microscopic little versions of the beast on the cover swarming all over my skin in pulsating waves synchronized by a hive mind, their little flipper/wing things tickling my skin the way the bionic hyper thrash riffs tickle my brain.

And you know what? I kinda like it.

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2. TÓMARÚM – ASH IN REALMS OF STONE ICONS

A cloak enchanted with post-black metal’s plucking at the ethereal spirit blankets the supreme technical edge of Atlanta’s Tómarúm. Ash In Realms Of Stone Icons sounds as as big as the Lewandowski cover art. It doesn’t have atmosphere so much as asthenosphere; the molten lava of the fretless bass moving these monumental teutonic plates of influence across sweeping progressions sculpted from a diversely curated palette of influences (Enslaved, Borknagar, Animals As Leaders, Minenwerfer, Wolves In The Throne Room, Colors-era Between The Buried And Me, to name a few standouts).

As flashy as the instrumentation gets, it serves the composition of the record every step of the way, Such service to the expression of the songs is given to every element on the record, every song flowing as effortlessly into the next as an air of morose, tortured melancholy expels from Tómarúm. As powerful, beautiful, self-reflective and, well, breathtaking as the final gasp for air.

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1. VÓRTIZE – ¡Tienes Que Luchar!

For a world shrouded in black, white, and shades of grey, Vórtize hit like a blast of technicolor across a dreary landscape. A side project of Demoniac maniac Javier Ortiz, the project’s debut strikes a perfect balance of songwriting, melody, charm, speed, and nostalgia. Fans of Satan and Slough Feg should run, not walk to this for the intricate compositions and quick-as-lightning-and-twice-as-smooth melodic hooks of the guitar riffs.

The ensemble of friends recruited by Ortiz deliver heartfelt performances–sure, the production is a little scrappy, but it feels real, human, a little closer to the heart. It suits the music for a purpose beyond aesthetics.

What makes ¡Tienes Que Luchar! album of the year, besides being an absolutely delightful listen in its own right, is how much I feel connected with the moods the band shape with the music and the lyrics. It feels exactly where I feel in 2022–lost in a sick, fucked up world. It feels like everything is going to hell on a minecart ride and I’m desperately reaching for the beauty in it, trying to cling to something pure. Every day feels like a struggle to find a reason to fight, yet each dawn I still reach for the sword.

What’s truly great about the classic sword and sworcery heavy metal records isn’t the gleam of the axe or the size of the battle, it’s the reverence for the fighting spirit that makes them feel larger than life. Vórtize are ripping the armor of allegory off in the face of personal struggle, grappling to find meaning in the madness. Despite its vulnerability it feels full of the sort of foolhardy courage that inspires will in the face of hopelessness–something I felt I like desperately needed this year.

Again, I must stress: forgive the self-indulgence, but I’d be lying if I picked anything else. Vórtize gave me everything I needed to get through another day–the whistled solo, the strength and conviction in Romi’s vocal appearances, the very hooks in the melodies themselves again and again revealed themselves when I reached for strength in memory. In my world, Vórtize sweep the crown for album of the year. Drive, execution, commitment, and, above all, inspiring strength of heart. Of course it’s personal.

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III: Born Of Black Wind, Fire, And Steel
(EP-ilogue)

5. Thunderlord – Thunderlord

One shot at glory from the late 90s surfaced for the first time in 2022, and honestly probably my most revisited EP or demo of the year. #5 in the chart, but #1 in the heart.

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4. Moonlight Sorcery – Piercing Through The Frozen Eternity

Icy poems to the moon written in sky-shattering shredding.

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3. Emissary – Emissary

If you were on the fence about whether or not the drumming on Chevalier’s Destiny Calls was brilliant or insane, the way Emissary fly boldly through liquid speed metal chaos with the subtly of a chemical trainwreck is a firm affirmation that both are in fact true. A heavy metal recording for those who aren’t afraid of a wet shot of nitrous, damned if the engine is tuned for it. Burn out in glory.

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2. Ancient Death – Sacred Vessel

Sacred Vessel is the sound of Ancient Death finding their own little space in hell, pissing a territory somewhere between the smoldering caverns of diSEMBOWELMENT and the molten monstrosities of Finnish death metal with an atmosphere as thick as coagulated blood.

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1. Wizards – Т​а​й​н​ы​й М​р​а​к Г​р​я​д​у​щ​и​х Д​н​е​й​ / ​The Secret Gloom of Days to Come

Black metal using its necrotic magic to resurrect rock ‘n’ roll of the past holds a certain hypnotic charm. Wizards’ debut demo may as well be a full-length given its length and attention to detail when it comes to mixing the spirits of Blue Öyster Cult, Paul Chain, Masters Hammer, Randy Rhodes, Gonzo (yes, the Muppet), Mercyful Fate, Tangerine Dream–and you bet your ass they’re all covered in the ancient soot and graveyard dust of black metal. Pumping organs and roaring psychedelia swirl around a heart of rock that beats with eh sovereign pulse of the Real Deal. Despite its breadth of 80’s influence, it almost sounds like an early 90s band reaching for the 80s and stumbling into the fringes of the 70s, all reflected in the haze of the black mirror. As timeless as a dream.

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Bias be damned, this was my year in heavy metal. Thanks to anyone who dipped in on the ride, it means the world that you were curious enough to read, listen, judge, praise, or dismiss. By all means, don’t listen to me–carve your own path.

For the love of whatever it is you hold sacred, stay true.

The post Best Of 2022 – Ryan Tysinger: Lifelong Journeys For Technicolor Vapors appeared first on Last Rites.

Now imagine a precise point most minuscule in that interstellar web: The early nineties, when black metal as we know it today was birthed. The first strokes of the second wave were an attempt to go against the natural order of things, to break free of the binds of forward temporal momentum. It was a necrotic spell designed to raise the past from beyond the grave. The very soul of metal that was going, at least in the minds of the necromancers whom so brashly performed this ritual, off-course from its original spirit and needed, to put it colloquially, a swift kick in the nads. These progenitors found themselves in dire need of an alternative to the increasingly cookie cutter formula of the underground’s darling at the time: Death metal. Little did the young practitioners know of the waves that would grow from the ripples into a beast unto itself. Twenty years in the future and it seems those fickle little hands of Time have been up to their old tricks. With death metal again flirting with the edges of what could be considered commercial success (or, more realistically, unequivocally popular in the metal sphere), black metal has, in turn, been pushing out a slew of inspired creations: The lot of them daring to be bolder, weirder, and more fiercely personal than their rival siblings in extremity. The old spectre of the movement still lurks within the music, despite the beast it has transmogrified into well outside of the scope or control of its original creators. Like Time, it is birthed unbound to the whims and desires of those who would seek to imprison it or attempt to cage its very soul.

Or it could just be that the isolation of the current age has corrupted Time and spurred an abundance of creativity? Like a madman furiously scribbling poetry and frantically doodling across the cold concrete of his cell, these musicians have ferociously decorated the would-be walls of Time that bind them in an attempt to seek some sort of salvation amongst the insanity. After all, what is music but humanity’s artistic imprint on Time? Regardless, what follows are works that gleam amongst the infinite and ever-expanding backdrop of black metal, yet remain proudly untouched by the influence of trends within this temporal orb – this is music that was destined to be unleashed, to be heard, to be felt, and not some status symbol, or ideogram of clout, or vehicle for sick graphic design brandished on an eight-sided t-shirt through the available-now-only-for-a-limited-time-until-we-do-it-again marketing scheme pushed by labels seeking to capitalize off the dramatic upsweep in death metal popularity. This is about the raw spirit of underground metal – doing it because it’s a calling. It’s that very spirit that’s kept the underground alive for so many years: It’s not the occasional surge in popularity of bands or styles, it’s the heeding of the call of a soul dedicated to a craft – and may that seemingly insignificant blazing flame against the empty backdrop of infinity never, ever be extinguished.

svrm – Розпад

Release Date: January 2nd, 2021 Label: Self-Released

There seem to be a few patterns occurring as this particular feature continues to take form. While it was originally intended to shine fresh light on underground artists in black metal, there has been a tendency to check in on a few on the bands mentioned in prior editions. With how much I’ve come to love Ukraine’s svrm over the past few years, I couldn’t miss the opportunity to see how the one-man project has been coming along.

svrm play a very Ukrainian style of black metal: Think lots of epic, sweeping autumnal soundscapes – atmospheric without ever losing the vicious bite of true black metal. Part of this snarl comes from the sheer conviction in the vocals. Tortured and pained, they reflect the mindset of a country seemingly cursed in eternal strife and conflict. There is something that connects on such a primal, human level: This sort of music just feels like an unfiltered, unbridled outpouring emotion that comes only from experiencing the true gravity of struggle. While the latest effort doesn’t feel quite as bombastic and cohesive as last year’s Занепад, it still upholds a quality that’s come to be expected of the young prolific artist. svrm experiments a little more readily with acoustic passages, however, they don’t quite flow as fluently into the greater structure of the songs as they have on the past three efforts. In fact, at times, they seem to interrupt the progression of the songs, pulling the listener out of the total immersion in the music. In layman’ terms, occasionally everything feels a little bit too choppy.

However, when the record hits, it hits. Precisely one minute into “Розпад,” we’re met with a tempo drop into a melody fit for Autumn Aurora complete with a full payoff as the song accelerates to a climax. “Mовчання” may well be some of the band’s finest material to date in terms of channeling that defiant, yet sorrowed triumph so trademarked to the region. If anything, it feels like things move a little too quickly, as opposed to allowing these moments of excellence to simmer and transition a bit more smoothly and fluidly. I think svrm would benefit from trusting in their melodies to draw things out a hair more, to find that river of hypnotic fluency that they are most certainly capable of. These melodies are so good I say again to the band: trust in them.

While I’ve always appreciated the concise lengths of the band’s works (lovingly referring to them as “bite-sized Drudkhs”), I think allowing a bit more time for transitions could benefit svrm. I’d love to see what they could do with a forty-minute or so album properly crafted for a vinyl release and the workings of a good studio. The home recording approach has me more than sold: Someone please give this project the budget it deserves! Despite the criticisms listed here, I still firmly believe in the band and want to see them really go for something huge, lest they end up plateauing at this level of output. They’ve still got a stranglehold on unbridled passion and ecstatic melodies, they just need to figure out where to go with it and get the backing needed to reach their opus levels of creativity and output.

Ancient Mastery – Chapter One: Across The Mountains Of The Drämmarskol

Release Date: January 8th, 2021 Label: Self-Release

A steady breeze picks up between the cliffs, growing in strength and flirting with violent speeds before simmering back to a dull whisper. The icy breath of foreshadowing at the introduction to one-man Austrian symphonic black metal project Ancient Mastery’s debut offering is padded with angelic, choral synths that beckon the listener into a faraway dream world. It fluffs the pillow and tucks the sheets a bit, so to speak – preparing its audience and gently suggesting the whims of attention, softly seducing the ears with its coaxing whispers of fantastical worlds and grandiose tales of old. As the drums pick up to a slow, extremely Summoning-esque tattoo betwixt the toms and snare, the desire for attention beckons harder yet. She’s a shifty siren; she’s taking her time with her prey, waiting for the opportune moment to strike when their guard is down and (ahem) their swords be up and attentive for battle. Then, BOOM! Those soft breezes erupt into a hailstorm as we’re thrust into a larger-than-life world of epic majesty and ancient grace.

Our arrival is greeted with every bit of pomp-and-circumstance: The synths ignite in a marvelous display of glory. The vocals crack in with that all-too-familiar reverberated, skeletal call of the darkest metals of olde, but it’s so well suited to Ancient Mastery’s style of epic black metal that it feels like a crumb of comfort as opposed to the trappings of a trope. Across the chorus, ethereal woodwind synths ebb and flow with the subdued touch of the pitch wheel as project mastermind Erech howls about marching to the promised land in an inspiring call to glory. Following a softer passage, the ending brings everything back into full force – victory seems but a raven’s breath away from being clenched.

While “To Valdura” does an excellent job of painting the vast landscape of the album, the first true taste of that glorious triumph is gifted within “The Majesty Of Aztara.” The introductory riff taps directly into that mystique of European folk melody that runs so deep in the vein of the Old World; coupled with the generous amounts of reverb in the blasting section it bursts through like the rushed winds between the very mountains of the Drämmarskol, focusing their power between the walls of sound that contain them. The mighty force flows around mountain peaks as the riffs and melodies shift through several sections before working back to that hooky folky melody. Then the trumpets resound and that taste of victory finally reaches the lips in a glorious breakdown section. While that would have been more than enough for an excellent song, Erech isn’t finished yet. As the trumpets fade and the sweeping winds of the guitars die down until all that’s left are the soft twinkles of the synth, a gentle calm. Then those distant drums pick up, again in that very Summoning-like manner. The trumpets return, this time opening the gates to transcendence: The guitars fill out the sound over a one-two beat and the synths climb out of the stratosphere and to the stars in a beautiful display of songcraft.

Chapter One isn’t out of surprises yet. “The Passage” kicks off with the whispers of pipes and woodwinds over a grooving running kick before hitting the melodic hook. Much like “To Valdura,” a full song structure basically plays out before the epic punch of the climax. This time the trumpets blast forth without warning, blanketing the halls with a brilliant golden glory. When we return to the main hook, this time the drums gallop forth on the snare like the hooves of shadowed steeds through the valleys of Drämmarskol. “The Passage” is a full-on riding out song, complete with some Western guitar work that doesn’t sound too far removed from the classic “(Ghost) Riders In The Sky.” The fourth and final track takes a sharp departure from the styles of the previous three; starting with a strummed picking of acoustic guitar and some gorgeous feminine vocals that ring out in a minor key lullaby. The nightmares wash over as the full band kicks in, with Erech’s familiar rasp providing a dark counter to the harmonies of the introduction. It cannot be stressed enough how difficult it is to pull off this sort of ballad in black metal without falling too deep into the cornfields, but Ancient Mastery pull through with a confidence and sinister grace rarely matched in such an effort. It’s a fitting conclusion to a truly grandiose album, and with Chapter Two planned for release later this year, Ancient Mastery are proving to be a force to keep a close eye on come end of year season.

Available on cassette (Ad Victoriam) and vinyl (Death Kvlt Productions) in February. CD available in March courtesy of Pest Productions.

Valac – Burning Dawn Of Vengeance

Release Date: January 15th, 2021 Label: Self-Released

Certain soundbites are overused in metal. Some have been used so perfectly that any future usage of the same recorded quotation falls exceedingly flat (prime example being the 1996 track, “And When He Falleth,” by Theatre Of Tragedy being the supreme ruler of the Vincent Price quote from 1964’s The Masque Of Red Death – despite many attempts no bands have quite touched the tension of that recorded moment). While Robert Oppenheimer’s famous quote, most notably the “Now I am become death, the destroyer of worlds” bit, has been used quite frequently in the realms of black metal, it always feels like an ominous welcome. New Mexico’s Valac twist and decay this famous nibble of sound into a fitting introduction to their second full-length, Burning Dawn Of Vengeance. It paints a fitting introduction to the hazy, grey dusts the match the portrait of its cover: the guitars are fuzzy and gratuitously reverberated, painting an almost Judas Iscariot-like landscape across the field of sound.

The riffs on “Awakening Of Valac” shift and phase like a spectre – flitting and haunting the muzzled blasts with a blanket of grim and grit. The tremolo sections dart around like a feather duster, flicking away the cobwebs and dust bunnies as the vocals cry out from a forgotten chest clutching tight memories of a life long past its expiration. The drums avoid the Transilvanian Hunger death trap of constantly blasting – it’s truly the skeletal 1-2-3-4 minimalism on songs like “Weep Behind The Wall Of Illness” or the breakout section of “The Depths Of Despndency” that sell the rhythm section.

Valac’s most recent effort captures a style oft sought after yet rarely obtained: orthodox bare rawness that eschews the barriers of lo-fi recording; i.e. sounding a bit too much like a bedroom project. The music totally emerges the listener into the well, leaving all suspension of disbelief in the dust. It’s hard to put a finger on exactly what it is about bands that do such a directive style so well, but whatever the X-factor is that Valac are carrying in their DNA, it’s got the magic to lose the listener in dusty attics and forgotten basements with little regard to the as to the actual world around them – escapism in darkness, dust, and genuine settings mixing a cocktail of curiosity, fear, and, mystery.

Cassette to be released soon on Banner Of Blood; vinyl on Banner Of Blood (US) and Black Gangrene Productions (EU).

Ferriterium – Calvaire

Release Date: January 16th, 2021 Label: Epictural Productions

Always trying to show my bias whenever possible, it takes a lot to get me interested in the style of modern black metal that has exploded in the wake of the success of Poland’s Mgła. There are certainly plenty of releases that I love, but so much of it falls flat or, more criminally, has a drum sound that would drive Fenriz into a Hello Kitty frenzied madness. But every so often one comes along that really clicks – and not just from the cardboard sound of the drum triggers. Ferriterium, the side project of Raido (Heimsgard, Karne), manages to avoid such pitfalls with an explosive grace with their third offering, Calvaire.

The album starts off with a blaze of energy. No fancy-pants intros or atmosphere building – it just drops the listener right into a pummeling whirlwind of melody. The criss-crossing tremolo guitars lock and interweave as the drums find their groove. Radio’s spiteful bark is aggressive and enraged, perfect for black metal that goes straight for the neck. While the album certainly has that more nihilist, misanthropic feel, the melodic sensibilities can’t hide their country of origin – and bless ’em for it, because they rip. Anyone who’s kept up with the more medieval black metal of the region will find a familiar riffing approach to bands like Véhémence or Darkenhöld, yet these melodic stylings are utilized to an entirely different modern, unruly purpose.

The track order plays in the band’s favor, capitalizing off the explosiveness of the four movements and only proceeding to take the whirlwind of wrist-whipping tremolos to new heights on “La Proie du cloître.” The groove entrenches right from the start – Ferriterium seem to have a similar approach to song transition as they do to introductions. Cut the fat, get to the meat, and sear that beautiful melodic slab of beef to a perfect medium rare. The song only builds its energy. Right when it seems like the music is peaking, the next segment takes the track to new crescendos by moving to a blast section or layering vocals atop one another. The vocals are right on point with the ascension of the music, crying out with an escalating fury just as the song feels it can’t peak anymore. It drops into a weighted breakdown section with those pestilential leads swarming around in a nonstop wave of tremolo virtuosity.

Calvaire never relents. While it firmly stays within its stylistic bounds, it executes its goals with swift and meticulous precision. While the “fury” descriptor could be used ad nauseam to describe the rush of fluidic melody of the work, it’s really the only proper way to encapsulate the mood. Aggressive, fast, and surprisingly dynamic, Ferriterium prove to be unsung heavyweights in a niche that is bogged down with mediocrity. The band unapologetically play to their strengths and more than have the chops to pull off a noteworthy performance that drenches the songs in a dynamic urgency that rises like a fine cream in a barrel of despair.

Fathomage – Psalms Of Reverence And Lamentations

Release Date: January 21st, 2020 Label: Self-Released

Imagine the absolute cojones it takes to release a Christian-themed album in heavy metal. Sure, there’s a heavily Catholic vibe streaming through Black Sabbath, or the Christian undertones to Trouble, or, more recently, the Pentecostal parables of Wytch Hazel (who, arguably, only flirt with the edges of metal proper). Let alone black metal, where so much of the genre’s earlier incarnations were affixed to strictly anti-Christian philosophy and imagery. Just try to fathom looking at something that so vehemently despises you and saying, “that’s EXACTLY the muse I was looking for.”

While I don’t want to presume as to Fathomage’s intentions, inspirations, or ideology – particularly when it comes to black metal – there is no denying the abundance of Christian subtext to the album’s lyrical content. However, it finds that sweet spot of drawing from Christian mythology without coming off as preachy. Psalms Of Reverence And Lamentations taps directly into all the elements that make the Christian fable so fascinating to fans of epic literature regardless of spiritual or religious affiliation. When the Gregorian chanting works its way across the misty soundscapes of “Before Thy Holy Chalice,” all bets are off. Despite drawing from a source that so many hardcore black metal fans would so foolishly dismiss on principle, Fathomage are crafting some undeniably interesting shit. The songs are defined by simmering, down-tempo builds into worlds of epic grandeur with woodwinds and angelic synths that would appeal to any fan of Summoning, or, more recently, Sojourner.

While the majority of the album relies on atmosphere to reach its peaks, there are breakout moments of riffing that will catch the ears of any purist. The tremolo foray at the beginning of “Wooden Chapel Among The Evergreens” or the ominous chug in the following track, “Metanoia” (and particularly the solo that so triumphantly whips its head ’round the climax) shows an attention to guitar work that comes as a breath of fresh air in arena of more fantasy-minded black metal. The more the whistles, flutes, chimes, and chants reach for the heavens, the more the guitar expands its roots into the earth, making Psalms Of Reverence And Lamentations a well-rounded attack on all fronts and painting a worldscape of potential infinitely more vast than it had relied on one aspect or the other.

Whipping out of the classical guitar interlude of “Autumn’s Eve In Valaam,” “Enslavement Unto The Passions” certainly lives by its namesake. Flurrying out of the midpoint passage of the transition, the winds of the song grow to gusts into a steady, triumphant 1-2 march betwixt the kick and snare as the hi-hats lazily shuffle their way across the tempo, as though burdened with the crackling of frozen chains. An outright blizzard strikes as the blast section arises, ripping through there rosy cheeks of flesh that would so defy the very will of God.

I hate to harp (pun intended, as always) on this, but so many black metal purists will turn away from this on principle. Yet it’s not preachy, the album merely channels the world building of the Bible. When viewed through a clearly secular lens, the music is undeniably inspired and executed at an impressive level. Interesting that so many who claim to be infatuated with darkness be so scared of even humoring the thought of a separate perspective.

Grima – Rotten Garden

Release Date: January 22nd, 2021 Label: Naturmacht Productions

In all honesty, Travel’rs, I must again admit another bias. When it comes to pagan black metal I want Big Riffs, and when it comes to atmospheric black metal I generally lean toward the more minimalistic direction. Rare to the twain meet in such a way as the sophomoric effort from Russia’s Grima. And again, as to never deceive you, Faire Reader, an honest confession: It took a few spins for this to open up. There was something about it that hooked me, but it really took an active listen for the subtitles to reveal their secrets.

When at first “Cedar And Owls” seemed like very Winterfylleth styled atmospheric pagan black metal (yadda yadda subgenere bullshit), upon a closer listen revealed a rich undertone of not only synth work, but a distinctly Eurasian pagan sound. There’s a psychedelia to the keys and swirling guitars that feels like a symbiotic mushroom trip that binds the soul to nature. Yet the cap is still moldy and decaying: The melancholy of death works its way through the ambient breakdown (accompanied by, of course, owls), birthing an organ section from its ethereal soils that blossoms to an emotive guitar solo.

While this seems to be a bit of a loose theme for this edition of Black, Raw, and Bleeding, there is no denying the melodic core of the band’s approach. All the differentiating instrumentation serves a higher purpose, such as on the choir / blast / explosive-drum-fill-to-vocal-introduction onslaught at the beginning of “Mourning Comes At Sunset.” The layers only intensify, punctuated with the thundering reverb of the toms when they dare break ranks of the galloping pace. More surprises arrive with the accordion on “At The Foot Of The Red Mountains” – while it’s been done plenty before, it’s hard to imagine when its been used with such a natural integration.

I could go on and on, but Grima are so full of surprises that I could bore you, dear Reader, with a thousand words on the intricate details of this album. Trust me, this is one to dive into and experience time and again, with fresh doors to be opened with every spin.

Klanen – Coerced Into Desolate Eternity

Release Date: January 23rd, 2021 Label: Self-Released

Sometimes you just gotta go down to Momma’s basement, light a few candles, and dust off the ol’ four-track before letting loose on some buttery blast beats and just hollerin’ into a microphone about desolation and oblivion and all that like the good Dark Lord intended.

Anguis Dei – Angeist

Release Date: January 31st, 2021 Label: Drakkar Productions

Symphonic black metal often gets a bad rap. On the surface, it is so often quickly associated with the cheese of Dimmu Borgir or whatever the fuck it is that Cradle Of Filth does these days. Sure, there’s merit to be found within both catalogues, but to paint the entirety of symphonic black metal with such a broads strokes is to do the style an unforgivable disservice. Even in the 90s when such bands took an approach that launched them well out of the murkier regions of the underground, bands like Odium and Limbonic Art clung firmly the aggressive edge – instead of dulling the razor’s edge to highlight the brilliant sheen of the symphonics, such acts doubled down and just turned everything up to eleven. More grandiosity, more bite, and, above all, more madness.

Flash forward two decades, and enter Japan’s Anguis Dei. A part of the AAAA circle including Arkha Sva, Ahpdegma, and Avsolutized (we’re working with a theme here), Anguis Dei emerged in 2016, following up that year’s demo with the excellent Ad Portas Serpentum: A ripping twenty-minute EP of dark tower-toppling madness. Of particular note were the theatrical synth work, aggressive and creative riff work, interesting song structures, and especially the vocal performance of Adeptus U.:È.:Œ.: (pretty sure I spelled that right).

After a four year wait, Anguis Dei have at long last released a debut full-length effort, Angeist. In the continuted spirit of turning everything the fuck up, Agneist is an even more bizarre foray into majestic grave of madness that beats like a Tell-Tale heart at the center of the project. One of the first things to jump out is just how much Adeptus U.:È.:Œ.:’s (sp.? editor please?) vocals have just exploded into operatic realms – this guy is going for the King Diamond of grunting, screeching, hollerin’, and wailing. The vocals simply swirl around the madness of the guitar and keyboards going at ludicrous levels of furiosity, depicting images of a madman drunk on the ethereal nectar of a fine absinthe. Conjurations of pipe organs hammered away in the depths of an undersea laboratory come to mind as Adeptus wails away over the sheer insanity of the music.

Another thing that sets Anguis Dei firmly apart from the stereotypical, surface-level values of symphonic black metal are the goddamn riffs (you may be aware, we at Last Rites are generally impressed with these). Never being content to simply chug away at a root note for all eternity, “Through The Aperture Of Time” is a Big Riff Salad, shifting from abrasive tremolo fury through abrupt shifts in tempo, never content to lay still for more than a few bars. With all the vocal flavor and brouhaha, it makes any bit of repetition in the melody obsolete: Every moment of the song feel artifically fresh and new and unrepeated, despite the cloaked use of logical structure. The keys build a tortured, haunting atmosphere that never detract from the aggressive nature of the music. The guitar solo at the peak of the performance squiggles like leech pulled from its host in an instinctual thirst for blood.

While the track proceeding it, “Angela Krudeliis Ambitiosa Nokturniis,” is a re-recording of a composure from the previous EP, it’s an excusable offense for a myriad of reasons. Firstly, it’s a perfect demonstration of the band’s sound: frantic, shifting riffs that alternate between sweeping tremolos with tension-wielding symphonic and drastic, turn-on-a-dime shifts in mood. Secondly, the veracity with which Adeptus re-interprets the song breathes fresh vigor in the already over-the-top vocal department. Thirdly, it fits within the pacing and vision of the album, with the tracks around it spawning like a grotesque sprout from a rotten seed of decay and misery. If the vocals sounded sick here, just wait for the opening vomit on the title track. “Angeist” breaks open with a chugging stride and some colored, inspired synth work that fills the gaps between the mid-paced charge. From the layered wails in the opening salvo, those ever-evolving vocals reveal their true operatic flavor as the music simmers down before the blasts break the song wide open. By the time the final third of the song arrives, the melodies are ablaze with a decrepit orchestra from hell. All of the pieces come together for a dramatic and sweeping conclusion – and we’re only halfway through the album at this point.

Of particular note is Angeist‘s seventh movement, “Separation of Æthyr.” While the flow from introduction to verse takes a page out of the aforementioned title track – simmering in a slow, chugging guitar style that’s not entirely removed from riffage often found in the more industrial hybrid interpretations of metal. However, the lead work is pure, unvarnished black steel, skewering the crimson skies with vicious phrygian lacerations. As the music fades down, the distant murmurs of a hammered dulcimer begin marching over the horizon like a distant call to battle, and the adrenaline of war beings to seep into the bloodstream. As the guitar joins, the anticipation on grows, and the payoff strikes swiftly in the payout of the song and one of the most riveting highlights of the album. Unmerciful thrash riffing hits like a barbaric sledge across the gentle tapped hammers of the dulcimer. And when that breakout riff hits out of the blasts and the lead unapologetically rips for the solo, it’s heavy fuckin’ euphoria. The King Diamond-esque falsetto at the end adds a perfect exclamation point to conclude the song, wrapping up tight as though the dramatic arms of Beleth itself were conducting the orchestra to a swift and tidy ending. The final track feels almost like a epilogue after the orgasmic conclusion to “Separation of Æthyr,” but it serves its purpose well. All the orchestration, guitar work, and drumming frenzy gets abundant play, with a more prounced melancholic madness reminding the listener of the true strengths of the band.

Symphonic black metal rips, but only when it has the balls to be done right. Anguis Dei have demonic, throbbing balls on the edge of primal climax; and Angeist serves as the full realization of said balls that were but only hinted on Ad Portas Serpentum. Leave it to Japan to have the 睾丸 to go all out.

Until next time, Trav’lers.

The post Black, Raw, & Bleeding: Shanghaied On The Celestial Shores Of The Black Metal Underground appeared first on Last Rites.

Go, then. There are other worlds than these. – Jake Chambers

The zombie sub-genre of horror film introduced some interesting hypotheticals. Everyone reading this has, in all likelihood, at least pondered on how they would act in the event of a zombie outbreak. Usually informed from the omnipotent point-of-view of the spectator, these discussions are typically littered with Monday morning quarterback calls; after all, there is no way anyone could be so stupid as to ignore such obvious warning signs of impending chaos and terror, right? It’s easy to see decline from the comfort of one’s sofa or from the safety of a hypothetical scenario where the entire response is tainted with the foreknowledge of the imminent threat. Yet this year, we did get a glimpse of how we would behave in the face of a global pandemic. For the most part, it was a lot of waiting. Waiting to see if you or a loved one would get sick, waiting for news of a vaccine, waiting to get tested, waiting to lose your job, waiting to be evicted, waiting for things to get worse. 

However, as has happened time and again, times of great struggle birth great art, and heavy metal has been no exception in this, the Year Of The Plague. In fact, through the past 358 days of doom and gloom, it’s no wonder the champion genre of foreboding negativity hit a thriving stride. In a world where each passing day seems to bring some new horror, it’s as though the passion in the work was handled with an uncompromising conviction. After all, any given day could mark catastrophe – get in while you have the chance. Record that album, write that book, or take up painting: Anything to connect in some way again to the human spirit and find release in the ecstasy of creation or, at the very least, experience some force of control when the world feels like it is spinning further and further away from it. 

And yet, as my personal year unfolded, it was the music that drew from a more resilient source that resonated the most. It’s not surprising that the top three albums on this list are all works that focus on championing as they emanate a conquering triumph in the face of adversity. Perhaps in our darkest hours we cling most steadfastly to hope, if even to dream of overcoming an unfathomable wave of terror and trepidation.

It was within this cocoon of fear that I lived a thousand lives. From the comfort of my own sofa, I traversed the cosmos: I explored the strangest regions of foreign galaxies, rode into conflict against all odds with a legion of battle-hardened warriors across majestical landscapes, feasted within the moldy lairs of vampires, and broke bread with mad wizards in enchanted forests. As the world felt like it was collapsing around me, I escaped to desert wastes, lurked within the hearts of haunted castles, tumbled through cavernous nightmares, and witnessed the death of a planet. I came face to face with my own inner darkness, achieved enlightenment, fell in and out of love. I raced across the empty streets of a neon metropolis, soared on the wings of dragons, took shortcuts through alternate dimensions, set sail on unknown seas inhabited by cunning sirens and vicious beasts, and surfed amongst space debris through the rings of alien worlds. I was dismembered by serial killers, devoured by otherworldly abominations, tortured by sadistic priests. I achieved immortality, shotgunned beers with Satan, partied after-hours in the Kingdom Of Hell, shattered chains, and danced with demons under a moonless sky – all thanks to these auditory portals so lovingly crafted by the sonic alchemists of heavy metal. When my will to cling to reality broke, it was falling into these worlds that felt like the greatest escape from the dread of waiting for the next catastrophic event.

One of the greatest things about music is its dependence on a singular sense. This creates a symbiotic relationship between the mind of its creator and that of the listener. What was imagined and brought into existence is then perceived through the very personal lens of experience and the creativity of the recipient. Fueled by this culmination of inspiration, it gives power to the listener to fill in the missing sensory gaps, so to speak, to construct and explore their own worlds to the subtle (and sometimes not-so-subtle) soundtrack. What follows were the portals I most enjoyed exploring when I needed to get away from the increasing hopelessness of everyday life. They are the albums I most returned to and relied on, the records that had the greatest impact on my personal journey throughout a year where the doldrums of despair were broken only by further malaise and tragedy. This is no small act, and a few thanks are in order. To the artists, labels, PR folks, cover artists, engineers, producers, venues that hosted live streams, and (especially) the U.S. Postal Service for keeping me sane in these trying times: Thank you. To the zines, blogs, vlogs, podcasts, and especially the passionate fans who still took time to share their finds and mutual love for this music: Thank you. To the Last Rites staff, regular readers, and friends for allowing me my own little creative space and for remaining a steadfast source of support and love: Thank you. I can only hope, in the lists that follow, that I might spread a bit of joy or shine a light on something you, dear Reader, may not have had the pleasure of exploring. Even if you know them all, hopefully a few of your picks are to follow that we might rejoice in the connection of sharing some favorites. Gods be with ye on thy quest, and beware: Hc svnt dracones!

BOOK I: ROADS TO GLORY, ROADS TO DEATH

The first ten of the top twenty, and, honestly, the hardest choices to narrow down every year since I’ve been writing here.

20. Siege Column – Darkside Legions

A man comes upon another man who is repeatedly bashing himself in the face with a seven-pound hammer. When asked why he’s beating his face to a pulp, the man with the hammer replies, “Because it feels so good when I stop!” While the sophomore effort of New Jersey’s Siege Column feels good while it’s going, I imagine the cathartic effect of ceasing to bash one’s own face with a paver mallet is similar to the pleasure to be found within the sheer release of brutality on Darkside Legions. Wailing guitar screams over grinding death metal of war with a bass tone that leaves strings of saliva drooling from a slack jaw, Siege Column harness the barbaric old school on their own terms, and it’s every bit as evil and nasty as the After-School Detention cover art implies.

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19. Worm – Gloomlord

Perhaps I’m being ungrateful towards the outpouring of excellent death metal in the past few years, or perhaps I’m just jaded and cynical, but I can’t shake the feeling it’s headed the way of the pizza thrash revival in the early 2000s. Not that all bands sound exactly the same, but so many are drawing from similar sources that the inbreeding of influence has created stagnation in the gene pool. Luckily, death/doom doesn’t seem to be falling into the same incestuous pitfalls. Worm channel the muck and guck of the swamps of their home state of Florida. Lush, vibrant haze encapsulates the recording, the very air becomes dense with a pungent mist. The vocals carry the reverb-laden atmosphere of Xantotol, calling back to Worm’s earlier forays into black metal. The riffs slow to a near-funeral doom crawl, bearing much in similarity to the classic Finnish death metal scene, picking up only when the foul breath of death can be felt on the listener’s neck. Even with the slow tempo, there’s not a second to breathe as Gloomlord slowly sinks further and further into the murky dark of its quagmires.

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18. Omegavortex – Black Abomination Spawn

A bit of a late contender, perhaps, but the debut from Germany’s Omegavortex has inspired so many repeat listens at this point that it fully deserves it’s spot on this list. Visceral black/death that finds no shortage of riffs and chaotic solos, Black Abomination Spawn brings with it a very particular flavor of fury. The album is never content to stay still, even when riffs repeat for a spell the drum patterns are always there to enhance the destruction of quantum levels of chaos. Something is always happening, and there isn’t quite a comfortable moment to be found. It leads to an extremely restless atmosphere that charges the music with a sporadic and unpredictable flow of energy. Fans of Necrovore, or, more recently, Ascended Dead, will find a lot to love in the forty-five minute nonstop barrage of volume that simply reeks with the stale vacuumed stench of outerworldly warfare and death.

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17. Oranssi Pazuzu – Mestarin Kynsi

Mestarin Kynsi was a bit of a grower for me. Upon the release of the Finnish psychedelic black metal band’s fifth studio full-length, I played it once or twice, enjoyed it, and then promptly forgot about it for a few months. Coming back further into the year opened the swirling dark fog of color emitted from the hypnotic rhythms, otherworldly tones, and patient builds. Mestarin Kynsi is a record that is made to become lost in by design, and each subsequent play seemed to affect me differently. Every trip through the album feels like it’s own journey through a crystalline vile of LSD, yet there’s a comforting nature to the repetition as the song builds around the firmly rooted rhythm section. Twists, turns, set changes, and surprises abound, marking another unique entry to the already heavy calibre catalogue of the band.

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16. High Spirits – Hard To Stop

High Spirits is a band that never ceases to threaten me with a good time, regardless of the circumstances in my day-to-day life. Hard rockin’ heavy metal littered with pop hooks all haunted with the specters of late nights and city lights, Hard To Stop is another serotonin slam dunk for the Chicago outfit. The energetic nature of the songs serve the band’s namesake well; even when the tunes touch on heartbreak and disappointment, they never lose grip on the optimistic perspective from whence they draw their power. The Dan Swanö production brings out the band’s best sound to date: It’s crisp, clear, and inviting as it actuates the warmth of the band. Highly recommend for hitting the highway with nothing but dreams and a full tank of gas.

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15. Greyhawk – Keepers Of The Flame

Following 2018’s Ride Out EP, the Seattle, Washington heavy metal act Greyhawk went well beyond the promise of their initial offering with their debut full-length. Keepers Of The Flame is a special slice of U.S. power metal, packed with burly vocals, uplifting choruses, memorable riffs, and a guitar tone that bears more than a little resemblance to Jake E. Lee era Ozzy. It’s the minuscule musical touches that flirt with the more pop-friendly aspect of the 80s that bring out the spirit of the time period most on the album (the Sisters Of Mercy sounding “The Rising Sign” additionally comes immediately to mind). Rather than relying on a retro styled production, the band strive for a retro spirit that shines through like a blazing heart. The diversity of the record proves one of its greatest strengths, every song has its own fully fleshed out personality. What results in this culmination the band have concocted is a full-bodied trip through some infectiously fun heavy metal – the top down, sun out record of the summer.

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14. Pharmacist – Medical Renditions Of Grinding Decomposition

It’d be easy to simply write Pharmacist off as little more than an excellent band paying homage to the goregrind grandpappys in Carcass. There’s a point to be made there, after all, the galloping riffs are right out of Carcass’s whiplashing playbook. What made the debut from the Japan’s Pharmacist stand out even more were the marked differences from their primary muse. The scope of influence expertly extracts a touch of everything from the grinding Reek Of Putrefaction to the Big Death Metal Riffs of Necroticism. The vocal manipulation and occasional keyboard use add an extra layer atop the Carcass cake from whence the foundation is created, and the longer-form songs certainly experiment with goregrind’s traditionally under two minute limit on song length. It’s no less rambunctious for it, packing quick changes and plenty of variety for the A.D.H.D.-addled mind. Medical Renditions Of Grinding Decomposition is a grosstasticly puke-a-riffic romp through an alternate future where Carcass made a slight left following Necroticism instead of a hard right into Heartwork.

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13. Possessed Steel – Aedris

There was a certain added allure to well-conceptualized and executed concept albums for me this year. Perhaps it was that desire for escape lurking deep within mine loins that yearned for a good story to unfold across some galloping riffs, crisp melodies, and magical undertones. Whatever it was, Possessed Steel certainly struck true on their debut album, Aedris. The record sits comfortably between mid-paced doom and galavanting NWOBHM, with a dash of US power metal’s infatuation with all things sword and sworcery, might and magick, honour and glory. The vocals weave the yarn well with a diverse toolbox that always finds the right way to translate the music to tale – the delivery is just as much a part of the storytelling as the words themselves. Possessed Steel have crafted quite an adventure in Aedris, all delivered under the warmth of a crackling fire in the well-kept hearth of a tavern on a chilly night before embarking on a most valiant quest.

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12. Undergang – Aldrig I Livet

I don’t necessarily write these blurbs in order, but I’m sure I’ve hemmed and hawed elsewhere about how so much death metal just wasn’t exciting for me this year. It seems that a bulk of the output from the genre this year failed to break the cookie cutter mold or felt like it was written for the explicit purpose of finding a home on a “Death Metal Yoga” Spotify playlist. One spin of Aldrig I Livet threw all of that straight into the toilet, spiraling me headfirst in a month-long death metal swirly of a binge with Undergang as the centerpiece. The band’s fifth full-length is one of their grooviest, grossest, and sassiest yet, and it’s packed with tracks perfectly suited for the “Septic Leakage On Leg Day” playlist. Seriously, it’s those iron-clad grooves that keep bringing me back time and again, dripping and oozing with the gory textures and delirious riffs that just send it on home with a wet flush into the heavenly grotesque sewers of death metal.

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11. Ifernach – The Green Enchanted Forest Of The Druid Wizard

Radiant, shimmering, and grandiose may not be the first words that come to mind when thinking of black metal, yet Ifernach cover all three on The Green Enchanted Forest Of The Druid Wizard. Lush, vibrant, minimalist interludes string together songs rooted in the coming to terms of a violent, conflicted heritage through a marriage of folklore and fantasy set to stunningly melodic, energetic black metal. Themes of duality can be dissected throughout the approach to album flow and songwriting; these opposing sides play off one another and intertwine to create a brilliant journey through the eyes of a fenian revolutionary as he embarks through the Druid Wizard’s enchanted wood. Delightful and haunting, melodic and abrasive, The Green Enchanted Forest Of The Druid Wizard is a memorable adventure that begs many fruitful returns. Also, “A Winter Tree Clad In Black” may be one of the most joyful black metal songs I’ve heard, delivered with a glowing honesty that will have me come to fisticuffs with anyone who tries to claim its not “trve” enough. Seriously, I’ll fight you, put your address in the comments below.

• Covered in Black, Raw, & Bleeding
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BOOK II: MASTER THE BLADE, CONQUER THE STEEL

The final ten of the top twenty. The ones that were the easier picks, these are the records that stuck with me the most. They’re ones I consistently just can not shut up about, the ones I’ve constantly annoyed my friends to listen to, the ones that really went above and beyond the call of duty when it came to reliably carrying me away from the world when I needed it.

They’re pretty good, you should give them a listen if you haven’t already.

10. BÜTCHER – 666 GOATS CARRY MY CHARIOT

Let’s face it: The hour of crudely welding a bazooka to the side car of your frankensteinian beast of an iron steed is rapidly approaching. It’ll be a time when the sweet, sweet petrol guarded by heavily armed post-apocalyptic barbarians is but a mere barren waste away from your tanks. As you pop your bootleg amphetamines and begin your journey across the harsh desert, you’re going to need a soundtrack that’ll keep the adrenaline flowing until that precious fuel is in your possession. When that time comes, you’ll be so glad you saved your copy of 666 Goats Carry My Chariot instead of your stupid family photo albums or whatever. Belgium’s Bütcher are bringing nothing short of manic, rip ridin’ speed metal packed (in full studded leather armor, of course) to capacity with spikes, chains, whips, and the sweet pungency of diesel exhaust. Wearing their influences fully on their sleeve, Bütcher places riffs and references to the greatness of heavy metal yesteryear in a display of fan service greater than any anime DeviantArt account. It’s a nonstop adventure ride, cresting with an epic title track: When they say the name of the album in the song, it feels like it actually means something. Ride out, raider. Ride fast, and may all 666 goats carry your chariot to maximum high-octane glory.

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9. DARK QUARTERER – POMPEI

I remember when the Escape From Pompeii ride at Busch Gardens was first announced. It was billed as this whirlwind log flume adventure ride that climaxed with an epic splashdown down Mount Vesuvius. I never made it to the ride until many years later, and it ended up being extremely disappointing from the hype I remembered from early childhood. Seriously, even the splashdown was kinda lame. My experience with Pompei couldn’t be further from this. Dark Quarterer have always been one of those bands I’ve been tangentially familiar with but never really explored; checking out their latest work exceeded my imaginary expectations. Pompei is a full-on epic treatment of progressive heavy metal in the vein of greats like Hammers Of Misfortune. Striking a Bruce Lee master balance between strength and fluidity, the Italian band weave a tapestry of experiences centered around the devastating volcano that wiped out a city with a menagerie of shifting riffs and leads across a spunky and thoughtful rhythm section. In the year where I had a seemingly insatiable hunger for masterfully executed concept albums, Dark Quarterer quenched a thirst I didn’t know I had. It can be assured this is one band I will be spending more time getting to know in the coming year (with plenty of help from Lone Watie’s excellent primer).

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8. PRIMEVAL MASS – NINE ALTARS

It is important to remember that albums are more than just a collection of songs. Well, sometimes they are, but even then some thought has to go into the albumcraft. Track order, the inclusion of interludes, liner notes, cover decisions, and packaging — to name a few — all play into creating the complete and total soul of the album. So much of the magic of Primeval Mass’s fourth album, Nine Altars, comes from the way in which the songs grow off of one another as the album progresses across a fifty-five minute duration that scorches all perception of time down to more like a half hour. Starting with a notably visceral display of blackened thrash (a bit of a departure from the band’s more orthodox black metal style on previous efforts) the album twists and turns through a labyrinth of riffs at blisteringly breakneck speed. The full lean into thrash is welcome — the guitar and drums trade off chaotic bursts of energy like a demon with a hyperactivity disorder– but nothing really preempts what comes next. As Nine Altars progresses, it opens up more and more into a whirlwind adventure through technical thrash, albeit charred and blackened with plenty of hellfire – especially on the three-peat fury composed of the blitzing “Night Rapture” into the triplet guitar attack on the instrumental “Amidst Twin Horizons” and going way off into the rapid fire weirdness of “Burning Sorcery.” Never straying from the energy and speed or sacrificing the songs for wanky musicianship, Primeval Mass hand delivers the best thrash album of the year, and one of the best in the genre in recent memory. A criminally overlooked and underappreciated release.

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7. MALOKARPATAN – KRUPINSKÉ OHNE

Over the course of now three albums, Slovakia’s Malokarpatan have proven themselves as a sort of shaman in their interpretation of late first-wave black metal. Drawing heavily from the earlier works of Master’s Hammer, Mortuary Drape, and Root, Malokarpatan craft an intoxicating brew of riff-laden folk magic and, let’s say, an un-sober brilliance to songwriting. The way the songs transpose – from energetic gallops to drifting psychedelic flights to sneaky hooks that slip seemlessly into the nooks and crannies of the brain – create an adventure that grows more and more inviting to become lost within as the album further unfolds its organic layers. The black metal side still has an edge, but the bite of repugnance it projects holds more the welcoming sting of a freshly sliced red onion than a hock of rotten, decrepit meat. Krupinské Ohne is roguish and sassy, flirting with a mischievous nature but never really stepping outside of a chaotic neutral alignment. Its true greatness lies in that it’s a beautifully passive listen with plenty of potential for repeat plays to truly appreciate the subtleties in the songwriting, the riffs, and of the overall journey guided by the Slovakian mystics. Oh, and the “WOAHHHOOOOOHHHOOOOOO’s” in the album’s closing title track are one of my favorite moments in music this year.

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6. AUTONOESIS – AUTONOESIS

Metal is, at its core, guitar-driven music. While there are plenty of bands that have completely broken this mold or rethought the way the guitar is to be utilized in these metals most heavy, the very soul of the genre can at the very least be traced all the way back to the rock guitar heroics of Jimmie Page, Jimi Hendrix and, of course, Eddie Van Halen (may the latter two shred in piece). As metal began to deviate further and further away from harder blues-rooted rock’n’roll music, it still carried over that strive to further the possibilities of what human fingers can do to a fretboard. From Iommi to Malmsteen to Shelton to Mustaine to Schuldiner to Nodtviedt and all the heroes between and since, to notable duos such as Downing/Tipton, Smith/Murray, or Denner/Shermann, guitarists of a particular caliber carry the power to grasp the reigns of heavy metal by the proverbial horns and up the power factor of a band by eleven. (The sustain! Listen to it!)

Make no mistake, Autonoesis is a string-driven release – the drums are pretty obviously programmed (albeit well-programmed). Even more specifically, the debut from the mysterious Canadian black/death/thrash band is a guitar-driven album. While the bass makes some pretty notable appearances, such as the DiGeorgio-esque fretless work on “Visions,” it’s really the guitarwork that steals the show. If the riffs don’t catch your interest on the “Nightfall” opener and that very first guitar solo doesn’t start pumping pure iron through your bloodstream, then you may very well need to get that metal heart examined. Autonoesis don’t hold back in the slightest, whether they’re whipping you around by your spinal column in a thrashtopian frenzy, funkin’ up the bass with a bit of buttery biscuit DiGiorgio-esque action, dropping ignorant Bolt Thrower riffs into the center of an otherwise thoughtful song progression, or simply shredding every bit of the bindings that hold us to this mortal coil with some seriously wondrous guitar solos. One of the most promising debut acts to come out of the Year Of Isolation, hands down.

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5. SELBST – RELATOS DE ANGUSTIA

Sweet release. Whether it’s conquering a foe or surrendering to the darkness, there is certainly relief in moving beyond hopelessness. At least, that’s the best analysis I can muster walking away from the sophomore full length of Venezuela one man black metal act Selbst. As dark and haunting as the crisp, defined edges are, there’s still a certain repose to be found buried deep within the music. Perhaps it’s in the way the ever-fluid songs evolve to explosive climaxes against a bleak, all-encompassing backdrop, or, even more likely, within the subtle melodies buried amongst the cacophony of self-loathing on Relatos De Angustia. Either way, the album sets Selbst firmly on my radar of contemporary black metal greats. In a style so vastly flooded with mediocre edgelord attempts at nihilistic evaluations of self and society, this record sparkled and shone like black diamond in the onyx sands of Playa Arenilla Negra. The conflicting inner turmoil radiates from the bickering of the guitars as they weave their melodies across creative drumwork and vocals oozing with desolate conviction. Relatos De Angusita is the real deal; this is modern black metal executed with obsidian passion and a soot-ridden soul of darkness.

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4. AFTERBIRTH – FOUR DIMENSIONAL FLESH

Despite all my “old man yells at clouds” takes on the genre this year, death metal really has been on fire for the past few rounds about the sun. Perhaps that’s where my discontent lies: The bar has been raised. With so much stuff that we would have been going absolutely apeshit over ten years ago flooding the landscape of Bandcamp on a seemingly weekly basis, the proverbial limbo stick has dropped a few pegs down to a near-unachievable gap. It takes a lot to really stand out in the genre these days, but damn if Afterbirth didn’t go and take all things brutal death to another realm. Between the vocals of Will Smith (Artificial Brain) and the dynamics of musicians Cody Drasser, David Case, and Keith Harris, Afterbirth (“Aftabeth” in the proper Long Island tongue) sculpt a cosmic death metal release of dynamics and creativity. The album’s presentation gives plenty of room for the crisp flash of the drums to glimmer and shine like the sparkling stars of the spiraling nethers. Additionally, it allows ample jurisdiction for the guitars to take command of the astromelodies on a journey through the more horrorific encounters of traversing the unfathomable depths of space and time, thanks in no small part to the production efforts of the prolific Colin Marston. This is the album that dared to reach beyond the boundaries and bring something fresh, new, and, most importantly, memorable to the galactic death metal table.

• Covered in Death Metal Dossier
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3. ETERNAL CHAMPION – RAVENING IRON

And here we are, at the Triumphant Three that lay atop the summits of my list. Off the back of their 2016 debut, The Armor Of Ire, Eternal Champion have become somewhat, well, the champions of the contemporary traditional metal movement. The band have singlehandedly inspired countless warriors to take up their axes in the name of Heavy Metal and innumerable amounts of scholars to delve deep into the past to discover more of the history of the style. Needless to say, the long-awaited sophomore album carried with it the demon known most colloquially as Expectation. Yet with veteran levels of expertise, The Five Who Are One managed to thwart this scheming foe by shifting stances entirely. While the core spirit of the band remained unwavering, Ravening Iron took a stronger offensive than it’s predecessor, relying more on aggression and immediacy than atmospheric sorcery. The leads and solos are even more impassioned and play a much greater role, the riffs are teetering on the edge of thrash in their urgency, and Tarpy’s vocals benefit from a bold robustness and self-assuredness. The album’s production pushes everything to the forefront – the band aren’t pretending like they’re limited, rather, they embrace having a full and well-rounded sound. Yet it’s the soul behind the songs that sells them, as was the point of success with the former effort. As long as Eternal Champion continue to stoke the flames in their forge, I see nothing but greatness ahead for the band.

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2. HAVUKRUUNU – UINUOS SYÖMEIN SOTA

Where does courage come from? At its root, it’s a form of inspiration. It’s grown from the heart’s ability to overpower the grip of the flight instinct and face trials head on. It can be infectious – one person taking the reigns can inspire courage in others, and, being an emotion, transmuted into a viable currency of art. While I have yet to even begin to dive into the story behind Havukruunu’s massive pagan black metal third album, I can tell you that Uinuos Syömein Sota inspires courage. The energy of the percussion, the melodies of the guitars, the echoing grandiosity of the vocals all feel devoted to a cause larger than themselves. What’s more is the full package is delivered with such confidence, such brazen boldness, such swashbuckling swagger that the listener can’t help but feel swept up in it all. The muscle in the riffs, the fluidity of the solos, and the gratuitous amounts of reverb all add to making Uinuos Syömein Sota into something truly greater than the sum of its parts. This record feels larger than life, and must be experienced fully to be believed, from the epic cannon fire of the opener to the soft synth fadeaway of the outro and all the rifftastic grabs for glory of legend to be found betwixt the two.

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1. CIRITH UNGOL – FOREVER BLACK

I was not quite four years old the last time Cirith Ungol released a new studio album. I wasn’t even alive when they released the three albums I hold in highest regard, only discovering them after I was well on my way through the seemingly infinite expanses of heavy metal. I’ve hemmed and hawed in these very halls of being born too late or whatever, but sometimes the past has a way of finding new life and connection in the present. Cirith Ungol’s fifth full-length entry arrives twenty-nine years since their last album, yet Forever Black appears to have defied any concept of time. The Ventura, California quintet erupt with raging fire out of the appropriately titled introduction track, “The Call,” and into the galloping gallantry of “Legions Arise.” It is a fervent call to arms, and hearing Tim Baker’s banshee vocals howl out “Long have we slumbered, but now we awake!” brings waves of goosebumps even as I write this out. The record is a nonstop display of heavy metal triumph all the way through the closing solo of the album’s apex at the eponymous final tune. It’s more than a comeback record (and a damn great one at that); Forever Black feels like it’s my Cirith Ungol record – the one I got to experience simultaneously with fans blessed with the privilege of witnessing the original magic of the band firsthand in the early days. Pseudo-nostalgia aside, the band’s songwriting is as tight as ever: The little touches of vocal harmony really add an extra layer of dynamics, Baker’s vocals have matured like an exotic wine, the solos lean heavily into that rockin’, blues-riddled feel of heavy metal in its infancy, and that same fire that was lit so many years ago still blazes proudly with uncompromising passion. There’s conviction in the closing words to the album; they strike with the same feeling that goes straight for the gut as the first time hearing the band. Long live Cirith Ungol, and may they remain: Forever unrelenting, forever triumphant, forever heavy, forever black.

• Covered in The Tower Of Cirith Ungol: A Personal Journey, A Band Primer, And A Look At Forever Black
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BOOK III: STILETTOS & SWITCHBLADES

EP’s, Demos, Splits, 7″‘s, 45’s, Promo Tapes, 8-Tracks, & Hit Clips® (I made this joke last year and will continue to do so until someone acknowledges that HitClips® were an actual thing and not just the product of a damaged and deranged imagination.)

10. Lamentari – Missa Pro Defunctus

Seemingly materializing out of nowhere**, Copenhagen symphonic black metal band Lamentari hit the ground running with their debut EP, Missa Pro Defunctus. Recorded by two individuals at the core of the band, the EP is a study in grandiose, over-the-top symphonics packed onto solid bones of mid-tempo black metal riffs. Ripping solos bleed out of the grooves laid down by the rhythm section, but the real icing here is the expertly composed symphonics. Lush, expansive soundscapes make Lamentari’s effort feel like the work of a seasoned band in their prime, and yet this is but the beginning. The band have rounded out to a full lineup, so expect more in the near future!

**Yes, Mr. Almonds, I realize they materialized from Denmark. You have to say these things when Andy’s around.

• Covered in Missing Pieces: The Best Of What We Missed In 2020 So Far
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9. Vital Spirit – In The Faith That Looks Through Death

Sprawling, cinematic black metal that tastes of dusty plains, vibrant sunsets, towering mesas under an open sky, the galloping thunder of wild stampedes, and legends of old is the best way I can think to describe the debut EP of Vancouver, British Columbia’s Vital Spirit. In The Faith That Looks Through Death takes plenty of cues from Wayfarer, but there’s a more immediate feel to the urgency of Vital Spirit. Additionally the Canadian band are working from a different angle on an adjacent theme. Vital Spirit feels more of an indigenous perspective; they’re a touch more on the pagan side, at least philosophically speaking. While the EP opens with some interesting ideas, they all start coming together across the record. Musically, Vital Spirit are mixing the folkish interpretation of Enrico Morricone’s vision of the west more and more fervently into the black metal brew across the seventeen minute length. A genesis that bleeds with promise, I hope that they continue to blend these elements even more intricately in future works and unlock the full potential shown on this wonderful little extended play.

• Covered in Black, Raw, & Bleeding
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8. Meurtrières – Meurtrières

There’s something about the way the French merge melody and riffcraft in heavy metal that just feels French. Meurtrières are no exception. Remove the French name or the vocals being in the band’s native tongue, the metal itself is still explicitly French. The band take this seemingly blood-gifted  technique and apply it to a slightly more epic-leaning level, tapping into another notable strength of their homeland’s metal scene: Medievalry. Riffy, catchy, and mighty, the band’s debut feels like making a final dash for the keep, with triumph just over the horizon. The spirit in the music is infectious, driving, unyielding, and packed with surprises – as soon as it feels as though a song is wrapping up, it keeps going just a while longer and manages to get a little better and better rather than fall into the pits of repetition. Meurtrières are packing some serious heat in the battle for all that is true, and stand to be a force to be reckoned with.

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7. Fleshvessel – Bile Of Man Reborn

Usually the “kitchen sink” approach is used in a negative light. Luckily, Chicago’s experimental death outfit Fleshvessel are vomiting entrails, lungs, kidneys, gore, guts, and (of course) bile: Essentially, all the things you’d want in a death metal kitchen sink. What’s more, overachievers that they are, Fleshvessel take it a step further by going down the drain themselves and into a bizarre, clashing, otherworldly romp through strange, dreamlike melodies imminating from the elaborate and gratuitous use of keyboards, angular riffs from the ever-present guitars, and an absurdly inhuman drum machine. The EP’s singular twenty-five minute song is like a progressive rock nightmare come to life in a hellish ecstasy that’s both abrasive and, somehow, soothing in its escapism.

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6. Pa Vesh En – Burial

Not only is Pa Vesh En by far my favorite contemporary raw black metal band, but they may well take the crown for black/doom in that department as well. Slow, mournful, and utterly soul-devouring, the Belarus act play heavily into the use of bass and vocal layering to create asphyxiating atmospheres of death and decay. It’s a bit of a tough nut to crack at first, but as the ears adapt, the subtle brilliance of Burial, the band’s latest EP, ignites into a blaze of mesmerizing and hauntingly beautiful melodies. The band’s choice to experiment with cleaner vocals on “Pachavannie” adds an even more harrowing dynamic to the sound, further proving that the band are continuing to shine a lantern out a little more outwardly into this shadow world they have created across the expanse of their increasingly strong discography.

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5. Iron Cemetery – Manic Deliverance

One of the little gifts to be found amongst the muck, gluck, and total yuck of the year was the surprise sophomore release from Missoula, Montana’s Iron Cemetery. Manic Deliverance continues the thorny, chaotic death/thrash the band began crafting with 2018’s self-titled EP. The latest offering is, if anything, more visceral than it’s predecessor, boasting searing guitar work that needles its way under the skin with the subtly of psychopathic acupuncturist. There’s a slight blackening to the music that is, if anything, drawn from the evilness inherent in tapping into that sweet spot between thrash and death in the vein of the legendary Ripping Corpse. With two excellent EP’s now under their belt, hopefully the band have plans for an album in the future to really give the true thrash maniax something to talk about around the Mickey’s cooler.

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4. Moldé Volhal – Into The Cave Of Ordeals….

Black metal had such a curveball year with so many interesting little projects popping up left and right. The outpouring of material proved that the black metal talent pool remains a steadfast source of the will to create, which constructs an environment rich with promise. Moldé Volhal was one of such projects that stayed close to the top of my listening stack since it’s release in late July. The nonstop tremolos over the fast-paced running of the kick drums reliably gifted the ethereal feeling of soaring through the clouds above vast, vibrant landscapes every time the play button was pressed. As soon as it feels like the ceiling of Into The Cave Of Ordeals… is approaching, Moldé Volhal take it one level closer to the stratosphere with bursts of frenzied soloing and blinding tremolo melodies. Hopefully the Norwegian act has plans for future material, because this debut is promising as hell. Spread your wings, take a leap of faith, glide through the mountain passes and over the gaping caverns, mystic rivers, and ancient ruins and experience what it truly means to feel free.

• Covered in Black, Raw, & Bleeding
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3. Midnight Dice – Hypnotized

I remember when the announcement came through shortly after the release of their excellent 2017 debut that Satan’s Hallow were breaking up. I remember being cautiously optimistic about the rest of the band pledging to form a new band after the inescapable departure of their guitarist. Turns out any caution I had meant fuck-all, because Midnight Dice have beeb bringing the proverbial sauce since the dissolution of their former band. Packed with energetic riffs, a flurry of leads and solos, and a top-of-the-game performance from vocalist Mandy Martillo, Hypnotized lays any fears to the future of the Satan’s Hallow allumni to rest. I can’t wait for an album of the rip roarin’, devil-may-care, pure 80s heavy metal. Hell, even if that never happens, I’ve got these songs to hang onto, and they’re already more than I could ask for. Speed city, baby.

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2. Old Nick – Haunted Loom!!!

Someone once described Old Nick as the 100 Gecs of black metal and that, as mad as that makes me to admit, is about a fitting description as anything.
Goddamnit.

• Covered in Black, Raw, & Bleeding
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1. Venator – Paradiser

Give me heavy metal that romanticizes the feeling of the open road. Give me heavy metal that feels like cutting all ties and riding off into the wild blue yonder. Give me heavy metal that puts a rumble between the legs under the neon lights of the big city. Give me heavy metal about breaking the chains that bind us to this miserable heartbreak of existence. Give me heavy metal that makes me want to escape, but still be capable of feeling the raging fire of emotion deep within my loins. Give me speed. Give me passion. Give me Venator.

(Plus, their hooks really capture the magic of Heavy Load and I can never really get enough of that.)

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BOOK IV: BEYOND THE PALE & INTO THE WILD BLUE YONDER

At what point is it no longer considered heavy metal? It can become quite a hazy line to draw, and, first and foremost, I want to assure you that separating the following releases from the original list in no way is to be perceived as diminishment in their value. Quite the contrary, it was a lot of the material that could be considered tangentially connected to metal that hit the hardest for me this year. 2020 was an excellent year for music that lies just beyond the horizons of metal itself, and thus I feel a short separate list is in order. If anything, the choice to focus on this area is a reflection of the success of these records outside of the more traditional confines of what is considered metal beyond the Sabbath/Priest line that tends to become a firm line in the sand.

5. Wytch Hazel – III: Pentecost

Not that there needed to be any proof that it doesn’t matter where you’re drawing inspiration from, but the common emotions that are tapped into that makes music so powerful. Regardless of our personal goals and desires, we all feel things on a similar level: hope is hope, disappointment is disappointment, joy is joy. Regardless of if the material in question is perceived from a humanist perspective or the Pentecostal viewpoint from whence it was composed, there’s no denying that Wytch Hazel’s latest effort taps into something special. Warm, uplifting rock that hits more than a few parallels with the legends in Wishbone Ash, all whittled with a steady, deliberate craftsmanship that makes III: Pentecost a work to be reckoned with in the current wave of 70s rock revival bands. The soul of the album is so open and pure that it’s not hard to form a fast bond with the tunes, and they’ll continue to carry the listener through the storms and trials of the human experience time and again.

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4. Wobbler – Dwellers Of The Deep

Do you like Yes? Yes, Yes. No? No, I mean Yes. Maybe? No. The band, Yes. Yes. Yes? Yes, Yes. Oh, you do! Then by all means, you’ll find a lot to love in Wobber’s latest. My prog eyes are but just beginning to open, so take Cap’s more articulate word for it below, but Dwellers Of The Deep was one of those records that’s about to send me down a rabbit hole of exploration in the coming year. Its curious, yet gentle temperament has become a favorite of Sunday mornings where I’m tempted to make elaborate fancy breakfasts just to listen to the whole record. If I had to guess, Dwellers was a collaborative effort between its participants, if only judging from the way the undeniable talent of the musicians selflessly yields to the skills of another. The record constantly shifts the spotlight between keys, vocals, bass, and guitar: All delivered across the unrestrained pep and shuffle of the lively percussion. There’s an indisputable energy here, and regardless of one’s experience with this form of progressive rock it is a record that bears but the sweetest, rewarding fruits.

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3. Ulver – Flowers Of Evil

Some artists are just born to be great musicians, regardless of the genre or stylistic confines they choose to set around themselves. Those few who are truly a cut above the rest, blessed with the rare gift of transmuting the core metaphysical aspects from an understanding of the musical/emotional relationships, tend to break outside of their own constrictions, desperately desiring new and exciting sandboxes to play in. Ulver are indisputably prodigies in this department given how quickly they shed black metal to achieve success in entirely uncharted territories. These lands were ripe for harvesting Ulver’s insatiable desire to create. Maybe that’s why my connection to Flowers Of Evil clicked into place: Ulver’s current incarnation as moody, synth-driven 80’s pop is largely unexplored territory for my palette. However, I had no problem picking up the sublimities that made me feel, at my core, that this album was something special. The moodiness, the subdued angst, the dystopian future, the underlying sexiness of it all radiated from the music without any need for translation to my crude iron palette. True art transcends all of those predispositions and just feels – and that’s exactly what Flowers Of Evil does.

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2. Freeways – True Bearings

If there was one album that was my comfort blanket of 2020, it was Freeways’ debut, True Bearings. Free spirited, free wheelin’ rock and roll with a heart of gold, the album may not be as technically flashy or even as original as a few of the predecessors on this list, but it was the soul of the record that brought me back over and over again. True Bearings is stoned-on-a-sunny-Saturday-afternoon-washing-the-truck-with-a-cooler-of-cheap-beer levels of chill; it just cozily rocks without a care in the world. Listen, if you want to know what it feels like to be Matthew McConaughey’s mustache during the filming of Dazed & Confused, this is the one. And why wouldn’t you want that feeling?

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1. Hällas – Conundrum

Man, if we want to talk about a record that takes you out of this world, Conundrum is The One. The Swedish prog rock upstarts took a full lean into the synth worship of 80’s progressive rock and it paid off for them over and over again in spades. Ethereal, floaty, and transcendent, Hällas take their brand of so-called “adventure rock” seriously. Conundrum truly is a transcendental adventure in its own right; the world Hällas have created is rich and vibrant, with no stone left unturned in the soundscape they have so eloquently painted across the record. Abundant in mystery and open in soul, the record just feels like something special, a treasure to be guarded at all costs and kept close to the heart.

I realize at this point I’m pretty much babbling without spending more than a word or two talking about the actual music, but sometimes a record can just leave you speechless save for the way it makes you feel, and I feel if everyone listened to and understood the spirit of this record the world would be a much better place.

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EPILOGUE: ALL WARRIORS DIE, ALL WARRIORS LIVE FOREVER

Life really is a serious of chapters with their own beginnings and endings. It sounds pretty corny to say, but it’s no less true. While these partitions of our stories aren’t always apparent at the time, there are those certain moments when you know in your gut that one chapter is closing and, subsequently, another opening. Learning of Manny’s departure from the site was certainly one of those moments. He is, in fact, the reason I got to meet so many of the folks here that I’m now honored to call dear friends. It’s certainly a blow, but simultaneously, I understand the winds of battle sometimes call us to other fronts. I’m going to miss writing with you here, you insufferable walrus whisker. And so I leave you with the sacred blade, adorned with:

“an inscription of powerful runes denoting victory in every battle, and, if all is correct, a suitable curse inflicted by an appropriately evil wizard, binding you, on pain of walking undeath ’til time ends, to defend true metal in its darkest forms.”

I’m going to miss you, bud. Stay true.

See ya’ll next year, after all, hindsight is 2020.

The post Best Of 2020 – Ryan Tysinger: Maybe We All Deserve The Hammer appeared first on Last Rites.

Oh, Great Warrior. Wars not make one great. -Yoda

Anyone who’s seen The Empire Strikes Back at least once remembers this classic line — the sharp quip from the Jedi master to Luke when he frustratingly explains to Yoda that he’s seeking a “Great Warrior” for guidance. And what does make a Great Warrior? Thinking back on the heroes of my youth, they were the ones that held fast to their moral compasses in the most trying of times. The temptation of an easy resolution against the most trying odds denied to the point of self-sacrifice for a cause they believed in; within this lies the true heart of a warrior of the great myths and legends from past to present. Keep in mind, the true warrior is never motivated by glory, nay, the spirit of the great hero serves a higher purpose than that of the self-satisfaction of immortality: They do it because it needs to be done, heeding the call and stepping up with purpose and vigor.

As with any great epic, a tone is set from the opus of Uinuos Syömein Sota, the band’s third full-length following 2017’s excellent Kelle Surut Soi . The call-and-response a cappella at the onset of the self-titled opening track (which translates to “Asleep I Ate War”) opens a continent of scope, as though panning over vast forests, mighty fjords, lofty mountains, and fortified front lines packed with countless legions of battle-hardened warriors charging at one another en masse. With a strike of a chord and an adrenaline shot of drum fills, it’s as though our hero is leaping off a cliff, breathing in deeply and taking in that final moment of solstice — a moment of zen, if you will — above the hordes. With a single, thundering blast of cannon fire, our champion hits the ground running and doesn’t stop for the next 46 minutes. There is a specific joy in the rush that follows. Certainly, the center of a bloody conflict is a life-or-death situation and requires a sense of immediacy, but Havukruunu takes it all in stride, riffing with not just adequacy to the tempo but with grace and style and, hell, a swagger. Images of our hero dancing around the clash of swords and the swinging of axes beneath a cloud of arrows and catapult shots immerse the listener in the soundscape. This is epic black metal on the 5D IMAX THX Deluxe 8000 scale. It’s possible to smell the sweat and drying blood over the near-never-ending run of the kick drums pacing with a quickness and a purpose, dead set on delivering the hero towards their goal.

The leads beneath the barrage of drums shine, but not too brightly. There’s a subtle focus in their purpose of carrying the melody beneath songs like “Ja Viimein On Yö.” As accomplished as the musicians are as individuals, together their synchronicity becomes a hundred times greater than the sum of its parts. Bass, guitars, vocals, drums — everything is working together. Much like the warrior must master many disciplines to keep themselves in tune between mind, body, and spirit, Havukruunu operates as a whole. Even when certain sections are highlighted, such as the tension-building rhythm breakdown on “Pohjolan Tytär,” the additional components are there to execute the release of energy as the band’s hefty claymore swings true through its foe. Not only are they skilled in the art of war, but there’s a magical component to Havukruunu as well. It’s near impossible not to let out a battle cry of your own as the emotion of the music takes hold. It’s one of those special connections where the spirit of the recording seeps its way into current reality, a tough feat to accomplish in its own right.

One of Havukruunu’s secret weapons is their use of grand vocal choirs to add a particular vigor to the release. At times it’s front and center, generally more gruff and rag-tag in the manner of a war chant to garner the spirits and inspire a sense of unity amongst the ranks. More subtly, clean choirs add a sense of divine purpose beneath the ongoing battle, such as those found in the bridge of “Kunnes Varjot Saa,” further solidifying the idea of Havukruunu as a paladin of sorts amongst the ranks of the dark warlocks and evil sorcerers generally found in black metal. Another specialty attack is the ability to set their blade aflame with some seriously blistering solos. While few and far between, the limited use of this weapon increases its potency. The cries and wails echo across the chambers of war on “Vähiin Päivät Käy” and especially adding peak power to the Special Meter on the bombastic closer of “Tähti-Yö Ja Hevoiset.” There’s a classic 80s metal inspiration behind the interplay of the guitars that should send any fan of the roots of metal into the glory of the battles of yesteryear.

Special tactics aside, it’s really the cohesiveness that sells Uinuos Syömein Sota as a completely realized album. Much like how the power behind Havukruunu is greater than the sum of its parts, Uinuos Syömein Sota is more than simply a collection of songs. It’s a fully realized and masterfully executed work of black metal on a cinematic scale, ebbing and flowing from track to track, telling a story through the emotion behind the music regardless of the listener’s ymmärtäminen of the Finnish language. Something in the music inspires the spirit, and creates hope that the type of hero we remember from our childhoods can and does exist within the human consciousness — that a part of those legends we grew up with can and does reside outside the realm of fiction. With the darkness slowly closing in on the world around us, leaving the spark but flickering dimly within, Uinuos Syömein Sota serves to fan the flames a little brighter. May that warrior spirit spread, because we could use a few more heroes about now.

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