Post by GL on Jan 2, 2012 12:53:50 GMT -5
Quite simply, this here was the most fun to be had in the whole group of lists made and provided the hardest ranking in terms of what went on the list, as this year gave off a ton of quality releases that easily could've been on the list but were left off due to time constraints or other last-minute additions that were felt a little more worthy, resulting in the top selection of the year as well as providing the top quality of albums in the year total as well, as the complete year-end total instead of the genre rankings like I'm doing gives this group the most numbers in the higher spots, making for a selection of high-quality for the year and plenty of hope in the upcoming one as well.
10. Crucifyre-Infernal Earthly Divine
Old-school to the bone, only instead of paying homage to Florida or Stockholm like so many used to do, this one instead goes back a little more to incorporate more Thrash influences for an insanely catchy retro-feeling experience. With the songs built around the riffing more so than most other bands of the style, the influences come across far clearer in most cases of the band just letting it go for broke and just letting those vicious riffs take center-stage, building to a frenetic thrash segment or building up the atmosphere with some lengthy intros before the thrash takes over. While all of this makes for a fun disc, the part is that the majority of the stuff here plays off more like a band going through its homage-checklist one song at a time, offering up tons of examples of their influences but hardly ever really letting their own sound come through, which could grow with time as they’re not too far off from something interesting, but it might not be for some time if they keep paying more homage than originality.
9. Supreme Pain-Divine Incarnation
Far more polished and mature than their previous albums, the Dutch wrecking crew blasts forth with an insanely awesome release that is the best Brutal Death album of the year and shows what can be in the genre. Simply blaring away in terms of overbearing blast-beats and just top-notch drumming, that is the main point that stands out here as it’s overwhelming to the point of exhaustion as it winds its way through the album, never letting up and continuing to get better and more extreme on each track. Combine this attack with really old-school sounding guitars that are a real blast to listen to, give off a great evil feel and pack a ton of energy into the proceedings with their hyper-speed style and a great vocal performance that captures the brutality nicely and it becomes a very interesting album. While it suffers from the dreaded blended-together-songs as it gets deeper into the whole album, it’s not a real detriment but keeps it here in the list’s placement.
8. Insomnium-One for Sorrow
Incredibly enjoyable Melodic Death from these Finnish veterans, this might be the most surprising entry on the list but has earned a place nonetheless. After the blaring and cacophony of the previous entries, the more melodic nature here stands out even more but it’s hard to dispute the style regardless due to the overall presentation on display, with the more calming guitar-riffs and upbeat drumming not intent on just blaring through the listener but instead create a sense of atmosphere and coldness more associated with Black Metal than Death, even though they’re indisputably in the latter genre. When they stop the whole experience to showcase a more soulful interlude of gentle guitar riffs in the middle of the song makes for great times
7. World Under Blood-Tactical
More Melodic Death Metal, these newcomers prove that, if the quality on this release is going to be any indication, are going to be perennial contenders on this list for years to come. More than a normal super-group, this one displays a seemingly innate ability to blend the heavy with the more melodic, spaced-out feel, generating a tight body of work that belies their new-found status. Managing to sound as though they’re seasoned veterans together is no small feat, yet that is managed here with the music, which is really enjoyable due to the far more technical and blast-beat-heavy drumming than would usually be found in a band of this style, sharp guitar-work that contains many numerous riffs and engaging solos that are both memorable and quite catchy, while the altering of slight growls for the majority of the vocals mixed in with perfectly-timed and utilized clean-backing choirs create a dynamic effect and make this a perfect band to watch in the future.
6. Amon Amarth-Surtur Rising
So, how good must Death Metal be this year if a band as consistently good as these guys are this far out of the top that they’re not even in the top 5? It’s more a sign of how good the rest of the year is than any indictment on this one, which is pretty much exactly what you expect from the Viking warriors. With their patent melodic blend Death and Black Metal played at Thrash speeds which just adds to the whole experience, as the thrashing here is amped up with the inclusion of more full-throttle tracks that really are a blast to listen to as that keeps the drumming front and center, an underrated part of their attack that needed more exposure. With the same muscular riffs that retain their intensity despite the more melodic Black Metal stance and structure makes for a good time, and the gruff vocals merely make the whole experience complete. Awesome album, just way too much competition this year unfortunately.
5. Vomitory-Opus Mortis VIII
Another year, another Vomitory release, and its’ a good one, who’d have thought that? Yeah, it’s no surprise that Sweden’s masters of old-school gore are on the list with their latest release, as they keep chugging along with their patented brand of hyper-thrash infused blend of Swedish Death Metal violence, and in the same spirit as so many of their other releases, the pattern doesn’t change here. Filled with those from-the-grave-cold guitars spewing out insanely-fast riffs packed with violence, the blasting drum-work and the stuck-like-a-pig vocals that just mesh so fantastically with the rest of the music, this is patent Vomitory at it’s best on full display, and that warm and cozy feeling has the advantage of delivering tons of pluses throughout but not really doing enough to differentiate itself from the pack, so it’s really only going as high as here.
4. Demonical-Death Infernal
As it so happens, Swedish old-school Death Metal is still a viable art what with the crazy placement of two such bands so close to each other in the placement, with this one getting the nod only due to how good a relatively-new band can be compared to one of the originators still going strong being a more lasting comment on the quality. Make no mistake, this is still quality Old-School Swedish death of the highest order, with those timeless riffs chugging along like a buzzsaw with their cold, gloomy atmospherics still pressing through, the pounding drums shattering through the landscape as the deathly vocals contribute overwhelmingly to the full-throttle massacre on display. Still newbies in a technical sense, this should put them in a nice place in the scene in the coming years.
3. Origin-Entity
A rather intense offering, this Technical Death metal release is just as over-the-top as it’s going to get in this arena and still remain listenable. Their most brutal and technical release yet, which considering where they’ve come from that’s saying something there, this is filled with just insane drumming filled with blast-beats a plenty, beyond technical patterns and change-ups so jarring and controlled it’s enough to drop jaws at the ability to actually play this technically demanding at that speed, a nice hallmark from the guitars who work so much overtime with their sweeps, riffs and solos just blaring through the scene like a cacophony of destruction leaving nothing in its wake. Originally, this was scheduled to be in the number one slot until that one came out, but beyond how good that one was, the fact that this one tends to run itself together a lot closer than those two do tends to make it harder to distinguish tracks from each other, which is about the only real complaint here, but beyond that, this is some really good stuff that marks them as being on their way to the top.
2. Vader-Return to the Morbid Reich
Poland’s masters of bulldozer-heavy hyper-speed Death/Thrash returns once again to pulverize the unsuspecting with what might be one of their best in their storied catalog, which includes a lot of greatness already. With that buzzing guitar tone that just sounds so heavy and catchy at the same time just spitting out so many memorable and brutal riffs peppered with a series of short solos punctuating the madness, backed by an utterly punishing rhythm section highlighted by drumming that at times sounds like a Gatling-Gun was used that just amps up the intensity even higher and just featuring those unforgettable growls that just suit the music like a well-worn glove, creating a perfect sea of brutality and memorableness that feels like so many classics in their collection. On top of a fine collection of songs, this here has an outstanding production job that captures the band’s best in all their glory, with the thick, full drums pounding away as the guitars race along with solo after solo while the mighty growls roll through the aftermath, leaving an immensely satisfying experience and one of their better efforts.
1. Fleshgod Apocalypse-Agony
Quite possibly the best band going right now, these guys are going to be unstoppable in the future if they keep this up, producing superb Death Metal with all the bells and whistles as they have here. Producing a stable, solid line-up has fixed their sound, incorporating the keyboards a lot more organically and cohesively being a major part of that, whether it be for atmospheric intros or full-on interweaving with the band, taking their Beethoven-meets-Nile sound to a richer, fuller whole than ever before. Featuring inhuman drumming that had to be recorded by an octopus as I’m convince no human can match the technicality, speed or precision that is just overwhelmingly powerful and clear, insanely clear guitar-riffs that are just as memorable as they are brutal, amazing song-writing to keep the epic-length songs as diverse as rage-filled bruisers to piledriver-heavy thrashers to emotive mid-tempo interludes and the like, operatic clean-singing and powerful grunts and jaw-dropping solos, this here is simply-beyond-amazing Symphonic Brutal Tech-Death Metal of the highest caliber and receives, nay deserves, the Album of the Year award.
10. Crucifyre-Infernal Earthly Divine
Old-school to the bone, only instead of paying homage to Florida or Stockholm like so many used to do, this one instead goes back a little more to incorporate more Thrash influences for an insanely catchy retro-feeling experience. With the songs built around the riffing more so than most other bands of the style, the influences come across far clearer in most cases of the band just letting it go for broke and just letting those vicious riffs take center-stage, building to a frenetic thrash segment or building up the atmosphere with some lengthy intros before the thrash takes over. While all of this makes for a fun disc, the part is that the majority of the stuff here plays off more like a band going through its homage-checklist one song at a time, offering up tons of examples of their influences but hardly ever really letting their own sound come through, which could grow with time as they’re not too far off from something interesting, but it might not be for some time if they keep paying more homage than originality.
9. Supreme Pain-Divine Incarnation
Far more polished and mature than their previous albums, the Dutch wrecking crew blasts forth with an insanely awesome release that is the best Brutal Death album of the year and shows what can be in the genre. Simply blaring away in terms of overbearing blast-beats and just top-notch drumming, that is the main point that stands out here as it’s overwhelming to the point of exhaustion as it winds its way through the album, never letting up and continuing to get better and more extreme on each track. Combine this attack with really old-school sounding guitars that are a real blast to listen to, give off a great evil feel and pack a ton of energy into the proceedings with their hyper-speed style and a great vocal performance that captures the brutality nicely and it becomes a very interesting album. While it suffers from the dreaded blended-together-songs as it gets deeper into the whole album, it’s not a real detriment but keeps it here in the list’s placement.
8. Insomnium-One for Sorrow
Incredibly enjoyable Melodic Death from these Finnish veterans, this might be the most surprising entry on the list but has earned a place nonetheless. After the blaring and cacophony of the previous entries, the more melodic nature here stands out even more but it’s hard to dispute the style regardless due to the overall presentation on display, with the more calming guitar-riffs and upbeat drumming not intent on just blaring through the listener but instead create a sense of atmosphere and coldness more associated with Black Metal than Death, even though they’re indisputably in the latter genre. When they stop the whole experience to showcase a more soulful interlude of gentle guitar riffs in the middle of the song makes for great times
7. World Under Blood-Tactical
More Melodic Death Metal, these newcomers prove that, if the quality on this release is going to be any indication, are going to be perennial contenders on this list for years to come. More than a normal super-group, this one displays a seemingly innate ability to blend the heavy with the more melodic, spaced-out feel, generating a tight body of work that belies their new-found status. Managing to sound as though they’re seasoned veterans together is no small feat, yet that is managed here with the music, which is really enjoyable due to the far more technical and blast-beat-heavy drumming than would usually be found in a band of this style, sharp guitar-work that contains many numerous riffs and engaging solos that are both memorable and quite catchy, while the altering of slight growls for the majority of the vocals mixed in with perfectly-timed and utilized clean-backing choirs create a dynamic effect and make this a perfect band to watch in the future.
6. Amon Amarth-Surtur Rising
So, how good must Death Metal be this year if a band as consistently good as these guys are this far out of the top that they’re not even in the top 5? It’s more a sign of how good the rest of the year is than any indictment on this one, which is pretty much exactly what you expect from the Viking warriors. With their patent melodic blend Death and Black Metal played at Thrash speeds which just adds to the whole experience, as the thrashing here is amped up with the inclusion of more full-throttle tracks that really are a blast to listen to as that keeps the drumming front and center, an underrated part of their attack that needed more exposure. With the same muscular riffs that retain their intensity despite the more melodic Black Metal stance and structure makes for a good time, and the gruff vocals merely make the whole experience complete. Awesome album, just way too much competition this year unfortunately.
5. Vomitory-Opus Mortis VIII
Another year, another Vomitory release, and its’ a good one, who’d have thought that? Yeah, it’s no surprise that Sweden’s masters of old-school gore are on the list with their latest release, as they keep chugging along with their patented brand of hyper-thrash infused blend of Swedish Death Metal violence, and in the same spirit as so many of their other releases, the pattern doesn’t change here. Filled with those from-the-grave-cold guitars spewing out insanely-fast riffs packed with violence, the blasting drum-work and the stuck-like-a-pig vocals that just mesh so fantastically with the rest of the music, this is patent Vomitory at it’s best on full display, and that warm and cozy feeling has the advantage of delivering tons of pluses throughout but not really doing enough to differentiate itself from the pack, so it’s really only going as high as here.
4. Demonical-Death Infernal
As it so happens, Swedish old-school Death Metal is still a viable art what with the crazy placement of two such bands so close to each other in the placement, with this one getting the nod only due to how good a relatively-new band can be compared to one of the originators still going strong being a more lasting comment on the quality. Make no mistake, this is still quality Old-School Swedish death of the highest order, with those timeless riffs chugging along like a buzzsaw with their cold, gloomy atmospherics still pressing through, the pounding drums shattering through the landscape as the deathly vocals contribute overwhelmingly to the full-throttle massacre on display. Still newbies in a technical sense, this should put them in a nice place in the scene in the coming years.
3. Origin-Entity
A rather intense offering, this Technical Death metal release is just as over-the-top as it’s going to get in this arena and still remain listenable. Their most brutal and technical release yet, which considering where they’ve come from that’s saying something there, this is filled with just insane drumming filled with blast-beats a plenty, beyond technical patterns and change-ups so jarring and controlled it’s enough to drop jaws at the ability to actually play this technically demanding at that speed, a nice hallmark from the guitars who work so much overtime with their sweeps, riffs and solos just blaring through the scene like a cacophony of destruction leaving nothing in its wake. Originally, this was scheduled to be in the number one slot until that one came out, but beyond how good that one was, the fact that this one tends to run itself together a lot closer than those two do tends to make it harder to distinguish tracks from each other, which is about the only real complaint here, but beyond that, this is some really good stuff that marks them as being on their way to the top.
2. Vader-Return to the Morbid Reich
Poland’s masters of bulldozer-heavy hyper-speed Death/Thrash returns once again to pulverize the unsuspecting with what might be one of their best in their storied catalog, which includes a lot of greatness already. With that buzzing guitar tone that just sounds so heavy and catchy at the same time just spitting out so many memorable and brutal riffs peppered with a series of short solos punctuating the madness, backed by an utterly punishing rhythm section highlighted by drumming that at times sounds like a Gatling-Gun was used that just amps up the intensity even higher and just featuring those unforgettable growls that just suit the music like a well-worn glove, creating a perfect sea of brutality and memorableness that feels like so many classics in their collection. On top of a fine collection of songs, this here has an outstanding production job that captures the band’s best in all their glory, with the thick, full drums pounding away as the guitars race along with solo after solo while the mighty growls roll through the aftermath, leaving an immensely satisfying experience and one of their better efforts.
1. Fleshgod Apocalypse-Agony
Quite possibly the best band going right now, these guys are going to be unstoppable in the future if they keep this up, producing superb Death Metal with all the bells and whistles as they have here. Producing a stable, solid line-up has fixed their sound, incorporating the keyboards a lot more organically and cohesively being a major part of that, whether it be for atmospheric intros or full-on interweaving with the band, taking their Beethoven-meets-Nile sound to a richer, fuller whole than ever before. Featuring inhuman drumming that had to be recorded by an octopus as I’m convince no human can match the technicality, speed or precision that is just overwhelmingly powerful and clear, insanely clear guitar-riffs that are just as memorable as they are brutal, amazing song-writing to keep the epic-length songs as diverse as rage-filled bruisers to piledriver-heavy thrashers to emotive mid-tempo interludes and the like, operatic clean-singing and powerful grunts and jaw-dropping solos, this here is simply-beyond-amazing Symphonic Brutal Tech-Death Metal of the highest caliber and receives, nay deserves, the Album of the Year award.