Post by GL on Jan 1, 2013 11:45:44 GMT -5
So, after last year's somewhat lackluster offering, I'm pleased to say that Black Metal in 2012 was one of the best overall rankings in these different categories, and that it was especially difficult to get the rankings right. While the top spots were pretty easy, it was the higher rounds that proved most difficult in getting together, proving that the quality of releases was quite high and there's no doubt several other releases were worthy of being included. So, without further stalling, here's the list.
10. Bane-The Acausal Fire
Slaughtering Black/Death Metal hailing from Serbia of all places, these guys are actually far more skilled than expected at dishing out the kind of violence portrayed here. Rife with the typically Norwegian-style of ultra-fast, Satanically-tuned riffing, pronounced drumming that whips into a blast-beat frenzy when required but remains admirably restrained at times when it should’ve and a pounding bass tone to give the whole affair a decidedly wicked and cold feeling, helped along by a suitably dynamic production that leaves the album with the pronounced aftertaste in full effect. While this does have a feeling of been there, done that especially when it comes to the vocals which are typical for the genre, that doesn’t mean it’s a bad offering and it’s got enough here to be wholly worthwhile.
9. Merrimack-The Acausal Mass
French Old-School imitators take a huge step forward here with this new opus, and it’s rewarded with a spectacular release that has a lot of impressive moments within this one, continuing to form a staunch identity as carriers of the Second Wave of Black Metal onward. Containing the same elements that made those bands so impressive in the first place, this one is packed with the various up-tempo guitar riffs that simply reek of hellfire and brimstone, punishing drumming on a far more grander scale than expected and an appropriate use of harmonics to make for a disorienting and ethereal feel at times that is steeply rooted in Norway’s greatest in the later half of the previous century. Even knowing when to pull out a more restrained tempo to offer a greater dynamic within the offering makes a great difference in greating a true doom-and-gloom feeling when mixed with the onslaught of violence on display. This is a fantastic route to see them take and it’s worthy of placement here.
8. Ragnarok-Malediction
Long one of the few constants of the Norwegian scene, these veterans provide a solid reminder of their longevity here with one of their more volatile efforts in some time. Whipping together a frenzy of chaotic riffs in true old-school style, combined with searing riffs played at high-speed and incorporating enough time-changes to make for a rather unique experience at times, combined with their trademark winding bass-work and one of the best growlers in the business blend together to create one of the more uniquely interesting records in their catalog. Make no mistake, though, this is a drummer’s album which here creates one of the most destructive landscapes in the genre and comes across with a ferocity and determination to slaughter that’s quite hard to be matched by younger bands much less veterans of their stature, yet a few lingering, nagging details about the production keep this one from scaling higher on this list. Still, this is one of their best works.
7. Nettlecarrier-Nettlecarrier
Chaotic Old-School Black Metal is the name here, and this is one of the most devastating debuts in the genre in a long time. Swirling with hyper-speed riffing, otherworldly drumming that’s mixed well with blast-beats at the right time and just letting the chaos take over elsewhere, wrapped together with a Satanic vibe and a necro layer of filth added to create a haunting identity. This is given more weight by the album’s longer tracks which offer up tons of tempo variations, textured riffing and some equally impressive surprises thrown in to create a devastating ideal of true Black Metal. If they can rein in their more chaotic moments and deliver an off-the-rails style that offers more cohesion and tension in their riffs when they let loose on their future efforts, they’ll climb this list in quick order as this is wholly impressive material.
6. Desaster-The Arts of Destruction
The long-running German Black/Thrashers have never been short on offering quality material mixing the two genres together, and this is one of their best overall efforts. Showing their expert ability to play blindingly fast Thrash songs with the shrieking Black Metal vocals together, this is an excellent showcase here as the band rips through these songs with a demented quality and glee at the speed with which they’ve accomplished that, making for a sheer onslaught of violence whenever they let loose. Few songs offer a breather of any sort, and those are merely the atmospheric intros so once those have passed over, their full-throttle attack becomes more pronounced with their razor-wire riffing, blasting drumming and tortured vocals featured throughout, leaving it feeling a little samey at times but still fulfilling enough to be worthwhile.
5. Borknagar-Urd
Norwegian Avant-Garders have here created one of their more powerful efforts that truly showcases their unique sound more than anything else. The most identifical part of their act, more infusion of high-pitched clean vocals than anyone else in the genre, is finally given the majority of the space on tracks which makes for some truly chilling moments as the clear, enunciated lyrics are heard over the top of blasting, full-throttle Black Matal full of ripping guitar work, thunderous drumming and off-key keyboards to create memorable songs but also catchy ones as well, as this might almost be hum-able at times, especially when the band’s letting itself go at full-speed which is quite shocking. Despite the unusual approach to the vocals, which still contain the trademark shrieks and growls at times, the fact that the rest of the band is in true Black Metal style is enough to give them an identity amidst the field and are one of the more engaging acts going.
4. Marduk -Serpent Summon
Sweden’s finest, and darkest, are still bringing their trademark speed, evil, insane riffs and one of the more destructive takes on Black Metal on this newest opus, which might be their finest hour. Offering frenzied, chaotic riffing that is growing leaps and bounds in technicality but still sounds as unholy and vicious as it did when they first exploded twenty years ago, hyper-textured drumming that either compliments the destruction being caused around it or just simply lets it breathe as they incorporate more melodic sections into the songs to leave a more damaging impression while the vocals are about as vicious and deranged as they’ve ever been, this is about as good as they’ve sounded in years when they weren’t exactly offering sub-par material to begin with. This’ll go down as one of their finest efforts ever, and it’ll be hard for them to top this one.
3. Anaal Nathrakh-Vanitas
Proof-positive one of the most destructive and damaging of their generation can’t be stopped with two blistering records in a row, they had to go for three and managed to up the intensity even more than before. Hard as it is to believe, it happened and this is the result, with absolutely blinding guitar work that sometimes stretches the Black Metal tag yet its still sharp and vicious enough to appeal to a wide range by the bands incorporation of Grindcore’s intensity in the drumming which just utterly pummels and punishes to an unheard-of degree and whipped into a frenzy with their squealing vocals, programmed drum-tracks and utter disregard for the safety of the listener in their truly destructive manner, yet for all this intensity and high-velocity destruction it’s still immeninetly listenable. It’s addictive and damaging, one of the best kinds available, and that makes for a superb album in their vast catalog.
2. De Profundis-The Emptiness Within
For those who wish Opeth would stop going Prog and get back to their progressive blasting Black/Death Metal, this is the band for you. This feels as Opeth-like as any band out there with their odd time signatures, fluidly complex arrangements that blend technical difficulty with memorable-ness and catchiness, outstanding drumming that feels as restrained as it does let loose with the blasting and a wide vocal range that manages to fit together their many moods and emotions into a rather extreme blend that makes this a pretty enjoyable experience. That they manage to mix together all their different tricks together in the song-structure is pretty inventive as this makes for an emotive album full of different visions and feelings, which can come off pretty tame and relaxed one minute and then full-scale blasting the next, and the ability to switch between these different moods is a great sign and makes this one of the better records of the year.
1. Hellsaw-Trist
While this may seem like an odd choice for the top honors of the year, especially compared to some of the others elsewhere on this list, the fact is this is about as definitive of what Black Metal should be about this year as there’s a lot to love with this offering. The fact that they display an uncanny ability to not only focus on the traditional blasting sounds but also of infusing them with a sense of melody and individuality mark some of the many highlights, as this one contains a number of tracks infused with a sense of melody and yet incorporates true blasting and a damaging attack within. This creates a wickedly impressive and memorable selection of music as distinctive and fierce as the old-schoolers while maintaining a more listenable stature than would be expected of practioners in the genre, allowing thir melding of styles to appeal to all without secluding any, a tricky feat. It doesn’t hurt than the former, which appeals to the old-school, is among the album’s better works as it contains fantastic blast-beat drumming, wicked guitar arrangements and distinctive crooning, while the more melodic appeals are handled through the fine bass work and, again, thrilling guitar interplay. An odd choice for the genre’s best album, but one all can pick up and enjoy hence it’s placement here at the top.
10. Bane-The Acausal Fire
Slaughtering Black/Death Metal hailing from Serbia of all places, these guys are actually far more skilled than expected at dishing out the kind of violence portrayed here. Rife with the typically Norwegian-style of ultra-fast, Satanically-tuned riffing, pronounced drumming that whips into a blast-beat frenzy when required but remains admirably restrained at times when it should’ve and a pounding bass tone to give the whole affair a decidedly wicked and cold feeling, helped along by a suitably dynamic production that leaves the album with the pronounced aftertaste in full effect. While this does have a feeling of been there, done that especially when it comes to the vocals which are typical for the genre, that doesn’t mean it’s a bad offering and it’s got enough here to be wholly worthwhile.
9. Merrimack-The Acausal Mass
French Old-School imitators take a huge step forward here with this new opus, and it’s rewarded with a spectacular release that has a lot of impressive moments within this one, continuing to form a staunch identity as carriers of the Second Wave of Black Metal onward. Containing the same elements that made those bands so impressive in the first place, this one is packed with the various up-tempo guitar riffs that simply reek of hellfire and brimstone, punishing drumming on a far more grander scale than expected and an appropriate use of harmonics to make for a disorienting and ethereal feel at times that is steeply rooted in Norway’s greatest in the later half of the previous century. Even knowing when to pull out a more restrained tempo to offer a greater dynamic within the offering makes a great difference in greating a true doom-and-gloom feeling when mixed with the onslaught of violence on display. This is a fantastic route to see them take and it’s worthy of placement here.
8. Ragnarok-Malediction
Long one of the few constants of the Norwegian scene, these veterans provide a solid reminder of their longevity here with one of their more volatile efforts in some time. Whipping together a frenzy of chaotic riffs in true old-school style, combined with searing riffs played at high-speed and incorporating enough time-changes to make for a rather unique experience at times, combined with their trademark winding bass-work and one of the best growlers in the business blend together to create one of the more uniquely interesting records in their catalog. Make no mistake, though, this is a drummer’s album which here creates one of the most destructive landscapes in the genre and comes across with a ferocity and determination to slaughter that’s quite hard to be matched by younger bands much less veterans of their stature, yet a few lingering, nagging details about the production keep this one from scaling higher on this list. Still, this is one of their best works.
7. Nettlecarrier-Nettlecarrier
Chaotic Old-School Black Metal is the name here, and this is one of the most devastating debuts in the genre in a long time. Swirling with hyper-speed riffing, otherworldly drumming that’s mixed well with blast-beats at the right time and just letting the chaos take over elsewhere, wrapped together with a Satanic vibe and a necro layer of filth added to create a haunting identity. This is given more weight by the album’s longer tracks which offer up tons of tempo variations, textured riffing and some equally impressive surprises thrown in to create a devastating ideal of true Black Metal. If they can rein in their more chaotic moments and deliver an off-the-rails style that offers more cohesion and tension in their riffs when they let loose on their future efforts, they’ll climb this list in quick order as this is wholly impressive material.
6. Desaster-The Arts of Destruction
The long-running German Black/Thrashers have never been short on offering quality material mixing the two genres together, and this is one of their best overall efforts. Showing their expert ability to play blindingly fast Thrash songs with the shrieking Black Metal vocals together, this is an excellent showcase here as the band rips through these songs with a demented quality and glee at the speed with which they’ve accomplished that, making for a sheer onslaught of violence whenever they let loose. Few songs offer a breather of any sort, and those are merely the atmospheric intros so once those have passed over, their full-throttle attack becomes more pronounced with their razor-wire riffing, blasting drumming and tortured vocals featured throughout, leaving it feeling a little samey at times but still fulfilling enough to be worthwhile.
5. Borknagar-Urd
Norwegian Avant-Garders have here created one of their more powerful efforts that truly showcases their unique sound more than anything else. The most identifical part of their act, more infusion of high-pitched clean vocals than anyone else in the genre, is finally given the majority of the space on tracks which makes for some truly chilling moments as the clear, enunciated lyrics are heard over the top of blasting, full-throttle Black Matal full of ripping guitar work, thunderous drumming and off-key keyboards to create memorable songs but also catchy ones as well, as this might almost be hum-able at times, especially when the band’s letting itself go at full-speed which is quite shocking. Despite the unusual approach to the vocals, which still contain the trademark shrieks and growls at times, the fact that the rest of the band is in true Black Metal style is enough to give them an identity amidst the field and are one of the more engaging acts going.
4. Marduk -Serpent Summon
Sweden’s finest, and darkest, are still bringing their trademark speed, evil, insane riffs and one of the more destructive takes on Black Metal on this newest opus, which might be their finest hour. Offering frenzied, chaotic riffing that is growing leaps and bounds in technicality but still sounds as unholy and vicious as it did when they first exploded twenty years ago, hyper-textured drumming that either compliments the destruction being caused around it or just simply lets it breathe as they incorporate more melodic sections into the songs to leave a more damaging impression while the vocals are about as vicious and deranged as they’ve ever been, this is about as good as they’ve sounded in years when they weren’t exactly offering sub-par material to begin with. This’ll go down as one of their finest efforts ever, and it’ll be hard for them to top this one.
3. Anaal Nathrakh-Vanitas
Proof-positive one of the most destructive and damaging of their generation can’t be stopped with two blistering records in a row, they had to go for three and managed to up the intensity even more than before. Hard as it is to believe, it happened and this is the result, with absolutely blinding guitar work that sometimes stretches the Black Metal tag yet its still sharp and vicious enough to appeal to a wide range by the bands incorporation of Grindcore’s intensity in the drumming which just utterly pummels and punishes to an unheard-of degree and whipped into a frenzy with their squealing vocals, programmed drum-tracks and utter disregard for the safety of the listener in their truly destructive manner, yet for all this intensity and high-velocity destruction it’s still immeninetly listenable. It’s addictive and damaging, one of the best kinds available, and that makes for a superb album in their vast catalog.
2. De Profundis-The Emptiness Within
For those who wish Opeth would stop going Prog and get back to their progressive blasting Black/Death Metal, this is the band for you. This feels as Opeth-like as any band out there with their odd time signatures, fluidly complex arrangements that blend technical difficulty with memorable-ness and catchiness, outstanding drumming that feels as restrained as it does let loose with the blasting and a wide vocal range that manages to fit together their many moods and emotions into a rather extreme blend that makes this a pretty enjoyable experience. That they manage to mix together all their different tricks together in the song-structure is pretty inventive as this makes for an emotive album full of different visions and feelings, which can come off pretty tame and relaxed one minute and then full-scale blasting the next, and the ability to switch between these different moods is a great sign and makes this one of the better records of the year.
1. Hellsaw-Trist
While this may seem like an odd choice for the top honors of the year, especially compared to some of the others elsewhere on this list, the fact is this is about as definitive of what Black Metal should be about this year as there’s a lot to love with this offering. The fact that they display an uncanny ability to not only focus on the traditional blasting sounds but also of infusing them with a sense of melody and individuality mark some of the many highlights, as this one contains a number of tracks infused with a sense of melody and yet incorporates true blasting and a damaging attack within. This creates a wickedly impressive and memorable selection of music as distinctive and fierce as the old-schoolers while maintaining a more listenable stature than would be expected of practioners in the genre, allowing thir melding of styles to appeal to all without secluding any, a tricky feat. It doesn’t hurt than the former, which appeals to the old-school, is among the album’s better works as it contains fantastic blast-beat drumming, wicked guitar arrangements and distinctive crooning, while the more melodic appeals are handled through the fine bass work and, again, thrilling guitar interplay. An odd choice for the genre’s best album, but one all can pick up and enjoy hence it’s placement here at the top.