Top 10 of 2014

2014 turned out to be, yet another, astounding year for the music I enjoy. While 2012 and 2013 were all great, I feel like the volume of above average releases was a bit higher this year. In the prior years creating the top 10 was a little easier, but this year, I had about a clear top 6, but after that there was so much excellent music from all kinds of bands that it proved very difficult to choose. Thus, I've resigned myself to going a little over the 10 mark... I truly apologize for this. Honestly, after number 6, I feel like the order is much more random and there is no "real" order imposed on the list anymore.

15. Saor - Aura (Northern Silence Productions)

Saor has undergone a name change and they were once known as Arsaidh. Usually it's pretty hard for a folk-ier style of metal to hit my top list, but Saor have put together a pretty beautiful album this time around. They've really blended the realms of Atmospheric Black Metal in with the Celtic elements very well to make a really great listening experience.

14. Winterfylleth - The Divination of Antiquity (Candlelight Records)

Even though Winterfylleth hasn't really deviated from the sound on their previous albums and it feels like a continuation of "The Threnody of Triumph", I can't deny that I really quite enjoy listening to their music. It's really due to this rotation that I feel compelled to include them in my list.

13. Mortuus - Grape of the Vine (The Ajna Offensive)

Review here

I was so ecstatic when I saw a new Mortuus was entering the world of Black Metal. I really enjoyed their debut full-length and I'd been following the band since the release of their 7". While I really enjoyed "Grape of the Vine", I'm finding that it's not in my rotation nearly as much as some of the other things I got this year. There's aspects of this that make me want to objectively put this with the top 5, because the musicianship is that good and I really do consider this a must buy for 2014, but I'm just not listening to it as much as the other releases. Whenever I do give this a listen, I quite enjoy it!

12. Blood Stronghold - From Sepulchral Remains... (Witches Sabbath Records)

This band was a new find for me and I was really excited when I heard them. This band plays an excellent style with haunting and melodic atmospheres. As with many bands like this from Australia they have a bit of that Pestilential Shadows/Nazxul (modern) style to their feel, which is nothing to complain about!

11. Gratzug - Offenbarung (Hammerbund)

Gratzug plays really awesome Atmospheric Black Metal derived from the likes of Paysage d'Hiver given the thinness and harsh feeling of the guitars, but they add a layer of majesty that the rawer Paysage d'Hiver lacks. The major complaint I have with Gratzug is how difficult it is to acquire their releases. However, if you do manage to get your hands on one, I do not think you will be disappointed and "Offenbarung" is an absolutely excellent release.

10. Pestilential Shadows - Ephemeral (Seance Records)

Pestilential Shadows has had a strong string of output for quite a few years. The latest release "Ephemeral" is really no exception to that rule. It really stands as a continuation of their "Depths" album, but I feel the sound is even more refined. This really stood as a really beautiful and haunting piece this year.

9. Totale Vernichtung - Ritualmordlegenden (Darker than Black)

Totale Vernichtung is kind of an odd band, the vocals are merely okay and sometimes they're a bit loud in the mix, but the music is really quite excellent. It's very strange, because a lot of the structuring is based on major chords and scales, but Totale Vernichtung really manages to make this sound raw and grim at the same time. I feel this would be a challenging thing for a lot of bands and to consistently perform it so well is quite a feat. They really captured my ears with their debut full-length "Feuerbestattung" and "Ritualmordlegenden" doesn't really have a massive difference from that album, which is okay, because I really just wanted more and more from this project!

8. Туман - The Past is Alive (No Colours)

Review here

I've enjoyed Туман's music for quite a while now, but "The Past is Alive" really took their sound in a new and haunting turn. It really captured my imagination so much more than their previous works and I truly loved it. Hearing Dim's spout her sinister vocals really added a whole new dimension into their shift in guitar work. Their vicious and raging style, took a bit of a step back, to compose songs that seem to linger in the consciousness rather than blasting our heads in for a whole album.

7. Stworz - Cóż Po Żyznych Ziemiach (Werewolf Promotion)

Stworz really caught my ear this year. It has moments of Drudkh and Nokturnal Mortum shining through, but with a vocal performance that is rather different from both. While there was merely one moment on the album that I felt was a bit out of place, I can't help, but love the album Stworz has given us. It's majestic and expansive in scope and truly a wonderful journey!

6. Infamous - Rovine e Disperazione (Eremita Produzioni)

Review here

Infamous was another new one for me this year and "Rovine e Disperazione" really nailed the raw and majestic feel I really look for in some Black Metal. The writing is just spectacular and really captures the listener in their dense and harsh atmospheres. While their earlier works were pretty good, none of them are really as strong as this album and this seems to be bringing the project in a more mature and refined direction.

5. Grisâtre - Paroxistique (Dusktone)

I really enjoyed "Esthaetique" and this new release came out of nowhere for me. One minute I turned around and it was released. I feel this sort of really upped the ante on the foundation that was laid with "Esthaetique" and the songwriting and riffs, in general, are much stronger. The songs are also vastly longer, so prepare for quite an involved journey!

4. Blut aus Nord - Memoria Vetusta III

After "Memoria Vetusta II", I really wasn't expecting this release at all. Which makes sense, since it does state on my release that "Memoria Vetusta II" was supposed to be the end of that arc. So, it was with great surprise and pleasure that many of us saw the announcement that "Memoria Vetusta III" was announced. This is actually a far more involved album than "Memoria Vetusta II" if that's possible, but I feel I find them both equally enjoyable. So, why is this number 4? Well, I did rank this as number one originally, but then I realized I haven't been playing it as much as I play the first three. The next three releases I seem to listen to a lot more regardless if "Memoria Vetusta III" may be objectively better in some respects.

3. Earth and Pillars - Earth I

Review here

It always surprises me to see a band debut hit so high on my listening. However, Earth and Pillars really put together a truly amazing atmospheric experience. One I've enjoyed returning to frequently over the years. Their packaging and layout really mirror the music perfectly, so this band is truly the full package experience and if you're looking for a very good Atmospheric Black Metal experience from 2014, I feel Earth and Pillars will not steer you wrong.

2. Darkspace - III I

Review here

I guess this will come as no surprise ranked at number two, given my love for their third album. While not much has changed from the third album, Darkspace still prove they are very strong authors of very compelling music. Coupled with the long wait between releases, they built quite a bit of anticipation and then really delivered on that with quite a good album.

1. Kriegsmaschine - Enemy of Man

Review: here

This was another wholly unexpected release. Due to their focus on Mgła, I thought, perhaps, this project was forgotten, but then Kriegsmaschine returned with a truly amazing album and something very different from what I was expecting. This release truly grew on me over the year and it really wound up being the release I return to and listen to most. It's a pretty stunning and wonderful piece of art.

What Death Metal did I buy?

The new Vader came out and that was pretty decent. Behemoth's "The Satanist" hit and amidst all the fanfare I still enjoyed "Evangelion" a bit more. Deathcult's "Pleading for Death" was a really excellent experience and I highly recommend that band to everyone looking for some old school styled Death Metal. At the Gates' "At War with Reality" hit to mark their big return... I still haven't listened to it yet. I listened to a track and it was okay.

Who else was up for considering?

The real tragedy is Pest's "Buried". Sadly Pest's drummer Mrok was killed in a car accident and completion of this album never really happened. What we have is a few rehearsal songs of new material that was from the upcoming release, and let me tell you, it's incredible. Seriously, it's easily  top 5 level of awesome. They did the best they could with "Buried" to show off some of the new material and give the listeners a few rarities, but it was a very difficult choice to eliminate it from the top 10. My reasoning had more to do with the fact that it wasn't a full album, which may sound unfair in some ways, but realize I literally spent months thinking about this in the back of my head and I just decided to take it out of the running and mention it here. Here's my full review

After this, there's just so much to list, albums from the likes of Zorn, Sühnopfer, Death Fortress, Blood of Kingu, Erebus Enthroned, Skogen, Sorcier des Glaces, just more stuff than I know what to do with... maybe I'll make a list later.

Top 10 of 2012

2012 was truly a halcyon year for Black Metal. The quality of music released was some of the highest quality I've ever heard. It truly outdid a lot of 2011 when I look back at what was released that year. While 2011 had some great releases, 2012 was simply an incredible year. As usual, I still made some tough choices. Sometimes I don't feel my choices hold up over time, but that is something I always struggle with when it comes to the later sections of the top ten lists. My first few choices seem to hold up over the years though and 2012 had a very clear choice that stood out immediately upon hearing it in greater detail. So here's the best material I purchased over the year.

10. Secrets of the Moon - Seven Bells

I'll admit, when I first heard Secrets of the Moon announced a new album, I wasn't that excited for it. I wasn't as into "Privilegium" as a follow-up to the mighty "Antithesis", so with line-up changes having happened, I didn't hold out much hope. I figured it would be, at least, a decent recording, maybe not the best. I was surprised to see it hit so high on my list this year, because "Seven Bells", for me, is the proper follow-up to "Antithesis". While not everything on hear was outstanding, the overlong Ambient piece during "Nyx" comes to mind, the majority of the album was very well done and I consider it worth getting.

9. Frostseele - PrækΩsmium

Review: here

Here we have a very outstanding newcomer to the Atmospheric Black Metal world. Hailing out Germany and I'm proud to say I was listening pretty early on to the actual release date of this album. Frostseele have really managed to capture that level of immersion that really captures the imagination. This is truly a wonderful beginning to a new project and hopefully they can keep releasing music of this quality in the years to come.

8. Wodensthrone - Curse

This was a new one for me, despite already having prior releases out there. Their latest album, though, far outweighs their prior releases for me. "Curse" is an ambitious album and covers a lot of amazing ground. If you like truly majestic sounding Black Metal, then Wodensthrone is a band you truly want to hear.

7. Grisâtre - Esthaetique

Sadly, blogger could not find videos on youtube for this album.

These last four choices were rather difficult to place, but I think I ultimately landed Grisâtre here. I really like this album in the Atmospheric branch of Black Metal, and it has reminiscent periods of Paysage d'Hiver due  to the wonderfully harsh production. This really can lend the album a rather colder atmosphere.

6. Eïs - Wetterkreuz

Review: here

I wasn't too surprised when I heard "Wetterkreuz." When I first heard it announced, I was vaguely sure this would hit the top ten unless something happened out of nowhere. After their album "Galeere" they had really launched themselves into a realm of writing that transcended a lot of other projects. They really advanced the sound of "Galeere" and deepened the textures even more, which makes this quite an astounding release.

5. Drudkh - Вічний оберт колеса

Drudkh really needs no introduction. As one of my favorite bands for many years, I figure they will usually hit my top 10 in the year something is released. Provided they stay away from the weird material they went after with "Handful of Stars", which was not a good album at all. Perhaps this puts me at some level of bias, but it is difficult when a band consistently writes music of this high quality.

4. Elderwind - Волшебство живой природы

Another newcomer to the genre. This time Elderwind hail out of Russia and if you, like me, have fallen in love with an earlier project called Walknut, then Elderwind is a must hear. They're different projects, sure, but Elderwind manages to, also, capture that vast and beautiful atmosphere that we heard on Walknut. While we all eagerly await a follow-up to that album, Elderwind, have decided to answer the call in just as magnificent as a fashion. Truly a must have album.

3. Der Weg einer Freiheit - Unstille

Review: here

It is not often you will see me ranking a Melodic Black Metal band so highly, since I usually don't go after that style as much as others, but here we are. I feel in love with the Der Weg einer Freiheit sound the first time I ever heard it and when I saw announcements of "Unstille" floating around the web, I was very excited to hear it. A follow-up to the "Agonie" EP was likely to be incredible, and the band certainly didn't disappoint. Everything down to the art direction is simply amazing on this album.

2. Marduk - Serpent Sermon

Review: here

Here's something I never thought was going to happen. Despite Marduk's increase in quality of the years I actually never thought I would rate an album of theirs even close to this highly. I feel like this album sounds far more like a Funeral Mist album than what Marduk have come to be known for over the years. "Serpent Sermon" has this dark and ugly atmosphere, whereas the prior albums focus more on intensity and pummeling a listener. This makes "Serpent Sermon" feel a lot more like the follow-up to "Maranatha" than "Wormwood". Either way the band has truly outdone themselves this time around and I am looking forward more than ever to what Marduk will be producing in the years to come. I was already sold with "Rom 5:12"... but "Serpent Sermon" pushes an envelope I never thought Marduk would breach.

1. Mgła - With Hearts Towards None

Review: here

This is the type of album that comes along very rarely. When I first heard this I knew there was nothing else out that could come close to topping this. This is the type of release that truly stands the test of time and changes the way we, as listeners, look at Black Metal. Throughout their career you could hear that Mgła was trending towards this moment and after "Groza" I think we all expected a good album from the project, but nothing of this caliber. After having seen Mgla live, my image of this release is only further enhanced. This is a release that I consider a must have and likely one of the best albums of all time.

What Death Metal did you buy in 2012?

The most notable material I got was Azarath's "Blasphemers' Maledictions", which was quite a stunning release. It has a rather new direction for the band and is seriously launching them to a whole new level. Gortal's "Daemonolith" was a great follow-up to their debut album. Just very good punishing Polish Death Metal. Masachist's album "Scorned" turns out to be what we've all wanted to hear as the follow-up to Decapitated's "The Negation". While I didn't find Masachist's debut as endearing, "Scorned" really stands out to me and I found it extremely well done. Sphere's "Homo Hereticus" is one of the more intense and heavy albums I picked up this year. I also purchased the obligatory releases from Grave and Unleashed. While I enjoyed the latest Unleashed, I don't seem to have ventured into the world of Grave much over the year.

Who else was up for consideration?

This year saw good releases from Anaal Nathrakh, Besatt, Borgne, Dark Fury, Grimness, Hellveto, Infinity, Lunar Aurora, LvxCælis, Medico Peste, Nattfog, Raventale, Reverence, Sektemtum, Spectral Lore, Szron, and Winterfylleth. A decent list if you just want to hear new material from bands you hadn't heard before.

Top 10 of 2013

First off, what an astounding year. Was it better than 2012? When I compared my two files between the years, I would say 2012 had more material that was better overall. 2013 still provided quite a challenge for the top tier releases, in my opinion.

That being said I really did struggle with what came out and organizing it in any fashion that made sense. If you, at all, agree with my tastes then this list will probably rank fairly highly on must have releases. I was originally going to split the lists between Black Metal and Death Metal, however, when I looked at the numbers I couldn't do that. This year I purchased around 150 Black Metal albums... I only bought eight Death Metal releases. So I can't even make a Death Metal top ten. Then I looked at how many Atmospheric Black Metal albums I bought and thought about splitting it along those lines. In the end I've decided not to do any of that. I made a top 10 list in December and waited for the new Arkona to solidify my decisions. In the end, I decided not to change very much. I adjusted some ordering, but I just stuck with my top original top 10. Obviously it is not possible for me to hear all Black Metal released in a single year, so this is my opinion based on the releases and material I happened to be exposed to.

I follow very strict rules for choosing my top ten and this is why you may not see some releases below.

Rules: No splits allowed. The album must be full-length, so no EP's and no demos. It must be an official release.

10. Monarque - Lys Noir (Sepulchral Productions)

Review: here

Sepulchral Productions as a label clearly won my heart this year. In prior years they have definitely released pretty good material, but nothing to the degree of material that came out this year. I feel like Quebec was the real king of Black Metal all around. Monarque has vastly improved their style, in my opinion, and released a truly stunning album with "Lys Noir".

9. Neige Éternelle - Neige Éternelle (Sepulchral Productions)

Review: here

Neige Éternelle gave us an album that was an exercise in the old form of Black Metal, but it is so well done that I can't help but give it some level of respect. Perhaps I am being biased since their live performance was quite spectacular, but I still feel this self titled can stand on its own merits. Another spectacular band out of Quebec.

8. Manii - Kollaps (Avantgarde)

Review: here

 It's no secret that I have greatly disliked what Manes has transformed their sound into. So, I was very skeptical when Manii released this album. Some hope was given that it was back to a two man project featuring Manes original vocalist. I was not disappointed. "Kollaps" is an album generating a superb amount of wonderful atmosphere. I was actually hopeful that this would be the new focus due to Manes calling it quits, but then Manes started up again. I do hope that Manii will be a new Black Metal outfit for the two musicians to work together. Their Black Metal, to me, is far superior to their strange experimental rock.

7. Gris - À L'Âme Enflammée, L'Äme Constellée... (Sepulchral Productions)

Review: here

This is probably the most controversial position I have on this list. I fought with myself long and hard about this. Gris initially appeared on my #3 position, but as the year went on I really tried to take stock of what I was choosing to listen to more frequently. Perhaps it's the time commitment for really absorbing this album. It spans two discs and is an incredible opus no matter how you look at it, but I think I keep passing it up because sometimes I just don't have the time to listen to the whole thing in a sitting. This is an album to be experienced, not something to be listened to in passing and perhaps I find the scope almost too grand. Whatever it is, I just know I'm not choosing it often enough to justify the #3 slot. I knew with my first listen that it would be in my top 10 at the end of the year though.

6. Seth - The Howling Spirit (Season of Mist)

Now this is something I was not expecting this year. I saw Seth perform at Messe des Morts in 2012 and I was pleased to see their return to the music scene after a long hiatus after "Era-Decay". "Era-Decay" hit my top releases for the year it came out when I used to run Hyperblast. I guess it comes as no surprise to me that Seth would hit my top 10 again. They are truly stunning musicians and I consider this one of their best releases and I actually think they managed to top "Era-Decay".

5. Paysage d'Hiver - Das Tor (Kunsthall Produktionen)

Review: here

Sometimes I worry this is a fairly biased placement for Paysage d'Hiver. It is certainly no secret that I truly love this project. This also isn't a major innovation for the band, but this is probably one of their best albums, so I feel it really does deserve some serious recognition in my eyes. Unless they change something drastic, a Paysage d'Hiver release is always likely to hit my top 10. I just can't get enough of this project and I apologize if my bias is setting them in a position others may consider a bit too generous. Again, I'm trying to judge my list based on frequency of how I often I listen rather than on sheer innovation only.

4. Inferno - Omniabscence Filled by His Greatness (Agonia Records)

Review: here

I have been a fan of this project for many years and when I heard a new release was imminent I was truly excited! However, I did not expect them to release something this stunning. Prior to this, I'm not sure Inferno would have consistently hit my top 10 of the year. Despite enjoying this project for many years, they were never doing something that topped other projects. For them to hit back and land in the #4 position is actually quite a shock to me. I thought I had a clear list forming until Inferno put this out and I had to revise my list pretty drastically upon listening to this. They have really outdone themselves this year and I highly recommend getting this.

3. Plaga - Magia Gwiezdnej Entropii (Societas Oculorum Arcanorum Records)

Review: here

This was a really unexpected release as well. I had never heard of Plaga before now, but this year I caught wind of this new band releasing amazing material out of Poland. So I tracked down what I could and eagerly awaited the release of their 2013 debut. For a band to debut with a #3 slot is pretty impressive. Plaga also forced me to make some major arrangement changes in my list. I know this has even hit #1 on some peoples lists, but my top two were pretty solidified this year and Plaga was unable to move them. Actually, when I had my lists split between Atmospheric and regular Black Metal Plaga was my #1 for the Black Metal list.

2. Sombres Forêts - La Mort due Soleil (Sepulchral Productions)

Review: here

I've noticed that I have a slightly divergent opinion with a lot of other reviewers out there. Many consider Gris' effort to be the better release between these two amazing releases. However, for me it has always been Sombres Forêts which I loved most. I'm not sure why there is such a clear difference for me, but I felt I was drawn into this album so much deeper. So when it came to listening to an album of this nature, I was always going back to hear this again and again all year.

1. Csejthe - Réminiscence (Eisenwald Tonschmiede ‎)

Review: here

I had toyed over and over with the idea that Csejthe and Sombres Forêts should be swapped in my numbering. Sombres Forêts' style is arguably more grandiose and compelling, but there's just something about this Csejthe album that I instantly fell in love with. This is by far the album I wanted to keep listening to more and more during the year. I feel Sombres Forêts and Csejthe probably stand on equal ground and it truly is due to my listening to Csejthe more that set it apart in any kind of quantitative aspect.

Now to answer some obvious questions.

What Death Metal did I buy?

The latest from Centurian, Carcass, Hypocrisy, Hate, Misanthrope, Purgatory, Suffocation and Trauma. I honestly still haven't listened to the latest Hypocrisy yet. The new Carcass was highly sought after and was reminiscent to "Necroticism" and this was a great thing for some classic sounding Death Metal. The ones I probably listen to most are the latest Purgatory, Trauma and Centurian though. So, if you like my Death Metal interests you should check those out.

Any demo material of note?

Well, Ephemer released a second demo this year that I thought was very well done. If they had released a full-length I would have had to re-arrange my top 10 for sure. That's about all I remember for demo material. I picked up a lot of classic demos this year, but Ephemer is the one new one that stands out for me.

Who else was up for consideration for your top 10?

Let's see Falkenbach was certainly toyed with due to their incredible release "Asa". He has really outdone himself in that genre this time around. Cult of Fire almost kicked Monarque out of the #10 slot and I really considered this for a long time and, honestly, both bands probably stand equal for me. But I had to cut the way I ended deciding to deal with my list. Mord'A'Stigmata released a shockingly good album that I absolutely recommend. I heard about this through the guys in Blaze of Perdition, which I'm thankful for.

Nekrokrist SS put out a full length this year and if you're a fan of raw Black Metal then this is a must have. I probably should have tried to find them a space in the top 10 considering how often I listen to the album... but they are certainly within the top 20 range.

Throne of Katarsis released a great album this year and it's funny because I had always seen their name on distros, but never bothered to get anything. However, I was impressed with their stage presence at Messe des Morts III and decided to give their latest album a chance. It turned out to be a very good album. You should keep this in context too, out of 150 albums this year that I heard, they were in my top 20, so that's very good. Graveland's latest effort is also worth mentioning. Rob Darken always does great work and I've been following that project since "Thousand Swords" was released. It was a tough year for him to compete in though, but he usually releases material near the top even if it's not in the actual ten best.

For the general Black Metal category, I definitely loved Aosoth, Arkona, Endstille, and Deus Mortem this year. That new Endstille was surprising to me because I haven't really enjoyed a lot of their music lately, so for me to put it near the top best this year was surprising. In prior years I would not have even considered it. They did hit #1 spot years ago with "Navigator" though. Arkona's effort was quite good too. I like them a lot, but some of their music was getting a little samey, but with their latest I feel like Khorzon really struck back with a solid effort. Again, highly recommended. A lot of people are going crazy for the latest Aosoth and they did an exceptional job this year. Deus Mortem released a very stunning album as well and they've really built a solid style on the full length.