aoty – Ba'al

January 13, 2025

Albums of the Year 2024

Timely as ever, a few of us have selected our album highlights from last year. Read on to see our picks (plus a few cheeky vinyl photos), and listen to one track from (almost) every release in the Spotify playlist below.

–

Nick – Guitar

Every Christmas time in the vat of lukewarm custard that is my brain is marked by a fond recounting of all the new music I’ve listened to over the past 12 months, and every year it’s just as difficult to narrow them down to a select few favourites. So in no particular order, here are 10 of the albums that I enjoyed the most.

Charli xcx – brat

It’s charli baby. We changed the name of an entire season because of this album. No further notes.

Verwoed – The Mother

I have an uncanny knack of discovering amazing bands and they then almost immediately after announce that they’re disbanding, which also usually means I’ll not get to see them live either. Verwoed are one such band but at least they’ve left us on a filthy high. Arguably my favourite black metal album of the year, full of dark and brooding atmospheres, ritualistic pacing and a liberal dose of horrific crust, this is a superb closing statement from a band who’s catalogue I’m excited to delve into.

Spectral Voice – Sparagmos

One of my top 3 candidates for absolute filth of the year (Verwoed, this, and then the final one coming up shortly). This is one of those albums that really pushes the boundaries of how extreme metal can be. Squalling noise, vile dissonance and vicious brutality that pulls equally from the worlds of death and doom metal. Metal Archives lists their themes as ‘horror, death, other worlds’ and I would accept this album as the soundtrack if and when I experience any of those 3 things.

Hamferð – Men Guðs hond er sterk

Easily my favourite doom band from the Faroe Islands (yes I do know several others thank you very much). Absolutely love the gothic feel of this band, the production and musicality scratch my itch for melodic doom but the real highlight must be the vocals. Absurdly good harsh vocals and mightily impressive operatic cleans must be heard to be believed, and not only that but I got to see them earlier this year and I can’t think of many live bands I’ve seen that so perfectly replicate their recorded output.

Kanonenfieber – Die Urkatrastrophe

My personal discovery of the year. I went through a period of listening to their previous stuff on such a frequent loop that I ended up having to take a break (which didn’t last long in hindsight, and they shortly after slotted into my regular rotation). For Kanonenfieber to arrive and explode in such a short amount of time is astounding and I suspect a lot of work has gone into making this project the finished article long before it became public. The result is such a marvellously consistent string of blackened death metal releases with a distinctive and unique aesthetic that you’d think they’d been around for ages. At about 4 years they’re still such a new band and I’m well excited for whatever comes next. Get on the hype train.

Thou – Umbilical

2nd rancid filth candidate of the year. As soon as I heard the name “I Feel Nothing When You Cry” I figured the track would take no prisoners, and I was right! A blistering track that makes way for an equally intense album. As a casual fan given their prolific output, I wasn’t prepared for just how much I would love this monster, and I’m subsequently now revisiting their discography with a new found adoration for their work. Top drawer sludge.

Aurora – What Happened to the Heart?

Another outstanding offering from the Norway via various fairy tales artist. Her last two albums in particular have shown a move towards more experimental musicality which lend themselves magnificently to her otherworldly presence and vocal style. Aurora also continues to be a positive figure with a refreshingly candid approach to political and personal subjects which a lot of artists often shy away from, which strikes me as an ever more important quality given the rapidly spiralling absurdity of modern life.

Blood Incantation – Absolute Elsewhere

Was a bit late to the game on this one, despite me absolutely adoring all their previous work. Verdict seemed to be a unanimous “THIS IS INCREDIBLE” which often leads to disappointment when something inevitably doesn’t reach the extremely high expectations people have set. This 100% fulfilled the hype though.

Oranssi Pazuzu – Muuntautuja

To paraphrase Richard when he appropriately stated, “Oranssi are a band that you might not listen to that often, but when you do listen to them or see them live, you remember they’re the best band in the world”. I can’t really fault that, and having seen them live for the first time this year, I can now comfortably say they’re one of the top live performers I’ve ever witnessed. Another stellar album from Finland’s weirdest.

VOLA – Friend of a Phantom

Likely takes the title of “Most Rotated Album” of the year for me and one of the few albums I’ve ever pre-ordered on vinyl. VOLA are one of my top 5 bands of recent years and not only did they drop a magnificent prog metal album full of sublime musicianship and delicious earworms, but I also got to see them for the first time this year, and they were absolutely top banana.

Chris – Guitar

As an introductory caveat, I didn’t listen to a great deal of new music this year – after last year’s effort where I compiled everything into a spreadsheet and consciously sought out new albums, I didn’t keep track of anything this year because I needed a break. Given how intensely difficult the second half of my year has been on a personal level, I (somewhat understandably) retreated to the safe haven of comfort music. But I did find a few new things to laud, so here in no particular order are the best 5 albums of my 2024.

Nile – The Underworld Awaits Us All

I’ve been a Nile fan since I first got into heavy music and discovered Black Seeds of Vengeance, and they reliably put out at least one or two certified bangers per album (with some of the earlier releases being wall-to-wall excellence). I’m pleased to report that this new album continues that trend, with short sharp shocks like the ape poo song (you know the one) slotted in with longer cuts like Under The Curse of the One God magnificently. The liner notes also remain an absolute treat as Karl Sanders unfurls the full scope of his ancient Egyptian nerdery.

Gaerea – Coma

I think it’s probably fair to call this the best atmospheric black metal album I listened to this year, with the caveat that I didn’t listen to an awful lot of atmoblack outside of our own tunes..! Everything about this album just sounds huge, the production is gorgeous and the riffs are sky-high. There’s plenty of variety too, from the long build-up of opening track The Poet’s Ballet and running through the rest of the album. If you like big reverb-soaked tremolo picking and anguished screaming (and let’s be honest, who doesn’t) get this on and enjoy yourself.

Blood Incantation – Absolute Elsewhere

When I say that this album reminds me a bit of the Mithras album Behind the Shadows Lie Madness crossed with 2112 by Rush, I mean that as the highest of compliments. That Mithras album is my bar for reverb-drenched cosmic death metal with interesting song structures and an inescapable “vibe”, and this album absolutely climbs the same peak. Everything from the song titles to the artwork to the riffs themselves puts you into a late 80s sci-fi novel, fighting for the survival of an ancient alien civilisation, and I love every second of it.

Terminal Nation – Echoes of the Devil’s Den

Sometimes you just want to listen to an uncomplicated, no-nonsense album full of chunky riffs and beatdowns. Echoes of the Devil’s Den is perfect for that, but throws in some social commentary as well just to add a little cherry on top of the cake – as you might expect from an avowedly anti-fascist and anti-capitalist death metal/hardcore band. The whole album is solid throughout, with a particular standout mention to the anti-police brutality anthem ‘No Reform (New Age Slave Patrol)’. My one minor criticism is that the artwork doesn’t really fit with the lyrical content of the songs… but it is extremely fucking cool!

Laura Cannell – The Rituals of Hildegard Reimagined

The aural equivalent of a drug trip through Tudor England, with traditional instruments and monophonic melodies reinterpreted through a modern lens. A very lush, meditative album with no drum tracks, beats or riffs to be found – just an aching sense of melancholy like fog rolling over a green and peaceful landscape. Something about this really stuck with me this year, and it’s the perfect soundtrack for a solitary nature walk. Perfect for fans of The Green Knight movie or those medieval lo-fi hip-hop channels on YouTube.

Honourable mention: Florence + The Machine – Symphony of Lungs

I’m not including this in the proper list because none of these songs were first released in 2024, but this album is a fantastic re-imagining of a classic nonetheless, with the full weight of the BBC Proms orchestra and choir and the lovely ambience of the Royal Albert Hall underpinning it.

Richard – Bass

Of the 112 new albums I listened to this year, I’ve made myself a top 40 of my favourites, and even that was painful… The ones that came closest to making it this year for me were Knoll, Thief, A Swarm of the Sun, Pallbearer and Linkin Park… I could go on, but here are my top 10, in reverse preference order for added t e n s i o n.

40 Watt Sun – Little Weight

At this point I’ll be very surprised if Patrick Walker ever releases an album that doesn’t make my top 10. This one is a little more approachable than the last tear-jerker, but still an emotionally-driven set of powerful alt-rock and slowcore songs to sit alone with your thoughts to.

Heriot – Devoured by the Mouth of Hell

I enjoyed the debut EP from the UK’s hottest young band, but to me this full-length really honed everything into a concise ball of battering, brutal riffs, with an interesting edge of industrial and electronic nastiness. Peaking out amongst the brutality, guitarist Debbie Gough’s clean vocals sometimes make the band sounds like Beth Gibbons fronting Loathe, which isn’t something I had on my bingo card.

Geotic – The Anchorite

Geotic was new to me this year, but is the acoustic/ambient project of Will Wiesenfeld, whose main, electronic project Baths was a big deal for me when I was in my late teens/early 20s. This is simply a gorgeous, lo-fi, deeply moving mood piece, with sumptuous acoustic guitar lines layered under a blanket of warm static.

Darkspace – Dark Space -II

Released right back at the start of 2024, this album sparked a long overdue Darkspace renaissance in my life and, though it may not touch their bona-fide classics, it’s still Darkspace doing their thing incredibly well, with a little more emphasis on the electronic beats behind the swathes of icy black metal riffs from the cold vacuum of space. With the Paysage d’Hiver album also at number 21 in my list, Mr Möckl is firing on all cylinders.

Sugar Horse – The Grand Scheme of Things

I don’t know why it took me so long to listen to Sugar Horse. I also don’t know why this album starts with 3 tracks of pure, The-Cure-gone-shoegaze lushness before the sludge riffs and screaming come in. Regardless, this is stellar stuff, mixing the dreamy with the brutal, plus some outstanding vocal performances and a closing 15 minutes of euphoric drone.

Hamferð – Men Guðs Hond Er Sterk

Nick and I have banged on about this band and album a lot this year, because what a discovery they have been. Colossal doom and post metal with a gothic bent and some of the best vocals I’ve heard in metal in some time, with one guy pulling off insane operatic notes one moment and deep, deathly growls the next. My vinyl copy is signed, and because the band had to open the plastic wrapping to sign it, I spent an entire three-band gig trying to hold the shredded plastic together to protect the record from the crowd, and then from the snow on my walk back to the car, which wasn’t the most fun I’ve ever had.

Patricia Taxxon – Bicycle (not on Spotify…)

Another great new discovery for me this year, but this time from the extremely different realm of… Furry IDM? I don’t think this is on Spotify so you’ll have to hunt it down on BandCamp rather than from our playlist, but it is a concise album of extremely varied, punchy bangers that are great fun but also richly detailed and idiosyncratic.

Oranssi Pazuzu – Muuntatuja

As Nick has already said that I said, there’s simply no one around doing metal like Oranssi Pazuzu do metal, and when they have you in their darkly psychedelic, cosmic grasp, nothing compares. This time the electronic side of their sound has been dialled up even more, and as a result it’s a little more accessible than the 2020 album I won’t try to remember the name of, but make no mistake: this is a Bad Trip with a capital B and T, and I adore it.

Charli xcx – brat and it’s the same but there are three more songs so it’s not

A slight differentiation from Nick here as I spent most of 2024 listening to this extended version of brat, and I do think the added songs make this cultural milestone even better, despite losing the iconic green cover as a result. No more words need to be penned about brat for some time, but it was undoubtedly my most played album this year and slaps front to back.

Chelsea Wolfe – She Reaches Out to She Reaches Out to She

As I think I mentioned in a previous blog, as much as I have always enjoyed Chelsea Wolfe, her last couple of albums underwhelmed me and so I never thought I’d have her at number one in an AOTY list. For me (similar to what I’ve said with a lot of albums on this list) the return of her more electronic influences alongside the doomy guitars is what makes this; it’s basically a dark, atmospheric and only sometimes heavy trip-hop/darkwave album and it feels like her crowning achievement.
January 26, 2024

Albums of the Year 2023

Timely as ever, a few of us have selected our album highlights from last year. Read on to see our picks, and listen to one track from each release in the Spotify playlist below.

Chris – Guitar

I listened to a lot of albums this year, in an (ultimately futile) attempt to dislodge Nick from his “most music consumed” throne within Ba’al. The final tally was 207 albums released in 2023, and 254 that were new to me overall – and quite frankly, that’s far too much music to keep track of, so I won’t be doing it again! It starts to reduce listening down to a tick-box exercise, about gathering data for the sake of it rather than actually trying to achieve anything, so this coming year I’m just going to listen to whatever I feel like and make notes about any particularly good albums I come across. All that said, here are the 5 best albums I heard from 2023:

5. The Ocean – Holocene

If I ever do an AOTY list in a year when the Ocean have released a new album, and they’re not on that list, please check whether I’m being held hostage by ne’er-do-wells. As is well established, probably my favourite band, and one of the most consistent groups out there – their quality level never dips below “great”, and Holocene continues that trend. It’s not as riff-heavy or guitar-focused as previous albums (which was an intentional choice) but it retains their lyricism, their experimentalist tendencies and their penchant for big atmospheres.

4. Wounds of Recollection – Warm Glow of the End of Everything

Starting off with some tinkly, almost Christmas-like chimes, this album very quickly unfurls into an absolutely gorgeous slice of blackgaze, with lush, shimmering chords and tremolo sections over anguished vocals. It calls back to the more shoegaze-y bits of Deafheaven for me, which is very much a compliment – I have a limited tolerance for atonal black metal where everything sounds the same, so the variety and melody on show here is very welcome. The whole album feels suffused with warmth and light in a way that really lifts my spirit.

3. Warrington Runcorn New Town Development Plan – The Nation’s Most Central Location

“Melancholic brutalism” is probably my best description of this – an album of electronica with an incredibly specific sense of time and location. It evokes the brutalist attitude to town building in 1970s UK in a way that I can’t really articulate – the album name and cover do a lot of the lifting on that, but you can feel it in the music. My listening notes say: “Experimental electronica about the collapse of the ‘New Town’ in England – wistful with an undercurrent of anger at our current concrete dystopia” which I still think sums it up pretty perfectly.

2. Hellish Form – Deathless

This album kind of reminds me in places of Sojourner, who I absolutely love. Big, epic, atmospheric doom-death, with towering walls of crashing distortion that envelop you in sound. It has that feeling of a soundtrack from a far off (horrible) land, which is definitely helped by the Blasphemous-esque cover artwork. Put it on, turn it up, lose yourself in a world of big chords, mournful leads and screaming. Bliss.

1. Gunship – Unicorn

This ran away with my number one slot pretty much from the second listen. It’s just an incredibly polished record, in a way that really works for the style of music on display – beefy, bouncy synthwave rock with soaring choruses and a staggeringly deep list of guest vocalists. I dare you to listen to ‘Empress of the Damned’ and not get the hook stuck in your brain – real “put it on in the car and sing along as loud as you can” stuff. Highly, highly recommended.

Richard – Bass

This year I listened to 134 albums, which is a strikingly high number for me and meant I couldn’t whittle my list lower than a top 40… The closest runners up for my top ten were Panopticon, Nightmarer, FVNERALS, Torpor, Steven Wilson, Periphery, Föllakzoid, Mitski, Rorcal and ТДК. As for the agonised-over top ten itself…

10. Ostraca – Disaster

Emo/screamo-inflected post metal that also builds in the building-levelling, grim grooves of Amenra. Smash your face on the floor and have a good cry about it.

9. Enslaved – Heimdal

There’s no such thing as a bad Enslaved record, but for me this is the best since the mighty RIITIIR. It’s refreshing for a band now known for being so expansive, proggy and psychedelic to retain such a clear fondness for the straight-up, aggressive and fun black metal riffing of their youth alongside everything else.

8. Austere – Corrosion of Hearts

After a 14-year hiatus, the Australian atmospheric/post-black metal icons have managed to top their previous work with this slab of hypnotic, emotive power. Apparently another new album is already coming next year, too, so that’s nice, isn’t it.

7. Daughter – Stereo Mind Game

Not to be pluralised and confused with the noise rock band ruined by that abusive wanker, Daughter trade in much prettier, dreamier textures, plus just plain superb songwriting. It’s the real attention to detail in the production and their ear for an absolutely magnetic, emotional yet understated hook that makes this one a winner.

6. Harboured – Harboured

You know when a band just do a genre pretty straightforwardly but absolutely fucking nail it? Harboured have done just that with post metal on their pleasingly succinct debut. Cult of Luna grooves, Mastodon energy, The Ocean melodies, and just an unstoppable force of riff and texture.

5. Hasard – Malivore

You know when a band just do a genre in a way that sounds totally fucking alien and unlike anything else? Hasard have done just that with black metal on their first album since shortening their name from Les Chants du Hasard. It’s the modern classical keyboards and strings that take these already avant-garde compositions into a completely other realm, and it’s a whole world of melodrama all its own.

4. Telos – Delude

The midpoint between Amenra and Fronteirer that I never knew I needed. I have to thank Nick for alerting me to this absolute monster of aggression, because itreally hits the spot when it comes to pummelling groove with a chaotic edge and an unrelenting nastiness.

3. Sci-Clone – Radio Therapy – Pt. 1

Jazzy drum’n’bass powered by organic instrumentation, good vibes and shiny production. It’s like if someone took Louis Cole’s energy and melodic sensibility but smoothed it all out into a polished, serene but still endlessly uplifting, groovy package that is impossible not to nod along to.

2. Ne Obliviscaris – Exul

There was a lot of discussion in the Ba’al chat over the course of 2023 about the bizarre bass tone on this album, which is unreasonably twangy and sticks out like a sore thumb. However, such is the strength of the songwriting (and my existing love of some NeO of old) that even that couldn’t stop me having Exul on repeat. As well as being the best bunch of songs they’ve written since their debut, it’s the real step up in string arrangements that made this one stick for me, with Tim Charles really expanding into multiple layers of violin that were a very timely inspiration for our own new material.

1. Model/Actriz – Dogsbody

Noisy, flamboyant, groovy, energetic, very gay and very horny – all descriptions that fit this otherwise hard to describe record that kept pulling me back again and again in 2023. Noise rock, post-punk, dance music, flashes of metal… It’ll be a travesty if this band is not booked for ATG this year.

Nick – Guitar

At the start of the year I challenged myself to listen to one new album a day (or seven across a week for example) with the ultimate goal of enriching and expanding my taste in music. Gleefully I ultimately landed on 366, helpfully aided by the most relentlessly prolific artist I’ve ever come across releasing hundreds of 20 minute ambient albums. I digress. What I’m most pleased about is discovering so much great stuff and many new back catalogues to burn through. Lankum is my number 1, and the other nine are just collectively the rest of the top ten, they’re just in the order that I thought about them.

10. Sleep Token – Take Me Back to Eden

Love them or loathe them, you can’t deny just how wild Sleep Token’s ascent has been. I put myself squarely in the love camp, and TMBTE is every bit as sugary, bittersweet and excessive as I’d hoped it would be. A fine way to end a trilogy of albums about one breakup. Who hurt you Vessel?

9. Nightmarer – Deformity Adrift

I was beginning to think my top 10 is notably lacking in extended range guitars but this album more than makes up for that. An album of abject filth from start to finish, blast beats and massive twangy djonk riffs galore.

8. Downfall of Gaia – Silhouettes of Disgust

Consistently one of the best atmospheric black metal bands have once again dropped an absolute blinder. In many ways this isn’t really anything new, it’s just a fantastic example of a compelling style of music that’s often imitated but rarely perfected.

7. Telos – Delude

Checked out this band for the nerdy reason that they share a name with a semi-obscure planet in the Star Wars extended universe. Anyway, no idea if that’s actually connected to their name so it may not be the slightest bit relevant. This album sits at perhaps the exact intersection where post-metal and mathcore meet. Imagine if Dillinger were sadbois and you’ll get the idea.

6. Dødheimsgard – Black Medium Current

My favourite avant-garde pick of the year (if they aren’t all at least slightly avant-garde). Being able to stand out as a black metal band seems like one of the most difficult things to achieve in music yet Dødheimsgard have succeeded in sounding like no other.

5. Rorcal – Silence

As Richard so brilliantly put it, Rorcal have almost ruined blackened sludge by being so good at it that it’s not worth listening to any other bands in the genre. I found it hard enough to disagree after Muladona, and near impossible after Silence.

4. Panopticon – Rime of Memory

A band I’d never really given much thought to previously, but I certainly shall be now. Hoping to sort out a ticket to Fortress Festival come payday so I’ve got some catching up to do before I see them live. If their back catalogue is a patch on this then I’m excited to start digging.

3. Herod – Iconoclast

An extremely underrated band of recent years; I’m oft surprised at the fact there aren’t more people gushing over Herod. Ever since Sombre Dessein in 2018 I’ve been desperate to hear more of their angular hypnotic sludge and thankfully Iconoclast takes their winning formula and ramps up the aggression. Sadly it seems this will be the last we will hear from Herod as they unexpectedly announced their disbandment just before Christmas.

2. Tesseract – War of Being

A now iconic band and arguably the reigning kings of djent are back with the best album they’ve written since Altered State, or maybe ever (). Of course I love everything they’ve ever done but War of Being strikes me as the perfect intersection of all their strongest moments over the years.

1. Lankum – False Lankum

Undoubtedly my album of the year, Lankum are a band I’ve been following for several years now and they are consistently one of the most compelling and unique groups in modern music. Their tense and uneasy approach to traditional Irish folk is sonically akin to the harsh textural work of Swans or Godflesh, yet simultaneously delicately beautiful. I’ve seen FL deservedly top many a critic’s end of year poll and I am not in the least bit surprised.
January 17, 2022

Albums of the Year 2021

Timely as ever, a few of us have selected our album highlights from last year. As ever, we were spoiled for quality new music and we’re so thankful to every artist who made the year more bearable. A track from each of our picks is included in the Spotify playlist too, for you to get stuck into as you read…

Chris – Guitar

Every year, I struggle with the pull between listening to new music and going back to my comfort listens – especially given the state of the world, there’s a lot to be said for the warm blanket of an album that you know inside and out. It was tough to populate a top 10 list this year, but that isn’t a reflection on the number of quality releases – more my relative inability to absorb new albums particularly fast! Nevertheless, here are the ten albums that particularly stuck with me this year and soundtracked a tumultuous, terrible, and sometimes triumphant 2021.

10. Panopticon – …And Again Into the Light

Folk and metal, the two great tastes that taste great together. Except, despite my 10-year history in Northern Oak, I’ve always been quite leery of the “mead and wenches” variety of folk metal which favours cheesiness over actually trying to write good songs. Thank fuck, then, for Panopticon – a solo project from Austin Lunn, who mashes together mournful American folk/bluegrass with melodic black metal and does a damn fine job of it. Powerful, relentless and cathartic.

9. Underdark – Our Bodies Burned Bright on Re-Entry

I’d probably class this as more of an EP than an album, at 36 minutes – but quibbling aside, it’s a tumultuous blast of fierce post-black metal with a staunchly antifascist/pro-LGBTQ stance that ticks a lot of my boxes. If I have one criticism it’s that the vocals are mixed a little too low, which means they’re occasionally overpowered by the music – having seen them live earlier in the year I know that vocalist Abi has some serious lungs, so hopefully they’ll address that on future releases.

8. Noctule – Wretched Abyss

“Melodic black metal inspired by the videogame Skyrim” feels like the most “me” sentence ever written, and I’m pleased to confirm that this solo album from Serena Cherry of Svalbard absolutely nailed the brief – every track on this release evokes the wintry mountains of Skyrim, wrapped in atmospheric production and peppered with soaring leads. Serena is apparently working on more tracks for a follow-up, which is great news!

7. Maybeshewill – No Feeling is Final

I wasn’t expecting to get a new Maybeshewill album this year – the last I heard, the band had split up, so this was a delightful surprise. It doesn’t quite reach the lofty heights of their previous releases (particularly the extremely post-rock-titled I Was Here For A Moment, Then I Was Gone) but it’s still a very well-constructed chunk of ambient post-rock from a band with masterful control over their sound.

6. Tribulation – Where The Gloom Becomes Sound

Just scraping into consideration (by virtue of being released in January 2021, which feels like a decade ago and yesterday all at once) is this follow-up to the incredible Down Below – and while it doesn’t quite match up to the previous album, it certainly doesn’t disappoint. Tribulation’s sound is hard to pigeonhole easily – guttural death vocals and some pretty bouncy riffs and melodic guitar lines – but it’s absolutely, 100% my shit.

5. CHVRCHES – Screen Violence

CHVRCHES are probably the most consistent band I know – every album they’ve released has a high number of bangers and is overall very enjoyable. Screen Violence just continues that trend – it doesn’t really stray from their formula, but when the formula works so well, why should it? This was another album that I kept coming back to this year – it falls into the “comfort listening” category for me, and I’m excited to (hopefully) see them live in 2022.

4. Spiritbox – Eternal Blue

If Taylor Swift got into djent, it’d probably sound a bit like this. Delightful pop vocals on top of some big, meaty riffs – crucially, this album doesn’t fall into the trap of recycling tired breakdown after tired breakdown, which is what often turns me off djent. They’re comfortable with melodic riffs that compliment the soaring vocals, and know when to apply light and shade. Now, does anybody have Tay-Tay’s number so I can talk to her about guesting on the next Ba’al album..?

3. Daniel Hart – The Green Knight (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

I listen to a lot of soundtracks (both movie and videogame) because I love the way that music can deepen my appreciation of another piece of media. In the case of The Green Knight, the music was absolutely integral to the whole (spellbinding) experience I had with the film – it complimented the bleak, fantastical landscapes perfectly and suffused the whole thing with an otherworldly medieval vibe. The OST stands alone as a worthwhile listen even if you haven’t watched the movie, which is a rare feat.

2. VOLA – Witness

I’d never heard of VOLA before 2021 – Luke mentioned them in our band chat so I went to check out this album, and was absolutely blown away by it. The main thing that characterises Witness is extremely catchy hooks, both vocally and musically – this is music to sing along to in the car, but with the added frisson of some excellent djent-inspired breakdowns and proggy time signature fuckery. Highly recommended, but be warned, you won’t be able to get the choruses out of your head…

1. Wolves in the Throne Room – Primordial Arcana

Less ambient and drifting than their previous albums, with a greater sense of urgency and snarl, but without sacrificing the atmosphere – I think Primordial Arcana is my new favourite Wolves album, narrowly beating out the transcendent Celestial Lineage. I decided not to listen to this album until I could sit down with the vinyl and give it my full attention – and then I kept coming back to it throughout the back half of 2021, finding new things to love each time. Listen to this album, journey into the mountains and revel in the magick and majesty of nature.

Richard – Bass

2021 has been another bumper year for great music. I listened to 75 albums this year, which is a total I’m very pleased with. As ever, a top 10 was an incredible challenge, and I had about 30 that could have made it in… Those that came closest were Hong Kong Express (specifically ‘L.Y.F’ out of the several albums he released this year), Ed Scissor & Lamplighter, Mol, The Hyena Kill, Amenra, Emma Ruth Rundle, Wolves in the Throne Room, Autarkh, Hellish Form and finally the album with which I had the most stupid fun this year: Kurupt FM.

10. Lingua Ignota – Sinner Get Ready

Stripping away almost all of the industrial/drone/metal elements to her sound this time around, Lingua Ignota continues to make some of the most emotionally punishing and anguished left-field music going. The orchestrations and additional instruments this time around allow for both some of her most beautiful music so far as well as some of the most sinister and disturbing. Listening back to this after the revelations came out about Kristin’s horrifying personal ordeals this past few years, it’s impossible not to be deeply moved and powerfully affected. Not an easy listen.

9. Violet Cold – Empire of Love

As I’ve mentioned here before, this is the album that finally got me properly into Violet Cold and had me exploring his other records, where before I’d been so-so on what I knew. I’d be lying if the blatantly pro-equality and anti-fascist message (shown in the face of great adversity) wasn’t part of the reason I like this album so much, but it’s mainly just the overall euphoric, passionate and uplifting feel to this exploratory and eclectic post-black metal. Earlier this year I was sure this would be top 3 material, but over time I’ve realised I’m not the biggest fan of the first couple of tracks, which feel a bit clunky. The rest is stellar, though.

8. Other Joe – Jealousy Tulip

Other Joe is an ambient artist I discovered from a BandCamp email a few years back and one who I’ve enjoyed since, but never would have expected to end up in my albums of the year. In truth this was battling it out with Hong Kong Express’ album L.Y.F. for this spot in my top 10, as they both fill similar needs in my listening life: atmospheric, otherworldly, slightly melancholic, nostalgic and urban soundscapes. In the end, Jealousy Tulip won out just because of it’s more varied textures and more forthright beats which lend a slight sense of the sinister to some tracks.

7. Billie Eilish – Happier Than Ever

There’s a pattern emerging: this is another album I would never have expected to make it to my top 10, but here we are. I enjoyed Billie’s debut in 2019 when it first made waves, but aside from the standout, bass-heavy bangers, I didn’t go back to it too much. On her second outing, there’s a lot more variety and pretty much all of it lands for me. Sure, the aforementioned minimal bass wobbles aren’t there so much this time, but there are plenty of sultry grooves, atmospheric and soulful pop cuts and even a climactic outburst of heartfelt rock. The mid-album spoken word callout to all those who unfairly malign her for her appearance is just the cherry on top that makes Happier Than Ever even greater.

6. Rivers of Nihil – The Work

Whilst I did really enjoy 2018’s tech-death sax-fest Where Owls Know My Name, I never quite fully boarded the hype train and found it a little bit sterile after a while and stopped going back to it. Enter The Work, one of the most bafflingly ambitious releases I heard this year. There’s still plenty of technical brutality (and still a little sax goodness), but this time around there’s also a ton of other stuff going on, ranging from spacey synth noises, classic heavy metal leads, rich ambient textures and everything in between. Describing it accurately is pretty hard as I still don’t feel like I’ve fully got my head around it yet, but what I do know is that it is excellent.

5. Der Weg Einer Freheit – Noktvrn

This is by far the least surprising pick on my list, as I’ve been banging on about my undying love for DWEF since I was put onto them in mid-2019. On Noktvrn, the Germans continue their mastery of wringing immensely powerful atmospheres out of unstoppably powerful, precise and high definition black metal battery. Though it doesn’t quite match up to their previous effort – one of my favourite black metal records of all time – the range on display this time is wider, taking in some electronica, increased clean vocals and some other brief, surprising turns, making it something fresh for the band without sacrificing any of their strengths.

4. Voices – Breaking the Trauma Bond

For my penultimate surprise (to myself) for the year, I was taken aback at how much this album got under my skin. Successfully mixing the gothic and melody-focused elements of their last album with a return to the brutality of the stunning London that preceded it, Breaking the Trauma Bond is equal parts infectious hook and savage death metal riffery. Each time I listened to this album I forgot just how many strong moments there are, and how many of the random tunes I’d had in my head in the previous week were from it. Yes, it’s possibly a bit long, but it’s catchy, aggressive and steeped in the band’s unique voice (SEE WHAT I DID THERE).

3. Black Country, New Road – For the First Time

I’ve spoken about this album at length already, including reviewing it for an online publication, but I still can’t stop adding my voice to the burgeoning critical response this band are getting from all manner of people much cooler than me. Mash up some Slint, Oxbow, Swans, Black Midi and Jewish klezmer music, add a rambling and warbling storyteller up front and wrap it all up into the shape of a band who are young enough to make you want to throw all of your instruments away and give up and you’ll get close to this post-everything collective of musical wizards.

2. BRUIT ≤ – The Machine is Burning and Now Everyone Knows It Could Happen Again

The final time I’ll say I surprised myself this year is here. After hearing about them from that mind-bogglingly stacked ArcTanGent lineup (god I hope I actually get to go this year), I checked this out and was blown away – post rock almost never grabs me as much as this did on first listen. It’s simultaneously doing what the greats have done before (think the expansive tones of Godspeed! You Black Emperor with some of the bubbling electronics of 65daysofstatic) and doing something that feels totally fresh, all within an absolute cavern of reverb and drenched with passion. The band are strongly anti-Spotify, so they’re not on our playlist, but I urge you to head to their BandCamp and listen to ‘Industry’.

1. Daniel Avery – Together in Static

After a lot of complex and affecting melodrama in the top half of my top 10, my number one pick for the year is a much more restrained affair. Though I refrained from making a final call until recently, in my heart of hearts I think I knew this was my AOTY from pretty early on. Known as a DJ of big room tech-house bangers, here Daniel Avery mixes a little of that with a lot of much more minimal and laid-back grooves and beats that hold you in a warm, nostalgic embrace that conjures up all your best emotions without letting you become overwhelmed. It’s unassuming but captivating; warm but emotive. Basically, it’s good.

Nick – Guitar

10. Ethereal Shroud – Trisagion

This album would have been higher up my list but unfortunately Richard played bass on it which is obviously extremely uncool, so unfortunately it will have to settle for tenth. Jokes aside this is quite simply an astounding work of bleak music, using an array of stylistic tools to navigate an intense emotional journey. I understand that Trisagion was the product of many years of work, and it can only be said that the time put into this album was worth it, it’s about as good as blackened doom gets.

9. Little Simz – Sometimes I Might Be Introvert

Grey Area was one of my favourite hip-hop albums of 2019, and Introvert is without doubt my favourite of 2022. Anchored by some excellent production and intimate lyricism, this album presents an artist at the peak of her powers and she only seems to be getting stronger.

8. Converge and Chelsea Wolfe – Bloodmoon: I

Two artists that I like but have never particularly loved combine to create an album that I inexplicably adore. That’s the story of Bloodmoon: I. The album is the centrepiece of a Venn diagram of the two, with stunning vocals from Wolfe and intricate, haunting aggression from the Converge crew. Bloodmoon: 1 implies that there may be a Bloodmoon: 2 – here’s hoping anyway.

7. Erdve – Savigaila

Probably the heaviest slab of absolute disgust I heard all year, which says a lot given my inclination towards disgusting slabs. Albums like this blur the lines between hardcore, sludge, metal and basically anything you would define as heavy, to the point at which it deserves its own genre I have ingeniously coined “heavy ass shit”.

6. Five The Hierophant – Through Aureate Void

I have a thing for post-metal with brass and woodwind instruments, so I Stan this album hard. It probably would have been my post-metal album of the year based just on the bits that were ‘metal’ anyway but the bits that aren’t ‘metal’ push it into a whole other void (audible groans from around the room).

5. Lingua Ignota – Sinner Get Ready

Recent revelations made the impact of this album all the more insidious. This is about as emotionally raw that music comes and I’ve never heard tragedy portrayed in such a devastating manner as this. Chilling and beautiful in equal measure, there really is no one quite like Kristen Hayter. Her story will leave its mark on extreme music for generations, of that I am sure.

4. VOLA – Witness

I was a relative latecomer to the VOLA hypetrain, discovering them around the time that Applause of a Distant Crowd released. I was immediately enamoured and the wait for new material felt like an age. Whilst certainly not the proggiest, nor the heaviest, nor the poppiest prog band around, they’re among the finest songwriters the genre has to offer, consistently ploughing out some of the hardest hitting riffs and most euphoric choruses you’ll hear out of the genre. Pretty much as soon as ‘Head Mounted Sideways’ dropped I was already considering this album as a potential AOTY contender, then they released the whole album and their spot was confirmed.

3. Biffy Clyro – The Myth of the Happily Ever After

For a band 27 years (I know right) into their career to still sound so youthful and dynamic is a testament to one of the finest alt-rock bands the UK has ever produced. Their first taste of proper mainstream success over a decade ago could have seen them tumble into a vat of mediocrity, as is so often the case. I saw them headline Leeds Festival back in 2013 when they started to hit their commercial peak and drift away from the proggy peculiarity that we all loved. But here they still are sounding as fresh and unique as ever, trying new things and believing enough in their own sound to bring them success.

2. Floating Points/Pharoah Sanders/The London Symphony Orchestra – Promises

3 artists of wildly different genres combine to sound like they’d been playing together for decades. Whilst Sanders effectively acts as the album’s voice, performing with incomparable soul, the work of Floating Points and The London Symphony Orchestra is a dynamic and intricate centrepiece in its own right, and is perhaps one of the finest collaborations of classical and electronic music ever produced. As an album you could loosely define as ambient, I thought I’d give this album a go whilst I did some work. I got no work done.

1. Sleep Token – This Place Will Become Your Tomb

Probably the most divisive name on my list, Sleep Token were nevertheless my most streamed artist of 2021, and the only band I’ve been to see live as a punter in a good few years, so I can’t argue against this album taking the top spot. Their saccharine brand of pop, post-rock and djent may not be for everyone, but none can deny that Vessel carries an astounding voice, and boy do this band know how to turn you into a blubbery mess. This Place Will Become Your Tomb is the break-up album you never knew you needed.
January 5, 2021

Albums of the Year 2020

Well, what a year that was… Trying for all, but at least music is always there for us. We’ve picked some of our personal favourites from 2020 below, with a track from each in the Spotify playlist, too. Please enjoy this – it was painful.

Nick – Guitar

It was very considerate of music to continue being excellent in spite of that bug that’s been going round. I managed quite a lot of new albums this year and found making this list as difficult as ever. As such this isn’t a definitive top 10 for me, and many are interchangeable with others that I haven’t mentioned, but I wanted to include some albums that maybe didn’t get as much recognition as they deserved alongside some albums which definitely got plenty of recognition.

10. Respire – Black Line

A late cat thrown amongst the pigeons. Having pretty much decided on the ten albums I wanted to talk about, I then listened to this album in mid-December and had to reconsider my decision. This is what post-metal is all about. It sounds like absolutely nothing else, the use of orchestral instrumentation is inspired and a driving aspect of their songwriting, and the emotional rawness is truly biting. A one of a kind album.

9. Loathe – I Let It In And It Took Everything

Without doubt my most repeated album of the year. This record combines the best of noisy prog-metalcore and passive, post-Deftones daydreaming. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, the future belongs to bands like this, and I will be dumbfounded if we don’t see them at forefront of modern metal in years to come.

8. Charli XCX – How I’m Feeling Now

It’s like she somehow distilled the very essence of insomnia and cabin fever into a neon-pop wonderland. I’ve loved everything Charli has released since Pop2 and as far as I’m concerned, she is going from strength to strength.

7. clipping. – Visions of Bodies Being Burned

I listened to this album twice in a row and I think I’m going to go and listen to it now. In fact I think I’ve listened to this album nearly every time I’ve been reminded of its existence. Their brand of experimental hip-hop is dark, scary, and magnetically illustrative, and each track feels like you’re trapped in a short horror film.

6. Envy – The Fallen Crimson

This is an album that brought me back to emo. Emotionally devastating, The Fallen Crimson is a panoramic collection of angst, wistful rumination, aggressive noise, and some of the best riffs to come out of this sordid year.

5. Motorpsycho – The All Is One

What a journey this album is. It truly fits the stereotype of psychedelic prog that rapidly gets out of hand to the point at which you don’t know how long you’ve been listening to it or indeed what day it is. I mean that in the best possible way. Having only begun listening to this band earlier this year, I was simultaneously ecstatic and horrified to discover how much excellent music this band has released that I’m now going to have to listen to. Having too much good music really is the best problem one can have.

4. Relic Point – Self Punishment

Oh boy, if someone asked me what an amalgamation of Primitive Man and Car Bomb would sound like I couldn’t tell them, but I would want to know, and now I do know, and it is good.

3. Demersal – Less

My chaotic, sludgy screamo album of the year. It’s the sound of grief in a hornets nest. It’s the sound of death made of out of a thousand broken bottles. It makes me feel cold and empty and like I want to attack things with sandpaper.

2. Run The Jewels – RTJ4

What can I say about this album that hasn’t already been said? This is a defining album, perhaps THE defining album of modern solidarity. History will remember it as a phenomenal hip-hop album, and a tragic commentary on 21st century racism.

1. Oranssi Pazuzu – Mestarin Kynsi

I echo the sentiment I previously made regarding the Motorpsycho album. By the end I had little memory of the past hour beyond a hazy black void that felt like the fabric of the universe was being fed through a paper shredder. But again, in a good way.

Richard – Bass

In 2020 I listened to 77 new albums, which is a record for me and one I’m pretty proud of, especially as someone who doesn’t really use streaming services. Of that number, there are honestly about 30 that could have made my top ten, but the ones that came closest were Kelly Lee Owens, Craven Faults, Sunken, Purity Ring, Calligram, Emma Ruth Rundle & Thou, Sons of a Wanted Man, Hum, Ocoeur, naisian and Bosphorous. Yes, I am aware that list itself is more than ten – I am an indecisive bastard.

10. Julianna Barwick – Healing is a Miracle

The first of several artists in my top ten who were actually new to me in 2020 entirely, Barwick’s trade is in reverb-soaked, ambient-adjacent chamber folk, and this new album is rife with gorgeous atmosphere and an enveloping lushness that is truly beautiful. There are even a few electronic beats this time round, and it’s all otherworldly.

9. clipping. – Visions of Bodies Being Burned

clipping. are now an unstoppable force in experimental hip-hop, and their rising status among music fans of all stripes could hardly be more deserved. Probably more abrasive and built on more disturbing and noisy samples than 2019’s equally brilliant outing, this is hip-hop pushed to its outer limits whilst still heaping on loads of dark grooves and sick flows.

8. Wren – Groundswells

Despite being aware of them for ages, 2020 was the first year I invested any time into listening to Wren, following our gig with them in January and then them signing with our friends Gizeh Records. Their sound comes largely from the doomiest pages of the Cult of Luna post metal playbook, but they’re driven forwards by powerful (and audible) basslines and inventive drumming, plus a deadly crush of tone.

7. A.A. Williams – Forever Blue

Whilst I enjoyed the 2019 self-titled EP, this album really surprised me with how much I loved it. It takes the despondent singer-songwriter-meets-shoegazey-post-rock vibe from that first release and adds some climactic moments of truly dense metal weight, some subtle Radiohead-like moments of sparse and beguiling melody, and wraps it all up with a wonderful ear for a downbeat but catchy hook.

6. Vile Creature – Glory, Glory! Apathy Took Helm!

Vile Creature are another band I took a long overdue first dive into during 2020, and even in my limited experience this feels like their crowning achievement to date. They already had their suffocatingly heavy, tectonic doom groove nailed before this record, but the inclusion of choral vocals in the latter half and more guitar layers than you can shake a stick at lend this a much more majestic and even liturgical feel.

5. Grimes – Miss Anthropocene

Combining the more overtly pop-focused sounds of the still admittedly offbeat Art Angels album and reintroducing more of the trademark idiosyncrasies from her previous work, Grimes managed to put out one of her finest works whilst also taking up a lot of space in the music press for many reasons over the course of the year. The biggest bangers here have her cleanest production yet, but it’s all shot through with endearing darkness and a sense of the futility of fighting our technocratic future.

4. Kairon; IRSE! – Polysomn

Spoiler: the Oranssi Pazuzu camp really knocked it out of the park in 2020. Kairon; IRSE!, their prog/psych/shoegaze offshoot, seemed to come back to earth at least little bit after the exuberant 70s worship of their previous album. The heavier, more dense guitar layers from their earlier work are back, combining with some continuing joyful experimentation and a dizzying world of sound that is all their own.

3. Svalbard – When I Die, Will I Get Better?

Svalbard are another band I shamefully only paid proper attention to in 2020, despite having seen them live twice at festivals – I know, what was I thinking? Still based in the mixed hardcore, black metal and post metal elements they were already known for, this new album sees a marked increase in dreamy, melodic post rock passages a-la Alcest, which suits them perfectly and adds an almost regal quality to these already powerful songs. Add that to a reliably direct and wholly justified lyrical vitriol towards misogyny and other social injustice and you have a guaranteed winner that will get you riled for all the right reasons.

2. Oranssi Pazuzu – Mestarin Kynsi

A lot has been said about this album since it’s release, but it’s all true – it really is that good. They’ve pushed all their psychedelic and kraut-y tendencies to new extremes and their patented vortex of swirling black metal and bad trip vibes has never been so compelling.

1. Farer – Monad

A very late surprise discovery for me, thanks to a post from our friends at 9hz, I only listened to this album just before Christmas when I thought I had my list near completion. After two spins, however, this shook me to the core and felt custom made for me. With no guitars and two basses, this is a slow motion, molten creation of low-end rumble, filthy noise, and building-levelling riffs. Topped off with a harrowing shriek, it’s like someone injected Amenra with heroin and stole all their ‘clean’ channel switches. Utterly devastating and a new favourite band.

Luke – Drums

So my list might be a bit different to Nick and Richard’s because after going through my music I can only find 7 albums which I’ve listened to which came out this year, so clearly I need to up my game next year but I still probably won’t! I’ve given a nice big blurb for the top 3 and then a smaller bleugh for the other 4. ENJOY!

7. Nightwish – Human. :||: Nature

I do have a soft spot for Nightwish and orchestral music in general and this was their release this year. It doesn’t quite tickle the spot that Imaginareum, Dark Passion Play, or Endless Forms Most Beautiful did, but it is still a beautifully composed bit of orchestral metal.

6. Ensiferum – Thalassic

This is a great album which honestly I haven’t given the amount of time it deserves. Ensiferum have come back with an absolute belter of heavy, Finnish Folk metal.

5. Jack Gardiner – Escapades

Similar to Plini this is another vituosic guitar player writing groovy, funky, instrumental tracks which I am just totally down with.

4. Plini – Impulse Voices

This album is relatively new for me so I’m still absorbing it but Plini is just incredible and this album continues to prove it.

3. Arch Echo – Story I

Arch Echo also happen to be one of the last bands I saw live in the ‘before time’…. and over lockdown I even bagged myself a spot on one of the drummers masterclass sessions! But to get to the point: this EP is just what I’d expect from Arch Echo. Another amazing selection of instrumental, djenty, groovy, funky-ass tracks (not to be confused with funky ass-tracks). This band have never disappointed me since I discovered them at TechFest many years ago now and immediately fell in love with them. Their music, talent, joy, and energy is so palpable and I just can’t get enough of it.

2. Dirty Loops – Phoenix

Again, this band have come up for me in the Ba’al monthly musings very frequently, and deservingly. With this EP the trio yet again manage to blow my mind with musicianship and pure talent. In particular, the track “World on Fire” has what I would be confident to describe as the best bass solo I’ve ever heard in a song. But the other aspects of the music are by no means overshadowed by this, and they all pull together to create the incredible jazz, fusion, pop sound that just will not let you be sad!

1. Igorrr – Spirituality and Distortion

Honestly I’ve listened through this album so much and know it so well by now that I was shocked to be reminded that it only came out this March. I’ve also been blabbering on about it on the Ba’al Monthly listenings! But this album is such an amazing musical journey through varying tones, timbres, and time signatures. For me it contains some of the best elements of djent, orchestral, electronic, operatic, and progressive music in a continuously evolving and flowing masterpiece.
January 6, 2020

Albums of the Year 2019

Last year was a big one for music, sounds and noises. Below you’ll find Nick, Richard, Tom and Joe’s picks of the bunch, after hours and hours of pain in stripping the lists down to a measly 5. We’ve also got one track on from each release in a handy little Spotify playlist…

Nick – Guitar

This was a very strong year and putting this list together was very difficult (isn’t it always?). I only undertook the voyage into 2019’s back catalogue in mid-November, so I’m pleased I managed to squeeze around 140 in before the year was out. Several honourable mentions this year including Alcest, Cult of Luna, Cranial, Violet Cold, Mizmor, Ultar, Oh Sees, The Grey, Skepta, Seizures, Rorcal, Anderson Paak, Billie Eilish, Boris, Charli XCX, Hannah Diamond, Herod, Hobo Johnson and the list goes on and on. Here’s the five I wanted to mention in particular.

5. Norma Jean – All Hail

A slightly tongue in cheek album title perhaps? Regardless of intention, it’s an apt name for a now legendary metalcore band showing us how it’s done.

4. James Blake – Assume Form

A typically strong outing from the James the Blake with consistently compelling features. Considerably more pastel coloured than his previous releases (he’s not miserable as fuck anymore) and with that it’s one of the most interesting alt-pop records of recent years.

3. Sūrya – Solastalgia

This one took pole in my very tight post-metal round-up. Cult of Luna, Alcest and Cranial all came close but none of them drew my undivided attention quite like this. Essential listening for any fan of the aforementioned bands and the wider post-metal world.

2. 65daysofstatic – replicr, 2019

A bleak Orwellian nightmare is the perfect soundtrack for the future, now that we live in a bleak Orwellian nightmare under the fat blonde goblin.

1. Lankum – The Livelong Day

Incredible follow up to their similarly incredible second album. It’s difficult for me to describe this album, as I make no claim to being a connoisseur of Irish folk. What I can say is that there is a brooding intensity to this album, a grim foreboding the likes of which you might otherwise hear on a Sunn O))) album. In a pinch I’d say this is my album of the year.

Richard – Bass

I’m notoriously useless at keeping up with new music, and spend far more of my time digging into old things I’ve missed over the years, but this list was a fun excercise in trying to catch up. Although it’s nothing on Nick’s total, I managed 30 albums from 2019, which is loads for me. About 15-20 of them could have made the top 5, but ones that came especially close were Cult of Luna, HANA, Max Cooper, N/UM, New Ghost, Earth & Pillars, A-Sun Amissa, Mic Reckless and White Ward.

5. Earth Moves – Human Intricacy

Ever since I first saw them in 2017, Earth Moves have been one of my favourite UK heavy bands, and their second album near enough manages the seemingly impossible task of matching the quality of their first. No one else dares to get so rawly emotional and dynamic with post metal, and if anything there’s more variety and power this time around.

4. Archivist – Triumvirate

A massive step up from the second record which was a bit of a mis-step in my opinion, Archivist have returned to doing post-black metal better than almost anyone else. Two vocalists (with both clean and harsh vocals), lush chord progressions and, crucially, plenty of straight-up battery, all topped off with frontman Alex CF’s brilliant artwork. In truth, you need to check out the full trilogy.

3. FKA Twigs – Magdalene

It took me ages to get around to this one after both Nick and my girlfriend told me for months that I’d love it – they weren’t wrong. This is pop music twisted into bizarre shapes, retaining the hooks and beats that keep you plugged in. It’s one of those records that reveals more every time. Highly recommended.

2. Lingua Ignota – Caligula

Speaking of twisting things into painful shapes, Lingua Ignota’s voice is just something else. There’s a lot more to digest here than on her first outing, but once you put in the time, it’s incredibly powerful. Classical meets noise meets drone meets metal meets liturgical music meets abject pain meets fear of god meets brutal revenge on all those who have wronged you. See her live, you won’t be the same afterwards.

1. Dizraeli – The Unmaster

Continuing to prove himself a totally unique voice in UK hip-hop (/folk/experimental/spoken word/something/everything), this one caught me totally by surprise with how much I loved it. It’s so eclectic, personal and powerful, whilst also being full of danceable bangers. Dizraeli’s own flow is only getting stronger with time, and it sits at the centre of a wild symphony of electronic and acoustic instruments, plus some totally out there vocal performances.

Tom – Guitar

There were many that could have been on this list and a few that were very close, including Cave In… As much as I love ‘Final Transmission’, you can’t help the feeling that it could have been so much more if it wasn’t for the sad passing of Caleb. Russian Circles, Torche, Iggy Pop and A-Sun Amissa were all standouts and in that order would round out a top 10, but these are the 5 that really grabbed me this time round.

5. Boris – LφVE & EVφL

Walls of fuzz and noise collide with a surprising dash of calm and quiet. What’s not to love.

4. Cult of Luna – A Dawn to Fear

Monolithic riffs combine with atmospheric passages in ways nobody else can manage.

3. Mono – Nowhere Now Here

A masterpiece of soundscape, texture and expression, with a depth lost on so many other bands of their ilk over the years. Spanning fragile to bombastic walls of sound effortlessly.

2. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – Ghosteen

Stripped bare compared to early Bad Seeds material and continuing on from the last couple of releases this is as beautiful as it is dark and haunted by loss. Was my album of the year for a long time until…

1 . 65daysofstatic – Replicr, 2019

I don’t really know how to describe this record. Each and every time it gives up a bit more from the vast soundscapes within that feel more like one vast piece than individual tracks. Just stunning.

Joe – Vocals

I’ve been a bit out of the loop on newer music this year; most of what I’ve heard has been random bits of obscure black metal performed in deep, dark Siberian woodland, recorded onto a potato by hedgehogs that probably have unconfirmed but potentially troubling political ideaologies…. So instead of trawling through reems of spikey logo’d bands that sound like dense atmospheres within a tub of particularly evil marmalade, I’ve picked out the stuff that others may have actually heard of. Honourable mentions go to Mayhem’s album ‘Daemon’ for being better than expected and Slipknot’s ‘We Are Not Your Kind’ for it’s grade D at GCSE graphics artwork and, despite being aggravatingly underwhelming, still supplying me with an adequate coaster for my mug of fancy pants coffee.

5. Cattle Decapitation – Death Atlas

The best album since the game changing Monolith of Inhumanity. Further experimentation, diversity and even a sense of emotion rarely experienced in tech death.

4. Mgla – Age of Excuse

Released to almost zero fanfare this album just turned up one day. A powerful follow up the the masterpiece that was “Exercises in Futility”.

3. Veldes – Flameless

More spectacular atmosphere from Slovenias workhorse black metallers.

2. Blut Aus Nord – Hallucinogen

Coming somewhat out of left field this album is a mind bending experience that demonstrates Blut Aus Nords progression along with their spacey cosmic trademark.

1. Grima – Will of the Primordial

Extremely cold atmospheric black metal that truly resonates a sense of eternal winter.