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.
December 11, 2024

Monthly Playlist: December 2024

One more monthly playlist for the year from us (before our dalliance with the beast that is AOTY lists). Read on to find out what the Ba’al stringsmen have been listening to this month.

Nick – Guitar

Hamferð – Marrusorg

Mighty melodic sludgy doom from the Faroe Islands. Myself and Richard got to see 90% of their set when they opened for Solstafir after we battled through arctic conditions over snake pass and rapidly inhaled sandwiches outside the venue in order to maximise Hamferð time. They were everything we hoped for, especially the vocals which were absolutely o n p o i n t.

The Intersphere – Who Likes To Deal With Death?

Been listening to these German proggers for quite a while and was dead pleased to see their set supporting VOLA the other week. Their blend of soaring choruses, tight grooves and the occasional chonky riff lended themselves well to a night of bands that would get progressively heavier. A phenomenally tight band on the night.

One Leg One Eye – Bold and Undaunted Youth

A dark folk/drone/noise project featuring Ian Lynch of Lankum (the coolest band in the world). In the space of 12 hours I found out OLOE were playing the Samuel Worth Chapel in Sheffield (a 50 cap venue in the middle of the vastly overgrown old general cemetery), and that show had sold out. Thankfully a few days ago someone must have cancelled and a ticket became available which I snapped up quicker than you can say Ken Dodd’s dad’s dog’s dead.

Saor – Forgotten Paths

The king(s) of melody in the worlds of folk and black metal. Not many bands capture the essence of Celtic mythology with such beauty, aggression and faith. The new album due next year is already one of my most anticipated.

Oranssi Pazuzu – Kuulen ääniä maan alta

Probably the highlight of my recent gig surge. Good as every band I’ve seen over the past few weeks were, it’s near enough an impossibility to match their overwhelming energy and all-out bizarreness. Imagine going to watch a truly brilliant Oscar winning movie, then outside the cinema you witness a kangaroo parallel parking a Fiat Seicento. You’re only talking about one of those things when you get home aren’t you.

Chris – Guitar

Morpholith – Psychosphere

“Big funeral space doom” is so definitely one of my genres par excellence that I might as well get it tattooed on my forehead. This ticks all the boxes, with big slabs of riff floating on a bed of atmosphere. It’s a kind of cosmic gumbo, y’know?

Harvestman – The Falconer

I didn’t realise this was Steve von Till’s (of Neurosis) side project until Richard pointed out, because it sounds nothing like Neurosis and more like a trippy psychedelic wander through a 70s British folk horror movie. Plus I have to applaud the ambition of doing three entire albums, each between 38 and 44 minutes long, and calling the whole thing Triptych. At this point he’s just showing off.

Gaerea – Coma

I know Richard and Nick probably rinsed this album when it came out earlier in the year (when they weren’t just listening to brat) but I am great at waiting until a moment has passed before jumping on the train myself – which is a long-winded way of saying this new Gaerea album’s a bit good, innit? If you’re going to do atmospheric black metal this is the epitome of what it should sound like!

Anaal Nathrakh – Thus, Always, to Tyrants

Mad to think that it’s been 4 years since this album came out and yet it remains both incredibly timely and utterly savage. In an honestly stacked discography, I think Endarkenment still stands out as one of the Brum grind legends’ best efforts – the melody is dialed up, the aggression is even more aggressive, and the vocals are in fine, vitriolic form. Sic semper tyrannis, indeed.

Lola Kirke – All My Exes Live in L.A

I’ve enjoyed Lola Kirke’s previous releases (not to mention her role in the show Mozart in the Jungle, which gave me an absolutely hopeless crush on her), and I would probably categorise them as lush and dreamy pop. This new EP leans fully into country territory with a knack for very catchy choruses, and there’s no better example of that than this single.

Richard – Bass

Bohren & der Club of Gore – Prowler

Last month I went to see the German dark jazz masters in Birmingham, and it was just as atmospheric and sultry an occasion as you would expect, in the concert hall of the Royal Conservatoire. What I didn’t expect was the incredibly dry humour in between tracks, and just how many people would knock over their plastic glasses really loudly in the darkness throughout the show.

Kelly Lee Owens – Love You Got

Honestly the new KLO album has yet to fully grab me, but this lead single is an undeniable tune. Big beats, big hook, good time.

Linkin Park – Two Faced

Like many my age, Linkin Park were instrumental in my getting into heavy music as a teenager. As such, the tracks on their comeback album From Zero that successfully capture the Hybrid Theory/Meteora-era sound but with an updated production and the new, stellar pipes of Emily Armstrong up front really strike a chord with me. Musically, this track is basically ‘One Step Closer pt. 2’, and I mean that as a good thing. Of course we all miss Chester, but tracks like this make me happy that the rest of the band felt able to return.

Pijn – Our Endless Hours

Obviously we’re predisposed to enjoy the works of our producer bae Joe Clayton, but the new Pijn album has been a real grower for me since they headlined Tall Order Fest that we played back in September. Post rock of top drawer calibre, with a really specific, open feel to the heavy riffs that feels somehow very distinctive whilst being very straightforward, amongst the numerous other textures both organic and electronic.

A Swarm of the Sun – Heathen

Keeping with expansive, post-leaning things, on their new album A Swarm of the Sun have evolved from a solid, crushing post metal band into something more all-encompassing, depressive, patient and vast. Every track is a slow, absorbing, drone-laden lament and when the big releases of heaviness do come they are devastating.
November 18, 2024

Monthly Playlist: November 2024

After a month off for gigging, the Ba’al stringsmen are back with another monthly playlist of things we’ve been listening to, and some words explaining our picks.

Nick – Guitar

MUNA – Stayaway

Really hoping to hear some new music from MUNA in the next year or so! Their championing of infectious melodies, heartfelt songwriting and saccharine production make them a must listen for any lover of danceable pop music. This track is one of my personal favourites of theirs.

I Monster – Heaven

Despite having grown up with my dad having a career making music and fairly regularly hearing his music on TV being the established norm for me, it’s still quite bizarre to witness his band’s recent surge in popularity with such close proximity. Not sure if Ba’al are likely to go viral on TikTok anytime soon but here’s hoping! Bias aside, this song has always been a favourite of mine, since long before I realised it’s about a blow up sex doll.

Kurokuma – I Am Forever

Death, Taxes, and Kurokuma absolutely locking in on every song they release. I can’t think of another sludge band with such an all-encompassing command of groove.

Thrakian – The Path to Demise

A fantastic band we played with in Swansea a few weeks ago. All the hallmarks of classic Post-Metal were on show. Huge tone, huge riffs, gnarly vocals, and one of their strongest assets, dynamism. Don’t sleep on Thrakian, I can’t wait to hear a long form release from these.

GDRN – Vikivaki

I recently watched a series called KATLA, a mind-bending but harrowing sci-fi set in a near abandoned town in Iceland. Obviously I spent the immediate aftermath reading up on the series on Wikipedia and discovered lead actress Guðrún Jóhannesdóttir’s music (known mononymously as GDRN). Her music I would characterise as ‘pop for rainy days’, predominantly making use of pianos and other subtle instrumentation that present a jazzy, melancholic foundation for her outstanding vocals. A real hidden gem for me!

Chris – Guitar

Woe – Far Beyond The Fracture of the Sky

We had a nice time last month supporting these chaps on the London date of their tour, and it was great to catch them live – blastbeat city, so much mammoth tremolo picking and a ferocious paeon to the death of humanity and the victory of sorrow.

The Ocean – Abyssopelagic II: Signals of Anxiety

I went to the opening night of Damnation this year purely to see the Ocean perform Pelagial in full for the last time (my first time experiencing it) and it was a wonderful experience – when they got to this song I allowed myself a little cry right in front of the stage because it’s just perfection.

Master Boot Record – MOBO

Gutted to have missed this guy live, because the new record is another furious blast of electronic feedback and chiptune madness which I’ve been enjoying greatly. Sounds like your ears are being pummeled by two Gameboys, and you’re loving every second of it.

Kokeshi – Warabeuta

A good ol’ Spotify discovery, this – “brutal blackgaze” from Japan which mixes in some sick beatdowns with atmospheric sections, tortured screaming and some more melodic stuff as well. One of those bands that I listened to and thought “man, I’d love to tour with these and get to watch this every night for a week”..!

Florence + The Machine – Dog Days are Over (BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall – Symphony of Lungs)

I’ve been unashamed and open about my love of Florence, and the Proms performance she did earlier in the year was an absolute jewel in the star-studded crown of her career – taking songs from the album Lungs and reworking them with a full symphony orchestra to make them sound even bigger and more bombastic. Fair warning though, this one will get stuck in your head.

Richard – Bass

Zetra – Sacrifice

I overlooked these guys for ages, but seeing them at ATG prompted me to check out this new album and I am now hooked. They’ve got that same ineffable autumnal feel that Type O Negative had, but with way more synths and massive hooks to match. Simple but effective.

Chelsea Wolfe – House of Self-Undoing

Just as my interest in Chelsea Wolfe was waning, she about-turned and dropped this AOTY contender (and played possibly my gig of the year, on Halloween no less). Moving away from doom and firmly into electronic, trip-hoppy territories plus some of her most commanding vocal performances, this one just keeps pulling me back.

Baths – Aminals

This is a blast from the past for me, which I revisited recently. From the same early 2010s era of arguably pretentious, art-school, tumblr-core indie/electronic as the likes of Alt-J and Purity Ring, the first Baths album was pivotal in my journey into electronic music, and this track manages to be both sweet and absolutely banging.

Magdalena Bay – That’s My Floor

Imaginal Disk has been a slow burn for me this year, its blend of synth pop, rock and psych taking a while to really get its hooks in. However, you can’t argue with some of these tunes. and this one has an almost grungey swagger that makes it a real earworm.

Def Leppard – Photograph

Since there’s ended up being nothing particularly heavy on my list this month, why not really test our black metal audience by proclaiming this track as an absolute slammer. I replayed Jack-Black-fronted, metal-worshipping video game Brutal Legend recently and had a very brief resurgence of listening to classic rock and metal, Pyromania included. As well as being Sheffield heroes, at their best Def Leppard simply had so much more power than the hordes of sleazy hair metal perves that followed them thanks entirely to their vast, layered, emotive choruses. You can genuinely hear the link to the production style of avowed Leppard fan Devin Townsend.