Erik Thomas

1. Deafheaven – Sunbather (Deathwish Inc) . Haters gonna hate. One of the most brilliant albums of any genre in 2013.
2. Light Bearer – Silver Tongue (Halo of Flies). If not for the knee-wilting title track alone.
3. Inquisition – Obscure Verses for the Multiverse (Season of Mist). Never liked these guys until now, but my, how I like them all of a sudden. Riff-a-delic.
4. Gorguts – Colored Sands (Season of Mist). Of all the high profile death metal reunions, this was the best.
5. Ade – Spartacus (Blast Head Records). One of the biggest death metal surprises of 2013.
6. Aosoth – IV- An Arrow in Heart (Agonia Records). Icky , filthy, regal.
7. Extol – Extol (Facedown Records). Pure progressive metal bliss, Christian or otherwise.
8. Carcass – Surgical Steel (Nuclear Blast Records). Second-best high profile death metal reunion of 2013, even if Exhumed almost out-Carcass‘d them.
9. Cultes Des Ghoules – Henbane (Hells Headbangers). Traumatic, nightmarish, and truly disturbing stuff.
10. Entrails – Raging Death (Metal Blade Records). New label, same reliable and consistent sound. This generation’s Dismember?
11. Man Must Die – Peace Was Never An Option (Lifeforce Records). Welcome back. Intense and melodic grinding death metal with a message.
12. Ulcerate – Vermis (Relapse Records). Had some thunder stolen by Gorguts, but still truly oppressive stuff.
13. Autopsy – The Headless Ritual (Peaceville). Topped even Obliteration, Slaughterday, and San la Muerte doing their best Autopsy impressions.
14. Blood Mortized – The Angel, The Death, The Disease (Chaos Records). Underrated challenger for Entrails‘ throne. Beat out Demonical too.
15. Caladaan Brood – Echoes of Battle (Northern Silence Productions). Summoning who?
16. Hail of Bullets – III – The Rommel Chronicles (Metal Blade). More death metal consistency from this Dutch supergroup.
17. Fleshgod Apocalypse – Labyrinth (Nuclear Blast). More over-the-top orchestrated death metal. Maybe I’ll review some of their wine and pasta in 2014?
18. So Hideous – Last Poem/First Light (Self Released). Haters still hating. Some of the most gorgeous instrumentation of 2013.
19. Katalepsy – Autopsychosis (Unique Leader). The most bludgeoning album of 2013, even with stiff competition from Suffocation, Broken Hope, Wormed, Defeated Sanity, Boal, and Necromorphic Irruption.
20. Krypts – Unending Degradation (Dark Descent). Dark Descent’s best release in an otherwise quiet 2013 (compared to 2012).
21. Noumena – Death Come Walk With Me (Haunted Zoo Productions). Superb Finnish melancholy and a welcome return.
22. Sulphur Aeon – Swallowed By The Oceans Tides (FDA Rekotz). Liable to get forgotten in the end of 2012/early 2013 shuffle.
23. Sacriphyx – The Western Front (NWN! Productions). A completely unheralded gem in 2013, Please go and check it out.
24. Nails –  Abandon All Life/Dead in the Dirt  -The Blind Hole (Southern Lord). Two almost identical, absolutely fucking intense crust/hardcore/grind releases
25. Thrawsunblat – Wanderer on the Continent of Saplings (Self Released). What a great year for Ms Rae Amitay. David Gold would be proud.

Didnt Get the Hype:
Grave Miasma, Craven Idol, Altar of Plagues, Tribulation, Soilwork, Cerekloth.

Biggest Letdowns:
Convulse – Evil Prevails, Oceano – Incisions,  Morne – Shadows; Rotting Christ – Κατά τον δαίμονα εαυτού; Witherscape– The Inheritance; Summoning – Old Morning’s Dawn.

???????????:
Duobetic Homunkulus – Ani já ani ty robit něbudzeme, šedněme do koča, vozit še budzeme (Zero Budget Productions).

Best Album Cover and Lyrics:
Vastum – Patricidal Lust (20 Buck Spin). Solid album to boot.

Best 2 Album Cheaters: 
Feared – Furor Incarnatus/Vinter.

Best Reissues:
Abyssal – Denouement (Hellthrasher Productions); Besieged – Victims Beyond All Help (Unspeakable Axe Records).

Best EPs:
Bolzer – Aura; Sidious – Ascension to the Throne ov Self; Immortal Bird – Akrasia

Best 2 Minutes of 2013:
Trollfest – “Rundt Balet.”

Best Discovery of an Old-Ass Album: 
Earth – Star Condemn’d, from 2000.

Best Split:
Mare Cognitum/Spectral Lore – Sol

2012 Gems I Missed in 2012: 
Before the Dawn – Rise of the Phoenix; Dyscarnate – And so it Came to Pass; Circle Takes the Square – Discontinuations.

2013 stuff I should check out so it makes the above list next year: 
Cult of Fire, Inta Arma, Secrets of the Sky, Ævangelist, Smothered.

Early 2014 Contenders:
Jaldaboath, Corpsessed, Lvcifyre, Lie In Ruins