ERIK T

I did my list a little differently this year, as ranking 25-40 albums individually just got tedious and changed with my mood. So I went with my clear-cut album of the year, then a genre breakdown, as there were so many good albums that I just could not rank by number outside my top 3 to 5.

Symphonic/Blackened deathcore was my jam in 2025, without question. I know, fucking poser, right? The genre seriously exploded, with not just the releases listed below, but other killer albums and EPs from the likes of (* takes deep breath)…Hate Within, Kneel Before the Death, XII Thorns, Sielkanker, Immortal Disfigurement, Decayer, Grimnis, Inhuman Architects, When Plagues Collide, Sold Soul, Disembodied Tyrant, Face Yourself, Lightbearer, Spire of Lazarus, Sunscourge, Drown in Sulphur, Vile Sycophant, and Whispers of Oblivion (*exhales).

And of course it was all spearheaded by…

Overall Album of the Year :

Lorna Shore – I Feel the Everblack Festering Within Me (Century Media Records). No surprise, right? After the bar setting Pain Remains, how would they follow it up? Would they go more commercial? Would they sell out? Fuck no, they somehow got even more emotional and personal, yet still heavy as hell. An improved mix, let everything breathe a little more, and even more epic keyboards from guitarist Andrew O’Connor, made songs like “In Darkness”, “Glenwood”, and my favorite song of the year, “Forevermore”, sonic gut punches that I played over and over again, as I did with the Pain Remains trilogy in 2022.

The Best of the Rest by Genre:

Deathcore:

Shadow of Intent – Imperium Delerium (Self-Released). Album number 5 from one of the symphonic deathcore’s elder statesmen would have been my album of the year any other year.

Sin Deliverance – Universe of Nightmares (Lacerated Enemy). One of my most anticipated releases after a 4-year wait. These Russians delivered a more intense, blacker album of Symphonic Deathcore.

Whitechapel – Hymns of Dissonance (Metal Blade). The year’s best return to form as they went back into far more brutal, straight-up deathcore of their early years.

Despised Icon – Shadow Work (Nuclear Blast). A model of grinding deathcore/hardcore consistency, even adding a slight black metal flair.

Ov Ruin – Eternal Lament (Self-Released). The fourth best symphonic deathcore album of the year, but the best orchestration of the year from Harry Tadayon (Hate Within, ex Immortal Disfigurement)

Denying God – Falling of the Pale Mist. (Self-Released). A Slovakian duo delivering absolutely top-notch symphonic deathcore. If you like the genre, you need to hear this.

Netherwalker – Odyssey of Respair (Self-Released). The new darlings of Symphonic deathcore added video game lore and fantasy nerdery to some absolutely bludgeoning symphonic deathcore. Now, if we could get some merch?

Death Metal:

Cryptopsy – An Insatiable Violence ( Season of Mist). Arguably the most pummelling,  Whisper Supremacy-sounding of their recent releases, despite the complaints that they are ‘deathcore’ now. I don’t hear it.

Sanguisugabogg – Hideous Aftermath (Century Media). A heftier, improved follow-up to the debut. I think we are witnessing this generation’s Suffocation.

Dormant Ordeal – Tooth and Nail (Willowtip). Willowtip’s best release of 2025 and one of the best Polish death metal albums of the last few years.

Impureza – Alcázares (Season of Mist).Third brilliant album of silky smooth, Flamenco/Spanish spoken tech death, but from France.

Ominous Ruin – Requiem (Willowtip). No nonsense, brutal tech death, and one of the most ferocious female frontwoman performances of the year from Crystal Rose.

Ade –  Supplicium (Time To Kill Records). These Romanic death metal centurions keep getting better and better.

Deliquesce – Saviour/Enslaver (Lacerated Enemy).A skronky, brutal tech death, ‘Suffocation on LSD’ of an album. 

Open Kasket – Trials of Failure (Self-Released). A sheer hardcore-tinged death metal beatdown that made the likes of Gatecreeper, etc, look soft.

Progressive/Technical/Melodic Death Metal:

Brain Blast – Colussus Suprema (Rebel Pyro Musick). An obscure, late-year gem that is the Colombian love child of early Obscura’s twangy tech death and the orchestral bombast of Fleshgod Apocalypse. One of my top 5 albums of the year.

The Project Hate – Undivine Dethroning (Mouth of Belial/Self Released). Like a fine wine, Lord K and co. just keep better better…..and more melodic?

Allegaeon – The Ossuary Lense (Metal Blade). These guys are so locked into their progressive, technical melodic death metal sound, it’s scary.

Kardashev – Alunea (Metal Blade). Another top 5 release for me, in part due to Mark Garrett’s absolutely stellar array of vocals.

Changeling – Changeling (Season of Mist). What Obscura should have sounded like in 2025. Additional orchestration made it even better.

Aephanemer – Utopie (Napalm Records). Such a gorgeous album and some of my favorite keyboards of the year (along with Eldercall’s Closure) from this now elite French, melodic death metal act. So a bonus instrumental CD was just a lagniappe.

Black Metal:

A Flock Named Murder – Incendiary Sanctum (Hypaethral Records). My second favorite album of the year overall. I love, love, love this album of perfectly introspective, atmospheric black metal.

Havukruunu – Tavastland (Svart Records). Another top 5 album of the year from this expertly crafted Bathory/Moonsorrow worshiping Black metal act.

Scour – Gold (Nuclear Blast Records). Who would have thought Phil from Pantera, and some current and former dudes from Misery Index, Agoraphobic Nosebleed, and Pig Destroyer would have delivered one of the year’s very best and most vicious black metal albums?

Labyrinthus Stellarum – Rift In Reality (Northern Silence). A weird, trippy, ambient, at times even metalcore-ish take on atmospheric black metal from these ambitious Ukrainians. 

Argesk – Moonlight Pyromancy (Matriarch Records). The new Hecate Enthroned album might now even sound as much like this fast-rising UK symphonic Black metal act, which features a Hecate Enthroned member.

Saor – Amidst the Ruins (Season of Mist). These Scots have perfected their soaring, epic, Braveheart meets black metal style.

Best EPs of the year:

Synestia – Premonitions (Self-Released). Adding Ryan Vail from Larcenia Roe elevated this top-notch Symphonic deathcore act into truly devastating, elite levels. I’m pumped for a full-length with this lineup. The next Lorna Shore?

Crown Magnetar – Punishment (Unique Leader). Along with Whitechapel’s album, the most brutal, straight-up deathcore of the year.

Burial Gift – MMXXV (Eihwaz Recordings). A gorgeous late-year discovery from these elegant Louisiana-ians.

To Obey A Tyrant  – Frigorie Inferi (Seek and Strike). These guys could surpass A Night In The Abyss as the UKs best symphonic deathcore act (though Vile Sycophant could easily join the conversation) if they build on this killer EP to continue their rise.

Blinded By Hate  – Desolación de la Existencia (Self-Released). Just like Eden Adversary or Enemies Everywhere in 2024, these Mexican guys (after being a pretty forgetful metalcore/deathcore band on their debut album) said, ‘fuck it, let’s sound like Lorna Shore’s Immortal‘ and just be really, really good at it.

Biggest Surprises:

Soulfly – Chama (Nuclear Blast). I hadn’t listened to Soulfly in years, but Chama was a damn good time, especially with some sneaky Swedish death metal tones here and there.

Deafheaven – Lonely People With Power (Roadrunner). I had written these guys off and fully expected the new album to just be a Depeche Mode/darkwave pop record. It was not, and while not quite a Sunbather return to form, it was close.

Bleeding Through – Nine (Sharptone Records). It’s been 23 years since I first heard Portrait of a Goddess and discovered orchestration in metalcore/deathcore. You can blame these guys for me being a poser. I have not been impressed with much since The Truth, but Christ, did Nine surprise me with a vicious return to form.

Folk Metal was good in 2025: Albums from Dalriada,  Mandragora Titania, Trold (two albums, a regular and a live one), and Svartsot’s swansong all hit the mark, in a genre I had all but forgotten.

Best Artwork:

Clamfight – Clamfight (Self-Released). Dehumanizing Reign – Dawn of a Malefic Dominion (FDA Records).

Biggest Disappointments:

Vildhjarta – Där skogen sjunger under evighetens granar . (Century Media).  With no original members left, it was clear something was amiss here. Nearly an hour of the same boring riff and pace. A real shame, as these guys have made my year list before, just not on the ‘disappointments’ part.

Everything in streaming /digital only: A lot of the releases and bands above had no physical releases, just Bandcamp/Spotify etc. BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!

Guilty Pleasure:

Mausoleum Gate – Space, Rituals and Magick (Cruz Del Sur). Absolutely outside of my normal listening wheelhouse, but this wispy, The Doors-influenced take of psychedelic, dreamy heavy metal was a perfect complement to a gummy and headphones.

Briar Creed – Bitter Moth (Self-Released).  An alluring mix of country, grunge, and metal with a touch of orchestration, plus the guy is an Opeth fan. Perfect fire pit music for you and your normal friends. 

We were pretty loose with the list, but tried to limit it to bands that had one EP or album, not including demos or subsequent compilations, reissues of said release and such after that release.

Did we miss a release? Do you have a release that you hold near and dear, but stands alone in a band’s discography? Let us know in the comments!

ERIK T

Disincarnate – Dreams of the Carrion Kind. After his split with Chuck Schuldiner and Death on Spiritual Healing, James Murphy surfaced in Disincarnate, and their lone album in 1993. It was an album that was a perfect blend of Murphy’s time in Death and Obituary, complete with his melodic lead work. “Monarch of the Sleeping Marches” remains one of my favorite death metal songs to this day. There were rumors of another album a few years ago, but alas nothing has surfaced.

Liers In Wait – Spiritually Uncontrolled Art.  A duo that had deep roots with At the Gates and their forebearers, Grotesque, (notably Kristian Wåhlin), this was a little ahead of its time even as then a formative At the Gates were still a bit more experimental in 1992. And clearly as melodic death metal grew and blew up, this 5 song EP was just a bit too chaotic and out there for what labels and fans were wanting at the time.

Hamartia – To Play the Part. There was a fuckton of one-hit wonder metalcore bands to blow up and fade in the metalcore explosion of 00s, but this lone release from guys that went on to form With Honor and Bury Your Dead was easily one of the best. It one of my first exposures to the later, melodic, Euro-inspired metalcore style while writing for digital metal, and subsequently, I discovered Poison the Well, Unearth, Shai Hulud, Between the Buried and Me, Darkest Hour and such. Thanks, Hamartia.

Visceral Evisceration – Incessant Desire for Palatable Flesh. One of the most bizarre releases of the early 90s. It took Paradise Lost‘s Gothic (which came out the same year) and threw in gross-out Pungent Stench/Autopsy lyrics and out there, random injections of psychedelia, Melo-death and female/male operatics along with the experimental death doom. Wacky stuff that’s still out there over 30 years later.

Accidental Suicide – Deceased. I’ve mentioned this album in several other lists and articles over the years. I heard “Misery Hunt” on a Peaceville compilation of some sort, and immediately sought the album out. They unabashedly copied Autopsy’s gurgling, sloppy doom-death, especially vocalist Ed Jackson (RIP) and his super moist, icky growls. But the one album he performed on was well worth it.

Eternal Suffering – Drowning In Tragedy. Another short lived USDM act from the 90s, that did one excellent album and called it quits. Certainly Suffocation worship at its core but songs like “The Warmth in Her Torment”, “Rise” and “To Sadness, Betrothed” had some of the best grooves of the genre and era.   Here’s some loud music that sounds like its saying “I’m angry…I’m very very angry…:”

 FRANK RINI

I had trouble narrowing this list down, but I am sure many of us have our favorite one hit wonder bands.  Bands who only ever released one album, but that album(s) resonated with us throughout the years.  I came up with 7 bands who only ever released one album, but that I have loved for many years, and the majority of them are pretty damn obscure. Also- Frank beat me to the punch with Desecrator’s Subconscious Release, dammit. a true UK one hit death metal wonder.

Unseen Terror–Human Error. Released on Earache Records in 1987 as MOSH 4, it’s one of Earache’s earliest releases featuring Shane Embury on drums.  Shane would soon go onto Napalm Death and UK’s Unseen Terror were around only from ’86-’90.  Playing a blistering form of grindcore/crust/hardcore.  Unbelievably catchy, positive and unifying  lyrics, along with war/terror themes and a penchant for including the cartoon character Garfield into various songs.

Intense DegreeWar in My Head.  Released on Earache Records in 1988 as MOSH 9, another UK band similar in style to other UK ultra-blasting bands like Heresy/Unseen Terror/Napalm Death.  War in My Head is the fastest album ever!  Even faster than Napalm Death’s From Enslavement to Obliteration.  Grindcore/crust/hardcore played with deliberate precision and beyond catchy songs. Absolute intense insanity.

Demilich–Nespithe.  Released in ’93, this Finnish death metal band ushered in a new era of brutality.  Antti’s vocals were/still are a heavy vocal influence in some of my tones.  With song titles longer than an anaconda and sludgy heaviness with bizarre signature time changes this album still boggles my mind.  I was fortunate to see them live a few years ago and they were insanely awesome.  One of the best death metal albums ever released.

Beyond Possession– Is Beyond Possession.  This Canadian band was short lived and this outstanding album was released in 1986.  Playing a brutal form of thrash/crossover metal with one of the earliest blast beats, as well, the vicious “You’re So Important”.  Like all the other mentioned albums I mention here, I know this album front to back, Christ I have had it for like 35 years.  Excellent heavy rhythms and fans of Cryptic Slaughter would love this band.

Desecrator– Subconscious Release.  This UK early death metal band went unnoticed for quite some time, until the album was remastered, by Mosh Tuneage in 2012.  I have enjoyed this album for over 30 years.  Super heavy, really low vocals and while the musicianship may not have been the tightest with respect to the drumming, who cares, when music is this catchy, as well as heavy. Some monster pit-moving songs, like “Ineffectual Condition”, as well and the band wrote longer some songs.

Lord Crucifier–The Focus of Life.  This Italian band, was yet another short lived band and the album has only ever been released on vinyl, in 1988.  I would love to have a remastered cd.  This album was released on the shitty Metalworks label and Lord Crucifier’s songs were certainly bizarre in lyrical and musical arrangements, but of course I still own the original vinyl.  The band played some blistering thrash/speed metal and the title track and “The Scarecrows” are still 2 of my favorite metal songs.

Winter–Into Darkness.  Seeing Long Island New York’s Winter several times live prior to and after Into Darkness was released, in ’90, are cherished memories for me, from 1989-1991.  This is the best doom/death metal album ever released.  Some definite Celtic Frost influences were present and Winter had a calculating cold heaviness to them drenched in atmospheric heaviness.  One of the most perfect album covers to go along with the music.

J MAYS

Cerekloth – In the Midst of Life We Are in Death. This album was my first purchase from Hells Headbangers (although certainly not the last). I loved the album so much I bought the shirt and wore it out fairly quickly. It’s still available, so maybe I’ll buy it again. Anyway, this came out in 2013 and the band promptly decided to break up. What a bummer. This is solid death doom with more of a focus on the “death” part and you’d be a damned fool not to check it out.

Headmeat – Mass Sociogenic Illness. (In my most condescending, elitist voice) This next band you probably haven’t heard of (pushes up glasses). Honestly, I’m really surprised more people haven’t. This band had so much potential, releasing this experimental slab of, well, let’s say progressive deathened black metal? Clean vocals? Check. Symphonic elements? Check. Unfortunately, I must admit I did not hear this album until probably about 2015, despite it coming out in 2005 and literally purchased it for $3 on CD from a bargain bin at the record store my friend used to manage. These guys seriously could have been huge.

STEVE K

I’ve only got one album that I felt I needed to mention in this special, but I think it’s a fucking doozy – and one of the most criminally underappreciated albums I’ve ever had the pleasure of listening to.

Vattnet – Vattnet.

Now, hear me out. Some of you may call this cheating, as Vattnet was really the remaining parts left behind after vocalist/guitarist Nick Thornbury left New Hampshire Post Black Metallers Vattnet Viskar in 2018, but anyone who listened to Vattnet Viskar‘s prior works next to Vattnet‘s lone release would struggle to believe they shared any history or similarity with one another. Indeed, Thornbury’s departure was as surpising as the band’s drastic change in sound that came after, as the back-to-back success of 2013’s Sky Swallower and the HIGHLY critically acclaimed Settler sky-rocketed the band to the forefront of the USBM scene, landing them on tour with the likes of 1349 and Taake and many other of the Black Metal elite. But if you listened closely, you’d find that Vattnet really did feature many of the defining characteristics that made Settler such a success – just with a re-focused shift in priorities. The remaining members, with bassist Casey Alyward moving over to guitar and vocal duties, took a much cleaner approach to their sound, blending spacious, Deftones-like stretches with thick, Post Metal riffs and epic, beautifully crafted guitar melodies that are still as infectious as the first day I heard them. Seriously, try listening to tracks “Sugar” and especially the last 3 minutes of the epic “Time Will Prove Everything” and try to get those songs out of your head. You’ll thank me when you find that they can’t.

Unfortunately, we will likely never know what the band’s evolution could have grown into. It seems they were never quite able to find its footing after such drastic changes, and the audience they’d built with Vattnet Viskar just never migrated over with the shift – I suppose yet another unfortunate example of expectations never giving the artists a chance. For his part, Casey Alward went on to join Astronoid, but I’d give anything for the trio of him, Chris Alfieri and Seamus Menihane to come back together some day to give Vattnet one more go, because the one album that group of musicians created was an absolute stunner.

MARS BUDZISZEWSKI 

Genocide Kommando – Black Metal Supremacy (Moribund Records)Black Metal Supremacy was a one off collaboration between Noktu of Gestapo 666 (whose records are as close of a follow up to this as one will get), Mortifera, Celestia and Kommander Horrendus, later of Corpus Christii, Morte Incandescent, and others.  All projects have lengthy catalogs, which has always been upsetting to me when their collaboration is the hateful magic that I know will never be reignited. Why do I love this album?  It could be a timing thing.  I was just dipping my toes into black waters when I saw the cover art pop up.  Probably on Blackmetal.com.  Even with very limited exposure I’d trudged through enough early distro websites to form an idea of the general art aesthetic at the time, but Black Metal Supremacy’s featuring of decked out Satanic, capital “S”, anti-riot corp was more realistically menacing than most.  It immediately spoke to my dark side.  I took the 30 minutes to download a single song to sample.  Its sickly tuned,medium-fast term picking, militaristic lockstep drum programming, and uniquely depraved scorched earth snarling vocals impressed a genuine sense of danger on my ears.  Why does no one else have love for this album? All of the archetypes present in form but each element maligned such that it is perhaps just enough askew to turn off many, for all of the reasons described prior.  Black metal in tried and true style that isn’t just an early Burzum or Dark Throne record.  The difference is there is no folk fantasy element to buffer the content.  Black Metal Supremacy point-blank aims its ill will toward humanity just as the Satanic storm troopers upon the cover. Or…OR… people find it boring.  As a listener, I do tend to focus on everything but the form.  It’s template black metal but with the right presentation, effective riffs, and nauseating tones. A note to Moribund Records: put some goddamn respect on this album.  It’s coming up on the 20 year anniversary and I declare it’s the perfect candidate for a ridiculous picture disc reissue.  That’s an order directly from the Satanic Fronts top brass!

Dripping – Disintegration of Thought Patterns During A Synthetic Mind Traveling Bliss (Macabre Mementos). My experience with mind-altering substances is limited but I love music made by people that are seasoned psychonauts.  Anyone that knows this album probably does drugs because they’re chasing the dragon that was their first time hearing Dripping’s only album (Not counting the Bring The Suffering demo collection).  21 minutes isn’t enough but we’re glad it exists.  The title sums it up.  These New Jersey basement burnouts let the herb, and New York rap lead their blissful interpretation of what death metal could be.  The track flows of adderall buzzing brutal death metal interrupted with dub edits, and short beat loops is jarring in the best way.  

Blood Revolt – Indoctrine (Profound Lore). Another collaboration between prolific artists but this time quite a bit more diffuse in style.  Vocalist Alan Averill of Primordial essentially fronting Canadian lightning force of war metal, Revenge.  …Whaaat!?  Surely one of the most distinct unions any metal weirdo would agree.  The vocal performance is that of a mentally unsound, conspiracy-obsessed ex-singer of a hardworking but obscure 80s thrash band.  His Larynx strained from mostly yelling his thoughts to anyone who will make eye contact.  It’s hard to know if the band is sympathetic, or if they’re exploiting a man on the verge of complete disassociation.  Either way, the Revenge boys just feed the fire with a relentless, exhausting drum assault and fire and brimstone razor cyclone of riffs.  It’s an insane record.  The rare album that reminds one how metal can still be a bewildering and surprising genre especially having come out at a time when the metal world seemed perfectly content with recycled 80s crossover thrash.  If you need a taste “God’s Executioner, Praise Be” should peel your wig back.

Hamartia – To Play The Part (Good Life Recordings). Most melodic metalcore was criticized as being a kid-friendly rip-off of At The Gates, and In Flames but Hamartia was one of the very few of that early run of such bands that could make any respectable claim to be writing riffs that held their own ground.  Darkest Hour, As I lay Dying, Unearth, Undying all achieved a following and surprising success within that sound.  None of them ever got from under the aforementioned criticism.  The only other comparatively original take that skirted that is 7 Angels 7 Plagues. Unfortunately Hamartia didn’t make due on the record or their potential as a unit, having broken up before it was released by Euro label Good Life.  It was never given a chance.  But the members continued on, forking off to institutions like Bury Your Dead, Between The Buried And Me, and to a lesser extent With Honor.

KRISTOFER ALLRED

Midvinter – At the Sight of the Apocalypse Dragon (Black Diamond Productions & Invasion/Death Records). Aaahh Midvinter, you sneaky little underrated and under the radar piece of black metal magnificence you. Formed in 1993, the band’s only proper output was their sole album, 1997’s At the Sight of the Apocalypse Dragon, but what an album it was. The trio, comprised of vocalist, Kheeroth, guitarist/bassist, Damien, and drummer, Zathanel, seemed to come out of nowhere with a sophisticated and dynamic album of damn near black metal perfection if there ever was one. Produced by the infamous Andy LaRoque (King Diamond/Death), the album seemed both ahead of its time and steeped in the roots of elders, and frankly, both album and band arguably should have been the recipient of the critical praise and acclaim that went to Emperor and their Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk full-length, also released in 1997. Not that Anthems wasn’t a fantastic album, because it was/is, but I truly believe Midvinter‘s release to be the better of the two if I had to pit them against each other. Catchy and moody, driving and melodic, blistering, infectious and intense, and usually all within each track, At the Sight of the Apocalypse Dragon throws down the gauntlet of black metal ferocity. It’s full of emotional bliss and brilliance, with a slight sense of somberness and melancholy at times, and somehow manages to be (mostly) all thriller and no filler despite each of the album’s tracks clocking in at eight minutes or more. Coming in at slightly over an hour in length, I used to think the album was actually a bit bloated back in the day. Yet all these years later I now consider the album’s exuberant running time to be another positive in the sole notch of the belt of Midvinter. Exactly what you want out of a black metal album, and a damn near perfect example of what black metal should be, at least twenty-four years ago.

Indwelling- And my Eyes Shall Weep (Facedown Records). I love Indwelling and their siblingless album And My Eye Shall Weep. I love it for two reasons. One, it’s a greatly written and performed piece of death metal, and two, it’s got a huge pair of balls. Seriously my friends, imagine a band with the crushing heaviness of Suffocation, the suffocating oppressiveness of Incantation, the technical chops of Cannibal Corpse, and the overt progressive fortitude of Nile, wrapped with a direct, in your face, message of Jesus Christ, as well as a bit of that hardcore attitude prevalent amongst most of Facedown Records’ roster, and you’ll understand what Indwelling is and all about. And if you don’t think pushing a biblical message of Christianity while playing death metal as brutally genuine as this isn’t ballsy, then well, that’s like your opinion, man… No matter what your stance is religiously if you even have one at all, when it comes to metal and all its glorious subgenres the fact remains that the majority of the players out there push a secular content when it comes to lyrical bases. Love ’em or hate ’em, those out there bringing a non-secular theme and/or message to their metal have got more balls than most metal fans would like to admit. Regardless of what Indwelling present in the lyrical department, the fact is that this death metal power trio bring the pain when it comes to the jams. Originally released in 2003, the album pushes just as hard today as it did then. I could easily break down and dissect the greatness of each track, but why? Simply put, pick any one of the album’s ten tracks and you’re guaranteed to be picking a winner.

I Am War –  Outlive You All (Razor & Tie). Can you believe that the raging metalcore heydays of the then blooming 21^st century are already approaching the twenty year mark? When did we get so much older? Oh well, that’s life… A lot of names pop up when taking a trip down metalcore memory lane, from the big dogs to the little guys, there was definitely no shortage of bands that came to offer their take on a stylized form of American hardcore meeting the Gothenburg sound. Among the myriad of bands that emerged at this time, few were as successful as Bleeding Through and Atreyu. While both bands were not necessarily too far removed from each other as a whole, deeper inspection clearly showed they represented two sides of the same coin. One, a bit burlier and beefier, almost deathly at times, and the other, more accessible and full of poppy sing-along choruses. With I Am War and their sole effort, Outlive You All, we get a really good medium between both Bleeding Through and Atreyu as this duo (trio if count producer, engineer and drummer, Mick Kenney) are comprised of Bleeding Through‘s Brandan Schieppati and Atreyu‘s Alex Varkatzas. In fact, Outlive You All is, to my ears, a damn near-perfect metalcore album, at the very least it’s a shining example of how metalcore had its own brand of seething, vicious, and attainable extremity. No keyboards, no overtly clean, sappy or crooning vocals, no sing-along choruses, just short, sharp, crisp bursts of blasty aggressive metalcore that extremely satisfies, gang shouts and all. Pretty much every attribute of what one likes about ‘core, be it hard or metal, are to be found within Outlive You All, and the album’s thirteen tracks. Granted, the band’s full-on, straight too the point approach can be a bit exhausting by the time you reach the album’s end, as constantly going for the jugular doesn’t leave room for much variation, but all in all this thing is a winner, winner…plus you get the awesome skills and contributions of Mick Kenney, you know, the man responsible for the brilliance of Anaal Nathrakh…

God Macabre  – The Winterlong..(M.B.R. Records) . One of Sweden’s first death metal bands, the band was originally known by the moniker Macabre End and even released a demo before changing their name to God Macabre and eventually releasing their only real full-length album, The Winterlong…, in 1993. The problem for them was that by then the death metal world was already starting to change and morph here and there. One needs to look no further than Entombed‘s Wolverine Blues to see what I’m talking about. That classic Stockholm metal of death sound was becoming a been there done that thing that for the genre’s pioneers and not too many artists, critics, and, to a lesser extent, even fans alike were looking for another Swedeath album at the time. Too bad, because The Winterlong…, while clearly was a “typical” Swedish death metal album, the band actually incorporated quite a bit of atypical traits for the time and included not only some synths/keyboards into some of their song structures, but dabbled in a much more doom and gloom emotional vibe than most of their Swedish peers ever did. Thankfully, Relapse Records reissued the album back in 2014 with a remastered production as well as including an unreleased track and the three song demo recorded under the Macabre End name, thus allowing many to once again hear the magnificence of this band’s hard to find only effort.

NICK K

Ripping Corpse Dreaming with The Dead, (Kraze Records). Malevolent Creation Ten Commandments, Bolt Thrower War Master, Death Human.  What do these albums have in common?  They all were released in 1991 one of the greatest years in Death Metal.  Also, in 1991 a death metal band from New Jersey called Ripping Corpse release their one and only studio album.  I remember being 15 walking from my house to Best Buy to buy death metal albums on a whim.  That is what we did back then.  We did not have the internet.  We had magazines and random chance.   When I looked at the cover, I was not even sure if it is was a metal band or not.  I had to look at the band members on the back to make decision that this was worth taking a chance on and boy was I right. The guitar duo of Erik Rutan (Ex Morbid Angel, Cannibal Corpse, Hate Eternal) and Shaune Kelley (Ex Hate Eternal, Dim-Mak) is one thing that makes this album so memorable.   The context of this and knowing that they also released just one album is incredibly intriguing.  Kelley and Rutan would later join up again for The Hate Eternal Album Fury and Flames.  The other thing to note about Ripping Corpse is how their sound was so different from everything else coming out.  Vocalist Scott Ruth had a delivery that was completely unique and different.  Not Guttural.  Corporal Death from Macabre might be the only comparison I can think of.  If you have never heard Ripping Corpse and are a fan of these guys other projects this is completely worth investing some time to find.

Salut!

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

Devin Townsend – Epicloud (Inside Out Music)
I’ve only recently gotten into Strapping Young Lad, so I’m pretty late to the Devin Townsend party, but after one listen of “Liberation,” the soaring, big, brash, rollicking metal opera track from Epicloud, I was hooked. Both Epic and Loud, this was the feel-good release of 2012 and gave way to many happy, headbanging sessions in the car with my daughter. Addictive, catchy and uplifting – Epicloud was a welcome change to my usual fare and shows that Hevy Devy isn’t so heavy all of the time.

Beyond All Recognition – Drop=Dead (Napalm Records)
2012’s guilty pleasure for me was a dubcore album from a Swedish band released on Napalm Records. Full of huge bass drops and massive breakdowns while delivering competent, heavy-ass deathcore – but without the silly dance parts, clean vocals or annoying elements that bands like Skip the Foreplay or Eskimo Callboy have – Beyond All Recognition tested the limits of my car stereo and garnered themselves a new fan, despite the image and label the band function under.

Before the Dawn – Rise of the Phoenix (eOne)
Before they split up, Finland’s Before the Dawn delivered their finest effort. Dropping the clean vocals and upping the heaviness and melody, Rise of the Phoenix was an album that could give Insomnium and Be’lakor a run for their money in the realms of somber, melodic death metal. Supine but heavy harmonies, blastbeats and some simply killer riffs made this a really solid album that should have cemented the band on the Finnish metal map, but instead ended up being a damn fine swan song.

The HAARP Machine – Disclosure (Sumerian)
Between the Buried and Me‘s 2012 opus was a let-down for me. Luckily, the UK’s The HAARP Machine stepped up and delivered their own version of progressive, experimental and challenging metal that washed away The Parallax II. With less self-indulgence and more actual metal as well as a heavy Middle Eastern vibe by way of Al Mu’min’s sitar, The HAARP Machine, despite the Sumerian label sound, delivered one of 2012’s most interesting releases.

Samothrace – Reverence to Stone (20 Buck Spin)
I’m still upset at myself for not getting around to reviewing this in 2012. After absolutely loving 2008’s Life Trade, the 4-year wait and massive 2 track release never initially hooked me like the debut did. And based on the lack of coverage and press for the release, I wasn’t the only one. After a few dedicated listens, the album truly sunk in and revealed itself to be a real grower, despite being initially intimidating. The 2 songs really unfurl and develop, and while lacking the immediacy of say, “Awkward Hearts” from the debut, Samothrace appear to be a real heavy hitter in the US doom scene – if they can just hone their sound a smidge.

Sylosis – Monolith (Nuclear Blast Records)
I know metalcore is a dirty word in metal, but these Brits knocked it out of the park with their aptly titled and massive third release. I remember reviewing their 2008 debut, Conclusion of an Age, for Metal Maniacs and hearing a dull Unearth clone. With Monolith, a line-up change and a fiercer thrash-based sound has resulted in an album that blows the likes of All That Remains out of the water and and shows these guys to be a real contender in the US-dominated metalcore scene.

JORDAN ITKOWITZ

Ancient Ascendant – Into the Dark EP (Forepoint Records)
I just heard about these guys recently ’cause Enslaved is touring with them in the UK. What a show that’s gonna be. These guys mix chunky melodic death riffing with Swedish melodic black metal for an At the Gates-meets-Dissection assault which kicks all kinds of unholy ass. Tons of groove, smartly written songs, great guitar tone and snarling vocals, plus the occasional moody interlude (shades of early Opeth). Expect big things when these guys drop their debut, but for now, seek this out immediately. This would have been my EP of the year had I heard it in time.

Psilocybe Larvae – The Labyrinth of Penumbra (Buil2kill Records)
Finland may be the world’s melodic death/doom capital, but head further east and you’ll find that Russia has its share of excellent acts as well. Venture into this labyrinth to find slow lurching segments chased by faster gallops, ragged growls and screams cresting to soaring cleans, and an overall exceptional sense of pacing and dynamics. Had I given this one more listens last month, it would have made my year-end list, no question. (Credit to Shane for posting this in the Now Playing thread).

Threshold – March of Progress (Nuclear Blast)
I was very sad to hear that Threshold vocalist Andrew “Mac” McDermott passed away in 2011. He was one of my favorite prog-metal vocalists, with a smooth and soaring delivery that meshed perfectly with the band’s chunky guitars and hook-filled songwriting. The band returned to their original vocalist, Damian Wilson, who has a slightly more operatic style (no surprise, the guy played Jean Valjean in Les Miserables for awhile), but I think I was so thrown by not hearing Mac again that I only gave this new album a few spins. After returning to it, it’s another really strong Threshold album. It’s not as infused with smooth 80’s AOR hooks as Subsurface was, but it’s still packed with lovely melodies and intricate proggy fireworks.

In Mourning – The Weight of Oceans (Spinefarm Records)
Lots of love for B’elakor this year, but no one paid much mind to the third effort from Finland’s In Mourning. Too bad, as they’re another strong voice in the melodic death/doom arena, with clear and keening melodies, gruff vocals and elegant atmosphere. Great stuff for fans of Insomnium, Opeth or old Katatonia.

Kälter – Ubuntu (Maple Metal Records)
This Canadian melodic/progressive death act may have started as a Children of Bodom cover band, but they’ve sinced grown into their own unique beast – and it’s a weird one. Judging from the artwork and title here, you might expect a prog-metal take on Sepultura’s Roots. Instead, you get thrashy melodeath, lots of burbling, symphonic and vaguely Eastern synths and the odd 70’s Genesis prog freakout. Oh and some tribal drums. Perhaps the confusion comes from the fact that Ubuntu is a South African term, but this artwork depicts a Central American (Maya? Aztec?) warrior. Whatever the intent, the end result is still an exuberant and unpredictable entry to the melodeath scene.

KEVIN  E.

ADAM PALM

After Death/Unaussprechlichen Kulten – Dwellers of the Deep/The Madness from the Sea (Proselytism)
This elaborate split includes a disc for each band and a huge fold-out poster/lyric sheet housed in a giant double gatefold digipack with cover art for each half and extensive liner notes on the concepts behind each song. And, the music is more than deserving of its packaging. After Death is led by Nocturnus mastermind Mike Browning, and carries the atmospheric, technical death/thrash sound of classics The Key and Thresholds into more mystical realms. Unaussprechlichen Kulten hails from Chile and sounds like a raw, Lovecraftian Immolation. It may seem like an unlikely pairing, but their shared themes, attitude, and masterful songcraft make this one of 2012’s most all-around unfuckwithable releases.

Weapons to Hunt – Blessed In Sin (Vic Records)
Despite the facts that Sinister never completely broke up and this band existed as Infinited Hate until recently, this feels like a Sinister comeback album. The band is now comprised entirely of former and current Sinister members and the music resurrects the vigor and twisted guitar work of Cross the Styx more than any other album since, except with a hint of early Comecon.

Leukemia – Love (Vic Records)
This eccentric, varied Swedish death/thrash album was recorded in ’94, but didn’t see the light of day until just last year. Swedeath with this much character is hard to come by nowadays.

Darkified – Cthulhu Riseth – The Complete Works of Darkified (Vic Records)
A long-overdue reissue of everything ever recorded by this tragically short-lived Swedish band from the early ‘90s who specialized in uniquely deranged, atmospheric death metal. The remastering job by the mighty Dan Swano makes it all sound better than ever.

Evadne – The Shortest Way (Solitude Productions)
These despondent Spaniards take full advantage of every past development in melodic death/doom, painting a bleak picture with shades of Rapture, My Dying Bride, Slumber, Revelations of Rain, Swallow the Sun and Funeral. It won’t win any awards for originality, but its flawless execution more than makes up for that.”

CHUCK KUCHER

Nadja – Dagdrøm (Broken Spine Productions, Daymare Recordings)
The prolific drone/doom duo returned for another sublime slice of their patented buzzing magic. Dagdrøm may be familiar territory for the band, with a sound so lustrously thick and warm you could wear it like a parka, but the execution is as good as ever. Dagdrøm is a fine entry point to newcomers and a welcome return to form long time fans.

The Catalyst – Voyager (Forcefield Records)
A bad acid hardcore/noise rock trainwreck. Scalding vocals, face shredding blasts of bad trip psychedelia, and angular Unsane-by-way-of-Converge riffs mark Voyager as one of the most caustic and belligerent releases of 2012. It’s the perfect album for the end of a shitty day, or the beginning of an even worse night.

Ehnahre – Old Earth (Crucial Blast)
Old Earth is to doom what Obscura was to death metal. Ehnahre dragged Khanate through a jazz-infused death metal blender and produced a challenging, disjointed and atmospheric journey through the earth’s blackest soil. Old Earth is even more discordant, more abrasive, more immersive and ambient, and altogether more impressive than their excellent debut.

Kowloon Walled City – Container Ships (Brutal Panda Records)
San Francisco’s Kowloon Walled City took a bit of the noise out of their sound for their newest album, but that doesn’t mean Container Ships is any less heavy. The cleaner tone is coupled with slower, sludgier, and more emotive songwriting that calls to mind Pelican and Disappearer. This additional emotional heaviness adds depth to their sound and magnifies the heft of their bursts of discordant noise rock.

LUKE SAUNDERS

Bell Witch – Longing (Profound Lore)
The Seattle duo may not have shared the acclaim of some of their more experienced contemporaries in the funeral doom field, but fans of the style would be wise to check out this monstrous slab of painful, crawling extremity. Comprised of a mere six tracks but clocking in over an hour’s worth of despair and funereal melody; Longing is the perfect companion piece to Loss’ Despond album. Like that particular album, Longing plumbs the darkest depths of the human psyche, and although it’s not quite as compelling or razor-to-the-wrist inducing as Despond, Bell Witch has crafted a sparse yet weighty debut that is a powerful, emotional piece of extreme artistry.

Ne Obliviscaris – Portal of I (Aural music)
This Australian band’s stunning debut escaped my radar upon its mid-year release. In the catch-up period of late 2012/early 2013 I came across a track on a sampler and the full-length has since proceeded to amaze and mesmerize. Floating around in the Aussie metal underground for several years, Portal of I is the culmination of relentless hard work and craftsmanship in sculpting this monster (and at times bloated) 71-minute epic. Ne Obliviscaris’ highly inventive progressive metal has shades of Opeth and Focus-era Cynic, but their sound transcends easy classification. Portal of I is further embellished by a blackened, classical edge and their ambitious formula avoids sounding derivative or awkward in delivery. The jazz inflections, clean vocals and use of violin are not overdone, instead adding a rich and complex new dimension to their intricate progressive metal arrangements. Capped off with a stellar production job, this fucker oozes class and comes highly recommended.

The Levitation Hex – The Levitation Hex (Quadrum Records)
Another Aussie release that didn’t get the attention it deserved. Essentially a supergroup of sorts, The Levitation Hex are comprised of ex and current members of Alchemist, Alarum and Aeon of Horus. The brainchild of vocalist/guitarist Adam Agius (ex-Alchemist), The Levitation Hex is a natural extension of his vastly underrated former band, but with a different enough vibe and angle to sound like a fresh new adventure. The progressive and psychedelic elements are balanced by a taut and muscular groove-based approach, while the mildly experimental song-writing threads hypnotic passages and tribal rhythms into the mix. In short, The Levitation Hex crafted an intriguing debut, well-worth checking out.

Windhand – Windhand (Force Field Records)
This is another low-key gem that got plenty of airplay during the earlier part of the year. Without any strong label backing and long delays in the pressing of this release, it appears destined to fall through the cracks. It’s a shame too as this is an excellent piece of earthy stoner-doom, shrouded in a druggy haze and bookended by the chilled-out, ethereal vocals of Dorthia Cottrell.

Goatwhore – Blood for the Master (Metal Blade)
Yeah I know, Goatwhore aren’t exactly in need of extra promotion with the Metal Blade juggernaut behind them; but another solid album from the band, released in early 2012, was buried under a slew of top-notch releases. Goatwhore are the kind of band required in every metal collection. Their lack of musical and emotional depth is counteracted by a no-frills, unpretentious dedication to metal, and the gift of creating a skull-crushing black/death/thrash hybrid that is undeniably heavy, catchy, and above all, fun to listen to. Complete with another robust Erik Rutan production, Blood for the Master is not their finest hour (that honor goes to A Haunting Curse), but is another consistently solid and enjoyable album that rocks hard and pulls no punches. Let’s hope Ben Falgoust finds the time to crank out a new Soilent Green album in 2013.

Electrocution – Inside the Unreal (Aural Music/Goregorecords)
Originally released in 1993, this old-school death metal gem from the sub-genres golden period was resurrected for the reissue treatment in 2012. Having missed it the first time I was stoked to become acquainted with this excellent effort from the Floridian-influenced Italian unit. Although I can’t provide a comparison with its original recording, the stout (and remastered) production is respectable for its era, offering ample punch and clarity. The addictive songs follow a basic blueprint and are fast, catchy and brutal old-school DM workouts.

King Parrot – Bite Your Head Off (Third Verse)
A recent discovery, the young Australian band dropped this high-energy, maniacal slab of punk/thrash/grind madness during the latter stages of 2012. In the process they emerged as a band to keep a close eye on.

Chris Dick

1. Opeth – Ghost Reveries
2. Rapture – Silent Stage
3. Arcturus – Sideshow Symphonies
4. Primordial – The Gathering Wilderness
5. Kamelot – The Black Halo
6. Dark Tranquillity – Character
7. Swallow the Sun – Ghosts of Loss
8. Slumber – Fallout
9. Bolt Thrower – Those Once Loyal
10. Akercocke – Words That Go Unspoken, Deeds That Go Undone

Erik Thomas

1. Between the Buried and Me, Alaska
2. Primordial, The Gathering Wilderness
3. Opeth, Ghost Reveries
4. Equlibrium, Turis Fratyr
5. Embrace the End, Counting Hallways to teh Left
6. Aes Dana, Formors
7. Neuraxis, Trilateral Progression
8. Despised Icon, The Healing Process
9. The Berzerker, World of Lies
10. Hiretsukan, End States

Apollyon

1. Nevermore, This Godless Endeavor
2. Primordial, The Gathering Wilderness
3. Gojira, From Mars to Sirius
4. Bolt Thrower, Those Once Loyal
5. Gorefest, La Muerte
6. Kingston Wall, Real Live Thing
7. Nile, Annihilation of the Wicked
8. Antimatter, Planetary Confinement
9. Rapture, Silent Stage
10. Amoral, Decrowning

Grimulfr

1. Horna, Envaatnags Eflos Solf Esgantaavne
2. Satanic Warmaster, Carelian Satanist Madness
3. Belphegor, Goatreich- Fleshcult
4. Averse Sefira, Tetragrammatical Astygmata
5. Sargeist, Disciple of the Heinous Path
6. 1349, Hellfire
7. Aes Dana, Formors
8. Morrigan, Headcult
9. Brume d’Automne, Fiers et Victorieux
10. Primordial, The Gathering Wilderness

John Gnesin

1. Overmars, Affliction, Endocrine, Vertigo
2. Jesu, Jesu
3. Solefald, Red for Fire: An Icelandic Odyessy
4. Bolt Thrower, Those Once Loyal
5. Horse the Band, The Mechanical Hand
6. Ulver, Blood Inside
7. Impure Wilhelmina, L’amore, l’morte, l’enfance Perdue
8. Modern Life is War, Witness
9. Antigama, Zeroland
10. Behold…The Arctopus, Nano-nucleonic Cyborg Summoning

Shawn Pelata

1. JOURNEY, Generations
2. KING’S X, Ogre Tones
3. TNT, All The Way To The Sun
4. STARBREAKER, Starbreaker
5. THE MOB, The Mob
6. KEITH URBAN, Be Here
7. NICKELBACK, All The Right Reasons
8. GOTTHARD, Lipservice
9. ALLEN LANDE, The Battle
10. BON JOVI, Have A Nice Day

Brent Mittelstadt

1. Rosetta, The Galilean Satellites
2. Opeth, Ghost Reveries
3. The Project Hate, Armageddon March Eternal
4. Buried Inside, Chronoclast
5. Avenged Sevenfold, City of Evil
6. Arsis, A Diamond for Disease
7. Enslaved, Isa
8. Strapping Young Lad, Alien
9. Bolt Thrower, Those Once Loyal
10. Moonsorrow, Verisakeet

Fred Phillips

1. Black Label Society, Mafia
2. Sentenced, The Funeral Album
3. God Forbid, IV: Constitution of Treason
4. Jon Oliva’s Pain, Tage Mahal
5. Soilwork, Stabbing the Drama
6. Opeth, Ghost Reveries
7. Nevermore, This Godless Endeavor
8. Kiuas, The Spirit of Ukko
9. Corrosion of Conformity, In the Arms of God
10. Bruce Dickinson, A Tyranny of Souls

Damien Boorman

1. Nevermore, This Godless Endeavour
2. Between the Buried and Me, Alaska
3. Watchmaker, Erased From the Memory of Man
4. Gojira, From Mars to Sirius
5. Opeth, Ghost Reveries
6. Despised Icon, The Healing Process
7. Porcupine Tree, Deadwing
8. Prostitute Disfigurement, Left in a Grisly Fashion
9. Neuraxis Trilateral Progression
10. Through the Eyes of the Dead, Bloodlust

Honorable Mentions:

Unearth “The Oncoming Storm”
Enslaved “Isa”
The Chasm “The Spell of Retribution”
Borknagar “Epic”
Dismember “Where Iron Crosses Grow”

EP

Misery Index “Dissent”

***

Well, another year in the proverbial bag and quite a varied year it was, with this year’s top 10 being a solid cross section of all genres from the rending black metal of Leviathan to The Dillinger Escapes Plan’s adventurous musings.

Notable omissions? One could argue that former US death legends Morbid Angel, Cannibal Corpse, Suffocation and Deicide have officially lost their clout as they all released albums in 2004 and none of them even got a sniff of the top 10. What about European death metal stalwarts Entombed and Dismember? Both released comeback albums of sorts and only Dismember garnered any sort of surprisingly lukewarm recognition. Are metal fans now bored with classic death metal, preferring the heightened polish and variety of acts like Disillusion and Into Eternity? Where were usual former Digitalmetal [Teeth of the Divine!] favorites Finntroll and Behemoth? Behemoth may have suffered from the same fate as Enslaved’s ISA, having a dual release date that spanned both US and European markets.

What about surprises? How about the retro thrash turnaround of Susperia that seemed to please fans? Or Aussie newcomers The Amenta and their blistering debut? Or how about metalcore’s poster children Unearth hovering around the top ten with their long awaited sophomore album?

Of course perennial favorites Mastodon, Pig Destroyer and The Dillinger Escape Plan made their predictable appearance, but who would have thought that the one man German progeny Muhammed Suicmez and his band Necrophagist would have swept the year end honors as they have for many publications? Epitaph’s uber technical ferocity seem to enamored many of you as it beat second place band Disillusion by a healthy margin. But can Necrophaghist follow Epitaph up, or will they fade like many former death metal greats?

We will just have to wait until 2005 concludes to find out. Thanks to those who voted, keep Digitalmetal.com [teethofthedivine.com, dammit] your number source for online extremity, and have a great metal year.

CHRIS DICK

1. Enslaved – “Ruun”
2. Katatonia – “The Great Cold Distance”
3. Ihsahn – “The Adversary”
4. Agalloch – “Ashes Against the Grain”
5. Zombi – “Surface to Air”
6. Akercocke – “Words That Go Unspoken, Deeds That Go Undone”
7. Mastodon – “Blood Mountain”
8. Napalm Death – “Smear Campaign”
9. Converge – “No Heroes”
10. Insomnium – “Above the Weeping World”

Honorable Mentions:

1. Dolorian – “Voidwards”
2. Amon Amarth – “With Oden on Our Side”
3. The Gathering – “Home”
4. I – “Between Two Worlds”
5. Nocturnal Rites – “Grand Illusion”

Most disappointing:
Iron Maiden – “A Matter of Life and Death”

ERIK THOMAS

1. All Shall Perish- “The Price of Existence”
2. Unexpect -“In A Flesh Aquarium”
3. Anaal Nathrakh- ‘Eschaton”
4. Insomnium -“Above The Weeping World”
5. I-“Between Two Worlds”
6. Starkweather -“Croatoan”
7. Negura Bunget -“Om”
8. Ligeia -“Your Ghost is a Gift”
9. The Faceless -“Akeldama”
10. As Blood Runs Black -“Allegiance”
11. Noumena “Anatomy of Life”
12. Misery Inc- “Random End”
13. Amon Amarth -“With Oden on Our Side”
14. Daylight Dies -“Dismantling Devotion”
15. Protest the Hero -“Kezia”

Biggest Disappointment: Terrorizer “Darker Days Ahead”

APOLLYON

1.Gojira – “From Mars to Sirius”
2. Tenhi – “Maaäet”
3. Celtic Frost – “Monotheist”
4. Agalloch – “Ashes against the grain”
5. Magyar Posse – “Random Avenger”
6. Mokoma – “Kuoleman laulukunnaat”
7. Khoma – “The Second Wave”
8. Keep of Kalessin – “Armada”
9. Dolorian – “Voidwards”
10. Communic – “Waves of Visual Decay”
11. Stam1na – “Uudet kymmenen käskyä”
12. Vader – “Impressions in Blood”
13. SYL – “The New Black”
14. Daylight Dies – “Dismantling Evolution”
15. GWAR – “Beyond Hell”

GRIMULFR

1-Negura Bunget- “OM”
2-Amon Amarth- “With Oden on our Side”
3-Belphegor- “Pestapokalypse VI”
4-Unleashed- “Midvinterblot”
5-Manegarm- “Urminnes Haud”
6-Hellveto- “Zmierzch”
7-Enslaved- “Ruun”
8-Kampfar- “Kvass”
9-Belenos- “Chants de Bataille”
10-Ancient Rites- “Rubicon”
11-Lja- “Til Avsky for Livet”
12-Hellebaard- “Valkyrenvlucht”
13-Bothildir- “for what once was”
14-Grimm- “Dark Medieval Folklore”
15-Wolven Ancestry- “The Wrath of Gaia”

Biggest Disappointment: Celtic Frost-“Monotheist”

TIM DODD

1. Doom: VS – “Aeturnus Vale”
2. Insomnium-“Above the Weeping World”
3. Borknagar-“Origin”
4. Black Crucifixion-“Faustian Dream”
5. Amon Amarth-“With Oden on Our Side”
6. Theatre of Tragedy-“Storm”
7. Gorgoroth-“Ad Majorem Sathanas Gloriam”
8. Draconian-“The Burning Halo”
9. Hellveto-“Zmierzch”
10.Wolverine-“Still”

Honorable Mentions:

Dolorian-“Voidwards”
Agalloch-“Ashes Against the Grain”
Axel Rudi Pell-“Mystica”
Dissection-“Reinkaos”
Nocturnal Rites “Grand Illusion”

JEFF LAMB

1. Converge – “No Heroes”
2. Woods of Infinity – “Hedja”
3. Made Out of Babies – “Coward”
4. Ghoul – “Splatterthrash”
5. Hekel – “De Dodenvaart”
6. The Sword – “Age of Winters”
7. Sunn0)))/Boris – “Altar”
8. Funerot – “Invasion From the Death Dimension”
9. STNNNG – “Dignified Sissy”
10. Regurgitate – “Sickening Bliss”
11. Witch – “s/t”
12. Lifelover – “Pulver”
13. Merrimack – “Of Entropy and Life Denial”
14. Goatwhore – “A Haunting Curse”
15. Asunder – “Works Will Come Undone”

CHRIS AYERS

1. The Ocean- “Aeolian”
2. Gojira- “From Mars to Sirius”
3. Sepultura- “Dante XXI”
4. Om- “Conference of the Birds”
5. Intronaut- “Void”
6. Vore- “Maleficus”
7. Confessor- “Unraveled”
8. Daylight Dies- “Dismantling Devotion”
9. Helmet- “Monochrome”
10. (The) Melvins- “(A) Senile Animal”
11. Indian- “The Unquiet Sky”
12. Volumen- “Science Faction”
13. Totimoshi- “Ladrón”
14. Incantatio-, “Primordial Domination”
15. Don Caballero-“World Class Listening Problem”

Biggest Disappointment: that metalcore isn’t being taken over more quickly by traditional metal!

DAN ZIDAR

The Gathering “Home”
Mogwai “Mr. Beast”
Mono “You Are There”
Dim Mak “Knives Of Ice”
Jesu “Silver”
Zombi “Surface To Air”
Katatonia “The Great Cold Distance”
Daylight Dies “Dismantling Devotion”
The Daysleepers “The Soft Attack”
Agalloch “Ashes Against The Grain”
Enslaved “Ruun”
Mouth Of The Architect “The Ties That Blind”
Killing Joke “Hosannas From The Basements Of Hell”
Neko Case “Fox Confessor Brings The Flood”
General Surgery “Left Hand Pathology”

FRED PHILLIPS

1. Lamb of God – “Sacrament”
2. Poisonblack – “Lust-Stained Despair”
3. Trivium – “The Crusade”
4. Rebel Meets Rebel -“s/t”
5. Jon Oliva’s Pain – “Maniacal Renderings”
6. Into Eternity – “The Scattering of Ashes”
7. Amon Amarth – “With Oden on Our Side”
8. Strapping Young Lad – “The New Black”
9. Kiuas – “Reformation”
10. In Flames – “Come Clarity”
11. Slayer – “Christ Illusion”
12. Angel Blake – “s/t”
13. Stonegard – “Arrows”
14. Cannibal Corpse – “Kill”
15. Beyond Fear – “s/t”

Biggest disappointment: Black Label Society – “Shot to Hell”

SHANE WOLFENSBERGER

1. Agalloch – “Ashes Against The Grain”
2. Scar Symmetry – “Pitch Black Progress”
3. Amon Amarth – “With Oden On Our Side”
4. Saturnus – “Veronika Decides To die”
5. Novembre – “Materia”
6. Doom:VS – “Aternum Vale”
7. Insomnium – “Above The Weeping World”
8. Katatonia- “The Great Cold distance”
9. Daylight Dies – “Dismantling Devotion”
10. Kalmah – “The Black Waltz”
11. Noumena – “Anatomy of Life”
12. Into Eternity – “The Scattering of Ashes”
13. Gojira – “From Mars to Sirius”
14. Asunder- “Works Will Come Undone”
15. All That Remains – “The Fall Of Ideals”

Biggest Disappointment: Shadows Fall

BRENT MITTLESTADT

1. Amon Amarth – “With Oden On Our Side”
2. Agalloch – “Ashes Against the Grain”
3. Cult of Luna – “Somewhere Along the Highway”
4. I – “Between Two Worlds”
5. Converge – “No Heroes”
6. Isis – “In the Absence of Truth”
7. Genghis Tron – “Dead Mountain Mouth”
8. Drudkh – “Blood In Our Wells”
9. Burst – “Origo”
10. Cancer Bats – “Birthing the Giant”

Most Disappointing Album: Arsis – United in Regret