ANTICOSM – Anticosm

Anticosm – Anticosm (2015, Born of Chaos Records)

In the vein of the Thrash metal revival of the five last years, Anticosm is a New Jersey band that likes to mix genres and use the template of Black/Thrash metal. With melodic riffings and fast songs like the opener ‘’Kill or Be Killed’’ they set a pace for fans of Destruction, Sodom, and many other early German Thrash metal manifestations.

ABYTHIC – A Full Negation of Existence [EP]

Abythic – A Full Negation of Existence [EP] (2015, Metal Inquisition Records)

Coming from Germany, Old School Death metal band, Abythic, has released an interesting EP containing four songs of pure growls à la Bolt Thrower, Asphyx, and Grave. With a melodic guitar riffing accompanying their simple but yet effective pounding sound of a perfect blend between American Death metal and European melodic oriented acts, Abythic represents a little bit of everything every Death metal fan is looking for.

HEERVADER / ANCESTOR'S BLOOD [Split]

Heervader / Ancestor’s Blood [Split] (2015, Heidens Hart Records)

Originally announced many years ago as a 7" EP split, this was upgraded to a full length album split, featuring over 20 minutes of unique music for both bands. It was expanded for two reasons: the first for not wanting to split up the three Heervader tracks, as they were originally written and recorded as three songs part of a whole. The second reason was the high quality recordings that were made of Ancestors Blood's last ever live appearance at the 2014 Veneration Of The Dead festival in the Netherlands. Three songs were picked from this magical ritual, as they are way too good to be left on the shelves.

BONE GNAWER – Canale Di Carneficina [EP]

Bone Gnawer – Canale Di Carneficina [EP](2015, Metal Inquisition Records)

This EP of crushing Death metal from Bone Gnawer comes in a time when Rogga Johansson just left the band to form other projects like Echelon’s strong first offering. Here we are in the Incantation, Cannibal Corpse, and Suffocation Death metal territories with Bone Gnawer.

SADIST – Hyena

Sadist – Hyena (2015, Scarlet Records)

Legendary Italian Death metallers of Sadist have done it again with another really tight record that keeps this genre that is mixing early Death metal and Thrash into a progressive territory.

Best Metal of 2015

This is a companion piece to my Top 10 Best music of 2015.

Best Music of 2015

Here it is the mandatory year end list; my own top 10 of the best music of 2015. Surprise, no Adele!

Enjoy and please share your picks!

IL VUOTO - Weakness

Il Vuoto - Weakness (2015, Satanarsa Records)

This North Italian one-man project by Matteo Gruppi (Chiral) is a 2015 phenomenon that is in vein with Bell Witch, Skepticism, and other Funeral Doom metal new projects.

COSTIN CHIOREANU – The Quest For A Morning Star

Music Review : Costin Chioreanu – The Quest For A Morning Star (2015, Avantgarde Music)

Written and recorded to raise funds for the victims of the Bucharest fire that happened on October 30 2015 at the Collective nightclub that killed 60 people and injured 151. The profits of this release will be donated to pay medical bills and funeral expenses of those who have been affected by the fire.

GRAVE FORSAKEN – The Fight Goes On

Music Review : Grave Forsaken – The Fight Goes On (2015, Soundmass)

Just like Iron Maiden and New Wave equal the 1980’s, thrash metal more often than not is the same case if not a nostalgia of a time or a form of music once iconic but now a shadow of itself. In fact, don’t even get me started about power metal. However, when I discover a band worth my notice I won’t stop at its genre or music boundary in any form.

NEURONIA – Under The Same Sky

Music Review : Neuronia – Under The Same Sky (2015, Self-released)

Straight out of Poland, Neuronia have released their third full lenght record on December 14th and are preaching the Heavy/Thrash metal flag high and loud. In the vein of Trial or Trivium, Neuronia makes contemporary thrash metal of short songs and orthodox song structures for the genre.

ECHELON - Indulgence over Abstinence Behind the Obsidian Veil

Music Review : Echelon - Indulgence over Abstinence Behind the Obsidian Veil (2015, Metal Inquisition Records)

With frontman Dave Ingram (ex-Bolt Thrower and ex-Benediction) and Rogga Johansson of numerous projects on all instruments, Echelon is an old-school Death metal monolithic band of grand scale. The familiar Bolt Thrower vocals of Englishman Ingram are one thing that helps the familiarity of the sound of Echelon while Johansson pounds on the drums and plays all the instruments just as good as any four piece band.

MGLA - Exercises in Futility

Mgła – Exercises in Futility (2015, No Solace | Northern Heritage)

While it almost felt into my blindspot category of 2015, the third full length album by Polish black metallers, Mgła, is one of the most celebrated releases of the genre this year. With six intense songs of pure black metal with a melodic undertone of a solid yet typical guitar riffing. Typical but above the rest in contemporary black metal. Exercises in Futility unravels as this complete and dense album that delivers a true to the best of the heritage of the genre but also with a contemporary production that give justice to the grandeur and depth of their music.

SIVYJ YAR – Burial Shrouds

Music Review : Sivyj Yar – Burial Shrouds (2015, Avantgarde Music)

Highly prolific band or one man band, Sivyj Yar (an ancient deity of Slavs) and its sole member Vladimir from Russia, has released five albums since 2009. With lyrics recalling the early times of Varg Vikernes in the infamous Norwegian black metal scene, Sivyj Yar is navigating between thrash metal, black metal, avant-garde, and even post-rock. There’s also a huge sensibility of progressive rock of the 1970’s and a bit of distant shoegazing that the music evokes.

ABSOLUTUS - Pugnare in iis quae obtinere non possis

Music Review : Absolutus - Pugnare in iis quae obtinere non possis (2015, Heidens Hart Records)

Coming out of Belgium, Absolutus are a nihilistic black metal band that has evolve from a traditional black metal sound to a more experimental ensemble creating eerie atmospheres and out of this world darkness. As a contemporary black metal release at 33 minutes this is a concise record. This really pays off as the band shows tenure and a great use of editing.

CRYPT SERMON – Out of the Garden

Crypt Sermon – Out of the Garden (2015, Dark Descent)

Getting into the album Out of the Garden took me a while and despite all the praise and positive buzz around the album, I was not able to complete a listen of the entire album since it came out. So in an attempt to complete my year end lists I revisited earlier releases of 2015 and I fell on Crypt Sermon and saw that Pitchfork, Angry Metal Guy +1, and even Fenriz even put it on their essentials. So like the good sheep that I am I followed those shepherds to finally find what they heard that I didn’t.

HEIMSDALLS WACHT – Der Untergang der alten Welt

Music Review : Heimsdalls Wacht – Der Untergang der alten Welt (2006-2015, Heidens Hart Records)

Rising from the earth of Gemany in 2004, Heimsdalls Wacht are a duo performing solid revivalist black metal from the early 1990’s à la Gorgoroth, Satyricon, and Ulver. Without falling into the corny Darkthrone or Emperor wannabe easy path that too many trve Norwegian black metal acts have fell into, Heimsdalls Wacht have a solid and well produced piece of metal.

CULT LEADER - Lightess Walk

Music Review : Cult Leader -  Lightess Walk (2015, Deathwish)

The label Deathwish of Converge member Jacob Bannon has been releasing iconoclastic underground bands since its debuts. With the latest release of Cult Leader’s Lightless Walk, we are into Converge-like territories of the Jane Doe era. Read here : a hardcore band that is playing on the boundaries of many genres of metal.

BEATEN TO DEATH - Unplugged

Beaten to Death - Unplugged (2015, Mas-Kina)

Back in my college years I had a huge grindcore kick and I spined bands like Brutal Truth, Spazz, Soilent Green, Anal Cunt, Agoraphobic Nosebleed, Swallowing Shit, Pig Destroyer, Rotten Sound, and Nasum. When Mieszko Talarczyk, Nasum frontman died in the infamous Thailand tsunamis back in 2004, my interest kind of slowed down a bit. Mainly because Nasum was the best grindcore band of the moment and the genre was getting a bit tired on me.

WINDHAND – Grief’s Infernal Flower

Windhand – Grief’s Infernal Flower (2015, Relapse)

With the explosion of doom metal bands of the recent years, Windhand have maintained a slight advance in their popularity even when they went too into their own music with Soma. However, with the much awaited Grief’s Infernal Flower they finally release an album that has depth, flavor, and uniformity.

What stands out the most in this mastery of the Black Sabbath genre is the presence of singer Dorthia Cottrell with her hypnotic exact voice. She is haunting and she is the reason this album might be the best doom metal release of 2015 and without a doubt the best Windhand record to date.

8.0

CORRECTIONS HOUSE – Know How To Carry a Whip

Corrections House – Know How To Carry a Whip (2015, Neurot)

Formed of Scott Kelly (Neurosis), Bruce Lamont (Yakuza), Mike IX Williams (Eyehategod), Sanford Parker (Minsk) and Seward Fairbury, Corrections House is the cohesive collaboration of those great minds in the making of the sophomore album that is Know How To Carry a Whip.

With Industrial sonorities and the perfect balance of aggressivity and heaviness, Corrections House developped a grey coloured album that is bleak and uninvinting. Upcaling all the Ministry wannabes, the Neurosis sound and the groove of Eyehategod produce a nice effect to counter the repetitive blandness of the Industrial genre. Merging noise and sludge and the ever influence of Swans, KHTCaW is certainly a must for 2015.

At my first listen I was not sure about the album but as with the repeated listens I dived more and more into the qualities and themes that CH have brought with their second album.

8.3

ROYAL HEADACHE- High

Royal Headache - High (2015, What’s Your Rupture?)

Not being a fan of garage rock doesn’t make me repulsive about it at all. This is why I plugged into Royal Headache’s High with not much expectations. It was probably for the best. With the first song I got hooked and I liked every song with pretty much the same appreciation. This is the kind of record I would put on repeat in my car while driving the nine hours ride to NYC that I do countless times.

This is also a record I would recommend to many of my musician friends that are vinyls aficionados. In fact, I bet this record is fantastic on a turntable. Worth mentioning, I listened to the digital version of this album.

8.0

The Body & Krieg

The Body & Krieg (2015, At a Loss)

According to Wikipedia The Body is a sludge metal band. Well, if you take this source as the unique way to be informed you may be wrong and when on bandcamp we learn that Chip King is the voice and Neill Jameson from the American black metal act Krieg adds harsh vocals. Just like the description aforementioned, The Body & Krieg is the result of long recording sessions. It sounds like songs devopped out of repeated beats and sound explorations. You may add the terms industrial and noise to the mix.

With structures reminding of Godflesh and even Swans, the screeches are rougher than many black metal outfits. It might not be the most accessible record of the Industrial revival but probably an interesting offering for the genre.

Personally, I doubt I will be repeating my listens of this record even if I find it to be unique and genuine. It lacks of real evolution and appeal.

5.9

BJÖRK - Vulnicura

Björk - Vulnicura (2015, One Little Indian)

Iceland’s musicians have a sobriety and a dark approach to music that few artists have achieved. Just look at the wide audience of the masters of Sigur Ros. While established and world reknowned Björk is one of Scandinavia’s most praised artist.

HORRENDOUS - Araneta

Horrendous - Araneta (2015, Dark Descent)

In the recent years many genres have stagnate and left fans biting again and again in their old classics saying : they don’t make them like this anymore. Even the greats like Iron Maiden and Slayer have more or less missed the mark this year.