Best Music Of 2016

With the season's greetings and the year ending, let's go with the mandatory year end lists of 2016. Here at Le Mot du Melomaniaque we have reviewed more than a hundred records and this I did it all alone while having a day job and a young family.

I have a theory that those lists mostly assembled in November and December of each year are biased by the recent releases and the fact that many list makers want to get the latest albums an early praise.

Here's my final take on 2016 and it is worth as much as any other list out there. (There is no text with just links to the proper reviews.)

Record Of The Month: December 2016

With all the year end lists we kind of forgot the best records of December. Well, this one's a major release for me and it needed an highlight.

INTER ARMA - Paradise Gallows

Inter Arma - Paradise Gallows (2016, Relapse Records)

Looking back at the year that was 2016 in music, we mainly focused on albums that we received promos except for the exceptional albums that came out and that we felt were too important to be left out of our review database. The case of Inter Arma’s Paradise Gallows is interesting because we didn’t received it and I was not sure about it either. How wrong was I?

CRUCIFY ME GENTLY - Circles

Crucify Me Gently - Circles (2016, self-released)

Crucify Me Gently is not a gentle band in anything they are doing and Circles is a demonstration of their Deathcore assault. Right out of Ukraine, C.M.G. is blending the Death into the Metalcore.

AENAON - Hypnosophy

Aenaon - Hypnosophy (2016, Code666 Records)

When I first read the description of Aenaon’s music as Progressive Black Metal I was expecting another Post Black Metal platter that 2016 has been dumping all over the music reviewers. I could not be more wrong. As this Greek band was completely new to me it was such a pleasant surprise to discover an album that reminded me of the Avant-garde Metal of Ved Buens Ende, Arcturus, and the 2015 LMDM Record of the Year™ A Umbra Omega from Dodheimsgard. For once, you have the promess of a Progressive record that is really progressive.

SWANS - The Glowing Man

Swans - The Glowing Man (2016, Young God Records)

Another behemoth piece of music from Swans has been released in June this year and I could not pass the fact that despite my pure enjoyment of this release and catching The Glowing Man tour in July, I deliberately procrastinated to write this review for a good six months. Frontman and band leader, Michael Gira is a generous artist that offers another double LP and lots of liner notes to his songs. As he states on his Bandcamp page, Gira will continue to make music under the Swans moniker but with different collaborators and will pull the plug to the incarnation of the band that he restarted in 2009. The conclusion of this chapter of Swans is just a way to continue into a new direction.

KERKER - Ban All Lights

Kerker - Ban All Lights (2016, Nihilistische KlangKunst)

After a couple of years as an unpaid music reviewer, no the bosses at LMDM don’t provide any pay but they let us walk without our chains ten minutes per day, you get a flair for the new to little known bands just at gazing the artwork or a first full listen. Two options are in your face for almost nine times out of ten : the record sounds a lot like the current trends or it is an emulate of a Golden era of the said genre. In the case of the Germans of Kerker and their LP Ban All Lights this is the second option.

SCALPTURE - Panzerdoktrine

Scalpture - Panzerdoktrine (2016, Final Gate Records)

When every Death Metal enthusiast got around Sonoran Depravity lately and jizzed his pants a couple of times at the upcoming tour of Gatecreeper, the Germans of Scalpture took a spin at the sound of Death Metal from Bolt Thrower to the Swedish buzzing sound of Entombed. This is another take on the classics of the genre.

MAYHEM - De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas Alive

Mayhem - De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas Alive (2016, self-released)

Does this band and the studio album of this live recording still needs an introduction? Coming out of Norway in the Second Wave of Black Metal, De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas was released in 1993 after Varg Vikernes , the bassist player,  was imprisoned for stabbing to death Euronymous (Oystein Aarseth) the guitarist. Mayhem became the most infamous band in the world. Prior to this, their previous vocalist Dead shot himself in the head and was the subject of this live record (not for the faint of hearts). So to record vocals on the album Attila Csihar of Tormentor was hired and is not credited for his duties. His vocals were far from the usual shrieks Black Metal was used to. Considered by many, including the writer of these lines, as one of the ultimate Black Metal albums of all time DMDS was never played entirely live before Black Christmas 2015.

GREYABLAZE - GreyAblaze

GreyAblaze - GreyAblaze (2016, Ashen Dominion)

Lately, a plethora of Black Metal bands have been coming out of Russia and Ukraine because let’s face it, Slavonics and Scandinavians share a near North Pole geographic location. Also in high numbers, the quantity of Post-Black Metal acts that are growing like mushrooms on this old cheese you’ve got in the back of your fridge. So, to be considered interesting those bands need to get their A game to get their head out of the bunch.

KRATORNAS - Devoured By Damnation

Kratornas - Devoured By Damnation (2016, Grathila Records)

The two man project blending Black Metal and Grindcore formed of Zachariah (vocals, guitars, bass) and GB Guzzarin (drums) releases its third LP this December. Originally from the Philippines, front man Zachariah is now based in Canada and it is its first recordings with a human drummer. As a drummer myself, I couldn’t be more thrilled about that.

Record Of The Month: November 2016

As the months go by, we are already in December and pretty all of the year has passed before our eyes. There are many year end lists coming out already and I can't lie but I've been compiled numbers and albums since a couple of weeks myself. Since, this is a part time blog I can't listen to everything and I'm even struggling to actually listen to promos I would like to listen to. However, for the month of November I have a clear winner that makes lots of sense to me. 

NATVRE'S - Wrath

Natvre’s - Wrath (2016, Argento Records)

Back in Ancient times, Greece was a strong military force and was a rich culture of Arts, sports (they invented the Olympics back when it was still admirable), discipline, philosophy, and great mariners. Nowadays, their Black Metal is one of the finest and Natvre’s first LP, Wrath, released in limited copies back in December 21st 2015 got sold out almost as soon as it hit the streets. Lately, this November the Dutch label Argento Records released Wrath on CD. It was a wise move by the label because Natvre’s is one hell of an Hellenic band.

TERRA - Mors Secundos

Terra - Mors Secundos (2016, Code666)

As everyone’s getting tired of Blackgaze, and West Coast Black Metal of the likes of Wolves In The Throne Room and Panopticon, East Coasters of Krallice are calling it their most prolific era with another record coming up in December, a little known band from Cambridge, England, Terra are following the experimental path of the later band. It is not a surprise that the record was mastered by Colin Marston (Krallice, Gorguts, Dysrhythmia, Behold… The Arctopus, Byla) and goes beyond lo-fi Black Metal with elements of Drone and Post-Rock.