Best of 2021

 1) Mefitis - Offscourings

It should be clear that up until this moment all of the albums chosen fit squarely into place within a genre. Whether or not genre defining is in fashion, I tend to rely on the rigorous classifications. It helps me see the big picture. If all the bands I listen to fit neatly into a movement I can see the flow of that movement with time. I can see which bands are producing derivative work, which are combining influences in an attempt to create the new.

Mefitis has me mostly stumped. They self-identify as "dark metal" which doesn't convey anything other than a brazen attempt to eschew genre classification. They broadly take influence from death and black metal, but they are certainly something of an enigma when you start looking closer at the song construction. Listening to these tracks reminds me mostly of the indefinable quality some of the originators of death metal were playing with. The best comparison I can make is to Edge of Sanity. EoS had a song-writing approach that focused on the narrative expression of their music. Not only would the lyrics tell a story, but the song itself, the guitar leads, rhythms, and key changes would be guide along the journey of the listening experience.

This appears to be the approach Mefitis is taking on Offscourings. The music here is following a narrative, and by doing so it doesn't align with genre expectations. When the genre dictates this part should go here, that one there, play a solo here, don't forget a hook, Mefitis says "No thanks, we're busy telling a story." Not only is this album impressive on its own merit, but this is the band I'm most excited to follow from my list this year. These young gents have a clear vision and make no compromises in that vision. As they mature and ask more questions about who they are and what their voice sounds like, I have no doubt the music will do that same.