Best of 2017

1) Akercocke - Renaissance in Extremis

I'm always a bit apprehensive when a loved band from the past returns from an extended hiatus. It's been ten years since Antichrist, long enough for there to be some cobwebs to brush off, rusty joints in need of lubrication. This is prejudice however, a prejudice which polluted my perception of the first couple spins of Renaissance in Extremis. The more I listened to this, the more it became clear these musicians did not take ten years off from music. The caliber of song-writing here is the best Akercocke has ever put to album. The musical skill exhibited so tight, so articulate, so filled with purpose it's obvious these musicians have been using the past ten years in their respective home studios and with other projects polishing their chops, becoming better, preparing for something they may not have been aware of before the decision to release a new Akercocke album. The stars aligned for these smartly-dressed London gentlemen and I doubt it'll be the last time.

Best of 2017

2) Pallbearer - Heartless

There seems to be an unwritten rule understood by miserable musicians. The rule states that sad music must not have hooks, that hooks are too joyful for sad music. Very few bands rebel against this and the best of this minority happens to be Pallbearer. The music on Heartless bleeds misery while each song packs enough hooks to make this expression truly memorable. Bleak music is at its best when it has the ability to haunt you, to serve as soundtrack to overcast days and singular, solemn moments. The hooks here could be in the form of a soaring, sing-along chorus or something more subtle, a fleeting over-driven guitar lead with the perfect amount of delay to assist the memory in holding on to it. Heartless is full of these moments, but the reason Pallbearer made it to my number two spot this year is the final track, "A Plea For Understanding." Over the course of its ambitious 12 minute run-time, this final track is melancholy manifest, a perfectly written song that teases and tugs the heart strings before ripping them clean out of your chest by the time the chorus hits. While most albums from past years will gradually lose their place in my rotation, Heartless will have permanence there as long as I'm breathing.

Best of 2017

3) Caligula's Horse - In Contact

Ordering my Top 3 is always a burden and the only reason this album comes in third is because of an emotional connection with the two remaining bands. In Contact is a lovely album, certainly the most accessible on this list, the most optimistic, the most uplifting. Its existence on such an angry list is testament to the song-writing contained. This group of songs is so incredibly hooky, memorable, anthemic. I challenge any rabble to listen and not want to learn the lyrics immediately in order to join the unabashed exuberance with atonal glee. And while singing along, melodic leads will get locked in memory, Vai and Petrucci at their respective peaks come immediately to mind when reviewing the guitar work here. Why this didn't show up on more lists this year befuddles me completely, but hopefully this mention will get at least one or two people to give it a shot.

Best of 2017

4) Igorrr - Savage Sinusoid

Gautier Serre, the individual known as Igorrr, may as well have a reserved place on my year end list. With each release Serre confirms further his obsession with the creation of music. Each composition is an explosion of ideas, some with no discernible influence, plucked out of the ether. This release in particular begins in a very harsh way, out of context screams followed by crushing electric riffage and nonsensical barks. As the album progresses he introduces more tender moments building on each other, operatic passages, harpsichord, percussive sampling, concert piano, and lots of accordion. Among all the instruments piled to the sky, the songs are broken up with spontaneous fits of electronic break-core fragments and stutters. It all coalesces into something unique and in a world full of derivative nonsense, something this strange should be appreciated.

Best of 2017

5) Dodecahedron - Kwintessens

More and more black metal bands seem to be dipping a toe into the progressive realm as of late. I'm not sure why black metal lends itself to forays into the progressive, maybe the counter-culture origins of original black metal provoke budding musicians to extend counter-culture into meta-culture, meta-existence. All I know is I'm a fan of progressive anything, as long as some innovation is expressed, some new ideas exposed, some new emotions and states of mind explored. You can easily draw connections between Dodecahedron's sound and that of Deathspell Omega, revolutionaries of progressive black metal, but though I will acknowledge the comparison, Dodecahedron has a decidedly more industrial, mechanical approach to their music. Kwintessens sounds like a machine churning human existence, processing it, crushing it into nothingness. Easily the most difficult listen on my list this year and only suitable for the unabashed nihilists who revel in the horror of non-existence.

Best of 2017

6) Exhumed - Death Revenge

And here I thought goregrind was dead and buried. I haven't heard even a half-way decent goregrind album since Skinless's Trample the Weak, and before that Impaled's Mondo Medicale. Not to say there has been a lack of content from the genre, the content is just the same as it always has been, speed, guts, and little substance. Then Exhumed released a concept album, that's right, a complete script, not just random bits of anatomic butchery, but a narrative to give it all context. Now that alone would've caught my attention, but the song-writing is the best of the genre to date. The riffs are fresh and razor-sharp chock full of motifs that carry through the course of the album, the solos cut through the dissonant tension built by the bludgeoning riffage with vigorous aplomb, and the three vocal stylings finally have the structure of different characters to fully explore their range. The story unfolds like a blood-soaked nightmare and while certainly not for everyone, those who enjoy b-movie splatter should take notice.

Best of 2017

7) Converge - The Dusk in Us

With the brutal hardcore album covered, it's time to talk about the nuanced hardcore album of the year. There was a lot riding on this album, some would say too much. Converge has a legacy to live up to and thankfully The Dusk in Us does not disappoint. The beauty of Converge is their ability to balance the most scathing music with occasional tender emotion and introspection. Those addicted to extreme emotion, extreme expression should do themselves a favor and give this some time. Eardrums will be pierced, cheeks will be damp, sleep will be difficult and it'll all be completely worth it.

Best of 2017

8) Valborg - Endstrand

The few times I dipped into hardcore this year I was pleasantly surprised. A year like this is bound to have a few raw, caustic manifestations of nihilism, Integrity and Code Orange immediately come to mind. That being said a very non-hardcore album managed to sate my hunger for hardcore this year. Valborg has been all over the map as of late and Endstrand is by far their angriest album to date. Everything is very straightforward and minimal, from the riffs to the occasional song where the only words barked are that of the track title repeated over and over again, but for some reason I can't just dismiss this as bare barbarism. Endstrand oozes with swagger from beginning to end in the most punishing way possible and while each scrap of rusty aural abuse might seem simplistic, the savagery in their delivery is what makes Valborg illuminated in the long night of angry music.

Best of 2017

9) Chelsea Wolfe - Hiss Spun

Chelsea Wolfe has been just outside direct line of sight for some time and with Hiss Spun it's time for me to pay respect. She's obviously an artist who isn't afraid to get a little frayed and grimy, residing in the cross-section of strange avant-garde and metal along with Myrkur, Subrosa, and Julie Christmas. Wolfe has a haunting delivery that takes time to warm up to. There are hooks on here but they aren't immediately rewarding because they're buried in dissonance and walls of distortion. Hiss Spun needs time to sink its teeth in, but once it does little melodies will get trapped somewhere in the consciousness like worms working their way into the deeper gray matter adjacent to memories of old jingles and Led Zeppelin riffs.

Best of 2017

10) Bell Witch - Mirror Reaper

Can a singular idea be stretched, molded, transformed into a compelling 60+ minute album? I was very skeptical upon first spins of this record. The fact that there's only a single track here is scary enough, making you think the only way to consume is all in one sitting. It took a while before I was able to justify spending the time with a full listen and even when I did the skepticism didn't immediately fade, but it did grow softer stoking some strange curiosity strong enough to provoke the second spin. Over time I grew to love this album, not for its variety or number of ideas, but for its purity. The existential sadness expressed here through simple melodies and lyrical poetry is worth drowning in if you can make the time to do so.

Best of 2017

Introduction

Remember that optimism I attempted to express in the preamble to my list of 2016? Well... it now requires a bit more struggling, straining to swim toward shore with an undercurrent persistently tugging at the ankles. Solid ground seems a pipe dream and progress can be made only with the sacrifice of neighbors and friends experiencing the same struggle. Given the turn toward something closer to general pessimism it seems much more appropriate that I listen to the music I have chosen for the following list of reviews. It is angry and hateful, misanthropic and cold, and it helps to temporarily wash the frustration from present thought. We can look at January 1st as a symbolic fresh start to get us up in the morning, but Trump is still our president, success only comes to parasites feeding on the willfully ignorant or disadvantaged, artists are discouraged from innovation and encouraged to create trite, innocuous fodder, and the environment which sustains us has fallen past all tipping points on its inevitable descent toward abject wasteland. I will not deny the possibility of turning the ship around, but let's be honest about exactly what we're toasting our champagne to at the close of 2017.

Best of 2016

1) Vektor - Terminal Redux

I don't like thrash. It's always sounded like music for denim-clad speed freaks with a police record. Megadeth is the worst and Metallica was only good when they were crying about the atrocities of war. I just have no interest in listening to that same god damn galloping beat and the forgettable riffs played on top with no merit other than speed. Yet here I am picking a thrash album for my number one of 2016. Terminal Redux transcends what I perceived thrash to be in every way imaginable. The riffs and leads aren't only played at tremendous speed, they're memorable and moving. The drumming is excellently articulate, twisting and churning, creating tension and release. The vocals are gritty and wonderfully dynamic while still being very thrashy. And this is a science fiction concept album which is just icing on top of a genre leveling cake. Terminal Redux is thrash for people who think, people who need substance with their speed and it should be the new benchmark for what thrash strives to be going forward.

Best of 2016

2) Radiohead - A Moon Shaped Pool

It only took one spin for me to be absolutely sure this was going to be very high on my year end list. Among all the metal it may come as a surprise, but I still contend I'm not a metalhead really. The music just has to be so god damn challenging and absurd to get my attention and the loud, weird stuff is like hard drugs. This isn't loud, though it is a little weird, as all Radiohead albums are. The reason this album made my list while others in past years haven't sounds so obvious to me, although it may be a subtle difference to someone not living within my skull. A Moon Shaped Pool sounds like Radiohead in their purest form. Each song seems very simple on the surface and yet so affecting, more and more with subsequent spins. There are melodies on display here that instantly wormed their way into the deepest parts of my memory. I imagine hearing them during important events involving death and love. I find myself humming them during my quieter moments. It's that sort of emotional response that secures my number two spot in 2016. Go ahead and listen to it if you haven't already.

Best of 2016

3) Katatonia - The Fall of Hearts

Just when I thought Katatonia was leaning toward crowd pleasing, paint by numbers albums they release this enigmatic gem. The Fall of Hearts begins abruptly and in the brief moment of that false start they create an environment of music that sounds somehow alien. All the hallmark Katatonia trademarks are there, but this time they're arranged in a dizzying way, intoxicating and seductive. The entire album follows in the same way and due to the consistent caliber of songwriting, no one song stands out as a possible single. It's all just a lovely experience beginning to end. To say this is my favorite Katatonia album would be doing disservice to the emotional toll this band has taken on me over the years, but it's certainly one of their best. It's oddness reminds me of Still Life by Opeth. Still Life was unquestionably Opethian, but listen after listen it felt like it was composed in a slightly alternative universe. I experience the same feeling here and it's infinitely enjoyable.

Best of 2016

4) Deathspell Omega - The Synarchy of Molten Bones

While Départe represents a fresh take on modern black metal, Deathspell Omega represent the sophisticated veteran. They have been holding themselves to a higher standard since they started out and at this point their sound, their approach to music, is undeniably recognizable. This album is, however, different from previous efforts. Just to create a timeline, Fas – Ite, Maledicti, in Ignem Aeternum released in 2007 had a considerable amount of space primarily in the form of cavernous interludes of haunting atmosphere between blasts. The follow-up Paracletus used space in a different way, mixing it into the compositions, slowing down the momentum of certain tracks, giving the record the opportunity for a bludgeoning, heart-rending finale. The Synarchy of Molten Bones has no space. It distills a signature sound down to the purest essence of horror. The album taken all it once may leave the memory of one long dissonant blast, but given patience and repeated listens there are themes here to hold on to. It certainly takes effort to dissect, to access the finer details, but those who do will be rewarded with the best black metal experience of 2016.

Best of 2016

5) Ihsahn - Arktis.

Ihsahn never quite left my radar, but he was getting damn close to making sure my expectations were low. I haven't been on board with his output since After in 2010, but I'm glad to say he's back writing compelling music. The primary difference between this record and the last couple seems to be something intangible and only a perceived projection of what I feel. Forced to describe it I would say he had a lot of fun writing this record because I have so much fun listening to it. The songs contained run the gamut of influences from black metal to classic rock to a lost Paul Gilbert record so the final product is a little unfocused and unwieldy, yet no less enjoyable. Arktis. sounds like a great guitarist writing great memorable tunes in tribute to the music he loved growing up and learned to love as he got older. I hope he continues to have this much fun going forward.

Best of 2016

6) Départe - Failure, Subside

I feign patience in the face of myriad young gents claiming to be so much more evil and cult than the greats of the black metal canon, but it's all for show. Tremolo picking, cheesy shrieking, and poems in worship of the dark lord are just too common and it bores me to tears to see yet another album cover with some gnarled dude looking as nekro as he possibly can. That's why if asked I can't say I love black metal anymore. I have to qualify it by saying, "I only like black metal that stands apart from the heard." It can come with adjectives like progressive or avant-garde, but what's important is that it stirs up some new emotion or capitalizes on some new idea. Failure, Subside is exactly what I look for in a black metal album. They take influence from the veterans while crafting something fresh and haunting. As a debut, this album represents a brief glimmer of hope in a near impenetrable murk of stagnation and I'll be keeping an eye out for the sophomore effort.

Best of 2016

7) Katalepsy - Gravenous Hour

Tons of brutal/technical death metal this year and a lot of it was very good. Obscura, Wormed, Deviant Process, all had great albums and this was a tough call, but Gravenous Hour was the finest moment in 2016 for death metal to my ears. The brutality on display here is crushing, but amidst the requisite palm-muting majesty are some of the best guitar leads to come out of the genre since, well... the last Katalepsy record. What can I say, this band has never disappointed. Many will disagree and I'll readily admit Wormed was more brutal, Obscura more technical, but Katalepsy does both absurdly well and that takes a hell of a lot of talent and devotion to something inherently very ugly. Who needs sugar and shine when you can make ears bleed and necks break.

Best of 2016

8) Wormrot - Voices

Wormrot has been on my radar for a while, but for some reason I've never taken them that seriously. It's extremely possible I just wasn't angry or frustrated enough in the past to add them to the soundtrack of life. This year was at times dark and Voices was a bit of aural violence to give the burgeoning chaos a little context. Of all the records on my list this would be the last I'd recommend though because it is, after all, a grind record. You can't just get into this album without appreciating noisy, raucous music. If you're curious about it I'd gladly suggest a few punk records, then a few hardcore records, then a few grind records and then it might be a little more manageable of an experience, but until then, listeners beware.

Best of 2016

9) Spirit Adrift - Chained to Oblivion

I'm a sucker for classic bluesy doom, ask anybody. Spirit Adrift is the best doom of the year and almost unbelievably the whole thing is written and recorded by one guy. Listening to this is a true testament to how technology has enabled us to learn anything, to create anything as long as we have the requisite passion. I should subtract points because I value teamwork and compromise but this record is just too good to not cherish the vision of the one guy, Nate Garrett. There are hooks and riffs on here that easily rival the latest from Pallbearer, a group of gents at the absolute top of their game. As far as I know this record flew well under the radar of awareness this year and it's a damn shame because rolling down the road with Chained to Oblivion thundering was good fun.

Best of 2016

10) Perturbator - The Uncanny Valley

I've wanted to pay homage to synthwave for some time now, but this is the first time a major release from the genre really deserves it. The Uncanny Valley is a remarkable piece of period music. The period is most certainly 80's and this sounds authentically 80's, polished up and ready to be the soundtrack for quasi-futuristic dystopian cinema. Letting the imagination run while spinning this record brings images of blazing neon car chases, slick street fighting in leather, human v. technology quandaries, etc, etc. I really do think this is the high water mark of the synthwave movement so far, but there is a glaring opportunity for whoever wants to follow this record's lead. Two songs on here blow all other material away for the simple reason of having vocals, a narrative to follow. This record begs to be a cinematic experience and without the accompanying film it needs a story to keep us engaged. Tracks 5 and 8 are examples of how to make synthwave as effective as possible and I hope like-minded composers take note.

Postscript - I don't believe in censorship so the original cover art is presented. If it offends you feel free to find your PG rated, vanilla flavored life elsewhere.