Best metal albums 2012 #40-31

It has been a while since I updated my blog, so I decided to pick up where I left. This year has been great with lots of surprises, disappointments and totally mind blown albums. This year I decided to write a review only for the top 20 albums, but I will publish my picks from #40.

40. Oak Pantheon: From A Whisper
 (Folk / Black Metal, USA)

Preview: It


39. Eternal Helcaraxe: Against All Odds 
(Pagan Black Metal, Ireland)

Preview: We Assist Death


38. Evadne: The Shortest Way
(Death Doom, Portugal)

Preview: Album Teaser


37. Wodensthrone: Curse
(Black Metal, United Kingdom)

Preview: Battle Lines


36. Barren Earth: The Devil's Resolve
(Death Doom, Finland)

Preview: The Rains Begin


35. Process Of Guilt: Fæmin
(Doom/Sludge, Portugal) 

Preview: Faemin (Full Album)


34. Sigh: In Somniphobia
(Avant-garde Black Metal, Japan)

Preview: The Transfiguration Fear

33. Okera: A Beautiful Dystopia 
(Death Doom, Australia)

Preview: A Beautiful Dystopia
 


32. Wildernessking: The Writing Of Gods In The Sand 
(Black Metal, South Africa)

Preview: Rubicon


31. My Dying Bride: A Map Of All Our Failures
(Doom Metal, United Kingdom)

Preview: Poorest Waltz 

January 2012 Surprise Of The Month

The 11th Hour: Lacrima Mortis

Lacrima Mortis is the follow-up for their debut Burden Of Grief released in 2009. The dutch multi instrumentalist Ed Warby is a very ambitious and self-demanding guy, who is well known for his contribution in e.g. Demiurg, Hail Of Bullets, Star One and Ayreon. The 11th Hour is his own project and he has put a lot of work and effort to please us with his music.


When I first heard Ed's crisp and theatrical clean vocals, they didn't connect me on emotional level. His singing technique is stellar, but what left me cold at first was the tone of his voice. However, with repeated listens I found out that the phrasing might be done on purpose to contemplate the growls. The harsh vocals on this album are done by Pim Blankenstein from Officium Triste and he does a great job. On a sidenote: if you are not familiar with Officium Triste before, do yourself a favor and get to know to this great death/doom band. 


What you will hear immediately is that the production is very well done: powerful, crisp and heavy. Some might complain it is too sterile, but I wouldn't go there. The guitars, bass and drums sound as they should to my ear for a doom metal record. The songs are versatile, clocking from five minutes to eight making the total album length 52 minutes. Lacrima Mortis doesn't push the boundaries of death/doom metal into another level, but this album is very fresh and interesting listen. The melodies and vocals harmonies are done masterfully and I can warmly recommend this to any doom lover.

Check out Rain On Me

January 2012 Best Cut Of The Month

Alcest: Les Voyages De L'Âme

Alcest was introduced to me by a very good friend and I am glad he did. Alcest has been around from 2005 and made its breakthrough with their 2007 debut album Souvenirs d'un Autre Monde. They started with raw black metal, but soon evolved into black metal with strong post-rock and shoegaze influences. As you can tell the lyrics are in French and that is a fresh twist in their music.


The 26 year-old mastermind Neige (Stéphane Paut) does the vocals and plays all the instruments on the album except drums. You could describe their sound as fragile, light and down-toned. The vocals are mainly soft and subdued but Neige does also harsh vocals on only a couple tracks on this album. However, he has stated that on the next album growls will most likely be all gone as he intends to take the music into another direction. Les Voyages De L'Âme is a journey consisting of eight beautifully crafted melodic and moving songs which send you exactly to the fairyland where everything is possible and nothing can harm you.

Check out Faiseurs de Mondes

Top Metal Albums 2011 #66-51

TOP METAL ALBUMS 2011

I will be posting over the next few weeks my picks of some of the finest metal released in 2011.

#66 Tombs: Path Of Totality

Sludge metal (USA)

#65 The Atlas Moth: An Ache for the Distance

Sludge metal (USA)

#64 Peste Noire: L'ordure à L´état pur

Black Metal (France)

#63 Midnight: Satanic Royalty

Black/Heavy metal (USA)

#62 Hammers Of Misfortune: 17th Street

Heavy Metal (USA)

Hammers Of Misfortune made my top 66 list mostly because of The Grain.
Recommended for fans of traditional heavy metal.

http://www.metal-archives.com/albums/Hammers_of_Misfortune/17th_Street/312345

#61 Before The Dawn: Deathstar Rising / Black Sun Aeon: Blacklight Deliverance

Death Metal (Finland)

#60 Krallica: Diotima

Black Metal (USA)

#59 Amorphis: The Beginning Of Times

Heavy/Progressive Metal (Finland)

#58 Witch Mountain: South Of Salem

Doom Metal (USA)

#57 Belphegor: Blood Magick Necromance

Black/Death Metal (Austria)

#56 Einherjer: Norron

Viking Metal (Norway)

Landing at #56 on my top 2011 list is Einherjer. The band disbanded in 2004, but return to form in 2008.


Norrøn is their first album in eight years and Balladen Om Bifrost is the closer of the album. It has definitely that Bathory vibe to it and sums up the album pretty nicely: this is viking/pagan metal at its finest in 2011, take it or leave it!

http://www.metal-archives.com/albums/Einherjer/Norr%C3%B8n/311767

#55 In Solitude: The World, The Flesh, The Devil

Heavy Metal (Sweden)

#54 Portrait: Crimen Lasae Majestatis Divinae

Heavy Metal (Sweden)

#53 Uriah Heep: Into The Wild

Heavy Metal (UK)

#52 Pentagram: Last Rites

Traditional Doom (UK)

#51 Vallenfyre: A Fragile King

Death Metal (UK)

When you lose someone dear to you, how do you express sorrow, anger and grief? If you do it the Gregor Mackintosh way after losing his dad suddenly, you fulfill your dream to make that death metal album you always wanted.


True to old school DM roots, Vallenfyre manages to capture all the elements making a fine debut album filled with downtuned guitar, decent growls and Paradise Lostish riffs making my list at position 51.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibetDfGWOFo

http://www.metal-archives.com/albums/Vallenfyre/A_Fragile_King/318408

Top Metal Albums 2011 #50-41

#50 Loss: Despond

Funeral Doom (USA)

#49 Krisiun: The Great Execution

Death Metal (Brazil)

#48 Symphony X: Iconoclast

Progressive Metal (USA)

#47 Havok: Time Is Up

Thrash Metal (USA)

#46 Argus: Boldly Stride The Doomed

Traditional Doom (USA)

#45 Blood Ceremony: Living With The Ancients

Doom Metal (Canada)

#44 Necros Christos: Doom of the Occult

Death/Doom Metal (Germany)

#43 Anthrax: Worship Music

Heavy/Thrash Metal (USA)

#42 Colosseum: Chapter 3: Parasomnia

Funeral Doom (Finland)

Funeral Doom is one tough genre to master. I am slowly learning and beginning to understand why at times it is the perfect way for someone to express solitude, isolation and paganism.


Colosseum's final act was released one year after Juhani Palomäki's passing (RIP) and On The Strand Of Nightmares is the perfect funeral march in his honour. Colosseum make my list at #42.

http://www.metal-archives.com/albums/Colosseum/Chapter_3%3A_Parasomnia/296479

#41 Machine Head: Unto the Locust

Thrash Metal (USA)

Top Metal Albums 2011 #40-31

#40 Mastodon: The Hunter

Progressive Metal (USA)

#39 Devin Townsend Project: Deconstruction

Progressive Metal (Canada)

#38 Isole: Born From Shadows

Doom Metal (Sweden)

#37 Brymir: Breathe Fire to the Sun

Pagan/Folk Metal (Finland)

#36 Sólstafir: Svartir Sandar

Metal (Iceland)

35 Vader: Welcome To The Morbid Reich

Death Metal (Poland)

If there is one thing I have learnt about Vader, it is that they don't let you down. Peter and his crew have been around since the 80's and they show no signs of fatigue.The latest, entitled Welcome To The Morbid Reich, has all the qualities of a stellar death metal album: furious guitar riffs, ballsy vocals and relentless drumming.

The opener Return To The Morbid Reich pretty much tells you the name of the game. Vader enters my list at #35.

http://www.metal-archives.com/albums/Vader/Welcome_to_the_Morbid_Reich/309551

#34 Novembers Doom: Aphotic

Death/Doom Metal (USA)

#33 Alghazanth: Vinum Intus

Black Metal (Finland)

#32 Comatose Vigil: Fuimus, Non Sumus...

Funeral Doom (Russia)

#31 Fleshgod Apocalypse: Agony

Brutal Death Metal (Italy)