Kingdom of Noise Picks the Best of 2017: 30-21

I think most of us were ready to put 2017 to rest. It was a tough year. I've had some personal hardships and some musical favourites have passed on. But 2017 wasn't a bad year for music. I really had to throttle back on the number of new releases I tried to consume. And I unintentionally cut way back on my writing. I'll try and fix that in 2018 but I can't make any promises. But in listening to fewer albums I was able to dedicate more time to the releases that I really enjoyed. That made making this list relatively easy as there weren't many other albums that I kept circling back to or that I could turn to no matter my mood. So know that I feel strongly about my picks. There will be some glaring omissions but I regret nothing.

Without further ado, our (my) picks for 2017's best releases #30-21!

30. Cavernlight - As We Cup Our Hands and Drink From the Stream of Our Ache (Gilead Media): You want misery? You got misery. This is the most miserable, depressing release I heard all year. Mind you, depressing music doesn't actually make me depressed so we're all good! But seriously, this kind of doom will break a person.





29. Young Hunter - Dayhiker (Fear and the Void): This one took some time to grow on me but when it did it spread like a fungus. Not necessarily a psychedelic fungus but visions of captivation by its subtle groove, smooth guitar work, and vocal interplay definitely danced in my head. Emotional. Soft yet heavy. Highly addictive.




28. Extremity - Extremely Fucking Dead (20 Buck Spin): How could a band consisting of Shelby Lermo, Aesop Dekker, Marissa Martinez-Hoadley and Erika Osterhout NOT kick ass? I'll have you know it kicks plenty of ass. Death metal ass. In "The Year of Death Metal" it's the fresh blood (er, new bands) that did the most damage to my ears. Brutality reigns!

I can't get the bloody embed to work. Click here for Extremely Fucking Dead on Bandcamp.

27. Bison - You Are Not the Ocean You Are the Patient (Pelagic): I see the Van City sludge stalwarts were able to drop the b.c. from their name. That's nice. It doesn't mean their riffs contain any fewer middle fingers though. New bass player, new label, same heaviness. I remember my bangovers from seeing them live and this one gives me the same feeling without even moving.




26. Woodhawk - Beyond the Sun (self-released): Woodhawk riffs are sweet riffs. Songs about Star Wars earn bonus points. A guest appearance by Kevin Keegan ices the cake. But all you really need are the riffs. Woodhawk put the whole package together with great songwriting, extreme catchiness and vocals you can sing along with. Hard rockin' and easy ridin'!



25. Void Ritual - Heretical Wisdom (Tridroid): If you're craving the icy pain of Scandinavian black metal but prefer it searing your flesh in the New Mexico sun, look no further than Void Ritual's debut full-length. Daniel Jackson threads powerful and gripping darkness right into your bones all while scorching a path of destruction through a vortex of determination. Dude just flat out rules.



24. Unearthly Trance - Stalking the Ghost (Relapse): 2010's V got me through many a cold Canadian Winter's night. I feared that may have been the last we heard of Unearthly Trance. I was extremely pleased when UT resurfaced to spread filthy doom across more frigid midnights. Scowl as you must and bang with all you've got; that ghost isn't going to stalk itself.



23. Necrot - Blood Offerings (Tankcrimes): FUCKING DEATH METAL!!! I can't dig all these death metal bands making things all weird and shit. I want death metal to kick me in the mouth over and over again with skull-cracking riffs that I can actually headbang to. Necrot give me all the old school death feelings I crave from the downtuned, guttural vocalized, bone-breaking end of the metal spectrum.



22. Electric Wizard - Wizard Bloody Wizard (Spinefarm): Electric Wizard could put out an album of cow patties hitting the ground turned into riffs and I'd fucking buy it. But that takes nothing away from their newest effort. The British doom institution delves into Uncle Acid territory on this one but maintain their classic EW identity in the smokey haze that proves eternally addictive.



21. Cavalera Conspiracy - Psychosis (Napalm): Max Cavalera is basically metal royalty to me so it was a given that anything he put out this year was going to show up on this list. CC's latest doesn't disappoint with its varied attack. The Cavalera Bros. tear shit up like only they can and manage to sound less like Soulfly than on previous albums. I spent more money on this album (deluxe box) than any other this year and it was totally worth it.

Top 20 when I get around to it. ~Matt

My 40 Favourite Albums of 2010: 20-11

*DISCLAIMER! All rankings are based on 3 major factors. 1. I actually have to like the album. Nothing is included because it's on everyone else's list or because I think it would make my list look better. 2. I can listen to it no matter what I am in the mood for. 3. Overall play count/I actually paid money for it.  Remember, this is my opinion. It's not overly analytical. Most, if not all, rankings are VERY fluid. Don't get your panties in a bunch because your favourite band is lower than "that fucking piece of shit band!"*

As I get in to the Top 20, the reasoning changes slightly. There is usually some element that vaults the album in to this higher ranking. It could be that it's just really, really, really good, or a leap forward, or a comeback/return to form, or there is just something really unique about it. Enjoy the best of 2010.

#20.  Iron Maiden - The Final Frontier (ENG, EMI):  I got in to Iron Maiden in a weird way. It was A Matter of Life and Death that made me appreciate them. Before that, Dickinson's vocal style didn't appeal to me. I had a copy of Number Of The Beast back in high school (got it in a Columbia House metal grab bag with some weird Hendrix disc, The Best of Slaughter, a Varga (!) CD and something else) and sold it to a pawn shop. Then I got a used copy of Piece of Mind on cassette back in '09 and I was hooked. The Final Frontier may not be an all time Maiden classic but it's damn close. Dickinson, Steve Harris and the boys sure know how to write epic songs! There isn't a dud to be found here. I may have listened to this album more than any other last year. Thanks in large part to the fact that I could play it anywhere, in any company and it wouldn't scare anyone. (Unlike #19) It amazes me that a band can still be this good over 30 years into their career. Standout track "Where the Wild Wind Blows"

#19. Unearthly Trance - V (USA, Relapse):  For some reason I had Unearthly Trance confused as far as what style of metal they were. I thought they were operatic like Katatonia or Dark Tranquility or some other band I haven't given the time of day to. Or even the My Dying Bride kind of doom. I don't know where I got that idea from but motherfucker was I wrong! This is fucking DOOOOOOOOM! From the pits of Hell, the world is ending, beasts unleashed upon creation, fucking DOOM! I made a comment before and referred to V as "bowel evacuatingly heavy". I stand by that. They put the power in power trio with their earthquake inducing, thunderous riffs. At times, guitarist/vocalist Ryan Lypinsky reminds me of Floater vocalist Robert Wynia (Glyph remains one of my all time favourite albums). But most of the time his unearthly (hehe) screams sound like his voice is made of pure disgust for the human race. Vocals can make or break an album for me and these beastly bellows are a big reason V landed in my Top 20. Standout track: "Into a Chasm"

#18.  Ludicra - The Tenant (USA, Profound Lore):  This year's list has more black metal on it than ever before. Part of my growing interest in BM is due in large part to Ludicra, among others (as you will see). They opened my eyes to a bigger part of what black metal could be. Before listening to The Tenant I thought all black metal was bleak, monotonous, lo-fi Norwegian BM or keyboard laden, symphonic BM like Dimmu or CoF. (Neither of which you will find on this list) What's more, vocalist
Laurie Sue Shanaman made me reconsider what female vocals in metal were all about. ( I just thought Angela Gossow was a freak) Where traditional black metal (to me) feels like it's being bombarded by the wind, and is forced to endure it, Ludicra embrace the wind and use it to soar above the world full of sorrow and ugliness. The Tenant is an incredibly dynamic album that can go from beautiful to downright nasty on a dime. It earns #18 based largely on The Sickest Riff Of The Year on standout track "In Stable".