96 - Caught in the Grips

After spending most days listening to sludge, doom, black metal and variations thereof, the exuberance of a band like 96 is a welcome kick in the pants. With their album Caught in The Grips, these Jersey boys inject a high octane shot of adrenaline to get your ass moving.

Slinging 13 tracks in 22 minutes, 96 employ the smash-and-grab technique; maximizing effectiveness and minimizing waste. It’s best to describe 96 as hardcore punk. They bring a harder edge to straight up punk as with hardcore, but lack the kind of anger found in today’s hardcore bands (not a bad thing). Their mosh-ready tunes are littered with killer riffs played with a controlled looseness. Tight performance with great feel. Whether full-speed ahead or bouncing in mid-pace, Caught in the Grips will keep you on the go.

96 manage to take a template rooted in the old school and keep it fresh. One can hear sounds that remind of Biohazard, Sick of it All, Madball and DRI without sounding like ripoffs. The result is an album that has a classic familiarity without sounding dated.

Gang shouts are sparse but well timed while Corey Donohue’s vocals have a very crossover feel infused with snarl and even some tongue-in-cheek lyrics (as referenced by a song about iced tea).96 are packed with enthusiasm, tearing through Caught in the Grips barely leaving room to catch a breath. Infectious energy, outstanding riffs and some fuck-yeah solos come together to make 96 a mosh pit wrecking crew. Go ahead, get Caught in the Grips.

www.ninetysix.bandcamp.com

Xul - Malignance

It never ceases to amaze me how much metal talent there is between these Canadian borders. From the Diminished Fifth roster in the East straight through to Vancouver’s Anciients in the West, top quality metal litters the map at all points in between. A heavyweight representing the left coast is Vernon, BC’s XUL. Their album Malignance dropped last year and it’s a shame I’m only hearing it now.

Malignance is a fitting title for the eight tracks of death metal madness within, because this is anything but benign. Xul’s articulate and speedball riffs leave a trail of black smoke in their wake, darkening the skies in a carcinogenic pall. Absolute demoncy befits the scowling vocals of Levi Meyers plastering bile over the frenetic guitar work of Wallace Hoffman and Bill Ferguson (also contributing vocals). The rhythm section of Lowell Winters (drums) and Marlow Dieter (bass) spur the beast forward with nimble fingers and supernatural speed. These entities coalesce to embody the darkened horde of blackened death metal of tracks such as “Mastication of Putrescent Empyrean Remains” and “Incinerate the Earth”. Fusing the malevolence and grime of death metal with the flair and urgency of thrash and the scorching hate of black metal, Malignance beats with a heart as cold as night.

Malignance features a stunning display of musicianship with its ultra-slick leads, hyperspeed percussion and incredible bass tone. Meyers’s fetid vocals salivating on the album’s rotting body ties the whole gruesome scene together. Xul wreak “Vengeance” on the ears of death metal fans, forcing their way in the cortex to fester and boil. This is one Malignance you’ll be dying to have.

Pay What You Want download at xulmetal.bandcamp.com

AOTY #1: TITAN - BURN

From the first time I heard BURN from Toronto's Titan I knew it was going to be my Album of the Year. Sometimes when you hear an album the connection is instantaneous. It becomes part of you. That's what happened here. Titan's blend of hardcore, doom, sludge and black metal is the very definition of powerful. Intense performances, interesting lyrics, impeccable musicianship and top notch production combine in sonic glory on BURN. The clear choice of 2012 Album of the Year.

For more thoughts on why.....

Have a look at my (rather extensive) review of BURN here.

I interviewed vocalist James M. and guitarist Chris W. here.

Hypaethral Records

titanslays.com

AOTY #2: Pallbearer - Sorrow & Extinction

No album had the kind of widespread impact on the metal community as Pallbearer's Sorrow & Extinction. Fawned over by critics across the board, S&E found it's way onto just about every end of year list. And it's certainly deserving of the praise. One could even go so far as to call it an instant doom classic. Cleanliness is next to godliness they say, making Pallbearer worthy of worship with clean vocals evoking the deepest of sorrow from the listener. Cleanly picked guitar compliments the deep doom dirges as well with such clarity of vision and execution as to make one wonder how the band could possibly follow up this incredible full length debut. Sorrow & Extinction is a monumentally powerful album sure to stand the test of time and stand as a benchmark for the doom genre as a whole.

(Profound Lore)

Pallbearer Official Site

AOTY #3: Woods of Ypres - Woods 5: Grey Skies & Electric Light

The circustances regarding the release of Woods 5 are most tragic. Mastermind and frontman David Gold was killed in a traffic accident mere weeks before the album's release, leaving the metal community (especially the Canadian one) in shock. Woods 4 could be considered WoY's breakout album and landed them a deal with Earache. Yet just as Gold's songwriting skill was finally getting the recognition it deserved, fate intervened. Such a cruel twist.

What was to become Woods of Ypres's swansong was, in my opinion, the most emotionally charged album released all year regardless of the posthumous situation. GS&EL's heavily gothic tinged black metal is beautifully crafted for maximum emotional impact; its hooks pulling the listener in close. Gold's lyrics centered around mortality and death are quite gripping and thought provoking yet made all the more real (and at times prophetic) by Gold's early departure from this cruel world. I am not ashamed to admit that Woods 5 brought tears to my eyes almost every single time I listened to it. Woods 5 would most definitely sit at the same position on this list were Gold still with us, but his legacy strengthens the album to legendary proportions. One can only hope David has found the peace in death he never found in life.

(Earache)

AOTY #4: Krallice - Years Past Matter

In 2011, Krallice took home top honours of my AOTY list with their album Diotima. Krallice came right back with their self-released Years Past Matter. The new release is no less deserving of the highest honour I can bestow upon an album but the top 3 are also very very deserving. I listened to YPM a couple weeks ago in bed. As captivating as it is in any circumstance, enjoying the album in a completely distraction-free environment is a totally different experience. With undivided attention and relinquished of other stimuli, the myriad textures, shades and intricacies dissolve within each other in perfect solution. A homogeneous mixture of the brilliant musician ship found in the band. Krallice is modern black metal at its very finest.

(Self Released)

Vinyl on Gilead Media

AOTY #5: Bison B.C. - Lovelessness

One of my biggest regrets in life was not going to see Bison BC play a living room show on my 30th birthday. Okay, maybe not but that would have been the best birthday party ever!! Well, the semi-surprise party I had instead was pretty frickin' rad too. Riding an electric Vespa around the streets drunk in the middle of the night? Ya that was cool. Anyway, I wrote about Lovelessness for Hellbound.ca

Behold!!

http://www.hellbound.ca/2012/10/bison-bc-lovelessness/

(Metal Blade)

Bison B.C. on Facebook

AOTY #6: Ash Borer - Cold of Ages

Whenever I listen to Ash Borer there is only one thing I want to do, and that is nothing. I just want to be. And let the sound wash over me, lift me. Raise this crude form beyond the earthly realm. Lift me to a place where all that exists is sound, colour and feeling. Fear, anguish, desperation, anger, melancholy. Beauty, hope, determination. Ash Borer's brilliant use of texture, layers and atmospherics on Cold of Ages is stratospheric. Haunting vocals low in the mix howl like spectres reaching out from beyond the grave.

Ash Borer are reaching for the top of the US Black Metal pile. If they continue to progress at the rate they have been and release material with such quality on a torrid pace (a split, EP and two LPs in less than two years) there's no telling what kind of legend they will bring upon themselves, whether they want it or not.

(Profound Lore)

Ash Borer Official Blog

AOTY #7: High On Fire - De Vermis Mysteriis

It's fucking High On Fire. Theses guys could put out an album of themselves chewing their Corn Flakes and it would be awesome. It's a shame Matt Pike had to go into rehab, preventing the band from properly hitting the road to promote the album but in the long run, it's what is best for all concerned. Especially Pike. De Vermis Mysteriis, a concept album about Jesus's evil twin, is HoF doing what HoF do best. Des Kensel's abusive percussion, Jeff Matz's thick, rumbling bass and Pike's incomparable riffing and gravel-throated holler is a recipe that turns out perfect every time.

(E1)

High On Fire Official Site

AOTY #8: Cattle Decapitation - Monolith of Inhumanity

I really should not have to explain why Cattle Decapitation's Monolith of Inhumanity is worthy of making #8 on this list. Monolith is an incredibly brutal display of top flight musicianship packaged as an absolutely vicious goregrind/death metal epitaph to all that makes this such a fucked up world. Especially people. Not to overshadow the contributions of the other members  but Travis Ryan is one monster of a vocalist. His howls and growls, shrieks and indescribable utterances go from one to the other in the blink of an eye. And it's not studio magic. I've seen him do it. Legendary. Monolith sees Cattle Decap at their most volatile and shocking yet. (Have you seen the video for "Forced Gender Reassignment?) It's kind of ironic for vegetarians but most animals are better than most people.

(Metal Blade)

Cattle Decapitation Official Site

AOTY #9: Bosse-De-Nage - III

This San Francisco group came out of virtually nowhere to captivate me almost beyond words. I tried to put my thoughts about Bosse-De-Nage's III into words for months but every time I listened to it I became overwhelmed by the raw emotion pouring from the album. I kept getting this vision of the band in a coffee house performing with all their heart as the seated assembly merely soaked in the experience like a piece of art. Or a poetry reading. I supposed the fact the lyrics read more like an essay than black metal lyrics aids that visual. I even referred to the sound as Coffee House Black Metal. III is such an emotionally charged album but in a very nontraditional way. I just wish it hadn't taken me this long to discover them.

(Profound Lore)

Bosse-De-Nage Official

AOTY #10: Vilipend - Inamorata

I'm not sure what more I can say about Vilipend's full length debut, Inamorata.

I reviewed the album here. (Probably my best written review of the year.)

I interviewed guitarist Derek Del Vecchio here.

And I wrote the blurb for their inclusion on Hellbound's Top 10 Canadian releases here.

It's fuckin' great.

(A389)

Vilipend.ca

EP of the Year: Wilt - Wilt EP

At first I thought Winnipeg was an unlikely place to find an atmospheric black metal band. But upon further reflection it actually couldn't be a more perfect place. Where the wild forests of Northern Ontario meet the frigid and bleak expanse of the Prairies, seems like a fitting inspiration for bands such as this. Wilt's self-titled EP comes drenched in a fog of grimness over an overflowing river of despair. While the vocals sound underworldly, melodies cascade across icy soundscapes and the organic drums beat with the lifeforce emanating from the natural world. A distinct aura of reverence and respect for nature envelopes the listener in a wash of warm tones and lilting rhythms.

That is not to say the EP feels like a celebration. It feels more like a funeral. A reflection on what once was. Anguish apparent in the black metal rasps. Wilt peel back the layers of the subconscious with hypnotic repetition, suffusing the mind with dark and ancient energies. Their bleak vision reeks of hopelessness yet captures the soul of the listener. Wilt is a stunning debut offering from this Canadian duo. This EP is essential listening; a jewel hidden beneath the frigid Manitoban snows.

wiltmanitoba.bandcamp.com

facebook.com/wiltmb

Vinyl available from War on Music

AOTY #11: OM - Advaitic Songs

There's just something about OM that appeals to me on a deep level. Since their debut, Variations on a Theme they've kept me entranced with swirling hypnotic rhythms  that circle back and reappear throughout the album. Their simplistic bass/drum/voice approach resonates on a different level. Advaitic Songs sees Cisternos and Amos bring in even more Eastern flavour to an already highly meditative formula. Even at their loudest and most punishing OM still exudes a sense of calm and reflection. Listening to Advaitic Songs is like riding the whorls of smoke drifting from a stick of incense. It chases away negative energies leaving the listener feeling cleansed, centered and peaceful. I couldn't ask for anything more.

(Drag City Records)

OM Official Site

Interesting story: Back in the early 2000s (2002-2003 specifically) original OM drummer Chris Hakius was in a band called The Sabians with his wife, Rachel Fisher, Patrick Huerta and Justin Marler (ex-Sleep) and I fucking LOVED them. I was in regular contact via email with Huerta and to some degree with the rest of the members as well. I had mentioned the idea of starting a band with just bass and drums. No guitar. Huerta thought it was pretty cool and heavy, ya know. I can't recall if I heard from any of the others about it though. Well, the Sabians didn't make it to 2004 (much to my chagrin) yet in 2005 what should appear? OM, a 2 piece bass/drum/voice with Hakius behind the kit. Did I play a part in the formation of the band? I highly doubt it but it's a pretty fucking cool coincidence!!

'Dead Weight' A film review from Kingdom of Noise

Adam Bartlett and his company, Gilead Media have been unearthing some of underground metal's best bands and bringing them to the masses in splendid vinyl glory for a while now. As if we weren't blessed enough by the fruits of his labour, 2012 saw the release of the movie Dead Weight. Bartlett and Gilead teamed up with John Pata and Head Trauma Productions for this atypical take on both the love story and horror genres.

The story begins with the main character, Charlie (Joe Belknap) being separated from his beautiful and charming girlfriend Samantha (Mary Lindberg) during an apocalyptic outbreak. The film follows Charlie as he struggles to find her again at any cost. He does not partake in his journey alone. He is joined by other survivors in the quest for survival. But Charlie has more than survival on his mind. Survival is merely a means to an end. His goal is singular. Find Samantha. No matter what.

What makes the film atypical from the horror stand point is that while there is a "virus" and "infected", we don't see them but for the briefest of moments. No, the horror depicted in Dead Weight is humanity on both the micro- and macrocosmic scale. (Not to say there isn't a fair share of blood.) Self-preservation and self-satisfaction dominate the individual and collective psyche. In either case, sacrifice may be necessary for the attainment of the ultimate goal. Despite being apart the majority of the the film, flashbacks provide insight into Charlie and Samantha's somewhat tumultuous relationship. Through this the viewer can connect with Charlie, admire his determination, root for him. Knowing that although they didn't have the perfect relationship, he would do anything and everything to get back to her. Love is a powerful driver.

Without giving too much away, Dead Weight is a starkly character driven film with an anything but straightforward plot. The bleak atmosphere created in the post-apocalyptic landscape mirrors the emptiness of a lonely heart. Dead Weight is a heartbreaking story compelling the viewer towards introspection. How far would you go if faced with a similar fate? Would you be the one carrying dead weight?

www.carryingdeadweight.com

www.gileadmedia.net

www.headtraumaproductions.com

AOTY #13: Black Sheep Wall - No Matter Where It Ends

Few albums released in 2012 were as sonically crushing as Black Sheep Wall's No Matter Where It Ends. Downright filthy tone and vocalist Trae Malone's earth shaking roar define the meaning of heavy. But to get a deeper understanding of the album, you can read the review I wrote earlier last year.

http://kingdomofnoise.blogspot.ca/2012/05/black-sheep-wall-no-matter-where-it.html

(Season of Mist)

BSW on Facebook

AOTY #12: Paroxsihzem - Paroxsihzem

Paroxsihzem's self-titled debut tops the list of Grade "A" releases from Dark Descent in 2012. This heavily blackened death metal beauty is caked in all the grime and filth one could scrape from the underbelly of their home in The Big Smoke. The album is viciously misanthropic and cavernously produced, as if recorded in the den of some foul beast buried untold layers beneath the city. A number of samples compliment the subterranean vocalisations as bleak riffs circle like flies around a rotting carcass, yet not without a sense of groove and militant forcefulness. Paroxsihzem is disgustingly dark and densely atmospheric without resorting to varied instrumentation. The album is intense and visceral, dragging the listener to a shallow grave with lo-fi, no-frills putridity. Paroxsihzem is a frighteningly impressive and oppressive debut which will be difficult to top. However, I have a feeling we've only heard the crust topping the depths of malevolence Paroxsihzem have to offer. 

(Dark Descent)

Paroxsihzem on Facebook

AOTY #14: Gaza - No Absolutes in Human Suffering

Gaza's No Absolutes in Human Suffering is like a two-fisted slam to the sternum. It will take your breath away by force and bring you to your knees. Expanding on a hardcore template, Gaza brings "post" elements and angularity to their in-your-face aural assault. Vocalist Jon Parkin is a towering presence. His bellows leave the souls of lesser man trembling in his wake. No Absolutes is a thoroughly physical album yet there is beauty to be found amidst the burl. The title track is particularly monumental. It's lyrically sparse, with only the title repeated over and over, backed by a crushing and hypnotic riff. It may be minimalist yet it incites a deep emotional attachment. It compels the listener to join the chorus and scream beyond the limits of their untested vocal chords while contemplating the deeper meaning of the statement. No Absolutes in Human Suffering is an exhausting listen yet one that begs for the process to begin anew.

(Black Market Activities)

Gaza on Facebook

AOTY #15: Pilgrim - Misery Wizard

I don't expect to take any heat for putting Pilgrim's Misery Wizard so high on my list but, I don't recall seeing it on any other lists. But that's okay. It's my own little gem. A little gem that holds down the #2 Most Played position for 2012. The album moves as fast as an amputee in 3 feet of snow which makes it feel as heavy as a lead tunic. The clean vocals beg to be sung at absurd levels with arms stretched wide, palms turned upward in praise. The album's six tracks crawl by in a sub-Sabbathian manner over the course of nearly an hour. However, "The Adventurer" provides a boost of energy before the monumental closer "Forsaken Man". Monolithic riffs, mountains of feedback (feedback makes me giddy), and powerful sing-along vocals adorn this massive slab of soaring doom. Slow and hypnotic, it entranced this listener over and over, ad infinitum.

(Metal Blade)

Pilgrim on Facebook

AOTY #16: Municipal Waste - The Fatal Feast

Everyone's favourite party thrashers Municipal Waste brought the fun to 2012 with The Fatal Feast. A (loose) concept album about a space mission gone cannibalistically wrong? Fuck yeah bro! Sign me up! The energy and intensity level of this album is through the roof. One of the albums I played the most this year, it was perfect for any mood or occasion. Feeling down? MuniWaste will turn that frown upside down! Bored? Problem solved! Listen to The Fatal Feast! Feelin' good? Crack a beer and spin this shit! It's fuckin' party time! The Fatal Feast will help you cut the grass in half the time! Give you the extra energy to split wood with ease! Entertain the kids by moshing around the living room! Put it on while enjoying a nice plate of spaghetti and...well maybe not while eating. Anyway, my point is, this album is (pay)loads of fun without being stupid and still being technically and vocally fantastic.

(Nuclear Blast)

www.facethewaste.com

AOTY #17: Mutilation Rites - Empyrean

Yet another debut full length makes the list in the form of Empyrean from Mutilation Rites. This is one seriously vicious album of depraved American black metal. Yeah, it's depraved. It's American. And it sounds like it was made by depraved Americans. The album is relentless. Blistering speed is paramount yet the band can pull back when need be. But even at the tempered speeds, Empyrean is still punishing. Maniacal screeching vocals, filthy tone and killer riffs, and sickening drum work bring Mutilation Rites to the forefront of the blackened metal scene on this side of the pond. It's disgusting, it's grimy, it's sinister in every way and it gets better every time I hear it.

 (Prosthetic Records)

(But I also recommend the vinyl from Gilead Media)

Mutilation Rites on Facebook

AOTY #18: Amenra - Mass V

Amenra's Mass V is a dark and atmospheric piece of music. The haunting vocals will rip your heart out of your chest. To really understand how I feel about this deeply emotional album, you should read the review I wrote for Ghost Cult Magazine.

www.ghostcultmag.com/2012/12/amenra-mass-v.html

(Neurot)

www.churchofra.com

AOTY #19: Ufomammut - ORO: Opus Primum and Opus Alter

 2012 saw not one, but two releases from Italy's psychedelic doomsters Ufomammut. Opus Primum and Opus Alter make up ORO, a sprawling two part concept album exploring the alchemical process of making gold from baser metals. The massive soundscapes and psychedelics touches make the world seen alien.  I suppose the world would seen that way as ORO takes you deep down to the molecular level. Your sense of perspective gets skewed as Ufomammut transport you beyond this realm of perception. I don't use the word transcendental very much but I will here. Many times I completely lost myself amidst the layered vocals, the drone, the repetition, and the crushing low frequency walls of sound. The scale of vision that Ufomammut has in putting together this awe inspiring package is unfathomable to my feeble mind. I've been a fan since their debut (Godlike Snake) and I feel ORO may be their best yet.

I had to retire my beloved Ufomammut shirt recently as well. I put my finger right through it putting it on. Sad day indeed.

(Neurot Recordings)

Ufomammut Official Site

AOTY #20: Royal Thunder - CVI

Like Horisont, this was another one of those releases in which I had heard some trusted sources raving about it and gave it a shot. I heard the stream of "Whispering World" and fell in love. Not to take away from the rest of the band but bassist/vocalist Mlny Parsonz is the real star here. She has such an incredibly powerful and dynamic voice. It can be soft and sweet, or raspy and edgy. I could definitely see her becoming a role model for a new generation of young girls who want to rock hard (My girls like Royal Thunder anyway. And Witch Mountain. Uta Plotkin has some stellar pipes too.). Royal Thunder isn't just about that voice though. CVI is loaded with instantly memorable songs with massive hooks, southern groove and a whole lotta soul. Royal Thunder have something special going on here. Let's hope they get even better. Man, I really should have gone out to see them when they rolled through Ontario with CoC.

(Relapse)

Royal Thunder on Facebook

2012 was too short.

I listen to a lot of music. Not enough, but a lot. But inevitably there is going to be a huge number of albums that for one reason or another (mostly time) failed to make it past my ears at all, or I only heard them once or twice. The following is a list of such albums that I think I would have really liked but never got around to. Or at least wanted to hear.

Bell Witch - Longing (Profound Lore)

Dysrythmia - Test of Submission (Profound Lore)

Dragged Into Sunlight - Widowmaker (Prosthetic)

Bastard Sapling - Dragged From Our Restless Trance (Forcefield Records)

The Great Sabbatini - Matterhorn (No List)

Early Graves - Red Horse (No Sleep)

Satan's Wrath - Galloping Blasphemy (Metal Blade)

The Sword - Apocryphon (Razor & Tie)

Winterfyleth - The Threnody of Triumph (Candlelight)

The Shrine - Primitive Blast (Tee Pee)

Sons of Otis - Seismic (Small Stone)

Afgrund - The Age of Dumb (Willowtip)

Tribune - Elder Lore/The Dark Arts (Corpse Corrosion)

Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats - Blood Lust (Rise Above/Metal Blade)

And probably a dozen more I just can't remember. Some I have and just haven't heard, some I have yet to acquire. Hook a (broke ass) brother up labels!!

AOTY #21: Cannibal Corpse - Torture

It's Cannibal fucking Corpse. Justification done. Fine, I'll write more. No one reading this can deny that Cannibal Corpse are the undisputed Kings of Death Metal. For 25 years now Corpse has been soaking the death metal landscape in blood, guts and gore. Torture is no different. George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher's hyperspeed growls, guttural bellows and shrieks front unfuckwithable musicianship. (Kneels at the feet of Alex Webster.)  For the most part, CC don't change up the formula on this release maybe other than "Scourge of Iron". It's pace is dropped back to a relative crawl. A comparative zombie in lead boots. But I can almost guarantee that lurching rhythm will be the riff stuck in your head. To reiterate. Cannibal.fuckin.Corpse. Torture. Don't make me (insert paraphrased Cannibal Corpse album title) you.

(Metal Blade)

Cannibal Corpse Official Site

AOTY #22: Horisont - Second Assault

I told you Witchcraft weren't my highest ranking Swedish retro-rockers this year! Horisont are a band I was unaware of prior to this year. I had heard some valued colleagues talking the band up so I gave in and checked them out. Am I ever glad I did. Second Assault sounds quite genuinely '70s retro. From the tones, to the riff style, to the slightly higher pitched and somewhat strained vocals. The riffs and vocal lines are catchy as they come and production is great. They don't sound like a band trying to be retro. They sound that a band that just IS retro. Most of the time I listened to this in the car (highly effective driving music and inoffensive to the family!), or on the kitchen stereo (any meal tastes better if prepared with Horisont playing), but on the headphones it just sounds sooooo good. That bass tone is dead sexy. The whole album is sexy! I'm a big hippie at heart so that fact that I love this is really no surprise. Just do yourself a favour and check it out. I don't think enough people have. It's criminal, man.

(Metal Blade)

Horisont on Facebook

AOTY #23: Meshuggah - Koloss

My relationship with Meshuggah is on again, off again.  I loved Chaosphere, but couldn't even make it through obZen. Other albums were hit and miss. So with Koloss we can declare the relationship on again. I'm no expert but I understand Koloss is a return to a more groove oriented approach for the band. Perhaps it's that underlying fluidity complementing the signature Meshuggah "djent" time signature mindfuckery that won me over this time. Not to mention the absolutely phenomenal drumming of Tomas Haake and the intensely unique vocalist, Jens Kidman. I can hear his facial expressions. I went to bed listening to Koloss a few times after some "herbal" medicine and I'm really surprised I didn't wake up completely insane.

(Nuclear Blast)

Meshuggah Official Site

AOTY #24: Eluveitie - Helvetios

I don't think anyone was more surprised that I liked Helvetios more than me. Let alone that it would end up in my Top 25. In general I'm not a fan of folk metal. I can't think of a folk metal band other than Eluveitie that doesn't make me gag. (Primordial is not considered folk metal, correct?) What it is about Helvetios that has captured my heart is hard to say. There must be some intangible that has connected with me. The hurdy-gurdy, the flute, the story telling, the uplifting melodies, the way it makes me want to dance a jig and headbang at the same time? Who's to say? All that needs to be said is that this enjoyed HEAVY rotation all year long.  I vaguely recall not being stoked on previous releases from this Swiss collective but I love love love Helvetios. But don't think this will be some kind of folk metal gateway drug. I've taken a stand and I...will not...BOW!!!!!!

(Nuclear Blast)

Eluveitie Official Site

AOTY #25: Samothrace - Reverence to Stone

Two tracks. Too good. Reverence to Stone from doomsters Samothrace is an incredibly powerful and transformative album. It's heavy and lush and rips the listener away from the real world enveloping them in its emotional soundscapes. For a clearer picture of what I mean, you can read my full review at Hellbound.ca below. 

Samothrace - Reverence to Stone

(20 Buck Spin) The LP is only $12.99!

Samothrace on Facebook