The BILLion Dollar List

Photo by Meghan McCabe

The series of top releases lists from my friends will conclude with the one and only Billy Mourned. I always look forward to seeing his top albums considering there's always something I wouldn't expect. Ladies and gentleman, we give you the BILLion Dollar List.

10.) Lana Del Rey: Lust For Life

Lana never disappoints me. Although I must admit, when the singles for this record dropped, I wasn’t feeling as excited about its release, as both songs sort of underwhelmed me. But of course, I was wrong because this album is incredible. Lana seems to be getting a bit more serious for the most part when it comes to her lyrical themes on Lust For Life and I think that’s a step in the right direction. The plethora of guest features that appear on this record is also fascinating with people like Stevie Nicks, A$AP Rocky, Sean Lennon, and The Weeknd. The production on here is so pristine and it really meshes well with Lana’s mesmerizing vocals. I will never have my doubts again.

Favorite song: Change

9.) Kendrick Lamar: DAMN.

Honestly, this record really had to grow on me. Kendrick’s last record To Pimp a Butterfly was my #1 favorite album of 2015, so topping that was going to be difficult in my mind. While I don’t think DAMN necessarily achieved that, I still believe it to be a badass album. Tracks like DNA, XXX, Element, and Loyalty are all certified bangers that really go in. Kendrick’s main focus this time around seems to be more on the accessible side rather than getting super deep with his lyrics, but he goes harder than you may have ever heard him go before. Overall, it’s a fun record that is absolutely worth checking out.

Favorite song: Humble

8.) Drab Majesty: The Demonstration

Do you think today’s music sucks and you just wish it was the 80’s again? Do you wish you could just tease up your hair, put on all black, and relive your glory days while listening to The Cure every day for the rest of your life? Well here’s a better solution. Drab Majesty put out a record that sounds like it came straight out of the 80’s and it’s fucking awesome. If you want some of that sweet nostalgia, throw The Demonstration on and have a blast with it! Special thank you to Mark Whelan (Fuming Mouth) for this one!

Favorite song: Dot In The Sky

7.) Spectral Voice: Eroded Corridors Of Unbeing

Goddamn. This band is unbelievable. Spectral Voice is a slow, reverby, spacey, and terrifying death metal band that just straight up kicks your ass. The fact that the drummer does the vocals both baffles me and pisses me off because I’ll never be that cool. The riffs all over this thing are crushing and you know me, I love a good riff. This record makes me feel as if I’m descending down into a dark cave but the inside the of cave looks like the universe and I have no chance to ever escape. If that sounds like your kinda thing, check this album out.

Favourite song: Dissolution

6.) Grizzly Bear: Painted Ruins

I just found out about this band this year when my girlfriend Ashley introduced me to them and I couldn’t be happier that she did. I’m pretty new to indie music considering I don’t know much about it, but I fell in love with this band pretty quickly. Painted Ruins is a sweet, fun, and relatively upbeat record that you would listen to while camping in the mountains underneath the stars in the midst of Summer. The smooth and dreamlike vocal melodies that singers Edward Droste and Daniel Rossen serenade you with in every song make it impossible not to smile and sing along.

Favorite song: Three Rings

5.) Bell Witch: Mirror Reaper

This album or... song requires a lot of patience and attention. I can’t imagine putting this record on in any environment other than a dark room by yourself. It is a lonely, dreary, beautiful record that makes you feel alone and hopeless, but in the best way possible. Mirror Reaper is truly a journey through a cold, dark, and isolated place especially considering it is a lament for founding member and former drummer/vocalist Adrian Guerra, but that is what makes this record so honestly powerful.

4.) The Black Dahlia Murder: Nightbringers

They’ve done it again. Black Dahlia Murder is one of the most consistent death metal bands to ever exist with the fact that they release a new album every two years and the title of each one is always 3 syllables. And maybe the fact that each record is always an absolute banger. Black Dahlia Murder immediately blows your head off, (quite literally since this songs about being a sniper) with the song Widowmaker, which sounds like it came straight off of Nocturnal. Everything from the production, to the lightning fast drums, to newest member Brandon Ellis’ riffs, to Trevor Strnads’ diabolical vocals and lyrics make this the ultimate record for Black Dahlia Murder fans.

Favorite song: Widowmaker

3.) Pallbearer: Heartless

Wow wow wow. Do I love this album... The second I put this record on, I fell in love with it. “I Saw the End” is such a strong opening track especially with those ascending and descending vocal melodies during the verses. And that one “Ohhh yeeeeah” gets me every time with its Layne Staley-esque feel. I love the mix of slow, emotional sounding instrumentals with the somber, beautiful and sometimes angry sounding vocals all over this record. I’ve always liked Pallbearer but I really feel like this is easily their best album.

Favorite song: I Saw The End

2.) Full Of Hell: Trumpeting Ecstasy

If you know me, you know that Full of Hell is one of my favorite bands of all time. I was really anticipating this album for a while and I was not disappointed in the least. Full of Hell churned out some of the meanest and scariest songs they’ve ever written this time around. They also let their death metal influence shine a lot more on this record. Vocalist and lyricist Dylan Walker continues to blow me away time and time again with his inhuman vocal range and incredible lyricism. That’s one of the main factors for my love of this band.

Favorite song: Digital Prison

1.) Mastodon: Emperor Of Sand

Mastodon killed it this year for me because their EP “Cold Dark Place” was my favorite EP of the year as well. I am a firm believer in Mastodon can do no wrong. I literally love every album and yes that includes The Hunter. Emperor of Sand really stuck out to me this year with the incredible choruses, catchy riffs, and harmonies which really hooked me in. Not to mention they returned to their old ways by making this album a concept album which I love. Since Emperor of Sand came out, the CD has not left my car and I’ve definitely listened to it more times than anything else this year. I just can’t get enough. So it definitely deserved my spot for #1.

Favorite song: Word To The Wise

Honorable Mentions:

Run The Jewels: Run The Jewels 3

Field Of Vision: Field Of Vision

SZA: Ctrl

Zao: Pyrrhic Victory 

Glassjaw: Material Control

Converge: The Dusk In Us

Vatican: Ache Of Eternity

Joey Bada$$: All Amerikkkan Badass

Mastodon: Cold Dark Place

Vein: Self Destruct

Winter Crusade: Fuming Mouth & Mourned w/ High Command and Hivemind @ O'Briens

Fuming Mouth and Mourned return home from tour and end it with a bang at O'Brien's with an over capacity show. Out of the many many bands I've seen in my lifetime I think I've seen both bands more times than any others and they never get old. Death Metal.

Hivemind

Genre: Deathcore FFO: Whitechapel

Opening the show was Hivemind. I'll be honest, this band's sound didn't appeal to me very much. One thing everyone noticed was they were young kids. If it was 2010, these guys would probably be pretty big. One thing they do different than most deathcore bands is they actually had some slam riffs worked in to their music but still had fast death metal parts that flowed well. I gotta give that drummer some credit too with those blast beats. Again not much appeal to someone like me, but kids making this music is pretty cool.

High Command

Genre: Crossover Thrash FFO: Iron Age, 3 Inches of Blood, Eternal Champion

Welcome to the bloodstained battleground. Sharpen your axe and put on your war paint maggot, its time for bloodshed! Heads will roll! Victory is upon us! Let's hear that war cry! 

      High Command brought the image of a medieval battle ground to the pub. The vocalist let out a war cry as he raised his sword...literally. All I could think of was the time I saw Eternal Champion as the atmosphere was very similar. High Command's music is very similar to Iron Age but with the lyrics being even more medieval. Think if the three bands above trained warriors and prepared them for a heavy metal war against orcs and dragons. The thrashiest of riffs caused a war in the pit with fans moshing left and right, preparing them for the bands to come. It's the sword the vocalist had that was really the icing on the cake. When it comes to what people call "local bands" High Command aren't afraid to add flare to a performance. This is one of the coolest bands ever.

Mourned

Genre: Death Metal FFO: Dying Fetus, Behemoth, Deicide

Death Metal. Mourned were brought a big welcome home this night. The chaos was brought about almost immediately from the first song. I've never seen these guys play with so much passion. You could see it in their movements. Mourned were shredding as hard as they ever have. They really are the type of band that only gets better and better each time. Vocalist, Billy Nicholls, stated how happy the band was to have toured with their brothers in Fuming Mouth and stated everyone needs to give them their support and without them, Mourned wouldn't be a band. You bet your ass Mark from Fuming Mouth did his part in Orison and nailed it. When they played the song Ravenous Torment, during the pause, drummer, Dave stood up and you could hear him scream "Come On!" as the heavy riff entered and destruction was risen. they band would constantly throughout the night be throwing up the metal horns and the crowd followed. I can't get tired of hearing the song Rift Ripper live, probably my favorite song of theirs. Its so fucking metal, kid. Overall I'd say best set these guys have played was this one, tons of energy on both sides. I have fucked every member of this band.

Fuming Mouth

Genre: Death Metal FFO: Mammoth Grinder, Gatecreeper, Entombed

The kings time to shine. Opening with Executioner's Sabbath, the crowd followed immediately with ruckus. I swear Mark sounded even more demonic than usual with his vicious pipes. Members of Mourned moshed the hardest for their friends obliterating ever bystander in the way. Mark stated he loves Hivemind, and High Command is the coolest band ever from Mass. He mentioned a few years ago he booked Outer Heaven to play a show in Worcester and Mourned opened it. Not many people showed up and he delayed the show for two hours just so more people could see Mourned. I'm sure everyone that went to that show was glad he did. Upon hearing Sword and Scale, the drum part in the beginning of the song caused a hurricane of moshers flying back and forth. I'm honestly shocked no one slammed into the support post in the middle of the pub. There was even a fight between two people that went literally all around the room. I think it was sorted out considering both of them were there until the end of the set. The last time I got to see Fuming Mouth, they opened for Ghostemane and a ton of people were throwing trash cans and fighting each other and punching security guards and whatever else, but this show was at a smaller venue that was over sold and had probably just as much energy. Really glad both Fuming Mouth and Mourned are getting the support they deserve. Death Metal.

Ceremony & Nothing w/Brother @ Sonia

Quite a show this was. Ceremony and Nothing did a short run of shows with a local act for each, opening in Boston was the hardcore band Brother. Had a lot of fun with some back and forth energy.

Brother

Genre: Hardcore Punk FFO: The Rival Mob, Coke Bust

Hailing from New Bedford MA, the home to many hardcore greats, is Brother. Brother play an angry force of fast hardcore that's very in your face and the slow parts got the crowd moving. At one point, guitarist, Trevor Vaughn, stated "We have merch, don't buy from the touring bands, they already have enough money, we need it". I suck at reviewing hardcore bands, this is all I got for you, but Brother is an awesome band.

Nothing

Genre: Shoegaze/Alternative Rock FFO: My Bloody Valentine, Radiohead

Nothing began the same way as when I saw them play at The Sinclair two summers ago but with a twist. Colin of Arabia came on stage but this time wearing a Santa suit and said a few words: "You guys have been fucking naughty" he was mumbling for the most part and it was tough to make out but he said "fucking naughty" a lot. Colin left the stage and Nothing began, opening with Downward Years to Come. A projection was behind them presenting the "N" logo and the lighting was colorful moving around the room to the songs. I honestly didn't think they could top the performance put on at the Sinclair but I think they actually did. They played even louder and with better sound quality. Nothing eventually did play a new song that did display the same sound in the direction of Tired of Tomorrow. Personally I do enjoy the new sound, but prefer the older shoegaze sound they began with. In between songs, a drunk crowd member would be constantly shouting at the band, I could not understand what he was saying but it was hilarious. Eventually he just screamed "Just suck his dick already!". Domenic also stated they had a "Boston guy" in the band now and pointed to bassist Nick Bassett. When Nothing played their final song, Eaten by Worms, a member of the crowd clapped along in the beginning until Domenic said "Dude you're really fucking me up". Overall, incredible performance and a good selection of songs consisting of the shoegaze hits and the new songs.

Ceremony

Genre: Hardcore Punk/Post-Punk FFO: Trash Talk, Joy Division

I'm gonna start with two things: 1. I couldn't stay the whole set 2. I've never seen Ceremony before. People have told me that lateley Ceremony live is usually half and half the new post punk sound and old punk sound. I couldn't help but think how that was gonna play out. I'm not too familiar with the post punk albums but I am a fan, but I'm more familiar with the punk side of Ceremony. They opened with a song off L Shaped Man and let the last note drone on only to have the bass begin playing Kersed. The moment the crowd heard the first bass note, violence was spawned. the crowd rushed the stage everyone was flying left and right it was incredible seeing such a shift in energy. When the post ;unk songs would play, the crowd still knew the songs and sung along. It made me happy to see that Ceremony is one band that nobody gave the whole "They aren't the same band anymore" label and still enjoy the music. I gotta say though, a ton of people were getting thrown out for the hardcore songs and it got to the point where there were security guards just in the middle of the pit to keep people from going "too hard". I've seen it happen at two other shows that involved aggressive bands it just makes me think if they don't want it don't book these bands at Sonia, the middle east both upstairs and down have no problem with it. Ranting aside, I left shortly after hearing Sick of Living. I'm sure the rest of the set was as amazing as what I already seen. I was told by a friend that this may have been Ceremony's last tour and probably last Boston show so I'm glad I got to see them play at least once. Ceremony thought you were better in 2006 too.

The Neil of Approval

On this episode of friends' top albums, we have none other than Field of Vision vocalist,

Neil Murray. Neil has a very diverse music taste and he is always showing me new music

ranging from indie to hardcore. Let's take a look at what albums came out this year that get the

Neil of Approval...

11- Coma Cinema- Loss Memory

The last album from masterful song writer Mathew Lee Cothran runs with an emotional openness
that allows for an experience one of a kind. The honestly and vulnerability of putting things
into song that most people would never say aloud paired with the simple, well-structured
songs makes this the best Coma Cinema record yet. This record is only a week old as of this list
and I am sure it will grow and gain popularity with time.

Favorite Track: Running Wide Open

10 – (Sandy) Alex G – Rocket

Is there anything Alex G can’t do musically? I don’t think so. It’s hard to keep track but I think this
is his 8th full length and it’s his most adventurous to date. This is Indie Rock but it is so much more
than that label; it is its own creation. At first I did not like how the album is all over the place but I
have come to accept and love it. The wide array of songs may not flow together perfectly but each
song belongs on this masterpiece. Some stand-alone tracks are Witch, Brick, Sportstar, and
Powerful Man.

Favorite Track: Bobby (best song of 2017)

9 – Julien Baker- Turn Out The Lights

Do not listen to this album if you aren’t ready to be engulfed with emotions of sadness, guilt,
and pain. At only 22 years old Julien Baker has seen the worst and the best in the world and she is
willing to share that with the world. This record is something special and although it needed to grow
on me the depth and heart is there. If you put the time in to listen to this record over and over again
it is clear to see there is power in this record.

Favorite Track: Hurt Less  

8- Spencer Radcliffe – Enjoy The Great Outdoors

Spencer Radcliffe is the most underrated artist on the brilliant RFC records’ catalog.
This is a unique record with clever song writing and easy listening. Every song makes me
want to explore the great outside world by myself and end up finding out something about myself
along the way.

Favorite Track: Trust

7- King Krule- The OOZ

There is a lot to be said about the OOZ but it is hard to put in words. This record is different
than anything I’ve ever heard before and that’s a good thing. I couldn’t tell you the meaning of
any song but it still evokes an emotion in me that gives me hints. This record is a beast at 19 songs
and over an hour in length. Somehow I never get bored listening and the songs just flow into each
other until soon enough it’s over. I don’t have much more to say about it you really have to
experience it for yourself. Check out a music video or two and then listen to the whole thing.

Favorite Track: Cadet Limbo

6- Alvvays – Antisocialites

After gaining massive popularity off their self-titled first release and touring off nine songs for
over three years Alvvays is back with a record that shows they deserve every bit of popularity and
ability they came out of the gates with. This record is the feel good record of the year. Each song
has small elements that pack a punch and set this record above so many who try for this sound.
This record is a light in the dark world; sit back and listen to this record while the world crumbles
around us.

Favorite Track: Lollipop (Ode to Jim)

5- Big Thief – Capacity

With only two records and no other music released prior I don’t know how Big Thief did it but
they release back to back masterpieces. These songs rely on an emotional depth that prevails so
heavily it is hard not to like. The first time I ever heard of Big Thief I had seen them open for
Frankie Cosmos and they blew the whole crowd away. Listen to this record and gain a new
perspective and hear the stories of sorrow so beautifully written.

Favorite Track: Black Diamonds

4- Cloakroom- Time Well

The need to faze out of reality has never been greater than in the year 2017. Thankfully
Cloakroom delivered us a cosmic juggernaut of pounding riffs to take our brains to a new place.
This record is the easiest to get lost in and forget that the world is spinning so fast. “Cloakroom
write music with purpose and intent; to dissolve from this world into an infinite blur.”

Favorite Track: The Sun Won’t Let Us Go

3- Red Death- Formidable Darkness

With ferocious riffs and songs that prove Red Death has mastered the art of songwriting.
At only 24 minutes in length and 8 songs, every bit of music feels cool and refreshing while
maintaining a beautiful flow. The solos rip, the most parts pound, and the whole thing feels
special.

Favorite Track: Restless Acts of Madness

2- Bugg – Bugg

Pop Wig Records is bringing bands that deserve a spotlight to the forefront of all different
sounds. Bugg is the band I didn’t know I needed in my life until Pop Wig gave them the attention
they deserve. This record has been on repeat since it dropped and has gained my love. Every song
is meaningful and catchy, what more could you ask for?

Favorite Track: Blume  

1. Mutoid Man- War Moans

This is the record I listened to and came back to most often during the year landing it at the #1
spot. There’s not much to say about this record except it rips. It’s fun, loveable metal with
interesting lyrics and catchy writing. With only 3 members in the band they accomplish so
much. Let this record Melt Your Mind. I think 2016 had much better music to offer than 2017
but these records deserve attention regardless.

Favorite Track: Bone Chain

Honorable Mentions/ EPs

• Mourned Rift Ripper
• X Servitude X – Path to Amnesty
• Half Waif –Form/a
• Makthaverskan – III
• Last but not least all power to VEIN

     

The Rock n Roll Lookout

Continuing with top albums from my friends. I am honored to have Tommy from TheLookout feature his top albums....Or at least the ones he feels fit in well with this blog. Tommy has a huge variety when it comes to music taste and we decided to throw his top punk and metal lists on here. Both of these lists and more can be seen on TheLookout and I'm willing to say without his blog mine probably wouldn't exist.

2017 included a vast array of strong releases from various subgenres of Punk Rock including the likes of Hardcore, Post Punk, Post Hardcore, Riot Grrrl, and so on.

I was able to generate a list including ten of my favorites.

#10)

Wire–Silver/Lead

The UK Post Punk icons known as Wire celebrate the 40th anniversary of their staple record, Pink Flag, with a sixteenth LP straying as far from nostalgia as possible.

Silver/Lead is a psychedelic, artistic take on the Post Punk genre questioning the slow speeds of the world’s ethical progressions.

#9)

Pawns–The Gallows

New York-based punk outfit, Pawns, delivered a dark LP this year basking in the nostalgic sounds of early Post Punk acts melded with the Gothic sensibilities of Christian Death and Bauhaus.

#8)

Makthaverskan-III

Swedish Post Punk/Dream Pop hybrid act Makthaverskan grace our ear drums once more with a third LP leaning more towards the dreamy side of things.

The Gothenburg group fixates their sound around the vocal abilities of frontwoman Maja Milner birthing a darker, more mature follow up.

#7)

Pissed Jeans–Why Love Now

Why Love Now is the group’s cleanest, most mature album to date challenging the weaknesses of the male psyche.

#6)

Protomartyr–Relatives in Descent

Detroit rockers Protomartyr emerge once more with a fourth LP maturing their established Post Punk sound.

Mentally prepare yourself before beginning the exploration of vocalist Joe Casey’s brilliant mind as he rants about various topics often alternating between his distinct style and the spoken word nature of Nick Cave.

#5)

Quicksand–Interiors

New York Post Hardcore veterans Quicksand return for the first record in over two decades.

Despite mixed reviews, I feel Interiors is a more relaxed, mature take on the group’s stapled sound but still manages to rock hard enough to make it a worthy comeback record in the massive tidal wave trend of nostalgic reunions.

#4)

Kamikaze Girl-Seafoam

Leeds-based duo Kamikaze Girl storms the scene with their debut LP Seafoam.

This is undoubtedly the most unique release of the year blending Shoegaze, Dream Pop, and Riot Grrl flawlessly..somehow.

Vocalist Lucinda Livingston’s unwavering passion matches with each track ranging from droney, sorrowful emo ballads to upbeat, abrasive punk rock lyrically  flipping off misogynistic behavior/people and the patriarchy as a whole.

#3)

Sect–No Cure for Death

The Vegan Straight Edge supergroup known as Sect (featuring an all-star cast of Hardcore veterans from bands such as Cursed, Earth Crisis, and Fall Out Boy) dropped their sophomore this past November.

No Cure for Death is raw, fast, chaotic, and crushing. If you prefer your Hardcore punk to be a pure adrenaline rush with a side order of unrestrained fury and blast beats, listen to this record.

#2)

Glassjaw–Material Control

After a 15 year gap, New York-based Post Hardcore legends Glassjaw strike back with their third and quite possibly their heaviest LP to date.

Material Control is pure Glassjaw through and through for old fans and new. The production is top-tier maintaining Daryl Palumbo’s trademark abrasiveness despite being comfortable pushed back into the mix of crushing yet hazy guitarwork, pounding bass, and complex drumming.

#1)

Burn–Do or Die

I have been a fan of legendary New York-based experimental Hardcore Punk outfit Burn for a good portion of my life. Despite maintaining a career spanning equally as long as my time on this planet, they FINALLY managed to release their first full length album EVER this year.

Do or Die is everything I have ever wanted a Burn LP to be. Chaka Malik’s vocal performance is as creative as ever channeling the bizarre nature of Mike Patton matched with his usual display of intelligent, thought-provoking lyricism.

Guitarist and other long-standing member, Gavin Van Vlack, illustrates his own form of creativity and passion with this signature playing guitar style now pushing far past the usual constrictive nature of the genre.

Burn always showed an incredible amount of potential throughout their EPs and singles, but Do or Die shows them finally fully breaking free past the traditional Hardcore Punk sound and truly finding themselves as a unique collective.

TOP 15 METAL ALBUMS OF 2017

2017 showcased a plethora of fantastic Metal releases ranging from Metallic Hardcore to Stoner Metal to Sludge Metal to Black Metal, and so on. It was hard to narrow down a list of my favorites, but I felt fifteen was the appropriate cap. 

#15)

Amenra–VI

The sixth installment of Belgian quintet Amenra‘s “Mass” series is just as dark and tormenting of an experiencing as fans might expect. 

I got the chance to see these guys open for Neurosis and Converge over the summer and the experience proved to be just as theatrical and entrancing as I had hoped.

Amenra fit on the bill comfortably blending the chaotic horror of Converge with the layered, atmospheric nature of Neurosis.

#14)

Code Orange–Forever

My first post of 2017 featured a detailed review of this record, and it still holds up at the year’s conclusion. 

While the record’s flow may not be as seamless as 2014’s I Am King, Forever is a punishing listen complimenting the chaos of early 2000s Metalcore acts such as Converge, Poison the Well, and Disembodied with the brutal Industrial tendencies of Godflesh or early Swans.
Some of the singles offer a more accessible sound reminiscent of 90s Alternative Rock yet still manage to fit in with the band’s overall sonic aesthetic.

It has been quite the experience seeing the group go from teenage punk rockers to Grammy-nominated Metal giants, and Forever solidifies their previously claimed spot on the throne.

#13)

Cloakroom–Time Well

Infusing pop-like tendencies with heavy metal styles on the normally less accessible end of the spectrum has begun to become commonplace. We saw it in 2013 with Deafheaven‘s Sunbather and again in 2014 with Pallbearer‘s Foundation of a Burden.

I could argue for days over whether or not the Indiana trio of factory workers known as Cloakroom should or should not fit into the category of Metal with their sophomore LP Time Well released this year on Relapse Records, but here they are on this list so get over it.

Cloakroom distances themselves from their emo fanbase found on Further Out– delivering ten droney, crushing tracks of what some may refer to as “Doom Pop.”

The tone here is earthy, muddy, and each member’s instrument sounds if it’s being played as loud and hard as possible.

I recommend these guys for fans of Alternative Rock acts such as Hum or Failure as well as atmospheric Post Metal acts such as Russian Circles (whom I happened to see them open for) or Pelican.

#12)

Bell Witch–Mirror Reaper

The third LP from Seattle-based Funeral Doom duo Bell Witch should only be listened to front to back.
Mirror Reaper is a one-track monolith exploring pure sorrow and surprisingly a faint glimmer of hope as the movements commence towards the finale. 

There is no guitar to be found here, as Bell Witch have always managed to make their instruments sing as a drum and bass collective.

The record serves as a beautiful tribute to former Adrian Guerra exploring death and transcendence towards the afterlife. 

As one might expect within the realm of the genre, it was a very slow-moving masterpiece. I do not recommend Mirror Reaper for anyone with a short attention span.

#11)

Unsane–Sterilize

New York based Alternative Metal/Noise Rock act Unsane have nothing to prove.

Their career has spanned almost three decades creating their own unique, punishing, sludgey take on Noise Rock along the lines of Sonic Youth or The Jesus Lizard.

Released through Southern Lord this year, Sterilize is the group’s eighth LP and first in five years.
It is undoubtedly the most poorly named release thus far, because it is dirty, fuzzy, and abrasive as ever.

#10) ‎

Elder–Reflections of a Floating World

New England Stoner Rock trio, Elder, stray a bit from the traditional nostalgic doom sound in their latest record in favor of a more progressive, instrumentally impressive effort.

Reflections of a Floating World is an exciting, layered masterpiece with various guest musicians, long track lengths that do anything but bore the listener, and probably one of the best guitar tones I’ve heard produced.

#9) ‎

YLVA–META

YLVA is a new Post Metal band hailing from Melbourne, Australia. 
Their debut LP, META, is a powerfully devastating journey channeling the avant garde stylings of Neurosis and Isis (the band). 

#8) ‎

Spotlights–Seismic

Based out of New York, husband-and-wife duo Spotlights deliver a very unique assortment of genres with their latest LP Seismic.

I’m not often inclined to entertain the latest “Doom Pop” genre pigeonhole, but I’ll use it here.
Sarah and Mario Quientero proudly boast eleven tracks of pleasant yet crushing Doom calling upon Shoegazey walls of sound, crushing Sludge, and an ethereal, angelic vocal performance from both respected members.

Imagine if Deftones, Jesu, My Bloody Valentine, Hum, and Sleep invited your ear drums to a slumber party, but when the pillow fight is supposed to start they collectively opt to substitute pillows for massive slabs of concrete.

#7)

‎Kadavar–Rough Times

German Stoner Metal trio, Kadavar, strike again with their fourth LP.

“Rough Times” is a nostalgic dive into Classic Rock with the tone, groove, and hardened edges of modern Sludge. 

#6)

Chelsea Wolfe–Hiss Spun

The queen is back, and I’m not talking about Beyoncé.

Chelsea Wolfe continues the crushing direction we saw in Abyss a few years back and now delightfully appears to have mastered it.

Hiss Spun fully embraces the metallic tendencies of her writing instead of toying with subtle traces of it and delivers one of Wolfe’s strongest strongest vocal performances.

#5)

‎Integrity–Howling, For The Nightmare Shall Consume

Cleveland Metalcore legends, Integrity, release a monster of a comeback on their latest record. Howling illustrates a long-awaited reinvention for the group pulling in influences from Black to Melodic Death to even Glam Metal. 

I love all Integrity-new and old- and I can confidently proclaim that this is easily their strongest effort since 2003’s To Die For.

#4)

‎Unearthly Trance–Stalking The Ghost

Stalking the Ghost does not stray far from the Unearthly Trance formula (which for those of you who don’t know consists of absolutely crushing riffage) on this comeback record, but instead strengthens the sound found in the previous five records.

Get ready to bang your head.

#3) ‎

Bathsheba–Servus

Belgian quartet, Bathsheba, fascinated me this year with a debut LP beyond worthy of such a high spot on my list.

Servus merges many styles across the Heavy Metal timeline bringing acts such as Black Sabbath, Candlemass, Cathedral, Morbid Angel, Behemoth, and more.

The record boasts six solid tracks of devastating brutality drenched in witchcraft/occult imagery and unique instrumentation including a chaotic saxophone solo (“Ain Soph”). 
What really allows this LP to shine is the angelic yet somehow terrifying vocal performance by frontwoman Michelle Nocon-carrying over her enchanting performance from previous band Serpentcult.

#2)

‎Converge–The Dusk In Us

Few would argue Boston metallic hardcore veterans Converge have led a flawlessly consistent career. They have yet to release a bad album and LP#9 certainly attests to this.

The Dusk In Us balances the unique, experimental direction of All We Love We Leave Behind while also managing to take fans fully back to the gritty, raw chaos of Jane Doe and You Fail Me.

#1)

Planning for Burial–Below the House

At the dawn of each Winter, there is joy and brightness in the air complimentary to a approaching Holiday season. 

Once the year fully comes to a close, the cold reality of winter fully sets in bringing forth a certain form of sorrowful emptiness.

I perceive Below the House as a sonic exploration of that exact point in the year gaining my number one spot for being the year’s most unique and engaging musical experience.

Wilkes Barre-based multi-instrumentalist Thom Wasluck (Planning for Burial) contributes a massive melting pot of genres on this LP ranging from Shoegazing, Post Metal, Goth Rock, Black Metal, Slowcore, and more.