And here we are. Welcome to part 2!
Numbers 100 to 51 are in the books, and it’s time to cap this off with 50 to 1, with some more honorable mentions, just like I did before. Again, this has been a pretty crazy ten years and I’m glad I can finally round it all up into one big list and put it in the books. I’ve only been doing this for 3 years, but this is a great opportunity to talk about some stuff I enjoyed before I started this stupid blog, o here we are. I’m not gonna make this a multiple-paragraph intro, like in part one, because ya’ll got the idea by now, so let’s finally finish this project and move on. These are the rest of my top picks for the 2010s.
Numbers 50 to 1:
50. Pseudogod: Deathwomb Catechesis (Hells Headbangers / 2012)
One of the most prolific Blackened Death Metal bands in the underground, with their only full-length as of right now, but one of the most revered albums in the last decade. This one still gets showered in praise, even eight years later and deservingly so. These guys take Blackened Death Metal to more chaotic and cavernous landscapes, and feed off of the atmosphere it creates, to form an ungodly beast of a sound, that pulls you into the abyss and suffocates you with every wailing of a chord and repeated riff it throws at you. It’s even given a touch of Grind, for kicks. This is another album, that I feel like helped kick off the War Metal crazy of the last few years. Great stuff nonetheless!
49. Ahab: The Boats of the Glen Carrig (Napalm Records / 2015)
Funeral Doom at it’s absolute finest. Massive, spellbinding and has a hard, crushing punch to it, that I look for when it comes to Funeral Doom, as opposed to the more atmospheric stuff, that drags on and on without ever going anywhere. This album takes you on a storied journey, told by wailing riffs, hammering, patterned drums and dismal growls, all precisely executed and delivered in an epic and captivating way. This is the kind of extreme Doom Metal album I can never get tired of, even if it gets repetitive, which most bands of this nature do, although this album does have a good deal of dynamic to it. Powerful stuff, with some great artwork as well! Easily one of the best Doom albums to come out of the 2010s.
48. Profanatica: Disgusting Blasphemies Against God (Hell’s Headbangers / 2010)
Extreme Metal’s masters of filth and debauchery, with one of their best and most praised outings. Profanatica never disappoint, when it comes to bringing tried and true blasphemy and disgust in aural form, and this is easily their most disgusting and degrading releases to date. Harshly toned, dismal, cavernous, filled with the nastiest caveman riffs, hellish tremolos, snarling bellows, muddy, blasting drums, and an all-around putrid aura, that makes you feel like taking a long, hot shower afterward. Just writing this paragraph makes me want to throw this on and blow my dick-trumpet like there’s no tomorrow! Pure, unbridled blasphemy, by one of it’s best purveyors; and I’m not just saying that because they’re fellow New Yorkers.
47. Nunslaughter: Angelic Dread (Hells Headbangers / 2014)
Nunslaughter have been a top-tier band for me since I was a teenager, discovering them through Hex. As great as that album is, this one took them to new depths of Blackened Death Thrash depravity, and only solidified their stance as said top-tier act, well into my adult years. Fast, sharp, nasty, scathing and ruthless, even more so than the previous full-lengths. Not sure if i’d call this their BEST full-length, but their most hard-hitting one, certainly! Just pure, hellish, riffy, Thrash-infused Blackened Death Metal, that’s not afraid to get dirty and sleazy, much like Profanatica. This may be their final album, given the unfortunate passing of drummer, Jim “Sadist” Konya (R.I.P.), but it’s a HELL of an album to go out on. Hail Nunslaughter!
46. Peste Noire: La Chaise-Dyable (La Mesnie Herlequin / 2015)
As weird and over-the-top as Peste Noire has become over the last number of years, they still hold their own sound-wise, and deliver quality Black Metal, sticking to it’s roots, no matter how far outside the box it wanders. I was actually torn on which album I was going to include on this list, but this is the one I’ve enjoyed the most, so it wins. La Chaise-Dyable is as competent and nasty as modern Black Metal can get, taking the idea of what it “should be” and throwing it into the trash and burning it, while maintaining that hateful, spiteful attitude that Peste Noire has been known for. A lot of interesting moments, catchy riffs, shifting tempos, grooves, blast beats, shrieks, howls, the whole nine yards. It’s very well done experimental Black Metal, that sticks to the roots as much as it possibly can and it’s probably the best outing of all of Peste Noire’s 2010 releases. Some might disagree, but this is my favorite recent release of theirs, no doubt. Very interesting and captivating stuff.
45. Funeralium: Deceived Idealism (Weird Truth Productions / 2013)
Funeralium is a truly underrated act, of the most miserable and ungodly ilk. Their latest album, Of Throes and Blight was a torturous and soul-crushing slab of Blackened Doom, as black and despondent as an album of that nature can get. This album is no different, as it drags you through the proverbial mud of nihilistic distress and doesn’t let you leave for a long time. It doesn’t reinvent the wheel of Funeral Doom, or go too far outside the box, but the emotion and despair is definitely there and it’s strong and forceful in every way. Excellent, gripping, crushing Blackened DOOM, from start to fucking finish. Great stuff!
44. Bishop: Everything in Vein (Dead Truth Recordings / 2015)
You wanna talk about Hardcore that’s pissed off, heavy and delivers an aural ass-beating of a lifetime, here’s one for you! Bishop is a side-project of Remembering Never vocalist, “Mean” Pete Kowalsky and this is their third full-length album, and it’s the same monstrous, destructive metallic Hardcore that Remembering Never brings to the table, maybe even heavier. It takes you by the fucking throat and screams it’s truth in your face from start to finish, with no breaks and no remorse. It’s a great motivator of an album, that can get your energy pumping in seconds, with it’s chaotic and hyper-aggressive delivery. Even if you’re not into sort of preachy Hardcore, this is a great album to listen to, if you want something that’ll beat your head in and get our juices flowing without question. Great Hardcore or Metalcore, whatever you wanna call it, that’s heavy, head-crushing and honest in every sense of the word. Chaotic Hardcore at it’s most vigorous and angry, which is when it’s always at it’s best.
43. Ulcerate: Shrines of Paralysis (Relapse Records / 2016)
Tech-Death gets a lot of shit nowadays, especially anything with somewhat decent production value. I agree with that to a degree, but there are some bands who know how to have a good sound, even with super-clean production. Ulcerate are NOT one of those bands, nor did they ever adhere to that formula. Ulcerate creates a different form of Technical Death Metal, that ditches the usual trope of squeaky clean production, rapid, noodly sweep-picking and all of the other pomp and circumstance that comes with it, in favor of a more experimental and strange approach to the style, bringing it to more dismal landscapes and a more trance-inducing, cavernous atmosphere, kinda similar to bands like Portal and Altarage, with a little bit of Gorguts thrown in. It’s a lesser approached take on Tech-Death, but it’s far more interesting and makes for more twisted and fucked up sounds and moments than any over-produced drivers can bring to the table. I like Tech-Death to a degree, it’s good when it’s done right, but Ulcerate are one of my top acts in the genre for that reason. Very creative and dark stuff, with some very interesting riffs and nuances to it, under some dismal, atmospheric production, that more bands should definitely utilize. Great stuff, as are their other albums!
42. Adversarial: Death, Endless Nothing and the Black Knife of Nihilism (Dark Descent Records / 2015)
On to an act that’s also no stranger to hellish production and dismal atmospheres, Adversarial quickly became a favorite of mine in the Blackened Death genre, when I stumbled upon them a few years ago, and heard the title to this album. That title truly does encapsulate their sound well; they play a style of Blackened DM on the more unsettling side, on par with Prosanctus Inferi and Father Befouled, combining relentless, blasting fury, with weird, but catchy riffs, similar to those aforementioned bands, and others like Deathspell Omega. It’s nothing too different or out there, but it’s filthy, nasty, evil and ruthless in delivery, plus finds it’s own identity, through it’s unique style of riffs and the twisted cadence they play them in. Pretty straightforward at the core, but will tear you to shreds with ruthless force with it’s hellish tone and nihilistic spite. Quality Blackened Death, for fans of Prosanctus Inferi, Father Befouled and even Angelcorpse!
41. Archgoat: The Apocalyptic Triumphator (Debemur Morti Productions / 2015)
Blackened DM filth mongers, Archgoat put out a fucking ripper recently with The Luciferian Crown, but this was also a magnificent slab of said Blackened Death Metal, that laid just as strong of a bludgeoning as that recent one! This album is as barbaric as these guys have proven to be capable of getting and it hammers down it’s blasphemous musings and ruminations to slather your feeble soul and corrupt your being. They’re looked at as one of the standard bearers for War Metal for a reason and this album I feel like really brought them to that status. Few modern bands bring the level of filth and barbarity to the table that they do, and they continue to do so with their latest album, but this one, as well as their previous two really resonated with the underground with their unique take on the Ross Bay Cult-style sound, that brought the genre to the level of hype that it’s at now. One of the best in their field, who have yet to meet their match.
40. Inquisition: Bloodshed Across the Empyrean Altar Beyond the Celestial Zenith (Season of Mist / 2016)
Now, I know Inquisition is now a controversial band to even bring up, given the recent events surrounding them, but I can’t just leave this album off this list based off of that alone. This is purely about the music, as is everything else on this blog. Anyway, if this is Inquisition’s last outing, it was the best possible one to cap off with. Inquisition outdid themselves with this album; it’s their most well produced and cleanest sounding one to date, but the music itself was also significantly upped in quality and delivery. The aggressive side of their sound is the most vigorous and massive it’s ever been, and the melodic side was the most powerful and vibrant as it’s been as well, particularly on tracks like Vortex from the Celestial Flying Throne of Storms, which floored me when it first flooded my ear canals, honestly some of the best melodic riff work I’ve ever heard. I’ll never understand anyone who look at this band as an Immortal clone; if you do, you’re either deaf or ignorant. They’ve proven numerous times that they were more than that and if you ask me, even better and much more interesting than Immortal. Despite all the fuckery that’s gone down with them over the last couple years, this is still one of the best Black Metal albums of 2016 and you can’t convince me that anything Immortal has done is even close to being on part with it. Inquisition are in a league of their own and this album proved that undeniable in my eyes.
39. Belphegor: Totenritual (Nuclear Blast Records / 2017)
I’ve said before, that Belphegor’s better days are behind them. Since signing to Nuclear Blast, nothing they’ve put out came close to holding a candle to Lucifer Incestus or Goatreich Fleshcult, which I think are masterpieces. This album, however, was the closest they came to recapturing that barbaric and hellish sound that made me a fan in the first place. Totenritual is a aural sledgehammer of blasphemous force, that harkens back to that early to mid 2000s era, while keeping things fresh and vigorous as well. The chunky tone and ultra-strident delivery, creating those downright evil, hammering riffs, coupled with boulder-like drums, reminded me so much of my first time hearing Goatreich and being enamored by the satanic barbarity that flowed from it and attacked my then-teenage brain. From then on, it was instantly favorite Belphegor release since those albums. Easily their best effort since the Goatreich era and I doubt they can top it from here. It was one final burst of peak-Belphegor, that brought me back to my adolescence as a music fan and it’s now my other go-to albums next to the peak albums! Excellent fuckng stuff that belongs on this list.
38. Necrophagia: WhiteWorm Cathedral (Season of Mist / 2014)
Necrophagia are the type of band you’ll either love or hate, especially if you’re a Death Metal freak. Up until this album, I was a fan, but I wouldn’t call them a favorite. I’d throw on Holocausto de la Morte or The Divine Art of Torture every now and then, plus Deathtrip 69 was really good, but aside from that, I never really rushed to listen to them, but when I heard WhiteWorm Cathedral for the first time, on Halloween 2014, I realized how fucking good they REALLY were an how nasty and heavy they were capable of getting. This is one of my favorite Death Metal albums of the decade, because it came at a time where I was pretty jaded with the genre and was far more invested in Black Metal, and there were only a few DM albums each year that really caught me, and this one was absolutely the one that pulled me in in 2014. The tone is nasty and swampy, the guitars and drums have a muddy, slimy sound to them, and the riffs and grooves are precise and catchy as fuck, plus Killjoy upped his vocal game by a mile! They also utilize the extra elements, like synths and keyboards well, to add to the Horror feel. These guys are the best Horror-themed Death Metal band, next to Mortician (of course) and maybe Chainsaw Dissection and I was clamoring for more, until the unfortunate passing of Killjoy. Rest in Peace to that dude, who was a real workhorse, being involved in all the projects that he was, which I wrote a piece on. Great album that served as a highlight during a low point in my Death Metal fandom.
37. Loss: Despond (Profound Lore Records / 2011)
An album that’s considered legendary within Blackened/Funeral Doom, that almost instantly brought eyes and ears on this band in the underground upon it’s release, which can be attributed to it being under the Profound Lore banner, but the music itself also lives up to the hype in the most miserable, despondent way, which carried on 6 years later, for their second album, Horizonless. Loss is as soul-crushingly depressive as they are massive and devastating in delivery. I’ve even seem some people lump them into the Depressive Black Metal category, which I guess has some merit to it, but I don’t think is entirely accurate. This is everything you can expect from a Blackened Doom album done right; just pure, unfiltered pain and despair from start to finish, in the form of slow, wailing, sorrowful riffs, with a depressive melodic tone to them, slow, precise drumming and tortured howls, with the right amount of agonizing passion behind them. I can definitely understand why they get classified as DSBM, even I described them as such at one point, but it has a much broader sonic horizon and much more dynamic to it than that, which kind of puts them in a grey ares between the genres. Either way, this is excellent Doomy Black Metal, that’s going to go down as a classic years down the line. Pure misery and grief condensed into an excellent album!
36. AFI: S/T (The Blood Album) (Concord Records / 2017)
Let’s take a hard turn for a moment, into some Alternative. AFI is a transcendent band if there ever was one, going from a young, moody Punk band in the early 90s, to what many people have slapped the “Emo” tag onto, although it isn’t fully accurate. I feel like they go further beyond the threshold of what qualifies as Emo in the mainstream, exploring styles like Alternative and Gothic Rock, having a much wider spectrum of sound, than say, My Chemical Romance or Panic! at the Disco, and I think that’s what allows them to be so transcendent. Other people I know, who are also into Extreme Metal, also dig AFI, particularly Sing the Sorrow. I, myself have a nostalgic soft-spot for that album, but I also dig their more recent albums, like Burials. The Blood Album doesn’t change this in the least, It’s AFI being themselves and expressing a wide array of sonic emotion, full of catchy choruses, songs ranging from upbeat and energetic, to mid-paced and gloomy, some acoustic guitars inserted into certain parts, and Davey Havok’s ever-so recognizable high, nasally voice topping it all off as usual. It’s modern AFI to the T, as it’s been since the early 2000s. Nothing too different, but a fun listen nonetheless. One of the most transcendent Alternative bands, next to Placebo, in my opinion.
35. Asphyx: Deathhammer (Century Media Records / 2012)
Bar none, one of my favorite Death Metal releases of the decade! Asphyx are legends in their genre for a reason, they’ve been going hard and continuously putting put head-crushing rippers for almost 30 years now and have shown no signs of slowing or toning things down. Deathhamer is just the latest of pummeling, riff-driven brutality in it’s purest, most old school form. It’s loud, filthy (despite it’s spike in production), bludgeoning and ruthless in delivery, all the down to Martin Van Drunen’s vicious vocal performance. His signature sound is recognizable and consistent, from the days of Pestilence, all the way to the current day, even in his other projects, like Hail of Bullets. Asphyx have yet to disappoint me, and I still remember hearing this album for the first time when it was first dropped on our unsuspecting heads, and having it on repeat, at home and on my commutes to college and back. Quality Death Metal by one of it’s top giants!
34. Watain: Lawless Darkness (Season of Mist / 2010)
I don’t care what anyone says about Watain, you can hate them all you want, for whatever stupid, superficial reason and make all the asinine comparisons to Dissection you wist to, but to me, they’re one of the finest acts in the upper echelon of modern Black Metal. I know they’re not the most unique of outside-the-box band in existence, nor are they the most raw of “true” sounding, but they’ve always be capable of belting out some of the most intense, well executed riffs and most aggressive and evil sounding tunes in the game, and Lawless Darkness is the best example of that. This is their best full-length they’ve put out in the last 10 years, that best highlights their precision, skill and artistic expression, for Erik Danielsson’s esoteric musings. Sure, they hit a bit of a bump, with The Wild Hunt, but the good definitely outweighs the bad in their catalog. Regardless if you agree or not, I still think Watain is a great act, and FAR more passable than the other, hipstery garbage that plagues Black Metal nowadays. Give your vitriolic energy to that instead, because it’s much more deserving of it.
33. Krieg: Transient (Candlelight Records / 2014)
Much like Watain, Krieg is no slouch when it comes to belting out some quality modern Black Metal, that’s earned them a spot at the top of the USBM totem pole, among the likes of Leviathan, Nachtmystium, Xasthur and Hag Graef. That spot sure was earned, as these guys have always known their roots and what do do with them, making a more modern style of Black Metal, with the atmosphere and darkness of old behind it. It’s as dark and brooding as a Black Metal album can get, with shifting tempos, ranging from blasts to Punky grooves, with a good hint of melody to it, with some catchy riffs thrown in. Neil Jameson is as brilliant a vocalist as he is a writer, who actually lived through the madnes and fuckery of the second wave, and channeled it well in his vocal performance. Overall, it’s very well done Black Metal of the Marduk and Watain type of ilk, but with a more traditional feel to it, that’s well-rooted, but has a unique aspect to it. USBM gets a lot of shit, but Krieg is one of the bands that stands out of the bunch, and becomes an exception to the “rule”. Great stuff and one of Krieg’s best efforts in my opinion.
32. Raging Speedhorn: Lost Ritual (Independent / 2016)
I first got into Raging Speedhorn back in the mid 2000s when they were a sleazy snarly Sludgy Hardcore band, that put out some hateful, pissed off goodness, with tracks like Fuck the Voodoo Man and How Much Can a Man Take?. After a 9-year breakup, they returned with this banger, which was them at their most cohesive and mature sounding. They somehow came back as a more well-rounded band, that played a more refined version of the Sludge/Hardcore mixed style they were known for. They’ve always been an underrated band to me and still are, but this album serves as the biggest example of why they should have had more light shed on them, even back in the day. It still has that pissy, sleaziness to it, but a lot more attention to detail is present and clear, with the noticeable upping song structure, particularly the melodic elements and tempo dynamics; basically a heavier, angrier and more straightforward version of Mastodon. It’s been about 4 years now since this release, but I hope this reunion is to continue, because I damn sure want more of this version of Raging Speedhorn. One of my favorite Sludge albums of the last few years!
31. Svartidauði: Flesh Cathedral (Terratur Possessions / 2012)
The Icelandic Black Metal scene really made a name for itself in the 2010s. From that small, tight-nit island, came this small, tight-nit group of bands, who took the Deathspell Omega style of experimental Black Metal, and brought it to even deeper, darker, more nightmarish depths, and even surpassed DSO in some ways, stylistically. Svartidauði really caught my attention with their EP, The Synthesis of Whore and Beast, and REALLY solidified themselves as a favorite with Revelations of the Red Sword. In the middle of all of that, came their first full-length, which gave me my first exposure to the Icelandic sound, which led me down the rabbit hole to find Misþyrming, Sinmara and Rebirth of Nefast as well. What separates Svartidauði from the pack, is that they focus on the technical and melodic aspects of the style, mixing the two elements very specifically, to craft it into something more strange and depraved than it was originally intended to be. Chaotic, dissonant atmospheric and enamoring in the way it’s structured and delivered. It’s the album that made me a fan of Icelandic Black Metal and made me rave about it to no end on social media for so long. Truly twisted art from some brilliant, forward-thinking minds in Extreme Metal. Great stuff!
30. Full of Hell: Trumpeting Ecstasy (Profound Lore Records / 2017)
This is the second appearance by Full of Hell on this list, but it’s hardly the same band. Like I said before, the entity of Full of Hell has always been a continuously mutating sonic beast, that grows and evolves with every release. This album was where it reached it’s fullest and greatest form. Trumpeting Ecstasy takes Full of Hell’s ever-expanding experimental pallet, and jumbles it all into a blender, and violently spins it into a new, more fucked up form that somehow still manages to make sense. They go from the noisy Grind or Rudiments of Mutilation, to Noisy, Crusty Deathgrind, that goes the extra mile to send you down a rabbit hole of cacophonous dissonance and spastic fury, that you don’t get out of until the last second drains out of it’s running time. As gripping and unique as it is unfathomably ruthless and chaotic, which shot FoH towards the top of my list of favorites for this decade, that I couldn’t help but rush to buy. Easily their best outing, that even their latest album couldn’t quite top, although it came close. One of the best experimental bands in Extreme Metal, who continue to evolve as performers and artists, within multiple genres and sonic landscapes. Very hyped, but very worthy of it!
29. Pissgrave: Suicide Euphoria (Profound Lore Records / 2015)
I know at this point, this band has pretty much reached meme status, amid all of the hype around them, but I this is another album that rekindled my Death Metal flame. Pissgrave have slightly upped their production value recently for their latest album, but this one gives absolutely no fucks, as it comes in rawer than an uncooked steak on and forces you to devour it, by holding your mouth open and shoving it down your throat (theoretically speaking of course), by ruthlessly pummeling you with non-stop snare blasting, nasty, fast, muddy guitars, protruding the muddiest and most bludgeoning of riffs, and vocals that resemble someone violently heaving into a meat-grinder. It almost has a War Metal feel to it, with hints of Goregrind and OSDM, which is a weird combination, but it works. It’s a fucking masterpiece of sonic shit and vomit, that you’re forced to choke on for each waking second this album unfolds, and it’s fucking awesome! Some of the most ruthless Death Metal that crawled out of the deepest, darkest, slimiest bowls of the underground this decade and made it’s presence known from the jump. Some feeble, weak minds think this is all hype and gimmick, but fuck them. Pissgrave is the real deal and they can go drink said piss from their own graves!
28. Horna: Askel Lähempänä Saatanaa (W.T.C. Productions / 2013)
Horna has become quite the polarizing act over the last few years, with accusations of them having some sketchy connections. I haven’t seen any viable merit to those claims, but that’s not what I’m here to talk about. Horna have always been one of Finland’s top Black Metal exports, with their brand of unique, forward-thinking style, that they built up from their early days as a more second wave-esque act, which is a pretty noticeable difference, if you compare albums like Kohti Yhdeksän Nousua and Haudankylmyyden Maille, to more recent ones like Sanojesi Aärelle and Hengen Tulet. This album however, kind of pulls it back a little and channels those traditional roots more for this album, giving it a more straightforward sound, with some weird, melodic riffs thrown in. It’s carefully mixed and well crafted, and it makes for a fine example of how interesting BM can be when it evolves from within, rather than using outside sources for influence. As much as I dig their newer stuff, this is honestly the Horna that I prefer more, so when it came to the two full-lengths they put out in the 2010s, this one obviously won. A straightforward Horna is a great Horna, even when they do keeps things weird.
27. Cobalt: Slow Forever (Profound Lore Records / 2016)
Cobalt is one of the most unique and experimental bands in Black Metal right now, who I can’t even call full on BM. They tread some unusual territories, experimenting with certain tones, riff styles and vocals. I don’t know exactly how to describe their sound, but I can say that it’s some of the best experimental/avant garde Black Metal out there, that knows how to create something interesting and wild, while keeping a recognizable, straightforward core sound, and not sounding like an indistinguishable, jumbled mess. Their sound is an amalgamation of Black Metal, Sludge, Groove Metal, and even some, dare I say, Hardcore, which sounds like it would amount to something nonsensical and messy, but through careful crafting and structuring, it ends up working and becoming it’s own thing altogether. The riffs are massive and catchy, the vocals are intense and fitting and everything else just flows freely and smoothly as the album progresses. Even the themes they explore are unique, like Western civilization (although Wayfarer have hopped on that horse as well), among other things. This is as out-there and forward-thinking as Black Metal can get without spiraling into something else. Probably their best album yetm that has me looking forward to how they follow it up.
26. Black Cilice: Banished from Time (Iron Bonehead Productions / 2017)
I’ve spoken about this album a number of times now, but my stance on it stays the same. This was the most unsettling and terrifying Black Metal album I heard in 2017, and it almost became my #1 album of that year for that reason. The overall atmosphere it sets, pus the dissonant, almost unintelligible instrumentals, all somehow come together and formed this paranoia-evoking whirlwind of sound, that sucks you in like a vacuum, and puts you in a trance, forcing your full attention. Listening to it is basically the audio equivalent of gazing into the void, while it stares back at you, keeping you guessing as to what you might find, even if it’s nothing. The vocals are the cherry on top of this ghastly masterpiece, which sound like an actual human being going insane and screaming into said void. This is the most honest and ugly Black Metal can possibly get, and some may understand it, others might not, but if it doesn’t make the hairs on your neck stand up and make you feel like you’re being watched by unseen entities from beyond our mortal plane, then you probably fall into the latter category. One of my personal favorite BM releases of the last 5 years, even though I have to be in a certain mood to listen to it.
25. Blood Incantation: Starspawn (Dark Descent Records / 2016)
This album deserves to be on this list on the virtue of all the hype and hullabaloo it was able to cause along. Blood Incantation is pretty much leading band of the old school Death Metal craze of the later part of the decade. Especially now, with the release of their latest album, you can’t go on social media without seeing their name, logo, or artwork plastered allover the place. Naturally, this has led to them being one of the most divisive bands in Extreme Metal today, a la Gatecreeper and Power Trip. It’s your typical social media hysteria that I’ve talked about ad nauseam now, but the music on this album speaks for itself and it’s honestly one of the best Death Metal albums to come out of the 2010s. This is Death Metal at it’s most dismal and atmospheric, with everything you’d expect, cavernous production, massive, muddy riffs, ranging tempos, going from slow and Doomy, to blasty and harsh, dismal growls, and blah blah, you know the rest. I feel like this would have been much better received if it just stayed in obscurity and was left to be discovered by a select few, but hype or not, it’s one of the best DM albums of the last number of years and it’s absolutely deserving of it. OSDM done right!
24. Nails: Abandon All Life (Southern Lord Recordings / 2013)
I was never one to give a fuck about the reputation a band has, that has nothing to do with their music. Nails is undoubtedly one of those bands. Despite the shit they get from social media cretins, they’ve always been one of the hardest hitters, when it comes to Grindy Hardcore (despite being accused of being Powerviolence, by some, FALSE Powerviolence, that is), and as great and vicious as You Will Never Be One of Us was, this album is what really solidified my interest in them and it brought just as much of a vicious, unfathomable beating as that album did. Just non-stop, relentless, remorseless thrashing of fast, spastic riffs, hammering blasts and Todd Jones’ signature yells and screams of torment and spite, just trampling you like a pack of wild buffalo in the desert. One of my favorite Grind albums that uses the brief running-time it’s given to pummel you with each passing second in the filthiest and most heinous way. Fuck you if you don’t fuck with this! It’s Nails being Nails and that’s all it needs to be!
23. Chelsea Wolfe: Pain is Beauty (Sargent House / 2013)
I thought long and hard abut which Chelsea Wolfe album to include on this list, because we all knew one was going to be, but this one wins, because it;s the one that introduced me to her in the first place. I wouldn’t call it her best album, because of the ones that followed surpassing it dramatically, with the stylistic routes she’s decided to take, but this one is also a fine trip into the dark, dreary world of Miss Wolfe and the depressive, and passionate tone she brings to the table, and eve has a bit of range to it, unlike the albums that followed it, that focused more on the slower and doomier side to her sound, with some upbeat tracks like Destruction Makes the World Burn Brighter. What caught my interest about it, was how it took Gothic Rock and build on it, creating her own amalgamation of Dark Folk, Darkwave, Ambient, Post-Punk, Neofolk and whatever else you can find hidden in the details. It was one of the more unique things I’ve heard at the time, but she’s obviously gone to much deeper horizons since then, so this was only the beginning, but again, this was my first exposure to hr, so it only made sense to me to include this one on the list. Still a great album and some hauntingly beautiful stuff.
22. Cult of Fire: मृत्यु का तापसी अनुध्यान (Iron Bonehead Productions / 2013)
In my opinion, this is the peak of experimental Black Metal. I feel like no other band of the “experimental” ilk puts more dynamic or depth into their sound as successfully as Cult of Fire, using all sorts of outside elements that fit their theme and sonically blending them in such a way, combining intense snare-blasting, tremolo picking, and howling yells and shrieks, with traditional vedic instruments and aesthetics, themed around the esoteric and hidden vials of human spirituality. It’s a very complex composition, that opens doors to worlds beyond the threshold of the traditional Black Metal sound and takes paths that most would dare not explore. Despite all that, it still manages to find a solid core to it’s sound, where everything just naturally balances out and every element compliments each other and flows together. This is chaotic, majestic and deep, and takes multiple listen to really grasp and catch everything, Like I said, this is the finest example of what experimental BM should be, and the only band who rivals Cult of Fire, is Acherontas. Excellent, powerful stuff by these Czech maniacs!
Placebo: Loud Like Love (Vertigo Records/ 2013)
Let’s take another hard turn into some more Alternative. I’ve been open about my love of Placebo many times, and unfortunately, this was the only album they put out in the last decade, it’s more than worthy of a spot here. Though it doesn’t really come close to the band’s more prominent works, like Black Market Music and Meds, it’s still Placebo being Placebo and providing the best sad boi jams around, not under the banner of Post-Punk or Gothic Rock. Blissfully depressive, haunting, melodic and well produced, topped off by Brian Molko’s signature searing pipes coming through once again and delivering those catchy choruses and recognizable melodies that he’s always been known for. It’s just another Placebo album done right and well; nothing too different or far off from what they usually do, but still as great and well-done as anything else they’ve put out over the years. Great album and I’m hoping for a new one in 2020!
20. Leviathan: Scar Sighted (Profound Lore Records / 2015)
I’m pretty sure this is my first time covering Leviathan on this blog, so here it finally goes. Jef Whitehead is an incredible artist, who’s crafted some of the most nightmarishly grasping art, both audio and visual. His artwork is what attracted my attention to a lot of albums. A lot. I feel like anything he attaches his artwork to, is worth a listen, not only because of how visually great the art itself is, but because of how talented he himself is when it comes to Extreme Metal. My favorite Leviathan albums lie more within the mid-era of it’s existence, Tentacles of Whorror and Massive Conspiracy Against All Life particularly, but his later catalog is nothing to sleep on either; True Traitor, True Whore is another great piece of experimental BM, with elements of ambient, noise and the likes. Then we have the album in question, which goes into more territories. Scar Sighted is another ambiguous offering, of Black Metal, laced with even more elements than what the previous several full-lengths explored. There are hints of Death Metal, Ambient, Noise, and even Doom, for the entirety of the title track. It’s a very mixed bag of sonic chaos and esoteric, cosmic musings, that would give Lovecraft chills, and it’s far too detailed to cover in one paragraph. It’s an unpredictable ride of an album, that serves as a void, full of sounds an visions that can come out of anywhere, and you never know where it’ll take you, the deeper you go into it. Just another great outing, by another staple act in USBM.
19. Code Orange Kids: Love is Love // Return to Dust (Deathwish Inc. 2012)
Before they grew up and became Nu-Metal dads (& mom), Code Orange were kids, belting out some of the Sludgiest, most pummeling Hardcore around, which made them one of my favorite Hardcore bands for a good few years. As soon as the opening track of this album barged into my ear canals and started ruthlessly ravaging them, I was hooked like a fiend. Code Orange Kids put out some of the nastiest and most passionate Chaotic Hardcore, starting with a few good EPs, like Cycles and Embrace Me/Erase Me, plus a really good split with Full of Hell, then it all culminated with this full-length, which is what put them over the hump and rightfully got the Hardcore scene watching. Love is Love // Return to Dust is a harsh, face kicking blast-fest of an album, that you can call Hardcore at it’s core, but it has a certain uniqueness to it, and incorporates certain elements to make it just enough of it’s own thing, it has it’s slower, more methodical moments, but all and all, it’s a pummeling of chaos in it’s angriest form, that takes the modern Hardcore sound to it’s gnarliest depths and shows no remorse in it’s delivery. Think what you want about them now, but they’re new selves will never hold a candle to the kids.
18. Column of Heaven: Mission from God (SPHC Records / 2012)
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Andrew Nolan has a body of work that speaks for itself. If you’ve heard his other projects, like Slaughter Strike, Intensive Care and The Endless Blockade, you’d know what I mean. He’s one of those workhorses, with seemingly thousands of projects, that dwell into the more fucked up and sonically uncomfortable caverns of certain genres, like Powerviolence, Grind, Death Metal and Hardcore Punk. This project in particular I consider my favorite of the bunch and this is my favorite of it’s few releases. Column of Heaven is the more ambiguous of the Nolan projects, that incorporates a little bit of everything he’s delved into, with elements of Powerviolence, Death Metal, Grind, Noise and Industrial in sound. Such a mix can absolutely create something sick and nasty, and that’s definitely a true statement. This is a twisted trip of an album, that never stays in one place, and spirals into different soundscapes, tempos, tones and so on. It gives off such an unsettling vibe, while pummeling you at the same time, that it makes you feel dirty and sketchy just listening to it. That’s the sign of a great underground album, that’s compelling and attention-grabbing in the most provocative way. I don’t know if this project is defunct or not, but if it’s not, I look forward to what’s to come of it, and if it is, I hope it makes a comeback at some point, because this is some truly dark shit, that takes multiple extreme genres to more fucked up depths and spreads it’s pwn filth wherever it goes.
17. Marduk: Frontshweign (Century Media Records / 2015)
Of all the releases Marduk has put out in the 2010s, some hits and misses and some divisive receptions, when it comes to the three full-lengths, this one is the undisputed best as far as I’m concerned. Frontschweign is Marduk at their most abrasive and intense, continuing on their path as the melodic, but savage beast they have been since World Funeral. In fact, this may be where they finally found a way to mix the two sides of their modern sound perfectly, in a well-balanced, precise way. This was the first new album I listened to in 2015 and after that first listen, it was hard to no listen to on a daily basis for a good week or so. Since then, it’s been a go-to Marduk album for me, whenever I want some melodic BM that has a good hint of aggression to it, with great riffs. This may be the peak Marduk album post-Panzer Division, and it’s successor, Viktoria, just couldn’t top it. It’s post-second wave BM at it’s most elite-tier and Marduk will always be the kings of modern BM, as far as I’m concerned. Frontschweign is a war-driven beast and no other album after Panzer really lives up to it and may never really do so.
16. Altar of Plagues: Teethed Glory & Injury (Profound Lore Records / 2013)
Post-Black Metal has quite a bad rap, but it has it’s diamonds in the rough. Altar of Plagues is a perfect example of how the genre should be handled and just how dark and twisted it can get. This album is a weird, but engaging composition of slow, but potent soundscapes, that has an almost unsettling vibe to it, especially when it slows things down, like on the track, Burnt Year, which follows this weird rhythm, with a piercing ambiance and strange banging noise through it, and echoy yells searing over it. There are other strange moments and instances that make you pay attention and wonder where it’s all going, and it usually does have a culmination of sorts. It’s Post-Black Metal that knows it’s roots and channels them well, while creating it’s own sound and atmosphere, that’s a bit more potent than the old school BM type of atmosphere, but just as dark and gripping. I can’t really condense all my thoughts on this one in one paragraph, but fuck, it’s an excellent album, by one of the few acts under the Post-BM banner that have invested me. Very unique, very chaotic and very spellbinding. An lbum that should serve as the prototype for how Post-BM should be done.
15. Mournful Congregation: The Book of Kings (Weird Truth Productions / 2011)
The album that defined Funeral Doom for me. Mournful Congregation was the first name I came across when I first discovered the genre of Funeral Doom and explored what was with it. I got a taste of their amazing body of work, like The Monad of Creation and The June Frost, which are incredible albums in their own right, but this one really put them over the top, with the massive, epic feel it creates and explosive delivery in sound. I know Doom, especially Extreme Doom, gets a lot of shit for how repetitive it can be and how the same tropes are used so goddamn much, and that can definitely be said about this album, to a degree, but there’s just something about the all-around vibe of this album, that surrounds the music and compliments it so well, giving it such an extravagant atmosphere, that works with the guitar tone, and those huge, sweltering riffs that swing at you like a giant pendulum, topped of with those dueling, echoy growls and chants. There are also some acoustic breaks, that smoothly transition in and out of the heavier parts and add to the overall vibe. As ridiculous as the genre name is, if its an actual thing, this is what Funeral Doom should sound like and this is why Mournful Congregation and Evoken are the standard-bearers for the genre; they create a vibe that pulls you in and makes you listen and think, whether those thoughts are positive, negative, or in-between. This is what the genre should sound like; massive, spellbinding and thought-provoking, where everything makes sense and doesn’t just drag on forever with no conclusion. Amazing fucking album that was a shoe-in for this list when I first conjured it up.
14. Lifelover: Sjukdom (Prophecy Productions / 2011)
It’s debated whether or not Lifelover belong under the Depressive Black Metal banner, but either way, they became one of my most listened to bands back in 2012, which I call the year of DSBM for me. I was enamored by acts like them, Shining, Forgotten Tomb and Psychonaut 4, because they played a more refined version, of the usual stale, bedroom style that a majority of the Depressive BM genre is made up of. From Pulver on, they’ve built their own style, pulling from the tortured manic sound that Bethlehem first bestowed onto Black Metal, and made it more melodic and catchy, while maintaining said tortured mania. Kim Carlsson’s vocals even have that painful screech to them, very similar to that of Rainer Landfermann, but somehow brings it to even higher levels of manic and harrowing, to the point of it almost being unnatural. Sjukdom, which would sadly become the band’s final release, following guitarist, B’s death, is a combination of Black Metal and Depressive Rock, filled with spiteful melodies and down-toned, Punk-style riffs and an all-around sorrowful vibe, to it, that rips into you and pulls your soul out by the throat, forcing you to hear it’s nihilistic message. Like I said, it’s no bedroom-made bullshit, nor is it the raw, more atmospheric stuff you can also find within the genre, but it’s as soul crushing and emotional as it is catchy and addictive. Great album that can serve as the soundtrack to a stay in a torturous mental hospital, for the most traumatized and drugged up of patients. Pure pain and mental illness in audio form, if such does exist.
13. Code Orange: I Am King (Deathwish Inc. / 2014)
When Code Orange dropped the “Kids” from their name and started on the path to becoming the Nu/Alternative Metal big shots they are now, they had one last blast of angry, Sludgy ferocity, that reached far beyond the threshold of Chaotic Hardcore, to pull influence from. I Am King was my #1 album of 2014, beating out two other worthy contenders, because of how different and creative it was for a Hardcore album, using elements of Sludge, a little bit of Death Metal and even some Shoegaze, which I’m not usually a fan of, but the way they utilized it, on Dreams in Inertia, was pretty dark and mind-blowing. I don’t know if anyone else heard what I did in this album, but it was a combination of these different styles, that was blended together in such a way, that it was unlike any other Hardcore album I’ve heard at the time. It’s heavy, it’s dark, it’s nihilistic and passionate in it’s delivery, despite the toning down of their previous sound, as Code Orange Kids. Now, little did I know what it was leading to, and I wish I did know, but I enjoyed the shit out of this album and they really did create something special (to me, at least) with this one. It was deserving of the hype that surrounded it and I still go back to it now, especially after hearing the new drivel they’re putting out. If only they stuck with this sound… but hey, whatever brings in the paychecks, right? Right.
12. Kreator: Gods of Violence (Nuclear Blast / 2017)
The almighty Kreator had one hell of a fucking presence in the 2010s, putting out two absolute rippers, in Phantom Antichrist and this masterpiece. Gods of Violence is the most energetic and riffy I’ve heard Kreator in years, and it became my favorite album of theirs since Enemy of God. Just pure, abrasive, hyper-aggressive viciousness, driven by old school-style riffs, delivered in the usual, dissonant way Kreator have been known for, nasty grooves, moments of intensity, precise technicality, and just pure, abrasive chaos and attitude. Another old school thrashing, by one of the genre’s main OGs. Simple and effective. One of the best Thrash outings of the decade, doubt free!
11. Katatonia: Dead End Kings (Peaceville Records / 2012)
It’s no secret that Katatonia is my 2nd favorite band. This includes everything they’ve done, in every phase and every era, from Dance of December Souls, to Discouraged Ones, all the way to this one! This band has spent damn near 30 years now, consistently creating some of the coldest, most depressive tunes in the Metal genre, whether it be in the form of Death Doom, Gothic Doom, Gothic Metal/Rock and most recently, Progressive Metal. They never showed any signs of slowing things down, no matter how much they changed their style and sound. They’ve displayed one of the best and most fascinating band evolutions I’ve ever seen, and to be as consistent as they’ve been through all these years, it’s pretty fucking impressive. This album continues their current style as heavy, abrasive Depressive Metal, but it’s just as well crafted and emotion-driven as always, with it’s peaks and valleys in delivery; slow and dreary in places, fast and heavy at others moments, catch choruses and that cold, bleak atmosphere surrounding it; pretty much the total package for what I’ve come to expect from Katatonia these days. They’ve progressed a little bit more on their latest album, but this is the one I enjoyed the most out of the two they put out the decade. Truly powerful stuff by a band who has yet to let me down.
10. Chaos Moon: Eschaton Mèmoire (Blood Music / 2017)
If you can tell by how much I praised this album when I reviewed it, as well as the Gardsghastr debut, I’ve become quite a fan of Alex Poole and his body of work. This however, may very well be his magnum opus. This was absolutely one of the best Black Metal albums released in the 2010s. It’s unlike anything else I heard over those ten years, especially when it comes to BM. It has an atmosphere that mixes with the melodic structure of the music itself so well, that it creates a hypnotic whirlwind of chaos, that paints a harrowing picture of the failings of humanity and the imminent destruction of existence itself, brought on by itself. It’s so detailed and so complex, goes so many different routes and different paces, and takes it’s time to unfold in front of you and makes you experience it multiple times to really grasp and hear everything that’s present. It’s not just how it unfolds though, it’s the way it does so, that makes it so enamoring and attention-grabbing. So detailed, so trippy and atmospheric and insanely well done! Definitely a BM album that should set an example for acts to come in the next decade. Excellent stuff, just like most of Poole’s output.
9. A.M.S.G.: Hostis Universi Generis (Profound Lore Records / 2016)
Speaking of atmospheric and trippy, another one of the best modern Black Metal outings of the last few years, that’s much more evil sounding than Chaos Moon, but just as well crafted and enthralling. This is cosmic Black Metal, that focuses on the darker and more harrowing side of the human condition and the darkness that rests within it and how moral-devoid out nature really is. This is pure misanthropy, projected in the most spellbinding and complex was possible. It’s a weird mix of furious, blasting, modern BM, with the old school type of atmosphere around it, but with a trippy, melodic feel to it, with the incorporation of flickering melodies and spacey moodscapes, that set a tone and mood, similar to that of Chaos Mood, or even Leviathan (hense the Jef Whitehead artwork), where it paints a picture of what it’s tying to convey; in this case, it’s the band’s disdain for the current human condition, perpetrated by the implementing of Abrahamic ideals. It paints that picture well, and it’s pretty incredible stuff. Call it experimental BM if you want, but it has enough of a rooted influence to it, that it doesn’t stray too far off from it. This is really just Black Metal that’s unique and evolves from within, using whatever nuances it can, to fit it’s theme and meaning. Another excellent Black Metal album, that should be looked at as a standard bearer for the years to come.
8. Darkthrone: Arctic Thunder (Peaceville Records / 2016)
We all know how I felt about Darkthrone for over a decade. Ever since the mid to late 2000s, with albums like FOAD and Circle the Wagons, they’ve put out boring, lame drivel, masked as Blackened Crust/Punk, that was just weak and neutered. The Cult is Alive was their last great release, as far as I was concerned. That was until mid-2016, when Arctic Thunder came out an shattered that cycle of weak, sterile outings and brought back the aggression and Punky attitude, that they displayed with The Cult is Alive and Sardonic Wrath brought to the table, but Doomier and more old school-rooted. This is an absolute return to form, that brings back the old darkness and fury that Darkthrone was known for, as one of the front-runners of the second wave, harkening back to that pissed off, spiteful attitude, while keeping that Punk, Heavy Metal influence in tact, and utilizing it FAR better than they did in the decade before this album’s release. The riffs are massive and catchy, the vocals are more spiteful and harsh, the shifting paced, from Doomy patterns, to catchy grooves are lively and blood-pumping. It’s fantastic stuff, that some people still don’t get, but was mostly well-received. Comeback of the fucking decade! Bar none. Their new album is no slouch either. Great stuff!
7. Windhand: Grief’s Infernal Flower (Relapse Records / 2015)
Stoner Doom is a very stagnant genre, with so many bands who sound exactly the same. VERY few exceptions to the rule have emerged above the rest of the repetitive drivel. Out of all of them, Windhand became one of my favorite bands in the genre, more and more so, with each passing album. This one though, has to be their best effort yet, that really put them over the top and wow’d me to the bone, far more so than their self-titled album and Soma. They pretty much perfect their brand of Black Sabbath-inspired Doom Metal, with that smokey production, those thick guitars and riffs, meaty drums and Dorthia Cottrell’s hazy, angelic voice completing the package, like a neatly placed bow. It was so good, it made check out Dorthia’s solo stuff as well. This is a band and album that’s unique to the Stoner Doom genre if such thing does exist, and it earned it’s spot as my #1 album of 2015 because of it. One of the most unique and cathartic releases in a genre full of clones. One of the best!
6. Mgła: Exercises in Futility (Northern Heritage Records / 2015)
Like it or not, Mgła is pretty much the defining Black Metal band of the decade. They’re brand of melodic Black Metal isn’t for everyone, obviously, considering how many scoffs and snide remarks they get on a regular basis, but it’s the what they do with the melodic sound, that puts them so over the top. They take melodic BM to deep, dark depths, that not many other acts take it, and they channel their roots well enough into their sound, to create something more stark and chilling than any other melodic BM act was ever able to pull off. They take the melodic Black Metal sound, mix it in with the vibe and atmosphere of the early 90s style and create this cold, stark, contemptuous sound, that ranges from continuous blast-beats, with repeating tremolo picking over it, to slower Doomier paces, with more sweltering, melodic riffs, transitioning between paces as smoothly as water through a crack in a wall. Exercises in Futility was probably the best example of their sound and it’s the album that hit me the hardest out of all of them. Just a continuous whirlwind of bleak, chilling riffs and cosmic darkness, that swells into your soul and makes you feel as negatively as what’s being presented to you, compete with searing shrieks, continuously wailing guitars and blasting drums, radiating this cold, piercing vibe, similar to Katatonia’s, but much darker and more based in human contempt and the dark side of nature and what lurks beyond. It’s not the most groundbreaking of sounds, but it’s still great, very well done and worthy of all the hype that surrounded it, as is the band altogether. Excellent Black Metal, regardless of the divisive views on them!
5. Thou: Magus (Sacred Bones Records / 2018)
To see a band evolve into something so far off from what they originally were, into something as incredible as Thou have become, is fucking insane to see, and if you’ve followed Thou for long enough and heard this album, you’d know what I mean. Over the last few years, they’ve experimented with different sounds, like Shoegaze, Post-Metal/Rock, Acoustic and so on, putting out different EPs under those various banners. THIS album, their first full-length since 2014’s Heathen, is the culmination of all of that experimentation, smooshed up into one big, massive sound, that’s unlike anything I’ve heard from a Sludge album. It’s still Sludge Doom at it’s core, but those elements of Post-Rock, Shoegaze and whatever else they’ve delved into recently, are structured into a massive, mesmerizing piece of Doom Metal, that exemplifies a true, challenging, vast sound, that pulls you in and mesmerizes you from the start, as those slow, piercing riffs flow at you like a dreamy wave of sound, that’s both blissful and crushing all at once.Easily one of the most excellent Doom albums I heard in the last ten years, that’ll undoubtedly be played whenever I’m in a mood for some Doom. Thou’s best outing yet, by far!
4. Deinonychus: Ode to Acts of Murder, Dystopia and Suicide (My Kingdom Music / 2017)
Deinonychus was a band I instantly got into, upon learning that they were fronted by former Bethlehem vocalist, Marco Kehren, who brought a similar manic vocal style as Rainer Landfermann. So, when I heard about the existence of a Blackened Doom band with those vocals at the helm, I jumped right on it. I really dug it and they progressively got more furious and sonically ruthless with each passing release, but this one is their darkest and most ungodly display yet, and presents itself in the most honest, hatred-fuled way imaginable. From the moment it starts, upon pressing play, those thick, massive guitars sear at you, with ripping chords, that sound like an aural freight train, running you over on it’s runaway path, which continues throughout this misanthropic nightmare of an album. It’s very well executed Blackened Doom, with a good deal of Depressive BM aspects injected into it, with precise musicianship and song-structure, designed to pull any negative emotions right out of you with abrasive force. Another one of the best Doom Metal albums I’ve heard all decade, that deserved much more recognition and fanfare than it’s gotten. Some powerfully misanthropic stuff right here. A truly miserable work.
3. Rebirth of Nefast: Tabernaculum (Norma Evangelium Diaboli / 2017)
One of the best examples of the Icelandic Black Metal scene and why it’s something special. Although they’re originally from Ireland, Rebirth of Nefast are one of the staple acts of Icelandic BM, with a style so unnaturally versatile and multifaceted, that knows controlled chaos and how to control tension and keep you on the edge of your seat, wondering what’s coming. The way the tempos change and the amount of twists and turns it takes before it finally hits you with an outburst of blasts, spastic riffs and dismal, echoy growls, is so unpredictable and unsettling, that it puts you in a trance and forces your attention, and drags you trough the void of scattered audio terrors and challenges you and you and your attention span, as it waits for the right moments to strike, and when it does, it’s fucking powerful and hits you right in the gut with brute force and venom. It’s basically a rabbit hole of fucked up, twisted sound, that takes the Deathspell Omege/Svartidauði style and drags it into even more sick depths, that even the OGs of the sound have yet to reach. Masterful modern BM, that’s both sickening and terrifying. Looking forward to what comes next!
2. Young and in the Way: When Life Comes to Death (Deathwish Inc. / 2014)
Here we are, the final 2. We all knew this one was going to be on this list and high on it. I’ve raved about this absolute ripper of an album for years, since I first heard it in 2014. Despite what ended up happening with Young and in the Way later, this is still one of my all-time favorite albums. The anger, fury, and ferocity behind this damn near flawless display of Crust Punk-driven Black Metal, is one of the most furious and head-crushing albums I’ve ever heard, just from it’s sheer brutality and overall delivery, that still gets my blood boiling to this day whenever I hear it. It inspired me in ways no other album did when I was a cringy little teenager and in my early 20s, and got me through some of the angriest and lowest of times in the last decade. Those intense riffs, ultra-chaotic outbursts of blasts and spastic grooves, Kable Lyall’s vocal power, the whole package just spoke to me in a way very few other recent albums did. Not since hearing Acid Bath’s When the Kite String Pops for the first time, Bethlehem’s Dictius te Necare, Opeth’s Ghost Reveries, or any other album I heard when I was younger, did an album have that kind of impact on me. I really don’t mean to sound dramatic or hyperbolic when I say this, but I fucking love this album and still can’t get enough of it. Just sheer intensity and force, in the form of the most savage Blackened Punk I’ve heard yet. FUCK THIS LIFE!
*Drum roll*
1. Triptykon: Melana Chasmata (Century Media Records / 2014)
Here we are, Number 1. Of the entire decade. Triptykon: Melana FUCKING Chasmata.
Tom G. Warrior is no stranger to creating some truly compelling music, from the early Celtic Frost days, which is why they ascended to legendary status, as one of the front-runners for the first wave of Black Metal, to their later days, putting out arguably one of the greatest Doom/Extreme Metal albums of all time in Monotheist, to Triptykon. Triptykon have been one of the more interesting Doom Metal bands in recent years, because of how ambiguous their sound is. You can call them Blackened Doom, Gothic Doom, or just plain Doom Metal, and I couldn’t find an argument against it. Their first album set them of the path to being a top-tier act in my eyes, but Melana Chasmata, skyrocketed them to God status to me. This album is an otherworldly experience of a listen, comprised of various elements, structured into one grandiose composition of Doom Metal mastery, that sonically travels through portals of different landscapes of sound and through different passages, ranging from moments of dark bliss, with long melodic intros, like on Aurorae, to crushing moments of epicness, like Tree of Suffocating Souls. It’s a morbid voyage of cosmic mysticism, that only a mind like Tom G’s can conjure up.
Everything unfolds before you in a slow burn type of way, where the first two tracks are just heavy, doomy crushers, where the massive riffs and dueling male/female vocals are the main focus, which then slowly builds it’s dynamic piece by piece, which doesn’t really complete itself until the end of the album, so it demands your full attention until the end, and it’s so well done and exhilarating, that you can’t help but stick around to the end. Aurorae is pretty much the turning point, where things start to really unravel, but the lead-up to it is this massive barrage of Doom, with hints of Black and Heavy Metal to it, that spends the first half of the album beating your head in, before things get real interesting. It’s the type of dynamic that takes it’s time to reveal itself and allows only the patient and willing, to wait until it all comes full-circle, and when it does, it’s fucking great and worth the hour-long journey of a listen, at least to me, it was. The directions it takes, the twists and turns, the slow build, the musicianship and everything put into this album is just so complete and chaotic at it’s core, but delivered in a gripping way. I’d go into more detail if this were a full review, but that’s not the intent here. Maybe I will in the future, but all you need to know, is this is probably the closest Triptykon has come to recapturing the magic and essence of Monotheist, which was pretty goddamn close, but this one is n it’s own sonic plane, and it’s just as great. Album of the decade as far as I see it!
More Honorable Mentions:
Perverted Ceremony: Sabbat of Behezaël (Nuclear War Now! Productions / 2017)
Dragged into Sunlight: Widowmaker (Prosthetic Records / 2012)
Primitive Man: Caustic (Relapse Records / 2017)
Ritual Knife: Hate Invocation (Fallen Empire Records / 2017)
Akatharsia: No Generation Without Corruption (Psychic Violence Records / 2017)
Angrenost: Nox et Hiems (Altare Productions / 2017)
Ash Pool: For Which He Plies the Lash (Hospital Productions / 2010)
Haunt: S/T (Independent / 2017)
Burzum: Umskiptar (Byelobog Productions / 2012)
Mayhem: Esoteric Warfare (Season of Mist / 2014)
Pulling Teeth: Funerary (Firestarter Recs / 2011)
Wormlust: The Feral Wisdom (Mystiskaos / 2013)
Modorra: Solar Anus (Plague Island Records / 2013)
Silversun Pickups: Better Nature (New Machine Recordings / 2015)
Death Index: S/T (Deathwish Inc. / 2016)
Oathbreaker: Rheia (Deathwish Inc. / 2016)
Korgonthurus: Vuohen Siunaus (Woodcut Records / 2016)
Unholy Vampyric Slaughter Sect: Global.Vampyric.Assault.Unit (Independent / 2018)
Intestinal Disgorge: Sonic Shrapnel (Independent / 2017)
Sect Pig: Slave Destroyed (Nuclear War Now! Productions / 2013)
Sun Kil Moon: Universal Themes (Rough Trade Records / 2015)
Benighted in Sodom: Reverse Baptism (BadMoodMan Music / 2011)
Wrathprayer: The Sun of Moloch: The Sublimation of Sulphur’s Essence Which Spawned Death and Life (Nuclear War Now! Productions / 2012)
Endalok: Úr Draumheimi Viðurstyggðar (Signal Rex / 2017)
Gris: À L’âme Enflammée, L’âme Constellée… (Sepulchral Productions / 2013)
Acherontas: Ma-Ion (Formulas of Reptilian Unification) (World Terror Committee / 2015)
Spectral Voice: Eroded Corridors of Unbeing (Dark Descent Records / 2017)
Sargeist: Let the Devil In (Moribund Records / 2010)
Merrimack: Omegaphilia (Season of Mist / 2017)
At the Gates: At War With Reality (Century Media Records / 2014)
Dying Fetus: Reign Supreme (Relapse Records / 2012)
Suffocation: Pinnacle of Bedlam (Nuclear Blast Records / 2013)
Internal Bleeding: Imperium (Unique Leader Records / 2014)
Carcass: Surgical Steel (Nuclear Blast Records / 2013)
Eyehategod: S/T (Housecore Records / 2014)
Elysian Blaze: Blood Geometry (Osmose Productions / 2012)
Seeds of Iblis: Anti-Quran Rituals (Unmerciful Death Productions / 2013)
Slavehouse: Taste in Pain (Fallen Empire Records / 2018)
Grinning Death’s Head: Blood War (Youth Attack / 2017)
Conqbine: Let Them Die (Independent / 2015)
Cultes des Ghoules: Coven (Under the Sign of Garazel Productions / 2016)
Power Trip: Nightmare Logic (Southern Lord Recordings / 2017)
Cult Widow: Cursed II: Corrupting Worship (Independent / 2016)
Job for a Cowboy: Sun Eater (Metal Blade Records / 2014)
Abominable Putridity: The Anomalies of Artificial Origin (Brutal Bands / 2012)
Remembering Never: This Hell is Home (Dead Truth Recordings / 2013)
Ересь: Жестокосердие (Independent / 2016)
Orgy of Carrion: Obscured Ceremonies Under Hell Moon (Defiled Light / 2016)
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Dark Funeral: Where Shadows Forever Reign (Century Media Records / 2016)
Plague Porter: Don’t Let Them Breathe (Independent / 2016)
Voices: London (Candlelight Records / 2014)
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That does it, folks. That was the 2010 in my view! This too me long enough to finish (2 fucking months), so I’m gonna take a little break for now. I didn’t think I was gonna do this, but it was too good of a decade not to, so here we are. Here’s to another 10 years of good jams and good times! I’ll be back shortly with more reviews/discussions and some other things I have in the works. *wink*
Until then, enjoy this if you have the attention span (wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t), agree with it, disagree, call me a poser, call my taste shitty, do whatever you want. I’m just glad this is finally done with.
Stay tuned for more from Thy Kingdom Scvm in the 2020s, because there IS lots more to come… more than you think. 🙂
Thy Kingdom Scvm 