 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
| ||||||
| ① | Drudkh - Vsi Nalezhat' Nochi (All Belong to the Night) Score: 10/10 I can't believe I'm saying this, but the Lost Souls Domain has nothing to do with the Eurovision song contest! So when a band from the Ukraine comes out on top this year, it has nothing to do with the war in Ukraine, but it is based on one thing and one thing alone: They made the best album of the year. And this is the also case for Drudkh with their latest album. It consists of only four songs, but each is an epic black metal masterpiece. Heavy in atmosphere and with the Ukrainian folk influences, Drudkh has always been a favourite of mine, but this might be their best album yet! |
|||||
| ||||||
| Eternal Solitude - The Gates of the Beyond Score: 10/10 This is why I love discovering new bands! After three decades listening to metal, I am still finding hidden gems like this. Of course the method changed a bit: What used to be browsing through boxes of albums in obscure metal shops, is now replaced by scouring the internet looking for obscure releases. And Eternal Solitude from Brazil was certainly a band I never heard of before, but "The Gates of the Beyond" is a great find. It starts off as a total 'The Elysian Fields' worship, but then quickly degenerates into an awesome doom death fest, before closing appropriately with a coversong from The Elysian Fields. So surprising, but so good! | ② | |||||
| ||||||
| ③ | Cadaveria - Emptiness Score: 9.5/10 I remember the first time I heard Cadaveria in action. I was a frequent guest of a place called Diskotheek in Rotterdam, which was not for dancing, mind you. It was a library (Bibliotheek in Dutch) but instead of books they loaned out cds. Luckily for me, their strategy to build their collection was to simply purchase everything they could get their hands on, which included quite some underground metal releases. Every quarter they released a thick paper catalog (This was the very early days of the internet, so this was not online yet!) and every quarter I would go through this catalog to pick out interesting releases. One of these was Opera IX's debut album "The Call of the Wood" which a diskotheek employee had to find in their storage, after which he grumpily told me they never loaned this one out yet. Of course a lot has changed since then, Cadaveria left Opera IX to start her own band, then she got very sick and is now on the road to recovery. During this period they released a couple of songs online, which are all on this album together with some new songs. And while all of the songs are good, it did make this album feel more like a compilation album. I am looking forward from more greatness from Cadaveria in the future! |
|||||
| ||||||
| Djevel - Naa Skrider Natten Sort Score: 9.5/10 Last year Djevel entered the yearlist for the first time, so what are the odds that this year they're not only back, but they even surpassed last years release? "Naa Skrider Natten Sort" is just incredibly well made Norwegian Black Metal, remnant of the golden age of black metal in the nineties. Also last year I complained about the long song titles and this time they're shorter, so apparently they're reading these reviews - another brilliant album next year please! | ④ | |||||
| ||||||
| ⑤ | Aphonic Threnody - The Loneliest Walk Score: 9.5/10 Every year list needs a good funeral doom release, and international outfit Aphonic Threnody takes the honour this year. With a singer from Italy, guitar players from the UK and the US, a drummer from Australia and a keyboard player from Greece I wonder how they made this work, though perhaps it didn't work so well since everyone except the guitar player seems to have quit the band. They did come up with an excellent release though. And for the funeral doom aficionados worried about the ten tracks on this album: Stay calm, its a double cd clocking in at almost 2.5 hours, so you still have tracks averaging out almost 15 minutes! |
|||||
| ||||||
| Wolfheart - King of the North Score: 9.5/10 The typical 'melodeath' is a difficult genre for me. While I enjoy the combination of faster death metal and melodic parts, and the mixed grunts and clean vocals, it can so quickly turn cheesy. Wolfheart is a band that finds the balance perfectly though, and their latest album King of the North is their best album since their debut Winterborn, so absolutely worthy of a place in the yearlist. | ⑥ | |||||
| ||||||
| ⑦ | In Mourning - Live in Valley Sound Studio Score: 9.5/10 What do you do when you want to play live but you also don't like to see people? You rent a studio and play live there? It's an interesting concept, but the result is a nice mix between live and compilation album: A new take on great songs from past releases, but also with perfect sound quality. I'll not bother with comparing Swedens In Mourning with country mates Opeth, but if you so happen to like older Opeth, then it's definitely worth a listen! |
|||||
| ||||||
| Autonoesis Moon of Foul Magics Score: 9.5/10 | ⑧ | |||||
| ||||||
| ⑨ | Theudho Voorbij de nevelen des tijds Score: 9.5/10 |
|||||
| ||||||
| Grima - Frostbitten Score: 9.5/10 Another example of great finds is this year's Grima. I had never heard of the Russian band before, but they put out a superb atmospheric black metal album with Frostbitten. They masterfully combine fast black metal with instrumental passages and great solo work, and since this is already their fifth full length I really should have heard of them before! Well, better late than never. | ⑩ | |||||
| ||||||
| ⑪ | Timor Et Tremor - Realm of Ashes Score: 9.5/10 With usually quite a few years between releases, and even six years since their last album, Germany's Timor Et Tremor is not the most productive band out there, but each album is definitely worth a listen. Their latest "Realm of Ashes" is an interesting experience: while rooting in black metal, it kind of bounces between genres, going from slow passages with clean vocals to harsh and fast, and do I hear some Dissection in there? Well worth a listen! |
|||||
| ||||||
| Shallow Rivers - The Tales Told Under the Willow Score: 9.5/10 The Russian doom metal scene is as ever a very productive one, and while Shallow Rivers balances between doom and melodeath, it's an absolute treat for the fans of the slower metal genres. And using lyrics from William Blake is certainly adding a nice touch :) | ⑫ | |||||
| ||||||
| ⑬ | Kalmankantaja Metsäuhri Score: 9/10 |
|||||
| ||||||
| Vargsheim In the Tower of Ivory Score: 9/10 | ⑭ | |||||
| ||||||
| ⑮ | Wędrujący Wiatr Zorzysta Staje Oćma Score: 9/10 |
|||||
| ||||||
| Golgotha Mors Diligentis Score: 9/10 | ⑯ | |||||
| ||||||
| ⑰ | Einherjer Norse and Dangerous - Live... From the Land of Legends Score: 9/10 |
|||||
| ||||||
| Cult Of Fire Live in the Underworld Score: 9/10 | ⑱ | |||||
| ||||||
| ⑲ | Enchantment Cold Soul Embrace Score: 9/10 |
|||||
| ||||||
| Shape Of Despair Return to the Void Score: 9/10 | ⑳ | |||||
| ||||||
| 21 | Graceless Chants from Purgatory Score: 9/10 |
|||||
| ||||||
| Ereb Altor Vargtimman Score: 9/10 | 22 | |||||
| ||||||
| 23 | Commander Agares / Graveland Awakening of the Storms Score: 9/10 |
|||||
| ||||||
| Mors Principium Est Liberate The Unborn Inhumanity Score: 9/10 | 24 | |||||
| ||||||
| 25 | Monolithe Kosmodrom Score: 9/10 |
|||||
| ||||||
| Lord Belial Rapture Score: 9/10 | 26 | |||||
| ||||||
| 27 | Abbath Dread Reaver Score: 9/10 |
|||||
| ||||||
| Medieval Demon Black Coven Score: 9/10 | 28 | |||||
| ||||||
| 29 | Acherontas Malocchio - The Seven Tongues of Daimon Score: 9/10 |
|||||
| ||||||
| Te Deum Reflexia Score: 8.5/10 | 30 | |||||
| ||||||
| 31 | Dispatched Warfare Score: 8.5/10 |
|||||
| ||||||
| Iku-Turso Into Dawnless Realms Score: 8.5/10 | 32 | |||||
| ||||||
| 33 | Septic Flesh Modern Primitive Score: 8.5/10 |
|||||
| ||||||
| Träumen Von Aurora Luna Score: 8.5/10 | 34 | |||||
| ||||||
| 35 | Cult Of Luna The Long Road North Score: 8.5/10 |
|||||
| ||||||
| Moonspell From Down Below - Live 80 Meters Deep Score: 8.5/10 | 36 | |||||
| ||||||
| 37 | Kampfar Til Klovers Takt Score: 8.5/10 |
|||||
| ||||||
| Celestial Season Mysterium I Score: 8.5/10 | 38 | |||||
| ||||||
| 39 | Rotting Christ The Early Days - Live in Studio (digital) Score: 8.5/10 |
|||||
| ||||||
| Månegarm Ynglingaättens Öde Score: 8.5/10 | 40 | |||||
| ||||||
| 41 | Ashen Light Living in Ashes and Light Score: 8.5/10 |
|||||
| ||||||
| Nokturnal Mortum Do Lunarnoyi Poeziyi Score: 8.5/10 | 42 | |||||
| ||||||
| 43 | Celestial Season Mysterium II Score: 8.5/10 |
|||||
| ||||||
| Bloodbath Survival of the Sickest Score: 8.5/10 | 44 | |||||
| ||||||
| 45 | Negative Plane The Pact... Score: 8.5/10 |
|||||
| ||||||
| Various Wolfnacht / Goatmoon / Thy Serpent Score: 8.5/10 | 46 | |||||
| ||||||
| 47 | Falls Of Rauros Key to a Vanishing Future Score: 8.5/10 |
|||||
| ||||||
| Eucharist I Am the Void Score: 8.5/10 | 48 | |||||
| ||||||
| 49 | Saor Origins Score: 8.5/10 |
|||||
| ||||||
| Elegeion Plight of the Heretic Score: 8.5/10 | 50 | |||||
| ||||||
| 51 | Hermóðr Through Forests of Sorrow (digital) Score: 8/10 |
|||||
| ||||||
| Sakrileg 2020 (digital) Score: 8/10 | 52 | |||||
| ||||||
| 53 | Bekëth Nexëhmü De Dunklas Sorgeakt (Ett Nordiskt Afvsked...) Score: 8/10 |
|||||
| ||||||
| Ellende Ellenbogengesellschaft Score: 8/10 | 54 | |||||
| ||||||
| 55 | Ultha All That Has Never Been True Score: 8/10 |
|||||
| ||||||
| Abyssphere Jejdolon Score: 8/10 | 56 | |||||
| ||||||
| 57 | Primordial The Camelot Sessions (digital) Score: 8/10 |
|||||
| ||||||
| Khold Svartsyn Score: 8/10 | 58 | |||||
| ||||||
| 59 | Contrast Acedia Score: 8/10 |
|||||
| ||||||
| Misþyrming Með Hamri Score: 8/10 | 60 | |||||
| ||||||
| 61 | White Ward False Light Score: 8/10 |
|||||
| ||||||
| Gaerea Mirage Score: 8/10 | 62 | |||||
| ||||||
| 63 | Kalmankantaja Talvisota Score: 8/10 |
|||||
| Panzerfaust The Suns Of Perdition - Chapter III: The Astral Drain Score: 8/10 | 64 | |||||
| ||||||
| 65 | Amon Amarth The Great Heathen Army Score: 8/10 |
|||||
| ||||||
| In The Woods Dīversum Score: 8/10 | 66 | |||||
| ||||||
| 67 | Placebo Never Let Me Go Score: 8/10 |
|||||
| ||||||
| Bekëth Nexëhmü De Evigas Gravrit Score: 8/10 | 68 | |||||
| ||||||
| 69 | Vintertodt Under Endless Invented Night Score: 7.5/10 |
|||||
| ||||||
| Sacred Sin Storms Over the Dying World Score: 7.5/10 | 70 | |||||
| ||||||
| 71 | Woods Of Desolation The Falling Tide Score: 7.5/10 |
|||||
| ||||||
| Frostmoon Eclipse Rustworn Score: 7.5/10 | 72 | |||||
| ||||||
| 73 | Drudensang Tuiflsrijtt Score: 7.5/10 |
|||||
| ||||||
| Mortuus Diablerie Score: 7.5/10 | 74 | |||||
| ||||||
| 75 | Interpol The Other Side Of Make-Believe Score: 7.5/10 |
|||||
| ||||||
| Various Grave Of Fire, Seal Of Stars (digital) Score: 7.5/10 | 76 | |||||
| ||||||
| 77 | Sargeist / Serpent Noir Transcendental Black Magic Score: 7.5/10 |
|||||
| ||||||
| Gnipahålan I Nordisk Vredeslusta Score: 7.5/10 | 78 | |||||
| ||||||
| 79 | Unreqvited Split with Sadness Score: 7.5/10 |
|||||
| ||||||
| Agathodaimon The Seven Score: 7.5/10 | 80 | |||||
| ||||||
| 81 | Hermóðr My Throne (digital) Score: 7.5/10 |
|||||
| ||||||
| Lucifer's Child / Mystifier Under Satan's Wrath Score: 7.5/10 | 82 | |||||
| ||||||
| 83 | Deos (FRA) Furor Belli Score: 7.5/10 |
|||||
| ||||||
| Kalmankantaja Ahdistus MMXXI Score: 7/10 | 84 | |||||
| ||||||
| 85 | Mosaic Heimatspuk Score: 7/10 |
|||||
| ||||||
| Tribulation The Dhampir (digital) Score: 7/10 | 86 | |||||
| ||||||
| 87 | Darkthrone Astral Fortress Score: 7/10 |
|||||
| ||||||
| Svartsot Kumbl Score: 7/10 | 88 | |||||
| ||||||
| 89 | Behemoth Opvs Contra Natvram Score: 7/10 |
|||||
| ||||||
| Thormesis If Mania Never Ends Score: 7/10 | 90 | |||||
| ||||||
| 91 | Sigh Shiki Score: 7/10 |
|||||
| ||||||
| Abhor Sex Sex Sex (Ceremonia Daemonis Antichristi) Score: 7/10 | 92 | |||||
| 93 | An Abstract Illusion Woe Score: 7/10 |
|||||
| ||||||
| Träumen Von Aurora Aurora Score: 7/10 | 94 | |||||
| ||||||
| 95 | Mesarthim Anthropic Bias (digital) Score: 7/10 |
|||||
| ||||||
| Fear Factory Recoded Score: 7/10 | 96 | |||||
| 97 | Hetroertzen Live in Barcelona (digital) Score: 7/10 |
|||||
| Wake Thought Form Descent Score: 6.5/10 | 98 | |||||
| ||||||
| 99 | Machine Head Øf Kingdøm and Crøwn Score: 6.5/10 |
|||||
| Sylvaine Nova Score: 6.5/10 | 100 | |||||
