The 2015 End-of-Year List

It was a busy year, and the motivation and time to write reviews has been lacking rather more often than I'd have liked. I hadn't been keeping as close an eye as I should have on the releases of 2015. Always, of course, I've continued to be a fan, but one at times contented to listen to well-worn releases and classics, or to diversify my musical horizons with other genres. That said, December saw a re-kindling of the will to explore and keep-tabs on the music, and the pleasure that doing so can bring. This return was fuelled in no small part by the realisation that I hadn't even listened to enough albums from this year to make a well-considered list - it would have been more like a top-seven, and would have incorporated all of the new albums I'd heard. That wouldn't do. As much as I may sometimes go months without writing a review, I nonetheless view Heavy Metal Spotlight as an active project. Omitting an end-of-year list would be a grave sin indeed. Over the month, I listened to close to fifty of 2015's albums, and, while I would have preferred a little more time to let some releases simmer and settle down in my mind, I feel that the time I spent intensively listening and exploring, while reading back-issues of Iron Fist magazine, was the closest and most involved with the genre I have felt all year. Without further ado, then, lets turn to the moderately hurried but, at least in my mind, vaguely considered list.

***

 #20: Slugdge - Dime and Slimeridden Kingdoms: The gastropods of Slugdge wouldn't normally be on my radar at all, at least in the way I presumed them to sound before listening to their work more thoroughly. Instead of the overly-clean and modern affair I was half expecting, Dim and Slimeridden Kingdoms offers instead a true exhibition and feast of extreme-metal musicianship and composition. Monstrously heavy and well-produced, the record oozes with crushing, memorable and grin-causing moments a plenty, in a maelstrom of blackened bone-crunching nastiness bestowed by some of the best riffs in the business.


#19: Triumvir Foul - Self Titled: Oregon's Triumvir Foul make music which sounds exactly the way the artwork would suggest; an ominous, world-crushing roar of ritualistic and filth-ridden occult doctrine, rushing forth like stale, stagnant tomb-air infested with spores, plagues and effluvia. The dessicated voice of death. This, their self-titled full-length début marks one of the most excellently vile and marvellously sonically unacceptable works on the list. Cathartic, intriguing, punishing and about as legit as they come; a record dripping with decay, death and ruination. 



#18: Barshasketh - Ophidian Henosis: Vaguely-Edinburgh-based black-metal outfit Barshasketh deliver their most finely honed and perfected opus yet, in the form of Ophidian Henosis; forty five minutes of precise, well-measured black metal splendour. Intense, uplifting and sleekly diabolical, the clarity and sharpness of the record is given deeply satisfying exposition in its twisting leads and tremolos. Following the spirit of the bands previous works, Ophidian Henosis marks an enormous refinement and augmentation of Barshasketh's craft, and their work rightly takes a place amongst the finest the genre has offered in recent times.


#17: Hooded Menace - Darkness Drips Forth: Ghoulish though the revelries of Hooded Menace may be, they nonetheless possess quite some sense of sincerity. The dense, ambitious tracks of "Darkness Drips Forth" may well be the bands most accomplished and enjoyable yet. Favouring atmosphere more so than the fun, riff-focus of records like "Never Cross the Dead", the B-movie charm of some of the bands earlier work may not be so omnipresent here, but the gloom flourishes with more vigour than ever, in a record which both looks and sounds more serious, but equally succeeds in being fun to listen to.


#16: False - Untitled: The nameless full length début by US black-metal act "False" takes a little getting used to, for all the right reasons. The factors which contribute to that are the very same factors which make it an excellent record. Triumphantly idiosyncratic and at times bizarre, the record captures the pioneering, defiant and inventive spirit of the early nineties in a way that few records even attempt - it succeeds not by emulating, but by being interesting, forging an unusual, chimerical creation of blistering speeds and haunting, simplistic synth which probes at the atmospheric heart of the genre.


#15: Windhand - Grief's Infernal Flower: A highlight of Windhand is, perhaps, the soaring vocal delivery, with memorable patterns and haunting sound. You generally remember a Windhand chorus. These are virtues which "Grief's Infernal Flower" possess to a greater degree than anything else that the band have created so far. Standing head-and-shoulders above the already very enjoyable "Soma", the record's saw-toothed mournful doom represents the pinnacle of the band's work so far, as they continue to carve out an identity in the over-crowded world that doom-metal has been in recent years.

#14: Scythian - Hubris in Excelsis: London's Scythian play what I only really know as "Destroyer 666 style-" black thrash. The bands second record, "Hubris..." strides triumphantly, with huge reserves of power and savage majesty, churning and flexing its muscles for the entire run-time with an infectiously energetic swagger and snarl. Coupled with this power comes a distinct and deeply immersing atmosphere, taking the record out of the realms of straightforward aggression, and melding that side of it with a choral splendour reminiscent of Bathory - and doing so excellently. 


#13: Under the Church - Rabid Armageddon: Under the Church are a relatively new discovery to me, but their bare-bones style of old-school death metal appealed to me instantly. The band combine the throaty, filthy elements of Autopsy and the catchiness of Nunslaughter, and wrap it in a crispy Swedeath style shell while the songs roar and rattle along with energy to spare. While it doesn't reinvent the wheel, "Rabid Armageddon" is a fantastically fun distillation of many of old-school death metal's most enjoyable elements, and one which has been done extremely well indeed.



#12: Bell Witch - Four Phantoms: Bell Witch have literally only got two members - this was what I discovered when I saw them live. The fullness of their sound, however, on record and live, certainly overcomes any conceivable logistical problems that such staff-shortages might cause. Indeed, Bell Witch's sound is, as a consequence, one of the most unique and innovative takes on doom out there, weaving a work of incredible sorrow and power, both with crushing heaviness and murmuring delicacy. "Four Phantoms" is an enormous and ambitious record which takes a number of listens to sink in, but rewards you for doing so.


#11: Crypt Sermon - Out of the Garden: Pleasingly organic and rough-edged epic doom records tend to be quite thin on the ground, and as such, Crypt Sermon are an especially pleasant discovery, with riffs which tantalisingly dance, and passionately delivered vocals with the perfect measure of grit; a record which is both paying homage to the such greats as Solitude Aeturnus, but  also bedecks itself with its own sense of identity. "Out of the Garden" eschews, and rightly so, the penchant of "epic" metal to inadvertently scrub itself clean and sacrifice its character.




#10: Obsequiae - Aria of Vernal Tombs: "Aria of Vernal Tombs" is, without misusing the word, a magical record; veiled, sparkling, in a thin and light beauty akin to the morning dew, or an early mist. Crisp, melodious and scintillating guitar-work dominates the albums run time, during both distorted and clean sections of music, deploying some of the most fantastically captured melodies to pass my ears. While consequently lacking the cruel bludgeoning force that most black-metal has in one way or another, this record instead has an air of gorgeous ethereal wonder which is every bit as valuable.



#09:  Bonehunter - Evil Triumphs Again: With a suitably corrosive guitar tone and pleasantly absurd artwork-theme, Bonehunter's "Evil Triumphs Again" is a raucous and frenzied rampage through the blackened metal-punk landscape, mounted on an oil and rust caked road-warrior-esque vehicle consisting largely of denim, leather and MotörBathory. Fast, ballsy, catchy, and just the right level of puerile for the sub-genre in which it resides, the whole album improves with subsequent listens, and/or cumulative intoxication. 

 
#08: Dan Terminus - The Wrath of Code: A non-metal addition to the list at the last minute, I have no idea how qualified I am to discuss the retrofuturistic electronic synthwave shenanigans of Dan Terminus. I've heard perhaps five albums of that genre, in total. What I do understand is that "The Wrath of Code" is an enthusiasm-enhancing selection of typically bouncy-but-dark tracks which capture the bizarre and effervescent possibilities of an odd, and perhaps even sinister future. The whole album leaves you with the lingering desire to live the sort of lifestyle portrayed in a space-opera. But then again, maybe that was just me.


#07: Chapel of Disease - The Mysterious Ways of Repetitive Art: I had my suspicions that this record would be included on my end-of-year list over a year ago when I first had the opportunity to hear some of it. The wilder, more innovative follow-up to the immensely enjoyable albeit solidly conventional "Summoning Black Gods", "The Mysterious Ways" sees the band successfully travel down a path of eclectic influences and imaginative song-writing, with the musics backbone of thrashy death-metal augmented throughout in too many ways, and by too many influences, to count off-hand.


#06: Magic Circle - Journey Blind: As soon as you see the artwork of this one; the regal, resplendent peacock colour-scheme, smooth and indulgent upon the senses, the music itself is foreshadowed. "Journey Blind" is grandiose, sublime, and spectacular, yet extremely down-to-earth at the same time. A fantastic collection of rockin' doom-with-a-touch-of-punk "Journey Blind" is vintage not just in intention, but in spirit too; perfectly capturing the early days of heavy metal without sounding tired or over-done. The delivery is passionate, legitimate, and insanely catchy without being cheesy. Few records have ever risen in my esteem so rapidly.


#05: Satan - Atom by Atom: "Life Sentence" may have been the single best comeback-album to ever reach my ears, and it's an absolute pleasure to discover that its follow-up, "Atom by Atom" is every bit as good. Intentionally slightly more technically proficient, the record merges this fact with its nigh-flawless production to create an album which is memorable, hooky and immensely enjoyable, but likewise one which has the agile chops to utterly draw the listeners attention and maintain it - everything about the record is immaculately planned and executed, and the result is magnificent.


#04: Enslaved - In Times: In my mind, the current "era" of Enslaved is marked by an increasingly reliable ability to create end-of-year list candidates. This "era" began with 2010s "Axioma Ethica Odini". Since then, we have borne witness to the equally excellent "Riitiir". The third record of this streak of superb progressive black-metal appears to have been "In Times" - in my experience the most enjoyable of the three. Leaner, more compact, more streamlined and all-together a perfect mission statement of Enslaved's current incarnation; the beauty, quirkiness and unique musical aesthetic, sharpened, and more on target than ever before.


#03: Midnight Odyssey - Shards of Silver Fade:  Possibly the longest album I've ever started listening to and actually finished in a sitting (I'll get to "Blood Geometry" one day), Midnight Odyssey's "Shards of Silver Fade" is an astonishingly vast, cosmically beautiful two and a-half hours of sublime atmosphere. Difficult to digest, certainly, but infinitely rewarding - the record is worth its whole running time - every desolate, gorgeous moment is wonderful to behold, and of moments, it has many. A truly haunting experience, leaving the listener frozen, enthralled and filled with wonder.


#02: Macabre Omen - God of War - At War: Perhaps the album, along with, I expect, Horrendous' Anareta - which I didn't find myself particularly interested in - to claim a place on the most end-of-year lists, I investigated Macabre Omen on precisely that basis, and I was not disappointed. Excluding perhaps Bathory, Macabre Omen conjure the most sincerely glorious atmosphere of any band I've heard, with songs like "From Son to Father" being utterly stirring and magnificent. "God of War - At War" is an inspiringly strong record with a dense and palpable atmosphere.



#01: Ahab - The Boats of the Glen Carrig: I'm a huge fan of Ahab - it's no secret. On all three - or rather, four, now - of their records, they managed to create some of the most powerful music I've ever heard; and "The Boats..." is no exception. Each Ahab record is different from the last - different from all of the others, in fact - but they have certain things in common, and this record delivered on such expectations. The haunting, cathartic clean-vocals; the crushing turmoil of the heavy sections, and the constant backbone of beauty. A welcome addition to Ahab's back-catalogue.

***

#387 Windhand - Grief's Infernal Flower

Stoner doom - and its more-or-less psychedelically inclined henchmen - amount to a sub-genre which, without overstating, there's a fucking lot of at the moment. Especially in the last half-a-decade or so, the swarm of artists playing it, or similar styles, has reached saturation point - not necessarily a bad thing - a genre flourishing, many would say... But likewise, the generic, the unadventurous and the derivative within doom are at something of a high-tide of late. Indeed, at times it reaches an extent enough to slightly turn me off the genre - or at least take a break and listen to something else. Not through any sort of elitism, you understand, but more an intermittent reluctance to believe anything especially exciting was being done - particularly in the more conventional realms. In a world where so many bands make something reasonable out of the established tropes of a sub-genre, it takes something that bit more special to make something great from those very same ingredients. That's where Windhand come in.

Windhand's new record "Grief's Infernal Flower" is as good a launchpad back into enthusiasm as anything else I've crossed paths with recently. How much the band re-invent any kind of wheel is debatable - their work is distinct in several ways, particularly the powerful, haunting and instantly recognisable vocals of Dorthia Cottrell - but likewise, the guitar-work borrows very overtly from the bible as written by the greats of the genre; particularly Electric Wizard. Many of the hooks, riff-styles and approaches to solo-playing are clearly following that line of influence - embodying stoner-doom tropes with great comfort indeed. However, as picked-clean that doom-bible might appear to be -  however many of its pages have been used for roach-cardboard over the years, there's still some good stuff left in there, and while, as hinted above, there's no wheel-reinvention going on, the band nonetheless comfortably carve their own sonic empire. "Grief's Infernal Flower" keeps a tight hold on the reeling, mournful banner of it's predecessor "Soma", whilst refining it into a record which is arguably a step up from it. Immediately memorable and potent vocal lines and patterns differentiate the character of separate songs with ease, casting the bands vast, ethereal and mournful atmosphere with greater clarity and focus; while still a sprawling and intoxicating soundscape, this one meanders less, and achieves more.

Tonally, Windhand have always had something special - and as the record demonstrates keenly, something which continues to ripen and blossom; the bruising and engulfing guitar-tone at once succeeds in being heavy to the point of being noteworthy, but likewise has a pleasant texture, and is something which can be enjoyed on that basis - some doom bands have a tone so filthy or distorted that enjoyment comes not from how pleasant it is, but how extreme. This is not the case here; the surreal and magical world of "Grief's Infernal Flower" - cold, awe-inspiring, melancholic - is absolutely complimented by the tone used - and indeed, more broadly complimented by the coming together of all the elements used. Nothing seems out of place - and while for the most part the record is quite a conventional one, it is in some way optimised - in some way honed and put together in such a way as to best capitalise, bringing together, fruitfully, elements not just of stoner doom, but a more sombre and sober side reminiscent of more traditional doom metal (the artwork itself is, by accident or by design, reminiscent of "Die Healing"), conjuring forth the intoxicating atmosphere not just - or chiefly - a narcotic haze, but the colder intoxication of the bare and captivating night-sky, all the while drawing the listener out of their body with a sincerity which other bands are often wont to squander.

The fact I can't think, off-hand, of any other 2015 stoner doom albums at this moment does not mean that's the sole reason I'm willing to consider "Grief's Internal Flower" one of the best of the year. The album is, beyond that, genuinely very good indeed. Time will tell, of course, but my satisfaction with the record over the last month or so of listening has been consistent, and I'm more than happy to label this record Windhand's best output yet.

This is an 8.5/10.

Links:
Windhand on Bandcamp
Windhand on Facebook
Windhand on Metal Archives

#386 - Black Breath - Slaves Beyond Death

I got into Black Breath just as "Sentenced to Life" came out, back in early 2012. Among other things, it was the first time I'd ever heard a HM-2 guitar tone used, which definitely played a part in how incredibly blown-away I was by how monstrous it sounded. Of course, several years later, I've heard plenty more bands utilising that classic Swedish sound  - many of them actually from Sweden - but my appreciation of Black Breath's work has not been diminished by a grown understanding of the musical context within which they exist. In fact, it has been quite the opposite; both of the band's full-length albums are still among the records I listen to the most. Another, perhaps more relevant side-effect of discovering the band just after the release of "Sentenced..." is that it's the longest time I could possibly have waited for a new album - and consequently, the prospect of "Slaves Beyond Death" was an exciting one indeed...

Before tackling the meat of the album - in short, what it sounds like - some words about artwork are needed. Paolo Girardi is an extremely talented artist - much in the way that Christophe Szpajdel is a great logo designer. Both suffer from the same problem; a lot of their output looks more or less the same. While all of Girardi's artwork is very accomplished, its often limited palette and thematic content leaves the artwork of "Slaves Beyond Death" just another beige cobblestone on a road paved by his work. It's also unclear how well it suits the bands ethos and sound; lacking in the appropriate sharpness and power to evoke the band's music. The idea itself is a powerful one, but could have been executed better. Of course, the sway of the aesthetic element of a record is generally outweighed by the musical one - and so it would be wise to swiftly move along to that. "Slaves..." is a solid, if slightly confusing, listen. The record is much less compact than its predecessors - more sprawling, arguably more ambitious, and, consequently, sometimes less intense. The songs are substantially longer - at times granting the music more room in which to make its impact, but often leaving them feeling diluted, and at its worst, haphazardly arranged; several tracks reek slightly of the gratuitous; their intros feel like they have intros - we're 01:35 into the song now, are we quite done? The bursts of energy are slathered and tarred in mid-tempo riffs - sometimes to the point of weariness. The production feels more blunt; the vocals quieter - in striving to be more evil and more - for want of a better word "proper" as opposed to the unrefined roaring in previous records, they lose quite a bit of impact, both in the mix, and overall in their delivery. Likewise, the guitar work can come across as a little bit neutered of the extreme heaviness found previously, even if, and I'm more than happy to admit, the riffs still truly ooze with skull-splitting heaviness, which, for all the criticism I just delivered, is still true.

Nonetheless, despite all that I've just said, I'm not as displeased as it might seem. I did enjoy Slaves Beyond Death, but it's certainly an enjoyment tinged with surprise - the record represents a pronounced change in direction, and, perhaps bravely, perhaps foolishly, a step away from the sheer intensity which, as far as I understood it, was Black Breath's thing. At times the record steps up to the familiar strobe-lit Armageddon that the band traditionally deliver - but chiefly, the shattering glass and wide-eyed abandon evoked previously now has as an accomplice a fair bit of experimentation with the grandiose, with the obtuse and the vast interlaced into it - and while it would be overly harsh to call it "experimentation gone wrong", it doesn't make it past "experimentation gone... okay" in my eyes, at least if I try to compare it strictly to the previous records. Maybe the story behind all of this is simply thus; maybe records like "Heavy Breathing" and "Sentenced to Life" are beyond replication? Maybe the band thought so, at least. Maybe the band thought that recipe had run its course - and I find this most plausible... but I dare say a lot of us didn't feel like it had run that course just yet. Whatever the reason, "Slaves..." is a very different record to what came before, and one which makes it challenging to listen to; the question of what to look for in the labyrinths of its sound is ambiguous; to understand it in the paradigm of the Black Breath of old is to be disappointed - but to understand it, or attempt to, with regards to its own, isolated merits reveals a competent and enjoyable record - not the record I expected, or, indeed, quite the record I wanted, but nonetheless one that bears at least most of the marks of being a good one. Wherever the bands sound is destined - and with an eye to where it came from, I think "Slaves..." is destined to be viewed as a transitional work, and perhaps, with time, one which might become viewed as underrated.

 "Slaves Beyond Death" is a worthwhile album - that's still absolutely true. Approached with an open mind, it's solid stuff, and maintains a degree of the captivating genre-ambiguity which the previous records had. A change in style, for sure, but not so drastic as to fall dead from the presses. It will disappoint some, be met with indifference by others, but, for the most part, meet with a reasonable level of approval, I expect. Different, and a bit of a shock to those expecting or hoping for "more of the same" - but not the sort of shock which ruins the album. I'm already looking forward to the next record - not least so I can say I "called it" if this one proves to be a transitional work.

This is a 7/10.

Links:
Black Breath Official Site 
Black Breath on Bandcamp
Black Breath on Facebook
Black Breath on Metal Archives