Obligatory Mid-Year Highlights Thread

[xX M i A s M a]

We've officially passed the halfway point for 2013, which albums have been captivating everyone so far?

Make me a list, betches.

 

[MadTinus]

Awesome:
- DARK TRANQUILLITY - Construct (great comeback after a couple of rather bland albums)
- SOILWORK - The Living Infinite (great comeback after a couple of rather bland albums)
- ALICE IN CHAINS - The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here (fuck all the 'I miss Layne' whinery. He's dead, live with it, just be glad AIC didn't die with him, but rather keep releasing awesome albums)
- SULPHUR AEON - Swallowed By The Ocean's Tide (awesome newcomer! CRUSHING album)

VERY good:
- SONS OF AEON - Sons Of Aeon
- AOSOTH - IV: An Arrow in Heart
- DAFT PUNK - Random Access Memories
- WISDOM OF CROWDS - Wisdom Of Crowds

Good/enjoyable:
- OCTOBER TIDE - Tunnel Of No Light (solid, but not as good as I hoped for)
- TRIBULATION - The Formulas Of Death (solid, but not as good as I hoped for)
- DARKANE - The Sinister Supremacy
- SKINEATER - Dermal Harvest
- MEGADETH - Super Collider

Have also heard, alright, wasn't too impressed:
- STEVEN WILSON - The Raven That Refused to Sing

 

[(The bass player)]

In no particular order:

Amon Amarth - Deceiver of the gods
Immolation - Kingdom of conspiracy
Autopsy - The headless ritual
Black Sabbath - 13 (not a great album really but I worship Geezer Butlers bass playing so it still goes here)
The Gates of Slumber - Stormcrow
Saxon - Sacrifice
Necrocurse - Grip of the dead
Manilla Road - Mysterium

Overall not a very impressive year so far so let's hope for some better releases in the remaining months...

 

[DarkGift]

Desolator - Unearthly Monument

 

[winters epilogue]

I haven't loved a lot this year, but here's a list of releases that have seen pretty steady digital rotation:

LP
Agrimonia - Rites of Separation
Altar of Plagues - Teethed Glory and Injury
Author & Punisher - Women & Children
Autopsy - The Headless Ritual
Cloud Rat - Moksha
Cult of Luna - Vertikal
Deafheaven - Sunbather
The Dillinger Escape Plan - One of Us is the Killer
Inter Arma - Sky Burial
Leprous - Coal
Locrian - Return to Annihilation
Lucrecia Dalt - Commotus
Pharmakon - Abandon
Portal - Vexovoid
Shai Hulud - Reach Beyond the Sun
Stomach Earth - S/T

EP
The Body - Master, We Perish
Rotten Sound - Species at War
Soap&Skin - Sugarbread
Wreck and Reference - No Content

 

[xX M i A s M a]

^ I loved most of the stuff on your list. Altar Of Plagues (who are regrettably breaking up), Agrimonia, Cult Of Luna, Cloud Rat, Inter Arma, Deafheaven, Leprous, Locrian, The Body, Portal...All great. I didn't hear the Rotten Sound ep, and wasn't even aware it was released tbh.

I would add:

Lycus - Tempest
Sombres Forêts - La Mort Du Soleil
Imprecation - Satanae Tenebris Infinita
Bölzer - Aura
All Pigs Must Die - Nothing Violates This Nature
Deeds Of Flesh - Portals To Canaan
Lantern - Below
Scale The Summit - The Migration
Summoning - Old Morning's Dawn
Caladan Brood - Echoes Of Battle
Vhol - S/T
Ars Macabra - III

 

[winters epilogue]

^ I loved most of the stuff on your list. Altar Of Plagues (who are regrettably breaking up), Agrimonia, Cult Of Luna, Cloud Rat, Inter Arma, Deafheaven, Leprous, Locrian, The Body, Portal...All great. I didn't hear the Rotten Sound ep, and wasn't even aware it was released tbh.

I would add:

Lycus - Tempest
Sombres Forêts - La Mort Du Soleil
Imprecation - Satanae Tenebris Infinita
Bölzer - Aura
All Pigs Must Die - Nothing Violates This Nature
Deeds Of Flesh - Portals To Canaan
Lantern - Below
Scale The Summit - The Migration
Summoning - Old Morning's Dawn
Caladan Brood - Echoes Of Battle
Vhol - S/T
Ars Macabra - III

I only meant "loved" in the sense that only two or three of those releases made me go OHGAWDICANTSTOPLISTENINGTOTHIS. That said, I really enjoyed everything on that list. Teethed Glory and Injury is probably my favorite from the year so far and, while I'm very bummed they're breaking up, I'm glad I got to see them the two times they came through the U.S.

Good call on Summoning. That release is such a fun listening. Also, I haven't heard the new All Pigs Must Die (they haven't disappointed me yet so I can't see why they'd start now), Sombres Forêts, Imprecation, Latern, or Bölzer so thanks for the recommendations.

I just got the new Peste Noire last night - I'm really digging in. The production is more in line with the earlier records, but it kept L'ordure à l'état pur's "charm."

Also, a couple highly anticipated records - one month until the new Gorguts, two months until the new Ulcerate. Hell yes.

 

[PhlegethonVeins]

LP:
Procession - To Reap Heavens Apart
Imprecation - Satanae Tenebris Infinita
Portal - Vexovoid
The Meads of Asphodel - Sonderkommando
Peste Noir - s/t
!T.O.O.H.! - Democratic Solution
Lycus - Tempest
Deafheaven - Sunbather
Supuration - Cube 3
Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats - Mind Control
Orchid - Mouths of Madness
Summoning - Old Mornings Dawn
Altar of Plagues - Teethed Glory and Injury
Cult of Luna - Vertikal
Ghost - Infestissumam

EP / Splits:
Subterranean Masquerade - Home
Bölzer - Aura
Cough / Windhand - Reflection of the Negative

Procession is sitting on top of the LPs for me despite being a call back to epic traditional doom metal, sitting next to Portal, Deafheaven and Peste Noir (this album has been going back and forth for me, at first I didn't like it nearly as much as their other material, but it is growing on me).

 

[xX M i A s M a]

I only meant "loved" in the sense that only two or three of those releases made me go OHGAWDICANTSTOPLISTENINGTOTHIS. That said, I really enjoyed everything on that list. Teethed Glory and Injury is probably my favorite from the year so far and, while I'm very bummed they're breaking up, I'm glad I got to see them the two times they came through the U.S.

Good call on Summoning. That release is such a fun listening. Also, I haven't heard the new All Pigs Must Die (they haven't disappointed me yet so I can't see why they'd start now), Sombres Forêts, Imprecation, Latern, or Bölzer so thanks for the recommendations.

I just got the new Peste Noire last night - I'm really digging in. The production is more in line with the earlier records, but it kept L'ordure à l'état pur's "charm."

Also, a couple highly anticipated records - one month until the new Gorguts, two months until the new Ulcerate. Hell yes.

The new Peste rubbed me the wrong way, I'm not sure why yet. I'm going to give it another pass soon. New Gorguts and Ulcerate are high on my list, I hope they don't absolutely bomb.

 

[PhlegethonVeins]

On the first spin the new Peste didn't seem to have the vibe that they are known for. However, listening to it now i'm not sure how I was missing it. It feels among the most consistent of the records i've gone through this year.

 

[Belac]

That Peste Noire is fucked up. I like the sort of Avantegarde Black Metal stuff a lot of time but this isn't really doing anything for me.

 

[PhlegethonVeins]

Fucked up aptly describes most of Famines material.

 

[winters epilogue]

Colored Sands is up on Spotify; it's fucking fantastic.

 

[PhlegethonVeins]

Yeah, you can add the new Gorguts and Carcass to my list.

 

[MadTinus]

Awesome:
- DARK TRANQUILLITY - Construct (great comeback after a couple of rather bland albums)
- SOILWORK - The Living Infinite (great comeback after a couple of rather bland albums)
- ALICE IN CHAINS - The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here (fuck all the 'I miss Layne' whinery. He's dead, live with it, just be glad AIC didn't die with him, but rather keep releasing awesome albums)
- SULPHUR AEON - Swallowed By The Ocean's Tide (awesome newcomer! CRUSHING album)

VERY good:
- SONS OF AEON - Sons Of Aeon
- AOSOTH - IV: An Arrow in Heart
- DAFT PUNK - Random Access Memories
- WISDOM OF CROWDS - Wisdom Of Crowds

Good/enjoyable:
- OCTOBER TIDE - Tunnel Of No Light (solid, but not as good as I hoped for)
- TRIBULATION - The Formulas Of Death (solid, but not as good as I hoped for)
- DARKANE - The Sinister Supremacy
- SKINEATER - Dermal Harvest
- MEGADETH - Super Collider

Have also heard, alright, wasn't too impressed:
- STEVEN WILSON - The Raven That Refused to Sing

To the awesome list can be added:
- WITHERSCAPE - The Inheritance (this has Swanö written all over it and then some, meaning sometimes it's sugarsweet and yes, cheesy, but there's no way around the fact that it's fucking GOOD and once you start playing it, each tune etches itself into your brain for good)

SONS OF AEON and AOSOTH have been promoted to the Awesome category, both albums have been on high rotation here recently.

Now I'm really looking forward to the new Blackfield and new Necrophobic, hell yeah! Satyricon also maybe..

 

[DarkGift]

new blackfield has vincent cavanagh on guest vocals so it could be good

 

[MadTinus]

Blackfield IV seems OK so far, need to listen some more.

Satyricon doesn't do much for me so far, maybe also more listening is required.

Katatonia D&U, hmmm, dunno, bit disappointing so far. Like Joakim said on Facebook, I keep wanting to hear the original versions when I listen to it.

New Necrophobic song sounds great, let's hope the album follows along those lines!

 

[winters epilogue]

It probably won't be a popular opinion but I think I like Dethroned & Uncrowned more than Dead End Kings. (Then again, I enjoy Night Is The New Day more than both of them...)

• Ulcerate's Vermis keeps getting better and better.
• A Storm of Light's Nations to Flames is a decent listen, comes off as a heavier Killing Joke.
• Pinkish Black's Razed to the Ground is great.
• Chelsea Wolfe's Pain is Beauty (despite the cringe-worthy title) is a wonderful collection of tunes. (Well, "Destruction Makes the World Burn Brighter" is a miss, but the rest of the record more than makes up for it.)
• Oathbreaker's Eros|Anteros has been growing on me. Same with Necrocracy from Exhumed.

I only listened to the new Carcass album once. I like it but I need more time with it.

Edit: Grave Miasma's new one, as expected, rules.

 

[isolation_years]

i barely listen to metal anymore, what happened to me

 

[nizzon]

You turned into a pussy.