6 months of 2019 are up (and a bit), it's time for this annual thread. I haven't heard much new music this year (as every other year). But here are a few that I enjoyed. Excellent : October Tide - In Splendor Below Abbath - Outstrider Fractal Universe - Rhizomes Of Insanity Kryptos - Afterburner Rather good : Evergrey - The Atlantic Dream Theater - Distance over time Cellar Darling - The Spell Disappointments : Rotting Christ - The Heretics Amon Amarth - Berserker
Metal(-ish) Abyssal – A Beacon In The Husk Andavald – Undir skyggðarhaldi Bergraven – Det framlidna minnet Drastus – La Croix de Sang Dreadnought – Emergence Immortal Bird – Thrive on Neglect Inter Arma – Sulphur English Kaleikr – Heart of Lead Skáphe + Wormlust – Kosmískur hryllingur Yellow Eyes – Rare Field Ceiling Aside: Still getting into the latest from Dead to a Dying World, Jute Gyte, and Sinmara. New Deathspell Omega is also very good, as expected, but Mikko Aspa is a piece of shit, so I know that's tainted the release for many people. Non-metal(-ish): Big Brave – A Gaze Among Them Elizabeth Colour Wheel – Nocebo The Gloaming – The Gloaming 3 Helms Alee – Noctiluca Julia Jacklin – Crushin' Murmur – The Boundless Black Pinkish Black – Concept Unification Self Defense Family – Performative Guilt Thom Yorke – Anima Vaura – Sables Looking forward to: Batushka (this band's schism is a mess. I enjoy Панихида, so I'm curious to find out if the Metal Blade version of this band is any good); Chelsea Wolfe; Kayo Dot; Lingua Ignota; Mizmor; No One Knows What the Dead Think; Opeth (even though my expectations are low, the idea of having the same album with two different languages is interesting); Tomb Mold.
- VLTIMAS - Something Wicked Marches In (great!) - SOILWORK - Verkligheten (really good) - THENIGHTTIMEPROJECT - Pale Season (good)
If were talking only stuff released in 2019 then: Ningen Isu - Shin Seinen Always thought japanese metal sucked, until I saw those fucking grandpas rocking it. Recommending Heartless Scat. As for dissapointments: Amon Amarth - Berserker. Two good songs at best Opeth - whatever the new shit's called.
Update: - VLTIMAS - Something Wicked Marches In (great!) - ASAGRAUM - Dawn of Infinite Fire (great!) - DOLD VORDE ENS NAVN - Gjengangere I Hjertets Mørke (EP) (really good!) - MGŁA - Age of Excuse (really good) - SOILWORK - Verkligheten (really good) - GAAHLS WYRD - Gastir - Ghosts Invited (really good) - IN MOURNING - Garden of Storms (really good) - GATECREEPER - Deserted (really good) - THENIGHTTIMEPROJECT - Pale Season (good) Need to listen more to make up my mind: - OPETH - In Cauda Venenum (sounded pretty good on first listen) - BORKNAGAR - True North - MORTEM - Ravnsvart Really hoping to see a new Unanimated album in 2019!
This album is also worth your attention if you call yourself a Black Metal fan. Excellent Norwegian Black Metal in the classic Norwegian vein. ETERNITY - To Become the Great Beast
Time to finalise the list of 2019 albums. My band of the year is no doubt Rapture, been revisiting and rediscovering their discography throughout the entire year. In the same process discovering Counting Hours' amazing 2016 demo, REALLY looking forward to their full-length which will hopefully be out next year. But Rapture and Counting Hours did not release new music in 2019 so they're not in my year-end list but deserved a very honourable mention nonetheless. THE list (based on Last.fm scrobbles): 1. SOILWORK - Verkligheten (8,5/10) 2. VLTIMAS - Something Wicked Marches In (9/10) 3. ASAGRAUM - Dawn of Infinite Fire (9/10) 4. ETERNITY - The Become the Great Beast (8,5/10) 5. THENIGHTTIMEPROJECT - Pale Season (8/10) 6. MGŁA - Age of Excuse (8,5/10) 7. GAAHLS WYRD - GastyR - Ghosts Invited (8/10) 8. GATECREEPER - Deserted (7,5/10) 9. IN MOURNING - Garden of Storms (7/10) 10. OCTOBER TIDE - In Splendor Below (6,5/10) Though I must say that #9 en #10 have proved somewhat disappointing, those albums were not as good as I hoped. And there's not really a 2019 album which really blew me away. There were some really strong albums which really surprised me (Vltimas, Asagraum, Eternity) but nothing that kept me addicted for weeks on end. But that's probably on Rapture and Counting Hours..
Gotta say In Cauda Venenum was much better than expected. Need to give the new In Mourning and Thenighttimeproject albums more spins, but both sounded nice as well. I have to give Wilderun a shoutout as well for a really solid release, if you haven't checked it out, do so
In Mourning sounded really promising in the beginning, but did not turn out thát great in the end i.m.o. Pretty enjoyable nonetheless.
Didn't listen to much new music this year, but discovered an awesome modern jazz fusion band called Snarky Puppy. The best release I've heard all year is their album Immigrance.
In retrospect, I have to re-organise this list, earlier this year a 2019 album came to my attention which I can now say I love more than any of the albums in the list quoted above. That album is DIIV's "Deceiver". This album (or actually, artist) came to my attention while randomly listening to a Spotify playlist of songs used as soundtrack music to a television program (hosted by Dool singer/guitar player Ryanne van Dorst, (s)he is somewhat of a Dutch TV-personality as well). The song "Skin Game" came up and caught my attention, I checked it out and found out the album from which the song was taken was really awesome. So, there you go.
