I am just doing a Top Ten list this year because I have been much better about posting reviews. All of the 2019 releases I have heard have been, or will soon be, reviewed on this blog. Most of the Top Ten have been reviewed previously, but there are a few. 2019 was an exceptional year for death metal in particular, and that is reflected on my list, which features five death metal releases, and easily could have included several others that were knocking at the door.
One of the most hyped albums of the year is this release from a band that has been making big waves for years. It is absolutely worth the hype. This is an incredible release that expands the boundaries of death metal. The members are extremely talented, and it shows throughout the release. Blood Incantation's days in the shadow of the underground are numbered.
I discovered this band this year and quickly added all of their releases I could find. The band took a step to another level on last year's EP and they built on that with this release. This album features some of the catchiest metal songs of the year in "Chrome Skull Viper" and "Steel Winged Warrior". Those songs are pure earworms and will stay in the head for days after hearing the album. It drags a bit toward the end, but it is a damn good album that blends metal and AOR seemlessly.
The debut album of the year comes from a surprising group. Synteleia is a Greek black metal band that follows in the vein of groups like Rotting Christ, Thou Art Lord, Varathron and Kawir, but with a decidedly more brutal sound. The sound is mysterious and evil and recaptures the spirit of the late 90's Hellenic black metal scene. In a year when Rotting Christ released a new album, it is surprising that another Greek black metal band was able to outdo the masters.
Legendary former Gorgoroth vocalist Gaahl has formed year another new band and this is a great album, despite being so eclectic. There are a lot of things going on on this album, but it all comes together to form an absolutely incredible album that is not to be missed. There are moments when the old Gorgoroth sound rears its ugly head, but the most moments are those that the band takes a completely new direction. It may actually be the best thing Gaahl has recorded.
Tomb Mold built up their reputation playing a brutal and grimy brand of death metal that focused on the Dark Souls and Bloodborne video games. With their 2019 release, they moved on from that subject into more of a general cosmic horror direction. Along the way, they perfected their cavernous, disgusting sound and released one hell of an album.
An early favorite album, this one held on for quite a long time before a rash of fantastic late-year releases finally overtook it. Devil Master's sound is the most original of the year, combining d-beat punk with black metal and tossing in some surf-rock-esque guitar solos, and then throwing them all together into an energetic sound that is evil, yet fun as hell. There are some damn catchy songs here too. Great album.
Coffin Rot is another band that has been making some waves in the underground for a couple of years as the alter ego of stoner doom metal band Tar Pit. Coffin Rot's first full-length is a massively brutal exercise in modern death metal focusing on the kinds of things that made the genre so terrifying for so many years early in its history. It does not reinvent the wheel, but it does leave a lasting impact. An absolute must for death metal fans.
I never thought I would enjoy an Alcest album. I stayed away from the band due to their high status among hipster metalheads and their shoegaze influence. But after hearing single "Sapphire", I was blown away. This is a little more black metal-oriented than some of their most recent albums, but it is a breathtakingly beautiful album through all of the darkness.
After seeing Cloak opening for Uada, I was blown away and had to track down their stuff. Their combination of black metal with southern rock and doom metal elements works incredibly well, quite surprisingly. Sort of a combination between Corrosion of Conformity, Tribulation and Watain. Above all else, this album is infectious. And they also do an amazing live show.
Cattle Decapitation have been trending toward this possibility for some time now. They have been improving on each album since Karma.Bloody.Karma and what was once a tongue-in-cheek lyrical subject matter of animals taking their revenge on humanity has become a pounding, in-your-face warning about the end of the world if the environmental issues are not addressed. But more than that is the fact that the band has progressed so far beyond just a death/grind band. They have become melodic and progressive in ways that have pushed their sound into new and exciting directions. Every track on this album is amazing and the band have truly created their masterpiece. It is also my Album of the Year.
I'm currently listening to Blood Incantation, and this is excellent. Thanks for the recommendation.
ReplyDeleteI'm really curious to hear an Alcest album that's so good even you like it.
Personally I only have 9 albums from 2019 in my library. I really haven't been keeping up. But I can second the Dream Troll. They are amazing. Baroness - Gold & Grey has been my favorite album of the year from my limited listening. Torche - Admission is also quite good. My inner high schooler also enjoyed the new Slipknot and Rammstein, but definitely not the new Tool.
ReplyDeleteI have avoided the Slipknot and Rammstein albums. I saw Slipknot live earlier this summer and just was not impressed. I also have only heard snippets of the Tool album. The Baroness album was pretty good, but did not come close to my Top 10.
DeleteGlad you enjoyed the Blood Incantation and Dream Tröll albums.