2018 was an amazing year across all sub genres and after listening to roughly 300 releases it was very difficult to narrow down my favourite 10 albums. Here are my top suggestions for what you should check out if you haven’t already.
#10 Blasphamagoatachrist – Black Metal Warfare (Black/Death from Brazil/Canada) “A triumph of black metal insanity starting out with a myriad of samples including an air raid siren foreshadowing the onslaught queued by a marching drum beat”
#9 UADA – Cult of a Dying Sun (Melodic Black from USA) “Ferocious despair shatters the listener, with UADA’s trademark hollow sounds twist in your eardrums. The contorted sound reaches into the back of your head and slams it full force with punishing melodies and harrowing lyrics.”
#8 Omnium Gatherum – The Burning Cold (Melodic Death from Finland) “Purveyors of melodic death metal return, with another tight album that hit all the right spots. Perfection is found in among the soaring solos, chill interludes and the powerful vocals.”
#7 Benighted – Dogs Always Bite Harder Than Their Masters (Brutal Death from France) “Brutal death metal at it’s finest, shrieks, squeals and chaos rampage together on possibly the most violent album of the year. If you like it hard, fast, and bloody, sink your teeth into this”
#6 Alghazanth – Eight Coffin Nails (Symphonic Black from Finland) “Haunting lyrics fully encapsulate the listener and provide malevolence to this final ritual from the quartet.”
#5 None – Life Has Gone On Long Enough (Atmospheric Black from USA) “Fuzzy distortion and depressive vocals lure you into the bleak world of misery and grief and swallow you. You can feel yourself being sucked into a desolate wasteland and caressed by a shroud of doom.”
#4 Orbit Culture – Redfog (Melodic Death from Sweden) “This distinctive and intuitive take on melodic modern metal is slathered with crushing guitar work, catchy lyrics and undaunted emotion that challenges genre boundaries and exceeds expectations”
#3 Nekrokraft – Servants (Black/Thrash from Sweden) “Power, melody and evil combine to make a fucking great album, nothing is overdone, there is no cheese, t’s just pure unadulterated blackened death metal with inescapable trash overtones.”
#2 Shylmagoghnar – Transience (Atmospheric Black/Death from Nederlands) “Coarse reverberating vocals will send chills up your spine as you are sucked into the austere atmospheric black metal that is both jarring and soothing. Unrelenting intricacies juxtaposed against the symphonic riffs meld with the harsh vocals for a flawless release.
#1 Altars of Grief – Iris (Blackened Doom from Canada) “Solace can be found momentarily in the cello, and the melancholy riffs before being abruptly torn from meditation and thrown in a chaotic downward spiral of chaos and confusion.”
