Judge Dredd…so, thatās what you call me – or El Dredderino if youāre not into that whole brevity thing. I have a very particular, humbug taste in
Metal. If a band is only trying to sound
as br00tal or as kvlt as possible, then chances are I will not like said
band. I will also echo Sergeant D in
saying that Iām really tired of all of these bands just retreading old ground. Sure, there are bands like SubRosa
who expand and experiment with the worn-out canvas of Proto-Metal. However, 99% of these bands
coming out now doing Old School Death Metal or Proto-Metal I find to be
incredibly unnoteworthy (*yaaaawn*). The proverbial dead
horse being beaten.
if a band has a distinct style, writes memorable songs, or has some emotional
depth (or any combination thereof); chances are that I will enjoy them a great
deal. If I donāt enjoy them, I will at
least have a lot of respect for them.
blowout of amazing albums, I was fairly certain that this year would be a
relative letdown. Andā¦it kind of
was, to be perfectly honest. But I mean,
cāmonā¦almost all of my favorite bands released albums in 2012. It was almost unfair that 2013 really even
existed (maybe it didnāt and weāre all just in the Matrixā¦?)
of the whine fest, here is my Top 10 for 2013:
Best of the Best
10. Glorior
Belli – “Gators Rumble, Chaos Unfurls”
Belliās 2011 effort, āThe Great Southern Darknessā (TGSD), was my second
favorite album of that particular year. Not
only were the songs on that album memorable and (gasp!) even relatively catchy
at times, but they were able to mix Black Metal and Southern Metal without
sounding pastiche.
reason, even after hearing a pre-released track from āGators Rumble, Chaos
Unfurlsā (GR, CU), several months ago, I had completely forgotten that they
were due to release a new album this year.
Having now listened to it in all of its southern-fried, whiskey-soaked
Satanic glory, I can now safely name it as one of my favorite albums this year.
Belli more or less continued the same sound on “GR, CU” that they had on
“TGSD”. However, there are glimpses of a
melodicism that was not on “TGSD”. After
having listened to both albums more or less back to back, I can safely admit
that “GR, CU” has just as good of songs as its predecessor, if not better.
9. Carcass – “Surgical Steel”
2013
marked the 20th anniversary of the monolithically influential album,
“Heartwork”. An album conjured by The Original Gods of Grind and Gore
themselves, Carcass. I think it’s safe to say that everyone was waiting
with held breaths; expecting a massive letdown with their comeback
album. However, “Surgical Steel” proved to be just the opposite. There
is not much that hasn’t already been said about this album, so I will
refrain from my typical loquaciousness and merely say this is one of the
best Death Metal albums I have heard in a very long time.
Keep on rotting in the free world, Carcass!
8. Locrian – “Return to Annihilation”
Tracks like “Two Moons” (a reference to “1Q84”, perhaps?) are otherwordly, while tracks like “Return to Annihilation” conjure the anxiety and dread of bands like SWANS.
An incredibly well done album.
7. Dillinger Escape Plan – “One of Us Is the Killer”
While
“Calculating Infinity” will always be my favorite DEP album (as well as
my top 10 all-time heavy albums), there has not been one year in which
DEP have released an album that they have not made my top 10 list for
said year.
Probably not the best explanation for why they made my top 10 list this year, but hey – it’s FUCKING DILLINGER. Expect quality.
6. Deafheaven – “Sunbather”
When
I heard the title track, I knew almost immediately that this would be
one of my favorites of 2013. Loads has been written about this
particular Post-Black Metal gem, so I will refrain from echoing what has
been said by hundreds of other reviewers. I just want to say this was a
huge step up from 2011’s “Roads to Judah” in terms of musicianship,
emotiveness, and sound exploration. For me, they are really expanding
on the American Post-Black Metal sound with this album, and I hope other
bands will follow suit with their own expansions of the unspoken
Post-Black Metal rulebook.
5. Tribulation – “The Formulas of Death”
If
someone were to ask me, “Your Exalted Dreddness, which mighty release
of 2013 doth thou’st believeth to be hailed as a classic for all time?”
I would most assuredly respond, “Why, ‘The Formulas of Death’, you
fool! Now, to the guillotine with you for such an insolent question!!!”
Seriously,
though. As soon as I heard the first opening distorted chords after
the trippy psychedelic intro, I knew that this wasn’t going to be just
another mediocre Black Metal release. Oh no, this was some altogether
different monster, my metal brothers and sisters.
I had never even heard of Tribulation before I saw them at #10 on
Decibelās Top 40 Albums of 2013 list a month or two ago. While there are some clear nods to Dissection (and vis-Ć -vis,
Watain) in the songwriting, riffing, and vocals, Tribulation aren’t
merely rip-offs. No, not by a long shot. There are influences of
psychedelia and rock all over the place. Not only are there sitar-like,
middle eastern sounding passages scattered throughout the release, but
there are “loud and soft” dynamics that one does not oft find in generic
Black Metal.
My
only complaint is that at 75 minutes, it does drag on a little bit. I
could imagine this release being only 45 minutes, and still feeling like
I had just listened to a complete product.
Despite this feeble complaint, this album MIGHT go down as a classic in the years to come.
Well, this band certainly came out of nowhere! Equal parts Opeth, Mastodon, and Classic/Proto-Metal makes for one fucking incredible album. These guys are absolutely
experts at crafting memorable and dynamic Metal/Rock songs.
Not much more to say other than that! Looking forward to hearing more from these guys in the future!
3. Cult of Luna – “Vertikal”
came out at the beginning of the year, I was quick to call āVertikalā my
favorite Cult of Luna release. After
giving it some monthsā time, I can still say that it at least rivals my other
favorite CoL release, āSomewhere Along the Highwayā (2006). It seems as though the elongated break
between āEternal Kingdomā (2008) and āVertikalā is just what CoL needed to expand and
experiment with their established sound.
the
typical build-ups and climaxes of post-metal’s (and CoL’s) typical sound
are still present, there is a variety of experimentation that CoL has
simply not had on their other releases. For example, intro and
interlude (“The One” and “The Sweep”, respectively), showcase a heavy
use of synthesizers, which to me brings to mind 80s and early 90s Sci-Fi
(for some reason ‘Terminator’ comes to mind). Another more “out there”
track is the drugged-out “Passing Through”, which closes the album out
simply with some filtered vocals, a single guitar line, a repeating
melody on bells, and finally some synthesizer. Quite different from the
maximalist approach that the band usually takes to instrumentation.
The
whole album takes on a mechanized, robotic quality, yet still retains
very human emotions. A great release from a band that has finally gone
from Post-Metal wannabes to Post-Metal masters.
2. Castevet – “Obsian”
enjoying
their 2010 debut, āMounds of Ashā, a great deal, I had high
expectations for Castevetās sophomore effort. Personally, I think they
have far surpassed their debut with the release of “Obsian”.
that Iāve noticed about āObsianā as opposed to āMounds of Ashā is that while āMounds
of Ashā seemed to have one foot in the transcendental and one in the
terrestrial, āObsianā seems to have both feet firmly planted in the
transcendental. Iām an absolute sucker
for ineffable music ā music that expresses the inexpressible. “Obsian” most assuredly fits the bill.
Furthermore, “Obsian” seems much more focused as one continuous piece of work, even while the individual songs themselves seem somewhat fluid. But this quality of fluidity is certainly not equivalent to “meandering”. I guess what I’m saying is that the structures of the song SEEM more open than they were on “Mounds of Ash”.
Besides
Andrew Hock’s
mystical and fluid, yet abrasive, guitar playing, Nicholas McMaster
(Krallice, et al) adds a punchy,
expressive bass that really ties everything together. Much like Colin
Marston did on “Colored Sands”, McMaster seems to be keenly aware of the
balance between technical prowess and playing in the pocket.
An amazing sophomore effort.
āColored Sandsā
silenceā¦there was nothingā¦ā
line from Emperorās swansong describes my feelings towards waiting for the new
Gorguts album (but is probably more apt in describing my feelings towards a new
Necrophagist albumā¦).
of setbacks and unfulfilled promises, my favorite Death Metal band ever
released an album that surprisingly fulfilled the years of hype. From the YouTube rehearsal videos between Luc
Lemay and John Longstreth, to the announcement that two of my other favorite
Metal musicians, Kevin Hufnagel and Colin Marston, would be joining the newest
incarnation, to the two or three pre-released tracks provided by various Metal
news outlets; my expectations were at an orgasmic peak.
Nonetheless,
I can
honestly say that it took me a while to blow my load over “Colored
Sands”. However, after I let it sink in, I think
it truly measures up to their last two releases, and may even surpass
them in
certain ways. It should be made clear that their last two releases
(“Obscura” (1998) and “From Wisdom to Hate” (2001)) are two of my
favorite Metal releases of all time, so measuring up or surpassing my
opinion of these releases is no small feat.
As
mentioned earlier, one element that raised my expectations tenfold for
this album was the fact that Kevin Hufnagel and Colin Marston would be
in the new lineup. Hufnagel seems to be following Luc Lemay’s lead
throughout most of the album, but Marston’s bass performance is
phenomenal! While he gets out of the pocket at moments with some tasty
technical lines, he comes right back into just laying it down in the
pocket. I think it really adds another dimension to the album.
I
was also impressed with John Longstreth’s performance. While he is a
total maniac machine gunner of a drummer in Origin, he totally
replicates earlier Gorguts drummers’ styles on the new album, while
still adding his own unique flair. Additionally, he adds much more space to the music than he does in Origin.
And,
of course, there is Luc Lemay. From what I remember reading, almost
all of the songs and guitar parts were written by Mr. Lemay. Enough
said.
Although I don’t think ALL of the songs are as memorable or as incredible as some past Gorguts material, there is no doubt in mind that my favorite Death Metal band has returned with a vengeance.
decline to include EPs in my top albums of the year as just a personal
policy. But this year, there were two EPs that blew
me away and left me wanting more.
Iāve strayed away from the mundane sensationalism of most Death Metal, there
are still a handful of DM bands that continue to inject some emotion into
their particular sound (Obscura being another example). On Fallujahās EP, they have ditched much of
the unnecessary br00tality of their previous album in favor of a more dynamic,
melodic, and emotive sound. A
surprisingly quiet ambient track is sandwiched between two great heavier
tracks. This writer, for one, is looking
forward to their next full length.
Mutoid Man – “Helium Head”
Stephen Brodsky is one of my favorite musicians, and I tend to get attached to just about anything the man touches. I know what you’re thinking…but my peener is already attached to me, you silly billy!
But seriously, this EP rocks fucking hard. It’s a shame they’re a “one-and-done” side project!
Biggest Disappointment:
Beaten to Death – “Dodsfest!”
What the hell happened?! 2011’s “Xes and Strokes” is one of my favorite Metal albums of the last few years. With a angular, yet oddly melodic sound attached to some crushing Grindcore, Beaten to Death are one of a kind! However, this album just has bad production and unmemorable songs compared to “Xes and Strokes”. I have no idea where they made a wrong turn. I guess I am the only one who thinks this way, because I’ve only read good reviews for this album! To each his own, I suppose.
Honorable Mentions (in no specific order)
Batillus -“Concrete Sustain”
Inquisition – “Obscure Verses for the Multiverse”
Iron Lung – “White Glove Test”
Celeste – “Animale(s)”
Code – “Augur Nox”
Ulcerate – “Vermis”
Nero Di Marte – “Nero Di Marte”
Beastmilk – “Climax”
Nails – “Abandon All Life”