Top Ten Albums of 2015
Dec 29
AMRB’s Top Ten Metal Albums of 2015
2015 turned out to be an interesting year for metal. Some months seemed like a desert for quality releases while others had more to offer than could be listened to. What is also very evident going through both this list and ones from other review sites is that very few stand-out albums were released by big-name perennials; rather, most of the records that really caught reviewer’s attention were from more underground bands, and even some debuts. As far as genres go, there wasn’t exactly one brand of heavy that took the crown, although doom, both in its traditional and death-metal varieties, seemed to have a strong showing much like prog metal did last year. With bands such as Goatsnake, Khemmis, Crypt Sermon, Avatarium, and Swallow the Sun getting top spots here, it’s safe to say the gloomier side of metal was well represented (including two newcomers, nonetheless).
And now onto the list!
Goatsnake – Black Age Blues
New Orleans-sounding LA sludge luminaries Goatsnake don’t put out albums often, but when they do listeners can alway rely on a plate full of doom heaviness done to damn near perfection. This year’s Black Age Blues is no exception and the result of most of the original line-up getting back together is a record packed back-to-front with bluesy, soulful doom metal that’s as catchy as it is heavy. If Saint Vitus played as the backing band in a Baptist Revival tent stuck in the middle of a southern county fair, this is undoubtedly what it would sound like; it’s groovy, thick, deep-fried heavy metal soul food.
Deafheaven – New Bermuda
Post-black metal band Deafheaven makes for an interesting addition since New Bermuda would see them featured in this annual list for two consecutive records (2013’s Sunbather made it that year). Trendy and anti-trendy fanboy bullshit aside, these guys know how to sculpt an album of emotive and visceral music, and that is absolutely on display with their newest release. The musical dynamics flow from navel-gazing post-whatever to furious flurries of aggression and the emotional ebbs and flows follow right along, taking listeners on a journey of metal feels. Perhaps more than any other album on this year’s list (except maybe Wilderun’s masterpiece), New Bermuda is an album that needs to be played back-to-front in its entirety to fully absorb and appreciate, but it’s certainly worth the time and effort.
Myrkur – M
I think it can honestly be said that despair has never sounded so beautiful as on this record. Amalie Bruun, the lone valkyrie who makes up this entity, has crafted some truly textured and living compositions for her first full-length release. The songs flow naturally from ethereal folk melodies to savage blasts of ice-cold second-wave black metal and the two directions work great together. M breathes and moves like a living being as it’s played, the music is both ethereal and emotive with a lot of nuance to sink into on multiple listens.
Barren Earth – On Lonely Towers
2015 wasn’t quite the year of melodic death metal, but there were certainly some strong releases (Hanging Garden, Black Dahlia Murder, etc.), and ultimately two made the year’s Top Ten (see following entry). This group of Finns put together an expertly crafted album soaked with 70’s prog influence and occasional folk flair with On Lonely Towers. Not only is each song a rich, multi-layered journey on its own, but the album as a whole flows perfectly. Newcomer Jón Aldará put in an impressive vocal performance, displaying a great range that fits the mellow parts just as naturally as the heavy ones. An overall epic-sounding album (listen to the title track to hear a definition of the word in song form) and deserving of attention from metalheads with a penchant for Blackwater Park-era Opeth.
Amorphis – Under the Red Cloud
These Finns seem to have a hard time doing anything wrong. The group’s two previous releases (2011’s The Beginning of Time and 2013’s Circle) weren’t quite as strong as the holy trinity that had come before it (Eclipse, Silent Waters, and Skyforger) but even a coasting pace in terms of songwriting for these guys is great music. This year’s Under the Red Cloud sees the masters of melodic folk-flavored metal roaring back into form in a grand way. This album has all the heaviness and melody that makes Amorphis what it is and everything on it simply clicks. If the last two records had been less than what they were, Under the Red Cloud would be every bit the ‘comeback’ or ‘return to form’. As it is, it’s just another great album from a great band.
Crypt Sermon – Out of the Garden
Like mentioned above, this last year certainly seems to belong to doom in all its various flavors. The debut from these Philly boys has a taste for the classic, channeling their inner Candlemass and Cathedral and they do an outstanding job of it without sounding superfluous. The songs are grand and forlorn, with everything coming off as fresh and modern rather than go the ‘retro route’ and purposefully delivering a production draped in a faux vintage pastiche. There’s giant riffs, satisfying hooks, and memorable choruses; in other words, Out of the Garden is a fantastic first album from a band that will surely be leading the new age of traditional doom alongside contemporaries like Pallbearer and fellow list-buddies Khemmis (especially since In Solitude has regrettably called it quits).
Wilderun – Sleep at the Edge of the Earth
Wilderun, along with their absolutely gorgeous album are what doing these end-year rundowns so great. They were previously a complete unknown to this reviewer (having missed their 2012 debut, Olden Tales & Deathly Trails), and an album this good coming out of left field is like an unexpected Christmas. What makes Sleep at the Edge of the Earth so listenable is the perfectly blended palette of death, folk, and prog that flow so naturally that the listener barely notices the song has gone from a sombre acoustic ballad into an epic all-out metal crescendo. This expansive album will take you on a journey you’ll want to travel many times over and there’s no time like the present.
Macabre Omen – At War
Apparently some people need plenty time in making great music, if this UK-by-way-of-Greece group is any indication; this absolutely epic slab of Hellenic black metal took a full decade to follow after its predecessor and is only the band’s second in their twenty years of existence. The results, however, cannot be argued; At War is one hell of an album. The songs are grandiose and powerful, the sound is ferocious, and it has enough meat on it to chew over many, many times. Saying this record sounds like a platoon of ancient Spartans playing black metal would be an understatement; that’s exactly what it sounds like and thank god for it.
Cattle Decapitation – The Anthropocene Extinction
Fuck. If there’s one band that knows how to hit hard in every way, it’s these California death metal juggernauts; they do it with their music, their subject matter, and their imagery. The newest album is by far one of the more brutal things you can listen to lately, and that’s thanks to some interesting songwriting along with a great sounding dynamics between a group of killer musicians (though admittedly that dynamic would have been better served by a less brickwalled mix). Some songs are treated to a larger focus on more melodic vocal lines on choruses and some bridges, and it really gives the music a cool dimension. Unlike a good number of brutal death metal releases, Cattle Decapitation keeps the listener’s attention throughout the album’s length, due to some varied writing and sequencing.
Khemmis – Absolution
Impressively, the two traditionally-minded doom bands to make this Top Ten (see Crypt Sermon above) both made it on with debut albums. Like their previously mentioned contemporaries, Khemmis takes their cues from the early godfathers without letting their icon-worship sound tried and trite, instead they sound modern while letting their obvious influences show. Though there certainly seems to be more an affinity for the like of Saint Vitus and The Obsessed than for Cathedral; also setting them aside is the inclusion of death vocals alongside the more traditional cleans, and rather than bring the sound closer to death or funeral doom it merely gives the music a deeper dimension. Also, if there was a Top Ten Album Covers list on this blog, Absolution would definitely take the cake.
Honorable Mentions:
Black Dahlia Murder – Abysmal
The boys from Detroit are still going strong and somehow released a killer new record in the middle of their never-ending touring. When you’re this hard working as a band and your music is this fucking killer you deserve all the respect a metalhead can show. Which in this case is an Honorable Mention in an obscure blog’s end-year Top Ten list.
Swallow the Sun – Songs from the North I, II, and III
The Finn’s are in, because they’ve dominated this list as far as countries go (see Ghost Brigade and Amorphis) and for good reason. If any country knows heavy and sad it’s apparently the land of a thousand lakes. This record almost made the Top Ten for sheer scope alone; who on earth puts out a triple disk album these days? While not all the material kept the level of quality up, there is plenty here on Songs from the North to enjoy, especially on the second disk.
Ghost Brigade – IV – One With the Storm
Technically a late ‘14 album, One With the Storm made for a solid entry into the Finnish masters of melodic melancholy. If you ever wondered what Katatonia would sound like today if they had kept death metal in their sound, listen to this album (and all the others too, while you’re at it).
Kampfar – Profan
Profan is the kind of album you play when you want music to blast your face off with. It’s ferocious black metal at its fiery best, with huge demonic riffs, pummeling drums, and an ominous atmosphere that pervades each song like a black cloud.
Cradle of Filth – Hammer of the Witches
These persistent Brits get an honorable mention not only for their new album being a solid dose of blasphemic metal, but for the significance of how good it is relative to the last few releases. While the past few platters haven’t been absolute stinkers, they did leave a stagnant taste. It’s unfortunate that it took longtime axeman and songwriter Paul Allender leaving to get this album, but it’s obviously a step in the right direction.
Symphony X – The Underworld
Disclaimer: Any release from the New Jersey Gods of Progressive Power Metal is rubber-stamped into this blog’s annual lists. And for good reason too; they simply put out amazingly solid albums of epic fucking metal. Russell Allen’s vocals are still gritty and powerful, Michael Romeo is still trying to explode everyone’s brains with his guitar, the whole band is sounding better than ever, just listen to it.
Avatarium – Girl With The Raven Mask
While these Swedish doom upstarts (though certainly not upstarts in terms of pedigree) weren’t previously bestowed the rubber-stamp of end-year list inclusion Symphony X was, they certainly are now. Two albums made and both found their way onto this Top Ten, for damn good reason too; this music is simply outstanding. Jeanie-Anne Smith nails it even better here than on the debut, which is definitely saying something. Modern doom at its finest.
