Well you’re not going to like this then! ;)
I’ve not listened to a lot of new stuff this year (still hooked on last year…) but this is my favourite so far:
Wiegedood - De Doden Hebben Het Goed II
edit: oh wow, new bandcamp widget?
@inactive_user, prepare for inundation by my favorite black metal and black metal-adjacent things ever (it’s worth noting that I’m not actually a huge fan of traditional black metal, but love stuff that spools it in new directions).
Primordial - Epic, furious Celtic black metal tinged by rage against the injustices suffered by the Irish
Ashbringer - Absolutely beautiful atmospheric, nature-themed black metal heavy with melodic elements
Alcest - “Blackgaze” that combines the serenity/wall of sound of shoegaze with the fury of black metal
Saor - Scottish atmospheric black metal rich with traditional instruments and poetic lyrics
Dimmu Borgir - Cuz lol Dimmu Borgir look at their armor
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAUtCa13V38
Panopticon - Incredible bluegrass-black metal combo; this whole album is rich with old coal miner protest songs and snippets of awesome anti-corporate speeches
Agalloch - Cuz you can’t talk good black metal without bringing up this tragically broken up proggy group
Enslaved - Also on the proggier side of things, I love the driving, pounding force their songs contain
Opeth - I just love their melodic-black fusion that has grown proggier and less metal with time. Still amazing.
Oh, are we doing another theme week already?
Hey, I could have written that exact sentiment. When I was getting into metal, I thought I didn’t like black metal because I mainly checked out the stuff at the top of “all-time greatest black metal album lists”, which was almost exclusively second-wave bands like Emperor, Bathory, Mayhem, Immortal, Darkthrone, etc., and their direct descendants. As it turns out, I just don’t like “nonstop fury recorded on a Casio tapedeck in a public restroom”, but as some of those musical elements filtered out and merged with other ideas, I loved many of the results.
I’ve come around a bit on the traditional black metal bands, especially the ones that have better recording quality like Inquisition and Imperium Dekadenz, but most of my favorites go in wildly different directions. @armandopenblade, that’s a great set with many of my own favorites, particularly Primordial, Saor, and Agalloch.
My picks for enjoyable 2016 black metal releases are here and here.. Of those, my real favorites are Mare Cognitum, Netherbird, Sojourner, Mesarthim, Astronoid, Hail Spirit Noir, Hyperion, Oranssi Pazuzu, Borknagar, and Vredehammer. And here are a few more that I really like:
Thrawsunblat – folk/black. Their new album Metacthonia was high on my list for 2016, but I think I might like their previous album even more.
Obsequiae – medieval / melodic black
Falkenbach – viking
Summoning – dungeon synth-y Tolkien black
Dissection – symphonic black
Moonsorrow – folk/black
Spotify’s Discover Weekly strikes again with a few groups that I’m finding to be a great change of pace from my standard playlists.
New Years Day - Symphonic. Reminds me quite a bit of Delain, maybe a bit heavier.
Eva Under Fire - Also symphonic, though on the softer side. Closer to hard rock, I’d say.
Teamheadkick - Gamer Rap. But wait, this is the metal thread! Some of their stuff is what I’d call rapcore metal, but most is pop/rock/rap. More importantly, it’s all funny if you’re a gamer.
Really Slow Motion - Epic Instrumental, not so much metal, but so good. And there’s hours upon hours of it!
Ahahahaha this is perfect
Here’s a list of bands I’ve been listening to a lot lately.
Down I Go: Sort of an easier-going Converge, with harmonies and everything:
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Decapitated: Technical Death Metal that I pretty much play at a constant top volume. Their latest two albums, Carnival is Forever and Blood Mantra remain two of my favorite albums from recent years. I discovered them when they opened for Meshuggah a few years ago.
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Shotgun Messiah (or more accurately, Tim Skold solo work under the band’s name). Tim Skold’s (KMFDM, Marilyn Manson etc) best work. 90s industrial metal at its finest. Don’t delve into the back-catalog for this band, Violent New Breed is the only album worth owning, it was a complete genre shift for the band before the band was dissolved).
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Snot. A band that really, really needed a better name. One of the very best nu-metal, funk-metal, punk albums from the 90s (yea, I know, low bar. But this album is the real deal). Five stars. The band got signed with Geffen and put out this album just before the singer and his dog (pictured) were killed in an auto accident in Los Angeles. Saw them play with Suicidal Tendencies and an unsigned System of a Down back in the summer of 1997.
Eh because it has been that kind of day/ week, I’m going to also post what my soundtrack for the day has been. Also because none of you other wankers have even mentioned this band, and they are amazing. Further it sometimes is worth refreshing people on awesome old music, instead of the new hotness
Seriously guys, Tall Poppy Synrdrome is an amazing album, and you do yourself a disservice by not familiarizing yourselves with it.
Umm, other stuff… (can you tell I am not all sunshine and rainbows today?)
And an @ArmandoPenblade favorite
Screw it I love Devin
And Retinal Circus is justification for the existence of concert DVDs on its own.
And since some former members have gone on to do their own amazing thing, also this:
Why not. No coherent theme, no real reason other than ‘this is what I liked today, and today I was very angry’
Speaking of Devin Townsend, recently read interview from him saying he was pretty much “over” DTP as we know it, and that he’s been over it for the last couple albums or so (with his most recent favorite album being Casualties of Cool). Unless the interview was all taken out of context, it sounds like he wants to move away from his current sound is dive into more symphonic work.
Apparently he only stuck with it as long as he did because he really likes the guys in the band, and fans like the music. But, much like with SYL, he’ll drop a project hard when he’s ready to change directions. I’m not sure I’m ready for that.
Here’s my favorite DTP track, from my favorite DTP album. It is with this song he touches greatness:
This interview?
Which takes it a hair out of context, however it does seem he is interested in a change of direction. Which is odd, since DTP is nothing if not eclectic.
Also lettuce, pickles, onions sauce on se-sme see buuuunnnnn…
Yea, it could be excerpts from that interview. I think I saw it reported on over at Blabbermouth or something.
Anyway, this is the song of the day for me. Best thrash album of the aughts:
Thanks for posting this one! Right up my alley.
Since I have been in the mood to pump music older than a year, let me pump Haken some more
Their Debut album Aquarius was amazing. Visions less so, but Mountain? While the verdict is still out for me on their new album Affinity, Mountain is an amazing experience.
And I’ve posted this one before, but I still love it man.
Cross posting from the Essential Oils cesspool for those of you who resisted the crazy.
New release today… recommending this quality metal because it’s the legendary IMMOLATION (pretty much my favourite death metal band) and they’ve never released a bad album in the almost 30 years they’ve been savaging my eardrums. :)
It will be masterfully created heavy, malevolent riffs, warping solos, and rewarding of repeated listens! Or your money back…
Immolation - Atonement
Gonna cross post over into the metal thread (lets see if this works), but your band also reminded me of another great prog metal instrumental band. Cloudkicker
Good call on the new Immolation, @Profanicus . I’ve listened to it a couple of times and am really liking it. Also second the mentions of Haken and Cloudkicker.
More new stuff worth checking out, especially Ex Deo!:
Ex Deo - The Immortal Wars (Roman-empire-themed symphonic death)
Soen - Lykaia (prog)
Montfaucon - Renaissance (piano-driven doom)
Flight of Sleipnir - Skadi (doom)
Siberian - Through Ages of Sleep (post-metal)
You know what’s funny? I was listening to this very song today.
THANK YOU @arrendek
I’ve been trying to find this song for two fucking years. I posted it once on Broken Forum years ago, and I haven’t been able to find it or my original post again in all this time. It’s been in the back of my mind driving me crazy this whole time. I couldn’t remember the name of the song, or the performers, for obvious reasons.
Now I just need an album full of songs where this band just takes it to 11 and keeps it there.
Happy to accidentally be of service. :)