Another year, another bunch of albums that come out before we even hit summer. I'd say that this year, the harvest has been surprisingly wonderful! A whole load of solid to great records, even with some promising "album of the year" contenders, if you can believe. You'll get to see all of them here and hopefully you will find some new music you weren't aware had come out. This is also a post meant to keep everyone here up to date with what I'm listening to and what to check out if they like my taste in metal.
1. Phrymerial - Xenomorphic Creation (February 20th)
Phrymerial - Xenomorphic Creation
2. Malevolent Creation - The 13th Beast (January 18th)
Malevolent Creation - The 13th Beast
3. Angel Splitter - Descension to Demonic Paraphilia (February 2nd)
A very intriguing exercise in expanding slam's usual conventions using black metal melody and vocals, along with some nice features. In my opinion, this will probably be around the top of this genre's releases during 2019. I enjoy the unholy aesthetic, the disturbing artwork and the extremely competent atmosphere the band builds during this record, and like always, I'm hungry for more.
Angel Splitter - Descension to Demonic Paraphilia
4. Rendered Helpless - Suffer, Seraphim (January 25th)
Well, if you're into slam, especially the Unique Leader Records type, you probably have a soft spot for Organectomy, and you probably appreciate their crushing vocals. Rendered Helpless is Alex Paul's solo slam project, and he already has a couple of great albums under this name. Two years after his latest, he released his most ambitious and balanced record yet. With an amazing artwork by the great Par Olofsson and 8 songs full of slams and violence, but also some very competent atmospheric sections, what more can one ask for from this man? After all, there's still an Organectomy album coming later.
Rendered Helpless - Suffer, Seraphim
5. Whitechapel - The Valley (March 27th)
WhoEVER said deatchore isn't good with cleans? The answer is nobody, at least nobody with a brain. Whitechapel have been struggling for a while with their new style, and it probably took the great emotional price vocalist Phil Bozeman paid with the making of this album for them to finally find something that works for them. The record is incredibly dynamic, going through highs and lows while the band explore Phil's especially difficult upbringing. While I could complain that the great solos from Mark of the Blade are missing or that some of the riffs are way too simplistic for their good, why would I bitch about that? It's a great album anyway.
Whitechapel - The Valley
6. Misery Index - Rituals of Power (March 8th)
A lot of panties dropped for Misery Index on their latest album, and far be it from me to say this is a bad release. It's highly competent death metal played by a very good band. Trouble here is, I don't understand the hype. Bands like Misery Index are usually on Bandcamp, struggling to gain some steam. I guess it's the fact that they've toured a lot and all the years of experience that backs them. A nice release, even though 2014's The Killing Gods is better.
Misery Index - Rituals of Power
7. Equipoise - Demiurgus (March 8th)
Gimmicky tech death? You bet your ass. It's a huge collaboration of musicians of the scene, coming together to create a great, flamenco-lovin' album. This might be my jam when it comes to tech, stuff so ridiculous I can't help but to love it. I won't say this is amazing, because that's a bit excessive and dishonest, but it's still great, with a filthy bass and very fun and well-placed flamenco (!) sections.
Equipoise - Demiurgus
8. Rotting Christ - The Heretics (February 15th)
Rotting Christ really are fans of melody, aren't they? This album might be a bit of a slow-burner, especially considering their image of Hellenic rockstars, but I promise you, it'll all work after a couple of listens. Maybe I'm a bit influenced by their energetic live performance that I saw some time ago, but that can't be all there is to Rotting Christ. The songs, while a bit over-the-top, do their job well, and these guys are really into telling you all about their hellish ways.
Rotting Christ - The Heretics
9. Feral - Flesh for Funerals Eternal (December 30th)
I've complained a lot about swedish death metal, and if you have been burning through the huge slog of generic albums that have been coming out in the last few years, you probably agree with me. Also, those early albums from the likes of Entombed or Carnage are super overrated. However, there hardly is a better modern answer to the old formulas and the dreaded pedal than Feral. They're just on their second album, but already close to my top. The way they blend speed and black metal influences with the usual meaty death metal of old Sweden is simply amazing.
Feral - Flesh for Funerals Eternal
10. Overkill - The Wings Of War (February 22nd)
You know who they are: the best old thrash band? Under the right circumstances, I'd say so, and their albums since Ironbound support this. Their 2017 album was a bit of a bloated mess though, with songs much too long for their own good and a very weak production. As soon as Wings of War starts though, you understand that things have changed a lot. The band sounds forceful, feral and out for blood. The songs aren't all perfect, but they are exactly what Overkill needed to establish themselves again. I'm very happy for these guys.
Overkill - The Wings Of War
11. Onset Of Horrendosity (January 25th)
This was a very nice split between two excellent brutal death metal bands that came out very close to the beginning of the year. The groove levels are crazy high, and while this one's pretty short, only 5 songs, it's worth it for a taste of new material from Fetor and Crepitation. To be honest, for the longest time I absolutely hated splits, but now with the help of powerviolence bands, I started seeing the good in them.
Onset Of Horrendosity
12. Candlemass - The Door to Doom (February 22nd)
Since I'm just a caveman-brained fan of metal, the idea of getting a new Candlemass album with their first vocalist was great. However, when I heard the first single, I knew this would be on my 2019 end-of-the-year list. The good news is that the entire album is great. The riffs are good and Tony Iommi, possibly one of the most likeable stars in metal, makes an appearance and plays a great, blues-drenched solo. But we all know the vocals are the main focus on this record, and I think they might even be better than on Epicus. Feel free to disagree, but this is a great record from a very good band.
Candlemass - The Door to Doom
13. Savage - No Escape (February 19th)
Ah, yes, some fresh powerviolence for your ears. I came into contact with Savage back in 2018, when their early compilation entered my radar. I really enjoyed how they used the genre to write developed songs, since that is usually difficult within the confines of powerviolence. This February, Savage released their first full-length, and while it is a pretty brief affair, it serves as a great companion to their earlier compilation. A great band.
Savage - No Escape
14. Soilwork - Verkligheten (January 11th)
Many people do not like this band, and I guess I can see why. Their style of mixing pop hooks with some growls and accessible melodies can be irritating to the truest of true metalheads, but I must be honest and say I have found something special in this record. It's not mind-blowing, and I don't really feel the need to check out any of their other works, but god damn, these melodies are infectious and the energy is undeniable. It was a great experience back in January when music was moving very slowly.
Soilwork - Verkligheten
15. Traitors - Repent (February 25th)
Apparently Traitors have been a well-established downtempo deathcore band for a while, and I didn't know about them. Since I enjoyed the Black Tongue and Mire Lore releases last year, I was truly excited to discover this new group. This album was a very good demonstration of what a capable band can do within this genre and a capable reminder of the importance of deathcore in modern extreme music.
Traitors - Repent
16. Children of Bodom - Hexed (March 8th)
Ah, my little finnish superstars. For as much as I complain about melodeath, there has always been something that captivated me about Children of Bodom. It wasn't only their neo-classical tendencies, which started to die down some years ago, it's also their fitting use of keyboards and general atmosphere. Hexed is definitely better that their last handful of albums, and while it's longer than most (if not all) of their records, there's almost no filler. Alexi and his gang sound more forceful and driven that they have for a long, long time.
Children of Bodom - Hexed
17. Gets Worse - Snubbed (February 11th)
Gets Worse are, in my eyes, getting better with time. I have listened to their early EPs and they're great, but they have hit an incredible standard with their 2019 record, Snubbed. And while it has gained steam in the powerviolence scene, it was, hm, snubbed from mainstream attention. Share this with your punk friends, please, I'm sure they will love it. And don't forget to check out at least El Belcho for the incredible speech in the middle. Is that the vocalist or a sample?
Gets Worse - Snubbed
18. Epicardiectomy - Grotesque Monument Of Paraperversive Transfixion (December 31st)
Epicardiectomy is a band I've ignored for a very, very long time, but when they released their third album back in January (technically December, but New Standard Elite fucked that up), I finally took notice. They play a very groovy and somewhat caveman style of slam, and this record is a clear love letter to Cephalotripsy and their older, more boneheaded sound. It's very accurate to call this whole record incredibly raw, and that snare is noisier than any other you'll hear this year... or until Agonal Breathing come out with a new record.
Epicardiectomy - Grotesque Monument Of Paraperversive Transfixion
19. In Flames - I, The Mask (March 1st)
Apparently people love this band. They'll tell you that their old albums are the bane of early melodeath, but from what I remember, most of them were so boring that I can't be bothered to even revisit them. This new one, however, is very interesting. Battles wasn't good, it was pretty far removed from that actually, and only because it all felt so forced. I don't have a problem with early 2000s music, just don't make it tweencore and brand it In Flames, you know? The new album showed a lot more promise ever since the early singles though, and in my humble opinion managed to mix their two very separate styles in a much more natural way. But you DO need an open mind for this one.
In Flames - I, The Mask
20. Dream Theater - Distance Over Time (February 22nd)
What can I say? I'm definitely a fan of historically short albums, and the modern look that Distance Over Time has certainly spiked my interest. More than that, it's Dream Theater, what was I gonna do, not listen? The album and crisp and exciting. Also, I've never found the vocals to be tiresome, what's everybody talking about? This is the perfect dose of Dream Theater one could ask for in 2019, and the fact that it's shorter and more straight-forward than usually makes it even better.
Dream Theater - Distance Over Time
21. Venom Prison - Samsara (March 15th)
This band is very often mentioned when it comes to rising stars in the modern death metal scene, and their 2016 album is the best explanation as to why that would be. However, with this new effort, all they've done is give out even more answers to questions like "how can you make death metal exciting almost 30 years after its inception?". The whole record flows very well and has an excellent atmosphere. Also, I'm sure it's a great plus for a lot of people to have such an openly feminist member in one of the future top billed bands of the scene.
Venom Prison - Samsara
22. VLTIMAS - Something Wicked Marches In (March 29th)
Cowboy extraordinaire David Vincent is back, y'all! And how he screams, on god, the first seconds of Diabolus Est Sanguis are what he was made for. Both of the other members of this newly formed super group are in top form as well, many riffs feel a lot like modern Mayhem (which is, ahem, the best Mayhem). However, I hope no one starts going around complaining about Kingdoms Disdained now that David has growled a bit again. That album is just as amazing as it was in 2017... but this one's pretty amazing too.
VLTIMAS - Something Wicked Marches In
23. Hurakan - Abomination of Aurokos (March 24th)
Just another slamming deathcore band, right? Well, kind of. Hurakan have all the makings of future slam scene superstars, and a lot of friends in the scene as it appears. Their second album is full of exciting featured artists, good riffs, breakdowns galore, deep growls, hell, the whole platter for such an album these days. It's also interesting to listen to something within this genre that comes from France of all places. Be sure to check out the song that also has trap beats supporting the metal, it's pretty fun and creative.
Hurakan - Abomination of Aurokos
24. Prostitute Disfigurement - Prostitute Disfigurement (March 22nd)
With all this slam around, who could say no to a straight-forward and groovy brutal death metal record? I'm certainly not one. The songs here are all great, nothing too out of the ordinary to be honest, but what an artwork! Jack the Ripper may be one of the best subjects you could write about when it comes to metal, and the whole album has a gloomy, dark and vicious atmosphere to go with this mascot. Incredible surprise release.
Prostitute Disfigurement - Prostitute Disfigurement
25. Valley Of The Headless - Of Madness Spawned (March 22nd)
In 2018 I named Klysma the best new face in slam, because their debut was awesome and felt like an event. This year, the spot might have already been taken by South Korean newcomers Valley of the Headless and their incredible debut. The album has a great sound, with the drums reminding me of the great days of Mortician albums. The way the band handles shifts in atmosphere and passages is simply exactly right for this style. Their very foreign origin also brings in a sense of uncertainty, which is one of the best things to have when it comes to brutal death metal. Please give these guys some attention, it's well-deserved.
Valley Of The Headless - Of Madness Spawned
Holy shit! That's a pretty full platter if I do say so myself. No worries though, it took me a couple of months to find and listen to all of these albums, so you have all the time in the world to discover everything here. I hope you enjoyed this one, since it took me a lot of work.
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