Epic Sunday is a new event I created, when you will get the best albums I have listened to through the week. And if you think this is either a Clash Royale ripoff or a reason for me to write less, you are right about both.
And now, since I've been missing for 3 months, you ALL know that the most massive post on Metal Hut is coming. In the last post I've told you which albums you are getting, so start picking music and have a truly epic sunday.
1. Asphyx - Last One On Earth
Even if Asphyx is evolving rapidly in one of my favourite Death bands out there, the first time I heard Last One On Earth, 2 months ago, the album was left to rot in the bowels of my playlist. nly now I see the true... POTENTIAL in Asphyx. Even if it's not my favourite Asphyx album, trust me and listen to it.
Asphyx - Last One On Earth
2. Asphyx - Death... The Brutal Way
Death... The Brutal Way is the "We're back, you bastards" album that Asphyx came up with. This little gem screams "masterpiece" from the opening song. It shares the 5th spot in my favourite Death albums of all time, along with Deathhammer. Speaking of Deathhammer...
Asphyx - Death... The Brutal Way
3. Asphyx - Deathhammer
Honestly, anything I've said about the previous albums by these Death/Doom GODS can apply to Deathhammer (BOW DOWN TO THE DEATHHAMMER! Sorry, it's catchy). It's great. If you like the other 2 records posted previously, you like Deathhammer.
Asphyx - Deathhammer
4. Omnihility - Deathscapes of the Subconsciuos
Guys, ever listened to Cannibal Corpse? Well, take that Butchered At Birth album, enhance the production a lot, then speed it the fuck up, and now you get Omnihility. After you learn to read their name, which, to be honest, needs some tries before complete succes, you might find that Deathscapes of the Subconscious and it's follow-up, Dominion of Misery, continuosly draw you back. That, my friends, is the sign of great music... even if your band name is really hard to get right.
Omnihility - Deathscapes of the Subconscious
5. Omnihility - Dominion of Misery
The only noticeable difference between Deathscapes and Dominion is that the songs are shorter on Dominion. The many similarities are that it's still Cannibal Corpse on speed, and the songs are still great.
Omnihility - Dominion of Misery
6(66). Sorcery - Arrival At Six
YES! This is what I've been waiting to get to!
Holder of the 2nd spot on my favourite Death albums, Sorcery's Arrival At Six and Garden Of Bones are hold so dear to my heart, that even I don't find the right words. The opening verse on Arrival At Six shows very clearly that you are holding a future classic, if Sorcery somehow manage to pick up the steam they need to become as known as they deserve to be. Everything is right about these 2 albums. Trust me, if you like old-school Death, you will fall in love with Sorcery from the first song.
Sorcery - Arrival At Six
7. Sorcery - Garden of Bones
Want to hear the long "review"? Go read Arrival At Six's intro again. This album may actually be a little better than Arrival, but we will never know.
Sorcery - Garden of Bones
8. Immolation - Dawn Of Possession
Every time I listen to this I hear something along the lines of "hey, it's yo boys... good ol' Immolation, at your service". I don't have a strong bond with Immolation's debut, like some deathers seem to have, but I can recognive this record's great songs. Maybe I don't hold it close or kiss it goodnight before going to sleep, but it's a great Death-fest.
Immolation - Dawn Of Possession
9. Immolation - Kingdom Of Conspiracy
Kingdom Of Conspiracy is, in my opinion, Dawn Of Possession reloaded, only with much, much better sound quality. If you want to use Immolation to terorize your older neighbours, pick Kingdom Of Conspiracy.
Immolation - Kingdom Of Conspiracy
10. Carnifex - Slow Death
If you have eyes and ears for the metal scene (and, in my case, no social life), you ought to have heard about Carnifex's new album, Slow Death. I'll admit, even though I like this album, some moments piss me off. The vocalist is the center of my dislike for this record, even if I know he must be a nice guy in real life. That being said, this is some good Deathish metalcore record, if you can easily get over songs being broken extremely often.
Carnifex - Slow Death
11. Dark Funeral - Where Shadows Forever Reign
When a cliche, over-satanized Black album by a band that hasn't really impressed me until now connects so well with me after the first listen, that it qualifies instantly for the honourable position of backpatch on my first battle jacket, YOU KNOW something is right. And... that's all you really need to know about WSFR.
Dark Funeral - Where Shadows Forever Reign
12. Napalm Death - Scum
Scum. Fucking Scum. I like Napalm Death, I really do. It actually took the 11th spot in my favourite Death records. But we, fans of Napalm Death and especially of Scum, know very well that this album is Extreme metal for cavemen. Nothing wrong with that, I even like it better than Apex Predator (VERY close call) or Time Waits For No Slave. But it's extremely primitive. Still my favourite grindcore and Napalm Death album.
Napalm Death - Scum
13. Napalm Death - From Ensavement To Obliteration
I'll make this short and to the point (like Napalm Death's songs). This is probably more crushing than Scum, but not as charming in my eyes. I don't hold FETO as close to my heart because of this... and probably because of the ridiculously long name.
Napalm Death - From Enslavement To Obliteration
14. Emeth - Aethyr
I confess, out of all these albums, Emeth's Aethyr is the one I'm the least familiar with. When I think Aethyr, I think brutal as fuck songs, because that's the first thing you notice and the only thing you remember. I sadly can't name one song from this album, but not because they aren't good, Satan forbid, but because I've been exposed to so much brutal tech Death that it's no longer that impressive. The next album, on the other hand...
Emeth - Aethyr
15. Grond - Worship The Kraken
Grond, totally unknown (at least to me), managed to impress the fuck out of me. So many old-school Death metal albums listened, and yet Grond stands out like *insert smart but sarcastic metaphor here*. Bottom line, it's a great album and that's all you can say. Listen to it and then try to get it out of your head. You won't.
Grond - Worship The Kraken
16. Insomnium - Shadows Of The Dying Sun
Sometimes, reading the lyrics to a song can generate so much feels, that you have no idea what just happened. Especially when you're in a bad moment, your ego is like Morbid Angel's reputation after Illud Divinum Insanus, I mean 100% obliterated, and you wait tommorow just to kill another bottle with some misterious alcoholic drink. Then, relating with MeloDeath lyrics only brings the certain song (in this case, album) closer to you. Shadows Of The Dying Sun is certainly good, but my point is that if you're feeling down, Insomnium won't chase those blues away, but rather keep 'em close and help you accept them.
Insomnium - Shadows Of The Dying Sun
17. Horrified - Of Despair
You don't need much to describe Horrified's latest record. Old-school, VERY good Death with melodic touches scattered all around. Not as memorable as most of the Death albums I've already fed you all today, but still a worthy listen.
Horrified - Of Despair
18. Rotten Sound - Abuse To Suffer
My second shot at grindcore, after the well known Napalm Death. Rotten Sound, while effortlesly listenable, are by far not as memorable as ND. Abuse To Suffer's 25 or so minutes pass way more slowly than Scum's 32 or even Apex Predator's 40. Given that, Rotten Sound gets constantly pushed back in my playlist.
Rotten Sound - Abuse To Suffer
19. Death Angel - The Evil Divide
Thrash for the win, guys. I must say, the first time I heard that this band (Death Angel, which I barely knew by name at the time) was releasing a new album, it wasn't big news in my mind. It wasn't until I heard "Lost" that I knew I had to listen to the whole thing. And frankly, you know from the first song what you're in for.
Death Angel - The Evil Divide
20. Sarcofago - Rotting
This EP is a short, but brutal slab of early Death from our favourite Black pioneers, Sarcofago. The Death tendencies are FAR more obvious on this album than on I.N.R.I... speaking of Black...
Sarcofago - Rotting
21. Tsjuder - Antiliv
The ammount of time it took me to get Tsjuder's name right deserves to be mentioned. That being said, this is a fresh, TRVE Black album, quite close to the classics from Norway. Satanic as fuck, also.
Tsjuder - Antiliv
22. Sabaton - Heroes
After all that Death and Black, with a pinch of Thrash, let's soften with some quality Power. This being Sabaton's first entry on Metal Hut, I feel like I ought to go in depth about them. Heroes is epic and quick to it's point, with only around half an hour. All the songs are very good in my opinion, except the halfway Ballad of the Bull, which breaks the flow of the album and is effortlessly skipable.
Sabaton - Heroes
23. Sabaton - The Last Stand
Fresh meat from Sabaton, The Last Stand is very much like Heroes, only that it talks about last stands across history, going as far back as Leonida's heroic acts. Watch 300, guys. Even better news, there is no ballad, thank Satan.
Sabaton - The Last Stand
24. Opeth - Blackwater Park
If you know Opeth, you know what to expect from Blackwater Park. Blackwater Park's best achievement is that it blends without a problem traditional growls and clean singing, typical brutal Death songwriting and progressive stuff. A really good listen.
Opeth - Blackwater Park
25. Altar - Mantra
A bigger surprise to me than anyone else, Altar's 2011 album is a 40 minutes Thrash record that I liked from start to finish. Nothing revolutionary here, I admit, but a damn good time listening to a Romanian band that has joined the "good metal acts" club. About that...
Altar - Mantra
26. Altar - The Last Warning (again)
Why? Because not only I posted a wrong version the last time I touched upon The Last Warning, but I misjudged this record. The vocals are still annoing, the English still laughable, BUT I'll admit this album grew on me after a couple of listens. It's not among my favourite Thrash records, neither among my favourite Death, but it definetly has charm.
Altar - The Last Warning
27. Obituary - Frozen In Time
Oh, I know a lot of you will be really happy about this one. If you listened to any of the other 3 Obituary albums I posted here, you know what you're in for. And, with Ten Thousand Ways To Die announced, the future is bright.
Obituary - Frozen In Time
28. Illuminati - The Core
This is some of the finest Romanian metal I have ever heard. The structure of the album is also intriguing, since after every Death track there is an interlude, my favourite being In The Maze Of A Mith. The only reason they don't belong next to my favourite bands is because The Core doesn't connect as well with me as Taine's albums or other ProgDeath acts.
Illuminati - The Core
29. Nucleus - Sentient
Past guests on Metal Hut Nucleus return with their first album, Sentient. Look at that logo and tell me you don't see them as a TechDeath band. Well, surprisingly, they play a very good, but traditional form of Death. Still, this is one of the better albums I'm posting today.
Nucleus - Sentient
30. In Flames - Clayman
Coming back with some MeloDeath, In Flames are the Metallica of this subgenre, since they drastically changed their style and lost some fans. If we keep going with this analogy, this is their Master Of Puppets: everyone ranks Clayman as In Flames's best, except me. Still a good album, but not as good as it's predecesor, which is...
In Flames - Clayman
31. In Flames - The Jester Race
In my humble opinion, The Jester Race is when In Flames mastered mixing melody and deathish brutality. Only downside is that the album title is written in comic sans...
In Flames - The Jester Race
32. Gorguts - Pleiades' Dust
Probably Gorgut's best work to date, and definetly their most intriguing, this one song EP contains so much material to take at once, that even I needed more listens to get it as a whole. But I swear it's worth it.
Gorguts - Pleiades' Dust
33. Cradle Of Filth - Hammer Of The Witches
I'll confess now, to get y'all rid of all the pain of interogating me: I hate Dani's voice on "Dusk... And Her Embrace". I just don't like it at all. That's why I absolutely LOVE Hammer Of The Witches. The symphonic melody and Dani's mixed vocals show that he learned not to over-use that screetch. Or maybe he's just tired. However, still a VERY good album, a bit better than...
Cradle Of Filth - Hammer Of The Witches
34. Cradle Of Filth - Darkly, Darkly, Venus Aversa
My second encounter with COF, after the EXCELLENT Hammer Of The Witches. It's kind of the same thing, but I connect a bit more with Hammer Of The Witches for some reason. Anyway, great symphonic Black.
Cradle Of Filth - Darkly, Darkly, Venus Aversa
35. Crossbone - Through Death and Hate
And when you thought Altar was the only thrashing band in Romania...
By the name you might think you're listening to Captain Jack Sparrow sing in the shower (if that exists), but nope, Crossbone are a real Thrash band, and they are pretty good. My only problem is the song "Skate Or Die", since I dont like songs with this topic. I just find it stupid.
Crossbone - Though Death and Hate
36. Berserkers - World War 3
Brothers of Crossbone, Berserkers are another Romanian Thrash starter band, and like Crossbone, they have good songs. Thrashing fun, you get my point. The production is a little off, but at least we don't get songs about SKATING, thank Satan. Just classic stuff about war and destruction.
Berserkers - World War 3
37. Belphegor - Lucifer Incestus
Austrian Deathened Black (I just made that up) with a pinch of spelling errors, Belphegor's Lucifer Incestus is a very good album, combining Quorthon style vocals with death growls. Even if everything is nice and well, the most memorable thing is the artwork, with Satan posing as... you know what, look for yourself. Heheh.
Belphegor - Lucifer Incestus
(TOLD YA)
38. Sepultura - Arise
Arise is, in my opinion, Sepultura's transition. Beneath The Remains is technically Death metal with a pinch of Thrash, and Chaos A.D. is pure Thrash. Arise is the best parts of those phases put together in an album. Even if I like Beneath The Remains more, Arise is great.
Sepultura - Arise
39. Sepultura - Beneath The Remains
Top-notch Death from a top-notch band. What more can you ask for? Read Arise's description for more.
Sepultura - Beneath The Remains
40. Sepultura - Chaos A.D.
Radical shift from Death to Thrash in Sepultura's history. Still good. Read Arise's description for more.
Sepultura - Chaos A.D.
41. Krisiun - Forged In Fury
Oh, yea! Brazilian Death metal, fresh and brutal. After a few listens, the 10 songs here start to blend together and seem like one big composition, since there aren't many differences between them, but this is still a good, maybe a bit forgetable slab of Death.
Krisiun - Forged In Fury
42. Sodom - Decision Day
Freshest album from German thrashers Sodom, this is a mix between their finest material, M-16 and Agent Orange, with a bit of melody lifted from 2013's Epitome Of Torture. A great album, showing that Angelripper & Co are as forceful as ever.
Sodom - Decision Day
And for the last 3 albums, I prepared something more special than usual. It's all for Xtreem Music. You can find them
here and
here. They are a label, specialising on Death metal, with A LOT of unknown bands, and I have to thank them for introducing me to Sorcery, Grond, Emeth and a lot of other bands. I just like the music they promote very much, and for that I prepared 3 of their promos, containing music from the bands they cover.
43. Xtreem Mutilation Vol. 1
44. Xtreem Mutilation Vol. 2
(the best one of the 3)
45. Xtreem Mutilation Vol. 3
And so we finish the 45 albums I promised. But what's that? I have another 5 albums, as a bonus and a gift for you all.
46*. Destruction - Under Attack
Some fresh German Thrash, but not as good as all these new Thrash albums, like Dystopia, Decision Day or The Evil Divide. Sodom are still the kings of German thrash, but Destruction are.. aight.
Destruction - Under Attack
47*. Gruesome - Dimensions Of Horror
Gruesome, as you might know, is he definition of old-school Death. Their debut, Savage Land (
HERE) was Leprosy (my favourite Death Metal album) reloaded, and now we get Scream Bloody Gore all over again, packed into 6 songs. Even gruesomer than the debut.
Gruesome - Dimensions Of Horror
48*. Master - An Epiphany Of Hate
You all know Master. I've touched upon their first two albums (
HERE), but I had no idea they released a new record in 2016. Good news, Epiphany is classic Master, with the only problem being the vocals I really don't dig.
Master -An Epiphany Of Hate
49*. Dawn Of Demise - The Suffering
Freshest metal here, it's... you guessed it... old-school Death. It also has a vocal style that doesn't really do the rest of the album justice, but I still like The Suffering and I'll probably have it amongst my favourite albums of 2016.
Dawn Of Demise - The Suffering
50*. Sinsaenum - Echoes Of The Tortured
Echoes is probably the most intriguing album on this Epic Sunday. It's the result of members of Mayhem, Dragonforce and Slipknot coming together and playing something I've never heard coming out of their instruments before: Death. Some of the best Death I've heard this year. Their choices regarding the layout of the album are unique too, like having 21 songs instead of the usual 10/11. Between almost every Death-fest of a song there is an interlude. That being said, Echoes is a perfect exaple of how a supergroup can blend without a problem and acomplish great things.
Sinsaenum - Echoes Of The Tortured
GOD DAMN. There are times like these when handling Metal Hut feels like a ton of work. That being said, I hope this makes your Sundays and your playlist more and more epic.
