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Death Metal for 2017:
First the albums without ranking:
Morta Skuld - Wounds Deeper Than Time
Holy fuck! Morta Skuld is back! I used to love For All Eternity. Classic 90s American death metal that one. This time sounding much better of course with modern production and no 90s murk. If you enjoy bands like Bolt Thrower and the like or just classic heavy grooving, you should love this.
Mors Principum Est - Embers of a Dying World
One of the most consistent and best melodeath bands since they started. They almost never let me down and the new album is real good too. A couple of tunes meander which is not my thing but when they kick the riffs into overdrive I'm giving it the horns and nodding along.
Fleshdoll - Hearts of Darkness
Catchy and punchy death metal. Heavy with rolling riffage with a thick, slightly murky sound.
Bleak Flesh - Overcoming Reality EP
Very nice tech death ep with vast array of riffy goodness.
Obsidium - Lesson Of Hatred
Tech death ala Necrophagist. Vocals totally annoying and core-ish but music amazing.
Unperfectum - Neomenia
I'm not really infatuated with melodeath any more but this caught my eye and ears. It's hyper melodic keyboard friendly melodeath. Not super aggressive or trying to scathe your ears with incessant rasps either. Very pleasant and super melodic death metal.
Rogga Johansson - Garpedans
The Swedish king of old school death with a solo album. The umpteenth of his career - he has about 3-4 releases a year. I find his stuff hit and miss but I mostly like this. Some nice keyboard touches too but mainly old school riffy death groove to get the juices flowing.
Necropolis - The Fate of Flesh (EP)
Just a 4 tracker and only 3 actual songs with an instrumental acoustic tune. The music is Death worship but could be slightly cack handed in its aping but beggars can't be choosers when it comes to Chuck worship so a measly cheap sounding Death will have to do!
Incinerator - Stench Of Distress
Let's go retro. Buzzy guitars like a swarm of angry bees. Goodness!
Apotheon - Mechanically Consumed
Nice tech death 3 tracker with instrumental versions of the same songs as well.
Exhumed - Death Revenge
Great catchy death metal. Sometimes coming close to a few Chuck riffs.
Beneath - Ephemeris
Strangely it's been a great month for death fuckin' metal. Beneath adding to that tally with a catchy slab of battery.
Skyfire - Liberation in Death
One of my fave ever melodeath bands returns with an appetiser. Only 4 tracks but the quality is there for all to see. Lovely keys as always in this band.
Spectrum Of Delusion - Esoteric Entity
Tech death whirlathon. Vokills a bit dodge but OK. Music is warm, fluid and melodic with twangy and clean bass.
Arkaik - Nemethia
Hard hitting tech death blast fest. The scratchy vox are a bit harsh for me but they are not heard all the time. The normal death growls acceptable. Riffs are set to bludgeon and also with a machine gun like attack.
And now the top 15 in reverse order:
15. Undrask - Battle Through Time
Unknown US melodeath from outta the blue pleases me immensely. Imagine primetime IF with a little Minds I and earlier era DT and a little modern Amon Amarth and you have Undrask! Very cool shit!
14. Foredoomed - Ordeal
I have mostly given up on melodeath but this I love. Melodeath at its best for modern times IMO.
13. Paganizer - Land of Weeping Souls
Our old mate Rogga from a gazillion bands with another of his old school vehicles. This one however feels up to date but the pummelling riffs that still have that old school groove. Vocals are also perfect death roars. Love the monstrous rampaging grooves and head banging parts. Should please any fan of classic Bolt Thrower!
12. Nervecell - Past, Present..Torture
Savage, heavy death. Superb production and outstanding death vokills. Kinda death metal I love!
11. Carnal Decay - You Owe You Pay
This shit is fucked up. These guys are super angry man. Cross the road if you see these guys coming from the other side! Musically speaking this is as heavy and yet super slick and groovy as death metal gets. There is a slight hardcore atttude but I really like this take no prisoners feel. When I am feeling angry this sucker's going straight on. Some of these grooves will move mountains!
10. Dying Fetus - Wrong One To Fuck With
Definitely the best Fetus album ever. Too many great riffs and grooves to be moshed to here.
09. Lock Up - Demonization
Riffs! You like bludgeoning, earth shattering riffs? You like blasting drum overload? You're in the right place. I am surprised the album kicks so much ass. An amazing super brutal grindcore record.
08. Decrepit Birth - Axis Mundi
Some of the vocals are a little annoying but I can get by. The wicked tech riffing snaps necks as does the super tight double kick drumming
07. Archspire - Relentless Mutation
Absolutely insane tech death. Riffs, vocals and drums machine gun into your brain at rate of knots unheard of by the human ear!
06. Embrace The Dawn - The Effigist
Jaw droppingly awesome tech death with flawless clean sound. Absolutely love these guys. They amaze!
05. Incarnator - Argumentum Ad Ignorantiam
Death worship bands and albums are like gold dust so when one comes along we have to be grateful for small mercies. It's not Death but very good effort even though the vocals are a bit dodgy. The music is pretty amazing. A couple of Death covers tacked on at the end would've been nice too.
04. Suffocation - ...Of The Dark Light
Very cool stuff from another veteran death act with the Suffos. Winding tech death with urgent, manic riffs and always cool vokills. These guys don't need lessons from no one about death metal do they!
03. Obituary - st
Holy crap it's the best Obies album in aeons. The riffs are massive and groovy and Tardy's sick growls are in perfect tandem with the riffs. The grooves are fuckin' immense on this beast! Theyprobably thought let's try and release the definitive Obituary album - no bullshit, no title, no fancy cover, just Obituary death metal stomp!
02. Inanimate Existence - Underneath A Melting Sky
As I was saying death metal ruled and this was probably the best of the lot. Just a fantastic and amazing tech death listen. Epic fret wizardry!
01. Cannibal Corpse - Red Before Black
The Corpse is back! A solid album and more complex than usual with torrents of whirling riffs rampaging here there and every fucking where. I wasn't that sure about this but repeat plays revealed pummelling monster catchy grooves and even a thrashier edge at times. Cannibal Corpse are experts at giving the fans what they want with no added bullshit. Just a straight up classic death metal album!
A really enjoyable year for thrash fans. First the albums without ranking:
Nuckin' Futs - Abyss
Decent thrash with average vocals. Production a bit murky for my taste. But loads of cool riffs.
FurYenS - Plug and Plague
Not much in thrash lately so this will have to do despite my distaste for the vocals. The guy is pretty average and useless at times but the riffs are taut and tight.
Paralysis - Life Sentence
Thrash. Works for me. Head moving. Air guitar crunch ready. Happy enough.
Gumomanioacs - By Endurance We Conquer: Demons & Damnation
Cool thrash but overly long. Plenty great riffs. Vox average. Some nice bass playing too.
Shrapnel - Raised On Decay
Super heavy and brutal UK thrash. As heavy as thrash gets. They rip your throat out and spit in the hole!
Chemicide - the Act Of Retaliation
Nice thrash metal. Not amazing but keeps me moving and banging.
Thrash Bombz - Master of the Dead
Workmanlike cool thrash. Great sound, great riffs, let's go!
Skulled - Eat Thrash
Thrash metal at it's simplest and purest form is what you get with this album. Bangers rejoice!
Severpull - Divided By Two [ep]
Blistering thrash 4 tracker. A bit one dimensional but pure mayhem.
Cultural Warfare - Future Kill Ep
Heavy melodic thrash by these unknowns. Especially like the heavy clear vocals. No growling which is good. He's not exactly melodic but he's very clear. The music is like a mid paced Testament mixed with Flots maybe with a good tech flair.
Freakings - Toxic End
Thrash metal in its pure and simplest form. Won't amaze but gets the blood pumping well enough.
Alkol - Beeried Alive
Fun little thrash ep about drinking jam packed with great riffs.
Destruction - Thrash Anthems II
Nice project from teutonic thrash overlords.
Agresiva - Decibel Ritual
Vocals a bit dodgy but music is great so it's in. It's melodic thrash in style I should say and pretty neck wrecking.
Ultyma - Liberation EP
Cool as hell tech thrash 3 tracker. Just make an album already!
Lich King - the Omniclasm
First time I have liked the crossovery thrash merchants. Still raw as fuck but very cool fast and catchy too. What an insane year for thrash!
Comaniac - Instruction For Destruction
Vocals? Really average. Riffs? Really great. Cares? None. Just bang away.
Power Trip - Nightmare Logic
I dismissed this earlier but I think it deserves another chance. Not amazing but catchy thrash, vocals a bit annoying but I'll get over it
Jenner - To Live Is To Suffer
Solid thrash with female vocals. No screaming thankfully. Riffs really active, clean and energetic!
Epicenter - Subversion
Interesting slightly dissonant prog thrash. Vox a bit annoying but not enough to spoil enjoyment. Some riffs are killer and get the energy levels rising through the roof.
Black Reaper - Blood Moon Rising
Thrash again. Good again. Happy again.
Laid To Waste - Mental Decay
Thrash helps me yet again. What a year for thrash it's been.
Black Soul Blade - The Masterpiece of Hate
Another one on Joker Records from Russia. These guys play heavy bruiser-boy thrash metal. Some modern leanings but good pounding riffs, aggression and groove make for a cool listen. Vocals in English which helps. I didn't hate this!
Tankard - One Foot in the Grave
Very good album and their most melodic and catchy probably.
Mass Execution - The Day Before The Execution
30 minutes of mayhem. Thrash with crossovery vocals. But the riffs spill blood from my ears!
Ice Age - Breaking the Ice
Interesting band of chicks and a male drummer aping Megadeth in the main. Good stuff if not totally amazing.
Top 15 in reverse order:
15. Prayers Of Sanity - Face Of The Unknown
Yes normal headbanging service is resumed. Cooool thrashhhh!
14. BULLET-PROOF - Forsaken One
Very crunchy and heavy, very cool melodic thrash. Thumbs up guys whoever you are!
13. Chronosphere - Red n' Roll
Great thrash mayhem from the Greeks. Massive, steaming riffs, rough vocals which are not great but I don't care too much as the riffs crush.
12. Ancient Dome - The Void Unending
Great riffy thrash with cleanly shouted vocals. Great semi tech riffs and some of them even sound like Death riffs from Chuck. Great stuff if you ask me.
11. Warbringer - Woe to the Vanquished
Very cool effort. Last song is a bit hard going at 10 minutes but it picks up. The rest is aggressive thrash with fun riffs and hard edged angry yells.
10. Enclave - New Age Disorder
Cool, ripping, riffed up thrash. Works the oracle for me. Quite like the way the vocals are handled too being very understandable.
09. Overkill - The Grinding Wheel
Someone said it's more like Ironbound. Since that's my fave Overkill album of all time I was looking forward to this. My first play went swimmingly well. The riffs on this are fucking inspired man! There's bounce, thrash and groove, the works! Vocals from Bobby Blitz are raspy and typical but fun like Udo fronting thrash. Music is made for the moshpitters and hair flingers the world over!
08. Distillator - Summoning The Malicious
One boring slowish track but the rest is awesome. Great understandable vocals. Great tech riffs! Thrash at its best!
07. Havok - Conformicide
A more refined Havok album. Not so fast and chaotic. A lot of great passages. A lot of cool grooves. May require a few plays but will win thrash fans over in the end.
06. War Device - Infinite Chaos
Been spoilt when it comes to thrash this year. This is a great feast of riffs to chew, spit and mosh to!
05. National Suicide - Massacre Elite
Basically an Overkill album. A great Overkill album at that! Also hear some Justice/Killem All Metallica. Singer is a dead ringer for Blitz. Ticks all my thrash boxes and provides my only source of neck wrecking this month. Special mention for the song Take Me To The Dive Bar. I lose my shit on that one! But then there's the song What D'Ya Mean By Metal and then I'm bouncing off the walls! \m/
04. StormThrash - Systemtaic Annihilation
Holy fuckin' crap! Where in hell did these guys come from?? This rules my world badly. What fuckin' amazing riffs. Bangers rejoice! Can't deny this much riff mastery.
03. Panikk - Discarded Existence
Goddamn this is thrash metal art! Riff upon riff upon riff hammering you into submission. Fucking insane!
02. Kreator - Gods of Violence
Hell yeah! Kreator brings it home in great style and sound mega inspired. They sound much more melodic than usual but still give you thrash mayhem at its best!
01. Harlott - Extinction
Holy shmoly thrashing momma! Totally insane! The rage is super strong with the Aussies. They are just the best at this game IMO. I love this more than any thrash released this year and the competition is strong. These guys are just a hell of a ride for thrash vets the world over. Press play and strap in 'cause this bullet train an't stopping for nothin'!
