GMD Poll: Top 10 Metal Albums of 1995

[CiG]

Yeah it seems stripped of all guts and power.

 

[H.P. Lovecraft]

A Night at the Opera fucking sucks.

Saw this without reading the other comments, thought you meant the Queen album, was about ready to rain down on your ass.

 

[CiG]

Saw this without reading the other comments, thought you meant the Queen album, was about ready to rain down on your ass.

 

[crimsonfloyd]

I agree with you on that. That was just my own opinion regarding the album's overall acclaim, not your own personal opinion of it.

Then I'm not sure why you tagged me in the post. To specifically inform me of something I had just said I didn't give a shit about?

I wasn't really impressed with it back then and now, I still think it's rather orthodox both within a shoegaze context and a black metal context. Especially when other bands (Agalloch, for example) have done that kind of genre-mixing with better results.

I would rank Pale Folklore, The Mantle, and Marrow of the Spirit above Sunbather, so you'll get no disagreement from me on that point. However, I don't agree that Deafheaven is run of the mill for either genre (save Roads to Judah, which is really rather pedestrian during the black metal passages). The last two albums have shown a really sophisticated understanding of development within both a single passage and within the compositions as a whole.

 

[no country for old wainds]

Maybe I misread you. Were you saying the song was the best in that round of the game or the best on the album?

I thought it was the latter and I was saying "Lord of the Woods" is the best song on Toteslaut.

the latter and i know, just forgot if you were following that game as it was the extreme one.

 

[no country for old wainds]

wainds, did you disqualify Coroner's S/T? It has an EP's worth of new songs, that's what I gave it first place for, not the compiled older ones.

99% sure that placement is just a typo in the post rather than the results, i'll check in a bit though sry

 

[Phylactery]

Not really a brilliant start when Meshuggah have made the top 10!

 

[The Ozzman]

Are you serious?

MIRROR MIRROR ON THE WALL..

 

[Phylactery]

SotLB is massively superior to Somberlain. Somberlain has its moments where it peaks, but SotLB is at the peak from start to finish. It also has a purer and more complete vision.

Can you explain what you mean by this? Do you mean it's more refined with a more singular vision? If so, I agree with that. The Somberlain has a couple of songs rooted in their origins as a death metal band. SotLB is lacking in the youthful energy, conviction, atmosphere and beauty of The Somberlain, though. The Somberlain is far less conventional as well, and thankfully doesn't feature anything as saccharine as Where Dead Angels Lie.

Sacramentum and Dawn have never resonated with me. I'm sure I'll give them another shot when we do 96 and 98, but even if I have a paradigm shift, there's no way they're passing SotLB.

Why 98? Dawn's best material is from 1994 and 1996. Slaughtersun is good, but overlong and meandering at times. Obviously 1996 is the peak of Sacramentum, though. Far away from the Sun is the best album in this style by a wide margin. Although it doesn't really sound anything like Dissection beyond superficial similarities.

Are you a fan of Vinterland?

 

[crimsonfloyd]

Can you explain what you mean by this? Do you mean it's more refined with a more singular vision? If so, I agree with that. The Somberlain has a couple of songs rooted in their origins as a death metal band. SotLB is lacking in the youthful energy, conviction, atmosphere and beauty of The Somberlain, though. The Somberlain is far less conventional as well, and thankfully doesn't feature anything as saccharine as Where Dead Angels Lie.

Both overall and in details. The Somberlain, at its best is phenomenal. "Black Horizons," "The Somberlain" and "Mistress of the Bleeding Sorrow" are exquisite compositions. The rest of the album is strong, but not without its flaws. There are some odd transitions and song structures that don't feel quite right (i.e. "The Grief Prophesy"). I still wouldn't give any song on the album lower than a 8/10. Overall, it fits together with a strong atmosphere and aesthetic.

In contrast, Storm of the Lights Bane displays a total union of vision, concept, and aesthetic from start to finish that only the greatest records possess. There's power and grace to the record; it's like watching a well-trained warrior murder with an art that is both beautiful and horrifying. It displays Satanism as something utterly superior to Christianity. While there's great flow to the record, there's also enough variety that every single song stands out in its own right. Each song has a compelling and dynamic structure, but also razor sharp focus. The album never meanders or loses vision.

I think missed the point of "Where Dead Angels Lie" if you think it is saccharine. It's purely sardonic, with the way it mixes these quaint, angelic melodies with these bleaker and eviler melodies to describe the murder of the divine. It's deliciously iconoclastic.

Why 98? Dawn's best material is from 1994 and 1996. Slaughtersun is good, but overlong and meandering at times. Obviously 1996 is the peak of Sacramentum, though. Far away from the Sun is the best album in this style by a wide margin. Although it doesn't really sound anything like Dissection beyond superficial similarities.

Are you a fan of Vinterland?

Slaughtersun is always the one I've had recommended to me in the past. Your recommendation would be?

Vinterland also hasn't resonated with me either. In one ear and out the other.

 

[Phylactery]

Two of their best songs appear on their 1996 EP Sorgh Pa Svarte Vingar Fløgh



The best full length by them is Nær Solen Gar Niþer For Evogher.

Many of your points about SotLB simply don't ring true for me. Every song certainly doesn't stand out, it definitely has peaks and low points and isn't consistent. The Somberlain clicked with me far quicker due to its superior aesthetic and songwriting.

 

[Talos of Atmora]

I think missed the point of "Where Dead Angels Lie" if you think it is saccharine. It's purely sardonic, with the way it mixes these quaint, angelic melodies with these bleaker and eviler melodies to describe the murder of the divine. It's deliciously iconoclastic.

Pretty much sums up why I like that track.

 

[crimsonfloyd]

Two of their best songs appear on their 1996 EP Sorgh Pa Svarte Vingar Fløgh



The best full length by them is Nær Solen Gar Niþer For Evogher.

Many of your points about SotLB simply don't ring true for me. Every song certainly doesn't stand out, it definitely has peaks and low points and isn't consistent. The Somberlain clicked with me far quicker due to its superior aesthetic and songwriting.

I'll check out those Dawn records.

As for SotLB, it looks like a difference in perspective (in which my perspective is right and yours is wrong )

 

[EspaDa]

To me this is the song that defines Dawn.

 

[TechnicalBarbarity]

The Somberlain >> Storm of the Light's Bane

Dissection >>> Dawn

 

[Phylactery]

The official list:

Far Away from the Sun > Naer Solen... > The Somberlain > Welcome my Last Chapter > Slaughtersun > Storm of the Light's Bane

 

[HamburgerBoy]

A Night at the Opera fucking sucks.

I began to enjoy it a lot more once I realized how much Crimson Glory there was in some of those melodies.

 

[no country for old wainds]

@HamburgerBoy ya, just a typo in the post, edited now

 

[no country for old wainds]

8) Pierced From Within by Suffocation
It will bring you to your knees...

"MOAR SUFFOCATION PLEAZE! what the fuck is wrong with you guys?" - @TechnicalBarbarity

Chosen by:
The Ozzman (#1)
EspaDa (#2)
TechnicalBarbarity (#2)
-CyanideChrist- (#6)
zerostatic (#8)
crimsonfloyd (#10)
Sirjack (N/A)

 

[no country for old wainds]

=6) Vampires of Black Imperial Blood by Mutiilation
I'm one with the fog...

"...probably the best bm-album from France." - @Vilden

Chosen by:
Vilden (#1)
crimsonfloyd (#2)
Dazed and Brutal (#4)
EspaDa (#5)
Krow (#7)
Talos of Atmora (#7)
spikes77 (#7)
Phylactery (#9)

=6) Scarlet Evil Witching Black by Necromantia
Turn from the light and live for eternity...

"Listen to Necromantia's SEWB and then Dimmu's PEM. They're pretty similar aesthetically. The former has a more necrotic, buzzy production; it's still suffocated by manic drumming, features clean vocals(Spiritdance, and that interlude), swirling dramatic keyboards and guitar(okay, bass) pyrotechnics. The only difference is that PEM is more overproduced but lets the guitars breathe in between the blasting sections with more accent on harmony and dynamics. It is brought down by processed vocals, though, and some industrial segments, but that's a minor flaw as I see it." - @DarkBliss

Chosen by:
Mort Divine (#1)
Krow (#2)
Slayed Necros (#4)
Phylactery (#5)
Talos of Atmora (#6)
Dazed and Brutal (#6)
rms (#7)