sorry for the shit images, cba
HMs:
Anata, Assedium, Axis of Advance, Ceremonial Castings, Eneth, Harvey Milk, Internal Suffering, Mitochondrion, The Ruins of Beverast, Vidres a la Sang
10)
Luciferiano - A Face do Cão
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sort of like how gontyna kry might sound if they were from the brazilian school, weird as that sounds. i could put any of the HMs in this spot tbh, all pretty closely matched.
9)
Ludicra – Fex Urbis Lex Orbis
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they share a member so it isn't surprising, but this is lightly hammers of misfortune-tinged black metal and all the better for it.
8)
Crescent Shield – The Last of my Kind
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just a USPM banger with several great tunes (a couple of crap ones) and a killer vocalist.
7)
Pantheon I – Atrocity Divine
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symphonic BM with lush leads/strings and jagged riffs, some of which are deliciously alf-coded. occasionally simple-minded and the production's dubious but i can look past that 'cause it's full of passion and inventiveness, plus every second riff or melody is killer.
6)
Blackholicus – Variations in Death Minor
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rarely has an aesthetic so screamed cult trad metal status and the music therein does not disappoint; it's kind of the vision master of its time. fully idiosyncratic, fully committed, and while the 'punkier slough feg with female vocals' description is pretty apt there's a little more to it as well: i mean, parts of 'la fin du monde' simultaneously bring both confessor and atrocity to mind, while 'filthy cur' has shades of holy terror and vio-lence. i just wish it was longer.
5)
Pharaoh – The Longest Night
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a bonafide classic feelsy USPM record that sags a little in the middle for me else it'd be even higher. 'by the night sky' is an all-timer.
4)
Pagan Altar – Mythical & Magical
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eldritch folk tales within a mossy tome unearthed from beneath a gnarled tree. '70s tropes intrude a little much for my liking and prevent it quite getting to all-time great territory, but its peaks are wonderful and its troughs are rare.
3)
Hammers of Misfortune – The Locust Years
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with the right marketing and timing i reckon these guys could've made it big; a concept album with such eloquence, clarity and distinctive motifs should have huge crossover appeal (i'm thinking of buying it for my mum in fact). feels like a great genre novel brought to life and i just love that shit, even if i wish less of the runtime felt like (still very strong) connective pieces.
2)
Antiquus – Eleutheria
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the mystery, thrill and terror of exploring unknown waters, the surreal warping of perspective brought on by isolation and dehydration, the madness and hubris of the colonial mindset. another great novel brought to life, and like many great novels the personal, political and mythical are elegantly interwoven (occasional prog metal chuggaclunk aside). makes me wanna watch the terror s1 again, and aguirre for that matter.
1)
Warning – Watching From a Distance
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say what you will about wanking and crying, it's better than raping and laughing. i loved the title track of this before the album even leaked, so i was very early on the bandwagon and it has only solidified into a favourite over the years. simply the most enveloping album i know, i get lost in the depths of its texture and feeling.