GMD Poll: Top Ten Albums of 2018

[Phylactery]

Surprised you rated Sorcier de Glaces so highly, this one didnt really grab me

Took me a few listens to start to appreciate it and it’s definitely uneven. I don’t consider it to be one of their best (Snowland, Moonrise and North for me), but it’s got lots of good moments throughout. And while I’m not a fan of the one long song format, I think they pull it off quite well. I’ve seen a few reviews around saying it’s their best work, which I definitely disagree with.

The overrating is his #1.

Eh, probably, but it’s exactly the kind of folk tinged mid 90s black metal that I really like.

 

[Dak]

1. Just Before Dawn - Tides of Blood
2. Black Fast - Spectre of Ruin
3. The Crown - Cobra Speed Venom
4. Jungle Rot - S/T
5. Rivers of Nihil - Where Owls Know My Name
6. The Ocean - Phanerozoic I: Palaeozoic
7. At the Gates - To Drink From the Night Itself
8. Striker - Play to Win
9. Hate Eternal - Upon Desolate Sands
10. Hatchet - Dying to Exist
House of Atreus - From the Madness of Ixion
Revocation - The Outer Ones
Tribulation - Down Below
Skeletal Remains - Devouring Mortality
Grisly - The Spectral Wars
Corrosion of Conformity - No Cross, No Crown
Alice in Chains - Rainier Fog
Idle Hands - Don't Waste Your Time EP

 

[Phylactery]

Did you listen to this?

 

[CiG]

1. Just Before Dawn - Tides of Blood

10. Skeletal Remains - Devouring Mortality

3. Vargrav - Netherstorm

This blew me away. Best newer black metal I've heard in awhile.

 

[Phylactery]

Glad you liked it. @Funerary_Doom put me on to it when she posted about it in the black metal thread a few months back. Shame she doesn’t post much, she knows her stuff.

Have you given it a listen yet Dweller? Should be right up your street.

 

[Burkhard]

1. Midnattsol - The Aftermath
2. Madder Mortem - Marrow
3. Lovebites - Clockwork Immortality
4. Voivod - The Wake
5. Black Viper - Hellions of Fire
6. Lovebites - Battle of Damnation
7. High Priestess - High Priestess
8. Thy Catafalque - Geometria
9. Manacle - No Fear to Persevere
10. Deceased - Ghostly White

 

[dwellerINTHEdark]

Glad you liked it. @Funerary_Doom put me on to it when she posted about it in the black metal thread a few months back. Shame she doesn’t post much, she knows her stuff.

Have you given it a listen yet Dweller? Should be right up your street.

I'm on it! There is literally too much music out there haha.

 

[TechnicalBarbarity]

16. Omnium Gatherum - The Burning Cold

Damn, i didnt even know OG had a new album out. Definitely need to give that one a go.

New Augury is pretty cool..

 

[Vegard Pompey]

1. Sacral Rage - Beyond Celestial Echoes
2. Voivod - The Wake
3. Wytch Hazel - II: Sojourn
4. Satan - Cruel Magic
5. Druid Lord - Grotesque Offerings
6. Runeshard - Dreaming Spire
7. Manacle - No Fear to Persevere
8. Invocation Spells - Spread Cruelty in the Abyss
9. Sepulcher - Panoptic Horror
10. Teleport - The Expansion

I made a concerted effort to keep up with new releases this year and frankly, I don't think this was a great year for me. While I like everything in this top 10 I'm doubtful I'll end up revisiting anything outside the top 2.

"The Wake" was my most anticipated album this year, as Voivod's previous release "Post Society" is my favorite release of the decade. "The Wake" is great, but doesn't really improve on that EP in any way, so I'm glad I found at least one album I was able to rank higher.

"Beyond Celestial Echoes" is not the tightest album on this list but it impressed and surprised me more than any other. A furiously ambitious and inspired album that draws from the whole spectrum of metal subgenres - listen to "Samsara" start off as Helstar homage and then completely switch it up for an outro that is straight black metal. There are a couple of weak tracks on it, but that whole run from "Suspended Privilege" to "Necropia" comprises the best three songs of the year.

The Runeshard isn't even that great, but I don't see anyone else making Bal-Sagoth albums in 2018.

"Cruel Magic" is miraculous, and if I liked Satan as much as I liked Voivod it'd probably be in the top 3.

 

[Phylactery]

Did you listen to the Sorcier des Glaces, as I know you’re a fan of North?

Satan > Voivod!

It was a weakish year for me as well tbh. I listened to a lot. My list peaks at 4 out of 5 stars and then I had a lot of stuff that I’d rate around 3/3.5.

Actually perhaps weak isn’t fair, there was plenty of good stuff and above average stuff. Very few that properly wowed me. But only time will tell how they hold up - sometimes they improve with age for me.

 

[Vegard Pompey]

Did you listen to the Sorcier des Glaces, as I know you’re a fan of North?

Yeah I did. I felt like they didn't really take advantage of the single song-format at all, it still basically felt like it was divided into multiple tracks by the quiet parts. It mostly just made me want to go back to North again, but I also only gave it a single concentrated listen so maybe I didn't give it enough of a chance.

Satan > Voivod!

Nuh uh

It was a weakish year for me as well tbh. I listened to a lot. My list peaks at 4 out of 5 stars and then I had a lot of stuff that I’d rate around 3/3.5.

Actually perhaps weak isn’t fair, there was plenty of good stuff and above average stuff. Very few that properly wowed me. But only time will tell how they hold up - sometimes they improve with age for me.

Same for me basically, I gave the Sacral Rage a 4.5 but maybe I'm being kind to it because it's a lackluster year. It's pretty amazing though, definitely vowed me. Have you heard it? I guess it's not exactly your thing but it deserves a chance anyway:

 

[Phylactery]

I listened to a few tracks after I saw you hyping it the other day, and then I listened to “Samsara” again after seeing your description involving Helstar and black metal! Things I’m obviously a big fan of. Enjoyable overall, but I think I prefer the second half of the song, although there were some cool riffs in the first few mins. Was not expecting the blasts. I’m not huge on the vocals if I’m being honest - they’re serviceable I guess.

Yeah, you’re right, it’s more like
Satan >>> Voivod

 

[Slammed]

Same for me basically, I gave the Sacral Rage a 4.5 but maybe I'm being kind to it because it's a lackluster year. It's pretty amazing though, definitely vowed me. Have you heard it? I guess it's not exactly your thing but it deserves a chance anyway:

When Sacral Rage came out I'd have given it a high mark, but after listening to it a few times I decided it couldn't rate it any more than a good album. There is moments on it but they are easily forgotten and I don't know that I'll go back to it too often.

 

[CiG]

Yeah, you’re right, it’s more like
Satan >>> Voivod

 

[HamburgerBoy]

Still need to fit in a listen for the new Satan. The new Voivod was good but based on the two earlier Satan albums, I'm expecting Satan to win out.

 

[TechnicalBarbarity]

Satan >>> Voivod

Lol?

 

[Krow]

Satan and Voivod are way too stylistically different to bother comparing.

Having a tough time making a list. Bought so many albums this year, trying to go back through them properly.

 

[CiG]

Bought so many albums this year

I've been doing this non-stop since the 1st.

 

[rms]

View attachment 18053

is that the parallel parker from seinfeld? haha

 

[The Ozzman]

1. Just Before Dawn - Tides of Blood
2. Black Fast - Spectre of Ruin
3. Jungle Rot - S/T
4. At the Gates - To Drink From the Night Itself
5. Striker - Play to Win
6. Hate Eternal - Upon Desolate Sands
7. Hatchet - Dying to Exist
8. Revocation - The Outer Ones
9. Tribulation - Down Below
10. Skeletal Remains - Devouring Mortality
Corrosion of Conformity - No Cross, No Crown
Alice in Chains - Rainier Fog
Idle Hands - Don't Waste Your Time EP

With the exception of ATG and Tribulation, this is the best list thus far. Striker is so underrated.