GMD Poll: Top Ten Albums of 2018

[CiG]

Fantastic bookends, also a reminder to get around to checking out Black Fast already.

 

[TechnicalBarbarity]

New Black Fast is ok. Won't be making my list though. Definitely not as good as their last two.

 

[Dak]

New Black Fast is ok. Won't be making my list though. Definitely not as good as their last two.

I agree it's not quite as good as Terms of Surrender. Spectre of Ruin is still solid but doesn't have the same level of variance. I probably wouldn't rate it as high as I did if I didn't absolutely love their style.

 

[TechnicalBarbarity]

I agree it's not quite as good as Terms of Surrender. Spectre of Ruin is still solid but doesn't have the same level of variance. I probably wouldn't rate it as high as I did if I didn't absolutely love their style.

have you heard Starving Out the Light? Their best album so far imo.

 

[Omni]

Communion's bandcamp says it was released digitally August 21, 2017.



For whatever thats worth.

IIRC Hells Headbangers also had it right at the end of the year in 2017, like late december even.

I unfortunately cant confirm if it was available before 2018 because I didnt buy it from HHR, looks like mine came from RedStream. (which I cant fucking track any order on) It looks like @Omni had it and their bandcamp wasnt properly updated with the full album until later.

Just so you know, the Communion album is listed as 2017 on Bandcamp because the band put up one song from each album in 2017 for download so it says the album came out in 2017. Hells Headbangers confirmed that they are 2018 releases meant to be out in January even though they accidentally shipped some copies in 2017. I was lucky enough to get mine early too.

 

[Draehl]

• Urfaust
• Beyond Creation
• Entropia
• Necrophobic
• Thy Catafalque
• Alkaloid
• Chapel of Disease
• Solar Temple
• Satan
• Ataraxy

Top 50 of 2018 (All genres) on RYM

Urfaust is definitely AOTY, checking all my boxes for Doom/Atmoblack as expected. Entropia nailed an interesting psychedelic mix of Stoner/Black that is easily described as a 'warmer and more inviting cousin of Oranssi Pazuzu'. Those two standouts mentioned: I gotta say it's been a great year for death metal. Many of y'all know I listen to almost exclusively moody, droney, hypnotic stuff (Atmoblack, Black/Folk, or Stoner/Doom/Psych/etc.) but Beyond Creation & Alkaloid truly nailed it in the Prog/Tech arena. Necrophobic delivered an energetic & catchy melodic Black/Death reminiscent of a thicker Dissection-y sound, Chapel of Disease created a very enjoyable and well rounded Trad/Death/Black mix, and Ataraxy showing a unique take on a Death/Doom with a refreshingly thin, more haunting sounding than I've ever heard.

Non-Metal shoutouts to:
Somali Yacht Club (Stoner/Prog/Post Rock)
Onségen Ensemble (Prog/Experimental Rock)
Ulvesang (Acoustic Dark Folk)
Winterfylleth (British Dark Folk)
Danheim (Nordic Dark Folk)

 

[Bloopy]

1. Bongripper - Terminal
2. Craft - White Noise and Black Metal
3. Thousand Limbs - Woe
4. Eagle Twin - The Thundering Heard: Songs of Hoof and Horn
5. W.A.I.L. - Wisdom Through Agony Into Illumination and Lunacy Vol. II
6. Satan - Cruel Magic
7. Deathnir - Second Sin
8. Shallow Grave - Threshold Between Worlds
9. Rats in Battalions - Arterial System
10. Septithe - High Tide

HM:
Paspalum - Supernatural Systems
Sleep - The Sciences.

My list is padded out with local stuff as it tends to be what catches my attention with far less effort involved on my part. Edit: added W.A.I.L.

 

[Baroque]

1. Bongripper - Terminal

Oh hey, first I've heard they have a new album out. Listening now, so far so good. Nice tracklist

1. Slow
2. Death

 

[Kjetill Flatnose]

1. NERVOSA - Downfall of Mankind
2. IVAR BJORNSON & EINAR SELVIK - Hugsjá
3. ULTHA - The Inextricable Wandering
4. RIVERS OF NIHIL - Where Owls Know My Name
5. WARREL DANE - Shadow Work
6. PHIL CAMPBELL AND THE BASTARD SONS - The Age of Absurdity
7. UNLEASHED - The Hunt for White Christ
8. RUNEMAGICK - Evoked From Abysmal Sleep
9. BRANT BJORK - Mankind Woman
10. BLAZE BAYLEY - The Redemption of William Black

and ...

Live:
1. AMON AMARTH - The Pursuit of Vikings
2. NIGHT DEMON - Live Darkness
3. BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN - Springsteen on Braodway

EP's/Demos/Split:
1. IDLE HANDS - Don't Waste Your Time
2. GRAVEYARD - Back to the Mausoleum
3. HIRAX - Born in the Streets
4. ULTHA - Dismal Ruins Pt. 2
5. NEKROVAULT - Obscure
6. VARCOLAK - Carpathian Nightmare
7. WECKÖRHEAD - Für Lemmy
8. DREAM TRÖLL - The Witch's Curse
9. CRESTFALLEN QUEEN - No More Let Life Divide What Death Can Join Together
10. SAMAVAYO / SONS OF MORPHEUS - The Fuzz Charger Split

 

[Draehl]

Oh yeah, forgot to mention the Elysian Blaze single 'The Virtue of Suffering'. Has me hopeful for the full length for some well written Atmospheric Black/Doom. At 19:00 though it's essentially an EP. Their last release, Blood Geometry, was solid (and one of my favorite pieces of album art ever) but at 130 minutes it definitely overstayed it's welcome on some tracks. This time though every moment is great!

 

[TechnicalBarbarity]

some of you were right, i think we should have left this for later. Way too early for me to digest so many albums. Pretty much what zerostatic said in the NP thread a few weeks ago when he said it too soon to truly determine which albums are the best.

 

[no country for old wainds]

i always end up having the odd regret about my year end list, but we can always redo it in a couple years time when weve exhausted the remaining polls i guess. you could always extend the deadline a week or two if thatll help at all?

 

[CiG]

My end of year lists always change after the game is up. Really it's about capturing a moment in time, not about making a list that is definitive and chiseled into stone.

 

[Slammed]

Do the poll every sixth months for the next three years and then one final poll after everyone has had time to truly determine their favourites and average it out. Then if the results are still not what everyone wants run one more poll to see which albums people want voted out.

 

[TechnicalBarbarity]

i always end up having the odd regret about my year end list, but we can always redo it in a couple years time when weve exhausted the remaining polls i guess. you could always extend the deadline a week or two if thatll help at all?

I would rather just put the whole thing on pause tbh but i'm sure that's not something most people would be cool with so i wont even bother. But yeah we can come back later and redo it once we have all the other years covered or something.

 

[no country for old wainds]

that's basically what we just did with e.g. 2014. it'll be kind of interesting to see which albums stand the test of time around here.

 

[TechnicalBarbarity]

i wonder what year well get next, I fucking hope its not another modern year. Im getting sick of having to listen to all these newer albums most of the time.

 

[TechnicalBarbarity]

What would everyone's thoughts be on putting this on pause for a few months? It'll give time for people to truly figure out what they're favorite albums from this year are and how they stack up against each other.

 

[Krow]

Honestly it's why I havent voted yet. I still have a bunch of 2018 albums coming in the mail and I'm sorting through the ones I do have.

 

[CiG]

@TechnicalBarbarity would you start a game to play in the meantime?