I cannot sequence my top 10 lists in any priority anymore. Each album deserves it's own praise so look upon my list as some kind of 'consortium'. These 10 albums work together very well, each becomes the next companion piece. It's all about cohesion, innit.
If I were to listen to these 10 albums in a row, I'd queue them up as follows:
DRUDKH - Blood in our Wells
I went back and forth with this one, trying to decide whether they'd surpassed Autumn Aurora. I don't think they have, although "Furrow of Gods" is probably their magnum opus across their entire discography. A huge step up from The Swan Road. Yuri's drumming/percussion is some of my favorite in the entire metal genre.
WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM - Diadem of 12 Stars
I wasn't sure whether to list this only because I'd already listed the demo last year. However, with the inclusion of some new material and the addition of Jamie Myers from the greatest band on the planet, they'd done enough to get back into my year end list. The emotion, particularly the BM rasping vocals, in "Queen of the Borrowed Light" is pretty breathtaking.
LUDICRA - Fex Urbis Lex Orbis
Their best release yet. Smothered in Cobbet's signature trademark riffs, this is unreal. Heavy metal riffs as only the Californian underground can deliver entwined with the BM atmosphere emerging from the same region. Best of both worlds. It's very simple: LUDICRA's Fex Urbis is what you get if you dump HAMMERS OF MISFORTUNE into a blender with WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM. Song of the album: "Only a Moment". Unbelievable stuff.
HAMMERS OF MISFORTUNE - The Locust Years
Certainly the most anticipated album of the year for me and secretly I (and probably everybody) always knew it wasn't going to top The August Engine. How could it? Be that as it may, it's a stunning piece of work and obviously deserves to be in the list here since it represents a good portion of what I listened to throughout '06. Scalzi has since left, as has Jamie, and a new band lineup is about to be unveiled in March signifying yet more progression and growth of this remarkable band. Oh yeah, lyrics wise, nothing touched The Locust Years, nothing came close. Surely the most poignant lyrics of the year. Song of the album: "Widow's Wall", although "Trot out the Dead" is a close second, if only for THAT verse, "if the people wonder why so many had to die......". Gah, the hairs on the back of my neck stand to attention just reciting those words here.
GIANT SQUID - Metridium Fields
I didn't know what to make of it for a while, and then it clicked. Oh man, this is just unruly! So there are similarities to SOAD, particularly where the lead vocals are reminiscent to those of Serj Tankian, but that's perfectly ok for me since Serj is one of my all time fave singers. Granted, this vocalist is a LOT more held back, refrained in the delivery (no bouncing around and riddling), but it matches the music fantastically. "Ambient Doom" it's been called, and it's not far off. Throw in clean female vox and you've got a winner. Best song: "Ampullae of Lorenzi" (evoking similar musical emotions to those in Tool's "10,000 Days").
NEGURA BUNGET - Om
Deciding whether this made the list or not was a no brainer. At first I thought it was a little too surreal but now I look at the album as a complete journey. It's a fucking cinematic event -- just listen to "Norilor" and tell me that wouldn't fit some movie soundtrack. Brilliant stuff, there's no doubt these guys are masters of their domain, and more importantly, no rehashing of what's already been done. Constantly pushing the envelope, and probably the most progressive BM band in existence. It would be hard to debate.
GWYNBLEIDD - Amaranthine
Lots of old Opeth influence with pagan feeling. It's an EP but there's plenty of song material here to judge as a full album. The first 2 songs and last 2 songs are divided byhow the band is progressing, giving us a glimpse of things to come. It's all looking good, cannot wait to see them at Heathen Crusade.
AMEOUSEURS - Ruines Humaines
This is a stretch I know, simply because I've only owned the release for a few days and it's an EP. But I've listened to it almost non-stop, and together with the ALCEST EP, this Neige fellow has become my newfound hero. I'm inches away from buying everything he's been involved with, whether it be PESTE NOIRE or whatever, etc. Just give it all to me. The French have got this stuff nailed, and who would have thought of a JOY DIVISION influence? (That said, NACHTMYSTIUM is supposed to draw from the same inspiration now so maybe this will become a short lived trend -- BM inspired by old school BritRock). This entry knocked VREID and then MELECHESH out of my top 10 list.
AGALLOCH - Ashes against the Grain
Fantastic third release and totally progressed into new territories here with all that post-rock influence, yet still sounding very much like Agalloch of old. Obvious talents on display here, probably listened to this album 100 times already, and of course it features one of the best songs of '06: "Not unlike the Waves".
SCALD - Vermiculatus
Pure genius. Years in the making, the painstaking effort shows. Impossible to describe, impossible to understand, I just know that this is an album that will exist within my collection for years to come and I'll draw something new from it with each listen. There's nothing else like it. It's perfect for end of the day listening, lights out, headphones on, and allowing yourself to totally immerse yourself into the orchestration. Not a single riff or percussion pattern is repeated more than once so it's an ongoing trek requiring your full attention. And the packaging is awesome too.
There we have it.
Lots of other great stuff released in 2006, some of it I listened to more than what's been listed in the top 10. Call it easy listening if you will, this would make up something towards the rest of my top 25 (or thereabouts):
Amon Amarth, Pyramaze, Sabaton, Vreid, Melechesh, Deicide, Twilight Guardians, Solitude Aeternus, Unleashed, Bolt Thrower, Summoning, Cattle Decapitation, Krisiun
Still on the fence: Mastodon, Crescent Shield, Antiquus, Dissection -- all of them are hit and miss
Weird shit that'll get spun once in a blue moon: Moss and Spektr
Crappy stuff which should have been much much better: Virgin Steele, Blind Guardian, Ancient Rites
Still to hear properly and so just missed the boat: Killingsworth, Peste Noire
A good year overall (and better than '05 IMO).
If I were to listen to these 10 albums in a row, I'd queue them up as follows:
DRUDKH - Blood in our Wells
I went back and forth with this one, trying to decide whether they'd surpassed Autumn Aurora. I don't think they have, although "Furrow of Gods" is probably their magnum opus across their entire discography. A huge step up from The Swan Road. Yuri's drumming/percussion is some of my favorite in the entire metal genre.
WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM - Diadem of 12 Stars
I wasn't sure whether to list this only because I'd already listed the demo last year. However, with the inclusion of some new material and the addition of Jamie Myers from the greatest band on the planet, they'd done enough to get back into my year end list. The emotion, particularly the BM rasping vocals, in "Queen of the Borrowed Light" is pretty breathtaking.
LUDICRA - Fex Urbis Lex Orbis
Their best release yet. Smothered in Cobbet's signature trademark riffs, this is unreal. Heavy metal riffs as only the Californian underground can deliver entwined with the BM atmosphere emerging from the same region. Best of both worlds. It's very simple: LUDICRA's Fex Urbis is what you get if you dump HAMMERS OF MISFORTUNE into a blender with WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM. Song of the album: "Only a Moment". Unbelievable stuff.
HAMMERS OF MISFORTUNE - The Locust Years
Certainly the most anticipated album of the year for me and secretly I (and probably everybody) always knew it wasn't going to top The August Engine. How could it? Be that as it may, it's a stunning piece of work and obviously deserves to be in the list here since it represents a good portion of what I listened to throughout '06. Scalzi has since left, as has Jamie, and a new band lineup is about to be unveiled in March signifying yet more progression and growth of this remarkable band. Oh yeah, lyrics wise, nothing touched The Locust Years, nothing came close. Surely the most poignant lyrics of the year. Song of the album: "Widow's Wall", although "Trot out the Dead" is a close second, if only for THAT verse, "if the people wonder why so many had to die......". Gah, the hairs on the back of my neck stand to attention just reciting those words here.
GIANT SQUID - Metridium Fields
I didn't know what to make of it for a while, and then it clicked. Oh man, this is just unruly! So there are similarities to SOAD, particularly where the lead vocals are reminiscent to those of Serj Tankian, but that's perfectly ok for me since Serj is one of my all time fave singers. Granted, this vocalist is a LOT more held back, refrained in the delivery (no bouncing around and riddling), but it matches the music fantastically. "Ambient Doom" it's been called, and it's not far off. Throw in clean female vox and you've got a winner. Best song: "Ampullae of Lorenzi" (evoking similar musical emotions to those in Tool's "10,000 Days").
NEGURA BUNGET - Om
Deciding whether this made the list or not was a no brainer. At first I thought it was a little too surreal but now I look at the album as a complete journey. It's a fucking cinematic event -- just listen to "Norilor" and tell me that wouldn't fit some movie soundtrack. Brilliant stuff, there's no doubt these guys are masters of their domain, and more importantly, no rehashing of what's already been done. Constantly pushing the envelope, and probably the most progressive BM band in existence. It would be hard to debate.
GWYNBLEIDD - Amaranthine
Lots of old Opeth influence with pagan feeling. It's an EP but there's plenty of song material here to judge as a full album. The first 2 songs and last 2 songs are divided byhow the band is progressing, giving us a glimpse of things to come. It's all looking good, cannot wait to see them at Heathen Crusade.
AMEOUSEURS - Ruines Humaines
This is a stretch I know, simply because I've only owned the release for a few days and it's an EP. But I've listened to it almost non-stop, and together with the ALCEST EP, this Neige fellow has become my newfound hero. I'm inches away from buying everything he's been involved with, whether it be PESTE NOIRE or whatever, etc. Just give it all to me. The French have got this stuff nailed, and who would have thought of a JOY DIVISION influence? (That said, NACHTMYSTIUM is supposed to draw from the same inspiration now so maybe this will become a short lived trend -- BM inspired by old school BritRock). This entry knocked VREID and then MELECHESH out of my top 10 list.
AGALLOCH - Ashes against the Grain
Fantastic third release and totally progressed into new territories here with all that post-rock influence, yet still sounding very much like Agalloch of old. Obvious talents on display here, probably listened to this album 100 times already, and of course it features one of the best songs of '06: "Not unlike the Waves".
SCALD - Vermiculatus
Pure genius. Years in the making, the painstaking effort shows. Impossible to describe, impossible to understand, I just know that this is an album that will exist within my collection for years to come and I'll draw something new from it with each listen. There's nothing else like it. It's perfect for end of the day listening, lights out, headphones on, and allowing yourself to totally immerse yourself into the orchestration. Not a single riff or percussion pattern is repeated more than once so it's an ongoing trek requiring your full attention. And the packaging is awesome too.
There we have it.
Lots of other great stuff released in 2006, some of it I listened to more than what's been listed in the top 10. Call it easy listening if you will, this would make up something towards the rest of my top 25 (or thereabouts):
Amon Amarth, Pyramaze, Sabaton, Vreid, Melechesh, Deicide, Twilight Guardians, Solitude Aeternus, Unleashed, Bolt Thrower, Summoning, Cattle Decapitation, Krisiun
Still on the fence: Mastodon, Crescent Shield, Antiquus, Dissection -- all of them are hit and miss
Weird shit that'll get spun once in a blue moon: Moss and Spektr
Crappy stuff which should have been much much better: Virgin Steele, Blind Guardian, Ancient Rites
Still to hear properly and so just missed the boat: Killingsworth, Peste Noire
A good year overall (and better than '05 IMO).
