Shining - Neka Morgondagen 9.5/10
What a journey! Sound-wise schizophrenic in nature even though the lyrics seem to be more about the pessimistic nature of an anti-afterlife philosophy. This really blew me away, I've not ever heard much by Shining but I think I need to specifically track this album down.
Burial - Abhorrence Within 7/10
Relative to Shining, this came across as very boring and bland. Lifeless even, probably due to the lighter, therefore underwhelming production. Still, this is obviously quality death metal, Shining simply overwhelmed my senses.
Aftermath - Being 7.5/10
Tickles my Voïvodian fancy more than just a little bit.
I agree with RadicalThrasher, I also liked the melancholic middle section and the way it built up to the schizoid-thrash end section.
The Lord Weird Slough Feg - 20th Century Wretch 8/10
As odd as they are, Mike Scalzi's vocals are so pleasurable to my senses.
I truly love this band, however The Feg are a bit obvious on this site but at least this is from their debut album which is actually very underrated.
The Chasm - A Portal to Nowhere 9/10
Floating in wombless amnion - blind - my liquid shroud tremble in agony, 'cos I'm reaching the last ring of Saturn, in the nucleus of this catatonic dream. Let me fly into the planet's rain...
Epic, galaxy-dissecting death metal. Marvelous!
Sadus - Throwing Away the Day 9/10
The drum sound really sticks in my craw but every other element is so perfect that I have to suppress my distaste. Nice and terse but also all over the place, lots of activity and vitality.
Possibly the most on-theme lyrics so far.
Torchure - Resort to Mortality 8/10
Takes a lot of balls to write an 11 minute classic death metal tune in slow-motion. For me it worked though.
Really atmospheric stuff actually, and a really beautiful production by the end had me not wanting this to end.
Moral Decay - This God 10/10
This is insanely ambitious. The lyrics had me completely transfixed and the combination of melodic almost-doom metal passages finely intermingled with the aggressive thrashing.... Just fantastic.
I really do like amateurishly sung clean vocals in rough metal compositions like this, might explain why I am so into
Blood on Ice,
Hammerheart,
Twilight of the Gods and
Nordland I &
II.
Probably deserves to fucking win. Hail demo tapes!
Type O Negative - Anesthesia 7.5/10
Obvious as fuck choice, but a playlist about pessimism without Type O Negative might be a small injustice.
Merciless - Dying World 10/10
I wonder if there's anything beyond,
Is there any hope for me at all.
Now it's time for me to pass away,
I can hear the bells of death call...
Following in the ancient evil footsteps of
Bathory,
The Return and
Under the Sign of the Black Mark and it just bursts from the speakers in all its razor-sharp obviousness. The previous
Realm of the Dark demo to me had a much more bombastic South American vibe which I preferred.
But anyway, pessimistic mastery of the highest order!
Mourning Beloveth - Nothing Has a Centre 9.5/10
This is the kind of glacial monolith that sinks Titanics. Majestic!
I know of Mourning Beloveth but this might just be my first time hearing anything outside of their debut and I am really, really liking what I hear.
I was half-expecting this playlist to be a black metal emo-fest, but I am sitting here feeling richer for the experience. Top 5 playlists so far for me.