The Best of 2015

My first ever End of Year list, in no particular order, and not restricted to full-length releases. Most demos and EPs are usually more interesting, anyway.

There are a few recent releases on the ever-growing, unwieldy to-listen pile that could most probably be added to this, but the year draws to a close...

Ambevilence - 'Ambevilence' EP
Tetragrammacide - 'Typhonian Wormholes...' EP
Serum Dreg - 'Impure Blood' demo
Genocide Shrines - 'Manipura Imperial Deathevokovil...'
Malthusian - 'Below the Hengiform' EP
Devouring Star - 'Through Lung and Heart'
Misþyrming - 'Söngvar elds og óreiðu'
Spectral Voice - 'Necrotic Doom' demo
Revenge - 'Behold.Total.Rejection'
Pneuma Hagion - 'Trinity I' demo
VI - 'De Praestigiis Angelorum'
Vorum - 'Current Mouth' EP
Shroud of The Heretic - 'Unorthodox Equilibrium'
Adversarial - 'Death, Endless Nothing and the Black Knife of Nihilism'
Sheidim - 'Amidst the Ashes of Consciousness / In the Light of the Dying Stars' EP
Mortuus Umbra - 'Cathecism'
Slidhr - 'Spit of the Apostate' EP
Grief Feeder - 'Plague Architect'
Unyielding Love - 'Demo 2015'
Mgła - 'Excersizes in Futility'
Dendritic Arbor - 'Romantic Love'
Cruciamentum - 'Charnel Passages'

Acosmic Engineering

Band: Tetragrammacide
Release: 'Typhonian Wormholes: Indecipherable Anti-Structural Formulæ' EP (2015)

No amount of metaphors and high-brow allusions to the horrors of warfare can truly do this EP justice. A release of blistering, colliding, vociferous exclamations, it seems laughable that the likes of Metallica would be used as sleep-depriving aural torture when cacophony such as this exists.

Scattering musicality to the wind, India's Tetragrammacide channel the obstreperous nature of early Nyogthaeblisz and Goatpenis in concocting their particularly harsh strain of black/death metal. Incessantly barbaric in nature, 'Typhonian Wormholes...' will challenge even the most hardened extreme metal devotees, as well as shaking up more established and influential acts, such as Revenge, in terms of utter savagery.

To many, this will present nothing but a ridiculous tumult, a lack of skill buried beneath ultra distortion and elementary, grating noise. Overall, the EP is an acquired taste, perhaps, but the songs and riffs that do seep through the endless buzz saw din and crashing of cymbals are wholly effective, oddly catchy and void of any embellishment. In this is heard a rewarding mash up of Damaar, Genocide Shrines, Conqueror, and of course, Revenge - all of which, despite the jaded nature of such comparisons, creates a sound that is arguably the very definition of 'war metal'.

For black/death/war metal territory, apparently saturated with carbon copies, bullet belt-laden posturing, dusty gas masks and recycled chord progressions, it takes a release such as this to blow away all cobwebs. Refreshingly, the deranged duo that form Tetragrammacide are taking no prisoners and are testament to the fervent nature of their country's scene. While they may utilise many of the trappings common to their musical brethren, when juxtaposed next to audio terror as callous as 'Typhonian Wormholes...', the brandished machetes and obscured identities regain some of their unnerving essence.

Though relentless and unapologetic, Tetragrammacide's brash variety of 'martial occult black metal' is also both insisting and enthralling; the EP is a surprising and penetrative release, something almost otherworldly in its tangible enmity. In short, this is total musical vehemence distilled into just over twenty minutes and a release new and old addicts alike will return to again and again.

Rating: 85%

Crimson Footprints

Band: Plagues
Release: 'Death March' demo (2015) - Digital

The internet age has brought with it many a double-edged sword. Musically, it has allowed people with even the most rudimentary access to reveal their wares to the world. As some find success, others get lost amid the din of ever harsh online criticism, and often for good reason.

As a somewhat utilitarian genre, black metal was a ripe target due its early veneration of sub par equipment and steadfastly cut and dry methods. This has given rise to some of the most mediocre offerings black metal adherents have yet been exposed to; eye-catching cover art frequently belies mundane attempts to ape the genre's best and brightest.

A welcome disparity, Massachusetts three-piece Plagues sidestep the tiresome white noise of the internet's faux-underground denizens, presenting a treatment of black metal firmly rooted in the discipline of the second wave; mid-tempo blasted sections collide aptly with black 'n' roll, punk-ish movements while slower passages hint at layered, clever melodies.

Plagues' more dirge-laden elements turn out to be the most interesting, demonstrating a veritable talent for melodious subtleties which craft almost perciptible atmospheric veils. At other points, there exists a sense of the epic, as fist-pumping song fragments nod toward legendary Immortal's singular talent for transportation to fantasy-soaked black metal vistas.

However, this three-piece continously steer toward more bleak realms; the cover art for the demo emanating a foreboding aura reminiscent of that used for Krieg's classic album 'The Black House'. Song titles such as "Crush the Messiah", "Abyss" and the titular presentation make plain Plagues' thematic approach and overall disposition as a band.

There is plenty here (and across their other demos) to cause a few feet to tap, as well as inspiring downloads. Plagues surely know what they are doing, but added stylistic focus and more time spent wading in ethereal waters could see something akin to Mgła emerge over time, catapulting them from Bandcamp obscurity and onto the radars of people who know that USBM means more than Liturgy and Deafheaven.

Rating: 60%

Solace in Emaciation

Band: Uškumgallu
Release: 'Uškumgallu' demo (2015)

The primitive black metal formula seems simple, yet many contemporary bands are either dismissed as mere clones of the genre's progenitors, as pretenders to an ancient throne, or criticised for too-obviously-intentional rawness and heavy handed lo-fi worship.

 

Conversely, there exists acts such as Uškumgallu. This Oregan-based two-piece have obviously studied diligently, producing nostalgia-soaked black metal with an undeniably chilling quality that is mercifully void of any trappings that would see proceedings descend into parody.

 

Uškumgallu's first self-titled offering, released via shadowy black/death/noise conspirators, Vrasubatlat, is a three-track, thoroughly impetuous declaration of singular design.

 

Opening with a mid-tempo, rollicking section, which repeats in-between more aggressive (and more effective) blasted moments, Uškumgallu employ the best of black metal's ability to be both pugnacious and hauntingly memorable, sounding similar to Clandestine Blaze at times.

 

The demo's incursion truly amps from the second track, "Dolor", while an impressive and near impeccable vocal delivery adds an almost tangible eeriness, oozing atmosphere and creating an audible despair and anguish. The band's repetitious but potent riff structures are endlessly apt, shot through with hypnotic and melancholic qualities that speak of a definite harmonious know-how.

 

Presented as the release's final offering, "Solace in Emaciation" is a dirge driven, weighty slab of black metal, dripping with a molasses-like phonic venom. Uškumgallu's self-titled proposal nestles comfortably next to the other disseminations from the Vrasubatlat coven to date, and though some acts are sharing members, there is a veritable sense of distinctive identities and accompanying auras, all of which works to promise some truly shattering black and death metal in the near future.

 

Rating: 75%

A Wretched Prayer

Band: Serum Dreg
Release: 'Impure Blood' demo (2015)

It is difficult to understand those who put forward lamentations concerning the state of black and death metal. As genres (and movements, more importantly) their most indubitable recesses are perpetually bubbling, a cauldron nought but foul and always overflowing, spilling here and there splashes of vile concoction.

Serum Dreg's 2015 demo, 'Impure Blood', is the second release granted agonising life by Vrasubatlat, a purposeful conspiracy of like minds, communicating ancient visions of primal irreverence via black metal, death metal and noise releases.

This bold four-track demo recalls the genres' most seminal releases, those that emerged at a time when the jagged line between black and death metal was far more blurred and both genres promoted and followed a single-minded focus. As a side project of Ash Borer members, who also fill roles in other Vrasubatlat-backed acts, Uškumgallu and Triumvir Foul, 'Impure Blood' is an erudite treatment of black/death metal as a vessel of extolment.

Akin to a recently discovered, dust-caked mix tape from the early 90s, Serum Dreg channel the energy of early Darkthrone, granting listeners an insight into what may have occupied that gap between 'Soulside Journey' and 'A Blaze in the Northern Sky'. Certain riffs and song structures possess a definite Darkthrone-esque gallop that's interwoven with acknowledgements of contemporary acts like Clandestine Blaze, as well as moments of a black 'n' roll sensibility. More thrashy elements even allow the odd nod to early Slayer.

The demo's faster (and most recommended) passages are bass-heavy, confessing similarities to frenzied black/death juggernauts Teitanblood, though Serum Dreg are less obstinately leaden and claustrophobic. A knowledgeable use of tempo variation and song length keeps proceedings fresh while the utterly apt vocal performance furnishes echoed howls and bellows of anguish and anger that float menacingly above the sepulchral orchestra at work.

Giving the overall impression of a recorded rehearsal session, 'Impure Blood' is an offering of immediate and unnervingly impassioned black/death metal, free of embellishment and nonsense. As a statement of intent from both Serum Dreg and Vrasubatlat, it is explicit, staunch and a reminder of black and death metal's shared, inherent otherworldly endowments.

Rating: 80%

Through the Corpse Maze

Band: Abominor
Release: 'Opus: Decay' EP (2015)

Thoroughly en vogue of late, the most attuned devotees find it difficult not to gravitate toward anything labelled 'Icelandic black metal'. However, it isn't without good reason, as the well-knit scene spits out impressive release after impressive release at a seemingly unstoppable rate.

Confidently demonstrating their take on the Icelandic sound, Abominor are bass-heavy, textured and an almost tangible, swirling sonic mire. Possessing more of a black/death bearing than many of their compatriots, replete with blasted, dissonant sections, it is when affairs slow down, even slightly, that things get truly interesting.

Though it may be sacrilegious to even suggest, the band drift into post-black metal territory on occasion by offering inventive yet subtle melodies neatly woven into the slow- to mid-tempo portions of their work. Mercifully, tortured vocals and a return to Deathspell Omega-style slided riffing ensure Abominor steer clear of saccharine sweet, flannel shirt environs before their efforts are indelibly sullied.

Now synonymous with the aforementioned Icelandic sound, 'Opus: Decay' was recorded, mixed and mastered at Studio Emissary, the Icelandic studio curated by an Irish man who has had input into some the genre's best output in recent years. A veritable midas touch has lent weight and credibility to releases from Dysangelium, Sinmara and Svartidauði; further involvement with both Icelandic acts and some from further afield is sure to give life to yet more future classics.

To solidify an emerging Irish/Icelandic union even more, the EP was handled by veteran Irish underground label Invictus Productions, which sees Abominor rub shoulders with other noteworthy emerging acts such as Akatechism, Antiversum and Malthusian, nestling them among yet more of the heavier black/death metal recipe.

As is the case with many of the best EPs, this offering also finds its pace towards its all too premature close. 'Opus: Decay' sufficiently demonstrates Abominor's ability to hew arresting material imbued with just enough melody, lashings of atmosphere and a certain malevolent pulse. There's definite potential on display here, and sounding that little bit different to the other Icelandic maniacs currently operating in the same sphere can't do Abominor any harm, but quite possibly the total opposite.

Rating: 75%

Hurling Burning Spears

Band: Genocide Shrines
Release: 'Manipura Imperial Deathevokovil: Scriptures of Reversed Puraana Dharmurder' (2015)

Ears very used to European and North American death and black metal will sometimes suffer a form of aural lethargy, leading them to seek more inventive (or at least unprocessed) cacophony.

Asian and South American bands have continuously exhibited a seemingly inherent talent for recapturing the primal essence of the most extreme of metal genres while demonstrating an awareness of contemporary trends that they often warp and re-purpose with fantastically devastating results.

Sri Lanka's Genocide Shrines left heads spinning with their 2012 EP, 'Devanation Monumentemples', which broadcast the band as serious contenders within the international black/death metal confederacy. Its blend of heads-down, no frills black/death akin to Proclamation and Witchrist garnered generally positive reviews from worthwhile sources and crafted the template for what fans hoped would eventually appear.

Ritualistic intonations open their latest expiation, 'Manipura Imperial Deathevokovil: Scriptures of Reversed Puraana Dharmurder', released via Canada's supporters of total death, Vault of Dried Bones. Layered with an undeniably Asian texture, which is both fresh and forthright in setting the tone of this excellent record, its presentation is immediate and unbridled. In an arena calloused to seemingly endless levels of down-tuning and distortion, Genocide Shrines' tone manages to surprise, being concurrently superbly sludgy yet crisp, and confoundedly heavy in the truest sense.

Incessant waves of crashing, precision percussion complement audible, layered riffing that manages to remain thoroughly aggressive throughout the release's duration. Though there is some blending in the tracks, variations in pacing supply a vigour that may astonish some within the context of such an album. Well-situated discordance, nestled among the record's slower sections, nods toward the musicianship behind what is otherwise all out blitzkrieg.

Before, between and after tracks, eastern monk type chanting, panpipes, echoing sounding bowls, hypnotic ceremonial drumming and adult film moaning encourages the band's anti-Dharmic suggestion; the usual simplicity and harmlessness of wind chimes suddenly becomes wholly ominous. Seen throughout the release's accompanying artwork, the band - bar their group photo - have eschewed the commonplace gas masks and bullet belts of their genre for more apt and aesthetically sound iconography, which adds both a maturity and thoughtfulness to affairs by lending cultural weight and consummate eeriness.

'Manipura Imperial...' is a rich presentation of militant, oppressive, sanguine, bristling black/death metal with a disposition all its own. While Genocide Shrines share the impetus and sonic realms of bands such as Wrathprayer and Daamar, comparisons to Spanish powerhouse duo Teitanblood are the most fitting (and complementary), yet the Sri Lankans are no mere copycats. This record is one of the best of 2015.

Rating: 95%