Pitchfork’s Brandon Stosuy published his Top Twenty Metal Albums last month in his Show No Mercy column, and three of our favorite face-melters of the year made the cut! Weighing in at number six is Enslaved‘s Vertebrae on Nuclear Blast, brilliantly described as, “a smeary, tightly composed collection of progressive psychedelic post-black metal.”
At number ten we have Florida’s tech-minded prog metal elder statesmen, Cynic, with their first album in fifteen years, Traced In Air. Released via French powerhouse Season of Mist, this reunion album is “a jam-packed, carefully orchestrated King Crimson-style tone poem.”
Darkthrone‘s fourteenth long-player Dark Thrones and Black Flags is sitting pretty at lucky number thirteen. Stosuy calls the Peaceville release “one hell of a strange and compelling blackened punk collection.”
Check out the full list, along with many of the artists’ own picks, right here.
Cut Off Your Hands Happy As Can Be (Frenchkiss Records) – Taking hints from the Klaxons and The Pigeon Detectives, these Auckland boys are bringing up the front with spot on dance driven new rave. A dervish of post-punk pop is being released on their new six-track EP.
The Raveonettes Beauty Dies (Vice Records) – The third installation in the noir garage-pop duo’s four EPs to be released this year, Beauty Dies brings us more of the Raves’ signature gauzy distortion, reverb-soaked percussion, and velvet dark melodies.
The Holloways Sinners & Winners (The Orchard) – Brought to you by yours truly, The Orchard, this scrappy lil’ gang from North London will make you bounce to their catchy rock songs with charming accent-heavy vocals. Let our commitment be a testament to their hopelessly catchy riffs.
Bohren & Der Club of Gore Dolores (Ipecac Recordings) – The juxtaposition of sultry jazz sax croons, ambient synths , and simplistic percussion paint a landscape of a dark bleak doom that’s strangely beautiful. The dignified and foreboding minimalism of Dolores will spur images of a slow torture, and we mean that in the best way possible.
Brendan Campbell Burgers And Murders (Everybody’s Records) – A brilliant songwriter from Scotland, young Mr. Campbell and his trusty acoustic display a great level of passion and authenticity on the new record Burgers And Murders. While the influence of such icons as Jim Morrison and Leonard Cohen clearly shine through, this is not just another folk rocker.
Darkthrone Dark Thrones and Black Flags (Peaceville) – This long haired Norwegian duo grind away in their scuffed black boots to whiskey-fueled black metal. Constantly evolving with each new album, these crusty blasts are stripped down with an irreverent punk aggression… black’n’roll metal to the core.
HR Hey Wella (DC Hardcore) – The legendary Bad Brains frontman HR combines his distinct influences of hardcore, reggae and punk for an album that truly pushes genre boundaries. This fusion of sounds on his tenth record offers new perspectives without alienating fans, making for a strong record throughout.
