This week's playlist

This week I unearthed a real gem in the form of IRONSWORD's self-titled debut from 2002. While I have blasted the later two Ironsword albums to death I hadn't picked up the first album on Miskatonic until now and it's killer! True metal as it was meant to be from these Portuguese warriors. Complete early Manowar/Manilla Road worship with almost Hellhammer style simple riffing. I would really recommend checking this out (http://www.myspace.com/officialironsword).


Also on the decks 'Among Beggars and Thieves' by FALCONER. While still worth of a listen, their early stuff is a tad on the medieval minstrel cheesy side. This latest effort is more stripped down but the vocals remain as clear as always and a more melancholic edge is on display, pushing this more towards Slough Feg territory than the earlier folky Rhapsody-esque style. Maybe not as good as 'Northwind' but still a great album. Expect to hear the song 'Fields of Sorrow' at the next Into The Void night!

One band I have never got into much was ENSLAVED. I have revisted them this week by listening to 'Below The Lights', 'Isa' and 'Ruun' on repeat and I certainly "get it" more than I did last time I played these albums. They certainly have their own style going on and while maybe not as groundbreaking as some claim, these are still quality albums with a unique sound. I still have 'Vertebrae' to go and am saving that for a big session next week.

Albums of the year 2009

1. Griftegard - Solemn, Sacred, Severe


While 'Reign In Blood' is the genre high watermark to which all thrash albums since are compared, so it is the same with Warning's 'Watching From A Distance' in the doom genre. It has to be said that Griftegard's debut shares a lot in common with 'Watching...' in the overwhelmingly heavy crushing wall of sound, heartbreakingly moving and emotional guitar work and intenensely personal, passionate vocals. Nevertheless while Warning's lyrics deal with personal loss and heartfelt isolation, 'Solemn..' echoes with a sense of religious sorrow, bitterness and betrayal. 'I see in Christ's eyes that I am dead to him. As he is dead to me'. The monolithic riffing is enhanced with subtle choral singing in places but this is very subtle. Don't be put off keyboard haters, this isn't Dimmu! This album has the atmosphere of a cloistered, sacral ritual. In fact, track four 'Noah's Hands' is as close to a hymn as you will get on a metal album. You can almost smell smoke and incense in the air while listening to 'The Mire' or standout track ' I Refuse These Ashes'. On album closer 'Drunk With Wormwood' when we reach the lyric 'Jesus dies inside my heart', goosebumps don't begin to cover it - this is an outstanding, monumental and heartbreaking album, and it's only their debut! If you even remotely like doom, check it out or die.
(http://www.myspace.com/griftegrd).

2. Count Raven - Mammons War
The Raven return! Chronically underrated, this is an absolutely cracking comeback album from the Swedish gods of Sabbath worship. Unsurprisingly, the vocals hit the Ozzy nail right on the head but hey, who needs originality when the songs are this good. Every aspect of this album from the stellar songwriting, awesome riffs and classic self-aware and socially conscious lyrics screams quality. The album that Heaven & Hell should have made.

3. Spiritus Mortis - The God Behind The God
Another absolute doom classic in what has been a killer year, the Finnish veterans deliver the album they have always been threatening to make after being joined by Albert Witchfinder late of Reverend Bizarre. 'The God...' delivers massive Rev Biz-style funeral dirges, NWOBH influences stompers and all between on a diverse album which never feels self-indulgent, despite wallowing in the well-populated doom mire of occult references and magick. Crushing.

4. Absu - Absu
Fucking hell, welcome back. On their self-titled return, Absu manage to distill all that is best about their Summerian black metal attack into a condensed and raging storm of an album. That's not to say that all the Absu trademarks aren't present and correct; rather there is no fat on the bone at all. The musicianship remains outstanding - Absu fans throw prostrate yourselves on the altar once again!

5. Austere - To Lay Like Old Ashes
A haunting, terrifying crawl through the depths of sorrow and personal hatred from the mighty Austere, releasing their an album which follows very closely the template established by their first album and spilt eps. Austere smash all 'post-rock' influenced BM pretenders with a heart-rendering album of morbid introspection and mournful regret. If you can imagine Alcest with longer songs and Burzum/Silencer-esque vocals you are in the right neck of the woods. Nevertheless this album transcends lazy comparisons and truly works on another level. One to listen alone in the dark, a truly intense and personal album that astounds musically as well as bringing a tear to the eye.

6. Candlemass - Death Magic Doom
Hail to the Gods! I for one loved 'King of the Grey Islands' but when people complained it sounded too rushed I can see where they were coming from when comparing it to this album. For such veterans, the songcraft is honed to a tee and the songs seem to have been written more for Robert Lowe's voice than those on 'King...'. The song from the pre-album ep taster 'Lucifer Rising' included here as a bonus is actually one of the weaker cuts. 'The Bleeding Baroness' and 'My Funeral Dreams' are destined to be Candlemass classics. Simply put, even a passing fan of these legends can't help but be captivated by this fantastic and fulfilling album by these masters firing on all cylinders.

7. Gates of Slumber - Hyms of Blood and Thunder
The Gates nailed their formula on previous album 'Conqueror' and 'Hyms' sees them expanding this beyond the mere realms of Conan and Lovecraft-influenced doom. Really, these guys should be as big as High On Fire, there's no reason they aren't apart from losing cool points with people who only like 'true metal' if the band is signed to Relapse. Anyway, a more diverse collections of songs with slow doom epics, stomping Manilla Road-worshipping classic metal workouts and some killer Brocas Helm styled NWOBHM stompers. The album does tail off slightly towards the end but it's still a stone cold classic. METAL FANS GET THIS NOW.

8. My Dying Bride - For Lies I Sire
I could rant about the Bride for hours and frequently do to anyone who will listen, them being one of my favourite bands and all. It's pretty much guaranteed that in any year they release an album it'll be in my top ten so the only question is how does this sit in their catalogue. Quite simply, the quality of songwriting continues to increase despite the band plugging away for 20+ years and this surpasses even 'A Line of Deathless Kings' in terms of the depths of the misery and the hues of the selp pity on display. Sure, people who don't get them claim they are self-indulgent and it would be hard to deny that accusation. Nevertheless, coming at the Bride from the metal end rather than the goth end, the crushing world-weary riffing, heartbreaking string arrangements and the stench of misery and self-abasement enthused in every lyric means that the Bride stand atop the doom-death pantheon with no peers or equals.

9. While Heaven Wept - Vast Oceans Lachrymose
Loads of doom in the top ten this year and were there not so many awesome releases, the return of WHW would no doubt have scored higher. This album, while a tad short at 40 minutes is a wonderful, elegant paean to traditional heavy metal. There aren't many bands who you would describe as regal and elegant but WHW truly deserve to be labelled as such. The WHW sound is closer to bands like Nevermore than it is to Pentagram, but disregarding genre labels, this is quite simply a phenomenal heavy metal album. Stellar guitar work, soaring heartfelt vocals and epic, powerful vocals - a majestic and soaring work of art.

10. Portal - Swarth
Make no mistake, this is the scariest that death metal has been since Akercocke's 'Rape Of The Bastard Nazarene' from 1999. Muddy, dissonant, dense and viral, this is a fetid and terrifying glimpse beyond the veil. Technical, complex, harrowing and drenched in evil. Listening to this made me think what Wold would be like if they were a death metal band. Maybe records like this only come along once a decade. At any event, only for the strong - this album has to be heard to be believed. Simply amazing.

11. Krallice - Dimensional Bleedthrough
Whoah, didn't see this coming. This has to be one of the most technical
black metal albums I have ever heard. Long, complex songs, twisted rythms and riffs straight from the heart of a black hole, this is way, way beyond the comfort zone. Those who know me know that I never get off on technicality alone. Lucky as these songs really do manage to marry extreme musical dexterity with blinding songcraft creating a vast sense of space and deep blackness. Far beyond black metal but not 'post-black metal' and far from the prog-infused vistas of Enslaved et all, this is a stunning album which I would heartily recommend. The stars at our feet, indeed.

12. Converge - Axe To Fall
To contextualise this release, I would say that I prefer it to 'No Heroes' and 'You Fail Me' but I cannot say at this stage that it beats 'Jane Doe' despite the critical acclaim to that effect. That's somewhat unfair though and taking this album on it's own merits, Converge really are firing on all cylinders here - this is a face-melting raging beast of an album that seems to suck you down in a whirlpool towards the middle before spewing you out the other-side. With the raw emotion right on the surface as with all Converge releases this isn't an easy listen but it's a visceral and essential one as ever.

13. Marduk - Wormwood
Continuing the upward rise evidenced on Rom 5:12, Marduk diversify again but never fail to lose their true pitch black essence. A more varied and deranged vocal performance is on display here yet the martial blast of the songs means that it does not stray into the suicidal territory of Bethlehem and Shining. A killer black metal album showing that Marduk continue to ascend into the stratosphere. Roll on the Bristol show on 31st Jan!

14. Asphyx - Death...the Brutal Way
Somewhat unfairly, this album had a lot to live up to following the might of Hail of Bullets' 'Of Frost And War' in 2008. The bottom line is that this album is not as good as '...Frost...' but in the Asphyx cannon it stands tall up there with 'The Rack' and 'Last One On Earth'. 13 tracks or raging old school DM, no frills and no pretensions, this album sandpapers your face off with a full on frontal assault. Simply put, anyone who has ever been into Asphyx will not be disappointed with this killer return to the front line. UK shows please!

15. Heaven & Hell - The Devil You Know
There was always going to be high expectations riding on this album and for the whole it delivers. It's arguably the heaviest and doomiest Sabbath album to date and with the veterans involved there was no way this was ever going to be anything less than a very good album. It does take a few spins to get into and the slightly rushed feel means that it lacks that special edge to make it a timeless classic. Nevertheless, by any other band it would be an awesome achievement and Dio on top form and some crushing Iommi riffing, it's still a blinding collection of Sabbath.

16. Lord Vicar - Fear No Pain
Orthodox true doom in the purest sense, perhaps the most Rev Biz sounding of the post-Rev Biz bands, and that is no bad thing. So here seven tunes of monolithic, occult true doom - witchcraft, Lovecraft and the devil all present and correct. No originality but who cares, this worships at the altar of the gods and listening to this album is like welcoming back an old friend. Doom or be doomed.

17. Nile - Those Whom The Gods Detest
I have been into Nile since their debut and while the dense riffing and blasting and guttrral attack sometimes felt one dimensional despite the originality on the lyrical themes, on this album it all comes together. Some people have said that this is Nile's most accessible album but to these ears it loses the technicality for the sake of it and focusing more on good songs; this allows the egyptian and eastern elements to really compliment the brutality rather than added as mere window dressing. The album Nile have always been threatening to make, a testament to their longevity and persistance of vision. All hail.

18. Argus - Argus
True metal like it should be played. Welding an early NWOBHM attack to Lovecraftian themes and some Grand Magus-style honest grit, Argus from the good old US of A lay claim as a band to watch for those in the know. A killer debut.

19. Sonata Arctica - The Last Amazing Grays
After the disappointing and more prog-orientated 'Unia', a fantasic album of bombastic power metal tunes with the foot easing just off the cheese pedal enough to let the brilliant song-writing and chest-beating anthems shine through. Bloodstock 2010 please!

20. Cobalt - Gin
A hideous cacophony of black metal and noise; nihilistic and harrowing yet cathartic and with a high art sentiment to off balance the militant industrial themes. A song about Ernest Hemmingway. Coffee table black metal, in a good way.

For the sake of completion, here are all the other albums I got in 2009:

Ablaze In Hatred - The Quietude Plains
Altar of Oblivion - Sinews of Anguish
Altar of Plagues - White Tomb
Asomvel - Kamikaze
Baroness - Blue Record
Blood Tsunami - Grand Feast For Vultures
Birds of Prey - Hell Preacher
Buried Inside - Spoils of Failure
Cannibal Corpse - Evisceration Plague
Dark Forest - Dark Forest
Dark Funeral - Angelus Exero Pro Satanas
Every Time I Die - New Junk Aesthetic
Evile - Infected Nations
Forsaken - After The Fall
Funeral Circle - Sinister Ritual
Gorgoroth - Quantos
Immortal - All Shall Fall
Isole - Silent Ruins
Katatonia - Night Is The New Day
Kiss - Sonic Boom
Kreator - Hordes of Chaos
Kylesa - Static Tensions
Mastodon - Crack The Skye
Municipal Waste - Hazardous Mutation
Nunslaughter - Hex
Obituary - Darkest Day
Paradise Lost - Faith Divides Us, Death Unites Us
Primal Fear - 16:6 Before The Devil Knows You're Dead
Rituals of the Oak - Hour of Judgment
The River - In Situ
Semlah - Semlah
Shrinebuilder
Slayer - World Painted Blood
Slough Feg - Ape Uprising
Swallow The Sun - New Moon
Stratovarius - Polaris
Tombs - Winter Hours
Wrath Of The Weak - Alogon
Wolf - Ravenous
Wolves In The Throne Room - Black Cascade
Yob - The Great Cessation