Ilsa : "Preyer"

 

The sludge masters who are personal favorites of mine are back. Even though we are 6 albums in they have changed things up a bit. This time they are using Satanic murderer Shaun Sellars as their inspiration. Though this is not a concept album. The theme is anti-christian. They hit you with a might chug on the first song. There is also a doomy riff thrown into the mix. They seem even angrier this time around. The guitar playing is more nuanced this time around rather than just slapping you with a wall of sound. In doing so this has made it more metal in the sense you caan hear how it has descended from classic metal bands. The chant of "Judas hung himself" winks at DI's "Richard Hung Himself" so the punk influence is still there ,just not as prominent. I think the riff to "Moonflower" is even heavier. Perhaps a touch of Slayer to the drumming. The descends into more of a doomy passage before building back up. 

"Shibboleth" charges at you with a more manic punk energy. Ate there Lovecraft references? Well I do not know I can not understand the lyrics as well to this one. "Mother of God' kind of stomps it's way out of this previous song. There is more of a death metal feel to "Scavengers" . Think old Death here. Despite the thicker fuzzed out bass that opens the song, "Widdershins" . The title track has more drive , but is also less death metal. I am not 100 percent on board for this death metal direction they are flirting with. I can hear the death metal influence on the title track, but it still feels true to who they are . "Lady Diamond" is certainly more death metal, if not totally with the higher screamed vocal being what keeps it from totally commiting .They are proficent at death metal, but death metal can tend to be monochromatic . 

"Behind the Veil" is some where inbetween the sludge they used to play and their more death metal direction. The guitar solos are a very tangible area of improvemnet and much more metal. The last song is more on the sludge side . I will round this up to a 9.I am not sure I like it as much as "Corpse Fortress", itsi a more straight forward album. 

the Top 50 Heaviest Albums of All Time : 30 - 21

With the world ending we need the heaviest sound track possible. We continue to countdown the heaviest albums ever. May your ear drums bleed as it all burns down.


30- Napalm Death - " Scum"


This shit storm of chaos hit's your ears like fucking barbwire. In 1987 it was way ahead of it's time. 

29-Ilsa - "Corpse Fortress"

The raw power of this album shows the difference between sludge and doom is the punk influence that drips from sludge. These guys took that and went darker. 


.

28 Naga - " Inanimate"

These are a sludge band much like Ilsa. They just beat those guys out on this list because their is a black metal influence that brings the evil. 

27-Bloodlet - " the Seraphim Fall"

These guys were competing with themselves. This album beat out "Entheogen" because it's darker.  Darker always is heavier.  

26-Acid Bath - "When the Kite String Pops" 

If this was a list of my top 50 favorite metal bands of all time , these guys who went on to become Goatwhore, would have been in the top 10. But's it's not . 

25 - Fistula -"Vermin Prolificus"


The higher we get in this list the harder it was to make some of these calls. I like "Longing For Infection" better as an album, but this is not a list of best album's it's a list of heaviest albums. 

24-Converge- "When Forever Comes Crashing" 

The best hardcore band to come out of the 90s . It is amazing to think there are 23 albums heavier than what these guys dish out here. 

23- Carcass- Necroticism, Descanting the Insalubrious"

When compared to this album "Heartwork" seemed like a sell out. 

22- Disma - "Towards the Megalith"

Their guitar tone sounds like it was scraped from the sewers of hell. The vocals are equally ugly. 

21-Portrayal of Guilt - " Suffering is a Gift"

Kids today can't be bothered with just sticking to one genre. Grind core fits the best if you need to define them.

the Top 10 Sludge Albums of the Decade

Since the decade began before this blog was started , I can not just rely on sorting through previous reviews. This means two things. The first being this might not be the list of the heaviest sludge bands who cling to the crust punk roots of the past . The second thing is since  this is not something I can just thumb back through reviews for , I am just embedding video clips to support the reasoning for these albums to be listed as such, since I already did a best of the year list for each sub-genre. Any ways here are the Top 10 sludge albums of the  decade.


10- the Melvins - "A Walk With Love & Death"- 2017  







9-the Atlas Moth- "An Ache For the Distance" 2011







8-Fister- "No Spirit Within" 2018









6-King Woman- "Created in the Image of Suffering"2017








5-Tombs -"Path of Totality" 2011








4-Ilsa -"Corpse Fortress"2018






3- Amenra-"Mass VI" 2017 








2-Fistula- "Longing For Infection"2016








1- Kylesa - "Spiral Shadow"- 2012

the Top 10 Metal Albums of 2018

It is that time again. This lists takes from the best of the other metal lists and is a cross genre best of list. The score from my reviews to help determine the ranking , but also how many times Last FM told me I listened to each album.An album can have all the critical acclaim in the world but if it does not inspire multiple listens then how good can it actually be ? While the top ten lists for other genres were more balanced this list leans heavily on the side of new bloods. Rather than posting media of a track from each band I am leaving a link to the review, which will contain Bandcamp or Full Album Streams. Ok enough talking about it, the time has come to dig into the top 10 metal albums of 2018.

10- LLNN- "Deads"

 Hard core might be at the beating heart of this monster. What I like most is the sonic intensity. They are brutally aggressive, but don't stop there possessing a wider scope of dynamics.Not unlike bands such as Nails or Hexis, where many different sub-genres collide. This band is powered by a dark metallic hard-core draped in cinematic ambiance.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/03/llnn-deads.html

9-Ruin - "Human Annihilation"

 These guys offer a few things I like it my death metal. First and foremost their shit sounds dark. The opener is pretty dense and they do not rely on just speed. There is certainly an old school feel in what they do though it has a blown out quality that is not over produced so I can see how it might appeal to hipsters who were into punk last year. Also their songs are very short and to the point. But also well written



https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/11/ruin-human-annihilation.html

8-Messa - "Feast For Water" 

 My first thought when I heard them was this is like a metal version of Lana Del Ray. The tempo picks up and they fall closer in line to other "occult" rock of their ilk like Christian Mistress. There is more raw rumble going when they gain speed than what their peers typically muster. It's the dreary mood that kept them from just being lumped into stoner rock.


 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/04/messa-feast-for-water.html

7-Totalselfhatred - "Solitude" 


7 years since their last album, they once has a more aggressive take on depressive black metal,but it is hard to complain about what goes down as it's so well done. My ears can not escape the fact that the first song falls neatly into the depressive black metal box, where their earlier work had more of a unhinged feral quality to it. I also don't remember synths and piano playing as big of a role as they do here. The album really needed to be played loudly in order to soak in all the layers. Maturity is one of this album's characteristics. Gone are the rock god solos, but everything well played, with no doubt they are excellent musicians who have grown up to serve the song. They are little more mellowed with time, but with a wider depth of emotion.


https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/02/black-metal-history-month.html

6- Evoken-"Hypnagogia"

 After six years of waiting the Jersey doom band proves why they are America's best when it comes to not only funeral doom, but doom as a whole. This finds them picking up where they left off with "Atra Mors". Sonically it feels similar from a production stand point. Mood wise the atmosphere might be thicker. It's pretty dark, though perhaps not as filled with despair as the previous album. Lyrically it uses World War 1 as a metaphor to things they were going through at the time. This is done without the need to maintain some contrived narrative that concept albums tend to have. These guys are masterful songwriters who don't feel the need to drone on to make their point. The beginning is dreamy with low goth like vocals to bring a darker shade against the music. It builds as needed to give them a big metal ending draped in mournful strings that gets better with each listen.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/10/evoken-hypnagogia.html

5- Pestilence - " Hadeon"


 Bassist / vocalist Patrick Mameli is carrying the torch for this band that dates all the way back to 1986. Even with all of the new blood this takes you back to the early days of death metal when it met at the intersection of thrash. This album won me over, it came out early in the year so it also gave me the false hope that this was going to be a good year for death metal, but only one album out shined it when it comes to death metal.


 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2017/12/pestilence-hadeon.html

4- Necros Christos -" Domedon Doxomedon"


 A step in a direction that is more melodic and straight forward . They have come out from the murk of cavernous reverb to have a more organic sound. Gone is the darker Incantation worship. For matter there are few moments that sound like Morbid Angel. The vocals carry more of a croak, than the deeper growl I remember from these guys. Due to this the lyrics are more discernible. They are also more of a focal point with the opener being a clear cut take on the Jesus myth.In a genre that often is a one trick pony fueled only by aggression, this album has a range of dynamics and solid songwriting that proves death metal can be much more than that.


https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/04/necros-christos-domedon-doxomedon.html

3-Voices- "Frightened" 


 Former members of Akercocke formed this progressive metal band. The dark sense of melody further into this album with each listen . It has a wide array of vocal colors. The metal core of what these musicians creates from doesn't hamper it from bringing other elements ranging from post-punk to post- hardcore, though I guess these post-men aren't just ringing twice as any other post-sub genre can also be found. This album is very impressive, when I got it back in April it was what I thought to be one of the first contenders for album of the year as I could not imagine someone bringing it in the dark and aggressive fashion these guys do, but alas three other bands did in fact do it better.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/04/voices-frightened.html





2-Ilsa- "Corpse Fortress"

 This band is refusing to hold back on  on their debut for Relapse Records. The band's 5th full length finds them continuing to hammer skulls in with the sheer density of their blown out sludge. Dirty and squealing with feedback. The vocals are phrased in a way that that give the coarse scathing shouts almost more of  sung feel. The lyrics cut through better with this delivery. They shift back into more of a low end pounding that owes more to doom when it comes to the ominous rumble as the momentum continues to build. The flatulent bass can be heard in the din at times, but it generally hits you as one frequency. This album earned multiple listens I think it is a huge step forward for the band


 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/03/ilsa-corpse-fortress.html

1-Hangman's Chair -"Banlieue Triste"


 This French band has been around for 13 years, so I am not sure how they have eluded me. In terms of conventional metal, they might not fit neatly into the box. They are heavy in the bleak mood they create. This depressing mood brings them closest to doom if they have to defined. The vocals are the key selling point for me as not a note is wasted and they really sell me on the lyrics. They are in a similar zip code as "Viva Emptiness" era Katatonia, but carrying even more despair. The reason they beat Evoken is while "Hypnagogia" is a beautiful album, it's so dense and grandiose, the songs don't hook me in to demand as many listens as this album did which what I need when I forget to take my meds in the morning.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/08/hangmans-chair-banlieue-triste.html

the Top 10 Stoner / Sludge Albums of 2018

It is that time again. This list was started because well doom and sludge are not the same thing. Neither is doom and stoner rock. While stoner rock and sludge are not the same thing, the lines seem to be blurred a little closer and basically this is about how much pot you are smoking. If you are smoking pot hoping for the apocalypse then you are sludge, you also probably like crusty punk. If you are riding around the desert smoking pot while hoping to find more pot to smoke while listening to Thin Lizzy you are stoner rock. But we are lumping them together, just like last year. The score from my reviews to help determine the ranking , but also how many times Last FM told me I listened to each album.An album can have all the critical acclaim in the world but if it does not inspire multiple listens then how good can it actually be ?

This year it leans more heavily on the side of between new blood being spilled and  more well established acts .  Rather than posting media of a track from each band I am leaving a link to the review, which will contain Bandcamp or Full Album Streams. Ok, enough talking about it, the time has come to dig into the top 10 Stoner /sludge albums of 2018.

10- Secret Cutter - "Quantum Eraser"

 Heavy... that is the mission statement here. This Trio is one of the band's whose name I am familiar with, but have never sat down to give a solid listen. Sludge seems to be the focus, though the spastic tormented vocals could come from a grind core band as they are not just the coarse bellow that booms from most sludge.I think they accomplished what they set out to do, If you are into sludge filled grind core with groove then this album is more for you. It grew on me the more I listened.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/06/secret-cutter-quantum-eraser.html

9- Wolftooth - s/t

 Imagine if Ghost was not pussies but hammered you with dense aggressive chugs. This is a good example of what separates the band's on this list from doom, it's to upbeat and focused on the chug to be doom, though not fast enough to be power metal or thrash, however they are the right speed to rip a bong to. Going back to listen to this album as I made this list reminded me of how good it is.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/01/wolftooth-st.html

8- Alkymist - "s/t"

 The first song on the band's self titled debut reminds me of a cross between Godflesh and Neurosis.I do think the difference between doom and sludge lies in the sense of mourning , and this album carries a dirtier more apocalyptic chug to it, that is being displayed here. I'm just working off my first impression of the opener so maybe their entire families get killed before the second song and the album takes a more despondent turn. I can also hear some Crowbar influence in the grunt of the vocals.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/09/alkymist-st.html

7-Uncle Acid and the Dead Beats - "Wasteland"

 When it comes to the retro style of stoner rock these guys feel like the Rob Zombie version of that as things have had a pulp horror feel to them. Their hippy side tends to win out, but this album finds the normally hard rock band leaning into a more Sabbath style of metal. The first two songs have a catchier swagger and chug to them. This is the strongest effort yet from the band.


 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/09/uncle-acid-and-deadbeats-wasteland.html

6-Besvärjelsen : "Vallmo"

 Blending a surreal darkness with doom tinged rock riffs these guys so deftly deal in. It's the more surreal swirl to their sound that helps elevate them from the rest of the retro occult rock. While they might not be as keen of songwriters as Devils Blood was they are going into a more drugged out direction. With some interesting melodic breaks these guys are like subtle weed as in they creep up on you and the songs often seep into your brain.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/03/besvarjelsen-vallmo.html

5-Sleep- "the Sciences"

 The first album in two decades from Sleep. If you are new to stoner metal and just crawling out from under a mushroom, then you might know guitarist Matt Pike from this other band called High On Fire. Al Cisneros who handles the vocals has also played in OM and this time they have the drummer from Neurosis sitting behind the drums. The vocals come across a little different than I remember. They are lower and not as soaked in effects.It does a good job of picking up where they left off. With these guys older and wiser the results don't come short of them proving themselves capable of sitting along side the like of Kyuss in the smoky halls of stoner metal royalty.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/04/sleep-sciences.html

4- Atlas Moth- "Coma Noir" 

 These guys have met at the cross roads of varied genres for sometimes. The consensus is these guys are sludge, though they have played black metal projects individually so that influence is there. They blend sung vocals with screamed vocals that are at a higher pitch bringing another comparison to black metal. There is a powerful metallic chug tothe grooves are to refined to be sludge. It almost borders on Myspace metal styled hardcore as the refinement of the riffs in some cases is a refined as say Atreyu. The way the guitars are layered sometimes it's hard to tell if they are using synths or heavily effected guitars.


https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/02/the-atlas-moth-coma-noir.html

3- Fister - "No Spirit Within" 

 This album has plenty pf the wretched vocal howls and crunching slabs of low tuned riffs as it also creates a mood that poses the question where does doom begin and sludge end. They often have a woeful feel until things begin to pick up pace. The guitars capture a sonic atmosphere that's dark and impresses me. They go from almost jamming to the guitars becoming a demolishing swathe of pounding distortion. They weave in interesting shifts in dynamics which doesn't go into all the normal places as the band keeps you guessing with their affinity for haunting melody.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/04/fister-no-spirit-within.html

2 Windhand- "Eternal Return"

 While they are still fixated on Sabbath like overdrive, the vocals have more hooks and they are sharper. Her lazy alto floats over the thick riffs. This is a good example of how I don't need the wheel reinvented I just need bands to give it their own spin. They step away from the bong to indulge in smokey country with a blues underbelly. This might be their most balanced album yet and shows a ton of maturity in their refined songwriting.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/09/windhand-eternal-return.html




 


1-Ilsa- "Corpse Fortress"

 This band is refusing to hold back on  on their debut for Relapse Records. The band's 5th full length finds them continuing to hammer skulls in with the sheer density of their blown out sludge. Dirty and squealing with feedback. The vocals are phrased in a way that that give the coarse scathing shouts almost more of  sung feel. The lyrics cut through better with this delivery. They shift back into more of a low end pounding that owes more to doom when it comes to the ominous rumble as the momentum continues to build. The flatulent bass can be heard in the din at times, but it generally hits you as one frequency. This album earned multiple listens I think it is a huge step forward for the band


 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/03/ilsa-corpse-fortress.html

The Top 10 Metal Albums of 2018 ...so far

O.k it's already June so we are half way into 2018, so here's a progress report to take a look at what the best albums of the year are so far.I sorted them by score and then let Last FM tell me what I've listened to the most. After all I can think an album is great on first listen, but if it doesn't keep me returning to it then how great can it be ? This seems less pre-mature than past years, as I think I am caught up on everything coming out before August with all the promos in my in-box. Rather than include audio samples, I put links to the original reviews where those can be found. Six months will tell how these pan out come December.






10-Lychgate :" The Contagion in Nine Steps"

 If  you showed up for black metal I can understand why this might be jarring. It's also really dark and interesting so if you don't recognize that and want just blast beats so eat more glue and chase it with a bullet. This is not to say I approve of every movement in this shifting landscape of angular chaos. I do approve of the sense of adventure and rebellion against the black metal status quo even at risk of not being black metal anymore. I think the atmosphere and melancholy is the albums strong point though it is a listen that makes you think more than you might want to.


 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/05/lychgate-contagion-in-nine-steps.html

9- Necros Christos: " Domedon Doxomedon"

T he third album by this German band is being heralded as their last. It is more melodic and straight forward . They have come out from the murk of cavernous reverb to have a more organic sound. Gone is the darker Incantation worship. For matter there are few moments that sound like Morbid Angel. The vocals carry more of a croak, than the deeper growl I remember from these guys. Due to this the lyrics are more discernible. They are also more of a focal point with the opener being a clear cut take on the Jesus myth.

 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/04/necros-christos-domedon-doxomedon.html

8-Fister : "No Spirit Within"


 I was surprised these guys didn't lead off hitting me with a wall of fuzzed out distortion. Instead it's reverb drenched western sounding guitar. The first song is just an intro rather than an actual song, as it gives way to the wretched vocal howls and crunching slabs of low tuned riffs I was expecting. It poses the question where does doom begin and sludge end.

 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/04/fister-no-spirit-within.html

7-Dimmu Borgir : " Eonian" 


An 8 year wait from an album is asking a lot. These guys are one of my favorite bands. I don't expect them to be black metal, I expect them to do what they do. This involves their ever evolving sound that retains the core of who they are. The opener " the Unveiling", finds Shagrath croaking his way through the verses. There is a huge choral sound midway into the song. This confirms they are more of a symphonic metal band than a black metal band. I heard "Inter dimensional Summit" before the album came out , while I think the choral refrain used for the chorus is a little over top and some of the melodies could stand to be darker. But it continues to grow on me as I get used to the changes.


 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/05/dimmu-borgir-eonian.html

6-Watain : "Trident Wolf Eclipse" 


 It is very thundering with the combative thrashing dialed way up.Stay in a blasting fury with equally feral rawness of "Sacred Damnation". This song does carry some more nuanced accents, the overall tone in comparison to  but  to "the Wild Hunt" proves this to be a much more straightforward black metal album, as they return  to their more mean spirited roots. They band could have easily said "This album is going to be a return to our heavier more punishing sound, and they would not have been lying.

 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2017/12/watain-trident-wolfe-eclipse.html


 

5-Ilsa : " Corpse Fortress" 

The D.C  band is refusing to hold back on  on their debut for Relapse Records. The band's 5th full length finds them continuing to hammer skulls in with the sheer density of their blown out sludge. Dirty and squealing with feedback.I know it has hung tough in my iPod since I got it and has earned multiple listens I think it is a huge step forward for the band.


 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/03/ilsa-corpse-fortress.html

4-LLNN : "Deads" 


 It's rare that I download an album from a band I never have heard before. I typically stream it. I sort through so much music and know such a small percentage will be music that I need to own that I listen to an album a few times, review it then move on. So it says a lot when a really heavy band like this grabs my attention. Hard core might be at the beating heart of this monster. I think what I like about this the most is the sonic intensity.

 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/03/llnn-deads.html

3-Ministry : "Amerikkka"

 Al slows down and gives into his anger in a way that digs back into the darkness of "Darkside of the Spoon" rather than a struggle with addiction this album finds him struggling with the world around him. I interviewed Al  Jourgensen  back during the summer of the 2016 Presidential Campaign he mad his feelings known about the state of the union. There is enough new to make this feel like it's not a retro flirtation with their past.This album is well balanced and works off mood more than just being in your face. Sure it has more of a smack out feel than a speed ball blitz, so perhaps that is why I am more partial to this side of the band.

< http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/03/ministry-amerikkkant.html

2-Totalselfhatred : "Solitude" 


One of my favorite bands. It had been 7 years since their last album. This band from Finland had a more aggressive take on depressive black metal, so it is hard to complain about what goes down as it's so well done.In fact maturity is one of this album's characteristics. Gone are the rock god solos, but everything is still well played and there is no doubt they are excellent musicians who have grown up to serve the song. Finds them a little more mellowed with time, but with a wider depth of emotion.

http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/02/black-metal-history-month.html

1-Voices : "Frightened" 

 Former members of Akercocke formed this progressive metal band. This is way more melodic that I expected and that is what drew me in further to this album. It has a wide array of vocal colors. The metal core of what these musicians creates from doesn't hamper it from bringing other elements ranging from post-punk to post- hardcore, though I guess these post-men aren't just ringing twice as any other post-sub genre can also be found. It's hard to imagine someone else this year being able to bring it in the dark and aggressive fashion these guys do so well.


 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/04/voices-frightened.html

Ilsa : 'Corpse Fortress"

I reviewed this for CVLT NATION and the orignal review I wrote had been sitting here as draft so here it is. This D.C  band is refusing to hold back on  on their debut for Relapse Records. The band's 5th full length finds them continuing to hammer skulls in with the sheer density of their blown out sludge. Dirty and squealing with feedback. The pace picks up to more of a chugged rumble with"No Funeral" The vocals are phrased in a way that that give the coarse scathing shouts almost more of  sung feel. The lyrics cut through better with this delivery. Then they shift back into more of a low end pounding that owes more to doom when it comes to the ominous rumble of "Cosmos Antinomos" as it progresses the momentum continues to build. The flatulent bass can be heard in the din at times, but it generally hits you as one frequency.

The vocals take on an angrier hard core howl to aptly serve "Prosecutor" At times an under current of double bass flows through the bridges coming out of the verses to create a more death metal tone. "Old Maid" is drive by more of a punk energy.  There is something about the verse riffs to "Long Lost Friend" that remind me of old Slayer. It's pretty dense only broken up by a well placed guitar solo. The thick slabs of fuzzed distortion keep coming after you on "Rukenfigur". The vocals continued to shout out in a rough bark with punk intention behind it. When the double bass comes in at the three minute mark it's highly effective and this song proves the band has matured as song writers despite being moderately straight ahead.

They back down into more dismal and miserable doom with the sluggish chords of  "Polly Vaughn". The vocals sound more like nasty rantings. The album closes with "Drums of the Dark Gods" kinda drones with minimal drumming and is the only song that drags , but the other songs on this album compensate for it. I know it has hung tough in my iPod since I got it and has earned multiple listens I think it is a huge step forward for the band so I'll give this a 9.5 .