The Top 10 Albums Most Mistaken for Metal in 2024

Once upon a time, the battle cry championed by metal bands was "Death to False Metal", it's a sentiment going back to the earliest beginnings of the genre when it drew lines to separate itself from the bands of the Sunset Strip who wanted the look but were making glammed out pop music. Today kids are thin-skinned and take offense screaming out that this is gatekeeping rather than seeing it as quality control standards. Most of those people just need to feel like they belong wherever they want to go and call those who actually belong there elitists as a projection of their own insecurities. 

I'm here to say fuck your feelings. In the interest of this blog's mission statement pledging to always tell it like it is easy even if you can't handle the truth. After seeing albums like those represented here appearing on metal top ten lists, I think it fair to set the record straight and have some truth in advertising to pick out the top ten offenders in this regard. Four of these entries are great albums, they just are not great metal albums. They are great rock, shoe-gaze, and trip-hop albums, just not metal. There are a few that are terrible, but they are also not metal so here we go setting the record straight for you.  

 10- Unto Others - "Never Neverland" 

These guys used to make cock rock dressed up as goth, but now they are applying that template to pop music, it's catchier than their previous work, Wish it was darker than it is. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/08/unto-others-never-neverland.html

9-Haunted Plasma -"I' 

This album features members of Oranassi Pazuzu, but that doesn't make it metal. It does carry a great dark throb to it and has Mat McNeary lending his voice to this album, so it sometimes sounds like Grave Pleasures on acid. Lots of metal comes from Finland, this project is not counted among that. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/04/haunted-plasma-i.html

8-Dool- "The Shape of Fluidity" 

There were once doom metal elements to what they did on their previous album. This more rock n roll approach to things works as they are appearing on more end-of-the-year lists, which means they are getting more recognition, which works for me, as they deserve it even if they are growing away from metal. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/05/dool-shape-of-fluidity.html

7-Bring me the Horizon - ""Post Human -NeX GEn" 

This is a fun pop album, Pierce the Veul might do it better, but kids seem to like this, though kids don't know any better as they are young and dumb, we know better, making it our job to set the record straight, distortion or the occasional scream does not make things metal, even pop bands throw temper tantrums from time to time. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/05/bring-me-horizon-post-human-nex-gen.html

6-Devin Townsend- "Powernerd" 

Here is a good case in point of an artist who was in a metal band (Strapping Young Lad) branching off to play other kinds of music, Sure the influence of their metal past is there, but that does not make their current project metal. What this album proves is Def Leppard would be fools for not asking Devy to produce their next album as he sounds more like them than they have in decades. If you are tempted to say Def Leppard is metal then you should keep your mouth shut before you embarrass yourself. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/11/devin-townsend-powernerd.html

5-Pallbearer - "Mind Burns Alive" 

It was not so long ago these guys were a doom-metal band. People change and artists grow out of genres and do other things, I can accept that. These guys made one of the year's best shoe-gaze albums, so at least if they are no longer a metal band they are good at what they are doing. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/04/pallbearer-mind-burns-alive.html

 

4-Zeal & Ardor-"Grief" 

This one made it onto my worst albums of 2024 list. This project has a long history of being mislabeled thanks to the wishful thinking of the music press. They were first called black metal when they had more in common with ni-metal, and now they are just a shitty rock band who might as well be Breaking Benjamin or some other radio shit. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/08/zeal-ardor-grief.html

3-Poppy-"Negative Spaces" 

I like this album, and while Poppy has appropriated metal in the past, this album kind of splits the difference between her flirtations with nu-metal and the pop of her previous album. There is a mainstream radio rock formula on most of these songs that she makes work thanks to her quirky charisma. I think the guest appearance she did with Knocked Loose this year has made people unable to compartmentalize her from her own career, but this is not a metal album, industrial-influenced pop at best. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/11/poppy-negative-spaces.html

2-Linkin Park -"From Zero"

Lumped in with nu-metal, but they have never been a metal band. This album brings that fact to the forefront. It's not a bad album though unable to live up to its hype, this is a fun lighthearted pop album that its fans are taking way too seriously. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/11/linkin-park-from-zero.html

1-Chelsea Wolfe -" She Reaches Out To She Reaches Out To She"

She's never made a metal album, there are albums where that is used as a dynamic in a few songs, but never throughout. This is more of a trip-hop album it is closer to Portishead than Motorhead, and yet it keeps appearing on metal lists because people are well ...stupid. I prefer the acoustic episode to this one , as it sounds more like her, but it continues to grow on me.  Regardless of how good it is, if you think this is metal, you clearly don't know what you are talking about. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/02/chelsea-wolfe-she-reaches-out-to-she.html

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The top 10 Shoegaze albums of 2024

Shoe-gaze continues its come back though as a genre it branches out into dream pop and post-rock so both of those are included in this list, it just makes for an easier title rather than the Top 10, Shoe gaze, dream pop, drugged-out indie rock, and hipster post-rock albums of 2024, which is a lot. These are not the coolest, but the best, fuck what other blogs say, After I sort through the top 10 albums of all the respective genres, I use those lists to compile the top 10 albums of the year. 2024 The very fact these bands made it on the list speaks to how great these albums are, so it's not a slight that the number 8 album is above the 9th album, there is something that just gives it an edge that makes me want to listen to it more. After all, we can try to look cool and pick the hippest bands for a list, but at the end of the day what makes an album the best is that it makes you want more, you look forward to listening to it again. Perhaps you can find your next favorite on this list; and have included links to reviews of these albums if you want to check out the audio on these guys. Anyway here are the top 10 Shoe Gaze albums of 2024

10-Midas Fall-"Cold Waves Divide Us" 

Elizabeth Heaton's vocals are powerfully emotive. The Scottish band falls somewhere between post-rock and progressive rock. Unlike what most commonly gets depicted as a progressive rock there is not an abundance of odd time signatures or guitar solos.  

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/01/midas-fall-cold-waves-divide-us.html

                 

9-Pallbearer- "Mind Burns Alive" 

 The fifth album by a band who was once one of my favorite doom bands. Each album has been a gradual progression away from doom into what has culminated into the opening track of their new album. Campbell is using a great deal of restraint and taking a more vulnerable approach to his singing.This puts metal behind them, and while I would normally be more resistant to this kind of change it is hard to argue against something this effective

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/04/pallbearer-mind-burns-alive.html

 

8-Alcest -"Les Chants de l'Aurore"  

 This French does not need an introduction here as given their blending of black metal and shoe-gaze we have covered every album no matter where they were in their musical journey. Some have felt more inspired than others. There always seems to be a balance they need to keep in order not to drift too far in becoming the Yes of Black Metal. They have come to an effective balance of rock drive and fairy wonderment.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/06/alcest-les-chants-de-laurore.html

 

7-Blushing - "Sugarcoat" 

 The band's sound lives up to the album's title by draping sugary sweet pop over the shoegazing ambiance. Dream pop is the first handy label to throw on this Texas-based band,  but they do seem more serious about rocking out than most dream pop bands. They at times remind me of a shoegazing version of Veruca Salt, with how the vocals harmonize and entwined. Things swirl around you so it can be hard to tell who is doing what.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/05/blushing-sugarcoat.html

 

6-LEAVS -"Natura Universal" 

This dream poppy-shoegazing band from Spain, gets the classic sound right, without just being a slave to tradition. The woozy guitars are jangling, and the swathes of sonic melodies being squeezed from delay pedals are in place, along with androgynous airy vocals. They are not out to make an accessible record and that is fine, the mood is dense and I like it. The emotions feel honest to me and that goes a long way. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/12/leavs-natura-universal.html

5- trauma ray -"Chameleon" 

This Texas band has a 90's grunged out clanging to their guitar sound. The vocals float in the background with an androgynous croon, as the drummer stomps into their kick drum with the needed angst. They care about songwriting as dynamics work with the atmosphere, and while they certainly have this sound dialed in to capture the mood of the era, they still have something to say.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/09/trauma-ray-chameleon.html

4-Ride - "Interplay" 

I really liked "Weather Diaries" the first album of their comeback. This album is both more surreal and more optimistic. I am sure with the last album I mentioned these guys occupying a similar sonic zip code as Stone Roses. Though it sounds like they are smoking more pot than Stone Roses on this album as it carries an alluring swirl. It is wonderfully mixed, though I am giving it the initial listen very loudly through a pair of headphones which is the recommended manner in which this album is best ingested. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/04/ride-interplay.html

3-Softcult-"Heaven"

This is the kind of dream pop you might expect, with well-layered vocals. This band cares about songs more than just conjuring up these surreal sounds. There is almost a 90s alt-rock sound. The guitars ring out into the lonely sunsets of Canadian winters. , the grunge spirit of things is this album's strength and cements its unique place in the genre. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/07/softcult-heaven.html

2-Bleakheart - "Silver Pulse" 

This band wanders off into a melancholic brand of dreamy shoe-gaze that moves at the speed of doom. At times taking on a heavier throb before wandering off into something more dreampop. It is a pretty sweet blend of sonic intensity and atmosphere. The vocals draw you in and earn repeat listens.If you are looking for some dark atmospheric dom-gaze or wish the Cocteau Twins did less acid and were more into metal then this is the album for you. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/03/bleakheart-silver-pulse.html

 

1-Iress -" Sleep Now, In Reverse" 

Taking the top spot is this beautiful wave of gloomy gazing from this  Los Angeles-based band.  It was a tough call between this album and Bleakheart, with the vocals of Michelle Malley being the tiebreaker as she delivers an emotionally stunning performance that creates a wonderful contrast to the storm clouds the band summons beneath her sublime melodies. The drumming gives this album a great deal of focused intention which in turn creates songwriting magic as they grow as songwriters. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/07/iress-sleep-now-in-reverse.html

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April's Top 10 Albums

Already time for April's top 10 albums. Staying abreast on the month's highlights might help casual readers see what they missed, and give this the option to check these artists out. I am not doing little blurbs on them, just linking the reviews. This will help me organize my lists for the end of the year, by listing the genre of music the album falls under. This does not mean that these albums have been released this month, but it is a list of new or upcoming albums I have enjoyed the most, I have albums in my in-box that are not coming out til July, so I am normally way ahead of the curve in this regard. They are ranked in order of what I have listened to the most. This month there is a wide variety from Shoe-gaze to pop to hard-core, so you may find your new favorite among them. Here are the Top 10 albums for April 2024.

10-Darkthrone-"It Beckons Us All" 

Metal

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/04/darkthrone-it-beckons-us-all.html

9- Ride - "Interplay" 

Indie rock

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/04/ride-interplay.html

8-Terminal Nation - "Echoes of the Devil's Den

Hard Core

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/04/terminal-nation-echoes-of-devils-den.html

7-Pallbearer-"Mind  Burns Alive" 

Doom -gaze

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/04/pallbearer-mind-burns-alive.html

6- Pearl Jam - "Dark Matter" 

Rock

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/04/pearl-jam-dark-matter.html

5-Whores- "War" 

Noise Rock

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/04/whores-war.html

4-Snow Strippers -"Night Killaz Vol 2" 

 Pop

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/04/snow-strippers-night-killaz-vol-2.html

3 METZ- "Up On Gravity Hill" 

Post-punk

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/04/metz-up-on-gravity-hill.html

2-Glassing- "From the Other Side of the Mirror" 

 

Post-metal 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/04/glassing-from-other-side-of-mirror.html

1- Taylor Swift -"THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT" 

Pop

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/04/taylor-swift-tortured-poets-department.html

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Pallbearer : "Mind Burns Alive"

 The fifth album by one of my favorite doom bands. Each album has been a gradual progression away from doom into what has culminated into the opening track of their new album "Mind Burns Alive". Campbell is using a great deal of restraint and taking a more vulnerable approach to his singing. It is not until the song's end that it gains any time of heavier dynamic. It took a couple of listens to this song before it finally clicked with me, as the first listen found me having to adjust to the change. 

Things get marginally more metallic going into the title track. A gray melancholy hangs over the song, but it feels more like doomy rock than doom metal. The verses are sung in a more hushed manner. He does belt it out a little more when things get louder. There is a more hopeful guitar melody that shines out of this before it does get metal in time for the guitar solo. The lyrics are darker than the music on this one. 

Campbell's voice sounds great on "Signals". But great in the sense that you are hearing another side of it. This shows growth as a singer. The song has a pleading introspection, building up for them to kick into a more rock dynamic. I am not sure I would call it metal.  Three songs in and it's clear the songs are excellent, but are they excellent Pallbearer songs? If it were not for the sprawling eight-minute arrangements, these songs could be played on mainstream alternative rock radio. 

An acoustic guitar opens "Endless Place", after a minute of reluctance they bring power chords that show they have not altogether forgotten who they are. it is more in their wheelhouse, though on the more melodic sides, with the drums leading the guitars into a lumbering labyrinth. Campell projects his voice in a manner that puts more guts into it. There is almost a post-Empire" Geoff Tate quality to his voice when it comes to the tonal placement. This song wanders off into a more progressive place that works well with the band's current direction. The saxophone works really well here, and not the instrument you would normally associate with them. They build this song well to reach more of a sonic climax. 

"Daybreak" finds Campell digging deeper into the vulnerability he has showcased earlier in the album. This time it is pushed perhaps as far as they could go, as it is not unlike the early emo bands like Mineral or Elliot. The fuzzed-out guitars do come, as Campbell puts his diaphragm back into it. It continues to carry more hope than despair, perhaps they are smoking less weed and taking medication? When they do go back to a more familiar sound on the last song, it is weird because they have already led you so far away from that. It is nice to hear the angular signature of the doom riffs, and more depressing qualities being emoted. This song is interesting as it unfolds, taking you into a dark place, before ending the album on a heavier note. I will round this up to a 10, it is pretty stunning, and while I would normally be more resistant to this kind of change it is hard to argue against something this effective.Dropping May 17th on Nuclear Blast.   

                                                                                                         

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The Top 200 Greatest Rock Singers-130- to 121

Digging deeper into our list of the top 200 greatest rock singers, inspired by the travesty that was Rolling Stone's supposed list. Where they got it wrong, this list hopes to be more effective, but not only focusing on rock singers and those adjacent to the genre, while placing the spotlight on the singer's technical vocal ability, in terms of range and power, as well as their dynamics, phrasing and the overall character of their voice. Can they emote from different places? How well does their voice hold up live? All factors are being considered here, lyrical content and the instruments they play do not factor in as these ranking is based on vocal merit alone. How they control a crowd or their entertainment value as performers is also not a factor; there are some great front men who are also sub-par singers.  

The same can be said of song writers which is why most Bob Dylan songs sound better covered by someone else. Needless to say, ole Robert Zimmerman is not making the cut. Most pop singers won't appear here, but there are a few country or jazz singers who crossover just enough to qualify for this list, while having a significant influence on rock music. Don't expect rappers on this list or metal vocalists who just scream or growl, but never actually sing. I am keen on singers who are derivative of other singers. The bulk of these are doing their own thing, the few paying tribute to other artists have still made enough of an impact with their music. Having a unique vocal quality is going to be one of the most important factors often trumping technical ability. If they sound too much like Steve Perry from Journey after listening to their vocal coach rather than developing their own style, it is also not going to fly. Some of these might have been ignored by mainstream music media, but by the time we get to the top 10, I am sure it will all make sense, so here are the Top 200 greatest rock singers.   

130 -Brett Campbell 

 Campbell's bright tenor brings a soaring contrast to his band's doomy crunch. He manages to do this with little pretense keeping power metal comparisons at bay. he has a great deal of power but uses it smoothly to allow his mournful melodies to ache rather than command.

   

 129-Zola Jesus

 Dark wave and post punk revivalists have been keen on emulating the voice of Siouxsie and when Nika Danilova first emerged from the witch house scene there was a hint of that to her voice her throaty belt has gain more colors as her career progressed into dancey regions of sound.

   

 128-Jarboe 

 Her most classic work is during her tenure lending her ghostly voice to Swans but has since sung on a wide variety of other dark music projects. One of the more influential singers of the dark music scene.  

127- Libby Lux 

 Her voice is what separates the Bridge City Sinners from the other punk rock train kids who picked up banjos in the last decade. She can go from a 20s jazz croon to black metal rasp all in the course of a song.

   

126-Eric Wagner 

There was something fragile and desperate to his voice when Wagner shrieked over the doom riffs of his band Trouble. There is more soul to his voice than most of the singers he would later inspire.

   

 125-Jeremy Enigk 

 He was way ahead of his time developing his style of singing that would be later thought of as emo. Three albums into the career of Sunny Day Realestate his range double along with the vocal colors he employed.

   

 124- Imogen Heap 

 Her vocal style is characterized by layers of harmonies. Something best left in the context of the studio which is why despite being influential she is not ranked higher. She does get credit for throwing her voice around in a less than mainstream manner.

   

 123-Farida Lemouchi 

 The singer of the Devil's Blood took what bands like Coven did before her and her brother and did it better.One of the few band's that were actually sincere in their desire to sing praises to darkness, Farida did so with passion and power.

   

 122-Miny Parsonz 

 The front woman of Royal Thunder utilizes her tremendous range with a great deal of power, that recalls metal singers of the 80s, but run through a filter of cigarette smoke and cheap hotel rooms.

   

121-Ike Willis 

 Frank Zappa was known for only employing the highest tier of musicians. Not being much of a singer himself, many of these tremedous talents had to step up to the mic on behalf of Frank, but Ike had the best pipes of them all with husky soulful voice that could easily flip over into a falsetto.

the Top 10 Doom Albums of 2020

I heard a so-called metal head say "I have had all the gloomy music I can take" when he cracked under the pressure of 2020. If I had been standing in front of him, I would have slapped the fucking taste from his mouth like the Bat-man & Robin meme. People are dying in 2020. I have been to 2 funerals myself. But I celebrate death, that is why I listen to doom. I mean the name of the genre says it all. If you are not down with despair then get the fuck out of here. Ok now that that is out of the way , much like in years past sort through the genre lists before making the overall top ten of the year list. I know many of you are ready for 2020 to be over with. Hate to break it to you but nothing is getting better next year. As far as 2020 goes there is only a couple new bands on this list. 

 The fact these artists made it on the list speaks to how great these albums are, so it's not a slight that the number 8 album is above the 9th album, there is something that just gives it an edge that makes me want to listen to it more. After all we can try to look cool and pick the hippest bands for a list, but at the end of the day what makes an album the best is that it makes you want more, you look forward to listening to it again. Sure you can bitch and complain about your favorite band not being on the list. However I listen to five new albums a day so yes I heard your favorite album and was not impressed. No I do not care what you think about it .I do hope you can find your next favorite on this list and have included links to reviews of these albums if you want to check out audio on these guys. Anyways here are the top 10 Doom albums of 2020

10-Candlemass -"Pendulum"

This is more of an honorable mention. These guys continue to be great at what they do. They have stuck to their guns . It might not be the most original sound when it comes to Swedish doom but it shows the new kids what is up/ 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2020/03/candlemass-pendulum.html

9- Aeonian Sorrow

This band from Finland is more of a gothic doom band that is influenced by funeral doom. The vocals are off between the male and female, yes there is a classic My Dying Bride influence and yes I am ok with that as the new My Dying Bride was a disappointment , did I ever think I would make a doom list with out My Dying Bride on it, so what does that say? 

 

8-Mountaineer - "Bloodletting" 

The post rock always rings twice with this progressive doom band. These guys are in no way coping shit from Black Sabbath or for that matter Paradise Lost, Jesus feels like it is more of a influence with the depressive croon of the vocals. This is fucking beautiful. 

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2020/05/mountaineer-bloodletting.html

 

7- Celestial Season - "the Secret Teachings" 

The melodic take on funeral doom this band from the Netherlands brings to the table has more than just a solid dose of goth to it. This is the album My Dying Bride wishes they put out this year. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2020/11/november-is-doom-celestial-season.html

6- Null- "Entity"

 Doom out of Iceland is a novel concept considering how they are known from for exporting black metal. There is plenty of black metal influence since these guys also play in Myspyring. The main mood is a dreary bleakness that is chilling. 

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2020/07/null-entity.html 

 

 

5-Paradise Lost - "Obsidian" 

They brought their goth side to the surface. In recent years they have worked off the death doom sound , even leaning more into the death metal side. This time they might have backed off the heavy to give the goth more room, and added to the weight of the songs in so doing. 

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2020/05/paradise-lost-obsidian.html

4- Draconian - " Under a Godless Veil" 

If I had known this band was going at it with the emotional and atmospheric intensity of the Gathering then I would have been listening to them more all this time. What matters is I am on the right page with them. While Paradise Lost put out a great album, it was a solid year for doom and this band brought a wider range to the table. 

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2020/11/november-is-doom-draconian-under.html

3-Dunwich- "Tail Tied Hearts" 

This Russian band is great. They blend an almost Rasputina like goth and set it against doom with black metal tendencies. Their singer really puts her voice to good uses going from a beguiling siren to shrieking witch. The mood is just right . This is the best band you do not know about.  

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2020/06/dunwich-tail-tied-hearts.html

  2- Pallbearer - " Forgotten Days" 

Yeah I know it is surprising they did not take the number one spot. It was a tough call and a great year for doom. I have listened and will continue to listen to this album a helluva lot. It stacks up against their already impressive body of work and in some ways is a return to the more metal sound of their first album.

  https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2020/10/pallbearer-forgotten-days.html

 

1- Witnesses - "Doom II"

The question many, myself included might ask in regards to how these guys took the top spot over Pallbearer can best be answered by saying.. they took more chances. It would have been easy to put out a typical funeral doom album with low growled vocals . They got a guy who is not even a metal singer. This breathed new life into the genre as the melodies and approach are way different to an emotional level as to what is refreshing and new about their sound. More than just melancholy or morning their is a desperation that is real and with little pageantry. Pallbearer made a great Pallbearer album, but it is hardly growth on this level. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2020/05/witnesses-doom-ii.html

Pallbearer : "Forgotten Days"

 We think sometimes that if a band went back to sounding like what they were like when we first heard them every thing would be right in the world. But growth is important and the best bands take us along for that ride. Pallbearer has been so far from traditional doom now that when they return to it on the title track that opens their new album , it confuses me. I speed the first few minutes think wait this is way Sabbathy for them what happened to the shoegazing. They do have a melodic middle section that is more like something from "Heartless" . The production is much rougher around the edges. This album has a raw density to it. There are some of the newer more relaxed sides of the band amid this more doomy raw rock dynamic for "Riverbad" .It doesn't feel as inspired on the second listen I give this album.  Before we go any further let me stress that this album should be heard with head phones. 

Three songs in and it's clear this is going to be a heavier album than "Heartless" .  There is a more rock swagger to some of the punches. They still have their angular puzzle of churning riffs. Brett Campbell's voice is more confident as it raises over the weight of the riffs. It also sits back more in the guitars . This allows the guitars to be more of a focal point thus adding to the weight of their riffs. The guitars sound great and really surround you with an organic warmth to their tone. "Silver Wings" is going to take more listens to fully absorb. The drums are going alot around it even though it's moving at a pace closer to funeral doom. At 12 minutes this is also the longest song. The first song that really grips me is "the Quicksand of Existing" it has a very powerful chug . Bret's vocals sound great against it . 

The heaviness does not stop there. They pound at you going into "Vengence & Ruination" . It is just weird to hear them playing within the confines of what you expect from doom after they have wandered so far out of the box. I think it's Campbell's vocals that sell me on these songs. I like the effects on them going into "Rite of Passage" which is straight up heavy metal , but incredibly well done. He uses a more relaxed vocal tone on the verses of the last song. This works well as it provides a dynamic shift. There have been synths coloring the corners the songs, but they are more noticeable here. While this return to the "Sorrow & Extinction" days took some getting used to at the end of the days these are great songs and I will give this album a 9.5. 

I could not wait and save this for the month of doom coming in just over a week, but if you are a fan of these guys check back with us for our November is  Doom month. 

the Top 10 Metal Albums of the Decade

Pulling from all the other  best of decade lists this is the over all best of metal albums list for the decade. The decade began before this blog was started , I can not just rely on sorting through previous reviews. 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.  Black metal certainly left it's mark on the decade , while only one actual black metal band is on this list there are 3 others with touches and influence of black metal or used to be black metal bands that grew into something else. This is not going to be  the most hipster of the lists that say Vice puts out, what matters is the fact; these are the albums I listened to the most. Any ways here are the Top 10 Metal   albums of the decade.


10-Goatwhore - "Blood For the Master " 2012













9-Morbid Angel - "Kingdoms Disdained" 2017 










7-Evoken- "Atra Mors" 2012











7- Agalloch - "Marrow of the Spirit" 2010 




 





6-Anthrax- "For All Kings"-












5-Iron Maiden- "the Final Frontier" 2010 











4- Shining- "Fodd Forlorare"  2011







3- Fistula- "Longing for Infection" 2016




 







2- Pallbearer -- "Foundations of Burden" 2014












1- Watain - "Lawless Darkness " 2010




 

the Top 10 Doom 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 dooms bands who just play slow death metal ,but bands with a broader sense of the morose . . 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 doom albums of the decade.


10-Khemmis - "Hunted" 2016








9-Shape of Despair - "Monotony Fields" -2015











8-Loss-"Despond" - 2011





 






7-Beastmaker-"Lusus Naturae" 2016






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6-Hangman's Chair-"banlieue triste"2018








5-Mournful Congregation- "Book of Kings" 2011  






4 Esoteric- "Paragon of Dissonance" 2012











3- Ahab-" the Giant" 2012 







2-Evoken- "Atra Mors-" 2012 







1- Pallbearer- "Foundations of Burden" - 2014

Deadbird : "III-The Forest Within the Tree"

Music plays a large role in my mental health for better of for worse. Sometimes it can allow me to fig deeper into depression, but when I am crawling out of my skin anxious I need to be brought down a little, funeral doom is the best for this, but I am still waiting on the new Evoken so this band out of Arkansas is going to have to do.  The vocals have a grungey Alice In Chains feel. The guitars are very much legit doom when they kick in. Very layered with clean strums thrown into the chords. While the first shade of vocals we get on this album are cleanly sung they do have grit to them rather than trying to make the melodies soar over the music. The second song might build into a "Children of the Grave" chug , but these guys are not simply Sabbath worshipers despite being a doom band. The howling of screamed vocals comes in midway into the second song.

They ride the lumbering drone of "Heyday" in a more Sleep like manner with it's monolithic fuzz. It does ebb down into a more melodic section. They roar back with more of a bull dozing sludge feel on " Alexandria" . It is a much more straight forward song . The bass leads into the instrumental "11:34", a cool idea that could have been worked into an actual song. The more brooding beginnings of "Brought Low" remind me of something Dax Riggs might have done. It has a slow dark simmer. It was beginning to become my favorite song on the album , until the howling vocals made it feel like they took the easy out dynamically. The clean vocals do return for the chorus and things stay relatively dark.  I think aside from pulling from the box of stock metal dynamics it might still be the albums best song.

There are some pretty powerful moments in the chug attack of " Bone & Ash". It is to the point and in your face. It even accelerates into a more punk fueled brand of sludge. I'll give this album a 9 and see how it sit with Me. The darker moments are really great, some of the more straight up sludge parts, just sound like you would expect that sort of thing to sound, though less Neurosis. The harsher vocals add to things and give a wider depth that Pallbearer doesn't venture into in terms of the range of heaviness, though Pallbearer has these guys in terms of melodies and the comparison is really due in part to the Arkansas connection, what makes those people love doom I do not know.

Top 10 Doom Albums of 2017

The competition was pretty harsh here. I found this year I tended to favor albums that broke the more traditional doom mold. Not a ton of funereal doom came out and the funereal doom albums on this list do not fit into that sub-genre neatly. Most of these were decided by referring to my Lastfm page in regards to how much I actually listened to these albums. Some grew on me more than others. I have included explanations as to why the albums sit where they do to clear any questions up.

10- With the Dead -"Love From the Dead"

With a similar heft the new album from Lee Dorian of Napalm Death/ Cathedral fame relived right from the the first few notes. Like a more hard core version of Tom Warrior the vocals are exclaimed with a shout and sometimes sung. It' hard to hear where the bass begins and the guitar ends as it's been mixed into one fuzzy frequency to create a very apocalyptic vibe fitting of the current tone of the world.

http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2017/09/with-dead-love-from-dead.html

9-Suffer in Paradise- "Ephemere"

 Dreary enough to help get you in the mood for the coming dark season the winter solstice usher in. I am always hungry for this kind of doom so the atmospheric melancholy is sweet to my ears. In the tradition of other bands I love like Evoken and Mournful Congregation. The songs have a beautiful creep to them. The atmosphere this Russian band creates is different from that of their predecessors as it is more steeped in a contrasting gentleness to the melodies. This greater sense of melody is why they beat out Lee and the boys.
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http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2017/10/gothtober-suffer-in-paradise-ephemere.html

8- Volur- "Ancestors"

This Canadian doom project features the Bass player from Blood Ceremony. Germanic chants coast over very melodic bass playing  drivings the song. The violin is occupying the space a guitar would sit order to create the atmosphere. Their unique sound that drones ,but is so pleasing to the ears that it doesn't bore you. Growled vocals come in but are not over done and do not plunge them into lowest common denominator metal.Their desire to forsake tradition is why they beat out Suffer in Paradise.

http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2017/06/volur-ancestors.html

7-Unsea- "Portals Into Futility" 


 They create a very thick the sound of despair. The drummer is a monster, making it clear they are not a doom band just because he can't play any faster, he plays around the hesitant riffs with a flurry of fills that still serve the song. The balance the beauty and brutality well with oppressive atmosphere. The dark dense heaviness beats out the more atmospheric Volur.


 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2017/09/usnea-portals-into-futility.html

 6- Monolord- "Rust"

 The new one from the Swedish trio, is a more melodic endeavor. While they have always used melodic vocals over thick walls of fuzzy riffs, they are now giving the vocals more room to breathe. This doesn't mean it's any less heavy. The guitars are still packed with all the density you would want from these guys. Obviously as with most doom band's Sabbath is a huge influence, but I can also here some hints of the more burly psychedelic garage bands that we now think of as proto-metal like Atomic Rooster or Blue Cheer.There is less of a question of why it beat Unsea when it comes to the quality of the song writing that transcends heaviness and more of a question of why did it get beat by Samsara and the answer is I am having to default to what LastFm says in regards to how much I have listened to it.


http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2017/08/monolord-rust.html

5- Samsara-"When the Soul Leaves the Body" 

 Slovakian metal is gaining ground now when it comes to doom. The proof lies in this band Samsara who has a big majestic sound, when they pick up the pace into a chug the results are without a doubt powerful. This album has everything you could want from a doom album which is why they beat Monolord and proof of how the top four went even above and beyond that.


 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2017/05/samsara-when-soul-leaves-body.html

4-Loss- "Horizonless"

 So everything you liked about "Despond" is present, but the production is much fuller and shows they have gone the extra mile to expand their sound. The scope of what they do here is breath taking.This is their heaviest moment yet.

 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2017/05/loss-horizonless.html

3-Heavydeath- "Sarcophagus in the Sky"


The lines between death metal and doom are much clearer on this album. In fact this would border that where doom and sludge meet more than death metal .The vocals are low and gruff , but not totally growled going into the ten minute opening. It does build into more of a moving rumble, but stays pretty satisfied in its own shadows. Was feeling these songs a little more than the sprawling effort of Loss which is why this album sits at number 3.


 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2017/11/heavydeath-sarcophagus-in-sky.html

2- Pallbearer- "Heartless" 


 Things have changed , but this is very much still the same band just venturing further down the road away from the sub-genre funeral doom they came from. I questioned if this was even a doom album, but there lies the genius of their songwriting as it does have that bleak despondent outlook even when bathed in transcendent light of the soaring melodies. This boundless sound is why they beat out the more obvious metal of Heavydeath.

 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2017/03/pallbearer-heartless.html

1- Atriarch- "Dead as Truth" 


 Portland master's of black hearted gloom are back. It lurches with metallic aggression while Lenny makes commanding declarations about a spiraling emotional state. The more death rock like croon comes in followed by a more black metal like scowling. So right from the first song they waste no time using and array of vocal colors. Since vocals are the first thing I key in on this obviously makes me very happy...in thee grimmest manner possibly. These guys once once prove that darkness alone can make you sonically heavy. Creeping along at more of a doom pace, with a darkness that would appeal to fans of black metal, this often made it hard for me to figure out what genre to consider this album, but the mourning is for the state of the world and this is it's requiem making this doom and solidly crushing Pallbearer.


http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2017/07/atriarch-dead-as-truth.html

Top 10 Metal Albums of 2017... so Far

Where has 2017 gone? It seems like the year has passed us by in a cloud of internet hatred and bickering. So with that comes the need for heavy music. Black Metal, Doom, Death Metal and Thrash are all represented to some extent. The number one slot was determined by what Last Fm said I listened to the most. If you want to check out more on any of the following bands just use the link to the review. At the end of the day we shall see how these albums hold up over the next six months. So far only the top five still maintain their spots in my Ipod, though that is not to say I won't go back and give the others another listen.

10- Ever Circling Wolves -"Of Woe, or How I learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Gloom"

This band from Finland is certainly worth championing due to their originality. This doesn't mean they have forsaken key components for metal and twisted them into something no recognizable to the average metal head in a Morbid Angel t-shirt. After a three minute introductory instrumental that throw some melodic death metal at you that is mid to doom paced. The organic guitar tones allow the riffs to breathe and the notes to remain distinguishable. This album's production certainly lends it self to supporting their adventurous style of songwriting.

http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2017/01/ever-circling-wolves-of-woe-or-how-i.html

9-Emptiness-"For Music"

Wow! these guys are so different from anything out there the newness is easy to get immersed in. To the point the first song just sounded awesome because it didn't sound like anything in recent memory so it won me over without me ever stopping to ask is this song good. There is more groove to "It Might Be". Twiggy Ramirez produced this and I am not sure why Marilyn Manson hasn't been letting him handled everything .

http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2017/01/emptiness-for-music.html

8- Ragana -You Take Nothing"

This two piece out of Oakland has returned with a moodier yet more feral vision of black metal mixed with crust. "To Leave" places more emphasis on atmosphere and ringing guitar melodies than the more deliberate opener. They do blast off towards the end of the second song. One thing they have going for them is their songs are very concise and streamlined never feeling like bloated drones. The two longest songs are six and a half minutes.These gals prove they are capable of hitting you with varied colors and tempos.

http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2017/04/ragana-you-take-nothing.html


7-Volur -"Ancestors"

The Canadian doom project features the Bass player from Blood Ceremony. Germanic chants coast over very melodic bass playing  drivings the song. It takes a minute to realize that the Guitar is not sitting back it's actual the violin occupying the space a guitar would sit order to create the atmosphere. They have a very unique sound that drones ,but is so pleasing to the ears that it doesn't bore you.

http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2017/06/volur-ancestors.html

6- Samsara - "When the Soul Leaves the Body"



Slovakian metal is gaining ground now when it comes to doom. The proof lies in this band Samsara who has a big majestic sound, when they pick up the pace into a chug the results are without a doubt powerful. This is poised to be be one of the best doom albums of the year.

http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2017/05/samsara-when-soul-leaves-body.html

5-Bathsheba- "Servus"

Here is the doom I have been looking for. These are the thoughts inspired by the weighty riffs that opens the new album from this Belgian band. The fact the clean vocals are so dominate works for me  she can pull out some more snarled harsher vocals , which are effectively used. The pace picks up out of the realms of doom into something more blast beaten  when it slows down into a more deliberate and powerful drive it should make you  believer.

http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2017/01/bathsheba-servus.html

4-Pallbearer -"Heartless".

So things continue to change The vocals are even more upfront in the mix on this one. As they should be as the vocals are really killing it, though the guitar is taking a back seat that makes me think this album might be heavier if they were pushed forward or maybe I am not listening to it loud enough yet. "Thorns' is a logical step from where they were on "Foundations of Burden". There are plenty of those angular riffs snaking themselves around the songs .

http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2017/03/pallbearer-heartless.html

 

3-Loss- Horizonless

So here is everything you liked about “Despond” , but made heavier by fuller production. The guttural gurgle of vocals remains, but over the course of the album more vocal colors have been added. There is a  more scathing higher pitched black metal like snarl that explodes out of " the Joy of All Who Sorrow". They even give me the creepy  lower  baritone that I grew up loving as a poor goth child. This album is a triumph by the band and everything I can want out of this brand of doom.


http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2017/05/loss-horizonless.html

 

 2 - Tombs -"The Grand Annihilation"

 I think it's obvious that this is the soundtrack the world needs right now. The album is almost split into two parts on the front end If you thought the more post-punk elements were diluting the more metallic properties then make most mistake this part of the  album is up in you as metal as it gets. Then if your tastes fall more on the dark side as mine do than you have to hang on and your get that too.

http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2017/06/tombs-grand-annihilation.html

1- Goatwhore-"Vengeful Ascension"

 They continue to kill it on their 7th album.>Sure there is not a wild deviation from their sound, but the song writing is more focused and highlights the band's strength and energy. This might also be one of the band's most melodic albums. It seems like they have more readily embraced their death metal side. So in the swirl of hybrid sub-genres that make this band up death metal is the predominant ingredient this go around. The second song "Under the Flesh, Into the Soul" finds more of the blackened thrash like sound that has colored the past two albums. There are some pretty hooky riffs, and it would make you think that my rule of "cool riffs alone , don't make a good song" would hit a band like this hard. This is not the case as a key component to their song writing is having every thing is the perfect place.

http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2017/05/goatwhore-vengeful-ascension.html

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