the Top 10 Death Metal Albums of 2018

It is that time again. I find it to be easier to go ahead and bust mine out before I started sending out other more generalized lists out to other blogs. This helps me get my thoughts sorted for those. It was when I began compiling this that I realized I was going to have to set the bar a little lower for death metal as their was more quantity than quality, so while I would not normally consider albums that scored under a 9 when first reviewed , that is what I was going to be forced to resort to for this as there were no death metal albums that scored a 10. Is death metal dying? That is the question we will learn the answer to in the coming year. I not only used 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 ? I have assembled a broad cross section of sub-genres, there is some progressive and technical death metal, actually four albums cross over into a more progressive place at some juncture. Some are old school, along with a few newer acts. The veterans normally have more to live up to , but there is only one band here that I have been following for any substantial length of time. 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 death metal albums of 2018.

10-At the Gates : "To Drink From the Night Itself" 


 The Swedish Death Metal icons return with their sixth album which finds Lurking Fear guitarist Jonas Sthalhammar joining an otherwise close to original line up. They were so head of their time that rehashing where they have already ventured is going to sound like modern death metal. They always carried a thrashing slant to their brand of melodic death metal.This well done as they manage to still be relevant.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/05/at-gates-to-drink-from-night-itself.html

9- Bloodbath: "the Arrow of Satan is Drawn" 


 This death metal super group of sorts that features members of Opeth, Katatonia and Paradise Lost. This release feels like there is more heft than the first one that featured the Paradise Lost vocalist. They get real fucking serious as their is more of a weighty grind to this album.it's a very solid piece of death metal proving they know how to please their fans being as it is one of their heaviest albums yet.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/11/bloodbath-arrow-of-satan-is-drawn.html

8-Cult Leader - "a Patient Man" 

 It seems like a more spastic form of death metal with hard core sensibilities.In the absence of Nails , I will certainly take this to help fill that void. I do like how this album is as heavy sonically as it is metal. While it is not the album of the year, I think it's one of the stronger albums of this ilk, which we will call death metal despite the 3 songs with clean singing.


 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/11/cult-leader-patient-man.html

7- Obscura-"Diluvium"

 Until I heard this album there were on four "progressive" death metal bands I thought were worth a shit. Cynic, Pestilence, Opeth, Edge of Sanity...ok maybe four then so let's see if these guys can be the fourth I don't always have to have death metal sounding like Morbid Angel or Incantation, what they are doing here works just fine for me. At the end of the day the album might have a ton of busy work , but its still pretty solid as the cool parts out weigh the bloat



 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/07/obscura-diluvium.html

6-Soliloquium : "Contemplations"


I am opposed to mixing death metal elements with doom, in fact this band from Sweden does it well. The take the power of death metal and give a punch to the mourning atmosphere of doom. They are not just playing slow death metal and trying to pass it off as doom. The bass does some interesting things when the guitar gives the songs room to breathe.it's way better than expected when I checked it out on a whim thinking it was going to be doom. If you miss the band Opeth used to be on "Orchid" then this is worth your time or if you want dark melodic death metal of any kind then it's also worth your time.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/04/soliloquium-contemplations.html

 


5-Usurpress -" Interregnum"


 This proggy death metal band out of Sweden, is what you are looking for if you want the emphasis on the metal when it comes to your prog metal. I don't listen to as much of this kind of thing as I once did , but if this was 2003, I would have been all over this. Despite the fact that is asks me to go back to the place when I was really into Opeth, there is no denying these guys excel at what they do.


 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/01/usurpress-interregnum.html

4-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

3-Horrendous -"Idol"

They are very capable of pulling out some catchy head banging grooves so it's not all math and mirrors. I have grown to like this album a little more with each listen It's head and shoulders over most of the death metal I have heard this year and I have heard a lot as I am trying to get caught up for me end of the year lists. If you like your death metal to challenge you with it's high dexterity score then this album is a must. It's even a must for just plain ole death metal fans
https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/11/horrendous-idol.html

2- 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

1- 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

Bloodbath - "the Arrow of Satan is Drawn"

A death metal super group of sorts that features members of Opeth, Katatonia and Paradise Lost. This release feels like there is more heft than the first one that featured the Paradise Lost vocalist. They get real fucking serious on the weighty grind driving "Bloodicide". Sometimes it sounds like they almost feel obligated to speed things up.These songs work better when they are hitting you with more of a Celtic Frost feel. The chugs can be massive here and the guitar tone is just sick. Lyrically it's all a mute point and almost a heavy metal parody."Wayward Samaritan ' has an almost rock n roll feel like a Slipknot song gone off the rails and a more death metal vocal. You can kinda hear more of the doomy old Katatonia sound in "Leviator" . It has a lot of punch to it, but there is something angular and awkward about the riff. There is no mistaking the fact that the song's strongest moments are the ones that bear the most likeness to Morbid Angel.

"Deader" is pretty straight forward and grinding, not saying it's grindcore, it just feels like that is what the riff is doing. There is less punishment though "March of the Crucifers" has a massive wall of density that almost grooves. Midway into this album and I am pretty certain it's heavier than their previous album. Not a deal sealer with me as I don't live off heaviness alone, but know that new will thrill fans of the band and death metal in general. By the time we get to "Morbid Antichrist" it's beginning to take on a more uniform sound to me. I will give them credit these songs are all very compact and hit you hard and then are over , not droning or drawing anything out to make the attack more urgent. There is another hint of rock n roll to "Warhead Ritual". Not that they are turning into the Rolling Stones, their is just more of a melodic nuance than pure sonic violence death metal is known for.

The syncopated stomp of "Only The Dead Survive" is pretty powerful and also allows for a vulgar display of double bass. Considering what big pussies Opeth has become it's good to hear that their drummer still has metal in his heart and is just collecting a pay check. Even though it does not possess the dense heaviness of the previous song "Chainsaw Lullaby" has more grit to it. It might not be reinventing death metal but this song gives most fans of the genre what they are looking for in a manner that is brutal, but still done with a musical sense of class. I can hear touches of Entombed in what they are doing, but I guess that comes with your blood if you are from Sweden, it's better than if they sounded like Dark Tranquility. I'll give this album an 8.5 it's a very solid piece of death metal and fans of this band will be pleased it is one of their heaviest albums yet.

Paradise Lost : "Medusa"

Most metal bands will tell you their new album is heavier. From the sound of the first song this might be true. The sung goth vocals come in to bring them out of the more death metal direction it seems this album starts off in. There is a little more of a lumbering doom feel to "Gods of Ancient" due to the more mournful feel that competes with the aggression of the growled vocals. These guys are obviously old pros, the guitar tones are dialed in to give the needed crunch and the drums pack the punch  required for this kind of music though the double bass is mixed back a bit and doesn't trample you. There is more of a gallop to "From the Gallows" . This gives them more of a death metal feel. They do return to doom on the title track which is largely sung. The singing shows great signs of improvement when he slides up out of his Peter Steele like baritone into an upper register. They pass through similar doomy waters on the title track, that also finds the vocals being really strong and some of the best that I have heard from Nick Holmes.

"No Passage For the Dead" splits the difference between being death metal and doom. The guitars are more doom with death metal vocals. It's a decent song but not the album's strongest. "Blood & Chaos" displays on of the album's best trade offs between harsh vocals and sung vocals. Things get progressively darker on "Until the Grave". Though this song finds the riffs getting a little murky and until the melodic chordal breakdown nothing really standing out. The guitar solo does add to the song here and give the feeling of helping the song climax rather than just wanking. The tempo drops to a more morbid mood opening "Frozen Illusion". It feels like slow death metal rather than doom, there is even a wink to Celtic Frost thrown in. This is one of the band's rawest and heaviest moments. The vocals get nastier than I recall Holmes typically getting, but he is in Bloodbath now. So that seems to have influenced this album.

The sung vocals return on "Shrines". This is another melodic death metal moment that sounds like it could have come from the late 90s. That's not a bad time as it was a great time for death metal. I am not sure the growled vocals on the chorus make for the most memorable moment. The album ends with what at first sounds like it will be a  more straight up metal anthem with "Symbolic Virtue" . When the vocals kick in for the verse, it breaks down into a piano part. The chorus is pretty strong and the sung vocals continue to excel, possessing more of a gothic tone. I'll round this one up to a 9.5 as it gets better each time I listen to it.

Witherscape :"the Northern Sanctuary"

I haven't checked in much on Post - Edge of Sanity  Dan Swano in recent year, despite being a fan of  Edge of Sanity.  So I am going into this hoping that kind of vibe is what this band is about.  The first few songs are along the lines of a heavier Symphony X without all the wanking, The vocal trade off is similar yet Swano can go into actual death metal growl." In the Eyes of Idols" packs much more of a punch. At times  this project might remind you of Opeth, but keep in mind Edge of Sanity came before Opeth so Akerfeldt was influenced by Swano. There is more rock injected into "Rapture Ballet" complete  with  Evergrey like vocal melodies that even hold hints of W.A.S.P in the phrasing. There are some power ballad like moments at are contrasted by death metal sections. After the  which first song it doesn't accelerate into anything monstrous, opting to marry almost  Whitesnake like melodies to  crunching build ups.

For me the more ballads scratch the itch that Iced Earth once hit. Most power metal is too happy for me and never packs the punch I want it too. Here these guys are not heavy like death metal despite   Swano pulling out some powerful growled vocals, At times the music swirls behind him more like the Cure. There is more of a prog metal groove to "Divinity". "God of Ruin" returns  to more melodic territory and hard rock vocal passages. The more impassioned vocals that come at the two minute mark are really strong. Under other circumstances many of the parts to this puzzle would come across as being cheesy if used in a different context.


The title track  that closes the album is 13 minutes long. Four minutes in things get pretty heavy as far as this brand of melodic-death metal goes. They also get pretty proggy too. "Blackwater Park"i a good frame of reference for how heavy things get, before they coast of into the trippy waves of 70s prog synths. If you are like me and don't give a fuck about a new Opeth coming out because those guys have become pussies, then you will appreciate the more metal moments captured with this album. I'll give it a strong 8.5. Century Media will be releasing this July 22nd.



7

Bloodbath: "Grand Morbid Funereal

This Swedish death metal band is a super group of sorts. Most of the members are from two bands that are no longer playing metal Opeth and Katatonia. I think my feelings about Katatonia are pretty well known on this site, after all we even interviewed their drummer. Opeth however...well lets say I couldn't get through the album in order to review it. So taking the sum of it's parts into consideration  and adding Paradise Lost vocalist into the equation, the result are surprisingly pretty straight forward. I'm not sure when the last time was that listened to Paradise Lost, I'm guessing the 90's. So  I really only Holmes from when the band made the awkward transition over into clean vocals. He is relativly convincing here.

"Total Death Exhumed" is the first song that really catches my attention. It has some catchy riffage. The intro to "Anne" really sounds like Morbid Angel. Which is not a bad thing. It means there has to be a heavy hook in the mix somewhere. It goes without saying this album is well played. The last time I caught these guys Akerfeldt was still growling for them. It never hit me that Jonas was playing bass for them. He is pretty buried in the mix. For the drummer to be a member of Opeth I expect a little more bombast and flash from him, but it's the guitar that dominates this album. They don't have your typical Swedish sound as this does not sound like Dissection or At the Gates.

They take a doomier turn on "Church of Vasitas". The crunch only last for so long until it takes an even deeper grind. The vocal accents on this one are pretty grime spewing. Though the rest of the album is very big and sparkling in it's production, which you would expect given the status of the members. I remember wondering when I saw Nick was singing for them, if this was going to come with a goth metal sound, but that is pretty minimal. "Famine of God's Word" continues to beat you with old school Morbid Angel style death metal. What is interesting is that most younger bands who take influence from Morbid Angel want to sound like Altars of Madness era, where as the veterans have more of a "Covenant" thing going on here. However neither guitarist is really much of a shredder. The stabs at it that they do take on songs like  "Mental Abortion" is  pretty effective for a dynamic shift. Other some of the beats are really straight forward. the punches in the chorus make up for this in "Mental Abortion and other spot in the album.. They do lean on that very punk snare beat, that Metallica made popular on Kill "Em All.

One of the album's hardest hitting songs is "Beyond cremation" that almost has a black metal feel to it. This is also one of the first songs the drummer gets to cut loose on. Normally for this sort of thing the drummer is really in the spot light, you would think more so as the verse riff has a tinge of Slayer to it. "His Infernal Necropsy" has to darken things up with a title like that. The Morbid Angel returns on this song. The lyrics for this album seem like the same horror movie like take on the occult. The band does go ape shit from the onset of "Unite in Pain" before locking into one of the albums best moments which is the Reign in Blood like chug that leads in.It sets the rest of the band up to punch a hook into your face. The straight ahead path they are on begins to wear on me by the times the blast beats of "My Torturer" kick up. When it slows down into the solo it's more tolerable.

The title track that closes the album out is a pretty massive chug. The robotic effects on the vocals are pretty cool. I thin if they had pulls more of these kind of tricks out of there sleeves the album would have have more dynamic scope. Some of the gothy samples go down on this one creating a very "Where the Slime Live" type of feeling when the rest of the band kicks in. Overall pretty meat and potatoes, if you are a fan of the band then don't fear, Nick is well behaved and leaves the goth at home. I'll give it a 7.5 as it could stand to be a little more adventurous considering this is the Swedish Metal cream of the crop. Fans of the band go ahead and tack on another point.


7.7