The Top 15 Albums of 2013

Here is the cream of the crop from 2013



15-Tribulation - the Formulas of Death

For a death metal band to have made this list, it says something about the fact they aren't afraid to drift into jamming.



14-Voi Vod- Target Earth

The Canadian metal masters did it again. Why they beat Tribulation for this spot ? These metal veterans are more refined songwriters.



13-Altar Of Plagues -Teethed Glory & Injury

Sadly the project's swan song right when they found the perfect sound.Why it beat out Voi Vod?  Has more kick.


12-Savages- Silence Yourself

These gals take the Siouxsie influence and meld into into their own punchy sound. Why it beat out Altar of Plagues? Tighter songs that demanded more listens.



11- Skinny Puppy - Weapon

More synth driven with with EDM friendly beats. Why is beat out Savages? Cooler grooves



10-the Black Heart Rebellion-Har Nevo

Dark and primal, heavy but not quiet metal , this former hard core bands matures in the best way possible.Why is beat out Skinny Puppy? More organic warmth that bred more feelings.



9-Loss Of Self- Twelve Minutes

If you  compared these guys to Deafheaven and dismissed this band , then you have really missed out.  Why They beat out Black Heart Rebellion? Heavier and more  anguished, yet ambient.



8-Merchandise-Totale Nite

Normally I don't like e.p.s , but I will take whatever I can get from this Florida band. Why they beat out Loss of Self? They would have ranked higher but this is just an e.p.



7- Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds-Push the Sky Away

Cave keeps it classy, respecting his legacy. Why it beat out Merchandise? It was a full length album.



6-Sigur Ros - Kveikur

The Icelandic band comes down from the clouds to add some balls to their new album. Why it beat out Nick Cave? They songs had more movement to them them.



5- In Solitude -Sister

These Swedes grew into their own and put the Merciful Fate comparisons to rest. Why iy beat out Nick Cave?  Rocked harder.



4-Beastmilk -Climax

They took the whole post-punk resurgence and made it more balanced from every end of the sonic spectrum. Why it beat out In Solitude? Catchier songs.



3- Watain - the Wild Hunt

How could they out do themselves after Lawless Darkness? They didn't try. They took the next logical step forward in their spiritual journey.  Why it beat out In Solitude?  Last Fm said I listened to it ten times more.



2-David Bowie - The Next Day

It's not Bowie's best album, but it's pretty impressive that he still has it at 66. Why it beat out Watain? Well this is David Bowie, so this singing chops are better than everyone else on this list.



1-Chelsea Wolfe- Pain is Beauty

Wolfe goes even darker on this painfully beautiful album. She knows how she wants her voice to haunt the songs, then wails like a desperate siren detoxing off dope.  Why did she beat David Bowie? This was a tough call, but in terms of who took more chances and evolved their sound it goes to Wolfe.

2013's Top 15 Metal Albums

 Here's the top 15 albums of the year, despite some of the score a few of these albums got over the course of the year, they grew on me or smacked me right from the get go.These all demanded enough listens to secure their place in the crowded confines of my iPod.



15- Castevet-Obsian

This New York band crafted a find slab of experimental blackish metal, that did not lean too much on overdone blast beats.



14- Lycus- Tempest

Beautiful funeral doom that served as the perfect soundtrack to some of the year's more depressing moments.



13- Aosoth - An Arrow In Heart

The French continued to bring it this year, with some deathly blackness.



12-Cara Neir -Portals to a Better, Dead World

Weird crusty black metal with punk attitude out of Texas.



11- Batillus- Concrete Sustain

This New York band's crushing release combined industrial with dirty sludge.



10-Ihsahn - Das Seelenbrechen

Former Emperor front-man experiments with his solo sounds and continues to push the envelope forward.



9 -Darkthrone- the Underground Resistance

Black Metal veterans revisited the New Wave of British Heavy Metal and didn't break any new ground but had a lot of fun.



8-Deafheaven -Sunbather

If they continue to drift further into the dream land, this might be the last time you see them on this list , as they will have officially crossed over into not being a metal band. But this album did a great job of riding the line.



7-An Autumn For Crippled Children-Try Not to Destroy Everything You Love

Another artist who rode the line to the edge of what we think metal can be .



6-Tribulation - the Formulas of Death

This album really grew on me and after seeing them live it all clicked further into place. They are a death metal band who isn't afraid to drift into jamming.



5-Voi Vod- Target Earth

The Canadian metal masters did it again, even after losing their long time guitarist Piggy. This album shows the kids how to do thrashing sci-fi metal right.



4-Altar Of Plagues -Teethed Glory & Injury

Another album that continued to grow on me as it demanded repeat listens. Sadly it's the project swan song right when they found the perfect sound.



3-Loss Of Self- Twelve Minutes

If you just read reviews comparing these guys to Deafheaven and dismissed this band , then you have really missed out. They blend black metal with some very dark sonic elements and are nothing short of awesome.



2- In Solitude -Sister

This album gave the number one album a run for its black soul. I had to check Last Fm to see which one I listened too more. These Swedes grew into their own and put the Merciful Fate comparisons to rest.



1- Watain - the Wild Hunt

How could they out do themselves after Lawless Darkness? They didn't try. They took the next logical step forward in their spiritual journey. This album continues to unfold with each listen. The word occult has be thrown around in metal this year, it means hidden and that is what this album uncovers where others pretend

Loss of Self : "Twelve Minutes"

To dismiss this bands as being Deafheaven wannabes is selling yourself short. Comparisons can be drawn to Deafheaven, but  this band from  Melborne, is darker and more prone to wander into shoegazing territory. Tracks from their demo,  that founds it's physical copies quickly consumed, are remastered and found on here as well.

The vocals when they go into the scathing sneer, do have a tonal quality similar to that of Deafheaven, but they are not limited to that register going into lower growls.The first two minutes of  "Free Intelligence" they lay the blasty mcnasty on thick, and then float off into a more melodic guitar line in the final minute. "the Inheritance" is under two minutes and holds onto the narcotic sway of shoegaze for most of the song before building into cavernous and rawer black metal than what Deafheaven is about.

The guitars take on almost more of an indie rock jangle on Isolt, as dynamic smartly written song, with moody layers than encompass more than melancholy even though there is a reflective sadness to how the chords ring out, the vocals get even more tortured here reminding me more of Depressive Suicidal Black Metal in the way they gurgle. The bass playing here gets some props as well, for it finds melodies beneath the guitar in a way most black metal bands don't.

The use of clean vocals on this album is very interesting in they are buried behind the sonic layers and low-post-punkish, think Joy Division when they are audible, but mostly come across like a distant chant that makes you wonder if your ears are playing tricks on you when listening to "Paradise Overgrown" . The bass and drums add qa punchy throb to shove the murky mass of guitars forward.

The blast returns on "the Mind, Its Form and Function" though a minute in they give you breathing room. The recording is interesting lo-fi, in a way that will appeal to fans of raw black metal and are stuck in the cvlt sounds , but there are many sonic layers. There is a lot going on here and it takes a few listens to take it all in.On "Seidiltz" this is done in a weird tempo riff that the riff of the band swirls around, it slows and ebb and flow is steered into another direction, creating a sound that is very unique to this band, almost like a Sonic Youth of black metal.

"There Must Be Great Wisdom" touches back onto the more indie rock sounds even though there are screaming echoing over it. The drummer and the bass player are really locked into a drunken dance around it all. Aside from the screaming , the first half of the song there are no elements of black metal, even when the faster drumming kicks in their is a strange haze shimmering over everything, with elements of noise rock. The title track, takes a bizarre sonic middle ground with the My Bloody Valentine elements coating everything even when the metal roars to life after the first minute. When they go full speed ahead with the blasting it almost feels like they are taking the easy way out when it compared to the creative paths they have taken their sound.   I'll go ahead and around this album up to a 10 and expect to see it popping up somewhere on my metal albums of the year list , depending on how it grows on me.




7.8