GODTHRYMM : "Projections"

 This band's last album cracked the top 5 doom albums of 2023. They have always been solid, so hopes are high for this one. It starts off with the kind of commanding chug you want from metal, with the vocals carrying both grit and brooding, while still capable of the more melodic soaring vocals that bands like Solitude Aeternus and Trouble have employed.  Two of these guys hail from My Dying Bride, yet they are not digging into that brand of dark sorrow and doing their own thing, putting more of an epic-metal foot forward.

"Truth In My Own" falls more along the lines of traditional than doom, though it's a darker take on traditional metal. The trade-off with the female vocals adds a chilling layer of atmosphere to the otherwise powerful, double-bass-driven charge. "The Sun Never Fell" is more along the lines of what you expect from doom, with its more mournful tone. The vocals are more melodic and solemn. It wanders into some sonic spaces that bring Palbearer to mind. The doomy vibes carry over into "Endure My Skin."This is coupled with a deeper sense of languid melody. The use of harsher vocals works well here as they are not expected.

"Jewels" is the most accessible thing I've heard from them, with a more rock n roll feel on the verses. This is contrasted with the heavier direction of the last song, which is still not so oppressive that the vocals don't have room to soar as needed. Her vocals are more hypnotic n this one to juxtapose the hammering intensity of the drums. All the pieces fell in line perfectly for them here, as it is well-balanced, making this the band's best effort to date. I will give it a 10. Out May 29th on Profound Lore.

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The Top 10 Doom Albums of 2024

 

I love to celebrate death and darkness, Doom is the music that should not only embrace a sense of loss and depression but sonically express it. These are the albums that did that best captured that feeling this year.   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 Doom albums of 2024.

10-Slower - ""s/t" 

 This supergroup features Fu Manchu, Kylesa, Monolord, Kyuss, Year of the Cobra, and Lowrider members. They are not just a Slayer tribute band reimagining the songs at more Black Sabbath-like speeds, With a song like "War Ensemble" this really reconstructs things in such a way that it feels like they have written a new song, as there are only sections that remind you of the original version. Female vocals hat harmonized feel more like a chant on the now lumbering thrash classics.  

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/01/slower-st.html

9-Hail Darkness - "Death Divine" 

Lead singer Jez, has a commanding croon that sits them somewhere between Coven and Windhand. Her melodies are strong and slither well between the Sabbath-like lumber of the fuzzed-out riffs. They are at their best when cranking things out with a more '60s flare. This album sounds great and tries new things with the genre to break it from a rut. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/08/hail-darkness-death-divine.html

 

8-Bleed This Earth - "The Shapes That Stood in Silence" 

 This doom band from New Zealand manages to work groove into their dirge. The vocals are cleanly sung but don't shy from growls as needed . The song builds in with a slow but solid burn. When harsher vocals snarl into action they are still very articulated phrasing. The depressing narrative is just as important as getting loud. I appreciate their commitment to storytelling.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/08/bleed-this-earth-shapes-that-stood-in.html

7-Aivvass -"Spiritual Archives" 

. Musically it goes from a  Death in June-like neo-folk to death doom. The metallic guitars carry a melancholy throb more than the standard commanding stomp to kick the door down that you might expect from a metal band. The vocals are a low monstrous growl and haunting melodies in the background counterbalance this.  Sung vocals are mixed in the background and performed in a manner that creates a chanting-like ambiance. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/06/death-is-june-aivvass-spiritual-archives.htmls

6- Sarajah- "s/t' 

You do not think of Finland being the birthplace of a doom band. Sure there is plenty of Black Metal, but not bong-laden hymns like what is being unpacked here. The guitar is the most Sabbathy thing going here. The singer has that qualuded out Ozzy drawl, but he has obviously listened to Eric Wagner-era Trouble as well. His voice is not as piercing of a tenor as Ozzy or Eric. This plays in his favor. When he croons from his chest register there is more of a Candlemass tone. But unlike that band, they are not dragging out sprawling dirges and stick to concise stoner grooves. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/11/november-is-doom-sarajah-st.html

5-Haunted - 'Stare at Nothing' 

This Italian band mixes a perfect amount of atmosphere with their take on Doom Metal. Christia's vocals offer nuance and power. An ebb and flow of dynamics gives it an almost  90s loud-to-soft formula. They find a great balance of the kind of heavy you want from this genre, without conforming and bringing their own sense of ambiance to things.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/11/november-is-doom-haunted-stare-at.html

4-Aiwaz - "Darrkh… It Is!" 

The  full-length debut from this German duo features the vocalist from Wheel, handling vocals. Harsher vocals surface eventually but the bulk of the vocals are sung with a velvety croon. This emotive take on epic doom sometimes touches a place similar to Solitude Aeturnus, it is very well done, and they put melody first with great singing to drive the point home. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/11/november-is-doom-aiwaz-darrkh-it-is.html

3-My Dying Bride- 'A Mortal Binding" 

The band's 14th full length, stays true to who they are, without being predictable. It ranges from morose doom to the dark vein of death metal they helped create, along with more melodic goth rock with major depression.  The wailing tones of the violin weeps over the low-end crunch. They continue to prove themselves better than what most doom bands are doing these days and preserve their legacy well.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/03/my-dying-bride-mortal-binding.html

 

2-Guhts- "Regeneration" 

This album from the Brooklyn-based doom band carries a bleak throb that their vocalist Amber Gardner drifts over with a lighter less metallic delivery that quivers with a desperation more common in punk. Things get progressively darker as the downtrodden haze washes over you

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/03/guhts-regeneration.html

1-Witnesses - "Joy" 

 Despite my preference for Kody Ternes as the vocalist, things changed, and  Bibby from Seventh Angel is handling the vocals this time around. He is more of a metal singer than Ternes, he does make melodic choices that think outside of the power metal box, some doom singers lean toward. His voice grew on me.  Not as dark as some of their previous work the album deals more with self -actualization. There is a highly emotive nature they invoke with the atmosphere. It is one of Greg Schwan's strengths as a songwriter. Things are very dynamic, with the vocals soaring above it all. They once again excelled, and f you are a doom fan who enjoys melody then this album is a must.  This band is onto something and it is one of the more original expressions of doom I have heard in a minute. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/11/november-is-doom-witnesses-joy.html

ÆVANGELIST : "Perdition Ekstasis Meta"

 

This is the 4th album we have reviewed for this project. It seems like they are making music that is just as dismal and seething with darkness as previous releases. When things kick in it's apparent from the drum programming that there is a more industrial feel to this album. There is a mesmerizing throb, that shares some sonic ground with artists like Blut Aus Nord.  The nightmarish collage of sounds is impressive for the dense hypnosis of layers they weave around your ears. The vocalist from Anorexia Nervosa continues the growls to this album, which falls into more of an experimental death metal realm, despite its lack of double bass. However aggression is not this project's mission statement, it feels like they are more committed to delving into creepy unsettling hymns of Lovecraft-like madness 

Sometimes their deranged musical portraits are more song-oriented than others, It does not always play to their favor if being weighed against songs vs sounds, as "Endura" is more abstract and sounds like it should be background music for a haunted house. I would caution against smoking weed while listening to this as you might scare yourself.  Thins come together as marginally more of a cohesive song for "Wicked Flesh to Spirit Sublimate". Things still shift abstractly with lots of sound swirling around you but no solid metallic spin until the drums kick in. at the end. There is more of a beat to "Metaphor of Ominous Silence" so it moves with more purpose. This pulse makes it more of a song, but the bubbling atmosphere largely drowns it out without a closer listen. 

There is more of a black metal feel to "Reflected in the Angel's Blade". It converges into an actual riff that fights its way through the hellish ambiance that tries to consume, aligning more with death metal/ Things ebb down for the spacious mood of "Plague Blood Redemption". There is no point trying to discern what these songs are about as the vocals are just another static layer of sound. A guitar melody does swim through this muck which has more in common with Coil than Deicide. It becomes more of a drone. Aaron from My Dying Bride appears in "The Sword and the Crystal". It is doomier and also the clearest example of songwriting, showing they can do it when they try. 

There is almost an industrial march to "Ekstatis Divnae". The guitar carries it forward in a more forceful metal manner.  Like much of this album, it also drones more than pounds. At over fourteen minutes there is plenty of time to get more moods in. These come but in subtle shifts. At the six-minute mark, it's hard to understand what more they intend to accomplish given the single trajectory most of the album has. The track after this is more of an outro so not counting it for the purpose of this review. I will give this album an 8, as the idea of it and the sound is woven to make this are cool, but not much in terms of actual songwriting so it comes down to the why of why this might be something you would listen to regularly.  Drops Sept 20th on I , Voidhanger Records. 

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The Top 10 Metal Albums of 2024...so far

As the Doomsday Clock races, time speeds up, as 2024 is at its midpoint. These lists serve as a decent snapshot of where the year is heading in terms of music. I have already received promos for albums dropping as far out as August in my inbox, so they are really going to need to bring it to compete with the top five albums on this list. There are varied shades of metal represented. Perhaps death metal is leading the charge, but there is also doom and deathcore in the mix.   For my ears darkness trumps speed when it comes to heavy, so these bands reflect that sentiment. Death metal just seems to be bringing it harder than other genres so far. Given the impending wars that lurk at every corner of the globe, this is a fitting soundtrack to the demise of the US.  I have included links to full reviews if you want to check these out and with all that said here are the top 10 Metal albums of 2024 so far. 

10- Gatecreeper- 'Dark Superstition" 

 Right out the gate, they are creeping with harder-hitting riffs, that carry a more hardcore influence punch to them. This is the band's third album and it sounds like not only are they coming into their own, but stepping into the spotlight to earn a larger metal audience. There is more of an Entombed grit to this album, but with it also comes more of a "Wolverine Blues" groove. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/05/gatecreeper-dark-superstition.html

9-Knocked Loose- "You Won't Go Before You Are Supposed" 

"Suffocate"  was enough to make me look forward to checking this album out. This album is heavier than expected. They are hard-hitting without falling into too many of the metal tropes. This is the album, that is poised to break these guys big. They have established what they are doing here and now need to expand upon that concept, and are willing to indulge their more power- violence-leaning influences. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/05/knocked-loose-you-wont-go-before-youre.html

 

8-Sect -"Plagues Upon Plagues" 

This band is comprised of who's who of post-millennial  Hard-core. At the mic former Cursed vocalist Chris Colohan, who is giving an impassioned performance, with a husky croon that winks in the direction of Neurosis. His approach gives the dark tension of the music, more depth and makes more of an impact when it does get time to scream and kick the riffs in.  Those riffs are driven by former Earth Crisis guitarist Scott Crouse. Andy Hurley from Fall Out Boy / Racetraitor beating the drums. Hurley shows restraint and keeps things at a more sludged-out pace rather than pouring on the punk mania.  The heft of the guitars is bolstered by Jimmy Change from Undying and bassist Steve Hart. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/05/sect-plagues-upon-plagues.html

7-My Dying Bride  - "A Mortal Binding" 

The band's 14th full length, stays true to who they are, without being predictable. You never know what side of these guys you are going to get, anything from morose doom to the dark vein of death metal they helped create to melodic goth rock with major depression. The wailing tones of the violin weeps over the low-end crunch. Guitar solos are well paced and deliberate with every not counting to draw out the melodies. While Aarons's growl on the first song is not as guttural, his sung vocals are more refined. In both cases, the vocals are really well produced and mixed. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/03/my-dying-bride-mortal-binding.html

6-Benighted - 'EKBOM" 

 I like the darker atmosphere that haunts this French band's brand of grindcore. By grind-core, there is a surprising blend of technical death metal in their songwriting DNA. This keeps things spastic and unpredictable.They can make you bob your head to their blend of madness. Some songs were just pure death metal with the grindcore taking a back seat in the meat wagon for the roaring vocals and double bass to be more dominant with a more Morbid Angel-like intention to the beating they are dishing out. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/02/benighted-ekbom.html

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

This dark hard-core band opens up their new album with a bleak doomy sound of dystopia burning. The vocals snarl and bark with animalistic anger. When they gain momentum it's difficult to hear where the metal ends and the hard-core begins. The chug driving this album is powerful. This is a dark and gritty take on metallic hard-core that crosses it with death metal in a manner that is more deserving of being called metal core or deathcore than the kids who have taken on those labels. 

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

 

4-Chapel of Disease -"Echoes of Light" 

After hearing a ton of interesting things about this album I finally remembered to hunt it down and give it a listen.  The German band is a fairly interesting progressive death metal band, that wacky time changes aside and a penchant for rock n roll riffs are not too far out in left field. They are at times like a less gothy Tribulation. The guitarists are calling the shots here 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/03/chapel-of-disease-echoes-of-light.html

 

3-Candy- "It's Inside You" 

Their 2022 album "Heaven is Here"  took the number two spot on our Top 10 Extreme Metal Albums list of the year, and tenth on the best overall Metal list of the year. With guests like  Aaron Melnick of Integrity lending guitar solos to a song, team-ups like this only make sense here as their hard-core grind carries the same raw sludge-like tone Integrity uses, making their influence on this band more apparent. That is not to say this is almost trying to capture the hardcore sounds of the 90s, the band continues to be very forward-thinking, but those influences abound from different angles.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/05/candy-its-inside-you.html

2-Glassing - "From the other side of the Mirror" 

Their last album "Twin Dream" made it known that these guys are one of the best heavy bands going. There is more darkness and melody in the opening track than most bands have in their entire albums. Though none of this is contrived or thought out from a marketing perspective by a record label this is just where they are, perhaps even angrier than the previous album though there is a wide range of emotional colors being used here.

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

1-200 Stab Wounds - " "Manual Manic Procedures" 

I liked this band's debut "Slave to the Scalpel" It even made the number 9 slot on last year's Top 10 Death Metal Albums. Less than a year later these guys have worked hard to perfect their craft, as this is more nuanced and dynamic songwriting. The lyrics have more depth this time around rather than just horror tropes. Might turn out to be the death metal album of the year right now it is certainly the album to beat. 

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/06/death-is-june-200-stab-wounds-manual.html

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Ten Artists Who Should Play Sick New World in 2025

The week has barely passed and fans are making their wish lists regarding who they think should play next year's Sick New World Fest. The main problem with these lists is that they are either acts who have already played or just boring radio rock fodder that plays  Welcome to Rockville or Rockahoma and would turn Sick New World into just another rock fest, by diluting the theme that made the first year so appealing a marriage of traditional goth acts, nu-metal and darker metal / industrial bands.  So the list complied here leans more in the direction of the first year. These are not bands who have played the previous fests but Fresh Blood fitting for 2025...that is if the world does not end before next May. 

10-Astari Nite 

This Miami-based death rock band is great live and has a good middle-of-the-road vibe for the fest 

9-Godflesh

Perhaps less popular in the States, this crushing project from England influenced most of the industrial and metal bands you're listening to today. 

8-Sleepy Time Gorilla Museum

The reunited cult of prog-rock weirdos brings a Victorian steampunk wonderment to their sonically angular anti-rock attack.

   

7-Chelsea Wolfe

 Wolfe has toured with Ministry before, and her hypnotic songs are heavy in their own way. Live her sludged-out shoegazing is powerful.

   

6-Final Gasp 

This punk band from Boston casts plenty of shadows with their sound while still being aggressive enough to fit in no matter what act they have to follow. 

5-Mindless Self Indulgence

Jimmy Urine and Friends might have been out of action for a minute but would be the perfect blend of nu-metal swagger and dark wave angst.

 

 

4-Grave Pleasures 

This band from Finland used to be Beastmilk, their brooding brand of post-punk is anthemic enough to win over festival audiences 

 

3-My Dying Bride 

There is no bringing back Peter Steele, so these guys are the next best replacement for Type O Negative with their brand of gothy doom.

   

2-the Misfits 

They have already been booked on festivals since reuniting, the only real hurdle would be seeing how this is System of a Down's fest, so would Danzig and the boys be ok with not headlining? Aside from that they would be perfect

  . 

1-Marilyn Manson 

Already booking shows after emerging from his legal troubles, this only makes sense.

 

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March's Top 10 Albums

We now continue on to March'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 June, 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 indie pop to punk to Thrash, so perhaps you will find your new favorite among them. Here are the Top 10 albums for March 2024.

10- Rope Sect - "Enstrangement" 

Rock 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/03/rope-sect-enstrangement.html

9- Bleakheart -"Silver Pulse" 

Doom Gaze 

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

8-My Dying Bride-  "A Mortal Binding" 

Doom

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/03/my-dying-bride-mortal-binding.html

7-Atrophy- "Asylum" 

Thrash 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/03/atrophy-asylum.html

6- Waxahatchee-"Tiger Blood" 

Country

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/03/waxahatchee-tigers-blood.html

5-Jesus and Mary Chain -"Glasgow Eyes" 

 Post-punk 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/03/jesus-and-mary-chain-glasgow-eyes.html

4- Faye Webster - "Underdressed at the Symphony" 

Indie  Pop

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/03/faye-webster-underdressed-at-symphony.html

3-O Zorn ! - "Vermillion Haze" 

Grunge 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/03/o-zorn-vermillion-haze.html

2-Chapel of Disease - " Echoes of Light" 

Death Metal 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/03/chapel-of-disease-echoes-of-light.html

1-Gouge Away- "Deep Sage" 

Punk 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/03/gouge-away-deep-sage.html

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My Dying Bride : "A Mortal Binding"

The band's 14th full length, stays true to who they are, without being predictable. You never know what side of these guys you are going to get, anything from morose doom to the dark vein of death metal they helped create to melodic goth rock with major depression. This album seems to be uncertain as well. It starts off with compact punchy death metal, and then the second song gifts into their more sorrowful take on doom. Both work well. The wailing tones of the violin weeps over the low-end crunch. Guitar solos are well paced and deliberate with every not counting to draw out the melodies. While Aarons's growl on the first song is not as guttural, his sung vocals are more refined. In both cases, the vocals are really well produced and mixed. 

"The Second of Three Bells" starts off in melancholic doom, and builds into punchy death metal. The doomy passages have a more majestic atmosphere to them ."Unthroned Creed' is one of the album's best songs. The guitars ride a taunt groove, as the vocals have room to emote their hooks. the drumming gracefully navigates the time changes. The 11-minute epic "the Apocalypist" is sprawling in a manner that only a few bands do well, these guys being one of the few as the twists and turns keep your interest. But still, 11 minutes is a lot to digest. 

"A Starving Heart " is one of those songs that even before the vocals come in you would know is My Dying Bride. Aaron is singing from his depressed place that I love and only two minutes into the song I am sold. The distinct phrasing of the riff that opens the closing dirge "Crushed Embers" is another moment that bears the band's fingerprints well. The pleading croon of the vocals is where his voice sits best. They are masters of pouring on the sorrow, which is a quality that sets the doom genre apart from other kinds of metal. Say all you want about sub-genres in metal but there is no way what they are doing could be considered or confused with anything aside from doom. It carries a mournful beauty that this song clearly defines. I will give this one a 9.5, and see how it sits on me, it is hard for me to think of the 11-minute sprawl as perfect, keeping this album from being perfect, though it might grow on me, but 9.5, is better than what most doom bands are doing these days, and preserves their legacy well. This is dropping on April 19th on Nuclear Blast. 

 

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GODTHRYMM : "Distortions"

UK doomsters Godthrymm as back with their dark and gritty vision of metal. It's vision that is true to the classic while not gazing into the stagnation of retro obsessions. Unless we are talking about the 90s as this would have fit well into the doom that was coming out then. They feels like they are chugging forward rather than meandering in droning sprawl. The opening track is eleven and a half minutes, but it flows really well with the dynamic ebb and flow , even into more reflective passages that do not slow it down. Despite having ex-members of My Dying Bride and Anathema, the are not weighed down in the Peaceville sound as heavily as you might expect. 

On "Devils" they hit you with a commanding riff that feels like Metallica's more purposeful and darker moments. Then brings things back to a shadow shrouded gloom on "Echoes" , there is more melodic nuance with this song, though it might need to grow on me a little. "Obsess and Regress" finds keyboardist Catherine Glencross taking the mic. While she does not have a voice that conveys the heaviness of discontent that can be heard in the throaty baritone of  her husband Hamish. I think having her take the lead on the verses was smart on their part as adds another sonic color to break things up. The lyrics to this song are perhaps the most thoughtful so far as well. 

"Unseen Unheard" gets to the point with a very deliberate stomp. While it is not the heaviest doom riff you are going to hear this year. It is a very well written song, that does not find them painting your ears with the same colors. The vocal nuance of backing away from the bellowing bluster is another smart move, as too many metal band these days tap into a cool sound, but that is their one trick for the entirety of their album which gets old by the song. When they uses a harder drill Sargent like vocal it's not as compelling, but not a deal breaker. "Follow Me" is the first song that latches onto a more hypnotic throb and finds it . Four minutes in an I am unsure how it is going to be dragged out for another eight minutes. The answer is to bring in Aaron Stainthorpe and let him pontificate with some poetry. Catherine also lends her voice in a more effective manner by providing a more ethereal juxtaposition. 

Speaking of ethereal the last song finds the band pushing forward beyond what you have heard from them in that direction. The Gathering . It is a wide left turn from what this album has been doing up until this point, and an odd note to end the album on. However that does not mean it is not effective. It is also admirable that they are willing to take these kinds of chances and try stepping outside the confines of metal. I will give this album a 9.5, as it is an improvement over what they were already doing well and places them in the upper tier of doom bands today. This drops August 18th on Profound Lore Records.

 

The Top 200 Greatest Rock Singers -190 to 181

Now we continue on the list which was inspired by my need to right the wrongs of Rolling Stone Magazines Top 200 Singers list, which included pop artists with no singing skills beyond Autotune and a lack of metal and rock singers. So, I took on the ambitious task of making my own.  As a singer myself, I key in on vocals first and foremost when listening to songs. In making this list I not only judged them according to their technical vocal ability when it comes to things like range and power, but also other dynamics brought to the table regarding phrasing and the character of their voice. Other important factors include their ability to emote from different places and how well their voice holds up on stage. If you are just making magic in the studio alone, then you might not fare so well on this list. Things like lyrical content and the instruments they play do not factor in as these ranking are 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 also not keen on singers who are derivative of other singers. The bulk of these have to be doing their own thing, though a couple are basically tribute acts to other artists but still make enough of an impact with their music. Having a unique vocal quality is going to be one of the most important factors sometimes trumping technical ability. If they sound too much like Steve Perry from Journey or that they have listened to their vocal coach too much rather than developing their own style, then that is something that is also not going to fly.

 With that said do not expect to see a great deal of technically proficient power and progressive metal singers on here, so it cannot be said I am giving metal more of a priority, though there are some singers who might be otherwise ignored by mainstream media.  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.

 190- Aaron Stainthrope 

The My Dying Bride vocalist brings a gothic croon to the band's depressive doom metal. he matches the despair in his vocal delivery while delivering an impassioned croon that borders on a whine at times. 

189- Matt Berninger 

The National's singer has a warm resonance to his baritone that still makes you think he might need to be on meds.

    

188-Rob Crow

While I am not judging by songwriting, one of the Pinback singer's strengths in how his uses his voice is where he puts amid their herky jerky riffs.  He uses his voice like an instrument which goes a long way with me.

   

 

187- Marc Bolan

There is no need to have Billy Corgan on the list when we have this guy. The T- Rex singer has an androgynous voice that was admired by many who placed much higher on the list. 

 

 186-Joey Ramone 

By the 80s the Ramones songwriting became more nuanced, and it allowed Joey to show that he could actually sing.

 

 

 

185-Andrew Eldritch 

 Not the widest range, but the Sisters of Mercy vocal possessed a very distinct voice that goth singers to come would try to mimic for decades to come.

   

184-Gary Numan 

This man has a very unique voice that fits his music and has aged incredibly well.

   

183-Adam Granduciel 

 The lead singer of the War on Drugs is another singer who might not have the widest range, but his mellow voice glides perfectly of the mood his band creates. It has a calming effect on me.

 

182- Ken Andrews 

Failure's vocalist has the kind of smooth croon that gracefully offsets the crunch of their space age sonics. I always imagine him being high as hell when he is singing. 

 

 

 181-Dave Pirner

The Soul Asylum singer had a more honest angst to his voice than the bulk of the 90s alt rock radio fodder that would follow his example.

 

My Dying Bride : "the Ghost of Orion"

The opener lives up to their claim it will be more accessible this time around. A great deal lies in the production. The guitars are not as dark or dense. The main vocals is not as emotive or perhaps melodramatic in their plea. There are growled vocals that do surface later in the song. There is a more sorrowful current on "To Outlive the Gods" . It flows well , but feels more like folk metal than doom. The guitars have almost too much mid range and little bass to their tone. The drums are also a little on the think side. I am not hearing much boom in the kick. Perhaps if the bass was dialed up it might aid. Though it could also make these other issues stand out. Turning it up louder and wearing head phone does help a little.

"The Solace" meanders without drums to guide the song. Ghostly female vocals and wandering guitar.  Not the album's proudest moment by far. n a better direction on "the Long Black Land" . Better in that they get darker. The first half of this album is not that dark, which I can not reconcile with  this band. The violin is very prominent on this album . Normally that is what gives them a more melancholy edge. Instead the mood tends to feel like newer Katatonia. Lena Abe whos started playing bass for the band in 2008 is still onboard. The bass is mixed way back band the guitar so her contribution is almost negligible. The growled vocals return midway into this one. They alone can not make the song heavier. There have been plenty of album by these guys where they did not even plays large a role as they do here and the result was more powerful thanks to the heft to the guitar at the time. It helps when the drums come up in the mix as they do here. Another more recent addition still present is violinist Shaun Macgowan ,  whose playing is not a dark as his predecessor,

This album is the first from Jeff Singer who played for Paradise Lost. Perhaps this is why they were afraid to bring the drums up. Guitarist Neil Blanchett also makes his debut here. So we only have two of the original members who played on "Turn Loose the Swans" which is what their albums should be weighed against. The title track is just an interlude with guitar and whispering. Lots of clean guitar tones on this album. The vocals to "the Old Earth " are really well done. The guitar also finally has the weight we have needed this entire album. If you want classic My Dying bride this is the song they bring it on. "Your Woven Shore " is just a outro where a choir takes center stage. Is it pretty ? Yes. Is it something that should make up the totality of a My Dying Bride song? No. I will round this one down to an 8.5. It''s initially a disappointment, but hopefully it grows on me. They are still great musicians just not bringing it as dark or heavy as I want from them.

Gothtober - Mix Tape Mania

Time for me Mix Tape Mania. There more mania here than mix tapes , since I do not have a tape present.  Though since this is Gothober I am inclined to make play lists that are darker than the norm. I was asked for song that were both dark and sexy . Sexy is subjective since different things turn people on. There might be more of a sleazy element to how these songs come across. To me that kind of sultry feel is sexy. Lyrically there seems to be some element of deviance in the songs too, much if you no me in real life is expected. There is a great deal of this play list coming from the 90s . The 90s were without a doubt a sexier decade and that is without the internet.



My Dying Bride - " Sear Me" 






Amigo the Devil - "If I'm Crazy"





Christian Death - "the Loving Face"






Dead and Gone" - "Blood From a Ghost" 






Jane's Addiction- "Ted Just Admit It" 






Billy Idol - "Flesh For Fantasy" 






Kayo Dot - "Midnight Mystic Rise and Fall" 






HEALTH - "Strange Days" 






PJ Harvey - "The Garden" 






Mr.Bungle - "Love is a Fist" 

Vallenfrye : "Fear Those Who Fear Him"

I first heard about these guys while interviewing Louis from Goatwhore. I never gave them a fair listen even after they came so highly recommended by him. Now that I have it seems like a fairly simple concept to present...So members of Paradise Lost and My Dying Bride got together to worship Entombed. Granted this is an itch I get scratched in other ways Goatwhore being one of them, and the more obvious "Wolverine Blues" album the other. So I end up listening for moment that don't sound like Entombed as they are the more unique ones. The first of these is the doomier "Apathetic Grave" . There is a more death metal touch to what is going on. The guys do have a dense , dirty guitar sound that is raw as hell. The two minute "Nihilist" takes off with a more punk fueled grind-core speed. It really doesn't do a helluva a lot for me. The brief guitar solo is very Slayer.

There is more of a thrash groove to "Amongst the Filth". It's a dense heavy bull dozer of a song , but this much like the more punk fueled death metal of "Kill All Your Masters" fail to really connect with me aside from being a loud wall of guitar that blitzes by me. I guess its one of those things that makes it where Entombed either had to be your favorite band or you never heard of them in order for this to work. They are aggressive as hell. So if aggression is something you place high value on when it comes to metal then these guys are more than worthwhile. The forty second grindcore blast of "Dead World Breathes" is a longer song title than it is an actual song.

By the time we get to "Soldier of Christ" I am sure that the drummer is pretty solid , but like I say all the time if this is the kind of music you are going to play then your drummer can not be a joke. Where Entombed obviously beats these guys out is they have serious groove to the dense metallic slabs they used to hit you with. There is a darker turn on the very grim grind of "Cursed From the Womb" which is oppressive in the best way possible and is the album's song, as I am sold on it midway into things. So they guys are old pro's who should have been delivering like this the  whole time.  The reason is clear in "Temple of Rats" they just want to thrash it out at higher speeds that they don't get to use in their other bands and praise Entombed.

These guys are good at what they do and even show at times they can be great at it so I'll give this album an 8 though I have no plans to listen to it again though if raw Swedish flavored death metal is your thing then you can even round it up to an 8.5.

The Top Ten Doom Albums of 2015

This one was the hardest list so far. I need darkness and a sense of loss emoted from my doom. Though their is a far wider range of emotions expressed in these albums drugged bliss, anger and introspective melancholy are a few of the more prominent ones. Some have a dash of death metal to them others shoe-gaze or blues. Funereal doom is my favorite sub-genre and there is a fair showing of that. Some bands you might have expected to see here could be popping up on other lists to some as their sound has changed. It came down to which bands I have listened to more and see myself continuing to go back to when it came to ranking my top ten doom metal albums of the year. If you want to check them out the review links contain streams.

 10- Swallow the Sun : "Songs From the North"

 In today's iPod shuffling and add culture, a double album is ambitious, and even becoming obscure as more artists are reluctant to invest in more than an ep with today's diminishing record sales.Swallow the Sun is taking a step in an even bolder direction by putting out a triple album. The three albums offer a wide range of tastes into the varied sub-genres doom touches upon, even mellowing out into a more prog direction. These albums take commitment to make it through all three, but fans will eat up every ounce of melancholy extravagance. Many of the songs drew me in, even though a triple album with 12 minute songs is a little much and much like "Use Your Illusion" albums could have been condensed into one killer album.

  http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2015/10/swallow-sun-songs-from-north-i-ii-iii.html

9-With the Dead: s/t

 The rule of thumb seems to be that super-groups sound better on paper ;than what the reality turns out to be. From the first song of With the Dead's self titled album this is not the case. Lee Dorian of Cathedral teams up with some of the guys from Electric Wizard to sludge out some oppressive fuzz dripped in darkness. The effects slathered on Dorian's voice are a good choice to keep this from sounding like Cathedral.These guys are all about the power, but leave a little room for the more subtle melody of the solos to warble over their pound. Very impressive, with high hopes for more. http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2015/11/with-dead-st.html

8-Bell Witch : "Four Phantoms"

 This album really had to battle it out with number seven and while this is more of an overwhelming piece of work, the twenty minute songs made it hard for me to get multiple listens or really desire to commit myself to them, even though I like what is going on here. The growth and new ground broken is undeniable. This is a beautiful album , I wish some of the songwriting could have gotten to the point, the same thing could have been conveyed at times in ten minutes, as the passages that droned on the same theme for so long it would have been better served abbreviated. The doom genre can stand at a tricky spot bordering on stagnation if they allow drone to over compensate for lack of songwriting. While it is not the case for this album, it makes me wonder if the band felt obligated to draw out certain passages so they would not be seen as any less relevant.

  http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2015/04/bell-witch-awoken-breathing-teeth.html

7- Domovoyd: s/t

 The drugs blur the lines in this album which is often dark and apocalyptic in it's looming power. The guitars are very sonic, but not obligated to always go over board on overdrive. Riding the line at times into stoner rock it's the apocalyptic nature to these spiraling jams that leans them more toward doom. One of the most unique albums on this list that defies being stuck neatly into a box.
  http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2015/05/domovoyd-st.html

6- Khemmis: "Absolution"

 The appearance of harsh vocals on this one help keep the Pallbearer comparison from being a distraction. They have their own personality that is show when The guitarists pull out some sweeping shredding or in the choices the lead singer makes when it comes to melodies. These guys have chops and with more listens it's easier to hear where they stand on their own two feet.This was crafted with a ton of heart and rocks with the power of classic metal.
  http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2015/06/khemmis-absolution.html

5-Hooded Menace: "Darkness Drips Forth"

 2015 might not go down as the year that doom broke big, but these e Finnish Doom merchants come on strong.  This very deathly brand of doom finds their riffs weeping in blood . Speaking of weep most bands would bore you to tears to with a twelve minute opener , but these guys keep you in the moment . The tempo picks up from time to time, but doesn't lose the grasp of darkness by going into a stoner rock boogie. The vocals are a low gurgle and the guitars maintain just enough chug to keep you confused as to if this is funereal doom or not.This album is solid, long winded songs generally do not drag and keep your attention. These guys have established themselves along side like likes of Evoken and Pallbearer with this one as they have gone above and beyond by putting a great deal of thought into these songs by not just  satisfied with being heavy.

 

http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2015/10/hooded-menace-darkness-drips-forth.html

4-King Woman-"Wrong"

 Dark and droning,this blues drenched doom forsakes rock n roll to become more hypnotic.In fact it often finds it self having just as much in common with shoe gaze as it does doom, the lines get blurred in the most delicious manner.There is that depressive mourning quality to the music. The guitar sobs with it.The distortion is thick, but in the same way it's thick for a band like Hum. The deliberate delay of the drums doesn't prolong the pregnant pauses , but keeps the songs moving.The thundering drums keep the sunshine out when the pace picks up. It's pretty refreshing to have a doom album where all of the songs are not over ten minutes long.Every thing is very concise and to the point, but uses the time wisely to take you on a journey.

  http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2015/03/king-woman-wrong.html

3- My Dying Bride : " Feel the Misery"

 Though the band's sound has been evolving ever since their formation in 1990, it is not until the distinct voice of singer Aaron Stainthorpe comes in you would not guess the first song is My Dying Bride until it slows down at the two and half minute mark. At first the violin's initial role is toned down but when it comes in the sound is unmistakably My Dying Bride. When growled vocals roar in they find themselves laid atop a much more up beat metal gallop than what they band ever churned out in their hey day. It does eventually slow down into the more mournful sound that My Dying Bride is known for. In their press release the word epic is used to describe their sound and as cliche as that term might be in metal,  it describes the more regal dynamic this album oozes. The production plays a huge role in this so does the shifting of genre lines as They go from straight forward metal so some almost post- rock with the clean guitar.Overall despite the changes and more in you face metal moments this album excels pretty much every step of the way. If you are a fan of the band you will have little trouble embracing this along with the rest of the catalogue in fact it's a vast improvement over the odds and ends they tossed to us with the "Anti-Dulivian Chronicles".
http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2015/08/my-dying-bride-feel-misery.html

2-Slow Death : "Ark"

 This might be the most under-rated album of the year.This Mandy Andresen from Murkrat and Crone lights up the first song with her vocals, she is followed up with dueling growls, both gurgled lows, that are the post-humus performance of Gregg Willaimson who died before the album's release. Pallbearer's Brett Campbell contributes guitar to this album. Sure it is common for doom to often feel like a classical composition and the dense drone drags from one song to the next often seamlessly. Mandy vocals work similarly as Campbell's do in Pallbearer soar over the grim rumbling.She is constantly showing different facets to her singing , like some moments on the last Pallbearer this song explores at time that place where shoe gaze and doom meet. The solo on this song is pretty impressive and that sort of thing while I like to hear the band has chops doesn't normally make me sit back and say "Damn, that shit was on fire." This is what I want more of in my life. Without question this is a 10, not a dull moment, the long songs don't seem long because I am engaged in it.
  http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2015/05/the-slow-death-ark.html

1- Shape of Despair :"Monotony Fields"

 this Finnish band has taken the past fifteen years to perfect their very melodic and atmospheric brand of doom . The vocals range from are a low gurgle, to female oohs and aahs stacked like Type O Negative in the background. The stay on a depressing path through out. The oppressive feeling is almost tangible. The band is aware they have been notorious for putting long spans of time between releases, so everything is right where it should be with every nuance dialed in, so it was not time wasted. It might not dig as deep and dark of a grave as other funeral doom bands , but the songs are masterfully varied and dynamic to create an awesome album.
  http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2015/11/shape-of-despair-monotony-fields.html

My Dying Bride : "Feel the Misery"

Though the band's sound has been evolving ever since their formation in 1990, it is not until  the distinct voice of singer Aaron Stainthorpe comes in you would not guess the first song is My Dying Bride until it slows down at the two and half minute mark. The more upbeat riffage works best when they get into the chug around  the five minute mark. The violin's initial role is  toned down for the first half of the song , but when it comes in the sound is unmistakably My Dying Bride. On the second song they bring back the death metal vocals. The growls  are laid atop a much more up beat metal gallop than what they band ever churned out in their hey day. It does eventually slow down into the more mournful sound that My Dying Bride is known for. In their press release the word epic is used to describe their sound and as cliche as that term might be in metal,  it describes the more regal dynamic this album oozes. The production plays a huge role in this so does the shifting of genre lines as They go from straight forward metal so some almost post- rock with the clean guitar that is in the middle section of "To Shiver In Empty Halls". Their spoken word narrations have always felt too dramatic like I am listening to a book on tape. Those moments do not weigh song down as it picks up into a more almost thrashing section at the half way point, before which the guitar tone switches into a unique clean tone.

The syncopated riff to " A Cold New Curse" is a prime example of what it sounds like  to try new things yet still retain your signature sound. It ebbs back down into another very tasteful clean guitar tone at under the three minute mark, leaving you to wonder what are they going to do with the the next six minutes. The guitar solo in this one is a slow melody that is allowed to ring out. They lock onto a powerful chug at the four minute mark. They are skilled at layering other melodies in at the "Feel the Misery" has a very classic metal gallop to it, making you almost expect a power metal singer over it rather than the morose vocals this band is known for. Ultimately this songs works in everything you could want from this band. "A Thorn of Wisdom" starts off coming from a goth place rather than metal. I  begin to think they might be tuned higher than they used to be upon hearing when the bass is left standing when it breaks down. It does have the low end thunk you associate with doom bass. The growled vocals make another appearance on "I Celebrate Your Skin".  At seven minutes they could teach newer doom bands the finer points of song writing as they convey the dragging sense of a funereal march without dragging the song on forever.

The more depressing gothic tinged doom of "Like Gods of the Sun" the death metal vocals growl their way into the wrist slitting melody. They are the masters of capturing that woefully sound and making their guitars really weep. The really know where to let the keyboards sit. The piano line plays dominate role in the more ballad like "I Almost Loved You", which could be a VNV Nation. This can't really be played off like its an interlude even though it drones on the one section for the bulk of the song. The violin finally cuts through the thick of things when they close out the album with lush shadowy sounds of "Within a Sleeping Forest". The vocals come across as being a little higher than some of the yearning pleas he has crooned out on earlier album. Newer doom bands could learn a lot from My Dying Bride as they did not make this album just two twenty minute songs, but pack more  variation and dynamics into one song than many bands do in their entire discography. It builds up thanks to the double bass rolling beneath it into a lumbering throb. It slows back down into a dirge like crawl around the eight minute mark.

Overall despite the changes and more in you face metal moments this album excels pretty much every step of the way. If you are a fan of the band you will have little trouble embracing this along with the rest of the catalogue in fact it's a vast improvement over the odds and ends they tossed to us with the "Anti-Dulivian Chronicles" and deserves to be rounded up to a 10.