this year has not been as busy as other years. mainly because i couldn’t focus much on it, i didn’t have enough time. but still there are enough albums i bought, listen to and love.
Full-lengths
rotting christ - the heretics
rotting christ have been one of my favourites, ever since i started to listen to black metal. with their last three albums they went into a direction that i absolutely love. it’s this ritualistic feeling, this deep, rooted, spiritual element. their newest album is a concept album and it’s again brilliant. i’m so glad this band is still around.
Týr - hel
Týr have transformed a few times. i must say that i liked their doom phase the most and wasn’t that impressed by the more heavy metal feeling that came later on. it seems that this album is a better combination of both, still very awesome viking battle metal or something, haha!
deadspace - dirge
deadspace are delivering again! whatever they release, i always like it. the music is heavy, full of agony and pain.
swallow the sun - when a shadow is forced into the light
beautiful album!! swallow the sun started their career with a brilliant album. after some albums that didn’t stick much to my memory, the last years have seen them find their unique, very diverse style. well done!
darkthrone - old star
ok, fenriz is god. :D i love how he focuses more on nature, heaviness and blackness in the last albums and this one is another true gem. awesome tunes.
gaahls wyrd - GastiR - Ghosts Invited
gaahl is back!! oh how i loved the news! it took a while for the first album to come out, but there it is and it’s brilliant. it’s like you pair wardruna with trelldom and spice it up with just a hint of gorgoroth. definitely worth the wait.
dwarrowdelf - of dying lights / from beneath the fells
dwarrowdelf released two albums. the new album of dying lights, which is again beautiful tolkienesque black metal, and the from beneath the fells album, which is dungeon synth influenced and a very interesting new direction. both are great albums!
insanity cult - all shall return to chaos
insanity cult also released a new album and they stick to their recipe of despair and darkness. loved it!
abbath - outstrider
abbath released his second solo album and it’s just as strong as the first!! abbath just recently went into rehab and it’s all been building up, it seems, with king leaving the band.. i hope abbath gets his shit together, comes clean and continues this musical journey!
order of the ebon hand - VII : the chariot
this band has been around for so long, but only released their third full album this year. it’s how greek black metal should be, the way we love it. well done, i hope they’ll get the tarot deck done in quite some years to come :D
mayhem - daemon
yessss!! i was really excited for new mayhem, because they were so fantastic live and i discovered them anew. the new album is brilliant and i love to see how they defied all odds and still make great music.
EPs - compilations - demos
mortiis - blood and thunder EP with bonus songs / visions of an ancient future (excerpt from upcoming album spirit of rebellion / doppelgänger+geisteskrank+the shining lamp of god+demons are back full album versions / cintecele diavolui: one soul less for the devil / the awaken: the forgotten songs from smell of rain
erm, ok, so.. i don’t even know how to count those all, haha!! so mortiis started to seriously empty his attic, haha!! there are so many unreleased songs from different phases, from cintecele diavolui, from different eras.. and it’s all gonna be released!! also mortiis started the cult of thee black wizards, which i am part of and thus got a lot of exclusive material. well.. what can i say really?? i’m salivating, i’m happy.. SO MUCH MORTIIS!! i love that man. :D
Úir - Óenach Tailten
this EP is awesome. i love to discover metal artist that sing in celtic languages. here we have scottish gaelic and it’s a feast for the ears.
Solstice - White Thane
so solstice have a new singer, a woman!! to commemorate this they rereleased two songs with her on vocals. very interesting path we’re following here, let’s see what they are up to next!!
Evalir - the awakening
want some tolkien black metal? want some atmospheric black metal? here it is!! yet another great band with a promising EP
Heather Wasteland - Tre Sverd
very interesting project with pagan sounds. mortiis took over some local parts in norwegian, which is something thrilling! apart from Vond, we normally don’t hear mortiis in norwegian :)
Dreams of nature - Naturaleza Ancestral
this is a compilation of songs that were previously only released on some split albums. this is a great idea and i’m glad i could get a collection of all these songs. lovely atmospheric music, full of love for nature.
Kalmankantaja - Ruumiinvaellus / Kuoleman kehtolaulut 2014-2017
a new song demo and a compilation of songs that were most likely released on splits etc. this was a true bargain, so i had to get the album. kalmankantaja always deliver and their style is just solid, crushing, depressing music. i didn’t listen much into this direction this year, but kalmankantaja is a must.
Marwolaeth records - bristish black metal vol.2
after their first compilation, this welsh black metal label released another compilation this year with more underground bands. awesome. i really enjoy supporting some small scenes, like the welsh.
song of the year:
mortiis - methuselah
yep.. this is a song from the smell of rain recordings and it wasn’t released until now. and i have no idea why. it’s such a brilliant song!! it’s exactly the kind of stuff that made smell of rain so fantastic. can’t wait for more unreleased stuff! :)
concerts:
ihsahn / order of the ebon hand
i haven’t been to many concerts this year. having a toddler means i have to pick my concerts and just go to the ones i absolutely NEED to see. this was one of them. ihsahn, the emperor, the black wizard!! i didn’t know his solo stuff well, but listened to it prior to the concert. it was fantastic. he’s formidable live. he sings parts in emperor voice. he is a stage presence that you will remember forever. absolutely smashing.
order of the ebon hand were support and i wanted to see more, but because of heavy traffic i only made it for a few songs. still i’m happy i saw them again and also got the new album!
wardruna
wardruna!! kvitrafn doesn’t need much introduction. once drummer of gorgoroth, he started wardruna and it’s such beautiful music. it’s deeply rooted in tradition, paganism and shamanism. simply fantastic! i enjoyed this concert immensely and i’m so happy i could go see einar.
marina
yep, no metal here, haha! but i will put this here, too, because she was fantastic. marina is half greek, half welsh and was known as marina and the diamonds. the concert was fantastic, was dancing along to all the songs. she also sang one song in greek, which was so emotional! enjoyed this so very much :)
