Monday, December 19, 2022

Beast of 2022

 2022's fair and finest


10.  Goatchrist - The Sacred Teachings of Aleister Crowley


A Bacchanalian Bouillabaisse of Arcturian obumbrations by way of Hekalothian desecrations…a must have and must listen. 



9. Book of Sand - Seven Candles For An Empty Altar


Kaleidoscopic outré black metal from what has become one of my favorite projects of the last decade. Moments reminiscent of Varése, Nazxul’s Totem and Gnaw Their Tongues make for an enigmatic and engaging listen.




8. Wyrmwoods - No Sun Nor Moon


Reminds me of a psych-folk/ black metal take on Beheaded Zombie’s Happiness mixed with some L.A. Woman era Doors…which is certainly an idea whose time has come, and I’m oh so glad it did! Overrun’s Forest is wacky enough to get me bopping in my chair at work…zany stuff for the true die hard maniacs. 


7. Sunrise Patriot Motion - Black Fellflower Stream


An experimental pop/goth/post rock-flavored black metal concept album about one man’s maniacal quest to dig a hole deep enough to strike oil. Of course this is on my list.




6. Negative Plane - The Pact...


Over a decade since their last album and Negative Plane are back with another amazing album full of cryptically graceful proto-black metal inspired tunes. Perfect riffs (especially all those little trills), awesome atmosphere, infectious drumming…great, great stuff. 



5. Kekal - Envisaged


Kekal just keep surprising me year after year….still with their patented framework of weirdo Holocaust/mid-era Voivod metal, but this time the electronic moments have really got me swooning like never before….entrancing and elating! 


4. Medwegya - Medwegya Album


A lethally catchy burst o' raw psychedelic vampire synth from this ever prolific Italian project. 



3. Pensées Nocturnes - Douce Fange 


Circus metal par excellence, and if you don’t like circus metal, you ain’t French….or something like that. 

2. Momma - Household Name


I’m just a sucker for hooky alt-rock with sweet laid-back Vox. The one two punch of speeding 72 and Medicine is enough to rocket me off to never, nerverland 




1. Circle of Ourobrous - Autuala 


CoO are nothing if not prolific and really nothing if not consistent, and if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. Still the finest purveyors of quirkily strident black-post-rock in the game, and thank god they have kept the moaning falling down the well style vocals…they are my favorite.



Most Honorable Mentions

Oopart - Echoes of the Shadhavar

Tok Yathraa - Chapter: Orang Minyak

Blasted Pancreas - Pathogenic Organisms in Blood

Castle Zagyx - Oath of the Dark Chivalry

Drudkh - Всі належать ночі

Friedhof - Luzifers Sturz

Opiated Devilsperm - s/t

Arketh - Clarity Came With A Cool Summer’s Breeze

Winterquilt - Monster Island and the Satan of Fire

GBK - Koranic Charmers

Embryonic Devourment - Heresy of the Highest Order

Alheuchatistas - Expansion

Bad Manor - The Haunting

Wolok - The Bilious Hues of Gloom

Ashenspire - Hostile Architecture

Jenny Hval - Classic Objects

Véhémence - Ordalies

Mamaleek - Diner Coffee

Umbrtka - Přesazování strejců

TIMELESS NECROTEARS - The Goldstar Medieval-World

Curta'n Wall - Crocodile Moat !!!!!!!

Kakofonium - KRUCJATA DZIECIĘCA

Artificial Brain - s/t

Bleeding - Infected Sanity

Luminous Vault - Animate the Emptiness

The Chasm - The Scars of a Lost Reflective Shadow

Sadist - Firescorced

Antigama - Whiteout

Bernard XOLOTL - Mexecho

GUDSFORLADT - Friendship, Love and War

Dream Unending - Song of Salvation

Behrosth - День и ночь

XEXYZ - Gamera

T. A. Schafer - Magnificat in Pumpkin Palace


EPs/splits/Demos
Artwork

Nebuleth - Micro Cosmic Voices


Gonna toot my own horn here and give props to Nebuleth for using some of own "neural mixed media" artwork. The album is awesome and the whole aesthetic with the artwork/layout and music worked really well together!