Thursday, 22 December 2022

Top 20 Albums Of The Year: Paul Scoble

Paul Scoble's Albums Of The Year

20. Kvaen - The Great Below

Kvean’s highly expected second album, still thrashy Black Metal but with more melody and complexity, whilst retaining the high speed soundtrack to a speeding ban feel.

19. Freedom Of Fear - Carpathia

Technical Death / Black Metal that is tuneful and memorable with great riffs, solos, vocals and Hannes Grossman on Drums as well.

18. Aara - Triad II: Hemera

Savage and blasting Black Metal that, despite its extremity is still full of melody with some of the best tremolo picked riffs I have heard this year. Black Metal essential.

17. Morbid Evils - Supernaturals

Massively angry, sludgy extreme Doom. Slow but incandescently furious. Haven’t enjoyed being screamed at by an album this year, as much as I’ve enjoyed being screamed at by Supernaturals.

16. Autonoesis - Moon Of Foul Magics

Fantastic mix of Technical Death Metal and Technical Black Metal full of great riffs, amazing solos and full of energy, drive and fun.

15. Famyne - II: The Ground Below

Great melodic mix of traditional Doom and Hard Rock with really good, and very original Vocals.

14. Swampborn - Beyond Ratio

Really interesting Black / Post Black Metal, that is full of creativity. Utilises Violins and Brass instruments without anything seeming incongruous, its doubly impressive as this is Swampborns debut album!

13. Witchery - Nightside

Great riffs, Awesome beats, cracking solos and a huge amount of great energy, pretty much the perfect Black Thrash album.

12. Falls Of Raurus - Keys To A Vanishing Future

Lush, folky Black Metal full of melody and beauty. Falls Of Raurus have never made a bad album, and as this is their best, they seem to go from strength to strength.

11. Sacred Son - The Foul Deth Of Engelond

Black Metal concept album about the Peasants Revolt in 1381. This is Sacred Sons first album as a full band, its great atmospheric Black Metal, on a fascinating subject.

10. The Otolith - Folium Limina

Beautiful, Folky Doom / Post Rock born from the ashes of SubRosa, with sublime melodies and beautiful Vocals.

9. 40 Watt Sun - Perfect Light

Patrick Walker has dropped any pretence to be a Metal act. Perfect Light is a mix of Folk and singer songwriter style material. This is definitely happier than anything he’s done before, the album appropriately feels as if its drenched in sunlight.

8. Mizmor/Thou - Myopia

My favourite Blackened Doom act makes a collaborative album with my favourite Sludge band, to produce an excellent album of Blackened Sludge.

7. Autopsy - Morbidity Triumphant

I’ve been a big fan of Autopsy since the early nineties, I love their sickening Death Metal with lots of Putrid Nastiness and healthy dose of Doom. Autopsy have never made a bad album, this one is particularly good, probably the bast since they reformed.

6. Voivod - Synchro Anarchy

Voivod were (Probably wrongly) first known as part of the first wave of Thrash Metal in the early eighties. In fact what they had done was invent Progressive metal, and have been at the forefront of that for many years. This album has a similar sound to their last album, the excellent The Wake, but pushed to a more taut and spikey extreme. After more than 35 years of producing incredibly creative music, Voivod are still producing some of the best Progressive Metal around.

5. An Abstract Illusion - Woe

An hour long journey through 50 years of progressive Music. Sublime Progressive extreme metal that gets better with each listen.

4. Wiegedood - There's Always Blood At The End Of The Road

Wiegedood took the intense and very controlled sound of the three De Doden…. albums, removed the brakes, fitted a jet engine, and pushed it down a huge hill. A staggeringly intense and aggressive Black Metal album that is incandescently angry and filled with rage. One of the most extreme pieces of music ever made.

3. Ultha - All That Has Never Been True

In my opinion the most creative Black Metal band currently active. The music is constantly changing, yet is coherent and massively tuneful, This album is a dark and brooding journey to a haunted Funfair.

2. Barabbas - La Mort Appelle Tous Les Vivants

Thunderingly huge French Doom, all the best bits from Black Sabbath, Saint Vitus, Cathedral and Orange Goblin given a fresh, bouncy twist. This has become my favourite Doom album for many a year.

1. The Antichrist Imperium - Volume III: Satan In His Original Glory

A near perfect mix of Death Metal, Black Metal, Gothic and New Wave elements, my favourite of the bands that have come out of the Akercocke Musical Universe excel themselves on this release. Amazing riffs, Insane Blasts, Brilliant solos, and unhinged Vocals and Lyrics make this my album of the year for 2022.

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