It may be a little early but i'd like to open this topic once again discussing about some of the best and worst musical albums or other subjects such as live concerts, books, movies and many others.
Best me worst all u
Francisco Meirino Notebook (Techniques For Self-Destruction)
daniel löwenbruck & marcellvs l. — stallgewitter lp (ideal)
phil julian — trace lp (harbinger sound)
sewer election — nära lp (järtecknet)
v.a. introverted formula lp (järtecknet)
morton feldman — two pianos and other pieces 1953-1969 cd (another timbre)
michael pisaro / miguel prado — white metal lp (senufo editions)
vanessa rossetto — whole stories lp (kye)
arv & miljö — antropocen cs (lust vessel)
neutral — grå våg gamlestaden cs (omlott)
lettera 22 — subsequent teeth cs (monorail trespassing)
skullflower — draconis cd (cold spring)
v.a. ten jin lp (urashima)
v.a. the barley bridge cs (penultimate press)
moniek darge & graham lambkin — indian soundies cd (kye / penultimate press)
abdulla rashim — unanimity lp (northern electronics)
bmb — live in tokyo 12" (downwards)
reissue
joris de laet — sem etc. lp (metaphon)
small cruel party — unroof the house of the fishes lp (harbinger sound)
xx committee — network lp (harbinger sound)
BEST (in alphabetical order):
Bizarre Uproar - Live Humiliation CD
Rises the par for live noise recordings to levels most never reach.
Cazzokraft - Integrity Of The Preconscious System CD
Surprisingly great collaboration of pure industrial filth.
Concrete Mascara - The Pursuit Of Hedonism In A Police State CAS
Takes special/conceptual packaging to next level. Musically total rotten power electronics violence.
Encephalophonic - Alone 7"
Easily the strongest harsh noise 7" in 2014, if not the whole 2010s (or 2000s).
Kazumoto Endo And Emanuele Bonini - Rumore Da Ritorno Audio Metallico CD
Supreme cut-up madness.
Forza Albino - Black Dog 12"
Insane, filthy p.e.
Gnawed - Feign And Cloak CD
Strong and dark power electronics industrial.
The Haters - Live! DVD
Obviously not all of it is genius, but an irreplaceable document of one of the most important noise bands.
H.C.O.D - Coarse Defect CAS
Concrete sounds, scrap metal and tape murk combined in the way many hyped Swedish and Danish artists only dream about.
Hal Hutchinson - Wreckage Installations And Metalworks CD
Metal junk purity of the most obsessed kind. Heavy listening, in the best possible sense.
Shift - Altamont Rising CD
Maybe the most accessible Shift material this far, yet not losing a bit in darkness and heaviness.
Theologian & STROM.ec - Hubrizine CD
Most welcome reissue of nightmare ambient and mentally unstable electronics.
Trepaneringsritualen - Perfection & Permanence CD
Best industrial MUSIC since ages.
Vassbotn - Besøk Fra Italia CAS
Very little noticed, but maybe the best harsh noise tape this year?
Womb C - s/t CD
Blackened occult industrial (horrible description, but that's what it is) by combined forces of Will Over Matter, Blutleuchte and Cloama. Full of surprises.
Various - Hard Panning CD
Maybe not the "ultimate cut-up compilation" as it was described, but a strong compilation of HARSH NOISE with many artists emphasising cut-up methods.
Hmmm... as far as noise/PE/industrial goes these are my favorites so far:
Trepaneringsritualen "Perfection and Permanence" LP
Shift "Altamont Rising" LP
Wolves of Heaven / Nyodene D split tape/LP
S.T.A.B. Electronics "Instrument for Operating on Mutant Women" LP
Nyodene D "Mouths that Reap the Harvest" LP
Puce Mary "Persona" LP
Bizarre Uproar "Vihamediataatio" LP
Forza Albino "Black Dog" LP
Cremation Lily "Fire Frames the Silhouette" LP
Private Archive "Honey Aspic Enema" tape
I know I'm forgetting some things I'm sure, and of course there are still plenty of releases I need to hear, but all of these got plenty of repeat listens this year.
Oh, and I'm not including reissues or compilations of older material, although there were plenty of great ones this year, especially the N. 4xLP box on Urashima.
These lists are always way too difficult for me to actually conceptualize. If I am just sitting around and thinking about this in my head it's a different story and I could probably form quite a list, but when I put it to "paper", per-se, it's totally ruined. So I won't even try that. Instead I will just say that 2014 has been a great year for Noise specifically American Harsh Noise, and acoustic Noise (field recordings/found sounds/tape manipulation) that's saturating labels in Denmark, Italy, Sweden, etc.
For Harsh Noise there have been a few really good compilations such as Resistance And Self-Destruction Are Synonymous , Summer Scum Harsh Noise (a 4-way split tape put out on New Forces featuring Ahlzagailzehguh, Brad Griggs, Breaking The Will and Developer), Hard Panning and the Skeleton Dust comp Contemporary Harsh Noise Vol. IV - Apathy. Developer, specifically the split with Custodian and a tape collaboration between Developer and Ahlzagailzehguh called Ahlzadeveloper. Some more obscure releases and new artists; Action/Discipline – "Hard Lesson" put out on New Forces, Muck - "Concealed In The Ashes Of Enemies" and their live tape on Fusty Cunt, Wrong Hole – "Sucking Wound", Redneck - "Silence".
Acoustic Noise, field recording type of stuff: Krokta Rum album, both Blodvite tapes are good I like the one that was put out on Jartecknet best, Sewer Election - "Nara", Lettera 22 - "Subsequent Teeth", Händer Som Vårdar – "Depopulation", Mercury Hall – "Civilization Year", etc.
Some experimental ambient and minimalist noise like Corporate Park – "Mise En Abyme", the Phil Julian / Ben Owen collab and City Medicine – "Twins" .
For Power Electronics and Industrial there wasn't a whole lot of new artists or anything earth shattering but still a few quality releases. Mainly the usual suspects that put out great stuff every year like Filth & Violence (the Bizarre Uproar LP is definitely worth praise, and that Iron Clad tape is top notch), Freak Animal (Mania and Forza Albino), Untergeschoss, Hal Hutchinson - "Wreckage Installations And Metalworks", Shift - "Altamont Rising", etc. There were some really great re-issues like the Swastika Kommando box collection on Menstrual and the Urashima reprints of Mauthausen Orchestra and Taint - "Justmeat"
Quote from: RyanWreck on December 13, 2014, 02:12:41 AMPhil Julian / Ben Owen collab
Received this Tuesday and it is a bruiser, indeed! Great disc with several repeats already.
Anyone watch the ambient and minimalist fields closer than I did? That's a trick question. As much as I enjoy them, I look back and realize I wasn't paying much attention. Inade with a second collection, and LOKI Foundation not very active. A new Terra Sancta album that was just a touch too busy for its own good, but still solid. I've yet to hear the Skorneg - Foehn, so maybe I'm missing something special there. Anyone?
Quote from: Zeno Marx on December 13, 2014, 04:50:31 AM
Skorneg - Foehn
Try it. Great brooding minimal dark ambient album.
My heavily biased take on this year:
BACKASVINET - Gevisol/Ivisol 2xC15
Their previous split with newcomer Phí was good, but this is something else. Muddy moving heavy harsh noise of a kind you rarely hear these days.
ALTAR OF FLIES - S/T LP
At first I didn't feel this was in the same league as Rabbit Hole, but given some time and spins, it's perhaps even better.
SEWER ELECTION - Nära LP
Very personal and, yes, tender. I get emotional about this record in a way I hardly ever get when it comes to this type of music.
ULSERS - Forget Them LP
Great australian weirdo punk recorded in the early eighties, never released until now. In the vein of early Fugs and such, but injected with extra spit and madness.
GOOD AREA - Pronunciation C30
There's something very hypnotizing about this tape. Shitty sounding rythms in the midst of fastforwarding tapes and seemingly pointless readings of various texts. Reminds me of a less drug soaked RJF.
TRERIKSRÖSET - Heteronormativ Musik För Att Stärka Medelklassens Självbild C30
Great, as expected! Not as open and wild as Venal, yet somehow still in the same vein. Don't know what else to say really. Just flawless harsh noise. Brilliant.
ARV & MILJÖ - Kropp LP
Having only given it three spins (I got it yesterday), I'm already taken by this one. Much in line with the Röset 2013 tape (some recycled and reworked material from that one here), this is another LP which puts me in a mood I'm not prepared for when it comes to noise music. Personal and emotional, a very much needed approach in this business.
The best releases I have heard this year...
INDUSTRIAL/NOISE/PE:
Amph - Terry/Framtid
The level of skill in composition of this Swedish duo never ceases to amaze me. Amph has yet to disappoint me!
Blodvite - Tänkta Dialoger
Blodvite - Dialektiska Bilder
Perfect murky noise from the wizard himself, Viktor Ottoson. You creative bastard!
Händer Som Vårdar - Depopulation
See what I wrote about Blodvite...
IRM - Closure...
Didn't expect anything less from these Swedish masterminds. One complain would be that IRM is getting too similar with Skin Area. I love both but would prefer these projects to have their own identities. IRM was always the noisier one...
Lettera 22 - Subsequent Teeth
First side of this tape is some of the best L22 material this duo has ever recorded! +See what I wrote about Amph...
Mania - Decrepit
This is - without doubt - the best Mania release I have heard to date... The sound of acoustic metals is so detailed that I can almost taste the rust. And the way those recordings are mixed with electronics and the distinctive manic screams of Mr. Brewer is just perfect.
Shift - Altamont Rising
So far the strongest work from this restless UK crew. Solid!
S.T.A.B. Electronics - Instrument For Operating On Mutant Women
This album sticks you like a knife slowly digging into your intestines. Mr. Stab has done it again!!!
BLACK METAL:
Abigor - Leytmotif Luzifer
Abigor has never made a BAD release. Some are weaker than others but still a very consistent band. I was somewhat disappointed when I heard that they were going to limit themselves by cutting down the editing, programming, fx etc. but these guys are such studio wizards that you can barely notice any changes. Still, I liked the previous album more.
Bekëth Nexëhmü - De Svarta Riterna
Bekëth Nexëhmü - De Urtida Krafterna
Majestic black metal from Ancient Records crew. These guys have been producing some of the best black metal for quite some time now!
Darkenhöld - Castellum
Total 90's melodic BM worship.
Funereal Presence - The Archer Takes Aim
Very unique style (old-school?) black metal... I seriously have no idea what to say... Good album, short, but good!
Grav - Ohelighetens Pulserande Ondska
Negative black metal from AR crew. +See what I wrote about BN...
Grudom - Fjølkyngi
Chants, demented screams, cheap keys, outlandish guitar tunes and even some field recordings. Totally odd, yet absolutely amazing!
Hädanfärd - Destruktiva Reflektioner
Hädanfärd - Avoghetens Besvärtade Åkallelser
Isolated misanthropic black metal from AR crew. +See what I wrote about BN...
Kriegsmaschine - Enemy Of Man
MGLA taken to whole another level of technicality and skill. Something to worship!
Mons Veneris - Awakening My Dark Soul
LLN copy band against LLN copy bands. Totally over the top, totally awesome!
Nightbringer - Ego Dominus Tuus
MASSIVE!
Ondfødt - Hexkonst
The band managed to reach the same level of brilliance with their debut as with the demo they put out last year. Crazy black metal! Crazy good that is!
Skuggeheim - Fanga I Endeløyse
I haven't actually heard this but it's fucking SKUGGEHEIM! How bad can it be?!
Sühnopfer - Offertoire
Epic medieval black metal FTW!
DEATH METAL:
Dead Congregation - Promulgation Of The Fall
This mighty beast grabs you and doesn't let go until you have endured through its 40min playtime. Totally roaring death metal album!
Lvcifyre - Svn Eater
As a total worshiper of Mark of the Devil's vocal work, I can't but love this album. That guy brings so much character in bands/albums he's involved in.
Teitanblood - Death
I feel like a corpse dug out of dirt after spinning this slab of filth. Killer!
Temple Desecration - Communion Perished
Structurally this mini-album reminds me of Teitanblood's "Purging Tongues" with the combination of all those samples and furious black/death destruction, however, musically this record leans more towards classic Finnish sound with bands like Archgoat and especially Beherit in mind. Probably the best DM thing I heard all year... In other words: Recommended!
HIPSTER:
Swans - To Be Kind
Didn't know what to expect but SWANS delivers yet again!
Need to check:
Ævangelist "Writhes in the Murk", Arv & Miljö "Antropocen", Arv & Miljö "Kropp", Bölzer "Soma", Doombringer "The Grand Sabbath", Drowned "Idola Specus", Dödfödd "Demo 10" (I have the version w/o vocals and it's great so this should be an instant winner), Gzekhratüs "Masters Of Universal Mysteries", Ill Omen "Enthroning the Bonds of Abhorrence", Innsmouth "Consumed by Elder Sign", Joel Danielsson "The Death Of The Grey Wolf / Resurrection Of The King", Kazumoto Endo And Emanuele Bonini "Rumore Da Ritorno Audio Metallico", Mortuus "Grape of the Vine" (actually played this couple nights ago and first play didn't really amaze me - good but not the best of 2014 - needs further plays), Mystruin "Gånget Äro Ljuset", Phobocosm "Deprived", Satanic Warmaster "Fimbulwinter" (already gave this multiple spins and could easily reach the best of 2014!), Sewer Election "Nära", Sinmara "Aphotic Womb", Sortilegia "Arcane Death Ritual", Swallowed "Lunarterial", The Deathtrip "Deep Drone Master", Various "Introverted Formula", Vetala "The Lord of Eternity", ZOM "Flesh Assimilation"
And many more...
Quote from: Scat-O-Logy on December 14, 2014, 08:46:58 AM
Skuggeheim - Fanga I Endeløyse
Skuggeheim is brilliant. Check out the demo "Vinterrikets Konge" from 2007 as well. Its my favourite of his.
Quote from: TS on December 14, 2014, 02:57:36 PM
Quote from: Scat-O-Logy on December 14, 2014, 08:46:58 AM
Skuggeheim - Fanga I Endeløyse
Skuggeheim is brilliant. Check out the demo "Vinterrikets Konge" from 2007 as well. Its my favourite of his.
Actually I have it along with few of his EP. Judging by what I have heard so far, this new EP should be amazing. Sadly quite hard to get.
Best noise release I've heard this year by some distance is Yellow Tears - Golden Showers May Bring Flowers. Manages to be goofy as fuck, deadly serious and completely original. It feels truly fresh and I can't recommend it enough.
IRM - Closure
[absolute perfection! Very unique recordings.]
Earth - Primitive And Deadly
[Earth heaviness with amazing vocals = perfect!]
Godflesh - A World Lit Only By Fire
[heavy and angry Streetcleaner for new century]
Jarl | Envenomist - Tunguska Event
[Sounds like Jarl and Reed were the part of Tangerine Dream during '70. Desolate and dark atmosphere on the best way]
1000schoen / Ab Intra - Split
[one the personal faves of this year. Meditative ritual drones from 1000schoen, dark and dreamy harsh ambient from Ab Intra. Both artist shines in their darkness]
1000schoen - Paintings At The Nightsky
[this project finally deliver album which I like from beginning to the end. Long but enjoyable]
Bethlehem - Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia
[after pile of bullshit re-re-recordings, Bethlehem finally done something good. This album sounds like "Mein Weg part II". I liked "Mein Weg" a lot so this is a nice surprise for me]
MK9 - Anhedonic Ideations
[MK9 never disappoint. Loud and piercing experimental electronics with dark vocals. Everything packaged with a nice little book and b-card.]
In Slaughter Natives - Cannula Coma Legio
[bloody come-back of this legend. I dare to say that this is best In Slaughter Natives album!]
Sektion B - Holy Land In Flames
Trepaneringsritualen - Perfection & Permanence
Uncodified & Wertham - Vindicta II
Veil Of Light - Ξ
Sudden Infant - Wolfli's Nightmare
Terra Sancta - Exile
Dissecting Table / Sektor 304 – Utopia / Decay
Brume - Two Characters
Post Scriptvm - Benommenheit
Theologian & STROM.ec - Hubrizine
Bisclaveret - Theu Anagnosis
Planning For Burial - Desideratum
Skin Area & Jarl - La Petite Mort
Skorneg - Foehn
Thine - The Dead City Blueprint
Pink Floyd - The Endless River
Jan Warnke - Shade / Wrath
I still need to listen pile of doom metal cds....
I will add more comments later today or tomorrow.
Quote from: Scat-O-Logy on December 14, 2014, 09:38:48 PM
Quote from: TS on December 14, 2014, 02:57:36 PM
Quote from: Scat-O-Logy on December 14, 2014, 08:46:58 AM
Skuggeheim - Fanga I Endeløyse
Skuggeheim is brilliant. Check out the demo "Vinterrikets Konge" from 2007 as well. Its my favourite of his.
Actually I have it along with few of his EP. Judging by what I have heard so far, this new EP should be amazing. Sadly quite hard to get.
Yep, I haven't got all the EP's myself, unfortunately. I wish he'd just do a full-length, haha. I mean, how many Skuggeheim patches does one man need? I've got three I think.
Rough listing only 10.
Swallowed - Lunarterial
Water Torture - Pillbox
Noveller & thisquietarmy - Reveries
Death Kneel - Lilac & Benzene
Execration - Morbid Dimensions
The Rita - Ballet Feet Positions
Phobocosm - Deprived
Diocletian - Gesundrian
Puce Mary - Persona
Dead Congregation - Promulgation of the Fall
Definitely room to maneuver on that list, there was a lot of great stuff this year.
Worst for me was the Sunn O))) Scott Walker thing, and the Sunn O))) Ulver thing. I like a lot of stuff from O'Malley etc but both of these were not interesting at all to me. I wasn't crazy about the Kevin Drumm "Trouble" release either, and the "The Abyss" 2xCD has yet to grab me either but you never know.
Reissues, Order from Chaos box set is monumental. And I'm really into the slew of excellent reissues from FOAD records, in particular the EU's Arse LP!!! And the Killed By Deathrock comp on Sacred Bones was excellent.
They may not have made the list but everything from Total Black and Fieldwork was excellent this year.
Quote from: holy ghost on December 16, 2014, 08:56:22 PM
Worst for me was the Sunn O))) Scott Walker thing, and the Sunn O))) Ulver thing.
Seconded!!
Quote from: Dr Alex on December 17, 2014, 01:54:12 AM
Quote from: holy ghost on December 16, 2014, 08:56:22 PM
Worst for me was the Sunn O))) Scott Walker thing, and the Sunn O))) Ulver thing.
Seconded!!
Agreed. Both unlistenable.
I thought the Sunn O)))/Scott Walker record was fantastic, though I can understand not liking it if you're not into Scott Walker at all. I only clicked with him recently myself but have come to realize he's a phenomenal artist.
Sunn O)))/Ulver record was fantastic but then again those are two of my favorite bands.
Top 3:
1. Isolator - Culture & Principal Of Anti-Human Exaltation (Black Plagve)
2. raison d'être - Mise En Abyme (Transgredient Records)
3. Trepaneringsritualen - Perfection & Permanence (Cold Spring)
In no order:
Teeth Engraved With The Names Of The Dead - Starving The Fires (Part I) (Malignant Records)
Shift - Altamont Rising (Cold Spring)
Terra Sancta - Exile (Malignant Records)
Hal Hutchinson - Wreckage Installations And Metalworks (Crucial Blaze)
Cazzokraft - Integrity Of The Preconscious System (Old Europa Cafe)
Skorneg - Foehn (Malignant Records)
Andy Stott - Faith In Strangers (Modern Love)
Lucy - Churches Schools And Guns (Stroboscopic Artefacts)
V.A. - Hard Panning (The Ultimate Contemporary Cut-up Harsh Noise International Compilation) (Triangle)
Cut Hands - Festival Of The Dead (Blackest Ever Black)
Function : Vatican Shadow - Games Have Rules (Hospital Productions)
Impetuous Ritual - Unholy Congregation Of Hypocritical Ambivalence (Profound Lore Records)
Full Of Hell · Merzbow - Full Of Hell · Merzbow (Profound Lore Records)
Theologian & STROM.ec - Hubrizine (Malignant Records)
Hildur Guðnadóttir - Saman (Touch)
Brighter Death Now - With Promises Of Death (Familjegraven)
Mesektet - Towards A Bleak Sun (Cold Spring)
Treha Sektori - Severh Sehenh (Cyclic Law)
Gnawed - Feign And Cloak (Malignant Records)
Quote from: anomalie on December 17, 2014, 07:00:04 AMImpetuous Ritual - Unholy Congregation Of Hypocritical Ambivalence (Profound Lore Records)
Need to check this out. Have been waiting for vinyl version but not sure if it's going to happen any time soon...
Quote from: anomalie on December 17, 2014, 07:00:04 AMBrighter Death Now - With Promises Of Death (Familjegraven)
Checked this from Tesco bandcamp some time ago. Very solid album in my opinion.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tY57TYnr9w
It was a good year for metal.
Dead Congregation - Promulgation of the Fall
Iron Lung - Savagery
Occultation - Silence in the Ancestral House
Misery - The Beginning
Muslimgauze - Chasing the Shadow of Bryn Jones, 1983–1988 box (it's too bad this wasn't an affordable CD box set)
Teitanblood - Death
liked, but not deserving of a best of:
Autopsy - Tourniquets, Hacksaws and Graves
Clock DVA - Clock 2 (great sound and sounds; the Uwe Schmidt remix moves beautifully)
Funereal Presence - The Archer Takes Aim (the tracks could use some editing)
Hal Hutchinson - Wreckage Installations & Metalworks
Sea Bastard - Scabrous (was this 2013 or 2014? Discogs has it listed as 2014)
Stargazer - A Merging to the Boundless
Tehom - Lacrimae Mundi (interesting that some of this sounds like a Game of Thrones soundtrack)
disappointments:
Hijokaidan - 35th Anniversary
Sturmpercht/Rauhnacht - Zur Ewgen Ruh (only because I wish there was less black metal and more folk)
not heard yet:
Forward - Against Their Insanity
Warcry - Savage Machinery
Fushitsusha + Peter Brotzmann - Nothing Changes
Man is the Bastard Noise/CSMD
Stargazer is probably going to bump something off the list. Phenomenal album from a few cursory listens.
The Government Alpha / Bastard Noise / Hiroshi Hasegawa 7" is certainly up there as well. I'm shocked that was the only Bastard Noise record from 2014 I picked up.... Maybe my discogs account isn't as accurate as I think....
In no special order:
Trepaneringsritualen "Perfection and Permanence" LP
The Equestrian Vortex 10"
Those Poor Bastards "Vicious Losers" LP
"City of the Living Dead" LP
"All the Colours of the Dark" LP
"Slumber Party Massacre" LP
Teitanblood "Death"2LP (I think this is the only metal rel. I picked up this year)
Proiect Hat/Alfarmania: split tape
Concrete Mascara: The Pursuit of Hedonism in a Police State
Quote from: Dr Alex on December 15, 2014, 12:26:59 PM
IRM - Closure
[absolute perfection! Very unique recordings.]
Earth - Primitive And Deadly
[Earth heaviness with amazing vocals = perfect!]
Godflesh - A World Lit Only By Fire
[heavy and angry Streetcleaner for new century]
Jarl | Envenomist - Tunguska Event
[Sounds like Jarl and Reed were the part of Tangerine Dream during '70. Desolate and dark atmosphere on the best way]
1000schoen / Ab Intra - Split
[one the personal faves of this year. Meditative ritual drones from 1000schoen, dark and dreamy harsh ambient from Ab Intra. Both artist shines in their darkness]
1000schoen - Paintings At The Nightsky
[this project finally deliver album which I like from beginning to the end. Long but enjoyable]
Bethlehem - Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia
[after pile of bullshit re-re-recordings, Bethlehem finally done something good. This album sounds like "Mein Weg part II". I liked "Mein Weg" a lot so this is a nice surprise for me]
MK9 - Anhedonic Ideations
[MK9 never disappoint. Loud and piercing experimental electronics with dark vocals. Everything packaged with a nice little book and b-card.]
In Slaughter Natives - Cannula Coma Legio
[bloody come-back of this legend. I dare to say that this is best In Slaughter Natives album!]
Continue..
Sektion B - Holy Land In Flames[pure power of harsh electronics in German way]
Trepaneringsritualen - Perfection & Permanence[dark industrial with amazing atmosphere]
Uncodified & Wertham - Vindicta II[more atmospheric than first part but still harsh and destructive. I like artwork a lot.]
Veil Of Light - Ξ[beautiful coldwave - exactly how I like it. Reminds me of one band which name I cannot remember.]
Sudden Infant - Wolfli's Nightmare[I never listened so much Sudden Infant but this album caught my attention. I love heavy drums!]
Terra Sancta - Exile[desolate atmosphere. Very good cinematic dark ambient.]
Dissecting Table / Sektor 304 – Utopia / Decay[Dissecting Table side is nothing special but Sektor 304 with Martin Bladh is something really really breathtaking. Pure harsh industrial!]
Brume - Two Characters[After amazing "In Heaven" Brume deliver one more masterpiece! Musique concrète with touches of dark ambient. Simply amazing!]
Post Scriptvm - Benommenheit[I like how this sounds like. Let's call it harsh dark ambient. Great balance between dark ambient and power electronics]
Theologian & STROM.ec - Hubrizine[I dare to say that this is best Theologian collaboration. He become new MB for collaborations but this is amazing. Andre's artwork fits very well. Great presentation.]
Bisclaveret - Theu Anagnosis[Top notch dark ambient with vocals. Packed in beautiful digisleeve with lyrics. Remind me of Endura.]
Planning For Burial - Desideratum[Gloomgaze? It can be. Raw sounding, dreamy atmosphere, pile of noises = perfect!]
Skin Area & Jarl - La Petite Mort[this is something really really unique. This audio-visual masterpiece will take you somewhere you've never been before]
Skorneg - Foehn [Pure brooding dark ambient with minimal solutions and beautiful atmospheric tones.]
Thine - The Dead City Blueprint[12 years I waited for this. After amazing melancholic "In Therapy" this guy deliver one more great and bleak melancholic rock.]
Pink Floyd - The Endless River[This is exactly what I except from this legends. Beautiful ambient album. Requiem for Pink Floyd.]
Jan Warnke - Shade / Wrath[Short but good ghostly dark ambient with disturbing vocals.]
LIGATURE IMPRESSION - Slaves To Our Senses
CALIGULA031 - Bachelorette Party
CALIGULA031 / L.C.B. - Final Muzik CD-Singles Club 06
S.T.A.B. ELECTRONICS - Instrument for Working on Mutant Women
TRERIKSROSET - Heteronormativ Musik För Att Stärka Medelklassens Självbild
UNCODIFIED / WERTHAM - Vindicta II
Reissues:
MAUTHAUSEN ORCHESTRA - 2nd Movement (LP)
ULTRA - Delirious Elaborations (CD box set)
In no particular order:
STADINGERS "Deadly Silent Impulse"
Kevlar: cd-r
Concrete Mascara: The Pursuit of Hedonism in a Police State
ULTRA: Delirious Elaborations 4CD
Trepaneringsritualen – Perfection & Permanence
XE: 88 box & XE: purity through fire cd
Puce mary: Persona
Shift: Altamont rising
Candor chasma: The Key
Zyklon SS: Anti-Personnel Explosive Device
vvaa: Hatred Is Nothing Without Action
Swastika Kommando: 1983 box
the rita retrospective II (from 2013 but i got it this year and it has been spinning very often)
Pogrom: Degančios Suros
Proiect Hat/Alfarmania: split tape
M.B/L.C.B: collab cd
many others but these would do
Quote from: Dr Alex on December 18, 2014, 11:45:44 AMTerra Sancta - Exile
[desolate atmosphere. Very good cinematic dark ambient.]
I liked what he did on this album, but I also found it a tad too busy. There's something cold about the production, too. It doesn't have the warmth in sound that he had on the early releases. Reminds me of how Yen Pox changed between Blood Music and New Dark Age.
Quote from: Dr Alex on December 18, 2014, 11:45:44 AMBrume - Two Characters
[After amazing "In Heaven" Brume deliver one more masterpiece! Musique concrète with touches of dark ambient. Simply amazing!]
I forgot to check Brume's Discogs. Thanks. edit: turns out this is 2013.
favorite thing this year:
Am Not - Dark Heart Katanga - fucking hell... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-2_t-_Y2B8&feature=youtu.be (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-2_t-_Y2B8&feature=youtu.be)
no order for the rest:
Sektor 304 - Engage... Forwards box set - the 7" is great but I actually prefer the dark ambient/live CDs. Great package with awesome art and a lot of music to take it in. probably my favorite industria/p.e. release this year.
IRM - Closure CD - good but it didn't blow me away on first listen like Order4 did. It's definitely growing on me but I miss the super-heavy electronics.
V/A - Hatred is Nothing Without Action cassette - I don't think Unrest has put out a release I haven't thoroughly enjoyed in like 3 years... I think this tape is even superior to the excellent We Gave Them the Future. Pretty much everyone kills it.
SHIFT/AM NOT/STAB ELECTRONICS - Three Pillars of Controlled Domination 3"CDr - Am Not is perfect. utterly.
Tervahäät - Taival CD - I don't listen to much neofolk but this CD was a revelation to me. beautiful. manages to completely avoid the cheesiness i associate with the genre.
Cassegrain - Centres of Distraction 3x12" - one of the best techno albums of the year. nice variation while keep a consistent atmosphere. tunnel techno as i like to call it.
Violet Poison - Non Sequitur 2xLP giallo techno. rough analogue techno of the highest order.
HTRK - Psychic 9-5 Club LP - sex music of the highest order.
still haven't heard:
Shift - Altamont Rising CD
S.T.A.B. ELECTRONICS - Instrument for Working on Mutant Women LP
Puce Mary - Persona LP
@Zeno Marx
Huh. Yes, Brume is from 2013. Sorry about that. I got it from Drone few weeks ago in a promo package.
I really like desolate atmosphere on new Terra Sancta album but older albums are good too but this one have something really special to me.
@ConcreteMascara
I must check Am Not. I like track on Unrest compilation.
Thank for remind me. Shift is really good album but I didn't listen it a lot. I still need to "embrace" their new sound.
S.T.A.B. Electronics Urashima LP is good but nothing too memorable to me. Maybe I need to spin it more.
I still wait for Ultra boxset so I didn't put it in my list.
Must add Jake Bell - Awake In My Flying Dream cd which I got 2 days ago. Amazing ambient with IDM touches. Atmosphere on this cd is something beyond words..
Disappointments:
Consumer Electronics (I listen it yesterday again and I still think the "music" is terrible and vocals are good as ever but simply not goes well with dull and sterile digital sounds)
both Sunn O))) collaborations. I like Ulver, I like Sunn ))) but... Maybe I just can't understand it.
Sacher-Pelz - Zre Has Celp (simply, it's boring)
K2's whole Audio Pathology Archives is terrible. I still didn't listen 2 volumes but all I heard is not so good. Too digital and overdubed. Mastering is also terrible!
Loss - Sick [I listen it few times and it's not so good. Rhythmic noise/industrial with darker sound. Their "I Kill Everything" is something really special but this one is not]
Quote from: ConcreteMascara on December 18, 2014, 06:30:27 PM
Sektor 304 - Engage... Forwards box set - the 7" is great but I actually prefer the dark ambient/live CDs. Great package with awesome art and a lot of music to take it in. probably my favorite industria/p.e. release this year.
Thank you! I'm really happy to know it made such an impression on you! :)
I'm not really following any "dates" on the stuff I'm buying so, no lists from my side since I don't even know the release year from must of the stuff I've bought/traded!
Quote from: Dr Alex on December 18, 2014, 07:32:39 PM
S.T.A.B. Electronics Urashima LP is good but nothing too memorable to me. Maybe I need to spin it more.
damn i've miss it
is you decide to sell it contact me
LOL
gotta mention one more thing:
Private Archive – Honey Aspic Enema cassette - combining my two favorite genres of music, power electronics and techno into something amazing. i could definitely see this turning a lot of people off but it's perfect to me. reminds me a bit of Cathode Terror Secretion so bonus points ofr that. and live at MAPS fest last weekend these guys destroyed it. very excited for whatever is next from them!
Quote from: ANDROPHILIA on December 19, 2014, 12:39:34 AM
Quote from: Dr Alex on December 18, 2014, 07:32:39 PM
S.T.A.B. Electronics Urashima LP is good but nothing too memorable to me. Maybe I need to spin it more.
damn i've miss it
is you decide to sell it contact me
LOL
Joking or...? You can still get it from various distros or from Dis-Cocks for example.
For me the main stand-out releases of the year were both from projects that have been around for years who are basically making "come-backs", as it where.
Brighter Death Now's "With Promises Of Death" hid me immediately just as "Necrose Evangelicum" did, but not entirely in the same way. It started with a powerful declaration of intent, acknowledging a return to power, and gradually and with great skill winded down the mood to the kind of depression inducing Death Industrial Karmanik pioneered. I'm a bit of a BDN tragic so I was prepared to accept anything that wasn't complete crap but this was more than just good enough, this was not only a return to form but a real extension of the project's catalogue.
The second release that excited me this year was The Primitive Calculator's "The World Is Fucked". Essentially synth punk, but with the kind of urgent power and grunt that marks actual punk as opposed to watery shit that tries to sound like it, combined with a real sense of nihilistic miserablism that I just love. I understand the people in the band are somewhat politically active but thank Cthulhu there's no notion of such ethics here, just sheer bleakness and contempt of both self and everything else that I can only concur with. And, thank fuck, no attempt from the vocalist to hide the fact that he's an Australian (by using) a phony seppo accent.
For the most part, it was these two releases that I felt a genuine, warm thrill for. There were others, most notably Shift's "Altamont Rising", which combined rotten synth tones with layers of samples that made me jealous, but I don't like to buy too much these days so what does stand out, tends to stand out more strongly.
(The Ultra box set also gives me strong tingles but I'll rant about that later, still absorbing).
Record of the year...
IRM Closure.
A cold, clinical and complex album. The production is as sharp as surgical steel that only adds to irm's ability to build and built tension and almost induce panic attacks...My only complaint...where is the vinyl of this????
Also some great records released by close friends and colleges, that I won't mention as I don't want to look like a arse kisser...and after the drama of last year, great to see that no fucks were given and it was business as usual!
Much needed reissues of the pogrom and puce mary also were very welcome!
Brighter Death Now's "With Promises Of Death" hid me immediately just as "Necrose Evangelicum" did, but not entirely in the same way. It started with a powerful declaration of intent, acknowledging a return to power, and gradually and with great skill winded down the mood to the kind of depression inducing Death Industrial Karmanik pioneered. I'm a bit of a BDN tragic so I was prepared to accept anything that wasn't complete crap but this was more than just good enough, this was not only a return to form but a real extension of the project's catalogue.
I dunno, this is fine, but nothing on a par with what I liked by BDN - "Innerwar", "May All Be Dead", or "Very Little Fun". Lacks something, I don't know what. Oh, I'll probably listen to it again, but I'd reach for one of the others first. Perhaps I was disappointed because everything I heard about it was good, so my expectations were perhaps a little high.
Quote from: Scat-O-Logy on December 19, 2014, 07:04:47 AM
Quote from: ANDROPHILIA on December 19, 2014, 12:39:34 AM
Quote from: Dr Alex on December 18, 2014, 07:32:39 PM
S.T.A.B. Electronics Urashima LP is good but nothing too memorable to me. Maybe I need to spin it more.
damn i've miss it
is you decide to sell it contact me
LOL
Joking or...? You can still get it from various distros or from Dis-Cocks for example.
yes
indeed find it
Climax Denial/ The Rita - "Preparing for Pointe"
Loved this. Layout looked like a snapshot of a deep study. CD back with blown out synths and hovering vocals, and the Rita with that great collage. Love the tapey sound of it all.
The Rita - "Ballet Feet Positions"
An extended study. Visualize the movements. Layout is dense with ballet and foot care imagery. The story and Caligula031 rework are perfect too. This with the Climax Denial split are the best marriage of aural, visual and conceptual work this year.
Caligula031 - "Bachelorette Party"
Really like the concept, and the samples/field recordings that tie it all in. The opening track is a rhythmic beast! even though half the size, I like this more than the full length. Still need Domino...
Gnawed - "Feign and Cloak"
This project is so good. So consistently powerful, but still evolving from release to release. More of an atmospheric death industrial sound than the last full length, but still with the expected Gnawed rage. Hoping for the LP...
STAB Electronics - "Instrument for Working on Mutant Women"
Vileness. Cold, biting synthesis. So much disgust. Really like the vocals and how they pair with the synths. Harsh at some points, just unnerving at others.
Private Archive - Honey Aspic Enema
I commented on this before, but I still can't get enough of this tape. I don't really see this kind of precision or restraint with PE/industrial themes. Oozing with sexual power.
Atrax Morgue - "Mechanic Asphyxia" (Urashima reissue)
Maybe not truly my favorite AM release, but it was the first one that I heard that changed my perspective on atmosphere, tone, and minimalist composition in PE. Made me appreciate and love stuff like this so much more. The way a the synth lines just leave you to wait and wait for repeated phrases. The representation of a maniac's consciousness. Fuck it, favorite AM release. Happy to have a good copy of this. Cheers to Urashima!
Some of the stuff on my "list" hasn't even arrived yet (ie the Swallowed 2xLP and along with it the Phobocosm), or been pressed on LP (Stargazer) and there's stuff coming out I've barely digested yet, and new stuff (ie The Rita LP) that I just ordered that are potential contenders. I feel like I would be better suited to making a 2014 list in July 2015 to see what's held up.
Quote from: holy ghost on December 25, 2014, 06:50:27 PM
I feel like I would be better suited to making a 2014 list in July 2015
Agreed. Though for me this is mainly because I hardly bought any new music in 2014, mostly reissues and old stuff.
These were my favorite releases of 2014... at least as of this moment. The order is debatable. No reissues or compilations though.
Top 10 Noise/Industrial/Power Electronics:
Trepaneringsritualen "Perfection and Permanence"
Wolves of Heaven / Nyodene D split
Michael Idehall "Svartkonster" and "Deep Code"
Shift "Altamont Rising"
Private Archive "Honey Aspic Enema"
Pharmakon "Bestial Burden"
Laureate "Synthesized Utopia"
S.T.A.B. Electronics "Instrument for Operating on Mutant Women"
Puce Mary "Persona"
Iron Clad "Strike to Kill"
Top 10 Metal:
Swallowed "Lunarterial"
Ride for Revenge "Enter the Gauntlet"
StarGazer "A Merging to the Boundless"
Ill Omen "Enthroning the Bonds of Abhorrence"
Necros Christos "Nine Graves"
Encoffination "III: Hear Me, O' Death (Sing Thou Wretched Choirs)"
Vassafor / Sinistrous Diabolos split
Midnight "No Mercy for Mayhem"
Volahn "Aq'Ab'Al"
Impetuous Ritual "Unholy Congregation of Hypocritical Ambivalence"
Top 10 Other Sounds:
Swans "To Be Kind"
The Body "I Shall Die Here"
Gas Chamber "Hemorrhaging Light"
Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra "Fuck Off Get Free We Pour Light on Everything"
Croatian Amor "The Wild Palms"
Cult of Youth "Final Days"
PIG DNA "DOM (Demonstrate Overpowering Might)"
Perturbator "Dangerous Days"
Ionophore "Through Light Fractures"
Matthew Akers "A History of Arson"
I still need to hear the new ones from Mortuary Drape, Hetroertzen, Yob, Drowned, Goatmoon, Godflesh and some others, but I can't see much changing. There were plenty of other great releases in 2014, but these are the ones I narrowed it down to.
Anal Hearse
The live performance was one of the most intense things I have seen.
Now that I am thinking about it I saw a great number of incredible live performances this year on my travels to the mid west and east coast the United States.
In particular, seeing Koufar live for the first time was one of the best moments of the year for me personally.
Quote from: Mikerdeath on January 25, 2015, 10:02:48 PM
Anal Hearse
The live performance was one of the most intense things I have seen.
I was just telling a friend Anal Hearse is probably the best kept secret of the Midwest US. Probably the whole United States.
Anal Hearse.... not one release after all these years?!.... amazing.... guess you just have to play a show in wisconsin, and hope, pray, the Hearse rolls by
QuoteAnal Hearse.... not one release after all these years?!.... amazing....
Yes - after being completely bowled over by his performance (and even his soundcheck) at the Milwaukee Noise Fest, I remember hanging with him afterward at the Climax Denial house and finding out that he's shockingly never released anything.
It was far too hard to break down 2014's "greatest" releases into ten slots...so I made a top fifteen.
1. Deathkey "Emanations of Binaural Terror" CD
2. Vat "Broken Ankle/Cinderscab" CS
3. Vasculae "Effort Towards Regression" CS
4. Mania "Decrepit" CS
5. Being "Get Rid of Everything" CS
6. Unusual Affairs "Hooded Remains" CS
7. Breathing Problem "The Keyhole" CS
8. Striations "Hunting for Bitches" CS
9. Fetish Ritual "F & R" CS
10. Constrain "Default Trade" 2xCS
11. Plague Mother " Bones of Regret" CS
12. Wrong Hole "Sucking Wound"
13. Hostage Pageant "Fractured Composite Materials"
14. Discretion "Marcher Dans Les Mes De La Mort" 2xCS
15. Sadico Amor "Journey into Pain" Digital Release
Hostage Pageant - Impediment 7" + cs (A Dear Girl Called Wendy)
David Gilden - Texas Chainsaw Dopefiend c62 reissue (Mother Savage)
Constrain - Travail c62 (Presh)
Constrain - Default Trade 2xc10 (Compulsion Rites)
Killer Bug - Live in Taiwan LP + DVD (Audio Dissection)
Kiran Arora - Compassion Fatigue c62 (Presh)
Anthracite - Oxnard 1903 c30 (Heavy Psych)
Unpenis - Alabama Bush Assault Formation cs (Everything as Dung)
Action/Discipline - Hard Lesson c20 (New Forces)
Ahlzagailzehguh/Brad Griggs/Breaking The Will/Developer - Summer Scum Harsh Noise c10 (New Forces)
Enklav - 2. LP (Järtecknet)
all live sets from Brad Griggs, Breaking The Will and Action/Discipline
Hiroshi Hasegawa live @ End Tymes Festival 2014, Brooklyn, NYC - was expecting a psychedelic electronics set but witnessed probably the best harsh noise performance I've ever seen
Best tape of 2013 = best CD of 2014: POGROM: Degančios Suros. Impressive, difficult, impenetrable. Many different moods. Lost for words, I'm fucking bad at commenting on great records.
Finally got around to making a list, probably still forgot some stuff...
Sinmara - Aphotic Womb
Svolder - Desecration of the Five Holy Pillars
Verberis - Vastitas
Vassafor/Sinistrous Diabolus
Khthoniik Cerviiks - Heptaedrone
Albez Duz - The Coming of Mictlan
Versifist - Scripting the Catechism
Terror Oath - Terror Oath
Domains - Sinister Ceremonis
Drowned - Idola Specus
Dead Congregation - Promulgation of the Fall
Nuclearhammer - Serpentine Hermetic Lucifer
Dhwesha - Sthoopa
Bones - Awaiting Rebirth
Custodian/Developer
Sewer Election & Puce Mary - Masks Are Aids
Mannveira - Von Er Eitur
Nadra - Eitur
Dread Sovereign - All Hell's Martyrs
Procession - To Reap Heavens Apart
Kevlar - Alpha Strife
Vapaudenristi - Ei Maata Ilman Kansaa
Force of Darkness - Absolute Verb of Chaos and Darkness
Ahlzagailzehguh/Brad Griggs/Breaking The Will/Developer – Summer Scum Harsh Noise
Nyodene D/Wolves of Heaven and/or Nyodene D - Mouths That Reap The Harvest
Isolator - Culture & Principal Of Anti-Human Exaltation
Caen - Middlefield
Deathkey - Emanations of Binaural Terror
Feberdröm - Intrusion of Mortality
And some stuff that I still have to get that might make a chance:
Gnawed - Feign & Cloak
Nightbringer - Ego Dominus Tuus
Mortuary Drape - Spiritual Independence (well, have this now, but needs a bit more listening to see if it would make the list)
Sonne Hagal - Ockerwasser
Femeheim - Dominium Terrae