Best of 2020

[NaturalOrthodoxy]

You knew it was coming...

In no particular order:

Scatmother - Sadotantra
Vatican Shadow - Persian Pillars of the Gasoline Era
Prurient - Casablanca Flamethrower
Grunt - Spiritual Eugenics
Knifedoutofexistence - Just Barely
Bohren & Der Club of Gore - Patchouli Blue

EDIT: some others I forgot about

Linekraft - Industrialized Criminals History
Crawl of Time / God Is War - A Time For War
Oneohtrix Point Never - Magic Oneohtrix Point Never

These are the releases I've routinely returned to, and if I was try to think of more it would open the floodgates to a nearly endless list!

[implementsofsacrifice]

In no particular (alphabetical) order.

Blind Date - Acting Class
Crazy Doberman - Illusory Expansion
Form Hunter - Form Hunter
Heat Signature - Altered States of Warfare
Jackson-Pratt - Deep In The Night, I'm Lost In Love
Jason Crumer - Jason Crumer
Shredded Nerve - Acts of Betrayal
Skin Graft - Hell In The Blood
Slit Throats - Joshi Noise Worship
Worth - Oculus

I'll add that I'm looking forward to hearing the new Kiran Arora.

[New Forces]

Restricted to noise (broadly defined) with no reissues. Forced myself to count down from 10 but these are pretty interchangeable. Great year everyone (at least for noise), keep it up in 2021.

10. Seepage - Crush (Fantasy Knife) Cassette
I always like to include a deeper cut that may have flown under the radar. One of my most-listened-to tapes this year. Ginny Benson (VX Bliss) and Kiran Arora collaboration that does an amazing job combining blown out Americanoise crunch with some more dynamic harsh electronics.

9. Kiran Arora ‎– Wormwood Scrubs (Tordon Ljud) CD
A late arrival, but it would not be denied. Amazing, varied noise full length that showcases a veritable tool box of tricks and interesting sounds. Both bludgeoning and surprising.  

8. Andy Bolus, Joseph Hammer, John Wiese ‎– Prelude To Hawaiian Radio (Helicopter / Troniks) CD
This CD is full of wonderful sludge with the quick cuts you might associate with a Wiese edit. Plenty of damaged electronics and gooey tapes that reward both focused listening and use as the background soundtrack to some other brain melting activity. I love how dense this is. Helicopter and Troniks both had a busy year, and this may be my favorite of their non-reissue releases. Get these three guys together for another session.

7. Gnawed ‎– Subterranean Rites (Cloister Recordings) LP
Elite death-industrial, perfect fusion of sound and concept. There are moments where I wish this record would blast away at me like Grant in a Minneapolis basement circa 2009, but its power is instead in the creeping, seeping, dank sense of dread that washes over you.

6. MNEM ‎– Elyktrion (Verlautbarung) LP
Dark, minimal, textural, downright scary noise.

5. Shredded Nerve - Cruel Intentions (Ascetic House) LP
No one manipulates the cycle of tension-build-release like Shredded Nerve, and the pacing and length of an LP brought that out even more on "Cruel Intentions." A record you can throw on the turntable and spend an entire afternoon flipping back and forth without getting tired. Expertly composed noise.

4. Blind Date - Acting Class (Oxen) CD
A great year for new harsh noise, many to choose from, this is right there at the top. Great variety, great pacing, great blend of movement and monolithic pounding.

3. Crawl of Time - Operation Black Widow (Fusty Cunt / Chondritic Sound) CS / CD
My favorite power-electronics of 2020. Perfect unity of sound, concept, and atmosphere.Traverses unique subject matter through a highly personal lens, and the anger, fear, love, loss, bitterness, and sense of family all feel very genuine. Track 2, "Ties That Bind," is one of the hardest tracks of the year (in any genre).

2. K-Group - Series 4 (Knotwilg Records) LP
Drone perfection, I listened to this over and over and over. Manages to feel incredibly organic and physical while going to a meditative, ethereal place. Seriously, drone perfection, I feel like 10 years from now I will still be ranking this as one of my all time drone records.

1. Skin Graft / John Wiese - Accessible World (Helicopter / Troniks) CD
Thank god Wiese moved to Cleveland.

[Eigen Bast]

My "top 10" below - what is there to say about this year? Either locked inside or tossed to the wolves, it was theft. One year - GONE! Bored as hell, trapped, a constant stream of packages providing some simulacrum of an outside world. here's hoping '21 is as insane as it should be !

1. Mnem - Elkytrion LP
2. Lussuria - Poison Butterfly Came the Day After Autumn CS
3. Breaking the Will - Mortal Terrain Incendiary CD
4. Mo*te - An Idle Complaint LP
5. Ames Sanglantes - Control Corruption Power Politic 2x CS
6. Emil Beaulieu - Polio CS
7. Crazy Doberman - Illusory Expanse CS
8. VA - Computer Murder 4x CS
9. Heat Signature - Altered States of Warfare CD
10. Wilt - This Black Void, A Heaven CS


Incredible year for reissues (Gerogerigegege comp, Pleasure Fluids, Metgubmnerbone, every hardcore record in japanese history, etc)

[impulse manslaughter]

A few favorite purchases of 2020:

Alva Noto - Xerrox , Vol. 4
Girls In Synthesis – Now Here's An Echo From Your Future
Fontaines D.C. - A Hero's Death
Wanderwelle - A State Of Decrepitude
Franck Vigroux ‎– Ballades Sur Lac Gelé
Julianna Barwick - Healing Is a Miracle
Bohren & der Club of Gore - Patchouli Blue
Midori Hiano – Invisible Island
Linekraft - Death Still Persist
Shredded Nerve - Acts Of Betrayal
Kjostad - Extinctionist
Rafael Anton Isisarri– Peripeteia
Willem de Ridder - All Chemix Radio
Bib - Delux
Henning Christiansen – L´Essere Umano Errabando La Voca Errabando
Jason Molina - Eight Gates
Zelienople - Hold You Up
Roll Porter ‎– Kistvaen


REISSUE/REPACKAGING
Metgumbnerbone - Anthropological Field Recordings For The Dispossessed
Come Organisation - boxset
Molchat Doma -  S Krysh Nashikh Domov
David Gilden - Temporary Sedation
Stephan Mathieu -  A Static Place / Remain
Hermann Nitsch - Akustisches Abreaktionsspiel
Coil - Musick To Play In The Dark

[ConcreteMascara]

I feel like I bought a lot of records this year but still missed more goods than I picked up. Seems like there were multiple killer harsh noise releases a month and a crazy amount of essential reissues, of which I've only grabbed a handful.

new music
Ai Aso – The Faintest Hint LP – Ideologic Organ - totally unexpected album, and maybe Ai Aso's best one?!
Clarity – UVB76-016 12" – UVB-76
Grunt – Spiritual Eugenics 2xLP – Freak Animal
Hannah Diamond – Reflections LP – PC Music
Internal Rot – Grieving Birth LP – Iron Lung
Metadevice – Ubiquitarchia cassette – Malignant
Mo*Te / Worth – Split cassette – Cipher
The Rita Treriksroset – Keep Industrial Out of Harsh Noise LP – WCN
Taeter with Sektor 304 – The Hermeneutics of the Hunt has Gone Full Circle CD – New Approach

IOPS Tapes
Clinic of Torture – Rohrstockliebe cassette - IOPS
Kinbakushi – Construction Site Bondage cassette – IOPS
Silence of Vacuum – 6: The Rubberist cassette – IOPS

Reissues
Aube - Spindrift LP - Robert & Leopold
K2 – Burst After Burst: Early Recordings 1990-1996 6xCD – Urashima
Mania - Swedish tape reissues
Mental Fear Productions - Remastered Classics 2002​-​2006 MP3s - MFP
New Direction Unit – Axis/Another Revolvable Thing 1 & 2 LPs – Blank Forms
Toho Sara – Eastern Most 2xLP – Black Editions
White Heaven – Out LP – Black Editions


I only saw one movie from 2020, Brandon Cronenberg's Possessor, which I really liked.

[MyrtleLake]

The release (for me) that must be highlighted for 2020 is Paranoid Time: Lip Rippers 7" on WCN.  This is harsh noise to accurately exemplify this fucked up year:

It is not angry.
It is not aggressive.
It is not trained nor precise.

It is unhinged. Full of dumb,
Blathering idiot noise. Succinct,
And a goddamn mess.

There are other recordings worth mentioning. Beautiful, surprising, genuine list-worthy releases. Perhaps I will return to sorting those out at a later date. For now, though, this is the only release worth giving prominence... A real auditory piece of shit interspersed with annoying silence before bothering to flip the stupid thing. 7"s are fairly useless. They cost more than a full album and rarely, if ever, get played. They're usually pressed poorly and / or warped. On top of that, it was far overdue by the label's own admission. Which altogether makes Lip Rippers just *perfect*.

[muppet1]

Great, great year for noise and plenty of other new music. Too many invaluable reissues to list so I limited myself to the new music releases I found myself coming back to again and again in alphabetical order.

Kiran Arora - Wormwood Scrubs cd (Tordon Ljud)
Chris Fratesi - Red Lead cdr (Anathema Archive)
Gothenburg Sound Workshop - s/t lp (Förlag För Fri Musik)
MNEM - Elyktrion lp (Verlautbarung)
Savage Gospel - s/t cd (White Centipede Noise)
no artist [Stewart Skinner] - untitled cs (We Are One)
Thought Broadcast - Extinction Cycle cs (Hierodule)
Worth - Heroin Vampires 3" cdr (Nefarious Activities)
Unchained - Pic digi (Aizac Logistics)

[Bruitiste]

Love these specialized lists, reminds me of stuff I need to check out.
Here are some favorites from this year (trying to keep this list to noise and experimental electronics in general), in no particular order:

Diaphragmatic: No Chance / No Choice
Prants: Axon Ladder
Himukalt: Sex Worker II
Himukalt: Septic
Illusion of Safety: Terra Firma
Salò Salon: Culte du Moi
evicshen: Atrophy Wife
evicshen: Hair Birth
Eric Schmid: Topos Theory
Weasel Walter: Another Pound Of Flesh
Linekraft: Industrialized Criminals History
Linekraft: Death Still Persists
Sissy Spacek: Prismatic Parameter
Andy Bolus/Joseph Hammer/John Wiese: Prelude To Hawaiian Radio
Emil Beaulieu: Polio
Skin Graft & John Wiese: Accessible World
Prurient: Casablanca Flamethrower

Sure I'm forgetting some that will come to mind later...

[FreakAnimalFinland]

Finnish stuff:
Haare "brain" CD - totally new level compositionally and in details of sound.
Nuori Veri "luun ja auran synteesi" tape - unique "rural pe", something I wrote and dreamed about before someone actually made it
Aprapat "chimes of entropy" tape - if someone would listen this and say nah, not up there among global top noisers of today, I would be surprised!
The New Boyfriends 1 & 2 tapes, metal junks noise, not all the way harsh - also some stuff could be in lines of Jeph Jerman Arcane Facture.
Testicle Hazard "50/60" LP - when the fanboys surpass the masters. Just compare this with Incapacitants LP, and one can certainly nod in approval for new Incapacitants LP, but TH is the one that actually delivers the masterful noise blast.

International stuff:
Skingraft/Wiese CD, probably my most listened harsh noise CD of 2020
Linekraft - death still persist CD out of many Linekraft releases, this is among Hospital tape latest I listened multiple times during autumn.
Kjostad - CD's (I think I heard Glacial Lake in 2020, but its 2018 tape reissued in 2019. So, the two 2020 CD's are also very good!)
Haus Arafna - Asche LP, oh man what a return to "back to basics" type of HA!
Emil Beaulieu: Polio tape - and talking of returns, I have no idea really when and how and why this material was made, but if this really is recent RRRecordings, he is on top of the game still today!


Why separate finns & international. I am sure most know why! Like listening Noisextra - there is something quite "local" and "social" in the selection. We are all usually tied within the network we get the stuff from. Or are exposed to it. It is not only objectively absolute best things that were released, but also what you happened to get, what someone happened to recommend to check out. Most often meaning you got stuff from people you know. Labels or bands you know, who you had already some sort of relationship with. So, while listening Noisextra with the USA domination and acknowledging certain labels and artists are sort of bound to be there, while other things are bound to be missing...  It is probably exactly same with me: I get exposed to different things, Finnish noise being one of that. Some things nobody in US seems to have heard. Subjectively I could conclude that these things simply slay - even analyze how they were better than vast majority of international stuff - but its hard to measure if there is real objective element to it?


But in general, hell... you know the trouble! Like... What the fuck happened in... January? February?! While at the same time, seems as if time travels so fast, almost nothing gets done, BUT, at the same time thinking 12 months ago? How can I remember what I was listening year ago!?
I know there was dozens of releases that ended into heavy rotation. Honestly I listened Failing Lights new CD far more than Kjostad new CD. Same for Robert Turman new CD on Chondritic. That got instant 4 rotations and had to even listen more on headphones from bandcamp when was outdoors away from CD player... so yeah, there are lots of such items that could or should make it to list, but would need to think what were the earlier items so its not all about end of 2020..

When I was thinking how I can not remember what all came out in 2020, I decided to do recap of what Freak Animal (and related) did in 2020. Even for that, I had to take a look on my own site like what was 2018, what was 2019, and what are 2020... haha. Fuck.  I posted it on label site and classified section of this board couple days ago.

[[MBD]]

Emil Beaulieu: Polio tape - and talking of returns, I have no idea really when and how and why this material was made, but if this really is recent RRRecordings, he is on top of the game still today!

I can't believe I forgot about this one and how good it was.  In regards to the Hospital camp, it's up there for me with the Rogue State debut.

Having missed out on a lot due to the obvious shittiness of the year, I'm gonna play it safe and say that MNEM - Elyktrion CS is my favorite followed closely by Worth - Oculus CD and Shredded Nerve - Acts Of Betrayal.

Honestly, I'm just glad that people in the US are into CDs again. 

[Fistfuck Masonanie]

Massive year! A fucking ton of great new noise releases and MANY well appreciated re-issues. I initially had a list of about 20, but I decided to whittle it down.

1) Kiran Arora - Wormwood Scrubs
If I had to recommend one album this year, this would likely be the top pick. An incredibly well executed album on all fronts. Unique palette of sounds, editing, and mastering which all combine to help fully realize the full breadth of dynamic sounds. From start to finish, the album works with blasting distortion levels, field recordings and lower volume textural dynamics without sounding academic or pedantic.

2) Worth - Roosting in Death-Sized Horn
Worth had a ridiculously good year with multiple releases. Roosting in Death-Sized Horn actually edges out Oculus for me and is a contender for AOTY. While Oculus is very good, Roosting feels like a more free flowing "in the zone" experience. The Going Down tape and Mo*Te split were both note worthy as well.

3) Blind Date - Acting Class
Acting Class is elite shownmanship of full on blasting noise. Superb talent, detail, and craft on display. Unrelenting blasting that somehow stays fresh all the way through each track. Judy Garland Pavilion tape on Monorail Trespassing this year is also a top pick, get both!

4) Striations - Trauma Code 2
Striations is one of most consistent and immersive modern noise artists in which I can't imagine skipping a single release. Every album is methodically articulate in subject matter. The Trauma Code series revolves around the un-assuming consequences of auto-vehicular mangled flesh on pavement. One of the best artists in creating supplemental booklets of content to absorb while listening to the well crafted sounds as well.

5) Like Weeds - Closer At Hand Than God
This is a surgical execution of hi-end sound design and technique. This release definitely benefits from playback on higher end audio equipment. Finely paced deep bass drops anchor the core of the tracks while Kenny constructs harsh tones and electronics in the forefront. The sounds always remind me of a sci-fi soundtrack of a machine revolution ala Terminator 2 future war scenes. Massive death machines rolling over human society to ensure obliteration.

6) Crazy Doberman - Illusory Expansion
A truly imaginative collective of musicians from the Midwest USA. A bizarre cumulative sound of free jazz, krautrock, and other weirdness. Expertly edited and strewn together to create mind bending psychedelic sounds. The group have already created a solid body of work, but this could arguably be considered their crowning achievement.

7) Body Carve - Macro Induced Orgasm
One of the modern experts in contact mic based feedback/distortion destruction. Each year the artist has returned with a exemplary release of stripped down but methodical noise. This release just tickles the inner ear just right, those beautiful high end feedback tones and crunch are perfect.

8) Skin Graft - Hell in the Blood
Skin Graft does harsh just right, he seems to have that Midas touch. The sound palette isn't unlike things you have heard before per say, however it's just done better. Layers of sound are woven on top of each other in such a fantastic and new crushing manner. Classic noise re-imagined.

9) Shredded Nerve - Acts Of Betrayal
You can tell a lot of thought and time goes into constructing each of these tracks. The detail, pacing, and build-up are so extremely well done. I need to get my hands on that recently released Cruel Intentions LP, because those preview tracks are really good.

10) Gnawed - Subterranean Rites
I'm sure there have been a plethora of reviews that will summarize this release better than I could. Drudging through underground tunnels to discover beautiful acoustics of resonance. Metal scraping never sounded so good. A recent announcement of procuring binaural microphones have me excited for new material.

Other notes:
*I wanted to give a quick shout out to the mastering jobs done by Grant Richardson this year.
*Also, all of the C.C.C.C. re-issues were GREATLY appreciated.
*I don't think the Vanilla Records re-issues were strictly this year, but I just found out about them. Excellent!

[W.K.]

Lot's of good releases, but to limit it the genre's discussed on this forum:

Purgate ‎– Elemental [aufnahme + wiedergabe]
Monumental and brutal release, where Samuel Kerridge stopped doing his black industrial work Purgates takes over with passion and guts. Friend of mine blew his subwoofer to this one on only moderate volume levels, so be aware!

Various ‎– Al​-​Ibtihal [Rhadâb]
This was very much a surprise for me, as I didn't know the label nor any of the artists on forehand. Very good and consistent mix of brooding ambience with eastern influences, field recordings (people talking, outside sounds etc.) and string instruments; on the B side going from painful electronics to blowing techno. Excellent release, but 30 copies for a tape like this is way too limited!

Jumping Tiger - Demo [Hospital Prod.]
Just a good chunk of high energy no-nonsense noise! No overtly drama theatrics like most Hospital productions, perfect!

Have to point out that I really need to pick up some of the new Troniks releases because the new batch looks sick! LHD, Cherry Point, John Wiese!

[W.K.]

Forgot Throat - Bareback (Stripped & Remasked), genius concept, excellent execution and some very good tracks. Here is me hoping more noise rock or punk bands will follow.

[theworldisawarfilm]

Most rotated. Top of my head/no order.

Grant Evans - Albatross
Shredded Nerve - Acts of Betrayal
Heat Signature - Altered States of Warfare
Sewer Election - Blizzard Amplification
Striations - Trauma Code 2
Blind Date - Judy Garland Pavillion
V/A - Computer Murder