Best And Worst Of 2014

[Dr Alex]

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.

[TS]

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.

[holy ghost]

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.

[Dr Alex]

Worst for me was the Sunn O))) Scott Walker thing, and the Sunn O))) Ulver thing.

Seconded!!

[anomalie]

Worst for me was the Sunn O))) Scott Walker thing, and the Sunn O))) Ulver thing.

Seconded!!

Agreed. Both unlistenable.

[Half Aborted]

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.

[Scat-O-Logy]

Sunn O)))/Ulver record was fantastic but then again those are two of my favorite bands.

[anomalie]

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)

[Scat-O-Logy]

Impetuous 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...

Brighter Death Now - With Promises Of Death (Familjegraven)

Checked this from Tesco bandcamp some time ago. Very solid album in my opinion.

[tiny_tove]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tY57TYnr9w

[Zeno Marx]

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

[holy ghost]

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....

[bitewerksMTB]

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

[Dr Alex]

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.]

[THE RITA HN]

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)