I didn't listen to a lot of p.e./noise this year and I've missed most of the albums I want to hear (Arkhe, Am Not, Ke/Hil, Sick Seed, BU, Kevlar)... so my favorites come from a limited listening pool.
STROMSTAD - New Devoted Human LP - Malignant - thanks to Mr. Unclean for the heads up on this one. didn't even know this was on the horizon until a few weeks before it came out. i'm biased as i absolutely love
STROM.ec and Cloama but this is a damn fine album to my ears. really crisp production/mastering. as usual a sci-fi sound/atmosphere while still sound physical and immediate. vocals are on fucking point to! everything about this one from the artwork to the lyrics to the track titles all works in a wonderful cohesive whole. and it's nice to see Malignant doing more vinyl releases, especially when they look as good as this! only complaint, i wish it was a bit longer.
Mania - Little Pieces of Violence CD - Phage Tapes - i always enjoy Mania and prior to this CD i'd be hard pressed to pick a favorite release (though the split with Coma Detox is fucking killer as is the 7" on F&V), but i can say easily for my taste this is my favorite Mania release. i've listened to this many many times since i received it and i continue to be impressed by the succinct and efficient nature of the tracks. as i said before in the Playlist thread, the 2nd half of the album really gets good with the last track being the ultimate highlight. i love well placed samples and the sample from
Klute really makes the track. sidenote, i've got a handful of damn fine releases from Phage and i wonder why i don't follow the label more closely.
Disgusting Sanctum - Processed and Sterilized for Corpse Fucking cassette - Finders - while i've enjoyed DS and CD in the past, this tape matches my taste more than anything i've heard before. maybe it's that there's less murk and a slightly more "musical" edge to the proceedings but i really liked this tape. rock solid death industrial. a damn shame that it was more or less sold out before it's existence was public knowledge. definitely something that deserves a proper CD issue.
Death Shape - Eschatology Through Deconstructive Isolate cassette - Ofiolatria Magna Mystica - this artist reached out to me directly for trade and i'm very glad he did. i was impressed by the bandcamp samples but they don't really do this tape justice. i was instantly reminded of Deathkey, specifically "Doctrine of Intolerant Hatred" era, and while there are certainly shades of that sound, Death Shape his own thing. i've got a soft spot for any kind of suicidal/mystic/misanthropy type stuff and the extravagant packaging really drives the whole thing home. obviously the packaging was a labor of love and happily the music delivers on the promise made by it. probably not for everyone but i'd recommend giving this new artist a shot, if not just for an example of snazzy packaging done right.
as far as non-noise release I enjoyed:
High Functioning Flesh - Culture Cut LP - Dais Records - fantastic record by this duo that changed up their sound by stripping away the extra bits.
Drab Majesty - The Demonstration LP - Dais Records - a wonderful mix of '80s sonic signifiers supported by a unique vision. this album just sounds goddamn gorgeous. great music for winter trips to the ocean.
Undergang - Misantropoligi LP - Me Saco Un Ojo Records - late to the party with this band but damn good death doom metal with great super low vocals reminiscent of Demilich and a powerfully thick sound courtesy of Greg Wilkinson. after hearing this i've been slowly picking up the rest of this bands excellent discography.
Overlook - Smoke Signals 3xLP - UVB-76 Music - best drum & bass album I've heard since 2002? maybe the best since Technical Itch's
Diagnostics in 1999? if you dig drum & bass, do yourself a favor and check this one out.
still waiting to get a copy of Aosoth - V: The Inside Scriptures, Anatomia - Cranial Obsession and Circle of Dawn - Northern Savonian Black Metal, but my gut tells me they'll be favorites as well.
