Highlights and Lowlights of 2018

[yosef666]

These were some of the real standouts of 2018 for me. Organized by genre. In some sort of order but not really. No reissues or compilations included. I'm sure I forgot plenty.

Black metal:
Ride For Revenge ‎– Sinking the Song
Akitsa ‎– Credo
Hail Conjurer ‎– Dreams of Serpent
Moenen of Xezbeth ‎– Ancient Spells of Darkness...
Nécropole ‎– Solarité
Abigor ‎– Höllenzwang - Chronicles of Perdition
Altar of Perversion ‎– Intra Naos
Nocturnal Triumph ‎– The Fangs of Miseries Past
Dreadful Relic ‎– Hyborian Sorcery
Witchcraft ‎– Nightmare Goetia
Purity Renaissance ‎– Promo
Cénotaphe ‎– Horizons
Clandestine Blaze ‎– Tranquility of Death
Rites of Thy Degringolade ‎– The Blade Philosophical
Najwyższy ‎– An Orchestration in Shadows
Cirrhus ‎– Unimpeachable Madness
Runespell ‎– Order of Vengeance
Hargne ‎– Réaction

Doom/Death Metal/Grindcore/Thrash:
Mournful Congregation ‎– The Incubus of Karma
Grave Upheaval ‎– Untitled
Sissy Spacek ‎– Ways of Confusion
Faustcoven ‎– In the Shadow of Doom
Siege Column ‎– Inferno Deathpassion
Necros Christos ‎– Domedon Doxomedon
Chaos Echoes ‎– Mouvement
Oksennus ‎– Kolme Toista

PE/Noise/Industrial:
Terror Cell Unit ‎– Psalm 137:9
Koufar ‎– My Name is My Name
Anenzephalia ‎– Magenta
Kontinent ‎– Pornography of Power
Linekraft ‎– Engineering Analysis of Inner Death
Mania / Deterge ‎– Lay Waste / Future of Pulse
Agonal Lust ‎– Modern Atrocities
Disgusting Sanctum ‎– Pathology of Abuse
Am Not ‎– Incursions
Zyklon SS ‎– Moral War
Striations ‎– Vietnamization
Heretic Grail ‎– Gleaming Spite
Wonderland Club ‎– Pageant
Operation Cleansweep ‎– Release Now! Apathy Induction
Bizarre Uproar ‎– High Risk Lifestyle
Interior One ‎– Revenge Against Society

Punk/Oi:
Rixe ‎– Cassette Promo
Condor ‎– Cassette Single #1 / Cassette Single #2
Schadenfreude ‎– Demo 2018
Physique ‎– Punk Life is Shit
Lace – Human Condition
ZyanosE ‎– Chaosbender
L.O.T.I.O.N. ‎– Multinational Corporation [Declassified Audio Document_2018:]

Neofolk:
Death In June ‎– Essence!
Current 93 ‎– The Light is Leaving Us All
Spiritual Front ‎– Amour Braque
Fire + Ice ‎– Wanderer
Sol Invictus ‎– Necropolis
Rome ‎– Hall of Thatch

Etcetera:
Kulttimaa ‎– Punainen Uni Vuotaa Sikojen Luolaan
Position Parallèle ‎– Escalier de Service
Michael Gira ‎– I Am Not This
The Body ‎– I Have Fought Against It, But I Can't Any Longer.
Old Tower ‎– Stellary Wisdom

[absurdexposition]

Neofolk:
Death In June ‎– Essence!
Current 93 ‎– The Light is Leaving Us All
Spiritual Front ‎– Amour Braque
Fire + Ice ‎– Wanderer
Sol Invictus ‎– Necropolis
Rome ‎– Hall of Thatch

It's crazy to think that pretty much all of the old guard of neofolk put out worthy new albums last year, most of them in the last quarter. I haven't heard the Sol Invictus album yet but Di6, C93 and Fire + Ice are all solid.

[cr]

Strangely enough not one mention of VIHANMIEHET on this forum, so I will do it - one of my favourites of last year. VIHANMIEHET=Äijälä & Markkula

[Bacteriafield]

Strangely enough not one mention of VIHANMIEHET on this forum, so I will do it - one of my favourites of last year. VIHANMIEHET=Äijälä & Markkula

I just got this one a couple weeks ago so it missed my list. Awesome crude sounds. Perfect traditional art. Basically sounds just like BU... so the more the merrier. Seems lots slept on this one though? I still love f and v maybe people are losing interest I don't know... correct me if I'm wrong.

[theworldisawarfilm]

Neofolk:
Death In June ‎– Essence!
Current 93 ‎– The Light is Leaving Us All
Spiritual Front ‎– Amour Braque
Fire + Ice ‎– Wanderer
Sol Invictus ‎– Necropolis
Rome ‎– Hall of Thatch

It's crazy to think that pretty much all of the old guard of neofolk put out worthy new albums last year, most of them in the last quarter. I haven't heard the Sol Invictus album yet but Di6, C93 and Fire + Ice are all solid.

Wasn't at all pleased with 'Essence!'. It was funny to read the interview with Douglas in Noise Receptor and see his remarks regarding the album having heard it only a short while before. I thought to myself "if this is the 'essence' of Death in June, I've been a complete fucking rube all these years!" The songs just seem flat and half-finished/written to me.
But, I am a few songs into this latest C93 right now and it honestly has me floored! The best of Tibet's output in a long time to my ears.

[absurdexposition]

Neofolk:
Death In June ‎– Essence!
Current 93 ‎– The Light is Leaving Us All
Spiritual Front ‎– Amour Braque
Fire + Ice ‎– Wanderer
Sol Invictus ‎– Necropolis
Rome ‎– Hall of Thatch

It's crazy to think that pretty much all of the old guard of neofolk put out worthy new albums last year, most of them in the last quarter. I haven't heard the Sol Invictus album yet but Di6, C93 and Fire + Ice are all solid.

Wasn't at all pleased with 'Essence!'. It was funny to read the interview with Douglas in Noise Receptor and see his remarks regarding the album having heard it only a short while before. I thought to myself "if this is the 'essence' of Death in June, I've been a complete fucking rube all these years!" The songs just seem flat and half-finished/written to me.
But, I am a few songs into this latest C93 right now and it honestly has me floored! The best of Tibet's output in a long time to my ears.

It took me a couple listens to get into Essence. I didn't like it at first and now I think it's one of his best in a long time. It's at least as good as Peaceful Snow (which I loved). The C93 album was the one that let me down a little bit, to be honest. It's still good and likely the best in years as well, but it feels like something is missing.

[totalblack]

I enjoyed parts of Essence a lot initially but the Alex Jones style lyrics in some tracks really killed the album for me. I don't know about the C93 album either, saw them perform it start to finish and while it was fine and all, was just waiting for it to be finished so they would play a few classics as an encore. However both records are still significantly better than I expected, considering both groups have been active for close to 40 years

[theworldisawarfilm]

[...]the Alex Jones style lyrics in some tracks really killed the album for me.

Speaking truth to power right here hahaha. I've always had a lot of appreciation for the many puns/wordplay/tongue-in-cheekedness with DIJ. Here, it was just awful.

I haven't really followed C93's output as closely as most of the more recent releases I've spent any time with have all fallen decidedly flat , so this probably contributes a fair deal to my reaction.  Nice to come back to something I'd turned my attention from for a while and find strong elements of some of my favourite C93 releases. DIJ, having significant gaps in new output my hopes were pretty high I suppose.  At any rate, I share the sentiment that after such  long careers it's great to see them not pumping out pure trash at this point.

[Bloated Slutbag]

As far as C93, it's all about the gravel born in the voice of the second-from-last track Fair Weather. It's taken Tibet a good while to attain this gravitas but there it is.

To the nicely layered strains of melancholic voice and drone-
and the fragile birds soar and sing

Makes the album for me.

[re:evolution]

Neofolk:

Wasn't at all pleased with 'Essence!'. It was funny to read the interview with Douglas in Noise Receptor and see his remarks regarding the album having heard it only a short while before. I thought to myself "if this is the 'essence' of Death in June, I've been a complete fucking rube all these years!" The songs just seem flat and half-finished/written to me.

Ha! I got a chuckle with the above! Anyway, I assume you are referring to my review in Noise Receptor? Personally on initial listens I too thought the album was not fully formed, but there was something about it that over the course of the month I had it before the review was posted I listened to it 2-3 times a day and all those initial misgiving completely fell away. I am now in a position where I can't even 'hear' those elements I had misgivings about. I guess it is that process of some albums 'settling' over time, where others are immediate. Needless to say i like it a lot. Although when I refer to it being the 'essence' of Di6 that was meant as Douglas doing exactly what he wants with the group, and not just 'ringing in' a typical (or expected) 'neo-folk' album.

[ekastaka]

Interesting to hear what others thought of Essence!... At first I wasn't so sure about the first half of the album (didn't think it was bad), but was immediately into the second half. After a couple listens, the first half just clicked. Obviously, the older material is superior, but I do think this album stands on its own and isn't just a case of nostalgia. Really like that he incorporated loops/samples that have been missing the past few releases. Lyrics are great IMO and seem to take a more personal/introspective approach, which makes sense given what he had to say in the Noise Receptor interview regarding mortality. I don't think I get the Alex Jones comparison above. My only gripe with the lyrics and really the whole album is the "dark net" line. When I listen to Death In June, it takes me to a place that is atavistic or romantic. That line is just too modern... It just slightly ruins the mood. Whatever. Still a very strong album.

[Lazrs3]

I bought Essence for my friend for Christmas as he is a huge Death In June fan. I got it off the short lived Death in June BandCamp, ordered the picture disc, there was a delay with it being pressed on time, but my friend says it's the best album by them in a while. They're not for me, but he was happy.

[cr]

Flagellatio Orgasmus - Painful Sex

Another one of my highlights from 2018.