As you could probably guess, this week is all about discussing our favorite albums from 2015. However, we decided to have a few special guests also discuss their top 10 albums from the year, and why they placed where they did. This week, we have Brody from Rivers Of Nihil, who’s latest record made it onto our top 50, and rightfully so! Check out his picks below!
We played with these guys a few years ago at Saint Vitus in Brooklyn. I immediately liked them after seeing their set and I was very excited to see where they would go with their already unique sound. Laurestine might be one of the most unique sounding records that I have heard in a long time. The combination of instruments and effects that they use is absolutely mind blowing. If you’re feeling sad and want to feel more sad, put this on and get the noose ready.
I’ve been following these dudes since 2008. Lyle Cooper has always been one of my favorite drummers in metal, so I was always careful to keep an eye on this band. The album that they dropped this year is nothing short of impressive. This record is like if Gorguts, Ulcerate, Deeds Of Flesh, and Severed Savior had a fucked up kid. This album is some of the most terrifying and haunting sounding death metal that I have heard in a very long time. Definitely worth checking out if you’re into super scary death metal.
I’ve been a fan of Sam Beam (Iron & Wine) for many years now and I always love anything that he is involved with. While this isn’t officially an Iron & Wine release I still love it. His voice, simple playing, and story telling convey some of the most beautiful and amazing imagery and feelings.
I love everything that this band has ever done, so it is only natural for me to include this album. Hate Eternal is the purest form of death metal that you can possibly hear in 2015. These guys don’t give a fuck about clean guitars, clean singing, or pretty electronic parts. This album is a death metal monolith from front to back and more bands need to have the kind of balls that Hate Eternal have. Too many death metal bands are afraid to admit that they like death metal nowadays. Its almost like it has become cool to hate on the genre that you play. If you’re playing death metal, don’t be afraid to play death metal.
We toured with these guys a few years ago and I have been digging them ever since. On top of being some of the kindest people I have ever met they write amazing music. There are a lot of bands out there trying to play this type of music, but I feel like most of the younger ones are just ripping off Kublai Khan (and doing a shot job at it.) New Strength is heavy, catchy, and full of emotion, not to mention a serious upgrade in production from their last record. Will Putney did a phenomenal job on this record as well. This album just came out and I haven’t been able to put it down!
Lamb Of God was one of the first heavy bands that I got into as a kid. I have been following them since As the Palaces Burn and in recent years I haven’t been as stoked on them as I used to be. VII really got me re-interested in Lamb of God. This album goes back to some of the raw energy that was captured on albums like As The Palaces Burn and Ashes Of The Wake, but it does so in a totally new and interesting way for Lamb of God. I’m super excited about this album and I can’t wait to see what they do next.
I have always been super curious about this band but I have never sat down and listened to one of their albums all the way through. I finally did that this year with Autumn Eternal and I am very glad that I did. The choice of instruments that this guy used on this album is mind blowing. Some of the most beautiful passages that I have ever heard along with super intense black metal sections make this album an emotional roller coaster, and one of my favorites of the year.
It totally weird that this made my top ten this year. I’ve had every internet metal nerd in the entire world tell me that I should get into this band and usually that’s enough to make me steer clear. However, this time it worked and I completely fell in love with this album. I don’t really understand what the whole concept of this band is, but I REALLY like the instrumentation. I’m still not really into the vocalist of this band as he comes across a little to whiny for my taste, but the music is enough to draw me in. Plus, the album cover looks like straight out of 1975 so naturally I had to pick it up.
For whatever reason it has become a popular thing to hate on Jason Peppiatt‘s vocals and thus discredit anything that this band has done since he came into the band. Call me a dick, but as soon as he came into the picture I started liking this band WAY more. Personally I think that their latest effort is a very close contender to 2008’s masterpiece Ob (Servant) and it is also my favorite death metal release of 2015. Joe Haley‘s guitar playing has had a huge impact on me over the years, and this album only further reinforced this fact. Psycroptic are the kings of writing impossibly technical songs while still keeping in mind that many of their listeners aren’t musicians, thus remembering to write memorable and catchy songs. These guys are the Pantera of technical death metal.
I received my pre-order for this album right around the time that we were wrapping up the writing process for our newest record. This album gave me the creative and emotional boost that I needed to complete the writing process for Monarchy. Steven Wilson‘s lyrical, stylistic, and instrumental genius on this record are unparalleled in 2015 (to me at least.) On top of writing my favorite album of the year he also got an all star lineup of musicians on this one (again.) Guthrie Govan, Marco Minnemann, Nick Beggs, and Adam Holzman have been some of my favorite musicians as of late and after hearing Wilson’s 2013 effort The Raven That Refused To Sing I was absolutely sold on this lineup. The concept behind this album is emotionally devastating as well; a young, popular, and well liked person goes missing in a busy city and nobody notices for three entire years. The feelings of nostalgia, emotional isolation, and hopefulness that this album simultaneously conveys is both ingenious and completely beautiful.
Stay tuned! We have four more guest lists to come this week!
-Heavy Blog