Editor’s note: Yes, it’s that time of the year again! While our own Album of the Year list is coming down the line, we have a ton of end of year content for you. Over the next two weeks, we’ll be exploring 2017 in various of ways: through curated summaries for specific genres, editorials on specific phenomena we found interesting and, of course, guest lists! This time around, we have one of the most exciting bands currently in operation: Dreadnought! Hailing from the by-now vaunted scene from Denver, Dreadnought traffic in the areas around doom metal, introducing influences from black metal, folk rock and progressive rock. Their albums are true monoliths of complexity and melody, with this year’s A Wake in Sacred Waves denoting somewhat of a high water mark for any bands wishing to work in the space of experimental doom. Their list is as diverse as you would expect; from the jazz styling of none other than the legendary Thundercat, through the blackened wastes of Ruins of Beverast and all the way back to the off-kilter musings of Bjork, their list draws from as many directions as their music does.
So, without wasting any more of your time, here is Dreadnought’s Top 10 albums for 2017!
Thundercat – Drunk
Infectious grooves, self-parody, millenial satire and solid hooks keep us coming back to Drunk’s funky goodness.
Ruins of Beverast – Exuvia
This one gives us goosebumps and raises the oranges all the way through – von Meilenwald really knows how to drive a motif forward until it is finished breathing.
Dodecahedron – Kwintessenz
The way these guys adapt to the times and update their vocabulary with metal’s latest cuts astounds us.
Ford Theater Reunion – We Have Only Left Earth
A vision that would make Tom Waits blush meets crunchy sludge rock in our friends’ magnum opus – equal parts anthemic, artistic, and dirty.
Cormorant – Diaspora
Always pushing past their own limitations in ability and palette, Cormorant soars to new heights in their fifth full length, and the riffs on this one are some of the best you’ll hear in extreme music.
Ulver – The Assassination of Julius Caesar
This pick is obvious for everyone that knows us. Ulver is amazing at everything they do no matter what style they tackle. For their first “pop” record, aka a throw back to the 80’s, this earns an A+ in our book.
Bjork – Utopia
It’s as if we’re in some sort of Alice In Wonderland universe with immense fields, forests, and caverns. The unique animal-like tones, textures, and massive wall of flutes throughout have us hooked.
Bing & Ruth – No Home of the Mind
Lush ambiance focused through textured piano. A beautiful release that is sure to leave you in a state of reflection and intense emotion.
Chelsea Wolfe – Hiss Spun
However controversial it might be that the goth goddess has pivoted into a doomier sound, she has done so with grace and intensity, and the fuzzy melancholia features her signature pop sensibility.
Krallice – Loüm
Once a USBM supergroup, now a household name for the subgenre, the quartet’s recent exploration in rhythm-focused aggression makes their soaring tremolo-picked counterpoint choruses all the more mystical.
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