*audible drawn out sigh*
Well, here we go, as the year draws to a close, list season is upon us once more.
Rejoice! Or despair... Or both.
I will preface my upcoming list-posting by saying that there will be a bunch of albums in there that have been out for months and months by now and whom I still haven't done a write-up on, to my own dismay, and that is definitely not for lack of enthusiasm, but rather lack of time and extremely poor management of said time this year especially for some reason.
Alas, I am but one random individual with an endless love for listening, sharing and talking about music and not a whole publication with a dedicated staff of writers. As much as I would love to make this a full-time thing that allows to keep the lights on, for now that is very much not the case, so I try my best with the means and the time I have to do whatever it is I do here.
Anyway, enough self-indulging and onto what we're all here for. And what better way to bid the current year farewell than open up with a backwards glance upon releases that slipped past me the year before :
. Absent In Body - "Plague God" : An eldritchian, apocalyptic doom/post-metal supergroup? Oh hell yeah! Can't wait to hear more from them *looks up band line-up* Ah, well, nevermind...
. An Abstract Illusion - "Woe" : Sprawling progressive death metal in which it is easy to get sucked in and that dares some pretty outlandish sonic experiments.
. Ashenspire - "Hostile Architecture" : This one could have easily made my last year's top 5 had I gotten to it sooner. Experimental black metal done right, with a poignant message as urgent and discomforting as the sounds of this aptly titled album.
. Gaerea - "Mirage" : Would have definitely deserved a top spot in my last year's black metal list. Although I tend to struggle with more "straightforward" BM, the atmosphere and performances on this record were gripping.
. Gillian Carter - "Salvation Through Misery" : Utter sonic punishment.
. Hath - "All That Was Promised" : 2022 was jam-packed with fantastic death metal outputs and although this one slipped past me, it is most definitely included in that statement.
. Helpless - "Caged In Gold" : In a year that was surprisingly abundant with stellar grindcore releases, this relentless offering was also part of the crème de la crème of the sub-genre.
. Terror Cell - "Caustic Light" : Surprisingly emotional and multi-faceted blackened mathgrind from the underground.
. Maraton - "Unseen Color" : Poppy prog in the vein of contemporary Leprous and Port Noir, definetly the palate-cleanser of this selection!
. Without Waves - "Comedian" : Missing out on this one last year felt like such a shame upon catching up, what a crazy, fun and creative album this is!