My top albums of 2014

Edit 3/1/15: Moved Ghost Brigade's album from "Need to listen more" to "Honorable Mentions." Very powerful yet extremely catchy melancholic metal. Added the new(ish) album by Within the Ruins to "Honorable Mentions." Added albums by Abysmal Dawn, Revocation, and Winterfylleth to "Need to listen more." Also Ne Obliviscaris are still amazing.

It's been a fantastic year for metal. It was impossible to name only ten albums here, hence a lengthy "honorable mentions" list as well as several notable albums that I just can't judge having not listened enough yet. You may enjoy one of my "honorable mentions" more than some of my top 10, as music is of course entirely subjective but also this was just such a damn good year for metal that there was really something for everyone.

Since the Grammys (a ceremony that in my opinion embodies and perpetuates most of what's wrong with the music industry, but that's something else...) are tonight, I figured better late than never to get my two cents out there and give these artists some much-needed recognition.

Go past the break to see my picks! Added the gap so as not to bury my first post :P

My top 10:
1. Ne Obliviscaris - Citadel
Progressive melodic death metal

Checked out this album as it was one of the highest rated 2014 metal albums on RateYourMusic. I'd never heard of the band before so wasn't sure what to expect, but as soon as the second track (the first non-interlude) explodes I saw why it was getting so much praise. For lack of a better word, this is straight up epic music. If you want to tag it, "progressive melodic death metal" works, but it all blends so well - and surprisingly uniquely - together that I don't really care too much at all to struggle to tag it accurately. Beautiful melodies, crushing explosions of intensity, and the most epic use of violins I've ever heard in metal. Very excited to see what this band can do in the future.

2. Darkspace - Dark Space III I
Atmospheric black metal

You can tell this is going to be a crazy album without even listening to it. Three songs, one 27-minute, two around 20. Darkspace are all about capturing the vibes of the chaos and emptiness of outer space. With a bit of a stretch you can kind of see it, but regardless this is pretty crazy music, and without a doubt the most powerful black metal album I've ever heard. Darkspace do some out-there things for black metal, namely electronic-ish drum parts in some sections, and the production is exceptionally clear for black metal, but regardless of those things when this music explodes it straight up sounds like a galaxy imploding under some transcendent dark mass, or something. Like a lot of black metal, this album will take patience, but if you lose yourself in it - in the nuances they add onto each section, the ways they build up to an upcoming explosion or a dissolving of everything established to that point, the sheer sense of power that comes through this music when it locks into certain parts - it will be rewarding, and maybe you'll be like me in the last moment of the album with a sampling of some astronaut shenanigans, in saying: "holy shit, where am I and where did I go for the past hour?" Also the last song is Dark 4.20 LOL!!... yeah.

3. Bloodbath - Grand Morbid Funeral
Death metal

I am a huge sucker for Opeth and Katatonia - along with Agalloch, they are probably my favorite bands. As such, I may have some bias for Bloodbath, although I do see them as a legitimately good death metal band. Nonetheless, they were silent for a while, and went through some changes, as Opeth's Akerfeldt left and they ended up surprisingly recruiting Nick Holmes of Paradise Lost, to record this album for this year. I had mixed reactions to the first few songs they showed, and I wasn't too sure what I thought of Nick's rasping vocals. However, this album is definitely a grower, and now I'd say it may even be Bloodbath's strongest and most sincere-feeling LP yet. It's still older-styled death metal, and it tones down the more modernish brutal edge from The Fathomless Mastery, but compensates with the music sounding more downright evil than ever. I'd call Nick's vocals as much of a grower as the album itself. They don't go as guttural as previous vocalists, but somehow they just fit the awesome evil vibe pretty perfectly, and Nick is surprisingly capable of insane screams not unlike Peter Tagtgren on Nightmares Made Flesh. Other than calling it "evil" (which is still how I would mainly describe it) the album feels similar to Nightmares Made Flesh, but with a more consistent dark vibe. I like more individual songs on this album than any other Bloodbath LP, and for that my hopes for this project-turned-band have been strongly renewed. US tour? :D

4. Behemoth - The Satanist
Death metal

I was never a huge Behemoth listener. I knew a few songs, and most of them were pretty cool, but I never got into any one album by them, until The Satanist hit. This is Behemoth's first album following mainman Nergal's bouncing back from leukemia, and even though that's some scary stuff, it's insanely satisfying to hear Behemoth back with more resolve than ever. This music is dark, evil, and relentless. Namely, Nergal's vocals sound like a furious evil demon, the songs themselves are intense as fuck, and all in all it's an overwhelmingly badass experience.

5. Beyond Creation - Earthborn Evolution
Progressive/technical death metal

Beyond Creation strongly impressed me with their first album, The Aura. They return in 2014 with Earthborn Evolution, and still sound like themselves - a really cool synthesis of tech-death and some brutality - but they are now enormously more progressive and as such even noticeably melodic at points. As a result, Earthborn Evolution isn't really as straight-up brutal as The Aura, but this isn't a bad thing at all. With this album, you can really see Beyond Creation evolving - no pun intended, sorry :X - and they do some really interesting stuff. Of obvious note is their incredible bass, satisfyingly high and clear in the mix, and frequently taking on a lead role. Compared to tech-death giants, Beyond Creation aren't that technical, but this isn't a bad thing either, as they keep at least my interest consistently with their song structures and melodies, all befitting of what a modern prog death metal band seems to strive for.

6. Panopticon - Roads to the North
Atmospheric black metal

Very interesting take on atmospheric black metal, a genre which has already established its surprising versatility. Folky influences abound, but the main strength of Roads to the North is Panopticon's amazingly strong and beautiful melodies and surprisingly intricate guitar playing. Very powerfully emotional music. Really I can't praise their (his?) sense of melody enough, at first listen it's kind of a bombardment of the sheer number of memorable lines.

7. The Contortionist - Language
Progressive metal

Here's a stylistic shift that makes sense but that I still wouldn't have seen coming. The Contortionist started as a djent/deathcore band, but they were always very progressive and had a stronger emphasis on atmosphere than most of their contemporaries. These traits come bursting through on Language, and very few if any deathcore traits remain. There are a few heavier parts, but they are scattered in between songs full of an incredible sense of beauty. I'm using the word "atmosphere" a lot but The Contortionist show that they can very strongly establish a really pretty atmosphere. Very strong Cynic (mainly Traced in Air) vibes here but Language is still a very interestingly unique album, filled with straight-up beautiful passages, very sincere vocals and fantastic musicianship.

8. Solstafir - Otta
Post-rock

Solstafir have been moving farther and farther away from metal, and there pretty much isn't any left on Otta, but this isn't at all a bad thing. While this band has been evolving their style (consistently in a more post-rocky direction) with every album, they have had an impressive streak of consistent quality since Masterpiece of Bitterness, which was much more of a metal album, and it definitely continues into Otta. Otta is all about its feelsy, beautiful yet heart-breakingly melancholic atmosphere, brought about by emotionally crushing ambient transitions and really pretty yet memorable instrumentation.

9. Dead Congregation - Promulgation of the Fall
Death metal

An incredible example of death metal going very strong. With Promulgation of the Fall, Dead Congregation don't really present much new, but they carry older-styled death metal with such passion that comes through in their brutal, intense, yet memorable riffs, amidst soaring, epic leads and surprising very doomy atmospheric breaks.

10. Opeth - Pale Communion
Progressive hard rock

Opeth have probably forever divided their fanbase with their drastic stylistic shift with 2011's Heritage. I admittedly wasn't a huge fan of Heritage either, though more because only like two of the songs grabbed me at all. I did not have high hopes for this album, but I gave it a shot and was surprisingly impressed. It's still a very different Opeth than anything before Heritage, but the main thing I feel Opeth have going here is straight-up beautiful melodies. My favorite Opeth album is Morningrise, and while stylistically this isn't too similar, the "feelsy-ness" of the melodies does feel similarly soulful. This album will not go over too well with any Opeth fan holding out for a return to form, but by dropping association with the death metal parts of Opeth's past you can find a very strong album here, for what it is.

Honorable Mentions:

• Agalloch - The Serpent and the Sphere (Folky atmospheric black metal) - I wish I could rate this album higher on this list just because I love Agalloch. It's still a fantastic, well-above-average album, but it is kind of undeniably Agalloch's least powerful LP yet.
• At The Gates - At War With Reality (Melodic death metal)
• Animals as Leaders - The Joy of Motion (Instrumental progressive jammy djent) - Tosin is a beast of a musician but the songs are catchy and memorable amidst all the technicality.
• Devin Townsend - Z2 (Progressive metal) - Devin really went all-in for this project, what with the 500% of the crowdfunding he needed for Casualties of Cool, and you can really tell. The operaticness is a bit overdone on the Ziltoid side, Dark Matters, but Devin's riffing is badass throughout, and Sky Blue is catchy and feelsy. Would have probably been #11. Also the story is ridiculous and hilarious.
• Downfall of Gaia - Aeon Unveils the Thrones of Decay (Atmospheric black metal/Atmospheric sludge metal) - Very impressive and powerful extreme post-metal. Very exciting new band.
• Ghost Brigade - IV: One With The Storm (Dark progressive metal) - Really powerful yet extremely catchy melancholic metal. Took me by surprise, gonna have to check out the rest of this band's work now!
• Insomnium - Shadows of the Dying Sun (Melodic death metal)
• Fallujah - The Flesh Prevails (Progressive death metal)
• Mastodon - Once More 'Round The Sun (??? I'd say alternative metal but will probably get flamed) - Probably a stronger album than I give it credit for, but Mastodon are a very hit-or-miss band for me after Leviathan.
• Polyphia - Muse (Instrumental progressive metal) - These guys shred and have a fantastic sense of melody.
• Rings of Saturn - Lugal Ki En (Technical deathcore) - Props for the insane, shamelessly over-the-top technicality and explosiveness. Some very strong and memorable transitions as well.
• Triptykon - Melana Chasmata (Thrashy doom metal)
• Within The Ruins - Phenomena (Deathcore)

(Very) Promising but need to listen more:

• Abysmal Dawn - Obsolescence (Death metal)
• Architects - Lost Forever/Lost Together (Djenty metalcore)
• Godflesh - A World Lit Only by Fire (Sludgey industrial metal) - Really cool to see these guys back, and rocking the 8-strings with a drum machine
• Job for a Cowboy - Sun Eater (Technical death metal) - Never thought I'd be a fan but this is an impressive tech-death album
• Nightingale - Retribution (Progressive hard rock)
• Primordial - Where Greater Men Have Fallen (Folk metal)
• Revocation - Deathless (Technical Death Metal)
• Saor- Aura (Atmospheric black metal)
• Scar Symmetry - The Singularity, Phase I: Neohumanity (Progressive melodic death metal)
• Septicflesh - Titan (Death metal)
• Skyharbor - Guiding Lights (Djent)
• Winterfylleth - The Divination of Antiquity (Atmospheric black metal)

Not really my cup of tea but I've heard good things:

• Exodus - Blood In, Blood Out (Thrash metal)
• Marty Friedman - Inferno - Marty is a fantastic guitarist, it's cool to see him doing stuff like this again.
• Overkill - White Devil Armory (Thrash metal)

^ Props to Exodus and Overkill (and Testament) for continuing to produce interesting music with the dated template of thrash.

I strongly encourage anyone with a passing interest in this music to give some of these albums a shot. 2014 showed that metal really is alive and kicking more ass than ever.

What are your top 10? Are there any albums not mentioned that struck you the way these impressed me? Feel free to comment! Until next time, thanks for reading, stay positive, and stay metal \m/