Danny Sanderson's Best Releases of 2015
January 16, 2016
Over the course of the last year, there's been plenty of great music coming out across the entire Metal spectrum. I've had the pleasure of hearing a great many of them, and to choose just ten great albums is a gargantuan, almost impossible task. So I've tried to make this as expansive and inclusive as I can make it. This won't be a straight forward top ten; it will draw in some of the best albums, EP's, demos and splits that have really struck a chord with me, and indeed left a lasting impression on my musical taste, over the course of the year. What is listed here is just a small selection of what I believe to be the best records that have graced my speakers over the last twelve months.
Top 5 EP's
No. 5
Band: Winters Edge
Release: The Deceivers
Formed: 2013
Released Independently
This is one of those records that draws in all forms of Power Metal, and then goes a little bit further. The music is tight, complex, multi-faceted and interesting to put it lightly. With plenty of guest appearances thrown into the mix, this is one of the best Power Metal releases of the year.
No. 4
Band: A Diadem of Dead Stars
Release: The Mist Bearer Pt. II
Formed: 2014
Released Independently
This EP acts as a companion piece to the bands debut record, "The Mist Bearer", this Hellenic Atmospheric Black Metal band creates some really compelling, grandiose music with a strong, varied sound. It's even more impressive when you bear in mind that all of the music on here was composed and performed by one person.
No. 3
Band: Slaegt
Release: Beautiful & Damned
Formed: 2011
Record Label: Necroshrine Records
This Danish duo have produced one of the sharpest, catchiest pieces of Melodic Black Metal I've heard in a long time. It contained plenty of varied, inspired riffs and a great production, and has all the hallmarks of a future classic. I'd thoroughly recommend this EP to fans of DISSECTION and CARCASS.
No. 2
Band: Goatchrist
Release: The Epic Tragedy of the Cult of Enlil
Formed: 2014
Released Independent
Blending Teutonic Thrash influences with Black Metal, "The Epic Tragedy of the Cult of Enlil" is the best GOATCHRIST record to date. In the last year since the band was formed, GOATCHRIST have consistently, and quickly, released some great releases. This one in particular sees Dominator Xul-Ahabra's musical output reach its absolute zenith. It will be interesting to see what the next GOATCHRIST record brings.
No. 1
Band: Satahamel
Release: Sathamel [EP]
Formed: 2013
Released Independently
I can't speak highly enough of this EP. It builds on the many strengths of their demo, creating some really fierce, catchy Blackened Death Metal. This Yorkshire based five piece are, along with NINKHARSAG and ETHEREAL, leading the charge in the UK Black Metal scene, and they are definitely destined for great things in the future.
Top 10 Full Length Records
No. 10
Band: My Dying Bride
Album: Feel the Misery
Formed: 1990
Record Label: Peaceville Records
MY DYING BRIDE's twelfth studio album has everything you would expect from the band; doom-laden riffs and powerful vocals, combined with plenty of Gothic flourishes. This is also Calvin Robertshaw's first record with the band since 1998, and he couldn't have come back into the fold to work on a better record. It's epic, powerful and sounds amazing from the first note to the last.
No. 9
Band: Witchsorrow
Album: No Light, Only Fire
Formed: 2005
Record Label: Candlelight Records
WITCHSORROW are one of the bands that helped to nurture my love of Doom Metal when I first began to dip my toe into the genre. Their album "God Curse Us" is, in my opinion, one of Doom Metal's hidden gems. This album builds on the strengths of that previous release, carving out a niche for the band and exploring territories that the band haven't ever really headed into in their ten year history. In particular, it has a few Black Metal touches thrown into the mix that really work well with the music. This could very well be the definitive WITCHSORROW album.
No. 8
Band: Ninkharsag
Album: The Blood of Celestial Kings
Formed: 2009
Record Label: Ulthar Records
Since their formation, Liverpool's NINKHARSAG have produced some of the best, most memorable Black Metal that you're likely to find. Their debut full length, "The Blood of Celestial Kings", is a brilliant example of the sort of Black Metal these guys do best; razor sharp, aggressive and above all catchy songs, heavily influenced by the Swedish sound, whilst having its own unique edge to it. This is one of those albums that is made up almost exclusively of great music, and is definitely worth checking out.
No. 7
Band: Obsequiae
Album: Aria of Vernal Tombs
Formed: 2007
Record Label: 20 Buck Spin
This is an album that really captures the essence of what it means to be epic. This Folky, Melodic Black Metal trio from Minneapolis, Minnesota have really hit their stride with their latest full length. Blending classic Heavy Metal and Medieval Folk music with a sharp, bitter Black Metal edge, this band have managed to create a genuinely unique record that stands out from the herd in most regards.
No. 6
Band: Vallendusk
Album: Homeward Path
Formed: 2011
Record Label: Northern Silence Productions
This album is the epitome of Epic Black Metal, and that can definitely be heard on their latest record. It has all the key tropes of an excellent Epic Black Metal release, but has, above all else, its own distinct, idiosyncratic sound, and manages to do something that many fall short of; it elicits an emotional response from the listener. It really is hard not to love this album and its varied approaches to Black Metal.
No. 5
Band: Angmaer
Album: Towards Darkness' Paradise
Formed: 2013
Released on UKEM Records
Yet another one man Black Metal project, this is a band, and an album, that are likely going to define the UK Black Metal scene. I became aware of this band not too long after reviewing Angmaer's first band, ETERNALLY ENTHRONED, and quickly got hooked on the music. With a back catalogue of great music, along with this new record and no signs of slowing down, ANGMAER has plenty of potential to become one of the leading Black Metal acts in the scene at the moment.
No. 4
Band: Havukruunu
Album: Havulinnaan
Formed: 2013
Record Label: Naturmacht Productions
By the time this list is published, this album will have been out for about two months. I stumbled across this band randomly whilst binging on Finnish Black Metal and immediately fell in love with it. It's a hair raising slab epic and ferocious Pagan Black Metal from the opening notes of "Tulvan Mustat Tuulet" through to the final, titular track. This is the bands first album, and shows plenty of promise that could lead to even more great music in the future.
No. 3
Band: A Forest of Stars
Album: Beware the Sword You Cannot See
Formed: 2007
Record Label: Lupus Lounge
A FOREST OF STARS are a band that seem to get more experimental, and indeed better, with each album they release. And this record is no different; it even surpasses their previous record, "A Shadowplay for Yesterdays", an album that stands as one of my all time favourite Black Metal albums. I would highly recommend this record to anyone who likes their Black Metal served with a liberal dose of progression.
No. 2
Band: Utstøtt
Album: Hjørungavågr
Formed: 2012
Record Label: Celestial Oak Productions
This is some of the most enjoyable Epic Black Metal I've heard all year, and trust me, I've listened to plenty of it, especially over the course of the last year or so. This is one of those albums that gets better with each listen, and as a result, never gets dull. Even now, months after initially hearing it for the first time, there are still certain sections of this album that are able to draw me in and elicit a strong response from me, as if it was the first time I'd ever heard it. That alone is the mark of an excellent record.
No. 1
Band: Deadspace
Album: the Promise of Oblivion
Formed: 2014
Released Independently
This is easily the best album I have heard throughout the whole year, and not by a small margin; this is Depressive Black Metal done in the best possible way. It has all the hallmarks of a great Depressive Black Metal album, from hideous, shrieking vocals to Hard Rock inspired guitars solos, but manages to condense those ideas into smaller, more manageable offerings than many bands within the scene have a tendency to. This will most likely become an ideal gateway album into one of Black Metals darkest sub-genres in years to come.
Honourable Mentions
The albums listed below do not feature on the main part of this list, either because they came out last year and they didn't cross my radar upon their initial release, or they fell just short of the mark. Nonetheless, they are great records that deserve a mention.
Band: Caronte
Album: Church of Shamanic Goetia
Formed: 2011
Record Label: Van Records
I can honestly say that, had this album come out just two or so months after its initial release in October 2014, it would have topped this list. It's a cacophony of thick, powerful Stoner Doom with plenty of catchy hooks that make it stand out from the typical Doom Metal crowd, all wrapped up in an eerie and palpable atmosphere that really gives this album lots of character. It has some amazing songs that really work and draw the listener in.
Band: Paradise Lost
Album: The Plague Within
Formed: 1988
Record Label: Century Media Records
I love this band and their music ways that I can't adequately summarise in words. Their latest record, "The Plague Within", is, much like the bulk of their output, excellent, but it doesn't quite warrant the hype that surrounded it. Based on the way this album was portrayed in various interviews and articles, you would be mistaken for believing that the band wholeheartedly embraced their Death Doom roots, shedding their Gothic sensibilities. But this shift back towards their original sound is only slight, and although these elements are noticeable, this album has more in common with their last few albums than the likes of "Lost Paradise" or "Gothic".
Band: Nightwish
Album: Endless Forms Most Beautiful
Formed: 1996
Record Label: Nuclear Blast Records
This is an amazing album with tonnes of great music on it, and it's definitely one of the best Symphonic Metal records of the year. However, I feel that it didn't quite reach the standard set by its predecessor, "Imaginaerum", which is arguably one of my favourite albums by the band. This certainly doesn't take away from how good "Endless Forms Most Beautiful" is, because it has some great, catchy tracks on it that work as well in a live setting as they do on record.
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