the gathering - nighttime birds
I love this. an really rich saturated sound without sounding too polished, interesting use of synths, great vocals ofc
paradise lost - obsidian
my first experience with a very well established band. I really enjoyed this, it's exactly my kind of music! it definitely feels like an excellent execution of an already defined sound, which makes sense. I'm excited to go back and hear more from them
between the buried and me - colors
I have somehow never heard much btbam, which is a pretty obvious blind spot. this is great, of course
dvne - asheran
dvne's signature sound is very much present here: lush and huge, very melodic and very heavy at times. this definitely cements dvne as one of my favourite bands
jinjer - cloud factory
I'm going back to catch up with jinjer's older albums. the grooves on this album are great, it already sounds like a very well established sound. tatiana's voice is excellent, as are the band. a thrashier sound than I was expecting, in places, as well as a doomier passage on the title track. this is a good start!
tina guo - dies irae
this is the first classical soloist album I've listened to since probably 00s era ludovico einaudi. I love the cello, so I was already set up to like this album, but it surprised me with some metal instrumentation (though given that I found this album because of serj tankian's feature track, perhaps it shouldn't be such a surprise). overall a really great listen, with some outstanding tracks
departure chandelier - antichrist rise to power
this is a black metal album about napoleon and it rules. very melodic, and atmospheric
the gathering - how to measure a planet
this album weighs in at 1h40 which is Too Long. the title track is a half hour and could,,, not be. beyond that though, this is a continuation of the gathering's evolution and I dig it. still some metal in here, but mostly past that at this point. anneke van giersburgen's voice remains incredible
king woman - celestial blues
grimy doomy rock, female led. really great! haunting, affecting vocals, huge sledgehammer doom guitars, fantastic drum work, drones. the good stuff
dim - compendium iii
i'm not exactly sure what to call this, it's my first foray into dungeon synth-y music. I really dig it! i'll certainly be exploring more
osi and the jupiter - stave
this neofolk gets a little noodly and ambient for my tastes in places, but has some really cool tracks
wharflurch - rest of discography
this was just a few eps so only took about an hour. more of the same great grimy, oozing death metal
the agonist - orphans
this was a recommendation from a jinjer review, and it's kind of less prog jinjer, so it's not really my thing.
demetrio stratos - metrodora
this is an experimental vocal album from 1976, and it's pretty hard work. not really something I'll be revisiting, though it was interesting!
head of the demon - sathanas trismegistos
this is the same brand of perfectly judged doom that their 2020 album exhibits, and I love it just as much here. "armilus rides... again!" is a great track title
aenigmatum - deconsecrate
I love this album. hard hitting blackened death metal, there's a lot of melody to be found, and the bass is high in the mix and interesting enough to warrant it, lots of different rhythms going on. the drummer is great. love it!
karnivool - asymmetry
there's lots of really cool stuff going on here, and a lot of tracks going on my playlist, but as a whole this didn't really grab me
shubh saran - becoming
this is a cool fusion ep, I like shubh saran. hard to describe, as with much fusion, but an enjoyable 26 minutes! the drumming is a highlight
paradise lost - gothic
I really like this album. the atmosphere is great, and I love the instrumentation and the vocals. there are definitely moments where you can tell this is a band defining its sound still, but a great record!
thergothon - stream from the heavens
this is a very metal album, in that it pioneered the funeral doom subgenre and the band had split up before it, their only album, was released. I really dig this, it holds up all this time later, and I'm going to look for more funeral doom to listen to
tomb mold - planetary clairvoyance
I love this. old school death metal, perfectly executed with interesting twists. exactly my jam
igorrr - spirituality and distortion
this is extremely experimental (non-derogatory) metal, mixing it with classical musical forms, operatic vocals, and electronic music. a really fun and rewarding listen
between the buried and me - colors ii
this is a great album. I'll need to listen to it more to fully absorb it, but it's really, really good
fell harvest - pale light in a dying world
really great death/doom album. great grooves throughout, the death sections go hard, and the balance of it all is really well placed. definitely recommend!
hole dweller - flies the coop
extremely chill dungeon synth, really great! perfect atmosphere, and an interesting variety of sounds throughout. I've listened to this most nights before bed this week, and I love it
hole dweller - returns to roost
I loved flies the coop so much that I listened to this the next day. a definite evolution of the sound, but I love this just as much as the first album! most notably the drums are much more prominent, present on almost every track and being played in a traditional rock sort of a style
cangaço - positivo
more great death metal from brazil, this has all the melodic riffiness and grooves present in their later material. good stuff!
hole dweller - flies the coop ii
this is much more of a successor to flies the coop than returns to roost was, and it's more great dungeon synth!
piah mater - memories of inexistence
this, their first of two albums, is more derivative of opeth than their more recent offering, including a couple of what felt like direct quotes. not a problem for me, I love opeth, but I'm glad their second album moved away from being quite so close
jinjer - king of everything
once again I'm surprised by how much I loved this album: I guess I'm not used to big metal bands appealing to me so perfectly. every single track is great, they're great musicians, I love it
heavy temple - lupi amoris
female fronted psychedelic doom/rock, this is really good. the vocals are great, with cool harmonies, and the music is perfect.
wraith - undo the chains
blackened speed metal, not really for me. it's all a little too straightforward, which I particularly notice in the drums
rivers of nihil - the work
this is a brilliant album. a perfectly realised prog death metal album, I'll be returning to this over and over again. my only nitpick: NEEDS MORE SAX
defacement - defacement
atmospheric death metal, with heavy black metal influence, and some almost doomy sections. It doesn't sound the same as WHARFLURCH, but if you dig that I think you'll dig this. really great!
stortregn - impermanence
melodic blackened death metal, this is extremely my shit. the entire album is great, the musicianship and the songwriting are great, impeccable vibe. good shit!
insomnium - argent moon
really great melodic death metal, I love this a lot!
aenigmatum - aenigmatum
much like their more recent album, I love this blackened death metal. exactly my jam!
spiritbox - eternal blue
this album has some absolute bangers, but ultimately is a bit same-y for me. definite playlist fodder though!
hooded menace - fulfill the curse
more great death doom from hooded menace, not much more to say!
heavy sentence - heavy sentence
brilliantly executed throwback nwobhm, imagine iron maiden with lemmy on vocals and you'll be in the ballpark
dvne - progenitor
unsurprisingly not as polished as their more recent albums, but still a great album in its own right
chelmico - COZY
a change of pace, this is a cool japanese rap album. very chill vibe, cozy is exactly right
deafheaven - infinite granite
my first time listening to deafheaven, this is a cool post-y kind of album. for me, mombasa was comfortably my favourite track, I might have to go back and check out their earlier stuff which has more of the harsh vocals
dim - compendium reliquiae
chill dungeon synth with a cool half hour ambient track at the end, good stuff!
great master - thy harbour inn
this sounds exactly like you would imagine an Italian epic power/heavy metal band covering/interpreting sea shanties would sound, and it rules
summoning the lich - united in chaos
absolutely kickass death metal. riffs for days, layered harsh vocals, great drumming. one of my favourite albums of the year
afterbirth - four dimensional flesh
this is much more knuckle dragging death metal than summoning the lich, and I don't need a whole album of that. the title track is very different from the rest of the album, and is really cool. i'd like to hear more of that from them in future!
haken - aquarius
haken are one of those bands that I have a bunch of discovered-weekly tracks on playlists, but I've never sat down to listen to their albums. I really liked this, I had parts of it stuck in my head for days after I first listened to it
dim - compendium i
more (or, rather, the first) cool dungeon synth from dim. very chill!
king woman - created in the image of suffering
more great doomy rock, or rocky doom from king woman. not as much of a standout as celestial blues, but still really good!
key - bad love
a friend recommended this, and I really dig it! always down for some k pop
us maple - acre thrills
this is more experimental than it is music, a lot of the time. some good moments, but a more challenging listen than I'm generally looking for
anguish - doomkvädet
the single from this album was "consumed by the necro doom", and that's a good summary. very solid album!
cocteau twins, harold budd - the moon and the melodies
this was a #monadsmusicmindset discovery for me, and I really dig it! I particularly like the vocal layering where it happens, that's something I've been thinking about for my own music
altin gün - on
turkish psychedelic folk/funk/rock, it's really great! definitely reminiscent of some older turkish music I've heard, which I should listen to more of
jinjer - micro
I already knew half these songs very well, and perennial is probably my favourite jinjer song. so unsurprisingly I really liked this!
bathory - bathory
listening to some classic black metal for the first time, this rules! a little formulaic at this point, but it practically defined the formula sooo
eye of purgatory - the lighthouse
fun death metal album with some nice synthy bits, not a huge standout though
jinjer - macro
my jinjer catch up continues. I already liked a bunch of these tracks, but once again was surprised by how great the entire album was, not just the tracks that had filtered out to me