Yearlist 20 - Lost Stats Domain

Yearlist 20:


①		Paradise Lost - Gothic Live At Roadburn 2016 (digital) Score: 10/10 There are many reasons why this album should not be in this yearlist: 1) It's a live album that 2) is from a concert from 5 years ago where they 3) play a (by now) 30 year-old album. 4) The label doesnt seem to care much for this release either since 5) it's a digital-only release that they didn't promote much and 6) didn't even bother to cut up in separate songs. 7) Instead they are promoting their live album 'Into the Mill' that you may find way WAY down this yearlist. 8) And from the band interaction between the songs I got the idea that even the band seems less into playing old songs. 9) Finally putting this in my yearlist might expose me as a grumpy senior metalhead who only likes old stuff. There's actually only one single reason why this album is topping my yearlist, and that's because it's the best fucking thing I heard all year.

Dominia - The Withering of the Rose Score: 10/10 I don't know if it's because 2020 was such a messed up year, but it turned out to be a perfect year for doom metal. Two releases by My Dying Bride, the return of old doom favourites such as Celestial Season, Autumnia, and Draconian, and many other great doom bands have released albums this year. So it's surprising that relatively unknown Russian doomsters Dominia took the album of the year title. But they managed to do so by releasing a modern doom metal album that is literally infused with many elements of the old doom classics. In "The Withering of the Rose" I hear influences of Theatre of Tragedy, previously mentioned Celestial Season, and many others, so listening to their latest album is like a revisit of all music I listened to in the nineties and early 2000s. And of course it doesn't hurt to have guest vocals of Sakis of one of last year's top bands Rotting Christ!			②

③		Graveyard Of Souls - Infinity Equal Zero Score: 10/10 While sunny Spain is certainly not known for producing famous doom-metal bands, Graveyard Of Souls has been releasing solid doom/death albums for the last decade, slowly improving each time leading to "Infinity Equal Zero" which is their best album yet, hitting that sweet spot with a very old-school feel, sometimes reminding of early Tiamat, some old Moonspell. Definitely worth to be known outside of Spain!

Dominia Reincarnation (digital) Score: 10/10			④

⑤		Emyn Muil - Afar Angathfark Score: 10/10 There's a couple of bands I usually refer to as Summoning-clones because, well, they sound a lot like Summoning. With Emyn Muil's latest album I start to feel it's a bit unfair though, since it's such a great release on its own. Maybe I should call it Summoning-inspired, or admit to the fact that Summoning started a metal genre of its own, something like fantasy-movie-soundtrack-metal, and other bands start playing this style. Anyway, Afar Angathfark is a massively inspiring and atmospheric album rivalling Summoning in its own genre.

Árstíðir Lífsins / Carpe Noctem - Aldrnari Score: 10/10 Besided great doom albums, 2020 has brought some excellent split albums as well, such as this one called Aldrnari. Featuring Icelandic Árstíðir Lífsins who often end up high in my yearlist if they don't take their male choir-thing too far. They did just that on the full-length they released this year, but the 22 minute song on this split is excellent. Vocalist Árni is also member of the other band on this split, Carpe Noctem. This is a more Behemoth-like black metal band that delivers also a 22 minute song full of atmosphere.			⑥

⑦		The Ruins Of Beverast - The Thule Grimoires Score: 10/10 I have to start by saying that "The Thule Grimoires" is a great album. It's a excellent example of The Ruins Of Beverast's typical mix of faster black/death metal with atmospheric slower parts. Having said that, I'm afraid it just doesn't live up to their two last albums Exuvia and Blood Vaults. The songs sound more simple somehow, more straightforward and less layered, whereas in earlier works you somehow always discovered something new on repeat listens. Still some excellent work here, and perhaps a more comfortable listen than earlier releases.

Drudkh - Vsi Nalezhat' Nochi (All Belong to the Night) Score: 10/10 I can't believe I'm saying this, but the Lost Souls Domain has nothing to do with the Eurovision song contest! So when a band from the Ukraine comes out on top this year, it has nothing to do with the war in Ukraine, but it is based on one thing and one thing alone: They made the best album of the year. And this is the also case for Drudkh with their latest album. It consists of only four songs, but each is an epic black metal masterpiece. Heavy in atmosphere and with the Ukrainian folk influences, Drudkh has always been a favourite of mine, but this might be their best album yet!			⑧

⑨		Anomalie - Tranceformation Score: 10/10 It is so difficult to sound innovative as a metalband in 2021. Most releases are sticking to a certain style and try to do very well what has been done before, so it's quite refreshing to hear an album like Tranceformation from Austria's Anomalie which goes for its own sound and excels at it on top of that. Stylistically perhaps it's closest to viking metal, yet somehow not that at all. Hard to describe, but easy to enjoy!

Harakiri For The Sky - Mære Score: 10/10 Another Austrian release here is Harakiri For The Sky's latest effort. While their style may be no surprise to fans of the band, it's an excellent continuation of what they're good at. Also serving as an example that sometimes quality and quantity go hand in hand, Mære spans over two cds without losing my interest, and it helps to end with the excellent Placebo cover, which is one of my favourite bands outside of the metal genre.			⑩

⑪	Eternal Solitude - The Gates of the Beyond Score: 10/10 This is why I love discovering new bands! After three decades listening to metal, I am still finding hidden gems like this. Of course the method changed a bit: What used to be browsing through boxes of albums in obscure metal shops, is now replaced by scouring the internet looking for obscure releases. And Eternal Solitude from Brazil was certainly a band I never heard of before, but "The Gates of the Beyond" is a great find. It starts off as a total 'The Elysian Fields' worship, but then quickly degenerates into an awesome doom death fest, before closing appropriately with a coversong from The Elysian Fields. So surprising, but so good!

Septic Flesh Infernus Sinfonica MMXIX Score: 10/10			⑫

⑬	Almyrkvi / The Ruins Of Beverast - Split Score: 9.5/10 Multiple album-of-the-year title holder The Ruins Of Beverast will release their new full-length album in 2021, but leading up to that they released two split albums this year. On this split with Almyrkvi they showcase what they do best: Making extremely captivating but uncomfortable black metal soundscapes. Icelandic Almyrkvi are not completely on the same level but still deliver some excellent atmosphere here.

Auðn - Vökudraumsins Fangi Score: 9.5/10 Iceland seems to be rather over-represented in this yearlist, a fact easily verified by how often you see the ð character. Auðn is no exception, but sillyness aside they truly deserved their yearlist ranking with their third album Vökudraumsins Fangi. All three albums stand out for their epic atmospheric black metal with plenty of variation between calm melodies and aggressive blastbeats, but on this latest effort they perfected their songwriting and it's a captivating listen from start to end.			⑭

⑮	Kalmankantaja - Nostalgia I: Bones and Dust Score: 9.5/10 Of the Nostalgia albums, Kalmankantaja claims that "These recordings are my tribute to the music that inspired me years ago, and continue to do so." It takes about two seconds to find out which music this is, as the first track sounds exactly like Dunkelheit, the first track from Burzum's Filosofem album. The guitars, the keyboards, even the vocals sound like they're recorded over the phone from prison (little Burzum joke there). Not a complaint though, since Filosofem is such a brilliant album I don't mind a tribute. The second and third song on "Nostalgia I" follow in the exact same footpath, also retellings of Burzum's Dunkelheit. On the last song Kalmankantaja changes things up to... copy Jesus' Tod, the second track from Filosofem. But again, not a complaint, as a tribute this album works very well.

Cadaveria - Emptiness Score: 9.5/10 I remember the first time I heard Cadaveria in action. I was a frequent guest of a place called Diskotheek in Rotterdam, which was not for dancing, mind you. It was a library (Bibliotheek in Dutch) but instead of books they loaned out cds. Luckily for me, their strategy to build their collection was to simply purchase everything they could get their hands on, which included quite some underground metal releases. Every quarter they released a thick paper catalog (This was the very early days of the internet, so this was not online yet!) and every quarter I would go through this catalog to pick out interesting releases. One of these was Opera IX's debut album "The Call of the Wood" which a diskotheek employee had to find in their storage, after which he grumpily told me they never loaned this one out yet. Of course a lot has changed since then, Cadaveria left Opera IX to start her own band, then she got very sick and is now on the road to recovery. During this period they released a couple of songs online, which are all on this album together with some new songs. And while all of the songs are good, it did make this album feel more like a compilation album. I am looking forward from more greatness from Cadaveria in the future!			⑯

⑰	Winterfylleth The Reckoning Dawn Score: 9.5/10

Hermóðr The Sea of Dragons Score: 9.5/10			⑱

⑲	Kalmankantaja - Nostalgia II: My Kingdom Score: 9.5/10 The second part of the Nostalgia albums continues mostly in the style of the first one. Still very Burzum-esque, but a bit less copy-paste. Still, if Kalmankantaja wanted to pay tribute to anything else than Burzum I don't hear it. A solid listed for if you like slow atmospheric black metal covered in keyboards though!

Kalmankantaja - Viimeinen virsi II: Sairaan sielun sanat Score: 9.5/10 The bad thing about bands like Kalmankantaja is that they keep pumping out so many releases that it's hard to keep up, preventing you to really connect with one album or song in particular. The good thing however, is that they produce a lot of amazing music. On Viimeinen virsi II, Kalmankantaja is returning more to their own sound, which in itself is still very Burzum inspired, so expect more long mid-tempo black metal drowning in atmosphere.			⑳

21	Djevel - Naa Skrider Natten Sort Score: 9.5/10 Last year Djevel entered the yearlist for the first time, so what are the odds that this year they're not only back, but they even surpassed last years release? "Naa Skrider Natten Sort" is just incredibly well made Norwegian Black Metal, remnant of the golden age of black metal in the nineties. Also last year I complained about the long song titles and this time they're shorter, so apparently they're reading these reviews - another brilliant album next year please!

Clouds - Durere Score: 9.5/10 Clouds have been releasing great doom metal albums for a while, stylistically bouncing between Funeral Doom with deep growls and guitars, to a lighter doom with clean vocals and acoustic music that sometimes gets a bit too soft for me. Still plenty of slow depressive funeral goodness to enjoy on Durere though!			22

23	Aphonic Threnody - The Loneliest Walk Score: 9.5/10 Every year list needs a good funeral doom release, and international outfit Aphonic Threnody takes the honour this year. With a singer from Italy, guitar players from the UK and the US, a drummer from Australia and a keyboard player from Greece I wonder how they made this work, though perhaps it didn't work so well since everyone except the guitar player seems to have quit the band. They did come up with an excellent release though. And for the funeral doom aficionados worried about the ten tracks on this album: Stay calm, its a double cd clocking in at almost 2.5 hours, so you still have tracks averaging out almost 15 minutes!

Anguish Sublime Maelstrom Imperium Score: 9.5/10			24

25	Ophis - Spew Forth Odium Score: 9.5/10 If your ears are in need of a bass-fed massage then Ophis' latest "Spew Forth Odium" is an outstanding choice. They could even be mistaken for funeral doom this time since they wait until the third song to pick up speed and remind us of the death in their doomdeath style, which is almost a pity because that's where they really shine. Otherwise another great release for the German doomers.

Evilfeast / Uuntar - Odes to Lands of Past Traditions Score: 9.5/10 Splits are not only a great way to discover new bands, but when they have the duration of a full-length album, they make excellent entries for my yearlist. And this split between Polish Evilfeast and Dutch Uuntar does both things. The best thing about Evilfeast is, besides the band name of course, that their albums always sound decades older than they actually are. Their part of this split again sounds like you're listening to an old Emperor demo tape. Uuntar I hadn't heard of before but plays an excellent folk inspired black metal that I definitely have to check out more.			26

27	Cradle Of Filth - Existence Is Futile Score: 9.5/10 Writing a Cradle Of Filth review is almost a waste of time, since the band is so polarizing. People who hate them will not listen to this album no matter how good the review, and the fans will buy their latest release blindly. So what is left to say, except that if you're in the second group you will not be disappointed. Over-the-top theatrics, bombastic symphonies and supporting choirs, this is Cradle showing off that they're still in top form after 30 years.

Irrlycht - Wolfish Grandeur Score: 9.5/10 Germany's Irrlycht came out of hiding one decade after their last album to deliver us an outstanding raw black metal album with a very old-school feel to it. For sure I hear some Nagelfar and Farsot in their music, but also some throwbacks to the old Norwegian black metal classics. They're delivering some grandeur indeed.			28

29	Acherontas Psychic Death - The Shattering of Perceptions Score: 9.5/10

Djevel - Tanker som rir natten Score: 9.5/10 Djevel is band that has been around in the Norwegian black metal scene for a decade or so, and while releasing many albums that were always decent efforts, they never stood out that much, except maybe for the crazy long song titles which I'll try to avoid quoting in this review. Their latest "Tanker som rir natten" is the first album that really speaks to me, with a highlight in their slower-tempo last track "Vinger som tok oss over en brennende himmel, vinger som tok oss hjem". Dammit!			30

31	Dark Fortress Spectres from the Old World Score: 9.5/10

Thy Light - Thy Light Score: 9.5/10 Originally I got to know Thy Light on the Summoning tribute album "In Mordor Where The Shadows Are" - in hindsight this compilation introduced me to so many exceptional bands. Officially this Thy Light release is an EP, but with two long atmospheric black metal tracks clocking in well over 30 minutes it's absolutely worthy of a position in the yearlist.			32

33	Wolfheart - King of the North Score: 9.5/10 The typical 'melodeath' is a difficult genre for me. While I enjoy the combination of faster death metal and melodic parts, and the mixed grunts and clean vocals, it can so quickly turn cheesy. Wolfheart is a band that finds the balance perfectly though, and their latest album King of the North is their best album since their debut Winterborn, so absolutely worthy of a place in the yearlist.

Panopticon ...And Again into the Light Score: 9.5/10			34

35	Wyrd Vandraren Score: 9.5/10

Winterfylleth Live at Bloodstock 2021 Score: 9.5/10			36

37	Shadecrown Solitarian Score: 9.5/10

In Mourning - Live in Valley Sound Studio Score: 9.5/10 What do you do when you want to play live but you also don't like to see people? You rent a studio and play live there? It's an interesting concept, but the result is a nice mix between live and compilation album: A new take on great songs from past releases, but also with perfect sound quality. I'll not bother with comparing Swedens In Mourning with country mates Opeth, but if you so happen to like older Opeth, then it's definitely worth a listen!			38

39	Ex Deo The Thirteen Years of Nero Score: 9.5/10

Midnight Odyssey Biolume Part 2 - The Golden Orb Score: 9.5/10			40

41	Grima - Frostbitten Score: 9.5/10 Another example of great finds is this year's Grima. I had never heard of the Russian band before, but they put out a superb atmospheric black metal album with Frostbitten. They masterfully combine fast black metal with instrumental passages and great solo work, and since this is already their fifth full length I really should have heard of them before! Well, better late than never.

Celestial Season The Secret Teachings Score: 9.5/10			42

43	Havukruunu Kuu erkylän yllä Score: 9.5/10

Nocte Obducta Irrlicht (Es schlägt dem Mond ein kaltes Herz) Score: 9.5/10			44

45	Lethian Dreams A Shadow of Memories Score: 9.5/10

Helheim Woduridar Score: 9.5/10			46

47	Skálmöld 10 Year Anniversary - Live in Reykjavík Score: 9.5/10

Timor Et Tremor - Realm of Ashes Score: 9.5/10 With usually quite a few years between releases, and even six years since their last album, Germany's Timor Et Tremor is not the most productive band out there, but each album is definitely worth a listen. Their latest "Realm of Ashes" is an interesting experience: while rooting in black metal, it kind of bounces between genres, going from slow passages with clean vocals to harsh and fast, and do I hear some Dissection in there? Well worth a listen!			48

49	Evilfeast / Gnipahålan Split Score: 9.5/10

Marche Funèbre Einderlicht Score: 9.5/10			50

51	Ancient Wisdom A Celebration in Honor of Death Score: 9.5/10

Cult Of Fire Nirvana Score: 9.5/10			52

53	Grey Skies Fallen Cold Dead Lands Score: 9.5/10

Dr. Death Reincarnation Score: 9.5/10			54

55	Shallow Rivers - The Tales Told Under the Willow Score: 9.5/10 The Russian doom metal scene is as ever a very productive one, and while Shallow Rivers balances between doom and melodeath, it's an absolute treat for the fans of the slower metal genres. And using lyrics from William Blake is certainly adding a nice touch :)

Kalmankantaja Metsäuhri Score: 9/10			56

57	Deafheaven 10 Years Gone Score: 9/10

Graveland Hour of Ragnarok Score: 9/10			58

59	Anti Anti (digital) Score: 9/10

Wędrujący Wiatr Zorzysta Staje Oćma Score: 9/10			60

61	Thyrfing Vanagandr Score: 9/10

Golgotha Mors Diligentis Score: 9/10			62

63	Einherjer Norse and Dangerous - Live... From the Land of Legends Score: 9/10

Borgne Temps Morts Score: 9/10			64

65	Cult Of Fire Live in the Underworld Score: 9/10

Aphonic Threnody The Great Hatred Score: 9/10			66

67	Enchantment Cold Soul Embrace Score: 9/10

Shape Of Despair Return to the Void Score: 9/10			68

69	Yoth Iria As the Flame Withers Score: 9/10

Grima Rotten Garden Score: 9/10			70

71	Old Leshy Pośród Monumentalnych Szczytów Score: 9/10

Fortíð World Serpent Score: 9/10			72

73	Old Forest Mournfall Score: 9/10

Grima The Mighty Spirit (Live in Moscow) Score: 9/10			74

75	Graceless Chants from Purgatory Score: 9/10

Atra Hora Témenos Score: 9/10			76

77	Wolves Den Miserere Score: 9/10

Seth La Morsure du Christ Score: 9/10			78

79	Ereb Altor Vargtimman Score: 9/10

Commander Agares / Graveland Awakening of the Storms Score: 9/10			80

81	Tribulation Where the Gloom Becomes Sound Score: 9/10

Mors Principium Est Liberate The Unborn Inhumanity Score: 9/10			82

83	Autumnia ...And Your Autumnia Score: 9/10

Cân Bardd Devoured By The Oak Score: 9/10			84

85	Monolithe Kosmodrom Score: 9/10

Lord Belial Rapture Score: 9/10			86

87	Fear Factory Aggression Continuum Score: 9/10

Abbath Dread Reaver Score: 9/10			88

89	Obscurity Skogarmaors Score: 9/10

Medieval Demon Black Coven Score: 9/10			90

91	Acherontas Malocchio - The Seven Tongues of Daimon Score: 9/10

Avenger Cern a Smrt (as Bohemyst) Score: 9/10			92

93	Shallow Rivers Prometheus Unbound (digital) Score: 8.5/10

Varathron Glorification Under the Latin Moon Score: 8.5/10			94

95	Te Deum Reflexia Score: 8.5/10

Be'lakor Coherence Score: 8.5/10			96

97	Akhlys Melinoë Score: 8.5/10

Iku-Turso Into Dawnless Realms Score: 8.5/10			98

99	Hermóðr Tidens tand Score: 8.5/10

Septic Flesh Modern Primitive Score: 8.5/10			100

Stats generated at: 01/03/23