Yearlist 2023 - Lost Stats Domain

Yearlist 2023:

[2023]


①			Cradle Of Filth - Trouble and Their Double Lives Score: 10/10 I've been listening to Cradle Of Filth since the early nineties, so it's quite amazing that they haven't had a decent live album out until now. It consists of two new songs and a compilation of live recordings. I greatly prefer their first four albums, so was pleased to hear songs from Dusk and Cruelty, but their later releases always contains some good songs which are present on this album as well. Fully aware I'm not scoring scene-points by putting this at the top of my yearlist though ;)

Dark The Suns - Raven and the Nightsky Score: 10/10 Dark The Suns have been around for a while and have released some excellent melodeath albums already, but this one is my favourite. Usually I'm waiting for a fuckup, but I actually like all the songs on this release. Some songs are more doom than death which is also highly appreciated, so (non-live) album of the year for me!				②

③			Austere - Corrosion of Hearts Score: 10/10 Austere is hard to define. Maybe melo-doom-death leaning towards atmospheric black? And I'm sure some people would throw a 'post' in there, whatever that means. For sure is that it's music for people who would not hesitate to call their metal "beautiful" - because dear reader, this is a beautiful album. Special mention for the last track which is a Type O Negative cover. And while I don't like the original so much, Austere's version is much improved: Combining the Type O catchiness with the Austere sound can make it play in your head for weeks though!

Dream Unending / Worm - Starpath Score: 10/10 Every yearlist needs a split cd, and the honor this year befalls to the Dream Unending / Worm split. Both bands are bordering somewhere on funeral doom, though the speed is a bit too high for pure funeral fun. Both also throw in a bit too much prog-sounding solos for my taste, but otherwise deliver an excellent 45 minutes of dooming darkness.				④

⑤			Høstsol - Länge leve döden Score: 10/10 Even though LÃ¤nge leve dÃ¶den is the first full length of Høstsol, the band is probably well known by many as it's comprised of some well known artists in the metal scene, most notably Niklas from Shining, but also members of Ajattara and Manes. Earlier releases even had Hellhammer on drums, but on this album he's replaced by Shining's old drummer. And speaking of Shining, Høstsol does sound a lot like Shining. And while the recent Shining album did end high on my yearlist, I do like this release just a bit better!

Árstíðir Lífsins Hermalausaz Score: 10/10				⑥

⑦			Lacrimosa - Nachts Score: 9.5/10 Ok so it miiiight be a bit of a cop out to put two live albums in a yearlist. But I can't deny Lacrimosa being one of my favourite not-quite-metal bands and Nachts being their best live album so far. It's a compilation of several live concerts performed since the Covid lockdown, and while it's a mix of older and newer songs as on the various other live albums they released, they managed to focus more on the songs I actually like. Together with an excellent sound quality this album is a clear recommendation!

Saturnus - The Storm Within Score: 9.5/10 The true doomer metalhead needs no introduction to Saturnus. They cemented their name in the scene back in 1996 with Paradise Belongs to You, and since then they've released new albums with generous intervals (doom metal speed one could say) - the last full length was 11 years ago. Stylistically their new album The Storm Within is exactly as we would expect from Saturnus, which is not a bad thing because it brings us back to those early nineties doom days, melancholically banging our grey hair after we took our blood-pressure pills...				⑧

⑨			Shylmagoghnar Convergence Score: 9.5/10

Eye Of Solitude - X Score: 9.5/10 To be honest, this album is exactly what you would expect from a funeral doom release. Ok, the songs are a bit short (average only 8 minutes!?) but other than that there's no big surprises here. Still, it sounds so good though, the perfect cold winter soundtrack.				⑩

⑪		Primordial - How It Ends Score: 9.5/10 Primordial has long been one of my favorite bands ever, so expectations for a new album are always high. With their latest release How It Ends I was not disappointed, but still I feel it's not quite as good as it could have been, or as Primordial has been in the past. I do think it's a better album than their previous "Exile Amongst the Ruins", but less good than the one before "Where Greater Men Have Fallen". Good things are definitely Nemtheanga's vocals and the musicianship of the rest of the band: these guys have been around for a while and shows. On the downside however, the songs just seem less memorable, a bit been-there-done-that. Also the 3/4 rhythm starts being a bit overdone, and the instrumental passages seem to last just a bit too long here and there. So overall not a bad album at all, but not their greatest work either.

Aphonic Threnody - When Death Comes Again Score: 9.5/10 This years entry of Aphonic Threnody in the yearlist is a bit of a cheat: When Death Comes Again is a re-recorded version of their 2014 album When Death Comes. However, since it's not just a newly recorded version of the same album, but the songs are actually changed, and sole member Riccardo even pulled in some celebrity talent from bands like Void Of Silence and The Howling Void, I decided it counts as a new album. So, what else to say? Excellent not-quite-funeral doom from the UK, check out their full discography!				⑫

⑬		Ne Obliviscaris Exul Score: 9.5/10

Shining Shining Score: 9/10				⑭

⑮		Hermóðr To Be Alone Score: 9/10

The Negative Bias The Seven Seals of Saligia Score: 9/10				⑯

⑰		Arkona (RUS) Kob' Score: 9/10

Blackbraid Blackbraid II Score: 9/10				⑱

⑲		Sulphur Aeon Seven Crowns and Seven Seals Score: 9/10

Sól Án Varma Sól Án Varma Score: 9/10				⑳

21		Labyrinthus Stellarum Tales Of The Void Score: 9/10

Slidhr White Hart! Score: 9/10				22

23		Arcas Where the Light Once Shone Score: 9/10

Panopticon The Rime of Memory Score: 9/10				24

25		Karner Berg wocht Score: 9/10

Fen Monuments to Absence Score: 9/10				26

27		Various Verloren Vertellingen Score: 9/10

Helleruin Devils, Death and Dark Arts Score: 9/10				28

29		...And Oceans As in Gardens, So in Tombs Score: 9/10

Aeon Winds Night Sky Illuminations Score: 9/10				30

31		Runemagick Beyond the Cenotaph of Mankind Score: 9/10

The Color of Rain Oceans Above Score: 9/10				32

33		Woe Legacies of Frailty Score: 9/10

Miserere Luminis Ordalie Score: 9/10				34

35		Waldgeflüster Unter Bronzenen Kronen Score: 9/10

Yoth Iria Embracing the Mexican Shadows - Live Rites of Yoth Iria Score: 8.5/10				36

37		Varg Ewige Wacht Score: 8.5/10

Ultha Live At Soulcrusher MMXXII Score: 8.5/10				38

39		Hermitage Balance Score: 8.5/10

Ice Ages Coma Score: 8.5/10				40

41		Deadly Carnage Endless Blue Score: 8.5/10

Artanor In Servitude of Darkness Score: 8.5/10				42

43		Fortíð Narkissos Score: 8.5/10

The Arcane Order Distortions from Cosmogony Score: 8.5/10				44

45		The Kryptik A Journey to the Darkest Kingdom Score: 8.5/10

Immortal War Against All Score: 8.5/10				46

47		Theosophy Bleeding Wounds of the First and the Last Score: 8.5/10

Afsky Om hundrede år Score: 8.5/10				48

49		Grima Red Forest Ritual (digital) Score: 8.5/10

Aeternus Philosopher Score: 8.5/10				50

51		Nornír Skuld Score: 8.5/10

On Thorns I Lay On Thorns I Lay Score: 8.5/10				52

53		Iku-Turso Ikuinen kirous Score: 8.5/10

Minas Morgul Nebelung Score: 8.5/10				54

55		The Project Hate MCMXCIX Abominations of the Ageless Score: 8/10

Insomnium Anno 1696 Score: 8/10				56

57		Den Saakaldte Pesten som tar over Score: 8/10

Uada Crepuscule Natura Score: 8/10				58

59		Heimdalls Wacht Mystagogie - Lieder voll Ewigkeit Score: 8/10

Wolvennest The Dark Path to the Light Score: 8/10				60

61		Hermóðr Where All the Rivers Meet Score: 8/10

Kalmankantaja Second Death Score: 8/10				62

63		Kalmankantaja Kohti Valon Kuolemaa Score: 8/10

Thulcandra Hail the Abyss Score: 8/10				64

65		Phlebotomized Clouds of Confusion Score: 8/10

Taake Et hav av avstand Score: 8/10				66

67		Nocte Obducta Karwoche - Die Sonne der Toten pulsiert Score: 8/10

Deviser Evil Summons Evil Score: 8/10				68

69		Insomnium Songs of the Dusk Score: 8/10

October Tide The Cancer Pledge Score: 8/10				70

71		Moonlight Sorcery Horned Lord Of The Thorned Castle Score: 7.5/10

Orbit Culture Descent Score: 7.5/10				72

73		Old Forest Sutwyke Score: 7.5/10

Memoriam Rise to Power Score: 7.5/10				74

75		Kalmankantaja Surun saattomailla Score: 7.5/10

Ancestors Blood / Heimdalls Wacht Split Score: 7.5/10				76

77		Mesarthim Arrival Score: 7.5/10

Misþyrming Með Hamri Í Lifandi Formi Score: 7.5/10				78

79		Ocean Of Grief Pale Existence Score: 7.5/10

Fjoergyn Judasmesse Score: 7.5/10				80

81		Cultus Sanguine Dust Once Alive Score: 7.5/10

Hermóðr Guardian Score: 7.5/10				82

83		Sacriversum The Light of the Live Storm - Live in Lodz 2022 Score: 7.5/10

Graveland Live in France Score: 7.5/10				84

85		Elffor The Black Sentinel Score: 7.5/10

Obituary Dying of Everything Score: 7/10				86

87		Cruachan The Living and the Dead Score: 7/10

Porta Nigra Weltende Score: 7/10				88

89		Orbit Culture The Forgotten (digital) Score: 7/10

Blood Incantation Luminescent Bridge Score: 7/10				90

91		Immemorial (POL) Rebirth Score: 7/10

An Autumn For Crippled Children Closure Score: 7/10				92

93		Atrocity Okkult III Score: 7/10

Amorphis Queen Of Time - Live At Tavastia Score: 7/10				94

95	Walg III Score: 7/10

Arde / Nakkiga Split Score: 7/10				96

97		Cemetery Of Scream Oceans Score: 6.5/10

Beenkerver Twee Wolven Score: 6.5/10				98

99		Sigh Live: The Eastern Forces of Evil 2022 Score: 6.5/10

Dispatched Metal (digital) Score: 6.5/10				100

Stats generated at: 05/07/24