Allow yourself to indulge in a hefty dose of riffs,
because it is time to present 16 of
the best albums from September, it is time for your SOUR 16.
You
know the drill by now, each month you the reader are
unwittingly compiling a list of the top 16 records of the month, covering all genres of
metal. Is it not a chart, in which reviewers or contributors extol their
opinion about their favourite music. To put it simply, THE SOUR 16 are
the records that have been trending the most at SLUDGELORD HQ.
The
results are compiled based on the amount of page views the reviews have
received and are then calibrated into the list below. All reviews
can be viewed by clicking the artwork and we have included album streams
wherever possible. (Total views since their publication are highlighted in
the red)
16).
Boris - "Dear"
(623)
From the opening track, “D.O.W.N.
–Domination of Waiting Noise–“, Boris conveys punishing volume so effectively
that your ears will ache at practically any level. Every note and every layered vocal has been obsessed over, placed
perfectly in the mix, and acts as a distillation of twenty-five years of
intense collaborative synthesis.
15).
Order - "Lex
Amentiae" (637)
This is harsh, in-your-face, old-school
black metal. From the opener "Winter" onward, Order stakes a claim to
the thorny crown with its barbarous shrieks, lumbering bass and unyielding
guitars.
14).
Biblical - "The
City That Always Sleeps" (679)
“Mature Themes,” the opening track and lead-off single,
certainly showcases a barrage of noise that hits like a barbed-wire baseball
bat, but rather than making miles doing this sludgy-psych thing, Biblical
branches out far and wide, traversing sonic landscapes that are as vast as the
country the band calls home.
13).
Major Kong - "Brace
for Impact" (713)
Poland's Major Kong tests the limits of
music with its new recording, "Brace for Impact." The eight-song
release is entirely instrumental and rooted in a science fiction theme. Heady
indeed, but Major Kong give you a dense, impressive album regardless.
12). Made Of Teeth
- "Made Of Teeth" (721)
Made Of Teeth have produced a confident, punchy, and savage debut
that provides the listener with labyrinthine levels of surprises around each
corner.
11).
Monarch - "Never
Forever" (784)
Monarch orchestrates layers upon layers of
sound that roil gently like a dirty bayou. Bresson's vocals – from plaintive
wisps to growls and beyond – make Monarch unlike anything else you hear in doom
or drone. Such innovation is why the outfit has cultivated a devoted following
throughout their extensive career. Never Forever" gives you a side of
Monarch that is rarely seen, and is indicative of a fearless performance. Drone
is seldom this accessible, or distinguished.
10).
Usnea - "Portals
Into Futility" (815)
The guitars are thoroughly dissonant and
murky, the bass is husky and drums voluminous. Then there are the vocals, which
feel like they're being delivered with the sort of urgency of someone trapped
at the bottom of a deep well. The whole composition of the record is just magnificent
for doom fans.
9).
Queens of the Stone Age - "Villains" (1040)
The musicianship is some of the best out
there, and QOTSA knows its lane and sticks with it. Suffice to say, if you are
already a QOTSA fan, chances are this recording will not disappoint, or may
just a little. For others, there is an entirely different dialogue.
8).
Ufomammut - "8"
(1078)
The time signatures will still have you
scratching your head and the chugging rhythms are no less heady as they are
pummeling. The choice to structure songs rather than to orchestrate them means
that the ideas unfold quicker than what we’re used to. A totally different
listening experience, sure, but it’s one that offers yet another opportunity to
throw some quality, heavy psychedelic doom on the turntable.
7).
Spirit Adrift - "Curse
of Conception" (1119)
“Curse of Conception” is a glorious success and a dazzling evolution
of an already excellent band.
6). Dyscarnate
- "With All Their Might" (1181)
For those death metal fans expecting endless blasting, look
elsewhere. For those who want a pit destroying festival of riffs: look no
further. This is Dyscarnate’s best album so far and a real beast of modern
death metal.
5).
With The Dead - "Love
From With The Dead" (1401)
The opening quartet of tracks here offers up a relentless onslaught
of earth-shaking doom. Tim Bagshaw is on fine form, unleashing an endless
stream of mammoth riffs and lead guitar that channel the hazy evil of his
finest moments in Ramesses. Lee Dorrian’s half spoken, half roared
vocals work well in amongst the carnage and are a breath of fresh air in the
modern doom landscape.
4).
Belphegor - "Totenritual"
(1802)
Once again, as they have over the vast majority of their
discography, Belphegor has produced an excellent album of the best blackened
death metal. This is every bit as good as anything else the band has put out
from one of the best extreme bands in the world, no question.
3).
Satyricon - "Deep
Calleth Upon Deep" (1914)
‘Deep Calleth Upon Deep’ is something of
a spiritual successor to ‘Rebel Extravaganza’ in that the goal appears to have
been to take an established sound and create the weirdest, artsiest version of
it they could and there is evidence of a sweeping creative resurgence
throughout the album as a whole.
2). Monolord - "Rust"
(2105)
Monolord hits all the superlative notes when
it comes to doom and the album's closing tracks, "Forgotten Lands"
and "At Niceae," are as close to perfect as you can get.
1).
Paradise Lost - "Medusa"
(5226)
Depthless despair, thick production with pounding drums accentuating
the force of the material and those classic melodic leads are all encompassing,
making this their heaviest album in years and amongst their best. “Medusa”
can and will turn you to stone- as you will be shocked and stilled by just how
good it is.
A
big thank you as always to our amazing writers, your dedication knows no
boundaries and for that I am truly grateful. September 2017’s SOUR 16 features
reviews by: Richard Maw, Daniel Jackson,
Charlie Butler, Mark Ambrose, Victor Van Ommen, Conor O’Dea, Jay Hampshire
& Ernesto Aguilar
