By:
Mark Ambrose
 |
| Couch Slut |
Honorable
Mentions: Everything I chose this for 2017’s top 25 ended up being a
full-length, but these EPs were just too good to overlook entirely.
Dutchguts/Chained to the Dead –
“Split”
NJ locals that delivered some rocking, nasty riffs – what’s not to love when you have roadhouse speed metal and old school death on one disc. I want full lengths from each of these guys in the next year.
Birdflesh/Organ Dealer – “Split”
Grind splits are some of my favorite releases – in under half an hour you can get half a dozen bands. In this case, Birdflesh and Organ Dealer serve as ideal complements. Organ Dealer was a great discovery this year, with a robust catalog and, of course, even more releases lined up for 2018.
Night Raids – “Servants of the Scab Lord”
Working class lo-fi grind punks keep putting out solid releases – time for a full-length.
25.
Rosetta – “Utopioid”
Post-metal, post-rock, post-whatever – “Utopioid” was a late addition in 2017 that struck me with its raw emotion and beautiful guitar work. Once again I feel late to the game on these guys but I’m planning on diving into the back catalogue in 2018.
24. Electric Wizard – “Wizard Bloody Wizard”
Practically
everything Jus and company do at this point will bring out a chorus of boos and
naysayers to counteract the true ‘Wizard cultists who
believe the man can do no wrong. The
reality is that EW are never going to be the same group that
delivered “Dopethrone”, and that’s
probably for the best. On this album the
rhythm really shines, the analog production is killer, and Jus’ vocals sound
great. When you have plenty of folks
ripping off early ‘Wizard, it’s cool to
hear the original master push beyond fan expectations and deliver an old school
heavy rock record.
23. Chepang – “Dadhelo”
This
Nepalese grind collective sings overtly political screeds in a language I don’t
understand at all – but the invective transcends linguistic boundaries. 2017 was their second year as a band and it
could just have well been their second decade.
“Dadhelo” is powerful and may
be the most overlooked genre release of 2017.
22. Fister/CHRCH – “Split”
Funereal,
unholy, and transcendently heavy – heavy enough that I ruminated on the very
term in my original review. I stand by
every word of that and hope to hear solo releases from both these powerhouses
in the near future.
21. Pyrrhon – “What Passes for Survival”
I
don’t give tech death a ton of coverage in my writing but when it’s done right,
it’s impressive as hell. With drummer
Stephen Schwegler behind the kit, these guys delivered one of the most
rhythmically furious missives of controlled chaos in 2017.
20.
Boris – “Dear”
Last album? The beginning of the end? Whatever the case, Dear is a masterpiece for a band with releases numbering in the high double digits. Begs to be played loud enough to cause permanent hearing loss.
19. Nightbringer – “Terra Damnata”
US
Black Metal with a distinctly European edge, Nightbringer’s
latest had all the demonic flair notably absent from the critical darlings of
the USBM scenes. Maybe it’s all that
mountain living, but Nightbringer tapped
into something primal and unholy.
18. Dodecahedron – “Kwintessens”
Not
just a Deathspell Omega homage, but a personal,
painful album of deceptively compact compositions. “Kwintessens”
should lay any doubts to rest – Dodecahedron is the
real deal and, hopefully, their latest lineup change won’t sideline all the
progress they’ve made.
17. Toke – “Orange”
Swaggering, ballsy, blues riffy metal. I know thrash gets all the party cred, but the latest LP from this southern trio is the go-to choice for that first big BBQ of the year, especially if you want someone to call the cops at 3 AM.
16. Dead Quiet – “Grand Rites”
A
step so monumental, it’s practically a second debut for this Canadian
ensemble. With poppy hooks, serious
guitar chops, and powerful, clean vocals, Dead Quiet is a lock
for potential breakthrough metal act in 2018.
15. Bell Witch – “Mirror Reaper”
Song
as album as funeral elegy. The sheer
magnitude of the duo’s latest is commendable, though a challenging listen even
for funeral doom obsessives. I found it
primally moving, and a balance of despair and hope. I doubt it’ll get as much play in my rotation
as their prior or subsequent releases, but that doesn’t diminish the sheer
power of this record.
14. Yellow Eyes – “Immersion Trench Reverie”
Lo-fi
black metal with a Russo-folk influence, the Brooklyn based Skarstad brothers
weave a complex guitar fueled trek through Siberian monasteries and haunted
woodlands. It’s menacing, dark, and
occasionally beautiful.
13. Catapult the Dead – “A Universal Emptiness”
A
record I found thrilling and nihilistic, with some remarkable extremes in
techniques and styles. Psychedelic,
exhilarating, and painful in the best way.
12. Shroud Eater – “Strike the Sun”
These
sludge metallers from Florida really get to the essence of their home state’s
oppressive heat and deep rot. The clean
vocals never lack power, while the filthy tone never obscures intricate
harmonies.
11.
God Root – “Salt and
Rot”
Philadelphia
noise-doom shamans work through jazzy freakouts, primal scream therapy
sessions, and earthy riffing. The sheer
textural complexity is mind-bending, but the cacophony is always measured by
precise musicianship and steady, chantlike vocals.
10.
Path of Might – “Hallowed
Gate Style”
Like
the prime era of Mastodon, Path of Might
is heavy and catchy. This is a big step
forward from their first release, embracing melodic vocals and higher
production values. I predict big things
in their future but will spin this one many, many more times in 2018.
The year marked some new lows for contemptible human behavior, and “Caustic” served as an antinatalist soundtrack. This is some bleak, end-times music that was also ineffably uplifting in its sheer hopelessness. With the massive amount of EP and split releases from the band, you might expect their songwriting to be stretched thin, but they put out one of the year’s best releases, top to bottom, genre or otherwise.
Psychedelic
black metal didn’t die with Nachtmystium (or whatever
the hell status that band has in 2018), and Belus
came to prove it. The cover art alone
denotes a trippy experience, and “Apophenia”
did not disappoint. The vocals, in
particular, had me fascinated with every listen.
7. Woe – “Hope Attrition”
Another “practically a new band” release, “Hope Attrition” is Woe’s best record yet. Like black metal fused with hardcore, it is an eminently re-listenable release and one of my most frequently “recommended for anyone who remotely enjoys metal” albums. Lev Weinstein achieved god tier in 2017 for drumming on this, the two Krallice records I didn’t even absorb yet, and possibly every other album recorded in Brooklyn.
6. Godflesh – “Post-Self”
Far
more industrial than anyone expected, “Post-Self”
was the Godflesh album we needed this year and
exactly the punishment we deserve. It’s
uniquely harrowing, depressing, and amazing.
It managed to alienate a lot more people than I expected on first
listen, only to pull a lot of them back in.
With Broadrick and Green pushing beyond their comfort zone, there is no
reason any “legends” should be putting out rehash records with a straight
face. I’m not naming names, but Godflesh is putting some contemporaries to shame.
5. Heavy Temple – “Chassit”
Holy
shit this came out in 2017! It was such
an early release that I nearly left it off the list and that would have been a
crime. “Chassit” was one of my most frequently listened albums – like an
ideal combination of 70s stoner prog and proto-metal. Between Psycho Las Vegas and Shadow Woods,
the power trio proved they’re the real deal in a live setting as well. Either way, they made a stunner of an album
with “Chassit”, another one of those
releases that redefines your expectations of a band.
4. Owlcrusher – “Owlcrusher”
I’d
say this came out of nowhere but these Irish lads have been crafting their
debut for nearly a decade – and you can hear every weathered second. This is beyond doom – creating spaces so vast
you can feel palpable dread in every riff.
Plus the vocals are agonizing and sinister as hell. They earned a year off after this monster,
but I’m hoping for another album before 2027.
3. Sunrot – “Sunnata”
Talk
about a stunner – Sunrot ‘s debut has
been in motion for what feels like an eternity, but the promise of earlier
releases didn’t prepare me for how confident, how moving, how BIG the whole
thing sounded. “Sunnata” is a rare release that confidently embraces noise and
melody, uses guest musicians for more than just recognition factor, and doesn’t
confuse intensity with volume. There are
quiet moments here, but no easy ones.
Kim Kelly approved, SLUDGELORD endorsed NJ
metal.
2. King Woman – “Created In the Image of Suffering”
I
didn’t know a thing about King Woman or primary
songwriter Kristina Esfandiari when I went to see them open for Thou – before the set wrapped I was texting my fellow metal
fans I’d seen something really special and that sleeping on King Woman’s debut would be practically criminal. Haunting, doom-drenched, melodic, genre
defying – “Created…” has everything
you could ask for in a breakout metal album.
Most importantly, despite Esfandiari’s pipes and considerable charisma
as a performer, her assembled performers are all masters of their respective
instruments, creating massive soundscapes for King Woman
to reign.
1.
Couch Slut – “Contempt”
2017
was a good year for music but a piss poor year for a lot of other people. “Contempt”
was the perfect release for everyone so tired of asking “How did things get
this bad?” Rather than collapse in
misery, Couch Slut screamed a defiant “FUCK YOU” to
every repugnant misogynist, homophobe, racist and plain scumbag that polluted
the world in 2017. Their debut
full-length encapsulated millennia of rage in a 45 minute burst of aggression
that is dripping with rage, with pain, with hatred and accusations and
well-earned disgust. Doomy, sludgy, but
not afraid to shred, the Brooklyn punk-metal-hardcore-noise artists distilled a
year of misery into a perfect album that belongs on any year end list,
regardless of genre.
