2020 Metal ’n’ Heavy Rock/Heavy Music Poll: RESULTS – Top 100 Countdown

Imago is rather quiet today, I guess he always is on the death metal section 100-11, lol

― Oor Neechy, Monday, 8 March 2021 20:11 (twenty-nine minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

just not rly a fan of things that rip or slam

Guess I'm alone on this one, as it was my #1 and the metal record I listened to the most last year. Atmoblack with a yen for beauty is my kryptonite.

xp

It's a fairly subtle album, however. I found it slightly disappointing at first compared to their split with Fluisteraars, but it slowly but surely won me over in the end.

Gotta listen to this. I loved the new Fluisteraars.

The Dutch know how to make classy BM.

The Turia was great. One of my bandcamp purchases last year

Next up: yet another tie as Tie Day draws to a close.

Vile Creature have the best website in metal btw: http://www.vilecreature.net/

#82 TIE
Regarde les hommes tomber – Ascension
109 points, 3 votes

https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a1077738278_10.jpg

https://regardeleshommestomber.bandcamp.com/album/ascension

Those in the know about French black metal are very aware of Regarde Les Hommes Tomber. They are without a doubt one of the most interesting groups to emerge from the country’s vast black metal underground. With their first full length in five years, they have come to silence all those who may have doubted them. Their latest offering, the spine-tingling Ascension, is a fitting addition to the band’s legacy and a clear next step in their trajectory.  Regarde Les Hommes Tomber craft a unique brand of black metal that relies on vast atmospheres. These are brought on by searing guitars and punishing blast beats. Ultimately, Ascension is more of a sonic experience than a collection of songs. The all-encompassing nature of the record makes it an early contender for 2020’s black metal album of the year. For their Season Of Mist debut, Regarde Les Hommes Tomber have unapologetically pulled out all the stops.

The most promising aspect of Ascension is that it shows how much the band has grown. "Stellar Cross" shows some of the band’s most dynamic work to date. The acoustic intro and open-throated moans that define the track are mesmerizing. The production has clearly also taken a huge leap forward, with the potent interlude, "La Tentation," perhaps serving as a standout example. Meanwhile, tracks like "A New Order" really stay true to the band’s traditional fare of ‘wall of sound black metal’. These precisely composed blasphemous screeds promise to be the stuff of legends and of course, countless year-end lists.

https://metalinjection.net/reviews/regarde-les-hommes-tomber-ascension

#82 TIE
Angel Morgue – In the Morgue of Angels
109 points, 3 votes

https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a2844519188_10.jpg

https://angelmorgue-us.bandcamp.com/album/in-the-morgue-of-angels

Blasphemy and rotten, cavernous death metal are Angel Morgue‘s specialties on debut album In the Morgue of Angels. The death metal on display is primitive and effective—everything from the riffs to the vocals to the impressive drumming to the production to the song titles sounds like it was dug out of a crypt.

Fortunately, that crypt contained an impressive death metal album. From the Immolation-esque “Raped in Church (Touched by God)” to the neck-snapping “Cosmic Torment” and titular closer, Angel Morgue juggle fast and slow tempos, never giving too much of one or the other. There are plenty of sonic similarities to Immolation, Autopsy and early Outer Heaven, and the song titles would bring a smile to Glen Benton’s face.

At a lean eight songs, everything about In the Morgue of Angels feels inspired by a time gone by, adapted for 2020.

https://www.decibelmagazine.com/2020/08/03/full-album-stream-angel-morgue-in-the-morgue-of-angels/

I really enjoyed the Regarde les hommes tomber, I just found it a bit less than consistent than I would have liked. I need to check out their first couple of LPs.

Regarde les hommes tomber – Ascension is one of my votes and I say

TOO LOW

And I'm very happy to see some of you liked the Angel Morgue enough to vote for it. No frills DM with an onslaught of riffs.

Angel Morgue ended up quite high on my ballot. Campaigning works! Every year there's at least one great Name Your Price steal that makes the poll and this year it's this.

Last one for today coming up in a bit.

#81
Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs – Viscerals
110 points, 4 votes

https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a2969374032_10.jpg

https://pigspigspigspigspigspigspigs.bandcamp.com/album/viscerals

If ever an album title summed up its contents—not to mention the intentions of its creators—look no further than here. Viscerals documents the next stage in Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs’ unrelenting story. The album is a statement of intent that continues their sense bludgeoning amalgamation of metal, punk, and experimental noise at its most brutal. 

Since their debut Feed the Rats appeared three years ago, the band have steadily amassed a loyal following that’s seen them welcomed with open arms by the metal and psych rock communities. Which probably explains why parts of this record owe as much to riff behemoths Sleep and The Melvins while the rest could easily be mistaken for Hawkwind, Sonic Youth, or Edgar Broughton Band. 

While lead single “Reducer” and album midpoint “World Crust” represent arguably their most accessible pieces of music to date—from the perspective of radio friendliness at any rate—gargantuan riffathon “Halloween Bolson” and its heavy-duty cousin “New Body” find Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs at their ferocious best.

http://www.undertheradarmag.com/reviews/pigs_pigs_pigs_pigs_pigs_pigs_pigs_viscerals/

Not familiar with these guys but that description is intriguing.

New rule: any weirdo black metal album with bright primary colors on the cover, somebody has to tell me. This is really good. (the Biesy)

good album

:D

Pigs x7 are the backing band on one of the greatest albums of the past 20 years but their own stuff has never quite grabbed me. Maybe this one might?

Spotify Results playlist

So far, so good:

101. Primitive Man – Immersion
100. Atramentus – Stygian
99. Undergang – Aldrig i livet
98. Dan Weiss/Starebaby – Natural Selection
95 TIE. Worm – Gloomlord
95 TIE. Ulthar – Providence
95 TIE. Vile Creature – Glory, Glory! Apathy Took Helm!
93 TIE. VoidCeremony – Entropic Reflections Continuum: Dimensional Unravel
93 TIE. Bell Witch & Aerial Ruin – Stygian Bough Volume I
92. Lamp of Murmuur – Heir of Ecliptical Romanticism
91. Okkultokrati – La ilden lyse
90. Horisont – Sudden Death
89. Skeletal Remains – The Entombment of Chaos
87 TIE. Spirit Adrift – Enlightened in Eternity
87 TIE. Biesy – Transsatanizm
86. Ripped to Shreds – Luan
85. Cirith Ungol – Forever Black
84. Turia – Degen van licht
82 TIE. Regarde les hommes tomber – Ascension
82 TIE. Angel Morgue – In the Morgue of Angels
81. Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs – Viscerals

'backing band' is a bit much actually. A couple of them were heavily involved in the making of Peasant by Richard Dawson :)

Vile Creature have the best website in metal btw: http://www.vilecreature.net/

Wow, you were not joking. <3

Seriously.

*doot doot*

damn, that website does rule, now I will check that album out even though the worm mouth cover always put me off before.

I avoided Pigsx7 for a long time because of the name, this was the first record of theirs I'd heard and I loved it. Right up my alley.

Thanks for all the work, pom. This is really fun so far.

My pleasure!

drat, forgot to vote for the ripped to shreds!

gotta get around to that undergang already!

skeletal remains was the only one I've voted for so far, def a workmanlike take on the genre

Slim pickings for me today, though that might mean that a lot of my ballot's to come. Biesy is the one I'm most likely to return to see if I've missed something.

Hopefully we've gotten awful cover day out the way, but this is metal after all

Have you sampled the Dan Weiss/Starebaby, uug?

No, I admit that instrumental metal played by jazz dudes isn't really what I'm looking for these days, but I guess I'll give it a shot

VoidCeremony pleasantly surprising me

The Angel Morgue record both ripped and slammed. I didn't realize it was a free download.

I'm a bit surprised Atramentus was so low. I didn't vote for it but ILM usually surprises me every year with one or 2 high placing doom albums. guess it wasn't their time

;(

The Vile Creature website is great!

I'm guilty of ignoring a lot of good 'inside' black and death metal albums, if only bc there are only so many things one can keep up with. The Turia album has a really effective atmosphere, a pleasantly bracing feel, and some nice melodies. The last song is almost incredible.

Metal needs more female vocalists and T is up there with my favourites.

i really like Kayla Dixon of Witch Mountain

Had to go somewhere most of today. Glad to see the Horisont placed! Campaigning does work.

I did think the vocals were especially strong and powerful but somehow didn't clock that they were female. I don't even hear gender obv.

The Gypsies had no home, Turia has no bass.

(Tbc, that's a reference to this, not any sort of comment on the Roma): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xillqqt0Y0

all the new stuff sucks!

Really? Never had you figured for a Doors fan.

Doors fans aren't made. they are BORN.

VoidCeremony pleasantly surprising me

― imago, Tuesday, 9 March 2021 00:14 (twelve hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

Ha, I came here to say exactly this. I love those weird low in the mix licks that run contrary to the rhythm. Also, a couple of the basslines remind me of Duran Duran.