THE 10TH ANNUAL ILM METAL POLL:2017 RESULTS THREAD

lol that's true xp

tt you didn't play this to me did you? may check it out later.

White Ward are nice but the songwriting isn't quite getting me. Lovely sound and production though!

I did play it to you but you didn't respond!

Just scared myself by forgetting that I was printing something whilst listening to Bathsheba.

NB there's always this thread that I started, although it's focused on a specific kind of metal-adjacent aesthetic: Search: Metal that Sounds Like Glenn Branca

Not feeling anything on this rollout so far unfortunately. Heard some of these last year, wasn't impressed with White Ward apparently though I don't even remember hearing it. Code Orange seem to be Converge if they were groove metal so it's almost like they're TRYING to be my least favourite band in the world.

Besides, isn't there a part for tenor sax in Branca's 1st symphony?

Colotyphus is pretty OK.

91 Cannibal Corpse - Red Before Black 104.0 Points, 3 Votes
https://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_500/MI0004/347/MI0004347220.jpg

https://open.spotify.com/album/2Ecgc9nNxJpXd3gboFPbvz?si=KhwG3u0kSoGGVl82-2iqFw

Songs like the title track are propelled at maximum speed, while other songs like “Shedding My Human Skin” and “Remaimed” have both deliberate grooves and frenzied, rocket-propelled sections. The shifting tempos and intensities help add variety to the proceedings.

Over the years Cannibal Corpse have been able to add more melody and catchy parts to their songwriting repertoire without sacrificing any heaviness. You won't hear “Firestorm Vengeance” or “In the Midst of Ruin” on rock radio, but they are more memorable than many songs on the commercial charts.

After working with producer Erik Rutan on some earlier releases, Cannibal Corpse brought him back for Red Before Black. Being an outstanding death metal musician in his own right, Rutan knows exactly what Cannibal Corpse bring to the table. He captures the rawness and power of their sound while keeping the crisp and focused feel of their playing.

http://loudwire.com/cannibal-corpse-red-before-black-album-review/

That's it from me for now - Odysseus will resume his duties shortly.

Best thing on the White Ward was probably the closing track

damn that's low for CC. I was one of the three votes. the album is nothing new or groundbreaking for the band but it's effective as always.

definitely was overshadowed by a couple of other death metal releases tho (Immolation, Incantation, Lantern, Suffocation)

Was one of the White Ward voters, superb album

Next to Tomb Mold's output, Necrot's record was my fave Death Metal output this year - bought it on vinyl this weekend and it got appreciative Super Bowl party half-time slot. Didn't know they shared members with Vastum and Acephalix which makes me love it all the more. Contrarian record is awesome too, and I'm glad to see it placed. Thought the CC record was kinda boring.

ps if you think CC are low wait til you see the next entry

90 Akercocke - Renaissance In Extremis 104 Points, 4 votes
https://i.imgur.com/OSvvqfV.jpg

https://open.spotify.com/album/5256D6skKc4gdwPaPpSScA?si=L_cuNHEtQGufdeifZ778sQ

http://www.angrymetalguy.com/akercocke-renaissance-extremis-review/

if la lechera still posted/voted here I would've recommended her the White Ward.

I liked the Akercocke. was kind of like hearing from an old friend.

I thought it would be top 20 at least

I gotta admit, this is the one metal vocal style I've never been huge on

Never got round to Akercocke, don't know if this is a good starting point, didn't expect something this proggy. Reminds me a bit of a more pacey/techy Opeth, even down to the slightly random song construction.

Pretty good though I should say.

it's definitely not much like their earlier material

another heavy hitter

88 The Body & Full of Hell - Ascending a Mountain of Heavy Light 106.0 Points, 4 Votes
https://thrilljockey.com/spree/products/2162/product/447_900.jpg

https://open.spotify.com/album/4SXIysQ9zTWimy9uo5GMy8?si=Z4YjL9pLSm2wimbqtWEFiQ

Ascending a Mountain of Heavy Light bests its predecessor by doing something much different—acknowledging the fundamental rift between the bands’ respective styles and flooding the valley between them with all kinds of stunts, risks, and tricks. Lightning Bolt’s Brian Chippendale, for instance, helms a drum orchestra during “Our Love Conducted With Shields Aloft,” a riot of sound so aggressive it would make John Zorn blush. Full of Hell bassist Sam DiGristine even adds squawking soprano saxophone at the close of “Light Penetrates.” Harsh noise outbursts, stroboscopic electronic editing, drum & bass beats: The Body and Full of Hell lace them throughout Heavy Light, unexpected oases in a disorienting musical minefield. If Ache was an obvious intersection between these two prolific and restless bands, Heavy Light documents wild detours taken to get back to the same place.

https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/the-body-and-full-of-hell-ascending-a-mountain-of-heavy-light/

you jumped the gun, i still have the controversial album at 89 to post first!

89 Zeal & Ardor - Devil Is Fine 105 Points, 3 votes
https://i.imgur.com/huwAAkB.jpg
https://open.spotify.com/album/5Oc87gybQZkVeqogIFXzMd?si=x-joj0OSSUyGQnpdAwVxkA
https://zealandardor.bandcamp.com/
http://www.themonolith.com/music/review-zeal-ardor-devil-fine/

It’s always tempting for musicians wanting to make their mark on a genre to take their chosen framework and mash it together with something seemingly out-of-place. This is a go-to tactic for folk metal with its prevalence of zithers and hurdy-gurdies, and it’s worked well there. Let’s not forget that this philosophy has also left us with the questionable legacy of rap metal.

The key difference is how artful the blend is. This doesn’t need to be subtle; Shining‘s use of saxophones is hardly understated and it’s a good look on them. The philosophy falters where bands are too self-conscious in their mash-ups, looking at the 40+ years of metal history and despairing that everything has seemingly been done, then frantically trying to recruit members to their acapella vaporwave project.

Zeal & Ardor have been the focus of a lot of press, a lot of which has been bemused. Broadly, Devil Is Fine is a mix of black metal, blues & gospel, and electronica – but the album covers an astonishing amount of ground, constantly haunted by spreading itself too thin or being too affectedly weird. On the flipside, there’s a sense that something like this could be a Big Thing. On paper it should work; blues and black metal have Strong Opinions on The Devil. Electronic music and black metal are strange bedfellows but it’s not sacrilegious to mess with them.

Expectedly, this record is by and large a mixed bag. Even though my experience improved on multiple listens, the record never settles on a consistent tone. I can’t claim to be much of an authority on gospel but the black metal elements are heavily influenced by the recent wave of blackgaze/post-black metal acts. A little disappointingly, the guitars sit low in the mix so they often come across as just angular shoegaze rather than black metal. I often found myself wondering if the record would work better leaning more towards dark ambient influences than incorporating occasional frosty bursts.

Also, for black metal fans this is likely to be a disappointment. A lot of the tags for this record have suggested this is primarily black metal and it’s not, not really; there’s a frequent creepy haunting tone but it’s only occasionally that the black metal elements are used to convey this. If you dig Alcest and their ilk this will be an unusual departure, and certainly worth investigating.

My initial notes for this review were super-negative. One of them just reads “Devil Is Fine is fine,” which I’ll never get to use in its intended context. The truth is the more time I spent with the record, the more I was drawn to it. Firstly, Zeal & Ardor’s songwriting chops are well-explored in key moments; opener and single “Devil Is Fine” is absolutely superb and genuinely chilling, mixing chants with thunderous percussion and an unnerving gothic aesthetic. In addition, so much of this record works even though you get the sense the goalposts are constantly moving; the electronic sections are proper cool, “Children’s Summons” sounding almost chiptune-y. “In Ashes” flirts more obviously with some metal influences. In the end it seems futile to tick off all the genre engagements; it’s a soup, but against the odds it works.

I hear a lot of Björk‘s Debut in this record. There’s a lot of raw experimentation and unfiltered courage. Devil Is Fine is certainly novel, and thought it’s a little unfair to compare this to Debut‘s innovations they both have a kind of naive hubris which makes them charming. That’s probably the best feature of the record; Devil Is Fine is so singular and odd that it occupies a different space to any of the records it’s influenced by, and by virtue of its charm demands to be considered differently. It might not change the face of metal forever but it might just stick out enough to be cited as an off-beat influence a little further down the line.

To the cynics, Devil Is Fine doesn’t rest on novelty. It doesn’t work like any record in any of the genres it borrows from and it’s fickle enough to frustrate anyone trying to draw themes through it – but of all the records that will get fancy label re-releases this year, this is among the most deserving.

https://noisey.vice.com/en_au/article/6wqvnb/zeal-and-ardor-interview
http://www.metalstorm.net/pub/review.php?review_id=13957
http://www.angrymetalguy.com/zeal-and-ardor-devil-is-fine-things-you-might-have-missed-2016/

oh balls lol

On the guitar solo in "Stillborn Knowledge" from the White Ward album: yeah, I like this. Steely Dan seems like the wrong comparison for the softer passages with sax, though; will think. Based on the first two tracks, I sometimes wish these were better integrated with the metal passages, with a stronger sense of unity to the compositions. The shifts can seem at times like they come out of nowhere. Still, there's definitely something interesting going on.

I forgot to vote for Z&A since I considered it a 2016 release I think... It's an interesting idea but needs more refinement. A second album should be very interesting I reckon.

I like how the sax is used in "Homecoming".

I saw it as a 2016 release too
xp

87 Anakim - Monuments to Departed Worlds 107.0 Points, 2 Votes, 1 #1 Vote
https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a2531453059_10.jpg
https://anakimuk.bandcamp.com/releases

first #1 vote!

Y'all should check out how that Z&A album came to be! Really heartwarming stuff

based on how little info I could find, this Anakim record wins the obscurity prize so far

https://noisey.vice.com/en_us/article/6wqvnb/zeal-and-ardor-interview

"That's just 4chan"

86 Dodecahdron - kwintessens 108.0 Points, 4 Votes
https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a2147776909_5.jpg
https://open.spotify.com/album/4fzqMZL3CNsKwiECMf2xZK?si=yBhM4H6wRM-t20t_wrkYVA

Kwintessens‘ long-form composition is one of gradual collapse, and sounds become more alien and obtuse as the album progresses. “Tetrahedron” sounds close to a Deathspell Omega cut, but the band experiments with brighter sounds, dense sound editing and reversals of previous themes past “Hexahedron.” “Dodecahedron” uses bright leads and custom instrumentation to create an atmosphere that’s split between the heavenly and the vulgar, ending with a snap-in block of harsh noise. The incongruously placed “Finale” takes an approach that I’d most comfortably call black-metal musique concrète, and is largely a collage of droning sounds, that heavenly atmosphere, and heavily distorted vocals which presage the album’s real finale.

Nice. I liked this better than Deathspell Omega, barring Paracletus.

I'm not always in the mood for this sort of thing but it's a very good example of the style

First thing I voted for to place! Good stuff. Also very impressed with the Anakim album so far, never even heard of it before.

Really enjoying the Cloud Rat!

everyone's faves!!

85 Nokturnal Mortum - Verity 113.0 Points, 3 Votes
https://www.metal-archives.com/images/6/4/8/9/648929.jpg
https://open.spotify.com/album/1U0NTxLdTGaZNcSHp4o1AB?si=dhZT6H8_SNiIQ64BkiPRKg

the anakim record is so fun, y'all, please check it out if you remotely like proggy death metal where everyone sounds like they're having the best time playing it

lmao i was like "this white ward record can't be my thing, it's way too boilerplate black metal" and then i heard the sax

also the drummer is doing crazy shit, i love this

Will check out Anakim.

This NM is totally hateful and I voted for it sorry everyone. At least it isn't Z&A eh?

the cloud rat comp of all their split tracks is prob gonna be my album of the year this year lol

Last time I checked there were still two splits to come so I wouldn't be surprised if that comp doesn't even arrive this year, but yeah they're one of the best bands on the planet right now

white ward is blowing my fucking mind

The other two splits are with World is a Vampire and Test, apparently. The comp has a cover and title so I guess it will be out before too long. xp

err I guess it already exists on cassette?!

https://www.discogs.com/Cloud-Rat-Clipped-Beaks--Silk-Panic-MMXVIII/release/10560905

sorry still talking about white ward but it really keeps up the tradition of me hearing my favorite metal album of the previous year during the poll

My unweighted and monumentally unsuccessful ballot

Bloodway - A Fragile Riddle Crypting Clues
Celestial Bodies - Spit Forth From Chaos
Cemetery Urn - Cemetery Urn
Circle - Terminal
Contaminated - Final Man
Cryptic Fog - Staring Through the Veil
Crystal Fairy - Crystal Fairy
Daemogog – Ancient Extradigestional Rites
Demon Head - Thunder on the Fields
Dreaming Dead - Funeral Twilight
Elder - Reflections of a Floating World
Excommunion - Thronosis
Father Befouled - Desolate Gods
Fell Ruin - To the Concrete Drifts
Fleshpress - Hulluuden Muuri
Gigan - Undulating Waves of Rainbiotic Iridescense
Immolation - Atonement
Incantation - Profane Nexus
John Hoyles - Night Flight
Kairon; IRSE! - Ruination
Livid - Beneath This Shroud, The Earth Erodes
Lo-Ruhamah - Anointing
Lorn - Arrayed Claws
Loss - Horizonless
Midnight Rider – Manifestation
Mind Mold – Mind Mold
Morast - Ancestral Void
Morbid Angel - Kingdoms Disdained
Morbid Evils – Deceases
Nightbringer - Terra Damnata
Occasvs - Nocturnal Majestic Mysteria
Oculus - The Apostate of Light
Poison Blood - Poison Blood
Pontiak - Dialectic of Ignorance
Pyrrhon - What Passes For Survival
Rude - Remnants...
Ruin - Drown in Blood
Slowly Building Weapons - Sunbirds
Spectral Voice - Eroded Corridors Of Unbeing
Succumb - Succumb
Suffering Hour - In Passing Ascension
Tchornobog - Tchornobog
The Mass – Ghost Fleet
Tomb Mold - Primordial Malignity
Tome of the Unreplenished – Cosmoprism: The Theurgy
Tongues - Hreilia
Ululatum Tollunt - Quantum Noose of Usurpation
Usnea – Portals Into Futility
Venenum - Trance of Death
Wildspeaker - Spreading Adder

Most of my ballot is tied for 286th place lol

I thought Immolation and Incantation were both ILM faves? And I could swear people in this very thread were praising Tchornobog. I think my memory's going.

Immolation made it, Incantation was at 105. Thought they were both very solid albums tbh. And I remember there being some excitement over Tchornobog in rolling metal but I guess it didn't carry over.

I like Incantation a lot, but the new album was not as good as the one before.

I didn't discover quite as much this year in the rollout as the last couple of years