Yeah, the Entropia album slates right into the Oranssi/Aluk Todolo tradition of trance BM that always does very well in this poll. I definitely like it more than Voix, though maybe not as much as Occult Rock or the OP albums that I've spent time with
I recommend for anyone who likes the dancier moments on this to give a listen to The Oscillation's Wasted Space. It's one of my albums of the year, and though it's not really the same thing--this is more just a very adventurous space rock album--there are definitely some real affinities
https://youtu.be/ctko1fzjoeY
― slack thompson (Drugs A. Money), Saturday, 2 February 2019 20:56 (five years ago) link
(^title track, on some sort of wild-sounding, Chrome-meets-Liquid Liquid ish, total Drugs bait)
― slack thompson (Drugs A. Money), Saturday, 2 February 2019 21:02 (five years ago) link
Almost forgot to stump for Paara, a very melodic slab of atmospheric BM with lots going on but manages to stay cohesive
https://vicisolumrecords.com/album/riitti
― bhad bundy (Simon H.), Saturday, 2 February 2019 21:10 (five years ago) link
^^ I loved this. Bits of the last track often swimming about.
Also, WOW this Khôrada album is so amazing to my ears! I don't know Agalloch or Giant Squid at all really, but if they sound anything like this, then I should. Sounds very accessible and pretty. I think that Elder fans (i.e. everyone) would find a lot to like here!
― tangenttangent, Saturday, 2 February 2019 21:16 (five years ago) link
You don't know Agalloch?????? Time to immerse yourself in their entire output!
― Oor Neechy, Saturday, 2 February 2019 21:21 (five years ago) link
Don Anderson ex-Agalloch now in Khôrada is an academic I think?
― Oor Neechy, Saturday, 2 February 2019 21:22 (five years ago) link
Fully cosign on Paara as well.
― pomenitul, Saturday, 2 February 2019 21:26 (five years ago) link
Yeah, it might be time. imago: "they've got one good track"
― tangenttangent, Saturday, 2 February 2019 21:49 (five years ago) link
hes talking shite
― Oor Neechy, Saturday, 2 February 2019 22:14 (five years ago) link
every single agalloch album is at least good
― bhad bundy (Simon H.), Saturday, 2 February 2019 22:18 (five years ago) link
but they play it about twenty times!!!!1
― imago, Saturday, 2 February 2019 23:34 (five years ago) link
Have you listened to entropia yet?
― Oor Neechy, Sunday, 3 February 2019 00:16 (five years ago) link
Yes. I think imago quite liked it and compared it (favourably) to Devin Townsend, but I couldn’t get into it somehow and I’ve tried a few times. Maybe it’s yet to grow on me? I like the album art.
― tangenttangent, Sunday, 3 February 2019 08:04 (five years ago) link
their last album was great too. i think it made the rollout
― Oor Neechy, Sunday, 3 February 2019 13:11 (five years ago) link
we have 6 ballots in so far.
― Oor Neechy, Sunday, 3 February 2019 17:59 (five years ago) link
Voted.
― pomenitul, Sunday, 3 February 2019 18:22 (five years ago) link
I'll be voting. Every year, I am intimidate by the sheer number of albums I missed - even by bands I try to follow - and feel obliged to cram as much of it as possible to make sure nothing awesome escaped me.
― beard papa, Sunday, 3 February 2019 21:06 (five years ago) link
Shylmagoghnar sound absolutely tremendous tbh - we're listening again now. You know how most prog metal is kind of wanky and boring? This is PROGGE ALMIGHTY
― imago, Sunday, 3 February 2019 21:18 (five years ago) link
is that what's putting you off ?
― Oor Neechy, Sunday, 3 February 2019 21:48 (five years ago) link
My ballot is 8 records, including the decidedly non-metal AWK album. Was 2018 terrible for metal, or was I just too busy listening to Jandek and Joni Mitchell?
― Tom Violence (Extended Club Mix) (Tom Violence), Sunday, 3 February 2019 22:36 (five years ago) link
not good for metal imo but am belatedly finding some things
― imago, Sunday, 3 February 2019 22:38 (five years ago) link
My "ballot" currently has 4 albums, only 2 of them are really metal. I have so little time for music these days. Ugh.
― Dinsdale, Sunday, 3 February 2019 22:43 (five years ago) link
I think 2018 was a bit of disappointment all round in that I didn't find much in the way of absolute favourites (but still found lots to like, too much probably). Have noted down stuff to listen to mentioned upthread and will try to get voting done next couple of days
― ultros ultros-ghali, Sunday, 3 February 2019 22:56 (five years ago) link
Plus there's the yearly dilemma of liking stuff that imago's nominated but can't really vote for in good conscience because they aren't metal enough
― ultros ultros-ghali, Sunday, 3 February 2019 22:57 (five years ago) link
n.b. The Armed are metal a.f.
― imago, Sunday, 3 February 2019 22:59 (five years ago) link
Oh yeah I'm voting for that one easy
― ultros ultros-ghali, Sunday, 3 February 2019 23:15 (five years ago) link
death metal dominated the eoy lists in 2018 i think
― Oor Neechy, Sunday, 3 February 2019 23:27 (five years ago) link
and deafheaven were the token band on the non metal lists though it is in fact a very good album
― Oor Neechy, Sunday, 3 February 2019 23:28 (five years ago) link
2018 was a good metal year. I came up with a top 20 easily.
― beard papa, Monday, 4 February 2019 00:21 (five years ago) link
The Armed, KEN Mode, and LLNN were big highlights.
― beard papa, Monday, 4 February 2019 00:24 (five years ago) link
Are write-in votes acceptable? I neglected to nominate Alice in Chains.
― silent as a seashell Julia (Sund4r), Monday, 4 February 2019 00:39 (five years ago) link
Well they aren't remotely metal anymore but george can decide
― Oor Neechy, Monday, 4 February 2019 00:42 (five years ago) link
Not ‘anymore’ metal than they were in 1992, the new record sounds exactly like their old stuff. It’s an excellent album, not metal I’d say but that also goes for a lot of hardcore-related stuff that usually does get accepted in these polls (Converge even won it one year, right?) so who am I to complain.
― Siegbran, Monday, 4 February 2019 00:49 (five years ago) link
Fwiw, Spotify went straight to Facelift after Rainier Fog one time and I barely noticed the difference. Not sure what it is you're hearing. xp
― silent as a seashell Julia (Sund4r), Monday, 4 February 2019 00:50 (five years ago) link
nah the original albums were heavy and had sludgey riffs. That's gone now.
― Oor Neechy, Monday, 4 February 2019 00:50 (five years ago) link
It's certainly not less of a heavy rock album than Andrew WK or Ghost. xp
― silent as a seashell Julia (Sund4r), Monday, 4 February 2019 00:51 (five years ago) link
but like i said it's george's call
― Oor Neechy, Monday, 4 February 2019 00:51 (five years ago) link
Nearly every song has heavy guitars and sludgey riffs, u mad!
You're not mad wrt Entropia, though. The first two songs are fantastic and have a pretty unique sound with almost funk-disco grooves behind the dissonant metal guitars.
― silent as a seashell Julia (Sund4r), Monday, 4 February 2019 00:54 (five years ago) link
"The One You Know", "Drone", and "So Far Under" are as heavy and sludgey as any classic Seattle grunge, for a start. I almost feel like you just listened to the two ballads or something.
― silent as a seashell Julia (Sund4r), Monday, 4 February 2019 01:16 (five years ago) link
dissonant metal guitars.
Maybe I should say "dissonant blackgaze guitars"? Idk, trying to not make it sound like nu-metal.
― silent as a seashell Julia (Sund4r), Monday, 4 February 2019 01:24 (five years ago) link
Can someone kindly explain the difference between weighted and unweighted with regard to this poll?
― Loud guitars shit all over "Bette Davis Eyes" (NYCNative), Monday, 4 February 2019 03:08 (five years ago) link
Sund4r, go right ahead and vote for AiC
NYCNative, unweighted means that all entries have the same point amount. Not exactly sure what point amount that is, though...let me get back to you on that...
― slack thompson (Drugs A. Money), Monday, 4 February 2019 04:22 (five years ago) link
Okay, that's actually fine. I didn't know if there was a way to weight your polls a la the Pazz & Jop.
― Loud guitars shit all over "Bette Davis Eyes" (NYCNative), Monday, 4 February 2019 06:01 (five years ago) link
2018 was an excellent year for metal because, for the first time in eons, I kept up with new releases. Also because overt metalcoreisms and proggery (I get my avant kicks elsewhere) are only tangentially my thing so maybe it was a bad year for those two subterrains, I wouldn't know.
― pomenitul, Monday, 4 February 2019 08:22 (five years ago) link
noone here cares for core though
― Oor Neechy, Monday, 4 February 2019 13:09 (five years ago) link
Converge won the poll a few years ago?
― Siegbran, Monday, 4 February 2019 13:50 (five years ago) link
Converge are their own thing though
― Oor Neechy, Monday, 4 February 2019 13:56 (five years ago) link
Ghost and Yob just placed in the ILM’s Top 77 Albums of 2018
― Oor Neechy, Monday, 4 February 2019 17:14 (five years ago) link
and Senyawa which gives me high hopes for em in this poll. that album has blown my mind. going through their back back catalog and im digging all of it so far
― gman59, Monday, 4 February 2019 20:45 (five years ago) link
I just voted
― ultros ultros-ghali, Tuesday, 5 February 2019 01:36 (five years ago) link