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

Wow lots of ties. I didn't expect both Stygian albums to place in the 90s lol. Too low! Glad the Wormlord made it into the rollout though, I really liked that album.

none of the artsy doom records from lat year really struck me tbh, I'll give the longeuil lads another try tho

All right, I'm starting with VoidCeremony. Definitely heavy so far. Achieves total heaviosity.

However clunky the title may be

lol @ Decibel Magazine daring to adopt this angle of critique.

Ulthar, VoidCeremony, and the Bell Witch/Aerial Ruin were all albums I dug enough to consider voting for and that probably would have made my top 100, but I just didn't have space for them in my top 50. I am wearing a Bell Witch longsleeve at the moment so I feel the need to disclose this fact in the spirit of transparency as if it is a conflict of interest.

Yet you did not vote for them. Now that's impartiality.

Unfortunately I forgot to save my ballot after I made a few last minute shifts/additions, so I can't remember exactly where a lot of my votes fell.

well, I am wearing sweatpants from my #1 vote getter so it balances out.

xp

i am wearing a shirt my mother got for me that just says #metal because I am an impartial lover of all riffs metallic, except if u r a false

^^^ how I break it down to an extent.

Next up: not a tie.

I am eating my breakfast cereal with a metal spoon.

#92
Lamp of Murmuur – Heir of Ecliptical Romanticism
100 points, 5 votes

https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a0291658041_10.jpg

https://lampofmurmuur.bandcamp.com/album/heir-of-ecliptical-romanticism

Is straightforward, raw, second wave-inspired black metal still worth making, listening to, and celebrating in 2020? Isn't it all played out? Why should we care about Lamp of Murmuur's debut full-length album, Heir Of Ecliptical Romanticism? Hasn't it all been done, and overdone, so many times before?

While this is true in a sense, it has a few problems. First of all, if you're old enough to remember the early-to-mid 90s, the style may in fact be played out for you, because you really have heard it all done too many times before. But for a new band trying out the style today, this indictment doesn't hold much water. It's not a musician's problem that you're tired of whatever style they play, and it should be none of their concern. Second of all, think of a younger listener, or someone your own age listening to black metal for the first time. That person is discovering Darkthrone, Mütiilation, and Immortal at the same time they're discovering the new wave of raw black metal that's emerged in the last few years.

It's not new in an ontological sense, but it's new to them. That's the key distinction. And there's not much reason for them to care unless they're trying to prop up a mask of superiority over other people (in which case, get a life). Finally, with any established style of art, there's always room to imprint your own soul into the work, making the stale fresh again, the staid thrilling again, and the tired vigorous once more.

https://metalinjection.net/reviews/album-review-lamp-of-murmuur-heir-of-ecliptical-romanticism

Opening paragraphs of that review are very much otm.

I didn't vote for this – I found it a bit overhyped tbh – but it's a good one, no doubt about it.

voted for it on the lower end as I liked it a lot but didn't return to it much, but it's good stuff.

yeah, I liked this a lot, but it's another one I couldn't fit in my top 50. Would have made my top 60ish though.

^^^ same xp

I am realizing that anything that came out around April to like, July or August I listened to way more than anything after. when I started my vinyl collecting I pretty much was buying mostly old music, so new releases (which I usually bought digitally) were car listens, and I don't drive much.

Napalm Death an exception, played the hell out of that one. and the Cadaver one.

I think my top 50 is spread somewhat evenly, chronology-wise, although December did get snubbed a bit, of course.

I enjoyed the Lamp of Muurmurr, probably should have voted for it.

I love Lamp--raw and punky but really well-produced/-mastered for a lo-fi BM release; synth passages nice and buried, how I prefer 'em

I thought Lamp of Murmuur was really refreshing. Raw, catchy, atmospheric but not over-serious, full of spooky corners.

He's going to drop a split with Dai-ichi in April.

Well, Lamp of Murmuur added to my list too!

This is why I'm glad we don't whittle down the albums in the results, these lower reaches are usually the most fun for me discovering new things.

(I didn't vote for it though, maybe b/c I thought noms had closed, oh well, glad to see it on here)

That VoidCeremony sounds like it might be good, I was on a call and I heard a righteous guitar lick on "Abandoned Reality." I'll have to listen for real at some point.

I did however accidentally vote for Ulthar in two positions (at weighted numbers 8 and 11 on my ballot, in careless haste evidently), so hopefully that was flagged by the comptrollers and their placement a few spots back wasn't artificially inflated--sorry

#91
Okkultokrati – La ilden lyse
101 points, 3 votes

https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a4111863293_10.jpg

https://okkultokratisl.bandcamp.com/album/la-ilden-lyse

Most reviews and articles concerning Norwegian dark hearts Okkultokrati seem to contain slightly differing classifications of the band’s sound. I’m no different: if you’re going to mould the likes of Motörhead, Emperor, and Sex Pistols into a ball of spewing hate, you’re playing Punk / Black ‘n’ Roll as far as I’m concerned. Anyone care? Of course not. More interesting is the decision of certain band members to change their stage names in a move that seems purely designed for new album La Ilden Lyse (Southern Lord Recordings), and which corresponds with a further evolution of the sextet’s direction.

Keyboards have added an extra dimension to the band’s later albums and …Lyse is no different. To set us off, however, a skewing Punk riff leads into ‘Thelemic Threat’: the pounding beat of drummer Verminscum underpinning the shimmering, emetic rasp of Dionysiac; the whole resembling an echo chamber of chilling sonic violence. This is followed by the hostile, frosted buzz of ‘Grimoire Luciferian Dream’, a real screamalong with a rhythmic bluster that evokes those Motörhead comparisons. In turn, Azoth‘s keys give an element of emotion to the rampant, ‘Ace of Spades’-esque ‘Loathe Forever’, and with that obsidian edge, it gives a feel similar to 80s Gothic Metal while creating a musicality that sticks in the mind.

https://www.ghostcultmag.com/album-review-okkultokrati-la-ilden-lyse-southern-lord-recordings/

I haven't listened to this because punk/black 'n' roll is usually not my cup of tea, but I'll give it a shot in a bit just in case.

oooooh

could this be this year's Reveal?

This is good for what it is, but it doesn't dispel my reservations about the subgenre.

#90
Horisont – Sudden Death
101 points, 4 votes

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71MIlNe1bcL._SS500_.jpg

https://horisont.lnk.to/SuddenDeath

Formed in 2006, HORISONT started their career with the want to revive the classic sounds of the 70s and has continued on that path ever since. 10 years after forming, they signed a record deal with Century Media Records and went onto achieve #1 on the Swedish charts for About Time in 2017. Vocalist Axel declares that “Our mission was to make the record that WE wanted to do, and not what people expect us to do,” and it is with this laid-back attitude that the band created their new 2020 record, Sudden Death. One look at these guys tells you all you need to know. The band’s style and sound is perfectly matched, complete with oversized aviator-style glasses and some pretty damn impressive moustaches. If you’re gonna do it, do it properly!

First track Revolution kicks things off with an upbeat, staccato style piano intro, gently moving into a classic 70s sound. Vintage rock revival at it’s finest, every note is soaked in sunshine and could easily be the soundtrack to an old-school movie. Free Riding follows suit with sweeping piano melodies reminiscent of 70s rockers like STATUS QUO. Groovy guitar harmonies are layered well here, creating a soft but up-tempo sound. Axel’s voice is unique, it’s nasally but in the best way, strong and full but slightly strained in the way that Ozzy Osbourne sounds.

https://distortedsoundmag.com/album-review-sudden-death-horisont/

Another one I haven't heard.

Such a fun record, I dig those guys a lot.

The penguins campaigning worked!

A really nice album. I just hadn't listened to it enough to vote for it.

This is fun but it just makes me want to catch up with the vintage classic rock I haven't explored yet.

I'm already behind but checking out the Vile Creature which sounds sufficiently Khanate-y so far. Neat. I didn't vote because in 2020 I bought a grand total of eight (8) 2020 metal releases, and I'm not sure any of them were noteworthy enough to make any sort of list. Honestly my biggest metal joy of the year was the at long last release of those King Diamond/Mercyful Fate unremastered CDs.

But I always enjoy these rollouts and have the day off so I'll be listening to what I missed.

(Actually just got the new Horna in the mail, which probably WOULD have made a top-of-the-year list but I was -- obviously -- late in hearing it.)

Every year we get fewer ballots than before. I wish more would vote but what can we do to get more participation?

Has not being able to go to gigs resulted in people buying fewer albums?

For me, metal feels very much an in-transit thing, especially for walking around and long train journeys. Since there wasn't so much of that this last year I definitely felt less engaged with the genre.

I was never a bigtime gig-goer anyway; 2020 didn't affect that for me. And I still bought over 100 albums, 90% of which were metal. And I was as nerdy as ever about keeping track of new releases in an alphabetized notepad file -- just about everything I heard failed to compel me to seek out a physical copy (or digital buy). I dunno, 2020 apparently went over my head.

I'm not much of a gig-goer either, and I get most of my listening (a very generous word) done while working or exercising. As it turns out, last year I heard more new metal releases than ever.

#89
Skeletal Remains – The Entombment of Chaos
102 points, 4 votes

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81gJ0k0iteL._AC_SX679_.jpg

https://open.spotify.com/album/18J9fNUCpnaIa9B2jQDaml

Old school death has bucked the dreary trend of a wretched 2020 thus far with a stellar supply of quality albums to help keep the blues away. Now the unfashionable but dependably solid Californian crew Skeletal Remains emerge from their dank and dusty crypt with their bludgeoning brand of no-frills death on latest platter of destruction, The Entombment of Chaos. Amidst the current strength of combatants in the revivalist old school death scene, the pressure to keep pace and remain a competitive force not to be fucked with ensures the challenge is intense and healthy for bands to confront. Boasting a solid track record, can Skeletal Remains reach that elusive higher plane of deathly excellence?

After yet another, all too common and unnecessary introduction piece, Skeletal Remains get down to business with the rugged double bass, barbaric vocals, and mid-paced onslaught of “Illusive Divinity,” both heaving and tank-like, reinforced with chunky, hacking riffs. Whereas predecessor Devouring Mortality exercised a slightly more refined, vaguely progressive approach, The Entombment of Chaos is a far more in-your-face and brutal affair. The viscous grooves are utterly pummeling, both headbang worthy and punishing. Although they remain heavily influenced by Morbid Angel and Pestilence, Skeletal Remains offer enough of their own character and freshness to elevate their stature beyond mere worship and derivation. This is more evident on The Entombment of Chaos, which in many ways feels like the band’s most confident, accomplished album yet.

https://www.angrymetalguy.com/skeletal-remains-the-entombment-of-chaos-review/

One for the OLD SKOOL KREW.

I thought it was okay but nowhere near the top of my ballot for 2020 DM.

This little doomworm is very nice.

This Lamp of Murmuur, which really should be doing it for me, just ... isn't. I think Gjendod's doing the 90s Norse throwback thing better than anyone. Haxanu was excellent too (though they're American and maybe not 100% in that category).

Not sure what this means but the three songs I've listened to so far, all of which were track 1 on an album, were over 10 mins long. The hell's going on with that.

I think I nominated this one, but it didn't make my ballot. Too much killer DM (OSDM or otherwise) for this to rise to the top this year for me I'm afraid.

A phrase to make imagos heart glow

Skeletal was dutiful, but low on mine