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

can't believe I missed this Lowrider album. that's some tasty fuzz!

Coil-inspired dark/white magic noise-rock fucking mayhem. The Last Alchemist and Gravity are world-shattering and the second half is an insane party where everyone is screaming in shock

It's insane

Oh wait you already said that, trying to do two things at once

it bears repeating

only my #11 though. Uncanny Valley is their masterpiece so far, this is merely a grand transitional statement

Three tracks in, Lowrider seems perfect for a breezy spring day. Actually remind me a bit of Soundgarden.

Next years Split by Anal Stabscotch is going to walk the poll, innit?

#16

Botanist – Photosynthesis

314 points, 9 votes

https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a3403110590_10.jpg

https://verdant-realm-botanist.bandcamp.com/album/photosynthesis

In the natural world, photosynthesis is a process begun when plants take in carbon dioxide and water. The water is then oxidized, and the carbon dioxide is reduced. This turns the water in oxygen and the carbon dioxide into glucose, which creates the energy the plant needs to grow. The oxygen is released into the air and the energy is stored in glucose molecules. Or so I can remember from GCSE science (thanks Mrs Bailey). It’s through this process that plants can be considered the lungs of the planet. Much like their previous releases, avant-garde metal outfit Botanist have taken this idea and created a concept album around it. As usual the protagonist of the album is a botanist who has gone insane from witnessing the destruction of the natural world at the hand of man. Botanist take hammered dulcimers – water – and a tight rhythm section – carbon dioxide – and create music that is full of propulsive energy.

Photosynthesis is an album that opens with a sombre hammered dulcimer over blast beats. It feels like a metal album but also not at the same time. The use of the hammered dulcimer is a master stroke. They have a set sound that really lends itself to the music Botanist make, but when you can hear the string actually being hammered if adds an extra layer to the song.

https://thequietus.com/articles/29162-botanist-photosynthesis-review

Another high quality release from Botanist

Yep!

Next years Split by Anal Stabscotch is going to walk the poll, innit?

Is this a real thing?

Wow poll has started strong today. <3

I haven't really enjoyed anything I've heard by Botanist so I didn't even bother with this one.

I feel like I only need one Botanist album and I already have mine picked out tbh

like, I get it, your dulcimer got hammered

lol, exactly.

I feel like Botanist has evolved so much over the last few albums! There are tons of different, folkier elements and there's a lot more singing now.

yeah you guys are missing out

Anal Stabwound is a 15 year-old kid called Nikhil who happens to already be a world class tech-death guitarist, bassist, drummer, vocalist and writer. He will surely feature in next year's poll

#15

Fluisteraars – Bloem

317 points, 9 votes

https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a3774402072_10.jpg

https://fluisteraars.bandcamp.com/album/bloem

Atmospheric black metal inspired by nature. Not a totally new concept, nor the most exciting one in the world, but still one overflowing with potential. Getting lost in a sea of hazy riffs accompanied by evocative overlays has ever been a highlight of my metal experience. Unfortunately, the concept often works better in theory than in execution; the fine lines between “hazy riffs” and “are we sure that’s a guitar?” or “moving passages” and “is this still the same song?” are fine ones, and easily crossed. Fluisteraars hail from the Netherlands, and Bloem is their third full-length offering, one that approaches said lines with enough confidence to have me seriously hopeful for this genre I so want to enjoy.

Perhaps the greatest strength Bloem has to offer its listener is directness. Fluisteraars seems to be making an effort to not waste anyone’s time; this is not atmospheric black metal in the vein of Winterfylleth or (early) Wodensthrone, with lengthy compositions and wandering passages; instead, Fluisteraars get right to the point, writing simple, direct music that wields its power simply for the virtue of having been well-written. “Vlek” is one of the strongest of the album’s five songs, and serves as a great example; it opens with blast beats and strong riffing before bringing in melancholy shrieks. Roughly halfway through the song, an acoustic guitar plays a wistful melody that a is quickly taken up by the electric guitars. A piercing lead follows the melody perfectly, allowing for slight variations in the backing chords and keys until the song ends. The seven minutes fly by under this simple construction — direct, successful, and emotional. This approach persists throughout the album, and the end result is straightforward, enjoyable black metal.

https://www.angrymetalguy.com/fluisteraars-bloem-review/

A nice one-two if I ever saw one

I found it terribly dull.

Good album, but I found it a tad too laidback compared to their previous material.

beautiful album

I didn't buy the Botanist yet but it definitely got a vote. More clean singing and clean dulcimer parts work nicely.

Oh man, I loved it. It's straightforward, yes, but that's because it's prioritizing songwriting and craft.

(the Fluisteraars, I mean)

yup, nothing wrong w well-executed meat and potatoes melodic bm

We all have our biases. For instance, I'm not as big on surreal cartoony pomo metal as some people (ahem) itt.

is that a foreshadow

I am not an Igorrr or a Sigh person either :p

Foreshade.

Sigh rules!

Foreshade.

― pomenitul, Friday, 12 March 2021 16:13 (two minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

lol

pom metal?

Tbf that can mean any number of things – there is no core to it.

pom metal?

― Oor Neechy, Friday, 12 March 2021 16:17 (fifty seconds ago) bookmarkflaglink

imagining a (Canadian) deathened neoromantic BM act called Vortex Of Bruckner

I'd listen to that.

"we cobbled together and built you a metal band"

Looking forward to their split with Anal Stabwound.

tbf Ruins Of Beverast are kind of that

Yeah, and you're also a fan!

Still need to hear this year's one! Have bought, but am saving it for the right moment. ANYWAY we're digressing...

#14

Thy Catafalque – Naiv

326 points, 8 votes

https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a4087607355_10.jpg

https://open.spotify.com/album/2eH5WM6pIPFsFylP5sbOi9?si=pMz-hSuySgaxwbHre4I5dA
https://thycatafalqueuk.bandcamp.com/album/naiv

What is there to say about Thy Catafalque that couldn’t be said by themselves? Or perhaps ‘themself’; after all, the project is mostly one man, Tamás Kátai, who can (and does) do just about everything required for his art to take its diverse shape. No matter how you choose to view the band, one thing’s for certain: they’ve been around for a hell of a long time! Since 1998, to be exact. I just came in with their 2018 album Geometria, which I found to be an deft assortment of styles wrapped up in a dark atmosphere. Naiv aims to achieve the same, with some neat progression and tweaked attitude to make for some more nuanced moments.

Referring back to how I started this review, Thy Catafalque are definitely one of those bands that are better heard than explained, but what kind of writer am I if I’m unable do to the latter? They’re best described as an amalgamation of sonic flavors, elegantly segued to and from each other to provide a wide array of emotional responses and spine tingles. Because if music’s impact could be measured by any one metric, surely it should be spine tingles.

The first three songs alone are a damn journey, and kind of a CliffsNotes version of what modern Thy Catafalque have to offer. “A bolyongás ideje” is a black metal blast. Kátai and the band have never bothered to eschew their dark roots, only opting to add to the formula. This is why, while “A bolyongás ideje” isn’t a cvlt cross-burner of a track, it has a distinct edge that other tracks don’t. Even still, we get lovely vocals from Martina Veronika Horváth (who also appeared on Geometria); spacey synths to contrast the blast beats and harsh guitars the fill much of the space of the song. If you’re into this, also check out “A valóság kazamatái”, which is a similar affair with the added flair of having an oud in it.

https://everythingisnoise.net/reviews/thy-catafalque-naiv/

Scotland's greatest-ever metal band

Very good record that I almost voted for.

Oh wait he's not in Scotland any more!

I've not actually heard it yet haha

extremely cool album that made my ballot

Where is he now? I can't imagine wanting to be back in Hungary these days – artists are having an especially hard time of it.