| Charles's Top 15 albums of 2010 |
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- Ihsahn - After
This was a good year for saxophones in metal. But Shining's Blackjazz left the instrument curiously under-used (despite having the word 'jazz' in the title) and Solefald continued their irritating and twee usage of the instrument. So it was left to Ihsahn's amazing album to show how unexpected instrumentation in metal can really work. This isn't the only thing to note about it, of course. It's just that the way he used it was symptomatic of the progressive flair that illuminated After. This has the same creative spirit as Cynic's Traced in Air but channels it into some genuine extremity, and that puts it in quite a special position.
- Triptykon - Eparistera Daimones
The idea that this record would not feature highly in just about anybody with ears' end of year list is inconceivable. It misses out on the top spot, though, because it is a little inconsistent. There is no reason for A Thousand Lies to be on this album. Why put in some thrash when you are so clearly not making a thrash album? Why not stick the tunes from the Shatter EP on instead? Still.... Brilliant.
- Immolation - Majesty and Decay
Yep.
- Deathspell Omega - Paracletus
Continuing to make black metal purists sad, and therefore me happy. A slightly frustrating album at times, but I stand by the statement made in my review a thousand times over: no black metal band is currently capable of producing music this energisingly chaotic.
- Murmuüre - Murmuüre
This was a short and strange oozing of 'outsider black metal' which, having given it a stingy mark in my review, I realised I could not live without. Even if listening to it requires a quite particular mood, the existence of such an oddity is something to take pleasure in.
- Chrome Hoof - Crush Depth
Goat told me at the time that he thought I was overrating this record, as a reaction to being so fed up with listening to 'traditional' (i.e. utterly devoid of imagination) black metal. But you're wrong, Goat! I love this deeply eccentric and jubilantly eclectic album now more than ever. Especially after seeing them live, with their funny cloaks and big gong.
- Twilight - Monument to Time End
I went off this for a long time, and almost left it off this list entirely. But after more recent listens it sort of re-clicked. Better than Enslaved's Axioma Ethica Odini!
- Ghost - Opus Eponymous
This sort of thing is far too tuneful for me. But somehow, the exquisite construction of the melodies and the riffs- the latter in particular always seeming to be at the perfect tempo and the perfect level of heaviness- won my favour. Stupid album name, though.
- Thou - Summit
I got so fed up with reviewing middling sludge albums that I ignored this. Then I was tempted back by that brilliant album cover. What makes this so good is the invention of the textures used. Those piano lines on Grissecon...
- Cathedral - The Guessing Game
Doom and rap, together at last! Who knew we were missing so much?
- Shining (Nor) - Blackjazz
In the end I felt slightly disappointed by this. You are led by a highly skilled saxophonist, so why did you leave out the rapidfire unison sax and rhythm lines on your cover of 21st Century Schizoid Man? Why? And why doesn't this bother anyone else? Still, shove it on the list because, despite being initially misled by the title, it is maybe the best techno-metal fusion I've ever heard.
- Enslaved - Axioma Ethica Odini
Yes, well. This should go in because it's a very clever record with some stunning moments. I don't understand quite the level of awe this band attracts, however. Still, I could listen to the first few minutes of Lightening all day. That's just as well because when you listen to the whole track it seems to go on that bloody long.
- Master - The Human Machine
!!!
- Book of Sand - Destruction, Not Reformation
There is something particularly addictive about this record, though it's hard to say exactly what. It is not, however, for everybody. In fact I'd go so far as to say it will barely appeal to anybody.
- Pensees Nocturnes - Grotesque
I left Vacuum off my list in 2009 by a whisker, and I told myself if Grotesque was an improvement there was no way I could justify not finding a space for Vaerohn. This is such a mad album. Interestingly, the accordion breakdowns in Monosis enable it to challenge Mystic Forest's Romances for the title of 'the world's Frenchest black metal'.
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| Charles's Top 5 surprises of 2010 |
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- Angst Skvadron - Sweet Poison
I must say, I was not aware that the guy from Urgehal has such an eccentric and lovable sci-fi side project.
- The Ocean - Heliocentric
You may not have been surprised but I bloody was. The shouty sludge band I got very bored by when they supported Opeth and Cynic released an album fusing Tool and Elton John? And it was really good!?
- Menace Ruine - Union of Irreconcilables
Oh, how close I came to putting this deeply unhappy slab of blackened noise in my top 15. Still, I'd never heard the band before so it's surprising, right? Then it can go here instead. But having now picked up 2008's beautifully batshit Cult of Ruins I can see why longer term followers of the group might have been disappointed.
- Vit - -
Actually, it isn't at all surprising that the North American underground is producing such great black metal, is it? We've known that for a while. This is fantastic, and a great find by Jaime.
- Al-Namrood - Estorat Taghoot
Such a huge improvement on their last record.
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| Charles's Disappointment(s) of 2010 |
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- Drudkh - Handful Of Stars
What's that, Drudkh? I'm sorry I nodded off. Still, perhaps it's unfair calling it a disappointment. I nodded off in Microcosmos and Estrangement as well. I wasn't really disappointed by anything else. No bands I'd expected great things from released any howlers, and the crap records I heard were by bands I either new were crap, or had never listened to before.
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| Charles's Joke(s) 2010 |
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- The Way of Purity - Crosscore
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| Charles's words about 2010 |
- I had intended to make some very important modifications to this top 15, but in the end I wussed out, choosing to stick to the rules of only including full albums. If not, the split release between Ash Borer and Fell Voices would have finished very highly indeed. Maybe not for the Ash Borer side, but for the Fell Voices one, which is a truly staggering quarter-hour of black metal. That isn't the only non-proper release that needs to be mentioned. I would also have given a high ranking to Wormlust's scary demo, Svarthol. Ghast's Terrible Cemetary EP featured my favourite individual riff of the year in O Akhea Rheon. And those clever Dutch fellows behind Terzij de Horde also deserve some appreciation.
So, what about some honourable mentions? Here goes. A Forest of Stars released a really distinctive and original album of Victorian England-themed black metal. Ehnahre got me salivating with curiosity over their Schoenberg-derived 12-tone death metal, and then reeling in aural pain once I actually heard it. Slough Feg's album was really good, and 2010 also saw two particularly fine doom-death releases in the form of works by Hooded Menace and Acid Witch. Mekong Delta released a Mekong Delta album. Krieg's The Isolationist was super but a bit too depressing for me. I love Canopy's Menhir, though it arrived a little too late to receive enough listening to make the list (got it in the end though, thanks Crast!). And it's possible Panopticon's On the Subject of Morality would have made it if I'd had chance to listen to it enough. When I eventually 'got' Collapse I rued not including it in 2009's list, so we'll see. A few big releases I gave high scores to that I didn't include: Jupiter was good but there has been better this year and I just didn't end up loving it enough. Ditto Nachtmystium and Melechesh, both of whose albums have great moments but in my view aren't quite strong enough overall. And Negura Bunget's record, in hindsight, features too many long stretches of not much happening despite getting a score of 90 from me at the time. Oh yes, and my Personality of the Year award goes to Mancan from Ecnephias. To quote Charlie Brooker: That's it, now go away.
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