painiac:

oh god it’s not stopping it’s never stopping there is so much cool shit coming out constantly fuck fuckfucj

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• Faustcoven – In the Shadow of Doom – rickety ass blackened death doom with more riffs than you can drag a knuckle to. this band has been awesome for 15 years, and that shit did not change in 2018. one of the stronger efforts of the year so far
• Hyperdontia – Nexus of Teeth – Killtown comes out swinging for yr jaw in another fine production from the Denmark scene which is killing the game left and right. a slightly more technical touch than known troglodytes Undergang, but this has a vicious edge to it that really gets your attention
• Thou – Magus – the most productive band of 2018 unleashes their most balanced and effective full-length in years with this monster. there’s more variety here than i’ve seen from these swampy boys in the past, and they seemed to have really grown into their sound in a big way. it’s big, it’s slow, it’s heavy as fuck, it’s morose, it’s miserable. it’s great.
• Serum Dreg – Lustful Vengeance – black metal with a bad fuckin’ attitude is what you get with these guys. production is amazing on this, and the mixed-in death growls add an awesome dimension on top of the razor-sharp black metal riffing. if you aren’t losing your mind when the breaks come (like in Edifice of Hatred), what the fuck is your problem
• Djevel – Blant Svarte Graner – probably my favorite “traditional” black metal release of the year – these guys brought everything to the table here with tight performances, energetic songwriting, and perfection production. don’t sleep on these guys; they’re probably the best thing out of Norway rn
• Ride for Revenge – Sinking the Song – this might be my favorite RFR joint yet. meaty passages are prevalent here, and the usual bass/drum assault is, of course, the core of the sound. what i love about this album is the use of that Steve Albini guitar sound, which makes this sludgy black metal affair sound sleazy and dangerous
• Cultes des Ghoules – Sinister the Polsih titans of theatrical black metal come out of nowhere with another full length and i couldn’t be happier. they’ve stripped things back considerably – this is a lean 55 minutes rather than the 100 we got on Coven. even the intro track is cool and evil before unleashing almost 48 straight minutes of witchy-ass black metal insanity similar to Henbane
• Malthusian – Across Deaths – this jumped way up my list of favorite albums of the year after a couple of listens. this thing is a swirling storm of abrasive sound, constantly pummeling and never boring. this demands repeated listens – the funeral fog dissipates a little bit each time, and you hear more and more. one of the most rewarding listens of 2018
• Innumerable Forms – Punishment in Flesh – the busiest man in Boston brings Innumerable Forms out of demo territory with a thicc full length peopled by the hottest tastemakers of the now (namely Chris Ulsh from Mammoth Grinder, whose album i didn’t love, and Jensen Ward from PV cool guys Iron Long) and guys from bands i don’t care about like Genocide Pact. this album is two tons of sludgy death doom riffing that would make Asphyx proud with a healthy dose of the heaviness that De Torre is known for in his other projects. a fucking awesome assbeater of an album
• Infernal Coil – Within a World Forgotten – possibly the most cacophonous album of 2018 so far, this album sounds like a tornado of bad intentions ripping between your ears. it’s chaotic, but not wacky or all over place. it’s a blistering assault, one that leaves you restarting it as soon as it’s economical 35-minute runtime has elapsed.