THE ENTMOOT: END YEAR RECOMMENDATIONS PART IV
And now we come to the final list of our rather large, 4 part, end of year recommendations. View all the previous through the links provided below.
Part I
Part II
Part III
Note: The list is in no particular order and the numbering does ‘NOT’ signify ranking. Also as is subject to individual tastes, all of these albums need not fit the definition of ‘metal’.
ENTMOOT – PART IV
1. Thou – Heathen (Gilead Media)
Summit was great but with Heathen, Thou have necessarily perfected their brand of abrasive, misanthropic sludge doom and delivered a smasher.
– Anoop Bhat
2. Mekong Delta – In a Mirror Darkly (Steamhammer)
The band has a solid collection of songs here and is in top form right through the album. Very bad album cover though that doesn’t do justice to the music. These songs are equal parts intricate, progressive and kick ass all around.
– Dinesh Raghavendra
3. Internal Rot – Mental Hygiene (Blastasfuk Records)
Turned out to be one of grindcore’s finest in 2014. Crunchy grind that tears up the listener to shreds.
– Dipankar Mohanty
4. The Wounded Kings – Consolamentum (Candlelight Records)
Another band that’s just lost its female lead singer, Wounded Kings haven’t released a bad album yet. Driven by monolithic riffs and massive structures, this album doesn’t do anything very different from a lot of other doom albums of the moment; the difference lies in the superior songwriting.
– Jayaprakash Satyamurthy
5. Scribe – Hail Mogambo (Independent Release)
While not being one of their best works, it is definitely worth listening to and a lot of fun.
– Mohammad Kabeer
6. Nero Di Marte – Derivae (Prosthetic Records)
Their last album frankly was a bit of a dampener, personally. I found it was more of an opportunity wasted where they clearly tried to be something along the lines of Hacride or Gojira, while not putting their own spin on it. You could say that this year they seemingly tried to sound like Ulcerate, but I guess they’ve found where they finally fit. I’d say they’ve hit gold. A much more atmospheric Ulcerate I’d say.
– Nishanth
7. Camera – Remember I Was Carbon Dioxide (Bureau B)
This is far from being a krautrock gem or a masterpiece but it ranks so high on my list because I love krautrock and this is krautrock done exceptionally well. Sure, it is far from original since it’s hard to actually tell it apart from, say, Neu! or Cluster or Kraftwerk, but that can also be used as an argument in support of how good this really is. The occasional jam band/space rock tendencies also make it a real treat to listen to.
– Rohit Chaoji
8. The Skull – For Those Which are Asleep (Tee Pee Records)
Erasing the memory of that last Trouble album, Eric Wagner and his veteran doom cohorts turn in an album of powerful, passionate and memorable heavy doom metal. Contrary to another doom pioneer’s album title, this is one album that Shows Them How It’s Done. Retro but fresh, classic and vital.
– Jayaprakash Satyamurthy
9. Doom: VS – Earthless (Solitude Productions)
Earthless is Johan Ericson’s genius at work. Over 50 minutes of heavy, maudlin doom with a strong Saturnus holdover. The music here is emotional, melancholic and extremely beautiful. It grips you, consumes you and then some, easily their best.
– Anoop Bhat
10. Greenleaf – Trails and Passes (Small Stone Recordings)
The riffs are long, the drumming is intense, the vocals are ferocious, and the album has a very 70s feel to it. The production is very clean and the entire album has an early Deep Purple influence. The band is clear, crisp and the sum is so much greater than the parts.
– Dinesh Raghavendra
11. Oraculum – Sorcery of the Damned EP (Invictus Productions)
– Dipankar Mohanty
12. Lord Mantis – Death Mask (Profound Lore Records)
– Jayaprakash Satyamurthy
13. Jarhead Fertilizer/ Purge Split (Cricket Cemetery)
Some really great tunes by Jarhead Fertilizer!! Love how they mix the complexities of post hardcore with the raw power of powerviolence!!
– Mohammad Kabeer
14. Nightbringer – Ego Dominus Tuus (Season of Mist)
Nightbringer’s fourth album is easily their best work till date. Although this marks a slight departure from their mid-paced sound, laden with twisted melodies, the more direct approach with faster, more aggressive songs separate it significantly from other bands that play in a similar vein. The songs are on an average, 6-7 minutes long, resulting in tracks that are long enough to let an idea develop, but not too long to make it a grating experience. Ego Dominus Tuus never turns into a chore to listen to, despite its massive length of 71 minutes, which is honestly a long play time for a metal album. Definitely the album of the year for me, owing to its high memorability and replay value.
– Rohit Chaoji
15. Hideous Divinity – Cobra Verde (Unique Leader Records)
Both SepticFlesh and Hour of Penance were major disappointments in light of how much I enjoyed most of their previous releases. There were a few handfuls of great songs, but then not enough to warrant a revisit, while Hideous Divinity’s sophomore effort comes chock full of it and more than makes up for the loss.
– Nishanth
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