Probably Smug.

Agalloch - Ashes Against the Grain

What can you say about an American underground metal band that has the respect of most countries, genre specific fans and elitists alike? Once again Agalloch has taken what made them great in the past two albums, and spun those things into yet another dimension. The first track begins with a rather triumphant feel, and Agalloch continues to play the rest of the album as if they knew having to wait four years between albums would be worth it. Trust me, it was.

Amesoeurs - Ruines Humaines EP

I don’t know what I’m more excited for, the fact that Neige has another project, or the fact that I love this EP so much that it probably has more play time than some of the other albums in this list… and it’s only three tracks long. Easily some of the most engaging black metal of the year for the simple reason that it crosses so many boundaries that we’re used to. The first two tracks keep more of a black metal feel, with the use of some post-rock and even indie-rock elements. With the last track, which isn’t even metal, has some riffs that The Cure wished they had wrote and some female vocals that are more empowered and passionate than anything that will ever play at the Lilith Fair. This EP is a fucking must for anyone who loves music and has an open mind.

Cult of Luna - Somewhere Along the Highway

Bleak, epic and heavy, I didn’t think Cult of Luna could out do their 2004 album “Salvation”, but after several listens, I knew it to be true. I think the only other band that can write a crescendo like the one at the end of this album would be Godspeed You Black Emperor. This album is truly something I’m fortunate to have, and it feels like only the beginning of something even greater.

Eluveitie - Spirit

Pagan folk metal with a Celtic twist, this album is absolutely enthralling. The backbone of the instrumentation sticks with the drums, guitar and bass, however most of the songs include others as well such as the fiddle, tin and low whistles, uilleann pipes and a bodhrán. Once the introduction track ends, the album does not stop pummeling the listener with aggressive beats and intertwining melodies for a single minute. This is probably one of the more exciting (and one of the more rocking) albums of this year, and the contrast between this album and their EP is nothing short of night and day. I can’t wait to see what this young band does next.

Elysian Blaze - Levitating The Carnal

Creepy and haunting, this one man black metal project from Australia certainly has my attention. While the production might have a tad too much echo for my taste, layered underneath is some solid songs that have repeatedly left me hungry for more. With some of the more experimental doom-ish black metal that I’ve heard, the future should be interesting for anything released under this project name.

Envy - Insomniac Doze

Envy’s last album, “A Dead Sinking Story” is easily my favorite in their discography but Insomniac Doze might have just taken that crown. After repeated listens, it still invokes the same emotions and feelings from when I first put it on and shows an intense and obvious passion for making music that is both loud and beautiful at the same time. Lyrically, this album also plays tricks on me, as I do not speak Japanese. But while I do not know what the words translate to literally, I can certainly feel what they’re trying to convey.

Giant Squid - Metridium Fields

I still have an impossible time describing this album. It’s as if they took various Neurosis albums and decided to add a bit of a doom atmosphere about sinking ships and raging ocean storms. Yet that still does nothing to describe the sound. This is only the band’s first album (and recorded effort as far as I know), so it could be a fluke, but it is an absolutely fantastic listen. The dropped guitar tuning and nearly hypnotic song progressions drone and sludge on as many subtle nuances proceed to drop in and out almost with an unnoticeable grace. Certainly something to speak of for both the metal head, and the progressive rock listener to enjoy without feeling like they’re compromising any type of standard or opinion they may have set up for themselves.

ISIS & Aereogramme - In the Fishtank 14

Not an actual “album” but instead a project where two bands meet, write, and record three songs in two days. This gets a mention here because track 1, “Low Tide” is easily one of the best songs I’ve heard all year. Nine and a half minutes of semi shoe-gazing rock that turns into a percussive wave of head bobbing excellence. But that’s just the first track, the other two still most certainly hold their weight. This isn’t a must for only ISIS and/or Aereogramme fans, but anyone who might be looking for a quick escape from reality.

Nachtmystium - Instinct: Decay

Black Metal from Illinois, styled in the old ways and given some creative new twists. Lead member Azentrius obviously isn’t afraid to try new things and defy any naysayer that might dare to speak up. While this band, nor this album is perfect… it certainly has been something I’ve been coming back to over and over for a while now. These guys prove that you don’t always have to have many layers of sound or complex and lengthy song structures to write good black metal, or music for that matter.

Negurã Bunget - Om

Imagine music that literally sounds as if it’s been carved out of wood, or has been hidden underneath pine cone and forest underbrush for many years. This is exactly what Om sounds like to me. I really didn’t think I’d ever experience something like the first time I listened to their previous album “‘n Crugu Bradului”, but I certainly did with this. However the journey was magnified so much greater, I can’t possibly fathom what they’re going to do next but I am most certainly on the edge of my seat.

Summoning - Oath Bound

Droney, sludgy metal but…. not. This band tends to build all of their themes war-drummed around Lord of the Rings and other fantasy authors, but don’t let that set you off. It’s not a Tolkien worship album, but more like a Tolkien soundtrack; yet an entirely original journey of their own. With a duration of 79 minutes the journey is something that will take several listens to fully digest, but oh is it ever worth it. Once the mighty and triumphant choir finishes repeating the chorus verses at the very end, my hand usually moves to start the album over again for consecutive listens. Absolutely essential.

TV on the Radio - Return to Cookie Mountain

I really liked the previous album “Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes” for the rich and unique vision they seem to have. Not only does the band use old school 1950’s Doo-Wop vocal stylings and chain-gang melodies, but has found a way to fuse them with electronic and indie rock instrumentation. This puts TV on the Radio in a league of their own, and proves that mixing generes can be much more interesting than rap-metal. “Return to Cookie Mountain” however takes it up several notches, easily and obviously avoiding any type of fabled sophomore slump. Like many of the critics and articles out there, I will also name drop the song “Wolf Like Me” and declare it one of the best track 1 songs on an album in a long, long time. In a way, it’s almost a shame they started the album with this song because the rest of the ride almost feels like a gradual downhill slope at times. That’s not to say there’s no other great songs on here however, but instead says that like the album, “Wolf Like Me” is one incredible peice of music.

Wolves in the Throne Room - Diadem of 12 Stars

Possibly one of the most beautiful black metal albums I’ve ever heard. The style of this album plays with the conviction of mid-nineties black metal, yet has a soul all its own. An hour in length and only four tracks in size, the album packs a punch that you might not even notice, but that’s not a bad thing. The album can immediately entrance the listener into the passion that was so obviously spent creating it. Not many albums I’ve heard can convey so many emotions at once like this one can and with the elements this band uses to create their music, I can see this one standing the test of time.

Zao - The Fear is What Keeps Us Here

Holy shit Zao still has it. This album is easily their most abrasive and unpalatable albums yet. Not from a snobby “nobody else can possibly like it” point of view, but more from the perspective that they’ve done something to scare off the weak hearted, and it is wonderful. Steve Albini (Pixies, Nirvana, Neurosis) took the helm of the production and it probably would have been pooched by anyone else. While this album is fairly short in length, it certainly will be on my playlist for a great while and it’s excellent to see an album like this come from a band that has once been ‘dead’ more than once or twice.