Amplifier Altar: January 2015

I think putting out your list of the best records before the end of the year is bullshit. You can't possibly have heard everything you need to hear. There's just too much good stuff, whatever you happen to be into. Here are a few honourable mentions:

Agalloch - The Serpent & The Sphere
At The Gates - At War With Reality
Black Lips - Underneath The Rainbow
Bo Ningen - III
Boris - Noise
Caribou - Our Love
Chromeo - White Women
Cloud Nothings - Here And Nowhere Else
Coffinworm - IV.I.VIII
Corrosion Of Conformity - IX
Fucked Up - Glass Boys
Grouper - Ruins
Hookworms - Hum
Iced Earth - Plagues Of Babylon
Jack White - Lazaretto
Judas Priest - Redeemer Of Souls
Mark McGuire - Along The Way
Morgan Delt - Morgan Delt
Mutilation Rites - Harbinger
The Mounties - Thrash Rock Legacy
Parquet Courts - Constant Nausea
Protomartyr - Under Color Of Official Right

Sólstafir - Ótta

Sunn O))) & Ulver - Terrestrials

Thom Yorke - Tomorrow's Modern Boxes

Now, time to lay some descriptives on ya.

50. Ringworm - Hammer Of The Witch

Punishing d-beat hardcore from moshpit beatdown veterans. It's all huge Disfear guitars that absolutely flatten and driven by a superowered drummer. The production was cleaner than I would have liked, but there's no question these guys know how to lay it down, and the vocals are vicious and filled with vitriol. Plus it's got a kickass cover and a shamanic heavy metal cover to die for.

49. Run The Jewels - Run The Jewels 2

I don't really keep up with what's going on in hip hop these days, but I know what I like when I hear it. A friend showed me Run the Jewels' first record a little while back and I was all up in it. El-P Killer Mike's second release as Run The Jewels may even be better. With impossibly dextrous flow and uncompromising content, these guys give the form a kick in the ass. The real draw for me though is the beats. Some of the bass tones here are so heavy they'll sand off your dome.

48. Dust Bolt - Awake The Riot

It seems not a year goes by that I don't read about the death of the thrash revival... What the people who say these things don't seem to understand is that thrash is an evergreen musical style. There's always some longhairs or gutter punks in a garage somewhere willing to pay repeated tribute to the masters. That being said, there isn't a ton of truly inspiring stuff out there, even though some of the masters themselves are still going. Greybeards like Exodus and Overkill released decent but overlong and underwhelming records this year, and aside from Tankard's highly enjoyable R.I.B., not much classic, faithful-to-the-80s speed metal was blowing my hair back. And then I find out about a band like Dust Bolt that blows that whole idea to hell.

Opener "Living Hell" ripped my face off, and from there the band proceeded to kick my ass with hyperspeed E string chugging, intense shredding solos, relentless drumming, 7 killer riffs a song, and a razor-sharp production job that provides serious thump without ever sounding too slick. The vocals alternate between an 80's hardcore bark and soaring metal screams that would do Tom Araya proud.

Awake the Riot does suffer one major deficiency -- clocking in at 12 tracks that last just under an hour, it does tend to drag after a while. Word to young thrashers -- Metallica managed to make Ride the Lightning less than 48 minutes long, and Slayer's Reign in Blood is like half a freakin' hour. Your shit probably isn't as good as that, so edit judiciously.

47. Trap Them - Blissfucker

This furious d-beat hardcore unit followed up its breakthrough record Darker Handcraft with another punishing platter of misanthropic violence. With a beefier, buzz saw guitar sound that owes a huge debt to the first two Entombed records (what doesn't, these days?) as well as a more spacious approach to songwriting, Blissfucker is a more dynamic and varied listen than its predecessor, while still retaining a hundred percent of the aggression and moshpit beatdownability.

46. Vanhelgd - Relics of Sulphur Salvation

Swedish 4-piece Vanhelgd have returned with a punishing collection of blackened riffs and crusty vocals that sound positively caked in filth. With a relentless drum attack and huge riffs criss-crossing all over one another, Relics of Sulphur Salvation is a winning combination of intricate song construction and chunky, riff-based attack. It's reminiscent of the sound Entombed forged on their first couple records, but with a with a modern production job that boasts a big, meaty guitar sound. Things can get a little heady at times, as most of these songs fall in the 5 to 6 minute range, but very little here is wasted. At 8 tracks and 41 minutes in length, Relics is a lean, focused and powerful statement from one of the best metal bands Europe has to offer.

45. Soen - Tellurian

It's impossible not to talk about prog-rock super group Soen without mentioning the fact that they sound like Tool. I mean, they really, REALLY sound a lot like Tool. Much like that LA institution, Soen favours odd time signatures and complex, groove-oriented song structures, while Vocalist Joel Ekelöfsounds more than a little like Maynard James Keenan, not to mention Opeth's Mikael Åkerfeldt.

Former Opeth and Amon Amarth Drummer Martin Lopez is an absolute dynamo on the kit here, pounding out syncopated cross-rhythms and hammering double bass runs with aplomb. It's not an easy sound to ape, and few have even bothered to try. I found their debut, Cognitive, to be an enjoyable, if derivative listen, but something about it seemed a little bloodless. The chops are there, no question, but Soen just couldn't nail the primal intensity that is the Tool trademark. Tellurian is a something of step up in that department... Although they sound much like what this band has done before, they sustain a level of intensity that Cognitive lacked.

Tracks like "Pluton" and "Void" are twisting, multipart suites that mix up relentless pummeling with trippy, atmospheric sessions and a keen melodic sense. So if you like Tool or A Perfect Circle, there's no reason you won't enjoy this. And since it's been almost 9 years since the last Tool album, I think I can deal with a lack of originality.

44. Floor - Oblation

So I guess it's just best to get this out of the way: Floor's first album in a dozen years sounds a lot like a new Torche album. Well, yes, but that's okay. Guitarist/vocalist Steve Brooks formed Torche after Floor went on hiatus in the early aughts, and since then he's done pretty well for himself. He advanced his vision to great heights with Torche's Meanderthal album, and ever since he's always been compared to the Foo Fighters while actually sounding more like the Melvins in their less obnoxious moments. Like Baroness and Kylesa, Floor have figured out a way to meld modern recording techniques and pop-savvy songwriting ability to a comfortably heavy sensibility.

43. Tankard - R.I.B.

Beer-soaked thrash veterans who have never quite been able to earn the profile of their countrymen Kreator, Sodom and Destruction. Which is a shame, because the sense of humor these guys bring to their lovably retrograde 80s style speed metal makes for some memorable songs and a thoroughly enjoyable listen. It's no different from what they've always done, but the likes of "War Cry," "No One Hit Wonder" and the title track have some great riffs and fantastic shout along vocals. Great to see these guys steadfastly refusing to grow up.

42. Monolord - Empress Rising

Channeling the galaxy-crushing force of Electric Wizard and Ufomammut, Monolord are a Swedish power trio that play heavy cosmic doom. This is their first record. The 12-minute title track with its mantra-like repetition of the two-note bong-blasted hook is the gateway drug here. After that it's more of the same, but I 'aint complaining. Monolord aren't reinventing wheel, but they've got riffs to burn. I'd like to see some growth and a little bit more personality on the number 2, but until then this will do just fine.

41. Flying Lotus - You're Dead

Like most of the music by Flying Lotus, You're Dead is all over the place. These songs at times feature skronking horn blasts and Thundercat's nimble bass runs matched to schizophrenic beats and heavily manipulated vocal samples. It's difficult to tell where one song begins and another one ends, or to even call them songs at all. The whole things sounds as if it's been tossed in a blender. It's a sound collage, where jazz, hip hop and electronic music collide to form confounding permutations. This adventurous spirit is strongly influenced by the free jazz pioneered by his uncle and spiritual godfather John Coltrane. You're Dead is probably the most aggressive record Flying Lotus has made, and it features a whole whack of guests, from Kendrick Lamar to Snoop Dogg.

40. Serpentine Path - Emanations

This doom supergroup has bettered itself on its second record with the addition of former Winter guitarist Stephen Flam. His layered playing adds a degree of texture and intricacy that their previous record lacked. Former Electric Wizard and Ramsses member Tim Bagshaw still brings the riffs, but this time around the songwriting is sharper and more dynamic, making full use of the talents of its two axemen as they weave together palls of feedback and distortion-swollen leads. And of course, with 3 members of Unearthly Trance holding down the rhythm section and vocals, you know from the outset that this record is going to be a heavy one. Dig the syrupy, slow motion solos on "Systemic Extinction."

39. The Liars - Mess

The Liars' labyrinthine discography just gets weirder and darker with each record they put out. Their most recent album adds the 4-on-the-floor pulse that has been mostly missing since they debuted with They Threw Us All In A Trench And Built A Monument On Top in 2001. Despite that, this is not party music. The Liars' use of layered and ominous vocals and acute sense of space make it sound more like a bloody séance in some demented dance club. With its death-disco strut, stuttering organ stabs and gorgeous synth washes, "Pro Anti Anti" is my favourite track, but there is plenty to like here for Liars fans.

38. Parquet Courts - Sunbathing Animals

The line "Turn on the white noise of the AM band, and the last classic rock band's last solid record creeps in, " on "Instant Disassembly" to me sums up this band's entire career. They're a band that's heavily influenced by classic rock but not beholden to it, with lyrics that are clever but have emotional depth. The line might as well refer to the Stones, since it carries with it the weariness of the Stones' best work... it might as well be a lurching barroom ballad off Goats Head Soup. Sunbathing Animal is one of two solid records the band put out in 2014 along with the also very good Constant Nausea, but this is the more substantial of the two. Rock 'n' roll can be better than most of what we get in 2014. Parquet Courts are showing us how.

37. Woods of Desolation - As The Stars

I've found myself growing bored with the avalanche of post/black metal imitators that have inundated the scene over the past decade, but Australian band Woods Of Desolation have proved that there's still plenty of interesting BM bands out there. Opener "Like Falling Leaves" rips into a furious raw, blackened sprint complete with tortured depressive vocals right off the bat, but Woods of Desolation are far more dynamic than that initial feint might have you believe. The band reaches much greater heights on the likes of "And If All The Stars Faded Away" and "Ad Infinitum," which marry triumphant climaxes to gorgeous, psychedelic textures. At times the record invites comparisons to Ukrainian black metal bogeymen Drudkh, which makes sense because former Drudkh drummer Vlad appears to lend a hand or two on the record. And at less than 35 minutes in length, it's far more economical than many of Woods of Desolation's peers could manage. Too often records in this style are burdened with excessive run times, when ultimately, it's those few transcendent moments which define the listening experience.

36. Aphex Twin - Syro

Richard D James is back with his first new album under the Aphex Twin banner in over a decade. If you're at all into weird electronic music, you're probably already familiar with his work, and its enormous influence. Syro's surprise quick-release seemed designed to negate any hype buildup that would cause a backlash, but it hardly seems necessary. He's clearly absorbed all the advances that have been made in bass music since the early '00s, and yet he's still delivered a satisfying record that bears James' distinctive hallmark. It's almost as enjoyable as any of his classic mid-90s releases. Somehow, even after all these years, Aphex Twin still seems ahead of the game.

35. Godflesh - World Lit Only By Fire

As much as I've always been a fan of Justin Broadrick's work with Jesu, I found their last few records to be somewhat bloodless... That's why when Broadrick announced he'd be bringing his long-dormant Godflesh project out of mothballs, I was very excited. Marking their return with a well-received EP earlier this year, Godflesh made a triumphant comeback record with World Lit Only By Fire, a record that brings crushing deliverance for all who crave mechanical heaviosity of the highest order. The album hearkens back to their late '80s, early '90s heyday with their trademark industrial blast furnace stomp pretty much unchanged. Welcome back.

34. Andy Stott - Faith In Strangers

Stott's incredible 2012 record Luxury Problems was an enveloping soup of hazy, narcoleptic textures and darkly threatening beats. His second full length retains some of that darkness, but is overall a more patient, mature record. The track "Violence" is one of the most incredible pieces of music I heard all year, with its foreboding dread and disembodied vocals being broken down and reassembled with masterful precision. Elsewhere, highlights like "No Surrender" and Damage" abound. Stott has established himself as a truly formidable composer and producer in a very short amount of time, and Faith in Strangers is not only testament to his skill and vision, but also a tremendous indication of his potential. Essential dark electronic music.

33. Baptists - Bloodmines

Dave Grohl said Nick from Baptists is the best drummer in the world, so who am I to disagree? The second full length from the best band in Vancouver is just as punishing as the first. These guys do hardcore right... fast, dirty and heavy. At times they even downshift into a sludgy Eyehategod riff that's caked in dirt and spews shards of feedback over a barking madman who sounds like he's being buried alive. And they're even more intense live.

32. Swans - To Be Kind

I'll say this about Michael Gira... the dude never stops working. After Swans' masterful 2012 record The Seer earned critical acclaim from everyone under the sun, he turns around and puts out another cavernous, 2 hour plus opus. These hypnotic grooves with their intricate arrangements and their writhing, swaying menace are worlds away from the primitive noise of early Swans, while still retaining the same malevolent aura. Keep in mind, this is a guy entering his fourth decade as a recording artist. Really at this point there's no one left to impress... it sounds like Swans are just doing whatever they want.

31. Thee Oh Sees - Drop

Another super solid garage rock record from one of the most consistent songwriters in the game, John Dwyer. Consolidating the fuzztone and wah-pedal worshipping rock and roll of last year's awesome Floating Coffin album, Dwyer has once again penned a solid group of catchy, memorable rock songs like "Penetrating Eye" and "Savage Victory" to form another very good Thee Oh Sees record in a long line of 'em.

30. Conan - Blood Eagle

Conan's second album opens with a lone guitar caked in unabashedly hessian distortion, tolling out a sluggish riff before the inevitable shit-hammer drops. And then that's pretty much all you get for the next 44 minutes. But that tone... Generations of stoners have abused their amps, pulled their hair out over their pedal boards and wrung their guitar necks looking to create a sound like this. Conan are a doom metal band and they like to play slow and heavy. They're not particularly theatrical or hateful or psychedelic and they don't have the chops to play rings around some other bands... It's all pretty simple, but those crumbling walls of craggy guitar are absolutely irresistible. Some moments, like the galloping war-metal opening of "Foehammer" and the dinosaur-trapped-in-a-tar-pit slow down of "Horns for Teeth" are so awesome that they tap into some part of my reptile brain and defy every impulse other than to nod my head in agreement. Yes... YES... YES, THIS ROCKS. No... NO... NO! DON'T STOP ROCKING!!!

29. Satan's Wrath - Eons of Satan's Reign

Let's just get this out of the way. When you name your band Satan's Wrath, and your new record has a title like THAT, people are going to think things about you without hearing a note of your music. Still, nothing could have prepared me for the utter kickassedness of the opening track "Only Satan Is Lord."

These Greek thrashers play furious ultra-satanic thrash that is just straight up FUN. Alongside fellow blackened thrash revivalists Nekromantheon, these guys are working with a Venom-inspired palette that draws directly from that magical period when early black metal and death metal were just starting to separate from the more progressive, upwardly mobile tendencies of more straight ahead thrash.

The production is a little muddy, but still powerful and very appropriate for the feel of the album, and the vocals sound like the kind of thing you'd have heard at a Sodom or Kreator show in 1985. Nothing else on the record is as catchy as that first track, but it's an intense, sonic blitzkrieg throughout that old school metal heads will eat up.

*Note, I'm usually pretty strict about my release dates. If a record didn't come out in 2014, it doesn't make the list for that year. Nonetheless, I later noticed that Eons of Satan's Reign came out on November 12th, 2013. I didn't hear it until this year though, and anyways, I already wrote the entry, so whatever.*

28. Wo Fat - The Conjuring

Look, I don't know what it is about Wo Fat, but for some reason I love every record these guys put out. On their fifth full-length they change absolutely nothing about their approach, meaning the whole record is nothing but heavy riffin', jammin' Kyuss-inspired super heavy stoner rock. It also happens to be the best record these guys have put out since 2009's genre-defining Psychedelonaut... Next time someone tells you that no one is making any good rock 'n' roll records any more... send them in Wo Fat's direction.

27. The Men - Tomorrow's Hits

New Moon was my favourite album of 2013, so it's perhaps to be expected that their new record would be a step down. This time it's a little slicker, and a little bit tighter than the classic sprawl of that dusty masterpiece, although it's not short on intensity. If their last LP was their "Crazy Horse record," I'd say the new one is more influenced by the economical but ragged power pop of the Replacements. The cover even reminds me of Big Star.

They've still got a pile of great songs here, and there is still plenty of room for some great, off-the-rails rocking on tracks like "The Dark Waltz," "Another Night" and "Going Down." At a trim 8 tracks and clocking in at less than 37 minutes in length, there isn't an ounce of fat on this record. Classic rock fans would eat this up if they heard it.

26. Lord Mantis - Death Mask

I told a friend a few months back that 2014 was "The year of hideous sludge." I might have been overestimating the appeal of that kind of thing to your average music listener, but with Thou, Indian and Coffinworm all releasing good stuff, not to mention Eyehategod returning from the dead with a very strong record, it was a good year for slow, hateful music. It's a good bet though that nothing is as misanthropic, disgusting or tortured than this repulsive little piece of filth.

From the disturbing cover art to song titles like "Negative Birth" and "You Will Gag for the Fix," this is not a pleasant listen. Opening track "Body Choke" is the highlight here, as it rides a bonecrushing groove topped with raspy, tortured vocals and squealing feedback shards for almost 9 minutes before collapsing on itself. And if that sounds like something you might enjoy listening to, Lord Mantis just might be your cup of bile.

25. Machine Head - Bloodstone & Diamonds

Rob Flynn's long running thrash/groove metal project continues to impress. Although their mid-period releases were (somewhat unfairly) maligned by fans, the band righted the ship with a tremendous return to form on Through The Ashes of Empires in 2004. Since then they have never faltered -- Bloodstone & Diamonds is the band's fourth excellent album in a row since that rebirth.

Although not as immediate as their last record, 2011's Unto The Locust, it's a more ambitious and musically complex affair. You could fairly describe Bloodstones & Diamonds as Machine Head's prog album. Throughout they make use of violins, choirs, and vocal samples to spice up their still ferocious metallic attack. it's also quite long, which can make it a bit difficult to digest in a single sitting. Still, tracks like "Now We Die," "Beneath the Silt" and the utterly crushing "Sail Into The Black" are as good as anything they've ever done, proof positive that Machine Head is a long way from running out of gas yet.

24. Teitanblood - Death

This Spanish band's second album is as pummeling and arduous a listen as I encountered this past year. At nearly 70 minutes in length, much of it filled with absolutely insane riffing and equally punishing double bass drumming, Death is sure to test the patience of even the most hardened listener. But this is no one-dimensional bash-fest. As brutal as Teitanblood are capable of being, they know how to build tension and and open up their arrangements with different textures and intriguing instrumentation. In that respect, they're similar to the likes of Nile and Morbid Angel, two genre heavyweights who are capable of keeping things more interesting and dynamic than your average death metal band. Check the awesome 12 and a half minute tour de force "Sleeping Throats of the Antichrist" for proof.

23. The Pack AD - Do Not Engage

Vancouver's The Pack A.D. is one of the best rock bands going these days, and this is their finest record yet. All throughout, Becky Black lays down vintage Stooges Ur-riffs and tops 'em with a banshee wail that pierces the heavens while Maya Miller commits assault and battery on the kit. The evident enthusiasm with which The Pack play is simply oozing from these grooves. Everything is high energy and raw, even though this is the best production job they've ever had. The likes of "Airborne," "Battering Ram" and "The Water" contain some of their best pop hooks ever, yet Do Not Engage is also harder and freakier than they've ever gotten before. There's a real psychedelic edge here too, meaning the album doubles as both a biker rock burner and a nocturnal headphone record. If you don't know 'em yet, get on the bandwagon.

22. Lumerians - Transmissions From Telos Vol. III

The San Francisco astral travelers’ newest album opens with a fuzzy bassline, followed by groovy drumming and wavy guitars weaving simple patterns into a trance-inducing groove. In other words, it sounds like Lumerians. With the help of some spaced out free rock keyboard and guitar soundscapes, plenty of effects and boundless patience, these hypnotists may have crafted their most mesmerizing platter yet. I don't know any of the song titles, because I'm still lying in the middle of the floor covered in beads and wondering where my favourite rug went. That thing really tied the room together.

21. Pallbearer - Foundations of Burden

Glancing around at other peoples' year end lists has led me to believe that maybe I'm not as high on this record as a lot of people are. I prefer their debut -- it had a rawer, more lived-in sound that appealed to me more, plus nothing on here struck me as instantly gratifying as Sorrow and Extinction's "The Foreigner." But that's nitpicking really, there is no question that Pallbearer are a special band. They've kind of found themselves in a similar position to what Deafheaven was in last year... They're a band that plays a type of music that is typically only heard by a niche audience (in this case, traditional doom metal) and they're getting a lot of attention from outside of that sphere. Time will tell what they decide to do next, but for now, Foundations of Burden is a sweeping, transcendent opus that looks to make a lot of new fans for this impressive group.

20. Pilgrim - II: Void Worship

These doom traditionalists have outdone their debut on this crushing sophomore release. It opens with a tasty 2 minute medieval guitar intro, followed by a thunderous full band trudge that sets the mood before the Wizard makes his entrance... It's impossible for me not to love the wonderfully D&D feel of the opening lyric, ritualistically intoned in a cavernous bellow: "In the master's chamber/I was turned to stone." Despite the kickass midtempo lurch of "The Paladin", for the most part this is a record that requires patience. Tempos here vary somewhat, but make no mistake, this is classic, lumbering doom metal with a fantastical bent and theatrical vocals that owe a debt to Candlemass. "Void Worship" and "Away From Here" are relentless dirges that suffocate with pure weight, topped with a guitar tone most bands would sell their bass player for.

19. First Aid Kit - Stay Gold

First Aid Kit are a Swedish indie folk duo comprised of two sisters who brush their ghostly harmonies across crystalline acoustic and pedal steel guitar backdrops that invoke lonely roads and wide open spaces. Stay Gold is their fourth record, and it's by far their most accomplished and enveloping. Although they have hardly altered their approach since releasing their earliest music, they have refined it to great effect. Something about these songs seems blurry and nostalgic, like squinting through the sun at a half-remembered dream. And at their best, they have some fantastic hooks. "My Silver Lining" stole my heart the moment I heard it.

18. Indian - From All Purity

Coming off a breakout album in 2011's Guiltless, Indian sought to sound even more extreme by embracing noise music. This makes for the most abrasive record yet from these Chicago doom/sludge miscreants. Like everything Indian do, "From All Purity" is an absolutely devastating listen, flattening buildings with its mass and density, and burning faces with its corrosive vocals. But the new chaotic noise that is frenetically smashed together with the rest of the band adds a new layer of intensity. The new frontier in extreme music is the blurring of edges between noise and metal, and Indian are on the cutting edge.

17. Panopticon - Roads to the North

Panopticon's second album is a more cohesive blend of the black metal/bluegrass hybrid they've been forging for a few years now. Much like their full length debut Kentucky, and a split release with like-minded British Columbians Skagos, Roads to the North contains plenty of twisting, blackened sprints while injecting a gritty dose of rurality accompanied by militant pro-labour sloganeering. This is similar to what the excellent grindcore band Liberteer did on 2012's brilliant Better To Die On Your Feet Than Live On Your Knees album. Unlike on the intermittently awesome Kentucky, there are fewer seems showing this time, and the blend doesn't seem forced. At times in the past the blastbeats and banjos approach seemed contrived. Instead Roads to the North is a raging and transcendent black metal ice storm infused with the earthy, authentic spirit of classic Americana. Like Deafheaven would sound like if they got into The Band instead of My Bloody Valentine.

16. Blut Aus Nord - Memoria Vetusta III: Saturnian Poetry

This French one-man black metal band has released some of the most daring and adventurous heavy music of the past several years at a time when black metal, and in particular, shiny, shoegaze-inflected, post-black metal was over-saturating the marketplace. Without resorting to the primitive retrenchment of so many kvlt reactionaries, Blut Aus Nord's 777 trilogy was an adventurous cross-pollination of electronic textures, triumphant experimentalism, frigid blasting, powerful guitarchetecture and clean production. Following that artistic peak, Blue Aus Nord has returned now to an earlier sound, completing a seperate trilogy that returns to a more traditional black metal approach that embraces the epic grandeur of the likes of Emperor and Enslaved.

It was the right time to do so, as the organic feel of the record stands in stark contrast with the high tech approach of the 777 records, and calling to mind chilling visions of snow-capped vistas and howling winter winds. Another left turn for one of the most consistently interesting metal musicians in the world, Saturnian Poetry balances beauty with brutality in a way that's downright inspiring.

15. Ty Segall - Manipulator

Something about this seems like Ty Segall's tour de force record. Partially this is because most Ty Segall records are economical, cramming about a dozen or so good, short songs into about 35 minutes. Manipulator on the other hand is a sprawling, massive opus that lasts nearly an hour. Also worth noting is the fact that in the past, most of his records mined one specific sound. Manipulator is different, displaying all of his different personas, from sad eyed crooner, to flower child, to leather-jacketed hoodlum, to studio bound obsessive to guitar hero rock star. It's probably not my favourite Ty Segall album (That would still be 2010's Melted), but it's an excellent introduction to the man and his work.

14. Behemoth - The Satanist

This long-running Polish blackened death metal band released one of the strongest albums of their career with The Satanist. At this point these guys are really just a vanguard heavy metal band with blackened roots, but the grandeur of opener "Blow Your Trumpets Gabriel" and the finely crafted solos of "Messe Noire" are as mighty as any Iron Maiden or Judas Priest epic. Because so much of its appeal rests in instrumental proficiency, heavy metal has always been a genre that allows its practitioners to grow old gracefully. On The Satanist, Behemoth have embraced their role as elder statesman, and it suits them. And it was much better than the new Vader album.

13. Tombs - Savage Gold

New York's Tombs made one of the best metal albums of the past decade with 2011's Path Of Totality (unfortunately for them, Korn released a dubstep album of the same name just a year later). It was a charred mix of blackened and extreme metal, sludge and thrash, fortified with steely resolve and a crustiness that belied the band members' hardcore backgrounds. So Savage Gold is Tombs' attempt to top it by being bigger and better. While I can't say I love it as much as I do Path Of Totality, this is still an absolute beast of an album. Even when they play fast (and they can absolutely rip), everything is impossibly dense and heavy.

The guitar tone here is frigid and bulked up to an absurd degree... Savage Gold is definitely cleaner than their early records. At times they bring to mind a black metal Bison, but with a more serious and intense focus... there is none of that BC crew's good-natured dudeness about Tombs. They're much colder than that. And quite a few of their compositions, like "Thanatos" and "Edge Of Darkness" are very impressive. Savage Gold is the work of a band that senses it's at the peak of its powers and wants to create a monument to its awesomeness. And I don't begrudge them that. But they could probably do well to scale back a bit next time.

12. Slough Feg - Digital Resistance

This is full-on, classic, lighter lifting heavy metal delivered in a heroic rasp by main man Mike Scalzi. Of course, he also accompanies himself on lead guitar, and is equally adept at meaty, chugging riffs and searing, wailing leads. Something about the way Slough Feg songs are constructed seems appealingly skeletal to me. For starters, everything sounds analog, fitting for an album which is ostensibly about fear of technology. They're not overwhelmingly loud (at least, not compared to some other metal bands) or brutal or technical. But the songs are so infectious, and the band just sounds like some guys in a room bashing out the most epic tales of sorcery and battle. It's infectious, uplifting and exciting heavy metal that presses all the buttons of classic Maiden while still retaining a raw, streetwise feel that is miles removed from some of the cheesier power metal stuff.

11. Primordial - Where Greater Men Have Fallen

These Irish stalwarts have been crafting powerful, anthemic heavy metal while retaining a blackened, extreme edge since the late 80s. Their 8th album is perhaps their greatest work yet. Thrilling and ambitious, this behemoth clocks in at just under an hour, but feels grand in scope and execution. The title track may be my absolute metal anthem of the year. Here's to a triumphant salvo of first rate heavy metal from a band that refuses to rest on its laurels.

10. Electric Wizard - Time to Die

As much as I love this record, I don't find that Time to Die is any better or worse than either of the Wizard's last two albums, 2010's Black Masses and 2007's Witchcult Today. Still, it seems from all the attention these UK Doom legends have gotten from the media this year that I'm just going to have to jump on the bandwagon and sing the praises of Time to Die. After all, I've been flying the flag for these guys since I was in high school, and to me they'll always be the heaviest band in the universe.

The return of classic-era drummer Mark Greening for his first time in the studio with the band since 2002's Let Us Prey is a big help. As much as the Wizard has always been Jus Oborn's beast, Greening's assault and battery drum performance provides a useful counterweight to the godly heavy riffs of Oborn and Liz Buckingham.

But really, it's always been about the spacey cosmic edged mixed with the sleazy biker-friendly B horror movie witchcraft that the Wizard have always imparted to their sound, and in that sense, Time To Die is another top-shelf release from a band that has long since established its place in the pantheon of heaviness. This is music for bad people.

9. Eyehategod - Eyehategod

After 14 years of nothing from Eyehategod, this is a record I just kind of assumed would never get made. After all, you're not talking about the most stable people in the world. But these legendary New Orleans sludgecore merchants have been through more sickness and disaster than most of us would ever care to experience, and it's clearly informed these songs with a whole new spirit of bile.

Informed by obscurity, poverty, corruption and drug abuse, and all of it percolating amid the shattered backdrop of post-Katrina Louisiana, this is raw, hateful music. The guitar sound is as sickening as ever, as gutshot riffs spill out over messy feedback, stretching and distending time. Mike Williams' anguished screech hasn't lost any of its malevolence, and the sound is probably heavier than anything they've ever had, if not as raw. This is easily their best record since Dopesick. It's good to have them back.

8. Tinariwen - Emmaar

These desert guitar gurus spool off endless glassy guitar jams spiced up with chanting and hand percussion. It's a heady mix, and Tinariwen know how to build a meditative groove that's perfect for trance-outs. But if you listen closely, you'll find there's actually a keen melodic sense at work here, enough so that even if you can't understand what any of the vocalizations means, you'll find yourself humming along anyways.

7. Goat - Commune

Swedish world-psych collective Goat return with their second album, the aptly named Commune. Much like their debut, Commune is a pot pourri of all things trippy and mind expanding. Furious wah-guitars, fuzzed out bass, handclaps, unintelligible vocal chanting, weird samples, hand percussion and horns are all layered on top of each other to form mantra-like grooves that are utterly trance-inducing.

The key here is the family like nature of the group. No one instrument or voice dominates the music. Instead, all sound is made in service to the group ideal, forming a cohesive whole that's more than the sum of its parts. It's the sound of a hashish caravan taking off across the desert for parts unknown. No one knows if they will reach their destination, but they'll take the journey together.

6. Black Anvil - Hail Death

I first came across Black Anvil by way of their excellent 2010 album, Triumvirate. I dug its mix of blackened thrash, raspy vocals and classic heavy metal hooks. I'm pleased that after a 4 year wait, they returned with an album that ups the ante, taking an already huge sound and pulling at the edges, making it more exciting and dynamic. Dueling guitar leads and relentless galloping rhythms abound, but Black Anvil also take the time to incorporate clean tones, psychedelic tail outs and sludgy riffs. There are some truly epic, lighter lifting moments to be found on Hail Death, the kind of bombast that never fails to get me to throw up the horns and headbang along.

5. Thou - Heathen

Of course, 2014 saw its fair share of ultra-heavy sludge. But there's something triumphant and grandiose about this record which elevates it to heights I just don't think doom or sludge metal has reached before. Oh sure there have been bands like Torche and Baroness who can take a punky base with filthy guitars and downshift into tar pits of feedback-drenched riffs and then add hooks and clean singing and a healthy dose of songwriting ability. But damn, I don't think anyone has ever written COMPOSITIONS like these. I mean, the guitarcheticture here is worthy of an Iron Maiden or a Metallica in their prime, but guided by the feel of unskilled labourers like Black Sabbath and Eyehategod. And those vocals... absolutely hideous in layrnx-shredding tone, but with undeniable force and command.

The supreme grandeur of Heathen makes its presence felt immediately, as opener "Free Will" starts with a pall of noise and a somber guitar figure before the full band makes its entrance. Soon Thou launches into a mighty riff that plods inexorably along at a ponderous pace. These sorts of destructive marches appear frequently on Heathen, and each time the effect is suitably stirring. Thou have certainly studied up on their Grief, Eyehategod and Iron Monkey records. But "Grissecon," the best track off their previous album Summit gave only a taste of the heights Thou might climb. Growing more patient, confident and ambitious with every step, Thou added something uplifting, something vast to the music on Heathen. The result is nothing short of a masterpiece.

4. YOB - Clearing the Path to Ascend

Eugene Oregon's finest return with another album of shimmering, transcendent doom. Few bands can so consistently top themselves, and a very good argument can be made that each of their albums has been better than the last (Though I'll always have a place in my heart for 2003's Catharsis). Mike Scheidt still sounds like Dave Mustaine trapped in a wind tunnel, but YOB's mighty riffs inhabit a holy place very few bands have reached. On just 4 tracks spanning over an hour, YOB take us on a journey that's perilous, gripping, and spiritually uplifting. Begin your pilgrimage.

3. Earth - Primitive and Deadly

For a band that has gone through as many permutations as Earth has to affect such a stunning transformation at this late date is truly astonishing. Having done away with the dusty, cinematic soundscapes that first appeared on Hex and carried on until the Angels of Darkness double release they completed in 2012, Dylan Carlson has found a way to combine the distinct phases of Earth's musical personality into something new.

The picturesque beauty of their later era and the amplifier-crumbling power of their early recordings are both here, along with a raft of collaborators who add their own elements to the mix. "Torn By The Fox Of The Crescent Moon" sounds like Slayer at 16 RPM, while "From The Zodiacal Light" adds baking vocals to great effect. In a way, Earth's music has mirrored their career arc... massive, deliberate, and inexorable. They may not move fast, but they're always going forward.

2. The War on Drugs - Lost In the Dream

It's no secret that a lot of people love this record. And why not? The follow-up to The War on Drugs' excellent 2011 record Slave Ambient was more dynamic and expansive, complete with woozy slide guitar, shimmering reverb, sunburnt textures and sleepy, dreamlike vocals. Lost in the Dream practically screams "summer record", and its languid beauty soundtracked some of the best moments of 2014 for me. From boating on the Shuswap for a buddy's bachelor party, to road tripping through the Okanagan desert with my girlfriend and many nights sharing a beer with good friends, no record this year has as many happy memories attached to it as Lost In The Dream. Moreover, I saw them perform a number of tracks from the album this past May at the Austin Psych Fest while sitting under a tree with some buddies, which basically amounted to paradise.

1. The Body - I Shall Die Here

I didn't really have a hard time deciding what album was my favourite of 2014. Although killer records by Thou, Earth, The War on Drugs and others all got heavy rotation around the Amplifier Altar this year, nothing matched the brutal intensity, the fearless experimentation, and the bold conviction of I Shall Die Here. It's one of the only truly extreme albums I've heard in a long time, and one of the most unsettling.

I Shall Die Here's seamless deconstruction of metal, electronic, experimental, musique concrete, glitch, field recordings, avant-garde and drone music is unlike anything I've ever heard. You can spot the influences, sure, and The Body's own work in the past has certainly hinted at their genre-blending potential. But this is a record that is utterly unprecedented in the annals of music. Seriously, nothing is like it. It's crushingly heavy, but at the same time it's been sliced up to the point where it's hardly recognizable as anything approaching metal. It uses plenty of sub bass tones which could reductively be seen as influenced by dubstep, but if the name of the album wasn't a clue, I Shall Die Here is far too bleak and foreboding to be anything resembling dance music.

This isn't a difficult record though. As strange as it may sound, the use of groove and rhythm here is so subtly addictive, you may not even notice until you're nodding along with a particularly insistent beat that you realize you've been hooked. Much of the credit needs to go to Bobby Krlic aka Haxan Cloak, who deserves equal billing for the way he was able to harness the identity of an already unique but somewhat difficult band, and turn them into a powerhouse in his role as producer. It's difficult to make groundbreaking music that no one has heard anything like before, and harder still to make it enjoyable for the casual fan. The Body have certainly accomplished this, delivering their darkest, most addictive record yet. I Shall Die Here is an instant classic, a record which creates and inhabits its own world, a piece of art that will challenge your ideas about music, art, technology and emotion.

Amplifier Altar

Saturday, January 24, 2015

Reflection

Thursday, January 1, 2015

The Amplifier Altar's Top 50 Albums of 2014

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