The last Monday of the year is Music Monday with the best - my favourite albums now, and my favourite songs coming in a later post. I must say, despite some highly anticipated records of some of my favourite bands, 2015 was a little less impactful for me (album-wise) than 2014. However, paired with the fact that I listened to more albums than ever before, the choice wasn't particularly easier.
10. Tribulation - The Children of the Night
2015 was the year of progressive death for me. This particular album is one with an old school, slight black metal feel due to the vocals, and a pretty soothing, melodic prog to back it all up. It's a very enjoyable listen, with few amazing songs I kept coming back to.
9. Swallow the Sun - Songs from the North I, II & III
This one is trickier - it came out later, at a time when I instantly formed a strong emotional bond with it. To be honest, if the record was shorter (maybe if at least Part III was cut), this would easily be in my top 5. As it is, it's much too long for an album, but I still loved it too much not to place it this high. Part I is some of the band's best work, and yes, there's a bit of genre bias and me loving the band a lot going on here, but it's still an amazing piece of work.
8. Alkaloid - The Malkuth Grimoire
A really fantastic composition and one of the most unique records on my list. Also, it's sci-fi themed, which is always a plus for me... It's the perfect blend between the weird progressive and the heavy death, with a strong focus on the former - think obvious time signature changes, some really fancy guitar work, and a slight disturbed feel left in your gut.
7. Arcturus - Arcturian
First thing first: this is one of my favourite covers. There are the super symmetric covers, and then the vague landscapes, and intricate gore-y stuff of death metal, but progressive metal covers are often less understandable. This one looks exactly like the music feels - just the tiniest bit dissonant but still very connected, light-hearted with a core of heavy.
6. Alustrium - A Tunnel to Eden
And here continues the gorgeous artworks featuring a bust. Atheism is a constant theme with metal (it resurfaces later even in this list), but it's very thematically consistent here, and it's all looked at in a very serious way (think hard science), one which still doesn't come off as pretentious. This is definitely the heaviest record on my top 10 list, but then again, this isn't the first time I confess I'm not really into the more extreme subgenres. The death is heavy with excellent drumming and fantastic riffs and guitar solos, and if that's not enough, there are stunning instrumentals to tie it all together.
5. Draconian - Sovran
An outstanding doom record, this time with definite gothic influences. The two contrasting voices are perfectly set against a backdrop of flowing, minimalistic, moody tones. It's genuinely beautiful, in the heavy-hearted way only doom metal can manage. I think it takes multiple listens to really appreciate this album, but the atmosphere envelops you very easily.
4. Nightwish - Endless Forms Most Beautiful
Yes, yes. Even though the new Nightwish record didn't turn out like the fans (including me) might have hoped - I for one hoped for more dramatic Floor moments - it's still the album I listened to the most. I can't unlearn the conditioning that I like these sounds - Nightwish's sound, I mean. And there are some really, really good songs here, and I connected with the lyrical theme like never before. (Even if I still severely dislike Richard Dawkins.) The fact I heard them perform these songs also adds to my level of appreciation - I had grown to love The Greatest Show On Earth immensely, a song I thought to a bit superfluous before.
3. Enshine - Singularity
Also atmospheric and a little sad - the difference being is it's not the sadness of staring at the gravestones of the past, but that conflicting, overwhelming emptiness and completeness you feel when looking at the clear night sky. Even the instruments feel more artificial - you couldn't imagine these tunes played acoustic, which adds to the sci-fi feel.
2. Wilderun - Sleep at the Edge of the Earth
Oh, this album. I feel like if I wasn't so biased towards certain genres and artists, this might deserve the top spot - it is perfect as far as symphonic folk metal go. I can even forgive them for stealing the intro from Insomnium's The Gale. It's happy but melancholic, it's heavy, atmospheric, lingering, all perfectly composed.
1. Amorphis - Under the Red Cloud
One more for the team - the fact that I really like the band may have helped me with my love for this record, but it's still true I was mesmerized by it. It's far from being their best record, yet I love it a lot. There really aren't that many bands that make the kind of music Amorphis does, which is why I find it weird they don't really have that many fans. Here we have the same slightly folky instrumentals, the easily recognizable mixed vocals, the huge amount of different melodies, the quirky but subtle time changes, and the dependable guitar work, all composed into a coherent record.
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