Like the whispering whisk of the wicked winter wind, I descend into the venomous depths to put together a cold, purposeless list of the best Metal records of 2017, the year of our dark lord.
Notice I say Metal and not Rock records — I did not want to handle the extra burden of figuring out where I’d include Foo Fighters, cKy, QOTSA, Royal Thunder, etc, amongst these Metal favorites, much less any other genre of music (all the Bluegrass I’ve been listening to must’ve taken its toll). Yeah, that's most certainly some form of cop out, but this list was already dreadfully difficult to compile as is, and it's my list, my party, and I'll cry in the corner if I want to.
Also, if you think there’s a selection I might’ve missed or passed over, I can assure you that’s most likely not the case unless you’re speaking of some obscure release from a Black Metal band from Barbados. I purposely waited until the majority of websites and publications produced their best of lists to make sure I hadn't overlooked anything. I chose these selections because of the mark they made, impact they had on me, and quality of the record throughout.
17: OBITUARY — (self titled)
With death metal veterans Obituary, you've pretty much always received what you'd expect from them and their self-titled tenth album is no different. Since 1989 they've been hammer and chisel'ing their legacy into the monstrous, ever expanding stone of the Metal music monument, with some extended breaks here and there. While I might still consider their sophomore effort, 1990's Cause of Death, their greatest and most mature release, this collection of eleven tracks showcases them still at the top of their game with almost a renewed sense of life. Songs like A Lesson In Vengeance and Kneel Before Me give everything Obituary fans crave: crunchy downtuned riffs, wailing solos, beat breaks, and John Tardy's snarling scream. It can be a welcomed refreshment when such a heavy band doesn't take themselves too seriously, as displayed in their last few fun animated music video singles, such as 10,000 Ways To Die.
https://youtu.be/tEznVpX4MBE
16: In This Moment -- Ritual
I'll be blunt, I’ve loved and then loathed this band more than a couple of times to the point where I’ve now almost become grumpy with their existence and pessimistic with each of their releases. This very much was the case when I first heard Ritual, even remarking to a few friends how typical and forgetful the album was. But then in future listens to the record I realized they are now what they’ve always probably meant to become, and the music will either suit me agreeably or simply summon my scoff with its transparency and silliness. I detested the Phil Collins cover of In The Air Tonight (how dare they), but then really enjoyed Joan of Arc - which very much reminded me of the sound they had many years back when I first noticed them. Witching Hour is a wonderful work of a song which I incorrectly and quickly dismissed on first listen. The collaboration with the Judas Priest himself, Rob Halford, failed to affect me in any way other than indifference, but Roots might actually be one of my top five In This Moment songs. How can an album be so sporadically up and down for my tastes? I guess that’s become the good and bad pills I’ll have to swallow when listening to this band’s albums in the future and perhaps that’s my just medicine for my judgments.
https://youtu.be/zfTz83yQ8hU
15: Enslaved -- E
The beginning of Norwegian band Enslaved's fourteenth (yes, fourteenth, they've been around since 1991) studio album is the epic and equally entrancing Storm Son, which begins like a soft dream and ends like waking up from a nightmare, with a healthy runtime of just under eleven minutes. Listening to an Enslaved album can be equal parts exhilarating and exhausting because of the lengthy trip you'll take, but in their maturity they're showing how comfortable they've grown into their cold and soaked clothes. Song Sacred Horse begins with a few seconds of birds chirping and soft singing until out of nowhere you're hit over the head with heaviness, almost in the form of Opeth. I couldn't help but feel fantastically flustered with the album's end, a cover of fellow Norwegian dance pop group Röyksopp's What Else Is There? Altogether, a lot of marvelous Metal moments in E, and the veterans deserve all the acclaim and credit they're receiving because of it.
https://youtu.be/a-OD2p0LYpc
14: While She Sleeps -- You Are Us
This release from British metalcore band While She Sleeps flew under my radar for longer than it should have, seeing as it was crowd funded and then released in May of 2017. If you find yourself at all a fan of fellow Sheffield, England band Bring Me The Horizon — and I very much am — then I strongly suggest a listen to While She Sleeps and this record, You Are Us. The production is top notch, vocalist Lawrence Taylor has an equally exciting scream and singing voice, and any fan of this particular genre of metal will be as pleased as a pig in a punch bowl with the tempo changes, infectious choruses, and riveting riffage. The excellence of lyrics like, “Did you sell your soul to the headlines?” echoes perfectly when remembering the fire that the first listen of Steal The Sun stoked in me. For my two cents, the album hit its high note on Silence Speaks featuring friend Oli Sykes of BMTH — a tremendously developing track that I must’ve listened to fifty times by now.
13: Code Orange — Forever
The first three tracks of this second album from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania’s Code Orange somewhat lull you into believing this will be just another angry as hell, angst-filled metalcore album by the numbers. And sure, that would be all well and fine — especially considering they’re signed to Jacob
Bannon’s (front man of Converge) record label, Deathwish — but I felt like it’s after those beginning three tracks that the album really finds its footing and gains its momentum. Bleeding In The Blur has almost a punk film soundtrack feel (Code Orange started out as a punk band, in fact) and the remainder of the record including No One Is Untouchable is at both times heavy as an anvil dropped on your feet and as crunchy as a bowl of shredded balsa wood. Hurt Goes On somehow feels harder with hardly any noticeable guitar minus the chorus riff, and Ugly was the apex of the album for me: “Live like a loser, die like a king!!” Great stuff for all of the grimy, gindcore loving gremlins.
12: Elder — Reflections of A Floating World
Somewhere between The Sword and perhaps Porcupine Tree lies the energy of Elder. Reflections of A Floating World is the band at their most progressive and imaginative, for sure. Composed of six equally excellent songs, running the album length to a hair over an hour. Blind is an immersive thirteen minute Mastodon-esque ode and might be my favorite selection from the album. This record practically beckons the listener to light up a joint (or ten of them) and lay back and sonically wade through works of wonderful doom metal and traverse the space and time therein.
11: Electric Wizard -- Wizard Bloody Wizard
I've read the words "rote," "perfunctory," and "underachieving" used to describe the Wizard's newest outing, but in those same reviews you can bet the reviewer also castigated the band for not creating another Dopethrone (the band's magnum opus). For me, I don't feel like Electric Wizard wants or even needs to live up to any of their past records, they just want to make heavy, dark doom - and that's exactly what you'll get on their ninth release, Wizard Bloody Wizard. I'll admit, the single and album opener See You In Hell does get a tad on the tedious and tiresome side, but it's just the top piece of bread in this satanic sandwich of song selections. Maybe I'm too easy to please, but you can bet I'm banging my head to the riffs of Necromania and Wicked Caresses, enjoying this awesome album offering from a band I will always adore.
10: Marilyn Manson — Heaven Upside Down
"So fuck your Bible and your Babylon," Marilyn Manson spits to begin the skipping riff of Tattooed In Reverse, the second song on his tenth album which was to be somewhat cleverly named Say10, but then changed to Heaven Upside Down for whatever creative reasoning. I read that the title change was because of the last minute creative importance of the added three songs which end the record, and even if I hadn't known that tidbit I would've felt and recognized the difference in the album's flow towards its finish. While I do enjoy all of these songs to varying levels, I felt the record hit its stride on what would technically be the hump or the middle, with the three song trilogy of KILL4ME, Saturnalia, and Je$u$ Cri$i$. All considered, an awesome album with interesting bumps and bruises around its energetic epidermis.
9: Converge -- The Dusk In Us
Once I heard word that the Boston battalion, Converge, were set to drop their first album in five years, I was practically foaming at the mouth with anticipation. The Dusk In Us is a beautiful and bludgeoning bash to the brainstem. From the outstanding opening of A Single Tear to singles Under Duress and I Can Tell You About Pain, you relish a group that can do what these dudes do. The title track had me taken back in its slow and building momentum, and I feel like even the most casual listener of Metal would enjoy it. "Survival can be such a cruel, cruel curse!!" Frontman Jacob Bannon shrieks on Wildlife, yet this release is anything but cruel.
8: Pallbearer -- Heartless
Marching onward to this year's March release of Pallbearer's Heartless, but yet this album might have the most heart and emotion of all three of their full-length releases. This is still the sludgy, riff-filled, classic doom metal that listeners have come to value from this mini Arkansas army of arbitrament, however, it's produced perfectly and shows maturity and development that at times stunned me. The eight minute escapade of Lie of Survival brings out Brett Campbell's beautiful singing alongside winding wails of crushing guitar notes and harmonizing something truly wonderful. Pallbearer produced my casket with their last album, Foundations of Burden, but Heartless placed me inside of it.
7: Kreator -- Gods of Violence
Good God, the Germans are back! The treasured and most tremendous European thrash metal band struck back again this year with Gods of Violence, and what can I say? They've been doing this since the early 80's with absolutely no sign of slowing or stagnation. From the album intro marching and drums of Apocalypticon, to the clean and soft guitar tone beginning of album ender Death Becomes My Light, Gods of Violence leaves absolutely nothing more to be desired except perhaps a nap afterwards. Album single Satan Is Real is a perfectly placed fist to the ribs, and god, these riffs are crisp!
6: Iced Earth -- Incorruptible
Some of the best bread and butter, classic American metal has been coming from Florida's Iced Earth since the late 80's, albeit often under the radar of casual Rock/Metal fans and listeners. I haven't yet decided if Incorruptible is my favorite Iced Earth record to date but I'll be damned if this band doesn't get better with age. Raven Wing begins with a beautiful and beguiling acoustic intro only to have ferocious fire and finger fretting added to it until it hits the song's apex in form of a quick and frenetic bridge and ending riff. Incorruptible continues incredibly with the next track in a similar manner, The Veil: "My one and only, you won't be lonely when it's over," vocalist Stu Block stupendously serenades over crushing guitar and rhythm section. But it is on track Brothers where Iced Earth unearths what is very likely my favorite song they've ever crafted. Incredible song, incredible record, incredible band.
5: Zeal And Ardor -- Devil Is Fine
"Burn the young boy, burn him good" Manuel Gagneux hauntingly chants on In Ashes, the second song on the spectacular and spooky Devil Is Fine. If I was to give one album off of this best of 2017 list to a random person who couldn't care less about Metal for the sole purpose of astonishing them, it would be this. Devil Is Fine is a wild mix of Black Metal, electronic, and African American fusion that sounds like the souls of slaves released with instruments and anger to wreak revenge. Practically a one man band fronted by the Swiss Gagneux, this freshmen effort has had the Metal community abuzz since it's release way back to the end of February and it's easy to understand why. As unique as it is important and incredible.
4: Trivium -- The Sin And The Sentence
The sky is the limit for Matt Heafy's Trivium as they terrifically traverse the terrain of Progressive and Speed Metal. If this band hasn't become familiar to you yet you need only but give it little time before you're acclimated with their amazing sound. Every track a special spectacle of shredding from the title track album-opener, to the outstanding bombardment of Beyond Oblivion, to the single Heart From Your Hate, and so forth and so on. Very little is needed to be said for an album, and more so a band, that isn't already expressed through it's monumental music and mammoth status.
#3: Mutoid Man -- War Moans
Confession: I've listened to no band's material more this year than Mutoid Man and I still find myself needing more and not getting enough of them. Partial blame (and shame) for this fact being that I had not yet been aware of the wonders of this tremendous trio, consisting of guitarist/vocalist Stephen Brodsky of band Cave In, and dominating drummer Ben Koller of Converge fame (making this his second appearance on my favorite of 2017 list). From the punk pounce of opener Melt Your Mind, to excellently heart breaking ode and album ender Bandages, this is something special and otherworldly. Sprinkle in Kiss of Death, Date With The Devil, Irons In The Fire, etc,
and you have a feature that's equally fun, frantic and fantastic. I was mentally and audibly infected with the chorus of Headrush: "Flipped upside down, flipped upside down for your looove," for longer than I'd care to mention. Bravo, boys.
#2: Mastodon -- Emperor of Sand
Even all the way back at the end of March and immediately upon my first listen, I simply knew the mighty Mastodon was to have the best album of the year. It was to be, it should've been. More on that in a minute...
Make no mistake, this is a future Hall of Fame band and this will be known as one of the records that broke them into widespread Metal mass appeal, and perhaps nothing is more deserved for these four phenomenal musicians. From the opening chimes of Sultan's Curse with tenacious Troy Sanders belting out "Tired and lost, no one to trust - who is there to give the push?" any and every Mastofan automatically knows they're in for yet another remarkable ride. Brann Dailor with his furious fills, showcasing why he's widely regarded as one of the greatest drummers alive, and Brent Hinds' masterwork up and down the fretboard is the atomic bomb of awesome that has been as colossal since their breath of life with 2002's Remission. It's such a gift to be alive to listen to this musical journey these four men are taking, and frankly, fuck any Metal-head snob quick to belittle and demerit the band for any popularity they might gain or musical maturity they might move to. Period.
#1: Cloak -- To Venomous Depths
Awestruck, dumbfounded, flabbergasted; quite literally none of these adjectives perfectly describes my immediate reaction to at least the first ten listens of the first album from Atlanta, Georgia's Cloak. If you were to try and tell me I would place an unknown band's freshman feature above one of my top ten favorite band's veteran yet excellent efforts, I would suggest you ease back on the booze or drugs or just do more of both. Truth is, I could have all the page space in the world to describe to you why this nine song LP eclipsed and prevailed over any and everything musical this year for me, but it wouldn't make a lickety split of difference as much as you listening to it yourself might. Goliath guitar work, long intros with even longer and winding yet explosive evolutions, dark and doomy subject matter and vocals, and the omnipresent overall brooding mood of a brutal song until it's captivating climax? This is everything I adore about Metal, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Ending interlude Passage leads hauntingly into the captivating closer Deep Red. To Venomous Depths is the musical equivalent of a coven of cursed witches escaping a flaming crypt, and that's that.
Thanks for reading, folks. Happy holidays and a nice New Year to you.
-Castle
