On this year a lots of excellent metal albums invaded our ears once again and it’s time to name the greatest achievements of 2021. Indeed this year is remarkable for metal music albums because a plenty of excellent, engrossing, spectacular, rich albums released. Basically I’ve focused on critical acclaim, creative progression, originality, songwriting prowess, technical achievements and many more dynamics. Well, here is my top listed releases of this year.
1. Thy Darkened Shade / Amestigon / Shaarimoth / Inconcessus Lux Lucis - SamaeLilith: A Conjunction of the Fireborn
A new mammoth orthodox international black metal undertaking in the form of a four-way split album "SamaeLilith: A Conjunction of the Fireborn'' displays elements of polished complexity and abrasive twists and turns with this rather original brand of twisted black metal upheaval. The work for this unholy union consists of Thy Darkened Shade, Amestigon, Inconcessus Lux Lucis, Shaarimoth. This is unyielding and timeless fervour. This is a strong, obscure, esoteric, classic black metal split. Appreciate their arcane rites, ritual, and arcane magic. This is a ceremonies drenched in the madness, flaying the layers of reality and self to unearth despicable truths. This split successfully fused contemporary extreme metal with its incisive melodies, with a cavernous mid-90s harshness played out through deeply satanic washes of vehemence. The energy and intensity of the band members individually are also quite noteworthy, as is the nearly complete absence of purity and light that they have snuffed out with all the dark forces of the underworld.
2. Blackdeath - Also sprach das Chaos
St. Petersburg based Russian orthodox, infernal black metal outfit Blackdeath have seamlessly adopted a nuanced sound that almost straddles borders at many junctures. Their latest full-length release "Also sprach das Chaos" surpasses the usual stereotypes and presents something enjoyable, chaotic and decidedly well-presented and savages the senses with its raw and rapacious malevolence with an unavoidable feeling that it is a long-overdue violation. They have always executed with the utmost confidence but never with overt creativity that made them truly rise above their black metal compatriots. Plenty vivid lead guitars to reinforce that uneasy and ominous mood. Everything they strove to accomplish with this album was unequivocally achieved, and the extra dose of heaviness fleshed out by a punishingly passionate performance really keeps this album fresh even after multiple play-through and no glaringly weak moments found anywhere on this hike through the lightless catacombs of Satan's abode. These guys are somehow more vicious on the record, blazing forward with the rage of the bear and the fire of a thousand suns.
3. Clandestine Blaze - Secrets of Laceration
The entities that reside in the depths of the abyss outstrip the heavenly host in variety, if not in devotees. Finnish black metal abusers Clandestine Blaze 's which is another project by Mikko Aspa off Deathspell Omega initially forceful and ultimately complex, blast beats, gravely riffs, extremely raucous and abrasive sound, constant aural disharmony. Clandestine Blaze is indeed one of the most consistently exciting and forward-thinking acts in the modern black metal landscape."Tranquility of Death" combines the angular and rabid technicality with the experimental tinges of their previous offering and redirects the image of black metal through a dervish funhouse as well boasts some of the most dizzying, Avant-garde tinged black metal and every single song is meticulously crafted and shows an incredible sense of tension, flow, and technical acumen.
4. Ofermod - Mysterium Iniquitatis
Rooted firmly in the second wave of black metal’s sonic aesthetic, Sweden based band Ofermod(Official) added another one chapter to the genre’s storied history unleashing their latest effort of this year "Mysterium Iniquitatis" is strong even compared to the true elite of the black metal cult despite the shift from fast and furious to slow and vicious. The infernal ferociousness of black metal resonate just as determinedly today. This sounding excellent, raw, it is underground and has a very cool atmosphere as well. This is cryptic black metal, featuring a varied display of swirling chaos and brooding melodies along with ferocious riffs, pummeling, thundering drumming, a monstrous vocal. I bow my head once more with respect to the never-ending stream of evil Swedish blood. Overall it's bleakly atmospheric and brutally cold, destruction, desolation, melodic, malicious, and brimming in black metal majesty. The veil is drawn slowly back and the ceremonial depths of the album emerge.
5. Funeral Mist - Deiform
Stockholm, Sweden based enigmatic black metal band Funeral Mist's latest opus "Deiform" is a barrage of blast beats, snarled vocals with usual sinister and somewhat religious context even a steady display of riffs and tremolo picking punch through the listener's senses. In totality, the straightforward of musical, as well as ideological, intensity, might serve to make listeners ears run forth with fountains of blood but for those willing to let some decently crafted straightforward black metal grow on to them, these are fertile grounds for annihilation. Pure Holocaust black metal from the depths of Sweden.
6. Inferno - Paradeigma (Phosphenes of Aphotic Eternity)
Czech Republic's purveyors of ritual whispering, invocation, wrath Inferno rooted firmly in the black metal’s sonic aesthetic, added another one chapter to the genre’s storied history unleashing their latest ritual "PARADEIGMA (Phosphenes of Aphotic Eternity)" on this year. This is cryptic black metal, featuring a varied display of swirling chaos and brooding melodies along with ferocious riffs, pummeling, thundering drumming along with more unearthly, astounding, critical acclaimed, heavy, claustrophobic misery, enigmatic melodies. This is the best exemplifies the band’s capacity as composers of black metal par excellence.
7. Lvcifyre - The Broken Seal
It’s quite refreshing to hear blackened death metal bands with an approach as robust. United Kingdom 's enigmatic blackened death metal terror unit LVCIFYRE sophomore full-length studio effort "Svn Eater" is some quality, furious and utterly dynamic darkened material. LVCIFYRE has crafted a work that almost seems an affront to anything that is blackened death metal du jour and assembled an asphyxiating beast that doesn’t force you to pick a side but rather, revels in the darkness of their creation with layered distortion and simultaneous countermelodies. The vocals too are bestial, deep growls that threaten with eloquence. Absolutely violent experience. it’s the absolutely choking atmosphere created as a result of their particular marriage of the two styles that really sank its hooks in my crusty brain.
8. Cultum Interitum - Veneration of the New Dawn
Polish cacophonous, distant and rumbling Cultum Interitum's sophomore release of this year "Veneration of the New Dawn" punishing release adorned with some of the thickest, murkiest, most opaque production ever bestowed upon a black/death metal record. This is dissonant, nightmarish and ominous. The impenetrable nature of this record is almost perverse. Cultum Interitum has used their time to become even more bestial and primitive. Easily transitioning between ferocity and more enchanting, evil-sounding passages. Clearly, it demonstrates this facet to such a wholly unyielding degree of worship as to make its own output nearly unimportant by comparison. Black/death psalms merged with haunted notes call up from the depths lending a funereal austerity to the death march. They invoke the savage torments of this most atavistic of black/death metal expressions.
9. Beyond Man - Beyond Man
Norwegian black metal supergroup Beyond Man shared their musical and ideological goals through their self titled debut album on this year. This record has an unspeakably unsettling quality to it, it's inflections quickly turning feverish and nightmarish in its own claustrophobic way. Vocals inhuman and growls give terrifying voice to the demented personality at the heart of this record. This is one of the most manic and unnerving black metal pieces. This savages the senses with its raw and rapacious malevolence with an unavoidable feeling that it is a long-overdue violation. This leaving the genre’s boundaries safe from rupturing into new pastures but with a causticity and vitriol which ignites the senses and provides a healthy level of satisfaction.
10. Ifrinn - Caledonian Black Magick
Scotland based anonymous, mysterious entity Ifrinn does not believe in identities by removing faces, names, and egos from a project. Their debut EP off this year "Caledonian Black Magick" continuing their organic, raw atavistic intensity and with the brief introductory. The music is the kind of black metal that burns like a flaming sword and yet casts an aura of pitch-black darkness which may seem like a contradiction in terms. Ifrinn plays a style of occult black metal that is very sinister, aggressive, dark and their lyrics consist of Occultism, Sorcery, Black Magick, Left Hand Path, Death, Darkness and Transmigration themes. With so much mystery shrouding the individuals behind the sound, we are left with a definitive curiosity once the final note has drawn to a close.
11. Yoth Iria - As the Flame Withers
Hellenic extreme music and black metal veterans (Consists of Rotting Christ, Necromantia founder member) debut band Yoth Iria's debut release of this year "As The Flame Withers" rekindle my love for the Hellenic Black metal. This release showing a band still at the top of their creative powers. With this new release, they continue the glory of originators of the Hellenic scene with a steady lineup and a well-honed delivery. The Greek metal icons musically revisit their exciting legacy and even contribute a brand new album to connect their past with the present.
12. 13th Moon - Putridarium
Spanish cacophonous, distant and rumbling 13th Moon's latest EP of this year "Putridarium" punishing release adorned with some of the thickest, murkiest, most opaque production ever bestowed upon a black/death metal record. This is dissonant, nightmarish and ominous. The impenetrable nature of this record is almost perverse. 13th Moon has used their time to become even more bestial and primitive. Necromantic magick takes it's course with black/death psalms merged with doom-laden passages. Occasionally what could either be glittering cleanly plucked guitar chords or haunted notes call up from the depths lending a funereal austerity to the death march. They invoke the savage torments of this most atavistic of black/death metal expressions.
13. Ride for Revenge - Feed the Infamy
Finnish black metallers Ride For Revenge ’s uncanny and welcome ability to consistently conjure some the most demented, unique and twisted black metal known to man was underlined indelibly by their last full-length, 'Sinking the Song", which is yet another exhibition of their trademark noisy, mid-paced, utterly off the wall, drum and bass, heavy psychedelic psychosis. The music of the band wants to torture the listener by putting him into a dark and dirty environment with no exit. The entire album is playing with the psychology of the listener mainly through the absolutely dark atmosphere that it creates and the through the slow and threatening riffs. The pace is torturing slow with rare violent outbursts.
14. Whoredom Rife - Winds of Wrath
Maturity and Profundity is a polarizing qualifier in the black metal community. While you can't deny that this new direction for Whoredom Rife will bring in more mass appeal, it's certainly a breath of fresh air in their formula. Filthy child of black metal Norwegian duo Whoredom Rife's latest ritual "Winds of Wrath" stand together as an indestructible monument, dripping with claret and occult glorification. This is extremely good, ferocious, a vicious sound of it, throat-cutting riffs as well as that evil, satanic which this music is soaked with. Regardless of how it hit you, there’s no denying that it was different. The riffs work is voracious, the vocals are harsh and sharp, and the mood hums and crackles as it prepares to blow. This Norwegian group have amassed a remarkable discography featuring some of the finest contemporary black metal ever canonized within this diabolical sub-genre.
15. Spectral Wound - A Diabolic Thirst
Montreal based Canadian black metal group Spectral Wound has seamlessly adopted a nuanced sound that almost straddles borders with power at many junctures. They have always executed with the utmost confidence but never with overt creativity that made them truly rise above their black metal compatriots. Spectral Wound have returned with the invigorated energy and even more skill than ever with their latest studio effort "A Diabolic Thirst". They unrelentingly continue with their very own signature, one of intense and enraged despair to create primitive, aggressive, violent, misanthropic black metal where decadence and decay have their own special place. Vocals from start to end with no glaringly weak moments found anywhere on this hike through the lightless catacombs. Definitely, it'll scramble your trusty scythe to cut through it.
16. Cultes des Ghoules - Deeds Without A Name
Polish extreme, atmospheric, frightening and evil black metal weirdos Cultes Des Ghoules latest EP of this year "Deeds Without a Name" is essentially a demonic theatrical play as well the unholy initiation ceremony itself. This is full of frightening ambiance, worship, and freezing atmosphere with some quality, furious and utterly dynamic darkened material. Cultes Des Ghoules has crafted a work that almost seems an affront to anything that is black metal du jour and assembled an asphyxiating beast that doesn’t force you to pick a side but rather, revels in the darkness of their creation with layered distortion and simultaneous countermelodies. This is a surprisingly spacious EP of furious cold endeavor, full of music that wants to drag you in with its malevolent allure before closing in on you and pulling you under along with multi-limbed daemonic entity.
17. Cadaveric Fumes - Echoing Chambers of Soul
Careening from the horror, morbidity and crashing into earholes Rennes, Brittany based French death dealers Cadaveric Fumes observed the state of death metal from their listening probes embedded in our lower atmosphere. This is endless darkness, desolation, intriguing mystery and suffocating atmosphere simply for that elusive, otherworldly aura which is instantly recognizable though nearly impossible to describe. Their latest offering of this year "Echoing Chambers of Soul" is an exceptional album full of memorable moments, top-notch songwriting and oppressive atmosphere and have an acute understanding of the intangibles of music and how to evoke them, which couldn’t be reflected more vividly than in their artistry itself.
18. Mānbryne - Heilsweg: O udręce ciała i tułaczce duszy
Mānbryne, a phenomenal addition to the Black Metal roster. This band consist with the supreme masters of the Polish extreme metal members off Blaze of Perdition and Odraza. Their latest effort "Heilsweg: O udręce ciała i tułaczce duszy" is the band’s most refined and comprehensive distillation of the blackened essence yet combining atmosphere, melody, harsh aggression and avant-garde sophistication into 42 minutes of supreme blackened art. They truly manages to mix trauma with fear, anger, embodying the grimmest atmospheres that we could ever experience.
19. The Stone - Kosturnice
The Stone is simply supreme masters of the Serbian extreme metal and their latest studio effort of this year is one of the most heavier and more aggressive. "Kosturnice" is the band’s most refined and comprehensive distillation of the blackened essence yet combining atmosphere, melody, harsh aggression and avant-garde sophistication of supreme blackened art. This ritual is a layered and multifaceted slab of blackness, one that is rich in emotive material and affecting moments and emanates passion, suffocating darkness and death.
20. Archgoat - Worship the Eternal Darkness
Finnish Orthodox, uncompromising, primitive, bestial blackened death metal quartet Archgoat Official's latest opus "Worship the Eternal Darkness" is primal, savage and black as pitch. "Worship the Eternal Darkness" is a hearkening back to the days of old bestial and perverted black metal that fiercely avoids any semblance of a trend. Paraphrasing the band the black crusade continues against the religion of the weak.
So, that's it from my end. Though there are still numerous bands unleashed their albums on this year but I always prefer such albums which all consist of chaotic whirling black metal riffing, Putrid, Devilish, Occult and true primitive feelings of grandiosity. Hope you've enjoyed the list. Cheers.
Published by : Souvik Basu
Published on: 23-12-2021
