illuminatus917's Year in Review: 2011

[MPF]

A pretty cool list so far. Kinda disappointed to see Mastodon so far down in the list, but you have Omega Massif in it, so you win!

[hb420]

Originally Posted by illuminatus917

#37 Negative Plane - Stained Glass Revelations

There've been a lot of comparisons between this album and Deathspell Omega's Paracletus. Frankly, I liked Paracletus more. Folks have told of how genre defying these bands are, and how their reactions were basically "this is unlike anything I've ever heard before." My reaction wasn't like that. I do think Paracletus was more groundbreaking as far as innovation goes, but I don't consider either mind-blowingly ingenious. There are a lot of bands of this type bringing a new edge to black metal. Mare Cognitum's new album, The Sea Which Has Become Known, for instance, might be of interest to those who enjoy these albums. And I only mention that album because I've seen no talk about it. Nevertheless, Stained Glass Revelations is a great album. It has a very architecturally oppressive sound to it. Dark, twisted, oppressive, dense, brutal, harsh... all these accurately describe the sound that is Stained Glass Revelations. I don't think it's as awesome as their debut, but it's still awesome, just in a completely different way. There's very little in the way of catchiness or hooky riffs, but memorable leads pop up here and there, and song transitions, and some of the most intense atmosphere of any black metal out there. All these things definitely make up for the lack of catchiness.

I love this album, great USBM. I just checked this out though and holy shit is it awsome. Halfway through the first track

[illuminatus917]

Originally Posted by MPF

A pretty cool list so far. Kinda disappointed to see Mastodon so far down in the list, but you have Omega Massif in it, so you win!

It earned its low spot because I didn't find it to be a particularly emotional or "mature" sounding album. I just can't get past its sounding rudimentary. Song lengths don't help either. Without the highlighted tracks, it probably wouldn't even have made the list.

Originally Posted by hb420

I love this album, great USBM. I just checked this out though and holy shit is it awsome. Halfway through the first track

Yeah, that Mare Cognitum album was really something. I lump it in with Paracletus and Stained Glass Revelations because it's kind of like avant-garde black metal. Not the hipster/post/shoegazish kind... but the extreme kind. It's hard to pinpoint what you're listening to because it incorporates things you just don't know how to describe, things that aren't necessarily prominent but you know they're there. Plus the coalescence of BM with sci-fi themes instead of satanism is a nice change of scenery.

[hb420]

Originally Posted by illuminatus917

Yeah, that Mare Cognitum album was really something. I lump it in with Paracletus and Stained Glass Revelations because it's kind of like avant-garde black metal. Not the hipster/post/shoegazish kind... but the extreme kind. It's hard to pinpoint what you're listening to because it incorporates things you just don't know how to describe, things that aren't necessarily prominent but you know they're there. Plus the coalescence of BM with sci-fi themes instead of satanism is a nice change of scenery.

That's what makes those albums so awesome man, extreme avant-garde bm at its finest. One of my many dreams would be to actually see a band like Deathspell take the stage. They would completely destroy don't you think?

[illuminatus917]

Originally Posted by hb420

That's what makes those albums so awesome man, extreme avant-garde bm at its finest. One of my many dreams would be to actually see a band like Deathspell take the stage. They would completely destroy don't you think?

Of those, Deathspell would definitely be the one to see. Even though I really like Negative Plane's first album.

[Seventhzealot]

A bit disappointed to see that Tombs album so low too..but fairplay for atleast putting it on there.

[Rocco44]

Haven't heard most of the albums on your list so far (besides Sylosis, Moonlit Sailor, sleepmakeswaves, Mastodon, and Tombs) but many of them are bands high on my list to check out. And we seem to have similar taste so I'm looking forward to the rest of your list.

[Natrlhi]

Originally Posted by illuminatus917

#39 Black Tusk - Set the Dial

Black Tusk's sludge metal is much more uptempo, to the point that sometimes it sounds like borderline punk with its often ferocious pace. The vocals don't help either, but the instruments themselves are definitely sludge, not punk. Black Tusk is far more one-dimensional than, say, Giant Squid, but what they do they do well. This album is really tightly packed and focuses on its thesis without getting experimental. There are some great riffs, and the album as a whole is fairly technical (which is fairly natural and commonplace with faster music), but unlike a lot of bands that do the technical thing, it doesn't subtract from this record at all. The standout track is probably "Resistor." No vocals on this track, and some real groovy guitar parts. But most of the songs have some real groovy guitar parts, I just wish more of them had no vocals.

Decent assessment. I want to like this album more, but I just can't. It has some great moments, but that's really about it.

Originally Posted by illuminatus917

#38 Tombs - Path of Totality

I really feel this album might be the most overrated album of the year. The amount of hype its received is astounding:
http://www.npr.org/blogs/allsongs/20...albums-of-2011 (NPR)
http://stereogum.com/892061/decibels...-of-2011/list/ (Decibel)
http://pitchfork.com/features/show-n...lbums-of-2011/ (Pitchfork)

It's a good album, no doubt about it. But when I listen to it there's nothing that warrants its being a top 5 release. Or a top 25 release, for that matter. That's not to say it won't grow on me though. This record basically takes the sound from Winter Hours, refines it, constructs a balance between cleanness and chaos, and the result takes the listener to a dark, hazy, uncertain place. What's interesting is that, unlike Winter Hours which had far less discernible riffs, the riffs here are discernible, though chaotic, yet the whole album somehow maintains an incredibly clean feeling despite its chaos. The chaos is on a noise level, not a structural level. I think the vocals are fantastic. As is the atmosphere of the whole thing. One thing's for sure, this is some of the most abrasive sludge I've ever heard.

Good insight here. Unless I hear something I haven't before when I give it a few more spins, I'm afraid I'm going to have to agree with you on this one.

Originally Posted by illuminatus917

#36 Moonlit Sailor - Colors in Stereo

Here's one of the few happy, upbeat, lifting records on this list. Ranking the best post-rock records of the year alone was extremely challenging, and somehow it feels wrong putting this one so low on the list, especially considering higher ranked post-rock albums/EP's have far less quality material than the brilliant 42 minutes that is Colors in Stereo. Nevertheless, this was a top 6 post-rock release. Signatures of this band: engaging rhythms, beautiful melodies, rich, vibrant, tightly constructed, momentous, and layered. All these things combined produce that grandiose sound that's Moonlit Sailor's unmistakable trademark. They're the best post-rock band doing this style of post-rock. I didn't think so at first, but after a few more listens, this record is better than So Close to Life.
HIGHLIGHTS: "Kodak Moment," "Freeze Frame Vision," "Weekday Escape," "Clarity"

Love this band / album.

[illuminatus917]

Originally Posted by Natrlhi

Good insight here.

What I really want to know is what is it about this album that warrants the reception it's received.

EDIT: List to proceed after exams are finished.

[mankvill]

That Negative Plane album is weird, but cool.