Posts Tagged ‘sludge’
Yob’s Atma: Album of 2011 According To Roadburn Readers, Friends and Associates!
Posted on Tuesday, January 3rd, 2012
In the beginning of December 2011 we asked you, our beloved Roadburn readers, friends and associates, to list your top 10 Roadburn-worthy albums of 2011. By January 2nd we had received 160 lists. Thanks to everyone who took the time to send us their list!
This is how we compiled the rankings: the albums on each list were awarded points on a scale of one to ten, with one point for the tenth album to 10 points for the number one album. Next, the total points for each album were added up to determine the final score for the album in question. Then all we had to do was rank the albums. The number of votes cast for each album is listed in parentheses next to the overall score.
And the clear winner is: YOB with the album Atma! Congratulations, gentlemen!
Second place goes to Graveyard, Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats came in third, Mastodon came in fourth, and Blood Ceremony complete the Top 5. Have a look to find out how your faves fared in the overall rankings:
1. Yob - Atma (62)
“A band as heavy as the Sun. An album so massive that the Earth should be shaking every time someone is listening to it. Everything Mike Scheidt has done so far is crushing. Atma is no exception. A monolith!” — Stefan/Roadburn.
2.Graveyard – Hisingen Blues (44)
“It doesn’t get much more Roadburned than this: attitude without ego, riffage-o-rama, flares and hair a-flying, psychedelic style and groovy substance. An instant mood-enhancer, hence my alternate title: Hissy Fit Blues!” — Leslie/Roadburn.
3.Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats – Blood Lust (33)
“Virtually unknown at the beginning of 2011, Blood Lust, chock-full of late 60s garage-psych inspired occult rock, catapulted Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats to potential Roadburn headliners overnight. Incredible!” — Walter/Roadburn.
4.Mastodon – The Hunter (31)
“I do miss the grit, heavy-lifting, and larger excavations of their earlier work– nothing merits tossing around the word “epic” here– but what they do, and what they’ve become, is fascinating. I ended my review of Blood Mountain by jokingly referring to the guys as the new “Monsters of Rock.” They went on to play the festival of the same name the next year, but I was more talking about the ascension of a new brand of mainstream heavy metal, one that would sit beside Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, and others of their ilk. What I hadn’t expected was that, a few years later, it would make more sense to pair them with Foo Fighters, Queens of the Stone Age, and other guys not afraid to spend an entire set smiling” — Brandon Stosuy/Pitchfork.
5.Blood Ceremony – Living With The Ancients (32)
“Living With The Ancients thankfully doesn’t stray from the sonic elements that made the band’s debut so captivating and instantly recognisable. Amid a slew of stinking bearded ne’er-do-wells playing fuzzed out doomy hard rock, they still stand out from the crowd with their over-the-top washes of Hammond organ, the soaring, soulful vocals of Alia O’Brien, and most of all, the mischievous jazzy flutework, as if played by a horned satyr in some unholy bower. While their debut managed to keep these could-be gimmick elements under control, they did sometimes feel a bit heavy-handed and overbearing. Living With The Ancients displays a band fully at ease with their rock & roll weaponry, and far more dynamic” – Tom Killingbeck/ The Quietus.
6.Wolves in the Throne Room – Celestial Lineage (29)
“To me this album is the true follow up to the majestic Two Hunters, and doesn’t disappoint, it really takes the dynamics of their early work and pushes it even further. The songs ebb and flow with ambient passages weaving in-between the whirlwind of riffs, Jessika Kenney’s vocals soar through the album and provide excellent contrast to main vocals. The real strength of this is album is its ability to evoke such a clearly defined atmosphere – it entrances you and lets you lose yourself in its world, at times it feels dreamlike, the production allowing the ‘feeling’ take control over crystal clarity. Like Two Hunters it feels cohesive and realised, it’s an album that requires you to invest and listen to as whole” — Toby/Roadburn.
7.Earth - Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light: I (23)
“It might be tempting to dismiss Angels of Darkness as a showcase for one of the electric guitar’s best craftsman. Carlson’s finesse, after all, has never been better than on these five tracks. A master of tone with an ear for clarity and subtlety, he makes his rests as evocative as the notes themselves. And given the band’s recent, steady gestalt, it’s also tempting to dismiss Angels of Darkness as just another new album from the second Earth– you know, the quiet band that’s metal only by legacy and label. This isn’t a radical reinvention as much as it’s a refinement; the backing band and its leader have never been better” – Grayson Currin/Pitchfork.
8.The Wounded Kings – In The Chapel Of The Black Hand (22)
“This album marks a new chapter for the band. It is difficult to compare previous releases with the Black Chapel… for they have evolved beyond everything they could have been with the old line up. This is not so much a re-birth as a sign of absolute defiance. Detractors there may have been, but after this how can anyone question the dedication to detail, fortitude, sheer bloody mindedness to endure, and endure they have, to take their rightful place upon the throne of doom. I for one bow before them in abject servitude as should you, because they are part of a rare breed” — Pete Hamilton-Giles/The Sleeping Shaman.
9.40 Watt Sun – The Inside Room (24)
“Pat Walker returns after the demise of Warning with 40 Watt Sun and delivers an album that can only be described as heartbreakingly beautiful. Having toned down some of the ‘heaviness’ of his previous band, he’s lost none of the impact and raw emotion that made them so incredible. 40 Watt Sun’s The Inside Room is not a happy record, it’s painfully introspective and honest, but that’s where it shines, it manages to tread the fine line between melancholy and misery without ever becoming self indulgent or clichéd and creates something truly magnificent as a result” — Toby/Roadburn.
10.Orchid – Capricorn (23)
“Orchid have delivered an absolute masterpiece with Capricorn that should be seen as the benchmark for all other retro-rock bands, it is so good that you may never listen to Witchcraft, The Devils Blood, Jex Thoth and these kinds of bands ever again after you hear this. I always knew that this was going to be good but I was expecting something in the same standard as their EP, this goes way beyond my expectations and deserves every bit of a 10+/10 rating” — Ed/Doommantia.
11.Elder – Dead Roots Stirring (18)
“Speaking of shifting approaches, still-young Massachusetts trio Elder also moved away from the Sleep-centric methods of their 2008 self-titled debut on the follow-up, Dead Roots Stirring. Still based very much around the guitar work of Nick DiSalvo, Elder songs like ‘Gemini’ and the über-soloed ‘The End’ pushed an influence of European heavy psych into the band’s aesthetic, and the result was both grippingly heavy and blown of mind. As an album long delayed by mixing and business concerns, when Dead Roots Stirring finally arrived, it was a relief to hear that Elder, though they’d varied the path, were still headed in the right direction” – JJ Koczan/The Obelisk.
12.The Devil’s Blood – The Thousandfold Epicenter (21)
“Listening to the fantastic occult horror rock sounds of Holland’s very own The Devil’s Blood makes you realize that the psychedelic era (i.e. the late 1960s) was as much about Roky Erikson, Anthony LaVey and The Manson Family as it was about free love, mind-altering substances and flipped out hippies. Plus, by adding some early 70s prog-rock elements to their beautifully crafted, darkly theatrical, manifestos, The Devil’s Blood are by far the most honest and intensely Satanic of the burgeoning Occult Rock scene!” — Walter/Roadburn.
13.Altar of Plagues – Mammal (15)
“I didn’t listen to this one as much as White Tomb or the Tides EP, but I still enjoyed it a lot. Warm textured black metal with occasional experimental outbursts. Well done” — Jurgen/Roadburn.
14.White Hills – H-p1 (17)
“H-p1 could be one long song, shifting from heavy rock into washes that grow agitated and hyperactive, until they return to the titanic guitar solos that pack the album’s final 17-minute title track. They crafted this record tightly; it remains nervous and needling where similar bands’ efforts settle into jams and drones. Anyone seeking the nightmarish flipside of a Herzog soundtrack will find H-p1 a rewarding listen” – Talya Cooper/Dusted Magazine.
15.Rwake – Rest (13)
“After the thoroughly convincing gig this Arkansas band played at Roadburn 2011, I had high expectations for the follow up to Voices of Omens. This album contains all the qualities of a classic southern rock record while adding seldom seen versatility and grandeur to the music. A band at their peak” — Jurgen/Roadburn.
16.Tombs – Path of Totality (15)
“This one’s easy and obvious. This album is as heavy and convincing as it could be. These guys are as real as a heart attack. First time I saw them I was afraid to get too close to the stage. Violent, righteous, liberating” — Stefan/Roadburn.
17.Sólstafir – Svartir Sandar (13)
“Having emerged with a sound as dark as the volcanic ash spewed by their homeland’s volcanoes, Sólstafir has evolved to excel at blending atmospheric, angst-fueled post rock with their blackened heritage, underpinned by psychedelic phrasing and an eerily, hypnotic groove for a truly mind-expanding experience. Iceland’s endless white landscapes, glowering peaks, empty valleys and shrieking winds can be heard and felt through the band’s moving, sonic elements, too. Sólstafir have come a long way much in the same way that Enslaved has progressed, albeit somewhat differently, as showcased on Svartir Sandar, the emotional equivalent of the stormy North Atlantic. A must-see at Roadburn 2012″ — Walter/Roadburn.
18.Grails – Deep Politics (12)
“The flute-led ‘Corridors of Power’ shoots for twilight peyote ceremony but winds up in a suburban yoga studio; it’s salvaged a bit by its snaky guitar backdrop, but it’s the moment on Deep Politics that misses its mark. Just the same, though, it’s as easy to imagine the smoky backlight poster vibe of the mildly funky ‘Daughters of Bilitis’ or one of their sidetrips into heavier realms turning some other listener away. That’s the risk you take when you take on so much music in the course of three-quarters of an hour, I suppose. But while their pan-genre noise is certainly ambitious, the quietly virtuosic Grails only occasionally overreach. And even as they fold more sounds into the mixture, they find a place for nearly all of them. All encompassing and utterly engrossing, Deep Politics proves yet another stirring triumph from one of rock’s great unsung ensembles” – Paul Thompson/Pitchfork.
19.Hexvessel – Dawnbearer (13)
“A psychedelic, haunting, folk rock album helmed by Mat “Kvohst” McNerney known previously as a vocalist for avant blackmetal bands Dødheimsgard and Code. Recalling the vibes of like Woven Hand, Comus and Current 93 but also forging their own unique and uncanny own special atmosphere where nature, magic and the wonder of the universe are called forth in a passionate, urgent and gorgeously strange musical spell, Hexvessel will be among the highlights of Roadburn 2012″ – Walter/Roadburn.
20.Weedeater – Jason… The Dragon (13)
“I don’t know what you say to someone at this point who doesn’t like Weedeater. It just seems like a terrible way to go through life, without the madman ranting of “Dixie” Dave Collins echoing perpetually in your ears, or never having witnessed their ultra-viscous fuzz in person. Jason… the Dragon was one of the earliest landmark releases of 2011, and practically the whole year later, it retains its hold, whether it’s the stomping fury of ‘Mancoon’, the lumbering groove of ‘Long Gone’ or the surprisingly melodic ‘Homecoming’. The hard-touring, hard-hitting band did right in recording with Steve Albini to capture their live sound, and Jason… the Dragon was their strongest outing yet in terms of both songwriting and that unmistakable quality that makes Weedeater records Weedeater records” — JJ Koczan/The Obelisk.
Tags: 40 Watt Sun, altar of plagues, Angels of Darkness Demons of Light I, Atma, avant-metal, black metal, Blood Ceremony, Blood Lust, Capricorn, Celestial Lineage, Dawnbearer, Dead Roots Stirring, Deep Politics, doom, earth, Elder, Grails, Graveyard, H-p1, heavy 70's, Hexvessel, Hisingen Blues, In The Chapel Of The Black Hand, Jason... The Dragon, Living With The Ancients, Mammal, mastodon, Occult Rock, Orchid, Path Of Totality, psychedelica, Rest, Roadburn, Rwake, sludge, Solstafir, Svartir Sandar, the devil's blood, The Hunter, The Inside Room, The Thousandfold Epicenter, The Wounded Kings, Tombs, Uncle Acid, Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats, Weedeater, white hills, wolves in the throne room, yob
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Album of the day: Burning Witch – S/T (4LP + DVD)
Posted on Tuesday, January 3rd, 2012
Praise for Burning Witch‘s S/T (4LP + DVD) from San Francisco’s aQuarius Records: We’ve got just a handful of these expensive new Burning Witch 4LP/DVD boxes, they’re fancy and SUPER limited, so odds are once we sell out we won’t be able to get more. Seems likely that only super ...read more
American Aftermath: Grim Kim Kelly’s Top 10 Demos Of 2011
Posted on Wednesday, December 21st, 2011
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Black Sun Premiere New Track Via Youtube
Posted on Tuesday, December 13th, 2011
Glasgow’s tribal doomers Black Sun preview a new track Suicide Rex via YouTube which you can check out below.
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Posted on Monday, December 12th, 2011
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Posted on Sunday, December 11th, 2011
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Album of the day: Otesanek / Loss / Orthodox / Mournful Congregation – Four Burials
Posted on Thursday, December 8th, 2011
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Eyehategod: Video Footage of New Song Posted On Line
Posted on Wednesday, December 7th, 2011
Video footage of Eyehategod performing a new song, Medicinal Noose, on December 4, 2011 at Club Europa in New York City can be seen below, courtesy of Metal Injection.
Album of the day: Noothgrush – S/T (Reissue 2011)
Posted on Tuesday, November 29th, 2011
Lovingly pinched from The Sleeping Shaman: An interesting one, this; independent label Fuck Yoga have gotten their grubby mits on one of Noothgrush’s very first recordings – a self-recorded demo that was only ever released on a handful of cassettes – and are releasing it on limited edition CD and ...read more
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Posted on Monday, November 14th, 2011
Conan approach from the North West of England on a devastating, droning, charging warbeast of heaviness, to lay waste to Roadburn 2012 in a barrage of galloping crust and aching tone. Their performance at Roadburn will be their first ever show outside of the UK and Ireland. Worshipping at the ...read more
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