#convocation — Public Fediverse posts

Convocation AGO 2026

https://https-vd.ch/2026/04/07/convocation-ago-2026/

Convocation AGO 2026

https://https-vd.ch/2026/04/07/convocation-ago-2026/

Convocation AGO 2026

https://https-vd.ch/2026/04/07/convocation-ago-2026/

Convocation AGO 2026

https://https-vd.ch/2026/04/07/convocation-ago-2026/

Convocation AGO 2026

https://https-vd.ch/2026/04/07/convocation-ago-2026/

https://www.europesays.com/uk/824268/ In Ruins – We Are All to Perish Review #2026 #30 #Ahab #convocation #DeathDoom #DoomMetal #Entertainment #EyeOfSolitude #Frayle #FuneralDoom #InRuins #Mar26 #MeuseMusicRecords #music #Review #Reviews #RomanianMetal #slow #UK #UN #UnitedKingdom #WeAreAllToPerish #WoebegoneObscured

I think most people who meet me, either online or in meatspace, would not imagine I enjoy a genre like funeral doom. Yet, it is one of my favorites. Acts like Eye of Solitude, Convocation, Slow, Un, and Ahab rank among my top choices for the space, and Romania’s In Ruins caught my ear by treading a similar path. A duo established in 2021, with mastermind Urmuz previously engaged with a spectrum of black metal, grindcore, and death/doom acts, In Ruins prepared a tight 42-minute opus as their opening salvo into fundoom territory. We Are All to Perish, but will we remember the journey that In Ruins led to that final destination?

With some funeral doom records, you get catharsis in the form of a few well-placed outbursts of violence interspersed between large swaths of misery. This is the philosophy Eye of Solitude and Convocation often adopt. Other applications of the style prioritize moods and crushing sorrow delivered at a dirge, a uniformly funereal pace that hypnotizes as much as it depresses. Enter the eulogies of Slow and Un. In Ruins embraces the latter methodology, lumbering as a husk emptied of light and of will. It is a deeply affecting emotional foundation upon which to build, and In Ruins build upon it well. Riffs crush and linger, simple and thunderous, but here they are not the hero element. Melody and atmosphere take a higher rank, though they too dilute into a more simplified, pure state that maximizes potency while stripping away musical complexity. It is entrancing as only funeral doom records can be, and its smart writing boasts all of the natural components for a successful procession.

In Ruins – We Are All to Perish | MMR069 by In Ruins

A common element that distinguishes good and great funeral doom records from inferior specimens is a showstopper track. Slow famously invites comparison here with their incredible “Incendiare,” Eye of Solitude with “Act II: Where the Descent Began,” Convocation with “Atychiphobia,” Woebegone Obscured with “Drømmefald.” In Ruins achieves it with closer “Farewell,” and does so in the most deceptively simple way. By launching the track with excellent SWANA1-inspired melisma, and reinforcing those deep vocalizations later against mournful bells, In Ruins makes an indelible mark on my fundoom rotation. It’s slow and plodding through its first act, enacting yet another favorite motif: the two-chord riff (see Slow’s “Lueur” for a stellar example of this tactic). In its second, a weeping melody, isolated against droning choral synths and Frayle-esque backing siren song until the album’s dying rattle. It is breathtaking and morose in equal measure, but more than that, it inspires repeat spins for the express purpose of experiencing the excursion that led to this climax with greater anticipation and attention.

This, in turn, invigorates and contextualizes the songwriting of the preceding three tracks. At first, they go through all the right motions of a proper funeral doom experience, but without a strong sense of memorability to leave a lasting impression. But after the first spin, I noticed the clarity of “I’m Tired of Living in My Land” offered by its candid, unpretentious lyrics. I understood the emptiness and the apathy that colors “I Do Not Regret and I Do Not Shed Tears” in a monochrome, dull gray. Compositional foreshadowing felt more meaningful when “We’ll Depart This World for Ever, Surely” sets me up for “Farewell” once more. In this way, In Ruins crafted a record that requires repeat spins to fully appreciate, forging a double edged sword. On one side, each of the first three songs on their own still lacks the same power of the closer despite gaining substance with time. On the other hand, treated as a single unit, We Are All to Perish is a wholly successful and worthy entry into the pantheon of funeral doom.

As a competitor to the standout entities of the funeral field, In Ruins stake a viable claim with We Are All to Perish. To push further into that space and stand out, they’ll need to make each and every track—especially if there are as few as four, like so here—unforgettable in some meaningful way. “Farewell” is a great song, and features elements and ideas that, if capitalized on in future records, might guarantee In Ruins a wider audience and greater acclaim. Until then, rest easy knowing that while We Are All to Perish, we can at least enjoy the path that leads to the end.

Rating: Good!
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Meuse Music Records
Websites: inruins13.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/InRuins.ro
Releases Worldwide: March 13th, 2026

Show 1 footnote

1. Southwest Asian and North African. ↩

I think most people who meet me, either online or in meatspace, would not imagine I enjoy a genre like funeral doom. Yet, it is one of my favorites. Acts like Eye of Solitude, Convocation, Slow, Un, and Ahab rank among my top choices for the space, and Romania’s In Ruins caught my ear by treading a similar path. A duo established in 2021, with mastermind Urmuz previously engaged with a spectrum of black metal, grindcore, and death/doom acts, In Ruins prepared a tight 42-minute opus as their opening salvo into fundoom territory. We Are All to Perish, but will we remember the journey that In Ruins led to that final destination?

With some funeral doom records, you get catharsis in the form of a few well-placed outbursts of violence interspersed between large swaths of misery. This is the philosophy Eye of Solitude and Convocation often adopt. Other applications of the style prioritize moods and crushing sorrow delivered at a dirge, a uniformly funereal pace that hypnotizes as much as it depresses. Enter the eulogies of Slow and Un. In Ruins embraces the latter methodology, lumbering as a husk emptied of light and of will. It is a deeply affecting emotional foundation upon which to build, and In Ruins build upon it well. Riffs crush and linger, simple and thunderous, but here they are not the hero element. Melody and atmosphere take a higher rank, though they too dilute into a more simplified, pure state that maximizes potency while stripping away musical complexity. It is entrancing as only funeral doom records can be, and its smart writing boasts all of the natural components for a successful procession.

In Ruins – We Are All to Perish | MMR069 by In Ruins

A common element that distinguishes good and great funeral doom records from inferior specimens is a showstopper track. Slow famously invites comparison here with their incredible “Incendiare,” Eye of Solitude with “Act II: Where the Descent Began,” Convocation with “Atychiphobia,” Woebegone Obscured with “Drømmefald.” In Ruins achieves it with closer “Farewell,” and does so in the most deceptively simple way. By launching the track with excellent SWANA1-inspired melisma, and reinforcing those deep vocalizations later against mournful bells, In Ruins makes an indelible mark on my fundoom rotation. It’s slow and plodding through its first act, enacting yet another favorite motif: the two-chord riff (see Slow’s “Lueur” for a stellar example of this tactic). In its second, a weeping melody, isolated against droning choral synths and Frayle-esque backing siren song until the album’s dying rattle. It is breathtaking and morose in equal measure, but more than that, it inspires repeat spins for the express purpose of experiencing the excursion that led to this climax with greater anticipation and attention.

This, in turn, invigorates and contextualizes the songwriting of the preceding three tracks. At first, they go through all the right motions of a proper funeral doom experience, but without a strong sense of memorability to leave a lasting impression. But after the first spin, I noticed the clarity of “I’m Tired of Living in My Land” offered by its candid, unpretentious lyrics. I understood the emptiness and the apathy that colors “I Do Not Regret and I Do Not Shed Tears” in a monochrome, dull gray. Compositional foreshadowing felt more meaningful when “We’ll Depart This World for Ever, Surely” sets me up for “Farewell” once more. In this way, In Ruins crafted a record that requires repeat spins to fully appreciate, forging a double edged sword. On one side, each of the first three songs on their own still lacks the same power of the closer despite gaining substance with time. On the other hand, treated as a single unit, We Are All to Perish is a wholly successful and worthy entry into the pantheon of funeral doom.

As a competitor to the standout entities of the funeral field, In Ruins stake a viable claim with We Are All to Perish. To push further into that space and stand out, they’ll need to make each and every track—especially if there are as few as four, like so here—unforgettable in some meaningful way. “Farewell” is a great song, and features elements and ideas that, if capitalized on in future records, might guarantee In Ruins a wider audience and greater acclaim. Until then, rest easy knowing that while We Are All to Perish, we can at least enjoy the path that leads to the end.

Rating: Good!
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Meuse Music Records
Websites: inruins13.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/InRuins.ro
Releases Worldwide: March 13th, 2026

I think most people who meet me, either online or in meatspace, would not imagine I enjoy a genre like funeral doom. Yet, it is one of my favorites. Acts like Eye of Solitude, Convocation, Slow, Un, and Ahab rank among my top choices for the space, and Romania’s In Ruins caught my ear by treading a similar path. A duo established in 2021, with mastermind Urmuz previously engaged with a spectrum of black metal, grindcore, and death/doom acts, In Ruins prepared a tight 42-minute opus as their opening salvo into fundoom territory. We Are All to Perish, but will we remember the journey that In Ruins led to that final destination?

With some funeral doom records, you get catharsis in the form of a few well-placed outbursts of violence interspersed between large swaths of misery. This is the philosophy Eye of Solitude and Convocation often adopt. Other applications of the style prioritize moods and crushing sorrow delivered at a dirge, a uniformly funereal pace that hypnotizes as much as it depresses. Enter the eulogies of Slow and Un. In Ruins embraces the latter methodology, lumbering as a husk emptied of light and of will. It is a deeply affecting emotional foundation upon which to build, and In Ruins build upon it well. Riffs crush and linger, simple and thunderous, but here they are not the hero element. Melody and atmosphere take a higher rank, though they too dilute into a more simplified, pure state that maximizes potency while stripping away musical complexity. It is entrancing as only funeral doom records can be, and its smart writing boasts all of the natural components for a successful procession.

In Ruins – We Are All to Perish | MMR069 by In Ruins

A common element that distinguishes good and great funeral doom records from inferior specimens is a showstopper track. Slow famously invites comparison here with their incredible “Incendiare,” Eye of Solitude with “Act II: Where the Descent Began,” Convocation with “Atychiphobia,” Woebegone Obscured with “Drømmefald.” In Ruins achieves it with closer “Farewell,” and does so in the most deceptively simple way. By launching the track with excellent SWANA1-inspired melisma, and reinforcing those deep vocalizations later against mournful bells, In Ruins makes an indelible mark on my fundoom rotation. It’s slow and plodding through its first act, enacting yet another favorite motif: the two-chord riff (see Slow’s “Lueur” for a stellar example of this tactic). In its second, a weeping melody, isolated against droning choral synths and Frayle-esque backing siren song until the album’s dying rattle. It is breathtaking and morose in equal measure, but more than that, it inspires repeat spins for the express purpose of experiencing the excursion that led to this climax with greater anticipation and attention.

This, in turn, invigorates and contextualizes the songwriting of the preceding three tracks. At first, they go through all the right motions of a proper funeral doom experience, but without a strong sense of memorability to leave a lasting impression. But after the first spin, I noticed the clarity of “I’m Tired of Living in My Land” offered by its candid, unpretentious lyrics. I understood the emptiness and the apathy that colors “I Do Not Regret and I Do Not Shed Tears” in a monochrome, dull gray. Compositional foreshadowing felt more meaningful when “We’ll Depart This World for Ever, Surely” sets me up for “Farewell” once more. In this way, In Ruins crafted a record that requires repeat spins to fully appreciate, forging a double edged sword. On one side, each of the first three songs on their own still lacks the same power of the closer despite gaining substance with time. On the other hand, treated as a single unit, We Are All to Perish is a wholly successful and worthy entry into the pantheon of funeral doom.

As a competitor to the standout entities of the funeral field, In Ruins stake a viable claim with We Are All to Perish. To push further into that space and stand out, they’ll need to make each and every track—especially if there are as few as four, like so here—unforgettable in some meaningful way. “Farewell” is a great song, and features elements and ideas that, if capitalized on in future records, might guarantee In Ruins a wider audience and greater acclaim. Until then, rest easy knowing that while We Are All to Perish, we can at least enjoy the path that leads to the end.

Rating: Good!
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Meuse Music Records
Websites: inruins13.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/InRuins.ro
Releases Worldwide: March 13th, 2026

I think most people who meet me, either online or in meatspace, would not imagine I enjoy a genre like funeral doom. Yet, it is one of my favorites. Acts like Eye of Solitude, Convocation, Slow, Un, and Ahab rank among my top choices for the space, and Romania’s In Ruins caught my ear by treading a similar path. A duo established in 2021, with mastermind Urmuz previously engaged with a spectrum of black metal, grindcore, and death/doom acts, In Ruins prepared a tight 42-minute opus as their opening salvo into fundoom territory. We Are All to Perish, but will we remember the journey that In Ruins led to that final destination?

With some funeral doom records, you get catharsis in the form of a few well-placed outbursts of violence interspersed between large swaths of misery. This is the philosophy Eye of Solitude and Convocation often adopt. Other applications of the style prioritize moods and crushing sorrow delivered at a dirge, a uniformly funereal pace that hypnotizes as much as it depresses. Enter the eulogies of Slow and Un. In Ruins embraces the latter methodology, lumbering as a husk emptied of light and of will. It is a deeply affecting emotional foundation upon which to build, and In Ruins build upon it well. Riffs crush and linger, simple and thunderous, but here they are not the hero element. Melody and atmosphere take a higher rank, though they too dilute into a more simplified, pure state that maximizes potency while stripping away musical complexity. It is entrancing as only funeral doom records can be, and its smart writing boasts all of the natural components for a successful procession.

In Ruins – We Are All to Perish | MMR069 by In Ruins

A common element that distinguishes good and great funeral doom records from inferior specimens is a showstopper track. Slow famously invites comparison here with their incredible “Incendiare,” Eye of Solitude with “Act II: Where the Descent Began,” Convocation with “Atychiphobia,” Woebegone Obscured with “Drømmefald.” In Ruins achieves it with closer “Farewell,” and does so in the most deceptively simple way. By launching the track with excellent SWANA1-inspired melisma, and reinforcing those deep vocalizations later against mournful bells, In Ruins makes an indelible mark on my fundoom rotation. It’s slow and plodding through its first act, enacting yet another favorite motif: the two-chord riff (see Slow’s “Lueur” for a stellar example of this tactic). In its second, a weeping melody, isolated against droning choral synths and Frayle-esque backing siren song until the album’s dying rattle. It is breathtaking and morose in equal measure, but more than that, it inspires repeat spins for the express purpose of experiencing the excursion that led to this climax with greater anticipation and attention.

This, in turn, invigorates and contextualizes the songwriting of the preceding three tracks. At first, they go through all the right motions of a proper funeral doom experience, but without a strong sense of memorability to leave a lasting impression. But after the first spin, I noticed the clarity of “I’m Tired of Living in My Land” offered by its candid, unpretentious lyrics. I understood the emptiness and the apathy that colors “I Do Not Regret and I Do Not Shed Tears” in a monochrome, dull gray. Compositional foreshadowing felt more meaningful when “We’ll Depart This World for Ever, Surely” sets me up for “Farewell” once more. In this way, In Ruins crafted a record that requires repeat spins to fully appreciate, forging a double edged sword. On one side, each of the first three songs on their own still lacks the same power of the closer despite gaining substance with time. On the other hand, treated as a single unit, We Are All to Perish is a wholly successful and worthy entry into the pantheon of funeral doom.

As a competitor to the standout entities of the funeral field, In Ruins stake a viable claim with We Are All to Perish. To push further into that space and stand out, they’ll need to make each and every track—especially if there are as few as four, like so here—unforgettable in some meaningful way. “Farewell” is a great song, and features elements and ideas that, if capitalized on in future records, might guarantee In Ruins a wider audience and greater acclaim. Until then, rest easy knowing that while We Are All to Perish, we can at least enjoy the path that leads to the end.

Rating: Good!
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Meuse Music Records
Websites: inruins13.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/InRuins.ro
Releases Worldwide: March 13th, 2026

I think most people who meet me, either online or in meatspace, would not imagine I enjoy a genre like funeral doom. Yet, it is one of my favorites. Acts like Eye of Solitude, Convocation, Slow, Un, and Ahab rank among my top choices for the space, and Romania’s In Ruins caught my ear by treading a similar path. A duo established in 2021, with mastermind Urmuz previously engaged with a spectrum of black metal, grindcore, and death/doom acts, In Ruins prepared a tight 42-minute opus as their opening salvo into fundoom territory. We Are All to Perish, but will we remember the journey that In Ruins led to that final destination?

With some funeral doom records, you get catharsis in the form of a few well-placed outbursts of violence interspersed between large swaths of misery. This is the philosophy Eye of Solitude and Convocation often adopt. Other applications of the style prioritize moods and crushing sorrow delivered at a dirge, a uniformly funereal pace that hypnotizes as much as it depresses. Enter the eulogies of Slow and Un. In Ruins embraces the latter methodology, lumbering as a husk emptied of light and of will. It is a deeply affecting emotional foundation upon which to build, and In Ruins build upon it well. Riffs crush and linger, simple and thunderous, but here they are not the hero element. Melody and atmosphere take a higher rank, though they too dilute into a more simplified, pure state that maximizes potency while stripping away musical complexity. It is entrancing as only funeral doom records can be, and its smart writing boasts all of the natural components for a successful procession.

In Ruins – We Are All to Perish | MMR069 by In Ruins

A common element that distinguishes good and great funeral doom records from inferior specimens is a showstopper track. Slow famously invites comparison here with their incredible “Incendiare,” Eye of Solitude with “Act II: Where the Descent Began,” Convocation with “Atychiphobia,” Woebegone Obscured with “Drømmefald.” In Ruins achieves it with closer “Farewell,” and does so in the most deceptively simple way. By launching the track with excellent SWANA1-inspired melisma, and reinforcing those deep vocalizations later against mournful bells, In Ruins makes an indelible mark on my fundoom rotation. It’s slow and plodding through its first act, enacting yet another favorite motif: the two-chord riff (see Slow’s “Lueur” for a stellar example of this tactic). In its second, a weeping melody, isolated against droning choral synths and Frayle-esque backing siren song until the album’s dying rattle. It is breathtaking and morose in equal measure, but more than that, it inspires repeat spins for the express purpose of experiencing the excursion that led to this climax with greater anticipation and attention.

This, in turn, invigorates and contextualizes the songwriting of the preceding three tracks. At first, they go through all the right motions of a proper funeral doom experience, but without a strong sense of memorability to leave a lasting impression. But after the first spin, I noticed the clarity of “I’m Tired of Living in My Land” offered by its candid, unpretentious lyrics. I understood the emptiness and the apathy that colors “I Do Not Regret and I Do Not Shed Tears” in a monochrome, dull gray. Compositional foreshadowing felt more meaningful when “We’ll Depart This World for Ever, Surely” sets me up for “Farewell” once more. In this way, In Ruins crafted a record that requires repeat spins to fully appreciate, forging a double edged sword. On one side, each of the first three songs on their own still lacks the same power of the closer despite gaining substance with time. On the other hand, treated as a single unit, We Are All to Perish is a wholly successful and worthy entry into the pantheon of funeral doom.

As a competitor to the standout entities of the funeral field, In Ruins stake a viable claim with We Are All to Perish. To push further into that space and stand out, they’ll need to make each and every track—especially if there are as few as four, like so here—unforgettable in some meaningful way. “Farewell” is a great song, and features elements and ideas that, if capitalized on in future records, might guarantee In Ruins a wider audience and greater acclaim. Until then, rest easy knowing that while We Are All to Perish, we can at least enjoy the path that leads to the end.

Rating: Good!
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Meuse Music Records
Websites: inruins13.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/InRuins.ro
Releases Worldwide: March 13th, 2026

Teni answers a fan who begged for a convocation suit in a blunt reply below Read reactions and join the discussion #ValidUpdates #Teni #fanreply #convocation #celebrity #socialmedia #handouts #reaction

https://validupdates.com/2025/11/teni-replies-to-fan-asking-for-convocation-suit/

Teni answers a fan who begged for a convocation suit in a blunt reply below Read reactions and join the discussion #ValidUpdates #Teni #fanreply #convocation #celebrity #socialmedia #handouts #reaction

https://validupdates.com/2025/11/teni-replies-to-fan-asking-for-convocation-suit/

Teni answers a fan who begged for a convocation suit in a blunt reply below Read reactions and join the discussion #ValidUpdates #Teni #fanreply #convocation #celebrity #socialmedia #handouts #reaction

https://validupdates.com/2025/11/teni-replies-to-fan-asking-for-convocation-suit/

Teni answers a fan who begged for a convocation suit in a blunt reply below Read reactions and join the discussion #ValidUpdates #Teni #fanreply #convocation #celebrity #socialmedia #handouts #reaction

https://validupdates.com/2025/11/teni-replies-to-fan-asking-for-convocation-suit/

Teni answers a fan who begged for a convocation suit in a blunt reply below Read reactions and join the discussion #ValidUpdates #Teni #fanreply #convocation #celebrity #socialmedia #handouts #reaction

https://validupdates.com/2025/11/teni-replies-to-fan-asking-for-convocation-suit/

Teni replies to fan asking for convocation suit

Key Points

• Teni replied to a fan who asked for help. She used a short blunt line on social media.

• The fan said convocation was the next day without a suit. Followers shared mixed reactions to Teni’s reply across feeds.

• Teni’s past handout rules made the reply a talking point. Some readers praised her tough love and clear boundary.

Teni (Teniola Apata) replied sharply after a fan asked her for money for a convocation suit on social media.

The exchange began when the fan posted a short plea about needing a suit for a graduation the next day. The singer answered with a blunt line that quickly spread across timelines.

The fan wrote that the convocation was the next day and that they had no suit to wear. Teni’s reply used plain Pidgin speech and left little room for debate. Read our earlier report on how Teni set limits on her giving in public. Teni ends Friday cash gifts

What the exchange looked like

The fan asked followers for urgent help to buy a suit. Teni then replied with the line that many quoted on reposts. The post drew swift reaction from other users who weighed in loudly.

Teni has spoken before about when and how she gives money to fans and strangers. That past stance shaped how some readers read her reply in this case. The debate moved from tone to the larger topic of public handouts.

Why some readers defended her

Some fans said the reply showed clear limits and firm boundaries. They argued that blunt answers can teach people to plan ahead. Others said a softer line would better match a public figure’s role.

Still other users felt the reply was too cold for a fan in need. They said a short gift could change one day’s life for the asker. The thread split with both sides giving simple reasons for their views.

Teni’s public comments on giving have trended before and shaped fan talk. Her choice to change rules for giving on certain days sparked wide discussion. Social feeds often return to such short exchanges to debate public help and celebrity duty.

Teni continues to post candid clips and posts to her accounts and her fans watch closely. The convocation reply may stay in timelines as another example of her blunt online voice. Readers expect more short videos and posts from her in the weeks ahead.

#celebrity #convocation #entertainment #fanReactions #music #socialMedia #teni #validupdates

U of A to honour biology grad for breakthrough in treating cystic fibrosis

A biomedical innovator and University of Alberta graduate whose breakthrough in treating cystic fibrosis has given tens of…
#NewsBeep #News #Health #AU #Australia #convocation #cysticfibrosis #FredVanGoor #honorarydegrees #NizarSomji #trikafta #ualberta25
https://www.newsbeep.com/au/165644/

Northeastern Freshmen Welcomed at London’s O2 Convocation

LONDON — Scott Wildman, executive principal and dean of Northeastern University in London, had some words of wisdom…
#London #UnitedKingdom #UK #GB #England #Headlines #News #Europe #EU #Britain #convocation #faculty #GreatBritain #london #northeasternuniversity-london #Students
https://www.europesays.com/uk/398069/

https://www.europesays.com/uk/398069/ Northeastern Freshmen Welcomed at London’s O2 Convocation #Britain #convocation #England #faculty #GreatBritain #london #NortheasternUniversityLondon #Students #UK #UnitedKingdom

So excited about speaking at the #NCSSM #Convocation from the Morganton campus later today and sharing my thoughts about the start of this academic year!

#Convocation talks are boring 😭

« Tu sais ce qui lui est arrivé, à ma voisine ?
– Euh… non…
– On lui a sucré le #RSA, pendant trois mois. Elle n’avait que ça, pour vivre. Et pourquoi ?
– …
– Parce qu’elle n’a pas été à une convocation. Sauf que la lettre pour cette #convocation, elle ne l’a jamais reçue ! Et bien sûr c’était à elle de le prouver. Sauf que c’est impossible de prouver qu’on n’a pas reçu quelque chose qu’on n’a pas reçu ! Pendant trois mois, elle a été à la Banque alimentaire, aux #Restosducœur. Tout ça, c’est un temps où elle n’était pas disponible pour chercher un #emploi : elle était occupée à survivre. Et puis, faute de pouvoir payer le loyer, elle a été expulsée de son logement…

#Fakir #misère #pauvreté #survie #travailsocial

Alhamdulillah, My Graduation Walk from the Audience Angle. One of my brothers shoots this, which i didn't know. He told me today and sent me this memorable moment of mine.
#Graduation2024 #UEA #NewBeginnings #ProudGraduate #UniversityOfEastAnglia #norwich #norwichbusiness #convocation #unitedkingdom #england #memories
#universitylife #universitygraduation #universitystudent #Bangladesh #Bangladeshstudents

A #valedictorian's speech for #medicine #grads at #University of #Manitoba that addressed the war in #Gaza is spurring reactions beyond the #convocation hall, as some students and faculty disagree on whether the message was fit for the moment.

Dr. Gem Newman delivered the 10-minute speech during a convocation ceremony for the #MaxRadyCollege of Medicine at the university's Bannatyne campus.

https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.7209129

#StudentSpring #FutureLeaders #humanitarian #Canadian

A #valedictorian's speech for #medicine #grads at #University of #Manitoba that addressed the war in #Gaza is spurring reactions beyond the #convocation hall, as some students and faculty disagree on whether the message was fit for the moment.

Dr. Gem Newman delivered the 10-minute speech during a convocation ceremony for the #MaxRadyCollege of Medicine at the university's Bannatyne campus.

https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.7209129

#StudentSpring #FutureLeaders #humanitarian #Canadian

A #valedictorian's speech for #medicine #grads at #University of #Manitoba that addressed the war in #Gaza is spurring reactions beyond the #convocation hall, as some students and faculty disagree on whether the message was fit for the moment.

Dr. Gem Newman delivered the 10-minute speech during a convocation ceremony for the #MaxRadyCollege of Medicine at the university's Bannatyne campus.

https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.7209129

#StudentSpring #FutureLeaders #humanitarian #Canadian

A #valedictorian's speech for #medicine #grads at #University of #Manitoba that addressed the war in #Gaza is spurring reactions beyond the #convocation hall, as some students and faculty disagree on whether the message was fit for the moment.

Dr. Gem Newman delivered the 10-minute speech during a convocation ceremony for the #MaxRadyCollege of Medicine at the university's Bannatyne campus.

https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.7209129

#StudentSpring #FutureLeaders #humanitarian #Canadian

To start @Kitty's #MittwochMetalMix:

Orphean Passage: Keket

https://song.link/nfskwmr9nqdbg

#DeathMetal #DoomMetal #MeloDeath

FFO #AdNihilum #Convocation #NamelesGods

We have entered 4th Industrial Revolution: President Murmu.

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Central University Himachal is going to celebrate seventh convocation ceremony.

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Central University Himachal is going to celebrate seventh convocation ceremony.

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Central University Himachal is going to celebrate seventh convocation ceremony.

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Central University Himachal is going to celebrate seventh convocation ceremony.

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महिला अधिकारियों के देख हर्षित हो उठी राष्ट्रपति मुर्मू।

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दीक्षांत समारोह ऋषिकेश : मील का पत्थर साबित हुआ एम्स ऋषिकेश।

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One List to Debase Them All: AngryMetal Guy.com’s Aggregated Top 20 of 2023

By El Cuervo

This aggregation exercise represents my favorite article of the year. I enjoy identifying and highlighting those chosen few records worthy of additional recognition. But most of all I enjoy the sense of power derived from early access to other writers’ list data without the obligations flowing from being an editor. To my satisfaction, this list represents a diverse mix compared with certain previous years. Much ground is covered, from myriad metal sub-genres (death, black, doom, prog) to myriad tones (energetic, strange, historical, sadboi). I enjoy the variety, even if I don’t the specific choices. That said, we’re not helping our own argument against accusations that we despise all power and folk metal – with just one album from both sub-genres in the top 20 and an abundance selected by just a couple of people below this.

The most critical observation is that, compared with 2022, there are ~20% fewer unique records and voting points attributable to the top 10 albums is ~10% higher. This indicates greater alignment this year, with fewer albums chosen and stronger communal favorites. No doubt this is attributable to our loss of individuality and gradual morphing into one awful hivemind.

In a last ditch effort to save my own reputation at the cost of my colleagues, I want to emphasize that I personally had a distinct deviation from this aggregated list. As orchestrator of this article with early access to the data, I did attempt to identify why it was that some of these albums apparently had an impact on everyone else. The only conclusion I can draw following these attempts is that my faceless colleagues seek the average. They should try harder to be deliberately contrary next year; I expect that they’ll maliciously comply by picking the same 20 albums 20 times just to spite me.

–El Cuervo

#20. Crypta // Shades of Sorrow – “While Crypta is still fetid, OSDM adherents, Shades of Sorrow also amps both the black and thrash influences, resulting in a compelling sophomore effort that packs a significant, unforgettable punch” (Felagund).

#19. Onheil // In Black Ashes – “In Black Ashes is melodic black/death/speed/thrash at its finest. Onheil’s mastery of melody and songwriting elevates In Black Ashes into the stratosphere. Every track is a winner, and Onheil strikes an impossible balance between enthralling riffs and emotional heft” (Maddog).

#18. Ascension // Under the Veil of Madness – “There’s not one song on here that isn’t currently stuck in my head. Its huge choruses, hooky verses, and lightning fast shreddery have probably bonded with my DNA by this point” (Kenstrosity).

#17. Somnuri // Desiderirum – “The addition of (Soundgarden-esque) throwback radio alt-rock into their roiling pot of hardcore and progressive sludge makes Desiderium these Brooklynites’ strongest outing to date. It’s rare that an album this aggressive and energetic goes down this smooth” (Cherd).

#16. Warcrab // The Howling Silence – “Warcrab boasts fighting spirit, sharp claws, and a crustacean shell that’s fitted for turret combat. They’re obviously game for a scrap, but–as Cherd pointed out in his review–the band doesn’t have much competition in their death-sludge niche” (Ferox).

#15. Tribunal // The Weight of Remembrance – “With heavy doses of classic Candlemass and moments that recall the grim haunts of Fvneral Fvkk, Weight of Remembrance does so many things exceptionally well. There’s nothing I would change or trim on Weight of Remembrance, and if anything, I wish it was a little longer. Doom perfection” (Steel Druhm).

#14. Panopticon // The Rime of Memory – “Panopticon—particularly on more recent records—seems to have a unique ability to tug on my heartstrings and to blend the most ferocious of black metal with the most serene and evocative Appalachian folk. The Rime of Memory more than matched my lofty hopes” (Thus Spoke).

#13. Godthrymm // Distortions – “With meaty riffs, soaring leads, a fantastic rhythm section, and keyboardist Catherine Glencross’ angelic voice, this classic-doom-meets-classic-Pallbearer configuration landed my top spot as soon as I finished listening to it for the first time” (Grymm).

#12. Saturnus // The Storm Within – “The opening tracks comprise the best one-two punch of the year, while the back half of the album feels like an unraveling and stripping down. The Storm Within is a magnificently monolithic and aptly dreary return to form from Saturnus” (Dear Hollow).

#11. Night Crowned // Tales – “The intense blasting and no-holds-barred shrieking always hold a melodic thread that makes it more than a wall of noise, whether it be from extra vocal layers, subtly interweaved symphonics, or a goddamn hurdy-gurdy that works way better than it should” (GardensTale).

#10. Vanishing Kids // Miracle of Death – [#1, #2, #8, #8, #9, #HM, #HM, #HM, #HM] – Miracle of Death earns the dubious honor of winning more list mentions than the six records ahead of it, but only reaches this tenth spot due to generally low rankings. Undeterred, Steel Druhm highlights the band’s unusual combination of sounds, describing a “strange witch’s brew of genres and styles that is unique and enchanting… It’s doom, it’s goth rock, it’s 70s acid rock all wrapped into one enigmatic, ethereal burrito.” Despite the allusion to hot food, Twelve instead reckons that the album “takes me to a cold place. It’s emotional, but it feels like numbness; it’s quiet, but leaves a huge impression… any time I’ve felt low throughout the year, Vanishing Kids has been there.” This sense of something beyond easy description is mirrored by Carcharodon, who argues that the band “have that very rare something, that je ne sais quoi…. to create something truly unique requires genuine craft and these guys have it in spades.” Check out metal’s innovators.

#9. Convocation // No Dawn for the Caliginous Night – [#1, #4, #6, #7, #8, #ish, #HM, #HM] – Serving arguably the heaviest slot on this list1, Convocation and No Dawn for the Caliginous Night offered a mighty force of doom in 2023. Dear Hollow illustrates the heavier qualities of the release (“No Dawn for the Caliginous Night channels mammoth death-doom and despondent funeral doom to accomplish a weight both viciously devastating and patiently atmospheric”) while Kenstrosity instead prefers the counter-weight of both sides of the sound (“[their] deeply affecting use of orchestration and clean vocals to light up my nervous system while the heft of [their] tectonic death doom strives to end my life”). Bands like this remind us of our humanity and our finite nature; few records could be pitched as “a towering celebration of death’s enormity, packaged in the heaviest and most shimmering of vessels” but Convocation does this as Cherd‘s AotY. Step back, breathe deeply, and simply listen. No Dawn for the Caliginous Night exists in these moments.

#8. Afterbirth // In But Not Of – [#1, #1, #2, #3] – Inspiring a deep love among its few accolytes, Afterbirth reached this list through just a few list-topping selections. In But Not Of offers brutal death metal that isn’t just smart compared with its own – often blunt – sub-genre, but that is smart compared with anything. “For a band that traffics in slammy, knuckle-dragging brutal death, In But Not Of carries with it an undeniable progressive, cerebral quality, which feels like a logical outgrowth from their previous effort” (Felagund). Indeed, Doom et Al finds its progressive qualities its most compelling, describing that “while the first half of brutal, spacy, wacky death metal is great, the second half, with its explorations into post-metal and prog is where real greatness happens”. Nuanced, layered music invites exploration, and even our resident death metal enthusiasts concur: “Afterbirth crams an abundance of riches into a brutal death metal album that twists and transmutes… I continue to find surprises almost every time I revisit In But Not Of” (Ferox). This album exemplifies the power of invention and intrigue.

#7. Sermon // Of Golden Verse – [#1, #2, #4, #4, #9] – Boasting AMG.com’s prog o’ the year award, Of Golden Verse by Sermon is the sole album here also picked by yours truly. I found that “Sermon’s undulating song-writing style results in music that ebbs from steely, tense atmospheres and flows to passionate, cathartic explosions. Dramatic, sure. But exciting.” Saunders, awarding his album o’ the year, favors the record’s singularity, given that “Sermon boasts a unique sound they can call their own, where dark, eerie and deadly serious vibes and almost melodramatic flair flows through towering, intelligent, and emotive prog metal epics.” But even more than its dynamic songs and novelty, GardensTale underlines the most beguiling quality of Of Golden Verse: “What attracts me the most is the sense of threat. Sermon looms a great dark ominous wall that swallows the background and casts everything in shade. For an album to hold its breath even while beating you down is exquisite.” Few records are so powerful.

#6. Xoth // Exogalactic – [#1, #3, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #ish] – The first of three techy, deathy albums in a row, Exogalactic by Xoth consolidates the band as a bona fide site favorite. “Xoth’s brand of technical blackened death-thrash is a sci-fi spectacle. Exogalactic’s futuristic riffs, twisting melodies, and narrative arcs make it feel like reptilian aliens are indeed enslaving humans as gladiators… Every time I listen to Exogalactic, I can’t help but grin” (Maddog). More than simple smiles, Dr. Wvrm never hides his arousal around riffs. Of Exogalactic, he describes it as “prostrate before that holiest of holy, The Riff. So of course, the end product [is] impeccable, incredible, impossibly fucking good.” AMG Himself delights in “the consistently best thrashy melodic death metal this world has heard since the early-90s” and continues that “Xoth has started to cement themselves as one of my favorite bands.” This entire website has flown from His opinions so take heed; buy Xoth now.

#5. Wormhole // Almost Human – [#2, #4, #5, #5, #5, #9, #ish, #HM] – It takes a special kind of slam to breach the AMG aggregated list but Wormhole is a special sort of band. Having banged his drum about Almost Human almost all year, Kenstrosity surprisingly failed to AotY this album. But in doing so he was highly complimentary, noting that “Almost Human confirms that with the right songwriting, slam can be thoughtful, intentional, intricate, and enriching. Thanks to a healthy infusion of tech by way of tricky, but subtle maneuvers rather than straight-up wanking speed, Wormhole’s whimsically brutal metal suddenly transforms into something polished, elevated, and immersive.” Emphasizing the record’s heavier qualities, the ever-eloquent Saunders describes the release as a “visceral, ridiculously heavy, sci-fi-themed tech-slam assault.” And while we rightly review albums in their entirety rather than song-by-song, Dolphin Whisperer “repeatedly binged those first two singles as if they were a whole album to themselves.” It’s hard to deny songs so heavy but so gripping.2

#4. Carnosus // Visions of Infinihility – [#1, #2, #4, #4, #5, #7, #ish] – Visions of Infinihility offered some of 2023’s meatiest death metal. Angry Metal Guy was emphatic in His summary, penning that “the term tour de force was coined to describe albums like Visions of Infinihility. Sometimes an album simply rules and your record o’ the year choice is uncomplicated. Carnosus’ sophomore album is such an album.” As if this statement was insufficient, I’ll rely on Cherd to describe the thing: “a tech-death barn burner… tight, vicious, and catchy, this record also features [one of the] best harsh vocal performance of the year.”3 Some people – including me – are nonplussed by tech death, but Ferox has us poor bastards covered too: “every one of the nine tracks on Visions of Infinihility stands up to heavy listening… It doesn’t matter if you’re wearing four thousand dollar headphones or a bullet belt. Visions of Infinihility should appeal to wonks, diehards, and metalheads all across the spectrum.” You heard the man.

#3. Sodomisery // Mazzaroth – [#1, #2, #2, #6, #8, #8, #8, #10, #HM] – Sporting 2023’s shitty band name o’ the year, Sodomisery pulled no punches with their new record called Mazzaroth. Dr A.N. Grier describes how “with Mazzaroth came a new approach, emphasizing the black, death, and melodeath with massive orchestration atmospheres.” Its size warranted comment from other writers too; Twelve highlights “the vocal performance, the orchestrations, the songwriting—everything on Mazzaroth is top-tier, larger-than-life, incredible black metal.” More than anything, great music orbits around great song-writing and nowhere is that more apparent than with Sodomisery. Winning his favorite record of the year, newbie Iceberg commends this aspect. “The 36 minutes of Mazzaroth are as lean and mean as you can get… In the age of endless bloat, Sodomisery sharpen their knives and kill all their babies Spartan-style, leaving only razor-sharp riffing and inescapable songwriting in their wake.” You heard it here first; these Swedes killed their babies in pursuit of The Riff.

#2. Fires in the Distance // Air Not Meant for Us – [#1, #3, #3, #4, #4, #5, #5, #7, #10] – Residing in the top half of 7 lists, Air Not Meant for Us represented the best of 2023’s death and doom metal. Grymm compares these Connecticutens to sadboi legends, articulating that “Fires in the Distance took what makes Insomnium and Omnium Gatherum and added their own unique embellishments to create a truly captivating album.” Thus Spoke highlights its “distinctive form of ethereal, key-accented melodeath/doom”, but favors most how it’s “elegantly composed, stirring, and effortlessly graceful.” She wasn’t the only person to bond with this record. Doom et Al agreed that there are clear influences but still bestowed his top prize: “It isn’t particularly original, but I don’t care. Art is about the connection it forges with the person engaging with it, and I feel every note of Air Not Meant for Us in my marrow. There’s a longing and a beauty here that I connected with immediately.” Who am I – and who are you – to deny his emotions?

#1. Wayfarer // American Gothic – [#1, #1, #2, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #6, #7, #7, #7] – With 12 main list picks, 7 top 5s and 2 AotYs, there was little doubt that Wayfarer would take the aggregated top spot for 2023. Carcharodon posits that while its predecessor may have been “close to fulfilling the promise of their Wild West black metal, American Gothic is the album where everything that Wayfarer has struggled to bring together for years finally clicked into place.” Why is this? Awarding his AotY, Sentynel attributes it to “utterly seamless” genre blending. “This is the best of bleak country painted with the instrumentation of black metal. Electric guitars pick up melody lines from banjos with a twang. Distorted slide guitars get that pedal steel feeling. There’s even a honky-tonk piano.” Lesser bands have gimmicks; Wayfarer’s central synthesis is essential. “Black metal should not go well with the Old West. Wayfarer crafted not only their best album to date, but also an absorbing, engrossing classic that begs to be absorbed in full with your complete, utmost attention” (Grymm). If you miss this, we’ll see you at dawn. With pistols.

#2023 #Afterbirth #AngryMetalGuySTop10Ish_ #Ascension #BlogPosts #Carnosus #Convocation #Crypta #FiresInTheDistance #Godthrymm #Lists #Listurnalia #NightCrowned #Onheil #Panopticon #Saturnus #Sermon #Sodomisery #Somnuri #Tribunal #VanishingKids #Warcrab #Wayfarer #Wormhole #Xoth

One List to Debase Them All: AngryMetal Guy.com’s Aggregated Top 20 of 2023

By El Cuervo

This aggregation exercise represents my favorite article of the year. I enjoy identifying and highlighting those chosen few records worthy of additional recognition. But most of all I enjoy the sense of power derived from early access to other writers’ list data without the obligations flowing from being an editor. To my satisfaction, this list represents a diverse mix compared with certain previous years. Much ground is covered, from myriad metal sub-genres (death, black, doom, prog) to myriad tones (energetic, strange, historical, sadboi). I enjoy the variety, even if I don’t the specific choices. That said, we’re not helping our own argument against accusations that we despise all power and folk metal – with just one album from both sub-genres in the top 20 and an abundance selected by just a couple of people below this.

The most critical observation is that, compared with 2022, there are ~20% fewer unique records and voting points attributable to the top 10 albums is ~10% higher. This indicates greater alignment this year, with fewer albums chosen and stronger communal favorites. No doubt this is attributable to our loss of individuality and gradual morphing into one awful hivemind.

In a last ditch effort to save my own reputation at the cost of my colleagues, I want to emphasize that I personally had a distinct deviation from this aggregated list. As orchestrator of this article with early access to the data, I did attempt to identify why it was that some of these albums apparently had an impact on everyone else. The only conclusion I can draw following these attempts is that my faceless colleagues seek the average. They should try harder to be deliberately contrary next year; I expect that they’ll maliciously comply by picking the same 20 albums 20 times just to spite me.

–El Cuervo

#20. Crypta // Shades of Sorrow – “While Crypta is still fetid, OSDM adherents, Shades of Sorrow also amps both the black and thrash influences, resulting in a compelling sophomore effort that packs a significant, unforgettable punch” (Felagund).

#19. Onheil // In Black Ashes – “In Black Ashes is melodic black/death/speed/thrash at its finest. Onheil’s mastery of melody and songwriting elevates In Black Ashes into the stratosphere. Every track is a winner, and Onheil strikes an impossible balance between enthralling riffs and emotional heft” (Maddog).

#18. Ascension // Under the Veil of Madness – “There’s not one song on here that isn’t currently stuck in my head. Its huge choruses, hooky verses, and lightning fast shreddery have probably bonded with my DNA by this point” (Kenstrosity).

#17. Somnuri // Desiderirum – “The addition of (Soundgarden-esque) throwback radio alt-rock into their roiling pot of hardcore and progressive sludge makes Desiderium these Brooklynites’ strongest outing to date. It’s rare that an album this aggressive and energetic goes down this smooth” (Cherd).

#16. Warcrab // The Howling Silence – “Warcrab boasts fighting spirit, sharp claws, and a crustacean shell that’s fitted for turret combat. They’re obviously game for a scrap, but–as Cherd pointed out in his review–the band doesn’t have much competition in their death-sludge niche” (Ferox).

#15. Tribunal // The Weight of Remembrance – “With heavy doses of classic Candlemass and moments that recall the grim haunts of Fvneral Fvkk, Weight of Remembrance does so many things exceptionally well. There’s nothing I would change or trim on Weight of Remembrance, and if anything, I wish it was a little longer. Doom perfection” (Steel Druhm).

#14. Panopticon // The Rime of Memory – “Panopticon—particularly on more recent records—seems to have a unique ability to tug on my heartstrings and to blend the most ferocious of black metal with the most serene and evocative Appalachian folk. The Rime of Memory more than matched my lofty hopes” (Thus Spoke).

#13. Godthrymm // Distortions – “With meaty riffs, soaring leads, a fantastic rhythm section, and keyboardist Catherine Glencross’ angelic voice, this classic-doom-meets-classic-Pallbearer configuration landed my top spot as soon as I finished listening to it for the first time” (Grymm).

#12. Saturnus // The Storm Within – “The opening tracks comprise the best one-two punch of the year, while the back half of the album feels like an unraveling and stripping down. The Storm Within is a magnificently monolithic and aptly dreary return to form from Saturnus” (Dear Hollow).

#11. Night Crowned // Tales – “The intense blasting and no-holds-barred shrieking always hold a melodic thread that makes it more than a wall of noise, whether it be from extra vocal layers, subtly interweaved symphonics, or a goddamn hurdy-gurdy that works way better than it should” (GardensTale).

#10. Vanishing Kids // Miracle of Death – [#1, #2, #8, #8, #9, #HM, #HM, #HM, #HM] – Miracle of Death earns the dubious honor of winning more list mentions than the six records ahead of it, but only reaches this tenth spot due to generally low rankings. Undeterred, Steel Druhm highlights the band’s unusual combination of sounds, describing a “strange witch’s brew of genres and styles that is unique and enchanting… It’s doom, it’s goth rock, it’s 70s acid rock all wrapped into one enigmatic, ethereal burrito.” Despite the allusion to hot food, Twelve instead reckons that the album “takes me to a cold place. It’s emotional, but it feels like numbness; it’s quiet, but leaves a huge impression… any time I’ve felt low throughout the year, Vanishing Kids has been there.” This sense of something beyond easy description is mirrored by Carcharodon, who argues that the band “have that very rare something, that je ne sais quoi…. to create something truly unique requires genuine craft and these guys have it in spades.” Check out metal’s innovators.

#9. Convocation // No Dawn for the Caliginous Night – [#1, #4, #6, #7, #8, #ish, #HM, #HM] – Serving arguably the heaviest slot on this list1, Convocation and No Dawn for the Caliginous Night offered a mighty force of doom in 2023. Dear Hollow illustrates the heavier qualities of the release (“No Dawn for the Caliginous Night channels mammoth death-doom and despondent funeral doom to accomplish a weight both viciously devastating and patiently atmospheric”) while Kenstrosity instead prefers the counter-weight of both sides of the sound (“[their] deeply affecting use of orchestration and clean vocals to light up my nervous system while the heft of [their] tectonic death doom strives to end my life”). Bands like this remind us of our humanity and our finite nature; few records could be pitched as “a towering celebration of death’s enormity, packaged in the heaviest and most shimmering of vessels” but Convocation does this as Cherd‘s AotY. Step back, breathe deeply, and simply listen. No Dawn for the Caliginous Night exists in these moments.

#8. Afterbirth // In But Not Of – [#1, #1, #2, #3] – Inspiring a deep love among its few accolytes, Afterbirth reached this list through just a few list-topping selections. In But Not Of offers brutal death metal that isn’t just smart compared with its own – often blunt – sub-genre, but that is smart compared with anything. “For a band that traffics in slammy, knuckle-dragging brutal death, In But Not Of carries with it an undeniable progressive, cerebral quality, which feels like a logical outgrowth from their previous effort” (Felagund). Indeed, Doom et Al finds its progressive qualities its most compelling, describing that “while the first half of brutal, spacy, wacky death metal is great, the second half, with its explorations into post-metal and prog is where real greatness happens”. Nuanced, layered music invites exploration, and even our resident death metal enthusiasts concur: “Afterbirth crams an abundance of riches into a brutal death metal album that twists and transmutes… I continue to find surprises almost every time I revisit In But Not Of” (Ferox). This album exemplifies the power of invention and intrigue.

#7. Sermon // Of Golden Verse – [#1, #2, #4, #4, #9] – Boasting AMG.com’s prog o’ the year award, Of Golden Verse by Sermon is the sole album here also picked by yours truly. I found that “Sermon’s undulating song-writing style results in music that ebbs from steely, tense atmospheres and flows to passionate, cathartic explosions. Dramatic, sure. But exciting.” Saunders, awarding his album o’ the year, favors the record’s singularity, given that “Sermon boasts a unique sound they can call their own, where dark, eerie and deadly serious vibes and almost melodramatic flair flows through towering, intelligent, and emotive prog metal epics.” But even more than its dynamic songs and novelty, GardensTale underlines the most beguiling quality of Of Golden Verse: “What attracts me the most is the sense of threat. Sermon looms a great dark ominous wall that swallows the background and casts everything in shade. For an album to hold its breath even while beating you down is exquisite.” Few records are so powerful.

#6. Xoth // Exogalactic – [#1, #3, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #ish] – The first of three techy, deathy albums in a row, Exogalactic by Xoth consolidates the band as a bona fide site favorite. “Xoth’s brand of technical blackened death-thrash is a sci-fi spectacle. Exogalactic’s futuristic riffs, twisting melodies, and narrative arcs make it feel like reptilian aliens are indeed enslaving humans as gladiators… Every time I listen to Exogalactic, I can’t help but grin” (Maddog). More than simple smiles, Dr. Wvrm never hides his arousal around riffs. Of Exogalactic, he describes it as “prostrate before that holiest of holy, The Riff. So of course, the end product [is] impeccable, incredible, impossibly fucking good.” AMG Himself delights in “the consistently best thrashy melodic death metal this world has heard since the early-90s” and continues that “Xoth has started to cement themselves as one of my favorite bands.” This entire website has flown from His opinions so take heed; buy Xoth now.

#5. Wormhole // Almost Human – [#2, #4, #5, #5, #5, #9, #ish, #HM] – It takes a special kind of slam to breach the AMG aggregated list but Wormhole is a special sort of band. Having banged his drum about Almost Human almost all year, Kenstrosity surprisingly failed to AotY this album. But in doing so he was highly complimentary, noting that “Almost Human confirms that with the right songwriting, slam can be thoughtful, intentional, intricate, and enriching. Thanks to a healthy infusion of tech by way of tricky, but subtle maneuvers rather than straight-up wanking speed, Wormhole’s whimsically brutal metal suddenly transforms into something polished, elevated, and immersive.” Emphasizing the record’s heavier qualities, the ever-eloquent Saunders describes the release as a “visceral, ridiculously heavy, sci-fi-themed tech-slam assault.” And while we rightly review albums in their entirety rather than song-by-song, Dolphin Whisperer “repeatedly binged those first two singles as if they were a whole album to themselves.” It’s hard to deny songs so heavy but so gripping.2

#4. Carnosus // Visions of Infinihility – [#1, #2, #4, #4, #5, #7, #ish] – Visions of Infinihility offered some of 2023’s meatiest death metal. Angry Metal Guy was emphatic in His summary, penning that “the term tour de force was coined to describe albums like Visions of Infinihility. Sometimes an album simply rules and your record o’ the year choice is uncomplicated. Carnosus’ sophomore album is such an album.” As if this statement was insufficient, I’ll rely on Cherd to describe the thing: “a tech-death barn burner… tight, vicious, and catchy, this record also features [one of the] best harsh vocal performance of the year.”3 Some people – including me – are nonplussed by tech death, but Ferox has us poor bastards covered too: “every one of the nine tracks on Visions of Infinihility stands up to heavy listening… It doesn’t matter if you’re wearing four thousand dollar headphones or a bullet belt. Visions of Infinihility should appeal to wonks, diehards, and metalheads all across the spectrum.” You heard the man.

#3. Sodomisery // Mazzaroth – [#1, #2, #2, #6, #8, #8, #8, #10, #HM] – Sporting 2023’s shitty band name o’ the year, Sodomisery pulled no punches with their new record called Mazzaroth. Dr A.N. Grier describes how “with Mazzaroth came a new approach, emphasizing the black, death, and melodeath with massive orchestration atmospheres.” Its size warranted comment from other writers too; Twelve highlights “the vocal performance, the orchestrations, the songwriting—everything on Mazzaroth is top-tier, larger-than-life, incredible black metal.” More than anything, great music orbits around great song-writing and nowhere is that more apparent than with Sodomisery. Winning his favorite record of the year, newbie Iceberg commends this aspect. “The 36 minutes of Mazzaroth are as lean and mean as you can get… In the age of endless bloat, Sodomisery sharpen their knives and kill all their babies Spartan-style, leaving only razor-sharp riffing and inescapable songwriting in their wake.” You heard it here first; these Swedes killed their babies in pursuit of The Riff.

#2. Fires in the Distance // Air Not Meant for Us – [#1, #3, #3, #4, #4, #5, #5, #7, #10] – Residing in the top half of 7 lists, Air Not Meant for Us represented the best of 2023’s death and doom metal. Grymm compares these Connecticutens to sadboi legends, articulating that “Fires in the Distance took what makes Insomnium and Omnium Gatherum and added their own unique embellishments to create a truly captivating album.” Thus Spoke highlights its “distinctive form of ethereal, key-accented melodeath/doom”, but favors most how it’s “elegantly composed, stirring, and effortlessly graceful.” She wasn’t the only person to bond with this record. Doom et Al agreed that there are clear influences but still bestowed his top prize: “It isn’t particularly original, but I don’t care. Art is about the connection it forges with the person engaging with it, and I feel every note of Air Not Meant for Us in my marrow. There’s a longing and a beauty here that I connected with immediately.” Who am I – and who are you – to deny his emotions?

#1. Wayfarer // American Gothic – [#1, #1, #2, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #6, #7, #7, #7] – With 12 main list picks, 7 top 5s and 2 AotYs, there was little doubt that Wayfarer would take the aggregated top spot for 2023. Carcharodon posits that while its predecessor may have been “close to fulfilling the promise of their Wild West black metal, American Gothic is the album where everything that Wayfarer has struggled to bring together for years finally clicked into place.” Why is this? Awarding his AotY, Sentynel attributes it to “utterly seamless” genre blending. “This is the best of bleak country painted with the instrumentation of black metal. Electric guitars pick up melody lines from banjos with a twang. Distorted slide guitars get that pedal steel feeling. There’s even a honky-tonk piano.” Lesser bands have gimmicks; Wayfarer’s central synthesis is essential. “Black metal should not go well with the Old West. Wayfarer crafted not only their best album to date, but also an absorbing, engrossing classic that begs to be absorbed in full with your complete, utmost attention” (Grymm). If you miss this, we’ll see you at dawn. With pistols.

#2023 #Afterbirth #AngryMetalGuySTop10Ish_ #Ascension #BlogPosts #Carnosus #Convocation #Crypta #FiresInTheDistance #Godthrymm #Lists #Listurnalia #NightCrowned #Onheil #Panopticon #Saturnus #Sermon #Sodomisery #Somnuri #Tribunal #VanishingKids #Warcrab #Wayfarer #Wormhole #Xoth

Kenstrosity’s Top Ten(ish) of 2023

By Kenstrosity

Five years feels like an eternity in retrospect, and yet in real time it whizzed by in the blink of an eye. How I’ve managed to stick around this long without getting fired, sabbaticalized, decapitated, arrested for war crimes, and/or mulched is beyond me. Truth be told, I’m incredibly lucky to be a part of the AMG team. Even though it can be chaotic and stressful, this is one hobby that I don’t know how to live without anymore. I just love it too much to give it up, and I’m going to ride that wave for as long as I can. Like it or not, you goofy goobers are stuck with me, so get comfy!

2023 has been one helluva year for metal. It feels like I say that every year, because I like everything all the time, but I mean it. This year made my job curating this list a near impossible task. Agonizing over every placement, every adjustment, and every omission left me a mere desiccated spongelet, but that’s a great problem to have. It’s a good thing we have a crack team of writers to help make finalizing lists even fucking harder. They just won’t stop exposing me to countless awesome records that I may or may not have purposefully ignored for the sanctity of my existing lineup. But I guess I had that coming, didn’t I?

Anyway, I’d like to thank a few folks. Firstly, I’d like to thank Carcharodon for being an excellent list-buddy for the past three years. Our tastes might not align, but we always found some common ground and our disparate rankings often made for great discussion in the comments. I am going to miss that! I’d also like to thank AMG Himself and Steel Druhm for continuing to support me as I spearhead the Stuck in the Filter articles, and for upgrading the artwork and aesthetic of the piece to give it greater impact. I’d also like to extend my gratitude to them for approving my name change earlier this year, which was something I deemed necessary for personal reasons. Additionally, I wouldn’t be where I am without the continued support and friendship from an awesome team of excellent writers—too many to name individually now—whose prose routinely inspires me to progress and improve my own writing skills. You all rock! Lastly, Madam X and Sentynel deserve mad props for keeping this hunk of junk puttering along—Madam X for continuously updating and management of the promo sump; and Sentynel for his tireless maintenance and upkeep of the site and its various moving parts. This place owes both of you a perpetual debt!

Okay, enough babbling from me. Without further ado, please enjoy my Top Ten(ish) Records of 2023! YOMPS UP!

(ish) Carnosus // Visions of Infinihility – Before I start, you should know that the lines which separate my ishes and everything up to third place are practically nonexistent. Essentially, everything from here until my top three were worthy of a top five placement, but I just can’t fit twelve things into the last two remaining slots. Hence, Carnosus’ incredible Visions of Infinihility coming up at the rear. Arbitrary as this placement is, know that the sheer level of talent, awesome songwriting, and acrobatic performances make this ridiculously tight slab of tech death a blast, a joy, a revelation. It’s massively entertaining, memorable, infectious, and novel, all without even a shred of pretension. This is what metal is all about. Hammering, goofy, awe-inspiring fun. If you don’t like such things, then you should leave this place now, and read no further.

(ish)

#10. Outer Heaven // Infinite Psychic Depths – Scuzzy sci-fi death metal doesn’t get better than this. Outer Heaven already made waves with debut record Realms of Eternal Decay back in 2018, but I didn’t take notice until later on. Once I did, however, there was no going back, and Infinite Psychic Depth only enamored me further. Unintelligible lyrics tell a surprisingly intricate tale of horror and devastation, disease, psychosis, and conquest all through the lens of a sci-fi gamer nerd. With such creativity at play on a conceptual level, I’d forgive them if there wasn’t as much energy left to dedicate to songwriting. Not the case here. Outer Heaven’s songwriting chops are on full display and in full bloom, making Infinite Psychic Depths one of the best death metal records of the year.

#9. Xoth // Exogalactic – Originally, this wasn’t even going to make my HMs. But, at the eleventh hour, Xoth pushed a new master to replace the original one, and suddenly Exogalactic transformed. Clearly, the songwriting here wasn’t the problem, as its tunes will entice and excite your every fiber. Powerful melodies and immense technical chops work together with hook-laden and compelling melodies, riffs, and noodles to craft a formidable contender in the crowded world of tech death. While it was a crime that I didn’t include predecessor Interdimensional Invocations on my 2019 list proper, I won’t allow myself to commit the same offense this year. Exogalactic solidifies Xoth as one of the best, if not the best, melodic tech death bands out there.

#8. Omnerod // The Amensal Rise – I have a difficult time falling in love with anything carrying the “prog” as its primary genre tag. Omnerod missed the memo, because they penned one of the coolest progressive metal records I’ve ever heard. Boasting ample drama but filtering it through a horror lens and burdening it with oodles of death metal heft, The Amensal Rise is as enigmatic and gently terrifying as its artwork. Tenderness in its softer sections only leads to progressively more devastating metallic rampages that challenge my skeleton’s structural integrity, meanwhile the vocal talent bleeds with emotion so expressively that you can’t help but venture on. At a continental seventy minutes of brutal prog, The Amensal Rise is not for the faint of heart or for the impatient. However, if you do choose to dedicate time and focus to it, you might not come out alive.

#7. Fires in the Distance // Air Not Meant for Us – I am extremely upset that this album only made it to number seven on my rankings. Melodic, ethereal, and crushing in equal measure, Fires in the Distnance’s Air Not Meant for Us is quintessential Ken material. In fact, for most of the year, I reveled in how much this album felt like the product of a band that lived in my head rent-free and stole all of its trade secrets to make an album tailor-made to fit me like a wetsuit. Hooky riffs, excellent percussion, beautifully lush synths, and twinkling piano coalesce into one of the most gorgeous records I’ve heard in recent years. It’s immense sadness somehow enhances that beauty further and makes the record impossible to put down. If you missed it, you missed something special.

#6. Moonlight Sorcery // Horned Lord of the Thorned Castle – Every year, there seems to be at least one black metal album that burns the church barn down and leaves me to clean up the rubble. Despite the numerous times I’ve mentioned being picky about black metal, this phenomenon keeps occurring. This year, Moonlight Sorcery made the cut, being one of the most fun albums I’ve listened to out of the genre in forever. A powerful mix of melodic black metal rawness with symphonic power metal jubilance, Horned Lord of the Thorned Castle more than lives up to the potential hinted at in Moonlight Sorcery’s initial EPs. If this is the quality I should come to expect from this band, then this will not be the last time you see them on my Top Ten.

#5. Massen // Gentle Brutality – ENERGY SYSTEM. ENERGY SYSTEM. ENERGY SYSTEM. ENERGY SYSTEM, ENERGY SYSTEM, ENERGY SYSTEM. If this mantra ever leaves my brain, even for a moment, I might die of heartbreak. Easily the most potent opener of the year, “Energy System” launches what quickly becomes one of the coolest, most unexpected releases of 2023. Blending all manner of genres ranging from deathgrind to hardcore to folk metal, Massen’s Gentle Brutality promises an eclectic blunderbuss of extreme metal madness. With countless grooves, indelible hooks and just the right amount of bounce, Gentle Brutality grabs me, tosses me around like a toy, and leaves me giddy and wanting more by the end.

#4. Convocation // No Dawn for the Caliginous Night – You may not know this about me, but I have a very strict cutoff point for Top Ten consideration during Listurnalia, and that cutoff is Thanksgiving Day. Convocation dropped No Dawn for the Caliginous Night the day after Thanksgiving. Fuck you, Convocation. Fuck your deeply affecting use of orchestration and clean vocals to light up my nervous system while the heft of your tectonic death doom strives to end my life in the most merciless fashion. Fuck your desperate wails and ungodly roars. Fuck your immersive songwriting dynamics which worship lost, forlorn spirits. Most of all, fuck you for every new detail and embellishment I get to discover every time your siren call beckons me to wallow in sorrow once again. You’ve forced me to shift my rankings and to forsake my own restrictions. You will pay for this one day, Convocation. I swear it!

#3. Ascension // Under the Veil of Madness – Ascension made the world wait eleven fucking years for Under the Veil of Madness. Despite being an underground power metal act, anticipation for this follow-up exploded in the power metal community. I wasn’t a part of that hype then, but boy did I come around once I got to spinning this epic magnum opus. There’s not one song on here that isn’t currently stuck in my head. Its huge choruses, hooky verses, and lightning fast shreddery have probably bonded with my DNA by this point. I succumbed to the psychic, maniacal forces that emanate from this album so thickly they could drown me were I not so thirstily guzzling them. And with a climax like the title track, the theatrics of which test most metalheads’ patience as thoroughly as they thrill my senses, there was little doubt that Under the Veil of Madness would rank highly on my year and list. Lo and behold, here we are, at number three.

#2. Wormhole // Almost Human – I knew from the get-go that I would enjoy Wormhole’s latest. They have been at the forefront of my personal roster of techy slam bands to watch like a hawk. Of course, Wormhole validated my instincts, because Almost Human is a game-changer. A standout record in a field not renowned for innovation, Almost Human confirms that with the right songwriting, slam can be thoughtful, intentional, intricate, and enriching. Thanks to a healthy infusion of tech by way of tricky, but subtle maneuvers rather than straight-up wanking speed, Wormhole’s whimsically brutal metal suddenly transforms into something polished, elevated, and immersive. This is an album meant to be experienced with full focus and a curious spirit. With an open mind, whole universes open up before you as Almost Human transports you into regions unexplored. It is that adventurous character that defines Almost Human, and makes it one of the best records of the year.

#1. Nothingness // Supraliminal – Caveman death with a university degree. A Bachelor’s of Mad Science, to be exact. This is how I’ve come to appreciate Nothingness’ insane sophomore album, Supraliminal. Despite earning a meager “Mixed” score on this here blog, I knew that this massively accomplished record was special the moment it hit these ears. Twisted riffs, stomping rhythms, vicious freakouts, monstrous roars, and thoughtfully detailed compositions abound. Supraliminal checks all of my boxes and introduces new ones I never knew I wanted. Despite dropping way back in January—on my Mom’s birthday, no less—no other album this year came quite close enough to the throne to pluck Supraliminal’s crown off its head. With monumental bangers like “Horrendous Incantation,” “Catapulted into Hyperspace,” “Inviolate Viscera,” “Beacon of Loss,” and “Decimation Mechanism,” Nothingness’ gnarled constructs weave in and out of my consciousness like the ugliest of nightmares. Yet, every time I come back, my jaw drops in awe at how novel and meticulous each and every brutally injurious moment is, morphing what should be revolting into something of horrifying beauty. Truly, nothing was more grotesquely beautiful to me in 2023 than Nothingness.

Honorable Mentions:

Carnation // Cursed Mortality – One of the best Swedeath records of the year, and the best Carnation record yet!
Crypta // Shades of Sorrow – It’s been ages since I’ve enjoyed a thrashy death metal album as much as Shades of Sorrow. Don’t fucking miss it!
Frozen Dawn // The Decline of Enlightened Gods – Rollicking, rocking black metal with the vim and vigor to stand the test of time.
Omnivortex // Circulate – Were it not for Carnosus, Xoth, and Wormhole, this would be the best tech-death thing of the year.
Rotpit // Let There Be Rot – Absolute filth, and it’s delicious. Eat up!
Sulphur Aeon // Seven Crowns and Seven Seals – Even my least favorite album by my favorite band can do no wrong, and it’s been growing on me even more since I got it. IA, IA!
Tardigrade Inferno // Burn the Circus – Sometimes I just wanna be silly. Tardigrade Inferno supports this desire and fulfills it with aplomb.
Theocracy // Mosaic – As someone who is unreligious, I am perhaps not Theocracy’s core demographic. And yet, their tunes routinely earn them a full Kenuflection at the altar.
Twilight Force // At the Heart of Wintervale – This record makes me want to go out and tame a draGONE. Can’t ask for more than that!
Vanishing Kids // Miracle of Death – Mesmerizing, psychedelic doom with teeth. It will haunt you if you approach.

Non-Metal Albums o’ the Year:

Cam Girl // Untucked – Sex-celebrating, gender-affirming, fun-loving action that will keep you hard and raring to go all night long!
Gunship // Unicorn – Cyberpunk synthwave with my man Tim on the saxophone. This is the best genre in the world!
The Vagaband // Beautiful World – A gorgeous album that took me by surprise, but it was the right record at the right time. I’ll be spinning this for years to come.

Song o’ the Year: Mental Cruelty – “Zweilicht/Symphony of a Dying Star”

Disappointment o’ the Year: 殞煞 (Vengeful Spectre) // 殞煞 二 (Vengeful Spectre II) – This isn’t necessarily a bad album. It’s just not what I wanted from the band that blasted the ground into glass with their rabid self titled debut. Maybe next time!

#2023 #Ascension #BlogPost #CamGirl #Carnation #Carnosus #Convocation #Crypta #FiresInTheDistance #FrozenDawn #Gunship #KenstrositySTopTenIshOf2023 #Listurnalia #Massen #MoonlightSorcery #Nothingness #Omnerod #Omnivortex #OuterHeaven #Rotpit #SulphurAeon #TardigradeInferno #TheVagaband #Theocracy #TwilightForce #VanishingKids #Wormhole #Xoth #殞煞VengefulSpectre_

Kenstrosity’s Top Ten(ish) of 2023

By Kenstrosity

Five years feels like an eternity in retrospect, and yet in real time it whizzed by in the blink of an eye. How I’ve managed to stick around this long without getting fired, sabbaticalized, decapitated, arrested for war crimes, and/or mulched is beyond me. Truth be told, I’m incredibly lucky to be a part of the AMG team. Even though it can be chaotic and stressful, this is one hobby that I don’t know how to live without anymore. I just love it too much to give it up, and I’m going to ride that wave for as long as I can. Like it or not, you goofy goobers are stuck with me, so get comfy!

2023 has been one helluva year for metal. It feels like I say that every year, because I like everything all the time, but I mean it. This year made my job curating this list a near impossible task. Agonizing over every placement, every adjustment, and every omission left me a mere desiccated spongelet, but that’s a great problem to have. It’s a good thing we have a crack team of writers to help make finalizing lists even fucking harder. They just won’t stop exposing me to countless awesome records that I may or may not have purposefully ignored for the sanctity of my existing lineup. But I guess I had that coming, didn’t I?

Anyway, I’d like to thank a few folks. Firstly, I’d like to thank Carcharodon for being an excellent list-buddy for the past three years. Our tastes might not align, but we always found some common ground and our disparate rankings often made for great discussion in the comments. I am going to miss that! I’d also like to thank AMG Himself and Steel Druhm for continuing to support me as I spearhead the Stuck in the Filter articles, and for upgrading the artwork and aesthetic of the piece to give it greater impact. I’d also like to extend my gratitude to them for approving my name change earlier this year, which was something I deemed necessary for personal reasons. Additionally, I wouldn’t be where I am without the continued support and friendship from an awesome team of excellent writers—too many to name individually now—whose prose routinely inspires me to progress and improve my own writing skills. You all rock! Lastly, Madam X and Sentynel deserve mad props for keeping this hunk of junk puttering along—Madam X for continuously updating and management of the promo sump; and Sentynel for his tireless maintenance and upkeep of the site and its various moving parts. This place owes both of you a perpetual debt!

Okay, enough babbling from me. Without further ado, please enjoy my Top Ten(ish) Records of 2023! YOMPS UP!

(ish) Carnosus // Visions of Infinihility – Before I start, you should know that the lines which separate my ishes and everything up to third place are practically nonexistent. Essentially, everything from here until my top three were worthy of a top five placement, but I just can’t fit twelve things into the last two remaining slots. Hence, Carnosus’ incredible Visions of Infinihility coming up at the rear. Arbitrary as this placement is, know that the sheer level of talent, awesome songwriting, and acrobatic performances make this ridiculously tight slab of tech death a blast, a joy, a revelation. It’s massively entertaining, memorable, infectious, and novel, all without even a shred of pretension. This is what metal is all about. Hammering, goofy, awe-inspiring fun. If you don’t like such things, then you should leave this place now, and read no further.

(ish)

#10. Outer Heaven // Infinite Psychic Depths – Scuzzy sci-fi death metal doesn’t get better than this. Outer Heaven already made waves with debut record Realms of Eternal Decay back in 2018, but I didn’t take notice until later on. Once I did, however, there was no going back, and Infinite Psychic Depth only enamored me further. Unintelligible lyrics tell a surprisingly intricate tale of horror and devastation, disease, psychosis, and conquest all through the lens of a sci-fi gamer nerd. With such creativity at play on a conceptual level, I’d forgive them if there wasn’t as much energy left to dedicate to songwriting. Not the case here. Outer Heaven’s songwriting chops are on full display and in full bloom, making Infinite Psychic Depths one of the best death metal records of the year.

#9. Xoth // Exogalactic – Originally, this wasn’t even going to make my HMs. But, at the eleventh hour, Xoth pushed a new master to replace the original one, and suddenly Exogalactic transformed. Clearly, the songwriting here wasn’t the problem, as its tunes will entice and excite your every fiber. Powerful melodies and immense technical chops work together with hook-laden and compelling melodies, riffs, and noodles to craft a formidable contender in the crowded world of tech death. While it was a crime that I didn’t include predecessor Interdimensional Invocations on my 2019 list proper, I won’t allow myself to commit the same offense this year. Exogalactic solidifies Xoth as one of the best, if not the best, melodic tech death bands out there.

#8. Omnerod // The Amensal Rise – I have a difficult time falling in love with anything carrying the “prog” as its primary genre tag. Omnerod missed the memo, because they penned one of the coolest progressive metal records I’ve ever heard. Boasting ample drama but filtering it through a horror lens and burdening it with oodles of death metal heft, The Amensal Rise is as enigmatic and gently terrifying as its artwork. Tenderness in its softer sections only leads to progressively more devastating metallic rampages that challenge my skeleton’s structural integrity, meanwhile the vocal talent bleeds with emotion so expressively that you can’t help but venture on. At a continental seventy minutes of brutal prog, The Amensal Rise is not for the faint of heart or for the impatient. However, if you do choose to dedicate time and focus to it, you might not come out alive.

#7. Fires in the Distance // Air Not Meant for Us – I am extremely upset that this album only made it to number seven on my rankings. Melodic, ethereal, and crushing in equal measure, Fires in the Distnance’s Air Not Meant for Us is quintessential Ken material. In fact, for most of the year, I reveled in how much this album felt like the product of a band that lived in my head rent-free and stole all of its trade secrets to make an album tailor-made to fit me like a wetsuit. Hooky riffs, excellent percussion, beautifully lush synths, and twinkling piano coalesce into one of the most gorgeous records I’ve heard in recent years. It’s immense sadness somehow enhances that beauty further and makes the record impossible to put down. If you missed it, you missed something special.

#6. Moonlight Sorcery // Horned Lord of the Thorned Castle – Every year, there seems to be at least one black metal album that burns the church barn down and leaves me to clean up the rubble. Despite the numerous times I’ve mentioned being picky about black metal, this phenomenon keeps occurring. This year, Moonlight Sorcery made the cut, being one of the most fun albums I’ve listened to out of the genre in forever. A powerful mix of melodic black metal rawness with symphonic power metal jubilance, Horned Lord of the Thorned Castle more than lives up to the potential hinted at in Moonlight Sorcery’s initial EPs. If this is the quality I should come to expect from this band, then this will not be the last time you see them on my Top Ten.

#5. Massen // Gentle Brutality – ENERGY SYSTEM. ENERGY SYSTEM. ENERGY SYSTEM. ENERGY SYSTEM, ENERGY SYSTEM, ENERGY SYSTEM. If this mantra ever leaves my brain, even for a moment, I might die of heartbreak. Easily the most potent opener of the year, “Energy System” launches what quickly becomes one of the coolest, most unexpected releases of 2023. Blending all manner of genres ranging from deathgrind to hardcore to folk metal, Massen’s Gentle Brutality promises an eclectic blunderbuss of extreme metal madness. With countless grooves, indelible hooks and just the right amount of bounce, Gentle Brutality grabs me, tosses me around like a toy, and leaves me giddy and wanting more by the end.

#4. Convocation // No Dawn for the Caliginous Night – You may not know this about me, but I have a very strict cutoff point for Top Ten consideration during Listurnalia, and that cutoff is Thanksgiving Day. Convocation dropped No Dawn for the Caliginous Night the day after Thanksgiving. Fuck you, Convocation. Fuck your deeply affecting use of orchestration and clean vocals to light up my nervous system while the heft of your tectonic death doom strives to end my life in the most merciless fashion. Fuck your desperate wails and ungodly roars. Fuck your immersive songwriting dynamics which worship lost, forlorn spirits. Most of all, fuck you for every new detail and embellishment I get to discover every time your siren call beckons me to wallow in sorrow once again. You’ve forced me to shift my rankings and to forsake my own restrictions. You will pay for this one day, Convocation. I swear it!

#3. Ascension // Under the Veil of Madness – Ascension made the world wait eleven fucking years for Under the Veil of Madness. Despite being an underground power metal act, anticipation for this follow-up exploded in the power metal community. I wasn’t a part of that hype then, but boy did I come around once I got to spinning this epic magnum opus. There’s not one song on here that isn’t currently stuck in my head. Its huge choruses, hooky verses, and lightning fast shreddery have probably bonded with my DNA by this point. I succumbed to the psychic, maniacal forces that emanate from this album so thickly they could drown me were I not so thirstily guzzling them. And with a climax like the title track, the theatrics of which test most metalheads’ patience as thoroughly as they thrill my senses, there was little doubt that Under the Veil of Madness would rank highly on my year and list. Lo and behold, here we are, at number three.

#2. Wormhole // Almost Human – I knew from the get-go that I would enjoy Wormhole’s latest. They have been at the forefront of my personal roster of techy slam bands to watch like a hawk. Of course, Wormhole validated my instincts, because Almost Human is a game-changer. A standout record in a field not renowned for innovation, Almost Human confirms that with the right songwriting, slam can be thoughtful, intentional, intricate, and enriching. Thanks to a healthy infusion of tech by way of tricky, but subtle maneuvers rather than straight-up wanking speed, Wormhole’s whimsically brutal metal suddenly transforms into something polished, elevated, and immersive. This is an album meant to be experienced with full focus and a curious spirit. With an open mind, whole universes open up before you as Almost Human transports you into regions unexplored. It is that adventurous character that defines Almost Human, and makes it one of the best records of the year.

#1. Nothingness // Supraliminal – Caveman death with a university degree. A Bachelor’s of Mad Science, to be exact. This is how I’ve come to appreciate Nothingness’ insane sophomore album, Supraliminal. Despite earning a meager “Mixed” score on this here blog, I knew that this massively accomplished record was special the moment it hit these ears. Twisted riffs, stomping rhythms, vicious freakouts, monstrous roars, and thoughtfully detailed compositions abound. Supraliminal checks all of my boxes and introduces new ones I never knew I wanted. Despite dropping way back in January—on my Mom’s birthday, no less—no other album this year came quite close enough to the throne to pluck Supraliminal’s crown off its head. With monumental bangers like “Horrendous Incantation,” “Catapulted into Hyperspace,” “Inviolate Viscera,” “Beacon of Loss,” and “Decimation Mechanism,” Nothingness’ gnarled constructs weave in and out of my consciousness like the ugliest of nightmares. Yet, every time I come back, my jaw drops in awe at how novel and meticulous each and every brutally injurious moment is, morphing what should be revolting into something of horrifying beauty. Truly, nothing was more grotesquely beautiful to me in 2023 than Nothingness.

Honorable Mentions:

Carnation // Cursed Mortality – One of the best Swedeath records of the year, and the best Carnation record yet!
Crypta // Shades of Sorrow – It’s been ages since I’ve enjoyed a thrashy death metal album as much as Shades of Sorrow. Don’t fucking miss it!
Frozen Dawn // The Decline of Enlightened Gods – Rollicking, rocking black metal with the vim and vigor to stand the test of time.
Omnivortex // Circulate – Were it not for Carnosus, Xoth, and Wormhole, this would be the best tech-death thing of the year.
Rotpit // Let There Be Rot – Absolute filth, and it’s delicious. Eat up!
Sulphur Aeon // Seven Crowns and Seven Seals – Even my least favorite album by my favorite band can do no wrong, and it’s been growing on me even more since I got it. IA, IA!
Tardigrade Inferno // Burn the Circus – Sometimes I just wanna be silly. Tardigrade Inferno supports this desire and fulfills it with aplomb.
Theocracy // Mosaic – As someone who is unreligious, I am perhaps not Theocracy’s core demographic. And yet, their tunes routinely earn them a full Kenuflection at the altar.
Twilight Force // At the Heart of Wintervale – This record makes me want to go out and tame a draGONE. Can’t ask for more than that!
Vanishing Kids // Miracle of Death – Mesmerizing, psychedelic doom with teeth. It will haunt you if you approach.

Non-Metal Albums o’ the Year:

Cam Girl // Untucked – Sex-celebrating, gender-affirming, fun-loving action that will keep you hard and raring to go all night long!
Gunship // Unicorn – Cyberpunk synthwave with my man Tim on the saxophone. This is the best genre in the world!
The Vagaband // Beautiful World – A gorgeous album that took me by surprise, but it was the right record at the right time. I’ll be spinning this for years to come.

Song o’ the Year: Mental Cruelty – “Zweilicht/Symphony of a Dying Star”

Disappointment o’ the Year: 殞煞 (Vengeful Spectre) // 殞煞 二 (Vengeful Spectre II) – This isn’t necessarily a bad album. It’s just not what I wanted from the band that blasted the ground into glass with their rabid self titled debut. Maybe next time!

#2023 #Ascension #BlogPost #CamGirl #Carnation #Carnosus #Convocation #Crypta #FiresInTheDistance #FrozenDawn #Gunship #KenstrositySTopTenIshOf2023 #Listurnalia #Massen #MoonlightSorcery #Nothingness #Omnerod #Omnivortex #OuterHeaven #Rotpit #SulphurAeon #TardigradeInferno #TheVagaband #Theocracy #TwilightForce #VanishingKids #Wormhole #Xoth #殞煞VengefulSpectre_

Carcharodon’s and Cherd’s Top Ten(ish) of 2023

By Carcharodon

Carcharodon

I’ve been tetchy in 2023. Little things I’d normally barely even notice—about people, records, life in general, Mrs Carcharodon‘s recent insistence that we buy an air fryer—have really irked me. I’m (just about) self-aware enough that I clocked this, only to get more irked when I couldn’t put my finger on why. Yes, I turned 40, so am officially Olde and probably have to start listening to Saxon soon but that doesn’t fully explain it. It’s been a pretty good year in the main. I’m in a new job I like, Shark Pup No 1 has adjusted well to starting school and Shark Pup No 2 continues to get larger(!). We’ve had some good holidays, both as a family and, as a 40th treat to myself, a great trip to Islay, where very large quantities of smoky scotch1 were consumed with three very good friends. So why was I so tetchy? Maybe I was just tired?

As the year drew to a close, however, I realized I wasn’t just tired, I was weary. There’s a difference and it’s an important one. While I’m very lucky in many ways, there’s also a lot going on in my life, lots of spinning plates, and I don’t really take any time for myself. That was a bit of a realization. I’ve never been much for self-care or introspection; if I’m quiet, it doesn’t mean that I’m having deep thoughts, I’ve simply powered down for a bit. So, my resolution for 2024 is to find a little time to do a bit more for myself. I want to up my exercise game. I want to start reading more again. In short, I need to make time to do things I want to do, not just things I need to do. Needy, hey?

Apparently, I also needed a new list mate, after my emotional support sponge of several years ascended to a new name and (deservedly) to a new list status. Farewell Kenstrosity, I’ll miss you but maybe the real List mates are the ones we made along the way. In general, the USS AMG has charted a steady course through choppy waters in 2023, with Steel Druhm a steady, if stern, presence at the helm, while the editors dealt out the daily lashes and suspiciously cloudy grog. Thanks to them for all their efforts (only sometimes literally) whipping us into shape, and to all my fellow writers. You are all, to quote everyone’s favorite A.N.Gry Doc, idiots and I love less than half of you, half as well as you deserve but you are still better than many alternatives (like the Commentariat, who are awful(ly loveable)).

And with that, I have indulged myself enough. So, without further ado, here is the List of the writers who last year won the First Annual Killjoy Kudos for Best Taste Award (although, strangely, the statuette to which I assume I am entitled, has thus far failed to materialize…).

#ish. Omnivortex // Circulate – Tech death—indeed, death metal in general—isn’t really my thing, and the adulation heaped on Omnivortex’s 2020 effort, Diagrams of Consciousness, caused only bemusement for me. However, Circulate is a different beast. It’s interesting that my (now former *sob*) listmate Kenstrosity awarded Diagrams… his #1 spot in 2020 but, in his review of this year’s effort, said that it took Circulate a while to click for him, with the consistency of songwriting more pronounced here, over its predecessor’s spiky highlights. Perhaps that says something about the difference between what my erstwhile partner and I respectively look for in records. Perhaps it doesn’t. Either way, Omnivortex bullied and beasted their way onto this List because there was no force to stop them.

#10. Warcrab // The Howling Silence – Warcrab’s Damned in Endless Night made it to #6 on my first-ever List here at AMG, way back in 2019. Looking back now, it probably should have been higher. It’s been a long wait for The Howling Silence but it didn’t disappoint. Operating at that sweet intersection between doom and sludge, the UK veterans sound as filthy and pummelling as ever and, as Cherd pointed out, are now allowing elements of OSDM to bleed into their rumbling assault. The combination makes them as brvtal as they’ve always been but brings a sense of freshness and revitalized energy to Warcrab that I didn’t expect but loved to see.

#9. Leiþa // Reue – I had a sneaking suspicion that I underrated the second record from Leiþa, when I reviewed it back in January. This was confirmed when AMG awarded it ROTM in extremely timely fashion, on February 1st, declaring it to be a “masterful platter of great—potentially even excellent—black metal.” And so it has proved. It’s an album I’ve returned to over and over as the year went on. It’s hard to overstate the sheer raw, dark emotion that Reue’s creator Noise channeled into this record. For all that, the great songwriting brings a surprising amount of melody, although this only serves to heighten the sense of loss, remorse, and bitter self-loathing that drenches this (potentially) excellent album. It’s a devastating album.

#8. Vanishing Kids // Miracle of Death – It’s hard to put into words exactly what makes Vanishing Kids’ brand of progressive doom so damn good. Sure, Jason Hartman is a fucking great guitarist but he’s not completely alone in that. Nikki Drohomyreky’s vocals are hauntingly beautiful but again, other vocalists can achieve that. In his review of Miracle of Death, Steel highlighted the “graceful, ethereal, and dreamy atmosphere” conjured by the band from the opener “Spill the Dark” (also my undisputed song of the year) and that’s probably about as close as we’ll get to the pinning it down. The fact is that Vanishing Kids have that very rare something, that je ne sais quoi. Combining trad doom, psychedelia, 70s occult rock, and more, to create something truly unique requires genuine craft and these guys have it in spades.

#7. The Circle // Of Awakening – I only went back to The Circle to be sure I could cross it off my List’s longlist. After all, it only got a 3.5 from Dear Hollow, whose taste overlaps with mine to a fair degree. That was about six weeks ago and I’m here to tell you DH underrated it. Of Awakening has been in heavy rotation ever since. Drawing together the likes of Ahab, Dark Funeral, and My Dying Bride, this is a crushingly dark album, that, despite its beautifully trim runtime, has a real sense of grandeur and majesty about it. Contrary to DH‘s thoughts, for me, Of Awakening is so tightly written that The Circle can get away with being as pummelling as they want but there’s also a lot more nuance and refinement here than one might hear on the first spin. Trust me. I’ve spun this a lot.

#6. Convocation // No Dawn for the Caliginous Night – There’s a sweet spot in the year for dropping records. Too early and they may be forgotten; too late and people may not have enough time with them. November 24th definitely falls into the latter camp. With more time, No Dawn for the Caliginous Night could probably have laid siege to my top three but I just didn’t get to spend the same amount of time with Convocation’s massive slab of outstanding doom as I did with the other outstanding things you will read about below. Be in no doubt though, Cherd was correct2 to drop a 4.5 on this majestic beast of a record.

#5. Antrisch // EXPEDITION II: Die Passage – Atmoblack comes in for a lot of stick. Some of it is even justified. But, when it’s done right, it’s a thing of beauty and Antrisch undoubtedly does it right. Frigid atmosphere pours out of EXPEDITION II in icy waves but never at the expense of the music, which is killer. Every time I press play, Antrisch drags me away to a tale of terror in the frozen arctic wastes, woven in shades of deepest black. The tremolos cut through me and the rasping vocals cause the hairs on the back of my neck to rise. I feel this record, as much as I hear it and that’s exactly the way atmoblack should be.

#4. Chained to the Bottom of the Ocean // Obsession Destruction – Chained to the Bottom of the Ocean understand claustrophobia. When I listen to Obsession Destruction it feels like the walls are closing in, like the air is getting thick and hard to take in. The record feels like it’s pressing in on you. That is what sludge should do and Chained is drawing on inspiration from doom to heighten that sense. It’s beautiful, anguished, and bludgeoning all at once, and despite passing the hour mark, it’s compelling. I loved this record from the moment I heard it, even as it crushed the life out of me.

#3. Fires in the Distance // Air Not Meant for Us – I don’t usually accuse I have never accused Thus Spoke of underrating anything. Until now. The faintly progressive, doom-tinged melodeath of Air Not Meant for Us is not great. It is excellent. And I almost slept on it. For whatever reason, the first time I span this album, I didn’t even make it to the end and discarded it. But I came back, some months later, and was floored by this record. The deep seams of melody, the excellent use of keys, the soaring guitars, the whole package hit me with a force that only two other records did this year. Whatever was wrong with me the first time around has been scorched away, as Fires in the Distance burn with emotional intensity. The album is beautifully written and paced, which for all its weight and heaviness, also feels fragile and honest, revealing new depths on each revisit.

#2. Wayfarer // American Gothic – Wayfarer’s 2020 effort, A Romance with Violence, was so close. So close to fulfilling the promise of their Wild West black metal. But for all that it did well, as with their earlier two efforts, too many of the tracks went on too long, suffocating under their own weight. As Doom_et_Al said in his review, however, this year’s “American Gothic is the album Wayfarer have been threatening to make for years … Wayfarer take the violence and beauty of the land they inhabit and translate that to music that reflects that dichotomy.” I’m not sure there’s a better way to say it. American Gothic is the album where everything that Wayfarer has struggled to bring together for years finally clicked into place and it’s something truly special.3

#1. Cursebinder // Drifting – Poland’s Cursebinder kinda crept up on me. Since its April release, I have seen little acclaim for it, and my attempts to sell it to my fellow scribes have been met with non-committal murmurs of appreciation. But there is something about Drifting’s progressive black metal, borrowing heavily from both doom and post-metal, that just kept me coming back. Again. And again. There’s a shimmering intensity to the record, driven as much by the bright synth work, as Hubert Fudała’s crushing riffs and Maciej Proficz’ sulphuric vox, which means that I tend to find myself stopping whatever it is that I’m doing and simply staring into the middle distance while Drifting washes over me. It’s not the most technically complex thing on this list, nor is it a record that defies categorization. It’s simply the album that speaks to me in a way nothing else I heard this year did and what more can you look for in an Album of the Year?

Honorable mentions:

• Anti-God Hand // Blight Year – Blight Year took everything I liked about Anti-God Hand’s debut, Wretch, and refined it to a point where it still remained so harsh as to border on raw BM. Yet there is something about this album that I find kind of magical.
• BRIQUEVILLE // IIII – Finding a mid-way point between the melodicism and experimentation of ISIS’ Wavering Radiant and the slightly disconcerting edge of Celestial, BRIQUEVILLE’s excellent use of synths and samples, together with some sawing, jagged riffs is a winner.
• Downfall of Gaia // Silhouettes of Disgust – This is the record where Downfall of Gaia manages to blend most effectively all the disparate facets of their sound. Progressive and melodic, bleak and furious, this is a record to get lost exploring.
• God Disease // Apocalyptic Doom – With Apoclyptic Doom, God Disease delivered exactly that. This was the end of the world, cataclysmic stuff. What more can I say? If you lift and “Leper by the Grave of God” doesn’t help you hit a PB, I advise you to take up chess.
• Lo! // The Gleaners – I carelessly threw The Gleaners into April’s Filter after only a couple of spins, recognizing the quality on show but not having spent much time with it. Lo!’s abrasive sludgy post-metal / hardcore has stayed with me, however, as the sheer anger and intensity, and (surprising amounts of) melody kept me coming back.
• Saturnus // The Storm Within – In an incredibly strong year for doom, Saturnus turned in a great offering that I thought would be top 5 for sure. It didn’t have quite the staying power I thought it would—not least thanks to those sickly sweet spoken word parts—but it remains a great record, with one of the best SOTY in “The Calling.”
• Sworn // A Journey Told through Fire – Great Norwegian melodic black metal, channeling the likes of Vorga and Uada but also Insomnium, this record was just well written, beautifully paced, and fun as fuck.

Songs o’ the Year:

1. Vanishing Kids – “Spill the Dark”
2. Saturnus – “The Calling”
3. Fires in the Distance – “Crumbling Pillars of a Tranquil Mind”
4. Downfall of Gaia – “Bodies as Driftwood”
5. Lo! – “The Gleaners”
6. Inherus – “One More Fire”
7. Cursebinder – “Drifting”
8. Blackbraid – “Twilight Hymn of Ancient Blood”
9. Aetherian – “Starlit Shores”
10. God Disease – “Leper by the Grace of God”
11. Moonlight Sorcery – “Yönsilmä”

Cherd

I’ve heard it said that the older one gets, the faster time seems to pass. That’s why your memories of childhood seem to take place over an interminable timespan, while your children seem to blast through developmental phases and clothing sizes faster than a grindcore song. Take the little goober directly to the left. He was six weeks old when AMG announced their open call for writers that would eventually lead to my tenure here. Now he’s five and a half and draws pictures of angry carrots and ninja-bread men (a subset of gingerbread men). Since gaining the summit of the Middle Ages, I now face the downward slope of life’s back half, with its ever-increasing velocity and promise of an abrupt end. All this to say, I don’t have any wry observations about 2023 because the fucking thing blew by way too fast.

Perhaps the only way to dampen the breakneck pace of life and reclaim one’s sanity is to partake in some nice, slow doom metal. In this respect, the universe was merciful as it gifted us with the finest year for down-tuned, down-tempo misery we’ve had in ages. There are no fewer than seven doom or doom adjacent entries on my list this year and another handful that only just missed the cut. Yearly disclaimer: if you read my list or any of the others, and wonder why you don’t see your pet record, remember that I am but one man with but one kindergartner who robs me of time and life force. I probably didn’t get to it. Or maybe I did and your taste is just terrible. I’d like to thank Steel Druhm for keeping the good ship AMG afloat through a combination of duct tape, bungee cords, and brutal yet dispassionately professional beatings, AMG himself for forgetting that I work here, thus ensuring I won’t be fired, and of course you for reading. With that, here’s my objectively correct list.

(ish) Chained to the Bottom of the Ocean // Obsession Destruction – This wouldn’t be a Cherd list without some sludge doom, and Chained to the Bottom of the Ocean put out one of the finest examples of the genre in 2023. Always a prolific EP band, Obsession Destruction is only their second full length of the last six years, but it sees the band finally shrug off their reputation as a Thou knockoff and come fully into their own. “The Altar” and “The Gates Have Closed and They Will Never Open” have forever entered my rotation of killer sludge doom tracks. The only band to beat them at their game in 2023 was Warcrab, but we’ll get to them in a bit.

#10. Xoth // Exogalactic – No one has more fun with cosmic horrors than Xoth, except maybe those of us who get to smash the play button over and over again on their albums. I got on the “Party Lovecraft” bus four years ago when I first heard Interdimensional Invocations, and while it may have taken a complete remixing of the album at the 11th hour to get there, Exogalactic does not disappoint as a follow-up. Songs like “Reptilian Bloodsport,” “Saga of the Blade,” and “Map to the Stars, Monument to the Ancients” take their rightful place alongside the band’s best work as they continue to hone their winning combination of blackened melo-death and tech-thrash.

#9. Oromet // Oromet – I’m always thrilled when a new band impresses me with their debut record enough to land a hard-fought spot on my yearly top ten. This year it happened twice. The first entry is Oromet’s self-titled LP of expansive, airy funeral doom. The album art of a dramatically jutting rocky peak piercing the firmament while bathed in golds and blues could hardly be a better visual representation of the music. This two-man project of Patrick Hills and Dan Aguilar is an exercise in judiciously balanced light and shadow, weight and buoyancy. There’s as much empty space on this record as there is tectonic heft, with overt beauty and ragged desperation embraced in equal measure.

#8. Big|Brave // Nature Morte – In the grand tradition of quoting myself out of laziness: “The most impressive thing about Nature Morte is its meticulous construction. No matter how sparse it gets, no matter how repetitive the drum strikes or how loose the guitar squalls, there’s no wasted space. None of the three out of six tracks that stretch past nine minutes feel remotely that long thanks to well-placed transitions, hypnotic rhythms, and the commanding presence of (Robin) Wattie’s vocals… Big|Brave delivers a stunning, unique statement on Nature Morte. Without changing the core of the band’s sound, it signals a remarkable refinement of vision a decade into their existence.”

#7. Curta’n Wall // Siege Ubsessed – Abysmal Specter’s MO has always been to knock down the castle gates with his goofy parade of wizards, knights, and witches riding ostriches and walruses while sneaking infectious melodies and riffs in through the kitchen servants’ entrance. This is true of Curta’n Wall, one of his dozen or so projects other than his flagship band Old Nick, but on Siege Ubsessed, the black metal mad scientist stands at his infernal machine, turns the knob marked “raw black metal” down to its lowest setting, and the knobs marked “accordion,” “bagpipes,” “harpsichord,” and “pan flute” to 11. This is jaunty, stupid medieval folk music and an absolutely essential release in Abysmal Specter’s ever-growing oeuvre.

#6. Warcrab // The Howling Silence – Warcrab is the premier death/sludge outfit operating today, and this is their most refined release to date. As I said in my review, “With The Howling Silence, Warcrab both re-instates their sludge doom bonafides and leans into proper OSDM in ways they haven’t before.” It’s quite the trick making not only one of the best death metal songs of the year in “Sword of Mars,” but also the best sludge doom song in “Sourlands Under a Rancid Sky,” but Warcrab pulls it off with aplomb. Even as more bands join this burgeoning style, none approach these Brits in terms of talent or execution.

#5. Agriculture // Agriculture – The second of my two favorite new bands of 2023, Agriculture’s “ecstatic black metal” is unlike anything else I heard this year, and I listen to A LOT of black metal. By turns stark and lush, these Californian’s debut record was forged in the fires of blazing black riff craft and the contemporary post-rock zeitgeist. While that usually means some form of black gaze, this is not remotely the case with Agriculture. There’s nothing laconic or detached here. The almost shocking earnestness may leave some a bit taken aback, but it’s not as if they’re any different in that regard than the countless self-serious black metal musician basement dwellers the world over.

#4. Carnosus // Visions of Infinihility – I’m sure many of my colleagues will fall all over themselves in their respective lists about how much good death metal came out in 2023. I enjoyed my share of it as well, with Dying Fetus, Fossilization, and the mighty Incantation all turning my head, but the only purely death metal record I couldn’t stop spinning was Carnosus’ tech-death barn burner Visions of Infinihility. Tight, vicious, and catchy, this record also features the second-best harsh vocal performance of the year behind only the one found on my number-one record. A lot of vocalists can oscillate between death growls and blackened shrieks, but precious few can give you four different tones in one song while putting affected spins on individual words the way Jonatan Karasiak can.

#3. Somnuri // Desiderium – I’ve been pushing this NYC progressive sludge band like a used car dealer with a quota to meet since they dropped their debut in 2017. They’ve rewarded my faith in them by improving on each subsequent release. From my review: “Somnuri has done exactly what you want to see a promising band do with their third record. Namely, take anything that worked with the first two, amp that up a bit, and commit fully to a new wrinkle to elevate the material. The addition of (Soundgarden-esque) throwback radio alt-rock into their roiling pot of hardcore and progressive sludge makes Desiderium these Brooklynites’ strongest outing to date. It’s rare that an album this aggressive and energetic goes down this smooth.”

#2. Hellish Form // Deathless – This record is special. In any other year, it probably would have been my number one. As I said in April, “Considering it embodies three of the most miserable subgenres in all of metal (funeral doom, sludge, and drone), the remarkable thing about Deathless is how powerfully hopeful it is. The themes of the album are pointedly heavy and political. It’s an admonition of an oppressive world delivered with withering vitriol by the aggrieved, but both musically and lyrically, (Willow) Ryan and (Jacob) Lee steadily fix their gaze upward.” I doubt there are any more affecting lines in metal this year than Ryan’s delivery in the title track of “You can take my life, but I am deathless. I am deathless.”

#1. Convocation // No Dawn for the Caliginous Night – What else can I say about the first 4.5 I’ve ever awarded on this site? “By the time you reach the halfway point in opening track “Graveless yet Dead,” you’ve heard swirling organs, ominous violins, harmonized choirs, riffs that measure their gravity on the scale of celestial bodies, and (Marko) Neuman’s enormous death roar. The whole thing keeps escalating like a light growing in intensity until, nearly blinding, a biblically accurate angel emerges with its six wings and concentric wheels full of eyes and multiple heads and burnished bronze appendages and it bellows in an inhuman voice, “B̴̧̈E̴͝ͅ ̸̫̈Ń̷̦Ò̸̭T̸̜̈́ ̸̟̄A̷͈͌F̵̯̊R̴̳̽Ā̷͇I̸̜͊D̶͈͛.”…With No Dawn for the Caliginous Night, LL and Neuman have completed their transformation from practitioners of impressive if well-trod death doom to a unique voice in the ranks of funerophiles. This is a towering celebration of death’s enormity, packaged in the heaviest and most shimmering of vessels.”

Honorable Mentions

• Gridlink // Coronet Juniper – Acidic but deceptively smooth grindcore from one of the best bands in the genre over the last decade plus.
• Stortregn // Finitude – Just because I was slightly disappointed in the direction these Swiss boys are going after releasing my favorite record of 2021 doesn’t mean this isn’t one of my fifteen favorite records of 2023. They may be moving more and more tech, but they’re still Stortregn and they still slay.
• AGLO // Build Fear – STAR TREK THEMED DEATH DOOM SLUDGE ARE YOU KIDDING ME!? COULD ANYTHING POSSIBLY BE MORE CHERD!?
• Vanishing Kids // Miracle of Death – I liked Heavy Dreamer a fair amount, but by leaning harder into classic doom, Miracle of Death rose to list-worthy. “Spill The Dark” is one of the very best songs of any genre this year.
• Bell Witch // Future’s Shadow Part 1: The Clandestine Gate – I’m reserving some judgment for when all three parts are revealed, but this single 83-minute track is plenty compelling on its own.

Songs o’ the Year

In alphabetical order by band:

#2023 #Aetherian #AGLO #Agriculture #AntiGodHand #Antrisch #BigBrave #Blackbraid #BlogPost #Briqueville #Carcharodon #CarcharodonSTopTenIshOf2023 #CarcharodonSAndCherdSTopTenIshOf2023 #Carnosus #ChainedToTheBottomOfTheOcean #Convocation #Cursebinder #CurtaNWall #DownfallOfGaia #FiresInTheDistance #GodDisease #Gridlink #HellishForm #Inherus #Leitha #Listurnalia #Lo_ #MoonlightSorcery #Omnivortex #Oromet #Saturnus #Somnuri #Stortregn #Sworn #TheCircle #VanishingKids #Warcrab #Wayfarer #Xoth