#AnasYearOfMetal2023
Legacy by Non Est Deus (2023)
#AtmosphericBlackMetal
★★★★

It took me a couple months to realize the same Noise who is behind this project is also behind Kanonenfieber. 🤦🏻‍♀️ So, I’m predisposed to like this project. Kind of reminds me of Mgła’s Exercises in Futility. Some of the songs begin to blend together, but it’s a catchy #BlackMetal album so I’m not complaining.

Fav song: The Canon of Nil

#AnasYearOfMetal2023
Siege Ubsessed! by Curta’n Wall (2023)
#BlackMetal / #DungeonSynth
★★★1/2

Probably the top contender for weirdest album I’ve listened to this year, but for some reason I keep coming back to it. It makes me smile, and that’s something.

Fav song: Elephantry

#AnasYearOfMetal2023
Blackbraid II by Blackbraid (2023)
#BlackMetal
★★★★★

It’s finally here! And it lives up to the hype. This is Album of the Year material. One of the best black metal acts out there right now in my opinion.

Fav track: The Spirit Returns

#AnasYearOfMetal2023
Kanonenfieber Live at Dark Easter Metal Meeting by Kanonenfieber (2023)
#MelodicDeathMetal / #BlackMetal
★★★★★

Considering I’ll probably never get to see Kanonenfieber live (unless they do a U.S. tour 👀) this is the next best thing. I generally like live recordings so I really enjoyed this one. Hard to pick a favorite song but Dicke Bertha goes HARD live so we’ll go with that one. :)

Fav song: Dicke Bertha (Live at DEMM)

#AnasYearOfMetal2023
Inevitable by NONE (2023)
#DSBM / #BlackMetal
★★★

I’ll leave this here: ‘Like the last stage of grief, “Inevitable” is a black, nihilistic acceptance… Surrendering to existential loss and failure, only to whisper a sigh of contempt before an apathetic march toward the inevitable end.’

This album lulled me into a sleep-like trance. Dunno what that says about me.

Fav song: Alone, Where I Can See

#AnasYearOfMetal2023
Oromet by Oromet (2023)
#DoomMetal / #FuneralDoom
★★★★

A genre that on paper is really up my alley, but I find a lot of it too slow/repetitive for my liking. But this album isn’t like that. Sure, it opens with a 23-minute-long song, but at no point did I find myself zoning out or checking how much I had left to go.

When the rising tide lifts their boats / You and I will be left to drown with the rats

Fav song: Diluvium

If you haven’t noticed, I’m taking a short break from posting about #AnasYearOfMetal2023 for the time being.

Why?

Because my ADHD meds haven’t been working and I can’t pay attention to new music for more than like 30 seconds max without them lol.

I need some new metal to listen to. Any good releases lately? (Check out #AnasYearOfMetal2023 to see what I’ve already listened to)

#Metal #BlackMetal #DeathMetal #AvantGardeMetal #ProgressiveMetal #SpeedMetal #DoomMetal

#AnasYearOfMetal2023
Air Not Meant For Us by Fires in the Distance (2023)
#MelodicDeathMetal / #DoomMetal
★★★★1/2

One of the best melodeath / doom metal albums I’ve heard in a loooong time. These are two genres that I absolutely love when they’re blended together with skill, which is what we have here. The orchestral arrangements are beautiful and transcendent. Probably one of my favorite albums I’ve listened to so far this year, and there are a lot of contenders.

Fav song: Idiopathic Despair

When searching for a hashtag on Mastodon, is the search meant to be all-encompassing, I.e., to show _all_ posts with that hashtag? Because I’ve noticed when I search my own hashtag, #AnasYearOfMetal2023, only some of the posts come up and not all. I don’t know if this is a Masto thing, or maybe even my app (Ivory).

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EXPEDITION II: Die Passage by Antrisch (2023)
#BlackMetal / #AtmosphericBlackMetal
★★★★1/2

Black metal about Arctic expeditions? Sign me up. It’s appropriately bleak and frosty. My only real complaint is that at 38 mins, it’s so short. Like EXPEDITION I the vocals are exceptional (see my previous post), some of the best I’ve recently heard, but the instruments also really stand out — in fact, one of my favorite tracks is the instrumental closer.

Fav song: I Festgefroren

#AnasYearOfMetal2023
EXPEDITION I: Dissonanzgrat by Antrisch (2021)
#BlackMetal / #AtmosphericBlackMetal
★★★★1/2

German gets a lot of flack for being a harsh language. I personally love the way German sounds, so I’ve never really agreed with that assessment. The vocals on this album, however, make German sound downright guttural. They’re fucking nasty. (That’s a compliment, by the way.) I dig the riffs, but the vocals steal the show.

Fav song: I Aufbruchsignale

#AnasYearOfMetal2023
Moon of Foul Magics by Autonoesis (2022)
#ThrashMetal / #MelodicBlackMetal
★★★★

I don’t typically listen to thrash metal so I don’t have much to compare this album to. But it’s a (head)banger. Without knowing a lot about thrash metal I’d say that the black metal side of things comes primarily from the vocals. The title track captured me instantly and had me nodding along all 9 minutes and 19 seconds. I like this.

Fav song: Moon of Foul Magics

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Six Voices Inside by Faidra (2020)
#AtmosphericBlackMetal
★★★★

I’m nervous recommending this album because it’s made by an anonymous musician, which could mean any number of things in the #BlackMetal world. It’s a very good album, however. I’m with other reviewers that at some points it grows a little repetitive, which is why I didn’t give it an additional 1/2 star. But I feel like that’s a common issue with atmospheric black metal in general.

Fav song: The Depths

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Triade III: Nyx by Aara (2023)
#AtmosphericBlackMetal
★★★★

Aara concludes their trilogy based on ‘Melmoth the Wanderer’ with this album. The story ends with Melmoth committing suicide, unable to find any takers of the Devil’s bargain of 150 extra years of life. Despite the dark theme, some of the songs come off sonically as hopeful and uplifting. There aren’t any standout tracks like ‘Sonne der Nacht’ from Triade II, but it’s a very cohesive album.

Fav song: Heimgesucht

#AnasYearOfMetal2023
Autumn’s Dawn, Winter’s Darkness by Fathomage
#AtmosphericBlackMetal
★★★★

Satanism is such a trope in black metal that finding a Christian black metal band is kind of shocking lol. It threatens to be a pretty average atmospheric black metal album but something about it allows it to transcend and subvert expectations. I like the delicate instrumentation that appears on some of the tracks. Overall a pleasant listening experience.

Fav song: A Dawnfire of Old

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Liber Lvcifer II: Mahapralaya by Thy Darkened Shade (2023)
#BlackMetal
★★★1/2

I can’t overstate how good the intro and outro songs are. Love the choir on both tracks, which has kind of an ominous quality. Unfortunately everything in between kind of blends together. The choir is undoubtedly the highlight throughout the album, however — whenever it comes in it delivers a memorable performance.

Fav songs: Lucifitas, Typhonian Temple

#AnasYearOfMetal2023
93696 by Liturgy (2023)
#AvantGardeMetal / #BlackMetal
★★

I will fully admit that I don’t get it. My only other exposure to Liturgy is H.A.Q.Q. and I did not like that album, so my expectations coming into this one were pretty low. This is a lot more listenable than H.A.Q.Q., but it’s still too disorganized for my ear. I feel like I’m missing something. This has been getting rave reviews but it’s honestly pretty grating to me.

Fav song: Ananon

#AnasYearOfMetal2023
The Awakening by Kamelot (2023)
#SymphonicMetal / #PowerMetal
★★★

I loved Kamelot with Roy Khan. I was so sad when he left the band that I never bothered to check out anything they released after him. Well, Tommy Karevik nails it. He has a vocal quality to rival Khan’s. This album is poppier than the Kamelot I fell in love with on Epica, though I don’t say that as a bad thing. It’s very anthemic. But it kind of blends together.

Fav song: One More Flag in the Ground

A lot of 4 star albums so far for #AnasYearOfMetal2023. I think it’s because I have a lower tolerance for “wasting my time” listening to stuff I don’t like. If I’m not hooked after a song or three I move on. It’s like books — if I’m not feeling it after 50 pages I give up.