Sunday, December 28, 2014

Best of 2014: Leftovers Edition

There were quite a few good releases this year, but due to the fact this blog mostly covers a few niche genres, there were many other releases that I didn't get to cover or simply neglected to mention in my last post. So, I've decided to quickly throw together a couple lists that pretty much cover everything else I've enjoyed listening to in the last year, underground or not.

Further mathcore and grindcore releases (in no particular order):

TEBOTJF - demo


My good friend and former bandmate from Antarctica's newest effort, as seen on The Death of A Modernist's compilation, "The Dissonant Choir Vol. II."

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Izeovasis - Synapse Collective


Although this was recorded in 2013, it was still released back in January, which is good enough for me. Great mathcore/deathcore from the Bay Area.

Favorite track: Hive Construction

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Imbroglio - The Struggle In Persuit


Mathcore/sludge from Ohio. Pairs well with Black Sheep Wall and Secret Cutter.

Favorite track: Approaching

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Cave Moth - The Black Lodge



Short, but very sweet. Techgrind from Florida.

Favorite track: Form: Void

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Gridlink - Longhena


Yeah, pretty much just spaced this one. Their final release.

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Vermin Womb - Permanence


Ethan Lee McCarthy of CTTTOAFF and Primitive Man clearly knows brutal, and this new project is no exception.

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Full of Hell - Full of Hell & Merzbow


Prepare to feel uneasy. 

Super last minute entry (12/29/14):

Every Time I Die - From Parts Unknown



Holy shit, I can't believe I spaced something so obvious. What more can I say, this is one of the best bands of our generation. 7 studio albums, each one a masterpiece in it's own right.

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Death metal (in no particular order):

Cannibal Corpse - A Skeletal Domain


Only made this list because it's so surprising the band can still remain relevant and put out good music.

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Pyrrhon - Mother of Virtues 


Nausea inducing riffs in the vein of Gorguts and Ulcerate.

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Job For a Cowboy - Sun Eater


Sneer all you want, this band has come so far from Entombment of a Machine. "Genesis" was the last release I truly enjoyed from them, so I'm glad to see they've solidified a new direction.

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Rings of Saturn - Lugal En Ki


I'm perfectly aware of the dubious recording methods this band uses, having many peers and colleagues who know them personally, but all that aside, this is a really fun record. Joel Omans at the very least was capable of playing this stuff, too bad he won't get to perform it live after his explosive resignation/departure from the band.

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Fallujah - The Flesh Prevails


Tech death from the Bay Area, these guys have working at it for a very long time. Tip-top musicianship.

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Baring Teeth - Ghost Chorus Among Old Ruins


So many Gorguts and Ulcerate influenced releases this year, but this band has really stood out to me since the release of Atrophy.

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Disentomb - Misery


Hands down the most brutal death metal release of the year, and probably one of the best to date.

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Artificial Brain - Labyrinth Constellation


I originally set out to write this list in a quick fashion, ignoring any kind of ranking, but all things considered this is probably the best death metal release of 2014. Truly a genre bending experience, with tons of musical innovation. Fans of angular riffage a la Gorguts etc will adore this stuff, and I swear to God I heard a Mars Volta riff in there somewhere too (EDIT: see title track).

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