Jac's Top 30 Of 2014
Day before Christmas and I'm not even excited, I must be getting old, oh well. Here's my favourite 30 albums of 2014 in a rough order because my preferences always change so yeah, check all these out if you haven't already and stuff |
| 30 |  | Symptom
Caverns Of Katabasis
Death/Doom - Ominous, claustrophobic stuff courtesy of a one man band from Oregon |
| 29 |  | Volcanic Queen
Faith In Desire
Industrial/Dark Ambient - I actually had no idea this was Graveyard before I dropped my
(excellent) rating on this, so no one can accuse me of confirmation bias or anything. Really
really cool stuff it like transcends through sound forevermore or something yeah |
| 28 |  | Fallujah
The Flesh Prevails
Technical Death Metal - lol wank lol production yada yada this is really really good stuff if you
can stand the Berlin Wall mastering (which evidently, a lot of people can't but I digress). Still
waiting on that DR10 version to leak cause this had potential to be in the top 10 of the year. |
| 27 |  | IDYLLS
Prayer for Terrene
Mathcore - The Aussie core scene gets written off due to our most popular exports stifling the
good stuff, but thankfully you'll always come across bands like this if you dig deep enough.
Wayward instrumentation and song-writing and absolutely petrifying atmosphere. |
| 26 |  | Godflesh
A World Lit Only By Fire
Sludge Metal - A very late entry but I'm so glad I checked this. Hypnotic grooves complete
with an earth shattering bottom end, do check. |
| 25 |  | Patten
ESTOILE NAIANT
IDM - A fluctuating mish-mash of seemingly incompatible sounds working in perfect unison;
ethereal, infectious and fascinating. |
| 24 |  | Question
Doomed Passages
Death Metal - Nothing too crazy just some quality riffage and real tight song-writing |
| 23 |  | Valerio Tricoli
Miseri Lares
Musique Concrete - Pretty far removed from a lot of musique concrete I've heard, lots of
attention to detail, skirting the line between an immediate and a peripheral listening
experience. At some points you can become lost in the wash of sound before being pulled
straight back in, it even made me jump a couple times, really really good stuff. |
| 22 |  | Eyehategod
Eyehategod
Sludge Metal - Quality collection of riffs from a band that I've horribly neglected over time, if
Black Sabbath formed today (notwithstanding the chronological inconsistencies) this is what I
imagine they'd sound like. |
| 21 |  | Rippikoulu
Ulvaja
Doom Metal - Awesome comeback EP from a truly legendary Finnish band. Got absolutely no
coverage when it was released which is a shame because this dooms hard. |
| 20 |  | Kashiwa Daisuke
9 Songs
Post-rock/J-Pop - Another album that had pretty much no promotion surrounding it, which is a
shame because it rules. Really sugary so I can understand the (kinda) negative reception but
whatever. |
| 19 |  | Corpsessed
Abysmal Thresholds
Death Metal - Devastating Finnish DM that combines elements from the band's homeland
sound and that of Sweden (notably the guitar tone). Super reverberant production makes it
sound like it was recorded in the hyperbolic time chamber m/ |
| 18 |  | D'Angelo
Black Messiah
Neo-Soul - Not a soul aficionado but this is some really enjoyable stuff that still has ample
time to grow (people saying after like 2 listens that it's the best album ever or some shit
heh), will be checking out his other stuff too. |
| 17 |  | Reverorum Ib Malacht
De Mysteriis Dom Christi
Dark Ambient/Black Metal - Twisted as fuck album that could be seen as a parody of black
metal or an attempt at taking "kvlt" production to the absolute extreme. Really interesting
regardless of your interpretation. |
| 16 |  | Execration (NOR)
Morbid Dimensions
Death Metal - Though known as the epicenter of black metal, it seems Norway have a knack
for quality old school DM in the 21st centiry too (not forgetting Darkthrone's Soulside
Journey). |
| 15 |  | Kangding Ray
Solens Arc
Minimal/Ambient Techno - Super chilled, unobtrusive, still kinda creepy electronic hoo-ham,
perfect for relaxing to. |
| 14 |  | Baring Teeth
Ghost Chorus Among Old Ruins
Technical Death Metal - An evolution of sorts from Atrophy, more fluid song-writing,
integrating the death and doom elements in a more deliberate manner rather than just
presenting them as separate entities. Twisting, lurching, technical goodness. |
| 13 |  | Actress
Ghettoville
IDM - I kinda forgot about this halfway through the year but revisited not so long ago and I'm
glad I did. Yes, it's really really long, but a more-than-worthwhile ensemble of multifaceted
soundscapes and interesting arrangements. |
| 12 |  | Bolzer
Soma
Death Metal - Can't wait for the new album (apparently) coming in 2015, one of the most
promising new DM bands around. |
| 11 |  | The Doppelgangaz
Peace Kehd
Hip-hop - The only hip-hop album I listened to this year and I kinda regret that cause it's a
goodie. Full of odd-ball one-liners and warm, infectious beats. |
| 10 |  | Triptykon
Melana Chasmata
Doom Metal - Brooding, monolithic, punishing stuff with some of the most unexpectedly catchy
sequences of any 2014 metal album I've heard. Oh and Black Snow is of the best songs of the
year. |
| 9 |  | Howls of Ebb
Vigils of the 3rd Eye
Blackened Death Metal - Demented and experimental metal that pays homage to Cthulhu and
all things perverse and evil. |
| 8 |  | Objekt
Flatland
IDM - Not gonna try and explain what's so good about this cause I wouldn't be able to tell you,
all I know is this is my poison. |
| 7 |  | Blaspherian
Upon the Throne...of Eternal Blasphemous Death
Death Metal - Crushing old school death with references to evil and Satan at every opportunity
from one of the best old school revival bands in the business. |
| 6 |  | Krusseldorf
Fractal World
Downtempo - Crazy to think just how easily this impeccably produced and composed album
could've gone unappreciated, even after a cursory listen. Though its lack of immediacy is its
biggest short coming, if you allow yourself to get lost in its watery soundscapes, it turns out to
be one of the most immersing albums of 2014. |
| 5 |  | Diocletian
Gesundrian
Blackened death metal (War Metal?) - Ambiguous labels aside, Diocletian's latest album well
and truly tops its predecessor and is one of the very best metal albums of the year, them riffs
are just undeniable. |
| 4 |  | Ben Frost
A U R O R A
Industrial Techno/Dark Ambient - Only recently found out that this guy collaborates with Tim
Hecker and now everything makes sense and this album rules pretty much. Bombastic,
distorted, overwhelming barrages of noise interspersed with scrupulously crafted soft-sections
and interludes, all while maintaining a perpetually off-putting atmosphere that plays on your
sense of intuition and all that, a must listen. |
| 3 |  | Artificial Brain
Labyrinth Constellation
Technical Death Metal - I mean the most obvious point of comparison is Coloured Sands (it's
even produced by the same guy) but Labyrinth Constellation is a brilliant piece of work in its
own right. Some people might be turned off by the groo-groo vox but the riffs and song-
writing more than compensate for that. |
| 2 |  | BADBADNOTGOOD
III
Jazz Fusion/Instrumental Hip-Hop - Without a doubt the 'coolest' album I've heard all year.
While it's nothing groundbreaking compositionally, BBNG's tertiary album is a stylistically
diverse yet unbelievably consistent album that has me more psyched than anything for their
collab with Ghostface Killah in 2015 :D |
| 1 |  | Morbus Chron
Sweven
Progressive/Psychedelic Death Metal - Sweven is a work comprised of so many incompatible
outside influences that its existence is an achievement in itself, never mind it's stunning
quality, both sonically and musically. What is remarkable is that everything is integrated with
such authenticity that its difficult to pinpoint specific influences, though the two most apparent
would probably be Autopsy and King Crimson. Combine the seamless instrumentation with
some of the most tortured vocals I've ever heard and a production job that combines the
sonorous atmosphere and dynamicism of the old school with the clarity and glimmer of the
new, and you have what unarguably my album of the year, unbelievably good. |
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