Every Ulcerate Song Ranked (once again)
Continuing the tradition I suppose. |
| 64 |  | Ulcerate
Demo 2003
Smash the Deceitful -- D tier, aka. narrow passes |
| 63 |  | Ulcerate
The Coming of Genocide
Scorn the Dethroned -- If you think their album titles are on-the-nose, read the lyrics to this. |
| 62 | | Ulcerate
Demo 2003
Ulceration |
| 61 |  | Ulcerate
Vermis
Fall to Opprobrium -- Just an interlude. Don’t dislike it but it’s hard to rank it any higher lol |
| 60 | | Ulcerate
Demo 2003
Burnt Offering |
| 59 | | Ulcerate
Vermis
Odium -- Intro that sets the tone for Vermis’ title track I suppose, but still kinda skippable. |
| 58 |  | Ulcerate
Of Fracture and Failure
Failure |
| 57 | | Ulcerate
The Coming of Genocide
The Coming of Genocide -- C tier – This song would end up getting re-recorded for Of Fracture but this version is still worth a spin. |
| 56 | | Ulcerate
Demo 2003
Subversive Supremacy |
| 55 | | Ulcerate
The Coming of Genocide
Unhallowed Ascension |
| 54 | | Ulcerate
Vermis
Weight of Emptiness -- Basically a post-metal song with a DM veneer. While good in its own right, it’s a bit too plodding to stand up to the rest of Vermis, let alone most of Ulcerate’s catalogue. |
| 53 | | Ulcerate
Of Fracture and Failure
The Coming of Genocide (re-recording) |
| 52 | | Ulcerate
The Coming of Genocide
Second Death |
| 51 | | Ulcerate
Of Fracture and Failure
Defaeco |
| 50 |  | Ulcerate
Shrines of Paralysis
Bow to Spite -- The best interlude they’ve ever made. I remember reading it described as “molten slabs of bass” which is right on the mark. |
| 49 | | Ulcerate
Shrines of Paralysis
Shrines of Paralysis -- Lot of people name this as Shrines’ best track which, despite me enjoying it quite a bit, is bonkers to me. One of the few instances where I can understand the allegation that JSM “overplays”. Combine this with the suffocating production and this song’s finale sounds a tad messy. |
| 48 | | Ulcerate
Of Fracture and Failure
Ad Nauseam -- B tier |
| 47 |  | Ulcerate
The Destroyers of All
Dead Oceans -- This song is tense almost to a fault, in large part thanks to disparity between the shrill whirring of Hoggard’s guitar parts and JSM’s high-octane drumming. |
| 46 | | Ulcerate
Vermis
Clutching Revulsion |
| 45 | | Ulcerate
Of Fracture and Failure
Praise and Negation |
| 44 | | Ulcerate
Of Fracture and Failure
To Fell Goliath |
| 43 | | Ulcerate
Vermis
Cessation |
| 42 | | Ulcerate
Of Fracture and Failure
Martyr of the Soil -- This song’s gradually crept up in my estimations over the years, sounding more like the band’s Gorguts-inspired later material than the more Cryptopsy-esque songs that surround it. |
| 41 | | Ulcerate
The Destroyers of All
The Hollow Idols |
| 40 |  | Ulcerate
Stare Into Death and Be Still
Visceral Ends -- Bit of a tricky placing. As a standalone song, I can’t really nudge it into A-tier, but the album’s better off for its inclusion, because it creates such a good sense of continuity with ‘Drawn Into the Next Void’. |
| 39 | | Ulcerate
Of Fracture and Failure
Becoming the Lycanthrope |
| 38 | | Ulcerate
Shrines of Paralysis
End the Hope -- Ulcerate’s trend towards melancholy closers was really cemented here. Interesting to listen back after hearing their latest and picking up on the seeds of what their sound would become. |
| 37 | | Ulcerate
Vermis
Confronting Entropy |
| 36 | | Ulcerate
The Destroyers of All
Beneath -- A slow burner, not unlike ‘The Weight of Emptiness’ but with a more discernible sense of weight and progression. |
| 35 | | Ulcerate
Shrines of Paralysis
Yield to Naught -- One of Ulcerate’s more overtly “prog” songs, alternating between a handful of different ideas as opposed to umpteen variations of one, all woven into one surprisingly cohesive whole. |
| 34 | | Ulcerate
Of Fracture and Failure
The Mask of the Satyr -- A tier – My current favourite Of Fracture song, which will probably change when I revisit this little tradition in another 3 or 4 years. While ‘Martyr of the Soil’ is probably the more impressive song composition-wise, this gets the nod from me for unadulterated intensity. |
| 33 | | Ulcerate
Vermis
Await Rescission |
| 32 |  | Ulcerate
Everything Is Fire
Tyranny -- On just about any other album, this song would rank among the top, but we’re talking about Everything is Fire here – and the surrounding flame simply burns a tad hotter. |
| 31 | | Ulcerate
Stare Into Death and Be Still
Exhale the Ash -- One of Ulcerate’s catchiest songs and great use of polyrhythm. |
| 30 | | Ulcerate
Everything Is Fire
The Earth at Its Knees |
| 29 | | Ulcerate
Shrines of Paralysis
There Are No Saviours -- Absolute whirlwind of riffs that took many attentive listens to really grasp for me. Maybe it was the solemn little clean section that stole my focus, but I’d consider that just another boon for it. |
| 28 | | Ulcerate
The Destroyers of All
Cold Becoming |
| 27 |  | Ulcerate
Cutting the Throat of God
Undying as an Apparition |
| 26 | | Ulcerate
Stare Into Death and Be Still
Drawn into the Next Void -- Love the palm-muted chugga that calls on the aforementioned ‘Visceral Ends’ and leads into the closer. This one is just as good as a standalone listen as it is part of something bigger though. |
| 25 | | Ulcerate
Stare Into Death and Be Still
Inversion -- Most metal door chime there ever was. |
| 24 | | Ulcerate
Shrines of Paralysis
Chasm of Fire |
| 23 | | Ulcerate
Stare Into Death and Be Still
The Lifeless Advance -- Dearest Casavir described the opening riff to this as “stately” which is bang-on. The highlight has to the be the riff about four and a half minutes in though. |
| 22 | | Ulcerate
Everything Is Fire
Caecus -- This was my first favourite Ulcerate song on account of its intensity bordering on the absurd. While others have eclipsed it since, it’ll always remain a nostalgic listen, as well as an A+ song. |
| 21 | | Ulcerate
The Destroyers of All
The Destroyers of All |
| 20 | | Ulcerate
Cutting the Throat of God
Transfiguration In and Out of Worlds -- Hearkens back to Shrines in terms of songwriting and isn’t as immediately gratifying as the two songs that bookend it. I imagine it’ll probably climb up this list as the years go on. |
| 19 | | Ulcerate
Everything Is Fire
Drown Within -- S tier – The iconic intro to what is now rightfully considered a death metal classic. |
| 18 | | Ulcerate
Vermis
Vermis -- Songs like this occasionally make me long for sludgy Ulcerate to return. I’ve never really known how to describe the riff at the end, but that’s Vermis for you. |
| 17 | | Ulcerate
Cutting the Throat of God
The Dawn is Hollow |
| 16 | | Ulcerate
The Destroyers of All
Burning Skies -- Crazy intense opener that still gives me goosebumps to this day. |
| 15 | | Ulcerate
Shrines of Paralysis
Abrogation -- Considering how aggressively this song opens, it feels odd to describe it as a slow-burner, but it’s still kind of apt in a way. But for the break in the middle, it just continues to dial up the ferocity before culminating in one of Ulcerate’s peak moments. |
| 14 | | Ulcerate
Everything Is Fire
We Are Nil -- I don’t wanna overuse the word “iconic” but the breakdown at the end of this monster, well... |
| 13 | | Ulcerate
Stare Into Death and Be Still
Dissolved Orders -- Maybe the most accessible Ulcerate song. Melodic and percussive with elements of Ulcerate’s usual dissonant flair peppered throughout. Probably a good choice if you’re looking to introduce someone to the band. |
| 12 | | Ulcerate
Cutting the Throat of God
To Flow Through Ashen Hearts -- In the years to come, we’ll probably look at the opening melody of this track in a similar light to ‘Drown Within’ although not for stylistic reasons, obviously. |
| 11 | | Ulcerate
Cutting the Throat of God
To See Death Just Once -- Ulcerate does black metal (almost) – Absolutely massive sense of scope that instils dread and awe in equal measure. While most of the songs on Cutting seem to contain glints of optimism, this one is steely-eyed and malicious from beginning to end. |
| 10 | | Ulcerate
Shrines of Paralysis
Extinguished Light -- The riff four minutes in is actually a field recording of a quasar. |
| 9 | | Ulcerate
Vermis
The Imperious Weak -- The best song from the comparatively unappreciated Vermis. Takes full advantage of the sludgy production and contains riffs aplenty, embracing the bedlam and pummeling the listener non-stop. |
| 8 | | Ulcerate
Everything Is Fire
Soullessness Embraced -- I’m consistently amazed at how well-realised Ulcerate’s songwriting was so early on, with this one still being among the best shows in how to establish a theme, unravel it and peace it back together into a recognisable headbanger. |
| 7 | | Ulcerate
Stare Into Death and Be Still
There is No Horizon -- Was initially my favourite song on Stare and remains in the top two for now. Built around an ear worm of a riff that creeps back into my noggin with some degree of regularity. |
| 6 | | Ulcerate
Everything Is Fire
Everything Is Fire -- S+ tier – A mainstay of their live shows for good reason. The eponymous Everything is Fire is one of the most ferocious metal songs ever written and does justice to its title. |
| 5 | | Ulcerate
Cutting the Throat of God
Further Opening the Wounds -- I thought ‘There is No Horizon’ would always be the closest Ulcerate ever got to an open-air rocker, but the latter half of this is probably the most infectious thing they’ve ever written. If you can listen to this and continue to mutter “riffless” then you should get your ears syringed. |
| 4 | | Ulcerate
Stare Into Death and Be Still
Stare into Death and Be Still -- Eclipsed ‘There is No Horizon’ as my top pick from its namesake some time last year. It reminds me of a more melodic ‘Burning Skies’ in a way. |
| 3 | | Ulcerate
The Destroyers of All
Omens -- One of the simplest songs on The Destroyers of All but its execution is nothing short of perfect. The word “atmospheric” gets thrown around a lot but this practically embodies the term in a metal-centric context. |
| 2 | | Ulcerate
Everything Is Fire
Withered and Obsolete -- I pondered long and hard before putting this song in second place. It’s long been my favourite Ulcerate track and a contender for my favourite song of all time. The little break about two minutes in, which is broken by the maelstrom of riffs and drums has dumbfounded me from the first moment I heard it. It’s still, however, the benchmark for intensity within their discography. |
| 1 | | Ulcerate
Cutting the Throat of God
Cutting the Throat of God -- I’m sure there’s something poetic about the concept of a divine’s death spurring mortals on to create their most divine work, but if you’ve read this far then I appreciate you enough to spare you from my waxing. This is the culmination of a more-than-a-decade-long stylistic escapade, in which Ulcerate sought to meld complexity, dissonance and technicality with melody and emotional resonance. They’ve succeeded, emphatically. For such an ostensibly bleak piece of work, ‘Cutting the Throat of God’ spans quite the range of moods, from foreboding and malevolent, to melancholic and, almost… sanguine? All conveyed through arpeggios and melodies that glisten in stark contrast to the rapid-fire drums and thunderous bass, weaved into a monster of a track that belies the thought and delicacy with which it was written. Masterpiece. |
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