2017 has been a crazy year for me personally but there were always 10 records that kept me going and those are the 9 above excluding ‘Wrong One To Fuck With’ by death metal machine Dying Fetus. So sit back, relax and enjoy the show!
10. Dying Fetus – ‘Wrong One To Fuck With’
Starting off with ‘Wrong One To Fuck With’ by death metal legends Dying Fetus. While this record has been released in the middle of June the pure brutalness of the album, including the cover, still stands by me till this day. I value emotional music a lot, like Wage War or August Burns Red, but from time to time I just need to listen to blastbeats, guitar solo’s and what most would describe as pure horror.
9. Septic Flesh – ‘Codex Omega’
Talking about what I need from time to time, Septic Flesh latest released album ‘Codex Omega’ is right up there with Dying Fetus but in a totally different way. Instead of using gore they use their unique and never before heard of style to combine the absolute best aspects of symphony, melody and atmosphere to create what is now known as ‘Codex Omega’. I had always heard great things about this band but up until my co writer Tulip introduced me to them I never knew what I was missing out on. Definitely one I will always be listening to.
8. A Night In Texas – ‘Global Slaughter’
Just like Septic Flesh this act, A Night In Texas, has been a band which I have been introduced to due to a friend but this time it has been the works of Martin. I mainly listen to deathcore bands which mostly use high vocals but after he showed me their prior work I became in love with high vocals as well. Seriously though, if you haven’t checked out A Night In Texas and especially their latest album ‘Global Slaughter’ you are most centainly missing out on something great. Besides making me realise how brutal high vocals can be their lyrics are also top notch if you ask me. And most importantly of al, realistic and true.
7. Analepsy/ Kraanium – ‘Kraanialepsy Split’
Moving on to number 7 is the ‘Kraanialepsy Split’ by Analepsy and Kraanium. Just looking at the artwork you will understand that this piece is without a single doubt the most brutal one in my list (besides Dying Fetus ofcourse). This right here is what you will see me listen to when I need to blow off some steam but sadly we won’t get another musical orgasm by the vocals of Martin Funderud (vocalist of Kraanium) because he passed away before the split got released. At least he did it in style! RIP Martin Funderud (1978-2017).
6. Fit For An Autopsy – ‘The Great Collapse’
Next on the list is ‘The Great Collapse’ by Fit For An Autopsy. The reason for me to put them on the list is simple, they contain 2 of the things I love most in this world. Music and the truth. I have been a huge fan of their music, both early and late releases, and when ‘The Great Collapse’ got announced I shit my pants. C’mon though, what is there not to like about a deathcore record that sounds totally different yet remains brutal till the very last second. And if that hasn’t been enough already, when you take a closer look at the lyrical content you will notice how on top of things they are about the current state of humanity and the Earth.
5. Shadow Of Intent – ‘Reclaimer’
Finally, we have made it to the top 5 and with no suprise the groundbreaking record ‘Reclaimer’ from Shadow Of Intent claims spot 5. With an intro as great as this piece you know you are in for a once upon a lifetime experience and to think Shadow Of Intent started out as a joke makes me wonder how much undiscovered talent there really is. But let’s focus more on the album, as many know the vocal techniques are out of this damned world. Literally pushed to perfection. And the instrumentals are played by only the best in the game. And the best part might be the lyrical theme. You guessed it wrong, it is about the halo series. How awesome is that? Truly groundbreaking!
4. Trivium – ‘The Sin And Sentence’
But enought of deathcore, let’s talk other genres and let’s start with Trivium. With the recent release of ‘The Sin And Sentence’ I got blown away by the sheer amazingless of this record. I have been listening to Trivium for a long time but they have never suprised me as much as with their 2017 release. If you haven’t checked it yet, I highly suggest you do that right here. For a long time I thought I knew exactly what the album was going to be like. It was going to be great but not more than that. But instead they put their minds together to create everything their band stands for. Spot well deserved!
3. August Burns Red – ‘Phantom Anthem’
August Burns Red claims spot 3 and that isn’t without reason. Their 2017 release ‘Phantom Anthem’ proved that they still got the musical talent in them which made the famous album ‘Messengers’ as good as it is. Just like with Trivium I was expecting it to be in my top 10 albums but surely not this high on the list. With only the release of ”The Frost” they got me hooked and when I later discovered ”Hero Of The Half Truth” & ”Lifeline” I finally released that August Burns Red has reclaimed their throne. They are simply incredible at what they do and nothing can stop them. Everything falls right into place, the meaningful lyrics, catchy vocals and last but not least the soul touching instrumentals. Only thing missing now is witnessing this beauty live!
2. Motionless In White – ‘Graveyard Shift’
‘Graveyard Shift’ has been my second favorite release of this year for multiple reasons. Not only does the band itself mean a shit ton to me for other reasons it is also one of the bands I started out with. Upon discovering ‘Reincarnate’ & ‘Infamous’ I instantly fell in love with their goth like metalcore style with an additional touch of agression and after listening to ‘Graveyard Shift’ I got reminded why they have always had a special place in my heart. As you may have found out by now I am addicted to both the emotional and agressive side of metal and Motionless In White combine the 2 flawlessly. Oh and for you old school Motionless In White fans, yes he did the all time famous ”bleh” to top it off. Not much more you can ask for in a metalcore album if you ask me.
1. Wage War – ‘Deadweight’
The time has come where I finally get to talk about my absolute number 1, Wage War. Just like they said themselves, the debut album ‘Blueprints’ is about how the world should be and what they want it to be and ‘Deadweight’ is more about focused on how the world smacks you in the face and how we cope with it. And to me that is beautiful, to me that is art. The record is about real issues some of us have faced before or are even going through right now. It makes you feel alive and you feel connected. Even though it is mostly focused on real life issues it is certainly not all depressing, in reality it is the exact opposite. If you take a good look at the lyrics you will understand so much more about what you might be going through and if you can bring that into your music to me you 100 % deserve the number 1 spot.
So I hope all of you guys had a great year and if you didn’t there is always music to make your head bang!
Let me know what your list is and I will see the next time. Happy new year!
