best of 2013 - part one.

crafting end of the year lists is frustrating, especially because there are always a few critics and bloggers who decry the given year as one of the worst ever for new music.

but incredible music comes out every year, and if you don't believe that, you're just not looking hard enough.

here are my favorite splits, cassettes, and non-extreme albums that came out this year.

each list is in no particular order.

my top twenty metal and noise releases will follow tomorrow.


top ten splits.
1. ames sanglantes / alberich
2. akitsa / ash pool
3. aylwin / stellar descent
4. a pregnant light / deeper wells
5. the rita / caligula031
6. sun worship / unru
7. vestiges / panopticon
8. torturing nurse / the rita / safe / vomir
9. botanist / palace of worms
10. mare cognitum / spectral lore


top ten cassettes.
1. cremation lily - it's ok to say no
2. the rita - retrospective two
3. werewolf jerusalem - curse of the crimson altar
4. paysage d'hiver - das tor
5. vomir - en dehors, en rien
6. dressed in streams - the search for blood
7. various artists - svn okklt
8. blodvite - falskt spektrum
9. various artists - frozen in time
10. a pregnant light - domination harmony


top ten non-extreme releases.
1. the uncluded - hokey fright
2. queens of the stone age - ...like clockwork
3. autechre - exai
4. man's gin - rebellion hymns
5. vatican shadow - remember your black day
6. boards of canada - tomorrow's harvest
7. run the jewels - run the jewels
8. shane carruth - upstream color original soundtrack
9. lux interna - there is light in the body, there is blood in the sun
10. croatian amor - the world

various artists - frozen in time.

Various Artists  - Frozen In Time: Music To Accompany The Films Of Ingmar Bergman

1:54:51

 73.48 MB + 73.46 MB + 74.46 MB

1. Persistence In Mourning - Dualitet (A Modernist Horror)

2. Fear Konstruktor - Walls Of The Mind

3. Swamp Horse - Reflections Of A Life Wasted

4. Terence Hannum - I Dreamed That I Was Sleeping

5. Terence Hannum - I Dreamed That I Was Dreaming

6. Ryan Unks - Untitled

7. King Dude - Untitled

from the moment I heard about this release, I thought it must have been created solely with me and my blog in mind. obviously that isn't the case, but I knew I'd have to share it with all of you nonetheless.

this compilation comes courtesy of black horizons, a label specializing in the noisier side of dark ambient. musically and aesthetically, this whole package is absolutely first-rate - the booklet is absolutely beautiful, the music is dark perfection, and it all coalesces in a way that few releases could even dream of.

but the most special aspect of this release is that each side doubles as a score to twenty minutes of a separate ingmar bergman film. and since my love for bergman's work is well-documented, if that isn't right up my alley, well, I don't know what is. included in the liner notes are the the times at which to begin these secondary scores and I highly suggest you all give at least a couple of them a shot.

and even if you have no desire to ever sync any of these tapes up with their respective films, the music and packaging themselves are more than worth the price. terrence hannum is a member of locrian, swamp horse released a tape on handmade birds a couple of years ago, and persistence in mourning were also featured on the séance compilation from worthless recordings that I posted back in february.

easily one of the most thought-provoking and beautifully designed releases of the year, this one deserves a place in every metallic imagery reader's collection.


(buy a copy from black horizons.)



(sides a and b.)

(sides c and d.)

(sides e and f.)

ostots - arantzen putzuan.

Ostots - Arantzen Putzuan

21:17

40.61 MB

1. Arantzen Dorrea

2. Basiliskoaren Putzua

3. Bakardadearen Iluntasuna Aztertzen

4. Ekaitz Bortitzen Sentimenak

I've been a fan of one-man spanish band ostots ever since first hearing their split with black howling that was released by legion blotan in 2011. they have a great raw sound filled to the brim with catchy riffs played at a breakneck pace.

but the music always feels controlled and exact, and this lets those riffs and melodies shine through that rawness with a real radiance.

this tape, their first for fallow field, was released in september and quickly sold out. a few distros copies became available through total black, and that's how one finally ended up in my hands.

although I've heard that at least one copy contained several skips and drop-outs, my copy seems to be free of any defects and as such, I've made it available for all of you. there are three meaty compositions followed by one instrumental outro track that brings it all to a surprisingly mellow close.

if you've somehow missed out on ostots up until now, track down as much of their past material as you can get your hands on - this is a great band that will only get better from here.

the same goes for fallow field - do not sleep on anything this label releases. both the music and packaging get very high marks and everything I've heard so far has been well worth the effort.




(for preview purposes only.)

the rita - shooting sharks.

The Rita - Shooting Sharks

9:45

18.64 MB

1. Untitled

2. Untitled

it's the rita - what more do you need to know?

"all source sounds sampled from european westerns and shark hunting films."

of course you'd never know that just listening to it - everything here is completely decayed far beyond recognition.

this is ten short but brutal minutes from a master of the genre - don't hesitate.

copies are available for not-unreasonable prices on discogs.



(for preview purposes only.)

:m: - la nauseé.

:m: - La Nauseé

37:25

72.54 MB

1. Memento Mori

2. Inanity

3. Wipe The Existential Slate Clean

4. Malaise

another tape from the first batch of december fusty cunt releases, here is "la nauseé" the debut full-length recording by :m:. unlike most fusty cunt tapes that feature brightly colored collage-style artwork, this release features completely different packaging altogether.

each copy of this album comes inside a small black ziplock-style bag with a card adorned with track titles, all tucked inside of a black envelope. it's an excellent package that not only compliments the music perfectly, but helps get you in the right state of mind before pressing play.

the music itself is harsh but hypnotic, not unlike a lot of HNW. make no mistake, this is not HNW, but it definitely does bear a passing resemblance - tracks two and three, especially.

copies should still be available directly from the label, just shoot them an email with which tapes you want and you'll get a prompt response. it's not easy as buying from a web store but it's much more personal, and I think that's the point.

this is an excellent release with some great packaging, and as with any fusty cunt release, you'd all be foolish to pass up the chance to grab one.



(buy a copy from fusty cunt.)


(for preview purposes only.)

âmes sanglantes - a refusal to bow down to mankind.

Âmes Sanglantes - A Refusal To Bow Down To Mankind

23:53

46.3 MB

1. Culmination Of A Gradual Distancing From God

2. The Mortal Life Is A Probationary State

an obvious gem from fusty cunt's first batch of december releases, "a refusal to bow down to mankind," is the latest from pierre-marc tremblay's âmes sanglantes project.

it goes without saying that I'm a huge fan of p.m. tremblay's many different projects, so I couldn't pass up the chance to grab a copy of his newest release.

and it certainly does not disappoint. this is nearly twenty-four minutes of incredibly harsh and brutal power electronics, the likes of which I have not heard in a while. tremblay does away with any hints of melody from previous âmes sanglantes releases and kicks the noise level up to eleven.

this is power electronics of the highest caliber, and I strongly suggest you all pick up a copy. it's yet another essential release from an essential artist on an essential label.



(buy a copy from fusty cunt.)


(for preview purposes only.)