best of 2013 - part two.

as always, this list is in no particular order and certainly not meant to be definitive. there was a ton of great stuff this year and ranking everything was difficult and, at times, arbitrary - several could easily be swapped out for others.

these are all widely available in (almost) any format you could possibly want - digital and/or analog.

no links will be provided - find them on your own (many are available on bandcamp) and buy whichever ones you enjoy the most. they're all worth your time and money.



top twenty wide releases.

1. a.m.s.g. - anti-cosmic tyranny

satanic, noisy black metal. who ever would have thought a saxophone could be so seamlessly woven into such brutality?

2. the body - christs, redeemers

epic and wintery noise that was the perfect soundtrack to fall. brutal and beautiful all at once.

3. gorguts - colored sands

I could say I was worried this would tarnish their legacy, but that would be a lie. I knew this one would be incredible and it delivered perfectly.

4. circle takes the square - decompositions: volume number one

this one, however, I was worried about. and although it's certainly no as the roots undo, it has an identity all it's own and shows a band that's far more capable and eager to progress than most would've thought.

5. cultes des ghoules - henbane

this one totally took me by surprise. after one listen I wasn't sold, but once I was in there was no looking back.

6. subrosa - more constant than the gods

to say I was excited for this album would be a huge understatement. is it better than no help for the might ones? probably not, but that doesn't mean it isn't an incredible and worthwhile work in it's own right.

7. gris - à l'âme enflammée, l'äme constellée...

the first of two double albums on this list, this new gris record is just what traditional black metal should be. it features interludes between every track that provide a great break from the chaos. an essential release.

8. locrian - return to annihilation

another one that I was hugely anticipating. locrian produce some of the only dark ambient music that I have the patience for, mainly because it's so richly textured and has just the right amount of black metal thrown into the mix.

9. fell voices - regnum saturni

I wasn't a huge fan of fell voices prior to this release, but regnum saturni made me a believer. so raw, so tortured, so dense - just impeccable. 

10. pharmakon - abandon

my girlfriend and I had the pleasure of seeing a live pharmakon performance a few months ago and it was every bit as brutal as I had hoped. can't wait for whatever comes next...

11. deafheaven - sunbather

I don't care how "metal" or not people may think this album is - either way, it's simply astounding. epic, beautiful, and furious, often all at once, there isn't anything else like it out there.

12. christicide - upheaval of the soul

another pleasant surprise, I checked this out when I heard it was being released by hospital productions. angry but strangely melodic black metal with surprisingly strong production.

13. portal - vexovoid

it's portal, what more can I say? I love this band and this album is just as suffocating as we all hoped but with much more clear and precise production - exactly what I was hoping for.

14. cosmic chruch - ylistys

I wasn't in love the previous cosmic church full-length, but this one is absolutely untouchable - easily one of the best black metal releases in recent memory. 

15. wolvserpent - perigaea antahkarana

moody and entrancing doomy blackness...I don't know how else to describe wolvserpent's relapse debut. oh, and excellent.

16. jute gyte - discontinuities

jute gyte never disappoint - that's all there is to it. whatever black metal record adam releases next, I guarantee it'll end up on that year's best-of list, too.

17. FFH - make them understand

the long-awaited debut from this hospital productions staple. the vinyl sold out quickly and then went up for insane prices on discogs. do whatever you can to track it down...

18. the dillinger escape plan - one of us is the killer

I love miss machine and ire works, but wasn't crazy about the last DEP record. well, this one has restored my faith. crushing and catchy, they weave melody into heavy music better than anyone.

19. celeste - animale(s)

the second double-album on here, celeste's newest release is pure blackened hardcore fury with just the right amount of restraint.

20. youth code - youth code

I have no idea what genre this is, but it's still brutal as all hell. there's some industrial, some darkwave, and a whole lot more. they make it all coalesce perfectly.

____

obviously this was an excellent year for extreme music, and there are already several releases in store for 2014 that I'm dying to hear. 

and again - do your best to purchase any of the above albums that you love, then see the artists live and buy their merchandise.

every bit of our support only helps them produce more of the music we love so much.