The frozen terror of Christmas begins to dig it’s claws in, not knowing what to purchase? Check out our album of the year list and see if there might be something that appeals to your undead one.
- Jakub Zyteki – Wishful Lotus Proof
- Agent Fresco – Destrier
- Cain’s Offering – Stormcrow
- Tesseract – Polaris
- Unleash The Archers – Time Stands Still
- Lamb of God – VII : Sturm Und Drang
- Lindemann – Skills and Pills
- The Black Dahlia Murder – Abysmal
- Amorphis – Under The Red Cloud
- Steven Wilson – Hand Cannot Erase
- Saurom – Saurom
- Napalm Death – Apex Predator
- Blind Guardian – Beyond The Red Mirror
- Between The Buried and Me – Coma Ecliptic
- Luca Turilli’s Rhapsody – Prometheus : Symphonia Igni Divinus
- Cattle Decapitation – The Anthropocene Extinction
- Symphony X – Underworld
- Carach Angren – This Is No Fairytale
- Nightwish – Endless Forms Most Beautiful
- Nile – What Should Not Be Unearthed
- Damnation Angels – Damnation Angels
Tribulation – Children of The Night
Beginning as a Death Metal outfit the slow transformation of Tribulation is a particularly beautiful one. Returning this year with their most ambitious offering yet, the band embody the sense of the seventies with a Blackened edge. Similar to an undead Doors the band ooze aesthetic appeal with their spellbinding performances from our especially dexterous guitarists. Nevertheless none of this would matter without the content of the music being just as spellbinding as the performance. The ten track record moves from shining lights to crawling in search of the darkest reaches of Black Metal’s sound. The absolutely fantastic “Strange Gateways Beckon” sets scene perfectly as our four spooks appear to break down preconceptions of what is possible within the means of the rigid genre.
With many bands exploring Black Metal’s avenues more and more, with the likes of Deafheaven and Myrkur exploration in the genre is becoming more welcomed. Tribulation bring a sense of Classic Rock coupled with the style of the seventies makes for an absolutely captivating dynamic. Once again many have expressed their opinion of another band that falls under the “heavier version of insert band name here” I disagree totally. Tribulation are unique in both existence and execution, creating one of the year’s most wistful albums. The band draw a love letter to Dracula, teasing Van Helsing all the while flirting with Satan. That’s some pretty serious covorting… Another instrument to Tribulation’s excellent ideal is the creation of atmosphere. Upon pressing play you can almost smell the incense burning, casting your mind back to the classic tales of folklore. The likes of “Winds” and “The Motherhood Of God” acting a vintage vignettes to classic Horror. Decorated with organs, simple effects the band retain the analog approach adopted of yesterday giving them a true sense of quasi dead life. A fantastic record by a band that has only just hit their stride. Capable of conjuring the most gloomy of backdrops with a foreground of melancholia, willingly or unwillingly you’ll be dragged into the beyond.
