CULT SOUNDS OF 2010

DARK FORTRESS – “Ylem” German melodic black metal. Ylem is a pitch black masterpiece with invocations of the death principle; this album signifies the end of everything that exists now; slow, very heavy with insane blastbeats and orchestral darkness. V. Santura also in Triptykon plays some of the best guitar I’ve heard in years. 

HOUR OF 13 – “The Ritualist” Occult doom metal from North Carolina. This album is a true doom masterpiece that delves into themes of the macabre, darkness, satanic panic, cold atmospheres and complete bleakness.

TRIPTYKON – “Eparistera Daimones” Thomas G. Fischer legendary frontman of Celtic Frost and Hellhammer, unleashes this beautiful black/gothic/avant-garde masterpiece. It’s darker, heavier and more experimantal than anything he’s done before. V. Santura does another impressive job on guitar.

DANZIG – “Deth Red Sabaoth” The master of death blues metal is back with his best work this decade, memories of black magic rituals and satanic sacrifices.

HOW TO DESTROY ANGELS – Mr. and Mrs. Reznor create beautiful industrial/electronic noise with the help of Atticus Ross and Rob Sheridan.

SWANS – “My Father Will Guide Me Up A Rope To The Sky” First Swans album from Michael Gira in 14 years, different than his previous experimental/industrial rock lp’s but equally as good.

ZOROASTER – “Matador” Psychedelic/sludge/doom metal from the swamps of Atlanta, a good trip when your high.

THE FUNERAL PYRE – “Vultures At Dawn” Melodic blackened death metal from CA. One of the best extreme metal albums this year, very dark, eerie and doom laden.

KYLESA – “Spiral Shadow” Psychedelic/sludge metal from Savannah. This album is very early 90’s indie rock influenced, with two vocalists and two drummers, it gives it a unique touch.

INTERPOL – “Interpol” Creepy, morose and sinister dark indie rock with touches of post-punk and shoegaze from a great band from NYC.

FEAR FACTORY – “Mechanize” A cold, menacing mass of mechanical precision with industrialized depth, it hits harder than a truckful of tungsten. Industrial metal from L.A. their best since their 1st album.

DEFTONES – “Diamond Eyes” An album with crushing density, heavy crunchy guitars, soulful and blazing vocals, Deftones at their best.

INTRONAUT – “Valley Of Smoke” A progressive/sludge/jazz metal album, with clean vocals, fluid bass lines, long instrumental passages and excellent percussions. 

THE HIGH CONFESSIONS – “Turning Led Into Gold With…” Psychedelic/industrial rock noise from 4 great artists. Anything that Chris Conelly sings in is great.

TWILIGHT – “Monument To Time End” Blake Judd (Nachtmystium) and Aaron Turner (Isis) creating black metal, enuff said.

CIRCLE OF ANIMALS – “Destroy The Light” A dark and hypnotic industrial album brought to you by Sanford Parker (Minsk) and Bruce Lamont (Yakuza).

HIGH ON FIRE – “Snakes Of The Divine” Thunderous, abrasive roaring blasts, colossal riffs and grim metal with a brute force approach from Mike Pike and the boys.

GRINDERMAN – “Grinderman 2” Nick Cave’s psychedelic/garage rock album, hypnotic at times, it doesn’t get better.

THE TEAR GARDEN – “Have A Nice Trip” Edward Ka-Spel and Cevin Key take us through another great trip into their warp minds.

NACHTMYSTIUM – “Addicts: Black Meddle Part 2” Blake Judd creates another black metal masterpiece that is not black metal.

UNEARTHLY TRANCE – “V” The soundtrack of your soul’s descent into the pits ov hell, pure evil sludge/doom.

NEW MUSIC

Kylesa – “Spiral Shadow” Psychedelic/sludge metal from Savannah, with two singers Philip Cope and Laura Pleasants and two drummers Carl McGinley and Tyler Newberry going full tilt, they are rhythmically complex, trippy sonic and  sensual spaciousness noise. On this album there is a strong influence of early 90’s indie rock and each instrumental passage travels toward some eerie and unknown beyond. Best songs are “To Forget” “Tired Climb” “Distance Closing In” “Drop Out” and “Back & Forth.”

Circle Of Animals – “Destroy The Light” Dark, epic, hypnotic industrial from Sanford Parker (Minsk) and Bruce Lamont (Yakuza). They play a modern form of legendary Chicago industrial with many different drummers like Steve Shelley (Sonic Youth) Dave Witte (Municipal Waste) John Herdon (Tortoise) John Merryman (Cephalic Carnage) just to name a few.

Funker Vogt – “Blutzoll” German industrial/aggrotech.

Slough Feg – “Animal Spirits” Heavy folk metal from San Francisco.

Dimmu Borgir – “Abrahadabra” Norwegian symphonic black metal.

Cough – “Ritual Abuse” Psychedelic/doom metal from Richmond, Virginia. Suffocating and claustrophobic, warped and hallucinogenic impressive monolith of sound and volume.

The Orb & David Gilmour – “Metallic Spheres” English ambient house musician Alex Paterson has joined forces with legendary singer and guitar player David Gilmour of Pink Floyd to create a very psychedelic trippy lp.

The Tear Garden – “Have A Nice Trip” Edward Ka-Spel (Legendary Pink Dots) and Cevin Key ( Skinny Puppy) return with their dark-synth, electronic, psychedelic noise experimental project. They create creepy, tripped out music and lyrics venturing through standard dark realms then dive into experimental instrumentals.

O Children – “O Children” Psychedelic post-punk from the UK named after a Nick Cave song.

Red Shore – “Avarice Of Man” Death metal from Australia.

Encoffination – “Seventh Temple Of Laodicean Scripture” Two piece death/doom metal project from Texas/Georgia.

Bethlehem – “Stonkfitzchen” Black/dark metal from Germany.

Cradle Of Filth – “Darkly, Darkly, Venus Aversa” Concept album about the demon “Lilith” from symphonic black/gothic metal band from England.

Tank – “War Machine” British heavy metal band.

Withered – “Dualitas” Blackened death metal from Atlanta.

Aorlhac – “La Cite Des Vents” French black metal.

Monster Magnet – “Mastermind” Stoner metal from New Jersey.

Meat Beat Manifesto – “Answers Come In Dreams” Jack Dangers’ influential experimental/electronic/industrial project from the UK.

Jesu – “Heartache & Dethroned” Re-issue of 2004 Ep Dethroned an unreleased new and early tracks from the master Justin K. Broadrick.

The Germs – “Live At The Starwood” Legendary punk band captured live for the last time with original singer Darby Crash on 12/03/1980.

Killing Joke – “Absolute Dissent” 13th studio album from legendary and influential post-rock/industrial band. The original line-up from the 80’s: Jaz Coleman (vocals) Geordie (guitar) Youth (bass) Paul Ferguson (drums).

After The Burial – “In Dreams” Melodic death metal from the Twin Cities.

God Dethroned – “Under The Sign Of The Iron Cross” Blackened death metal from the Netherlands.

John Zorn – “Interzone” Avant-garde composer, saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist that has worked with the likes of MIke Patton.

Atheist – “Jupiter” Death/thrash metal from Florida.

Amorphis – “Magic & Mayhem – Tales From The Early Years” Melodic/progressive death metal from Finland.

Weapon – “From The Devil’s Tomb” Canadian blackened death metal.

Embryonic Devourment – “Vivid Interpretations Of The Void” Death metal/grindcore from Cali.

Haarp – “The Filth” Metal from the Nola swamps.

Phobia – “Unrelenting” Ep from O.C. Cali grindcore/crustpunks.

Furze – “Reaper Subconscious Guide” Solo black metal project from Norway.

Applaud The Impaler – “Anthropophagi” Death metal from Virginia.