Best of 2011: Notable, mangling metal albums that didn’t make the Top 40 cut but destroy nonetheless

A Storm of Light

I didn’t realize just how many metal albums I thoroughly enjoyed from this year until it came time to do my Top 40 list. It was really difficult to do this compilation, mostly because I kept coming up with albums that I would pit against each other for inclusion on my list. I’m happy that it’s over because I don’t have to do this for another 12 months and because I’m satisfied with what I devised as my final list.

So there were some really good records that didn’t make it. It may seem a lot to list 40, but that’s such a tiny, tiny number. It’s not nearly enough. But you have to stop somewhere, right? Because of that, we’re going to shed some light on albums that didn’t make the final count but that certainly are worthy of your attention. I take very seriously when I buy someone music for holidays or birthdays or whatever, and I won’t buy someone music that I think isn’t worthy of my money. I’m a jerk that way. But I would gift anyone I know with these collections and do so knowing I’ve given someone an incredible work of art that will stick with that person for a while.

A Storm of Light have been one of my favorite bands since they debuted many years ago with their debut full-length “As We Wept the Black Ocean Within” on Neurot, and ever since that time, the Josh Graham-led band has captivated my imagination with their sprawling post-metal explosiveness. As much as I love ISIS and Neurosis (Graham is their artistic and visual director), I like this band even more. So it was with their record … deep breath to get all the words out … “As the Valley of Death Becomes Us, Our Silver Memories Fade” that they delivered their first assault for Profound Lore and reimagined their sound in a way that was surprising at first but ultimately enthralling. It’s a little more streamlined and rock-oriented, and if their previous work was a too harsh for you, this record might fit you better. There’s some Bay Area thrashing, but there’s also come really cool stoner-style rock as well. It’s a really neat mix of styles. I really dig this new direction, and if this is the path they choose to travel in the future, I’m right along with them for the ride.

Another note of interest is the band just added former Howl guitarist Andrea Black to their membership, and I’m excited to hear what she contributes to their studio output. Go check this out, and don’t download it, damn it. Part of the experience is the packaging, which is always the case with any band in which Graham is involved. It’s worth parting with the cash to get the full experience.

For more on the band, go here: http://www.astormoflight.com/

To buy “As the Valley of Death Becomes Us, Our Silver Memories Fade,” go here: http://www.profoundlorerecords.com//index.php?option=com_ezcatalog&task=detail&id=739&Itemid=99999999

For more on the label, go here: http://www.profoundlorerecords.com/

I’m not sure there was a scarier slab of doom metal than the new one from Indian. “Guiltless” made me shake in my shoes, and they sound flat out mean on this thing. They always had something of a menacing sound before, don’t get me wrong, but shit, man. What happened with these guys to make them so surly and bloodthirsty? No matter what it was, it made for a really killer record and should set them up nicely as one of Relapse’s go-to bands in the future. The vocals are flat-out nasty and raked with glass, while the music pushes a mound of mud over your mouth and holds it there until you start writing your own will in your head. It’s vicious, nasty, volatile, and one hell of a great record. Go grab this and scare the holy hell out of your grandmother over the holidays. It won’t work on my grandmother, though. Nothing frightens her.

For more on the band, go here: http://www.indiandoom.com/

To buy “Guiltless,” go here: http://www.relapse.com/search_result.php?search_by=all&q=indian&x=0&y=0

For more on the label, go here: http://www.relapse.com/

The metal world is pretty lucky it even got a new record from Poland’s Decapitated, much less one that’s this good. The band’s fifth full-length “Carnival Is Forever” came on the heels of the band losing its drummer Witold “Vitek” Kieltyka in a tragic bus accident, and incident that also left their vocalist Adrian “Covan” Kowanek in a coma. It seemed for a while the band would fade along with them, and surely no one would have questioned why. Instead, guitarist Waclaw “Vogg” Kieltyka picked up the pieces and forged ahead, mourning a lost brother and horribly wounded bandmate. He found amazing replacements in new drummer Kerim “Krimh” Lechner (who does Vitek way more than proud with his play) and vocalist Rafal “Rasta” Piotrowski to round out the new lineup and came out with a menacing, passionate album that puts a whole ton of heart into the sometimes stuffy technical death metal genre. It’s a triumph in every sense of the word and is a great sign for all of us who hoped this band would live on into the future.

For more on the band, go here: http://www.decapitatedband.net/

To buy “Carnival Is Forever,” go here: http://store.nuclearblastusa.com/Search/decapitated

For more on the label, go here: http://www.nuclearblastusa.com/en/

I’m not always terribly proud of the Pittsburgh music scene. Actually, check that. I’m not excited about the scene the local media chooses to celebrate. It’s boring and stodgy. It’s NYC five years ago. We’re backward like that. But the metal/punk/hardcore scene, which pretty much gets totally ignored in these parts, is alive and well, and there is no better proof of that than with Heartless and their album “Hell Is Other People.” Released by Southern Lord, a label that’s done a lot for the underground hardcore scene the past few years, this record rips your head off from the get go and doesn’t let go. Heartless have destroyed many a local venue here in Pittsburgh, and you get the idea of how furious they can be just by listening to this album. I am so proud to say they’re from my hometown, and I’d put them up against any band from any other area that thinks they’re the toughest around.

For more on the band, go here: http://www.myspace.com/heartlesspgh

To buy “Hell Is Other People,” go here: http://www.bluecollardistro.com/southernlord/product_info.php?products_id=6459&cPath=956_958&store=0#.TvS7P9TOW8A

For more on the label, go here: http://www.southernlord.com/

We’re going to hear from Austin Lundr against when we go over the Top 40 albums of the year, but before we get to his other piece of work from 2011, let’s look back at “For Winter Fire” by Seidr. It’s fittingly titled. It sounds like something that, if you were to venture outside in the snow for a nice hike, you wouldn’t mind bringing this along with you. It’s pretty and atmospheric in many, many places, burly and gnarly in others. It has its doomy moments, its post-metal edges, and its full-on rage. It sounds nothing like Lundr’s other project Panopticon, which is a one-man operation, and Seidr’s music certainly lets you breathe a lot more freely. If it even snows again here in Pittsburgh, I’ll probably go right to this record and immerse myself in the glorious wonder of winter. Until then, I’ll just let this record set up its own fog and mist in my head and let it take me on a nice journey into imaginary hillsides and mountain peaks.

For more on the band, go here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Seidr/167176866665923?sk=info

To buy “For Winter Fire,” go here: http://store.theflenser.com/product/seidr-for-winter-fire-cd

For more on the label, go here: http://theflenser.com/

Woods of Ypres’ David Gold passes away

What an awful piece of news to learn upon waking up this morning, but we’ve lost another incredible musician whose time expired far too soon. David Gold, who most referred to as David I. Ypres, the mastermind behind Woods of Ypres, was killed Dec. 22 in an accident near Barrie, Ontario.

Obviously this is horribly sad news regardless, but this comes at a time when Woods of Ypres were about to make a huge push, having just signed to Earache and completed their stunning new record “Woods 5: Grey Skies and Electric Light,” due in February. In fact, I’d been listening quite a bit to the album as of late, as Earache sent me (and many other journalists) a digital copy a few weeks back. I was really excited about their future and thought this album might really break them to a larger audience. And it still might, but sadly, Gold won’t be around to see this thing he worked so hard to build come to fruition.

Gold’s approach toward his lyrics and vocals are what stands out most to me. He was blunter than many other writers, sometimes sounding a little un-poetic in the process, but that was by design. He captured his emotion, sorrow and pain artistically in a way that anyone coming across his music easily could understand. It made Woods of Ypres’s music even more human. Vocally, he always reminded me a bit of Peter Steele, another one who left us way too soon, and the band’s music often sounded more friendly and approachable than what was being expressed, providing a strange backdrop for Gold’s dark words. It was perfect in that sense in that you often didn’t feel beaten about the brow with murkiness, but if you paid close attention, you realized what was lying beneath.

This may seem a little strange to do considering the circumstances, but I’m going to include a link below to buy their albums. The band’s music deserves to be heard, and they should have exploded to the next level. If you have a little extra money sitting around and you’d been mulling picking up some new music, definitely grab anything in the Woods canon. My sincere condolences go out to his family, his friends, his fellow musicians, and anyone else who was touched by his art or his friendship. Life is just pain and piss indeed, but Gold deserved to wring more out of it than he had a chance to do. Rest in peace. The metal world is a better place because of your contributions.

For more on the band, go here: http://www.myspace.com/woodsofypres

And here: http://www.ultimatemetal.com/forum/woods-ypres-386/

To buy their albums, go here:  http://earache.com/uswebstore/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=woods+of+ypres&osCsid=4nbj4gcarp5efrnt8bekq0cqn4&x=0&y=0