And so it continues. Birta, a seldom seen but warmly welcomed contributor to the blog, is back with us with a list so dark, and so jazzy... Hey, wait a minute? Can darkness and jazz rub shoulders in one list? Find out!
I spent most of 2018 doing and experiencing new things. I listened to a lot of new stuff. Most of this “new” stuff was old school jazz from the 60s and 70s though, but I managed to cram other stuff in here and there. I am a one-note kinda person, with black metal dominating this list. I am also a person of few words, so without further ado or fancy words, here’s my top-9 list for the year 2018. Please note that it is in no particular order.
Kriegsmaschine – Apocalypticists
Oh, the immense happiness this surprise-release brought me. I am a huge fan of their previous stuff and this album seems like a logical next step for the band. It has the same heavy, dense black-night-in-a-humid-Polish-forest kinda feel to it as Enemy of Man. And boy howdy, thank you, Darkside, for the drumming. It made my year.
Craft – White Noise and Black Metal
The previous album, Void, left me craving for more. I’ve been a fan of this band for a long time, but Void felt different, like the end of the world, a goodbye in the most bitter sense. White Noise and Black Metal is a great next step. It’s Craft all grown up. It’s a fantastic album, it grows well on you and sounds better with each spin. It’s heavy, serious but still distinctively Craft.
Svartidauði – Revelations of the Red Sword
Yes, please! More Svartidauði on my plate! So far, this album has only been spun from beginning to end a handful of times when I write this, but it has already left a lasting impression. It sounds warmer than the previous releases – if that makes sense – and I might credit that to changes in the line-up. It’s not a bad thing, it’s welcome if anything.
Ascension – Under Ether
I cannot fathom the largeness (is that a word..?) of this album. It’s brutal, it’s heavy, it is so fucking good. One of my absolute favourites of the year, by far. I haven’t seen it on a lot of lists for this year’s best albums and I have no clue why. Go run to your nearest Ascension dealer and buy the crap out of this album, you won’t regret it. I promise.
Blutvial – Mysteries of Earth
Old school and relentlessly harsh. Bits of early Norwegian black metal here and there. A whole hour of fuck-you-in-the-ear, no bullshit, pure black metal. Absolutely fantastic album.
Whoredom Rife – Nid – Hymner av Hat
There is this wonderful, swarming anxiety to this album that keeps me coming back to it. This intense, vast, gripping greatness that seems to only come out of Norway. Well done, I can’t wait for more.
Slidhr – The Futile Fires of Man
There was some hype around this album, at least among my buddies on social media. And boy howdy, is the hype understandable. What a powerful piece of work. If you haven’t listened to this album yet, for the love of Pete, do it now.
Obliteration – Cenotaph Obscure
Holy Jebeebus. I have no words for this album. The production, the drum sound (yes, yes, yes!!), the larger than life feel. Everything on this album clicks and touches the right buttons. A definite highlight of 2018 and a companion into the year 2019.
Filipe Sambado – Filipe Sambado & Os Acompanhantes De Luxo
I’ve had one foot in Portugal for the last ten years and I’ve tried to listen to Portuguese radio as much as I can. This album came out in March 2018 and instantly caught my attention. It’s weird and catchy and I have no shame in confessing to the world that this album has left a fluffy little footprint on my heart. Along with my saxophone-laden love affair with jazz in the year 2018, this album ranked very high in my books.
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