It is very obvious that CarlG put a lot of time and thought into his 2014 list, very comprehensive and well reasoned. I just want to say thanks for the effort and your contributions to The Death Chamber \m/\m/
2014 Top 30 Death Metal Releases -
1) Anthem (Pol)
– Phosphorus …This band
absolutely had no competition as they had my cd of the year spot locked up
since I first heard this. One awesome cd for sure.
2) Dictated
(Hol) – The Deceived …very quietly a great release and surprisingly with 2 gals
playing guitar, a rarity in death metal as women typically are vocalist or
maybe bassist. But these ladies put out some great groove and the vocals are to
my liking, straight up, no frills death metal.
3) Ferosity
(Pol) – Blasphemous Verses …a great cd, but no surprise, their 2 previous
releases were awesome as well.
4) Prostitute
Disfigurement (Hol) – From Crotch To
Crown … It took me until their 4th
release to like this band as the vocals on their first 3 were not to my liking,
but the guy changed and their last 2 cds have been awesome and 2 of my favs. In
most years this might have been #1.
5) Mass
Infection (Grc) – For I Am Genocide
…awesome band and maybe Greece’s best. Nothing will surpass their
previous cd, Age Of Recreation but this one is still good in it’s own right.
6) Massacre (US)
– Back From Beyond …a real surprise
here. I, like everyone else, was a huge fan of this band back in the day and
this one took a while, but damn..this is one great cd and the vocals are maybe
the best there are out there, which I thought was Kam Lee…but not.
7) Sinister
(Hol) – The Post Apocalyptic Servant …nothing to say but Aad always comes
through, whatever name he puts on the band.
8) Abysmal Dawn
(US) – Obsolescence …this band has always been good, but this cd is special.
9) Cannibal
Corpse (US) – A Skeletal Domain …no surprise as CC have put out some very good
releases in the last 10 years. Not much of a fan of CC in their early years,
I’ve become one in the last 10, starting with The Wretched Spawn.
10) Rogash (Ger)
– Supremacy Undone …where’d these guys come from?
11) Omnihility
(US) – Deathscapes Of The Subconscious …this one has only recently climbed my
list and credit to Thorne for turning me onto these guys but I’ve played this
more in December than most anything else I have (and that’s saying a lot).
12) These Are
They (US) – At The Feast Of Seven Funerals …another band that gets no credit
but has quietly put out 3 or 4 very solid straight up death metal releases over
the last few years.
13) Annihilated
(US) – XIII Steps To Ruination ….wow, what a surprise this was. I had but
never listened to their previous release, which was a bit raw sounding, but
they fixed on this one.
14) Bestiality
(Ger) - Sadistic Soul ...really like
this disc and another first release from this promising German band.
15) Humiliation
(Mys) – Battalion ….thanks to our buddy
Bongripper for turning me onto this. Some compare this to Bolt Thrower, which
is a no no. I do hear that rare thing in death, a solid bass sound coming
through my Sennheiser headphones though and a really good cd.
16) Trigger (Rus)
– Under Hypnosis ….great stuff, some
really good groove in this death.
17) Dig Me No
Grave (Rus) – Cosmic Cult …as our buddy Orifice Torture would say, “me likes”.
18) Bloody
Harvest (Ukr) - Abstinence Syndrome
....very good and another inaugural cd, give this band a shot they are
good!!
19) Obituary (US)
– Inked In Blood …maybe this shouldn’t be so high, or should be replaced by one
of the others not on the list…but c’mon, it’s Obituary…and pretty good I might
add.
20) Gluttony
(Swe) – Beyond The Veil Of Flesh
21) Destroying
Divinity (Cze) – Hollow Dominion
22) Brutally
Deceased (Cze) - Black Infernal Vortex ....the best Swedish sounding band not
from Sweden that you will find (along with Poland’s Incarnated)....really have
that Swedish guitar sound going.
23) Cinis (Pol) –
Subterranean Antiquity …This is another band that put out such a special first
release that it was almost impossible for them to maintain the stature. I like
this one, but not nearly as much as their previous.
24) Brewed &
Canned (Aut) - Execute The Innocent ....I want to put this higher, but just
can't...no fault of its own.
25) Whisper Of
Death (Fra) – Noise Of Obstinacy …very
quietly a solid release from a sort of veteran band that just never released
any full lengths, but it’s good.
26) Ending Quest
(Swe) – The Summoning …good solid Swedish sounding death…from Sweden.
27) Posthumous
Blasphemer (Blr) – Exhumation Of Sacred Impunity …solid release from a solid
band.
28) Ribspreader
(Swe) – Meathymns … I was a big fan of
Ribspreader in their early days, Bolted To The Cross is one awesome release but
somewhere near Opus or Van Murders, I lost them a bit. This one is sort of a
comeback for them in my opinion because I like it.
29) Deserted Fear
(Ger) – Kingdom Of Worms …these guys just roll along with another solid
release.
30) Dysangelium
(Cze) – Holykaust …this was a surprise and a good follow up to their great
release from a couple years ago. This will get a lot more plays from me in the
future.
Good stuff but just unable to get it into the top 30 -
Brutal Rebirth (Fra)
- From Despositism To Chaos …pretty good stuff and very deserving.
Brute (Svk) - Pillory
...another one that I want to put higher, but just no room due to the quality
of this year’s quantity. Really liked their first but this one lacks a little
bit.
Caedere (Hol) - The
Lost Conveyance ....a surprise as I just didn’t like this as much as I loved
their first 2 cds.
Deathcrush (Ita) –
Collective Brain Infektion
Lapidated (Esp) – The
Stench Of Carnage …got this too late in the year to add, it might have made it
higher given more time.
Gorgasm (US) –
Destined To Violate …good but I could really do without all of the intros /
outros and bullshit samples.
Phobiotic (Ger) –
Fragments Of Flagrancy …been giving this some plays recently as I really liked
their previous. It is good but just not good enough.
Puteraeon (Swe) – The
Crawling Chaos …another disappointment
and not in the cd itself, but the fact that I was such a big fan of their
previous stuff and this just isn’t the same.
Spawn (Ger) – Burning
Mighty Empires …ditto from above. I like this cd (because I’ve been such a big
fan of theirs I purchased a signed copy from the band) but it’s not as good as
their previous.
Thanatos (Hol) –
Global Purification ….surprisingly a
pretty good cd.
Vader (Pol) – Tibi Et
Igni … I became a big fan of this band
somewhere just prior to Necropolis and loved the follow up to that, Welcome To
The Morbid Reich just as much. Those 2 cds get MANY plays via my itunes but for
some reason, probably not Vader’s fault, I just haven’t given this cd the
attention.
Vomitile (Cyp) –
Mastering The Art Of Killing …I am mad at myself for not getting this into my
top 30 and if anything on this good stuff list deserves it I think these guys
do and maybe they should be there.
PRETTY
GOOD BUT JUST MISSED THE CUT....
Aposento (Esp) - S/T
...really pretty good stuff, just too much competition but in a lean year this
could make it.
At The Grave (Dnk) -
S/T ....more good potential here, just not great.
Aten (Alb) - Horns of
Evil ....pretty good 1st time release from these Albanians, a country I must
say doesn't have many bands in my collection from.
Beneath (Isl) - The
Barren Throne ....pretty decent, but no where near as good as their previous.
Body Harvest (UK) -
Futile Creation ...this band does some really good things and another rookie
release.
Convictors (Ger) –
Envoys Of Extinction
Decaying Purity (Tur)
– Malignant Resurrection Of The Fallen Souls
Decease (Rou) – Age
Of The Covenant
Decimation (Tur) –
Reign Of Ungodly Creation
Decomposed (Swe) –
Devouring …I really like this, maybe should be higher??
Electrocution (Ita) –
Metaphysincarnation
Endless (Esp) –
Prophetic Seals Of Apocalypse
Kaluman (Idn) –
Kaluman
Miasmal (Swe) –
Cursed Redeemer
Mordbrand (Swe) –
Imago
Mortis Dei (Pol) –
Salvation Never Comes
JUST NOT ENOUGH TIME....
Amoeba (Fra) -
Counterweight
Abysmal Torment -
Cultivate The Aposta
Carnivored (Idn) – No
Truth Found
Damage My God (Prt) –
Psychothic Truth …came along too late, but really good.
Death Awaits (Fra) –
The Abominable
Deathronation (Ger) –
Hallow The Dead
Desecration (UK) –
Cemetery Sickness …could have / should have given this some more plays.
Devangelic (Ita) –
Resurrection Denied
Electrocution (Ita) –
Metaphysincarnation
Emeth (Bel) – Aethyr
Evilheart (Mex) –
Quinquaginta
Heretic Warfare (Ger)
– Demo 2014
Human Infection (US)
– Curvatures In Time
Ichor (Ger) – Depths
…I kind of like this but just not enough.
Just Before Dawn
(Int) – The Aftermath
Keitzer (Ger) – The
Last Defence
Legacy Of Brutality
(Esp) – Giants
Maat (Ger) – As We
Create The Hope From Above
Methods Of Massacre
(Ger) – Retaliation
Mind Snare (Ita) –
Ancient Cults Of Supremacy
Miseo (Ger) – Lunatic
Confessions
Misery Index (US) –
The Killing Gods
Question (Mex) – Doomed
Passages
Remains (Mex) –
Angels Burned
Soreption (Swe) –
Engineering The Void
Tacit Fury (Rus) – A
Social Berserker
Those Who Bring The
Torture (Swe) – Piling Up
Unwilling Flesh (US)
– Between The Living And The Dead
Verminous (Ven) –
Depraved Institution
EPs & Demos All of these are pretty good….
Fleshsoul (Cze) -
Time Of Begin …give this 9 song EP a chance, you might be surprised…but then
again Czech Republic along with Slovakia have always been a fav death metal
countries of mine.
Creeping Fear (Fra) –
World Execution …this is a VERY good EP and I highly recommend it as their
previous from last year or 2 years ago. Together they make a nice full length.
Flayed Disciple (UK)
– S/T
Torture Division
(Swe) – The Reaping …always good.
Volturyon (Swe) –
Human Demolition
Begraven (Ger) - Demo
2014 ....good stuff, only a 5 song demo.
TOP DISAPPOINTMENTS....
Decapitated (Pol) –
Blood Mantra … since the death of their drummer this band has gone in a
direction I just don't care for...every release I hope they go backwards
because after The Negation they were in my top 5 bands ever.
Calm Hatchery (Pol) –
Fading Reliefs …clean vocals, really!!! and a band I had 5 stars on in my
rating system!!!
Annihilation (Prt) –
The Undivided …only an EP but not near what their first release was, maybe not
so much in quality but to my liking.
Carnality (Ita) –
Dystopia …maybe one of my most disappointing releases of the year because I
loved this bands previous stuff.
In Torment (Bra) –
Sphere Of Metaphysical Incarnations …just didn’t grab me like their previous.
Insain (Fra) –
Enlightening The Unknown …of all the stuff I have in itunes, I believe their
previous release leads in the playcounts with nearly 100 plays…this one, just
don’t do it.
Revel In Flesh (Ger)
– Death Kult Legions