10 favorite records from each metal genre (one per band).

[karljant]

What about the less heavier side of the hardrock/metal spectrum?

And a fair amount of them have already been addressed:

Power Metal
Prog Metal
Traditional Metal
Hard Rock
Gothic Metal
Symphonic metal

Hey, and you can easily make entire Folk Metal, Nu Metal and Doom Metal lists with softer bands.

 

[Jer]

... or not . Four albums from my list are totally devoid of it (Skyclad, Jambinai, Muluc Pax and Ulver) and on other two the extreme vocals are almost absent (Primordial's and Myrkur's). Even the other ones are almost 50/ 50 (or more) when it comes to clean singing with the exception of Melechesh.

Well, I think you just made my point for me, as most of your nominees have extreme vocals. And that Ulver album, while good, is just folk and not folk metal at all. And the Myrkur album is really post-metal with occasional violin. And Jambinai absolutely has black metal vocals peppered throughout.

For the past few years I’ve periodically paid attention to folk-metal.nl and folknrock.com, and almost all of the new records featured there are death or black metal with a fiddle. It is so rare to hear something that’s equal parts folk and metal with clean vocals, that when it does come along it’s a revelation. Even my own list of 5 has occasional extreme vocals for 2 of the albums, and a brief hint at extreme vocals on one. Skyclad has been the band most consistent at delivering folk metal with non-extreme vocals that I’m aware of. (LEAH too, I guess.)

I’d love to hear more bands in this genre with purely clean vocals.

 

[MindRuler]

I’d love to hear more bands in this genre with purely clean vocals.

Maybe not 100% folkmetal and it´s sung in Dutch. But clean vocals all the way! I discovered this band years ago with a CD sampler from a magazine.

 

[karljant]

Well, I think you just made my point for me, as most of your nominees have extreme vocals.

Nope... the majority of the vocals on the albums I nominated are actually primarily clean. I'll repeat: four of them don't have extreme vocals and two of them have it in really residual doses when compared with the cleans (Myrkur and Primordial) while three from the remaining four have plenty of clean singing. Not that it matters much to me (but I'll talk more about this at the end of the post).

And the Myrkur album is really post-metal with occasional violin

With violin, yes. And Nyckelharpa. And Jews Harp. And Mandola. And Norse chanting choirs. I mean... having more Nordic Folk Influences and instruments than this? Saying Myrkur is whatever metal with occasional violin? Since Amelie Bruun created Myrkur it's 100% credited as Folk Metal everywhere. I mean... you could at least check the instruments used on the album and that alone would give you a clue. You could at least check how the album is labeled in the major platforms. But no. And Post Metal? Where on hell is this Post Metal? Saying this isn't Folk Metal is as much of a nonsense as saying Black Sabbath isn't Metal.

And that Ulver album, while good, is just folk and not folk metal at all.

Yes, you've got a point... But then again they were a black metal band back then with several Folk influences (and as I said before I could put Bergtatt here but I've already picked it before). Plus they don't use a single traditional Nordic instrument (unlike Myrkur which uses several) due to lack of resources (they were really young when they recorded it). It's just keys, cello, drums, acoustic guitars and flutes. And that alone doesn't make it less Folk than Myrkur's or vice versa. You even got the case of Primordial who's a 5 man piece featuring only blues/rock instruments (electric guitars and bass and drums). And it's Celtic Folk Metal to the bone (just try to play those songs with acoustic guitars and percussion and check what you get).

And Jambinai absolutely has black metal vocals peppered throughout.

Black Metal vocals? If Hermitage has Black Metal vocals on it they must had the same treatment Jason's bass did on And Justice For All (but even lower on the mix). BTW... If some band here has Post Metal influences it's clearly Jambinai, not Myrkur.

I’d love to hear more bands in this genre with purely clean vocals.

... And this is what I believe to be the fulcral point. I really don't give a toss if it's distorted or clean. If I like it, I like it and if it fits the criteria of Folk (which every single record I posted here does...Not convinced? Just check any of my picks and tell me where they aren't labelled as so) it's perfectly fine to ellect it. And by ditching non-clean singing one would be ditching folk genres which are millennia old: Maori, Niponic, Tibetan, Mongolian, Native American (Inuit) and even Italian (Canto A Tenore). So as you can see distorted vocals have been here a loooooooooooooong time ago before Death or Black Metal adopted it and gave them their twist. And If you don't like it it's fine. But please don't say almost everything that's not clean singing is just Death/ Black Metal with a fiddle. Some of it is and some of it isn't. Each case is a particular case and that kind of generalization is point blank wrong.

 

[DJMayes]

Now seriously... if you wish so, suggest some other genre. I've already have lists for:

• Grindcore
• Crossover
• Stoner
• Post Metal
• Sludge
• Alternative Metal

But if you want to bring another one to the table I would appreciate it

The issue as I see it is quantity. Even if I completely ignored genre divisions I ran out of bands to use a while ago. I'm surprised you've heard enough albums from different metal bands (surely over 100 by now) to even get to this point; let alone having 60 more of various subgenres waiting in the wings!

 

[Jer]

Nope... the majority of the vocals on the albums I nominated are actually primarily clean. I'll repeat: four of them don't have extreme vocals and two of them have it in really residual doses when compared with the cleans (Myrkur and Primordial) while three from the remaining four have plenty of clean singing.

Do the math. 6 of your 10 nominees have extreme vocals on them. That’s “most”. And one of the 4 with clean vocals is the Ulver album, which doesn’t have even a hint of metal in it, so really it’s more like 6 out of 9 of your albums have them. Sure, a couple of albums use them more sparingly, but they’re still there.

Hell, even on my list of 5, 2 of them have recurring extreme vocals, and another has a couple of extreme screams, so most of my own list has extreme vocals, too.

But don’t take my word for it, do a sampling of the new folk metal releases over any reasonable span of time and count how many have extreme vocals vs. how many don’t. You’ll see for yourself that most have extreme vocals, and that most have very limited folk instrumentation. I know, because I’ve been trolling those releases for years.

Black Metal vocals? If Hermitage has Black Metal vocals on it they must had the same treatment Jason's bass did on And Justice For All (but even lower on the mix).

You are clearly more of a connoisseur of extreme vocals than I am, so I’ll defer to your judgment here. When I hear them, they either sound like Cookie Monster (death), Gollum (black), or non-melodic screaming. The extreme stuff on the Jambinai album sounded more like Gollum to me. Pretty much all extreme vocals sound terrible to my ears, so the specific classifications aren’t all that important to me.

But please don't say almost everything that's not clean singing is just Death/ Black Metal with a fiddle.

I don’t believe I said that. I said that most folk metal releases these days would meet that description, and sampling releases over any reasonable span of time should back up that assertion. That doesn’t preclude albums with extreme vocals that have more involved instrumentation, nor does it preclude albums with all clean vocals that are just bog-standard metal with a violin slapped on it, either.

 

[karljant]

Do the math. 6 of your 10 nominees have extreme vocals on them. That’s “most”. And one of the 4 with clean vocals is the Ulver album, which doesn’t have even a hint of metal in it, so really it’s more like 6 out of 9 of your albums have them. Sure, a couple of albums use them more sparingly, but they’re still there.

Hell, even on my list of 5, 2 of them have recurring extreme vocals, and another has a couple of extreme screams, so most of my own list has extreme vocals, too.

Once again I must stress I don't give a damn about vocals being clean or unclean. However, and for the last time, I'll make my point in a different way (if you don't understand it after this it's not my problem): listen to the 10 records I picked then see how much clean and unclean singing they have. You'll easily come to the conclusion that the amount of clean singing is a considerable majority and 4 records don't even feature it. I won't repeat myself. Period.

I don’t believe I said that. I said that most folk metal releases these days would meet that description, and sampling releases over any reasonable span of time should back up that assertion. That doesn’t preclude albums with extreme vocals that have more involved instrumentation, nor does it preclude albums with all clean vocals that are just bog-standard metal with a violin slapped on it, either.

Common sense sure has the final word here. There's lots of stuff I don't like or sound fake to me, other while not appreciating it sounds really well done. Nonetheless if there's an universal notion that x or y band belongs to x or y genre I won't be the proverbial guy that's driving on the highway and listens on the radio that a driver is going out of hand and says "Just one? It's all of them." Once again if you don't understand this it's not my problem.

You are clearly more of a connoisseur of extreme vocals than I am, so I’ll defer to your judgment here. When I hear them, they either sound like Cookie Monster (death), Gollum (black), or non-melodic screaming. The extreme stuff on the Jambinai album sounded more like Gollum to me. (...)
But don’t take my word for it, do a sampling of the new folk metal releases over any reasonable span of time and count how many have extreme vocals vs. how many don’t. You’ll see for yourself that most have extreme vocals, and that most have very limited folk instrumentation.

A simple example why that's a dangerous assumption: are Frank Black's screeching vocals on The Pixies Black Metal? Obviously not. There are countless examples even within rock (I won't even go as far as folk genres centuries old) that use growls or shrieks voices way before Black or Death Metal were even a thing.

I know, because I’ve been trolling those releases for years. (...)
Pretty much all extreme vocals sound terrible to my ears, so the specific classifications aren’t all that important to me.

I'm not telling you you have to like it or even respect certain genres or ways of singing. But trying to make your opinion something factual when it's universally accepted otherwise is pure nonsense and a discussion that's a pure waste of time. Plus what you consider good or bad sure matters to you but may not mean zilch to the guy next to you. Trying to disqualify certain types of music/ singing/ playing and impose that point of view to others is the ultimate backfire when it comes to the universal notion of art.
To sum it up this thread is about people sharing their "favorite 10 albums from each metal genre", not "favorite 10 albums from each metal genre that Jer or other member consider to belong to that very same genre of metal" or "favorite 10 albums from each metal genre that respect Jer's crusade against growling and other unclean singing". If you don't understand this, sorry man. Once again it's not my problem.

Peace.

 

[karljant]

The issue as I see it is quantity. Even if I completely ignored genre divisions I ran out of bands to use a while ago. I'm surprised you've heard enough albums from different metal bands (surely over 100 by now) to even get to this point; let alone having 60 more of various subgenres waiting in the wings!

Easy: I'm 45 and been a music fan since I'm 11. Thus IMO 100 records are nothing. Plus this is metal alone, since I listen to several other genres and to be fair the majority of records I own aren't even metal per se. And let me tell you some of my lists were hard picks, since I had to leave outside records I truly love. I surely don't keep the tally of records I listened to but what I've posted up till now is the tip of the iceberg. Hey nothing against people who listen to "few" bands/ records but it's not that hard to understand surpass that number by multiples. And I talk by experience since I know people who listened to much more stuff than I did.

 

[DJMayes]

Easy: I'm 45 and been a music fan since I'm 11. And you get impressed with 100 records?
IMO 100 records are nothing. Plus this is metal alone, since I listen to several other genres and to be fair the majority of records I own aren't even metal per se. And let me tell you some of my lists were hard picks, since I had to leave outside records I truly love.

It's more the number of different bands you've heard full albums from. When I was posting lists here I was trying to only use each band once. I've just checked my music collection and it has ~120 different artists in it. When you remove the artists which I haven't listened to full studio albums from (either because I just listen to a greatest hits album, or because I only have one song from a compilation) and the artists which don't fit into any genre here, that number gets a lot smaller. On top of that, you've realistically listened to every album listed here several times, else it wouldn't be a favourite. It adds up quickly.

 

[Jer]

if you don't understand it after this it's not my problem

There is no problem with whether I understand you or not. The problem is that you are responding to straw men of your own creation, rather than the things that I actually said.

Things I never claimed, that you seem to think I claimed:
1. “Most of the running time of karljant’s nominee albums feature extreme vocals”
2. “karljant’s nominees aren’t folk metal”
3. “My opinion is objective fact and karljant is objectively wrong about [insert another straw man here]”
4. “I dictate what is acceptable content in this thread”

You are shadow boxing with a nonexistent opponent.

What I did talk about was my take on the relative prevalence of extreme vocals in folk metal releases across the board, which I believe is borne out by the facts if you want to check for yourself, though it sounds like you don’t. Which is fine. I pointed to the majority of both your and my nominees in this thread as albums that have extreme vocals as further evidence of how prevalent they are in the genre, but this wasn’t the core of my point, just an observation. If you want to assert that albums that have some extreme vocals can be rounded down to not having any at all, I guess that’s your prerogative, but I disagree with that conclusion.

As far as how many new folk metal releases are just black metal or death metal with a violin slapped on them, that’s also something that anyone who cares can confirm for themselves one way or another by reviewing past releases, and any argument I make beyond that is superfluous. You apparently see an embarrassment of musical riches, while I see a wasteland of Cookie Monsters and Gollums with weak nods to folk sounds, but with a few gems scattered about. I search for what I consider to be these unusual gems, and it’s often rough going since I mostly hate extreme vocals. You obviously feel differently.

I did say that the Ulver album was not folk metal because the music has no elements of metal in it at all. If it gets grandfathered in because the band did other albums that were folk metal, I guess you can make that argument. Perhaps Robert Plant’s bluegrass albums are actually rock n’ roll, then.

My take on what sounds more like a post-metal base vs. a black metal base is just that, my take. I could explain why, but you appear disinterested, which is fine. You are certainly more of a connoisseur of post-metal anyway.

My intent was not to derail anything, just to share my observations on folk metal as per the topic. I’m not sure why it provoked this sort of response from you, but here we are. I’m fine leaving it at that.

 

[karljant]

It's more the number of different bands you've heard full albums from.

Yup... nothing special. Not a stratospheric number IMO.

I've just checked my music collection and it has ~120 different artists in it.

I have much more than that. But then again it doesn't make my record collection any better than yours or vice versa.

On top of that, you've realistically listened to every album listed here several times, else it wouldn't be a favourite. It adds up quickly.

Yup, that's right. And once again it's nothing out of this earth.

 

[DJMayes]

Yup... nothing special. Not a stratospheric number IMO.

I have much more than that. But then again it doesn't make my record collection any better than yours or vice versa.

Yup, that's right. And once again it's nothing out of this earth.

I think it's higher than you're giving it credit for, at any rate.

 

[MindRuler]

I have much more than that. But then again it doesn't make my record collection any better than yours or vice versa.

Just out of curiosity: how many albums do you have in your collection? Vinyl, CD´s, tapes,...?

 

[karljant]

I’m fine leaving it at that.

Once again (after reading your post) besides point 1, I think you didn't get it. Never mind... I won't insist since this conversation is leading nowhere and I promised in the last reply I wouldn't push it any further. I'm also more than happy to leave it as it is since it's pointless. No problem... as far as I'm concerned we're cool.

Instead I'll return to the thread itself. Alternative Metal list next:

Soundgarden - Badmotorfinger (1991): Some people call Soundgarden grunge but I personally believe it's strongly due to when and where they came from. Badmotorfinger is deeply rooted in Sabbath meets Zeppelin influences with a touch of Alternative Rock traits (mainly dissonance and feedback) here and there. Rusty Cage, Face Pollution, Jesus Christ Pose, Slaves And Bulldozers, Room A Thousand Years Wide and Drawing Flies are heavy as bricks yet filled with groove and depth while Outshined and Somewhere are catchy and hugely addicting yet showing what the band is all about: a 4 man piece of great composers spearheaded by one hell of a voice in the late Chris Cornell (RIP). Classic written all over.

Mão Morta - Mutantes S.21 (1992): Dwelling much more into alternative venues in their first three album, Mão Morta (Portuguese for Dead Hand) injected some heaviness on their guitars and compositions and truth be told: the result was outstanding. Mutantes S.21 (standing for Mutants Century 21) is somewhat of a concept album, portraying the underground and night life of several cities around the world. And what better way to start thing than home with the visceral Lisboa, strongly based on heroin dependence. Amsterdam follows, a somewhat less tragic yet intense as hell wandering through the Red Light District, and so is Barcelona's rumble describing nights of excess. The same works for the somewhat Rolling Stones like Budapeste, the capital that receives the most tripped out picture from the lot. Marraquexe anfd Istambul are much more experimental, but both Berlim (dealing with a underworld scenario the day the wall came down) and Paris (a tale of a love crime) recover the tense, heavy and bleak colors the album started with. Back here Mão Morta are hugely respected and regarded as a cult band. You never know what the next album will sound like since these guys are so outside the box. Nonetheless I believe Mutantes is my favorite and an album that marked me deeply.

Faith No More - Angel Dust (1992): After the crushing commercial success that was The Real Thing the bar was raised really high for the next album. So Angel Dust was released and is this a weird album for the astronomic success it achieved! Way darker and more schizophrenic (Kindergarten, Malpractice, Land Of Sunshine), even peppered with some experimental stuff (Jizzlobber, Crack Hitler, RV) this is a crafty album full heterogeneity that still managed to spawn some radio hits with A Small Victory, the superb Midlife Crisis or Easy's cover. Another excellent and unique album for the ages, quoted by countless bands as hugely influential.

Alice In Chains - Dirt (1992): Once again a case of a band where i personally think the label Grunge is a bit off (even more in their debut Facelift) since the sludgy, dissonant and sometimes heavy as hell tunes on Dirt are more in line with classic Heavy rock than with bands like Dinosaur Jr, The Pixies, Sonic Youth or Black Flag that strongly influenced Nirvana the (let's say) "be all end all" when it comes to Grunge. Dirt is a haunting album, either by throwing at you a barrage of sludge and brutal riffage in tunes like Them Bones, Dam That River, Hate To Feel, Junkhead or Sickman, or by anesthetizing you with absolutely beautiful yet bitter melodies in Would, Down In A Hole or the amazing Rain When I Die. Jerry is one hell of a composer and Layne's (RIP) voice is something out of this world. Combine this with the rhythm section of Mike (RIP) and Sean and you simply can't go wrong. Alice In Chains is probably my favorite rock band from the 90's with Dirt being one of my favorite records. That alone speaks of how much I love this masterpiece.

Bruce Dickinson - Balls To Picasso (1994): One of the reasons Bruce claimed to influenced his decision to part ways with Maiden was the fact he had his creativity conditioned to certain parameters he wanted to surpass. So when Balls To Picasso came out no one quite knew what to expect. And if it's true some songs are somewhat leaning on hard n' heavy (Laughing In The Hiding Bush, Fire and Hell No ) there's still lots of outside the box stuff here. Either being by mixing some funk (Shoot all The Clowns, 1000 Points Of Light, Sacred Cowboys), recurring to more modern heavy soundscapes (Cyclops or my personal favorite in Gods Of War) or even the semi acoustic hymn that is Tears Of The Dragon (with that delicious Raggae like bridge) fact is Balls To Picasso sounds truly refreshing. And it's also a really excellent album as far as I'm concerned.

Rollin's Band - Weight (1994): Former Black Flag front man Henry Rollins had already established his solo career but his fourth album is without shadow of doubt one of his best creations (IMO the best). The intensity this man puts either on his singing or spoken words utterly compensates his limited vocal range. Plus if you know Henry's career, needless to say the lyrics are absolutely top notch. As for the music itself is absolutely delicious, varying from metal to jazz passing through funk and hardcore. Songs like the absurdly good Liar, Divine, Disconnect, Civilized or Fool (my favorite from the lot) made out of Weight a success that I think not even Rollins expected to achieve and had to deal with ever since (for better or worst). A sure shot.

Helmet - Betty (1994): When Betty was released Helmet had already two albums on their pocket that united fans and critics in praise. But IMO their third release is the band's zenith. Page's guitar kept on being razor sharp as always, conducting the non stop riff machine that is Helmet but the more melodic vocal approach makes the underlying machinery sound even more fearsome. Wilma's Rainbow is the perfect example of this effect (one of my favorite songs within the genre). And the onslaught goes on: I Know, Milquetoast, Street Crab, Vaccination or the creepy bitter sweet melodies of Speechless are testament of a band that ended up influencing several others (among them the Nu Metal movement... don't blame them, please) while putting out a remarkable record.

Tool - Aenima (1996): Although already having a solid fan base Aenima was without shadow of doubt the record where the band brought things to another level. Filled with controversial metaphors this is a record where Tool started to pour some Prog like flavor on their tunes such as Eulogy, H, Jimmy, 46 & 2 or Third Eye. Even the amazing title track has some traces of it despite the main focus being its dynamics and monster groove. Speaking of which there's Stinkfist and Hooker With A Penis, two monsters guided by muscular and extra groovy guitars built upon jaw dropping drum work by Danny. Needless to say Maynard's voice is flawless as always. Aenima remains as one of the higher rated and most influential albums from the 90's and it's easy to understand why.

Killing Joke - Killing Joke 2003 (2003): Funny fact about this record: Killing Joke was going to sue Nirvana for plagiarism (for the blatant copy of their song Eighties on Come As You Are) and Grohl, not knowing the original and being the great chap he is, contacted the KJ dudes and offered himself to play the drums on their new album as a compensation so both bands decided it was ok. And even though Killing Joke already made a couple of heavier records during the 90's (kinda leaving reviving the first two albums but a bit more metalized), their 2003 self titled is just on another level when it comes to intensity. The Death And Resurrection Show opens the hostilities with its ritual like hypnotic flavor and tribal crescendo and is followed by the chugging of Total Invasion. And then... well then Asteroid comes blasting everything on its way (this song is a beast with Grohl and Coleman firing at all cylinders). Implant and Seeing Red are also highlights since in both their mid 80's lightest traits meshes perfectly with the harsher parts and I also must single out the intense closer on The House Pain Built. Overall an excellent album and these veterans would continue to release albums as good as their 2003 effort while exploring and mixing other sonic venues.

Devin Townsend - Addicted (2009): Addicted is the most poppy and alternative thing Dev has ever done. And IMO it is also one of his top 5 albums easily. It all starts with the tittle track and Universe In A Ball, two songs that while somewhat lighter are firmly within Townsend's Prog Metal boundaries (and are pretty damned good TBH). But it is when the utterly pop (and even european techno) vibes of Bend It Like Bender kick in that my jaw fell to the ground (and remained there for almost the rest of the album). Adding new hues to Dev's pallette this song's refreshing style and top notch quality finds Anneke doing one hell of a job on the chorus (and I wouldn't expect anything else). Supercrush's verses is once again another surprise with their Abba influenced verses (that the dutch singer once again nails 100%) that explode into a majestic Dev like chorus. After a rerecording of a softer version of Hyperdrive with Anneke on vocals this album carries on being filled with absurdly catchy and well composed tunes from which I must highlight Numbered and Resolve (this song's chorus is ultra uplifting). In Addicted Dev does it again and when Dev does it he rarely misses. Excellent album.

 

[karljant]

Just out of curiosity: how many albums do you have in your collection? Vinyl, CD´s, tapes,...?

Well I can't really say (had to count them and have no patience)... but I have "this much"...

KALLAX Estante, preto-castanho, 182x182 cm - IKEA

KALLAX Estante, preto-castanho, 182x182 cm. Todos os lados possuem acabamento, podendo ser utilizado como divisória.

www.ikea.com

... PLUS some more here:

Produtos

Se não sabe por onde começar, comece na página que tem tudo. Todos os produtos de todas as categorias, desde móveis a acessórios, para que viva melhor a sua casa.

www.ikea.com

PLUS the records I somewhat lose some interest and rip as MP3 to my disc before selling them.

I also had a huge Vinyl collection that I managed to sell in the mid 2000's. I regret it so much! If I sold it today I'd be rich .
All that remained was:

• All Maiden albums up till Fear Of The Dark (plus Fear of The Dark Live picture disc single and original pressing from 1982's Run To The Hills single)
• All Priest albums frokm Stained Class to Painkiller (Yes, even Turbo )
• Dreamtime, Love and Electric by The Cult
• The Sisters Of Mercy's Floodland
• Sepultura's Arise
• Entombed's Left Hand Path
• Zeppelin's II and The Song Remains The Same
• Sabbath's Live At Last
• Alive & Kicking by The Simple Minds

A couple of years ago I bought Paradise Lost's Symphony For The Lost in double vinyl (since it featured the DVD) and Shades Of God in picture disc (nowadays I don't even own a turntable but it's simply my favorite cover ever and the hues on that damn thing are amazing).

P.S: Also have a ton of recorded tapes I no longer listen to and some originals. The later are easier to pinpoint since they're not that much:

• Anthrax: Sound Of White Noise
• Sepultura: Chaos AD
• Pantera: Far Beyond Driven
• Metallica: Master Of Puppets
• Megadeth: Countdown To Extinction, Youthanasia and Cryptic Writings
• Joe Satriani: Surfing With The Alien
• The Cult: Ceremony
• Paradise Lost: Gothic
• Death: Symbolic
• Drawned In Tears: Abstract Melancholy
• WASP: First Cuts Last Blood
• Entombed: Clandestine
• Mão Morta: Revisitada
• Soundgarden: Superunknown
• Faith No More: King For A Day...
• Rollins Band: Nice

 

[karljant]

I think it's higher than you're giving it credit for, at any rate.

Ok. if you think so.

 

[karljant]

Just to close the thread a genre I'm truly fond of: Post Metal.

Neurosis - A Sun That Never Sets (2001): Now I could easily go with their first (and genre defining) Post Metal record (third from their catalogue) in the form of 1993's Souls At Zero or even their last full length Fires Within Fires (both sublime records). But there's something in A Sun That Never Sets that really makes me gravitate towards it. Yes, the songs are as always overall desperate and uncomfortable but perhaps it's the mix of traits one normally don't see in the same album like piano, violins and cellos (The Tide, Falling Unknown), tribal drums (From Where its Roots Run and the title track) or several synth filled sludgy tunes (Stones From The Sky is my absolute favorite). So be it by absolutely heavy and crushing stuff (a nod to the superb From The Hill), by getting a bit more into melody and melancholy than usual or by more experimental tunes this album's ambiance is as uneasy as immersive and outstanding. A gem only the band that almost single handed created the genre could craft.

Jesu - Jesu (2004): Justin Broderick's solo project debut is a win hands down. Some of Hymns songs (Godflesh's last album before disbanding for several years) were already really Post Metal prone but here things really go down the genre's scope under Justin's unique perspective. Misty, filled with drone like crushing delays Jesu's debut is yet truly melodic, even nourishing the listener with overall angelical aftertaste. Songs like Your path To Divinity, We All Falter, Tired Of Me or Sun Day are absolutely must listens to everyone who wants to experience a different kind of melody and sense of inner peace among chaos.

Battle Of Mice - A Day Of Nights (2006): 16 years ago perhaps the most ulikely super group of all times was formed: Josh Graham ex Neurosis, Tony Maimone from Pere Ubu and Joe Tomino from The Fugees united efforts with Julie Christmas to compose A Day Of Nights. the ambiance is eerie and cold and masterfully guided by the shape shifting voice of Julie. To put it simple: this record is gives me chills to listen to such is the narrow margin between utterly beautiful lullabies and controlled disharmony peppered with some crushing riffs it threads upon. After a great essay in melody at the edge of tearing itself appart in The Lamb And The Labrador things hit the sludge in Bones In The Water with the stomping rhythm and screaming vocals creating a perfect state of anxiety. Sleep And Dream's lullaby disruption is simply breath taking and once again despite the great composition, Julie owns this song. Salt Bridge begins with a soft melody and from there on is a perfect exercise on progressively morphing smoothness into discomfort. Once again Wrapped in Plain is the perfect epitome regarding the duality that is all over this record. The last two songs sound like a sum of all the parts with a special nod to Cave Of Spleen: how can such minimalist passages work so well? So despite the strange mix of musicians, A Day Of Nights is a win hands down, a superb album for the ages.

Isis - In The Absence Of Truth (2006): Isis is one of the oldest bands in the genre regarded as one of the most important acts while contributing to the growing of the seeds Neurosis once planted. So thy're one of the favorite bands to many Post Metal fans. I never had them in that higher regard but In The Absence Of Truth is a whole different talk. Here the band baths their usual sound in a thick layer of Prog like passages that work miracles alongside bursts of heaviness. Take as examples the opener Wrists Of Kings, or tracks like Dulcinea, 1000 Shards or the superb Holy Tears where both Post and Prog go hand in hand in a beautiful unexpected dance. Monster of an album only long time veterans could compose.

Rosetta - Wake/Lift (2007): I'll be quite brief: Wake/Lift simply put is one of my all time favorite records. And if we take in consideration the variables "time elapsed since first listen" (almost 15 years now) and "number of spins" I believe it's also the one that I listened to more. Red In Tooth And Claw breaks down the door from the get go only to reveal that punchy entrance is nothing but a crescendo to the definitive kickstart of this megalith and good god! Yes this is heavy stuff but the lead guitars are absurdly catchy and melodic giving form the whole "outer space" feel to it the band aims to. I normally listen to the album as a whole but besides the jaw dropping opener I must single out Monument and Wake. To sum it up, and although the band doesn't like the label, this is probably the ultimate Post Metal album as far as I'm concerned. Utter masterpiece!

LÖBO - Dânaca (2008): Although having already recorded an album, I still think LÖBO's high point is their debut EP. Let's put it simple: one instrumental song that passes the 16 minute mark spanning through all possible venues of nowadays known traditional Sludge/Post metal landscapes in stellar way. One of the Portuguese projects I think everybody should at least listen to at least once.

Obscure Sphinx - Anesthetic Inhalation Ritual (2011): Hailing from Poland Obscure Sphinx's debut is simply put a monument. Masters on both building several trance like ambiances and making your neck break from slowly headbanging everything Obscure Sphinx offer here is brilliantly done to the detail. But I must single the jaw-at-the-feet performance of vocalist Wielebna. This woman can both enchant you with his siren like sweet voice, produce vast chants that mingle perfectly with the passages they're meant to lie upon or simply terrify you when things get heavy. IMO the best female voice in metal nowadays (and best front woman). As for the songs the album overall is top notch but i must single out Nastiez, easily one of the best songs ever penned within the whole genre.

Cult Of Luna - Vertikal (2013): Another big name within the genre this may be my current favorite Post Metal band. And while the Swedish collective hasn't made a single album I dislike and released two state of the art albums since, I believe Vertikal is the band's best work to date. Based on Fritz Lang's Metropolis this is a record that, while being blatantly within the band's main scope, mixes lots of outside influences like pop, art rock, prog metal and electronic music to build a conceptual colossal record. I, The Weapon is a perfect opener and the theatrical awesomeness of the 18 plus minutes Vicarious Redemption follows claiming several of the aforementioned influences. The remainder of the album is superb (a nod to Mute Departure) but the absolute climax is without shadow of doubt In Awe Of. I can't even explain how amazing and epic this thing is. The album finishes with the calm yet somewhat unsettling Passing Through (some calm NIN song like traits on this one). Vertikal is Cult Of Luna at its best and therefore it is condemned to be one of a kind regarding quality and genius.

Sinistro - Semente (2016): Another Portuguese band. And unlike LÖBO fortunately Sinistro (Sinister) is making a name for themselves because ever since Semente (Seed) they signed with Seasons of Mist Records and toured Europe opening for big names like Paradise Lost. And they really deserve it. Sinistro's sound is really Drone and Doom prone: slow and heavy as hell. Now imagine you place a doll like languish and full of melody voice upon it (that somewhat reminds me of Morcheeba) and you get the deliciously discombobulating effect Patricia's singing brings to the whole package. This conceptual album as a whole is truly filled with great passages but songs like the amazing Partida (Departure) - that also happens to get a superb clip... go watch it - Estrada (Road) or the 100% ethereal Post Metal offer in Fragmento (Fragment) are unavoidable highlights among a absolute lack of fillers.

Julie Christmas and Cult Of Luna - Mariner (2016): And here's how to cheat the rules I self imposed and mention for a second time the huge talent of both Cult Of Luna and Julie Christmas: for all purposes Mariner is a one record parallel project. And man... what a project! As far as I'm concerned this was last decade's second best release (only surpassed by Tool's Fear Inoculum) and that alone speaks volumes on how high I regard this record. And if there is a record that can stand shoulder to shoulder with Rosetta's Wake/Lift as better Post Metal album ever on my rank this is the one. By uniting their efforts Julie Christmas and Cult Of Luna surpassed even the absurdly high points of their careers while producing this beauty: a "2001 A Space Odissey" inspired conceptual album about space travelling and dimensional transcendence (strongly reminding the final stretch of the said movie). As for the music A Greater Call flows from its ambiental intro to an anthemic chant serving as (literally) the perfect launch pad for the whole journey. And while there may be lots of monster waves crossing these space sailors' ship (especially Chevron) there are others that are smooth and vast like Approaching Transition or the comforting Beyond the Redshift (sadly only available in vinyl format) a perfect epilogue after the enormous and utterly mind blowing Cygnus. Simply put: Mariner is "just" another easy top 10 all time records on my book.


So there you have it: the last list. And curious enough by far the one with more female fronted bands (four). Since it's regarded as one of the most ground breaking sub-genres within Metal it's good to know many of the boundary tearing is being made by women.