Yearlist 2018 - Lost Stats Domain

Yearlist 2018:

[2018]


①		Moonspell - Lisboa Under the Spell Score: 10/10 Already when this album was announced, it was clear that it would be yearlist material: Three full albums of one of my favourite bands ever played live back-to-back, how can you compete with that? That doesn't mean there's nothing wrong with 'Lisboa Under the Spell', the problem here lies with singer Fernando: He talks. He talks a lot, between songs. Which would have been fine, except he talks in Portuguese. Which is great for the hundreds of people attending the concert, but for the thousands buying the live recording it gets kind of boring listening to him go on about Ronaldo and Portuguese custard tarts I imagine. Still very much recommended for the music in between the monologues though!

Summoning - With Doom We Come Score: 10/10 While it's hard enough to be original in a metal scene where everything seems to have been done before, very few bands are so uniquely recognizable that they can claim their own metal genre. The mighty Summoning however does just that. Five years after their last album, With Doom We Come shows everyone how it's done.			②

③		Messiah The Choir of Horrors and Rotten Perish Era Live Score: 10/10

Forest Of Shadows - Among the Dormant Watchers Score: 9.5/10 There have been a couple of much-anticipated reunions this year, but one that took me by surprise was Forest Of Shadows releasing a new album ten years after the last output. Not only does "Among the Dormant Watchers" bring us back to their earlier doom-death efforts, it revives a genre that is sorely missed nowadays. And unlike last Forest Of Shadows albums which were more doom than death, they now take the death metal part seriously as well. So excellent stuff for old-school doomers like me!			④

⑤		Imperious - Godless Divinity (digital) Score: 9.5/10 A last-minute addition to this yearlist is Imperious from Germany. With a digital-only album released at the very end of the year it's a wonder it ended in any yearlist at all (seriously, don't do this! Wait a bit and release it in January) but damn it deserves all the credit it can get. Two songs of twenty minutes of the finest epic death metal, with doom and black influences, this one needs to be heard!

Panopticon - The Scars of Man on the Once Nameless Wilderness, Part 1 Score: 9.5/10 Panopticon's latest offering comes as a double cd, but luckily is also sold separately. The entry in this yearlist is very specifically for the first cd only, as this one contains some of the best atmospheric black metal that the band has released yet. The second cd is over an hour of what I read is called Bluegrass folk music, which I really don't care about, much like I expect fans of this genre to not care about Panopticon. But if you can get the first disc alone it's well worth the purchase.			⑥

⑦		Opera IX - The Gospel Score: 9.5/10 Opera IX is a band that used to be one of my favourites, but struggled with line-up changes the last two decades with Ossian the only original member left. Their latest album The Gospel presents again a new vocalist, this time coming from Consummatum Est, and a new bass player. And though the vocals are not up to the level of Cadaveria, the music is back up their old standards and hold great promise for the future, if they can keep their lineup stable.

Alghazanth - Eight Coffin Nails Score: 9.5/10 Alghazanth is a band that I've regularly enjoyed listening to over the last twenty years, even though the music never really stood out to me that much. At first listen, Eight Coffin Nails was again a melodic black metal album that was fine, but not exceptional. It took me a few listens to realize that this time they created something much more than 'just fine', instead it's actually a quite excellent album! Well worth it if you take the time to really get into it. The only problem neurotic me has with it, is that they call it Eight coffin nails and then put Nine songs on it			⑧

⑨		Camulos / Gratzug Split Score: 9.5/10

Crescent - The Order of Amenti Score: 9.5/10 When I say Egyptial-inspired death metal, you probably think of Nile. But why listen to Americans when you can get some epic death metal directly from Egypt? Crescent for me even surpasses Nile when looking for a brutal trip down Egyptian mythology, not just because of some added authenticity, but through some excellent musicianship and songwriting as well.			⑩

⑪	Lunatic Gods - Turiec Score: 9.5/10 While this is not the first album I heard of Lunatic Gods, this is the first one that scored well in my yearlist. Turiec is still a messy combination of different metal genres, but unlike previous albums they toned down the progressive metal parts a lot. And If you can see one thing from this yearlist is that I reeeally don't like progressive metal. So what is left on Turiec is a fragmented but enjoyable mix of mostly death and folk metal. Might not appeal to the fans of old Lunatic Gods, but they should be able to get some new fans with this release.

Pantheist - Seeking Infinity Score: 9.5/10 When looking for a fun night of super-depressive metal, there's nothing quite like a good dosis of funeral doom. But to keep things entertaining I like to mix it down with some other metal genres, and for this 'Seeking Infinity" is a perfect choice. Funeral Doom at its core, but where earlier Pantheist efforts got a bit boring near the end, here they add enough other influences to keep things interesting all the way to the doomed end. Of the album.			⑫

⑬	Cor Scorpii Ruin Score: 9.5/10

Nachtmystium Resilient Score: 9.5/10			⑭

⑮	Graveyard Of Souls Cenizas Score: 9.5/10

Tribulation Down Below Score: 9.5/10			⑯

⑰	Wallachia Monumental Heresy Score: 9.5/10

Medieval Demon Medieval Necromancy Score: 9.5/10			⑱

⑲	Iku-Turso / Kalmankantaja Ikuinen Tuli Score: 9.5/10

Cult Of Fire Kali Fire Puja Score: 9.5/10			⑳

21	Sear Bliss Letters from the Edge Score: 9.5/10

Fluisteraars / Turia De Oord Score: 9/10			22

23	Infestus Thrypsis Score: 9/10

Vanhelga Fredagsmys Score: 9/10			24

25	Selvans Faunalia Score: 9/10

Theudho De Roep van het Woud Score: 9/10			26

27	Cân Bardd Nature Stays Silent Score: 9/10

Helrunar Vanitas Vanitatvm Score: 9/10			28

29	Monolithe Nebula Septem Score: 9/10

Suicide Forest Suicide Forest Score: 9/10			30

31	Mesarthim The Density Parameter Score: 9/10

Dimmu Borgir Eonian Score: 9/10			32

33	A Forest Of Stars Grave Mounds and Grave Mistakes Score: 9/10

Varathron Patriarchs of Evil Score: 9/10			34

35	Kriegsmaschine Apocalypticists Score: 9/10

Primordial Exile Amongst the Ruins Score: 9/10			36

37	High On Fire Electric Messiah Score: 9/10

Eye Of Solitude / Marche Funèbre Split Score: 9/10			38

39	Faal Desolate Grief Score: 9/10

Behemoth I Loved You at Your Darkest Score: 9/10			40

41	Evoken Hypnagogia Score: 9/10

Chapel Of Disease ...And as We Have Seen the Storm, We Have Embraced the Eye Score: 9/10			42

43	Arkona (RUS) Khram Score: 9/10

Finnr's Cane Elegy Score: 9/10			44

45	Graveland Świt Stalowych Ostrzy Score: 9/10

Wolvhammer The Monuments of Ash & Bone Score: 8.5/10			46

47	Einherjer Norr�ne Spor Score: 8.5/10

Borgne [∞] Score: 8.5/10			48

49	Immortal Northern Chaos Gods Score: 8.5/10

Vanhelgd Deimos Sanktuarium Score: 8.5/10			50

51	Hermóðr Midnight Eclipse Score: 8.5/10

Deafheaven Ordinary Corrupt Human Love Score: 8.5/10			52

53	In Tenebriz Winternight Poetry (digital) Score: 8.5/10

Anomalie Integra Score: 8.5/10			54

55	Norden Z Popioł�w i Krwi... Score: 8.5/10

In The Woods Cease the Day Score: 8.5/10			56

57	Shining X - Varg utan flock Score: 8.5/10

Forgery Edge of Perception Score: 8.5/10			58

59	Harakiri For The Sky Arson Score: 8.5/10

Doomed 6 Anti-Odes To Life Score: 8.5/10			60

61	Ultha The Inextricable Wandering Score: 8.5/10

Deadly Carnage Through the Void, Above the Suns Score: 8.5/10			62

63	The Project Hate MCMXCIX Death Ritual Covenant Score: 8.5/10

Ennui End of the Circle Score: 8.5/10			64

65	Paganland XX Years of Paganland Score: 8.5/10

Celtachor Fianna�ocht Score: 8.5/10			66

67	Drudkh Im chasto snit'sja kapizh (They Often See Dreams About the Spring) Score: 8.5/10

Interpol Marauder Score: 8.5/10			68

69	Sulphur Aeon The Scythe Of Cosmic Chaos Score: 8/10

Sentimen Beltza Izar Basoaren Hutsunean Score: 8/10			70

71	Severoth When the Night Falls... Score: 8/10

Mare Ebony Tower Score: 8/10			72

73	Sunwheel I Am the One Score: 8/10

Totalselfhatred Solitude Score: 8/10			74

75	Bloodbath The Arrow of Satan Is Drawn Score: 8/10

Aeternus Heathen Score: 8/10			76

77	Heidevolk Vuur van Verzet Score: 8/10

Skeletonwitch Devouring Radiant Light Score: 8/10			78

79	Runemagick Evoked from Abysmal Sleep Score: 8/10

Djevel Blant Svarte Graner Score: 8/10			80

81	Golden Dawn / The Negative Bias Split Score: 8/10

Lapsus Dei / Officium Triste Broken Memories Score: 8/10			82

83	Omnium Gatherum The Burning Cold Score: 8/10

Bast Nano�ngstr�m Score: 8/10			84

85	Afsky Sorg Score: 8/10

Dragonlord Dominion Score: 8/10			86

87	Acherontas Faustian Ethos Score: 8/10

Rivers Of Nihil Where Owls Know My Name Score: 8/10			88

89	Thirdmoon Terrarum Exuviae Score: 8/10

Uada Cult of a Dying Sun Score: 8/10			90

91	Vyre Weltformel Score: 8/10

Lucifer's Child The Order Score: 8/10			92

93	At The Gates To Drink from the Night Itself Score: 8/10

Hantaoma Malam�rt Score: 7.5/10			94

95	Eïs Stillstand und Heimkehr Score: 7.5/10

Circus Of Fools REX Score: 7.5/10			96

97	Mournful Congregation The Incubus of Karma Score: 7.5/10

Arkhtinn Saisho no Saigai Score: 7.5/10			98

99	Master's Hammer Fascinator Score: 7.5/10

Madder Mortem Marrow Score: 7.5/10			100

Stats generated at: 06/08/23