Yearlist 00s - Lost Stats Domain

Yearlist 00s:

[Nihils]


①		Nocte Obducta Nektar - Teil 2: Seen, Flüsse, Tagebücher Score: 10/10

My Dying Bride - The Dreadful Hours Score: 10/10 Usually when listening to a new My Dying Bride album first I hate it, then I have to listen to it some more, and then I get completely addicted to it. This album wasn't so, I think the style here is so similar to The Light... that there was nothing I had to get used to, I just liked it from the first time I heard it. I guess I'm also a bit disappointed by this, that there are no big surprises style-wise, just more of the same. Though after quite some listens I did discover more and more beautiful things in it. Well, the title track is just great, the "filie..." song is quite unlike anything they've ever done and after some months "The deepest of all hearts" also sounds better everytime I hear it. "Then return to the beautiful" is of course a remake of "The return of the beautiful" from their debut album. It sounds a bit different, not better nor worse, but I do think it's a shame they didn't make it differ more from the original, like the two "Sear Me" remakes. Ah well, still it's just another masterpiece of the gods of doom...			②

③		Moonsorrow Verisäkeet Score: 10/10

Novembers Doom The Knowing Score: 10/10			④

⑤		Mourning Beloveth The Sullen Sulcus Score: 10/10

Novembers Doom To Welcome the Fade Score: 10/10			⑥

⑦		Abyssic Hate Suicidal Emotions Score: 10/10

The Provenance How Would You Like To Be Spat At Score: 10/10			⑧

⑨		Sear Bliss - Forsaken Symphony Score: 10/10 Again there's been changes in the line-up of Sear Bliss since the last cd, but this time the original guitar player Csaba Csejtei is back in the band. I guess his influence in the band is pretty big because this album sounds a lot more like their debut Phantoms again. More black metal with a much rawer sound than their Grand Destiny album. I think this is the perfect sounding Sear Bliss album. Raw yet very melodic, with the nice brass instruments from Grand Destination. Also in addition to the usual great Kris Verwimp coverart, the inner booklet now looks even better due to Flynn's art.

Deinonychus Insomnia Score: 10/10			⑩

⑪	Agalloch The Mantle Score: 10/10

Rotting Christ Khronos Score: 10/10			⑫

⑬	Darkestrah The Great Silk Road Score: 10/10

Dark Lunacy Devoid Score: 10/10			⑭

⑮	Daylight Dies No Reply Score: 10/10

My Dying Bride - The Voice of the Wretched Score: 10/10 Yes, after the two greatest-hits albums this is the My Dying Bride live-album. A chance to hear how My Dying Bride sounds live for all the people who couldn't be at one of their concerts (and who don't have the live bonusdisc from the Angel and the Dark River). Personally I'm not too fond of live albums, but this one has good songs (old and new), a good sound quality, it has a very nice design, and what makes this album a little extra special for me is that I was at the concert where it was recorded. So I guess this is nice to have, but I'm also glad that the compilation and live albums are all done now so My Dying Bride can concentrate on making new albums again...			⑯

⑰	My Dying Bride - An Ode To Woe Score: 10/10 I know I'm probably quite spoiled to be able to say I attended the concert where this was recorded as well. (the Paradiso is less than 10km from my house) - So for people who are not able to go to one of their concerts so easily this is a great option to see one of My Dying Bride's majestic live performances. Also this is a nice release to see the new member Lena in action. Despite all that, if you're keeping count this is the third live cd and third live dvd My Dying Bride have released, and with the previous live dvd released a mere three years ago, one can't help but get the feeling Peaceville is trying to sell as much compilations and live albums as possible. While the quality of the recordings are excellent, there's not much here we haven't seen before. If you're interested in a live dvd, I'd rather recommend getting Sinamorata or For Darkest Eyes. If you have those already, I think you can safely skip this one actually...

Asgaroth Red Shift Score: 10/10			⑱

⑲	Secrets Of The Moon Privilegivm Score: 10/10

Opera IX - The Black Opera: Symphoniae Mysteriorum in Laudem Tenebrarum Score: 10/10 Opera IX is always pure enjoyment for me. Their typically melodic black style with the female grunts of Cadaveria sound as good as ever on this third cd. I think their sound and technique progressed since the last album, but on the down side, they haven't changed much other than that. It would be better if it was a little more original, but still it sounds great, and for me it's the best album this year so far...			⑳

21	Emperor Live Inferno Score: 10/10

Primordial Spirit the Earth Aflame Score: 10/10			22

23	Alastis Unity Score: 10/10

Rapture - Futile Score: 10/10 Mostly when I get to hear the debut cd of a new band I think "nice, but it's all done before much better" or "Maybe with some more practice and experience they'll get there", but every once in a while I get the pleasant surprise of a debutcd that immediately impresses me. "Futile" by Rapture is one of these gems. They play a melodic doom death a bit in the vein of old Katatonia / Opeth, but definitely have their own sound. The compositions and atmosphere on the album is amazing, with a sadness that appeals a lot to a doom metal fanatic like me. So another band I can add to my list of all-time favourites.			24

25	Septic Flesh Sumerian Daemons Score: 10/10

Moonspell Under Satanæ Score: 10/10			26

27	Forest Silence Philosophy Of Winter Score: 10/10

Mourning Beloveth A Disease for the Ages Score: 10/10			28

29	Primordial The Gathering Wilderness Score: 10/10

Green Carnation Journey to the End of the Night Score: 10/10			30

31	My Dying Bride - Songs of Darkness, Words of Light Score: 10/10 After three years of waiting here's the new My Dying Bride cd again. I listened to The Dreadful Hours thousands of times already so I was really glad I could finally listen to something new again. The two things that really stand out on this album I think are the better use of keyboards (I guess they are finally using keys as a full instrument instead as a replacement-violin) and the improved clean vocals of Aaron. He still growls and screams a lot but the clean singing really impressed me here. On the downside, I just don't think there are enough 'masterpieces' on this album. The songs are good but the only one that really stands out is "A Doomed Lover". The songs "The Blue Lotus" and "And My Fury Stands Ready" are even quite boring I think. Maybe after I listen to it more I grow to like it more (as is usually the case with MDB cds) but right now I think the cd is good, but a bit below bride-standard. The artwork is a bit of a letdown too I think. I like the cover painting, but other than that there's not much to look at. I got the special edition of the cd which include a fridge-magnet and a poster, but both also just show the cover painting.

Forest Stream Tears of Mortal Solitude Score: 10/10			32

33	Summoning Oath Bound Score: 10/10

Secrets Of The Moon Antithesis Score: 10/10			34

35	Moonsorrow Tulimyrsky EP Score: 10/10

Various Originators of the Northern Darkness - A Tribute to Mayhem Score: 10/10			36

37	Primordial To The Nameless Dead Score: 10/10

Opeth - Blackwater Park Score: 10/10 And again Opeth manages to surprise me. Still Life kind of disappointed me, and if their sound developed furter in the direction they were going with that album it could actually become quite bad. But no, this albums seems to take a big step back to Morningrise. Beautiful long song stuffed full with melodies, emotions and lots of variation. It's also got a bit of 'the songs just go on and on' feeling which makes it for me not as good as My Arms... yet still a great album, one of the best this year!!!			38

39	Novembre Materia Score: 10/10

Various December Songs: A Tribute To Katatonia Score: 10/10			40

41	Lacrimas Profundere Burning: a Wish Score: 10/10

Shape Of Despair Angels of Distress Score: 10/10			42

43	The Project Hate MCMXCIX Armageddon March Eternal - Symphonies of Slit Wrists Score: 10/10

Colosseum Chapter 1: Delirium Score: 10/10			44

45	Opeth The Roundhouse Tapes Score: 10/10

Type O Negative Dead Again Score: 10/10			46

47	My Dying Bride - A Line of Deathless Kings Score: 10/10 After the somewhat odd 'Deeper Down' single it was a relief to hear that My Dying Bride hadn't gone all Thrash Metal on us. A Line of Deathless Kings hold like always the emotion doom metal My Dying Bride is famous for, and like always it sounds completely different than their other releases. One obvious thing is the vocal, which is completely clean again. The songs are also a bit more compact, making it a bit like "Like Gods of the Sun". But with an atmosphere closer to "Songs of Darkness, Words of Light". What I don't like so much about this album is that the 'trick' they sometimes use to combine two different songs into one, gets done a lot here actually. Most of the songs are made of two obviously different parts, and often I only like one of the two parts. The only two songs which I like completely are L'Amour Detruit and One of Beauty's Daughters. So overall I think it's a cd with a few good moments but again a bit less good than the previous one. And the last minutes remind me of the ending of the blob where you just see that there will be a sequel ;)

The Sins Of Thy Beloved Perpetual Desolation Score: 10/10			48

49	Forest Of Shadows Departure Score: 10/10

Ankhagram Under Ruins Score: 10/10			50

51	My Dying Bride - For Lies I Sire Score: 10/10 As a big fan of My Dying Bride, I'm wondering with each new album whether I'll like it as much as their previous albums, or if they'll finally mess up. And their latest work "For Lies I Sire" again does not disappoint. There have been some line-up changes again since "A Line of Deathless Kings": Dan Mullins is the new drummer, Lena AbÃ¨ took over the bass from Ade and Katie Stone plays the keyboard and violin on this album... yes, violin. Many an old-school fan will rejoice in the news of its return. And it's used very effectively on this album. The violin is not just added in everywhere, but used quite sparsely in combination with the keyboards. Even my least favourite song on this album "Bring me victory", which is the most commercial sounding song, has some quite cool violin parts making it sound nice. But there we also have the biggest flaw of this album: All songs sound nice, quite easy to the ear. What is missing to me is the more extreme emotional outbursts. No song drags me in with its depressive or aggressive emotions as My Dying Bride often does. It also holds for my most favourite song of the album, Death triumphant. With the long running time it has the potential of one of their old-fashioned epic songs, but it never gets quite interesting enough for that. Even the most extreme song of the album, A chapter in loathing, which follows up on the fast outro of the last albums with a Primordial-like layered guitar riff and the only grunts of this album, feels weirdly out of place on the album. Overall it's by no means a bad album, quite nice to listen to actually, but that's not why I listen to My Dying Bride. Who knows, with all the beautiful girls in the band now, maybe they're not depressed enough anymore to write typical My Dying Bride songs ;)

Saturnus Veronika Decides To Die Score: 10/10			52

53	Green Carnation Light of Day, Day of Darkness Score: 10/10

Austere / Isolation Bleak... Score: 10/10			54

55	Disbelief 66Sick Score: 10/10

Fen The Malediction Fields Score: 10/10			56

57	Amortis Summoned by Astral Fires Score: 10/10

Shape Of Despair Shades of... Score: 10/10			58

59	Novembers Doom The Pale Haunt Departure Score: 10/10

Negură Bunget Măiastru Sfetnic Score: 10/10			60

61	Moonsorrow V: Hävitetty Score: 10/10

Virgin Black Requiem - Fortissimo Score: 10/10			62

63	Various The Lotus Eaters - Tribute to Dead Can Dance Score: 10/10

My Shameful ...Of Dust Score: 10/10			64

65	Gojira From Mars to Sirius Score: 10/10

Amon Amarth Versus the World Score: 10/10			66

67	Traumatic Voyage Khiaoscuro Score: 10/10

Trail Of Tears A New Dimension of Might Score: 10/10			68

69	Satyricon Volcano Score: 10/10

Graveworm Scourge of Malice Score: 10/10			70

71	Garden Of Shadows Oracle Moon Score: 10/10

Swallow The Sun New Moon Score: 10/10			72

73	Negură Bunget 'N Crugu Bradului Score: 10/10

Morgul - The Horror Grandeur Score: 10/10 Hmmm... I guess this is what I'd call neo-black. So many black metal nowadays that some bands from the black metal roots try something new. Morgul always was a bit different, but with this album he definitely made something different enough to stay original but still (black) metal enough to stay interesting. Lots of keyboards, acoustic guitars and clean vocals make it lean more towards doom and industial metal, but the black metal is still very much present in his sound. Very much recommended...			74

75	Daylight Dies Dismantling Devotion Score: 10/10

Primordial Storm Before Calm Score: 10/10			76

77	Wolves In The Throne Room Demo Score: 10/10

Thyrfing Hels Vite Score: 10/10			78

79	Shining V: Halmstad Score: 10/10

Nocte Obducta Nektar - Teil 1: Zwölf Monde, eine Hand voll Träume Score: 10/10			80

81	Monolithe Monolithe I Score: 10/10

Novembre Dreams D'Azur Score: 10/10			82

83	Myriads Introspection Score: 10/10

The Provenance Red Flags Score: 10/10			84

85	Hollenthon - With Vilest of Worms to Dwell Score: 10/10 Aaah it's nice to hear something original agin in this time where everything in metal has been done a million times before. Hollenthon is of course the band led by Pungent Stench's frontman Martin Schirenc, and in this band the death metal is much more melodic and slower and filled with choirs, keyboards and other instruments. It reminds maybe of Therion's "Theli" but still a bit more death metal oriented. I think this album is as good as the previous album in terms of originality but that with its better songwriting and production it's one of the best albums of this year!

Gathering Of Obscurity The Pain of Humiliation Score: 10/10			86

87	Zyklon Aeon Score: 10/10

Wyrd Heathen Score: 10/10			88

89	Eïs Galeere (as Geïst) Score: 10/10

Aeba Rebellion: Edens Asche Score: 10/10			90

91	The Provenance Still at Arms Length Score: 10/10

Monolithe Monolithe II Score: 10/10			92

93	Wolves In The Throne Room Black Cascade Score: 10/10

The Vision Bleak The Deathship has a New Captain Score: 10/10			94

95	Kampfar Kvass Score: 10/10

Sorg Enigma Grotesque Score: 10/10			96

97	Emancer Invisible Score: 10/10

Stone Wings Promo Score: 10/10			98

99	Otkroveniya Dozhdya Otkroveniya Dozhdya (Revelations of Rain) Score: 10/10

...And Oceans Allotropic / Metamorphic - Genesis of Dimorphism Score: 10/10			100

Stats generated at: 09/03/24