Progressive Death Metal - Tumblr Posts
So, you want to get into Italian Metal?
Who the fuck has ever asked for that? Anyways, here’s some recommendations:
Mortuary Drape
Old School Black Metal band, I highly recommend the albums “All the Witches Dance”, “Tolling 13 Knell”, and “Secret Sudaria”.
Sadist
Excellent Progressive Death Metal. Extremely technical and yet soulful.
Death SS
Despite the unfortunate name, they are NOT Nazis. The “SS” is short for “Steve Sylvester”, as in “The Death of Steve Sylvester”. Now since that’s out of the way, their music is more in the vein of traditional heavy metal with a tinge of doom, that sonically wouldn’t be too unbefitting next to First-Wave Black Metal.
Abysmal Grief
Doom Metal that’s heavily reliant on the “Church Organ” setting on keyboards. If you’re looking for something slow and yet spooky, this might be up your alley (although personally I’d just listen to some of the doomier Type O songs).
Cultus Sanguine
Doom Metal. I like to think of this band as a cousin to Abysmal Grief, in that they’re instrumentally similar with the main difference being the anguished vocals. Same appeal as Abysmal Grief, although the songs do get a bit same-y.
Gargoyle
A mix of extreme metal and traditional doom metal. Would definitely highly recommend. Unfortunately they’re not on Spotify, so I can’t put them on my playlists as much as I’d want to.
That’s all I have for now! You might ask, “Wait, where’s [blank]! They’re widely known and important to the Italian metal scene!” and the answer is they probably suck ass (I’m looking at you, Lacuna Coil). This is mainly just my personal taste, anyways.
![The Ilusen's Fallacy [DEMO], by Keegan Ostrowski](https://78.media.tumblr.com/a6e42f769a253d104f1ce675b214e130/tumblr_pe1uwnqYvJ1w7dja0_540.jpg)
Ilusen's Fallacy by Keegan Ostrowski
Technical Progressive Death Metal solo project from San Diego, California, with melodic and jazz elements. Features a 7 string fretless bass, and the upcoming remastered rerelease includes some guitarwork from Jeff Loomis, as well as drums by Marco Minnemann.
The album is 88.88 minutes long, and is superbly executed throughout. The 7 string bass is a wonderful element, and is played masterfully. The vocals include harsh, clean, and female vocals, and weave into the music while still remaining distinct. The guitar tone and effects blend seamlessly, and the playing is precise yet organic feeling.
Wall of Fog is probably my favorite track.
Imperial Triumphant
Vile Luxury
New York jazzy progressive blackened death. These fellows are insanely talented, and bring a variety of musical elements together into a terrifyingly beautiful experience. Their latest album, Vile Luxury, is a streamlined, precise mixture of all their influences, and it is a powerful creation to behold.
They are currently wrapping up the Blood Sand Ash tour with UADA and Panzerfaust, and you really should not miss it.
Hinayana
"The Window"
-Order Divine-
New music video from Austin, Texas based progressive melodeath band Hinayana. Got to see them play earlier in the year, they are an incredibly talented bunch and its cool to see them getting picked up by a label like Black Lion Records (who are also in charge of the fantastic symphonic black metal group Hyperion as well).
If you're a fan of bands like Insomnium, Dark Tranquility, Paradise Lost, Opeth, etc. then check these fellows out.
My 2018 Album Of the Year List, pt. 1
This is a ridiculously long list, so its split up. Its still long. It might be overdoing it. I don't care. Believe it or not, I even left several releases off. I cannot emphasize it enough, there was a ton of superb music to be heard this year, and my goal is that maybe you'll find something new to enjoy. Read it or don't, just keep loving music.
75)IDLE HANDS - PDX- Don't Waste Your Time
- Heavy metal with a sort of goth rock bend to it that's just an enjoyable listen
74)IAMX- Alive In New Light
- electro goth rock of a sort. Still his own thing. The main single, Stardust, is fantastic.
73) Sniper 66- Annihilator
- Austin punk rock that gives no quarter. They just get better and better.
72)Lunaform- Lunaform
- absolutely beautiful debut prog/djent EP from the Dallas area.
71)Convulsing- Grievous
- Punishing, melancholic black/death metal hailing from the Land Down Under
70)YOB- Our Raw Heart
- I'm actually not generally a fan of loooong, plodding doom metal, but personal taste aside, this is probably one of the best metal albums this year. It is aptly titled, and emotionally rewarding.
69)Pious Levus- Beast of the Foulest Depths
-Grimey Death metal from some of Texas' finest, here to rip you open.
68) Marid-VVVVVVV
-Beautiful Saharan atmospheric black metal that makes me feel calm, so always a good thing.
67)Craft- White Noise and Black Metal
-Black metal to napalm your ears with. Just napalm. Burn.
66)Carn Dûm- Shadow and Fire
- Tolkien black metal that roars like a Balrog and hits like one too.
65)Whoredom Rife- NID-Hymner av Hat
- Yeah, Norway still makes excellent black metal. Enough said.
64)Cultor Noctis- Demiurg
- A great little black metal EP that jumped out at me on Bandcamp, looking forward to more.
63)Krigsgrav- Leave No Path to Follow
- These Texas fellows are back with a somber, weighty black metal outing that'll trap you like a quagmire.
62)Lifted Traces- Akira
- Seeing this performed live with the film might have resulted in bias on my part, but tackling one of my favorite film soundtracks with a superb interpretation is just amazing, so full kudos to the fellows at Switched On.
61)Morgengrau- Blood Oracle
- Roaring Texas death metal titans return to crush your ears. And ribs. And face. And soul.
60)Tamerlan Empire- Age of Ascendancy
- Symphonic black metal mixed with Middle-Eastern musical elements, without the overdone death metal aspects so many bands insist on having when doing this kind of sound. In other words- Heck yes!
59)Erebos- Peste Kommer
- While I ultimately enjoyed Faded Into the Shadows from last year more, this is still a mighty good black metal release that perfectly achieves Burzum synth worship.
58)Tvaer- Old Gods Whom Chaos Knew
- Raw melancholic black metal that I'm really hoping there will be more of.
57) Anders Manga- Perfectly Stranger
- Just stumbled on this darkwave project this year, very glad I did. Absolutely top-notch.
56)Dispirit- Enantiodromian Birth
-I really hope I spelled that right. The album is great and so was their performance at Red River Family Fest.
55)Therion- Beloved Antichrist
- Because why not just make a massive rock opera? Their skill never ceases to amaze me.
54)Elderfrost- The Beautiful Voice of Shadow
-If more dungeon synth sounded like this I'd listen to more dungeon synth. I wish more dungeon synth sounded like this.
53)Nocturnus Santurnus- Nocturnus Santurnus
- Immortal worship of the highest caliber, with so many riffs.
52)Magoth- Zeitgeist: Dystopia
- This didn't quite catch me the way last year's album did, however it's still a very solid album with more sweet riffs.
51) Immortal- Northern Chaos Gods
- A return that did not disappoint in the least, this album could freeze Hell its so frigidly raw.
50)Mare- Ebony Tower
- This is dark and beautiful and sucks you in so well.
49)Iskandr-Euprosopon
- Its mellow, odd, cold, and wonderful black metal, and should be given a listen.
48)Sargeist- Unbound
-Unbound is a good title for this, like a raging black metal beast set loose.
47)Spite- Antimoshiach
-Speaking of raging black metal beasts, yeah, this one too.
46)Cultum Interitum-Temple of Triumphant Death
-Dark, roaring black metal that I was quite pleased with, and definitely want more of.
45)Judas Priest- Firepower
- Bow to the metal gods, because they definitely still rule.
Part 2 & 3 incoming.
Part 2
44)Infernarium- Kadotuksen Harmonia
-Ah, sweet, wonderful, nuclear Finnish black metal. Finnish black metal is on fire these days, and bands like this are why.
43)Sargeras- Satan's Terror
- "Welcome to Life, Cunt!" How can you not love these guys? Raw, unapologetic, borderline ridiculous, so awesome black metal.
42) Vargrav- Netherstorm
-Awesome symphonic black metal that worships the sound of old while still charting new territory.
41)Wiegedood- De Doden Hebben Het Goed III
- These guys have yet to release a bad album, and it was so exciting to get to see them. They're good, and I hope they get more recognition for it.
40)Keegan Ostrowski- Ilusen's Fallacy
- Some of the finest progressive death metal you will find, with stellar musicianship all around, and the precision and cohesion is glorious to witness. Let yourself drown in it.
39) The Damned- Evil Spirits
-Much like Judas Priest, here's another band still showing the youngsters how it's done. This album is just pure punk rock fun, and that's how it should be.
38) Hinayana- Order Divine
- These Texas melodic death metallers are definitely going to get bigger. A superb album, and they put on a superb live show too.
37)Solar Temple- Fertile Descent
- Fuzzy ambient black metal isn't always my thing, but this band is great, and they will absolutely bring the riffs.
36)VOID- Jettatura
- This French black n roll band will pummel you with riffs and rage and rythym.
35)Morgal- Morgal
- Even more rifftastic black metal, these fellows are a blast.
34)Kommandant- Blood Eel
- This is already awesome black metal, but the drumming, like all their releases, just pushes it to the next level for me.
33)UADA- Cult of a Dying Sun
-Their sound makes me calm, and tends to make me feel happy. Perhaps its having seen them three times in the span of a year, and each show was an enjoyable time, so maybe I'm just invoking nostalgia when I listen to them. In any case, they're a great band, this is a great album, and you should see them live three times in one year too.
32)Funeral Winds- Sinister Creed
- Raw, almost grimey, awesome black metal that grinds away your soul.
31)Blitzgeist- Ritual Magic
- I chose just one of the three releases from this year, this one is probably my favorite. The title suites the ritualistic, dirge-esque black metal wonderfully.
30)Deth Crux- Mutant Flesh
- This is fantastic Deathrock that evokes everything from Christian Death to more traditional goth rock like Bauhaus, and it pleases me so much.
29)OVÁTE- Ováte
- Again, Norway's still churning out awesome black metal, and this new project is promising.
28) Horror Vacui- New Wave of Fear
- More Deathrock- I really, really enjoy these guys. For me, they have just the perfect blend of goth and punk, and it's so catchy.
27)Panegyrist- Hierurgy
- I keep calling them a black metal Therion, and that's a big deal for me. This year I learned I really like my black metal avant-garde, and this band delivers.
26)BEHEMOTH!- I Loved You at Your Darkest
- While not on par with The Satanist for me, this follow up is still quite good. They've really mastered the creation of atmosphere, and I love it. Songs like "Bartzabel" really appeal to that taste for the avant-garde I mentioned.
25)Funker Vogt- Wasteland
- This is awesome. An absolute testament to why they're one of my favorite industrial bands. Perfect blend of rythym, harshness, and an ability to mellow out at just the right times.
24)Norrhem- Vaienneet Voittajat
- Its the riffs. I don't know what else to say, really. Just, RIFFS.
23)Plaguestorm- Eternal Throne
- High speed, zero fucks raw black metal with excellent guitar solos. Honestly I'm really happy to have such soaring solos in such fantastic black metal. It just makes it that much better.
22)Slavehouse- Taste in Pain
- Speaking of high speed, zero fucks raw black metal, but this one comes with some lovely punk tinges that pushes it just a little higher for me.
21)Blood Worship- Death's Omnipotence
-Do you like Swedish black metal? Yes? Then this band is for you. They specialize in melodic, catchy riffing in the vein of Watain, and they do it well.
Part 2. Almost there!