Whether your end times look more like the Norse prophesies of Ragnarok, the Book of Revelations, or a zombie plague, few things are more metal than armageddon. The sense of inevitable doom that hung over all of civilization was distilled in this year's metal albums, resulting is an abundance of powerful, eschatological records that reek of blood and brimstone. Some of the very finest records to come out this year are rife with destructive energy; if music is capable of heralding the total annihilation of the species, these records might just call the meteors down on our heads.
Nachtmystium
Silencing Machine
(Century Media)
This record (pictured above) marked Nachtmystium's return to the chilly restraint of black metal after a period of complexity and exploration. With a crude oil heart and pitiless infrared gaze, raw black metal structures are traded for corroded steel. Survival Strategy: Unplug and live off the grid when the machines rise up.
Old Man Gloom
No
(Hydra Head)
The experimental doom-sludge group have released a tribute to negation with No. This pinnacle of nihilism blights and crawls, a tribute to the aesthetic of disgust. Survival strategy: Just drink the cyanide Kool-Aid.
Goatwhore
Blood for the Master
(Metal Blade)
Lasciviously combining the diabolic malevolence of black metal and the snarling aggression of death. They'd be ideal for playing an underground club in Sodom. Survival strategy: Stock up on holy water, practice your Latin, and dig out the crucifix.
Gaza
No Absolutes in Human Suffering
(Black Market Activities)
This is a political album for a dystopian future that has already arrived, shrieking at hypocrisy. Survival strategy: Carry your "the end is nigh" sign with pride.
Dragged Into Sunlight
Widowmaker
(Prosthetic)
They might just be a band of serial killers who make music instead of murder. Widowmaker is the aural equivalent of a lampshade made from human skin. Survival Strategy: Run.
Nachtmystium
Silencing Machine
(Century Media)
This record (pictured above) marked Nachtmystium's return to the chilly restraint of black metal after a period of complexity and exploration. With a crude oil heart and pitiless infrared gaze, raw black metal structures are traded for corroded steel. Survival Strategy: Unplug and live off the grid when the machines rise up.
Old Man Gloom
No
(Hydra Head)
The experimental doom-sludge group have released a tribute to negation with No. This pinnacle of nihilism blights and crawls, a tribute to the aesthetic of disgust. Survival strategy: Just drink the cyanide Kool-Aid.
Goatwhore
Blood for the Master
(Metal Blade)
Lasciviously combining the diabolic malevolence of black metal and the snarling aggression of death. They'd be ideal for playing an underground club in Sodom. Survival strategy: Stock up on holy water, practice your Latin, and dig out the crucifix.
Gaza
No Absolutes in Human Suffering
(Black Market Activities)
This is a political album for a dystopian future that has already arrived, shrieking at hypocrisy. Survival strategy: Carry your "the end is nigh" sign with pride.
Dragged Into Sunlight
Widowmaker
(Prosthetic)
They might just be a band of serial killers who make music instead of murder. Widowmaker is the aural equivalent of a lampshade made from human skin. Survival Strategy: Run.
