TOP 25 RECORDS OF 2019

It's that time of the year, and the decade is coming to a close.  I started this blog earlier this year, and I've been humbled by the responses I've gotten to my writings this year.  I plan to be more active next year, and I want to thank everyone who's read any of my reviews thus far.  2019 has been incredible for new releases, and I'd like to briefly touch on a few of my favorites from this year before we move into the next decade.  

25.  11PARANOIAS - Asterismal (Stoner / Doom Metal)
24.  King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Infest the Rats Nest (Thrash Metal / Stoner Metal)
23.  Mayhem - Daemon (Black Metal)
22.  Ulver - Drone Activity (Ambient, Drone)
21.  Krypts - Cadaver Circulation (Death Metal)
20.  Boo Dude - Candy Corn Sells... But Who's Buying? (Post Punk, Rock n Roll, Halloween Music)
19.  The Bar Goblin - Technicoven (Experimental Electronic)
18.  Deerhunter - Why Hasn't Everything Already Disappeared (Neo-Psychedelia)
17.  Tamaryn - Dreaming the Dark (Dream Pop, Synthpop)
16.  Elder - The Gold & Silver Sessions (Stoner Rock, Krautrock)
15.  Abyssal - A Beacon in the Husk (Avant-Garde Death Metal)
14.  Sadistic Ritual - Visionaire of Death (Death / Thrash Metal)
13.  Ire & Uprise - Penumbra (Melodic Death Metal / Thrash Metal)
12.  Mephistofeles - Satan Sex Ceremonies (Stoner Metal, Sleaze)  

11.  Devourment - Obscene Majesty

This is one that really shocked me when I heard a glimpse of it.  Devourment isn't a band I've had any interest in since high school, so I don't know what drove me to click the link to one of the singles.  Maybe it was the stunning cover art or just a morbid curiosity to see what these guys could possibly be doing any differently.  What I got was my all-time favorite slamming brutal death metal record.  I wouldn't have believed that tasteful slam could exist, but I really feel like that's what we've gotten here.  It's sensible and engaging without any over-the-top bass drops or perverse shock-imagery.  The production is phenomenal, it's muddy but not without any clarity.  It's a very smooth listen, and it doesn't allow itself to be too raw, everything is controlled in its fortress-like wall of sound effect.  I've referred to this album previously as "The Satanist of slam," which is a description some people haven't been fond of, but it's one I stand by in the sense of artistic value and self-reinvention.  If Devourment is a band you've written off for being juvenile, I recommend this one as what could be the blueprint for the future expansion of the genre.



10.  Darkthrone - Old Star

What else needs to be said about Darkthrone in 2019?  The band's legacy is solidified in history, and they could crank out bland records every year for a quick cash grab if they chose to, but Fenriz and Culto are too proud to do that.  So they've given us another fine offering of black metal, heavy metal, thrash metal and crust punk in another unique blend expanding upon what was done with the preceding album, Arctic Thunder.  I've been particularly partial to everything Darkthrone has done this decade, and I feel like what they're doing holds merit as genuinely interesting and forward-thinking despite some admittedly nostalgic riff-work.  Old Star is, to me, the beefier sequel to Thunder that's even more blackened.  If you love Darkthrone and you're not too much of a cynic, there's nothing to dislike here, it's one of the highlights of the year.



9.  Swans - Leaving Meaning.

Nearly 40 years into his legendary musical career, Swans-mastermind Michael Gira doesn't really have anything that he needs to prove, but even now he's putting immense effort into his material that's unmatched by Swans' contemporaries and the bands they've inspired.  leaving meaning. is a record that takes the more gothic / folk elements of Swans' early-90s albums and fuses it with the hypnotic droning of the preceding trilogy of The Seer, To Be Kind and The Glowing Man.  The vocal emphasis is spectacular here, and Michael's managed to adapt his voice to his age rather than try to "relive the glory days" and embarrass himself, as many musicians his age do.  The album stylistically varies, but keeps its composure and flows very well.  "The Hanging Man" may as well be an outtake from To Be Kind, but especially with the addition of synthesizers in the closing section, I don't mean that negatively.  "Sunfucker" is perhaps my favorite cut; the song drones, crescendos and evolves into some of the band's most explosive arrangements in its discography.  I'm simply in love with the control that Michael exudes over this new evolution of Swans, and the contributions by all of the brilliant musicians involved.



8.  Xiu Xiu - Girl With Basket of Fruit

Xiu Xiu has been a trip to follow over the years, despite having an insane number of releases, they're always finding ways to do something new.  From experimental indie rock anthems like "I Love the Valley OH!" to their stunning collab with Merzbow to a series of dark ambient releases, the band has been anything but predictable.  I reviewed this one around its release date, so I'll try not to retread any of the same ground here, and if you want my fleshed out thoughts, you can read them here.  Ultimately, Xiu Xiu has upped the insanity and restlessness and found themselves giving an attention-demanding affair of eccentric songwriting, fiery performances and manic vocals.  For fans of all things avant-garde.


7. Alex Cameron - Miami Memory

Anyone who knows me well has had the music of Alex Cameron shoved down their throats until they end up enjoying it.  While his music certainly isn't for everyone; his use of analog synths, socially conscious lyricism, instrumental layering and absolutely infectious melodies have forced him to become my favorite pop musician of our time.  His latest release, Miami Memory, is one that's much more stripped down than the irreverent and outlandish Forced Witness, but the change is welcome.  The step back has given Cameron room to write about his own experiences rather than those of his characters, which has caused him to craft a ballad-heavy album.  Some fans weren't excited about the new direction, but Alex has never been one to do anything other than what he wanted to do, and as long as there is genuine heart in that decision, he will always create something worth listening to on repeat.  This album finds itself in a weird place between Bruce Springsteen and The Human League, and it really only makes sense once you hear it.  He deserves all the success in the world, and you'd be doing yourself a favor to hear everything he has to offer.  Miami Memory is the sound of a lonely soul who somehow sounds as if he's aged 15 years since the previous record in 2017, and I mean that in the best way possible.



6.  Sunn O))) - Life Metal & Pyroclasts

When I was making my year-end list, I found these two albums right next to each other, and it's hard to separate them, so they'll be occupying the same space here.  Sunn O))) is another band that doesn't need to prove themselves, and they'd find it incredibly easy to dial-in a soulless release if they wanted to, but that's something they've never done.  I believe that Life Metal is the most inspired the band has been since Monoliths & Dimensions, but it's done in a much different way.  Both of these albums are present and meditative, they suck you into their gravitational pull and can keep you in a trance until they finally let up.  The attention to detail is incredible.  Life Metal gives the band a way to ascend into the heavens to reach a place of pure bliss, and Pyroclasts takes you so far back into your own mind that you may forget where you are.  I found Pyroclasts to be my slight favorite of the two because it was brave enough to do what people have been making jokes about Sunn doing for decades.  They created four songs that essentially ride on the same chord for the entirety of a given song.  It was a risky choice, but I'm a huge fan of the decision, and it resulted in one of the most interesting metal albums I've heard all year.  If you love Sunn, you'll love them more after these records.  If you hate Sunn, you'll hate them more with these.  

5. Blood Incantation - Hidden History of the Human Race

Wow.  This is one that's been getting a lot of attention and praise this year, and after one listen you'll be able to see why.  It's bizarre, technical, atmospheric, cryptic and NOT BORING.  "Slave Species of the Gods" makes itself a perfect opening statement with guitar riffs that only become more intense as the track progresses.  "Inner Paths (to Outer Space)" is a subtle song that warps and develops until it reaches its climax in a fury of blast beats, nearly-slamming guitars and guttural vocals.  I can't talk about this record without mentioning the 18-minute closing epic that presents itself in movements of riffage and ambient breaks.  I was personally shocked by the amount of Death influence in many of these riffs, and I'm fully confident that Blood Incantation's influences are in the right place.  Starspawn was an excellent highly-above-average death metal album of the modern age, but this one surpasses it in every conceivable way.  Hidden History constrains itself when it needs to and unleashes itself at just the right moments.  Recommended for fans of riffs and all extreme music.



4.  Pinkish Black - Concept Unification

Pinkish Black are one of my all-time favorite acts due largely to their fusion of dark, heavy music with alluring synthesizer tones and engaging songwriting capabilities.  Concept Unification is my absolute favorite offering from them yet.  The music is as mind-bending as ever, but with a confidence that hasn't quite been displayed by the band in the past.  Never have I heard such a massive sound from a two-piece band.  The main synth lines on the title track and "Dial Tone" are infectious and soothing, and the tracks in the later half tend to lean themselves more toward Pinkish Black's more ambient influences.  While not a metal band, I feel that the songwriting and sound design come from fans of doom metal particularly, and they seem to have larger appeal to that community.  Doom metal fans seem to appreciate anything dark and heavy though, and this is certainly that, and much more.  Strange odd-timed synth lines coincide with pulsing rhythms and subdued vocal patterns, which is essentially what Pinkish Black have been known to do best, but on this latest release, they do it even better.  



3.  Terre Noire - Poprot

Terre Noire's Josh Kendall is among the greatest solo musicians producing material today, and the fourth full-length record from him further cements that notion.  I've never cared much to label his music, so I'll only do so briefly.  Poprot is his most 80s-influenced record with gothic post-punk as a dominating genre with synthpop, art rock and experimental electronic thrown in.  I always liked to describe the past couple of Terre Noire releases as "post-punk Xiu Xiu," and I still feel that to be largely accurate here, but it's much more cleanly executed here.  This record flows very well, and I can tell that each track was planned out more thoughtfully than many of Kendall's past releases, and it's astonishing to hear this and even consider the possibility of it being a mere bedroom project.  I don't call it one though, it's massive music created by a brilliant mind regardless of medium.  "2005 s8ffer" is an electronic-inspired piece that represents the most unhinged moments of Poprot, whereas "Heart of Stone" is a more straightforward post-punk track that doesn't abandon Terre Noire's signature songwriting sensibility.  I'm lucky to have the pleasure of being one of the few listeners of this album, and you can be too.  


2.  Exhumed - Horror

2019 was an excellent year for classic artists returning with excellent additions to their catalog and Exhumed is perhaps the best example.  Necrocracy and Death Revenge seemed to have the band pushing themselves into a more complex death metal style with less emphasis on pure speed and more on storytelling, longer-form song structures and moderation.  I expected them to move further into direction, and I loved the past two records, so I didn't have a problem with that idea.  Exhumed had different plans for us this year.  Horror is one of their fastest, most extreme records to date, easily on par with Slaughtercult in terms of ferocity.  At 15 songs and a 26-minute runtime, no song reaches the 3-minute mark, and we now have Exhumed's most punctual offering.  Stylistically, you can imagine how it sounds, but the songs themselves are excellent.  "The Red Death" may be my favorite track in their discography.  The bass guitar isn't too audible here, but that only aids in giving the record a sound similar to Insect Warfare or Pig Destroyer.  It's a quick, rewarding listen, and almost too good to have been released 30 years into Exhumed's existence.  




1.  The Bar Goblin - Indie Horror Film

I did a review of this one here earlier this year, and I don't have much new to say about it other than I was right about it being the potential album of the year for 2019.  Truly phenomenal compositions and psychedelic synth-work build into this huge album, despite a fairly short runtime.  Read the rest of my thoughts in the full review.  



Thanks for checking out this list and for being a reader of Solarian Writings, and I hope you find something worth listening to.  Cheers, and Happy New Year!