2020 – A YEAR IN REVIEW(S): EPs

 

(The time has come for us to again launch the rollout of year-end lists by NCS writers and guests, and as always we begin with Andy Synn‘s lists. As has usually been the case, Andy begins with his personal list of the year’s best EPs. We’ll continue with his other year-end lists every day next week.)

Well, here we are again.

Next week I’ll once again be rolling our my yearly round-ups of the “Great”, Good”, and “Disappointing” albums which I’ve heard this year, culminating, as always, in my attempt to narrow down these literal hundreds of entries into ten “Critical” selections and ten “Personal” favourites.

But, first of all, I want to give a shout-out to the many, many, fantastic, fascinating, sometimes frustrating, EPs which I’ve heard over the course of the last twelve-ish months.

This isn’t, obviously, intended to be in any way comprehensive (I never got round to listening to the new Carcass, for example, and I’m still digesting both the new Nexul and Descend to Acheron EPs),  nor is it a definitive statement about which EPs are the year’s “best” (though some of them definitely are) but my hope is you’ll all discover something new in what you’re about to read.

So, with all that out of the way, let’s get started, shall we?

 

10. SENSORY AMUSIA – BEREAVEMENT

Number ten on my list goes to an EP which pulls absolutely zero punches and which goes straight for the jugular almost from the word go (heck, the predictable ambient “Intro” quickly throws a curveball by erupting into furious riffing and full-force blasting after only twenty seconds).

Combining the massive riffs and eye-popping aggression of Aborted with the gargantuan grooves of Dyscarnate and a touch of Man Must Die’s high-velocity melodic malice, Bereavement is just one hit after another, whose sole goal isn’t so much to break the mould as it is break your neck with every propulsive passage of barbaric blastery and every sudden, vertebrae-severing riff-shift.

All meat, no fat. All muscle, no weakness. That’s what you get on this EP. Just over seventeen minutes of it to be precise. Which makes it the perfect size and shape to spin multiple times, back to back, marvelling at how something so relentlessly crushing can also be so constantly compelling.

 

9. SUTRAH – ALETHEIA

When this EP is good, it’s very good indeed. But when it’s great? Then it’s absolutely stunning.

Nowhere is this more obvious than during its almost-sixteen-minute finale, which explores and expands and illuminates so many different facets of the band’s sound without ever feeling like it’s overextending its reach or outstaying its welcome.

That’s not to say the rest of the material isn’t just as vital in its own way though. After all, one stunning track does not a stunning EP make, and ultimately it’s the way these four songs combine and build on one another – from the scene-setting sonic cinematography of “Umwelt”, through the laser-guided riffery and primal energy of “Lethe” and the immersive introspection of “Dwell”, to the titanic title-track – which makes this particular release such a holistic pleasure.

Allow me, if you will, to quote from my own review earlier in the year:

“Mark my words, Aletheia is a stunning piece of work which raises the bar for Technical/Progressive Death Metal in 2020.”

PS: I’ve just found out that Atmospheric Black Metal trio Basalte (whose line-up includes Sutrah/Serocs vocalist Laurent Bellemare) just released a new EP today too, and you can check that out/pick that up here.

8. VONLAUS – RÖÐ SLÆMRA ÁKVARÐANA

Sometimes you’ve just got to go with your gut, and my gut is telling me that  Röð slæmra ákvarðana is a very special release from a band who are going to go on to do big things.

Unlike the majority of their countrymen and peers in their home-grown scene, this Icelandic quintet don’t focus on scalding dissonance or stargazing atmosphere, but deliver a grittier, groovier, and more grounded take on Black Metal that favours primal fury and spiteful spontaneity.

Of course, Vonlaus aren’t totally divorced from their brothers by any means – comparisons could certainly be made to both Misþyrming and Naðra, for example – but their sound simply has that extra sense of swagger, that greater a focus on cruelly catchy riffs and maliciously infectious, pseudo-psychedelic melodies, that it reminds me most of all of a sharper (and less drug-obsessed) version of Nachtmystium at their best.

Vonlaus have definitely proven that they’re not so much the black sheep of the Icelandic Black Metal scene as they are possibly its golden child, and I can’t wait to hear what they do next.

 

7. EXITIUM SUI – NUCLEAR SUNDOWN

If the previous entry was Black Metal with all the vim and vigour of a cascading magma flow then this one is Blackened Doom that captures the crushing claustrophobia of being entombed alive in the cooling rock it leaves behind.

Equal parts mournful melody and harrowing heaviness, Nuclear Sundown just does not stop plucking at your heartstrings and fraying at your nerves for its entire run-time, embracing and incorporating sombre piano lines, frenzied blasting, and dragging, doom-laden riffage, as well as some of the most anguished and emotionally wrenching vocals I’ve heard all year.

Oddly enough though, it’s the third and final track, “A Thousand Mangled Corpses Line the Riverbed” (which, as far as I know, is only available on the physical edition of the EP) which really put this one over the top and guaranteed it a place on this list, driving home how disgustingly raw and visceral all the emotions driving this project are, and how well Gebauer has been able to translate them into morbid musical form.

But even without this particular track it’s still a striking record, so why not give it a listen and see/hear for yourself?

 

6. MINUALA – ICE

This EP –  three tracks of moody melody and primal, punky energy from a band who really deserve to have a much bigger profile than they do – has been on pretty much constant rotation ever since it was released at the start of October, and with good reason.

Mixing the electrifying energy of Darkest Hour with the seething fury of Dödsrit and the moody, enigmatic atmosphere of Downfall of Gaia – along with an added dash of gnarly, crusty attitude – this EP finds the band maturing their sound without losing their edge and, in the process, raising their game to a whole new level.

These guys may be relatively unknown – in fact I think we’re one of the very few sites to have actually written about them, despite the fact that they’ve already got four kick-ass albums under their belt – but I’m hopeful that, if only on the strength of this EP (which doesn’t have an ounce of fat or flab on it), they won’t be unknown for much longer

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again (and I’ll keep saying it until it comes true)… someone needs to sign these guys ASAP.

 

5. SEROCS – VORE

Look, we all know that The Phobos/Deimos Suite was one of the best albums of 2018. And one of the best Death Metal albums (“Technical”, “Brutal”, or otherwise) of the last decade.

And we also know that the departure of guitarist Phil Tougas (who still makes a guest appearance and contributed to the writing, so clearly the split was an amicable one) following its release seemed like a worrying portent for the future.

But just one listen to Vore should assuage any and all worries you might have about the band’s future. In fact, it suggests that whatever form the band’s next album takes, it’s likely to be just as good – if not, dare I say it, even better – than their last one!

Just take a listen to the push/pull, piston-powered assault of “Anthropic”, the chattering, contorted Cryptopsy-isms of “Building a Shrine Upon Vanishing Sands”, or the mind-bending riffs and malevolently hypnotic hooks of “To Self Devour” if you don’t believe me.

THAT’S extremity with purpose, THAT’S ferocity with focus, THAT’S technicality with an ear for both brutality and melody… and THAT’S a very good sign of things to come.

 

4. PHALANX – GOLDEN HORDE

Look, I know everyone loves the new Fuming Mouth EP (I do too!) but the fact is I gave my heart away to Phalanx and their debut EP a long, long time ago, and nothing is going to change that.

To once again pull a quote from an earlier version of me:

“…if caustic, punk-encrusted, blast-heavy and d-beat-driven Death Metal sounds like your thing  then I can practically guarantee that Golden Horde is quickly going to become one of your favourites too.”

Hell, if anything, this EP actually somehow sounds even wilder and even more aggressive now than the first time I heard it, while the riffs (and there are a lot of killer riffs) just do not let up.

Phalanx are an incredibly young band too, so chances are good that they’ll only get better – and even more belligerent – as they continue to grow and develop, so now is the perfect time to reserve yourself a seat on the bandwagon if you want to be able to tell everyone that you knew about these guys before they got big.

 

3. SERPENT COLUMN – ENDLESS DETAINMENT

For all the praise I heaped on Serpent Column for their latest album, I’m actually even more in love with its immediate predecessor, the utterly terrifying Endless Detainment EP.

Half as long and twice as violent, sometimes barely even coherent yet always disgustingly virulent, the shortness of the tracks and the sheer intensity of their delivery gives much of this EP an almost (Blackened) Grindcore feel, while the sadistic complexity and skin-stripping technicality of the riffs and song-structures errs more towards the chaotic end of the Mathcore spectrum.

But as dissonant, demanding, and demented as it may be, it’s still very much a Black Metal record at heart… just one which has very little time and tolerance for tradition or convention.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that I’m actually slightly addicted to this EP, even though I know it’s bad for me. It’s just such a rush – part pleasure, part pain – that I can’t stop listening to it.

 

2. DÖ – BLACK HOLE MASS

Was there every any doubt that this was going to make an appearance here?

It’s not only quite clearly the best thing the band have ever done (and, to be clear, I’m a big fan of their entire back-catalogue) but it’s also one of the best releases of the year, EP or album.

There’s just so many god-damned gnarly riffs and massive hooks crammed into each and every one of these three tracks – whether it’s the titanic grooves and creepy melodic tinges of “Gravity Sacrifice” or the punchy, priapism-inducing guitars and concussive catchiness of “Plasma Psalm” – that it’s just an absolute joy to listen to, start to finish, top to bottom, front to back.

The even more “blackened” feel to the material this time around also gives it even more bite, particularly during titanic closer “Radiation Blessing”, so that the whole thing just hits that much harder, and cuts that much deeper, than ever.

Think of this EP like going to your local Fight Club while higher than a kite… sure, it’s a major thrill in the moment, but it’s the bruises it leaves afterwards that really make you feel alive!

 

1. COSMOVORE – INTO THE NECROSPHERE

If the true measure of an EP is how hungry it leaves you for more… then this one was always destined to be the winner.

Simply put, I am absolutely ravenous to hear whatever comes next from this band.

To quote my own rather effusive write-up:

“Built around a core of dense, down-tuned guitars, and bristling with jagged teeth of discordant anti-melody, these four tracks of abrasive, atmospherically oppressive Death Metal will instantly appeal to old-school aficionados of bands like Incantation and Morbid Angel just as much as new-school disciples who worship at the altar of Ulcerate and Altarage.”

In fact it’s such a menacing, mesmerising, monstrously heavy piece of work – equally capable of conjuring an abyssal atmosphere of absolute dread as it is trepanning your frontal lobe through sheer blunt force trauma – that I’m sightly worried that a full-length version of what they’ve produced here might be too much to bear.

That being said, I’m still going to be first in line to pick up whatever Cosmovore come out with in the future. That’s a guarantee.

 

And now, if the previous ten selections didn’t satisfy your appetite, here’s a list of everything else (though I’ve probably missed a few things, to be fair) that I’ve been able to listen to (and pass judgement on) this year, with links provided for each of them!

• Aborted – La Grande Mascarade
• Alteri – Trauma
• Alustrium – Insurmountable
• Apparition – Granular Transformation
• Atrae Bilis – Divinihility
• Auroch – Stolen Angelic Tongues
• Becomes Astral – Purgatory
• Bestialis – Ritus
• Bog Wraith – Titan
• Daughter Chaos – s/t
• Decoherence – Formulation and Solution
• Decoherence – Nucleosynthesis
• Devil City Cult – s/t
• Devil With No Name – s/t
• Dvne – Omega Severer
• Eighteen Visions – Inferno
• Exitium Sui – The Sinister Business of Selling Hope
• Fuming Mouth – Beyond the Tomb
• Galactic Mechanics – The Ominous Quadrant
• High Command – Everlasting Torment
• Hinayana – Death of the Cosmic
• Holy Death – Supreme Metaphysical Violence
• Holy Death – Celestial Throne of Grief
• Holy Death – Deus Mortis
• HORSE the Band – Your Fault
• Ihsahn – Telemark
• Ihsahn – Pharos
• Instigate – Echoes of a Dying World
• Jesus Wept – Apartheid Redux
• Kosmovorous – Glorification Sermons
• Laere – Solve
• Living Gate – Deathlust
• Lychgate – Also Sprach Futura
• Maere – I
• Mantar – Grungetown Hooligans II
• Mesarthim – Planet Nine
• Morokh – Serpent’s Nest
• Nader Sadek – The Serapeum
• Ninkharsag – Discipline Through Black Sorcery
• Nomad – Tetramorph II
• Ordinul Negru – Nebuisa
• Prognathe – Homo Eructus
• Protest the Hero – Fabula & Sayuzhet
• Psycroptic – The Watcher of All
• Pure Wrath – The Forlorn Solider
• Radiant Knife – The Body
• Radiant Knife – The Ghost
• Ripping Flesh – Conqueror of Cosmos
• Sallow Moth – Arcane Treachery
• Schattenfall – Das Verderben
• Soilwork – A Whisp of the Atlantic
• Svengahli – Nightmares of Our Own Design
• Throane – Une balle dans le pied
• Tombs – Monarchy of Shadows
• Totalitarian – Kulturkampf / Los Von Rom
• Tribe of Pazuzu – King of All Demons
• Ultha – Floors of Heaven
• Venom Prison – Primeval
• Wake – Confluence