Tomorrow we will officially announce the beginning of our annual LISTMANIA extravaganza at NCS. For those of you new to this orgy, our LISTMANIA blockbuster comes in four parts:
First, we re-print assorted lists of the year’s best albums, leeched from other big web sites and magazines, like the one you’ll see tomorrow. Second, we will provide a post in which our readers can share their lists of the 2021 albums and shorter releases they enjoyed the most (we’ll be asking for those on December 1, so get ready). Third, we will post the year-end lists of our own staff and assorted guest writers.
And fourth, I’ll again roll out my list of the year’s Most Infectious Extreme Metal Songs — which seems especially well-named in this latest plague year, doesn’t it? That list is the subject of this request for help.
In case you’ve become an NCS reader since this time last year, here’s what this Most Infectious Song list is all about:
This is about individual songs, not albums, EPs, demos, etc. It’s also not our list of the best individual extreme metal songs of the year — though some of the songs might actually be among the best of the year. Instead, this is a list of the most infectious extreme metal songs I’ve heard this year. Yes, it’s my list, but I do take into account ideas from others — and the idea here is to think of songs that might produce involuntary physical movement, songs that have got catchy melodies or irresistible grooves, or anything else that sticks the song in your head and makes you want to keep listening to it.
To be one of the most infectious songs of the year, it should be something that you revisit often, something you put on playlists, something you mentally replay at unexpected times — songs you go back to repeatedly for listening. “Most played” might be a good synonym.
As is true every year, I do already have my own working list of candidates — and as in every other year, there are a ton of songs on there already. I’ll get more ideas from some of our other writers. But I have no doubt we’ll overlook some songs we really liked from earlier in the year, and there are inevitably a lot more that we just never heard at all. And so here’s where I’m asking for your help:
Please leave comments to this post with your own lists of Most Infectious Songs that you think ought to be on our list — or if you’re bashful, you can e-mail your ideas to me at: islander@nocleansinging.com
I’ll then pick what I think are the most infectious tracks of the year and start playing those songs for you in groups of two or three as we get closer to year-end. The first year we did this (2009), I limited the list to 10 songs. In 2010, I expanded it to 30. In 2011 it grew to 39. In 2012 it topped out at 56. In 2013 I worked really hard and got the list all the way down to.. gulp… 73. In 2014, life got in the way and I never finished the complete rollout, though I announced 62 songs before I gave up.
In 2015 I stopped at 75. The list for 2016 included 71 tracks, and I included 78 of them in 2017. In 2018 I stopped at 99 (double-gulp!), and in 2019 I partially came to my senses and stopped the list at 60 tracks. Last year I stopped at 47 tracks — again because I simply ran out of time.
As you can tell, I have a really fuckin’ hard time making lists. Of course, I have no idea how many songs we’ll feature this year, because I tend to make it up as I go along.
So, please reflect on the songs you’ve found most addictive this year and let us hear from you. By leaving your list in the comments, you’ll also help make this post a way for other metalheads to find good music from the year that’s now rushing to an end. Thanks for your help.
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Alda – Stonebreaker
Antichrist Siege Machine – Unleashed Hostility
Backxwash – I LIE HERE BURIED WITH MY RINGS AND MY DRESSES (I know this isn’t a typical song heard on NCS, but it’s extreme and I couldn’t stop listening to it this year. Makes me want to fucking move.)
Black Hole Deity – Multiverse Incantations
Bonded – Into the Blackness of a Wartime Night
Bourn Ultra – Towers of Fire
(Heard this gem on y’all’s Gimme Metal show and haven’t stopped listening.)
Cannibal Corpse – Condemnation Contagion
Darkthrone – Hate Cloak
Dead Heat – Age of DH
Defacement – Shattered
Dödsrit – Shallow Graves
Full of Hell – Reeking Tunnels
Kill Grid – UXO
God’s Hate – God’s Hate (from the album, God’s Hate)
Gojira – Into the Storm
Hooded Menace – Blood Ornaments
Kanonenfieber – Der letzte Flug
LLNN – “Imperial” or “Desecrator”
Mare Cognitum – Antaresian
MØL – Serf
Portrayal of Guilt – Touched by an Angel
Qwälen – Han Ei Tule Koskaan
Skepticism – Calla
Spectral Wound – Frigid and Spellbound
Violet Cold – Pride (CLEAN SINGING ALERT)
Woman is the Earth – Emerald Ash
Worm – Murk Above the Dark Moor
Wormwitch – Canadian Denim Mountain Attack
Zao – Ship of Theseus
200 Stab Wounds – Tow Rope Around the Throat
Great Year For Extreme Metal… Here’s My List Of 20 Killer Tracks
1. Abscession – Rat King Crawl
2. Asphyx – Botox Implosion
3. Baest – Genesis
4. Celestial Sanctuary – Soul Diminished
5. Evile – Hell Unleashed
6. Filth Is Eternal – Zed
7. Gojira – Amazonia & Sphinx
8. Grand Cadaver – Soul Infestation
9. Hate – Rugia & Sun Of Extinction
10. Hellborn – Uroboros
11. Mnhg – Revelation
12. Morbid Breath – Ancient Beasts
13. Mortal Vision – Forced Extermination
14. Fallensun – Searching For Darkened Skies
15. Revulsion – Last Echoes Of Life
16. Ruach Raah – Skulls Cracked
17. Black Hole Deity – Razed Earth Addict
18. Gloomy Grim – Blood, Monsters, Darkness
19. Unflesh – Among The Horrors Must I Dwell
20. Vorvan – Superscum
in order of preference :
1. Non Serviam – Le Coeur Bat
2. Gaahls WYRD – Awakening Remains – Before Leaving
3. FLUISTERAARS – Het overvleugelen der meute
4.Non Serviam – Something In The Way (Nirvana Cover)
5.Paysage d’Hiver – Geischtr
6.Lamp Of Murmuur – Deformed Erotic Visage
7.King Woman – Morning Star
8.Portrayal of Guilt – The Sixth Circle
9.Zao – Ship of Theseus
10.Non Serviam – I Watch You From Afar
11.Full of Hell – Reeking Tunnels
12.LLNN – Tethers
13.Portrayal of Guilt – It’s Already Over
14. Amenra – Voor Immer
15. Lamp Of Murmuur – Dominatrix’s Call
I’ll get a track on here eventually…
Chat Pile- “Brutal Truth”
Mental Cruelty- “Abadon”
LLNN- “Imperial”
Defacement- “Disenchanted”
Nature Morte- “Beautiful Loss”
Putrescine- “Devourer of Gods”
Agvirre- “The Letting Go”
Spectral Wound- “Mausoleal Drift”
Hooded Menace- Chime Diabolicus
Archspire- Drone Corpse Aviator
Spectral Wound- Frigid and Spellbound
Craven Idol- Even The Gods…
Demon King- Transmutation of the Artilect
The Zenith Passage – Algorithmic Salvation
Ophidian I – Diamonds
Archspire – Reverie on the Onyx
Atvm – Sanguinary Floating Orb
Alustrium – The Accuser
Mastodon – Sickle and Peace
Spirit Adrift – Wake Up
Thy Catafalque – Köszöntsd a hajnalt
1- Non Serviam/ Le Cœur Bat
2- WITTR/ Mountain Magick
3- Succumb/ Smoke
4- GYBE!/ A Military Alphabet
5- Spectral Wound/ Frigid and Spellbound
Song of the Year:
Gateway – Flesh Reborn
Also Fantastic:
Kommodus – Sacrifices to Jupiter
Lace Shawl – The Secret Botanist
Beastlor – Ignorant Sin
Mare Cognitum – Antaresian
Suffering Hour – The Abrasive Black Dust Part II
Worm – Empire of the Necromancers
Valac – The Depths of Despondency
Craven Idol – Venomous Rites
Bonehunter – Dark Blood Reincarnation System
Mortiferum – Eternal Procession
In order:
Emptiness-Gatecreeper (Nothing else comes close…)
Episode/Maybe One Day-Rivers of Nihil
Us Against December Skies-Harakiri For The Sky
My Immolation – Portrayal of Guilt
Become Eternal-Majestic Downfall
Vagevuur-Noctambulist
More Than I Could Chew – Mastodon
Het Gloren-Amenra
Dismantling-Impure Wilhelmina
Omega Severer-DVNE
Kin – Whitechapel
Neon Teeth-The Lion’s Daughter
Swordsman – Këkht Aräkh
R.I.P.W. – Zao
Survive – Aerosol Jesus
The Foundations of Servitude – Suffering Hour
New Measures… – Black Sheep Wall
Rotten Garden – Grima
Mirror Horizon – Ghastly
Through The Depths – Vokonis
Eisenhand – The Engine
Frozen Soul – Crypt of Ice
Molten – Zombie’s Curse
The Silver – Vapor (clean singing alert)
Stake Driver – Engorged Remains
Outre-Tombe – Cenobytes
Benothing – Absurd Malignancy Within
Graveripper – Atoms Divide
Dungeon Serpent – Necroscope
Fugitive Wizard – Necropants
Tyrann – Djavulens Musik
Wharflurch – Celestial Mycelium
Worm – Murk Above The Dark Moor
Gabestok – Traek Stikket
Skeleton – II
Tension – Hellfight
Paranorm – Critical Mass
Qwalen – Viekaa Minut Pois
Grandeur -Acatalepsia
This is the one song this year that worms itself into my head every time I hear it
Kanonenfieber – Grabenlieder (Song of the year, I’d say)
Craven Idol – Venomous Rites
1914 – …And A Cross Now Marks His Place
Violet Cold – Pride
Nebula Orionis – Cascade
Forlorn Citadel – Memories of Old
1914. – Don’t Tread on Me
Gojira – Another World
Cannibal Corpse – Inhumane Harvest
Carnal Savagery – Shredded Flesh
Mastodon – Peace and Tranquility
Zao – Ship of Theseus
Gojira – Amazonia
Carcass – Kelly’s Meat Emporium
Andrew WK – Babalon
1914 – FN .380
I thought about it a bit more –
Zao – Croatoan (the 2:40 mark where THE RIFF starts)
Carcass – Dance of Ixtab
Alioth Borealis – Alioth Borealis 3
Alustrium – This Hollow Ache
Iron Maiden – The Writing on the Wall
Oldskull – None Shall Live
Cognizance – Hymns
Gabestok – En gang radden, altid radden
moved to comment to make sure that they got mentioned at least. I would take maybe three songs off their album for sure, for this category. but this one is the catchiest for me.
it’s been a year of stuff that I’ve loved, but most of it just isn’t sticking with me. everytime I put on this Gabestok record tho, it takes me to the same place. almost like i start smelling the music. so it’s not the ‘best’ or the most interesting to talk about, but it’s the one that sticks around the longest.
1. Archspire – Bleed the Future
2. First Fragment – Pantheism
3. Suffering Hour – Strongholds of Awakening
4. Sentinels – Albatross
5. Vildhjarta – Den Helige Anden
6. Knocked Loose – God Knows
7. Throne – All Creation Wept
8. Replicant – Caverns of Insipid Reflection
9. Spiritbox – Yellowjacket
10. Aenigmatum – Fracturing Proclivity
1. Wormwood: Overgrowth
2. Yoth Iria: The Red Crown Turns Black
3. Groza: Elegance of Irony
4. Fear Factory: Recode
5. Cannibal Corpse: Surround, Kill, Devour
6. Inhuman Condition: Tyrantula
7. Los Males del Mundo: Falling into Nothing
8. Iron Maiden: Hell on Earth
9. Head for the Dead: Halloween
10. Mānbryne: Pustka, którą znam
Most of my “infectious” songs come from my workout playlist. They tend toward strains of death metal, deathcore, and metalcore. That said, I’m certainly open to recommendations from other NCS readers and contributors. I’ll dig into some of the above lists during the holidays. Without further ado, here’s my list.
Infiltration – Ravenous Void
Benighted – A Personified Evil
Traitors – Menace To Society
Internal Bleeding – Overthrow Creation
Year Of The Knife – Dead At 29
Carcosa – Vermin
Sunfall – Quiet Kid
ROT AWAY – Hang Low
Phinehas – Eternally Apart
Veil Of Maya – Outrun
Wage War – High Horse
Bound In Fear – Cutthroat
Upon A Burning Body – Snake Eyes
Bodysnatcher – King Of The Rats
Kublai Khan TX – Resentment
Inferi – Simian Hive
Allegaeon – Into Embers
Venom Prison – Judges Of The Underworld
Bleed From Within – I Am Damnation
We Came As Romans – Daggers
Pyrexia – Rule Of 2
Impending Doom – Culture Of Death
Whitechapel – Lost Boy
Fit For An Autopsy – Far From Heaven
Shadow Of Intent – From Ruin…We Rise
SION – More Than Just Myself
Justice For The Damned – Sever What Makes Me Like Them
Of Mice And Men – Pulling Teeth
Obscura – When Stars Collide
Frozen Soul – Arctic Stranglehold
Dying Wish – Hollowed By Affliction
Replacer – Dejected
Lorna Shore – To The Hellfire
Asphyx – Botox Implosion
Acranius – Rule Of Seven
Wretched Tongues – Into The Nothing
After reading through the comments, I’ve become quite concerned for the mental health of my fellow metalheads. No one has mentioned the year’s most infectious song – Laihem’s Golden Pits by Iotuun!
That entire album is absolutely spectacular
Honestly, just about any track off of Krallice’s “Demonic Wealth” or off of the Fluisteraars for me.
Also…
Ruins of Beverast “Kromlec’h Knell”
Mol “Itinerari”
Bongzilla “Space Rock”
Frozen Soul “Crypt Of Ice”
Monolord “I’ll Be Damned”
Mastodon “The Crux”
Wode “Serpents Coil”
Thanks for the Krallice mention. I was beginning to think I was crazy, what with almost no mentione of this album in any year end list.
Anything off Replicant’s latest