(Andy Synn says that the new album from MEM//BRANE is one hell of a way to kick off 2025)
Let’s keep the momentum of the new year going with a new band… or, at least, a band who are new to me… shall we?
Jan 092025
Andy Synn
Jan 072025
(Andy Synn officially kicks off a new year here at NCS in colourful style)
The big question at the start of every new year is… where do we start?
Should I tell you what I think about the new one from The Great Old Ones? Or This Gift Is A Curse? Maybe Imperial Triumphant?
All big names, in their own way, and ones which I’m sure we’ll get to cover at some point in the near future (I’m definitely going to be writing something about the latter two myself) but our modus operandi here has always been to favour the unsung artists first and foremost.
And so, I thought, why not kick things off with something a little bit more provocative – though, I’d imagine, much of that will depend on how restrictive your view of the term “Black Metal” is – from a brand new artist attempting to put their own artsy, avant-garde spin on a genre more famous for its monochromatic malevolence.
Jan 022025
(Andy Synn isn’t quite ready to say goodbye to 2024 just yet)
Well, here we are. It’s 2025 and time to start looking towards what this new year has to bring.
Or, should I say, almost time… because first I want to highlight a quartet of releases which – for various reasons (namely that either they hadn’t actually come out, or I hadn’t stumbled across them yet) – I didn’t have chance to include in my annual “List Week”, but which all definitely deserve some extra attention before we finally consign 2024 to the gaping maw of history.
Dec 312024
Recommended for fans of: Ultha, Wiegedood, Altar of Plagues
Well, it seems that we have once again completed another rotation around the sun.
And so, with thoughts of celestial cycles and perpetual cosmic patterns at the forefront of my mind I present to you the last Synn Report of 2024, wherein we journey deep into the soul and psyche of Tempestarii.
Dec 242024
(Whether you’ve been naughty or nice, Andy Synn has three early Christmas presents for you)
I know not everyone out there celebrates Christmas – either as a religious event or an example of crass commercialism – but for me this period of the year has (with the occasional exception) always been about stepping back and taking some much-needed time to rest and relax and reconnect with family and friends.
Not everyone, of course, is so lucky, which is why today I’d like to share my many blessings with those who are less fortunate… by bringing them a black Christmas, featuring two bands I mentioned during “List Week” (but hadn’t had a chance to cover beforehand) and one whose latest album I didn’t manage to include at all (an omission I am hoping to make up for here).
Dec 132024
(Andy Synn finishes off “List Week” with his personal favourites of the year)
Well, here we are, finally at the end of “List Week”… and, let me tell you, I am ready to take some time off and recharge/reset my mental machinery.
Oh, I’ll probably end up writing one or two more things, here and there, before the end of the month – there’s a handful of Black Metal albums I really want to write more about, for one thing, and I’ve got to do my end of the month Synn Report, of course – but for the most part I’ll be turning the site back over to Islander, DGR, and whatever guests posts we have, for the rest of December.
Before then, however, I’ve got one more list up my proverbial sleeve… and this one, thankfully, is a lot easier and more laid back, seeing as it’s basically just the ten albums which “clicked” with me and monopolised my listening the most this year.
It’s not the “best” albums of the year, by any means – though many of them appeared on my “Great” list – it’s just my favourite full-lengths from the last twelve months (and you can see what my favourite EPs were here), and should give you some idea of where my personal tastes lay these last many months.
Dec 122024
(Andy Synn does his best to remain objective while selecting his “Critical Top Ten” of 2024)
Out of everything I’ve written and published this week, this is the closest to a traditional “Best Of” list.
But, even so, it’s still a little different, as while it’s ostensibly a “Top Ten”, it’s purposefully not ranked… rather it’s meant to be a snapshot of the ten albums (drawn from yesterday’s “Great” list) which together form the best representation of the year in Metal, across all the different styles and sub-genres which make up our beloved scene.
I’ll grant you that ten albums isn’t enough to fully represent the sheer variety and vitality of the year – you’ll notice for example, that both Blood Incantation and Job For A Cowboy are notably absent – but I’ve still tried my best (while also trying to be as “objective” as possible, despite that being ultimately an exercise in futility, as there will always be some sort of subjective bias involved) to provide a hand-picked cross-section which hopefully illustrates the very best-of-the-best from the last twelve-ish months.
As always, in recognition that many of our readers may already be familiar with some of the albums selected for this year’s “Critical Top Ten”, I’ve also included a few “honourable mentions” – whose primary purpose is to highlight a few extra albums which, while they may not have made it into the Top Ten, still deserve more recognition and attention – so even if you think you know what to expect (and, hopefully, there’ll still be a few surprises) you might just discover a brand new favourite artist/album while you’re here!
Dec 112024
(Andy Synn continues his ongoing round-up of the year with his selections for the top tier albums)
We’re halfway through the week now and it’s time to take a look at the albums I thought represented the creme-de-la-creme of the year.
Before we get into it, however, it’s worth stating that if you don’t see an album listed here, or on yesterday’s “Good” list, then the most likely explanation for its absence is… that I simply didn’t get around to hearing it (or, alternatively, I didn’t have time to listen to it enough to form a proper opinion).
Case in point, I bounced off the new Inter Arma pretty hard when it was released, and never found time to go back to it, so you won’t be seeing that here (some people seem to love it, while others hate it, which is pretty par for the course with the band, actually), and I still haven’t heard a single note of the new Fleshgod Apocalypse (so I’m going to be relying on DGR to let me know more about that in his list).
Similarly, while I’m still enjoying immersing myself in the Hardcore scene all over again (musically, at least) I have to say that – while I don’t begrudge the band their ongoing success – for some reason everything by Knocked Loose just goes in one ear and out the other with me, and never seems to stick around long enough to keep my attention, and when it comes to Nails… well, they’ve just never really done it for me (and get more than enough press elsewhere anyway, so I doubt they’ll be harmed by their omission).
I am, however, particularly mad at myself that I never found (or made) the time to properly dive into the new one from Thy Catafalque, and I just realised that The Foreshadowing have a new one out as well… and I’ve completely overlooked it.
When it comes to what did make the final cut, however, I think you’ll find a lot to love here, from phenomenal first albums from brand new bands to riveting new releases from a variety of exceptional artists from across the Death/Black/Doom spectrum… and beyond (with members of the 20 Buck Spin and Transcending Obscurity rosters putting in a particularly good showing, both here and in the “Good” list, this year).
Dec 102024
(Today we have Andy Synn‘s mammoth second article rounding up the year that was 2024)
Ok, so this is where “List Week” really gets going.
Before we get stuck in, however, a quick explanation for those of you who are new to the site at this time of year.
The following article is not a normal “Best Of…” list, nor is it intended to be treated like one – instead, think of it as a resource which rounds up all the albums I’ve heard this year (well, almost all of them, there’s a few that got cut simply because I didn’t feel strongly enough about them to include them at all) which didn’t make it onto my “Great” list (which will be published tomorrow).
That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t check them out, however, as there’s a lot of good stuff here (including some of my personal favourites), and the list itself runs the gamut from “it’s pretty good, you might like this” to “this is really fucking good, bordering on great, and needs to be heard”.
It’s not, of course, in any way definitive, because:
- I’ll obviously have forgotten to include some things
- there’s a few big names I just didn’t have time to get around to
- some of what isn’t here will appear on tomorrow’s “Great” list
- some bands we purposefully don’t feature/cover (for a variety of reasons)
And, obviously, there’s going to be more albums than I can count that I won’t even have been aware of… but it’s still a pretty big collection of records and releases, split up by style and sub-genre, which I hope you’ll find useful as a way of catching up on stuff you might have missed.
Feel free to drop any questions about anything you’re interested in via the comments… and, yes, I’ve provided links for every single album featured here.
Dec 092024
Well, here we are again – it’s the beginning of “List Week” again, where I take over the site (barring the occasional interview or premiere) for five days of features rounding up all the albums I’ve managed to listen to over the course of this year.
Now, to clarify, this isn’t about showing off how many albums I’ve heard – I am well aware I am in an unusually lucky position wherein I have access to, and time to listen to, more albums than most (the exception being those people who apparently have time to listen to thousands of albums a year, which… well, let’s say I have my doubts) – it’s about providing a resource for our readers to use to check out stuff they may have missed.
Obviously, there’s also an element of looking back and analysing the year – what was “great”, what was “good”, and (in this particular article) what was most “disappointing” – but there’s no real “ranking” system beyond these three tiers (the exception being my “Critical” and “Personal” top tens at the end of the week, which I’ll say more about at the time).