(Our Norwegian contributor Gorger, who usually embarrasses and rewards us by identifying releases that flew under our radar, brings us a year-end list divided into three parts, with this being the second (Part 1 is here). To find more of his reviews, type “Gorger” in our search bar and visit Gorger’s Metal.)

This entire list… the more I reflect, the more pointless it seams. Just like one of those words that all of a sudden loses all its meaning. First of all, comparing and ranking all these individual expressions of profound art, oftentimes completely incomparable, causes grievous frustrations. Just how the hell does one compare such diverse stuff as Borknagar, Fleshgod Apocalypse, Obscura, and Schammasch, just to name but a few?

Secondly, I’ve only heard a fraction of what 2016 had to offer. At the time of writing, Encyclopaedium Metallum has 6,922 albums and 9,165 other releases registered for 2016 alone. Those numbers will continue to grow well into 2017. But for now, that’s 19 full-length studio albums each and every day on average.

Allow me to spread the rest of my gibberish in between the following albums. As much as I’ve enjoyed the albums on the previous list, here’s a bunch of even better albums, or at least better received by me. Let’s call them the “second best”, albeit in their own right, they are second to none. The order is partly sorted by release, but you can view it as totally random. Continue reading »

(Our Norwegian contributor Gorger, who usually embarrasses and rewards us by identifying releases that flew under our radar, brings us a year-end list divided into three parts, with this being the first. To find more of his reviews, type “Gorger” in our search bar and visit Gorger’s Metal.)

So, then. Here we fucking are. Committing a closure of 2016.

It’s the dawn of 2017. Blinded by the cold light of January, we’re standing on the threshold of what may turn out to be a mighty tower or just another deadly cliff in the fog. Halfway ignorant of what lies ahead, though parts of the path are visible, it feels safer to turn around and behold what is left behind.

One would think you guys were fed up with lists by now, but you’re an enduring pack of bloodthirsty wolves, and if it’s any consolation, the traditional list-mania is nearing its demise. Is this the grand finale, perhaps? I initially wrote that “my list is too long to comment on everything without cutting it into fitting slices, which I will consider doing next year”. This just proves what a naive schmuck I am. Obviously, I couldn’t help myself, and walked straight into the “comment everything” trap regardless of strategy and determination, and I eventually had to send the first part to Islander before we hit April, or something.

Let’s start with a bunch of “good, but not entirely superb” albums. They might be better than traditional “honorable mentions”, but placing them in a particular order based on all those subjective (and partially objective) factors is a seemingly hopeless task. Thus we abide by the alphabet for now, and I’m stealing Andy’s way of linking you to Bandcamp (where possible) or other sources of sound. Continue reading »