This record didn’t quite make the cut for my top ten, but let me assure you it’s with a heavy hart that I “only” rank it number 11 on my list. I just didn’t listen to it as much as the first ten. Hath‘s ‘Of Rot and Ruin‘ is an incredible melodic death metal experience with many a jaw-dropping moment. It’s got it all: epic melodic shreds, air-tight blast beats, acoustic breaks, vocal styles of various impressive ranges and more. Do yourself a favor and don’t miss out on this gem. Read our review here.

PEW PEW PEW! BEEEEEEEP! PEW PEW! While the new Fawn Limbs may have been my favourite TDEP-like experience of the year, the well-deserved second spot goes to Car Bomb, who crank up the insanity levels a severe notch by adding a layer of industrial effects, which sound like a Star Wars blaster-fight. Although not quite as complex as a TDEP record, ‘Mordial‘ will constantly catch you unawares all the while being fairly easy on the ears, all things considered. More than once I found myself laughing out loud in delight in public while listening to it, as I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. This is mathcore at its best.

Ah, yes. Could this be the most controversial release of the year? ‘Панихида’ (or ‘Panihida‘, for those less versed in Cyrillic script) is Krzysztof Drabikowski‘s (succesful?) rebuttal of what he deems to be the wrongful appropriation by his former band mates in Batushka of his rights to said band/project. Whatever your view may be on this bit of scene drama, you can’t deny how beautiful Drabikowski‘s follow-up to 2015’s melodic black metal masterpiece ‘Litourgiya‘. Although ‘Panihida‘ can’t quite top its predecessor, it’s well worth a spot on this list.

Ooh momma, the new Tomb Mold is awesome. Surprisingly, this one’s another Soulsborne-themed release. Double the geek, double the pleasure for me. Well, triple the geek, really, since Bloodborne is based on the works of H.P. Lovecraft. But I digress. If you’ve enjoyed Soulmass‘ last (see further), and you like it quite a bit heavier and bleaker, I urge you to check out this release. A (inter)stellar mix of old school and new school death metal. The perfect soundtrack for a night of hunting beasts. Read the review here.

There were a surprisingly large amount of Lovecraft-themed bands dropping albums this year. Krypts now holds another worthy spot in the legendary cosmic horror mythos with their latest doom/death epic ‘Cadaver Circulation‘.

What did I say earlier about Lovecraft-references? The name alone here is a direct reference to the lore. I hope to Yog-Sothoth no one has missed Vale of Pnath‘s ‘Accursed‘ EP, because it is an amazing experience. Every blackened death metal fan has to buy this record. the riffs are incredible, the vocals are off the hook, and the overall atmosphere is mysteriously epic. There is literally nothing bad I could say about this EP.. I just can’t believe it’s not a full length. It sure ticks all te boxes. Read our review here.

Gatecreeper are some of my favorite artists in the new school death metal scene. Their previous release, 2016’s ‘Sonoran Depravation‘, is one the best albums I’ve ever listened to. So much so, it was my favorite album of that year. After three years, they finally return with their follow-up ‘Deserted‘, which is a very worthy successor. It just barely misses the mark above their first, but it’s still excellent. Two tracks are especially dear to me here: ‘From the Ashes‘ and ‘Absence of Light‘.

2019 could not have started better for me than with this dissonant sludgy grindcore mad house of a record. Well, it came out in February but still. If you like spinning the ol’ Pig Destroyer or Full of Hell, give Elder Devil‘s ‘The Light Dimmed Eternal‘ a run for its money, and thank me later.

Everything about ‘A Different Shade of Blue‘ is pure violent passion. Stylistically speaking, you can kind of put it up there with Incendiary and Get the Shot. Only Knocked Loose hit at least ten times as hard. I may be biased by my attendance of their unforgettable performance last month, but I couldn’t care less. It’s an amazing record which will undoubtedly help with you anger management issues. Either that or it will just make them worse.

Closer to sounding like Daft Punk than you might expect, this is the ‘Random Access Memories‘ we actually wanted. Magic Sword‘s ‘Awakening‘ feels like a blend of the aforementioned electro duo, Kavinsky and the old 8-bit console games. The music here is so good. Every track takes you on a different adventure. that is as epic as the last one. It’s also why I like ‘Awakening‘ better than their previous records.