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Anvil's releases of the year 2015

Abhorrent Decimation – Miasmic Mutation

With a monumental size to each song, Miasmic Mutation made for a truly engrossing listen when it was released in September. Abhorrent Decimation proved that breaking new ground is not necessarily a requirement in order to lack repetitiveness with this, their debut album. A savage intensity that shined despite a melodic edge ran throughout the release, but one of the album’s forgotten strengths was the eerie guitar work that often layered this death metal assault. Not heard? Try: Eternal Repulsion, Souls Of Sedation, Miasmic Mutation, Terminal Reality

Grave – Out Of Respect For The Dead

Though not particularly new in any way sonically, Out Of Respect For The Dead held the classic Swedish death metal riffage that helped build Grave’s fanbase. From the mosh-worthy grooves of ‘Plain Pine Box’, to the doomy intro of closer ‘Grotesque Glory’ that lead into a mid-paced onslaught, to the speedy kick of ‘The Ominous They’, Out Of Respect For The Dead was a classic death metal album that showed how the genre’s songs don’t have to all sound the same. Not heard? Try: Plain Pine Box, Grotesque Glory, The Ominous They, Redeemed Through Hate

Ghost – Meliora

Meliora was without a doubt the most important album in Ghost’s career to date. The more dynamic depth held within its 10 tracks were a foot above the doom-pop group’s 2 previous full-lengths that were, as a whole, decidedly average. With more impressive songwriting featuring clever lyrics, Meliora was a more substantial and thought-provoking release that, despite noticeable changes, never felt out of place in the band’s evolution. With songs like the quirky but entertaining ‘Deus In Absentia’ and the poignant lead single ‘Cirice’, Meliora felt much more like a complete album from a real band, all gimmicks aside. Not heard? Try: Cirice, From The Pinnacle To The Pit, Devil Church, Absolution

Lindemann – Skills In Pills

The sort of album you don’t want to play aloud while your family is around, Skills In Pills covered topics like drugs, trannsexuals, sex with fat people and peeing on eachother in foreplay. It may not strike everyone as relatable lyrically, but Rammstein frontman Till Lindemann was never really going to be conventional on his own album. Over the top of instrumentalist Peter Tägtgren’s (Hypocrisy, PAIN) simple but brilliant music that centered mostly around Rammstein-esque riffage, Lindemann offended as many narrow-minded people as possible throughout this bizarre but unquestionably awesome album. Not heard? Try: Skills In Pills, Ladyboy, Fat, Cowboy

Children Of Bodom – I Worship Chaos

With just a few surprises amongst an album that was mostly what fans would expect from the now 22 year old band, I Worship Chaos displayed the metal stylings that Children Of Bodom have all but perfected over the years in a simple but interesting way. Despite a lack of thrills throughout, the album was a consistent release worthy of appreciation. Songs like the more accessible ‘Morrigan’ undoubtedly divided opinion, but with Alexi Laiho’s crunching riffs and Janne Wirman’s well-used keyboards throughout, I Worship Chaos was a very solid album. Not heard? Try: I Hurt, My Bodom (Am I The Only One), I Worship Chaos, Morrigan

Dew-Scented – Intermination

After staying the same musically throughout a 2 decade plus career, Dew-Scented’s Intermination didn’t surprise with its lack of experimentation. The German band are the sort that stick to what they know, and whilst this has meant consistency for them through their ten albums, theirs is not exactly the most exciting of careers. Nevertheless, Intermination was a fast-paced thrash assault that, despite a lack of variety, is hard to fault. The not exactly calm but slower paced ‘Living Lies’ was about as much variation as we got, but with fast-paced thrash assaults like ‘Reborn’ and ‘Means To An End’, you can’t deny it was a fun listen. Not heard? Try: Reborn, Means To An End, On A Collision Course, Living Lies

Windhand – Grief’s Eternal Flower

It took Virginia’s Windhand a few tries to really perfect their sound, with debut album Soma impressing but falling largely below the mark. Soma seemed to shine a light on the somewhat generic riffs and standard fuzzy production which served to diminish the uncanny talent of vocalist Dorthia Cottrell – the group’s main selling point. On second album Grief’s Eternal Flower, released in September, the balance between purposeful distortion, heavy riffs and Cottrell’s hypnotic vocals was struck perfectly. Each never outweighed the other (save perhaps ‘Sparrow’ where the subtle guitar allows Cottrell’s voice to take centre stage) as they had previously, and it allowed the focus to be on the unearthly mood created when the band are all in sync. Cottrell’s voice is the key to the ethereal sound that this album perfected, but do not forget the excellent rhythm section and stirring guitars, which also came along away from the more generic music of Soma. Not heard? Try: Tanngrisnir, Two Urns, Hyperion, Sparrow

Keeper/ Sea Bastard – 777/ Astral Rebirth

Two doom metallers in the form of California’s Keeper and Brighton’s Sea Bastard teamed up for this split back in January. In typical doom metal style, the split reached over half an hour despite comprising of just two songs. Keeper’s ‘777’ made up 14 minutes of this with a desolate sound that echoed around your speaker and ultimately left a lasting impression. Its sludgy riffs were beautifully brutal, whilst the gritty vocals could just have easily have been the voice of a villain in a sci-fi movie. ‘Astral Rebirth’ had a hard act to follow, but it lived up to, if not bettered, Keeper’s opener well. More riff-centered, the song had a weighty feel that made it easier to ignore than ‘777’, but harder to forget. Not heard? Try: Well, all of it…it’s two songs.

Moonspell – Extinct

Despite somewhat dressing goth rock up as metal, the blend of loud and heavy with soft and atmospheric made for an interesting listen on this, Moonspell’s 11th full-length. Noticeably softer this time around, Extinct’s more pop-centered moments were not entirely poor, but it was the well-written metal riffs that really stood out and saved the release from being a tedious listen. Not heard? Try: The Last Of Us, Medusalem, Extinct, Breathe (Until We Are No More)

Enslaved – In Times

Whilst unlikely to be the most memorable of albums from their current more progressive era, In Times was a captivating release that furthered Enslaved’s near-flawless career. It may not have been the straightforward adrenaline-conjuring extreme metal that some fans desire, but for more open-minded metal fans, In Times was an album worth appreciating, with more depth and variation than the standard extreme or black metal release. From the aggressive assault of ‘Thurisaz Dreaming’ to the more atmospheric moments of ‘Daylight’, In Times was an album with a decent degree of scope and complexity that is to be admired. Not heard? Try: Building With Fire, A Thousand Years Of Rain, In Times, Daylight

Enter Shikari – The Mindsweep

Enter Shikari made it hard for themselves to succeed on their fourth release, having proved their talent for defying conventional genre-norms on previous releases Common Dreads and A Flash Flood Of Colour. The pressure to keep the momentum was always going to be high, and it unfortunately took it’s tole on the St. Albans four-piece. The Mindsweep seemed uninspired in places, with genre mashups that seemed innovative on previous releases somewhat getting repackaged in the hope of the same reactions. The fun electronics of ‘There’s A Price On Your Head’ show this, simply by being not quite as fun those of A Flash Flood Of Colour track ‘Ghandi Mate Ghandi’.

Elsewhere, Shikari did well to try new things, but largely fell short, with the disjointed rhythms of ‘Myopia’ being irksome more than catchy.Thankfully, an album-saving three-pronged attack led by lead-single ‘Anaesthetist’, and followed by ‘The Last Garrison’ and ‘Never Let Go Of The Microscope’ was one of 2015’s best pieces of music. ‘Anaesthetist’ attacked the privatisation of the NHS with a confident and enlightened tone, while ‘The Last Garrison’ was a powerful track with almost feel-good dance sections as well as hard-hitting metal riffs.

Though some of its political messages got lost in the genre-bending madness at times, The Mindsweep was still the sort of album to get the more politically apathetic amongst us involved in current issues. Whether it’s the privatisation of the NHS on ‘Anaesthetist’ or corrupt bankers on ‘The Bank Of England’, Enter Shikari have a knack for making you pay attention. Not heard? Try: Anaesthetist, The Last Garrison, Never Let Go Of The Microscope, The Appeal & The Mindsweep (parts I and II)

While She Sleeps – Brainwashed

Somewhat less grand and consistent than debut album This Is The Six, Brainwashed was nevertheless an uncompromising example of how a metalcore band can still stand out from the crowd today. The intense guitar-work was supremely intense and despite Loz Taylor’s worrying throat surgery, his vocals still felt like he was screaming from inside your own head. Also worth a mention is the addition of guitarist Mat Welsh’s vocals on tracks like ‘Four Walls’, which made for a new, slightly more generic but still very much welcome sound. Not heard? Try: Four Walls, New World Torture, Brainwashed, Trophies Of Violence

Turbowolf – Two Hands

Mixing psychedelic punk riffage with funky basslines and thrash like speed, Turbowolf released one of the most unique albums of the year in April’s Two Hands. Proving they had the ability to back up their ambitious sound, the album was a fun and chaotic listen with some truly brilliant moments. Not heard? Try: Solid Gold, Rich Gift, Rabbit’s Foot, Twelve Houses

Ensiferum – One Man Army

One Man Army was kind of like the sonic recreation of an epic battle, from the adrenaline-fuelled charge of ‘Axe Of Judgement’ after suitably named intro ‘March Of War’, to the brutal all out assault of the title track before the solemn ‘Burden Of The Fallen’ reflected on the lives lost. Eventually ‘Neito Pohjolan’ acted as a simple tune to be sung around the campfire the next day, and completed what was one hell of an immersing listen. Think what you want of folk metal, One Man Army was a truly mesmerizing release. The deluxe version was also worth a few extra quid, with the band taking the mick out of themselves on the light-hearted and aptly named ‘Bonus Song’. Not heard? Try: Heathen Horde, One Man Army, Two Of Spades, Warrior Without A War

Evil Invaders – Pulses Of Pleasure

A fun and energetic homage to 80’s style metal, with thrash inspirations clearly shining throughout, Pulses Of Pleasure was a brilliant debut album from Belgian quartet Evil Invaders. Though frontman “Joe” can sometimes become annoying with his shrill vocals, his powerful style fits the band well and the stunning guitar tracks have made the band an original one despite the obvious influences. Not heard? Try: Fast Loud N’ Rude, Siren, Stairway To Insanity, Master Of Illusion

Cancer Bats – Searching For Zero

Canada’s top hardcore outfit returned this year with a more complex album than we’ve seen from them previously in Searching For Zero. An ominous tone was created by tracks like ‘Cursed With A Conscience’ with its stoner rock riffs and ‘Buds’ with it’s Black Sabbath-esque gloom, which seemed new to the band. However, with classic Cancer Bats assaults like ‘Arsenic In The Year Of The Snake’ and ‘All Hail’ these somewhat new tracks helped to create Cancer Bats’ most dynamic album yet, rather than alter the band fans know and love. Not heard? Try: Arsenic In The Year Of The Snake, Buds, All Hail, Beelzebub

Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes – Blossom

Blossom showed a raw side to Frank Carter that is yet to be seen, though despite this new element, it still felt very Frank Carter. The lyrical themes (love, sex, death, hate) Carter has always specialised in, even with more happy rock outfit Pure Love, stayed the same, but they were told through a visceral energy that is less dark but more gritty than his work with Gallows. Blossom was an honest album that highlighted how fucking fun yet intense Frank Carter’s unmatched vocal assault is. Joined by “The Rattlesnakes”, Blossom became a relentless album of hardcore punk that served to add to the uncanny consistency of Frank Carter’s career. Not heard? Try: Fangs, Devil Inside Me, Loss, Primary Explosive

Gallows – Desolation Sounds

They may have drifted from the band we knew since acquiring Alexisonfire guitarist Wade MacNeil on vocals, but the hardcore punks that originally held a very British attitude are to be thought of as a different band now. Too many get caught up in the “they were better with Frank” bandwagon, and look past the genuinely good music the band are still producing. Desolation Sounds may not be as epic or important as Grey Britain, but it’s got more than a few killer riffs and a real tangible energy. “If desolation were a sound, I’ve heard it” sang MacNeil on the title track and presumably he was talking about single ‘Chains’, an eerie song that held a desolate sound that kept you intrigued throughout – this feat is pulled off seemingly effortlessly, and is even more impressive for it. Not heard? Try: Desolation Sounds, Chains, Bonfire Season, 93/93

Acherontas – Ma – Ion (Formulas Of Reptilian Unification)

Not the type of album for casual listeners, Ma – Ion was a hidden gem from metal’s crowded underground scene. Standing at more than 70 minutes long, it’d be hard to call this a conventional album in any sense. Accompanied by interludes of tribal drum beats, eerie droning sounds, deep didgeridoo-like groans and many more, a black metal style can eventually be deciphered. When the black metal is present, it’s fucking brilliant.

The unrelenting ferocity held in the guttural growls and savage guitars was beefed up (as if it needed it) by the pounding drums that make your speakers want to explode.It was a truly unworldly feeling when it hit, simply because of the long interlude you would have heard before it. The sinister feel of the interludes meant you couldn’t ignore them and phase out for a bit, they drew you in, and made you want to wait for the surely breathtaking piece of metal that was to come. Clearly carefully constructed in every sense, this was one of the best black metal albums ever, if you could be bothered to wait for the metal to come. Not heard? Try: I don’t know where to start, listen to it all if you have time

Graveyard – Innocence & Decadence

With bluesy grooves that infused Graveyard’s retro-garage rock, Innocence & Decadence reminded of classic rock greats like Led Zeppelin and Thin Lizzy, without ever seeming to copy like many modern “retro” bands. With well-written melodies, ear-catching guitar work and a feel-good nostalgic vibe, this was an album worth having. Not heard? Try: Magnetic Shunk, Too Much Is Not Enough, Never Theirs To Sell, Far Too Close

Annihilator – Suicide Society

Though still more radio-friendly than Annihilator’s early, more thrashy work, Suicide Society was a more intense release than they have produced in recent years, and it was a welcome evolution. The brutal speedy riffs and double bass pedals of ‘My Revenge’ is straight out of the 80s and is worth a bit of headbanging, while the title track is a towering triumph of powerful riffage and top-end vocals with some socially aware lyrics. With a fair bit of diversity in the writing and a healthy dose of slightly heavier metal than we’ve become used to from the band founded in the 80s. Not heard? Try: Snap, Suicide Society, My Revenge, Death Scent

Stoneghost – New Age Of Old Ways

Combining clear influences from the realm of metal, ranging from the Five Finger Death Punch riffs, to the Lamb Of God brutality, to the Phil Anselmo-esque vocals and grunge elements littered throughout, Stoneghost succeeded in giving metal fans exactly what they like, without seeming like a copy. London’s Stoneghost seamlessly drifted between influences, and created their own identity in doing so to release what was one of the year’s most noteworthy debut albums. Not heard? Try: Devil’s Motion, Second To Breathe, Raynardine, Third Degree

Disappointment of the year:

Bullet for my Valentine – Venom

Though previous album Temper Temper’s better moments were somewhat overlooked by Bullet’s obvious change to a more commercial style, the answer was probably not to go in the entire opposite direction. The disappointing reality of Venom was that it confirmed what everyone supposed about Temper Temper – that it’s change of style was a carefully constructed change in the hope of sales. Venom held an admittedly clever switch of style back to the metal that originally made Bullet famous, but was utterly unconvincing in it’s 42 minutes of lackluster metalcore. The few non-dull moments came from a ferocity that is undeniably intense, but inevitably they just tease at what could have been.

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