Articles : The best albums of 2015 according to Mitch Booth

Last year was a bit average on the music front, but it seems that was just a lull thankfully, with 2015 being a mighty return to form. As usual I’ve split my list into 10 Australian & 10 International releases, because it’s an easy way to do it, and I’ve kept this to somewhat metal-relevant music, otherwise you’d see this at the #1 spot. Anyway, reading this intro was really just a waste of your time, so here’s the content;

AUSTRALIAN

1. DROWNING HORSE – SHELTERING SKY
If there was any genre that really stood out this year it’s doom, and Perth’s Drowning Horse are up there at the top. It’s a beautifully patient album that moves between the more relaxed vibes of later Earth and monstrous stoner doom. It might be 75 minutes long but cutting any track from this would be a crime.
Listen to “The Barrow Stones”
 
 
 

2.WE LOST THE SEA – DEPARTURE SONGS
The Sydney band have gone through a lot in recent years with the passing of their vocalist. Continuing on in instrumental form, Departure Songs sees them channel that experience into one of the finest pieces of post-rock/metal of the year. It’s a heartbreaking, honest sounding release that just sucks you in. A masterpiece.
Listen to “Bogatyri”
 
 

3. SPACE BONG – DEADWOOD TO WORMS
Huge stoner doom from Adelaide. The long wait between 2009’s The Death of Utopia was torture but oh boy was it worth the wait. If you haven’t heard them, the short film/long music video they made for “Slow Spring” is the best possible introduction. Life is a drone.
Listen to “Slow Spring”.
 
 

4. HOPE DRONE – CLOAK OF ASH
There’s nowhere near enough atmospheric post-black metal, or whatever you want to call it, in Australia. The few bands doing it are doing it exceptionally well though. This is enthralling in all the right ways, even if it could do with a trim here and there.
Listen to “The Chords That Thrum Beneath the Earth”
 
 
 
 

5. ORDER OF THE OBLIQUE – LAYERS
This is one that just came out of nowhere. Riff-heavy sludgy post-metal taking cues from Pelican and Cult of Luna with some superbly used keyboards. Debuts don’t come much more exciting than this.
Listen to “Cycle of the Heart”.
 
 
 

6. SERIOUS BEAK – ANKAA
Serious Beak are like no other. You can read my full thoughts in my review but I think the phrase ‘calculated chaos’ sums it up pretty well. It’s mad, crazy prog with elements of everything from some seriously talented Sydney musos, and an absolutely fascinating listen.
Listen to “Red (Laniocera hypopyrra)”
 
 

7. TANGLED THOUGHTS OF LEAVING – YIELD TO DESPAIR
Perth’s TTOL have had quite the evolution, from crazy prog jazz-metal through to gorgeous post-rock and now into the depths of darkness. While this still sounds like TTOL and there’s touches of the old style in there, the sunshine is gone and instead it’s noise, drone and intensity. It doesn’t matter what angle these guys take though, they have a knack for atmosphere.
Listen to “Downbeat”.
 
 

8. RISE OF AVERNUS – DRAMATIS PERSONAE
They call themselves “orchestral progressive doom metal” over on Facey and that’s a pretty solid description. It’s that European-sounding melodoom with a lot of theatre and orchestral arrangements all throughout, without sounding wanky at all. Plus Enslaved‘s Grutle Kjellson guests on one track so that’s a win right there. Bring on a full length.
Listen to “Acta Est Fabula”

9. SANZU – HEAVY OVER THE HOME
What’s in the water over in Perth this year? Another one that caught me totally off guard. Devastating death metal that’s easiest described as a more dissonant Gojira, although I’m sure they’re getting sick of that comparison.
Listen to “Those Who Sleep in the East”.
 
 
 
 

10. MYRIDIAN – WE, THE FORLORN
This Melbourne band have come a long way over the years and it shows here. European melodeath/doom that has it’s moments of melancholy but is still great fun to headbang to. It’s only a matter of time before these guys hit the big Euro festival stages. You just watch.
Listen to “Desolace”

INTERNATIONAL

1. ROSETTA – QUINTESSENTIAL EPHEMERA
Rosetta lost me with the darker direction on 2013’s The Anaesthete but they clearly got that out of their system. Now armed with an extra guitarist & clean vocalist, this is some of their catchiest, most melodic work to date and is chock full of powerful moments that’ll make you headbang with a smile. By far my most-listened to album of the year.
Listen to “(Untitled III)”.
 

2. ALDA – PASSAGE
Every year Alda release an album, they’ll appear on my list. There’s nothing grim and kvlt about this black metal release, it’s more uplifting than anything; nature-inspired, lovely acoustic guitar work and just a well written album. Superb.
Listen to “Passage”.
 
 
 
 

3.C R O W N – NATRON
I’m not really sure how this album works so well but who cares, it does. Half minimalist electronica and half monstrous walls of sludge, and when those heavier moments surface they’re BIG. This album is something special.
Listen to “Serpents”.
 
 
 
 

4.RIVERS OF NIHIL – MONARCHY
Not a lot of death metal grabs my attention these days so to find two albums leaning in that direction on this list was a shock to me. It’s interesting, the production is spot on, and it’s massively heavy despite all the more progressive moments and melodic breaks. Again, an album that’s simply well crafted with a focus on balance.
Listen to “Sand Baptism”.
 
 

5. INTRONAUT – THE DIRECTION OF LAST THINGS
Intronaut sit on that border between prog and sludge and they have nailed it. There’s some proper prog wank in here (see “The Unlikely Event of a Water Landing”) but then they’re just has happy to rock out with some fun mosh-worthy stuff. It’s hard to stay still when this gets going.
Listen to “Fast Worms”.
 
 

6. DRAGGED INTO SUNLIGHT/GNAW THEIR TONGUES – N.V.
There’s just no way this collab couldn’t have worked. Dragged Into Sunlight flit back and forth between grindcore and blackened doom while Mories (the one guy behind Gnaw Their Tongues) layers all sorts of noisy industrial elements and spoken word excerpts; “the purpose of the exercise was simple – to capture, digest and regurgitate Godflesh‘s 1989 Streetcleaner into a conceptualised nightmare”.
Listen to “Absolver”.

7. SULPHUR AEON – GATEWAY TO THE ANTISPHERE
This is what death metal should sound like.
Listen to “Onwards… Towards Kadath!”
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

8. ALKALOID – THE MALKUTH GRIMOIRE
Members of Obscura, Blotted Science, Aborted, Spawn of Possession and Dark Fortress writing some truly out-there proggy extreme metal. There’s all sorts of shit going on here and while some of the ideas fall flat there’s some crazy cool ones too.
Listen to “Orgonism”.
 
 
 
 

9. PANOPTICON – AUTUMN ETERNAL A one-man project that can do no wrong. The 6th full length since 2008 and while it’s not quite as memorable as Kentucky a few years back, it’s definitely some of his finest work when it comes to pure atmosphere.
Listen to “Pale Ghosts”.
 
 
 
 

10. GHOST BATH – MOONLOVER
I think we can all agree that Deafheaven dropped the ball a bit this year, but the mysterious Ghost Bath are here to fill that exact void.
Listen to “Death and the Maiden”.

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