The Rock Blogger

Njiqahdda. Yrg Alms. 2009. 4.5 stars.

2009 ends on a high note with this dense and highly immersive album from the prolific Njiqahdda. The duo delve further into their mystical aesthetic, merging the oppressive atmosphere of black metal with dark ambient textures and cascading post-rock guitars. Yrg Alms is easily their most refined and creative effort so far, pushing their heavily layered compositions to hallucinatory limits. Lyrical content here is void, leaving the listener to meditate on drawn-out and distorted vocalizations that rush over the music like gusts of wind. At other times, like on the sorrowful “Sombre Fortu”, something vaguely human creeps in, though the voices are unintelligible (but emotionally stirring) mantras.

The guitars are intricate and complex, either pulsating through fluid arpeggios or rumbling under ominous noise. They provide the album with a surprising cathartic energy that provides consistent momentum across its lengthy duration. While portions of these epic tracks do meander (like in the extended droning bridge of “Yrg Alms”), the serpentine guitars always manage to bring the journey back to a cognizable path.

A fitting companion for the harsh winter months, Yrg Alms is an intense effort that compensates for its less cohesive sections with its raw, creative and uncompromising vigor. There are few albums within the already diverse metal subculture that push against convention quite like this, though its sheer density will likely leave casual listeners puzzled. Nonetheless, there is a compelling artistry that Njiqahdda possesses that is consistently evolving into a stronger and deeper creature.

10. Drudkh - Microcosmos

Fierce black metal with folk-tinged melodies from the forests of Ukraine. With stronger, tighter song-writing, Drudkh’s conservative approach strikes a inspired balance between aggressive, textured guitar work and a deep organic atmosphere. Those familiar with the band know that Drudkh’s musicianship can be eclectic in all the right places, as acoustic guitars and traditional instruments weave between sinewy bass lines and rolling percussion.

9. The Twilight Sad - Forget the Night Ahead

A solid sophomore effort from this underrated Scottish band. Like its brilliant predecessor Fourteen Autumns and Fifteen Winters , the music on this album evokes cold, rainy and grey spaces, where traumatic childhood memories collide with the fractured relationships of adulthood. This record is packed with strong melodic movements, passionate vocal performances and intense personality.

8. Wolves in the Throne Room - Black Cascade

On their latest opus, WITTR, build on the atmospheric aesthetic that made Diadem of 12 Stars and Two Hunters so compelling. However, their sound is much more raw and immediate this time around, as the band moves away from ornamental post-rock experimentation to record an album more akin to their blistering live performances.

7. maudlin of the Well - Part the Second

Toby Driver and his mini-orchestra bring maudlin of the Well back from the dead with this remarkable and complex art-rock album. The collective that originally awed fans with their blend of avant-jazz and death metal now pursue a lighter approach, with violins, chimes, piano lines and choral vocals. There is still plenty of drive in this album though, with rolling percussion and post-rock guitars rounding out its massive and progressive vision. Despite the great diversity of sounds on each song, everything flows together with stunning fluidity, as hammering keys grace crystalline guitar in an expansive double helix of sound.

6. A Place to Bury Strangers - Exploding Head

Brooklyn’s A Place to Bury Strangers deliver an incredibly stylish sophomore effort with Exploding Head , a slick and dynamic tribute to everything post-punk. Taking fuzzed out cues from The Jesus and Mary Chain, The Cure, My Bloody Valentine and Joy Division, APTBS play heavily distorted jams centered on fluid bass lines and intense washes of guitar noise. The music’s pace is unrelenting and the noise is glorious. The vocals are cool and detached, cruising over surf-inspired riffs and roaring pedal effects with ease.

5. Sólstafir - Köld

A remarkable tour de force of an album. This Icelandic band has pushed black metal beyond its conventions, with progressive song structures, fast, uptempo rhythms, post-rock ambiance and emotional, punk-inspired vocals. The result sounds like a cross between At the Drive In and Sigur Ros, yes a bizarre equation, but an exciting one nonetheless.

4. Mount Eerie - Wind’s Poem

Singer-songwriter Phil Elverum (The Microphones) has delivered a powerful release that usurps the traditional folk/lo-fi indie sound with deep, menacing drones and dark naturalism. Elverum’s soft, intimate voice provides a stark contrast against walls of distorted guitars and drawn-out synth lines,drawing the listener down into the waters of resignation. The union between gentle folk and atmospheric “shoegazing” is inspired, presenting an intense melancholic vision that soars overhead and sinks into the ground.

3. Skagos - Ást

From the rainy forests of British Columbia comes Skagos, one of the most sophisticated black metal acts to come from my home and native land. This debut album is cloaked with misty atmosphere and weaves between thundering blast beats and haunting acoustic passages. The lo-fi production, sludgy textures and climatic progressions fits the dense landscape from which this duo emerges, recalling damp pines, rocky cliff faces and mud-caked riverbeds.

2. Natural Snow Buildings - Shadow Kingdom

Another masterpiece (if not their finest achievement to date) from this prolific avant/drone duo. Delicate, ethereal folk songs are interwoven with wispy psychedelia, eastern-tinged guitars and mysterious, ambient noises. A soundtrack for levitation. Shadow Kingdom is an incredibly exhausting and expansive album (over 2 hours) that is full of awe-inspiring moments. It may take dozens of dedicated listens to unearth all of its riches.

1. Rome - Flowers From Exile

Grave, resolute and romantic, the sounds of Rome travel down to the battlefields of the heart. The deep, bellowing vocals of Jerome Reuter are the centerpiece of this brooding neofolk album, as they hang over lush acoustic guitars and scattered samples of European poetry and martial speeches. The lyrics are exquisite, evoking the lonesome spirit of the soldier, or the dreaming revolutionary, longing for distant memories of love or some stern vision of the cause.

Sounding like a cross between Tom Waits and Tenhi, Rome blend a stark, war-time atmosphere with beautiful folk instrumentation. Strings, piano, choral lines and flamenco guitars weave their way across the face of this album, painting faded pictures of the Occident.

20 …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead - The Century of Self

A far more energetic, fluid and fast paced work than its predecessors, The Century of Self has managed to balance their earlier punk-inspired assaults with bombastic segues and progressions, making it a vivid illustration of the band’s lengthy development.

19. Les Discrets / Alcest - Les Discrets / Alcest

A beautiful split release by these two French projects. Alcest continue on with their intricate, post-black, Explosions in the Sky meets Darkthrone awesomeness, composing some of their best work to date. Les Discrets provide airy, intoxicating post-rock, with duelling layeres of shimmering arpeggios and dense metal textures. The lovelorn and sorrowful vocals are a nice touch as well. Both projects are highly innovative and passionate about their craft - I expect even greater things from both of them in the near future.

18. Sunn O))) - Monoliths & Dimensions

The robed duo return with what is likely to be regarded as their most sophisticated work to date. While the bone-crushingly slow and heavy guitar drones they are famous for remain intact, they are now accompanied by haunting spoken verses (from Mayhem’s Attila), eerie choirs, ambient horns and other atmospheric flourishes. All of these elements weave together to absorb the listener, opening yawning black chasms to the unknown.

17. Converge - Axe to Fall

With the jarring transitions and time-signature changes, Axe to Fall can be an exhausting listen. It’s a brutal and epic marathon that’s both insanely technical and aggressive. As a showcase for instrumentation, Axe to Fall is monolithic, a high watermark for bands following the hardcore genre (or it’s many hybrids).

16. Krallice - Dimensional Bleedthrough

Its easy to see how divisive such an album can be, especially considering the involvement of avant-garde guitarist Mick Barr (of Ocrilim, Orthrelm fame). As always, his shredding is dense, intricate and highly technical, concerned more with enveloping the listener than maintaining any pleasant melodies. Those with such an acquired taste will be in rapture - the wall of sound created is simply immense.

15. Future of the Left - Travels With Myself and Another

This is some solid rock n’ roll from this wildly inventive Welsh band. On their second LP, Future of the Left lay down crunchy, distorted riffs and punchy punk rhythms to surreal and often hilarious lyrics about drinking, fighting, mischief, Satan, class warfare and losing out in general. Sounding like a strange mash up of Rage Against the Machine, The Clash and The Sex Pistols, FotL’s quick and dirty songs are heavy, raucous and oddly endearing.

14. Enmerkar - Starlit Passage

A simply mind-bending EP from this little known black metal/dark ambient band. A swirling celestial atmosphere hangs over these 5 songs, sending the listener through a cosmic rush against the void. Enmerkar builds an impenetrable wall of sound from waves of distorted tremolo guitars, melancholic drones and distant, rumbling percussion.

13. Have a Nice Life - Voids (Compilation)

Voids is a fan made compilation of demos and b-sides from last year’s stellar Deathconsciousness . The unreleased tracks expand on HANL’s intensely depressive atmosphere and shows hints at powerful things to come. While it is obviously not nearly as polished or detailed as Deathconsciousness , these offerings still cut like a knife.

12. Amesoeurs - Amesoeurs

An absorbing mix of post-punk, black metal and shoegaze riffing with gorgeous female vocals en français . This albums provides many stunning contrasts between crystalline guitar work and dark, misanthropic atmosphere. Layered, detailed and consistently interesting, Amesoeurs make metal sexy.

11. Altar of Plagues - White Tomb

These natives of Cork, Ireland have produced a monolithic epic featuring dystopian lyrics and an atmospheric approach that rivals Wolves in the Throne Room and the latest in their “post-black” ilk. What distinguishes AOP is the sheer scope of their debut. Not only are the black metal barrages relentless and absorbing, they also go to distant places, conjuring up vivid spectacles of collapse as they shift in pacing, rhythm and composition.

30. Om - God Is Good

Drawn-out stoner rock from the same guys who brought you Sleep. These are great lumbering tracks full of fluid bass lines and Eastern-tinged guitar riffs. A strong, meditative release that continues on the transcendental pilgrimage of their earlier work.

29. Wodensthrone - Loss.

A well produced piece of pagan metal with folk influences dedicated to the ancient wilderness of England. Dense riffs with just the right symphonic lift to keep things organic.

28. Thy Catafalque - Róka Hasa Rádió

An eclectic avant-garde album from Hungary that incorporates spastic metal, ambient, jazz and electronic elements to create an explosive futuristic symphony. Sounding like a cross between late Ulver and Cynic, this is an intense and trippy amalgamation of diverese sounds. While its warbling compositions stretch in all directions, its always an interesting ride.

27. Cobalt - Gin

A grim and innovative album from this Colorado based black-metal duo. Tinged with acrid post-metal riffs, these bleak compositions convey epic scenes of desolation and decay. Despite its mournful atmosphere, there are touches of nihilistic intoxication, like a soldier punch drunk from the bloody mayhem around him. The vocals shift from terrifying screams to deep bellows, like on the sprawling "Dry Body", adding intense lyrical clarity that is rarely seen in the genre.

26. Bonnie Prince Billy - Beware.

The prolific king of indie-folk returns with a gold-hearted collection of country-inspired ballads and free-spirited Americana. Like last year’s Lie Down in the Light , this album is romantic and upbeat, capturing the spirit of summer with his rustic, back road style.

25. The Ruins of Beverast - Foulest Semen of a Sheltered Elite

A diverse and textured album, with both frenetic and drawn out passages that move from black metal to doom and back again. Deep, bellowing vocals and a grimy, sea-faring atmosphere make for some interesting nightmares.

24. Matthew Good - Vancouver

On his latest record, Matthew Good takes revenge on his former hometown, attacking the pervasive ignorance and ennui that lies in the political struggle between new affluence and extreme poverty. Evoking scenes of mountain wildfires, needle-strewn fields and claustrophobic spaces, Good’s lyrics are direct statements against the extreme disparities of urban life.

23. Six Organs of Admittance - Luminous Night

Ben Chasny’s Six Organs of Admittance is one of the most meditative projects in modern psychedelic folk. The newest SOA album Luminous Night marks a departure from the drone/noise trances of a few years back into more straightforward, dreamy folk.

22. Isis - Wavering Radiant

One of the founders of the now derivative post-metal movement, Isis rebounded this year with this expansive and atmospheric effort that balances spacey "post-rock" ambiance with crushing sludge crescendos. Wavering Radiant is easily one of the most polished albums of its kind, taking the listener down through a fluid stream of consciousness. Fans of Tool should defientely take note of the beautiful baselines and guitar effects here.

21. Njiqahdda - Taegnuub - Ishnji Angma

This mysterious band is fixated on submersion, striving to find deep order within intricate texture. Bright moments lap against the uncanny in an ocean of sound. Taegnuub - Ishnji Angma is a meditative listen, appropriate for the sun’s return over soaking grass, the aftermath of a downpour.

40. Sir Richard Bishop - The Freak of Araby

Avant-folk with Middle-Eastern influences. Desert-tinged guitar melodies leave psychedelic trails. An exotic tableau of worldly sounds. Groovy man.

39. Sun of the Blind - Skullreader.

Expansive atmospheric black metal in the vein of Darkspace. Mid to slow paced dirges that are drawn out across hazy, alien skies. Innovative use of keyboards, layered against chugging riffs, make this unique.

38. Do Make Say Think - Other Truths

This Toronto collective further develops their vibrant blend of post-rock and jazz. Sounding like a cross between Broken Social Scene and Tortoise, Do Make Say Think take the genre out of the hands of shy broods and makes it loud and colorful.

37. Obscura - Cosmogenesis. Full Review

Obscura play mind-blowing technical death metal in the same progressive vein as Cynic and Death, complete with fret-less bass, warped vocal effects and sci-fi/astrological themes. Like those genre giants, Obscura are simply virtuosic as they burn through their spiraling song structures. While the death metal growls may not be entirely distinctive, their juxtaposition with spacey, digitized vocals makes their delivery all the more entertaining.

36. Mono - Hymn to the Immortal Wind. Full Review

Mono are in top form on Hymn to the Immortal Wind , producing what could be called their most evocative and neoclassical album to date. While it may be hard to distinguish one epic song from another, the entire album is consistently moving and lush. Though there may be no climatic elements that jump out from the lambency, there are enough gorgeous melodies to make this memorable.  If anything, this album is a clear marker for Mono’s steady evolution into a fresh stream of cinematic post-rock that builds on traditional classical traditions.

35. Trist - Willenskraft

A challenging black metal/dark ambient album that uses extensive field recordings from the shoreline to create an audio equivalent of the above cover. The result is a long, gloomy and deeply absorbing listen. Once hypnotized, it becomes more memory association than music.

34. Klabautamann - Merkur

Klabautmann have succeeded in creating a black metal album full of diversity without sacrificing the wintry core of their sound. The shifting soft-loud (bordering on post-rock) dynamics work extremely well, giving Merkur a pleasantly hypnotic pull. Fans of early Ulver, Fluerety, Alcest or any of the budding “post-black” bands should definitely give this a listen.

33. The Protomen - Act II: The Father of Death

The sequel (or prequel?) to 2007’s brilliant self-titled debut. Its a progressive/rock opera concept album that expands on the back stories of characters from the Mega Man video game series. While there aren’t as many infectious hooks as on their first effort, The Protomen do a fine job incorporating choirs, piano, and Springsteen style vocals in fleshing out their epic vision. Think Meat Loaf and Queensryche for the Nintendo set.

32. Echtra - Burn It All Away

Densely textured Cascadian black metal similar in scope to Fauna, Krallice and Skagos. Three epic tracks of raw tremolo riffs layered over waves of distortion produce hypnotic effects. Captures the harshness and primordial beauty of staggering cliffs and mountains.

31. The Mars Volta - Octahedron. Full Review

In what is their most streamlined and restrained album to date, The Mars Volta have crafted surrealistic prog-balladry that weaves between weepy sentimentalism and desert-tinged psychedelia. Touching off brief moments of accessible clarity that spaced out dizzying spasms on their previous albums, TMV have opted for strong, emotional lyricism over exercises in raw dexterity.

The annual countdown begins.
My taste is obviously very obscure and I’m certain that I have looked over many notable efforts. Hopefully, I’ll uncover some neglected works in the coming weeks.
So here are my favorites of the year in drone, metal, alternative, neofolk, ambient, experimental and more.
Rare things are beautiful.

50. Wardruna - Runaljod – gap var Ginnunga

A creative blend of Norwegian folk music, field recordings, throat singing and dark ambient. Wardruna draw on many traditional Nordic/pagan influences in crafting their rich and earthen tableau. A ritualistic release that casts a mysterious aura.

49. Fen - The Malediction Fields. Full Review .

The first 2009 album to be reviewed here is an atmospheric black metal debut from the UK’s Fen. It’s an emotional work that further develops the post-rock/shoegaze elements that have been creeping into metal over the years and juxtaposes these progressions with organic riffs and cathartic release. The effect is stunning, as rage and sorrow play against each other on a gray, misty moor. Like its aesthetic cousins Agalloch and The Morningside, the incorporation of clean vocals and subtle symphonic touches give this album an expansive and epic feel.

48. If These Trees Could Talk - Above the Earth, Below the Sky.

Intricate, melodic post-rock that is as crescendo happy as Explosions in the Sky. Shimmering riffs and dynamic percussion give this an edge over the many clones this genre has spawned. Great pacing and fluid guitar work.

47. Caïna - Caïna EP

Stark contrasts abound on this EP, weaving between ethereal post-rock arpeggios and harsh black metal grime. Not as polished as last year’s Temporary Antenna , but still a highly original project with many tense, unsettling and surprising moments (like some avant-garde horror film).

46. Blut aus Nord - Memoria Vetusta II: Dialogue With the Stars. Full Review.

France’s Blut aus Nord have produced a stellar work of melodic black metal with Memoria Vetusta II , where extended guitar solos, crystalline production and an icy atmosphere are the central points of focus. Similar to the early and more ethereal work of Emperor, the clean arpeggio melodies of Blut aus Nord give off a chilling effect and stand apart from the common blast-beat barrage found in most black metal acts. Of course rapid percussion and raspy vocals are an integral part of BAN’s sound, but they serve as counterweights to the symphonic lift of these long, winding songs.

45. Ossein - Führer
An eclectic and esoteric mix of hushed acoustic ballads, dark ambient and experimental noise. A strange and often frustrating release, albeit a fascinating and complex one. Lyrical content includes references to Schopenhauer, urban decay and existential dread.

44. Afterlives - A Ticking Clock I Couldn’t Stop. Full Review

This is a strange, lonesome and intensely personal debut from Connecticut’s William Barett. His project Afterlives consists of haunting lo-fi dirges that move from sparse guitar passages to squalls of droning noise, providing many jarring moments to catch the listener off guard. While it is clear that this album is a loosely knit sample of ideas, there are some stirring gems to found here. "Ever the Optimist" is one of the finer examples of how Afterlives can usurp expectations. Loose, jangly riffs dissolve into a wall of noise as Barett screams over the storm, yearning for hope and resolve in a darkening world.

43. Malkuth - Sefirah Gevurah. Full Review.

The performances emit an almost punk-like energy, producing an aesthetic not unlike their local contemporaries Krallice. While it’s song-writing is rather traditional in scope and feeling, this album still feels authentic and consequential. A worthy addition to the USBM scene that stays true (tr00) to the genre’s roots.

42. Urfaust - Einsiedler.

Bizarre and harrowing black metal/ambient from Holland that features intense vocals that range from operatic bellows to dramatic shrieks. An ambitious EP that draws on influences as diverse as Wagner, synth-based Krautrock and Burzum.

41. Katatonia - Night Is the New Day.

Solid alternative metal from these Swedish veterens. Sure, its no Dance of December Souls or Brave Murder Day , but its moody atmosphere, ample use of synths, and clean vocals provide for a rather soothing listen. A cohesive and well-produced album, even if it doesn’t carry the same feeling of impeding doom that made Katatonia so notable.

Having just seen Lars von Trier’s "Anti-Christ", I was compelled to research one of its supposed influences. "Haxan " (1922) was an elaborate silent film from Sweden that depicts scenes of demons, witchcraft and occult rituals. This video takes some visually stunning scenes from Haxan and sets them to songs from Coil’s Horse Rotorvator , easily one of the most disturbing industrial albums I’ve heard.