If You Don't Like My Favorites for 2017 I'll Waste This Kitten.
SCUMFEAST METAL 666 - My Favorites for 2017
Ah yes it's another favorites or best of the year list. Not only is this list obligatory but it's explanation like all other explanations for year end lists Is Just As Obligatory. With that said I don't like to say "best of" simply because I haven't heard everything released in 2017. Lets be honest, everyone's pick is basically a favorite. Also let me point out that advertising did not play a part in what releases were chosen as my favorites for 2017. Magazines and large websites depend on advertising dollars to survive. Therefore many of their year end picks are given to those who pay ahead or on the barrel-head. So with all of that said here's my Favorites for 2017.
Category: BLACK METAL
The genre's old guard were quiet in 2017 or just don't exist within the genre at all. So for me 2017 was an interesting year of black metal releases. A new guard emerged reminding fans of the genre's great potential as well as tradition. Here's my top 10 black metal faves.
1) ATREXIAL - Sourverain (Godz Of War Productions)
2) CADAVERIS - The Ceremony Of Worshiping (Heretic Records)
3) DUMAL - The Lessor God (Self Released)
4) RIMTHURS - Gravskrift (Ketzer Records)
5) ESKAPISM - Tales of Elder Forest (Folkvangr Records)
6) UNHOLY BAPTISM - On the Precipice of the Ancient Abyss (Self Released)
7) SOMBRE CROISADE - Balancier Des Ames (Pest Records)
8) NECROWRETCH - Satanic Slavery (Season of Mist)
9) THORMESIS - Trummerfarben (MDD Records)
10) AKRAL NECROSIS - Underlight (Loud Rage Music)
Category: DEATH METAL
It's always a good year in death metal especially when you have labels like Dark Descent and Iron Bonehead dedicated to bringing fans the best from the underground. There were some death metal veterans returning in 2017 to show that they're still got a few tricks left and of course there's always a great Polish death metal act proving that nation's scene always has a heavy hitter in the fight. And a local act who defied a cliche. So here's my ten favorites for 2017.
1) HERESIARCH - Death Ordinance (Dark Descent Records)
2) AZARATH – In Extremis (Agonia Records)
3) FATHER BEFOULED - Desolate Gods (Dark Descent Records)
4) MORDBRAND - Wilt (Carnal Records)
5) RITUALIZATION - Sacraments To The Sons Of The Abyss (Iron Bonehead Productions)
6) HAEMOPHAGUS - Stream Of Shadows (Selfmadegod Records)
7) BELPHEGOR - Totenritual (Nuclear Blast)
8) LOATHFINDER - The Great Tired Ones (Godz ov War Productions)
9) DATURA - The Harrowing (Rusty Knuckles)
10) SPECTRAL VOICE - Eroded Corridors of Unbeing (Dark Descent Records)
Category: DOOM METAL
Call it doom, sludge metal, stoner rock or some other weirdness, basically I got plenty of releases in for review under this banner (mostly sludge by the way). This years picks consist of some old favorites, a few female fronted acts as well as some bong heads and a local favorite.
1) PARADISE LOST - Medusa (Nuclear Blast)
2) SEASON OF ARROWS - Give it to the Mountain (Argonauta Records)
3) DOPELORD - Children Of The Haze (Green Plague Records)
4) UFOMAMMUT – 8 (Neurot Recordings)
5) DEVIL ELECTRIC - Self Titled (Kozmik Artifactz)
6) UNEARTHLY TRANCE - Stalking The Ghost (Relapse Records)
7) FROWNING - Extinct (Black Lion Productions)
8) DEAD WITCHES - Ouija (Heavy Psych Sounds)
9) HORSESKULL - Chemical Winter Blues (Self Released)
10) BRUME - Rooster (Doom Stew Records)
Category: THRASH / CROSSOVER
Seems like blackened thrash was the flavor of the year along with sounding like DRI. Whatever here's my top five favorites for bands who like it fast and furious.
1) DEATH YELL - Descent Into Hell (Hells Headbangers Records)
2) EPI-DEMIC - Malformed Conscience (Horror Pain Gore Productions)
3) CRAVEN IDOL - The Shackles of Mammon (Dark Descent Records)
4) POWER TRIP - Nightmare Logic (Southern Lord)
5) IRON REAGAN - Crossover Ministry (Relapse Records)
Category: GRINDCORE
I don't get much grind to blast during the year then again I don't go out of my way to find it. Honestly it comes to me but since there's no big name mainstream acts with something out. 2017 was left to the underground so here's my five favorites of the year which drove me nuts.
1) PRAY U PREY - Figure The 8 (Selfmadegod Records)
2) KRATORNAS - Devoured By Damnantion (Grathila Records)
3) HANDSOME PRICK - Anonymityville (Horror Pain Gore Death Productions)
4) ANTHROPIC - Self Titled (Horror Pain Gore Death Productions)
5) GRIEVE / NO GODS - Split (Horror Pain Gore Death Productions)
Category: METAL
Whether it's revived hard fuckin rock of the 70's, nwobhm sounding stuff, a mix of punk and metal or just fuckin cool shit. Yeah straight up metal, throw the horns, is back and not in a revival status. Here's my top eight favorites for 2017
1) MIDNIGHT - Sweet Death and Ecstasy (Hells Headbangers)
2) DUEL - Witchbanger (Heavy Psych Sounds)
3) ARGUS - From Fields of Fire (Cruz del Sur Music)
4) TEMPTATION'S WINGS - Skulthor Ebonblade (Self Released)
5) LADY BEAST - Vicious Breed (Cruz del Sur Music)
6) KIFF - Declares War on Music (Self Released)
7) WALPYRGUS - Walpyrgus Nights (Cruz del Sur Music)
8) DEATH OF KINGS - Kneel Before None (Boris Records)
Category: PAGAN / FOLK / VIKING METAL
Years ago, like when this genre was a fad. I'd have listened to way over a dozen releases by bands from the pagan fest realm. Times have changed at least for this year but hey here's three of my favorites for 2017.
1) WORMWOOD - Ghostlands: Wounds From a Bleeding Earth (Non Serviam Records)
2) WARSEID - A New Land To Find (Soundage Productions)
3) ASHAENA - Calea (Loud Rage Music)
Category: PUNK / HARDCORE
I have to say what gets past off as punk or hardcore these days is a fuckin joke, especially the hardcore. Where's the guts, the glory, the threat? Who wants to hear some safe sedate politically correct hipster shit? Fuck You! That's what I say. So here we have five great releases that push things to the extreme.
1) ANTISEEN - Obstinate (Mystery School Records)
2) SVETLANAS - Naked Horse Rider (Altercation Records)
3) VIOLENT OPPOSITION - Courage And Conviction (Horror Pain Gore Death Productions)
4) STREET CLONES - Cloned For Your Pleasure (Mystery School Records)
5) RAW DOG - A New Low Live (Self Released)
Category: LABELS
Basically here are some of my favorite labels of 2017. I came to this listing because of consistency. Sure all of their releases might not have been in top slots but as a whole they've consistently released good stuff all year. Here's five favorites from me in no particular order.
Folkvangr Records
A little o'l US black metal cassette label who put out a bunch of decent releases this year that any black metal fan will want. Collect em all you corpse painted fiends. I look forward to what they have in store for 2018.
https://folkvangrrecords.bandcamp.com/
Horror Pain Gore Death Productions
The fine people at this label hailing from Hostile City, USA (aka: Philadelphia, PA) release stuff that simply falls into the catagory of extreme which any scumpunk metal fan will go apeshit over. Check out their end of year comp here:
https://hpgd.bandcamp.com/album/hpgd-2017-full-year-in-review-39-track-free-sampler
That's right, this is scumpunk and scum-metal for scumbags. Their bands are filthy and desperate like a South Street whore on a Sunday night.
http://www.horrorpaingoredeath.com/
Dark Descent Records
Years ago when I started doing this blog Dark Descent Records were just a fledgeling label putting out dark destructive releases. Nowadays they are the leaders of the extremes in death or blackened material. Their releases always seem to find their way into my favorites.
http://www.darkdescentrecords.com/
Relapse Records
I put this once great label in my list not because they're consistently good. On the contrary in 2017 their releases I reviewed were consistently bad. But hey I'm sure my voice/opinion is meaningless because the label as well as some magazines and websites are all owned by a parent company. So the releases I don't care for will always get good press. Be that as it may I'll always give Relapse the benefit of the doubt because I own a huge amount of their back catalog and they look like they'll have some good stuff in 2018.
https://store.relapse.com/
Category: SPLITS
There were a couple of split releases I liked this year but there's only one which really ripped paint off the wall, pissed off the neighbors and of course made the dogs howl.
SACRIFICIAL SLAUGHTER / ENFUNERATION - American Death Thrash (Horror Pain Gore Death Productions)
Category: REISSUES
I have to say I've missed out or better yet skipped out on many reissues this year for a few simple reasons. One, I own the original so I don't need to buy your overpriced (sometimes 3X the original) hipster only reissue. Two, I own the original so your package of extra tracks which end up being bad demos is a joke. And three, I've missed out. But I will say this, some reissues are worthy because they bring back that feeling of nostalgia and here's three releases which did that for me in 2017.
NEUROSIS - The Word As Law (Neurot Recordings)
THE MIST - Phantasmagoria (Greyhaze Records)
MUTILATOR - Immortal Force (Greyhaze Records)
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