- Beach Fossils – Summersault
Beach fossils used to have a lo-fi identity in their previous releases. In “Summersault” they leave it all behind and redefine their sound to a higher level! I could listen this album for hours and hours, again and again. Perfect production and of course beautiful and memorable indie rock vibe. What a gem!
- Ghost Bath – Starmourner
Pop alternative suicidal post black metal??? It’s hard to describe the new album from Ghost Bath stylistically. When it comes to the music, great musicianship appears. Deep songs with lot’s of guitar layers and harmonies and a drummer that nails it! If this is hipster music, that’s how I would like hipster music to sound like!
- Slowdive – Slowdive
No words here… Reunion album of one of my all time favorite bands. Go and buy it now!
- Wolves In The Throne Room – Thrice Woven
Cascadian black metal at it’s best! WITTR can never disappoint when it comes to black metal!
- Amenra – Mass VI
This is a curious case of a band that I used to like but never been able to listen to an album of theirs as a whole. Well, with Mass VI Amenra released their magnum opus (in my opinion) and made me spend hours and hours being desperate for my life and future. “Solitary Reign” is my metal song of the year!
- Converge – The Dusk Is In Us
The mathcore giants confirm once again why they will always be a category on their own. Fast, aggressive but yet heartbreaking album! A must!
- Fleurety – The White Death
Another great comeback album! One of the most underrated and unique Norwegian bands, Fleurety, proved once again that you can be dissonant, experimental and sentimental at the same time! Just listen to “Ballad Of Copernicus”…
- Sunless – Urraca
The underground surprise of the year in extreme metal! Dissonant,raw and technical, “Urraca” is an album that fans of Deathspell Omega, Ved Buens Ende and Gorguts should definitely check!
- Ride – Weather Diaries
One of the comebacks of the year! Great production and musicianship that only high quality bands like Ride can deliver!
- Heretoir – The Circle
They came back as a full band with a really good album. They mix shoegaze, progressively built breakdowns and blackgaze sections harmonically creating a distinctive sound! Good job Heretoir!