Best of 2013

Top 5:

Cathedral - The Last Spire: Majestic final opus by British doom legends. Check out my review here.

Alice in Chains - The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here: Killer follow up to one of the greatest comeback albums in rock/metal history. Albeit a bit mellower than its predecessor there are enough heavy moments present to please every loyal AiC fan. Such as the sludgy opener "Hollow", Sabbathian groove of "Stone" and the colossal doom riffage of "Phantom Limb". And there are trademark beautifully layered soul drenching ballads like "Voices" and "Choke".

The Ruins of Beverast - Blood Vaults (The Blazing Gospel of Heinrich Kramer): Alexander von Meilenwald's supreme streak continues as he yet again effortlessly channels black metal and funeral doom through his trademark sinister and foreboding atmospherics.

Voivod - Target Earth: The weirdo Canadians are back with their avant-garde thrash assault and it's as good as ever.

Kongh - Sole Creation: The third offering from the Swedish sludge/doom trio (now performing as a duo since the bassist left) is undoubtedly their most mature. Dynamic and eccentric psychedelic textures and above all frontman David Johansson's versatile vocals (most prominent on the closing track "Skymning") give the album a really unique flair.

Other favourites:

Mourning Beloveth - Formless
The Flight of Sleipnir - Saga
The Fall of Every Season - Amends
Batillus - Concrete Sustain

Trouble - The Distortion Field

Kylesa - Ultraviolet
Oranssi Pazuzu - Valonielu
Tribulation - The Formulas of Death

Spiritual Beggars - Earth Blues
Witherscape - The Inheritance

Beastmilk - Climax
Inquisition - Obscure Verses for the Multiverse
Dream Death - Somnium Excessum
Deep Purple - Now What?!
Abysmal Grief - Feretri
Vastum - Patricidal Lust

Skeletonwitch - Serpents Unleashed

Ice Dragon - Born a Heavy Morning

Obelyskkh - Hymn to Pan
Sahg - Delusions of Grandeur

Gallow God - The Veneration of Serpents

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Push the Sky Away

Church of Misery - Thy Kingdom Scum

Melvins - Tres Cabrones

A Pale Horse Named Death - Lay My Soul to Waste 

Darkthrone - The Underground Resistance

Red Fang - Whales and Leeches
Primitive Man - Scorn

Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats - Mind Control

Motörhead - Aftershock
Hail of Bullets - III: The Rommel Chronicles

Atlantean Kodex - The White Goddess

Meat Puppets - Rat Farm

Age of Taurus - Desperate Souls of Tortured Times

Clutch - Earth Rocker
Ghost - Infestissumam

Beelzefuzz - Beelzefuzz

New Keepers of the Water Towers - Cosmic Child

Warbringer - IV: Empires Collapse