Music to Chill Your Soul

With Halloween just around the corner, 'tis the season for all that is grim, bleak, and for lack of a better word, scary.  The impetus for this post came from the realization that there is some truly haunting music out there...and I don't mean haunting/scary in the sense of listening to Slayer or Cannibal Corpse for the first time as a teen just getting into metal.

What follows after the break are two tracks that add a little something extra to their formula that will tap deep into your being and likely send several shivers up your spine.

Jack's Top 15 Albums of 2013

Hey, remember when the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup this year? Yeah, that was pretty cool. Also of importance, particularly in relation to things this publication actually cares about as a collective, there were a staggering amount of fantastic albums in heavy music this year. I toiled with what to include in my Top 15 for quite awhile, but while there's plenty of excellent releases I've left off, this is the group of records I not only felt the most strongly about in a positive sense, but also that I feel deserve the most cred. On to the goods, children.

Oh, and it's good to be back.

Mick's Top 15 Albums of 2013

2013 has been one heck of a year for all of us...mainly because we relaunched Brutalitopia earlier in the spring and are now back in full force with a renewed sense of purpose. Thanks to everyone who's made that possible by supporting us in their respective ways.

And now time for everyone's favorite time of year...the end of it. Check out what albums I thought were awesome enough to recognize after the break!

Durf's Top 15 Albums of 2013

 

Hard to believe it's already December and time to look back on the past year, reflecting on the changes we've made, the adventures we've had, and most importantly, the albums we've listened to and really, really enjoyed.  Below are my Top 15 Albums of 2013; if you correctly guess which album is Number One before looking, I will mail you a cookie.  And don't forget to agree/disagree/tell me how full of shit I am in the comment section!

Ulcerate - Vermis

Even as a metal fan, I typically prefer to be ear-wooed than ear-fucked.  Let me explain.  I’d rather be caressed gently by the shoegaze melodies of Alcest than get into a fist fight with Slayer.  I’d rather take a pensive walk through a Pacific forest with Agalloch than be tormented by Anaal Nathrakh.  I’d rather make goofy jokes about the devil with Ghost than worry about Watain actually sacrificing me to said-Devil.  That said, sometimes there are exceptions.  Sometimes I just want to plug in my headphones, drop the needle on a record, and get ear-fucked, HARD, non-stop for forty-five minutes, until I’m ear-screaming in ecstasy and ear-begging for more.  Not just any heavy album is up for such a marathon of ear-fucking, but Ulcerate’s new tech death masterpiece Vermis not only lives up to the challenge, but it made me ear-cum.  Six times.

A Little Something On The Side: James Kelly

For many musicians, and artists in general, having one main project is not enough. Hell, wouldn't that defeat the purpose of even being an artist? A Little Something On The Side is a column that hopefully brings to light the side projects of musicians you may more commonly associate with another particular act. Perhaps you've heard of the side project. Perhaps you haven't. If nothing else, it's always interesting to compare and contrast works from someone under different banners. The focus of our very first A Little Something On The Side will be James Kelly.

Altar of Plagues - Teethed Glory and Injury

As a fan of black metal, I find myself using plenty of different adjectives to describe the sounds of the genre.  A few of my favorites: “filthy,” “godless,” “muddy,” “dense,” “soul-crushing,” “bleak,” “hopeless,” and “devastating.”  You can make fun combos like “devastatingly godly” or “soul-crushingly heavy” that really speak to the music.  But grammar lesson aside, the reason I bring up black metal descriptors is that on Teethed Glory and Injury, the third full-length from Ireland’s Altar of Plagues, the band seems to be trying to encapsulate all of them.

We'll Do It Live Fridays: Neptune Is Dead!

Another Friday brings yet another We'll Do It Live Fridays Post from us here at Brutalitopia.  I'm particularly excited about this post because I've been dying to find a good live clip from this band for quite some time (Hint: this band was pretty far up on my Top 15 Albums of 2011 list).  See who it is after the break.

Review: Altar Of Plagues - Mammal

It wasn't until late last year with releases from Agalloch and Alcest that atmospheric black metal truly resonated with me.  Around that same time I stumbled upon the 2009 release of White Tomb from a certain unknown, at least they were to me at the time, Irish black metal band called Altar Of Plagues.  My random intrigue in the band sure payed off.  White Tomb was dark and powerful enough that when I heard Altar Of Plagues would be releasing a new album this year, I got super excited.  That album, Mammal, is finally here.  And with its impressive minimalistic approach to creating a soundscape that is vicious, primal, and downright entrancing, it'll surely be one of the more profound releases you'll hear this year.