2013 was full of amazing records, new bands, old bands reforming, local bands coming up, local bands breaking up, etc. It’s hard to narrow down so many fantastic releases, but here we all try. Hard. Each writer for the Seattle Passive Aggressive was asked to give a top ten of the year, and this is what we came up with. Bring on 2014! Now without further delay, here we go!
James Ballinger (Founder, Editor, Swell Guy)
10. Gaytheist- Hold Me….But Not So Tight
God damn if this record isn’t a blast from start to finish. Portland’s Gaytheist delivers 12 tracks of all their signature smart, sometimes goofy, infectious punk influenced greatness.
9. Red Fang- Whales and Leeches
At first, I wasn’t as blown away by this record like I was Head for the Mountains, but this one grew on me after repeat listens, and now I think it’s among their best work to date.
8. Russian Circles- Memorial
This is one of those records I put on, and immediately played it several times in a row, it’s a masterpiece.
7. Jucifer- за волгой для нас земли нет
Jucifer does it again. Killer record from one of the best duos in heavy music.
6. Heiress- Early Frost
Even though I grabbed a early copy last year, the official release was this year, and the record rips.
5. Dillinger Escape Plan- One Of Us is the Killer
There is a divide amongst Dillinger fans, and it seems you either like Greg’s vocals and the direction the band has gone since Miss Machine, or you think the band peaked with Calculating Infinity. I’m on the former side, I love Greg’s vocals, and I think this is one of the best DEP records since Miss Machine.
4. Deafheaven- Sunbather
At this point, seeing this on a top 10 list is a given. It’s insane how much attention has been around this record, mainly from more mainstream publications. Hype aside, it’s a monster of a record. Deafheaven have taken a genre of metal that usually sucks the soul out of you and makes you numb, and created a new subgenre, with a record as beautiful as it is brutal. Also, they kind of remind me of Grade (just a little bit).
3. Akimbo- Live to Crush
One of my all time favorite Seattle bands, Akimbo made a record after they called it a day. “Live to Crush” stands up really well with the rest of their catalogue, and tracks like “Building a Body” bring it all to a very fitting close.
2. Sandrider- Godhead
One of my most anticipated albums of 2013, Godhead delivers on all fronts. A classic from start to finish, it was a tough decision between this and….
1. Great Falls- Accidents Grotesque
This record was 2013 in a nutshell for me. The entire record is devastating, especially tracks like “Replace Me With Fire” and “The Forgiveness Machine”, finishing each side of the record. The album itself is full of crescendos, abrasive vocals, and some of the best riffs I’ve heard all year.
Honorable Mentions- Inquisition- Obscure Verses for the Multiverse, Author & Punisher- Women & Children, True Widow- Circumambulation, Pinkish Black- Razed To The Ground, Vampire Weekend- Modern Vampires Of The City
Lee Newman (Writer)
10. Vasaeleth – All Uproarious Darkness
A shot in the arm of sick, gnarly death metal. Clocks in at under twenty minutes and leaves you reeling, with white knuckles and a loopy grin on your face.
9. Grave Miasma – Odori Sepulcrorum
Arguably some of the best traditional death metal released this year, thanks to its pitch-perfect production and truly menacing vocals. Everything is delicious Incantation worship and nothing hurts.
8. Portal – Vexovoid
A densely knotted, mind-bending oddity. Surprisingly catchy and listenable despite the deep-seated feeling of dread that pervades it. The horror, the horror!
7. Vastum – Patricidal Lust
Visceral, blustery Bay Area death/crust/doom. Reminiscent of Bolt Thrower and Autopsy in all the best ways, but without sounding overdone or contrived. Menacing, rip-roaring and seriously cool – a standout amongst all the new-wave-of-old-school-death-metal clones.
6. Kayo Dot – Hubardo
How does one even describe this band – symphonic chamber prog jazz metal? Achingly, unclassifiably gorgeous. Might provoke a few tears.
5. Ævangelist– Omen Ex Simulacra
Twisted, horrific experimental blackened death metal. Intensely rhythmic in ways that don’t make sense, dissonant in ways that will keep you up at night. Could probably cause earthquakes when played at high volumes. For fans of Portal, Mitochondrion, and hellish tentacled nightmare creatures.
4. Inquisition – Obscure Verses for the Multiverse
The tried-and-true black metal duo breaks away from their traditional songwriting formulae to deliver a more mature, adventurous and heavy album than they ever have before. New additions like growled vocals and sweeping guitar solos fit perfectly into their well-established repertoire. Lucifer must be so proud.
3. Deveykus – Pillars Without Mercy
Klezmer doom, played by Hasidic Jews. Profound meditations in monolithic trombones, funereal drums and ancient lore. The project is based on traditional Hasidic melodies called nigunim, which are supposed to be sung repeatedly until either your voice gives out or you reach a transcendent state. I’ve always maintained that Judaism is totally kvlt, and Deveykus are proving me right.
2. Vhöl– Vhöl
A nearly indescribable effort from members of Yob, Hammers of Misfortune and Agalloch. Totally crusty, yet rife with power metal and prog riffs. Sounds at once vintage and futuristic. It’s blackened and aggressive yet gleeful and light-footed. Weird, yet highly enjoyable.
1. The Ruins of Beverast – Blood Vaults – The Blazing Gospel of Heinrich Kramer
An elaborate concept album from the former Nagelfar drummer, replete with Latin chanting, church organs, ghostly sandpaper vocals and some of the most malicious palm mutes and double-kick work you will ever hear. Each Ruins of Beverast album is more ambitious than the last, and this latest effort is a true epic.
Dustin Carroll (writer)
10. The Dillinger Escape Plan – One of Us is the Killer
Another staple in their pedigree.
9. Russian Circles – Memorial
Every album this band releases belongs on a top ten list. One of the very best at what they do.
8. Celeste – Animale(s)
Normally an extremely prolific group, it took three years for this French outfit to release this monstrous album. The dual guitars are oversaturated with delay and reverb for a majority of the record, adding even more girth to their already massive slab of blackend post-hardcore. With Altar of Plagues calling it quits, we can look to Celeste to carry the torch of genre-bending experimental metal.
7. Oathbreaker – Eros/Anteros
Take the best parts of a Converge album and add in a knife hit of some French black metal influence, and you have a winning formula. Vocalist Caro Tanghe has some of the most intense, heartfelt vocals around. I expect this band to go on to do great things.
6. Deafheaven – Sunbather
I admire this album for the sheer fact that it pissed off so many people for so many stupid reasons. The fact is, post-rock melodies and major key black metal riffs are a great combination to those that don’t dwell upon how kvlt something sounds. Deafheaven may not be the first band to do it, but they made an incredibly potent, listenable, and controversially marketable album.
5. Master Musicians of Bukkake – Far West
Atmospheric in ways other bands can only dream about, this album is a haunting glimpse into our failed future. Warning: May cause acid flashbacks.
4. Subrosa – More Constant Than the Gods
When humanity kills off most of itself, this album will be the soundtrack to the desolate wasteland left behind.
3. Lycus – Tempest
Ethereal, dystopic, bleak in all the best ways. As meditative as it is aggressive, I feel like I probably listened to this record more than any other all year.
2. Vattnet Viskar – Sky Swallower
This is the record you should have heard instead of Sunbather.
1. Light Bearer – Silver Tongue
A thickly layered, dense work of storytelling that can be both ruthlessly heavy and ethereally beautiful. With every song ranging between ten and twenty minutes, the album can be an endurance trial to take in, but it is utterly worth it.
Jeffery McNulty’s 10 records of the year in alphabetical order…
1. Akimbo -Live to Crush
Weird, one of the best bands in Seattle ever breaks up then puts out a ‘swan song’ and it’s still one of the best records this year? Go figure… Not to give Sandrider’s new record short shrift, I had to go with my heart and give this band one last shout out.
2. All Pigs Must Die-Nothing Violates This Nature
Holy hell this record is intense! I love every second of it. Kind of a Boston super group but not really, this band is aggressive and they mean it. They really mean it! The toughest album of the year, period.
3. ASG-Blood Drive
This gets my vote for best record of the year. I don’t know how to put this any other way but, to me, these guys are the South’s Jane’s Addiction… (Catchy, heavy songs, vocals in the higher register, not afraid to be slow and trippy but they still rock…) If you hate Jane’s give this record a chance anyway and regardless of ASG’s Volcom labeling. I do not say this lightly, I LOVE this band. I practically know every word to every song.
4. Centuries-Taedium Vitae
This is what happens when dudes with short hair and college educations make Blackened Metal. From the opening bars of ‘Incipit Tragoedia’, to the bleak yet classy art, to the creepy Latin song titles, these dudes are not only smarter than you, they are more intense.
5. Gaythiest -Hold Me But Not So Tight
This record is the penultimate Gaythiest record so far: heavy, fun, intelligent etc. If you know me, you know my love for this band, these guys can do no wrong and this is so right!
6. Great Falls-Accidents Grotesque
This is awkward: I engineered this record, but I don’t care. Great Falls is not only the most original, but quite possibly the best band in Seattle. No joke and no offence to my brothers and sisters holding it down on Seatown. You know it’s true so I don’t have to elaborate. Just get this record and then see them live, you can thank me later.
7. Ghetto Blaster-Self Titled
Every 5 years or so a band like this comes along. Before this it was Triclops and before that Hellworms or Alice Donut or whatever… I love this type of glasses wearing, super-genius noise rock. This record is badass and the lyrics are for real. Get with it!
8. Red Hare-Nites of Midnite
This is an amazing punk record. The only bad thing I have to say about it is that it’s short and sweet. Two more songs would make it even better. I really respect a group of DC vets coming out to the West Coast in a van and kicking all sorts of ass. This is the kind of band I never thought I’d hear again. Look these guys up! Give them your money!
9. Sub Rosa -No Help For The Mighty Ones
This record is on everyone’s ‘best of’ (including Rolling Stone) and I cannot disagree… I saw them earlier this year at the Highline and it was like seeing a less testicular Swans in their infancy. This record is beautiful, sonically and artistically. (How can a band from Salt Lake be so amazing? Uh, Gaza… to be hip in 2014 check out the Boise crust/metal scene, it’s off the hook! Uzala I’m talking about you!)
10. Weekend Nachos-Still
Apparently these dudes have been around since 2008 or something? How did I not hear about them till now? This band’s new record rules! From the opening break where the gang vocals literally sound like a pack of rabid barking dogs, all the way through to the end. They play Power Violence, they do Hardcore, they have slow breaks! Exclamation points!!!! I will not stop listening to this record you can’t make me.
Shit I recorded: Because I would be remiss in not mentioning them…
Trashfire-Trash Life EP http://trashfiremusic.bandcamp.com/
Geist and the Sacred Ensemble-Beyond This Vessel http://moonglyph.com/releases/mg68
Further shout outs to Green River Thrillers and Whores see my reviews of these awesome bands here:
https://theseattlepa.com/greenriver-thrillers-retarder-review/
https://theseattlepa.com/whores-clean-review/
Brian Kim (Writer)
10. Lesbian – Forestelevision
An epic demonstration in longevity, this opus is a masterfully written odyssey through nearly every dark corner the psychedelic metal genre has to offer. From sludgey, ambient drones to face melting shredding, Lesbian kept this single forty-four minute track of an album dynamically on point through it’s entirety.
9. Lord Dying – Summon The Faithless
With Summon The Faithless, Lord Dying have effectively summoned a blistering doom metal record for the ages. This album is pretty much a non-stop bullet train through the fires of hell, with the devil burning red hot riffs straight into your poor, soft brain.
8. True Widow – Circumambulation
True Widow certainly has a way of being both heavy and chill. Their smooth blend of stoner rock, post-rock, and shoegaze is mesmerizing, and their stripped down, simplistic style works to make Circumambulation into a beautifully crafted, sonically captivating record.
7. Vista Chino – Peace
Whenever a band gets back together, it’s a bit scary. Who knows whether they still have whatever it was that made them so good, or even if they do, whether it would still resonate with your potentially more refined musical palette? Luckily, the boys from Kyuss, despite the lack of Josh Homme, have come back with the glorious album Peace. The glory days of Sky Valley are reminiscent, big open riffs, heavy grooves, but at the same time it is clear that the band has been evolving as musicians, and in a very good way. Old fans won’t be disappointed.
6. Lumbar – The First and Last Days of Unwelcome
It’s a very tricky and subtle thing to create music which simultaneously brings discomfort and unease, while also captivating a listener into wanting more. With The First and Last Days of Unwelcome, there are parts that make me want to rock out and bang my head just as much as there are parts where I feel I may throw up and pass out, but I’m loving every second of it. This is definitely a great one to blast at high volumes with a bottle of whiskey and a big fat spliff.
5. Red Fang – Whales and Leeches
I will admit, at first listen I was not a big fan of this record. I felt it just didn’t live up to the greatness that was captured on Murder the Mountains, and I was left wanting more. So, hungry as I was, I kept listening to it. There was something that just kept me coming back for more, and the more I listened, the more I fell in love with the big smokey riffs, the drunken swagger of the vocals, and the overall rocking vibe of the album. There are some solid hooks on this record, and I was caught and reeled in.
4. Rose Windows – The Sun Gods
The Sun Gods was one of my most highly anticipated albums this year. I’ve been following Rose Windows since their creation, listened to their early live performances as they jammed out epic 70’s inspired psychedelia with a heaviness and purity that came effortlessly, and was thrilled when they made the big jump and signed with Sub Pop to release their long awaited debut. That being said, there are some really great songs on this record that merge psychedelia, folk, and rock, but what really makes it for me is when they hit the tripped out jam sections, igniting into vibrant, electrifying solos as they tear through time to a past rich with heart when the spirit of rock and roll was wild and free.
3. Sandrider – Godhead
Sandrider did it again. Their debut has continued to stay in my rotation since its release, and so far, the heavy hitting, huge sounding rock record that is Godhead stands to do the same. There isn’t a weak track on this album, from the thunderous intro of Ruiner, to the expansive title track Godhead, Sandrider never stop throwing down raging riffs and pounding beats. Listening to this record gives me an itch to be pounding beers at a show.
2. Ravenna Woods – The Jackals
It seems with each record, these experimental anti-folk rockers take another step forward in expanding their sound into bigger, fuller territory. Since their stripped down conception as an acoustic three-piece, Ravenna Woods’ newest effort features the addition of a fourth member, adding massive dynamics in terms of layers and instrumentation. This richer soundscape still employs the expected dark, shadowy undertones, spooky-yet-pretty melodies, and exceptional musicianship and songwriting.
1. Daft Punk – Random Access Memories
Despite the lead single Get Lucky dragging this record down into a Gangnam Style-esque level of overplayed, I still can’t get enough of it. In my mind, this may be Daft Punk’s masterpiece, pushing them into a new tier of world-class musicians and producers. Each track has its own unique voice and style within the overall 70s/80s dance music theme of the album, each song is incredibly well written, and the record as a whole is beautifully produced with nearly all instrumentation being recorded live rather than electronically generated (even most of the synths!). Forget all the ridiculous hype and promotion and marketing there was for this album, at its core, Random Access Memories is legitimately a brilliant album and an instant classic.
Honorable Mentions: A Province of Thay – The Grieving, Bosnian Rainbows – Bosnian Rainbows, Into The Storm – Light Lovers & Heat Mongers, Levels – V, Russian Circles – Memorial
Angelica Jannone (Writer)
10. In Solitude – Sister
As far as 2013 releases go, there is so much I’m still sifting through; but perhaps having seen In Solitude on tour for Sister allowed them to stick in my mind a bit more. A kind of mellower Candlemass combined with Classic Rock sensibilities, yet there is a lot that makes this band’s sound unique. A little nostalgia and tons of moody vocals secure In Solitude on the shortlist of Swedes looking to turn away from pursuing heaviness for heaviness sake and instead look to fill the ever-widening gap between Extreme metal and straight up rock music. Rock doesn’t have to die and it doesn’t have to suck, I particularly like the vocals, which conjure a little Messiah crossed with a hint of Robert Smith.
9. Mitochondrion – Antinumerology EP
In its mere 12 minutes and 12 seconds, Antinumerology embodies a frenzied and chaotic homage to both old school death metal and something much more dissonant and sharp. The layers of fuzz that coat everything allow their sound to stand in a class on its own, one that is almost bigger on the inside as it is on the outside. To put it simply, they cram as much as possible into this short amount of time. It’s like what those commercials try to tell you about all the flavor they’re able to pack into those teeny-tiny Cheez-it crackers.
8. Dressed in Streams – ST/Azad Hind
A total mindfuck in a collection of songs, I had to include this one mainly because I found it so damn refreshing. Icy synths and sinister, mostly obscured vocals create a sharpness to their sound while they throw you curveballs in the form of more “lo-fi” sounding drums, varied guitar effects and even some sitar music. These songs are some real shapeshifters in the sense that you won’t always see the changes coming, yet, oddly, they manage to make sense.
7. Aksumite – Return
Since I don’t have testicles, I would say I really voted with my ovaries on this one in the sense that I found it so cathartic and “kickass” in lieu of the endless onslaught of black metal releases this year. It displays a great deal of energy and rawness to the point of near exhaustion. It gives you the feeling of both power and strain, boundlessness and its limits; the paradoxical sensation that often comes with being rather pissed off.
6. Vhol – Vhol
I remember the first time I saw Vhol in 2012 having never heard them before. I was surprised and tickled to see Yob’s Mike Scheidt in such a crustier, thrashier flavor. Vhol is a real supergroup of sorts including members of Agalloch and Hammers of Misfortune. It’s interesting to see this band taking quick detours from their more progressive projects in favor of some really charged up, ass-kicking shlong metal while still maintaining some of the characteristics that make their other bands so unique. At the core of this are John Cobbett’s sparkly guitar solos that made Hammer of Misfortune’s 17th Street so damn theatrical, bordering on some kind of rock opera. There’s a lot going on with Vhol’s sound that makes it a real genre-bender.
5. Windhand – Soma
Windhand gets compared to Black Sabbath a lot probably because they sound like Black Sabbath if you threw them in swamp, had them crawl out and in their initial gasps for oxygen, they would instead be offered giant bongrips from members of Electric Wizard. What’s not to like?
4. Church of Misery – Thy Kingdom Scum
Another strong effort from these Japanese sludgelords who have a magical way of making the sinister and depraved into a total party. Beyond all the serial killer worship, Church of Misery has gone as far as to make the very soundtrack of the decline of western civilization. It’s a swampy ode to our moral decadence and it’s riddled with riffs and punishing bass lines to keep your stupid head banging while the whole world burns to the ground.
3. Power Trip – Manifest Decimation
This thrashy “hardcore crossover” effort combines a little D.R.I. worship with some well-placed reverb to deliver a total kick in the pants. It’s chock full of hits, but in particular “Conditioned to Death” has an opening that will make you say “Wait, what year is it?” and then promptly auto-reply “Who the f**k cares.”
2. Primitive Man – Scorn
Speaking of caring, it’s hard to care about anything when listening to this impossibly heavy release from this Denver band. I missed their show, like an idiot, and proceeded to listen to this quite a bit. It’s hard to describe it with a ton of fancy words mainly because it’s so utterly devastating- it’s like oxygen deprivation and nihilism all at once that it almost doesn’t make sense, kind of like aspirating on blackstrap molasses.
1.Portal – Vexovoid
For reasons I can’t fully explain (or maybe I can), Portal is my favorite band. This album
was highly anticipated after Swarth left everyone titillated and/or confused and/or repulsed as the band appeared to be leaving planet earth in favor of an anachronistic and deeply evil universe of their own making- well, I think H.P. Lovecraft may have had a hand in it as well. Their music is unplaceable- the sound seems to implode and expand into gaseousness in an undulating manner similar to that of some unimaginable beast. There is the desire to manifest unseen terror, similarly to that of Lovecraft who recognized that it’s the darkness of one’s imagination that yields real horror, which, if all the right things remain in the dark, should be infinite. It’s difficult to dissect Portal as a band as they seem to prefer you experience them in totality, yet listening to them on headphones is a uniquely puzzling treat. Guitars flutter into oblivion before going off on their own, slight tangents and the vocals seem to breathe in a terrible and ominous way, but at times seems to oddly reassure you as if you’ve entered some kind of sadomasochistic relationship with Cthulhu. All of the components whether they appear to be working together or rebelling from one another at certain moments almost seem to be teaching you about the very nature of matter itself, the essence of pure darkness beyond musicianship or even identity. It looms, billows and heaves and comes alive more than anything else I’ve heard. For this reason, Portal remains in a class of its own.
Pam Sternin (Writer)
10. Mercy Ties- A Dim Lit Place
9. Big Eyes- Almost Famous
8. GAG- This Punk Shit Is Cool But I Hope I Am Rob Zombie When I Am 28
7. Eye of Nix- Self Titled Demo
6. Monogamy Party-False Dancers
5. Gaytheist- Hold Me…But Not So Tight
4. Dream Decay- NVNVNV
3. Great Falls- Accidents Grotesque
2. Transient- Self Titled
1. Akimbo- Live To Crush
