Music 2014: Pick-ups and AotY

[Subway Diet]

What music from 2014 have you guys been listening to? What have you bought and what would you say is the best?

Any Album of the Year picks?

Here's everything I picked up that came out this year and, boy, it's been a good-un!

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Anaal Nathrakh - Desideratum
Genre: The End Of The World As Interpreted Through Industrial Blackened Metal/Grindcore

Behemoth - The Satanist
Genre: Epic Scale Blackened Death Metal

Belphegor - Conjuring the Dead
Genre: Angry And/Or Sexy Blood Drenched Death Metal

Combichrist - We Love You
Genre: Sneering Punk Aggrotech Drenched In Whiskey

Devin Townsent - Z²
Genre: Massive, Progressive And Massivly Eccentric Metal/Rock

Front Line Assembly - Echoes
Genre: Electro-Industrial With Loads of Remixes

Heimatærde - Kaltwærts
Genre: Medieval Themed Germanic Electro

Kampfar - Djevelmakt
Genre: Pagan Black Metal Served Ice Cold

Laibach - Spectre
Genre: Politically Minded Avant-Garde Electropop

Mayhem - Esoteric Warfare
Genre: Nightmarish Experimental Black Metal

Mysticum - Planet Satan
Genre: LSD Tripping Industrial Black Metal

Sequester - Missing Image
Genre: Nerdy But Earnest Progressive Power Rock/Metal

Taake - Stridens Hus
Genre: Frostbitten Black Metal From Darkest Norway

THYX - Super Vision
Genre: Nerdy But Earnest Soulful Futurepop

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A few of these I've not had much chance to give a proper listen, so I'll come back later with my Definitive Top 5/10 Albums of 2014!
I'm sure you're all dead excited for that.

[eVoL]

No question my album of the year is Twilight Cinema by Major Parkinson by a whole load of miles. I cant say theres been much thats really grabbed me this year except that. Even the new Dog Fashion album which I'm predisposed to like was not much more than perfectly decently fine.

[Mantis]

Bought so much new music this year, the difficult part is remembering what actually came out in 2014.

And The Earth Swarmed With Them - You Are Mortal
Melancholic post rock at it's best.

Adebisi Shank - This Is The Third Album Of A Band Called Adebisi Shank
Happy Irish neo-pop rock. Lots of guitars and synth.

Agalloch - The Serpent and the Sphere
Cracking black metal and crushing riffs.

Alcest - Shelter
Far more shoegaze than any of their previous albums. Still good but not quite their best.

Animals As Leaders - The Joy of Motion
Relentless album, sounds phenomenal live.

Barrows - Red Giant
More post rock riffage. Quite heavy on the phasers and wah.

Casualties of Cool - Casualties of Cool
Space Johnny Cash. One of my favourites.

Cloudkicker - Little Histories
This quite literally came out today so I've only listened a couple of times. Classic Cloudkicker though.

Devin Townsend - Z2
Looking past the disappointing aspects, this is still one of my favourite DT albums ever.

Good Weather For An Airstrike - A Home For You
Nice ambient guitar music. Good for chilling to.

Opeth - Pale Communion
More of the same as their last album only with better songs. Cracking live too.

Perturbator - Dangerous Days
80s retro synth pop revival. I've bought so much of this stuff this year.

Pray For Sound - Dreamer
A nice mix of ambient guitar stuff with post rock riffs.

Starcadian - Saturdaze
Another absolute favourite. 80s inspired but very modern sounding disco eletronica. Utterly awesome.

Startle The Heavens - Lost In The Chambers of the Sea
More nice ambient music, probably my favourite out of the genre.

Not sure I could pick a favourite though. I'd have to dwell on it for a bit. My taste in music has probably become more diverse in this last year than ever before.

[Subway Diet]

Seeing as the rest of you fannies can't be arsed to talk about music you've picked up this year, I got bored and re-jiggered my previous list into something more... "awards" like.

Allow me to present:

The Arbitrary Awards for Music I’ve bought 2014!
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Dangerously Catchy For A Storm Of Flesh Ripping, Mind Flaying Rage 2014
Anaal Nathrakh - Desideratum

Best Dressed Band of 2014
Behemoth - The Satanist

Frowning Vag 2014
Belphegor - Conjuring the Dead

Most Likely To Flip You Off With A Sneer While Downing Whiskey 2014
Combichrist - We Love You

Best Album I’ve Not Listened To 2014
Devin Townsent - Z²

Most Awesome Original Tracks Hidden Between Remixes 2014
Front Line Assembly - Echoes

Best Complete Re-Recording Of An Album That Came Out In 2012 2014
FukPig - 3

Most Unironic Dubstep Infused Knights 2014
Heimatærde - Kaltwærts

Most Likely To Get Shirtless, Despite It Being The Dead Of Winter In Norway 2014
Kampfar - Djevelmakt

Most Politically Inscrutable Synthpop 2014
Laibach - Spectre

Most Likely To Cause Insanity, And That’s A Good Thing 2014
Mayhem - Esoteric Warfare

Award For Giving The Most Psychoactive Drugs To A Drum Machine 2014
Mysticum - Planet Satan

Most Nerdy, Yet Completely Ernest Album About RPG and Fantasy Novels 2014
Sequester - Missing Image

Most Likely To Cause Digtits To Fall Off, Though Either Frostbite or Buzz-saws 2014
Taake - Stridens Hus

Most Pleasant, Yet Still Anti-Establishment, Cyberpunk Futurepop 2014
THYX - Super Vision

Best Album of 2001 of 2014
1184 - Windir
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And the big one you’ve been waiting for!

My Best Album of 2014 is…
Anaal Nathrakh - Desideratum

Of course it would be. One of my Favourite Bands Ever puts out an album this year? What else am I going to pick? Predictable, sure, and there were plenty of very, very interesting releases that I’ve bought this year. It's just that for pure enjoyment, nothing can beat Anaal Nathrakh.
So, sit back, put your headphone on, turn the volume up and enjoy the end of the world as interpreted through Industrial Blackened Metal/Grindcore.

[Snowy]

There are several albums I have loved this year, so just to keep Subbeh happy...

*please note, no linkies as I am at work.

Bloodbath - Grand Morbid Funeral

Sweden's finest do a slight lineup change and unleash another beautiful slice of good old fashioned death metal. Delicious.

Carcass - Surgical Steel

An album to banish the shivering memories of Swan Song - opens brutally, and delivers brutality to the last riff.

Darkest Era - Severance

One to appeal to broader tastes - good and heavy, but with clean vocals. This is a belter of an album that any fan of metal should try out.

Decapitated - Blood Mantra

Didn't get Sub's vote of confidence, and while I get where he was coming from this one has had a good few plays while I blast the Jag up and down the motorway to and from work. Good, heavy, angry, what's not to like?

Devin Townsend Project - Z2

While it hasn't blown me away like some of his other work, it is still fucking good.

Casualties of Cool

Mr Townsend's other project. His album of psychedelic space cowboy music is just sublime, possibly my AOTY, reinforced by the frankly mesmerising performance at Union Chapel (right Mantis?)

Ghost Brigade - IV - One With The Storm

Ghost Brigade producing more Ghost Brigade - not quite up there with the awesome Isolation Songs but still a damned fine spot of melodeath.

Opeth - Pale Communion

Much more coherent than Heritage (their worst to date imo), but still a bit lightweight - I really hope that with the weighting of their recent live shows with their heavier (and growlier) material that a full return to form is coming.

The Haunted - Exit Wounds

Another decent straight down the line album from The Haunted. Solid and a return to form.

Jack White - Lazaretto

More Jack White-styled blues. What's not to like?

Triptykon - Melana Chasmata

As a big Celtic Frost fan from back in the day, Tom Warrior can do no wrong with the exception of having a silly name. Triptykon are immense, and this second album is sublime.


There ya go Subbleton, happy now?

[Subway Diet]

There ya go Subbleton, happy now?

Thank you!

Edit: Wait. You didn't like Swansong? I f-ing love Swansong! Sorry, but it looks like we can never be friends.

[Snowy]

I thought it was one of their weakest offerings mate sorry

[Edam]

I've been making my way through the Genesis back catalogue.

The early stuff is actually really awesome.