TEETHOFTHEDIVINE STAFF PICKS FOR 2014!!!
Another year. Another year of great metal, comebacks, surprises, letdowns, and everything in between. For Teethofthedivine, it was a transitional year as staff turnover was balanced by amazing output that resulted in new content virtually every day of the year. Former Internal Bleeding vocalist Frank Rini joined our ranks, and a number of fresh-faced, bright-eyed writers entered the fray, allured by free metal and a chance to have their voices heard. A few of the regular, grizzled denizens remained.
However, it was business as usual getting both old and new staff to get their year-end lists submitted. It took weeks of Liam Neeson-like emails and gravelly-voiced threats (“I have particular set of skills, skills that make me a nightmare for writers like you. Get me your list and I’ll think nothing of it. But if you don’t get your list submitted, I will find you and I will send you an everso slightly peeved Facebook message”) to get the lists all submitted in time.
So without further ado, here are the Staff Picks for 2014. Please feel free to share, comment and add your own list. Here’s to 2015!
Kevin E.
1) Triptykon – Melana Chasmata (Century Media) – One of the most dark, brooding, moving, emotional albums I have ever heard in my life.
2) Black Crown Initiate – The Wreckage of Stars (EOne) – Watch out Ulcerate, you’ve got a band nipping at your heels that can hang with you in the progressive death metal ring.
3) Fallujah– The Flesh Prevails (Unique Leader) – Take note all you copycat deathcore bands, as this is how you advance your sound and stay relevant in the metal world
4) Inanimate Existence – A Never Ending Cycle of Atonement (Unique Leader) – Impressive, symphonic and atmospheric death metal with an emphasis on excellent song writing
5) Gormathon– Following the Beast (Napalm) – The catchiest album of the year due to their soaring vocal style, and their lyrics I could hum for days.
6) Grorr – Unknown Citizens (ViciSolum Records) – Amazingly impressive sophomore album from this French band I had never heard of until about 2 months ago. If you like Black Crown Initiate, you have to hear this.
7) Lacuna Coil – Broken Crown Halo (Century) – Awesome, consistent band that I can always go to when I need a change of pace
8 )Misery Index – The Killing Gods (Season of Mist) – These death/grinders just keep churning out awesome album after awesome album. I hope they make about 30 more.
9) Near Death Condition – Evolving Towards Extinction (Unique Leader) – Just a solid death metal album, and another great pickup for Unique Leader
10) Behemoth – The Satanist (Nuclear Blast) – We get it now, you guys love the Horned Dude, you don’t need to keep beating us over the head it as you did this whole album. That being said it’s still another fantastic addition to their catalog.
Most Disappointing Albums of the Year:
1) The Acacia Strain – Coma Witch – What the hell happened to these guys? They went from one of the top heaviest deathcore bands, to one that just can’t seem to recapture any of their old glory. This is better than their last one, but that’s not saying much.
2) Internal Bleeding – Imperium – I love their back catalog and was way stoked about a comeback album, but about 3 songs into it I know that their ship has sailed.
3) Prostitute Disfigurement – From Crotch to Crown – Horrible songwriting, and one of the most overrated death metal bands out there
Best Slam/Brutal Death Metal Albums of the Year:
1) Omnihility – Deathscape of the Subconscious
2) Origin – The Parable of Scorched Earth
3) Hideous Divinity – Cobra Verde
4) Slamentation – Crawling Through the Morge
5) Septycal Gorge – Scourge of the Formless Breed
Deathcore Album of the Year:
1) Whitechapel– Our Endless War
Heaviest Album of the Year:
1) Black Tongue – Born Hanged/Falsifier– The lyrics suck, but damn this thing is heavier than Kim Kardashian’s ass
Comeback Album of the Year:
1) Unearth – Watcher of Rules – Nice to see these guys ditch the clean vocals and get back to what made them great in the metalcore genre
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Hey Adam-
Where did you find the numbers for your piece about total metal albums being released by year? I’d like to take a gander at that, I was floored to hear there were more metal albums released in 2013 than in all of the 80’s combined!
on Jan 5th, 2015 at 15:43Check out the Metal Archives advanced search page. Under the “search albums” tab you can specify a date range and it will spit out everything released during that time with the total number of entries. You can also specify the release type if you want, which is how I figured out that there were 5,905 full-lengths released in 2013 but only 2,939 from the beginning of 1980 to the end of 1989.
on Jan 5th, 2015 at 19:31A lot of love for Dark Descent in the staff picks, but to my mind the best thing they released this year wasn’t mentioned: Swallowed – Lunarterial. Totally unhinged.
on Jan 5th, 2015 at 21:18Really cool reading these lists. As much good shit as I listened to this yesr there’s still tons of stuff to check out. Looking foraard to delving jnto Saor, Archspire and Stargazer especially.
on Jan 6th, 2015 at 02:17Thanks Adam!
on Jan 6th, 2015 at 16:36Great lists there is plenty I need to catch up on. Just wanna say that An autumn for crippled children rules, they have been pumping out some seriously bleAK shit every year since 2010, and are basically what the cure would be like if they were a BM band.
on Jan 9th, 2015 at 21:21