TEETH OF THE DIVINE STAFF PICKS FOR 2017
Another year on the books, another year packed with excellent metal in every style. And while we didn’t see any significant trends emerge this year, you will notice if you look at our collective lists that there’s very little overlap in our picks. The new releases from the old guard, the standard bearers, and the heavy hitters of death, black, doom and beyond only make up a fraction of what’s offered here – everything else is new arrivals and recent rising stars. No matter where you find it, metal has never been so prolific or diverse, and that is great news for all you out there who are black of heart and hard of hearing. So get ready to dig in and get lost in the deepest bowels of the metal underground – when you come up for air, it’ll be 2018.
Kevin E.
I have to say that overall this was one of the weaker years in metal, with not a large number of releases that I was really crazy about, and good bit of ones I was excited for that turned out to be quite disappointing. That made the hunting a little harder, but the reward for a good find that much sweeter.
- Dying Fetus – Wrong One To Fuck With (Relapse) This album was just catchy as hell, and once I popped it in the CD player it just wanted to keep playing over and over again.
- Hideous Divinity – Adveniens (Unique Leader) Absolutely crushing album with an amazing production, and a phenomenal add to the Unique Leader lineup.
- Left Behind – Blessed by the Burn (Unbeaten) Finding downtuned, crushing, moving hardcore like this is rare, and Left Behind (along with Harm’s Way) are 2 of the best.
- Decrepit Birth – Axis Mundi (Nuclear Blast/Agonia) It was a long wait, but a phenomenal return for one of the tech-death gods.
- Origin – Unparalleled Universe (Nuclear Blast) Time doesn’t slow them down whatsoever, and they just keep blowing you away with what they can do. I just wish the production (esp. on the drums) would have been a bit better on this one.
- Cytotoxin – Gamageddon (Unique Leader) A great mix of brutality and technicality wrapped up in an awesome production. Man I love Unique Leader.
- First Blood – Rules (Pure Noise) Another hardcore band that needs more recognition as they keep getting better and better.
- Hour Of Penance – Cast The First Stone (Prosthetic) One of the OG tech-death bands who put out an album much better than their last one.
- Maggot Colony – Vile Reincarnation (Rising Nemesis) Earth-moving slam-death band out of Japan, which seems to turn out some diamonds in that genre.
- Inanimate Existence – Underneath a Melting Sky (Artisan Era) A quick turn-around on this album and a new lineup, but this pseudo-melodic death metal band has put together another gem.
Most Disappointing Albums of the Year:
- The Kennedy Veil – Imperium (Unique Leader) Their last one was awesome, but the new vocalist just killed this one.
- The Acacia Strain – Gravebloom (Rise) I’m a big deathcore fan and they were one of the originals, but it looks like their ship has sailed.
Best Brutal/Slam-Death Albums of the Year:
- Maggot Colony – Vile Reincaration
- Cranial Engorgement – Horrific Existence
- Rendered Helpless – Entities of Transdimensional Emergence
Most Anticipated Album of 2018:
- Harm’s Way – Posthuman. Along with Left Behind they’re one of my 2 favorite hardcore bands, and hoping their new signing to Metal Blade doesn’t diminish their sound at all. Luckily I only have to wait until February.
Find more articles with: 2017, Staff Picks
Killer list, although i don’t get Bell Witch at all.
on Jan 1st, 2018 at 04:32amped to see Tetragrammacide and Godflesh getting some love here.
on Jan 1st, 2018 at 10:05The Godflesh is great
on Jan 1st, 2018 at 13:18you didn’t like the albums from Immolation, Incantation or Cannibal Corpse ?
on Jan 1st, 2018 at 14:02Thanks for the Oblivion love!
on Jan 3rd, 2018 at 20:10Spectral Voice and Dying Fetus would’ve been my
on Jan 4th, 2018 at 15:1811 and 12 but I didn’t really have a solid 13-15. I’d rather agonize over a limited 10.
Didn’t finally listen to the Dying Fetus until last
month but haven’t been on a brutal death metal kick since earlier in the year.
Don’t understand the love for a band as mundane as spectral voice… You mongos be sure to check out azarath, ascended dead, tomb mold, Acrimonious, degial, lluvia (for fans of Swedish DAWN)
on Jan 10th, 2018 at 21:28The Spectral Voice is interesting, not quite Bestial Blackened Death, not Funeral Doom, not quite OSDM…just a huge atmospheric sound world.
on Jan 21st, 2018 at 17:45