Ghost Cult continues our “End of Year Guest Post Extravaganza” with a slew of posts from bands, industry, PR pros, and more! We’ll be sharing lists, memories, and other shenanigans from our favorite bands, partners, music industry peers, and other folks we respect across the globe. In this edition, Otrebor of Botanist shares his Top Albums List for 2020 ((in alphabetical order). Their album Photosynthesis is out now.

 

Aara – “En Ergo einai”:

Aara is what I want all these supposed big deal post-black metal bands to be playing. I won’t name names. Aara’s music is so beautiful, the melodies and harmonies so great. It’s not the post-black trapping of everything being a big whoosh. The album is too short considering how much I like what’s going on, which is a way better problem to have than feeling the album is too long. Favorite metal album of the year? Probably. https://aara.bandcamp.com/album/en-ergo-einai

 

Ages – “Uncrown”:

This album is a right proper collection of Scandinavian melodic black metal. Think Cor Scorpii or mid-period Thy Primordial, but make the influences feel they come more obviously from a distorted, metallized folk heritage place. Very cool melodies and music. https://agesswe.bandcamp.com/album/uncrown

 

Arkheron Thodol – “Rituals of the Sovereign Heart”:

I’m appreciating how Arkheron Thodol’s black metal songs have vocals, but the focus is more on the music, with very long stretches vocal-free, and when the black metal rasps come in, they’re effectively buried, yet their presence and role are nonetheless effective — I always like this approach as it makes the vocals seem more mysterious. The music on hand tells its own excellent tale, and I’m into the organ parts! https://arkheronthodol.bandcamp.com/album/rituals-of-the-sovereign-heart

 

Bohren & Der Club of Gore – “Patchouli Blue”:

You know, Bohren album to Bohren album, it’s the same thing, especially over the last 20 years. But that thing, dark instrumental lounge jazz, is essential to my happiness, and it’s always great, so AOTY list, here it is. Does the same level of great become “boring”? Maybe it can get that way. Cases in point: The Dale Cooper Quartet out-Bohrens at their own game, pushing the style to much more interesting artistic places; the new Paysage D’Hiver is also great and makes me happy, but it’s great in all the exact same ways as what was great that came before it in the discography. Anyway, “Patchouli Blue” is cool. https://www.discogs.com/Bohren-Der-Club-Of-Gore-Patchouli-Blue/master/1671462

 

Boreal – “The Battle of VOSAD”:

I don’t know what VOSAD is or why it’s all caps, but this 4-track black metal album of long songs with slow, long format melody lines is really good. I love how the vocals are buried in the music. I love the synths and the buzzing guitars. The art is very cool, too. Even though it sounds different, if you like acts like Alrakis, you should check this out. https://nebulaeartifacta.bandcamp.com/album/na-2004-the-battle-of-vosad

 

Cryptic Shift – “Visions From Enceladus”:

This band’s sound is like amalgamating classic Death and classic Pestilence, but more wigged out. My death metal album of the year. https://bloodharvestrecords.bandcamp.com/album/visitations-from-enceladus

 

Eye of Nix – “Ligeia”:

The last Eye of Nix album made my AOTY list because it’s got the complete package in the dark metal spectrum. It’s got furious sections, it’s got still sections. It’s got passages of consonance, and passages of dissonance. It’s got beauty and ferocity, and the band knows how to implement what and when for extremely good flow and musical storytelling. The music is full but it’s not overproduced. The music is well written, the performances are wonderful, and the album sounds like what I’d imagine the band would sound live. I’m repeating all the above for the 2020 album, “Ligeia.” It’s the band doing what it knows how to expertly do, and there’s no hint of thinking “yeah, it’s more of the same.” https://eyeofnix.bandcamp.com/album/ligeia

 

Hwyl Nofio – “Isolate”:

I reconnected with this ambient / experimental project after a 20 year hiatus. I regret having forgotten about it. The sounds from various prepared instruments and experimental manipulations of said instruments (and likely objects that are not instruments) make for a deep, meaningful ambient / instrumental album. Pretty sure this will be in my top 10 AOTY and for sure my favorite ambient album of 2020. https://hwylnofio.bandcamp.com/album/isolate

 

Jesu – “Terminus”:

Like how Justin Broadrick put Godflesh on hold in order to start Jesu, thereby re-invigorating Godflesh when he resumed that project like a decade later, so it goes with the re-invigorating of Jesu. The project was declining for this fan, anyway, from “Conqueror.” Whether the project was every really resting or not, “Terminus” is giant and poignant. It’s touchingly beautiful. It’s got that Jesu knack of being heavy yet smooth, without sacrifices on either quality. https://jesu.bandcamp.com/album/terminus

 

Show Me a Dinosaur – “Plantgazer”:

Initially, this Russian post-black metal band’s album taps into what I loved about Cold Body Radiation’s work. But then “Plantgazer” earns even more points with their emotional dynamics and New Wave flavor to the postblack thing, where the giant guitar fuzz is delightful and the clean and harsh vocals are buried. I eat this stuff up. https://showmeadinosaur.bandcamp.com/album/plantgazer

 

Sarcator – “Sarcator “

Here’s most likely the best album of ripping, fast, fist-pumping, infectious, raging METAL this year. It doesn’t sound like Decapitated’s first album, but it has a similar unbridled energy that comes from mixing teenage exuberance, lack of fear of death or anything else, and musicianship way beyond those teenage years and exuberance. https://sarcator-se.bandcamp.com/album/sarcator

 

Serment – “Chante, ô flamme de la liberté”:

I’ve said a good deal over the years how much I enjoy the blurry, icy, cutting, proud and triumphant music of the French Canadian band Forteresse. That band’s sound is so strong that even though all their songs are basically the same, it doesn’t matter — it’s less like Forteresse play songs and more like they play “the Forteresse.”

Serment is a side / solo project from a Forteresse member. What’s relatively disappointing is the vocals, while perfectly excellent in their black metal conviction, are not so interesting in terms of syntax and the vocals end up feeling like not much more than placeholders. Also in the “disappointing” category, Serment is yet another side project that sounds pretty much just like the main project in terms of composition and intention, and visuals, too! However, that’s also why I love it, because more sort-of more-or-less Forteresse with some minor differences and flavors is still ultra welcome here. https://sermentqc.bandcamp.com/album/chante-flamme-de-la-libert

 

Sxuperion – “Omniscient Pulse”:

I can’t say I care for “war metal.” That an album in this genre (?) is on my AOTY list says something for how awesome it is. That a project’s albums could be on any AOTY list of mine on any given year that said albums were released says even more. This 1-man, side project of the drummer from Valdur is 1) not only way better than the main band (I still love their early stuff) but 2) hits this amazing, amazing spot of subterranean blisschurn via atonal drone riffs and hypnotic blast beats, punctuated by really cool synth ambient interludes. The project does it every time, and every time, it’s fresh. https://bloodymountainrecords.bandcamp.com/album/omniscient-pulse.

 

Ymir – “Ymir”:

I generally seem to think Finnish metal at large isn’t really my bag. It’s a bummer as Finland is, per capita anyway, the hottest bed in the world for metal. But Finnish (black) metal has stereotypically meant abrasive and bestial and ugly, which, all due respect, isn’t really my thing.

But Ymir. Ymir is fucking awesome. Blazing and chilling simultaneously. Sound that’s great in terms of fullness and grimness simultaneously. Excellent music and mix, and killer, killer, killer. Melodies, harshness, trueness. In the Top 5 albums of 2020 for sure. https://werewolfrecords.bandcamp.com/album/ymir-2