Terrorizer : Critic's top 50 albums of 2015

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It’s not supposed to be this way. As people get older, conventional wisdom and societal railroading dictates we’re all supposed to gradually get more conservative with our views, mellow out our attitudes as we settle into a cushy life of non-confrontation and – god forbid you’re still playing in a band – velvety-smooth rock of the classic and yacht variety. Well, let’s impart an uproarious round of applause upon Napalm Death for not only swinging the political pendulum further to the left on album number fifteen, but also for their transgressive force-fucking of post-punk, industrial, drone and noise rock into the usually unwelcoming arms of death-infused grindcore. [KSP]

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The fact that Terrorizer’s hive-mind has placed Faith No More’s thrilling comeback album so high on this list speaks volumes for this eccentric band’s extreme metal credentials. Similar to what Carcass achieved two years ago with ‘Surgical Steel’, ‘Sol Invictus’ brings together everything we loved about Faith No More during the ’90s, yet does so in a way that is less a mere retread of old ground and more a vibrant rejuvenation of a legend’s artistic spirit. Although every performance is stellar, Mike Patton, once again, steals the show as he speaks in tongues, shrieks, croons and orates in his visionary style. [DB]

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Returning with another soundtrack to the end times, Killing Joke seem as furious as ever on album sixteen. Casting their eyes over East v. West sabre rattling and the erosion of personal freedoms, Jaz Coleman and co. extend their streak of stark, darkly intelligent masterworks. Over 35 years down the line, they remain without peer. [RS]

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Following their acclaimed double album ‘Yellow & Green’ and subsequent brush with death, Baroness have created an emotionally heavy and multi-textured collection of songs. ‘Purple’ is imbued with the agony experienced in the aftermath of the band’s bus crash, but also the triumph of their survival, rehabilitation and growth as humans and musicians. [DB]

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There’s only one real inevitably in life now; that’s when Clutch release a record it’s going to be one of the best that year. ‘Psychic Warfare’ is the latest in that proud tradition from the Maryland veterans. Packed with boogie, verve and groove, ‘Psychic Warfare’ is arguably the very best of all Clutch’s releases. [SJ]

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A tempestuous and heart-rending onslaught of abject nihilism, ‘Exercises In Futility’ emerged from the Polish fog in the most spellbinding and despairingly visceral way possible. Bleak, beautiful and rampantly rejectionist, the album fully realised the sonic misery of Mgła’s sound, offering one of the year’s most harrowing listens in the process. [RT]

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What their peers In Solitude achieved with death rock and classic metal, Tribulation did with black/ death and gothic – though that’s gothic from a more aesthetic point of view, not the heavily clichéd and cheesy musical personification. Beefed up by subtle arrangements and cultural references to classic literature or silent cinema, its richness stands head and shoulders above the rest. [OZB]

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It could have been Amebix’s follow-up to the monstrous ‘Sonic Mass’, but just as fate intervened to disintegrate the legendary crust punks, it also gave us a suitable reincarnation. Rob Miller teamed up with Voivod’s Away and two dudes from Misery to put together Tau Cross and this debut proved their crushing impact can become even bigger. [JCS]

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Feel The Misery’ PEACEVILLE Forged in tragedy and sorrow, ‘Feel The Misery’ was born in tumultuous times, namely the departure of guitarist Hamish Glencross and the passing of singer Aaron Stainthorpe’s father. Heroically overcoming such obstacles, My Dying Bride have delivered another intoxicating account of agony and passion. The return of original guitarist Calvin Robertshaw also promises much for the future. [RB]

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Fifteen years after ‘Flower Of Disease’ Goatsnake finally regrouped for long enough to record a follow-up, and it picked up straight where they had left off. Literally – opener ‘Another River To Cross’ flowed straight out of ‘Flower…’s closer ‘The River’ and it prompted a feast of bluesy, hardhitting riffs unlike any other we’ve heard this year. [JCS]

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A rapturous, upbeat masterclass in melodic death metal that’s as close to perfection as it gets. 25 years into their career and still making classic and timeless albums, Amorphis remain a vital and consistent force. [PW]

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The Plague Within’ CENTURY MEDIA A reenergized and searing return to their miserable roots, ‘The Plague Within’ showed Paradise Lost unequivocally and captivatingly stating that they’re not ready to pass on the melancholy mantle just yet. [RT]

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It’s been a long time since thrash metal sounded this virtuosic and like it was about to be loaded up into a capsule and shot into the stratosphere. Hence, wethinks this west coast collective should have considered naming their sophomore opus ‘Deeper Into Space’. [KSP]

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Royal Thunder have matured as composers as their songwriting has become more nuanced and engaging, while Mlny Parsonz’s powerhouse vocals sound like a soul trapped in eternal turmoil. [DB]

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A melting pot of ideas that surpasses genre convention and as lunatic etched as ever, Sigh yet again confound the senses with an utterly remarkable journey through lands of mystery, imagination and beyond. [PW]

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Melechesh’s longawaited return exceeded all expectations when Ashmedi and his disciples of Mesopotamian blackened thrash unleashed ‘Enki’ like an unmerciful thunderbolt from the heavens. A jaw-dropping and devastating Middle-Eastern masterpiece. [DB]

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Silencing the naysayers, Myrkur’s full length debut is a haunting collection of black metal with overtones of Norse classical music. A compelling and haunting record that sent ripples throughout the scene. [RB]

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The Oath may have had a brief yet celebrated lifespan but its direct successor, featuring former Cathedral axeman Gaz Jennings, has a heavier and catchier sound that puts this debut at the forefront of the occult rock movement. [OZB]

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Cloud Rat came through with one of the most creative, varied grind albums in ages. From the fury of ‘Bolt Gun’ to the contemplative ‘Thin Vein’, every minute of ‘Qliphoth’ is vital. [TS]

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The third Papa Emeritus incarnation presides over Ghost’s richest and most balanced album yet. Back were the big metal guitars and the brain-consuming choruses, while the anonymous Swedes just seem to get bigger and bigger.[JCS]

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Having existed on metal’s fringes, by way of goth, industrial and folk, for a few years, on ‘Abyss’ LA’s Chelsea Wolfe (plus band) goes full-on doom at times – while maintaining a uniquely, deliciously dark outlook. [NG]

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More or less a template for ‘how to succeed at reforming’, Satan picked up the ‘Life Sentence’ baton and ran with it further and faster than most of their whippersnapper contemporaries. [GS]

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Years ahead of its time, we’ll still be figuring out ‘A Umbra Omega’s idiosyncrasies years from now, but all while having enormous fun navigating its darkened mazes of dizzying, sinister experimentation. [JCS]

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US-based death metal trio Horrendous prove the resounding critical acclaim stemming from their jaw-dropping second full-length, ‘Ecdysis’, was no fluke. ‘Anareta’, flirting with perfection, elevates the lofty bar even higher. [JM]

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Current Derkéta, Exhumed and Possessed members and a former Malevolent Creation drummer brilliantly channel Chuck Schuldiner’s spirit to craft one of the most genuinely enjoyable death metal albums in years. [JM]

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Despite now being on an overground metal label, the blackened death noise of Canadian duo Revenge hasn’t withered remotely – from the album’s trademark three.word.title to the demented, misanthropic blasts of murky rage within. [NG]

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Easily their best album in twenty years, and their first double studio release, ‘The Book Of Souls’ proves the Irons have lost none of their ferocious creativity and progressive ambition over the years. [IG]

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Little changed in High On Fire’s plan of attack on their seventh album, but with sobriety and a fresh outlook on life Matt Pike returned leaner and a helluvalot meaner. [AB]

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Far more than just another post- Portal ‘cosmic horror death metal’ band, mysterious Brits Abyssal have produced one of the year’s most layered and complex DM albums, demanding repeated listens. [EC]

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Devoid of compassion, ‘How To Carry A Whip’ creates a miasma of despair and loathing, the sermon of nihilistic beat poet Mike XI Williams serving as a harrowing, essential message for the end times. [RB]