Best of 2018

That was insanely hard to make this top-list. 2018 was a really great year for metal and extreme music, if you think good music was made only in 70's, 80's, or 90's you are maybe too old for searching new music, new talents, maybe bored with everything and lost your interest in new music! So so, we have had lots of great releases I personally wait till the end of January to collect everything important, so here is my list, yes in particular order.

 

 

Best of the bests, fuck the rest, here is Mirgilus top 22 of 2018 and more! Enjoy, comment, fight!


1. Akitsa - Credo (Profound Lore Records/Hospital Productions)
The best album of 2018, no other question, beyond styles, beyond everything and the best Akitsa release to date, simply superb, raw and catchy, good songs, great riffs and I love how it is the whole sound! Drums and vocals are the highlights of this masterpiece! I need to see this band on stage!

2. Necros Christos - Domedon Doxomedon (Sepulchral Voice Records)
Almost 2 hours of NC music, the last album, immense work, you need long weeks to breath the whole album! Perfect combination of real death metal and doom! This is how real death metal sounds like! Lots of acoustic intermezzos, immense work, 2 hours and no boring moments! Now I understand why this will be the last album, just perfect, they can't make any better, for sure!

3. Solstice - White Horse Hill (Invictus Productions/Dark Descent Records)
New album after 20 years from the last one! Epic doom metal it's best. A lesson in British Doom Metal, a perfect album, other words are not necessary. Some people say that the vocal is in back, but it's not true! My absolute favorite is the "For All Days, And For None/Under Waves Lie Our Dead ", pure magic!

4. Judas Priest – Firepower (Columbia/Sony Music)
My very best heavy metal band ever! After lots of weak albums they finally made a classic record! They can retire after this album! I can't belive that those old cocks did a such powerfull heavy metal album! "Spectre" is the best song on "Firepower" and my personal favorite is "No surrender"!

5. King Dude – Music To Make War To (Ván)
"Sex" is the weakest KD album, of course for me, too happy, so after that I lost interest in KD, but luckely heard two promo songs from this new one and I bought the album. What a great album again, sad, full with melancholy and every song is different and nice, great surprise I'm the fanboy again. "Let it burn" is my fave song, could be a nice track in an american movie.

6. Funeral Mist - Hekatomb (Norma Evangelium Diaboli)
The killer opening track just simply eliminate! 9 years without FM record. Furious riffs, devastating drums, poisonous vocals, nice samples, speaches and fine choir! This is Black Metal! I don't like the cover art, but the rest is masterpiece! The closing "Pallor Mortis" just put the crown to this great record!

7. Varathron – Patriarchs of Evil (Agonia Records)
Their best record since "The Lament Of Gods". Ancient, powerfull, pride greek black metal! Rotting Christ leave the room as soon as possible! Those greek black metal riffs, harmonies reign! Varathron is one of the creators of a unique Greek sound in metal music!

8. Archgoat - The Luciferian Crown (Debemur Morti Productions)
No weak and boring records ever did this satanic Finnish band, this new one is genial, slow doomy parts with nice solos. "Darkness has returned" one of the best Archgoat songs ever, killer as fuck! No innovation, no progression just satanic black metal of death! Worship!

9. Acherontas – Faustian Ethos (Agonia)
The most greek album from the long Acherontas discography and much better than the previous "Amarta". The band also killer on stage and Acherontas V.Priest is a real underground warrior, long live greek black metal, those melodies and souther power is amazing!

10. Lebanon Hanover – Let Them Be Alien (Fabrika Records)
Minimal darkwave with fantastic female/male vocals, I say minimal! When the world is getting colder this is the perfect music! The greatest new musical discovery for me from the last year!

 
11. Drowning The Light - Cursed Below the Waves (Dark Adversary Productions)
If you like the "From The Abyss" album, which is one of the best DTL album, you will like it this one for sure! The cover artwork is just amazing! Australian black metal from the ocean deep, nice done!

12. Abysmal Grief - Blasphema Secta (Sun & Moon Records/Terror From Hell Records)
I don't like the "Strange Rites Of Evil" album, I can't explain why, maybe not so strong like the previous albums, but "Blasphema Secta" again on the right path! Italian horror doom from the cemetery, the opening "Behold the Corpse Revived" just put you in the right mood, the cover art also fantastic!

13. Vomitor - Pestilent Death (Hells Headbangers Records)
Shitty cover, amazing new album! Those guitar tunes still original and killer! Ferocious death metal from real maniacs, Death Dealer's guitar style and rusty riffs totally unique in today's so called death metal scene! Can't wait the European tour this Spring!

14. Urfaust - The Constellatory Practice (Ván)
Not the best Urfaust album, but contains the best Urfaust song ever written! "Trail Of The Conscience Of The Dead" is just perfect song, pure magic, trance, ritual. Perfect music for drinking a bottle of good whiskey, the gates will open!

15. Peste Noire - Split Peste Noire (La Mesnie Herlequin/MIlitant.Zone)
The cover art is just sucks like the total dumb album title! Lots of receycle Peste Noire themes, riffs and song parts there, but still good! "Aux armes", "Songe viking", "Turbofascisme" still great PN songs! Famine guitar style and tune can recognizable from 666 millions guitar players!

16. Nécropole - Solarité (Northern Heritage)
New force from the France Black Metal scene! Solid debut album with the best 90's black metal traditions! I really like the insane vocals! Fast and furious!

17. Rome - Hall Of Thatch (Trisol)
Jerome is the man! The core is just one guitar, one man, one voice, and lots og great songs. Again a bit different, but the same high level, never bored to listen Rome! I really appreciate that Rome is not doing the same thing on every new record, not as brilliant like the "A Passage To Rhodesia" album, which was the perfect Rome album, but still good!

18. Marduk- Viktoria (Century Media/Blooddawn Productions)
The cover art is just bullseye! Short and intense album! The band is on the right direction again, "Frontschwein" was great this one also great! If you waiting for "Panzer Division Marduk" part 2, this is not your release. The closing "Silent Night" is the boss!  

19. Current 93 – The Light Is Leaving Us All (The Spheres)
What a new album! In 2018 we had 2 new Current 93 albums, the only on song contain "The Stars On Their Horsies" and this! Minimalist, beautiful neofolk? modern classical music? experimental? who knows? but perfect, great lyrics, amazing soundscapes and vocals! Concept album about the light which is leaving us all and about the birds!

20. Cultes Des Ghoules – Sinister, Or Treading The Darker Paths (Hells Headbangers Records)
The best front cover art of 2018! 5 long tracks on this new album, which is the weakest from their discography, but still better than other trendy black metal from nowadays. The opening "Children of the Moon" is my favorite, perfect music for late nights!

21. Anenzephalia – Magenta (Tesco)
One of the most disturbing record of 2018. Ok, it not a regular new album. Magenta collects all the tracks that Anenzephalia has been playing live for over two decades but never released them.

22. Professor Black - Sunrise / I Am The Rock (High Roller Records)
Chris Black can't stay on his ass, if not playing in Dawnbringer, Superchrist, or in High Spirits he is doing PB, a new band, in 2018 he has 1 Ep, 1 split and 3 (!) full length albums, 2 albums are great, the 3rd LVPVS is not my cup of tea! Heavy Metal with Chris Black's nice vocals! Not so speedy like High Spirits, much epic! Sunrise is very personal, "I Am The Rock" is a fine hard rock/heavy metal album for Friday parties with lots of Motorhead feelings, not only the cover is totally Motorhead, it's a nice Motorhead tribute with edge.

The best EP:

Cold Cave - You & Me & Infinity (Heartworm Press)
Ok, not an album just EP, but what a nice one! 4 track and just perfect! The best darkwave / synth-pop from the current scene! Dance, dance, dance!

Best live action in 2018

1. Tormentor (the comeback gig in Budapest, A38)
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2. Judas Priest (Firepower tour, Bucharest)
3. Danzig (Brutal Assault)
4. Abysmal Grief (Brutal Assault)

by Mirgilus, March 2019