I guess it's safe to call these our favorites from 2016 now, yeah? (Excluding our own releases, of course.)
A sincere and huge thank you to every one of you who supported Anthems in any capacity in 2016. Here's to a year even better than the last.
Our favorite albums of 2016:
- Blood incantation - Starspawn (Dark Descent)
My favorite album to come out in 2016. Cosmic death metal that’s impressively technical and consistently interesting without becoming masturbatory or tedious. I can’t wait to see what the future has in store for them.
- Bastard Noise - Doomed Expedition (Skull)
I 2xLP soundboard recording from No Fun Fest 2009, capturing material from the “Rogue Astronaut” album. Arguably “peak-skull” captured in surprisingly excellent quality for a live set.
- Black Mountain - IV (Jagjaguwar)
Not many bands trying to ride the psychedelic revival wave hold my attention, but Black Mountain have kept me intrigued for eleven years now. Just enough modern production and effects to not break the spell. As always, their songwriting is generally great, but I don’t dig on their more ballad-esque and airy songs.
- Chthe'ilist - Le Dernier Crépuscule (Profound Lore)
Y’all like Demilich? Not as much as these guys do. Fantastic, muggy and gross death metal from the bogs of Lovercraftian dimensions. When I saw footage of them live I was in awe of how clear everything sounded - these kids are shockingly good.
- Column of Heaven / Suffering Luna - Split LP (Nerve Altar)
The Column of Heaven Material on this split was originally released as a tour-only cassette in 2014. Somewhat surprisingly it ended up being their last official output, as they unceremoniously disbanded in 2015. Due to pressing plant and art delays though, the 12″ version wasn’t available until early 2016. Here’s the thing though: I love Column of Heaven. LOVE them. Really. Suffering Luna’s side of the split may just be superior though. It’s their best material since the 90′s, and sounds like Despise You or Lack of Interest playing Man Is the Bastard songs. Truly excellent on both accounts.
- David Bowie – Blackstar (ISO, Sony/Coumbia)
A dark, foreshadowing document that unfortunately garnered the praise it deserved because of it’s creator’s passing. All the same, I believe wholeheartedly that this album exceeds the “Solid B” of 2013′s “The Next Day,” and features some of his strongest songwriting since “01.Outside.”
- Private Room - Forever and Ever (Iron Lung)
Defying genre classification, Private Room is a punk band that plays hardcore, noise-rock, or powerviolence - depending on which song you just heard and what aspects of its’ members’ resumés you’re paying mind to. Most easily though, one could describe them as the logical progression from Walls (who, in turn, were the logical progression from Cold Sweat) - one of my favorite bands on the superb roster of Iron Lung Records. Their 7″ in 2015 teased excellence, the LP delivered.
- Vermin Womb - Decline (Translation Loss)
It seems like every handful of years whatever fresh new trends have started to carve their own niches in extreme music genres start to shine more brightly, attract new imitators, and become stagnant and cliche before the next cycle begins. We’ve seen it happen with “Mysterious Guy” Hardcore, “Amazing-core,” Hardcore kids who heard Entombed and bought an HM-2, “Hey, I just heard Infest, let’s do that,” and much more. Within metal these winds shift just as drastically (hence the `sudden popularity of Revenge within the past half-decade). Vermin Womb, to my ear, seem to avoid the trappings of the Ross Bay sycophants and Antediluvian or Portal “gross” metal without stepping entirely away from the hallmarks of these sounds that make them engaging. Members of Primitive Man playing music that I believe is significantly more interesting (and I like Primitive Man.)
- The Neon Demon OST, by Cliff Martinez (Milan)
At it’s best moments, some of these tracks could be Coil songs. At it’s weakest, it still sounds like a damn fine Cliff Martinez score - which is still light years ahead of most. And it complimented Refn’s gorgeous film perfectly.
- The Witch OST, by Mark Korven (Milan)
Eerie as fuck. I put this on when I’m at home by myself, or when i’m driving down empty, narrow roads in Chesapeake late at night, and every single time I realize I’m shrinking down to be more inconspicuous as the tension builds. <i>Physically daunting</i>. This is what horror is designed to do - create a permeating sense of dread. Korven accomplishes it brilliantly.
- Antichrist Siege Machine - Demo (Yersinia Pestis)
Bestial shit from Richmond. Conspirators from Left Cross, Unsacred, Sacridose, Cellgraft.
- Black iron Prison - Demo III (Self-Released)
1/2 of The Endless Blockade. Drums, effects, vocals. Powerviolence now for the future.
- Clipping - Wriggle (Sub-Pop)
The album I’d been waiting for them to release. The new LP is good. This digital EP is better. Noisy, razor sharp, and sexy hip hop.
- Dagger Lust - s/t CS (Vrasubatlat)
Dark. Disturbing. Filthy.
- Infernal Coil - Burning Prayer of Infinite Hatred CS (Self-Released)
Blake from Dead In The Dirt playing Teitanblood and Revenge inspired death. Relentless and hateful. Completely exceeded my considerable expectations.
- Innumerable Forms - Promo CS (Self-Released)
I’ve been eagerly awaiting a full length from Innumerable Forms for more than five years. Their debut 7″ was flawless. The songs that got cut from that were included on a decent split with Blessed Offal. These two songs are their first steps in years, and they are promising. Death is coming.
- Intensive Care - This Is Exactly Who You Are 7" (Iron Lung)
This should surprise nobody. Andrew Nolan and Ryan Bloomer wrote an excellent EP of anxiety-inducing “noise-rock,” a term i use loosely here. Take what the best of that genre are typically compese of: now with more noise, and less rock. Less Jesus Lizard and Melvins, more Beherit and Headbutt. As ever, the concept is loftier than most of the peers and greatet context can be obtained via Survivalist.
- Sea of Shit - 2nd 7" (Nerve Altar)
The only worthwhile band in America playing traditional powerviolence. Glad these misanthropes haven’t thrown in the towel yet - because they obvioulsy haven’t ran of out inspiration.
- Tomb Mold - The Bottomless Perdition CS (Self-Released)/ The Moulting CS (Blood Harvest)
EXCELLENT, Finnish styled death from Toronto. Less Sweden, no Florida. More Demigod, Colvulse, Demilich, etc. The full length (comind soon on Blood Harvest) is going to blow minds. Ex-Purity Control/Abyss.
- Vircolac - The Cursed Travails of Demeter (Dark Descent)
Dublin’s finest Quabalistic death metal. Less nu, but not wallowing about in the romanticism of the old. Dark. Unpleasant. Also excellent.
- Writhing Mass - Human Capital 7" (Nerve Altar)
Members of Triac, Defeatist, and ASRA playing unpolished grind in the vein of Excruciating Terror. Everything a twelve minute slab of grindcore wax should be.
Bands that also did great stuff this year worth mentioning:
- Life Drag - Three killer cassettes (one on Iron Lung, two self-released) of murky synth heavy noise-rock dripping with condensation. Increasingly excellent.
- GAZM - Mean as shit hardcore from Montreal. They seem to know and appreciate the aspects of NYHC that I find compelling at 33
- Our Place of Worship Is Silence - A killer LP and a new lineup that looks even more promising.
- Profane Order - Killer, rhythmic bestiality from Montreal. Less Blasphemy, more Ride For Revenge.
- "One Scythe Fits All" OST by Kortland and WIlkinson was also awesome and sorely overlooked.
Albums I still haven’t checked out for some fool reason:
- Davidians - City Trends LP (Sorry State)
- Mommy - s/t LP (Toxic State)
- Sissy Spacek - Disfathom (Helicopter)
- Void Meditation Cult - Utter The Tongue of The Dead (Hells Headbangers)
I’m sure there are others I don’t even know about yet. Been hearing great stuff about that Anxiety LP on La Vida Es En Mus too and I haven’t gotten my hands on one yet.
Best shows and sets I caught in 2016:
- Blood Incantation with Outer Heaven, Left Cross in some house in DC.
Blood Incantation were insane. So tight, so dialed in, so clear. Amazing to see such a fantastic band in a basement before they’re huge.
- The Body & Full of Hell with Left Cross, Fetish Gear, and Apothecary Sound Lodge @ Strange Matter, Richmond VA.
I sang my favorite Devo song with Dylan and it made me the happiest Booji-Boy in Virginia for about three minutes. The rest of the set was equally caoitvating, though it garnered less crowd participation.
- Shannon and my “Bachelor/Bachelorette” Party with Devoidov, Moutheater, Druglord, and Mere Phantoms.
Four of my favorite activate bands, whose members I consider friends, playing to more than 100 friends and family members the night before I married my dream girl. Everyone played well, but I've got to say that Mere Phantoms and Devoidov were both particularly great. The night ended with a firework fight in the parking lot, stomping on shit outside of a hotel, and helping a young lady avoid a stalker. Then the next day I got married! Altogether a pretty killer weekend!
- Tsu Shi Ma Mi Re with We Are The Asteroid, Bato, Empty Vessels, & Daikini @ Charlie's American Cafe in Norfolk.
Sleeper set of the year, and undoubtely the most fun show I went to. THREE ENCORES by TSMMR. Just wild, bouncing, happy-go-lucky rock and roll. Fantastic. Shows like this are the reason I do this - just great sets all night, positive attitudes, and this wild-ass payoff of an unbellievable Tsu Shi Ma Mi Re set that went on almost 45 minutes.
- BH REX FEST with Ancient Torture Techniques, DOC, Triac, Radiation Blackbody, Durian, Mind As Prison, Sex Dagger, and more @ The Riffhouse in Chesapeake, VA.
“The Night of a Millions Blasts.” More than ten bands. Easily four of the best drummers on the east coast all on the same stage. I don’t think there was an objectively bad set all night, and it RAN ON TIME. Complete insanity. Plus, I walked out with Narc and Reeking Cross tapes I’d been wanting all year. Hell of a way to say “Au Revoir, Simone!”
- SECTxvx in DC.
Hardcore should be self-contained to 20-25 minutes at best, and take place in a packed room full of sweaty bodies that care about something beyond the music itself. Seeing a bunch of 20-25 year veterans of the scene toiling away to play for 50-100 kids in a glorified living room is cool - and was cathartic and awesome - but talking to said members before and after the show and knowing that they still give a damn, to hear them decry animal cruelty, police violence, apathy, corporate interest in counter-cultures, cycles of abuse and manipulation, and hearing these things being addressed in that 20 minute set? Well, I kind of needed that again. (The Carcass intro didn’t hurt either.)
- Soft Moon with Last Remaining Pinnacle and Shadow Age @ Work Release, Norfolk VA.
Soft Moon is a finely tuned machine. Excellent live and strongly recommended post-punk that tries new functions and approaches constantly.
- S.H.I.T. with Triage and Firing Squad in a Richmond basement.
SHIT got a more wild response in this RVA basement than when I caught them at a fest in their own hometown the year prior. The PA was worthless so it was just a basement full of kids bouncing off the walls with Ryan screaming. Also, Firing Squad are the best hardcore band in Virginia right now. Superb drumming and water-tight songs. I can't wait for their new 7".
- Left Cross everywhere.
Always killer. I think I saw them eight times this year and they just keep getting better. Catch them on tour in 2017.
