January 4, 2015

I don't get the people that proclaims a certain year was "a bad one for metal". On what objective scale do you measure that? Sturgeon's law - "ninety percent of everything is crap" - certainly applies to metal. But with the vast amount of metal being released each year I'm sure you can find something you really like among the non-crap ten percent. If you try.

In 2015 we will continue to be around, and help you with just that (together with other, fine, sites of course). Expect more of the same, just a little less often, as I plan to update the site every second day from now on.

This year we start with a small handful of end of year lists. Like the one below; my take on what on why 2014 was another good year for metal. But not a best of 2014 list in any objective (or even subjective) sense. It’s simply a chronological list of 12 albums I kept coming back to for various reasons. A Bandcamp diary of 2014.


22 January 2014.

28 January 2014.

3 February 2014.

16 April 2014.

27 May 2014.

13 June 2014.

16 June 2014.

20 June 2014.

1 August 2014.

30 September 2014.

14 October 2014.

1 November 2014.

A fitting end to this little diary - the album that spoiled my music listening for more than a month. Every time I heard something new, no matter how good it was, all I heard in my head afterwards was the lovely guitar melodies of Believe in no Coming Shore.

Beneath the sheen of sheer loveliness, the music tugs at your heart. As Justin C wrote "The emotions expressed range through melancholy, righteous anger, hope, fear, triumph, and all the other feelings that we don’t necessarily have words for".

When you hear the triumphant second guitar solo in “Spectral Eyes” it feels as if the whole album has led you to this moment. The gentle title track rounds off the album, and beckons you to take the journey again.


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7 comments:
  1. This site has introduced me to several new bands since Ello.co came out that i loved. Plague Mask being my #1 new band of 2014

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    1. Thanks for reading Jon. I need to do some catching up on the Plague Mask myself.

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  2. Every time I listen to Nightbringer I feel like I'm not worthy. Is there some cult I should join to make sense of their insane music?

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    1. That's exactly how I feel too, and I love it. Like gazing into another universe where our laws of music doesn't really apply.

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  3. This site share pure music gems. Thanks Max and all the metal bandcamp's crew for all the hard work on this web.

    Cheers.

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  4. Thanks Richard and Dave. You're both too kind.

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