2015 has been a good year for music, at least for our genre. Numerous albums were released and new bands were popping out of nowhere like mushrooms after a rainy day. It was a thrilling time working for the blog, listening to all these new songs and discovering what were going to be my favorite albums of the year. I’m thankful for that. This is why I would like to thank Tanguy alias Mr. Fuzz for allowing me to write what I want for this blog whenever I feel like it. It’s one of the most greatest thing ever to be able to share a passion with people who enjoy the same things as you. So thank YOU fuzzers for reading this blog and keeping the community alive, without you we would be nothing. You rock!
Top 15 Albums of 2015
15 : Fuzz – II
Ty Segall is one of those guys that can’t stop releasing albums (Buckethead, I’m also looking at you). II is the sophomore album of one of his most popular project, Fuzz. The sound is still raw, it is still fuzzy and it still sounds like they have recorded the album in their garage : what’s not to be loved here?
14 : Vhol – Deeper Than Sky
This album is probably one of the funniest/interesting things I’ve heard this year. I mean, seriously, Deeper Than Sky can get really weird with its elements borrowed from thrash, death, doom, prog and many other sub-genres. It’s a big melting pot of influences and the band is really having fun with it. And just so you know, Mike Scheidt is the vocalist so if you like his style, you should definitely check this album out.
13 : Kadavar – Berlin
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Ah, good ol’ Kadavar. Well, actually, they are a pretty young band but the hype has been so strong for those guys lately that it feels like they have been around for a while. But they deserve it, their three albums are worth the attention and you can really feel that they stepped up their game with the last one. It’s more mature, the production is on point and it’s just so goddamn liberating to listen to their tunes.
12 – Ape Machine – Coalition of the Unwilling
Ape Machine deliver simple, catchy riffs in the most natural way possible, it’s in their blood. Every track is so groovy you can’t help but headbang and tap your feet to their music. Just give it a listen and prove me wrong.
11 : Doctor Doom – This Seed We Have Sown
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Listening to Doctor’s Doom‘s This Seed We Have Sown is like jumping in a time machine and going back to the late 60’s, 70’s. They deliver some good old rock without overthinking it. It feels like looking at an old album photo from a bygone era but strangely enough, you can still resonate with it because it’s a universal thing. This is the perfect album for lazy afternoons.
10 : Elder – Lore
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I’ll admit, at first I was a bit disappointed with Lore. I’m still not quite sure how I feel about that one but I know one thing: this is a very solid album. It’s more progressive and less heavy than their previous releases but the songwriting is definitely top-notch. They are forging their own sound and that is a very good thing because the genre is becoming a bit overcrowded lately. Bonus point for the cover art that is gorgeous.
9 : Clutch – Psychic Warfare
I don’t know how they pull it off, but it seems that Clutch cannot go wrong. Album after album they keep rockin’ again and again and it is for the greater good. The world would be a better place is everyone listened to them.
8 : High On Fire – Luminiferous
I have to admit, I’m a sucker for Matt Pike’s riffs. So it’s only natural for me to put this one in my favorite albums of the year. Luminiferous is in the continuity of De Vermis Mysteriis but one can easily hear that they pushed their sound a little bit further while also trying to do things a bit differently like in The Cave and The Falconist, two tracks that are more slow-paced than what we are used to hear from High On Fire. In that sense, the album is more complex and varied than their previous releases.
7 : Mutoid Man – Bleeder
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This is the album Mastodon should have released instead of Once More ’round The Sun.
Joking aside, Bleeder is very enjoyable: it’s proggy and sludgy as hell and you can feel that the guys are really having fun playing. It’s a very uplifting album, perfect for a party with metalheads. I would love to see them live, the pits must be insane. It is a bit different from what we are used to and this is why this project (or “supergroup” with members of Cave In and Converge) really deserves your attention.
6 : Weedpecker – II
Weedpecker is one of those bands that get you high by the sheer force of their riffs. The whole album is so smooth you won’t need anything but a good pair of headphones to relax and explore the landscapes those guys conjure up with their music. It’s just perfect if you need to relax after a hard day.
5 : Weedeater – Goliathan
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Weedeater just do what they know best: delivering some dirty riffs with whisky-fueled vocals. It’s a pretty straightforward album and maybe a bit less inspired that the previous one (Jason… The Dragon) but it is still a pretty solid album in my opinion.
4 : Spelljammer – Ancient Of Days
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As I said in my review, this album feels like a trip in space. I know, this is a pretty common phrase in our beloved genre but dammit, they put a freaking astronaut on their cover, what can I say? Their music is so heavy it feels like hitting a bubble of sound which slowly eats you up. And once you’re in it, you can’t escape. It’s so mesmerizing you’ll feel slowly loosing touch with reality. This is definitely my go-to album of the year when I need to unwind with something truly heavy but not aggressive.
3 : Dopethrone – Hochelaga
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I would not want to be in Dopethrone‘s world: it’s cold as f*ck, everyone seems drugged out of their minds and violence is omnipresent. But damn it, how thrilling it must be to live there! I can’t help but imagine myself in the middle of a bar fight against drunk bikers during a cold winter night. This is what this album feels like: your life certainly sucks but at least you can get fucked up and have a good fight to forget your sorrows.
2 : Goya – Obelisk
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The title of Goya‘s second album is quite misleading because Obelisk is everything but monolithic. Their songwriting has gained incredible depth since 777. The songs are more complex and varied: some are angry and fast-paced like The Sun, others are desperate and slow-paced like 300 Eyes and there are also some instrumental acoustic songs which will remind you the golden age of Black Sabbath. Obelisk is heavy, melodic, psychedelic – it’s really everything you would want in a stoner/doom album. So get on the hype train with me and wait for the release of their LP in a few weeks because I’m pretty sure the MP3 and the CD don’t do this album justice.
1 : All Them Witches – Dying Surfer Meets His Maker
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I have been obsessed with this album since its release. The first listen was quite a shock for me as I did not expect such a laid-back vibe and mellow atmosphere. But it quickly grew on me and now not a day goes by when I do not listen to least a track. It is an album I could very well see myself still listening a few years from now. Although there was a great deal of amazing albums this year, none of them made me feel as good as Dying Surfer Meets His Maker. In my opinion, this is a no-brainer: this is the album of the year.
Honourable Mentions
All Them Witches – A Sweet Release
Brothers Of The Head – Light the Night , Feed the Flame
Geezer/Borracho – The Second Coming Of Heavy Chapter One
Le’ Betre / King Buffalo – (split)
Salem’s Pot – The Vampire Strikes Back
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