After a few average months, the quality of metal in June heated up along with the weather. Nachtmystium topped the monthly rankings, and will be on a lot of best of 2010 lists later this year. Yakuza, Nevermore, Watain and others also released excellent new albums this month. Here are our choices for the best five CDs released in June, 2010.
1. Nachtmystium - 'Addicts: Black Meddle Pt. 2' (Century Media)
Century Media Records
When the reigning metal nerds compile their best-of lists in six months Addicts: Black Meddle Part 2 will be deemed one of the best records this year. Addicts is a brave and passionate album that will have its detractors much like its predecessor. But anyone who gives this album an honest listen would have a hard time disputing that it is startling and original.
Much of the credit again rests with frontman Blake Judd. His devil-may-care attitude is the reason Nachtmystium continues to release such ambitious music. He shuffles studio musicians for each record to get an influx of news ideas and sounds (Addicts features Wrest of Leviathan of drums). He mines his black metal roots for a loose template. And then he lets his creativity go into overdrive.
2. Yakuza - 'Of Seismic Consequence' (Profound Lore)
Profound Lore Records
Like their previous work, Of Seismic Consequence blends varied influences into the Yakuza sound. Math metal, grindcore, jazz, death metal, hardcore and many other genres rear their head at different times on the album. After a fairly nondescript opening instrumental, things kick in with “Thinning The Herd.” There are dense riffs and harsh vocals along with melodic singing.
“Stones And Bones” is a catchy song that's dynamic and relatively straightforward for the first half, then a sax solo leads to a dark and doomy finish. Yakuza's experimental side is showcased more extensively on longer tracks like “Be That As It May.” The first half is mellow and acoustic with lower pitched vocals from Bruce Lamont. It then becomes brutal and intense with harsh vocals before finishing up with a melodic groove.
3. Watain - 'Lawless Darkness' (Season Of Mist)
Season Of Mist
Lawless Darkness is much grander in scale than previous albums. Watain seems hell-bent on not succumbing to the temptations of black metal conventions, using them more as guidelines instead of strict rules. Make no mistake; this is still a sinister affair, with plenty of slicing riffs and thumping blast beats to go around. The band has not gone up and left their roots, which will undoubtedly let long-time fans breathe a little easier.
What Watain has done is used the increased running length to broaden their atmospheric touches. Each song is over five minutes long and invokes a feeling of epic carnage, even with the more standard songs like opener “Death’s Cold Dark” and “Reaping Death.” The pace of the music is never one speed for long, which makes for an album where unpredictability plays a major role. Some of these moments include the thrilling guitar work on the instrumental title track and the harsh contrast between majestic harmony and static aggression on “Wolves Curse.”
4. Nevermore - 'The Obsidian Conspiracy' (Century Media)
Century Media Records
The Obsidian Conspiracy follows the Nevermore blueprint of heaviness, melody and progressive influences. However, it is more straightforward than a lot of their recent output. “The Termination Proclamation” is a regal opener, a short, mid-tempo song that sets the stage for what's to follow. “Rise To Poison” kicks in with an anthemic chorus that could easily become a live staple. “Moonrise” has heavy guitars and many intense moments, but is also melodic with a lot of hooks.
Things get melodramatic with “And The Maiden Spoke,” which has some spoken word vocals from Dane along with melodic singing. Some intense guitar breaks and solos help prevent it from being too cheesy. Dane's strongest performance is on “Emptiness Unobstructed,” showcasing reserved and nuanced vocal lines alongside powerful singing with a lot of range.
5. Pain - 'Cynic Paradise' (Nuclear Blast)
Nuclear Blast Records
Although Pain serves as the opposite side of the musical coin for Hypocrisy mastermind Peter Tagtgren—a radio friendly mix of goth, electro, dance and rock—one could argue that it’s this end of things which is providing some of the man’s most memorable and enjoyable work these days. Yes, Cynic Paradise is THAT good.
Of course, practically all of Pain’s discography is good, from the self-titled 1997 debut to 2005’s breakout Dancing With the Dead, but Cynic Paradise just may be the one to finally break the band in America, given that fact that the project has garnered Tagtgren so much attention and appeal over in Europe.
