The TMA Top Releases Of 2015

 

Despite TMA being largely inactive throughout this last year due to a number of unpleasant reasons, the quality of releases during 2015 has been magnificent. As such, the noteworthy must be noted and the following are 45 of the main ones we have enjoyed.

The year is now over, but we still have all of these beauties to remember the best bits.  I was going to edit it down to the best 40, but couldn’t find any others to remove and we are left with an unconventional 45.

So… Album Of The Year goes to Amiensus!

  1. Amiensus – “Ascension
  2. Napalm Death – “Apex Predator – Easy Meat
  3. Ghost – “Meliora
  4. Macabre Omen – “Gods Of War – At War
  5. Amorphis – “Under the Red Cloud
  6. My Dying Bride – “Feel The Misery
  7. Arcturus – “The Arcturian
  8. Drudkh – “A Furrow Cut Short
  9. The King Is Blind – “The Deficiencies Of Man
  10. Indesinence – “III
  11. Enslaved – “In Times
  12. Forefather – “Curse Of The Cwelled
  13. Jarun – “Pod niebem utkanym z popiołu
  14. Nechochwen – “Heart Of Akamon
  15. Outre – “Ghost Chants
  16. Swallow The Sun – “Songs From The North: I, II & III
  17. Panopticon – “Autumn Eternal
  18. Unleashed – “Dawn Of The Nine
  19. Kauan – “Sorni Nai
  20. Ghost Bath – “Moon LoverContinue reading

ESCHATON – “Sentinel Apocalypse”

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Sentinel Apocalypse from Eschaton is just one of those releases that seems utterly perfect at executing the first blow in bare-knuckle, technical death metal. Everything that happens after opener, Obligatory Conviction, is undeniably fantastic, but it is in the first few moments that followers of bands such as Man Must Die, Agonyst, and Meshuggah are likely to be hooked. Continue reading

ANGMAER – “Towards Darkness’ Paradise”

Angmaer - Towards Darkness' Paradise_Cover

One-man, black metal band: a phrase that can strike pre-emptive disappointment into the heart of even the most stalwart extreme music aficionado. It can frequently be the case that these projects lack any kind of individuality or panache, aspects which are thankfully becoming more mandatory in the genre. UKEM’s recent signing, Angmaer, is luckily not guilty of this particular sin.

As the bio states, this is very true to the 1990s’ golden age of BM. The character must be incredibly hard for one person to capture this successfully on their own, and in that Towards Darkness’ Paradise is most assuredly a great success. Although it embraces a touch of the clarity brought to later BM releases, it retains an undeniably classic quality. Continue reading

BLACK TALON – “Endless Realities”

coverIt may only be May, but 2015 has already been awash with fresh thrash offerings, some absolute belters, some a bit flaccid, to be generous. Black Talon now step into the spotlight with their debut long-player, Endless Realities, and something magical is happening. This is genuine street thrash, brought up, full time, in the shadows at the edge of the genre’s history, and splattered with the arterial spray of death metal. If the latter is the input of guitarist Mike Robertson, also of Edinburghian brutes, Cancerous Womb, then it’s well-smoothed around the edges. Continue reading

ANIHILATED – “Anti Social Engineering”


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Remember when you first fell in love with Metallica’s last great album, And Justice For All? What? You didn’t like it? First of all, there’s a chance we can’t be friends, and second, you could well be put off Anihilated’s freshest release, Anti Social Engineering, from the offset. There’s a more diverse character to the long-player, but the riff that primes the album is very reminiscent of that particular moment in the thrash giants’ career, and it echoes on throughout. If ‘the big 4’ had Anthrax switched out for Testament, and were merged into one band, this sound could very well be the result, instrumentally speaking. Continue reading