Hey, back in early December I made my most best of the year’s list, but I knew some albums were still to come, and that I’ll become aware of other great records that were released this year but weren’t featured there.

So here we go!

Zorbas Crisol – Criollo EP
Gabriel wrote a review on the Chilean band, and I’ve fallen in love myself! Zorbas Crisol are unpredictable, talented, and varied. I have to say that saxophone-imbued math rock/metal is not found everywhere, and it’s really great to have that somewhere! I can’t wait for them to release a new album, even though Criollo EP just dates back to November.

Antonio Sanchez – Birdman OST
I haven’t even seen the movie to that soundtrack yet, but damn this is some out-of-the-ordinary, amazing and human music. The interesting part of it consists of almost 20 minutes of improvised drumming, by an incredibly talented jazz drummer under the guidance of the movie’s director. The drums truly react to what’s on screen, that’s why I really must watch this movie, too!

Tharsis They – Formless/Shapeless
They released an awesome, brutal album back in 2012, called Ominous Silence, and with their newest EP they really are just building on the good stuff. It’s short, but it’s great, and either way it’s free!

The Project Hate MCMXCIX – There Is No Earth I Will Leave Unscorched
Crowdfunded-only album. That’s so sad because it’s easily one of the best albums of the year! Strangely, I found that their latest album was a bit underwhelming, after the masterpiece that Bleeding The New Apocalypse was – and still is. However, There Is No Earth I Will Leave Unscorched takes – I believe – the same approach than the aforementioned masterpiece, but with different vocalists.
If you can find somewhere to buy it, buy it; if you don’t get it any way you can, because this is one record you don’t want to miss.

Shell From Oceanic – Ambivalence
Portuguese jazz-metal fusion instrumental band. It’s a truly great album. But I’ll let our writer Keegan describe it for me: “Shell From Oceanic certainly lives up to the name, delivering instrumental metal that shells out waves of oceanic atmospheres and swells of musical intensity and virtuosity. The guitar working is technical yet tasteful, all while smooth, lyrical synth motifs adorn the music. The fretless bass is an awesome touch, as well!”
All is said.

Baring Teeth – Ghost Chorus Among Old Ruins
If you’ve never heard devastation through music – or maybe you’re a fan of Ulcerate – then listen to this. That album is greatly dissonant, but never in a cheap or oversimplified manner. However as you might have noticed through the years I am not that talented with words… I’ll let you read Metal for music majors‘ review of the album. It’s a great blog and I think you should visit them!

Matheus Manente – Illusions Dimension
Manente’s album is a great instrumental solo album. It doesn’t defy much, if any of the traditions of progressive metal solo albums, but it does them great, and in his own manner. There are good solos, good riffs, good ambiences and atmospheres.

vod – ᛃᚢᛚ (Yule)
One-man-band, all-bass post-metal/grind outfit vod have just released the runic-scripted ᛃᚢᛚ, which means Yule, Christmas’ old Norse origins. And, indeed, it is a short, free, “Christmas” pagan mini-album. It’s definitely one of the heaviest releases of the year, too, being tuned in drop E on a 7 string bass.

In other news, Pryapisme have released the instrumental, orchestral version of their upcoming album Futurologie: Petit Traité De Futurologie Sur L’Homo cretinus trampolinis (Et Son Annexe Sur Les Nageoires Caudales), which consists of only the 22 minute title track. Spoiler alert: it’s freaking amazing! If this doesn’t sell you how incredible and out-of-this-world Pryapisme are, I really don’t know what will. I’m excitingly and impatiently waiting for February to come.

Also, Last Chance To Reason came up with the second instalment of their Level 2 video game concept. After the really fun first level/song Upload Complete, here they released The Virus Master, or songs Coded to Fail and Taking Control as shoot-em-ups. You can download it here, for Windows.

Tigran Hamasyan has successfully hyped us for his next album, Mockroot. I believe it will be a sensational technical progressive metal album played by a jazz band lead by a solo pianist. If this were to be re-recorded by metal musicians, it would easily compete with the likes of Animals As Leaders.

Becca Stevens still has to release her Perfect Animal album, which was released in November for Japan I believe, but will be released in January or February for us Westerners.

Every Man Is An Island, the next opus by Lee Wanner, has got me excited but I don’t really know when it is to be released! I only know that when it will, I’ll grab it.

Formed by three ex-Obscura members, along with other great musicians, Alkaloid will body slam you when the album comes out. We didn’t like the self-praised lines used to hype the project, but we definitely like the music, and that’s what matters. Check out the song Carbon Phrases.

Australian prog-metalcore band Slice The Cake announced Odyssey To The West for March 1st… And Gosh it looks promising! No ear-teasing yet, but the mind-teasing is strong! I mean, just reading the track list will get you goosebumps!

Last but not least, Amia Venera Landscape, the Italian post-metallers, have released a short teaser – it’s almost nothing – for their new album Visions. Seeing as The Long Procession still is one of my favourite albums, I don’t expect less from the new one.

Well, I hope (but that’s a lie) that I won’t be finding new amazing music until the end of the year, or I will be bound by duty to come here again and inform you guys – once more. In the mean time, profit of the winter (or summer if you’re heads down), and the festivities (if that’s your thing). Anyways, keep blasting great music through your ears!