A little list of albums that have been kicking my ass as of late. Some albums on this list may appear to be "odd" choices, but "crushing" in this context does not necessarily mean heavy. It could be referring to the emotional intensity of the release or the literal heavy pounding sound. Hope you enjoy.

Note (1): More to be added as I see fit.
Note (2): These albums are in no specific order, I have just been adding them as I see fit.

1.Esoteric - The Pernicious Enigma

2.Ahab - The Divinity Of Oceans

3.Agalloch - The Mantle

4.Warning - Watching From A Distance

5.Ulcerate - The Destroyers Of All

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I'm (sorta) back. *The Finishing Touches* OKAY, so obviously not as much stuff from the last half of the year as the first. Sorry guys, but that first six months nearly killed me. Some stuff as a result will be missing, but major stuff not present is stuff I probably didn't care for. Alrighty then, enough with the "stuff"...

1.Bound By Entrails - The Stars Bode You Farewell

2.Royal Thunder - CVI

3.Akphaezya - Anthology IV: The Tragedy Of Nerak

4.Dissona - Dissona

5.Anhedonist - Netherwards

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Doom on you! As with my Post-stonersludge list, this is a list of 25 doom albums by artists of varying stature that i enjoy. And by "enjoy", I mean "suffer through, eagerly awaiting the end ... whether the close of the album or my own imminent demise, so long as the misery stops." woe is me. and woe is you, too.

1.40 Watt Sun - The Inside Room

2.Ahab - The Call Of The Wretched Sea

3.Akelei - De Zwaarte Van Het Doorstane

4.Anathema - The Silent Enigma

5.Candlemass - Nightfall

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Had been wanting to do this for a while, title's pretty self explanatory. Black and doom are my two favorite metal subgenres, and when the two are combined into pure melancholic chaos, I scream like a little girl. I decided to take a broad approach with this one and include blackened sludge bands as well, as I think doom and sludge have similar origins and can fall under the same general banner. *Translation: I don't care if you think they can't. As usual, suggestions are both warmly welcomed and appreciated. Limit one album per band.

1.

2.Arcana Coelestia - Le Mirage De L'Idéal

3.Atriarch - Ritual Of Passing

4.Autumnblaze - DämmerElbenTragödie

5.Bast - Spectres

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My list of favourites and interests for this year ordered roughly in descending order. My new years resolution is to branch out a bit and listen to new and unfamiliar genres, metal and non-metal.

Edit: Anything above about a 7/10 I'll keep here. Now with approximate rating in a .5 scale and ordered according to **replay value** i.e how often I listen to them. AND now with some comments, adding them gradually.

1.Enslaved - RIITIIR

2.Pharaoh - Bury The Light

3.Anglagard - Viljans Öga

4.Overkill - The Electric Age

5.The Foreshadowing - Second World

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A list of 2012 albums I found good, interesting or just worth checking out - and some I reviewed that turned out to be crap.

The albums are in order of preference down to and not including those ranked 3/5. Those and below are grouped by style, so that you can easily find similar recommendations.

You can find several full reviews on my RYM list. Check it out.

1.Susanne Sundfør - The Silicone Veil

2.Fiona Apple - The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do

3.Mount Eerie - Clear Moon

4.A Forest Of Stars - A Shadowplay For Yesterdays

5.Aluk Todolo - Occult Rock

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Some of my favourite stuff I have scratched it up to one pile. One album per band, no order, just chaos.

1.Eibon - Entering Darkness

2.Ghost Brigade - Isolation Songs

3.Mar De Grises - Draining The Waterheart

4.Ankhagram - Where Are You Now

5.Anorexia Nervosa - New Obscurantis Order

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100 full length albums that I favor in approximate order of preference plus 10 non-LP releases at the end. Limited to metal albums and albums featured on the site.

1.Indesinence - Vessels Of Light And Decay

2.Mitochondrion - Parasignosis

3.Murmuüre - Murmuüre

4.Deathspell Omega - Paracletus

5.Ustalost - The Spoor Of Vipers

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Well, here it is. I was a bit reluctant over listing my favorite funeral doom metal albums but here they are. Feel free to leave a suggestion or two. It's highly appreciated.

Also the albums are sorted by the date of release.

1.Fungoid Stream - Prehuman Shapes

2.Wolvserpent - Perigaea Antahkarana

3.Elysian Blaze - Blood Geometry

4.Faal - The Clouds Are Burning

5.Night Of Suicide - Desire

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The wide spectrum of sounds expressed through the sub-genre of Doom Metal often gets overshadowed by the somehow inaccessible slowness that is in its nature and so DM doesn't get the recognition it deserves for being, in my opinion, one of the most flexible subgenres of Metal ... Because of that, Doom Metal has remained among my favorite genres of music since the time I was introduced to it through My Dying Bride's "Turn Loose the Swans".

1.Esoteric - The Maniacal Vale

2.Saturnus - Martyre

3.Lacrimas Profundere - Memorandum

4.My Dying Bride - Turn Loose The Swans

5.Process Of Guilt - Erosion

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Voila.

1.Saturnus - Saturn In Ascension

2.Blut Aus Nord - 777 - Cosmosophy

3.Dordeduh - Dar De Duh

4.Indesinence - Vessels Of Light And Decay

5.Enslaved - RIITIIR

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1.Godspeed You! Black Emperor - 'Allelujah! Don't Bend! Ascend!

2.Amiensus - Restoration

3.Mors Principium Est - ...And Death Said Live

4.Deftones - Koi No Yokan

5.Converge - All We Love We Leave Behind

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My tastes seem to have changed quite a bit since I originally made this list. I have since updated it to better reflect my opinions of 2012 in retrospect. A well rounded and impressive year for metal.

1.Indesinence - Vessels Of Light And Decay

2.Faal - The Clouds Are Burning

3.Agruss - Morok

4.Lord Mantis - Pervertor

5.Elysian Blaze - Blood Geometry

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weeeee. all my past staff picks now compiled into one swell list.

1.High On Fire - Snakes For The Divine

2.Krallice - Dimensional Bleedthrough

3.Greymachine - Disconnected

4.Kylesa - Static Tensions

5.Profetus - Coronation Of The Black Sun

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Includes every full-length and EP from 2012 I listened to. Ordered alphabetically. More albums will be added, and the ratings are subject to change.

1.A Forest Of Stars - A Shadowplay For Yesterdays

2.Addaura - Burning For The Ancient

3.Agalloch - Faustian Echoes

4.Agruss - Morok

5.Alkerdeel - Morinde

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