Ataraxie - L'Être et la Nausée (2013)

Genre: Doom/Death Metal
Country: France

Five years after the mediocre Anhédonie, the masters who crafted Slow Transcending Agony revitalize themselves with an 80-minute romp of doom laced with a hint of death metal. I was unaware of this album's recent release, so it is a very pleasant surprise to add some excellent - superb, even - doom metal to this year's catalogue.

Download

Torture Chain - Mutilating Astral Entities (2013)

Genre: Black Metal
Country: USA

Holy shit, there's a new Torture Chain and i didn't even fucking know.  Now i feel like an asshole.  Not that that's any different from usual i guess, but yeah this shit probably rules get it now.

i hope theres a negative approach cover again

Symptom - Opulent Atrocity (2013)

Genre: Death/Doom Metal

Country: United States

Fucking awesome, crushing death/doom from Portland, Oregon's thriving underground metal scene. Take one look at the album cover, it pretty much describes what this band will sound like. Devastating, vile riffage with a monstrous lower end and cavernous, Incantation/Incrust-esque vocals (with occasional haunting keyboard work crooning overtop) dominate the sound with a nasty production job that basically encapsulates the sound as perfectly (or imperfectly if you prefer) as you could possibly imagine. Highly, very highly recommended, this is going to be well up there on my end of the year list.

oh my satan fucking get this now

Dark Millennium - The Apocryphal Wisdom (1991)

Genre: Death/Doom Metal

Country: Germany

For Hyperion (more specifically why didn't you post this here...). Rugged, eerie death/doom from 19motherfuckin91 with some rather deranged vocals that basically come across as if Martin Van Drunen and Chuck Schuldiner's spirits entwined, got munched on by a bunch of zombies and then made some sort of demented offspring...yeah.

Download

Vàli - Skogslandskap (2013)

Genre: Neofolk
Country: Norway

Vali are back after a long wait - but it was well worth it. Slogslandskap is a continuation in the vein of Forlatt, with acoustic guitar melodies comprising the music's core, accented by flutes, strings, and other neofolk fanfare. Thoroughly enjoyable across all tracks, this is one of the best, but also the most simple, releases you will hear this year.

Download

Nonsun - Sun Blind Me (2013)

Genre: Sludge/Drone/Doom Metal

Country: Ukraine

Follow-up album to 2012's Good Old Evil. Nonsun maintain their quality mix of sludge, drone and doom metal in this offering. Referred to me via Theodore (Bohdan) Goatooth.

Download

Wedrujacy Wiatr - Tam, Gdzie Miesiąc Opłakuje Świt (2013)

Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal
Country: Poland

Epic and brooding Cascadian black metal from Poland with one of the sickest album covers I've seen in awhile. The music does well in complementing the cover as Drudkh-esque melodies and vocals (which also dip more towards a growl at times) soar over the blast beats of charging horsemen. Not to be missed by enthusiasts of the Cascadian variety of atmospheric black metal, or just black metal in general to be honest...

Download

Ruin Lust - Ruin Lust LP (2013)

Genre: Death/Black Metal

Country: United States

Some seriously filthy blackened death metal from NYC with members of Fell Voices. Personally, it reminds me of a combination of Incantation, Grave Upheaval, Muknal and Witchrist. It has the murk, it has the attitude, it has the goods to satisfy.

Download

Risabov - Rise (2013)

Genre: Death/Thrash Metal

Country: Greece

This album is one I've held in high regard throughout this year, and apparently virtually no one has picked it up. It is a blend of technical death and thrash metal that conjures visions of early Atheist, Coroner, Merciless and Brutality (if you can imagine what a combination of those sounds would result in). Basically anyone a fan of riff-driven death/thrash with a bit of strange technical twist (perhaps like Cosmic Atrophy, Obliteration or Demilich) will find something to like here.

Download