UK metal has had a downright excellent year, and the releases that make up this too short list come from established acts and new blood alike. It’s no surprise that a majority of the following records saw a release on the impressive UK label Candlelight Records, and one that has always been a huge supporter of homegrown talent and a massive force in the British scene. The rundown swings from the horrifically extreme to the sweetly melancholic and showcases the very best that the UK has to offer.
Check them out below, in all their alphabetical and video-enhanced glory.
Anaal Nathrakh – Vanitas (Candlelight Records)
Anaal Nathrakh create the most unholy of all metal all this list. Their grind-influenced black metal noise is powerful and frenetic and oh so unholy. The duo somehow manage all this whilst living on two different continents, separated by oceans and time. You cannot fucking handle this track. Check that scream and cower in fear.
Anaal Nathrakh – Forging Towards the Sunset
Anathema – Weather Systems (Kscope Music)
Weather Systems marked another step away from the death-imbued doom of Anathema’s past, but in moving away from such origins Anathema have tightened their grip on the hearts of those who have followed from the very beginning. Weather Systems is a record of beauty and grace and Anathema sure know how to pull at every single fibre of your very being. Be ready for the break.
Anathema – Untouchable Part 1
Indesinence – Vessels of Light and Decay (Profound Lore Records)
Indesinence finally bore Vessels of Light and Decay into the world this year after what seemed like an agonising wait from the London based quartet for new music. Their first record came six years ago and it felt like Vessels… would never appear – particularly after an initial delay due to the gorgeous package Profound Lore released. Darkened and moody shadows hang over Vessels of Light and Decay and Indesinence render all as dust.
Indesinence – Paradigms
Nine Covens – …On The Dawning of Light (Candlelight Records)
The ever mysterious Nine Covens produced a late entry into this list with the November release of …On The Dawning of Light, their second full length and one that follows on from predecessor …On The Coming of Darkness in it’s capacity to engage and consume in one frantically thrummed beat. All members remain anonymous, and to this day their own mothers probably don’t know they play in this enigmatic four-piece (purely speculation of course).
Nine Covens – As Fire Consumes
Winterfylleth – The Threnody of Triumph
The Threnody of Triumph saw Winterfylleth truly soar in terms of wondrous song structure, beautiful guitar lines and those signature vocal harmonies that are enough to make the heart almost burst with complete euphoria. Winterfylleth’s ability to twist a gorgeous melody into their otherwise harsh landscapes gives them a unique identity and a claim as one of the most exciting UK live acts around.
Winterfylleth – The Swart Raven
Wodensthrone – Curse (Candlelight Records)
Wodensthrone’s second full length Curse sees the band overcome internal difficulties to produce a record that soars as much as it does fall into devastating bleakness. Wodensthrone build Curse with sombre synth-laden sections that sit alongside harsh vocals and occasional and bitterly sorrowful lulls of cleanliness. Wodensthrone’s odes to days long past are often intensely gloomy and Curse drags you ever deeper into a world of utter darkness.
Wodensthrone – Jorgmungandr
Martin 'MST' Skyum Thomasen
December 19, 2012 at 3:34 am
The frontman from Nine Covens both looks and sounds like the frontman from Winterfylleth.