I'm doing pretty good, thanks for asking! Why? I didn't get my annual survey out until January 26 last year, and this one is out by the 12th! Most people get their year end "best of" releases out of the way in November, and then wash their hands of it. I'd like to say that my list is delayed because I'm waiting for any last minute stragglers to wash up on the beach in late December, and a few did, but the real reason is that I don't start working on this thing until late in the year, and if you read the whole damn list, you will see how exhaustively comprehensive it is.
Now, you may get the impression, at first glance, that this is a top ten Bay Area METAL releases list, and it usually ends up leaning towards that, just because I'm kind of a metalhead and those are the releases that are the most on my radar. But most punk bands don't really seem to make it to LP stage nowadays anyway, the typical life cycle of a Bay Area punk band being demo in the spring, a seven inch by the fall, and broken up by winter. So the best PUNK releases of 2018 will mostly be found in the other list, the top ten new band's demos, singles and EPs.
Most of what I said last year about my motivations remains relevant, so here it is again.
…and much more importantly, no one makes a list of the best Bay Area releases of the year, because there are no magazines or blogs, as far as I know, that focus solely on the SF Bay Area heavy music scene. The East Bay Express made a top 12 list, which contained zero punk or metal releases. As one of the sole print publications covering alternative culture around here, couldn't they do a little more? As in, anything?
Once again, I don't think East Bay Express wrote about a single local punk or metal band. I eagerly await correction! The KQED top ten list DID include Adrenochrome this year, however! Congrats.
There wasn't a lot of attention given to Bay Area releases OUTSIDE of the Bay Area either, with the exception of Deafheaven and Sleep, who were honored by Pitchfork and Rolling Stone. Those two, as well as Mortuous, appeared in Decibel magazine's top 40 metal releases of 2018 list. High On Fire was thrown a bone by Loudwire and the Onion's AV club. You get the idea.
2018 TRENDS
Maybe it's a reflection of our times, but there has been quite a crop of death/doom/blackened metal bands really scraping the bottom for ugliest, foulest, most desperate sounds imaginable. If "screaming at the bottom of a well naked covered in blood while being devoured by rats" describes the mood of your band, then this was your year! I'm running out of words, even with the liberal use of a thesaurus, to describe the bestial foulness of all these releases in the capsule reviews! There are only so many descriptors at my disposal.
There also was a bumper crop of dark wave / death rock / post punk in the scene. It's been building for the past few years, with the Near Dark festival being introduced, and in 2018 I think it hit it's stride with some really strong releases and new bands. I'm no expert in this genre, by any means, but I really do like the stuff. Always liked Siouxsie and the Banshees, and I'm happy to see this scene within a scene growing. It actually seems to be the dominant form of punk in the Bay these days.
Shout out to James Rauh and Josh Carman for suggestions and inspiration when I was making the list! Check out James' incredible survey of Bay Area releases HERE.
OH yeah, and fuck all this top nine bullshit. The format of instagram is gonna dictate how many bands / things you liked last year? Fack ooff.
But now, to the list!
TOP TEN BAY AREA ALBUMS OF 2018
In alphabetical order
Ails: The Unraveling
April, 20 The Flenser
For those of us who were big fans of Ludicra, possibly the best San Francisco metal band of the past 20 years, this was a long wait! Core band members finally returned with a new project and the elements that formed the classic "grey metal" sound are present in force.
Brainoil: Singularity To Extinction
October 18, Tankcrimes
Oakland's sludge godfathers go a little more death metal / crust on their long awaited third album.
Esses: Offering
July 11, Near Dark
By far the most composed, articulate and crisp of the latest wave of Oakland post punk. Downright collegiate compared to some! Lots of cool influences poking out through the darkness here.
High On Fire: Electric Messiah
October 5, eOne
Does High On Fire even count as a Bay Area band anymore? None of them live here. Oh, well, they get honorary status, fuck it. This is their eighth album and it might be their third best! I love how fast it gets sometimes, epic, anthemic, the type of metal album we need right now, one of the few on this list that isn't extremely dark and depressing. Now the question remains, will High On Fire ever be able to tour on this material, or will Matt Pike have to stay home and keep getting toes cut off?
Mortuous, Through Wilderness
June 22, Carbonized
Extremely heavy death metal from Bay Area experts. Reeks of that lumbering morbidity perfected by Autopsy and other sludge tomb forefathers. Mortuous takes it there, and then keeps going, almost to a place of elegance.
Nopes: Stapler
July 27, Magnetic Eye
Wow! This is great. This just all all the good points of a great heavy weirdo noise rock album! They are not following any rules here, jumping from style to style like a speedfreak channel surfing. Elements of hardcore punk and snotty alternative rock set them far apart from the rabble.
Serpents Of Dawn: Into The Garden
August 31, Doom Stew
Honestly, this might be the release of 2018 that I was most stoked on. I listened to this over and over again. Gratuitous stony heavy rock, riffs for days, elegant harmonies in just the right (few) places, glass gargling vocals. This all sounds comfortingly familiar, and yet somehow fresh at the same time. Fuck yes!
Ulthar: Cosmovore
November 9, 20 Buck Spin
Full of weird loping musical passages that come after you like a three legged wolf. You're like, ahhh, I can outrun a three legged wolf! But then you realize you can't. Because it's still fucking faster than you. And it's hungry. And as the first bite of the fangs sink into your calf, and you stumble upon the ice in the Lovecraftian twilight, you realize you were always meant to die this way, born to die this way. It was written in the cosmos.
Wild Hunt: Afterdream Of The Reveller
April 20, Vendetta
Blackened metal, elegant in it's chaos, like a ballet dancer swerving in a hurricane. If it's a hurricane though, it's is one with many eyes, like Argus. Between each malevolent burst there is some kind of interlude, not to put you at ease, but to set you on edge as you know that there is another blast coming. Wild Hunt rebounded from tragedy in their lineup and made a career defining album.
Yarrow: Rebirth
September 11, Transylvanian Tapes
It seems like the Bay Area doom scene is pretty much a race to the bottom, who can be the most miserable, disgusting, wretched, horrible, pulverized band of them all? If Yarrow isn't at the bottom of this heap, they're pretty darn close! Augmented with choice samples ala Eyehategod. Despite the horrifying nature of the band, Yarrow actually somehow comes across as the most FUN or the whole crop, they don't actually seem to take themselves quite as seriously as Abstracter or Body Void. Maybe that's what put them over the edge and got them onto the top ten.
TOP TEN BAY AREA NEW BANDS OF 2018
DEMOS, SINGLES AND EPs
In alphabetical order
Adrenochrome: Buzz Or Howl Sessions
February 26, Near Dark
Well, there's a lot of new post punk / death rock out there right now, and it all kind of sounds the same to me, but I don't know what the common influence is, because I'm just not very educated on this style. That being said, I really do like this! The mood is great, and this is especially cool because it's more on the energetic end of things when it comes to dark, bleak-ass music. Hoping for an Adrenochrome album soon!
Altars: s/t 7"
August 24, Sentient Ruin
God what a ripper of a seven inch. Utterly unrelenting and pulverizing. Blasting death metal grind.
Deseos Primitivos: Existir
October 23, Self Released?
Chorused out anarchy liberation punk en español
Evulse: Call Of The Void
October 22, Transylvanian
Extremely heavy DM with a fat low end. The dive bombing guitars add a fun old school element to the proceedings!
Glowing Brain: Demo
September 22, DOD Records
Downtuned, punchy noisy hardcore. This kicks ass! This might be my favorite new band of the year, and I finally got to see them play a show last week too. Psychic Hit: Promo 2018
October 3, self released
Really cool old school rock metal with soulful vocals and tight songwriting. I see a bright future for them.
Riita: Absolut Santa Rosa
December 30, self released
Hardcore punk from Santa Rosa, Sweden
Shit Coffins: The Continuous Pleasure Of LivingJuly 8, self released
Competent hardcore played by scene veterans. Three quick-ass songs!
Terry Gross: Shameless Imposter
April 5, Valley King
One of my favorite new local bands, intense psychedelic noise rock
These Bastards: Old And Pissed
December 6, self released
Pissed indeed! Frantic hardcore with a sense of humor!
List of other Bay Area releases after the jump!
From this point on these are no longer just my favorite Bay Area punk and metal releases, they are EVERY punk and metal release that I could possibly find. And yes, I listened to at least one track of every release, and most of them in their entirety! You are about to explore the entire metropolitan area, from the heart of West Oakland, to the distant corners of Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz and even Antioch. Yes, Antioch! Be forewarned!
JANUARY
Almost Dead: Lay Me Down To Waste
Thrash / Groove metal straight outta Martinez
Absolute Darkness: Disaster Awaits
Death/Thrash San Francisco
Howling Sycamore s/t
Experiemental blast metal with sax and real singing… interesting
Ion: A Path Unknown
Very epic black metal-ish, extremely long songs with ambient keyboards in between the metal parts
Jenzeits: Volume 1
Tangerine dream style synthscapes
Kill Ritual: All Men Shall Fail
San Jose rocking' thrash metal with a mid range belter on the vocals
Machine Head: Catharsis
Nu metal, but with guitar solos. Way too many clean vocals.
No Right: Unjustified
Metallic hardcore. Probably straightedge.
Primal Rite: Dirge Of Escapism
Chugging metal hardcore, vomiting an in echoey bathroom vocals
Terry Goss: Fear Is The Destroyer
Thrashy instrumental shred-a-thon, with a surprising funky prog interlude
These Bastards: Demo 2018
A fun little demo of some bass heavy, flailing hardcore (probably) played by old guys!
FEBRUARY
Adrenochrome: Buzz Or Howl Sessions
See top ten Bay Area new bands of 2018
Barren Altar: Maythuna EP
Pretty good, quality harmonies in the doom parts. More doom than black metal.
Blackwulf: Sinister Sides
Oakland stoner doom
Carlton Melton: Mind Minerals
Chilled out, sometimes rocking, sometimes more ambient jams, of the noisy guitar variety.
GraveCoven: Coughing Blood
Midpaced howling dirty black metal
Exodus: Municipal Waste Split
CD Three Exodus songs on here
Moira Scar: Wound World 1
Dark feminist freak doom?
Mournful Cries: Thy Horror Come
Santa Rosa's take on Scandi retro doom
Mutilated Tongue: demo
Intense hardcore. This demo is about three minutes long
Outlier: Live '17
Screamo / post rock from San Jose
Pandiscordian Necrogenesis: Eigenwelt
The only thing that separates this one man black thrash recorded in a tenderloin toilet project, of which there are many, this guy actually performs the stuff live, as a one man band. And he records all the stuff while at work at Guitar Center or something.
Shannon And The Clams: Onion
Well, this is a local band that I never really checked out because they weren't in my scene. But this is good stuff, the focus is obviously Shannon's singing, but credit must be given to the band and their arrangements, for capturing the truly 60's soul, surf and motown analog vibe.
Von Goat: Manifesto Darkside Odyssey
What the fuck? I mean WHAT. THE. FUCK.
MARCH
Atone: EP
Writing reviews of metal, how does one continue to come up with descriptions of the vocal caterwauling contained therein? What haven't I used yet? Glass gargling? Goat felating? OK, how about molten lead swallowing vocals this time. Over mid to slow paced sludge, with crunchy upfront guitars
Deathglam: Overrated Hype
I don't know how to describe this, but I think I like it. Left field art school girl grind?
Realms Of Vision: Through All Unknown
Polished melodic stoner metal
Reapers Row: Blade Of Justice single
This is a pretty badass song of crossover hardcore from San Jose
Ripped To Shreds: 埋葬
Meaty, good quality OSDM with interesting riffs
Vastum / Spectral Voice split 7"
One new Vastum song!
APRIL
Ails: The Unraveling
See top ten Bay Area releases of 2018
Cold Claw: Punish The Blind
Wolves at your throat hardcore influenced metal from San Jose
Doctor Deaf: The Lottery 7"
Flailing 90's grunge punk explosion
Sleep: The Sciences
Predictable, but very solid and fun release from Sleep!
Slege: Slit The Throat Of Abraham
Lo fi Santa Cruz Blackmetal
Stray Rebel Bullet: What Will You Become
Melodic death metal with western imagery
Terry Gross: Shameless Impostor 10"
See top ten Bay Area new bands of 2018
Twilight: Trident Death Rattle
The final recordings of Bay Area black metal supergroup
Violation Wound: With Man In Charge
Nasty, metal influenced hardcore punk from Bay Area OGs.
Wild Hunt: Afterdream Of The Reveller
See top ten Bay Area releases of 2018
MAY
Arm The Valkyrie: Sojourn
Santa Rosa metal with black and new school death elements
Body Void: I Live Inside A Burning House
This is starving, trapped at the bottom of a well, with no Lassie in sight to run for help doom! A bleak, hopeless, existential crawling rot.
Deseos Primitivos: Demo
Bouncy anthemic punk en espanol
Dunnock: Little Stories Told By Ghosts
Sounds like somebody's bedroom project
False Figure: s/t
Definitely the most punk of the new wave of Oakland post punk. More good stuff here.
Forlorn / Vakaren split
Howling naked starving in the snow blackmetal
Ghoul / Ill Bill split
Wow, I'm gonna have to check out Ill Bill, that's my type of rap. Ghould sounds like Ghoul, ya know?A fun novelty release from Tankcrimes
Grayceon: IV
Epic, proggy sweeping vistas, electric cello and blastbeats, where else are you gonna find that! This is pretty awesome except when it occasionally gets sappy.
Gulch: Burning Desire To Draw Last Breath 7"
Really mean hardcore, beefy production
Hatchets For Hands: Convulsions Of A Dying Empire
Melodic death metal studio project
Light This City: Terminal Bloom
Polished and modern neo hardcore thrash
Septicemic Plague: Creeping Flesh Horror
Sounds like a home recording, probably with Garage Band drums. Decrepit grindcore with next level bestial vocals
Sleep: Leagues Beneath single
A brand new Sleep song that's not on the new album
Trauma: As The World Dies
Cliff Burton's old band before he was in Metallica. They're back. Old school metal
Vastum / Spectral Voice: split
A new Vastum song!
Wooden Shjips: V
Mellow West Coast psychedelic rock. Influence of Kraut
JUNE
Abstracter: Cinerous Incarnate
Blackened Doom. They went a little more black metal (faster) on this, their third album. Absolutely bleak, despairing atmospherics here, hopeless, crawling through a future war zone. One bullet left. Use it on one last enemy, or yourself?
Barren Altar: Entrenched In The Vaults Of The Earth
Sounds like moonlight on new fallen snow. And that snow has just been smeared with blood and feces. Let's call this hmmmm…. expansive black metal? Not particularly fast, but not quite slow enough for the blackened doom tag.
Cell Rot: Violent Spirals
Infuriated mean heavy hardcore. Sprinkled with, but not overridden with blastbeats and breakdowns for tasteful effect.
Deathgrave: So Real, It's Now
Fun grind/death. Mostly I get a kick out of seeing this band live, and hanging with the people, but this album cover is really cool.
Flesh Consumed: Hymn For the Leeches
Technical brutal death metal from Santa Cruz
Gloam / Obscure Evil split
One new track from Santa Cruz's Gloam. eerie and mysterious just like the fog rolling in from Monterey Bay.
Glorium Draconis / Xenotaph / Palace Of Worms / Ehecatl split
Grosero: s/t
Urgent hardcore punk from San Francisco
Heavy Stench: Death Or Danger demo
Off kilter San Jose crust, teetering on the bring of chaos!
Morir: s/t demo tape
Brutally dank sludge hardcore from Oakland
Mortuous: Through Wilderness
See top ten Bay Area releases of 2018
Mountaineer: Passages
It's supposed to be shoe gaze / post-rock or something, but to me it just sounds like slow screamo
Obastra: II
Technical suburban death metal
Owl: Awaken Jupiterian Cassingle
My only release in 2018 :(
Roman Lions: Absolutes
San Jose screamo
Shannon Shaw: Shannon In Nashville
60's style pop well produced
Spiritual Cramp: Police State EP
Ah, here's something a bit different. New wave dub-ska from SF
Void Omnia / Isenordal: Split
Three new Void Omnia songs!
Possessed: Abandoned single
The unmistakable voice, but with an updated death/thrash sound
Tired Lord: Demo
I don't know where this came from, but it's pretty good. Heavy SF black metal
Wrack: Hollow Sun EP
Abrasive, technical heavy solo project. Drummer from The Mass.
JULY
Ancient Empire: Eternal Soldier
More epic AF classic metal
Aseptic: Murderous Obesessions
Dry OSDM duo from San Jose.
Deafheaven: Ordinary Corrupt Human Love
OK, I don't know what this sounds like cause I'm just not going to listen to it
Dearth: Of Martyrdom And Polluted Faith
A howl of foul black metal shrieks out of the tomb! Icy hands clutch your throat!
Dispirit: Enantiodromian Birth Demo
A weirdo post punk intro, and then some very disjointed / discordant dual vocals when it gets fast. No big surprises here, but always small surprise, buried in the muck of Dispirit.
Dustern: Ouden
Dreamy, ethereal "doom?" Doom-gaze? It's pretty nice and relaxing. It kind of turned into background music. But it was a relief from all the toilet goblin suicide sludge I've been listening to lately.
Esses: Offering
See top ten Bay Area releases of 2018
Extremity: Coffin Birth
OSDM
Khorada: Salt
This is kind of hard to describe, so I'm gonna call it "too many cooks in the kitchen metal." Some of the recipes I like more than others. This is half Bay Area band, so I'm gonna let them squeak by and be on the list. Members of Agalloch and Giant Squid, the best parts of Salt are actually better than either of those bands.
Mordant Rapture: The Abnegation
The soundtrack to playing fantasy RPGs in your parents basement and drinking lots of Mountain Dew
Nopes: Stapler
See top ten Bay Area releases of 2018
Occlith: Obscure Heresies
Half Sacramento, but I guess we'll accept it! Midtempo death doom.
Older Sun s/t
Solid heavy rock 'n' roll with soul! And that soul comes in the form of their singer, the imposing Chris Wagner!
Shit Coffins: The Continuous Pleasure Of Living
See top ten Bay Area new bands of 2018
Survival: Murkin Hella Fools
What the fuck?
World Peace: Fear Through And Through
Brutal power violence hardcore from SF. Four songs in less than two minutes.
AUGUST
Altars: EP
See top ten Bay Area new bands of 2018
Crebain: Rehearsal 2012
Demo Lo-fi (well, it's a demo, OK!) SF black metal
Eviscerate: The Feast Unholy
Brutal death metal from Santa Cruz
Firearm: Dravecky EP
That's really cool that someone made this kind of hardcore again. Fun, catchy but tough mid tempo stompers.
Khiis: Saboor 7"
Punchy Oakland hardcore sunk in Farsi
Mamaleek: Out Of Time
Self described "black metal," very avant garde noisy weird stuff
Mournful Cries: Vices EP
More fuzzed out stoner droner from Santa Roser
Mystic Priestess: No Tomorrow, Only Today
Dark SF post punk
No Statik: Mysterious To Ourselves
More competent, enraged hardcore from this local crew. the album ends with some extended noise weirdness, which might be my favorite part!
No Statik: What Did You Give Away When You Gave In? 7"
Deconstructed hardcore with a side of noise. Companion to the LP
Serpents Of Dawn: Into The Garden
See top ten Bay Area releases of 2018
Spira: Elixir
Solo black metal project out of the Redwood Empire
SEPTEMBER
Anisoptera: Spawn Of Odanta
Techinal progressive (?) death metal
Atrament: Scum Sect
Hardcore d-beat death metal punk. This is brutal, but fun! Like getting your ass kicked by a guy in a panda bear costume! Plus, if a record has Chad Gailey on drums, you know it's gonna slam!
Bosse-de-Nage: Further Still
Avante grade black metal. At it's worst, it sounds a bit screamo, but this is forgiven by perplexing riffs and inventive drumming. The content and aesthetic seem to have more in common with 20th century post modernism and 19th century French libertine cafe poetry than the usual "icy winds of the north" black metal tropes. A very unique band.
Clueless: Demo
Beatdown hardcore with the rare female vocals
Cultural Warfare: Warmageddon
Silly thrash metal with some groove tendencies
Disciples Of Icarus: s/t
Hey! These guys practice across the hall from us!
Dragonlord: Dominion
Symphonic black/thrash from one of the Testament dudes
Glowing Brain: EP
See top ten Bay Area new bands of 2018
Marbled Eye: Leisure
Tight as dead skin, stiff as a board, interlocking robotic post punk
Ragana / Thou Split
Raspy voiced loud/quiet blackened doom band Ragana did a split with Louisiana's Thou
Sepsis: Twisted Remains EP
Santa Cruz low-fi death doom / death thrash
Swamp Witch: Dead Rituals
Crushing raspy doom
Urban Sprawl: Demo 2018
Tough US style hardcore
War Bison: Acre
Fast SF hardcore
Yarrow: Rebirth
See top ten Bay Area releases of 2018
OCTOBER
Brainoil: Singularity To Extinction
See top ten Bay Area releases of 2018
Castle: Deal Thy Fate
Meat and potatoes thrashy rock metal
Charger: Demo
Mötormetal from Oakland scene veterans
Cult Graves: Demo '18
Sounds like an avalanche of death rolling down on you
Deadpressure: s/t
Savage South Bay power violence to numb all the extremities!
Doctor Deaf: Nicotine cassingle
Caterwauling rock grunge punk from SF
Evulse: Call Of The Void
Extremely heavy DM with a fat low end. The dive bombing guitars add a fun old school element to the proceedings!
High On Fire: Electric Messiah
See top ten Bay Area releases of 2018
Mortuous / Scolex split 7"
Two badass songs from some of the Bay's best death metal bands
Psychic Hit: Promo 2018
See top ten Bay Area new bands of 2018
Rage Of War: The War Begins
Silly suburban thrash metal
Roht: Worship Rot
Chainsaw grind death massacre
Super Unison: Stella
Screamy post punk, more dynamic than their old stuff
Varnok: VRNK
Silly old school thrash
NOVEMBER
Bastet: Dawn Of Darkness Demo
Minimalistic dark punk. Slinking down the alleyway to cut your ass
Bonestripper: Whores Of The Ass Age
The first wave of East Bay pussycrust whorecore. I feel like I should have worn an ear-condom while listening to this.
Cash Pony: Roughhousing
Intricate, psychedelic instrumental rock
Deseos Primitivos: Existir 7"
Chorused out anarchy liberation punk
Drain: Promo 2018
Snotty beatdown crossover thrash hardcore
Ethnocide: Fleshly Tomb
Primitive weird death thrash
Mefitis: Widdrim Hymn
Symphonic black / death(?) metal. That means keyboards
Pandiscordian Necrogenesis: Outer Supernal
The ultimate one man black metal team comes in with his best and weirdest release yet
Provoke: Get Out / Here First single
Driving Oakland hardcore with a message
Skinlab: Dead Tomorrow (single)
Bay Area groove metal
Smokers: Falling Backward 7"
Timeless sounding East Bay punk with a driving urgency
Ulthar: Cosmovore
See top ten Bay Area releases of 2018
DECEMBER
Aseptic: Senses Decay EP
Really tight, punchy OSDM, almost proto death. Fun! Still wish they had a bass player.
Atomik Kavemen: s/t
If you must...
Domino And The Derelicts: Laugh It Off
It's impossible not to compare it to The Gits and Tilt, which is not a bad thing!
Hoy Como Ayer: Demo
Energetic Oakland punk en espanol
Tenebrose: Morphogenesis
Creepy ambient analog synth, sounds like a horror soundtrack
These Bastards: Old And Pissed
See top ten Bay Area new bands of 2018
No Lights: Cassette EP
Echoey upbeat SF punk
Ontogeny: Antisocial Media
Complicated death metal. Shitty album cover
Riita: Absolute Santa Rosa EP
See top ten Bay Area new bands of 2018
Squalus / Shadowlimb: Split
Squalus sings some songs about sharks in a raspy voice
Tuning: Promo 2018
Melodic hardcore from Concord
Thanks for mentioning Mefitis. There's only one small section that uses synth. The rest of the "symphonic" sounding stuff is layered vocals that Vatha and I sang. Cheers.
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