Arête

Josh Thieler’s Favorite Records of 2018

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2018 has been quite the year. It was a roller coaster personally, nationally, globally, and in the realm of metal. There are people that I loved that are gone now. There are people who are gone that I should have loved more. I failed a lot of people. I’ve struggled in so many ways. If you are curious about that, just listen to the last Slaves BC record or read any interviews I did during that release cycle. I got fatter, fitter, quit smoking, joined five or six more bands, did artwork for some bands, did PR for some others, and spent a lot (but never enough) of time with my wonderful wife and animals.

Anyway, I listened to a ton of music again in 2018. I didn’t get a chance to talk about any of it very much, but I listened to a ton. 2018 was another fantastic year for metal/hardcore/whatever. I’ve been altering this list for months and I had a real hard time narrowing it down as much as I did. Just like last year, I have compiled my favorite 50 full length metal/hardcore records, favorite 10 non-metal records, and my top 10 favorite EP’s/singles/etc.

I made this playlist with one track from each of the records that are on Spotify for you to listen to a sampling of everything below. Thank you for checking this out and here’s to a better 2019!

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Initial Descent: November 11 – 17, 2018

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ævangelist
Ævangelist

By the time this goes to print, I’ll be on the way back from the Holy City where I’ll have indulged in breweries, old architecture and a graveyard or two (hey, old architecture there too) but for sure will have several of this week’s new offerings in my ears for the duration. What exactly is new this week? Read on to find out…

Kicking this thing off in grand fashion is the ever suffocating and esoteric maelstrom of darkness that is Ævangelist on Matricide In the Temple of Omega, this is a band that defies categorization but always pushes the boundaries of black and death metal as well as its listener’s limits. Don’t just sample it, completely bury yourself in its hour of audio terror. Next up is Ghostly White from Deceased who over the course of 30 years and some change have put out consistently great death metal and this eighth full length is no exception but furthermore after all this time the band seems to have more energy than ever and dare I say the best chops yet. Moving along is Introvert from Norway’s Slegest which really scratches that black ‘n’ roll itch I get from time to time, this things just rocks. Period. Last in this week’s opening four is Arête with their debut full length Hymnal which expands on everything that made their 2016 EP such a hit. They’ve taken a genre tag, atmospheric black metal, and offered us the very definition of its parts – as the weather turns cold this is an outstanding companion to steal away from the surrounding world and its crazed pace.

Plenty more inside to explore so jump in and don’t miss a thing. Continue reading →

Best of 2016, Q2: Josh Thieler’s List

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2016 has been an incredible year for music. So much came out in the first quarter that I never could narrow it down enough to name any favorites. For this second quarter, I was determined to compile this list if it killed me. There probably would be more on this list, but a lot of records came out in the final week of June that I will probably sneak into my Q3 list. Through much internal wrestling, tears, and over 1,000 hours of listening to new records, I have finally been able to come up with my list of favorites for 2nd quarter 2016. Continue reading →

Profile: Paul Ravenwood of Twilight Fauna, Green Elder, Arête and Ravenwood Recordings

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Paul Ravenwood (aka “Moonshine”) is the brains, brawn and everything in between behind Twilight Fauna, Green Elder and Arête. He’s also involved in a number of other projects. He’s a person that is inseparabely connected with the planet we live on and his music and personality mirror that connection to nature. Simply put, Paul is an excellent individual who makes beautiful music. You can follow Paul on Twitter and find him on Facebook. From the man himself:

Paul Ravenwood is the multi-instrumentalist and sole creator of the Appalachian atmospheric metal project, Twilight Fauna. In Twilight Fauna, Ravenwood uses a variety of traditional folk instruments alongside more conventional black metal guitar work and primitive drumming to create a unique blend of blackened folk music. Since forming in 2011, Ravenwood has released multiple full lengths, EPs, and splits. Most recently a split 7″ with Jennifer Christensen. In addition to Twilight Fauna, Ravenwood is also the musician behind the neofolk project, Green Elder, and handles vocals and folk instruments for Arête. Many of his albums are self released through his own label, Ravenwood Recordings. Continue reading →