3) Psycroptic, Psycroptic (Prosthetic Records)
This year’s nominations for ‘Best Death Metal’ are Cruciamentum, Kataklysm, Nile, Psycroptic, and Sylosis. Damn, all of these were just terrific, but at the end of the day, Psycroptic just blew me out of the water. The eerie intros that smoothly transitioned into chaotic riffage hit the nail directly on the head.
Favorite track: “Cold” (Apple/Spotify)
2) Ghost Bath, Moonlover (Northern Silence)
‘Best Black Metal’ nominations range from Deafheaven and Ghost Bath to Melechesh and So Hideous. This mysterious, came-from-the-shadows entity of a band is so talented and exclusive, its not on iTunes, Spotify, and even completely sold out on Bandcamp. Even though the other releases this year were amazing, the fully fleshed out dynamics on Ghost Bath’s debut LP truly reveals greatness.
Favorite track: “Golden Number”
1) Between the Buried and Me, Coma Ecliptic (Metal Blade Records)
Caligula’s Horse, Periphery, Symphony X, and Tesseract were just a few of the groups with insanely well-constructed 2015 records, yet BTBAM’s experimentation, production, songwriting, and overall cohesion made the choice obvious to me. Coma Ecliptic felt to be without a doubt the ‘Best Progressive’ album and my #1 favorite of the year.
Favorite track: “The Ectopic Stroll” (Apple/Spotify)
