Why Is No One Talking About These Three Mind-Blowing 2015 Metal Albums?

Metal may not be a huge genre in mainstream consumption, but we’re certainly one of the most prolific. Tons upon tons of metal comes out every year, in part because metalheads are the kind of dreamers who would rather put out a vicious record they made in their basement than dream of the day they could eat caviar on a yacht with some prince or entrepreneur.

But what this means is that sometimes truly awesome albums get lost in the shuffle of a year’s hundreds of releases. And while writing my Best Of… So Far for MetalSucks, I noticed that some of my favorite albums of 2015 — albums that have easily entered my Top 15 already — that just haven’t been getting the serious coverage they deserve (at least we haven’t written enough about them). It amazed me, that of all the albums to fall through the cracks, it would be these.

Here are three records that everyone should be losing their shit over, and it seems like no one is:

Exgensis, Aphotic Veil EP (Rain Without End Records)

Full of crushing doom, cosmic spookiness, and emotional anguish, Aphotic Veil is a gripping journey from beginning to end. The creators, Jari Linholm of Sweden (Enshine, ex-Slumber) and Alejandro Lotero of Colombia (Hellrider, ex-Lost In Darkness) have created a record of incredible depth and lasting power, each of its five track tirelessly evoking epic atmosphere with every play. These guys have made something really powerful, but no one seems to notice, maybe because it’s hard to easily categorize or describe.

Satan’s Wrath, Die Evil (Metal Blade)

Satan’s Wrath have the opposite problem–their cover and album title probably make them seem too simplistic. And sure, the Greek three piece’s 2015 release is very straightforward. But as far as blackened thrash goes, Die Evil is just unbeatable. It’s got that raw, vicious witching metal vibe to it, that kind of spike-coated bullet-draped occultism that bands like Bathory and Sarcofago did so well, but more self-aware and straight-up catchy with age. This is perfect drinking music for the old-school soul.

The Ugly, Decreation (ViciSolum Productions)

Man, Marduk only wished they sounded this evil. I’d never heard of Stockholm’s The Ugly before this month, but their sophomore album has quickly gone into heavy rotation around my fetid office. Their name seems coy in its simplicity and the band’s logo feel misguided, but fuck, the grinding melodic black metal on Decreation is just so much fucking fun to headbang to. The album also features one of the best Lovecraft anthems I’ve heard since Watain’s “Stellarvore.” Hopefully, more people will catch on to this great satisfier of a record.

Any unsung releases of 2015 thus far that I’ve missed? Add them in the comments section.