Flush It Friday: Ghosts of List-mas Past
Folks, we are gettin’ close to List Season. I can tell you right now that Toilet ov Hell contributors have an impending deadline so that we can share with you, our devoted millions of readers, a varying amount of albums we liked enough to write about at the end of the year. Some intrepid contributors have already finished their lists, though they’re maybe also already experiencing reservations, apprehension, anxiety, doubts, disquiet, unease, uncertainty, and maybe even downright hostility at some of their own choices. The stakes are too damn high!
I decided, then, for this List-mas Eve Flush It Friday (it might be a List-mas Eve Eve Flush, which, if so, means next week I’m doing this again with another old list), I’d take a quick stroll through my very own 2K22 list to see how it stands, now, in the Year of Our Owl 2023. (Hans and Spooky Mansion shared the list-space with me last year, and what a treat it was.) The quick and dirty rules: (1) does the pick feel like it holds water a year removed? and (2) did I listen to the album in 2023?
Tuskar‘s Matriarch: Let it be known: this is a great record. “Into the Sea” and “Shame” are so good. Even still, I think this should have been an Honorable Mention, even if the riffs are meaty and mighty. I haven’t revisited it in 2023, though I bet I’d still like it. Bit of a reach? Or am I just a fool? You decide!
Mindforce‘s New Lords: This one holds water. Though it’s not everyone’s favourite Mindforce record, this band was ascending and is still very much at the forefront of hardcore. I have indeed mosh-walked to this in 2023.
Boris‘s fade: This was an 11th-hour addition to my list last year, and I couldn’t tell you if I’ve put it back on in 2023. I still mostly stand by including at least one Boris album last year, but fade maybe faded from memory a bit. Their Heavy Rocks tour this year, though, belongs on a year-end list. Ending with their own version of “Boris”? C’mon.
Soul Glo‘s Diaspora Problems: Nailed this one, as the cultural zeitgeist belonged entirely to Soul Glo (and still might). I haven’t listened to it in 2023, though! What! Get over it.
City of Caterpillar‘s Mystic Sisters: This was a momentum pick. CoC is back! Their album is good! Their live show was even better! But this hasn’t made its way back into my 2023 rotation at all, though the debut certainly has. I don’t regret it, but this pick didn’t age well.
Russian Circles‘s Gnosis: Absolutely aced this. Gnosis is an underrated gem in the Russian Circles’ oeuvre, and I dare to say it’s their heaviest record to date. The dudes in RC were clearly going through something, and I think they could’ve named the album Betrayal, but it would’ve been too on the nose. I was listening to this album this week, totally in awe of it all over again. I’m happy with this.
Chat Pile‘s God’s Country: The only other band that seemed as big as Soul Glo in 2022. I’ve certainly dabbled in a few of the tracks this year, but I’d be lying if I said I’ve gone front-to-back on it. Still, God’s Country, like Diaspora Problems, was defining for 2022.
End It‘s Unpleasant Living: Nothin’ but net on this pick. ‘Nuff said.
Black Ox Orkestar‘s Everything Returns: This, like Boris’s fade, showed up late in the year to make my list, but unlike fade I have made many returns to Everything Returns throughout 2023. The Yiddish-intoned post-rock klezmer continues to possess a mesmeric effect over me.
Brutus‘s Unison Life: I mean, have you seen their recent Audiotree Live? I might not ever get over this album. Come back to the US, please. Still my #1.
Overall? I didn’t do too badly last year! It was a wretchedly horrible year from a personal perspective, and it’s clear I skirted around heavier stuff for most of the year, but, in some ways, given the absolute avalanche of shit under which I was buried for most of the year, it’s not a surprise I retreated back into the worlds of hardcore, post-rock, Mastodon-worship, and other lifelong favourites. Perhaps my list represents an attempt to shelter myself from the ever-roiling storm around me. How sentimental of me!
But enough of that. We have so much to flush. Let’s get to it!
Ages ago, Aaron dared to review a remix record that probably doesn’t need to exist.
Spear dropped a premiere of an AOTY contender just as long ago that needs some attention.
Album Premiere: Convocation – No Dawn for the Caliginous Night
Fellow Atlantan Eenzy hit us with the frenzied madness of Nadja & Fawn Limbs. Don’t miss this one, folks.
Hell, even I wrote a thing this week, with a fun track premiere from Revulsed. (I typed Convulsed first.)
Joe ‘n Jordan continue to torture us. This week it’s with metal Xmas covers. Vile stuff.
Prof. Guanaco with the two-part sickness interview with Kelenken.
Sepulcrustacean kept it short and sweet with this review of the new Cruciamentum.
My goodness, Karhu is back! Check out this roundup a couple times!
Oh, and lest I forget (because I did forget), Hans premiered a sick Cryptworm jam.
Track Premiere: Cryptworm – Necrophagous (Postmortal Devourment)
Lotta content for you Flush Heads this week! I’ve got a Department meeting to hit. Drop the GBUs in the comments. Tell us about your list anxiety. Do you like my list from last year? Do you hate it? Do you hate me? Oh god, what have I done! Be well, beloveds! Kisses and smooches.
