And the Winner of the ToH Community AOTY 2K15 Is…
You voted for it, and now you’re stuck with it. Here’s Toilet ov Hell’s pick for the best album of 2K15.
Ever since Stanley’s 18 Days of Mgła, M. and Darkside have been riding an unstoppable, black-depression-smoke-billowing, cold-steel grinding, weird-blind-guy crushing hype train here on the blog. The haters tried to downvote it, but ultimately their efforts were an exercise in futility, because Mgła kicked the crap out of everything else this year, coming in at a mighty 39 upvotes. The second closest was Söngvar elds og óreiðu by Misþyrming, but Exercises in Futility was the grand bringer of unity this year, binding together skronkodiles, black metal elitists, normies, trve, and false alike. If you have been living under a rock and still haven’t heard this album, read some of the high praise we’ve given it to get that extra dose of convincing.
If someone asked me to suggest one album that perfectly encapsulates the quintessence of pure black metal, I would hand them Exercises in Futility by Mgła without hesitation. Despite seeming relatively straightforward, this record is a captivating, incredible record that wields and affirms the power of songcraft with a peerless precision and fervor. And what power that is! While most would likely pin the strength of Mgła on M.’s riffs, you mustn’t forget Darkside’s immaculate, mesmerizing drumming. The two are in sync in such an undeniable way that every single aspect of every song on this record is pure gold. Stripped of all pretense, Exercises in Futilitydemonstrates how powerful this genre can be when the emphasis is on nothing more than writing a great song. – W.
I’m pretty sure this is going to make the majority of Toilet writers’ lists. No one does straight forward black metal like Mgła does. Every track is diverse enough to stand on its own, yet every one unites the album in a commanding mix of passionate guitar leads. Melodic, but always just enough to pull out your heart. Heavy, but never enough to crush your dick. – Randall Thor
Ever since I saw Mgła at MDF two years ago I’ve had With Hearts Towards None on a constant playing loop. So after playing the hell of that album for so long I decided to explore Mgła’s catalog a bit more. I found all the past material to be quality work but WHTN still stood as my overall favorite. So when I heard that Exercises in Futility was coming out this year I got quite excited as did many others. Is Exercises in Futility better than WHTN? I don’t know, but it does not matter because Mgła have once again created another paragon of an album by bringing the strong riffs, lyrics, song writing, and overall musicianship. Mgła prove that they are on top of the black metal game and they don’t seem to be slowing down any time soon. – Tyree
I’m sure there are going to be a lot more people who comment on this album with much more eloquence than myself, so I’ll leave it at this: Mgła are the best black metal band going today and Exercises in Futility reinforces this tenfold. If you don’t feel anything while listening to this record, you’re dead inside. DEAD. IN. SIDE. – Leif Bearikson
There you have it. An excellent choice, and well deserved. I’m proud of you, Toileteers.
The entire top 10
10. Abyssal – Antikatastaseis (17 votes)
9. Ghost – Meliora (19 votes)
8. Leviathan – Scar Sighted (19 votes)
7. Cattle Decapitation – The Anthropocene Extinction (20 votes)
6. Napalm Death – Apex Predator – Easy Meat (20 votes)
5. High on Fire – Luminiferous (21 votes)
4. Slugdge – Dim and Slimeridden Kingdoms (22 votes)
3. Horrendous – Anareta (24 votes)
2. Misþyrming – Söngvar elds og óreiðu (30 votes)
1. Mgła – Exercises in Futility (39 votes)
2K14’s AOTY – Artificial Brain – Labyrinth Constellation
(Photo VIA)
