Tag: best of 2014

  • Best of the rest – 2014 (part 2): re-dos and other odds & ends

    Best of the rest – 2014 (part 2): re-dos and other odds & ends

    Here we offer the last of Hellbound’s 2014 heavy mostly metal year-in-review coverage. We’re wrapping up with some of the older records effectively revisited last year, Bill Adam’s best vinyl picks, and some random selections highlighting things we particularly appreciated, regardless of genre. BEST RE-DOS (Reissues, re-recordings…) SONATA ARCTICA, Ecliptica Revisited: 15th Anniversary Edition I usually…

  • Best of the rest – 2014 metal (part 1): instrumental and short releases

    Best of the rest – 2014 metal (part 1): instrumental and short releases

    Best instrumental metal of 2014 Horrendous, “When the Walls Fell.” I can’t get fully behind Horrendous’s ambitious second album, finding its blend of death metal and old-school metal melodies a little slipshod compared to Arsis a decade ago, but there are a few very promising moments, especially this instrumental from late in the record. These guys…

  • Best metal of 2014 – Collaborations

    Best metal of 2014 – Collaborations

    Collaborations between artists are never a sure-fire thing. While some releases can pool creatives together to create a piece that meshes well, there’s always Metallica and Lou Reed’s disastrous project to remind us that sometimes these mashups just don’t work. Here, Hellbound contributors review some of the better collaborations that were released in 2014. Esoteric…

  • Best metal album art of 2014

    Best metal album art of 2014

    My favourite metal art of 2014 doesn’t come from an album cover, but a poster. I’ve been a great admirer of Costin Chioreanu for a couple years, and with time the Romanian artist’s work just keeps getting better and better. He was commissioned to do the poster art for the Roadburn Festival this past year,…

  • BEST OF 2014 – our contributors’ top Canadian picks (individual lists)

    BEST OF 2014 – our contributors’ top Canadian picks (individual lists)

    Here are our contributors’ individual picks for best Canadian metal albums of 2014. Happy new year from Hellbound.ca!   Justin Allec Beyond Creation – Earthborn Evolution (Season of Mist) Nuclearhammer – Serpentine Hermetic Lucifer (Nuclear War Now!) Menace Ruine – Venus Armata (Profound Lore) Viathyn – Cynosure (indie) Culted – Oblique to all Paths (Relapse)…

  • Hellbound’s best of 2014: our Canadian metal top 10

    Hellbound’s best of 2014: our Canadian metal top 10

    The Best Canadian Metal Albums of 2014 Edited by Adrien Begrand Compared to 2013, which was one of the strongest years for Canadian metal in recent memory, 2014 was largely all about underground discoveries rather than, say, the “usual suspects” that churn out material year after year. Sure, a mainstay like Devin Townsend once again…

  • Hellbound’s best of 2014: metal albums of the year (#1-5)

    Hellbound’s best of 2014: metal albums of the year (#1-5)

    Hellbound’s best of 2014 year-end coverage continues with the last installment in our definitive top 20 metal albums of the year list. Part four features the records that ranked highest in our collective esteem: the final five. You’ll note that Behemoth and YOB might have to duke it out if either one wants sole claim of the #2 spot, though really,…

  • Hellbound’s best of 2014: metal albums of the year (#6-10)

    Hellbound’s best of 2014: metal albums of the year (#6-10)

    Hellbound’s end-of-the-year metal coverage continues with the first batch of the heaviest hitters – the releases that came in #6-10 in our best metal albums of 2014 tally. There might be a touch of nostalgia here, or a hint of our relative agedness in our tastes, or maybe it’s just that these bands just really know…

  • Hellbound’s best of 2014: honourable mentions (#11-15)

    Hellbound’s best of 2014: honourable mentions (#11-15)

    Hellbound’s 2014 year-end coverage continues this week with the next installment in our collective top 20. Part two features the albums that ranked in the #11-15 slots once we tallied the votes. AGALLOCH – The Serpent & The Sphere (Profound Lore) Revisiting this album in the dark of December seems perfect. Released on a warm…

  • Hellbound’s best of 2014: honourable mentions (#16-20)

    Hellbound’s best of 2014: honourable mentions (#16-20)

    Hellbound’s end-of-the-year metal coverage begins today! We asked our staff for their best of 2014 picks and now we’ve compiled the results. From now till the early days of the new year, Hellbound will be featuring these selections, beginning with our own version of the definitive list: the 20 best metal albums of 2014. Here is…