Music Criticism - Top 17 Albums of 2017

17. Fin - Arrows of a Dying Age
16. Priests - Nothing Feels Natural
15. Pallbearer - Heartless
14. Jason Moran - BANGS
13. Craig Finn - We All Want the Same Things
12. Satan's Hallow - Satan's Hallow
11. Kamasi Washington - Harmony of Difference
10. Death Fortress - Triumph of the Undying
09. Joshua Abrams and Natural Information Society - Simultonality
08. Cameron Graves - Planetary Prince
07. Tchornobog – Tchornobog
06. Fleet Foxes - Crack-Up
05. Elder - Reflections of a Floating World
04. Black Cilice - Banished from Time
03. Archspire - Relentless Mutation
02. Cleric - Retrocausal
01. Myrkur - Mareridt

(Write-up below)

Music Criticism - Bathory - "Twilight of the Gods"

I am not saying anything revolutionary when I call “Twilight of the Gods” a masterpiece. Within the metal community the album is regarded as a classic, though, oddly enough, it does not seem to hold quite the same status in the broader music world, even when compared with other black/viking/folk* metal classics. Most of the people reading this are probably wondering why I would even bother to write something like this given that everyone who has even a mild interest in metal will encounter this album on nearly every best of list that covers a remotely relevant subgenre. The reason I think such an endeavor is worthwhile is due to an odd paradox I have noted when it comes to metal. Far more than any other scene I am familiar with, the metal community holds its classics in total veneration. People will go to great lengths to present detailed overviews and write ups to subgenres, and compared to most subgenres, there is a far greater emphasis on history in the metal world. However, while the amount of overview oriented material available about metal is truly phenomenal, there is comparatively little in the way of detailed analysis of specific works.