Igor Wakhevitch - Docteur Faust

It's really hard to sum up an album like this. The six tracks (excluding the intro) range from Throbbing Gristle-esque passages overlaying spoken word segments, to progressive psych-rock with tribal chanting, to bone-chilling modern classical reminiscent of Krzystof Penderecki or Gustav Holst. Overall it's a superbly constructed mindfuck, so give it a shot.

Warmarch - The Declaration (2007)

Featuring the guitarist of Rites of Thy Degringolade, Warmarch continue in much the same vein, with a slightly more progressive touch. The production is cleaner, the songs are more adventurous, and "The Lake" features one of my favourite riffs of recent history. None of the visciousness and uncompromising brutality has been sacrificed in this equation, though in this case the attack comes more in the form of sardonic, twisted riffs than outright blastbeats, and the result is very satisifying. Personally I enjoyed this more than Begrime Exemious' recent debut, and it certainly contains that same otherworldly atmosphere. I'm sure most of you have heard Mitochondrion (rectify that as quickly as humanly possible if you haven't) and I see a lot of the same creative spark in these guys. Unfortunately, Canadian War Metal bands seem to have an incredibly short half-life, and this band split up shortly after releasing this album. Here's hoping the minds behind this album and Rites... will form another band post haste (someone slap me if this has already happened).

For now, enjoy:
Rapidshit (ask for an alternate site and I'll try to upload it there)

Disembarkation - Rancorous Observision (2000)

For those of you who wanted Cynic to have balls, look no further. The jazzy, mid-tempo riffage of Focus is preserved here, sans any (at the much less) further progressive tendencies or vocoder bullshit, and while not every song is as inspired as the opener "Aushwitz", it's still a damn fine listen.

This flew under the table when it was first released, and still hasn't managed to surface above more interesting buried gems like Nespithe or the Timeghoul demos, but I see no reason for this to go entirely unnoticed, especially when Decrepit Birth's latest has been recieving so much praise.

Rapidshite

Poison (GER) - Into the Abyss

I haven't posted in a few decades now, so I figure I owe you guys this one. It's not really well known, but by no means enshrouded in darkness either, as plenty of you have probably heard this already. Still, it deserves a spot here, as it easily sits among the best primal thrash/death/black metal albums I've heard. You may be thinking, "pity it's only four tracks", but fear not, for each of these are 7+ minute sojourns into the darkest recesses of riffage known to man.

Alright, I'll cut with the theatrics and let you guys have the link: MediaFire

Internal Decay - A Forgotten Dream (1993)

Melodic death/doom somewhere between At the Gates (pre-Slaughter) and Phlebotomized, with a haunting atmosphere and some very tasty riffs. You'll catch glimpses of female vocals near the end of the record, and snippets of keyboards are interspersed throughout, but for the most part they manage to pull off the gloominess with traditional metal instrumentation. Songs make the transition from borderline thrash to full-out downtempo doom fairly smoothly, and come right back to hook you in further. Overall this is one hell of a record, and surprisingly under-appreciated.

Mediafire

The Angels of Light - How I Loved You (2001)

You should all be well familiar with SWANS by now, and if not I'd highly recommend perusing their material before venturing into lead man Michael Gira's extra-curricular works. This happens to be his best in that catagory; down-tempo folk-rock with plenty of other influences seeping in through the dusty cracks. Good music for the end of a long day, when you're tired and broken, but still know there's much more hardship to come.

Mediafire

SPK - Leichenschrei (1982)

Seminal Industrial band from the UK. If you're like me and have never delved much into the genre but want to, this is as good a place to start as any. Definitely not casual listening, but not the harshest music I've heard; it's more centered on being subversive than pummeling, so sit back, turn down the lights and get ready to be carried away into a world of madness and death.

Mediafire

Arvo Pärt - Tabula Rasa

I was thinking of posting this to the Classical thread, but decided to save it for this occasion (considering more of you would check it out this way ;) ). This is some of the most stirring, beautiful music I've ever laid ears on, and despite the minimalist sections not doing too much for me, the thematic parts outshine any flaws this record may possess.
Click.

Atrocity - Todessehnsucht (1992)

Though most noticed for their later albums consisting entirely of 80's cover songs, Germany's Atrocity was at one time a pioneer of technical death metal. Predating Gorguts' tech-death career and much of the work from Monstrosity, Todessehnsucht still managed to create one of the most blasphemously intricate albums of the genre, and still go mostly unnoticed. Even though their previous album, Hallucinations, from 1990 lacked the quality of this release, much of the experimentaion was still there, yet the widespread acclaim garnered by the likes of the aforemention Monstrosity and Gorguts, along with Suffocation, Death, and others eluded them. I'm guessing this was the basis for their unfortunate shift in style towards radio-friendly goth-metal, further cementing this band's story as one of tragedy. But I'm sure you're not here to listen to me whine all day, so listen to the album and have your mind blown.

Megaupload

Adversarial - Thralls (2008)

Just a demo today, folks, but this is some prime shit. Adversarial are a band I hadn't even heard of until a friend of mine on RYM recommended their first, and only demo, "Thralls." This hit me like a sack of bricks, as it deftly combines practically every awesome element of modern and old school death metal into a three track block of excellency. Tempos shift from groovy midpaced riffs into frantic (but controlled) blasts of semi-melodic frenzy, and then into a fierce whirlwind of dissonance reminiscant of The Chasm or Immolation, two of the most prominant influences here, yet others shine through (evidenced in an homage to Suffocation's "Torn Into Enthrallment" on the second track.). Even the production shines, being incredibly above average for a demo. About the only flaw I see here is that there isn't more from this band, so drink up what you can now.

Magma - K.A. (2004)

I know most of you grimtards are familiar with Magma, but from what I can tell this little gem has managed to slip under the radar. Maybe because it's about three decades removed from the band's golden era, but rest assured this album is amazing.

Mediafire

Current 93 - Lucifer Over London (1994)

I was introduced to this band via Rotting Christ's cover of this EP's title track, so I figured this may be an ideal starting point for anyone who hasn't heard them before. Haunting guitars, chanting, asymetrical vocal patterns, and a mighty nod in the direction of the drone, ambient and industrial genera which David Tibet takes as much influence from as he does from European folk songs and poetry. Also, I pity anyone who fails to recognise the 'subtle' riff at the beginning of the record.

Mediafire

NoMeansNo - Why Do They Call Me Mr. Happy? (1993)

One of the reasons I am proud to be living in Canada. Put bluntly, you can't like punk if you don't like this band. This album happens to be my favourite, but don't hesitate to track down the equally amazing 'Wrong.'

Mediafire

Cadaver - Necrosis (2004)

Many of you have heard this band's 1992 album ...In Pains, but I hadn't noticed much attention being directed to this, their rather great swansong. Excellent death/thrash, with a slight technical streak.

Mediafire (sorry, Raj)

Kaamos - Lvcifer Rising (2005)

A little gem out of Sweden that far too few people have heard, as far as I'm concerned. Kaamos play OSDM with style, crafting plenty of twisted riffs in a similar fashion to the master Trey Azagthoth, while still keeping songs refined enough to drive straight through hell and back without slowing down. Quite a bit stronger than their debut, and unfortunately the last thing the band ever did before they split in 2007, this is one of the few sleepers in my collection, and it's a damn good one at that.

Again, this is a case where I can provide a FLAC rip, so just ask away if you want me to upload.

For now: Mediafire

Eskaton - 4 Visions (1979)

More Zeuhl for you. I don't find this quite as strong as the magnificant Magma, which would be their most obvious reference point for sound. Though I'm far from experienced in the genre, from what I've heard many non-Magma Zeuhl bands deign not to imitate Magma's vocal style directly, but Eskaton certainly doesn't care in that respect. The music itself is far more minimalistic, with spacey keyboards replacing many instances of electric piano, and an overall confined atmosphere that creates an otherworldly listening experience. Highly recommended, though if you're entirely new to Zeuhl you may wish to track down some of the works of Magma and Christian Vander before venturing further into the boundless territories of Avant-Prog.

Mediafire: Part 1, Part 2

Jacula - In Cauda Semper Stat Venenum (1969)

I found this whilst browsing a thread which discussed the darkest pre-Sabbath rock albums. This was mentioned fairly early on, and while I'd be hesitant to call it rock, it is certainly dark.

Mediafire

Duobetic Homunkulus - Části a Mechanismy Strojů (2006)

Featuring two members of the now defunct !T.O.O.H.!, it should come as no surprise that this is a first rate mindfuck.

Mediafire

Morbius - Sojourns Through the Septiac (2005)

This is what The Chasm would sound like without any doom influences; well, almost. Another ethereal, epic death metal band with no absolute peers and a penchant for obscurity and noteworthy cameos (one of Morbius' drummers went on to play in Arghoslent, under the alias of Alienchrist, an album by the latter). It's nothing truly amazing, but it certainly works and deserves far more attention than it has received at this point.

Megauuuuuupload

Adramelech - Psychostasia (1996)

This may or may not be redundant, but if you haven't heard this yet, do so now and save yourself from the eternal fires of ignorance.

Mediafire (128)
Flac Part One, Part Two

Bonus: Seven and The Fall EPs, in full lossless glory.