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The results are on!!!
First of all A big Thank You to all who casted your votes and made this competition so popular! Also a big thank you to all bands who promoted the Awards in many possible ways! As you know we started everything with the Preliminary Round. There were 11 groups with 7 albums in each, plus the "write in vote" group. From each group two albums with biggest amount of votes made it into the big finals and the result is:
04. Aeon Sable - Visionaers
votes: 72
05. Bellanox Mystery - Interstellar Basics
votes: 64
06. Atomzero - Symbiosis
votes: 46
07. Helevorn - Compassion Forlorn
votes: 44
08. Deathstars - The Perfect Cult
votes: 41
09. Autumnal - The End Of The Third Day
votes: 35
10. Yabanci - Grimorium
votes: 34
11. God's Own Medicine - Drachma
votes: 32
12. Anathema - Distant Satellites
votes: 31
12. Dark Beauty - Fall From Grace
votes: 31
14. Astari Nite - Stereo Waltz
votes: 28
15. Diary Of Dreams - Elegies In Darkness
votes: 25
16. Whispers In The Shadow - Beyond The Cycles Of Time
votes: 24
16. Xandria - Sacrificium
votes: 24
18. Laibach - Spectre
votes: 23
19. Primordial - Where Greater Men Have Fallen
votes: 21
20. The Dreamside - Sorrow Bearing Tree
votes: 17
21. Saigon Blue Rain - What I Don't See
votes: 16
22. Noctiferia - Pax
votes: 14
23. Darkspace - Dark Space III I
votes: 11
24. L'Âme Immortelle - Drahtseilakt
votes: 10
Aeon Sable - Visionaers: Aeon Sable, a name that must already bring shivers to every and each soul fancying dark music out there. One year after the stunning "mini" album Aequinoctium, the German duo Aeon Sable offers an ahead of time album named Visionaers. It holds the right title, yes, and with seven sonic "visions" featured on this album they grant us a voyage through the inner universe, showing us the darkest secrets and yet leaving a lot to each ones imagination. The world we are stepping in is full of drama, magic and beauty. Read a review HERE. Links: Website, Facebook
Anathema - Distant Satellites: The highly anticipated, like each and every album from British masters of atmospheric rock, follow up to 2012's Weather Systems is simply just another masterpiece. It contains almost every conceivable element of the heartbeat of Anathema music that it is possible to have. Anathema proves once again that they are not afraid to grow and morph with every new release. Distant Satellites is magic and beauty. Links: Website, Facebook
Astari Nite - Stereo Waltz: American alternative darkwave rock ensemble Astari Nite gave us a surprisingly good debut album in the beginning of the last year, which definitely shows that darkwave/gothic rock is not just an European thing. Album is full of nicely flowing melancholic, yet catchy melodies and vocal lines, intriguing ambiances, even shoegaze elements, electronic sparks and post-punk energy, mostly delivered with kind of an indie attitude. Links: Facebook
Atomzero - Symbiosis: Canadian duo that started as a music project by Peter Godziszewski who previously played with bands such as Electro Assassin and VNV Nation (in their formative years) is finally out with their debut album. Symbiosis is for sure one of 2014's highlights of electro scene, serving up strong vocals and a melody-driven brand of electronic music. Fusing classic electronic influences of early electro-pop, industrial and EBM into a modern mix with dance floor beats and thoughtful lyrics. Links: Website, Facebook
Autumnal - The End Of The Third Day: Autumnal are not a newcommer on the scene, those who follow the doom scene must be aware that this band is active since 1998 and is by many considered to be the cornerstone of Iberian metal. The End Of The Third Day is one of those albums that gets best consumed in the solitude, with your favorite drink in hands while the soft sparkly lights of candles draw some silhouettes on the wall in complete absence from outside effects. It offers a lot, but all those great guitar riffs and timeless melancholic melodies will bring some shivers down your spine. Read a review HERE. Links: Facebook
Bellanox Mystery - Interstellar Basics: Imagine a tenebrous death rock atmosphere mixed up with primary industrial rawness, spiced up with somewhat ill-mented atmosphere and you get Bellanox Mystery’s debut. Mysterious, furious and deranged sound with dramatic vocal work, that will surely remind you of Marilyn Manson on more than one occasion, will make your nerves itch. Links: Facebook
Dark Beauty - Fall From Grace: Dark Beauty is not kind of a simple and usual music group, we have some very skilled and professional musicians here, who created an album that is special from many points of view. Fall From Grace is a very good start for a band that has it all; ideas, talent, songwriting skills and a lot of potential. Lovers of good stories told through music have another player on the scene just waiting to be consumed and with its magical touch will take you into the world of fairytales and dark stories. Read a review HERE. Links: Website, Facebook
Darkspace - Dark Space III I: Wroth, Zorgh and Zhaaral once again pledge allegiance to unconscious coordinates and chaos is reborn. You could refer to it as black metal from the astral plains. Mechanical vibes and a wall of transcendent sound that explodes and expands without beginning and without end. Abhorrent to a saint’s ears, exquisitely beauteous to others. The echoing chanting grants appear every now and then, malevolent and elegant at the same time, exploding like cosmic sperm in the vaginal universe just to impregnate the uncertain. Read a review HERE. Links: Website, Facebook
Deathstars - The Perfect Cult: Hell opened its gates and black glitter fell from the sky and alas, The Perfect Cult was born. The Perfect Cult doesn’t bring anything new from the band's camp, as their distinctive sound is still based on the use of simplistic, but striking guitar riffs, mixed with quite a heavy use or keyboards. And of course, creating an atmosphere, no one else can: seductive, dark, striking and captivating. This release definitely marks a new point in the evolution of Deathstars, as the band showed us they still got it and can still deliver an album, everyone will be talking about. Read a review HERE. Links: Website, Facebook
Devilment - The Great And Secret Show: Devilments debut album is probably one of the best horror tinged metal albums that were released recently. The Great And Secret Show fronts the persona of Dani Filth (Cradle Of Filth) as central base in this palette of macabre sounds and it's Dani's merit that the sound reaches kind of a theatrical feeling, dramatic suspense, erotic imagination and gruesome gothy atmosphere, whilst the instruments give an extraordinary support. Read a review HERE. Links: Facebook
Diary Of Dreams - Elegies In Darkness: Elegies In Darkness inhales the thick air from the scorned mouth and exhales the multifaceted grandeur of internal affairs straight from the eyes with the bleakest of colors; one stare at the cover artwork will convince you. It's one of those albums that won’t rely upon hit-songs and highlights, after all it doesn’t stand in the light. It’s a soulful testimony and should be cherished as such through its whole duration in order to treasure everything it stands. Read a review HERE. Links: Website, Facebook
God's Own Medicine - Drachma: God's Own Medicine can tease with melancholic tracks, but as well rock hard on the upbeat ones, then again being not afraid to experiment with some post-punk and of course gothic rock. No matter in which direction the album goes it always keeps the right flow, thus beign very dynamic, sincerely dramatic and is full of special pathos. So pretty varied contrast of sounds, yet always being compact and nicely flowing. Read a review HERE. Links: Facebook
Helevorn - Compassion Forlorn: Following the path established with their previous two albums, Helevorn with the new album brings a couple of new things. Helevorn swear to interlaces between crushing slow doom, mid paced metal, emotional and warm passages. The sound is dense and rich, with beautiful catchy melodies, stunning harmonized guitars, effective strong drums, plus simply intense and well balanced massive driving rhytmic lines, it has a drive and pathos that hooks the listeners. Compassion Forlorn is a musical vision of process of the loss of all feelings once produced by humankind. Read a review HERE. Links: Website, Facebook
L'Âme Immortelle - Drahtseilakt: New album, old concept. After swaying into more stripped-down music for the last couple of albums, the Austrian duo L'Âme Immortelle returned to their roots, resulting in an album full of electronic-driven compositions, with their signature melancholic touch. Pounding dance beats and sensitive melodies on Drahtseilakt will surely be fancied amongst the fans. Links: Website, Facebook
Laibach - Spectre: Being around for more than 30 years and still ongoing with strong idealism, imagery and striking force, Laibach is back with full power and on an exploratory mission to boldly go, where it hasn’t gone before. Spectre is another masterpiece in the band’s hall of fame and is, as the name already indicates, a spectre of various musical styles veiled in its trademark sound. This is Laibach – and you will be assimilated. Resistance is futile. Read a review HERE. Links: Website, Facebook
Noctiferia - Pax: The leading Slovenian metal ensemble is back with a new album that shows nothing but a perfection in extreme industrial metal. Thematically it's based on their view of ancient Roman concept "Pax Romana" - reaching the peace with power. A turbulent, yet dark and murderous mix of many different elements explode in front of you in such an obtrusive manner that is hard to get confortable. Sometimes Pax is chaotic, but one hell of absolutely intriguing piece of modern extremity. Links: Website, Facebook
Primordial - Where Greater Men Have Fallen: Irish metallers Primordial are back with their eighth studio album! A band which made a history of epic pagan/celtic metal with monumental albums such as The Gathering Wilderness and To The Nameless Dead, even though not reaching that absolute greatness, stays loyal to the sound they've accomplished throughout their more than 25 years long career. Cry of wounded soldier in majestic compositions through storytelling lyrics makes you wanna go into battle and pay the tribute to the fallen greater men. Where Greater Men Have Fallen is for sure another bright jewel in their discography. Links: Website, Facebook
Saigon Blue Rain - What I Don't See: Saigon Blue Rain, formerly known as Stupid Bitch Reject, with their debut album shows a luxurious, sensitive and in a way one of the most elaborated ethereal/darkwave outputs released lately. What I Don't See is an ode to all things immaterial and imperceptible, it's an introspective work for all who dance in the solitude of their minds. Their strongest points are Ophelia's angelic voice, dreamy melodies, strong vibrant reverberate bass lines and occasional 80s inspired guitar passages. Read a review HERE. Links: Facebook
The Birthday Massacre - Superstition: An album every The Birthday Massacre fan would and should like and an album that 80s new romantics meets synthpop meets flirty and rich in sound pop music nostalgics should find pleasure in and this album is undoubtedly their absolutely best. They have proven they know just how to shift through various musical styles that influence their sound and put each and every one of those in faultless equilibrium. More than noteworthy release that can be proud to present itself with its shining diversity, uncompromising coherence, larger-than-life melodies and obsolete tranquility all in one. Read a review HERE. Links: Website, Facebook
The Dreamside - Sorrow Bearing Tree: Sorrow Bearing Tree is one of those monumental albums that must have its deserved special place. The Dreamside are a very matured band, beign active for more than 20 years and must be proud of what they are composing and performing. Kemi Vita is absolutely one of the best female singers in the metal/gothic scene, there's no doubt about this. Add to all this very interesting and thoughtful lyrics, plus a top notch production, everything wrapped into great artwork and there you go. Read a review HERE. Links: Website, Facebook
The Pussybats - PussyPussyBangBang: Sometimes simplicity of sounds pays off for sure and PussyPussyBangBang is the proof of that. This album surely deserves some attention, especially from audience who enjoys some old school sounding garage rock and is not afraid of some bouncing between different music styles. Listening to this album will give you a feeling you’re on a rollercoaster drive; at the moments you will enjoy in the panoramic view that will overwhelm you from head to toe and at other times it will make you scream, because your bloodstream will be flushed with adrenaline. Read a review HERE. Links: Facebook
Whispers In The Shadow - Beyond The Cycles Of Time: Beyond The Cycles Of Time is a complex album in its core. The band strikes with some really astonishing groovers, post-punk/goth rocking anthems, ambiental cinematic psychedelia, tribal dark rock and much more. It's an essential album for the genre that seems to be in a rather ascent for a last couple of years. Beyond The Cycles Of Time beautifully marks the end of the significant chapter in bands history, a four album cycle which started in 2008 with their fifth album Into The Arms Of Chaos. Read a review HERE. Links: Website, Facebook
Xandria - Sacrificium: With a new energy, completely refined style and a new singer, Xandria found a niche that was left open after Tarja and the rest of Nightwish didn't found a shared journey anymore. Xandria's sound enthuses with stunning melodies, many catchy refrains, bombastic symphonic orchestrations, some traditional celtic-folk insertions and sweeping vocal lines. You'll notice also some crushing cavalcading elements that can remind to Therion. Songs like "Nightfall" and "Dreamkeeper" will be on repeat for a long time by each and every fan of symphonic metal music. Read a review HERE. Links: Website, Facebook
Yabanci - Grimorium: Swiss ensemble Yabanci created a dense and very obscure atmosphere, sometimes almost suffocating and psychedelic. Many songs have very nice crescendos and with catchy melodic lines Yabanci can easily drown the listener into this alchemic, very hypnotizing world. There are heard influences from old school bands like early era Fields Of The Nephilim, Bauhaus, Christian Death and Siouxie And The Banshees, but what you'll get are invasive and addictive soundscapes with a nicely flowing drive. Read a review HERE. Links: Facebook
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