10. Havok - "Conformicide" (3/10/17, Century Media)
9. Power Trip - "Nightmare Logic" (2/22/17, Southern Lord)
8. Enslaved - "E" (10/13/17, Nuclear Blast)
7. Primus - "The Desaturating Seven" (9/29/17, ATO/Prawn Song)
6. Troubled Horse - "Revolution On Repeat" (3/31/17, Rise Above)
5. Iced Earth - "Incorruptible" (6/16/17, Century Media)
4. Dead Cross - "Dead Cross" (8/4/17, Ipecac)
3. Leprous - "Malina" (8/25/17, Inside Out)
2. Zeal & Ardor - Devil Is Fine" (2/24/17, Radicalis)
1. Grave Pleasures - "Motherblood" (9/29/17, Century Media)
From the ashes of Beastmilk's spontaneous combustion, Grave Pleasures has risen. Beastmilk's only LP "Climax" could have garnered my album of the year nod had I heard it in 2013. Instead, another Finnish band took home the crown that year (Sammal's glorious self titled album.) Lead singer/songwriter Mat McNerney (aka Kvohst) and bassist Valtteri Arino initially assembled the band with pieces of Beastmilk in addition to players from other dissolved bands (In Solitude, The Oath.) Their first LP under the new moniker "Dreamcrash" was then released in 2015 without much fanfare. After more lineup changes, Grave Pleasures released the "Funeral Party" EP in late 2016. 'Deadenders' was one of my favorite songs of that year and appears to have been a sign of greatness to come. The fist-pumping, post-punk, apocalyptic lyrics/riffs that made "Climax" an instant classic have come front and center on "Motherblood." The up-tempo chaos of 'Infatuation Overkill' and 'Haunted Afterlife,' the doomy, pop chorus of 'Be My Hiroshima' and the clautrophobic spoken word intro of 'Atomic Christ,' give the entire album enough variety and tongue-in-cheek schtick to make it interesting, fun and most definitely headbanging. Any concerns that Beastmilk's magic could not again manifest have been washed away in a splendid, atomic, bloody, fusion of Danzig, Bauhaus and Echo & The Bunnymen. Best album of 2017.
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