1. Deafheaven – Sunbather (Deathwish)

Deafheaven are one of those bands who are doing something very different with black metal, with many saying it’s not even black metal, including themselves.  I won’t get into that whole debate, but considering how most of the songs rest on the black metal foundation, they are a black metal band in my mind god dammit! Sunbather blends black metal, shoegaze, post rock, and pop tinged melodies like no other, picking up where their last release Roads To Judah left off, and far exceeding any thought of what I believed this album would be. The first time I saw the album art my immediate reaction was “I like it, but fuck me, what is going on here”? After the first full listen with lyrics in hand, I went from happy to sad to everything in between, something a great piece of music will do to you.  It evokes those emotions from you, even if you had nothing to do with the actual piece. Deafheaven are doing the whole shoegazey black metal thing the best right now, making “sunbather” a no brainer in my top 5 of this year.