Lists are hard, man. Every year when we compile our Top 40, there are some really good records we have to leave out, as much as it pains us to do so. There are tons of awesome records we won’t get to give year-end treatment to at all! Here are five that just missed the cut for the Top 40 but still are well worth your time, money, and attention. Presented in alphabetical order.

1349, “The Wolf and the King” (Season of Mist): Nordic black metal force 1349 made a career out of fighting back against what’s become acceptable, embracing the tenets of their chosen subgenre but never being afraid to push things elsewhere. Just look at 2009’s “Revelations of the Black Flame,” the most experimental record of their entire run, and personally, one of my favorites, no matter the flak it took at the time. Their latest opus is “The Wolf and the King,” an eight-track, 39-minute bruiser that is lean and mean, and while it’s one of their most straightforward in a while, it still contains the heart of a band unsatisfied with their haul and always thirsty for more. “The God Devourer” gets off to a tempered start, letting the heat rise before leading the force to rupture, the simple, but potent chorus sending jolts. “Inferior Pathways” is pointed and channeled, drums crushing as the leads dart, the chorus stabbing to the point. “The Vessel and the Storm” attacks, howls crushing, guitars carving tributaries into hell. Lava explodes to the surface, chugging and mashing, a lightning force electrifying, Ravn wailing, “I am reborn!” This band never seems to run out of fire, and this record is no exception. (Oct. 4)

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/1349official

To buy the album, go here: https://shopusa.season-of-mist.com/band/1349

For more on the label, go here: https://www.season-of-mist.com/

AURIFEROUS FLAME, “The Insurrectionists and the Caretakers” (True Cult): While many possibly will take up arms and head into the streets in the years ahead as fascism rises, there are other ways of protest and various means of joining the fight even if not physically. That’s at the heart of “The Insurrectionists and the Caretakers,” the third full-length from Auriferous Flame, the project helmed solely by Ayloss (Spectral Lore, Mystras, etc.). Yes, there are those who thrive to jump into the physical battles, and they deserve honor, but so do those who work from their homefront, creating safe spaces for those impacted, donating to worthy causes, and spreading the word of revolution. “The Insurrectionists” opens, a 15:40-long tale that drives in, torches ablaze, ramping up to a fiery force that aims to scorch apprehension to fight against overreaching power. “No more shall I run like the servant of the state, correcting false accidents, intentional shortcomings, but I will strike to destroy it, once and for all,” Ayloss howls. “The Caretakers” blazes, a crushing force that knows no bounds, forceful howls painting memories of the fires in our heart that linger over time. Fast and lathering melodies rise to the surface, the playing rippling and spitting fire, slowly fading into quieter sounds, a serenity that hopefully marks the end of a battle won. Keep this record by your side as we face an uncertain future. (Nov. 8)

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/Auriferousflame

To buy the album, go here: https://truecultrecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-insurrectionists-and-the-caretakers

For more on the label, go here: https://truecultrecords.bandcamp.com/

BRUME, “Marten” (Magnetic Eye): San Francisco-based Brume (pronounced “broom”) are not like your average band making heavier sounds that situate deeply in doomy waters. They’ve made a habit of naming their records after animals, and their third is “Marten,” titled after that pesky and aggressive mammal. This band is fully capable of sinking in their teeth and taking you down, and their songs often disarming you with emotion and darkness you don’t see coming until it’s right on top of you. “Jimmy” is an enchanting opener, dark and foreboding, strings scraping and the heat slowly building. “Faux Savior” haunts right away, group singing thickening, the call of, “Can you devour my sins?” pricking hearts. The playing is slow and sultry, the skies darkening and threatening, the band going into full gust, the energy spiking as the singing soars into the stratosphere. “How Rude” basks under the moon, deeper singing pushing, the strings adding layers as the melodies move slowly. Guest and Ludicra vocalist Laurie Shanaman’s unmistakable howls ripple, the playing erupting and pummeling, everything getting thicker and bloodier by the second, unloading the final storm gusts of fury. This is a record that grows stickier and more involved with every listen, and each time you take that trip, you unveil new levels of tumult and hurt you didn’t notice the times before. (May 3)

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/brumeband

To buy the album, go here: http://lnk.spkr.media/brume-marten

For more on the label, go here:  https://us.merhq.net/

GIGAN, “Anomalous Abstractigate Infinitessimus” (Willowtip): There are few bands as responsible as Gigan for conjuring mind-altering visions in their brand of death metal. For the past 12 years, this force has delivered five full-length albums, the latest being “Anomalous Abstractigate Infinitessimus,” that delves into the horrors of the cosmos, but in a way that’s as fascinating as it is brutal. This is 47 minutes of space horror metal over eight tracks that continually whisk you to other places and immediately terrify you with what you see and hear. Yet, in the end, you’ll have had an adventure that will capture your mind. “Trans-Dimensional Crossing of the Alta-Tenuis” opens in total darkness, a stirring atmosphere greeting chugging guitars that crush worlds. The monstrous pace explodes into spacey leads, the soloing going off toward the outer rim. “Emerging Sects of Dagonic Acolytes” flattens the mind with disarming sounds landing, the steam rising from a developing miasma. “Erratic Pulsitivity and Horror” barrels through, the pace pummeling and tearing, growls ripping a hole in time. The playing engorges, drama dashing and terrifying, a menacing and beastly power rising and driving to a manic finish. Closer “Ominous Silhouettes Cast Across Gulfs of Time” spews down-tuned madness, sounds boiling and creating a cosmic corrosion, heat rising from the surface. Of all the band exploring the cosmos, Gigan by far is the scariest. (Oct. 25)

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/Giganmusic/

To buy the album, go here: https://www.willowtip.com/bands/details/gigan.aspx

For more on the label, go here: https://www.willowtip.com/home.aspx

RIPPED TO SHREDS, “Sanshi” (Relapse): Ripped to Shreds, long helmed by the unstoppable Andrew Lee, undoubtedly exist in the upper echelon of death metal bands, and their mind-bending fourth record “Sanshi” is another example of why this force exists in rarified air. Over 10 manic tracks, the band attacks with an urgency, mixed with gnarly grind tendencies and a violent cohesion that is the result of a full band effort for the first time in RTS history. Thematically, the band unleashes ancient Chinese traditions, including morbid death rituals that include the use of exotic dancers for twisted funeral ceremonies. “Into the Court of Yanluowang” rips open, vile howls retching, guitars going off as the nastiness is amplified. The playing absolutely steamrolls, great guitar interplay exploding and making adrenaline spike. “孽鏡臺 (Visions of Sin, Mirror of Darkness)” has guitars lighting up, glazing, and then stabbing, the vocals trading off from guttural growls to manic shrieks. “Feast of the Deceased” is dizzying and spindly, a thrashy onslaught making its force felt, churning into unforgiving fire. “Living in Effigy” delivers a punch right to the throat; while closer “Perverting the Funeral Rites, Stripping for the Dead,” is beast as insane as its title indicates, sickening with brutality, vocals spat out as Lee demands, “Strip for the dead!” This record is a goddamn monster that might take a few visits to really sink into your bloodstream. (Sept. 27)

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/rippedtoshredsband

To buy the album, go here: https://www.relapse.com/collections/ripped-to-shreds-sanshi

For more on the label, go here: https://www.relapse.com/