8.Revocation-Deathless (2014):
As strong as Revocation's catalog is from top to bottom, Deathless stands defiantly atop the heap. It's an absolutely monstrous record that has only become more ferocious over time. The riff faucet never stops running at full blast, the genre variation (progressive, thrash, melodeath, tech death) present in the songwriting is top notch and the eerie atmospherics of the instrumentation perfectly match the Lovecraftian lyrics.
Standout Tracks: 1.Scorched Earth Policy 2.A Debt Owed to the Grave 3.The Blackest Reaches
7.The Black Dahlia Murder-Nightbringers (2017):
Member changes have plagued The Black Dahlia Murder throughout their career. While their two remaining founding members (vocalist Trevor Strnad, rhythm guitarist/primary songwriter Brian Eschbach) have done a terrific job of mitigating a lot of the potential negative effects that come with frequent turnover, there's no question that having a different lineup on almost every record (since their 2003 debut LP Unhallowed, they've had 5 drummers, 3 bassists and 3 lead guitarists) has had varying degrees of impact over the years. Their latest change at lead guitarist (Brandon Ellis replaced Ryan Knight-who had been with the band since 2009) ended up being the best thing to happen to them creatively in several years as Nightbringers was their most inspired effort since a certain record that came out earlier in the decade that will be appearing later on in this countdown. Ellis' electric solowork and explosive riffs served as a needed shot of adrenaline for a band that was coming off of two of their weaker efforts (Everblack, Abysmal). His zest for playing fast, bouncy riffs resulted in the band embracing a sound that was pretty reminiscent of the early Gothenburg melodeath, which subsequently made this perhaps the most purely fun record they've put out.
Favorite Tracks: 1.Kings of the Nightworld 2.Matriarch 3.As Good As Dead
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