The 25 Essential Metal Albums 

For The Fall Season

25) Anathema- "Alternative 4" (1998)

Anathema, for the first portion of their career, had mastered the art of taking atmospheric, brooding sequences of music and combining them with a doom metal (early), and alternative rock vibe (later). This much discussed genre transformation has often split their fan base into two separate sides. However, Alternative 4 is a fantastic album from the early midpoint of their career with some truly atmospheric tunes. My personal favorite is "Fragile Dreams". The tune starts out with a haunting violin line, and when the rest of the band kicks in, the guitarist ends up playing the violin line with a really creamy distortion tone. This very riff and the tempo of the song are the reason that this album ends up as #25 on the list. This song is only outdone by track 6, Inner Silence. Here's a link to "Fragile Dreams" on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4x1Mq-NFFc

Lyrical excerpt from track 6 "Inner Silence":
"When the silence beckons, And the day draws to a close, When the light of your life sighs, And love dies in your eyes, Only then will I realize, What you mean to me." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DiBZH6L5btQ (Listen to this song, it is fantastic.)

24) Lacrimas Profundere- "Burning: A Wish" (2001)

Imagine the band HIM. Imagine HIM doesn't suck. (I know it's tough, just try.) That's basically this album. Everything this band released after this album was absolutely terribly, and sounded just like HIM to boot. This particular album struck me at a young age, so maybe it's for nostalgic purposes that I put it here. But the guitar tone and deep vocals really are still excellent. Take for instance the song "Last Dance"- it's fantastic. The piano rolls midway through the song are so gripping. Here's a video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFaCwI8AWyc

"Last Dance" lyrical excerpt: 
"All the tears on you, All your saddest wishes. For your last dance I, and nothing was true."

23) Insomnium-"In The Halls Of Awaiting" (2002)

This is ONE BEAST of a melodic death metal album. This record really defined Finnish melodic death metal for me. Slower, more dirge-like, more mournful, but with all the high quality melody you would expect from In Flames finest hour at the dawn of their musical career. Every single song on this record is an absolute stunner, with some of the most atmospheric nature & folktale influenced lyrics I have ever laid my eyes upon. I even have the final line from the album tattooed on my left forearm: "Into The Shades, Together We Fade". This is a record that has to be purchased in a high quality format and listened to from front to back. Here's a video of "The Elder", their first single off this album: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M__RnU5YaK4


Lyrical excerpt from "Ill-Starred Son": 
"Her dirge still echoes in these woods, Mourning lingers in the vales, As the wind cries on the shore, Her wailing can be heard. Mirthless is this, Wandering through hollow days, Like a pale ghost I waste away in this foul world." 

22) Amorphis- "Tuonela" (1999)

This is an odd album, yes. But it is dripping with those melodies that make one think of the end of summer. Sure this is the record where Amorphis started screwing off with Prog influences, but there are some seriously kickass tracks on this record. "The Way" is a timeless classic even with friends of mine who don't like metal, as is the shining gem of the album "Summer's End". Here's a video of the song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yy91j2ZMDX4&feature=related (sorry for the crap audio quality- just buy the record). 

Lyrical excerpt from "Summer's End": 
"In the morning mist by the waning moon, Through the woods she set on foot, With a sacred blade cut the berries down, Dug up the dreaded mandrake root. Tread my path to summer's end. This bequest I leave you, she says. You will see what could be evergreen, Turn to copper and fade to grey." 

21) Darkseed- "Diving Into Darkness" (2000)

Yeah, Darkseed jumped on the "Paradise Lost" bandwagon pretty hard with this release, but it worked out well. This has a lot of crisp riffs with A LOT of electronic sampling and such. Lots of dark, gothic styled songs with baritone vocals.












Here's one of the strongest songs on the record, Hopelessness: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kucoVAaTO4A&feature=relmfu

Lyrical excerpt from "Autumn": 

"Autumn comes apace, a last warm glance sighing to me, Now grey vails between the earth and sea, Birdless branches in the wind, Leaves they found their death in coldness, Naked trees in the frost of night, yearning for the sun again and again, Waters laying still in transparent fog, Lakes of blue covered with ice, to sleep their winter-sleep"

20) Wolves In The Throne Room- "Black Cascade" (2009)

Droning, MEDITATIVE, entrancing, powerful black metal with lyrics deep rooted in nature and respect for our Earth. These guys actually live on a farm in the Pacific Northwest, and the majority of what they eat they grow themselves. They prefer to perform in pitch darkness, with the only lights being natural candlelight, and they do not allow flash photography during their shows. The majority of their shows are played outdoors, not at venues, but rather at bonfires and vice versa. This is a truly special band who have dedicated their music to meditation and respect for the four seasons, and this record is especially reminiscent of the Fall season. Here's a video for my favorite track "Wanderer Above The Sea Of Fog": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Es2Tz55VCnw

I would love to give you a lyrical excerpt, but lyrics to this album do not exist online. 

19) Lake Of Tears- "Moons And Mushrooms" (2007)

Though it's a recent release, this record still hammers down what I've always thought; Lake of Tears is one of the more underrated bands out there. They have a knack for creating whatever atmosphere they want- beautiful fall days, dark stormy evenings, space travel, out of body experiences, whatever.They can make music that will remind you of it. This cd is a nice piece for Fall specifically because of the fantastic tracks "Last Purple Sky" and "Like A Leaf". Here's the full album, with my favorite "Last Purple Sky" first: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IW8PANcskjQ

Here is a lyrical excerpt from "Like A Leaf": 

"Like a leaf in the breeze, In the morning but still asleep, Slowly falling to the ground without a sound. Morning breaks in the shadows, And mist from the near lying lake, Making shapes of the willows. Outside my window, they wait. Waiting for someone to take."

18) Opeth- "Damnation" (2003)

Ah, the mighty Opeth. Their last album "Heritage" sucked SO hard, but the rest of their catalog is breathtaking. This record here is their only "non-metal" album besides the progressive rock of "Heritage", but I'm allowing it to be on this list because they ARE a metal band, even if Mikael Akerfeldt is going through a mid-life prog-rock crisis right now. This record has some really nice moody acoustic passages and mysterious, vague lyrics that will rock you to sleep on a nice cool night with a breeze while the leaves fall before you. For your enjoyment and relaxation, I provide you "Hope Leaves"- CRANK UP the bass on your speakers first, because the bass line in this song is so relaxing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KjOhoH0dY4

Lyrical excerpt from "Death Whispered A Lullaby": 
"Out on the road, there are fireflies circling, Deep in the woods, where the lost souls hide. Over the hill, there are men returning, Trying to find some peace of mind." 

17) Ghost Brigade- "Isolation Songs" (2009)

Wow. This one went right by me in 2009. Didn't discover it until this Spring. and I have loved it ever since. Amazing use of acoustics, mournful passages, and DOOM. Here's a video for "My Heart Is A Tomb": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NT4fBaI_l8M&feature=related










Lyrical excerpts from "My Heart Is A Tomb":
"This may sound like a prayer, but it's not. This is a written sentence from a man who doesn't know how much he cares. These are lines taken from a book- from an unwritten one. Can you follow your own shadow?"


16) Amorphis-"Skyforger" (2009)

Amorphis, we meet again. The scandinavian scales, folklore influenced lyrics, melodic mastery, driving choruses- you make a great soundtrack for driving down back roads looking for places to shoot nature photography. The shining gem on this album is "Sky Is Mine". Here's a video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uD_DeNmFdAw

Lyrical excerpt from "Sky Is Mine": 

"From my world the sun faded, And the moon from my sky was gone with stars. I came home to a bleak room of sorrow-Forsaken house, place of grief, in solitude."

15) Swallow The Sun- "Ghosts Of Loss" (2005)

The doom hammer has been mightily dropped. This record has a dark atmosphere resembling an autumn storm where brutality and beauty meet in seamless harmony. My favorite track is the thought provoking "Ghost Of Laura Palmer". Here's a video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqYdZsul40Q

Lyrical excerpt from "Ghost Of Laura Palmer":
"In the flame she was moving slow, Whispering passionate words. As she breathed frost Out of her warm, wet mouth.... She felt like the ghost of Laura Palmer."

14) Opeth- "Still Life" (1999)

A fantastic concept album from the masters of progressive death metal. This one has it all; a great story about a man returning to a village fifteen years after he had been banished from it to reunite with the woman he loves and his eventual public hanging as a result; brutal melodic death metal; angelic clean vocals atop acoustic guitar layers, and so much more. This is an album that must be listened to from front to back to truly enjoy. Keep the lyric sheet next to you as you listen so you can follow the story if you miss some of the words during the harsh parts and chances are you'll be swooped away into this late summer/early fall grim fairy tale. You might poop your pants if you're hearing this album for the first time- just telling you. Here's the full album: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INikARt7Gpo&feature=related

Lyrical excerpt from "Benighted": 

"Come into this night, Here we'll be gone. So far away, From our weak and crumbling lives. Come into this night, When days are done. Lost and astray, In what's vanished from your eyes. What came and distorted your sight, Saw you benighted by your fright."

13) Sentenced- "The Funeral Album" (2005)

Perhaps one of the most appropriately titled albums ever, this album is Sentenced's last record EVER. Following the death of their guitarist, they disbanded shortly after this album was released. This CD has some of the better Sentenced material on it, although every Sentenced album has been nothing but magnificent. Utterly depressive lyrics, straight grinding gothic rock guitars. Fantastic example of homegrown Finnish dark rock/metal. One of the better songs on the album illustrates the concept of life to the cycle of autumn. It is entitled "We Are But Falling Leaves". Here is a video for it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rX6_Te5dis

Lyrical excerpt from "We Are But Falling Leaves":
"We are but falling leaves in the air hovering down, On our way we are spinning around, Scattered fragments of time, Like blinks of an eye we are. That's all we are. Think of your lifetime as one year, Look autumn is here, Getting colder, the winter's impending. Your conclusion's drawing near-certain, austere. Yet is only the circles unending. At life's eve our flames will cease- Eternally, unavoidably. Eventually, all paths will lead to the cemetery, To the prior deceased."

12) Paradise Lost- Draconian Times (1995)

If you're a self respecting metal fan, moreover a fan of gothic metal or doom metal, and you have not heard "Draconian Times" by Paradise Lost, you must live under a rock. Paradise Lost is truly iconic, churning out classic album after classic album (yeah, except One Second and Host- Paradise Lost's own version of Celtic Frost's "Cold Lake"  or Helloween's "Chameleon" album. Utter garbage.) Either way, this cd has track after track of doomy riffing from the mid-90's. This is one of the best PL releases of all time, and with songs like "Enchantment", "Hallowed Land", and "Shadowkings", I dare you to try to prove me otherwise. Make sure you check out some of PL's newer stuff as well. They're still making FANTASTIC music. In Requiem, Faith Divides Us Death Unites Us, and Tragic Idol have all been killer. By the way, the KEYBOARDS on this record are SO clutch. Video for Enchantment: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPVdLWFwKa0

Lyrical excerpt from "The Last Time": 

"A cruel misfortune, Forbidding is to see. When stories may collide, It's a sad state of mind. Hearts beating for the last time- Hearts beating it is a state of mind. Hearts beating for the last time- The peace you cannot find"

11) Alcest- "Les Voyages de L'Âme" (2012)

Alcest is a band I just recently discovered. Ultimately having started out as a black metal band, mainman Neige decided he would rather turn it into a dark shoegazing band and one of the most interesting aspects of this French band is that it is all based off of Neige's childhood fantasies. Check this excerpt from their Wikipedia Page: "As a child, Neige had experiences[12] of being in contact with a "far off country", which he generically refers to as "Fairy Land". Alcest serves as the musical adaptation of the memories from this "otherworld".[5][13] Neige intends for Alcest to be a journey for the listener to this world through his memories. This change in concept was first introduced on Le Secret. Souvenirs d'un autre monde will serve as a literal summation of the concept behind the band.[14]" (all rights reserved- Wikipedia)

Long story short, "Les Voyages De L'ame" has layers of melancholic drone and deep chanted vocals. While it's in French, it only seems to add to the mysterious atmosphere that the music illustrates. And with lyrics focused on the beauty of Fall and a number of other seasonal related items, it is easy to see why this album ranks so high on the list. It is an excellent addition to your collection if you are in the mood for a long drive where you can zone out and relax. Here's a YouTube clip for Autre Temps: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCwGMLncumM

Here is a lyrical excerpt from "Autre Temps": 

"A distant prayer, carried by the evening wind, Enlivens leaves in their languid dance. Hear the song of the old trees, singing for you, For the dark, resting woods. So many seasons have passed; they did not wait. The golden leaves dying on the ground Will be reborn under bright skies, As this weatherworn world remains the same, And tomorrow, you and I will be gone."

10) Woods Of Ypres- "Pursuit Of The Sun And The Allure Of The Earth" (2004)

I guess I am biased. This won't be the last time you see the mighty Woods Of Ypres on this list. Originally started out as a cold Northern Ontario Black Metal band, Woods lost all their members except drummer David Gold after their first album "Against The Seasons", and he decided to man all instrumental and vocal duties for this album "Pursuit....". What we find here is a Summer/Early Fall album regarded to as "summer black metal"- a genre all his own. The lyrics focused on many introspective memories of summer life, growing up, experiences you wish you could have again, and etc.- Something David Gold had seemingly gotten better and better at until the tragic accident that took his life in December of 2011, on an Ontario highway. This particular record blends cruel black metal moments with a majority of Pink Floydian style ethereal moments of peace and clarity amidst vocal harmonies and shimmering acoustic guitars. Though his vocals had not quite found their comfort level of pitch as they did in later releases, this album is a true classic and one of my favorites of all time. Every single song is great. Not just good, but great. This record is so good it deserves two linked video's for you to hear. One emotional- "Shedding The Deadwood": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ja41iYDd5gw  and One cruel that transforms into emotion: "Dragged Across A Forest Floor" the 5:25 mark gives me chills every time...- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuJWGsd7pjU&feature=relmfu ; Too bad YouTube audio quality blows!!! 

Lyrical Excerpt from "The Will To Give": 

"A hybrid of seasons had come

It swept across the land

It spared the lives of everyone else

While it destroyed everything I had done

The frost came in the night

My progress immortalized

All that I had left undone

Would be forever, frozen in time

I became known for this curse

It happened throughout my life

It needed to continue to occur

In order to keep my legacy alive

Before I know my time had arrived

It was already gone

Cursing the cold winds of change

My moment of peace was just the eye of the storm"

9) Novembers Doom- "The Pale Haunt Departure" (2005)

This album SCREAMS Fall. Just look at the album cover and tell me otherwise. This is one badass chunk of Midwestern Doom from the Chicago doom kings November's Doom. I'm not intentionally trying to write doom as many times as possible, but this album seriously has it. Crushing doom with several moments of cleanly sung/chanted choruses that hold a deep baritone note to enhance the style (not to mention Paul is a BIG dude so that voice comes naturally to him- a BIG dude). Maybe not funeral doom like Mournful Congregation but this is Atmospheric Doom metal at its finest. I don't know what else much to say. Here's a video for "The Pale Haunt Departure": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-plxxWUV5pU (Paul Kuhr has some seriously kickass guttural vocals). 

Here's a lyrical excerpt from "The Pale Haunt Departure": 

"Light escapes this shell of mine

The pale haunt departure

A dying wish to rise again

And leave behind a scarecrows fate

Only those who have suffered long

Can find the light within the shadows

A first hand trial of mislead hope

For this is the day of our wake"

8) Katatonia- "Night Is The New Day" (2009)

Katatonia. Has. Never. Released. A. Bad. Album. Sweden's highest quality mournful metallers have been doing this for a long time, and have never ceased to amaze me with each release. Though they ditched the screams in the vocals many albums ago, Jonas Renkse shows us why we don't need them. He has a very pure, soaring voice. Almost what you could consider monotone, but so well spoken, with a genuine emotional delivery, and his signature esoteric as hell lyrics, make for a unique experience that really is simply put, Katatonia. I love every song on this cd, and the mellow parts blended in with the choppy guitar explosions here and there make for a really nice cd of variety and beauty that blends nicely with falling leaves. Here's a cool video for "Day And Then The Shade"- it was made using only still photography in succession: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqt0HlBlwWg&feature=relmfu

Lyrical excerpt from Day & Then The Shade: 

"I will rise over glass cathedrals

And let go

With my eyes resting upon the nearing dark

The day and then the shade

I have slept

Within the reason that kept me so remote

Make a brand new vow

In the heat of an evening

The darkness swarms

I was nothing, ever

But red like the sun

Dying down over the freeway

Is the brand new sky

Over the mountain ridge"

7) Type O Negative- "World Coming Down" (1999)

I feel like I really don't have to justify putting this album on this list in this spot to ANYONE. From the ghost story of "Creepy Green Light" to undoubtedly one of the best Halloween songs EVER "Hallow's Eve" to the incredible "Everyone I Love Is Dead" and the saddening "Everything Dies", this is a must-listen when it comes to Fall where everything is dying around us. While this still has its tongue in cheek moments, I feel this is probably Type O's most serious release, as the whole album has in your face, as well as under the radar references to Steele's problems with substance abuse, and the very theme of addiction leading to death is apparent on the various interludes between songs. RIP.

Lyrical Excerpt from "Hallow's Eve": 

"Be spiderwebbed and glazed in frost

She wears death beautifully

More stunning now than in her life

On a bed of autumn leaves

Into her eyes and quite surprised

I whispered don't you leave

Sing macabre songs and we'll dance til dawn 

on all hallow's eve"

6) The Man Eating Tree- "Harvest" (2011)

The vocalist of this band has the strangest vocals of all time. Don't really know how to describe it. He was the former vocalist of Fall Of The Leafe which I liked very much and then formed this Finnish supergroup of sorts. It reminds me a lot of Sentenced or Poisonblack instrumentally, with a lot more clean guitar passages thrown in. The lyrics are quite nice, and like I said, this guys voice is weird. One online reviewer likened his inflections to that of Bjork and The Cranberries. I don't disagree in an odd way. I also don't disagree that he has moments where that god awful Creed/Days Of The New accent shit comes out, BUT all that being said, it all strangely works and sounds really good. Fortunately, it will always be cool to like this band because they will never gain any notoriety in America. I actually had to order a t-shirt straight from Finland and get it delivered by DHL. (yeah, DHL). Musically, this album (as well as their previous, VINE) seems to fit cooler weather quite well. The style fits so well in fact, that it made it to #6 on my list! Here's a video for the single off the album which is no doubt the most mainstream sounding off the record, but DAMN does it have a COOL video!!!: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3r_ayb-w1r4 . And here's a more appropriately doomed out song: At The Green County Chapel (song starts around 2:10) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1Ogv_U87Zw 

Lyrical Excerpt from "At The Green County Chapel":

"The date was set

by failed harvest

And when it hit home

Invitations were sent

for their ghosts

To arrive at winter solstice

As the day rolled over

As the sun declined

At the chapel arrived

Thieves in the night

On their way

Through the green country.

Finest tables were set

Under the Elms of old

where they waited

Trees were pruned in the garden

To guide the strangers to the sun

which they would become."

5) Agalloch- "Pale Folklore"(1999)

You've never heard anything like Agalloch, and never will you find anything that sounds like Agalloch again. Pioneers of self-described "Grey Metal", they make music that incorporates percussive instruments like DEER ANTLERS, as well as samples of ambient noise like timberline wolf packs howling and barking, trudging through the snow to traffic from under a bridge. (Well, I guess ULVER has done some of this before but whatever.) With this, we find some of the most beautiful acoustic guitar melodies, fierce distorted tremolo guitar riffs, some of the most interesting descriptive lyrics you'll ever read, and songs that are way longer than you might expect. John Haughm's clean vocals have never been very good live (I know- I once drove like 10 hours to Toronto to see them play with Woods Of Ypres), but the production on the albums help them to soar in a chanting manner that adds to the atmosphere created by his signature verse vocals which are essentially an articulated black metal scream with the same words being whispered over it, creating a dual layer of vocals that you won't hear anywhere else besides an Agalloch record. I really wanted to put their album THE MANTLE on this list, but it's far too Wintery. This album certainly fits the mood of Fall. Here's a video for the closing song on the album "The Melancholy Spirit": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5HPap3RfLo

Here's a lyrical excerpt from "The Melancholy Spirit":

"One last time I witnessed her beauty in the distance 

The arms of the trees tore at her morbid gown 

swaying in the loathsome winter breeze 

She faded before my eyes 

Since that day a thousand veiled birds have taken flight 

And the melancholy rain still pours forever on".

4) Lake Of Tears- "Forever Autumn" (1999)

Harking back to November's Doom, just look at this album cover. The thing screams FALL. Or excuse me, Autumn, as Lake Of Tears put it. As I said before, this band is underrated/unknown and it kind of blows because they are pretty unique and have some definite mood-setting music it can offer to people who listen. The song "So Fell Autumn Rain" is by far one of the best Fall-influenced songs of all time, and it's acoustic counterpart "Forever Autumn" is certainly a reprisal of the theme with a very calming vibe and some nice acoustic guitar licks. I don't have a whole lot to say about this album because it speaks for itself inside and out. Here's a video for "So Fell Autumn Rain"- just listen to that haunting ass intro! Damn, I love this song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AoQW9zCMAsM

Here's a lyrical excerpt from "So Fell Autumn Rain": 

"Leaving with twilight though I was chosen

To wander the way in the darkest of nights

Oh in the summer sun how soon i came to stray

A true damnation when I turned away

So fell autumn rain washed away all my pain

I feel brighter somehow lighter somehow 

to breath once again

So fell autumn rain washed my sorrows away

With the sunset behind somehow I find 

the dreams are to stay

So fell autumn rain"

3) Woods Of Ypres- "IV: The Green Album" (2009)

This album marks a huge transition for Woods Of Ypres. While retaining black metal elements, he made a major shift in Woods' style. This album is an anvil of doom metal through and through- And David's newly lowered baritone/bass Peter Steele-esque vocal tone accounts for it. Mournful, depressing lyrics against a backdrop of slow crunching doom, heartbreak, pain, suffering, and death. Introspective lyrics as always, we're treated to songs that do everything from describe David's experience with leaving his country on a whim to record drums for a band in South Korea (as depicted in "Into Exile", to heartbreak and loss as described in "Shards Of Love". Every song is an opus.I found the release of this album (in Spring of 2009) to be quite odd because he marketed this as the Spring album in Woods discography (each album he released, he would relate to a specific season- hence this being the Green album) when in actuality, there's nothing spring-like about this album. It feels more like the degradation of all that is green. I guess it may have something to do with Woods' concept of "Against The Seasons" which was the name of their first record. It was recorded in Summer but had nothing but cold winter black metal on it. Clever. Either way, this record is host to one of my favorite songs of all time in general: "I Was Buried In Mount Pleasant Cemetery" which must be listened to and ingested to truly appreciate. It also has such classics as "Everything I Touch Turns To Gold (Then To Coal)" and "Into Exile: Can You Get Here In Ten Days?". Judging by the lyrics, this was an intensely personal record that David wrote, and I listen to it as much as I can because of how fantastic it is. The one moment in the record you think you're getting a catchy upbeat song, it's actually a catchy, downbeat lyrically song entitled "Wet Leather", with such uplifting lyrics as "Life is your hopes and dreams, your expectations. When your health is a full-time job, and there's no vacation. Life is the comfort of a good friend's advice, Who says it's all your fault and your standards are too high." Listen to this record NOW.

Here's a self produced, low budget video for "I Was Buried In Mount Pleasant Cemetery". I can't believe VEVO hosts this. : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Y0WKslm-3k

Spoken passage from "Into Exile", referring to David's experience with traveling to South Korea to record drums for thrash band Necramyth on a whim- quite awe inspiring really: "Disconnect and disassociate yourself from everything and everyone you know. Just let go. Go. Don't look back, and see where it takes you. After a year has passed you might feel good enough to come home, or there's the excitement that you may leave and just stay, and never come home again, either way, you'll be glad you did it. Having left and gone from being able to decide for yourself after you've done your time. They say that time heals all wounds, well this is a good way to spend that time, what better way to distract yourself from sadness than to fully obligate your crisis to the point where it becomes about survival, making it a total mind-fuck about the fact that it's allowing you to erase your memory and deprogram yourself and rebuild somewhere in the abyss. Surrendering all control and familiarity, boldly going into the unknown, focusing on your voluntary deportation from your own home, you know you have to go, flights are running on time, 
ask yourself the question "Can you get here in ten days?" 
"Yes I can!"
It's time to cross the ocean... and dive, into exile!"

2) Type O Negative- "October Rust" (1996)

I dare you to tell me there's a better Type O Negative album than this. There simply is not. Yes, Bloody Kisses may be the album more people know off the top of their heads, but there was simply too much of directional confusion on that album. This album has nothing BUT Type O classics. Look at the track listing. Even if you haven't heard this album in its entirety, I'm sure you've heard at least 6 songs off of it in your life even if you aren't a Type O fan yet. Song after song dealing with Pagan Romanticism, Sex, Pain, Depression, Autumn, Winter, Heartache, Drinking to forget, Succubi, you name it, it has it. This is truly a Fall and Halloween record that needs to be in your collection right now. I will leave you with a video for "Wolf Moon". Not many people realize what this song is truly about- many take it for face value. But if you know what the term "red wings" means, you'll get the joke :) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UIC54F3mWE

Lyrical excerpt from "The Green Man":

"Autumn in her flaming dress,

Of orange, brown, gold fallen leaves.

My mistress of the frigid night,

I worship pray to on my knees.

Winter's breath of filthy snow

Befrosted paths to the unknown,

Have my lips turned true purple

Life is coming to an end

So says me, me wiccan friend,

Nature coming full circle."

1) Woods Of Ypres: "V: Grey Skies And Electric Light" (2012)

Autumn is a metaphor of Death. When the wind grows colder, the frost settles in, the leaves begin to spiral down from the trees to their ruination, we are experiencing the flamed beauty that is Death. Though Death can come at times when you might least expect it, taking some of our loved ones away at a moment's notice, nature has a way of showing us that there IS beauty and tranquility in dying. 

I remember when I heard "Woods 5" for the first time. It was December 24th, 2011. I clicked on to the Earache records page to check out the progress of the album which wasn't due for release until late spring of 2012, and there it was in bold print: DAVID GOLD 1980-2011: R.I.P. 

My first thought was, now that's a really great way to promote a doom metal album! After all, Peter Steele of Type O did a similar thing where before the release of one of their last albums, He placed a fake image of a tombstone bearing his name on the Type O site after he received a health scare at the doctor's. 

Well, low and behold, this was no joke. David Gold was killed in an accident on a Canadian highway near Barrie, Ontario. Details have never been released to anyone but close family and friends, but the grapevine whispers small phrases now and again and what the general public understands was he had been walking on the highway and struck by a tractor trailer and killed instantly. Many people say it was a terrible accident for which no explanation can be given. Many people say it was suicide. One person who interviewed him shortly prior to his death said he was in a fantastic mood and very excited for the release of the new album. Another interviewer described his mood as a depressed, sunken eyed man who seemed like he was in the midst of a struggle within. The truth may never be known to us. If his Twitter posts weeks before his death are any indication (if he wasn't playing the part of the dark character of the album that was yet to be released) and was taken at face value, then one would say he may have chosen to end his life.

(David's Twitter Account)

Either way, as a memorial to the character and amazing musician that was David Gold, Earache Records released the advanced copy of the album for free download just a couple days after his death and I downloaded it immediately and pre-ordered my vinyl copy and a t-shirt. What I initially found upon listening to it confused me. This wasn't the black metal or the green album doom I was used to. This was absolute depression in its purest musical form. Doom and gloom secrete from each and every note and word spoken. In short, the album was amazing. This is the ultimate Fall album. It brings death and dying, depression and chills. It is nothing short of David Gold's magnum opus and final departure work. Each song relates in extremely eerie and foreshadowing manners that his life was coming to a close. Take for instance, the 1 song included with the advanced copy of the album, but left off of the final release of the album as a B-side entitled  "Alternate Ending".

Just look at the lyrics and tell me they don't send shivers down your spine when taking into account how David died. Remember- this was all written and recorded before his death.

 "When the silence beckons, And the day draws to a close, When the light of your life sighs, And love dies in your eyes, Only then will I realize, What you mean to me."

"In the darkness, under the stars, With enough warning, 

to pull off to the side, in time

In the end, was there anyone to share in your joy?

I woke up one day...and realized it was already over

Back On the highway, under the moon, 

my final moments, still wondering about you...

In the end, was there anyone to share in your joy?

I woke up for years without you, to realize it was already over, for me 

Now making amendments... to the dream / story...

Changing the ending, as I would like it, to be

We were together, in a memory

And We live forever, in finality.

Holding on...To a dream... 

When the end... couldn't come slow enough for me. 

Holding on..."

Here is a video for "Kiss My Ashes Goodbye":