Spots 6-10 are taken up by the Netherlands, Sweden, France, Spain and Brazil—a who’s who of excellent footballing nations (and an excellent Eurovision nation) that also love our brand of high quality, long form analytical reviews.

Paper is also handy when you want to make some decisions in a larger format—spreading out a paper map and understanding the landscape as a whole blows away scrolling a screen any day. They have consistently been releasing the kinds brilliant, orchestra-infused melodic death metal that inspires me for years, but what differentiates Heir of the Rising Sun from its predecessors is a tight narrative that carries the whole album, which is supported by the pillars of excellent composition and an unassailable, epic feel.Fortunately, it turns out that if you replace all the mindless repetition in atmospheric black metal with infectious, technical riffs, atmospheric black metal stops sucking! That band—probably the best melodic death metal band that the USA has produced—was fronted by one of the most charismatic and interesting dudes in metal: Trevor Strnad. I've found that the best move that gives you the most flexibility is to use a quilt with a liner and a high r-value (warmth) sleeping pad.

Xoth – “The Parasitic Orchestra” from Exogalactic — This whole album is fantastic, but I just can’t get past the totally majestic chorus in this song. The sleeping pad straps are easy to use, and no mystery cords or straps leave you wondering if you're missing something. Yet, despite Woe hat-tipping its influences liberally—like Cynic on “The Behemoth That Lies Asleep” or Opeth on… well, pretty much the rest of the album—nothing about Woe feels derivative.Every season, our heels, sandals and boots strike a delicate balance of trendiness and timelessness. Imperial Circus Dead Decadence // 殯——死へ耽る想いは戮辱すら喰らい、彼方の生を愛する為に命を讃える——。— ICDD feels so Japanese to me not because of the cover art or the fact that the album is in Japanese (though, those don’t hurt that feeling…). Brian and Stewie always share some brilliant banter back and forth, and it's no different in this one. By Fire and Sword // Glory[September 22nd, 2023 | No Remorse Records] — This album has been threatening to make this list for a while now. Just throw up a collection of photos that represent all different aspects of your life, and I can bet someone — a man or a woman — will connect with you on some level.

When Peter points out to the world that it's impossible to die while Death is out of action, people begin to take advantage of this, which leads to Peter having to fill in for death and even more hilarity.And while I’m not quite in love with it as Steel Druhm, it’s hard to believe this album isn’t getting even more love around here than it is.

Persefone // metanoia — Persefone and I have had a strange relationship over the years, but I am happy to say that metanoia is probably their best album. It can also be used as a stand alone treatment which helps eliminate frizz, add shine and make styling more manageable for 2 weeks. If you're like myself, you lean toward one ( in my case, that's bottoming), but you're not opposed to both.The last time there was a mass exodus from Obscura, I liked Hannes Grossmann’s solo records better than Alkaloid.