Pete Green Sums Up His Twenty Riffteen

Pete Green

I honestly don’t know what we’re going to do in 2016. No new albums will surely be possible for the principle reason that virtually every amazing band currently bluesying away under the red sun has unleashed an absolute barnstormer over the past twelve months. Summing any year up in just a short few lines is never an easy task, but this has been the most difficult End of Year Review for me to write to date. Seemingly around every corner there has been a song, a riff, a gig, a fest or a record lurking that has restored my once wandering faith that Thee Heavy is expanding into a multitude of beautiful new directions, rather than contracting back in on itself again. Whether it be the veteran old dogs learning new licks, the support acts pushing their way up to constantly challenge the headliners or the new kids on the block cooking up delicious new rumblings in their basements, garages and parents’ spare bedrooms, 2015 has in my view been a musical year to cherish.

I was fortunate enough to again be a small part of and to cover for the Shaman both Roadburn in Tilburg and Desertfest in Camden back in April. I’m thoroughly delighted that both of these fests in particular (along with the likes of Temples, Hellfest, Damnation and dozens of others) are developing onwards into different and unique territories, whilst growing stronger, more successful and more diverse with each passing year. There’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes to make these huge events happen and it’s frankly an honour to be there to witness the stunning fruits of the organisers hard graft together with them and to be given a chance to express exactly who, how and what went down as best as I feel I can. I saw many great smaller gigs too this year, but a few that live on long into the memory include: Corrosion Of Conformity’s triumphant reunion tour with Pepper Keenan back at the helm, seeing Elder and Mos Generator tearing up the tiny Musician pub in Leicester, witnessing Electric Eel Shock’s drummer play for an entire hour wearing nothing but a single, well-positioned sock and being at The Rainbow in Digbeth, Birmingham last month to experience the cream of the UK underground paying an incredible tribute show for the late Paul van Linden of Grimpen Mire.

There are too many incredible releases to mention in one article, but I’ve scratched my noggin a bit below to come up with my ten favourites of this year. I hope you all enjoyed these beasts and many, many others as much I did. As ever, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank: Shaman Lee for all his hard work, guidance and companionship both working on the site and covering Roadburn and Desertfest together, Walter and all at Roadburn, Reece, Jake and all at Desertfest, my Leamington/Birmingham/Midlands crue of doom, anyone who’s shared a laugh, a pint, a hostel floor or their sublime music with me this year and last but not least to all of you lot for reading my words and/or sharing yours in return. Together we’re an amazing and important community and in times of increasing personal pain and global unrest, we need to continue to love and support each other now more than ever, in every sense, in riffness and in health.

Pete Green’s Ten Most Enjoyed of 2015:

  1. Elder ‘Lore’
  2. With The Dead – S/T
  3. Chrch ‘Forgotten Hymns’
  4. Bell Witch ‘Four Phantoms’
  5. The Atomic Bitchwax ‘Gravitron’
  6. Death Alley ‘Black Magick Boogieland’
  7. Gentleman’s Pistols ‘Hustler’s Row’
  8. Kadavar ‘Berlin’
  9. Goatsnake ‘Black Age Blues’
  10. Tombstones ‘Vargariis’

Other Notable Mentions:

  • Dopethrone ‘Hochelaga’
  • Kind ‘Rocket Science’
  • Satan’s Satyrs ‘Don’t Deliver Us’
  • The Shrine ‘Rare Breed’
  • Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats ‘The Night Creeper’
  • ((OHHMS)) ‘Cold’
  • Sweat Lodge ‘Talismana’
  • Golden Void ‘Berkana’
  • High On Fire ‘Luminiferous’
  • Saviours ‘Palace of Vision’
  • Windhand ‘Grief’s Infernal Flower’
  • Acid King ‘Middle Of Nowhere, Center Of Everywhere’
  • Torpor ‘From Nothing Comes Everything’
  • Relentless ‘Night Terrors’
  • Primitive Man ‘Home Is Where The Hatred Is’

Stay heavy and I’ll see you all in the New Year! – Pete Green

Scribed by: Pete Green