2021 Feature Release Discoveries

As it's New Year's eve and retrospectivity is all the thing, what were your favourite new discoveries from the Academy Feature Releases during the last year?

Thanks to this (and the previous) year's feature releases, I discovered a great amount of bands I haven't listened to before they were featured. Here are the bands that I now listen to because of the 2021 feature releases:

Rosetta

Devin Townsend

Riot

Godflesh

Dir En Grey

Skycamefalling

Samael

Spiritbox

I've gotta say that once I started investigating how many new Hall of Glory entries I've discovered through the feature releases this year alone it pretty much justified what we're trying to do here. Check this list out in order of preference:

01. Akhlys - "The Dreaming I" (2015)

02. Dead Congrugation - "Promulgation Of The Fall" (2014)

03. Oranssi Pazuzu - "Värähtelijä" (2016)

04. Lucid Planet - "Lucid Planet II" (2020)

05. Inside The Beehive - "Drink Bleach; Live Forever" E.P. (2011)

06. Kill The Thrill - "Tellurique" (2005)

07. Altarage - "Succumb" (2021)

08. Nehëmah - "Requiem Tenebrae" (2004)

09. M.S.W. - "Obliviosus" (2020)

10. Red Harvest - "Internal Punishment Programs" (2004)

11. Deftones - "Koi no Yokan" (2012)

12. Killing Joke - "Killing Joke" (2003)

13. Kayo Dot - "Moss Grew On The Swords & Plowshares Alike" (2021)

14. Dolorian - "Dolorian" (2001)

15. Leprous - "Tall Poppy Syndrome" (2009)

16. Grip Inc. - "Nemesis" (1997)

That Dolorian album was also a grand discovery of mine until my departure from The Fallen a few months later.

Good thread, 5 for me:

Oranssi Pazuzu - Värähtelijä (2016)

Dog Fashion Disco - Adultery (2006)

Unleash the Archers - Apex (2017)

Blood red Throne - Altered Genesis (2005)

For me, The Infinite provided the most pleasant of surprises with a couple of absolute belters in Ne Obliviscaris' Portal of I and Altesia's Paragon Circus. The Lucid Planet album was another very good release that I enjoyed immensely.

The North's releases I was much more familiar with generally, but both Nehëmah's Requiem Tenebrae and Cultes des Ghoules' Henbane were superb and both new to me.

In The Pit, Grip Inc's Nemesis was the one that caught my attention of those I was unfamiliar with.

Helmet and Alice in Chains provided great enjoyment from The Gateway and I even discovered a Revolution album that I didn't hate - Trivium's In Waves.

So all in all it was quite a profitable year as far as interesting fresh stuff from the features was concerned.