03. A.A. Williams - 'Forever Blue'

This album has soundtracked my year. This is a minimalist and stripped back take on Metal’s attitude as opposed to its sound. This is undoubtedly a Metal album, even though it sounds very little like our traditional understanding of Metal. It is lusciously melodic and reservedly slight in its delivery. A.A. Williams approach is across between whimsical and stern. You can tell her heart is breaking and that she is conveying great emotion, but she prefers to reveal it in a guarded discreet fashion.

‘Forever Blue’ is uncluttered and unassuming, yet it manages to convey great emotional depth. The tracks feel introverted, yet you can still see, just under the surface, the rich veins of tortured passion.  It sounds haunting and unobtrusive. Every note has a purpose. It is minimal and stark, but that is to heighten the effect of what is there. Simple, but shudderingly powerful. By far the most effecting and gut wrenchingly beautiful album I have heard this year. Wonderful, just wonderful.