A Pregnant Light’s Domination Harmony and Stars Will Fall were two of metal’s catchiest releases this year. The pair of EPs, which were released on cassette first and as digital downloads later, hold a special place on this list — they don’t really sound like anything else we’re featuring. Sure, there’s black-metal blasting at A Pregnant Light’s core, but the massive pop hooks and general punk-bred palette move A Pregnant Light a bit left of your typical metal band. APL is the project of Grand Rapids, Michigan’s Damian Master (also of Aksumite) and this band has provided more reason for celebration with each release over its three-year, 11-EP existence. Domination Harmony and Stars Will Fall opened a new path for APL, though — a self-fashioned “purple” one that embraces hummable melodies and clean vocals in addition to lo-fi maximum riffage and buried screams, spawning the no-fucks-given self-titled genre tag Purple Metal. A Pregnant Light was quietly defining a new type of American black metal all along, and with Domination Harmony and Stars Will Fall, APL has built on that vision to create music that is personal, pained, and just as heavy as anything Evil with a capital E. –Wyatt [LISTEN]