4th January 2026

5 Albums I Want To Be Buried With #17: Godeater!

After a little time off for bad behavior we’ve brought back our “5 Albums I Want To Be Buried With” feature for another run in 2026! Last time out, back in October, saw Tribe Of Ghosts guitarist and vocalist Adam Sedgwick run through his choices as the band prepared to unleash new EP “Open Wounds” and so now its time for Godeater guitarist Ross Beagan to discuss his choices. They’ve just unleashed EP “Alvorecer” and have a pair of Scottish release shows on the horizon…

The premise is simple: “Back in ancient Egypt they believed that the items their Kings were buried with would travel with them into the afterlife and so part of the burial ritual would see the mummified bodies surrounded by chariots, gold and more. Fast forward to now. If there were five albums that you’d want buried in the coffin with you to take to the afterlife, what would you choose?”

1. Viatrophy – “Viatrophy”

“I think their bio on Myspace had them listed as “death metal, ambient, progressive” and that was enough to get me to check them out, I’d never really seen those words placed together to describe one band and the idea at that point was pretty baffling. More bands definitely exist in this realm now, but I think very few have blended death metal and post-metal quite so seamlessly. They only did one album, but this one really did just get it right, a bit of a lightning in a bottle moment that still keeps me coming back for more. Standout track: Futile Prayers”

2. Der Weg einer Freiheit – “Stellar”

“Modern, well-produced, non-sketchy black metal? What a dream.

Their entire discography is flawless and their more recent albums have started to show some more progressive leanings, but I think this one is where they really started to hit their stride and define their own sound. From the brooding opening of Repulsion, through the furious aggression of Verbund, to the emotional peak of Letzte Sonne, it really pulls you in and doesn’t let go until that final note is played. Standout Track: Letzte Sonne”

3. Nevermore – “This Godless Endeavour”

It’s a progressive metal album and it covers a lot of ground, but it sort of streamlines the idea of what progressive metal actually is and puts it more in the realm of melodic death or even thrash metal. The songwriting is fantastic, Andy Sneap’s mix is incredible and naturally Jeff Loomis’ guitar playing absolutely rips, but the thing that really brought me to this album is Warrel Dane’s vocal performance and writing. His voice has always been divisive and I know it has prevented a lot of people from enjoying Nevermore’s music, but I absolutely love it. While the music is unique in its own way, his voice and lyrics absolutely sets the band apart from any of their contemporaries. Definitely a cult classic band that never really got the run they deserved when they were capable of putting out material this good. Standout Track: Sentient 6″

4. Necrophagist – “Epitaph”

“It’s the technical death metal gold standard really. To think this came out in 2004 really is mind bending when you think about it. I think a couple of other bands have got close to the style, and others have certainly surpassed the levels of technicality or musicianship or whatever you want to call it, but nobody has really quite hit the spot in the same way or really surpassed it as the whole package. Unreal, untouchable.”

5. Sylosis – “Edge of the Earth”

“Conclusion of an Age absolutely hooked me on this band and they’ve put out some other great records, but Edge of the Earth is the one I come back to most. I remember pre-ordering it and hawking over IT LEAKED trying to get an early download, maybe a bit stupid now, but I was so excited to hear it!

It’s absolutely slammed full of riffs, the trademark Sylosis sounds are all there, but there’s just something different about this album. I think a lot of it comes down to the atmosphere: there’s a lot of anger in there, but there’s this really strong air of sadness or longing that crops up across the entire thing. It’s quite difficult to convey exactly what the feeling is, but I think this was one of the first albums I got that I found myself having a more emotional connection to and I think it’s a really comforting album to listen to. Standout Track – Awakening”