But let us not remember the bad times, let us instead bask in the glory of the bands that did indeed create some magnificent music that we will be talking about for years to come. Down below I have my usual top 20 records (and a few honorable mentions), a collection of albums that had the greatest impact on me this year. There is of course a chance that I missed out on a masterpiece during this jungle of albums that I tried to go through (after all, there is only so much metal you can ingest during a calendar year), so feel free to give a shout out to your own favourites of the year in the comment section or on Twitter. Now, onto the honorable mentions, then the list.
At The Gates - To Drink From The Night Itself
Another solid effort from the Swedish death metal legends.
Between The Buried And Me - Automata II
Still hate that they split "Automata" in two, but the second part is at least consistently entertaining.
Daron Malakian And Scars On Broadway - Dictator
Guess this is the closest to a new System of A Down album we are gonna get.
Kalmah - Palo
Good old Kalmah, never disappoints.
Obscura - Diluvium
A lot of technical candy in here, but the concept still confuses me.
We start off the top 20 with some old school progressive light metal. Southern Empire is not doing anything out of the ordinary with their sophomore effort, it is clean progressive music that is split into four songs, ranging from 9 minutes to almost half an hour, but nothing feels overly long or unnecessarily padded, it all feels right. A calm and soothing experience of sophisticated excellence, perfect for your average trip on your flying ship that does not look like a shitty blue bus filled with spoiled brats.
19. Khemmis - DesolationEveryone jumped on the Khemmis hype train two years ago with "Hunted", and while that album is great, I do think the band stepped it up another notch with "Desolation". It is just something with their intoxicating and groovy style of doom metal that is weirdly satisfying. The splendid symbiosis between the members is like silk, so smooth and shiny that it becomes hard to resist. For a band that has only been active for 6 years, it is quite impressive that they have already released 3 high quality records, and yet my gut tells me that they can become even better. Let us hope next album proves my feeling is correct.
Splitting your album into parts has become pretty popular in recent years, and Black Space Riders decided to follow that trend, but seem to have forgotten to balance out their albums, because most of the best material is in volume 1 of the "Amoretum" duo. With a hypnotic rhythm at their disposal, BSR manages to entrance the listener to a submissive state, which is not really necessary because the music is good enough to make most people stay throughout the ride, but it gives result, so who can complain. Stoner metal have never sounded this catchy, so for this achievement, I give BSR the "Double album of the year" trophy, well deserved (sorry BTBAM).
17. Tribulation - Down BelowThe Swedes keeps on building a reputation of being one of the biggest risers in the metal scene, with "The Children of The Night" amping up their gothic influences, and this year they took that foundation and added another layer in "Down Below". The end result is a creepy record that acts as the perfect follow up, improving on an already successful recipe to gain even more momentum for their hype train. It is another excellent outing for a style that has not exactly been spoiled with great albums in recent years, but if Tribulation continues down this path, the future for the gothic death metal scene will look bright... or at least a little less black.
Finally Orphaned Land managed to create an album that is even close to the masterpiece known as "Mabool...", and while "Unsung Prophets & Dead Messiahs" does not quite reach the same levels, it is still a masterful display of great oriental progressive metal. It has a nice mix of all the styles we have heard from the band's career, and also a nice concept to punch it in, definitely making an impact on a really strong progressive year. While I do think the sudden bleeps disrupt the music a little bit, it is quickly forgotten when Hansi Kürsch makes an appearance on "Like Orpheus". Just a marvelous effort.
15. The Algorithm - Compiler Optimization TechniquesInstrumental metal (or as I like to call it, instrumetal) has had a quiet year, but the French duo The Algorithm uploaded one of the most complete instrumental records I have heard in years, not only having that unique techno vibe that they have developed over the years, but managing to create a lot of emotions through a normally sterile environment. It is a joy to go through this entire record time and time again, finding new nuggets to grasp on to. With that in mind, my calculations ultimately place The Algorithm on place 15 this year.
Winning the title of "Most epic album title of all time", Psychostick's "Do" is just more than a snappy title, it is a catchy tour de force that will leave you gasping for air for all the laughing you will do. The band is as stupidly hilarious as ever, tackling a bunch of different stuff in classic Psychostick fashion. What makes this album even better from their previous efforts is the consistency, and maybe even the hidden recipe for the ultimate breakfast. It is fun as hell, and if you do not like this record, you have a heart of stone... or maybe you have lost your sense of comedy, it is one of the two.
13. Dragonlord - DominionOut of the two guitarists in Testament, Alex Skolnick may get most of the accolades, but Eric Peterson is not too shabby either, and he certainly shows what he is made of in "Dominion", the first Dragonlord record in 13 years. It is an excellent symphonic black metal outing where obviously the guitars are exquisite, but the rest of the instruments are on point as well, creating some nice, creepy music that captures the mood of the album cover really well. Eric is a nice singer too, he is close to being criminally underrated.
First of two albums on this list with saxophone in them, "Black Market Enlightenment" is just an unreal experience created by Mick Moss, one that at times made my jaw drop. Just how he uses all the different instruments in splendid arrangements, creating Tool inspired emotions that are very difficult to nail properly, making some moments hit you hard as hell. As said, this is an experience, and if for nothing else, just check this album out solely for the qamancha, which is an instrument I did not even knew existed.
11. Judicator - The Last EmperorThe decision to go back to historical themes may have made me a little disappointed, but that quickly vanished when I first played "The Last Emperor", and realized that Judicator is just as good as always. Their infectious style of power metal is so memorable, rolling down the highway at break neck speeds that keeps your adrenaline pumping throughout all of its run time. It may not be as personal of an album like "At The Expense of Humanity", but it is still quality all the way through the field of battle.
Eneferens delivered the most atmospheric record of the year, one that flows so nice and smooth through your ear holes that it leaves you with a sense of soothing satisfaction. I honestly do not know why this type of music can even be classified as "black" metal, but I do know that when a band finds that sweet spot where the light and the dark meet, some magical music can happen. It is a hard feat to pull off, and Eneferens hit it like a professional dart player makes three perfect throws. One hundred and eighty!!!
9. Judas Priest - FirepowerWhen Judas Priest released "Redeemer of Souls" a couple of years ago, I was satisfied with it, having just enough good material on it to think that it could be a worthy closing record for the band's career. Well, they were obviously not done, because this year they just brought literal firepower in "Firepower". I have not heard the band being this energetic in a ton of years, displaying an attacking arsenal that the younger bands have a hard time to match. It is classic Judas Priest to the core, while still throwing out a few nice surprises here and there, showing that this band is not ready to throw in the towel just yet, and I am so thankful for it. Easily their best record since "Painkiller".
Progressive death metal have had a massive year, so it might not be a surprise that an unsigned Finnish band did not get that much attention when they released a really solid debut record, but Fireproven has really stuck with me through the year. "Future Diary" may not be a game changer in the genre, and the production is far from perfect, but it is a grand album that show off a lot of cool gymnastic skills, and the band sticks the landing in every song. It is a great start for a band that I will keep an eye on, and you should too, go check them out.
7. Barren Earth - A Complex of CagesJust as the name suggest, "A Complex of Cages" is a pretty multi faceted album, one that is pretty hard to compile into just a few sentences. It is definitely one of the grandest records of the year, with slick production and a meaty sound that will take some time to get it all in, but is well worth the invested time. What I think ultimately makes the album excel is the way it is constructed, how the songs are built and where they are placed in the record, it creates a full image of titanic proportions that will leave you in awe. Just listen to it, so you can understand what this album is truly made of.
I thought I knew the progressive landscape pretty well, then Redemption came along to remind me that there is still room to explore. This band has been off my radar completely, but they finally showed up with their 7th studio effort "Long Night's Journey Into Day", and what an effort it is. It is just like you would want your prog metal to be like, expansive, imaginative, diverse, and epic as all hell. The addition of Tom Englund from Evergrey seem to have given positive effect, adding a vocalist who can nail the emotional part of the music with pinpoint precision. Yes, it is a long journey, but it is one worth taking every night.
5. Rivers of Nihil - Where Owls Know My NameI was pretty close on missing this album, but after seeing this emerge in several other "best of the year" lists, I gave it a shot, and it did certainly hit me. Rivers of Nihil have created a truly masterful record that cannot really be put in one specific genre, meshing a bunch of styles to make this highly emotional album that is so balanced that Thanos would love the hell out of it. Oh, and if you are wondering what I think about the saxophone, I think it adds another element to the record that makes it even more diverse. Feel so sorry for those who have yet to understand the sexy nature of the sax.
Debut record of the year goes to the Texas band Immortal Guardian, who delivered the musical equivalent of a Lamborghini, a big and fast album that will leave you breathless. "Age of Revolution" has all the power and force that a certain band who walks through fire and flames has, but instead of relying on technical skill, it uses great song writing and pacing to get the listener going. It is one of the most brilliant power metal albums I have heard since... well last year (still love that Unleash The Archers album), but it is god damn impressive nonetheless.
3. Oceans of Slumber - The Banished HeartI hoped that Oceans of Slumber would take the leap this year, and they sure did, a much bigger one than I anticipated. While the predecessor "Winter" was great in itself, "The Banished Heart" is just the band firing on all cylinders, hitting us with some of the best mix of beauty and brutality you will ever hear. The thing that makes the album truly shine though is singer Cammie Gilbert and her extreme range. She nails every note perfectly, while also capturing the mood spot on in every syllable. Still bothered though that I keep singing "feelings of nutmeg" on "The Decay of Disregard", even though I know it is wrong. I am awful.
Gah, it was so difficult not to put this record at the top spot, because Michael's first solo record in over 2 decades is a marvelous exhibition on how talented the guy is. The Symphony X guitarist takes his signature style, adds a classic concept to the music, hire one of the most brilliant young singers imaginable, and it all ends up in what can only be described as a progressive power metal lover's wet dream. Everything in this album works to its strength (yes, even the dub step track), and never goes so far that it feels like Romeo is showing off, it is all contained just the right amount. I cannot wait for the second part, hope it comes soon.
I have followed Amorphis ever since I started going deep in the metal well, and I have had the same feeling for the band, that they are without any question talented, that they can create some great music, but that they have missed that little extra tidbit to make me truly love them. Well, you may call me a believer now, because "Queen of Time" has converted me.
"Queen of Time" is as solid of a record you will find these days, a jam packed folk/melodic/death metal gumbo that is equal parts beautiful and heavy, but is all quality. This album has it all, catchy choruses, melodic passages that will stick with you for weeks, incredible precision, masterful innovation, and a little dose of Anneke Van Giersbergen as well to sweeten the deal even further. I have a bunch of albums to catch up to in this band's discography, but as far as I am concerned, it will be extremely tough for the elder albums to take out this Queen bee from its throne. A worthy champion.
Thank you all for this year, may 2019 be even greater.
Stay metal
Robert "Sharkruisher" Andersson
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