2017 Best Albums (End Of Year List)

0. "Album title" Band (Genre) [score out of 10]
description. Recommended tracks: (If any particularly stand out.)

1. “Behind the Demon's Eyes” Hellwell (Progressive/Epic Heavy Metal) [9]
I guess I judged Hellwell to soon. After hearing a track off “Beyond the Boundaries of Sin” I thought,  ‘Eh, progressive metal Manilla Road with keyboards, not digging it.’ and moved on.  So at the end of 2017 I finally went on Manilla Roads youtube page and gave this album a full listen and was really surprised at how great this album was. It reminds me of “The Courts of Chaos” but a lot better overall.

2. “Undulating Waves of Rainbiotic Iridescence” Gigan (Progressive/Technical Death Metal) [9]
It actually took me a few listens to get used to this album. To the casual listener it probably won’t seem all that different from previous Gigan albums. But its whole tone feels like a deep brooding anger, while the past albums gave off more of a raw power and intense energy. It’s still a great album but I probably won’t play it nearly as much as the past Gigan releases. Overall the song were written, and the new vocalist was good and fit the album well. 

3. “Midnight Rider” Metalian (Heavy/Speed Metal) [9]
 The bands that come to mind when listening to this are Lord Fist & Judas Priest played with high energy.

4. “The Guillotine” Vulture (Speed/Thrash Metal) [8]
The album is front loaded with the first 3 tracks being amazing, and the rest being good but forgettable in comparison. Recommended Tracks:  “Vendetta”, “Clashing Iron”, and “Triumph of the Guillotine”.

5. “Bring The Magik Down”  Riddlemaster (Folk Rock/Epic Heavy Metal) [8]
Kind of sounds like current  Manilla Road mixed with Mark Shelton’s solo album and a little bit of early Manila Road. Recommended Track: Lair Of The White Witch

6. “Dawn Of Genesis” Legionnaire (Heavy Metal) [8]
Overall a very good album, the riffs remind me of Slough Feg. However the Vocals are a little wonky and there seems to be some production issues on the final track.

7. “Something Wicked This Way Comes” Thunderstick (Hard Rock/Heavy Metal) [8]
I was really surprised at how good this album is. Usually NWOBHM bands releasing new albums tend to sound either modernized or really stale. This album actually felt like it could have been released back around the end of the 70’s early 80’s.  Recommended tracks: "Dark Night Black Light", "Go Sleep with the Enemy (I Dare Ya)", "Lights (Take Me Away)"

8. “Motherless” Trial(Swe) (Heavy Metal) [8]
Another strong album by Trial. The material on “Motherless” is about the same as  “Vessel”, but it didn’t quite have the same impact on me that “Vessel” did.

9. “When Colors Fade Away” Blackfinger (Doom Metal) [8]
Overall a pretty good album, but it was kind of disappointing since it didn’t have the same melancholic folk that the last album had mixed in throughout the album. This album felt more like Eric Wagner’s other band The Skull. So while its still a good album it’s just not as special as the self titled was. Recommended tracks: “When Colors Fade Away”, “ My Old Soul”, and “Waiting for the Sun”.

10. “God of the Deep Unleashed” Wrathblade (Epic Metal) [7]
A good album but I expected more considering how great “Into the Netherworld's Realm” was, and the length of time that’s past since its release.  “God of the Deep Unleashed” songs aren’t as varied as its predecessor and all kind of blur together. The shorter song lengths also don’t help the album, as it feels like its rushing you through. The previous album was 6 minutes longer and had one less song and was paced much better. Short song lengths just  don’t work very well with the epic metal style.
Recommended tracks: "Sheer Vengeance Will Out Upon Thee (God of War Pt. II)", and "Vaunted Pride". 

11. “No Warning” Venomous Maximus (Heavy/Doom Metal) [7]
I really liked this album a lot, unfortunately there are two tracks that are just keyboard noises and two weak acoustic tracks. And those tracks just really hurt the album as a whole. If you cut those tracks out and added one or two more Heavy/Doom tracks this would have been a much more solid album and would have placed a lot higher on my list. Recommended tracks: “Spellbound”, and “Return of the Witch”

12. “To Kill a King” Manilla Road (Epic Metal) [7]
I enjoyed it more than “The Blessed Curse” but overall felt like a pretty standard modern Manilla Road album. There’s not a whole lot of outstanding moments, and Bryan Patricks performances lack any enthusiasm and he sounds really board on most of the tracks he sings. I saw Manilla Road live again this year and hearing Bryan Patrick in concert all I could think was,‘why can’t he do that on the studio recordings’. If he brought as much energy as he had live it really could have taken this album up a notch. Recommended Tracks:    “Never Again”, and “Blood Island”

13. “Visions in the Night” Lethal Night (Heavy Metal) [7]
The title track is really what caught my attention.  Overall an ok album but the band could use improvement overall. Steven Villa has a great voice but he  still needs to  practice singing more. 

14. “Architecture of a God” Labÿrinth (Progressive Power Metal) [7]
The album is front loaded and full of wonky keyboard segments. Everything after “Someone Says” is really forgettable.  Recommended tracks: “Bullets”, and “Take On My Legacy”

15. “Dawn Of Ages” Arduini/Balich (Progressive/Doom Metal) [7]
The music is great, but while Butch Balich’s is a good singer I just don’t like his voice. I kept feeling I would enjoy this album a lot more if it was just an instrumental album.

16. "The Depths" Cover of Night (Atmospheric Black Metal) [7]
It really felt like more of a black metal EP buried in about 16 minutes of soft instrumental sections. The soft parts while not bad don’t really add much to the experience. The best part is the  first two tracks which are really well crafted.
Recommended tracks: "Wind Catches Sail", and "Open Ocean"

17. "Anointing" Lo-Ruhamah (Progressive Death/Black Metal) [7]
This was kind of a difficult album to rate. It had some brilliant moments scattered throughout it, but ultimately I felt the compositions as a whole weren’t that compelling. But the album does have a great atmosphere, and unsettling lyrics that are very well written. So I would recommend listening to at least once. 

18. “Mirror Reaper” Bell Witch (Funeral Doom Metal) [7]
Good but very dragged out and minimalistic.

19. “Lightning Strikes the Crown” - I R O N F L A M E –  (Power Metal) [7]
Overall a decent album. All the songs are good but nothing outstanding.

20. “Twisting The Blade” Stereo Nasty (Heavy Metal) [7]
Overall a decent album. All the songs are good but nothing outstanding.

21. “Cloaks of Oblivion” Eruption (Thrash/Power Metal) [7]
A very front loaded album, all the tracks after “Drones” are just dull.
Recommended Tracks:  “Sanity Ascend”, “ Cloaks of Oblivion”, and “Drones”

22. “Loviatar” Loviatar (Atmospheric Doom Metal) [7]

23. “Urraca” Sunless (Progressive Death Metal) [7]
The music was pretty strong but the whispered growls didn’t compliment the music well.

24. “Wall of Sound” Marty Friedman (Progressive Rock/Metal) [6]
I’ve heard various tracks by Marty Friedman but this is the first of his solo albums I’ve listened to all the way through. He is a great guitar player but the compositions on this album are pretty bland, and all over the place in a bad way.

25. “Slaves of Fate” Fire Strike (Heavy Metal) [6]
 Overall a solid album but nothing special.

26. "Turm am Hang" Horn (Black Metal) [6]
The first track caught my attention but the rest of the album was just ok. Recommended Track: "Alles in einem Schnitt"

27. “Will of the Strong” White Skull (Power Metal) [6]
This is the only White Skull album I’ve heard besides “Public Glory, Secret Agony”, and my feelings a pretty much the same. It has its moments but overall it’s just fairly standard euro power metal and just doesn’t hold my attention for very long. So while a decent album there are many other bands playing the same style that I enjoy much more. So I feel I gave White Skull a fair chance so this is probably the last album I check out by them. 

28. “Collective: The Shape of He to Come”  Botanist (Experimental/Post Black Metal) [6]
I feel like the saying,  ‘too many cooks in the kitchen spoil the broth’ applies here. This is the first Botanist album where the live members were involved in the recording, and it really
doesn’t have the feeling that the solo Botanist albums had.

29. “Far From Light” Lunar Shadow (Epic Heavy Metal) [6]
The guitar melodies are really outstanding however the rest of the band just is isn’t as competent. The vocals are acceptable but need work. The drums are just dull and the production on them just makes them feel really flat. During the slow parts of the album the performances are good but as the tempo picks up things start to sound really sloppy. But with practice and maybe a few lineup changes this could be an incredible band. 

30. “Emblem” Emblem (Epic Heavy Metal) [6]
Musically a very strong album, however the vocals are bad and really detract from the enjoyment of the music and got more irritating as the album went on. With a better vocalist this could end up being a really great band. 

31. “Truth in Legend” Burning Shadows (Power Metal) [6]
Similar to the problem I had with Emblem’s album. Vocalist needs improving, music was good but nothing outstanding.

32. "Anomie" Violet Cold (Post Rock/Atmospheric Black Metal) [6]
The title track was the most outstanding piece on the album and reminds me of Panopticon. However the rest of the album just wasn’t as interesting.
Recommended track: "Anomie"

33. “Ascetic Eventide” Pure Wrath  (Atmospheric Black Metal) [6]
The first track caught my attention but I lost interest as the album went on. I gave it a few listens but my opinion didn’t change.  Overall a decent album but nothing particularly outstanding.

34. EP "Enlisé" Malebranche (Atmospheric Black Metal) [6]

35. EP “Iron Guard” Cromlech (Epic Doom Metal) [6]
This was a big disappointment.  If I didn’t know this was new material I would have assumed it was from a rough demo made before Ave Mortis.

36. "Sci-fi/Fantasy" Book of Wyrms (Stoner/Doom Metal) [6]
The highlight of the album is the hypnotic rhythmic sections and vocal patterns. Unfortunately the music just doesn’t sound as proficient during the solos.

37. "The Wolf" Resurrect Tomorrow (Thrash/Speed Metal) [6]
Not bad, but overall could use improvement.   

2016 Albums (End Of Year List)

*I put off uploading this list because I was waiting for the new Gotsu Totsu Kotsu album "Where Warriors Once Dreamed a Dream" to arrive but it seems to have been lost in the mail. Since I don't know when I will get a copy, It will have to be excluded since I want to get my year end lists up in January of the following year. 

0. "Album title" Band (Genre) [score out of 10]

description. Recommended tracks: (If any particularly stand out.)

1. "For None And All" Spell (Progressive/Hard Rock/Heavy Metal) [10]
It’s really hard for me to draw comparisons to Spell. It’s like an amalgamation of many classic hard rock and heavy metal bands. Bits and pieces remind me of different bands yet it doesn’t feel  like a sloppy hodgepodge. Everything fits together well and all the songs are extremely well written.  

2. "The Fire Within" Eternity's End (Power Metal) [9]
It’s been a few years since I’ve heard a euro power metal album with this consistency. No dull/filler tracks to be found on this album.

3. "Forevermourn" The Temple (Doom Metal) [9]
This is probably one of the best examples I’ve of what I call cathedral doom metal. Basically it has pacing like funeral doom metal, but lacks the death metal elements. Instead it has vocals that sound like they grabbed a monk out a church choir. Overall Forevermourn  is a very strong album. Some of the songs sounded kind of off at first,  almost like they were rehearsing songs that were meant to be played faster. But after a few listens even those tracks grew on me.  

4. "Sumerlands" Sumerlands (Heavy Metal) [8]
Overall a strong album but the reverberation effect on the vocals gets kind of tiring and doesn’t work on all the tracks and the album would have benefited if they dropped it on some of the songs, especially the faster ones. When everything does fit together the songs are amazing.
Recommended Tracks: "The Seventh Seal" and "Haunted Forever"

5. "Le dernier crépuscule" Chthe'ilist (Death Metal) [8]
They sound a lot like Demilich only less weird and more atmospheric.  Overall a great album, my only criticisms would be that it lacks variety as most of the album tends to blur together. That and the clean chanted vocals sound a bit wonky. But the tracks all have good flow, and in parts get really groovy , and the lyrics with their Lovecraftian horror story style are all pretty fun. “The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask” inspired song just fits right into this and doesn’t feel out place at all.
Recommended Track: "Scriptures of the Typhlodians"

6. "Ghostlights" Avantasia (Symphonic Power Metal) [8]
While I like Edguy, none of the songs I’ve ever previewed online  from  Avantasia appealed to me.  And after seeing the music video for the lame “Mystery of a Blood Red Rose”,  I had dismissed this album as well . But after hearing a lot of praise for this album I decided to go back to it. While there are a few lame songs on the album most are really well written even if they are a bit wonky.
Recommended Tracks: "Let the Storm Descend upon You", "Ghostlights", and "Babylon Vampyres"


7. "Prelude" Wytch Hazel (Hard Rock/Heavy Metal) [8]
For the most part a really great album. The sound kind of reminds me of Quicksand Dream’s  “Aelin - A Story About Destiny”. Though the sound  is probably more accurately described as a mix of NWOBHM, and 70's hard rock. The weak part of the album is the songs that lean more toward folk rock, which sound just really tired and uninspired. But the good outweighs the bad on this album.  

8. "The Lizard Rider" Booze Control [8]
Do you like heavy metal? Does originality scare you?  Are you likely to say ‘If it isn’t broke don’t fix it’? Well then get ready for some very competent no bull shit NWOTHM.

9. "Beheading Tyrants" Quicksand Dream (Epic Metal) [8]
So it looks like Quicksand Dream decided to pull a Brocas Helm and release a new album after a 16 year gap.  While “Aelin” was a better album, "Beheading Tyrants" still delivers the same style epic metal with a tinge 70’s rock.
Recommended Tracks:"Daughters of Eve", "The Girl from the Island", "To Kill Beneath the Sun"

10. "The Armor of Ire" Eternal Champion (Epic Metal)[7]
A great album but definitely front loaded, which is disappointing as I was expecting a lot more from them after hearing “Retaliator” and the tracks they put up online before the album’s release.  “The Cold Sword” just wasn’t that great, The “Invoker” sounds like a radio edit of long epic track, and  “Sing a Last Song of Valdese” felt like an underwhelming replacement for what should have been the second half of  “Invoker”. I was ready to crown Eternal Champion as the new king of epic metal; sorry guys but your no Manilla Road, not yet anyway.
Recommended Tracks: "I Am the Hammer", "The Armor of Ire" and "The Last King of Pictdom"

11. "The Cycle Never Ends" Ravensire (Epic Metal) [7]
Overall decent epic metal, but some tracks are better than others. On the weaker tracks the compositions just aren’t as compelling.
Recommended Tracks: "Cromlech Revelations", "Trapped In Dreams", and "Temple At The End Of The World"

12. "Post Society" Voivod (Progressive Thrash Metal) [7]
It’s on par with “Target Earth”, the best parts were the title track and the Hawkwind cover.
Recommended Tracks: "Post Society", and "Silver Machine"

13. Split "EP3: Green Metal / Deterministic Chaos" Oskoreien / Botanist (Post Black Metal) [7]
Overall it’s a step up from the last Botanist EP,  I also enjoyed it a lot more then “VI: Flora”.  The Oskoreien side of the split was also pretty good and my introduction to the band.

14. "Terminal Redux" Vektor (Progressive Thrash Metal) [7]
It sounds like someone took a typical thrash metal album and the best parts of a mediocre progressive metal album, and stuck them together in one album.  The first two tracks are the best written songs on the album after that the rest just doesn’t hold up as well.
Recommended Tracks: "Charging the Void", and "Cygnus Terminal"

15. "Chasms" Lycus (Black/Funeral Doom Metal) [7]

16. "We Summon" Dragged (Sludge Metal) [6]
Overall it has a good sound but the music compositions need work. What surprised me was the fact that I enjoyed the longer tracks a lot more then the short ones(Short in this case being under 20 minutes) . The composition and atmosphere was a lot better on the long tracks, and  everything came together on the album’s title track.
Recommended Track: "We Summon"

17. "Absolute Clarity" Sunrise (Power Metal) [6]
Overall a pretty good album;  but some of the tracks are kind of dull and Uninspired, and the vocals sound a little wonky at times.
Recommended Tracks: "Tower Of Fear" and "Prayer For You"

18. "II" Slow Green Thing (Stoner Metal) [6]
I stumbled upon one of the tracks from this album on YouTube and decided to check it out on their bandcamp page.  Overall not bad but it didn’t really have lasting appeal. The track I heard on YouTube was the most interesting to me.
Recommended Track: Monkeyshine

19. "Rabbits' Hill Pt. 2" Trick or Treat (Power Metal) [6]
This was a big letdown after waiting 4 years for part 2.  Rabbits' Hill Pt. 1 for the most part was a departure from their sound on their previous albums, but it still worked well as a concept album and had enjoyable songs . Part 2 fails to do that,  and is  just packed full of forgettable tracks that are nothing compared  to the material on their first two albums. The only track up to par with those albums  is the one they used for the music video.
Recommended Track: "The Great Escape"

20. "Wider than the Sky" 40 Watt Sun (Atmospheric Rock) [6]
This was a difficult album to score as it was the biggest disappointment of the year. “The Inside Room” is one of my favorite albums and I had been waiting for them to release another album, and this didn’t deliver what I wanted. That being said it’s in no way a bad album. The songs are all crafted well, but they just didn’t appeal to me the way the songs on “The Inside Room” did. It was such a unique approach to doom metal and “Wider than the Sky” while still similar in some ways is a big departure from that sound.
Recommended Tracks: "Beyond You", and "Pictures"

21. "All Too Human" Oskoreien ( Atmospheric Black Metal) [6]
I checked this album out after listening to  the split with Botanist. It’s a decent album but didn’t grab me the way the “Deterministic Chaos” did. Where that had a fairly unique haunting yet contemplative feel; this album just didn’t give off that feeling and reminded me of other black metal bands I’ve heard.