Pete Woods (Editor)
2020 – annus pandemicus. You don’t really need it pointing out that this year has been a bit of a shit one and that’s putting in mildly. From when it emerged with an air of normality about it, things went into a downward spiral fast and ground everyone down as it progressed. It’s the most life-changing year many of us have ever faced and at the moment it seems bleak for the future and a full recovery will take time. It is the year that the music we love can be split into two very different camps. On the one hand, live music died and becomes a fleeting memory despite attempts to adapt. Everyone involved from fans, to bands and venues, road crews and the complete infrastructure has had to face downing tools and being ignored, neglected and declared non-viable. On the other hand, recorded output has thrived never more so than with the music that if you are reading this, you obviously care about and hold dear to heart. If anything, it has kept us going through bleak times. Pessimism and negativity have thrived and some wonderful music has been the result. I’m stating the obvious here though and it is left to you to read through the wildly variable lists of albums that have kept us going throughout, as we look forward and put faith into the future and hopefully better times ahead for all.
1: Havukruunu – Uinuos Syömein Sota (Naturmacht)
An absolute bolt from the blue and an album that transports the listener on a bloodthirsty journey with tales of “star night and horses.’ Perfect in atmosphere and full of storming bravado this breath-taking romp proved an instant and invigorating musical masterpiece of the imagination.
2: Horna – Kuoleman kirjo (W.T.C.)
A late entry at number 2 and the Finns do it again. Nobody doubted that a new Horna album would deliver the goods and what a fantastically accomplished work of black orthodoxy we have here. 70 minutes of darkness incarnate and a fitting nail in the coffin to a year with little light gleaming through it.
3: Acherontas – Psychic Death – The Shattering Of Perceptions (Agonia)
Overflowing with dark melodicism, mysticism, magic, occult arts and rituals. At times diabolical and at others sublime, this is a trip into the forbidden realms of Hellenic darkness, steeped in gothic grandeur and mystery.
4: Tau Cross – Messengers Of Deception (Heretical Music)
In a year full of conspiracy theories this album finally arrives and urges the listener to wake up and think! You need not get paranoid though as the excellent post-punk songs here are going to be instant anthems however you approach them.
5: Anaal Nathrakh – Endarkenment (Metal Blade)
Tough times bring tough music and there are few tougher than Anaal Nathrakh. There’s something utterly invincible and gripping about each and every one of these ten tracks and as a whole the effect of their combined weight is nothing short of devastating.
6: Napalm Death – Throes of Joy in the Jaws of Defeatism (Century Media)
While far younger fall by the wayside there’s no pensioning off of the veteran Brummie grind-bastards. The fact they still are full of new ideas and willing to experiment with them makes them just as valid today as they were 4 decades ago!
7: Secrets Of The Moon – Black House (Prophecy) 
Continuously evolving SotM have transcended genre convention from past grim origins with an album that crosses realms. Mixing together everything from pop to shoegaze and beyond this Black House has many rooms packed with heartfelt emotion and maturity.
8: Häxanu – Snare Of All Salvation (Amor Fati)
With the alchemy of black psychedelia at its heart prepare to be thrown into a massive vortex of chaos. Building into a tumultuous landscape of blackened isolation this album really ensnares and deserves to be heard and treasured for times to come
9: Dool – Summerlands (Prophecy)
Taking the listener on a trip from Sulphur and Starlight to Dust And Shadow this is a sensuous and beguiling album. This group of wanderers weave psychedelic magic with doom and gothic finesse blending them together to make a spellbinding and infectious sound.
10: Paysage d’Hiver – Im Wald (Prophecy)
A massive, immersive 2-hour journey into the Winter Landscape. Close the door, lock the world outside away and be prepared for Wintherr to fill your world with frosty wonderment. “Dreamlike meditation’ for the heart and soul
11: Darkenhöld – Arcanes & Sortilèges (Ladlo)
12: Forgotten Tomb – Nihilistic Estrangement (Agonia)
13: Borgne – Y (Ladlo)
14: Hexvessel – Kindred (Svart)
15: Starless Domain – Alma (Aesthetic Death)
16: Cadaver – Edder & Bile (Nuclear Blast)
17: Griffon – O Theos, O Basileus (Ladlo)
18: Xasraug – Unsympathetic Empyrean (Repose Records)
19: Dark Tranquillity – Moment (Century Media)
20:…and Oceans – Cosmic World Mother (Season Of Mist)
Andy Barker
1: Green Carnation – Leaves Of Yesteryear (Season Of Mist) 
An incredibly welcome return for this fabulously unique Dark Metal Band.
2: Conception – State Of Deception (Self Released)
After their tantalizing EP, the full album from this reformed Norwegian powerhouse doesn’t disappoint in any way.
3: Ensiferum – Thalassic (Metal Blade)
Ensiferum push their Viking Metal sound even further to great effect.
4: Pyramaze – Epitaph (AFM)
Melodic Power Metal at its best from a band that seems to be somehow getting better and better with every release
5: Fates Warning – Long Day Good Night (Metal Blade)
Progressive Metal giants showing that age and experience really does count for something.
6: Demons and Wizards – III (Century Media)
Blending the best elements of Blind Guardian and Iced Earth, this well overdue Demons and Wizards album is a long awaited gem.
7: Ad Infinitum – Chapter I Monarchy (Napalm Records)
Hitting the ground running, Symphonic Metal has another big hitter.
8: Marko Hietala – Pyre Of The Black Heart (Nuclear Blast)
A dark intense debut solo offering from the male voice of Nightwish and Tarot.
9: Beyond The Black – Hørizøns (Napalm Records)
Another top quality offering from this Symphonic Metal front runner.
10: Judicator – Let There Be Nothing (Prosthetic)
Emulating perfectly the feel and energy of early Blind Guardian with their own unique twist and identity.
11: Surma – The Light Within (Metal Blade)
12: Vanishing Point – Dead Elysium (AFM)
13: Vintersea – Illuminated (M-Theory Audio)
14: Iron Savior – Skycrest (AFM)
15: Firewind – Firewind (AFM)
16: Ritual King – Ritual King (Ripple Music)
17: Nightmare – Aeternam (AFM)
18: Delain – Apocalypse & Chill (Napalm Records)
19: Night – High Tides – Distant Skies (The Sign)
20: Communic – Hiding From The World (AFM)
Andrew Doherty
1: Pattern-Seeking Animals – Prehensile Tales (InsideOut Records)
Prehensile Tales has everything you could ever want from a prog album. Each of the six songs from this band with Spock’s Beard connections bursts with colour and imagination. There’s a lightness of touch and sophistication of structure that made me feel good and privileged to be part of its intrinsic dramatic warmth.
2: In Cauda Venenum – G.O.H.E (LADLO)
This is a rare album where the music matches the theme, which is that of the author James Ellroy, the death of his mother and the psychological trauma which arose from it. Hugely atmospheric, this black metal work with symphonic elements snakes its way into our psyche with heavy, sad, dramatic and epic elements.
3: Soul Secret – Blue Light Cage (Layered Reality Productions)
Blue Light Cage has to be the most infectiously playful album I’ve listened to this year. Dynamic prog in the style of Haken, this boundary-free prog extravaganza exudes life and energy.
4: Thy Catafalque – Naiv (Season of Mist)
Rousing hymns with more than a hint of playfulness, dark patterns and extravagant soundscapes from the multi-instrumentalist and talented Tamás Kátai. It’s like a high intensity, black metal, cosmic Tubular Bells. Travel the world and beyond in 48 minutes.
5: Sombre Héritage – Alpha Ursae Minoris (Sepulchral Productions)
If there is any constant in life, it’s the bone-chilling iciness of French-Canadian black metal. Sombre Héritage extract musical colour and vivid expression aplenty from the grim and cold soundscape of this work. Wrap up warm before exposing yourself to this sophisticated onslaught.
6: The Massacre Cave – Godlust (Red Death Records)
The Massacre Cave manage to seamlessly blend technicality and melody with harsher metal styles, progressive delicacy and traditional acoustic elements. The result is mesmerising and most enjoyable.
7: Mors Principium Est – Seven (AFM)
Energy, aggression and fast melodic guitar blasts are the hallmarks of the Mors Principium Est sound. “Seven” is out of the template for the band from Finland, but it’s every bit as exciting and vibrant as anything they’ve ever done.
8: Ljosazabosjstwa – Głoryja Śmierci (Godz ov War)
Five slabs of blackened death metal from Belarus beat us around the head, weigh us down and ultimately impress us with the cleverly worked progressions and structures.
9: Moloken – Unveilance of Dark Matter (The Sign Records)
Decay, fear, nightmares, greyness and strong hints of industrial metal spew forth from Sweden’s Moloken. Dark matter indeed.
10: Binary Code Memento Mori (Self-Released)
A stunning and goosebump-inducing progressive metal and sophisticated rock ambience from this unheralded American band. Light meets dark in a most epic and expansive way.
11: Raven – Metal City (SPV)
12: Hymn – Breach Us (Fysisk Format)
13: Carach Angren – Franckensteina Strataemontanus (Season of Mist)
14: October Falls – A Fall from an Epoch (Purity Through Fire)
15: Thyrant – Katabasis (Indie)
16: Psychotic Waltz- The God-Shaped Void (InsideOut Records)
17: Mörk Gryning- Hinsedes Vrede (Season of Mist)
18: Dark Fortress – Spectres from the Old World (Century Media)
19: Hegerøth – Perfidia (Self Released)
20: The Black Dahlia Murder – Venimous (Metal Blade)
Angela Davey
1: Emma Ruth Rundle & Thou – May Our Chambers Be Full (Sacred Bones)
I think I knew this would be my album of the year before it was released – watching Emma Ruth Rundle and Thou perform together at Roadburn in 2019 was surreal and I’ve been eagerly anticipating a collaborative release ever since. This did not disappoint.
2: Uniform – Shame (Sacred Bones)
I loved ‘The Long Walk’ so much, I was concerned, before I listened to ‘Shame’ that it wouldn’t resonate with me in the same way, however, I had nothing to worry about. This album is akin to a punch in the throat right from the off.
3: Vile Creature – Glory, Glory! Apathy Took Helm! (Prosthetic)
This record really is the whole package – from the juxtaposition of pretty with gross of the album cover, to the relentlessly heavy and unhurried approach of Vile Creature to the music it contains, it has everything you could possibly want from a metal album and then some.
4: Midnight – Rebirth by Blasphemy (Metal Blade)
Like this needs an explanation! Midnight are the epitome of sleazy party metal and every album is a guaranteed good time.
5: Run the Jewels – RTJ4 (BMG)
Politically poignant, RTJ4 was a much needed elevation of the BLM platform and it just so happens to be conveyed in some incredibly catchy and well written hip hop. I impatiently awaited this album from the moment RTJ announced it and its release was perfectly timed with the movement.
6: Svalbard – When I Die, Will I Get Better? (Church Road)
The song writing on this record is incredible and I love how much more technical the guitars are – as with all Svalbard albums, this is powerful, thought provoking and spine tingling in its emotiveness.
7: Deftones – Ohms (Reprise)
I haven’t been excited by a Deftones album since ‘Around the Fur’ and ‘Ohms’ totally changed that – it rejuvenated my love of this band and made them feel fresh and interesting again.
8: Boris – NO (Self Released)
While Boris are typically known for their ear drum shattering frequencies and exploration of drone and noise rock, when they tread the path of more traditional metal they do it really bloody well. ‘NO’ is a classic example of this and a fantastic album.
9: Venom Prison – Primeval (Prosthetic)
Larissa’s vocals on this opus are phenomenal. ‘Primeval’ is ridiculously heavy and one of the best death metal releases of 2020 – other bands of this genre should be paying close attention and taking notes.
10: Okkultokrati – La Ilden Lyse (Southern Lord)
This Darkthrone/Joy Division sounding hybrid are woefully underrated and this is the mantra I will continue to repeat until people begin to appreciate just how great this amazing Norwegian gem really are.
11: Mrs. Piss – Self-Surgery (Sargent House)
12: King Dude – Full Virgo Moon (Van Records)
13: Primitive Man – Immersion (Relapse)
14: ACxDC – Satan is King (Prosthetic)
15: Revenge – Strike. Smother. Dehumanize. (Season of Mist)
16: Paysage D’Hiver – Im Wald (Kunsthall)
17: Sumac – May You Be Held (Thrill Jockey)
18: Jucifer – نظم (Nomadic Fortress)
19: Winterfylleth – The Reckoning Dawn (Candlelight)
20: Carnation – Where Death Lies (Season of Mist)
Doogz (Steve Russell)
1: Havukruunu – Uinuos Syomein Sota (Naturmacht)
Third full-length from Finnish heathen black metal quartet really captures the imagination, conjuring up great soundscapes with fantastic riffs.
2: Irist – Order Of The Mind (Nuclear Blast)
Astounding debut release. A genre-bending seamless blend of gateway metal styles, this far surpasses the sum of its parts.
3: Sweven – The Eternal Resonance (Van Records)
Harrowing yet beautiful progressive death metal from former members and collaborators of Morbus Chron.
4: Sinira – The Everlorn (self-released)
Top notch melodic black metal. Dissection worship never sounded so good.
5: Ulcerate – Stare Into Death And Be Still (Debemur Morti)
Vast, cavernous death metal seething with tempered anger and murky atmospherics, a very rewarding listen.
6: Black Crown Initiate – Violent Portraits Of Doomed Escape (Century Media)
Imagine Gojira, Meshuggah and Opeth jamming on King Crimson tunes, and you’ll get an idea of the high quality progressive death metal on offer here.
7: Fellwarden – Wreathed In Mourncloud (Eisenwald)
Oddly uplifting atmospheric black metal inspired by the bleakness of the UKs Lake District.
8: Deftones – Ohms (Warner)
Effortless gliding between heaviness and laid back introspection, arguably the best album since “White Pony” from these post-metal giants.
9: Enslaved – Utgard (Nuclear Blast)
Never a foot put wrong, this legendary Norwegian progressive black metal outfit deliver the goods once more.
10: Trivium – What The Dead Men Say (Roadrunner)
Perennially underestimated as gateway metalcore, Trivium deliver another consistent album of songs, showcasing riff-after-riff and Heafys ever improving vocals.
11: Dool – Summerland (Prophecy)
12: Second To Sun – Leviathan (self-released)
13: Darkenhold – Arcanes & Sortileges (Les Acteurs de l’Ombre)
14: Gaerea – Limbo (Season Of Mist)
15: Dark Tranquillity – Moment (Century Media)
16: Winterfylleth – The Reckoning Dawn (Candlelight / Spinefarm)
17: Dysylumn – Cosmogonie (Signal Rex)
18: Vspolokh – Помре/Pomre (Purity Through Fire)
19: Grave Circles – Tome II (Les Acteurs de l’Ombre)
20: Ammanas – Obsession Cum Peccatum (Legions Ov Darkness)
Chris Davison
1: Dun Ringill – Library of Death (Argonautica)
The first time ever that a band has won my album of the year – and this time back to back. It’s testament to how much I love this album. Building on the amazing foundations of last year’s “Welcome”, “Library of Death” is, if anything, even better after repeated listens. It’s a fusion of hard rock, doom, heavy metal and even a touch here and there of folk. A very worthy winner of album of the year for me, and I can only hope that they manage to catch a ferry to the UK as soon as they can to catch them live when we can fill halls again!
2: Stygian Crown – Stygian Crown (Cruz Del Sur)
Female vocalled doom metal, but as if Candlemass was being covered by Bolt Thrower. Impossibly heavy, “Stygian Crown” was the debut album of 2020 for me. A fantastic melding of influences into a product more than the sum of its parts.
3: Berzerker Legion – Obliterate the Weak (Listenable Records)
Tremendous death metal supergroup, comprising of members of Dark Funeral, Asphyx, Henry Kane, Bloodshot Dawn etc etc bringing a massive slab of quality extremity from out of nowhere. It’s all about the songs; top drawer tracks time after time.
4: Lik – Misanthropic Breed (Metal Blade)
Fizzing, gnarled guitars. Drums being thrashed. A bass being strangled into submission. Lik. Like a 120mph full on collision of Dismember and Evocation, Lik are at the top of their game.
5: Benediction – Scriptures (Nuclear Blast)
Benediction, once more reunited with classic vocalist Dave Ingram, back with another slice of punk infused old school British Death Metal? More hooks than a Peter Pan audition? Hell yes. Heads down, chugging metal done the old way.
6: Cirith Ungol – Forever Black (Metal Blade)
A mere 19 years since their last full length album, and it’s like they’ve never been away. Probably the most instantly recognisable and damned infectious of the old school metal bands, and this is their best release since 1984’s “King of the Dead”.
7: Just Before Dawn – An Army at Dawn (Raw Skullz Recordz)
Man cannot live on Memoriam alone. A much-welcomed album of war obsessed death metal in the vein of Hail of Bullets and Bolt Thrower. Superb, bullet-holed blasting.
8: Rotting Kingdom – A Deeper Shade of Sorrow (Godz Ov War Productions)
A true melding of the kind of mournful guitar work that you’d find in some Finnish Doom/Death outfits, combined with muscular American Death Metal? It shouldn’t work. Surely it can’t work? It can. It does. A miserable cracker.
9: Wytch Hazel – III: Pentecost (Bad Omen Records)
The hard rocking admirers of Christ return with another catchy collection of anthems. Perhaps more straight forwards rock than before, III manages to pack enough punch to satisfy the heavy metal aficionados in the audience.
10: Temple Nightside – Pillars of Damnation (Iron Bonehead)
Ultra dense, bleak and churning death metal done with aplomb. Some of the most atmospheric and twisted extremity of the year, not unlike a sonic black hole.
11: Carcariass – Planet Chaos (Great Dane)
12: Winterfylleth – The Reckoning Dawn (Candlelight)
13: Kirk Windstein – Dream in Motion (eOne)
14: Paradise Lost – Obsidian (Nuclear Blast)
15: Henry Kane – Age of the Idiot (Transcending Obscurity)
16: Ruadh – The Rock of the Clyde (Norther Silence Productions)
17: Wino – Forever Gone (Ripple Music)
18: My Dying Bride – The Ghost of Orion (Nuclear Blast)
19: Sepultura – Quadra (Nuclear Blast)
20: Lie in Ruins – Floating in Timeless Streams (Dark Descent Records)
Fraggle
1: Sigiryia – Maiden. Mother. Crone (Burning World)
When an album you have been anticipating for a few years finally lands, it either lives up to exceptions, surpasses them or is a total flop. Sigiriya surpassed all expectations with this release. Powerful and massive with its sound; huge guitars, pounding bass and drums and captivating and raw vocals. Doomy grooves, hammering walls of noise and a captivating power in the music combine to make one of the best Doom albums of the past 10 years. To put it simply, is just a fantastic release from start to finish.
2: THEM – Return To Hemmersmoor (SPV/Steamhammer)
“Return To Hemmersmoor” combines the best of both sides of the Atlantic with regards to power metal and thrash metal, turns it up to 11 and hits hard. Theatrical, well balanced between music and pushing the narrative of the story behind this third instalment, “Return To Hemmersmoor” has the potential to be a classic Power Metal concept album.
3: Unleash The Archers – Abyss (Napalm)
One of a handful of surprise package albums for me this year comes from Canadian Power Metal quartet Unleash The Archers. Abyss is a solid record from start to finish. Loaded with blistering riffs, phenomenal vocal work, clever synthesizer use and some slick theatrics, “Abyss” balances the technicality of Progressive Metal with the infectious nature of Power Metal and somehow manages not to show any of the usual weaknesses of either genre.
4: Cult Of Lilith – Mara (Metal Blade)
Hands down, the best Death Metal release of 2020. An album which surprised me, making me feel excited after several weeks of releases which just didn’t provide that spark to bring forth a reaction, “Mara” brings all the various schools of Death Metal together and blends them in such a way that it is perfectly balanced. It also has a song inspired by the DOOM franchise… Need I say more?
5: Old Mother Hell – Lord Of Demise (Cruz Del Sur)
Straight up, no nonsense Heavy Metal at its finest. Old Mother Hell are a band who continue to impress me with their music. The simple fact that you can feel their passion in each and every track on this release just cements its place in my top albums of the year. Empowering, raw, captivating… It is heavy metal through and through!
6: Video Nasties – Dominion (APF)
Released on the day that it was announced that the U.K would be entering ‘Lockdown’, “Dominion” by Video Nasties certainly fit the nation’s mood. Harsh, unforgiving and intense, “Dominion” is raw and wild, blending Black metal, Rock and Roll and the theatrics of John Carpenter to create a piece of music so filthy and nasty, it could well be the spawn of monsters you would find in movies or in novels. It’s also energetic, chaotic and one hell of a way to announce your presence on the national musical landscape!
7: Blue Öyster Cult – The Symbol Remains (Frontiers)
Whilst we may never recapture the magic and mystique generated by the legendary Blue Öyster Cult in the 70’s and early 80’s, “The Symbol Remains” is a step in the right direction. A first release in nearly 2-decades showcases a band revitalized and captured by the spirit of creativity. Solid compositions, slick guitar playing, a diverse selection of styles across the tracks, “The Symbol Remains” has something for everyone, be it the stompin’ rock and roll feel or the more mystical and proggy intricacies, Blue Öyster Cult show that they are classic rock’s most underappreciated band.
8: Pyogenesis – A Silent Soul Screams Loud (AFM)
Pyogenesis are one of the most versatile bands to come out of Germany. From their days as trailblazers in the Neue Deutsche Hӓrte and Gothic metal styles in the early 90’s to their rebirth as Avant-Garde, Pyogenesis have created a wonderfully diverse release with the final instalment of their trilogy of releases inspired by the 19th century. Loaded with groove driven riffs, catchy vocal hooks, captivating stories and some fantastic musical sequences, “A Silent Soul Screams Loud” is fantastic from start to finish giving enough variety to keep you listening to it again and again.
9: Body Count – Carnivore (Century Media)
Few bands have the ability to keep their finger on the pulse of society and to be able to accurately replicate and express it through the medium of music. Body Count, time and time again have always managed to do this with their songs and once again manage to (depressingly) reflect the current state of the world, all delivered with Ice-T’s iconic venom and the cutting guitars of long-time collaborator Ernie-C. From standing up to tyrants, right wing extremists and nutjobs to paying homage to their influences, “Carnivore” is a solid release and highly enjoyable.
10: Fates Warning – Long Day Good Night (Metal Blade)
Progressive Metal founding fathers Fates Warning may not have the same level of popularity as their contemporaries Dream Theater, but what they do have is consistency. “Long Day Good Night” showcases the band’s talent for keeping you engaged from start to finish, showing that the melodic side of composition is just as important as the technical side. Fresh, vibrant and loaded with variety, this is a release which is probably up there as one of the best Progressive Metal albums of this year.
11: Armored Saint – Punching The Sky (Metal Blade)
12: Sons Of Apollo – MMXX (InsideOut)
13: Mitochondrial Sun – Sju Pulsarer (Argonauta)
14: Napalm Death – Throes Of Joy In The Jaws Of Defeatism (Century Media)
15: Nitelight – Nitelight plays: Death’s Symbolic (S/R)
16: Evoke – Seeds Of Death (Pulverised)
17: Annihilator – Ballistic, Sadistic (Silver Lining)
18: Ayreon – Transitus (Music Theories)
19: John Petrucci – Terminal Velocity (Sound Mind)
20: Ripped To Shreds – Luan (Pulverised)
George Caley
1: Cryptic Shift – Visitations From Enceladus (Blood Harvest)
Perfection comes along every now and then, and this year it came in the form of Progressive Death Metal via Cryptic Shift. This band’s debut full length can only be described as a masterpiece. With a structure befalling 70s Prog Rock and a sound that emulates the cream of the crop for the Prog/ Tech Death scene this is as big and bombastic as it gets. Total and unwavering proof that the UK underground scene is a thriving hotbed for outstanding talent.
2: Exist – Egoiista (Prosthetic Records)
Another gleaming example of Prog/ Tech Death, a genre that is thriving right now. Egoiista is a beautiful journey that is reminiscent of the first time you ever hear Cynic’s classic Focus album. Truly Exist transcend that which is the confines of an ever-developing genre. This is boundary pushing, exciting and hypnotic record steeped in glorious musicianship, truly a remarkable album.
3: Macabre – Carnival Of Killers (Nuclear Blast)
I love it when a band really surprise you, such is the case with Macabre. I had little to no interest in the band after hearing Grim Scary Tales (my first exposure to them) however I really wanted to understand the serial killer obsessed power trio. Carnival Of Killers is layered with great songwriting, memorability, humour and education. A thrilling Deathgrind oddity that is sure to be remembered in years to come.
4: Architectural Genocide – Cordyceptic Anthropomorph (Comatose Music)
I like my Slams to be classic, and what is a more classic geographical location than Texas! This album smashes it out of the park with that old school Slam flare and plenty of savage Brutal Death to back it up. I yearn for albums like this, yeah sure there is the odd good Slamming Deathcore band, but really what’s the point when albums like Cordyceptic Anthropomorph exist, Slam mastery.
5: Aborted Fetus – Pyramids Of Damnation (Comatose Music)
The Ancient Spirits Of Decay was a somewhat shrug worthy affair, and then came Pyramids Of Damnation. I had a lot of reservations, was this going to be a Nile rip? Was it going to be too long? I didn’t know but after whacking this on I was blown away. Fantastic album structure and overall one of the most punishing releases of the year. If you like Egyptian history and Brutal Death Metal then this is the album for you.
6: Primal Fear – Metal Commando (Nuclear Blast)
See I’m not all about Death Metal! This album is the product of the power of radio. I was listening to Planet Rock when the track Along Came The Devil came on. I then found out the artist and proceeded to listen to what can only be described as full on party Metal. Which in a year like this made a real impact for me, I love this album and can’t wait to go back into more of the bands discography.
7: Black Curse – Endless Wound (Sepulchral Voice Records)
Do you like your Death Metal to be ‘trve’? Well look no further than Black Curse, the band featuring members of Primitive Man, Spectral Voice and Blood Incantation! This is a relentless album that will make your head feel like it’s in a vice. So utterly destructive and savage that words can seldom define it. If you want to hear one of the heaviest albums of 2020 then it’s right here.
8: Anaal Nathrakh – Endarkment (Metal Blade Records)
This is memorable Extreme Metal at its best. Catchy and laced with awesome, powerful clean vocals this is an album that will make you miss live shows even more than you already do. Based on this album if there is one band I want to see post-lockdown then it’s Anaal Nathrakh.
9. Defeated Sanity – The Sanguinary Impetus (Willowtip Records)
Defeated Sanity to me are like a benchmark to Brutal Death. They’re a band that really nail the whole speed and ferocity thing without it coming across as messy. That’s why The Sanguinary Impetus is so very good. It amplifies the Tech edge of the band and is literally a full on jaw dropping performance of instrumental mastery.
10: Cult Of Lilith – Mara (Metal Blade Records)
One look at this band and you might think, trendy, new, no thank you. How wrong you would be though. This is a modern band yes, however one that is almost a snapshot of Extreme Metal to come. Mara is a wonderful journey into the future of Metal and I love it.
11: AC/DC – Power Up (Columbia)
12: Swarmageddon – Inhuman (Self-Released)
13: Undergang – Aldrig I Livet (Dark Descent Records)
14: Cosmic Putrefaction – The Horizons To Which Splendour Withers (I, Voidhanger Records)
15: Live Burial – Unending Futility (Transcending Obscurity Records)
16: Twitch Of The Death Nerve – A Resting Place For The Wrathful (Comatose Music)
17: Undeath – Lesions Of A Different Kind (Prosthetic Records)
18: Lik – Misanthropic Breed (Metal Blade Records)
19: Repuked – Dawn Of Reintoxication (Soulseller Records)
20: Convulsif – Extinct (Hummus Records)
Gizmo
1: Cirith Ungol – Forever Black (Metal Blade)
This is a perfect continuation from One Foot On Hell, with more than a glance to earlier works. The vitality, the heart and soul on display here though is just huge. The songs, every one, are just blistering. Heavy, unique, memorable and just full of blood and iron.”
2: Fellwarden – Wreathed In Mourningcloud (Eisenwald)
From composition, through arrangement to the masterful performances from The Watcher and Havenless this is black metal for wandering poets and for drizzle dampened walkers, for introspective historians and anyone willing to open themselves up to the land.
3: Countless Skies – Glow (Willowtip)
This is simply world class. Its appeal should cross genre boundaries – I can see fans of black metal like Saor, symphonic metal fans, power metal fans, the melodeath brigade all finding so much within this. Beautiful. Emotional. Virtuoso.
4: Akyls – Melinoe (Debemur Morti)
The talent here is worrying and glorious. The vision and focus startling. The result is staggering and monolithic. This late in the year and I get this. Breathe in. Breathe out…
5: Lamp Of Murmuur – Heir Of Elliptical Romanticism (Death Kvlt Productions)
The arrangements and composition are at times stunning for such a style, the poise and dare I say it elegance displayed are wonderful.
6: Blue Oyster Cult – The Symbol Remains (Frontiers)
Masters of the sinister. Melodies to die for, melancholy to yearn for and musicianship to kill for. Wilful, self possessed, supremely influential and with this they simply prove that this fire still smoulders unnervingly bright.
7: The Infernal Sea – Negotium Crucis (Apocalyptic Witchcraft)
The melody is superb, lashed to the slightly punk inflected riffs so it cuts deep and feral. It’s pitch black and tempestuous and quite remarkable.
8: High Spirits – Hard To Stop (High Roller)
The lockdown survival album of the year, my summer soundtrack and joyous and life affirming as ever.
9: Ante-Inferno – Fane (UKEM)
I guess this is the kind of black metal on which I thrive; melancholic maybe, yearning certainly, emotional, wild and raw. The kind of thing that brings to mind our damp, grey weather and bleak moorlands. Soul searing.
10: Old Corpse Road – On Ghastly Shores Lays The Wreckage Of Our Lore (Trollzorn)
It’s a wonderful, expansive and mature album. Ah it’s a dark, magical and haunted land, the British Isles, and Old Corpse Road are the perfect celebrants.
11: At The Altar Of The Horned God – Through Doors Of Moonlight ( I, Voidhanger)
12: Winterfylleth – The Reckoning Dawn (Candleight/Spinefarm)
13: Wardaemonic – Acts Of Repentance (Transcending Obscurity)
14: Druon Antigone – Desontstijging (Onism Productions)
15: Solothus – Realm Of Ash and Blood (20 Buck Spin)
16: Death the Leveller – II (Cruz Del Sur)
17: The Committee – Utopian Deception (Folter Records)
18: Thrudvangar – Vegvisir (Trollzorn)
19: The Brothers Keg – Folklore, Myths, And Legends (APF Records)
20: Cult Of Frey – By The Blood Of Odin Part 1 – Midgard (UKEM)
James Jackson
1: The Ditch and the Delta – The Ditch and the Delta (Prosthetic Records)
This self-titled sophomore release from the Salt Lake City sludge metallers is stunning. The sounds these guys create are monumentally colossal and also somewhat of a paradox; depressing, dark, heavy, but also immensely enjoyable. It’s like being engulfed in a huge tidal wave of sludge, but once you ascend to the surface you realise that every spin throws up something new. This is a hugely addictive rollercoaster forty minutes and my surprise favourite of the year.
2: Kevel – Mutatis Mutandis (I, Voidhanger Records)
This was another unexpected bolt out of the blue. Genre bending progressive sludge meets expansive post metal meets melodic black metal from Athens finest. This sophomore release is both oppressive and relentless but the generous sprinklings of melody make it feel strangely accessible, while taking the listener on a journey through a sonic cosmos. The rulebook was well and truly torn up with the splicing of genres and the sheer amount of ideas shoehorned into each track.
3: Deftones – Ohms (Reprise Records)
After the rather difficult eighth album that was Gore (sorry, only my opinion), Ohms feels like a return to form. It’s a grower, but once grown on you, you realise just how immediate it actually is, with poppy hooks nestling next to some of Stephen Carpenter’s heaviest guitars for quite some time. Chino’s vocal earworms lodge in the brain and never leave; you’ll be humming them for days without realising. Ohms spans the entire Deftones spectrum while hinting towards the future, like a best of… but featuring all new tracks.
4: Mr Bungle – The Raging Wrath of the Easter Bunny (Ipecac Recordings)
After twenty years the chameleonic oddballs of metal are back! A new album was unexpected but a reworking of their 1986 cassette demo debut, probably even less so. It’s an exercise in nostalgia but the tracks are brought bang up to date while retaining a classic 80’s thrash vibe. Mike Patton is as unhinged as ever and with thrash luminaries Scott Ian and Dave Lombardo joining the party, it really is pure unadulterated thrash metal with tongue firmly in cheek. What more could you possibly want? A metal version of La Cucaracha you say…
5: Demonic Death Judge – The Trail (Suicide Records)
Finland’s gloriously named Demonic Death Judge sound like they couldn’t be further from home; swigging on a bottle of moonshine, smoking a fat one, while kicking out some supersize big arse riffs in a smoky bar in the deep south. It’s bluesy, folky, stoner sludge that’s effortlessly cool and a whole lot of fun. A wall to wall riff-fest with more filthy riffs and grooves than you can shake a big dirty stick at.
6: Pearl Jam – Gigaton (Republic Records)
Gigaton is another quality offering from the Seattle rock legends, not only featuring surprises but plenty of experimentation; none more so than the disco funk of ‘Dance of the Clairvoyants’. Lyrically it’s one of their most impassioned albums yet, rallying against the Trump administration and impending global catastrophe. An album of two halves, throwing curveballs with its invention in the first while easing off and taking things into folk rock territory in the second; Pearl Jam continue to mature like one of Eddie’s fine wines.
7: 16 – Dream Squasher (Relapse Records)
There has been a deluge of stunning sludge releases this year, and this is no exception. Falling somewhere between my number one choice, The Ditch and the Delta and Crowbar, it’s very heavy with tar thick grooves but also at times there’s some thrash metal, punk and rock ‘n’ roll thrown in for good measure. It’s doom sludge metal but not quite as we know it.
8: Slomosa – Slomosa (Apollon Records)
This desert rock debut from the scorched plains of Norway is very cool indeed, it’s Josh Homme cool, harking back to his Kyuss and early QOTSA days. It’s a very impressive debut; riddled with riff after fuzzy stoner riff, oodles of catchy hooks and plenty of guitar acrobatics. Slomosa is the sound of summer, maybe not this summer, but a future carefree summer, oh and it sounds like the type of music cool people listen to.
9: Xibalba – Años En Infierno (Southern Lord)
Anos En Infierno is a melting pot of extreme influences and genres mixed together, plenty of thrash metal here and death metal there and whisper it quietly… there’s even a hint of melody. It’s intense, brutal hardcore tinged metal that wears its influences for all to see; it can go some way to filling a Slayer sized hole in many a fan’s lives. Enjoyable, entertaining and there’s nothing better if you want to let off steam.
10: The Glad Husbands – Safe Places (Atypeek Music)
Nine slabs of spasmodic rock freak outs that were much unexpected, especially when clocking that fairly terrible band name. It’s a smorgasbord of wall to wall riffing and dextrous musical workouts, with every track going off on tangents, contorting into all manner of shapes and grooves. Plenty of influences and genres are mixed together to create a bewildering listen; more ideas are thrown into one song than most bands use in an entire album.
11: 156/Silence – Irrational Pull (SharpTone Records)
12: Sharptooth – Transitional Forms (Pure Noise Records)
13: Napalm Death – Throes of Joy in the Jaws of Defeatism (Century Media Records)
14: Ohhms – Close (Holy Roar Records)
15: Asian Death Crustacean – Baikal (Self Released)
16: Palm Reader – Sleepless (Church Road Records)
17: Sepultura – Quadra (Nuclear Blast)
18: Raging Speedhorn – Hard to Kill (Red Weed Records)
19: WVRM – Colony Collapse (Prosthetic Records)
20: Hyborian – Volume II (Season of Mist)
Martin Harris
1: Mörk Gryning – Hinsides Vrede (Season Of Mist Records)
A staggering return to the global black metal arena with a scathing yet eloquent obsidian assault.
2: The Night Flight Orchestra – Aeromantic (Nuclear Blast Records)
Pristine stadium rock courtesy of this Swedish band with sumptuous melodies imbibed with huge charisma and soaring choruses.
3: Ancst – Summits Of Despondency (Lifeforce Records)
Blackened hardcore of the utmost ferocity, tempered with an innate ability to throw in melodicism and empowering nihilism.
4: Häxenzijrkell – Die Nachtseite (Amor Fati Productions)
Steeped in cruel grievousness, palpable rawness and primitive savagery is balanced by heart wrenching riffs and soul destroying vocals.
5: Khors – Where The Word Acquires Eternity (Ashen Dominion)
Unequalled in atmospheric toning these Ukrainians continue to astound with their lavish complex black metal compositions.
6: Horna – Kuoleman Kirjo (World Terror Committee)
The Finnish terror crew return with their unmitigated, implacable sonic violation that ensnares your soul and desecrates your being.
7: Anaal Nathrakh- Endarkenment (Metal Blade Records)
Prepare yourself for the world’s end with utter barbarity and an enduring and demented devastation that has never sounded so cataclysmic.
8: The Ocean – Phanerozoic II – Mesozoic Cenozoic (Pelagic Records)
Few post rock bands have the energy, creativity and total immersion as The Ocean as their latest opus surrounds you in blanketing musicality and sheer ingenuity and class. A masterclass in atmospheric structuring.
9: Solitary – The Truth Behind The Lies (Metalville)
Forget the big players and even the semi-big players UK’s Solitary have released the finest thrash album of 2020 with scorching fret work, powering vocals in an incendiary set of songs.
10: Long Distance Calling – How Do We Want To Live (Inside Out Records)
Mesmerising, compelling, and totally stunning this record is the epitome of instrumental post rock inventiveness.
11: Kataklysm – Unconquered (Nuclear Blast Records)
12: Amiensus – Abreaction (Transcending Records)
13: Necrowretch – The Ones From Hell (Season Of Mist Records)
14: Vredehammer – Viperous (Indie Recordings)
15: Dynazty – The Dark Delight (AFM Records)
16: Firewind – Firewind (AFM Records)
17: Leaves’ Eyes – The Last Viking (AFM Records)
18: Skeletal Remains – The Entombment Of Chaos (Century Media Records)
19: Putrid Offal – Sicknesses Obsessions (Xenokorps)
20: Serpent Omega – II (Icons Creating Evil Art)
Matt Mason
1: Emma Ruth Rundle and Thou – May Our Chambers Be full (Sacred Bones) 
What an album. How can something that only came out on the 30th October this year make it to number 1? Well, when the beautiful melancholy of ERR’s voice is combined by the gut wrenching, rib crushing heavy emotion of Thou’s music and then layer in Bryan Funcks extreme vocals on top – there is no way it could be anything else. The album I needed this year.
2: Mountaineer – Bloodletting (Lifeforce)
Every track is filled with wonder, shot through with sadness, peppered with smiles and laced with angry hope. Prog mixes with the darkest murkiest sludge. Doom walks hand in hand with the most ethereal post rock. At times it is the sound of your first kiss, at others your most heart-breaking split. Each track is overflowing with emotion but there is no sense of overload just an aching for the next rack and the next vibrant taste of the bittersweet fruit.
3: Bell Witch Aerial Ruin – Stygian Bough Volume 1 (Profound Lore)
This album is a wonderful sonic journey through a vast landscape of undulating hills and valleys filled with Americana, dirty sludge, the most sombre doom and also uplifting celebration. It is a road worth taking.
4: Slift – Ummon (Stolen Body)
This French band were new to me this year. Crazy, psychey proggy and funky. Makes you wanna dance and/or make love on velvet sheets. Don’t send dry cleaning bills to me.
5: Svalbard – If I die Will I get Better (Church Road)
Could they keep up the quality? Would the issues with the record label overshadow the release. Hell yes and hell no. Massive riffs, great song writing and cutting lyrics. Killer record.
6: Cave Dweller – Walter Goodman or the empty cabin in the woods (Aesthetic Death)
This collection of ten pieces had a profound effect on me. I found myself, emotionally at a precipice on the verge of tears and a broad toothy grin at the same time. There is Americana, Spoken word, folk, dark country, elements of noise but earthy natural noise. As an old Goth I always feel that melancholy should always be described as a tearful smile. No despair just pensive sadness shot through with hope – whether that hope is forlorn or not. This collection is that feeling. Sometimes the lyrics are innocent and childlike, other times heart wrenching and poignant.
7: Venomous concept – Politics versus the Erection (Season of Mist)
Sometimes the young bucks need the old war horses to show them how to do things. There is plenty of lead left in the pencils of these angry lads. Another classic album of piss and vinegar flavoured bombast.
8: War on Women – Wonderful Hell (Bridge Nine Records)
Angry. Punky. Makes you wanna dance. Makes you wanna shout. Makes you wanna think.
9: Primitive Man – Immersion (Relapse)
Crushing. The sound of the world ending met with complete submittance. Ooof!
10: Ottone Pesante – DooMooD (Aural)
Brasscore. No guitars. No bass. DoomooD could possibly be the most interesting thing I have heard so far this year. Its scape, scope and orchestration is mesmerising and visceral and I urge everyone with ears to check out this fantastic album.
11: Pallbearer – Forgotten Days (Nuclear Blast) 
12: Mister Bungle – The Raging Wrath of the Easter Bunny (Ipecac)
13: Hum – Inlet (Earth Analog)
14: King Buzzo with Trevor Nunn – Gift of Sacrifice (Ipecac)
15: Blind River – Made of Dirt (Self Release)
16: An Autumn For Crippled Children – All Fell Silent, Everything Went Quiet (Prosthetic)
17: Vile Creature – Glory Glory Apathy Took Helm (Prosthetic)
18: Utilitarian – Fight War Not Wars – Destroy Power Not People (Self Release)
19: The Good The Bad and the Zugly – Algorithm and Blues (Fysisk Format)
20: Prince Fatty and Shneice Mcmenamin – Disco Deception Dubplate LP (Self Release)
Nick Griffiths
1: ACxDC – Satan Is King (Prosthetic Records)
Blacker than a murderer’s intentions, tar thick, bastard fast, terrifying brilliant and my first 10/10 review. Get’s better and more brutal with each subsequent listen.
2: Tombs – Monarchy Of The Shadows/ Under Sullen Skies (Seasons of the Mist)
Slight cheat but an EP and an album in one year which are both a new wave of black metal, that takes the pulsating maggot infested innards of BM and subjugates them via the medium of thrash, doom, rock and metal, coalescing into some of the finest music I had the pleasure of listening to in 2020.
3: WVRM – Colony Collapse (Prosthetic Records)
Nihilistic grindcore from South Carolina, which proves that Grind is still in rude health as WVRM throw tempo changes about like confetti all wrapped up in a filthy blanket of monstrous guitars. Groovy, black, disgusting, enlightened grind.
4: Napalm Death – Throes Of Joy In The Jaws Of Defeatism (Century Media)
Despite being around for an eternity, Barney, Shane et al, still prove that Napalm Death are still a frighteningly brutal proposition. This new album further cements their place in the metal hall of fame. Heavy as an anvil with the swager of Liam Gallagher, this album is a tour de force.
5: Hum – Inlet (Earth Analog Records)
Having ‘survived’ having an early chart-topping mega hit in the form of ‘Stars’, Illinois Hum, surprised everyone with an unexpected new album after 22 years of relative inactivity. Devastatingly dense, melodic, and hypnotically beautiful, Inlet is the dictionary definition of an earworm, with songs sticking to your soul and making the world a better place.
6: Foetal Juice – Gluttony (Gore House Productions)
Shite name aside, this is a masterclass in state-of-the-art death metal, that’s savage in it’s non nonsense approach as it juxtapositions balls to the wall speed with crushingly slow, punishing, earth destroying riffs. The UK should be proud of what was one of the most surprising and entertaining albums of 2020.
7: Imperial Triumphant – Alphaville (Century Media Records)
Hugely impressive, dense, macabre, confusing and delicious, as jazz time signatures replete with trumpets and colossal black metal riffs battle for supremacy. It is not for the faint hearted but give yourself over to it and it will all make perfect sense.
8: Today Is The Day – No Good To Anyone (The End Records)
11 albums in and band main man Steve Austin shows no signs of mellowing with age as this masterclass in sonic punishment comes across as a heady mix of Meshuggah and Car Bomb, grind, black and thrash metal. Whilst it may not match the sheer intensity of their first couple of albums, this still sounds fresh and relevant to today’s heavy music scene.
9: Deftones – Ohms (Reprise Records)
Whilst Deftones may have stretched their musical legs into more mellow and atmospheric territories of late, this new album juxtapositions the old razor sharp guitar barbs from their first albums with their trademarked predilection for lush musical landscapes and samples alongside an ear for some exquisite melodies. Still a major force to reckoned with.
10: Sumac – May You Be Held (Thrill Jockey)
Sonically huge and malevolent. Wave upon wave of sonic death courtesy of post rock genius and Isis member Aaron Turner alongside drums that sound like they are being played by ten people. Arresting, brutal, subtle and graceful, Sumac are as about essential a band as they come, and this album continues their trend for unleashing aural masterpieces.
11: Raging Speedhorn – Hard To Kill (Red Weed)
12: Sylosis – Cycle of Suffering (Nuclear Blast)
13: The Ditch And The Delta – The Ditch And The Delta (Prosthetic)
14: -(16)- – Dream Squasher (Relapse)
15: The Ocean – Phanerozoic II: Mesozoic | Cenozoic (Metal Blade)
16: Envy – The Fallen Crimson (Pelagic Records)
17: Old Man Gloom – Seminar VIII: Light of Meaning / Seminar IX: Darkness of Being (Profound Lore)
18: Code Orange – Underneath (Roadrunner)
19: Venom Prison – Primeval (Prosthetic)
20: Suicide Silence – Become the Hunter (Nuclear Blast)
Paul Maddison
1: Glacier – The Passage of Time (No Remorse)
Their first official release since 1985, Classic US metal with an immense sense of passion, harmony and heaviness…all in key areas. For me, this was the album that made me smile the most when I heard it.
2: Malokarpaton – Krupinské ohne (Invictus Productions)
I find these Slovak’s very unique, they wander the dark corners of black metal with so much diversity. This one really expands your mind and gives you everything in terms of musical craft, the emotion it provides and the stance and quality of the overall story portrayed. These are at the top of their game in their respective field.
3: Cro Mags – In the Beginning (Nuclear Blast)
This is a whirlwind of crossover/hardcore energy. This is quite possibly their best release since the classic ‘Best Wishes’. It is updated with modern studio production which makes on hell of a racket and really has a fantastic energetic approach which is transferred to the listener.
4: Els Focs Negres – Els Focs Negres (Rafchild Records)
Els focs negres” is Catalan for “the black fires”. This is an album delayed at the pressing plant as it was deemed too satanic! This is exciting, balls out, horns out blackened speed/heavy metal. An energetic album that keeps you gripped from start to finish.
5: Hittman – Destroy All Humans (No Remorse)
These are one of my most influential bands. Hittman give you some big production values as we progress and really do tell a story, not a theatrical performance but they are good at portraying the subject matter of each track through their music. This is US heavy metal at its finest and thoroughly respectful of their heritage and fitting for modern times more so than ever.
6: Karloff – Raw Nights (Dying Victims)
This is punk inspired old school death metal, twisted and pissed off gutter level material. It makes you feel dirty, gets out all your aggression and hammers home the many influences of the forefathers that laid down their grubby footprints.
7: King Witch – Body of Light (Listenable Records)
This Scottish band have upped their game, this is a perfect mix of doom and heavy metal. Filled with some amazing vocals and pure heavy metal riffage. A marked step up for this band. The album may not be an instant hit, but it grows and the level of appreciation subsequently grows as time passes.
8: Ruff Majik – The Devil’s Cattle (Black Farm Records)
I really like this band. Bat shit mental stoner, it is very multifaceted and they have a lot of sub-genre influences combined with a hazy, lazy sunny day of doing nothing but drinking, smoking and listening to fine tunes. There are loads of vibes, all hail the power of the riff, the occult and zombies!
9: Ambush – Infidel (High Roller)
Top of the tree traditional metal from Sweden. Their third release saw the band becoming slicker in their song writing whilst maintaining their gift of melody. If you think Scorpions and Priest, you get the picture.
10: Mortal (Rus) – Rise of the Demons (Grotesque Sounds)
In not so many words, this is speed metal punk from Russia. Gnarly, aggressive, demonising and enticing. If you are pissed off with the world, get your chops around this banger.
11: Hellripper – The Affair of the Poisons (Peaceville Records)
12: Toxik Death – Sepulchral Demons (Dying Victims/High Roller Records)
13: Cirith Ungol – Forever Black (Metal Blade)
14: Kvaen – The Funeral Pyre (Black Lion Records)
15: Wytch Hazel – III: Pentecost (Bad Omen)
16: Night Fighter – Unholy Sepulchre (Self Released/Independent)
17: Crypt Dagger – From Below (Dying Victims)
18: Possessed Steel – Aedris (Self Released/Independent)
19: Havukruunu – Uinous Syömein Sota (Naturmacht Productions)
20: Sorcerer (Argentina) – Dire Prophecy (Self Released / Independent)
Reverend Darkstanley
1: Hallas – Conundrum (Napalm)
Probably the least heavy thing that has ever found its way onto an end of year list of mine. But, you know, lockdown – and a housebound household I could actually play this to without facing outright revolt. I always had a thing for music that transports you to new worlds and realms as yet unseen. Trippy prog medieval space rock anyone?
2: Urfaust – Teufelsgeist (Ván)
I’m still not sure I’ve got my head around Urfaust even after all these years. A life on the road, drowning those howling voices in the head with whatever narcotics you can get their hands on. The result: the darkest bliss and at other times, well, just bleedin’ well dark.
3: Beltez – A Grey Chill and a Whisper (Sound Cave)
Redefining the heaviest shoegaze with a vision of a stifling world and a deeply depressing account of the human condition. Is there a happy ending to the accompanying 73-minute granite heavy narrative Black Banners (read by Winterfylleth’s Dan Capp)? Take a deep breath, you’ll need all the oxygen you can get down here…
4: Wayfarer – A Romance with Violence (Profound Lore)
I’ve always been a sucker for a song that tells a story – something black metal does in music far more than it does in its lyrics. Step forward Wayfarer whose dust ridden Midwest tales blend piano, acoustic guitar, violins and dark folklore with dense sound that drenches you with an exhilarating melancholy. Extreme music meets High Plains Drifter.
5: Häxanu – Snare of all Salvation (Amor Fati)
Simplicity and subtlety combine on Alex Poole’s (of USBM’s Krieg and Chaos Moon infamy) latest project which casts a wicked spell that is almost gleefully delivered. Snare of all Salvation redefines the phrase ‘catchy riffs’ and matches well measured production with the heady beauty of this music’s inception in the early 90s.
6: Oranssi Pazuzu – Mestarin Kynsi (Nuclear Blast)
Where to start with this band…. fancy taking magic mushrooms in a darkened, frost covered Finnish forest with a load of nutters? Why not just stick on Mestarin instead? Oranssi Pazuzu dig yet another rabbit hole of dense psychedelic depths and mind-bending experimentation.
7: All Them Witches – Nothing as the Ideal (New West)
ATW has become like an old friend, a pair of warm slippers, a cigar and a shot of expensive whiskey to see you through an evening. A blissful, doom, rock with slice of creole soul. The sort of band that someone would need to invent if it didn’t exist and this is the band at its experimental best..
8: Void Paradigm – Ultime Pulsation | Demain Brûle (Sound Cave)
I got hooked on this release and its musical gymnastics from start to finish – a delight of French avantgarde sledgehammer frolics. Using a twelve-scale composition technique, these two tracks chart the collapse of this magnificent civilisation of ours (which I quite like but seem to be in a minority these days). Or it could be the building of it anew. It’s hard to tell.
9: Paysage d’Hiver – Im Wald (Kunsthall Produktionen)
Not everybody’s cup of tea as Wintherr took a break from bleaker explorations of nightmares and blizzard bound northern forests. But this felt at least as cathartic as past albums even though the production has been cleaned up to the point where some fans may have felt sullied by the frosty gleam. Two hours might sound exhausting but it slips by like a dream.
10: Spectral Lore / Mare Cognitum – Wanderers: Astrology of the Nine (Inde/Entropic)
An ambitious project and no mistake, as this Hellenic-US duo grapple with the immediate cosmos – the planets in a two hour extravaganza (the second on the list – sorry!). Spectral Lore’s Ayloss is one of the most interesting artists in extreme metal at the moment not least because it’s refreshing to find a really good black metal band whose politics I can agree with for once…!
11: Árstíðir lífsins – Saga á Tveim Tungum II: Eigi Fjǫll né Firðir (Ván)
12: Stormkeep – Galdrum (Ván)
13: Svarttjern – Shame Is Just A Word (Soul Seller)
14: Afsky – Ofte Jeg Drømmer Mig Død (Vendetta)
15: Unleash the Archers – Abyss (Napalm)
16: Cult of Fire – Moksha / Nirvana (Beyond Eyes)
17: Pallbearer – Forgotten Days (Nuclear Blast)
18: Enslaved – Utgard (Nuclear Blast)
19: Panzerfaust – The Suns of Perdition: Chapter II Render unto Eden (Eisenwald)
20: Malist – To Mantle The Rising Son (Northern Silence)
Slavica Sikora
1: Rope Sect – The Great Flood (Iron Bonehead)
Music for the end times, but end times that include a dance on the ruins. Gothic rock and post punk, melancholic and disillusioned, seasoned with hectic drumming parts and fine melodies – a rather unusual, peculiar, but very listenable mixture featuring everything I like.
2: Rome – The Lone Furrow (Trisol)
Neo Folk with acoustic guitar, percussion and vocals, incorporating Americana, French chanson, and industrial music. Everything is spiked with samples from movies, plays and speeches resulting in a moving and memorable listening experience.
3: Witchskull – A Driftwood Cross (Rise Above)
A Driftwood Cross is proudly and unashamedly rooted in the old school, with the old school being Black Sabbath. Since a liking for Led Zeppelin and Kyuss is also displayed, every fan of early heavy metal, doom, stoner or Desert rock should find the album and its meaty, substantial sound appealing.
4: Turia – Degen van Licht (Eisenwald)
A mountain-themed black metal album. You will hear pristine, breath-taking coldness, the wind, the shrieks of birds of prey, and the water. Fast drumming and tremolo picked guitars simulate torrents of water cascading down mountainsides. You will hear the clear view, the panorama and a yearning for heights, but also the tormented screams of someone lost on the mountain, screaming against the elements.
5: Fool’s Ghost – Dark Woven Light (Prosthetic Records)
An elegy for the apocalypse. The music is composed of keyboards, vocals and guitars and has a slow, dark, pondering, gothic character. A slide guitar adds a bit of blues here and there, establishing a connection to the American South. The melodies flow unhurriedly and heavily, like a mighty, slow-running river. The vocals are monotone, soft and heavy, expressing deep sadness, but at the same time providing a velvety comfort.
6: Imha Tarikat – Sternenberster (Prophecy Productions)
Punk-infused black metal, melodic, speedy, and exploding with energy. A black metal supernova, with screamed, guttural vocals and no shortage of guitar wizardry. A touch of the occult can be heard, as well as a connection to the Orient. A very convincing, authentic piece of music by the Turkish-German newcomers.
7: Rïcïnn – Nereïd (Blood Music)
Rïcïnn mix classical music, folk, electronica and opera to create their very own sound. The atmosphere is lush, opulent, autumnal, with dark disturbances. You are simultaneously reminded of times gone by and an existence outside of time. The central element here is Laure Le Prunenec’s voice, calling Diamanda Galas and Lisa Gerrard to mind.
8: En Minor – When The Cold Truth Has Worn Its Miserable Welcome Out (Season Of Mist)
Sure, sure the major character here has had his low moments, but having heard the raw emotion in his vocals, the regret, the grief and the torrents of booze, I’m inclined to forgive. Brushed drums and acoustic guitars are paired with a vocal performance that reminds you of Tom Waits as well as of the writings and the life of Charles Bukowski, allowing a deep look into someone else’s inner life.
9: Next Life – Guru Meditation (Fysisk Format)
Chiptunes, familiar to anyone who owned a computer in the eighties and played the first computer games, are mixed with guitar and drums here. Allusions on gaming abound, but so do those on Buddhism. What seems like crazy noise in the beginning, progresses to more cerebral parts in the course of the album. I love it for the chaos and the sense hidden inside of it.
10: October Falls – A Fall of An Epoch (Purity Through Fire)
Atmospheric, melodic and melancholic black metal. Folky, acoustic guitar play is combined with raging black metal. The album doesn’t offer much variation song to song, what you get instead is rather a continuous, fluid listening experience and, considering that we are talking about black metal here, a surprisingly pleasant one.
11: Zimogroz – Old Mystic Lore (Geenger Records)
12: Eleanora – Mere (Consouling Sounds)
13: Déluge – Ægo Templo (Metal Blade)
14: An Autumn for Crippled Children – All Fell Silent, Everything Went Quiet (Prosthetic)
15: Crippled Black Phoenix – Ellengaest (Season Of Mist)
16: Maud the Moth – Orphne (Musica Maxica)
17: Svalbard – When I Die Will I Get Better? (Church Road)
18: Kall – Brand (Prophecy Productions)
19: Omega Infinity – Solar Spectre (Season Of Mist)
20: Omitir – Ode (Loudriver Records)
Spenny
1: Lucifer – Lucifer III (Century Media)
A bloody tough choice, but the combination of the writing and musical talents of Johanna Sadonis and Nicke Andersson have the win. Sublime occult rock goodness.
2: Sigiriya – Mother, Maiden, Crone (Burning World)
These acrimonious Welsh wizards produced the goods in 2020; next time, not so long a wait please?
3: Blues Pills – Holy Moly (Nuclear Blast)
The departure of guitar hero Dorian Sorriaux left a massive gap, but the core of the act remains to support the unmatchable vocals of Elin Larsson from the first note to the last.
4: Deep Purple – Whoosh! (earMUSIC)
This may be their swansong, but Deep Purple are going out on a high. The writing matching their maturity, the delivery a lesson in experienced musicianship.
5: Hawkwind Light Orchestra – Carnivorous (Cherry Red Records)
Dave Brock is seventy nine, I repeat, seventy fucking nine! I don’t expect to be breathing, let alone leading the creation of such timeless yet biting music at that age. Youngsters, take note!
6: Blue Oyster Cult – The Symbol Remains (Frontiers)
It took a so long for these veterans of the psychic wars to return to the studio, but when they did, the wait was worth it.
7: Wino – Forever Gone (Ripple Music)
The troubadour that is Wino shows that you don’t need down-tuned electric guitars and a wall of amps to deliver darkness.
8: Armored Saint – Punching The Sky (Metal Blade)
Uncompromising and near perfect Metal with a capital “M”; that is all.
9: Kadavar – The Isolation Tapes (Pelagic Records)
A million light years from their normal hard rock stomp, this trio of German hippies channel the spirit of Syd Barrett in this lockdown inspired slice of beauty.
10: The Brothers Keg – Folklore, Myths, and Legends (APF Records)
Without a doubt the debut album of the year, combining doom, sludge, psychedelia and unadulterated quality.
11: Dee Calhoun – Godless (Argonauta Records)
12: Tony Reed – Funeral Suit (Ripple Music)
13: Howling Giant/Sergeant Thunderhoof – Turned to Stone Chapter II: Masamune & Muramassa (Ripple Music)
14: Black Rainbows – Cosmic Ritual Supertrip (Heavy Psych Sounds)
15: Brimstone Coven – The Woes of a Mortal Earth (Ripple Music)
16: Volcanova – Radical Waves (The Sign Records)
17: Brant Bjork – Brant Bjork (Heavy Psych Sounds)
18: Cirith Ungol – Forever Black (Metal Blade)
19: Blind River – Made of Dirt (S/R)
20: Bill Fisher – Mass Hypnosis and the Dark Triad (Septaphonic Records)
Johnny Zed
1: Mondo Generator – Fuck It (Heavy Psych Sounds)
Nick Oliveri’s wrecking crew return with a belter. The main man’s heritage in Queens Of The Stone Age and Kyuss is writ large throughout. Full of rage and massive riffs this album has tons of attitude.
2: Ten Foot Wizard – Get Out Of Your Mind (Beard Of Zeus)
Only these guys could make a party out of doom. This album shows them taking a massive leap forward throwing in plenty of groove, psychedelia and chunky riffs.
3: Goden – Beyond Darkness (Svart)
A chilling, apocalyptic slab of doom metal spawned from the minds of cult band Winter. Creating a sense of chaos and confusion it’s a mighty statement and an icy journey into darkness.
4: Chapters – The Imperial Skies (S/R)
Featuring former Hang The Bastard members, Chapters turn in a stunning display of musicianship on this album. Leaning into prog metal territory, it’s a work that rewards close attention.
5: Slomosa – S/T (Apollon Records)
Tundra Rock – you read that right. Norway’s answer to Kyuss are a fuzzy, stoner metal delight. Very accessible, this debut shows a band with plenty of promise.
6: Evildead – United States Of Anarchy (Steamhammer/SPV)
The thrash legends return with a massive slice of heavily politicised blasts. Shades of Slayer pop up all over on an album that’s full of aggression and rage. Rooted in thrash’s golden age but very relevant for our times.
7: Demonic Death Judge – The Trail (Suicide Records)
Raw, chunky stoner metal that blends Orange Goblin with Weedeater. A killer set of riffs with no filler it makes you want to bang your head like there’s no tomorrow.
8: Smiling Assassin – Plight Of The Millenial (Warren Records)
British hardcore punk is alive and well if this band is anything to go by. DIY rawness and a Discharge infused snarl deliver a brutal assessment of today’s society.
9: Accuser – S/T (Metal Blade)
The veteran German thrashers still have what it takes 12 albums into their career. Plenty of Slayer sized riffs mixed with a clinical, Teutonic edge ensure heads will be crushed.
10: Jupiterian – Protosapien (Transcending Obscurity Records)
Hugely atmospheric with an iciness that creates an almost claustrophobic feel, the Brazilian’s delivered a challenging but powerful album. This one feels like a quest for heaviness.
Banners with thanks – DeltaThetaSigma design
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