Top 5 of 2021

[Alberto]

I actually bought 5 albums released in 2021 so far, so compiling a top 5 is easy:

1) Iotunn / Access All Worlds
I didn't like their debut EP from 2016, but this is really good.
Reminds me of several Scandinavian bands, including Insomnium, Enslaved and Mercenary.
Vocalist Jón Aldará gives a masterclass in both clean and growled style.
Lots of beautiful guitar leads and *enormous* melodies.
Production could have been better, the last track could have been shorter and the drumming could have been more restrained at times, but on the whole it's an impressive effort.
https://iotunn.bandcamp.com/track/the-t ... c-nihility

(huge gap)

2) A Formal Horse / Meat Mallet
Progarchives describes them as "Heavy Prog" and I won't argue with that. Fear not though, this is very catchy stuff. Songs are short, full of ideas and very creative arrangements. Many tracks show an evident punk undercurrent, the level of energy made me think of Stolen Babies more than once. Excellent female vocals, and a prominent fat bass guitar that always puts a smile on my face. One of my best recent discoveries!
https://aformalhorse.bandcamp.com/track/i-m-a-lasagne

(another huge gap)

3) Flame, Dear Flame / Aegis
Nice doom metal lite, with some gothic overtones and a distinct 90s feel. Female vocalist sometimes reminding of Anneke a little bit, singing in a quite folk-oriented, deliberate style. Some sweet good melodies! Iommi-styled guitar riffs and quite a few acoustic guitars.
https://flamedearflame.bandcamp.com/tra ... -part-ii-3

4) Acolyte / Entropy
Progmetal with female vocals. Not terribly original (me, I hear traces of early Threshold in particular), but they have some good ideas, especially in the vocal arrangements - sometimes reminding me of Vauxdvihl.
https://acolyteband.bandcamp.com/track/resentment

5) Mastodon / Hushed And Grim
I am an atypical Mastodon fan: I dislike all their classic stuff - including "Crack the Skye", despite several attempts at revisiting it.
The album I really like from them is "Once More 'Round the Sun". I also sort of enjoy "Emperor of Sand", a mixed bag of excellent and boring tracks for me.
"Hushed and Grim" offers another collection of ok-to-very good songs. The first few tracks are very strong, alternating between straightforward parts with huge melodies and slightly more ambitious sections. Problems begin with "Teardrinker" (a tad *too* straightforward for my taste), which is followed by a another couple of lesser tracks... and unfortunately things don't really pick up again until "Gobblers of Dregs".
Overall, it's a good disc, probably inferior to Emperor as far as I'm concerned. I must admit I seldom go back to Emperor or even Once More, and I feel this album will have the same fate...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4Ji3Uz5R3E&t=47s


For the record, this is the list of 2021 releases I dismissed so far (only including those I gave full dedicated listens to):

Aquilus / Bellum I
BaK / Crater
Beautiful Bedlam / Beautiful Bedlam
Between The Buried And Me / Colors II
Enshine / Transcending Fire
Enslaved / Caravans To The Outer Worlds
Fractal Universe / The Impassable Horizon
Hail Spirit Noir / Mannequins
Hooded Menace / The Tritonus Bell
Insomnium / Argent Moon
Jari Lindholm / Trajectories
Jess And The Ancient Ones / Vertigo
Konom / Konom
La Femme / Paradigmes
Leprous / Aphelion
Silver Lake By Esa Holopainen / Silver Lake By Esa Holopainen
Skratte / Akt 1: Ein Feuer Entfacht
Therion / Leviathan
Thy Catafalque / Vadak
Vreid / Wild North West
Yoth Iria / As The Flames Withers
Zornheym / The Zornheim Sleep Experiment


I still must find time and energy for:

Dordeduh / Har
Negură Bunget / Zău


Have an excellent new year everyone!
Alberto

[introclaus]

I’m impressed by the fact you’ve only liked 5 albums this year. I liked a heck of a lot more for sure

1) Iotunn / Access All Worlds
I didn't like their debut EP from 2016, but this is really good.
Reminds me of several Scandinavian bands, including Insomnium, Enslaved and Mercenary.
Vocalist Jón Aldará gives a masterclass in both clean and growled style.
Lots of beautiful guitar leads and *enormous* melodies.
Production could have been better, the last track could have been shorter and the drumming could have been more restrained at times, but on the whole it's an impressive effort.
https://iotunn.bandcamp.com/track/the-t ... c-nihility

Great album!!! I didn’t like the debut either so we’re in agreement about that.

2) A Formal Horse / Meat Mallet
Progarchives describes them as "Heavy Prog" and I won't argue with that. Fear not though, this is very catchy stuff. Songs are short, full of ideas and very creative arrangements. Many tracks show an evident punk undercurrent, the level of energy made me think of Stolen Babies more than once. Excellent female vocals, and a prominent fat bass guitar that always puts a smile on my face. One of my best recent discoveries!
https://aformalhorse.bandcamp.com/track/i-m-a-lasagne

She has a very interesting voice - I am digging this but not sure if I could be bothered to spend a full albums play time with them. Reminds me of Bent Knee a bit in that off-the-rails prog rock w a slight heavy edge and some alternative pop Melodie’s.

3) Flame, Dear Flame / Aegis
Nice doom metal lite, with some gothic overtones and a distinct 90s feel. Female vocalist sometimes reminding of Anneke a little bit, singing in a quite folk-oriented, deliberate style. Some sweet good melodies! Iommi-styled guitar riffs and quite a few acoustic guitars.
https://flamedearflame.bandcamp.com/tra ... -part-ii-3

I liked the album a lot when it came out and suddenly I just got fed up and have t even bothered going back to it since. Yea definitely a lot of earlier The Gathering Anneke to it.

4) Acolyte / Entropy
Progmetal with female vocals. Not terribly original (me, I hear traces of early Threshold in particular), but they have some good ideas, especially in the vocal arrangements - sometimes reminding me of Vauxdvihl.
https://acolyteband.bandcamp.com/track/resentment

Didn’t like

5) Mastodon / Hushed And Grim
I am an atypical Mastodon fan: I dislike all their classic stuff - including "Crack the Skye", despite several attempts at revisiting it.
The album I really like from them is "Once More 'Round the Sun". I also sort of enjoy "Emperor of Sand", a mixed bag of excellent and boring tracks for me.
"Hushed and Grim" offers another collection of ok-to-very good songs. The first few tracks are very strong, alternating between straightforward parts with huge melodies and slightly more ambitious sections. Problems begin with "Teardrinker" (a tad *too* straightforward for my taste), which is followed by a another couple of lesser tracks... and unfortunately things don't really pick up again until "Gobblers of Dregs".
Overall, it's a good disc, probably inferior to Emperor as far as I'm concerned. I must admit I seldom go back to Emperor or even Once More, and I feel this album will have the same fate...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4Ji3Uz5R3E&t=47s

Didn’t like - although I do need to try again.

Aquilus / Bellum I
BaK / Crater
Beautiful Bedlam / Beautiful Bedlam
Between The Buried And Me / Colors II
Enshine / Transcending Fire
Enslaved / Caravans To The Outer Worlds
Fractal Universe / The Impassable Horizon
Hail Spirit Noir / Mannequins
Hooded Menace / The Tritonus Bell
Insomnium / Argent Moon
Jari Lindholm / Trajectories
Jess And The Ancient Ones / Vertigo
Konom / Konom
La Femme / Paradigmes
Leprous / Aphelion
Silver Lake By Esa Holopainen / Silver Lake By Esa Holopainen
Skratte / Akt 1: Ein Feuer Entfacht
Therion / Leviathan
Thy Catafalque / Vadak
Vreid / Wild North West
Yoth Iria / As The Flames Withers
Zornheym / The Zornheim Sleep Experiment
Dordeduh / Har
Negură Bunget / Zău

I like several of these actually. Zornheym, Leprous, BtBaM, Esa Holopainen, Hooded Menace, Fractal Universe…

The two Romanian ones you still need to check out:
Dordeduh - good stuff but not as incredible as some media are making it out to be
Negura Bunget - I never was a big fan, and this one didn’t change that opinion