It’s that time again, where I put my thoughts onto paper (okay, digitally that is) of all thing’s music from the past year.
Let’s start with the obvious; Here you’ll find a total of 100 albums, which is a lot, I know. But I truly enjoy all of these on a level to where I almost want to say that I love all of them. Sure, what qualifies as “love” when it comes to music? I’m a music obsessed person, so what makes the cut for me, might not do so for you. Whether you could find 100 or 5 albums to enjoy this year is irrelevant – we all like what we like and that’s what matters. If your life is so negative in other aspects that you feel the need to tell me it’s impossible to love or even like that amount of music, well then, I pity you. I personally enjoyed more than the 100 albums displayed here, but not to the same extent, and you must draw the line somewhere, right?
Now, the next point is to how I go about quantifying these and choosing one over the next in terms of placement on the list. Well, that’s simple; I’d pick the two albums next to each other, and then decide which one I would get rid of if I only could bring one with me, and that one would end up in the lower spot.
I know my logic can be faulty at times; in some instances, I complain about an album being too long, and in other it’s too short an album. But seriously, I wouldn’t complain if all albums found that sweet spot between 50-65 minutes. That’s what I personally think works the best.
And with that said, I’ve not included EP’s or singles on my list this year. I want the real deal! I’ve also decided to leave out anything not metal or hard rock related – that includes artists such as Yes, Tori Amos, Rody Walker, Tilian, Stefan Altzar, or Dropkick Murphys, even if they delivered great albums.
Same thing goes for live albums – especially this year where we’ve seen a lot of “fake” live albums, which were recorded without an audience present thanks to the Coronavirus. The completist in me ended up purchasing many of those “live” albums, some great ones, and some not so great. Either way, my music OCD forced me to buy them, so there …
Also, I’ve only included albums I’ve spent my own money on. If I received something as a promo from the record label or the band, and I liked it enough to make it part of this list, I’ve gone out and purchased it myself. I don’t believe in stealing music, so if I can afford it, I’ll purchase the music. The day I no longer can afford the habit, well then, I’m going to listen a lot to the ones I already have, haha.
All right, enough rambling – on with the list!
100. Silver Talon – Decadence and Decay
Having been very positively impressed by the first 3 singles released from this album (much better than their self-financed debut EP from, which suffered from bad production), I was really looking forward to hearing the full album. However, while I enjoy the throwback to the early days of Sanctuary and especially Helstar, I feel the album overall ends up suffering from bland melodies and bland performances. This includes the vocal melodies, which really is shocking to me, as vocalist Wyatt Howell can scream with the best of them (he occasionally hits some notes that Rivera, Dane and even King Diamond would have been proud of), but his vocal melodies just aren't there for a full album. Not enough innovation in how he uses his voice, and it gets boring fast. Add to that the fact that the 3 singles by far (as in, by a landslide!) are the best songs, the album just doesn't reach the heights I had hoped for. Don’t get me wrong – there’s plenty to like here, otherwise it wouldn’t have ended up on my list, it’s just the fact that there's a couple of other strong albums in same genre this year (Witherfall, Pharaoh and Nightshadow) delivering better results than this. What a shame, as there’s so much potential at hand. I’ll give Silver Talon the benefit of the doubt though and look forward to their next release with an open mind.
https://youtu.be/a5qkZp2ZCrY (As the World Burns)
https://youtu.be/34P2TiMSa_M (Deceiver, I Am)
99. Metalwings – A Whole New Land
Sometimes a cover artwork can come across so cheesy that you MUST check out the music, knowing very well you're going to hate it. Well, sometimes it can have the opposite end-result, as here with Metalwings (stupid, stupid name!). The artwork depicts a cow, a child, a lamb, a wolf, a tiger, and a lion (oh my) all hanging out together. I mean, come on ... Anyway, I saw a few positive reviews and decided to give it a spin. Musically this is somewhere between symphonic metal (Nightwish) and dramatic gothic-tinged power/prog (Evergrey) but with a huge cinematic score to top it all off, making it sound like the metal version of any Disney soundtrack. I saw a review comparing it to "Arabian Nights" from Disney's Aladdin, and that is exactly the feeling I got myself when listening to “A Whole New Land”. There’s some very nice piano work and lots of violins throughout, great production, beautiful female vocals (with a slight Bulgarian accent). This album surprised me a lot for sure.
https://youtu.be/bBOaR4L_tQs (Monster in the Mirror)
https://youtu.be/8kjuDU3pCIw (Still Believe in Us)
98. Septagon – We Only Die Once
Funny thing about this album; I’ve seen it described as Thrash Metal, but to me, it honestly isn’t. In fact, this is closer to Speed Metal or even US Power Metal, genres that might lean heavily on thrash (or the other way around) but comes across a lot more melodic and accessible. There’s a bunch of hints back to classic heavy metal (think Maiden, Priest), a bit of said thrash inspiration (Annihilator, Anthrax), and several influences pulled from other bands that are in this “power meets thrash meets speed” territory (Metal Church, Paradox, Toxik, Heathen). Original? Probably not, but it’s well-done, and occasionally the band finds some strong riffs. There are a few tunes that could have benefitted from some closer inspection, but perhaps that’s part of what the genre is all about; going with the flow and not focusing too much on whether everything works if it “feels right”. Guitarist and band leader Markus Ullrich is a monster guitarist, as shown in his other bands T.H.E.M., A Cosmic Trail and Lanfear, and it’s interesting to hear him in a band less “controlled” than either of those – it suits him to let loose and just let the riffs go wild so to speak. Vocalist Markus Becker is awesome in his own main band Atlantean Kodex, but comes across as the weak link here, with somewhat predictable vocal melodies (not unlike Joey Belladonna from Anthrax). There are plenty of great things going on here, and only a few items I’m not totally convinced by. Three albums in, Septagon have their own sound, and I don’t foresee them changing it much going forward.
https://youtu.be/NRWSkmcCaa0 (How to Kill the Boogeyman)
https://youtu.be/kOL8DYnYS94 (Demon Divine)
97. Benthos – II
Next-gen progressive metal that comes across very much like a mixture between Caligula’s Horse and Haken. Plenty of great melodies, and a vocalist that luckily has more control of his voice than the Haken guy, (yes, I just managed to get in another stab at Ross Jennings, who I consider to be a very weak vocalist). Occasionally Benthos takes their music to a much darker and more experimental place, (“Talk to Me, Dragonfly!” is a good example of this), where they border on a mixture between metal-core and prog death, especially in how the bassist is going all-over and all-out, not unlike bands such as Between the Buried and Me, Gojira or Persefone. I really enjoy how emotive the vocalist can become (“Back and Forth”), as it brings something new to the music, and prevents them from being just a copy-cat. However, when they lean back and go on autopilot it does end up too close for comfort to Caligula’s Horse, Haken or even Karnivool (who I’m not a fan of). There’s a lot of greatness here to tap into on future albums, and I’m excited to see where they can take this next time if they focus on the things that are unique to them.
https://youtu.be/iXOm0oeMGZc (Talk to Me, Dragonfly)
https://youtu.be/TQuuQxOuI_k (Cartesio)
96. Wheel – Resident Human
The Finnish progressive metal band Wheel are now onto their second full length, and while I really disliked the previous album, could not get into it at all, I find that the music flows much better here, and I appreciate it for what it is, enough to purchase the album. Giving it the obligatory few spins, the album slowly opened, and as the year has gone by, I’ve kept going back to the disc, finding something new and exciting to take away with each listen. Sure, it's the same "Tool-worship" as a lot of other bands (Soen, Poem, Mother of Millions...), and while that genre has become the flavor-of-the-month in recent years, it's well done here on “Resident Human” and checks every single box a fan of the genre could want. To me it ranks as a very good release, whereas I wouldn’t be surprised if for others it even could be an Album of the Year contender.
https://youtu.be/lz4OJ8xKRLE (Movement)
https://youtu.be/y1IEXqAfn2g (Ascend)
95. Ronnie Atkins – One Shot
Paul (aka Ronnie Atkins) Christensen has always been one of my favorite heavy metal vocalists, and probably one of those I’ve seen live the most. I must have gone to 20+ Pretty Maids shows over the years, not only having grown up in a same small town as the Maids originates from, but also having caught them at festivals all around Europe, and heck, even in the US. Paul’s voice has always had that perfect blend of smoothness and grit and has effortlessly been able to move from one style of singing to the other. “One Shot” is his first solo album and given the tragic circumstances that have led to this release (Paul was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer), it could potentially be an album where the title becomes all too real. Either way, here’s to many more years of Paul sticking around and blessing us with his vocal talents. Musically “One Shot” is a more laid-back singer-songwriter approach, leaning towards AOR almost, than what we’re used to from his main band (or even from any of the other projects like Nordic Union or Avantasia that he has been involved with), and as such the appeal isn’t as big to me. It doesn’t take anything away from Paul’s voice though, which is as on-point as it should be, and I’m very happy to have this album in my collection.
https://youtu.be/lp-uAQNxG7g (One Shot)
https://youtu.be/wpBA8nSEvow (Frequency of Love)
94. Coronary – Sinbad
Finnish trad-metal that has a lot of old school heavy metal memories connected to it. Think Saxon, Accept, Judas Priest and even Motorhead. Although some of the songs are very melodic and might occasionally lean into Dokken/Scorpions territory it remains metal at its core, not hard rock. This is not the place where the wheel was reinvented, nor is it the haven of anything you haven’t heard a ton before, but what “Sinbad” offers is something very familiar and done with an attitude and spirit that any old school metal fan, such as me, truly can appreciate and feel right at home with.
https://youtu.be/NOKFTpsYjdU (Sinbad)
https://youtu.be/YuYbMRyTSeo (Reflector)
93. Robin McAuley – Standing on the Edge
I had this one pre-ordered and I enjoyed the first few singles. After last year’s awesome Black Swan and his great performances on the Michael Schenker Fest albums, it's been awesome seeing one of the greatest voices of melodic metal/hard rock in the 80s return to the front light, and overall "Standing on the Edge" is a good album. Robin sounds great, and I'd say that 40-50% of the songs are perfect for the genre; exactly what I had expected and hoped for. However, problem is that the other 50-60% just aren’t good enough, which only Frontiers Records house-composer Alessandro del Vecchio can be blamed for, as his song writing most times end up sounding the same no matter which artist he is composing for, and thus, as a songwriter he just bores me to sleep. Nevertheless, when he does find a good melody, he is spot on, and like I said, almost half the album is killer. I still rank this one among the best 100 albums of the year, as Robin’s voice at age 68 is just as great as always!
https://youtu.be/64rH75buNmQ (Thy Will Be Done)
https://youtu.be/AXlp_H4fDco (Standing on the Edge)
92. Killing – Face the Madness
In a year where the big names in thrash either have been absent, or delivered mediocre outputs (Exodus, I’m looking at you!), it’s nice that a few newcomer bands can create something that matches the quality you were hoping for from the bigger bands. Among those new bands we find Denmark’s Killing. Not the most original of band names, and music isn’t original in any way whatsoever either – but it doesn’t matter at all when it’s done as a tribute to those that came before, as this is a true heartfelt love-declaration to Destruction, Dark Angel, Kreator, Slayer, Vio-Lence, Sodom, etc. It’s a pure all-out thrash metal assault! This album has a lot of fun, a lot of energy, a ton of melody, intense rhythms, fierce solis, and most importantly of all, it has the true spirit of the 80’s thrash metal legacy.
https://youtu.be/igC2HQwqdEU (Kill Everyone)
https://youtu.be/9d9m_7-to3Q (Legion of Hate)
91. Powerwolf – Call of the Wild
“Call of the Wild” is another of those albums I had pre-ordered and thought the first few singles were great, but alas, after getting the entire album and listening through it multiple times, I am unfortunately slightly disappointed. I mean, let’s be real here - this is (very much like Sabaton and Hammerfall) a band where you know exactly what you're going to get, which is high quality sing-along power metal, but the formula has begun to wear thin on me, and I'm not super impressed with "Call of the Wild" overall. There are a few golden nuggets such as the superb "Dancing with the Dead" and especially the final tune "Reverent of Rats", which is (as the Germans would say) “spitzenklasse”, but ... meh ... perhaps it’s about time the record labels stop tricking us with the great songs first, LOL (just kidding, obviously they are doing their job perfectly, as they got me to buy it, right?). I think Powerwolf is a great band at what they do, and they sure have a good thing going for them and seen in that light “Call of the Wild” is another strong release, but would it be too much to ask for just a tiny bit of rejuvenation on the next album?
https://youtu.be/Xp_rlSmt2P0 (Dancing with the Dead)
https://youtu.be/IFD0MNhgiaM (Reverent of Rats)
90. Alcatrazz – V
It’s annoying as heck when your favorite bands call it a day, but it certainly can also be confusing when they decide to split into two camps, because now you must decide with which camp your loyalty should lie, right? Well, obviously the answer should be the one that makes the best music, duh! In the case of Alcatrazz we currently only have one-side-of-the-story to listen to, as the now Graham Bonnet-less version of the band have put out their first album without the bands founder, vocalist and main focal point, the quite proficient “V”. From opener “Guardian Angel” and “Nightwatch”, it’s clear that the band have chosen to go for the more “metal” sound of things, and less of the bluesy hard rock, and to be honest I think that’s a smart choice, as we know Graham will eventually put out his version which will be of the latter sort. So, the new Alcatrazz (same line-up as last album, but now with vocal powerhouse Doogie White fronting the band) sounds like a neo-classical heavy metal band, not far removed from Malmsteen, Impelliteri, or even Alcatrazz guitarist Joe Stump’s own solo efforts (such as Reign of Terror or Holyhell). There are plenty of great stuff on “V”, and I’m almost on board with all of it, if it wasn’t for the fact that I am such a fanboy of their first two albums, and always have had a soft spot for Graham’s vocals which I miss here regardless of how much I have always enjoyed Doogie’s voice.
https://youtu.be/cGlNo1TQrhk (Guardian Angel)
https://youtu.be/RH1YvDbJUY4 (Grace of God)
89. Rage – Resurrection Day
There was a time when this band was … how do I put it … all the rage (pun intended) for me. Around the time of “Perfect Man” (’88) and up through “End of All Days” (’96) the band could do no wrong, and I honestly love their first two albums “Reign of Fear” (’85) and “Execution Guaranteed” (’87) equally as much, although I didn’t get those until after I fell in love with “Perfect Man”. “Resurrection Day” is album number 23 or 25 (depending on if you view the “10 Years in Rage” and “LMO” as official albums or not – and that’s not counting the Avenger and Refuge albums) in what has been an impressive 35+ year long career for Peavy Wagner and his multiple incarnations of Rage. Throughout such a long career, there are bound to be a few failures, and for my taste it’s the last decade honestly, as anything from “Strings to a Web” (’10) through “Wings of Rage” (’20) has been quite boring, and only the completist in me have forced me to even purchase any of those, but with “Resurrection Day” it sounds like Peavy has found his way back to where it all sounds great. As has always been the case with Rage, this is basic, speedy, pounding power metal of the Teutonic sort – very German sounding, not the least due to Peavy’s vocals and thick accent. Title track “Resurrection Day”, the ultra-melodic “Arrogance and Ignorance”, the Celtic-inspired “Traveling Through Time”, the great “The Age of Reason”, or the nice speedy album closer “Extinction Overkill” are all great examples of Rage 2021 still kicking ass and taking names. Yes, not everything is up to the class of those early days, as I could do without the ballad “Black Room” or the groovy “Monetary Gods”, but other than that, this is by far the best album Rage has come up with in many years.
https://youtu.be/VyGBGTIta54 (Arrogance and Ignorance)
https://youtu.be/79Uce33sI5c (Virginity)
88. Fractal Universe – The Impassable Horizon
Take equal parts Persefone, Gojira, Periphery, and Obscura, mix it all together well, and you’ll end up with Fractal Universe. It’s “djenty” death metal, with a hint of tech death, but with more of an old school prog metal approach to the songwriting, not too dissimilar to what Cynic or even Dream Theater would come up with. It’s tighter than a nun’s butt, and there’s clever use of dark versus light, brutal versus beauty, aggressive versus laid back. Vocalist/guitarist Vince Wilquin is also responsible for saxophone (okay, seriously, what’s up with all the metal bands using saxophone this year?), and he is equally great at all of it. His vocals range from deep growls to beautiful cleans, and it’s undoubtedly the focal point throughout large parts of the album, only second in nature to the groove. Because “groove” is what this band is all about; like I mentioned above there’s a big part of their sound that’s inspired by Gojira and that shines through, and while I’m not necessarily a fan of that particular band, I can appreciate their influence on the genre, especially when it’s done as well as here. If groovy, aggressive, progressive metal is what you’re looking for, “The Impassable Horizon” should be right at the top of your list of stuff to check out.
https://youtu.be/aBqQMCazAVw (A Clockwork Expectation)
https://youtu.be/wpH-2qEQ1tk (Interfering Spherical Scenes)
87. Cyclopean Walls – Enter the Dreamlands
In 1995 one of the most under-appreciated progressive metal releases of all time was released in the shape of “Kadath Decoded”, the sole album release by Germany’s Payne’s Gray. An album that had a lyrical concept that was just as complex as the music, based heavily on H.P. Lovecraft’s mythical universe of the dreamlands, with Kadath being an ancient city where the Great Ones lived. Now, 26 years later, Cyclopean Walls from France has finally delivered an album that picks up the baton and continues the concept, both lyrically but certainly also musically, right down to the technically proficient, and at times very strange, progressive metal, including the use of middle eastern folk music, classical compositions, saxophone, and Hammond organ. Should this has ended up higher on my top 100? Probably yes, but I got into the album so late in the year that I just didn’t manage to spend enough time with an album as complex as “Enter the Dreamlands” to figure out where it needed to sit on the list. What I do know after a handful of spins is that this is truly great, and it has potential to be a true grower over the coming months.
https://youtu.be/GYhG5RYSO4Y (The Dweller in Darkness – featuring Andrea Krux))
https://youtu.be/SQql5Sm6IY0 (The Garden)
86. Imminence – Heaven in Hiding
Metalcore is not my favorite genre, by a long shot, but occasionally a band comes along that offers something of so high quality that you can’t help paying notice. Such a band is Sweden’s Imminence. At heart it’s melodic metalcore (KSE, All That Remains…) mixed with elements of nu-metal (POD, Linkin Park, Of Mice & Men), but the thing that sets Imminence apart is the inclusion of violin as a lead instrument on same level as the guitars. This creates a new soundscape, that works well to enhance the big melodies that the band knows how to write. The violin is expertly performed by vocalist Eddie Berg, who also is a gifted singer. Sometimes the band gets a slight “prog touch” to their music, and at this point they start to remind me of one of my favorite progressive metalcore bands Syqem, which is a huge compliment. Do I have any complaints? Yeah, there are a more than a few times where you can’t help but feel that it’s quite paint-by-numbers, with each song having the same structure and the violins coming in at the same exact moment in each tune, but I guess that’s just their style? Other than that, it’s wonderful to hear a band in this genre think outside the box and I’m looking forward to keeping an eye on these guys in the future.
https://youtu.be/6RXAZ9cQLEE (Chasing Shadows & Alleviate)
https://youtu.be/WrRSbvUZca8 (Ghost)
85. Poverty’s No Crime – A Secret to Hide
Back in the mid to late 90’s I worked at a record store in downtown Copenhagen, pushing metal CDs on people all day long. Obviously my own personal favorites got pushed more than others, so it wasn’t uncommon that people who came in looking for a big-time thrash or death metal band left with a bunch of underground death and black metal albums, or if someone came in looking for a Queensryche or Iron Maiden disc got convinced that Symphony X, Vanden Plas or heck, even Poverty’s No Crime, was a much better alternative. Ahh, the power of persuasion
Several of my friends will to this day attest that I was the one that got them hooked on a bunch of those lesser-known acts, and that they (rightfully so!!!) owes me their introduction into the deep corners of the metal genre. Yeah, Poverty’s No Crime was one of those for sure – a band that started out straddling the bridge between power metal and semi-prog, but quickly moved into the melodic progressive metal genre, like a smooth Dream Theater sound with less wankery and more melody focus. Very European sounding in the sense, and fits right in with bands such as Conception, Vanden Plas, or Andromeda. For me the first three albums will always be the best era of the band (“Symbiosis”, “Slave to the Mind” and their second disc “The Autumn Years” in particular), and everything after that have been quite “un-memorable” to me. That’s until now – with “A Secret to Hide” (their 8th studio album) PNC has finally created an album that can almost match the brilliance of those 3 classics. What you have here are big melodies, lots of nice semi-prog metal, and just an overall feeling of quality craftsmanship. It’s an album that sounds like you would hope for and expect from this band, if you’re familiar with their sound that is. Welcome back!https://youtu.be/n1Xd_woZExA (Hollow Phrases)
https://youtu.be/9BOiZ-ALuII (The Great Escape)
84. Astrakhan – A Slow Ride Towards Death
This was late to even register on my radar, but thanks to Glenn’s Top 50 list on Thanksgiving Day, I immediately picked it up and have been giving it some serious spins since then. Let me first get out of the way that yes, this sounds a LOT like Pain of Salvation in places (and considering PoS guitarist Johan Halgren is/was involved, no wonder), but they also venture into more “alternative” or “pop-rock” areas where PoS haven’t gone … yet. So, while it might be easy to just dismiss them as a PoS clone (especially judging based solely on first single “Lonesome Cry”), Astrakhan is much more than that. Some songs, such as “Take Me with You” has a Rainbow meets Led Zeppelin vibe to them, whereas others, such as “What You Resist Will Remain” or the final 9-minute epic “M.E. 2020”, almost touches on later-day Winger style hard rock with a proggy twist. It’s interesting, extremely well-done, and the musicians are top notch. Unfortunately, the album suffers from a lack of focus and quality is a bit on-and-off throughout the 45 minutes of material. I think this band has it in them to create a masterpiece, but “A Slow Ride…” isn’t quite there yet. Hopefully the next album will be the one that’ll give them the attention they deserve. Side note: The band did a live tour in 2019/2020 where they performed Andrew Lloyd Webber’s brilliant “Jesus Christ Superstar” with Mats Leven joining them in the part of Judas – the live album from that tour is an absolute must for any fans of … well, music!
https://youtu.be/wHe1F4xtPhw (Lonesome Cry)
https://youtu.be/fFH_rx6dqzE (Take Me with You)
83. Iron Maiden – Senjutsu
40+ years into their career and Iron Maiden are still releasing albums that’ll make the entire metal scene stop and pay attention – incredible! To address the elephant in the room; yes, “Senjutsu” is far from the best Maiden disc ever, but less than that is okay with me. In all honesty, I haven’t liked a Maiden album front-to-back like this since probably “Fear of the Dark” 29 years ago! Wow! So, to say that “Senjutsu” was a pleasant surprise to me is an understatement – from opening title track, till the epic closer in “Hell on Earth”, the album takes you through everything that makes this band great; the galloping riffs, the big solos, Bruce’s vocals, the pounding bass of Steve Harris and Nicko McBrain’s drum sound that is truly his own. Sure, it’s far from perfect; For one, Steve Harris should really try to let someone new come in and produce the albums (once again it’s been Steve himself together with Kevin Shirley dictating the sound of the album), as it doesn’t sound nearly as good as you’d expect from a band of Maiden’s status. And yes, there might be a bit of over-bloat on long epic songs (4 of the 10 songs are longer than nine-and-a-half minute long), but I’m willing to forgive that if it’s done this well. Up the Irons!
https://youtu.be/FhBnW7bZHEE (The Writings on the Wall)
https://youtu.be/ge6kCUemu2k (Stratego)
82. The Stranger - Kaleidoscope
Stupid name aside (sounds like something ... well ... go visit urban dictionary) this is good. I agree with all those who mentioned that there are some Soen and Leprous elements, but I also hear some Haken and some Caligula's Horse to it. In general, it's that whole "next-gen prog metal style" that we've heard tons of in the past couple of years, and I quickly dismissed this originally, but it’s been one I’ve come back to quite regularly. This isn’t a perfect album by any means, but most of it is VERY strong and there’s a lot of promise in these guys. It should not come as any surprise that I prefer the band when they lean most towards the melancholic Leprous/Soen side of things (“The Gemini”) rather than the more proggy Haken/Caligula’s Horse side (“Siren”), but where they really excel is when they succeed in mixing the two (“Eleventh Hour”, “Creatures in the Canopy”). A few of the songs are a bit too plain though, but I will not hold that against them since this is pretty much their first real album (well, at least on a record label). Plenty of room to grow as a band.
https://youtu.be/pb_iHCh_fGc (Eleventh Hour)
https://youtu.be/P4gwgV_N0LQ (Gemini)
81. Nightshadow – Strike Them Dead
The American power metal scene has always been an interesting beast – combining thrash aggression with big melodies without ever becoming cheesy (as compared to the European power metal scene), putting more effort into the driving riff than the compositional strength of the song itself (again, as compared to the European power metal scene). While both genres have their positives and negatives, I honestly enjoy them both to great extent, and when done right, US Power Metal is one of my favorite genres of all time, with such bands as Iced Earth, Jag Panzer, Helstar and Steel Prophet being the creators of some of the best metal riffs known to man. Well, Nightshadow from San Diego are trying hard to join the once-greats with their debut full length “Strike Them Dead”. With a furor and almost speed-metal approach, Nightshadow fires on all cylinders right out of the gate with the triple attack of “Legend”, “Witch Queen” and “Ripper” – all three rooted somewhere between Jag Panzer and Iced Earth with a slight melodic touch (think European contemporaries such as Blind Guardian, or even some Iron Maiden heavy metal stylings). Overall, the strength of the album is clearly the aggression and the pure fun that comes out from the speakers when playing this – as far as songwriting skills goes, I feel there’s still a bit of ways to go for Nightshadow. Not necessarily a bad thing, we all must start from somewhere, and I honestly found plenty of enjoyment in this album. Will the band ever reach the high standard applied to the originators of the US Power Metal scene? Well, I guess only time will tell … this is a great beginning though.
https://youtu.be/GYqVZaEYbl4 (Ripper)
https://youtu.be/OFQQuoLSNzA (Witch Queen)
80. Beast in Black – Dark Connection
In my review of 2019’s “From Hell with Love”, I likened the experience of listening to Beast in Black to that of visiting the proctologist. Lots of lube needed for something that is so over-the-top poppy yet is being referred to as “power metal”, to enjoy it properly. Well, this time around, the band took yet another step towards the melodic side, added more of the “dance-metal” edge, and even did a nice little cover song of a Michael Jackson tune (right after having delivered a cover of Manowar’s “Battle Hymn” for crying out loud!). It’s disgustingly cheesy (“One Night in Tokyo”), it’s criminally poppy (“To the Last Drop of Blood”), and it’s almost childish in places (“Hardcore”) … but here’s the thing; when the proctologist is doing his exam, this “Dark Connection” almost makes you want to push back towards him, just to see if you’d actually enjoy it like that … yeah, I said almost!
https://youtu.be/tXZK2PIL3pc (Moonlight Rendezvous)
https://youtu.be/EF2PrtDjR50 (One Night in Tokyo)
79. Pharaoh – The Powers That be
This seem to be the year for US Power Metal (well, Power Metal from the US, at least). Pharaoh have always been sitting somewhere between classic heavy metal, US Power Metal, European Power Metal and prog metal, and this disc is no different. There are plenty of Maiden'esque moments, one tune that sounds like straight out of Rock'n'Rolf's notebook ("Freedom"), some serious Nevermore/Sanctuary influences and a bit of proggy noodling as well. The blend is great, super well performed, nice production, and my biggest complaint is honestly going to be that vocalist Tim Aymar has started to show his age. He has always been a hit or miss singer for me (I went back and relistened to the previous albums as well just to be sure I wasn't all crazy), but always been able to work well with what material he was given, and there's no denying that his performance on that brilliant Control Denied album 22 years ago was exactly what that album needed. But today he sounds old and "gritty", and it honestly is holding the music back to the extent that what should have been an album I'd completely love, I only end up liking...
https://youtu.be/K_3PxoQgvtA (Lost in the Waves)
https://youtu.be/U0i20s92dEo (I Can Hear Them)
78. Eastern High – Halo
The sound of Finnish gothic metal has always been its own little beast – a genre so specific in sound that you wouldn’t have any problem placing a band there just by one quick listen to their material; whether it’s the classic acts like Sentenced, HIM, Sinamore, Entwine, To/Die/For, Poisonblack, Charon, or the bands of today like Mercury Circle or Eastern High, it’s always been super easy to say “ahh yes, this band is definitely from Finland”. Well, lo and behold, Eastern High is NOT from Finland, so imagine my surprise when I realized that this band is from Malmo in Sweden (like a stone-throw away from Copenhagen, Denmark). The album opens with “Erosion of Hearts” which sounds like a left-over from Sentenced’s last few albums, and the single “Emperor” would have been a perfect fit on To/Die/For’s “Jaded” album. Now, with that said, the further you get into the album, you do realize that there’s more to it than meets the eye; in fact, there are clear lines to the Swedish melo-death scene (think Insomnium or early Opeth), there are more somber alternative doom-goth stuff (Katatonia, Novembre), some quite progressive things going on (not too far from the Tool-inspired sound of Soen or even Deadsoul Tribe), and I even hear a bit of modern “pop metal” (Avatar, In the Moment) here and there. Oh, and there's even a song that venture into folky territory. "Halo" straddles many genres, but has a backbone in gothic metal with the proggy side being put on top - or perhaps it's reverse? It's not "perfect", but it hits a lot of nice spots and just overall is a well-put-together disc that deserves to be heard by many more people. Why this nearly-Finnish-but-not-really band is unsigned is beyond me ...
https://youtu.be/KCg4BL0zy4g (Halo)
https://youtu.be/X1DnuzEVkIQ (Emperor)
77. Paradox – Heresy II: End of the Legend
This is now album number eight by these long-standing Germans, but for some reason I end up losing track of them now and again. I just checked my collection and I only own three others of their albums, and now this one as well. Among the ones I do have, it's their second album, 1990's "Heresy", that's my favorite, and it was the notion that they put out a follow-up, "Heresy II", here 31 years later that made me decide to check in on them again. Glad I did, as this is a more than solid thrash/speed/power metal album, somewhere between the styles of Teutonic power metal (Blind Guardian, Rage), US speed metal (Metal Church, Agent Steel), and some melodic thrash (Metallica, Heathen). Joining band leader Charly (vocals, guitars), who has one of those voices that isn't great, but seem to work in this setting, are long-standing bassist Olly, as well as original drummer Axel, who has returned after having disappeared from the scene completely for 30 years. Wow! However, it's the great guitar playing of Christian Muntzer (Obscura, Eternity's End, Alkaloid...) that is truly the icing on the cake here - what a talented dude. This makes it 3 (4 if you count his guest appearance on Hannes Grossman’ “To Where the Light Retreats”) releases from Christian this year – can’t believe how busy that guy is. With the title “Heresy II” you would think it’s a true continuation of the story on the original “Heresy” album, but it’s not. Where the original was dealing with the catholic church’s persecution of the French Cathars (those who believed in a dual deity, with a good God and an evil God), the new album builds a spin-off story where two of the knights involved in the protection of the Cathars brings a sacred artifact to a church, and eventually it evolves into a story about those who believe that John the Apostle was actually the true son of God and not Jesus Christ. It’s an interesting concept, and fits the music as it’s dark and menacing, but also has plenty of “action” which this kind of metal are all about. I'm digging this album tremendously, and while there are a few annoyances (like the lackluster production, or the previously mentioned vocals from Charly), this is an album that any fan of the above-mentioned genres should check out.
https://youtu.be/A7SYtl75jVM (The Visitors)
https://youtu.be/v282VHlHclc (Priestly Vows)
76. Hollow – Tower
I’ve struggled like crazy writing this review as I’m a “Hollow-fanboy” through and through. The first two full length albums “Modern Cathedral” (1997) and “Architect of the Mind” (1999) were favorites of mine, not just back then, but I’ve gone back to them multiple times each single year since then and loved it like it was the first time I listened, every single time. However, the band took a long break, and it wasn’t until 2018 that band leader, and now sole member, Andreas Stoltz, decided to breathe new life back into the band with the excellent “Between Eternities of Darkness”, which suffered from being a December release, which means that it got ignored by all the holiday frenzy and never appeared on all the “year end best of lists” that it should have been featured on otherwise. Oh well, at least this time around Andreas learned somewhat from his mistakes and released “Tower” a full 2-weeks earlier in the year (!) by making it a November 26, 2021, release. Yeah, I give up … lol. All timing-issues aside, let’s talk about “Tower”; As said, I’m a fan of Andreas’ songwriting, his guitar skills, and his voice – no doubt one of the very underrated at each of those skills within the power/prog genre. He writes songs that Queensryche, Tad Morose, Crimson Glory, Lethal or Conception all would have been happy to call their own back in their hey-day. His guitar playing is soulful yet intricate enough to showcase when needed. And the voice, man, this dude can wail with the best of them … Midnight, Tate … oh yeah! But what Andreas fail to master is production skills; this is an album completely ruined by a lack of production, it sounds empty and soulless. It’s not that there’s anything horribly bad with it, (except the programmed drums), there’s just not any emotion or life put into it, which makes “Tower” a less than pleasant listen, and while I know that it should be full of great melodies, I have such a hard time going back to the album and re-listen. I understand it’s difficult financing albums in these times, especially as a one-man-army, so I’m trying to be as forgiving as I can, but sometimes a musician ends up doing himself a disservice by putting out a product below the quality level expected. Otherwise great songs such as “Destroyer of Worlds, “Every Drop of My Blood” or “The Tower” all end up sounding muddy, and it is only in the albums more somber moments where the instrumentation is kept at a minimum (as in opener “Birth”, the intro part to “The Waiting” or the slower moments in “Sunrise” and “A Home Forgotten”) that the production works in favor of the music. I wish I could tell you all a story about a guy who managed to come back after a 20-year break from the music industry and through two new strong albums climbs up to the top of the power/prog genre as one of its leaders, but due to some very unfortunately choices that won’t be the truth. Andreas, for the next album please get a real band around you, get someone to help finance a stronger production, and please release it at a better time of the year!
https://youtu.be/dlExXc_b0wc (The Tower)
https://youtu.be/3pNBXUwrn2k (Every Drop of My Blood)
75. Vulture – Dealin’ Death
There’s so much enjoyment to be had in the speed/thrash metal genres of yore, especially when delivered as “true” as it is by Germany’s Vulture. At times I’m left with a feeling of this being a well-done tongue-in-cheek joke, and at others it’s like a love-letter written to those bands that came before. I hear Destruction, Agent Steel, Slayer, Iron Angel, Kreator, Hallow’s Eve, Voivod, Nasty Savage, Exumer, and so much more in this 42-minute slab of real 80’s metal. It is not here you’ll find the high IQ songwriting (or lyrics for that matter), neither will you find any technically impressive instrumentalism, but if you’re fine with putting that stuff aside for an entertaining trip down memory lane, “Dealin’ Death” should put that smile right back on your face, like it does to me every time I spin the album. From opener “Malicious Souls” (also first video), through such killer tracks as “Gorgon” (ultra-melodic tune), the thrashing speedy title-track, right to the final heavy metal anthem of “The Court of Caligula” with its pounding riffs and plenty of screams and shrieks from vocalist Lee Steeler, this is a rollercoaster of fun.
https://youtu.be/bCT77_X9wcQ (Dealin’ Death)
https://youtu.be/Wtleds6LTqo (Malicious Souls)
74. Dread Sovereign – Alchemical Warfare
This is a side project of Nemetheidontcarehowitsspelled from Primordial, moving into less folk, less black, less epic, but more doomy territory. It's kind of "raw" and occasional drops into black metal. It reminds me of Count Raven in their slow Sabbathy vibe, with a slight hint of Candlemass epicness, interfused with the rawness of Venom and early Bathory. Songs like the fuzzy “Her Master’s Voice” takes on the old school doom vibe, whereas “Devil’s Bane” could have been a lost gem from the Venom-catalogue. There’s also a few Motorhead anachronisms in here (example of this would be final tune “You Don’t Move Me (I Don’t Give a Fuck)”, which I feel a bit inappropriate for the doom/black sphere, but I can live with it here and there, since the overall album is such an asskicker either way (and we aren’t getting any Primordial release this year).
https://youtu.be/G65CGgTm9_I (Nature is the Devil’s Church)
https://youtu.be/mFSnssNCuQo (Her Master’s Voice)
73. Artem Illusio – Artem Illusio
“Artem Illusio” is a strong debut from this Swiss symphonic/melodic power metal band of same name. They musically fall into the same territory as Kamelot, Evergrey, Serenity and Threshold, but the bands I find them closest to are Ascendia and Pyramaze, although they seem to have their own identity which is great for a debuting band. Vocalist Max Morton (who is Ukranian apparently) delivers a stellar performance, and although he does sound a little bit like he has a potato in his mouth at times, it’s the pure power and great vocal melody choices that pushes through. Personally, I was disappointed in the new Ad Infinitum album this year, and I wasn’t too hooked on most other releases in the sympho-melo-power genre in 2021 – for my money, “Artem Illusio” was the best for that style, as evidenced by such great songs as “Pharaoh”, “Widow’s Mirror” or “Teacher”. If you enjoy any of those bands mentioned above, this is the one to check out! The album is well-produced and it's short-and-to-the-point with ~40 minutes of material, making you want more. Very curious to keep an eye on these guys in the future.
https://youtu.be/jkzObnmYxtk (Widow’s Mirror)
https://youtu.be/K5SyQ6SbMcU (In Vain)
72. Zornheym – The Zornheim Sleep Experiment
I love it when something comes completely out of the blue and delivers on all aspects; great artwork, great production, great band name (okay, perhaps not so much LOL), and great music. In the case of Zornheym this is very much the real deal – a band consisting of current and former members of such diverse acts as Dark Funeral, Shining (SE) and Scar Symmetry, but instead of sounding like any of those, they sound like a hundred of other bands all combined into one. I hear theatrical blackened death in the Septicflesh/Fleshgod Apocalypse vein, I hear Dimmu Borgir/Cradle of Filth symphonic black, some melodeath (Mercenary/Gardenian), a bit of King Diamond/T.H.E.M. horror metal, some epic power metal (Kamelot?), and there’s even a folk-inspired song that sounds like Wuthering Heights meets Falconer. All done perfectly, and the mix between clean and growly vocals adds lots of diversity to an already diverse album. But perhaps this is their downfall as well – the diversity might be a bit too much, as it’s an album that works best when you’re in the mindset of it being a conceptual story that takes you through twists and turns, ups and downs, bends, and straight lines, reflected not just in lyrics but very much so in music as well. Not necessarily an easy listening, but very rewarding in the end, and an album that gets better and better the more familiar you become with the material.
https://youtu.be/XdrH6rw6qKE (Keep the Devil Away)
https://youtu.be/zDZFuc-nDAY (Slumber Comes in Time)
71. The Night Flight Orchestra – Aeromantic II
When this first came out I was sure it was going to land in my top 20, but somehow, I very quickly started to lose interest in the album, and that’s why we’re now finding it another 50 spots or more below my initial ranking … dang! Such a shame really, because there’s no doubt that there’s no other band in the World that does what TNFO does at this level anymore (yeah, perhaps forty years ago there were, but not today). This is masterclass level Classic Rock, and it plays hard on the memories and emotions of those of us who grew up on that style of music; it is truly the reincarnation of the classic sound of Foreigner, Journey, Survivor, REO Speedwagon, Styx, etc. By now we’ve heard the same album from TNFO five times, and unfortunately not all songs on “Aeromantic II” are quite as good as those on the two discs right before this one. The highs are REALLY high though, with “White Jeans”, “Chardonnay Nights”, and “Zodiac” especially being brilliant – the problem is that there are too far between those golden nuggets. In all seriousness, these guys could make the same kind of album again, and I would love it, it’s just that they need to sharpen the songwriting a bit more.
https://youtu.be/rhkllJN3SUk (White Jeans)
https://youtu.be/b7vqNG1IQSY (Change)
70. Mordred – The Dark Parade
In 1989 I bought "Fool's Game" by California's thrash band Mordred; I remember exactly where I was when I bought it and who I was with, and to say that this album means a lot to me would be an understatement, and it also became somewhat of a cult release on the thrash scene as it was one of the first albums combining metal with funk and even a DJ scratching his way through the songs. I also loved the next disc, "In This Life", but after that the band became too funky for my taste, and their third album "The Next Room" was far from good. Last year they released a comeback EP titled "Volition", and honestly, it sucked hard. Something made me check out the new album though, and after a few spins I purchased it - and lo and behold, it's quite an interesting album. The thrash metal side of things has been toned down a lot, whereas the funk is still present, with a great deal of DJ Aaron and his scratching appearing all over the album, but the flow of it works well, and it does come across as an entertaining disc with lots of Faith No More theatrics in it. Songs like the politically loaded “I Am Charlie”, the very original sounding title song (almost like a New Orleans jazz band), or the Thin Lizzy meets Nazareth styled “Smash Goes the Bottle” at the tail end of the album are all truly good stuff! What makes it really interesting for me though is that there are parts where the band (especially in the use of the guitars) are leaning towards bluesy hard rock, which I had not expected from a band that originally started out as a thrash metal act. Scott's voice has not held up very well though, and that to me is the biggest downfall of the album. He drags it down a notch or two, which is why it didn’t end up in top 50, but otherwise this album can easily be filed under “things I was expecting to suck but didn’t”!
https://youtu.be/K6s0TVVo02M (All Eyes on the Prize)
https://youtu.be/rdyn3kXh7VU (Malignancy)
