In a year that, for various reasons, we all agree sucked, it was a surprisingly good year for rock and metal music. It takes some cheek to say that it was difficult to pare things when an 18-point list follows, but there are some pretty solid records that didn't make the cut. Here are some things that I liked quite a lot this year…
A tight 30 minute blast of rock and roll that is sure to bring a smile to your face and pain to your headbanging neck. Think Airbourne at their best if you’re looking for a touchpoint. Take the T-Tops out of your ride, throw on your jean jacket, and head on down to Wangzangers with Detonator cranked to 11.
Pushing well over 30 years in the business, Napalm Death released another brutal slab of thrash-grind that is designed to melt your face. If you’re angry in 2020 - and at this point, aren’t we all? - there’s no better band to channel that aggression.
Solid, heavy rock and roll that will make you want to drop the windows down in your Camaro and go for a drive. I was nervous when long-time vocalist Erland Hjelvik exited the band, but Ivar Nikolaisen fits in perfectly, and as long as the riffs are solid, that’s all one really needs.
Anyone who still insists that only the Cavalera-era Sepultura is valid just sounds silly now. Derrick Green kills it on vocals, Andreas Kisser shreds, and Eloy Casagrande is one of the best drummers in metal. Some of the band’s best material ever, regardless of who’s in the band.
Utgard is a dense record that takes the prog tendencies to higher levels than ever before, which makes it hard to wrap one’s head around. It has all of the makings of an album that will make me look foolish placing it this low on the list as I have more time with it. Even so, it’s some of their best work since Herbrand Larsen left.
Obsidian finds the long-running band mixing in a heavy dose of the forefathers of Goth with their signature doom metal sound. Think Fields of the Nephilim mixed with early Katatonia, and you’ll be in the right area.
Just when I think I’ve gotten bored of thrash, Onslaught drops this buzzsaw of a record and forces me to take notice. All killer and no filler, this is a taut set that gets in and out quickly and rips from start to finish.
Virus didn’t break the mold that Haken have used for the past couple of records, but they’ve refined things in a way that makes them among the very best in progressive metal. Check out my track-by-track review of Haken's Virus for more of my thoughts on the album.
I’ve always found Nothing’s records to be a tale of soaring highs that are sometimes dragged down with filler. The Great Dismal may not have anything that tops tracks like ‘A.C.D.’, but not only isn’t there a bad track to be had in the bunch, there are also some really excellent songs here. Who would’ve thought that the isolation of quarantine would bring out the best in the pensive shoegazers?
After falling down the rabbit-hole of electronica and off the grid for nearly 20 years, ...And Oceans returned from nowhere with the best symphonic black metal record of the year. The pace is relentless, but if you’re in the mood for something dark, few have done it better than this in quite awhile.
I thought we’d lost Katatonia when they went on hiatus, but thankfully Jonas Renske brought them back from the brink with one of their best sets in years. The vocals are in great form, the solos are better than ever, and overall it’s a tight collection of songs that fits in well with their very best work.
I’ve always liked Hum, but never really loved them until I heard Inlet. Something about this album kept drawing me back in a way that prior records hadn’t. It’s the perfect blend of 90’s shoegaze nostalgia with the wisdom and experience of twenty years.
Is a five track album with a cover and a re-working of an old song an EP, album, or neither? Whatever you call it, Green Carnation’s first recordings in well over a decade are a brilliant mix of progressive post-black metal that grew in esteem with repeated listens. I hope this is only the beginning of their rebirth.
After a slight dip with Heartless, Pallbearer returned to form with Forgotten Days. As I said in my review, “The band has evolved enough to make things fresh, but kept one foot still firmly planted in their roots.” If there’s a better band making doom metal these days, I don’t know who it is.
This record immediately hit me in the sweet spot of progressive rock and psychedelic metal that is right in my wheelhouse. If you like your metal with shades of black metal and a heaping dose of spaced-out weirdness, Eden in Reverse is a tour-de-force. Spotify says my most listened-to track of the year was ‘Crossroads’, so who am I to argue? I returned to it often and never failed to love it.
Here are three albums that aren't really rock or metal, but were among my favorites all the same:
If you’re a fan of old school 70’s style prog, there are few bands doing it better than Wobbler. This one would be #3 in my overall list.
Now former Tribulation guitarist Jonathan Hultén’s debut record is a dark acoustic gem. Here’s hoping that his time will now be spent on more music like this. #7 on my overall list.
Quite a departure from the band’s occult rock style of the past, the cheekily-titled Black Metal is an enchanting slab of dark acoustic songs that I kept returning to throughout the year. #14 on my overall list.
