"There are areas of music that are more compassionate, more tolerate, more open, more accepting and more aware. What I think I've done is destroy the myth that Heavy Metal bands don't have that capacity." -- Rob Halford.
What a doozy of a year it's been. I've personally seen the passing of an extremely important family member, the unfortunate loss of a great friend, a slight health scare of my father's, a trip to the hospital, and a whole riptide of ups and downs along the way in 2018, but thankfully music -- in this particular case, Metal/Hard Rock -- was there to help me cope, heal, grow, embrace, and enjoy whatever worries, woes or wonderment life tossed me. I kept this list to a rounded number of 25, so here's a healthy and shiny quarter of bands that I greatly appreciated this year:
#25: GRAVEYARD -- Peace. 7.8
Sweden’s GRAVEYARD announced a breakup in September of 2016, but thankfully for fans it didn’t last long and they returned with their terrific WITCHCRAFT-like Doom Rock on this year’s Peace. The lonely and sad guitar twines of “See The Day” show you this isn’t a hastily thrown together work, and the jittering guitar skips of “Walk On” kick things into the air with an awesome feel. Here’s to hoping this great group stays together so we as fans can reep the benefits of any more future musical goodies from the grave they might give us.
#24: BEHEMOTH -- I Loved You At Your Darkest. 7.9
Nergal and company returned this year doing what they’ve been so comfortably doing since the mid 90’s: spewing their dark, sinful and sacrilegious Black Death Metal for the masses. The production quality is top notch with this release and the ferocity is ever apparent. Nergal’s howling shouts and Inferno’s drumming keep things all hot and hellishly toasty. If I’m permitted one minor complaint here, (although it’s only a matter of two minutes difference) this album feels far longer than their last work, The Satanist, which is to date my favorite record from this pounding Polish presence. I’m not sure if that’s I Loved You At Your Darkest’s theme growing tiresome for me a bit on repeated listens, or perhaps the tempos and lengths of some songs, but I couldn’t shake that feeling. Still, there’s a lot to enjoy and bang your head and pump a fist to on this, their eleventh hellbent record. The furious thumping of “Sabbath Mater” and the rapid fire ruptures of “We Are The Next 1000 Years” give fans all they crave and then some.
#23: KHEMMIS -- Desolation. 8.0
At first, Desolation might seem a bit of a slow, maybe even marred listen, but make no mistake, this rad record surges. As good as it may be, perhaps “Bloodletting” wasn’t the best foot to lead off with, but it’s heavily evident by the follow-up “Isolation” KHEMMIS means business with their third full length release. I can’t help but make the comparison to a more Doom-y TRIVIUM with this band, try as I might. The chugging lo-fidelity notes of “The Seer” coupled with Phil Pendergast’s spectacular singing/screaming showcase how well-equipped this band is to lay wrecked many a new listener’s ears. Add in the exciting tempo change towards the end of the fiery album closer “From Ruin” and you’ve got yourself one damn fine Metal record. This album — and band in general — is a far skipped stone on the surface of a pond away from the typical Sludge Metal shore, but this relatively young Denver quartet has the entire sea ahead of them.
#22: DEAFHEAVEN -- Ordinary Corrupt Human Love. 8.0
The sad teardrop-drenched piano notes of “Me Without You” begin DEAFHEAVEN’s fourth full-length record, and by the time you’ve journeyed into the crashing guitar intro of “Honeycomb” you’ve already recognized that DEAFHEAVEN have done it yet again. Ordinary Corrupt Human Love takes the yearning of Sunbather and the growth of New Bermuda and combines it into what might be their most enjoyable album to date - it’s definitely their most accessible. The San Franciscan duo of George Clarke and Kerry McKoy strike their unique Shoegaze/Black Metal gold again with tracks like “Canary Yellow” and “Glint,” and it’s no wonder why this release will be on many a year end list - it’s an incredible, crushing and smooth listen.
#21. REBEL WIZARD -- Voluptious Worship Of Rapture And Response 8.0
This record is the oddball talented nerd in the back of the class for this list. Australia’s NKSV is something of a one man band that furiously fuses Black, Thash, Power and Speed Metal into a smoldering clusterfuck of energy and rage, but with the guitar skills and demon screams to make any doubters take demanded notice. “High Mastery of The Woeful Arts” is a corpse’s sonic blast from the grave and “Drunk On The Wizdom Of Unicorn Semen” (probably the best song title of 2018) starts with some beautiful and stunning guitar solo shredding until the fuse is lit with an erupting verse riff and a sound barrier-shattering shriek. This album must be heard to be believed.
You can’t replicate or try to duplicate the sweet Swedish Stoner Metal sound of GREENLEAF and god bless you if you tried to. It’s one thing for a band to be labelled a Stoner or Sludge Metal band but this great, talented and fun-loving group is far more than meets the eye. Consistency is the name of their game and with terrific tracks like album opener “Let It Out!” and my personal favorite “A Point Of A Secret,” you recognize and appreciate that you’re knee-deep in the Sludgy Swamps of Sweden’s Stoner Rock before you even look behind your back or begin to clean the mud off your boots. “We Are The Pawns” is a masterful look at the lo-fidelity groove movements of Stoner Rock with a wicked slow burn feel. While I’ll admit I didn’t adore Hear The Rivers as much as GREENLEAF's prior work, Rise Above The Meadows, it’s certainly an incredible and amazing record that needn’t be skipped over.
#19: SLEEP -- The Sciences. 8.2
The sonic Doom Metal titans ignited the excitement of fans everywhere when they released their comeback record, The Sciences, on the most obvious of dates: 4/20. What SLEEP accomplishes on The Sciences shouldn’t and won’t be overlooked: their first full length record since 1999’s legendary Dopesmoker has them not missing a single step, still bringing the loudest and distorted smoke-filled riffs for many an eager eardrum. “Marijuanaut’s Theme” is an instant and unmistakable classic, and the nearly 13 minute “Sonic Titan” reverberates with enough radical energy to rattle even the most familiar listener. The Sciences is a stacked blast of a listen with more than enough cosmic energy to catapult every fan of this tremendous Doom/Sludge trio into outer space.
#18: GOZU -- Equilibrium. 8.3
There’s something awesomely positive to be said about a band with thick and rough riffs that doesn’t take themselves too serious, and GOZU definitely sits comfortably in that chair. The deep, extra throat-y, yet cooling vocals of Marc Gaffney, the lasting and pummeling riffs by lead guitarist Doug Sherman, the sense of comedy danger with song titles such as the roarin' and rockin' “They Might Know Karate” - it all equals an excellent listening experience. If hard Rock was physical combat, GOZU would be a dramatic elbow drop from the top rope of a wrestling ring, and Equilibrium showcases them at their best.
#17: LUCIFER -- Lucifer II. 8.3
The sun baked guitar beginning of album starter “California Sun” places you in the motorcycle seat of a rockin’ ride through LUCIFER’s lush second album, Lucifer II. THE HELLACOPTERS’ Nicke Andersson joins vocalist/leader Johanna Sadonis to give this terrific record the 70’s Rock feel that perfectly pushes everything into high gear. “Dreamer” is a wonderfully rich and slower Rock canvas that Johanna paints with her vocals on a clinching chorus, and the Sludgy “Eyes In The Sky” slushes along awesomely with a guitar growl that’s balanced with Johanna’s siren singing until it suddenly breaks and double tempos halfway through for a quick and fun bridge. All in all, this is a great listen that I was very pleased with, as I expected I would be.
#16: SKELETONWITCH -- Devouring Radiant Light. 8.4
I’ve always adored SKELETONWITCH — Beyond The Permafrost is a personal favorite of mine — and in 2016 vocalist Adam Clemans (formerly VEIL OF MAYA, WOLVHAMMER) replaced Chance Garnette and this band was born anew. Devouring Radiant Light showcases this rebirthing as best it could, with a far stronger and more serious approach to their marvelous Melodic Black Metal. The instant I heard the early single and album opener “Fen of Shadows” it was all over, I knew this record would be something special. And special it is; the crying urgency of the guitars in “The Luminous Sky,” the clean tone’d beginning of “The Vault” that smolders into a churning ball of smoke by the time the ten minute epic has finished — it’s all the perfect potent dose for an any addict of amazing Black Metal and I cannot wait to see what this band deals up in the future. Some truly stunning, massive stuff to be heard here.
#15: JUDAS PRIEST -- Firepower. 8.5
Awfully hard not to expect any and every best of the year Metal list to include JUDAS PRIEST’s Firepower. This is the tremendous legends at the top of their game, sounding as if they’re still in their 20’s and it’s the early 80’s all over again. The thumping fury of the title track, the crunching barrage of “Evil Never Dies,” the remarkable surging riffs and chorus of “Rising From Ruins,” all equally amazing, but it’s the bubbling hot melody and tempo of my personal favorite “Never The Heroes” that made it not even a question that this record be destined for my favorites come the end of the year. Bravo, Rob and company. Metalheads around the world thank you for all you’ve accomplished and all the amazing gifts you’ve given us!
#14: STONED JESUS -- Pilgrims. 8.6
Hot diddly damn, am I a fan of STONED JESUS. This Ukrainian trio takes Stoner Metal to a higher (har har) elevated level, and they really shine with some unique grooves you really don’t hear all that often in this sub genre. Their fourth album, Pilgrims, starts off with a bumping number, “Excited,” which does its intended job before it tosses the creeping Stoner grooves of “Thessalia” at you, which has easily been one of my favorite songs of 2018 ever since the first time I listened to it. The midway mark of the album begins with “Feel,” a nine minute magical journey that begins with peaceful melodies you can’t shake even if you tried to until it erupts excitingly, “Do you know what I know? Do you see what I see? Do you feel what I feel? I just want to be me!” Such a spectacular record, that deserves to be heard again and again.
#13: GHOST -- Prequelle. 8.6
“Every day that you feed me with hate, I grow stronger” croons Cardinal Copia (aka Tobias Forge) on “See The Light,” and Prequelle is just the right record to ensure more of the world sees the light of GHOST. Truth be told, I wasn’t seeing the light on my first few listens. In fact, I considered it a disappointment, but with further repeated listens I realized I was being too stern in my expectations of what a GHOST album should be. The saxophone of “Miasma,” the upbeat almost Disco-tempo of “Dance Macabre” — it was an unexpected and unfamiliar punch to the gut. The instant appreciation I had for tracks like “Rats” and “Witch Image” would combine and meld with the songs I didn’t enjoy the more I listened to this record. While it might not have the brunt anger of Infestissumam, songs like “Pro Memoria” grew on me and I can now see why Prequelle has been nominated for two Grammy’s and garnered the band their most attention and success thus far — it’s a great album with a lot to offer the listener.
#12: RIVERS OF NIHIL -- Where Owls Know My Name. 8.7
Formed in Reading, Pennsylvania in 2009, this remarkable Technical Death Metal quintet lead by Jake Dieffenbach broke through the already wonderfully crowded Death Metal waters of 2018 in March with their third outstanding long release, Where Owls Know My Name. The perfect production of this record on display with the nearly nine minute morphing creature of a song, “Subtle Change (Including The Forest of Transition And Dissatisfaction Dance),” this beast briefly beginning acoustically before rage sets in — only to sooth you later on with keyboards, horns and calming melody — before inevitably gaining anger again and erupting with screams and a mind-blowing guitar solo towards the end like only RIVERS OF NIHIL can. “Terrestria III: Wither” sets you up for a non-vocal and quick machine-induced interlude, while the following “Hollow” yanks you back into the familiar territory of thriving, crushing vibes and a rapid beating pounce. Metal Injection gave this album a perfect 10/10 rating and one listen to it can easily see why — it’s a devastating beauty.
#11: CAULDRON -- New Gods. 8.7
CAULDRON is Canada’s clear cut offering for some of the crispest classic Heavy Metal sounds outside of America. From the beginning plasma blasts of “Prisoner of The Past” all the way through until the ending lashings of “Last Requests,” New Gods is an incredible Metal feature that fights off any bad vibes you might be having while offering fantastic head-banging material. Jason Decay’s dynamite vocals are extremely infectious and the equally incredible and cascading riffs of Ian Chains tag-teams every song on this great album, while drummer Myles Deck sets the pace perfectly. The haunting notes of instrumental “Isolation” almost reminded me of an extended hand-from-the-grave homage to the intro of PANTERA’s “Cemetary Gates.” It’s over somewhat quickly with the record clocking in at a fast forty minutes, but by then the lasting excellent effects of “No Longer” and album apex “Letting Go” have well taken over, begging for repeat listens. I loved this album and I can't imagine anyone not feeling similarly.
#10: CASTLE -- Deal Thy Fate. 8.8
If you take only one thing away from my best of the year list, let it be this: the fact that I had to put this amazing album here is a true testament to how much tremendous Metal was released in 2018. There’s been many a year where this record would strongly sit atop my list, and I wish it could be that way now. Regardless, this cryptic San Franciscan duo tosses a total of nine magnificent matches (songs) into a casket filled with fuel to create this terrific and explosive Doom/Sludge album, the fifth from them. Liz Blackwell’s beautiful and haunting vocals lend perfectly to Mat Davis’ guitar work, creating some spectacular and dark Occult Rock. The riveting and radical Masque of The Red Death-inspired “Red Phantom” is a phenomenal number sure to jumpstart even a corpse’s heart, while the following album-ending “Firewind” has haunted me and remained one of my favorite songs of the year since I’ve had the pleasure of first hearing it. Bravo, CASTLE, and thank you!
#9: IRON VOID -- Excalibur. 8.8
Once disbanded in 2000 and then reformed anew eight years later by main member Jonathan “Sealey” Seale, this terrific UK Doom trio has crafted what I consider their best work yet with this collection of nine songs that pay respect of the highest caliber (caliber...sorry, I had to) to legends like SAINT VITUS and BLACK SABBATH, while terrifically telling the medieval tale with monstrous and crunching down tune’d riffage. “Lancelot of The Lake” is a skipping and beautifully layered Doom serving, while “Forbidden Love” lays as a slower, familiar Doom chop that doubles tempo halfway through in such a fantastic fashion it would make PENTAGRAM proud. Toss in an awesome solo here and there and an outstanding apex of a track with the over seven minute captivating monster “The Death of Arthur” and you’ve got yourself IRON VOID’s marvelous masterwork.
#8: SLUGDGE -- Esoteric Malacology. 8.9
Lancashire, England’s SLUGDGE slapped and slimed me out of nowhere sometime in October when I stumbled onto their March record, Esoteric Malacology. How had I not heard of this band? I instantly felt a guilt for that and began browsing and blasting their back catalogue of three other outstanding Progressive/Technical Death Metal works, besides this current year’s release. Originally formed as a duo by guitarist Kevin Pearson and vocalist Matthew Moss, SLUGDGE is spectacular entity all their own with unmistakable artistic album covers and technical instrumentation that honestly dwarfs a lot of current Death Metal bands nowadays. There is spectacular skill in the baseline and guitar notes of the seven minute “Crop Killer” and the following “The Spectral Burrows” is perhaps the best 1-2 punch duo of songs I’ve heard off any album this year. These songs are something of a warning of mankind’s threat to the Earth and the result of our carelessness with Mother Nature, and that message comes through clearly with an appropriate severity displayed in rapid guitar fretting, bumping bass lines, drastic and crisp drumming, and chillingly sung vocals. The nine minute “Salt Thrower” feels like a gigantic slug slowly gaining power through our waste, ready to wreak havoc. Esoteric Malacology is an exciting album and I’m so glad I caught glimpse of this great group when I did - better late than never.
#7: YOB -- Our Raw Heart. 9.0
Beginning beautifully and setting a tone to get lost adrift a sea of enticing and forlorn melodies, "Ablaze" starts off this outstanding eighth recorded work from the terrific trio known as Oregon's own YOB. The following track off this album then abruptly cuts into dangerous and choppy waters, "The Screen,” shows a slow-churning tidal wave of Doom, and such is this mesmerizing album by Mike Scheidt and company. “Lung’s Reach” is a calming few moments of peace and buildup to what I consider the apex of the record, the sixteen and a half minute “Beauty In Falling Leaves.” The title of this amazing album couldn’t be any more apt, it’s their raw heart available for this listen - and what a captivating listen it is.
#6: UNCLE ACID & THE DEADBEATS -- Wasteland. 9.0
The placement of Wasteland and YOB’s Our Raw Heart practically being a game of musical chairs in my mind, it became a random toss-up when decision time came for who gets 6th and 7th rank on this list of mine. The intro samples and white noise that leads directly into the surging beat and striking melody of UNCLE ACID & THE DEADBEATS' “I See Through You” almost a harkening back to Blood Lust’s “I’ll Cut You Down,” my personal favorite of theirs. The lurking and continually creeping riff of “No Return” sounding something like a serial killer’s warning to his victims while he stalks them, and by the third track you’ve already realized this is the Cambridge, England's group sounding just as good, if not better than ever. The terrific title track a stunningly beautiful acoustic ode that swoons you and croons, “The elders alone decided, it was better to die, than to lose.”
#5: HAUNT -- Burst Into Flame. 9.1
I won’t stop singing praises for HAUNT, even if you paid me. This fantastic Fresno, California quartet captured my excitement with their excellent Luminous Eyes EP in late December of last year, and they’ve been beating down the path of fiery fury ever since. HAUNT displays some of the most marvelous guitar work - these radical riffs are such a terrific and welcomed throwback to the classic Heavy Metal flavors of IRON MAIDEN, and
spectacular songs like "Crystal Ball" hypnotize with fretboard arpeggios and rising tensions to satisfy even the most seasoned spectator of Metal shredding. “Heroes” is an incredible tribute to fallen soldiers with one of the most dazzling opening riffs you'll hear this side of DRAGONFORCE, and “Frozen In Time” remains one of my favorite tracks of 2018, with it’s captivating guitar-fronted melodies and easy to enjoy lyrics. HAUNT is a flawless Metal monster that’s growing stronger with every song and I’ll be here to cheer them every step of the way.
#4: HIGH ON FIRE -- Electric Messiah. 9.2
Matt Pike is god; you know it, I know it, even dogs know it. 2018 might’ve been awful for a lot of reasons but musically it was practically a miracle because we were gifted not only a new SLEEP album, but a new HIGH ON FIRE album also -- when is the last time that happened? I thoroughly enjoyed 2015’s Luminiferous (wow, it's been that long?!) and topping that album would seem a feat almost impossible for anyone other than HIGH ON FIRE. Lo and behold, here comes Electric Messiah - Pike’s homage to MOTÖRHEAD frontman Lemmy. Right from the beginning, you’re getting hurled into the seat of a bustling electric chair with the speedy “Spewn From The Earth,” and by the time you’ve reached the title track two steps down your flesh is already smoking and your veins are coursing with wicked, surging circuitry. The stomping of “Freebooter” remains my favorite cut from the album, but it’s the final “Drowning Dog” where Pike and crew channel one of their most memorable numbers, “Snakes For The Devine” - a cascading and ridiculous riff that blends with the other notes magically, toss in some spectacular lyrics and you’ve got an instant classic as far as I’m concerned. Electric Messiah equals another exciting and extraordinary musical ball of fire that adds to the legacy of HIGH ON FIRE.
#4: ARCHITECTS -- Holy Hell. 9.3
"Beyond my final heartbeat, I'll dismantle piece by piece. And I will know that death is not defeat." You’d imagine a band that’s been through four line-up changes, switched up styles on 8 different full length albums within 14 years, and had to deal with the unfortunate passing of a key member would be weathered and worse for the wear. But this is not the case with UK’s amazing Metalcore act, ARCHITECTS. It’s typical and seen so often where a band’s new release is considered their most emotional and heartfelt, but in the case of Holy Hell it actually and truly is. This band has been through hell and the remarkable songwriting from it can be easily heard on epics like “Doomsday,” “Dying To Heal,” “Damnation,” and my personal favorite, main single “Hereafter.” You can practically feel the swollen lumps of loss in vocalist Sam Carter’s screams as they drench over the vibrations of the guitar and rhythm section. An astonishing listen, even for people that might not appreciate the Metalcore genre.
#2: THE OCEAN -- Phanerozoic I: Palaeozoic. 9.8
The ocean is often calming yet awfully chaotic in a moment’s notice and the band THE OCEAN COLLECTIVE is absolutely no different. Pelagial, Anthropocentric, Heliocentric, and Precambrian: I place all these albums alongside classics like ISIS’ Celestial, NEUROSIS’ Through Silver In Blood, KYUSS’ Blues For The Red Sun, and countless other outstanding albums. Easily one of my top fifty favorite bands ever, THE OCEAN isn’t as much a band as they are a huge symphonic and sonic movement in time, and their albums aren’t as much collections of music as they are audible pieces of the history of the Earth. I’d literally been waiting years for a new release from the movement known as THE OCEAN and February saw the coming of a volume I in a two part album, Phanerozoic: I Palaeozoic, the second part (gulp) to be released two years from now in 2020. Yikes. This goes to show you exactly how much thought, care and attention goes into every sliver of music, every ounce of energy and every bit of detail with this group. I’d already almost guaranteed myself this would be my album of the year, even before first hearing it — more on that in a minute. “Cambrian II: Eternal Recurrence” is an eight minute epic that erupts with volcanic explosions of energy and instrument, and “Devonian: Nascent” is a breathtaking ballad that billows with brilliance. Lead composer and musician Robin Staps holds tight a vision that sounds more remarkable with each and every repeated listen. The only drawback to music of this magnitude is it’s not necessarily something you can just jump into for a few minutes and then jump out of to immediately hear something else; I could see it a bit difficult attempting to peg and get a grasp of this band with one or two songs and then moving on, but perhaps that builds into just how important these sounds are. A masterful, remarkable work of a record.
#1: TRIBULATION -- Down Below. 9.9
“Broken, the bones lie scattered. Dimly the torch is lit. There’s a snake coiling inside of you. There’s a reek that you emit.” Vocalist/bassist Johannes Andersson shrieks the first lyrics of “The Lament,” your introduction to TRIBULATION’s Down Below. This record was released the end of January and I must’ve stated ten or twelve times on social networks or just to anyone within ear's reach that the bar for album of the year had already been set almost unfairly high by this Gothic Death Metal quartet from Sweden. Down Below is the collection of ten mini cryptic orchestras that sounds like it was recorded in a cobwebbed-crowded catacomb by four skilled corpses somehow brought to life. You can feel the urgency and angst in songs like “Cries From The Underworld” and the documentation of depressing decay in “Nightbound.” I haven’t stopped listening to this astonishing album since its release in January, and I certainly don’t intend to any time soon. Once THE OCEAN dropped their Phanerozoic I: Palaeozoic I juggled both of these albums as to which would and should rightfully be number one, and in the end it came down to a matter of accessibility and simple enjoyment; while Down Below might not carry the weight and importance of Phanerozoic, it catches the ear slightly better and it’s far easier to enjoy briefly, moderately or for however long your heart and ears desire. Basically, it’s a more fun and less dramatic sounding work of a record, if that makes any sense. Down Below brilliantly ends with the bittersweet epic "Come, Become, To Be" - a breathtaking final number that feels like the musical crossing over to another realm.
This list was 92% complete and written on December 5th, but unfortunately I had to wait for an idiot buddy to return my laptop he borrowed for work purposes for well over a week. I even attempted to edit and post it on my phone and then tablet later, to no avail - I apologize for the tardiness. This year was tremendous for Metal and hard music and putting together this list was as tricky a task as always, but I’m glad I did it and I’ll continue doing what I do in appreciating all that Rock/Metal has to offer with a grin on my face and devil horns in the air. Happy holidays everyone, and have a great new year! Cheers!
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