2020 Albums

[metaldinosaur]

Yet again, I’ve not listened to too much new stuff. I’m still getting into more 70’s stuff really. JP Stained Class was probably my most listened to album of 2020! UFO are band of the year!

As for 2020 proper... There where a few disappointments, most notably the new Nighwish. Boo.

Anyway, the top 5 are...
Imperial Triumphant: Alphaville
Demons and Wizards: iii
Cirith Ungol: forever black
Hellripper: The affair of the poisons (only just got it, but sounds promising)
Paradise lost: obsidian (aoty by a mile)

All pretty popular or hyped bands too, I just can’t be bothered digging around the underground nowadays it seems.

[bloodfiend]

Yeah Nightwish was a bit shit

Top 5:
Unleash The Archers - Abyss
Ulver - Flowers Of Evil
Enslaved - Utgard
Inquisition - Black Mass For A Mass Grave
Forgotten Tomb - Nihilistic Estrangement

[i0th2]

I really liked the new Nightwish, made it to 6th in my top 56 (which I recognise is a weird number but I've listened to 252 new albums this year and if I particularly like it I stick it on my 2020 spotify albums list, 56 albums made that cut). Just re-listening to Majestica's A Christmas Carol to place it.

[Black Wizard]

I'm not going to spend time deliberating over a Top 5, but these are my highlights of 2020:

Brothers of Metal - Emblas Saga
Testament - Titans of Creation
Ensiferum - Thalassic
Onslaught - Generation Antichrist
Heathen - Empire of the Blind
Mors Principium Est - Seven
Countless Skies - Glow
Dark Tranquility - Moment

I have a Spotify playlist of God knows how many albums that is 1189 songs and 92 hours long.

And the Nightwish album was very underwhelming. Felt like camp fire music.

[Powerslave]

it's not been a vintage year, but these are my standouts:
Delain - Apocalypse and Chill
Distant Dream - Point of View
DGM - Tragic Separation
Katatonia - City Burials
Nightmare - Aeternum

even then, Delain and Katatonia are capable of doing better.

[Ghost]

The new Of Feather And Bone album is out today.

First heard these guys when they played with Tomb Mold last year and discovered the "Bestial Hymns of Perversion" album was awesome so I've been eagerly awaiting this new one.

This album is great

[Soze]

A lot of my favourite albums haven't been metal this year (Jim Bob, Levellers, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Laura Marling, Black Water County, AA Williams, Alex the Astronaut, Ichiko Aoba, Idles, Phoebe Bridgers, Myrkur, Bob Dylan) but my top 20 otherwise (and my top 2 here are my top 2 overall)

1. Enslaved
2. Solstafir
3. Butcher
4. Finntroll
5. Sepultura
6. Anaal Nathrakh
7. Ensfierum
8. Sacred Outcry
9. Alestorm
10. Testament
11. Brothers of Metal
12. Dark Tranquillity
13. Havukruuna
14. Midnight
15. Onslaught
16. Mike LePond's Silent Assasins
17. Winterfylleth
18. Thy Catafalque
19. Wayfarer
20. Sölicitör

The first 8 are excellent, after that it's mostly stuff that's just very good. So not the greatest year for metal.

[gavdann]

The first 8 are excellent, after that it's mostly stuff that's just very good. So not the greatest year for metal.

Interestingly I thought it was an awesome year for metal and a rubbish one for indie.

The new Idles and Fontaines DC albums were the only ones I cared for and I was fairly disappointed with FDC at that.

[gavdann]

The new Of Feather And Bone album is out today.

First heard these guys when they played with Tomb Mold last year and discovered the "Bestial Hymns of Perversion" album was awesome so I've been eagerly awaiting this new one.

This album is great

Indeed it is. Not sure why I forgot to add this and Ulcerate to my honourable mentions actually.

If I HAD to pick an AOTY I think it's probably Draconian. I've been smitten with it for the past month or so.

[Ghost]

If I HAD to pick an AOTY I think it's probably Draconian. I've been smitten with it for the past month or so.

You've mellowed in your old age.

[gavdann]

:lol: You've mellowed in your old age.

Maybe

I've always been a believer that a good album, is a good album no matter what genre.

The cards have just played a lighter album than I'd normally go for and to be fair the rest of my top 10 are pretty extreme!

[gavdann]

13. Havukruuna

This is great by the way.

Very Bathory, viking metal era influenced.

[gazsetsfire]

Was quite hard to narrow it down to top 10 and I quite easily could have put God Dethroned, Vulcano, Green carnation and Testament in there but in the end I went for

Ensiferum - Thalassic
Benediction - Scriptures
Dark Tranquillity- moment
Sodomisery- The Great Demise
Armored saint - Punching the Sky
Alestorm - Curse of the Crystal Coconut
Falconer - From a Dying Ember
Vandenberg - 2020
Necrophobic - Dawn of the Damned
Enslaved - Utgard

With my album of the year being Armored Saint, just ahead of Ensiferum and Necrophobic

[Drachenfells1]

messed it up

[Drachenfells1]

My top 10 in no order at all

Alestorm - curse of the crystal coconut

Lord of the lost - Swan songs 3

Mono Inc - Melodies in black

Smashing Pumpkins - Cyr

Avatar - Hunter Gatherer

Fish - Weltshmerz

Not My God - Not My God

Pearl Jam - Gigaton

Soul Asylum - Hurry up and Wait

Night Flight Orchestra - Aeromatic

honourable mentions

Unleash the Archers - Abyss

Ye Banished Privateers - Hostis Humani Generis

Demons and Wizards - iii

Not quite as heavy as most of you, as I've got older I've mellowed and I was always more into Goth than thrash to be honest, there hasen't been much good new power metal out this year and Marilyns Mansons new effort left me cold.