| 2017 |
| Iron Maiden The Book of Souls: Live Chapter | 3.0 |
| McBrain's kit is the highlight of this album. It sounds better than on The Book of Souls. The album also features a solid set list. Otherwise, the guitars sound compressed at times, I usually have a hard time hearing Harris, Bruce really sounds old, and the crowd interaction isn't as good as other live Maiden albums. |
| Taylor Swift Reputation | 1.5 |
| I used to feel some remorse for occasionally making my car pool buddy listen to extreme metal when it's my turn. After being forced to listen to this in it's entirety today, I have no more sympathy. I wonder if the gas savings were worth it. |
| Cloak To Venomous Depths | 4.0 |
| These guys play the same gothic death as Tribulation, expect Cloak puts more emphasis on death and less on catchy melodies. |
| Converge The Dusk in Us | 4.0 |
| Premiata Forneria Marconi Emotional Tattoos | 4.0 |
| I can only comment on the Italian version of this album. I found PFM's prog to be smooth and catchy without every feeling long winded. |
| Trivium The Sin and the Sentence | 2.0 |
| This album has some good riffs and will introduce many people to metal (I assume that's the source of the positive ratings). However, the sterile production and unoriginal songwriting are painful, especially those choruses. I only lasted 3.5 tracks before it became unbearable. Also, why is everyone raving about the drumming? It's just as generic as the rest of the album. EDIT: I tried listening to the rest of this (but failed). While the back half is heavier and features some excellent bridges/solos (see Sever the Hand), their uncanny ability to neuter metal amazes me. |
| Milton Man Gogh Stress to Impress | 4.0 |
| A jazz trio consisting of a jazz saxophonist, proggy bass player, and metal drummer. |
| August Burns Red Phantom Anthem | 4.0 |
| PA does sound like a typical ABR album. The songs are built out of the same in pieces in mostly the same orders as before. However, they have refined all those pieces. This album has some of the best riffs (and heaviest!), melodies, breakdowns, and rhythms I have ever heard from ABR. Also, the transitions don't feel forced they way they did on FIFAP (don't you hate it when a banjo interrupts an awesome riff?). All in all, this is one of their best ever. |
| Lunatic Soul Fractured | 4.0 |
| Dawn Ray'd The Unlawful Assembly | 4.0 |
| Raging black metal with strong folk influences. The album varies the pace and intensity very well, and even incorporates some straight-up folk tracks. |
| Jag Panzer The Deviant Chord | 4.0 |
| Chelsea Wolfe Hiss Spun | 3.5 |
| Archspire Relentless Mutation | 4.5 |
| Tech death that doesn't get lost in trying to be as technical as possible. It features insane vocals, memorable melodies, excellent rhythmic interplay, and even dynamics! At only 30 minutes in length, you won't get bored before the end. |
| Expander Endless Computer | 4.0 |
| Deceptively complex, heavier than expected sci-fi crossover thrash produced by Kurt Ballou. |
| Caligula's Horse In Contact | 4.0 |
| Dyscarnate With All Their Might | 4.0 |
| This is easily gym album of the year. It's pounding, meat-head death metal with enough variety to keep things interesting. |
| Crimfall Amain | 4.0 |
| Akercocke Renaissance in Extremis | 4.5 |
| Proggy blackened death that can go from full on prog-rock to punishingly heavy. The clean vocals may take some getting used to though. |
| Pagan Altar The Room of Shadows | 4.5 |
| Sounds like a cross between Manilla Road and Black Sabbath. The riffs are catchy and the production is excellent, especially on the title track. |
| Brand New Science Fiction | 4.0 |
| Pyrrhon What Passes for Survival | 2.0 |
| It is my understanding this is excellent avant-garde stuff. It seems I don't like avant-garde. |
| Lor In Forgotten Sleep | 4.5 |
| Aether Realm Tarot | 4.0 |
| An American take on folkened Finnish melodeath. The excellent songwriting and catchy melodies kept me engaged throughout this album's extended run time. |
| '68 Two Parts Viper | 4.0 |
| Elder (USA-MA) Reflections of a Floating World | 4.0 |
| Mutoid Man War Moans | 4.5 |
| Fun, catchy stoner rock influenced by a variety of metal sub-genres, but this has a enough technicality hidden underneath the accessible sheen to keep things interesting. |
| Unleash The Archers Apex | 4.5 |
| Canadian power metal with possibly the best female vocalist in metal finally figured out how to write a consistent album! Each superbly written song has its own identity, which is rare in power metal, and fits well into the entire album. Additionally, Apex is a concept album with a cohesive story that never feels forced onto the music. I also dare you to sit through this because it will be the happiest hour of your day (unless you hate epic, melodic music and just want to listen to post-metal and funeral doom all day.) |
| Illustrations Acts of God | 1.5 |
| The avant-gardeness can't cover up boring riffs. |
| Alestorm No Grave But the Sea | 4.0 |
| I never took Alestorm seriously until I heard this album. The lyrics may still be a joke, but the band now writes a legitimate power/folk metal songs. This is just too fun and catchy to hate. |
| Wode Servants of the Countercosmos | 4.0 |
| A wrecking ball of black metal that is as catchy as it is extreme. |
| The Night Flight Orchestra Amber Galactic | 4.0 |
| This may not be the most original material, and 55 minutes is a bit long for a rehash of old ideas, but this record is an absolute blast. |
| Inglorious II | 3.0 |
| Solid hard rock/heavy metal throwback. Well done, but not particularly original. |
| Voyager Ghost Mile | 3.5 |
| Djent covered with a layer of slick pop. All the components of the songs are very well arranged, and, as others have said, the vocals are excellent. My one complaint is some of the pop melodies and the djent rhythms sound all too familiar and a bit forgettable for me. |
| At the Drive-In in•ter a•li•a | 2.0 |
| Boring is not a word typically used to describe At the Drive-In, but it sums up this album. It is repetitive, flat, and forgettable. This was a tough listen. |
| Motionless in White Graveyard Shift | 2.5 |
| Havukruunu Kelle Surut Soi | 3.5 |
| This album is packed with epic catchy riffs; however, some of these riffs sound all too familiar and generic. I was ready to turn this off after two tracks, but the occasional explosions of brilliance (every song had at least one) pushed me onward to the magnificent title track. |
| He Is Legend few | 3.0 |
| Ayreon The Source | 4.0 |
| I approached this album thinking, "Oh great, some Dream Theater wannabes think they can make 80 minutes worth of compelling music." (Clearly, unfamiliar with Ayreon). I was so wrong. Dynamics, infectious melodies, crunchy riffs, varied influences (folk, pop, Queen, grunge), and more guest vocalists than a hip-hop album not only kept me engaged for 80 minutes, but they also have me coming back for more. It's one of those albums that makes me feel when it's finished. |
| Artificial Brain Infrared Horizon | 3.5 |
| Night Demon Darkness Remains | 3.5 |
| Night Demon manages to create a homage to traditional heavy metal without sounding exactly like any 1 band... usually. There are couple moments where they sound like Maiden, but it's not often enough to detract from the album. Besides, what's so bad about sounding like the greatest rock band ever? On the topic of Maiden, "Maiden Hell" lyrics are a listing of Maiden song titles in mostly chronological order. The album length is perfect and the title track is fantastic closer. |
| Novembers Doom Hamartia | 3.0 |
| Royal Thunder WICK | 3.0 |
| Mastodon Emperor of Sand | 4.0 |
| Pallbearer Heartless | 5.0 |
| Beautiful progressive doom. It's like floating on a cloud. . . from a coal power plant. |
| The Charm The Fury The Sick, Dumb & Happy | 2.5 |
| The only somewhat unique thing about this band is one member has two X chromosomes. |
| Replacire Do Not Deviate | 4.0 |
| Venenum Trance of Death | 4.5 |
| Death (not the band) goes prog-rock, but not in an Opeth way. This still has a grimy old school sound. |
| Bush Black and White Rainbows | 2.0 |
| Cellador Off the Grid | 3.0 |
| Off the Grid is excellent... if you've never heard power metal before. |
| Havok Conformicide | 4.0 |
| I wish every record had a rhythm sections sounding this good. Not only are the musicians some of the best in metal right now, but the production on this record is a clinic on drums and bass. |
| Nova Collective The Further Side | 4.0 |
| Wormwood Ghostlands - Wounds From A Bleeding Earth | 4.0 |
| Power Trip Nightmare Logic | 3.5 |
| Nightmare Logic may not bring nothing new to the table, but it recreates old 80's thrash exceptionally well. |
| Benighted Necrobreed | 4.0 |
| Aeternam Ruins of Empires | 4.0 |
| Kreator Gods of Violence | 3.5 |
| The Great Old Ones EOD: A Tale of Dark Legacy | 4.0 |
| Starset Vessels | 2.5 |
| As Lions Selfish Age | 2.5 |
| 2016 |
| Krallice Prelapsarian | 3.5 |
| Zao The Well-Intentioned Virus | 4.0 |
| Bolzer Hero | 3.5 |
| Witchery In His Infernal Majesty's Service | 4.0 |
| Josh Garrels The Light Came Down | 4.0 |
| Metallica Hardwired...To Self-Destruct | 2.5 |
| Unfortunately, this album was written by Mehtallica, and not the band in the 80's that was one of the greatest metal bands. Hardwired has some great riffs and few funky bass lines, but not enough to keep anyone awake for 80 minutes of otherwise OK music and painfully boring drumming. |
| Saor Guardians | 3.0 |
| The music is beautiful, but I found myself getting bored frequently. The melodies tended to all blend together, and many of the transitions seemed arbitrary and awkward. There was too much fluff (but it was pleasant fluff) between any stirring and memorable moments. |
| Enslaved The Sleeping Gods – Thorn | 3.0 |
| Animals As Leaders The Madness of Many | 3.5 |
| Spiritus Mortis The Year Is One | 3.5 |
| Solid old school doom metal (think Saint Vitus) with somewhat evil lyricsr |
| Deathspell Omega The Synarchy of Molten Bones | 2.0 |
| I wanted to like this album and enjoyed most aspects, but usually the guitar work was just too unpleasantly jarring.r |
| Attila Chaos | 1.5 |
| Kyy Beyond Flesh - Beyond Matter - Beyond Death | 3.0 |
| Dark Tranquillity Atoma | 3.5 |
| Excellent songs but they start to run together after a while. |
| Ulcerate Shrines of Paralysis | 3.0 |
| I think I would rather listen to an instrumental version of this album. |
| ZAUM Eidolon | 3.0 |
| Theocracy Ghost Ship | 4.0 |
| With Ghost Ship, Theocracy proves that they CURRENTLY are one of the best power metal bands. The album is filled with exactly what you'd expect in power metal: speed, catchy melodies, soaring choruses, and face-melting solos. The band also works some pop (tastefully) and thrash influences into a couple songs. Also, the album features a couple ballads, which are my only complaint because they feel like filler compared to the heavier tracks. All in all, Ghost Ship is nothing new, but it is exceptionally well executed. |
| Testament Brotherhood of the Snake | 4.5 |
| Car Bomb Meta | 4.5 |
| Wardrum Awakening | 3.5 |
| Well-done power metal. Soaring (and sometimes even aggressive) vocals and catchy melodic guitar work, what more do you want? Maybe a bit more speed. This is a tad slow by power metal standards, but it's not a bad thing. I'd have to disagree with Trevor though. Theocracy released the best power metal album in 2016 (imo). |
| Destrage A Means to No End | 3.0 |
| The band is obviously skilled, but none of the segments the band madly hops to and from manage to capture my interest. |
| Korn The Serenity of Suffering | 3.5 |
| Mithras On Strange Loops | 4.0 |
| Khemmis Hunted | 4.5 |
| Anciients Voice of the Void | 3.5 |
| I agree with the Mastoolopeth comparisons, but these guys have yet to write anything as engaging as their influences have. That said, they have huge potential. I can't wait to see what they do next. |
| Jeff Rosenstock WORRY. | 3.5 |
| Departe Failure, Subside | 3.5 |
| Trophy Eyes Chemical Miracle | 4.0 |
| The Dillinger Escape Plan Dissociation | 4.5 |
| The Devil Wears Prada Transit Blues | 3.0 |
| Sum 41 13 Voices | 3.5 |
| I was very surprised by this. Definitely worth checking out. I would have rated it higher if it weren't for it's poor use of generic pop on some songs.r |
| Meshuggah The Violent Sleep Of Reason | 3.5 |
| Excellent musicianship but very monotonous. Compared to Obzen and Koloss, this album is a chore. |
| Alter Bridge The Last Hero | 3.5 |
| This album has many flashes of brilliance (the riff in My Champion, most solos, and The Last Hero) and overall is very solid, but about halfway through I found myself losing patience. |
| Watchtower Concepts of Math: Book One | 4.0 |
| The instrumentals are easily a 4.5, but the vocals and lyrics seem like an awkward afterthought in comparison (especially Arguments Against Design and Technology Inaction). After a few listens, they grew on me enough to give this a 4. |
| The Reticent On the Eve of a Goodbye | 3.5 |
| Wow, a 1-man-metal-band that doesn't make black metal! I didn't know these existed. I was blown away on my first listen by this prog-metal concept album. At times it has a 90's alt-metal sound, other times there's a NWOBHM influence, and then it sometimes sounds like Opeth. Unfortunately, it sounds way too much like Blackwater Park for too many songs. But if you're going to sound like someone else, you may as well try sounding like one of the best. |
| Asphyx Incoming Death | 3.5 |
| Oathbreaker Rheia | 3.5 |
| I can see why people are calling this combination of black metal and post-hardcore AOTY, but her clean vocals are so off-putting I cannot love this album. |
| Alcest Kodama | 4.0 |
| Every Time I Die Low Teens | 3.5 |
| Allegaeon Proponent for Sentience | 3.5 |
| Allegeaon once again manages to write technical death metal songs that are actually catchy and don't get stuck in a morass of endless wankery. However, they can't write 72 minutes of compelling material. "The Extermination" is a perfect album closer. Unfortunately, it is followed by an OK Rush cover that should have been a bonus track. Removing "Subdivisions" and at least 1 other track would have made this a 4 or better. |
| Source Return to Nothing | 3.5 |
| Insomnium Winter's Gate | 4.5 |
| Touche Amore Stage Four | 2.5 |
| This will sound cold, but his venting got annoying after a while. It lowered my rating by 0.5. |
| Lotus Thief Gramarye | 3.0 |
| Brujeria Pocho Aztlan | 3.0 |
| Good mix of hardcore and death metal. Solid, but nothing too original. Probably more entertaining to a Spanish speaker who will understand humor/political commentaryr |
| Sumerlands Sumerlands | 3.5 |
| Some very well done 80's revival; however, I do not understand why this album has received more praise than the releases from Eternal Champion, Grand Magus, and High Spirits. It lacks the fun the other albums have. |
| The Dear Hunter Act V: Hymns with the Devil in Confessional | 3.0 |
| Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds Skeleton Tree | 3.0 |
| Norma Jean Polar Similar | 4.0 |
| Devin Townsend Project Transcendence | 3.5 |
| Unfathomable Ruination Finitude | 3.0 |
| Amazing music. It's relentless brutality will appeal to some, but it's lack of space made this a tough listen for me. |
| Mesarthim .- -... ... . -. -.-. . | 2.5 |
| Black metal vocals and drumming put to the soundtrack of an inspirational movie trailer. Sounds epic at first, but gets boring quickly.r |
| Sylar Help! | 2.5 |
| Russian Circles Guidance | 3.5 |
| Vukari Divination | 4.0 |
| I'm typically not a big black metal guy, but my prejudices were overwhelmed by strong melodies and flowing dynamics. Also, these guys are on the more atmospheric side of black metal which makes this album a bit more accessible. |
| Billy Talent Afraid of Heights | 3.5 |
| Thank You Scientist Stranger Heads Prevail | 4.5 |
| Periphery Periphery III: Select Difficulty | 3.0 |
| Harakiri for the Sky III: Trauma | 3.5 |
| Exceptional atmospheric black metal and quite possibly the best production I have ever heard on a snare drum imo; however, it's run time is not justified. |
| Revocation Great Is Our Sin | 3.5 |
| Wreck and Reference Indifferent Rivers Romance End | 3.5 |
| Mellowish hanting music with shouted vocals. Sounds sad and passionate, but gets exhausting. Some of the rhythms are interesting though.r |
| Dunsmuir Dunsmuir | 3.5 |
| Dunsmuir is a supergroup composed of Neil Fallon (Clutch) and Vinny Appice (Black Sabbath, Dio). Their album sounds exactly you'd expect. It's Clutch with a mid-80's heavy metal influence. Be careful: these songs will get stuck in your head. |
| Hammers Of Misfortune Dead Revolution | 4.5 |
| Imagine if someone threw 70's hard rock, NWOBHM, thrash metal, progressive metal, a dash of doom, and a dash of folk metal into a blender. Dead Revolution is the delicious musical smoothie that would result. A 5/5 may seem like hyperbole compared to the other ratings, but I have never heard anyone combine so many amazing things all in one album quite like this. |
| Orbs Past Life Regression | 2.0 |
| Superb instrumentals ruined by horrible vocals. I got through half of track 7 before turning it off (I actually breathed a sigh of relief). I highly recommend all fans of post-hardcore or progressive metal check this out though. If you can tolerate singing more abrasive than death and black metal vocals, you will love this. |
| Biffy Clyro Ellipsis | 3.0 |
| Chevelle The North Corridor | 3.5 |
| Nocte Obducta Mogontiacum (Nachdem die Nacht herabgesunken) | 3.5 |
| Experimental German black metal. Mogontiacum is experimental to the point of hardly sounding like black metal, but it's sound is dark throughout. At times the album sounds more like doom metal or industrial. I found the material on this album engaging and unique. I would have preferred a shorter run time though. |
| Silent Planet Everything Was Sound | 3.0 |
| Fates Warning Theories of Flight | 4.0 |
| I was skeptical of the positive reviews because I have never even been a fan of The Spectre Within or Awaken the Guardian, but I was impressed and pleasantly surprised by this album. |
| DOROTHY ROCKISDEAD | 2.5 |
| Be'lakor Vessels | 3.5 |
| Gojira Magma | 4.5 |
| A bit softer and catchier than previous albums, but they definitely are still Gojira, a giant among best modern metal bands. Also, Magma is loaded with earworms that just follow you around all day. |
| Thrawsunblat Metachthonia | 4.5 |
| Ridiculously catchy and melodic black metal-based folk metal. Fans of maritime folk music will particularly enjoy this one. |
| Astronoid Air | 4.0 |
| SUMAC What One Becomes | 4.5 |
| Thrice To Be Everywhere Is to Be Nowhere | 3.0 |
| Admittedly I got into Thrice in their post-hardcore days; however, this is their first disappointing album for me. In Beggars and Major/Minor, Thrice managed to still have some form of heaviness or aggression, but it seems their sound got neutered in their hiatus. Despite all the negative things I have said, this is still an above average alt rock album. For those of you who haven't given up on hearing "Deadbolt" again, this album puts another nail in the coffin. |
| Mistur In Memoriam | 3.5 |
| Napoleon Newborn Mind | 3.5 |
| Vainaja Verenvalaja | 3.5 |
| Death Angel The Evil Divide | 4.0 |
| First Fragment Dasein | 4.0 |
| Katatonia The Fall of Hearts | 4.5 |
| Grand Magus Sword Songs | 3.5 |
| Highly recommended for all fans of Manowar. This band takes the best of 80's heavy metal (I'm using heavy metal as a sub-genre here) and bundles it into one glorious, catchy, cheesey package. |
| Gorguts Pleiades' Dust | 3.5 |
| Messa Belfry | 3.5 |
| Based on the cover, I was expecting a snooze-fest. Then, I hardly made it through the droning first track. But on the second track my patience was rewarded with fat, fuzzy guitars and full soulful female vocals. Fans of Witch Mountain should definitely check this band out. |
| Vektor Terminal Redux | 5.0 |
| I almost shut this off halfway through the first track because I wasn't quite feeling it, but I am so glad I gave this a shot. Vektor has created a definite AOTY candidate and quite possibly the best thrash album since Rust in Peace. When this album finished, I had to pause and wonder, "what have I just heard?" |
| Schammasch Triangle | 3.0 |
| There is an excellent album buried somewhere in here. Some critical editing could have found it. |
| Haken Affinity | 3.5 |
| Discharge End of Days | 3.5 |
| Aborted RetroGore | 3.5 |
| The album art mostly tells you what to expect. This is one disturbingly fun and surprisingly catchy record. |
| Howls of Ebb Cursus Impasse: The Pendlomic Vows | 3.5 |
| Mantar Ode to the Flame | 3.5 |
| Seriously fun blackened doom n' roll. They take the best of mainstream hard rock and bury it in the underground. |
| Goatess Purgatory Under New Management | 3.5 |
| The whole album is Sabbath worship, but they do it exceptionally well. They are masters of groove. Unfortunately, they Sabbath worship for too long, and I start losing interest towards the end. |
| Palace of Worms The Ladder | 3.0 |
| Solid black metal that dips into doom/sludge and atmospheric at time, but failed to captivater |
| Cult of Luna and Julie Christmas Mariner | 3.5 |
| Deftones Gore | 4.0 |
| Novembre Ursa | 3.5 |
| Bossk Audio Noir | 3.5 |
| Moonsorrow Jumalten aika | 4.0 |
| Metal Church XI | 3.5 |
| O'Brother Endless Light | 4.0 |
| Imagine if Thrice's music hadn't atrophated over their hiatus, but instead gotten better. This is the album they would have made. |
| Cobalt Slow Forever | 4.5 |
| I avoided this album at first because I generally don't like black metal. But after listening to it, I thought this was AOTY (until I listened to Terminal Vortex). Now I just think this is an amazing album. Get ready to hear some atypical influences for a metal album. |
| Ihsahn Arktis. | 4.0 |
| The New Black A Monster's Life | 2.5 |
| Exactly what you would expect from a post-grunge album |
| Hope For The Dying Legacy | 3.0 |
| Plebeian Grandstand False Highs, True Lows | 2.5 |
| This is not an average album, but rather I found it highly enjoyable at times, but those times very evenly balanced with when the atonal guitar work became irritating. Better than the Deathspell release in my opinion. |
| Oranssi Pazuzu Värähtelijä | 2.5 |
| Reading all the acclaim this album receives is like watching two people laugh at their own inside joke. By no means is this an average album, but I enjoyed about half of it, and the other half was painful. What did I miss? |
| Redemption The Art of Loss | 3.0 |
| Outside of the guitar and keyboard solos, this album just feels flat. I wish this were just and instrumental showdown of the Megadeth guitarists. They bumped up my rating half a point. |
| Destroyer 666 Wildfire | 3.5 |
| Black Peaks Statues | 3.5 |
| Anthrax For All Kings | 4.5 |
| For All Kings is not as thrashy as 80s Anthrax, but it demonstrates that 29 years since Among the Living they are still one of the best. With this album, they continue to be one of the (if not the) most fun and upbeat thrash metal bands around. It's one of my favorites of the year. |
| Omnium Gatherum Grey Heavens | 3.5 |
| Obscura Akróasis | 3.5 |
| Hyperion (SWE) Seraphical Euphony | 4.5 |
| Violet Cold Magic Night | 3.0 |
| Above average atmospheric black metal. I'd rather spend my time listening the music that Alcest, Astronoid, and Harakiri for the Sky put out this year. |
| UXO UXO | 2.0 |
| Bad hardcore-ish vocals and average stoner rock riffs. |
| Chthe'ilist Le Dernier Crépuscule | 3.5 |
| Megadeth Dystopia | 3.5 |
| Borknagar Winter Thrice | 3.5 |
| Latitudes Old Sunlight | 4.0 |
| Exmortus Ride Forth | 3.5 |
| Islander Power Under Control | 3.0 |
| As a fan of Violence and Destruction, this album is a letdown. The potential for a 4-star album is here, but too many average and cringe-worthy moments bring it down. |
| Whores. Gold | 3.0 |
| Eternal Champion The Armor of Ire | 4.5 |
