One melodic, one thrash and finally a death top 10 with a few honourable mentions for each list.
Melodic list:
Bubbling under:
Dragonforce - Maximum Overload
Primal Fear - Delivering the Black
Night Mistress - Into The Madness
Astral Doors - Notes From The Shadows
Wolf - Devil Seed
10. Riot V - Unleash The Fire
Riot is a band I've pretty much let pass me by in the past. I've liked various songs and albums from the past. I remember liking the Mike DiMeo album of the past but I think the new Riot or Riot V album may be my fave Riot album ever. Probably sacrilege to most but older Riot never hit me as being something orgasmic or legendary but heck I enjoyed this new effort a great deal. Mainly thanks to the new singer's awesome voice. Is he new even? Anyway this guy is just a wicked high pitched yet melodic singer and I like the fact that they didn't forget to write memorable choruses as almost every single song has one. I hope this incarnation continues to deliver more albums of this magnitude.
09. Crosswind - Vicious Dominion
This band came from the proverbial blue to shatter my peace one fine day with their incendiary and heavy melodic take on power metal. The singer especially hit me like a ton of bricks with his melodic yet extremely sharp, soaring voice which effortlessly took centre stage above the clatter and blood spatter of the mayhem going on around him. The guy is probably the best power metal singer I've heard this year bar none. He could have been the new Lost Horizon singer, he's that good IMO. He holds the songs together with his powerful pipes and belts out some spectacularly invigorating choruses whilst his band mates create a whirlwind of power behind. One for the fans of heaviness in power metal!
08. Sabaton - Heroes
Ah my heroes. For they truly are heroes themselves. Sure they've been going to that well seven times now but the well hasn't run dry even yet. The Swedish war machine may not be every ones cuppa but their popularity grows and grows and I don't see it slowing down any time soon. Heroes maybe a very safe album for them but I don't think experimentation and Sabaton really go hand in hand. Maybe try a couple of more epic tunes next time guys just to spice it up a little and don't forget - heroes never die!
07. Within Temptation - Hydra
Is this the best Within Temptation album? I don't know but it's definitely the album that they needed to make. It's got more of everything that the band is known for but it's all been multiplied by a thousand or whatever number you like. Sharon's vocals are the best they have ever been. The rap song is a slight "...ehhh well whatever" moment but the actual song itself is not that bad. The rest of the album sees the band at their very best. This could be a bold statement but probably the biggest European female fronted metal band ahead of Nightwish now. Over to you Mr. H!
06. Stormwarrior - Thunder & Steele
This was my number one album of this year for a very long time but I decided to drop it down a few places towards the end of the year as I felt other releases had gained preference over it. The album is still a corker of Teutonic German power metal ala Running WIld. There is no hint of a filler track on this album. The singer may not be a technically good singer but his voice is perfect for the band in the sense that Rock n Rolf is perfect for Running Wild. Sacred Blade is one of my favourite songs of the year but on another day it will be something else from this awesome album.
05. Iron Savior - Rise Of The Hero
The previous comeback album (The Landing) from Piet and co was good but Rise of the Hero blows it clean out of the water This is a wickedly catchy heavy metal record up with their best album which I consider to be Unification. The production is thick, loud and screaming and Piet's characteristic vocals are fully maximised to the fore. These are the kind of melodic anthems which I simply love when I'm listening to power metal and Iron Savior are a class apart when it comes to anthems!
04. Kobra And The Lotus - High Priestess
Kobra where have you been all my life and why have I ignored you all this time? OK I didn't ignore them or her completely but their previous album didn't really strike much of a chord with me. But Goddamn High Priestess has remedied this impasse and then some. I completely adore Kobra's voice now. I don't
quite know what it is about her I like so much. She's just got a beautiful way of singing and she enunciates so clearly. I really like to be able to understand lyrics and with many European power metal singers that's nigh on impossible but with singers like Kobra that's not a problem in the slightest. Her band mates have delivered her a classic heavy metal backing with which to weave her magic and every song on High Priestess is a gem make no mistake. The only slight quibble I have is that the production is a bit up and down and could have used a little more heavier guitars. If they sort that out next time and maintain the songwriting skills then that will be one spectacular heavy metal record. Mind you it's going to very difficult to top High Priestess as it is.
03. Allen-Lande - The Great Divide
Wow the best Allen/Lande album by a country mile! Not that the others weren't good but this is beyond good. It's really something that these two legends of the mic both turn in amazing performances although I just feel Jorn wins this battle or maybe I just like his voice a little more than Russell's. Either way huge credit must go to much maligned Mr Tolkki for not fucking this up like he did his own solo album. We salute you sir for thankfully making this sound good and not shitty. To top it all off the songwriting is very good indeed. I think he wrote most of the songs with Jorn in mind more hence his songs sound just that little bit stronger than Mr. Allen's. Either way the fans win with this masterpiece, one of Tolkki's best recent projects by a long long way. I actually wouldn't mind if Tolkki worked with Jorn on his next solo cd after the Dracula thingy which is coming out soon in 2015.
02. Dynazty - Renatus
From glam metal and rock to modern shiny melodic power metal sheen! Quite a jump and a big leap of faith but wow was it worth it in the end. Sure they will lose a few fans along the way but damn they'll have gained a whole heap more. This really is a spectacular release that hits you like a ton of bricks from the get go. I actually liked both styles of the band so this style change whilst surprising only turned me on to the band even more. The songwriting approach changed with riffs being blistering and faster with a huge melodic edge still in tact. To go with that musical the singer also had to up his game and boy did he do that. The guy literally turns in a phenomenal performance. He doesn't have say the power of a Ralf or the Greek guy from Crosswind but he has an awesome melodic edge and tone to his voice that bring the songs to life. And what songs they are. Incredibly memorable, engaging and hummable long after the song has ended. I do wonder how the next album will turn out with these guys though. Will they pull a step back or will they forge ahead with this melodic modern metal path? We will see but for now Renatus is a fantastically awesome release in it's own right.
01. Work Of Art - Framework
Normally my number one album is likely to be a power metal or a heavy melodic rock album but this year my brain and ears where engulfed by the pure melodic joy that is Sweden's Work of Art. I must admit after the initial plays I thought the album was amazing but not better than In Progress their previous album. I would have probably placed it in the top 10-15 and loved it no less. However as time has gone by this album has been getting constant plays and I mean constant plays. Two or three times in a row in fact. I sometimes wonder what should I play next and I find myself thinking nah I won't play this or play that it's good but I'm bored of it. However with Framework this never happened at all. The urge to reach for it was constant and often. It's all mainly because of singer Lars Safsund. That guy makes me swoon. I still can't even believe his vocals are even real. I'd love to see WoA live one day and see if he can really song that clear and smooth in person. On record the guy is just like velvet candy being poured into your ears. The band is brought to life of course by the brilliant songwriting of Robert Sall. He works on a lot of Frontiers projects but it seems he always saves his best stuff for his own band the cheeky monkey! Not that I'm complaining as like I said this album is my album of the year by a country mile. There is not a single second of this that I find contrived or boring. Even the ballads will capture your heart. Of course it's not the ballads that I'm paying my money for, it's those uptempo swooning rockers and mid temp heart breakers that I'm on about. The best song on the album is the utterly mesmeric Shout Till You Wake Up. I don't know how they will ever top this release but I'm sure Lars and Robert will keep trying for their talent for mesmeric AOR is endless.
Thrash list:
Bubbling Under:
15. Gross Reality - Overthrow - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AaaGNrEKjQA
14. The Hidden - Fearful Symmetry - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYj36q4y-Zo
13. Dust Bolt - Awake The Riot - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfZCQ5XBAbo
12. Nocturnal - Storming Evil - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uz7kabXuf64
11. Alkoholizer - Free Beer...Surf's Up!!! - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzVmL3I10SA
10. Lethal Vice - Thrash Converters - Groovy and semi technical thrash with a bundle of awesome riffs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f82NDfhygEI
09. Mekong Delta - In A Mirror Darkly - Not big into these original tech masters but this album has class dripping from every pore.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gc799tHY8N4
08. Fatal Mutiny - Existence In Extinction - Greek tech thrash with sharp sound and a huge of array riffs that make you wanna sweat blood! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_IlCWph6Yw
07. Envenomed - Evil Unseen - Polished melodic thrash with groovy riffs and full on melodic vocals.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6M6SZmcLa_U
06. Revocation - Deathless - Is it death? Is it thrash? More thrash I say. Riffs slayed on this beast of a record!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPIRkrb7C0k
05. Arcania - Dreams Are Dead - Proggy melodic thrash with shouted slightly clean vox and a whole heap of cool ideas. Very interesting listen. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlB27HebGmo
04. Shrapnel - The Virus Conspires - One of the best new UK thrash bands with full rage and riffs to turn your ears to mush!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0GPMeAGuJg
03. Alitor - Eternal Depression - Serbian tech thrash aping Death somewhat here and there but with wickedly cacthy riffs all over the shop. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XxoKyXaUMA
02. Suicidal Angels - Divide and Conquer - My favourite thrash band in the world today. Greek Slayer fanciers are mercilessly awesome and this isn't even their best album. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muhZFJGRkHo
01. Exmortus - Slave to the Sword - Not actually a full on thrash album but what I would call a neo-classical shred-thrash hybrid with raspy vocals. This band blew me away at the start of the year and I've decided to call them my number one based on the number of plays alone. The production on this thing is bloody huge but the riffs, shredding and general mayhem is unsurpassed as well. Love to catch them live one day!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEW8kbfE_NY
Death List:
Bubbling under:
15. Decease - Age Of The Covenant - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFun6T98D34
14. Deconversion - Incertitude Of Existence - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uz64OvNIOQ
13. Fuck You And Die - Elements of Instability - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVPgA_6dHxc
12. Id - Philosofia - http://iddeathmetal.bandcamp.com/
11. Irreversible Mechanism - Infinite Fields - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6ov4MEFH98
10. Inanimate Existence - A Never Ending Cycle of Atonement - These guys play a super precise and technical form of death metal with a super clean production. The riffs come at you in torrential waves of rapid fire notes like the Necrophagist of old.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9KKKq2MRPc
09. Mors Principium Est - Dawn Of The 5th Era - These guys are real masters of classic vibrant and energetic melodic death metal.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GilkWgvgh1o
08. Mass Infection - For I Am Genocide - These guys play a stunning form of heavy death metal with rolling battering ram drums and riffs that sound like classic Decapitated and Morbid Angel of old.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMtKEgcAhuc
07. Vader - Tibi Et Igni - The Polish kings returned with a fabulously heavy and bruising affair with monstrous sound. The vocals from Piotr are some of the best in death metal. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVUru5jaDqI
06. Seprevation - Consumed - Unknown new English band with a really awesome debut of death metal with a somewhat thrashy feel to the riffs but with a very technical choppy attribute as well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydC6_IRNIuc
05. Scar Symmetry - The Singularity (Phase I - Neohumanity) - Ok so everyone knows SS are not pure a death metal band at all but I'll put them here for argument's sake as they started as pretty much a progressive melodic death band. This album in any case completely blew me away on first listen. The sound on this thing is bloody massive and then some. The melodic bits soon start to get under your skin and the growling makes you feel like a cosmic giant about to devour space itself! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NsFx6iVOaA
04. Septycal Gorge - Scourge of The Formless Breed - Italian brutal and technical death metal mastery. Sounds like there's a battle going on inside your head with all the instruments battling for supremacy. Sounds like my other fave band of this style Deeds of Flesh.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqipt7BcNHE
03. Omnihility - Deathscapes Of The Subconscious - More Deeds of Fleshisms galore in this awesome band. One of the few bands who pays attention how to fit vocal dynamics around the riffs as well to make it a little more catchy. The riffing in this band is like a pneumatic drill pummelling your brain to mush but in a very clinical way! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQO7XBX1nlc
02. Cannibal Corpse - A Skeletal Domain - Wow normally I like CC albums straight away but damn I had to work a bit hard with this. I quite liked the initial single but the rest failed to impress. It just didn't seem as immediate as most CC is and was a bit too technical even at times and quite hard going. I don't quite know when it clicked, though perhaps after I saw them live and how tight they were, helped in making me appreciate the class on display. I now like most songs on this album and it pusdhed all the way up to second place as I play it a lot now.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iojkxktXpQ
01. Soreption - Engineering the Void - Finally my number one is this Swedish band who have had two amazing albums in a row. These guys strongly resemble the Decapitated of old. Note I am not a fan of the new Decapitated at all. This album has the catchiest staccato riffage you can imagine. The drumming is clinically precise and the whole thing sounds very mechanical like a high precision Swiss watch set to musical form. These riffs are almost danceable at times they are so groovy and special mention for the killer melodic solos as well. Easily my number one death metal album in death metal this year.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLN016ZKB_E
Melodic list:
Bubbling under:
Dragonforce - Maximum Overload
Primal Fear - Delivering the Black
Night Mistress - Into The Madness
Astral Doors - Notes From The Shadows
Wolf - Devil Seed
10. Riot V - Unleash The Fire
Riot is a band I've pretty much let pass me by in the past. I've liked various songs and albums from the past. I remember liking the Mike DiMeo album of the past but I think the new Riot or Riot V album may be my fave Riot album ever. Probably sacrilege to most but older Riot never hit me as being something orgasmic or legendary but heck I enjoyed this new effort a great deal. Mainly thanks to the new singer's awesome voice. Is he new even? Anyway this guy is just a wicked high pitched yet melodic singer and I like the fact that they didn't forget to write memorable choruses as almost every single song has one. I hope this incarnation continues to deliver more albums of this magnitude.
09. Crosswind - Vicious Dominion
This band came from the proverbial blue to shatter my peace one fine day with their incendiary and heavy melodic take on power metal. The singer especially hit me like a ton of bricks with his melodic yet extremely sharp, soaring voice which effortlessly took centre stage above the clatter and blood spatter of the mayhem going on around him. The guy is probably the best power metal singer I've heard this year bar none. He could have been the new Lost Horizon singer, he's that good IMO. He holds the songs together with his powerful pipes and belts out some spectacularly invigorating choruses whilst his band mates create a whirlwind of power behind. One for the fans of heaviness in power metal!
08. Sabaton - Heroes
Ah my heroes. For they truly are heroes themselves. Sure they've been going to that well seven times now but the well hasn't run dry even yet. The Swedish war machine may not be every ones cuppa but their popularity grows and grows and I don't see it slowing down any time soon. Heroes maybe a very safe album for them but I don't think experimentation and Sabaton really go hand in hand. Maybe try a couple of more epic tunes next time guys just to spice it up a little and don't forget - heroes never die!
07. Within Temptation - Hydra
Is this the best Within Temptation album? I don't know but it's definitely the album that they needed to make. It's got more of everything that the band is known for but it's all been multiplied by a thousand or whatever number you like. Sharon's vocals are the best they have ever been. The rap song is a slight "...ehhh well whatever" moment but the actual song itself is not that bad. The rest of the album sees the band at their very best. This could be a bold statement but probably the biggest European female fronted metal band ahead of Nightwish now. Over to you Mr. H!
06. Stormwarrior - Thunder & Steele
This was my number one album of this year for a very long time but I decided to drop it down a few places towards the end of the year as I felt other releases had gained preference over it. The album is still a corker of Teutonic German power metal ala Running WIld. There is no hint of a filler track on this album. The singer may not be a technically good singer but his voice is perfect for the band in the sense that Rock n Rolf is perfect for Running Wild. Sacred Blade is one of my favourite songs of the year but on another day it will be something else from this awesome album.
05. Iron Savior - Rise Of The Hero
The previous comeback album (The Landing) from Piet and co was good but Rise of the Hero blows it clean out of the water This is a wickedly catchy heavy metal record up with their best album which I consider to be Unification. The production is thick, loud and screaming and Piet's characteristic vocals are fully maximised to the fore. These are the kind of melodic anthems which I simply love when I'm listening to power metal and Iron Savior are a class apart when it comes to anthems!
04. Kobra And The Lotus - High Priestess
Kobra where have you been all my life and why have I ignored you all this time? OK I didn't ignore them or her completely but their previous album didn't really strike much of a chord with me. But Goddamn High Priestess has remedied this impasse and then some. I completely adore Kobra's voice now. I don't
quite know what it is about her I like so much. She's just got a beautiful way of singing and she enunciates so clearly. I really like to be able to understand lyrics and with many European power metal singers that's nigh on impossible but with singers like Kobra that's not a problem in the slightest. Her band mates have delivered her a classic heavy metal backing with which to weave her magic and every song on High Priestess is a gem make no mistake. The only slight quibble I have is that the production is a bit up and down and could have used a little more heavier guitars. If they sort that out next time and maintain the songwriting skills then that will be one spectacular heavy metal record. Mind you it's going to very difficult to top High Priestess as it is.
03. Allen-Lande - The Great Divide
Wow the best Allen/Lande album by a country mile! Not that the others weren't good but this is beyond good. It's really something that these two legends of the mic both turn in amazing performances although I just feel Jorn wins this battle or maybe I just like his voice a little more than Russell's. Either way huge credit must go to much maligned Mr Tolkki for not fucking this up like he did his own solo album. We salute you sir for thankfully making this sound good and not shitty. To top it all off the songwriting is very good indeed. I think he wrote most of the songs with Jorn in mind more hence his songs sound just that little bit stronger than Mr. Allen's. Either way the fans win with this masterpiece, one of Tolkki's best recent projects by a long long way. I actually wouldn't mind if Tolkki worked with Jorn on his next solo cd after the Dracula thingy which is coming out soon in 2015.
02. Dynazty - Renatus
From glam metal and rock to modern shiny melodic power metal sheen! Quite a jump and a big leap of faith but wow was it worth it in the end. Sure they will lose a few fans along the way but damn they'll have gained a whole heap more. This really is a spectacular release that hits you like a ton of bricks from the get go. I actually liked both styles of the band so this style change whilst surprising only turned me on to the band even more. The songwriting approach changed with riffs being blistering and faster with a huge melodic edge still in tact. To go with that musical the singer also had to up his game and boy did he do that. The guy literally turns in a phenomenal performance. He doesn't have say the power of a Ralf or the Greek guy from Crosswind but he has an awesome melodic edge and tone to his voice that bring the songs to life. And what songs they are. Incredibly memorable, engaging and hummable long after the song has ended. I do wonder how the next album will turn out with these guys though. Will they pull a step back or will they forge ahead with this melodic modern metal path? We will see but for now Renatus is a fantastically awesome release in it's own right.
01. Work Of Art - Framework
Normally my number one album is likely to be a power metal or a heavy melodic rock album but this year my brain and ears where engulfed by the pure melodic joy that is Sweden's Work of Art. I must admit after the initial plays I thought the album was amazing but not better than In Progress their previous album. I would have probably placed it in the top 10-15 and loved it no less. However as time has gone by this album has been getting constant plays and I mean constant plays. Two or three times in a row in fact. I sometimes wonder what should I play next and I find myself thinking nah I won't play this or play that it's good but I'm bored of it. However with Framework this never happened at all. The urge to reach for it was constant and often. It's all mainly because of singer Lars Safsund. That guy makes me swoon. I still can't even believe his vocals are even real. I'd love to see WoA live one day and see if he can really song that clear and smooth in person. On record the guy is just like velvet candy being poured into your ears. The band is brought to life of course by the brilliant songwriting of Robert Sall. He works on a lot of Frontiers projects but it seems he always saves his best stuff for his own band the cheeky monkey! Not that I'm complaining as like I said this album is my album of the year by a country mile. There is not a single second of this that I find contrived or boring. Even the ballads will capture your heart. Of course it's not the ballads that I'm paying my money for, it's those uptempo swooning rockers and mid temp heart breakers that I'm on about. The best song on the album is the utterly mesmeric Shout Till You Wake Up. I don't know how they will ever top this release but I'm sure Lars and Robert will keep trying for their talent for mesmeric AOR is endless.
Thrash list:
Bubbling Under:
15. Gross Reality - Overthrow - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AaaGNrEKjQA
14. The Hidden - Fearful Symmetry - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYj36q4y-Zo
13. Dust Bolt - Awake The Riot - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfZCQ5XBAbo
12. Nocturnal - Storming Evil - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uz7kabXuf64
11. Alkoholizer - Free Beer...Surf's Up!!! - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzVmL3I10SA
10. Lethal Vice - Thrash Converters - Groovy and semi technical thrash with a bundle of awesome riffs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f82NDfhygEI
09. Mekong Delta - In A Mirror Darkly - Not big into these original tech masters but this album has class dripping from every pore.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gc799tHY8N4
08. Fatal Mutiny - Existence In Extinction - Greek tech thrash with sharp sound and a huge of array riffs that make you wanna sweat blood! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_IlCWph6Yw
07. Envenomed - Evil Unseen - Polished melodic thrash with groovy riffs and full on melodic vocals.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6M6SZmcLa_U
06. Revocation - Deathless - Is it death? Is it thrash? More thrash I say. Riffs slayed on this beast of a record!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPIRkrb7C0k
05. Arcania - Dreams Are Dead - Proggy melodic thrash with shouted slightly clean vox and a whole heap of cool ideas. Very interesting listen. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlB27HebGmo
04. Shrapnel - The Virus Conspires - One of the best new UK thrash bands with full rage and riffs to turn your ears to mush!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0GPMeAGuJg
03. Alitor - Eternal Depression - Serbian tech thrash aping Death somewhat here and there but with wickedly cacthy riffs all over the shop. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XxoKyXaUMA
02. Suicidal Angels - Divide and Conquer - My favourite thrash band in the world today. Greek Slayer fanciers are mercilessly awesome and this isn't even their best album. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muhZFJGRkHo
01. Exmortus - Slave to the Sword - Not actually a full on thrash album but what I would call a neo-classical shred-thrash hybrid with raspy vocals. This band blew me away at the start of the year and I've decided to call them my number one based on the number of plays alone. The production on this thing is bloody huge but the riffs, shredding and general mayhem is unsurpassed as well. Love to catch them live one day!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEW8kbfE_NY
Death List:
Bubbling under:
15. Decease - Age Of The Covenant - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFun6T98D34
14. Deconversion - Incertitude Of Existence - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uz64OvNIOQ
13. Fuck You And Die - Elements of Instability - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVPgA_6dHxc
12. Id - Philosofia - http://iddeathmetal.bandcamp.com/
11. Irreversible Mechanism - Infinite Fields - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6ov4MEFH98
10. Inanimate Existence - A Never Ending Cycle of Atonement - These guys play a super precise and technical form of death metal with a super clean production. The riffs come at you in torrential waves of rapid fire notes like the Necrophagist of old.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9KKKq2MRPc
09. Mors Principium Est - Dawn Of The 5th Era - These guys are real masters of classic vibrant and energetic melodic death metal.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GilkWgvgh1o
08. Mass Infection - For I Am Genocide - These guys play a stunning form of heavy death metal with rolling battering ram drums and riffs that sound like classic Decapitated and Morbid Angel of old.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMtKEgcAhuc
07. Vader - Tibi Et Igni - The Polish kings returned with a fabulously heavy and bruising affair with monstrous sound. The vocals from Piotr are some of the best in death metal. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVUru5jaDqI
06. Seprevation - Consumed - Unknown new English band with a really awesome debut of death metal with a somewhat thrashy feel to the riffs but with a very technical choppy attribute as well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydC6_IRNIuc
05. Scar Symmetry - The Singularity (Phase I - Neohumanity) - Ok so everyone knows SS are not pure a death metal band at all but I'll put them here for argument's sake as they started as pretty much a progressive melodic death band. This album in any case completely blew me away on first listen. The sound on this thing is bloody massive and then some. The melodic bits soon start to get under your skin and the growling makes you feel like a cosmic giant about to devour space itself! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NsFx6iVOaA
04. Septycal Gorge - Scourge of The Formless Breed - Italian brutal and technical death metal mastery. Sounds like there's a battle going on inside your head with all the instruments battling for supremacy. Sounds like my other fave band of this style Deeds of Flesh.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqipt7BcNHE
03. Omnihility - Deathscapes Of The Subconscious - More Deeds of Fleshisms galore in this awesome band. One of the few bands who pays attention how to fit vocal dynamics around the riffs as well to make it a little more catchy. The riffing in this band is like a pneumatic drill pummelling your brain to mush but in a very clinical way! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQO7XBX1nlc
02. Cannibal Corpse - A Skeletal Domain - Wow normally I like CC albums straight away but damn I had to work a bit hard with this. I quite liked the initial single but the rest failed to impress. It just didn't seem as immediate as most CC is and was a bit too technical even at times and quite hard going. I don't quite know when it clicked, though perhaps after I saw them live and how tight they were, helped in making me appreciate the class on display. I now like most songs on this album and it pusdhed all the way up to second place as I play it a lot now.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iojkxktXpQ
01. Soreption - Engineering the Void - Finally my number one is this Swedish band who have had two amazing albums in a row. These guys strongly resemble the Decapitated of old. Note I am not a fan of the new Decapitated at all. This album has the catchiest staccato riffage you can imagine. The drumming is clinically precise and the whole thing sounds very mechanical like a high precision Swiss watch set to musical form. These riffs are almost danceable at times they are so groovy and special mention for the killer melodic solos as well. Easily my number one death metal album in death metal this year.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLN016ZKB_E
