Another year has passed us by and as always we've had some killer tunes, from various subgenres and styles of heavy music, to get us through it. This year gave a wide variety of classic bands (including some comebacks), as well as some younger ones and up and comers. As always, this list took a long time to take its final shape, though number one stayed at that top spot from the moment it came out. That being said I kept pushing this back from posting cuz I kept redoing the order, as I listened to albums more and more. Anyways, let's get to it already!
Honorable Mentions: Opeth- The Last Will and Testament Undeath- More Insane Boundaries- Death Is Little More New Years Day- Half Dark Heart Witch Vomit- Funeral Sanctum
20. Gatecreeper- Dark Superstition- Embracing a more melodic sound, Gatecreeper have achieved yet another winner of an album. Dark, heavy, and, at times quite catchy, this is one I listened to a lot. Especially the track "The Black Curtain", which was one of the best singles in extreme metal last year.
19. Amaranthe- The Catalyst- The reigning kings of symphonic metal return with another beautifully crafted, fun, and catchy work. Great to listen and sign along to it does everything you want a recording like this to do. This one features some of the most enjoyable and beautifully crafted songs of the year.
18. The Black Dahlia Murder- Servitude- After the loss of their front-man Trevor Strnad, I think didn't my all time favorite melodeath band would ever return. So imagine my pleasant surprise when not only did they do just that, but did it so successfully! Servitude is a great comeback, that sounds heavy, dark, and powerful. All the touches that make TBDM so awesome are here, with Brian Eschbach doing an amazing job taking over vocal duties. He gives you that feeling that Strnad did without sounding like a carbon copy or wanna-be, still managing to be his own man. As a matter of fact, every single time I put this one on, I am reminded of just fucking solid a record it is!
17. Necrot- Lifeless Birth- We've been champing death metallers Necrot since the beginning. here at Words from the Master. So. it kinda sucks that they are still so underrated. Especially when you hear how consistently good their output is. Case, in point, this overpoweringly heavy slab of death and gore. From the opening track to the end this one is filled with chainsaw guitars, pounding drums, unearthly growls, and a wonderfully evil feel and atmosphere to the sonic proceedings.
16. Aborted- Vault of Horrors- One of my favorite death metal acts, Aborted never fail to put out a killer release. And, even when I can say that I prefer the last couple ahead of this one, it's still light years ahead of much of the competition. Filled with guest stars galore (Shadow of Intent, Despised Icon, etc), this one revels in the all assault, groove, brutality, and love of gore and horror, that an Aborted album should.
15. Marilyn Manson- One Assassination Under God, Chapter 1- I honestly wasn't sure if Manson would ever return after all the controversary (which I am gonna avoid mentioning here). So, the fact he not only came back but came back with the best album since his classic heyday is one fuck of an achievement. This is honestly the first recording of his in ages where I can enjoy every single track, without skipping. Dark, haunting, evil, and catchy, with its mix if industrial and hook laden gothic metal, this is everything you want in a Manson album!
14. Nails- Every Bridge Burned- Powerviolence/ hardcore band Nails are back motherfucker! And, their return is filled with the most uncompromisingly heavy and brutal music imaginable. This sonic slab of piss and vinegar is one of the angriest fuckers committed to the soundscape of last year. It's mix of grindcore and hardcore punk infused metal shines on songs like incredible "Lacking the Ability to Process Empathy" which hit like a steel tipped kick to the fucking balls. In fact, this album is like 17 min plus ass kicking of the most brutal and vicious quality.
13. Fit For An Autopsy- The Nothing That Is- Fit For An Autopsy continue to prove that they are, with a shadow of a doubt. one of the absolute masters of deathcore. Featuring a heavy, crushing, melodic, and technically sound style, this is one adrenaline charged motherfucker. From the moment the opening track, "Hostage", starts this one will make you want to trash everything in fucking sight. A sure fire way to fuel the mosh pit this is hands down the best deathcore release of last year.
12. Knocked Loose- You Won't Go Before You're Supposed to- This feels like it was the year for groin kicking core music. And, perhaps none hit harder and more pissed off than this barnburner from Knocked Loose. They also had THE biggest and best moment for uncompromisingly heavy music of last year, when they performed their single "Suffocate", featuring the always awesome Poppy, on TheJimmy Kimmel Show. It was an awesome and absolutely ass kicking presentation that combined with the fact that it scared a bunch of housewives, grandmas, and whimps all the more better and legendary!
11. Nile- The Underworld Awaits for Us All- I have admit ably liked everything I have ever heard from Nile. But, I don't think I have really loved anything since Ithyphallic. That is until this fucking bone crushing release. Heavy and brutal, this audio assault is their best since then. Honestly, it really ranks among their best work, period. The single "Chapter for Not Being Hung Upside Down on a Stake in the Underworld and Made to Eat Feces by the Four Apes" gets my vote for not just the best (and certainly longest!) title in death metal (fuck that all of metal) last year but also as one of the best tracks in the extreme metal in 2024!
10. Fulci- Duck Face Killings- If you know me or follow me/ this website religiously you'll know of my love for both death metal and horror master Lucio Fulci. So, it comes as no surprise to anyone that I would love this Italian death metal band, who are inspired by the Italian master of hardcore splatter and horror. I actually only really got into them this year. But, fuck what an album to be introduced to them with! This fun, violent, and heavy as fuck recording is inspired by Fulci's gruesome. controversial, and sleazy giallo/ slasher The New York Ripper. Said flick tells the heartwarming tale of a crazed psycho who slices up women with a straight razor, razor blades, broken bottles and more, all while quacking like a duck! This fucker is every bit as wild and extreme as that flick, and the result is my favorite straight up death metal album of last year.
9. Escuela Grind- Dreams on Algorithms- The latest from Escuela Grind might just be their best. It's crushingly heavy, brutal, and yet, somehow, has some great hooks and grooves that makes kinda catchy. I say kinda cuz this is still an all out assault of driving and angry grindcore and hardcore. It also has what is my most listened to extreme metal song of 2024, in the fucking awesome "Turbulence". With vocalist, Katerina Economou, mixing clean vocals (for what is the first time ever in the band, I think) with her usual deep and menacing growls, really summing up that killer and unlikely mix of catchy and brutal that I mentioned before! Oh and, that guitar tone on it absolutely fucking kills!!
8. Poppy- Negative Spaces- Poppy continues to go further down the metal music hole, and the world is better for it! While there are still songs that fall under the electric pop sound of hers, there is a lot of metal here. Showing industrial, metalcore, and even some deathcore (she even does a blegh in the kick ass "They're All Around Us"!), gives it extra fucking kick to the teeth. She is a great signer, and her screams and growls continue to get more fucking awesome! The overall result is that the music is driving, fun, groove filled, melodic, and gets the blood going. In fact, between this album and her collabs with Knocked Loose and Bad Omens, Poppy was one of the most exciting and most attention worthy stars in all of metal from last year.
7. Body Count- Merciless- Body Count continues their continuous string of absolute fire albums. Merciless keeps that trend going with the added bonus that Ice T sounds pissed off as fuck! This makes for an album whose title fits it like a leather glove! Violent, badass, and a total ass kicking, adrenalized experience, I couldn't stop listening to it after it came out. There is even a fucking thunder and razor fast team-up with Corpsegrinder from Cannibal Corpse, in The Purge, which is inspired by the action horror movies of the same name.
6. Linkin Park- From Zero- The return of Linkin Park was one of the most unexpected and heavily discussed occurrences in hard music this past year. And, while there was a good amount controversy surrounding their new signer Emily Armstrong, who had a monumental task ahead of her replacing the late, great Chester Bennington. But, in spite of it all, they did some shows (with a full tour to come this year) and put out this spectacular comeback album. It mixes elements from many of the band's eras, while leaning heavily on the more metallic sound of the beloved first two records. Some of my absolute fav tracks of the year like "Heavy Is the Crown" and "Two Faced" are included here. And, despite my initial questioning and complaining, I can say that this is on the level of those classic two records. And, let's not bullshit, Emily is a great singer with some nice melodic voice and great screams. Destined to be seen as one of the greatest comeback records ever (cuz it is!), it has definitely returned Linkin Park to their place as one of the biggest bands ever in metal and hard rock.
5. The Warning- Keep Me Fed- The Warning, one of my favorite acts to come down the pike in the last few years, put out their best record yet with Keep Me Fed. The album rocks hard and some amazing hooks. It's filled from top to bottom with great songs that are fun and catchy as hell. Tracks like "Six Feet Deep", "Que Mas Quieres", "MORE", and lots others will ear worm into your head. And, I fucking challenge you to not sign along to just about every freaking song in here! On a side note, I was suppose to see them for a second time last year (my first being two years ago) in Brooklyn, but I got sick. Cuz life loves to kick me in the balls.
4. Lucifer- Lucifer V- I have been a HUGE fan of this band since the beginning. And, it always boggles my mind just how under the radar they remain. Even though every album they put out is a fucking banger. This fifth one is no different. It's catchy, haunting, and filled with great hooks, melodies, and atmosphere. As soon as, I put this one on, I always get totally sucked in. And, with tracks like "At the Mortuary" and "Riding Reaper" how can I not be?
3. Job For A Cowboy- Moon Healer- Look another awesome return, this being the one I anticipated the most! Job For A Cowboy continue their progressive death metal sound that they started on their incredible last release Sun Eater way back in 2014! And, they actually manage to top that master work with this one, which is in my very humble opinion, the best extreme metal release of last year.
2. Chelsea Wolfe- She Reaches Out to She Reaches Out to She- The runner-up position goes to the latest from the amazing Chelsea Wolfe who continues to be one of the most exciting artists in all of of music. Haunting, dark, and beautiful tunes highlight this release that is yet another complex mix of influences and styles. Dripping in atmosphere and emotion, this is an album that sucks you in from the very second that it starts.
1. Judas Priest- Invincible Shield- And, the top spot goes to the latest from one of the godfathers of metal: Judas fucking Priest! I don't know ow they do it, but at over fifty years of making metal music, they still put out great albums. Not just great, but best of the year great, as is the case here! The songs are catchy, fun, and hard. They get you headbanging and signing along. Soaring riffs, driving drums, and Rob Halford still belting out like no one's goddamn business! Priest top both their contemporaries and the modern flock of metal bands. This is classic Priest at their best! Put it this way. Invincible Shield was my favorite album from the moment I first heard it. And, while many albums moved up and down this list, it always remained at the top spot of my list, with not even an inch of a doubt in my mind.
And, those are my picks for my list. What were your favorite metal and hard rock albums of last year? Let me know in the comments section below.
THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER will release their tenth studio album, Servitude, on September 27th via Metal Blade Records, today unveiling the record’s first single and preorders.
“Before the tragedy, no one ever thought this band was going to exist without Trevor.”
That’s THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER’s co-founder Brian Eschbach telling it like it is. With the tragic passing of the band’s frontman and co-founder Trevor Strnad in 2022, Eschbach, bassist Max Lavelle, drummer Alan Cassidy, and producer/guitarist Brandon Ellis were faced with a decision: Close the door on one of the most beloved death metal bands of the last twenty years, or carry on in their fallen brother’s charismatic spirit?
“Everyone that’s in the band now is someone that Trevor and I searched for,” Eschbach says. “We spent so much time on the road together that everyone understands the mission statement. We don’t really need to talk about it. We just need to make great music and try to make people happy playing it.”
After a period of profound grief and deep soul-searching, Eschbach moved from guitar to vocals, setting aside his lifelong identity as a live guitarist for the survival of the band. Former THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER member Ryan Knight returned to the fold to take Eschbach’s place on guitar. The new lineup made their debut in the band's hometown of Detroit in late October 2022 for a tribute show for Strnad.
Fast forward to right about now: THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER’s new album is the one that many would have thought impossible. Servitude marks Eschbach’s recorded debut as THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER’s lead vocalist and lyricist — and their first with Knight on guitar since 2015’s Abysmal.
“I just had to lean into it hard,” Eschbach says of approaching Servitude in a completely new role. “Honestly, writing the lyrics for this album was easier for me than writing the music for the three songs that I wrote music for. I’d pick a subject, research it, and just kinda dive in. Even though it’s not something I’d really ever done before, there was a natural flow to it once I started.”
You can hear the thrilling results on “Aftermath,” the ripping lead single, which envisions a post-apocalyptic cannibal scenario. “We wanted that one to be heard first because it’s one of the faster songs on the album, if not the fastest,” Eschbach says. “We wanted that very aggressive BLACK DAHLIA melodic death metal feel coming right at you. Lyrically, it’s about a meteor that fucks up the whole planet, but there’s still people living. Kind of like The Walking Dead, but with no zombies — so you get right to how people deal with it. And by the end, they’re eating each other.”
Watch THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER’s video for “Aftermath,” created by My Good Eye: Music Visuals, atTHIS LOCATION.
The members of THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER know that some will be skeptical of an album without Trevor’s inimitable presence. But many fans have already embraced the band’s decision to move forward.
“More than pressures or expectations from the fanbase, I feel their trust and support,” Ellis says. “We've always done what we do for them, and they've appreciated our consistency over the years. The global outcry following Trevor's passing has shown us how important the band's music has been to so many people, and how important it is that we continue in his honor. Under all that weight, I think we all knew what needed to be done.”
“We put in everything we had, and this is the album that felt right to make,” he adds. “I'm proud of it and proud of the five of us. You can never please everybody, but I know that this music will be a healing and positive force for those who embrace it!”
The guitars, bass, and vocals for Servitude were recorded at Ellis’ home studio in New Jersey. The drums were recorded by Mark Lewis in Nashville, Tennessee where the album was also mixed. Servitude was mastered by Ted Jensen.
Servitude will be released on digipak CD, cassette, and digital formats as well as vinyl in the following color variants and special editions:
180g Black (US/EU)
Electromagnetic (US)
Rising Smoke (US)
Transcosmic Blue (US)
Endless Tide (US)
Utopian Black (US)
Cursed Creation (US – Exclusive Band Tour Variant)
Limited Edition Box Set w/ Ephemeral Vinyl Variant + Bonus LP That Includes 3 Live Tracks (US - Ltd. 400 / EU - Ltd. 600)
To say that 2020 sucked ass would be an understatement. With the corona-virus pandemic everything was affected, not the least of which was the music scene. This was a year mostly without live music. And, while some bands have decided to postpone releases till next year, like for example The Pretty Reckless, there was thankfully some amazing metal and hard rock albums to get us through these shitty times. Among, them legends released some of their finest work in years, while younger bands put out all the stops on their work. Here, then is my annual crop of the creme-de-la creme.
20. Repuked- Dawn of Reintoxication- Repuked's third album is equally repulsive, fun, and crushingly heavy. Read my full review here.
19. The White Swan- Nocturnal Transmission- Yes, I know this is an EP, but I would fucking be completely off if I didn't rank this. Cause, this sludge metal band fronted by Kittie's Morgan Lander is damn, fucking good! My full review.
18. Incantation- Sect of Vile Divinities- This classic death metal act are back with this smashingly brutal release. My full review.
17. Poppy- I Disagree- Poppy's I Disagree might be this year's most pleasant and adventurous surprise. She takes the kawaii metal sounds made famous be acts like Babymetal and really improves upon it. And, while I usually hate this brand of metal, I love what she does here. Mixing pop, industrial, metal, and nu-metal sounds, it's a fun, catchy, and original bit of music.
16. Testament- Titans of Creation- One of thrash metal most endearing and classic bands continue to release constantly great music. I slightly prefer the couple of albums before this one, but that just goes to show the quality of their output. As this is a fucking awesome blast of thrash assault!
15. Annihilator- Ballistic, Sadistic- One of the year's earliest releases remains one of the best thrash metal albums of 2020. My full review.
14. Necrot- Mortal- Necrot continue to bring us the old school death metal, in this their best work to date. My full review.
13. Deftones- Ohmes- After the disappointing Gore, the Deftones came right back up with this solid return to form. The album is a long time listen, as it takes a few spins to really get its hooks into you. But, once it does it sticks to you and only gets better with every listening.
12- Napalm Death- Throes of Joy in the Jaws of Defeatism- Let it never be said that Napalm Death aren't afraid to add a few new twists to their classic sound. This killer album ranks as their finest release in many a moon. Heavy and angry as fucking hell, this album is an absolute ripper that will leave listeners beaten and bloody on the floor (even without the added bonus of concert mosh pits).
11. Abysmal Dawn- Phyolgensis- This album introduced me to brutality of Abysmal Dawn and with that they gained a new fan. Here is my review of one of the very best death metal albums of the year.
10. Trivium- What the Dead Men Say- Trivium are on a fucking roll after their amazing last The Sin and Sentence. This is a truly worthy follow up to that modern classic. Melodic, heavy, and technically strong, Trivium continue to put to shame many of other bands simialr to them and beyond. What the Dead Man Say is one of the listenable metal releases of this year, with the title track being one of the coolest singles and videos of 2020.
9. AC/DC- Power Up- 2020 definitely sucked a big bag of dicks. But, some good things came from it. And, one of the best things has to be the return of the mighty AC/DC! It's great to have Brian Johnson back signing in what might be the greatest hard rock act of all fucking time. And, Power Up is their best work in many years. Sure, I liked albums like Black Ice and Rock or Bust, but where Power Up rules is in the quality. You see many of the the tracks here rank among the most memorable songs they have composed in many, many years.
8. Lindsay Schoolcraft- Worlds Away- While, not a metal album in purest sense, this incredible record is the most beautiful and haunting release of 2020. My review of this amazing and powerful disc can be found here.
7. Lucifer- Lucifer III- Three albums into their career, and Lucifer have become one of my favorite bands out there. Their seventies/ early eighties inspired metal sound is magnificently done. And, Lucifer III is their best yet. Songs like "Midnight Phantom", "Leather Demon", and "Lucifer" are some of my most played songs of 2020.
6. Warbringer- Weapons of Tomorrow- My absolute favorite modern era thrash band continue to put out albums that puta lot other bands in this style of music, both new and old, to shame! The full frontal assaults of Weapons of Tomorrow is proof, yet again of this. Angry, fast, and filled with lyrics on war, this is killer thrash at its finest!
5. Traveler- Termination Shock- Who would have thought that the best classic heavy metal album of the year, would also be in the top five albums of the year? And, it comes from a newer band to boot! My full review.
4. Sodom- Genesis XIX- German thrash masters Sodom are back! This is not only with their best album since their 80s heydays, but the best thrash release of 2020. My full review.
3. Lamb Of God- Lamb of God- If it works stick with it! And, that's just what Lamb Of God does with groove laden crusher. It features songs that get you pumped up and wanna open a whole can of whoop ass. There are even team ups with Hatebreed's Jamey Jasta and Testament's Chuck Billy for further musical beatdowns.
2. Body Count- Carnivore- Here is another winner from motherfucking Body Count! It's pissed off, badass, timely, and a total ass kicker. In fact, this runner-up fits 2020 like a leather fucking glove that punches your right in the fucking nuts! And, it gets bonus points for having duos with singers like Amy Lee of Evanscence and the late, great Riley Gale of Power Trip.
1. The Black Dahlia Murder- Verminous- And, once again The Black Dahlia Murder top the list with their latest. Killer music, lyrics, and artwork all amount to another yet another masterpiece from their excellent catalogue. TBDM is light years of not just most fellow melodic death metal acts, but I would say death metal in general. A shame we didn't get to experience this killer live, but at least we can enjoy this motherfucking awesome beast!
What are your favorite albums of 2020? Let me know in the comments section below!
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