1. High Command - Beyond The Wall Of Desolation
One of the most commanding albums of the decade. Pulpy sword & sorcery inspired crossover-thrash that is unrelenting in its theatricality and intensity.
2. Oath Of Cruelty - Summary Execution At Dawn
Another Thrash masterclass, this one focused on riffs, riffs, riffs. Oath Of Cruelty play to the genre's most primitive instincts with a malignity rarely seen among modern day revivalists.
3. Venom Prison - Samsara
This is my kind of feminist death metal: barbed and jagged, laced with hooks to rip your balls off.
4. Hideous Divinity - Simulacrum
Hideous Divinity keep getting better. Few technical death metal artists take care to nurture their riffs like this. The entire album is one massive ear-worm, that kind that coils into your brain and eats you alive from inside.
5. Nile - Vile Nelotic Rites
Nile are back in business after a much-needed line-up change. While the formula remains the same, the energy and enthusiasm are ramped back up to olden days.
6. Wolfbrigade - The Enemy: Reality
Don't fix what ain't broken. Wolfbrigade bring the goods again with more crushingly heavy, absurdly catchy "stadium d-beat."
7. Skullcrush - Archaic Towers Of Annihilation
Wolverine Blues era death-n-roll is a sound I've been chasing since 1993. Few bands can handle it. Skullcrush can.
8. Runemagick - Into Desolate Realms
So much Runemagick lately feels like a gift. After years of dormancy, we get a second full-length right quick and it delivers yet another heaving dose of turbulent death-doom from one of the genre's true masters.
9. Sentient Horror - Morbid Realms
Fresh and fun Swedish-style death metal by way of the swamps of New Jersey. Sentient Horror reinvigorate a semi-moribund style on sheer excess of exuberant riffs.
10. Isotope - Isotope
Hardcore that hits like a Mack truck.
11. Inculter - Fatal Visions
Inculter get it right this time, shaking of cliches and tapping into Thrash's darkest auras.
12. Hellripper - Black Arts & Alchemy
"All Hail The Goat" was my most played song of the year.
13. Apparition - Severed Life
Never the biggest melodeath fan but Apparition hit me hard with well-constructed riffs and leads, keeping the technicality exuberant but not overwhelming. Reminded me of Heartwork, which is a huge compliment.
14. Gatecreeper - Deserted
Gatecreeper are a smorgasbord type band, a veritable buffet sampler of every style of death metal under the desert sun.
15. Full Of Hell - Weeping Choir
Original, weird, and experimental yet still grimy, contorted, and distorted. Full Of Hell walk the razor wire between grindcore conformity and the avant-garde.
16. Vulture - Ghastly Waves & Battered Graves
Old-school speed metal, tried and true.
17. Abnormality - Sociopathic Constructs
This one was sadly lacking in buzz but I found it to be an invigorating blend of technicality and brutality with great vocals. Much better than their previous full-length.
18. Ripper - Sensory Stagnation
Ripper have kinda settled into a formula of Human era Death worship but that's my kind of worship so why not?
19. Crush The Altar - Abhorrent Oblation
Triumphantly confident for a demo that sounds so blatantly similar to 80's era Sepultura. Dig the potential here.
20. Engulf - Transcend
Wrapping up a three-EP series of discordant death metal, Engulf target their heroes (Gorguts, Hate Eternal) for usurpation.
