I'm still alive!
Here we go the big 2020 round up. Another fantastic year of music of all sorts of styles that I enjoy. All my fave genres delivered massive highlights for me and then some. This may have been the dreaded year of the Covid plague but metal and rock music didn't stop even if touring did. I stopped on 10 gigs pre Covid. My lowest total this century. However I did instead buy far far more CDS than usual - probably around 70. By my count I rated 554 albums and EPs at 7/10 or higher. I would say this was probably much more than recent years. I don't know the figure off hand but I would guess it's around 300-400 max for the previous few years of the last decade. I may be using a different rating system though as I know I never really used to rate to a figure out of ten until more recently. Anyway I figure that whilst 7 or 7.5 out of 10 albums can sometimes be like yeah whatever, yet to me, they still have value as a whole as solid listenable albums. I won't list the whole lot as they can all be seen in the monthly round up posts but here's what I consider the top 150 in some sort of reverse order in mixed genres.
Albums/EPs from 150 to 51 are in some sort of order like I said but it's not really that big of a deal since No. 150 can be as good as say No. 75 on it's day but I had to do some kind of ranking based on how I remember things at the time of listening. All these are what I consider as hovering between 8 and 8.5 out of 10 albums and really good albums. I will write a tiny word or two on each.
150. Shrapnel - Palace for the Insane - Face ripping UK thrash
149. Buried Realm - Embodiment of the Divine - chunky death metal
148. Exa - Cut the Past - killer thrash
147. Hazzerd - Delirium - cool as hell thrash
146. Psychosomatic - The Invisible Prison - deathly thrash
145. Vader - Solitude in Madness - classic Vader
144. Steve Harris' British Lion - The Burning - A very decent second go from matey Harris.
143. Mindtaker - Toxic War - rip fest thrash.
142. Darker Half - If You Only Knew - quality heavy power.
141. Divine Chaos - The Way to Oblivion - face ripping UK thrash - said that before hehe!
140. From the Depth - Moments - Italo power. You know the drill.
139. Reverber - Sect of Faceless - Kreator worship.
138. Grace Disgraced - Immortech - Death worship with a female growler.
137. Heartwind - Strangers - Catchy melodic rock.
136. Ironflame - Blood Red Victory - True metal victory!
135. Glory Force - The Restoration of Erathia - Happy metal victory!
134. Serious Black - Suie 226 - classy conceptual power metal.
133. Tidal Dreams - Access Denied - Greek melodic power metal.
132. Gomorra - Divine Judgement Euro thrash.
131. Ambush - Infidel - Swedish trad.
130. Wolf - Feeding The Machine - Swedish masters deliver as usual.
129. Harem Scarem - Change The World - Solid follow up to United.
128. Ilium - Carcinogeist - Quality Aussie melodic power.
127. Shiraz Lane - Vibration I (EP) - Killer Swedish melodic/glam rock
126. Dark Forest - Oak, Ash & Thorn - Rollicking English trad.
125. Slaves - To Better Days - Modern emo rock with very catchy tunes.
124. South Haven - Motion - Modern rock with great female vocals.
123. Warning Sign - Path to Destruction - Trad heavy power metal.
122. Serenity - The Last Knight - Austrian power metal masters.
121. Principium - Principium - Great vocals in this melodic power metal band.
120. Alma Arcana - The Human Enigma - Brazillian prog power project ala Angra
119. AlogiA – Semendria - A power metal project from eastern Europe with Boals on vox.
118. Arida Vortex - Riders of Steel - Quality Russian power metal.
117. Silvera - Edge Of The World - Modern rock with big hooks.
116. Captain Black Beard - Sonic Forces - Swedish melodic hard rock/AOR.
115. Iron Savior - Skycrest - Euro metal kings.
114. Gama Bomb - Sea Savage - Northern irish masters of goofy thrash.
113. Skeleton Pit - Lust to Lynch - face melting thrash.
112. Cats in Space - Atlantis - kings opf 70s flavoured AOR.
111. Fairyland - Osyrhianta - Euro Rhapsody worship.
110. Firewind - Firewind - Gus g and co with a killer return.
109. Havok - V - US modern thrash overlords.
108. Arch Echo - Story I ep - killer instrumental.
107. Surma - The Light Within - female fronted symph metal.
106. Invisible Fortress - Sojourner - Very melodic and catchy metal.
105. Trivium - What The Dead Men Say - Much better than last album.
104. Incinery - Hollow Earth Theory - Ripping uk thrash. We're not bad at this game!
103. Grave Digger - Fields of Blood - Best album from legends in a long while!
102. Operus - Score of Nightmares - canadian symphonic power. Great vox.
101. Paralydium - Worlds Beyond - Quality progpower mix.
100. Sevencrows - Deep Thoughts - Brazillian powerprog mix.
099. Subconscious - The Inevitable - Death worship.
098. Warkings - Revenge - Battle power metal from Georg of Serenity.
097. Bailout - Road to Redemption - very cool melodic prog rock.
096. Annihilator - Ballistic, Sadistic - Jeff does the business as usual.
095. Greyhawk - Keepers of the Flame - True epic US metal armoury.
094. Spirit Adrift - Enlightened In Eternity - epic heavy metal with chest beating vocals.
093. Massive Wagons - House of Noise - Classic UK goofy melodic rock.
092. Starblind - Black Bubbling Ooze - Swedish Maiden worship.
091. Terra Atlantica - Age of Steam - Teutonic power metal goodness.
090. Ocean Hills - Santa Monica - catchy modern rock with great vocals.
089. Communic - Hiding from the World - Quality of long winded offering.
088. The Waymaker - The Waymaker - Going into battle for the Lord!
087. 10 Years - Violent Allies - Catchy modern rock.
086. Mystic Prophecy - Metal Division - Always good to go into battle with the Mystics.
085. Veritates - Killing Time - unknown US heavy power metal goodness.
084. No Name Faces - Dark Secrets - Cool modern rock.
083. Lik - Misanthropic Breed - Old school Swedeath classic.
082. Memories of Old - The Zeramin Game - Tommy fronted UK power metal. Was expecting more actually but still amazing.
081. Napalm Death - Throes of Joy in the Jaws of Defeatism - Brutal Brummie bastards.
080. Unleash the Archers - Abyss - Killer Canuck power metallers. Perhaps not as good as Apex but still great.
079. Self Deception - Shapes - Heavy modern rock goodness.
078. Skeletal Remains - The Entombment Of Chaos - Savagely catchy death metal ala Corpse/Angel.
077. Stardust - Highway to Heartbreak - Catchy Hungarian AOR!
076. A Perfect Day - With Eyes Wide Open - Catchy Italian modern hard rock.
075. Shadowquest - Gallows Of Eden - Swedish power metal.
074. Bells and Ravens - In Our Blood - Another unknown Euro power metal gem.
073. Benediction - Scriptures - Uk vets return with a classic slab.
072. Black Fate - Ithaca - Conception fanciers delliever miles better than the band they are aping.
071. Eternal Doubt - Tales Of Roland Tebute - Unknown power metal gem.
070. Fatal Punishment - Fatal Punishment (EP) - Ripping Metallica worship.
069. Glacier - The Passing of Time - Classic trad power metal return.
068. Intervals - Circadian - killer instrumental.
067. Rob Moratti - Paragon - AOR vet returns with the goods.
066. Visions of Choice - Mistress of the Gods - Killer unknown power metal.
065. Wytch Hazel - III Pentacost - cool as hell Lizzy style trad supporting the Lord.
064. Skeletal Throne - Human Deterioration - Devastatingly heavy death metal.
063. Temperance - Viridian - Italian modern power metal troop with a catchy set.
062. Blindman - Expansion - Catchy classic metal/rock from Japan.
061. Citizen Soldier - Down the Rabbit Hole - Very cool heavy modern rock with big vocals.
060. Delain - Apocalypse and Chill - their best in a long while.
059. Cristiano Filippini's Flames Of Heaven - The Force Within - Unknown dude delivers a quality set of tunes.
058. Dark Tranquillity - Moment - usual quality fare from the Svensk melodeath masters.
057. Hell In The Club - Hell of Fame - catchy Italian melodic sleaze rock.
056. Amberian Dawn - Looking For You - Loved the Swedish symph happy metal troop since the beginning. Abba metal basically.
055. Attick Demons - Daytime Stories, Nightmare Tales - Portugeezers do Maiden metal.
054. Eternal Idol - Renaissance - Fabio and the gal combine very well indeed.
053. Black Soul Horde - Land of Demise - Unknown green melodic heavy metal with great vocals.
052. Eternal Champion - Ravening Iron - True heavy metal iron fist!
051. Lords of Black - Alchemy Of Souls, Pt. I - Ronnie and co deliver a very heavy slab of metal!
The top 50 is made up of albums rated minimum 8.5 and obviously way north of that hehe.
50. Aquaria - Alethea
Loved this Brazillian Angra worship. A top class effort.
49. Stormzone - Ignite the Machine
Northern Irish trad metal. Easily their best album for me. Singer John "Harv" Harbinson has one of the best trad metal voices in the Uk today.
48. DeVicious – Phase Three
Melodic rock troop with their third album in succession. The latest one by far their best in the Eclipse energetic melodic rock style.
47. Alpha Souls - Carousel Of Emotions
A recent find these Spaniards fronted by a Greek. just love this dude's voice and the songs are fantastically memorable.
46. Teramaze - I Wonder
Aussie prog metallers get more and more melodic. Yet this could have even been better but still classy as all hell for me.
45. Aquaria - Alethea
Another unknown band delivers the goods from the mighty shores of Brazil. High quality melodic power metal.
44. Alitor - Alitor II
Killer melodic thrash metal from Serbia. Fast as hell intricate riffs and epic musicianship all round.
43. Badd Kharma - On Fire
Greek bands are on fire these days and so much so the band named their album On Fire! Great melodic metal this one with another brilliant Greek singer.
42. Khymera - Master Of Illusions
Back to form Khymera after the so so previous album. This one really hit the sweet spot for me. Not huge into Dennis's vocals but he sounded fine here and the production as always was immaculate.
41. Shining Black - Shining Black
A fantastic project with Olaf Thorsen from Vision Divine and Mark Boals of a million bands. This one really delivered the melodic metal goods. Boals is always a bit hit and miss for me but he really delivered all the goods.
40. Pinnacle Point - Symphony Of Mind
Kansas copyists deliver a classy release worthy of the legends they ape.
39. Brother Firetribe - Feel the Burn
Finns know AOR song book backlwards.
38. Pride Of Lions - Lion Heart
Jim Peterik and Toby Hitchcock are a great match for AOR lovers across the world.
37. Invisible Horizon - Deafcon One
A totally new and unknown band with a cracking melodic progpower release.
36. Jeff Scott Soto - Wide Awake (In My Dreamland)
Jeff is great on this as usual. Guy is a superb singing when given great songs like these and thankfully it doesn't really sound like Journey at all.
35. Falconer - From A Dying Ember
Farewell to the mighty Falconer. An epic way to bow out..
34. Palace - Rock and Roll Radio
Mr Palace delivers a killer set of melodic rock/AOR tunes with a super polished sound...just how I like my aor to sound.
33. Ad Infinitum - Chapter I - Monarchy
Debut album from melissa Bonny and crew. Girl can sing and she can growl and the band is shit hot too. Forget about Nightwish.... try Ad Infinitum.
32. Brothers of Metal - Emblas Saga
One of the very first albums released this year and easy makes my top 50. Love the mix of power metal bombast and goofy, viking power metal!
31. Æther Realm - Redneck Vikings from Hell
A hell of a fun listen of mental melodic guitar runs and raspy vocal attacks.
30. Harlott - Detritus of the Final Age
Aussie thrashers just never let up with precision level riffage set to kill!
29. Roadwolf - Unchain the Wolf
Recent play of these trad metal unknowns had me singing their praises highly. It seems any band with 'wolf' in their name is kuul!
28. Kansas - The Absence Of Presence
Huge comeback from prog rock legends. So heavy and so melodic and memorable. Even the singer who at first I was so so about, really grew on me.
27. Beyond The Black - Horizons
German melodic metal band became even more poppy and gothic on this one and it even worked better for me. Their kind of pop is one that I can easily stomach. Her voice is also gorgeous.
26. Damnation Angels - Fiber of Our Being
Unheralded English prog metallers return with a new singer and a spiffy new album. Killer melodies and plenty of crunchy riffs and pristine production.
25. Sacred Outcry - Damned for All Time
Greek power metal fronted by the Yiannis the Beast In Black vocalist doing more restrained vocals. Great music and memorable songs too. Looking forward to more from Sacred Outcry for sure.
24. Six Foot Six - End Of All
A recent outing from the outfit fronted by giant ex falconer man Gobel. A really solid melodic power metal release. Enjoyed from start to finish.
23. Jesters Tears - Perception
Long forgotten Swedish melodic metal released this album to little fanfare and what a great feast it turned out to be. Highly melodic and enjoyable for me. No complaints here at all brothers of Sweden!
22. Arctic Rain - The One
Off to Sweden we go again for an Eclipse like melodic rock project with energy, pace and melody laden songs.
21. Victorius - Space Ninjas From Hell
Hails to our German brethren with all things happy, metal and goofy!
20. Allen/Olzon - Worlds Apart
A perfect project that came together so well with song maestro Karlsson at the helm.
19. Vega - Grit Your Teeth
Britain's prolific melodic rock cats return with their 6th album in 10 years and it's a cracking effort too. Very melodic and a super enjoyable set of tunes with great solos too.
18. Lionville - Magic is Alive
Mr Lionetti can call on Mr Safsund for vocals so this couldn't come anywhere close to failure. Lush AOR gems and a golden larynx set to caress lovers of melody. AOR fans were happy as the proverbial pig!
17. Tokyo Motor Fist - Lions
The debut album from Ted Poley's troops was a fave of mine but this blasts it out of the water. This is a killer slab of melodic hard rock. Ted's voice can be an acquired taste to some but he's in tip top form here and the superb production makes this an absolute joy to listen to.
16. Mors Principium Est - Seven
Easily the best melodeath album of the year. Just a killer riff fest with melody and precision from start to finish.
15. Deeds Of Flesh - Nucleus
Absolutely savagely precise death metal mastery. Can't really say much more. Listening to this makes you feel like a meticulous brain surgeon in the vast array of savage riffs!
14. Majestica - A Christmas Carol
Yes well it's only a Christmas album but it's done so stunningly well that I just can't resist putting this very high. I'm not a very Christmasy kind of guy in general but this really puts one in a fantastic mood. A triumphant power metal ode to yuletide from the legendary king of swedish happy power metal, Mr. Tommy Johansson!
13. Pyramaze - Epitaph
I was pretty stunned with the quality of this release. Fantastic songs and great vocals with hooks that darg you on and on til the song's over. A magic effort!
12. Nightmare - Aeternam
French heavy power metal troop return with a ball bustingly heavy effort with a quality new female lead singer. The songs are crunchingly heavy and pounding at times. her vocals can get a little lost here and there with all the hammering riffs but she does a fine job overall. The music is for fans of the heavier side of power metal!
11. DGM - Tragic Separation
Simone Mularoni who is now a Frontiers go to guy like Ale Del Vecchio turns in a stupendous riff binanza in his own band as usual. DGM's last album was a corker and this one just takes it a notch further. This album is just a blaze of musical metal glory best enjoyed with headphones to get the best cinematic expanse of the production.
10. Amahiru - st
Ex Dragonforce and current Kreator man Fred started this project when he met Saki a female Japanese shredder girl and they decided to make this project together and what a superb listen it is. The band is rounded off by an unknown singer who's actually really good even though he does some growling too. In the end it's all about the songs which are fantastically played , written and produced. A shock high entry for this superb effort. Do yourself a favour and check Amahiru...
09. The Night Flight Orchestra - Aeromantic
The Speed Strid side band is now gaining more and more fans around the world with their latest late 70s early 80s retro album. Speed's voice is killer as usual. the song writing is super catchy and just pure ear candy. They pull it all off live too. Hope for another album in late 2021 who knows..
08. East Temple Avenue - Both Sides of Midnight
I've talked long and hard about Mr Robbie Le Blanc here in the past. That guy just has phenomenal voice that charm the hardest of hearts. The music here is pure sunset boluvard mid 80s AOR. Awesome stuff.
07. Magnus Karlsson's Free Fall - We Are the Night
It seems Magnus just never runs out of riffs, melodies and songs. There's a lot of singers on this but I think it all work perfectly. Magnus often gets accused of self plagiarism but this has never bothered me. There's just a knack for melody that Magnus has that wins me over every single damn time! Along with Erik this guy's pretty much a song writing genius though Erik will always be my number one hehe!
06. H.E.A.T - H.E.A.T II
We didn't know it at the time but this was Erik Grownwall's farewell album with the band but what a way to go out. A ball bustingly heavy and melodic end to his tenure. The songs are just full of fire and passion. I look forward to see how the band follows this up with Kenny back in the fold. Maybe tone it down a touch is my guess hehe!
05. Perfect Plan - Time for a Miracle
Can't leave the Swedes alone can I! Back there again for the sophomore Perfect Plan album and what a corker we have on our hands. Jaw dropping vocals from Kent Hilli and super memorable and mature melodic rock/AOR from the backing band. This band deserves to get a bigger name in the melodic rock scene with an album of this standard. There's a Kent Hilli solo disk apparently coming out in '21 so i have high hopes for that.
04. Primal Fear - Metal Commando
You can rely on PF to deliver the goods like day follows night . It maybe a tad cliched to say this but it's 100% true that PF know the power metal song book inside out by now. The album offers absolutely no surprises but I wasn't after any was I! Metal to the boneee!
03. Gathering Of Kings - Discovery
This all star Swedis melodic rock project already had a superb debut and we just got more of the same on the quick follow up. They absolutely didn't fix what wasn't broke the first time round. Just honed it, polished, perfected and made a killer set of tunes with various vocalists who all know their job inside out. I especially love the Apollo fronted tunes. Maybe get him to do the whole album next time.
02. One Desire - Midnight Empire
Off to Finland we go for the sophomore One Desire album and this once again only improved on the already fantastic debut. The guitar sound was a little heavier. The vocalist/Guitaris Andre was in tip top form and the songs had enough swagger, mood and panche to send melodic rock lovers into Godsent Ecstacy just like the song itself. This band is up there with the best of the modern melodic rock giants and this after only 2 albums.
01. Dynazty - The Dark Delight
Nils Molin - take a bow sunshine. You and your band are absolute tops for me. Killer melodic metal with hooks to catch whales with and just a killer melodic vocal attack. I can even forgive the song with a touch of growling in it hehe! An epic melodic metal release that was the standout in a year with a lot of tough competition. I still haven't seen this band live yet though and I hope that's rectified one day. Till then I'll be spinning this one long into the night!
Top 25 songs of the year in no order (one per band). I like 100s upon 100s obviously but let's skim through and pick 25 worthy of an extra word:
Brothers Of Metal - One
Tidal Dreams - Access Denied
Shiraz Lane - You Will remain
Trivium - Catastrophist
Delain - Let's Dance
Testament - Children Of the Next Level
The Night Flight Orchestra - Divinyls
Dynazty - Heartless Madness
One Desire - Godsent Ecstacy
Gathering Of Kings - Highway To Paradise
Magnus Karlsson's Free Fall - Queen Of Fire
Operus - Ruin
Vega - Save Me From Myself
Tokyo Motor Fist - Monster In Me
Kansas - Throwing Mountains
Bailout - 1999
Bury Tomorrow - Better Below
Slaves - Talk To A Friend
10 years - The Shift
Smash Into Pieces - Arcadia
Pride Of Lions - Carry Me Back
Napalm Death - Contagion
Dark Tranquillity - The Dark Unbroken
Palace - Rock And Roll Radio
Amahiru - Hours
Breakdown of the top 150 by countries:
USA - 31
Sweden - 27
UK - 15
Germany - 11
Italy - 11
Mixed - 8
Greece - 6
Canada - 6
Finland - 5
Australia - 4
Brazil - 4
Austria - 3
Spain - 3
Serbia - 2
France - 2
Poland - 1
Ukraine - 1
Switzerland - 1
Russia - 1
Norway - 1
Hungary - 1
Czechia - 1
Mexico - 1
Japan - 1
Holland - 1
Portugal - 1
Denmark - 1
Breakdown by styles:
Power/Melodic Metal - 62
Melodic Rock/AOR - 31
Thrash - 16
Death - 13
Modern - 11
Traditional - 10
Prog/Instrumental/Mixed - 7
What's to come in '21.
Konquest - The Night Goes On - January 8th, 2021
Michael Schenker Group - Immortal - January 8, 2021
Midnight Spell - Sky Destroyer - January 8th, 2021
Need - Norchestrion: A Song for the End - January 12th, 2021
Accept - Too Mean to Die - January 15th, 2021
Bloody Hammers - Songs of Unspeakable Terror - January 15th, 2021
Crystal Viper - The Cult - January 15th, 2021
Dragony - Viribus Unitis - January 15th, 2021
FireForce - Rage of War - January 15th, 2021
Voodoo Circle, Alex Beyrodt's - Locked & Loaded - January 15, 2021
Asphyx - Necroceros - January 22nd, 2021
Creye - II - January 22, 2021
W.E.T. - Retransmission - January 22, 2021
Wig Wam - Never Say Die - January 22, 2021
Human Fortress - Epic Tales & Untold Stories - January 22, 2021
Labÿrinth - Welcome to the Absurd Circus - January 22nd, 2021
Nervosa - Perpetual Chaos - January 22nd, 2021
Phantom Elite - Titanium - January 22nd, 2021
Therion - Leviathan - January 22nd, 2021
Art Of Illusion - X Marks The Spot - January 29, 2021
Soen - Imperial - January 29, 2021
Angelus Apatrida - st - February 5th, 2021
Foo Fighters: Medicine at midnight - Feb 5th
La Torre, Todd - Rejoice In The Suffering - February 5, 2021
Immortal Guardian - Psychosomatic - February 12th, 2021
Kreek: Kreek - Feb 12
Simulacrum - Genesis - February 12th, 2021
3.2 - Third Impression - February 12, 2021
13, Joel Hoekstra's - Running Games - February 12, 2021
Inglorious - We Will Ride - February 12, 2021
Sirenia - Riddles, Ruins & Revelations - February 12th, 2021
Toledo Steel - Heading for the Fire - February 12th, 2021
Crystallion - Heads or Tails - February 19th, 2021
Wizard - Metal in My Head - February 19th, 2021
Ricky Warwick: When life was hard and fast - 19th Feb
Einherjer - North Star February 26th, 2021
Epica - Omega - February 26th, 2021
Evergrey - Escape of the Phoenix - February 26th, 2021
Cooper, Alice - Detroit Stories - February 26, 2021
Violblast - Lazarus Abandoned - February 27th, 2021
Secret Sphere - Lifeblood - March 12th, 2021
Thunder: All the right noises - March 12
Sunstorm - Afterlife - March 12, 2021
Hughes, Gary - Waterside - March 12, 2021
Issa - Queen Of Broken Hearts - March 12, 2021
Karlsson, Magnus - Heart Healer, The Metal Opera - March 12, 2021
Atkins, Ronnie - One Shot - March 12, 2021
Orden Ogan - Final Days - March 12, 2021
Saxon - Inspirations - March 19th, 2021
Metalite - A Virtual World - March 26th, 2021
Witherfall - Curse Of Autumn - March 26, 2021
Blaze Bayley: War Within Me - April 9
Unanounced but defo in the pipeline:
Maiden
Megadeth
Kreator
King Diamond - The Institute
KK’s Priest: debut album
Stratovarius
Symphony X
Overkill
Bodom After Midnight: new debut album
Carcass: Torn arteries
Ghost
Dream Theater
Helloween - with Kai and Kiske
Iced Earth - If Jon gets his finger out lol
Judas Priest
Mastodon
Toby Hitchcock with Ale Dv.
Scorpions
Kamelot
and 1000s more....!!
