| 2018 |
| 1 |  | Orphaned Land
Unsung Prophets and Dead Messiahs |
| 2 |  | Amorphis
Queen of Time
I praised their two previous albums for being simple and poppy, and I stand by that praise - I think they're awesome. Here they took their established style and took it to a different, more interesting places. As such, the songs are not as catchy and it takes a few listens to truly appreciate the greatness of this album. This isn't necessarily their best album, but I do think it represents the band in its best form - taking their successful pop-metal style one step forward to a perfect sweetspot of simplicity and catchiness blended with complexity and intersting stuff. Wonderful album. |
| 3 |  | Parkway Drive
Reverence
Pretty good "pop-metal" album. It's light, catchy, fun but manages to remain heavy, hard hitting and emotional. The kind of album everyone will like to some degree. Nothing amazing but a fun time overall. |
| 4 |  | Earthless
Black Heaven
They tried something different here, and while I personally like their usual style better, this one's also great. Instead of long, epic insrumentals, Black Heaven features a bunch of shorter, "more conventional" songs, and they're all great - Earthless is still Earthless, and this album is fantastic for the same reasons all of their other albums are. |
| 5 |  | Somali Yacht Club
The Sea
Very good post-rock album. I don't think it'll change my life, but it definitely is a pleasant ride. |
| 6 |  | Sleep
The Sciences
It's not a bad Stoner album but not the most memorable one unfortunately. Still, I'm optimistic for this album. |
| 7 |  | Judas Priest
Firepower
It's probably their best album since Painkiller - not that it means much, but still. Halford sounds amazing for his age and even though it's not a groundbreaking album, it's still a valiant attempt from a band that honestly loves what they're doing and a solid album overall. |
| 8 |  | Tremonti
A Dying Machine
A pretty dull heavy metal album, but still not a bad one at all. The riffs here are crazy and production is great. Mark Tremonti is one of the best guitarists out there in my opinion, and he definitely shows his skills on this one.
The more I listen to this one, the more I like it. |
| 9 |  | Kalmah
Palo
A great melodeath album from start to finish. Nothing mind-blowing, but still a fantastic and consistent album. |
| 10 |  | Powerwolf
The Sacrament Of Sin
This album doesn't bring much new to the band, but it is a great continuation of the band's overall style. Every song is catchy and anthemic, and it's just a fun album to listen to. |
| 11 |  | Michael Romeo
War Of The Worlds / Pt. 1
This is basically a new Symphony X album, which on one hand is very good in my opinion, since I absolutely love their new style in the last few albums, but on the other hand, since it's Michael Romeo's solo project and not his main band, I'd expect to see him get out of his comfort zone and try to explore new things - otherwise, why go solo in the first place?
Anyway, all that doesn't change the fact this is an excellent album. It's one of those album I'm gonna have to give a few more listens to before I can give a more insightful opinion on, but still, I enjoyed this one a lot. |
| 12 |  | Slash
Living the Dream
This album doesn't really bring anything new, it's just more of the same from what we're used to getting from Slash and Myles, which is definitely fine by me. There's not much to new to say - they're still super talented, they still compliment and bring the best out of each other, they still sound insanely good together. They found a unique style in which they both get to shine in while having a lot of fun - and I'm having a lot of fun too. |
| 13 |  | Visigoth
Conqueror's Oath
It's so great to see bands like Visigoth fighting to keep the traditional heavy metal genre alive and kicking. It sounds awesome and they really feel like veterans of the genre and masters of the craft. This album is a celebration of old-school - good job. |
| 14 |  | Kamelot
The Shadow Theory
Wow, I actually really liked this album - surprising, as I generally didn't really connect to almost anything they did other than The Black Halo. This is an excellent melodic, symphonic power metal album and pretty much everything I wished Kamelot to sound like all these years. Not much to say other than that... Good job Kamelot! |
| 15 |  | Ancestors
Suspended in Reflections
It's the third album in a row where I feel pretty much the same - I don't get it. It's not at all bad, the music is pleasent and there's a lot to love here, but for me... nothing sticks. It's a positive experience overall, but... I guess I'll have to give this band a few more chances over the next few years to truly appreciate it. |
| 16 |  | Avatar
Avatar Country
An interesting heavy metal album with lots of different influences. Overall pretty good album. |
| 17 |  | Khemmis
Desolation
Intriguing, heavy and beautifully melodic. I can definitely see why this album is so hyped. Very good time. |
| 18 |  | Nekrogoblikon
Welcome to Bonkers
Not a bad time, but overall pretty unremarkable. |
| 19 |  | Betzefer
Entertain Your Force of Habit
Really cool album. All the songs here are fun and brutal. Nothing perticularily memorable but still pretty good shit. |
| 20 |  | The Vintage Caravan
Gateways
It's fine I guess, but I didn't fall off the edge of my seat. I think they sound way better at a live concert (at least the one I say them in). |
| 21 |  | Haken
Vector
What a magnificent album. I was quite surprised loving this album so much, after being disappointed by their previous one, but this album is truly terrific from start to finish. This might be the hype speaking, but it might actually be their best album yet. Either way, this is undoubtedly one of the best albums of the year - if not the best (this might be the hype speaking again). |
| 22 |  | Primal Fear
Apocalypse
Great album, really fun listen. Every song is tight. Judas Priest influences are very much present here. Sadly, it's pretty generic and doesn't stand out that much, but still a great time, really liked it overall. |
| 23 |  | GoGo Penguin
A Humdrum Star
Really loved almost everything here. I'm not knowledgeable enough to get into details, but it's an amazing album. |
| 24 |  | Beyond Creation
Algorythm
Liked it a lot, and I'm sure that the more I'll listen, I'll like it even more. Given time, it might be one of my favorites this year. |
| 25 |  | Aborted
TerrorVision
Pretty good. I'm gonna have to give it a few more listens to truly appreciate it. |
| 26 |  | Weedpecker
III
Great songs. They sound a lot like Elder which I love very much, but with a healthy dose of (much) more weed. Each song feels like experiencing a psychodelic journey through a dream. Great stuff. |
| 27 |  | The Sea Within
The Sea Within
This album can get a bit boring and monotone, but it's not that bad overall. There's strong Jazz influences here and while I do like Jazz, it can get pretty stale at times here. |
| 28 |  | Telegraph
Mir |
| 29 |  | The Sword
Used Future
Not as bad as everyone think it is actually. It's not an amazing album, and I probably won't come back to it a lot, but it is a fun album by a band that I love. The songs are kinda weak and don't have the same impact as the ones from their better albums, but it is a good time and the essence of the band is still very much there. |
| 30 |  | VOLA
Applause of a Distant Crowd
Another cool and weird album. Good times. |
| 31 |  | Bury Tomorrow
Black Flame
Great stuff! |
| 32 |  | Southern Empire
Civilisation
A pretty nice album. It's not the most memorable or compelling one, but it's enjoyable nonetheless. |
| 33 |  | Roine Stolt's The Flower King
Manifesto Of An Alchemist
Good stuff, it starts a bit slow but it picks up pretty quickly. A very enjoyable album, lots of different influences all around. |
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