Hails and pixels! The first month of 2018 is almost over and here I am just finally publishing my favorite metal albums of 2017! To be honest, I didn't think I would end up making a list because while I did have some favorites; there not enough standouts in my opinion to narrow down the list to fifteen. With some downtime I did manage to create a top fifteen of 2017, so here it is! But let's start off with the runner ups. There are a lot of them. About 180 albums or so that I deemed worthy enough for my favor but not enough to say they are my absolute favorite.
Abhorrent Decimation - The Pardoner Accept - The Rise of Chaos Act of Defiance - Old Scars, New Wounds Aeternam - Ruins of Empires Aetheric - Serpents Beneath the Shrine A Hill to Die Upon - Via Artis Via Mortis Alestorm - No Grave but the Sea All Hell - The Grave Alchemist Al-Namrood - Enkar Amplitude Problem - The Frequency Modulators Orchestra, Vol. 1 Angel Vivaldi - Synapse Anomalie - Visions Antropomorphia - Sermon Ov Wrath Archspire - Relentless Mutation Artificial Brain - Infrared Horizon Artificial Language - The Observer The Atomic Bitchwax - Force Field August Burns Red - Phantom Anthem Azarath - In Extremis Beast in Black - Berserker Beheaded - Beast Incarnate Belphegor - Totenritual Beneath - Ephemeris Benighted - Necrobreed Blood Freak - Total Destruction of the Human Form Body Count - Bloodlust Broken Hope - Mutilated and Assimilated Cannabis Corpse - Left Hand Pass Cannibal Corpse - Red Before Black Celesterre - The Wild Chaos Moon - Eschaton Memoire Cloak - To Venomous Depths Cloven Hoof - Who Mourns for the Morning Star? Code - Lost Signal Code - Under the Subgleam Com Truise - Iteration The Contortionist - Clairvoyant Contrarian - To Perceive is to Suffer Converge - The Dusk in Us Heretoir - The Circle Hideous Divinity - Adveniens Horisont - About Time Hour of Penance - Cast the First Stone Immolation - Atonement Incantation - Profane Nexus In Search of Sun - Virgin FUnk Mother Intervals - The Way Forward Junius - Eternal Rituals for the Accretion of Light KMFDM - Hell Yeah Kreator - Gods of Violence Living Colour - Shade Lunar Shadow - Far from Light The Mantle - The Mantle Master Boot Record - C:\>COPY*.*A:/V Mastodon - Emperor of Sand Me and that Man - Songs of Love and Death Monolord - Rust The Monolith Deathcult - Versus Moonspell - 1755 Morbid Angel - Kingdoms Disdained Mors Principium Est - Embers of a Dying World Municipal Waste - Slime and Punishment The Mute Gods - Tardigrades Will Inherit the Earth Mutiny Within - Origins Myrkur - Mareridt Myrone - Humanity Narcotic Wasteland - Delirium Tremens Necrowretch - Satanic Slavery Nervecell - Past, Present...Torture Neun Welten - The Sea I’m Diving In Nidingr - The High Heat Licks Against Heaven Nightbringer - Terra Damnata Night Demon - Darkness Remains Nightrage - The Venomous Nordheim - Rapthor Nova Collective - The Further Side Novembers Doom - Hamartia Vintersorg - Till Fjälls del II Virulent Depravity - Fruit of the Poisoned Tree Vomit Remains - Hyper Groove Brutality Vulture Industries - Stranger Times Warbringer - Woe to the Vanquished Witchery - I Am Legion Witherfall - Nocturnes and Requiems Wobbler - From Silence to Somewhere Woe - Hope Attrition Wolfheart - Tyhjyys Wolves in the Throne Room - Thrice Woven Wormwood - Ghostlands - Wounds from a Bleeding Earth |
Cut Up - Wherever They May Rot Cytotoxin - Gamageddon Daemusinem - Thy Ungodly Defiance Dälek - Endangered Philosophies Darkest Hour - Godless Prophets and the Migrant Flora Dawn of Disease - Ascension Gate Deathwish - Unleash Hell Decrepit Birth - Axis Mundi Demon Eye - Prophecies and Lies Destruction - Thrash Anthems II Desultory - Through Aching Aeons Diablo Swing Orchestra - Pacifisticuffs Divinity - The Immortalist Dreaming Dead - Funeral Twilight Dying Fetus - Wrong One to Fuck With Dyscarnate - With All Their Might Elder - Reflections of a Floating World Eluveitie - Evocation II - Pantheon Empyrean Throne - Chaosborne End of Green - Void Estate Enfold Darkness - Adversary Omnipotent Ensiferum - Two Paths Enslaved - E Entrails - World Inferno Eruption - Cloaks of Oblivion Evocation - The Shadow Archetype The Faceless - In Becoming a Ghost Falls of Rauros - Vigilance Perennial Fen - Winter Firewind - Immortals Foscor - Les Irreals Visions Full of Hell - Tempting Ecstasy Game Over - Blessed are the Heretics Game Over - Claiming Supremacy Ghost Bath - Starmourner God Dethroned - The World Ablaze Grave Digger - Healed by Metal Gruesome - Fragments of Psyche Gwar - The Blood of Gods Harlott - Extinction The Haunted - Strength in Numbers Havukruunu - Havulinnaan Origin - Unparalleled Universe Overkill - The Grinding Wheel Paganizer - Land of Weeping Souls Pallbearer - Heartless Persefone - Aathma Phobia - Lifeless God Pillorian - Obsidian Arc Portrait - Burn the World Power Quest - Sixth Dimension Power Trip - Nightmare Logic The Project Hate MCMXCIX - Of Chaos and Carnal Pleasures Pyramaze - Contingent Replacire - Do Not Deviate Ritual of Odds - Ritual of 9 Russkaja - Kosmopoliturbo Samskaras - Asunder Satyricon - Deep Calleth Upon Deep Scale the Summit - In a World of Fear Seer - Vol. III & IV: Cult of the Void Sentient Ignition - Enthroned in Gray Septicflesh - Codex Omega Shugo Tokumaru - TOSS Sinister - Syncretism Sólstafir - Berdreyminn Sons of Crom - The Black Tower Soul Demise - Thin Red Line Soul Remnants - Ouroboros Steven Wilson - To the Bone Street Cleaner - Payback 2 Subterranean Masquerade - Vagabond Suffocation - ...Of the Dark Light Theory in Practice - Crescendo Dezign The Thirteenth Sun - Stardust Threat Signal - Disconnect Through the Eyes of the Dead - Disomus Tombs - The Grand Annihilation Trivium - The Sin and the Sentence Ultraboss - Kyrie Electron Ulver - The Assassination of Julius Caesar Unleash the Archers - Apex Vampire - WIth Primeval Force Vhäldemar - Against All Kings |
When I was in high school I picked up Stone Sour’s first album because I was a big Slipknot fan at the time and wanted to hear what else Corey Taylor and Jim Root would be playing. As I got older, I started to lose a taste for Slipknot and Stone Sour only to revisit Stone Sour on some of their later albums. They have progressed quite nicely since their debut and have definitely put out some of their best in the past few years.
Standout Track - Fabuless
14. Exhumed - Death Revenge
My first exposure to Exhumed was on All Guts, No Glory which I reviewed for Teeth of the Divine. Since then, they’ve become one of my favorite death metal acts. With Death Revenge they continue on their Carcass inspired death ride while infusing more melody and horror film elements to their current album.
Standout Track - A Funeral Party
13. Firespawn - The Reprobate
Here is some really solid death metal that hearkens back to Entombed and Dismembered except without that classic Boss HM-2 sound, which is fine since the album sounds great regardless.
Standout Track - Death By Impalement
12. Mutoid Man - War Moans
Just some catchy, hard hitting rock and roll with a vague early Mastodon feel to it.
Standout Track - Date with the Devil
11. Akercocke - Renaissance in Extremis
After a short break up and ten years since their previous record, English Satanic rockers Akercocke are back at it with their blend of progressive and death metal. Despite being gone for awhile they still retain the dark and beautiful musical bite that they’re known for.
Standout Track - First to Leave the Funeral
10. Impureza - La Caída De Tonatiuh
This technical death metal band is what Obscura would sound like if they had more flamenco influences.
Standout Track - Otumba, 1520
9. In the Presence of Wolves - Of Two Minds, Stages 1-2: The Ape and the Cage
I’m sensing a theme in my top list here and it’s that most of the bands are progressive or have progressive elements in them. This band takes ingredients from the Between the Buried and Me and Coheed and Cambria; throw them in a pot, add some broth, a potato. Baby you got a prog stew going!
Standout Track - The One Who Fell to Earth
8. Ne Obliviscaris - Urn
On Ne Obliviscaris’ third album they continue with the progressively epic metal that they’ve been known for since their debut.
Standout Track - Intra Venus
7. Caligula’s Horse - In Contact
This is my first time hearing of this Australian quintet progressive outfit. Caligula’s Horse sounds like a blend of Leprous and Nevermore.
Standout Track - The Hands are the Hardest
6. Leprous - Malina
I absolutely loved the Congregation when it came out back in 2015 and was absolutely impressed by their live show when I saw them in late 2016. I was understandably stoked for their next album but I feel that it falls a bit short of the expectations that the Congregation set up. Malina is not a bad album by any means, it just didn’t wow me like their last one.
Standout Track - Stuck
5. The Black Dahlia Murder - Nightbringers
It’s been two years since the last Black Dahlia Murder release so it’s time for a new record. If you’re familiar with Black Dahlia Murder then you know you’re going to be getting a hyper blend of Swedish melodic death metal with American Florida style death metal and some tasty leads from newcomer Brandon Ellis.
Standout Track - Matriarch
4. Double Ferrari - Double Ferrari
If you like riff driven rock music that gets you pumped and feel triumphant, then Double Ferrari is the band for you. They take some of the best elements from the Fucking Champs and mix it in with some of the best Capcom tracks from their NES output. A little aside though, I do know guitarist Jace Bartlet so I’m a little biased here.
Standout Track - Thumbs Up Molten Steel
3. The Night Flight Orchestra - Amber Galactic
This is the most 70s album oriented rock album to come out in 2017 and probably in the past decade. Björd Strid sounds amazing on here.
Standout Track -Star of Rio
2. TWRP - Ladyworld
Originally known as Tupperware Remix Party, TWRP continuously put out some damn catchy synthpop. This is a groovy blend of Daft Punk and disco.
Standout Track - Ladyworld
1. Grave Pleasures - Motherblood
This one came out of nowhere for me. I never heard the previous incarnation of Grave Pleasures as Beastmilk but I’m glad to have the pleasure to hear them as Grave Pleasures for Motherblood. This is catchy, atomic post punk. For all the talks of nuclear annihilation today, this is the soundtrack for our nuclear winter.
Standout Track - Be My Hiroshima
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