The Great

Links to previous pages:
– TIER 4: MAIN POST & HONORABLE MENTIONS

This is the first tier of our 2018 album of the year list. Because we haven’t listened to all of each other’s albums, the albums aren’t ordered. Instead we grouped them into a few separate tiers and displayed them in alphabetical order.
This is the tier where (most of) the great albums we have reviewed of the year end up. These albums are great, will occasionally blow your mind, but on the whole are definitely not as constantly amazing as the others. In numerical value, this would be the albums we’d give about an 8.5~9/10 rating. This tier is by far the longest, and honestly it could have been a lot longer if we really wanted to. Especially in the first half of 2018 there were many albums that could have been featured here, but then this tier would have become endless, so they’re in Honorable Mentions back in the main post.

Before we kick off this list though, I’ll give a link to the Spotify playlist with all the recommended songs from this tier. Also, the link to the next tier is below. So now that’s out of the way, let’s get to it!

Arctic Sea Survivors – Into Barren Lands (Austria)
Style: post-doom (instrumental)
Related links: Spotify| Facebook | Metal-Archives page
Original review: August
Pick by: Dylan

I’m usually not huge into doom. While I can understand the appreciation for the genre, and enjoy a couple albums myself, it’s usually something I’m almost never in the mood for. So what separates Barren Lands from any other doom?
One word: Atmosphere. These album manages to ‘’tell’’ a story without utilizing any words. As we know, we’re arctic sea survivors, And we’re heading into barren lands. There’s no more information needed, the music does everything to tell you how the experience go. This makes the album a fantastic album for travelling. Most of the album is centered around a sense of loneliness, with just you and your other 2 mates, travelling alone through the sea, hoping to find a better place. But then, a strong wave might hit your boat, or a wild sea animal may appear. These are expressed through upping the intensity and getting REAL heavy on the guitars, fabricating a sense of uncertainty and desperation, that you may not get to the end of your journey. But then, it all goes back to normal, and you sail away, hoping you won’t find any other threat like that, knowing you probably will.
If you still aren’t convinced on the album, I cannot tell you any more to sell it to you. If you prefer your music to be a bit more ‘’active’’’, this may not be your cup of tea. But to any of you who appreciate atmosphere building and storytelling through instrumentation, this is a great piece for you.

Recommended tracks: “As We Float” suite (all three parts)
Recommended for fans of: Sea themed Doom, Ahab maybe?

The Antichrist Imperium – Vol. II: Every Tongue Shall Praise Satan (United Kingdom)
Style: black/death (harsh/mixed vocals)
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook | Metal-Archives page
Original review: June
Pick by: Sam

Need some extra Satan in your life? Look no further than The Antichrist Imperium. Composed of primarily Akerkocke band members, this band continues where they left off. It’s this crazy combination of brutal (prog) death/black metal riffs and jazzy interludes. It sounds phenomenal and is highly headbang-able. This is the stuff you play to scare off all the vvimps who dare to enter the hall, but at the same time this is something you show people how fun prog metal can be. Bat shit crazy brutal black/death metal onslaught one minute, a jazzy interlude with (very good) clean vocals the next. It’s a mesmerizing experience to say the least. You will definitely not regret listening to this. A thoroughly deserved album of the year candidate.

Recommended tracks: Ceremonial Suicide Rites, Golgothian Hieros Gamos, Sermon of Small Faith
Recommended for fans of: Akercocke, Hands of Despair, Schammasch, Cynic

Cor Serpentii – Phenomankind (France)
Style: death/black (harsh vocals)
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook | Metal-Archives page

My October bands were less than stellar, to say the least, so I was pretty pessimistic when I started listening to this band. However this changed almost immediately as I was treated to a barrage of tremolo riffs, blast beats, and wonderful high snarls and emotive clean singing.
The guitars are constantly engaging and wonderfully pleasant to listen to. The bass is definitely not as loud as I would like, but it’s serviceable. The drumming is freaking insane, double-bass abounds and the various drum fills are incredibly varied, from traditional hyper-fast death metal drumming to rhythmic, Gojira-esque fills I found myself constantly surprised, and enjoying every second of it. The vocals don’t disappoint either. The harshes are snarly and high and amazing, and the occasional singing, while technically unimpressive, have a wonderful emotional strength behind them.
Cor Serpentii makes me want more of their music every time I listen, and that’s no small feat. The band apparently formed after the collapse of a previous death metal project, and all I can say is that I hope they keep making music, and I hope that it keeps getting better and better, because this debut impressed the hell out of me, and you should absolutely give it a listen.

Recommended tracks: The Serpent’s Stratagem, Sand Storm, Waves of Wrath
Recommended for fans of: Behemoth, Dissection

Keor – Petrichor (France)
Style: rock (mixed vocals)
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook | RYM page
Original review: December
Pick by: Nostrebor68

I’m not the biggest fan of the bands that Keor clearly draws inspiration from, but I can absolutely enjoy the sound that has been created here. The melody and atmosphere are gorgeous and entrance me on every listen. And while I can’t quite place who Keor’s vocals remind me of, but they’re wonderful. I can easily imagine myself in an old-timey Inn listening to this man warble in the background while plucking on a lute.
My biggest complaint is that even with the album’s relatively truncated run time of 49 minutes, it somehow still feels a tad too long for me. This might be because it ends on a longer track, or just because the songs all take quite a bit of time to get to where they’re going, but I could’ve done with probably 5 less minutes of music somewhere on the album.
This is a minor critique though, as Keor is definitely a project any fan of Wilson-esque prog should immediately listen to. I can’t wait to see what comes next from Keor, as I’m sure it’ll be astounding.

Recommended tracks: The Nest of Evil, Snivel by the Pond
Recommended for fans of: Porcupine Tree/Steven Wilson, The Pineapple Thief, Simon & Garfunkle

Kingcrow – The Persistence (Italy)
Style: rock/atmospheric/djent (clean vocals)
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Official Website | Facebook | Metal-Archives page
Original review: September
Pick by: Sam

Kingcrow has always been one of my favorite bands and I was delighted that I could finally review them for September. This record is very different to their previous works, but they didn’t lose in quality, at all. On the contrary, this might be even better than their last three. I listened to this like a madman for the review, and it’s still in regular rotation for me. It took a while to sink in, but when it did, it did hard. The album’s a lovely journey of introverted, rhythm-oriented, electronic sounding prog metal. It’s almost djent-like at times how the guitars sound. The vocals are passionate, the atmosphere bleak (but at the same time very warm), the grooves excellent and the riffs are powerful. Despite sounding like basically every other prog act out there, Kingcrow continue to be hard to define. There’s elements of Porcupine Tree, TesseracT, Pain of Salvation (quite literally even as Daniel Gildenlow has a guest appearance in the beautiful vocal duet of Night’s Descending), Votum, Leprous and a whole lot more, but even with all those notable influences Kingcrow definitely have their own sound on The Persistence. Really I could ramble on and on about this band/album all day. Just give it a listen or two, or three, or TEN. This album is great.

Recommended tracks: Closer, The Persistence, Devil’s Got a Picture, Night’s Descending
Recommended for fans of: Steven Wilson, Pain of Salvation, Anathema, TesseracT

Left as Rain – Trailing Off (US-CA)
Style: rock (mixed vocals)
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | RYM page
Original review: Missed albums edition
Pick by: Nostrebor68

I should preface this by saying that this album is composed and nearly fully performed by r/progmetal mod, and also a friend of mine, u/Bujjick. I don’t believe I’ve let that impact the impartiality of my review in any way, but I wanted it clarified all the same. Now, Left as Rain is a solo project that was a long-time coming, and I’m incredibly happy I got to review this wonderful little album.
Trailing Off is a wonderful debut album that contains a bunch of lovely ideas and some that are just okay. I think anyone who is a fan of mostly instrumental metal with an emphasis on pretty melody and up-tempo composition will find something to like here, and I absolutely cannot wait to see what else Left as Rain has in store for us.

Recommended tracks: Torpedo Tuxedo, Trailing Off, Curse These Metal Hands
Recommended for fans of: Exivious, Scale the Summit, Cloudkicker

Lost in Thought – Renascence (United Kingdom)
Style: traditional/alternative (clean vocals)
Related links: Spotify | Official Website | Facebook | Metal-Archives page
Original review: November
Pick by: Dylan

Now THIS is what I call stunning trad prog metal. Renascence clicked with me in a way no other tunes had in quite a long time, which led me to a huge bias which led me to think this was for sure going to be my AOTY. After the hype died down, it did went down a couple of spots, but it still remains brilliant.
Lost in Thought take studied the Prog Metal blueprint front to back, and just proceeded to fabricate fantastic songs out of it. Great Riffs? Check. Stunning Keyboards? Check. Brilliant Vocals? Check. Galloping, punchy drums? Check. Catchy Hooks? Check. Quirky Polyrhythms? Check. They’ve got it all.
And with all they’ve got, they pull off songs that are memorable, fun to listen, and technically proficient. The singer is a freaking angel, he fabricates vocal melodies in such a beautiful way, that you feel the raw emotion of it travelling through your ears. Alongside him you’ve got musicians that know exactly how to make these emotions hit even harder through pacing a track in just the right way possible. And just like that, when the album is finished, you just wanna play it again.
What keeps it from being higher on the list is a bit of an originality crisis going on. Sure, the songs are all fantastic, but this brilliant album feels like it’s been done before. Unlike most of my upcoming picks.

Recommended tracks: A New Life, Ascendance, Save Me, Open your Eyes
Recommended for fans of: Dream Theater, Rishloo, Caligula’s Horse, Karnivool

Nautilus – The Oceanwalker (Norway)
Style: post/prog metal (instrumental)
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook | Metal-Archives page
Original review: March
Pick by: Sam

Honestly I could have picked a load of different records here. It’s only my top 8 which is really solidified. Outside of it there’s a huge landscape of bands who I could have just as easily put in this spot. There’s a few reasons I picked this album though. For starters it’s just very good music. I barely listen to instrumental (prog) metal. Without the structural guidance of vocals it often sounds like an aimless wankfest to me. Opposed to say, classical music, metal essentially only has a guitar which can provide texture and melody to the music. Drums and bass can do interesting stuff as well, but as rhythm section you’re just fundamentally limited.
Nautilus though has managed to make a very interesting and engaging instrumental album. The song structures are just rock solid. It feels as if everything has a purpose behind it. Be it the post-rock elements integrated into the writing, it just sounds cohesive. There are great riffs, nice transitions and an amazing atmosphere. This record feels like a hushed winter landscape with gentle snow falling on your cheeks.
Big reason for featuring this record also is one of their guitarists, Matt Mweigand, who is very active on the Discord and I chat with quite frequently. Knowing that there’s such a great human being at work behind the music really makes me appreciate this more. But this is also just a really good album. It has the metal, but most of all it’s just a collection of beautifully constructed songs. There’s some bands in the FFO tag, but honestly I think any prog metal fan could enjoy this band.

Recommended tracks: Arktos I: Division, Striped Icebergs, Panthalassa
Recommended for fans of: Scale the Summit, The Arbitrary, Audrey Fall, Chimp Spanner, kebab

Phendrana – Sanctum: Sic Transit Gloria Mundi (Mexico)
Style: atmo-black (mixed vocals)
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook | Metal-Archives page
Original review: January
Pick by: Sam

Remember these guys (or rather, person, since this band is a solo project)? You probably don’t. Back in January I was mildly positive about this album, giving it “only” a 7.5/10. Boy it has grown on me since then. This is really excellent stuff. Essentially it’s an atmo-black record, but the riffs sound way more like something Opeth would come up with (in their more melodic parts) than black metal, making it a very unique combination. This band crafts some wonderful soundscapes you can easily drift along to. But it’s not all relaxed as there are also some highly engaging emotive passages which can easily pull you out of the passive listening atmospheric music can trick you into.
And it’s precisely these passages that make this record stand out so much. The strong female guest singing and very melancholic instrumentation can hit you right in the guy. It feels like you’re standing on a barren wasteland that was once part of a great kingdom of yore, and the music takes you back to the feeling of what once was. A strong sense of yearning. Even the desperate dsbm-like harsh vocals manage to convey that feeling of earnest yearning for the past, despite the obvious pain the present invokes.
This album is a very impressive achievement. And especially so for what is essentially a debut of a solo project (bar some guest musicians). I’m highly interested in where Anuar Salum goes next, because this album has earned his rightful place in this end of year list.

Recommended tracks: Ethereum, Where Ages Meet
Recommended for fans of: Agalloch, Opeth, atmospheric music

Shylmagoghnar – Transience (The Netherlands)
Style: melodeath (harsh vocals/instrumental)
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Official website | Facebook | Metal-Archives page
Original review: June
Pick by: Sam

It’s not often that I enjoy metal from my home country. A lot of Dutch bands seem to be infected by a really annoying tendency to infuse pop writing in their metal. Be it a well-known act like Epica or more obscure stuff like Kingfisher Sky. It’s not pop as in a Demi Lovato guest appearance, but more in terms of songwriting. Call me an elitist, but I just really don’t dig it. Luckily for me, this couldn’t be further from the truth with Shylmagoghnar. This is a mammoth of an album, that does not give a fuck about any conventional songwriting structures. Long, winding progressive melodeath songs with lots of black metal influences. The songs transition as naturally as the terrain transitions when walking through the mountains. This album quite literally feels like a journey on foot. It may be long, but at the same time you have all the time in the world to carefully take in your surroundings. Furious riffs, blast beats, or long melodic passages. This record has it all. Beware of the length though.

Recommended tracks: The Dawn of Motion, As All Must Come to Pass, Life
Recommended for fans of: Be’lakor, In Mourning, Insomium, Opeth

Subsignal – La Muerta (Germany)
Style: rock/metal (clean vocals)
Related links: Spotify | Official website | Facebook | Metal-Archives page
Original review: May
Pick by: Sam

Making it in last minute, we have German band Subsignal. I didn’t know if I wanted to include them because this list would become endless, but I’ve listened to this so much I couldn’t face myself leaving them out. This is Subsignal’s fifth album already, and it’s by far their lightest. Apparently this is neo-prog, but I still have no idea what that entails. What I do know, is that this is just really good music. You can hear they’re experienced songwriters. The choruses are great, the verses have plenty of progression in them and the bridges are lovely. Also the grooves are a very uplifting driving force. But what this band really shines at is their sense of melody. Be it the catchy vocal lines or the clever guitar melodies or the great synth play. Subsignal never fails to make an impactful melody that will ingrain in your head. And the soloing is beautiful as well of course.
So this is definitely a good album. If you want something light to listen to, give this band a listen. I still have no idea what neo-prog means, but this is great stuff. It’s light and easily consumable, but without sacrificing any depth or songwriting integrity. Some might find this a bit cheesy, but to me this is rather just happy sounding and light hearted, a bit like The Beatles. I could recommend this band to anyone really. I’m happy I opted to include them, because this record definitely warrants a place on this list.
Oh and listen to their previous works as well, they’re great.

Recommended tracks: Every Able Hand, As Birds on Pinions Free, Some Kind of Drowning
Recommended for fans of: Threshold, Yes, Kansas, Haken

Universe Effects – Desolation (Canada)
Style: traditional/rock (clean vocals)
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Official Website | Facebook | RYM page
Original review: October
Pick by: Dylan

Kicking off my list is a traditional prog rock/metal release, and it is one that took a while for it to click with me. Essentially, Desolation is a very good prog rock album that feels rather unique while still maintaining the core formula of modern prog. It’s a bit of a long album which takes multiple listens to get in depth with, but very much worth it. From the first 4 traditional tracks to the 5 part epic The Library, this album remains consistent throughout. The keys are a major highlight, so keyboard nerds should totally give this album a shot. There are so many fantastic keyboard passages and solos here that I found myself drooling over them.
Another highlight was the singer’s high register. His voice, at this register at least, has got power for days. If only it were as awesome on the mid register, it may have been a couple spots higher.
A well achieved, traditional prog rock album, hindered by mid register singing and muddy ish production for it to be a couple spots higher.

Recommended tracks: Fading Light The Library pt. III, V
Recommended for fans of: Rush, Dream Theater, Seventh Wonder

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Getting excited yet? Beware for our next two lists. You can find the next one here:

TIER 2: THE EXCELLENT