Tier 2: The Amazing
So now we get to the second part of the list. These are the albums we felt did have that special something, but not quite enough to be album of the year. Numerically, these are the 9/10s and higher.
Dakesis – Fractures (United Kingdom)
Style: Prog Power (clean, female vocals)
Related links: Spotify
Pick by: Matt
Dakesisseem like a pretty traditional power metal band at first glance, but boy do they know their stuff when it comes to writing. The songs that play it straight are satisfying and triumphant in the 90s Gamma Ray/Hammerfall mold, but proggy pieces like “Overthrown” and the brilliant title track amp up the orchestration and escalate things to outright genius. Not all songs here are equal, but even the less essential tracks are elevated by strong female vocals and one of the best new guitarists this generation has to offer. Cap it off with a 15-minute epic that sounds like 100% inspiration and 0% filler, and you have a definite winner.
You can read the original review here.
Recommended tracks: Overthrown, Fractures, Ends of Time pt I
Recommended for fans of: Tanagra, Rhapsody, DGM
Wyrmwoods – Gamma (Finland)
Style: Avant Garde/Black Metal (harsh vocals)
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify
Pick by: Callum
I repeat, 2020 was the year that black metal clicked for me. Who knew this insane cacophony would end up on my AOTY list? It’s alien circus black metal. Wyrmwoods, a one-man band from Finland, have created a totally unique atmosphere using a weird, warbly guitar tone, plenty of dissonant chords, odd phrasing, and liberal use of synths. With lyrics in a literally inhuman language, the creepy alien atmosphere presented on the album artwork is captured perfectly. It’s utterly bizarre and has to be heard to be believed.
You can read the original review here.
Recommended tracks: Astralanum, Karamoon, Subterrane
Recommended for fans of: Oranssi Pazuzu, Pyrrhon, Maudlin of the Well
Burden of Life – The Makeshift Conqueror (Germany)
Style: Prog/Melodeath (mixed vocals)
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify
Pick by: Sam
The missed albums edition was a goldmine for me. I reviewed two amazing albums, and this is one of them. It’s a wonderful cinematic melodeath experience. I’m not sure about the lyrics, but it plays like a concept album as it’s a continuous stream of gorgeous music. The Makeshift Conqueror brought me across the entire emotional spectrum, feeling much like watching a film. There was great variety in its cinematic elements, the vocals were stellar (especially the singing, oh God the singing was amazing), the lead playing was lovely, and the production is crystal clear. Also the individual tracks managed to stand out despite the record’s continuous nature, giving you plenty of hooks to latch onto. This album can do no wrong. Just listen to it alright, it won’t disappoint.
You can read the original review here.
Recommended tracks: Geistesblitz, Anthem of the Unbeloved, Trust My Own Heart + The Makeshift Conqueror, Pt. II
Recommended for fans of: Wintersun, Opeth, Varus
Black Harvest – Sun Across the Fields (US-MA)
Style: Atmospheric Blackened Death (harsh vocals)
Related links: Bandcamp
Pick by: Dylan
It seems like the only way I can actually separate this large amount of extreme metal-oriented releases is by making their style name longer and more complicated… but I really want to drive home the point that all of my picks here (none of which have 0 extreme elements) are here for various reasons. I’m the last guy to automatically like any kind of progressive death or black metal. In fact, the amount of albums that are a miss are far, far larger than those that are a hit. So this album, alongside the others that I picked made it out of pure, unadulterated merit. And Black Harvest is one of the best examples of that
It’s structure as an extreme release is rather unique, lasting only 30 minutes with 3 tracks separating our journey. This invites structures that are required to be very well thought out in order to avoid them from feeling too long, or even repetitive/similar from each other. And I’d say it absolutely nailed it, by properly utilizing riffage, atmosphere, and some god-tier shrieks which put a contention for one of my favorite harsh vocal performances of the year.
At points I found myself neglecting this release because it’s only on bandcamp/youtube but let me tell you, if you were to do that it would be a HUGE mistake (plus the digital purchase is only $5). If you thrive for artists that prove to be experts in their craft, both in the musical and songwriting aspect, look no further than Kishor and his one man band Black Harvest.
You can read the original review here.
Recommended tracks: Abandon
Recommended for fans of: Emperor, Opeth
Cryptodira – The Angel of History (US- NY)
Style: Prog Death/Post (mixed vocals)
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify
Pick by: Chris
This was the album that kinda threw a wrench into my AOTY deliberations, ending up as my definite runner-up. The Angel of History is just a masterful blend of what Cryptodira was already known for doing – mathcore, jazz, prog-death – while also leaning much more into a post-rock/metal style to give a new layer to the sound. Employing a three vocalist attack really helps add depth to the album and its lyrical delivery, which is not to be ignored, the lyrical content here is fantastic and well written. Cryptodira manages to excel in that area few bands do, which is being able to do pretty much anything in a song and maintain a sense of self to tie it all together. It is definitely lighter than their previous albums, but this album is as heavy and dense as possible when it wants to be, and beautiful and light when it wants to be that instead.
Despite all the weird places, angularity, and abrupt changes the guitars and such have on this record, there really was never a moment I found myself asking “why?”. This is a true testament to the brilliance of this album. A lot of the normal prog guitar traps are avoided and everything serves the songs so well that really it’s just incredibly put together. The drumming is well done throughout, treading well the line between being mathcore when necessary and knowing when to lay back. I said in my original review of this you would see this again on the AOTY, so…here we are. Stop reading this and listen to this album.
You can read the original review here.
Recommended tracks: Dante’s Inspiration, A Tendency to Fail, What Can’t Be Taken Back
Recommended for fans of: Between the Buried and Me, The Dillinger Escape Plan
Wardaemonic – Acts of Repentance (Australia)
Style: Dissonant Black/Death (harsh vocals)
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify
Pick by: Dylan
Without a doubt my runner up for album of the year, Wardaemonic have proved themselves as masters of their craft, providing suffocating blackened death metal technically driven to eleven while still preserving a well oriented sense of melody. It’s basically a show off of ‘’Look at how many notes we can play per minute!’’ that actually works. The average BPM of each track is easily over 240, meaning that your average tremolo riff is averaging over nearly a thousand notes per minute. Don’t even get me started on the drummer, who flat out violates his kit with insanely speedy and tasteful beats, which may be overplayed to some but I really can’t imagine them any other way.
The atmosphere of this entire album is simply diabolic. You feel like you’re being trapped by a wall of infernal death, desperate to escape while it takes a hold of you. The vocals add to this, being flat out maniacal, not to mention the way some of these insane sections are properly built up, with the artists being unafraid to take more than a few minutes to properly set the tone for what is yet to hit you. It’s not easy to be kept interested for 45 minutes if the music is too dissonnant, so the melodies within the riffing had to be top notch, and I’m glad to inform you that they are. Providing that extra layer of depth needed, it’s the hook that stays in your head, that you’re tempted to come back to.
If you’re looking for a face melt that includes some well thought out songwriting, I can’t think of a better 2020 album than Acts of Repentance. It is a creation that is both insanely overwhelming, yet also easy to get a grasp of, and would’ve been my AOTY if it weren’t for a different beast emerging from the shadows…
You can read the original review here.
Recommended tracks: Act I – Introspection, Act III – Castigation
Recommended for fans of: Archspire, Deathspell Omega, Emperor
Humavoid – Lidless (Finland)
Style: Djent (mixed vocals)
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify
Pick by: Josh
In a world plagued by Periphery imitators and bland instrudjental acts, Humavoid stand out through both mastery of their genre, and the boldness to innovate. Featuring consistently great riffage, tight songwriting, and fantastically aggressive vocals, Humavoid could’ve been cream of the crop djent even without pushing the bounds of the genre an inch. Instead, though, they’ve added heavy keyboard usage to a genre normally averse to them, and their execution is flawless. They’re all over the place, from rhythm sections to insanely technical solos to ambient soundscapes, and they never once feel unfitting. All this culminates to create a djent sound like no other in the current scene. I can’t pinpoint a single non-trivial misstep on this album. Regardless of your feelings on djent, this is not one to miss.
You can read the original review here.
Recommended tracks: Literally any one, this is consistently amazing
Recommended for fans of: Meshuggah, Jinjer, Vildhjarta
Descend – The Deviant (Sweden)
Style: Prog Death (mixed vocals)
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify
Pick by: Sebastian
The Deviant is a fairly faithful reimagining of what old Opeth provided to the progressive death metal scene with albums such as Deliverance or Still Life. Descend recreates that style in a way that takes into account the past 15-20 years of the scene’s meta. They pull many tricks out of their sleeve in a way to make the album innovative and unified. The overall guitar work is excellent, great riffs and great solos alike. The bass and drums do well to establish the pace of the album. And their vocalist sounds experienced, especially with his intense, textured gutturals. This album is long enough to feel like an epic while still short enough not to overstay its welcome. This band may need to work on their audio mixing and up their production if they want to step up to the next level, but they are able to succeed where it matters most (that is, in their songwriting). The album has no bad tracks and it provided me a very enjoyable experience every time.
You can read the original review here.
Recommended tracks: Blood Moon, Lily, Wallow
Recommended for fans of: Opeth, In Mourning, Be’lakor
Dyssidia – Costly Signals (Australia)
Style: Prog Metal (mixed vocals)
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify
Pick by: Sebastian
I’m going to start this little review by saying I almost cannot gush about this band enough and it is really a privilege to write a short review about this album. It seems Dyssidia is another prestigious band to emerge from the ever-growing Australian prog scene. The genetic origin of Dyssidia’s sound seems to be kind of like the bastard child that Leprous and BTBAM had in a strange fling back in 2010. Only to emerge now in 2020 having been raised by the wider progressive metal scene, as there are honestly too many winks to several prominent bands in their music that can be reasonably counted. Given this diagnosis of this band’s style, it is reasonable to ask the old question: is Dyssidia a primary product of nature or nurture?
Well, that is a good question, hypothetical reader. I think that’s something only time will tell, once we see where they go from here. With the immersive soundscapes, utter musical genius songwriting abilities, and impressive instrumental performances on every front, I whole-heartedly believe Dyssidia has the ability to compete with some of the best of the best in the scene. Furthermore, if they keep up with this quality of music, they have the rare path ahead of them to become the next big band in this humble genre of progressive metal.
You can read the original review here.
Recommended tracks: Infinitesimal, Bloodrush, Hope’s Remoseful Retreat
Recommended for fans of: (early) Leprous, Between the Buried and Me, Opeth
Exist – Egoiista (US-MD)
Style: Prog Death (mixed vocals)
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify
Pick by: Chris
I always crave things that better scratch the Cynic itch for me, and Exist finally gave me something really good for that this year with Egoiista. This album definitely took some time to grow on me, but once it did it was full of so many earworm parts that inevitably every week I end up having to listen to it. Like a lot of the really good proggy death metal bands, the bass in this band often reminds you it can be a leading voice as well. Additionally the drumming is immaculate, painting riffs with varied metric tones and feels to provide change and variance throughout. The riffs in this album when they hit really hit, but the clean and jazzier sections really are what bring it home for me. I still say the vocals are going to be what some may find issues with, but I have nothing but good notes at this point; the harmonies in the vocal layers are wonderful and the harsh tone while a matter of taste, really brings a feeling of the OG tech death pioneers. Usage of similar motifs throughout different songs really give nice easter egg moments during the album. Since my original review I think this album only lands better and harder than back then, which has made it become a mainstay on my rotation.
You can read the original review here.
Recommended tracks: The Lottery, Egocosm, Spotlight’s Glow
Recommended for fans of: Cynic, Death, Atheist
Arise in Stability – Dose Again (Japan)
Style: Progressive Metalcore/Melodeath (mixed vocals)
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify
Pick by: Sam
I absolutely hate metalcore, yet I absolutely adore this album, and it makes no sense. Almost everything about this should have me running in anxiety, but instead it makes me marvel. The heavy chugs, the chaos factor, and the harsh vocals all should make me cry, but somehow this band manages to make it sound captivating. This album is a bonkers sonic assault of crazy riffs, mind-bending shredding, and very dynamic songwriting thanks to the plethora of different intensities and metal styles used, along with the occasional genre curveball. I have never come across a band that draws me in with their chaos opposed to alienating me. Had I had more time with this album, it might have been one place higher on the list, but alas. The fact that Dose Again is even in consideration for that position despite my genre-reservations should tell you enough about its quality. This album is amazing, and you definitely should check it out.
You can read the original review here.
Recommended tracks: Noise Heard in the Moon, Madness Gives Rise to Enlightenment, Atyanta
Recommended for fans of: BTBAM, Imperial Circus Dead Decadence, Dir en Grey, Aeolist, Pomegranate Tiger, Alustrium
Growth – The Smothering Arms of Mercy (Australia)
Style: Technical/Avant-garde Death Metal (harsh vocals)
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify
Pick by: Callum
Given 2020 was such a nightmare of a year for most, The Smothering Arms of Mercy was a tough album to listen to on repeat in order to give it the review it deserved. It grapples with the subject of mental health, something I’m sure we’ve all dealt with in one way or another in our respective lockdowns and periods of physical isolation. The music is chaotic and dense, the lyrics self-deprecating and harrowing. The payoff for repeat listens, however, was worth it.
The guitar work on the album is masterful. The riffs on each track barely ever sit still, each erratically jumping to another part of the fretboard before you realise what happened with surgical precision. It’s dissonant, crushing, and incredibly ambitious for a debut, but solidly one of my most memorable of the year.
You can read the original review here.
Recommended tracks: Soul Rot, Something Follows, Gird Your Loved In Armour While Yet You Wither (in that order)
Recommended for fans of: Ulcerate, Gorguts, Car Bomb
Kardashev – Baring of Shadows (US-MN)
Style: Deathgaze (mixed vocals)
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify
Pick by: Chris
This was probably the album I reviewed for this blog that I genuinely had been waiting for for a long time. I love The Almanac, Karashev’s previous album, and this EP was not a disappointment. The Baring of Shadows is meant to be an album getting across the feeling of pain and loss, and it succeeds masterfully at doing so. The vocals stay a true highlight of the band, weaving between being angelic and emotional while also dropping into those harsh moments that are truly dark and earth shaking. The appearance of a common drum motif in the more post sections of the album help provide a signpost to rest by for the ears, and bring a real cohesion to the EP. When this EP gets heavy it is absolutely crushing and massive. When this EP decides to float in the -gaze and -post styles, it is absolutely breathtakingly beautiful.
You can read the original review here.
Recommended tracks: Listen to the whole thing you nerd
Recommended for fans of: Holy Fawn, Fallujah (for the atmospheric heaviness), Deafheaven (for the -gaze)
The Reticent – The Oubliette (US-NC)
Style: Prog Metal/Death (mixed vocals)
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify
Pick by: Andrew
A uniquely harrowing look into a common degenerative disease, The Oubliette takes the listener down a musical journey into the mind of someone suffering from the disease. The Reticent has yet again created an emotional masterpiece, guaranteed to invoke pity or sadness as it increases awareness of Alzheimer’s. If you are one of the countless people that have been personally affected by the disease, you are not alone and The Reticent wants to make sure you know that.
You can read the original review here.
Recommended tracks: Stage 2: The Captive, Stage 4: The Dream, Stage 5: The Nightmare
Recommended for fans of: Opeth, Iapetus, Woods of Ypres
Toehider – I LIKE IT! (Australia)
Style: Progressive Rock/Metal (mostly clean vocals)
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify
Pick by: Stephen
This was a very difficult album to not select as my album of the year. In fact, it would make me feel better if I could say this is my second album of the year. If you are unfamiliar with Toehider, get ready for fun, because that’s exactly what I LIKE IT! is. The thing I love about this album is the variety of songs included on the album. Pretty much everything under the giant rock umbrella is on this album, and even some pop and bluegrass elements too. Toehider has been delivering amazing music for a long time now, and I LIKE IT! is no exception.
You can read the original review here.
Recommended tracks: GO FULL BORE!, welgivit, Died of Dancing
Recommended for fans of: Cheeto’s Magazine, Troldhaugen, Mr. Bungle
Bagdadski Vor – Колхида (Russia)
Style: mathcore/shoegaze (melodically harsh vocals)
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify
Pick by: Dylan
This release is what you need to check out if you’re tired of instrumentally edgy music. Bagdadski Vor have come out with an EP that, thanks to their integration of the happier side of shoegaze, is the sunniest, brightest brand of mathcore that I can think of. Presented through a very vibrant tone and production, it’s an album you can’t help but continuously vibe with thanks to its clever use of time-signature bending through amazing melodies, and its melodical harshes sung entirely in russian.
Out of every release I picked, I find that this is the most accessible by far, even if it’s entirely sung in a (to most) foreign language. It’s 25 minutes long, it’s infectious, and overall an amazing time.
You can read the original review here.
Recommended tracks: Крысолов, Колхида
Recommended for fans of: Totorro, Save us From the Archon, Deafheaven
Sweven – The Eternal Resonance (Sweven Sweden)
Style: Prog Death/Psychedelic (mixed vocals)
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify
Pick by: Sebastian
It’s hard to talk about an album objectively when you have listened to it so much. One discovery I make when grinding through music at the rate we do on this site. There seems to be a kind of bell curve between the time you spend listening to an album and the accuracy of your intuitive judgment of said album. When you’ve listened to an album too little, you don’t catch up on the hooks and intricacies of the album enough to gauge its quality fairly, and will often underappreciate it. But when you’ve listened to an album too much, you start to enjoy parts of the album far more than what a new listener can be reasonably expected to. Even though a music piece does not change from the first listen to the 40th listen, one’s subjective experience of the album, and their sensational perception of the album change drastically.
With that in mind, I would place myself into the camp of over-listening to this album, and for (I believe) a good reason. As the name of this album might imply, it excels in creating deep soundscapes. The kind of vibe that the music generates, to me, feels very complimentary to its beautiful album art. I can’t help but feel very immersed in their synergy. Stylistically, it is hard to pinpoint because there is not much music exactly like it. But I can attempt to describe it as a mix between Death’s most progressive and jazzy stuff with some of the longer, more fleshed-out compositions that Opeth put out in the 1990s-2000s, but way more atmospheric and psychedelic. All the songs are structured in a way where they are all very free-flowing, similar to a stream of consciousness. There are also very many instances of a gradual instrumental build-up to big crescendos which are some of the high points of the album. If this sounds like something you could get into, definitely give it a chance.
You can read the original review here.
Recommended tracks: The Sole Importance, Mycelia, Sanctum Sanctorum
Recommended for fans of: Morbus Chron, Horrendous, Opeth
0 Comments