Reports from the Underground: 2021 Albums of the Year

Tier 1: The Albums of the Year 2021

Well, here we are: the album of the year choices. These are the albums that stood tall and mighty above the rest. Some of us have listened to dozens, even reaching into the hundreds of albums, and these are our number one choices out of 2021’s total album population of progressive music (but mainly prog metal stuff).

Sitting here, looking at these album choices gives rise to a certain line of reasoning. I know all these albums decently well, and I’d like to think I know these reviewers all decently well. It naturally seems to me, that these album of the year choices say just about as much about the reviewer as they do about the album’s universal quality itself. These are all fantastic albums from an implicit standard we call ‘objective’, however, are also astonishingly representative of who these reviewers are as people, or rather, as music critics and internet personalities. I think about what these albums are like, what their strengths and weaknesses are, and it immediately reflects to me the values of the reviewer. For instance, stuff like: “Oh man, Dan lives and breaths tech death”, “Dude, of course Zach would choose an album like Dessiderium”, “Oh, Meer is so Nick”, or “Fucking Sam, back at it again: shilling old school traditional prog metal”. There is definitely something I find beautiful about that.

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Papangu – Holoceno (Brazil)
Style: Zeuhl, Avant Garde Metal, Sludge Metal. (mixed vocals)
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify
Pick by: Sabrina

It is amazing when an album can succeed in every one of your criteria for judging music. Papangu present a sound of disjointed styles that you only see about three times every couple of decades, and they are bundled in a way that synergizes their strengths quite cohesively; making it a unique contribution to the sea of music out there, and doing it in a way that has adept musical integrity and songwriting maturity. There is no bad song on this album and it hits you with many unexpected twists and turns without ruining the overall unity of its vision. 

This is technical, with plenty of talented and acclaimed contributing artists, but it also has memorable melodies, and groovy instrumental crescendos galore. The overall album concept is something that I can get behind 100%; this includes a great balance between mechanical, post-modern aesthetics, and tribal, occult symbolism. This is pretty much a blast every time I listen to it, and it’s got to be the most successful combinations of zeuhl and metal out there. Holoceno is a truly historic album. The only thing I wish is that there was more music like this out there. 

You can read the original review here.

Recommended tracks: Holoceno, Lobisomem, Bacia das Almas, São Francisco
Recommended for fans of: Mastodon, Magma, Baroness, Kayo Dot
You may also like: Yeti, Gonin-ish, Wax People, Guapo

Need – Norchestrion: A Song for the End (Greece)
Style: Traditional Prog Metal, some Groove Metal (clean vocals)
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify
Pick by: Sam

Ever felt like you had your album of the year set in stone before the year even began? That’s what happened to me. Back when the first single for Norchestrion dropped I thought “album of the year”. Then Norchestrion dropped on January 12th, and as I listened to it I said again “album of the year”. Then finally I wrote my review and despite some doubts halfway through the process I said for the umpeenth time: “album of the year”. And guess what happened? It turned out to be my album of the year, to the surprise of exactly no one.

You know, I’m just weak for this type of stuff. The passionate vocals of Jon V, the dynamic yet easy to follow songs, the instrumentals being as intricate as they are melodic, and a healthy layer of good ol ‘cheese on top. I love every second of it. This band hits all the right beats for me. From Fates Warning to Pain of Salvation to Dream Theater, but then with their own unique twist. I don’t even mind the spoken word interlude anymore. The music is just too well done. Warm, intricate, passionate, and on multiple occasions mind-blowing. Norchestrion is a fantastic album and no one can convince me otherwise.

You can read the original review here.

Recommended tracks: Beckethead, Circadian, Ananke
Recommended for fans of: modern Fates Warning, Pain of Salvation, Dream Theater, late Symphony X, Pantera, Evergrey, Kingcrow
You may also like: Lost in Thought, Hephystus, The Spectre Beneath

Ænigmatum – Deconsecrate (USA)
Style: Blackened/Technical Death Metal (harsh vocals)
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify
Pick by: Dan

Honestly, this is a nearly perfect modern blackened death metal album for me. It’s got a pragmatic melodicism – reminiscent of Cormorant‘s later work – yet is completely unrelenting in its intensity. The band is super precise, but with a lively and engaging performance, and gorgeous production job. The songs are well-written and well-structured, full of classic energy but dissodeath-inspired chops. The bass frequently meanders into melodiousness beneath churning guitars and frenetic, razor-sharp drums. The riffs are tight and fresh, and the vocals compliment everything effortlessly without being overwhelmingly wordy or inscrutable. The songs do tend to run together by the end (the penultimate track, in particular, drags a bit and feels poorly placed), and I wish there were more dynamics in the songwriting, but when it hits, it hits real good. AOTY good.

You can read the original review here.

Recommended tracks: Forged From Bedlam; Disenthralled; Larker, Sanguine Phantom
Recommended for fans of: VoidCeremony, Ceremony of Silence, Bedsore, Faceless Burial, The Chasm
You may also like: Atvm, Burial in the Sky, Alustrium

A Kew’s Tag – Hephioz (Germany)
Style: Acoustic Prog Rock, Alternative Metal, Djent (Clean vocals)
Related links: Spotify
Pick by: Mathis

This album is incredible, I have never heard anything like it. It is exceptional in every way, and because of that, it is my album of the year! Hephioz is a thrilling and dramatic story with god-tier musicianship and songwriting. I said I have never heard anything like it, but let me just clarify, there is nothing else like this album. A Kew’s Tag aren’t just some prog elites making good and trendy music, they are legitimate artists making material that is so inspired that it can’t be comprehended by all. I feel sorry for those that can’t fully enjoy this masterpiece.

The acoustic guitar is not meant to serenade a lover; it is meant to freaking djent baby, it is meant to pluck away so lightly that you feel like your ears are floating off your head, it is meant to serve as a medium to tell epic stories. Hephioz is riveting, and by definition that is “Completely engrossing” I can’t get this album out of my head, but that’s ok because I want it to stay <3.

You can read the original review here.

Recommended tracks: All of them, you don’t skip chapters in a book do you?
Recommended for fans of: The Dear Hunter, Vola, Lunatic Soul
You May Also Like: Umpfel, Others By No One

Hands of Despair – The Crimson Boughs (And Other Short Tales) (Canada)
Style: Progressive Death Metal (mixed vocals)
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify
Pick by: Will

It was always going to be challenging to follow an album as strong as Well of the Disquieted. Indeed, despite Rivers of Nihil’s The Work being a solid album in and of itself, fell short of living up to expectations set by Where Owls Know My Name. No such disappointment for Hands of Despair with their fourth album The Crimson Boughs (And Other Short Tales) which manages to expand on many of the musical elements that made Well of the Disquieted so strong with some insane riffs, beautiful deployment of clean vocals and truly impactful lyrics; but differentiates itself by changing the scale and focus of the album. While Well of the Disquieted is personal and intimate, Crimson Boughs is expansive. Where Well of Disquieted is a novel, staying with its protagonist for the duration, Crimson Boughs is, well, a short story collection – shorter vignettes of carnage.

There are lots of layers to delve into in this album: Including the intriguing song titles such as “Aokigahara” (the name of the forest in the lowlands of Mt. Fuji that has become infamous as a suicide hotspot). “Hécatombe” refers to the ancient Greek practice of slaughtering, flaying and burning one hundred head of cattle as a ritual offering to the gods. The lyrics, in both French and English alternate between beauty and brutality and the instruments, from riffs to bone-rattling drum lines have enough to keep the avid listener interested for months.

Clever, complex and creative, Crimson Boughs is an album that deeply rewards repeat listening, like a favourite book that demands to be reread. I’m sure many will be listening to this for many years to come.

You can read the original review here.

Recommended tracks: They say their screams can still be heard, The Crimson Boughs
Recommended for fans of: Opeth, Ne Obliviscaris, In Mourning, Rivers of Nihil, Hath
You may also like: Epiphanie, Dragonauta, IER, The Antichrist Imperium

Dessideriun – Aria (US-AZ)
Style: Progressive/Technical Symphonic Death/Black Metal (mixed vocals)
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify
Pick by: Zach

There is a surefire sign of a fantastic album for me, and it’s never failed in the twenty-some-odd years I’ve blessed my ears with the power of prog. If an album has a single moment on a single song that makes me go “Ooh”, then it’s probably good at the very least. But if an album has a whole song that’s full of those moments, chances are I’m going to end up loving it. But when one song is the entire “Ooh” moment, well, that’s Aria. ‘White Morning in a World She Knows’ is so easily digestible, even at a whopping 15 minutes, and it sacrifices none of the complexity in doing so. 

The most mind-boggling thing of all is this was basically all done by one person. The drums were programmed by Exist’s Brody Smith, and the mix/master was done by ex-Aborted Mendel bij de Leij, but all the other compositions were done by Haddad himself. And there’s about 300 billion things going on in each song, and I think it’s proof enough of his genius that each song didn’t become an overlong clusterfuck. He strikes such a wonderful balance between technical, beautiful, and brutal. I could go on about this album forever, and the fact I still play it every single day back to front at least once says all you need to know.  

You can read the original review here.

Recommended tracks: Pale, Aria, The Persecution Complex 
Recommended for fans of: Ne Obliviscaris, Opeth, Wilderun, Native Construct 
You may also like: Hands of Despair, Epiphanie, Cormorant, Aquilius, Enfold Darkness

Meer – Playing House (Norway)
Style: Prog Rock/Indie (clean vocals)
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify
Pick by: Nick

After this list, I don’t want a single goddamn person to doubt me when I say something’s an album of the year contender. Coming outright at the end of January, I remember the moment I heard the opening to “Picking Up the Pieces”. It’s a very simple yet powerful opening into an album that perfectly dips and dives through indie prog bliss. All in all, this has stood firm since January as not only my favorite prog album of 2021 but one of my favorites of all time, up there with the greats. An album that works this well as a whole is rare and only a handful come out a year. If you want two songs to sample from this album, listen to “Beehive” and its sister track “Honey” which reprises the chorus of the former in a subtle and stunning fashion. Both songs give you a good taste of the dynamic sound that Meer accomplishes on their sophomore release and will hopefully draw you into the album as much as I have been.

You can read the original review here.

Recommended tracks: Beehive, Honey, Picking Up The Pieces, She Goes
Recommended for fans of: The Dear Hunter, Steven Wilson, Bent Knee, Genesis
You may also like: The Family Crest, Adjy, Evan Carson