Fabio's Favorite Albums of 2018 and more...

I'm amazed to realize that this article will mark the seventh time I've created a "Top Albums of the Year" list. I have unsuccessfully tried to cut down the number of new albums I checked in 2018. While I stayed at the 100 mark, as in previous years, I think I spent less time per album. More often than previously, I dismissed some releases that didn't appeal to me in the first few tries. My goal for 2019 is to reduce the number of albums and increase the number of listening sessions per chosen ones. Why is that? Well, other commitments, work and my tinnitus are the main factors for me to cut down the volume of music during my day. I also want to buy less physical albums as shelf space is quickly becoming an issue. So I will focus on really good ones.

But now back to 2018. As I usually point out, these are simply subjective choices as my favorite albums of the year and not necessarily "the best" albums. I chose these records for different reasons. First I rate every song of an album, so yes, it has to be consistently good to make it to the top. I don't exclude any metal sub-genre and more often than not it's about the emotions and experiences the album brought to me. For example, I always notice that top albums are correlated with bands I saw live on the same year. Last note, I don't particularly reward different/innovative albums, but I do get bored with albums that are full of cliches and sound too much like other albums from the past.

That's all, thank you and enjoy!

55.Skeletal Remains - Devouring Mortality
54.Watain - Trident Wolf Eclipse
53.Hooded Menace - Ossuarium Silhouettes Unhallowed
52.Barren Earth - A Complex Of Cages
51.Magnum - Lost on the Road to Eternity
50.Horrendous - Idol
49.Uriah Heep - Living the Dream
48.Gruesome - Twisted Prayers
47.Krisiun - Scourge Of The Enthroned
46.Arkona - Khram
45.Corrosion of Conformity - No Cross No Crown
44.Sleep - The Sciences
43.Kamelot - The Shadow Theory
42.Audrey Horne - Blackout
41.Bloodbath - The Arrow of Satan is Drawn
40.At The Gates - To Drink From the Night Itself
39.Mob Rules - Beast Reborn
38.Fifth Angel - The Third Secret
37.Long Distance Calling - Boundless
36.Vein - Errorzone
35.Primordial - Exile Amongst the Ruins
34.Black Label Society - Grimmest Hits
33.Spock's Beard - Noise Floor
32.Necrophobic - Mark Of The Necrogram
31.Riot V - Armor of Light
30.Primal Fear - Apocalypse
29.Architects - Holy Hell
28.Parkway Drive - Reverence
27.Millennial Reign - The Great Divide
26.Brainstorm - Midnight Ghost

25.Haken - Vector

24.Ihsahn - Ámr
23.Heir Apparent - The View from Below
22.Visigoth - Conqueror's Oath
21.Joe Satriani - What Happens Next

20.Amorphis - Queen Of Time
Keeping some of their Death Metal roots in their sound, Amorphis is now a progressive metal act combining melody, aggressiveness, folk elements, clean and death metal vocals. This time they stepped up a notch by including the use of real strings, flutes, orchestral arrangements and even choirs. With two fantastic albums in a row, it will be interesting to see where those Finns go next.

19.Obscura - Diluvium
Germany’s progressive death metal masters Obscura complete their "four-album conceptual circle with the release of Diluvium". All the band's signature elements are again present: Progressive Tech Death Metal with very complex songs, a prominent fretless bass and great guitar work. For an album on this genre Diluvium is relatively easy to digest and provides us with a fantastic sonic journey.

18.Behemoth - I Loved You at Your Darkest
Not as powerful and unanimously adored as the predecessor, ILYAYD  is still another excellent output from the Polish band. It confirms Behemoth as one of the most important bands in extreme metal today. Adam ‘Nergal’ Darski experience in non-metal projects led ILYAYD to sound like a transitional record (sound and lyrics). In some moments more accessible and using new elements (e.g. children choir, acoustic guitars) but without forgetting where they came from. ILYAYD  is all over the year-end lists.

17.Khemmis - Desolation
After the huge buzz around their previous record, it was great to see that Khemmis grabbed their place and were still delivering the highest quality heavy metal. Desolation marks a departure from the pure doom metal sound into traditional heavy metal music but still grounded into their doom foundation. It sounds like Khemmis but you can hear classic rock influences, specially Iron Maiden. The growth of this band is impressive.

16.Immortal - Northern Chaos Gods
Northern Chaos Gods is the ninth studio album by Immortal and first without Abbath. All in all, expectations were high for Demonaz (vocals, guitars) and Horgh (drums). The album is only 43 minutes in 8 tracks. The album opens very well with the energetic and yet catchy title track. The traditional black metal tracks follow one after the other with a lot of energy, great riffs and groove. Until we reach track 8, the epic "Mighty Ravendark" and its fantastic 9:15 minutes. It's 2018 and Immortal is still relevant, thanks!

15.Ghost - Prequelle
Saying that Prequelle  is a divisive record is kind of redundant for such a "love or rate" band. The album is musically more 80s rock/pop oriented than previous records, guitars are also more prominent. It is once again a very well written album, as catchy and memorable as a rock album can be. I really like the first half of it but felt a bit disappointed with the B side. It's a fun record that on average is by no doubts considered one of the best of the year.

14.Deafheaven - Ordinary Corrupt Human Love
Deafheaven continues to solidify their post-black metal sound. I was already impressed with their previous work so it's impressive that I think that Ordinary Corrupt Human Love is even better. Once more Deafheaven makes disturbing heavy music beautiful. A dichotomy that challenges the listener. The inclusion of more piano parts, rock guitar riffs and solos gave yet another color to their characteristic sound without loosing its roots.

13.Gaerea - Unsettling Whispers
The surprise of the year was the debut full-length from the black metal quintet from Portugal. Unsettling Whispers is a mastery display of doing black metal right. Despite the fact that Gaerea is a hooded anonymous group, musically, it has nothing to do with Ghost. Gaerea makes high quality, well written black metal full of dark melodies, mostly mid tempo with a hint of death metal. It is the black metal album of the year from a band that we need to keep an eye on through our hoods.

12.Voivod - The Wake
The music is a psychedelic prog thrash metal journey with many twists and turns. The album delivers a single work, rather than a collection of songs. Hence why it's a grower and takes quite a few spins to really get into it. But once you do, it's a concise, unique and well crafted music experience. Overall the legendary thrash band was able to after all these years and several line-up changes, deliver an album that while modern and different stayed true to their roots.

11.Tribulation - Down Below
After the highly acclaimed The Children of the Night (2015) which significantly steered their sound into traditional heavy metal, psychedelic rock, and gothic rock, Tribulation is with a cohesive musical experience. I can't really pinpoint any songs, they are all great and don't stand out individually. But as a full length album from start to finish, there's a dark hypnotizing atmosphere that sucks you into it. Additionally the production is great, the guitars are fantastic and the vocals as dark as we came to know, growling with melody.

10.Alice in Chains - Rainier Fog

The third album with William DuVall is the one I liked the most. The classic elements are all there: Melodic, mid-tempo, vocal harmonies, big riffs and dark mood. While not bringing anything new, the grunge pioneers from Seattle delivered another great  album. The first 3/4 of the album are just great, but the last part looses a bit the strength, but luckily the interesting "Never Fade" saves the overall experience. For new and old fans alike, this is a fun and entertaining musical experience.

9.Yob - Our Raw Heart
I bought this album right after its release and it was climbing slowly my list as I get inside this long, beautiful and emotional but yet heavy doomy musical journey. While the whole album is fantastic, "Beauty In Falling Leaves" is specially amazing. Like the whole album, it is testament of the emotions going through frontman Mike Scheidt while in hospital fighting for his life. 

8.Pig Destroyer - Head Cage
Despite their six albums history, Head Cage  is my first contact with these grind masters. Their choice to modernize their production, to include a bass player (yes for the first time!) and overall "metalize" more their ferocious grindcore sound worked for me. Listen at your own risk!

7.Tesseract - Sonder
TesseracT combines complex technicality and djent grooves with atmospheric sounds giving it a very unique progressive sound. Additionally, Daniel Tompkins, vocal performance is jaw dropping. My only overall complain about Sonder is that it's the band's shortest studio album at 36 minutes in length. I can't wait for more TesseracT!

6.Zeal and Ardor - Stranger Fruit
After a mesmerizing live show, I fell in love with Stranger Fruit. Zeal & Ardor mixes sounds of negro spirituals with black metal. The result is a very unique record full of energy and emotion. Different ideas, structures, tempos, vocal changes and choruses make Stranger Fruit  not only an original record but also dynamic.  While not being an easy one to digest album, if you take the time to appreciate the experimentation, you will find yourself addicted to a catchy, fascinating and daring record.

5.The Ocean - Phanerozoic I: Palaeozoic
Their previous record was already fantastic and The Ocean did it again. Maybe not as good, it's still amazing. The beautifully crafted sound experience combining post rock with death metal moments is epic and great. If the band wasn't good enough the song "Devonian: Nascent" Featuring Jonas Renkse from Katatonia adds an additional flavor of doomy grace.

4.Between The Buried And Me - Automata I/II
Albeit as progressive as previous records, Automata being released in two parts is easier to digest than previous records. I am a big fan of the progressive modern metal that BTBAM have been making for the last few albums. Automata continues the trend of good albums. Originality, exceptional musicianship, thought provoking lyrics, Automata has it all. The jazzy big band influenced "Voice Of Trespass" is one of the best songs of the year.

3.Michael Romeo - War Of The Worlds, Pt. 1
The guitarist and main song writer of Symphony X (SX), brings his first solo album. The big difference to SX (besides the vocals) is the intense use of symphonic passages with a film score vibe to it, making the transition between songs seamlessly awesome! This is a masterpiece of power progressive symphonic metal, where's Part II already?

2.Rivers of Nihil - Where Owls Know My Name
Rivers of Nihil continue to perform the technical death metal which they are known for. But they also progressed into new frontiers adding elements from jazz (e.g. "The Silent Life"), acoustic (e.g "Subtle Change"), and electronica (e.g. "Terrestria III: Wither). It all results in progressive death metal with a diverse sound pallet. There's a lot of melody but never let down the heaviness. As one of the jewels of 2018, Where Owls Know My Name is Rivers of Nihil‘s opportunity to shine and bring new fans.

1.Judas Priest - Firepower

We have the pleasure to be blessed in 2018 with a return to form from the metal gods. Let me get right into it, Firepower is their best album since Painkiller. And probably will remain among my top 10 Priest albums. It's full of energy, heavy great drumming and riffs, Halford did a great job and the production is fantastic (albeit a bit loud). Firepower sounds like Priest in 2018. Meaning, it clearly has several hallmarks of their classic sound, but it also sounds modern and timely. It's a very direct album, most of the songs are below 5 minutes and fast tempo. Overall very good album, classic Priest with a modern twist and full of instant classics.

Honorable  Mentions:
Skeletonwitch - Devouring Radiant Light
Angra - ØMNI
Axel Rudi Pell - Knights Call
Therion - Beloved Antichrist
Hamferð - Támsins likam
Bleed From Within - Era
Anaal Nathrakh - A New Kind of Horror
Saxon - Thunderbolt
SUMAC - Love In Shadow
Witherfall - A Prelude To Sorrow
Dimmu Borgir - Eonian
Gorod - Aethra
Grave Digger - The Living Dead

Biggest Disappointments:
Them - Manor of the Se7en Gables

Voodoo Circle - Raised on Rock

Royal Hunt - Cast In Stone

Machine Head  - Catharsis

Favorite Album Covers:
Judas Priest - Firepower

Brainstorm - Midnight Ghost

Hooded Menace - Ossuarium Silhouettes Unhallowed

Favorite Guitar Solos:
Joe Satriani- Thunder High on the Mountain by Joe Satriani
Black Label Society - The Day That Heaven Had Gone Away by Zakk Wylde
Black Label Society - The Only Words by Zakk Wylde
Gruesome - Crusade of Brutality by James Murphy
Obscura- Ekpyrosis by R. Trujillo
Michael Romeo - Djinn by Michael Romeo
Slash feat. Myles Kennedy And The Conspirators - Lost Inside The Girl by Slash

Top 5 songs:

Firepower by Judas Priest
To Drink From the Night Itself by At The Gates
Rats by Ghost

Voice Of Trespass by Between The Buried And Me
Luminary by TesseracT

Favorite Shows:
Iron Maiden at Graspop
Helloween at Alcatraz Festival
Kamelot at 013

Disappointing Shows:
Thy Art is Murder at Fortarock
The Black Dahlia Murder at Alcatraz Festival

Top Albums of Q4/2018

Horrendous - Idol
After 2 well received albums, Horrendous is coming out of the underground with their incredible new album Idol. Idol's music is a raw progressive death metal with a clear but old style dynamic production. As with the previous record Anareta , Idol does not shy away of showing their Death-style songwriting while still being fresh and original. The vocals, for example, very often flirt with hardcore style and the fretless bass brings a different flavor to their mix. Matt Knox and Damian Herring’s guitar work and riffs are another highlight. The synergy and chemistry between the two are jaw-dropping. It also helps that the album does not overstay its welcome clocking just under 40 min. All in all, it's difficult to complain about something on this record. The praising will not fade away, be ready to see Idol in many year end lists.

Voivod - The Wake
The Wake is the fourteenth studio album by the Canadian heavy metal band Voivod. The music is a psychedelic prog thrash metal journey with many twists and turns. According to Langevin  "The story involves the usual Voivodian topics: disasters, chaos, conflicts, strange plots and alternate consciousness." The album is successful in its goal of delivering a single work, rather than a collection of songs. Hence why it's a grower and takes quite a few spins to really get into it. But once you do, it's a concise, unique and well crafted music experience. One of the unique features of The Wake is the final track "Sonic Mycelium", a 12-minute affair that basically recaps and goes through the previous 7 songs main riffs and verses. Overall the legendary thrash band was able to after all these years and several line-up changes, deliver an album that while modern and different stayed truthful to their original sound.

Heir Apparent - The View from Below
Heir Apparent is a traditional heavy metal band from Seattle, formed in 1983 and often compared to contemporaries Queensrÿche. Despite being formed 35 years ago, Heir Apparent has only two LPs prior to The View from Below, Graceful Inheritance (1986) and One Small Voice (1989), the former became an underground cult album. Now they are finally back with an album that takes us back in time. The View from Below sounds like an 80's album, in a good way. With 8 strong tracks in 46 minutes of power progressive metal extravaganza, The View from Below does not have fat to be cut and balances very well the tracks. The songs are mostly on the 6 min mark, mid-tempo and very well produced. I like how all the instruments, including the bass, are very distinctive in the mix. The vocal performance is solid and Will does not overuse his high pitches. There's also enough variability among the songs with the progressive ballad "Here We Aren't", the short fast track "Savior" and the epic "The Road to Palestine" spread throughout the album keeping the listener attentive. For the fans of traditional heavy metal/power progressive metal, The View from Below is satisfaction guaranteed and one of the best albums of 2018 in this genre.

Brainstorm - Midnight Ghost
German power metal band Brainstorm 12th studio album is one of their best. From the song writing, production and cover artwork, it is as perfect as a power metal album can get. With 10 songs and 52 min, the album goes a bit long and looses some strength at the very end. But the sequence from the powerful opener "Devil's Eye" to the catchy "The Four Blessings" is pure power metal overdose. Catchy and melodic and yet powerful and energetic, Brainstorm delivered what any power metal fans would expect from them.

Behemoth - I Loved You at Your Darkest
Four years after the highly acclaimed The Satanist, Behemoth had the difficult task to follow up a masterpiece. Not as powerful and unanimously adored as the predecessor, ILYAYD  is still another excellent output from the Polish band. It confirms Behemoth as one of the most important bands in extreme metal today. Adam ‘Nergal’ Darski experience in non-metal projects led ILYAYD to sound like a transitional record (sound and lyrics). In some moments more accessible and using new elements (e.g. children choir, acoustic guitars) but without forgetting where they came from by displaying the dark Blackened Death Metal, ILYAYD  will impress critics and fans alike.

Alice in Chains - Rainier Fog
The third album with William DuVall is the one I liked the most. The classic elements are all there: Melodic, mid-tempo, vocal harmonies, big riffs and dark mood. While not bringing anything new, the grunge pioneers from Seattle delivered another great  album. The first 3/4 of the album are just great, but the last part looses a bit the strength, but luckily the interesting "Never Fade" saves the overall experience. For new and old fans alike, this is a fun and entertaining musical experience.

Top Albums of Q3/2018

Michael Romeo - War Of The Worlds, Pt. 1

The guitarist and main song writer of Symphony X (SX), brings his first solo album. The big difference to SX (besides the vocals) is the intense use of symphonic passages with a film score vibe to it, making the transition between songs seamlessly awesome! After the competent and direct opener "Fear The Unknown", "Black", an amazing song, follows (even if at times reminds me of BFMV but on the good days). The thrash riff on "Black" is superb, James Hetfield is certainly jealous. "F*cking Robots" is not only a very unique song in a metal album due to the use of electronic music but also features an amazing catchy beautiful chorus. "Djinn" eastern arrangements and atmosphere blended with the very heavy riff reminded me of the excellent V: The New Mythology Suite. "Believe", the longest track, starts given the impression it's going to be a ballad but despite being mid tempo, it's just a beautiful progressive song. "Differences" is short, direct and heavy song with a catchy chorus, one of the most SX-like songs on the record. The instrumental title track transitions directly into "Oblivion", a nice track with a memorable verse. "Constellations" closes War Of The Worlds, Pt. 1 in good style. This is a masterpiece of power progressive symphonic metal, where's Part II already?

Between The Buried And Me - Automata II
Automata II is the second part of a two-piece album released in July and the first, Automata I, was released in March. Part II features 4 songs in 34 minutes, one being a 2 min transition. Consequently, albeit as progressive as previous records, it is easier to digest. I am a big fan of the progressive modern metal that BTBAM have been making for the last few albums. Automata II continues the trend of good albums and it's even better than part I. Originality, exceptional musicianship, thought provoking lyrics, Automata I & II have it all and it will certainly please the fans while possibly bringing new ones.

Deafheaven - Ordinary Corrupt Human Love

Already presenting their 4th album, Deafheaven continues to solidify their post-black metal sound. I was already impressed with both Sunbather (2013) and New Bermuda (2015) so it's impressive that I think that Ordinary Corrupt Human Love is even better. "You Without End" opens the album with a soft piano intro and spoken words. It's a piano based song in which the vocals are low in the mix, it works for me, beautiful song. "Honeycomb" is the first single is a much more guitar driven track. It includes an interesting blast beats section and a groovy black n roll vibe, specially during the guitar solo. "Canary Yellow" is the second single, the longest song with over 12 min. The vocals are ery black metal but it's another groovy song with a slow intro and sections. "Near" is relatively short song featuring an acoustic guitar, clean vocals but mostly instrumental, it's right in the middle of the album and it works well as "palate cleanser". The slowness is not broken until minute 3 of "Glint" when we past the intro into one of the closest section to traditional black metal. The shortest song "Night People" features Chelsea Wolfe and it is dispensable, points for trying. The album closes with the epic "Worthless Animal". Once more Deafheaven makes disturbing heavy music beautiful. A dichotomy that challenges the listener. The inclusion of more piano parts, rock guitar riffs and solos gave yet another color to their characteristic sound without loosing its roots.

Obscura - Diluvium
Germany’s progressive death metal masters Obscura complete their "four-album conceptual circle with the release of Diluvium". All the band's signature elements are again present: Progressive Tech Death Metal with very complex songs, a prominent fretless bass and great guitar work. For an album on this genre Diluvium is relatively easy to digest and provides us with a fantastic sonic journey.

Immortal - Northern Chaos Gods
Northern Chaos Gods is the ninth studio album by Immortal and first without Abbath. It's been nine years since All Shall Fall! In the meantime Abbath released a solo album which is pretty good. All in all, expectations were high for Demonaz (vocals, guitars) and Horgh (drums). The album is only 43 minutes in 8 tracks. The album opens very well with the energetic and yet catchy title track. The traditional black metal tracks follow one after the other with a lot of energy, great riffs and groove. Until we reach track 8, the epic "Mighty Ravendark" and its fantastic 9:15 minutes. It appears then that Immortal can exist without Abbath and do very well. We are very fortunate because we also get Abbath with his band.

Primal Fear - Apocalypse

With Primal Fear you know what you are getting: traditional heavy/power metal of high quality highly influence by Judas Priest, Accept and Helloween. Ralf Scheepers is one of the best singers in the genre and always delivers solid performances. Backed up by a competent line-up and song writers who know how to write fist pumping songs and sing along catchy choruses.  Apocalypse features a collection of fast and powerful tracks such as "New Rise", "The Ritual" and "Blood, Sweat, & Fear". But also throws us some curve balls that work very well: "Supernova" is a beautiful slow tempo song with symphonic arrangements. "Eye Of The Storm" is a symphonic epic 8 min track. Even more variations like those would've helped the album. For example a couple of songs at the end don't add much to the experience. For the fans of Primal Fear or this genre, satisfaction guaranteed! 

Gaerea - Unsettling Whispers
The surprise of the quarter was the debut full-length from the black metal quintet from Portugal. Unsettling Whispers is a mastery display of doing balck metal right. Despite the fact that Gaerea is a hooded anonymous group, musically, it has nothing to do with Ghost. Gaerea makes high quality, well written black metal full of dark melodies, mostly mid tempo with a hint of death metal. It may be the black metal album of the year from a band that we need to keep an eye on though our hoods. 

Top Albums of Q2/2018

Tesseract - Sonder 
Sonder marks TesseracT's first consecutive release with the same vocalist, Daniel Tompkins, who first appeared on their debut studio album, One (2011), and later, Polaris (2015). And that's important because Mr. Tompkins performance is jaw dropping. The album opens with the beautiful and captivating "Luminary", great melody over very djent and heavy riffs. "King" is the best and longest track of the album, full of ups and downs. Simply gorgeous. "Orbital" is a short ambient and transitional song, it gives away to, once again, heavy djent driven  "Juno". A bass driven verse and captivating melodies. "Beneath My Skin" is a beautiful, slower tempo song with electric elements, it works well. "Mirror Image" is a slow tempo and clean song, I think hear the album looses a bit the punch. But it luckily regains it with "Smile". Sonder closes with the short "The Arrow". My only overall complain about Sonder is that it's the band's shortest studio album at 36 minutes in length. I can't wait for more TesseracT!

Rivers of Nihil - Where Owls Know My Name 
This is the third studio effort by the Pennsylvania death metallers following 2015's Monarchy. Withe the new work, Rivers of Nihil continue to perform the technical death metal which they are known for. But they also progress into new frontiers adding elements from jazz (e.g. "The Silent Life"), acoustic (e.g "Subtle Change"), and electronica (e.g. "Terrestria III: Wither). It all results in a progressive death metal with a diverse sound pallet. There's a lot of melody but never let down the heaviness. As one of the jewels of 2018, Where Owls Know My Name is Rivers of Nihil‘s opportunity to shine and bring new fans.

Barren Earth - A Complex Of Cages 
Those Finnish who make a unique Death/Doom/Progressive metal, are back after the excellent 2015's On Lonely Towers. Their fourth full length album, A Complex Of Cages was released via Nuclear Blast. Once again the highlights are the versatility and competence of the singer Jón Aldará and the superb song writing.  From the get go opener "The Living Fortress" showcases the 70s progressive rock influences which leads to an almost Dream Theater feel during the instrumental intro. Overall Barren Earth is all about a dynamic crushing deathdoom metal full of melancholy and melody. Definitely a contender for album of the year.

Between The Buried And Me - Automata I 
Automata I is the first part of a two-piece album released in March and the second, Automata II, was released in July. Part I features 6 songs in 35 minutes, one being a 1 min instrumental. Consequently, albeit as progressive as previous records, it is easier to digest. I am a big fan of the progressive modern metal that BTBAM have been making for the last few albums. Automata I continues the trend of good albums. Originality, exceptional musicianship, thought provoking lyrics, Automata I has it all and it will certainly please the fans while possibly bring new ones.

Amorphis - Queen Of Time 
The thirteenth studio album by the Finnish comes on the heels of the highly acclaimed 2015's Under the Red Cloud. An album that landed #6 in that year's list. So the fact that Queen Of Time is threading the same line is certainly good news. Still keeping some of their Death Metal roots in their sound, Amorphis is now a progressive metal act combining melody, aggressiveness, folk elements, clean and death metal vocals. This time they stepped up a notch by including the use of real strings, flutes, orchestral arrangements and even choirs. "Amongst Stars" even features Anneke van Giersbergen. That wouldn't work if the song writing wasn't so good. With two fantastic albums in a row, it will be interesting to see where those Finns go next.

Zeal and Ardor - Stranger Fruit 
Zeal & Ardor re-released  their 2016 debut, Devil Is Fine, by MKVA records in early 2017. I had this album on my backlog because it was included on many publication's year-end best of lists. I never got to it until I had a chance to see them live during a 2018 festival. In preparation for the show I not only checked  the debut but also the new Stranger Fruit. I liked both but after a mesmerizing show, I specially fell in love with the latter. Zeal & Ardor, led by the talented Manuel Gagneux, mixes sounds of negro spirituals with black metal. The result is a very unique record full of energy and emotion. The album features an intimidated number of tracks, 16, but nothing to worry. First they are all around the 3 min mark. Secondly, 4 of them are intros/transitional tracks. The remaining 12 tracks are almost all fantastic and diverse. Different ideas, structures, tempos, vocal changes and choruses make Stranger Fruit  not only an original record but also dynamic. While not being an easy one to digest album, if you take the time to appreciate the experimentation, you will find yourself addicted to a catchy, fascinating and daring record.

At The Gates - To Drink From the Night Itself
After the triumphant 2014's comeback album and my album of that year At War With Reality, the legend At The Gates is back with To Drink From the Night Itself. Right at the gate, the biggest difference between the two album is the production. While the predecessor had a modern and clean production, they went old style now with a more raw production that reminds their early albums pre slaughter. The change of guitar player had also an impact in their sound since Anders Björler was a key song writer. But no need to worry, after the intro song, the title track is an instant classic followed by the amazing "A Stare Bound in Stone". Now there are other great tracks, but the album gets a bit bloated in the middle. With that said the energy and directness of their music is alive and well. Tomas Lindberg’s vocals as amazing as ever. The guitars while still showcasing fantastic riffs have a deeper black metal vibe than previous records. A very good album, but slightly below the predecessor, maybe it's time to take some risks in the next one.

Millennial Reign - The Great Divide 
It's the first time I check this band even though they are already on their third album. Rightfully so, their bio states and I agree: "Any fan of Iron Maiden, Queensryche, Judas Priest and Crimson Glory will not be disappointed with this new album. Millennial Reign should be in any collection of melodic or traditional power metal." I would just add that the vocal performance of James Guest reminds me a lot of  Eduard Hovinga from Elegy. Millennial Reign makes a well written and executed power metal with high pitched vocals, one guitar and keyboards. Now the keys which are a bit too loud in the mix, are not Stratovarius style, but to create a wall of sound for the guitar and vocals. Power metal albums tend to overstay their welcome, but that's not the case here, The Great Divide clocks perfectly at 47 min. There are a couple of missteps in the middle of the album like "In Your Silence" but the last 4 tracks regain energy and leave you with a good taste.

Gruesome - Twisted Prayers 
So many bands copy classic bands and pretend to be original that it's refreshing that Gruesome is explicitly worshiping Death and Chuck Schuldiner while creating new music. Those guys had so much fun doing the Death to All tours that they guitarist/vocalist Matt Harvey and drummer Gus Rios decided to create a band in 2014 and released their full-length Savage Land in 2015. With that said, you know what you are getting here, straight-up 90's death metal fully inspired by Death with a  touch of early Slayer. The album is slightly more progressive than the debut (like Spiritual Healing vs. Leprosy) and I must highlight the guitar work. Both the riffs and specially the solos are just fantastic. If they keep going with this inspiration and energy, then please the show must go on.

Kamelot - The Shadow Theory 
The Shadow Theory is the twelfth studio album by Kamelot and already the 3rd with Tommy Karevik on vocals.  The new album features all the signature elements of Kamelot but that's not necessarily a good thing because risks were not taken. It's a good and fun album, but the feeling of deva-vu is too strong. The excellent production and another great performance from Tommy Karevik  help the album. Still I was a bit disappointed.

Primordial - Exile Amongst the Ruins 
Irish pagan metallers returned in 2018 with an album that maintained their signature sound: long and epic tracks, fist pumping galloping riffs, Celtic, black, and pagan metal elements, and A.A. Nemtheanga's powerful vocals. Primordial is known as one of those consistent bands, so you shouldn't expect big surprises when comparing to previous releases. However, the band did highlight Exile Amongst the Ruins as "a more raw, old school sounding" record than its predecessor 2014's Where Greater Men Have Fallen. While not a top Primordial album, it is still a good album with some interesting tracks, my favorites being the galloping and fast paced "Nail Their Tongues" and "To Hell or the Hangman", the curved ball "Stolen Years" and "Sunken Lungs" mainly because of the drumming.

Ghost - Prequelle 
Prequelle is already the 4th full length album of the rising starts of Ghost. Sayign that it's a divisive record is kind of redundant for such a "love or rate" band. The album is musically more 80s rock/pop oriented than previous records, guitars are also more prominent. It is once again a very well written album, as catchy and memorable as a rock album can be. I really like the first half of it but felt a bit disappointed with the B side. I would in no way give the highest score of the year so far like Rock Hard did, but it’s ok. I guess it’s in everyone’s interest that they become a headliner act and it’s happening. Still the debut is by far my favorite.

Honorable Mentions:
Spock's Beard - Noise Floor
Angra - ØMNI 
Yob - Our Raw Heart
Ihsahn - Ámr 
Bleed From Within - Era 
Parkway Drive - Reverence 

GMM2018 Review

GMM2018 was the biggest Graspop edition ever. With 4 sold out days, the grounds of Dessel were overflowed with metal heads...oh well, many were not really metalheads actually. We saw several people coming for the first time and a good proportion of the crowed was not wearing black. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but due to that we faced several long lines, some logistical challenges (e.g. bathroom) and musically several alt rock bands that were not that great and shows like At The Gates or Corrosion of Conformity ended up being very empty. The days were long and an old chap like me had to plan very strategically in order to survive 4 days and watch my preferred bands. Unfortunately, I did miss some very cool shows like Ozzy and Meshuggah. Weather-wise, it was the driest edition I've been to. Not a single drop of rain. However, some days were really cold. Overall, a good edition, some amazing shows but it left me with a concern: In what direction is this festival going? Will it remain a "Metal Meeting"? or is it becoming a alternative and hard rock meeting?

****

Iron Maiden: The best Maiden set-list I have ever seen live. Great production and performance, as usually, but even more so now with The Legacy of The Beast Tour because they didn't have to stick to one album concept. If that wasn't enough, watching "Where Eagles Dare" and "Flight of Icarus" live was one of the greatest live experiences of my entire music life.

Guns N Roses: A 3.5-hour show with Axel delivering his best performance in many years and Slash shredding away was an unique experience. Believe it or not, this was my first time ever seeing a band that was so influential to me in the late 80's. Most of my favorite songs from that time were in the set-list so I can't complain.

Zeal & Ardor: I know their songs, I have been digging their new album, but still the live experience was way beyond any expectations. What an emotional and well executed show. Bravo!

TesseracT: with 3 songs out of their suberb new album and a vocal performance as impressive as in the studio, TesseracT hit this one out of the Dessel grounds.

***

Judas Priest: The show was great and Halford was at the top of his game. But it was shorter than Hellfest and the two songs out of the three that I wanted to see the most were left out (The Ripper and Saints In Hell). So I can't help it but feel disappointed.

Ayreon: Unique and amazing experience. Great set list and roster of singers. Damian Wilson and Tommy Karevik were the highlights. But of course the show was much shorter than the 013 shows and some key singers were missing e.g. Floor Janssen.

Arch Enemy: Great show, I hadn't seen them in a while and as far as I remember it was their first time on the main stage. I would've liked to see a bit more classics and less new songs though.

At The Gates: Killer performance, as usually, mainly focusing on the classic Slaughter of the Soul and last two albums. The bad news was that the sound failed a few times, the Marquee was empty and many people that were there didn't seem to know the band. All and all, the energy level wasn't great.

Kreator: The fact that I saw their headline show not long ago took a bit out of the fun. No surprises on the setlist. Also Kreator during a sunny day doesn't go that well. But despite all of that, it's a top band and delivered a top show.

Ghost: I love 3 of their 4 albums and I think they put a great live spectacle. Consequently, 60 min set is not enough. Besides I didn't get a good location to watch it. Regardless, the show was great and left me with the desire to see them headlining.

Galactic Empire: Prog metal treatment to the Start Wars soundtrack played by the band dressed as the dark side characters. The lead guitar player being Darth Vader and even talking like him during the transitions. Oh, by the way, it included a short sketch. No need to say more!

Killswitch Engage: One of my favorite modern metal bands did not disappoint. They played the classics and a few ones from the last two albums. The energy level was sub optimal but did not compromise the overall experience.

Avenged Sevenfold: I like most of their albums and I think they make a very good live performance. This year was no different. The interruption to attend a hurt fan was the right decision but it did kill the mood (no pun intended). Besides I was far and too anxious to see Maiden.

Accept: Same comments as for Kreator, I saw their headline show not long ago and no surprises on the setlist. Nonetheless, I had lots of fun.

Savage Messiah: Not many traditional metal and thrash metal bands this year, so this was a nice surprise. It was very early on Friday, but very solid performance with a setlist with songs I knew. Good times!  

**

The Contortionist: It was a good show, but not as good as when I saw them before on a small venue. Even the Metal Dome was a bit big for them.

Arkona: I'm still getting to know this band, so far I like what I know. The show itself didn't really get my attention but I can't say it was bad.

Tyr: Another band that I am not too familiar with. The show was early and the sound failed a few times.

Corrosion Of Conformity: A great band and the last album is making a lot of noise. But the Sunday's audience was a weird one and the Marquee was half empty. Despite not knowing their catalog well, it was enjoyable.

Bullet For My Valentine: I only know them because they play every other year in this festival. Then I got to like some of their hits. But the latest albums are not good at all and several songs were out of those.

*

Iced Earth: One of my favorite bands of all times, but probably their worst show I've seen. By far, it was the worst sounding band of the weekend and the short set-list was full of new songs which was kind of a bummer.

Asphyx: Not a bad band but it didn't catch my attention for more than a couple of songs. 

Top Albums of Q1/2018

Tribulation - Down Below

After the highly acclaimed The Children of the Night (2015) which significantly steered their sound into traditional heavy metal, psychedelic rock, and gothic rock, Tribulation is back with Down Below. A cohesive musical experience with 9 songs in 47 minutes, one being the beautiful instrumental "Purgatorio". I can't really pinpoint other songs, they are all great and don't stand out individually. But as a full length album from start to finish, there's a dark hypnotizing atmosphere that sucks you into it. Additionally the production is great, the guitars are fantastic and the vocals as dark as we came to know, growling with melody. We will be seeing this one in many year-end lists, no doubts and with merits.

Joe Satriani - What Happens Next

This album, while consistent with only direct and short songs, has a lot of diversity. Energetic songs like "Energy" and "Headrush" which resemble the Surfing With The Alien album. Love songs like "Smooth Soul" and "Forever and Ever" (featuring a fantastic Hendrix-like intro). A modern song that sounds like a cat robot trying to speak. Typical Satriani melodic songs like the title track. And of course great shredding. For the record, my favorite solo is on "Thunder High on the Mountain". Overall, this is Satriani back to basics, a great rock album. The grooves and rhythmic section with Glenn Hughes and Chad Smith are just perfect (check "Cherry Blossoms" and "Super Funky Badass" for example). A great addition to such a fabulous and long catalog.

Visigoth - Conqueror's Oath

"The hammers of heavy metal ring loud and true in the mountain halls of Salt Lake City, Utah!". The text from their own page says it all. Those Americans deliver traditional no nonsense heavy metal as if they were part of the NWOBHM. It's not original or reinventing the wheel, but it's very well executed and produced. The song writing is just great, clean powerful vocals, twin guitars and big choruses. All songs are great except "Salt City" which is a bit out of place to me. Highlights are "Outlive Them All" which could've been in Iron Maiden's Killers, the opener "Steel and Silver", the epic "Traitor's Gate" and the Candlemass-like title track. A great album for those looking for good old fashion Heavy Metal.

Long Distance Calling - Boundless
After the fantastic 2016's "Trips" which contained some solid vocals. The post-rockers from Germany are back and returning to their roots with a completely instrumental album. With the exception of a couple of songs, most of the tracks display a lively energy, heaviness, melodies and twists that grabbed my attention. One of the best instrumental albums I've recently listened to .

Watain - Trident Wolf Eclipse

The sixth full-length studio album by Watain comes more than 4 years after the predecessor The Wild Hunt. Back in 2013 vocalist Erik Danielsson performed a song with clean vocals for the first time in the track "They Rode On". While I enjoyed the song and the overall album quite a lot, many fans didn't. For those, you can rest assured because Trident Wolf Eclipse has no clean vocals. Actually the first nine tracks are a bulldozer that will crush you with fast and aggressive black metal. Only the 9th and last song, "Antikrists Mirakel" slows things down a bit and closes the album with a different vibe. Overall, it's a very good black metal album, no frills, no surprises, just straight up quality song writing that hooks you and makes it easy to listen to it repeatedly.

Hamferð - Támsins likam
Hamferð is a Faroese doom metal band from Tórshavn which formed in 2008. In early January 2014, lead singer Jón Aldará also joined the Finnish band Barren Earth. Together they released 2015's fantastic On Lonely Towers. I didn't know Hamferð but I was curious to give it a try given the good experience with Jón Aldará. I'm very happy I did because Támsins likam is a great funeral doom album.

Black Label Society - Grimmest Hits

Despite being quite busy with several other projects and bands, including a tour with Ozzy, Zakk Wylde had the time to put together another good Black Label Society album. No, it's not a compilation album despite the deceiving title. But it does set the tone of the record, a dark, mid tempo album with huge guitar riffs, great solos, heavy grooves, melodies and a Black Sabbath influence more prominent than previous albums. Additional shout out to John DeServio on bass, not only great basslines but also well placed in the mix. A great BLS album and a enjoyable homage to the creators of Heavy Metal.

Necrophobic - Mark Of The Necrogram
Not sure how or why, but I am late to the Necrophobic party. They are part of the first wave of Swedish death metal bands and have already issued a total of seven studio albums. But this is the first time I check them out. From the first song intro I was already sold. Overall, my first impression is of fantastic song writing which displays Amon Amarth with early Slayer and a hint of Watain. In other words, speed, killer riffs and catchy melodies.  So now I know where both Amon Amarth and Watain got some inspiration. The final touch is a fantastic cover by Kristian "Necrolord" Wåhlin. One of the best Death Metal albums of 2018 so far.

Audrey Horne - Blackout

I was blown way by their 2013's Youngblood. But I felt they rushed into releasing Pure Heavy in 2014 which I didn't like at all. Now 4 years later, it looks like they really took the time to create something special. Fantastic rock songs with guitar duo to amaze the Murray/Smith fans. And solid vocal performance from Torkjell Rød. While clearly referring to 70s and 80s rock sound, Audrey Horne has always been able to still sound fresh and new. I hope these guys will tour during the summer festivals, cause it's a perfect fit to a sunny day with beers.

Magnum - Lost on the Road to Eternity

There are not many rock/metal bands that reach the 20th studio album mark. Most importantly, there last few albums have all been really good. While there's nothing new here, it's again a very enjoyable album full of catchy riffs and choruses.

Corrosion of Conformity - No Cross No Crown

While I didn't know those guys very well, the fact that it’s been a dozen years since C.O.C. recorded new material with vocalist/guitarist Pepper Keenan caught my attention. And I really liked what I heard. It's hard to define their sound: sludge, stoner, thrash, rock, it's all in there. But the trademark southern rock sound is impossible to miss. However with running time of 1hr, the album overstays its welcome and the second half kind of blends together.

Judas Priest - Firepower Review

Judas Priest - Firepower

When I was little and got into Metal, Judas Priest was releasing albums that didn't interest me like Turbo and Ram it Down. So I didn't get into Painkiller until 92 or so. Back then, Power Progressive Metal was by far my favorite music genre and I realized that the sound I was in love with (specially the singing style) was pretty much created by Judas Priest. I taped and listened to Painkiller. It later became one of my favorite albums of all times and Priest one of my favorite bands. It also initiated the process that led me to discover their whole discography. With that said, I'm not a fanboy and I do like Jugulator and some Demolition songs. Halford had "left us" and was doing crappy music while Tim Owens stepped up. Then Halford came back and the latest album are quite good except for Nostradamus. And now we have the pleasure to be blessed with a return to form from the metal gods. Let me get right into it, Firepower is their best album since Painkiller. And probably will remain among my top 10 Priest albums. It's full of energy, heavy great drumming and riffs, Halford did a great job and the production is fantastic (albeit a bit loud). Firepower sounds like Priest in 2018. Meaning, it clearly has several hallmarks of their classic sound, but it also sounds modern and timely. It's a very direct album, most of the songs are below 5 minutes and fast tempo.

The album opens with the title track which is one of the best of the album. It has a Painkiller vibe, so yes, heavy and fast, catchy chorus and great vocal harmonies. Without loosing any momentum the second track is the single "Lightning Strike" which follows the same vibe as the opener. Fantastic bridge and awesome chorus with Halford using some aggressive singing. "Evil Never Dies" keep things up on the same lines and features a catchy bridge/chorus and breakdown reminding me of "Nightcrawler". "Never the Heroes" is another single and it's a bit slower tempo. It's ready to be a sing along favorite, I can already see this one live. "Necromancer" picks up speed and it's the closest one to the Jugulator era. "Children of the Sun" has a nice groove, it's very Sabbath-like, great track. "Guardians" is the short instrumental to get some breath and then the fantastic "Rising From Ruins". A more epic and mid tempo song with a huge chorus. "Flame Thrower" is a rocker in the lines of their mid-80's singles. Another single, "Spectre", follows and displays a very modern sound and groove. Then it gets really epic with "Traitors Gate" the longest song on the album with almost 6 min and a power metal vibe that would fit a Manowar album, love it! "No Surrender" is the other rocker, the shortest track and catchy as hell.

Now the album is not perfect. With 60 minutes, Firepower is a bit too long! Despite the fact that it actually flows very well until the penultimate song. But then, the last two songs are not at the same level as the rest of the album. They could've been bonus tracks. The only other complain I have is that I miss the twin guitar and some more riffs a la classic 70's Judas Priest. The guitars are modern and the riffs are very thick. That's OK but not 100% Priest.

Overall very good album, classic Priest with a modern twist and full of instant classics. If this is their last album, which is a high probability, then one of the most legendary metal bands will leave us with a dignifying swansong.

Judas Priest Discography Review

On March 9th, Judas Priest will release their 18th album, Firepower. Since they are one of the greatest metal bands of all time. It calls for something special. So while I anxiously wait, I decided to listen and review all 17 studio albums. To the metal gods!

Rocka Rolla (1974) - 7.5
It's not a bad album at all, it's just not Judas Priest yet. Yes, some basic elements that would become part of their sound are there. But for the most part the album has several influences from bluesy moments, to Sabbath-like songs.

Sad Wings of Destiny (1976) - 9.0
What to say about an album that starts with two of the best metal songs ever? "Victim of Changes" and "The Ripper" are perfect metal anthems. With Sad Wings of Destiny Priest established their sound. Halford didn't hold back and shows his full range, the twin guitar riffs and great solos are all there. The albums is heavy at times, but very progressive with many different styles influences. An essential metal album.

Sin After Sin (1977) - 8.0
Sin After Sin is a natural evolution by taking the same elements from the predecessor while picking up the aggression and speed in tracks like "Dissident Aggressor" and the title track. I love the "Diamonds And Rust" cover. But it's not all that good, some long and slow tracks break the album flow.

Stained Class (1978) - 9.5
Sin After Sin showed the way forward and with Stained Class Priest perfected it and delivered a masterpiece. From the killer proto-speed metal anthem "Exciter" to the effective closer "Heroes End", this album is a collection of some of the best Priest songs ever. The album showcases one of Halford's best performances e.g. "Saints In Hell". Moreover, Stained Class never looses its heaviness and speed. Even the fantastic "Beyond The Realms Of Death" with its slow parts keep it interesting with amazing builds up and full of great riffs and solos. A heavy metal class that has influenced countless bands to this day.

Killing Machine (1978) - 8.0
Killing Machine (also known as Hell Bent for Leather in the US) was recorded less than a year after Stained Class. And therefore is a transitional album. While some songs such as "Delivering the Goods", the ultra classic "Hell Bent for Leather" and "Running Wild" are worthy of the previous album. Other songs fell flat in an attempt of a more accessible sound e.g.  "Evening Star" and "Take On the World".

British Steel (1980) - 8.5
British Steel is one of the most iconic Priest album and features two of their best songs ever "Metal Gods" and "Grinder". Overall it’s a strong album with fast and heavy songs like the opener “Rapid Fire”. And of course two of the most famous songs "Breaking The Law" and "Living After Midnight". Now, both while good songs are too radio friendly for my taste and "United" is on the same line. So while I think it’s an excellent album, it has some less interesting moments.

Point of Entry (1981) - 7.5
Coming on the heels of their most successful album yet, Point of Entry had some big shoes to fill but unfortunately it didn't work. It's a soft and uninspired album with just a couple of good moments like "Heading Out To The Highway" and "Desert Plains".

Screaming for Vengeance (1982) - 9.0
If I take "Pain And Pleasure" and "Fever" out Screaming for Vengeance would be a perfect album. Because for the rest I have no complains. It features a huge hit "You've Got Another Thing Comin'" and all the other songs are heavy, fast and iconic like "Electric Eye" and the title track. This is Priest at its best, a metal masterpiece and an essential album.

Defenders of the Faith (1984) - 8.5
At last and to our delight Defenders of the Faith did not greatly depart from its predecessor and contained some of the greatest metal anthems: "Freewheel Burning", "Jawbreaker" and "The Sentinel". Overall there are no bad songs in this album, very heavy, fast and even progressive at times, Defenders of the Faith is a masterpiece. But I have one problem with it, "Love Bites" which was an experiment that led to 1986's Turbo.

Turbo  (1986) - 7.0
The album marked the band's first use of guitar synthesizers. It's a controversial album that did very well in sales but since it focused more on light and pop rather than metal, it is also not appreciated by many fans. There's certainly a glam vibe in the album and it's hard to compared to any of the previous albums. But listening to it "independently", it's not all that bad.

Ram It Down (1988) - 7.5
Ram It Down is a transitional album still influenced by the Turbo experiment (e.g. "Blood Red Skies") and flirting with the glam metal sound which was in an all time high in 1988 (e.g. "Heavy Metal").  There are still a few gems in it like the title track and "Come And Get It" which hint into the direction the band would take in the next album. While not a bad album, it's one of their worst.

Painkiller (1990) - 10
Not only Priest's best album but one of the best metal albums of all times, Painkiller is basically perfect. Every single song is powerful and amazing. Halford is impeccable and the twin guitars better than ever. Moreover, Scott Travis debut behind the kit brought new energy to the band. The tittle track drum fill intro is one of the best in metal. The songs are not only heavy but also so perfectly crafted and in a way progressive. The song structures are diverse and the simple choices to add a bridge here or a solo there are all fantastic. All of that makes Painkiller a perfect metal album.

Jugulator (1997) - 8.0
Released 7 years after the magnificent, Painkiller, Jugulator is the first album without Rob Halford on vocals. Tim "The Ripper" Owens who was singing on a tribute band took over vocal duties after impressive audition performances singing classic Priest songs. Of course it was an immense the challenge for the band to not only replace Halford but also follow-up one of the best Metal albums ever. Given all that, I think Jugulator is an underrated album. While having some basic Priest elements from Painkiller, it does sound different, more modern and heavier, and I really like it.  Ripper did a fantastic job and most of the songs are great.

Demolition (2001) - 7.5
If Jugulator was a pleasant surprise, Demolition was not. Simply put there's only three songs that are really worth it "Hell Is Home", "Feed on Me" and "One on One". With that said, I must say, I really like those songs.

Angel of Retribution (2005) - 8.0
Angel of Retribution was a return to form but still the band was taking some risks which I appreciate. But not all of them worked for me, for example the epic 13 min "Lochness" is a bit dull and "Revolution" sounds uninspired. But I did like "Worth Fighting For". For the rest, most of the songs are Priest back to its classic sound, including some fantastic performances from Halford, specially on "Deal with the Devil".

Nostradamus  (2008) - 6.5
Priest is not the band to release a double concept album. I never got into this one. Kudos for trying something different, but in the end it didn't work for me.

Redeemer of Souls (2014) - 8.0

When the album came out, I really liked it. Most of the songs are classic Priest. But the album is too long and 4 years later, I realize I rarely go back to it.

There you go! It took some time, but totally worth it. And now if I'd rank them from most to least favorite, it would look like this...

1 Painkiller
2 Stained Glass
3 Screaming for Vengeance
4 Sad Wings of Destiny
5 Defenders of the Faith
6 British Steel
7 Sin After Sin
8 Killing Machine
9 Angel of Retribution
10 Jugulator
11 Redeemer Of Souls
12 Rocka Rolla
13 Point of Entry
14 Ram It Down
15 Demolition
16 Turbo
17 Nostradamus

Priest! Priest! Priest!