Album Review: SERIOUS BLACK Suite 226 (01/31)

The former super group released in 2015 the magnificent power metal debut album As Daylight Breaks. Without the stars Thomen Stauch (ex-Blind Guardian) and Roland Grapow (ex-Helloween), who left the band right after, the two forgettable hard rock albums that followed saw the super group transform itself into an average hard rock band. The other founding member who remained: Urban Breed (Vocals), Mario Lochert (Bass) and Dominik Sebastian (Guitars) found in Ramy Ali the new drummer. After 3 albums in 3 consecutive years, the quartet is now bringing new hope with the fourth studio album Suite 226 which comes 2.5 years after Magic.

The album tells a complete narrative of a mentally confused man who is torn between his own dreamworld, reality and the evil. It does that via 10 tracks in 47 minutes. All songs are between 3 and 5 minutes with the exception of the closer title track which is almost 9 minutes. As the press release stated the album "features more driving guitars, catchy hooks and finest riffing, as you know it from As Daylight Breaks." While I agree that those elements indeed are present, they are not consistent throughout the album.

Suite 226 starts strongly with 3 fast, heavy and catchy tunes. Efficient guitar work and Urban Breed's top-rated vocals form a powerful combination. "Solitude Etude" for example has the best intro of the album, great riff and drumming. Track number 5 "Castiel" despite the questionable intro is the most power metal song in here. Breed shows what he's got in terms of power and reaching the high notes. The title track is another highlight. Not perfect but more progressive and dynamic. It even made me think if King Diamond story telling. And Ramy Ali finally let himself go. Now the real problem are the other 5 songs. I must say "Fate Of All Humanity" (for AOR fans) and "Come Home" ( a ballad so soft you can put in your elevator playlist) are some of the most annoying songs I've heard in awhile. 

The new hope became a partial appointment. While I saw sparks of what once they were in half of the songs, the other half has three forgettable songs and two that I can't listen to the end. If you did like the last albums, you may find yourself enjoying Suite 226 for the most part. Now if, like me, you wanted something closer to the fantastic debut, you will share my disappointment.

SCORE: 74/100
Genre: Power Metal
Released by AFM Records on January 31st, 2020

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Rating System
96 - 100 Perfect
88 - 95 Excellent
84 - 87 Great
80 - 83 Very Good
75 - 79 Good
69 - 74 Mixed
58 - 68 Bad

Discography Review: RUSH (1974 - 2012)

It's absolutely soul crushing to learn about the passing of one of my biggest musical heroes. We knew Neil wasn't well hence the Rush saying farewell during their 40th anniversary tour last show on August 1st 2015. But, it's still shocking. Rush's music, Neil's lyrics and playing mean a lot to me. I was lucky enough to see them live 3 times in 3 different continents: In 2002 in Sao Paulo, 2007 in Atlanta and 2011 in Rotterdam. In 2002 my brother and I briefly met the band at their hotel, unforgettable. In 2007 I was living in Chicago and I flew to Atlanta by myself to see Rush on the Snakes & Arrows Tour. Because of it, I lost my graduation party and I have no regrets whatsoever. Neil's dedication, commitment and positive attitude will remain an inspiration forever. RIP Neil, you will always be remembered as one of the greatest drummers of all times. My tribute to Neil and this band was to listen and review all of Rush's studio albums. It's an amazing collection of 19 great discs. Some are better than others and sometimes difficult to compare the different phases the band had. But all in all, I do enjoy every albums in their own way. So here it is.

Rush (1974) - 9.0

This first release shows much of the hard rock sound typical of many of the popular rock bands in the early 70's. Original drummer John Rutsey performed all drum parts on the album. The lyrics were entirely composed by Geddy Lee (lead vocals, bass) and Alex Lifeson (guitars, backing vocals). I find the self-titled debut album already a strong record. It's a straight forward hard rock album with highlight to the heavy opener "Finding My Way" and the amazing closer "Working Man". The song has been part of the set list of many tours, including the last one R40. "Here Again" demonstrates the progressive tendencies those young guys already had. Rush had from the start a great sound, fantastic guitar solos and even the drums were also quite good.

Fly by Night (1975) - 9.0

Soon after the release of the debut album Rutsey was replaced by Neil Peart. Peart obviously remained the band's drummer as well as its primary lyricist until his passing in 2020.With Fly by Night Rush found their 70's sound, but the music writing was not yet as progressive as it would become. With that said, songs like "By-Tor & the Snow Dog" and "In the End" were already a step further in that direction. "Anthem" and "Fly by Night" are other two celebrated hits to this day.

Caress of Steel (1975) - 9.5

Caress of Steel marked a jump forward in the bands's sound, moving almost 100% into progressive rock. The first three songs "Bastille Day", "I Think I'm Going Bald" and "Lakeside Park" are more in the line of the first two records: Short hard rockers. While "I Think I'm Going Bald" is a bit silly, the other two are just amazing rock songs. But the leap forward happened with the last two songs. While their longest song previously was the 8-min "By-Tor & the Snow Dog", here we have "The Necromancer" and "The Fountain of Lamneth" with 12 and 20 minutes respectively. Not only that but both songs are full of tempo changes, solos (including drum solo), instrumental build-ups and overall amazing musicianship. Caress of Steel was not only a blueprint for the next album, but a guide to most prog metal bands from the 90's. The world was not even ready for such a masterpiece, sales-wise it was considered a disappointment. Nowadays, I bet any true fan loves this album, if not, I would say it's under-rated.

2112 (1976) - 9.5

Believing in yourself and having courage make all the difference. Despite the commercial failure of Caress of Steel, the band did not back down from the sound they wanted to create. 2112 is a natural follow-up to Caress of Steel, going further deep into progressive rock. The title track is their longest song ever. It's not only my favorite Rush song, but one of my top songs of all times. It's basically the first prog metal song ever. The 20 minutes fly by and the different parts combine many tempos, moods, instrumental passages and melodies. It's super heavy, but also beautiful and melodic. The shorter songs on the B side are all quite good, but they are more hard rock songs like in the early albums. The highlight being the riffy "A Passage To Bangkok". 2112 was a huge success and remains the band's second-highest-selling album (behind Moving Pictures).

A Farewell to Kings (1977) - 9.0

While the predecessor had a futuristic theme, A Farewell to Kings has a medieval feel. The album is a good mix between the last two albums. Four short songs and two 10-minute epics, one being the fantastic "Xanadu". The title track is only 6 minutes, but very progressive and heavy. "Closer To The Heart" is a cool song as well and became a fan favorite. "Cygnus X-1" is a very good song but the bar was set very high, and it ended up falling a bit shy of expectations. The album features a lot of experimentation (e.g. synthesizers) and would be crucial for forming their 80's sound.

Hemispheres (1978) - 10

Hemispheres is the perfect Rush album. It was the first one not to have a ballad and to feature an instrumental track. With only 4 tracks, the album is to the point. The 18-min epic "Cygnus X-1 Book II: Hemispheres", the heavy short track "Circumstances", the catchy short journey "The Trees" and the 10-min instrumental extravaganza with "La Villa Strangiato". It's a concise, consistent and perfectly executed album. A masterpiece of Prog Rock/Metal.

Permanent Waves (1980) - 9.5

Permanent Waves is a transitional record. Their progressive metal/rock blueprint is still evident with the nearly 8 and 10-minute amazing songs "Jacob's Ladder" and "Natural Science" respectively. At the same time Rush perfected their short songs so that "The Spirit of Radio" and "Freewill" became big hits and generated a radio friendly channel for the band.  But in this case, it's not a bad thing as those songs are truly amazing. The only hiccup and why this is not the best Rush album is the return of the ballads with "Different Strings".

Moving Pictures (1981) - 9.5

Moving Pictures remains Rush's highest-selling album, it was an immediate success. They continued the path set by the shorter more radio-friendly songs from the predecessor. For the first time since Fly by Night they had more than 6 tracks in a studio album. All 7 songs except of  the 11-min "The Camera Eye" are between 4 and 6 minutes. Actually "The Camera Eye" was the last song they ever wrote that crossed the 8 minute mark. The production is modern and more polished. Another big change was the more emphatic use of  synthesizers. The song writing is just perfect and the musicianship jaw dropping. All songs are amazing, but I highlight the perfect "Red Barchetta" and the second ever instrumental "YYZ". "Tom Sawyer" became one of the best-known songs by Rush and "Limelight" is not far behind. "The Camera Eye" feeds our progressive desires. I hate to be cliche but given this new framework, it's another masterpiece.

Signals (1982) - 8.5

Album opener "Subdivisions" is a statement. We are in a new decade and a new era for the Rush sound and synthesizers are here to stay. The good news is: It's a great song. Signals is a different album for many reasons, but carries some of the flavor from Moving Pictures. The band learned how to be progressive in shorter songs. It's the first time they didn't cross the 7-minute mark with any of the 8 songs. And numbers like "The Analog Kid" while very good are much more rock than anything they had ever done before. If the early albums can be argued to be the birth of Prog Metal, we are now far from that heaviness and weirdness from the 70's. With that said, Rush were still great song writers, superb musicians and it's a very good album.

Grace Under Pressure (1984) - 8.0

Grace Under Pressure follows the steps of its predecessor with lots of synthesizers, and very polished production that was typical at the time. It's the first time they didn't cross the 6-minute mark with any of the 8 songs. Consequently song structures are simpler, but the good news is that we have a bit more guitar on the foreground. The album features some gems and deep Rush cuts such as my album favorite "Distant Early Warning" but also "Red Sector A" and "Between the Wheels"

Power Windows (1985) - 7.5

Power Windows is borderline a pop rock album, the synthesizers are even more prominent and the guitars are mostly secondary. I don't think there's any guitar riff with overdrive during the whole album. While there are some good songs in here, it's the first Rush album without a super memorable standout song. The highlights include "The Big Money", "Manhattan Project" and my album favorite "Marathon". Within the frame of a 80's rock album, it's a decent one.

Hold Your Fire (1987) - 8.5

As most with previous albums, it feature songs on the 5 min mark, but it's the first album to have ten tracks. The synthesizers are still there but the guitars are a bit more prominent and crunchy. It's a betters album than the previous two, heavier production, better composition and more memorable songs such as the amazing "Time Stand Still" and "Mission".

Presto (1989) - 8.0

With 11 songs and 52 minutes Presto was the longest Rush album to date. Opener "Show Don't Tell" is a breath of fresh air as we can hear that the guitar took a more dominant role in the writing process. Meaning, a reduction in synthesizers and a return towards more guitar-driven arrangements. That also includes the return of acoustic guitars and guitar solos. While I love this new direction in music writing and production in comparison with the last 3 albums, the quality of the songs was still below their potential.

Roll the Bones (1991) - 8.0

The direction of the predecessor is accentuated with Roll the Bones, less synthesizers, more guitars and a simple hard rock sound. It sounds a lot like the 80's albums but replace synths with guitars. The songs are very short and they returned to 10 tracks. It's a cool rock album with some moments of brilliance such as the first two tracks. Another cool feature, "Where's My Thing?" was the band's first instrumental since "YYZ". The album is partially underrated because of the weird Geddy Lee rapping on the title track. Luckily that was a one-time experiment. Roll the Bones is not perfect but it was another step in the right direction.

Counterparts (1993) - 8.5

Counterparts marks a continuation in the band's transition from synthesizers to guitar-oriented music which had started on Presto. It's a much heavier album than Roll the Bones and the longest Rush album to date with 11 songs and almost 55 minutes. Following the return of instrumental tracks in the previous album "Leave That Thing Alone" is an even better one, an album highlight.

Test for Echo (1996) - 9.0

Test for Echo marks the final Rush work prior to the tragic events in Neil Peart's life that put the band on hiatus from the studio until Vapor Trails. The evolution that started with Presto was completed and Rush didn't sound this good and concise since Moving Pictures. I love this album and have a special connection to it. It's impressive to say but Neil Peart was playing at his peak. With the help of a drum teacher, he re-worked his technique to be more jazz-like. Overall Test for Echo sounds just great, organic and raw. It's a diverse record combining different influences and eras of the band.

Vapor Trails (2002) - 7.5

Vapor Trails marks the longest gap between two Rush albums. It is one of the heaviest albums since Permanent Waves. It's clear from the opening track "One Little Victory" that the boys were back into some angrier playing. For the first time since Caress of Steel, the group did not incorporate a keyboard into their music. On its disadvantage, it's a very long album, actually the longest RUsh studio album ever. For the first time the band went beyond one hour of music featuring 13 songs in 67 minutes. I never fully embraced this album, it could be because of a bad first impression. Vapor Trails was criticized for its loud production but it was remixed by David Bottrill and released in 2013 as Vapor Trails Remixed. While the albums has some excellent moments, it suffers from its length and inevitable fillers.

Snakes & Arrows (2007) - 8.0

Snakes & Arrows is another long album with again 13 tracks, but for the first time for a Rush album, it contains three instrumentals. Overall the album sounds great, much better production than the predecessor. There are a few heavy moments, but the guitar tone is not as distorted and heavy. In fact, there's a a lot of acoustic guitars which helps the bass to shine. Snakes & Arrows features complex rhythmic and melodic patterns that remind us of their albums from the 1970s. It's all in all the most progressive album since the early 80's.

Clockwork Angels (2012) - 8.5

After 5 years, many live albums and compilations, the 19th and last Rush album which is also the best since Test for Echo was released on 12 June 2012. Clockwork Angels is the band's only true concept album. It is culmination of everything the band stood for and a perfect sendoff. The production is great and the musicianship amazing. The and song writing is a mix of heaviness and emotions, being more progressive and diverse than latest records. For the first time since Moving Pictures the band wrote songs crossing the 7 min mark. Looking back "The Garden" is a beautiful swansong for this amazing band. It's emotional and experimental as for the first time the band added string arrangements composed of six violins and two cellos. A fantastic album to say goodbye!


If I had to rank them today, it would look like this:

1 - Hemispheres
2 - 2112
3 - Permanent Waves
4 - Moving Pictures
5 - Caress of Steel
6 - A Farewell To Kings
7 - Rush
8 - Test For Echo
9 - Fly by Night
10 - Clockwork Angels
11 - Signals
12 - Hold Your Fire
13 - Counterparts
14 - Snakes & Arrows
15 - Grace Under Pressure
16 - Presto
17 - Roll the Bones
18 - Vapor Trails
19 - Power Windows

And here a playlist with my favorite Rush songs.

Album Review: ANNIHILATOR Ballistic, Sadistic (01/24)

Annihilator is a Canadian thrash metal band founded in 1984 by guitarist Jeff Waters. Since its inception the band has undergone too many line-up changes to count. Jeff Waters, vocalist (since 2015), guitarist, producer and songwriter, is the only founder member left. Annihilator's first two studio albums—Alice in Hell (1989) and Never, Neverland (1990)—are considered to be influential thrash metal records. They are often featured in best of thrash metal lists. Other later albums such as Set the World on Fire (1993) also received high praise from critics and fans alike. I must say that while I appreciate their sound and I do own the aforementioned albums, it's still a band that I haven't fully embraced. It could be just a matter of time and I hope to change that with the new release Ballistic, Sadistic.

Ballistic, Sadistic is actually the Canadian thrash metal veterans 17th studio album! Besides Jeff Waters the band currently consists of Rich Hinks (bass), Aaaron Homma (guitar) and Fabio Alessandrini (Drums). But if I understood right Jeff recorded everything except the drums. The album is a speed-metal assault without frills, 10 tracks of about 4 minutes each of pure fearless thrasher bonanza. Ballistic, Sadistic sounds like angrier version of the the first records but with modern production. The guitar work is just first class and Jeff’s guitar playing is incredible. The first 30 seconds of the opener "Armed To The Teeth" says it all. Overall there's so much going on in just 4:30 of this song: Several guitar solos, a bridge section, amazing riffs and powerful chorus. It's really an impressive opener. This ability of being progressive, technical and aggressive simultaneously is a theme throughout the album. "The Attitude" is just four minutes, but has an instrumental intro of one minute (gives an Anthrax vibe), several solos and instrumental interludes. At the same time is one of the fastest and most aggressive songs of the record. The single "I Am Warfare" is another aggressive affair. A detail that I love in this album is the bass. It not only sounds great, but it also has some great spotlight moments with short riffs or solos e.g. "Dressed Up For Evil", "Lip Service" or the interlude of "One Wrong Move" (here a Metallica vibe). But really in almost every song you can find a great bass moment. My favorite songs are the ones when Jeff goes a bit more groovy like for example the old school "Psycho Ward" (that instrumental interlude, wow, just awesome stuff). "Lip Service" which is the only song above 4 min and the most progressive number on the disc. The "The End Of The Lie" is a strong closer and features the best guitar solo on the album

My problem with the album is the fact that the vocal lines do not engage me as much. While I really like the instrumental of this album, the singing falls a bit flat for me. Overall there's a lot of speed and technical brilliance, but it miss the hooks to really excite me and bring me in.

As Jeff said Ballistic, Sadistic is the "Best record I've made since 2005's Schizo Deluxe". That could be the case, I can say that it gave me the impression that old time Annihilator or speed metal fans will dig this album. It features 46 minutes of aggressive, technical thrash speed metal from the first to last note. It's a perfect blend of old school and modern thrash. The absolute highlight is the guitar work! With that said I'm still not fully into the Annihilator wagon, but Ballistic, Sadistic, despite the pitfalls, got me curious to revisit their classic albums. 

SCORE: 78/100
Genre: Thrash Metal
Released by Neverland Music Inc. on January 24th, 2020

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Rating System
96 - 100 Perfect
88 - 95 Excellent
84 - 87 Great
80 - 83 Very Good
75 - 79 Good
69 - 74 Mixed
58 - 68 Bad

Album Review: BRITISH LION The Burning (01/17)

The Burning is a follow-up to British Lion’s 2012’s eponymous debut album, Steve Harris’ first ever musical venture outside of Iron Maiden. Despite the debut album having Steve's name on the cover, he considers it a side project and not a solo album. In fact, most of the songs are co-written with David Hawkins (guitar) and Richard Taylor (vocals). Now with the sophomore release, Steve's name is not part of the cover or band name anymore, it's simple British Lion.

"The secret to happiness is low expectations" as they say...and I firmly believe that the debut album suffered from this. If people were expecting a Bruce Dickinson clone soaring metal anthems over twin guitars then for sure they won't like this band much. British Lion sound is more hard rock than metal, very 70s-influenced (e.g. The Who and UFO). I remember that it also took me quite some time to get into their sound and for the debut to grow on me. Seeing the band live a couple of times has certainly helped.

Almost 8 years later, the sophomore effort, The Burning, is a worthy follow-up to the debut and it stays within the boundaries and sound set in 2012. The production is very clear and, as expected, the bass sounds amazing. The musicianship is not only very good (great drumming and guitar work), but also very different from Maiden. It's very interesting to hear Steve's capabilities being put to use in something different. Compared to latest Maiden album, Steve could "re-learn" how to write short songs. All the 11 tracks are between 4 and 6 minutes and the album clocks in at 60 minutes. It's a bit too long, I'd rather close with the powerful "Bible Black" (the most metal track on the album) and leave "Native Son" as bonus track. Also the title track (fantastic drumming and bass) would be a stronger opener than "City Of Fallen Angels". Other than the start and end hiccups, the album is full of catchy choruses and emotional melodies that only Steve can write. Some of my favorites being "Elysium" and "Legend". "Last Chance" is another great track, a pure UFO homage that works so well: Cool build up, amazing melodies and anthemic chorus. For the Maiden lovers "Spit Fire" is the closest you will get to it. The bass riff at the intro and the overall groove is very close to Bayley's Maiden era (in a positive way). Also the ending of "Father Lucifer" is so Maiden!

Overall The Burning is a great hard rock album, well written, produced and executed by a strong line-up of musicians. It's far from the Iron Maiden sound but still very catchy and melodic. It follows the same sound from the debut, maybe slightly more progressive. Highly recommended for fans of 70's hard rock or those who just can't get enough of Steve's playing.

SCORE: 80/100
Genre: Hard Rock
Released by Parlophone & Explorer1 Music on January 17th, 2020

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Rating System
96 - 100 Perfect
88 - 95 Excellent
84 - 87 Great
80 - 83 Very Good
75 - 79 Good
69 - 74 Mixed
58 - 68 Bad

Album Review: RAGE Wings of Rage (01/10)

Founded in 1984 in Germany’s Ruhr region by vocalist/bassist Peter "Peavy" Wagner, Rage were part of the German heavy/speed/power metal scene to emerge in the early 1980s, along with bands such as Running Wild, Blind Guardian and Grave Digger. While their sound is very identifiable, Peavy has experimented with different elements so that the band has emphasized different aspects of thrash, power, speed and symphonic metal throughout their career. The band has released an impressive number of 23 albums during their almost 37-year career. For most of those years Rage has been a power trio, with numerous changes of drummers and guitarists. I've been following the band since the mid-90's and my favorite phase is the more polished power metal era represented best by my favorite album End of All Days.

Now Wings Of Rage is their 24th studio album and third with guitarist Marcos Rodriguez and drummer Vassilios "Lucky" Maniatopoulos following The Devil Strikes Again (2016) and Seasons of the Black (2017). The new adventure features 12 songs in 55 minutes, just one interlude with samples, for the rest 11 proper metal songs. With that said, the songs are quite diverse as the band was looking to explore the different musical elements present in Rage's "colorful" discography. Hence an interesting choice of album title Wings of Rage which is also track number 5. This song brings us back all the way to their roots in speed metal sounding like something out of Perfect man. It's a good track that will work well live.

But that's just one piece of the puzzle. As we can clearly separate the songs in big buckets representing different pieces of the band's sound. Some tracks are very riff driven displaying the thrashier side of the band, those are mainly the initial tracks such as "True" (what an amazing guitar work here, the perfect opening track), and the video singles "Let Them Rest in Peace" and "Chasing the Twilight Zone". It's a great way to start the album, the first impression is strong and positive. The influence of the axeman Rodriguez is quite clear, aggressive riffs and melodic solos in which he takes the time to choose the right notes and stay with them (e.g. "Tomorrow" and "Shine a Light"). It may be the reason they re-recorded one of their biggest hits "Higher than the Sky" now titled "HTTS 2.0". It's the same song and lyrics but more aggressive and faster. It's an interesting choice to add to a studio album. But as third to last song it works well. Overall the drumming is also quite impressive but especially with the closer "For Those Who Wish to Die" drummer Vassilios shows us all that he's got!

"Tomorrow" and "Blame It on the Truth" are still fast tempo but display a bit more of a hard rock / power metal vibe. I love the drum fills before the guitar solo on the former.  "A Nameless Grave" brings the symphonic elements from albums such as Lingua Mortis and  XIII. The symphonic touch is less pronounced but also present in the two songs that follow: "Don't Let Me Down" which is one of the most anthemic songs, very melodic and with a big chorus. It only bugs me that the opening riff sounds so much like The Simpsons theme song!* And "Shine a Light", the slow tempo and more epic affair clocking at almost seven minutes. Finally, the production is quite modern and polished. And to top it off, the album features a fantastic cover art!

Given what they were going for with an album spanning the band's history, I'd have liked to see the title track being a longer progressive song with all those elements within it. Also by the very nature of the album, there's nothing really new or that we haven't heard before. With those minor points out of the way, I must say that this is the best Rage album in a long time. The musicianship from the "new guys" in combination with Peavy's song writing is bringing Rage to a new level. It's a good album for new and old fans as it gives a good picture of what this iconic band is capable of. My hope now is that they take this potential to new and innovative territories in the next album which could become something really special!

SCORE: 82/100
Genre: Power Metal
Released by SPV/Steamhammer on January 10th, 2020

* correction: I understood from one interview that it may be a reference as an Easter egg :)

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Rating System
96 - 100 Perfect
88 - 95 Excellent
84 - 87 Great
80 - 83 Very Good
75 - 79 Good
69 - 74 Mixed
58 - 68 Bad

The 25 Best Albums of the 2010s

This is a different kind of list compered to year-end lists. One obvious reason, the albums came out at very different moments and hence the context is quite distinct. That's why I'm not ranking them. Another difference is that those albums have faced the test of time. So I only included the very best album of 2019, the others did not qualify as they need more time to mature. The criteria is also different, it's not only about how much I like each album, but also the lasting impact they had on me and the metal scene in general. Finally, I only included one album per band. So here it is The 25 Best Albums of the 2010s according to me.

At the Gates - At War With Reality (2014, Album of the Year)

After 19 years, At The Gates delivered a killer come-back album! The band that has influenced so many death and metalcore bands since the classic 1995's Slaughter of the Soul came back with 45 min of the finest melodic Death Metal. The best part is while not sounding like Slaughter of the Soul Part II, At War With Reality sounds like the modern follow-up we were all waiting. It captures the rawness and emotion of the predecessor while putting it through some modern lenses and pushing the sound forward. I remember that after the first listen, I just wanted to listen to it again and again. So much so that it topped my list of that year. When it comes down to it, the songwriting is flawless with crushing memorable riffs all over the place. To that you add, Tomas Lindberg's distinct voice screaming his lungs out with full emotion and then you have a deserved follow-up of the 95's classic album and one of the best of the 2010's.

Ayreon - The Source (2017)

The Source is a concept studio album from Ayreon, a project by Arjen Lucassen. 12 characters are portrayed by some of the best prog/power metal singers in activity. All singers delivered amazing performances without loosing their own signature voices. Arjen is able to get the best of each singer, they sound natural and relaying on their strong characteristics. The Source concept and story are told in 17 songs which flow perfectly into each other, like a rock opera. The 1.5 hour fly by when enjoying this fantastic piece of music. A masterpiece of power progressive metal that could not miss my list.

Beast In Black - Berserker (2017)

The five-piece from Helsinki hard work has paid off. They released two albums since Anton Kabanen parted ways with Battle Beast in 2015. Additionally, the band has been touring extensively. Initially as opening acts for bands such as Nightwish, then festivals and in 2019 headlining sold out club shows. Seeing them live was how I got to know them which led me to discover the excellent debut album titled Berserker. Oh boy, Beast In Black do not dial down on their cheesiness, love for 80's music and power/traditional heavy metal. All things that I love. The excellent music writing combined with Papadopoulos vocals is pure magic. In every song Papadopoulos displays his powerful and versatile pipes singing irresistible melodies that will get stuck in your mind. At the end of the day, the combination of love and believe for what you do with skillful song writer and talented musicians makes Beast In Black a breath of fresh air while paradoxically being retro. I won't apologize for loving this band and album. You can call it guilty pleasure or whatever, but the reality is that very few albums in the last 10 years have brought me so much joy as Berserker did.

Behemoth - The Satanist (2014)

This album was a no-brainer to include here. In this case I agree with the critics. The Satanist was elected by many as album of the year 2014 (my number 3 at the time) and also very prominent in the decade lists. Even if you don't like it, its impact is undeniable. In addition to great song writing, what makes The Satanist so special is that you can feel the emotions flowing out of it. This emotion is the glue between the heaviness, speed and melody that makes this a masterpiece of extreme metal. No fillers, no cliches, 9 tracks in which Nergal poured all the emotions he had to deal with during the preceding years battling his disease.

Between The Buried And Me - The Parallax II: Future Sequence (2012)

Since Parallax was released I love this band. I think the other two albums (Automata and Coma Ecliptic) are at the same level. But Parallax has a special place in my heart. The whole album is great, and "Telos" is one of their best songs ever. BTBAM is not an easy listen, but once you grab their concept, what a journey. This is where Jazz meets Metal, Rock meets Metalcore, Dream Theater meets Carcass. "This is not music, it's art" that's what I read in a 2012 review and couldn't agree more.

Black Sabbath - 13 (2013)

I didn't care about forums, media and any drama regarding this "re-union", I just listen to the music, and it's great. Tony Iommi is the riff-master and the melodies are so catchy. Even if they were too inspired by their own past-selves, who cares? It's done by the same 3 guys from the 4 who created metal. They hadn't worked together since 1978! Moreover, they were able to recreate the same vibe from the 70's and it sounds modern and great! For us who were not even alive during that era, it was great to have a taste of it during the 2010's.

Carcass - Surgical Steel (2013, Album of the Year)

This is just really awesome heavy music, period. Carcass returned after 17 years with Surgical Steel which takes the best moments of their previous three albums and melt them into explosive crushing metal at its best. The accomplishment of a celebrated band to come back after so many years and arguably deliver their best album is remarkable. The riffage is just so good, what a guitar work! The songs flow perfectly and every one of them has its place. Each being a vigorous punch on the face while keeping some of the catchiness of Heartwork. My album of that year, I listened to it so many times!

Converge - The Dusk In Us (2017)

This album was a pleasant 2017 surprise. The Dusk In Us is one of those records that hypnotizes you. From the first riff, I was sold! Then we go into 5 aggressive tracks with lots going on before diving into the 7 min title track. It's basically a post-rock song with a very slow build up and a great pay-off. And in one of those rare moments an album gets even better as you enter the second half. It has even more groove and killer riffs. Overall, the vocals are emotional and pissed off, the drumming is relentless, the riffs catchy and dissonant at times. It's modern music as art for a world that is completely fucked up.

Deafheaven - Sunbather (2013)

Sunbather was a very late entrant to my 2013 list and I remember how it sky-rocketed to the top 10. One of the most intriguing extreme metal albums I have heard in those last 10 years. There's just something so strong and deep about Sunbather that I find myself hypnotized whenever I listen to it. It's black-metal, but it's not evil, quite the opposite it's very emotional and sad, and I dare to say beautiful. I actually find the two albums that followed to be almost as good as Sunbather. But the impact Sunbather had when it came out was much higher due to the surprise effect.

Fates Warning - Theories of Flight (2016, Album of the Year)

Theories of Flight basically combines the best of two worlds. The more progressive side of FW with the more direct style from the earlier albums in a modern and fresh way. It's FW at its best and upgraded. The first noticeable difference is that the record features one of the best drumming performances I heard in the last ten years. Then Matheos stepped up to deliver one of his best guitar work, it is pure art! Most of the songs have at least 3 guitar tracks each doing some very specific riffs and rhythms that intertwine giving such a beautiful texture. All of this without loosing heaviness. And last but not least, Alder is singing better than never, very confident hitting some high notes without sounding forced or exaggerated. By far my favorite album of 2016.

Ghost - Opus Eponymous (2010, Album of the Year)

Love or hate Ghost, this polarizing band, is certainly one of the biggest names of the last ten years. Their growth is impressive. I got my hands on their debut Opus Eponymous as preparation for seeing them playing on a summer festival that same year. They played at the smallest stage at 12:00 pm, and it was already at the time a mesmerizing experience! Fast forward to 2019 and they are now headlining arenas. Moreover, I have seen all of their 4 albums in different best of the decade lists. For me, none have taken over the crown from the debut. It's straightforward, raw, evil and heavier than later albums. And, like all their discs, it's fucking catchy!

Ghost Brigade - Until Fear No Longer Defines Us (2011, Album of the Year)

The third album out of their four album discography is a masterpiece of Finnish melodic and melancholic modern metal. This album means a lot to me and it actually opened up a whole new genre of metal. The singing lines are always very melodic and even catchy, but there's a lot of heaviness and melancholy as well. I particularity like the contrast between the slow parts and the explosions into heaviness. This is obtained not only through the guitars and drums but also because of the clean singing and death metal growls interchanges. It's all very emotional and dark. I suppose I won't see this album in many lists, but for me it's a no-brainier. Unfortunately at the end of 2015 Ghost Brigade announced entering on hiatus for indefinite period of time. I do hope for a come back album at some point, because the world deserves more Ghost Brigade!

Insomnium - Winter's Gate (2016)

Winter's Gate is a story told as a song. A concept album with just one song in 7 parts (probably for practical reasons, because it's one continuous piece of music) and 40 minutes. This is a masterpiece of melodic death metal. I have no complains, it's one amazing song with powerful riffs, amazing melodies, full of hooks, variations, tempo changes and all very well produced with a dynamic range of 7 and a great mix. A seasoned band with an amazing discography was able to deliver their best album yet!

Iron Maiden - The Book of Souls (2015)

5 years after the also excellent The Final Frontier, the world's biggest metal band returned in triumphant form in late 2015. Iron Maiden's sixteenth studio album and first studio double album was an audacious project that paid off. While not perfect, The Book of Souls is full of excitement, new ideas and classic Maiden elements. Their longest album to date, with a total length of 92 minutes, flies by under soaring vocals, amazing guitar work and vigorous galloping bass lines. Additionally it features their most daring and unique song, the epic 18-min masterpiece "Empire of the Clouds". For a minimal difference, this was not the album of that year.

Judas Priest - Firepower (2018, Album of the Year)

We had 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 album of that year. 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.

Kamelot - Silverthorn  (2012)

Silverthorn was the first album to feature Tommy Karevik as the lead singer who had the difficult task to replace a talented and charismatic frontman. The result is a lesson of progressive power metal! Not only the song writing is fantastic but also Karevik's performance is outstanding. Silverthorn, a concept album, was a return to form replicating the success of some of their best work. Eight years later songs such as "Sacrimony (Angel of Afterlife)" and "Torn" are now classic Kamelot hymns.

Mastodon - Emperor of Sand (2017, Album of the Year)

Emperor of Sand is by far the album that I listened to the most in 2017. An outstanding modern prog metal showcase. The album sounds like a fusion of the preceding efforts with Crack the Skye. The musicianship is superb, the division of vocal duties among the 3 singers has been perfected, and the 3 are singing better than ever. The guitar riffs, duos and solos are just fantastic, Brent and Bill have found the perfect harmony. Troy maintains the trademark bass sound and Brann is, simply put, one of the best drummers in activity. I love all 11 tracks and have almost no complains. The album flows amazingly well and it was my album of that year.

Meshuggah - Koloss (2012)

It was very difficult to choose between the two albums released by Meshuggah in the 2010's. Both have similar vibe and feature amazing songs. But Koloss was first and had a higher impact on me. In fact, I was hypnotized by this album! The deepness and heaviness are just mesmerizing and addictive. I listened to "Do Not Look Down" more than 70 times in my PC alone. No surprises to anyone that all musicians are superb and obviously amazing drumming by Mr. Tomas Haake. But the real game changer was seeing Meshuggah live! What an experience that is! One of the best metal shows of the 2010's.  Koloss and later The Violent Sleep of Reason are lessons of extreme progressive metal and pure art.

Periphery - Periphery II (2012, Album of the Year)

Periphery is doing something really special and have a promising future. They have released consistently good albums since the year 2010. Actually an impressive number of 5, one being double! Back in 2012, their second album was my album of that year. II features more than one hour of modern progressive metal. The variation on the vocals is just perfect and the quality of the musicians is suburb. The album had a huge impact on me and deserved all the praise I gave at the time.

Power Trip - Nightmare Logic (2017)

Year 2017 and Power Trip delivered a Thrash Metal masterpiece that can already be included in best thrash metal album of all times. That's how good it is. When it comes down to it, it's all about song writing.  The melodies, the riffs, the album flow, it's all perfectly mastered. All of that without loosing high level of energy from their hardcore influences. One of the biggest accomplishments of Power Trip is to tear down barriers among sub genres and create something special that appeals to many metal heads, new and old.

Rivers of Nihil - Where Owls Know My Name (2018)

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 resulted in progressive death metal with a diverse sound pallet. There's a lot of melody but never letting down the heaviness. As one of the jewels of the 2010's, Where Owls Know My Name was Rivers of Nihil‘s opportunity to shine and breakthrough.

Steven Wilson - Hand. Cannot. Erase. (2015, Album of the Year)

SW delivered an album that is emotional, dark and musically brilliant with highlight to the fantastic guitars and keyboard. HCE is an absolute masterpiece of modern progressive music. Highly original and building on SW's style, but with "in your face" influences from  Simon & Garfunkel and late The Beatles to Pink Floyd, Genesis, Steve Morse and Led Zeppelin. This musical journey is addictive! Once you start playing the album you want to enjoy the experience from start to finish while entering a sea of emotions with up-and-downs. It was not only album of the year but also one of the top of the decade. Kudos!

The Dillinger Escape Plan - One of Us Is the Killer (2013)

In 2013 I was lucky enough to see Dillinger Escape Plan live for the first time, what a show! I had never seen them before because One of Us Is the Killer was actually the album that made me “get” their sound. Then I’ve gone back to older material, found great songs and fell in love with their music. It is insanely heavy and aggressive but also technical and melodic. Just couldn't stop listening to it! The other two albums of the 2010's are also very good, but  One of Us Is the Killer had a huge impact on me and remains my favorite. Overall, their innovative sound and unpredictable, edgy live show has enabled the band to make a lasting mark in the heavy music world.

Tool - Fear Inoculum (2019, Album of the Year)

Tool delivered a uncompromising record. They are on that career stage in which they can do whatever they feel is right musically without worrying to please audiences. The band’s songwriting pushes and challenges listeners and it took weeks or months to completely unpack this present. Initially I had a problem with Fear Inoculum because the first five songs run quite long and seem very similar to each other (at first). But then I realized we can't take this album as a collection of singles because it's basically one long song. That's how Tool invite us to experience it. Despite being complex (e.g. the only possible singles are over ten minutes long) the album seems to be doing quite well. While Fear Inoculum didn't blew my mind at first, after a couple of months now it does every time I listen to it.

Zeal and Ardor - Stranger Fruit (2018)

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, if you take the time to appreciate the experimentation, you will find yourself addicted to a catchy, fascinating and daring record. One of the most unique of the last ten years.

The Spotify playlist with the 25 albums is here.

Honorable Mentions:

Arch / Matheos - Sympathetic Resonance (2011)
Enslaved - Axioma Ethica Odini (2010)
Gojira - Magma (2016)
Ihsahn - Arktis (2016)
Kvelertak - Kvelertak (2010)
Metallica - Hardwired…to Self-Destruct (2016)
Michael Romeo - War Of The Worlds, Pt. 1 (2018)
Neurosis - Fires Within Fires (2016)
The Ocean - Pelagial (2013)

Pain Of Salvation - In The Passing Light Of Day (2017)