Best of 2020

If there’s one consistent habit I’ve developed over the past ten or so years, it’s that I publish a listicle of my top ten albums every year. Previous year’s lists can be found here #AOTY.

2020 has been quite an unflushable turd of a year and the end doesn’t seem nigh. One can say that the heavy music released this year has been a saving grace of sorts, but to be honest, it’s only the privileged few who can afford these distractions. The albums that end up on my lists are solely governed by my tastes in underground heavy music whereas the order is a reflection of what got more air-play than the rest. I do have a natural inclination towards checking out lesser known bands/artists so maybe this will help you discover cool new music?

Without further ado, it’s AOTY time! 🏆🎶

Vengeful Spectre hail from China and their self-titled debut features some tasty melodic-black metal infused with the sounds of traditional Chinese folk instruments. I’m always sceptical of bands including “traditional folk” instruments because more often than not, they end up sounding really gimmicky to me. Can we blame hummpa folk for it? But luckily Vengeful Sceptre doesn’t succumb to that trope. The beautiful atmopsheric passages, the choruses laden with those folky sounds and the huge production they achieved on this debut makes Vengeful Spectre absolutely enjoyable!

Lamp of Murmuur is a one-man black metal project. While Burning Spears of Crimson Agony, a four track demo, was released this year, Lamp also released a full-length titled Heir of Ecliptical Romanticism. However, I do believe the demo edges over the full length ever so slightly. There’s more bang for the buck, so to speak. As a side note, contrary to what people have said, I don’t think Lamp qualifies as lo-fi in the truest black metal sense. I was expecting instruments recorded shoddily through a practice mini-amp with muffled programmed drums, making it all sound indiscernible but retaining that aggression and “rawness”. However, I found Burning Spears to be played to perfection. It’s catchy, rompy but also melancholic at times. Yes, the production is “raw”-ish but either way the demo has been put together really well. Also, the dude has a penchant for coming up with amazing song titles!

Undeath pay homage to 90s death metal in the vein of Cannibal Corpse. It’s CC-worship done right while making it sound fresh at the same time. Heck, if CC released anything as good as ‘Lesions of a Different Kind’ in the last 20 years, it would’ve been a total banger and in line with their classic 90s albums! The production wins on all fronts as well - it finds that perfect balance of sounding gnarly AF yet discernible. Undeath also don’t take themselves too seriously with over the top song titles (for example, Kicked in the Protruding Guts) and that intentionally hilarious attempt of a gore-y album cover.

Without a doubt, Dark Descent Records is my favorite underground label and over the past decade, they’ve been consistently putting out great releases. So when I heard of this lesser known Aussie death metal band called ‘Faceless Burial’ on their roster, it immediately piqued my interest. The opening track, ‘Worship’ has one of the punishing blast-beating drum intros and that just sets the tone for the rest of the album. If you’re looking for chuggy riffs, blast-beats and death/doomy passages, Speciation won’t disappoint.

Cénotaphe are a two-man black metal band comprising of veterans from the French black metal scene. Monte Verità, the band’s first full-legnth, was released early in the year and I often had it on repeat playing in the background, all the while having those catchy tremolo picked melodies etched into my brain. The melodies remind me of the classic Finnish black metal sound of Sargeist and Horna. Khaosgott’s vocals on this record alternate between screeches and the shouty-chanting-sermons kind which removes any monotony in the vocal delivery. Monte Verità is a beautiful black metal record - it’s melancholic but also can sound uplifting in parts.

a1506472468_16.jpg

5. Lantern - Dimensions

Full album stream - https://darkdescentrecords.bandcamp.com/album/dimensions

Here’s another win from the Dark Descent Records roster this year! Lantern made a huge wave in the underground with their 2011 demo titled Subterranean Effulgence and then followed that up with the debut full length titled Below in 2013. Lantern started off as a seething black/death outfit and they weren’t messing around with the uncompromising nature of their brand of music. Seven years hence, the band has been evolving for the better in my opinion. With Dimensions, their third full-length, Lantern has taken their evolution to newer heights. The album features more progressive and experimental death metal. Don’t worry, they still retain their pummeling riffs and blast-beats but it’s definitely more varied. I absolutely love the vocals on the record. They remind me of David Vincent’s style from early/mid-era Morbid Angel. In terms of production, it sounds way more accessible than anything the band has put out in the past. Again, I reckon it’s a good decision given the band’s new direction into more progressive/technical spaces. Overall, I feel Dimensions is a well constructed and well thought out album. For lack of a better word, it showcases the band’s maturity in great light!

Endless Wound is the best death metal album of 2020. There I said it! Black Curse is a group/project comprising of members from Spectral Voice, Primitive Man, Khemmis and Blood Incantation. When I laid my ears on Endless Wound for the first time, I was blown out of the park by its utter heaviness and crushing nature. If there was a death metal checklist, this album would tick all the boxes - heavy chuggy riffs, blastbeats, reverbed growling vocals, slow doomy passages and an all-round filthy production to package it all together. Take for example, Charnel Rift, the album opener, perfectly encapsulates all these elements. This is death metal supremacy from start to finish!

I remember catching Havukruunu live in early 2019 and they came across as an above average Finnish pagan/folk black metal band. In that regard, I had very little expectations before listening to Uinuos Syömein Sota. Clearly since I’ve ranked this at number three now so there’s something going for the band. The album is so expansive and majestic not just in terms of production but also the song-writing. The riffs and melodies hit you so smoothly and effortlessly like waves hitting the shore. Cheesy, amirite? But that feels the best way I can describe Havukruunu’s latest album. Black metal purists will not enjoy this though as it might be a bit too “happy sounding”. Given how shite 2020 has been, we could do with some optimisim and “happy sounds” in black metal!

Wytch Hazel’s III: Pentecost is a musical masterpiece that finds a balance between 70s styled hard-rock and NWOBHM. It’s as if Wytch Hazel are the love child of Thin Lizzy (or early Priest) and the English folk rock eccentricities of Jethro Tull. What wins it for III: Pentecost are the infectious singalongs in the song choruses. Take Spirit and Fire’s chorus for instance. You’ll be singing “Spirit and Fire…Show me the way” in no time. Oh and yes, they do sing about Jesus. Wytch Hazel’s devout (hah, see what I did there) following in the underground heavy metal community is just another testament that when there’s musical quality to back the talk, even hordes of atheists will sing along to Jesus lyrics! To be honest, Wytch Hazel’s III: Pentecost would’ve easily been my album of the year if not for…

…me being a total Lord Fist fanboy!

Lord who? Lord Fist are one the lesser known Finnish heavy metal upstarts active in the last decade. After having released a demo, an EP and a debut album, the band returns with their sophomore effort titled Wilderness of Hearts. I was quite impressed with their debut, Green Eyleen, but on just a couple of listens, the sophomore proves to surpass all previous releases. It’s galloping heavy metal (NWOBHMish) which sounds fun, frolicky and oozing with passion. The guitar melodies are on point in each song and there’s not a single dull moment. Of course, this is my positive bias creeping in and can’t find anything wrong with the record. I do know that people find the vocals…an acquired taste. While the vocals aren’t perfect, I believe for Lord Fist’s brand of heavy metal, it fits in just right. It’s not perfectly delivered with precision in terms of pitch or finesse but I don’t want pin-point perfection in my heavy metal. I want to feel the passion out of the my speakers transporting me to another planet. Lord Fist does exactly that and hence they take the numero uno spot in my year end list.

Until next year!