Welcome to a special edition TMO year end list, a warm-up to our final top 30, and what you can consider our Christmas present to you, our fellow readers. In the giving spirit of the holiday season, we thought to give a well earned shout-out to the special elite of up and coming bands that had the audacity to begin their careers in what has been an exceptionally difficult year for the metal scene and artists all around the globe. So join us in discovering these amazing records and find your favorite newcomer. With so many brave rising stars, there’s no way you won’t find something to suit your tastes!
Larry’s picks
Grindpad – Violence
Ok, so these Dutch thrashers have been going since 2006 and already have 4 EPs under their belts. However, Violence is their first full-length album in their rebranded, newly-refined thrash style, as opposed to the groovy death of their early work. It encapsulates everything that’s fun about new wave thrash and proves that these guys should have been doing LPs all along. Solid, violent fun – one of my favourite albums of 2020.
ThrashWall – ThrashWall
First there was Mindtaker, now there’s ThrashWall; Portugal are kicking ass in the thrash debut stakes. The very first release from these Portuguese madmen is an exercise in how to go utterly apeshit for half an hour, whilst retaining a clear identity and just enough variety to hold listeners’ attentions. If you have any blood pumping through your veins at all, this album will make you lose your fucking mind. Just check out the album’s centrepiece, “World Domination”, and feel your face melt.
Memories of Old – The Zeramin Game
Andrei’s picks
Illumishade – Eclyptic: Wake of Shadows
If Dream Theater, Periphery and Epica got together and decided to write a soundtrack to a cheesy Disney princess cartoon, Illumishade is probably what would happen. The debut “Eclyptic: Wake of Shadows” is loaded with fantasy vibes from the first to the last second, creating a surreal fantasy world full of charm, wonder and mysticism and it also goes on a pretty exquisite narrative. From classic rock sounding guitar solos in cheesy power-ballads to heavy, bombastic djenty riffage and loads of cinematic orchestra and sound design, this album might be one of the most exciting blends of influences to emerge in 2020. And since the real world seems to have a grudge against us at the moment, what better thing can you do than ditch it for 40 minutes and enter the world of Illumishade? Though you may find, it’s not all jolly in there either…
Dawn of Ouroboros – The Art of Morphology
California-based progressive death/post black metal outfit Dawn of Ouroboros dropped a furious debut in “The Art of Morphology”. Beautiful, eclectic, mystical and atmospheric but also downright savage, this album will take you on an exploratory journey through the darkest, most abstract and primal depths of your soul. With purely blistering drum parts, roaring riffs and soaring epic melodies topped by a flawless vocal performance of both clean and harsh textures, this music spells CATHARSIS every step of the way. It’s devastating on the surface yet cleansing and purifying at the core.
Ad Infinitum – Chapter I: Monarchy
International symphonic metal act Ad Infinitum dropped a fantastic debut with “Chapter I: Monarchy”! With a lush symphonic power metal signature akin to Kamelot or Delain but a stronger technical component, this band really gets the energy rolling. Hooky choruses, infectious grooves, epic orchestration and a great deal of history vibes do a fantastic job to really immerse you in the atmosphere of the album. Every song is a real gem. Some are bangers, some are ballads and some are orchestral epics. Each song stands strong on its own, but they all flow seamlessly together into an album stream. Topped up by a fabulous clean and harsh vocal performance, “Chapter I: Monarchy” is as engaging and captivating as a debut album can get.
Antoni’s picks
Ormskrik – Ormskrik
I didn’t expect a debut album to be a flawless masterpiece and without a doubt my favorite record of the year. On this self-titled effort, Norwegian Ormskrik mixed black thrash metal with hardcore, death metal and grindcore. While listening to a song from it, you can’t tell if it’s more black metal, more thrash, more death metal or more hardcore, because of how perfectly the genres are combined here. Every instrument sounds splendidly and the vocalist delights the listener with his ability to create different types of vocals. The record surprises you all the time with the song structures, hidden elements, atmosphere, melodies, solos and a lot more. Ormskrik was inspired by many different bands and styles and it’s audible, but they used these inspirations to create a piece of art that sounds as fresh as it gets. It’s hard to describe it in just a one short blurb, so I invite you to read my full review of it here.
Thirsting Altar – Ascension
Another big surprise, as it’s not only a debut EP, but also an album from a new and unsigned band and it sounds like it was a creation of experienced and knowledgeable musicians and instrumentalists. “Ascension” by Portland’s black metal outfit Thirsting Altar, is a piece of art in three parts: “Abdication”, “Invocation” and “Exultation”. Each of them stands out in its own way, but they together create a coherent whole. “Thoughtful” is a word that comes to my mind most often while listening to “Ascension”. Everything sounds very thoughtful here. Every single drum beat, every single guitar distortion and even every single “blegh!” sound. For sure a lot of work was put into creating this record and it’s so impressive, that a band is releasing a material this ambitious, original and fresh as their debut. Not gonna lie, I’m scared about what monsters will Thirsting Altar unleash in the future. I’ll wait patiently.
Irrtum – Infernal Incantation
Another new and unsigned band, but this time also an album recorded unprofessionally. “Infernal Incarnation” by German black thrashers Irrtum might be their very first creation, but in my book, it already became an underground classic. The band mentions Desaster, Dissection, Darkthrone and early Metallica and Slayer as their inspirations and they’re all hearable, but still the record sounds original. Original, but classic on the other hand. What I mean with this, is that Irrtum didn’t create any new style with this opus, but created a very well-written and especially strongly memorable effort in the style that we all know and love. All of the songs on it work greatly – both together and individually. I’m very curious what the future holds for Irrtum and I’ll keep following them attentively.
Giannis’ picks
Cosmovore – Into the Necrosphere
This lot from Bavaria released their debut EP this past spring, unleashing a work of wretched riffage and bombarding percussion, featuring stringed instruments that are tuned as low as possible in order to evoke an abyssal atmosphere. And they deliver. Some PORTAL influences are apparent and very welcome, as well as some old school death metal nuances that cannot be unnoticed. The unorthodox approach to songwriting renders the tracks even more nightmarish. This is a band to keep an eye out for. Can’t wait to see what they come up with next.
Cult of Lilith – Mara
Perhaps the most surprising debut LP of the year, Cult of Lilith’s first offering is a dynamic amalgam of technical death metal, harrowing atmospheres and offbeat instrumentation that will appeal to the fans of contemporary tech death. Nothing is prohibited and this international fit of musicians certainly seizes every opportunity for a left turn and makes the most out of it. From baroque influenced harmonizations to gypsy jazz passages, there is no shortage of wonderful twists in this fantastic debut.
Prison of Mirrors – De Ritualibus et Sacrificiis ad Serviendum Abysso
Hailing from Italy, Prison of Mirrors unveiled their first full length album after releasing two EPs prior to that. Once you manage to take your eyes off that tongue-twister of a title, as well as the arguably fantastic cover art, you will be facing a slab of ritualistic/atmospheric black/doom metal. Four songs clocking in close to the hour mark are more than enough for the band to present you with a labyrinthine collection of intertwined riffs, mid paced drumming and otherworldly ambiences. The last track is a on its own a milestone for this year’s black metal output. Definitely one of the more impressive debuts of this year, by one of the most surprising bands I came across this year.
Thomas’ picks
Cult Burial – Cult Burial
These fellow countrymen just randomly showed up on one of our posts saying ‘hey we have a promo for our debut full length’. Their debut full length turned out to be one of the best I’ve heard, a blistering yet deeply emotional combination of unforgiving riffage, stark noise and contrastingly beautiful yet sinister melody. They’re at the core a black/death metal crossover act, but that’s oversimplifying an extremely complex and rewarding listen. Their self-titled LP is one of the most enjoyable reviewing experiences I’ve had, and a record I’ve been unable to stop listening to.
Velkhanos – The Wrath
When we think of great frontwomen, somebody steal the Metal Grammy and give it to Velkhanos’ hybrid angel-demon Miriam Ortiz. On top of a blistering, heavily nuanced and deeply satisfying musical blend of melodic death metal, folk metal and power metal from a band with no-one on any less than 150% power, Miriam provides such a multi-faceted performance you’ll no doubt like me have to check the inlay about 15 times to make sure there is only one vocalist in the band. Tracks like Moloch, Black Omen and The Eye of God are some of the best I’ve heard this year, and only the juggernaut return of long-absent UKDM trailblazers Benediction stopped this from being my best of show for the entirety of 2020.
Devilsbridge – Endless Restless
Even on their first EP, Swiss modern metal whirlwind Devilsbridge sharply weld together high energy hard rock with the stop start riffage of New York noise giants such as Helmet and intermittent bursts of staggeringly heavy progressive metal riffage. All of this is presided over by never arrogant but vastly confident and dominant swagger of firebrand frontwoman Dani Nell, who is never anything less than soulful and undeniable as a major factor of why this EP is so great.
Golconda – Eleven
Just like Cult Burial, Golconda to a great extent came out of nowhere this year. Perusing the interwebs late one night I came across the maddeningly catchy ‘Blackest X Mass’. This banger of a calling card is not just an earworm, it’s surprisingly heavy and thoughtful for such a catchy tune. This is the case for most of Eleven, a huge set of bouncy, groundshaking electro-metal tracks that are underpinned by a great deal of carefully thought out political elements.
Daniele’s pick
Fleetburner – Fleetburner
Back in September, Fleetburner released a debut album that is an amazing combination of doom, melodic death metal, progressive metal and dark atmospheric rock. Think Katatonia, but with a more energized and dynamic approach to their misery, throw-in some fast, razor-sharp but melodic guitar riffs, and add an incredible guest-list, featuring the likes of Nils Courbaron (Sirenia), Agnete M. Kirkevaag (Madder Mortem) and Christopher Amott (Dark Tranquillity, ex-Arch Enemy). Fleetburner’s line-up is no less impressive: the band is the brainchild of guitarist Kevin Storm, session player for bands like Equilibrium, Shining, and Vulture Industries, and features Peter Iwers (ex-In Flames) on bass and Veli-Matti Kananen (Kalmah) on keyboards. The album is stunning, drenched in sweet melancholy but with the right dose of aggression to keep your blood pumping for the duration. Fleetburner are a band that can quickly rise up the ranks and become a leading force in the progressive metal universe, and their self-titled debut is simply a must-buy if you are a fan of any of the bands named above.
Alex’s picks
SWMM – Trail of the Fallen
Probably *the* debutants of the year for me are Norwegian SWMM. No, they did not try to spell ‘swimming’ and ran out of letters, but it stands for Sometimes We Make Music. Well, in the case of Trail of the Fallen we seem to have caught them in one of these moments and was it ever worth capturing it. Categorizing the music is difficult, because several different styles are braided together, with some folk metal (like the banjo in the title track), some symphonic (see the string arrangements and piano of “Demon”), some prog, some power, some death while managing to remain both cohesive and unique and these dynamics… Star of the show is singer Danny Johannessen, who covers the whole range from epic cleans over a deep baritone to growls without missing a beat, adding a great extra dimension to the songs.
Marrowfields – Metamosphoses
Epic heavy/doom metal is a subgenre that has enjoyed some tremendous surge in recent years and Rhode Islanders Marrowfields are one of the latest bands to join into the fun. More doom based than some others representants of the genre, the quintet finds a very good balance between the heaviness and melancholy of doom and some faster heavy metal influenced accelerations while maintaining the heavy atmosphere, which goes hand in hand with the equally heavy lyrical side that deals with Ovid’s epos of the same name, which contains creation and destruction, punishment and transformation. Carried by Ken Gillis’ expressive vocals that add this extra grit and authenticity to the stories, Metamorphoses might not be unique or a new genre classic, but it firmly plants this band on the metal map with plenty of promise for the follow-up.
Ian’s pick
Dismalimerence – Tome 1
Peak atmospheric black metal, mind you this isn’t in the Summoning/Caladan Brood vein, but closer to classic second wave black metal with more synth and layers in general, not to mention really solid production.
Edmund’s picks
Trigathena – The Vile Silence
A solo project now gathering steam with a whole band, Triglathena released first a delicious doomy EP and then this similarly powerful full-length. Melodies abound in a airy production, but sudden bursts of sepulchral death metal make a lot of sense too. The whole experience is an encompassing one for fans of early Anathema or Skepticism.
Sölicitör – Spectral Devastation
An unlikely name for a very aggressive heavy/speed band, this Seattle outfit had history as Substratum and Hexengeist before going off to the law courts. Passionate and attacking songs like “Spectres of War” will rile you up proper if speed and vocal power are your brew.
Donát’s pick
Plague – Portraits of Mind
Do you like death metal but feel that all the new bands do is copy Incantation and Immolation? If so, Plague might just be the breath of fresh air you need. The Greeks play death metal more akin to Brutality with riffs outside of the caveman spectrum and slightly clearer growls than what we are used to. Consistently rock-solid.
Nathan’s picks
Flesh Megalith – Flesh Megalith
Solo project of the same guy responsible for Burier, Flesh Megalith’s self-titled debut is a violent collision of bare-bones cavernous death metal with gut-wrenching, crushing doom. These are crude, sparse songs with a pitch black atmosphere. Highly recommended for fans of caveman filth.
Sepulchral Curse – Only Ashes Remain
Curse’s debut album, Only Ashes Remain, is a loving homage to classic Finndeath. It oozes morbid atmosphere, with riffs that combine the best of death and doom with the occasional blackened edge. Kari Kankaanpää (Solothus) also turns in a monstrous performance, but its really the massive riffing of Only Ashes Remain that make it such a special album. Highly recommended for fans of Lantern, Demigod, and Solothus.
George’s picks
Omega Infinity – Solar Spectre
Omega Infinity’s quite literally ‘stellar’ release back in March came just in time to give everyone a taste of the isolation we all felt soon after. Rooted firmly in classic back metal, but encompassing a touch of industrial and electronic sounds, the band seamlessly captures the coldness of the cosmos, with an oppressive and lifeless tone that may easily resemble the sound of space dementia. From flat furious blast beats to celestial atmospheres, abrasive guitars, and Xenoyr’s ungodly voice, Solar Spectre offers the most outstanding black metal sound that the new decade has given us and the best debut record of the year as far as I’m concerned.
Rohan Sharma – 18
Redefining the meaning of the phrase ‘keyboard warrior’, Melbourne Australia’s Rohan Sharma is a solo keyboardist offering a compact and diverse selection of instrumental bangers on his first release titled ‘18’ that emerged in September. The 18 year old musician may have given a new face to the world of djent, as such music is rarely keyboard focused, yet the swirling solos and melodies on display are the greatest cure to boredom to ever come out of such an instrument. Supporting the keys, there’s a solid background of riffs, a high feeling of groove, and guest performances among which star Haken’s Richard Henshall and Lucas de la Rosa.
Medicated – Descension
Finland’s Medicated has been laying low under the radar since 2005 having released 3 EPs, but finally the debut full length ‘Descension’ sees the light of day earlier in June. Their sound relies on a beefy death-thrash metal foundation which pummels the bejeezus out of the listener, but the music is further spiced up with hints of prog, cool expressive solos, a few unexpected moments and a couple of killer guest performances. The high octane music and cool delivery is then amplified with a superb production featuring Jens Bogren’s mastering, thus offering an exceptionally high quality sound for a debut record.
Evan’s picks
Hail the Void – Hail the Void
A Canadian crossbreed of Acid Bath, Nirvana, and Type O Negative, this young power trio seem poised to become a household name in the doom community. ‘Twisted Pleasure’ is among the finest stoner metal songs extant.
200 Stab Wounds – Piles of Festering Decomposition
These dudes look like they just graduated from middle school, but that doesn’t mean they can’t write some killer death metal. Their debut EP is a brutishly addictive salvo of high energy riffage that is best played on loop.
