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Comaniac – Holodox
Three albums into their ten-year career so far, the Swiss lunatics of Comaniac utterly blew my face off with this collection of technically proficient and rifftastic thrash assaults. Holodox, despite having an awesomely catchy title, expands on the quartet’s songwriting prowess, spearheaded by main man and chief lunatic Jonas Schmid. His guitar work is laden with ferocious talent and his vocals are utterly batshit crazy. This album covers an enormous range of moods for a thrash record, reaching both completely unhinged frenzies (“Legend Heaven” & the title-track), bittersweet melody (“Bittersweet” & “Under The Gun”) via some real stomping headbangers (“Art Is Dead” – one of my favourite songs of 2020 so far!). Totally unexpected dark horses of the year – every thrasher needs to hear Holodox.
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Wolfheart – Wolves Of Karelia
Less than two years after the last release, the unmistakable purveyors of Winter Metal return with the mighty Wolves of Karelia. Wolfheart has to be one of the most consistent melodic death metal bands to ever emerge from Finland with five records delivered since 2013 and none of them slouching. The new opus keeps the streak going, delivering the pummeling style of corrosive riffing and growls that defines Wolfheart’s wall of sound. It is epic as always and the cold orchestral background gives such a refreshing feel. More raw and to the point then previous records, with a stronger black metal component, this one gets even heavier and more menacing then previous works, arguably about as savage as outgoing war. It is only fitting then that it comes as a tribute to the Finnish soldiers who fought in the Winter War with USSR in 1939-1940, breaking new grounds in terms of concept for the band. Easily the best melodic death metal record in 2020 so far.
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Ad Infinitum – Chapter I: Monarchy
Revolving around influences from bands akin to Delain or Kamelot but with a considerably stronger tendency for the epic and bombastic, Ad Infinitum took the symphonic metal world by storm with their majestic debut album Chapter 1: Monarchy. Building a musical environment based on a historical theme, they prove themselves to be one of the strongest emerging acts in the genre, delivering a sound as polished and professional as any long standing act but with no shortage of originality. Lush orchestrations, soaring lead melodies and infectious choruses as well as dynamic riffs, virtuous passages and breakdowns put together the perfect contrasting groundwork for vocalist Melissa Bonny to display her jaw-dropping charisma and versatility in both clean and harsh vocals. This album is a must for any fan of symphonic power metal!
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Curse – The Awakening…and the Old
Curse is one of the bands that keep the old-school black thrash metal spirit alive. Their debut EP, The Awakening… and the Old is a journey through mystic riffs, melancholic solos and savage vocals. We have everything that is needed on a black thrash album here: dark atmosphere, catchy guitar themes, speed and brutality. The title track is outstanding the most, since it’s really epic. After listening to this EP, I can’t wait for the first Curse full-length.
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Oranssi Pazuzu – Mestarin Kynsi
Finnish psychonauts Oranssi Pazuzu have returned with a new vision. Mestarin Kynsi is an album that is as twisted and morbid as Kosmonument, as eclectic and dynamic as Mukalainen Puuhu and laden with the electronic elements of its two predecessors. Still however, the lot from the northernmost part of Scandinavia find space (no pun intended) to add more into the mix, providing an album that is not only memorable but also lures the listener into repeated listens that never seem to be enough. Nothing sort of an astounding, fantastic effort.
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Traveler – Termination Shock
After releasing an incredible debut last year, these Canadian trad metal talents gifted us with a follow-up that not only matches their previous offering but in some aspects improves on it. While the production might have been cleaned up a bit, the record still possesses that inimitable 80s heavy metal vibe that made the debut so special. Catchiness is also off the charts thanks to the earworm choruses and NWOBHM resembling twin guitar attacks. A little a bit of Maiden, a little bit of Priest and a whole lot of personality.
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Ulcerate – Stare Into Death & Be Still
Stare Into Death and Be Still in my opinion is Ulcerate’s most melodic and accessible album thus far. Of course, that’s a relative statement, considering the New Zealander trio’s past work has been so dissonant at times that I’m sure many would deem it unlistenable. It’s still a challenging listen, but there’s an added emphasis on atmosphere and hypnotic melancholy amidst the chaotic storm. Ulcerate has been one of those bands that have been a joy to follow for how they experiment and twist death metal, and Stare Into Death and Be Still is another monumental album.
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Elffor – Unholy Throne Of Doom
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Marrowfields – Metamorphoses
Some bands really hit out of nowhere and American Marrowfields are one of these specimen. Their debut Metamorphoses jumped into the scene without a warning and delivers some of the best atmospheric/epic doom metal the year 2020 has on offer. Is it groundbreaking? No, let’s be honest, doom does not have a whole lot of ground to break anymore, but the quintet strikes a great balance between atmosphere and epicism that immediately catapults them into the forefront of doom hopefuls!
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Errant – Errant
Perhaps there is a bit of bias here. Sole member Rae Amitay plays a big role in a few of my favorite bands, Brie it Immortal Bird or Thrawsunblat. However, Errant is the multi-instrumentalists first solo outing. Featuring plenty of Rae’s signature snarl, the little EP also features clean singing. The album employs a lot of emotional peaks and valleys lyrically, vocally and musically. The original songs sound fresh, but also harken back to olden days. Some darker elements like The Cure or more intense black metal of a more modern style. There’s nothing that feels out of place and the pacing is superb. The Failure cover at the end of the EP has also just been on repeat since the release of this self-titled outing.
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Live Burial – Unending Futility
The UK’s most fetid worshippers of reeking ancient evil return after a lengthy four year wait for an album that reigns in the rabies-maddened savagery of their debut while reinjecting a healthy dose of mournful doom into their sound. While they appear on paper to be another feral-and-filthy “OSDM” act, a closer listen reveals an understated finesse and refined musicianship whether it’s the three barbaric ripper’s that open the album or the multi-chaptered trio that conclude this catacomb voyage. Indulging in the old cruelties of death metal’s classic years yet refusing to pigeonhole themselves into an increasingly narrowing genre, Live Burial have unleashed their strongest material yet.
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Cirith Ungol – Forever Black
Jonathan: Nowadays it seems that comeback albums are a dime a dozen, yet seeing a band reform and completely recapture a level of glory not seen in upwards of 30 years, as if said outfit had never left no less, is a far rarer eventuality. But this is exactly what Ventura, California’s olden purveyors of doom-drenched old school epic metal have pulled off with Forever Black, an album that rekindles that magical missing link between 70s progressive rock and hard-hitting, riff happy 80s heavy metal. Whether it be the Bill Ward-inspired, fill-happy drumming of Robert Garven, the high and screechy rendition of 70s Brian Johnson on steroids featured in Tim Baker’s vocals, or how original multi-instrumentalist Greg Lindstrom ties their handiwork and the rest of this all star arrangement together, this may well be the comeback of the decade a mere 4 months into it. It’s prime cut for any self-respecting fan of the retro-80s epic sound, particularly those hungry for similar material to that of Witchfinder General, Pagan Altar, and those still mourning the end of Manilla Road.
Dave: In a surprising and unexpected return, heavy metal legends Cirith Ungol have shown that they have not lost a bit of what made them great decades ago. Forever Black is a massive and powerful epic, and Tim Baker’s unsurpassed vocals are again at the forefront of heavy metal. Seemingly unutouched by modern trends in production, this album rivals all but their best in every category. This is truly a treat for those of us who remain attached to the classic traditional metal of yesteryear.
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Buckethead – Healing Inside Outside Every Side
For some artists, releasing music is essential to creativity. So for solo guitarist Buckethead, the first full album in almost 2 years is quite a landmark, especially considering his prior output of at least a dozen per year. With long-term health problems and a global pandemic on his mind, a gentle and accepting album was the perfect choice: this is minimalist clean string-stroking in the vein of previous calming releases like Colma and Sparks in the Dark. Welcome back, Brian.
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Trivium – What The Dead Men Say
Three years after their spectacular The Sin and the Sentence, Trivium strike back with an excellent follow-up in the same vein as their previous work. This time, the band enhances the catchy and accessible core of the album, but obviously without sacrificing their trademark technical proficiency and complex arrangements. What the Dead Men Say is stuffed with memorable hooks, excellent riffs and wonderful melodies: the only flaw is the production, which sounds honestly too surgically clean and lacks a bit of punch in the guitar department. That said, Trivium have crafted one of their strongest records here, one you surely don’t want to miss.
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Myrkur – Folkesange
For this release, Myrkur stripped away all her black metal influences, leaving listeners with a gorgeous display of Scandinavian folk music. The warm, atmospheric qualities of Folkesange are augmented by chamber pop-inspired orchestrations and blissful new age sensibilities that elevate the songs to a level of sophisticated simplicity Myrkur had never previously achieved. These sparse, ethereal songs ring with the echos of thousands of years of a musical heritage that’s inspired countless artists throughout Scandinavia’s history.
