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Metal Asylum's Top Albums Of The Twentyteens (2010 - 2019)2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2010:
2011
2012
2013Helloween - Straight Out of Hell Power Metal kings still got it – the speed, riffs, melodies, harmonies, and variety. - RC “Nabatea” is a great Helloween tune. -JM Stratovarius – Nemesis Third album without guitarist Timo Tolkki, but with classic lineup members Timo Kotipelto (vocals) and Jens Johansson (keyboards) showing they also have the tools to write great Strato music. - RC Saxon – Sacrifice Age and 40 years of New Wave of British Heavy Metal thunder has not the reduced the size of the guy’s balls. - RC Amon Amarth - Deceiver of the Gods Modern day death metal kings who celebrate Viking mythology and history. -RC “As Loke Falls” cannot be denied. -JM Ghost - Infestissumam Naughty, Satanic, fun, hooky, Metal. “Jigolo Har Megiddo,” “Year Zero,” “Monstrance Clock.” -JM Aeon Zen - Enigma I only liked it at first, but I’ve never stopped listening to it regularly since 2013. “Seven Hills,” “Enter the Enigma.” -JM Pretty Maids - Motherland "Mother of All Lies," "To Fool a Nation." All in a row. This band still matters. -JM 2014Opeth - Pale Communion A less-celebrated album from their oeuvre, but some of Opeth’s very best songs can be found here. “Eternal Rains Will Come,” “Faith in Others.” -JM Vanishing Point - Distant is the Sun Power Metal excellence from Down Under. “King of Empty Promises,” the title track. -JM Gus G - I Am the Fire Varied solo album from the Firewind, one time Ozzy Osbourne guitarist, who show his ability in songwriting and chops. Too bad he was never able to be himself with Osbourne. -RC Winger - Better Days Comin' Always one of the punching bags for glam/hair metal from the ignorant and uneducated, this album a perfect compliment and followup to Pull from 1993. -RC Sabaton – Heroes These military themed power metallers carry the flag for the current generation. -RC Evergrey - Hymns for the Broken Now 20 years into their legacy of writing insightful, sometimes somber, progressive metal. -RC Sanctuary - The Year the Sun Died The beginning of a new chapter, yet soon after the end of lead singer Warrel Dane’s in 2017. -RC Grave Digger – Return of the Reaper And boy was it. German power metal powerhouse brought “The Reaper”/”Heart of Darkness” album’s riffs, with the best of the album “Rheingold” in melody. -RC 2015Draconian - Sovran Sovran is my favorite album of the decade. Heike Langhan is the best Metal vocalist of the century, and with a few more big albums on her resume, should be in every “All-Time Greatest Singers” list. -JM Ghost - Meliora Most important Heavy album of the decade, cementing Tobias’s place in the Metal pantheon. “Cirice,” “He Is,” “Mummy Dust.” -JM One of, if not, the biggest heavy metal band of the decade to cross over into commercial radio in America. Heavy yet melodic, easy to remember hooks and melodies, and doomy. -RC Gloryhammer - Space 1992: Rise of the Chaos Wizards The MetalAsylum.net inmates are split on this one. To me, it’s fantastic, self-aware, cheesy, top-tier Power Metal. “Victorious Eagle Warfare,” “The Questlords of Inverness.” -JM Symphony X - Underworld Even better than “Iconoclast.” “Nevermore.” -JM Joe Satriani - Shockwave Supernova The world’s greatest guitarist has always put melody and songwriting ahead of flashy chops and showiness. Don’t dismiss him as “just that Surfing with the Alien” guy. The title “Shockwave” tracks rule. -JM Vanden Plas - Chronicles of the Immortals: Netherworld II (Path Two) A surprisingly melodic and dynamic set of songs that you’ll want to sing-along with, all centered around a vampire storyline. Glorious use of the children’s choir. The first four songs are all 10s. -JM Between the Buried and Me - Coma Ecliptic Their fanbase seem to prefer their heavier albums; I prefer BTBAM when they dial back the screamo and focus on melody. You teach us what was. “The Coma Machine.” -JM Iron Maiden - Book of Souls Maiden can still deliver the goods. Let’s hope they have one more in them for the 2020s. “The Red and the Black,” “Empire of Clouds.” -JM Rightfully still the biggest heavy metal band in the world (with Metallica). This album brought back some of the earlier years Piece of Mind era with post 2000s Brave New World arrangements. -RC Shumaun - Shumaun A great little Prog-Metal gem. “Dream of the Sleeper,” “You Always Disappear.” -JM Raven – ExtermiNation New Wave of British Heavy Metal legends haven’t lost it, still relevant and vibrant new music. -RC Armored Saint - Win Hands Down Solid, solid American traditional heavy metal. -RC Nightwish - Endless Forms Most Beautiful The kings of symphonic metal with new siren Floor Jansen proving their status as the best from the genre. -RC There’s never been a bad Nightwish vocalist, but Floor Jansen is simply amazing. -JM Europe- War of Kings Another case of “don’t judge a hair glam metal band by its 80s past”. -RC Queensryche - Condition Hüman Yes, there is life after Geoff Tate. -RC A triumph. -JM Stryper – Fallen Sixteenth album, songs just as good and important as their 80s classics. Always heavy, melodic, and spiritual. -RC With the Dead - With the Dead The darkest pit of Doom imaginable. The latest chapter in Lee Dorrian’s legendary career. “The Cross.” “Living With the Dead.” -JM 2016Megadeth – Dystopia Singer/guitarist Dave Mustaine, bassist Dave Ellefson, and Angra guitarist Kiko Loureiro brought back the goods after the lack luster “Super Collider”. -RC Primal Fear – Rulebreaker Twenty years of being the son’s of Judas Priest, they should be recognized as such. -RC Anthrax - For All Kings This album maintains their slot in the Big 4 as being as good as their past. -RC A solid return for NY’s finest Thrash band. -JM Metal Church – XI First album in 23 years with the return of vocalist Mike Howe shows why all along they should have been a major players. -RC Flotsam and Jetsam-Flotsam and Jetsam Second tier thrash legends get back in the game big time. -RC Fates Warning - Theories of Flight Sandwiched in between Queensryche and Dream Theater, as technical and important. -RC Alter Bridge - The Last Hero Myles Kennedy (vocals, guitar) and Mark Tremonti (lead guitar) and the fifth album from the leaders of the American heavy rock sound. -RC Rob Zombie- The Electric Warlock Acid Witch Satanic Orgy Celebration Dispenser Surely a unique artist who celebrates all that is monsters and the macabre from the 30s-70s within industrial metal. I mean, how great is “Well, Everybody’s Fucking in a U.F.O.” -RC Gojira - Magma Joseph Duplantier's unique approach to riffs and leads are mind-blowing. Dude has one of the best growly singing voices in the business. Mario Duplantier may be the best drummer in the world. “Pray,” “Stranded,” “Silvera,” “Shooting Star.” -JM Devin Townsend Project - Transcendence The seventh and final release of the DTP era of his career delivered a few classics. “Stormbending,” “Higher,” “Offer Your Light.” -JM Zeal and Ardor - Devil is Fine Combining slave chants of America’s shameful past with Death Metal - - the experiment could only have worked with music this brilliant. Manuel Gagneux is a genius. “Blood in the River” and “Devil is Fine.” -JM Arcana 13 - Danza Macabra From Italy, one of the absolute best of the modern Doom renaissance. “ArcaneXIII,” “Dread Ritual,” “Hell Behind You.” -JM Monkey3 - Astra Symmetry Smart, trippy, interstellar Doom Prog Metal. -JM Katatonia - The Fall of Hearts Soft-touch vocal Metal melancholy. The first album I ever rated 10/10 in a Metalasylum.net review. “Decima,” “Last Song Before the Fade,” “Shifts.” - JM Metallica - Hardwired. . . To Self-Destruct Death Magnetic from 2008 was their truer return to form, but a Metallica record is always important. - JM 2017House of Lords - Saint of the Lost Souls One of the best band who came out of the last wave of 80s glam metal, merging the genre with AOR and prog rock. 7th album since 2006 and they have not lost that formula, just with more of an edge.-RC Night Demon - Darkness Remains Another one of those bands who are still in the underground but should be leading the charge for the New Wave of Traditional Heavy Metal. -RC Kai Hansen - Thank You Wacken One of the most engaging live albums of all time. A few Helloween deep cuts are given new life, especially “Save Us,” with Clementine Delauney on guest vocals, and “Ride the Sky.” -JM Necromancers - Servants of the Salem Girl Unfiltered Sabbathy Doom Metal. Pure sonic evil. Obey the title track. -JM Unleash the Archers - Apex I’m thrilled to see this band’s reputation growing. They’re built for the long haul. “Awakenings,” “Ten Thousand Against One.” -JM Threshold - Legends of the Shires One of, if not, the most underrated prog metal bands with a rich history of 25 years of music. -RC Obituary – Obituary One of the godfathers of death metal maintaining their classic sound show how it’s done for the youngsters. -RC Galley Beggar - Heathen Hymns Invoking Led Zeppelin's folky side with a set of gorgeous, haunting songs. "Moon and Tide." "The Girl I Left Behind Me." -JM 2018Judas Priest Firepower Talk about firepower!, gheeze, this is the companion album to “Painkiller”. -RC Priest are still the defenders of the Metal faith. “Firepower,” “Lightning Strikes.” -JM Icarus Witch - Goodbye Cruel World Should be one of the leaders of traditional heavy metal, but unfortunately no one knows them. -RC This album is a hidden gem. -JM Striker - Play to Win These Canadians are game changers, metal guitars, melodic vocals, harmonies, aggressive music, lots of melody. Its traditional metal meets thrash, power, glam metal, and AOR hard rock depending on the song. -RC “Heart of Lies” and the title track. This will knock you on your ass. Traditional Metal is back. -JM Oceans of Slumber - The Banished Heart Brilliant, brilliant songwriting. Cammie Gilbert is a superstar frontwoman with a voice of sonic gold. The title track gets me verklempt every damn time. Also: “A Path to Distant Stars” and “Etiolation.” -JM Ghost - Prequelle Divisive, due to its Pop-Metal/AOR turn, but still loaded with great songs. Tobias can do no wrong. “Rats,” “Faith,” “Pro Memoria,” “It’s a Sin.” -JM Zeal and Ardor - Stranger Fruit Manuel Gagneux improved on perfection, increasing production values and refining the formula to produce another set of infectiously brilliant songs. “Don’t You Dare,” “Gravedigger’s Chant.” -JM Michael Schenker Fest- Resurrection Legendary guitarist decided to unite not one, two, three, but four of his former solo band vocalists under one name for some classic hard rock and metal. -RC 2019Angel Witch - Angel of Light Yes, it is possible for a few of these early 80s New Wave of British Heavy Metal bands to come back strong. -RC Tygers of Pan Tang – Ritual Yup, Tygers still have teeth. -RC Cellar Darling - The Spell Daring, innovative, beautiful, tragic, heartbreaking, fragile, true, perfect. The title track, “Insomnia.” -JM Beast in Black - From Hell with Love Power Metal meets glam and AOR rock. Get on board, people.-RC Opeth - In Cauda Venenum Feels like the beginning of a new era that draws upon their entire history. “Next of Kin,” “Dignity.” -JM Death metal, progressive metal, 70s hard rock, always pushing the boundaries of heaviness, aggression, melody, musicianship, emotions, and the mind. -RC Rotting Christ - The Heretics Dark, ominous, defiant, heretical, rebellious. A masterpiece. “Hallowed Be Thy Name,” “New Messiah,” “Dies Irae.” -JM Diamond Head - The Coffin Train The title track may be one of their best-ever songs. Think about that. -JM ***************************************** |
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