The Best Albums of 2020
Everyone has been saying this and I will say it again: 2020 sucked. The year was plagued by a virus which caused an array of other shit such as a failing economy and who knows how many deaths (I’ve not been paying attention to the death toll for my own sanity). Everyone also dealt with their own personal BS, such as how the closed borders separated me from my boyfriend for eight-ish months. Oh, and should I mention all of the shows that got cancelled and how the music industry is hanging by a thread? Ugh.
Hey, at least there were some seriously sick albums released in 2020. Listening to these new records kept up my sanity for these grueling months. And with bands not being to do anything except write and record, we have even more new music to check out next year.
Without further ado, here are my favorite albums of 2020.
Special Mention: Akurion – Come Forth to Me
Usually, I avoid doing press and reviews for my boyfriend’s bands and projects because of conflicts of interest. But I at least have to give a special mention to his band Akurion’s album Come Forth to Me because I do think it’s one of the best metal albums of 2020.
Other than the fact that this album features some of the best in the business (Mike DiSalvo on vocals, Oli Pinard on bass, guest appearances from Lord Worm and Luc Lemay, etc.), this album is nothing short of brilliant. There’s so much emotional depth to every song. The whole album is well-written and every song captures you. I listen to this album on a regular basis and I grow to love it even more.
Favorite song(s):
“Souvenir Gardens”
“Kingdom Overcome”
10. Depravity – Grand Malevolence
So I have to admit, I only discovered this band recently. A podcast I listen to played one of their songs off of this album and I was shocked I never heard this band before. I’ve definitely been listening to this album lately, so it deserves a mention on this list.
Depravity embodies the steak and potatoes of death metal. You get everything in one nice package: brutal vocals, crazy drumming, insane riffing, and the occasional technical noodley-noo to keep the songs interesting.
Grand Malevolence is only Depravity’s second album, but it’s a powerful release. This band has a bright future ahead of them. Hopefully, COVID can go away and I can see this band live (even if that means I gotta go to Australia where these guys are from).
Favorite song(s):
“Indulging Psychotic Thoughts”
“Trophies of Inhumanity”
“Castrate the Perpetrators”
“Barbaric Eternity”
“Hallucination Aflame”
9. Incantation – Sect of Vile Divinities
This new Incantation album deserves more credit. It’s absolutely crushing! They don’t settle for anything less than brutal. Incantation also went up several notches as far as riffing and soloing goes. With this album, Incantation proves they’re still one of the leaders in death metal.
Favorite song(s):
“Guardians From the Primeval”
“Black Fathom’s Fire”
“Chant of Formless Dread”
“Shadow-Blade Masters of Tempest and Maelstrom”
“Unborn Ambrosia”
“Fury’s Manifesto”
8. Naglfar – Cerecloth
Another album that went under the radar is Naglfar’s Cerecloth. This is another solid album from these Swedish black metalers. Cerecloth has the perfect amount of melody without sacrificing the brutality. It’s an album that has a lot of depth and emotion, which you really don’t see in extreme metal these days. Overall, Naglfar yet again releases another brilliant album and I can’t wait to see what else they release in the future.
Favorite song(s):
“Cerecloth”
“Like Poison for the Soul”
“Vortex of Negativity”
“The Dagger in Creation”
“Necronaut”
“Last Breath of Yggdrasil”
7. Sinister – Deformation of the Holy Realm
I’m so impressed with the new Sinister material. Adding Michal Grall on guitar was definitely a great decision, since the riffing and soloing went up ten notches. It’s definitely one of their strongest modern albums and I hope Sinister keeps releasing solid material.
Favorite song(s):
“Deformation of the Holy Realm”
“Apostles of the Weak”
“Scourged by Demons”
“Suffering From Immortal Death”
“The Ominous Truth”
6. Lucifer – Lucifer III
Lucifer never fails to release amazing material and I have always stood by this since I first heard Lucifer I. Lucifer III doesn’t disappoint. They have some incredible songs on this album and they hold that retro rock and early heavy metal style perfectly. They definitely went more Deep Purpley-y than doomy, compared to their earlier material. But I love this progression. Most importantly, Lucifer hones their own unique style mixed with their influences. Lucifer was also one of the few shows I saw this year, and I was blown away by their set. I’m sure Lucifer will continue influencing us in the future.
Favorite song(s):
“Ghosts”
“Pacific Blues”
“Flanked by Snakes”
5. Macabre – Carnival of Killers
This is the first time Macabre released an album in what, ten years? And it’s by far one of my favorites from them. This sinister and almost cartoony album is filled with fun, violence, and of course — killers! Macabre is a band with such a major legacy, but they prove that even the most legendary extreme metal bands can progress. Macabre did this with implementing more clean vocals in their songs, which surprisingly works with their nursery rhyme influences. All I can say is I hope that we don’t have to wait another ten years before we hear a new Macabre album.
Favorite song(s):
“Your Window Is Open”
“Warte Warte”
“Corpse Violator”
4. Aleah – Aleah
Let’s take a break from the brutal death metal and focus on an album that really impacted me emotionally. I won’t go too much in the history of this album, but Aleah is an album by Aleah Starbridge that her partner, Juha Raivio (Swallow the Sun) released after her death. The result is one of the most beautiful albums I’ve ever heard in my entire life. It’s difficult listening to this album without tearing up (I cried like a baby the first time I heard it). But with this crazy year and all of the hurt it caused me and so many people, I needed to hear a lovely piece of music. It’s both melancholy and uplifting. Overall, I always feel a little better after listening to this album.
This album has two different parts: the acoustic and non-acoustic part. I honestly prefer the acoustic songs; it sounds almost ghostly yet it holds so much emotion.
RIP Aleah. Your soul lives on through your music.
Favorite song(s):
“My Will”
“Inverted Enlightenment”
“Vapour”
“The Tower”
“Breathe”
3. Deeds of Flesh – Nucleus
I don’t care if the album has only been out for like, 10 days. This album is incredible and is going on my top albums of the year list. Nucleus is everything that Erik Lindmark could have wanted. It’s brutal and insanely technical. Nucleus is the perfect homage to Erik and the band’s legacy. Deeds of Flesh fans can now say goodbye to an absolute legend.
Favorite song(s):
“Alyen Scourge”
“Ascension Vortex”
“Catacombs of the Monolith”
“Nucleus”
“Terror”
2. Christian Muenzner – Path of the Hero
I’ve been following Chris ever since Necrophagist’s Epitaph. I’m a big fan of instrumental music, specifically shreddy guitar, so I love all of Christian’s solo music. That’s why I was stoked to discover he was releasing a new solo album this year, and it’s been on repeat ever since I got it.
What I like about this album is how it’s a combination of Christian’s influences. Many of us are familiar with his more extreme metal guitar playing, which we hear on his material with Necrophagist, Obscura, and Alkaloid. Eternity’s End fans also know his shreddy neo-classical power metal-style guitar playing. And we can’t forget about the funky song “Deep Space #11.” While his other two solo albums have honed in on one dominant style, Path of the Hero combines all of his influences perfectly, resulting in a very unique album.
Another reason why I love Christian’s solo material is it’s more than just a wanking guitar fest. The songwriting is exceptional, all instruments (not just guitar) are phenomenal, and he can go from strong riffing to ridiculous solos effortlessly.
Chris proves that being a good guitar player doesn’t mean you have to be the fastest or the most technical player. What makes a great guitar player is writing amazing songs and having your own style. That’s why Path of the Hero is on this list.
Favorite song(s):
“Knight Rider”
“Demon Angel”
“Deep Space #11”
1. Imperial Triumphant – Alphaville
Where do I begin with Imperial Triumphant’s Alphaville? That saying it’s a masterpiece is a complete understatement? I guess that’s a good way to start it off.
Imperial Triumphant proves a lot with this album. They’re more than just the “avant-garde black metal band” on the scene (I don’t even think that label describes them well at all). Imperial Triumphant found a way to try something completely new and take extreme metal to different levels, all without being forceful.
This band is a hodgepodge of different styles, and for good reason. All three members are diverse musicians and have many influences. We see this in Alphaville — the barbershop quartet, the taiko drums, and jazzy saxophone are all just expressions of their ideas and influences. But these influences aren’t tacky additions to the music. They really blend in well and give this album life.
Overall, Alphaville is what we expected from Imperial Triumphant and more. This album is chaotic but there’s beauty in the insanity. This album is more than just a collection of 9 songs; Alphaville takes you on a journey — and a journey you’ll never forget.
Favorite song(s):
“Rotted Futures”
“Alphaville”
That’s it guys! Let’s hope 2021 is better and that shows will come back. At least more bands are writing and recording, so we’ll get a ton of killer music in the future.
