Albums of the Year 2021

Man, what a year for music. Bands could do nothing other than write music and record in 2020. Well, we all should have known everyone would be releasing albums in 2021. It’s no surprise that we heard many phenomenal albums. So many to where I decided to do a top 15 AOTY instead of a top 10 — plus a few honorable mentions.

Without further ado, here are my picks!

Honorary Mentions

Solstice – Casting the Die

This album seriously went under the radar. It’s always good to see a legendary band like Solstice still kicking ass. This album has tons of energy, the production was excellent, there’s crazy guitar playing and drumming, and man there are some funky bass lines in here. If you overlooked this album, please check it out. Hint: this is a great workout album!

Abiotic – Ikagi

Okay, so Abiotic is a band that means a lot to me. Back in the day, I would see them play in Tampa all the time. They’re from Miami, so they would make the drive on a regular basis to play for us. And I went to every show. It came to the point where I befriended the band and I’m happy to say I’m still friends with these guys to this day.

This is why I was so heartbroken to discover they broke up in 2016. However, it only took two short years for the band to reunite. So it’s no surprise that I was anticipating Ikagi. And this has to be my favorite album by them, right next to Symbiosis. My biggest complaint is the songs don’t stick with you the way older material does, but this album is still amazing. They haven’t lost any musicianship and the new members fit in very well with the band. Please, guys, don’t ever break up again!

Unanimated – Victory in Blood

Unanimated is definitely one of the more underrated Swedish extreme metal bands, in my opinion. And Victory in Blood passed so many people. The riffing sounds evil and there’s a perfect blend between heaviness and melody. Ancient God of Evil is one of my favorite albums of all time. While I don’t feel Victory in Blood is as strong, this is still a great album that Unanimated added to their discography.

Otis Archer – “War”

My brother plays drums in this band so putting this album on my list is technically a conflict of interest. But these guys really do deserve the support and the hype. In case you don’t know, Otis Archer is a project formed by, well Otis Archer. He writes all of the music and plays guitar, bass, and does the vocals. He got my brother, Jordan Jensen, to play drums. And this is probably one of the best duos in metal.

Otis is releasing a series of four EPs all inspired by the four horsemen of the apocalypse. “War” This one is their thrashier one, yet it’s still really heavy. The musicianship and vocals on this EP are absolutely amazing. I definitely feel this is a band that any metal fan can enjoy. Overall, Otis and Jordan have something unique going on and I can’t wait to see the future for this project.

15. Archspire – Bleed the Future

So let’s take a look at the new Archspire. It’s technical, fast, and heavy. Yep, that sounds about right. While their sound doesn’t change much, they do always take their music to newer and extremer levels. So if you feel like getting slapped in the face with riffs, drums, and whatever Oliver Rae Aleron is doing with his vocals, then I highly suggest this album if you haven’t heard it yet.

14. Inferi – Vile Genesis

This album is…immense. That’s really the best way to describe it. Inferi went above and beyond with this album. There’s the perfect amount of aggression, intensity, and chaos, but with just the right amount of melody and progression. As always, the guitar work is arguably some of the best I’ve heard all year.

13. Asphyx – Necroceros

This is another album that totally went under the radar. That’s a shame because this album is crushing. As with any other Asphyx album, you can expect nothing less of brutality. These guys are death metal Gods in my opinion, so I knew this album would be solid.

12. Helloween – Helloween

I would never expect any Helloween anything to be on my top albums list. Seriously, ever. But this past year or so, I gave Helloween another chance and started appreciating their music. And well, this album is absolutely spectacular.

In case you all have been living under a rock, the “Pumpkins United” lineup is back and this album is the first this lineup has done since Keeper of the Seven Keys Part II. This is arguably one of the most iconic comebacks in metal history.

While many qualities of this album are very cheesy, there are some magical parts. I especially love the song “Angels.” It’s pretty unreal that these guys could create such an amazing album after all of this time. Because of that reason alone, this new Helloween album should be on everyone’s list.

11. Interloper – Search Party

I feel this is another album and band that went totally under the radar. I absolutely love this album. It’s a totally new side of the Rings and Faceless material we’re used to hearing from these guys. This is a heavy band but they also have melody. However, it’s not cheesy and doesn’t sound forced. As much as I love brutal and technical death metal, it’s nice to hear something outside of the box, and Interloper has been satisfying my technical-yet-not-extreme appetite.

10. Obscura – A Valediction

So first things first: the fact that Christian Muenzner and Jeroen Paul Thesseling rejoined the band is the best thing that happened. Argue with me all you want, those two members alone make this band amazing. I also have to mention David Diepold. He’s an excellent drummer and the perfect pick for the band.

Back to the album. You can tell they entered a new phase in the band, which is something I respect with these guys. They never re-hash the same material, just grow and change with every album. I definitely hear the Swedish influence (At the Gates especially) in their material. The songs definitely stick with you and Christian unleashes some incredible solos here. I just wish there was some more heaviness. Obscura always had plenty of melody but blended enough heaviness to where they still sounded extreme. I think this album is lacking some brutality, aside from the incredible song “Devoured Usurper.”

9. Aeon – God Ends Here

Aeon is a band that means a lot to me since they were one of the first extreme metal bands I ever heard. It’s impossible for this band to release a bad album. So much so to where I don’t mind the long wait times in-between each album.

I would say what separates this album is it’s more stimulating. It could be the insane drumming or some of the punchy riffs going on here. I also do appreciate the theatrics and the extra instrumental tracks. The production is absolutely excellent and this album just has a big sound. Overall, this album is genius and I hope I can see this material played live one day.

8. Eternity’s End – Embers of War

Holy shredding, Batman! This band literally plays every note possible. Seriously, Christian and Justin, save some notes for the rest of us.

Okay, seriously. This album is the perfect combination of neoclassical shreddy shred and dorky power metal. Justin Hombach was the perfect guitar player to replace Phil Tougas. Other than the insanely amazing guitar playing, I honestly don’t think Hannes Grossmann gets enough credit for his drumming on this album. Any drummer who can keep up with these musicians deserves a gold medal.

7. First Fragment – Gloire Éternelle

TABARNAK! Where do I start with this album? Maybe how it’s a masterpiece? Maybe this band as a whole is comprised of some of the best musicians today? Actually, I should just say it: Forest LaPointe. I think that’s who really matters here.

Anyway, First Fragment took the tech death thing to new levels with this album. While bands like Spawn of Possession took the ungodly playing thing to the center about 15+ years ago, everyone can now play better than you and the wankery is getting old. First Fragment also offers ungodly amazing playing but with plenty of brutality, melody, and neoclassical goodness to keep things interesting.

6. At the Gates – The Nightmare of Being

I’ll be honest, I didn’t care for the ATG album To Drink From the Night Itself. However, this album made up for it. Nightmare of Being is amazing, to say the least. Every song is killer. There are some epic orchestrations here but the entire album is still headbang-worthy. I can only imagine what these songs will sound like live.

5. Thulcandra – A Dying Wish

If I want to listen to a Dissection-worship band, this is the first band I turn to. And man did this album fly under everyone’s radar. Shame on you all!

As with all Thulcandra albums, this one has an air of darkness. It’s a perfect album to listen to on an ice-cold winter evening, such as now! It’s evil-sounding but the music is creative enough to still be interesting. Everyone should seriously give this new Thulcandra a listen.

4. Cynic – Ascension Codes

This is a very emotional album for many people. It’s an ode to two lost Cynic members, Sean Reinert and Sean Malone. And this is the perfect album to commemorate the lives of these amazing musicians.

I love Ascension Codes because Cynic brought back those Focus-era cosmic vibes that they have lost over their last few albums. As always, Cynic pushes the boundaries of musicianship with this album. And I have to say, Matt Lynch does an exceptional job on the drums. Overall, I was blown away by this album.

3. Iron Maiden – Senjutsu

Up the irons! I have to say, I wasn’t as impressed with Book of Souls. But Senjutsu? Absolutely amazing. I know everyone had mixed feelings about this album, but I absolutely loved it. I do agree that it’s a slower album, but Maiden pulls it off. All of the songs are composed well and Bruce Dickinson’s voice sounds better than ever. 40 years into their career and they still release phenomenal albums. They still have that same Maiden feeling to their music but this album is still creative. I also love samurai Eddie.

2. Liquid Tension Experiment – LTE3

So this was the comeback I wasn’t expecting. Not only did they reform but drummer Mike Portnoy is also still in the band. Overall, brilliant album. Sounds as if no time passed. This album has the same proggy inhuman playing with the mystery magic these guys bring into their writing. All I can say is please don’t let 20+ years go by until your next album.

1. Cannibal Corpse – Violence Unimagined

Unpopular opinion: Erik Rutan is the best thing that happened to Cannibal Corpse. Don’t @ me. I honestly haven’t been the biggest fan of the last couple of CC releases. But Violence Unimagined? Wow.

Overall, this will go down in history as an iconic CC release but also as one of their best albums in general. This album is brutal, of course, but Rutan adds a little something more. While we don’t get the Pat O’Brien solos, Rutan makes up for it with his signature heavy riffing.

I can’t let Rutan take all the credit. Corsegrinder’s voice sounds as brutal as always. Rob Barrett also wrote some of my favorite songs on the album. Paul’s drumming absolutely destroys and Alex Webster’s bass playing on this album proves why he continues to be one of the most influential bass players in extreme metal.

While Rutan brought new energy into the band, they still stick to their roots. This album is absolutely brutal and every song is killer. This is why Violence Unimagined is my favorite 2021 release.

See you next year, metal fans!