Hello Heathens,
Writing this up this year was kind of a mess since I didn’t come up with a way to rank albums for my own use until August. I had to go back and re-listen to a lot of albums and see if I could find albums from earlier in the year that I still enjoyed. This led to me realizing that the Soen album was much better than people gave it credit for at release, and that I really should take a few minutes to write a brief review of albums more often. There were a lot of really awesome releases in 2021, and cutting down the ~500 albums I listened to last year to a list of 21 was a pretty hard task. I’d encourage all the little heavy metal heathens out there to poke around online to see if they can find any other gems. Though the internet feels like it’s a mostly homogeneous place of 4 social media websites there are still all kinds of cool metal blogs out there to read.

21. Silver Talon - Decadence and Decay

This album thundered onto the countdown of albums with it’s awesome opener Deceiver, I Am. The band so far has 1 album and it fucking slaps. I really love the chugging counterplay between lead and rhythm guitar towards the end of this opening track, and the album continues to razzle and dazzle.

20. Beast in Black - Dark Connection

Cheesy metal for cheesy metal fans. Blending EDM, power, and heavy metal together into a powerful album that you’d want playing while you stalk dark alleyways with your ponytail dripping with sweat. Beast in Black doesn’t seem to miss when it comes to cheesy metal and they know it. If you love power metal you owe it to yourself to listen to this one.

19. Mono - Pilgrimage of the Soul

Not much to say about this one. I love this band, they can do no wrong in my eyes. Easy inclusion onto the list. Mono live is one of the best musical experiences you can have.

18. Stortregn - Impermanence

The first album to be so good I had to stop playing tracks of fit on the show this year. I think that over the months I’ve played most every song off this album on the show. If you’ve enjoyed any of the shows this year then this is a MUST listen.

17. Demoniac - So It Goes

The first album to get the Larry Kensington endorsement. Was listening to this in the gym and set 3 new PR’s. Powerful album for powerful people. Do not listen to this album if you have weak ears. My only real complaint is that the songs are a bit long so this is a hard one to try to fit on air.

16. Tower - Shock to the System

This album is all about catchy riffs and hooks that call back to an older generation of metal. Combine that with vocals that hit like a wailing banshee and you are teleported back to when tape trading was cool, you only wore denim, and your dad had a Buick Regal Grand National.

15. Trivium - In The Court of the Dragon

Honestly I’ve never been a big Trivium fan. Usually their albums have a few tracks I really enjoy, but as a whole their albums always feel weak. This album really hit it out of the park. All the tracks are great, and the high point tracks are fucking awesome.

14. Aephanemer - A Dream of Wilderness

Fell in love with the first release from this band, and they continue to dazzle me with their second album. Really excited to see where this French band goes, but I have a feeling that we are going to get another awesome album from this band sooner rather than later.

13. Soen - Imperial

When this album dropped I was a little hesitant on it. I thought the album was okay, but the general consensus in the metal world was that it was a bad album. I was really surprised at how many other metal reviewers warmed up to this album. Every time I revisited this album in 2021 it grew on me a little more. Both the digital release and the vinyl release sound great, but if you are going to get this try to find a vinyl rip. The mixing on the digital release wasn’t as good as it should be.

12. Rhapsody of Fire - Glory for Salvation

This is a band that had some great releases in the early days of their career, but started to drop off after the band split into two. I was shocked that I enjoyed this album as much as I did because usually listening to a Rhapsody album is like visiting your friend whose life took a bad turn. You appreciate the old memories with them, but you don’t like where they are now. Somehow the band turned themselves around and managed to release an album that sounds like it’s straight out of 1995.

11. Stormkeep - Tales of Othertime

The album art says cheesy power metal, but the band logo says black metal. I haven’t bothered to look up the lyrics for the songs, but the titles make me think these guys are going for a fantasy black metal world al la Immortal, and they succeeded. This was a pretty late album for me to listen to this year, and man I feel silly for waiting. Easily one of the most fun black metal albums I’ve heard recently. Archspire - Bleed the Future What a wonderful album. That’s all I have to say. Seriously go out and listen to this album and tell me it’s not absolutely fantastic.

10. Archspire - Bleed the Future

Incredible album, just go out and sliten to it. Words really don’t describe the insane amount of shred in this album.

9. First Fragment - Gloire Eternelle

Another album that puts musicianship ahead of vocal stylings that manages to really deliver. I love the mixing on this album and especially love that the bass guitar is so present. I didn’t get around to listen to this until the last week of December, but I’m glad I took the time to listen to it.

8. 1914 - Where Fear and Weapons Meet

There are enough WW1/WW2 themed metal bands that you really start to lose count of them who sings about what these days. By having a focus on symphonic elements 1914 manages to stick out in a sea of WW themed bands and really offers something unique. Their albums all have a very real sense of dread that washes over you as you listen that paints a sonic picture of WW1. They don’t do songs about heroism like Sabaton, but songs about the terror of the battlefield. Think Ernst Junger’s Storm of Steel but in metal form.

7. Dordeduh - Har

I had never heard of this band until I saw it on the top sellers of the week on Metal Storm. Decided to check it out and was very surprised at how much I liked this album. This is maybe the highest rated “banned” album on the show. I think at this point I’ve played every song off this album at least once on the show. The vocals in this band are really what stand out to me. I love the layering of the gruff and clean vocals.

6. Yoth Iria - As The Flame Withers

Catchy riffs, cool album art, great lyrics, awesome vocals. This album basically has it all, but the last few tracks are somewhat weak which is what kept it from scoring higher. These Greek freaks managed to knock it out of the park with their first album. I think this band is going to continue to fues Middle Eastern and pagan/Satanic themes with metal and find great success doing so.

From this point onwards all of these albums are basically interchangeable. This was one of the hardest top 5 albums I’ve ever had to make, and maybe the first time in a long time my top 5 albums of the year are all from very established bands. You love to see it folks.

5. Swallow the Sun - Moonflowers

Really surprised that a NEW Swallow the Sun album was actually good. I think the last time this band released anything that I really enjoyed was 2012. Their last few releases have been good, but not outstanding. Hearing their melancholic stylings come together in a coherent sound on this album was maybe the biggest surprise of 2021. Easily one of the best melo-doom albums in the last few years.

4. Iotunn - Access All Worlds

Another new band cracking their way into the scene with a sick album. With one of the most unique sounding melo death albuns of the year, awesome drum work, flying solos, and fiery rhythm sections it’s hard not to be impressed by each track on this debut album.

3. In Mourning - The Bleeding Veil

I was relieved when I finally got a chance to listen to this album. Their last releases haven’t been stellar and this is a band that is responsible for getting me so invested in metal. Monolith is one of the best metal albums ever released and the band has been chasing that high ever since. The band slowed down their sound a bit, added in some more blues riffs, more chugging sections and really managed to sonically morph themselves into something interesting again. I am very happy with this release and hope the band manages to find success.

2. Be’lakor - Coherence

Another familiar name creeping into a high spot on the list. The band managed to return to the 2012 sound that I was a big fan of. Vocals are the familiar Be’Lakor style we’ve come to expect, but the instrumentals on the album have improved a lot since their last release. All the songs feel like the band went back to what they know works for their sound and audience.

1. Obscrura - A Valediction

This one kind of surprised me as well, but the more I went back and listened to this album the more I liked it. This album was always a top 10 contender but the last two weeks of album reviews really cemented the number 1 or 2 spot for this album. Easily the best guitar work that I heard all year, insane bass riffs, perfect mixing, vocals that are out of this world. Diluvium in 2018 was one of my favorite albums, and for Obscura to come back and drop this is just insane. The more I compared this album to the others in the top 5 it made more and more sense that this had to be my number 1 pick. Expect to hear this album played when I need to shore up a playlist in 2022.

Keep heavy the Sabbath Day
Top 21 of 2021 playlist