Top 25 Albums of 2020

Israeli Symphonic Black Metal outfit greatly surprised us with this lush and retro sounding release filled with dramatic arrangements and crushing melodies.

Carving their own niche, Sojourner delivers very emotional and Folky music that is unique and very engaging.

Finnish sound alchemists continue to develop their experimental Psychedelic Black Metal as this release unleashes their fury while crafting powerful atmospheres.

Featuring a very unique mixture of Dark Rock with Psychedelic elements, Ryanne van Dorst and company unleashed a very fitting soundtrack for a weird year in history.

Rich and complex release filled with heavy atmospherics and tons of great and innovative ideas. Definitely one of the most effective out of the box albums of 2020.

Another ferocious release from this uncompromising outfit. One of our favorite bands that perfectly balances aggression with atmospheric elegance.

Making the listener headbang and mosh from start to end, “Seven” is yet another highly refined and effective release by this Finnish outfit.

Not all Metal music has to be bleak and punishing, and nobody does lively better than Amaranthe and their superbly catchy sound.

Finally this Finnish outfit is getting some recognition outside of their own country with their sinister and very humorous Industrial Metal sound.

Returning to their roots Ensiferum delivered one of the most unexpectedly awesome albums of 2020.

Folky/Pagan Black Metal full of cathartic moments and lush arrangements. Perfect album for a cold winter/fall evening.

Be prepared for a complete aural orgasm with this ritualistic and hypnotic release. Not for everybody, this band continues to push the boundaries of sound, not only Metal, and excels at it.

Splitting a full-length into two EPs was worth the gamble as “Telemark” delivers the Black Metal sound that people expected, while the other EP keeps things more experimental.

More progressive, more polished, are just a few ways to describe Enslaved latest opus. The band’s sound continues to evolve while keeping their old-school fans engaged and interested.

Pushing Post-Black Metal into dreamier and more emotional territories, Chrome Waves unleashes over 45 minutes of lush and engaging music.

Further refining their signature sound, DT had the task to incorporate new members into the mix and yet delivered an album that is up to par with some of their best.

This album was a very polarizing release for some long-time fans of the band, however, the band’s venture into more Sludge/Post-Metal territories allows their sound to be more aurally abusive than ever.

Hail Spirit Noir’s avant-garde sound landed on Psychedelic/Progressive territories in this release and the band pulls it off very effectively.

Highly emotional and crushing mixture of Sludge/Doom/Post-Metal. The band’s sound continues to evolve while keeping their signature cathartic approach to songwriting.

As one of the most auraly depressive releases of the last few years, Draconian managed to blow over all expectations and delivered over 60 minutes of sweet sweet misery.

Slowly evolving into one of the most punishing Black Metal bands in the scene, Selbst greatly improved over their excellent debut release with even more raw brutality juxtaposed with subtle melodies and finesse.

As an outlet from their already killer band Fen, The Watcher and Havenless create one of the most atmospherically pleasing releases. Mixing folk, progressive, and even post-rock influences into a Black/Folk Metal core, this album is just magical and transportative.

From the first riff, this release is a feast of blistering guitar melodies perfectly aligned with a Black Metal foundation. We found ourselves headbanging more than normal with this release as it never gets old and always delivers that magical feeling of listening to something special.

As the band’s best release to date, Dynfari has managed to slowly bridge Post/Atmospheric Black Metal with additional atmospheric brilliance, creating a very captivating sound that while it takes a few listens to fully unravel, it is completely worth the wait.

“Glow” is one of those releases that as the first few notes hit, we get pumped. Filled with intricate technical brilliance, catchy passages, and lush vocal arrangements, this release is hands down the best album we heard in 2020. If you are a fan of Melodic Death Metal, you cannot miss out on this release.