60. Sabaton – “The Great War”
60. Sabaton – “The Great War”

I could be facetious and claim that this album gets a berth on the list simply for having the wonderful line ‘Great War….there will be no encore”, but it is actually on because this is the best thing that Sabaton have done in absolute ages. Live they are formidable, but on record they have, in my opinion, trod water since 2012 quite excellent Carolus Rex. However “The Great War” sees them ease themselves out of their comfort zone and try to push their musical boundaries. There is choirs, orchestral bits and just a general feeling that the band want to do things a bit differently. It is still big, bold, commercial metal but you definitely get the feeling that the band want to expand their musical palette.

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2019 TOP 100Author : Stewart Lucas2019 60-41Comment
59. Necronautical – “Apotheosis”
59. Necronautical – “Apotheosis”

The Black Metal keeps coming. This is home-grown stuff from the North West and is practically interesting because all the quasi-religious and occult nonsense has been replaced by literal influences. It’s still dark and melancholic but the narrative touchstones are Nietzsche, Palahniuk and Gaiman as opposed to Crowley and LaVey. It just feels really ambitious, as if the band want to create the soundtrack to an unmade movie they all playing in their heads. There is a lot of really good British Black Metal (in fact there is more coming up later in the list), but most of it tends to stick to the Nordic formula. Necronautical however seem intent to push boundaries and see how cinematic they can take this usually claustrophobic and internal art form.

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2019 TOP 100Author : Stewart Lucas2019 60-41Comment
58. Pist – “Hailz”
58. Pist – “Hailz”

More home-grown metal, this time from just down the road in Bury. Now I need to be honest and say that this album took me completely by surprise. I know the band to nod at as they seem to be at all the same gigs that I go to and I have seen them in various support slots. Whilst I have always enjoyed them live, they have never risen out of the ‘mindless fun’ category. This album though is staggeringly good and far more emotionally nuanced than I expected. There is different shades and textures at play here and it actually comes across as really clever and well thought through effort. I was astounded by its depth and its range. It’s still full of riffs but it is much more refined and song based than I had expected.

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2019 TOP 100Author : Stewart Lucas2019 60-41Comment
57. Mortem – “Ravnsvart”
57. Mortem – “Ravnsvart”

Mortem were amongst the first Norwegian Black Metal bands to crawl out of the primordial swamp in the late eighties. They released “Slow Death”, a highly regarded demo that persuaded many other disenfranchised Norwegian teens to don corpse paint and down-tune their guitars. Sadly that is where their impact ended, as the band fell apart pretty soon. That should have been it. However Black Metal is currently going through a period of self-reflection and nostalgia, so thirty years after they came into being, Mortem finally release their debut album. It is a nasty, raw furious record. It is full of anger and evil intent. There are lots of records on this list trying to take Black Metal overground and into the mainstream. With “Ravnsvart”, Mortem are trying to drag it back underground and towards its original organic primal self. It’s harsh, corrosive and full of malignant intent but also manages to be memorable and really quite fascinating.

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2019 TOP 100Author : Stewart Lucas2019 60-41Comment
56. Wind Rose – “Wintersaga”
56. Wind Rose – “Wintersaga”

Absurd dwarf obsessed power metal from Italy. There are drinking songs about dwarfs, dwarfian ballads and a cover song about mining (Diggy Diggy Hole which has to be heard to be believed). According to the band the tracks weren’t written, they were forged on an anvil. The album would have been confined to the stupid pile, if it wasn’t for one thing. It’s such good fun. It’s catchy, intentionally funny and full of zest and life. Yes, it’s very very silly but very few albums on this list gave me such unconditional joy. All together now “I am a dwarf and I'm digging a hole. Diggy diggy hole, diggy diggy hole”.

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2019 TOP 100Author : Stewart Lucas2019 60-41Comment
55. Eternal Storm – “Come the Tide”
55. Eternal Storm – “Come the Tide”

If you take just one thing from this annual endeavour, I hope that it is how much of a global phenomenon metal now is. Gone are the days when foreign language acts were a rarity and the vast majority of bands hailed from these shores or from the states. Eternal Storm are Spanish and trade in symphonic Blackened Metal. However there is a real refinement to their style and particularly to this album. Full of experimentation and gradual shifts in texture, “Come the Tide” is both restrained and subtle. It is measured and sparing in its approach, which means that when it goes big and noisy (and it does on a number of occasions) it has added impact. “Come the Tide” proves that less is more and that you can do anthemic and epic without losing your composure.

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2019 TOP 100Author : Stewart Lucas2019 60-41, Eternal Storm, Come The TideComment
54. Elbow – “Giants of All Sizes”
54. Elbow – “Giants of All Sizes”

Now that’s better! Elbow have turned around a worryingly downward spiral by releasing their best record since 2005’s “Leaders of the Free World” (yes it is better than that bloody album). Having spent ten years releasing variations on that bloody record, they have decide to take another tack. “Giants of all Sizes” sees them align very Elbow lyrics (downbeat, maudlin but sprinkled with dark mancunian humour) with very un-Elbow music. In fact, if anything there is a return to the understated Prog of their stunning second record, “Cast of Thousand”. The whole album feels like the band has suddenly realised that not all songs need to sound like rips off of that bloody track and that they are capable of writing subtle low-key masterpieces as well as big booming anthems to soundtrack gold medal wins.

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2019 TOP 100Author : Stewart Lucas2019 60-41, Elbow, Giants Of All SizesComment
53. Rendezvous Point – “Universal Chaos”
53. Rendezvous Point – “Universal Chaos”

Universal Chaos. Right! You may need to sit down for this news, but here is some metal from Norway which is not Black. Yes that’s right and they don’t wear Corpse Point or name themselves after obscure characters from the Sillmarillion. This is actually thoroughly modern synth drenched Prog metal. It is that type of Prog that dials down the pretentious noodling and instead fly’s pretty close to pop. There are sumptuous melodies and harmonies on display here and the whole thing drips quality. Well made, well produced and manages to be both accessible and challenging, which is quite a feat.

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2019 TOP 100Author : Stewart Lucas2019 60-41Comment
52. Advent Sorrow – “Kali Yuga Crown”
52. Advent Sorrow – “Kali Yuga Crown”

Australian Black Metal with very evident industrial influences. Having the synth so high in the mix and the fact that vocalist Rhys Kings has such a dominant vocal style means that, to these ears, they come across as Rammstein does Black Metal. The songs here are bold and chunky, with big searing riffs and lots and lots of flourishing symphonic. Apparently they have their eyes firmly on the European market and “Kali Yuga Crown” is a fine calling card for what they are capable of.

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2019 TOP 100Author : Stewart Lucas2019 60-41Comment
51. Leprous – “Pitfalls”
51. Leprous – “Pitfalls”

And back to Norway for one of those bizarre instances where a Metal Band records an album without any metal in. Like Opeth before them, the metamorphose for Leprous has gradually happened over a number of records, however they have now reached their Heritage (the first Opeth record to have no Death Metal influences) and have produced their first record devoid of all metallic traits. However where Opeth have embraced seventies Prog, Leprous have gone for the nineties variety and succumbed to the charms of Radiohead, Flaming Lips and Mercury Rev. It feels much more in tune with “Kid A” and “Deserters Songs” than it does with previous Leprous records. This is all no bad thing and the band should be applauded for both their ambition and their sheer nerve.

It is a beautiful and fragile album. The melodies are subtle and whilst it is Prog, it is very restrained in how bombastic it does go. There are moments where it goes stellar and when it does, it is really rather magical. Not metal in way, shape or form. But still really really good.

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2019 TOP 100Author : Stewart Lucas2019 60-41, Leprous, PitfallsComment
50. Lord Dying – “Mysterium Tremendum”
50. Lord Dying – “Mysterium Tremendum”

Beautiful and heart-breaking are not words that you would usually equate to sludge metal, but Oregon based Lord Dying have indeed managed to create something exquisitely wonderful that combines scuzzy riffs with gorgeous melodies, divine orchestration and touching lyrics. This is a deeply personal album about death. It chronicles a catalogue of tragic losses that beset the band over the last twelve months and provides a soundtrack to their grief and also their recovery. For a band that trade in primal grinding riffs, it is actually a real deep and delicate record. It moves in waves, plunging you into the despair and then pulling you out again into the safety of redemptive beauty. Staggeringly good.

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2019 TOP 100Author : Stewart Lucas2019 60-41Comment
49. Lingua Ignota – “Caligula”
49. Lingua Ignota – “Caligula”

Filed under difficult but worth it. This is a harrowingly honest record, where Kristin Hayter details her experiences within abusive relationships. It is raw, bleak and utterly compelling. Kristin lays her soul bare, interplaying between brooding classical and harsh dense metal to illustrate the fluctuations of her emotional state. The power, passion and pain is so evident with every word that falls from her lips. It is not easy listening and there are points where it is positively distressing, but it is also a fascinating album that let go of its treasure slowly and reluctantly. Dark, haunting and in many places relentless. “Caligula” stays with you long after it has finished.

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2019 TOP 100Author : Stewart Lucas2019 60-41, Lingu Ignota, CaligulaComment
48. Turilli / Lione Rhapsody– “Zero Gravity (Rebirth and Evolution)”
48. Turilli / Lione Rhapsody– “Zero Gravity (Rebirth and Evolution)”

Ok, I am aware that the last few records have been pretty hard going and I suspect you are all hankering after a bit of “diggy diggy hole diggy diggy hole”. Well I can’t promise you something that daft but this is the godfathers of Italian power metal. Well actually, it’s the godfathers one step removed as this not the official sanctioned version of Rhapsody (now titled Rhapsody of Fire), this is the version containing classic line members Luca Turilli and Fabio Lione (hence the name). They were the John and Paul or Liam and Noel of Rhapsody (the current official band has a single original member left in the form of Alex Starpolia on keyboards, see it as Bill Wyman continuing the Stones if everyone else left). So to be honest Turrilli/Lione Rhapsody is far more the real deal than the licenced version. They have also both released albums this year and Zero Gravity is by far and away the better outing. It is everything you want from power metal: Big, symphonic, fantasy obsessed, just a little silly and brimming with big chords, keyboards flourishes and massive choruses. Glorious OTT fun.

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2019 TOP 100Author : Stewart Lucas2019 60-41, Turilli, Lione, Rhapsody, Zero Gravity (Rebirth and Evolution)Comment
47. Imperium Dekadenz – “When We Are Forgotten”
47. Imperium Dekadenz – “When We Are Forgotten”

Black Metal from the Black Forest. This is highly atmospheric and theatrical. It goes big and revels in symphonic flourishes and big emotive passages. It has almost a harsh and smooth combination (or sweet and sour if you want) in the way that the coarse vocals smash up against the waves of up-tempo orchestration. This is cinematic Black, widescreen and full of depth and colour. Really rather good idea!

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2019 TOP 100Author : Stewart Lucas2019 60-41, Imperium Dekadenz, When We Are ForgottenComment
46. Liturgy – “H.A.Q.Q.”
46. Liturgy – “H.A.Q.Q.”

Just as I put the final touches to this list, this appeared. A brand spanking new album from transcendental Black Metal legends Liturgy. No pre-warning, no fanfare, no physical release; it wasn’t even a Friday. Just one day in mid-November suddenly this was here, their (I say “their”, it is a one band project of Hunter Hunt-Hendrix) first record in four year. In some people’s eyes (including my own) Hunter is a genius, single handily redefining Black Metal as a euphoric force of positivity. In the eyes of Norwegian Black Metal purists he is a heathen and charlatan that has desecrated their music by apocryphally claiming that it didn’t have to be satanic or even evil to still be Black Metal (he has even written academic papers on the subject). H.A.Q.Q. is a representation of his uniquely Marxist and psychoanalytic vision of God (or so he tells us). Musically it is a sonic bath of searing up-tempo quivering riffs. It is over-following with jubilant and ecstatic waves of sign. This is the closet I have ever come to what rapture is and enlightenment. It is pure musical exhilaration and builds and builds until it then stops and exits from your life, leaving your whole existence a light brighter.

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2019 TOP 100Author : Stewart Lucas2019 60-41, Liturgy, H.A.Q.Q.Comment
45. Employed To Serve – “Eternal Forward Motion”
45. Employed To Serve – “Eternal Forward Motion”

Back to this country for one of the finest new bands that we have to offer. Part Hardcore outfit and part Death Metal Band, they play a highly politicized hybrid of the two styles. This is angry music for a de-enfranchised and alienated youth. I love this because it is metal as protest music. Our music is powerful but we seldom use to scream at the inequality and futility of this world. This is brutal heavy music used as a loud-hailer to call out the injustices they see all around them. They also wear their emotional fragility on their sleeves as “Eternal Forward Motion” touches on depression, anxiety and suicide. Truly a twenty first century metal album and one that reinvents our music as the soundtrack of the forthcoming revolution.

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2019 TOP 100Author : Stewart Lucas2019 60-41, Employed To Serve, Eternal Forward MotionComment
44. Wormwood – “Nattarvet”
44. Wormwood – “Nattarvet”

I am not making this up, I promise. They describe themselves as Swedish Atmospheric Blackened Folk'n Roll. There you go. I live and breathe obscure metal sub-genres and I don’t have a clue. To these seasoned ears it’s more symphonic black metal with big ambition and big choruses. It is gloriously catchy and unashamedly enjoyable. Like lots of modern Black Metal it takes the template and see’s where it can run with it. This is one of those albums I spoke about that seems to bring something different to the party and it’s eager to see how far it can push this most conservative of genres. Excellent.

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2019 TOP 100Author : Stewart Lucas2019 60-41, Wormwood, NattarvetComment
43. Mike Patton – “Corpse Flower”
43. Mike Patton – “Corpse Flower”

You know those Faith No More tracks where Mike Patton would come across like some demented crooner on stage at a post-apocalyptic lounge bar from a dystopian future. Well he has made a whole album of them. He has also drafted in cult French Composer Jean-Claude Vannier to create the lush but slightly distorted backing tracks which frame his insane ramblings. This is easy listening for the toxic generation.

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2019 TOP 100Author : Stewart Lucas2019 60-41, Mike Patton, Jean-Claude Vannier, Corpse FlowerComment
42. Vitriol – “To Bathe From The Throat Of Cowardice”
42. Vitriol – “To Bathe From The Throat Of Cowardice”

A grand claim but this lot are the future of Death Metal. Well at least the ultra-heavy non-melodic kind. This is Death Metal restored to its nasty primal former glories. All the flourishes and enhancements and technological implants have been removed. This is pure, nasty, brutal pounding Death Metal. And it’s excellent. Minimalistic in places, it has stripped away anything unnecessary or that dilutes the surging power. Aggression captured in a bottle.

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2019 TOP 100Author : Stewart Lucas2019 60-41, To Bathe From The Throat Of Cowardice, VitriolComment
41. Whitechapel – “The Valley”
41. Whitechapel – “The Valley”

Metalcore is not a genre of subtlety. It is heavy and jagged and that’s usually about it. However Whitechapel have managed to create a deathcore album that is peppered with emotional layers. This is a melancholic and dark record and deals with the fallout of the traumatic childhood of frontman Phil Bozeman. It is full of depth and diversity. The heaviness is not heaviness for heaviness sake, it is used to paint a picture. You are lead through the disturbing aspects of his upbringing by Phil with the music swirling around you. It is a remarkable piece of work that shows once again the emotional resinous of heavy music.

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2019 TOP 100Author : Stewart Lucas2019 60-41, Whitechapel, The ValleyComment