29. Blind Guardian - "The God Machine"

Yes, there is very little Power Metal of note this year, but what we have is of the finest pedigree and quality. Blind Guardian are veritable masters at creating bombastic fantasy-driven metal. They describe themselves as wandering minstrels and their particular take on our ever-shifting genre has been described as “Hobbit Metal”. 

This is their first proper band endeavor in seven years and sees them return to their distinctive sound (2019’s “Legacy of the Dark” Lands involved them going full-scale symphonic and jettisoning the metal entirely from power metal). 

“The God Machine” is an astoundingly ambitious piece of work. It is the heaviest and most traditional metal that they have been in a long time. But there is much more to be found here than vocal histrionics and soaring guitars. This is a proper world-building record, with layer upon layer of interlocking instrumentation and intricate storytelling. It is a majestic palace of an album, a labyrinth of elaborate creativity and sumptuous design. The scope is breathtaking but so too is the song writing. A dazzling endeavour that reaches to the stars with every flourish.