MetalReviews

Awards 2015

4 reviewers shared their picks for 2015.

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Alex

Top Albums

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    Officium Triste - Reason
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Surprises of the Year

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Disappointments

  1. 1.
  2. 2.
    Rhapsody of Fire - Into the Legend
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Joke of the Year

  1. 1.

Goat

Top Albums

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  2. 1.
    Enslaved - In Times — How does this band do it? Always improving, always amazing, always earning your high regards. Incredibly good album.
  3. 2.
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    Leviathan - Scar Sighted — A hell of a comeback from all of Wrest's troubles, and a fantastic album.
  5. 3.
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    Armored Saint - Win Hands Down — Perhaps the year's most fun album from these veterans.
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    Blind Guardian - Beyond the Red Mirror — Prog-power magic that was well worth the wait.
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  10. 5.
    Arcturus - Arcturian — Norway's kings return. Superb album.
  11. 6.
  12. 6.
    Angra - Secret Garden — Passionate, enjoyable prog/power metal, as usual.
  13. 7.
  14. 7.
    Panopticon - Autumn Eternal — Powerful, emotion-laden black metal from an artist who keeps improving.
  15. 8.
  16. 8.
    Cradle of Filth - Hammer of the Witches — Britain's most notorious black metal band turns up the heaviness, and does it well
  17. 9.
  18. 9.
    Sulphur Aeon - Gateway to the Antisphere — More superb Cthonic death metal.
  19. 10.
    A Forest Of Stars - Beware the Sword You Cannot See — England's finest experimental black metallers kill again.
  20. 10.
    A Forest Of Stars - Beware the Sword You Cannot See — England's finest experimental black metallers kill again.
  21. 10.
    A Forest Of Stars - Beware the Sword You Cannot See — England's finest experimental black metallers kill again.
  22. 11.
    Dødheimsgard - A Umbra Omega — A wonderful piece of dark art.
  23. 11.
    Dødheimsgard - A Umbra Omega — A wonderful piece of dark art.
  24. 11.
    Dødheimsgard - A Umbra Omega — A wonderful piece of dark art.
  25. 12.
    Drudkh - A Furrow Cut Short — The Ukranian kings prove they still have it
  26. 12.
    Drudkh - A Furrow Cut Short — The Ukranian kings prove they still have it
  27. 12.
    Drudkh - A Furrow Cut Short — The Ukranian kings prove they still have it
  28. 13.
    Napalm Death - Apex Predator - Easy Meat — Have they made a bad album in the last two decades?
  29. 13.
    Napalm Death - Apex Predator - Easy Meat — Have they made a bad album in the last two decades?
  30. 13.
    Napalm Death - Apex Predator - Easy Meat — Have they made a bad album in the last two decades?
  31. 14.
    Melechesh - Enki — Masterful Mid-Eastern Metal, as ever.
  32. 14.
    Melechesh - Enki — Masterful Mid-Eastern Metal, as ever.
  33. 14.
    Melechesh - Enki — Masterful Mid-Eastern Metal, as ever.
  34. 15.
    Subterranean Masquerade - The Great Bazaar — A welcome return for this underrated band.
  35. 15.
    Subterranean Masquerade - The Great Bazaar — A welcome return for this underrated band.
  36. 15.
    Subterranean Masquerade - The Great Bazaar — A welcome return for this underrated band.

Surprises of the Year

  1. 1.
  2. 1.
    Ghost - Meliora — A terrific album, full of fun, catchy tunes.
  3. 2.
  4. 2.
    Krallice - Ygg Huur — The tech-blackers go death metal, and it works wonderfully.
  5. 3.
  6. 3.
    Lychgate - An Antidote for the Glass Pill — Excellent, twisted, progressive black metal.
  7. 4.
  8. 4.
    Outre - Ghost Chants — Hellishly good debut.
  9. 5.
  10. 5.
    Ur Draugr - The Wretched Ascetic — Behemoth plus Agalloch? Don't mind if I do.

Disappointments

  1. 1.
  2. 1.
    36 Crazyfists - Time and Trauma — Seemingly happy when being average, when so much promise is shown.
  3. 2.
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    Code - mut — A step away from the prog-black heights of before, and even metal, to a rather dull meandering sound. A backwards move.
  5. 3.
  6. 3.
    Fear Factory - Genexus — Uninteresting songwriting, and Bell has never sounded worse. The machine needs an upgrade.
  7. 4.
  8. 4.
    Iron Maiden - The Book of Souls — Somewhere here there's not a bad album, but as a double-album this is bloated and a real slog. Tone it down next time, guys.
  9. 5.
  10. 5.
    Soulfly - Archangel — Cavalera on autopilot, and it shows. Bor-ing.

Words / Final Thoughts

  1. 0
    — A terrific year, despite the disappointments. Top 15 was a genuinely hard decision!

Jared

Top Albums

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Surprises of the Year

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Words / Final Thoughts

  1. 0
    — 2015 may had been one of the busiest years in recent memory, due to my final college semester, but there were still was great records to cross paths with. Matriden may have taken the top spot (a band which I believe needs much more praise), but it was good to hear Lindemann's debut solo album to help with my Rammstein withdrawals. I know Ghost isn't enjoyed much here on the site, but they delivered their best record to date, and what a hell of a good time last year to see them live for the second time. With what I believed to be a stale year in 2014 in metal, 2015 changed that for me.
  2. 0
    — 2015 may had been one of the busiest years in recent memory, due to my final college semester, but there were still was great records to cross paths with. Matriden may have taken the top spot (a band which I believe needs much more praise), but it was good to hear Lindemann's debut solo album to help with my Rammstein withdrawals. I know Ghost isn't enjoyed much here on the site, but they delivered their best record to date, and what a hell of a good time last year to see them live again for the second time. With what I believed to be a stale year in 2014 in metal, 2015 was able to flip that around for me. As always, thanks for reading and supporting Metal Reviews.
  3. 0
    — 2015 may had been one of the busiest years in recent memory, due to my final college semester, but there were still was great records to cross paths with. Matriden may have taken the top spot (a band which I believe needs much more praise), but it was good to hear Lindemann's debut solo album to help with my Rammstein withdrawals. I know Ghost isn't enjoyed much here on the site, but they delivered their best record to date, and what a hell of a good time last year to see them live again for the second time. With what I believed to be a stale year in 2014 in metal, 2015 was able to flip that around for me. As always, thanks for reading and supporting Metal Reviews.

Andy

Top Albums

  1. 1.
    Magister Templi - Into Duat — This one and Visigoth practically tie for the best heavy metal of this year
  2. 1.
    Magister Templi - Into Duat — This one and Visigoth practically tie for the best heavy metal of this year
  3. 1.
    Magister Templi - Into Duat — This one and Visigoth practically tie for the best heavy metal of this year
  4. 2.
    Visigoth - The Revenant King — If not for Magister Templi narrowly edging it out with their own bombastic creation, this unapologetically epic album would get my #1 vote.
  5. 2.
    Visigoth - The Revenant King — If not for Magister Templi narrowly edging it out with their own bombastic creation, this unapologetically epic album would get my #1 vote.
  6. 2.
    Visigoth - The Revenant King — If not for Magister Templi narrowly edging it out with their own bombastic creation, this unapologetically epic album would get my #1 vote.
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Surprises of the Year

  1. 1.
    Abigail Williams - The Accuser — Surprisingly good black metal from a band that many metalheads wrote off long ago.
  2. 1.
    Abigail Williams - The Accuser — Surprisingly good black metal from a band that many metalheads wrote off long ago.
  3. 1.
    Abigail Williams - The Accuser — Surprisingly good black metal from a band that many metalheads wrote off long ago.
  4. 2.
    Tusen År Under Jord - Sorgsendömet Fobos — Dark, creepy, and beautiful all at once -- this seriously needs to be heard.
  5. 2.
    Tusen År Under Jord - Sorgsendömet Fobos — Dark, creepy, and beautiful all at once -- this seriously needs to be heard.
  6. 2.
    Tusen År Under Jord - Sorgsendömet Fobos — Dark, creepy, and beautiful all at once -- this seriously needs to be heard.
  7. 3.
    Johnny B. Morbid - Fall of the Cicada — Not being a punk fan, I was surprised to find I loved this album.
  8. 3.
    Johnny B. Morbid - Fall of the Cicada — Not being a punk fan, I was surprised to find I loved this album.
  9. 3.
    Johnny B. Morbid - Fall of the Cicada — Not being a punk fan, I was surprised to find I loved this album.

Disappointments

  1. 1.
    Virgin Steele - Nocturnes of Hellfire & Damnation — Sad to see a formerly great band go this far downhill...
  2. 1.
    Virgin Steele - Nocturnes of Hellfire & Damnation — Sad to see a formerly great band go this far downhill...
  3. 1.
    Virgin Steele - Nocturnes of Hellfire & Damnation — Sad to see a formerly great band go this far downhill...

Joke of the Year

  1. 1.
    Deadstar Assembly - Blame It on the Devil — The real joke is that someone may have actually paid real money for this album.
  2. 1.
    Deadstar Assembly - Blame It on the Devil — The real joke is that someone may have actually paid real money for this album.
  3. 1.
    Deadstar Assembly - Blame It on the Devil — The real joke is that someone may have actually paid real money for this album.

Words / Final Thoughts

  1. 0
    — 2015 sure was a fast-moving year. With regard to the metal scene, some of my high points were the release of some of the best heavy metal albums released by new bands in quite some time. A lot of bands with previous experience returned with high-quality offerings -- the new Horrendous album was especially welcome -- and all in all I never felt like there was a paucity of great music this year. In fact, for me there was too much to check out at once -- regretfully, the insane work schedule this year gave me was so great that my listening queue is backlogged, meaning that several deserving releases probably aren't on this list because I have yet to make their acquaintance. But there were sorrowful events as well, including several deaths -- chief among them being that of Lemmy Kilmister, a man who left a legacy for metal that few have equalled. At the end of the year, it comes as a sad reminder that even those people we sometimes think will always be around are no less mortal than the rest of us, and that we must treasure them while we have them. We're a couple months into 2016, and it feels like it's going to be a year of surprises -- some of them, perhaps, not quite as agreeable as others. But I think I can safely predict some excellent new metal to listen to this year, and that, at any rate, will be something to look forward to.
  2. 0
    —

    2015 sure was a fast-moving year. With regard to the metal scene, some of my high points were the release of some of the best heavy metal albums released by new bands in quite some time. A lot of bands with previous experience returned with high-quality offerings -- the new Horrendous album was especially welcome -- and all in all I never felt like there was a paucity of great music this year. In fact, for me there was too much to check out at once -- regretfully, the insane work schedule this year gave me was so great that my listening queue is backlogged, meaning that several deserving releases probably aren't on this list because I have yet to make their acquaintance.

    But there were sorrowful events as well, including several deaths -- chief among them being that of Lemmy Kilmister, a man who left a legacy for metal that few have equalled. At the end of the year, it comes as a sad reminder that even those people we sometimes think will always be around are no less mortal than the rest of us, and that we must treasure them while we have them.

    We're a couple months into 2016, and it feels like it's going to be a year of surprises -- some of them, perhaps, not quite as agreeable as others. But I think I can safely predict some excellent new metal to listen to this year, and that, at any rate, will be something I impatiently look forward to.
  3. 0
    — 2015 sure was a fast-moving year. With regard to the metal scene, some of my high points were the release of some of the best heavy metal albums released by new bands in quite some time. A lot of bands with previous experience returned with high-quality offerings -- the new Horrendous album was especially welcome -- and all in all I never felt like there was a paucity of great music this year. In fact, for me there was too much to check out at once -- regretfully, the insane work schedule this year gave me was so great that my listening queue is backlogged, meaning that several deserving releases probably aren't on this list because I have yet to make their acquaintance. But there were sorrowful events as well, including several deaths -- chief among them being that of Lemmy Kilmister, a man who left a legacy for metal that few have equalled. At the end of the year, it comes as a sad reminder that even those people we sometimes think will always be around are no less mortal than the rest of us, and that we must treasure them while we have them. We're a couple months into 2016, and it feels like it's going to be a year of surprises -- some of them perhaps not quite as agreeable as others. But I think I can safely predict some excellent new metal to listen to this year, and that, at any rate, will be something to look forward to.