The Top 10 Metal Albums of 2015 So Far

The year halfway gone and I wondering why I am so late getting around to doing this. There have not been a ton of metal album this year that really made me crave pressing play on my iPod to hear them repeatedly. I think we are at a place where something needs to happen to shake the trend of this blackened everything murk of death metal. Why albums like Pallbearer's album from last year stand out is it was not on any bandwagon. There already is a Deathspell Omega and Deafheaven so the bands imitating them need to get a clue. These albums bucked most of the trends, but I feel the quality of where we were at in previous July's is not here. Bu for what they are these albums have set the bar for the rest of the year.


10-Istapp -"Frostbiten"

This one has yet to make it over into the promise land of my iPod, this doesn't take anything away from this album as the top three are they only ones who have remained on my iPod since I got them. So that is not to deminish the power of this icy black metal.



http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2015/06/istapp-frostbiten.html


 9- Nevoa -" Absence of Void" While hipsters are wasting their time with False they are missing out on this pristine piece of black metal.

 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2015/06/nevoa-absence-of-void.html

8-Paradise Lost - "the Plague Within" Another fine album that I can only attribute the fact it did not get more air time to the fact that I listen to two are three new albums a day so they are really slugging it out for my attention and metal that is a little more middle of the road doesn't hit the spot when I want something really heavy.

 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2015/05/paradise-lost-plague-within.html

 8- Khors -"Night Falls Onto the Front of Ours" As I have been going through the list and giving these albums more though part of the problem with metal to today's is that bands who aren't black metal bands are trying to be black metal bands and the real black metal bands are trying not to be. Solid metal album, whose only flaw is not giving over to their dark side.

 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2015/04/khors-night-fall-onto-front-of-ours.html

 7- A Forest of Stars -"Beware the Sword You Can Not See" When it comes to progressive metal these guys are still nailing it, but some of the weirdness particularly with the narrative like  tone to the vocals hasn't given it a long residency on the old iPod.

 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2015/03/a-forest-of-stars-beware-sword-you-can.html

6- Enslaved - In Times These guys are in fine form, not sure why I have not felt as compelled to listen to this album as much as those above it. Perhaps they are in that Opeth middle of the road place now. Viking metal for pot smokers.

 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2015/03/enslaved-in-times.html

 5- Vattnett Viskar- "Settler" Enslaved might have gotten a higher rating when I reviewed the album but this album is one of the few that have stood the test of time and held its ground on the iPod.

 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2015/05/vattnett-viskar-settler.html

 4-Karyn Crisis' Gospel of Witches The least heavy of all the albums on this list, but one of the most interesting and the best metal vocal performance so far. I need to give this one more time.

 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2015/02/karyn-crisis-gospel-of-witches.html

3- The Slow Death- "Ark" The best doom album thus far.

 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2015/05/the-slow-death-ark.html 

2-Liturgy - "the Ark Work" Hunter can be too much of a  hipster for most, but this album is different than any other on this list and that makes me want to listen to it rather than a band that sounds like very other death metal band.

 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2015/03/liturgy-ark-work.html

1- Tribulation- " the Children of the Night" Watain rubbed off on them, but this dash of black metal attitude played to their favor, one of the years best written albums period.

 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2015/03/tribulation-children-of-night.html