the Top 10 Mainstream Metal Albums of 2021

Time to bang your head. Mainstream metal is either 

A- Middle of the road in it's attempt to appeal to a wider audience 

B- A less extreme sub-genre like Power metal or Thrash that is easier for your average suburban metal to swallow

C- bands that are harder than hard rock , but not what we think of as death or black metal here. 

This list it the best of those kind of bands, who you are more likely to see in the page of Revolver Magazine. As with years past I sort through the genre lists before making the overall top ten of the year list. The very fact these bands made it on the list speaks to how great these albums are, so it's not a slight that the number 8 album is above the 9th album, there is something that just gives it an edge that makes me want to listen to it more. After all we can try to look cool and pick the hippest bands for a list, but at the end of the day what makes an album the best is that it makes you want more, you look forward to listening to it again. Sure, you can bitch and complain about your favorite band not being on the list. However, I listen to five new albums a day so yes, I heard your favorite album and was not impressed. No, I do not care what you think about it. I do hope you can find your next favorite on this list and have included links to reviews of these albums if you want to check out audio on these guys. Anyways here are the top 10 Mainstream Metal albums of 2021

10-Spirit Box- "Eternal Blue"  

Formed from the ashes of IWRESTLEDABEARONCE, these kids have had a buzz about them. This is their first full length. It is more refined that what I have heard in the past from them, it also plays it a little safer and much safer than their former band. A fun listen that is more song focused than many of their peers.

Abysmal Hymns: Spiritbox : " Eternal Blue"

 9-Khemmis - "Deceiver" 

These guys used to seem like a more NWOBHM obsessed version of Pallbearer. Over the years they have established more of their own identity and that can be heard more fully on this album that starts off with a more thrashy power metal tone to offset the melancholier melodies.

Abysmal Hymns: November is Doom - Khemmis : "Deceiver"

 8-the Lions Daughter- "Skin Show"

 Angry sludge vocals and other metal aggression coming in a stomping over some retro synth wave. I like where they are going with this, in some ways the sound is just as important as the songs if not more, but they still are able to keep your attention.   

Abysmal Hymns: the Lion's Daughter : " Skin Show"

7-Rob Zombie- "The Lunar Injection Kool Aid Eclipse Conspiracy" 

 

More metal than you might have expected from the more booty grooving brand of industrial rock he normally peddles in. In other words it is heavier than his last album. though it is also more organic so at times closer to Steppenwolf than White Zombie.

Abysmal Hymns: Rob Zombie : "The Lunar Injection Kool Aid Eclipse Conspiracy"

  6-At the Gates - "the Nightmare of Being" 

The Swedish death metal pioneers are back for their 7th album. Granted this band has a 30-year history behind them. They have always seemed more thrash to me than death metal and their twin guitar harmonies are almost power metal, but they come on pretty strong and experience prove they know how to write songs on this album. 

Abysmal Hymns: At the Gates - "the Nightmare of Being"

 

5-Tribulation- "Where Gloom Becomes Sound" 

There could be a mor truthful title to this album.at times it sounds like what might come from a meeting with a major label and Watain if they told Watain to try to come up with something that might also appeal to fans of Nightwish.which works out better than that might appear on paper. 

Abysmal Hymns: Tribulation : " Where the Gloom Becomes Sound"

4-Exodus- "Persona Non Grata" 

Better than what younger bands following in their combat boots are doing , but not quite on the level of their classic work, thought close enough. At the album's best it feels like they picked up where "Fabulous Disaster " left. 

Abysmal Hymns: Exodus : "Persona Non Grata"

 

3-Alien Weaponry - "Tangroa" 

This metal band from New Zealand gets labelled as thrash when they are really more like New Zealand's answer Gojira. Granted their heritage somehow also brings with it a touch of Sepultura. As the album progressed the songs got more memorable, and some were pretty damn infectious that made for return listens.  

Abysmal Hymns: Alien Weaponry : "Tangaroa"

 

2- Flotsam and Jetsam- "Blood in the Water" 

These guys are the masters of power thrash. The album is way heavier than expected, but the songs are hooky, and Erik's voice sounds great, so what else can you ask for these guys, who keep surprising us with some of their best work coming this late in their careers. 

 Abysmal Hymns: Flotsam & Jetsam : "Blood in the Water"

1- Iron Maiden- "Senjutsu" 

There is no real filler on this album, the first single is the weakest song on the album and that is a relative term as it is still better than anything another band trying to be them could do, and a solid song in its own right even if it is not just what I showed up for, If this is their last album it is a fine summary of their legacy.  

Abysmal Hymns: Iron Maiden : "Senjutsu"

November is Doom - Khemmis : "Deceiver"

 These guys used to sTeem like a more NWOBHM obsessed version of Pallbearer. Over the years they have established more of their own identity and that can be heard more fully on this album that starts off with a more thrashy power metal tone to offset the more melancholy melodies. The lower vocals toward the end of the song are strong and something they need to explore more of in order to fully carve a new place for themselves. " House of Cadmus" finds them slowing down from the pure power metal and getting more serious in their introspection. the guitar playing reflect this as they do not back down from the shred it is just more tasteful. 

"Living Pyre" is more progressive in how the song is arranged , with plenty of room for more guitar solos, the vocals some time fit in angular phrases rather than the smoother but commanding approach we heard on the first song and they dialed back from with each song after. There is a little more of a doomy to the guitars of "Shroud of Lethe' . Things grow even more shadowed in the introspection of  "Shroud of Lethe" . The vocals go a little lower once more on the verse than , higher on the chorus to bring out the Pallbearer comparison again and create more of a power metal feel. The growled vocals do shake the power metal thing, while the harmony guitar parts do not. However the guitar on this album is all very strong. They pick up where they left of with "Obsidian Crown" which feels like an extension of the previous song. Lyrically it is more focused.

The last song is yet another step in a more traditional metal direction. Less doom than say Solitude Aeturnus the dark longing of the guitars lean it in that direction until the almost iron Maiden like guitars gallop into place with the dramatics of the 80s. Queensryche almost becomes a fair reference point. Overall they are really good at the style of retro metal they are resurrecting here. I will give this album a 9, with the guitars being what tipped the album in the higher direction, though the vocal have also continued continued to improve as the move in this more power metal direction.   

Dirt ( REDUX) Various Artists Tribute

 

Thou opens this track by track tribute to 'Dirt". It is pretty much what you would expect for them to do . Harsh vocals with sung vocals lower in the mix. The sung vocals are kinda pitchy. They however do a much better job of capturing the feel of the song than the bullshit Low Flying Hawks try to pass off as "Dam that River". I mean why did they even waste everyones time. It is total garbage. Normally I can find one redeeming aspect , but I question if these guys even know how to play their instruments. High Priest redeems things with " Rain When I Die" . The tone is really burly.  The do a pretty spot on job. It is however not as impressive as Khemmis who strikes the perfect balance of adding their own touch while nailing the song.  These Beasts have a more aggressive take on "Sick Man" that is more punk in it's intention. It still works once they get into the thick of it. 

I can understand why Howling Giant got ever one's attention with 'Rooster" . As a song it was my least favorite on the album., but these guys took an Atomic Bitchwax approach to their bong heavy version and it is impressive. I mean these songs are such classices you have to take this kind of approach. There is a more sludge like treatment given to "Junkhead" thanks to Forming the Void. I like what they do with the vocals. Things get even denser with Somnuri's cover of the title track. The hit it pretty square on. Back Woods Payback does a much btter job than expected with "God Smack" despite some of the vocal straining. (16) nails at heavier version of " Hate to Feel" Vocally they pull this off better than I assumed. There are the more aggressive barked vocals but it works. The sing when needed and do not use the snrled vocals to compensate for not being able to actually sing. 

Vokonis does a very interesting version of "Angry Chair". It's heavier but still lets you know they know what is going on. The best descision was to give "Would?" to someone who was not going to try to meet it head on, yet still gave it the proper respect. I do think they could have gone for the belted part to give it sometimes , but oh well I will take it.Not surprising this used to be Subrosa Even with that bullshit Low Flying Hawks tried to pull, I would just pretend that track doesn't exist and I certainly will do the same with that band. The rest of this is pretty great and gives me some new bands to check out.

Wake : "Devouring Rain"

On first listen to the opening track you might think this  Canadian band stomps out some crusty yet melodic sludge. The vocals are guttural and growled with a great deal of conviction. Then the death metal influence that appears on the second song sticks and stays. You can hear traces of their more grind core past.,midway into the song the chaos becomes more pronounced. Obviously saying the drummer is a monster would be stating what is expected when it comes to this kind of music. The guitar are more interesting as this is way more texture finding them maturing out of being brutal for the sake of sonic brutality.  By the time we get to "This Abyssal Plain" they are throwing the melodic headway they made on the first song out the window. There are breaks of weirdness and things do slow down into the kind of pounding I am more about. This is not the album's only weird noisy moment.

There are tormented layers to the anger being expressed here, so it has more depth than just in your face death metal aggression.  Yet when it comes to the actual notes being played they come across as a more sonically throbbing take on death metal. Fans of Ulcerate should 100 percent be down for this album. They even pull out some jaw dropping guitar solos.This is the first thing that reminds me that Ben from Khemmis plays on this album. They throw in a great deal of dissonance and slap it against often sharply angular riffs. When they do speed up into a blazing fury on "Torchbearer" it's fine because they have already been doing other forms of heavy. "In the Lair of the Rat Kings" is not as dynamic. It is very heavy, but some what one dimensional, though driven by a cool riff. The rule around here however is cool riffs alone does not a good song make. The vocals get a little monotonous by the point in the album.

"Monuments to Impiety" hammers at you like a post- Dave Vincent steam roller of a Morbid Angel song.  They end with more of this death metal tone . It's stompy in some places, but barrels pas you with a great deal of double bass. These guys are good at what they do. While I have enjoyed the listens already derived from this album it's not something I can see myself listening to on a regular basis, but I will give this album an 8.Comes out this Month on Translation Lost Records.

Khemmis : "Desolation"

This guys take another step away from the Pallbearer style of doom that originally marked their first album. The first thing I notice that is different with this album is the vocals are lower and sung with a little more power. He can still get up there, up it's done more sparingly. The riffs are back to being more Pallbearer as they have an angular quality that is like puzzle pieces finding their place in one another. This song also gets heavier than certainly the previous album. The guitar heroics are in place, though coming from a more metallic place. Harsh vocals come in at the end of the first song. They are off to a more classic metal gallop on the second song with guitar harmonies following behind. It's more power metal like but it works. "Flesh to Nothing" is even more power-metal however this time it doesn't strike me as being heavier and three songs in it's evident this album is not going to be doom.

They get back to a chug with more weight on "the Seer". This riff has more sinew to it's groove. The vocals continue to soar here. It reminds me a little more of Solitude Aeturnus. The harsh fight for dominance on "Maw of  Time". The song is other wise still on the power metal, but with a darker kick. "From Ruin" is moodier and more melodic which is a needed shift in dynamics. It turns back around into the more traditional brand of metal they have already been forging with some authority for the bulk of the album. The guitar solos are pretty much what is to be expected for this kind of metal and some of the punches to this song are more Iron Maiden than what I remember being these guys stock and trade. So they have grown away from doom for sure, though their sound still bears some shades of it.

I'll round this one down to an 8.5. It is heavier . It does move them further from influences they have worn on their sleeves in the past, but the songs don't grab me as much as they used to. While the previous album did find them moving into this more power metal place, their feet are planted much more firmly on it for better or for worse depending on where you sit with power metal. Not to say this is as entrenched in that as say Hammerfall, I would prefer these guys to be more doom, but a band is going to grow in which ever direction they are going to grow in . The album is getting  this score from me at present as I don't foresee myself getting as much mileage out of it as I did the previous albums.  20 Buck Spin releases this album in America June 22nd and the rest of the world will get it from Nuclear Blast.

Top 10 Albums of 2016

So here they are complied in relative order in one master list of metal and other genres to see what were the actual best albums of the year. These are largely based on which ones I got the most play out of . When I said relative earlier on one day I might be moved to listen to one album more than another that might be ranked higher so this can shift,, but a fairly accurate representation of what endured 2016. If you want to check these albums out then go to the review urls I posted with each one. Who cares if your favorite album did not make the list, the Kleenex is on aisle three of  CVS, these are my favorite albums of 2016 and thus when it comes to this blog the Top 10 Albums of 2016.

10-Anagnorisis -"Perpetia"

 The narrative these songs are woven around provides a more personal touch then most black metal band's allow themselves to create. There are no arctic wastelands or occult gibberish to hide behind. In some ways if it was not for the sonic storm cloud raging as this album's heart beat you might mistake this for hardcore.  The vocals keep their scathing snarl as a static coat of white noise to a similar effect as Deafheaven. Their approach to black metal is less atmospheric and the ambiance if of a more emotional nature. It is without question one of the better black metal albums I have come across recently and these guys have really stepped up their game when it comes to song writing.

 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2016/09/anagnorisis-peripeteia.html

9- Khemmis - "Hunted"

At times more NWOBHM than doom and "3 Gates" starts off to uptempo to be doom at all, but in the end it got the most play time and had enough melancholy to qualify as doom, after all Black Sabbath albums didn't always crawl all the way to the finish line so something can be said for the dynamics.This one earned it space at the top not because it was the most dismal, but because I listened to it the most, which at the end of the day is what matters.

http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2016/09/khemmis-hunted.html

8- Anthrax- "For All Kings"

 Anthrax used to be one of my favorite bands and to this day "Among the Living " is without a doubt one of the best metal albums ever with "Spreading the Disease" not too far behind. I hung tough with the band for the first six albums, even liking Jon Bush's first album. Then we grew apart.  "Worship Music"  saw the return of singer Joey Belladonna, but I never gave it a shot. I am giving them a chance here and while Belladonna might be 55, but I just reviewed the new David Bowie, and he is 69 so no body is slipping by due to age. Age might have helped Anthrax here , because with age Belladonna's voice is lower than even on "Persistence of Time" , but it gives him more aggression, which might have helped on albums like the almost too happy "State of Euphoria". There is younger blood injected in the band as Jonathan Donais from Shadows Fall is now in the band. They a surprisingly melodic section into the middle of the opener before thrashing back into it. They do not let up on the heavy with "Monster at the End", though it has a smoother groove allowing Belladonna's vocals to coast into a hookier chorus. A little less thrash and closer to mainstream metal, it's still a solid headbanger. .

http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2016/01/anthrax-for-all-kings.html

7- Youth Code- "Commitment to Complications"

Production wise things have stepped up another level along with the song writing. After a melodic and perhaps dramatic synth intro the kick into the first proper song which kicks more like a rock song energetically than your typical industrial. Unlike your typical industrial there is not an obligatory layer of 90s thrash metal guitar over it. The synths are capable of summoning their own heft. This is in no way saying that there is not metal influence in place or this album isn't heavy. Ben from Goatwhore lends his snarl to the title track. It's interesting as he is not doing anything different from his normal delivery, but it's over a bunch of hammering synths.These kids are the real deal and not just hipsters playing dress up.

 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2016/04/youth-code-commitment-to-complications.html

6-Black Foxxes- "I'm Not Well" 

 This band is interesting as it's hard to imagine that they did not come from the late the 90s. While middle of the road when it comes to how hard the they do or do not rock,  I can appreciate the role the vocals play in their sound. As the opener builds there is more of  an early Pearl Jam like angst to the grit added in the vocals. They lock into a more traditional rock role on "Husk". When they ease their foot off the gas it offers a more dynamic glimpse at the band , but flirts with a more emo side than I am not sure I was ready to see yet on "Whatever Let's You Cope" .  There is an androgynous quality to their sound that doesn't glam it out like Placebo, but is there. They narrowly edged out Dinosaur Jr , I think I listened to this one a little more.

 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2016/10/black-foxxes-im-not-well.html

5- Merchandise- "a Corpse Wired For Sound"


 I guess the fact the band is on classic goth label 4AD , has finally settled in on them, so  it should not come as a surprise that the trappings of shoe gaze are more prominent in the guitar department on this album. It took a couple listens for me to fully appreciate the opening track.Perspective is a funny thing.  If I went Overall this album is great and Carson once again throws you a sonic curve ball and refuses to replicate past work and forge ahead creativelyinto the album not knowing it was Carson Cox and co, I would have latched onto the darker tones driving the songs.

 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2016/09/merchandise-corpse-wired-for-sound.html

4- Emma Ruth Rundle-"Marked For Death"

 In some ways there is not much difference between Emma Ruth Rundle's  second solo album and the last Marriages album, which is a good thing. If you were expecting just her and an acoustic guitar then think again. Perhaps the punches are not as rock and the songs are less jarring in their dynamic shifts, there is a very stormy mood that brews in the first songs.

 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2016/09/emma-ruth-rundle-marked-for-death.html

3- the Weeknd- Star Boy

 The tone of this album is much different and embracing more of a dance vibe with strong ties to house music. With the amount of drugs is supposedly does this is no surprise. The Micheal Jackson influence can be still felt on songs like "Rockin" though musically it is much more like Euro dance

http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2016/11/the-weeknd-star-boy.html

2-Planes Mistaken for Stars- " Prey"

 These guys were always ahead of their time and finds music of today coming a little closer to meeting them in the middle. There has always been an unhinged side to the band and this is what the new album opens with. "Til it Clicks" is less explosive, but more of what I want from this band. The darker melody hangs around on "Riot Season" even after the pace picks up. The yowls of self loathing still haunt Jared's gravelly vocals riding the line between screaming and singing. The guitar to "Fucking Tenderness" carries some melody before tightening the tension. The vocals fill the spaces in the song perfectly and the band touching perfectly on all their trademarks without feeling like this song is any less urgent than it is.They are back in fine form and not standing stagnant in the legend of yesterday.

http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2016/10/planes-mistaken-for-stars-prey.html

1- David Bowie - "Black Star"

 It was the Thin White Duke's 25th album. He released it on his 69th birthday. Then he died and most of you made me sick the way you ran out to get this looking for clues if he was hinting that he knew the time was coming. So lets talk about the music ...it's vulgar I know but some body has go to do it. The lead single and title track opens the album, finding Bowie in a darker and more surreal place than his last album. There is a very experimental ambiance to things that will delight fans of his Brian Eno years. His collections of musicians  ranges from LCD Soundsystem to avant garde jazz , with the jazz contingent weighing more heavily. Not his best album ever, or even post-"Lets Dance" I think "Outside" is way better and "the Next Day" might be as well, but it's Bowie so no one can really compete making this almost a no contest.

 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2016/01/david-bowie-black-star.html

the Top 10 Doom Albums of 2016

This was a rough year for the genre and the universe, by the end of it I need more gut wrenching than I got but these are the best of the bunch I did get. There are many shades of doom here, a sense of loss and mourning is what I need from doom, more darkness than death metal so that is reflected here.If you want to hear these guys you can find something to listen to via the review links included in our countdown of 2016's best doom albums.


10- Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard- "Y Proffwydd Dwyll"-

This band's name is almost too over the the top for me to take them seriously, but you don't have to get more than half way into the first song before it is hard to deny them. Hailing from Wales these kids have only been at it for a couple of years making this their second album. The guitar sound is big and dense like sludge , but they have enough somber atmosphere to qualify as doom. The croon of the female vocals is not what you would think to pair with the music churning under their melodies.Jessica Bell's voice sets this band apart in a way that leaves the bulk of their more burly barking counterparts in the dust.

 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2016/12/catching-up-with-2016-mammoth-weed.html


9-Swamp Witch- "the Withering Bog"


 The hunger for new doom awoke in time for me to dip into the new album from Oakland's Swamp Witch. The vocals are a low death metal growl, but everything else paints the perfect picture of doom. From the first song I was delighted to hear that the album cover perfectly matched the murky darkness being dragged from these sonic waters. http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2016/07/swamp-witch-slithering-bog.html

8-the Howling Void- "the Triumph of Ruin"

The album cover doesn't lie. What is inside sounds just like the images appearing on the 5th full length from this one man project out of Texas. The album opens with a weird mix of tremolo picked guitar running over a track that is otherwise doom paced to create a unique dynamic tension. The vocals are sung , but low in the mix and used more as a passing texture. This is a beautiful album, it walks the line between black metal and doom, with the doom side winning out so if you are a fan of either genre then this is worth a listen. A word of warning to those who prefer the harsher side of either genre , this album really cares about it's lushness.


 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2016/01/the-howling-void-triumph-of-ruin.html

7-Lycus- "Chasms"

 An album that defied  the boundaries of my favorite sub-genre, but are undertaken so masterfully it's hard to complain. Where 2013's "Tempest" had a more mournful elegance the new slab of density from this band finds a more aggressive and raw rumble.The drums give them the thundering opener "Solar Chamber" more propulsion than the band found on the entire last album, just in the first nine minutes. Some of the shift in sonics are due to a line up changes with bassist Brett Tardiff and guitarist Dylan Burton joining the band.< http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2016/01/lycus-chasms.html

6- Naga- "Inanimate"


The  third album from this Italian trio opens up with a throb showing that it's possible to still be a doom band and not have to crawl along, it's about as fast as a band wants to be without crossing over into sludge. Very hateful mood carries a darker attitude than many black metal band who lose the mood because they are so preoccupied with blast beats. It's what I want out of bands that go in this direction. Dark as it is dense and not so rough around the edges that it loses it's ambiance and kills the mood. If you like doom with teeth and devoid of Black Sabbath worship these guys got ya.
http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2016/07/naga-inanimate_18.html

5-Spirit Adrift-"Chained to Oblivion"

 Found myself a little torn between whether this band wants to be Candlemass or Pallbearer. Granted everyone one knows Candlemass came before, but there is something in the moody way the vocals are delivered that thinks they might owe more to Pallbearer, who has been out long enough now that we will start to see other bands aside from Khemmis come out trying to cop their sound. They aren't afraid to pick up the pace and the overall end result was pretty rocking, if you are looking for some melodic doom this is worth your time

. http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2016/08/spirit-adrift-chained-to-oblivion.html

4-Heavydeath-"In Circles We Die"

 there is a raw Celtic Frost like vibe to the brand of deathly doom this Swedish band has returned to  grind out. Very rough around the edges, there is still a well balanced sense of atmosphere even when they chug into the more sludge like "Slumbering Monolith" though I prefer what they were doing on the albums opener. The growls are low and gurgling though still deliver the lyrics in a way that can be understood in one listen.Overall the production on this album is a notch above their previous full length. They incorporate a wide range of guitar tones and atmospheric sounds making for a more well rounded experience
http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2016/09/heavydeath-in-circles-we-die.html

3-Obed Marsh-"Innsmouth" With nasty rasped vocals this sludged dipped doom band delves into Lovecraft. It sounds like their singer is being turned into an aspect of Dagon as he croaks his guts out. It's the gloomy lethargy the opening song is paced with that solidifies this as doom in my book.Going into this know that for the duration you are in for crushing doom with the filth of death metal coating it. These guys should get props for having some of the wickedest growls set to record this year. Normally after a few songs growling can get old for me if it is not varied yet here it works. http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2016/08/obed-marsh-innsmouth.html




 2-Beastmaker - "Lusus Naturae"

 While this band from California indulges in Sabbath worshiping lumber of your more mainstream doom, the manage to have a sound that sets themselves apart from their peers. It's by the third song "Arachne" the vocals are beginning to sound like Acid Bath era Dax Rigg's drugged out baritone that this is most evident. This is fine with me as I prefer this to some one doing a half ass Ozzy impersonation.The bands strengths lie in not playing by the doom rule book and dipping into this darker sound.Still fans of more traditional forms of doom will find lots to love about this album.


http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2016/03/beastmaker-lusus-naturae.html

1- Khemmis - "Hunted"

At times more NWOBHM than doom and "3 Gates" starts off to uptempo to be doom at all, but in the end it got the most play time and had enough melancholy to qualify as doom, after all Black Sabbath albums didn't always crawl all the way to the finish line so something can be said for the dynamics.This one earned it space at the top not because it was the most dismal, but because I listened to it the most, which at the end of the day is what matters.

http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2016/09/khemmis-hunted.html

Khemmis : "Hunted"

Right from the beginning this album comes across heavier than their debut. The vocals this time around don't try to soar, but are more relaxed and sit back to ride the riffs. They do cram guitar solos into every nook and cranny. Despite the cover looking like a Dungeons & Dragons module they have Stripped away is some of the more grandiose Dio like pomp and circumstance. It's even more casual once we get to the second song. Three minutes in low growl drags this into the darker depths of doom. This is in fact the first moment where the album feels as dark as a doom album should. Once again the solos come out blazing, making this especially impressive for guitar players, though that kind of thing doesn't really wow me, I respect it.

They pick up the pace for an almost death metal like start into "Three Gates" . These guys have written some very concise songs that will appeal to metal heads that might not be die-hard fans of doom's long winded 13 plus minute dirges. Even when their singer goes towards his upper register to sing the phrase "No, salvation" he steers away from getting too Pallbearer like with it. The vocal melodies are very smooth and polished not only on this song, but most of the album. The go for a more bluesy solo on this song rather than ripping out the scales to burn on their fret boards. They find a more mournful tone amid the angular guitar harmonies of "Beyond the Door".  Even with the Iron Maiden like passages  that place more of an emphasis on the twin guitar attack, they seem a little more committed to being a doom band on this song.

More guitar heroics go down in the more uptempo metal saga that is the title track. The first few minutes of this song feel more like power-metal just with the thick layer of cheese. They keep this song moving pretty well as I am at the six minute mark wondering where the time went. I am also waiting for the guitar solos to come as there is over six minutes to still cram a bunch in. They indulge in that and also break down into a more solemn clean tone section that is still showcasing guitar work, but in a more restrained and tasteful manner. The vocal refrain also reflects this mood. I'll say this album is hands down better than the first, the band has a better sense of indentity and matured as song writers realizing the potential we saw in the first album, I'll give this one a 10. 20 Buck Spin is dropping this album October 21st.

The Top Ten Doom Albums of 2015

This one was the hardest list so far. I need darkness and a sense of loss emoted from my doom. Though their is a far wider range of emotions expressed in these albums drugged bliss, anger and introspective melancholy are a few of the more prominent ones. Some have a dash of death metal to them others shoe-gaze or blues. Funereal doom is my favorite sub-genre and there is a fair showing of that. Some bands you might have expected to see here could be popping up on other lists to some as their sound has changed. It came down to which bands I have listened to more and see myself continuing to go back to when it came to ranking my top ten doom metal albums of the year. If you want to check them out the review links contain streams.

 10- Swallow the Sun : "Songs From the North"

 In today's iPod shuffling and add culture, a double album is ambitious, and even becoming obscure as more artists are reluctant to invest in more than an ep with today's diminishing record sales.Swallow the Sun is taking a step in an even bolder direction by putting out a triple album. The three albums offer a wide range of tastes into the varied sub-genres doom touches upon, even mellowing out into a more prog direction. These albums take commitment to make it through all three, but fans will eat up every ounce of melancholy extravagance. Many of the songs drew me in, even though a triple album with 12 minute songs is a little much and much like "Use Your Illusion" albums could have been condensed into one killer album.

  http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2015/10/swallow-sun-songs-from-north-i-ii-iii.html

9-With the Dead: s/t

 The rule of thumb seems to be that super-groups sound better on paper ;than what the reality turns out to be. From the first song of With the Dead's self titled album this is not the case. Lee Dorian of Cathedral teams up with some of the guys from Electric Wizard to sludge out some oppressive fuzz dripped in darkness. The effects slathered on Dorian's voice are a good choice to keep this from sounding like Cathedral.These guys are all about the power, but leave a little room for the more subtle melody of the solos to warble over their pound. Very impressive, with high hopes for more. http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2015/11/with-dead-st.html

8-Bell Witch : "Four Phantoms"

 This album really had to battle it out with number seven and while this is more of an overwhelming piece of work, the twenty minute songs made it hard for me to get multiple listens or really desire to commit myself to them, even though I like what is going on here. The growth and new ground broken is undeniable. This is a beautiful album , I wish some of the songwriting could have gotten to the point, the same thing could have been conveyed at times in ten minutes, as the passages that droned on the same theme for so long it would have been better served abbreviated. The doom genre can stand at a tricky spot bordering on stagnation if they allow drone to over compensate for lack of songwriting. While it is not the case for this album, it makes me wonder if the band felt obligated to draw out certain passages so they would not be seen as any less relevant.

  http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2015/04/bell-witch-awoken-breathing-teeth.html

7- Domovoyd: s/t

 The drugs blur the lines in this album which is often dark and apocalyptic in it's looming power. The guitars are very sonic, but not obligated to always go over board on overdrive. Riding the line at times into stoner rock it's the apocalyptic nature to these spiraling jams that leans them more toward doom. One of the most unique albums on this list that defies being stuck neatly into a box.
  http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2015/05/domovoyd-st.html

6- Khemmis: "Absolution"

 The appearance of harsh vocals on this one help keep the Pallbearer comparison from being a distraction. They have their own personality that is show when The guitarists pull out some sweeping shredding or in the choices the lead singer makes when it comes to melodies. These guys have chops and with more listens it's easier to hear where they stand on their own two feet.This was crafted with a ton of heart and rocks with the power of classic metal.
  http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2015/06/khemmis-absolution.html

5-Hooded Menace: "Darkness Drips Forth"

 2015 might not go down as the year that doom broke big, but these e Finnish Doom merchants come on strong.  This very deathly brand of doom finds their riffs weeping in blood . Speaking of weep most bands would bore you to tears to with a twelve minute opener , but these guys keep you in the moment . The tempo picks up from time to time, but doesn't lose the grasp of darkness by going into a stoner rock boogie. The vocals are a low gurgle and the guitars maintain just enough chug to keep you confused as to if this is funereal doom or not.This album is solid, long winded songs generally do not drag and keep your attention. These guys have established themselves along side like likes of Evoken and Pallbearer with this one as they have gone above and beyond by putting a great deal of thought into these songs by not just  satisfied with being heavy.

 

http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2015/10/hooded-menace-darkness-drips-forth.html

4-King Woman-"Wrong"

 Dark and droning,this blues drenched doom forsakes rock n roll to become more hypnotic.In fact it often finds it self having just as much in common with shoe gaze as it does doom, the lines get blurred in the most delicious manner.There is that depressive mourning quality to the music. The guitar sobs with it.The distortion is thick, but in the same way it's thick for a band like Hum. The deliberate delay of the drums doesn't prolong the pregnant pauses , but keeps the songs moving.The thundering drums keep the sunshine out when the pace picks up. It's pretty refreshing to have a doom album where all of the songs are not over ten minutes long.Every thing is very concise and to the point, but uses the time wisely to take you on a journey.

  http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2015/03/king-woman-wrong.html

3- My Dying Bride : " Feel the Misery"

 Though the band's sound has been evolving ever since their formation in 1990, it is not until the distinct voice of singer Aaron Stainthorpe comes in you would not guess the first song is My Dying Bride until it slows down at the two and half minute mark. At first the violin's initial role is toned down but when it comes in the sound is unmistakably My Dying Bride. When growled vocals roar in they find themselves laid atop a much more up beat metal gallop than what they band ever churned out in their hey day. It does eventually slow down into the more mournful sound that My Dying Bride is known for. In their press release the word epic is used to describe their sound and as cliche as that term might be in metal,  it describes the more regal dynamic this album oozes. The production plays a huge role in this so does the shifting of genre lines as They go from straight forward metal so some almost post- rock with the clean guitar.Overall despite the changes and more in you face metal moments this album excels pretty much every step of the way. If you are a fan of the band you will have little trouble embracing this along with the rest of the catalogue in fact it's a vast improvement over the odds and ends they tossed to us with the "Anti-Dulivian Chronicles".
http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2015/08/my-dying-bride-feel-misery.html

2-Slow Death : "Ark"

 This might be the most under-rated album of the year.This Mandy Andresen from Murkrat and Crone lights up the first song with her vocals, she is followed up with dueling growls, both gurgled lows, that are the post-humus performance of Gregg Willaimson who died before the album's release. Pallbearer's Brett Campbell contributes guitar to this album. Sure it is common for doom to often feel like a classical composition and the dense drone drags from one song to the next often seamlessly. Mandy vocals work similarly as Campbell's do in Pallbearer soar over the grim rumbling.She is constantly showing different facets to her singing , like some moments on the last Pallbearer this song explores at time that place where shoe gaze and doom meet. The solo on this song is pretty impressive and that sort of thing while I like to hear the band has chops doesn't normally make me sit back and say "Damn, that shit was on fire." This is what I want more of in my life. Without question this is a 10, not a dull moment, the long songs don't seem long because I am engaged in it.
  http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2015/05/the-slow-death-ark.html

1- Shape of Despair :"Monotony Fields"

 this Finnish band has taken the past fifteen years to perfect their very melodic and atmospheric brand of doom . The vocals range from are a low gurgle, to female oohs and aahs stacked like Type O Negative in the background. The stay on a depressing path through out. The oppressive feeling is almost tangible. The band is aware they have been notorious for putting long spans of time between releases, so everything is right where it should be with every nuance dialed in, so it was not time wasted. It might not dig as deep and dark of a grave as other funeral doom bands , but the songs are masterfully varied and dynamic to create an awesome album.
  http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2015/11/shape-of-despair-monotony-fields.html

Khemmis: " Absolution"

Pallbearer might not be the first metal band to put clean vocals to doom, but they are the most lauded for it today. There were bands like Solitude Aeturnus, Trouble and Candlemass who have been at it for some time. So maybe it's time those bands are getting some recognition. Or not...the  spurts of harsh vocals are one thing that keeps these guys from sounding like a Pallbearer tribute. Some time they go a more obvious metal route than what Pallbearer would do. It's going to take a few listens for me to get past this comparison and dig into the album.I will say these guys are doom, but not funereal doom. They do not have the mournful quality that some one like Evoken conjures.

"Serpentine" slithers, but I think I favor "Ash, Cinder, Smoke" over it. They have the sound. The melancholy yet powerful guitar harmonies. They are more in your face with the metal on "Antediluvian". The chug to "Burden of Sin" is more horns in the air than anything Pallbearer would do. The growled vocals dominate the first half of this song, until the singing comes in for what would be the chorus. The one thing these guys have going for them in regards to be more straight up metal is they don't drag their songs out.

"The Bereaved" finds them shifting start the song off with a more contemplative guitar tone before the stomped on the distortion on powered up.They seem to show their true face on "The Bereaved". The guitarists pull out some sweeping shredding. The melody shows their lead singer's personality. I would like to hear more coming from this direction. While the comparison to you know who abounds, these guys have chops and with more listens it's easier to hear where they stand on their own two feet. While I am on the fence as to if I need these guys in my iPod since I have you know who already there and that void filled, I think think credit is due to what they have crafted so I will give it a 9 as I said to myself I like this more than the Goatsnake album and they got an 8.5 so it only stands to reason they would be scored so.