1)DEGIAL -"PREDATOR REIGN"(Sepulchral Voice)
Sweden's Degial delivered my personal favourite death metal album of 2017. Another relentless onslaught of twisted death metal darkness!. This is the new album Morbid Angel SHOULD have made!
2)BLACK ANVIL -"AS WAS"(Relapse)
This may be their most mature, progressive and refined sounding album to date but it packs a very potent and powerful punch, the cleaner sections only make the distorted devilry sound more destructive and devastating and sees the band truly coming into their own and masterfully honing their black metal art. Malevolently Majestic.
3)DEMON HEAD -"THUNDER ON THE FIELDS" (The Sign)
These danes deliver a great album that is like a hardrockin' mix of classic Danzig, Early Sabbath, early Witchcraft, Uncle Acid And The Dead Beats, Witchfinder General.
4)MEMORIAM -"FOR THE FALLEN"(Nuclear Blast)
Ex and current members of Bolt Thrower and Benediction join forces to remember the fallen and celebrate life through death metal. This debut album has an artillery of pounding heavy hitting tracks that roll out of the speakers like a Sherman tank - earcrushing extremity.
5)WOLFBRIGADE -"RUN WITH THE HUNTED"(Southern Lord)
Swedish crust / d beat punk pioneers unleash another high octane onslaught of powerful crisp riffs, destructive drums, bludgeoning bass and vicious vocals with some HUGE hooks as always. An angry kängpunk fist in the face.
6)STILLBORN "NOCTURNALS"(Sound Pollution)
Swedish dark doomrock legends Stillborn return with one of the best comeback albums in recent memory...this album sounds like a long lost follow up to their classic debut "Necrospirituals".
7)THE LURKING FEAR-"OUT OF THE VOICELESS GRAVE"(Century Media)
Members of At The Gates, Skitsystem, Disfear, Tormented, God Macabre etc have crafted some truly grotesque sounding old school death metal which has more than a small dose of pure classic Autopsy worship in the songs contained on this album.
8)NECROT -"BLOOD OFFERINGS"(Tankcrimes)
These Oakland death dealers have released an absolute crusher of an album with steamrolling rumbling riffs and a multitude of hefty hooks. Malicious and Memorable in equal measure.
9)WARWOUND -"BURNING THE BLINDFOLDS OF BIGOTS"(Unrest)
Members and ex members of Sacrilege, The Varukers, The Vile, Stampin' Ground, Discharge, Hellkrusher offer up a short and sharp onslaught of punked up metallic riffage and devastating D beat bludgeoning on their long awaited debut album.
10)IRON MONKEY -"9-13"(Relapse)
A powerful potent comeback album that is violent and vicious with vocals that sound like a man possessed, gargantuan grooves, raucous riffing, pounding percussion and bulldozing bass making this a savage musical beast.
11)PROCESSION -"DOOM DECIMATION""(High Roller)
Another excellent album of traditional heavy doom METAL! A fist in the face of false doom!
12)DESULTORY -"THROUGH ACHING AEONS"(Pulverised Records)
The apparent swansong album of this legendary swedish death metal band which is full of all the ingredients and elements that made their first two albums so classic. Essential listening for any fan of the band or swedish death metal in general.
13)CRYPTS OF DESPAIR -THE STENCH OF THE EARTH"(Testimony Records)
Great debut album by these dark and doomy Lithuanian death metallers which takes the listener through dark and dimly lit musical passages which are devoid of much light and are enshrouded in an ominous foreboding darkness.
A profoundly powerful album which will take the listener deep into their dank and shadowy world where blackness and doom is ever present.
14)THE OBSESSED
"SACRED"(Relapse)
Wino is back with the first new album by The Obsessed since 1994's "The Church Within" and as expected it is another masterclass in heavy soulful Doomrock!
15)SPIRIT ADRIFT -"CURSE OF CONCEPTION"(20 Buck Spin)
Members of Gatecreeper deliver an album packed full of powerful doom metal which has some tasty Trouble style guitar harmonies and soaring emotive epic vocals.
16)VENOM INC-"AVE"(Nuclear Blast)
The hard hitting debut album under this name by the classic "Prime Evil" line up of Abaddon, Mantas and Demolition Man.
VENOM INC have made a musical statement of intent with this album which should silence quite a few detractors and they have made an album that stands up strong against the members collective back catalogue.
"Ave" is a powerhouse of an album full of raw energy and potent precision from start to finish and it also has more hooks than a north sea fisherman.
A deadly and devastating aural assault and showcases a band who are well and truly firing on all cylinders.
17)PAGAN ALTAR -"THE ROOM OF SHADOWS"(Temple Of Mystery)
The last Pagan Altar album to feature the unique vocals of Terry Jones and he delivers an awesome and impassioned performance vocally which gave me goosebumps. Great songs too done in the traditional Pagan Altar way.
18)HORRIFIED -"ALLURE OF THE FALLEN"(Shadow Kingdom Records)
3rd album by this constantly progressing and evolving death metal band from north east england, there are more black metal elements in their sound than ever musically and theres some great dark and doomy passages throughout.
19)SPECTRAL VOICE-"ERODED CORRIDORS OF UNBEING"(Dark Descent)
Debut album by this Colorado based death/doom entity who share members with Blood Incantation.
Spectral Voice have an overall sound that is very similar to Evoken, Disembowelment and the like.
20)NIGHT DEMON -"DARKNESS REMAINS"(Steamhammer/SPV)
Another full on old school style heavy metal assault by these Californians, each song is full of driving and pounding drumming, energetic fretboard workouts and powerful vocals. There are riffs and harmonies galore.
21)HEAVYDEATH -"SARCOFAGUS IN THE SKY" (Aftermath)
Another installment of crushing doom/death from Sweden by ex and current members of Runemagick and Katatonia.
22) NECROVOROUS -"PLAINS OF DECAY"(Dark Descent)
Total Autopsy worship by this gruesome greek death metal band.
23)VALLENFYRE -"FEAR THOSE WHO FEAR HIM" (Century Media)
Excellent 3rd album. Crustier sounding than ever. CRUST DEATH DOOM!
24)OFERMOD -"SOL NOX"" (Shadow Records)
Evocative black metal from the darkest depths of Sweden who conjure up the dark forces of Sitra Achra.
Musically it should appeal to fans of Watain and Ondskapt.
Total Swedish Darkness.
25)EVO -"WARFARE" (High Roller)
First new Warfare material in over 20 years featuring guest solo work by the late great Fast Eddie Clarke.
A musical mix of all the classic 80's Warfare material and the vocals of Evo still sound as scathing and snarling as they did on "Metal Anarchy"
26)AKATHARTA -"SPIRITUS IMMUNDUS" (Pulverised Records)
Kam Lee and his band go full on funeral doom/death here. A darkly atmospheric album full of slow crushing riffing and drumming all topped off with grotesque growls of Kam who is on fine funereal form vocally here.
27)ENTRENCH-"THROUGH THE WALLS OF FLESH" ( I Hate Records)
Rabid and raw death thrash attack by these savage swedes which is in the same vicious vein as Merciless and Hypnosia.
28)CONDENADOS -"THE TREE OF DEATH"(Shadow Kingdom)
Every facet of Condenados sound takes it's doomfilled cues from the old school and they worship at the altar of past traditional sounding bands of the genre but they add extra mournful morbidity into proceedings dragging the trad doom sound through a murky windswept graveyard and deep into a dimly lit crypt.
29)ACEPHALIX -"DECREATION" (20 Buck Spin)
Long awaited new album full of crushingly heavy crusty death metal with bulldozing riffs and deep growled vocals. Brutal and Bludgeoning.
30)INTEGRITY -"HOWLING FOR THE NIGHTMARE SHALL CONSUME"(Relapse)
Another aggressive hybrid of HC and metal by these veterans of vicious hardcore. Some black metal elements can clearly be heard this time round.
