1.The Lion's Daughter - Skin Show

2.Aeon - God Ends Here

3.Archspire - Bleed The Future

4.Sumo Cyco - Initiation

5.Diablo Swing Orchestra - Swagger & Stroll Down The Rabbit Hole

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For those interested in suggestions of albums by genre

Removed:
- Trolls
- Limp bizkit outside of Alternative category
- albums already nominated. After the results, I will add the nominated albums that don't receive enough votes to be displayed in the results, as "staff write-ins".
- albums with a release date not in 2021

1.

2.Heleven - Into The Oceans

3.Imminence - Heaven In Hiding

4.Lantlôs - Wildhund

5.Leprous - Aphelion

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Metallic World War 2021

2017 champions Archspire want to defend their leadership (strategy: we raze you with more BPM), while Dvne (3rd place in 2017) and Rivers of Nihil (3rd place in 2018) enhance their sonic arsenal by forcefully declaring war on sovereigns; however, the battlefield is filled with loose mines that could explode and blow everything up, ultra-technical mines called Inferi, Deviant Process and First Fragment (brand: Dominic Forest Lapointe). From afar, cautious and silent, veterans named Carcass, Dream Theater and Mastodon lurk. Steffen Kummurer of Obscura (3rd place in 2009, 2nd place in 2011, 6th place in 2016, 7th place in 2018) warrior experienced and reliable, re-sheaths his most powerful weapons (Jeroen Paul Thesseling and Christian Muenzner, champion with the Alkaloid in 2018) and prepares for the final assault on the Throne of Metal. The 2012 champions, Between the Buried and Me, dethroned but never tamed, take the field recalling the glorious colors of the past to regain what is rightfully theirs.

1.Between The Buried And Me - Colors II

2.Dvne - Etemen Ænka

3.Archspire - Bleed The Future

4.Obscura - A Valediction

5.Mastodon - Hushed And Grim

      View entire list ››

My personal favorite 75 metal albums of the year, this year has been pretty good when comes to heavy metal, especially within black and melodic death metal, also a good year for symphonic metal.

My favourite non metal albums of the year

Spotify playlist:
2021

1.Swallow The Sun - Moonflowers

2.Helloween - Helloween

3.Ethereal Shroud - Trisagion

4.Turnstile - Glow On

5.Havengarth - The Path Through Reminiscence

      View entire list ››

In no particular order:

2021 Playlist
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/64dcGhNKM5p9TF9ALQBVHN?si=jaureWTyTHiTqMpvY3Q-5A&utm_source=copy-link

1.Ethereal Shroud - Trisagion

2.First Fragment - Gloire Éternelle

3.Bewitcher - Cursed Be Thy Kingdom

4.SpiritWorld - Pagan Rhythms

5.Unto Others - Strength

      View entire list ››

Only adding albums I've listened through.

1.First Fragment - Gloire Éternelle

2.Emma Ruth Rundle - Engine Of Hell

3.Be'lakor - Coherence

4.Trivium - In The Court Of The Dragon

5.Møl - Diorama

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1.Cynic - Ascension Codes

2.Bent Knee - Frosting

3.Dvne - Etemen Ænka

4.Leprous - Aphelion

5.Spiritbox - Eternal Blue

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So earlier in 2021, I actually finished a nine year old list, and I thought starting this in July and backfilling with previous listens would be a good idea. Turns out not jotting down some thoughts about albums as you listen to them the first time is mistake, so almost every album on here has been heard at least twice - often more.

I'm going to leave it in release date order for now - maybe I'll put them in rating order, but that seems like a lot of work.

And even looking at my own list, I'm convinced there are albums I've heard that aren't on here, so that's great!

Anyway, enjoy reading and hopefully this might point you in the direction of something from 2021 you haven't bothered with yet.

Cheers!

1.Horndal - Lake Drinker

2.Unto Others - Strength

3.Obscura - A Valediction

4.Gatecreeper - An Unexpected Reality

5.Asphyx - Necroceros

      View entire list ››

At around 450 album, I've been averaging something like 75 new albums per month since the start of 2021, not to mention albums I only listen to 1-2 songs of before moving on. It's been intense, and I'm hoping the lifting of restrictions will mean I get through slightly less music in the rest of this year, but let's see what the rest of 2021 has in store musically.

1.Between The Buried And Me - Colors II

2.Year Of No Light - Consolamentum

3.Be'lakor - Coherence

4.LLNN - Unmaker

5.Spaceslug - Memorial

      View entire list ››

Albums I've heard in 2021 in order of preference.

1.Dream Theater - A View From The Top Of The World

2.Hypocrisy - Worship

3.Bodom After Midnight - Paint The Sky With Blood

4.Epica - Omega

5.Moonspell - Hermitage

      View entire list ››

Manuel Castillo (Amusia) is a Mexican youtuber/reviewer specialized in heavy metal, who makes reviews without pression from the labels or distros. His passion and knowledge are the best tools he has and is followed by almost 70,000 people from the Spanish-speaking community. His partner, Carlos 'Black Bujo' Telles, also make reviews but of underground bands.

1.Asphyx - Necroceros

2.Nervosa - Perpetual Chaos

3.Therion - Leviathan

4.Labyrinth - Welcome To The Absurd Circus

5.Accept - Too Mean To Die

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No stars - Don't know yet
✮✮✮✮✮ - Incredible, possibly Album Of The Year
✮✮✮✮½ - Awesome
✮✮✮✮ - Solid release
✮✮✮½ - Good release
✮✮✮ - Not bad
✮✮½ - Shuffle material (probably boring as an album)
✮✮ - Disappointing

1.1914 - Where Fear And Weapons Meet

2.In Mourning - The Bleeding Veil

3.Dordeduh - Har

4.Tribulation - Where The Gloom Becomes Sound

5.Stortregn - Impermanence

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1.Beast In Black - Dark Connection

2.1914 - Where Fear And Weapons Meet

3.Duskmourn - Fallen Kings And Rusted Crowns

4.Grima - Rotten Garden

5.Gojira - Fortitude

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