My top 50 of the year. Rated 8 & Above

Alcest, Gojira, Les discrets and Blut Aus Nord make the french connection . Allez les bleus!

Black Sabbath announced their reunion, Wintersun reappeared with time Soundgarden too for the last time.

Nearly forgot the world was supposed to end....

Album count: 172
Average rating: 7.05

1.Gojira - L'Enfant Sauvage

2.Alcest - Les Voyages De L'âme

3.Saturnus - Saturn In Ascension

4.Cult Of Fire - Triumvirát

5.Les Discrets - Ariettes Oubliées...

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1.Ne Obliviscaris - Portal Of I

2.Antimatter - Fear Of A Unique Identity

3.Sigh - In Somniphobia

4.Enslaved - RIITIIR

5.Katatonia - Dead End Kings

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Time has moved on and so has my taste. There is music I didn't listen to back then but also albums I still love even though I don't listen to them as much anymore.

1.Agalloch - The Mantle

2.Aquilus - Cloak Of Autumn Shroud

3.Aquilus - Griseus

4.Babymetal - Metal Resistance

5.Babymetal - Metal Galaxy

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It's always changing.

1.Moonsorrow - V: Hävitetty

2.Moonsorrow - Verisäkeet

3.Equilibrium - Sagas

4.Týr - Ragnarok

5.Finsterforst - Rastlos

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This is a list of all the folk metal albums I have listened to that I found to be of at least marginal quality. It is purely for my own organizational purposes and is not meant to be a definitive statement about the genre; for that reason, there are some entries that don't entirely fit the description, including some neofolk albums and bands that don't exactly play "folk metal" but are close enough.

There used to be a good amount of crossover with my black metal list, but I have since cleaned house and removed anything labeled "pagan" or "Viking" to this list. Personally, I'm very skeptical of the idea that "pagan" anything is its own genre, and unless you're Bathory, the Viking shtick doesn't really work with me. I file it under blackened folk or folk black metal or something like that; if it has any ties to traditional music, I've decided simply to add it to this list and not bother with splitting hairs.

The first section of albums represents my favorite albums - sometimes just within the genre, sometimes overall. Beyond that, they are divided into sections by rating going down to 6/10, and within those sections in alphabetical order.

This list was last updated August 8, 2021.

1.Elvenking - Secrets Of The Magick Grimoire

2.Forefather - Ours Is The Kingdom

3.Forefather - Steadfast

4.Forefather - Last Of The Line

5.Dalriada - Áldás

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My top 3 albums per year starting in 1999.

1.

2.Immortal - At The Heart Of Winter

3.Finntroll - Midnattens Widunder

4.Shaman (FIN) - Idja

5.

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1.Be'lakor - Of Breath And Bone

2.Finsterforst - Rastlos

3.Luca Turilli's Rhapsody - Ascending To Infinity

4.Wintersun - Time I

5.Heidevolk - Batavi

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1.Les Discrets - Ariettes Oubliées...

2.Ne Obliviscaris - Portal Of I

3.In Aevum Agere - The Shadow Tower

4.Der Weg Einer Freiheit - Unstille

5.Diablo Swing Orchestra - Pandora's Piñata

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1.Ex Deo - Caligvla

2.Dethklok - Dethalbum III

3.Swallow The Sun - Emerald Forest And The Blackbird

4.The Project Hate MCMXCIX - The Cadaverous Retaliation Agenda

5.Anaal Nathrakh - Vanitas

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My favourite albums of 2012

1.Wintersun - Time I

2.Korpiklaani - Manala

3.Eluveitie - Helvetios

4.Ensiferum - Unsung Heroes

5.Enslaved - RIITIIR

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I decided not to include "folk metal" albums like "Wintersun - Time" or "Enslaved - RIITIIR".

1.Finsterforst - Rastlos

2.Ne Obliviscaris - Portal Of I

3.Eluveitie - Helvetios

4.Hammer Horde - Vinlander

5.King Of Asgard - ?To North

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Because I reached the word limit on the previous list, and don't want to lose my quite excellent in-depth descriptions. Those without descriptions are from my other list.

1.Sylosis - Monolith

2.Be'lakor - Of Breath And Bone

3.In The Silence - A Fair Dream Gone Mad

4.Abigail Williams - Becoming

5.Rodrigo Y Gabriela - Area 52

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My top 2012

1.Blind Guardian - Memories Of A Time To Come

2.Kamelot - Silverthorn

3.Sabaton - Carolus Rex

4.Moonspell - Alpha Noir / Omega White

5.Katatonia - Dead End Kings

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My favorite Albums From 2012. The List is in order. NOW WITH GENRE DISCRIPTION!

1.Wintersun - Time I

2.Blind Guardian - Memories Of A Time To Come

3.Luca Turilli's Rhapsody - Ascending To Infinity

4.Iron Fire - Voyage Of The Damned

5.Woods Of Ypres - Woods 5: Grey Skies & Electric Light

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