 |
1.
|
Amenra - Mass VI
★★★★★ Amenra playing Amenra, though once again bringing the quality one step higher. This one confirms my feeling that each new Amenra release makes the previous one sound worse. Which is a good point, I guess. Colin said he found his inspiration with the troubles he faced regarding his son's health, and we can definitely feel a strong feeling of despair here. |
 |
2.
|
Wolfheart - Tyhjyys
★★★★ ½ After a second opus that lacked the cold atmosphere that Tuomas can make, Wolfheart comes back with a third release almost as good as Winterborn. It took me a few spins to enjoy this one fully but we meet the cold vibes on the Scandinavian winter again on this one, while keeping the strength and agressivity of Shadow World. Strong AOTY contender, but Amenra's Mass VI was just too good to compete with. |
 |
3.
|
Enslaved - E
★★★★ ½ After years of trying, E finally got me into Enslaved. Very good prog metal with their Black roots that give it strength and rhythm (to be honest, I don't usually like prog, except Borknagar and now Enslaved) |
 |
4.
|
Slow - V - Oceans
★★★★ ½ This definitely is what Funeral Doom should sound like! This one reminds me of Ahab at times, and is perfect from the beginning to the end. Very nice discovery of the year |
 |
5.
|
Satyricon - Deep Calleth Upon Deep
★★★★ |
 |
6.
|
Iced Earth - Incorruptible
★★★★ |
 |
7.
|
Sólstafir - Berdreyminn
★★★ ½ I felt very sad discovering that Solstafir went on the post-rock path, leaving the "violent" aspect of their music behind. While still beautiful, this one doesn't quite give me what I expect from a Solstafir release and I'll rather go towards Köld than this one. |
 |
8.
|
Cradle Of Filth - Cryptoriana: The Seductiveness Of Decay
★★★★ |
 |
9.
|
Arphael - Ancient
★★★★ I'm not the biggest Djent fan there is, but this album develops such an immersive atmosphere that it really caught me. It really felt like a long trip into deep space, and not a single second was disconnected from that feeling. The heavy orchestration layers sometimes almost made me feel like I one listening to an atmospheric album, though the dense djenty guitars are always very much present here as well. |
|
10.
|
I will definitely travel through that album again. |
 |
11.
|
Wintersun - The Forest Seasons
★★★★ Though I agree it is nowhere near its predecessors and I don't listen to it so often, this still has a very nice atmosphere that is nice to get into while wandering in the nature. But now, let's hope we soon get another Wintersun album with the quality of the first on. |
 |
12.
|
Fen - Winter |
 |
13.
|
Helengard - Firebird
Seems very good, I still have to give it a few spins before rating it. |
 |
14.
|
Pallbearer - Heartless
★★★★ This one always bore me after the first two very good tracks, but I had the chance to them live twice after the release of the album, and they were absolutely perfect. Live performances give this album so much energy while keeping the mellow atmosphere it has. This makes it deserve 4 stars for me. |
 |
15.
|
Ex Deo - The Immortal Wars |
 |
16.
|
Mors Principium Est - Embers Of A Dying World
★★★ ½ I feel like it really lacks the strength and aggressivity from the previous albums. I kinda feel a power metal vibe on this one, and this is not what I was expecting. This one is still enjoyable though, but they have made enough good material before for me to skip this one. |
 |
17.
|
Lethe - The First Corpse On The Moon |
 |
18.
|
Kauan - Kaiho
The melodies are great but there are a lot of (too many ?) very slow / ambient moments on this one. |
 |
19.
|
Celeste - Infidèle(s)
To be checked |
 |
20.
|
Carach Angren - Dance And Laugh Amongst The Rotten |
|
21.
|
Disapointments I still couldn't listen until the end |
 |
22.
|
Paradise Lost - Medusa |
 |
23.
|
Ensiferum - Two Paths |
 |
24.
|
Arch Enemy - Will To Power |
 |
25.
|
Moonspell - 1755 |
