Recap 2020
Recap 2020
Using MSA's to organize my listening from 2020.
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1.
Anaal Nathrakh
- Endarkenment
(9) This album is amazing. My most played album of 2020. Favorite Track: Singularity
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2.
The Ocean
- Phanerozoic II: Mesozoic / Cenozoic
(9) While a couple songs feel less interesting to me, the beginning and end of the album are classics. Favorite Track: Pleistocene
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3.
Envy
- The Fallen Crimson
(9) I'm not in love with every song, but something about the blend of the beautiful composition and the poetic lyrics hits me pretty hard. Favorite Track: HIKARI
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4.
Igorrr
- Spirituality And Distortion
(9) Would have been a 10 except for a few bits in the middle that overstayed their welcome. Favorite Track: Nervous Waltz
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5.
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8.
Fires In The Distance
- Echoes From Deep November
(9) Surprised by how much I enjoyed this. Favorite Track: The Lock And The Key
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9.
Thy Catafalque
- Naiv
(9) brilliant musicianship and engaging throughout. Favorite Track: Tsitsushka
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10.
Skyforest
- A New Dawn
(9) the atmoshphere makes for a dramatic journey and really does its job to transport you. Favorite Track: Along The Waves
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11.
Imperial Triumphant
- Alphaville
(9) Loved every minute of this fantastic album. Favorite Track: Excelsior
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12.
Neptunian Maximalism
- Éons
(9) Incredible musicianship and a fantastic ride. Favorite Track: Enūma Eli?
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15.
Pain Of Salvation
- Panther
(8) This is incredibly digestible with plenty of engaging experimentation. Very engaging production enhances the atmosphere. Favorite Track: Icon
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16.
Lucid Planet
- Lucid Planet II
(8) Lush. I love the creative flow and genius of this album. Favorite Track: On The Way
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17.
Mountaineer
- Bloodletting
(8) The warmth of the tracks and the balance between light and heavy moments make this a fantastic listen. Favorite Track: Shot Through With Sunlight
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18.
Déluge
- Ægo Templo
(8) The intensity and fervor of this album is only matched by its compositional beauty. Favorite Track: Gloire Au Silence
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19.
Wayfarer
- A Romance With Violence
(8) The Western themes and imagery really worked to set this apart from other sounds. Favorite Track: Vaudeville
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20.
Greg Puciato
- Child Soldier: Creator Of God
(8) Really fantastic work that shows incredible versatility. Favorite Track: Deep Set
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21.
Killer Be Killed
- Reluctant Hero
(8) Great release from amazing musicians. Favorite Track: Dream Gone Bad
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23.
Crippled Black Phoenix
- Ellengæst
(8) Great atmosphere and emotion. Favorite Track: The Invisible Past
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24.
Body Count
- Carnivore
(8) Ice-T is great and this album kicks ass. Favorite Track: The Hate is Real
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27.
Necrophobic
- Dawn Of The Damned
(8) I'm usually bored by the usual satanic black metal but this was fun, exciting, and pummeling in the best way. Favorite Track: Mirror Black
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28.
Unleash The Archers
- Abyss
(8) First time listening to this band and I enjoyed it, if it felt a little less than satisfactory on the musicality side. Definitely need another listen. Favorite Track: Faster Than Light
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29.
Black Crown Initiate
- Violent Portraits Of Doomed Escape
(8) solid prog metal. Favorite Track: Years in Frigid Light
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30.
Daniel Tompkins
- Ruins
(8) Enjoyable solo effort by a great singer. Favorite Track: Stains of Betrayal
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31.
Cloudkicker
- Solitude
(8) Great instrumental album with catchy lines. Favorite Track: Code Language
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32.
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35.
Ad Infinitum
- Chapter I: Monarchy
(7) Vocals are fantastic and this is a great listen. I got a little bored with the music and can only hope they add more interesting elements to match the vocals. Favorite Track: Revenge
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36.
Dark Tranquillity
- Moment
(7) Emjoyable riffs and melody, I just wish it was more consistent throughout. Favorite Track: Phantom Days
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37.
Pull Down The Sun
- Of Valleys And Mountains
(7) Great debut album, minus some issues I have with the vocals and borrowing from other bands. That said, the last half of the album felt like a more mature sound for them. Looking forward to their next album. Favorite Track: Salt Of The Earth
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38.
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40.
Thou
- May Our Chambers Be Full [Collaboration]
(7) Emma's voice and the incorporation of post-metal made this an interesting listen. Favorite Track: Into Being
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41.
Fates Warning
- Long Day Good Night
(7) It's great prog but something about it doesn't quite click with me. Powerful ending tracks though. Favorite Track: The Last Song
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42.
Bloody Tyrant
- 島嶼神話 (Myths Of The Islands)
(7) The folk elements are great but doesn't hold my attention as much as I'd like. Favorite Track: 鬼湖 (Sacred Lake)
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43.
Countless Skies
- Glow
(7) Beautiful soundscape that didn't quite reach the heights I wanted. Favorite Track: Tempest
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44.
Sacred Outcry
- Damned For All Time
(7) Not all the songs clicked with me but I loved the music and storytelling. Power metal is always an iffy genre for me. Favorite Track: Damned For All Time
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45.
Dark Fortress
- Spectres From The Old World
(7) I liked the incorporation of cleans and progressive tones. Favorite Track: Pali Aike
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46.
Garganjua
- Toward The Sun
(7) This is almost up my alley, but something about it doesn't click with me. Favorite Track: Mire
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47.
...And Oceans
- Cosmic World Mother
(7) There's a lot of interesting things going on, probably gets a higher score with more listens. Favorite Track: As The After Becomes The Before
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48.
Kvaen
- The Funeral Pyre
(7) Great melodies and energy; something that will grow on me. Favorite Track: Yee Naaldlooshii
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49.
Green Druid
- At The Maw Of Ruin
(7) Very enjoyable stoner metal with a touch of the darker elements of metal. Favorite Track: The Forest Dark
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50.
Cirith Ungol
- Forever Black
(7) Vocals take getting used to but decent heavy metal. Favorite Track: Legions Arise
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51.
Draconian
- Under A Godless Veil
(7) Enjoyable goth doom, just not my favorite genre. Favorite Track: The Sethian
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52.
Intronaut
- Fluid Existential Inversions
(7) I don't really click with Intronaut, but their talent is obvious. Favorite Track: The Cull
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53.
Shedfromthebody
- A Dead And Aimless Hum
(7) Enjoyed the atmosphere and ethereal vocals but the album struggled to keep my attention. Favorite Track: Sol
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56.
Kekal
- Quantum Resolution
(7) Interesting and creative, but didn't hold my attention as well. Favorite Track: Quiet Eye
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57.
Aversio Humanitatis
- Behold The Silent Dwellers
(7) Solid black metal. Favorite Track: The Wanderer of Abstract Paths
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58.
Rezn
- Chaotic Divine
(7) Good stoner metal, but doesn't do much for me beyond a few songs. Favorite Song: Emerging
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60.
Trivium
- What The Dead Men Say
(7) First time listening to Trivium since 2007, not bad. Favorite Track: The Defiant
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61.
Black Fate
- Ithaca
(6) Loved the Kamelot vibes but few of the songs resonated with me. Great vocalist though. Favorite Track: Ithaca
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62.
Black Royal
- Firebride
(6) Dumb fun but without much to keep me interested. Favorite Track: Hail Yourself
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63.
Irist
- Order Of The Mind
(6) Love the Gojira vibes, but little to diversify their sound. Favorite Track: Severed
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Disclaimer: All top lists are unofficial and do not represent the point of view of the MS Staff.
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