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1.
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Insade - Human Obsession
7/10 Starting the year off with a very decent, grimy, raw death metal offering. A running time that stops things from getting boring and brutal riffs that totally hit for me. |
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2.
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Hauntologist - Hollow
8.5/10 Even though you cannot deny the Mgla influence, I find the atmosphere and songwriting very intruigung and somewhat unique. Essentially a really strong debut that might rank as one of the years best. |
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3.
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Magnum - Here Comes The Rain
8/10 Maybe I´m a bit biased here, but to see one of my favorite hard rock bands end this tragically was just horrible. After a career of 50 years, the band released another strong, though a bit mellow, body of work. Bob Catley delivers his strongest vocals in years and the genius of Tony Clarkin can be heard throughout. Despite the abrupt goodbye, I can say they went out with a bang. |
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4.
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Scanner - The Cosmic Race
6/10 Man, I expected more from this. One of the most underrated 80s metal bands and live they are still a force to be reckoned with. The new album however doesn´t have much standout moments. Of course it´s still a decent record for a band of this age, but not nearly as good as I hoped after their last release, which I highly recommend. |
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5.
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Santacreu - Cançons D'amor, Dol I Enyorança
7/10 Beautiful album covers like this one still manage to catch me, damn. Despite of different experiences in the past, there is actually a good album behind this cover. Slow, dragging doom metal that just crushes you with the melodies. This one suffers the fate of many doom-/post-metal releases for me: being too long and not varied enough. But still worth the time if you are in the right mood. |
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6.
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Dark Oath - Ages Of Man
6.5/10 Yeah, the sound this band has is really great but in the songwriting department I don´t see very much variety. After a few songs I wasn´t sure if the album started all over again. In my opinion a wasted opportunity. |
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7.
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Vemod - The Deepening
9/10 After 12 fucking years this band returns with a sophomore release and I couldn´t be more happier with it. I hold the debut very close to my heart, as it was one of my first black metal albums I bought. Nice to see that they evolved a bit but still managed to keep the atmosphere. |
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8.
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Saxon - Hell, Fire And Damnation
8/10 One week after Magnum, another legends gives us the honors. Their previous effort was a superior to me when it came to individual songs, but the concept and the album as whole grew on me considerably. It´s just unfair how good this band still is after such a lengthy carreer. |
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9.
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Malist - Of Scorched Earth
7/10 Not his best effort, but a big step up from the predecessor. Quality songwriting and vocals that get the job done. |
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10.
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Sgàile - Traverse The Bealach
9.5/10 Yeah, well I am sold. This is just epic and despite the criticism I read about the vocals, I think they are the best part. Really outstanding, this will definetly make my AOTY list. |
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11.
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Necrotum - Defleshed Exhumation
5/10 Well, no. This looked like an easy, fun time but I was shocked how boooooring this thing is. A few standout moments, but man, production is bad, weak vocals, what else can I say. |
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12.
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Blood Red Throne - Nonagon
8/10 There are a few certain bands in my opinion, that are just incapable of making a bad record. BRT are one of them, I am not dissapointed. Till we meet again, my friends. |
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13.
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Lucifer - Lucifer V
6.5/10 The Sabbath/generic 70s rock worship continues, in other words, heard it a thousand times before. Not bad by design, just nothing that makes me jump out of my seat. |
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14.
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Knoll - As Spoken
7.5/10 If Full of Hell dialed the black metal to 11. Short and straight thorugh your brain but melodic enough to keep me interested. Great effort, really. |
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15.
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Manticora - Mycelium |
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16.
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Vitriol - Suffer & Become
8.5/10 Wow, this gives me strong Anaal Nathrakh vibes in combination with brutal technical death metal. That was a great listen and I have to say my favorite death metal record of the year so far. |
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17.
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Caligula's Horse - Charcoal Grace |
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18.
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Olhava - Sacrifice |
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19.
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Inquisition - Veneration Of Medieval Mysticism And Cosmological Violence |
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20.
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Necrowretch - Swords Of Dajjal |
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21.
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Enterprise Earth - Death: An Anthology |
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22.
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Striker - Ultrapower |
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23.
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Chelsea Wolfe - She Reaches Out To She Reaches Out To She |
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24.
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Chapel Of Disease - Echoes Of Light |
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25.
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Spectral Voice - Sparagmos |
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26.
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The Obsessed - Gilded Sorrow |
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27.
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Eternal Storm - A Giant Bound To Fall |
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28.
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Ihsahn - Ihsahn |
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29.
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Darkspace - Dark Space -II |
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30.
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Pestilength - Solar Clorex |
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31.
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Dust Bolt - Sound & Fury |
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32.
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Job For A Cowboy - Moon Healer |
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33.
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Darkest Hour - Perpetual / Terminal |
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34.
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Iron Curtain - Savage Dawn |
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35.
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Borknagar - Fall |
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36.
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Traveler - Prequel To Madness |
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37.
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Fange - Perdition |
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38.
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Counting Hours - The Wishing Tomb |
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39.
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Firewind - Stand United |
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40.
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Suicidal Angels - Profane Prayer |
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41.
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Bruce Dickinson - The Mandrake Project |
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42.
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Volcandra - The Way Of Ancients |
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43.
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Haunt - Dreamers |
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44.
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Einvigi - Monokroma |
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45.
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Judas Priest - Invincible Shield |
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46.
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Ecclesia - Ecclesia Militans |
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47.
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Skeletal Remains - Fragments Of The Ageless |
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48.
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Slimelord - Chytridiomycosis Relinquished |
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49.
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Midnight - Hellish Expectations
7/10 EXPECT TOTAL HELL! The shortest Midnight album to date is another raw collection of bangers that can be moshed to when you are drunk as fuck. Nothing stands out, but the short tracks make up for it. |
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50.
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Early Moods - A Sinner's Past
8.5/10 Hey Lucifer, that is how you do 70s metal worship right. Amazing vocals, catchy songwriting and a sound that teleports you 50 years back in time. |
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51.
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Hercules - Against New World Order
2/10 The pain...it doesn´t stop. Please someone interview this guy, I wanna know how this happened. |
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52.
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Necrophobic - In The Twilight Grey |
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53.
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VLTIMAS - EPIC |
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54.
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Lords Of Black - Mechanics Of Predacity
7/10 Still delivering the goods but the material presented here is not as hard hitting as their first three albums. This is how the Dio Lineup of Rainbow would sound in the present day. |
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55.
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Atrophy - Asylum
8/10 We´ve seen a lot of dissapointing comebacks from 80s thrash bands that did not get their deserved share of fame, and I did not expect much from Athrophy here. How? How is this so fucking good? Yes, you can here that some time has passed since their last release but they sound energized and are staying true with the songwriting. What more can you ask for? |
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56.
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Sacrificial Vein - Black Terror Genesis
8/10 This is just vile chaos...and I love it. I haven´t heard such raw and untamed metal that works so well in a long time. |
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57.
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Critical Defiance - The Search Won't Fall |
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58.
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Dödsrit - Nocturnal Will |
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59.
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Brodequin - Harbinger Of Woe |
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60.
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Hideous Divinity - Unextinct |
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61.
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Apparition (USA) - Disgraced Emanations From A Tranquil State |
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62.
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Hamferð - Men Guðs Hond Er Sterk |
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63.
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Severoth - By The Way Of Light |
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64.
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Rage - Afterlifelines
7/10 It´s just crazy how many records this band has put out over the years. The output rate has slowed down since Smolski left, but with how many difficulties the band has faced since then, it´s just astounding how fresh and energized they still sound. Peavy, the only original member, sounds a bit out of tune in some passages, but that´s about all I can really complain about. I did not expect a Rage double-album to be this solid. |
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65.
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Cantique Lépreux - Le Bannissement |
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66.
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Darkestrah - Nomad |
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67.
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Mütiilation - Black Metal Cult |
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68.
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Boundaries - Death Is Little More
8/10 WOW, okay now we are talking! This style of metalcore is something you don´t hear often anymore. The "no bullshit" 2000s metalcore approach with occasional clean vocals make for a dark and heavy, although a bit one-dimensional, experience. Still, this band is one of my favorites in the genre now. |
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69.
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Attic - Return Of The Witchfinder |
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70.
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Ingested - The Tide Of Death And Fractured Dreams |
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71.
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Cistvaen - At Light's Demise |
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72.
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Austere - Beneath The Threshold |
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73.
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Witch Vomit - Funeral Sanctum |
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74.
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Belore - Eastern Tales |
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75.
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Erra - Cure |
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76.
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Sagenbringer - Zeit Der Geschichten |
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77.
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Labyrinthus Stellarum - Vortex Of The Worlds |
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78.
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Týr - Battle Ballads |
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79.
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Vulture - Sentinels |
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80.
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Necrot - Lifeless Birth |
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81.
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Sarcasm - Mourninghoul |
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82.
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Khirki - Κυκεώνας |
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83.
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Imminence - The Black |
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84.
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Blazing Eternity - A Certain End Of Everything |
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85.
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In Vain - Solemn |
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86.
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My Dying Bride - A Mortal Binding |
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87.
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Selbst - Despondency Chord Progressions |
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88.
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High On Fire - Cometh The Storm |
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89.
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Antichrist Siege Machine - Vengeance Of Eternal Fire |
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90.
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Vanden Plas - The Empyrean Equation Of The Long Lost Things |
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91.
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Fractal Gates - One With Dawn |
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92.
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Walg - IV |
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93.
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Deicide - Banished By Sin |
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94.
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Accept - Humanoid |
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95.
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Disbelief - Killing Karma |
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96.
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Morgul Blade - Heavy Metal Wraiths |
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97.
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Full Of Hell - Coagulated Bliss |
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98.
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Darkthrone - It Beckons Us All...... |
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99.
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Draugnim - Verum Malum |
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100.
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Aquilus - Bellum II |
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101.
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Terminal Nation - Echoes Of The Devil's Den |
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102.
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Warlord - Free Spirit Soar |
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103.
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Unleash The Archers - Phantoma |
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104.
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Dødsferd - Wrath |
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105.
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Knocked Loose - You Won't Go Before You're Supposed To |
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106.
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Botanist - Paleobotany |
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107.
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Gatecreeper - Dark Superstition |
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108.
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Pathology - Unholy Descent |
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109.
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Demon - Invincible |
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110.
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Icy Steel - The Wait, The Choice And The Bravery |
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111.
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Vredehammer - God Slayer |
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112.
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Lucifuge - Hexensabbat |
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113.
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Bring Me The Horizon - Post Human: Nex Gen |
