(avant-garde, black metal) This is the one to beat this year, really. Their last record is one of my absolute favourite albums of all time, and this one is also insanely good. I started really appreciating it once the temperatures started rising so absurdly high. A hazy, brutal summer fits this new record quite well. It's much more atmospheric than the last few, which leads to quite spectacular moments like on "Not Drinking Water". They took 8 years to make it and I'm happy they did.

(post metal) I would not have bet on a new Neurosis record ever releasing again after Scott Kelly's departure from the band and public life. It is hard to put into words how much the middle era Neurosis output means to me, and this new record was never going to reach that. But damn is this record angry and I love it. The addition of Aaron Turner (yes I'm not a big fan of ISIS the band) does not detract from any of the punch of this record either. I'm so happy they're back. This also marks already the second entry that relates to climate change. Surely this means nothing

(doom) This is an incredibly hard album to talk about. It's been 20 years since Watching From A Distance, which is one of my absolute favourite records. While the other two bands above on this list also put out a few "top of all time" records for me (arguably even moreso, particularly Neurosis), Watching From A Distance always was one of those records that really has to hit you at the right moment. And it's just so very hard to replicate that. Objectively, it's mostly all there. The music sounds pretty much exactly the same, the vocals are still great and I still get sad when listening to it. But it's not "bleeding out in the snow at night, on a park bench overlooking the river" type sad, if you get what I mean. I think there is just that little bit of desperation missing, both in the record and in myself. I am now 2 years older than Patrick was when they made Watching From A Distance. I did not listen to the album when it came out, but ruoghly 10 years later, but it's now 20 years later and being above 30 just makes the desperate cry of sadness that is Warning just a little less real. And I feel that you can also tell this in the songs, even if just subtly.

(prog, atmo black) Together with a new A Forest of Stars album, it seems they also thought of reviving this more "normal" side project. I remember finding the first one on here probably over a decade ago by now and now there is a second one! The previous EP showed a very interesting new direction, but this one is again much more focused on a more traditional (allbeit still progressive) black metal sound, which it pulls off masterfully. The sound is massive on this one, especially on the closing tracks.

(funeral doom) Bell Witch is one of those acts that started out insanely strong and failed to evolve much since then. What little steps they took to move their sound forward were, for me, in a different direction than I liked. This one does not break with that, but it's just the most solid their compositions sounded since probably Mirror Reaper. Which was 8 years ago now fucking hell...

(thrash) This one is pretty in line with their style since the big resurgence with Machine Messiah. And that's just a sound I really like, even if it doesn't blow me away. I saw them on their farewell tour with my dad, which surely contributed to it.

(stoner metal) There is something about stoner metal that just makes it very easy on the ears, and especially with female vocals. This is just a very good showing, no notes.

(blackened death metal) I already love the singles, and I have full faith in Emptiness to deliver

(black) Just one new song but that's all it took last time, so I'm excited!!