YET another list of my faves in the death metal genre this time in the year of our Lord Satan 2020. Haven't heard all the stuff I'd like yet and I welcome all the recommendations in the comments, cheers!

1.Aborted - La Grande Mascarade

2.Abysmal Dawn - Phylogenesis

3.Æpoch - The Scryer

4.Aeternam - Al Qassam

5.Æther Realm - Redneck Vikings From Hell

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All write-in votes from Metal Storm Awards 2020

1.

2.

3.Amaranthe - Manifest

4.Avatar - Hunter Gatherer

5.El Lobo En Tu Puerta - Santana Bendita

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My source was looking at the most popular 1000 metal albums (excluding demos and EPs) of the year in question on the RateYourMusic website. I liked more than these but these are the ones that spoke to me the most. I went through all 1000, chose carefully, then went back to my short list and eliminated a few. Surprisingly, there aren't any Mariusz Lewandowski pieces featured here which is unfortunate because like a lot of people I'm quite a fan of his art. List is in order of popularity rather than being ranked by my preference.

1.Ulcerate - Stare Into Death And Be Still

2.Neptunian Maximalism - Éons

3.Black Curse - Endless Wound

4.Testament - Titans Of Creation

5.Cirith Ungol - Forever Black

      View entire list ››

Me: What a filthy year.
2021: Could be worse.
Me: How?
2021: Could be raining.

Non Metalstorm Bands

Myth Of I: https://mythofi.bandcamp.com/album/myth-of-i
Aesculeta: https://aesculeta.bandcamp.com

Best Covers Artwork

Eye of Nix - Ligeia https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a2521976461_10.jpg
Xenobiotic - Mordrake https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a2471456487_10.jpg

1.Exgenesis - Solve Et Coagula

2.Blaze Of Perdition - The Harrowing Of Hearts

3.Blaze Of Sorrow - Absentia

4.Myth Of I - Myth Of I

5.October Falls - A Fall Of An Epoch

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In rough order of enjoyment, the albums I've listened to from 2020

1.Paradise Lost - Obsidian

2.Draconian - Under A Godless Veil

3.Plini - Impulse Voices

4.Igorrr - Spirituality And Distortion

5.Atramentus - Stygian

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Just about finished the first half of the year without losing too much to the character limit; I have learnt to make these list descriptions increasingly pithy

1.Enslaved - Utgard

2.Wills Dissolve - Echoes

3.Wayfarer - A Romance With Violence

4.Aversio Humanitatis - Behold The Silent Dwellers

5.Lucid Planet - Lucid Planet II

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2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015

1.Ulcerate - Stare Into Death And Be Still

2.Draconian - Under A Godless Veil

3.Fires In The Distance - Echoes From Deep November

4.Yuri Gagarin - The Outskirts Of Reality

5.Symbolik - Emergence

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My top to bottom list of everything from 2020 I've spent time with and have also purchased either physically or digitally (which is why most of them have high ratings). Releases featured on MS only. Whole number ratings out of 10 and my personal opinions included.

NOTE: I am no longer updating this list. 2020 was a great year for music despite being not a great year in general but I am onto a 2021 list. You can check it out here: http://metalstorm.net/users/list.php?list_id=6525

1.Psychonaut - Unfold The God Man

2.Caligula's Horse - Rise Radiant

3.Sojourner - Premonitions

4.On Thorns I Lay - Threnos

5.Elder - Omens

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Seems like there's a limit on how many albums this site accepts on one list. Gonna have to cut out the last ones while adding new albums for the rest of the year.

1.Havukruunu - Uinuos Syömein Sota

2.Orbit Culture - Nija

3.Wolfheart - Wolves Of Karelia

4.Stormruler - Under The Burning Eclipse

5.Frozen Dreams - The Eclipse Of Eternity

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So here are some Brutal, Technical, Progressive and sometimes Atmospheric death metal works I enjoy or that I believe should be given a try because they're unique and interesting, almost an essentials list when it comes to that style. There are some unorthodox choices as well in the mix that aren't just full-on tech death, some bands also incorporate grind, black, core elements or even jazz. Hope you'll all find something that suits your taste! The list is ordered by years. Feel free to comment and give recommendations! Just refrain from telling me an album shouldn't be featured here... All the albums here are deliberately hand-picked and if it made the list, it's for a reason.

Personal absolute favorites of mine have a ★ beside the genre. And my pics of best album for each year are identified by (best of xxxx) beside the albums.

🇨🇦 = From Canada, My Country! We're quite good at Technical and Brutal Death Metal... Trust me. I mean, you'll see for yourself.

-Guib-

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Guib's Best Tech/Brutal/Prog Death Metal Album Picks

Best Of 2023:
The Zenith Passage - Datalysium

Best of 2024 So Far:
Exist - Hijacking The Zeitgeist

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TAGS: Technical Death Metal, Melodic Tech-Death, Brutal, Atmospheric, Progressive, Blackened Tech-Death, Technical Thrash, Deathgrind, Deathcore, Symphonic, Dissonant Tech-Death, Experimental, Avantgarde, Grindcore, Jazz

Last Updated: April 21st, 2024

1.Atheist - Piece Of Time

2.Nocturnus - The Key

3.Atrocity - Hallucinations

4.Death - Human

5.Suffocation - Effigy Of The Forgotten

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