1.Uriah Heep - Chaos & Colour

2.Iron Maiden - Senjutsu

3.Judas Priest - Invincible Shield

4.Warrior Path - The Mad King

5.Ghost - Impera

      View entire list ››

Metallic World War 2021

2017 champions Archspire want to defend their leadership (strategy: we raze you with more BPM), while Dvne (3rd place in 2017) and Rivers of Nihil (3rd place in 2018) enhance their sonic arsenal by forcefully declaring war on sovereigns; however, the battlefield is filled with loose mines that could explode and blow everything up, ultra-technical mines called Inferi, Deviant Process and First Fragment (brand: Dominic Forest Lapointe). From afar, cautious and silent, veterans named Carcass, Dream Theater and Mastodon lurk. Steffen Kummurer of Obscura (3rd place in 2009, 2nd place in 2011, 6th place in 2016, 7th place in 2018) warrior experienced and reliable, re-sheaths his most powerful weapons (Jeroen Paul Thesseling and Christian Muenzner, champion with the Alkaloid in 2018) and prepares for the final assault on the Throne of Metal. The 2012 champions, Between the Buried and Me, dethroned but never tamed, take the field recalling the glorious colors of the past to regain what is rightfully theirs.

1.Between The Buried And Me - Colors II

2.Dvne - Etemen Ænka

3.Archspire - Bleed The Future

4.Obscura - A Valediction

5.Mastodon - Hushed And Grim

      View entire list ››

Another year, another traditional list of my top ten, or more like top thirty albums of the year. That list probably doesn't interest anyone, or most people anyway, but I like keeping up with the tradition and refuse to give up trying to influence people to give in and start listening to some obscure bands that I manage to dig up from the depths of Spotify. Well, obscure is a thing of perspective, and I am actually quite sure I have at least five people among my friends and acquaintances that are familiar with most of these bands. If you are not.. well, you should be.
I'm not going to do an album-by-album review, just a quick rundown. Two albums in the Hungarian language in the top ten, maybe I should start learning that shit after all... NOT!!! As the years go on, it seems that I delve deeper and deeper into the obscure post-metal, post-black, atmospheric black, doom whatever.. maybe I'm just finally going insane, it was about time. Anyway, surprise out of nowhere, an album that blew me away, Iotunn - Access All Worlds. Is it progressive? Is it melodic death metal? Is it whatever? Who gives a fuck. It was a very schizophrenic year for me, just like this 'review', at least when it comes to music, a lot of albums that I liked, but very few that had that catchy vibe, that I can't really describe but that I sometimes have. My point here is that I could probably take this list and honourable mentions, and write a program that randomizes the places of albums in the list every time you hit refresh, and whatever result it would yield I would say 'Yeah, that seems about right'. Down the list, I have to mention how happy I am with Thy Catafalque finally deciding to go live and do live shows, now I only pray that this pandemic doesn't fuck up another concert plan. Ephemerald is in a way, as generic Finnish melodic death metal as you can get, obvious influence by Insomnium and the likes, but I really dig it. They are not original or inventive, there is no 'one-hit wonder' catchy song that stands out.. and yet it is a fucking awesome album. Yoth Iria is a project of former Rotting Christ members, and it sounds exactly like that, so if you are into Rotting Christ, you know what to do. Beast in Black, it's the same album again, but it's an awesome album again, so... I think I don't need to comment on Swallow the Sun, yeah, the previous album was better, but this one is still awesome. Epica, well I'm a huge fanboy of Epica, make of that what you will, but if you ask me they don't have a bad or even average album. The same can be said of Be'lakor. Dalriada was kinda unexpected, I really like listening to folk metal in languages I don't really understand. I know about this Hungarian band for .. fifteen years I think, I almost went to Senta to watch them live more than a decade ago, yet this is their best album up to date. Well at least according to your ultimate metal encyclopedia, me. Duskmourn is another of that melodic death, folk, atmospheric black, whatever bands that spawn left and right. Narrowly missing out are Therion, Evergrey, and Soen, really, really good albums. I could put any or all of them in the top ten, but I guess I like going with the obscure underdogs or whatever. Stormkeep is another black metal masterpiece that came out of nowhere. Remember how I mentioned that there is a bunch of atmospheric black / folk metal bands spawning left and right. Yes, Cân Bardd is another one. For more honourable mentions, I would like to point out Romanian Sur Austru, as well as Dordeduh... duh. (OK I'll see myself out.) and another Hungarian band, Vvilderness, but this time at least you can understand what they are singing since lyrics are in the English language. I could, and probably should add at least another dozen of bands to this list, like Darkwoods My Bethrothed, Mare Cognitum, Hypocrisy, Leprous but this is too much even as it is, so feel free to give me recommendations, but just bear in mind that the fact that I did not put it into my picks doesn't mean I dislike the album.
P.S. In case anyone knows how to format album names with those strange characters so they link up properly, do let me know.

1.Iotunn - Access All Worlds

2.Thy Catafalque - Vadak

3.Ephemerald - Between The Glimpses Of Hope

4.Yoth Iria - As The Flame Withers

5.Beast In Black - Dark Connection

      View entire list ››

Another boring the best of 2021 list..

Happy new year…,,

1.Exodus - Persona Non Grata

2.Carcass - Torn Arteries

3.Cannibal Corpse - Violence Unimagined

4.Worm - Foreverglade

5.Trivium - In The Court Of The Dragon

      View entire list ››

1.Harakiri For The Sky - Mӕre

2.Phinehas - The Fire Itself

3.Evergrey - Escape Of The Phoenix

4.Galleons - Galleons

5.Obscura - A Valediction

      View entire list ››

Disclaimer: You might also listen to Be'lakor and Omnium Gatherum and Swallow the Sun and all the other stuff that sounds the same for a decade.

1.Trivium - In The Court Of The Dragon

2.Stortregn - Impermanence

3.Massen - Contraesthetic

4.So Hideous - None But A Pure Heart Can Sing

5.Temperance - Diamanti

      View entire list ››

Favorite albums from 2021!

1.Iron Maiden - Senjutsu

2.Dream Theater - A View From The Top Of The World

3.Epica - Omega

4.Helloween - Helloween

5.Powerwolf - Call Of The Wild

      View entire list ››

1.Mastodon - Hushed And Grim

2.Fear Factory - Aggression Continuum

3.Dream Theater - A View From The Top Of The World

4.Moonspell - Hermitage

5.Cryptosis - Bionic Swarm

      View entire list ››

1.Iron Maiden - Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son

2.Iron Maiden - Somewhere In Time

3.Iron Maiden - Fear Of The Dark

4.Iron Maiden - Powerslave

5.Iron Maiden - The Number Of The Beast

      View entire list ››

Just a list for me to refer to later.

1.Blind Guardian - Legacy Of The Dark Lands

2.Havukruunu - Uinuos Syömein Sota

3.Helloween - Helloween

4.Iron Maiden - Senjutsu

5.Nightwish - Human. :II: Nature.

      View entire list ››

List of artists/albums heard with head & heart.

1.Cradle Of Filth - Existence Is Futile

2.Møl - Diorama

3.Spaceslug - Memorial

4.LE MONDE PAR LE FEU - À NÉANT

5.Deafheaven - Infinite Granite

      View entire list ››

Continuation of 2021 releases. Only listing albums I've listened to all the way through.

1.Insomnium - Argent Moon

2.Between The Buried And Me - Colors II

3.Musk Ox - Inheritance

4.Tacoma Narrows Bridge Disaster - The World Inside

5.Year Of No Light - Consolamentum

      View entire list ››

1.Iron Maiden - Senjutsu

2.Dream Theater - A View From The Top Of The World

3.Plush - Plush

4.Helloween - Helloween

5.Transatlantic - The Absolute Universe: Forevermore (Extended Version)

      View entire list ››

1.Iron Maiden - Senjutsu

2.Helloween - Helloween

3.Trivium - In The Court Of The Dragon

4.Mastodon - Hushed And Grim

5.Flotsam And Jetsam - Blood In The Water

      View entire list ››

My top to bottom list of everything from 2021 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. 2021 was a very busy year for me personally so I did not get to as much music as I wanted... here's to fixing that in 2022. You can check the list out here: https://metalstorm.net/users/list.php?list_id=7089

1.Vola - Witness

2.Between The Buried And Me - Colors II

3.Stormkeep - Tales Of Othertime

4.Thy Catafalque - Vadak

5.Gravesend - Methods Of Human Disposal

      View entire list ››