1.At The Gates - The Nightmare Of Being

2.Asphyx - Necroceros

3.Swallow The Sun - Moonflowers

4.1914 - Where Fear And Weapons Meet

5.Gojira - Fortitude

      View entire list ››

My personal favorite 75 metal albums of the year, this year has been pretty good when comes to heavy metal, especially within black and melodic death metal, also a good year for symphonic metal.

My favourite non metal albums of the year

Spotify playlist:
2021

1.Swallow The Sun - Moonflowers

2.Helloween - Helloween

3.Ethereal Shroud - Trisagion

4.Turnstile - Glow On

5.Havengarth - The Path Through Reminiscence

      View entire list ››

In no particular order:

2021 Playlist
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/64dcGhNKM5p9TF9ALQBVHN?si=jaureWTyTHiTqMpvY3Q-5A&utm_source=copy-link

1.Ethereal Shroud - Trisagion

2.First Fragment - Gloire Éternelle

3.Bewitcher - Cursed Be Thy Kingdom

4.SpiritWorld - Pagan Rhythms

5.Unto Others - Strength

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1.Soen - Imperial

2.Beast In Black - Dark Connection

3.Eclipse - Wired

4.KK's Priest - Sermons Of The Sinner

5.Immortal Guardian - Psychosomatic

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1.Sunrise - Equilibria

2.Evergrey - Escape Of The Phoenix

3.Helloween - Helloween

4.Manimal - Armageddon

5.Cradle Of Filth - Existence Is Futile

      View entire list ››

Do you know this feeling when you stumble across a random word, and then suddenly that name pops up just about everywhere? That specific term haunting yours truly has long been "Portland, Oregon". It seems to me that every new discovery was founded in Portland, apparently every other album was mastered at Brad Boatright's Audiosiege Studio in Portland, and every single of my favorite bands had, at some point, performed on a stage somewhere in Portland.

In the 1980s, LA was undeniably the world's glam metal capital, alongside with San Francisco Bay Area thrash metal as a counter development. Then we witnessed the death metal boom of the early 90s, with Tampa, Florida as its global hotspot. Not to forget the New York punk and hardcore scene (NYHC), the rise of sludge metal from the swamps of New Orleans during the late 80s, grunge from Seattle gaining mainstream prominence in the early 90s...
Apparently, there has always been a tendency in the US towards rapidly developing, locally restricted music scenes, in whose environment a completely new style or genre could develop in order to have a lasting impact on the global musical landscape within a few years.

So I just had to find out if my mind was playing tricks on me or if Portland really is the current capital of the US for heavy music and extreme metal - hence this list.

Inclusion criteria:
featured on Metal Strom and
established in Portland or
a long-term creative phase in Portland or
still active and currently based in Portland
(that's why Leviathan is here but Lurker Of Chalice isn't)

Only one album (preferably the most recent full-length album) per band.

By the way, according to this article, Portland harbors the highest amount of active metal bands per capita in the US. Quite a surprise, isn't it?

While we are at it, what's your favorite Portland band?

1.Abhorrent Affliction - Forever Will He Reign

2.Acathexis - Acathexis

3.Ænigmatum - Deconsecrate

4.Ævangelist - Dream An Evil Dream III

5.Agalloch - The Serpent & The Sphere

      View entire list ››

So earlier in 2021, I actually finished a nine year old list, and I thought starting this in July and backfilling with previous listens would be a good idea. Turns out not jotting down some thoughts about albums as you listen to them the first time is mistake, so almost every album on here has been heard at least twice - often more.

I'm going to leave it in release date order for now - maybe I'll put them in rating order, but that seems like a lot of work.

And even looking at my own list, I'm convinced there are albums I've heard that aren't on here, so that's great!

Anyway, enjoy reading and hopefully this might point you in the direction of something from 2021 you haven't bothered with yet.

Cheers!

1.Horndal - Lake Drinker

2.Unto Others - Strength

3.Obscura - A Valediction

4.Gatecreeper - An Unexpected Reality

5.Asphyx - Necroceros

      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 ››

At around 450 album, I've been averaging something like 75 new albums per month since the start of 2021, not to mention albums I only listen to 1-2 songs of before moving on. It's been intense, and I'm hoping the lifting of restrictions will mean I get through slightly less music in the rest of this year, but let's see what the rest of 2021 has in store musically.

1.Between The Buried And Me - Colors II

2.Year Of No Light - Consolamentum

3.Be'lakor - Coherence

4.LLNN - Unmaker

5.Spaceslug - Memorial

      View entire list ››

1.Trivium - In The Court Of The Dragon

2.Swallow The Sun - Moonflowers

3.Iron Maiden - Senjutsu

4.Leprous - Aphelion

5.Soen - Imperial

      View entire list ››

F*ck 2020! 2021, here we go!

1.Gråt Strigoi - Communion Of The Nameless

2.Vouna - Atropos

3.Ethereal Shroud - Trisagion

4.Noltem - Illusions In The Wake

5.Big Brave - Leaving None But Small Birds [Collaboration]

      View entire list ››

Albums i've enjoyed in 2021

1.Turnstile - Glow On

2.Deafheaven - Infinite Granite

3.Herzel - Le Dernier Rempart

4.The Flight Of Sleipnir - Eventide

5.Midnight Odyssey - Biolume Part 2 - The Golden Orb

      View entire list ››

Only those albums which have been able (in a positive way) to hold my attention for more than 3 listens. Only 8+

1.Lantlôs - Wildhund

2.Unto Others - Strength

3.Møl - Diorama

4.Unleashed - No Sign Of Life

5.Cynic - Ascension Codes

      View entire list ››

1.Unto Others - Strength

2.Soen - Imperial

3.Brainstorm - Wall Of Skulls

4.Beast In Black - Dark Connection

5.Volbeat - Servant Of The Mind

      View entire list ››

1.Lorna Shore - ...And I Return To Nothingness

2.Harakiri For The Sky - Mære

3.Monolord - Your Time To Shine

4.Ethereal Shroud - Trisagion

5.Der Weg Einer Freiheit - Noktvrn

      View entire list ››