My glorious ranking of the year of our Lord 2017

Top 50 rated 8 and above

Album count: 132
Average rating: 7.1

1.Enslaved - E

2.Mors Principium Est - Embers Of A Dying World

3.Pallbearer - Heartless

4.Myrkur - Mareridt

5.Ulver - The Assassination Of Julius Caesar

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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

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This list is meant to be an extensive, but by no means exhaustive, collection of the greatest (modern) metal albums and eps. Running the gamut from avant-garde to trve norweigan black metal. *As someone who is young in age, my tastes tend to revolve around the period of the 80s to the present.* Although certain metal albums from before will certainly be featured, the period of the 60s-70s will be under-represented. I refer you to this excellent list to gain a better appreciation for some of the best metal from that period: https://rateyourmusic.com/list/freis/martin_popoffs_the_top_500_heavy_metal_albums_of_all_time/

1.P.H.O.B.O.S. - Phlogiston Catharsis

2.Paara - Riitti

3.Pagan Altar - Mythical & Magical

4.Pagan's Mind - Enigmatic : Calling

5.Paganizer - Into The Catacombs

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Honestly, top 25 albums would probably be a more fitting name, given that I have honourable mentions, and few other categories as well. Some of them are self explanatory, while I want to clarify about the few others.
-Greatest disappointment of the year doesn't necessarily mean the worst album of that year, closer to the point would be that it is an album from which I expected a lot more than I received.

1.Myrkur - Mareridt

2.Elvenking - Secrets Of The Magick Grimoire

3.Wintersun - The Forest Seasons

4.Hallatar - No Stars Upon The Bridge

5.Vintersorg - Till Fjälls Del II

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1.Elder - Reflections Of A Floating World

2.The Ruins Of Beverast - Exuvia

3.Pallbearer - Heartless

4.Enslaved - E

5.Mastodon - Emperor Of Sand

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Top list time! Here we go!

1.La Torture Des Ténèbres - IV - Memoirs Of A Machine Girl

2.Ragana - You Take Nothing

3.Lingua Ignota - All Bitches Die

4.Turia - Dede Kondre

5.Vintersorg - Till Fjälls Del II

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Getting started on this later than usual

1.Persefone - Aathma

2.Schammasch - The Maldoror Chants: Hermaphrodite

3.Au-Dessus - End Of Chapter

4.Heretoir - The Circle

5.Mastodon - Emperor Of Sand

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Slow start to 2017. Keep an eye on this list you bargain-basement shoppers...

1.Au-Dessus - End Of Chapter

2.Viscera - 3/Release Yourself Through Desperate Rituals

3.Slowdive - Slowdive

4.Echoes(UK) - Cornerstone

5.Fen - Winter

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1.Frailty - Ways Of The Dead

2.Anathema - The Optimist

3.Process Of Guilt - Black Earth

4.Sólstafir - Berdreyminn

5.Pallbearer - Heartless

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https://fullblackreviews.blogspot.com
My blog if you want to read some reviews.

1.Septicflesh - Codex Omega

2.Schammasch - The Maldoror Chants: Hermaphrodite

3.Sun Of The Sleepless - To The Elements

4.Satyricon - Deep Calleth Upon Deep

5.Origin - Unparalleled Universe

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Ranking albums I've heard enough times to rate. Plus rating out of 10

1.Power Trip - Nightmare Logic

2.Violet Cold - Anomie

3.Wormwood - Ghostlands - Wounds From A Bleeding Earth

4.Memoriam - For The Fallen

5.Kreator - Gods Of Violence

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My HIGH ENERGY 2017 list.
Lots of prog.

No rating=haven't heard yet/not enough spins

★★★★★ - Masterpiece!
★★★★½ - Excellent!
★★★★☆ - Great!
★★★½☆ - Very Good!
★★★☆☆ - Enjoyable!
★★½☆☆ - OK, Nothing Special
★★☆☆☆ - Mediocre
★½☆☆☆ - Poor
★☆☆☆☆ - Don't Touch
½☆☆☆☆ - I Want My Money Back

1.This Social Coil - Pictures

2.Gone Is Gone - Echolocation

3.Hibernal - The Dark Of The City

4.Gotthard - Silver

5.Pain Of Salvation - In The Passing Light Of Day

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