1.Varathron - Patriarchs Of Evil

2.Venus - Obscured Until Observed

3.Finsterforst - Zerfall

4.Cult Of Luna - The Long Road North

5.Dimmu Borgir - Inspiratio Profanus

      View entire list ››

1.Megadeth - Rust In Peace

2.Disforia - The Age Of Ether

3.Iron Maiden - Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son

4.Ayreon - The Theory Of Everything

5.Amorphis - Under The Red Cloud

      View entire list ››

1.Wilderun - Veil Of Imagination

2.Opeth - In Cauda Venenum

3.Borknagar - True North

4.Eternal Storm - Come The Tide

5.Soen - Lotus

      View entire list ››

1.Vintersorg - Till Fjälls Del II

2.Amorphis - Under The Red Cloud

3.Myrath - Tales Of The Sands

4.Finsterforst - Zerfall

5.Eluveitie - Ategnatos

      View entire list ››

Well, 2020 is not the most enjoyable year, is it...

So I looked back at 2019 to do a little nostalgic ranking of when the world was only half crazy....

My top 50 (rate 8 & above)

Like always opinion my own and I am obviously right

Album count: 160
Average rating: 7

1.Cult Of Luna - A Dawn To Fear

2.Alcest - Spiritual Instinct

3.Blut Aus Nord - Hallucinogen

4.Borknagar - True North

5.Swallow The Sun - When A Shadow Is Forced Into The Light

      View entire list ››

Here is a list of all the bands who received at least one write-in vote during MSA 2019.

Following the annoucement of the results, this information is lost, I post it here so you can continue to explore your favorite genres !

I'm still working on fixing links, if you find errors, feel free to notify in the comments !

1.Babymetal - Metal Galaxy

2.Cave In - Final Transmission

3.Mother Of Millions - Artifacts

4.Slipknot - We Are Not Your Kind

5.Soen - Lotus

      View entire list ››

Updated 14.4.2024

My rather personal and improvised take on the subject matter. The list is pretty wage, I'll be updating it a lot and the order might vary a little depending on some things, but they're all great and awesome records no matter what.

Limited to metal and rock albums found on Metal Storm. Most of them (at least 90%) are anyway, so doesn't matter. The absent ones are mostly more pop and synth oriented stuff and some really obscure jazz and fusion albums.

1.Marillion - Marbles

2.Anathema - Weather Systems

3.Iron Maiden - Somewhere In Time

4.Moonsorrow - Voimasta Ja Kunniasta

5.Moonsorrow - Kivenkantaja

      View entire list ››

1.Babymetal - Metal Galaxy

2.Cave In - Final Transmission

3.Mother Of Millions - Artifacts

4.Slipknot - We Are Not Your Kind

5.Soen - Lotus

      View entire list ››

1.Kryptos - Afterburner

2.Overkill - The Wings Of War

3.Brymir - Wings Of Fire

4.Iron Fire - Beyond The Void

5.Aephanemer - Prokopton

      View entire list ››

Another year, another top 10, or should I say top 25 of the year. Plenty of good albums, but Månegarm, Borknagar and Insomnium without a doubt top albums of the year. Villagers of Ioannina City is a revelation of the year, and while it might not be "metal" definitely one of the top albums of this year. Blind Guardian is not bad, far from it, but I expected so much more from this album hence it (un)deservedly gets to bear the shame of the letdown, although it is a decent album. Maybe I expected too much from it. One of the bands that deserve more attention this year for certain is Croatian Old Night, a real masterpiece when it comes to doom. Another recommendation would be Serbian Svartgren with their new black metal album called Divlja Vatra, or Wildfire. The rest of it pretty much boils down to personal taste and preferences. Darkwater and Bloodbound were a very pleasant surprise when it comes to progressive and power metal respectively. When it comes to symphonic and progressive metal, Wilderun was another pleasant surprise, a band I discovered recently through metalstorm website..

1.Månegarm - Fornaldarsagor

2.Borknagar - True North

3.Insomnium - Heart Like A Grave

4.Beast In Black - From Hell With Love

5.Swallow The Sun - When A Shadow Is Forced Into The Light

      View entire list ››

1.Insomnium - Heart Like A Grave

2.Idle Hands - Mana

3.Darkwater - Human

4.Soilwork - Verkligheten

5.Wind Rose - Wintersaga

      View entire list ››

Only good stuff included.

So far 2019 has been truly marvelous year full of stellar metal releases. I'll be updating this list as I find more worthy ones and/or get more into the ones already listed.

My ratings:

✮✮✮✮✮ = Instant classic.
✮✮✮✮½ = The Force is strong with this one.
✮✮✮✮ = Pretty damn good!

1.Finsterforst - Zerfall

2.Iapetus - The Body Cosmic

3.Numenorean - Adore

4.IQ - Resistance

5.White Ward - Love Exchange Failure

      View entire list ››

The best of 2019

1.Disillusion - The Liberation

2.Soen - Lotus

3.Cult Of Luna - A Dawn To Fear

4.Waste Of Space Orchestra - Syntheosis

5.Lacrimas Profundere - Bleeding The Stars

      View entire list ››

(Top 130... won't make it to 200 until early next year... but I don't mind, do you? *sound of crickets* well, ok then, soliloquy over =) )

update: never got to 200, but I'm hoping the 2020's list will - or at least a top 150

1.Devin Townsend - Empath

2.Finsterforst - Zerfall

3.Blut Aus Nord - Hallucinogen

4.Borknagar - True North

5.Insomnium - Heart Like A Grave

      View entire list ››

I've just turned 27, I guess if I'm lucky I'll live long enough to finish this list.

1.Cult Of Luna - A Dawn To Fear

2.Schammasch - Hearts Of No Light

3.Abigail Williams - Walk Beyond The Dark

4.Disillusion - The Liberation

5.Esoteric - A Pyrrhic Existence

      View entire list ››