I feel like the last year of the decade has been good for everyone who loves the heavy side of music. I am happy to see that every month there are so many new and awesome albums released that it is practically impossible to even listen to them all. I am excited to share my top 10 albums with you. Especially because six bands in my top 10 I discovered myself this year and they all blew me away with their brilliance and creativity (Torpor and Latitudes for example). Two albums in my list are by my fellow countrymen (Mang Ont and Kannabinõid) and when I considered including them and where to place them I really tried to not be biased. Like the last top 10 lists I have made, this is also based on the pure emotions each album managed to bring in for me.
Don't forget to check out the Top Albums of the other More Fuzz team members !
10 : Birdstone – Seer
At the 10th spot, I chose an album which is the most different from the others on my list. Not doom or stoner but more like heavy blues. This album shows that the music does not have to always be gut twisting to still pleasure your appetite for heaviness. This is their first full album and they have succeeded in their mission to merge blues and psychedelic rock.
9 : Monolord – No Comfort
Monolord should not need an introduction. In 2017 their album “Rust” made its way into a lot of best of the year lists and I have no doubt that the same will happen to “No Comfort”. They have established their sound and quality and I am sure they could not disappoint any doom lover.
8 : Navajo Witch – Volume III: Season of The Witch
I was waiting for a new album from Navajo Witch since I discovered their last album in 2017. And the wait was well rewarded. This perfectly controlled sluggishness with clear moments of riffing that pulls you deeper and deeper is just what my heart and ears love. Clearly an album a sludge fan can not miss!
7 : Monocluster – Ocean
There are several bands on my list this year that bring you a very atmospherical experience. Monocluster is one of them. They deliver a heaviness of Kyuss with the clearness of Colour Haze. Music and the lyrics build something you will remember for a while.
6 : DÖ – Astral Death Cult
This is dööm metal from Finland. When you listen to this you can not help but imagine Vikings with warhammers marching to their imminent doom. When I listen to this I can’t help but smile with pure joy as I headbang so hard I bow to the ground with each beat.
5 : Mang Ont – Maa Sarv
One of the two bands on my list that are from Estonia. Mang Ont makes world-class crushing doom/drone metal. Their music is massive and majestic – just like the name Mang Ont (meaning mammoth) suggests.
4 : Latitudes – Part Island
It is very difficult to say what kind of metal this is. Post, doom, sludge, black? Does it matter? It is an emotional and spiritual journey different from most of the music you hear. Once you are carried by a beautiful melody and vocals and then dropped to a depth. It is yours to take in.
3 : TORPOR – Rhetoric of The Image
Another very atmospherical album. But this. This is heavier than everything else on my list. This music is large to say it simply. Larger than just metal music. And it makes you feel larger than anything else. Let your mind swallow it up and expand to infinity.
2 : Kannabinõid – III
The other band from Estonia. Crushing metal music that feels like it’s trashing and throwing you around the room. I saw them perform three times this year and I can honestly say they managed to keep the incredible tension you feel on the record in each live performance. Totally amazing!
1 : BEASTWARS – IV
The rawest and most emotional album I have ever heard. They captured me about half a year ago and actually have not let me go since then. I had a hard time placing other albums in this list, but there was no question which one was to be the first. This sludge metal album is pure uncut energy! Read the full review HERE.
Don't forget to check out the Top Albums of the other More Fuzz team members !
Honourable Mentions
Here are 10 more albums that basically all could be number 11 on the list:
Sweven – Red Giant To White Dwarf
LaGoon – The Unwelcome
Ocultum – Residue
Thonian Horde – Downfall
Withered Fist – This Is My Mountain
Lemurian Folk Songs – Ima
Lochness – Black Smokers
Gods & Punks – And The Celestial Ascension
Villagers of Ioannina City – Age of Aquarius
Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard – Yn Ol I Annwn
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