Well, that was interesting. I've traditionally posted my thoughts and two cents on the year in metal as a Facebook note. Apparently, that discontinued this year after Halloween. Not sure if I can get any of those writings back but that sucks, if not. If I can, somebody please tell me how. I had a post from years ago about organized religion that I really liked.
Anyways, you came here to read my thoughts on metal this year. 2020 may have sucked in many ways, but there was definitely not a shortage of great metal records released this year. Holy cats! My top 10 was extremely hard to narrow down and I had been putting this off because I couldn't get past 12. The sub-genre of death metal alone could've been my top 10 records of 2020. While the majority of this list isn't in any order, I will say my top 2 are.
I'm slightly embarrassed to admit that my #2 was very late on my radar and I hadn't even heard of the band until Max Cavalera introduced them to me on Liquid Metal. The album released in April and I discovered the band and that record for the first time in November. Better late than never, eh?
Without further ado, here we go...
1. Code Orange - Underneath
How easy would it have been to repeat Forever? What a great hardcore record that was. This band was a slow burner for me. I first caught wind of them as Code Orange Kids (early adapter here) and didn't think too much of them. Fast forward a few years and they dropped "kids" from their moniker (smart decision), matured as a band, and found their sound. That is, until Underneath. This record is unlike anything they've released up until this point. They've perfected an album that blends industrial, hardcore, and metal flawlessly. Full disclosure, I wouldn't even consider myself to be a fan of this band and this record is, what I believe to be, the best record of 2020. Obviously, that's super subjective.
I've held the belief for a long time that if you can get someone to turn their head and pay attention to what you're doing, no matter what you're doing, you're onto something. That's exactly what Code Orange did with this album for me. Candlemass did that for me in 2009 with Death Magic Doom, Cattle Decapitation did that for me with Monolith of Inhumanity in 2012, and Code Orange did it with Underneath in 2020.
This is a truly interesting album and like a fine wine or a complex beer, you notice things upon multiple listens that you didn't previously catch. Not album related, but if you didn't catch their Halloween live stream, you missed out. These guys just get it when it comes to live shows in 2020. It was the best live streaming show I saw this year.
2. Ripped to Shreds - Luan
I didn't realize I needed this album and it's clear to me why Max loves this band, it's very reminiscent of early Sepultura. Deathened thrash, thrashened death, whatever your preferred hybrid of metal subgenres is, they blend death and thrash together like spaghetti and meatball. This is the band you want on after about 5-6 beers. You warmed up with Metallica and Death, maybe a little Slayer and Dismember thrown in there, and now you've hit your buzz. You want something that's fresh and new, but also pays homage to the greats before them. You're ready to hit the pit, circle or regular. This is that band and album. While they certainly aren't reinventing the wheel, sometimes that's not needed. If you're really good at your craft and what you do, people will notice. Lars may be jealous of their drummer, but will respect his speed.
They certainly take a page out of the Swedish (specifically Stockholm scene) death metal scene, as well as late 80's/early 90's death metal. My understanding is these guys have Taiwan origins. If that's the case, I certainly hope this is the next Sweden scene of metal. Try finding this record online, it's hard to do. For a band you probably aren't super familiar with, the underground has already sold out of this record. Dig deep to find the good stuff. It's always there.
At this point, none of the records have a particular order and was also super hard to narrow down to 8. I fudged it a little bit by including a "local" section but it's my post and list, I'll do what I want.
3. Katatonia - City Burials
Switching gears to a very melancholy record. this was a little bit of a sleeper record for me this year. I've been a fan of the band since The Great Cold Distance and while I don't feel like they have a bad record in their catalog, I didn't expect much here. It's kind of like listening to a new AC/DC record, you know what to expect out of them at this point. What's become the norm for many of us this year, I have been working from home since March. Knowing what to expect, it started out as an album I played in the background while I worked. Granted, what I do isn't rocket science, but it does require planning and concentration on improvement for the business. I soon found myself playing this quietly in the background while working, to looking forward to my lunch break when I could blast it and get the full effect. And that my friends is the beautiful thing about this record, it's great either way. For whatever reason, and could quite possibly be due to the work from home situation, but I've noticed this record more so than their previous releases. Not that those fell on deaf ears, but this just hits the spot. Fun track that's outside of their comfort zone a little bit - "Lacquer"
4. Vile Creature - Glory, Glory! Apathy Took Helm!
Once you get passed the exclamations in the record title, you'll find yourself immersed in the most desolate, bleak, despair of humanity record that came out in 2020, and how fitting for this year. Let's be clear, this is not a battle record you're playing as you fight off the Covid zombies. This is what's blasting as you realize we're all fucked, there's no hope for humanity, and your iceberg is melting while there's nothing you can do to make others care about it or you. Yes, it's dark, it's doom, and a lot of gloom. But if you are of strong mind and can put yourself their psychologically speaking, you'll enjoy the trip and be able to pull yourself back out. This is a Canadian duo and if you would've told me these two came out of Seattle or Portland, I wouldn't have questioned you for a second. This is depressing doom metal. Maybe don't watch CNN for six hours straight before going into this record. Or maybe you should, that might help appreciate it more. Either way, this is a fantastic record and one that should be fully appreciated either on vinyl or in headphones.
5. Skeletal Remains - The Entombment of Chaos
Picking up the PMA here, what a fun death metal record this is. These guys are still relatively new to the scene but you wouldn't know it by listening to them. They are well versed on the classic Obituary, Cannibal Corpse, Death, and Deicide records. You want to start a pit at your house with your metalhead friends? Throw this record on. These guys show a lot of promise in their young career and are also super nice dudes. I was fortunate enough to talk to a couple of the guys at Full Terror Assault and they are as down to earth and as nice as can be. Was this the heaviest record of the year? No. Is that the goal of every death metal record? Also no. It remains to be seen where this record will land among the classic death metal records of the 2020's, but this is a great start to this decade.
6. Nite - Darkness Silence Mirror Flame
Might be the newest band on this list. Formed in 2018 and making their debut album here, they fully understand the importance of appreciating the occult, black metal, rock and roll, and album art. I can't say with 100% certainty, but I believe I heard about this band from Black Dahlia Murder's Trevor Strnad. He always has his ear to the ground and often times is onto bands from their EP. These guys just fully appreciate the heavy metal genre, as their songs beck and call elements of traditional, black, and heavy metal. These guys have made me a fan and I'm glad I'm onto them early. I truly hope they can keep this up. I feel like of the bands on my list of top 10 of 2020, they have the hardest task to repeat a "best year end list" because they don't fit neatly into any one category. With that being said, rules are meant to be broken and I hope they can, to quote Jim Morrison, "break on through to the other side" for years to come.
7. Ozzy Osbourne - Ordinary Man
Did anyone else see this coming? Because if you did, you're fucking lying. Nobody would've said "yes, please take Post Malone's producer, throw him on guitar, bring in the legendary Duff McKagen on bass, and also legendary Chad Smith on drums to make a studio album and have it turn out to be a great album. With "Scream", "Black Rain", and "Down to Earth" having preceded that, nobody saw this good of an album up Ozzy's sleeve. Maybe something needs to be said for his producer, Andrew Watt. I'll be honest, my rap game isn't strong so I had no idea who Watt was before this record. But I'll be damned if he didn't revive Ozzy's studio albums. The great Ozz man sounds as good as he did on Blizzard of Ozz. My favorite track off this record is probably the least metal song on there. I'll be damned if I don't love the shit out of the title track with Sir Elton John. Tell me that's a bad song to my face and I'll call you an Uber before I kick your ass and tell you you're wrong, along with everyone else in the bar when I play that on the jukebox.
8. Midnight - Rebirth by Blasphemy
I was late to this band but I am fully on board now. Combine Venom with Motorhead (not much of a stretch of the imagination) and add a little 80's glam sleaze to it and you'll get Midnight. Straight out of the most boring state in the US, these guys found inspiration, filth, and darkness enough to write a great record. This was my most played record of 2020 but that also has to do with the release date being in January. Doesn't matter, these guys deliver with many punches on this record. If you only hear one track of this record, make it the first one, "Fucking Speed and Darkness". I say that because if you don't push the gas pedal down a little bit and crank the volume, you may as well either be dead or move onto the next Bieber record. This record needs to be played loud, maybe throw in some booze, and at least, eh fuck it, if I lost you at the first two qualifications, there's no saving you. Hail Midnight!
9. Ulcerate - Stare Into Death and Be Still
I seriously hope that Ulcerate and Nile can coordinate years that they release records. This is satisfying my taste for brutal/technical death metal. This is a really great record and I feel like a lot of people either slept on this record or didn't even have it on their radar. While Skeletal Remains had my favorite purest death metal record release of this year, this is probably my favorite serious death metal record of this year. You only need to listen to the title track to understand that this is a great record. Full disclosure, it was between this and the Necrot album from this year that had me really hung up. That's a good thing. Death metal is my favorite sub-genre of metal and I'm elated to have had made the decision between two great death metal records for my top 10. I look forward to the next Necrot album, as I believe they will hit their peak then.
10. Black Dahlia Murder - Verminous
I get so pumped (like fist bumping the air pumped) whenever a BDM song comes on. The thing is, I don't think any BDM record has ever made my year end list. They are consistently great at what they do and that works to their disadvantage in some regard. When you consistently put out grade A quality death metal, you are your own biggest competitor. Fans come to expect that of you. It's the Napalm Death/Cannibal Corpse syndrome. You're too good for your own good. But this time, BDM has enlisted the talents of Brandon Ellis on the past two records and he truly gets to shine here. Their previous album "Nightbringers" is solid, but he's totally in his groove with band founder Brian Eschbach on this album. This is one of the most rifftastic records the band has made.
I am of the firm belief that the Black Dahlia Murder is incapable of writing a bad record. With that being said, this is their finest hour, and the first of theirs that made my year end top 10 list.
By technicality, I'm including my two favorite local band records.
Ikaray - No Borders
I had only heard of this band before I met a member of the band who ended up being the last bartender to serve me beers before the world shut down in March. He complimented me on my Primitive Man shirt, which has never happened before. I responded with, "clearly you have impeccable taste in music, how do you know this band", and it went from there. Turns out, we were both at the Cult of Luna show at the Chicago House of Blues. Post metal is a fickle bitch, most metal heads don't fully get or appreciate it. Anyways, these guys do a great job of it.
Rezn - Chaotic Divine
This shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone who knows me. I have a deep love for this stoner riffing that comes from Rezn. How many other bands do you know that can deliver a stellar saxophone solo? These guys know no borders and I'm a full believer that you only need to see them once to understand what they're doing, if by chance, you're mind isn't already warped after a listening session to their discography.
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