Top Ten Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Album’s of 2015

    Another year has come and gone with plenty of great releases to pick from, but only ten shall make this list. Alright, here are my picks:

10. Trials “This Ruined World” 

    Really enjoyed this Chicago based band’s diverse sound. You get a blend of thrash and progressive hard rock that molds one head crushing release. The music expresses such raw emotion and the lyrics are just as heavy as the riffs. I would even call this a guitar players album, because the riffs never cease to lose their strength and the sound is well captured by the album’s recording quality. Although the Cubs did not win the World Series this year(And most likely not this coming year), I think the people of Chicago can be proud of Trial’s new album. 

9. Vastum “Hole Below”

    Bay Area old school style death metal to grip your soul with unbelievable terror and brutality. Really impressed by their extreme songwriting skills. Also, the recording for this album is truly evil sounding as if it were recorded in the stinky smelly gutters of hell...a smell similar to that of the Oakland Harbor. All fans of the underground will rejoice when hearing this release. If you want a more in depth review of the album, you can find one on this blog in a previous post. 

8. Rivers of Nihil “Monarchy”

    Sometimes when I see a band live before listening to an album, I find that I have a better appreciation for the songs. I had only listened to the single from this album, but once I saw Rivers of Nihil perform live, I immediately started listening to the entire album. If you want a full guitar sound that hits hard and does not become boring after the first five riffs, this is the album to check out. Also, I found the instrumentals on the album to be well arranged and compliment the release’s overall atmosphere. Lastly, Dan Seagrave’s album art is out of this world!

7.  Abstracter "Wound Empire"

    A Bay Area sludge outfit that creates massive sounding musical worlds of unforgiving doom. Their sound could be used in a film where someone is walking amongst the ruins of a post-apocalyptic society. Also, the band skillfully constructs these dynamic atmospheres to achieve one of the most behemoth sounding releases to come out this year. Most people would not expect sludge metal to offer up such a dynamic sound, but that is what I think makes Abstracter such a solid band. I hope there will be more top quality releases from these guys in the future. 

6. Tempel “The Moon Lit Our Path” 

    A two piece from Arizona that knows how to create epic sounding instrumental metal music. There are some black metal style compositions, then there are some death metal style compositions, and then they add in some acoustic music to give the album a cinematic effect. Just really good instrumental metal music which creates an impressive sounding world that does not need any lyrics to get the imaginations of listeners to start working. Hollywood should get these guys to score a movie, because most of your movies coming out need something extra to justify an increase in prices! 

5. Royal Thunder “Crooked Doors”

    For their sophomore album Royal Thunder did not disappoint and created some powerful songs. Probably one of the best hard rock albums to come out this year. Also, singer and bassist Miny Parsonz sounded phenomenal on the album. The song “Time Machine,” sends chills up my spine and is a track that features deep raw musical expression that you will not hear from any crap pop or rap artist. Royal Thunder is another example of why rock is still alive...Gene Simmons you better hold off on your rock is dead comment.  

4. Helloween “My God Given Right”

    The German power metal icons do not fail to keep the music alive and kicking. When first putting the CD into my car I was hoping to hear them continue the solid sound that they had established with their last release, “Straight Out of Hell.” To be honest, I think this new album is even better than “Straight Out of Hell.” The band’s two guitar attack is elevated to an even greater level with more triumphant melodic leads and bombastic riffs. The songwriting is very solid and the band knows how to write catchy lyrics. They may be getting older, but they sure don’t sound like it! 

3. Egypt “Endless Flight” 

    Better late than never! This album came out in December of this year, so I almost did not add it to this list. Well, after a few days of listening to the album over and over again, I decided to throw it in the mix. This band is easily one of my favorite doom bands around and their sound is extremely solid. Egypt’s debut release, “Become the Sun,” was actually my number one album of 2013. This new offering continues their heavy grooving doom rock sound while adding some really catchy bluesy style riffs. The album’s recording quality is another high point and sounds as if it was recorded back in the seventies with vintage gear. Since the album came out so late, I think I will be still listening to it by the end of 2016! 

2. Scale the Summit “V” 

    These guys right here are probably one of the best modern progressive rock bands around. I thought the band’s last album was a brilliant mind bending release, but “V” is musically unbelievable. The production is top notch, the compositions are extremely well written and the band takes progressive rock into a new realm of instrumental imagination. Scale the Summit hits a progressive instrumental rock home run. I understand some people may not be fans of a strictly instrumental album, but for those of you who are looking for a great instrumental rock/metal album, this is one I would not hesitate to recommend. 

1. Night Demon “Curse of the Damned” 

    So here it is...my #1 album of the year. Looks like Rush did not release a new studio album, so they will not be appearing in the number one spot. Instead Night Demon’s debut release, “Curse of the Damned,” is the album that I think kicked total metal ass the entire year. Since releasing the album back in January, the Ventura, CA based trio has been touring relentlessly. These guys are passionate about heavy metal and their drive to create exciting old school NWOBHM type music is what makes “Curse of the Damned” stand out from the rest. Also, the songwriting is flawless and consistently enjoyable. Each song on the album is important and worth noting, so to pick one favorite track can be a difficult task. I do believe fans of traditional heavy metal will come to recognize Night Demon’s ambitious drive to inject some new life into an old style of metal that is still in high demand. As I have said numerous times since the band released their four song EP, they are going to really make an impact in the metal world. Be on the look out for more great material from Night Demon in the future! 

    There you have it folks! Those are my top ten albums of 2015. If you want to maybe throw out some albums that you felt should have been added, please feel free to comment below. Can’t wait for what 2016 has to offer!

Egypt "Endless Flight"

    Do not make your top hard rock and metal albums list of 2015 just yet! I knew that if I were to make my list in the beginning of December and publish it, I might be regretting my choice. Sure enough I was right, because this new Egypt release is definitely an album one cannot simply ignore. 

    For their sophomore album titled, “Endless Flight,” Egypt channels their inner blues and doom talents to create a five song juggernaut. The trio continues the sound and efforts that could be heard on their debut release, “Become the Sun,” an album that I considered my top album to come out in 2013. The Fargo, ND based band slams through endless doom rock riffs that groove through cosmic vintage sounding musical landscapes on the new album. For a trio they have such a full sound that really crafts some of the best doom tracks around. 

    The album begins with the bluesy behemoth title track, “Endless Flight.” Lasting about nine and a half minutes in length, the song contains some clever guitar parts and straightforward earth shaking rhythms. Instantly guitarist Neil Stein make his presence aware by laying down a killer blues piece. The band then sets the song on cruise control and jams away on the reverb soaked main verse. Towards the middle of the song band slows down tempo for a haunting doom atmosphere where Neil once again rips away with a fantastic solo. 

    Track number two, “The Tomb,” begins with a catchy bass riff from bassist and singer Aaron Esterby. Soon after the bass riff is joined by the guitar and drums to construct a haunting highway of doom rock. Aaron’s raspy growl type vocals are the perfect match for the sinister groove sounding compositions. Chad Heille’s drumming serves as the main backbone during the song and creates these rhythms that sound so fluid. The music opens up this dark psychedelic door that never loses its edge. 

    Now, I remember hearing song number three, “Tres Madres,” when the band previewed it on SoundCloud. The music conveys this classic seventies sound and offers some crushing riffs. Neil’s solo utilizes one of the most vintage sounding tones to achieve a brilliant lead. Aaron and Chad’s playing during Neil’s solo was very powerful as well, and the two of them sounded locked into that main verse riff. Track four, “Black Words,” shrouds the musical land with distorted terror. Aaron’s shouts send chills down the spine as the guitar riff slowly thunders across the ground like a giant walking down a mountain. The band picks up the pace a few times during the song to offer up a killer old school doom vibe. 

    Finishing up the album, “Shaman’s March,” reminds me of the song “The Village is Silent,” which is from their last album. Both songs feature this massive doom atmosphere which draws me in right away. There is so much raw emotion put into the music that every time the band lays down a crushing riff, I feel the force of the riff hitting my bones. “Shaman’s March,” was quite possibly the best way to end this colossal sounding album. 

    As I said before, do not think to write up those top 2015 albums of the year lists just yet. Egypt’s “Endless Flight,” not only maintains that solid sound from their previous album, but finds more ways to accomplish an even greater bluesy doom offering. The ability to create consistent heavy grooving cuts of music, is just one reason why these guys are one of my favorite doom bands around. There is no dual moment on this endless doom odyssey, so you should all go and check out this album now! 

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