Dave "That Metal Guy" Campbell's Top 10 of 2015
January 8, 2016
No. 10:
Band: Thormesis
Album: Freier Willie Freier Geist
General Info:
Year of Formation: 2006
Record Label: MDD Records
THORMESIS is about the most original and unique Black Metal band that I have come across and this album is for me their best work. Though they retain traditional elements of the genre that fans have come to expect, they branch out fearlessly with in surprising but pleasing ways, ensuring that you will never tire of their sound. This isn't your father's Black Metal band folks, but rather the soundtrack of all the promise that is the future of this genre.
No. 9:
Band: Gorod
Album: Maze of Recycled Creeds
General Info:
Year of Formation: 2005
Record Label: Unique Leaders Records
Formerly known as "GORGASM," GOROD has a well-respected fan base and some of the tightest instrumentation that you will hear performed to the high level that it is on this album. They flawlessly combine the genres of Death, Black, and Progressive Metal with a sprinkling of Jazz in a synergistic way that seems like it would be impossible to do. The technical prowess and musicianship is exceptional.
No. 8:
Band: Nightwish
Album: Endless Forms Most Beautiful
General Info:
Year of Formation: 1996
Record Label: Nuclear Blast Records
Though NIGHTWISH really needs no introduction to the music community, the first album with another new singer can always be a daunting task. Coupled with the ability to remain fresh so far into their career that they are, and we could have had a recipe for disaster. Not only is this not the case, but I feel this is the band's best album to date. The epic, monstrous orchestration is at an all-time high, yet the songs remain accessible, fun and easy to listen to.
No. 7:
Band: Soilwork
Album: The Ride Majestic
General Info:
Year of Formation: 1996
Record Label: Nuclear Blast Records
SOILWORK is a long-standing and respected Melodic Death Metal band from the great Metal country of Sweden. Fusing the deepest and most furious Death Metal with splendid, sugary sweet melodies, "The Ride Majestic" is exactly as it sounds; a fluid and regal voyage over both unrelenting, wrathful seas, and calm, warm water with clear skies bliss. They have always had a knack for deep, impenetrable intensity that they can cut clean in half with their glittering vocal harmonies and that is on full display in this new album.
No. 6:
Band: Wolfheart
Album: Shadow World
General Info:
Year of Formation: 2013
Record Label: Spinefarm Records
Formerly a side project of BEFORE THE DAWN singer Tuomas Saukkonen, the band is now full time with the release of this new album. If you let this album fly under the radar, you are missing one of the years must stalwart, intense and bone crushing Metal albums out there. The tracks are so regal and confident that they would be fit for a week long funeral procession of the greatest of history's most revered kings, pharaohs and conquerors.
No. 5:
Band: Tesseract
Album: Polaris
General Info:
Year of Formation: 2007
Record Label: Kscope Records
Some people might not know what to make of this Progressive/Experimental Metal band from the United Kingdom, but with this new album, the devil is in the details as they often day. At times you can flow along with the baseline Progressive sound and find comfort in a semblance of order and chord progressions that speak to harmonies that you can grab and feel. Other times however they music seems to lift off the page and dance in front of you in another dimension that transcends time, space and matter.
No. 4:
Band: Amorphis
Album: Under the Red Cloud
General Info:
Year of Formation: 1990
Record Label: Nuclear Blast
AMORPHIS is one of the eldest exports in the Death Metal genre from the great country of Finland, and a band that has continually changed and evolved with each new album. I have never ceased to be amazed at how they have re-invented themselves along their journey, and have solidified themselves as a band that can cannot pigeon-holed. "Under the Red Cloud" for me is one of the strongest albums in their entire inventory as a band. The songs toggle effortlessly between ethereal, folky sounds, the most brutal bombast that Death Metal has to offer, and unabashed melody that you can embrace without guilt.
No. 3:
Band: Enshine
Album: Singularity
General Info:
Year of Formation: 2009
Record Label: Rain Without End Records
It's pretty rare to find a new band like this to make such an impact on the Metal community so as to appear this high on a list of "Top 10 Metal Albums of 2015," but one listen to the album and you will be as hooked as I was. They are an Atmospheric Doom/Death band who craft sorrow and hope with all the skill of a band like INSOMNIUM. There are so many intricate complexities within the framework of the genre that bring deep textures and moments of pure inspiration.
No. 2:
Band: Chaos Divine
Album: Colliding Skies
General Info:
Year of Formation: 2005
Record Label: Firestarter Records
As far as Progressive Metal albums go, this is the year's best. This Australian band explores melody to infinity and beyond on this album, with absolutely soaring vocal harmonies that send chills down your spine and affix a permanent smile onto your face. From start to finish, there is not one mediocre track on this exhilarating collection of songs. Though some Progressive Metal can linger in too much complexity, "Colliding Skies" breathes openly and freely and speaks to your very soul.
No. 1:
Band: Solution .45
Album: Nightmares in the Waking State, Part One
General Info:
Year of Formation: 2007
Record Label: AFM Records
Originally a side project, this Melodic Death Metal band is now full-time with the release of their second album. What sets them apart from their peers is the way that they combine the traditional elements of Death Metal with enchanting melodies and clean vocals. At times, some of the tracks make you feel down and hopeless, and at other times burning alive with fire and determination. They can impart emotions that run the gamut, and some that you didn't even know you had inside. This is an album of Impactful, emotional, meaningful and memorable music.
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