2019 has been a very rich, fruitful and eventful year for Metal. There's Necrobutcher revealing the he was on his way to kill Euronymus himself (hence sprouting an endless number of memes!), Abbath in Argentina, Papa Het entering the rehab, Dave Mustaine battling cancer (and so far, winning!), Possessed and Rammstein releasing a new album, Rage Against The Machine reuniting (heh, fuck you, My Chemical Romance!) Motley Crue finding several millions of reasons to resurrect, and finally, Slayer "officially" retiring to give way for Tom's pursuit of becoming the next Santa. Also, this year featured a sea of amazing releases from the magical realms of Power Metal to the nerdy Prog and the darkest abyss of Black Metal. Narrowing it down to just 12 is such a difficult job, so I decided I'll pick 13. Let's get started!

No. 13:

Artist: Possessed
Album: Revelations of Oblivion
Genre: Death/Thrash Metal

General Info:

Year of Formation: 1983
Label: Nuclear Blast

Back in 1985, Possessed released a brutal Thrash album called "Seven Churches" ' which laid a strong foundation for Death Metal (and Chinese restaurant font styles). That monster of a debut was followed up strongly by "Beyond The Gates". Ironically, what lied beyond the said gates was a loooong span of silence, with the band releasing only splits, compilations and a live album. After 33 years of silence, they returned with a scathing studio album called "Revelations of Oblivion". In this album, they have revived their Thrash/Death metal hybrid but with more inclination towards Death Metal.

No. 12:

Artist: Shadowstrike
Album: Legends of Human Spirit
Genre: Power Metal

General Info:

Year of Formation: 2010
Label: Independent

Here's your first Power Metal album in this list. Shadowstrike is New York-based quintet which released their debut album this year. The album, like the cover artwork, contains vibrant melodies crafted into perfection by a topnotch production and songwriting. The album contains speedy, shreddy songs with such a very positive vibe which can tickle the inner child in you. It has a perfect balance of simplicity and sophistication which makes it very easy to appreciate. Songs "Heart For Yearning Journey", "Fly With Me" and "Where Sleeping Gods Await" stick like glue, and the epic "Gales of Winter" is simply one of the best Power Metal songs this year had offered.

No. 11:

Artist: Twilight Force
Album: Dawn of the Dragonstar
Genre: Power Metal

General Info:

Year of Formation: 2011
Label: Nuclear Blast

Twilight Force was the breakout band of 2014 with their debut release "Tales of Ancient Prophecies". However, three years after their stellar entrance, a shocker came out ' they have parted ways with their vocalist. There's no denying that the sophomore record "Heroes of Mighty Magic" was a bit of a slump, and removing their original voice is another deadly blow ' so many wondered, "where will this lead the band?" Apparently, they have found a new frontman in Alessandro Conti. His theatrical vocals added another flavor to the band's sound, making their recent release "Dawn of the Dragonstar" sound like a debut release from a brand new band ' but this time, with more maturity. Behold the wizard of blizzard!

No. 10:

Artist: Eternity's End
Album: Unyielding
Genre: Power Metal

General Info:

Year of Formation: 2014
Label: Ram It Down Records

This is what happens when you let a Technical Death Metal guitarist form his Power Metal band. If you haven't heard yet, this band was founded by Christian Muenzner (ex-Necrophagist, ex-Obscura). Alongside him in this album was Iuri Sanson ' yes, the former voice of Hibria. With that couple of hints, you probably know what to expect: speedy slashy tempos, highly technical shreds, and a barrage of ultra-high notes. It has a theme that combines futuristic and fantasy concepts brought to life by a flawless execution of each contributor.

No. 09:

Artist: NorthTale
Album: Welcome to Paradise
Genre: Power/Heavy Metal

General Info:

Year of Formation: 2017
Label: Nuclear Blast

If you've been following Bill Hudson on social media, you can say he's a master of memes. Turns out, he's a "good" guitarist as well (woah! Surprise!), and co-founded this band called NorthTale with this "good" Swede singer Christian Eriksson back in 2018. Since then, they have developed a strong fanbase worldwide all thirsty for an album ' and they did not fail them. This year, their long-awaited and much-hyped debut release finally came out, and it turned out to be a diamond in the rough. "Welcome to Paradise" is a collection of 13 equally unique and epic songs that are reminiscent of Stratovarius, Hammerfall and Judas Priest ' with their own attitude and spirit! The album is never short of shreds as Bill showcased complete domination on the lead and rhythm guitars alongside Jimmy Pitts on the keyboards. Speaking of Jimmy Pitts, this is his second album in this list. Lookup Eternity's End's lineup. And yeah, gotta admit, that Swede guy Christian is one hell of a vocalist. For strange reasons, his voice sounds sooo damn familiar. (Wait, what? He's the former voice of Twilight Force!)

No. 08:

Artist: Dream Theater
Album: Distance over Time
Genre: Progressive Metal

General Info:

Year of Formation: 1985
Label: InsideOut Music

Dream Theater has to be one of those bands that could stay relevant forever and they do it by continually releasing highly creative and masterfully crafted albums. On the second month of this year, they released "Distance over Time" (velocity for short) ' an album that will quench your thirst for heavy Dream Theater tunes. "Barstool Warrior" and "Untethered Angel" are such infectious songs that really stood out in the album. Of course, another noticeable element in the album is that guitar clinic put on by John Petrucci.

No. 07:

Artist: Hammerfall
Album: Dominion
Genre: Heavy Metal

General Info:

Year of Formation: 1993
Label: Napalm Records

These veterans from Sweden has been around the business for 26 years, but still hasn't ran out of steel flowing through their veins. After their successful release "Built to Last" back in 2016, they followed it up bigtime with "Dominion".The album still parades that "steel meets steel" approach they have formulated since "Glory to The Brave", and features a barrage of sick and crunchy riffs alongside anthemic choruses. The title track kind of explains the album, but there's really a lot more to find in this record. Some say this album is among their best releases, depends on who you ask ' but one thing's for sure: that artwork must be their most badass!

No. 06:

Artist: Avantasia
Album: Moonglow
Genre: Power/Heavy Metal

General Info:

Year of Formation: 2000
Label: Nuclear Blast

Avantasia is every power metal fan's wet dream. Since the debut release, Tobi has invited and collaborated with the highest reputed and most decorated musicians metal has to offer. With "Moonglow", there are new musicians involved other than the usual suspects ' namely, Candice Night, Geoff Tate, Hansi Kursch, and Mille Petrozza. Like the cover art, the album contains a well-balanced darkness and brightness in the melodies and lyrics. It also contains vibrant rhythms and catchy tunes like the ones in the enchanted title track and in "Requiem fo a Dream". Talking about epicness, there lie the songs "The Raven Child" and "Book of Shallows" with the latter one featuring Mille Petrozza for an added spice.

No. 05:

Artist: Whitechapel
Album: The Valley
Genre: Deathcore

General Info:

Year of Formation: 2006
Label: Metal Blade Records

Here's an album that redefined the limits of Deathcore, from the band that's been pushing the genre forward for more than a decade. This album is arguably Whitechapel's best release, and one thing non-arguable about it is that this is their most mature release so far. The album is based on true events, as the title says ' and it's from the point of view of their frontman Phil Bozeman. That might explain how the clean vocals worked perfectly with their signature sound. Songs like "Hickory Creek", "When a Demon Defiles a Witch", "Forgiveness is Weakness" and "Lovelace" are such powerful anthems that come with such powerful blast.

No. 04:

Artist: Darkened Nocturn Slaughtercult
Album: Mardom
Genre: Black Metal

General Info:

Year of Formation: 1997
Label: War Anthem Records

This band might just be the most underrated Black Metal ensemble of all time. They are made notorious in the underground by their wicked live performances and the formidable duo of Velnias and Onielar. "Mardom" is their sixth studio album and it's filled with classic tunes accompanied by a menacing atmosphere bound together by a golden songwriting and outstanding production. Easily the best Black Metal release for this year.

No. 03:

Artist: Tanagra
Album: Meridiem
Genre: Progressive Metal

General Info:

Year of Formation: 2010
Label: Independent

Tanagra debuted in 2015 with "None of This is Real" ' a Power-Prog album with more inclination towards Power Metal. In their sophomore release this year, they turned to the other side of the pendulum to deliver a 64-minute masterpiece in "Meridiem".There are lots of elements in the album to keep you interested despite having lengthy songs. The title track is psychedelic, calm and epic all at the same time, and the album close "Witness" is monumental to say the least. The astonishing display of guitar virtuosity is what really pushed this album to a very high level, and Tom's multidimensional vocal prowess is well utilized. Place that together with a topnotch songwriting and flawless production and that's it ' a masterpiece.

No. 02:

Artist: Death Angel
Album: Humanicide
Genre: Thrash Metal

General Info:

Year of Formation: 1982
Label: Nuclear Blast

Here's your most underrated Thrash Metal band, Death Angel. More than 30 years into their career, these Bay Area thrashers proved that they are still pretty much alive and screaming with "Humanicide", creating new anthems such as "The Pack", "Aggressor", "Humanicide" and "Alive and Screaming". Age didn't seem to be a negative factor for the veterans as Rob Cavestany shown that he still has a lot of fuel left in his songwriting tank as Mark Osegueda effortlessly threw down sick primal screams on top of Will's drum avalanche.

No. 01:

Artist: Devin Townsend
Album: Empath
Genre: Progressive Metal

General Info:

Year of Formation: 1997
Label: InsideOut Music

And finally, the album of the year from none other than Devin Townsend. Among the albums released this year, this might just have the richest production. It transcends from tame, innocent poppy tunes to an angry and outrageous Death Metal in no time. The album has been dubbed as "the most Devin Townsend release ever" by many fans and journalists and I am on the affirmative side ' and I do personally believe that this album is the epitome of grandiose production and songwriting. It is also so ambient that listening to the album would take you to a completely different dimension.