Kevin Burke's Top 10 Albums of 2018
January 10, 2019
10.
Band: BLACK OATH
Album: Behold The Abyss
High Roller Records
2018 seen the atmospheric and highly addictive release "Behold The Abyss" by the colossal Italian doom-goth-metal outfit BLACK OATH, from first listen it is a dark-treat of bombastic noise, both heavily melodic and highly accessible, the maturity over the past twelve-years and three albums, has all led to this stunning creation, their first of perhaps many for the newly acquired label High Roller.
9.
Band: SCARLET AURA
Album: Hot N' Heavy
Sliptrick Records
'Hot 'N Heavy' by the Bucharest power-house may at times appear short on originality but, it makes up for it in the delivery and the approach taken to each song, yes it is old-school but perhaps albums such as this serve a purpose for Heavy Metal to survive into the next century.
8.
Band: SABER TIGER
Album: Obscure Diversity
Sliptrick Records
In 2018 SABER TIGER, the long-running Japanese based outfit released "Obscure Diversity", a concept album which rolls out as if a war has erupted, it displays a band who may be on the scene a number of years but, they are at their creative peak only now, a recording which glides back and forth across that line between progressive and straightforward balls out metal, a winning combination if done right, SABER TIGER hit the mark in every sense.
7.
Band: BLAZE BAYLEY
Album: December Wind
The singular acoustic-guitar is the basis and approach to the 2018 BLAZE BAYLEY release "December Wind", stripped back to the bare bones relying solely on the power of Bayley's voice to carry the recording and it works very well. Here the vocal-powerhouse pulls back on the band dimensions and instead produces a work of raw soul and great depth.
6.
Band: NEKROMANT
Album: The Nekromant Lives
Ripple Music
In 2018 NEKROMANT released an album which is the mutant offspring of classic heavy metal and the newer breed of doom metal, with a slice of speed on the side proving they have worked relentlessly hard on building this unique sound which has become "The Nekromant Lives".
5.
Band: ICARUS WITCH
Album: Goodbye Cruel World
Cleopatra Records
ICARUS WITCH returned in 2018 after an absence of almost six-years with a return to form of "Goodbye Cruel World", the follow-up to the 2012 classic "Rise", though apartheid rt from the music they have also acquired a new front man in vocalist Andrew D'Cagna, who breathes a new leash of life into the outfit and ICARUS WITCH sound fresh while keeping all the original elements very much intact.
4.
Band: BURNING WITCHES
Album: Hexenhammer
Nuclear Blast Records
The sisters-in-arms BURNING WITCHES have struck the right chord in 2018 with their second offering "Hexenhammer", the Swiss-quintet have been knocking on the door to success for the past two years, but here they give a monumental display of power, musicianship and of course doom-laden lyrics.
3.
Band: BLACK LABEL SOCIETY
Album: Grimmest Hits
Entertainment One Music
Early in 2018 Zakk Wylde and BLS set the bar incredibly high with the cranked-out release of "Grimmest Hits".
It is a spectacular showcase of Zakk doing what Zakk does best, tearing the ass out of a guitar in every opportunity that presents itself, on release this album understandably charted high, the misleading title a joke of sorts, though it is BLACK LABEL SOCIETY's strongest release in a while.
2.
Band: WEAPON UK
Album: Set The Stage Alight (Vinyl)
Pure Steel Records
WEAPON UK rolled out the red carpet of nostalgia in 2018 with the vinyl release of their essential "Set The Stage Alight", an album steeped with gritty-passion which had to remain held back until-2003 on CD and this yearwhat should have been its original format four-decades ago, but it gives an eclectic glimpse of what should have been. A band who are at the very roots of NWOBHM, a cog in the early machine that refuse to be just a footnote in history.
1.
BAND: JUDAS PRIEST
Album: Firepower
Epic
Priest struck back in 2018 with an outstanding cracker in "Firepower", against all odds with the sad news of Glenn Tipton being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and no return of former guitarist K.K. Downing, Halford and the remainder of the band delivered a spectacular album of raw metal which gives the impact of a wrecking ball, their finest work since "Painkiller".
Worthy Of A Mention;
BLADE KILLER- High Risk
THE FILTH HOUNDS- Hair Of The Hound?
PURSER/DEVERILL- Square One
HEAVY GENERATION - The Spirit Lives On
HEAVEN'S TRAIL - Lethal Mind
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