In No Particular Order:
Band: Cellar Darling
Album: The Spell
General Information:
Year of Formation: 2016
Record Label: Nuclear Blast
From the artwork to the storyline to the accompanying videos, and most of all to the music itself, this is a stellar, one of a kind masterpiece. Reimagining the old tale of "Death and the Maiden" from the Maiden's perspective, this is a fully realized concept album that is at once sinister, deeply moving, and profoundly cathartic. Anna Murphy is one of progressive metal's finest composers and multi-instrumentalists, and guitarist-bassist Ivo Henzi and drummer Merlin Sutter are matchless in creating sonic texture and mood. A completely heartbreaking, brilliant work.
Band: Within Temptation
Album: Resist
General Information:
Year of Formation: 1996
Record Label: Spinefarm Records
Longtime WT fans were divided on this one, miffed that the Dutch band briefly put aside their symphonic metal base in favor of sounds and rhythms drawn from pop and hip-hop. But what proved to be a necessary break from at least some things power metal got singer Sharon den Adel out of a case of writer's block to great effect. The concerned global citizen and mom explores themes of oppression, government interference, and encroachments on privacy. She continues to have a knack for finding the exactly perfect singing partner (PAPA ROACH's Jacoby Shaddix on "The Reckoning," singer Jasper Steverlinck on the stunning "Firelight," IN FLAMES' Anders Friden on "Raise Your Banner"), and the glorious requiem for her late father that is "Supernova" was among my favorite songs of the year.
Band: Borknagar
Album: True North
General Information:
Year of Formation: 1995
Record Label: Century Media
If I saw the video for this album's hymn-like first single, "Voices," on my social media feed once, I saw it a dozen times. But that gorgeous dirge is only a tiny portion of how superb this album by the Norwegian veterans is. Pairing black and folk metal with progressive, almost avant garde song structures, and exploring themes of the ebb and flow of nature ("Thunderous"), the drive to create ("The Fire That Burns"), and the loss of a parent ("Wild Father's Heart"), among others, "True North" was an astonishing revelation.
Band: Legendry
Album: The Wizard and the Tower Keep
General Information:
Year of Formation: 2015
Record Label: High Roller Records
I could not peel this indie release by the Pittsburgh power metal band off my headphones after I heard it late in the year. Despite a frustrating vocal mix that mutes singer Vidarr's OZZY-like voice and his evocative storytelling, the songs are impeccably crafted, transitioning between styles, grooves, tempos, and moods with seamless ease. The middle trio of songs -- the title track, "The Lost Road," and the spectacular "Sorcery's Bane" -- transport you and get you lost, not just in terms of the story, but sonically, and that's exactly what the best metal should do.
Band: Manegarm
Album: Fornaldarsagor
General Information:
Year of Formation: 1995
Record Label: Napalm Records
I didn't understand a word -- it's all in Swedish, save for a bonus cover of MOTORHEAD's "(Don't Need) Religion" -- but "Fornaldarsagor" is eminently and irresistibly hummable, from the soaring guitar lines to the fabulous vocal melodies. It's filled with standouts, from the exhilarating thrill ride of "Hervors arv" to the you-are-there immediacy of "Ett sista farval" (as the Viking ship sails toward pillage and conquest, sung on its way by the grieving women, voiced by Ellinor Videfors), to the PANTERA-esque Texas swing of "Spjutbadden." Bassist and vocalist Erik Grawsio is a gifted descant singer (descant being singing above the melody to add embellishment and range) and that's a real treat, as are folk elements like the liberal use of traditional fiddle.
Band: Fleshgod Apocalypse
Album: Veleno
General Information:
Year of Formation: 2007
Record Label: Nuclear Blast
An impressive display of lyric virtuosity and cutting commentary on everything from drug abuse ("Sugar") to masucline sexuality ("Monnalisa") to religion ("Worship and Forget") to the demise of meaningful profound thought ("Pissing on the Score"), the Italian orchestral death metal band got it all right on this one. The devastatingly witty banter of "Absinthe" alone is unlike anything I've heard in a metal context. Sophisticated, elegant, beautiful, and brutal, it hit on all cylinders.
Band: Children of Bodom
Album: Hexed
General Information:
Year of Formation: 1993
Record Label: Nuclear Blast
It wound up being the swan song for three of the band's founding members and their status seems in doubt, but if "Hexed" was going to be the end of one of COB's chapters – and the marking of their 20th year as a band – it was certainly a good one. Apart from his famed guitar prowess, Alexi Laiho is a songwriter with a cynical, sarcastic bent and a sharp eye for the foibles of human nature. What will happen to them next is anyone's guess, but this was a positive, either as an ending or a jumping-off point.
Band: Eluveitie
Album: Ategnatos
General Information:
Year of Formation: 2002
Record Label: Nuclear Blast
Blisteringly heavy folk metal rooted in the metaphysical and mythological world, with many of its lyrics written in reconstructed Gaulish, "Ategnatos" is a challenging listen but well worth the effort needed to decipher it. Leader Chrigel Glanzmann is a writer of depth and thought, with an impressive vocabulary and a true gift for metaphor and wordplay. Their sound – a mix of electric and traditional instruments like hurdy-gurdy, fiddle, and whistle – is singularly their own, mimicked but never duplicated.
Band: Hammerfall
Album: Dominion
General Information:
Year of Formation: 1993
Record Label: Napalm Records
With much of it written on the road, "Dominion" has plenty of energy along with the Swedes' usual spit and polish. At once thoughtful ("Never Forgive, Never Forget", "Testify") and fun-loving ("(We Make) Sweden Rock," "One Against the World"), with a terrific optimistic closer ("And Yet I Smile"), this is a great add to their canon and further cements their power-metal place.
Band: The Dark Element
Album: Songs the Night Sings
General Information:
Year of Formation: 2017
Record Label: Frontiers Music
This was a late entry into my top 10, but it richly deserves to be there. On their second project together, Finnish guitarist-songwriter Jani Liimatainen crafted a host of personal, strong tracks that almost eerily reflect his singer's – former NIGHTWISH singer Anette Olzon – trials and tribulations and perspectives almost perfectly, from parenthood ("You Will Learn") to relationships ("Silence Between the Words") to her dismissal from her previous band ("Not Your Monster"). They do rely heavily on the trademark Nightwish sound, but the relatability of the lyrics is the real highlight here.
