Manilla Road - Spirits of the Dead

Mystification playing. This band was just so original, as heavy metal goes. You hear a random song and instantly know it's them.

Oceans Of Slumber-S/T.

I missed the boat on this last year because my local record shop had a hard time getting the vinyl in stock (I prefer to support this business than mail order). Had I heard it and really digested it last year, it would’ve easily made my top 10.

Absolutely incredible album, Cammie and Dobber turn in career performances and the new members completely kill it. Lots of emotional gravitas throughout, especially in Cammie’s performance.

I can totally see why this is niche, though.

Orden Ogan - Reality Lost

This kind of clever, oddball melodic metal has always been a backbone of my taste in metal. The kinds of things that just exist in time and then never really again because the bands stopped or changed sound. This thing has some fucking gorgeous melodies really.

Thin Lizzy - Black Rose

Had never heard this through, so enjoyable to finally hear in it's entirety!

Maiden - Wildest Dreams

Because every now and then, it's only far to give Dance of Death another spin. Operation: don't get bored during Paschendale is GO !

Abigail Williams - Hope the Great Betrayal

Top tier Dimmu Borgir worship.

https://www.metal-archives.com/albums/A ... %29/513817

Abigor - Supreme Immortal Art (Instrumental 1997)

Listening to this demo stripped raw just reminds me how talented P.K. and T.T. are as musicians.

Hypocrisy- Soldier of Fortune

End of Disclosure is not by any means their best album, but continuing to play off of A Taste of Extreme Divinity sound was smart. Just a killer track with some sorrowful melodies.

Lovebites - Thunder Vengeance

All girl Japanese power thrash that RIPS. This kicks so much ass.

Sir Lord Baltimore - Kingdom Come

Very good stuff

Hecate Enthroned - An Ode for a Haunted Wood

This does indeed sound a lot like earlier COF.
Less goth influenced, but still quite similar.

Dissection - Unhallowed

Classic melodic black/death metal with stunning lead guitarwork

Portal - Seepia

Some of the shit these guys play makes me want to quit guitar. Pretty cool, nice to hear not-as-murky Portal.

Rush - Working Man

One of the greats.

Sankara - Total Liberation of the Human Race

Found this after seeing the whole "NSBM vs RABM" thread, and I must say, this fucking slaps. Even though it's technically not RABM because its death metal, it still has that blast beat war metal element to it.
Even music about communism and animal rights can make you wanna wear sunglasses indoors and lift weights like a bestial war monke

Proclamation - Messiah of Darkness and Impurity

Proclamation is suck an underrated war metal band

Silent Line- Shattered Shores

Absolutely gorgeous melodies. This album is perfect. "Black and White," has one of the catchiest riffs I've heard in melo death.

Fuck yeah dude, I got all four of their albums from NWN recently and they've been on rotation on my turntable ever since

Bal-Sagoth - The Dark Liege of Chaos is Unleashed at the Ensorcelled Shrine of A'zura-Kai (The Splendour of a Thousand Swords Gleaming Beneath the Blazon of the Hyperborean Empire Part II)

I'm glad they chose a short, subtle and easy to remember title.
Their music is equally as subtle.

That title only works if you emphasize every word with "AAAAH" the way they did it live.

Definitely a completely iconoclastic group of musicians, Byron in particular.

Twilightning - Enslaved to the Mind

Both their first two for me were ones I felt like, as a kid, that I had to somewhat bash to be "true metal" or whatever. But they were really clever hook writers.

Grave - Haunted.

Been revisiting quite a lot of the Swedish death metal staples lately. Really feel as if Grave doesn't get their due compared to the other big names (Entombed, Dismember, Unleashed ect).

Gorgoroth - The Devil Is Calling

Nice doomy black metal. The lyrics are interesting. They are Satanic, of course, but they are almost a warning to any person playing around with this stuff. A cautionary tale.

Gwar - Beyond Hell

Should've been called Beyond Awesome.

Watain - The Serpent's Chalice

I still maintain that Sworn to the Dark is one of their best albums, it seems to get a bit of dismissal compared to the earlier / later stuff. Awkward middle child I suppose.

Count Raven - The Poltergeist

A long time favourite band I haven't touched in years. How consistent can doom metal be!

I heard of Hecate after I had been into Cradle and haven't had time to dig into them enough. Different enough to make it a worthwhile listen?


Satyricon - With Ravenous Hunger

Kind of chaotic, not sure this album is gripping me like the two following records do. Definitely a band that likes to change things up.

Swallow the Sun - When Shadow is Forced into the Light

I'm really not familiar with their earlier material, though I really enjoy this album, shall have to check it out.

Galactic Cowboys - Machine Fish. Has to be some of the crunchiest beefiest guitars I have ever heard on a record. By far one of the dumbest names of a band I have ever heard. I would love to see them at a loud venue someday and see them play these songs.

Forest Grave - The Light Through the Trees (Part III)

Primitive and repetitive.
Great project.

Abigor makes the perfect combination of raw black metal with melody and synths. Amazing band.

Although they seem to be direct copy cats of Blasphemy at first glance their album "Nether tombs of abandon" is fantastic.

Sonic Youth - Pipeline/Kill time

Post punk legends.

Diamond Head - The Sleeper

This album basically sees a classic band taking the best things about both Dio Sabbath and old Rainbow and using them marvelously... it's a real gestalt of super epic shit.

The not so NWOBHM bands Diamond Head, Satan, Angel Witch, Cloven Hoof and Hell have all released fantastic albums in recent year's, long may they continue.

I'm still processing this one as it's new to me in the past month - but this might be one of the best ones.

Cannibal Corpse - Dead Human Collection

This, as well as Pounded Into Dust, The Spine Splitter, and Condemned to Agony are my favorite tracks off of Bloodthirst.

Hammerfall- Built to Last

It's so boring.

Lamb Of God - Ghost Walking

This album is truly apocalyptic... great for the era of Covid!

Morbid - December Moon

Always thought this was Dead's best work