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Napalm_Satan
Ever-Opening Flower

Joined: Sat Apr 18, 2015 4:27 pm
Posts: 3812
Location: United Kingdom
PostPosted: Wed Jan 02, 2019 11:42 am 
 

It's not as good as All Fours (which in a list for metal albums from 2015 would probably be 1st unless i'm forgetting something) but oh man, still an explosive album.
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Empyreal
The Final Frontier

Joined: Thu Nov 30, 2006 6:58 pm
Posts: 35183
Location: Where the dead rule the night
PostPosted: Wed Jan 02, 2019 12:23 pm 
 

burnroasted wrote:
narsilianshard wrote:
Pretty shocked to see Judicator only got one vote other than my own, and Dire Peril got zero (it was probs number 11 or 12 for me). Two of the best power metal records of the year by far; I've had John Yelland's buttery vocals stuck in my head for a solid six months.

I would of included Judicator if I had remembered to vote lol. Would've bumped Thaurorod up too and put Tad Marose on the board


Tad Morose was in the top 15-20 for me... I'm waiting for them to get even better on their next one and hopefully finally have something of the quality of their classic three urban breed albums again.
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~Guest 334273
Veteran

Joined: Tue Apr 01, 2014 2:19 am
Posts: 2513
PostPosted: Wed Jan 02, 2019 12:29 pm 
 

FirebathDan wrote:
burnroasted wrote:
What's up with the amorphis hate?


I don't hate Amorphis-they are actually one of my all time favorites and Elegy is an unquestionable desert island disc for me.

I guess the last two did not click with me after the first few listens (Circle was the last one that did), but I am now seeing they are both highly regarded, so it is possible I did not give either album enough time.



Praise thy words! The only thing better than Elegy is listening Elegy two times! :)

The new one seems to be better than Under.. but even if some songs are good the riffs sound really predictable, this spoils a lot my entusiasm

I didn't listen enough new albums to make a decent list, but Satan, Sigh, Voivod and Tribulation were instant buys for me. I'll probably spend the next year by checking the top 2018 lists

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Thrasher42472
Mallcore Kid

Joined: Wed Jan 02, 2019 12:17 am
Posts: 3
Location: Philadelphia, PA.
PostPosted: Wed Jan 02, 2019 1:41 pm 
 

Quote:
Visigoth – Conqueror's Oath
Quote:


I applaud you sir, definitley been my favorite pick for all the 2018 releases for the year as well.

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Wrldeatr
Metal newbie

Joined: Wed Mar 14, 2012 11:13 pm
Posts: 377
Location: United States
PostPosted: Wed Jan 02, 2019 2:39 pm 
 

Thanks for all that work.

I wonder if participation has increased or decreased over the years. I mean just 135 ballots...

Anyways lots of stuff in the list I'm not familiar with at all. Disappointed that some of the bands on my list didn't score very well. But glad I read through all of it. I had no idea that Centaurus-A came out with an album this year.

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Lyrici17
Metalhead

Joined: Tue Sep 16, 2008 3:20 am
Posts: 1445
Location: United States of America
PostPosted: Wed Jan 02, 2019 2:56 pm 
 

First off, thanks to BastardHead for doing this!!!


Secondly, here is my list:

01) Immortal "Northern Chaos Gods" (23rd)
02) Toledo Steel "No Quarter" (rando)
03) Blackslash "Lightning Strikes Again" (rando)
04) Seven Sisters "The Cauldron and the Cross" (rando)
05) Hitten "Twist of Fate" (104th)
06) Ancient Empire "Eternal Soldier" (rando)
07) Judas Priest "Firepower" (8th)
08) Manacle "No Fear to Persevere..." (rando)
09) Stygian Oath "Stygian Oath" (174th)

Spiner202 wrote:
-While not good enough for my top 10, major props to whoever voted for the following: Substratum, Fortress, Tantara, and Eternity's End


10) Substratum "Stratosphere" (rando)

I'll take credit for Substratum! Interestingly, I decided to bump off Visigoth from 10 to let Substratum into my top 10 because I figured Visigoth didn't need my 10th place vote -- and they didn't. Too bad Substratum split up a few months back (and they also released another album, "Permission to Rock", in 2018).


4 of my votes made the list, and then my other 6 made the rando corner. Immortal and Judas Priest I was not surprised to see get additional votes, but was very happy to see both Hitten and Stygian Oath get some more love!


If you like traditional heavy metal/NWOTHM at all, I highly suggest all of my randos:

Toledo Steel "No Quarter" https://dissonanceproductions.bandcamp. ... no-quarter
Blackslash "Lightning Strikes Again" https://blackslashband.bandcamp.com/alb ... ikes-again
Seven Sisters "The Cauldron and the Cross" https://dissonanceproductions.bandcamp. ... -the-cross
Ancient Empire "Eternal Soldier" https://ancientempire.bandcamp.com/albu ... al-soldier
Manacle "No Fear to Persevere..." https://manacleheavymetal.bandcamp.com/ ... ersevere-2
Substratum "Stratosphere" https://substratum-seattle.bandcamp.com ... ratosphere

PS: If I had to do this list over, I'd probably drop out Ancient Empire (I liked the album a lot, but it fell a bit for me as December went on -- I voted too early!!) and either slotted in the aforementioned Visigoth, or the albums from Monotheist or Panopticon.
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Unorthodox
Metalhead

Joined: Sun Mar 05, 2006 8:08 pm
Posts: 2347
PostPosted: Wed Jan 02, 2019 3:05 pm 
 

I don't have ten albums because I listened to a lot of other things this besides metal this year and was frankly underwhelmed with a lot of what I heard. I like some of this classic heavy metal/power metal shit that has made a comeback over the last few years, but the bulk of it is just not for me.

Good thing is that not a single one of the top 10 are albums I've checked out, so it looks like a lot of the best material from this year I still have yet to hear :thumbsup:


1- Depths Above- Ex Nihilo
2- Drudkh- They Often See Dreams About The Spring
3- CRAFT- White Noise and Black Metal
4- Immortal- Northern Chaos Gods
5- Behemoth- I Loved You at Your Darkest
6- Soreption- Monument Of The End
7- Vomitor- Pestilent Death
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MikeyC
Official Greeter of Broken Hills

Joined: Wed Jun 14, 2006 5:16 am
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Location: Australia
PostPosted: Wed Jan 02, 2019 3:06 pm 
 

Unorthodox wrote:
1- Depths Above- Ex Nihilo

I liked this one, too, but I need to give it more spins to get more familiar with it.
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CoconutBackwards
Bullet Centrist

Joined: Thu Dec 01, 2016 2:02 pm
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 02, 2019 5:37 pm 
 

I fucked up and missed the cutoff. *cries*

Here's my list anyway:

1. Eneferens - The Bleakness of Our Constant
2. Riverside - Wasteland
3. Barren Earth - A Complex of Cages
4. Frozen Land - Frozen Land
5. Bonjour Tristesse - Your Ultimate Urban Nightmare
6. Satan - Cruel Magic
7. Altars of Grief - Iris
8. Wytch Hazel - II: Sojourn
9. Tribulation - Down Below
10. Huntsmen - American Scrap

I really enjoy the end of year list, so I'm really kicking myself in the ass for missing the deadline this year.
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Cianan
Metal newbie

Joined: Sat May 06, 2006 10:40 am
Posts: 376
PostPosted: Wed Jan 02, 2019 6:06 pm 
 

1. Druid Lord - Grotesque Offerings
2. Délétère - De horae leprae
3. Hooded Menace - Ossuarium Silhouettes Unhallowed
4. Drudkh - Їм часто сниться капіж (They Often See Dreams About the Spring)
5. Human Serpent - For I, the Misanthropist
6. Gutter Instinct - Heirs of Sisyphus
7. Grave Upheaval - [Untitled]
8. Infernal Coil - Within A World Forgotten
9. Outer Heaven - Realms of Eternal Decay
10. Hate Eternal - Upon Desolate Sands

Such a fantastic year for metal. Glad to see Visigoth snag number 1, as I got a ton of enjoyment out of that album as well. Glad to see some others voted for Druid Lord and Hooded Menace!
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BastardHead
Worse than Stalin

Joined: Thu Aug 18, 2005 7:53 pm
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Location: Oswego, Illinois
PostPosted: Wed Jan 02, 2019 6:27 pm 
 

Napalm_Satan wrote:
Wonder if anyone's ever had ten randos on their list before.


In the previous two years, there actually was! Both years, user thewrll submit a ballot with what would ultimately be ten randos. Somehow both years I forgot to count his ballot. I felt so fucking terrible that I made damn sure to quadruple check his ballot this year to make sure I entered it. And whaddaya know, he had non-randos this year. I kept tally slightly differently this year so it's much harder for me to know offhand if somebody submit a rando-only ballot, the user themselves would have to be the one to point it out now.

Wrldeatr wrote:
I wonder if participation has increased or decreased over the years. I mean just 135 ballots...


It seems tiny compared to the userbase here but that's actually the highest number since I started doing the poll two years ago. It slowly gets higher and higher and I think it's because I only really advertise it on the forum (and occasionally the Discord). Every year I say we should put an announcement on the front page and every single year I forget to do it.

Also, thank you to everybody who pointed out how much of a dope I am with "Runmagick" being in Rando Corner. That's now fixed and Runemagick has thus jumped up several places!
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I_Crash_and_Burn
Metal newbie

Joined: Wed Oct 19, 2005 3:16 pm
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 02, 2019 6:52 pm 
 

@ bastardhead:
Uhm... When you say deadline is on 1st Jan you should accept whatever comes within 23.59 of 1st January 2019. Am I wrong? At least this is what I understand.
Well, nevermind. I am italian and probably I can't understand english and american language that much. See you in Italy somewhere in time.
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BastardHead
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 02, 2019 7:03 pm 
 

I'll make it clearer in the future, though this has been the same deadline as the last two years so I'm completely stunned that more than a few people screwed that up and thought they'd have an extra day.
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I_Crash_and_Burn
Metal newbie

Joined: Wed Oct 19, 2005 3:16 pm
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Location: San Benedetto Belbo (Cuneo) Italy
PostPosted: Wed Jan 02, 2019 7:11 pm 
 

I'm happy I'm not the lonely idiot here.
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Spiner202
Veteran

Joined: Wed May 06, 2009 3:32 pm
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 02, 2019 7:17 pm 
 

Lyrici17 wrote:
01) Immortal "Northern Chaos Gods" (23rd)
02) Toledo Steel "No Quarter" (rando)
03) Blackslash "Lightning Strikes Again" (rando)
04) Seven Sisters "The Cauldron and the Cross" (rando)
05) Hitten "Twist of Fate" (104th)
06) Ancient Empire "Eternal Soldier" (rando)
07) Judas Priest "Firepower" (8th)
08) Manacle "No Fear to Persevere..." (rando)
09) Stygian Oath "Stygian Oath" (174th)

Spiner202 wrote:
-While not good enough for my top 10, major props to whoever voted for the following: Substratum, Fortress, Tantara, and Eternity's End


10) Substratum "Stratosphere" (rando)

I'll take credit for Substratum! Interestingly, I decided to bump off Visigoth from 10 to let Substratum into my top 10 because I figured Visigoth didn't need my 10th place vote -- and they didn't. Too bad Substratum split up a few months back (and they also released another album, "Permission to Rock", in 2018).

Actually you probably just have the best list total. Seeing Hitten, Ancient Empire, Judas Priest, and Manacle is pretty legit. I still need to track down that Hitten album, but what I've heard is incredible.

Also, I realized I never posted my list, so here it is:

1. Visigoth - Conqueror's Oath (1)
2. Rocka Rollas - Celtic Kings (rando)
3. Striker - Play To Win (rando)
4. Ghost - Prequelle (21)
5. Hatchet - Dying To Exist (rando)
6. Exmortus - The Sound of Steel (210)
7. Skull Fist - Way of the Road (rando)
8. Cauldron - New Gods (215)
9. Primal Fear - Apocalypse (122)
10. Gama Bomb - Speed Between The Lines (187)


Last edited by Spiner202 on Wed Jan 02, 2019 8:08 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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mornox
Metal newbie

Joined: Sat Aug 09, 2003 11:09 pm
Posts: 263
Location: Netherlands
PostPosted: Wed Jan 02, 2019 7:29 pm 
 

Thanks for doing this again BH. It makes me check out albums I would have otherwise possibly missed out on (I'm not nearly as up-to-date with the metal scene as I was a decade ago, so something likes this actually makes me search out recent releases again).

Anyway, here's my list:

1 Varathron - Patriarchs Of Evil (6)
Varathron's latest might actually give their debut a run for its money for my top spot in their discography, which is impressive as hell to me. It got some serious surprise competition for favourite album of the year by the runner-up, but just edged it out because I like the atmosphere and variety a bit more. But on that runner up...

2 Sulphur Aeon - The Scythe Of Cosmic Chaos (12)
I was already a fan of their first 2 albums, but this 3rd one just obliterates them. They put in some extra atmospheric flourishes amidst their busy songs, but mostly the improvements lie in sheer riffwork. Their's just tons more hooks and melodies here, and the songwriting and production work to give them all the breathing-space to strut their stuff so to speak.

3 Tomb Mold - Manor Of Infinite Forms (18)
I discovered the debut from last year's results interestingly enough, and got this one as soon as it came out on the strength of that. Just super solid old school NY/Finnish styled death metal, with fat riffs, obscure atmospheres and stellar songwriting. Also they sing about Dark Souls and Bloodborne, how's that for nerd-cred :D

4 Vermilia - Kätkyt (rando)
Sad noone else voted for her :( . Checked this out on a random rec in the worthwhile albums thread and loved it from the off. One-woman pagan black metal with cool, infectious riffs and amazing clean and harsh vocals. It's about as catchy as Panphage's Jord, but I like it even more than that one.

5 Panphage - Jord (56)
One-man pagan black metal with much the same qualities I dig as the album above, just a tad harsher. Depressing that he quit just as I discovered him.

6 Cosmic Atrophy - The Void Engineers (182)
Rexz described his band, I clicked on the bandcamp link, cause why not, and I was utterly blown away. Technical-but-not-insufferably-so old school Lovecraftian death metal, with catchy as hell riffs, crushing rhythms and a definite leaning to all things Finnish, this is the type of thing that's made for me. When's the physical cd out damn it?!

7 Esoctrilihum - Pandaemorthium (Forbidden Formulas To Awaken The Blind Sovereigns Of Nothingness) (212)
I'm somewhat of a regular customer of I Voidhanger Records, both for the cosmic black metal stuff and their ehm cosmic death metal (look, I know what I like okay xD ). Esoctrilihum is nicely weird, creepy black/death metal, again relatively technical without being obnoxious to me. The madman behind this released two great albums this year, but I like the earlier one slightly more than the new, more chaotic sounding album.

8 Skyborne Reveries - Winter Lights (147)
I need at least one synth black metal album each year to function properly, and this is it. Cosmic black metal somewhat in the Midnight Odyssey vein, but with more flowing, melodic riffs. Sounds exactly like the band and album title would suggest.

9 Aorlhac - L'esprit des vents (69)
Harsh but beautiful French melodic black metal. Just riffs, hooks and melodies out the wazoo, with a great flow to it. Could swap places with skyborne reveries on a different day, they're about equal to me.

10 Obliteration - Cenotaph Obscure (76)
Good, old Obliteration. Some more old school with modern sensibilities death metal from what is by now a veteran, I just wasn't as impressed by this as their previous works. Still good enough for my top ten of course.

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BastardHead
Worse than Stalin

Joined: Thu Aug 18, 2005 7:53 pm
Posts: 10857
Location: Oswego, Illinois
PostPosted: Wed Jan 02, 2019 8:00 pm 
 

Alright I skimmed all the albums I'm not familiar with in the Top Ten, here's my breakdown of how MA's taste lands:

1: Visigoth - Conqueror's Oath
One of the best albums of the fucking decade as far as I'm concerned. Everybody who prefers the debut over this is objectively incorrect. This shit is so muscle bound and beefy that it practically sizzles in the sun. Traitor's Gate is one of the best songs the genre has seen in eons. Very glad this pulled out a victory somehow.

2: Amorphis - Queen of Time
Yeah I still don't like Amorphis. Leviathan IX up there called it lame Disney Metal, and while I usually reserve that descriptor for shit like newer Nightwish and Sabaton, it's not wrong either. I like poppy stuff, I'll defend the second Battle Beast album to the death, but this was just boring and lame and I'm amazed that it's such a big hit here. It doesn't sound all that different from the last few albums either based on what I skimmed.

3: Solstice - White Horse Hill
This is good. Not sure I'd consider it top ten material myself but it's nice to hear some classic styled epic doom in an era where it's really not all that common anymore and Candlemass hasn't released a truly great album in forever. Riffs aren't really standing out as much as they do with the best albums in the style like Nightfall or Beyond the Crimson Horizon but the vocals are stellar and the hooks are nice. I wouldn't have been too upset if this won.

4: Satan - Cruel Magic
It's a bit better on second listen for me but I'm still not blown away. Is it just me, or the production kinda surprisingly bad? I swear it's all vocals and snare drum. The riffs themselves are fine I guess and there are some catchy moments, but it doesn't really stand out amongst most other 80s revival bands I know. The best songs just sounded like Court in the Act anyway. Still not awful and definitely a more worthy contender than Amorphis.

5: Voivod - The Wake
This is actually the album I predicted ahead of time would win after Visigoth caught middling reviews. I didn't actually listen to it until the poll was over though, and it's honestly the first Voivod album I've ever really bothered listening to outside of skimming their early stuff years ago. I don't know why they never appealed to me, but this isn't bad either. I like how unabashedly weird it is.

6: Varathron - Patriarchs of Evil
I definitely slept on this one. For whatever reason I never really gave Greek BM a chance after not falling immediately in love with these guys and Rotting Christ's early stuff, but this album is great. They have an excellent ear for melody, I'll definitely need to check out the rest of their catalog now.

7: Primordial - Exile Amongst the Ruins
It really isn't all that different from their last eight or so albums, but if you like this style it's an easy contender I suppose. I think they haven't done anything truly great since To the Nameless Dead (ignore 17 year old BH being an edgelord contrarian) and they'll never top The Gathering Wilderness, but this is solid. To Hell or the Hangman is a great song.

8: Judas Priest - Firepower
In no universe is this Album of the Year material and the fact that Priest becoming their own cover band was enough for them to sweep so many lists outside of this site and secure a top ten spot here is proof positive that oldnoobs are still out in force and metalheads are stuck in the past that give legacy bands bonus points for simply existing. Fuck this album and everybody who voted for it is getting a temp ban.

9: Horrendous - Idol
It's fine I guess. I always thought Horrendous was incredibly overrated but Anareta was at least very good. This isn't awful or anything and I actually like the planging basswork. Not sure I'll listen to it much more and I'm not exactly surprised that they made the finals here considering how popular they are on the site but I'm not exactly pissed about them making it either.

10: Chapel of Disease - Long Title
This one is great too. They used to be more or less regular death metal but this one sounds like what I assumed Horrendous would sound like based on the descriptions Ecdysis got. There's a lot of 70s psychedelia in here and the rocking riffs and excellent. I absolutely adore those old school styled solos that saturate the album as well. They're really not death metal at all anymore outside of the vocals still being harsh and the occasional double bass sections.


All in all, it could be worse, and there are definitely a few albums up there that I flat out think suck, but at least Visigoth, Varathron, and Chapel of Disease are great picks.
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Empyreal
The Final Frontier

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PostPosted: Wed Jan 02, 2019 8:09 pm 
 

You'd probably like Voivod's Killing Technology, anyway. That is a manic riff fest... that and their following two are some of the more original metal you'll find in the late 80s, probably.
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Zdan
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Location: Poland
PostPosted: Wed Jan 02, 2019 8:12 pm 
 

Voivod's Killing Technology is among the greatest thrash metal albums of all time. Must-listen material. A manic, psychotic, punky, weird thrashfest.

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burnroasted
Metal newbie

Joined: Mon Nov 01, 2010 11:00 am
Posts: 292
PostPosted: Wed Jan 02, 2019 8:19 pm 
 

Idk I think Amorphis has straddled the line between being okay and being sellouts perfectly. I'll see them anytime they are in time. That said I don't think Queen of Time would be in my top ten.

I'm calling Lunar Shadows new album to be top 10 next year

Empyreal wrote:
burnroasted wrote:
narsilianshard wrote:
Pretty shocked to see Judicator only got one vote other than my own, and Dire Peril got zero (it was probs number 11 or 12 for me). Two of the best power metal records of the year by far; I've had John Yelland's buttery vocals stuck in my head for a solid six months.

I would of included Judicator if I had remembered to vote lol. Would've bumped Thaurorod up too and put Tad Marose on the board


Tad Morose was in the top 15-20 for me... I'm waiting for them to get even better on their next one and hopefully finally have something of the quality of their classic three urban breed albums again.


I hope so. The best thing about new Tad Morose albums is that it reminds me to listen to those 3...

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DoomMetalAlchemist
Veteran

Joined: Mon Dec 27, 2010 6:10 am
Posts: 2860
PostPosted: Wed Jan 02, 2019 8:57 pm 
 

flexodus wrote:
Basically my whole list is epic trad metal and weird death metal. I know what I like.


And yet no mention of Battleroar??? I think it's probably their best album yet, maybe even better than To Death and Beyond (and an overall very large improvement over Blood of Legends... even though Codex Epicus might not have any songs as great as Valkyries Above Us).

Of all your picks I'm familiar with (Visigoth, Khemmis, Gatekeeper, Lethean), Gatekeeper was the only one I wasn't completely sold on.

I tend to not vote in these, because I tend to buy many more releases from past years than new releases, and this year was no exception. And the new albums I did buy this year, almost all of them I bought later in the year because I couldn't afford them until I started working late in the year... but then when I started working, I also didn't have much time to listen to music anymore... so since I didn't get more than a few listens out of anything I didn't vote. But it makes me sad that if I had voted, I would've sent Battleroar to the rando corner, as that was definitely my number one. Most of everything else I would've picked was in the rando corner, but a few made the main list (most notably Visigoth and Judas Priest). My list would probably be (in no order except number 1):

1. Battleroar - Codex Epicus
2. Lucifer - Lucifer II
3. Burning Saviours - Death
4. Judas Priest - Firepower
5. Iron Void - Excalibur
6. Black Moth - Anatomical Venus
7. Axel Rudi Pell - Knight's Call
8. Age of Taurus - The Colony Slain
9. Visigoth - Conquerer's Oath
10. Ghost - Prequelle

11. Witch Mountain - Witch Mountain
12. Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats - Wasteland
13. Corrosion of Conformity - No Cross No Crown

I think that's the full extent of 2018 releases I own... A whole of lot doom metal there. :lol: Of my favorite genres (doom / stoner metal, epic heavy / power metal, folk metal), doom / stoner metal is by far the easiest to acquire hard copies of in this country (USA).

EDIT: I keep thinking of albums I forgot to list, lol.

zeingard wrote:
burnroasted wrote:
What's up with the amorphis hate?


After releasing 'The Karelian Isthmus' they've just been coasting by.


That is utterly ridiculous, and I'm not even much of a fan. I've only heard the first handful of albums, but there are all pretty distinct from each other at least until Am Universum. I know that is many albums ago, but it is also many albums past their debut which you name-dropped.

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FirebathDan
Metalhead

Joined: Wed Apr 21, 2004 2:32 pm
Posts: 1622
Location: United States
PostPosted: Wed Jan 02, 2019 9:30 pm 
 

CoconutBackwards wrote:
1. Eneferens - The Bleakness of Our Constant


This album is outstanding.
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Wilytank
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 02, 2019 9:31 pm 
 

I forget where Under the Red Cloud placed the year it was released, but at least that's an album I can actually sit through without getting bored unlike Queen of Time.

Still better than the new Kalmah though!

So here's what I voted for:

10. Varathron - Patriarchs of Evil - placed 6
Varathron's best album since Walpurgisnacht. It's a very straightforward cleanly produced black metal album. They've kinda over-indulged themselves in the keyboard work a little bit compared to their last couple of releases, but it works out.

9. Sargeist - Unbound - placed 124
A really strong black metal album from Finland's veterans with a little North American help. As the first album also with two Desolate Shrine members and the first without the long-standing Behexen musicians, it turned out really well.

8. Deceased - Ghostly White - placed 11
After eight albums (seven with guitar player Mike Smith), King Fowley's band have proven that they have not lost a bit of steam. Everything I like about the band is there. Fowley's distinct vocals and well written horror themed lyrics combined with catchy, hard-hitting riffs make for yet another great death/heavy metal milestone.

RIP Dave Castillo

7. Yhdarl - Loss - rando corner
A relatively new discovery for me, this band is more known for droney black funeral doom type metal. Loss however is more of a straightforward black metal album. It's got three very long songs, but the duo comprising this band (at the time) pulled off everything so well that I can keep listening to it. A very emotional ride.

So this one wound up in the rando corner which is kinda unfortunate. I highly recommend this to anyone who liked the Harakiri for the Sky album from this year. It doesn't have the obvious post-rock influence and it sounds more angry than sad overall, but it's still cleanly produced angsty black metal that kicks ass.

6. Hooded Menace - Ossuarium Silhouettes Unhallowed - placed 30
Chunky yet melodic death doom from a now very experienced Finnish band. There's been several other albums by bands doing death doom this year, but this one stuck the most. Sorry, Runemagick and Evoken.

5. Sulphur Aeon - The Scythe of Cosmic Chaos - placed 12
A rather late addition, but one I simply couldn't ignore. Super strong melodic blackened death metal, it's easily the band's best effort yet.

4. Portal - ION - placed 59
The same dark, trippy mindscrew that you expect from Portal. I didn't hate Vexovoid, but this is a much better album. It just flows so smoothly that my favorite song from the album, the closer "Olde Guarde", sounds so much better when listened to after the other 8 tracks.

3. Autokrator - Hammer of the Heretics - placed 103
Since hearing the album for the first time back in April, I knew it would place highly on my year end list. Intense industrial death/black metal. I especially like the very dark take on the French national anthem with "Le Sang Impur".

2. Scorched - Ecliptic Butchery - placed 91
There's been quite a handful of worthy newer death metal acts releasing albums this year on 20 Buck Spin and elsewhere, but Scorched buries them all. Just all around great, fun death metal that manages to not sound like an Incantation or Swedish scene worshipper. These guys initially won me over back in May when I saw them live (vocalist Matt Kapa is also a really cool dude), and now that this album is out in proper, I hope to see them more now that they can extend and refine their set list.

1. Imperial Triumphant - Vile Luxury - placed 81
My decision putting this at the very top didn't come immediately, but after multiple listens I just became enthralled by how this album plays out. It sounds like a mixture of Portal and Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, and the result is a very unique extreme metal album that discusses the villainy of the rich and powerful. Like Portal, it has some mindscrewing moments with its critical climax being the wall of noise in the story's finale "The Filth"; and like Portal, the buildup to that moment is well worth it.

Some honorable mentions:
Chapel of Disease
Borgne
Ataraxy
Sear Bliss
both Esoctrilihum albums
Mahr
Runemagick
Untamed Land (better than Summoning's album this year)
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flexodus
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Joined: Sun May 10, 2009 4:16 am
Posts: 2369
PostPosted: Wed Jan 02, 2019 9:36 pm 
 

BastardHead wrote:
1: Visigoth - Conqueror's Oath
One of the best albums of the fucking decade as far as I'm concerned. Everybody who prefers the debut over this is objectively incorrect. This shit is so muscle bound and beefy that it practically sizzles in the sun.

I just don't get that at all! This album sounds less muscleclad and beefy specifically because the emphasis is more on fast riffing with lead guitar twiddling, rather than chugging pounding headbanging riffs. Compare the intro to "Outlive Them All" or "Blades in the Night" to the main riffs in "Mammoth Rider" or "Iron Brotherhood". I had a friend who said the new album had Euro/Italian power metal influence, what with the constant double bass, over the top vocals, and lead guitar antics stealing the show. It's probably not true at all considering the band's taste in oldschool metal, and it's not an entirely accurate comparison, but not entirely inaccurate either...

I'm just splitting hairs here, I still love this band and am glad they pulled off this streamlining well. I just personally really wanted more epic and longwinded tracks with huge doom parts like "Arcane Mists of Prophecy". Even "Traitors Gate" can't top that one. But the breakdown in "Blades in the Night" with that magical and spooky melody comes close!

DoomMetalAlchemist wrote:
flexodus wrote:
Basically my whole list is epic trad metal and weird death metal. I know what I like.

And yet no mention of Battleroar??? I think it's probably their best album yet, maybe even better than To Death and Beyond (and an overall very large improvement over Blood of Legends... even though Codex Epicus might not have any songs as great as Valkyries Above Us).

Of all your picks I'm familiar with (Visigoth, Khemmis, Gatekeeper, Lethean), Gatekeeper was the only one I wasn't completely sold on.

I actually didn't even know they put out a new album until a week ago or so! I like the first 3 Battleroar albums but never heard Blood of Legends either. The reviews say they're doing more of a symphonic thing now which isn't up my alley, but I'll still check them out eventually.

Gatekeeper took me a while to get used to as well, but only for the same reasons as Visigoth: I loved the earlier material and had high and very specific expectations, but they ended up changing their sound a little bit. I would have loved for them to continue their doomier style from their EP, but JP wouldn't have suited that style of music as much as the more uptempo stuff on the album. I can't argue with the change in style when the songs are so good.

Also, as far as Amorphis goes: they're just the pet band of this website, and seeing them rank so high on this list just feels weird and idiosyncratic. I literally don't think I've ever seen anyone ever mention modern Amorphis anywhere other than this forum. They're just a big nerd band, being into new Amorphis albums is far far dweebier and nerdier than the most obtuse tech death or gentlest post-blackgaze.
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DoomMetalAlchemist
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Joined: Mon Dec 27, 2010 6:10 am
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 02, 2019 9:49 pm 
 

flexodus wrote:
DoomMetalAlchemist wrote:
And yet no mention of Battleroar??? I think it's probably their best album yet, maybe even better than To Death and Beyond (and an overall very large improvement over Blood of Legends... even though Codex Epicus might not have any songs as great as Valkyries Above Us).

Of all your picks I'm familiar with (Visigoth, Khemmis, Gatekeeper, Lethean), Gatekeeper was the only one I wasn't completely sold on.

I actually didn't even know they put out a new album until a week ago or so! I like the first 3 Battleroar albums but never heard Blood of Legends either. The reviews say they're doing more of a symphonic thing now which isn't up my alley, but I'll still check them out eventually.


On Blood of Legends they made the violin player who guested on Age of Chaos and To Death and Beyond a full time member. On some songs it really works (especially Poisoned Well, The Curse of Medea, and Valkyries of Above Us). But there are also a long opening violin only piece and a closing long violin only piece, both of which are really boring to me.

On Codex Epicus, they ditched the violin entirely, and all the "symphonics" come from epic choirs, which are all over the album, but I think they work very well (is it really "symphonics" if it's vocals? lol).

I'll have to give Gatekeeper another shot.

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I_Am_Vengeance
Metalhead

Joined: Fri Jun 10, 2005 1:11 pm
Posts: 1923
Location: Australia
PostPosted: Wed Jan 02, 2019 10:00 pm 
 

Great Job BH as usual

My List

1 - Visigoth - Conqueror's Oath
2 - Solstice - White Horse Hill
3 - Traveler - Demo 2018
4 - Primordial - Exile Amongst the Ruins
5 - IronFlame - Tales of Splendor and Sorrow
6 - Black Viper - Hellions of Fire
7 - Hitten - Twist of Fate
8 - Sacral Rage - Beyond Celestial Echoes
9 - Riot V - Armor of Light
10 - Sign of the Jackal - Breaking the Spell

Best debut
Traveler - Demo 2018

Surprised I was the only one who put Traveler down to be honest. Looks like i need to check out some more extreme metal releases for the year.
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Pitiless Wanderer
Metalhead

Joined: Mon Jan 02, 2017 7:34 pm
Posts: 1710
Location: Ankara
PostPosted: Wed Jan 02, 2019 10:04 pm 
 

narsilianshard wrote:
It's almost a carbon copy of Under The Red Cloud (which, if you're going by reviews, was MA's favorite album of 2015), so saying it's their best in a long while is a bit bizarre.



The two albums may have similar elements, but QoT absolutely destroys UtRC.

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narsilianshard
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Joined: Fri Aug 14, 2009 12:22 pm
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 02, 2019 10:29 pm 
 

BastardHead wrote:
8: Judas Priest - Firepower
In no universe is this Album of the Year material and the fact that Priest becoming their own cover band was enough for them to sweep so many lists outside of this site and secure a top ten spot here is proof positive that oldnoobs are still out in force and metalheads are stuck in the past that give legacy bands bonus points for simply existing. Fuck this album and everybody who voted for it is getting a temp ban.

this is the best thing i've read all week. thank you for not defending the "quality is defined as not shitting the bed after 40 years" crowd!
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Morrigan
Crone of War

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Location: Canada
PostPosted: Wed Jan 02, 2019 10:51 pm 
 

lol. Firepower wasn't that bad but yeah, it really doesn't deserve to be this high. :scratch: Then again fucking Ghost beat Summoning so fuck everything (╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻
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AlienZombie
Metal newbie

Joined: Thu Mar 06, 2014 10:04 am
Posts: 129
Location: United States
PostPosted: Wed Jan 02, 2019 11:07 pm 
 

I'll start with my favorite album that wasn't listed: Mylingar - Döda Drömmar; just a ferocious album.
Rest of my top 10 would be something like (in no particular order):
    Panphage
    Arkona
    Panopticon
    Spectral Wound
    Sargeist
    Golgothan Remains
    Outer Heaven
    Belliciste
    Infernal Cult

Honorable mentions: Kvalvaag, Donarhall, Ovate, Onda Makter, the Crown, lots of others...

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true_death
Metalhead

Joined: Thu Sep 26, 2013 6:47 pm
Posts: 2390
PostPosted: Wed Jan 02, 2019 11:42 pm 
 

I'm kind of surprised that Behemoth is all the way down at 43. I've yet to hear the album, but especially coming off one of the most "talked about" albums of the last decade which made waves practically everywhere, I expected them to make a big splash again and be somewhere in the top 10, but I've hardly heard anyone talk about this album past it's release and as evidenced here, it doesn't look like it was on the tips of too many tongues here either. On a similar note, At the Gates all the way down at 209!! :o What the fuck....I guess that album didn't make much of an impression on people either, another album I figured would definitely be a very "talked about" album all year...granted, I didn't vote for it, so what am I even complaining about? :lol:

As for the new Amorphis, to pile onto what others have said, to me their newer stuff is decent but it's like the McDonalds version of Elegy - it's got the basics down but lacks the finesse, artistry and sense of unpredictability that was their whole appeal (at least for me) in their classic era. Their recent material is too structured and just feels kind of dull by comparison (especially the exact same chorus which they recycle for every single song :lol:). Granted, all that said I've actually not heard this new album yet, so I'll reserve my judgement.

Finally, kind of shocked and disappointed that I'm the only person on the entire forum who voted for the new Unleashed...kind of a shame that an amazing band who's been around so long with so many quality releases can just get forgotten/ignored like this...oh well, they've never been much of a "top dog" kind of band in terms of popularity, but I assumed they were still big enough that they'd be on someone else's tongue besides mine...
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ObservationSlave
Metalhead

Joined: Fri Nov 05, 2010 6:27 pm
Posts: 1110
Location: United States
PostPosted: Wed Jan 02, 2019 11:55 pm 
 

Here is my top 10:

1. Amorphis - Queen of Time
2. Wolfheart - Constellation of the Black Light
3. Primitai - The Calling
4. Euphoreon - Ends of the Earth
5. Darkest Horizon - Aenigmata
6. Helion Prime - Terror of the Cybernetic Space Monster
7. Hinayana - Order Divine
8. The Order of Chaos - Night Terror
9. Into Eternity - The Sirens
10. Dream Troll - The Witch's Curse

I wasn't surprised to see Amorphis battling for the top spot, but didn't expect Visigoth to pull off the win. The Revenant King is one of my favorite albums of recent years, but Conqueror's Oath didn't grab me the same way. I still have it in my top 50 though.

For debut, I picked Hinayana - Order Divine, but I don't see it listed in the final results. Either way, them and Perpetual Night both had great melodeath debuts and are among many great albums this year that are more along the Insomnium route (more melancholic melodies with deeper growls) which include Fractal Gates and Moonshade as well.

Here is the rest of my top 50:

Spoiler: show
11. Fractal Gates - The Light That Shines
12. MyGrain - III
13. Moonshade - Sun Dethroned
14. Perpetual Night - Anatman
15. Borealis - The Offering
16. In Vain - Currents
17. Brainstorm - Midnight Ghost
18. Lutharo - Unleash the Beast
19. Ancient Empire - Eternal Soldier
20. Toundra - Vortex
21. White Wizzard - Infernal Overdrive
22. Bob Katsionis - Prognosis & Synopsis
23. Sacrificed Alliance - Withdrawn
24. Mors Subita - Into the Pitch Black
25. Rygel - Darkened
26. Coldbound - The Gale
27. Shylmagoghnar - Transcience
28. Judicator - The Last Emperor
29. Visigoth - Conqueror's Oath
30. Andy James - Arrival
31. Hoth - Astral Necromancy
32. Mad Hatter - Mad Hatter
33. Ocean of Grief - Nightfall's Lament
34. Substratum - Permission to Rock
35. Substratum - Stratosphere
36. Hypnotheticall - Synchreality
37. Khemmis - Desolation
38. Immortal Guardian - Age of Revolution
39. Shadowkiller - Guardians of the Temple
40. Skeletonwitch - Devouring Radiant Light
41. Hell's Guardian - As Above So Below
42. Torian - God of Storms
43. Earthgrave - First Snow of the Final Winter
44. Burden of Grief - Eye of the Storm
45. A Sound of Thunder - It Was Metal
46. Parasite Inc. - Dead and Alive
47. Halcyon Way - Bloody but Unbowed
48. Monument - Hellhound
49. NovaReign - Legends
50. Lyra's Legacy - Prisoner


Last edited by ObservationSlave on Thu Jan 03, 2019 10:39 am, edited 1 time in total.
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kytokinesis
Metal newbie

Joined: Tue Nov 08, 2016 5:42 pm
Posts: 206
Location: United States
PostPosted: Wed Jan 02, 2019 11:59 pm 
 

I was pretty surprised to see Visigoth take the top spot. It seemed to have a lukewarm reception. It's a decent album but felt a bit shallow to me. Fell out of rotation for me fairly early on. It's still great to see a trad metal album at #1 though.

1. Craft - White Noise and Black Metal
2. Into Oblivion - Paragon
3. Chevalier - Chapitre II
4. Satan - Cruel Magic
5. Memoriam - The Silent Vigil
6. Vomitor - Pestilent Death
7. Gatekeeper - East of Sun
8. Summoning - With Doom We Come
9. Sepulcher - Panoptic Horror
10. Imperial Triumphant - Vile Luxury

Ironically, I didn't find trad all that exciting this year. This is the first year since I've been keeping track that I haven't picked a trad/power album as AOTY. Perhaps my tastes are changing.

Worthy mentions:
Condor - El Valle Del Condor
Rapture - Paroxysm of Hatred
Eliminator - Last Horizon
Solstice - White Horse Hill
Black Wizard - Livin' Oblivion
Inferi - Revenant
Visigoth - Conqueror's Oath (heh)

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hippiedrow
Metalhead

Joined: Sat Feb 23, 2008 7:15 pm
Posts: 1288
Location: United States
PostPosted: Thu Jan 03, 2019 12:29 am 
 

Thanks for working on this list and for everyone who voted!

I've been somewhat out of the loop for this year, so this list is a great point of reference for what I may have missed.

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ADreamOfWolves
Metal newbie

Joined: Tue May 22, 2018 11:41 pm
Posts: 30
PostPosted: Thu Jan 03, 2019 12:32 am 
 

Lol the "album of the year" has an average of 79% on here...

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DoomMetalAlchemist
Veteran

Joined: Mon Dec 27, 2010 6:10 am
Posts: 2860
PostPosted: Thu Jan 03, 2019 12:34 am 
 

ADreamOfWolves wrote:
Lol the "album of the year" has an average of 79% on here...


135 people voted in the poll.

8 people reviewed the album.

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MikeyC
Official Greeter of Broken Hills

Joined: Wed Jun 14, 2006 5:16 am
Posts: 14213
Location: Australia
PostPosted: Thu Jan 03, 2019 12:34 am 
 

true_death wrote:
I'm kind of surprised that Behemoth is all the way down at 43. I've yet to hear the album, but especially coming off one of the most "talked about" albums of the last decade which made waves practically everywhere, I expected them to make a big splash again and be somewhere in the top 10, but I've hardly heard anyone talk about this album past it's release and as evidenced here, it doesn't look like it was on the tips of too many tongues here either.

I liked it, just didn't get into my top 10.
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kybernetic
Metalhead

Joined: Mon Mar 05, 2007 8:48 pm
Posts: 2169
Location: United States
PostPosted: Thu Jan 03, 2019 12:49 am 
 

Here's a breakdown for me of top albums by subgenres:

Heavy/Power/Speed:
1) Visigoth - Conqueror's Oath
2) Blade Killer - High Risk
3) Haunt - Burst into Flame
4) Sacral Rage - Beyond Celestial Echoes
5) Outlaw - Marauders
6) Judas Priest - Firepower
7) Battleroar - Codex Epicus

Doom:
1) Acolytes of Moros - The Wellspring
2) Iron Void - Excalibur
3) Khemmis - Desolation
4) Mirror of Deception - The Estuary
5) Candlemass - House of Doom

Death and Death/Doom:
1) Drawn and Quartered - The One Who Lurks
2) Runemagick - Evoked from Abysmal Sleep
3) Cosmic Atrophy - The Void Engineers
4) Outre-Tombe - Nécrovortex
5) Evoken - Hypnagogia
6) Corpsessed - Impetus of Death
7) Innumerable Forms - Punishment in Flesh

Black:
1) Varathron - Patriarchs of Evil
2) Marduk - Viktoria
3) Archgoat - The Luciferian Crown
4) Aura Noir - Aura Noire
5) Immortal - Northern Chaos Gods
6) Nemere - Sámánének
7) Wayfarer - World's Blood

Thrash and Death/Thrash:
1) Rapture - Paroxysm of Hatred
2) Deathhammer - Chained to Hell
3) Deceased - Ghostly White
4) Artillery - The Face of Fear
5) Sodom - Partisan

Most disappointing:
1) Summoning - With Doom We Come
Not a bad album, but lacked the magic of Old Mornings Dawn.

2) Jungle Rot - Jungle Rot
They sound too modern and polished now, while lacking the visceral raw caveman grooves of their first handful of albums.

3) Cruachan - Nine Years of Blood
Didn't quite know what to expect from this having not followed this band for quite some time, but I definitely wasn't digging this album very much. I do like some of their older material quite well.

Worst Album I Heard:
Lizzy Borden - My Midnight Things
Just awful. I couldn't finish the entire album. Just thin sparse heavy metal with terrible riffs and paper thin atmosphere. Singing was decent though, like a lesser Blackie Lawless.

Onward to 2019! Happy New Year everyone.
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traxan
Metalhead

Joined: Fri Apr 24, 2015 6:52 pm
Posts: 1434
PostPosted: Thu Jan 03, 2019 1:00 am 
 

I'm just shocked at Visigoth coming in at #1 given this band has a clean vocalist. Every time clean vocals come up all I see around here is bitching about "pop vocals" (Cyhra for one example). I figured this place was allergic to actual singing.

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kybernetic
Metalhead

Joined: Mon Mar 05, 2007 8:48 pm
Posts: 2169
Location: United States
PostPosted: Thu Jan 03, 2019 1:03 am 
 

traxan wrote:
I'm just shocked at Visigoth coming in at #1 given this band has a clean vocalist. Every time clean vocals come up all I see around here is bitching about "pop vocals" (Cyhra for one example). I figured this place was allergic to actual singing.


Heavy/speed/power metal has 99% clean singing, and these genres are quite well respected around here.
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