Top 10 Albums of Any Given Year

[BlutAusNerd]

Did, didn't double check though, first source said 1990 so 1990 it was.

Metal archives tends to be the best source for that kind of information. That's the positive about its contributors being anal retentive snobs. Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

[RelentlessOblivion]

Well I guess I'll go back and fix my lists. I should at least appear to know what I'm on about half the time...

[RelentlessOblivion]

Time for another one

 

RelentlessOblivion's Top 10 Albums of 1992

1. Asphyx - Last One On Earth

Heavy as fuck doomy death metal. Absolutely crushing riffs and truly sick vocals. What's not to love?

2. Darkthrone - A Blaze In The Northern Sky

Nothing more needs to be said really...

3. Incantation - Onward To Golgotha

Murky, evil, disturbing death metal. I've said it before and I'll say it again this album portrays hell as a fetid sewer rather then a boiling pit.

4. Sinister - Cross The Styx

Chaotic thrashing death metal madness that never lets up.

5. Deicide - Legion

More technical, slightly more controlled, and better then their debut.

6. Pan.Thy.Monium - Dawn Of Dreams

Weird sort of progressive death metal...with saxophones. This album just works.

7. Cadaver - ...In Pains

Sick groovy death metal. It's a shame Norwegian death metal is chronically under-rated this stuff is brilliant.

8. Benediction - The Grand Leveller

Great riffs, evil sound, this is no frills death metal and it is glorious.

9. Bolt Thrower - The IVth Crusade

You know what you're getting with Bolt Thrower. Heavy, mid-tempo, riffs that grind you into a bloody pulp. Great stuff as always.

10. Grave - You'll Never See

It's murky, it's evil, it's unashamedly death metal. This record may not be as technical as other albums on this list but it's still awesome

 

Another year dominated by death metal.

[FatherAlabaster]

Nice list. I've never cared for some of those, but others are among my favorites. 

[RelentlessOblivion]

It was a really hard list to make and I'm not totally happy with it but for now it will do.

[Frostaudn]

Hmm, let's do this.

1995

1. Paradise Lost - Draconian Times: Definitely a flawless cd, from the very start to the very end. Melancholic and catchy as hell.
2. Dark Tranquillity - The Gallery: Another classic. But again, those melodies, those riffs and just Lethe and Punish My Heaven.
3. Dissection - Storm of the Light's Bane: those melodies!
4. Ulver - Bergtatt: the first album from this band. Folky influences blend with black metal which resulted in an amazing cd.
5. My Dying Bride - The Angel and the Dark River: just one of the My Dying Bride classics with the amazing The Cry on Mankind on it. Need more reasons?
6. Death - Symbolic: by far my favorite Death release, where they went a bit more progressive.
7. Skepticism - Stormcrowfleet: the first song on this album, Sign of the Storm, is already worth mentioning this funeral doom album.
8. Moonspell - Wolfheart: not my favorite Moonspell album (I give Irreligious that honor), but still a great album with some nice tunes.
9. Opeth - Orchid: the debut from now one of the most well known (metal) acts when they were darker and heavier.
10. Suffocation - Pierced from Within: just a great death metal album, what else to say?

[FatherAlabaster]

Another list with a bunch of my favorites. Good stuff. 

[RelentlessOblivion]

My '95 will likely be very different. Got to get through '93 and '94 first though.

[RelentlessOblivion]

Might as well do another one

 

RelentlessOblivion's Top 10 Albums Of 1993

1. Type O Negative - Slow, Deep & Hard

TON at their most aggressive, doomy hardcore influenced gothic metal and it is glorious.

2. Katatonia - Dance Of December Souls

Bleak, miserable, beautiful doom/death. The melodies, songwriting, and those tortured vocals get me every time.

3. My Dying Bride - Turn Loose The Swans

Heavy, depressing, and a pillar of the doom/death genre. What more needs saying?

4. Death - Individual Thought Patterns

Technical, outstanding songwriting, Death really could do no wrong.

5. Demilich - Nespithe

Weird, totally unique, memorable and deeply disturbing. What else would you expect of Finnish death metal.

6. Paramaecium - Exhumed Of The Earth

Heavy gothic tinged doom/death. Memorable songs and a unique sound.

7. Rotting Christ - Thy Mighty Contract

Melodic, intense, 'warm' Greek black metal. While I prefer Necromantia to RC usually I can't deny this is magnificent.

8. Enslaved - Vikingligr Veldi

Black metal influenced viking metal majesty. Outstanding debut and a wonderful album.

9. Cathedral - The Ethereal Mirror

Heavy, psychadelic, stoner doom with a death metal tinge. Top notch stuff.

10. Morbid Angel - Covenant

I dig this album, it's not as demented as Altars but has a unique groove to it that I really enjoy.

 

Tough nailing down that last spot but overall I think this is a quality list.

[MacabreEternal]

Okay I have some downtime today so:

MacabreEternal's Top Ten Albums of 1990

10 Entombed "Left Hand Path" - although I still hold this in high regard it has lost impact as the years roll by and I find myself drawn to "Clandestine" more as my Entombed go to album. But let's take nothing away from that guitar tone on this record and how those thrashy riffs blended perfectly with the relentless blastbeats of the drums whilst being complimented perfectly by Petrov's insane vocals.  As appropriate a use of melody and atmosphere without detracting from the aggression involved as you could hope to find.

9 Pantera "Cowboys From Hell" - I remember seeing the vid to the title track on tv and going fucking mental in my front room at the time (i played that tape a hundred times that day I swear) so it was all my birthdays and Christmases come at once when I got my grubby mitts on this CD.  The groove combined with the aggressive delivery of the songs proved sooooooooo addictive back then and although as I reflect now some 26 years after I first heard it with a much less blinkered view of it (there's filler galore on it) , there's still a massive place in my heart for this album (even though it is not my favourite of theirs).

8 Queensryche "Empire" - still rate it above "Operation Mindcrime" even though I recognise what a tour de force that record is.  "Empire" was more accessible, more catchy and full of hooks and I just love it.  It is one of the few albums both the girlfriend and myself can listen to together.

7 Judas Priest "Painkiller" - when I first heard this I thought all Judas Priest records sounded like this (quite a misguided introduction to them really).  Duelling guitars, amazing drumming and Halford on top form.  Showed life in the old dog for sure.

6 Danzig "II:Lucifuge" - despite all the melancholy on this record I still get the sense that Glenn was actually enjoying himself thoroughly when he was making this.  One of those albums I could spin now and still have going round my head the same time next week.

5 Slayer "Seasons In The Abyss" - the last good Slayer record (yes I know not many agree).  I spent hours holed in my room listening to this, furiously headbanging to "War Ensemble" and getting goose bumps listening to "Dead Skin Mask" before being floored by the closing (title) track. 

4 Deicide "s/t" - still mental after all these years!

3 Sadus "Swallowed In Black" - should be on everyone's list for 1990.  A simply superb offering of how technique can be shown without being a wankfest and how speed can delivered and kept coherent.

2 Carnage "Dark Recollections" - until 1991 when Dismember dropped "Like An Everflowing Stream" this shit was where it was at for me with Swedish DM.

1 Obituary "Cause Of Death" - no contest when it comes to the number one spot for me, this was (and remains) Obituary's finest hour and the absolute high point of releases in 1990.  A step up in terms of refinement yet losing none of the brutality of the debut, "Cause Of Death" is full of thick/chunky riffs and simply inhuman vocals from Tardy.  Benton and co might have released a great spazzing beast this year but it was nothing to the apocalypse of "Cause of Death".

[RelentlessOblivion]

Hmm quite different to my own list. One or two in common though.

[RelentlessOblivion]

Moving on to...

RelentlessOblivion's Top 10 Albums of 1994

1. Mayhem - De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas

One of the bery best Norwegian black metal albums. Actually scratch that one of the best black metal albums period.

2. Solitude Aeturnus - Through The Darkest Hour

Epic, heavy, wonderfully written doom. Pair that with among the best clean vocals in metal and you have an astonishing album.

3. Thergothen - Streams From The Heavens

This is otherworldly funeral doom. Everything about it is strange, alien, and creepy. In spite of, or perhaps because of, this the album is very memorable and never seems to grow dull.

4. Samael - Ceremony Of Opposites

Moody, slightly atmospheric, black metal that engages the listener. What more can you ask for?

5. Unholy - The Second Ring Of Power

This could be called black/doom or funeral doom depending on your perspective. It's slow, atmospheric, and very creepy at all times just like you'd expect.

6. Bethlehem - Dark Metal

Melancholic black/doom that can totally ruin your week. The songs aren't without a sense of melody though and remain memorable enough to keep you down for hours after the album has finished.

7. Rotting Christ - Non Serviam

Greek black metal in all its glory. Pure perfection

8. Amorphis - Tales From The Thousand Lakes

Melodic folkish doom/death. TRotally unique and totally amazing.

9. Enslaved - Frost

Black/Viking metal perfection. Icy cold and epic.

10. Salem - Kaddish

Blackened death/doom from Jerusalem that features middle-eastern influences in a unique way. Much more middle-paced then Nile or Melechesh who are also famous for these influences Kaddish is totally unhinged and unlike anything that had been heard at the time.

[MacabreEternal]

MacabreEternal's Top 10 of 1991

10 Coroner "Mental Vortex" 

As the title suggests, a twisted vortex of technical thrash played with calculated precision.

9 Massacre "From Beyond"

Kam Lee's layered vocal assault leads on a great DM album.  Bollocks to all the "watered down Death" naysayers!

8 Atheist "Unquestionable Presence"

As technical and complex as you could ever want to hear, yet still laden with melody.  True masters of tech DM.

7 Sepultura - Arise

Yes, it isn't "Beneath The Remains" but it still has an infectious fury to it from start to finish.  First Seps album I ever bought.

6 Immolation "Dawn of Possession"

This album actually crawls like some hideously evil form that is entangling you in its nefarious web.  Not as much of an all out assault as first thought, much more calculated.

5 Carcass "Necroticism - Descanting The Insalubrious"

The deathly grind machine at their very best.  Dripping with riffs from start to finish.

4 Suffocation "Effigy of the Forgotten"

Once my favourite Suffocation album ("Pierced From Within" beats it nowadays), this full frontal assault is an absolute fucking blast!  BROOOTAL!

3 Morbid Angel "Blessed Are The Sick"

The darkness takes hold on the Florida mobs second album.  Time changes and intricate guitar work galore from Trey and utterly relentless sonics to boot.

2 Dismember "Like An Everflowing Stream"

As stated in my 1990 list this replaced "Dark Recollections" as my preferred Swedish DM album.  It has never been topped.

1 Autopsy "Mental Funeral"

Dirty and grimy DM.  Completely unapologetic in the delivery and execution of this classic.  

[RelentlessOblivion]

RelentlessOblivion's Top 10 Albums of 1995

1. Ulver - Bergtatt

Majestic frostbitten black metal from Norway. The folky acoustic passages add great depth to this record. Quite simply a classic.

2. Anathema - The Silent Enigma

Bleak, tortured, and absolutely stunning. This is one of the finest examples you will hear of doom/death done right.

3. Necromantia - Scarlet Evil Witching Black

Epitomises the "warm" Greek black metal sound. Sounds absolutely evil but in a different way to the likes of Dissection, Immortal, Mayhem, and Burzum. There's a horror movie vibe to the compositions that ramps up the creepy factor as well.

4. Dissection - Storm Of The Light's Bane

Melodic riff oriented black metal that still sounds cold and evil.

5. Theatre Of Tragedy - Theatre Of Tragedy

Gothic doom/death at its finest. Incorporates the best elements of gothic metal into a heavier doom/death setting wonderfully well.

6. Blind Guardian - Imaginations From The Other Side

Fast, heavy, catchy power metal. It's a fun listen that stays in your head long after the album has stopped playing.

7. Darkthrone - Panzerfaust

The riffs are back on this one and Panzerfaust also features possibly the most unhinged vocals on a Darkthrone record. It sounds evil and it's appropriate this album is named after a vehicle of war.

8. My Dying Bride - The Angel and the Dark River

This may not be as heavy as Turn Loose The Swans but has its own unique flow. The songs take on more of a gothic metal vibe and overall there is a stronger sense of direction here.

9. Dark Tranquillity - The Gallery

Memorable melodic death metal that retains the heaviness. This shit gets stuck in your head for days but won't make you lie to your mates about it.

10. Down - NOLA

Heavy, catchy, stoner metal. Phil Anselmo's vocals suite the music here better then much of Pantera's output in my opinion and this is just a kickass album all 'round.

 

Tough list mostly because I don't have a ton of albums from this year. When I revisit thest in a year or two I should imagine 5 onwards will have changed.

[RelentlessOblivion]

RelentlessOblivion's Top 10 Albums of 1996

1. Negura Bunget - Zirnindu-Sa

Melodic, atmospheric, folky, and majestic black metal. This really is something else.

2. Arcturus - Aspera Hiems Symfornia

Symphonic black metal done right. Everything is incorporated perfectly into this bitterly cold masterpiece.

3. Immolation - Here In After

Sick vocals, unrelenting and chaotic song structures, odd guitar tones and time signatures. This is top notch stuff that retains some sense of melody through much of the lunacy.

4. Edge Of Sanity - Crimson

Slightly off kilter progressive death metal. Album-songs can be tough to pull off but this manages the task perfectly. The themes on Crimson never outstay their welcome and the results are astounding.

5. Aura Noir - Black Thrash Attack

The name says it all. Black thrashing madness. Supremely headbangable and totally evil just as it should be.

6. Type O Negative - October Rust

TON bring even more goth rock elements to this album but still retain the heaviness one would hope for. October Rust is far from Bloody Kisses II. It is an album all its own and a wonderful one at that.

7. Cryptopsy - None So Vile

One of the most intense albums death metal has ever produced. There's virtually no melody, the vocals are totally indecipherable, the tempo is unrelenting, the artwork should be enough to inform any potential listener this is not one for the faint of heart.

8. Pantera - The Great Southern Trendkill

Pantera at their grooviest. Still enough aggression to satisfy most but executed in a more mature way despite the generally stupid lyrics. Pantera's crowning acheivement IMO.

9. Cradle Of Filth - Dusk...And Her Embrace

Thick atmosphere, heavier riffs, and more epic song structures. This is CoF around their best with the elements of their sound balanced nicely.

10. Summoning - Dol Guldur

Picture LOTR but with a black/folk metal soundtrack. That's pretty much what you get with this album. It is not hard to imagine yourself amidst Tolkien's tales of hobbits, elves, and men whilst this album is playing.

[MacabreEternal]

MacabreEternal's Top 10 of 1992

10 Immortal "Diabolical Fullmoon Mysticism"

Not my favourite Immortal album by any means but a standout from 1992 for me.  Much more was to come in future releases than was apparent on the atmosphere laden debut.

9 Demigod "Slumber of Sullen Eyes"

Finnish death metal at its finest.  Solid throughout and well paced.

8 Cannibal Corpse "Tomb of the Mutilated"

The peak for CC for me.  A step up from the slightly dull "Butchered at Birth".

7 Deicide "Legion"

Short (but never sweet) and to the point.  One of my favourite Deicide releases and probably edges the debut for me.

6 Incantation "Onwards to Golgotha"

Simply put, a tidal wave of sound that knocks your bones out of joint when it hits you.  We will have the debate no doubt that "Mortal Throne..." bests it but give me the debut full length anyday.

5 Darkthrone "A Blaze In The Northern Sky"

I don't get the love for "Soulside Journey" it is nothing but average in terms of DM releases for me.  The freezing cold darkness of "A Blaze..." was where Darkthrone really began for me.

4 Demolition Hammer "Epidemic of Violence"

This is what thrash metal is all about.  Face ripping, ear burning, "fuck you" attitude delivery.  A great album that places highly in my all time top ten thrash records.

3 Alice In Chains "Dirt"

I have spent hours of my life with this record, I was 16 in 1992 and this record spoke to me like no other at the time.  Full of angst-ridden melancholy and emotionally confused/substance influenced thoughts, yeah I was a fucked up teenager.

2 Pantera "Vulgar Display of Power"

I still prefer "Far, Beyond, Driven" but this was still a triumph in my ears at the time.  I now recognise the sub par content a lot more readily than I used to but I will still always have a special spot in my Metal Timeline reserved for this.

1 Asphyx "Last One On Earth"

The observant amongst you will notice that "The Rack" wasn't mentioned in my 1991 list.  I find the debut full-length unremarkable and flat with the bass far too high in the mix and I am unsure why that record gets so much praise.  For me it was the 1992 riff fest of "Last One On Earth" that caught my attention.  To hear "The Krusher" once is to have it scorched in your brain for life.  Not flawless as a release but right up my street. 

[RelentlessOblivion]

The observant may notice that Last One On Earth features on three lists for '92 (yours, mine, and BANs).

[MacabreEternal]

MacabreEternal's Top 10 of 1993

10 Wombbath "Internal Caustic Torment"

The true definition of an unsung classic DM album.  From Sweden but not as obvious in terms of the sound as you would expect.

9 Sepultura "Chaos AD"

It hasn't held up well over the years but it is still a moment on my metal timeline I wont forget in a hurry.  Looking back now it is a real step down from what came before but back in 93 I still loved it and played it to death.

8 Satyricon "Dark Medieval Times"

Icy cold atmosphere and some decent riffs combined to make the debut full length from Satyricon a memorable one.  I only just recently discovered this one but I am fucking glad I did.

7 Varathron "His Majesty At The Swamp"

Hellenic BM at its very best.  Warm and melodic yet still creepy.

6 Carcass "Heartwork"

Yes I know it was a big departure from previous outings but I still loved "Heartwork" back in the day and for years it was my favoured Carcass opus.  Nowadays I am more of a "Necroticism..." guy but this still gets props as one of the most memorable metal records I heard growing up.

5 Morbid Angel "Covenant"

I can't really place "Covenant" that highly in the MA discography as a whole but in terms of releases from 1993 it is up there. I find it an inconsistent release yet when it is on it is "bang on".

4 Demilich "Nespithe"

It's mind-boggling to think of the amount of thought that went into this record.  I can't really compare it to any other album I know of either.  One of the true standout releases in metal.

3 Darkthrone "Under A Funeral Moon"

Probably their most BM release.  Just released in too good a year to hit top spot.

2 Burzum "Det Som Engang Var"

Raw and aggressive yet still furiously dark throughout.

1 Immortal "Pure Holocaust"

Fucking hell, how furious is this attack of BM evil?  From the simple to the point cover to the equally blunt and direct delivery "Pure Holocaust" was an Immortal on fire in a vast icy wasteland.

 

[RelentlessOblivion]

Another list rather different to my own. IIRC Nespithe is the only common album here.

[BlutAusNerd]

Dark Medieval Times is actually a 1994 release. See Murph, you're not the only one I nitpick with... [emoji39]

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

[RelentlessOblivion]

I shudder to think of the "corrections" my recent lists will be given...

[BlutAusNerd]

I shudder to think of the "corrections" my recent lists will be given...

Nothing popped out at me from the last couple.

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

[RelentlessOblivion]

Oh good I'm back on track...

[MacabreEternal]

13 hours ago, BlutAusNerd said:

Dark Medieval Times is actually a 1994 release. See Murph, you're not the only one I nitpick with...

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

Yep, I missed that one

[FatherAlabaster]

FA's top albums of 2005, in alphabetical order. The mid 2000s are a bit of a challenge for me, since that coincided with my "everything new sucks" phase (not even sure if I have ten albums I really like from 2007), but there were redeeming bits here and there.

!T.O.O.H! - Rad A Trest

I found this warped gem through the forum a couple of years ago. I wish I'd known of it when it was released. Howling, yappy vocals, odd song structures, and sloppy, wry tech death riffs tossed in a blender with fragments of Eastern European melodies and the plastic jitter of triggered drums, wrapped up in firm production that would have benefited their previous outing. The high point of a unique and creative band that suffered too much bad luck along the way.

Akercocke - Words That Go Unspoken, Deeds That Go Undone

I felt a kinship with this album the first time I heard it. "Choronzon" didn't immediately grab me, but it probably primed me to jump on this. "Words..." combines the intensity of death-grind with tinges of dissonant BM, sprawling song structures, tasteful electronics, and melodic sections that wouldn't be out of place on a Rush album. The vocals range from bestial growls, to BM shrieks, to soft cleans and an overwrought Gothic baritone. It's an odd pastiche, held together by sincere and intelligent songwriting, and they display a singular ability to infuse the overtly cheesy with a sense of brooding menace. One of my favorite albums, and a continual source of inspiration.

Averse Sefira - Tetragrammatical Astygmata

Another comparatively recent discovery for me. There's an obvious connection to the second-wave Scandinavian BM that I cut my teeth on, but the bits of odd timing and angular, non-traditional melodies set this apart. There's a lurching, relentless quality to their music that I find captivating, even though it can be a bit much to take in all at once.

Belphegor - The Goatreich/Fleshcult

By the numbers blackened DM from a three-album run that I consider their best period. Belphegor basically writes the same album over and over, but for a little while, they made their formula work for them. A strong melodic sensibility, tremolo-picked guitar harmonies and chunky palm mutes over speedy blastbeats, with a vicious high-low vocal attack. Nothing very original or genre-defying, but I played the shit out of this album when it came out. Hate the super loud production, still really fun.

Demons And Wizards - Touched By The Crimson King

One of the only power metal bands that I can even tolerate, let alone enjoy. The melodies and song dynamics aren't quite as compelling here as on their debut, but Hansi Kürsch and Jon Schaffer made a fantastic songwriting team, producing two albums that are better for my money than anything by either of their main bands. Hansi's inimitable vocal melodies and layered harmonies make this worth the price of entry.

Drudkh - The Swan Road

Another band with a great ear for swirling Eastern European melodies. "The Swan Road" has become my favorite of the Drudkh albums that I own. The melodic riffs counteract the somewhat raw production and haggard but insistent rasp of the vocals to give this album a contemplative atmosphere in spite of its abrasive qualities. The music is unlike Burzum, but they've used similar tools to create a similar tension. In a way, it feels like an old recording, and somehow that makes it seem timeless.

Khold - Krek

Khold has always been a formulaic band, but their formula set them apart from the Norwegian black metal scene rather than marking them as conformists - bone-dry, bass-heavy, and unapologetically midpaced. The appeal is in the simplistic grooves and Gard's scornful BM death rattle. "Krek" saw them expand their intentionally limited songwriting palette, incorporating some unusual chord changes within their pared-down rock structures. There were a few factors that kept them from going farther than they did, and I'm not a fan of their recent albums, but this album takes me back to a brief moment when they seemed like the face of something new.

Nevermore - This Godless Endeavor

After "Dreaming Neon Black", the next couple of Nevermore albums were a pretty severe letdown (the remix of "Enemies..." was a step up from "Dead Heart", though). As a result, it took me a long time to warm up to "This Godless Endeavor". Warrell Dane had definitely begun recycling lyrical and melodic ideas by this point, but I also hear a real effort here to push beyond that, and this may be my favorite example of Loomis's newer downtuned tech riffing. He's one of the few guitarists whose solos I actually enjoy, and he's in absurdly good form here, somehow combining technique and taste in a way that adds to the songs rather than coming off as unnecessary wankery. I still prefer their older albums, but this is the best of their more polished later period.

Opeth - Ghost Reveries

This is another one that took me years to warm up to. There's a lot of downtime on this album, and some truly laid-back prog rock sections that don't live up to the promise of "Damnation", but Opeth also managed yet again to push themselves into new melodic and structural territory. While it initially seemed to lack the focus of their fantastic string of previous albums, the range of different textures and the degree to which they're integrated has impressed me more and more over the past few years. Not to mention the maturity of Åkerfeldt's vocals, and an awesome drum performance from the sorely missed Martin Lopez. Who knows, maybe in another ten or eleven years, I may start to like their latest stuff...  

Origin - Echoes Of Decimation

The guitars are the star of the show here.  Normally, flashy sweep picking annoys me to no end, but here, it's foundational to some pretty kick-ass riffing, instead of the usual gratuitous solos. Concise enough at under 30 minutes to be forgiven its homogeneity, this album manages to boast memorable parts despite being a nonstop blur of speedy blastbeats, combining a high degree of skill with a no-frills approach to songwriting. Certainly not for everybody. The music sets a high standard that's only dragged down by irritatingly cookie-cutter tech DM vocals.