CryptoKriegs Top 10 Metal Albums of 2017.
Alrighty, this is a bit of a change from my usual gaming reviews but it's that time of year again where i review my top 10 metal albums of 2017, it's been quite a huge year for metal in general with a lot of fan favourites releasing new material and new bands making a name for themselves, i'm going to go down the list starting at 10 and ending at number 1, so lets dive straight in and check out my Top 10 albums of the year.
10.
Aeternam - Ruins of Empires
I was really surprised with this album, it's not usually that many things in the metal world that managed to get past me, but Aeternam did, formed in 2007, i only found their new album while randomly browsing and was really surprised at the depth a "new band" can have, their album Ruins of Empires is extremely well put together mixing Death metal, Symphonic and Arabic folk tones to create an extremely enjoyable experience.
9.
Beheaded - Beast Incarnate
Another band that managed to slip past me, already with a huge name for themselves i once again randomly found them by scrolling through a few blogs, i'm a complete music snob nowadays so when it comes to Tech Death Metal it has to be done right, musical wankery is great for some bands but if it isn't catchy it's dead to me, Beheaded doesn't have that problem, there's a real depth of feeling to their songs that you can hear from the very start of their title song "Beast incarnate"
8.
Carnal Decay - You Owe You Pay.
Carnal Decay has a very special place in my heart, it's what got me into Brutal Death Metal, the first time i heard a carnal decay song i was around 15 lanning at a friends house, then at around 5am i had 3 espressos and was bouncing off the walls when i found Carnal Decay and i proceeded to wake the entire house up.
You Owe You Pay is no different, Carnal Decay manage to blend the perfect mix of brutality with effective slams and breakdown placement, it's not going to win most technical album of the year award but it's still a great album to chuck on and slam out to, no matter what you're doing.
7.
Alestorm - No Grave But The Sea
Ahhh Alestorm, if you're into metal or atleast know of the metal world you know about Alestorm, the crazed scottish pirates out to steal your wenches and drink your rum, a lot better than their previous offering, No grave introduces a more authentic Alestorm feel with some songs that could of been placed on their first 3 albums, i really have no harsh words for No Grave.
The only reason it's not higher up in the list is that the production is a little over produced, for pirate metal you want that abrasive shanty type of sound, this sounds a little to clean for Alestorm but none the less does the job and Alestorm fans will ultimately enjoy this newest offering.
6.
Dying Fetus - Wrong One To Fuck With.
Leaps and bounds above their last album, Wrong One is the perfect mix of Technical ferocity coupled with violent riffs and expertly timed breakdowns, the only reason this isn't higher in the list is because half of the album sounds like it came from the old album, it's truly strange, 4 or 5 of the songs are classic Dying Fetus and show their technical wizardry off like no other however some songs are just kinda there to pad the numbers.
Dying Fetus has been around for decades now and they show no sign of slowing down, just hopefully with their next installment they can get back to their original sound of pure technical chaos.
5.
King Of Asgard - Taudr
King of Asgard is a pretty underground band that have a legendary cult following, If you're a fan of Amon Amarth this will be your new favourite band, practically coining the term "Viking Metal" when they were known as Mithotyn, King of Asgard delivers pure viking goodness with authentic Swedish ambiance and atmosphere, Taudr is no different, going one step further to add even more folk elements into the mix, sadly however this was only an EP and wasn't a full offering but regardless Taudr is still a masterpiece of melodic writing.
4.
Body Count - Bloodlust
I fucking love Body Count, I love Ice T and Ernie and i love the fact that it pisses off both rap fans and metal fans in equal parts, Bloodlust however i personally consider to be their best album they've released so far, they have finally gotten their unique sound and riffs worked out coupled with excellent production values and unique and varied songs, it's hard to find anything wrong with Bloodlust save for maybe one song that is kinda strange for the album.
Either way, Bloodlust is an amazing offering by the Body Count boys.
3.
Hideous Divinity - Adveniens
What is it with Italians and creating amazing Tech death? Hideous Divnity are already legends in the tech death scene, combing true technical riffs, drum work and composition to create truly crushing songs and this album is no different, from start to finish it doesn't let you take a break and keeps punching you in the face with an onslaught of riffs, time changes and demonic vocals that would scare Satan.
Like i said above, i'm a music snob and tech death has to be done very well for me to notice it anymore but Hideous Divinity are one of those special bands that hits all the marks on everything an extremely rare commodity today i'm just hoping they tour Australia soon!
2.
Cannibal Corpse - Red Before Black
I have a love hate relationship with this album at the moment, let me explain, i'm a life long Cannibal fan, i got my hands on one of their albums back in early 2000 when i was around 10 years old and i still haven't heard anything that comes close to Cannibal Corpse, alot of other bands have tried over their nearly 30 year career but they have never been able to match up, however this is the first time i've skipped songs on a new cannibal corpse album.
Now that's not to say that they're bad, but they just aren't hitting that special cannibal mark, some songs do very well like Only one will Die and Heads Shoveled Off, but songs like Hideous Ichor or In the Midst of Ruin have the cannibal corpse sound but seem to be structured wrong, but i digress.
It's still the legendary Cannibal Corpse and the majority of the album is still pure death metal in all it's glory that only Cannibal Corpse can provide.
Now for the Number 1 spot.
1.
Archspire - Relentless Mutation
Archspire is just......fuck I don't even know how to explain Archspire and that's bad for someone who makes money reviewing things, In every metal genre there is that one band that stands out above the rest and essentially becomes the leader, well take that theory and apply to like 13 different sub genres, that is Archspire, literally the best technical death metal band around today they have made a huge name for themselves with their pure insanity of song writing, playing and just all around product.
Relentless Mutation is their newest offering to date and it's literally impossible to say anything bad about it, in 10 short years Archspire has overtaken nearly every band in terms of speed, precision, song writing and talent, every single member of the band has tried to achieve becoming the best at their chosen instrument including vocalist ollie who probably is the best vocalist in metal right now.
Relentless Mutation is a crowing achievement in technical ferocity for all metalheads, blisteringly fast and complex their 7 song album has no downtime and no generic or cliched parts, every song is a journey into madness that you get to witness, produced by people at the apex of their instruments in the metal genre, while only coming out in September this year, according to my tracker I have listened to this album for a combined time of 214 hours, given that it's only a 30 minute album means iv'e listened to this a lot.
Archspire are quickly becoming a very very big name in Metal, with each new release they show up their already insane song writing and playing that somehow never seems to jump the shark or become a parody of itself, i know music is subjective but even from objective viewpoints in terms of metal, this really is THE album of the year as no other band on this list has come close to mastering their individual craft like Archspire seems to be able to do every release.
Obviously only being 30 minutes i was a little bit disappointed since the wait was 3 years, but it's hard to rush a perfect album and on all accounts Archspire's Relentless Mutation hits everything and goes beyond it.
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