EXTREME METAL MANIAC's BEST METAL RELEASES FOR 2020
2020 can be summed up in four words; Plague, Tyranny, War and Death. Yeah I know it sounds like the title for a death metal album. But seriously as far as a year goes for me personally this one sucked. I'll entertain that theme more later. As for now I must admit because it was such a fucked up year my focus on writing about new music was lacking. I was more concerned with surviving the shutdown, the partial shutdowns and dealing with curfews, mask mandates and stay at home crap. Trust me I'll do better this year.
Now musically it was a decent year in extreme music. The biggest surprise for me at least was how the mainstream metal labels stepped up their game and put out some damm good releases. Normally I see them just putting out cookie cutter stuff. Which is why I find more exciting stuff from the second tier labels. But in 2020 there's a decent mix of mainstream and mid-level label stuff in my end of year favorites.
Another surprise for 2020 is that Death Metal reigned supreme as far as I was concerned. Usually my favorite releases of the year lists are heavily weighted with Black Metal. Not this year and damm if this stuff is not some of the best of the decade. Yeah I know I'm always guilty of hyperbole but hey enough talking. So here's my Top Releases for 2020, a year we would rather forget.
TOP 40 FULL LENGTH RELEASES
1. NECROT - Mortal
(Tankcrimes)
The best death metal album you'll hear from 2020, absolute perfection.
2. INCANTATION - Sect of Vile Divinities
(Relapse Records)
The masters of US death metal return to form and show us how it's done.
3. HORNA - Kuoleman kirjo
(World Terror Committee)
Finland's greatest black metal act returns with a modern genre classic still grounded in their old ways.
4. HEADS FOR THE DEAD - Into the Red
(Transcending Obscurity Records)
A death metal super group in a league of their own and paving a new left hand path.
5. BENEDICTION - Scriptures
(Nuclear Blast)
A flawless death metal comeback with Dave Ingram returning on vocals.
6. OBSEQUIAE - The Palms Of Sorrowed Kings
(20 Buck Spin)
A medieval melodic black metal masterpiece from this Minnesota trio.
7. CIRITH UNGOL - Forever Black
(Metal Blade Records)
A comeback but from their early 1970's hard fuckin rock roots.
8. PARADISE LOST - Obsidian
(Nuclear Blast)
Another one of their best and a return to their death doom days.
9. GOD DETHRONED – Illuminati
(Metal Blade Records)
Dutch death metal vets turn in one of the many comeback albums of the year.
10. CULTUS PROFANO - Accursed Possession
(Debemur Morti Productions)
One of the best USBM bands that you never heard of but should.
11. ETERNAL CHAMPION - Ravening Iron
(No Remorse Records)
It's a reminder of why metal fans of yore who liked the mainstream releases at the time also became hounds in the scene's underground treasures.
12. NECROPHOBIC - Dawn of the Damned
(Century Media Records)
The return of classic 90's era Swedish black metal.
13. NOCTU - Gelidae Mortis Imago
(Transcending Obscurity Records)
The funeral doom soundtrack of our time.
14. VADER - Solitude in Madness
(Nuclear Blast)
Polish Power keeps rolling on via this death metal institution.
15. WARDAEMONIC - Acts of Repentance
(Transcending Obscurity Records)
This is the kind of album that will scorch your soul and break you out of that mundane feeling of present day black metal.
16. DEATHSTORM - For Dread Shall Reign
(Dying Victims Productions)
If you want thrash perfection in 2020 well you've got it here.
17. SEPULCHRAL CURSE - Only Ashes Remain
(Transcending Obscurity Records)
Finnish Death Metal at it's finest.
18. IRONFLAME - Blood Red Victory
(Divebomb Records)
Total fantasy metal, epic in a way which makes your metal loving spirit rise. Throw the horns up to this Ohio band people.
19. UNDERGANG - Aldrig i livet
(Dark Descent Records)
An onslaught of Danish death metal.
20. GHOULHOUSE - Rigor Mortis Intermezzo
(Horror Pain Gore Death Productions)
Rogga Johansson's latest side project is a death metal dedication to zombies, gore and some weirdness.
21. LADY BEAST - The Vulture's Amulet
(Reaper Metal Productions)
This Pittsburgh, PA band likes popping the top on a can of true metal whip-ass.
22. IRDORATH - The Final Sin
(Art Gates Records)
Modern black metal which might be one of your favorite BM albums to pick up this year.
23. SHED THE SKIN - The Forbidden Arts
(Hells Headbangers Records)
Another great death metal release with Ash Thomas (guitar and vocals) at the helm.
24. APHONIC THRENODY - The Great Hatred
(Transcending Obscurity Records)
MDB love with roses instead of dirt.
25. HAVOK - V
(Century Media Records)
The best album of their thrash career.
26. HYPERIA - Insanitorium
(Sliptrick Records)
Canada's three pronged secret weapon of thrash, death and power metal.
27. ENTARTUNG - Maleficae Artes
(Dunkelheit Produktionen)
This band has redefined German Black Metal as we once knew it.
28. DEATH COURIER - Necrotic Verses
(Transcending Obscurity Records)
A three piece of veteran Greek musicians showing us all how death metal, or death thrash if you prefer, should be performed.
29. CRYSTAL SPIDERS - Molt
(Ripple Music)
Doom from North Carolina that's more SAINT VITUS than standard SABBATH worship with amazing female vocals.
30. SOPHIST- Dissolution
(Niflhel Records)
Probably the first blackened grind act that gets the joint association of genres right.
31. IMIPOLEX - Order of The Epimethean Flame
(Black Spark Records)
A band from Portland, Maine doing Swedish style black metal and very well.
32. DEPRAVITY - Grand Malevolence
(Transcending Obscurity Records)
A new death metal champion arises from Australia.
33. ULCERATE - Stare into Death and Be Still
(Debemur Morti Productions)
The epitome of a blackened death hurricane.
34. DOPELORD - Sign Of The Devil
(Green Plague Records)
One of the few stoner doom acts that keeps things amazing.
35. HERON - Time Immemorial
(Sludgelord Records)
Sludge metal with some modern touches.
36. ANGEROT - The Divine Apostate
(Redefining Darkness Records)
Here's the best modern Swedish Death Metal act that's actually from Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
37. KVAEN - The Funeral Pyre
(Black Lion Records)
Melodic black metal beauty as well as an onslaught of brutality.
38. AMBUSH - Infidel
(High Roller Records)
A cool Swedish band with a fondness for the old NWOBHM and classic power metal sounds.
39. MIDNIGHT – Rebirth by Blasphemy
(Metal Blade Records)
Consistency on their part keeps them in the fold
40. WAR DOGS - Die By My Sword
(Fighter Records)
True Metal from Spain
BEST SELF RELEASED OF THE YEAR
BLACK PESTILENCE - Hail the Flesh (Self Released)
Blackened thrash from Canada. BLACK PESTILENCE are cool as fuck. Think of them of sounding like something in-between DESTROYER 666, GOATWHORE and MIDNIGHT. Follow that up with an accessible sound worthy of the general metal listening public. It's blackened thrash all the way and it's (wait for it) not generic sounding. They should be signed by some label in 2021 for their next release.
BEST EXTREME EPs OF 2020
1. BONEHAMMER - Black Crust Invasion EP
(Awakening Records)
Punk infused Metal from Argentina.
2. TORN IN HALF - Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth EP
(Redefining Darkness Records)
Boston death doom which is perfect to piss off your neighbors.
3. MASSEMORD - Ekstremist EP
(This Winter Will Last Forever)
Still blackened fuckin necro after all of these years.
BEST SPLIT RELEASES FOR 2020
1. HEINOUS / FLUIDS - Snuffed / Torture Euphoric Split EP
(Horror Pain Gore Death Productions)
2. BLACK ALTAR / KIRKEBRANN - Split EP
(Odium Records)
3. SILURE / FERETRO Split cassette
(Nihilistic Holocaust)
BEST COMPILATIONS FOR 2020
VARIOUS ARTISTS - Kill Them All and Let SHLAK Sort Them Out: Killer Cuts Vol. 1
(Horror Pain Gore Death Productions)
VARIOUS ARTISTS: Coronavirus / COVID-19 compilation
(Horror Pain Gore Death Productions)
VIOGRESSION - Perception Blur compilation
(Horror Pain Gore Death Productions)
HORRIBLE EARTH - Discography 2013 - 2019 compilation
(Horror Pain Gore Death Productions)
VARIOUS ARTISTS - Maywood Mayhem Vol. 11
(Self Released)
BEST LIVE ALBUM FOR 2020
KREATOR – London Apocalypticon – Live At The Roundhouse
(Nuclear Blast)
FAVORITE REISSUE OF 2020
OBSEQUIAE - Suspended in the Brume of Eos
(20 Buck Spin)
FAVORITE LABELS OF 2020
(Based on the number of releases in the Best of Listings)
1. Transcending Obscurity Records
2. Horror Pain Gore Death Productions
3. Nuclear Blast Records
HOTTEST THING IN METAL FOR 2020
Well there wasn't much to even consider toasty in 2020. I guess the hottest thing going was the constant debate between me and my good friend Andy from the punk/metal band KIFF (aka: KNOWLEDGE IS FOR FOOLS) pictured above over whether or not JUDAS PRIEST's Painkiller is a great album or not. I say yes it is while he says no it's false metal.
WORST THING IN METAL FOR 2020
Well obviously because of the lock-downs over the Wuhan Corona 19 Virus all shows/tours were shut down. Now sure for fans that was a total bummer. Of course it fucked the bands over royally. Add to that the labels took a financial hit. Then again just think about all of the lost revenue of the venues and their employees, especially the small ones who barely break even on their weekly shows.
A second big fucking shit was having to change the name of the blog from SCUMFEAST METAL 666 to EXTREME METAL MANIAC. Last January some individual or individuals had a problem with something I reposted on Facebook from this blog. Trust me it didn't have anything to do with BURZUM. In fact I believe it had to do with an obituary I had written about a local musician. It was a good obituary. I was very nice in my praise of the guy.
But a week after I reposted it on Facebook. I was notified by the platform that two other posts including the obituary were flagged via complaints. Also I couldn't post anything anymore under the SCUMFEAST METAL 666 link. So that screwed me up for a bit and I had to make the name change as well as explain what the fuck happened.
The only reason which I suspect to why I was screwed with is probably for my non-music related opinions which in all honesty are pretty mainstream. I never really share my non-music related opinions on the blog. But just for the record I'm a Libertarian who's very into freedom of speech, freedom of expression, small government and anti-censorship. I cannot see anyone who's especially into extreme music to be against those ideas. I mean whatafuck, just look at history.
But unfortunately we're now in a bizzaro world where a small minority of people have the power to decide what opinions are correct and which ones are not especially on social media. Ironically last year I said the worst thing in music for 2019 was these woke/sjw types ruining the music scene. And a few weeks into 2020 I became a victim of those losers. Whatever, I'm better then those people because being a fan of music is better than being a hater. And I surround myself with people who have a passion for this type of music along with other stuff. No haters allowed.
and finally......
PREDICTION FOR 2021
Plenty of songs dedicated to all the crap associated with the Wuhan Corona 19 Virus lock-down/shutdown bullshit. I'm guessing some thrash bands will be covering that topic.
So onward to 2021, AHGGGG!
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