I have the feeling it becomes harder and harder for me to come up with top lists every year since I don’t get the chance to delve in as deep in all the musical releases as I’d like. I guess that’s called growing up, right? The last few years my favorite albums of a certain year were only discovered the months after New Year as I got a chance to go through other people’s top lists. I presume 2018 won’t be different. Still, there are some albums that have stuck with me this year and were already being played on repeat quite a few times throughout the year.

10. Soen – Lykaia

While Soen first started as a supergroup, they are now steadily evolving in their own right. The great jazzy progressions and progressive touches and Joel Ekelöf‘s amazing voice offer everything fans of Opeth or Tool need. With this third album, Lykaia, I certainly think they’re on their way to take their place between the greatest in their genre.  

9. Brutus – Burst

You must have been living under a rock in Belgium if you missed Brutus this year. This unconventional trio got some radio airplay and that’s no surprise as their songs are not only heavy but also catchy as fuck. Their single All Along has been stuck in my head for days in a row throughout the year. Now I have to go through it all over again because of this list. Worth it though! It takes a while to get used to drummer/singer Stefanie‘s voice, but once she gets through to you, you are lost to Brutus‘s intense riffs and melodies.

8. Widek – Hidden Dimensions

The Polish one man project Widek by Maciej Dawidek has been playing on repeat the last two years with his releases Journey To The Stars (2015) and Outside The Universe (2014). Not that it was getting boring at all, but Hidden Dimensions was a welcome addition to the catalogue to have something new to binge-listen to over and over again. I’ve seen many terms passing by from people trying to describe these kind of releases. I personally like ‘ambidjent’ because it is still heavy and groovy progressive music, but at the same time it offers a very relaxing atmosphere. This has been my go to album if I wanted to zone out and get some work done.

7. Zeal & Ardor – Devil is Fine

I remember we were joking outside our own Grimm venue Jeugdhuis Asgaard about what musical genres had been mixed with metal already. Skrillex and Korn gave birth to dubstep metal, 90’s nu metal and bands like Hacktivist brought in rap to the scene, and Japanese projects like Blood Stain Child even add a touch of trance to their metal. So we really had to think outside of the box. Someone jokingly said ‘negro spiritual metal’ hadn’t been done before. Little did we know that Manuel Gagneux of Zeal & Ardor would drop Devil is Fine on us in 2017! Praise the Lord! I mean Satan.

Read the review by Vaim here.

6. Leprous – Malina

Just like with Soen, ever since discovering Leprous their previous albums have been a constant go to choice if I didn’t know what else to listen to. You know you get a great soundtrack for whatever you’re doing. Every time I listen to their new album Malina I discover a new hook, another layer, a different riff I hadn’t picked up before. This band is so good and they just keep getting better!

Read the review by Tom here.