The end of 2018 is creeping up on us, and that means making a personal top ten of all releases from this year. This year was a great year for music, at least in my opinion. With so many releases it’s almost impossible to narrow it down to ten favourites. This year will also be the first time I make one of the top ten lists, since I am only writing for this website since March. While being excited to make the list, I also hope that I include everything that I think is worth mentioning. The music in this list is mostly as hectic as this year was for me, loads of (technical) death metal, some progressiveness and some traditional releases.

3. Arsis – Visitant

Arsis is a death metal band from Virginia that also play with a considerable amount of technicality. They released their sixth album Visitant on the 2nd of November through Nuclear Blast. I really like the way this album starts off, with the track Tricking The Gods. With almost sinister sounding guitar work which quickly transforms into smashing technical riffage. The album has well thought out music, and is not just an overwhelming amount of music all the time. It’s melodically and technically perfectly combined. I think this band and album should get way more appreciation. Their talent is simply undeniable, which shows off on Visitant. On their track Hell Sworn Malcolm Pugh of Inferi has a guest spot. Which is a coincidence, because guess what band is number two in this list…

2. Inferi – Revenant

Inferi is a band I discovered this year through the YouTube channel of their label, The Artisan Era, and oh boy I was happy. They are from Nashville, Tennessee and forged their band in 2006. Revenant saw the light on the 21th of April and is their fourth full-length album.

This 56 minute long masterpiece really took me by surprise, and I think it is a total bummer that I have not heard of these guys before. The album starts off with the track Within The Dead Horizon. The intro is nice and slow with some orchestral piano elements and rain sounds, but this changes quickly. Hard hitting technical riffage hits your face after fifty seconds, and from there on the fun starts. The orchestral elements are amazing in this album. But to be honest I’m just a sucker for well combined orchestrated metal. The vocals are just amazing and the energy and talent in this album is mind blowing. It is not just mindless string hitting and drumming, it all comes together perfectly. It might be a lot to consume, but I would definitely recommend giving it a try because this albums just a genius album and deserves more recognition.