Almost every year we go through the same ritual of selecting our favorite albums. It’s no coincidence that the year 2019 was absolutely amazing in terms of releases. After all many bands have released tons of outstanding releases. My effort in selecting and making the list of my favorite top 10 albums was rather hectic and I had to make a few adjustments and sacrifices. Although my full list includes around 70 albums from death, black, heavy metal and thrash metal genre, in this list I had choose between the most influential albums that deserved to be mentioned in my year end list.

And because there have been tons and tons of excellent releases in a year full of quality metal, the year 2019 was also full of surprises for fans of death metal genre. My main objective was to make a balance between my favorite metal genres (death/black) metal. Although the year 2019 was a very strong year and packed with outstanding albums, after organizing my list I didn’t have to think twice that this year was actually a big year for black metal genre.

The biggest surprise was from the band Possessed who has returned after decades. To mention a few bands these are some of the highlights from death metal albums like Gatecreeper, Ossuarium, Tomb Mold, Unaussprechlichen Kulten and Coffins. The list also includes some of the best black metal highlights of 2019 starting with Rotting Christ, Blut Aus Nord, Barshasketh, T.G.O., Borknagar, Kampfar and many more…

But before we start the countdown I have noticed that most of my findings came out from the most renowned underground record labels therefore I would like to mention the biggest labels who have released some of the best albums this year. Starting with Season of Mist, Century Media Records, 20 Buck Spin, Dark Descent Records, Debemur Morti Productions, Profound Lore Records, Norma Evangelium Diaboli and Nuclear Blast, etc…

I also want to thank GRIMM for giving me the opportunity to write metal reviews for album releases. I want to thank those who have supported and co-operated me since I joined GRIMM. Finally I would like to thank all my friends who have supported me and the readers who read my reviews. As you know this list is limited to 10 albums only, and because it’s impossible to include all of my other favorite albums, I thought of listing down other worthy albums as you will find many great releases but of course that’s all depends on your taste in music.

So here is my full list of my top 20 death metal albums:

1. Gatecreeper – Deserted (review)
2. Nile – Vile Nilotic Rites (review)
3. Unaussprechlichen Kulten – Teufelsbucher (review)
4. Tomb Mold – Planetary Clairvoyance (review)
5. Ossuarium – Living Tomb (review)
6. Coffins – Beyond the Circular Demise (review)
7. Possessed – Revelations of Oblivion (review)
8. Sempiternal Dusk – Cenotaph of Defectuous Creation (review)
9. Musmahhu – Reign of the Odious (review)
10. Fetid – Steeping Corporeal Mess (review)
11. Cerebral Rot – Odious Descent into Decay (review)
12. Imprecation – Damnatio Ad Bestias (review)
13. Witch Vomit – Buried Deep in a Bottomless Grave (review)
14. Vacivus – Annihilism (review)
15. Baest – Venenum (review)
16. Infernal Conjuration – Infernale Metallum Mortis (review)
17. Strigoi – Abandon All Faith (review)
18. Nocturnus A.D. – Paradox (review)
19. Fleshgod Apocalypse – Veleno (review)
20. Asphodelus – Stygian Dreams (review)

Top 20 black metal albums:

1. DarkThrone – Old Star (review)
2. Borknagar – True North (review)
3. Blut Aus Nord – Hallucinogen (review)
4. Barshasketh – Barshasketh (review)
5. The Great Old Ones – Cosmicism (review)
6. Mystifier – Protogoni Mavri Magiki Dynasteria (review)
7. Kampfar – Ofidians Manifest (review)
8. Avslut – Tyranni (review)
9. Aoratos – Gods Without Name (review)
10. Rotting Christ – The Heretics (review)
11. Grafvitnir – Venenum Scorpionis (review)
12. Mork – Det Svarte Juv (review)
13. Djevel – Ormer til armer, maane til hode (review)
14. Misþyrming – Algleymi (review)
15. Mortem – Ravsnvart (review)
16. Vargrav – Reign in Supreme Darkness (review)
17. Darkened Nocturn Slaughtercult – Mardom (review)
18. Gaahls Wyrd – GastiR – Ghost Invited (review)
19. Abbath – Outstrider (review)
20. Belzebubs – Pantheon Of the Nightside Gods

 And finally I share with you my favorite heavy/doom/thrash metal albums:

1. King Diamond – Songs for the Dead Live
2. Grand Magus – Wolf God (review)
3. Haunt – If Icarus Could Fly (review)
4. Crypt Sermon – The Ruins of Fading Light (review)
5. Exumer – Hostile Defiance (review)
6. Inculter – Fatal Visions (review)

For my actual top 10 of the year, go to the next page…