10. Mortiferum – Preserved in Torment

2021 brought many great releases and “Preserved in Torment” is without a shadow of a doubt one of the best albums in death/doom metal. Since its inauguration, Olympia-Washington-based death-doom metal act Mortiferum delivered a high standard of craftsmanship making them among my favorite bands. With a sound as murky as its nebulous lead guitars and crushing riffs, Mortiferum approach is quite unmatched when it comes to blending the slower paces with extreme heavy tempos. The songwriting is focused on slow doom dirges showcasing shrewd intellect of the quartet and the riffs are wickedly deformed to grotesque. Read my full review here.

9. Djevel – Tanker Som Rir Natten

Since their formation in 2011, the Norwegian black metal outfit Djevel drew subtle nuances from bands like Ulver, Darkthrone, and Satyricon where they captured the essence of Nordic sound, with each studio album Trond Ciekals and Kvitrim transcend their craft to perfection. The seventh album “Tanker Som Rir Natten” conjures vast elements of the second wave of black metal presenting five grim songs where they combine the chilling acoustic guitar passages with the cold melodies the album evokes chilling landscapes in form of ancient and majestic black metal. the musical setting of the tremolos creates a gloomy texture with the dark atmosphere of the keyboards and the acoustic guitars combined to create a majestic feeling throughout the album. Read my full review here.

8. Phrenelith – Chimaera

Copenhagen’s death metal act Phrenelith is slowly crawling to the upper echelon of prime death metal acts of Europe. The sophomore “Chimaera” sees them returning even darker in the most savage form of old-school death metal. With its mighty riffs and pummeling blast beats churning out otherworldly atmosphere, the band presents something quite eerie and different from the debut full length “Desolate Endscape”. from its mythic album cover illustrated by the late Timo Ketola the gloomy oil painting evokes otherworldly creatures from the Netherworlds “Chimaera” is a morose death metal album the sonic palette presents dark abyssal riffs and they’re undeniably rooted in the fundamental sound of cavernous death metal. Read my full review here.

7. Worm – Foreverglade

“Foreverglade” displays all the hallmarks of the Floridian death-doom metal outfit Worm conjure uncanny expertise to explore the morbid and the atmospheric spectrum of this sub-genre style. With only two albums the band presents compelling a mysterious and archaic feeling by fusing the paranormal atmosphere and swampy effects of the vocals listening to “Gloomlord” or “Foreverglade” is like watching the witches’ cauldron smoldering with magical portions, the music overflow in multilayered textures. I can only imagine myself in an ancient forest surrounded by pine trees while gazing into the moving shades of the crystal ball. Read my full review here.

6. Grave Miasma – Abyss of Wrathful Deities

After almost eight years of utter silence, the London trio Grave Miasma return with their long-awaited sophomore album “Abyss of Wrathful Deities”. The sophomore sees the trio uncovering extreme forms of primitive death metal as they convey the ancient tradition. Opening with scorching riffs on “Guardians of Death” the eerie setting of the guitars yields a raw and wicked approach to profane death metal. The jagged riffs are woven by the mesmeric solos that contrast with the cavernous growls. With such diverse songwriting, Grave Miasma delivers an acerbic performance that is measured with many twists and an incredible conception of their aural art. The band reflects the sense of esotericism that is brought to the peaks of supremacy. Read my full review here.