Ever since I started writing for this site, I’ve found myself in the same difficult spot at the end of every year: trying to select 10 albums that were released that year and were the best in my humble opinion. Seeing how many records get released every year, I just can’t avoid to have missed a few here and there. So I end up listening to quite a bunch of albums that others have been recommending on last notice, of which some actually make it into my list still. After long moments of contemplation, putting albums in my list, moving them around and replacing them by others, this is what finally became of my “albums of the year 2017”:
| Honorable Mentions | 10-4 | 3-2 | 1 |
10. Chelsea Wolfe – Hiss Spun
This is one of those albums I’ve only picked up in my attempt to catch up with what I possibly missed. While there were many releases that actually impressed me, the overall sound, feel and atmosphere of Chelsea Wolfe‘s new one just really struck a chord with me. I still need to check out her earlier work, but apparently with Hiss Spun she dialled down the electronic and industrial sound to add a whole lot of doom and sludge to it. It brings one hell of an emotional ride on which you can experience anything ranging from fragile and vulnerable to fierce and confident, anger and hostility to sadness and tenderness, sometimes within one single song. Add to that the raw angelic voice of Chelsea that adds layers of expressionism to every single track and you just can’t help but being mesmerized by this album…
9. Body Count – Bloodlust
“Body Count‘s in the house!” The band revolving around Ice T and his friends has been around for quite a bit. They were a rowdy and controversial bunch, stirring up quite the ruckus back in the day. With Ice T having quite the comfy life in the meantime, it has to get you wondering if they’re still as angry, volatile and relevant nowadays… And to that I can say a “Hell yeah!”, otherwise they probably wouldn’t have gotten a spot in my “final 10”. They’re fucking pissed off about how things are (still) going in this world and the frustration is dripping off the record. The album title is actually very well chosen, because their lust for blood and justice is straight palpable with tracks like No Lives Matter and Black Hoodie. I can’t wait to see these guys ripping it up on stage the coming festival summer! For our full review of the album go here.
8. Highrider – Roll For Initiative
Highrider delivered with their debut full release Roll for Initiative what I was hoping for. Compared to their EP Armageddon Rock, they cleaned up the production and sound without losing the destructive Armageddon of power that is their music. If you’re any bit into (underground) heavy/doomy metal like Black Sabbath and such, but with a very sturdy raw edge, sometimes sounding somewhat like Kvelertak, don’t hesitate to check these dudes out! Without any doubt one of the freshest winds in heavy metal I’ve heard since long… Read my full review here.
7. Jay Ray – Self-Resonance
The Finnish solo artist Jay Ray has talent in heaps and his debut Self-Resonance feels like the next step in his career. Musically there’s influences of various music styles all blended together naturally without anywhere clashing for a second. The orchestration and electronic music interwoven with all of that makes his music heartfelt, emotional and damn epic at times. Fans of modern (groove) metal or even the better nu-metal like old school Linkin Park, Papa Roach,… will love quite a few songs on this album, just check out King Vultures down below. But there are also quite a few radio hit quality songs like for instance the song he collaborated on with Marko Saaresto from Poets of the Fall. A great album by a very talented guy, I’m looking forward already to what new stuff is coming from him… For the full review go here.
6. Enslaved – E
In 2016, the project of Enslaved‘s Ivar Bjørnson and Wardruna‘s Einar Selvik, Skuggsjá received a lot of praise from our team for its mix of progressive extreme/black metal and pagan folk. With his main band Enslaved, they released E, another epic masterpiece of progressiveness and pagan/Viking inspired black metal. Not as impressive as the earlier collaboration, it still delivers everything I want to get from a band like this. It’s inspiring and takes you to a completely different world than the present modern day.
5. Wolves In The Throne Room – Thrice Woven
Having been a fan of Wolves In The Throne Room for probably a decade, I was hoping that they’d go back to their epic old sound of atmospheric black metal that represents the beauty and raw power of nature. And with Thrice Woven they actually came back to true form after their stint in ambient music. The album holds only 5 tracks, but they are making up a lot with Thrice Woven and got me excited with them again. Despite the fact that the album may not hold the same enticing and bewildering sound throughout, it’s still of a higher quality than a lot of their peers. Again, an example of how harsh yet beautiful black metal can be. For my full review go here.
4. Wolfheart – Tyyhjys
The Finnish wolves from Wolfheart are back! And how! Moments of cold harsh and ruthless metal combined with the beautiful harmonies and melodies of piano, orchestration and blistering guitar solos. This album is from start to finish top notch! Wolfheart has set the bar for Finnish Winter Metal with their third full-length Tyyhjys. I’m curious to see who could beat them at their game. For my full review go here.
