Had an enormous amount of free time for the holidays so decided to do something I’ve been wanting to do. I like lists and rankings, if you’re looking at this, you probably do too. This is a work in progress as I sort through my catalogue.

1.The Ocean - Phanerozoic II: Mesozoic / Cenozoic

2.Rina Sawayama - Sawayama

3.Gonin-ish - 死人賛歌

4.Caligula's Horse - Rise Radiant

5.Respire - Black Line

      View entire list ››

I feel like my overall favorites list is getting too long. I'm splitting it up by rating.

1.So Hideous - None But A Pure Heart Can Sing

2.Metallica - Re-Load

3.Faetooth - Remnants Of The Vessel

4.Inferi - The End Of An Era

5.Midnight Odyssey - Biolume Part 1 - In Tartarean Chains

      View entire list ››

My very subjective ranking of all heard metal and metal-adjacent albums 2020.

1.Imperial Triumphant - Alphaville

2.Oranssi Pazuzu - Mestarin Kynsi

3.Mamaleek - Come & See

4.Sweven - The Eternal Resonance

5.Afterbirth - Four Dimensional Flesh

      View entire list ››

Do you know this feeling when you stumble across a random word, and then suddenly that name pops up just about everywhere? That specific term haunting yours truly has long been "Portland, Oregon". It seems to me that every new discovery was founded in Portland, apparently every other album was mastered at Brad Boatright's Audiosiege Studio in Portland, and every single of my favorite bands had, at some point, performed on a stage somewhere in Portland.

In the 1980s, LA was undeniably the world's glam metal capital, alongside with San Francisco Bay Area thrash metal as a counter development. Then we witnessed the death metal boom of the early 90s, with Tampa, Florida as its global hotspot. Not to forget the New York punk and hardcore scene (NYHC), the rise of sludge metal from the swamps of New Orleans during the late 80s, grunge from Seattle gaining mainstream prominence in the early 90s...
Apparently, there has always been a tendency in the US towards rapidly developing, locally restricted music scenes, in whose environment a completely new style or genre could develop in order to have a lasting impact on the global musical landscape within a few years.

So I just had to find out if my mind was playing tricks on me or if Portland really is the current capital of the US for heavy music and extreme metal - hence this list.

Inclusion criteria:
featured on Metal Strom and
established in Portland or
a long-term creative phase in Portland or
still active and currently based in Portland
(that's why Leviathan is here but Lurker Of Chalice isn't)

Only one album (preferably the most recent full-length album) per band.

By the way, according to this article, Portland harbors the highest amount of active metal bands per capita in the US. Quite a surprise, isn't it?

While we are at it, what's your favorite Portland band?

1.Abhorrent Affliction - Forever Will He Reign

2.Acathexis - Acathexis

3.Ænigmatum - Deconsecrate

4.Ævangelist - Dream An Evil Dream III

5.Agalloch - The Serpent & The Sphere

      View entire list ››

1.Abyssus - Into The Abyss

2.Acephalix - Decreation

3.Ascended Dead - Abhorrent Manifestation

4.Auroch - From Forgotten Worlds

5.Auroch - Taman Shud

      View entire list ››

YET another list of my faves in the death metal genre this time in the year of our Lord Satan 2020. Haven't heard all the stuff I'd like yet and I welcome all the recommendations in the comments, cheers!

1.Aborted - La Grande Mascarade

2.Abysmal Dawn - Phylogenesis

3.Æpoch - The Scryer

4.Aeternam - Al Qassam

5.Æther Realm - Redneck Vikings From Hell

      View entire list ››

This list is meant to be an extensive, but by no means exhaustive, collection of the greatest (modern) metal albums and eps. Running the gamut from avant-garde to trve norweigan black metal. *As someone who is young in age, my tastes tend to revolve around the period of the 80s to the present.* Although certain metal albums from before will certainly be featured, the period of the 60s-70s will be under-represented. I refer you to this excellent list to gain a better appreciation for some of the best metal from that period: https://rateyourmusic.com/list/freis/martin_popoffs_the_top_500_heavy_metal_albums_of_all_time/

1.Uada - Djinn

2.Uaral - Sounds Of Pain

3.Ufomammut - Eve

4.Úir - Óenach Tailten

5.Ulcerate - The Destroyers Of All

      View entire list ››

No particular order.

1.Dark Tranquillity - Moment

2.Draconian - Under A Godless Veil

3.Havukruunu - Uinuos Syömein Sota

4.Wolfheart - Wolves Of Karelia

5.Sylosis - Cycle Of Suffering

      View entire list ››

Another end to a year, another list to make.

Like always I've added the specific genre/subgenre so you can easily pick out the albums that might be of interest to you.

I know some of you like statistics, so I put in a bit of extra effort to add some numbers:

- 317 albums
- Total points given: 2366,1
- Average Score: 7,46/10

- Albums with a score of 7 or above: 79,11%
- Albums with a score of 8 or above: 36,39%
- Albums with a score of 9 or above: 1,27%

- Albums with a score below 5: 2,53%

- Nationalities: 35

- USA: 73 - (23,10%)
- Germany: 31 - (9,81%)
- Sweden: 28 - (8,86%)
- UK: 25 - (7,91%)
- Finland: 18 - (5,70%)
- Greece: 18 - (5,70%)
- Brazil: 10 - (3,16%)
- France: 10 - (3,16%)
- Poland: 10 - (3,16%)
- Italy: 9 - (2,85%)
- Spain: 9 - (2,85%)
- Canada: 8 - (2,53%)
- Belgium: 6 - (1,90%)
- Norway: 6 - (1,90%)
- Russia: 6 - (1,90%)
- The Netherlands: 6 - (1,90%)
- Australia: 5 - (1,58%)
- Denmark: 5 - (1,58%)
- Czech Republic: 4 - (1,27%)
- Mexico: 4 - (1,27%)
- Colombia: 3 - (0,95%)
- Switzerland: 3 - (0,95%)
- Argentina: 2 - (0,63%)
- Austria: 2 - (0,63%)
- Chile: 2 - (0,63%)
- Japan: 2 - (0,63%)
- Portugal: 2 - (0,63%)
- Puerto Rico: 2 - (0,63%)
- Slovakia: 2 - (0,63%)
- Costa Rica: 1 - (0,32%)
- Egypt: 1 - (0,32%)
- Estonia: 1 - (0,32%)
- Ethiopia: 1 - (0,32%)
- Israel: 1 - (0,32%)
- Peru: 1 - (0,32%)

1.Paradise Lost - Obsidian

2.IAH - III

3.Asian Death Crustacean - Baikal

4.Dawnwalker - Ages

5.Necrophobic - Dawn Of The Damned

      View entire list ››

2020 has been nothing short of a horrific year. The music industry was quite possibly changed forever due to the pandemic, we saw tours and festivals canceled, and as of now, live shows seem to be a thing of the past.

However, this year ( especially in metal), we saw some big releases, impressive debuts, and the return of several bands that had been on hiatus for decades. Overall for albums, 2020 was rather impressive. Here's my favorite 100 metal albums of 2020...

1.Spectral Lore - Wanderers: Astrology Of The Nine [Collaboration]

2.Cryptic Shift - Visitations From Enceladus

3.Psychotic Waltz - The God-Shaped Void

4.Akhlys - Melinoë

5.Ulcerate - Stare Into Death And Be Still

      View entire list ››

1.Konvent - Puritan Masochism

2.Paradise Lost - Obsidian

3.Incantation - Sect Of Vile Divinities

4.Anaal Nathrakh - Endarkenment

5.Imperial Triumphant - Alphaville

      View entire list ››

Manuel Castillo (Amusia) is a Mexican youtuber/reviewer specialized in heavy metal, who makes reviews without pression from the labels or distros. His passion and knowledge are the best tools he has and is followed by almost 70,000 people from the Spanish-speaking community. His partner, Carlos, also make reviews but of underground bands.

1.Haunt - Mind Freeze

2.Annihilator - Ballistic, Sadistic

3.Mystic Prophecy - Metal Division

4.Lorna Shore - Immortal

5.God Dethroned - Illuminati

      View entire list ››

1.Benediction - Scriptures

2.Sodom - Genesis XIX

3.Inquisition - Black Mass For A Mass Grave

4.Anaal Nathrakh - Endarkenment

5.Necrot - Mortal

      View entire list ››

No stars - Don't know yet
✮✮✮✮✮ - Incredible, possibly Album Of The Year
✮✮✮✮½ - Awesome
✮✮✮✮ - Solid release
✮✮✮½ - Good release
✮✮✮ - Not bad
✮✮½ - Shuffle material (probably boring as an album)
✮✮ - Disappointing

1.Earth Rot - Black Tides Of Obscurity

2.Anaal Nathrakh - Endarkenment

3.Benighted - Obscene Repressed

4.Thurisaz - Re-Incentive

5.Heaven Shall Burn - Of Truth & Sacrifice

      View entire list ››

To keep track of albums i've listened to this year.

1.Pallbearer - Forgotten Days

2.Malokarpatan - Krupinské Ohne

3.Sweven - The Eternal Resonance

4.Elder - Omens

5.Aerial Ruin - Stygian Bough: Volume I [Collaboration]

      View entire list ››