As we slowly crawl out through the ashes of constant uncertainty and unrest that has plagued us the last year and half, we have so much new music that will serve as the soundtrack on how we overcame these dark times. While the releases of 2020 will serve as a soundtrack to how we dived into the realms of darkness we were cursed with, these albums will represent how we overcame such. Halfway through the year 2021 and we have heard music that has brought us intensity, emotion and power that will forever be remembered as we have so much to look forward to. With live music slowly but surly returning, we have even more to look forward to. Here are out top 20 albums for the first half of 2021.

Gods Hate- Self Titled 

What is a shitty couple of years without some angry hardcore? What is angry hardcore without some newcomers to the scene to decimate through the weak as live music returns? Look no further than God’s hate that completely has the anger, intensity and pulverizing attitude that will destroy everything in its path. From classic hardcore roots in its blood to a new school drive that shows the world they are here to stay, God’s hate is the latest band on the roster for Closed Casket Activities that will show the world what a real hardcore band is all about. 

Ego Kill Talent-Dance Between Extremes 

Rock masters from Brazil reign an absolute best of modern day rock in an epic fun listen. This 12 track rock album packs a ton of emotion, power and fun for an easy listen making it both a record to let off steam and simply relax and enjoy. From the classic rock realm to a ton of modern rock elements, this album serves as a rock experience for all generations. Very easy to pick up but one hard album to put down. 

Noeta-Elm 

So serenading and so chilling at the same time. An album for both your dreams and your nightmares. A album that can sing you to sleep and scare you to death. A fairytale and a horror story. Noeta delivers a serenading and atmospheric listen with a post metal album that brings in blackened folk with the sound of angels that showcases the ultimate beauty of darkness. 

As Everything Unfolds- Within Each Lies the Other 

One of the singles off of this album, Grayscale is already making way to being one of the number one songs of the year. As Everything Unfolds is able to demonstrate pure angst and pain combined with the ultimate harmonies to pull any listener into the album with their signature sound of metal core, immersing you in a sea of emotion. 

Nightfall- At Night We Prey 

Who said black metal can’t have a sensitive side? Nightfall demonstrated the darkest and most emotional sides of black metal by addressing the deteriorating nature of how depression can ultimately consume us into a realm of severe pain. In both their lyrics and riffs, Nightfall was able to demonstrate just that. Whether you love black metal or despise it, either way, this is a black metal album that will relate to many in their darkest hour. 

Empyrium- Uber Den Sternan 

It is impossible to not indulge in this album whether you like folk metal or black metal or not. Empyrium demonstrated how harmony and melody combined with darkness and aggression is able to take you on an epic journey through the wilderness and the brisk of the coldest depths of the world.

Ghost Iris- Comatose 

Prog, metal core and everything in between. Ghost Iris was able to completely reinvent themselves in delivering intense technical excellence with thought provoking lyrics essentially making them the thinking mans metal core band. Catering to lovers of old school and new school metal core, throwing in some prog and even a touch of djent here and there, Ghost Iris is ready to take the world by storm. 

Devil Sold His Soul- Loss 

If you consider this a comeback album, consider this to be one of the best in metal core. Devil Sold his Soul returned with their first full length album in quite a while and this time combined the best aspects of their current and former vocalist. With an album focusing on very personal subject matter, this is an album that can relate to many listeners during these very uncertain times. 

Marianas Rest- Fata Morgana

Doom, gloom and sheer aggression that drowns you into a sea of ultimate darkness. Whether you want to call this album melodic death metal or straight forward doom is up to you, but either way Marianas Rest delivered an album that will make one find comfort in their inner turmoil. With dreary soloing and raw and relentless screams, Marianas Rest is something that will darken the light around you. They essentially delivered the soundtrack to the ultimate isolation that we have been facing with the last year and a half. 

The Crown- Royal Destroyer 

This album is 100% uncompromising from start to finish. The second you press play on this album, the album decides when it is finished with you, not the other away around. The Crown was able to perfect their sound of melodic death metal and really demonstrate just how timeless and impressive the genre actually is. While many will probably disagree, but on a technical level and songwriting perspective, this album can potentially be on the same level as Slaughter of the Soul 

Comatose- A Way Back 

A Way Back indeed. Comatose was able to deliver the perfect blend of hard rock and shoe gaze and even a tint of grunge in their sound delivering the ultimate throwback rock style with its own new school charm. Shoegaze rock has been making a comeback in the wake of post metal bands and Comatose is a great representation of that. 

Tribulation -Where the Gloom Becomes the Sound 

The title in itself is enough to perfectly demonstrate what is on this album. Doom and gloom combined with the blackest of the black in metal. Tribulation as always brought serenading melodies with their signature black metal style as we seen in their previous album Down Below, but this album is the perfect representation of their hard hitting intensity and brutal rage. 

Cannibal Corpse- Violence Unimagined

Violence Unimagined is Cannibal Corpse reimagined. The death metal veterans come back with a new member Erik Rutan and completely slaughter us up onside and down the other. While always maintaining their aggressive edge from classics such as Butchered at Birth and Tomb of the Mutilated, Cannibal Corpse was able to bring in some new tricks and twists to show that death metal has a lot more to say, ironically brining new life in the the genre. 

Dreamshade- The Pale Blue Dot 

With their 4th album out, the question isn’t what is Dreamshade I going to do next, the question is what aren’t they going to do next? Dreamshade delivers the most aggressive aspects of metal core combined with the most anthemic melodies making a sound that will be there for you during moments of greatness and moments of despair. Dreamshade has already shown how good they are  a technical level with previous albums such as The Gift of Life, but this album proves that there is a ton of gas left in the tank. 

Design Abstract-Technothesim 

In the wake of bands rising such as Shadow of Intent and Brand of Sacrifice comes hailing a newcomer from Canada that you need to check out. The Design abstract delivers the ultimate sounds of technical death metal, symphonic metal, dethcore, and even straight up techno making this an album that is appropriate for Summer Slaughter or at your next Rave. Top it all off with a very interesting post apocalyptic concept and you have the ultimate soundtrack to the end of the world. 

Heart Healer- The Metal Opera by Magnus Karlsson 

There is no better example of a symphonic metal compilation album than this one. Magnus Karlsson has already proved his musical genius to us for many years with all of his other projects, but this time his genius focuses on his ultimate collaborative efforts in delivering amazing symphonic composition after another with a phenomenal roster of singers such as Adrianne of SevenSpires, Margarita of Edge of Paradise, Noora of Battle Beast and so many more. Every artist on this album demonstrates their technical excellence on what can be considered to be the symphonic Roadrunner United. 

Sullen- Nodus Tollens- Act1: Oblivion 

Progressive bliss!!!! Easily one of the best progressive metal albums even rising to the occasions of classics such as Opeth’s Black Water Park. Sullen was able to deliver one of the most classic and new school styles of progressive music that is so easy to get lost in, that you won’t even know what track you are on and you won’t even care. Just sit back and listen to the sound of great harmonizing guitars with vocal melodies that will take you into one of the best modern day realms of prog. 

SETH- La Morsure du Christ 

Raw, dirty, atmospheric, cold and intense is the perfect way to describe Seths sound. After 8 long years from their previous album, these black metal legions return with their most epic work yet basically creating the ultimate black metal symphony. From the classic raw black metal sound to bands such as Darkthrone and Mayhem, to some more symphonic metal bands such as Dimmu Borgir, SETH delivered a hard hitting and relentless and epic sound of black metal that will forever echo the shadows of 2021 

Harakiri for the Sky- Maer 

With so many great black metal bands releasing new music, these Austrian black metal masters who combine elements of avant-garde, progressive metal and doom deliver a blistering and emotional hour and a Half experience that will impale you with relentless screams and chill you to the core with pianos and keys that will leaving coming back for more. Another amazing offering that showcases the most beautiful aspects of darkness 

Stepson- Help Me, Help You

It is fair to say that Australia is the new metal core capital of the world. Parkway Drive, Northlane, In Heart’s Wake, Polaris, and so many more, Stepson is another band that perfects the art of metal core while combining their own unique sound behind it. Stepson is able to use multiple sounds and multiple emotions to deliver a sound in itself that cannot be pigeonholed into one specific genre. Certain tracks will spawn the most violent pit while other tracks will shiver you to the core with serenading melodies. With their use of technical excellence channeled into their emotional songwriting, Stepson makes an album that will hit you one way or another.

To think we are only half way through the year and we have this much amazing music already goes to show that better days are ahead of us and we have more to look forward to as we work our ways out of these uncertain times. Give these albums a spin ASAP!!!