If there is one great thing we can say about 2020 and 2021, is that the music that has come out at these times has been nothing short of magical. It is an unfortunate and cruel reality that when times are at their worst, art tends to be at its best. While the world of metal has encapsulated darkness in multiple ways and tends to always make that the foundation of their sound, we in the world of metal know how to use pain and darkness as our armor rather than our anchor. It was said last year at the end of 2020 and it will be said again, we will look back at these albums as the albums that got us through these dire times. These will serve as the soundtracks to what we were feeling entering this dark era while also overcoming it. Here are our top 30 albums of 2021.

Obscura has embarked on a new era with a new lineup to explore a new concept. A Valediction is the beginning of a 3-piece album series addressing new stories and ideas after a killer 4 album concept series which was completed in 2018 addressing space, time matter and the universe. Obscura continues their mesmerizing progressive tendencies with their all out brutal and guttural sound of tech death. A new age for Obscura brings a lot of the old and tons of new tricks to give us even more to look forward to in this new era.

• 

Pure raw black metal with Skyrim as the main concept?! How can you go wrong?! The combination couldn’t be anymore right. Noctule delivers a raw and atmospheric black metal sound that is dirty all the way through and gives you the ultimate triumphant feeling as you would in any RPG and any black metal album. With an older sound to bring a modern concept, Noctule satisfies full black metal purists while also welcoming a new era of younger fans dipping their toe in the genre to create a whole new generation that appreciates the rawest form of intensity.

Symphonic metal had a pretty decent year this year with plenty of new bands to carry it forward. Phantom Elite delivers a powerful and dark aura combining beautiful melodies with raw intensity. This album delivers tons of epic melody that instills you with emotion and takes you on a rollercoaster of power and harmony. Its epic melodic vocals combined with intense growls create for the ultimate form of epic contrast. There is also an essence of simplicity incorporated on this album that makes it very easy to digest and very easy to return to. For lovers of Nightwish, Epica, or Within Temptation, here is a new band to add to your playlist. 

Progressive metal in its purest form is demonstrated on Frontal. This album knows how to keep longs songs interesting and takes you through multiple dimensions of time and space bringing sonic harmony and beauty. Every song is its own journey and together it makes for the ultimate one. By embracing some easier aspects as well, it is nice and tasty with its harmonies and soloing and melodies without going overkill. For any prog fan whether Dream Theater, Opeth or Between the Buried and Me, this album hits all nails on the head. 

Blackened Folk metal that is adventurous, unsettling and mesmerizing. Empyrium is able to bring traditional instrumentation from both folk metal and black metal and make for something that informs us a lot about the past, but also informs us an a lot about ourselves. The album is your humble guide through a dark cold and beautiful journey through the darkest depths of life. Lovers of Heilung and Wardruna need to check this album out ASAP. 

Gaze rock making for a great throwback with a lot of modern charm. Shoegaze rock has been making a small comeback lately with the rise of bands like Tennis System and SOM. Comatose is a group of metal musicians coming together to unleash their inner rock packed with emotion and imagery inducing melodies. This album is appropriate for any setting and any vibe and for any lover of music in general.

While black metal has brought many different elements with it over the years, SETH brings the classic aspects of what makes raw black metal so pure. This album is relentlessness with its rawness and bewitching with its darkness capturing an essence of despair and agony that we all find comfort in. With its rawness, intensity and melodies, La Morsure Du Christ is able to revive a classic sound and bring a whole new lease of life to the sound of utter death.

Devil Sold His Soul delivered an epic album showing a triumphant and powerful expression of grief and personal hardships the band has gone through. With their former singer returning combining his style with their recent singer, Devil Sold His Soul has the ultimate weapon of delivering sonic emotion that makes for an excellent metalcore composition all while demonstrating unity and catharsis. With so many UK metal core bands killing it such as While She Sleeps, Bury Tomorrow, Architects and Loathe, Devil Sold His Soul should be the next metal core band in the region to fly the flag. 

After a long layover, Gemini Syndrome returns with their guns blazing. Vocalist Aaron Nordstrome brings excellent lyricism that is needed now more than ever while the rest of the band is able to deliver anthemic heaviness showing beauty in the inner despair we can all feel. Their experimental sound has already been unique and captivating on their first two releases, but this time, Gemini Syndrome hit us harder than ever with new territory claimed. With a sound that appeals to lovers more in the rock spectrum, but having the intensity that any metalhead would love, 3rd Degree:The Raising is Gemini Syndrome representing all the ground they have covered and the ground they will soon cover.

We all know Magnus Karlsson from Primal Fear, well just when you thought you knew his work, he is able to deliver something unlike anything we have heard in symphonic metal. The ultimate symphonic metal compilation album is the best way to describe this masterpiece. Guitarist/Songwriter Magnus Karlsson creates the ultimate symphonic metal masterpiece that is epic from start to finish tackling every emotion and expressing technical excellence, all while having the best roster of symphonic metal singers, some that we are familiar with such as Noora of Battle Beast or former Nightwish singer, Anette Olzon, but also brings in some new vocalists such as Adrianne of SevenSpires and Margarita of Edge of Paradise, opening the doors for a whole new generation of lovers for the genre. 

Stepson is bringing multiple eras of metal core into one sonic masterpiece that demonstrates emotion and is brutally honest with its lyricism. With many different votes comes many different meanings of the songs and with many listens you will be discovering something new every single time. StepSon made an album to celebrate our greatest moments, but to also heal us during our hardest. From bands such as A day to Remember, to I Previal to Parkway Drive, Stepson hit many generations and many different eras, spawning the birth of a new one. 

Everything great in modern day metal is demonstrated on this album for lovers of prog and lovers of metal core. Ghost Iris was able to pull apart many genres and put them back together to create a beautiful sound of melodies with pure heaviness. One minute you will find yourself being pulverized by some of the most intense riffs and guttural growls, to finding yourself lost in a new dimension of progressive melodies. For lovers of The Faceless, After the Burial or The Contortionist, this album is for you to check out. 

Sheer intensity and brutality from start to finish. Royal Destroyer is melodic death metal in its purest form while incorporating pure and relentless thrash to pulverize you even further. From the violence to the power demonstrated on here, The Crown destroys any notion that melody takes away from the heaviness. This album is able to build an entire realm of darkness while also being the soundtrack to the destruction of everything around us. Royal Destroyer captures every essence of anger that we all could have felt recently and creates the ultimate melodic death metal soundtrack to it.

Black gaze combined with atmospheric melodies and sounds, Noeta is able to create a soundtrack to our greatest dreams and greatest nightmares by gently luring us into a peaceful, yet dark void, almost making us find comfort with our own personal demons. The atmospheric and slow qualities make us find beauty in doom and gloom and despite it sounding very polished and easy, this album is as raw as it gets. It is not about what this album does that makes it spectacular, it is what it doesn’t do. Its ghostly vocals combined with its harmonic atmospheres immerses us in a realm of suspense that makes us brace for something, only for it to simply fade and you wish to return to it some more.

If you were jamming the new Omnium Gatherum and Swallow the Sun albums this year, here is another one to follow them up with. Fata Morgana is the soundtrack to us falling into the darkest depths of our own personal madness and delivers a consistent intensity that keeps us engaged with our descent into agony. Marianas Rest was able to bring harmony to a sound we never thought could contain it. While it is melodic and beautiful, it is also raw and pulverizing. You feel the weight of the heaviest burden demonstrated on this sonic beauty. 

The creative spree Trivium has been on has been nothing short of amazing. With their last album What the Dead Men Say, already kicking ass at the beginning of the pandemic, they were able to provide us more fuel to get through these dark times on Court of the Dragon. This is without a doubt some of Trivium’s heaviest material in their catalogue and delivered an anthem of brutality to strengthen us even more. Trivium at this point is like the Queen of Thrash or the Queen of Metalcore (whatever label you give them) They give us the anthems of victory while also demonstrated the strife to get there. Court of the Dragon is an anthem for the scars we wear to triumph through tragedy. This late into their career and they continue to put out their best material to date, it only goes to show why Trivium is one of the best in the business.

The prog metal album of 2021 and quite possibly the best prog album of this style since Opeth’s Black Water Park (yes, those are some fighting words). Sullen takes every element we love from prog and adds ten times more delivering the most sensational melodies with the most epic harmonies making for the ultimate progressive sonic adventure. Even with longer songs, you wont care. You will find yourself entering an alternate reality with the sonic beauty this delivers. This album is impossible not to get lost in and ultimately warms you up by delivering excellence into our ears which then transfers into our souls. 

Without a doubt, one of the top Cannibal Corpse albums ever. Erik Rutan joining the band was one of the best lineup changes and Cannibal Corpse continues to wear the crown of death metal kings by being able to bring their signature pulverizing brutality while adding more than we have ever heard. Unleashing their traditional death metal style with some other forms of aggression, Cannibal Corpse is able to continue their sound as well as continue to show new sides of us. From the violence to the darkness to the sheer consistent intensity, Cannibal Corpse will always be the kings of the genre that has inspired so many. This late into their career and they still continue to kick ass while also showing us there is a ton of gas left in the tank. Violence Unimagined is Cannibal Corpse reimagined 

Another great band from the UK that brings multiple eras of metal core into their own unique sound. With the harmonizing vocals that demonstrate both power and sensitivity, all while also bringing in screams that decimate through the weak, As Everything Unfolds brings a modern flavor to an era that ha proven itself to be more than just a small era through music. As Everything Unfolds is a force to be reckon with and this album proves that they are ready to take the world by storm. 

The question is not what is this album. The question is, what isn’t this album?! From its concepts to its style to its arrangements, The Design Abstract combines prog, dethcore, death metal, technical death metal, melodic death metal and even more. Hell, there is even an interlude track that teeters on being EDM. If you are into Lorna Shore, Rivers of Nihil or Shadow of Intent, you need to listen to this album right now. The Design Abstract is chaotic, adventurous, and captivating from start to finish. Every song plays by their own rules but, when listen to together, it makes for the ultimate weapon. 

Harakiri for the Sky is black metal combined with some doom and melodic death metal that makes for one of the ultimate emotional sounds of terror. Mære is a horrifying yet mesmerizing combination of magical and beautifully melodic instrumentation combined with the rawest screams demonstrating contrast and intensity. While this album is long, it is impossible to put down once you start it as the album will always go on multiple directions leaving you with a different impression every single time, making you return to it more and more. It is the perfect example of beauty and despair. 

What do you get when you combine Lacuna Coil and We Came as Romans? You get Venues. Metalcore is a genre with a legacy of always inspiring brand new bands to put their own unique spin on it. In this metal core duet, Robin delivering pulverizing screams and Leila brining her powerful melodies, Venues makes an album that is powerful and triumphant with its victorious anthems and mesmerizing harmonies. The songwriting and instrumentation keeps the album catchy and engaging making for a match made in heaven. This band says everything they have to say on Solace while also demonstrating that there is a lot more to be heard.

Unto Others is a band that makes goth and rock their own genre. With their kick ass debut Mana, followed by this, Unto Others knows how to make the most emotional composition from their instrumentation to their lyricism. This is darkness in its purest form delivered in a down and dirty and mysterious fashion, invoking discussion and self realization. Unto Others is the soundtrack to keep you motivated or the soundtrack if you just simply give up on life. They may be goth, but the are night a new Type O Negative or HIM, they are their own band with their own sound, style, image and meaning, and it is something that we needed in music for both our own external and internal turmoil. Strength showcases plenty of Strength but leaves a mysterious aspect of what it actually is. Unto Others is the thinker’s gothic band.

While the legends continue to ride hard and heavy weakening the earth below us in the world of death metal, Archspire, with their intensity, brutality and relentlessness takes the crown in reinventing the sound. Archspire takes everything we love about death metal, shreds it up and puts it back together to create their own monster. Shredding guitars, drums faster than a speeding bullet, and guttural growls that will eat through your mind, Archspire is technical death metal that will kick your ass and makes you com back for more. They already got us on board with Relentless Mutation, but now, they are able to become the future of Death Metal with Bleed the Future. Many death metal bands have been able to demonstrate more of their technical excellence by discovering their inner proggressive tendencies, but Archspire has a sound of their own that cannot be matched.

Mesmerizing, captivating and goosebump inducing, Spiritbox made the anticipation of Eternal Blue 100% worth it from start to finish. With the hype surrounding this album because of the praise of the singles, there was a lot of room for error, but the songs that weren’t released as singles ended up being just as, if not, stronger. The vocals shine so beautifully while gently guiding us into a realm of harmony and intensity. Its hypnotic sound instantly burns itself into the frontal lobe of our minds for years to come. The contrast between the gentle vocals and heavy instrumentation is able to bring many sides of music together. The rise of Spiritbox is well deserved and this album met all of our expectation and left us wanting more. 

While it is sad to see Burton leave, if there is an album to go out on, there is one no better. Aggression Continuum serves as a sonic arewell for Burton but a new era to come from Dino’s songwriting. From Demanufacture, to Obsolete, to Mechanize to The Industrialist, and more, Fear Factory created a brand new adventure and concept with their sonic sound of intense riffs and relentless and harmonizing vocals while bringing in more new tricks, making us more excited to see what comes next. In the world that we live in now, Fear Factory’s concepts are more relevant than ever, and Aggression Continuum brings us on a new journey to embark on. 

Dreamshade brings on their 4th album and with their signature style of metal core, Dreamshade is able to bring their already powerful sound into the stratosphere. Dreamshade brings everything in metal core from ripping guitar solos, epic vocals both heavy and melodic as well as bringing in keyboards that add new layers of melody and emotion. With songs that share our joy during the greatest times and songs that share our pain during the hardest, Dreamshade has done more than the impossible with music. This album is not just an album, it is an experience. While this album has all the elements of what we would love from What Silence Hides, The Gift of Life and Vibrance, A Pale Blue Dot steps into more uncharted territory demonstrating that this group can do no wrong. 

When we look back at 2021, and we think about what we did in this summer with the world opening up but still having uncertainty, Turnstile’s Glow On will be the album we look back on as the album we jammed that summer. This album serves as the ultimate “fuck you” to people who think hardcore has to be serious all the time. This album has so much to offer with its experimental hardcore sound from elements of raw heaviness, to catchy and easy fun songs to keep us smiling. Its easy to return to and beyond hard to put down once you start. Its catchiness and fun is a force to be reckon with as it practically makes its sound hypnotic. 

Black metal has gone a long way, and Møl brings it to a new era and a new sound with the most mesmerizing essence of black gaze to come. Its high pitched screams combined with its amazing melodic guitars deliver contrast and a constant state of beauty with its dark and near horrifying sound. Whether in a dark forrest, or in the heart of Times Square, Diorama is an album that is appropriate in all settings. Diorama is anthemic and mesmerizing showing that the screams of pain can be made into something beautiful and indulging.

Every ounce of darkness and emotional distress we all feel inside and out is demonstrated on here. This album does have an early throwback sound to the post hardcore and pre metalcore days of the early 2000s with bands such as The Dillinger Escape Plan and even early Killswitch Engage or As I Lay Dying., but they are able to resurrect the sound and bring such a raw intensity to it that it serves as the post hardcore soundtrack to our own descent into insanity and chaos, but with its catchy melodies, we almost enjoy that said chaos. SeeYouSpaceCowboy tried so many new things with this album and they all did them perfectly. Musically, it is able to take us through multiple eras, multiple emotions and multiple vibes while lyrically demonstrating everything that we either currently feel, everything we could have felt, or many things we are going to feel and dont even know yet. Every beat, every riff, every note, every second on this album counts. 

While it is near impossible to condense a list of our top albums, as they all play a roll in our minds whether we like the album or not, these top 30 served as the perfect representation of exploration, catharsis, self discovery, every day burdens of life and how we better ourselves through these experiences.