Top 10 Best Metal Albums of 2018

1. Firepower - Judas Priest

   

   I'd place this one between Defenders and Painkiller. A great return to form!

   This was a great album. My favorite song here is actually Sea of Red.

   Gotta say, I really enjoyed this one. Well done, Judas Priest.

2. Diluvium - Obscura

   

   This band... hands down.

   I liked a YouTube comment on Obscura's new album: "It is ironic that a band named OBSCURA has made everything so clear."

   100% true.

3. Illusive Golden Age - Augury

   

   Great album (progressive/technical death metal).

   List to check out: Best Songs on Augury's Illusive Golden Age

4. The Outer Ones - Revocation

   

   That's a really, really good album!

5. Queen of Time - Amorphis

   

   The combination of folk elements and death metal is superb. The vocals are perfect too. Definitely recommend it.

   That's a pretty good album, guys. It sounds quite poppy at times, but it's good for beginner metal fans.

6. Northern Chaos Gods - Immortal

   

7. Where Owls Know My Name - Rivers of Nihil

   

8. Ion - Portal

   

   This is a really heavy album from Australia.

   Contains experimental death metal. Sounds like Gorguts meets Morbid Angel meets Nile, and more.

9. Algorythm - Beyond Creation

   

10. Devouring Radiant Light - Skeletonwitch

    
The Newcomers
11. ?

    Elements - Caliban

    

    This is the metalcore album of the year.

12. ?

    Black Flame - Bury Tomorrow

    

    This one should receive more attention from us.

The Contenders

13. Meditations - Kataklysm

    

14. The Sciences - Sleep

    

15. The Scars of Man on the Once Nameless Wilderness - Panopticon

    

16. Trident Wolf Eclipse - Watain

    

17. The Arrow of Satan is Drawn - Bloodbath

    

    In my humble opinion, this album is better than their last one.

    Good album, not bad. You'll have fun listening, but it's not on the level of their first three albums.

    Best one so far. Old Nick sounds possessed, and the brutal riffs crush the old Bloodbath albums into dust. Period.

18. Jungle Rot - Jungle Rot

    

19. Pounding the Pavement - Anvil

    

20. Stranger Fruit - Zeal & Ardor

    

    An interesting combination of black metal and spiritual or gospel music.

    Sounds silly on paper, but in practice, you'd be surprised by just how good it is. The lead single "Gravedigger's Chant" is both catchy and powerful, and the closing track "Built on Ashes" is honestly one of the most beautiful tracks I've heard in a long time.

21. Eonian - Dimmu Borgir

    

22. Wasteland - Riverside

    

23. Astral Necromancy - Hoth

    

24. Holy Hell - Architects

    

25. Damned If You Do - Metal Church

    

26. Àmr - Ihsahn

    

27. The Sacrament of Sin - Powerwolf

    

    Absolutely perfect power metal!