Top 20 Albums of 2015 - Part 1: 20 - 16

It's (already) that time of year again where I arrogantly tell you which are MY favourite albums of the past 12 months. In my defence though, I have tried to get you bastards involved, but never get any kind of feedback. With that in mind, I give to you part one of my top 20 list of 2015, a year which has been dominated by the "old guard", frankly. Yes, there have been a lot of good records from newer acts, but for the most part this has been a year where the veterans have reaffirmed their position and have resolutely thrown down the (studded) gauntlet.


20. Avatarium - The Girl With The Raven Mask

2013's self-titled debut album from Swedes, Avatarium - the brainchild of Doom Metal legend, Leif Edling of Candlemass fame - was a decent enough, if not world-shattering release, but the follow-up, "The Girl..." is truly spectacular. There are still elements of Leif's "other" band, but this time around the music ebbs and flows in all manner of interesting directions, largely thanks to the phenomenal and distinctive pipes of the wonderful Jennie-Anne Smith. She may be a newcomer to the Metal world, but with a voice like this, she is sure to be spoken of in terms of hushed reverence in years to come.

19. Moonspell - Extinct

Portuguese Goth Metallers, Moonspell have opted not to reinvent the wheel on their 11th album, instead focusing their energy on perfecting their marriage of Extreme Metal and Gothic Metal. The vocals on Extinct veer between harsh growls and a Nick Holmes style clean croon and the songs are atmospheric and melodic, yet retaining just enough of the heaviness of yore to keep older fans happy. This could well be the perfect Gothic Metal album (sorry Paradise Lost).

18. Vreid - Sólverv

There is more than the occasional nod to the sadly-defunct Windir (from the ashes pf which Vreid were formed), to be found on the band's 7th album, Sólverv and it finds them on a career-best form. There is a real movement of quality Pagan Black Metal in Norway right now and along with Kampfar, Vreid are leading the charge,

17. Arcturus - Arcturian

Spaced out Norwegian Avant-Garde Progressive Metallers, Arcturus are back with their first studio album in 10 years (a new Kovenant album next.maybe?) and it is every bit as good as its predecessor. Arcturian is a strange beast (even by Arcturus' lofty standards) and it twists, turns and develops with every listen. It seems as if the band has pushed it's sound forward yet managed to remain comfortably familiar at the same time. It is instantly clear that the songs on Arcturian have been written and composed with the keyboard as the lead instrument and this, along with ICS Vortex' distinctive voice has been the thing that has always set Arcturus aside from the crowd.

 

16. Therapy? - Disquiet

There was a lot of hype surrounding this album in the weeks leading up to its release, with many who had heard it (and I presume many who hadn't) proclaiming it to be Troublegum II. Obviously it was never going to live up to such hype and I don't think it needs to try. Troublegum is a true classic, but it is also 2 decades old and is a product of the Alt Rock explosion of the early - mid 90's.
No, what Disquiet is, is a band releasing their finest work in many years (possibly since the aforementioned record) and a band who have never really received the recognition they deserved. As always, it is the strength of the songs that stands out here and trust me, they'll be stuck in your head for weeks. Disquiet IS a fantastic album in its own right. Just forget all the silly Troublegum comparisons and enjoy it for what it is...a damn good Rock album from one of the finest bands to have ever come out of the UK.