Top 20 Albums of 2015 - Part 2: 15 - 11

15. Lamb Of God - VII: Sturm Und Drang

With all the hype surrounding Episode VII this year, it seems rather fitting that Lamb Of God would unleash their 7th album in 2015 and that like its visual counterpart, "VII: Sturm Und Drang" would see the and return to their best form in quite some time. As uncompromising as ever. this is the true definition of Groove Metal and the bar has been raised....again!

14. FFS - Self-titled

The only non-Metal album in my top 20 comes courtesy of a collaboration between Indie rockers, Franz Ferdinand and Art-Pop Legends, Sparks and the result is every bit as eclectic and brilliant as you might imagine. The lyrics are irreverant, cynical and achingly clever and musically FFS sound like, well Sparks meets Franz Ferdinand. If you need to buy just one "Pop" album this year, then it should be this one. Truly masterful.

13. Parkway Drive - Ire

Australia's Parkway Drive have been doing the rounds for over a decade now and are finally starting to get noticed in the Northern hemisphere. I first heard them 5 years ago at which point I tipped them for future greatness (just saying), and in a similar way to bands like AX7 and Audrey Horne, the band has gone through something of a metamorphosis. Although not as drastic a style shift as the aforementioned bands, "Ire" marks a noticeable step away from the Metalcore of old and the result is a much more mature and varied Hardcore-tinged Metal album (yes, there is a difference). The band are still raging against the machine and the lyrics are still about fighting the system and self-empowerment, but this time around they are armed with some seriously memorable tunes that will stick in your head. "Ire" should be the album to propel the band into the Metal "mainstream". This is their time.

12. Paradise Lost - The Plague Within

Paradise Lost have long since left behind their dalliances with New Wave and Goth Rock and are back doing what they do best, which is a distinctive take on Doom / Gothic Metal which has been often imitated, but never bettered. New album, "The Plague Within" finds the band sounding heavier than they have in many, many years. The signs that this was coming were clear to see, with guitarist Gregor forming the crushingly heavy Vallenfyre and vocalist Nick joining the ranks of Swedish Death Metal legends, Bloodbath. Of course this return to the heaviness of their early records has been backed up as always, by the stellar songwriting that has always helped Paradise Lost to stand out from their peers. The Plague Within is the culmination of a 10 year journey, started in 2005 on the self-titled album which brought back the band's unique and easily recognisable guitar sound which had been in the wilderness since the late 1990s.

11. Morokh - The Unholy Masquerade

Russia's Morokh are somewhat reminiscent of Norway's Kvelertak and this of course makes them a hard band to pin down sonically. With a sound that takes in Punk, Thrash, Hardcore, Sludge, Black Metal and more. "The Unholy Masquerade" is a full-on stormer from start to finish and at 32 minutes in duration, it makes its point in no uncertain terms.That this superb album is the band's debut is nothing short of a triumph. I just hope they can follow up such a promising start when it comes time to record album number 2. For now though, this will do nicely.
Listen to and buy it here for just $7 - you won't be disappointed.

Standout track: Lead Me Away