Top 20 Albums Of 2015 - Part 4: 5 - 1

5. Fear Factory - Genexus

You've heard the adage "if it ain't broke(n), don't fix it. Well this can certainly be applied to Fear Factory. Instantly recognisable, the band's distinctive style remains intact and rather than trying to reinvent themselves, they instead opt to continue to tweak and fine-tune their sound to perfection. 

4. Myrkur - M

I don't what to say about the brilliant Murkur that hasn't already al been said, but if you've been living under a rock this year then this woman is, to quote Terrorizer magazine, "The future of Black Metal. This sublime debut album effortlessly blends the beauty of Scandinavian Folk Music and the ferocity of Black Metal. Like a siren in Greek mythology , Amalie lures you in with her haunting beautiful "clean" singing voice before tearing your face off with harsh Black Metal vocals which wouldn't have sounded out of place on an early Emperor or Mayhem record. This is a revelation and is without a doubt, the Black Metal album of the year.

3. Slayer - Repentless

Fist off, let me say that I have never been the world's biggest Slayer fan. In fact, I opted not to even bother watching their headline set at Bloodstock a few years back (something I won't be doing next year). The occasional song here and there aside, I haven't really rated them since 1994's "Divine Intervention", so when news reached my ears of a new Slayer album (and the first without founder member and major songwriter, Jeff  Hanneman) I wasn't really interested. Curiosity got the better of me though, so I listened to it anyway...and it completely blew me away. Tom sounds refreshed and delivers his vocals with the passion of the early releases, the riffs are fast and furious and  most importantly, there are songs here. Memorable songs. Maybe they were out to prove the doubters wrong, that they not only could continue without Jeff, but that they are every bit as relevant as they ever were or maybe the album was a tribute to Jeff? Who knows. All I know is that these veterans have emphatically stamped their mark on the Metal world again, 34 years after their formation.

A word of warning: The video below is not for the faint of heart.

2. Marilyn Manson - The Pale Emperor

Let's face it, Mr Warner hasn't been "dangerous" or even remotely relevant since 2003's "The Golden Age Of Grotesque". He had actually become a sad and pathetic parody of what he once was and following a slew of sub-standard albums and lacklustre live performances, his fans deserted him in droves. Fast forward to the tail-end of 2014 and rumblings began which seemed to herald the return of the once mighty Marilyn Manson and "Third Day Of A Seven Day Binge",the first song to emerge from the upcoming album, "The Pale Emperor" seemed to bear this out. His fans, (including yours truly) however, were a little reluctant at first. Then came the single "Deep Six" and everything fell into place. Yes, this really was the return of the old Manson, just a little older, wiser and a lot less controversial. The Pale Emperor is Marilyn Manson's most fully formed and well-rounded work to date and could surpass Antichrist Superstar to be remembered as the band's masterpiece in years to come.

1. Iron Maiden

There was only one real choice for album of the year, despite strong challenges from the artists above. Iron Maiden released their first album in 5 years and the 16th in their long and (mostly) illustrious career. Never a band to play it safe, that they would opt to release such an ambitious album, a double-album no less, after existing as a recording artist for 35 years just emphasises that there is no compromise with Iron Maiden, and specifically, main man Steve Harris. This is a band that have always done things on their own terms. Of course, we should have known that such a move was never going to be a gamble for Maiden and that the album was going to be a success was all but assured. Everything you want from a Maiden album is here and even epic album closer "Empire Of The Clouds" which clocks in at 18:03 (and which features Bruce Dickinson on piano) is never boring. Iron Maiden are not going to be around forever and if "The Book Souls" turns out to be their final album, they will have gone out on top of their game.