TONEwood's Top 10 Metal Albums of 2018

For fear of sounding like a Jerry Seinfeld joke, what's with all the insane death metal albums this year? Though I consider myself to have a broad taste, my greatest worry in making this year's top 10 metal albums has been whether or not the list would be too samey. I decided that censoring or catering the list for any reason wouldn't be right - After all it should only be about which albums were best - subjectively, of course. Now the biggest challenge is gonna be varying the descriptions...

Theory: "The Art of Evil"

Far away from the usual dime-a-dozen prog bands of today

On a personal note, the only progressive metal band that ever truly spoke to me is Symphony X, and even so it is probably their power metal side that speaks the loudest. Oddly enough, I'm a huge fan of 70s and 80s prog rock, but the vast majority of progressive metal just hasn't appealed that much to me.

2016 Top 10 - Part III: The EP Top 5

Arguably I haven't listened to that many EPs in 2016 - And the best ones seem to have been classified as demos, which is another Top List entirely! For a relatively short list there is still something for everyone. A little metal, a little funk, a little something-something. The choices for Top 5 EPs of 2016 are as follows:

Wall of the Eyeless: "Wimfolsfestta"

Consistent but effortless

Crossing country borders, Simon from Sweden and SL from Russia created their collaboration Wall of the Eyeless in 2011. That same year their debut demo Through Emptiness garnered a few positive reviews, to be followed in 2013 by the Wimfolsfestta demo.

Cryptodira: "Recursions"

A mixed bag of tricks...

To shake things up, Long Island-quartet Cryptodira have spiced up their brand of progressive metal with trace elements of many different styles and genres. Their second EP, Recursions from January 2013, impresses with a surprisingly professional sound to present their music.

Iotunn: "The Wizard Falls"

The next big thing in Danish metal

Coming from out of nowhere with just a five track EP, Iotunn are by now causing major waves within the Danish metal community, and playing numerous shows both locally and abroad. Born from the love of progressive music as a 70s prog rock band, their origins serve them well in their current incarnation where tradition and forward-thinking go hand in hand.

Tempel: "On the Steps of the Temple"

Eloquent and lengthy compositions that amaze and confound

With the djent craze spiraling out of control, and the rest of progressive metal mostly resorting to over-exotic twiddle-twaddle space-tech guitar snobbery, there is a great shortage of worthwhile bands to be found unless you do some digging. Though not a progressive band with every atom of its being, Temple serves up some great prog tendencies in an environment that reeks non-conformity.

Edge of Haze: "Mirage"

Heavy rock and light metal in unison

Donning your heavy metal glasses, Finland has long had a tradition of esoteric death, gloomy death, upbeat folk and gothic symphonies of power. Edge of Haze, however, seem completely unwilling to adhere to any dogmas, metal or otherwise. Though their sound is fresh and modern, it is by no means a pandering to trend. On their 2012 album Mirage, the Finns reveal themselves to be a powerful quintet with influences that reach far beyond the realm of metal.

Vielikan: "A Trapped Way of Wisdom"

Progressive songwriting with a core of death

Compared to the more technical variety, death metal that is actually progressive is a rare sight. Some would claim the two are interchangable, but I would highly disagree. Some bands sacrifice listenability in favor of progressiveness and as such becomes much less accessible in order to get stranger. The Tunisian death metal band Vielikan goes in another direction, throwing those notions to the wind. While strongly rooted in death metal their style also absorbs the rich nutrients from progressive metal.

Symphony X: "Underworld"

The gods of power-prog return with full force

Introducing Symphony X should almost be unnecessary. Symphony X have been a mainstay in both the progressive and the power metal scene for many years now, each album reaping heaps of great reviews and praise from critics and listeners alike. Their reach is far and wide, spanning neo-classical, progressive and groovy compositions. Fronted as always by the immensely talented Russell Allen, Underworld is an album that needs only a few listens to convince.

Gatling: "Absolute"

Breezing over the heavy and light-hearted

Obviously not all bands are wholeheartedly metal or solely rock based. There are countless bands in the borderlands between the two, often mixing them to a point where metal or rock is completely indistinguishable from each other. The American group Gatling provides a good example of a mix between progressive rock elements mixed with modern heavy metal parts. Their 3-track EP "Absolute" brings to mind newer Katatonia albums although there's a more assertive presence of shoegazing passages.

Viraga: "Death of a Second Kind"

Another prog effort form the Land of a Thousand Lakes

Though the term "gothic" has meant a great multitude of things over the years, in music it usually refers to that one hard-to-identify vibe of dark melancholy, at the same time both violent and gentle. Viraga, a one man project from the cold and wet country of Finland, recalls the gothic eras of bands like Katatonia and Opeth, retaining the progressive edge that the latter made integral to their sound.

Thomas Taylor: "Yet to be Named"

Songwriting duo with a chip on their shoulder

Progressive metal is a genre that by its sheer nature is hard to define and classify. It is a term usually used to describe metal that doesn't fit in under any of the other numerous subgenres or metal that features a certain level of technicality.