вЂњIвЂ™ve said it many times before but one of the biggest thrills for me is to discover a new band from out of nowhere that blows me away. I canвЂ™t see you being disappointed at all.вЂќ Even if you have only the most casual interest in doom metal, I urge you to check out this beast of an album. And, in any case, Godthrymm have indeed delivered something new for us to enjoy: eight incredible new songs that refresh our memories as to how good the doom genre can be, even in 2020, two decades after the heady 90s disappeared into the fog of distant memory. But sometimes, nostalgia is necessary, to remind us of what once was. вЂњYes thereвЂ™s an argument to say that вЂReflectionsвЂ™ is just that вЂ“ a reflection of the past and as such, offers nothing new to the doom metal table. It is certainly my personal favourite as it delivers on just about every level and I never tire of its majestic and melodic savagery. вЂњBecause of its consistency, power and immediacy, вЂIlluminatiвЂ™ has to be the best album of God DethronedвЂ™s long and illustrious career. It has become a constant listening companion over the past week or more, a week where I discover new words, new meaning, new subtle musical nuances within the songs and in so doing, I take it to my heart ever more fondly.вЂќ The more I listen, the more I fall in love with the music that these experienced musicians have created. вЂњвЂThe Ghost Of OrionвЂ™ has almost certainly become my personal favourite simply because of the emotional connection I have with it and because of the way in which the band have overcome so much to release this album in the first place. DonвЂ™t let this record pass you by вЂ“ if you do, youвЂ™ll regret it, trust me.вЂќ вЂњAn album of this quality leads me to a specific and important train of thought: what the hell have I been doing all these years to have missed a band of this quality? вЂThe God-Shaped VoidвЂ™ is an intelligent, brilliantly executed slab of heavy progressive metal which, if I can ever stop playing it, will be the catalyst to check out the entire back catalogue. Adding this album to your collection is a no-brainer.вЂќ But even more exciting, is the thought of what they might come up with next. For a band so young, itвЂ™s an impressive feat. вЂњвЂThe Art Of MorphologyвЂ™ is an album that genuinely has its own identity it blends extreme metal, with progressive complexity and strong melodic sensibilities, with a sense of smooth effortlessness. For those of you that do like music that is challenging and with genuine depth, вЂEleventh HourвЂ™ must make it into your collection as quickly as possible.

вЂњIf youвЂ™re not moved by the final track or by this album as a whole, then IвЂ™m afraid that maybe progressive music just isnвЂ™t for you and perhaps you should try searching elsewhere for your musical pleasure. вЂњWhat I really like about вЂThe Funeral PyreвЂ™ is that BjГ¶rnfot has a clear objective and he nails it from beginning to endвЂ¦Anyone who likes their extreme metal in the blackened death or even the Pagan/folk vein, then Kvaen is a complete no-brainer and вЂThe Funeral PyreвЂ™ needs to be nestled in your collection with immediate effect. I cannot recommend this album more highly, it is simply majestic.вЂќ But truth is truth and I canвЂ™t bend the truth in order to mix things up for you вЂ“ the fact is that H.E.A.T once again prove that they are a special band and a force to be reckoned with when it comes to melodic hard rock. вЂњI begin to feel like IвЂ™m stuck in groundhog day because this is the third or fourth review in a row of a H.E.A.T album that has had me reaching for my box of superlatives and where there is literally nothing that I can say to criticise it.

вЂImpius ViamвЂ™ delivers this blend in spades and so, in the blackened death of Night Crowned, I feel most alive.вЂќ My tastes may have changed and refined over the years, but there is still something within me that adores the blend of aggression, atmosphere and properly catchy melodies. It has reminded me what it is I like about extreme metal and blackened death metal in particular, and why I got into this kind of music back as a teenager in the first place. вЂњNight Crowned have awakened something within me that I hadnвЂ™t realised was laying dormant. With that in mind, in no particular order, here are the ten best albums that I believe have been released in the first three months of what has been a pretty awful year in many other ways. So much so that I started this post as a вЂtop 5вЂ™, but soon realised that this would be impossible to achieve. If you like a broad range of rock/metal styles, I happen to think that 2020 has been pretty great so far, with plenty of music to get me excited.

Whilst IвЂ™d never dare to disagree with you, I do believe that this opinion will depend greatly on the genre or subgenre of music you happen to like. Some people have suggested that 2020 has been a poor year for music.

New death metal albums 2020