MMA Best of Year 2017 Results

Despite being an example of the Ship of Theseus, a band with no original members, Danish progressive metal act Anubis Gate is still going strong, arguable more than ever, having finally made three albums in a row without a change in lead vocalist. Covered in Black, the group's seventh full-length, sees them exploring some darker themes than usual, but with their melodic progressive sound fully intact.

It's hard to hide from the fact that not long after the release of Theater of Dimensions, which is the seventh full-length album by German symphonic metal act Xandria, that some drama went down within the band's ranks, the result of which is that vocalist Dianne van Giersbergen ended up leaving the band after only two albums. While this makes the release somewhat bittersweet, it shouldn't be understated what an accomplishment it is for the band, showcasing a more varied symphonic metal sound than their previous two power metal dominant records.

The metalcore genre doesn't always enjoy the best reputation among metalheads. Don't judge, it's true. But if there's one band out there that will change a naysayer's mind about the metal/hardcore punk hybrid it's US act Converge. These guys have been turning out some form of core or another since the early nineties and have earned their reputation as one of the genre's finest. 2017's The Dusk in Us is just the latest in a run of excellent releases, combing metalcore, hardcore and sludge metal in one package.

Brazil's Sepultura is a legendary band but one whose later work is oft overlooked and ignored, with a faction of fans still declaring the band dead following Max Cavalera's 1996 exit. That was over twenty years ago and it's time people got over it. The band has been soldiering on through all that time and these days has more albums without Max than those with him, the latest of which is 2017's Machine Messiah, which according to some of those who voted for it, is the band's best album since the eighties. 

Progressive/blackened death metal's Venenum released an EP back in 2011, then weren't heard from again until the release of Trance of Death, their debut full-length, a release that has already put them on the death metal map as one of the genre's most up and coming artists. These guys obviously aren't afraid to be adventurous, a refreshing change next to all the other new death metal bands trying to desperately to be old school and lacking their own identity because of it.

Finlands' Havukruunu play a genre known as pagan black metal. An often misunderstood style, the band's second full-length release Kelle Surut Soi is like a one album crash course in how to do it right. If metal had existed in pagan times then it probably would have sounded like this. It's epic, it's primal and it's full of pagan character.

Metalcore act Code Orange prove a dark horse in this year's MMA vote by getting one up on their metalcore brethren Converge. Forever is their third album and is noted for it's diversity of influences, with along with metalcore listeners citing elements of post-hardcore, beatdown hardcore, sludge metal, industrial metal and grunge in the mix.

The UK has a pretty good black metal scene currently, particularly for bands of the atmospheric/post variety. Fen is undoubtedly a field-leader of this scene, now on their fifth album, Winter. The album, though broken into six tracks, is essentially one long suite lasting over 75 minutes, with not one of them wasted. Winter has many claims to being Fen's best album yet.

Devil Electric hails from Australia. Though this self-titled effort is only their debut album the group have already impressed with their heavy sound, which combines doom metal with a classic hard rock sensibility and a dash of the psychedelic. Great vocals and memorable songs seal the deal on this one.

When it comes to death metal, Immolation is a name that has to be respected. They've been turning out death metal albums since their debut Dawn of Possession in 1991 and despite the fact that their latest release is called Atonement, these Americans certainly have nothing to atone for, having never made a bad record. This one is no exception.

Iced Earth returned in 2017 with their third album with vocalist Stu Block (ex-Into Eternity), Incorruptible. After the disappointing Plagues of Babylon, this album really represented a return to form for the USPM act, containing their strongest set of songs since 2001's Horror Show. 

Alexander von Meilenwald's The Ruins of Beverast project may have started life as a black metal act, but recent releases have seen the music get a lot more diverse and rooted in the world of doom. Exuvia, the fifth album, is the most diverse release of the project yet, blending death-doom metal, funeral doom metal, atmospheric black metal and even tribal ambient into one creative album. It's a lot to take in, but is very rewarding to do so.

Pure Wrath is one of those artists who seemed to spring from nowhere and proceed to blow everyone away. A solo project like many in the genre, Pure Wrath is the vehicle of Indonesian musician Januaryo Hardy (A.K.A. Ryo). It's not his first venture into music, but previously he'd been known for brutal death metal acts, notably his other solo project Perverted Dexterity. Already better known than all of his death metal ventures combined, debut album Ascetic Eventide is one of the best atmospheric black metal debuts for a long time. We're eagerly awaiting a follow-up.

Forming in 2008 and with only two studio albums under their belt, Power Trip really got a name made for themselves with the release of 2017's Nightmare Logic. This album has old school thrash written all over it, wrapped in a tornado of colossal grooves, explosive riffs, and chaotic screams that open up a mosh pit using only your stereo. It's one of the heaviest thrash albums to grace the scene in a long time, and brings the listener right back to 1988.

Overkill were never counted among the Big 4 of American thrash, despite the fact they released their debut album the same year as Megadeth. This is a fact that in hindsight may be one of the biggest errors in the history of metal. The Grinding Wheel makes an impressive eighteen studio albums for these guys and despite some dips into groove metal they've more or less stayed true to thrash metal all the way. Only one of the actual Big 4 can claim that. 

Power metallers Unleash the Archers have certainly been making a name for themselves with their last couple of albums. The group started life as more of a melodic death metal act but have since found their true calling, with Apex quickly becoming their most highly regarded release yet. 

Black metal often gets stereotyped as raw, under produced Satanic stuff made by guys in corpsepaint running around forests with their axes. Then there's group's like Italy's Progenie Terrestre Pura, who evidently exist to be something much, much more. oltreLUna, their second album, throws just about everything they can think of into a black metal sound, ranging from tribal percussion to dubstep. 

Norway's blackened progressive metallers Enslaved are pretty much a staple of an MMA Best of Year result, so it shouldn't be any surprise that E, their fourteenth album, makes an appearance in the top 10 once again. It's placed a little lower than In Times reached in 2015, but we can assure you that that doesn't make it any less loved.

Many of us here on MMA were impressed by MindMaze's first two albums, especially 2014's Back From the Edge, which saw them embracing the power and progressive metal elements of their sound even more. They've continued on that route for Resolve, their third album, and have become proggier than ever. A rare example of a band on MMA whose first three albums all use a different sub-genre tag. 

Heavily channelling the death metal element of the death-doom approach, Spectral Voice's debut album is an absolute beast. A five track journey through the bowels of despair. It's a punishing and unholy sound, yet one that does not lack for an atmospheric moment. The pressure's really on them now to go one better next time around.

What's this? A Paradise Lost album tagged as Death-Doom Metal in 2017? Surely this is a mistake? Nope, it happened. Foreshadowed by 2015's The Plague Within and the return of Nick Holmes death growling, Medusa does not so much mark a return to their roots for Paradise Lost but a modern interpretation of them. It's their heaviest record to date and an utter treat to take in.

Threshold are a long running progressive metal act from the UK. They've had three vocalists in their career and the one people know least is undoubtedly Glynn Morgan, who only sang on their second album Psychedelicatessen over twenty years ago. Well, not any more. He's back, in great form and Threshold have their first double album to go with him. A excellent, well crafted releases that proves that traditional progressive metal is alive and kicking.

Japan's Lovebites are something special. The all female band may have come from a scene where such acts are common, but they have clearly gone the extra mile on this debut album, producing one of the best and also heaviest power metal releases in a long time. Equally willing to amp up the epic quality of their sound with symphonic elements and pay homage to old school speed metal, it's the perfect blend of speed, aggression and melody. 

Ayreon's mastermind Arjen Lucassen returns to the conceptual universe that most of his albums take place in with The Source after the standalone The Theory of Everything in 2013 and this extra heavy album is clearly also a reaction to that lighter one. Heavily tied to 2008's 01011001, The Source features one of the best all star metal vocal casts that Lucassen has ever had grouped on a record, including James LaBrie (Dream Theater), Hansi Kürsch (Blind Guardian), Simone Simons (Epica), Russell Allen (Symphony X) and Tommy Karevik (Kamelot) and that's just naming a few. It's another double album from the project and a very well deserved win for the MMA Best Album of 2017.