MMA Best of Year 2021 Results

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   Metal Music Archives Best of Year 2021

Welcome to the results of the MMA Best of 2021 as voted for by site Members, Reviewers, Collaborators and Admin. The intention was a top 100 but due to ties it turned out to be 103.

Many thanks to Adam (adg211288), Mark (BitterJalapeno), Nicole (666sharon666), Travis (DippoMagoo) and Chris (Bosh66) for helping with the write ups and thanks also to everyone who took the time to vote.

#97 (50 Points) Vokonis - Odyssey (Stoner Metal)
#97 (50 Points) The Hell - Joris (A Hardcore Opera) Pt. 2 (Hardcore Punk)
#97 (50 Points) Sithu Aye - Senpai III (Porgressive Metal)
#97 (50 Points) Purity - Animus (Nu Metal)
#97 (50 Points) Lvcifyre - The Broken Seal (Death Metal)
#97 (50 Points) Dragony - Viribus Unitis (Power Metal)
#97 (50 Points) Amenra - De Doom (Atmospheric Sludge Metal)
#95 (51 Points) Rivers Of Nihil - The Work (Technical Death Metal)
#95 (51 Points) Iotunn - Access All Words (Progressive Metal)
#92 (55 Points) Silenus - The Garden Is Burning (Metalcore)
#92 (55Points) Moonspell - Hermitage (Gothic Metal)
#92 (55 Points) Falsegiver -  Инсомния (Metalcore)
#89 (56 Points) Rorcal & Earthflesh - Witch Coven (Drone Metal)
#89 (56 Points) Fawn Limbs - Darwin Falls (Mathcore)
#89 (56 Points) Cradle Of Filth - Existence If Futile (Symphonic Black Metal)
#87 (58 Points) WORM - Foreverglade (Death-Doom Metal)
#87 (58 Points) Project: Roenwolfe - Edge Of Saturn (US Power Metal)
#85 (59 Points) Omnium Gatherum - Origin (Melodic Death Metal)
#85 (59 Points) Baest - Necro Sapiens (Death Metal)
#81 (60 Points) The Dead Daisies - Holy Ground (Hard Rock)
#81 (60 Points) Lake Of Tears - Omnious (Gothic Metal)
#81 (60 Points) Kosmonaut - Euphoria Rising (Heavy Alternative Rock)
#81 (60 Points) Alien Weaponary - Tangaroa (Thrash Metal)
#79 (61 Points) The Vintage Caravan - Monuments (Hard Rock)
#79 (61 Points) Skyliner - Dark Rivers, White Thunder (US Power Metal)
#78 (63 Points) Rage - Resurrection Day (Power Metal)
#75 (64 Points) Motorpsycho - Kingdom Of Oblivion (Heavy Psych)
#75 (64 Points) Chaos Over Cosmos - The Silver Lining Between The Stars (Progressive Metal)
#75 (64 Points) Asphyx - Necroceros (Death Metal)
#74 (67 Points) At The Gates - The Nightmare Of Being (Melodic Death Metal)
#66 (70 Points) Transport League - Kaiserschnitt (Groove Metal)
#66 (70 Points) Scald - Regius I (Sludge Metal)
#66 (70 Points) Panopticon - ....And Again Into The Light (Atmospheric Black Metal)
#66 (70 Points) Opera Diabolicus - Death On A Pale Horse (Symphonic Metal)
#66 (70 Points) Last Days Of Humanity - Horrific Compositions Of Decomposition (Goregrind)
#66 (70 Points) Desolate - The Fate Of Destruction Is The Joy Of Rebirth (Metalcore)
#66 (70 Points) Be'Lakor - Coherance (Melodic Death Metal)
#66 (70 Points) Beast In Black - Dark Connection (Power Metal)
#65 (71 Points) Bishop - Bishop (Sludge Metal)
#64 (72 Points) Accept - Too Mean To Die (Heavy Metal)
#63 (73 Points) Enslaved - Caravans to The Outer World (Progressive Metal)
#61 (76 Points) Tribulation - Where The Gloom Becomes Sound (Gothic Metal)
#61 (76 Points) Erdve - Savigaila (Sludge Metal)

#60 (78 Points) #59 (80 Points) #58 (83 Points) #57 (84 Points) #54 (85 Points)

Nervosa - Perpetual Chaos
Thrash Metal 
Converge & Chelsea Wolfe - Bloodmoon: I
Atmospheric Sludge Metal 
Frozen Soul - Crypt Of Ice
Death Metal

Liquid Tension Experiment - 3
Progressive Metal 
Qrixkuor - Poison Palinopsia
Technical Death Metal
#54 (85 Points) #54 (85 Points) #53 (87 Points) #52 (89 Points) #50 (92 Points)

Dold Vorde Ens Navn - Mørkere
Black Metal 
Cult Of Luna - The Raging River
Atmospheric Sludge Metal 
Evergrey - Escape Of The Phoenix
Progressive Metal

Memoriam - To The End
Death Metal 
Paysage D'Hiver - Geister
Atmospheric Black Metal
#50 (92 Points) #49 (93 Points) #47 (96 Points) #47 (96 Points) #46 (99 Points)

Fear Factory - Aggression Continuum
Industrial Metal 
Sunless - Ylem
Technical Death Metal 
Esoctrilihum - Dy'th Requiem For The Serpent Telepath
Atmospheric Black Metal

Blazon Stone - Damnation
Power Metal 
Mechina - Siege
Symphonic Metal
#43 (100 Points) #43 (100 Points) #43 (100 Points) #42 (101 Points) #41 (104 Points)

Metalite - a Virtual World
Trance Metal 
Limp Bizkit - Still Sucks
Nu Metal 
Aenigmatum - Deconsecrate
Death Metal

Lovebites - Glory, Glory To The World
Power Metal 
Crypta - Echoes Of The Soul
Death Metal
#40 (106 Points) #39 (111 Points) #38 (117 Points) #37 (118 Points) #36 (120 Points)

Wolves In The Throne Room - Primordial Arcana
Atmospheric Black Metal 
Aborted - Maniacult
Brutal Death Metal 
Flotsam And Jetsam - Blood In The Water
Thrash Metal 
Thy Catafalque - Vadak
Avant-Garde Metal 
Kayo Dot - Moss Grew On The Swords And Plowshares Alike
Avant-Garde Metal
#35  (124 Points) #34 (125 Points)  #32 (131 Points) #32 (131 Points) #31 (145 Points)

Portal - AVOW
Technical Death Metal 
White Stones - Dancing Into Oblivion
Death Metal 
Unleashed - No Sign Of Life
Death Metal 
Archspire - Bleed The Future
Technical Death Metal 
Dridge - Curing
Sludge Metal
#30  (149 Points) #29 (162 Points)  #28 (164 Points) #26 (167 Points) #26 (167 Points)

Powerwolf - Call Of The Wild
Power Metal 
Spectral Lore - Ετερόφωτος
Atmospheric Black Metal 
Darkthrone - Eternal Hails......
Doom Metal 
Papangu - Holeceno
Avant-Garde Metal 
Cannibal Corpse - Violence Unimagined
Death Metal

#25 (177 Points)
Leprous - Aphelion
Metal Related

Leprous may have dropped the metal part from their earlier
progressive metal tag these days but still release complex and challenging
music that somehow manages to be accessible at the same time, in the main down
to the strong melodies that permeate this remarkably good album.

#23 (190 Points)
Trivium - In The Court Of The Dragon
Melodic Metalcore

Following a bit of a rough stretch several years back, where the band seemed to be struggling to evolve their sound while keeping in tact everything that worked, they managed to rebound in a big way with The Sin and the Sentence a few years ago, kept the momentum going with What the Dead Men Say, and now they've unleashed arguably their best album in almost 15 years, with In the Court of the Dragon. The album features the kind of thrashy melodic metalcore the band has always excelled at, while also having some more progressive tendencies, with some of their longest tracks in quite a while. The balance between this more epic approach, with the band's usual catchiness, helps take this album up to the next level!

#23 (190 Points)
Subterranean Masquerade - Mountain Fever
Progressive Metal

Mountain Fever may be light by prog metal standards but wins
on its diverse and melodic compositions. On album number four Subterranean
Masquerade’s eclectic instrumentation is put to good use producing an album
that demands attention from start to finish.

#22 (192 Points)
Between The Burried And Me - Colors II
Metalcore

Colors, released in 2007 is regarded by many fans of Between
The Burried and Me to be their masterpiece. After many fine albums and fourteen
years later the band decided to give us the sequel. Colors II may not receive
the same accolades as its predecessor but all the essential ingredients are intact
– metalcore, prog metal and jazz touches, all as complex and dynamic as you'd expect. It takes time to reap the rewards but Colors II is another class album
from a great band worthy of your time.

#21 (195 Points)
Diskord - Degenerations
Technical Death Metal

With only three full-length studio albums released since their formation in 1999, Norwegian death metallers Diskord could hardly be considered prolific in terms of recording output. However, lack of quantity is more than compensated for by the commendable quality projected by each release. With “Degenerations”, Diskord has maintained the quality fans have come to expect by showcasing a fantastically creative blend of modern technical and progressive death metal while keeping an old school attitude at its core. Sounding pleasantly familiar yet refreshingly new, the result is arguably up there with the strongest and most exciting extreme metal releases of recent years.

#20 (198 Points)
Exodus - Persona Non Grata
Thrash Metal

Rarely
releasing a duff album Exodus have been releasing high energy in your face
thrash metal for pushing forty years now (minus a few years when they split up).
Persona Non Grata not only maintains the high standards the band have set
themselves, but with a barrage of some of their most ferocious and memorable and
insistent riffs they may have just released their best album since Tempo of the
Damned.

#19 (208 Points)
Eternity's End - Embers Of War
Power Metal

With their first two releases, Eternity's End set themselves up as a power metal force to be reckoned with, presenting their own very hard hitting take on the genre, complete with some truly outstanding musicanship that goes well above and beyond what is usually expected from the genre. With Embers of War, the band has once again stepped up their game, delivery tracks that are equal parts intense, melodic and catchy as fans of the genre would expect, while also throwing in plenty of neo-classical shredding, some progressive elements, and closing things out with their longest track to date, in the epic 9+ minute title track, which stands as arguably the album's biggest highlight!

#18 (210 Points)
Soen - Imperial
Progressive Metal

Soen have been fairly prolific since releasing their first
album in 2012. Fortunately it hasn’t affected the quality of the songwriting
and Imperial is as impressive collection of melodic progressive metal as the
band have released so far. Fans will certainly not be disappointed with this
excellent album.

#17 (217 Points)
Ethereal Shroud - Trisagion
Atmospheric Black Metal

Trisagion is a bittersweet release from UK black metal solo act Ethereal Shroud: no sooner had the album released that musician Joe Hawker announced the ending of the project. It is only the second studio album under the name, after They Became the Falling Ash in 2015. But what an album to go out on. While it only contains three main tracks, there's still over an hour worth of music and during that time you'll find an atmospheric black metal experience that is in many ways unparalleled.

#16 (220 Points)
Swallow The Sun - Moonflowers
Doom Metal

If melancholic goth tinged doom with lots of light and shade
sounds like it might be your thing then look no further. On Moonflowers Swallow
The Sun continue their run of critically acclaimed albums that require some
effort on the part of the listener to fully appreciate. Those who take the time
will be unlikely to regret it as Moonflowers is another captivating release maintaining
the high standards the band have set themselves with past work.

#15 (222 Points)
First Fragment - Gloire éternelle
Technical Death Metal

With the possible exception of atmospheric black metal if there's one genre of metal music that acts have started to seem a dime a dozen in it has to be technical death metal. While that's not to say that a lot of acts aren't actually any good, it is the rare act that really manages to stand out and assert themselves. One such act is Canada's First Fragment, whose second studio album Gloire éternelle boasts a progressive technical death metal sound with a perfect balance of aggression and technical chops, flavoured with neoclassical flourishes and even an influence of flamenco, something rarely found in any metal music.

#14 (223 Points)
Pharaoh - The Powers That Be
US Power Metal

It’s
been a nine year wait for a new album from Pharaoh, surely one of the best
bands under the US power metal umbrella. With such a long gap you always wonder
if a band can still cut it. Fortunately the answer is a resounding yes. The
sound may be a bit grittier these days but all the essential elements of great
musicianship, powerful  riffs and hooks and
compelling  compositions on their prog
tinged power metal remain intact. One of the best comebacks of recent years.

#13 (248 Points)
Obscura - A Valediction
Technical Death Metal

Obscura
have been known and highly regarded amongst fans of technical death metal for
many years. On A Valediction, their sixth studio album, they don’t disappoint with
the complexities of their music but have now also ventured into melodic death
metal territory. The result is perhaps their finest album yet as well as being
their most accessible. That they can do this without compromising on what drew
fans to them in the first place is testament to what a truly great band Obscura
have become.

#12 (249 Points)
Aquilus - Bellum I
Symphonic Black Metal

Some acts out there make one killer album and then seem to just disappear. For ten years black metal solo project Aquilus seemed to be one such act after releasing Griseus in 2011, but no more. Finally sole member Waldorf is back with his second Aquilus opus, Bellum I, a title which hopefully suggests that a Bellum II is very much on the cards and is closer than another decade away. An act that blends classical music into its black metal sound in a bigger way than the average symphonic black metal act, with a hint of dark folk for good measure, it's fair to say that Aquilus goes above and beyond for its genre. We've waited a long time for this one and it did not disappoint.

#11 (261 Points)
Epica - Omega
Symphonic Metal

Once upon a time a certain band from Finland was the first word in symphonic metal. For years now though, it's been shown the genre has another hero in the form of Epica. The Dutch band has been releasing belter after belter of an album without ever compromising their metal integrity. Omega, their eighth main release and ninth overall, is just the latest in a long line of progressively inclined symphonic metal that owes as much to death metal as power metal. It's very cliché to say it, but they really do put the epic into Epica.

#10 (279 Points)
Cryptosis - Bionic Swarm
Technical Thrash Metal

Originally
known as Distillator and releasing two albums under that moniker, Cryptosis reinvented
themselves for Bionic Swarm and the result was startling. Futuristic technical thrash
metal of the highest quality. Not only great musicianship but their songwriting
skills hit a new level on this compelling masterpiece. Voivod and Vektor now
have some serious competition in the cyber-thrash arena.

#9 (280 Points)
Ad Nauseam - Imperative Imperceptible Impulse
Technical Death Metal

Technical death metal is a genre which has sprouted arms and legs in recent years with a plethora of bands now attempting to develop the ultra-dissonant and angular sounds forged by the likes of Gorguts in the mid to late 90s.  Ad Nauseam’s sophomore full-length release “Imperative Imperceptible Impulse” boasts a massively claustrophobic, atonal and suffocatingly heavy sound and is sure to captivate lovers of this death metal sub-genre.   This coupled with a remarkably sophisticated approach to songwriting place Ad Nauseam at the spearhead of the modern “disso-death” movement.

#8 (296 Points)
VOLA - Witness
Progressive Metal

The third album from Denmark’s djent / progressive metal band VOLA sees the band delivering nine solid, melodic and memorable tracks that prove that djent isn’t dead. No volte-face here, no unexpected surprises. Just a very listenable and enjoyable metal release.

#7 (303 Points)
Mare Cognitium - Solar Paroxysm
Atmospheric Black Metal

Mare Cognitium is something of a one man tour-de-force within the atmospheric black metal genre, though it has been five years since his last studio album, Luminiferous Aether, was released. That hardly means the project was idle between then and the release of Solar Paroxysm. It was only in 2020 that we got the split/collaboration with Spectral Lore, Wanderers: Astrology of the Nine, itself having a claim to being the best work of both acts. It's without a doubt though that Mare Cognitum's fifth album Solar Paroxysm eclipses anything the act has ever release. It's not just a good album: it's on a whole other level good. It's very hard to blown away when you already expect good things, but Mare Cognitum has achieved that.

#6 (308 Points)
Dream Theater - A View From the Top of the World
Progressive Metal

Whether
it had anything to do with their divisive 2016 release or not I don’t know, but
after The Astonishing, Dream Theater came back all guns blazing on Distance
Over Time, an album featuring their finest material for over a decade. That
trend continues on A View From The Top of the World which may even surpass it.
Of course their musicianship was never in question but Dream Theater  are these days releasing, dare I say, albums the
equal of their classic earlier work.

#5 (363 Points)
Gojira - Fortitude
Progressive Metal

Gojira with its seventh release delivers another very strong opus, maintaining a level of consistency sustained for over 20 years. With Fortitude, Gojira builds on 2016’s Magma release with its blend of progressive metal, groove and alternative metal with arguably as strong a release as last time.

#4 (369 Points)
Mastodon - Hushed and Grim
Progressive Metal

Hushed and Grim may be a more restrained affair and lack
some of the ferocity of earlier work, though it has it's moments, but Mastodon make up for that with a (long)
collection containing some of their finest songs of their career so far. At
almost ninety minutes it could have become tedious but the diversity and
strength of the material on offer makes it feel much shorter. A band at the top
of their game for sure.

   #3 (469 Points)
Helloween - Helloween
Power Metal  

By bringing back guitarist/vocalist Kai Hansen and vocalist
Michael Kiske giving the band a three guitar, three vocalist line-up it could
have been a total mess but somehow Helloween pulled it off. Not only pulled it
off but exceeded expectations with surely their finest album in years. Not that
recent output has been weak but on this eponymous seventeenth album practically
every song hits the spot brimming with strong hooks and great musicianship culminating
in the epic twelve minute Skyfall. 

#2 (513 Points)
Carcass - Torn Arteries
Melodic Death Metal

It’s been a long wait of eight years since Surgical
Steel  but Carcass don’t disappoint with
Torn Arteries. Drawing on their impressive back catalogue with enough
progression to keep things interesting, the band has produced another
masterpiece of melodic death metal. Not as slick as Surgical Steel, not as raw
as earlier work but featuring a powerful production that brings these great
songs to life.

#1 (658 Points)
Iron Maiden - Senjutsu
Heavy Metal

Senjutsu seems to be an album that divided opinion amongst Iron
Maiden fans, some saying it is all a bit mid-paced and lacking a few killer
cuts. Others hailing it another triumph in the bands impressive catalogue.  Drawing on their progressive influences more
than ever, Maiden have never been averse to longer songs and here they have
more than ever with the last three songs all topping the ten minute barrier.
With one or two exceptions Senjutsu didn’t top many album of the year lists here
on MMA but the sheer number of people who voted for them shows the love people
still have for this band guaranteeing them
the #1 slot.

Releases by Main Sub-Genre (Top 103)

Death Metal: 24
Progressive Metal: 12
Black Metal:10
Power Metal: 8
Sludge Metal: 7
Metalcore: 6
Thrash Metal: 5
Hard Rock: 4
US Power Metal: 3
Symphonic Metal: 3
Gothic Metal: 3
Doom Metal: 3
Avant-Garde Metal: 3
Heavy Metal: 2
Alternative Metal: 2
Trance Metal: 1
Stoner Metal: 1
Metal Related: 1
Industrial Metal: 1
Hardcore Punk: 1
Groove Metal: 1
Grindcore: 1
Drone Metal: 1

Edited by Nightfly - 25 Feb 2023 at 8:43am