Carl’s Top 50 Albums of 2018: Part 1 (50 to 41)
It has been an incredible year for rock and metal. So many great albums spread across 12 months. So much so that this list was one of the hardest I’ve ever had to do for the site. Breaking down the 500 plus albums that we have reviewed into just 50 felt like an impossible task but here we are.
To give each album the focus it deserves we decided to break the list into 5 articles with ten albums in each counting down from 50. This is the best albums of 2018 from numbers 50 to 41. Enjoy.
Number 50: Bookakee – Ignominies (Transcending Records)
The intensity of Bookakee mixed with the technical wizardry makes Ignominies a hell of a listen. What makes it such a great album is that its feet might be planted within death metal but the impressive progressive elements really make it sound fresher and more unique.
Read our full review of the album here.
Number 49: TesseracT – Sonder (Kscope)
It’s always exciting to get a new TesseracT album as the progressive metallers have really made a name for themselves with a host of impressive releases. Well, Sonder can be added to that great list now too. Track after track that enlightens as much as it entertains, TesseracT have nailed it…again.
Read our full review of the album here.
Number 48: The Dali Thundering Concept – Savages (Apathia Records)
Blending genres, The Dali Thundering Concept provide a fascinating mix of metalcore, hardcore and progressive sounds to create an album that stands out for all the right reasons. A dystopian concept album of dissonance, ferocity and discomfort.
Read our full review of the album here.
Number 47: Aborted – TerrorVision (Century Media Records)
Aborted’s 10th full-length album, TerrorVision brings forth some of the sickest, sleaziest riffs and most insane blasts in the band’s death metal history. A decedent listen, this is wickedness personified and so enjoyable. There have been few death metal releases this year that stick so solidly to the formula but still sound so vibrant and fresh.
Read our full review of the album here.
Number 46: Chubby Thunderous Bad Kush Masters – Come & Chutney (Riff Rock Records)
A tongue in cheek approach to psychedelic stoner/sludge metal, the fuzzy rawness shows in an instant that Chubby Thunderous Bad Kush Masters are no joke band though.
Read our full review of the album here.
Number 45: Battalions – Forever Marching Backwards (APF Records)
The stoner/sludge heavy groove of Forever Marching Backwards is enough to send you in a wild fit of fury. A tight, punchy and dirty sound that has plenty of beardy beer-soaked swagger about it. From the scaring riffs to the howling vocal style, it is a crusty affair and there is much satisfaction to be gained by breaking it apart.
Read our full review of the album here.
Number 44: Witch Tripper – I, Of The Storm (Self Released)
The stoner/doom groove rock scene is the UK is producing great music from both the old and the new. The game has been stepped up & bands are doing everything possible to make sure they don’t just reach the bar but fly past it.
You can add Witch Tripper to that list now. I, Of the Storm is so groove-heavy, so ear-pleasingly exciting, so dark & dirty that it’s impossible to not be grinning from ear to ear.
Read our full review of the album here.
Number 43: Bast – Nanoångström (Black Bow Records)
A slab of the bleakest, the darkest and the blackest doom metal head this year. Bast are a beast roaring through the hellishness of a post-apocalyptic world. Where nothing moves amongst the piles of skulls and bones and the howling of the wind is their music.
Read our full review of the album here.
Number 42: Frost Giant – The Harlot Star (Transcending Records)
The Harlot Star is eleven tracks of punk rock, epic metal and hardcore inspired by Norse mythology. It takes a little while to fully get going but once it does, The Harlot Star is a divine piece of music. Frost Giant have created a unique listen, one that has to be heard to be understood.
Read our full review of the album here.
Number 41: Saarkoth – Jera (MSH Music Group)
Jera, is a nine song release including polished version of the two tracks from the band’s earlier demo and two instrumentals. Saarkoth have it. They are leading the pack for the next wave of black metal bands. Not just in the UK but the world.
Read our full review of the album here.
