The Disc’s Top 50 Albums of 2017 – Part 1 (50 – 26)
What an amazing year it has been for the rock & metal genre of music. Such an incredible amount of great albums, so many that making a top 50 list has proven to be the hardest so far in the history of GBHBL.
This list has been whittled down from 146 albums. 146 albums that scored 9 or higher on the site. While the scores have been taken into account when compiling this list, we have a mix of writers with differing opinions so this top list is The Disc’s personal 50 best albums of the year – part 1 (50-26).
50. Dødsritual – Under Sort Sol
What really is interesting about Dødsritual’s Under Sort Sol is its mesh of genres while never straying too far from a core black metal sound. Vocally it’s as twisted & evil as most blackened metal bands but the riffs, melodies & hooks have an almost progressive feel about them.
Check out our full review here.
49. Longhouse – II: The Vanishing
As far as building atmosphere, Longhouse’s II: The Vanishing does this with ease. It might only be 5 songs long but Longhouse do more in that time then many bands do in double that. It’s a doom masterpiece that isn’t afraid to mess around with different ideas.
Check out our full review here.
48. Pulvis Et Umbra – Atmosfear
One of the more exciting things about Atmosfear is just how unique it sounds. The vocals are varied sometimes having a whispered style that scratches at the back of the mind & at others a gurgling evil quality. Flowing perfectly alongside fantastic death metal tunes & the occasional melodic moment.
Check out our full review here.
47. Sunken – Departure
Each song is a journey deep into the cold darkness with occasional rays of light peeking through. Being only 5 songs long but coming in at 53 minutes it’s no surprise that each song looks to challenge the listener.
Check out our full review here.
46. Zgard – Within The Swirl Of Black Vigor
A vortex of pagen influenced black metal with atmospheric elements, Within the Swirl of Black Vigor is a devastating album. Filled with a delightfully evil darkness, blood thickening metal riffs, screeching vocals & enlighteningly haunting melodies.
Check out our full review here.
45. Dream Troll – The Knight of Rebellion
The Knight of Rebellion has a real classic/traditional metal feel to it mixed with soaring power metal. It really is like a wonderful step back in time to the days of bands like Saxon, Iron Maiden and Dio.
The guitars are exceptional, the vocals are strong, the bass rumbles and drums provide plenty of thunder and hold everything together solidly.
Check out our full review here.
44. Beyond Grace – Seekers
Seekers delivers consistently heavy blows to the head while spitting venom in your face. The crushing heaviness never lets up, those looking for a more melodic metal edge should look elsewhere!
A bloody incredible piece of work. This level of constant aggression could & should get boring but instead you’ll be hooked from the first riff to the last.
Check out our full review here.
43. Lör – In Forgotten Sleep
Lör offer a folksy, melodic mix of power rock & metal tunes all with a serious sense of the epic.
It’s a hell of an adventurous album. So much so that it can actually get a bit much to really take it all in. This is not an album that you listen too once, there’s so much going on. Give this incredible piece of work time, let it sink in.
Check out our full review here.
42. Converge – The Dusk in Us
The Dusk in Us is a bruising listen, one that absolutely tears down many of the perceptions of hardcore. What we have here has all the chaoticness of that style but with plenty of punk infused snarl & straight up metal edges. It’s a sonic whirlwind that doesn’t let up.
Check out our full review here.
41. Zornheym – Where Hatred Dwells And Darkness Reigns
With the 9 tracks that make up the album being a different story about individual psychiatric patients, Where Hatred Dwells and Darkness Reigns is a masterpiece of inventive writing & musical execution.
Check out our full review here.
40. American Standards – Anti-Melody
Chaos reigns across 8 tracks of hardcore/punk. Anti-Melody by American Standards is 24 minutes of ‘no fucks’ given. 24 minutes of ‘lose your shit’ to the ferocity of what is being offered!
The intent is fuck you & the world with huge hardcore beats, visceral punk riffs & vocals that are powerful enough to flay the skin from your bones. You’ll feel like you want to apologise to American Standards for pissing them off so much!
Check out our full review here.
39. Dopelord – Children of the Haze
Children of the Haze by Dopelord is dripping with menace & atmosphere from the very first note that’s played. 6 tracks of pure doom all wrapped up in sexy, modern sound that makes it so appealing to listen too.
Check out our full review here.
38. Twelve Boar – No Forgiveness
Don’t let the ‘party band’ moniker put you off, Twelve Boar are a band that combine fun & compulsive rhythm with solid riffs & a bluesy stoner sound that is ear-pleasingly good.
It’s an incredibly accomplished piece of work, a description that can accurately describe the whole album.
Check out our full review here.
37. Nightrage – The Venomous
Arguably the best album Nightrage have released to date. It is creative, exciting and as crushing as it is melodic.
The Venomous has no filler moments, it is just good track after good track. Each song has something new and interesting to it. Something fresh to it, making the 50 minutes feel like it has passed in 5 minutes.
Check out our full review here.
36. Cranial – Dark Towers/Bright Lights
Dark Towers/Bright Lights is just 4 tracks of crushing dirt-encrusted metal that draws influences & styles from all areas of the genre. Cranial are like many modern doom metal bands, taking the core sound but choosing to experiment with ideas.
It says a lot about the record that the first thing you’ll probably want to do upon finishing is start it all again.
Check out our full review here.
35. Atrexial – Souverain
12 songs of intense, up-tempo death/black metal. It’s clear from the hammering drums & growling vocals that Atrexial mean business.
Sourverain is an incredible album & finding fault with it is near impossible. A constant barrage of gut-wrenching riffs, heavy as hell drumming & furious vocals keeps things tight all the way until the final notes.
Check out our full review here.
34. Decapitated – Anticult
Decapitated have put together an exceptional album with Anticult. It is true to its roots. It is heavy and atmospheric but it also looks towards the future with its progressive elements.
Check out our full review here.
33. The Voynich Code – Aqua Vitae
The gorgeous melody that introduces Aqua Vitae doesn’t quite prepare you for the technical death metal assault that follows.
Crushingly heavy but with plenty of rhythmic elements that keep every song sounding different, Aqua Vitae is a modern sounding death metal record that can draw parallels with the likes of the intense technicality of Meshuggah.
Check out our full review here.
32. SinnerAngel – Sinister Decálogo
Sinister Decálogo is an album not content with sitting within one particular genre of metal. The ten tracks touch upon a number of different styles. You can expect to hear shades of black metal, death metal, power metal, thrash & melodic death metal.
It really is an amazing piece of work that is polished but still feels primal.
Check out our full review here.
31. Semper – Kháos
The technicalities of the music here isn’t always the thing Semper want you to remember. Every song is littered with complicated verses & choruses but they make it sound so effortless it stops noticeable. What is noticeable is the absolutely crushing heaviness of this record.
Check out our full review here.
30. Eshtadur – Mother Gray
Mother Gray is a fantastic album. An album filled with thumping hooks, mind-bending riffs & aggressive vocals. Melodic death metal filled with style, intensity & inventiveness.
Thumping, beat-driven & inspiring melodic death metal. There are very faults, with the drumming being particularly out of this world!
Check out our full review here.
29. Epping Forest – LebaBVoid
There is so much inventiveness & imagination throughout LebaBVoid it’s unreal.
For all its furious black metal stylings, it’s the stunning melodic moments, the clean singing & rhythmic guitars that really stand out. This is an epic in every sense of the word but without compromising the darkness that exists throughout.
Check out our full review here.
28. Neck Of The Woods – The Passenger
Packed with technical rhythm & riffs, face-meltingly fast, pant-wettingly heavy…Neck of the Woods deliver a blistering slice of progressive death metal with The Passenger.
The Passenger is something special, Neck of the Woods are something special.
Check out our full review here.
27. Planet Eater – Blackness From The Stars
There is no taking Planet Eater as anything but deathly serious when they’re delivering such fresh metal sounds. Bringing consistently mind-numbingly heavy riffs, explosive drum beats & plenty of hooky moments.
With records like Blackness from the Stars, Planet Eater have a great future ahead of them, for all its familiarity it’s incredibly fresh & unique sounding.
Check out our full review here.
26. Subservience – Forest Of The Impaled
If you want your metal fast, brutal & heavy then look no further then Subservience, one of the most exciting death metal bands of the current era. Drawing influences from the classic sound of death metal with elements of a more modern edge, Forest of the Impaled is all about unbridled fury.
Eight amazing tracks of brutal death metal with one goal…destroy.
Check out our full review here.
