Max Morin
Reviewer and Feature Writer
CODE ORANGE Underneath
Code Orange continue to claw their way to the top of the metal pile with Underneath, the followup to 2017's universally acclaimed Forever. Not ones to rest upon their successes, Code Orange throw everything they have into Underneath, conjuring up nightmarish tracks like "In Fear" and "Swallowing The Rabbit Whole". They also managed to throw in some creepy slow songs like "Sulfur Surrounding" just to avoid being too predictable. Seems Corey Taylor's prediction that these guys would be leaders to a new generation of metal was right on point.
Listen to "Swallowing the Rabbit Whole."
IGORRR Spirituality & Distortion
Weird doesn't even begin to cover Igorrr's Spirituality and Distortion. Is it metal? Is it electronic? Is it a mix of baroque opera, industrial hardcore, brutal death metal, and drum n' bass? Does it even matter? Does anyone care? Spirituality and Distortion is all of these things plus some. With no reference point for influences, it's best to just sit back and enjoy the trip. This is the 2020 album to spin if you truly want your brain scrambled.
Listen to "Downgrade Desert."
KATATONIA City Burials
Katatonia have perfected their unique prog-doom sound on this, their first album in four years. City Burials takes all the grim aesthetic of Scandanavian doom music and dresses it up in beautiful cascading riffs and cathedral-like reverb. Like a mix of old Opeth and new In Flames, Katatonia have hit a high point going into the third decade of their career. Props to Jonas Renske for delivering his best vocal performance yet.
Listen to "Behind the Blood."
LAMB OF GOD Lamb of God
What can we say? If a new Lamb of God album isn't an immediate Album of the Year contender, something is very, very wrong. Slowly dished out over the first half of this year, Lamb of God's first album without Chris Adler surpasses expectations and will go down as another great entry from one of the best metal acts of all time. Armed with politically-charged lyrics and more riffs then an entire festival, the Southern boys prove once again that they are the masters of their craft. Bow down before the kings.
Listen to "Memento Mori."
RUN THE JEWELS RTJ4
Not metal, but with cameos from Zack De La Rocha and Josh Homme, we'll give them a pass. Run The Jewels wrote a near-perfect soundtrack for these troubled times, touching on race, white privilege, police brutality, and more. With deep beats booming out over Killer Mike and El-P's flow, this won't be the most metal album you'll hear this year, but it could well be one of the heaviest. Run The Jewels are the rap group to show to your purist friends who don't like rap.
Listen to "JU$T."
Leon TK
Reviewer
BODY COUNT Carnivore
One of the most consistently relevant metal acts of the past few decades, Body Count recently recruited a small cast of star guests (from Dave Lombardo to Amy Lee) for a 40-minute set of brutal throat-rippers. From the moment you hear the primal growls that punctuate Carnivore’s opening track, you know it’s on. The Los Angeles bruisers even throw in their own version of Motörhead’s classic “Ace of Spades,” a fitting and passionate tribute to a certain sadly-departed legend.
Listen to "Point the Finger (feat. Riley Gale)."
CODE ORANGE Underneath
Given all the hype surrounding Code Orange, this choice might be predictable – but it’s also fully justified by the sheer fearlessness on display throughout Underneath. Give me grooves and bass, and I’m happy; bombard me with searing industrial brutality on top of that, keep it tight and inventive, and you have a candidate for one of my albums of the year. There are too many highlights scattered across this album to list them all; this is the kind of record you can keep repeating all day long.
Listen to "Swallowing the Rabbit Whole."
LAMB OF GOD Lamb of God
Very few bands make it through their second album, let alone their eleventh – so it’s fair to say that Lamb of God deserve a tip of the hat for even making it this far. This self-titled outing naturally lives up to its name; it’s not really revolutionary, but that’s not the point. It’s Lamb of God playing to their considerable strengths, continuing to crush everything that lies before them, and forcing your head to bang so hard that you’ll need a neck brace after 10 minutes.
Listen to "Gears."
POPPY I Disagree
Although I enjoy Babymetal in moderation, I wasn’t expecting to enjoy this album as much as I did. Leaning in a more serious, Grimes-oriented direction and boasting some punishingly intense riffs, Poppy’s third album dropped via Sumerian back in January – and it’s varied and unpredictable enough to keep you on the edge of your seat for many consecutive listens. For many fledgling metalheads, this will be the gateway album they’ll always remember as their soundtrack to 2020.
Listen to the title track.
PROTEST THE HERO Palimpsest
As a long-time Protest The Hero addict, I was relieved to hear that the Canadian quartet’s latest opus would finally see the light of day. Needless to say, Palimpsest did not disappoint; from a bucketload of signature riffs to epic chord choices and Rody Walker’s triumphant victory over his once-blown vocal cords, this album is an absolute barnstormer from start to finish. The whole thing ends with an anti-Trump anthem called “Rivet” – but whatever you think of Protest The Hero’s political views, musicianship of this calibre demands respect and reverence.
Listen to "From the Sky."
