Decibel Magazine is quick to the draw, being the first major metal outlet to release its list of their top 40 metal albums of the year. While they go in greater detail in their January 2018 issue, this should give you an idea of where they stand.
In previous years, I always giggled a bit to myself about some of the more obscure releases that make the list and joke about how proud I am to have heard so many albums on the list. I don't mean that as a slight at all, Decibel have their ear to the ground and while they might not have any time for more mainstream releases, there are plenty of other outlets that give those big names the time of day (including this very site). So it's nice to see Decibel give a shout to the underdogs. Here's how they rank:
40. The Lurking Fear, Out of the Voiceless Grave, Century Media
39. Woe, Hope Attrition, Vendetta
38. Pyrrhon, What Passes for Survival, Willowtip
37. Power Trip, Nightmare Logic, Daymare
36. Ufomammut, 8, Neurot
35. Disharmony, Goddamn the Sun, Iron Bonehead
34. Wormwitch, Strike Mortal Soul, Prosthetic
33. Propagandhi, Victory Lap, Epitaph
32. Farsot, Fail-Lure, Lupus Lounge
31. Napalm Raid, Wheel of War, Self-Released
30. Oxbow, Thin Black Duke, Hydra Head
29. Loss, Horizonless, Profound Lore
28. Lock Up, Demonization, Listenable
27. With the Dead, Love from With the Dead, Rise Above
26. Dreadnought, Awake in Sacred Waves, Sailor
25. Cannibal Corpse, Red Before Black, Metal Blade
24. Wampyrinacht, We Will Be Watching. Les Cultes de Satan et Les Mysterères de la Mort, Zazen Sounds
23. Midnight, Sweet Death and Ecstasy, Hells Headbangers
22. Pagan Altar, The Room of Shadows, Shadow Kingdom
21. Artificial Brain, Infrared Horizon, Profound Lore
20. Cloak, To Venomous Depths, Season of Mist
19. Akercocke, Renaissance in Extremis, Peaceville
18. Enslaved, E, Nuclear Blast
17. Cormorant, Diaspora, Self-Released
16. Myrkur, Mareridt, Relapse
15. Dodecahedron, Kwintessens, Season of Mist
14. Obituary, Obituary, Relapse
13. Craven Idol, The Shackles of Mammon, Dark Descent
12. Kreator, Gods of Violence, Nuclear Blast
11. Bell Witch, Mirror Reaper, Profound Lore
10. Converge, The Dusk in Us, Epitaph
9. Wolves in the Throne Room, Thrice Woven, Artemisia
8. Full of Hell, Trumpeting Ecstasy, Profound Lore
7. Immolation, Atonement, Nuclear Blast
6. Spectral Voice, Eroded Corridors of Unbeing, Dark Descent
5. Integrity, Howling, For the Nightmare Shall Consume, Relapse
4. Necrot, Blood Offerings, Tankcrimes
3. Pallbearer, Heartless, Profound Lore
2. Spirit Adrift, Curse of Conception, 20 Buck Spin
1. Paradise Lost, Medusa, Nuclear Blast
I can't believe I've heard all the albums in their top 10 – and like most of them. How many have you heard? Learn more about them in the January 2018 issue of Decibel.
