Ok, the winner this month is obvious to me: Rammstein. They are usually consistent, and perhaps the 10 year gap between albums has gone in their favour, but this album sounds really well thought out and worked on. No weak tracks, and it sounds amazing. They still write great riffs and melodies and mix metal with electronic elements seamlessly in a way that's incredibly distinctive and borderline peerless. They are at that point in that career where they stand alone in their field really and must be judged against themselves, and they are one of the best live bands on the planet.

and they are still fucking huge too. The album went straight to no.1 in Germany and many other Euro countries.

Great band, great album.

2.Sunn Life Metal

May was another strong month for me:
Darkthrone - Old Star
Death Angel - Humanicide
Tanith - In Another Time
Thronehammer - Usurper of the Oaken Throne
Bethlehem - Lebe dich leer
Mystik - s/t
Sathamel - Horror Vacui
Misþyrming - Algleymi
All enjoyable albums, but Gaahls Wyrd - 'GastiR - Ghosts Invited' is my favourite at the moment:

MAY:

1.


2=


2=


2=


3.



So much good shit this month, and I haven't even managed to give proper listens to the new Death Angel, Darkthrone, Whitesnake, Fleshgod Apcoalypse, and.. er, Crazy Lixx albums yet!



JAN:
1. Flotsam and Jetsam - The End of Chaos
2. Soilwork - Verkligheten
3. Altarage - The Approaching Roar

FEB:
1. Beast in Black - From Hell With Love
2. Overkill - Wings of War
3. Within Temptation - Resist
4. Rhapsody - The Eighth Mountain

MARCH:
1. Devin Townsend - Empath
2. Battle Beast - No More Hollywood Endings
3. Children of Bodom - Hexed
4. In Flames - I, The Mask
5. Queensryche - The Verdict


APRIL:
1. Manowar - The final Battle EP
2. Enforcer - Zenith
3. Mork - Det Svarte Juv

Either



or

The new Death Angel was a bit of a damp squib for me. It's not bad but nothing they haven't done better and with more distinctive results on the previous few albums.

I think I like 2 Rammstein songs. Sonne & Du Hast.

The problem with second and third tier bands like that is that if they aren't really hitting it out the park, their output is pretty unremarkable and not worth bothering with.

I kind of feel the same way about Overkill, but Overkill are more consistently good than D.A.

Kind of a month late, but I only just discovered it last week and I'm really enjoying it.

I joking sold it to my friend as 'stonergaze', but really it's like a post rock, alt rock, shoegaze, stoner rock hybrid. It doesn't really sound like any of those genres, but definitely has elements of it in there.

Valaraukar - Demonian Abyssal Visions


Also enjoyed:
Vulture - Ghastly Waves & Battered Graves
The Lord Weird Slough Feg - New Organon
Rainer Landfermann - Mein Wort in deiner Dunkelheit
The Meads of Asphodel - Running Out of Time Doing Nothing
Consecration - Fragilium

JUNE:


1.


2.


3.




JAN:
1. Flotsam and Jetsam - The End of Chaos
2. Soilwork - Verkligheten
3. Altarage - The Approaching Roar

FEB:
1. Beast in Black - From Hell With Love
2. Overkill - Wings of War
3. Within Temptation - Resist
4. Rhapsody - The Eighth Mountain

MARCH:
1. Devin Townsend - Empath
2. Battle Beast - No More Hollywood Endings
3. Children of Bodom - Hexed
4. In Flames - I, The Mask
5. Queensryche - The Verdict


APRIL:
1. Manowar - The final Battle EP
2. Enforcer - Zenith
3. Mork - Det Svarte Juv

MAY:
1. Rammstein - Rammstein
2. Amon Amarth - Berserker
3. Possessed - Revelations of Oblivion
4. Gloryhammer - Legends From Beyond the Galactic Terrorvortex
5. Diamond Head - The Coffin Train

^^Slow month mate?

June:

1.Baroness
2.Bruce Springsteen

Not sure what else

I was really disappointing with that Baroness album. Or maybe frustrated might be a better word.

It's the sort of album that on a track by track basis I can't fault (well, production aside). But somehow when you put it together as an album, it feels slightly less than the sum of it's parts. Too long, too many interludes, and not a consistent enough sound. It just feels like a band throwing ideas out there and seeing what sticks. And the thing is, as I say, judging each song on it's own merit, the songs are fine. But I just find the album such a chore to sit through.

I'm not saying it should have been Purple 2.0, but what I will say about Purple (and this is a big part of what drew me to it,) is just how complete as an album it sounds. The songs are consistent, the album flows well, and at around 40 minutes it's the perfect length. (It helps that there are some absolute bangers on there too )

But yeah, I've probably listened to Gold and Gray around 20 times now, and I just feel so conflicted about it. I want to like it, but I just don't know if I do.

EPs only with Baroness for me, I've found what albums of theirs that I've heard to be dull as dishwater.

Sabaton - The Great War

Excruciatingly.

The three I posted are all worth a listen, but nothing amazing.


Really not getting why people are getting massive erections over the new Sabaton. It's exactly the same as everything else they've ever done, just with fewer shit songs.

False - Portent


Not much else interesting for July...

JULY:

1.


2.


3.



JAN:
1. Flotsam and Jetsam - The End of Chaos
2. Soilwork - Verkligheten
3. Altarage - The Approaching Roar

FEB:
1. Beast in Black - From Hell With Love
2. Overkill - Wings of War
3. Within Temptation - Resist
4. Rhapsody - The Eighth Mountain

MARCH:
1. Devin Townsend - Empath
2. Battle Beast - No More Hollywood Endings
3. Children of Bodom - Hexed
4. In Flames - I, The Mask
5. Queensryche - The Verdict


APRIL:
1. Manowar - The final Battle EP
2. Enforcer - Zenith
3. Mork - Det Svarte Juv

MAY:
1. Rammstein - Rammstein
2. Amon Amarth - Berserker
3. Possessed - Revelations of Oblivion
4. Gloryhammer - Legends From Beyond the Galactic Terrorvortex
5. Diamond Head - The Coffin Train

JUNE:
Xentrix - Bury the Pain
Cwn Annwn - Patron Saint
Memoriam - Requiem for Mankind




All in all, another desperately uninspiring month.
The new Hatriot comes out on top because it's thrashy as fuck and is a genuine progression over their first two.

The new Sabaton may have their fans raving that "it's their best one for years", but that doesn't really say much. An overblown concept album with three (very) good songs.

I was one of the few who liked Abbath's solo debut a couple of years ago. Sure, it was pure Bathory worship, but we all knew that was going to be the case. Reviews seemed to be more positive with this new one, but lo and behold, it's basically the same as the debut, but with a little more zip to it. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing really wrong with that, but if his entire solo career is going to be based on Bathory then I don't really see the point.

Borknagar track sounds cool! 2019 very good year!