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.