 | Blog author: David Catanus Well, here we are folks; the end of 2021, another year of chaos. Recent years only feel like just a few days passed by. Obviously, this was a continuation of that bloody mess known as… well, you know what. However, around late spring/early summer, things were finally looking up again, as large gatherings and full capacity shows were permitted again, as was moshing. |
Obviously, there have been a few ups and downs, and unfortunately we hit another bump in the road at this very moment. However, in comparison to 2020, things seem to be slightly different and a lot more forward looking, which is a lot better than what we had before.
Just like every year, there were a handful of events and stories to be told, both good and bad. Some of them include:
1. Iced Earth guitarist and primary songwriter Jon Schaffer being arrested and having assault and weapon charges pressed against him after his participation in the US Capitol Invasion early in the year, leaving an uncertain future for the band.
2. Exodus drummer Tom Hunting and his battle with stomach cancer in which he successfully beat
3. Megadeth bassist David Ellefson getting caught cheating on video and being dismissed by Dave Mustaine shortly after that scandal escalated, followed by Ellefson joining a new band The Lucid later on. Even though I think that what he did was despicable and vile, I feel bad for him at the same time because he had his privacy invaded. Regardless, I’ll always respect him as a musician.
Also, let’s take the time to acknowledge the fallen heroes that we lost this year. Some of them include Joey Jordison, Dusty Hill, Marsha Zazula, Tawny Kitaen, Mike Howe and Charlie Watts just to name a few. A couple of the biggest non musical deaths that happened this year was Larry King.
Having said that, let’s get down to some of this years releases, as 2021, just like 2020, had a lot of good albums that were released. I really had a tough time choosing the ones I liked the most, so here’s my top 10 albums of 2021 along with some honorable mentions! Enjoy!
Just like every year, there were a handful of events and stories to be told, both good and bad. Some of them include:
1. Iced Earth guitarist and primary songwriter Jon Schaffer being arrested and having assault and weapon charges pressed against him after his participation in the US Capitol Invasion early in the year, leaving an uncertain future for the band.
2. Exodus drummer Tom Hunting and his battle with stomach cancer in which he successfully beat
3. Megadeth bassist David Ellefson getting caught cheating on video and being dismissed by Dave Mustaine shortly after that scandal escalated, followed by Ellefson joining a new band The Lucid later on. Even though I think that what he did was despicable and vile, I feel bad for him at the same time because he had his privacy invaded. Regardless, I’ll always respect him as a musician.
Also, let’s take the time to acknowledge the fallen heroes that we lost this year. Some of them include Joey Jordison, Dusty Hill, Marsha Zazula, Tawny Kitaen, Mike Howe and Charlie Watts just to name a few. A couple of the biggest non musical deaths that happened this year was Larry King.
Having said that, let’s get down to some of this years releases, as 2021, just like 2020, had a lot of good albums that were released. I really had a tough time choosing the ones I liked the most, so here’s my top 10 albums of 2021 along with some honorable mentions! Enjoy!
10. EVILE - Hell Unleashed
After 8 years of lineup changes and constant delays, Evile came back swinging with their long-awaited fifth album Hell Unleashed, which is their first album since Skull. It also marks a new start for the band with Ol Drake taking the role of the frontman, left behind by his brother Matt Drake last year, and with Adam Smith of RipTide on rhythm guitar. After giving it a listen, I guess it’s safe to say that it felt right to return to basics and bring forth a straightforward pure thrash metal album, similar to what they did with their debut album Enter The Grave back in 2007, since it’s a new beginning for them after all. This is by no means their best album to date. However, this is an album that contains all things that every die hard thrasher craves: fast riffs, aggressive vocals, face-melting solos and some blazing drum beats. Although Hell Unleashed wasn’t quite what I was hoping for, it certainly was one of the year’s heaviest albums and an awesome welcome back for one of the most loved bands from the new wave of thrash movement.
After 8 years of lineup changes and constant delays, Evile came back swinging with their long-awaited fifth album Hell Unleashed, which is their first album since Skull. It also marks a new start for the band with Ol Drake taking the role of the frontman, left behind by his brother Matt Drake last year, and with Adam Smith of RipTide on rhythm guitar. After giving it a listen, I guess it’s safe to say that it felt right to return to basics and bring forth a straightforward pure thrash metal album, similar to what they did with their debut album Enter The Grave back in 2007, since it’s a new beginning for them after all. This is by no means their best album to date. However, this is an album that contains all things that every die hard thrasher craves: fast riffs, aggressive vocals, face-melting solos and some blazing drum beats. Although Hell Unleashed wasn’t quite what I was hoping for, it certainly was one of the year’s heaviest albums and an awesome welcome back for one of the most loved bands from the new wave of thrash movement.
09. DEE SNIDER - Leave A Scar
After the release of For The Love Of Metal in 2018, Dee Snider put out the follow up Leave A Scar this year. Musically, there’s not much of a difference between this one and the previous one. The only difference I found, which I think is a good one and pretty significant at that, is Dee’s involvement in the songwriting process this time, unlike the previous album which had Jamey Jasta and the backing band handling all the songwriting. As much as "I Gotta Rock (Again)" may have been good musically, I personally found that it didn’t really do much for me in terms of songwriting, but some other memorable tracks include "All Or Nothing More", Before I Go", "Silent Battles" and "The Reckoning". Dee’s voice is also in top notch condition, letting people know that the fire in him still burns strong.
After the release of For The Love Of Metal in 2018, Dee Snider put out the follow up Leave A Scar this year. Musically, there’s not much of a difference between this one and the previous one. The only difference I found, which I think is a good one and pretty significant at that, is Dee’s involvement in the songwriting process this time, unlike the previous album which had Jamey Jasta and the backing band handling all the songwriting. As much as "I Gotta Rock (Again)" may have been good musically, I personally found that it didn’t really do much for me in terms of songwriting, but some other memorable tracks include "All Or Nothing More", Before I Go", "Silent Battles" and "The Reckoning". Dee’s voice is also in top notch condition, letting people know that the fire in him still burns strong.
08. AT THE GATES - The Nightmare Of Being
The Swedish melodic death metal tyrants At The Gates are back with their new release, The Nightmare Of Being, making it their 7th studio album. This album is definitely a big step up from their 2018 release, To Drink From The Night Itself from a musical aspect, as they had really subverted my expectations, as they included some proggy elements here, most notably on the track “The Fall Into Time", while still maintaining that 90s Swedish death metal sound that they’ve always been known for. Although I do feel that they went a little overkill with the orchestral part later on in the song than they did in the beginning of it. Tomas Lindberg even does some spoken word poetry in the track "Cosmic Pessimism", which I thought was kind of peculiar and very unexpected. When you think of a band such as At The Gates, that’s certainly not the first thing that comes to mind. Even though I feel like the prog elements and spoken word didn’t really go hand in hand with a band such as At The Gates, this is a fairly decent record overall, and I’m glad they stepped out of their comfort zone here and tried something new.
The Swedish melodic death metal tyrants At The Gates are back with their new release, The Nightmare Of Being, making it their 7th studio album. This album is definitely a big step up from their 2018 release, To Drink From The Night Itself from a musical aspect, as they had really subverted my expectations, as they included some proggy elements here, most notably on the track “The Fall Into Time", while still maintaining that 90s Swedish death metal sound that they’ve always been known for. Although I do feel that they went a little overkill with the orchestral part later on in the song than they did in the beginning of it. Tomas Lindberg even does some spoken word poetry in the track "Cosmic Pessimism", which I thought was kind of peculiar and very unexpected. When you think of a band such as At The Gates, that’s certainly not the first thing that comes to mind. Even though I feel like the prog elements and spoken word didn’t really go hand in hand with a band such as At The Gates, this is a fairly decent record overall, and I’m glad they stepped out of their comfort zone here and tried something new.
07. VULTURE - Dealin' Death
German speed/thrash metallers Vulture are back this year with their third studio album Dealin’ Death. It’s as if these guys were stuck in a time capsule since this mid 80s or so and are now being brought out into the open for everyone to hear. For starters, I gotta say, they couldn’t have come up with a better way to start off the album with "Danger Is Imminent", an acoustic intro with some syth involved, followed up with "Malicious Souls" with that high pitched scream. I mean, come on, it doesn’t get any better than that! While there’s plenty of that thrashy and aggressive riffage all over the place, the most memorable moments of this album are rooted more in the mid tempo grooves and parts of the album that have a more melodic approach. An example of that would be in the track "Gorgon". Some other bangers off this record include the title track, "Multitudes Of Terror" and "Count Your Blessings", even though I feel like they went a little off the rails with the ending for the latter track. Even though Dealin’ Death may not be as fast and aggressive as the previous two albums prior, this is a well balanced album of speed and thrash, so if you dig bands such as Agent Steel, Razor and Exciter, I would highly recommend giving Vulture a listen.
German speed/thrash metallers Vulture are back this year with their third studio album Dealin’ Death. It’s as if these guys were stuck in a time capsule since this mid 80s or so and are now being brought out into the open for everyone to hear. For starters, I gotta say, they couldn’t have come up with a better way to start off the album with "Danger Is Imminent", an acoustic intro with some syth involved, followed up with "Malicious Souls" with that high pitched scream. I mean, come on, it doesn’t get any better than that! While there’s plenty of that thrashy and aggressive riffage all over the place, the most memorable moments of this album are rooted more in the mid tempo grooves and parts of the album that have a more melodic approach. An example of that would be in the track "Gorgon". Some other bangers off this record include the title track, "Multitudes Of Terror" and "Count Your Blessings", even though I feel like they went a little off the rails with the ending for the latter track. Even though Dealin’ Death may not be as fast and aggressive as the previous two albums prior, this is a well balanced album of speed and thrash, so if you dig bands such as Agent Steel, Razor and Exciter, I would highly recommend giving Vulture a listen.
06. BAEST - Necro-Sapiens
Danish death metallers Baest seem to be pretty consistent in putting out some quality death metal ever since their 2018 debut LP Danse Macabre. This year, they released their third studio album Necro-Sapiens, and I must say, this record is an absolute BEAST (pun fully intended). This album really showcases a lot more versatility, not to mention the the amount of groove they used in songs such as towers of suffocation. As good as the guitars were in a lot of parts, I feel like more leads/solos would have given the songs a little more punch to them. With tracks such as the title track, Genesis", "Abattoir", "Czar" and "Meathook Massacre", this is a well put together album overall that is rooted in that old school death metal sound, while having that modern edge to it at the same time.
Danish death metallers Baest seem to be pretty consistent in putting out some quality death metal ever since their 2018 debut LP Danse Macabre. This year, they released their third studio album Necro-Sapiens, and I must say, this record is an absolute BEAST (pun fully intended). This album really showcases a lot more versatility, not to mention the the amount of groove they used in songs such as towers of suffocation. As good as the guitars were in a lot of parts, I feel like more leads/solos would have given the songs a little more punch to them. With tracks such as the title track, Genesis", "Abattoir", "Czar" and "Meathook Massacre", this is a well put together album overall that is rooted in that old school death metal sound, while having that modern edge to it at the same time.
05. POWERWOLF - Call Of The Wild
The German power metal wolves, better known as Powewolf, have returned with their 8th album, Call Of The Wild. Now when it comes down to a new Powewolf album, especially if you’ve been a longtime fan of theirs, never expect any surprises. The only expectation to have really is nothing more than a slew of great anthemic power metal that is bound to get any music venue or festival crowd singing along while raising their glasses/bottles/cans, and tracks such as "Faster Than The Flame", "Dancing With The Dead", "Beast Of Gevaudan", "Blood For Blood", "Sermon Of Swords" and "Glaubenskraft" are proof of that. Having only been around since the 2000s, Powerwolf have made a name for themselves, and having done so, they have earned their place among the ranks of the big names of German power metal, such as Blind Guardian, Helloween and Gamma Ray.
The German power metal wolves, better known as Powewolf, have returned with their 8th album, Call Of The Wild. Now when it comes down to a new Powewolf album, especially if you’ve been a longtime fan of theirs, never expect any surprises. The only expectation to have really is nothing more than a slew of great anthemic power metal that is bound to get any music venue or festival crowd singing along while raising their glasses/bottles/cans, and tracks such as "Faster Than The Flame", "Dancing With The Dead", "Beast Of Gevaudan", "Blood For Blood", "Sermon Of Swords" and "Glaubenskraft" are proof of that. Having only been around since the 2000s, Powerwolf have made a name for themselves, and having done so, they have earned their place among the ranks of the big names of German power metal, such as Blind Guardian, Helloween and Gamma Ray.
04. FLOTSAM & JETSAM - Blood In The Water
Two years since after the release of the album The End Of Chaos, Phoenix thrash legends Flotsam & Jetsam decided to put out their new release Blood In The Water, making it their 14th studio album. While The End Of Chaos was quite impressive to say in the least, Blood In The Water just hits like a bolt of lightning. Ken Mary’s drumming is just as good as it gets here, followed by some killer riffs and face melting solos from Michael Gilbert and Steve Conley. All the songs really stood out on this record, but the one that really got my attention the most was "Cry For The Dead", mainly due to Eric A.K Knutson showcasing a little more of what he’s capable of in terms of cleans (man those are some pipes!) and having a good sense of dynamics as a whole. Overall, this album is powerful, rich, heavy and driving with a lot of substance, and one that keeps on growing with every track from start to finish.
Two years since after the release of the album The End Of Chaos, Phoenix thrash legends Flotsam & Jetsam decided to put out their new release Blood In The Water, making it their 14th studio album. While The End Of Chaos was quite impressive to say in the least, Blood In The Water just hits like a bolt of lightning. Ken Mary’s drumming is just as good as it gets here, followed by some killer riffs and face melting solos from Michael Gilbert and Steve Conley. All the songs really stood out on this record, but the one that really got my attention the most was "Cry For The Dead", mainly due to Eric A.K Knutson showcasing a little more of what he’s capable of in terms of cleans (man those are some pipes!) and having a good sense of dynamics as a whole. Overall, this album is powerful, rich, heavy and driving with a lot of substance, and one that keeps on growing with every track from start to finish.
03. ANGELUS APATRIDA - Angelus Apatrida
When it comes to the new wave of thrash, some bands that come to mind are groups like Havok, Warbringer, Toxic Holocaust, Gama Bomb, Crisix, Vektor, Evile and Suicidal Angels. Angelus Apatrida is another band I don’t hear of often and are criminally overlooked for the most part. The Spanish thrashers are back at tit this year with their self-titled seventh studio album, since their 2018 release Cabaret De La Guillotine. This album is tightly packed, condensed and very cohesive. The track "Indoctrinate" is a very good start to the album, followed up with "Bleed The Crown", which has a lot more groove to it, giving off that Testament, Sepultura, Exhorder, Pantera kind of vibe, as does the album as a whole. Some other cool tracks include "Rise Or Fall", "Disposable Liberty", "Through The Glass" and "We Stand Alone". This is an album that has an old school feel to it, but still remains very modern sounding. What really stood out for me on this record was the punch in the guitar tones with some of the most melodic and face melting solos that give off that NWOBHM sound of some degree, and of course, the aggressive vocals that the band has been known for having, and are kind of the glue as to what holds the songs together as well, apart from the guitars. However, I feel like the drums kind of lacked the aggression that the previous record had, and had extensive use of the cymbals at times on this one. Musically, this is a straightforward in-your-face thrash album, so it really gives a lot of hardcore thrashers what they would expect on an album. However, I was hoping for a little more experimentation like they did on Cabaret De La Guillotine, most notably in the track "Farewell", that had a very ballad-esque approach in parts of the song while still maintaining aggression. Regardless, this is a pretty good album. It’s heavy, melodic, and Angelus Apatrida are becoming a really serious group in this day and age, getting better at what they do.
When it comes to the new wave of thrash, some bands that come to mind are groups like Havok, Warbringer, Toxic Holocaust, Gama Bomb, Crisix, Vektor, Evile and Suicidal Angels. Angelus Apatrida is another band I don’t hear of often and are criminally overlooked for the most part. The Spanish thrashers are back at tit this year with their self-titled seventh studio album, since their 2018 release Cabaret De La Guillotine. This album is tightly packed, condensed and very cohesive. The track "Indoctrinate" is a very good start to the album, followed up with "Bleed The Crown", which has a lot more groove to it, giving off that Testament, Sepultura, Exhorder, Pantera kind of vibe, as does the album as a whole. Some other cool tracks include "Rise Or Fall", "Disposable Liberty", "Through The Glass" and "We Stand Alone". This is an album that has an old school feel to it, but still remains very modern sounding. What really stood out for me on this record was the punch in the guitar tones with some of the most melodic and face melting solos that give off that NWOBHM sound of some degree, and of course, the aggressive vocals that the band has been known for having, and are kind of the glue as to what holds the songs together as well, apart from the guitars. However, I feel like the drums kind of lacked the aggression that the previous record had, and had extensive use of the cymbals at times on this one. Musically, this is a straightforward in-your-face thrash album, so it really gives a lot of hardcore thrashers what they would expect on an album. However, I was hoping for a little more experimentation like they did on Cabaret De La Guillotine, most notably in the track "Farewell", that had a very ballad-esque approach in parts of the song while still maintaining aggression. Regardless, this is a pretty good album. It’s heavy, melodic, and Angelus Apatrida are becoming a really serious group in this day and age, getting better at what they do.
02. EXODUS - Persona Non Grata
It’s been a hot minute since the Exodus put out any new material; 7 years to be exact. The long wait for Persona Non Grata is finally over, and it certainly did not betray any expectations. Ever since they reunited with vocalist Steve “Zetro” Souza and released their album Blood In, Blood Out in 2014, Exodus have relentlessly toured around the globe with Heathen guitarist, Kragen Lum who filled in for Gary Holt while he was out there filling his touring commitments with Slayer before the band called it a day in 2019. Another delay surrounding the release of Persona Non Grata was Tom Hunting’s battle with stomach cancer in which he successfully beat. Zetro seems to be a lot more comfortable in terms of range on this album in comparison to the previous one, granted that Blood In, Blood Out was great in its own right, and Gary Holt and Lee Altus have more punch in their guitar tones this time, giving the result of some really menacing sounding riffs. As always, Exodus are a band that you can never go wrong with. This is a fantastic album overall and easily a no brainer for 2021.
It’s been a hot minute since the Exodus put out any new material; 7 years to be exact. The long wait for Persona Non Grata is finally over, and it certainly did not betray any expectations. Ever since they reunited with vocalist Steve “Zetro” Souza and released their album Blood In, Blood Out in 2014, Exodus have relentlessly toured around the globe with Heathen guitarist, Kragen Lum who filled in for Gary Holt while he was out there filling his touring commitments with Slayer before the band called it a day in 2019. Another delay surrounding the release of Persona Non Grata was Tom Hunting’s battle with stomach cancer in which he successfully beat. Zetro seems to be a lot more comfortable in terms of range on this album in comparison to the previous one, granted that Blood In, Blood Out was great in its own right, and Gary Holt and Lee Altus have more punch in their guitar tones this time, giving the result of some really menacing sounding riffs. As always, Exodus are a band that you can never go wrong with. This is a fantastic album overall and easily a no brainer for 2021.
01. TRIVIUM - In The Court Of The Dragon
Quite possibly their best record in the trilogy of albums Trivium has put out with former Battlecross drummer Alex Bent on drums. When I first heard the title track, I just knew this was gonna be another kickass album, and sure enough, I was right! What I didn’t know however, was whether or not this was gonna make #1 or #2 on the list; turns out it won first place, and here’s why: 1. There are many moments on this album that have a strong resemblance of Shogun (their best album to date), one of them being that the last track "The Phalanx" was actually written during the Shogun sessions back in the late 2000s, so that gives it some authenticity of it’s resemblance of that era. 2. When you have other tracks such as the title track like I mentioned above, "Feast Of Fire", Like A Sword Over Damocles", "A Crisis Of Revelation", "The Shadow Of The Abattoir", and "Fall Into Your Hands", there really shouldn’t be any further explanation as to how this album made it to the top of my list. Bottom line, Trivium have been on a streak of releasing some of the best material of their career ever since they welcomed Alex Bent into the fold and released The Sin & The Sentence in 2017, and have lived up to their previous albums like Ember To Inferno, Ascendancy, The Crusade, Shogun and even In Waves, but Shogun however, still remains unbeatable to this day.
Quite possibly their best record in the trilogy of albums Trivium has put out with former Battlecross drummer Alex Bent on drums. When I first heard the title track, I just knew this was gonna be another kickass album, and sure enough, I was right! What I didn’t know however, was whether or not this was gonna make #1 or #2 on the list; turns out it won first place, and here’s why: 1. There are many moments on this album that have a strong resemblance of Shogun (their best album to date), one of them being that the last track "The Phalanx" was actually written during the Shogun sessions back in the late 2000s, so that gives it some authenticity of it’s resemblance of that era. 2. When you have other tracks such as the title track like I mentioned above, "Feast Of Fire", Like A Sword Over Damocles", "A Crisis Of Revelation", "The Shadow Of The Abattoir", and "Fall Into Your Hands", there really shouldn’t be any further explanation as to how this album made it to the top of my list. Bottom line, Trivium have been on a streak of releasing some of the best material of their career ever since they welcomed Alex Bent into the fold and released The Sin & The Sentence in 2017, and have lived up to their previous albums like Ember To Inferno, Ascendancy, The Crusade, Shogun and even In Waves, but Shogun however, still remains unbeatable to this day.
HONOURABLE MENTIONS
| HELLOWEEN Helloween | ARTILLERY X | BE'LAKOR Coherence |
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| IRON MAIDEN Senjutsu | BEAST IN BLACK Dark Connection | BODOM AFTER MIDNIGHT Paint The Sky With Blood |
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| ACCEPT Too Mean To Die | NERVOSA Perpetual Chaos | BLACK LABEL SOCIETY Doom Crew Inc. |
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And there you have it! My top 10 albums of 2021! May 2022 be even more forward looking and hopefully bring some joy and happiness to you all! Having said that, keep on rocking, stay safe and Happy New Year!
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