sweven
Sweven -- "The Eternal Resonance"

Our Favorite Heavy Albums of 2020 So Far

sweven
Sweven — “The Eternal Resonance”

Let this assemblage of heavy tunes guide you into realms both terrifying and exciting. This is a data dump of what we feel has topped 2020 so far in terms of metal (and more, really). It’s difficult to narrow things down to ten albums, always, but doing so allows for a hyper-curated selection that benefits anyone looking for the best of the best. Get into our minds, and we’ll keep feeding yours.

Andrew Rothmund

As usual, drowning. More thoughts here. Below, my favorites; or, what I deem to be the best in terms of blowing my mind to goddamn smithereens.

FovitronAltar of Whispers
FixionsDark Days
Beneath the MassacreFearmonger
VolcandraInto the Azure
AzothMagnitude of Extinction
UlcerateStare Into Death and Be Still
Spectral Lore + Mare CognitumWanderers: Astrology of the Nine
SliftUmmon
SatyrLocus
LeechedTo Dull the Blades of Your Abuse

Jon Rosenthal

Talking about music right now seems so selfish. We must do better.

Paysage d’HiverIm Wald
SwevenThe Eternal Resonance
Black CurseEndless Wound
Circle of OuroborusViimeinen juoksu
FluisteraarsBloem
Carved CrossSeverance of Disparity in Absolute Acrimony
Lamp of MurmuurThe Burning Spears of Crimson Agony
KatatoniaCity Burials
I’m In A CoffinWaste of Skin
ONORed Summer

Ted Nubel

The killer music coming out this year has been much-needed ammunition in my mental struggle against the isolation and anxiety that’s basically defined 2020 — in particular, doom metal and stoner rock have knocked out one great release after another, making trimming my list down tougher than I expected. I’ve just hit the six-month mark writing for Invisible Oranges, and in a way I’ve been dreading doing a list like this — attempting to remember music I listened to, much less attempt to sort it out, is a challenge. So, when pulling this list together, I focused on the music that I keep coming back to: stuff that helps me get through the drearier days and nights. In these picks, you’ll find plenty of top-notch riffs and groovy heaviness, though I’ve also included Drown for skull-flattening funeral doom consideration and Wrekmeister Harmonies‘ latest release, a drone-laden journey suitable for very late night musings.

HuntsmenMandala of Fear
DrownSubaqueous
Ripped to Shreds 亂 (Luan)
YatraBlood of the Night
Acid MammothUnder Acid Hoof
Cirith UngolForever Black
HällasConundrum
Wrekmeister HarmoniesWe Love to Look at the Carnage
NITEDarkness Silence Mirror Flame
Bone ChurchAcid Communion

Langdon Hickman

It’s never easy to pick a clean ten for a mid-year list, but 2020 had a harder go at it than most. The Australian wildfires feel like they were a year ago or more, but in truth were only a few months, while the entirety of COVID-19/quarantine era plus the most recent (and absolutely righteous and long-deserved) round of Black Lives Matter protests have swept up the world. In the midst of all of this, heavy metal was still happening, even as releases slowed or got pushed way, way back to compensate. Still, there was, as always, an embarrassment of riches, so many good records that, aside from a few I could finger right now as appearing on my proper end-of-year list, the rest is basically plucked from a whim. My taste is certainly showing in my list, I’ll admit, and while in other years I might have tried to control for that by deliberately including some more industrial, black metal, crust, etc. to compensate for my natural inclination, this year it feels okay to just go with the flow a bit. Some of these albums already feel like they’ve been part of my life for years given all that’s happened and how often they’ve been played by me during all of this. The following list is unsorted.

Oranssi PazuzuMestarin kynsi
Spectral Lore + Mare CognitumWanderers: Astrology of the Nine
SwevenThe Eternal Resonance
Paradise LostObsidian
UlcerateStare Into Death and Be Still
ElderOmens
Cryptic ShiftVisitations from Enceladus
GarganjuaToward the Sun
KatatoniaCity Burials
FluisteraarsBloem

Joe Aprill

While my first published work for Invisible Oranges wasn’t until a little over two months later, it was actually my participation on last year’s mid-year best-of list where I had my debut. It’s been a rollercoaster of 12 months personally for me since then. I’ve encountered emotional highs attending international metal festivals on two continents and interviewing some of my favorite musicians of all time — I also had a difficult low point with a romantic relationship falling apart. That low point occurred halfway into the world circumstances we’ve all been experiencing in recent months; from the still everpresent mortal threat of COVID-19 to the shaking fury at witnessing police brutality and political negligence. As the world and our own minds seemingly crumble apart, it’s as always during such dark times that music and the arts in general have provided a certain mental and even spiritual relief and comfort. So here are ten metal albums this year that so far help keep me sane.

FluisteraarsBloem
PosehnGrandpa Metal
EsoctrilihumEternity Of Shaog
Secrets of the MoonBlack House
Cult of FireMoksha/Nirvana
Paradise LostObsidian
My Dying BrideThe Ghost of Orion
MidnightRebirth by Blasphemy
Cirith UngolForever Black
MalokarpatanKrupinské Ohne

Ivan Belcic

You might see a lot of people talking about how we should “use metal to escape during these times,” or other similar ideas, but that’s not quite the right way to go about it. Escapism is a luxury available only to those privileged enough to avail themselves of it — to escape from police forces declaring war against civilians, not only in America, but across the globe, or from the thousands of daily deaths from a viral pandemic that governments around the world refuse to take seriously in favor of keeping the capital flowing, or from the ever-encroaching fascist creep. But that’s not to say we can’t find solace in our music.

Metal is at its most poignant when it serves as a balm, when the listener can pour all their grief, rage, frustration, and anguish into it, and find it there to welcome these feelings. Don’t look away from the struggles people are facing, especially if you aren’t facing them yourself. Your relative insulation places you in a better place than most to gather your resources about you and do something about it.

Despite how undeniably awful so many things are, creative people persist in excavating that primal urge which gurgles up from within. And when it’s your time to act, let their creations steel your nerves.

AaraEn Ergô Einai
SwevenThe Eternal Resonance
BarrensPenumbra
Violet ColdNoir Kid
BeggarCompelled to Repeat
PsychonautUnfold the God Man
FleigeThe Invisible Seam
VelniasScion of Aether
AinsophΩ – V
UprisingII

Sahar Alzilu

Already, not even halfway through 2020, there’s been a considerable bulk of memorable and wonderfully composed releases across multiple genres. Among them, I’ve observed two general trends. First of all, 2020 really seems to be shaping up to be a year of EPs, as several of these shorter releases (shall we say under the 30-minute mark) have, quite simply, blown more traditional full length albums out of the water. Additionally, 2020 has definitely been the “year of the synths,” as many of my favorites from this year have featured a heavy keyboard or otherwise electronic presence. It’s been quite the journey these past five months, I’m hoping the patterns I noted above continue, and I’m hungry for whatever the coming months bring.

NGHTCRWLRLet the Children Scream
ZalmoxisA Nocturnal Emanation
BríiEntre Tudo que é Visto e Oculto
Dragged Into SunlightTerminal Aggressor II
Chong WizardThe Mind Stone
Descend Into DespairOpium
Moodie BlackFuzz
FangePudeur
At the Altar of the Horned GodThrough Doors of Moonlight
GrinTranslucent Blades

Andrew Sacher

It’s been an intense year, heavy music helps. Fuck racism, fuck police brutality, get involved.

Code OrangeUnderneath
HuntsmenMandala of Fear
Higher Power27 Miles Underwater
Infant IslandBeneath
EnvyThe Fallen Crimson
Umbra VitaeShadow of Life
UlcerateStare Into Death and Be Still
UltharProvidence
WakeDevouring Ruin
Sightless PitGrave of a Dog

Tom Campagna

Lots of variety in heavy music especially since for most of the year the only way we can experience it is through a speaker or headphones. In light of these trying times, we look back upon the lessons learned for 2020 but also toward applying real change to this flawed world which we inhabit. Diversity reigns supreme because for all the problems that this society holds, each requires the right amount of attention and insight. Until that happens here’s the soundtrack to oblivion.

ACxDCSatan Is King
AfterbirthFour Dimensional Flesh
Cirith UngolForever Black
HauntMind Freeze
IntronautFluid Existential Inversions
KvelertakSplid
LuciferLucifer III
MalokarpatanKrupinské Ohne
MidnightRebirth by Blasphemy
SwevenThe Eternal Resonance

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