Top 5 of 2015!!

This year's Top 5 was another that came together pretty quickly.  However, my obsession with epic styles of metal ensures that there isn't a whole lot of variety on this one (and those who review my "Anniversary" article for this year will see some familiar faces).  Still, there was plenty of good stuff to consider, including the album by Final Sign that I reviewed as part of my Divebomb Mystery Box article.  As always, I can't listen to everything, and these are just my personal favorites, but here are my Top 5 for 2015!

5. Shadowbane - Facing the Fallout

A few years ago, I bought a stack of CDs from Pure Steel records and reviewed them all.  Out of the bunch, this was my favorite, largely because it was the only power metal album I picked up.  Nevertheless, it remains a pretty good album, with its post-apocalyptic themes making it stand out.  I still think it's a shame the band never did put together a follow up, as I saw a lot of potential.  Nevertheless, it finds itself here at #5 for being just a solid chunk of metal.

4. Kamelot - Haven

Back when I reviewed this a few years ago, I thought the album was fine, but not great, as it didn't match how much I loved the Roy Khan albums.  Listening to it again, I wonder if my standards were just far too high, as this is some very good symphonic metal.  Karevik does a great job providing the voice for the album, and the band still has a knack for the epic, and so it finds a slot here in my Top 5.

3. Sorcerer - In the Shadow of the Inverted Cross

I know I just reviewed this, but I can't deny when Sorcerer is rolling out their style of doom!  Melodramatic, epic, and powerful, these guys had it right from the start with their (sorta) debut album.  In any case, now that I've heard all their albums, I look forward to whatever they do next.  For now, this album's excellence puts it here in my Top 5.

2. Cain's Offering - Stormcrow

I reviewed this five years ago when I was doing my Anniversary Article series, and I found it to be a worthy follow up to their excellent debut album.  Since, things have been quiet (likely because both Jani and Timo have been busy with other things), but I still think their particular blend of symphonic power metal is pretty incredible.  

1. Visigoth - The Revenant King

Another I reviewed five years ago, I had a hard time deciding to go with Cain's Offering or Visigoth for my #1 album for this year.  However, I think the dense, somewhat doomy atmosphere is what gives Visigoth the edge, as well as some fun, epic songs.  Drifting between US power metal to Sabbath-like doom, the album has quite a lot to offer, and with Jake Rogers on the mic, this album really soars.

Retro Reviews - December 2025!

So I'm definitely cutting it fine, but I've had some busy weeks.  However, I think I'll be able to squeeze in a few more articles before the end of the year.  Let's get things rolling with a handful from 2015 in anticipation of my Top 5 article for that year.  I don't know if any of these are guaranteed make it, but I think they all have a decent chance.

Magnus Karlsson's Free Fall - Kingdom of Rock

After listening to his work in Primal Fear, The Ferryman, and his previous Free Fall album, I'm getting a pretty good idea of what to expect from Magnus now.  His follow up here is honestly more of the same symphonic rock and metal, featuring another great line up of guest singers.

As always, the production is the real star here.  All of these songs are very lush, layering the guitars and synthesized strings very well to sound like an epic orchestra, with plenty of slick guitar licks and solos throughout.  Once again, I feel like the songs are hampered by some generic lyrics, but Magnus and his guests are game, giving good performances, making the songs pleasant to listen to, making the album feel more like a showcase for the singers, most of which are on Frontiers Records as well.  There are times where I wish the song would push a little further or shift into some kind of power metal, but most of the time, the songs are often content to stick with mid-tempo rhythms, likely to give the layers and guitars space to breath.  "Another Life" does mix things up a little, starting with a nearly folky vibe before shifting into some bluesy metal, but otherwise it's pretty similar stuff across the board.

This is by no means a bad album, but it is kind of a forgettable one.  Things start of well with Jorn Lande singing the title track, and I did like "When the Sky Falls" with Tony Martin for being a little more Dio-like.  Of the albums more AOR-styled songs, "Never Look Away" stood out, featuring Tony Harnell of TNT.  While I enjoyed what I heard, with all the songs getting me to headbang along, but in the end, I can't shake the feeling I've heard all this before.  Fans of Karlsson's guitar work (and symphonic metal) will find plenty to like, but don't expect this to blow your mind.

Crypt Sermon - Out of the Garden

After enjoying their most recent album, I thought I'd dig back into their catalog and check out their debut, as these Top 5 articles gave me the ideal opportunity to do so.  Here, the band is definitely more basic in their doom metal style, sticking to sounds like Dio-era Sabbath and early Candlemass, but fortunately the execution makes the difference here.

To be honest, there isn't anything here that hasn't been done before, but like I said, the quality of how they play it is what matters.  Once again Brooks Wilson wails and croons, and the rest of the band backs him up with some solid atmosphere.  Enrique Sagarnaga pounds the crap out of his drums, even getting a little jazzy here and there with his fills and rhythms.  The lyrics are more Biblical in nature, but never feel preachy, instead often going for this haunted, wandering tone, like a journey to seek answers that never really ends.  

There are a few shake ups, mostly with tempo changes.  "Heavy Riders" really goes back and forth with its tempo, leaning more Dio-Sabbath, while "Into the Holy of Holies" reaches a classic metal tempo and has some very shreddy solos.  Otherwise, it's just some well-played doom with solid atmosphere, plenty of decent riffs, and a good, introspective tone that's reaching for more.  I don't know if it necessarily stands out in its genre, but remains a good foundation as a debut album and certainly worth the listen.

Find Me - Dark Angel

Once again, I'm filling in another 2015 gap with this one.  I've enjoyed this band in the past and this album really is more of the same, solid, slick early 80s melodic rock with modern production.  Things start off well with "Nowhere to Hide," bring that slick AOR energy right off the bat, and the album doesn't really deviate from it.  Another stand out is "Bleed in the Rain," which has more of a pop vibe, like it came from an 80s movie, and the last two tracks "Did You Feel Any Love" and "I'm Free" close things out with some good upbeat rock.  As usual, it's hard to really say much about the music when it's doing exactly what it needs to.  I don't know if this will blow anyone's mind, but those looking for another chunk of quality melodic rock will find plenty to like here.  

Sorcerer - In the Shadow of the Inverted Cross

Here's another slab of doom metal!  Despite having started in the 80s, this 2015 release would be Sorcerer's first full length album, as the band had recorded a few demos, then went on a massive hiatus.  After enjoying their other three albums, I went into this one with some decently high expectations and they were well met!

This is probably the closest album to Lamenting of the Innocent in terms of being more on the doom metal side rather than the classic metal side.  Plodding tempos, thick riffs, Kristian Niemann and Peter Hallgren lightning-style shredding, and Anders Engberg's soaring vocals are all here, establishing a solid atmosphere throughout the album.  "Sumerian Script" and "Lake of the Lost Souls" are a solid pair of slow-churning doom metal, but then "Exorcise the Demon" and "The Gates of Hell" shake things up with some very NWOBHM-style uptempo energy, full of neat guitar licks and noodles.  After that, it's back to some excellent doom, with "Prayers for a King" really standing out!

It's not quite as strong as Lamenting (though it comes quite close), but between the solid, clean production, the excellent songwriting, and the great story-telling in the lyrics, this will place pretty high on the Top 5 article I'm working on after this.  While the Crypt Sermon album was decent enough, what Sorcerer does here is my idea of what good epic doom is like.  Candlemass may have been doing it longer, but these guys are right up there with them in quality, in my opinion.

Atomic Symphony - Redemption

For the last one of this article, I'm reaching back once again to a debut album of a band I've enjoyed before.  Their two later albums were some pretty impressive, if moody, symphonic prog metal, powered by the iconic alto voice of Jasmin Baggenstos, and it seems their debut is where they started their particular sound.

The first thing I noticed was that the production was a little clunky, but as this was an independent release, that can be forgiven, and it's not really a deal breaker, once you get into the album.  The songs themselves have a strong story-telling focus, as each one has a tale to tell.  In fact, a reference to Nemesis makes wonder if some of the songs are part of the bigger concept they used for their other two albums (which I never did figure out).  There's plenty of proggy elements, which sections featuring some mixed meter or noodly riffs and transitions, but I get the feeling the songs aren't as complex here as they are on other albums.  Jasmin sounds great, though, and guitarist Roberto Barlocci really gives his fretboard a work out with plenty of shredding solos and complex neo-classical runs.

It's pretty much the same as their later albums, but with a bit less polish.  "Abyss" shows their unique blend of prog and symphonic metal, and "Breathing Rage" really works those neo-classical elements.  "Fate of the Gods" is their most chaotic song, the instrumental track "Delusive Dreams" as an interesting jam, mixing in some rockin' energy with their orchestrations and noodling, and the 9-minute "Shattered" makes for a decent closer.  I can see more hardcore progheads finding this album a little underwhelming, but overall, I enjoyed most of it, and see it as a solid start to what I think is a pretty unique band in the prog metal space.

Top 5 of 2010!!

Fortunately, after the last article, I was able to pull this one together pretty quickly.  At this point, this really is just a Top 5 of whatever I've listened to in a given year.  Still, this one has some decent variety, this time around.  I did want to shout out The Showdown by Allen/Lande and Kamelot's Poetry for the Poisoned as honorable mentions.  They aren't the greatest albums, but they were decent, which is kind of a theme for this list.  Still, five had to be picked and this is what I came up with.

5. White Wizzard - Over the Top

I remember when metal sites were making a big deal about this band back in the day.  Their attempt at recreating the classic NWOBHM sound made them seem novel, and they were pretty good at it.  Their debut album features tons of catchy riffs and sing-along choruses, so it's easy to see why they excited metalheads back in the day.  Unfortunately, they ran into some serious problems, with lineup changes and getting dropped from their label, but like any classic metal band, they found a way to carry on.  In any case, their debut squeaks onto my list for just being a fun throwback to when metal wasn't dominated by breakdowns and harsh vocals.

4. Atlantean Kodex - The Golden Bough

When I listened to this again, I had a sneaking suspicion this might find itself here, but I wasn't immediately sure.  Despite its peculiar production, the atmosphere they create on this album is incredible, matching the ponderous style of doom metal with ancient myths and folklore.  Like White Wizzard, this is a band that I should have stuck with, and I will likely be following up on their next albums in the next few years.

3. Vega - Kiss of Life

I warned you this was gonna happen!  Drenched in 80s cheese and thick with synthesizers, this album is some very nostalgic, sentimental AOR, and that's why I love it.  While they're more recent albums see them mixing up their formula a little, they definitely started on the right foot with this one.  Full of catchy anthems and warm layers, Vega was on the right track from the beginning.

2. Sabaton - Coat of Arms

While this probably isn't their best album, it's certainly a decent one.  "Screaming Eagles" is clearly the highlight, but the title track and "White Death" are no slouches either.  I can see some folks arguing that Sabaton's albums feel a little interchangeable, but I simply see a lot of consistency.  I don't know if they have a great album in their catalog, but they certainly have some good ones, and this one is solid enough to find itself at #2.

1. Accept - Blood of the Nations

However, once I started putting this list together, the #1 choice was obvious.  Back when I reviewed it five years ago, I was blown away by the rich production, tight riffing, and straight-ahead, no-nonsense approach to songwriting.  While that has always been Accept's main focus, this comeback album came at the right time, punching everyone in the face with excellent traditional metal tracks.  In fact, this might be my favorite Accept album of all time!