Time to end my favorite albums of 2020 list. There might be albums I find later but this ends the list now. Might mention those albums in later posts if they are good enough for that. This is the list at the end of 2020. Previous years I have had more albums in these lists but this year I don’t feel like adding more albums. Global pandemic might have had something to do with quantity and quality of releases.
Deep Sea Diver: Impossible Weight
I have waited for this album for years. Every now and then I checked if they have released new music. Then I saw JHS Pedals’ video about new Deep Sea Diver album. I learned about the band form JHS Pedals’ video so it was fitting to find about new album from same place. I almost lost hope of hearing new Deep Sea Diver album but here it is.
Crippled Black Phoenix: Ellengæst
Crippled Black Phoenix released lot of music from their archives during 2020. Ellengæst is proper new album. It took a while to get used to their new sound. They somehow started to sound more like 80’s band in my mind. I was bit disappointed at first. I really liked their older sound. But I will manage thanks to all the material they released from their archives. After listening songs few times I started to like new sound too.
The Spacelords: Spaceflowers
I am not sure if band’s name is a joke. They are playing instrumental space rock. So I guess name is suitable. Music is excellent. Bought all their albums when I found the band. Do I need to say more?
サロメの唇: Shukyo
Band’s name is sometimes written as Salome no Kuchibiru. Learned about then this year and then heard Shukyo would be their last album. It is shame if it is. I really like their music. I try to find bands and artists who add influences from their culture to their music to hear music like this.
The Ocean: Phanerozoic II: Mesozoic I Cenozoic
The Ocean makes interesting albums. There is always something lacking to make them really great. That is why I almost missed this album like I missed their previous album. That something is missing from this album too. Can’t pinpoint what it is. They could do that really great album in future. So far they have made solid albums. This is one of those solid albums. Promise of great album is there.
Tamikrest: Tamotaït
Tamikrest is one of the desert rock bands I found this year. I knew Terakaft which I have seen live. I was looking for similar bands and found few. This was only album from those bands released this year. Like I said earlier I am searching bands which add their cultural influences to their music. Tamikrest does that.
G.Strizzolo: Yggdrasil
I don’t like to put videos of whole album someone has uploaded to Youtube to this list. But this was only video I could find and this is one of my favorite albums of 2020. Video has links where to buy the album. So I guess it is half ok.
King Dude: Full Virgo Moon
I bought this album couple days ago. So my opinion might change later after listening more. Gave it a chance despite the name. I like the mystical atmosphere the music creates. I checked his other albums but this seem to work best. Some of the other albums took use of reverb too far.
Majiko: Majigen
Have to go to EPs to get the list to ten. Majiko released new album december but I haven’t checked it yet. Liked the EP and this video is worth sharing.
Sari: A U Se
Another EP. This is on list for few reasons. This song is good but on other year I wouldn’t have added this to list. Sari was member of Necronomidol and I want to say few words of them. Current and former members of Necronomidol released some music this year. This was only EP length release. Others were singles. All members except Himari left the band earlier this year. Necronomidol has released two songs since which are ok. Rizaki and Rei formed new group called Manacle. They got Hina from retirement. Hina left Necronomidol same time as Sari about two years ago. Fourth member doesn’t have history with Necronomidol. Managle has released four singles which are ok. Manacle is like Necronomidol without metal influences. Sari has fallen furthest from Necronomidol.
That was the list this year. I could have had another ten if I filled it with Cryo Chamber albums and lowered my standards. Based on how much I like them there should be more albums from Cryo Chamber on the list but I don’t want to fill the list with them. Few mentions of albums not making to the list. Me and That Man release new album which had other metal singers singing. It was ok but so not nearly as good as the first one. Mesarthim released new album but I don’t remember much about it. I guess I could have added it to list but it didn’t have same impact as their previous albums. Same goes with Anaal Nathrakh’s Endarkment. Title track was good but I don’t remember other songs that much.