Tuesday 30 December 2014

100 Heavy Metal Album Covers from 2014

2014, another corker of a year for heavy metal.  Here's my pic for the Top 100 Heavy Metal releases of 2014.  All albums received some form of air-play on my radio show, which I retired from at the end of October this year.  So there may be a few late year releases that slipped under my radar.

But in any event, some old faces, some new faces, Stoner keeps making a big resurgence (for me, and generally) and a new album and ep from Godflesh!

Your favourite releases?  Albums you were dissapointed with?  I dropped off Austrian Death Machine's 'Triple Brutal' as I thought it was boring and listless.  Babymetal on the list?  Haters gonna hate.  Yeah, they represent everything that's wrong with corporate music.  But in a genre like metal, that's suck a stand-out (Nu-metal in the '90's notwithstanding) that I reckon metal can absorb one example of shameless Japaness cute J-metal without being in danger of losing its soul as a genre.  And it's a great shit-stir to all the metal snobs.  Let's just hope it doesn't become the norm, however...

I thought the new Accept album was awesome, and have given my nod of approval to Mark Tornillo as the new lead singer (even if he sounds a wee bit Vim Fuego-ish on the high notes).  Cannibal Corpse continue to impress, Manowar brought out another re-recording (!), a couple of releases from Sunn O))), Dead Kelly impressed the shit out of me, the Ronnie James Dio tribute early in the year was a gem, Hadal Maw power out a release (watch these guys!), and Wolves in the Throne Room bring out an album from left-field, more dark ambient than anything else, and it worked for me.

Everyone gushed about 'The Satanist' from Behemoth, and while I've included it in the list, it didn't grab me as much as seemingly everyone else.  Entombed A.D.'s new album is decent, but for me, the jury's still out as to whether it's a good album.  As much as I love Electric Wizard, their 2014 release, 'Time To Die' was a bit disappointing.  And I'm not still fully sold on Mastodon, but that's a great album cover in this year of vinyl revival!

Bring on 2015!





The albums, from left to right, top to bottom, in no particular order (but mostly alphabetical by band.  Just how it worked out).

1. Blind Rage - Accept
2. The Joy Of Motion - Animals As Leaders
3. Check 'Em Before You Wreck 'Em - Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell
4. 25 Cents For A Riff - Acid Drinkers
5. Xenon - Mechina
6. Language - The Contortionist
7. Memoirs Of A Madman - Ozzy Osbourne
8. A World Lit Only By Fire - Godflesh
9. The Serpent & The Sphere - Agalloch
10. Desideratum - Anaal Nathrakh
11. Tourniquets Hacksaws and Graves - Autopsy
12. Babymetal - Babymetal
13. Back From The Abyss - Orange Goblin
14. Back To The Front - Entombed A.D.
15. The Satanist - Behemoth
16. Brutal Delivery Of Vengeance - Embalmed
17. Burn The Serum - Kyng
18. A Skeletal Domain - Cannibal Corpse
19. Blood Eagle - Conan
20. Dawn Of The Dude (EP) - Cross Examination
21. Death Mask - Lord Mantis
22. Blood Mantra - Decapitated
23. Decline & Fall (EP) - Godflesh
24. Destined To Violate - Gorgasm
25. Misery - Disentomb
26. Awake The Riot - Dust Bolt
27. Earthless - Doom:vs
28. Eat Me - Dol Kruug
29. Time To Die - Electric Wizard
30. Eternity Of Hell & Torment - Belligerent Intent
31. Existence - Aeon Of Horus
32. Blood In, Blood Out - Exodus
33. No Place For Disgrace 2014 - Flotsam and Jetsam
34. Beyond - Freedom Call
35. From Crotch To Crown - Prostitute Disfigurement
36. From Wisdom To Baked - Cannabis Corpse
37. Gigantoid - Fu Manchu
38. Senium - Hadal Maw
39. Dawn Of The New Centurion - Hatriot
40. Heen Yadhar Al Ghasq - Al-Namrood
41. Baptised In Vomit - Hillbilly Blitzkrieg
42. Immortal Legacy - Hirax
43. Redefined Mayhem - Holy Moses
44. Shadows Of The Dying Sun - Insomnium
45. Into The Maelstom - Bigelf
46. Welt Ohne Werbung - Japanische Kampfhorspiele
47. King Of Asgard - Karg
48. Kings Of Metal MMXIV - Manowar
49. The Sun Will Rise Again - Loudness
50. Escape From The Shadow Garden - Magnum
51. For I Am Genocide - Mass Infection
52. Back From Beyond - Massacre
53. Once More 'Round The Sun - Mastodon
54. Mountain - Bong Breaker
55. Murmur - Murmur
56. The Vaulted Shadows - My Dying Bride
57. Nero In Metastasi - Cripple Bastards
58. Up The Dosage - Nashville Pussy
59. Angelic Dread - Nunslaughter
60. Inked In Blood - Obituary
61. The Last Neanderthal - Ogre
62. Pale Communion - Opeth
63. Taste My Sword Of Understanding - Opium Warlords
64. White Devil Armory - Overkill
65. High On Radiation - Reactory
66. Resist Or Serve - Cloven Hoof
67. Meathymns - Ribspreader
68. Slaves To The Grave - Rigor Mortis
69. Ronnie James Dio  This Is Your Life - Various Artists
70. Heroes - Sabaton
71. Slave To The Sword - Exmortus
72. Digital Resistance - Slough Feg
73. Arkan - Sofia
74. Sons Of The Southern Cross - Dead Kelly
75. Stalagmire - Cauldron Black Ram
76. LA Reh 012 - Sunn O)))
77. Terrestrials - Sunn O))) & Ulver
78. Sunset On The Golden Age - Alestorm
79. We Hate The Sea (EP) - Swashbuckle
80. Glass Cathedrals - The Mire
81. R.I.B. - Tankard
82. Hypothalamus - The Wisdoom
83. Thou - Heathen
84. Necronomic Warfare - Trenchrot
85. Kaptein Kaos - Trollfest
86. Ultimatum - ADX
87. Baphomet Pan Shub-Niggurath - Unaussprechlichen Kulten
88. Under Satan's Sun - Bloody Hammers
89. Unholy Resurrection - Grim Legion
90. Outsider - Uriah Heep
91. Tibi Et Igni - Vader
92. The Glorious Dead - Vanir
93. Distant Is The Sun - Vanishing Point
94. Sleeping With Evil (EP) - Vindicator
95. Worship (EP) - Weed Priest
96. Shogunate Macabre - Whispered
97. Whiteworm Cathedral - Necrophagia
98. Samsara - Wide Eyes
99. Celestite - Wolves In The Throne Room
100. The Conjuring - Wo Fat