By Kelley Simms
TOP 1O METAL ALBUMS
Judas Priest
C
aught in a Mosh is proud to intro-
duce its Top 10 metal releases of
2018. I expect diehard Mosh readers
will have their own subjective list, so feel
free to comment at www.illinoisentertain-
er.com.
1. Judas Priest, Firepower (Epic): Give
credit where credit is due - after five
decades, Judas Priest is still the quintessen-
tial heavy metal band. The 14 tracks on its
explosive 18th full-length album, Firepower
capture the core of the band’s early days.
Priest’s trademark twin lead-guitar har-
monies have always been a highlight of
any Priest album, while vocalist Rob
Halford’s banshee screams have never
sounded better. Priest is still “Delivering
the Goods," even after all these years.
2. Metal Church, Damned if You Do (Rat
Pack): Seattle thrashers reunited with sec-
ond vocalist Mike Howe in 2015 and
released the stellar XI album. The quintet
continues its melodic brand of thrash metal
on its 12th studio album. With a Dec. 7
release, Damned if You Do may not have
made it on a lot of other music outlet’s lists,
which is a shame, because it rules. Plus, it
says a lot about a band’s integrity to be this
confident with new material after 32 years.
3. Behemoth, I Loved You at Your Darkest
(Nuclear Blast): Polish blackened death
34 illinoisentertainer.com january 2019
metal beast, Behemoth, returns four years
after the critically acclaimed The Satanist.
On its 12 powerful tracks, Nergal’s ongo-
ing diatribe against Christianity still high-
lights the band’s lyrical content, while a
mammoth production adds to the ferocity
of the intense instrumentation. I Loved You
at Your Darkest proves that Behemoth are
still a force to be reckoned with. 7. Sigh, Heir to Despair (Spinefarm):
Japanese avant-garde/black metal odd-
balls Sigh never cease to amaze me. On its
11th studio album, Heir to Despair, Sigh
deliver a plethora of bazaar instrumenta-
tion, piercing electronic elements, alluring
Asian influences and maniacal vocals. Heir
to Despair is absolutely insane, but in the
best possible way.
4. Voivod, The Wake (Century Media):
Canadian prog/thrash metal pioneers,
Voivod, return with this cosmic 14th studio
album. Opener “Obsolete Beings” sets the
tone for the eight tracks that highlight the
band’s trademark post-apocalyptic sound,
consisting of dissonant chord progressions,
rapid-fire snare drum rudiments, and
prominent basslines. The Wake is the best
post-“Piggy” album to date. 8. Unleashed, The Hunt for White Christ
(Napalm): Before there was Amon Amarth,
there was Unleashed. They are the
supreme kings of Swedish Viking death
metal and have been crushing it for 30
years now. On its 13th release, the quartet
delivers 11 relentless battle-laden tracks
from start to finish.
5. Rivers of Nihil, Where Owls Know My
Name (Metal Blade Records): Third time’s
a charm for Pennsylvania-based technical
death metal band Rivers of Nihil. On Where
Owls Know My Name, the ten diverse tracks
keep the listener on their toes. Who says
saxophone doesn’t belong in metal? Rivers
of Nihil will be serious players in the death
metal scene for years to come.
6. Deicide, Overtures of Blasphemy
(Century Media): Floridian god-bashing
death metal stalwarts, Deicide, have
carved out a longstanding career by creat-
ing Satanic mayhem. On its 12th studio
album, Glen Benton’s vitriolic vocals are as
ferocious as ever. Combined with intense
guitar solos and precision-like drumming,
Deicide hasn’t sounded this menacing in
quite some time.
9. Witherfall, A Prelude to Sorrow
(Century Media): Iced Earth guitarist Jake
Dreyer has struck gold with Witherfall’s
second album. The 10-track proggy/power
metal
affair
dips
heavily
into
Nevermore/Sanctuary influences. It’s a
diverse, 57-minute journey that weaves in
and out of ominous, melodic interludes,
soaring, multi-layered vocal harmonies
and cascading arpeggio guitar solos.
10.
Depravity,
Evil
Upheaval
(Transcending Obscurity): Australian bru-
tal death metal band Depravity may not be
a household name in North America, but
Evil Upheaval is one of the most savage and
dependable underground death metal
albums released in 2018. Its nine pummel-
ing tracks will leave you totally exhaust-
ed… then you’ll want to hit the replay but-
ton.