The year is coming to its end and the Bloodstained Metal team has selected the best albums of the year!
PAULI HODJU
TOP 5 SIGNED
- Cradle of Filth – The Screaming of the Valkyries
- Paul Kalkbrenner – THE ESSENCE
- Sleep Token – Even In Arcadia
- Katatonia – Nightmares as Extensions of the Walking State
- The Defect – DEATH X DESTINY
Once again, it’s been a year full of one great album after another. Choosing my personal Top 5 was exceptionally difficult. In the end, I had to place Cradle of Filth’s latest epic at number one, despite all the drama surrounding the band. I’ve been a CoF fan since Midian, and a lot has happened since then—but for some reason, after Nymphetamine there haven’t been any truly memorable releases. There have been a few good moments here and there, but overall the albums left me rather cold.
The Screaming of the Valkyries took me straight back to the Midian era. There isn’t a single weak track on the album; every song stands out, is memorable, and stays with you.
For second place, I had to choose something completely different: the latest album by Paul Kalkbrenner. This German DJ knows how to take the listener into an entirely new dimension. While listening, you forget all earthly worries and can simply exist in the moment. I highly recommend giving this one a chance.
Sleep Token is an album that I’m sure appears on almost every “Best Albums of the Year” list—and for good reason. Once again, it’s all about atmosphere and cohesion. This is one of those albums that restores your faith in bands taking the time to build a complete, unified work rather than just a “collection of singles.”
Katatonía’s album from a couple of years ago left a lasting impression on me. I had always known of the band, but I didn’t realize just how good they truly were. Nightmares as Extensions of the Walking State continues beautifully from where the previous album left off—and once again, it left me wanting more.
The Defect entered my list completely out of nowhere early this year. I had never even heard of the band before, and suddenly I found myself listening to this album every day while driving to and from the studio. Fantastic modern metal with subtle industrial influences.
Honorable Mentions
Honorable mentions go to Patriarkh, who released an incredibly beautiful Orthodox-themed album; Helloween with three singers; Dream Theater’s fantastic concept album, which is impossible to listen to track by track—you always want to experience it as a complete journey from start to finish; Finland’s gift to the world, Bloodred Hourglass, who are finally receiving the well-deserved recognition they’ve earned; and lastly Orbit Culture—an album that hardly needs any introduction at all.
TOP 5 INDEPENDENT:
- Heaven-Gemini – Luonnonoikku
- Putrid Defecation – Tales From the Toilet
- Sargassus – Vitruvian Rays
- Shereign – Black Halo
- Kituma – Muistijälki
At the end of last year, something was released that I truly never expected to come from such a small band. Heaven-Gemini’s Luonnonoikku completely blew me away. The album is beautifully produced, the songs are incredibly meticulously crafted, and the overall concept has clearly been thought through from beginning to end. There are plenty of Stam1na influences, of course, but this is by no means a direct copy.
Putrid Defecation’s Tales From the Toilet is, in all its glory, an 18.5-minute-long, foul-smelling bundle of joy! One of Finland’s hardest slamming bands continues to entertain both on record and on stage.
Tampere-based Sargassus delivers brutal progressive metal in the spirit of early Opeth. This band’s live performance is absolutely phenomenal—the sound is polished to perfection, and the songs are crafted down to the finest detail.
Finally, the high-energy Shereign greatly brightened my summer, and Oulu’s gift to the world, Kituma, delivered plenty of memorable melodies along with tight, crushing riffs.
PETER MUSTONEN
TOP 5 SIGNED:
- Synestia – Premonitions
- Mors Principium Est. – Darkness Invisible
- Orbit Culture – Death Above Life
- Lorna Shore – I Feel The Everblack Festering Within Me
- Sabaton – Legends
Oh boy, looking back on this year’s picks compared to last year’s picks, it’s safe to say that metal was back on the menu and surprisingly it came in metalcore’s wake. If you would’ve told me last year that I would have Lorna Shore and Synestia in my top 4, I would’ve called you mad. Orbit Culture resonated with me with raw kick-assery, while Mors Princium Est. gave me that sweet melodeath candy that you want to have every once in a while. Sabaton being Sabaton, a formula once deemed successful so I have to give credit where credit is due, my grandma’s favourite band so I have listened to the new album with her quite a lot “:D”.
TOP 5 INDEPENDENT
- Sargassus – Vitruvian Rays
- Putrid Defecation – Tales From The Toilet
- After Earth – Dark Night Of The Soul
- Kituma – Muistijälki
- Bloody Moon – Lost&Damned
I guess it’s no surprise that my picks were the ones that I did a review on aside from After Earth. The Swedes baked a terrific album with that signature Swedish metal sound which occasionally reminded me of Dissection with a modern sound. Bloody Moon boys did what reminded me of Children of Bodom with a twist and Kituma made melancholic metal which can only describe the feeling of every Oulun Kärpät fan by the time of writing this(14th in the league). Putrid Defecation pooped out the porta-potty-party-play of the year and slammed the doodoo’s in your face with slams so heavy your face looks like a pothole on a Finnish cottage road. And Last but not least, the first in fact; Sargassus progged their way from my eardrums into my heart, with an album that leaves the Opeth fans longing for their metal days happy as a vampire in a bloodbank.
PETRI VOLFRAM
TOP 5 SIGNED:
- Cradle of Filth – The Screaming of the Valkyries
- …And Oceans – The Regeneration Itinerary
- Havukruunu – Tavastland
- Orbit Culture – Death Above Life
- Arch Enemy – Blood Dynasty
The latest Cradle of Filth release evokes the spirit of Midian, the album that first introduced me to the band and, in my view, remains their strongest work. Packed with irresistible hooks and striking compositions, The Screaming of the Valkyries stands as the album of the year.
TOP 5 INDEPENDENT
- Sargassus – Vitruvian Rays
- Putrid Defecation – Tales From The Toilet
- Admire the Grim – Resist
- Kituma – Muistijälki
- Bisa – Self Inflicted
Throughout the debut album of Sargassus, a clear sense of musicality shines through. Unlike many weaker examples of the genre, these progressive tracks never get lost in their own cleverness, but stand as genuinely strong songs in their own right.
ANTTI MAANTIEHINNO
TOP 5 SIGNED:
- Mors Principium Est. – Darkness Invisible
- The Halo Effect – March Of The Unheard
- Paul Kalkbrenner – THE ESSENCE
- Bloodred Hourglass – We Should Be Buried Like This
- Heaven Shall Burn – Heimat
Mors Principium Est’s Darkness Invisible earned my #1 spot this year because it hits that rare sweet spot: melodic as hell, but still sharp and dangerous. It’s heavy without being muddy, emotional without being cheesy, and the atmosphere stays dark and cinematic the whole way through.
TOP 5 INDEPENDENT
- Sargassus – Vitruvian Rays
- Kituma – Muistijälki
- Bisa – Self Inflicted
- Putrid Defecation – Tales From The Toilet
- Stormbreaker – Enlightning
Sargassus Vitruvian Rays landed at the top for me because it feels fearless like its not trying to fit a lane, its building its own path. What really seals it is the journey aspect. Every listen reveals new layers to explore.
ARTIOM KURICIN
TOP 5 SIGNED:
- Grima – Nightside
- …And Oceans – The Regeneration Itinerary
- Dream Theater – Parasomnia
- The Halo Effect – March Of The Unheard
- Orbit Culture – Death Above Life
With Nightshade, Grima brings another level of ”melodic” into ”melodic black metal”. To a certain extent, the melodic part even overpowers the black part, which makes it almost orchestral – a rare sight in the genre, and something that surely makes it original, different. Combined with a very particular visual image of the band and occasional pagan/folk influences, the record truly stands out and lingers in the memory.
TOP 5 INDEPENDENT
- Putrid Defecation – Tales From The Toilet
- Heaven-Gemini – Luonnonoikku
- Sargassus – Vitruvian Rays
- Vermilia – Karsikko
- Admire the Grim – Resist
Grindcore/slam is a genre that is very dear to my heart, but does not get much mainstream exposure in terms of awards and contest participation. So when I heard an album that hits all the right levers and delivers a straightforward stream of fecal magnificence without anything over the top, I had to give it the number one award. Straight to the point, shit in your face – just as you expect, just as you need, just right.