Ladies, Gentlemen, and everyone in between! Welcome back for the 6th rendition of my top albums of 2022. I still can’t comprehend that we are halfway done with the year already. The 11th anniversary of when I started is coming up in August, along with my 34th birthday. And June has presented us with a fantastic year month of heavy music from all over the genre landscape. It’s been pretty rough on my end when it comes to personal and mental demons I continue to battle but as I can still type this out, that means they haven’t won yet. But that can also mean that this month’s reviews are going to be a bit more...well, let’s see how it plays out, I may be second-guessing myself on the quality before I even start. But with that said, let’s get into the rules and begin this musical journey of the days of the year (well, in the northern hemisphere anyway).
1.) These will be Original Studio ALBUMS. Not EPs, live albums, cover albums, rarities albums, lost albums, splits, collaboration efforts, etc. Simply Original Studio Albums from bands. Simply enough, right? 2.) These will be ALPHABETICAL ORDER. Not ranked. I don’t give away my secrets about what will be in the top 100 that easily. At least buy me a drink first! 3.) These reviews will be like my top 100 list where I give the band name, the album, and the FFO section; followed by a paragraph review. I could easily go track by track on every album, but then I will have given everything away. I want YOU to check any of these albums out and make up your own thoughts if you dig them or not. I’m just here to let you be aware these albums are out and for your listening pleasure. 4.) There is nothing sponsored here nor stolen content. Just my own thoughts. I have been given almost every album I review as a stream or promo and anything I missed I checked out on Spotify or Bandcamp after release. 5.) I will be covering more albums in audio form on my podcast every week there is a new show. There may be some crossover, other ones may just be in audio form. So check out both for the optimum experience. 6.) None of these albums are set in stone for the best of 2022. I may be high on them now, but that could change for a multitude of reasons (mainly if the band does something asinine). 7.) Any album not featured here or in the podcast can EASILY still be featured in my top 100. I can’t hear every album and some will slip through the cracks now or even then. So I just need to hear an album and make assertions from there. 8.) These are done for YOU. So I hope you can discover some new music on my behalf and be shown that new music has never stopped being great. Just go discover it. Let’s Begin! Astronoid- Radiant Bloom FFO- Dream Pop, Shoegaze, Black Metal, Progressive Metal The most gorgeous mix of Mew, Devin Townsend, and Emperor are back for their 3rd full LP. To call this the perfect Astronoid album might be a bit early to say, but it’s honestly how I feel. The debut album, Air, showcased what the band was wanting to achieve. The Self Titled sophomore album showcased what was possible with the room to grow. Radiant Bloom combines the best elements of both albums and became even catchier than before. You’re not going to hear more beautiful clean vocals over blast beats (yes, the blast beats are back) than Astronoid and they prove that you can showcase tremolo picking ala 90s black metal and have no need for screams, all clean vocal majesties like you would hear from the aforementioned band, Mew. Of course, the record is more than this and has really cherry-picked the best parts of their ultra-melodic and catchy moments you hear between both previous albums and focus on writing the best songs possible. I kid you not when I say the song, I’ve Forgotten Your Face brings tears to my eyes, it’s just gorgeous. This is easily a contender for album of the year, much like the previous 2 albums were, will it take the top spot this year? Let’s find out! Bloody Heels- Rotten Romance FFO- Glam Metal, Alternative Metal, Gothic Metal This band released a fantastic debut album back in 2017 with Through Mystery, then in 2020, Ignite The Sky is where I caught on to the band and I easily think they are one of the best in their style. Now, much like Astronoid in my entry above; I truly feel that Bloody Heels have found their sound by embracing the dark side along with keeping their glam stylings alive. It’s dark and heavy in all the right moments but busts out the 80s-inspired grooves and riffs in just the right spots, not letting you forget who they are. This is truly how you do innovation in a band. Make it fun, catchy, and show off your metal skills; what could possibly be better than that? Seriously, go check this out if you want some dark-inspired glam metal revival music that makes you realize good music has no expiration date. Deathwhite- Grey Everlasting FFO- Melodic Doom Metal, Gothic Metal 3 bands in a row that feature no screams or growls, what’s going on with me? Am I getting lighter in my music tastes? Well, one listen to Deathwhite and you’ll see that simply is not the case. Showcasing the best of gothic and doom metal while both showing off a melodic side that is simply heartbreaking, but hits the extreme metal tendencies with jaw-dropping blast beats and atmospheric overtones. Imagine a band that can be both Katatonia and Woods of Ypres at the same time, but make it as melancholic and melodic as humanly possible. What’s what you get with Deathwhite. The band has only improved with every subsequent release. Now with Grey Everlasting, the band has truly hit a new high mark in their career and one that is going to take some serious effort to top in the future. If you want things dark but with sorrowful vocals instead of screams; you need to check out Deathwhite immediately! Kardashev- Liminal Rite FFO- Post Black Metal Here we go with the first extreme vocals of this month’s selections. This band has become one of the shining examples in the darkness of post-black metal and that is no easy task. Combining the best of black, death, and post-metal with slight tinges of progressive to really captivate you and hold you from beginning to end. This album is not only dark musically, but it’s some of the darkest lyrics I’ve heard in quite some time. It might be because I relate so much to the subject matter, but I don’t wanna spoil it for you if you wanna check them out. This is a tearjerker of an album and I wouldn’t want it any other way. This may be missed out by some, but if it sounds at all intriguing to you; I implore you to give this one a shot. I can’t imagine you’ll regret it. Kreator- Hate Uber Alles FFO- Thrash Metal, Heavy Metal The amount of crap I’ve seen this album take from online reviewers is astounding to me. It’s too early for me to rank this album in terms of the best to worst in their catalog, but this album is super solid from start to finish. Some of the catchiest choruses you’ll hear all year, riffs that go from beyond crushing to super melodic, lyrics that are relatable in today’s climate, and overall, just a fantastic outing from one of Germany’s best metal bands. I can’t sell it much better than if you want a killer thrash album in 2022, you found it here with Hate Uber Alles. Porcupine Tree- Closure/Continuation FFO- Progressive Metal I never thought I’d get to say that I can talk about a new Porcupine Tree album. While the band never officially broke up or took an official hiatus, they were gone and no one outside the band thought they were ever coming back...so I think that counts. In the past decade and more, the band has been writing here and there for what could be the final album for the band (or the jump start to a new chapter). While the band is very wary of what will happen after the touring for this album, the album is easily their best album in quite a long time. I dare say since In Absentia. With heavy hooks, sorrow-driven lyrics, the right amount of progressive quirks, and of course jaw-dropping musicianship; the band sounds like they never left (and technically, they never did?). I don’t think I’m alone in saying that no one wanted 2009’s The Incident to be the final PT album and even if the band calls it a day with this release, they are ending on a much better and highly regarded mark. Of course, none of us want the band to be done, and they might not be; but if they do go, I’m so glad it’s ending on their terms. Saor- Origins FFO- Atmospheric Blackened Folk Metal This is another album that I think will rank very high come the holidays when I do my Top 100 albums of 2022 list. The band has only improved with every album and with Origins, the band has hit the perfect balance of atmospheric black metal and folk with some of the catchiest riffs you will hear in extreme music this year. The production is pristine, the songwriting is expertly crafted and the atmosphere is off the charts in its perfection. This is what bands in the atmospheric and post-black metal worlds should be aspiring towards, innovation and craftsmanship. A dark, beautiful album that will have you hitting repeat over and over again. Well Done! Seventh Wonder- The Testament FFO- Progressive Metal Another album that hits you right in the feels...literally, all the feels. The Testament is a thematic album that’s not a concept album, but all tied together but different feelings and emotions that we all have and how they can flow into each other. Tommy Karevik hit’s it out of the park with his vocal performance (as always), the songwriting hits you on such a hard, emotional, level. Like every Seventh Wonder album, it takes you on a musical journey that you will not want to stop. It’s arguably one of the most perfect prog albums of the year, and I stand by that fact. Wind Rose- Warfront FFO- Power Metal, Folk Metal Wind Rose is one of the most aggressive powers metal bands going, while they do focus on war themes, it’s not in the Sabaton way where it’s about historical wars, but rather Dwarven fantasy wars that really make you feel like you can feel the dragons breathing fire right behind you, the swords clashing on both sides of your ears, and all-out apocalyptic themes and concepts that will make any power metal fan happy. The music is highly aggressive and catchy with superb songwriting quality and production. The band is no gimmick, this is a fantastic piece of power metal that you need to hear today (if power metal is your bag). You are seriously missing out by skipping this band any farther. White Ward- False Light FFO- Post Black Metal, Jazz Metal Even during an actual war taking place right F’N now!!!….bands from Ukraine are still able to release music that not only needs to be heard but has a dark message that should not be taken lightly about the state of our world. While the music is as ferocious as it is feeling like it’s being recorded in a smoky jazz club in the 1930s; White Ward has found a way to make the post-black metal genre stand out and add some much-needed innovation. Who knew adding brass and woodwind instruments into a black metal band would work so perfectly? This album won’t be for everyone. If you don’t like your music too left from center, this will not be your thing, but if you are adventurous and need something that will drop your jaw at both the musicality as well as the lyrical themes, White Ward will be your new obsession. We live in dark…dark times and False Light is the perfect soundtrack for it all. And there you have it, folks. 10 fantastic albums from June 2022 that hit me the most and one or ten of them may do the same for you. I hope my writing this month was cohesive as I’m still struggling really hard as I write this up. But I do hope you find something to enjoy here and come back next month as I tackle what will be my Top 10 Albums of July 2022! - Josh Rundquist (Heavy Debriefings)  Hello Everyone!
In an attempt to mitigate an oncoming mental health breakdown that I feel creeping up on me once again, and because we are pretty close to mid-June (close enough anyway), I figured I’d do a mid-year check up on how things are going in all facets of Heavy Debriefings and my state of being. Good, bad, and maybe some stuff in between. Name Change Back at the beginning of January, I reformatted myself from That Drummer Guy to Heavy Debriefings. I loved my run as That Drummer Guy, but it was time for a change. It was all too much of having to repeat myself over and over again that I was That Drummer Guy, not whomever I was interviewing. I loved talking shop when it came to drums, but that was not my endgame when it came to what I do. That’s to talk music and have a real conversation that comes completely from a stream of consciousness and full spontaneity. I never write questions down unless I am sending an email interview, I have zero agenda going into any interview other than talk about the new music on display and anything else that comes from the natural conversation. It’s who I am and what I want to be. You can see a HUGE change from when I first started in 2011 to where I am now in 2022 and I’m proud of it. 822 interviews since that first point and by the end of this week, 825 (if everything goes right?). YouTube I tried uploading the podcast up on YouTube and it went over like a wet fart so I stopped that back in May. I was also doing 6 album reviews a week in audio form, which also went over like a brown stain on a white pair of underpants. When it comes to YouTube, I learned that people just want the Interviews, it’s my bread and butter anyway so I’ll just keep up with that content. Over the past several years I tried many different spin-off shows, video game streams, etc and all they did was bring my channel down. So unless something drastically changes. Going forward, I’ll just be keeping the channel to interviews and if I ever have a reason to bring it back, Something Gives as that seemed to do ok, but that show hurts to make so I wouldn’t place any bets on that happening. Podcast So the Heavy Debriefings Podcast is now just up everywhere you check out podcasts. Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, Audible, Stitcher, Castbox, Pocket Casts, Radio Public, and as of writing this up iHeartRadio (SURPRISE ANNOUNCEMENT FOR THOSE ACTUALLY READING THIS!). Maybe more will happen in the future. It’s quite a bit of a change from 2013 when I was on actual FM radio stations, but here we are in the future. I’ve also recently decided to shorten the show a bit to make it a bit more...realistic(?) for those that want to check it out. I mean an up to 40-minute interview (thanks to Zoom limitations) then the rest of the time is just me talking alone, without a sidekick, it’s not that much fun to listen to me blabbering on. So the plan going forward is to do an interview a week (unless there’s no way to make it schedule outright, where I’ll have 2 or more), then I’ll do a brief talk of stuff I’m digging lately, a mental health check, then talk about the Soundtrack for the week’s episode. The last couple of shows has been under 40 minutes, which seems reasonable. Hell, if it was a TV show, add 4 minutes and I have an hour-long show every week. It also takes a lot of pressure off me and there’s almost a guaranteed show every week, rather than waiting for the week of release to show off an interview. So it’s win/win. Monthly Album Reviews Since January, I have been talking about my 10 favorite albums of each month and it’s been a rousing bucket full of win when I see website clicks and retention. I can’t complain at all. So that will be here to stay, no questions asked. The Top 100 Albums of the Year isn’t going anywhere. I made that format famous; I’m keeping it mine! Family So if you somehow never seen me talk about it; my dad died 6 months ago now back on December 6th, 2021 from Covid and Heart Failure. It’s been haunting me ever since, mainly because for 33 years of my life, I just wanted to have a good, loving, caring family; and I never got it. All I got was closet after closet of skeletons pouring out of all of my family member’s closets that all piled on me at once and for the last 3 years and change, I’ve been trying to pick up the pieces and move on, but after 3 decades of damage and almost 22 years since my first of 9 suicide attempts in that time; progress is so small I can’t even recognize if I am any better or not. Mental Health Struggles I wanna die, plain and simple. No sugar coating it (I’m diabetic, bad idea). I do not want to be here anymore…but I am trying with every fiber of my being to fight. It’s been coming up on 4 years since my 9th and so far, my final attempt at taking my life and while I feel as bad as I did then, I have not made another attempt, so I guess you can count that as progress. I will say that since the beginning of the year, I did a med change, and overall, I do feel somewhat better. No strong mood swings, which is the biggest thing, everything is kind of just the same level of numbness, which can be good or bad depending on how you look at it. I miss having local friends, I miss playing drums, and I miss having a reason to leave my apartment other than to do errands. I miss life and I’m only 33. Fuck... Future No plans other than the immediate and of course the Top 100 Albums of the Year during the holidays. Long-term plans always seem to blow up in my face, so I just try to take things week by week. Some weeks I’ll have 5-7 interviews to conduct, sometimes it’ll be a month before I have one. It’s how it rolls. Ending Statement Anyways, I just want to end this by saying thank you for reading this, even if you skipped everything and are just reading this last paragraph. Thank you for supporting me whether it’s being a fan of my work, rooting for me, being in my corner, or just having a long-distance interest in me and my life and being curious to see how it all plays out. All I can do is be me and this is as authentic as I could ever hope to be. My life’s an open book. Be it a precautionary tale of what not to do, a tale of overcoming adversity and achieving something like an almost 11-year career so far of some form in music, or just a land of anecdotes that have no rhyme or reason to it. Thanks for sticking around and I hope you dig what will happen for the rest of 22 till I do my year-end wrap up. Till next time! - Josh Rundquist (Heavy Debriefings) 
Hello everyone and welcome to the 5thy rendition of my monthly look at the top 10 albums of each month, in my eyes. This month, we, of course, are tackling the month of May 2022, a month that had nearly too many good releases come out and that just makes me happy. Of course, when I limit myself to ten, I can’t show off all of the albums that I’ve enjoyed in a month like this, but I can show off what has hit me the most and has meant the most to me. And in a month like we have had that has sucked in every way except for music; we music fans need some good stuff to listen to and help us get through these continuously trying times. So let’s get into the rules and begin!
1.) These will be Original Studio ALBUMS. Not EPs, live albums, cover albums, rarities albums, lost albums, splits, collaboration efforts, etc. Simply Original Studio Albums from bands. Simply enough, right? 2.) These will be ALPHABETICAL ORDER. Not ranked. I don’t give away my secrets about what will be in the top 100 that easily. At least buy me a drink first! 3.) These reviews will be like my top 100 list where I give the band name, the album, and the FFO section; followed by a paragraph review. I could easily go track by track on every album, but then I will have given everything away. I want YOU to check any of these albums out and make up your own thoughts if you dig them or not. I’m just here to let you be aware these albums are out and for your listening pleasure. 4.) There is nothing sponsored here nor stolen content. Just my own thoughts. I have been given almost every album I review as a stream or promo and anything I missed I checked out on Spotify or Bandcamp after release. 5.) I will be covering more albums in audio form on my podcast every week there is a new show. There may be some crossover, other ones may just be in audio form. So check out both for the optimum experience. 6.) None of these albums are set in stone for the best of 2022. I may be high on them now, but that could change for a multitude of reasons (mainly if the band does something asinine). 7.) Any album not featured here or in the podcast can EASILY still be featured in my top 100. I can’t hear every album and some will slip through the cracks now or even then. So I just need to hear an album and make assertions from there. 8.) These are done for YOU. So I hope you can discover some new music on my behalf and be shown that new music has never stopped being great. Just go discover it. So let us begin! Depressed Mode- Decade of Silence FFO- Symphonic, Death/Doom In what I can only imagine is a reference to the band being put to sleep for a decade; the band has returned with Decade of Silence, easily their most devastating, sorrow-driven, and grandiose release to date. This year has been a ridiculously great year for the most depressing music of all, Death/Doom Metal and Depressed Mode have continued the trend to make this quite possibly the best overall year for the likes of Death/Doom, Funeral Doom, and Doom Metal in general. Every song has a way of feeling like you are being plunged into the grave metaphorically, mentally, or physically. The production is absolutely perfect for the style and I would not change a single thing. This is an absolute standout album among the wreckage of dark albums of 2022 and if you give it the time, you just may agree. Elegeion- Plight of the Heretic FFO- Atmospheric Doom, Folk Metal, Black Metal Another band who has been on rest for a decade (at least from releasing new material) is Elegeion, the Australian doom juggernaut who has truly taken the past 10 years and the damage it’s done to create a perfect soundtrack to the world we now are all a part of. Whether it’s a look at isolation, not feeling good enough, or what feels like a true look at the last couple of years in particular when it comes to the final track The Disease (Beware The Ides of March), the band has truly put out a spectacular album with gorgeous instrumentation, mature songwriting, haunting lyrics and truly adds to the atmospheric title to their style. Agalloch fans should be eating this album up immediately. What a stellar album in every sense of the word. Evergrey- A Heartless Portrait (The Orphean Testament) FFO- Dark Metal, Melodic Metal, Progressive Power Metal Evergrey has gone through many changes in its 25-year career. Lineups, labels, musical styles, but somehow, Tom Englund and Co. have always sounded like Evergrey, whether they are writing your style or not. In 2022, the transformation has happened again and the band has written their catchiest album since Monday Morning Apocalypse, which might be their most expansive album to date and what might be my favorite album from the band since I discovered them all the way back when Recreation Day was released in 2003. The production is so crystal clear, the lineup is solidified and truly makes the band feel like they are enjoying this stage of the game, and is a true outlier; The song Reawakening feels like the most positive song the band has ever written, where most songs are about the dark depressive state of our own lives, this song feels like a true “never give up” song; something I never would have expected from the band. Not that I ever expect the band to sing about lollipops and rainbows, but it makes me so happy to see even Evergrey can take the dark times we live in and say “keep going, keep trying” even if no one else needed to hear it...I did. Seriously, this is the best Evergrey album in such a long time I dare say it may be their best work. I don’t say that lightly, just listen and find out why. Famyne- II: The Ground Below FFO- Doom Metal The Sophomore album from this UK Doom outfit feels like it came out at the perfect time. The world is burning, and everyone is suffering in some way, why not create an album that truly fits the mold of the world in 2022? A perfect blend of Candlemass, Paradise Lost, and Opeth, with all clean vocals that make for a style that feels even darker than most doom can be. With every lyric being so clear, you can truly feel and recognize the pain being brought forth. The music is mindblowing as well with changes you just don’t expect in doom while fitting seamlessly. This is one of the most standout albums of the classic doom metal styles in 2022 while being completely innovative. Give this one a spin, then again, and again. Ibaraki- Rashomon FFO- Black Metal, Extreme Metal, Progressive Metal Matt Heavy has had the idea of making an extreme Black Metal band for quite some time and in 2022, everything became solidified to make it happen. Features the rest of Trivium contributing at least to a song, and featuring bigger guest spots from the likes of Nergal from Behemoth, Ihsahn, and even Gerard Way of My Chemical Romance doing Black Metal screams (I did not have that on my 2022 Bingo card), this album is so much more than a Black Metal album. It is a grand look at Japanese culture warfare, the right blends of additional Ihsahn songwriting and quirks, and yeah; this does feel like a Trivium meets Ihsahn for extreme music that has just the right amount of Trivium mainstream appeal (which is such an odd thing to read and say out loud). But for an innovative album, you’re not going to find many more albums that push the boundaries this far and in different ways (well, outside of already experimental and avant-garde bands that exist) in 2022. Ibaraki is a hard left turn from what you expect, but it is a rewarding one if you survive the trip. A very inspiring album. Moon Tooth- Phototroph FFO- Progressive Metal Is it possible to be more mainstream and more abstract at the same time? Somehow, someway, Moon Tooth found out how to do such a thing and it is a sight to behold. Holding back on the more aggressive side of their vocal abilities, but making up for it by hitting almost every style of rock and metal in a 42-minute album that not only sounds whole but complete and every note is served with purpose. A lot of people like to say that there is no innovation in progressive metal anymore and I would like to give the rebuttal of “Then you have not heard Moon Tooth!” Heavy enough for the Progressive Death/Black Metal fans among us, but also something that even the classic prog fans that enjoy Yes, Rush, or Genesis can truly appreciate. This is going to be ranking quite high on my year-end list and for good reason. Moon Tooth shows you how you make Progressive music…progress. Nechochwen- Kanawha Black FFO- North American Folk Metal If you are a fan of bands like Agalloch and Panopticon and have yet to hear Nechochwen, you are missing out big time. A band that embraces Native American culture and writes a gorgeous tapestry for it. In their first album since 2015, the band has truly taken the time to be able to refine their style and create, easily, their best work to date. It's bombastic in sound, it hits all the tropes you’d imagine in a style such as this and when they throw in more of the acoustic side, you will feel it with such a fire like you’ve never felt before. It’s a majestic album that you need to experience. Please take the time and check this one out, you won’t be disappointed if this sounds like something that would be up your alley. Remains of Destruction- New Dawn FFO- Power Metal, Modern Metal The debut album from this Finnish powerhouse is a jaw-dropping Power Metal album that won me over immediately. It gets truly heavy for Power Metal, yet it can be so catchy and have just the right amount of Modern Metal tendencies that make this band stand out. No matter your style of Power Metal, you will find something to love about this band. If you want traditional speedy Power Metal, it’s here. If you want more emotional, it’s covered, If you love symphonic and orchestral moments, of course, that’s represented. I truly hope that this album (which releases May 28th, so the day after this article comes out) skyrockets the band as if this is what they can do on just a debut album, their potential has nowhere to go but up and I can’t wait to see what can come next. Serpentent- Ancient Tomes, Vol 1: Mother of Light FFO- Dark Folk, Doom Rock, Art Rock Anne K O’Neill’s debut is something that has a magic sense behind it that can be fully appreciated by just being able to sit down, relax and press play. The beginning of a trilogy of albums that focuses on the death of Death and the dark problems that can come from it. When you close your eyes, you can really feel your imagination take hold and it paints a visual landscape that fits the concept. The music is so soothing you could easily fall asleep to it for a great night's sleep, but when you pay attention to the vocals, you just may get some vivid nightmares that will keep you awake for time to come. If you dig the lighter sides of bands like Agalloch (they have come up a lot on this month’s list), and Ancient VVisdom’s first couple of releases, this is an album you need to get and enjoy. It’s a gorgeous yet haunting experience and I can’t wait to see what Vol. 2 has in store for us all. Zero Hour- Agenda 21 FFO- Progressive Metal It really feels like this list is about bands making triumphant returns doesn’t it? Might as well with that trend as a band I did not think were ever going to get back together is back and released their best album with Agenda 21. Seriously, until I got the promo for this album, I thought the band was dead and gone and my jaw hit the floor whe3n I realized they are back and better than ever. Taking everything I and others have loved about the band, turning things up to 11, going even more epic in song lengths, concepts, and musical ability and it’s created for what will be one of the best traditional prog metal albums you’ll hear in 2022. If you are unfamiliar and want an example of what they sound like. Imagine taking Nevermore, Dream Theater, and Spiral Architect but add in the band’s own flavors and spices and you got Zero Hour. For any Prog Metal fans, this is not an album to miss out on. It’s a musical sight to behold and I am so happy the band is back, after listening to Agenda 21, you will be as well. And there you go folks, my Top 10 albums of May 2022. It’s filled with a lot of return albums, doom, and some prog, but it’s been a great month for that. As I’ve mentioned, there is a ton of other great albums I didn’t cover on this list that came out in many other styles in the rock and metal worlds, but these are the ones I kept returning to the most and I really wanted to showcase. I hope you’ll dig something here and come back next month for The Top 10 Albums of June 2022. Who knows what will be in store (probably Porcupine Tree….) - Josh Rundquist (Heavy Debriefings) 
Hello everyone and welcome to another installment of the Cavalcade of Top 10 Lists. This week, we are tackling another solo genre where I cover my Top 10 Fast Power Metal Songs. Let’s get this out of the way, this is not a list of the fastest power metal songs or a list of fast or Power Metal songs, but ten songs that are fast and are Power Metal, ya dig? Some songs are extremely fast, some are very melodic, some rightfully earn the term epic; and much more. For those that want a little trivia; this is actually the very first list I put together for the Cavalcade of Top Ten Lists and the very reason this series exists. If it wasn’t for this, I’m not sure if I’d be doing this at all. So let’s hope this one is a doozy that you’ll love. I know Power Metal is a tricky genre as some people consider it too cheesy to enjoy or it’s not heavy enough or it’s all about dragons and fire and flames. While criticisms can, will, and are made; It’s a genre I love and the fast songs helped me to appreciate the genre since I first discovered it many moons ago. The fast double bass, the rip-roaring guitars, the soaring vocals, the keyboard flourishes, and whatever other specialties each band ass to it makes it fun, and as a drummer (or at least I used to play, maybe one day again…) the constant 16th and 32nd note double bass patterns really help you to gain consistency if you practice along to the songs. Before this turns into a lamentation of me wishing I could drum again, let’s get into the rules for these lists, and through the fire and the flames we’ll carry on.
1.) These lists are in no particular order unless otherwise noted (alphabetical order, year of release, etc). Ranking these is not needed as I wouldn’t be covering these bands, songs, albums, etc if I did not love them. 2.) The lists will be formatted with the subject, FFO (For Fans Of), and a blurb (roughly a paragraph) about said subject. The FFO section is subject to change if the list is entirely about one particular subject (the genre for example) 3.) This will be a weekly series. Every Wednesday unless otherwise stated. Delays and postponements are entirely possible, but I will be keeping this up until my mind tells me to stop. 4.) No negative lists. I know that’s cool, and the clickbaity thing to do is to make lists that people can tear apart, argue over, let me know how wrong I am for including or excluding a band, etc. That’s just not me. I may occasionally make a funny title for humor’s sake, but never to just get clicks with no substance. My integrity still means something to me even if that makes me less popular. 5.) A Spotify Playlist will always accompany each list. 1 song to accommodate every point listed so 10 songs in total, unless otherwise stated in the list(s). 6.) I will still be doing my monthly album reviews and my year-end lists per usual. This is just a bonus. 7.) All thoughts are entirely my own. No paid sponsorships, no begging or pleading from any label or band. Just me and my thoughts. *The songs are in no particular order other than what sounded good in order of a Spotify playlist. Not in order of slowest to fastest or anything, just a fun collection. And no FFO section as all of these are Power Metal songs. So, Let’s Begin! Avantasia- Ghostlights Ghostlights by Avantasia is not only one of my favorite power metal songs and favorite songs in general, but the album Ghostlights is one of my favorite albums of all time. It is a dark album with some of the best vocal performances you’ll hear from anyone from Dee Snider to Geoff Tate to Sharon den Adel. The title track of this album is a fun, speedy song that features a majority of vocals performed by Avantasia mastermind Tobias Sammet and Helloween front-man Michael Kiske. Both singers fit together so perfectly with their harmonies and melodies, there is an additional 2 lines sung by one of the most underappreciated vocalists of all time, Jorn Lande (who shines later on the album with the song, Lucifer). The song keeps up a fun double bass speed throughout almost the entire song sans a few stops and the guitars and bass chug along nicely to fit the mood. The keyboards and orchestration really help this song shine through the darkness. While it is hard for me to say this is the best song on the album as the album is so perfect from start to finish, if you want a fast Power Metal song that helps capture the spirit of the genre, this is a great starting choice. Kamelot- Forever I have said it so many times in different times and areas and even up to here in 2022, I’ve yet to be proven wrong; Forever is the PERFECT Power Metal song. This is the textbook definition of not only fast Power Metal songs but Power Metal as a genre. A love song that goes beyond the grave, with constant and consistent double bass, majestic guitars and bass, keyboards that hit all the signatures of the genre, and Roy Khan's perfect vocal delivery. Seriously, if you’ve never checked out a power metal song before or if you really want to give the genre a fair shake as to what it’s all about, this song captures everything in a sweet, 4-minute package. I can’t sell it any better than that. It’s simply perfect. Stratovarius- Black Diamond Back in 1997, this Finnish Power Metal band released what might be their finest moment. That is a really hard thing to say as the band has so many masterpieces under their belt. But when Jens Johansson joined in 1995, the band became it’s strongest and it’s been phenomenal ever since. On his 3rd album with the band, you hear him shine like never before and Black Diamond truly showcases what he can do on the keys. That’s not at all to say the rest of the band does pull off incredible work as well as the double bass is so inspired, the vocals simply soar (especially at the end of the song) and the guitar and bass work bring everything together in perfect heavy harmony. But again Johansson is the star of this song and his Harpsichord patch on this keys that fits so elegantly with the song on display. It’s a fantastic display of how Power Metal and Classical mix together finer than any wine available. Sonata Arctica- Wolf & Raven Everything good about Sonata has been said, then again, everything bad about the band has also been saying. They are one of the most polarizing bands in the genre, but for this list, we really don’t need to get into why. Let’s focus on the fast Power Metal masterpiece that is Wolf & Raven, the song that got me into Power Metal Tony Kakko and Co. has been known for delivering fantastic Power Metal albums since their inception, but their sophomore album, 2001’s Silence may be their best work (Though that argument can be said for any of their first 4-5 albums). Like Forever by Kamelot that I mentioned earlier, Wolf & Raven is another example of a perfect Power Metal song. It’s absurdly fast, and the keys are the perfect blend of elegant and whimsical. Tony Kakko’s vocals are absolute fire and the guitars and bass lay the perfect foundation for Kakko’s vocals. While I will always wish they had more songs like this in their more current catalog, I can’t ignore that they still have something like this up to their sleeves if they choose. Wolf & Raven is regarded as one of the best Power Metal songs ever written and it’s hard to disagree, I mean, just listen to it; you’ll get it. Masterplan- Black in the Burn Masterplan is not the first choice many go-to when it comes to not only fast Power Metal but Power Metal in general. That is a crying shame4 as they are one of the finest examples of making the genre that overused term for all the wrong reasons, but so apt in Power Metal in this description...epic. They don’t just write songs, they write stories, they write soundtracks to those stories and not only give you the perfect audio dream, but when you close your eyes and listen, they give you that perfect visual display, helping you imagine the stories imagining right in front of you. Black in the Burn is such a perfect description of what epic Power Metal is all about. Jorn Lande easily is the shining showcase of this song and it’s his vocal delivery, ESPECIALLY at the ending climax of the song that makes your jaw drop from its excellency. Of course, the music has to match that as well and the rest of the Masterplan lineup at that time more than sealed the deal with this song. It may even be the most obscure song on this list, but maybe with me putting this list out, it won’t have to be hidden in the shadows anymore. Bring Masterplan to the forefront and enjoy what they’ve done with every lineup and every album they have in their career. Blind Guardian- Born in a Mourning Hall Fast Power Metal is Blind Guardian’s forte and it’s nearly impossible to pick just one song to justify their speed, efficiency, and brilliance in Power Metal, but I did my best here by not picking an obvious choice, but a song that I love so much and sounds even better live. Off my favorite Blind Guardian album, 1995’s Imaginations from the Other Side, this isn’t even the best-known fast track on the album, but it hits home with me. It just captures the light-speed attack of the band, showing off magnificent guitar riffs and solos, jaw-dropping drumming, and of course….HANSI KURSCH! Hansi is one of the best metal vocalists we will ever see in our lifetime and the fact that his voice sounds just as perfect now as it did back in 1995 for their 5th album is nothing short but miraculous as so many peers have sadly dropped in quality from age alone. Blind Guardian should be one of the first bands you check out in Power Metal, they are such a great example of what the genre is all about. And if you dig Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit; Hansi and Co. have you covered on so many of their songs and albums covering the novels. Press play and enjoy! Angra- Nothing To Say Angra has gone through a lot of turbulent times and tear-jerking lineup changes. Thankfully, with every change, they can make the perfect for that time. With 1996’s sophomore album, Holy Land. A true gem of Progressive Power Metal, the band had what many consider to be their best lineup and wrote the perfect concept album and the perfect soundtrack around it. Nothing To Say is regarded as one of the band’s best songs and easy to see why. While the song is not as fast as other songs they have in their catalog, it fits the criteria I set forth here and really is a song to behold. Holy Land set Angra on the map and it’s why they are regarded as one of Brazil’s most famous bands. They are proggy, they hit the perfect amount of Power Metal, it’s off the beaten track if you just know traditional Power Metal and that’s what makes them stick out. Seriously, Angra has and always will rule. Go listen to Nothing To Say for an excellent reason why. Dragonforce- Storming the Burning Fields HA….HAHAHA! I GOT YOU! You thought with all the puns at the beginning that I was going to put Through The Fire and Flames here right? Well, honestly, that is a killer song, but it’s a couple songs after the 2004 album Inhuman Rampage opener (let’s face it, thanks to Guitar Hero, that is the best known Power Metal song, no question), where Storming the Burning Fields comes in and takes everything you knew about the band and up's the speed, intensity, adds more blast beats, occasional backing screams that makes for what might be the most intense song on the entire album. Sure, there are a couple other contenders for that prize, but I’m giving it to this one. Like I said it’s everything you know Dragonforce for, but even more so, if that was even possible. It’s a mind-melting song and while it can get lost in the chaos, if you remember it, you remember why it is such a great song. NorthTale- Only Human Wow, this list has a lot of songs off of sophomore albums doesn’t it? NorthTale’s sophomore album, Eternal Flame is such a killer Power Metal song. Not only is it a fun, majestic, fast song. It has one of the catchiest choruses on this list and it will get stuck in your head for days. The band did go through a lineup change and it was easily for the best as the band is stronger, writing better songs, and everything is running on every cylinder. Even with this album coming out just last year, it shows that the Power Metal flag will never fall and its best days are still here and yet to come. What a great band and a great song. Power Paladin- Righteous Fury Off the Icelandic Power Metal band’s debut album from this year, With the Magic of Windfyre Steel. This album is a crash course of what Power Metal is all out and Righteous Fury puts a smile on my face every single time I hear it and not just because it features the Legend of Zelda theme in the song. Yes, this band not only does Power Metal with perfect justice, but they also hit so many territories of...let’s face it….nerd culture (as a nerd) from Comic Book Villains to Video Games to 80s Fantasy Movies. If you are a nerd like me, they have already written a song for you. Righteous Fury is the fastest song and it has what might be the best chorus I’ve ever heard in a Power Metal song, it feels like the gates of Valhalla open every time it kicks in. This is not only the front runner of my favorite Power Metal albums of 2022, it may be one of my favorite overall albums of the year. This song is why I made the list in the first place and why the Cavalcade of Top Ten Lists exists. Thank you Power Paladin. Take some HP and MP potions and let’s see what that next album will grace our ears with. I hope it will be even more Righteous Fury. And there you go folks. It might be my shortest written list to date, but it’s a great, cohesive list of ten fast Power Metal songs that will surely help you appreciate the genre...unless you already have a bias towards it, then I got nothing; but kudos for reading this anyways. Make sure to check out the Spotify playlist I have for this list and return next Wednesday for another exciting tale from the Cavalcade of Top Ten Lists. Same Heavy Time, Same Debriefings Website! Josh Rundquist- (Heavy Debriefings) 
Hello Everyone and welcome back to the cavalcade of top 10 lists. After taking an unwanted week off for...reasons, I am back with a new list that came to me this past weekend that helped me get inspired to do these lists once again. All bands will come to an end, some are mutually agreed to happen, some happen because of tragedy, some happen from members getting so sick of each other they gotta never see each other again. Regardless of the reasons, they do lead to final albums, some of which are the perfect send-off and some are going to leave you wanting just one more album to end the band on the right note. I am choosing to focus this list on the former and taking 10 final albums that feel like they perfectly send the bands off to the farm upstate in a way where you will potentially want more, but you can’t be disappointed in the quality of the album itself. So let’s get into the rules of these lists I make and get into some list goodness.
1.) These lists are in no particular order unless otherwise noted (alphabetical order, year of release, etc). Ranking these is not needed as I wouldn’t be covering these bands, songs, albums, etc if I did not love them. 2.) The lists will be formatted with the subject, FFO (For Fans Of), and a blurb (roughly a paragraph) about said subject. The FFO section is subject to change if the list is entirely about one particular subject (the genre for example) 3.) This will be a weekly series. Every Wednesday unless otherwise stated. Delays and postponements are entirely possible, but I will be keeping this up until my mind tells me to stop. 4.) No negative lists. I know that’s cool, and the clickbaity thing to do is to make lists that people can tear apart, argue over, let me know how wrong I am for including or excluding a band, etc. That’s just not me. I may occasionally make a funny title for humor’s sake, but never to just get clicks with no substance. My integrity still means something to me even if that makes me less popular. 5.) A Spotify Playlist will always accompany each list. 1 song to accommodate every point listed so 10 songs in total, unless otherwise stated in the list(s). 6.) I will still be doing my monthly album reviews and my year-end lists per usual. This is just a bonus. 7.) All thoughts are entirely my own. No paid sponsorships, no begging or pleading from any label or band. Just me and my thoughts. So, Let’s Begin! *These are presented in absolutely no order other than what sounded good on the Spotify playlist I made for the list* Rush- Clockwork Angels FFO- Progressive Rock, Heavy Metal Rush’s final album is not the final album any Rush fan wanted to happen. That is of course because none of us wanted the band to end. Sadly as I mentioned above, every band must go at some point, and especially when you look back at it; Clockwork Angels is the perfect sendoff to one of the greatest bands to ever rock the earth. Neil Peart’s life was filled with so many tragedies and sadly his life ended with the tragedy of cancer. When looking back, it’s hard not to feel like that could have played a part in this album. Did Peart write these songs knowing it would be the last Rush album that he could physically make? If he did, be it for medical reasons or even just wanting to retire, he sent the band off showcasing all of the best moments that could be shown in the band’s history through a full-on, brand new, concept album (the first and only time for the band). The album gets heavy, it gets melodic, it hits the proggy riffs in such a catchy way and I can only imagine that experiencing these songs in a live setting had to be incredible. Whether you like the more abstract side of the band or commercial, this album has both sides in strides. While not the perfect Rush album; It is one you can go back to and say that from start to finish, Clockwork Angels is a phenomenal album to end a career on. While we sadly lost Neil Peart back in 2020, his spirit lives on in so many musicians from now till the end of time. I can’t wait to see what Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson continue to do in their musical endeavors either together or separately. Burst- Lazarus Bird FFO- Progressive Post Metal This band’s legacy hits hard and leaves a lasting impression. While being a true experimental band changing and refining their formula with every album, their 5th and final album, Lazarus Bird, is the perfect mix of prog metal, post-metal, sludge, and experimentation. Spectacularly crafted songs that cover so much musical ground while making complete sense in the context of the band. You can definitely hear how the band has influenced others in their sound and what can fit in the heavy, sludgy, and post-metal worlds. For anyone who can appreciate bands like Baroness, Mastodon, Pallbearer, Intronaut, or Torche; you are doing yourself a major disservice if you continue going without checking out this phenomenal Swedish band. There is every chance in the world that the band could come back together and make a new album (you can never say never till your death), and rendering this entry no longer serviceable; If this is all we get from this band, they put out 5 incredible albums and Lazarus Bird was truly their magnum opus. Sentenced- The Funeral Album FFO- Gothic Metal Finland got hit hard when one of their best band’s decided to call it a day. The aptly named The Funeral Album, showcases the perfect display of where the band was in 2005. Amid writing absolutely memorable gothic metal songs after years of releasing death metal and melodic death metal in their past work, Sentenced really laid on the idea the band was finished with so many of their songs’ titles and lyrics. Whether you are looking for songs that could have easily been on top 40 radio, a short instrumental tribute to their death metal days, or a play on words of either getting bit by a vampire or receiving oral sex; it’s all here on full display. With main songwriter, founder, and multi-instrumentalist, Miika Tenkula tragically passing away at the age of 34 in 2009 from rare genetic heart disease, I can’t fathom the band will be back in any way, shape, or form, (maybe a tribute show, but even that is a far stretch) the band is truly dead and buried and all the other members of the band have done on to some great music since, Sentenced was that band that really hit what it feels like to be suicidal, in love, in hate, make tongue in cheek goth songs, and hit a range of metalheads that needed music like this but needed more than what came from bands like Type O Negative. A true dark gem of a band and The Funeral Album, of course being written to be their send-off is the perfect way to finish the band off. Celtic Frost- Monotheist FFO- Gothic Metal, Doom Metal, Black Metal From proto-black metal to failed 80s glam metal to writing some of the sickest, heaviest riffs to ever grace metalhead’s ears; Celtic Frost truly accomplished it all in the heavy metal world. Monotheist acted as a reunion album and sadly became their final album as well. After 16 years since their previous album, the band came back to release, EASILY, their heaviest album, and truly took the advantage of all their different musical diatribes and refocused to write one of the heaviest albums the 2000s could ever imagine. They were far past the days of Cold Lake and covering Mexican Radio and wanted to write soul-crushing music and they more than delivered. While the reunion did not last with Tom G Warrior announcing his departure from the band due to irreconcilable differences, you can definitely tell that this is where his mind was at musically and took that focus into the ultra-heavy band, Triptykon. While so many of us got excited, then bummed at the return and dismantling of Celtic Frost in just a few short years; they did leave an insurmountable impression on what heavy music can truly be throughout their entire career. Monotheist is a crowning achievement, in that regard for the heaviest of heavy and an album that has truly lasted the test of time over 15 years later. Death- The Sound of Perseverance FFO- Progressive Death Metal, Technical Death Metal If Chuck Schuldiner had it his way, this would have been the very first Control Denied album, but he was contractually obligated for one more Death album and this album is an absolute bang for the buck description of where Chuck’s mind was at the end of the 90s. Moving farther away from death metal than ever before and focusing so much more on progressive, thrashy, classical, and even power metal stylings; Chuck and Co. wrote one of the most technical albums made at the time and easily still one of the most technical and forward-thinking albums to this day. Chuck’s voice also became very polarizing on the final two Death albums, most so with The Sound of Perseverance, you either love it or despise it (I love it.). The music is still jawdropping to listen to over 20 years later and hearing what became of everyone who played with Chuck after this album is incredible to see. Of course, Chuck left us in 2001 from brain cancer and we never got to experience his full vision of what Control Denied could be. We did get their legendary standalone album, The Fragile Art of Existence, but there was so much more to explore that we will sadly never get to hear. Death, on the other hand, while being a far cry from their earliest albums; was the perfect sendoff to where Death ended and what could have been in the future. It’s a perfect prog-metal masterpiece. The Dillinger Escape Plan- Dissociation FFO- Progressive Mathcore In speaking of bands with a technical sound that went on to influence a whole new genre of music; TDEP was truly a one-of-a-kind band. Often attempted replication, but impossible to duplicate. The band went through nearly every single genre of music in existence, created their own genre, and continue expanding on that as well. By the time of Dissociation, the band felt...well, exactly that. They wanted to move on while being experts at their craft; making controlled chaos isn’t going to be in everyone’s heart forever and everyone in the band from the first lineup to the final lineup has gone on to do some amazing work in all genres of rock, metal, and beyond. The band left everything on the table for this album and if for any reason they feel the need to come back (which I would never be against), they are going to have the gargantuan task of trying to outdo this happen. Would they succeed or is the band truly done for good? Time will tell...time will tell… Emperor- Prometheus- The Discipline of Fire and Demise FFO- Symphonic Progressive Black Metal Emperor lasted only a decade in their initial run, but they have one of the most notorious stories in music. For both being one of the most seminal bands in the 2nd wave of black metal era and for having past members who...well, just go look it up if you don’t already know. No need to get back into that. Emperor released 4 albums that went from the rawest of black metal to the most over-the-top symphonic experience you could imagine in less than a decade. I of course will be talking about the latter here with Prometheus, a true expansion of what black metal could and would become. A monumental album that still had all of the evil you could ever expect of 90s Norwegian black metal, but Ihsahn’s keen sense of where his mind was musically was beyond tremolo picking and blast beats. You can definitely hear where Ihsahn would eventually go in his solo career by listening to Prometheus and gathering those early experimental ideas in their infancy. While the band has reformed and plays the occasional metal festival, they have zero intention of ever creating music. Back in 2001, they knew that they accomplished all they wanted to in just 4 albums and there was no need to make new music. 21 years later, while I’d love to see what an Emperor album would sound like in the 202s; I like the idea of having Prometheus being a final nail in the recording coffin for the band. It means when you get to see them live, you will get to hear all the songs you love live with no compromise. You can’t be disappointed in that, especially if you’re like me and have yet to experience them live. A triumphant finale to 2nd wave of black metal. Bolt Thrower- Those Once Loyal FFO- Death Metal 8 albums strong and in 2005, Bolt Thrower said goodbye to recording new music with Those Once Loyal. A signature Bolt Thrower album that has the grooving, mid-tempo death metal the band became acclaimed for, while maintaining a unique sound that any death metal fan can appreciate, no matter what sub-genres you prefer. While the band could have made new music, they chose not to unless they could top this album. In 2016, those planed were forever laid to rest as drummer, Martin Kearns’ 1st death anniversary signified the end of the band both in the studio and live. While this album was not intended to be the last album while being recorded, it is looked back on as being a fantastic way to end one of the best death metal bands to ever exist. While members of the band have continued on in their musical careers (including one of my favorite death metal bands still active, Memoriam); Bolt Thrower will always be known as a pioneer of UK death metal, proving speed and technicality are not all you should rely on, and fans who like to rip off other fans by making their merch extremely expensive to buy in the 3rd party marketplace. While maybe not the best Bolt Thrower album (though the argument can be made that it is), Bolt Thrower left us with 8 phenomenal albums that slay just as much now as when they were recorded, and Those Once Loyal are a fantastic album to remember them by. Falconer- From A Dying Ember FFO- Power Metal, Folk Metal, Orchestration Falconer may be the most underrated power metal band of all time and that is a hill I have zero problems dying on. Every album felt like a musical experience and not just a collection of songs and FADE (haha, get what they did with the initials?) was written to be the finale of the band. With no shows to accompany these songs (I just so happen to not only see their last show ever at ProgPower 2015, but give their last in-person interview as a whole band), this album feels like a live experience of sorts, where you feel every era of the band, every style they touched upon, and even a possible hint of where the members of the band were before and potentially after the band with some hints of black metal and other genres. Falconer was a true gem of metal music and FADE is a shining example of what the band was all about. I have no qualms saying this is their best album and I think they knew they had to make this their crowning achievement if they were to properly say goodbye. If you want one of the best examples of what power metal is, was, and could be, check out Falconer and check out FADE and go backward in their catalog. The sheer brilliance of musical songwriting and talent in every sense of the term. Nevermore- The Obsidian Conspiracy FFO- Progressive Thrash Power Metal Nevermore is another band that while they had such a loyal and undying fan base, never reached the fandom they truly deserved. Between Warrel Dane’s unique vocals, Jeff Loomis’ jaw-dropping songwriting, Van Williams’ underappreciated drumming, and Jim Shepard’s perfection of bass lines; the band went through so many different eras but really hit their mark with their most legendary album, Dead Heart in a Dead World. In 2010, the band was falling into troubled times within the band and was on the verge of breaking up so many times. This final album is easily their most commercial sounding (done purposely to expand their fan base) but never losing the power the band has become known for. While again, it was a more commercial album, that did not take anything away from what the band delivered both in the studio and especially live. Having gotten to see their final Minnesota show on Halloween 2010 was a truly spectacular moment in my concert-going career and every song they played off this album fit seamlessly with the rest of their live catalog. The songs are so catchy, sometimes experimental, wickedly played and looking back, very...very somber to listen to. While I will even say this is my 2nd favorite Nevermore album (after the aforementioned Dead Heart in a Dead World), the band imploded shortly after their final US tour and while there were rumors of a possible reformation, the death of Warrel Dane in 2017 prevented that from ever happening. A very sad end to one of the best metal bands of any genre, but such an incredible album to go back to and enjoy. It’s quite apt that the final words you hear on this album are Warrel Dane saying “These are my last, WORDS!”, While not the last Warrel Dane words you’d hear in the recorded form, it did mark the end of Nevermore and they will be forever missed. And there you go folks, 10 final albums that mean so much to me, maybe to you, maybe never heard of before by you, or albums you should listen to and enjoy all over again. While everything ends, nothing is ever truly gone if we can remember. That’s important in art, life, and everything else. Tune in next week for another selection from the cavalcade of top 10 lists. Same Heavy Time, Same Debriefings Website! Josh Rundquist (Heavy Debriefings) 
Hello everyone, and welcome to the Top 10 Albums of April 2022. In full transparency, this has been an incredibly hard month for me. Interviews got canceled by myself, some bands flat out ghosted me, The show has been up and down as far as making episodes, My weekly top 10 list has been getting ignored from social media, and as of this week, I had to quit Twitter for my own sanity. And none of that even goes into the suicidal depression that’s been plaguing me for 3 months now and I really feel no end in sight. All of that said, I was still able to find 10 albums I really dig from this month and want to share them with you. Some are released today (if you are reading this on April 29th) and some even came out on April 1st, truly covering the month from the beginning to the end. As usual, I will be posting my rules for how these monthly lists go, and then we will get onto 10 truly great albums of April 2022.
1.) These will be Original Studio ALBUMS. Not EPs, live albums, cover albums, rarities albums, lost albums, splits, collaboration efforts, etc. Simply Original Studio Albums from bands. Simply enough, right? 2.) These will be ALPHABETICAL ORDER. Not ranked. I don’t give away my secrets about what will be in the top 100 that easily. At least buy me a drink first! 3.) These reviews will be like my top 100 list where I give the band name, the album, and the FFO section; followed by a paragraph review. I could easily go track by track on every album, but then I will have given everything away. I want YOU to check any of these albums out and make up your own thoughts if you dig them or not. I’m just here to let you be aware these albums are out and for your listening pleasure. 4.) There is nothing sponsored here nor stolen content. Just my own thoughts. I have been given almost every album I review as a stream or promo and anything I missed I checked out on Spotify or Bandcamp after release. 5.) I will be covering more albums in audio form on my podcast every week there is a new show. There may be some crossover, other ones may just be in audio form. So check out both for the optimum experience. 6.) None of these albums are set in stone for the best of 2022. I may be high on them now, but that could change for a multitude of reasons (mainly if the band does something asinine). 7.) Any album not featured here or in the podcast can EASILY still be featured in my top 100. I can’t hear every album and some will slip through the cracks now or even then. So I just need to hear an album and make assertions from there. 8.) These are done for YOU. So I hope you can discover some new music on my behalf and be shown that new music has never stopped being great. Just go discover it. Now let’s begin! Audrey Horne- Devil’s Bell FFO- Hard Rock, Occult Rock Audrey Horne has been going strong for 20 years now. With a fine tinge of rock and roll stylings, every album seems to have a new flavoring while still having its signature blend mixed together for a truly great musical experience. With Devil’s Bell, the band’s 7th album; the Norwegian supergroup collective adds a much darker tone to their style making something more akin to the likes of Blue Oyster Cult than Aerosmith. It’s a welcomed change in the band, but again, it sounds like the band hasn’t missed a step since 2005. It’s a great thing when you can take members of such prominent extreme metal bands and know that they know how to write fun, rocking songs as much as they can write blackened metal masterpieces. For those that just want an old-school rockin’ time, this album is meant for you. Go check it out! Crown Compass- The Drought FFO- Progressive Death Metal This new group featuring ex-members of Textures, and Exvivious has brought a new level of progressive metal to the table. All 4 members of this Dutch group are extremely skilled at their respective crafts and they are on full display here. What makes it stand out amongst others doing modern prog metal these days is that they know how to write some unbelievably catchy choruses with melodies and harmonies that soar through the chaos. You can hear the remnants of their past bands in this album, but you can also hear all the new influences that they wanted to show off in recorded form. The music doesn’t djent The music doesn’t get brutal just for the sake of it, any breakdowns that happen have a purpose. The best part is the unexpected twists and turns you hear in the genre-bending shifts. This is truly a shining example of how to write progressive music that really feels like it can take the genre can keep moving it forward. Destruction - Diabolical FFO- Thrash Metal Not only one of the best German thrash bands, but one of the best thrash bands period has returned and there feels to be a true shift in the musical force of the band. The life’s blood of the band has gained a new lineup since their 2019 release, Born to Perish and the band has a new fire that has been stoked. The band sounds angrier, thrashier, and more aggressive than they have in decades. The production on Diabolical is much rawer than previous material, but it matches the mood that is set up as soon as you hear that first riff strike down upon you. This is where the band needs to be in a still pandemic world. With what this lineup has pulled off here, I can’t wait to see what will be coming up on the band’s next release. It’s only going to go up from here. Die Apokalyptischen Reiter - Wilde Kinder FFO- Heavy Metal This band is the definition of a heavy metal band. You can’t really put a real finger on what the band sounds like as every album has its own unique sound, let alone the songs on every album can be so varied, yet, fit together so well. With Wilde Kinder, the band has taken a darker approach and wanted to unleash a full-scale assault of symphonic, death, black, power, and classic metal. It’s so refreshing to hear a band that simply plays what they want to play no matter if it fits a particular genre or not. If anything, they are their own genre. You hear the band take more aggressive and fierce tendencies to match the mood of the world right now and all of us just want to break free from the darkness that has taken over all of us. With a band as prolific and varied as this band has been over the last 25+ years, the band shows absolutely no sense of slowing down and the chaos will only continue for years and years to come. Simply incredible work. The Hellacopters- Eyes of Oblivion FFO- Rock N’ Roll The Hellacopters are back from the grave and they are just as much fun, stylish, tongue in cheek, and powerful as ever. A band that knows that they don’t need to be over the top technical, reinvent the wheel or change with the times. The Hellacopters simply know how to write catchy rock songs and for someone who spends most of their time with heavy music, this is one of the most refreshing albums I’ve come across in such a long time. Short, simple, catchy, and undeniably fun. There’s not really much more I can add to that. If you are looking for one of the strongest rock albums of the year and quite possibly the decade of the 2020s, look no further, you found it right here with Eyes of Oblivion. Meshuggah- Immutable FFO- Modern Progressive Death Metal Meshuggah does what Meshuggah does and no one out-Meshuggah’s Meshuggah, ya dig? But seriously. This is the band after 30 years in the game. The band doesn’t need to outdo themselves anymore, they have no need to reinvent themselves into something new. They already write songs no one else can emulate. If you don’t really dig the band, this album will not change your mind. If you already like the band, this is more of what you will love. While this is far from a cookie-cutter album from the band, you can tell the band just wants to hone in on what makes their formula work so well and put in the right amount of twists and turns to make this a fun ride. This is also the band’s longest album, coming in at nearly 67 minutes. It’s a long, epic journey; but a rewarding one if you enjoy the pioneers of what has become of progressive death metal in the modern age. My Useless Life- Bittersweet Agony FFO- Blackgaze What a relatable band name, eh? No? Just me then? Alrighty! Anyways...The 4th album from this California blackgaze duo shows the band as heart-wrenching and somber as ever while having just the right amount of raw production and atmosphere. The music is some of the most melodic in the band’s career, but no less devastating. While this is listed as an EP on Spotify, coming in at just about 34 minutes; everywhere I’ve seen it listed counts it as a full album; as do I. The experience does go by fast, but it can hit you hard in its depressive tones and lyrics. For someone dealing with another dark, black wave of suicidal depression; this album came across me at the right time, and even when you just pay attention to what’s going on musically; it really hits home for me. It just may for you as well if you are feeling down and out. Proceed with caution like any other DSBM band, but it is up to your alley, it’s one hell of a ride. Poets of the Fall- Ghostlight FFO- Symphonic Rock, Cinematic Rock, Alternative Rock Poets of the Fall might be the softest band I have on the list this month, but they really know how to write some heavy songs in the lyrical and atmospheric sense. The band continues to rise in popularity with every release and now that they are 9 albums into their career; they have established themselves as one of the best at their stylings. They are absolute masters at writing catchy rock songs that have such heartfelt cinematic feelings and emotions. Ghostlight is some of the band’s lightest work overall, but that’s what makes it stand out from the rest of their catalog. It’s a true album where you just want to listen from start to finish and enjoy every ebb and flow as it passes through you. You will be hard-pressed to find an album (or band for that matter) that can hit you with such heartfelt emotion with every song after song. Sheer, unadulterated, brilliance. Rammstein- Zeit FFO- Industrial, Heavy Metal I am actually writing this up after I saw the Rammstein Zeit Atmos Experience at my local movie theater (only one of two movie theaters in the state to show it) and it made me fall in love with every track on the album; while I won’t ruin the visual experience just in case they release it in some other way down the road; this is easily the best Rammstein album in years. And even with only 8 albums in their catalog, that is some worthy praise. The album is full of diverse songs whether you want songs about death, becoming antisocial, no longer using condoms, or big boobies; Rammstein has a way to make an album that is as funny as it is heartfelt. No one can do it like these guys and even with Zeit being written to make up for 2 years' unplayable tours (maybe it’ll actually happen this year?) they took that frustration to make an album that will stand the test of time. What a rock-solid album. Undeath- It’s Time...To Rise From Your Grave FFO- Old School Death Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Grindcore The amount of praise and reception I have seen about this band over the last couple of months is staggering. With this only being the band’s sophomore album, they have garnered the attention of not only the biggest music sites and magazines, but some of the biggest metal bands out there today. The band has an undeniable love of old-school death metal and grindcore with just the right amount of melodic undertones and the occasional brutal breakdown to make it just modernized enough so you will be satisfied where you think there are no good death metal bands anymore or not. The production is raw and unpolished, yet it sounds like it was the perfect album for 1993 as they were to open for Carcass or Entombed. These guys know their back catalogs of extreme metal and they are not afraid to wear their inspirations on their sleeves. As pointed out in this list already; you don’t need to always reinvent the wheel, you just gotta be solid and write great songs. Undeath does that and more in strides. I know this will be a lot of people’s favorite death metal album of the year and it’s easy to understand why. This has something for everyone and they could easily hop on any extreme metal tour and blow the crowd away. This is death metal done right. It only takes one listen to understand why. And there you go folks, my top 10 favorite albums of April 2022. While I’m sure I missed out on some other great albums to come out this month, I’m just happy I could even write this list at all. If I’m still feeling like this now; I really don’t see May 2022 letting up on me for my mental state. But thankfully there is a ton of great albums coming out next month that I can’t wait to check out and show off to all of you. So tune in next time for the Top 10 Albums of May 2022! - Josh Rundquist (Heavy Debriefings) 
Welcome everyone to this 3rd rendition of the Cavalcade of Top 10 Lists; 10 Positive Metal songs. I’m not going to label this as the top 10 positive songs as there are so many positive heavy songs. When you are someone like myself who has been in such a depressive funk that last week’s Top 10 Saddest Doom Metal songs feel like that dark cloud will never lift; you tend to forget that metal does have a positive side. I will also not go as far as to say that these are “happy songs” as most of these songs are not about sunshine and lollipops. A lot of these songs are about overcoming adversity, either by the pain brought on by life or by yourself. Of course, some songs are just over the top happy. It’s a great balance of both, so matter your metal flavorings, there is something here for you. So let’s get into those gosh darn rules so we can try to bring in some good vibes into your hump day. I think we could all use that right about now.
1.) These lists are in no particular order unless otherwise noted (alphabetical order, year of release, etc). Ranking these is not needed as I wouldn’t be covering these bands, songs, albums, etc if I did not love them. 2.) The lists will be formatted with the subject, FFO (For Fans Of), and a blurb (roughly a paragraph) about said subject. The FFO section is subject to change if the list is entirely about one particular subject (the genre for example) 3.) This will be a weekly series. Every Wednesday unless otherwise stated. Delays and postponements are entirely possible, but I will be keeping this up until my mind tells me to stop. 4.) No negative lists. I know that’s cool, and the clickbaity thing to do is to make lists that people can tear apart, argue over, let me know how wrong I am for including or excluding a band, etc. That’s just not me. I may occasionally make a funny title for humor’s sake, but never to just get clicks with no substance. My integrity still means something to me even if that makes me less popular. 5.) A Spotify Playlist will always accompany each list. 1 song to accommodate every point listed so 10 songs in total, unless otherwise stated in the list(s). 6.) I will still be doing my monthly album reviews and my year-end lists per usual. This is just a bonus. 7.) All thoughts are entirely my own. No paid sponsorships, no begging or pleading from any label or band. Just me and my thoughts. So, Let’s Begin! *These songs are NOT in any particular order other than what sounded good for a nice ebb and flow over a 10 song playlist which you can check out in the Spotify link at the end* Freedom Call- Metal is for Everyone FFO- EVERYTHING AND EVERYONE (but seriously, Power Metal) Freedom Call is one of the happiest sounding bands I’m aware of in metal. Be it when I hear them on record or the one opportunity I’ve gotten to see them live at ProgPower 2016, They just have a way of making you feel happy and positive. It can be cheesy as hell, but I think that’s the real, not-so-secret, sauce on display. When you go out and write a song like Metal is for Everyone, you are flat out saying you don’t care if your message is cheesy. You just want everyone to be included. No matter who you are, what you listen to, your lifestyle, or your upbringing; everyone should be allowed to check out metal. And wouldn’t you know it? There is a metal band, if not a whole genre of metal that anyone can enjoy. No matter how dark, how scary, how fast, how slow, how catchy, how abstract, how many musicians and instruments are in the band, whatever criteria you are looking for, there is something for you. While this song is firmly in the Power Metal genre, it’s a message that anyone can appreciate. It’s so hard to feel crappy when you are listening to Freedom Call. They just have a way of making you smile or even laugh (cheese is subjective). This is a message everyone should get behind. We are divided enough as it is, let’s bring back metal to the masses! Omnium Gatherum- Be The Sky FFO- Melodic Death Metal Omnium Gatherum is a complete anomaly in the melodeath world. When you normally think of melodeath, you think of very dark riffs, personal life struggles, catchy as all get-go choruses, and music to showcase that death metal can be melodic. Omnium Gatherum is all of those things, BUT, the message is positive. Rather than focusing on the dark sides of life; they write very inspirational lyrics and topics that whi9le don’t sound happy, sound positive, and above all, authentic. Be The Sky is the perfect example of that message. Be The Sky, be endless, be limitless, be free, and go as far as you possibly can and do the best you possibly can. While the band has always been known for some of the most melodic riffs you can hear in their genre, this song really lays it on thick to almost feel triumphant. Of course, for first-time listeners, you will hear death growls and double bass that could easily throw you off from the message (that is, of course, you are completely unfamiliar with the source material) but once you let it sink in and let the earworm stick in your brain, you will be so glad that you gave it a proper chance. I have absolutely no problem saying that not only is Omnium Gatherum my favorite band from Finland, but they are also my favorite melodeath band. And it’s for great reason. They cover all the ground I love and they are inspirational not only in their musicality but just the life lessons they give in every song. We need more of that in the world of metal. We simply do. Don’t be afraid of who you are, be the sky! Demon Hunter- The Last One Alive FFO- Melodic Metalcore, Hard Rock Demon Hunter is a band that I can fully put my support behind. While I don’t normally listen to secular music; Demon Hunter is an exception in the metal world where their message of being a band is based on Christianity, which is far from being preachy. I mean they took their name from the video game series, Devil May Cry if that says anything at all. I chose this song over others from their catalog as it is undeniably catchy and I love the message of no matter if you are the last one standing or you die too soon, always push yourself to be the best YOU that you can be. This also showcases the band at one of its most mainstream points. The band has gone from so close to death metal to top 40 rock radio to everything in between. Sometimes even showing off both sides on the same album! Like I talked about so much in last week’s top 10 list; none of us are making it out of this world alive. Whether you are someone of faith, someone of science, someone of both, or someone who has no idea where they stand in life; Just be the best person you can be. Do what you can to be a good person to others. No matter how much life can and will hurt you, why spend it feeling miserable when you can try to better yourself while you’re still here. So many adversities come in life, don’t be your own downfall. Be strong, be brave, and simply...try. Trollfest- Happy Heroes FFO- Fun Metal Trollfest...probably the other happiest metal band I have on this list. They are just an absurdly fun band that is not only preposterous in their instrumentation and music, but their lyrics simply leave you with a smile, laugh, and/or giggle that you be hard-pressed to be able to remove for quite some time. I’ve seen this band dress up as bees, I’ve seen them dress up as doctors, and with the EP that this song shows up on; they are just about having a fun, happy time. While they have undergone so many musical changes (sometimes on the same release) from absurdly heavy to stupidly fun;l they are just about having a good time while they are still here. Happy Heroes almost acts like a biography song for the band. While it feels like a superhero theme song, the lyrics are so slapstick and funny they will make you want to watch an animated series based on this ragtag team of happy trolls that are both good in nature, but mischievous at the same time. It feels like a paradox, but it makes so much sense in context (especially when you hear the full EP). Overall, Trollfest is known for just wanting you and me to be...happy. In life, that’s all you can really ask for. So go forth and try to be happy! Devin Townsend Project- Offer Your Light FFO- Mid Tier Progressive Metal (not my words, but the words of one of their t-shirts) I could have easily gone with the Devin Townsend Band song, Sunshine & Happiness off the album, Synchestra, and I have been going back in forth wondering if I should have added that one instead as it fits the mold of this list seamlessly. I ultimately chose this song as I feel like this song is much more heartfelt in its message and so much less tongue in cheek. Plus you have Anneke van Giersbergen singing the lead on this song and how could you not include her on a list of positive music? Offer Your Light is a song that is about no matter how down, mad, angry, sad, or negative you are feeling, you still have something to offer the world and those around you. It is so easy to fall into the trap that when you are feeling down that you are of use to no one, but that simply isn’t true. Sometimes your negative feelings are exactly what someone else needs to see or hear to get through the day so they feel less alone. Sometimes it just takes knowing that your positive feelings are still a part of you no matter how down you feel and being able to shine a light on anything that you do in life can help you as much as it helps others. It’s a lesson I need to remember myself. You matter, we all matter. Help each other, help yourself, just help! Killswitch Engage- I Am Broken Too FFO- Metalcore, Hard Rock KSE is a band I mentioned in my top 10 bands at the moment list and for good reason. No matter if you have Jesse Leech or Howard Jones doing lyrics and vocals; their messages are so filled with hope that people like myself really need to hear. I am a broken guy, seriously just read the top paragraph of last week’s list just for a tip of the iceberg reasoning for pain in my life that feels everlasting. In this song, it feels like Jesse is sitting beside me and talking to me and telling me that he is here for me and will do anything he can to be there for me just to be able to stay alive and not take my own life. Sharing his pain so I feel like I’m not the only one who feels the pain that I feel. Of course, Jesse doesn't know me from a hole in the ground, but that is really the point of the song. Everyone can have someone like Jesse in their life, someone who has been through their own personal hell, either self-created or created by circumstance, and can be there to help tell their tales to help relate to you and help you feel less alone in life. The first time I heard this song, I cried so hard, that it hit me harder than almost any other band has done (except for Woods of Ypres). This is a song Where I am on both side4s of the narrative. While I am dealing with so much mental hell; over the years, I have been able to help people both close to me and others I’ve never talked to before, by sharing my stories, listening to their pain, offering my condolences, advice, and simply letting them know I am there for them. None of us make it through this world unscathed. We will all feel the pain that we feel like no one else could possibly understand. And while some people will absolutely have it worse than you in life, that does not make your pain any less real. This is why I HATE the expression that things can always be worse. Of course, things can be worse, they will be worse as life goes on either physically, mentally or both, that’s not the issue at hand, and just a cop-out instead of offering any real help. If you are hurting, reach out to someone you feel you can trust, but it is a hotline, website, an online friend, or someone you know personally. If you are on the opposite end, offer to help others, even if it just means listening to them. Letting someone know they are not alone is a lifesaver. If I had people in my past that I could trust, my suicide attempt count would be a lot less than 9, maybe even 0. Above all, just stay here for as long as you can, don’t die feeling miserable. Suicidal Tendencies- You Can’t Bring Me Down FFO- Crossover Thrash The band name and the song title are shown back to back feels like such a paradox if you are not familiar with the band. This is the ultimate song of overcoming adversity, no matter what it is and telling the world of naysayers and all obstacles in your life to fuck off. ST is a band that was at the forefront of the crossover thrash genre and when you look at their backstory, you can see how much adversity they have had to go through to get to where they did and where they are now. It's a song of knowing the world is not a positive place for so many of us and so many people will either tell you that you will fail or will want you to fail or will try to make you fail. This is a song of overcoming all of it to be who you really are and doing what you have to do to survive or simply just be happy in life. It’s a real battle anthem for the downtrodden. Listen and feel its power. Woods of Ypres- Don’t Open The Wound/Skywide Armspread FFO- Doom Metal, Gothic Metal, Black Metal This song is 100% why I did call this list ten happy metal songs. Woods of Ypres were the masters of the dark, depressing, and saddest of songwriting when it came to metal music. They make bands like Type O Negative, Swallow The Sun, and Mournful Congregation sound like the band that wrote Walkin’ on Sunshine (I know they have a name, but it’s funnier for the joke to not say their name). This is song is possibly their most positive song. It’s a song about knowing how horrible the world is, how wretched things can get, how life may never get better, but if you insist upon the pain, you let it fester and take over your well-being, it will destroy you. While things in life can wreck all of your sensibilities, when you decide to hurt yourself, no matter how you hurt yourself, physically, internally, if you cut yourself if you keep telling yourself that you are worthless, if you just give up; then life will never get better. It’s a real outlier of the band’s career as even on the same album that this song appears on, it includes some of the saddest songs about love loss, hopelessness, and giving up. It’s that brief breath of life that even the saddest of us all need to be able to push forward and move on. Don’t get it twisted, just a positive attitude will not be the only thing that can keep you from falling, but it can be the biggest thing to prevent the fall, to begin with. From what might be the saddest band the earth has ever heard; it’s amazing to hear a positive song like this about not giving up and to stop or stopping hurting yourself, realizing what you needed didn’t happen, and accepting that you need to move forward. This song is a therapy session in and of itself. Helloween- I Want Out FFO- Power Metal, Hard Rock In a true sense of rebellion, Helloween wrote an anthem of breaking out of what you are told you are supposed to be to become what you need to be. Arguably the best-known song from the band, I Want Out is not only catchy, but it is also inspirational to all of the wayward civilians of this planet. You get one chance at life on this planet, if you don’t live it the way that you want, you will either have to settle for what you will never have, or you will fall into a spell of depression and what could have been. Much like the song talks about, you are the one responsible for what you will do in life. Can you overcome the adversity or will you fall in line? You need to realize what you need to do, no matter what it is. Make your own happiness. It may work, it may not, but at least trying is better than simply giving up. It’s simple, catchy, and full of heart. It just might be what you need to make it through and tough times you may face. Plus, how cool of a name is Helloween? Right? Ad Infinitum- Unstoppable FFO- Symphonic Metal, Modern Metalcore Ad Infinitum is the newest band on this list and even with just 2 full LPs to their name, they have written some spectacular, catchy, and memorable anthems that are sure to stand the test of time. With their latest album, Chapter II: Legacy, parts at a time can feel like you are playing a SoulsBourne game and overcoming the challenges of those impossible bosses you will face, but to flip the coin, especially on a song like Unstoppable, it feels like the heroic anthem you need to get through this thing we call life. When you fall, you will fail, and you will get beaten, but it’s important to be able to rise again and slay your demons (internally and externally) to be able to push forward. Its a song about finding your inner strength but reaching out to the universe hoping they hear your cries as you come back from what you may fear is your death (ok, maybe this song is about Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, but still), it’s a great message of no matter how often you fall, you can rise up and persevere. We all have to or else we may never get another chance to survive this life. Be it a video game or real life, never surrender! And there you go folks, 10 positive metal songs from so many different backgrounds. I hope at least one of them can connect with you and show you that others do feel the pain you feel, even if they ventured another path to feel the same. This felt like such a great counterbalance to last week’s list. The real yin-yang of life in the span of a week. I hope you enjoyed this list as much as I did create it, be sure to check out the Spotify playlist below to hear these songs and let them sink in your soul and I will return with another list next Wednesday. I have so many I’ve created already it’s hard to choose which one will be next, but I’ll make sure it’s a doozy. I Will Return! Same Heavy Time! Same Debriefings Channel! - Josh Rundquist- (Heavy Debriefings) 
Welcome everyone to the next exhibit in the Cavalcade of Top 10 Lists; The Top 10 Saddest Doom Metal Songs. Doom Metal is already sad in context. Doom is rarely used as a positive outlook on anything outside of the successful video game franchise. The genre of metal is usually slow, brooding, filled with pain and sorrow, and can incorporate other styles into play. Death/Doom may be the most popular sub-genre, but there are other forms I’ll be covering as well including Funeral Doom, Gothic Doom, and several others.
As I’m writing this, I am battling a very dark wave of suicidal depression. It’s something I’ve been battling for nearly 22 years. 9 suicide attempts, almost every day feeling like I should no longer be above ground. I go into it other places and explaining it here isn’t really called for, BUT I am pointing it out as every song here deals with every dark themes of death, loss, depression, and more. If anything here is a trigger for your mental health, I highly implore you to come back to this when you are in a better state of mind or even skip this list entirely if it can cause anything other than catharsis for your mental state. There are so many hotlines, websites, and more that are international, national, and locally depending on where you live. If none of those is your style, please reach out to someone you trust and let them know how you are. Your life is worth keeping and you don’t want to die feeling miserable. Take it from someone battling himself; life is worth fighting for even if now it does not feel that way. All that said, let’s get on with the rules and begin this misery-driven list. 1.) These lists are in no particular order unless otherwise noted (alphabetical order, year of release, etc). Ranking these is not needed as I wouldn’t be covering these bands, songs, albums, etc if I did not love them. 2.) The lists will be formatted with the subject, FFO (For Fans Of), and a blurb (roughly a paragraph) about said subject. The FFO section is subject to change if the list is entirely about one particular subject (the genre for example) 3.) This will be a weekly series. Every Wednesday unless otherwise stated. Delays and postponements are entirely possible, but I will be keeping this up until my mind tells me to stop. 4.) No negative lists. I know that’s cool, and the clickbaity thing to do is to make lists that people can tear apart, argue over, let me know how wrong I am for including or excluding a band, etc. That’s just not me. I may occasionally make a funny title for humor’s sake, but never to just get clicks with no substance. My integrity still means something to me even if that makes me less popular. 5.) A Spotify Playlist will always accompany each list. 1 song to accommodate every point listed so 10 songs in total, unless otherwise stated in the list(s). 6.) I will still be doing my monthly album reviews and my year-end lists per usual. This is just a bonus. 7.) All thoughts are entirely my own. No paid sponsorships, no begging or pleading from any label or band. Just me and my thoughts. So, Let’s Begin! *This week’s list will be presented from the shortest to the longest song. There is also no need for the FFO section this is all in one genre and its sub-genres* Novembers Doom- I Hurt Those I Adore 5:48 Chicago’s Death Doom legends 2009 masterpiece Into Night’s Requiem Infernal was my first real taste of a full ND album. I had heard songs here and there from metal stations or metal shows that would play them, but this was the where I discovered what Death Doom truly was. That great combination of the doom metal varieties mixed with just the right amount of death metal. To me, no one does it better in America than Novembers Doom. The song, I Hurt Those I Adore, pretty much gives you all you need to know about the song. Whether you look at it like a madman who murders everyone he loves, the hurt your depression gives others who care about you and your reactions to it, or if you are in such a bad place and of the state of mind that pain is the only way to show love (if so, get help, IMMEDIATELY); the lyrics are open-ended enough to where any of those scenarios fit in the context. No matter how you look at the song, the brooding atmosphere gives you chills as you listen and you can truly hear the pain that surrounds the character Paul Kuhr is portraying in the song. Despite being the shortest song on this list, it truly feels epic enough to feel like much more time has passed. To me, that is always a good thing. ND does not get enough credit for all they have accomplished and if you’ve never checked them out before. This song is a great example of the mid-era of the band where the cleans and growls are so matched so perfectly. Give it a shot! Draconian- It Grieves My Heart 7:30 Draconian is the textbook definition of Gothic Doom. They cover so much ground in their lyrical topics and it really hits home in the gothic and romantic writing periods of history. Their 2003 debut album, Where Lovers Mourn, is still considered to be one of the biggest highlights of the band’s career. It Grieves My Heart is a song that not only, musically makes you want to weep, but the song strongly reflects the H.P. Lovecraft short story, The Outsider; where a being breaks free from its home in an abandoned castle in search of human contact to break free from its loneliness only for...well, I’ll let the song or the short story fill you in on the details (I never want to give away everything with these lists). Let’s just say that the song really helps you feel the hurt, pain, loss, loneliness, abandonment, and fear you feel throughout the story. While about halfway through the song, it picks up a little bit in the tempo department, the song dirges its way from start to finish and will leave its remnants in your brain making you want to replay the song over and over again. If you ever feel any of the emotions this song portrays; you will feel this song emotionally hit you and it’s not an easy listen, but it can be such a cathartic one. Whether you enjoy the story of love Gothic/Death Doom, Draconian is a band you need to experience, this song is a great example as to why. When Nothing Remains- In Silence I Conceal The Pain 7:44 This song basically describes my life before I started being open about my mental health struggles. The debut album from this Gothic/Death Doom Band, 2012’s As All Torn Asunder rips and tears apart your mental psyche. It feels like such an accurate portrayal of someone suffering from depression and other of life’s horrendous atrocities. This song, in particular, is one of the most accurate descriptions of suffering depression and keeping it to one’s self I have ever heard. The lyrics just shatter your emotions as it describes every action, every pain, every thought that occurs to one that is suffering from absolutely no outlook or way to break free. Looking back at life and being happier and now seeing what you’ve become and it hurting you mentally and physically as you strive to find a way to escape the mental hell. While not all cases of depression hurt as much as what is described here; it has for me and if it’s showcased here, you and I can’t be the only ones who have felt this way. This is such a cathartic song for me as it hits the real pain I’ve felt and it is such a reassuring feeling to know I’m not alone. Sometimes, that’s all we need to get by in this thing we call life. The band has reformed back in 2021 and I can’t wait to see what epic sorrow-filled tales will await on their next release. Swallow The Sun- Keep Your Heart Safe From Me 7:47 Look, When it comes to Finland’s Death Doom Masters; I could have easily picked ANY song from their catalog and it would fit in this list. I could easily make a Top 10 Saddest Swallow The Sun Songs and I would still be leaving off somewhat might be their saddest material. There is no wrong answer as to what could be considered their saddest work; but I wanted to go with something off what the band has called their darkest album, 2021’s Moonflowers. Every song on the album hits you hard and if you read along with the lyrics, any song can actively make you cry. Rather than going with the normal trends, I’m showing on the list so far. I wanted to stride away from the mental health pain and go more with love that can never be. We’ve all felt it, whether we choose to admit it or not. There will always be at least one person in our lives that feels like they got away or they never loved your back or you just loved from afar and you never told them how you felt. This song captures those feelings and more with a story that feels along the lines of knowing that you are not long for this world and are about to meet your fate while pushing your love away so you may die alone. Be it you have done a betrayal or hurt your love or done anything to where you must be banished, your love still wants to be there, but you must push them away as you leave. As I’ve said, STS has no shortage of sad songs that can make you cry. The music behind this song, while a little bit misleading in the beginning with it feeling a bit fast, goes into the darkness of doom and while far from the slowest song on this list; hits you in a bit more mid-tempo (for Doom's sake, mid-tempo) and really helps the lyrics have all the emotion in the world as the atmosphere really feels like you are slowly drowning. If you remember the pain that comes with love, this song will hit you straight in the heartstrings. Just be prepared for that when you first hear this song...or really ANY Swallow The Sun song. My Dying Bride- And My Father Left Forever 9:21 My Dying Bride is another band who has never written about sunshine, rainbows, and lollipops. ALL of their songs can destroy your emotions and they have a song tailored for every emotion. This song in particular...well...the song title gives away what the song is about. It’s about when your family, be it blood relatives, friends, other loved ones, and particularly, in this case, your father you love dearly dies in front of you and you put him back into the earth from which he came. A song about death and the grief from never being able to see, speak, touch, or do anything with them ever again. The song touches on other loved ones also being gone from your life making you last among all you loved. It hurts, a lot. There’s really no other way to describe it It’s something almost all of us experience unless we fall before other family members do. We will lose all we love. The sad reality of life is that everything is fleeting, which makes you want everything to last forever. It makes you want to cherish those moments, stories, memories, legends, etc near and dear to you and share them with those who want to hear them. In the end, that’s all we have left are memories of the past and when you lose someone who helped make those moments magical in your life, it will hurt and will always hurt. Hopefully, in time, it will hurt less and less. But those emotions you feel are real. This nearly 9 and a half minute track from the death to the burial to the memories hits you in every dark emotion. There’s no happy ending here. Just pain and misery. Woods of Ypres- Kiss My Ashes Goodbye 10:57 This nearly 11-minute epic was originally two tracks split up, the faster, double bass driven first half and the dirge 2nd half. I love that it did become one full track as you feel both sides from before and after you die. Another sad reality of life, we are all going to die and we never know when it will happen. This song is a near 11-minute way of saying that once I die, let the memories of me move on. Death brings misery to all you leave behind and David Gold’s final epic (song over 10 minutes) on Woods final album, Woods V: Grey Skies and Electric Light, before his own passing just a week and a half before the album’s release (which makes this song and album even sadder) is wanting you to be able to move on from those that leave you in death. No tombstone, no urn. Just make your peace with what has happened, remember the happy memories until they fade away, and move on. I have this song in my own funeral playlist. I want to be remembered in memories, but I don’t need a headstone, I don’t need an urn, I don’t need a memorial. I just want to be loved while I’m here and be forgotten when I’m gone (unless I actually made your life better in some way). It’s one of the most haunting things you can ever battle is facing your own mortality. We are the only living organisms on earth that know they are going to die. I bring enough pain to myself and I don’t want anyone to feel pain because of me. Like the song says, “When I no longer serve you, just let those memories die and move on. When I die, kiss my ashes goodbye.” Shape of Despair- Solitary Downfall 11:05 The newest song I have on this list and it is one of the saddest, most heartbreaking, and most depressing albums I’ve heard in recent memory. 2022’s Return to the Void, by Finland’s Death Doom Legends, Shape of Despair. The whole album showcases the different ways, but the all too familiar emotions that happen when you fall back into the black waves of depression. This pandemic that we are still living in (despite what many seem to think, yes, we are still in a pandemic); caused such a rise in mental health struggles and depression in people being in a new high for the first time in ages. Be it from loss, death, economy, health, isolation, heartache, heartbreak, or anything I’m leaving out; anything can return you to the void of depression, you can feel as though you can’t leave it once it hits you and it’s some of the most unbearable hell you can experience trying to escape it. Sadly, some never recover, and for some, it’s why they are no longer living. Solitary Downfall is that feeling of isolation, feeling alone, that all that you love is gone, that everything you care about has left you, and it leaves you feeling worse and worse until it consumes you. This is a very real thing and anyone who has never experienced it simply can’t relate. You can feel sad that someone feels this way, but once you experience it and you see anyone else feeling similar to you, it can destroy you. It’s honestly how I feel every day. My passion for almost everything in life is gone and I don’t know if it will return. I want it to, I want it to so bad. I haven’t seen anyone I consider(ed) a friend in just about 3 years. I haven’t had an in-person conversation with anyone that is not a doctor or cashing me out of a grocery store or my landlord or anything like that since August 30th, 2019. And I do often wonder if I die who would even find my body. Solitary Downfall is what happens when you let these feelings consume you. If you can sense these feelings happening, reach out while you still can. Please. None of us deserve to feel alone. Mournful Congregation- The Catechism of Depression 19:19 Funeral Doom Metal is the darkest, scariest, and most depressing of all Doom Metal, and very few can live up to what Mournful Congregation have preached to its own congregation since their inception in 1993. On their 2011 album The Book of Kings, the 19 minutes 19 second opening track isn’t even the longest song on the album (that honor goes to the title track, clocking in at over 30 minutes), is a song, much like the name implies is an instruction guide to depression. Rather than trying to find a way to stop it, the band considers it one of man’s biggest downfalls is mental health and the lack of caring about it helps you realize the world may never see a true cure for mental health struggles as man is the reason for our mental struggles. All of that said though, in true doom metal fashion, evil may be the way to cure depression, but that’s more of a religious topic that is fit for a different discussion. This 19 minutes burial hymn is essentially that, a burial hymn that feels like you are in the midst of a funeral procession. The lyrics are minimal for a song this length, but every word is delivered with such impact while the music takes the lead and leads to feeling every emotion that you should be feeling in a song like this. It’s not pretty. It’s not optimistic. It feels like the downfall of the world that is slowly dying. 100% proceed with caution. This is one epic that leads humanity to the grave. Triptykon- The Prolonging 19:22 Depending on your definition, this is the heaviest song on this list. A pure gothic doom metal masterpiece of an epic on the band’s debut album, that truly explores the pain depression can bring you and those around you. The more the song goes on, the more you feel the depression win the battle against you. It sinks its claw3s in you and consumes you little by little, attacking every negative emotion you can feel, every fear, every scare tactic, everything you think is real becomes real to you. What I truly appreciate about this song is that while the depression wins the battle in this story; You still feel the fight against it. You feel the anger and fight to survive from its prowess. Ultimately it is a story of not giving up despite the darkness still overtaking you. That is one of the great things about mental health struggles, as strange as that sounds; it’s not every day. Even if you suffer from it from now till you are gone, you will have better days, you may even have great breaks from its pain. Hell, you may even find a way out of the darkness and keep it under control enough to be able to live a better life. But it will not go away on its own, you have to fight and you have to keep fighting. You never know how far away or how close you are to the other side of mental health struggles unless you keep pushing forward. Don’t stop the fight! Bell Witch- Mirror Reaper 1:23:15 How could I not close on what has become known as one of Doom Metal’s most infamous tracks? At nearly an hour and a half in length. Bell Witch’s 2017 album and the full-length song are in memory of their late drummer and vocalist, Adrian Guerra. An hour and 23-minute long track about death, loss, depression, what may happen after death, and those who are left to pick up the pieces. It’s Funeral Doom Metal in its truest form. It’s slow, it’s brooding, it’s a funeral dirge that lasts nearly as long as normal wake proceeds. Another thing that truly makes this stand out as there is only bass, drums, vocals, and organ on this album. Absolutely no guitar, which the band has never had in anything before or after this release. It’s pure heartache and it's completely understandable why there has yet to be a follow-up LP to this release as of yet. There have been other songs released on splits or live releases, but no true follow-up. I know it will come in time, the band is still active, but I imagine with how much tears went into this album, let alone all of the praise that has been brought to the band thanks to Mirror Reaper, they are going to take all the time they need to make a worthy successor. But until then, enjoy this masterclass of doom, grab a box of Kleenex, turn off the lights, let this play, and grieve. Grieve till your heat’s content. We all need to for one reason or another. Let Mirror Reaper be the soundtrack to your grief. It is one of the most satisfying displays of emotion that has been recorded into music. If this sounds too baffling to do in one sitting, remember, you’re still in a pandemic, you have the time. Hell, put it on in bed while you sleep. It may give nightmares, but it can be done. And there you go folks, 10 of what I consider to be the saddest doom metal songs ever made. Songs that make Adele or Porcupine Tree sound like cheerful bops. This has been very cathartic for me to make this list and give my emotions along with it. If you are struggling yourself, I hope these songs or my words (even better...both) can be helpful in those cathartic ways and you can find a way to release those negative emotions and try to find a way to find the light in this world. So many songs in mainstream music are overtly positive and if you can’t feel those emotions that are shown off in those songs, they can affect you negatively. TO be fair that be done in any facet of life, but we are talking music here. So when finding something that matches the real emotions you may be feeling. It helps give you a cry, a much-needed cry, a much-needed cry you need to let out for a long time. Once you do, you can feel better and hopefully in time, start to feel better. Of course, Doom Metal just has killer music attached to it as well, so you can just enjoy it for its musical benefits. Next week, I will be doing a full 180 and doing my Top 10 Most Positive Metal Songs, but until then, stay strong and if you feel weak, reach out. Reach out to me, your family, friends, loved ones, hotlines, websites, and anything that can help you. You deserve to live! I’ll be back, Same Heavy Time, Same Debriefings Website! - Josh Rundquist (Heavy Debriefings) 
Hello everyone and welcome to my inaugural list of this brand new endeavor of Heavy Debriefings. While the podcast, reviews, etc will be going strong; I wanted to do a weekly list write-up to keep myself busier in the dark times both you and are currently live. While this idea is by no means innovative or original; I am doing my spin on it and in the rules below, I will lay out what’s in store. With this very first list, I am doing my top 10 favorite bands at the moment. Not of all time, though some of them easily fit into that list as well. These 10 bands are the ones I keep going back to the most over almost all others when I am not studying up for an interview or album reviews. The bands I put on when I’m gaming and need a good soundtrack. The bands I listen to when I’m feeling ok or when I am at my lowest of lows (which seems to be almost always). The bands that are hitting me the most as of late are both bands I’ve rediscovered, always loved, or may consider being the best in their styles. So let’s get to those rules so we can get down to business.
1.) These lists are in no particular order unless otherwise noted (alphabetical order, year of release, etc). Ranking these is not needed as I wouldn’t be covering these bands, songs, albums, etc if I did not love them. 2.) The lists will be formatted with the subject, FFO (For Fans Of), and a blurb (roughly a paragraph) about said subject. The FFO section is subject to change if the list is entirely about one particular subject (the genre for example) 3.) This will be a weekly series. Every Wednesday unless otherwise stated. Delays and postponements are entirely possible, but I will be keeping this up until my mind tells me to stop. 4.) No negative lists. I know that’s cool, and the clickbaity thing to do is to make lists that people can tear apart, argue over, let me know how wrong I am for including or excluding a band, etc. That’s just not me. I may occasionally make a funny title for humor’s sake, but never to just get clicks with no substance. My integrity still means something to me even if that makes me less popular. 5.) A Spotify Playlist will always accompany each list. 1 song to accommodate every point listed so 10 songs in total, unless otherwise stated in the list(s). 6.) I will still be doing my monthly album reviews and my year-end lists per usual. This is just a bonus. 7.) All thoughts are entirely my own. No paid sponsorships, no begging or pleading from any label or band. Just me and my thoughts. So, Let’s Begin! Anaal Nathrakh FFO- Black Metal, Industrial, Soundtrack To The End Of The World Anaal Nathrakh is a US/UK collaboration between Mick Kinney and Dave Hunt that started as some of the grimiest black metal and grindcore-driven metal you could imagine. The rawest of production, the most chaotic of songwriting, and the most outlandish of songwriting and vocal styles. But the band did experience a bit of an awakening where they realized they found the perfect formula. Create pristine production, keep the apocalyptic chaos, but add some of the catchiest choruses you could hear amid absolute destruction. This was the perfect recipe for their doomsday style and eventually got the attention of Metal Blade Records who has helped the band reach new heights and be able to tour more than they had ever before. Over time, the formula has gotten stronger with more melodic solos and leads, more inhumanly absurd with riffs and blast beats, and what may be the greatest Iron Maiden cover I’ve ever heard with their rendition of Powerslave. Even if this style of music is too out there or extreme for your normal tastes, I highly recommend giving this band the proper amount of time to digest in your system. It will fester in you and may become a new favorite band of yours like it has for me. Bloody Hammers FFO- Horror Metal Bloody Hammers is a duo of Anders Manga and his wife Devallia creating what I can only call horror metal. I say this because every album, while still sounding like the band, has a different sound. If you want gothic rock, they have you covered. If you want heavy metal, they have a perfect album for that. If you want something that’s more punk, they of course do that so very well. There is no limit to what the band can achieve other than what they want to accomplish every album cycle. They can write some of the catchiest songs while singing about some of the best horror stories, films, tropes, and original ideas. As long as you can appreciate some doom and gloom and of course clean vocals, Bloody Hammers has at least one album for you. Throughout the years of loving this band, they helped me re-appreciate horror. I always had dug it, but they helped me to accept my love of it (much like the next band I’ll talk about below). I can’t say enough good things about this band and I simply can’t wait to see what their next release has in store. Dog Fashion Disco FFO- Experimental, Alternative Metal, Progressive Metal DFD has become one of my favorite bands of all time and with every passing day, they inch closer to the top. How can you properly describe this band? Simply...you can’t, at least musically. Lyrically, they cover so many horror grounds. Be it anything from the grotesque to real serial killers to their own concept album of a private eye; they have any kind of horror you are looking for and then some. I guess with that said I should at least attempt to describe the band musically. Say, Frank Zappa, Mike Patton, John Carpenter, Devin Townsend, and Stephen King just said, “Fuck it, we’re starting a band!” With Zappa-like orchestration (including brass and woodwind sections), Patton/Townsend vocal ranges, sometimes goofball lyrics and metal stylings, & Carpenter/King subject matters. Whether I need something to match my mental intensity, I need a good laugh, I wanna hear some insane musical sensibilities or I just want something heavy but so diverse; DFD covers all the ground I need and then some. Seriously, go check them out. And check out their side and solo work including Polkadot Cadaver, Knives Out!, El Creepo, and so much more! Green Carnation FFO- Progressive Metal One of the most undervalued bands in all of music. Green Carnation are the absolute masters of writing some of the darkest progressive metal you’ll ever hear. Coming from black metal beginnings and evolving into the underground juggernaut they are today; GC is a band that grabs your heartstrings and never lets us go. Be it the pain-driven lyrics, the captivating riffs, the jaw-dropping vocal lines, or just the overall presentation; the band just hits you in ways that other progressive bands are simply incapable of achieving. To many, they are the band that wrote the 60-minute epic; Light of Day, Day of Darkness (my favorite song of all time), and as much as I do love the song, they are so much more than that. They can hit any genre of metal in a 5-minute song, a 15-minute song, or a 60-minute song and it will give you the same amount of chills throughout, no matter if it’s an acoustic ballad, a Black Sabbath cover, or an hour-long epic. They are a band that puts me near the edge of tearing up every time I hear them, their music is simply that powerful. They just may have the same impact on you as well. If you want a progressive band that is not about musical wankery and so much more about subject and substance, seriously...give this band they love they deserve. Katatonia FFO- Death/Doom (early on) Alternative Metal (middle), Progressive Metal (now) Katatonia is a band of many hats and styles but never a band that changes just to fit in. If anything, they are a band for those that have never fit in. It’s amazing how a band that could write Brave Murder Day could also be the same one that wrote Last Fair Deal Gone Down or Night is the New Day or City Burials. Always writing what the band is inspired to do from prog to more gothic to more alternative. While the band is more or less been done with death/doom for well over 20 years; their early albums are just as enjoyable as anything that came after that time. The live experience can be just as sorrowful as when you sit alone in the dark and throw on an album and gives you a great atmosphere that not many other bands can achieve (if anyone at all). If you only like growls and screams, I’d recommend just their 2 or 3 albums, but for those that want to hear some of the most heartbreaking and gorgeous clean vocals you could ever imagine in metal; Katatonia has you covered and it will be one of the most welcoming and haunting experiences when you take your first deep dive into the band. After that, you will always want to go back and see what else the band has accomplished. With their latest album, City Burials being a bit more electronic than previous work, I am very curious to see what’s next for the band, will they go heavier, more electronic, more acoustic? Time will tell. I just know I’m chomping at the bit in anticipation. Khemmis FFO- Doomed Heavy Metal I simply took the name of their latest EP to describe the band and its the most accurate portrayal of the band. It’s doomed heavy metal. Being at the forefront of doom metal, the band is not afraid to incorporate other styles ranging from death to thrash to prog when needed and called for. Easily one of the best bands to come out of the past decade and it’s not even an option. This is how I love my doom metal with astounding clean vocals and the occasional scream, music that’s not afraid to push the boundaries, tear-jerking lyrics, and that sense of existential dread that looms over all of us. I, of course, can’t forget how unbelievably catchy the band is as well. When they are not writing their next sorrowful opus, they have done unbelievable covers of the likes of Dio, Alice in Chains, and even Lloyd Chandler. A band not for the faint of heart, yet easy for anyone who can appreciate doom metal, classic metal, or simply amazing musicians making incredible music together. Khemmis has been on the rise ever since they started and are soon to be going out on tour with Mastodon and Opeth in the states. The band deserves all the praise they receive and more. Simply put, once again, they are one of the best newer bands going today. Killswitch Engage FFO- Metalcore, NWOAHM One of my first gateway bands of metal. Metallica came first, then came Dream Theater and Opeth, then came the Freddy Vs Jason soundtrack and I instantly fell in love with KSE. Their mixture of metal, hardcore, and melody, while duplicated beyond infinity since then, I had never heard before. No matter if You enjoy the Jesse Leech era or the Howard Jones era...you’re not wrong. Both eras of the band have heartfelt and emotional songs that can hit you so hard with breakdowns, circle pit-inducing riffs, soaring vocal lines, and an undeniable sense of musicality. As eluded to, they have a blend of heavy verses and clean choruses that so many bands have taken and made their own since KSE started, but no band has done it as well and as often as KSE themselves. The lyrical content also just hits home for me be it songs about overcoming adversity, preventing suicide, letting bridges burn, or trying to mend what's left of a relationship; they have something that anyone can relate to and if you are like me, will be inspired by. While this list is filled with bands that have a lot more dark and negative connotations, Killswitch is one of the most positive bands that are not a Christian band or a power metal band. A real-life band based in the real world that sings about real things we all go through in every emotion possible, but almost always leaves you feeling more positive than negative if you let things sink in. While I get the hate a lot of metal fans have over metalcore and KSE, I will never be one of them. KSE has been there for me in some of my darkest times and many times when I’ve been looking to not do another suicide attempt. While they may never see this, I do wanna thank them for what they have done over the past 20+ years. I am broken just like they are and sometimes you just need to hear that repeatability to get through the day, let alone life. King’s X FFO- Progressive Metal, Alternative Metal, Groove Metal King’s X has been a band that has always been one of my favorite bands and over the last several years, they inch ever closer to being my favorite band of all time. While I would be lying if I said I loved all 15 KX releases so far, like a majority of the fan base, the 3 album span from 2000 to 2003 is just not much of my bag, but every other release has been absolutely solid from start to finish. Whether they are misquoted for being a Christian band (still so puzzled by that), hitting Woodstock 94, or having one of the most loyal fan bases in all of music. The band can span any genre of rock and metal they choose and just make it completely their own. The songs can groove so hard, hit you so hard in your emotions, kick your ass with their riffs, or make your jaw drop with their technical proficiency. They are also one of, if not the longest-reigning bands around to this day that still has their original recording lineup. Seeing this band live twice has been life-changing moments for me. Both in 2009 and 2016 were pivotal times in my life and seeing Dug, Ty, and Jerry playing live spoke to me in ways that no other live band has ever done. Catchy, heavy, melodic, and straight from the heart. King’s X is just that perfect band to me and I can’t wait to hear their new album that I hope comes out sometime in 2022. Panopticon FFO- North American Folk Metalcore I describe Panopticon as North American folk metal as it’s truly is the aptest description I’ve heard about the band. Combining the dark atmosphere of black metal with North American folk like bluegrass, Americana, and country and you get one of the most unique sounding bands in black metal. They also have some of the deepest lyrics you’ll hear in the genres attached covering everything from politics, ghosts, mountains, and our dying planet. Originating from Kentucky and now being a Minnesota band (I’m so proud to be able to say that), Panopticon has put out some of the most iconic albums since 2007 and every album just gets stronger than the next. What makes this band stand out amongst any band that could be considered peers? This is a one-man-band, Austin Lunn does everything on every album outside of occasional guest spots that involve string instruments or guest vocals. It's so inspiring to see someone not only be able to pull that off but to make every instrument sound so flawless. While the production on many albums is quite raw, there is nothing inaudible and everything is clear and mixed right where it needs to be. You may not instantly like or even “get” this band right away, but just give it a chance and you may be very pleasantly surprised. Even if you don’t like the metal aspects of the band, they do have Eps, splits, and albums that have at least some full-on folk, country, bluegrass, Americana, and acoustic songs that will hit you just as hard, if not harder, than the fury of blast beats and tremolo picking you’ll hear in the black metal sections. An absolute gem of a band Unto Others FFO- Gothic Metal, Heavy Metal While being originally known as Idol Hands in 2020, the band changed their name, and their debut album under their new moniker is one of the strongest albums I’ve ever heard come from 2021. Sadly, I didn’t discover this band till 2022, well after I made my Top 100 Albums of 2021 list. Had I heard it back when it was originally released, it would have EASILY been a top 3 if not top 2 albums of the year for me. Their mix of heavy metal and gothic metal with the right amount of cynicism and quirky moments make this a band that you have to hear for yourself. When I hear them, it feels like a mix of Type O Negative, Danzig, early day albums from The Cult, and I dare say Manowar at times. It sounds so familiar, but it’s unique at the same time. Every song is catchy in its own way being a brutal metal track, a darker power metal sounding song, or a straight-up goth rock dance club anthem. All of their past work has been re-released under the Unto Others umbrella now, but the new moniker is still dark and fresh. Their next album is going to absolutely destroy everything in it’s path and I simply can’t wait. I dare say it’s my most anticipated album when it eventually gets recorded and sent my way. I want them to become huge on that next release. Check them out now and let’s make that happen! And there you go folks. My Top 10 Bands At The Moment. Or really, the top 10 bands I’m listening to the most as of late. This has been fun to write this down and not have to worry about brand new albums and just talk about bands I love and have loved. Tune in next time for my next installment. Same Heavy Time, Same Debriefings Channel! See Ya! Josh Rundquist (Heavy Debriefings) 
March 2022...how is it we are already on the last Friday of March 2022? Between Wars, Pandemics, and Kim Kardashian continuing to be a celebrity you should never aspire to be; we also has a really good month for heavy releases. No matter your style of rock and metal, and album was sure to have come out this month that grabbed your attention and helped break the immersion of this horrible time loop we can’t escape. But if you haven’t, that’s why I’m here! To help sing the praises to 10 albums every month that is worthy of your attention and praise. While you may not like all 10, I hope you dig at least one album review enough for you tickle your musical fancy and check it out for yourself.
For those in the know, skip the rules and scroll ahead. If you are new or need a refresher, read the following rules on how I do things here and everything is the way it is. 1.) These will be Original Studio ALBUMS. Not EPs, live albums, cover albums, rarities albums, lost albums, splits, collaboration efforts, etc. Simply Original Studio Albums from bands. Simply enough, right? 2.) These will be ALPHABETICAL ORDER. Not ranked. I don’t give away my secrets of what will be in the top 100 that easy. At least buy me a drink first! 3.) These reviews will be like my top 100 list where I give the band name, the album and the FFO section; followed by a paragraph review. I could easily go track by track on every album; but then I will have given everything away. I want YOU to check any of these albums out and make up your own thoughts if you dig it or not. I’m just here to let you be aware these albums are out and for your listening pleasure. 4.) There is nothing sponsored here nor stolen content. Just my own thoughts. I have been given almost every album I review as a stream or promo and anything I missed I checked out on Spotify or Bandcamp after release. 5.) I will be covering more albums in audio form on my podcast every week there is a new show. There may be some crossover, other ones may just be in audio form. So check out both for the optimum experience. 6.) None of these albums are set in stone for the best of 2022. I may be high on them now, but that could change for a multitude of reasons (mainly if the band does something asinine). 7.) Any album not featured here or in the podcast can EASILY still be featured in my top 100. I don’t have the ability to hear every album and some will slip through the cracks now or even then. So I just need to hear an album and make assertions from there. 8.) These are done for YOU. So I hope you can discover some new music on my behalf and be shown that new music has never stopped being great. Just go discover it. Now let’s begin! Agathodaimon- The Seven FFO- Gothic Black Metal, Experimental After 9 long years, One of the best German metal bands have not only reformed, but returned with their best work. With a new killer lineup and a litany of fire burning under the band; Agathodaimon have comeback with pure vengeance in it’s most evil form. The songs are darker and more experimental than ever. The lyrics are soul crushing and really put you in the midst of hell. The production on this album is pristine, along with all of the artwork for the album that matches everything musically to an absolute T. This is what black metal bands should be striving to achieve with their sound in the 21st century. Evolve, but don’t forget what you are about. You will be hard pressed to find a more captivating slab of black metal in 2022. I’m excited for the rest of year, but what could possibly top this from April onward? Dog Fashion Disco- Cult Classic FFO- Experimental Metal DFD has become one of my favorite bands over the years. They write the most sickening and horror drenched lyrical concepts on top of some of the catchiest riffs and melodies you could possibly hear with distortion. While the band has gone through so many trials and tribulations over the years including reuniting, rerecording almost their entire back catalog before forming their own label and not to mention their other killer bands and projects; this if the bands first original album in 7 years and it was absolutely worth the wait. From writing some of the creepiest riffs to date, to some of the heaviest songs in their career to songs that should easily be on Top 40 Rock radio if we lived in a better timeline. You’d never think with their band name that they would be such a slick horror band and you may not even really….”get it” on the first listen, but let Cult Classic burrow inside your ears and let those earworms fester in your brain till it is inescapable. You won’t have a better time with a horror inspired album in 2022...you just won’t. The Flower Kings- By Royal Decree FFO- Progressive Rock Another double disc album release from one of the most legendary prog bands still going today. The Flower Kings have returned after thei8r previous double disc prog album, Islands back in 2020 to continue what they started with Islands, but completely expand on their musical endeavors. If you love the 60s/70s era of progressive rock where experimentation was not only expected, but encouraged. Where you could go from a hard rock riff to a Beatles melody to mind expanding keyboard solos and instrumentation from out of nowhere that completely fits the mold; you get it all and more here with by Royal Decree. Everyone in the band simply shines in all of their glory to write a prog masterpiece that may not be for everyone, but is definitely here for those that want to visit the musical time machine and explore all eras of what music has been, is now, and will be. Simply put, this is a stellar release. Ghost- Impera FFO- Occult Rock, 80s Hard Rock, Progressive Rock Oh boy, I can’t wait to write this up and see all the disdain I will get in return. While I went into much greater detail on the Heavy Debriefings Podcast the week this album came out (go check it out for my thoughts on all of the consistent backlash to the band); I love where the band is at right now in 2022. This is their most innovative album to date. When you can channel Queen and Rush in one track to Danny Elfman and Faith No More in another; you are simply showing off the fact that Ghost is a rubber band style group that can stretch what the band’s genre can be and snap right back into what you originally liked from the band. From prog epics to hair ballads to some of the heaviest songs in the band’s catalog; you have the band’s most diverse album to date. It really is an album that has something for everyone….unless you go into this already hating it, then, I got nothing for you. But for the more open minded, give this one a shot. I am serious! DO IT!!! Kuolemanlaakso- Kuusumu FFO- Death/Doom, Gothic Metal, Avant Garde It’s been a quite a bit of time since the last release from this band and I can easily say that the wait was more than worth it. The band has expanded it’s sound to stretch even further into it’s dark soul ripping sound. If you want a My Dying Bride sound, it’s here. If you want black metal, they got it covered, if you want instrumentation that you just don’t see coming; it’s here as well. The overall theme of this album showcases the winter/dead season and those that are embracing the darkness right before death comes calling, both literally and figuratively. While this album is sure to go under the radar for many in America simp0ly because the album, band name, and the band in general use the Finnish language to get out their passage of music; that should not be a hurdle you need to jump to enjoy this album. It’s so good in and of itself that it should not matter if you can’t speak one Finnish word. Let the music do the talking and let the somber, ever brooding, death doom consume you. Michael Romeo- War of the Worlds: Part 2 FFO- Progressive Metal Symphony X’s Michael Romeo is one of the most underappreciated musicians in the prog metal world. Sure, those that are already family of course understand the power that Romeo brings with every song and every instrument he touches; but the rest of the world need to know about it as well. With the best possible group of musicians backing him on this album outside of SX; Romeo not only shines through the skies on this release; he lets everyone else shine as well. BE it insanely sick drum fills, jaw dropping bass, gorgeous orchestration, or some of the best rock vocals you will hear in 2022; Romeo covers all of the basis you’d expect on this album from power metal to prog metal and of course plenty of shred. BUT he adds to much more instrumentation and styles to this album you simply don’t see coming from around the world. This is what more solo albums should aspire to be. Expand your musical mind, really showcase what you are about it. Don’t be afraid of what you write, let it out there and let it shine. I’m so glad we finally have this album to enjoy over and over again. Playgrounded- The Death of Death FFO- Progressive Post Metal This Greek band’s third album and first in 5 years really showcases the blood, sweat, and especially tears that we have all gone through in the past half decade. The songs are so dark and moody with the right moments on industrial, modern, and atmospheric touches that really makes you appreciate all of the layers the band puts into their sound. As you listen you will be embraced by the sheer heaviness of the band’s sound when it really hits, so somber when the lyrics truly reflect on you, and the overall atmosphere of the sound keeps you hanging on for more. If you can dig what bands like Cult of Luna, The Ocean, and Hangman’s Chair have been up to lately; this should not be an album or a band to miss. This will be going underrated, so give it a chance so it’s no longer…grounded. Sylvaine- Nova FFO- Post Rock, Blackgaze When I hear people say that one person black metal bands only sound raw with crappy production that gets in the way of how good the music could be; I just laugh because that stereotype is no longer accurate. Sylvaine has put out 4 jaw dropping releases so far that showcase not only how good black metal can sound, but how beautiful it can be as well. With Nova, this is easily her greatest work to date with perfectly capturing a great mix of blackgaze and a majority of post rock that grabs your attention with it's atmosphere and does not let go no matter how angelic or devilish the music and vocals become. If you want something that can hit you like a ton of emotional bricks, Sylvaine has you covered. Seriously, mix Alcest, Type O Negative and Harakiri for the Sky in a blender with extra ingredients to truly make it original and you got what Sylvaine is in 2022. A sheer gem of a tortured soul of an album. Threads of Fate- The Cold Embrace of the Light FFO- Dark Epic Metal In this band’s debut album; they have truly captured a unique sound that you simply can’t find elsewhere. While the overall tone is very dark, very somber, and very moody; It hits you in so many different ways. Imagine a band that can capture the likes of Evergrey, Dimmu Borgir, Anathema, Nightwish and their own flavorings into a draconian and vampire-esque sound that both fills you with dread and hope. That is Threads of Fate and it’s what grabs you by it’s deathlike hand and drags you in for the kill. The pairing of vocals from Jon Pyres, who has such an impeccable vocal range, and the instrumentation and orchestration of multi-instrumentalist Vikram Shankar has made for one of the darkest releases of the year and one that should absolutely NOT miss out on. Death, Black, Doom, Prog, Power, Symphonic, Alternative, and so much more. Threads of Fate covers it all and makes it so incredibly cohesive. Pure unadulterated dark magic! Without Waves- Comedian FFO- Progressive Metal, Modern Metal, Experimental This Midwestern band has built up quite the reputation since their conception and with every release the band grows stronger and stronger. With another band who has had a few years between albums, it has worked in their favor as they have easily created the best work of their career so far. Channeling modern metal tones of Gojira, the experimentation of Devin Townsend, the melody and occasional prog of Porcupine Tree all tied together by some chaotic mathcore that Dillinger Escape Plan fans will absolutely salivate over. This unique sound will destroy your senses in one second and brings you back in with love for the next second…then make you wonder what the hell is going on with the following second. It’s an album that keeps you on your toes and once you feel like you’re getting the hang of it, you dive deeper into all of the layers produced and begin to have your jaw drop at their musicality and songwriting capabilities. This is such an incredible album that is more than worthy of the attention of those adventurous enough to take the plunge on Without Waves and see where modern metal music is going to go in the future. And there you have it folks. 10 albums that I absolutely loved in March 2022 that are worth your attention. From the best Selling Rock/Metal album of the month to some underground bands you may have just discovered here. I love that I have a platform to showcase them all and everyone in between. Please return next month as we cover the Top 10 Albums of April 2022. Till Then, this is Josh Rundquist saying, SEE YA! - Josh Rundquist (Heavy Debriefings) 
Ladies, Gentlemen, and Everyone in Between! Thank you for coming back to my monthly list of 10 albums that I think you should check out in our current month. February 25th is here meaning it's the last Friday of the month, meaning It's time for me to cover the shortest month of the year when it comes to heavy music. If you are familiar with how I do my top 100 or you checked out last month's inaugural start to all of this, you can skip right on down, but for the rest; here is the rules for which I do this whole thing.
1.) These will be Original Studio ALBUMS. Not EPs, live albums, cover albums, rarities albums, lost albums, splits, collaboration efforts, etc. Simply Original Studio Albums from bands. Simply enough, right? 2.) These will be ALPHABETICAL ORDER. Not ranked. I don’t give away my secrets of what will be in the top 100 that easy. At least buy me a drink first! 3.) These reviews will be like my top 100 list where I give the band name, the album and the FFO section; followed by a paragraph review. I could easily go track by track on every album; but then I will have given everything away. I want YOU to check any of these albums out and make up your own thoughts if you dig it or not. I’m just here to let you be aware these albums are out and for your listening pleasure. 4.) There is nothing sponsored here nor stolen content. Just my own thoughts. I have been given almost every album I review as a stream or promo and anything I missed I checked out on Spotify or bandcamp after release. 5.) I will be covering more albums in audio form on my podcast every week there is a new show. There may be some crossover, other ones may just be in audio form. So check out both for the optimum experience. 6.) None of these albums are set in stone for the best of 2022. I may be high on them now, but that could change for a multitude of reasons (mainly if the band does something asinine). 7.) Any album not featured here or in the podcast can EASILY still be featured in my top 100. I don’t have the ability to hear every album and some will slip through the cracks now or even then. So I just need to hear an album and make assertions from there. 8.) These are done for YOU. So I hope you can discover some new music on my behalf and be shown that new music has never stopped being great. Just go discover it. Now let’s begin! Amorphis- Halo FFO- Melodic Death Metal, Progressive Metal, Folk Metal Amorphis has just but out my favorite album from the band since 2009's album, Skyfor ger. It hits everything I love out of the band from beautiful hooks, soaring vocals both from the depths of hell and the heavens of your heart (sorry for the pun), some of the catchiest choruses you'll hear in all forms of music this year, and done in a style that allows for their signature sound and also to be outside of the box with their creativity. I am in the camp that Amorphis has yet to put out a clunker of an album and this is so far from being an exception. It also feels like a great starter album for those that want to get introduced to the band. If you like the heavier sides of the band, check out their early work, if you like the proggier adventurous stuff, check out their middle catalog. If you mike the definitive melodeath sound, check out what they've been up to in the last 10-15 years. This is a sheer gem of an album. Arjen Lucassen's Star One- Revel In Time FFO- Progressive Rock, Progressive Metal, Time Travel Movies In what is a first for the Star One Moniker; Arjen Lucassen has decided to break the formula of his previous two Star One albums and include various different singers and write an album that's not a conclusive concept album. This is a thematic album that covers the themes of time travel movies from the likes of The Terminator, Groundhog's Day, Donnie Darko, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, & so much more. In contrast to Lucassen's previous album, Ayreon's Transitus, which captured one of the most serious and darkest sounds of his career; Revel in Time is a lot more of an energetic and fun having album. Both sides of his personality are incredible, but in the state of the world we live in today; sometimes we just need a silly song about a time traveling phone booth to make us smile. The music is simply incredible and the cast of vocalists is jaw dropping to say the least. We really needed this album in 2022 to help take some of the pain away. Give it a shot whether you love Arjen's style, the movies in question, or just wish you lived in a different time period as many of us do right now. Dagoba- By Night FFO- Modern Metal Dagoba has been running strong for over 2 decades now and 19 years since their self titled debut. A band that focuses much more on layers rather than technicality. Substance rather than flash in the pan. And songwriting rather than following trends. Dagoba has put out the perfect Dagoba album in 2022. It hits all the marks of their signature sounds of modern metal, industrial, and overall metal all while continuing to show that every album sounds uniquely different than the one before. It's poppy, catchy, soulful, hard hitting and you'll be singing the choruses for days well after the album is done. Never be afraid to experiment and never be afraid to shine the brightest you can, even if the City Lights are in Neons (I'm really liking the puns this month). Hangman's Chair- A Loner FFO- Doom Metal, Atmospheric Metal, Bands Talking about Mental Health Hangman's Chair's latest album is the most personal album of the band's career. It covers the grounds of depression, anxiety, and mental health as a whole. While when you think of a topic like this you would like to think the answer to all of the problems are sunshine, rainbows, lollipops, and just smiling through the pain; that's simply not accurate. A Loner covers the fact that sometimes when you are at your lowest, you need to be alone with yourself. Being an introvert can be lonely, but when you are one, it can be the only thing that can help get you through. Of course it helps knowing that people care about you and want to help you, but it comes down to you. You gotta do what's going to work best for you. When it comes down to the music, it's heartbreaking both in terms of the lyrics and the notes used to make the music. It has tinges of 80s goth, doom metal, and a tinge of the Blade Runner soundtrack without the synth patches. This is definitely a band for you if you enjoy the likes of Pallbearer. Overall, This album hits so close to home for me and if you feel anything like I do or if you just enjoy what you've just read, hopefully you'll enjoy this as well. Immolation- Acts of God FFO- Straight Up Death Metal When it comes to death metal, and I mean that classic, straight up, brutal & chaotic death metal. Not the most technical music you'll ever hear, not the most simplistic, and not your typical death metal that bands far and wide try to duplicate but will never replicate; Immolation is the masters of the death metal sound that those in the know are fully aware that they are simply one of the best the genre will ever see. Acts of God is simply one of the best death metal albums we will get this year. It's production is raw but so clear. The songwriting is so powerful and brutal that every song is guaranteed to grab your attention and make you pay attention when a particular riff strikes you just right and wonder what just happened. There will be other bands to put out brutal albums in 2022, but nothing that will hit you quite like this. Manic Sinners- King of the Badlands FFO- Hard Rock, Melodic Metal, 80s AOR In the polar opposite of what I just covered above; Manic Sinners is a perfect throwback to bands of the 70s, 80s, and early 90s that now how to write the most catchy and melodic songs that were just meant to be sang along to at festivals and arenas. Not afraid of wearing their inspirations on their sleeves (and more bands should not be afraid of this either. A good sound is a good sound) Manic Sinners have written album of stadium anthems, heart grabbing ballads, and just the right amount of heavy moments that work out for anyone who checks this album, no matter what kind of rock and metal you enjoy. It's 80s AOR passed through a heavy metal filter created with the musical knowledge of 2022. I can't sell it much better than that. This is just a friggin' fun album! Serious Black- Vengeance is Mine FFO- Power Metal, Heavy Metal Probably my favorite band that is a play on words of a Harry Potter character (That's where they got it from, right? Sirius Black? Anyways...) Serious Black have returned and with 6 albums in 8 years and they very well may have written their best album to date. Even with some pretty....serious...changes to the band's lineup over the years; the lineup is finally solidified here and bringing in new vocalist Nikola Mijic into the fold was the best decision for the band as everything now perfectly gels together and every song just works magnificently. No matter how heavy, how orchestral, how sorrowful of a ballad or full of energy; Serious Black is firing on all cylinders. This is the Serious Black album I've been waiting for since their inception and I didn't even realize it till I heard it. For anyone who enjoys their power metal with more of a mystical feel; this is the band and the album for you. Shape of Despair- Return to the Void FFO- Funeral Doom Metal In the opposite reaction to Hangman's Chair talked about earlier in this list, where loneliness can be cathartic and needed to push forward; Finland's Shape of Despair have returned with their latest opus to prove that once you lost the light, even if you find it again, there's no escaping the darkness. This dirge encrusted funeral doom album is the soundtrack of being lowered into your grave being figuratively or realistically. The songs truly capture that loneliness, that feeling of being obsolete and left behind in your own life, the pain that will never escape you. This captures the other side of mental health struggles where that loneliness, depression, anxiety and all of the hell that comes with it is all too real and sadly, it never truly goes away. It's always there once it hits you and all you can try to do is get the better of it or let it consume you. Return to the Void is that album of the latter, letting the music and depression consume you once again after trying so desperately to escape it's claws. I love this album so very much and I 100% fully support the notion that having an album like this can do the opposite of it's sound and message actually help you as it's a relatable feeling and it can really be so cathartic to hear an album like this know, know others feel a similar pain that you do and are still here. As you are. Keep trying to get better and one day you may be able to get it under control. Until then, this album will hit you so very hard if you let it. So get some Kleenex, turn off all the lights and return to the void. Silent Skies- Nectar FFO- Cinematic, Ambient Tom Englund and Vikram Shankar. Two of the best musicians in the worlds in progressive metal joined together first in the band Redemption, and after working together realized they had something even stronger than dark progressive metal to tie their bond together and decided to create a new entity of dark infused ambient and cinematic rock/pop in the form of Silent Skies. Their debut album was my number 2 album of the year when released and they immediately started work on their sophomore album that became known as Nectar. Adding more atmosphere when needed, more instrumentation when called for and of course, more sorrow and a sense of hopeless optimism more than ever before creates a dark vision that equally makes you cry and makes you think. If you want a different take on what Adele was all about at one point or if you want to hear something that can combine the likes of Sigur Ros and Anathema in terms of emotion and songwriting; Silent Skies is not a band to miss out on. I can't wait to see where this lands on my top 100 list at the end of the year. Zeal & Ardor- S/T FFO- Experimental Black Metal It's only been over the past year or two where I realized how polarizing Zeal & Ardor. TO me, they have been an underground band that captures the idea of what would happen if African American Spirituals were about Satan instead of God that became even more than the initial idea. Last year's Wake of the Nation EP hit so hard about both police brutality and the racial divide in America (living in Minnesota, this especially hit home with me) and now with their 3rd full LP and an ever growing fan base; the band has put out their most cohesive and forward thinking album to date. If you like the original sound of Devil is Fine, it's here. If you like what they've done with Wake of the Nation, it's here as well. If you like them continuously experimenting to their heart's content; of course, that's still here in strides. It's black metal by the ways of atmospheric, African American Spirituals, blackgaze, and Emperor sounding riffing that no one else even tries to attempt. It's a modern day album looking at modern day problems while also looking at the past for some of it's evil. It's catchy, it's dark, it hits you hard. This is what Zeal & Ardor should be in 2022. And it doesn't hurt to pay attention to their message. Oh, and before I forget. Jordan Peele, meet Zeal & Ardor. Zeal & Ardor meet Jordan Peele. Now that you are acquainted, make a horror movie based on Devil is Fine. Thank You! And there we go folks, 10 of my favorite albums that I wanted to talk about in February 2022. March looks like it is coming in strong with some killer heavy albums so be on the lookout and return next month for when I talk about the top 10 albums of March 2022. Till Then, this is Josh Rundquist saying, See Ya! - Josh Rundquist 
Hey Everybody! Surprised to see me back so soon? OR maybe you’re still tryi8ng to wrap your mind around the fact that I used to be That Drummer Guy but now I’m going under my own name for this new chapter called Heavy Debriefings? Regardless, I am here and I have decided to keep the album reviews going year round! And of course by that I mean I am doing it monthly at the end of every month (maybe even December?) to cover 10 of my favorite albums to come out during that month. Much like my top 100 (and 40 honorable mentions) I am going to do a quick bite size review of every album discussed and who knows, maybe if I get enough pep in my step, I may write up things every week? But to help kick off this new chapter of my music coverage let’s go over the ground rules.
1.) These will be Original Studio ALBUMS. Not EPs, live albums, cover albums, rarities albums, lost albums, splits, collaboration efforts, etc. Simply Original Studio Albums from bands. Simply enough, right? 2.) These will be ALPHABETICAL ORDER. Not ranked. I don’t give away my secrets of what will be in the top 100 that easy. At least buy me a drink first! 3.) These reviews will be like my top 100 list where I give the band name, the album and the FFO section; followed by a paragraph review. I could easily go track by track on every album; but then I will have given everything away. I want YOU to check any of these albums out and make up your own thoughts if you dig it or not. I’m just here to let you be aware these albums are out and for your listening pleasure. 4.) There is nothing sponsored here nor stolen content. Just my own thoughts. I have been given almost every album I review as a stream or promo and anything I missed I checked out on Spotify or bandcamp after release. 5.) I will be covering more albums in audio form on my podcast every week there is a new show. There may be some crossover, other ones may just be in audio form. So check out both for the optimum experience. 6.) None of these albums are set in stone for the best of 2022. I may be high on them now, but that could change for a multitude of reasons (mainly if the band does something asinine). 7.) Any album not featured here or in the podcast can EASILY still be featured in my top 100. I don’t have the ability to hear every album and some will slip through the cracks now or even then. So I just need to hear an album and make assertions from there. 8.) These are done for YOU. So I hope you can discover some new music on my behalf and be shown that new music has never stopped being great. Just go discover it. Now let’s begin! Battle Beast- Circus of Doom FFO- Power Metal, Modern Metal, Metal ABBA This album is fun, full of cheese and easily the best Battle Beast album to date. It really feels on Circus of Doom that the band has figured out who they are after a couple albums of discovering themselves and seeing what works and what doesn’t. What did the band need? Just more fun! Also more metal! If you want an album that will just put a smile on your face and remind you that catchy pop sensibilities can work in metal. You just may want to enter the circus of doom! Celeste- Assassine(s) FFO- Blackgaze I truly think this may be the best produced blackgaze album that I have ever come across. The production is pristine, clean and full, while still maintaining the rawness that’s truly needed to make the back metal element of blackgaze standout. This french band has really taken what you need to create an atmosphere in and of itself over the past 5 albums and created the perfect formula for it in their brand new 6th album. If you don’t speak French, don’t let it get in your way. The vocal melodies standout so much that it should not be an issue. Just kickback and enjoy the ethereal masterworks of Celeste! Comeback Kid- Heavy Steps FFO- Hardcore, Metallic Hardcore, Pop Rock Comeback Kid is back and they are at their finest album so far. They come in, write the best songs they could possibly bring, invite a few welcomed guests to the party, and leave you just after long enough to where you will want to immediately start over and enjoy the album once again. That is how you make a hardcore album! Its heavy, catchy, and ready to be the soundtrack of the next circle pit you get to (safely) attend. Comeback Kid is simply nailing it. Dance With The Dead- Driven to Madness FFO- Heavy Metal, Synthwave, Horror-Synth When you can get John and Cody Carpenter to guest on your album; you know that you are in good company. Dance with the Dead have put out their best work to date with catchy, haunting and fun songs that fit the mood no matter the time of year (though this DEFINITELY needs to be played at your next Halloween social gathering). If you dig a modern take on 80s horror music; Dance with the Dead is the band for you. The Ferrymen- One More River to Cross FFO- Power Metal Magnus Karlsson, Ronnie Romero and Mike Terrana...The perfect power metal trio. I’ve always been a fan of The Ferrymen, but something about this album has grabbed me in a way that no other album from potentially ANY of these 3 men has grabbed me before. Its filled with some of the best choruses you’ll hear all year mixed with magnificent music proficiency. TO anyone who says that power metal is in a lull right now has clearly missed out on this album. Check this out immediately! In Loving Memory- The Withering FFO- Melodic Funeral Doom Metal A brand new discovery for me thanks to Cary the Metal Geek at MSRCast/Metal Geeks/Mainstream Resistance. Spanish Doom metal with just the right flavorings of melodeath and funeral doom metal vocals. It’s as if you combined Insomnium and Mournful Congregation and drank in the best parts of both bands. Absolutely tearjerking and haunting all while filling you with a sense of dread and melodies that you just do not expect till it happens. This is how its done, folks! Lawnmower Deth- Clunt Cutters FFO- Crossover Thrash The band’s first new album in...28 F’N YEARS! And they know how to bring things back in style. 18 songs, 34 minutes, absolutely zero filler. Just killer songs from start to finish whether it’s a mid tempo stomper or a thrash metal riff that will send you torpedoing into the pit; Lawnmower Death has brought back their signature style of crossover thrash and in 2022, it’s what the world needs now. Don’t skip out on this one. It’s one hell of a return. Pensees Nocturnes- Douce Fange FFO- Avant Garde Black Metal, Experimental I covered the band’s 2019 album, Grand Guignol Orchestra in my top 100 of 2019 list calling it the soundtrack to an x-rated circus horror movie and this new album does not fall far from the freak show tent! The album is completely absurd and just plain bonkers. This album does feature much more diversity in it’s psychotic nature, which makes everything sound even more bizarre and frightening. Put this album on the next time you go on a date and they tell you that they listen to everything. Let’s find out if they are lying! Power Paladin- With The Magic of Wyndfire Steel FFO- Power Metal Look, power metal is a cheesy metal genre. Dragonforce has taught all of the outsiders about that over 20 years ago. Sometimes you have to embrace the cheese and not take yourself so seriously. Sometimes you need a band that is not afraid of who they are and even on their debut album, an Icelandic power metal can randomly break into The Legend of Zelda main theme and make it make absolute sense in context. That’s exactly what Power Paladin does here. It’s every power metal cliché rolled into one package and I wouldn’t want it any other way. If you want an absurd power metal band like Gloryhammer but can’t listen them anymore because (well...just google it); let Power Paladin take their place. They are more a worthy substitute and just an overall killer band. Wilderun- Epigone FFO- Progressive Death Metal, North American Folk Metal Some bands are afraid to wear their influences on their sleeve. Some do it and will not admit it. Wilderun knows that they have an undeniable Opeth influence, but especially on Epigone; they have proven that they band can branch out and become a whole new entity while still showing off what they know and love. They dynamics on this album are completely insane from whisper spoken vocals to bombastic blastbeats that destroy everything in it’s path. Imagine Opeth’s prog death, Devin Townsend’s whimsical off the wall genre bending, and just the right amount of Ne Obliviscaris orchestration and you have what just may be America’s answer to Ne Obliviscaris. This will be in many people’s top albums of the year and there is absolutely no misunderstanding as to why, This has it all! And there you go ladies, gentlemen and everyone in between! My January picks for 2022. It’s been a killer month and I’ve left out some great albums just to keep this at a top 10, so make sure you stay on the lookout for what’s to come in February 2022 which I know will be one of my favorite metal months of 2022. Now go discover some new music! - Josh Rundquist (Heavy Debriefings)  Hello ladies, gentlemen and everyone in between! That Drummer Guy here after all of my work is done for 2021 and and after this message I am fully taking off till at least January, if not longer for that event that happens when you finally hit the wall...burnout.
Let me start off with the positives of this year of which is honestly few and far between. The music this year has been impeccable. Every genre of rock and metal this year has put out masterpiece after masterpiece andf I know some of these albums from 2021 will end up being some of my favorite albums of all time. Some albums were written years ago, some were written entirely when touring was not at all a possibility; and we still have yet to see all of the fruits of these bands' labors as so much more of this tribulatious period is going to be hitting in the next year or two.. So for as crappy as this year has been; the music has been pretty sweet. I somehow got a PS5 and Xbox Series S at retailers at normal MSRP. Those both have been keeping me sane. While there are not many games that are exclusively for these consoles yet, I am future proofed and I get to enjoy these babies longer before the next generation hits, and with how this generation is going, that's going to be a good long time. Plus a lot of the games that have come out for both consoles have rarely been duds. When I get back into the swing of things I'll do a recap of my favorite games of this year in 2022. Same goes with wrestling. While all of my attention has been on AEW and partially on NJPW; there has been quality work from both promotions and while they are not for everyone and obviously wrestling is not for everyone, it's a gateway for me for a couple hours a week where I can just forget all my problems and just watch tv for a couple hours a week. And I am trying to better myself physically. I have been doing what I can to cut back on caffeine and pop and been doing what I can to drink wither Liquid IV, Gatorade/Powerade, or just plain cold water. Back on Friday I got myself a smart water bottle which helps me to tell me when to drink water. And I was able to to give my stats to help suggest how much water I need a day. Given my age, height, weight, and being diabetic, 87 ounces is recommended and on the bottle I use, that's 4 and a half bottles roughly. It's a lot, but even after this short amount of time, I do feel better. My headaches are minimal, less cramps. Yeah, this might work. Hopefully with gradual weight loss (which is happening slowly but surely), I can get the amount of water down or maybe this is a good number? let's find out! As for everything else, yeah, it's been quite crappy. It past the 2 year anniversary of my brother's death and I still feel like he's here. Most people reading this will think that's kinda sweet thinking he's always watching over me. In actuality, my trauma form his over 3 decades of abuse leave me feeling that he is still going to try to call me to threaten my life or convince me to kill myself or just remind me of every one of my flaws to the extant that it will not leave my psyche. The hell he put me through in the most stalkerish of ways....I just want to be over it, I wish it worked that way. Funny how that works out as well as Halloween this year, I officially lived longer than my brother. Something I never thought would happen. I've been trying to figure out if this is the new chapter of my life now knowing that I finally beat my brother at the only thing he wanted....all he wanted was to outlive me. He lost. I'm a morbid guy if you couldn't tell. My dad ended up marrying the woman who told me I should have died instead of my brother back in 2019 as he was more "valuable in life than I could ever be." He married her the week before my birthday then had the gall to call my on my birthday to tell me about it. 2 days later I get a text saying he had a heart attack right after I hung up on him and he would "text me back" when he is ok. SO for all I know either he forgot, does not care, or died. I feel like an awful person for wishing for the latter, but with all the horrendous things he did in his life to me, my family and others that I oh so wish I could say without getting sued...let's just say that he is a scumbag an move on. My mom? All I learned that is the most heinous thing my dad did, my mom let happened and did nothing to stop it or try to make things better after. I found that out this year and like I tell my parents every single year to stop calling me (from blocked numbers or their own) I keep getting calls as if I said nothing at all and all is forgiven. My mom had her mind snap back in 2000 where she became the most violent evil person outside of my brother I could imagine at the time, but was able to turn on a dime and put on the fakest, sweetest character of a loopy woman you could ever meet. The kind of person where you could just say "you know, Hitler wasn't that bad of a guy, he didn't have all those people exterminated" and she would just gleefully agree with you as if you just told her she looked pretty. Now after 21 years, she has the act down to where if she needs something from you, she's the sweetest person till you can't do it, then she turns spiteful and hates you. My grandma on my dad's side (with her own closet of skeletons) now has dementia. Has me a bit scared for my own demise. Though as I remember way too much (a blessing and a curse) maybe getting dementia would be a blessing in disguise as I could have a few years of peace where I'll actually know true happiness by being able to forget the past and just exerpience the present. Pretty morbid way to look at it eh? Not sure if you noticed but I grew up around shitty people and it will forever haunt me. As for myself. I became the fattest I ever became and seeing the weight on the scale just made me hate myself more and more, hence the part where I am trying to work on myself physically and drinking a lot more water. Mentally, I am just as messed up as I've ever been. Suicidal, wishing I was never here, Wishing I had it in me to end it all and wishing there was no one that would miss me when I'm gone so I could do it without guilt. It's ironic that I feel this way as I know I'm nowhere near alone on this and I had several people reach out to me for help this year trying to find a reason for themselves to keep going. All but one I was able to help out, the other just did it anyways. Thankfully all parties are still alive, but I hate that this is a reality. I'm glad people can trust me because no one understands a suicidal mind more than someone else struggling. No therapist, no doctor, no higher power. Unless you've had those thoughts, you can't get it. The pandemic has been really messing with me as well. I've lost all hope that this thing is going away and we will just have to get vaccined every year just like the flu (and no, covid is not a flu or like the flu, please be smarter than that). The isolation that comes with it hurts the most for me. I haven;'t seen anyone in person that considers me a friend in over 2 years and anyone that does considers me a friend does not live anywhere near me to go see or come see me. The black mirrors I have that give me access to the internet are all I have for communication these days outside of errands and seeing random people. It really doesn't help that I took the necessary steps I needed to get away from my family as even people all the crap hit the fan, I at least got a phone call every week or sometimes every day. But I know it is for the best as I do actually feel better until they get brought up into conversation or they try to get a hold of me. It feels like it will never end till everyone is gone. Ugh. Then in less personal stuff, but still heartbreaking stuff. All of the musicians and bands I can't in good conscious listen to or support anymore. When bands say things that are so stupid that are against science or trying to kill off people like me or trying to bring the downfall of civilization, I just have to wash my hands of it and be done with them. If you can separate the art from the artist, I'm glad you can enjoy things that I just can't anymore. Blame it on over 3 decades of trauma, I can't support terrible people no matter how good of artists they can be. I used to, but 2021 took all that power away from me and like with my family, it is for the best even if it hurts in the short term. And that brings me to the focal point of me writing all of this up this year. Burnout! On the great plus side. I hit over 800 interviews this year and I've been doing this for over a decade since August 2nd. I love what I do and there's only been such a small handful of interviews that have gone wrong or worse in that time. Some that are available to hear on YouTube, some I'll never ever air and some that I could never use the actual recordings for as outside influences took that power away. Otherwise, I have met or talked to almost all of my personal heroes, talked to some of my favorite and some of the biggest bands in hard rock and metal and bands that I even gave their first interviews to that are rocketed towards success since. This year; take my mental health with all of the depression, anxiety trauma and suicidal thoughts, add constant stress from horrendous "family" and just life in general, feel free to add this pandemic on top of things for what will be 2 full year coming up in March, constantly feeling like I suck at what I do either with the quality of what I do or with marketing or just general lack of interest from people as I see fellow people in my fields that have incredible success whether they started before or after me, doing everything That Drummer Guy related 100% by myself from recording, producing, mixing, mastering, reviewing, sending out emails for interviews, answering inquiries for interviews, design, website work, social media, making playlists, and of course writing up 140 reviews in a week's time to some appreciation but what is the lowest reaction and view rate I've ever had doing this.....add ALL of that together and been dealing with burnout since the beginning of the year and I've used myself dry. I feel like if I make one more show, one more review, one more interview, one more new stress I've never dealt with, one more ANYTHING that involves stress and I'll simply tip over and die. This weekend alone I slept for almost 40 hours and I still feel like I haven't slept a wink. Granted I have not gotten good sleep for a very long time and I am hoping an incoming new mattress will take care of the physical pains preventing good and proper sleep, but still. I feel like if I step into the ER right now, I would be in the ICU as I've been put into the ICU for less in the past, but (stupidly or not) I'm trying all I can to fight that from happening. I just simply don't have fight in me right now, for what I do as That Drummer Guy or honestly in life. I need to rest and I plan on doing so. Thankfully I am in a spot where I can take time off and be ok financially, but I want to get back into the spot where I can be at 100% again and not struggling mentally and physically before I do ANYTHING. I'm not joking to where every single interview I've done this year, I felt like I was going to have a heart attack before or after it. During each one I am usually completely fine, but everything before and after tears me to shreds. From where I used to have an interview up within an hour of me recording it to now waiting weeks after I get the ok to post it because I just don't have it in me to put it up. I have everything I've done this year up so I'm not hoarding anything, but still. Even as I write this up I can feel the burnout killing me and I just want to slam my head against my new Razer Huntsman Elite keyboard and just fall asleep till 2022 in a state of hibernation. So whats up? As I've said, the rest of the year, I'm off. And I have every intention of going past January as well. SO before I...well...you know...die... I need to stop everything, rest up, work on me and come back better bother mentally and physically. If I don't, you'll see a couple people say how much they miss me after hearing I left this mortal coil then be quickly forgotten in such a cynical irony of "Oh yeah, I think I remember That Drummer Guy." in the way that the nickname was come up with in the first place of knowing I exist(ed) but not truly knowing who I am or what I do. If you feel the need to get a hold of me, please do. I'm still here and alive. I will be slow to answer any calls or texts or emails or messages as I need to separate myself from the black mirrors, but I'm not shutting anything off, I completely plan on coming back (hopefully better than ever) and honestly, I really could use the conversation as talking into my mic is the most amount of time I open my mouth to talk anymore. SO if you know how to get a hold of me and you want to, please do. Otherwise if You don't have my info, its not hard to find, just message me. Over 10 years, over 800 interviews, countless reviews and songs played and shows covered. Many friends met, many more friends left, so many ups, so many lows and somehow I'm still here, alive. Let's hope I keep that last part going. So, until I get my collective and figurative shit together, this is That Drummer Guy Josh Rundquist saying SEE YA! - Josh Rundquist (That Drummer Guy) 
Welcome to the finale of 2021; That Drummer Guy’s Top 100 Albums of 2021 Part VI: The Top 20. We have reached the top of the mountain and it is good….well I think it’s good, it’ll depend on you if you dig what these 20 albums have to offer. Before getting into the trues and battling this list, I would just like to say thank you to everyone for making this far. Despite this being my favorite thing to do every year, this year, it really took a lot out of me, then again, so many things took a lot out of me this year. I’m running on fumes and I am so looking forward to taking the rest of the year off and maybe longer to just try to get back into some sort of normalcy and get back into a better state of being for both body and mind. If you are going through anything similar I am hoping the same for you as well as no one should have to suffer during this time of year on top of all the suffering the world is currently dealing with for the elongated amount of time. But before I go into my thoughts on the world right now, let’s get over to the tules and finish this list off with a bang!
- These are 100 ALBUMS that I loved this year ranked from 100-1. - No EPs, live albums, compilations, rarity albums, reissues, or any specialty releases. Just brand new LPs - The list is broken down into 6 parts which I release Monday to Friday, 20 albums a piece, countdown style. Black Friday brings on the Honorable Mentions list, which is 40 albums that didn’t make my Top 100, but deserve just as much praise. - There are many reasons that an album won’t show up on this list. I did not have enough time to hear it enough, I didn’t hear it, it wasn’t my bag...baby, and new for 2021; The band/Artist does something so stupid that I simply can’t support them anymore. -While The top 100 is ranked, look at this as 100 albums you should check out and not 5 parts you can skip and just check out the top 20. Every album here is awesome and what may be album 100 or 72 or 47 may be your favorite album or discovery of the year. So give anything that gets your attention a spin. We live in the digital age, there’s no excuse to skip out anymore. - These are my thoughts and my thoughts alone. No outside influences, no one asking me to put them on the list, no pressure from higher sources. Just what I dig and you just may dig as well. - And most importantly...go discover some new music!!! And now let's finish this! 20.) Moon Machine- S/T FFO- Progressive Metal There is a new crop of bands that have really latched onto the prog of 15-20 years ago from the likes of Opeth, Porcupine Tree, Tool, and Mastodon that have really taken the best elements and combined their own flavors to create some inspiring new music. That’s exactly what’s going on here with Moon Machine. The debut album from this band is simply incredible and the fact that again this level of songwriting chemistry is just on the debut LP means that the power of what’s to come has someone like me salivating. The album in particular is actually a hard listen for me as it deals a lot with inner struggle *something I’m all too familiar with) and the album really does have those feels of highs lows and emotional swings that you feel when you are dealing with mental health issues. If it’s not enough that this album hits so close to home for myself and anyone else struggling; the album is available as a Pay What You Want feature on bandcamp and proceeds of any money spent on the album on Bandcamp goes to mental health charities. This band is doing everything right and I can’ t wait to see what’s next. 19.) The Lion’s Daughter- Skin Show FFO- Horror Metal A band that has such great heavy and sludge metal elements combined with horror synth; this band is going right after my heart. Every song the band has ever written feels like the perfect theme song for a horror movie and Skin Show is no different. The keyboards and synths throughout this album help the band shine through more than if it was just a standard metal affair and it really gives the band that replay value. Then it has the added benefit of having the rest of the band be just as killer. An underrated album for sure and I’m glad I can shine a bit of light on it. If I was to ever be in a band again, this is what I would want to be inspired by. 18.) Nightland- The Great Nothing FFO- Symphonic Death Metal, Gothic Metal In absolute proof that nothing is final till I fully write it up. This album was originally in my honorable mentions list as I just didn’t have enough time to really appreciate it….then I decided to give it another spin and I had to push it up all the way into the top 20. This has everything I’m looking for in a band. Power, emotion, brilliant songwriting, sorrowful lyrics, and jaw dropping instrumentation and musical chemistry. While the band can get quite speedy, it doesn’t hit anywhere near the extremes that other symphonic death metal bands do, and that’s what makes it really work, it’s more subdued and focused on atmosphere rather than BPM. Substance over style. I love this album and you may as well if you check it out. 17.) Phantom Elite- Titanium FFO- Power Metal, Groove Metal, Symphonic Metal If Gojira decided to become a symphonic power metal band. It sounds like such a far fetched concept, right? Well, not anymore. Phantom Elite really makes it work with such heavy riffs and soaring choruses that sounds so odd on paper but it flawless in execution. It’s catchy in all the right ways. Take away any preconceived notions and give this album a shot. There’s a good reason why I have this album in my top 20. 16.) MOL- Diorama FFO- Blackgaze Once Deafheaven changed their sounds and leaned more away from black metal a few years ago; Blackgaze started to become a less wanted and disassociated genre. While some bands kept the torch lit, other bands followed suite and completely changed their sound or broke up entirely. Then there is MOL, a band that is not your standard blackgaze affair and since 2014 have been writing some of the most abstract and creative music in the genre. Diorama is an odd mix of uplifting sounding blackgaze with absolutely devastating lyrics that knows how to get to a tortured soul such as myself. MOL just continues to prove that any band and any genre can innovate and it’s never too late to see how far your musical wingspan truly is. I love this album...so much. 15.) Northtale- Midnight Bells FFO- Power Metal One listen and I knew this was going to be the best pow2er metal album of the year and it was by a country mile. This is what I want from my power metal. Fun music to listen to, try to comprehend, and the visions you get while listening to the songs and deciphering the lyrics. This is what power metal is meant to be and I couldn’t be happier that even with a lineup change and of course the hardships of life that Northtale can come back for a new album and plow through any expectations and raise the bar for any new power metal band to follow. A sheer delight of an album. 14.) Sleep Token- This Place Will BE Your Tomb FFO- Alternative Metal, Experimental Metal A band that is either going to make your jaw drop or you will have absolutely no interest. Saying “meh, they are ok I guess” to this band seems impossible. It’s pure love or hate. I LOVE this band and they are easily my discovery of the year. Its so soulful and powerful while taking an experimental approach and adding modern metal, industrial and other genres to the pallet and having all of it stick the landing. This year I have really been getting more into music that really makes me feel something on an emotional and darker level. When you hear the album title, you think funeral doom metal and that’s what I expected going in and that is not at all what I got in return. This is a band I can only picture blowing up on their next album and let’s all hope it happens. 13.) Carcass- Torn Arteries FFO- Melodic Death Metal, Grindgore The masters are back after 6 years and they have released another solid album for their catalog. While this album does not hit any of the extremes that some fans may have expected. It takes a much more melodic and visceral approach to an album such as Swansongs. This is extreme in it’s lyrical and musical content, not so much on the speed, but it doesn’t need to be. This a perfect album fort people to get into Carcass if they never have before. It’s just that perfect cynical album of 2021. 12.) Fear Factory- Aggression Continuum FFO- Industrial, Groove Metal The final album between Dino and Burton is here and what a hell of an album to go out on with this lineup. This is my favorite album since Archetype (the most underrated FF album) and easily their best album since Demanufacture, and I don’t say that lightly. It’s the perfect blend of the mechanical brutality of riffs mixed with some of the most gorgeous cho9ruses you could possibly hear in a style like this. Plus they have a song about Mad Max called Fuel Injected Suicide Machine, which may be their best single possibly ever. While the soul of Fear Factory is changing and a new singer is about to be announced any time now, I can only hope they can maintain what’s been accomplished here as this is too good of an album to be a final album, though it’s the perfect ending note to this chapter of the band. 11.) Lantlos- Wildhund FFO- Post Metal, Post Rock, Alternative Metal, Shoegaze Going from a pure raw black metal band into a blackgaze band into what the band is now shows that the entity known as Lantlos is ever fluid and I wouldn’t want it any other way. Wildhund is an album that is so extremely hard to describe without just having you listen to the music. It’s a gorgeous sounding album and really fills your senses with fantasy and whimsy but it still sounds heavy and very metal. It’s not power metal and follows no similar tropes; its just something completely of it’s own merit. All I can really say is listen to the album for yourself. If you have no idea who the band is going in, it will still be different than what you expect. A true standout album from a truly outstanding band. 10.) Light The Torch- You Will Be The Death of Me FFO- Melodic Metalcore, Alternative Metal I haven’t listened to FM rock radio since the start of the pandemic, but I will say that if Light The Torch is not on modern rock radio, that is a complete shame. The band has everything to make it in top 40 rock radio while maintaining integrity. Howard Jones shows off his powerful clean vocals and uses any screams in such a minimal amount that you may forget that he even does them anymore. This is just a solid metal album that deserves the appeal of the masses. There’s no excuse for anything less. 9.) Between The Buried And Me- Colors II FFO- Adult Contemporary Progressive Death Metal When I heard that Colors II was an album coming out in 2021, I thought it was joke. Oh how I chortled in rapturous glee. But then I actually experienced the album and this album is no joke. It’s the perfect sequel album to the original Colors album. It’s much more mature songwriting and lyrical content and you can absolutely hear the progression of the band if you go from Colors to Colors II and it’s still the same lineup in both bands, which you in this world of ever changing band lineups, you just don’t expect anymore. This was an album I never would have expected or maybe even wanted, but now that it is here’ I can’t picture a world without it. Now lets see if BTBAM can play both albums each night on tour one day. 8.) Loch Vostok- Opus Ferox- The Great Escape FFO- Progressive Metal I’m just going to say it right off the bat. I miss Teddy Moller’s vocals. To me they were the signature part of the band that really got me into the band all those years ago. BUT, and I do mean BUT, having Jonas Radehorn took away any problems that I may have had with Teddy stepping down from vocals and just playing guitar. This album is pure and utter perfection and such a great representation of the world we live in right now. It’s dark and gloomy and it’s a hard look in the mirror, but it’s real and authentic and as screwed as we may be, at least we got a badass album out of it from this long lasting band. Loch Vostok is still dangerously underrated and may be the best prog metal band of it’s style going just listen and you’ll understand why. 7.) Zornheym- The Zornheim Sleep Experimental FFO- Horror Metal, Symphonic Blackened Death Metal The sophomore album from this band shows that the band is only getting stronger and the life of this horror universe is only going to continue to grow. With such a dark concept, outstanding musicality and some of the best imagery in metal today; Zornheym is a band that is only growing bigger and bigger and you absolutely owe it to yourself to check this band out be it you’re a fan of the genre, horror, or both. There really needs to be a full on horror movie for this album. One day...maybe… 6.) Bloody Hammers- Songs of Unspeakable Terror FFO- Punk Rock, Heavy Metal, Horror Bloody Hammers is a band that I say every time is incapable of making the same album twice and I love them for that reason. They can make a pure heavy metal album, a goth album, a synth driven album, and now in 2021, a punk metal album. With everything you’d want from a horror band and odds to classic metal horro9r movies and tropes, this album goes by so far, but it is so rewarding. Bloody Hammers just scratches the itch no one else can scratch and I know that will continue to happen for years to come. 5.) Swallow The Sun- Moonflowers FFO- Death Doom Metal This album wrecked me so hard and it just recently came out. Literally cried multiple times on this record and the music and lyrics are the reasons why. Its the sorrow driven by both the haunting vocals and the dirge driven music that makes you feel like your mortality is coming to an end. It’s the feel bad album of the year and I of course mean that in the best way possible. Make sure to have some tissues with you if you listen to this album, you’ll thank me later. 4.) Mastodon- Hushed and Grim FFO- Progressive Metal, Sludge Metal, Alternative Metal This album appears to be quite the watershed moment for the band. If you’ve gotten into the band since Crack The Skye, this double album is easily heavier than anything they’ve done I the past 11 years. If you are a fan up to Crack The Sky, this album as so many familiar moments with everything that’s come after. It’s a mixed bag of both eras of the band. for many that is all too consuming and they may lose interest after a while. For someone like me on the other hand, this is an album I’ve wanted from the band since the very beginning. It’s as heavy as it is mainstream sounding. It’s an odd mix on paper but the execution, while long (it’s a double album, so duh), is so rewarding. Its a true album experience, not just a collection of songs. If you give it the proper time it needs and let it sink it, it will wash over you and you’ll finally get it. This is the best damn double album of the last half decade if not longer. 3.) Rivers of Nihil- The Work FFO- Progressive Death Metal I think it’s completely fair to say that the band has really come into it’s own once it started embracing it’s prog side. With their previous effort, Where Owls Know My Name, the band became a near overnight sensation in the more underground metal world. What they accomplished on that album is perfected here with The Work. It’s a bit more experimental and has some inter dimensional transitions, but the overall product is an album that is simply impossible to ignore. All 4 albums to date represent all 4 seasons we go through every year. Now that winter is complete with The Work, it’ll be quite interesting to see where the band goes from here. I hope they can keep this spirit up and keep innovating as they are truly one of the most unique metal bands going and they deserve all the love and attention they are receiving. If you missed out on this, remedy this immediately! 2.) Khemmis- Deceiver FFO- Doomed Heavy Metal Khemmis has become one of my favorite bands over the last couple years and Deceiver is the band breaking out of their shell of more doom metal focused on music and really embracing more of the heavy metal sides of their sound. Going from death metal to speed metal to even d-beat on this album is quite the shock to the sense, but it still sounds absolutely like the band and the signature doom metal sound they have excellently crafted over the years is still in tact. This is how innovation works even when you are dealing with classic genres. Khemmis are the heroes of the underground and I love them more and more with every new release. Seriously, check this album out and every previous release to date. You’ll fall under their spell as well. 1.) Panopticon- ...and Again into the Light FFO- North American Folk Metal (Folk, Black Metal, PostRrock) I have loved this band since I discovered Kentucky all those years ago and I have been singing their praises ever since. The band has always hit me hard with their beliefs, appreciation for genres and of course the power of their music. This album though, they took everything that’s worked about the band and the formula became my favorite album of the year. It makes me cry, it pulls my heartstrings, it reminds of Minnesota (where the band is now located for several years), If you want tear jerking country/folk it’s here, if you want emotional post rock, it’s here. If you want raw black metal with really good production, its also here. It has everything and I couldn’t appreciate it more. I knew from the first listen this would be in my top 20, but on a repeated listen of the song The Embers at Dawn made me realize this is the album of the year. As much as I can like any other album, nothing will top this album this year. This is perfection! And there you have it folks, My top 100 albums of 2021. This year has been incredibly rough on me and I can only imagine so many of you reading this. I’ve gone through so many emotions of dread, sorrow, and I had to snap myself out of killing myself several times this year. But the music...the music has kept me sane this year in a way I’ve never felt before. Anyone who says there is no good music anymore simply stopped caring about discovering new music. For as long as I’m still here, I will keep searching, I’ll keep discovering and I will keep presenting bands that are worthy of your attention, be it they started 50 years ago or 50 days ago. Good music is good music and it really can be one of the best things in life. For me, its the best non physical thing in my life and one of the only reasons I’m still here. SO I thank you for checking out this list (even if y ou only checked out the top 20) and I hope you’ll find some new albums that will make your life better in some way. Till next time, this is That Drummer Guy saying, See Ya! - Josh Rundquist (That Drummer Guy) 
Welcome back, welcome back welcome baaaaack! (Too old of a reference now?) to That Drummer Guy’s Top 100 Albums of 2021. In today’s segment we finally hit the part where most publications focus on; A Top 40 or 30 or 25. For me. I feel like I would leave out way too many great albums if I did not bring up that many albums. Even last year doing a few albums (in comparison) as I normally do I felt like I left out so much. So, as I like to mention every chance I get, please check out every part of this list as any album on any part of this list could be a new favorite of yours. But of course having things get down to the end means that every album listed means more to me. Some will make sense to you as the reader, others will make you quite confused. Let’s see how this goes with Part V: 40-21. But first; the rules!
- These are 100 ALBUMS that I loved this year ranked from 100-1. - No EPs, live albums, compilations, rarity albums, reissues, or any specialty releases. Just brand new LPs - The list is broken down into 6 parts which I release Monday to Friday, 20 albums a piece, countdown style. Black Friday brings on the Honorable Mentions list, which is 40 albums that didn’t make my Top 100, but deserve just as much praise. - There are many reasons that an album won’t show up on this list. I did not have enough time to hear it enough, I didn’t hear it, it wasn’t my bag...baby, and new for 2021; The band/Artist does something so stupid that I simply can’t support them anymore. -While The top 100 is ranked, look at this as 100 albums you should check out and not 5 parts you can skip and just check out the top 20. Every album here is awesome and what may be album 100 or 72 or 47 may be your favorite album or discovery of the year. So give anything that gets your attention a spin. We live in the digital age, there’s no excuse to skip out anymore. - These are my thoughts and my thoughts alone. No outside influences, no one asking me to put them on the list, no pressure from higher sources. Just what I dig and you just may dig as well. - And most importantly...go discover some new music!!! And now, let's get into the Top 40 40.) Hammer King- S/T FFO- Heavy Power Metal This is seriously one of the heaviest power metal albums I’ve heard in quite some time. Every song feels like you’re in the midst of a godlike war. Superior songwriting, soaring vocals, and pure brutality. This is what I like in my power metal. If you’re like me and you just don’t ever have it in you to ever listen to Iced Earth again after this year and you miss those power driven riffs; please check out Hammer King. You’ll be very, VERY happy with what you hear. 39.) Urne- Serpent & Spirit FFO- Metalcore, Progressive Death Metal, Chaotic Hardcore This band’s debut woke me up so hard this year and upon every listen, it holds up more and more. It’s not often you can hear a band go from from furious as Converge to playing a melodic style Nevermore riff into showing off some Opeth style prog in the process with it all making sense. This is a band that is not afraid to see how far their sound can reach and that instantly draws me into the band and eagerly awaiting to see what will be coming next. This band will be huge in due time, I can feel it. 38.) Helloween- S/T FFO- Power Metal Comeback album of the year? Uhh….hell yeah it is! There’s two kinds of Helloween fans till this year. Ones that just love the Keeper of The Seven Keys albums or those that love the band’s whole career. This album brings back the love for both as every singer that’s ever been in the band is back sharing vocals and the rest of the band has written the finest riffs since those legendary albums. A comeback like this one is rare as most comeback albums are either ok or mediocre at best to actually pretty good in rarer forms. This blows those expectations away and actually delivers from start to finish. Even if this ends up being the last Helloween album; it may be the gr4eatest finale to a band ever. Seriously, this lives up to the hype and more. 37.) Ghost Bath- Self Loather FFO- Blackgaze, Depressive Suicidal Black Metal Hey, Ghost Bath wrote a song about me! What are the odds? In reality, it’s just a concept and an album that I can relate to well too well. This album boarders on the DSBM genre, but with far superior production (so does it count?). It hits home and all the feeling you get when you can sit down and appreciate this album are real. Life is not all sunshine and lollipops. Sometimes we live in darkness and have diabetes so we can’t take enjoyment in what life can offer. I also hope that feelings like this for anyone does not purist and anyone can find a way to escape those feelings, but don’t pass off those feelings, they are real and ignoring emotions can and will hurt you even more in the long run. This album sheer brilliance in it’s darkness. It won’t be for everyone, but for those that get it...you have a winner on your hands. 36.) Tribulation- Where Gloom Becomes Sound FFO- Black N’ Roll, Occult Rock Tribulation really found themselves with their sophomore album and they have been improving themselves ever since. While I’ve seen this album go more under the radar than others, it should not be skipped. It contains some of the best songwriting you’ll hear this year. While the band’s formula may change thanks to a lineup change, if this ends up as the last good Tribulation album, it’s one hell of a great album. I really doubt this will be the last great album from the band and I’m excited to see what the band will conjure up next for us. 35.) Cvlt ov the Svn- We are the Dragon FFO- Occult Murder Pop If the genre name confuses you, let’s say it’s a band that really showcases groove, industrial, metal, pop, and occult rock. With distinct vocals, tremendously catchy pop orientated metal songs and should be a hit for any and all that love a little bit of horror in their music, This has something for everyone and I know that the formula for the band will be even grander with every subsequent release. SO go check this out now and be a fan by the time the sophomore album arrives. 34.) Necronautical- Slain in the Spirit FFO- Symphonic Blackened Death Metal How to appropriate this right for those that are unfamiliar. With still being off the mark, let’s say this is what would happen if Behemoth and Fleshgod Apocalypse joined forces and relocated to the UK. The band touches on so much in it’s songwriting that it’s not afraid to be a rubber band and stretch out of what you would expect from a band like this and snap right back in to bring you exactly what you came for at the start of it all. This is such a great album and really gives off a fantastic soundtrack feel in its absolute hellish chaos. If you dig the extreme symphonic sounds, you check out this band and this album the first chance you get it. You’ll be rewarded with what it offers you. 33.) Wheel- Preserved in Time FFO- Doom Metal, Occult Rock While I talked about a band named Wheel earlier in this list, this band called Wheel hails from Ger4many and showcases that the likes of Candlemass and Cathedral still have a home in metal. This is the literal definition of a doom album and it makes me so happy to discover something like this in 2021. If you miss old school doom like I do; don’t fret, it never left, you just have to search for it...or let me search and present it to you like right here with Wheel. Now Go! Listen and enjoy! 32.) Thulcandra- A Dying Wish FFO- Melodic Black Metal A melodic black metal album produced by one of my biggest heroes Dan Swano. There’s not much I could possibly hope for as I know something like this could not possibly fail. And I was right. This is right where the band belongs in the height of it’s career enjoying the labors of it’s style created by the likes of Dissection, but take out all the atrocities associated with the Dissection (just go look it up,if you wish to) A Dying Wish is the band’s finest hour and it’s not even the only Steffen Kummerer to appear on my list this year. Again this album proves my point that 2021 has been a fantastic year for music (...and that’s about it). 31,) As Everything Unfolds- Within Each Lies The Other FFO- Modern Metal, Metalcore It takes a lot for me to like a band that has the connotations of more modern metalcore (it’s just never been my bag since 2007/2008) but As Everything Unfolds takes everything I thought about the genre and turns its on its ear. It’s emotional, it’s heartbreaking, it tackles issues that people still do not want to discuss (mental health). This album hits harder for me than almost any other album this year (well, if you wanna go by the list, there’s 30 others that do as well). I wish more bands associated with metalcore would take this more atmospheric approach, it works tremendously for the band and I know it will only be more refined and stronger with every upcoming release. Seriously, do not miss this. 30.) Pounder- Breaking The World FFO- Heavy Metal, Speed Take everything you love about late 70s to mid 80s heavy metal and you have Pounder. A trio fronted by Exhumed’s Matt Harvey combines a love for yesteryear while making it contemporary enough that any genre fan will love what’s going on. Breaking the World is the band’s 2nd album and it feels like they have not even begun to see the toip of the mountain. It’s only going to continue to get better from here and I’m here for the ride. You should be as well. It’s a good message for the world, Let’s all get pounded (or be the pounder)! 29.) Kayo Dot- Moss Grew on the Swords and Plowshares Alike FFO- Kayo Dot Kayo Dot is….Kayo Dot. The literal definition of band that is impossible of repeating itself. With so many releases under their belt know expanding from anywhere from black metal to jazz to synth wave to post rock. They are like a gumball machine. You have no idea what flavor of gumball they will deliver to you next. I will say this is one of the heaviest Kayo Dot albums so far. While it doesn’t have the buzz saw blast beats like other albums; it really hits hard in the gothic, doom, and avant garde metal variations. There is no right answer as to what album you should check out first from the band as every album is so completely different in sound, but go on Wikipedia and read about every release and see what’s right for you. If you like the idea of the heavier side of the band, check out this album. They really are unlike anything else you’;; hear this year or any year. 28.) Chrome Waves- The Rain Will Cleanse FFO- Post Metal, Blackgaze, Gothic Metal This is the most commercial sounding release from the band so far. While previous releases showed off more of their blackgaze flavorings; The Rain Will Cleanse shows off more of their post side. So if you want more metal infused variations of The Cure or The Sisters of Mercy with minimal black metal thrown in, That’s what this album has and more. A true sleeper album this year that deserves so much more attention. If this sounds like it would be up your alley, give it a proper shot. 27.) Violet Cold- Empire of Love FFO- Blackgaze, Free Love When you think of a metal band, your mind does not instantly go to Azerbaijan to look for those bands, but Violet Cold is more than just an innovator of being a band in a country that’s right in the border of Europe and the Middle East. The band showcases on this album the idea that you should love anyone you choose love (obvious exceptions excluded) and be who you choose to be. An album for anyone that is in or helps promote the LGBTQ+ community and is truly a freedom call for the world to allow adults to date any other willing adults they choose and free to be who you truly are. It’s a beautiful sentiment that needs to be heard more and I could not be more in favor of what’s going on here. Amazing music with an amazing message...what’s not to love? 26.) The Five Hundred- A World On Fire FFO- Modern Metal One of the most perfect angry but uplifting albums you can hear this year. A sentiment that says we are screwed as human unless we get our collective stuff together and start to care. Its a message that should be appreciated (and will be ignored and laughed at by those that are actually the problem). The music on display is that right combination of heavy and mellow. Something like Intronaut have mastered since their inception. This band will continue to rise as long as they stay together. I hope the livability of Earth lasts as long as well. 25.) Times of Grace- Songs of Loss and Separation FFO- Alternative Metal, Mental Health This album breaks me. I can’t make it through a whole listen without tearing up or at least choking up a bit. Jesse Leech has a way with words that many other songwriters can’t comprehend when it comes to personal struggle and mental health. The music itself matches the tone set in the lyrics so perfectly that it’s hard not to feel something as you listen. Of course this not for everyone but if yo9u really give it a real chance, it may just grip your emotions the way it does for me. 24.) One Hundred Thousand- Zodiac FFO- Modern Metal A concept album about the pros and cons of every zodiac sign. A real yin-yang of an album that truly balances itself out. Even if you don’t believe in astrology; It’s an album about how wee all have good and bad to all of us and all we can try to do is make ourselves the best we can be. The music perfectly matches every sign talked about in both style and substance. Whether it gets extremely heavy, radio friendly, or just an emotional ball of stress. The potential in this band is limitless and it’ll only get better from here. 23.) Obscura- A Valediction FFO- Progressive Death metal, Technical Death Metal After an astounding 4 album concept cycle, where do you go from here? You make the start of a new trilogy where you show off the next chapter fo the band. Obscura has broadened it’s horizons and hitting areas that it simply did not touch before, whether it gets into slowed down Morbid Angel territory, acoustic leads that have never fit better, even sometimes into the power metal realms in some riffs. It’s an absolute delight to see where the band is right now and if this is the start of the trilogy, the next two albums are going to blo9w everyone’s minds on what is possible. I can’t wait. 22.) Subterranean Masquerade- Mountain Fever FFO- Progressive Metal The band had been inactive for so long, I gave up hope on them ever getting back together and I just felt like I discovered a band after they broke up. But thankfully in 2015, they came back with their second album and have been here to stay ever since. While there has been many lineup changes since their inception, they have been grounded to making this band a lifelong and lasting entity. Combining prog and their homeland’s musical styles in Israel; the band has one of the most unique sounds you’ll hear in prog and every album showcases that they are far from a one trick pony. This may be the4ir strongest album to date, there’s no reason to think it’s not as every song fits so perfectly well together and gives you an exceptional album experience like no other. I’m ho happy I live in the timeline where Subterranean Masquerade is still active and putting out amazing music. I have that feeling that they have reach their full potential and not even shown us their final form. I’m so excited for their future. 21.) Silver Lake- Silver Lake by Esa Holopainen FFO- Melodic Metal Combining the best singers in Scandinavia with one of the greatest musicians from Finland and you have a band an album that literally shows off the best of what Europe has to offer. The music is that perfect amount of heavy and melodic and has the right singer on every song whether you like Katatonia, Soilwork, Amorphis or others. It’s the most Finnish metal album that I’ve ever heard and I love it for that reason. Will this continue, will there be a second album? Will this become a full on band in Amorphis’ downtime? Well...time will only tell… And there you go, we have reached the promised land and tomorrow will bring the big bad booty daddy of them all That Drummer Guy’s Top 20 Albums of 2021. Thanks for sticking around and see you tomorrow! 
Hello once again to the baffling long list known as That Drummer Guy’s Top 100 Albums of 2021. With this part of the list I will have covered 100 albums in total (when including the honorable mentions) and we are starting to get deeper into the nitty gritty of it all. But before we crack the top 50 at the midpoint of this section; let’s get to the rules:
- These are 100 ALBUMS that I loved this year ranked from 100-1. - No EPs, live albums, compilations, rarity albums, reissues, or any specialty releases. Just brand new LPs - The list is broken down into 6 parts which I release Monday to Friday, 20 albums a piece, countdown style. Black Friday brings on the Honorable Mentions list, which is 40 albums that didn’t make my Top 100, but deserve just as much praise. - There are many reasons that an album won’t show up on this list. I did not have enough time to hear it enough, I didn’t hear it, it wasn’t my bag...baby, and new for 2021; The band/Artist does something so stupid that I simply can’t support them anymore. -While The top 100 is ranked, look at this as 100 albums you should check out and not 5 parts you can skip and just check out the top 20. Every album here is awesome and what may be album 100 or 72 or 47 may be your favorite album or discovery of the year. So give anything that gets your attention a spin. We live in the digital age, there’s no excuse to skip out anymore. - These are my thoughts and my thoughts alone. No outside influences, no one asking me to put them on the list, no pressure from higher sources. Just what I dig and you just may dig as well. - And most importantly...go discover some new music!!! And now, let’s continue on with the festivities! 60.) Everture- Emerge FFO- Melodic Heavy Metal, Modern Metal This Finnish debut album combines all of the best elements of what you hear from Finnish metal, but also makes it sound much more radio friendly than you would hear from many of the band’s elders and contemporaries. Almost no screams or growls and a grand focus on clean vocals. Making songs that are just long enough without going overboard, and instrumentation that is just impeccable. Emerge is a jaw dropper of an album. That sophomore release is going to launch this band into the stratosphere. 59.) Anneke van Giersbergen- The Darkest Skies are the Brightest FFO- Acoustic, Folk, Pop Anneke is one of the leading voices in metal for as long as she has been involved with the genre.; Anything that she sings on turns to gold. Once in a while, you just got a make a solo album to really fill out your visions, and sometimes it’s in the wake of trying to find yourself musically and in life in general. The album is all about trying to maintain her life, marriage, and trying to wrap her mind around all of it. It’s gorgeous sounding and that’s also what makes it sound so beautiful and tragic. It’s an album you can absolutely relax to, but the more you pay attention, the more it grips you and telkls stories that so many of us can can saldy relate to. Heavy fan or not, check this one out. 58.) Eternity’s End- Deathrider FFO- Technical Power Metal, Speed Metal Eternity’s End is a band that not enough people listen to and again, I’m here to help change that. With such a killer lineup and all of the talent you could ever need in one band; Eternity’s End continues to rip out contagious LP after LP and it rivals anything in the genres of power and speed metal for top supremacy. You may find kinda similar bands, but you’ll only find one true band like this, and they are Eternity’s End. 57.) Dream Theater- A View From the Top of the World FFO- Progressive Metal It’s amazing how life works. At one point in time, this would have been my number one album and nothing would have came close to touching it. All these later and especially in the last 10 years of really trying to go out there and support all of the music I care about; Dream Theater has more or less fallen off to the way side while other bands have taken over my usually musical listening routine. That is not to say the band has gotten worse or they are not what they used to be. Some could make the argument for those statements, but for me, just life changes. After not really being too motivated about this album’s release, I did give it a chance and I’m so glad I did because it is their finest work of the Mike Mangini era. It sounds inspired, it doesn’t sound tired or regurgitated, it’s authentic. While you may hear nods to previous songs or styles from the band’s career, there is no doubt that the band’s creativity is at it’s highest point in ages with this album. It may not come off as your favorite Dream Theater album, but it should not be an album to skip out on. You are bound to find at least one song you will love if you ever dug the band. 56.) Necrofier- Prophecies of Eternal Darkness FFO- Melodic Black Metal Given the talent in this band and all of their resumes; you’d think this band has been around for decades, but this is the band’s first LP. It perfectly captures classic and current black metal tinges and makes them their own. You can picture the band opening for Emperor in ‘97 or touring with Dark Funeral today. The band hits the nail on the head on how to make black metal both melodic, evil, and dignified. Something that those outside of the know could rarely understand. This is how you make black metal and it’s nearly impossible to top it. 55.) Amenra- De Doorn FFO- Doom Metal, Sludge Metal, Hardcore This is a combination of a collective that embraces the evil of the world and it does it in a way where the pure intensity of the lyrics, music, and overall sense of the band is so captivating, you literally feel like you have entered a black mass upon each listen. Funny enough, their biggest fanbase in America may not even know the band, but the do recognize the edited version of the song Ogenroost is the theme song for AEW wrestler Malakai Black. This is an adventurous album for those that want to check out something that is truly original and innovative. 54.) Scar of the Sun- Inertia FFO- Groove Metal, Melodic Metal, Gothic Metal Scar of the Sun’s Inertia has some of the msot hard hitting lyrics in 2021. The album deals so much with personal loss. When you match it with the melodic tones produced, it really does make you want to shed some tears. The music in and of itse;f with wonderfully catchy and excellently produced. This is exactly how you take well established genres and make them completely your own. T^his album rules. 53.) W.E.T.- Retransmission FFO- AOR, 80s Hard Rock Jeff Scott Soto’s well established band knocks it out of the park once again with making an album that’s just as heavy as it is poppy. It’s super melodic and knows when to kick it into full gear at the right times. This has always been my favorite project of Soto and for good reason. Retransmission proves once again that this band is not only dangerously underrated, but dangerously proficient. 52.) Asphyx- Necroceros FFO- Death metal Any other year and this would have been EASILY in my top 20 of the year. Asphyx is incapable of letting it’s fans down and this album is another valued reason as to why they are so highly regarded in the underground world. It’s perfect death metal from start to finish and whenever it does let up, it’s only to pummel you even harder. This is just what you need in 2021 if you are a death metal fan. No exceptions! 51.) Liquid Tension Experiment- LTE3 FFO- Instrumental Progressive Metal Well well well...this is not something I ever would have expected to be a possibility again. A new Liquid Tension Experiment. For those not in the know it contains 3 past and present members of Dream Theater and the legendary Tony Levin on bass. Their first two LPs were classics in the prog world, but so much time had passed (and the departure of Mike Portnoy from Dream Theater) all of us never thought that LTE could be a possibility ever again. In 2021, we were all proven wrong and I’m so happy we were. In all honesty, this is some of the finest prog you will hear in the 21st century. It’s what Dream Theater fans wanted and we didn’t even know it. Each song is so well crafted and it feels like everything is the way it should be. While again, Portnoy is out of Dream Theater, both he and DT have found their musical paths continuing to this day with the things they want to create, in the end, that’s all we could ever ask foir instead of a album that does not have 100% passion behind it. LTE is back and if that’s the case, I can’t ask for anything more. 50.) Duskmourn- Fallen Kings and Rusted Crowns FFO- Melodic Black Metal, Folk Metal, Atmospheric Metal Everything I love about blackened folk metal is on display with Duskmourn. Its sorrow filled, the music is melodic and tragic, and the songwriting is perfected with such craft from everyone involved. If you love bands like Agalloch, Primordial and Winterfylleth; Duskmourn will be your new obsession 49.) Jinjer- Wallflowers FFO- Progressive Metal, Metalcore, Modern Metal A ever increasingly popular band that I more of less never checked out ever before 2021 has cracked my top 50 and deservingly so. Had I known this is what the band was all about, I would have been from the beginning. It has all the finesse of prog sensibilities of Opeth or Porcupine Tree, but you mix it with more modern metal bands such as Meshuggah or TesseracT and you have a band that is not afraid to be themselves and that’s what truly stands out. So sorrowful when it needs to be and can break into a destructive breakdown riff that you just can’t see coming. Match that with the right types of atmosphere and I totally understand why the band gets bigger and bigger every year. Simply incredible work. 48.) Trivium- In The Court of the Dragon FFO- Melodic Metal, Thrash Metal, NWOAHM A band that made my top 20 with their last album has made it into the 40s this year. This is in no way indicative of how the band has dropped or anything like that, but simply the power of the competition this year. The band has made an open ended concept album, the songs are what you want them to be about, it feels much like an audio form Dungeons and Dragons game and that may be what transpired here. The songs get into what others call long songs at over 8 minutes long while still having ripping single songs that fit perfectly on modern rock radio (if actually given the chance). As far as more mainstream albums this year, this hits exactly what it needed to be...a true Trivium album and they couldn’t have done it better. 47.) Memoriam- To The End FFO- Old School Death Metal As far as bands that started in the last 5-6 years; Memoriam is may favorite straight up, old school sounding death metal band and it’s not even close. All 4 albums so far have hit me in ways that no technical death album or goregrind band could possibly do (again of those in the last half decade). The 4th album of this band continues it’s path of destruction with sonic hell sent music all while trying to find justice in the world (yes, they are a left leaning band if that’s something that helps/hinders your interest). Memoriam simply rule and To The End proves it….to the end...sorry for the pun. 46.) Gojira- Fortitude FFO- Groove Metal Can you call Gojira a death metal band anymore? I think you can but I also think that would be severely limiting the band and what it does. The band has gotten more commercial and mainstream with every release and wouldn’t you know it; Fortitude is indeed the more commercial and mainstream album to date. It’s also one of the more daring albums of the band’s catalog. It attempts styles never before tried with the band, more clean vocals, all while maintaining what make the band continue to stand out among it’s peers. I’ve seen a lot of people say it’s like their previous album. I disagree, it’s a natural progression from it, but this album stands on it’s own. Some of the band’s best work is on each album and this is no different. Gojira may change, but the quality never ceases. This is amazing work. 45.) Be’Lakor- Coherence FFO- Melodic Death metal, Progressive Death Metal One of the most consistently great bands in the southern hemisphere returns with their latest opus and it just may be their finest work. They continue to shine through the darkness they cast with their songwriting and dreadful mournful vibes to create an atmosphere that those of the mid-era Opeth fans have wanted, but have decided not to search out for. If you want your progressive death metal sad and melodic, Be’Lakor has been here and they are not going away. They keep getting stronger all while being themselves. This is some damn fine music...damn fine. 44.) The Crown- Royal Destroyer FFO- Melodic Death Metal, Thrash Metal The Crown...Sweden’s best kept underground secret despite not being kept a secret. The Crown should be regarded as one of the greatest bands to come from the country and Royal Destroyer proves why that is true once again. While the band has not gone away, they have really proven themselves in the last 11 years be increasingly getting better and perfecting their formula. Royal Destroyer is easily the band at the top of their game. The fact that they already have another album to unleash on the world soon (hopefully next year), proves that the band is firing on all cylinders and are unstoppable. If you’ve ever missed out on this band or dropped off; get back on track and check out the band IMMEDIATELY! 43.) Lords of Black- Alchemy of Souls Part II FFO- Power Metal Lords of Black may be the best active power band in today’s age. The lineup is absolute perfection, the songwriting is top notch and the band like Rainbow in a world of Ozzy 2000s era bands. There’s not much I can really add to sell you on this band. If you want power metal that has that power of 70s heavy metal in full swing; this is the band for you. 42.) Eclipse- Wired FFO- Heavy metal, Hard Rock, AOR After 20 years, the band has put out their finest work, proving it’s never too early or late for you to be your best you. Wired is a perfect collection of hard hitting songs, whether that be hard rock stompers or powerful ballads. The fact that the band has been on an ever increasing popularity rise over the past decade is no secret as to why. One listen to Wired and you’ll understand why. If this is considered cheesy, it’s some of the best damn cheese I’ve had this year. Sometimes you just need a fun album, this is it. 41.) Omnium Gatherum- Unity FFO- Positive Melodic Death Metal It comes with the territory that almost all melodeath bands have a negative connotation to them showing off the darker sides of life. Omnium Gatherum is that rare exception to the rule where their songs are meant to be more positive and full of life. Unity is that in strides. The only reason this album didn’t crack my top 20, let alone my top 40 is simply because of time on my end. I’ve seen a lot of unwarranted hate towards this album and I gotta disagree wholeheartedly. Omnium Gatherum is easily my favorite Finnish melodeath band and Unity is just the next logical step for the band. Uber melodic, beautiful lyrics, and yeah, more clean vocals than ever before, but that’s hardly a first for the band. It really is a stellar album and for anyone that wants a gateway band into heavier territories, I can’t think of a better example of a band to try out than Omnium Gatherum. And give Unity that fair shake, its deserving of the love it gets. And there are are folks, over the half way point of the top 100 and only 2 parts left of this monolith of a list. Coming up tomorrow is where I know most of the interest will begin (despite my pleading for everyone to check out ANY album on the entire list that is of interest to you). The top 40 albums of the year with That Drummer Guy’s Top 100 Albums of 2021 Part V: 40-21 - Josh Rundquist (That Drummer Guy) 
Welcome Back! We are already to the half way point of the total list of 100 albums and 40 honorable mentions and it’s so hard to believe how fast time goes by. I hope you have given the first couple parts of this list a chance and maybe even checked out a new album or two. Today contains some killer albums that could be your thing. Let’s find out after we get into the rules.
- These are 100 ALBUMS that I loved this year ranked from 100-1. - No EPs, live albums, compilations, rarity albums, reissues, or any specialty releases. Just brand new LPs - The list is broken down into 6 parts which I release Monday to Friday, 20 albums a piece, countdown style. Black Friday brings on the Honorable Mentions list, which is 40 albums that didn’t make my Top 100, but deserve just as much praise. - There are many reasons that an album won’t show up on this list. I did not have enough time to hear it enough, I didn’t hear it, it wasn’t my bag...baby, and new for 2021; The band/Artist does something so stupid that I simply can’t support them anymore. -While The top 100 is ranked, look at this as 100 albums you should check out and not 5 parts you can skip and just check out the top 20. Every album here is awesome and what may be album 100 or 72 or 47 may be your favorite album or discovery of the year. So give anything that gets your attention a spin. We live in the digital age, there’s no excuse to skip out anymore. - These are my thoughts and my thoughts alone. No outside influences, no one asking me to put them on the list, no pressure from higher sources. Just what I dig and you just may dig as well. - And most importantly...go discover some new music!!! And now 80-61 80.)- Hooded Menace- The Tritonus Bell FFO- Doom Metal, Death Metal The six album from this masterful death/doom band is a complete showcase of how to do the genre right. It’s slow and haunting in the right moments and switches to more up tempo moments at the turn of a dime exactly when it needs to. With every release, the band gets stronger and it’s not a far cry to say this is their finest album to date. 79.) Alta Reign- Mother’s Day FFO- Progressive Metal, Progressive Rock, Doom Rock The debut album from this band is jaw dropping to say the least. When you want your music of the 80s/90s prog metal variety but you want it updated just enough or 2021 and not afraid to try some new things out; you get Alta Reign. The closing track, Rise is a grand example of expanding the horizons with adding some great doom touches to the sound and it works so wonderfully well. This band has all the potential to grow (given the band’s schedule with other bands and projects). I can already tell the sophomore album will be one of the most superior albums of that year. 78.) Epica- Omega FFO- Symphonic Metal When you think of symphonic metal, Epica has to be one of the first bands you think of. They have made it their signature sound and may be the mightiest example of what you can do with symphonic and metal genres. Omega continues to this tradition of making the genre as catchy as possible while expanding into more prog territories and of course some contagious death metal elements in just the right spots. It’s everything you want in an Epica album. 77.) Wheel- Resident Human FFO- Progressive Rock, Progressive Metal Wheel is an up and coming band that is not afraid to let their influences shine, all while making the music they create their own. Combine the best elements of Riverside, Porcupine Tree, and Tool and you get a unique sound that others try to replicate but no one else can duplicate. With thought provoking lyrics, and grand musical landscape and all the potential in the world, I can only see this band continuing to grow bigger and bigger. This is what I want in modern day prog. 76.) Running Wild- Blood on Blood FFO- Power Metal Running Wild is about one thing and one thing only...FUN! Blood on Blood has fun in all strides. Every song has that specialty Running Wild sound all while being unique enough to stand on their own. It’s a great album from beginning to end and has all the makings of being the strongest Running Wild album ever. 75.) Thyrfing- Vanagandr FFO- Viking Metal, Black Metal Viking metal has lived strong this year and there is no finer example of it than Thyrfing in 2021.Every song makes you feel like you are in the mountains or in the battlefield or about to enter Valhalla. When you’ve had enough of the same ol same ol from other bands in the genre, make sure to give one of the best names in viking metal a try. 74.) Portal- Avow/Hagbulbia FFO- Experimental Death metal/Black Metal Portal is a band that sounds like no other. It is the real soundtrack to hell to anyone who hates extreme metal. The band released two albums this year that I’m listing together as 1 because it just much easier this way (I’ll be doing this again later). Avow is more of the signature Portal sound while being arguably their most….catchy(?) album to date. It’s complete brutality but it is much more digestible than albums past. Hagbulbia is the bands more experimental release with sounding like a white noise assault to the senses. No real song structures, lyrics or anything resembling metal.It’s what I imagine the sound would sound like being sent to another dimension. Both releases are impeccable for the styles and not for the faint of heart. Portal in general is one of the most musically scary bands going today. The perfect band to listen to in complete darkness. 73.) Nervosa- Perpetual Chaos FFO- Death Metal, Thrash Metal Nervosa return with their greatest album to date. Not only being the catchiest release to date, it’s also the most devastating The lyrics are beyond visceral and the musicality has been stepped up to a new notch. A must listen for any death/thrash fans out there. 72.) Frost*- Day and Age FFO- Progressive Rock Frost* has always been on the cusp of being one3 of the most profound and respected bands of the genre. You really got to be up on your prog history to know what the band is all about. With Day and Age, you get more of their signature sound while continuing to push the boundaries of what they are capable of. It’s a strange mix of being the most commercial sounding while being one of it’s proggiest, and in some parts their heaviest work. Frost* deserves all the love it gets and this album proves they deserve so much more. 71.) Culak- Glass Sanctuary/Quiescent FFO- Blackgaze, Piano driven instrumental As I mentioned just a bit ago, I had to include more double LPs that came out this year and this time it’s Culak. Glass Sanctuary is everything you expect from the blackgaze band. Adding upon it’s signature sound all while adding more orchestrated movements throughout to really give the album more of a soundtrack feel than just an album. Quiescent on the other hand feels exactly like a dark soundtrack album. Piano and synth driven orchestrated music without any metal, lyrics and blackgaze to speak of. Just every dark, brooding, and emotionally driven music that is sure grab a heartstring or two. Both releases are tear jerking in their own ways. Go give both albums a shot and see why for yourself. 70.) Aborted- Drag To Me Hell FFO- Brutal Death Metal I( can’t imagine this is based off the movie in any ways (Unless it is, then Bravo!), this is just another killer album in the Aborted catalog. The music continues to not only get more musical and diverse, but it makes the most devastating moments feel even more brutal (that’s the power of dynamics, kids!). If you’ve never given the band a shot. I highly recommend giving this one as your first opportunity if you dare to experience the horror driven brutal death this band has brought upon the genre of metal for so many years now. 69.) Inner Missing- Deluge FFO- Gothic Metal This album is the definition of a tearjerking death metal album. Imagine if My Dying Bride embraced their gothic side instead of their doom side, and also mixed it either the likes of Porcupine Tree and Opeth. The lyrics just make you feel down in the dumps in the best way possible. And the music matches the ethereal messages perfectly. This album is going to be missed out on by too many people. I’m here to stop that. Check this album out for one of the most emotionally driven albums of 2021. 68,) And Now The Owls Are Smiling- Dirges FFO- Depressive/Suicidal Black Metal Dirges is one of the feel baa hits of the year. It can be looked at as the Acceptance of life and death, it can also be what the stages of a suicidal mind is truly like. I don’t think there is really a wrong answer here. Above all, the music matches the mood perfectly and while it has a raw tinge, it is more than clear enough in the murkiness of life. Make sure you are in the right state of mind before giving this one a shot. Just trust me on this one… 67.) 1914- Where Fear and Weapons Meet FFO- Blackened Death Metal, Doom Metal, WWI This is a new discovery for me and I’m completely blown away. Creating one of the darkest atmospheres I’ve heard all year that really describes the horror and atrocities of war, while combining blackened death, symphonic and doom metal elements in a way that has never felt more orchestrated (plus Nick Holmes doing guest vocals on a track); This is how you can look at the past and make it feel like the present, all while fearing the future. 1914 just nails atmosphere in a way no one else can. 66.) Coffin Rites- Human Erase FFO- Death Metal, Thrash Metal, Grindcore Minnesota’s own Coffin Rites has unleashed their sophomore album and it’s the only album this year that I did a full review for in 2021.If I actually take the time to do a review outside of the end of the year, you must know I like it. Coffin Rites has a senseability that is not found in other bands around this area with combining a love for death, grind, melody, and thrash to create a unique sound. Imagine Black Dahlia meets Carcass meets Repulsion. It completely works and should be celebrated for it. Give this album a listen and see what I mean. 65.) Carnifex- Graveside Confessions FFO- Deathcore When I interviews Scott Ian Lewis earlier this year, he said the band just wanted to keep being who they are...a deathcore band. I’ve always found Carnifex to be much more than just breakdowns and pig squeals as they incorporate very intricate songwriting and musicianship. This album, in particular adds a sense of orchestration that you just don’t hear in this genre at all. The album is quite haunting in the best way possible, and they make Korn sound better than ever with their cover of Dead Bodies Everywhere. Some bands are bigger, some are smaller, but Carnifex is not a band that you should look past no matter what kind of heavy music fan you ware. There will at least be something you enjoy on this album. I guarantee it. 64.) Evergrey- Escape of the Phoenix FFO- Progressive Metal The band has really been riding their current sound for quite a long time now and there’s no reason they need to change things up. It’s dark, it’s heavy, it’s catchy as hell. Escape of the Phoenix is just everything you expect from this era of the band rolled into a perfect package. I’ll always go to bat for Evergrey wishing they were the big band that they deserve to be, but they have a fanbase that could not be any more loyal and I’m glad to be a part of that. If you like your progressive metal dark, this is the band for you. 63.) Apathy Noir- At The Edge of the World FFO- Progressive Death Metal, Doom Metal If it has not been clear in this list so far, not only am I fan of dark music; it’s also been a fantastic year for dark music. Apathy Noir combines such a great dark sensibility matched up with a haunting songwriting to create an atmosphere like no other. Though they did have to do a name change some time ago, they really did add the “noir” part of their name not just in a literal sense but also in the music and it just makes everything feel right. Absolutely incredible work. 62.) Every Time I Die- Radical FFO- Mathcore, Post Hardcore, Southern Rock ETID has been around for over 20 years now, which is just insane to think about. With every album, the band gets just a bit more exposure and a bit more commercial sounding, but not enough to turn away their diehard fanbase. With Radical, they found a sweet spot of being about to find the right heavy riffs and breakdowns, catchy choruses, and of course their quirky sense of humor. And for any wrestling fans out there, Guitarist, Andy Williams, is The Butcher in AEW. SO how could I not enjoy some heavy music and wrestling in one package/ Overall, just a great, fun record. 61.) The Night Flight Orchestra- Areomantic II FFO- 80s The band started off more hitting on flavors of the 70s pop and rock varieties, but lately, the band has been exposing their love of 80s music and they sound like the freshest thing to ever come out of the decade. They wear their influence4s on their sleeve, yet you can never truly pinpoint a moment where you can say they are ripping off anyone else. They are a band into itself and it captures everything to love about pop and rock of the former decades. Will the band go past the 80s and hit 90s territory? It’s too early to say, but until then, Enjoy this piece of 80s new age nostalgia. And now we have concluded half of this gargantuan list. 80 albums down and 60 more to go, we return tomorrow with That Drummer Guy’s Top 100 Albums of 2021 Part IV: 60-41. - Josh Rundquist (That Drummer Guy) 
Welcome one and all to part II and the true beginning of this mammoth list containing my favorite albums of 2021 cascading down from 100 to 1. If you checked out the honorable mentions back on Friday, you will have noticed that some pretty big hitters missed my list this year, which really says there was so much good music this year that it was hard to contain this to even a top 100, let alone 40 extra honorable mentions. As I will continue to repeat throughout this list; just because an album lands in this section of the list does not mean it’s bad or crap or not worth listening to. There's are my favorite albums of the year, not just a list of 100 albums I heard this year. So I encourage you to check out every part of this list and check out anything that seems interesting to you. Hell, maybe even new stuff you’d never try. You just never know what will stick with you in the long run. All of that said. Let’s get to the rules!
- These are 100 ALBUMS that I loved this year ranked from 100-1. - No EPs, live albums, compilations, rarity albums, reissues, or any specialty releases. Just brand new LPs - The list is broken down into 6 parts which I release Monday to Friday, 20 albums a piece, countdown style. Black Friday brings on the Honorable Mentions list, which is 40 albums that didn’t make my Top 100, but deserve just as much praise. - There are many reasons that an album won’t show up on this list. I did not have enough time to hear it enough, I didn’t hear it, it wasn’t my bag...baby, and new for 2021; The band/Artist does something so stupid that I simply can’t support them anymore. -While The top 100 is ranked, look at this as 100 albums you should check out and not 5 parts you can skip and just check out the top 20. Every album here is awesome and what may be album 100 or 72 or 47 may be your favorite album or discovery of the year. So give anything that gets your attention a spin. We live in the digital age, there’s no excuse to skip out anymore. - These are my thoughts and my thoughts alone. No outside influences, no one asking me to put them on the list, no pressure from higher sources. Just what I dig and you just may dig as well. - And most importantly...go discover some new music!!! And let’s begin the top 100 albums of 2021`! 100.) Beast in Black- Dark Connection FFO- Power Metal, Modern Metal Ever since the beginning of this band, Beast in Black has just been known for putting out some of the most fun albums in metal. It’s that great blend of modern pop, electronic and industrial moments mixed in with power metal that really makes the music stand out for those not already into power metal and is more of a mainstream fan. The band does not reinvent the wheel on Dark Connection, but they don’t need to. It’s an absolutely solid album from start to finish and a fantastic album to put on at parties once they begin to be a thing again. Also, go see this band live if possible, you’ll be in for a grand time. 99.) Einherjer- North Star FFO- Viking Metal, Black Metal One of the strongest names in viking metal returns with one of their strongest albums to date. No matter the tempo, no matter the length; every song clubs you with it’s brutality. The production is quite raw on this album, but that makes the album stand out even more compared to it’s contemporaries. Einherjer has been here to stay and North Star is another example of why they are not going anywhere. 98.) Joel Hoekstra’s 13- Running Games FFO- Melodic Metal, Hard Rock Featuring an all star cast of musicians; Running Games brings back the true spirit of AOR music with just the right amount of more modern day tinges to make the music truly it’s own form. Hoekstra does not need to be an absolute shredder here to showcase what a brilliant guitarist and songwriter he truly continues to be. This is just a fun, rockin’ album and in 2021; sometimes that’s all you really need. 97.) The Absence- Coffinized FFO- Melodic Death Metal 3 years since their modern day classic, A Gift for the Obsessed, Coffinized brings in a much more raw approach to make the songs much more visceral display, all while maintaining even more catchy moments in the band’s signature sound. Florida has always been known as one of the havens of the best kept metal bands in the world, check out out one of it’s finest melodeath bands here with an album that is more than worthy of your attention. 96.) Go Ahead and Die- Go Ahead and Die FFO- Death Metal, Thrash Metal Family connection is a great thing to have, especially is music runs in the family. Max and Igor Amadeus Cavalera combine their father/son musical abilities to really capture a true sense of what the world has become before during and what will be after the pandemic. Raw, aggressive, and carnal. A short and sweet album that kicks through this thing we call life and sheds the light on all of it’s horrendous modern day moments. The band will only get more vicious from here. 95.) Robin McAuley- Standing on the Edge FFO- AOR, Hard Rock With his first true solo album, McAuley showcases his legendary voice and in 2021, it’s arguably at it’s strongest in his career. The songwriting goes from nice and heavy rockers to emotional ballads and everything in between. This is the kind of album for those of you need that 70s/80s rock in a modern sense and it’s done to pure perfection. 94.) Moonspell- Hermitage FFO- Gothic Metal, Progressive Metal The proggiest album in the band’s history while still maintaining all that you know and love about the band is here and it’s a perfect balance. While the band has shifted their sound over the years, they have yet to lose their integral sound and Hermitage shines just as dark as ever. It’s a perfect gateway album for the band for newcomers far and wide with such a glorious back catalog to discover. Give this one a shot, if you like what you hear, keep going backwards and enjoy. 93.) Lucifer- IV FFO- Occult Rock Another band that does not need to change their formula in any way. If you want catchy, rockin’, and of course evil rock’ Lucifer brings it all in pure style. With catchy s0ongs from beginning to end and that overall sense of dread behind each track makes this for not only a great full album experience, but what I can only imagine is one hell of a great live show. Do yourself a favor and check out this band and see what all the evil is all about. 92.) Orden Ogan- Final Days FFO- Progressive Power Metal This album would be so much higher if given the time on my end. This is by far the band’s strongest work and that’s not even a question. It’s a breath of fresh air in the conceptual worlds of progressive and power metal. It’s the kick that genres have needed for a while and I can only hope more bands will follow suite and be as imaginative and fun as Final Days as come out to be. Seriously tremendous. 91.) Accept- Too Mean To Die FFO- Heavy Metal Germany’s premiere heavy metal band has had many highs and lows, peaks and valleys, & above all, some of the strongest material to every come out of Europe. Too Mean to Die continues the tradition of what works, solid, rockin’ metal with such singable choruses, killer riffs, and a sense that you just need to experience these songs in a live setting. Another fine chapter in the legacy of Accept. 90.) Burning Witches- Witch of the North FFO- Power Metal, Thrash Metal, Heavy Metal Burning Witches has gone through many changes in their short career, but all in that time, they have managed to refine the machine and become stronger with every release. Following the Nordic tales of Scandinavian gods brings Burning Witches with their evil tendencies to their finest point to date. The band is only going to be getting better from here with it’s perfected sound. Check this album out now and get on board before their next album of evil tales. 89.) Mercury Circle- Killing Moons FFO- Gothic Metal, Doom Metal, Occult Rock When you think of bands like Swallow The Sun and Children of Bodom getting together; you don’t expect the band to be going in a goth rock style, but then again, Finnish bands have a very refined taste. Mercury Circle’s debut is one that sounds like a high point in any other band’s career. If this mix of goth,occult, and doom is what the band is bringing to the table for the first time; their sophomore album is sure to blow even more people’s minds. This is how you show that you have a full array of styles up your sleeves and make it as enjoyable as possible. 88.) John Diva and the Rockets of Love- American Amadeus FFO- Hard Rock, Sleaze Rock, Heavy Metal The band’s sophomore album takes their signature sound of 80s sleaze and modern songwriting and adds a bit more class to kick your ass (hey, that rhymed!). The songwriting is even better, the songs are more fun to listen to and you just smile as you listen to every song from top to bottom. This is how you make an album that has that right sense of sophistication and ball busting to take any pretentiousness and just give you fun in 2021 (hey, I did it again!)! 87.) Sonny Vincent- Snake Pit Therapy FFO- Punk Rock, Alternative Rock, Underground Rock Legendary underground icon Sonny Vincent is back with his…I can’t even count how many albums the man has appeared on, but in 2021, you see him showcasing that his signature voice, songwriting and powerful style makes for such great songs. Whether its more rockin’ or more subdued, the man can do it all. If you’re not familiar, give this album a shot and simply enjoy! 86.) Blackbriar- The Curse of Shipwreck FFO- Gothic Metal, Symphonic Metal This band’s debut release is one of whimsical and fantastical power. With soaring, heavenly vocals matched on top of hell driven music makes this a dark, fun, adventure. Once you et sucked in, you’re there for the whole ride. This is an album and a band to check out and keep your eye on for the long run. IF this is the debut, the band is only going to continue to grow and grow. 85.) Ephemerald- Between The Glimpses of Hope FFO- Symphonic Death Metal, Folk Metal, Black Metal I can’t say it enough that Finland is one of, if not the BEST, area of the world to find new metal music. Ephemerald is another fantastic example of this sentiment. Containing a love of the folk, black, death and symphonic worlds; The band creates it’s own signature blend to create a melodic sense of dark destruction. Seriously, fi you love any of these genres, do yourself a favor and pick this album out immediately. It’s more than worthy of your time. 84.) Arc of Life- Arc of Life FFO- Progressive Rock When you take former members of Yes and you hear that they want to be inspired by the best of progressive rock; you know that you are going to be in for a glorious time. This has everything a prog fan would want and so much mrore. It’s catchy, it’s poppy, it’s proggy, and surprising heavy in certain dashes. Arc of Life is bringing in a new lifeblood into a style that is always up for seeing how far the genre can expand. You’re doing yourself a great disservice if you skip out on this one. 83.) Architects- For Those That Wish to Exit Modern Metal, Progressive Metalcore This is a band that I knew of but simply never checked out for one reason or another. No ill will intended, just some bands you never get a chance to hear until a certain point. Architects has put out a masterpiece of a album here with brilliant songwriting, beautiful choruses and dark, but uplifting lyrics that is sure to strike the right heartstrings to make you get hit right in the feels. A surprise album for me may be one you’ve been rockin’ since it’s release. Regardless, don’t forget about this one, it’s worth the time you put into it. 82.) Star-Lord- Space Rider (Music from Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy) FFO- Heavy Metal, Hard Rock This album borders on the soundtrack category and maybe even arguably should not be on this list. That said, I look at this as a stand alone album from one of the best video games of the year and it’s a full on heavy metal album. The reason I include it is because there are licensed songs on the soundtrack already from the 80s, where as this release is all brand new material that is not out of place on any heavy metal list out there. And it’s my list so if you don’t like it...suck it, I guess? Anyways. This album is pure, unadulterated 80s inspired heavy metal. It’s cheesy on levels that even power metal can’t reach and that’s what makes it so wonderful. It’s a badass metal album from start to finish and it’s meant to be a REAL album. Check this out and go buy the game that features these songs. I can only hope there will be a sophomore album in my lifetime. 81.) Transatlantic- The Absolute Universe (Forevermore & The Breath of Life) FFO- Progressive Rock Arguably the most ambitious album of 2021. It is a double concept album over 3 three discs. Forevermore is 2 discs that contains everything the concept is about. The Breath of Life is an abridged version of the former with new ways to make it feel like it’s it’s own release while containing the same music and new interludes, beginnings, ends, etc to make it feel like a complete 1 disc concept. It’s odd on paper, but it works in execution. This is how prog is meant to be and it’s done in a way that you either love or see as pretentious, there’s no real in between. I for one, love it and you may too. And there you have it, the first twenty albums down in this gargantuan list and 80 more to go. Tune in tomorrow for That Drummer Guy’s Top 100 Albums of 2021 Part III: 80-61 - Josh Rundquist (That Drummer Guy) 
Huzzah Huzzah Huzzah! It’s that time of year again! Welcome to That Drummer Guy’s Top 100 Albums of 2021. It’s been quite the year in both music and the world as a whole. While many will focus on the atrocities that have been continued in this year from all over the landscape; I’m here to focus on the positives and only the positives that 2021 has brought us in the might world of heavy music.
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