Heavy Metal Yeti's Best Metal Albums of 2018!

*Favourite Album Art*
Mammoth Grinder - Cosmic Crypt

   Earth's molten metal core has circled the sun once again and it's been a hell of a journey!! 2018 was a year full of ups and downs for metalheads as well. Machine Head as we know it called it quits, Batushka are on the rocks, Slayer played some of the last live shows we'll ever see, Blood Music is shutting down, social justice warriors took down Pestilence, Pat O'Brien from Cannibal Corpse got in trouble, Cory Taylor and Rob Flynn got mad at a bunch of people again, and Devildriver released a god damn country album. All the while over, way too may killer bands went on hiatus and we're still waiting for a new Tool album... As always I want to raise a glass and give cheers to the metalheads we lost this year. Rust in Peace Vinnie Paul, Erik Lindmark, Jill Janus, Bret Hoffmann, Mikio Fujioka, Randy Rampage, Carsten Otterbach, Oli Herbert, Stan Lee, and every other metalhead off to the great gig in the sky /,,/

   But all was not lost with the year of the never-ending Nightwish Tour producing some absolutely awesome live tours and some of the best metal releases I've heard in years! Killer new bands like Alien Weaponry and Conjurer released their first full length albums and heavy hitters like Between the Buried and Me and Pig Destroyer found their sound again, with Voice of Trespass being one of he most unique and progtastic metal songs I heard this year. Even better, while all this was happening some of the old guards like Judas Priest, Anvil, Satan, Voivod, Dimmu Borgir, Deicide, Metal Church, Kalmah, Venom, and Cryptospy all put out new material this year.

   It was hard to keep track of all the releases this year, but here are my top 20 albums of 2018! /,,/ For me, album of the year has changed a few times. When I made my list early in December, The Ocean Collective stole my heart with their latest release in geological time; Phanerozoic I: Palaeozoic. Phanerozoic is a modern prog metal masterpiece, delivering unbelievable power and atmosphere throughout every song. I kept finding myself coming back to this album, for some reason eerily relating to the Sea Scorpions caught up in the great dying. But as the month went on and I kept listening to my top albums, Rivers of Nihil's Where Owls Know My Name had a bigger impact on me than it originally had earlier in the year. It is for this reason that I have moved them into the pole position as my favourite release of the year. There is something about death metal saxophone that is just too hard to resist I guess!

   While I may have missed a few releases here and there, these are my favourite and most listened to albums from the past year. If you haven't checked any of them out already, take some time to broaden your metal horizons! Cheers to all the metalheads around the world and here's hoping that the next few years take a lesson from 2018 and offer up some more magnificent metal for our headbanging pleasure. Feel free to post your top albums in the comments! /,,/

1. Rivers of Nihil - Where Owls Know My Name
Progressive/Technical Death Metal - Metal Blade Records
https://www.metalblade.com/riversofnihil

2. The Ocean - Phanerozoic I: Palaeozoic 
Progressive Metal - Metal Blade Records
https://theocean.bandcamp.com

3. Inferi - Revenant
Melodic/Technical Death Metal - The Artisan Era 
https://inferi.bandcamp.com

4. Irreversible Mechanism - Immersion
Progressive Death Metal - Blood Records
https://blood-music.bandcamp.com

5. Between the Buried and Me - Automata I & II 
Progressive Metal - Sumerian Records
http://www.betweentheburiedandme.com

6. GOROD - ÆTHRA
Progressive/Technical Death Metal - Overpowered Records
https://youtu.be/GOROD

7. Beyond Creation - Algorythm
Progressive/Technical Death Metal - Season of Mist
https://beyondcreation.bandcamp.com

 8. Obscura - Diluvium
 Progressive/Technical Death Metal - Relapse Records
 https://obscura.bandcamp.com

 9. Alkaloid - Liquid Anatomy
Progressive/Technical Death Metal - Season of Mist
https://alkaloidsom.bandcamp.com

10. Revocation - The Outer Ones
Technical Death/Thrash Metal - Metal Blade Records
https://revocationband.bandcamp.com

11. Psycroptic - As the Kingdom Drowns 
Technical Death Metal - Prosthetic Records
http://psycroptic.com

12. Conjurer - Mire
Sludge / Doom Metal - Holy Roar Records
https://conjureruk.bandcamp.com

13. Alterbeast - Feast
Technical Death Metal - Unique Leader Records
https://uniqueleaderrecords.bandcamp.com/Alterbeast

14. Black Fast - Spectre of Ruin
Progressive Thrash Metal - eOne
https://youtu.be/BlackFast

15. Smoulder - The Sword Woman
Epic Doom Metal - Independent
https://smoulder.bandcamp.com

16. Horrendous - Idol 
Progressive Death Metal - Season of Mist
https://horrendoussom.bandcamp.com

 

17. At The Gates - To Drink From the Night Itself 
Melodic Death Metal - Century Media Records
http://atthegates.se

18. Judas Priest - Firepower 
Heavy Metal - Columbia Records
http://www.judaspriest.com

 

19. Skeletonwitch - Devouring Radiant Light
Melodic Death/Thrash Metal - Prosthetic Records
https://skeletonwitch.bandcamp.com

20. Khemmis - Desolation 
Doom Metal - 20 Buck Spin
https://listen.20buckspin.com/Khemmis

Honourable mentions: Sulphur Aeon, Cryptopsy, Kataklysm, Mammoth Grinder, Jungle Rot, Gravespell, Voivod, YOB, Kalmah, Gruesome, Immortal, Dee Snider, Necrophobic, Panopticon, Krisiun, Tomb Mold, Harakiri For The Sky, Soulfly, Skeletal Remains, Sleep, and all the other bands that made 2018 a kick ass year for metal!! /,,/

If you liked this list check out my past AOTY lists to see if there is anything you've missed!!
https://heavymetalsasquatch.blogspot.com/2018/03/heavy-metal-yetis-best-metal-albums-of.html
https://heavymetalsasquatch.blogspot.com/2016/12/metal-yetis-best-metal-albums-of-2015.html
https://heavymetalsasquatch.blogspot.com/2014/12/heavy-metal-sasquatchs-top-fourteen.html

Between the Buried and Me @ Guelph Concert Theatre, Guelph (July 27, 2018).

     Craving chaos and delicious metal once again, the Yeti felt the irresistible urge to venture out of the forest and into the pit! Lucky for me hot on the heels of a new release, Between the Buried and Me visited Guelph, Ontario headlining the annual Summer Slaughter Tour on one of its only Canadian stops this year!  This is not the first time BTBAM have made an appearance on this tour, but it's definitely been a long time coming to see them take on the pole position.

     BTBAM have had a busy year so far. They signed a new deal with Sumerian Records and quickly released a split record, Automata I & II, with the final part released just days ago on Friday the 13th. Autotmata is a boon for old BTBAM fans like me, with the band returning to roots with heavy vocals and crushing breakdowns mixed with the technical progressive mastery we all know and love.  All the while they still manage to keep things fresh and weird, no doubt a tip of the hat to their new record label and Coma Ecliptic fan base.

     The Guelph Concert Theatre was packed for Born of Osiris, with the crowd jammed in and completely amped up by all of the metal the tour had to offer throughout the day. But for me, nothing compared the main event of the show. The first time I saw BTBAM live was over 10 years ago during the Silent Circus tour. They never fail to amaze me with their raw power and incredible stage presence, and tonight it was no different! The band played a mixture of fan favourites and new tracks starting the show off with Informal Gluttony and Extremophile Elite. They followed up with a mix of some old and newer material, delivering a completely dialed performance of Famine Wolf, Blot, Disease Injury Madness, and the ever eccentric Voice of Trespass! The entire band was on point all throughout the show but just when I thought things couldn't get any better they closed with Condemned to the Gallows and gave us an encore of Selkies! Once again Between the Buried and Me put a smile on my face. I cant wait until the next time they roll through town! Check out some photos from the night below! Cheers to my fellow metalheads and to all the crazy fuckers in the pit as usual! /,,/

Between the Buried and Me

Born of Osiris

Slayer, Lamb of God, Anthrax, Behemoth, & Testament @ The Budweiser Stage, Toronto (May 29, 2018).

   Tonight history was made in Toronto as Slayer played their last show in the city on their final world tour  with Lamb of God, Anthrax, Behemoth, and Testament for support. To celebrate the occasion Mr and Mrs Squatch went down to The Budweiser Stage to witness the end of an age. The night opened up with local beauties Panzerfaust shredding a killer set at the Riverside Bar inside the venue. Right from the time the doors opened the place was packed with Testament delivering a killer set to start off the main event. Testament were on point delivering a short but packed set full of old and new favourites. Behemoth and Anthrax took the stage next over the next hour or so, turning the Budweiser Stage into a complete madhouse with both bands performing dialed sets.

   After lots beers and some causal thrashing with friends, Lamb of God took the stage and cranked the dial to max capacity almost ripping the railings off the lawn sections with moshing metalheads. Lamb of God opened with Omerta and continued to play a mix of all their fan favourites throughout their set. A highlight for me was the crowd contribution during Walk With Me In Hell and Laid to Rest with everyone in the venue screaming along! With the crowd now completely amped, the anticipation was almost palpable leading up to the main event. As the sun went down, Slayer took the stage and began an onslaught of thrash metal fury of which I will not soon forget. The band opened with some tracks off their latest album but soon started to burn the place down with gauntlet of material from their early days with tracks like Black Magic and Chemical Warfare as well as the title tracks and singles from most of their albums. While I was left wanting more at the end of the show with no encore, they ended the show in style with a fantastic tribute to Jeff Hanneman with the band absolutely crushing Angel of Death while flying the Hanneman flag. And with that Slayer took one last bow on the Lakeshore of Toronto under a full moon on a perfect night.

   While I am still hoping for a reunion  tour in a few years, Slayer did a fantastic job with their final show in Toronto. The bill was absolutely stacked and they put on one hell of show. The crowd left he show completely buzzing with echos of "SLLAAYYYEEERRR" being heard from all edges of the venue and surrounding streets. Cheers to all the crazy folks I clashed with in the mosh pit on the hill! Cheers to all the bands for a wicked night and a huge final thank you to SLAYER for all the killer music and shows throughout the years. It doesn't feel right that they have wrapped up. I hope to see a lot more from them as time goes on. Check out some pictures from the night below!

SLAYER

LAMB OF GOD

ANTHRAX

BEHEMOTH

TESTAMENT

PANZERFAUST

-Heavy Metal Sasquatch out!