#13 - Top of of 2019

Stormburner - Shadow Rising (Pure Steel Records)

Blasting their way into the 2019 Top Albums, Stormburner with their first full length album, Shadow Rising have all the elements of a great heavy metal band in the making, even at this early stage of the band's journey. From the pumping "We Burn" to the grandiose "Ode to War", all the tracks are epic and oozing with heavy metal essence thanks to some amazing guitar work (by both rhythm and lead guitarists), fast drumming and Micke Stark's vocals who masterfully changes from mid-range to high-pitched screams adding to that HEAVY feeling! The Swedes are masters of catchy heavy metal with some of the album's highlights being the melodic titular song "Shadow Rising" , the heavier "Demon Fire" which is written for sing-alongs and the personal favourites "Ragnarök" and "Rune of the dead" which are packed with some Manowar-like epic-level vocals and riffs. Overall, an extremely enjoyable record with great replay value that is the perfect everyday dose of real heavy metal.

95.05/100

Below is the official music video for the song "Demon Fire".

#14 - Top of 2019

Monasterium - Church of Bones (Nine Records)

Now that we are slowly moving into autumn, Monasterium's second full length album fits with the weather and the mood due to its gloomy doom sound. The Polish epic doometallers who also graced our 2010s Top Doom Metal albums are back having stepped up from their debut album and they do not shy away with the first track "Church of Bones" showcasing that they know how to play traditional doom metal with a touch of Messiah-era Candlemass thanks to the lead singer's (Michał Strzeleck) clear and theatrical/operatic vocals! The doomy awesomeness is continued throughout the record with high pitched vocals and memorable guitar riffs in the imposing "La Danse Macabre" and an amazingly catchy chorus in the melodic "Liber Loagaet". But do not fear! The second part of the album does not lose momentum and is equally heavy and epic both lyrically and musically with the most shining example of an instant classic doom metal song being "The Order of the Dragon" which is another EPIC highlight of the album for all band members (though the lead singer tends to outshine them following in the steps of Messiah Marcolin).  Wrapping up the album, "The Last Templar" with its narration around the Crusades (and the struggle between Grand Master of the Knights Templar Jacques De Molay and King Philip IV) is last but not least as it is packed with amazing riffs, a catchy sing-along chorus leaving the listener wondering when they are planning to release their next album! Overall, Monasterium succeed in mixing the classy epic doom sounds which create an eerie atmosphere with interesting lyrical themes including stories about the knights templar, magic and ancient Greece, differentiating themselves from stock Candlemass-copy bands and leaving their epic/heavy mark in the doom scene!


94.85/100

Below is the official lyric video for the song "The Last Templar".

#15 - Top of 2019

Eclipse - Paradigm (Frontiers)

Eclipse are a pretty well-known hard rock/AOR act from Sweden that has been consistently releasing pretty interesting albums within the genre during the last couple of decades but always seemed to fall a touch short of a genuine mainstream breakthrough. This may or may not be the case for paradigm, but the album is one of the sweetest surprises of 2019! The band here really outdid themselves, delivering multiple anthemic hard rock songs ("The Masquerade", "Viva la Victoria", "Never Gonna Be Like You" , "Mary Leigh") poised to be airplay sweethearts while at the same time keeping the quality of song-writing as high as it's ever been in their career. A real feat and a must listen for any and all rock fans.

94.85/100

Below are the music videos for "The Masquerade" and "Viva la Victoria"