#27 - Top of 2019

Leverage - Determinus (Frontiers Records)

After a ten year break since the release their last album, Leverage are back demonstrating once again that Finnish bands really do know the secrets of creating memorable melodic heavy metal albums. Armed with an amazing new lead vocalist, Kimmo Blom, and a new guitarist, Mikko Salovaara, the band doesn't hesitate to shift between different musical sound with 70s-like opener titled "Burn Love Burn", a surprisingly catchy chorus into the more folky "Wind of Morrigan", which is also one of the most distinguished songs from the album and into the heavier "Tiger" which is dominated by Kimmo's high pitched vocals and a Rammstein-reminiscent vibe. These changes help the band maintain momentum having the listener wondering what twist wilbe coming next. The heavy metalled "Afterworld's Disciple", with a Dio/Heaven and Hell vibe mixed with a  power metal chorus, and the made-for-sing-alongs "Hand of God" with its acoustic guitar interlude are also quite unique tracks, demonstrating a huge array of diversity in the band's sound which is what makes this album a good release and a noteworthy entry in our top list!

93.9/100

Below is the music video for the song "Wind of Morrigan".

#28 - Top of 2019

Church of the Cosmic Skull - Everybody's Going to Die (Septaphonic Records)

Members of the Cosmic Family rejoice! The brothers and sisters from the Church of the Cosmic Skull are back with another full-length album (following an amazing 2018 release) and a renewed invitation to believe in magic and join the family of the Church. Despite the ominous album title "Everybody's Going to Die" succeeds in mixing darker lyrical themes with 70's feel good tunes and a few bluesy twists (such as "The Hunt"). Throughout the album Bill Fisher's mellow vocals blend perfectly with the church-like choirs creating a unique atmosphere. Following the path to the Cosmic Compound above the clouds the listener comes across different musical styles, such as the country-themed "Do What You Want (With Love In Your Heart)" that adds a theatrical piano-based touch and quicker riffs as well as the groovy "Into the Skull" describing the journey from the real world through the Gate under the sound of heavier guitar riffs. Church of the Cosmic Skull might be wondering "Dont' You Believe In Magic" but the 100% succeed in teleporting the listener "Living In a Bubble" to experience a mystical journey away from the deserted real world and glimpse into the 7 Objects through tele-vision...


93.85/100

Below is the music video for the song "Sorcery & Sabotage".

#29 - Top of 2019

Rival Sons - Feral Roots (Atlantic Records)

Rival Sons are one of the greatest "real" rock bands of our time and last year they returned with one of the best and possibly more complete records of their entire backlog: "Feral Roots". A great album combining soul melodies with pure rock and roll aggression, containing no fewer than four compositions that are already considered classics: "Look Away" talks about empathy with a magnificent bridge which complements the dreamy intro, "Feral Roots" with emotional vocals reminiscent of the great Demis Roussos, "All Directions" with its retro vibe and finally the great "Shooting Stars" combining a full emotional explosion with the great vocal companionship of the the Nashville Urban Choir. These deeply emotional experiences are accompanied by wild rocking tracks like "Do Your Worst", "Back In The Woods" and the sexy "Sugar on the Bone" that taken into context create a complete record for all fans of rock music (and to be fair all music, in general).




93.8/100

Below are the music videos for "Do  your Worst" and "Sugar on the Bone".

#30 - Top of 2019

Bloodbound - Rise of the Dragon Empire (AFM Records)

Just as we reach the top 30, we find the Swedish power-metallers, Bloodbound, with their 8th full length album, a worthy follow-up to their 2017 release, War of Dragons. Kicking off with the uplifting and melodic "Rise of the Dragon Empire" which sets the tone of epic storytelling about dragon battles, the album promises an amazing journey with catchy tunes and interesting choruses with songs like "Slayer of Kings" begging for a sing-along! Although Patrick J Selleby's vocals are distinctive and powerful, what elevates the songs is definitely the way his vocals are blended with manly sing-along choruses adding a more imposing element to the songs. The record is quite diverse changing pacing between quick-paced Sabaton-like tunes such as "Giants of Heaven" to the Hammerfall-like "A Blessing in Sorcery" and Edguy/Avantasia-reminiscent tunes as heard in "Skyriders and Stormbringer", never failing to amaze and always delivering awesome melodies and fantastic lyrical tales. Just in case you had any doubts about them being influenced by George RR Martin's Song of Ice and Fire, you can check out "Blackwater Bay" and "Balerion" which are direct references to RRR Martin's Westeros mythos. It sounds like Bloodbound have found the secret recipe in successfully mixing all the awesome cheesy elements of power metal with tales about dragonwars!


93.7/100

Below is the music video for the song "Rise of the Dragon Empire".

#31 - Top of 2019

Gloryhammer - Legends from Beyond the Galactic Terrorvortex (Napalm Records)

Gloryhammer are back from the legendary plains of Scotland with their third full length album, a worthy continuation of their chaotic intergalactic saga (for the previous chapter see their Top 2015 entry). Between the catchy choruses of "The Siege of Dunkeld (In Hoots We Trust)", the imposing Rhapsody-like "The Land of Unicorns" and the keyboard-based "Power of the Laser Dragon Fire" reminiscent of Stratovarius, Angus McFife XIII, Crown Prince of Fife acts as a narrator of epic tales comprising the fictional history of Scotland! Of course, the album is also packed with memorable tracks like "Gloryhammer"which describes the Heavy Metal Darklord Crasher wielding history of the band and the quick-paced tongue-twister "Hootsforce" describing the fight for Fife! The closing track, "The Fires of Ancient Cosmic Destiny" is by far the more theatrical and symphonic song of this album spanning over 12 minutes and blending electronic with orchestral elements while providing a fitting closure to the interdimensional struggles of the brave prince of Fife against  Zargothrax, leaving us to wonder where will the next chapter to this story find Angus McFife and Gloryhammer?

93.6/100

Below is the music video for the song "Hootsforce".

#32 - Top of 2019

Howling Sycamore - Seven Pathways to Annihilation (Prosthetic Records)

Howling Sycamore are in a way, an underground super group with members from Ephel Duath, Watchtower and Necrophagist joining forces back in 2018 in order to add their unique voice to the modern scene of extreme progressive music. With a heavy backlog on their backs - mainly Grossmann and McMaster - from their tenures at Necrophagist, Obscura  and Watchtower respectively but also with the valuable contribution of Davide Tiso from the Italian avant-garde band, Ephel Duath, the band released in quick succession two excellent albums, the self-titled debut in 2018 and their sophomore effort "Seven Paths to Annihilation" in 2019.
Here, the band impresses newcomers by combining extreme guitar and drum elements  with theatrical/over-the-top vocals by McMaster,  creating an "uncomfortable" and at the same time hauntingly beautiful atmosphere. Tiso, as the band's mastermind, develops the sound he started with Ephel Duath, softening several of the elements from Howling Sycamore's debut, which contributes to the better overall tightness of this record compared to its predecessor. There are no "radio hits" to be found here, as the album is quite "cerebral", requiring concentration from its audience to perceive the multi-layered compositions presented here. This is a labour of love from these musicians, attempting (and many times succeeding) at pushing the boundaries of prog music and showing how to intergrate new elements in it, keeping it  fresh and interesting for the challenges of the future!


93.5/100


Below is the official audio track for "Mastering Fire"

#33 - Top of 2019

Candlemass - The Door to Doom (Napalm Records)

Between disbanding back in 2012, regrouping and releasing 2 great EPs with singer Mats Leven, and finally reuniting with original singer Johan Längquist, a lot has happened to Candlemass between releasing the great "Psalms for the Dead" and the newest "The Door to Doom". News of reuniting with the voice behind the original versions of "Solitude" and "Under the Oak" brought a great amount of anticipation for a new record with the reunited line-up. So how does the Door of Doom fare against the back-log of the band? Overall the album is great. The band is in form and Leif is pounding the audience with riffs like there is no tomorrow. Tracks like "Astrolus", "Black Trinity" and "The House of Doom" are truly worthy of the Candlemass Hall of Fame and are sure to be valued additions in Doom Metal Playlists for years to come. Through this the bands succeeds in reaffirming their return and initialise potentially a new phase of their career (akin to 2007's "King of the Grey Islands").
 

93.4/100

Below is the music video for "Astorolus - The Great Octopus"

#34 - Top of 2019

Battle Beast - No More Hollywood Endings (Nuclear Blast Records)

Battle Beast have always been a band that has tried to evolve and reinvent themselves and their music with each record. With the departure of Anton Kabanen, the band had to evolve, adopting more pop elements in their previous album, while maintaining their signature style. Here, with "No More Hollywood Endings", the band take it one step further, almost completely abandoning their power metal character and essentially creating an album that seems like the demented lovechild of ABBA, Nightwish and Bon Jovi. But is that necessarily a bad think dear reader? The answer really depends from your perspective; if you were a die-hard fan of the band for its infectious pop-metal silliness, then this may come as a big disappointment. However those willing to embrace the new Beast will find a trove of excellent songs here, even if it's no longer in the same vein with what they would expect from Noora and company. "No more Hollywood Endings" and "Eden" are truly memorable Finish Sympho tracks, "Unfairy tales" is an excellent 80s power ballad, "Endless Summer" is a very tasty pop marshmallow, "The Hero" grooves hard, while  "The Golden Horde" is a god-honest metal bashing among the fluff surrounding it. 
Overall, this a very good and different output opening new avenues for the band, showing how a pop metal band can transition to something different while maintaining very high standards of quality.

93.3/100

Below is the music video for the titular track and "Eden"

#35 - Top of 2019

Avantasia - Moonglow (Nuclear Blast)

2019 was a great year for Tobias Sammet, releasing another great chapter that can be proudly added to the journey of his symphonic power metal project, Avantasia. Tobias has been busy collaborating with a range of bands from different genres and making some interesting guest appearances in the recent Ayreon (2017) and Magnum (2018) albums! Ghostlights (the previous Avantasia record) might have been a bit more unmemorable, though still enjoyable, addition as it was released closer to the last Edguy album (that made it to the 2014 Top), but in Moonglow you can listen to the amazing elements that made earlier Avantasia instantly recognisable and memorable! The album is packed with great star-power including Hansi Kürsch (Blind Guardian), Geoff Tate (ex-Queensryche), Bob Catley, Michael Kiske (Helloween) and Jorn Lande, making the songs a great remix of some of the most talented singers out there! The album has some nice simply structured songs, like the melodic "Monglow" which is definitely aiming for a wider crowd but the highlights of the album are without a doubt songs where Sammet takes some risk by interchanging between musical and lyrical themes as well as masterfully combining numerous guest singers whose voices beautifully complement each other. Such an example is amazing "The Raven Child" which spans over 11 minutes and gives us some of the most memorable moments of the record featuring an awesome mix of Kürsch and Lande's voices! Another great moment is "Invincible" where Tate shines with his mellow voice in this piano-based melancholic composition that inevitably has a Queensryche-like vibe to it and acts in juxtaposition to the quick-paced "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn" spearheaded by Jorn Lande. A definite improvement over the latest Avantasia albums and another glorious chapter in the European power metal mythos
 


93.3/100

Below are the official lyric video for the the song "The Raven Child" and the official music video for "Moonglow".

#36 - Top of 2019

Arch/Matheos - Winter Ethereal (Metal Blade)

Former Fates Warning band-mates John Arch and Jim Matheos, after the triumphant 2011 debut of their collaborative project, returned last year with an excellent successor, "Winter Ethereal" Once more, the music here is complex and heavy at the same time, with the warmth of Arch's voice complimenting the superb riffing of Matheos. By combining themes of old Fates Warning with fresher music elements and making riffing more direct to its predecessor, they achieve to sound more apart from the latest incarnation of Fates Warning than their previous effort. And while this may alienate some of the more prog-affiliated listeners, fans of the more metallic side of the band will surely rejoice. Despite the ease with which this album flows, it explores a ton of different places. The album kicks off with‘Vermilion Moons’ which evokes a darker and sombre mood, however there are multiple moods expressed throughout the record, as we are treated to power metal energy levels (the epic "Wrath of the universe" and the dynamic"Straight and narrow"), introspection ("Tethered") and even philosophical bouts ("Kinded Spirits"). Throughout the journey that is Winter Etheral, there are heavy metal riffing aplenty and labyrinthine structures coupled with superb musicianship. In conclusion, Arch / Matheos have once been able to produce an exceptional album of contemporary progressive metal music without sounding derivative or repetitive.


93.1/100


Below are the music videos for "Straight and Narrow" and "Tethered"