#7 - Top of 2020

 Arrayan path - The Marble Gates to Apeiron (Pitch black records)   

Moving up through the 2020 Top, we find another band which has repeatedly appeared in our list of 2016, 2018 and the Best of Epic Tops. They are none other than Arrayan Path, the epic power metal band from Cyprus who released their 8th album. The Marble Gates to Apeiron from beginning (with its title track) to end is packed with blasting drum bits, memorable choruses and melodic guitar interludes. Once again, the songs are elevated by the front vocalist, Nicholas Leptos and his one of a kind voice which only seems to get better as time goes by. A personal favourite and highlight of the album is "Metamorphosis", a great example of great musicianship and memorable lyric-writing. The more theatrical and dark "Virus" which is eerily relevant to the past 2 years of the COVID era, the positive "To Live Another Day" with its romantic touch and the amazingly melodic "Mask of Sanity" are also great tracks that provide a interesting change of pace while the perfect ending is given with the even more catchy "A Silent Masquerade" and the epic "Black Sails (The Nemean Ode)" which is impossible to get un-stuck from your mind!

Nemean ode oh Nemean, heeding the beat of a drum

 

95.7/100

Below official music video for "Metamorphosis".

 

#8 - Top of 2020

Sorcerer - Lamenting of the Innocent (Metal Blade Records)

The epic doometallers from Sweden are are no strangers to our annual lists of best albums, previously entering our 2015, 2017 and the Best of Epic Tops. Their 3rd full length album is a worthy follow up to their track record with all the favourite characteristic elements, including memorable heavy doom riffs and amazing mellow and powerful vocals by the one and only Anders Engberg. There is no time wasted and after a short instrumental intro the listener is stuck with the full force of "The Hammer of Witches" which is packed with heavy and at the same time melodic riffs (with an awesome midsong interlude) and perfectly blended with majestic vocals! This is followed by track which gives the title to the album and is one of its highlights "Lamenting of the Innocent" which starts by building an eerie ceremonial mood that encompassed this more toned-down and sorrowful song that spans almost 9 minutes but does not have a dull moment! If you are here for the straightforward tracks the heavy and doomy "Where Spirits Die" and "Age of the Damned" (with one of the catchiest choruses of the year) are just what you are looking for. The menacing chimming bells of the "Condemned" and the verses in latin of the "Dance with the Devil" further enhance the epic doom vibe that permeates all the song. This beast of an album is another release worthy of the Sorcerer record track which despite being short has already developed a unique and memorable identity that keeps evolving with each album becoming even more refined!

95.2/100

 

Below is the official music video for "The Hammer of Witches".

#9 - Top of 2020

Romuvos -  The Baltic Crusade (dangus productions)   

For the fans of pure FOLK metal, 2020 was a great year as these pagans from Lithuania released their 3rd full length album, The Baltic Crusade. Romuvos are an excellent example of a band which knows how to mix  EPIC melodies with strong male vocals and folk sounds including a range of instruments such as flutes, bagpipes, mouth harps and nyckelharpa. Straight from the first song, you know this is going to be a great album as "Saule 1236" hits all the right points with amazing sounds and its lyrics falling within the album concept inspired by historical events entailing the fight of pagans against Christianity which ended with the Christianisation of Lithuania (or Courland as described in the lyrics) in 1387. The chronicle carries on with the more melodic "Memel 1257"  and the battle-anthem ""Skuodas 1259" (a personal favourite and worth checking out for fans of epic sing along choruses) which continue the saga of Romuva in line with the Romuva movement back to Baltic pagan traditions and customs. There are refreshing changes of pace from more mellow folk like "Pokarwis 1261" and a healthy dose of melodic guitars mixed with other instruments in the title song "The Baltic Crusade" that keeps you on your feet waiting for the next track. Overall, this is an album worth checking out both in terms of musicianship as it is packed with epic chants and folk instruments without losing their heavy sound, but also in terms of lyrical themes on the interesting tale of pagans of Romuva that is not well known.

95/100

 

Below is official music video for "Memel 1257".

#10 - Top of 2020

Wytch hazel - iii: pentecost (bad omens records) 

If you are looking for a melodic hard rock album with a feel-good attitude, look no further than the UK and and amazing Wytch Hazel. The previous album (II: Sojourn) was very interesting but they have managed to evolve their sound with their by far best album so far, III: Pentecost. Armed with a new bassist, Andy Shackleton, the band carries on in their exploration of spirituality, battles and truth with their unique style and the mellow voice of Colin Hendra, the lead vocalist, in the frontlines. After warming up to their retro and uplifting sound with the intro song, you get hit with the awesome "Spirit and Fire", which a very memorable chorus and melodic guitar riffs that are impossible to get out your mind, except by hearing the album on repeat! Other memorable tracks include  and the Lucifer-inspired "Archangel" which has an edgy vide reminiscent of the eerie Ghost-vibe of hard rock/heavy tunes and vocals , and "Dry Bones" which has everything from the best guitar intro riffs to high-pitched vocals that will get any listener pumped for more. The album also has different aspects like the acoustic "The Crown" and the instrumental "Sonata" which change the pace at the right moment, just before the more epic and gloomy "Reap the Harvest" which has a more proggy feeling and a great piano intro/ending. Even if you are no fan of the Christian themes and the album won't entice you to go to church, you will 100% appreciate their ability to write great music and want to listen more of their work in the future!

94.95/100

Below is the official music video for "Spirit and Fire".

 

#11 - Top of 2020

 Haken - Virus (Inside Out Music)

Sometimes life plays funny games, like Haken releasing an album entitled "Virus" in the midst of a huge global pandemic,  with the announcement of the release of the album on April Fool's Day making  some believe it was a joke. Well, let me tell you, Virus is anything but. The heavier approach adopted in "Vector" carries on here with low-tuned guitars, with the aggressive riffing in opener "Prosthetic" showing  the intentions of the band. In "Invasion" the characteristic rhythmic tongue-in-cheek returns, with the vocals and the lyrics building in a clever way on the rhythm section. I would be remiss no to mention "Carousel", one of the most interesting tracks on the album that changes faces and keeps you awake, while "The Strain" has a very catchy main musical theme.

Additionally the five-parter "Messiah Complex" continues the saga of the Cockroach King, which began back in "The Mountain". Without a shred of doubt, Haken have managed to create their own unique sound, and it seems that in their last three works have gradually moved on the heavier end of the spectrum of what they play, without losing their identity. "Virus" is like the last step of a well-designed path. What the next step will be is certainly uncertain but at the same time interesting. We will definitely be there to see it anyway!

94.85/100

Below are the music videos for "Invasion" and "Prosthetic"

#12 - Top of 2020

 Hexecutor - Beyond any human concept Of knowledge... (dying victims prodcuctions)

Hexecutor are one of those rare gems someone can find when looking for new releases in that they play true heavy metal without hesitating to have a rough sound. After a couple of hearings, their songs grow on the listener mainly due to some amazing melodic guitar riffs that can be heard in across all tracks and fit perfectly with the blackened vocals. For those reluctant to overlook the first shock from Jey Deflagratör's intense vocals (and subtle French accent), do not be quick to judge and remember that unique sounds might turn out to be a band's strong point. In their second full length album, named Beyond Any Human Concept of Knowledge..., is packed with heaviness and a strong touch of epicness that peaks with the phenomenal "Tiger of the Seven Seas" and the equally amazing "Belzebuth's Apocryphal Mark", with both going just over 7 minutes of  metal awesomeness! That doesn't mean that the rest of the album is lacking in those elements as the band mixes together thrash, speed and heavy metal tunes, like the shorter but impactful "Danse Macabre", creating an interesting blend of Bathory-like sounds with more virtuosic Fenriz-like guitars. Overall, a great surprise but definitely worthy entry in 2020's top that adds a haunting twist in the heavy metal scene for brave travellers of the seven seas!

94.75/100

Below is the lyric video for "Tiger of the Seven Seas"

 

#13 - Top of 2020

Mekong Delta -  Tales of a Future Past (Butler Records)

The dark Lovecraftian magic of Mekong Delta returns to our bewitchment for a 12th time, in perhaps their most prog-metal infused record yet. Drawing on the style they have created with their latest few albums, Mekong Delta once again produce a great album. The speed is lower this time round, using the patterns they have established throughout their work, creating asymmetrical dark music pieces, with the basslines of their leader Ralph Hubert, featured prominently in the mix. Martin LeMar is by far the most controlled singer to ever have graced the band combining an excellent tone and attitude with a loud and clear voice  "Mental Entropy",  "A Colony of Liar Men", "Mindeater" and "When All Hope is Gone" have certainly a place among to the best compositions by Mekong Delta. The latter, reaching almost  the ten minutes mark will impress the listener with changes in style and a very rich orchestration.  Tales of A Future Past is  a "must" album for all the band's friends and at the same time an excellent and relatively accessible occasion to introduce someone to the mysterious music world of Mr. Hubert and his companions.

94.7/100

Below is the audio track for "A Colony of Liar Men"

#14 - Top of 2020

 Fish -Weltschmerz (7Hz Productions)

Exactly 31 years after leaving Marillion, Fish delivers to us his final musical output. A heavy and difficult decision, an album  full of ominous twists and turns, taking a journey of almost five years to make. Struck by the loss of his father and his mother's dementia, along with health problems, Fish was in trouble with delivering his final piece of music. However, he is used to putting himself in a difficult position. Fish's sensors have been confirmed countless times, and his penetrating observation of modern day targeted this German word that eventually christened the album, a word meaning "global pain", truly prophetic, as it was recorded before the age of  Covid-19, which provided the meaning of the title with an additional semantic weight. Th album is undoubtedly a collection of dark subjects, as the "global pain" in its name demands. "Waverley Steps" investigates suicide, the story of a common human personal disaster that leaves a lonely and impoverished man in a tender winter moment, and "C Song" is written from the standpoint of a man diagnosed with cancer. "Little Man What Now" is inspired by the novel of the same name by German author Hans Fallada, which describes a young couple struggling to survive the financial crisis of the 1930s, with a clear link to the present situation. "Man With a Stick", follows the "stick" in various forms, whether it is a symbol of strength in the course of life and ends up quite the opposite at the end of the road. While, "The Rose of Damascus". is a  15 minute epic about a refugee from Syria, while "Garden of memory" speaks about dementia and its impact on human relationships through the story of a couple. The curtain falls with the titular song, a clear call for resistance to the filth around us, to change things in this world of reckless grabbing. The Scottish warrior with the grey beard always knew that his only weapons were his words. The goal was to write an album that would make the listener wonder "What happens Next". The bard has left the building, indicating it is time for actions and not words...

94.65/100

Below are the music videos for "Weltschmerz" and "The Party's over"

#15 - Top of 2020

 Neal Morse - Sola Gratia (InsideOut Music)

Does Neal Morse ever get time to sleep with all these projects he is involved in? It seems that when you are passionate about your work and find inspiration in your day-to-day life, you use every day to the fullest. Not to be confused with The Neal Morse Band or his involvement with Flying Colors (new release in 2019) or Transatlantic (new release in 2021!), in the 11th album under just his personal name Neal Morse, we can see Morse's his ongoing exploration of religion and spirituality as he presents the story of the apostle Paul, from his persecution of Christians to his conversion. Morse has the support of his The Neal Morse Band members who give the project that extra progginess you might be looking for as the album is packed with amazing prog instrumentals like "Overtune" and "The March of the Pharisees", as well as catchy tracks like "In the Name of the Lord" (with great interludes) which mask the dark themes they discuss, like the stoning of Saint Stephen being discussed in the majestic "Seemingly Sincere" (reaching over 9 minutes). There is also a great sing-along track "Building a Wall" which has a more classic hard rock sound (and a touch of Pink Floyd's themes on the significance of building walls to separate people in history). Wrapping up with the more mellow "Now I Can See/The Great Commission",  Sola Gratia is nothing less than expected from Morse's musicianship which is perfectly supported by his smooth & clear vocals. If you are reluctant to check this out due to its religious themes, you are probably missing out on an awesome concept prog rock album that has all the great elements of classic Prog!

94.6/100

Below are the official music videos  for "In the Name of the Lord" and "Seemingly Sincere".

#16 - Top of 2020

My Dying Bride -  The Ghost of Orion (Nuclear Blast)

People say that Black is typically not a colour. It is the complete absence of colour, the antithesis of light, that is, darkness. My Dying Bride exemplify that saying, going strong for thirty years with ideas born out of these dark moments, distilling them into songs and trying to exorcise the darkness by evoking it.

With their latest album "The Ghost of Orion", the band once more provides us with an excellent example of how sombre doom metal should be played with lyrics that provoke the darkest corners of our soul and music tailor-made to accompany said lyrics. The story behind the creation of this album makes its artistic content even stronger, as the daughter of singer Aaron Stainthorpe was battling cancer at a very young age during the recording of the record, making the content of the album have an extra emotional resonance to people who have faced up against this relentless disease. "Tired of tears", the second track of the album relates this story in a very personal way and, along with opener "Your broken Shore", are among the most beautiful songs the band has ever composed. Among other great compositions are the melodic "To Outlive The Gods", the collaborative effort with folk-metallers Wardruna "Solace", along with the epics "The Long Black Land" and the haunting "The Ghost of Orion".  The album closes out with "The Old Earth", more reminiscent of earlier eras of the band, with brutal vocals from Aaron having a more central role, juxtaposing with the mellow intro. One of the best albums of the band and a release worth having for all fans of great doom metal music. It is worth noting that the band also released an EP in 2020, which relies on their more gothic character which, while not reaching the levels of "The Ghost of Orion", is  a very nice companion piece to this album.

94.5/100

Below is the music video for the song "To outlive the Gods"