New Delhi, Dec 30 : 2021 has been a rather eventful year as the whole world was grappling with the worst pandemic in human history, halting the production of several bands, and causing delays in several releases. However, the metal world has come back stronger than before and has given us various surprises, with legends like Iron Maiden and Accept releasing new albums and newer bands emerging. This year, a ton of great material has come from multiple bands providing evidence that no matter what happens, metal is truly immortal and will never die.

1. ‘Senjutsu’ by Iron Maiden

Country of origin – England

Formed -1975

Genre – Heavy Metal/Progressive Metal

Iron Maiden need little introduction, and one cannot emphasise enough on their role in the development of heavy metal as a whole. That said, ‘Senjutsu’, translating in Japanese as ‘tactics and strategy’, is the 17th studio album of the British metal legends. Released on September 3, 2021, the album is a very dynamic one; and while it carries the traditional Iron Maiden sound of dual guitar harmonies, galloping bass, soaring operatic vocals and energetic drumming and a brilliant production, it has also given us quite something new. One may very well be inclined to say that this is an album driven heavily towards the progressive metal side, while still retaining the traditional heavy metal sound. Made all the more impressive by Iron Maiden’s as usual brilliant production, everything sounds clear and everyone shines out in their roles. Capable of standing side by side with Maiden’s classics such as ‘Powerslave’, ‘Number Of The Beast’ and ‘Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son’, there is nothing in this album that can remotely disappoint and is easily the best metal album of 2021, and possibly one of the best ones ever. A truly flawless gem.

2. ‘Aggression Continuum’ by Fear Factory

Country of origin- United States of America

Formed – 1989

Genre- Industrial Metal/Groove Metal

The American metal giants are known for their unique style of industrial metal, which while very heavy and aggressive, is also rather dynamic rather than just straight up heavy riffs or blast beats, with their incorporation of atmospheric elements in some of their songs. Thus, Fear Factory is often labelled as cyber metal, with their lyrical matters pertaining to a bleak futuristic sci-fi setting, taking inspiration from and sometimes directly taking about the ‘Terminator’, ‘Dune’ and ‘Bladerunner’ mythos. Their tenth album ‘Aggression Continuum’ marks a new phase in the history of the band as long-time original vocalist Burton C. Bell marks his departure from the group after 31 years, leaving guitarist Dino Cazares as the only original member. As for the album itself, being Bell’s final album with FF, one could not ask for a better parting gift. Bringing in exceptional production and a killer sound with them, there is very little to say about this album for ‘Aggression Continuum’ contains everything that we love about Fear Factory, and it can stand with the best of FF records such as ‘Demanufacture’, ‘Obsolete’ and ‘Archetype’. Whatever the future may have in store for the band, ‘Aggression Continuum’ is certain to be counted as among the band’s finest hours and among the best albums of 2021.

3. ‘Colors 2’ by Between The Buried And Me

Country of origin- United States of America

Formed- 2000

Genre- Progressive Metal/Progressive Death Metal/Metalcore (early)

Between The Buried And Me abbreviated BTBAM’s music is hard to describe in just one genre, given as it is a blend of several such as metalcore, thrash metal, death metal, progressive death metal, avant garde metal, progressive rock, hardcore , ambient music etc though progressive metal might be the best suited term to describe their music. Their marked transition from a Sepultura-like track to something more suited to a Pink Floyd record in a few seconds is something that has earned them both the love as well as the ire of metalheads across, for they can be perceived as extraordinarily creative and fresh or just randomly weird and annoying. That said, ‘Colors 2’ continues with the tradition of BTBAM’s unusual and amazing musical sensibilities. The band released ‘Colors’, which is often considered their magnum opus in 2007, and in spite of having released several worthwhile and brilliant pieces, many fans felt that ‘Colors’ was a piece of art that the band may never be able to top. With ‘Colors 2’ released on August 20, 2021, BTBAM have indeed exceeded the brilliance of ‘Colors’ if not managed to once again capture it; ‘Colors 2’ while managing to reprise several tracks from its predecessor is able to classify into something all its own. Totalling 80 minutes in length, ‘Colors 2’ brings out everything one may expect from BTBAM while deepening the listener’s connection with its predecessor. This is easily one of the best BTBAM albums if not their finest record to date.

4. ‘Fortitude’ by Gojira

Country of origin- France

Formed- 1996

Genre- Progressive Groove Metal/Progressive Death Metal

Gojira has become renowned throughout the metal world and need little introduction. Since their formation, the band’s lineup has remained unchanged. Bringing in their own unique blend of progressive groove/death metal Gojira’s lyrical matters usually revolve around topics like animal rights and environment protection, and their seventh album is no different. Released on April 30th 2021,

‘Fortitude’ sees a slight musical change as there was more to it than just technical groove metal, for the album also sees the influences from blues and progressive rock. Though that does not mean that it is a radical shift for Gojira is still very much bringing in their trademark sound of deathly growls, super heavy melody laden guitars, ferocious drumming and groovy slightly funky bass with the production helping to bring all of it out. Throughout their career Gojira has not made a single bad album, and ‘Fortitude’ continues with that tradition, with the album living up to its name, earning a spot for one of the best albums of 2021.

5. ‘Force Of Danger’ by Kryptos

Country of origin- India

Formed-1998

Genre – Heavy Metal/Thrash Metal/Speed Metal

The Bengaluru-based heavy metal band certainly caught audiences by surprise with their debut ‘The Spiral Ascent’, which showed the whole world the power of Indian heavy metal, and since then the band has continued to expand. Released on October 1, ‘Force Of Danger’ continues Kryptos’s tradition of 80’s old school heavy metal in the likes of Accept, Running Wild, Dokken, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Saxon etc. ‘Force Of Danger’ is an all-out banger and even surpasses its exceedingly brilliant predecessor ‘Afterburner’ as one of the best albums the band has ever released. ‘Force Of Danger’ packs everything you would want in a traditional metal record, heavy riffs, groove laden rhythm, killer solos, and overall it is just plain fun. While musically near perfect, the production is a minor hiccup here. It would seem that in an effort to bring out the 80’s music, the band had opted for a muddier production and somehow made it too muddy, with the bass barely audible in the mix and the drums just lacking punch as they become buried by the guitars. However, that does not stop this record from being an all-out headbanging fest and it certainly earns its way as one of the best metal albums of this year. It is certainly something that Kryptos can show with pride.

6. ‘Coherence’ by Be’lakor

Country of origin- Australia

Formed- 2004

Genre – Melodic Death Metal/Progressive Metal

The Australian progressive melodic death metal band’s fifth album, released on October 29 continues with the band’s tradition of dishing out heavy, haunting, beautiful and melodic music, staying consistent with their style since the release of their 2007 debut ‘The Frail Tides’. Rather than being a continuation of the 2016 ‘The Vessels’, ‘Coherence’ is something different, featuring everything metalheads have come to love about the group. It showcases the band maturing and discovering new heights. Consistency can often result in only two things, brilliance when done right and an absolute disaster when done wrong, leading to either extreme boredom or a metaphorical ear bleed. Fortunately the Aussies know exactly what to do, and in this case the outcome is far removed from the latter, resulting in a piece of art that is truly among the best of this year, and something that only further embellishes their as of yet near perfect discography.

7. ‘Existence Is Futile’ by Cradle Of Filth

Country of origin – England

Formed- 1991

Genre – Extreme Metal/Gothic Metal

The veterans of the gothic/extreme metal scene mark a triumphant return to the scene three years after the brilliant ‘Cryptoariana-The Seductiveness of Decay’ of 2017 with their latest record. Released on October 22, the ‘Existence is Futile’ is the newest to explore the band’s horror Lovecraftian themes. Seeing a riff driven approach while simultaneously bringing in theatrics with growls, spoken pieces and an atmospheric section with the keyboards, female singing and massive choruses, the band’s sound has changed a great deal since their early beginnings though has nonetheless stayed true to their core. As a result ever since their success with the 2015 ‘Hammer Of The Witches’, the band has continued with their newer approach of the old New Wave of British Heavy Metal style riffs coupled with black metal and gothic metal, resulting in an intense and delectably sweet piece of music that is certain to satisfy fans and newcomers.

8. ‘The Work’ by The Rivers Of Nihil

Country of origin – United States of America

Formed- 2009

Genre – Progressive Death Metal/Technical Death Metal

The American progressive metal outfit had certainly surpassed all expectations with the 2018 ‘Where The Owls Know My Name’, with most fans calling it their magnum opus and something that was indeed very hard to stand on par with, let alone surpass. But Rivers Of Nihil have managed to do the unexpected with their latest record ‘The Work’, which while it doesn’t surpass WTOKMN is certainly a piece of work that can stand proudly alongside it. Stylistically different from its predecessor with some bits of resemblance, ‘The Work’ is something completely its own, showcasing the band’s ingenuity and creativity. Packing crushing and brilliant riffs, death growls, clean vocals, melodies, technical skill, ‘The Work’ only showcases the band’s brilliant musicianship and has everything one can ask for in a brilliant metal record. Some fans may find it problematic that ‘The Work’ is quite different from its predecessor, but most are certain to appreciate it for its ingenuity, creativity and the very apparent care that went into writing and producing the album which is nothing short of total excellence.

9. ‘Where The Gloom Becomes Sound’ by Tribulation

Country of origin – Sweden

Formed- 2004

Genre – Gothic Metal/Death Metal/Black Metal

Having changed a good deal from their early days, Tribulation’s sixth album released on January 29th is certainly a contender for album of the year. ‘Where The Gloom Becomes Sound’ has an excellent production with nothing being overdone or underdone. The Swedes bring in a record which packs in haunting passages, melodies and doomy riffs, with the album ultimately coming out as a straight up gothic death metal. The album displays the band’s various influences from gothic rock, death metal, New Wave Of British Heavy Metal, and even post punk, and ends on a befitting note, particularly for the band as longtime bassist Jonathen Hulten announced his departure just a few days after the release of the album. All said and done, this certainly did Hulten’s time in the band justice. While ‘Where The Gloom Becomes Sound’ has its flaws, it is an undeniably passion driven album and one the band can certainly be proud of.

10. ‘In The Court Of The Dragon’ by Trivium

Country of origin- United States of America

Formed- 1999

Genre- Thrash Metal/Metalcore

The heavy weights of the metal scene returned to the fold with their tenth album this year, following the release of their previous album ‘What The Dead Men Say’ in 2020. Released on October 8th, ‘In The Court Of The Dragon’ is sure to knock the socks of all listeners for it manages to surpass not just its predecessor, but also the band’s other revered pieces such as ‘In Waves’, ‘Shogun’, ‘The Sin And The Sentence’, ‘Ascendency’, as probably the band’s best album to date. With over twenty years of playing, the band’s sound has matured a great deal since their debut, and after a bunch of experimentation with the different sounds, Trivium’s latest release while completely looking forward manages to hold on to all that gives the band its identity. Experimenting with death metal, black metal, metalcore, progressive metal, heavy metal and thrash metal Trivium have incorporated a bunch of influences and ended up bouncing back stronger than ever. The result is a diverse, complex, and power packed album with stunning production, and all the flavours of an excellent metal album. With a truly fine addition to their discography, Trivium have truly outdone themselves as they have made a powerful contender for what

can only be considered as among the best albums of the year.

Honorable Mentions

1. ‘A View From The Top’ by Dream Theater

2. ‘For Those That Wish To Exist’ by Architects

3. ‘The Nightmare Of Being’ by At The Gates

4. ‘A History Of Nomadic Behavior’ by Eyehategod

5. ‘Torn Arteries’ by Carcass

6. ‘Dark Connection’ by Beast In Black

7. ‘Too Mean To Die’ by Accept

8. ‘Eternal Blue’ by Spiritbox

9. ‘Hell Unleashed’ by Evile

10. ‘Royal Destroyer’ by The Crown.(UNI)