It's that time again! Everyone's favorite list to fight over
https://www.decibelmagazine.com/2017/11 ... bums-2017/

40. The Lurking Fear, Out of the Voiceless Grave, Century Media
39. Woe, Hope Attrition, Vendetta
38. Pyrrhon, What Passes for Survival, Willowtip
37. Power Trip, Nightmare Logic, Daymare
36. Ufomammut, 8, Neurot
35. Disharmony, Goddamn the Sun, Iron Bonehead
34. Wormwitch, Strike Mortal Coil, Prosthetic
33. Propagandhi, Victory Lap, Epitaph
32. Farsot, Fail-Lure, Lupus Lounge
31. Napalm Raid, Wheel of War, Self-Released
30. Oxbow, Thin Black Duke, Hydra Head
29. Loss, Horizonless, Profound Lore
28. Lock Up, Demonization, Listenable
27. With the Dead, Love from With the Dead, Rise Above
26. Dreadnought, Awake in Sacred Waves, Sailor
25. Cannibal Corpse, Red Before Black, Metal Blade
24. Wampyrinacht, We Will Be Watching. Les Cultes de Satan et Les Mysterères de la Mort, Zazen Sounds
23. Midnight, Sweet Death and Ecstasy, Hells Headbangers
22. Pagan Altar, The Room of Shadows, Temple of Mystery
21. Artificial Brain, Infrared Horizon, Profound Lore
20. Cloak, To Venomous Depths, Season of Mist
19. Akercocke, Renaissance in Extremis, Peaceville
18. Enslaved, E, Nuclear Blast
17. Cormorant, Diaspora, Self-Released
16. Myrkur, Mareridt, Relapse
15. Dodecahedron, Kwintessens, Season of Mist
14. Obituary, Obituary, Relapse
13. Craven Idol, The Shackles of Mammon, Dark Descent
12. Kreator, Gods of Violence, Nuclear Blast
11. Bell Witch, Mirror Reaper, Profound Lore
10. Converge, The Dusk in Us, Epitaph
9. Wolves in the Throne Room, Thrice Woven, Artemisia
8. Full of Hell, Trumpeting Ecstasy, Profound Lore
7. Immolation, Atonement, Nuclear Blast
6. Spectral Voice, Eroded Corridors of Unbeing, Dark Descent
5. Integrity, Howling, For the Nightmare Shall Consume, Relapse
4. Necrot, Blood Offerings, Tankcrimes
3. Pallbearer, Heartless, Profound Lore
2. Spirit Adrift, Curse of Conception, 20 Buck Spin
1. Paradise Lost, Medusa, Nuclear Blast

Seems like a solid list but in a really weird order. I will never understand Decibel's obsession with Pallbearer.

It's a solid list, mixing some obscure stuff with the big label releases as expected.

Missing obviously some of the newer releases (Aosoth primarily), but it's low on black metal every year, as far as I remember.

...and there's always that one surprisingly obscure and kvlt album that weirdly finds its way on the list

Lol, the only album on that list I've even heard is Kreator.

Shit, Wampyrinacht is on my list. Now that it has been ruined by Decibel I have to find something else.

It has a fair bit of off-the-radar bands which is cool. Bell Witch, Wormwitch, Spectral Voice...

And they put Necrot at number 4.

Aosoth has AOTY for me after two listens. Heavydeath’s new one is up there now too. Spectral Voice absolutely. I don’t think Myrkur has any business being on the list and honestly as much as I love PL I wouldn’t rank it AOTY by any stretch of the imagination.

I've heard 9 out of the 40 on the list. I'll admit that most of the 9 are well known and established. I need to get around to checking out some of these less established bands.

I know it’s kind of stating the obvious while simultaneously beating a dead horse, but year-end retrospective best-of lists should really wait until at least the very beginning of the new year. Yeah, November and December are traditionally slow for major releases, but there’s been less apprehension about that in recent years than before, and you can never fully anticipate what might show up on Bandcamp on any given day that skyrockets to the top of the pack. I get it, though. Publications have deadlines to meet and these kind of issues tend to garner more attention.

As far as this list is concerned, it’s about what I expected from Decibel with a few surprises and some albums I’ll make a point to check out. They try to walk that line and it’s a commendable effort. As far as their penchant for Pallbearer is concerned, I wonder if that has to do more with hoping they do for doom on a popular level what Deafheaven did, rather than properly following up their debut. Both bands have toured together, after all.

I’m curious as to how the new Kreator rated so highly while Overkill is entirely absent. The former went way too far in the overproduced melodic, borderline power metal direction while the latter had a more diverse take than they’ve done in a while but still fitting right in line with the three previous albums and still being a certifiable (get it?) thrash album, but that’s personal bias.

Disappointed by lack of Avatarium. Definitely a nice surprise and their best album for me.

there is some good shit on there, and some shitty shit on there. yup, it's a list alright. it does remind me that i need to listen to the new Paradise Lost album at least. i forgot that one even existed. good to see Wampyrinacht getting some love too.

Wow, I've only heard 12 of these. It seems way too late to start dipping into the rest to make my list. I'll stick with the one I've been working on, haha.

New Paradise Lost at #1, really? Also kinda surprised Power Trip isn't higher up

It always blows my mind just how big the metal world is. I'm a bit disappointed in not seeing Suffocation make the list but at least what's on here will be a good guide to browse through five years from now when I finally get through all I've already stocked up on.

Jesus, Heavydeath have a new one out already? Those guys need to slow the fuck down, I liked the debut but their last album was plodding and dull and it's barely been a year since that one came out.

With regards to this list, it's not awful. Putting Paradise Lost as AOTY is laughable, and Pallbearer and Wolves in the Throne Room have no business being in the top 10. Likewise there are a few great albums I'm surprised weren't mentioned (Dying Fetus, Unleash the Archers, and Dyscarnate for starters) but overall there's some good stuff represented here. I've definitely seen worse.

this was the one i was surprised at seeing for sure. also check out their band pic on the archives lol. great album.

+1. I posted the same in the Worthwhile Albums of 2017 thread. I feel like the opening track, while solid, is a bit misleading in that it doesn't really hint at the greatness that follows...


Have added some of these to my 'to-do' list.... there seems to be a pretty heavy weighting to US bands too which is kind of a shame but I guess it would since they're US based right?

Man, I always feel like doom gets a disproportionate representation on metal year end lists from popular publications. Could be some confirmation bias on my part, I tend to notice it more because I am not really a big fan of doom in general. But like, Paradise Lost at #1? Not anywhere close to that spot for me... But hey, all in all it's a respectable year end list. Many great albums on there and a few I'll have to check out.

Have not begun to compile my list yet, but from Decibel's list the following would (more or less) stand a chance on ending somewhere in my top 50 (some higher than others):

Even so, they missed the actual best doom release from this year: Primitive Man's Caustic.

No Firespawn - 'The Reprobate'? This list is false.

I totally get the appeal of that album for some, but man is it an exercise in patience. It's like trying to sit through any hour plus Xasthur album. Too much pain, anguish and miserable one-dimensional misanthropy. I have to be in a very rare mood to sit through that stuff

You know the list is screwy because Power Trip didn't get a higher ranking.

I heard more than half of this (I counted 23) and I'm not offended. Plus, some of my most likely candidates for album of the year (Pyrrhon and Converge) are there, as well as super strong albums like Akercocke, Spectral Voice, Woe, or Power Trip. I'm not hating this list, although Pallbearer and Myrkur are WAAAAAY overrated.

And as much as the new Paradise Lost makes me all warm and fuzzy on the inside, it is just not #1. A great record and I got really hooked on it, but it doesn't blow my mind.

Any list that doesn't place Elder somewhere in the top 10 is a list I'm not interested in.

^^
No Elder, no Dying Fetus and no Emptiness is an egregious mistake.

i think i've heard 10 out of those (plus parts of a few) - my current top two are notably missing from the list altogether (shaarimoth & venenum), and i think from that list, immolation and artificial brain are the only ones that are likely to appear in my top 10 (if i ever compile one)... maybe necrot, and/or craven idol

also, like modusoperandi said, doing a year's best of list in november seems pretty daft
the academy does the oscars in february or march of the following year

*edit* missed artificial brain

I agree with the first part, late November is WAY too early for year end lists. Anything released in October/November hasn't had enough time to settle in. As for the Oscars, it's not technically a "Best of (this year)", Oscar season doesn't run congruent with the Gregorian calendar. Plus, late December/early January is huge for film releases.

Yeah, they regularly have stuff on their list that was released the previous winter that flew under the radar so I don't know why this argument happens every single year. In addition, Decibel is the first stop on the promo tour so they've had access to everything they're interested for a while. I'm a nobody and even I've had access to the most notable November/December releases since August. Plus, Decibel doesn't really care much for kvlt, self-released, Bandcamp-discovery stuff anyway so it's not like gems in that realm would make their list anyway.

Yeah, aside from Pagan Altar and Paradise Lost, I am in the same boat. Kinda crazy how I could have listened to 400+ metal albums already this year and have such little overlap with this list. I guess that just goes to show the diversity within the genre.

Solid list for the most part.

Personally I'd leave off Paradise Lost, Pallbearer, Myrkur, Lock Up, Propagandhi, The Lurking Fear, Woe for Nightbringer, Dying Fetus, Serpent Column, Scour, Elder, Shaarimoth, Contaminated, TBDM, Archspire, Lor, Venenum & about a dozen more I'm forgetting atm.

Most December time frame releases start promotion in Oct, so more than likely, they have listened to it for end of year stuff. This happens every year and every year they explain that if there was a release that is released in December and they somehow weren't aware of it, they include it the following year making this a Nov through Nov list.

Also, since everyone is talking about year end lists this time of the year, a lot of labels avoid the December release (I stopped doing Dec releases in 2012).

The lack of power metal on this list saddens me. Off the top of my head I thought the new orden ogan, unleash the archers, pyramaze, and galneryus where pretty good and no ayreon or wolfheart? Those albums are atleast better that most of these. I fid really like the new Paradise Lost, Enslaved, and Wolves in the throneroom though. As other people have said, it's weird how big and diverse the metal scene is.

Awful list as expected.

Some great stuff there but totally in the wrong order. Power Trip are easily album of the year for me. Enslaved should definitely be in the Top 10. Suffocation, Accept and Dying Fetus should all be there somewhere too. At least they placed Immolation in about the right place.

This list would make one think that there wasn't a single good metal album released in 2017.

Decibel have always hated anything that's blatantly melodic and always preferred the noisy and abrasive. Much to the detriment, because they're missing out on some great records in the process.

For starters morbid angel new album isn't out yet they could of have waited for that. Pallbearer is always a given that whenever a new album comes out, it will automatically be in their top 5. Shit look 10 years ago they were all over nachtmystium nutsack til Blake got exposed and now they are trying to delete anything to do with him or that band.

But it's good loss got mention on that list. Even though I prefer despond over horizonless but it's still a good follow up. Very underrated band for sure.

I'm surprised anyone can fully digest 50 new albums in a year enough to make a ranking list. I barely have time to listen to all the classic albums I want to listen to never mind the handful of new ones that make it into my rotation or the money to buy them all.

The Decibel list is a collective effort. However, lots of folks can and do listen to that many new albums a year. Not me, but they're out there! Maybe they spend a lot more time in total listening to music than fucking casuals like us. Maybe they form their opinions quickly and are able to move from album to album. Maybe they don't derive as much divine ecstasy from re-hearing transcendent classics and prefer the exhilaration of discovery of new sounds even if they aren't necessarily *as* splendid as the canon works. Maybe they don't think about it too much and just mindlessly throw on the next cd when the one playing is over. Maybe they get paid to write year-end lists and just make it up!

9 hours at work everyday, plus 3-4 at night, not too hard, but my schedule allows for it.