Your Favorite Releases for 2020!!!

by alldatndensum Thu Dec 31, 2020 8:02 am

What were your favorite releases this year? Show us your top 5, 10, 20, whatever!

Let's lay a few ground rules for the CMR, shall we?

1. Your list can be a top 5, 10, 20, or whatever. You want to do a list of 7? That's fine. It doesn't have to be a set number.

2. Also, it has to be a 2020 release deemed as such by the label or band. Even if the band mailed it prior to the end of 2019 but they consider it a 2020 release, then it counts. It can be a reissue as well, but it had to be redone THIS year and added more than just new artwork.

3. Whether you bought the CD, download, or just played the streaming version a dozen times, it does not matter. As long as you have listened to it, then it counts.

4. Voting will end on January 15th to give us all time to listen again to our favorites and rank them or for something you've ordered to arrive by then.

5. There is no number 5--I just like making lists!

If I can get some help with this, we could do the old scoring system like Arttie used to do and see what the overall top picks for the board are. We would need a point system we agree on for the top 5 releases. All others from 6-10 would get 1 point each. After your tenth choice, no points would be awarded.

Anyone want to help with this? I don't know how to do a spreadsheet as I have never had to learn it.

by Follower of Jesus Thu Dec 31, 2020 8:34 am

1. Stryper “Even The Devil Believes”
2. Messenger “In To Win”

That’s it. There have been few Christian metal releases this year that I really enjoyed.

by Constantine Thu Dec 31, 2020 9:31 am

If our Favorites of 2020 lists have some non-Christian releases, does the thread then belong in the non-Christian section? I am not sure how that is supposed to go but was wondering about that.

by mothy Thu Dec 31, 2020 9:39 am

My top releases this year are

Motivik - Death of a Gunmen
Wytch Hazel - Pentecost
Dark Forest - Ash Oak and Thorn
Adorned Graves - Being Twords a River
Black Fate - Ithica

by alldatndensum Thu Dec 31, 2020 10:06 am

Follower of Jesus wrote:1. Stryper “Even The Devil Believes”
2. Messenger “In To Win”

That’s it. There have been few Christian metal releases this year that I really enjoyed.

The CMR isn't just Christian music, though. Feel free to add to your list with secular titles here as well. I just placed the thread here as it seems to garner the most traffic. On Christian Hard Music, we will stick to Christian only, but here it seems appropriate to include whatever. Trust me--my list here will have the new AC/DC in it.

by Kerrick Thu Dec 31, 2020 10:41 am

This year was a little sparse, though there were still some mighty good releases. Since it's really not that many, here's basically everything I bought that was released in 2020.

Christian albums:
Warpriest - Warpriest (AOTY for me, all others listed alphabetically)
Adorned Graves - Being Towards A River
The Arbiter - My Messenger
Chase The Sun - Chase The Sun
Faustian Slip - Black Abyss
Implacable - These Dark and Shadow Ways
Jernlov - Crucified
Wytch Hazel - III: Pentacost

Christian EPs:
Apostisy - Allies Of A Fallen Empire
Cloth - Axis Mundi
Daygraves - Silver
Daygraves / Within Thy Wounds - Nocturns (split)
Death Therapy - Dance Therapy Part I: Pre-Apocalyptic Cyber Funk For Late Stage Humanoids
Diatheke - Magnify
Irgalom - The Path Of The Wind
Signum Regis - Flag Of Hope

Christian Singles*:
Daygraves - The Final Empire
Death Therapy - Reject
Melech - HELIG
Project Aegis - And The Rest Is A Mystery
Ritual Servant - Into The Swine
Warpriest - The Black Plague
Warpriest - God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
Wytch Hazel - Auld Lang Syne

Secular:
Ikarian - Into The Haze
My Silent Wake - damnum per saeculorum

*I'm not doing singles from upcoming albums (i.e. Pantokrator - Wedlock) but only songs that AFAIK will only ever be released as just that - a single. Also, sorry for anyone who doesn't have adblocker but now you're probably gonna start seeing ads for "Christian singles in your area" lol.

by Kerrick Thu Dec 31, 2020 10:47 am

But to mention a few highlights:

Warpriest - as y'all know, I've been bugging Robert about this album for some time and he did not disappoint (other than taking such an excruciatingly long time... but that's par for course for doom I suppose)! It's a really enjoyable album from start to finish with not a weak song on it.

Adorned Graves - these Germans do it again with a fantastic follow-up to their excellent debut album. They went more in a heavy direction than trash and it works. The guest vocals are cool too.

Chase The Sun - top-notch prog rock/metal with intelligent lyrics. Highly recommended!

Wytch Hazel - they just get better with each album IMO. Great stuff.

by KaramKaram Thu Dec 31, 2020 11:50 am

MUSIC

1. Max Richter - Voices
2. Biffy Clyro - A Celebration Of Endings
3. The Pineapple Thief - Versions Of The Truth
4. Dizzy Mizz Lizzy - Alter Echo
5. Sordid Pink - Sordid Pink
6. Pat Metheny - From This Place
7. Pure Reason Revolution - Eupnea
8. Fiona Apple - Fetch The Bolt Cutters
9. JJ Wilde - Ruthless
10. Vennart - In The Dead, Dead Wood

OTHER GOODIES
Stryper - Even the Devil Believes
Nick D'Virgilio - Invisible
Once and Future Band - Deleted Scenes
John Petrucci - Terminal Velocity
Ours - Media Age (EP)

by Superjuice Thu Dec 31, 2020 6:19 pm

Destiny Lab - Shift Your Paradigm

by BaleMaster Thu Dec 31, 2020 6:43 pm

Kansas- Absence of Presence

by Andreas89 Fri Jan 01, 2021 7:03 am

I'll just list my top 9 here, I know, awkward number. It's a mix of christian and secular.

1: Fairyland - Osyrhianta
2: Wytch Hazel - III: Pentecost
3: Ensiferum - Thalassic
4: Eternal Champion - Ravening Iron
5: Falconer - From a Dying Ember
6: Memories of Old - The Zeramin Game
7: The Waymaker - The Waymaker
8: Lèpoka - El Baile de los Caídos
9: Alestorm - Curse of the Crystal Coconut

I actually admin a metal facebook page and one of the things we do is give our top 10 for the end of the year, which I could copy here. I used a placeholder for #10 but I won't do that here. Oh, and Eternal Champion was on #8 on that list, it just really clicked with me the last two weeks so I had to revise the list a bit Razz

by Black Rider Fri Jan 01, 2021 9:45 am

Kansas is a good call, didn't hear much about it.
In no order:
Messenger
Kansas
Stryper
Watch Hazel
Adorned Graves

by CrimsonWarrior Fri Jan 01, 2021 11:12 am

Yeah there wasn't a whole lot this year that caught my attention as far as Christian metal goes. I did like these:

Cloth - Axis Mundi
Søker Tilflukt - Seasons

And I liked what I heard of Motivik - Death of the Gunman, but I haven't listened to it all the way through yet.

by deathisgain Fri Jan 01, 2021 11:19 am

Kerrick wrote:But to mention a few highlights:

Warpriest - as y'all know, I've been bugging Robert about this album for some time and he did not disappoint (other than taking such an excruciatingly long time... but that's par for course for doom I suppose)! It's a really enjoyable album from start to finish with not a weak song on it.

Adorned Graves - these Germans do it again with a fantastic follow-up to their excellent debut album. They went more in a heavy direction than trash and it works. The guest vocals are cool too.

Chase The Sun - top-notch prog rock/metal with intelligent lyrics. Highly recommended!

Wytch Hazel - they just get better with each album IMO. Great stuff.

Kerrick, PM me your address to send the money to.

by My Awesome Timothy Fri Jan 01, 2021 12:16 pm

Grave Forsaken - Footsteps of God

by Kerrick Fri Jan 01, 2021 1:17 pm

deathisgain wrote:
Kerrick wrote:But to mention a few highlights:

Warpriest - as y'all know, I've been bugging Robert about this album for some time and he did not disappoint (other than taking such an excruciatingly long time... but that's par for course for doom I suppose)! It's a really enjoyable album from start to finish with not a weak song on it.

Adorned Graves - these Germans do it again with a fantastic follow-up to their excellent debut album. They went more in a heavy direction than trash and it works. The guest vocals are cool too.

Chase The Sun - top-notch prog rock/metal with intelligent lyrics. Highly recommended!

Wytch Hazel - they just get better with each album IMO. Great stuff.

Kerrick, PM me your address to send the money to.

by Soldier777 Fri Jan 01, 2021 4:49 pm

I only got 2 new releases this year: Stryper Even the Devil Believes and Saint the Calf. I got a lot of reissues this year and 2 highlights are Saint Time's End and Too Late for Living on CD and colored vinyl.

by alldatndensum Sat Jan 02, 2021 5:24 am

For anyone making their lists, the OFFICIAL release date of Saint's "The Calf" was 1/1/20. Lordchain's "The Shadow Project" was also officially a 2020 release. John Schlitt's "Go" is also listed as a 2020 release. If you preordered from the bands, you may have received your copy early, but the masses had to wait.

by Temple of Blood Sat Jan 02, 2021 8:13 am

True Strength - The Mighty Hand of Yahweh is the one that I really enjoyed this year

by Guest Sun Jan 03, 2021 8:58 am

Man, Can you believe I didn't get any new music during 2020?

Some reasons for it:
- I found that 2020 was the weakest year ever for christian metal;
- Purchasing Cd's it's not affordable anymore;

I may have listened to Stryper release a couple of times on Spotify, but not enough to make my mind about this.

I am certainly going to listen to Messenger new album, though, as I LOVE THIS BAND. I just find it on Spotify (difficult, as there are plenty of bands named as Messenger.

by Frozen Fire Sun Jan 03, 2021 1:19 pm

Did a little mini review for each:

1. Stryper “Even The Devil Believes” - Not the biggest Stryper fan but this is actually my favorite Stryper at this point. Seems cliche to have this here on this board. I'm not sure I ever would have thought they’d be number one on a list for me either. Yet, I can’t deny how much I listened to this album. I love every song on it. It’s as perfect an album as they’ve ever made. It’s aggressive, it’s classic, it’s modern, it’s fun. It all came together for me.

2. Wytch Hazel “III: Pentecost” - I didn’t like their sophomore album Sojourner that much. I thought about not even buying this. That album was tempered, lacked diversity and the fiery guitar solos of Prelude and the more adventurous writing seemed absent. Some call albums like that “mature” but I called it unimpressive. Well the fiery solos haven’t returned nor the adventurous writing but this album is diverse and super catchy. It’s been played and played and played.

3. Dawnbreaker “Vanquished Horrible Night” - Amazed. I thought the previous albums were okay. This is ferocious at times, always memorable, gritty yet well produced. I tend to listen to black metal albums for the overall atmosphere more than the individual song. Here I listen for both. This is my surprise of the the year. I will be following what comes next with anticipation now.

4. Saint “The Calf” - Saint is like a few bands in my life where I just play their albums endlessly. They aren’t perfect but they are “my style” I guess. Another album I played over and over again and definitely one of their best.

5. Dens “Taming Tongues” - theologically rich, lyrically profound and stunningly relevant in this past year. Based on Proverbs 17:28 “Even foolish men are wise when they learn to keep quiet.” It focuses on communication breaking down and how we can truly hear one another if we would just humble ourselves. I actually learned a lot from this album and the vlog episodes the members did on each song. A rich, catchy, complex album. Some would call this post-hardcore. It’s really just a modern rock record. I hope this band has a lengthy future. They have huge potential!

6. Neal Morse “Sola Gratia” - For my part, Neal’s best album in years! I did enjoy the last two big concept albums from the band. The Exorcist project was okay. This album has a soul to it. It has melancholy, it’s has some stomping rock, it has feel to it with some wonderful melodies. Not sure why this is so different for me but it brings me back to the “?” days when I really fell in love with his stuff.

7. Needtobreathe “Out of Body” - the only band my wife and I both enjoy. I suppose they could be thought of as radio rock. I think they’ve got a nice mix of Americana and southern rock and they definitely do their own thing. This is their most faith based album and maybe their best in general. Maybe it just fell in the right year. I’ve needed something like this many days.

8. Dominus Dominantium “Chained: The Epiphany of the Soulless” - Wouldn’t have thought I’d love this so much. It reminds me of some bands in the secular world, Therion “Theli” and the early Rhapsody albums. I’ve always been a sucker for the style when done well. The female vocals really make the album. There are some incredible melodies on this and I’ve gone back to it again and again over the past two weeks. I’m not sure really where on the list it belongs because it’s new to me.

9. The Waymaker “The Waymaker” - I love power metal. This is well done in every way. It’s not extraordinary but it’s exactly what I was hoping for from the project. Lyrics are straightforward but powerful as always. When track 2 Kingdom of Heaven starts with a classic Stratovarius style riff it brings back a hundred great memories. Rain of Your Love has big Helloween style lead on it. It could have been on The Time of the Oath except it is lead by the incredible vocals of Jani Stefanovic’s wife, Katja. A monster power ballad. Not sure when the last time I heard a track in that style done this well.

10. American Arson “A Line In The Sand” - love this band! Been following through a 6 year run of Ep’s. This is their first full length, now signed to Facedown. Straightforward rock with some pop punk edges and hardcore touches. Excellent from start to finish.

11. Exortta “Tempus” - Another big surprise for me. A diverse, memorable album start to finish. A mix of gothic metal and black metal. Reminds me of the secular band Moonspell but with more true black metal influence or like some of Septic Flesh’s material over the past 10-15 years. I wish the recording weren’t so muddled. I “remastered” it myself and brought out the guitars and added some low end. It sounds way better but I’d love to hear what this sounded like with truly great production. A special album for its unique style, especially in this market.

12. Motivik “Death of the Gunmen” - wish I’d had this longer. Ask me in a month where this belongs. It won’t be here. I would guess it’ll go higher up the list. A great mix of thrash and metal. Well written, well produced with fantastic melodies to carry each of the songs. The clean vocals remind me of Matt Barlow (ex Iced Earth) in both style and choice of melodies. They stand out with their richness above the otherwise prominent riffing.

13. Cloth “Axis Mundi” - If this weren’t an Ep I’d have so much more to say. Cloth has yet to release a full length though. A super catchy, fantastically well produced mix of blackened death metal. I’ll be excited if they can really put the time in to make a full length. Many of the same members of Dalit, Aspiration and Stronghold. Love everything they do! A perfect Ep.

14. In-Conquered “Nor Rivaled, Nor Equaled” - Classic technical death metal. Another recent arrival. I do enjoy it so far. Initial impressions are that I wish it were as brutal as it could be. The speed takes away from the brutality. It’s not grimy enough. It’s got some cool catchy riffs throughout the songs to help them stand out and get the head bobbing and has really melodic qualities to the riffing as well. Technically it is fantastic and it is well produced. I love the old school drum sound. When the songs have sunk in I can really say where this belongs.

15. Luther’s Hammer “Strength To Stand” - a nice, solid pure hardcore Ep. Lyrics are straightforward like old No Innocent Victim. Someone said they broke up already? I hope not.

16. The Arbiter “My Messenger” - a My Dying Bride style doom death album. Well produced, well written but I guess I needed more diversity like the debut if I was going to see this higher up the list. It’s still super solid but it pounds along most of the time at a very similar pace across all the songs. Maybe it will really click in the future and I’ll regret this?

17. Ben Baruk “What Love Is That?” - Like Motivik, In-Conquered and Dominus Dominantium, this is a recent purchase. Hard to say where it belongs. A very complex progressive mix of progressive metal and death metal. Saxophone, piano, strings, keys, latin rhythms, both male (clean and harsh) and female vocals are used… there is a lot going on here! I’ve really enjoyed it so far but am not sure if the songs will all come together in my head for another month. A few of the songs, like the title track and One in Christ are absolutely wonderful right off the bat. Lyrically this is one of the most excellent releases of the year.

18. Zhakiah “Where The Light Will Thread” - a straightforward Swedish death metal album. It has a few melodic twists and some nice straightforward riffing mixed in. For all it does well it doesn’t stand out song to song. There’s not a single absolutely killer track or one that truly stretches the boundaries. It’s all really good but nothing blows me away. It will be fun to blast this when the weather gets warm again though. The vocals both clean and brutal are really well down and it’s got a nice wall of sound that will make a nice summer listening experience.

19. Adorned In Ash “Apocalyptic Violence” - A solid album. Like Zhakiah, it is well played, well written. I enjoy every song but at 14 songs it is hard to remember some of it when it’s over. Objectively it’s a great improvement over the debut. The playing is fantastic and the riffing has much more classic metal feel this time. Lots of twin leads and Maidenisms mixed in with the rest of the riffing.

20. Incarnate Deity “Theodicy” - a really high level symphonic death metal album! On the level it’s a great release. Pretty impressive for a solo project.

by alldatndensum Fri Jan 08, 2021 10:15 am

1. LORDCHAIN - The Shadow Project
2. AC/DC - Power Up
3. Stryper - Even The Devil Believes
4. Saint - The Calf
5. Bride - Here Is Your God
6. Messenger - In To Win
7. Wytch Hazel III: Pentecost
8. Seventh Day Slumber - Unseen; The Lion & the Lamb
9. Michael - Michael II
10. True Strength - The Might Hand Of God
11. Gale Force - S/T (This would probably rank higher if I had a lyric sheet)

by Guest Mon Jan 18, 2021 4:06 pm

2019 was an incredible year for me buying new music, but the pandemic definitely slowed down the run in 2020.

Off the top of my head...

Stryper - Even The Devil Believes
Saint - The Calf
Fierce Heart - War For The World
Paradox - Power & Glory *

* This was never released on CD before, so though it may be a reissue, it is still a first.

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