It’s been a another damn fine time for us here at Metal Addicts to allow your voices to be heard as we care about what the readers think!
We gathered some of our favorite records from 2018 and you guys turned out to give us the answers we were looking for in massive numbers as the votes are in and it’s time to announce what you all voted for!
In no way does this ranking reflect our personal rankings as even my list alone looks incredibly different from this one, but in every way we respect this list as it reflects what our readers enjoy and that’s something we enjoy all day long! But please, enough of my banter, and go below to see what you voted for and then please proceed to argue amongst yourselves.
1. Ghost – Prequelle
Of all the albums that we showcased, Ghost was easily the most modern and widespread act that we featured as these guys have made a massive name for themselves, and it’s not hard to see why as “Prequelle” is possibly their grandest achievement as a band. Raking together everything grand about how they’ve executed the name of Ghost up to this point, it’s here that we get a massive collection of riffs, anthems, and something that’s as infectious as it is divisive.
2. Avatar – Avatar Country
We all know at least a few bands that like to put on a hell of a show at whatever live event we go to, but Avatar is among the caliber of acts that manage to bring the show to the material as well, and it’s on full display with “Avatar Country”. We’re treated to an eclectic display of many elements brought into one grand show that has so much to offer for every single persons that decides to sit through this energizing and thoughtful experience.
3. Wasteland Valley – Pantheon
Some bands take the idea of artistic expansion to great heights as we’ve gotten some truly unique acts over the years, and seeing a band come into their own by dabbling in that expansionism is a unique treat. That’s precisely what we get with “Pantheon” as this album has so much variance and variety while still maintaining a core structure that picking through it all is a treat that many of us just keep on crawling back to.
4. Deathening – Antifacist Death Metal
Death metal is something that throngs of bands have done over and over again with little variance, but at some point someone has to do something even a little different so we can get a slight breath of fresh air. It’s with Deathening that we get that in a fairly obvious way. By taking a dicey approach by utilizing politics, “Antifacist Death Metal” is an absolutely scathing record through and through that brings together all the perfection of death metal with Deathening only enhancing it with their own personal flavors.
5. Judas Priest – Firepower
Truth be told, I’m not even surprised at this point. The legendary career that Judas Priest has had came to a real peak with “Firepower” and we all know it as this is the exact punch to the nads that many of us have been clamoring for. There’s nothing about this record that isn’t immensely powerful as Judas Priest have yet again pulled out all the stops to make this one of the shining gems in their absolute treasure trove of a discography.
6. Powerwolf – The Sacrament of Sin
As one of the driving forces for modern power metal, Powerwolf has become a staple that has been churning out one fantastic record after another for many years now, and “The Sacrament of Sin” only further cements that. There’s not a single song on here that’s not absolutely perfect for the caliber that Powerwolf has made for themselves as we get fantastic anthems and power metal epics the likes of which only this band can deliver, and it’s something we devour time and again.
7. 1914 – The Blind Leading the Blind
This is one of those bands that just kept getting better and better over the few years that they’ve been in existence. Taking topics from the seminal tragedy of the 20th century, World War One, 1914 delivers an immensely powerful performance with “The Blind Leading the Blind”. There’s not a moment in this record that isn’t drenched in excellence as 1914 simply dominates for this entire album to provide us with one of the year’s most staggering performances on every level.
8. Behemoth – I Loved You At Your Darkest
Much like Judas Priest, Behemoth isn’t a band that needs any sort of introduction or really any sort of summary as they’re so prolific that it’s hard to not find an exemplary piece of greatness in this work, and you’d be remiss to find one in their latest work. “I Loved You At Your Darkest” is a record that’s not their most extreme by many standards, but that doesn’t take away the gravity and monolithic status that adorns this entire record as Behemoth returns from what was once thought to be their last album to deliver something that’s simply top.
9. Cancer – Shadow Gripped
It’s not often that we see a band come back to dish out their first new piece of material for the first time in over 13 years, but that’s precisely what Cancer has done to put out one of the most absolutely scathing record we’ve gotten all year long. There’s not a single point in “Shadow Gripped” that we’re not constantly being drawn and quartered as Cancer does no less than paint with our blood as we frantically flail to the badass metal that’s in effect.
10. Ichor – Hadal Ascending
There are many bands that approach the world of deathcore with vigor as well as far too much pride as it feels some of them just try to be loud to get by, but it’s with acts like Ichor that help keep the style afloat. “Hadal Ascending” takes so much of what’s great about the genre to become a record that’s not flawless but one that’s clearly leagues above the common rabble of deathcore to become something to be respected and hailed in the community.
