By Features, Staff Picks, Staff Playlists December 30, 2018

Laura Wiebe’s 2018 in metal

Every year, Hellbound writers submit their top albums of the year. They all get compiled into Hellbound’s Top Metal Albums of the year (coming soon).

 

Top Albums of 2018

The Ocean - Phanerozoic I: Palaeozoic

10. Phanerozoic I: Palaeozoic

  • Artist: The Ocean
  • Label: Metal Blade
Listen to Phanerozoic I: Palaeozoic on Bandcamp

Omnium Gatherum - The Burning Cold

9. The Burning Cold

  • Artist: Omnium Gatherum
  • Label: Century Media
Listen to The Burning Cold on Spotify

Clutch - Book of Bad Decisions

8. Book of Bad Decisions

  • Artist: Clutch
  • Label: Weathermaker Music
Listen to Book of Bad Decisions on Spotify

Ihsahn - Ámr

7. Ámr

  • Artist: Ihsahn
  • Label: Candlelight
Listen to Ámr on Spotify

Amorphis - Queen of Time

6. Queen of Time

  • Artist: Amorphis
  • Label: Nuclear Blast
Listen to Queen of Time on Spotify

Riverside - Wasteland

5. Wasteland

  • Artist: Riverside
  • Label: InsideOut
Listen to Wasteland on Spotify

Judas Priest - Firepower

4. Firepower

  • Artist: Judas Priest
  • Label: Epic
Listen to Firepower on Spotify

Virgin Black - Requiem Pianissimo

3. Requiem Pianissimo

  • Artist: Virgin Black
  • Label: self-released
Listen to Requiem Pianissimo on Bandcamp

Yob - Our Raw Heart

2. Our Raw Heart

  • Artist: Yob
  • Label: Relapse
Listen to Our Raw Heart on Bandcamp

Zeal & Ardor - Stranger Fruit

1. Stranger Fruit

  • Artist: Zeal & Ardor
  • Label: MKVA
Listen to Stranger Fruit on Bandcamp

 

Album Cover of the Year

Revocation – The Outer Ones by Tom Strom

Best Gig of 2018

Best metal gig: Judas Priest in Hamilton ON, August 27

Best non-metal gig: Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds in Toronto ON, October 28

Looking Forward to in 2019

The Hellbound invasion of Heavy Montreal

Laura is associate editor of Hellbound.ca and co-host of weekly metal show Kill Eat Exploit the Weak on CFMU 93.3 FM. She loves doom, prog, cats and basketball, believes in equity and social justice and is not cool with any form of discrimination, marginalization, harassment or oppression.