Top 5 Albums of 2015

Welcome, fellow Otaku & Metalheads, to December 2015!

Yes ladies & gentlemen, it’s closing ceremonies time here on the Heavy Metal Otaku blog. We’re all fighting against the snow (Well, some of us) & trying to stay warm (Again, some of us), getting ready for Christmas, and planning out 2016's circuit of conventions. I’m doing all of this, but in the meantime I’m getting some end-of-year content for all of you. Starting off, I’m getting out my annual top 5 lists, covering albums, games, and movies!

This time around, things are slightly different. The 2014 lists were just from 5 to 1, but this year I’ve decided to put in “Honorable Mentions” sections in each of these lists. While I liked the lists from last year, adding this one thing puts a little more meat onto the bones, and makes for better & longer reading. So let’s start this series off with a more controversial list, as I’ll show off what I consider to be the top 5 albums of this year. Enjoy!

5) Ghost - Meliora (Song)

Let’s start off with a relatively recent band in the world of metal & rock. Since 2010, Ghost has been cranking out great Heavy Metal & Hard Rock songs. Combining the theatrics of Alice Cooper & Kiss, the strangeness of Rob Zombie & Black Sabbath, along with their love of horror movies, and you have a band that’s just right for the more weirder music fans out there. With their release of this year, Meliora, they continue their tradition of mixing Heavy/Progressive Metal, Hard Rock, and Psychedelic music, with the result being a fantastic album! If I had discovered this band perhaps a year or two earlier, I might have put Meliora a little higher on this list, but I only discovered this band about a fourth of the way through 2015. Regardless, Ghost’s 3rd release  is a great record, and certainly one I would recommend for anyone who likes their music on the funky side!

4) Lindemann - Skills With Pills (Song)/Eisbrecher - Schock (Song)/Turmion Kätilöt - Diskovibrator (Song)

In 2015 ladies & gentlemen, we’ve had release from not one, not 2, but 3 Industrial Metal titans! Till Lindemann’s solo/supergroup Lindemann, the more dance & electronic stylings of Eisbrecher, and the furious offerings of Finland’s own Turmion Kätilöt. Each of these bands put out spectacular albums, complete with the respective group’s signature sound & feel. You really can’t go wrong with any of these, and they would make for great gifts for anyone who likes Industrial music. Recommended all at once!

3) Draconian - Sovran (Song)

From a relatively recent band at number 5, to a relatively recent record. When I was originally conceiving this list, I actually had Diskovibrator here instead of being at number 4, simply because I thought it was slightly better than Lindemann or Eisbrecher’s offerings, but not by much. After coming across this release, all that changed. After an okay release back in 2011, along with a change in female vocalists, fans of Draconian were eagerly anticipating their next release. On October 30th, their sixth album Sovran was released to hungry fans, and it was devoured within moments. The band’s new female singer Heike Langhans has as much energy & passion as their previous (Lisa Johansson), and the rest of the band is in great shape as well. Draconian continues to show their mastery of Gothic & Doom Metal to the rest of the world, and anyone who hasn’t listened to this is doing a great disservice!!

2) Motörhead - Bad Magic (Song)

There’s been some newcomers on this list, but from here on out, legends are taking over, and there’s been no legend in the Heavy Metal world like Motörhead. Since 1977, Motörhead has released some of the most iconic albums in the history of Metal, with little in the way of bad/weak records. Bad Magic, however, is quite an odd release: it doesn’t really do anything new to reshape their image, but at the same time the quality on this album is top notch, and reinforces what makes them good in the first place! Despite being 69 years old, Lemmy Kilmister still has a great voice, and his guitar work is still nice & heavy. The rest of the band is fantastic as well, will Mickey Dee giving a furious performance on the drums, and Phillip Campbell’s skill with the guitar rivals that of Lemmy himself. If you like your metal on the old-school side of things, then there’s nothing wrong with conjuring up a little bad magic!

Before we get to the number 1 album of 2015, I wanted to take a look at some honorable mentions. Albums that are good, maybe even great, but there’s something that is holding them back from getting onto the main list. Maybe it’s the band’s current reputation, maybe it’s something to do with the album in question, or some other reason that can be used. Here’s a quick look at 2015's honorable mentions.

Honorable Mentions
HM1) Paradise Lost - The Plague Within (Song)/Moonspell - Extinct (Song)

First off, let me just say that I find nothing wrong with either of these albums. If anything, they’re incredible! Both Paradise Lost & Moonspell have been around since the 90s (Paradise Lost put out their first release in 1990, and Moonspell released their first album in 1995), and in that time the two have released some of the finest Gothic Metal albums ever. Their most recent metallic offerings are great too: Paradise Lost made a return to their Death Metal roots with The Plague Within, and Moonspell continues their gothic ways with Extinct. As great as both of these albums are however, they really don’t do anything new. As fantastic as The Plague Within is, it really just feels like a refined Death Metal album from early on in their career, while Extinct feels slightly rehashed in some respects. Despite their issues, both of these albums are great to listen to, and I would recommend them to anyone who was curious.

HM2) Iron Maiden - Book Of Souls (Song)

Ah, Iron Maiden. I think it’s safe to say that since 2003, the band has really gone down with the ship. As they continued to embrace their Prog side, they lost their metal side, despite what the material may have sounded like. 2015 seems like the year that the band recovered......partially. There’s still a heavy Prog presence on Book Of Souls, but it appears that they’ve brought back some of their metallic past. You’ve got some great material on here (My personal favorite is Tears Of A Clown, the Robin Williams tribute track), but again, the Prog material makes me a little paranoid. Recommended a little more cautiously than the two albums above, but recommended regardless.

1) Faith No More - Sol Invictus (Song)

Yes fellow Otaku & Metalheads, Faith No More. Taking the number 1 spot is the Nu & Funk Metal stylings of one of the most 90s bands out there, some of you were probably expecting me to put Motörhead here, and I can’t tell you how close these two were. Practically an inch or two, and that’s not a lie! However, I had to pick the album that impacted me more: as much as Bad Magic is a badass album, Sol Invictus practically came right out of the shadows. Like I said in my review earlier this year, when I listened to this album, I felt like I was transported back to the 90s. Despite not putting out an album since 1997, Sol Invictus comes across as fresh, funky, and fun! Mike Patton’s singing is still emotional & powerful, and the rest of the band puts in their all as well. If there was one album that is a 2015 must, then Faith No More’s return is that album!

So these were the top 5 albums of 2015. It’s definitely a wild selection, that’s for sure. However, the world of Heavy Metal & Rock n’ Roll is always turbulent, so it shouldn’t be a surprise. I’ll see you again later this week, when we’ll take a look at the top 5 games of 2015. See you then!



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Here’s a link to my Sol Invictus review.

Sol Invictus (Review)

Also, if you’re interested in what I considered to be the top 5 albums of 2014 (This is especially for those who never read that list), check out last year’s selection below.

Top 5 Albums Of 2014