The Top 5 Albums of 2018

Still chilly isn’t it fellow Otaku & Metalheads?

I confess this top 5 list of music will be rather bizarre when compared to the rest of the top 5 album lists I’ve made (Even more so than my 2016 list). With the exception of the honorable mentions, every spot on this list is a tie. 2018 was a weird year for music, but it was a great one at the same time. So, in an effort to not make such a huge list again, each spot is occupied by 2 albums. Not only that, but I also tried to make matching pairs in the process, so said pairs aren’t weird combinations of musical styles. With that out of the way, here are my top 5 albums of 2018. Let’s begin!

5) Arkheth - 12 Winter Moons Comes The Witches Brew (Song) & Asunojokei - Awakening (Song)

We begin the list with a relatively obscure album that comes from a relatively obscure band, which is something I haven’t done since 2014. Up until this release, this Atmospheric Black Metal act from Orange, New South Wales had put out only 2 beforehand: One in 2003, and the other in 2010. This extreme length of time between each record’s release really keeps Arkheth firmly in cult status, which is a tragic shame as these guys really know what they’re doing (Technically not true, but more on that in a sec). Though there’s only 5 songs on this release (At 41 minutes & 7 seconds in length), these tracks are incredibly well done despite being made by 1 guy. When you’re listening to this for the first time, you would swear that it was all created by an actual band, and when you find out that one dude did all of this, it makes all the better.

Another obscure album comes from the land of the rising sun, and it’s even more recent than Arkheth! Hailing from the Akihabara district of Tokyo, Asunojokei combines the bleakness of Black Metal, the brutality of Death Metal, the fist pumping of Hardcore & Punk, and mixes in Japanese folklore & a surprising amount of beauty. They put on an EP in 2016 (A Bird In The Fault), and we finally got Awakening earlier this year. The end result is a band that’s completely unique to Japan, yet expands Black Metal into territories that it’s never traveled to before. It might be a little weird at first, but Asunojokei’s first full-fledged offering is not something to miss!

4) Paradise Lost - Host: Remastered (Song) & Paradise Lost - Believe In Nothing: Remastered (Song)

When one thinks of Paradise Lost, their late 90s to early 2000s period doesn’t come up in the best light. Around that time the band stepped away from their then current Gothic Metal style, and embraced more of an Electronic-like style. In general, fans don’t look upon this time in a kind view, but despite the negativity, there was some material on here that was good. Upon finding out that one of their albums from this time was getting a remaster (Technically 2 remasters), curiosity arose within me to seek this record out, and I was pleased with what I listened to. It’s not the band’s best material by any means, but Host: Remastered is a fun little release that definitely is a surprise for those expecting a heavier edge to this band. I don’t pull this album out all the time, but when the mood strikes me for funkier metal, I sometimes think of Host.

The same can pretty much be said for Believe In Nothing. Released at the height of Paradise Lost’s Electronic phase, the album wasn’t highly praised by Nick Holmes after it’s original release, but around the middle of the year he became warmed up to it (See his newer views here). You can definitely hear & feel the band’s original vision for the record on each song, and much like their remaster for Host, this release is for you if you want some odder music.

3) Ghost - Prequelle (Song) & Lordi - Sexorcism (Song)

My number 3 spot almost makes it feel like Halloween all over again. In one corner is the newcomer, Ghost. Despite having lawsuit issues & the frontman increasingly showing off his ego, Tobias Forge still knows how to create good music. Though the album has a few hiccups, Prequelle is a blast to listen to. Containing some of the band’s most iconic songs of the end of the 2010s, there’s definitely a lot to like on here. It might not be as great as what they put out in 2015, but at the sametime has a bit more ambition, and I can always respect that.

Unlike Ghost, Lordi had a really strong year with their newest release. The most sexually charged album ever produced by the band, Sexorcism combines sensuality on the serious & silly spectrum with the shock rock horror the band is normally known for. Yet the band knows that going too dark somehow goes against the fun factor they’re normally known for, and thus they know how to tiptoe the line between darkness & silliness with ease. If you found Prequelle to be too pretentious, then get yourself a sexorcism!

2) Judas Priest - Firepower (Song) & U.D.O. - Steelfactory (Song)

Right away, any old school metalheads that’s reading this & sees that this album isn’t at the number one spot, will more than likely pop a blood vessel. Make no mistake: Judas Priest’s 2018 offering is hands down one of the best releases of this year, and is a heavy inducer of headbanging. Taking the Power Metal aspects from their prior 2 albums out for the most part, and going for an older sounding & feeling route, Firepower comes across like a lost album from the late 80s & early 90s. Judas Priest even taps into the Juggulator period of the band’s career, despite doing their hardest to completely ignore that point in time. The only reason that Firepower is number 2 and not number 1, is that an album that came out that simultaneously tugged at my heartstrings, and acts as a perfect reflection of 2018 as a whole. Regardless, get yourself some Firepower, and be ready to rock!

Probably from the same place that cranked out Firepower, we have U.D.O.’s latest buffet of metal. Though I thought that Decadant was an alright release, it came across as a little weak in spots (Especially when compared to the album that came before it). With Steelfactory? We have ourselves a release that harkens back to the band’s heyday in the late 80s & early 90s. Udo’s voice is still top notch, his son is a great replacement for Francesco Jovino on the drums (He proved it before on Decadent as well), and everybody else does a damn good job as well. If you want modern U.D.O. with an old-school twist, then take a walk down to the Steelfactory, and see what it’s produced.

Before we get to my number 1 album of 2018, I wanted to talk about some honorable mentions. The records here aren’t bad by any measure, but certain factors came into view as I was listening to these that prevent them from getting onto the main list. Production value, delayed appreciation, etc. Again, not bad releases, just not quite as good as the rest of 2018. With that said, here are this year’s honorable mentions.

HM1) Sargeist - Unbound (Song)

If this album had come out earlier in the year, I would have possibly put it right alongside Arketh & Asunojokei’s offerings. Instead, it came out in early/mid October, and thus is still cooling down a bit. However, that won’t stop me from talking about an album that I had no idea I would enjoy so much! Despite being just a mild fan of Black Metal, I’ll never deny the fact that when a band in this style hits me just right, I stick with them. Such is the case of Finnish Black Metal masters Sargeist & their 5th studio album, and by god did it hit me hard. Harkening back to the 90s, but with a touch of modern recording & production, Unbound is a damn good release, and those who are devoted to the dark side might do well to listen to this!

HM2) Emigrate - A Million Degrees (Song)

This has been out for merely a week or two by the time I’ve posted this, so I have even less of an opinion on this album than Unbound! If anything, I was surprised when this album was announced. However, with the great quality of their prior 2 releases, I wasn’t scared....and I’m glad I listened to this. With Rammstein getting an album out next year, it’s strangely appropriate that this side project gets something out beforehand. I’ll eventually talk about this album more in a few months when I do my overview on Emigrate in February (A sneak peek for your Birthday stuff Al), but suffice it to say I consider this record the sleeper hit of 2018.

1) Ministry - AmeriKKKant (Song) & Turmion Kätilöt - Universal Satan (Song)

What Gods Of Violence was to 2017, AmeriKKKant was to this year. Like I said when I updated my overview on Ministry & the review during Industrial Metal Insanity part 2, the album isn’t perfect. The politics are a little too over-the-top, and maybe the album isn’t quite as subtle as I once thought, but I can’t deny that Ministry’s return to the spotlight was a much needed one. The further & further we go down the rabbit hole while Trump is in office, we need more & more music that challenges him & his administration’s bogus authority, and Ministry has always made music that stuck it to Republicans & Conservatives. AmeriKKKant has definitely divided the fanbase, and has more of a mixed reaction among critics & music lovers, but even some of it’s haters can’t deny the power that Al Jourgenson & friends still got it in the late 2010s.

And then we have Turmion Kätilöt. I’ve talked about this band a couple times. Once in 2015 for their overview & top 5 album list, and the other last year when I updated the overview for a 2nd time and the top 5 album list of 2017. I do not know why Universal Satan is tied with AmeriKKKant, but somehow it is. Despite having no political flavoring at all (They’re devoted to dance-like Industrial Metal to a degree), the band has somehow managed to stay afloat despite having a more cult-like following here in the United States (In Finland & Europe, they’re huge). Thanks to their new 2nd singer, the band feels rejuvenated & refreshed in all sorts of ways, and that manages to get their latest release at no. 1 along side Ministry’s newest Industrial Metal offering. Definitely something to look out for if you want more alternative Industrial music.

And those were the top 5 albums of 2018. Again, easily the weirdest of the top 5 albums lists I’ve made, but it’s one you’ll under stand why I constructed this way. Chances are you’ll find something on here to enjoy, whether it’s by itself or conjoined with another album. See you all next time, when I’ll take a look at some more holiday commercials!

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If you like to know what I thought of last year, check out the link below

Top 5 Albums of 2017