The Top 5 Albums of 2021

December freezes on fellow Otaku & Metalheads!

2021 was certainly a way better year than the plague-ridden wasteland that was 2020. So to celebrate, I’m showing off the best that this year provided! This was a disturbingly easy list to make: 3 of these albums came from January to February, and one of my honorable mentions was released back in April. This made picking out the rest to be oddly difficult, but in the end I pulled through. On top of that, this was a year of legends, so expect to see some familiar old-school faces on this list. So with that out of the way, here are the top 5 best albums of 2021. Enjoy!

5) Accept - Too Mean To Die (Song)

It’s been quite sometime since I sat down and properly listened to an Accept album. Not since when I bought Restless & Wild years ago did I put aside some time to listen to these Teutonic Titans, so when previews & singles started to come out for their 16th studio album, I knew that I would eventually have it course through my ears. I’m happy to say that it was a very enjoyable time! It might not do anything new when compare to their albums in the 2010s, but I didn’t feel bored in any way. The band are still on key when it comes to instrumentation and singing, and the production behind Too Mean To Die is wonderful. Not a single slipup or rough audio patch can be heard, and while I wouldn’t consider this release to be an essential Accept record, I can say that your fix for Germanic metal will easily be sated with this release!

4) Moonspell - Hermitage (Song)

The last time we encountered Moonspell (Outside of the Sin/Pecado & Memorial re-releases from 2019 and 2020), it was through their ode to the infamous Lisbon Earthquake & Portugal at large with 1755 back in 2017. It was grand, it was daring, and it was most definitely Portugese! So, when news came around that they were getting ready for a new album, the hype was real, and this was all during the plague-ridden year of 2020 no less. Then on the 26th of February of 2021, Hermitage was released. A more stripped-down experience than the album before it, the record also comes at what some consider to be Moonspell’s twilight years. Fernando Ribeiro has said in a few interviews that the band isn’t getting any younger, and hints that they may slow things down after this release. This mix of feelings has helped to create what is the band’s most thoughtful & perhaps darkest and/or cynical album in their entire career, but much like Obsidian from Paradise Lost, the more serious nature is oddly needed even in a year that’s better than the last one. If you found the language barrier issue of 1755 to be a problem, then you’ll find Hermitage to be a big improvement!

3) Alice Cooper - Detroit Stories (Song)

Not even a plague could keep one of the icons of Shock Rock & Metal down for the count! Forgoing the more supernatural/shock aspects prevalent on much of his work, and instead embracing the city that he once called home & it’s musical history, Alice Cooper created the beast that is Detroit Stories. A little bit of Motown, some Rock ‘n’ Roll, and a sprinkle of a few other genres that came out of the Motor City were all sources of inspiration for Alice. This means that there’s literarily something for everybody on Detroit Stories, and while you could argue that there’s no solid theme.....it wouldn’t be an ode to Detroit if it was nice & neat!

2) U.D.O. - Game Over (Song) & Beast In Black - Dark Connection (Song)

The only, and I mean only, reason that U.D.O.’s 17th studio album is at number 2 instead of number one is that it’s regressed somewhat. Not in terms of quality though, as this album is just as good as the behemoth that was We Are One! The band don’t have the force that is the Das Musikkorps der Bundeswehr backing them this time around, but they’re still cranking out Heavy Metal that’s simultaneously old school & modern at the same time. Virtually every song on here is awesome, and I dare anyone to accuse any of the tracks on Game Over of being bad. I say regressed because they backed away from the more social-political stance that was so prevalent on their last record. A lot of the subject matter on here seems to be more in line with stuff off of Steelfactory & many other CDs before it, rather than singing about the social issues that were seemingly everywhere at the time (And now by extent) for another output. Regardless, Game Over is still a badass sonic assault on the ears, and I for one have no regrets listening to it!

And then we got Beast In Black. The new rightful heirs to the title of “Beast”, Anton Kabanen’s 2nd band is everything that his former compatriots Battle Beast used to be, and cranked up past 11 with the knob broken off! Back in 2019 they launched From Hell With Love onto store shelves the world over, and the mix of 80s nostalgia & cheese, geekery, and Power Metal kept people hooked. So when it came to 2021 and their new release Dark Connection, all I have to say is that their 3rd outing is damn fantastic! Taking things a little more in the electronic/keyboard direction, it matches with the Sci-Fi flavorings that this release has to offer. There’s still plenty of fantasy elements here and there, and the usual references to Berserk is accounted for, but this record is chalked to the brim with references to classic Science Fiction & Cyberpunk. The ONLY reason that Dark Connection doesn’t make it to no. 1 is that the music there just edges out over this, but that in no ways diminishes how damn good this album is!

Before we get to my number 1, let’s go over some honorable mentions. The two albums here this year are certainly interesting. One is from an up & comer back in April that I mentioned at the beginning of this list, and the other is from a band I’ve talked about once before back in 2019. Anyways, here are 2021's honorable mentions!

HM1) Avaland - Theater of Sorcery (Song)

I didn’t want to put this brand new band here. While they aren’t legends right now, these lovely Frenchmen have the potential to be metallic titans later on down the road. Much like Finnish Power Metal badasses Everfrost, Avaland created their own universe to sing about, as well as slathering a massively thick coat of both Symphonic Power & Melodic Heavy Metal over the whole damn thing! While I do find the over-abundance of guest vocalists something of an issue, it in no way blunts the impact that Theater of Sorcery will have on any listener. As founder Adrien G. Gzagg has said, he plans on taking this show on the road, completed with a giant metal/rock opera filled to the brim with various voices singing to the heavens. If Avaland come to the states, you sure as hell can bet that I’ll have a seat!

HM2) A Pale Horse Named Death - Infernum in Terra (Song)

The last time I talked about the spiritual successor to Type-O Negative, it was about their 3rd album, When The World Becomes Undone. It had been about six years since their last release when the album came out in 2019, and while the mild Grunge vibes and more mixed reaction gave the release a not-as-good reputation, I still managed to have some fun with it. So, when it came to the band’s 4th record.....I was genuinely surprised. Though a tiny sliver of the previously mentioned Grunge vibes still linger, A Pale Horse Named Death have delivered what is perhaps the most Doom Metal laden album to date. On top of that, they also crafted the most Type-O Negative release with Infernum in Terra, as there’s a healthy presence of Gothic Metal atmosphere also. I find it so baffling that many reviews of this band tend to be negative, when it’s records like this that bring back the Goth legends of old and fill that decade-plus hole after Pete Steele passed away back in 2010. Regardless, if APHND’s 3rd outing wasn’t what you were looking for, then maybe this one might be more to what you want.

1) Ministry - Moral Hygiene (Song) & Mastodon - Hushed And Grim (Song)

I still stand by what I said in 2018: Amerikkkant was one of the best albums of that year. It came out at the right time, and for the most part reflected that period of time quite well. Looking back in hindsight however, I’ve come to realize the faults more & more with each listen. Uncle Al may be too on the nose when it came to the issues he covered, some of the instrumentation/vocal work isn’t quite as good as it could be, etc. Because of it’s faults, it certainly divided the fanbase, and gained the band a few ignorant critics. So when the group’s 15th studio album Moral Hygiene came out back at the beginning of October this year, a lot of fan’s & critic’s fears were laid to rest. Moral Hygeine is a far stronger, far more potent, and seemingly less reactionary than Ministry’s 2018 output. Sure, the material on here still isn’t very subtle, and the stench of Donald Trump isn’t completely gone (Despite not having much of a presence on Amerikkkant), but Al Jourgenson & Co seems much more confident on this album than perhaps anything since 2012. If Amerikkkant disappointed you in any way, then I can tell you that you’ll have a great time with Moral Hygiene.

We also have the Prog Metal juggernaut that is Mastodon. Back in 2017 I highly praised their full-length classic that was Emperor of Sand, as well as their mini-monster that was Cold Dark Place. Both releases were really well done, and helped me become a fan. Casual, but a fan regardless. For a while I thought that nothing after these two would ever be able to top them.......and then Hushed And Grim comes out. If you were a fan of Cold Dark Place, and appreciated the more serious nature of that bite-sized release, then you’ll easily enjoy this. Clocking in at nearly 90 minutes (1 hour, 26 minutes, and 17 seconds. The longest album in their career.), the quartet from Georgia continued exploring a variety of emotions like on EOS & CDP, and paid tribute to their longtime manager & dear friend Nick John at the same time (Passed away from pancreatic cancer back in 2018). Though certainly a little soul-crushing at points, there’s also something weirdly life-affirming at the same time with what’s on this record. I can’t say anything else, other than to give Hushed And Grim a go!

And these were my top 5 albums of 2021. Again, it was easy to get together at first, but when that challenge came in, it became fun to try to fill everything else out. Anyways, I got two final posts for this year, so join me this Friday for some Christmas albums.....that are a bit more normal than some. See you then!




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If you’d like to look at what I thought the best albums were of last year, check out the link below:

Top 5 Albums of 2020