The Best Metal Albums Of 2013

Well, here we are. I'm sure you know the drill come the end of any given year. It's time to look at 2013 in review. The following list is the best 20 metal albums I reviewed in 2013. I decided to make it 20 this year because that is more or less the number of albums I felt were really worthy of a mention here. Basically, 20 through 11 are honorable mentions. Very good albums, but perhaps with a little something holding them back from being quite the best or ones that were just edged out. 10 to 1 of course are the really great stuff 2013 had to offer. This wasn't my most prolific year in terms of album reviews, but I also told myself I'd be more laid back in this blog format and not spend all my time doing it. This is just a hobby after all. If you want more, you can feel free to pay me of course. At any rate... On to the countdown of the top 20 metal albums of 2013.


20. Running Wild - Resilient
"Basically, if you liked Shadowmaker or any of their more recent mid-paced album this isn't bad. It sounds like Running Wild and it has that fun, epic pirate quality about it."

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19. ReVamp - Wild Card

"Listening to this one, the basic formula remains intact. This is female fronted gothic material mixed with a nice dark/aggressive edge and backed by some symphonic elements."

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18. U.D.O. - Steel Hammer

"For a straight ahead, no nonsense album, I definitely like this overall. It does a pretty good job of getting you pumped and both the vocals and music have a nice heavy edge."

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17. Amorphis - Circle

"What Circle brings to the table is a somewhat familiar formula at this point of melodic, gothic music and deep vocals mixed with earlier death metal vocals and influences."

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16. Tarja - Colours In The Dark

"I can say as a fan of Tarja, that this album is worth it for fans and still a well above average release. Really, this brings some good new songs for the live stage and a lot of above average/good songs to back it."

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15. Stratovarius - Nemesis

"I guess the best word for Nemesis is uneven. This is about on par with the past couple Stratovarius albums, but with better highlights and more lackluster deep tracks. I'd say this album is worth it for Stratovarius fans and general power metal fans may find it worth it for the strong highlights."

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14. Huntress - Starbound Beast

"Basically, this shows the growth and more consistent energy that I was hoping for out of the band. It's an improvement and this is the kind of sophmore album you want to see. Starbound Beast shows me that Huntress has room to grow and they have the ability to do so."

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13. Queensryche - Queensryche

"I'm not sure the band could have picked a better replacement for Tate than Todd La Torre. The guy sounds like a young Tate vocally, but one who loves Queensryche's metal music and has the passion to make it. This is just a complete rebirth and the band sounds young and hungry."

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12. Timo Tolkki's Avalon - The Land Of New Hope

"This just sounds like a good ensemble of musicians that complement each other well and it makes me want to sing along. All in all, I think this kind of metal opera project suits Tolkki and is a very worthy comeback by him."

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11. Lingua Mortis Orchestra - LMO

"All in all, this is a very good album for Rage fans. It's still pretty much Rage, but there are by far worse things to be. This is a strong classically inspired album from the band."

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Top 10 Metal Albums of 2013

10. Memory Garden - Doomain

"Overall, this has some damn fine songs on it and everything holds up pretty well. The highlights are amazing and even the lesser tracks are good stuff. I'd recommend this to fans of bands like Candlemass and Solitude Aeturnus or anyone who likes their doom metal with epic, melodic wails and some more upbeat moments."

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9. Ashes Of Ares - Ashes Of Ares

"It's not often I write about every track on an album, but barring maybe the single, everything is worth writing about. This is damn fine straight up heavy metal that recalls a very traditional style mixed with the power that power metal should have. Barlow's range is in full force here and it's a pretty perfect album for a superior frontman to be at the helm of."

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8. Motorhead - Aftershock

"Aftershock is just the kind of album that hits the bands strengths and runs with it. There's nothing fancy here, everything's just extremely headbangable. The energy and hooks on Aftershock are just damn great. It's loaded with blues rock hooks, the songs are mostly short and to the point, and everything just rocks. "

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7. Hell - Curse And Chapter

"If you like dark, heavy straight up metal than there is absolutely no reason I can see to like this. The vocals have personality and attitude, the music is involving and energetic, and the album just never relents. If you like NWOBHM music, Mercyful Fate, Venom, Coven, etc this is a must hear."

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6. Avatarium - Avatarium

"Often the music will alternate between punishing doom riffs and lighter fare, which all paints a very somber picture. This is interesting stuff that carries a really bleak feel to it. Vocalist Jennie-Ann Smith is also the perfect choice for this as she's capable of wailing out some powerful projections above the heavier riffs and also brings it back nicely for the mellower passages."

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5. Gloryhammer - Tales From The Kingdom Of Fife

"The band just has total fun with all the things that are in fact really fun about this kind of power metal. This sounds epic and glorious as hell and the songs stick with you. It's hard not to like something with this much energy and catchiness. Gloryhammer basically just indulges in fully nerding out on D&D metal and it completely works."

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4. Trouble - The Distortion Field

"The Distortion Field is simply more than I could have hoped for. Trouble really bring their A game here and this is the classic Trouble I remember. I have to give it to the entire band, but once again I have to give a special mention to Kyle Thomas for staying true to the Trouble sound, but at the same time bringing his own touch."

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3. Poisonblack - Lyijy

"This one hit me hard from the start and never really let go. The sound here is nothing particularly new for Poisonblack, but the material is extremely good with songs that are just loaded with hooks, an energetic pace, and lots of headbangable riffs. Every song from fist pumping opener Home Is Where The Sty Is to the beyond great ballad Maybe Life Is Not For Everyone is noteworthy."

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2. Avantasia - The Mystery Of Time

"This album seems to have found a good delivery method for Tobias and I like that this feels happy and majestic. It actually takes me back to what I liked about early Edguy though this is not exactly the same sound. What The Mystery Of Time is is some very engaging music that keeps my attention with good melodies."

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1. Helloween - Straight Out Of Hell

"What's not to like here? Not a damn thing. This could seriously be a guide on how to do power metal of some kind. Nice energy and melodies can be found throughout Straight Out of Hell and the songwriting is top notch. Throughout this album Helloween seems to find just the right balance between heaviness, catchiness, and the 'happy' moments that have kind of defined the band's career."

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Trouble - The Distortion Field

Doom Metal

FRW Records
2013

1. When The Sky Comes Down

2. Paranoid Conspiracy
3. The Broken Has Spoken
4. Sink Or Swim
5. One Life
6. Have I Told You
7. Hunters Of Doom
8. Glass Of Lies
9. Butterflies
10. Sucker
11. The Greying Chill Of Autumn
12. Bleeding Alone (Instrumental/Interlude)
13. Your Reflection

Going into this new Trouble album I had little in the way of expectations. Hopes maybe, but the last time this band managed to scrape together an album in Simple Mind Condition I was left just utterly bored. After that miserable, half assed album the band had a lot to prove to me here. Certainly, I used to love Trouble, but the last release left me wondering if the band was capable of coming back from the dead. Not to mention I was unsure what to make of the loss of vocalist Eric Wagner. His performance on Simple Mind Condition may not have been very good, but he was also a key part of what made their other albums as good as they were.

Well, enter Kyle Thomas on vocals and from the first track he seems like an immediate improvement by simply wanting to be there. Eric Wagner just didn't seem like he showed up for Simple Mind Condition and that is not the case here. Also nice is the fact that Kyle doesn't just try to be an Eric Wagner clone and has his own spin on the Trouble sound. Overall, he comes off a bit heavier and gruffer, with less of that Zeppelin-esque screaming. Don't expect him to sound like you may have known him on Exhorder either though as he does balance heaviness and melody quite nicely. In a way this kind of reminds me of Phil Anselmo going from his Pantera style to a Down one. The vocals may have changed a bit from Wagner, but the change is not a bad one at all and I think the band benefits from a refreshing of their sound.

In terms of the songs, The Distortion Field starts off pretty ripping as things open up with a fair amount of speed and heaviness on When The Sky Comes Down. Kind of a nice kick in ass from the beginning with some good intensity, but also some slow down moments and a nice doomy sound to the riffs to remind you you're listening to Trouble. After this though things really start to get excellent as that the band dials it back a notch into some exceptional blues based grooves. Paranoid Conspiracy is just the sort of song that gets your head moving with stonery doom catchiness and both The Broken Has Spoken and Sink Or Swim follow suit. Really memorable stuff in the best tradition of Trouble and with a nice pace that is groovy, but not too slow. All of these tracks are total keepers and never drag.

After this excellent round of grooves, One Life slows it down a bit with a darker and doomier sound that is a welcome change of pace. The grooves are still there, but the pace is a little slower and there are some nice dark/melodic moments. I appreciate both the variation and the fact the band seems intent on making a complete experience. This is not a one trick album. Not to be forgotten is some of their more melodic, rock sounding stuff and that shows up on the following track, Have I Told You. This is a nice smoother, lighter tune, and once again I find myself appreciating the total package this album is offering. The songwriting here is adventurous and varied and it keeps things from getting stagnant.

Next up, things get heavier once again with Hunters Of Doom which speeds things up, brings a fair amount of aggression back to the mix, and comes together as another highlight. Following this, Glass Of Lies is decent, but a bit shouty and rough and both Butterflies and Sucker are decent groove tracks, but not quite as memorable as some of the material. Maybe a slight weak spot/filler-ish, but by no means bad either. Just not quite as inspired as what came before. I guess not every track can be a highlight. The Greying Chill Of Autumn fixes that though with kind of a dark, twisted feel that is different and interesting. I really dig this one and it certainly has a sound of it's own. Bleeding Alone is a bit of an intro that has a heart beat sort of sound to it so not much to report there. Closing out the album though is Your Reflection which is a good one with another nice, heavy groove.

I don't always like to go track by track on albums as I prefer giving more of an overall impression more than dissection, but this is the sort of album that deserves this treatment. There's a lot of creativity here and the songwriting is adventurous enough to warrant some individual write ups. This is not a by the numbers sort of album that sticks to just one sound and the depth here is what impresses me the most about this album. That and the fact the band has really come back from the brink. The Distortion Field is simply more than I could have hoped for. Trouble really bring their A game here and this is the classic Trouble I remember. I have to give it to the entire band, but once again I have to give a special mention to Kyle Thomas for staying true to the Trouble sound, but at the same time bringing his own touch. Very nicely done. Trouble and Doom/Stoner metal fans need to hear this.

Highlights: Paranoid Conspiracy, The Broken Has Spoken, Sink Or Swim, Hunters Of Doom, The Greying Chill Of Autumn.

Rating - 4.0/5