A short (28 minutes) sprightly record that expertly mixes metal with a Western theme. This is The Good, The Bad and The Ugly with a Slayer soundtrack. It is a take-no-prisoners, vicious record that uses its short running time to maximum effect. The Western aspect is achieved via interludes and atmospheric bursts, but it never waters down the brutality of the record. If anything, it exacerbates the harshness, making it clear. Regarding westerns, this is firmly Django, as opposed to Bonanza. A brilliantly evocative record that doesn’t outstay its welcome.

Massive, all-consuming prog metal that goes big on style, size and substance. There is (like a lot of these records) an awful lot going on here, and most of it is happening at the same time. It is a never-ending cycle of tempo changes, genre hops and fluctuating pentameters. It is grand in its scale, and it manages to avoid disappearing in its own perceived cleverness by the single fact that it sounds so delicious. It is all over the shop, but that is its beauty. A complex record that revels in that complexity.

Instrumental post-rock from Sweden. For an album with no words, it manages to be unconventionally world-building. It blurs together rich synths, soaring guitar and pounding percussion in such a manner that you feel like you are listening to a cinematic soundtrack. It is bold and dynamic, whipping up an immersive atmosphere that is rich with promise and portent. A fascinating record that has a massive impact without uttering a word.

The return of the venerable Behemoth with their thirteenth studio album, and if I am honest, nothing has actually changed. This sounds like Behemoth, and as ever, they are mightily pissed off with God and everyone who thinks that he is one of the good guys. It is classic Behemoth; big production black metal with gargantuan choruses and an up-tempo approach. As ever, it sounds divine, slick and distinctively nasty and malevolent. Behemoth does Stadium black extremely well, and every track here is a blasphemous stonker full of righteous anger and indignity. They bring nothing new to the black altar, but that’s the point. There are lots of imitators (even here on this list), but there is only one Behemoth.

And straight up another marquee name from modern metal. Sabaton have become legends in their own historical accuracy. They have toiled enormously hard to reach the top table they now occupy and have paid their dues over twenty years of basement clubs and the sniggering non-converted. For those who do find their battle-obsessed flamboyance derisible, Sabaton are having the last laugh. Album number eleven sees their stock rise even further on the back of probably the best studio outing since the classic “Art of War”. Rather than get bogged down with a specific narrative or concept, “Legends” sees them in an anthological mood. They provide eleven tales of historical greatness that have no connection apart from the fact that all feature on this album. It is that grand, stand-alone songwriting that makes this such an imperious album. There is no sticking to a script; instead, we just get excellent songs.

Four years on from the astonishing and groundbreaking “Mӕre”, Austrian post black metallers return with a much-anticipated follow-up. It would be easy for them to simply copy the large-scale dynamics that made “Mӕre” such a word-of-mouth success, but instead, they move down a different path. There are similarities between the two records, but “Scorched Earth” has a different aesthetic and feel. It is slower and more thoughtful, and whilst there remains brittle raw brutality, it is more dialled back than before. It is still a long album, clocking in at just over an hour, but there is now more of a feel of consistency. It lacks the highs of “Mӕre”, but also avoids the lows. Instead, we get a focused and dependable album that pushes deep into its dark mythology.

Another short but highly effective album. This is a 25-minute dash through all seven of the deadly sins via the medium of jaunty prog. Hailing from Puerto Rico, Moths bring a distinctive Latin groove to the world of shifting time signatures and playful tempos. Whilst it is full of technical prowess, there is a warmth to the sound. It is an ever-changing kaleidoscope of sounds, and it is mind-boggling how much musical ground is covered in such a short time. At the heart of it all is Mariel Viruet's versatile vocals, instantaneously shifting from soaring, haunting croons to howling, screaming aggression. Brilliantly different.

We are now firmly in the territory of the albums that I felt were rather extraordinary. Stoned Jesus are, naturally, a stoner rock band from Ukraine. This is the first in a trilogy of albums with songs to the moon and songs to the earth to follow in 2026 and 27 respectively. This is an extraordinarily poetic album, full of beautifully contoured tracks that exude hope and loss in equal measures. It is full of poignant passages weighted down with pure emotive passion. It oozes melancholic splendour, an immersive, atmospheric joy that tugs at the heartstrings but does so warmly and tenderly. It just sounds wonderful; each note is intrinsically placed to create a stunning whole that is food for the dark soul.

Another album that superbly balances light and dark. The album is named after the chemical reaction that occurs within living organisms to produce light, and that absolutely aptly describes the process they are undertaking. The heaviness is here to offset the moments of melodic beauty. The brutality exists for us to all more embrace the moment of calm and fragile joy. Whilst indeed complex and intricate, it is also an incredibly cohesive and well-constructed record. Everything counterbalances everything else; it feels like a unified whole as opposed to a collection of disparate tracks.

A staggeringly good black metal record that is raw and organic but also has moments of beautiful, melancholic serenity. Translated as moon will light your way is a politically charged reflection on the environmental crimes that we inflict upon both our planet and ourselves. There are points where it is intense and brutal, but its compelling nature comes into play when it becomes more reflective and redemptive. For all its prophet-of-doom nature, calling out the inevitable environmental cataclysm that we hurtle toward, there are also chinks of hope. A thought-provokingly brilliant repurposing of a genre not known for political discourse.

One of the finest and most inventive death metal bands out there. This is their fifth album and their first not to be part of their sprawling tetralogy about the four seasons. To signal a return to base values, they have made it self-titled, and whilst it is not on the face of it stripped down, it is certainly heavier and more strident than its predecessors. The songs are shorter and have a distinct feel of urgency about them.

The sax, one of their many USP’s is still there, but even it feels more grizzly and ferocious than before. They have certainly upped the ante and created an album that is immediate and intimidating. There are points for space and reflection, but they are squeezed and more isolated than on previous releases. Instead, this is a fast and frantic album that may veer off into experimental waters time to time, but keeps its eye firmly on the prize of being brutal and vital.

The redemption of The Darkness is a story with more plot twists than a whole fortnight of Hollyoaks. There was a moment in time in the far-off noughties when the Hawkins brothers' juggernaut was unstoppable. They headlined Leeds and Reading, won multiple Brits and were ubiquitously everywhere. But then they crashed and burned most spectacularly with a duller than ditchwater second album and inter-family feuding that even Oasis would be impressed with. They fell from grace, and they fell hard and fast.

Their reunification in 2011 (they have actually been back together now three times as long as they were initially a band) turned out not to be as rapturously received as they’d hoped. By that point are Tom, Dick and Harriet had started playing classic rock suddenly they just weren’t that special any more. For nearly a decade, if found themselves reduced to the shoebox and toilet circuit that they had managed to skilfully avoid in their initial flirtation with fame. But this is a tale of redemption, and it has a happy ending. Due to award-winning podcasts and some fantastic media whoring, the world is now suddenly remembering The Darkness, and they are back playing arenas like they never went away.

They also released their biggest-selling album since “Permission to Land”, and if we are honest, it’s probably actually better than their fabled debut. “Dreams on Toast” is self-aware and self-derivative. It knows its limitations and its place on earth. It is a fantastically enjoyable rock ‘n’ roll album that sticks its tongue firmly in its cheek and is more than happy to laugh at its own inadequacies. As Justin sings, “We never stopped making hit albums, it's just that no one buys them anymore”. This is The Darkness playing heavy rock they love and that lack of inhibition just makes such rollocking fun.

With original vocalist Ezra Haynes back in the fold, Allegaeon have pulled out all the stops and produced probably their best record so far. This is a crunching and technically brilliant piece of modern death metal. It is weighty and seismically slamming, but is also full of astonishing pieces of complex musicianship. Simultaneously intricate and aggressive, it brilliantly couples raw human emotion with stunning musical ingenuity. Ezra’s return has breathed new life back into the band, and this album really is a joy to behold.

This is an album that has found great beauty in mining the past. It sounds like a forgotten gem from NWOBHM or an occult rock album from the 70’s that somehow has fallen through a slipstream in time. It is a melodic and highly engaging album that manages to be much more than catchy tunes. It sounds lush and dynamic, and the production is just magical. It is wide and cinematic in its feel, full of spacious ambition and beautifully rendered choruses. A sublime release that just oozes with quality.

Another late doors release that has wheedled its way into the upper echelons of this list by being rather unforgettable. Everything is hinged around the tension between brutality and beauty. It personifies the term melodic death metal by managing to be gloriously accessible, but also absolutely aggressive. What is really intriguing and also enticing about the record is that it balances the two extremes simultaneously, as opposed to having interspersed quiet and loud sections. The heaviness and the harmonious exist cheek by jowl, cohabiting within the same tracks if not the same movements. This is the Finnish giants' tenth album, and they haven’t ever sounded so majestic and in control of their sound. An absolute riot of contrasts that is amazing to behold.

The follow-up to “The Conquering”, which was our album of the year in 2021. “Fallen Star” sees Employed To Serve move even further from their hardcore roots and embed themselves as a grade A metal band. This is unashamedly a heavy metal album full of aggressive tempos and melodic riffs. It feels smoother and less corrosive than their preceding five albums, and instead it soars in slick, harmonious wonder. It is immaculately produced, and every track is big and anthemic. Surely this is the release that witnesses Employed to Serve being recognised as the most exciting metal band we currently have operating in this country.

Yet another January release that has steadfastly refused to slip down the list. Halo Effect produce melodic death metal as mother made it. An orphanage for former members of the mighty In Flames, this is a gloriously well-produced album that is filled with brilliantly contoured metal tracks. Anthemic and ambitious, this is all about crisp riffs and grand choruses. It is an exhilarating listen, big, contoured and luscious sounding. It doesn’t shift the boundaries of melodic death metal in any way, but it gloriously celebrates it as an art form.

The biggest success story in modern metal, bar none. It is the tale of a failed Swedish death metal also-ran, Tobias Forge, who hit the jackpot by combining ABBA, Metallica and mythology. He realised that people wanted camp theatrics and a sense of mystical mystery in their music. Ghost took the cod-mysticism of 70’s occult rock, added a level of showbusiness dazzle and a pinch of British seaside humour and created the juggernaut that is Ghost.

“Skeleta” heralds the band's Imperious age. At this point, they have nothing left to prove. They have conquered arenas and stadiums with their quirky mock-catholic imagery, and they have broken America. However, “Skeleta“ doesn’t see them resting on their laurels. This is another gloriously widescreen romp through religious iconography and pop stylistics. It drips with quirky quality and revels in its melodic accessibility. It is cheesy, and it does have the chops of a Broadway musical, but that is the point. It is hugely enjoyable pop metal that has no interest in preserving any level of integrity. This is fabulous smaltz, completely fabricated but still wonderfully entertaining.

Evoken are the custodians of Funeral Doom. Imagine Black Sabbath played at 33”, that’s funeral doom. Slow, meticulous and full of malignant intent, it is the antithesis to metal’s obsession with speed. Having been doing this since 1992, this is album number seven and their first for seven years. It signals a return to their earlier astute and minimalistic sound and is a wonderfully evocative maelstrom of glacial delivery. The riffs are slow and precise, and it is a magnificently eerie and atmospheric record that just reeks of evil intent.

A dark, unforgiving and claustrophobic record that draws deep on miserable nihilism. It is gnarly and inaccessible, and it reveals that impenetrability. It is protective of its spoils and wraps its songs up in random noises and coarse aesthetics. However, if you persevere, this is nothing short of a life-changing record. It is intense and relentlessly brutal, but there is beauty and affirmation to be found both in its core and its closing numbers. It's not a passive background listen. It is an album that demands attention and multiple listens, but for those who stick with it is an extraordinary reinvention of metal’s many identities. Simply astonishing in its depth and variety, but not in any way an easy listen.