We've reached the end of another year and all the amazing releases contained therein. Just like previous years, we've decided to do away with ranked lists, because in case we haven't beaten it into your skull yet - we're just built different. Everyone's tastes are as subjective as the next person's, and all we're here to do is share what we loved in hopes that you will too. The aggregate Top 50 Albums of the Year list is the definitive version of what you'll see below, but if you're curious what your favorite Heavy Blogger dug this year and how we determined those 50 – look no further.
-Calder Dougherty
AHMED HASAN
- Animals as Leaders - Parrhesia
- Artificial Brain - Artificial Brain
- Destrage - So Much. Too Much.
- Hath - All That Was Promised
- Psycroptic - Divine Council
- Revocation - Netherheaven
- we broke the weather - We Broke the Weather
- The Weeknd - Dawn FM
- Wormrot - Hiss
- Zeal & Ardor - Zeal & Ardor
BRIDGET HUGHES
- Acephalix - Theothanatology
- Anal Stabwound - Reality Drips into the Mouth of Indifference
- Cyborg Octopus - Between Light and Air
- DeathFuckingCunt - Decadent Perversity
- Defect Designer - Neanderthal
- Dischordia - Triptych
- De Profundis - The Corruption of Virtue
- Ernia - How to Deal with Life and Fail
- Et Moriemur - Tamashii No Yama
- Human Mass Extermination - Galactic Mass Anomalies
- INCANTVM - Strigae
- Internal Organs External - The Brutality of Tomorrow
- Kraanerg - Of Matter
- Maentra - Kundalini Rising
- Marigold King/Swampworm - Pillars to Unrelenting Suffering/Nahab
- Morgue - Lowest Depths of Misery
- Morgue Supplier - Inevitability
- Northless - A Path Beyond Grief
- Organectomy - Nail Below Nail
- Ripped to Shreds - 劇變 (Jubian)
- Sisyphean - Colours of Faith
- Skythala - Boreal Despair
- Sun Eater - Vermin
- Trash Panda - Pawns of the Putrid God
- .357 Homicide - Homicidal Amusements
CALDER DOUGHERTY
- Abest - Molten Husk
- Aeviterne - The Ailing Facade
- Altars - Ascetic Reflection
- An Abstract Illusion - Woe
- Astronoid - Radiant Bloom
- Asunojokei - Island
- ATEEZ - THE WORLD EP.1 : MOVEMENT
- The Callous Daoboys - Celebrity Therapist
- Chat Pile - God's Country
- Cloud Rat - Threshold
- Coheed and Cambria - Vaxis II: A Window of the Waking Mind
- Doldrum - The Knocking, Or the Story of the Sound That Preceded Their Disappearance
- Fallujah - Empyrean
- Fit For An Autopsy - Oh What The Future Holds
- Greyhaven - This Bright and Beautiful World
- Hath - All That Was Promised
- He Is Legend - Endless Hallway
- Ithaca - They Fear Us
- Knoll - Metempiric
- p.s.you'redead - Sugar Rot
- Revocation - Netherheaven
- The Sawtooth Grin - Good.
- Stray From The Path - Euthanasia
- Tank and the Bangas - Red Balloon
- White Ward - False Light
DAVID ZEIDLER
- Adolf Plays The Jazz - Low Life | We Can't Lose. We Have Already Lost.
- Astodan - Evora
- Astronoid - Radiant Bloom
- Asunojokei - Island
- Birds In Row - Gris Klein
- The Cast Before The Break - Where We Are Now
- Cave In - Heavy Pendulum
- City of Caterpillar - Mystic Sisters
- Coheed and Cambria - Vaxis II: A Window of the Waking Mind
- deathcrash - Return
- Elder - Innate Passage
- Gillian Carter - Salvation Through Misery
- Grivo - Omit
- Holy Fawn - Dimensional Bleed
- Humanotone - A Flourishing Fall in a Grain of Sand
- KYOTY - Isolation
- Morrow - The Quiet Earth
- orphantwin - Future Classic
- Rolo Tomassi - Where Myth Becomes Memory
- Russian Circles - Gnosis
- SOM - The Shape of Everything
- Towers of Jupiter - III
- White Ward - False Light
- Wilt, Oceans - Wilt
- Yndian Mynah - The Boys Scribbled Like Mad
EDEN KUPERMINTZ
- Amos Roddy - Citizen Sleeper OST
- And So I Watch You From Afar - Jettison
- Ashenspire - Hostile Architecture
- Christian Cosentino - High Rising Times
- Chrome Ghost - House of Falling Ash
- The Dear Hunter - Antimai
- Deca - Smoking Gun
- Doldrum - The Knocking, Or the Story of the Sound That Preceded Their Disappearance
- Dreadnought - The Endless
- Elder - Innate Passage
- Fallujah - Empyrean
- Famyne - II: The Ground Below
- Gospel - The Loser
- Gudsforladt - Friendship, Love and War
- Hammers of Misfortune - Overtaker
- Homeboy Sandman - Still Champion
- Humanotone - A Flourishing Fall in a Grain of Sand
- In-Dreamview - Spires
- Maule - Maule
- Onsegen Ensemble - Realms
- Path of Might - Deep Chrome
- Reliqa - I Don't Know Who I Am
- Swampborn - Beyond Ratio
- Towers of Jupiter - III
- Wilderun - Epigone
JONATHAN ADAMS
- Aeviterne - The Ailing Facade
- Allegaeon - Damnum
- Altars - Ascetic Reflection
- Amorphis - Halo
- Artificial Brain - Artificial Brain
- Ashenspire - Hostile Architecture
- Autonoesis - Moon of Foul Magics
- billy woods - Aethiopes
- Blut Aus Nord - Disharmonium - Undreamable Abysses
- Cult of Luna - The Long Road North
- Denzel Curry - Melt My Eyez See Your Future
- Disillusion - Ayam
- Dream Unending - Song of Salvation
- Elder - Innate Passage
- Esoctrilihum - Consecration of the Spiritus Flesh
- Fallujah - Empyrean
- Immolation - Acts of God
- Imperial Triumphant - Spirit of Ecstasy
- Kvaen - The Great Below
- Moon Tooth - Phototroph
- Revocation - Netherheaven
- The Smile - A Light for Attracting Attention
- Swampborn - Beyond Ratio
- White Ward - False Light
- Wilderun - Epigone
JIMMY ROWE
- Aeviterne - The Ailing Facade
- Artificial Brain - Artificial Brain
- Ashenspire - Hostile Architecture
- Black Matter Device - Autonomous Weapons
- Blut Aus Nord - Disharmonium - Undreamable Abysses
- The Callous Daoboys - Celebrity Therapist
- Chat Pile - God's Country
- Cloud Rat - Threshold
- Coheed and Cambria - Vaxis II: A Window of the Waking Mind
- Cult of Luna - The Long Road North
- Fallujah - Empyrean
- Final Light - Final Light
- God Alone - ETC
- Gospel - The Loser
- Hath - All That Was Promised
- Haunter - Discarnate Ails
- Imperial Triumphant - Spirit of Ecstasy
- Luminous Vault - Animate The Emptiness
- p.s.you'redead - Sugar Rot
- The Sawtooth Grin - Good.
- Soul Glo - Diaspora Problems
- Wake - Thought Form Descent
- The Weeknd - Dawn FM
- White Ward - False Light
- The 1975 - Being Funny In A Foreign Language
JORDAN JERABEK
- Altars Ablaze - Life Desecration
- The Callous Daoboys - Celebrity Therapist
- Cave In - Heavy Pendulum
- Cavernlight - As I Cast Ruin…
- Chrome Ghost - House of Falling Ash
- City of Caterpillar - Mystic Sisters
- Cloakroom - Dissolution Wave
- Coffin Nail - Years of Lead
- Conjurer - Páthos
- Coordinated Suicides - This Could Be Heaven
- Doldrum - The Knocking, Or the Story of the Sound That Preceded Their Disappearance
- The Feral Young - Chaos Comforts
- Hammers of Misfortune - Overtaker
- He Is Legend - Endless Hallway
- High Command - Eclipse of the Dual Moons
- Holy Fawn - Dimensional Bleed
- Immolation - Acts of God
- Lathe - Tongue of Silver
- Mares of Thrace - The Exile
- Molder - Engrossed in Decay
- Pyrithe - Monuments to Impermanence
- Soul Glo - Diaspora Problems
- Tómarúm - Ash in Realms of Stone Icons
- Wormrot - Hiss
- Worn Mantle - Worn Mantle
JOSHUA BULLEID
- Allegaeon - Damnum
- Arch Enemy - Deceivers
- Arkaik - Labyrinth of Hungry Ghosts
- Carly Rae Jepsen - The Loneliest Time
- Cave In - Heavy Pendulum
- Coheed and Cambria - Vaxis II: A Window of the Waking Mind
- Crashdiet - Automaton
- Electric Callboy - Tekkno
- Ernia - How to Deal with Life and Fail
- Extinction A.D. - Culture of Violence
- Fit For An Autopsy - Oh What the Future Holds
- Get the Shot - Merciless Destruction
- Ghost - Impera
- Girish and the Chronicles - Hail to the Heroes
- Greg Puciato - Mirrorcell
- Greylotus - Dawnfall
- H.E.A.T - Force Majeure
- Kardashev - Liminal Rite
- Malevolence - Malicious Intent
- Parkway Drive - Darker Still
- Shadow of Intent - Elegy
- Swampborn – Beyond Ratio
- Tómarúm - Ash in Realms of Stone Icons
- Wake - Thought Form Descent
- we broke the weather - We Broke the Weather
NICK CUSWORTH
- Aenaon - Mnemosyne
- Black Country, New Road - Ants From Up There
- The Comet Is Coming - Hyper-Dimensional Expansion Beam
- Cult of Luna - The Long Road North
- Daniel Rossen - You Belong There
- Dawnwalker - House of Sand
- The Dear Hunter - Antimai
- Desbot - Pass of Change
- Dreadnought - The Endless
- Elder - Innate Passage
- End Boss - They Seek My Head
- Holy Fawn - Dimensional Bleed
- Humanotone - A Flourishing Fall in a Grain of Sand
- In-Dreamview - Spires
- Jean Jean - Fog Infinite
- King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard - Changes
- Little Simz - NO THANK YOU
- Makaya McCraven - In These Times
- Messa - Close
- Moon Tooth - Phototroph
- Mountainscape - Atoms Unfurling
- Onségen Ensemble - Realms
- Spoon - Lucifer on the Sofa
- The Weeknd - Dawn FM
- White Ward - False Light
PETE WILLIAMS
- Absent in Body - Plague God
- Allegaeon - Damnum
- Astronoid - Radiant Bloom
- Autonoesis - Moon of Foul Magics
- Cult of Luna - The Long Road North
- Doldrum - The Knocking, Or the Story of the Sound That Preceded Their Disappearance
- Dreadnought - The Endless
- Fit For An Autopsy - Oh What the Future Holds
- Hath - All That Was Promised
- Haunter - Discarnate Ails
- Hulder - The Eternal Fanfare
- Immolation - Acts of God
- Konvent - Call Down the Sun
- Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard - The Harvest
- Messa - Close
- Phobophilic - Enveloping Absurdity
- Primitive Man - Insurmountable
- Red Eye - The Cycle
- Sadistic Ritual - The Enigma, Boundless
- Telekinetic Yeti - Primordial
- Thou & Mizmor - Myopia
- Tómarúm - Ash in Realms of Stone Icons
- Tzompantli - Tlazcaltilitzli
- Undeath - It's Time…to Rise from the Grave
- Wo Fat - The Singularity
TRENT BOS
- Aeviterne - The Ailing Facade
- An Abstract Illusion - Woe
- And So I Watch You From Afar - Jettison
- Ashenspire - Hostile Architecture
- Asunojokei - Island
- billy woods - Aethiopes
- Birds in Row - Gris Klein
- Brakence - Hypochondriac
- The Callous Daoboys - Celebrity Therapist
- Chat Pile - God's Country
- Crippling Alcoholism - When The Drugs That Make You Sick Are The Drugs That Make You Better
- Cult of Luna - The Long Road North
- Fallujah - Empyrean
- God Alone - ETC
- Gospel - The Loser
- Hath - All That Was Promised
- Holy Fawn - Dimension Bleed
- Ithaca - They Fear Us
- Lamentations - Passion of Depression
- Rolo Tomassi - Where Myth Becomes Memory
- Swampborn - Beyond Ratio
- Wake - Thought Form Descent
- White Ward - False Light
- The Wind In The Trees - Architects of Light
- Wormrot - Hiss