BEST HEAVY METAL ALBUMS OF 2015
Luckily, there were still enough releases to make for a good year in heavy metal. ILLUSTRATION | JOSEPH NGARI
What you need to know:
- Interestingly however, the record has singles such as “Overlord” which is a clean vocal track much to the surprise of anyone who knows Lamb of God and Randy Blythe’s guttural vocals.
- The record also had feature performances on vocals from guest vocalists which made it a pleasant wholesome heavy metal product and the best buy this year.
Right about this weekend every year, your favourite column reviews the best of the best in 2015. This year has been challenging both locally and internationally with very few releases and even fewer shows to talk about. Luckily, there were still enough releases to make for a good year in heavy metal.
Lamb of God – VII: Sturm Und Drang
Hardly a surprise, Lamb of God are on this list with their latest record. It is their first full release since Randy Blythe was exonerated of manslaughter charges and the ineffaceable mark this catastrophic event left on the band is evident for all to see, or should we say, hear.
This was an inspired track with the band’s lightning fast riffing and battering beats on full display. Interestingly however, the record has singles such as “Overlord” which is a clean vocal track much to the surprise of anyone who knows Lamb of God and Randy Blythe’s guttural vocals. The record also had feature performances on vocals from guest vocalists which made it a pleasant wholesome heavy metal product and the best buy this year.
Marilyn Manson – The Pale Emperor
I’ve genuinely never been a fan of this guy and can’t say that I have listened to one full song by him either. However, this record was a touch different from his previous eccentric outbursts of atheism and debauchery. Marilyn, now all grown up and well in his forties, would rather bellow about tragic loneliness and its effects, moodiness and his husky voice came through really well throughout the course of the album.
Songs like “Mephistopheles of Los Angeles” and “The Beautiful People” are some standouts from the album where Marilyn’s voice was for once, untampered with by effects, lusters.
Iron Maiden – The Book of Souls
The godfathers of heavy metal; the band that pioneered the rise of this precarious form of music. This band could have at any point called it quits but still laboured through hours of studio time to give their loyal fans one last hurrah with this album.
It is - after listening to all 90 minutes of the double disc - one of their finest pieces. Dave Murray, Adrian Smith and Janick Gers continue to showcase what three guitarists in a band can accomplish while throat-cancer survivor and front man Bruce Dickinson gives one of his best performances on vocals.
With a fan base spanning over five decades, this was a record that didn’t require much advertising. Nonetheless, the old-timers proved once again, for good measure, why they are one of the best bands in heavy metal.
