We’re only part of the way through 2013, but there is already a multitude of metal bands that deserve recognition for their latest recording achievements. We’ll be updating this list as the year continues, but here are the acts currently in the running for the year-end label of Best 2013 Metal Album.
From the inventors of metal itself to modern innovators and present powerhouses, the best 2013 metal albums come from all branches of metal’s evolution. This list is not in order of any ranking — in fact it’s listed with the most recently released albums at the top. At the end of the year, we will rank the albums accordingly. Check out our current picks for Best Metal Albums of 2013 (So Far) and be sure to give these bands a chance to become your newest musical addiction!
'The Headless Ritual'
Autopsy
California’s Autopsy have been on a writing rampage since re-forming in 2009. ‘The Headless Ritual’ blows away everything they’ve released over the last four years and channels the classic Autopsy feel from the first two albums, but with a fresh twist on things to make it more than just nostalgia. Chris Reifert’s gurgled vocals have always given Autopsy that filthy atmosphere, but the rest of the band do their part in adding to the filth. ‘Slaughter at Beast House’ and ‘Flesh Turns to Dust’ sound like lost studio tracks from the band’s early days, making for ‘The Headless Ritual’ as one of the band’s best albums.
Nuclear Blast
'Halo of Blood'
Children of Bodom
The Bodom boys are at it again! After a string of albums that still have their fanbase divided, Children of Bodom have united the two sides with a release that will please fans of any era of the band. Alexi Laiho’s left hand is working overtime again, as are keyboardist Janne Warman’s lightning fingers on his right hand. ‘Halo of Blood’ is the most melodic album since ‘Hate Crew Deathroll’ and even harkens back to ‘Hatebreeder’ with some blast beats on the title track. Something from all of the band’s previous albums can be heard with some fresh new ideas thrown into the mix as well.
Vertigo
'13'
Black Sabbath
After 35 years, Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler entered the studio together to record a full-length album. After the departure of drummer Bill Ward and the cancer diagnosis of Iommi, Sabbath ran into setbacks very early on, but after a monster recording session, '13' was completed and released on June 11, 2013. Despite fighting with lymphoma, '13' belongs to Tony Iommi. The riff master's raw songwriting prowess and mind-bending solos are interwoven into '13' beautifully, while tracks such as 'God is Dead?' and 'Damaged Soul' are powerfully driven by the vocals of Ozzy and massive bass tone of Geezer Butler.
Deathwish
'Sunbather'
Deafheaven
Coming straight out of left field, both surprisingly and stylistically, Deafheaven have received unanimous acclaim for their second studio album, 'Sunbather.' Mixing post-rock, shoegaze and black metal, 'Sunbather' is an unlikely success stylistically, but the balance created by Deafheaven is truly stunning. 'Sunbather' is all about becoming enveloped by sound. Whether trudging through comforting or extreme territory, the album whirls around the listener, allowing he or she to become submissive to a sonically-imposed atmospheric paralysis.
Season of Mist
'Ultraviolet'
Kylesa
Georgia's finest just never show any sonic weakness, and Kylesa's 'Ultraviolet' continues the decade-long tradition through sweat and sand. The entirety of 'Ultraviolet' is a march through the desert, filled with delirious dehydration and bizarre mirages. The pure strength and atmosphere created through 'Unspoken,' 'Vulture's Landing' or the riff-heavy 'Grounded' proves once again that the South is ripe with phenomenal metal. Although Kylesa stuck with their patented sound, 'Ultraviolet' is somewhat more accessible then the act's previous work, and that sensibility is sure to lure in legions of new followers.
Party Smasher
'One of Us is the Killer'
The Dillinger Escape Plan
The Dillinger Escape Plan had only released four full-length albums before 'One of Us is the Killer' hit fans this year, but even with a somewhat small release history, DEP had already created one of experimental metal's greatest discographies. Thanks in part to the twisted genius of Ben Weinman and frightening vocal delivery of Greg Puciato, 'One of Us is the Killer' continues the legacy of the Dillinger Escape Plan as frantic mathcore once again meets progressive metal in a bizarre brew. How they do it is a mystery, but still no act on the planet sounds quite like the Dillinger Escape Plan.
Nuclear Blast
'Kingdom of Conspiracy'
Immolation
Immolation have always been a band about quality. The New Yorkers have been at the game for over 20 years and have released a number of timeless classic death metal albums. This year, they’ve added another album to that list in ‘Kingdom of Conspiracy.’ This album is the best release since the mighty ‘Close to a World Below’ and Immolation fans should be ecstatic. Songs like ‘Bound to Order,’ ‘God Complex’ and ‘All That Awaits Us’ are soon to be classics and fan favorites.
Metal Blade
'Pelagial'
The Ocean
Frontman Robin Staps is proud to be at the helm of one of metal’s most dynamic and exciting bands of today. The Ocean are absolutely unpredictable, which is what puts the German group on year-end lists every time they release a new album, or two like in 2010. The Ocean take aesthetics of post-metal and blend them with elements of metalcore and whatever Mastodon can be labeled as. ‘Bathyalpelagic II: The Wish in Dreams’ gets the blood flowing while ‘Hadopelagic II: Omen of the Deep’ lets the waves of atmosphere wash over the listener before violently wresting him or her from the trance.
Loma Vista
'Infestissumam'
Ghost B.C.
After the underground success of 'Opus Eponymous' in 2011 (2010 in Europe), expectations for Ghost's (Ghost B.C.) sophomore album, 'Infestissumam,' were gigantic. Though polarizing, 'Infestissumam' cultivated the band's concept into a more rich and precise realm. Ghost were able to capture and distort childlike innocence, juxtaposed refuge and the same sweet, hypnotic cadence of church music to lure potential listeners in towards a greater truth. Consisting of the death-waltz 'Secular Haze,' the demon-chanting 'Year Zero,' the metronomic 'Monstrance Clock' and many more, 'Infestissumam' is yet another opus -- perhaps even a magnum opus.
Epitaph
'Sempiternal'
Bring Me the Horizon
Bring Me the Horizon had already established themselves as one of metalcore's biggest acts before the release of 'Sempiternal,' but this album is taking the UK act to a whole new stratosphere. With acclaimed producer Terry Date at the helm, the band has unleashed an epic opus featuring such standout tracks as 'Shadow Moses' and 'Go To Hell, For Heaven's Sake' that stay true to the band's metalcore roots while offering a mainstream appeal that should win over legions of new fans.
Roadrunner
'Disarm the Descent'
Killswitch Engage
Although Killswitch Engage didn't reinvent the wheel with 'Disarm the Descent,' the band put together a solid metalcore album celebrated by fans worldwide. The album also received critical acclaim, much of which was directed towards returning vocalist Jesse Leach. Filling the shoes of booming vocalist Howard Jones, who delivered Killswitch their greatest success with 'The End of Heartache' in 2004, wasn't an easy task. However, Leach delivered on his first record with the band in 11 years, not by attempting to imitate Jones, but simply by being himself.
Indie
'Vertikal'
Cult of Luna
Sweden’s progressive, atmospheric post-hardcore septuplet are back after a five year absence from the studio. As fans, we can get impatient when a band takes so long between albums, but when they release an album like ‘Vertikal’ it makes it all worth the wait. Cult of Luna’s music has a push and pull to it with atmosphere battling with disjointed rhythms and metallic elements. Basically, it sounds like Isis boxing against Neurosis and the rounds never end. The highlight of the album is easily the 19 minute epic ‘Vicarious Redemption’ that sets this band apart from just another face in the crowd in their scene.
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