Best Heavy Metal 2014

[Metalject]

Best heavy metal albums of the year, here are my picks. Share your favorites. If there's a good one I missed I definitely want to hear it.

Top Albums (in no particular order)

Arch Enemy: War Eternal
Slipknot: .5 The Gray Chapter
Hellyeah: Blood for Blood
Emmure: Eternal Enemies
Avatar: Hail the Apocalypse
Vader: Tibi Et Igni
Overkill: White Devil Armory

Honorable Mentions (in no particular order)

Throwdown: Intolerance
Judas Priest: Redeemer of Souls
Canibal Corpse: A Skeletal Domain
Exodus: Blood in Blood Out

[DCI]

Hmm must listen to some of the mj. Tbh I haven't found any modern bands good at all. Only Down tbh

[Metalject]

Hmm must listen to some of the mj. Tbh I haven't found any modern bands good at all. Only Down tbh

Vader has been around since the early 80's so of all those in the top list they're definitely not new. All of the bands listed are at least 15+ years or older with the exception of Emmure.

As far as the standard older bands that a lot of people like, the hair/power metal, I'm not much of a fan. The only reason I put the Judas Priest album on this list was because it was more thrashy than what they usually do.

Anyway, check some of them out and let me know what you think. If you don't like death metal you won't like Arch Enemy, Emmure or Vader. Although Arch is IMO one of the best metal bands of the last 30yrs. Avatar, I just discovered them this year - very different. ALl the songs on the album are different from the next so it's hard to classify what type of metal they are. Hellyeah, just good redneck stomp/thrash. Slipknot, only NuMetal band I care for. But there are some newish death and thrash bands out there that are very decent...the NuMetal style itself IMO is just usually too frantic and unorganized...guess I'm getting old.

[DCI]

Ohh I know Vader etc are old just not my fav bands ha.

I like Obituary who have a new album out I must check it out and and see what its like. I too only like Slipknot from that era of bands too.

I just think a lot of these new bands go for a generic sound rather than actually finding their own sound if you get me

[Hazard]

I like metal at times...... I love the sounds. It's great for amping you up. I can't listen to it on the regular tho.....

I've just recently started appreciating the guitar. I'm a house guy..... Always have been. I never really took the time to appreciate other music. A coworker of mine loves Slash and he got me listening and I gotta tell yah..... It takes some serious talent. I couldn't play the guitar for the life of me

[almostgone]

The new Slipknot. Crowbar had a good one this past year... Hellyeah is decent. Few others may come to mind later. Think 6 Feet Unders last album came out this past year..good motivation.

[Metalject]

Ohh I know Vader etc are old just not my fav bands ha.

I like Obituary who have a new album out I must check it out and and see what its like. I too only like Slipknot from that era of bands too.

I just think a lot of these new bands go for a generic sound rather than actually finding their own sound if you get me

I know what you mean. A lot of the new bands that are often referred to as metal bands I don't get...as in I don't know how they fit "metal." I call them "commercial metal" for lack of a better term...or at best hard rock. Good examples of these bands would be:
Godsmack
Disturbed
Five Finger Death Punch
....these aren't metal bands and aren't very good bands either. They have some talent but the music is very, VERY generic.

Did you ever see the documentary "Metal: A Headbanger's Journey"? If you haven't, anyone that has any appreciation for metal would really enjoy it, even someone who doesn't listen to it much might find it interesting. Anyway, this guy broke down the metal categories better than anyone so far, IMO....although there are a few bands I disagree with in terms of being in the list or their specific placement, but it's still good.

[DrewZ]

How about Machine Head: Bloodstone & Diamonds ?

I'll probably get sh1t for this but I'm digging the live album that chick band in This Moment put out; Blood at the Orpheum (blood was their 2012 album)

[almostgone]

^^^ haven't got it, but I have some older Machine Head and it's good stuff!

[DCI]

I know what you mean. A lot of the new bands that are often referred to as metal bands I don't get...as in I don't know how they fit "metal." I call them "commercial metal" for lack of a better term...or at best hard rock. Good examples of these bands would be:
Godsmack
Disturbed
Five Finger Death Punch
....these aren't metal bands and aren't very good bands either. They have some talent but the music is very, VERY generic.

Did you ever see the documentary "Metal: A Headbanger's Journey"? If you haven't, anyone that has any appreciation for metal would really enjoy it, even someone who doesn't listen to it much might find it interesting. Anyway, this guy broke down the metal categories better than anyone so far, IMO....although there are a few bands I disagree with in terms of being in the list or their specific placement, but it's still good.

Agreed on all points imo metal should be heavy and unique sounding. Take for example imo the best all round rock heavy metal band ever Pantera the first bar of their music and by fck you know it's a Pantera track.

They had their own style and stuck with it did slow songs that grew into monsters and vice versa.

I saw that headbangers ball doc years ago and lots of it is brilliant.

All the bands you listed above are just record label puppets. Recently I've going through my old cds listening to system of a down and madly static x which are i dunno what but have some really different and interesting sounds for both bands.

The noise that modern metal bands singers make imo is just bizzare they sound like a cat drowning.

Machinehead are good but they are old hands now been round since the mid 90's etc and if you look at the bands when I was growing up none of them have stood the test of time like budgie black sabbath deep purple etc

[Metalject]

How about Machine Head: Bloodstone & Diamonds ?

I'll probably get sh1t for this but I'm digging the live album that chick band in This Moment put out; Blood at the Orpheum (blood was their 2012 album)

You're right, Machine Head's new album is pretty decent. I knew I'd miss a couple.
And In this Moment, not a bad band. "Big Bad Wolf" is IMO one of the better songs on that album.

[Metalject]

Agreed on all points imo metal should be heavy and unique sounding. Take for example imo the best all round rock heavy metal band ever Pantera the first bar of their music and by fck you know it's a Pantera track.

They had their own style and stuck with it did slow songs that grew into monsters and vice versa.

I saw that headbangers ball doc years ago and lots of it is brilliant.

All the bands you listed above are just record label puppets. Recently I've going through my old cds listening to system of a down and madly static x which are i dunno what but have some really different and interesting sounds for both bands.

The noise that modern metal bands singers make imo is just bizzare they sound like a cat drowning.

Machinehead are good but they are old hands now been round since the mid 90's etc and if you look at the bands when I was growing up none of them have stood the test of time like budgie black sabbath deep purple etc

Pantera is one of the best metal bands of all time, no argument there. They're top 5 of all time IMO, there's no one else really like them. They somewhat fit in their own category of metal, definitely thrash but sort of a redneck, stomp, dirty thrash for lack of a better way to put it. The only band that's ever been able to fit that category as well would be Lamb of God...I'm not saying it's a perfect similar sound, not at all, but they fit the category and are a great band.

And that's what makes a great long lasting metal band, being able to stand the test of time with a unique sound that is all their own. That's what made Metallica great, IMO. Their first 5 albums had a unique sound that you could hear in most all of their songs - even if you heard one of the songs for the first time, in seconds you knew who it was. And from there it doesn't matter what they've done since, those first 5 albums put them at the top. I have my doubts on if they can ever pull it off again. Their last album was the closest to it in years but still far away. I'm excited about the new album coming out in 2015 but I'm trying not to get my hopes up. The demo they released this year definitely shot my hope down quite a bit.

[kelkel]

Hell Yeah, Machine Head = good stuff. Lately I'm more into the Foo Fighters. Obviously not metal but their new stuff is awesome.