1) Fallujah, Dreamless (Nuclear Blast)
The fact that this record is called Dreamless is quite ironic to me, since it seems like an album of this caliber could only come from a dream. Fallujah is, without a doubt, one of the brightest young stars lighting the path towards the future of metal. I have never heard a band so young release an album as masterful as The Flesh Prevails, only to then blow it out of the water two years later with an even greater master work. This album is absolutely phenomenal, from beginning to end, and it is one of the most well-written records I’ve heard in the past six years. The technical mastery on display is glorious, and the ambient sections are the perfect foil needed to create the album’s inimitable atmosphere. I said it for The Flesh Prevails, and I’ll say it again here – Fallujah is now the standard by which all of their present and future contemporaries will be measured.
Highlights: “The Void Alone”, “Scar Queen”, “The Prodigal Son”, “Wind for Wings”
Honorable Mentions:
- Katatonia, The Fall of Hearts (Peaceville)
- Amon Amarth, Jomsviking (Metal Blade)
- Death Angel, The Evil Divide (Nuclear Blast)
- Delain, Moonbathers (Napalm)
- Meshuggah, The Violent Sleep of Reason (Nuclear Blast)
