Inverloch: Distance | Collapsed
Death doom with a definitive focus on the latter and a slight industrial aftertaste. Sublimely depressive, so only approach if you like the genre or you want to strengthen that budding existential crisis.
Listen to: Distance Collapsed (In Rubble), Lucid Delirium, The Empyrean Torment
Oceans of Slumber: Winter
Doom-y, death-y progressive metal with a fantastic female singer. Honestly, it's worth a listen just for her delicate but quirky-witchy voice, but the music of course is also top notch. Also ...This Road will make you cry, it's just beautiful.
Evig Natt: Evig Natt
A fairly straightforward gothic doom record, probably only for fans of the genre.
Listen to: How I Bleed, In God I Grieve, Stille før Stormen
Amon Amarth: Jomsviking
Also, a very straightforward melodic death album. As much as I love the genre, this band was never among my favourites, however, this album is still well above average. It's truly majestic and powerful.
Listen to: First Kill, The Way of Vikings, Back on Northern Shores
Moonsorrow: Jumalten aika
Moonsorrow is probably my favourite black metal band, so while I don't like the genre all that much, this album I still waited for. Their music is something special; not for those who don't listen to metal generally, but if you do, you cannot miss this record.
Listen to: Jumalten aika, Ruttolehto incl. Päivättömän päivän kansa,
Novembre: URSA
An overall fantastic progressive doom record, fuzzy and enveloping.
Haken: Affinity
A lot harsher and cleaner progressive record, but no worse, with a heavy industrial influence.
Fallujah: Dreamless
Fallujah is Fallujah, it's heavy and overproduced. While not as great as their previous album, The Flesh Prevails, it's still a largely satisfying album for lovers of trance-influenced modern tech death.
Vektor: Terminal Redux
A truly exceptional and amazing progressive thrash record, a concept album about space travel. (And I don't even like thrash.) It's extremely well-put together, always engaging and fresh. I mean, just look at that artwork.
Sylvaine: Wistful
It's post-metal in the veins of Alcest, only even more atmospheric and with an eerie female voice. It's barely there, but it's beautiful, like early morning April fog.
Whispered: Metsutan - Songs of the Void
Oh man. I sometimes can be touchy about the appropriation of Japanese culture, but this music is just amazing. Good Finnish melodeath mixed with Japanese string instruments, it's like if Wintersun went more power-folk.
Suidakra: Realms of Odoric
A delicious mix of power and folk metal.
Listen to: The Serpent Within, Undaunted, Remembrance
Katatonia: The Fall of Hearts
Oh, I adore this album. This is this year's Swallow the Sun: Songs from the North II for me. It's the only non-strictly metal album on it, and easily the most accessible, but it's still really interesting and despite its length full of good songs.
In Mourning: Afterglow
A satisfying, nicely crafted progressive death album. That being one of my favourite genres, I'm a bit biased, but In Mourning have a really special sound, so for lovers of the genre, it's worth a listen.
Listen to: Below Rise to the Above, The Lighthouse Keeper, Afterglow
Vainaja: Verenvalaja
This one is a heavy death doom record, so I'd definitely only recommend it to metalheads who are into the heavier stuff. Once there though, this is an amazing album; oppressive and creepy and addictive.
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