The Rue Morgue Records Top 10 Albums of 2020

Number 10 – AC/DC: PWRUP

An electrifying return to form that stands in tribute to fallen stalwart Malcolm Young. A balls to the wall hard rock album is par for the course when it comes to AC/DC but there are some definite fresh highlights on this record that freshen the usual AC/DC bombast. ‘Through The Mists Of Time’ stands as one of the best examples of this. Solid album throughout!

Number 09 – Pallbearer: Forgotten Days

Pallbearer return with all the doom, sludge and stoner goodness that has made them a leading player in this underground genre. Crushing guitar tones married with sublime vocals harking back to Black Sabbath in their formative years. Superb and melodic guitar solos intertwine through songs of despair and epic helpings of all that is good in heavy as fuck music. They progress with each and every album and Forgotten Days is yet another bonafide classic in their fledgling catalogue. Oh God this is so good!

Number 08 – Zakk Sabbath: Vertigo

Pretty ambitious and daring to do a project such as this! I mean, who has the balls to re-record one of the most defining and important albums in Rock/Metal history but this is Zakk and the boys we’re talking about! There ain’t too many who can sound like both Ozzy and Iommi but Zakk does and what we have here is a killer live in the studio recreation of the debut Sabbath opus! It pays tribute to the legend of Black Sabbath and breathes an air of freshness to a 50 year old masterpiece like only Zakk Sabbath can do! We sold a shitload of these throughout the year so clearly, my thoughts on this are shared by many!

Number 07 – Deftones: OHMS

Deftones have consistently delivered the goods with each album release over the years. In essence, you know exactly what you are going to get. Ohms continues that tradition. Mournful vocal stylings over a wall of drone and sound that makes them a unique and special band indeed. Powerfully hypnotic they are always, Deftones reinforce and strengthen their legacy with yet another classic release.

Number 06 – King Dude: Full Virgo Moon

The Dark Folk master returns on his eight – and dare I say it – best album. Sounding like a cross between Nick Cave and Johnny Cash mixed with his Luciferian Satanist beliefs (look them up!). Largely an acoustic effort and a morose journey through what is akin to Satanic Folk music scattered with beautiful and memorable melodies accompanying his Bowie-esque cadence and drawl. It all comes across as dark and awfully lonely due to its sparse instrumentation and stripped back tone throughout. It all makes it an all-encompassing and challenging record that is sure to touch or disturb you in equal measure.

Number 05 – Kadaver: The Isolation Tapes

With the story of 2020 still being written and much of the world having to shelve well laid plans many used this time creatively. Kadaver are no exception and their album The Isolation Tapes is quite a departure from the Stoner stylings of old. In fact, you’d hardly recognize what is going on within these grooves which seem to harken classic Pink Floyd influences which are scattered throughout. It’s an ambitious record indeed, but at the same time, the band has found a softer side that is mercurial as it is incredibly pleasant, powerful and almost perfect!

Number 04 – Witchskull: A Driftwood Cross

All that is freaking killer within the Stoner Doom genre, these boys have it in spades – and then some! The Sabbath influence comes through unashamedly thick and fast through some killer riffs that bludgeon you from start to finish! And take my word for it, there are riffs here a plenty! A relentless trip through everything that is amazing about Doom flavoured with some amazing genre defining tunes, guitar tones and old-school vocal stylings. This is how it’s done boys and girls!

Number 03 – Marilyn Manson: We Are Chaos

There was a period of time just after the Columbine tragedy that Manson lost himself. The records began to suck. The gigs were a waste of time. It looked like Manson was on a downward spiral to nowhere… fast but over the course of the last few albums… things began to change. Dramatically. So much so, I think his last four albums have all featured in my yearly top 10 and they have done so in high positions. Lyrically he has grown on so many levels and whilst musically, things are on a much simpler level, it all works so delishly so! The Bowie influence is forever there with some amazing melodies throughout the grooves of much of the album. Indeed, another brilliant chapter in the Manson canon.

Number 02 – Enslaved: Utgard

Enslaved have easily become the most important and viable band in all that is extreme about the Metal genre. Never afraid to take risks or experiment with incredible melodies, tone, feel, vibe, and dynamics! And this is where they leave their contemporaries in the dust. Utgard is a superb release from start to ultimate end. A musical journey through the band’s constant progression and evolution, Utgard shows off a band welcoming the next step and change in their evolving and developing sound! Superb!

Number 01 – Myrkur: Folkensange

When an album has lived with you so strongly throughout a difficult and strange year, it leaves a lasting impression on your soul and the very depths of your mind. Gone are all the (controversial) Black Metal stylings of Myrkur and they are replaced with European folk that permeates each and every track. Amalie Bruun delves back to her roots in these new versions of Scandinavian traditional songs played on mandolas, lyres and a nyckelharpa. It is an album that asks of its listener to trust in it and stay with it. Repeated listens will find these hauntingly beautiful tracks leave a deep and willing impression with you and within you. I can’t stop playing it and it has been the soundtrack to what became an isolated and solitary life for most of the passing year. And I could not think of a better soundtrack to bring calm, peace and serenity. An absolutely breathtaking aural experience!