Favorite Music Albums of the Past Decade

This is my favorite album of last year. It’s an Italian blend of metal and 90’s pop music—a refreshingly modern take on metal. The lead vocals are a unique combination of haunting and shrill. I’m finding myself listening to the songs over and over again because they have an energizing quality to them. Check out their Facebook page.

The band ANKOR hails from Spain and categorizes themselves as “alternative metal.” However, that’s a bit misleading because they have a varied and versatile sound drawing influences from heavy metal, punk rock, rap, pop, and Latin music. I love this band because the female lead vocalist does everything: she sings, screams, growls, raps, curses, and chants, yet I think she has a great singing voice. If you want to check them out, ANKOR is very active on Youtube. Check out their website.

Eight hundred years after the Genghis Khan conquered most of Eurasia, the Mongols are on the move again. The HU is taking their unique brand of metal around the world and building a new empire. They incorporate traditional Mongolian instruments, throat singing, war cries, and poetry into their music. The HU is also very active on Youtube. Check out the Wikipedia page for the album.

This is a highly controversial Swedish band with a rabid fan base. It’s controversial because of their Satanic and anti-Christian themes, but if that doesn’t bother you, it’s well-laid out hard rock with catchy tunes and a retro vibe. Ghost is also highly theatrical, as you can appreciate from their Youtube channel. The album has a Wikipedia page. I should also note that they released a new album Impera a few months ago, and so far I think it's better Prequelle.

If you’re a fan of Metallica, I think you’d love Incorruptible. It’s heavy, it’s catchy, and the punchy guitar riffs will have your head banging. Check out the album on their website.

I’m not afraid to admit that I was a huge fan of Ace of Base when I was in high school. It was the first music CD I ever bought. If Ace of Base became a metal band, I think it would sound a lot like Amaranthe. They are a Swedish metal band featuring three vocalists, each singing in a different style: one with female clean vocals, one with male clean vocals, and one with male death growls. Check out the Wikipedia page for the album.

Liv Kristine was the lead singer for Leaves’ Eyes until 2016 when a divorce shook up the band. I’ve been a fan of Liv Kristine for almost 25 years now, since her days with the band Theatre of Tragedy. Check out the album's Wikipedia page.

It’s easy to like music from Within Temptation. It’s symphonic rock with a metal edge, but also bordering on pop music. Their album Hydra features guest vocals from metalcore singer Howard Jones (ex-Killswitch Engage), rapper Xzibit, symphonic metal vocalist Tarja Turunen (ex-Nightwish), and alternative rock singer Dave Pirner (Soul Asylum).  There are also bonus covers of Imagine Dragons, Lana Del Rey, Passenger, and Enrique Iglesias. Wikipedia has a page for the album.

Týr is viking metal the way it should be. The band is from the Faroe Islands and sing many of the songs in Faroese. I recently took a look at lead singer Heri Joensen's /featured" target="_blank">Youtube channel, and I’m in awe at the amount of work and research he puts into his music. Check out the album on their website.

I pick a favorite music album every year. It's almost the end of 2022, and I'm really enjoying this one so far. Here's one of my favorite songs from the album:

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