#bigbrave

This decade has been really important in shaping my taste of music from generic and boring power and viking/folk metal stuff into something more refined and nuanced. So I decided to make a list with some of my favorite albums from the 2010s for you guys to check out!

First some general notes before we’re ready to get goin under the cut:

This list is purely based on my opinion and my opinion alone

There will be a big chunk of honorable mentions in alphabetical order at the end because there are simply too many albums important to me in this decade so check these mentions out aswell since they also include a more diverse cast of genres than the main list!

I decided to exclude Mgła completely from this list allthough Exercises in Futility (2015) might’ve earned a spot. I simply cannot support this band anymore in light of recent controversies regarding their close connections with far right musicians and neo nazis.

I’ll provide explanations aswell as links to a song for each of the listed albums to give a taste of what each entry is about. If you still have question about any of the entries just shoot me a message or comment!

🤡 Also a huge applause for Batushka for being the absolute clowns of the metal scene this decade! What a shitshow they’ve given us! 🤡

20. King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard - Paper Mâché Dream Balloon (2015)

Paper Mâché Dream Balloon is a very fun, very relaxing and all around enjoyable album by the psychedelic rock masterminds of King Gizzard. Give it a listen at a nice afternoon with a cup of hot cocoa or tea, you’ll not regret it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RobhSr2bozU

19. Portal - Vexovoid (2013)

Vexovoid is a chaotic mess of an experimental Death Metal record. Its dark, brooding and bizarre aswell as interesting, genuinly scary and amazing. Portal mix breathtakingly weird sounds with harsh vocals and complicated rhythmic structures. Certainly not for everyone but definetly for me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rj92VOWM5Y

18. Borknagar - Urd (2012)

Melodic, cathartic, progressive and melancholic.Urd is a well rounded progressive Black Metal masterpiece with some very unique riffs and melodies. I always come back to this record and always feel the same excitement when the first song Epochalypse starts. Broknagar tell their apocalyptic tale in dazzling beauty with crystal clear sound.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXVlBYW8Ero

17. Violet Cold - Anomie (2017)

Simply one of the best post black metal albums recorded so far in my opinion. Emotional and intense aswell as intricate and crafted with love.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNNPUBJVWp8

16. Enslaved - RIITIIR (2012)

A bit on the underrated side when it comes to Enslaved records but an absolute banger. RIITIIRs homogenous compositions string together into a masterfully crafted endproduct that takes the listener onto a journey of mind and soul. Quite possibly their most nuanced work to date.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WavEDnmBpgk

15. Sólstafir - Ótta (2014)

Anyone who has listened to Sólstafir ever should know about how amazing they are. How captavating and touching their songs are and how many tears one can shed over the sheer beauty of their melancholic music. Ótta is one of their most refined and clear cut record so far and it does wonders on the longer tracks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8n8Uy5KmvU

14. Alcest - Shelter (2014)

Again one of these Albums to listen to when you can relax in a safe environment or when you need to turn any place you are at into a shelter. Healing for you soul and mind without being hard to get into for even non-metal fans. Enjoy this beautiful piece of soothing music whenever you feel lost or alone. It will help.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZ57uBx68N8

13. Der Weg Einer Freiheit - Finisterre (2017)

Dark, harsh and unapologetically black this album rises over its sometimes weak lyrics. Der Weg Einer Freiheit are a one of a kind band that can proudly hold the banner of German Black Metal high for a new generation. And this most current record of theirs shows what they can do with the tools provided by their label. Especially the re-recorded version of Neubeginn on the special edition is a highlight. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Ic-dXBtP10

12. Saor - Forgotten Paths (2019)

39 minutes that feel like 5. A breathtaking journey through the wilderness on the stomping steps of blastbeats and incredible folk influences. Saors best record by far.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9bMRTvmvQQ

11. Fen - Dustwalker (2013)

A very soft album dripping with athmosphere at every corner. Its a bit hard to get into but once it catches you it will just not let go.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtBqlBr0cCQ

10. Messa - Bellfry (2016)

Groovy is the best word to describe this records vibes. A weird attribute to attach to a band that leans heavily into Doom but it fits. A fantastic album by a fantastic band.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HADlImQrG4w

09. Ulver - War of the Roses (2011)

Ulvers strinkingly unique sound easily make them one of my top 5 favorite bands of all time but I cannot explain why this album resonates with me so much. Its just very good!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DPXMM6u94Q

08. Ghost - Opus Eponymous (2010)

The first record by swedish doom, heavy metal and occult rock group Ghost is to this day quite possibly their most atmospheric album. Gloom and doom mix with catchy tunes to form one hell of an enjoyable listening experience.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PakoE1eBps

07. Downfall of Gaia - Suffocating in the Swarm of Cranes (2012)

Damn. What an album. What a band! Together with Der Weg Einer Freiheit one of the biggest new progenies of German Black Metal. Bold, black, harsh and full of melancholy. Simply superb!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KaAEJXU7JHY

06. Sólstafir - Svartir Sandar (2011)

A second time Sólstafir weasel their way onto this list and its rightfully deserved. This album is stunning in its complexity and passion. Each song brings something new and exciting to the table. Just listen to it, please, I beg you. Do yourself a favour!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1qh9XSqnTo

05. Alcest - Kodama (2016)

Alcest is selfcare. Kodama is selfcare. Perfection.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQsXnldCDeU

04. Ulver - Messe I.X-VI.X (2013)

A bit out there and hard to get into as its one of Ulvers most experiemental pieces of work so far. It was my first real taste of what would become on of my favorite bands real quick (at least my first taste of their newer stuff after I had only listened to some of their old black metal records).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtHEFDVSfvs

03. Der Weg einer Freiheit - Stellar (2015)

In my opinion just their most well rounded album. Its hard to pick real favorites since all of their records bring something amazing to the table. So I decided to choose the overall most coherent album as the highest on this list. It also contains some of my favourite songs like Repulsion and Einkehr.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_PYJYTicbE

02. Dornenreich - Freiheit (2014)

Freedom. Thats what this title means and this is what this album provides. This album cleansed my skin, healed my soul and replanted my crops. I shall live forever thanks to the power of this masterpiece of neofolk.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbz7zlVtwcc

01. Ulver - The Assassination of Julius Caesar (2017)

This is it. The best album of the decade in my opinion. Quite possibly one of the best albums of all time. A synth heavy piece of art that evokes ideas and the style of New Wave music and mixes it with the melancholic moodiness of post metal lyrics. Every song a hit, every song unique and every song simply great. Well rounded, coherent and still experimental when nescessary. Ulver dropped a bomb with this one!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHE28JiuSQk

HONORABLE MENTIONS! (in alphabetical order)

Alcest- Spiritual Instinct (2019) An Autumn for Crippled Children - The Long Goodbye (2015) Batushka - Litourgiya (2015) Behemoth - The Satanist (2014) BIG BRAVE - Ardor (2017) Blind Guardian - At the Edge of Time (2010) Bròn - Decay (2019) Busdriver - Electricity is on Our Side (2018) Darkthrone - The Underground Resistance (2013) Deafheaven - Sunbather (2013) Deafheaven - Ordinary Corrupt Human Love (2018) Downfall of Gaia - Atrophy (2016) Downfall of Gaia - The Ethic of Radical Finitude (2019) Fen - The Dead Light (2019) Fen - Winter (2017) Ghost - Meliora (2015) Hail Spirit Noir - Pneuma (2012) Harakiri for the Sky - III: Trauma (2016) Ihsahn - Das Seelenbrechen (2013) Ihsahn - Arktis (2016) Kamelot - Poetry for the Poisoned (2010) Katatonia - Dead End Kings (2012) King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard - I'm in Your Mind (2014) King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard - Murder of The Universe (2017) Kylver - The Mountain Ghost (2015) Mahr - Antelux (2018) Messa - Feast for Water (2018) Mono - Requiem for Hell (2016) Oceans of Slumber - Winter (2016) Satyricon - Satyricon (2013) scallops hotel - too much of life is mood (2016) Sylvaine - Atoms Alligned, Coming Undone (2018) The Devils Blood - The Thousandfold Epicentre (2011) Violet Cold - Sommermorgen I-III (2018)