5.  MUSE – Will of the People

The maddest trio to have ever come out of Devon have returned, completing their magnificent comeback as they again prove they’ve been one of the best things happening in prog rock for a while now.  They’re still clinging to the more electronic sound that’s come to pervade their music for the past decade or so, but this still feels like a glorious throwback as Matt Bellamy and co have brought back the old school HEAVY in a big way here …

Standout tracks: Will of the People, Compliance, Won’t Stand Down, Ghosts (How Can I Move On), You Make Me Feel like It’s Halloween, Kill Or Be Killed, Verona, We Are Fucking Fucked

4.  ARCHITECTS – The Classic Symptoms of a Broken Spirit

They’ve done it again. For the second year in a row, the Brighton metalcore heavy-hitters have delivered a blistering, pitch-perfect album full of riotous bangers, this time peeking in what I could happily argue is THE BEST TRACK they’ve ever put together.  As with their previous offering, For Those Who Wish To Exist, this record probably won’t please their old school fans, but I love this stuff JUST FINE.

Standout tracks: Deep Fake, Tear Gas, Burn Down My House, Living Is Killing Us, Doomscrolling, A New Moral Low Ground, All the Love In the World, Be Very Afraid

3.  FLORENCE + THE MACHINE – Dance Fever

Florence Welch and her astounding band have delivered another masterful opus of epic soundscapes and richly orchestrated opulence, effortlessly showcasing the singer-songwriter’s once-in-a-generation voice and big calibre lyrical and compositional flair, proving once and for all she’s the undeniable QUEEN of the indie rock scene …

Standout tracks: King, Free*, Girls Against God, Dream Girl Evil, Cassandra, Heaven Is Here, My Love, The Bomb, Morning Elvis

*Honestly, I CANNOT choose between this one and King for best track on the album …

2.  EDITORS – EBM

The most criminally overlooked and underrated indie band of all time returns with what I think might be their very best album EVER, packed with pretty much perfect electro-rock belters. They’ve always worn their Joy Division/New Order influences on their sleeves, but this one puts the Mancunian pioneers on notice that these boys from Birmingham are now officially coming for their crowns.

Standout tracks: Heart Attack, Picturesque, Karma Climb, Kiss, Silence, Educate, Strange Intimacy

1.  RAMMSTEIN – Zeit

The German masters of industrial metal have been plying their trade since the mid-90s, and every release has been well worth a spin, but they’ve come a long way in that time, and their previous eponymously titled album was a proper banger, dominated by the best track they’ve EVER recorded, the immortal Deutschland.  It seemed like a tall order for them to top that masterpiece … but they’ve pulled off the impossible, crafting a flawless opus that perfectly encapsulates their discordant-yet-ingenious singular brilliance and, OF COURSE, the incomparable voice of Till Lindemann.  Despite appearances they insist they’ve still got plenty more music to make, but this is the PERFECT encapsulation of Rammstein at their very best.

Standout tracks: Armee der Tristen, Zeit, Zick Zack, Angst, Dicke Titten, Lügen, Adieu

The ones that didn’t quite make the cut:

BILLY HOWERDEL – What Normal Was (the other creative half of A Perfect Circle proves he can do dark, edgy and beautiful electronic rock without needing Maynard); THE GREAT DISCORD – Deam Morte (the gothic-edged Swedish metalheads bring us another winner, with magnificent frontwoman Fia Kempe on fire throughout); AURORA – The Gods We Can Touch (the immensely talented young Norwegian singer-songwriter’s third indie-pop album is another winner); GHOST – Impera (Sweden’s most unique metal band continues to dominate as Tobias Forge delivers more retro-styled brilliance); PANIC! AT THE DISCO – Viva Las Vengeance (Brendon Urie pays fitting tribute to his biggest influences – especially Queen - with this lovingly irreverent record)

Honourable mention:

SPIRITBOX – Rotoscope