Category Archives: Best Of

Best of Progressive Metal 2021

by Dæv Tremblay


The “progressive metal” category casts such a wide net that I had to subdivide it into several subcategories. So, instead of making a top 5 for every one of them, let’s see only the best concept album, the best experimental album, the best instrumental album, the best vocal album, the best prog-power album, and the best prog-thrash album from 2021!

Best Prog-Power: Æphanemer – A Dream of Wilderness


It’s got the cheese, it’s got the shredder, it’s got the pasta.

Best Prog-Thrash: Cryptosis – Bionic Swarm



Throughout the many really cool thrash metal albums the year gave us, Cryptosis’s stood … Read more

Best of Post-Rock 2021

by Dæv Tremblay


Plug all the effect pedals at your local music store into one another and record an album with that, you’ll end up on my list.

Number Five: Voids – Who Needs the Words When There Are Stars Above?


Let’s start with an underground act: Voids, from Russia! Who Needs the Words […] was late to the party, coming out in late December, but it truly deserves to be on this list; vast, expansive, atmospheric, and a little heavy side makes for a great experience!

Number Four: Maybe She Will – No Feeling Is Final


UK’s Maybe She Will released a … Read more

Best of Post-Metal 2021

by Dæv Tremblay


Post-metal is often slow and atmospheric, somewhat akin to doom metal with riffs, or post-rock with riffs. There’s been a lot of really good post-metal this year, so here are my favourites!

Number Five: Cave Sermon – Memory Spear

Australia’s Cave Sermon released a jaw-dropping debut this year with Memory Spear, an amazing atmospheric post-metal album with a tinge of black metal inked into it, which makes for a marvellous entry into our top 5!

Number Four: Daxma – Unmarked Boxes


Doomgazy post-metal with melodic female vocals over drawn-out chords and slloooww riffs. Is that what you want? Then … Read more

Best of Post-Hardcore 2021

by Dæv Tremblay


Best of post-hardcore!

Number Five: Dead Lights – The Uncanny Valley


The new Dead Lights album is high production and high profile, The Uncanny Valley borders on metalcore with its heavy riffs and harsh vocals, but I made the choice to include it in the post-hardcore list. Whatever you choose to tag it, it remains an incredibly strong album from 2021!

Number Four: A Secret Revealed – When the Day Yearns for Light


Blackened, sludgy, noisy, and filthy, A Secret Revealed’s When the Day Yearns for Light is an amazing and disgusting album, one of the strong points of the … Read more

Best of Pop 2021

by Dæv Tremblay


Let’s hear it for the best pop albums of 2021!

Number Five: Honne – Let’s Just Say the World Ended a Week from Now, What Would You Do?



I know next to nothing on Honne, but I was really hooked by 2018’s Love Me / Love Me Not, and here I am, in 2021, starting my top 5 of the year with this album! It’s the most straightforwardly pop album of the bunch, but it’s great, dynamic, and has a lot of interesting ideas! So, you should definitely check it out!

Number Four: Half Waif – Mythopoetics


I’ve always … Read more