OVERDRIVE – THE BEST OF 2019
Posted on December 31, 2019 by Oran
Well, that’s it for another year. We’ve had another 12 months of metal packed to the rim with some truly outstanding releases, live shows and surprises that have kept the beating heat of the genre beating stronger than ever.
The Overdrive contributors and staff have put together a breakdown of the albums and live shows that left an impression on them over the last 12 months.
We urge you to check out some of the albums if you’ve not already and delve a little deeper into some new bands to discover which will hopefully will be a new addition to your collection.
At this point we would like to thank all of our readers for a phenomenal year. Your support is greatly appreciated and we look forward to brining you another year of interviews, competitions, reviews and much more.
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Oran O’Beirne – Top 5 Albums of 2019
- Sleep Token ‘Sundowning‘
- In Flames ‘I, The Mask‘
- Green Lung ‘Woodland Rites‘
- Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes ‘The End of Suffering‘
- Knocked Loose ‘A Different Shade of Blue‘
Sleep Token ‘Sundowning’
Oran O’Beirne – Top 5 live shows of 2019
- Alice in Chains – Dublin Olympia
- Tribulation – Metal Days, Slovenia
- Decapitated – Voodoo Lounge, Dublin
- Behemoth – Vicar Street, Dublin
- Conjurer – Fibber Magees, Dublin
Oran O’Beirne – Best Album Cover Art 2019
- Baroness ‘Gold and Grey‘
- Memoriam ‘Requiem of Mankind‘
- Cattle Decapitation ‘Death Atlas‘
- Municipal Waste ‘The Last Rager‘
- Spirit Adrift – ‘Divided by Darkness‘
Oran O’Beirne – Honourable Mention Albums 2019
- Candlemass – ‘The Door to Doom‘
- Skraeckoedlan – ‘Eorpe’
- Heilung – ‘Futha’
- Insommium – ‘Heart Like A Grave‘
- Cattle Decapitation – ‘Death Atlas‘
Oran O’Beirne – Ones to watch 2020
- Sleep Token
- Idle Hands
- Pup
- Green Lung
- Dead Label
Sleep Token
Steve Dempsey – Top 5 Albums of 2019
- Tanith – ‘In Another Time’
- Soen – ‘Lotus’
- Iron Savior – ‘Kill Or Get Killed’
- Numenorean – ‘Adore’
- Wheel – ‘Moving Backwards’
Steve Dempsey – Top 5 live shows of 2019
- Amon Amarth / Behemoth – King John’s Castle
- Slayer – Tuska
- Demons And Wizards – Graspop
- Parkway Drive – Bloodstock
- Candlemass – Graspop
Steve Dempsey – Best Album Cover Art 2019
- Opeth – In Cauda Venenum
- Tanith – In Another Time
- Esoteric – A Pyrrhic Existence
- Crypt Sermon – The Ruins Of Fading Light
- Evergrey – The Atlantic
Opeth – In Cauda Venenum
Steve Dempsey – Honourable Mention Albums 2019
- Avandra ‘Descender’
- Bad Religion ‘Age Of Unreason’
- Obey ‘Swallow The Sun’
- Sermon ‘Birth Of The Marvellous’
- Ribspreader ‘Crawl And Slither’
Steve Dempsey – Ones to Watch 2020
- Soothsayer
- Incessant
- Senzar
- Archon Angel
- Gealach
Soothsayer
Kerri Clarke – Top 5 Albums of 2019
- Cattle Decapitation ‘Death Atlas‘
- Swallow the Sun ‘When a Shadow is Forced into the Light‘
- Rammstein ‘Rammstein‘
- 1349 ‘The Infernal Pathway‘
- Alcest ‘Spiritual Instinct’
Kerri Clarke – Top 5 live shows of 2019
- Ghost – 3 Arena/Wembley Arena
- Primordial – Limelight Belfast
- Behemoth/Amon Amarth – King John’s Castle
- Hypocrisy – Bloodstock
- Thy Art is Murder – Bloodstock
Kerri Clarke – Best Album Cover Art 2019
- Cattle Decapitation ‘Death Atlas’
- 1349 ‘The Infernal Pathway‘
- Opeth ‘In Cauda Venenum‘
- Rotting Christ ‘The Heretics‘
- Baroness – ‘Gold & Grey’
Kerri Clarke – Honourable Mention 2019
- Ghost – ‘7 inches of Satanic Panic‘
- Tribulation – 3 Arena (show)
- Lindemann – F & M (album)
- Rotting Christ ‘The Heretics‘
- Danko Jones – Ulster Hall, Belfast
Kerri Clarke – Ones to watch 2020
- Lord of the Lost
- The Crawling
- Dead Label
- Gost
- Sleep Token
Lord of the Lost
Bláthín Eckhardt – Top 5 Albums of 2019
- King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard ‘Infest the Rats’ Nest‘
- Swans ‘leaving meaning‘
- Inter Arma ‘Sulphur English‘
- Pijn&Conjurer ‘Curse These Metal Hands‘
- Bendik Giske ‘Surrender‘
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – Infest the Rats’ Nest
Bláthín Eckhardt – Top 5 live shows of 2019
- Daughters – Berlin, Germany
- Sumac – Berlin, Germany
- Colour Haze – Leipzi, Germany
- Nordra – Berlin, Germany
- Cancer Bats – Bloodstock, UK
Bláthín Eckhard – Best Album Cover Art 2019
- Chaver ‘Transference‘
- Baroness ‘Gold & Grey‘
- Billy Talent ‘Forgiveness I+II‘
- Venom Prison ‘Samsara‘
- Cattle Decapitation ‘Death Atlas‘
Chaver ‘Transference’
Bláthín Eckhard – Honourable Mention 2019
- Jerome’s Dream – LP
- Pelican ‘Nightime Stories‘
- Colour Haze ‘We Are‘
- Otoboke Beaver ‘Itekoma Hits‘
- Numenoreon ‘Adore‘
Jerome’s Dream
Bláthín Eckhard – Ones to watch 2020.
- Kyáneos
- Bartok
- Nordra
- Aptera
- Haven
Kyáneos
Shaun Martin – Top 5 Albums of 2019
- Sabaton ‘The Great War‘
- Whitechapel ‘The Valley‘
- InFlames – ‘I, The Mask‘
- Amon Amarth ‘Berserker‘
- Killswitch Engage ‘Atonement‘
Shaun Martin – Top 5 Live shows of 2019
- Sabaton – Bloodstock, UK
- Amon Amarth/Behemoth – King John’s Castle, Limerick
- Overkill/Destruction/Flotsam and Jetsam, Dublin
- Death Angel – Bloodstock, UK
- Alien Weaponry – Voodoo Lounge, Dublin
Shaun Martin – Best Cover Art 2019
- And Hell Followed With ‘Chimerical Reality‘
- Amon Amarth ‘Berserker‘
- Baroness – Gold & Grey
- Browbeat – Remove the Control
- Possessed – Revelations of Oblivion
And Hell Followed With – Chimerical Reality
Shaun Martin – Honourable Mention 2019
- Ten Ton Slug – Bloodstock 2019 (show)
- Slipknot -We Are Not Your Kind (album)
- Steel Panther – Heavy Metal Rules (album)
- Coroner – Lords of the Land Festival 2019 (show)
- U.F.O – Academy, Dublin (show)
Ten Ton Slug – Bloodstock 2019. Photo Exposing Shadows Photography for www.overdrive.ie © 2019. All Rights Reserved.
Shaun Martin – Ones to Watch 2019
- Dead Label
- Green Lung
- Alien Weaponry
- Aesect
- Words That Burn
Dead Label – Photo: Down The Barrel Photography 2019
Norrie Kivlehan – Top 5 Albums of 2019
- Opeth ‘In Cauda Venenum‘
- Devin Townsend ‘Empath‘
- Rammstein – ‘Rammstein‘
- Allegaeon – ‘Apoptosis‘
- Paul Masvidal – ‘Mythical‘
Opeth ‘In Cauda Venenum’
Norrie Kivlehan – Top 5 live shows of 2019
- Devin Townsend – The Academy, Dublin
- Obscura – VooDoo Lounge, Dublin
- Devin Townsend – Limelight, Belfast
- Carach Angren – VooDoo Lounge, Dublin
- Behemoth/Amon Amarth – King John’s Castle
Norrie Kivlehan – Best Cover Art 2019
- Abbath ‘Outstrider‘
- Mayhem ‘Daemon‘
- Blood Incantation ‘History of the Human Race‘
- Bort ‘The Unblinking Eye‘
- Mystagogue ‘The Darkness Was Cast Out‘
Norrie Kivlehan – Honourable Mention 2019
- Gaahl’s Wyrd – The Academy (show)
- Zealot Cult – Bloodstock (show)
- Allegaeon – VooDoo Lounge (show)
- Thy Antichrist – VooDoo Lounge (show)
- Haken – The Academy (show)
Gaahl’s Wyrd – Dublin Academy. Photo: Down The Barrel Photography for www.overdrive.ie © 2019. All Rights Reserved.
Norrie Kivlehan – Ones to Watch 2020
- Dürtbürd
- Drought
- Dark Fortress
- Relayer by Yes – Vicar Street
- Rammstein – Boucher Playing Fields
Eoin Lawlor – Top 5 Albums of 2019
- Heilung ‘Futha’
- Grylle ‘Les Grandes Compagnies’
- Amon Amarth ‘Berserker‘
- Memoriam ‘Requiem For Mankind‘
- The Lord Weird Slough Feg ‘New Organon’
Heilung ‘Futha’
Eoin Lawlor – Top 5 live shows of 2019
- Amon Amarth & Behemoth – King John’s Castle
- Cockney Rejects – Button Factory
- Electric Wizard – Lords Of The Land
- Grand Magus – Bloodstock
- Ghost – 3 Arena
Eoin Lawlor – Best Cover Art 2019
- Sabaton ‘The Great War‘
- Memoriam ‘Requiem For Mankind‘
- Heiling ‘Futha‘
- Sacrilegia ‘The Triclavian Advent‘
- Minenfeld ‘The Great Adventure‘
Eoin Lawlor – Honourable Mention 2019
- Sacrilegia ‘The Triclavian Advent‘
- Minenfeld ‘The Great Adventure‘
- Ten Ton Slug Bloodstock 2019 (gig)
- Thulsa Doom ‘Realms Of Hatred‘
- 3 Headed Snake – Bloodstock 2019 (gig)
Sacrilegia ‘The Triclavian Advent‘
Eoin Lawlor – Ones to Watch 2020
- Bacterium
- Malokarpatan
- Wardruna – Live in Vicar St
- Rammstein – Boucher Playing Fields
- Bloodstock 2020
Bacterium
Karen Sneddon – Top 5 Albums of 2019
- Alter Bridge ‘Walk The Sky‘
- Baroness ‘Gold & Grey’
- Jailbirds ‘The Great Escape‘
- Beast In Black ‘From Hell With Love‘
- Burning Rain ‘Face The Music‘
Karen Sneddon – Top 5 Live shows of 2019
- Steel Panther – Vicar Street, Dublin
- Rival Sons – The Academy, Dublin
- Ghost – Dublin, 3Arena, Dublin
- Kiss – Graspop, Belgium
- Halestorm – The Academy, Dublin
Karen Sneddon – Best Cover Art of 2019
- Jailbirds – ‘The Great Escape’
- Baroness ‘Gold & Grey’
- Grey Stag ‘The Boats’
- Lysjakt ‘Death May Die‘
- Alter Bridge ‘Walk The Sky’
Karen Sneddon – Honourable Mention 2019
- Whitesnake – Graspop, Belgium
- Def Leppard – Graspop, Belgium
- Ghost ‘ 7″ Of Satanic Panic’
- Kris Barras ‘Light It Up‘
- Battle Beast, The Academy, Dublin
Karen Sneddon – Ones to Watch 2020
- Mason Hill
- Cardinal Copia’s successor
- Jailbirds
- Dead Label
- Steel Panther Vicar Street, Dublin
Mason Hill
Lorraine Ferguson – Top Albums of 2019
- Wilderun ‘Veil of Imagination‘
- Soen ‘Lotus‘
- Opeth ‘In Cauda Venenum‘
- Devin Townsend ‘Empath‘
- Borknagar ‘True North‘
Wilderun ‘Veil of Imagination’
Lorraine Ferguson – Top 5 Live shows of 2019
- Ghost – 3Arena, Dublin
- Opeth- The Olympia, Dublin
- Devin Townsend -The Academy, Dublin
- Hypocrisy – Bloodstock, UK
- Twelve Foot Ninja – Rock The Coast, Spain
Lorraine Ferguson – Best Album Cover Art 2019
- Wilderun ‘Veil of Imagination‘
- Opeth ‘In Cauda Venenum‘
- Swallow The Sun ‘When a Shadow is Forced into the Light‘
- Obsidian Tide ‘Pillars Of Creation‘
- Baroness ‘Gold & Grey‘
Wilderun ‘Veil of Imagination’
Lorraine Ferguson – Honourable Mention 2019
- Ghost ‘Mary on a Cross‘
- Leprous ‘Pitfalls‘
- The Darkness ‘Easter Is Cancelled‘
- The Scorpions Rock The Coast, Spain
- Dee Snider – Bloodstock, UK
Ghost ‘Mary on a Cross’
Lorraine Ferguson – Ones to Watch 2020
- Wilderun
- Obsidian Tide
- Idle Hands
- Aether Realm
- Sectile
Wildrun
That concludes our round-up of what we collectively thought was the cream of 2019. We hope you discover some new music today and be led off in an unsuspecting path of musical enlightenment.
At this point we would like to thank each and everyone of you for your ongoing support over the last 12 months and we hope you’re gonna be joining us for the year ahead.
We already have a lot of very exciting things lined up for 2020 and are working on expanding Overdrive.ie to become a bigger entity. Watch this space….
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Oran O’Beirne
www.overdrive.ie 2019
