OVERDRIVE BEST OF 2020 – THE ALBUMS THAT CARRIED US THROUGH THE LAST 12 MONTHS…

Posted on by Oran


What a year! None of us could have imagined the catastrophic outcome of Covid-19’s impact on the live entertainment industry. 

Despite a huge amount of tours and albums being postponed, 2020 still delivered some absolute bangers. Here’s what we were listening to for the last 12 months…

ORAN O’BEIRNE

TOP 10 ALBUMS OF 2020

  1. Mr Bungle – ‘The Raging Wrath of the Easter Bunny
  2. Jonathan Hultén – ‘Chants from Another Place
  3. Hjelvik – ‘Welcome to Hel
  4. Katakalyism – ‘Unconquered
  5. Pallbearer – ‘Forgotten Days
  6. Ulver – ‘Flowers of Evil
  7. Killer Be Killed – ‘Reluctant Hero
  8. Kvelertak – ‘Splid
  9. Bring Me the Horizon – ‘Post Human: Survival Horror’
  10. Skeletal Remains – ‘The Entombment of Chaos

HONORABLE MENTION

  1. Dance Gavin Dance – ‘Afterburner
  2. Demonic Death Judge – ‘The Trail’
  3. Sepultura – ‘Quadra’
  4. Carcass – ‘Despicable’ EP.
  5. Deftones – ‘Ohms’
  6. Code Orange – ‘Underneath’
  7. Lik – ‘Misanthropic Breed’
  8. Video Nasties – ‘Dominion’
  9. Hellripper – ‘The Affair of the Poisons’
  10. Gulch – ‘Impenetrable Cerebral Fortress’

 BEST ALBUM ART OF 2020

Imperial Triumphant – ‘Alphaville

MOST DISAPPOINTING ALBUM OF 2020

Ozzy Osbourne – ‘Ordinary Man

MOST ANTICIPATED LP’S FOR 2021

  1. Spiritbox
  2. Vio-Lence
  3. Anthrax
  4. Kerry King Project
  5. Ghost

ONE TO WATCH 2021

Spiritbox

STEVE DEMPSEY

TOP 10 ALBUMS OF 2020

  1. Dead Lord – ‘Surrender
  2. We Sell The Dead – ‘Black Sleep
  3. Midnight – ‘Rebirth By Blasphemy
  4. Sorcerer – ‘Lamenting Of The Innocent’
  5. My Dying Bride – ‘Ghost Of Orion
  6. Paradise Lost – ‘Obsidian
  7. The Night Flight Orchestra – ‘Aeromantic
  8. Fates Warning – ‘Long Day Good Night
  9. Me And That Man – ‘New Man, New Songs, Same Shit, Vol. 1
  10. Nightwish -‘Human :||: Nature

HONORABLE MENTION

  1. Heathen – ‘Empire Of The Blind
  2. Archon Angel – ‘Fallen
  3. Katatonia – ‘City Burials
  4. Avandra – ‘Skylighting
  5. Napalm Death – ‘Throes of Joy in the Jaws of Defeatism
  6. Spirit Adrift – ‘Enlightened In Eternity
  7. High Spirits – ‘Hard To Stop
  8. Annihilator – ‘Ballistic, Sadistic
  9. Anti-Flag – ‘20/20 Vision
  10. Armored Saint – ‘Punching The Sky’

BEST ALBUM ART OF 2020

Eternal Champion – ‘Ravening Iron

MOST DISAPPOINTING ALBUM OF 2020

Zeal & Ardor – ‘Wake Of A Nation

MOST ANTICIPATED LP’S FOR 2021

  1. Soen – ‘Imperial
  2. Evergrey – ‘Escape Of The Phoenix’
  3. Exodus – ‘Persona Non-Grata’
  4. Rob Zombie – ‘The Lunar Injection Kool-Aid Conspiracy’
  5. The Ruins Of Beverast – ‘The Thule Grimoires’

ONE TO WATCH 2021

Soen

EOIN LAWLOR

TOP 10 ALBUMS OF 2020

  1. Ulver – ‘Flowers Of Evil’
  2. Malokarpatan – ‘Krupinské Ohne’
  3. Enslaved – ‘Utgard’
  4. Ihsahn – ‘Pharos’ EP
  5. Midnight – ‘Rebirth By Blasphemy’
  6. Sorcerer – ‘Lamenting Of The Innocent’
  7. Front – ‘Antichrist Militia’
  8. Freeways – ‘True Bearings’
  9. Occult Burial – ‘Burning Eerie Lore’
  10. Carach Angren – ‘Franckensteina Strataemontanus’

HONORABLE MENTION

  1. Paradise Lost – ‘Obsidian’
  2. Kawir – ‘Adrasteia’
  3. Ensnared – ‘Inimicus Generis Humani’
  4. Varde – ‘Fedraminne’
  5. Skald – ‘Viking Memories’
  6. Gama Bomb – ‘Sea Savage’
  7. Carcass – ‘Despicable EP’
  8. Ten Foot Wizard – ‘Get Out Of Your Mind’
  9. Mr Bungle – ‘The Raging Wrath of the Easter Bunny Demo’
  10. Jazz Sabbath – ‘Jazz Sabbath’

BEST ALBUM ART OF 2020

Front – ‘Antichrist Militia’

MOST DISAPPOINTING ALBUM OF 2020

Iron Maiden – ‘Nights Of The Dead

MOST ANTICIPATED LP’S FOR 2021

  1. Tribulation – Where The Gloom Becomes Sound
  2. Transilvania – Of Sleep And Death
  3. Green Lung

ONE TO WATCH

The return of live shows!

NORRIE KIVLEHAN

TOP 10 ALBUMS OF 2020

  1. Carach Angren – ‘Franckensteina Strataemontanus’
  2. Panzerballett – ‘Planet-Z’
  3. Annihilator – ‘Ballistic, Sadistic’
  4. Imperial Triumphant – ‘Alphaville’
  5. Intronaut – ‘Fluid Existential Inversions’
  6. Dialogia – ‘Nostrum’
  7. Mr Bungle – ‘The Raging Wrath of the Easter Bunny’
  8. Ayreon – ‘Transitus’
  9. Oranssi Pazuzu – ‘Mestarin kynsi’
  10. Haken – ‘Virus’

HONORABLE MENTION

  1. Uada – ‘Djinn’
  2. Our Oceans – ‘While Time Disappears’

BEST ALBUM ART FOR 2020

Emma Ruth Rundle / Thou: ‘May Our Chambers Be Full’

MOST DISAPPOINTING ALBUM OF 2020

Dark Fortress – ‘Spectres from the Old World’

MOST ANTICIPATED LP’S FOR 2021

  1. Hannes Grossman
  2. Cynic
  3. Devin Townsend – The Puzzle

ONE TO WATCH

Dürtbürd

BLÁTHÍN ECKHARDT

TOP 10 ALBUMS OF 2020

  1. Oranssi Pazuzu – ‘Mestarin kynsi
  2. Emma Ruth Rundle, Thou – ‘May Our Chambers Be Full
  3. Hymn – ‘Breach Us‘ EP
  4. Kvelertak – ‘Splid
  5. Nordra – ‘Pylon III
  6. Anna Von Hausswollf – ‘All Thoughts Fly
  7. Jesse Draxler – ‘Reigning Cement
  8. Intronaut – ‘Fluid Existential Inversions
  9. IDLES – ‘Ultra Mono
  10. Liturgy – ‘Origin of the Alimonies

HONORABLE MENTION

  1. The Ocean Collective – ‘Phanerozoic II
  2. Havok – ‘V
  3. Spotlights – ‘We Are All Atomic EP
  4. False Gods – ‘No Symmetry… Only Disillusion
  5. Elder – ‘Omens
  6. Imperial Triumphant – ‘Alphaville
  7. svrm – ‘Zanepad’ EP
  8. Sightless Pit – ‘Grave of a Dog
  9. Hexer – ‘Realm of the Feathered Serpent
  10. Bohren & der Club of Gore – ‘Patchouli Blue

BEST ALBUM ART OF 2020

Anna Von Hausswollf- ‘All Thoughts Fly

MOST DISAPPOINTING ALBUM OF 2020

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard – ‘KG

MOST ANTICIPATED LP’S FOR 2021

  1. LLNN
  2. Lingua Ignota
  3. Haeresis
  4. Alexis Marshall
  5. Boris

ONES TO WATCH

LLNN

KERRI CLARKE

TOP 10 ALBUMS OF 2020

  1. Me and That Man – ‘New Man, New Songs, Same Shit, Vol1
  2. Jonathan Hultén – ‘Chants from Another Place
  3. Lorna Shore – Immortal
  4. UADA – Djinn
  5. Secrets of the Moon – Black House
  6. Katatonia – City Burials
  7. Code Orange – Underneath
  8. My Dying Bride – The Ghost of Orion
  9. Paradise Lost – Obsidian
  10. The Birthday Massacre – Diamonds

HONORABLE MENTION

  1. Ihsahn- ‘Telemark/Pharos
  2. Godthrymm – ‘Reflections
  3. Green Carnation – ‘Leaves of Yesteryear’

BEST ALBUM ART OF 2020

My Dying Bride – ‘The Ghost of Orion’

MOST DISAPPOINTING ALBUM OF 2020

Ozzy Osborne – ‘Ordinary Man’

MOST ANTICIPATED LP’S FOR 2021

  1. Tribulation
  2. Ghost
  3. Lord of the Lost

ONE TO WATCH

Godthrymm

MARK LENNON

TOP 10 ALBUMS OF 2020

  1. Paradise Lost – ‘Oblivion
  2. Ulver – ‘Flowers Of Evil
  3. Deftones – ‘Ohms
  4. Killer Be Killed – ‘Reluctant Hero
  5. Dead Lord – ‘Surrender
  6. Pallbearer – ‘Forgotten Days
  7. Jonathan Hultén – ‘Chants from Another Place
  8. Midnight – ‘Rebirth By Blasphemy
  9. The Grief – ‘Horizons Fall
  10. Henrik Palm – ‘Poverty Metal

HONOURABLE MENTION

  1. Carcass – Despicable EP
  2. My Dying Bride – The Ghost of Orion
  3. Mr Bungle – The Raging Wrath of the Easter Bunny Demo
  4. Kirk Windstein – Dream in Motion
  5. Anaal Nathrakh – Endarkenment
  6. Skeletal Remains – The Entombment of Chaos
  7. Spirit Adrift – Enlightened in Eternity
  8. Wayfarer – A Romance with Violence
  9. Trivium – What the Dead men say
  10. Ulcerate – Stare into Death and be Still

BEST ALBUM ART OF 2020

Pallbearer – ‘Forgotten Days’

MOST DISAPPOINTING ALBUM OF 2020

Corey Taylor – ‘CMFT’

MOST ANTICIPATED LP’S FOR 2021

  1. Tribulation – ‘Where the Gloom Becomes Sound’
  2.  Mastodon
  3. Baroness
  4. Green Lung
  5. Ghost

ONE TO WATCH

Tribulation

Photo -Ester Segarra

SHAUN MARTIN

TOP 10 ALBUMS OF 2020

  1. Hatebreed – ‘Weight of the False Self’
  2. Alpha Wolf – ‘A Quiet Place to Die’
  3. Killer Be Killed – ‘Reluctant Hero’
  4. Deftones – ‘Ohms’
  5. Sepultura – ‘Quadra’
  6. Onslaught – ‘Generation Antichrist’
  7. Warbringer – ‘Weapons of Tomorrow’
  8. Testament – ‘Titans of Creation’
  9. Ensiferum – ‘Thalassic’
  10. AC/DC – ‘Power Up’

HONOURABLE MENTION

  1. Armored Saint – ‘Punching the Sky’
  2. Raging Speedhorn – ‘Hard to Kill’
  3. Iron Savior – ‘Skycrest’
  4. Avatar – ‘Hunter Gatherer’
  5. Annihilator – ‘Ballistic, Sadistic’
  6. Sylosis – ‘Cycle of Suffering’
  7. Psycroptic – ‘The Watcher of All’
  8. Primal Fear – ‘Metal Commando’
  9. Carcass – ‘Despicable’
  10. Gama Bomb – ‘Sea Savage’

BEST ALBUM ART OF 2020

Thanatos – ‘Violent Death Rituals’

MOST DISAPPOINTING ALBUM OF 2020

Metallica – ‘S&M2′

MOST ANTICIPATED LP’S FOR 2021

  1. Arch Enemy
  2. Rob Zombie
  3. Suicidal Tendencies
  4. Kerry King Project
  5. Iron Maiden (Covers album)

ONE TO WATCH

Defecto

There you have it! Another year has gone and what a year it was. Our small selection is a testament to the resilience of artists and creative people all over the world who are currently going through a very difficult time but still managing to produce some outstanding new music.

We hope that you enjoy our lists and discover some new music that will help you through these tough times. Please remember to support your local venues and record stores and of course, the musicians.

We have a lot planned for 2021 and can’t wait to share our news, reviews, exclusive interviews and much more with you. Have a great Christmas and New Year.

See you in 2021!

Please click here if you wish to support us. Thanks in advance.

Oran O’Beirne

www.overdrive.ie 2020