10 - Ænigma by In Vain

A brilliant piece of progressive death metal. Atmospheric and captivating, the album features consistently great instrumentation and songwriting.

9 - Push The Sky Away by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

A beautiful art rock/chamber pop album with a sense of danger. It feels like a relaxing listen, but at the same time it always feels tense thanks to some excellent choices in terms of the songs' tempo.

Beyond the great lyrics and really cool vocal style, there's a lot of subtleties here, such as sparse string arrangements, which add a lot of texture to the album.

8 - Nice Hooves by Nice Hooves

An excellent debut, the heavy hardcore punk of Nice Hooves is filled with blistering riffs and crushing vocals that you can't help but nod your head along to.

Big thanks to Ryuujin for letting me know about this. It's free on the band's bandcamp page, so go check it out.

7 - Meir by Kvelertak

Kvelertak are back with their second album of hardcore punk/black metal/rock 'n' roll (or black 'n' roll as some would call it) goodness, and I still can't get enough.

Fast paced and energetic, with great riffs and songwriting everywhere, Meir is not quite like anything else you've heard before.

6 - Des Winters finsterer Gesell by Angizia

Angizia bring forth a very unique offering of a combination between avant-garde metal and dark cabaret, and they nail it.

They incorporate the traditional metal instruments with violin and piano to produce some incredible compositions.

Atmospheric and mysterious, this album is a journey that constantly twists and turns in new directions.