Top 10 Albums of 2017 by Krysthla’s Adi Mayes

The end of the year is fast approaching and we here at Distorted Sound are hard at work finalising our list of the best albums to grace our ears this year. For now though, we’ve turned to some of the bands in our scene to give you their own lowdown to what they think was the best stuff that dropped this year and kicking it off in grand fashion is Adi Mayes of KRYSTHLA. KRYSTHLA have had a busy 2017 that saw the release of their sophomore effort Peace In Our Time alongside appearances of numerous festivals including DIY festival Badger Fest in Manchester. Over to you Adi!

10. Modern Disdain – FROM EDEN TO EXILE

FROM EDEN TO EXILE‘s first album was produced by our guitarist Neil Hudson, and with its thrashy technical riffs, quick fire drums and mean vocal delivery it will definitely appeal to fans of LAMB OF GOD and TESTAMENT amongst others.

9. Prophets Of Rage – PROPHETS OF RAGE

I’ve always had a soft spot for PUBLIC ENEMY, CYPRESS HILL and RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE, and this album is the perfect mix of all three with Chuck D and B Real setting the world to rights over the familiar musical patterns weaved by Tom Morello and Company.

8. Born A Dying Breed – STORMBRINGER

This is the Northants hard rockers third album, and its definitely their best so far. Fit to burst with big riffs, catchy hooks and huge sing along choruses, this collection of tunes is guaranteed to get you rocking out.

7. Forever – CODE ORANGE

I saw CODE ORANGE supporting GOJIRA earlier in the year and they were stirring up some pretty big pits, and you can see why when you listen to their latest album which switches between metalcore, hardcore and everything inbetween to produce a thoroughly modern post metal album that carries plenty of weight and menace.

6. Green – MAGE

This is the Leicestershire doom/stoner acts third full length album. Sometimes great art is created following tragic circumstances, and this album is proof of that, especially the stunning track Heroic Elegy which is a touching tribute to their late guitarist Ben Aucott. I don’t mind admitting that this song has left me in tears on several occasions with its epic and towering riffs coupled with the plaintive refrain of “Fallen Brothers we’ll see you on other side.”

5. Obituary – OBITUARY

OBITUARY are one of my favourite bands of all time and John Tardy‘s voice is a massive influence on me personally. This latest album sees the Floridian death metallers injecting an almost thrashy feel into some of the songs, which definitely gives this record a different feel to their previous releases, whilst still retaining all their trade mark savagery.

4. Paean Heretica – KING LEVIATHAN

This album is receiving a lot praise on the underground scene and rightly so. The Brighton based metallers mix blackened death metal with brutal demonic growls that switch seamlessly to clean melodic vocals with breath taking skill and flair. Definitely a band to keep your eyes and ears out for,

3. Gods of Violence – KREATOR

The German thrash metal titans return with an absolute belter of an album! Mille Petrozza and KREATOR have been cranking out extreme metal records since 1985, and their latest release sees them right at the top of their game with this high energy onslaught on the senses.

2. Dear Desolation – THY ART IS MURDER

I’m a latecomer to these Aussie brutes, and I only discovered them through this, their latest release, and I’m completely blown away by them! The utter violence contained within this album is quite staggering. The vocals are especially terrifying, but the musicianship more than matches it, with breath taking drumming and guitar riffs that switch from brutal technical death metal to astounding and massive break downs that genuinely have the power to take my breath away.

1. Topes Sphere – ORANGE CLOCKS

This is absolutely my favourite album of 2017 but I must warn you it’s quite literally a bit out there! Topes Sphere is a psychedelic space rock concept album about a space monkey named Tope and his sidekick Chode, and their adventures in the outer reaches of the cosmos. Think HAWKWIND meets Gong meets War of the Worlds, and you might just get a tiny flavour of this crazily original, brilliantly catchy and funny piece of work.

And there you have it! Thank you to Adi for giving Distorted Sound your rundown on your top albums of the year. Keep posted to Distorted Sound in the coming weeks as we bring you more lists from bands, musicians and our hotly anticipated end of year list!

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