THE BEAST

Most readers and subscribers do not have the  January 2018 issue  of  Decibel  yet. But every year, that doesn’t stop someone from obtaining an early copy of our year-end issue and posting our Top 40 Albums of the Year on a number of message boards and blogs. So, we figured we’d beat them to the punch.

Anyway, if you’d prefer remaining in suspense until your copy arrives in the mail, please go  here . The rest of you can venture on, but if you’d actually like to read editorial on these releases (for, you know, context), interviews with the artists who rank at the top of the list as well as dozens of entertaining contributor conceived year-end Top 5 lists, and a Hall of Fame on   Monster Magnet ‘s   Spine of God , you can grab a copy of the full issue  here . Oh, yeah, it comes with a brand new  Goatwhore   flexi, too!

40. The Lurking Fear, Out of the Voiceless Grave, Century Media
39. Woe, Hope Attrition, Vendetta
38. Pyrrhon, What Passes for Survival, Willowtip
37. Power Trip, Nightmare Logic, Daymare
36. Ufomammut, 8, Neurot
35. Disharmony, Goddamn the Sun, Iron Bonehead
34. Wormwitch, Strike Mortal Coil, Prosthetic
33. Propagandhi, Victory Lap, Epitaph
32. Farsot, Fail-Lure, Lupus Lounge
31. Napalm Raid, Wheel of War, Self-Released
30. Oxbow, Thin Black Duke, Hydra Head
29. Loss, Horizonless, Profound Lore
28. Lock Up, Demonization, Listenable
27. With the Dead, Love from With the Dead, Rise Above
26. Dreadnought, Awake in Sacred Waves, Sailor
25. Cannibal Corpse, Red Before Black, Metal Blade
24. Wampyrinacht, We Will Be Watching. Les Cultes de Satan et Les Mysterères de la Mort, Zazen Sounds
23. Midnight, Sweet Death and Ecstasy, Hells Headbangers
22. Pagan Altar, The Room of Shadows, Temple of Mystery
21. Artificial Brain, Infrared Horizon, Profound Lore
20. Cloak, To Venomous Depths, Season of Mist
19. Akercocke, Renaissance in Extremis, Peaceville
18. Enslaved, E, Nuclear Blast
17. Cormorant, Diaspora, Self-Released
16. Myrkur, Mareridt, Relapse
15. Dodecahedron, Kwintessens, Season of Mist
14. Obituary, Obituary, Relapse
13. Craven Idol, The Shackles of Mammon, Dark Descent
12. Kreator, Gods of Violence, Nuclear Blast
11. Bell Witch, Mirror Reaper, Profound Lore
10. Converge, The Dusk in Us, Epitaph
9. Wolves in the Throne Room, Thrice Woven, Artemisia
8. Full of Hell, Trumpeting Ecstasy, Profound Lore
7. Immolation, Atonement, Nuclear Blast
6. Spectral Voice, Eroded Corridors of Unbeing, Dark Descent
5. Integrity, Howling, For the Nightmare Shall Consume, Relapse
4. Necrot, Blood Offerings, Tankcrimes
3. Pallbearer, Heartless, Profound Lore
2. Spirit Adrift, Curse of Conception, 20 Buck Spin
1. Paradise Lost, Medusa, Nuclear Blast