As another year draws to a close, we metalheads tend to take time to reflect on what the year in metal meant to us, and prepare our various lists of what was great, what sucked, and everything in between.
This year we decided to get a little more up close and personal with Team Hellbound, and get a sense of not only each staffer’s favorite albums of the year, but also a sense of the state of metal in 2015 from everyone.
We here at Hellbound thank you for your continued readership, and wish you a very headbanging 2016.
Happy Holidays from Hellbound!
— Kyle Harcott
Rob Hughes
Top 10 Metal Albums of the Year:
- Elder—Lore (Armageddon Shop)
- Iron Maiden—The Book of Souls (Parlophone)
- Guapo—Obscure Knowledge (Cuneiform)
- Anekdoten—Until All the Ghosts Are Gone (Virta)
- Zombi—Shape Shift (Relapse)
- Trans Am—Volume X (Thrill Jockey)
- Steven Wilson—Hand. Cannot. Erase. (Kscope)
- Krallice—Ygg huur (self-released)
- Windhand—Grief’s Infernal Flower (Relapse)
- The Fierce and the Dead—Magnet (Bad Elephant Music)
Favourite Album-Cover Art of 2015:
Elder – Lore
Best gig I attended in 2015:
Rush
July 17
Rogers Arena, Vancouver
If this indeed was their final tour, they sure as hell did it up right. For the entire length of the show—could have been ten minutes, could have been four hours—all I could think was, “Holy shit, you guys. Holy shit!”
Favourite physical-copy album I purchased in 2015:
Popol Vuh—Seligpreisung (LP)
Not an original copy from 1973, but this reissue from Spain’s Wah Wah label is a magnificent thing.
Most anticipated 2016 album:
New album from Anciients.
My 2015 in Metal:
Although I haven’t written much this year, it’s been nice staying involved with Hellbound via the occasional proof-reading assignment. 2015 wasn’t a very metal year for me, honestly. I can’t keep up anymore. I’ve run out of room for it in my heart, in my mind and in my apartment. My shelves are full, my hard drive’s a mess. Do I really need the seventh High on Fire album? I’m sure it’s great, but maybe not. On the live front, some ridiculous shows came through town in 2015. Highlights included Clutch, Ancestors, Elder (just over the border in Bellingham), Earthless, Windhand, Steven Wilson, Trans Am, Pallbearer, Kayo Dot, Magma, Yob, Napalm Death, Voivod, Black Breath, King Crimson, and above all, Rush. It’s like that saying that annoying people often spout: “collect experiences, not things.” I guess that was my key to enjoying music in 2015.
