Hellboy’s Best Albums of 2021

2021 has finally drawn to a close, and it dawns upon me that I haven’t posted a poll to collect Fourtheye Readers favourite albums of the year. I’d be keen to hear your thoughts, so if you’ve got lists post them below!

As usual, I spent a decent chunk of my time in 2021 listening to new tunes, and while I think it was a pretty solid year for releases, I didn’t really come up with a clear number one, or 10/10 type albums. Despite that, I’d arranged this list into some kind of semblance or order based on how much I enjoyed each album.

Tomahawk – Tonic Immobility

Stats maybe tell a different story though, with Tomahawk’s Tonic Immobility being my most listened to. Given that I thought the album was pretty good, I guess I should consider it my favourite. It’s much, much better than their last album, which I thought was pretty disappointing. Don’t go expecting any different sound or anything though, as much as I like this album, my only real criticism is that it sounds like Mit Gas 2.0. But I loved that album, so it’s a minor complaint!

Dvne – Etemen Ænka

Dvne are a 5-piece metal band from Scotland, and released a pretty great album very much on the prog end of the spectrum. Long sweeping songs with great riffs and cool vocals

Portrayal of Guilt – We Are Always Alone

Portrayal of Guilt has the rare honour of releasing two great albums this year (the other edgily named Christfucker) and We Are Always Alone is the best of them. This band create a noise filled brand of hardcore, and would appeal to those into Converge and the like

Turnstile – GLOW ON

Another hardcore band, this time on the more rocky side of equation. Turnstile have put out a great collection of catchy, screamable punk.

Sanctioned – Annexation

It wouldn’t be a top 10 list of mind without some grindcore, and here we are. Sanctioned hail from Melbourne, and put out a ripper of an album

Pupil Slicer – Mirrors

Pupil Slicer I’d put roughly into that seme genre of mathcore that the likes of Dillinger Escape Plan belong to, but they’re right on the more abrasive end of the spectrum

Amyl and the Sniffers – Comfort To Me

Plenty of strong Australian releases this year, and Amyl and the Sniffers are a bit of a hype band at the moment. I went into this album ready to dislike it, and was surprised by it’s raw power and charming lyrics. Don’t expect musical virtuosity, and you’ll enjoy this Aussie rock album

Succumb – XXI

I can across Succumb late in the year from a few other top 10 lists, and it took only one listen to realise they were on point. Playing a brand of death metal that wavers into Black at times, there’s some great musicianship on this album, and it’s catchy as fuck too.

I Am Duckeye – WELT

Plenty of Melbourne bands in this list, I Am Duckeye being one of them. I love a decent noise rock album, and this one ticks all the right boxes.

Burial Pit – SUBHUMAN SCUM

Yet another Australian band, this group hails from Sydney and released a killer sludge/doom metal album SUBHUMAN SCUM. Super heavy riffs, with some brutal vocals. Get on it!

Also worth checking out

Every Time I Die – Radical

Enforced – Kill Grid

Throat – Smile Less

Limp Bizkit – Still Sucks

Fiddlehead – Between the Richness

Filth Is Eternal – Love is a Lie, Filth is Eternal

Knocked Loose – A Tear in the Fabric of Life

Gojira – Fortitude

black midi – Cavalcade

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – L.W.

CHASSM – Falling Forever