Converge at Royale Boston
photo by Ben Stas

The Best Metal of 2017

We already ran down the best 2017 albums by indie and underground legends and five overlooked albums of 2017, and BV’s staff-wide Top 50 is coming very soon HERE. First, let’s talk about the best metal of 2017.

Our metal sister site Invisible Oranges posted individual lists by each writer (including yours truly), and they tallied the results for a staff-wide top 10 that looks like this:

1. The Dusk In Us by Converge – 75 (4 votes)
2. Reflections of a Floating World by Elder – 55 (4 votes)
3. Mirror Reaper by Bell Witch – 53 (4 votes)
4. Dead Cross by Dead Cross – 44 (3 votes) and Nightmare Logic by Power Trip – 44 (3 votes)
5. Hiss Spun by Chelsea Wolfe – 38 (2 votes)
6. Forever by Code Orange – 37 (2 votes) and What Passes For Survival by Pyrrhon – 37 (3 votes)
7. Thrice Woven by Wolves In The Throne Room – 35 (2 votes) and Love From With The Dead by With The Dead – 35 (2 votes)
8. The Assassination of Julius Caesar by Ulver – 33 (3 votes)
9. War Moans by Mutoid Man – 30 (3 votes)
10. Ex Eye by Ex Eye – 29 (2 votes)

Read more about the results from IO editor Ian Cory HERE.

We also posted year-end lists from some metal musicians, including Aaron Turner (Sumac, Isis), Chris Ulsh (Power Trip), Ben Koller (Converge, Mutoid Man, All Pigs Must Die), Jus Oborn (Electric Wizard), Mina Caputo (Life of Agony), Igor Cavalera (Cavalera Conspiracy, ex-Sepultura), Dwid Hellion (Integrity), and Dom Romeo (Integrity, A389). To wrap up the year, we’ve got lists from three more metal bands: King Woman, Planning for Burial and Amenra. Check those lists out below.

Kristina Esfandiari’s (King Woman) Top 10 LPs of 2017
King Krule – THE OOZ
Boy Harsher – Country Girl
Frank Ocean (singles) – Provider, Biking, Chanel, Lens
Alex G – Rocket
PARTYNEXTDOOR – Colors 2
SZA – Ctrl
Yves Tumor – Experiencing the Deposit of Faith
Spiritual Cramp – Wild ‘87 Demo Tape
Dougie Poole – Wideass Highway
Kendrick Lamar – DAMN.

Joseph Raygoza’s (King Woman) Top 10 LPs of 2017
Uniform-wake in fright
Necrot – blood offerings
Hell- lower your head
Exit order- seed of hysteria
Dirty and his fists- s/t 7′
Dreamdecay yú
Generacion suicuida- reflejos
Concealed blade s/t
Limp wrist-facades
Wigiedood- De Doden Hebben het goed II

Honorable mention:
Land of talk- life after youth
World🌎 smasher – demo
Sleazy- from Quèbec, with love
Sannhet- so numb
Primitive man-caustic
Planning for burial-below the house

Peter Arensdorf’s (King Woman) Top 10 LPs of 2017
1) Wiegedood – De Doden Hebben He Goed II
2) Kendrick Lamar – Damn
3) Dreamdecay – Yú
4) Grouper – Headache
5) Amenra — Mass VI
6) Zen Mother – I Was Made to Be Like Her
7) Power Trip – Nightmare Logic
8) Hell – Hell
9) King Krule – The Ooz
10) Blanck Mass – World Eater

Honorable mention:
Necrot – Blood Offerings
Freddie Gibbs – You Only Live 2wice
Godflesh – Post Self
Drab Majesty – The Demonstration

Planning For Burial’s Top 10 LPs of 2017
01. Jay Som – Everybody Works
02. Sannhet – So Numb
03. Trevor De Brauw – Uptown
04. Couch Slut – Contempt
05. Black Belt Eagle Scout – Mother of My Children
06. Midwife – Like Author, Like Daughter
07. Big Brave – Ardor
08. Oxbow – Thin Black Duke
09. Power Trip – Nightmare Logic
10. Ex-Eye – Ex Eye

CH van Eeckhout’s (Amenra) Top 5 LPs of 2017
Mount Eerie – A Crow Looked At Me
Joost Devriesere “Pest” (book)
Nathalie Teirlinck “le passé devant nous” (film)
Chelsea Wolfe – Hiss Spun
Bell Witch – Mirror Reaper

Lennart Bossu’s (Amenra, Oathbreaker) Top 10 LPs of 2017
Mount Eerie – ‘A Crow Looked at Me’
Cloakroom – ‘Time Well’
Protomartyr – ‘Relatives in Descent’
Wolves In The Throne Room – ‘Thrice Woven’
Julien Baker – ‘Turn Out the Lights’
Chastity Belt – ‘I Used to Spend So Much Time Alone’
King Woman – ‘Created in the Image of Suffering’
Suffocation – ‘…Of the Dark Light’
Gleemer – ‘Anymore’
Power Trip – ‘Nightmare Logic’