50. Unleash the Archers – Apex (Napalm Records)
“Apex is pure trad metal nirvana. Borrowing from Iron Maiden and folk metal in equal parts to create something of epic feel and titanic proportion… Unleash the Archers have it within their grasp to be true contenders to the heavy metal throne” – Ferry Templeton 05/06/2017.

49. Mason – Impervious (Own Label)
“There’s a lot of top notch ‘trad’ thrash coming out of Australia at the moment – it was Desecrator, after all, you’ll remember, who reminded us that thrash is a verb – but I’ll be very surprised if I hear anything better than this worldwide, let alone from Australia, this year. This is what thrash metal should sound like in 2017″ – Michael Stronge 26/09/2017.

48. Formicarius – Black Mass Ritual (Schwarzdorn Production)
“A promising debut from these blackened Londoners… With a resurgent Akercocke leading the charge for British black metal it might be a while before Formicarius can claim what they see as rightfully theirs. But if they can fill that time with music as good as some of that produced here, it will be time well spent”. Graham Goodge 05/08/2017

47. Accept – The Rise of Chaos (Nuclear Blast)
“This is strong stuff, no doubt about it, from a band for whom consistency is worn like a band of honour; A few dodgy lyrics aside, it’s a winner”. Gavin Strickmann 13/07/2017

46. Foo Fighters – Concrete and Gold (Roswell Records)
“There’s no point fighting this stuff; it’s here, it’s ubiquitous and at times, despite the safeness you feel overall from Concrete and Gold, it’s very good. This might be music for people who know nothing about music, but at least for the most part it’s bearable music”. Scott Adams 20/12/2017.

45. Persefone – Aathma (Vicisolum Productions)
“Andorra’s Persefone embody the progressive ethic. Their newest full-length album, Aathma, is labyrinthine at best but sometimes impenetrable; however it sees the band truly extending themselves and should appeal to longstanding fans if no-one else”. Graham Goodge 20/12/2017.

44. Starset – Vessels (Razor & Tie/Cooking Vinyl)
“If you love autotuned choruses and big breakdowns you’ll love Vessels, and whilst there’s nothing here that could actually be labelled horrible there just isn’t enough to recommend the record to discerning rockers anywhere”. Scott Adams 01/02/2017

43. King Parrot – Ugly Produce (Agonia/Housecore/EVP)
“You’ll love this, but you might need some sedatives afterwards… When the album finishes you’ll probably be glad of a few seconds respite, but bugger me if that same trembling finger ain’t reaching to press the play button again once you’ve collected your dignity and donned some clean underwear. Like a say, a bloody, pus-encrusted triumph. Well done, Australian blokes…” Michael Stronge 08/09/2017

42. Stan Bush – Change the World (L.A. Records)
“It’s hard to see anyone under the age of forty five finding anything here to get their teeth into, but if you remember the times when the radio played people like Stan Bush from dawn til dusk then this won’t fail to bring a smile to the face. Marvellous stuff”. Scott Adams 28/08/2017

41. Crazy Lixx – Ruff Justice (Frontiers Music)
“It’s hard to adequately put into words just how special an artist Danny Rexon is, or how good a band Crazy Lixx are, but even if you’re not a hair metal diehard like me, that much should become apparent after just a couple of listens to Ruff Justice“. Gavin Strickmann 07/04/2017

40. Life of Agony – A Place Where There’s No Pain (Napalm Records)
“Like most of Life of Agony’s previous work, A Place Where There’s No More Pain offers a mix of fragility and force, of breathtaking skill and loutish brutality. Somewhere in this maelstrom lies what American Idol’s Randy Jackson would refer to as ‘their wheelhouse’; And if they don’t reach that happy place quite enough on this album to place it with the best in their canon, it’s certainly going to please longstanding fans of the band a great deal”. Scott Adams 18/04/2017

39. Ayreon – The Source (Mascot Label Group)
“Musically I would say it’s a bit heavier, a bit more guitar-orientated than other Ayreon albums and once again I think it features a stellar cast of singers and musicians!” Arjen Lucassen 20/03/2017

38. Peter and the Test Tube Babies – That’s Shallot (Nuclear Blast)
“Like they’ve never been away… UK Oi! veterans Peter and the Test Tube Babies have pulled off one of the surprises of the year with their new album That’s Shallot (geddit?). Not only were they able to stay sober enough to record the bloody thing, they’ve also managed to come up with what I’m sure will be one of the punk albums of the year into the bargain!” Michael Stronge 24/08/2017

37. Von Hertzen Brothers – War is Over (Mascot Label Group)
“Finnish outfit the Von Hertzen Brothers have always been a band I’ve struggled with. I knew they were good, obviously, but each and every one of their previous albums has missed the mark by varying degrees as far as I’ve been concerned. This rather uncomfortable situation changes with War is Over, an album where, for this reviewer at least, everything makes sense at last”. Scott Adams 06/11/2017

36. Enslaved – E (Nuclear Blast)
“There are no bad Enslaved albums. But there are gradations of good ones, and for fans of Enslaved of long standing this album will fall at the lower end of that scale. For what it is, however – late period Enslaved – it is another thrilling chapter in the ever-evolving book of Enslaved’s life”. Graham Goodge 20/12/2017

35. Nephilim’s Howl – Through the Marrow of Human Suffering (I, Voidhanger Records)
“Nephilim’s Howl have created a very worthwhile and satisfying album with this release, and whilst there might be a little too much gothic feel for true black metal fans, people who simply like the dark side of humanity represented in musical form are going to really enjoy this”. Graham Goodge 10/05/2017

34. Stone Sour – Hydrograd (Roadrunner Records)
Hydrograd is Stone Sour’s first full album offering without Jim Root. It is an accessible album with a lot of songs that could be made into singles. In saying that there’s still a lot of heavy rock riffs here that contain hooks throughout. Corey Taylor‘s vocals range between gruff and growled to soaring melodies. It’s a strong enough album but for me still doesn’t top House of Gold and Bones part. 1“. Paul Kerr 2012/2017

33. Unreqvited – Disquiet (Cold)
“I understand nothing I can say will sway those who consider this style of music to be ‘not metal’, or at least not metal enough. But there are real moments of beauty and fascination on Disquiet, moments that are worthy of appreciation and understanding if nothing more”. Graham Goodge 29/11/2017

32. Sons of Apollo – Psychotic Symphony (InsideOut Music)
“Quite superb… Staggeringly impressive without ever becoming a tuneless morass of technique, this is just the sort of album I want from a ‘progressive metal supergroup’. Astounding stuff”. Gavin Strickmann 20/10/2017

31. Babylon A.D. – Revelation Highway (Frontiers Music)
“Thrilling, life affirming stuff from a band that deserved to be bigger first time round. Don’t let them slip through your fingers again!” Gavin Strickmann 15/11/2017

30. Bare Infinity – The Butterfly Raiser (Blackdown Music)
“Ida Elena DeRazza… has a voice easily on a par with the giants of female-fronted symphonic metal, coming across like a delicious mix of Sharon den Adel and Floor Jansen. The new Nightwish? Quite possibly…” Ferry Templeton 04/04/2017

29. Urn – The Burning (Iron Bonehead)
“A black thrashing treat… If you feel like giving your old Hellhammer and Venom records a rest for a while, this could be the album you’ve been looking for to fill just that role”. Scott Adams 18/07/2017

28. Firewind – Immortals (Century Media)
“Immerse yourself in some of the highest quality melodic metal you’ll hear all year and revel in the top-drawer performances of all involved. This really is the good stuff”. Scott Adams 09/02/2017

27. Black Star Riders – Heavy Fire (Nuclear Blast)
“Comfortably their best yet… So where now for Black Star Riders? As a band at the top of their game and in possession of the best album of their career you’d have to say the sky’s the limit – let’s hope so”. Scott Adams 31/01/2017

26. Alice Cooper – Paranormal (earMusic)
“A really entertaining return… Alice Cooper – the man and the b(r)and – are still a byword for high octane thrills”. Scott Adams 28/07/2017