Continuing our round-up of the very, VERY best albums of 2017, we pick things up where Part 1 left off… So, without further ado, immerse yourself in our recommendations of our favourite and the absolute best albums of the year, as we bring you Part 2 (25 – 2) of the official Ghost Cult Album of the Year (2017) countdown:
25. QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE – Villains (Matador)
“From the opening groove of ‘Feet Don’t Fail Me’, the rock of ‘The Way You Used To’, and the fresh feeling ‘The Evil Has Landed’, it’s all classic QOTSA, in a way that feels inventive and new. My initial vibe was that of an 80s Queen album, like The Game. Why can’t rock music be danceable, and not be offensively bad in 2017? I guess it hasn’t been done all that well for a long time, or veered too hard into pop realms for rock fans to dig it.” 9/10 KEITH CHACHKES (Review here:)
24. WARBRINGER – Woe To The Vanquished (Napalm) “Musically, however, things are a little different this time. Not a lot – it’s still Warbringer after all – but just enough to continue the explorative indulgences of the last couple of albums, Warbringer have taken two steps forward and are now firmly back on course.” 8.0 GARY ALCOCK (Review here)
23. INTEGRITY – Howling, For The Nightmare Shall Consume (Relapse) “A concept album describing the last days of Armageddon, Howling… features all the trademark Integrity abrasiveness, but also explores the band’s more experimental, progressive leanings…Different, brave, and demanding, but Integrity are definitely still living up to their name.” 7.5 GARY ALCOCK (Review here)
22. ELDER – Reflections Of A Floating World (Stickman) 
“Not unlike their brethren like YOB and Spirit Adrift, Elder has broken some new ground by creating kind of an inner space – a headroom in their songcraft for you to experience. Surely, the band has never thought about this too deeply, they just create and do things. But to the listener, this is well beyond stoner rock, doom or even typical tropes of prog. This is next level heavy, and not just heavy in your ears, but in your soul too.” 9/10 KEITH CHACHKES (Review here:)
21. SONS OF APOLLO – Psychotic Symphony (InsideOut) “This release contains all of the ingredients to heal (Apollo would be proud) the mind, body, heart, and soul. From start to finish it keeps your heart pumping and pounding with just enough musical breaks to help you catch your breath before your next roller coaster ride of emotions.” 10.0 RICK TRIANA (Review here)
20. NE OBLIVISCARIS – Urn (Season of Mist)
“Up to this point, Ne Obiviscaris had yet to fully deliver on their potential and have even been close to proving the old adage of too many cooks when it comes to their packed hybrid of styles, but Urn is a monumental culmination of their contrasting styles and shows a fluidity, vitality, and captivation. Aside from just a stark improvement on themselves, Urn feels like an important release for progressive metal as a whole. Perfectly balancing intensity with melodicism, aggression with poignancy and sheer technicality with heart, Urn is not only one of (if not the) best progressive metal albums of the year, and an important standard-bearer for the genre as a whole.”
9.0 CHRIS TIPPELL (Review here)
19. ROYAL THUNDER – Wick (Spinefarm)
“With Wick, Royal Thunder has proven, once again, that they are one of most impressive bands alive. They are one of the rare groups that aren’t afraid to wear their heart on their sleeves, and openly share their world with fans through each and every one of their songs. While 2015’s Crooked Doors was an emotional and brilliant ride for the listener, Wick is just as impressive, if not more. Musically they’ve grown on every level, and as I said before, Mlny’s vocal performance is simply phenomenal. Just when I thought I couldn’t love this band anymore than I already do, they go and write this album, and now I’m one of those begging for more.”
9.0 METAL MARK (Review here)
18. ULVER – The Assassination of Julius Caesar (House of Mythology)
“Further away from the psychedelic rock flavors of their recent releases, the band has gone full-on synthpop/new wave; and done it so well, you have to wonder why it took so long. They channeled the sexiest spirit of Low-era Bowie, the wistful depressiveness Joy Division had, drugs from the recording console of early Depeche Mode, all the best bits of other 80s New Romantic classics tossed in, and a lite trace of chill EDM. At the same time, these tracks are so immersive and brainy, they are timeless gems more than copies of little pop ditties. The same attention to sonic details and lyrical development shines through. A masterful release”
9.0 KEITH CHACHKES (Review here)
17. CONVERGE – The Dusk In Us (Deathwish/Epitaph)
“There is plenty of metallic hardcore firepower to be uncorked here. Once Converge taps into the inhuman abilities of drummer Ben Koller it’s best to hide on tracks like ‘Eye of the Quarrel’ and ‘Arkhipov Calm.’ There is plenty of shrapnel and napalm to dodge on ‘Wildlife’ which has the band playing like their lives depended on it and Kurt Ballou’s searing guitar tone cutting in on all the right places. We don’t know for how long we’ll have the musical talents of Converge. What should be known is that we should appreciate their recorded output especially considering they could’ve walked away legends after Jane Doe”
8.0 HANS LOPEZ (Review here)
16. TRIVIUM – The Sin And The Sentence (Roadrunner)
“Trivium are not trying to reinvent the wheel, unveil a jarring new genre influence, or convert fans from the latest fad of the month at Hot Topic. Nope. Trivium keeps on chugging album after album, with their blend of neo-thrash love, metalcore breakdowns, shreddy solos, and their NWOBHM-inspired catchiness. Their new album The Sin And the Sentence (Roadrunner) has all those things in place.”
8.0 KEITH CHACHKES (Review here)
15. DECAPITATED – Anticult (Nuclear Blast)
“Look, let’s just talk metalhead to metalhead here shall we? This album is an absolute rager and nothing in printed form can prepare your ears for the assault that will hit them when you press play on the new record from Poland’s Decapitated. The album is called Anticult (Nuclear Blast), and it is probably the best pure metal album since Lamb Of God’s Sacrament (Epic/Prosthetic) in 2006.”
9.5 KIERAN MITCHELL (Review here)
14. ANATHEMA – The Optimist (Kscope)
“Anathema have never been afraid to throw people off-balance with significant shifts, but whilst this may not be as monumental a sonic shift as early transformations, its refinements in some places and its tonal change mean this to be the most challenging effort of theirs for many years. Given time and full attention and it quickly reveals a huge wealth of ideas, impeccable structuring and still maintains that emotional resonance that has become their calling card. Rather than a collection of songs, this needs to be sat down and experienced as one; then it heightens its narrative and fits like a soundtrack. Some may well indeed get off the road at this juncture, but for more positive minds, this could well be their greatest work to date.”
9.0 CHRIS TIPPELL (Review here)
13. AMENRA – Mass VI (Neurot)
“Mass VI is a motherfucker of the highest command… So much of the heaviness on Mass VI stems from Amenra’s slavish devotion to building tension and a careful eye for dynamics. Before the earth begins to rattle on ‘Children of the Eye’ we are treated to two minutes of gentle ambiance. Once the listener has been lulled to near sleep out comes the captive bolt pistol and motor skills have officially left the building. From then on, the plowing riffs and massive drums begin to cascade like debris. And beneath that mayhem, Colin H. van Eeckhout has been howling his lungs out like a specter yearning for release.”
9.0 HANS LOPEZ (Review here)
12. DEAD CROSS – Dead Cross (Ipecac)
“It’s got to be natural for music fans across the board to broach the subject of supergroups with a healthy sense of trepidation. Does this musical meeting of the minds come from a place of altruism or are there nastier motivations that have yet to be dredged out? That’s what circled through my head for about 30 seconds before I started out Dead Cross’ self-titled debut album… This thing is such an odd-duck of an album that I’m not quite sure what to classify it as. Thrash? Punk? All I know is that it’s fucking exciting. You can safely place this one the shelf with South of Heaven and Angel Dust.”
9.0 HANS LOPEZ (Review here)
11. MYRKUR – Mareridt (Relapse)
“And, most interesting of all is that this all hints at Mareridt not even being the finished article, nor the end of the Myrkur evolution, and there is scope for further development and exploration in pretty much every direction. While it may be a shame if the blackened perfection of ‘Måneblôt’ is a style Bruun moves further away from, the crown as the leading proponent of darkened post-pop is, withMareridt, already most rightfully hers.”
9.0 STEVE TOVEY (Review here)
10. WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM – Thrice Woven (Artemisia)
“It all concludes with the swirling, black metal opera of ‘Fires Roar in the Palace of the Moon’ which surges with such ferocity and power, akin to a burst dam letting water flow back to the ocean and comes to crashing crescendo. The sound of the calming tide plays out and soothes your soul, bringing you back into the world full aware that you have experienced a truly breath-taking musical journey. Thrice Woven exceeds the hype laid before it and sits comfortably at the high-end of a cult back catalogue filled with all-time classics.”
9.0 ROSS JENNER (Review here)
9. PALLBEARER – Heartless (Nuclear Blast/Profound Lore)
“Faced with the Herculean task of following up Foundations of Burden, Pallbearer passes with flying colors. Once ‘I Saw The End’ and ‘Thorns’ whet the appetite, it is on to the doom and gloom drubbing of ‘Lie Of Survival.’ You ever ask yourself what’d you get if threw Joy Division and Crowbar into cocktail shaker? See ‘Lie of Survival,’ a kick to the feels that would make Morrissey cry. ‘Dancing In Madness’ follows up that doozy with a nice journey into the dark heart of Black Sabbath.”
8.0 HANS LOPEZ (Review here)
8. THE KING IS BLIND – We Are The Parasite, We Are The Cancer (Calva)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjm3krnEFOw
“This is a cracking album, TKIB manage to incorporate so many genres and styles into their sound and at the same time, their overall style is so strong that they still maintain a unified and consistent feel throughout. By the end of the album, the only real criticism is that it just feels a bit too short. Their first album was a strong contender for my album of the year, and it’s particularly impressive that they have once again delivered an album of that caliber. It’s certainly the best album I’ve heard in a long while, and I’ve heard some phenomenal albums lately.”
9.5 RICH PRICE (Review here)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvOcVcw7viM
7. ENSLAVED – E (Nuclear Blast)
“Enslaved are a band that genuinely offers something different with each album, even if still retaining a core of their black metal roots. Whilst by no means altogether stripping away this fabric, E is certainly the furthest the band have pushed away from such, and further expanded into many different styles and directions, whilst still sounding unique to themselves and it all sounding entirely fluid and natural. E may polarise some opinion with those who want a return to ‘basic’s kind of record, but it is the band’s most diverse and progressive release and a sign that even after close to three decades, they aren’t slowing down by any means. A thoroughly rewarding and impressive effort from one of the all-time great progressive extreme metal acts.”
9.0 CHRIS TIPPELL (Review here)
6. CRADLE OF FILTH – Cryptoriana (Nuclear Blast)
“After such a positive widespread reaction to previous album Hammer of the Witches (Nuclear Blast), Cradle needed to respond with something just as good, if not better, and they’ve done just that with bells on. The entire album is bedecked with haunting melodies and choral passages, keyboards swathed in ethereal fog, savage riffs backed by a pounding rhythm section, and lead vocals which come straight from the inside of Satan’s bottom. The band’s best release since Nymphetamine, and possibly even since Midian, Cryptoriana is a mighty slab of vintage (well, late ’90s vintage) Cradle of Filth.”
9.0 GARY ALCOCK (Review here)
5. KREATOR – Gods of Violence (Nuclear Blast)
“So here we are in January 2017 and gratefully inviting a brand spanking new Kreatoralbum into our collective earholes. See, how much better is that than angrily cursing a period of time like it was some kind of physical entity with a personal grudge? While the last year or so has undoubtedly been hideous in some way or other to almost everyone, it actually appears to have done wonders for Kreator, helping them fashion their fourteenth studio album Gods of Violence (Nuclear Blast) by creating lashings of hatred, fear, intolerance and paranoia – subjects very close to their heart – for them to feast upon.”
9.0 GARY ALCOCK (Review here)
4. POWER TRIP – Nightmare Logic (Southern Lord)
“Take ‘Soul Sacrifice,’ which opens the proceedings with sandpaper riffs that recall Metallica’s ‘Disposable Heroes’ and Slayer’s ‘Criminally Insane.’ The downtempo crunch suddenly gives way to a much livelier cadence and begins assaulting the listener with the first of many Kerry King style whammy dives to come. ‘Executioner’s Tax (Swing of the Axe)’ downshifts in terms of speed, but finds the mid-tempo thrash sweet spot not like anyone really has since Sepultura’s ‘Inner Self.’ Then ‘Ruination’ teaches us that we’ve all really wanted the sonic offspring of Dark Angel and Cro-Mags…Nightmare Logic makes Thrash and Hardcore both vigorous and dangerous again“
9.0 HANS LOPEZ (Review here)
3. THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER – Nightbringers (Metal Blade)
“The Black Dahlia Murder have been the picture of consistency when it comes to modern extreme metal. Ever since planting their flag firmly on Death Metal in an era when so many contemporaries cashed in on the Metalcore and Deathcore frenzies, Dahlia can always be expected to provide strong content. So, after years of successful albums and touring, it’s natural to expect this Michigan outfit to take it easy, but boy is that wrong. New album Nightbringers is the type of work you get from angry young men with something to prove.”
9.0 HANS LOPEZ (Review here)
2. CODE ORANGE – Forever (Roadrunner)
“The start of the new year is supposed to be a time for quiet contemplation and reflection No one seems to have told Code Orange this, though. Forever (Roadrunner) is a veritable wake-up call, a crushing and triumphant blast of ferocity that isn’t the simple throwing down of a gauntlet, it’s an entire suit of armour. Forever succeeds (and succeeds enormously) when its considered entirely on its own uncompromising terms. What they have done, and done superbly, is breathe fresh life, energy and passion into a vision of hardcore and come up with a record that will, on occasion, leave you breathless and in deep admiration for what they have achieved.”
8.0 MAT DAVIES (Review here)
GHOST CULT ALBUM OF THE YEAR COUNTDOWN PART I