We close the year and the decade with the swirling death metal of Entombed A.D.’s Bowels Of Earth! Our #1 album kicks off with a nasty cough and titled Bowels Of Earth, a snapshot of the world around us, as we watch the planet implode literally and figuratively! Drama aside, LG Petrov and his Swedish death metal minions got it right. The perfect mix of Left Hand Path meeting Wolverine Blues. The way extreme metal should be. Needs to be. And the guttural gushing of the hollowman wander to and fro like a pendulum of hatred and disgust. Gotta wonder what Alex Hellid is thinking.

“Metal” Tim  praised the album in his review: “No word of a lie, Bowels Of Earth could be the logical follow-up to 1997’s DCLXVI: To Ride Shoot Straight And Speak The Truth. It hearkens to a distant past, but builds on a new level of Swedish born and bred mastery. And yes, the ‘Torment Remains’, LG just pillaging through the wreckage like any fit and ferocious warrior. With ‘Elimination’ blast-beating, ‘Hell Is My Home’ soaring with its crowd-surfing chorus and ‘Fit For A King’ moshing into ‘Worlds Apart’ - fitting nicely beside anything on Wolverine Blues by the way -  Bowels Of Earth will appease the most diehard Swedish death metal fan as LG fights onward with eyes in the back of his head. The Hank Williams cover ‘I’ll Never Get Out Of This World Alive’ was pretty much written for him and it’s one of two covers if you obtain the limited edition version. And alas, ‘Back At The Funny Farm’ is another perfect fit (I mean perfect day) as Entombed A.D. wrap their heads around one of Motörhead’s most triumphant albums! The title track ‘Bowels Of Earth’ commences with a melancholic piano intro until the madness begins and the chorus takes your throat and the soaring lead break feels like you are being dragged behind a galloping horse. The grand finale ‘To Eternal Night’ has tears of blood running down my face, as the harmonious leads take the outro of Left Hand Path to different heights. Nearly six minutes of glory, LG’s curdling voice complimented by a choir of deathly angels. Chilling…”

Stay tuned for the writers’ individual Top 20s (new studio albums ONLY), Top 5 Brave Embarrassments (a fan favorite!), Top 3 Concerts, What/Who Needs To Stop In 2019? and Metal Predictions For 2020.