I initially really liked it, but Senjutsu hasn’t held up over the months since its release. IRON MAIDEN – SENJUTSU: This seems to be a love or hate offering for most Iron Maiden fans, but I’m somewhere in the middle. Standout songs: “The Witch of the North,” “Flight of the Valkyries,” “Thrall,” “Hall of the Mountain King” All-in-all, this is another solid album worthy of attention from anyone who loves the likes of Priest, Maiden and Dio. On previous albums they’ve returned to Dio (“Holy Diver”) and Judas Priest (“Jawbreaker”), and here they take on Savatage with “Hall of the Mountain King” (featuring a guest appearance by ‘Tage guitarist Chris Caffery.) It’s a tall order, but Laura Guldemond is up to the task on her second album with the band. I secretly believe they hate their singers, though, based on cover choices. They continue to deliver some fantastic classic metal here. Standout songs: “Blade Runner,” “Hardcore,” “Moonlight Rendezvous,” “Revengeance Machine” (despite my obvious objections as an editor), “To the Last Drop of Blood,” “They Don’t Care about Us”īURNING WITCHES – THE WITCH OF THE NORTH: I’ve become a big fan of this band, which I often jokingly refer to as Judas Priestess, over the last few years. There’s an interesting contrast in the two cover songs, Manowar’s “Battle Hymn” and Michael Jackson’s “They Don’t Care about Us.” Oddly, the Jackson cover is by far the stronger of the two. My next Best of 2021 honorable mention offers much of the same, though there’s nothing here quite as catchy as the title track or “Die by the Blade” from the last album. The mingling of power metal and 1980s electronic pop just hit me in all the right feels. Standout songs: “Old Washita,” “STFU,” “Money”īEAST IN BLACK – DARK CONNECTION: Beast in Black’s last album From Hell With Love was an absolute blast. The heavy guitar riffs from Nevada Romo are still there, but it has a more modern feel with some electronics thrown in – and Larado Romo’s powerful voice is too often disguised under megaphones or effects. The rest of the record is mostly good, but very different than what I expected. It sticks out like a sore thumb on this album, though. I loved their 2014 debut New Southern, and the first single from this record, “Old Washita,” recaptured that grooving Southern sound that hit so close to home for me. I’ve got a lot to say for one best of list, so without further ado, here’s a look at my Best of 2021 Hard Rock and Metal Albums:ĪNTI-MORTEM – ANTI-MORTEM: This was probably my most anticipated album of the year. Because of that, I didn’t get the opportunity to write much about the music that moved me, and there was a lot of it, so I didn’t want to let it all pass without at least some small acknowledgement. I made a career shift well out of my comfort zone in January, and it was a pretty intense 12 months – but intense in a good way. I’ve been pretty quiet in 2021, and that’s because it was a year of great change for me.
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