Best album in 2020: here is a selection

​What is the best black metal album in 2020? Last year was full of great releases, so it's hard to choose. However, for the band's history, and for the originality, profoundness, and richness in nuances and tones, my choice is Enslaved's Utgard, a wonderful album that also embraces influences from jazz and prog rock. Also noteworthy are the works of Akhlys, Blaze of Perdition, Gaerea, Grift, Inquisition, Ossaert, Scáth Na Déithe, Selbst, and Xalpen. Below there is a selection of the most significant and important albums, which does not always mean that they are also good. The Tulus album, for example, is by no means one of the best albums in my opinion, but it is still one of the most important. You can listen to the albums by clicking on either the title or the cover. Have fun!

​PS: by the way, what is you best album?
 
Text by Herjann
herjann@unholyblackmetal.com

Afsky (Denmark): “Ofte jeg drømmer mig død”

Akhlys (USA): “Melinoë”

​​​Auðn (Iceland): “Vökudraumsins fangi”

Bartlomiej's Batushka (Poland): “Raskol”

Blaze of Perdition (Poland): “The Harrowing of Hearts”

​Dark Fortress (Germany): “Spectres from the Old World”

Elffor (Spain): “Unholy Throne of Doom”

Enslaved (Norway): “Utgard”

Faidra (Sweden): “Six Voices Inside”

​Fides Inversa (Italy): “Historia Nocturna”

​Gaerea (Portugal): “Limbo”

​Grafvitnir (Sweden): “Death's Wings Widespread”

​Grift (Sweden): “Budet”

​Häxanu (USA): “Snare of All Salvation”

Hexenfluch (Germany): “Aradia”

​Horna (Finland): “Kuoleman Kirjo”

​​Inquisition (Colombia): “Black Mass for a Mass Grave”

Maeskyyrn (Canada): “Interlude”

Magoth (Germany): “Invictus”

​Mesarthim (Australia): “The Degenerate Era”

Mesarthim (Australia): “Planet Nine”

​Myrkur (Denmark): “Folkesange”

​Nachtlieder (Sweden): “Views from the North Vol. 1”

Nawaharjan (Germany): “Lokabrenna”

Nyrst (Iceland): “Orsök”

​Ossaert (Netherlands): “Bedehuis”

Proselenvs (Russia): “Sublimatio Interiurivm Tenebrarvm”

Raventale (Ukraine): “Planetarium II”

​Scáth Na Déithe (Ireland): “The Dirge of Endless Mourning”

​Selbst (Venezuela earlier; Chile later): “Relatos de angustia”

​Svartsyn (Sweden): “Requiem”

Svarttjern (Norway): “Shame Is Just a Word”

​Temple of Decay (Poland): “Last Manifestation of Life”

Tulus (Norway): “Old Old Death”

​Uada (USA): “Djinn”

​Urfeind (Germany): “Þurisabloþa”​

Vananidr (Sweden): “Damnation”

​Vredehammmer (Norway): “Viperous”​​

Xalpen (Chile): “Sawken Xo'on”