It’s that time of the year again, when radio stations in between commercials are soaking us with Christmas music, when everyone seems to be stressing their asses off to be prepared for the upcoming holiday and shopkeepers with dollar sign eyes are at the top of their game.

It’s that time of year when those of us who live and breathe for music that never will find its way to commercial radio stations takes a short brake to look back at another year gone by. The metal genre with all its sub-categories is still going strong, and 2017 has been quite a good year for metal in general with bunches of really good releases.

For death metal in particular it has been an excellent year, and I’ve seen many fans and critics already proclaiming 2017 as the year of death metal. Below you’ll find our top-20 lists showing our personal favourites among the massive amount of releases that have come to our attention during the last twelve months.

Obviously we haven’t had a chance to hear everything, and I’m sure a masterpiece or two have slipped through our fingers without receiving the attention it deserved. But ain’t that the beauty of it all, the constant search to discover new music whether it’s new albums or albums that you have missed out on earlier?

We wish all our faithful readers a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Even Knudsen's Top 20 Albums of 2017:

1. SEPTICFLESH Codex Omega
2. FLESHKILLER Awaken
3. EMBRYO A Step Beyond Devinity
4. VINTERSORG Till Fjälls Del 2
5. KREATOR Gods Of Violence
6. SUFFOCATION …Of The Dark Light
7. APOPHYS Devoratis
8. NERVECELL Past, Present….Torture
9. AETERNAM Ruins Of Empires
10. COMMUNIC Where Echoes Gather
11. CANNIBAL CORPSE Red Before Black
12. VALE OF PNATH II
13. INANIMATE EXISTENCE Underneath A Melting Sky
14. EUROPE Walk The Earth
15. PROFANITY The Art Of Sickness
16. THE FACELESS In Becoming A Ghost
17. FIRESPAWN The Retrobate
18. UTMARKEN Förfallstid
19. DAWN OF DISEASE Ascension Gate
20. THUNDER Rip It Up

Edvardsen's Top 20 Albums of 2017:

1. ANALEPSY Atrocities from Beyond
2. ACRANIUS Reign of Terror
3. SEPTICFLESH Codex Omega
4. SLAUGHTER TO PREVAIL Misery Sermon
5. AVERSIONS CROWN Xenocide
6. GUTSLIT Amputheatre
7. SIGNS OF THE SWARM The Disfigurement of Existence
8. ABORTED FETUS The Art of Violent Torture
9. HOLLOW PROPHET Hellhole
10. DEFIANTS Integral Annihilation
11. INGESTED The Architect of Extinction
12. RINGS OF SATURN Ultu Ulla
13. SO THIS IS SUFFERING Palace Of The Pessimist
14. DYING FETUS Wrong One to Fuck With
15. SUFFOCATION ...Of The Dark Light
16. CANNIBAL CORPSE Red Before Black
17. EMBRYO A Step Beyond Divinity
18. DYSCARNATE With All Their Might
19. COMMUNIC Where Echoes Gather
20. NERVECELL Past, Present...Torture