Wouter’s Albums of the Year 2017

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2017. Another notch on our metallic belts. It seems my tastes in rock & metal haven’t changed substantially since last year. I still listen to traditional/heavy metal most of the time, making sidesteps into the realms of power, prog and doom when the occasion warrants it. I heard a few recent death and black metal records here and there, but (imo) none that could compete with the classics of said subgenres. I guess every editorial board needs its self-proclaimed guardian of “the olden ways”. Here’s a couple of releases that were able to hold my attention for more than a single week.

10-4 3-2 1

1. Lör ‒ In Forgotten Sleep

Revenge of the Wimps 3: The Next Generation

Just when you thought power metal was dead and buried, along come Lör with this electrifying debut album. To all the haters, I dare you to listen to a behemoth song like “Eidolon” and not be impressed. Such a masterful blend of folk, power and prog, executed by a band that knows a thing or two about orchestration. I’m not even in the mood to make lame jokes. Enough with all the gimmicks and the endlessly recurring festival headliners. Bring on the new generation!

Reputation is rarely proportioned to virtue. We have seen a thousand people esteemed, either for the merit they had not yet attained or for that they no longer possessed.