Best Albums 2020 - Nr: 1 - Katatonia - City Burials

And here we are at the end of this countdown and it's time to present number one. This is the best album of the year according to Tune Of The Day.

"City Burials" stands as KATATONIAs new triumph of deep & enigmatic progressive rock. These Swedish kings have never taken a step back, always aiming to move forward as a band and always keep their own unique way in the creation of music that as a listener feels the recognition factor is near and easy to get acquainted with and that is what is done on "City Burials", you recognize vocalist Jonas Renkse's melancholy sound in an instant and this time he reaches new heights, which I didn't think was possible after 30 years of music-making. The fact that the band is being infected by Jonas Renkse's energetic quest to reach new heights is clear. The music is deep & enigmatic, where the band shows an enormously powerful, vividly emotional, and finely-honed creative instrumentation.

"City Burials" is an excellent release full of melancholy that only KATATONIA can do. Read the full review here!

Check out tomorrow for the Best off 2020, enjoy your evening and a Happy New Year

Today's tune "Behind The Blood", taken from "City Burials".



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Best Albums 2020 - Nr: 2 - Jonathan Hultén - Chants From Another Place

On the second place on the Best Albums 2020 we have "Chants From Another Place" by Jonathan Hultén, who also known as the guitarist in blackened-death metal vampires TRIBULATION.

"Chants From Another Place" is a tale of spiritual death and rebirth, it will thematically take you through landscapes of ecstasy, passing mountains of death and rebirth, sailing seas of adventure, traversing wastelands of despair and forests of myth. It is an inward journey and only time can tell which places will be visited under its duration.

Jonathan Hultén’s inspiration is drawn from a capella folk and church choir compositions, where classic artists such as Nick Drake, Simon & Garfunkel, Bert Jansch, and John Martyn is by his side in mind and is something that seeps through the landscape he has created.

"Chants From Another Place" is a folkish masterpiece. Read the full review here!

Check out tomorrow for number one in our top 50 of the Best albums 2020, enjoy your evening.

Today's tune "Where Devils Weep", taken from "Chants From Another Place".



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Best Albums 2020 - Nr: 3 - Pallbearer - Forgotten Days

In third place we find PALLBEARER's new album "Forgotten Days", the quartet's fourth long-player of the best doom Arkansans can give.

"Forgotten Days" is spread across eight towering tunes that is heavy and doomish with progressive and sluggish SABBATH infused riffs full of emotion, melancholy and metallic sparks.

A solid and heavy release by PALLBEARER, a must have in the collection. Read the full review here!

Check out tomorrow for number two in our top 50 of the Best albums 2020, enjoy your evening.

Today's tune "The Quicksand Of Existing", taken from "Forgotten Days".



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Official Pallbearer Web

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Best Albums 2020 - Nr: 4 - Dool - Summerland

On the fourth position, we find DOOL, Netherlands most notorious rock musicians with their sophomore album "Summerland"

The "Summerland" is a dark piece, heavy lyrics but musically kinda soft, laidback, psychedelic, very dynamic, and grand. It is a fairly strenuous journey that you will enter, the songs themselves are also quite widespread. A lot of twists and turns so at it's first listening, it may be a little difficult to grasp and understand its meaning. Give it a few more spins and the heavens will open and hopefully, the token falls down. One thing is clear that they have changed the route towards a different dimension. They bend their musical nurture to their own creation, searching for a true identity.

A glorious release by DOOL. Read the full review here!

Check out tomorrow for number three in our top 50 of the Best albums 2020, enjoy your evening.

Today's tune "God Particle", taken from "Summerland".



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Best Albums 2020 - Nr: 5 - Paradise Lost - Obsidian

The fifth place goes to "Obsidian", the sixteenth studio album from Halifax’s finest gothic metal band PARADISE LOST.

PARADISE LOST continues to keep the excellent shape and form they have mastered on the last two records while the reaches out to the past and bring on plenty of gothic roots that they first got recon with, here they mix it up with heavier and doomier roots stuff, with sprinkles of progginess and dark melodicism.

Read the full review here!

Check out tomorrow for number four in our top 50 of the Best albums 2020, enjoy your evening.

Today's tune "Darker Thoughts", taken from "Obsidian".



More info @

Official Paradise Lost Web

Listen to ”Paradise Lost - Darker Thoughts" on Spotify!

Listen on Spotify "Best Albums 2020", enjoy!



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Best Albums 2020 - Nr: 6 - Elephant Tree - Habits

London's ELEPHANT TREE grabs position five on the top 50 of the Best Albums 2020.

If there’s any justice, 2020 will be the year ELEPHANT TREE bloom out of best kept underground secret into a household name.

"Habits" is a stoner doom masterpiece. 

Read the full review here!

Check out tomorrow for number five in our top 50 of the Best albums 2020, enjoy your evening.

Today's tune "Sails", taken from "Habits".



More info @

Official Elephant Tree Web

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Best Albums 2020 - Nr: 7 - Necrophobic - Dawn Of The Damned

On the seventh position, we find the Swedish NECROPHOBIC are undisputed legends of the death and black metal underground.

NECROPHOBIC shines like a star on its aphelion from Earth and with its shimmer streaks down on the "Dawn Of The Damned". The album is a marvelous follow-up to the previous release. Guitar driven melodic black/death metal as it's best. From the opening intro "Aphelion" to the album closer "Devil’s Spawn Attack" we get served with incomparable, bombastic tunes with such quality and masterful brilliance that you get tipped overboard of amazement and love for the show these guys servers us.

With "Dawn Of The Damned" they surprised themselves by their own brilliance.

Read the full review here!

Check out tomorrow for number six in our top 50 of the Best albums 2020, enjoy your evening.

Today's tune "Devil's Spawn Attack" (Feat. Schmier / DESTRUCTION) is taken from "Dawn Of The Damned".



More info @

Official Necrophobic Web

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Best Albums 2020 - Nr: 8 - LIK - Misanthropic Breed

On the seventh position of the Best Albums 2020, we have "Misanthropic Breed", the third full-length album by the Swedish death metal band LIK (the Swedish word for "corpse").

A band that continues to develop in a controlled manner on the Swedish bloodsoaked corpses. Since their debut album "Mass Funeral Evocation" in 2015 and "Carnage" in 2018 they have impressed us with raw, angry, old-school death metal.

"Misanthropic Breed" is like a bag of "Tyrkisk Peber", black, hard, salty and very hot, put one in your mouth, suck and in the end the burning glory comes out and you can't get enough and suddenly you will notice that the bag is empty and you are craving for more, well get it another spin. Highly recommended.

Read the full review here!

Check out tomorrow for number seven in our top 50 of the Best albums 2020, enjoy your evening.

Today's tune "Morbid Fascination", taken from "Misanthropic Breed".



More info @

Official LIK Facebook

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Nat King Cole - The Christmas Song

Merry Christmas to You all over this globe, I hope you have a wonderful time with your family and give your nearest a gift.

We have our Christmas celebration today with the whole family when the kids are watching Donald duck and his friends at 3 o'clock, we grownup are forced to do the family duties in the kitchen and preparing everything for the dinner that will take place after the children show on tv that has gotten to be a tradition. As soon the dinner is over it's time to invite Santa for some Christmas gifts for the young once, a wonderful thing to watch happy kids open up their gifts, and hopefully the gifts are right so they really get happy.

During this time and in the middle of the countdown for the best albums a Christmas tune is welcome. Today

"The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas to You)" is a classic Christmas song written by Mel Tormé and Bob Wells in 1944 and was first recorded by The King Cole Trio in 1946. The song was recorded again in a stereophonic version with a full orchestra conducted by Ralph Carmichael using the same arrangement for Nat King Cole's The Christmas Song album in 1961.

Fourth recording: Recorded at Capitol Studios, New York City, March 30, 1961. This rendition, the first recorded in stereo, is widely played on radio stations during the Christmas season and has become the most popular/familiar version of this song. Label credit: Nat King Cole (Nat King Cole, vocals; Hank Jones, pianist; John Collins, guitarist; Charlie Harris, bassist; Lee Young, drummer; Charlie Grean, Pete Rugolo and Ralph Carmichael, orchestral arrangement; Ralph Carmichael, orchestra conductor). The instrumental arrangement is nearly identical to the 1953 version, but Cole's vocals are deeper-sounding and more focused. Originally done for The Nat King Cole Story (a 1961 LP devoted to stereo re-recordings of Cole's earlier hits), this recording was later included in a reissue of Cole's 1960 holiday album The Magic of Christmas replacing "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen". Retitled The Christmas Song, the album was issued in 1963 as Capitol W-1967(mono) / SW-1967(stereo) and today is in print on compact disc. This recording of "The Christmas Song" is also available on numerous compilation albums. Some are Capitol pop standards Christmas compilations while others are broader-based. For example, it is available on WCBS-FM's Ultimate Christmas Album Volume 3. An alternate take of the 1961 recording, featuring a different vocal and missing the solo piano on the instrumental bridge, appears on the Deluxe Edition of the 2014 compilation The Extraordinary Nat King Cole.

There were several covers of Nat Cole's original record in the 1940s. The first of these was said to be by Dick Haymes on the Decca label, but his was released first – not recorded first. The first cover of "The Christmas Song" was performed by pop tenor and bandleader Eddy Howard on Majestic. Howard was a big Cole fan, and also covered Nat's versions of "I Want to Thank Your Folks" and "(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons", among others.

Enjoy today's tune and Merry Christmas to you all.



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Best Albums 2020 - Nr: 9 - Lowrider - Refractions

LOWRIDER has returned from a 20 yrs hiatus, "Refractions" and grabs position 9 in our top 50 of the Best Albums 2020.

A brand spanking album from the Swedish stoner rockers and a superb follow up to the debut album "Ode To Io", which was released back in 2000.

"Refractions" is here to remind you what real desert/stoner rock is. Highly recommended. Read the full review here!

Check out tomorrow for number eight in our top 50 of the Best albums 2020, enjoy your evening.

Today's tune "Pipe Rider", taken from "Refractions".



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Best Albums 2020 - Nr: 10 - Demonic Death Judge - The Trail

Finland's prime sludge/stoner doom band DEMONIC DEATH JUDGE takes poistion 10 with their fifth album "The Trail". The band is originating from Kymenlaakso, Finland. Formed by two sets of brothers in 2009. The lineup would change in 2013 and remain the same since.

"The Trail" is a veritable slab of the heavy sludge, nihilistic screaming misery with massive, doomy plodding riffs, atmospheric explorations, and a doze of psychedelic spices.

An very enjoyable release from our neighbors and a must-have for stoner/sludge fans.

Read the full review here!

Today's tune "Elevation" is taken from "The Trail".



Check out tomorrow for number nine in our top 50 of the Best albums 2020, enjoy your evening.



More info @

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Best Albums 2020 - Top 50 - (20 - 11)

Second post for today, sneaked in a tune for the winter solstice as you probably notice :)

:Of The Wand & The Moon: - I Called Your Name

The winter solstice, hiemal solstice or hibernal solstice, also known as midwinter, occurs when one of the Earth's poles has its maximum tilt away from the Sun. It happens twice yearly, once in each hemisphere.

The perfect Yule present for your Yule tree.

With carols for the broken hearted during the longest night of the year. Whilst watching the snowflakes falling to earth. Watching them fade like our hopes, dreams and abscent lovers.

1 sombre loner folk song from the Danish Kim Larsen; "I Called Your Name",  joined by Sarah Hepburn (American folksinger, reed organist, and guitarist currently based in Copenhagen, Denmark) on vocals, harmonium and tambourine. Louise Wilk-Zerahn additional backing vocals. And Mikkel Elzer on electric guitar. Recorded by Kim Larsen, Mikkel Elzer & Louise Nipper, at Black Algiz Bunker & Soundscape Studio, Copenhagen. Mastered by Robert Ferbrache.



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Best Albums 2020 - Top 50 - (30 - 21)

Fourth Sunday in Advent and it's time for the next batch of 10 records 

that we have chosen to qualify for the best albums 2020. 

 Here are the albums between 30 - 21. 

 So here we go!

30.MOLASSESS - Through The Hollow 

Former members of THE DEVILS BLOOD pay tribute to late main man Selim Lemouchi, 

and they do it with great bravura on "Through The Hollow". 

29.PSYCHOTIC WALTZ - The God-Shaped Void 

Majestic return and an impressive release. 

Read the review here!

28.KRYPTOGRAF - Kryptograf 

A great Colossus for 2020, aim for the "Crimson Horizon" with KRYPTOGRAF. 

Read the review here!

27.SVARTKONST - Black Waves 

With "Black Waves" has SVARTKONST once again carved together a 

delicious trip confident barbarism and majestic darkness. 

Read the review here!

26.H.E.A.T - II 

H.E.A.T is one of the finest melodic rock bands to have come out of Scandinavia. 

Read about it here!

25.ALL THEM WITCHES - Nothing As The Ideal 

"Nothing As The Ideal" is a surprising and delightful release. 

Read the review here!

24.MINDCRAWLER - Lost Orbiter 

"Lost Orbiter" is an action-packed affair filled with psych stoner rock 

and a touch of space rock. 

23.AC/DC - Power Up 

"Power Up" is an essential album for classic hard rock fans! 

Read the review here!

22.KATLA - Allt þetta Helvítis Myrkur 

A marvelous Icelandic doomish piece! 

21.Ozzy Osbourne - Ordinary Man 

"Ordinary Man" delivers far and beyond expectations. 

Read about it here!

Check out tomorrow for the next batch in our top 50 of the Best albums 2020, enjoy your evening.

Listen on Spotify "Best Albums 2020", enjoy!