01) Idle Hands, Mana (Eisenwald)

No other album this year got as many spins from me as the debut full-length from Idle Hands. This album has one foot in gothic rock and the other in traditional heavy metal with a distinctly 80’s flair. The one-two punch of the driving guitars of “Nightfall” and the endlessly catchy “Jackie” locks you in for a gloomy, infectious, and refreshing record. 

Key Track: “Nightfall”

Honorable Mentions:

Cult of Luna, A Dawn To Fear

King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, Infest The Rats’ Nest

Leprous, Pitfalls

Wilderun, Veil of Imagination