7) Unisonic – Light of Dawn

As amazing as Michael Kiske was on Helloween’s two Keeper records, I think his voice has only gotten better with age. I honestly was unimpressed with the debut from the band. I thought Kiske and Kai Hansen could have done better. I think their second effort was a huge improvement over the debut. This album seemed like more of a team effort, where the debut felt like a Kiske solo record that the rest of the band just helped him on. This one was certainly worth listening to.

KeyTrack: “Your Time Has Come”

6) Behemoth – The Satanist

Behemoth really broke out with this album. While the album might have been slightly more commercialized than a lot of black metal fans might enjoy their music being, I think this album really showed some adaptive and mature songwriting, while still keeping true to the black metal form. It was a solid, and consistent experience.

Key Track: “The Satanist”

5) Sabaton – Heroes

You really just can’t go wrong with Sabaton. Every record the band has ever put out has just been bouncing with energy and fun, and the band has such an incredibly unique style. I do feel this album wasn’t quite as memorable as Carolus Rex, but Sabaton has always been so consistent. This one continues that trend. You can’t go wrong with this album if you just want some energetic and fun metal.

Key Track: “Inmate 4859”