20 Best Metal Albums Of 2017 (So Far)

2017 marks the 30th anniversary of death metal after its invention by Death on their debut album, Scream Bloody Gore (1987). And thankfully, the early months of the year were awesome for classic death metal, as demonstrated by Obituary's self-titled album as well as Memoriam. But the best traditionally-inclined death metal album came from not from the homeland of Florida, but rather the New Yorkers Immolation and their tenth release, Atonement.

Why does this album rank the highest out of all the old-school death metallers this year? Because, quite simply, not only does it channel the roots of the genre extremely well, but it also feels distinctly modern at the same time. Instead of spending the majority of its time at a plodding mid-pace, Atonement can also be pummelling in its quickness on cuts like "Destructive Currents", the title track and "The Power of Gods", while also having slower moments such as the anarchic "Lower" and the ominous beginning of album opener "The Distorting Light".

Atonement transcends the typical assessment of extreme metal being "just noise" by possessing a brilliant production quality, state-of-the-art mixing, destructive riffs and a versatility that most older death bands still haven't been able to master.