5 Best Metal Albums Of May 2018

On their monumental thirteenth studio album, Helsinki’s Amorphis unite death metal, progressive metal, power metal, symphonic metal and even native folk music to make the extreme end of the audial spectrum enrapturing and beautiful.

Also, bees. Queen of Time really likes bees. With the hexagonal design of its artwork, continuous allusions to “amber” and “gold”, and an opening track that is literally entitled “The Bee”, this album may just have the weirdest conceptual thread in the history of heavy music.

But that’s OK, because the tracks that that theme gives birth to are nothing short of majestic. Stand-out moments include the neck-snapping opening and choruses of “Daughter of Hate” (plus that sweet sax solo!), the empowering anthem “Wrong Direction” and the piratic opera that is “Heart of the Giant”, but, deep down, listeners know that every second of Queen of Time is a highlight: the album’s ability to keep its fans enthralled and excited for almost a complete hour is no small feat, and it never once overstays its welcome.

There should be little doubt in people’s minds that Queen of Time keeps up with its beloved predecessor, Under the Red Cloud, which was hailed as one of the best metal albums of 2015.