Live music is returning across the globe, and though there were fewer new releases than in May, there were plenty of great albums. Here are our choices for June 2021’s best heavy metal albums.

1. Boss Keloid β Family The Smiling ThrushΒ (Ripple)
Boss Keloidβs last album, 2018βsΒ Melted On The Inch, was an honorable mention on our Best of 2018 albums list, so the anticipation for their latest releaseΒ Family The Smiling ThrushΒ was high. Over the years Boss Keloidβs sound has evolved and expanded from stoner/doom. While that style is still there, they have really expanded their progressive approach, and this is their proggiest album to-date.
They boldly open with the albumβs longest track, the 9 minute βOrang Of Noyn.β On songs such as βGentle Clovisβ and βHats The Mandrillβ they display a masterful blend of groovy riffs, progressive forays and memorable melodies. This is album thatβs both catchy and creative, immediately accessible but also displaying depth that unfolds more and more upon multiple listens.Β Family The Smiling ThrushΒ is diverse and dynamic, appealing to fans of numerous genres.

2. Darkthrone – Eternal Hails (Peaceville)
With album number 19, the dynamicΒ Darkthrone duo of Nocturno Culto and Fenriz continue their love affair with the classic metal that helped shape their musical careers. Riffs are the name of the game throughout the entire run time of Eternal Hails, ranging from some tremolo picked sections to slow doom dirges and atmosphere.
Darkthrone have once again managed to craft an album that manages to marry the bandβs black metal past with the sounds that helped to make them who they are. Is this heavy black metal or is it black doom metal? Iβm not entirely sure, but after 19 albums one thing remains true: this band still rules.Β Eternal HailsΒ is one of the highlights of the year so far.

3. Helloween – Helloween (Nuclear Blast)
The new (and sixteenth overall) self-titled platter from power metal foundersΒ Helloween has to be one of the more compelling and anticipated releases of 2021. Why? Because this is the bandβs βreunionβ lineup, a seven-piece outfit with three singers and some significant history. That potential is exercised to its fullest in immediate fashion, as the trio of opening songs is Helloween in all their glory. In fact, βOut for Glory,β βFear of the Fallen,β and βBest Timeβ would be right at home on any of the bandβs classic albums.
This might be an odd statement for a power metal release, but nothing onΒ Helloween seems extravagant or over the top. Weikath, Hansen, and Sascha Gerstner all deliver great riffs and tasty solos, Grosskopfβs bass thrums and growls beneath them, and LΓΆbleβs drumming is never a distraction. The band had a tall task but they managed to hold their own with a fun, enthusiastic, and engaging offering of power metal that manages to evoke feelings of yore while still being modern. The band can be proud ofΒ Helloween, and I know a number of these songs will still be getting cranked months from now.

4. Thy Catafalque β VadakΒ (Season of Mist)
Vadak, the tenth album fromΒ Thy Catafalque, means βwildlingsβ in Hungarian, and TamΓ‘s KΓ‘tai goes wild on this album, delivering a dizzying range of styles across ten songs and over an hour of runtime. Featuring no less than sixteen guest musicians/vocalists and recorded in more than ten countries,Β VadakΒ was a monumental undertaking and KΓ‘taiβs efforts pay off handsomely.
VadakΒ is Thy Catafalqueβs most metallic release in some years, with plenty of harsh vocals and driving rhythms scattered across the album. Whether itβs the all-out aggression displayed on songs like βMΓ³lΓ³β and βGΓΆmbΓΆcβ or the kitschy countrified flavor of βKiscsikΓ³ (IrΓ©nke dala),βΒ VadakΒ is a vital, enthralling, and aggressive release from a fantastic artist. If youβve never listened to Thy Catafalque,Β VadakΒ is a great place to start.

5. Flotsam and Jetsam – Blood In The Water (AFM)
If any band has seen a career resurgence β no, actually a career resuscitation β it would be Phoenix, AZβs thrash legendsΒ Flotsam and Jetsam.Β Album number fourteen is Blood In The Water, which may just be what these grizzled veterans are smelling after charging back to the forefront of the thrash movement. The album opens with the title track, which is a relentless rain of blows upon our ears. The energy spewing forth from the speakers is exceedingly impressive for a band of any age, let alone a group of guys who have been at it for four decades.
Steve Conley and Michael Gilbert return on guitar, and of course AK Knutson mans the mic. His voice has a drama to it more akin to some power metal vocalists than thrash, but it serves to set the band apart from the hordes of other thrash acts plying their trade. As always, AK adds another dimension to the songs. His ability to convey rage, futility, desperation, elation, and more is amazing at this juncture of his career. Blood In The WaterΒ is the work of a band that still has oodles of vitality.

6. The Absence β CoffinizedΒ (M-Theory)
After going eight years without releasing an album, the Florida melodic death bandΒ The AbsenceΒ re-emerged in 2018 withΒ A Gift For The ObsessedΒ and several new members. That lineup is mostly intact forΒ Coffinized, with guitarist Joey Concepcion only on four of the tracks.
The band hits on all cylinders on this album. Thereβs plenty of crushing death metal with some thrashy moments thatβs balanced by melodic moments. Things like the brief acoustic solo in βChoirs Of Sicknessβ are interesting touches. The Absence bring a lot of creativity to the Gothenburg melodeath template along with well-written songs. As on the previous album, guitarist Taylor Nordberg and drummer Jeramie Kling handled production duties, giving it a more dynamic sound that most albums in the genre.
Other 2021 Best Monthly Albums Lists
January 2021 Best Heavy Metal Albums
February 2021 Best Heavy Metal Albums
March 2021 Best Heavy Metal Albums
April 2021 Best Heavy Metal Albums
May 2021 Best Heavy Metal Albums