Diaries of Doom Top 40 of 2020

This year didn't really go to plan, did it? I'm sure we're all relieved to see 2020 finally on its way out - who's taking bets for 2021? Zombie apocalypse, anyone?

Regardless, there's been some absolutely stellar new releases all year round. The Diaries of Doom writers team have gotten their heads together and picked out 40 of their favourites from 2020 - in alphabetical order, to avoid lengthy, meandering arguments. Find something here that you previously missed.

As you'd expect, there's a lot of sludge, doom and stoner here. But we've also got everything else, from Pearl Jam to grindcore. Here's our essential 40 releases of 2020.

Anaal Nathrakh - Endarkenment (blackened death)

Battalions - Pure Humber Sludge (sludge)

Beggar - Compelled to Repeat (sludge)


Cillian Breathnach - Lothric (drone/dark ambient)

Corrupt Moral Altar - Patiently Waiting for Wonderful Things (death/grindcore)

Deftones - Ohms (alternative metal)

Desert Storm - Omens (progressive sludge)

Dvne - Omega Severer (progressive sludge)

Elephant Tree - Habits (stoner/psychedelic rock)

Grimorte - Esoteric Ascendance (black/death-doom)

King Corpse - Sacred Crimson (progressive sludge)

Kirk Windstein - Dream in Motion (rock)

Konvent - Puritan Masochism (sludge/death-doom)

Kvelertak - Splid (rock/hardcore/black metal)

Land Captains - Delta (blues rock)

Las Historias - Las Historias (psych rock)

Master Charger - Origin of the Lugubrious (stoner metal)

Napalm Death - Throes of Joy in the Jaws of Defeatism (grindcore)

Oneiric Celephäis - The Obscure Sibyl (techdeath)

Pearl Jam - Gigaton (alternative rock)

Pelugion - 2 (doom/grunge)

Puresonic Outcasts - Reflections Upon This Present Condition (stoner rock)

Raging Speedhorn - Hard to Kill (sludge/alternative metal)

Slump - Nothing More (stoner rock/doom)

The Sonic Dawn - Enter the Mirage (psych rock)

Sound of Origin - The All Seeing Eye (stoner rock/doom)

Spirit Adrift - Enlightened in Eternity (progressive/heavy metal)

Svalbard - When I Die, Will I Get Better? (hardcore/alternative)

Sycomore - Bloodstone (sludge/hardcore)

Those Snakes - Widowmaker (sludge/psychedelic)

Thou - Blessings of the Highest Order (sludge/grunge)

Trivium - What the Dead Men Say (heavy metal/thrash)

Tumanduumband - Cursed With Blackened Tongues (doom)

Venom Prison - Primeval (death metal)

Video Nasties - Dominion (black n' roll)

Vile Creature - Glory! Glory! Apathy Took Helm! (sludge)

Violent Soho - Everything is A-Ok (alternative rock)

Visions of Disfigurement - Aeons of Misery (brutal death metal)

Voidlurker - Industrial Nightmare (doom)

White Stones - Kuarahy (progressive death metal)


That's us signed off for the year, then. Have a good New Year's, everyone, stay safe. I guess we all knew 2020 would end in tiers (sorry, couldn't resist).

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