Your Top 5 (or 10 or whatever) Releases for 2020!

Jen5 wrote:

You  could always do you master magic on it, Chris....

Seeing that it is already brick-walled, I doubt there is much I could do to fix this.  But, I may try just for giggles.

I still need to do my list.  Here goes:

1.  LORDCHAIN - The Shadow Project
2.  Stryper - Even The Devil Believes
3.  Saint - The Calf
4.  Bride - Here Is Your God
5.  Messenger - In To Win
6.  Wytch Hazel III:  Pentecost
7.  Seventh Day Slumber - Unseen;  The Lion & the Lamb
8.  Michael - Michael II
9.  True Strength - The Might Hand Of God
10. Gale Force - S/T  (This would probably rank higher if I had a lyric sheet)

Well I didn't make the 15th date, but I'm finally ready to make my list.
I only purchased 13 new albums this year (well at least from Christian artists/bands). So I'm gonna do a top 6.

1. Evans & Stokes - Diary of the Damned (what can I say, I'm a total fanboy of this duo)
2. Warpriest - Warpriest (I'm not a massive doom fan but this was the style I really dig, fantastic release)
3. Messenger - In To Win (wow, massive improvement in production and musicianship from the last studio album)
4. Stryper - Even The Devil Believes (likely their best post-reunion album yet)
5. Wytch Hazel - III: Pentecost (I like this group more and more with each release)
6. Nina Llopis - Unveiled Part 1-2 (surprised I liked this one so much)

Honorable mentions.  The Halo demo "Life Goes On" was a fantastic nostalgic trip to the 80's sound.  Imagine the first Halo album but with a guitarist heavily influenced by EVH.  The recording quality wasn't amazing, but for an 80's demo it was pretty darned good.  Also Wasp-76b shocked me.  I am not a fan of death or guttural style vocals, but this album surprised me.  It is really good and I find myself actually able to understand a lot of the lyrics (especially with repeated listens), another album I am happy to have taken a chance on.

I'm convinced that 2020 was a better year for Christian music releases than the last 3 or even 4 years (at least for this music fan).  I am just tickled with pretty much everything I got this year, and I don't even have my copy of the Gale Force album yet.

1. Saint: The Calf (I’m such a fanboy that if Saint puts out an album it’s gonna be at or near the top).
2. Stryper: Even the Devil Believes (I prefer NMHtP, Fallen, and GDE, but this is still great stuff).
3. Rend Collective: Choose to Worship (not as good as Good News, but mostly excellent).
4. Rend Collective: A Jolly Irish Christmas Volume II (good stuff)
5. Messenger: In to Win (solid stuff with a great sound. I would like a few bigger hooks on the album, but still, good stuff).

I also got Needtobreathe: Out of Body, but I need to give it a proper listen. The little bit I heard was great.