2018 is a wrap, and we sold plenty of records in this wild and weird year. We’ll be spending the next few weeks reviewing our best sellers of the recently completed calendar year. Here are our top-ten selling heavy metal records across 2018:

10. BELL WITCH MIRROR REAPER

This is a real pure doom master-class in two movements. It’s a Northwestern product and you can hear our regions bleakness in this monster. One for plumbing the depths and deep deep listening.

9. DAUGHTERS YOU WON'T GET WHAT YOU WANT

Here’s a group that brings a little more noise and abstraction to metal than most. We’d been waiting to hear more from these guys for years and with You Won’t Get What You Want we got exactly what we wanted. Perhaps their best.

8. SANDRIDER ARMADA

Another Seattle product in our top-ten! Sandrider makes motorcycle ready grunge-inflected power rock boiled to it’s essentials. We got to know some of the listening that made Sandrider the band they are in our First, Last, and Favorite column.

7. SLEEP LEAGUES BENEATH

The re-emergence of Sleep was one of the most exciting developments of 2018 for the metal nerd. This one was originally released as a digital single by adult swim, we’re thrilled Third Man made a 12”out of it!

6. GHOST PREQUELLE

A new one from Sweden’s theatrical metal masters caused some waves in 2018. Epic themes and retro influences rule this record. The singer dresses like a pope corpse.

5. HIGH ON FIRE ELECTRIC MESSIAH

Matt Pike certainly had a busy 2018, and the culture is richer for it. Both of his active bands had new studio records this past year. If you’re a little too hot blooded for Sleep we got a fresh offering from High On Fire as well! Personally, I’ll take both!

4. METALLICA RIDE THE LIGHTNING

Back in print for the first time in ages, Ride The Lightning is a hands-down classic. The well had started to run dry as far as expecting to luck into an original copy of the old 80s classics, so we welcome a high quality remaster to our record racks! Not their only entry here either.

3. METALLICA MASTER OF PUPPETS

Master of puppets, I'm pulling your strings
Twisting your mind and smashing your dreams
Blinded by me, you can't see a thing
Just call my name 'cause I'll hear you scream
Master, master!

2. DEAFHEAVEN ORDINARY CORRUPT HUMAN LOVE

We’ve been fans of these guys for a while now. Deafheaven, though derided by purists, have been stretching the bounds of metal across their career. Mixing in elements from hardcore to dream-pop their sound is truly unique. Their latest is another strong entry in a bold catalog.

1. SLEEP THE SCIENCES

Some of us had been waiting decades for this one. Though many bands, including a few by Sleep members themselves, had fruitfully explored the sonic realms opened up by their classic records, there is still NOTHING like the real thing. Best reunion record of the year and Sonic Boom’s best selling metal record.