10. LillyeEvolve (Eclipse Records)

“Imagine if Led Zeppelin and Heart had a child that had been raised on Halestorm, Skunk Anansie and Sevendust …raw passion and energy”. – Paul Kerr, 15/5/18

Read Paul’s full review HERE

9. NaberusHollow (Eclipse Records)

“No second album syndrome here for these guys… a good mix of aggressive, in your face thrashing tracks that keep the head banging and variation that really spikes my interest”. – PK, 13/06/16

Read Paul’s Full Review HERE

8. TemtrisRapture (Battlegod Productions)

“This is the album that sees the band kicking down the door to the international departure lounge at Sydney Airport, screaming ‘we’re ready to take on the world!’… this is a buy-or-die record”. – Ferry Templeton, 31/10/18

Read Ferry’s Eulogy to Temtris HERE

7. PsycropticAs The Kingdom Drowns (EVP Recordings)

“Tasmania’s finest reach career-best form on their new album… Tight, crisply put together but best of all chest-crushingly heavy, this is surely Psycroptic approaching career-best levels of heaviness and, crucially, accessibility”. – Michael Stronge, 09/11/2018

Read Michael’s Full Musings on As the Kingdom Drowns HERE

6. Rebel Wizard – Voluptuous Worship Of Rapture And Response (Prosthetic Records)

“A raucous, cacophonous riot of sounds that sometimes teeters on the edge of the unlistenable before soaring on the wings of NWoBHM melody to aural redemption” – MS, 15/12/2018

5. Virgin BlackRequiem Pianissimo (Own Label)

“Starkly beautiful, elementally moving, ethereal yet grounded in human suffering, Virgin Black’s latest work is a wonderful piece of modern classicism that might not be to all tastes but is sure to connect with those listeners with a deeper understanding of orchestration and musicality”. – Scott Adams, 06/11/2018

Read Scott’s full appreciation of Requiem Pianissimo HERE

4. The EternalWaiting for the Endless Dawn (Inverse Records)

“The Eternal have proved once more with Waiting… that they have the confidence in their own abilities that allows a band to make their music unrestrained by the need to meet industry mores or listener peccadilloes halfway. They stand or fall by the music they create, willingly, and on this record they stand in triumph”.-SA 23/08/18

Read Scott’s full review of the album HERE

3. Opus of a MachineStray Fire (Own Label)

“Opus of A Machine’s point of difference is their use of restraint, the employment of force only to underline the relevant musical themes; this sheer class and self-possession sees them rarely falling into the trap of self- indulgence so many of their peers fall prey to… If you only buy one Aussie prog album this year, you could do no better than make it this one”. – SA 30/07/2018

Read Scott’s Review of Stray Fire HERE

2. PortalIon (Profound Lore)

Ion isn’t an album that’s going to inspire devotion or convert hordes of the uninitiated to the cause; but as an aural attempt to demonstrate what irreparable mental breakdown might sound like, it had few peers this or any other year”. – MS, 15/12/2018

All of which means our Australian Album of 2018 is…

Rise of AvernusEigengrau (Code666)

“The musicians in Rise of Avernus constantly strive for a clear-headed representation of their art… the band sound direct, compact and heavy, and the music is enjoyable…This is definitely an album worth investing some attention in”. – Graham Goodge, 03/02/2018

Read Graham’s full review of Eigengrau HERE