It is that time of year again and the round up of VELVET THUNDER‘s writers choices for albums of 2020.
It is unlikely that anyone would argue that 2020 has been a unique year with our daily lives being altered by a global pandemic. Music and the arts have truly suffered with tour after tour postponed or cancelled until at least 2021, it has been the year where live music – in the traditional sense – became non-existent. Live music did find a way to exist in other ways with bands embracing technology through live streaming – hardly the same – but provided a chance to do something in order to present live music to an audience. Here is to 2021 seeing the return of bands to stages.
On the albums front and despite the challenges, it has been a stellar year even if some “big” albums were initially put back and with no tours to support them. With so many amazing records, it has still made it difficult to choose that top ten. Some liberties have been taken with the list this year which does feature the odd 2020 re-release of older albums and live albums also released in 2020.
Hopefully, VELVET THUNDER has had a hand in your buying/listening choices in 2020. Thanks for the support and see you in ’21!

Lee Vickers
- The Ocean Collective – Phanerozoic II: Mesozoic | Cenozoic (Metal Blade)
- Heathen – Empire Of The Blind (Nuclear Blast)
- Static-X – Project Regeneration Vol.1 (Osteogo Enterainment)
- Smackbound – 20/20 (Frontiers Music)
- Amaranthe – Manifest (Nuclear Blast)
- Soilwork – A Whisp Of The Atlantic (Nuclear Blast)
- Die Kreatur – Panoptikum (Napalm)
- Testament – Titans Of Creation (Nuclear Blast)
- Enslaved – Utgard (Nuclear Blast)
- AC/DC – Power Up (Colombia)

Steve Pilkington
- Stephen Dale Petit – 2020 Visions (333 Records)
- Hawkwind – Hawkwind 50: Live (Cherry Red)
- IO Earth – Aura (Self Released)
- Multi Story – CBF10 (Festival Music)
- Eddie And The Hot Rods – New York Live (Angel Air Records)
- Rick Wakeman – The Red Planet (Madfish)
- Airbag – A Day At The Beach (Karisma Records)
- Tiger Moth Tales – Still Alive (White Knight Records)
- Magenta – Masters Of Illusion (Tigermoth Records)
- Nektar – The Other Side (Esoteric Antenna / Esoteric Recordings)

Stoyan Tsonev
- Psychotic Waltz – The God Shaped Void (Inside Out Music)
- Necrophobic – Dawn Of The Damned (Century Media Records)
- Acherontas – Psychic Death – The Shattering of Perceptions (Agonia Records)
- Fates Warning – Long Day Good Night (Metal Blade Records)
- Mörk Gryning – Hinsides Vrede (Season of Mist)
- Evoke – Seeds Of Death (Pulverised Records)
- Perdition Temple – Sacraments Of Descension (Hells Headbangers)
- Magnum – The Serpent Rings – (SPV GmbH)
- Vicious Rumors – Celebration Decay (Steamhammer)
- Sodom – Genesis XIX (Steamhammer)

Terry Craven
- Magnum – The Serpent Rings (SPV/Steamhammer)
- Ross The Boss – Born Of Fire (AFM Records)
- Death Dealer – Conquered Land (Steel Cartel Records)
- Caligula’s Horse – Rise Radiant (Insideoutmusic)
- Lords Of Black – Alchemy Of Souls (Frontiers)
- Vanden Plas – The Ghost Xperiment: Illumination (Frontiers)
- Stargazery – Constellation (Pure Steel Records)
- Rhodium – Sea Of The Dead (Sliptrick Records
- Sinner’s Blood – The Mirror Star (Frontiers)
- Terra Atlantica – Age Of Steam (Pride & Joy Music)

Lorne Murphy
- Wobbler – Dwellers Of The Deep (Karisma Records)
- Zopp – Zopp (Bad Elephant Music)
- The Amorphous Androgynous and Peter Hammill – We Persuade Ourselves We Are Immortal (fsoldigital)
- Elds Mark – Elds Mark (Elds Mark)
- Kavus Torabi – Hip To The Jag (Believers Roast)
- La Maschera di Cera – S.E.I. (AMS)
- Deep Purple – Whoosh! (earMUSIC)
- Dyble Longdon – Between A Breath And A Breath (English Electric Recordings)
- Grumblewood – Stories Of Strangers (Gravity Dream)
- Nightwish – Human :II: Nature (Nuclear Blast)

Paul Whimpenny
- Hex A.D. – Astro Tongue In The Electric Garden (Fresh Tea)
- Tiger Moth Tales – The Whispering Of The World (White Knight Records)
- H.E.A.T – II (Absolute)
- Northern Crown – In A Pallid Shadow (Northern Crown)
- Arabs In Aspic – Madness and Magic (Karisma Records)
- Bruce Springsteen – Letter To You (BMGS4)
- IO Earth – Aura (Self Released)
- Avatarium – An Evening With Avatarium (Nuclear Blast)
- Snowy White – Something On Me (Snowy White)
- Slomosa – Slomosa (Apollon Records)

Richard Proctor
- Blue Öyster Cult – The Symbol Remains (Frontiers Music)
- Joe Bonamassa – Royal Tea (Provogue/Mascot, KTBA)
- Villagers of Ioannina City – The Age of Aquarius (Napalm Records)
- Kimono Drag Queens – Songs Of Worship (Copper Feast Records)
- Dawnwalker – Ages (Self-released)
- Son Of Man – State of Dystopia (Esoteric Antenna / Red Cherry Records)
- Connor Bracken And The Mother Leeds Band – Nightbird Motel (Asbury Park Music)
- Voodoo Six – Make Way for The King (Explorer1)
- A Day In Venice – Lights EP (Independent Release)
- The Strokes – The New Abnormal (Cult Records/RCA Records)

Graeme Stroud
- Derek Sherinian – The Phoenix (InsideOut Music)
- Joe Bonamassa – Royal Tea (Provogue)
- Neal Morse – Jesus Christ The Exorcist Live At Morsefest (Frontiers)
- Neal Morse – Sola Gratia (InsideOut Music)
- Dyble Longdon – Between A Breath And A Breath (English Electric Recordings)
- Cats In Space – Atlantis (Harmony Factory Records)
- Sauce Matrix – Guardian Angels (Self Release/Bandcamp
- Ayreon – Electric Castle Live (Music Theories Recordings)
- Robert Jon & The Wreck – Last Light On The Highway
- Stephen Dale Petit – 2020 Visions (Cherry Red)

Laurence Todd
- Amy Birks – All That I Am And All That I Was (Mab Records)
- Neal Morse Band – The Great Adventour 2019 (InsideOut Music)
- Pattern Seeking Animals – Prehensile Tales (InsideOut Music)
- Kansas – Absence Of Presence (InsideOut Music)
- Goldray – Feel The Change (Akashic Records)
- Rush – Permanent Waves (40th Anniversary Edition) (UMC – Mercury)
- Solstice – Sia (GEP)
- Riverside – Lost ‘n’ Found: Live In Tilburg 2015 (InsideOut Music)
- Steve Hackett – Selling England by the Pound & Spectral Mornings; Hammersmith 2019 (InsideOut Music)
- Flower Kings – Islands (InsideOut Music)

Stephen Lambe
- Magenta – Masters Of Illusion (Tigermoth Records)
- Jon Anderson – 1000 Hands Part 1 (Blue Élan Records)
- Abel Ganz – The Life Of The Honey Bee And Other Moments Of Clarity (Abel Records)
- Solstice – Sia (GEP)
- ChimpanA – The Empathy Machine (Tigermoth Records)
- Zio – Flower Torania (Posh and Rock)
- Opium Cartel – Valor (Apollon Records)
- The Tangent – Auto Reconnisance (InsideOut Music)
- Tim Bowness – Late Night Laments (InsideOut Music)
- Rick Wakeman – The Red Planet (Madfish)

Manir Donaghue
- That Joe Payne – By Name, by Nature (Tjp)
- Haken – Virus (InsideOut Music)
- Prince – Sign O’ The Times (Super Deluxe Edition) (Rhino)
- Tears For Fears – Seeds Of Love (Deluxe Edition) (UMC – Mercury)
- McStine & Minneman – 2 (McStine & Minnemann)
- McStine & Minneman (McStine & Minnemann)
- Public Enemy – What You Gonna Do When The Grid Goes Down? (EMI)
- Eels – Earth to Dora (E Works)
- Rick Wakeman – The Red Planet (Madfish)
- Fish – Weltschmerz (Chocolate Frog Records)

Sebastian Vickers
- Dance Gavin Dance – Afterburner (Rise Records)
- Currents – The Way It Ends (Sharptone Records)
- Bury Tomorrow – Cannibal (Sony)
- Make Them Suffer – How To Survive A Funeral (RIse Records)
- Polaris – The Death of Me (Sharptone Records)
- Fit For A King – The Path (Solid State)
- Invant Animate – Greyview (Tragic Hero Records)
- The Amity Affliction – Everyone Loves You…When You Leave Them (Pure Noise)
- The Ghost Inside – The Ghost Inside (Epitaph)
- Sylosis – The Cycle Of Suffering (Nuclear Blast)
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