Favorite EPs of 2020

January 2, 2021

These are the EPs I enjoyed most throughout 2020. There’s another post for full albums.

Zeal & Ardor - Wake of a Nation

Protests in support of Black Lives Matter were one of the defining moments of 2020. Zeal & Ardor dropped this bombshell of an EP in October. Experimental gospel-infused post-black metal explores racial justice and the plight of BIPOC in the United States. This album is heavy.

Despairer - Unburdened

I love everything that this Seattle based crusty thrash band has on Bandcamp. Their Snakes in the Daylight EP was one of my highlights from a couple of years ago. This past February they dropped an EP that I found myself listening to again and again.

Soilwork - A Whisp of the Atlantic

Soilwork is one of my favorite Swedish melodic death bands and I’ve been a fan since Chainheart Machine. After all this time they still manage to be relevant and I couldn’t get enough of last year’s Verkligheten. A Whisp of the Atlantic is a 16min epic plus a handful of solid Soilwork tracks. The title track was even turned into this short tourist ad for Stockholm:

Dvne - Omega Severer

I don’t know how to describe Dvne’s sound. Is this sludge? It reminds me of Baroness, with melodic breaks and progressive heavy parts. With only two tracks and clocking in at 17min, this EP makes me excited for the next full-length.

Machine Head - Civil Unrest

The single for Stop the Bleeding dropped at the height of the Black Lives Matter protests and delivers a timely message against police brutality. This should come as no surprise from the band that gave us Bay of Pigs on The More Things Change.