Clockwise from top left: Aurora, Billy Strings, Honeyblood, Bon Iver, Sum-41, Tool, Opeth, 100 gecs, Subhumans and Lizzo. Welcome back to RIFF’s year-end album roundup! If you’re joining us just now, start with part one. Our album review staff is pretty musically diverse, which might explain why Opeth, Bon…

Clockwise from top left: L’Acéphale, Nile, Opeth, Lingua Ignota, Swallow The Sun, Alcest, Car Bomb, Liturgy, Idle Hands and Inter Arma. Well, we’ve made it to the end of the road to hell. These are the best slabs of heavy goodness I heard this year. Sometimes you have to…

Sweden’s Opeth has written some of death metal’s most forward-thinking albums, but at this point almost half of its discography centers on progressive rock. The transition remains divisive within the fanbase, but the illustrious body of work that followed proves its success. Opeth’s incredible consistency keeps expectations high going…