Average Rating: 3.41 Rating Variance: 0.41 Objectivity Score: 77% (Well Balanced)
Sort by: Rating | Release Date | Rating Date | Name5.0 classicCreedence Clearwater Revival Chronicle, Vol. 1Find me a better compilation album and I would be shocked. Classic after classic after classic. An album I could put on at literally any moment to bring me joy and comfort. I would list some tracks but it would end up being the entire tracklist. Putting it that way makes it seem surreal that one band was responsible for all of these excellent songs in such a short period of time. Swamp Rock perfection.ISIS PanopticonMy comments cannot possibly add much to what has already been said about this truly epic brew of sludge, atmospheric metal, gaze and post-rock. Panopticon is one of those records where every single note feels like it has its place in our universe. After years of listening to this the buildups still give me goosebumps, the climax of Backlit is seriously unmatched. The layering of many guitar tracks atop synth leaves me floating away in a troubled paradise. The production makes me feel like nothing else matters but the sounds on the album, some of the most grasping production I have ever encountered. The vocals are powerful and key to the records success but placed sparsely enough that you don't feel overpowered by them. Classic.Janelle Monae Dirty ComputerAn absolute mammoth of a pop album that perfectly bridges the gap between extremely political and extremely approachable, addictive pop. In almost every song Janelle gets her message across while still being able to maintain the catchy, effortless accessibility that well made pop should have. R&B, soul, funk and hip hop vibes bleed into the music at almost every turn and this style separates Janelle from her contemporaries in the pop world, she basically is swagger. The consistency of tracks here is unreal and every single song has a key, memorable moment to draw back to making a full play-through truly magical. On top of that Janelle crushes it in so many different ways. Screwed is the pop anthem exuding sexual innuendo, dismal world views while being insanely catchy with the best hook of the year. Django Jane is one of the best rap sections of the year. Make Me Feels is perhaps the overall best track on the album and basically a perfect pop song. Beyond this Janelle can flat out sing displayed in the slower R&B centric tracks like Don't Judge Me, So Afraid and I Like That. The politics, LGBT and feminist vibes are sure to turn away plenty of people but in the end Janelle puts it all on the line here and musically this is the best pop album of recent times.Kendrick Lamar To Pimp a ButterflySeamless blend of Hip Hop and Jazz. Kendrick at the top of his game with great style (For Free? is just amazing) and lyricism. I loved good Kid, m.A.A.d city but somehow this album has managed to surpass it. To Pimp A Butterfly has the most depth on a Hip Hop album since Kanye's Fantasy. The true standout of 2015 thus-far and something I cannot imagine ever being forgotten.Let's Eat Grandma I'm All EarsAs far as electropop goes this is the best of the lot in 2018 and it doesn't really feel that close. Rosa and Jenny of Let's Eat Grandma have known each other basically their whole lives and have been making music together for most of that time. Their first release 'I, Gemini' was juvenile and a collection of projects rather than a succinct, finely crafted album but it showed a lot of promise considering their age at the time. Thank god they continued because I'm All Ears is a magnificent experience that seemingly came out of left field. By all means this might be the most re-playable album of 2018 because, as the reviewer here notes, they really have a knack at mixing experimentation with catchy, well crafted pop songs. There are progressive elements to the music but they are mixed in so perfectly and the tracks are just too approachable and addictive to listen to. The longer tracks feel almost exploratory. The two also get so much rich content out of seemingly simple synth setups and production elements. This backdrop really allows the two vocalists to shine and be the stars of the show, as the should be in a pop record. Rosa and Jenny are up to the task. Their emotions and personalities are on full display as they discuss relationships, gender stereotypes and heartbreak and this personality is key to the records success. They come off as vulnerable and relate-able here and not as some pop icon or overproduced soulless singer behind a veil that you cannot get a feeling for. A group to keep an eye on, for sure.Metallica Master of PuppetsMetallica Kill 'Em AllMetallica Ride the LightningMetallica ...And Justice for AllRosalia MotomamiThe obvious pick for pop album of the year sees Rosalia evolving her sound further into the Pop world and further out of the Flamenco sound. The album rides the fine line between artsy pop and proper pop fabulously as all of the most interesting and addicting modern pop records do. You get the catchy earworms and the songs that allow for deep inspection. Motomami has seemingly endless replay value and great pacing as Rosalia places the dramatic between the groovy. Seeing how hyperpop and disco/80s adoration has been such a strong force in pop music over the last half decade it was hard to see where the genre would be pushed next but Rosalia has taken the torch and pushed the genre towards Spanish/Latin influences. The album shines when experienced on the whole but some highlights are 'Saoko', 'La Fama', 'Bizcochito', 'Diablo','La Combi Versace' and 'Sakura'. The only thing better than listening to this album in 2022 was seeing it live, with a crowd that is often as loud or louder than the music it is an inspirational experience.The Jezabels SynthiaFrom the opening track Stand and Deliver to the epic ender Stamina, the Jezabels unleash a masterpeice in the form of a special mix of synth pop and indie rock. Hayley Mary's vocals are incredibly complimentary to the barrage of synth and at times extremely impressive such as in A Message from My Mothers Passed; she truly has great style. Just as important is Heather Shannon's work on the keyboards. The synth is thick and in your face but never feels remotely cheesy or intrusive. Synthia is unbelievably consistent and well paced; there is not a single moment on the album that could be removed. Epic climaxes and somber lows each ebb and flow is crucial to the album's success and it is rife with memorable moments musically and lyrically. Stamina is probably the best track on the album but on any given day each and every one of the tracks feels like a standout highlight.Wire Pink FlagLittle needs to be added to the conversation around this album. If you are a fan of punk or even just rock and have not heard this record it should instantly catapult to the next thing that you listen to. All of the tracks are memorable and that is rather impressive for an album with 20+ songs. Wire manage to keep a tight but borderline perfect approach throughout without straying away from quality in the music, songwriting or production. Released in 1977 and a natural progression of the early 70s punk and obviously influential to loads of music to come in the following decades.4.5 superb100 Gecs 1000 Gecs and the Tree of CluesI am not sure how I feel about how much I like this album and where my life is headed based on that. The guest list on this record is stacked to the ceiling and each guest vocalist, rapper, producer or band really brings their own flavor to the remixes of the song they are on. 'Ringtone' with Charli XCX and KKB is one of the catchiest, best pop releases of the year with so much beautiful bright energy radiating from it and endless catchiness. 'rxXXi_wud_nvrstøp_ÜXXx' is a terrible song name but the electronics, beat and charisma of Tommy Cash and Hannah Diamond and the endless, driving energy make you wanna dance like an idiot. Those are just the tip of the iceberg and far from the only good songs found here, even Fallout Boy crush it on 'Hand Crushed by a Mallet'. Hyper, noisy, playful and loud, this collection brings some of the best in pop together for 50 minutes of fun.Absolute Purity We Fought Over the MoonA post-punk record that is a beautiful cacophony of high-pitched yelled vocals, noisy guitars, intruding harsh synths and electronic drums. At times it reminds you of Le Tigre in ways like on the absolute banger 'Celesta' and at other times dare I say it feels a bit spacey and like you are in some club deep in a space void, likely due to the groovy bass and the texture of the synth. The album peaks at 'Celesta' and 'Crime Fiction' but the blend of sounds proves strong for the entire records length and there are many layers to peel back in the electronic instrumentation here. Found this completely randomly and it became one of the top records of the year, for me. Goodbye 2022.Angel Olsen My WomanFalling somewhere between singer-songwriter, folk, garage rock and indie rock, My Woman by Angel Olsen shines from beginning to end covering a diverse and impressive sonic landscape. Angel is the obvious centerpiece and the key to the album's success as all of the music is centered around her vocals. Emotions on the album cover a wide range but overall it feels a bit on the melancholic side while not being obviously sad. That being said, Shut Up Kiss Me is one of the catchiest songs of the year and extremely upbeat. My Woman covers a lot of ground while still being a very tight knit package and one that comes off as natural. Overall this is a rock record but tracks like "Never Be Mine" feel like throwback pop, "Heart-Shaped Face" more of a country drawl, "Shut Up Kiss Me" a crunchy rock hit, "Sister" a slow emotional country ballad and "Woman" which builds for 6 minutes before an epic climax of emotion with psych rock elements. The production on My Woman is pristine and further accentuates the beauty inside the record allowing Angel to truly shine. Every song is memorable but Shut Up Kiss Me, Heart Shaped Face, Sister and Woman make up a sampler more impressive than just about any record in 2016.Black Country, New Road For the first timeBlack Country, New Road Ants From Up ThereIt took a lot longer to truly get into this one compared to their previous release but once it clicks this album is a true gem from front to back. For every epic moment there is an equal and necessary meditative build up and this album as a whole is just a masterclass in songwriting and tension dynamics in music. Instrumentally it brings a bit of everything to the table and it touches prog without it being shoved in your face and the need for funny sounding synths. Too bad the band dissolved in its original state like a week before they were playing 10 minutes down the road from me. I dunno, maybe they will play material from the first 2 full lengths in MA some day in the future but not really getting hopes up.Bladee The FoolBladee x ECCO2K CrestEcco2k's la la las in 'White Meadow' are the most angelic, happy moment in music in 2022 and god damn is that track a contender for SOTY. I still struggle to find words to describe what attracts me to Bladee's recent output but the simple synth beats, the angelic/ethereal entirely overproduced vocals, the fun and the peaceful and hypnotic nature of the music is certainly part of it. The production on this album deserves some praise. A listen on quality headphones reveals how much attention to detail there is in the mix of every beat and sonically the album is beautiful, this is perhaps displayed best in the 9-minute '5 Star Crest'. The fun doesn't stop or even begin at 'White Meadow' as almost every track on this album shows just how great the chemistry between Bladee and Ecco2k is, besides perhaps the closer which slows things down quite a bit. There is very little left of Rap in Bladee's music anymore but maybe he has just found his final form because right now he is making some of the most interesting synthpop out there.Carly Rae Jepsen EmotionE MO TION by Carly Rae Jepsen delivers a sophisticated pop experience reminiscent of the 1980s but refined through a modern scope. The glistening, excellent production is all 2015 but the sounds and beats remind me of both Janet and Michael Jackson producing an album that is truly a masterful mix of emulation and originality. Carly Rae's personality is all over the album, as it should be, with her vocal versatility and sweetness often being irresistible as she navigates both joyous and relatable issues. Man is this album just FUN. Twelve tracks and forty-four minutes is seemingly perfect as not a single moment lulls with maybe a slight hiccup in LA Hallucinations (TMZ shoutouts are bleh). The only other complaint is the obviousness of the radio-single chorus of I Really Like You, a great track but... really, really? For me, Boy Problems deserves an extra shoutout considering how it contains a perfect beat and Carly's best delivery on the album, it truly comes together wonderfully. Considering how bubbly and one-hit-wonder-esque Call Me Maybe was this might be the surprise album of the year. Carly has truly found that magical place between commercial powerhouse and true artistry and I hope she continues on this more sophisticated path. Catchy and well-composed, what a dangerous combination. Top standouts are Run Away With Me, Emotion, Gimmie Love, All That, Boy Problems, Let's Get Lost, When I Needed You but no track even approaches subpar. Remove any assumptions about this artist and give this album a good listen, or 10, right now.Caroline Polachek Desire, I Want To Turn Into YouPop album of the year for 2023 and overall album of the year for 2023. Caroline Polachek starts off 'Desire, I Want To Turn Into You' with an epic howl, showing off her vocal range and setting the stage for an adventure that rarely, if ever, has a moment that doesn't command your attention. In an album with such a stacked tracklist, a few songs do rise to the tippy top in terms of quality and those that push Art Pop forward as a genre. The opener is about as good of an album intro that exists, maybe ever. 'Sunset' takes on a guitar driven flamenco/Spanish sound that might be the perfect backdrop for Caroline's powerful vocalizing. 'I Believe' takes on a more uptempo, 80s pop style and is a stage for her vocal range to really be pushed to the limits. 'Blood and Butter' is percussion driven, brooding and adventurous building up to a bagpipe section and a fun descending la da da da ending vocal melody. 'Billions' wraps things up wonderfully. This album reminds us that extremely intricate, artsy pop can be catchy and complex at the same time and truly establishes Caroline Polachek as a pillar in the pop world.Control Top Covert ContractsThe best "core" and angry album of the year combining punk/hardcore/post punk and beyond for an experience that is in your face and unapologetic taking on modern society whether it be technology, gender issues or patriarchy. Control Top lead things off with a grovvy, gainy bassline and almost never let their foot off the gas during the 29 minute record. The crunchy basslines and thumping bass drum provide the skeleton for fantastic noisy guitars and Ali Carter's yelling, screaming and singing. The guitar production, tones and texture deserve a massive shoutout as they are a step above the rest for this genre. A beautifully noisy and dissonant mix of leads and uptempo chord progressions. It seems like any of the band members can take the lead at anytime and this fact alone makes the album worth revisiting many times as there is depth and nuance in the vocals, bass, drums and guitars. I am not sure who the bull in the china shop is but I know that Control Top is making better, beautifully aggressive post hardcore/punk than anyone else at this very moment.Conway the Machine God Don't Make MistakesI am not sure about god making mistakes but Conway the Machine certainly doesn't make many mistakes on his most recent release. Some of the previous releases out of the Griselda camp have felt a bit too raw at times and saturated with the brrrrrrrrr dooo dooo dooo gun sounds but it feels like the most recent batch of albums has found a great balance between their signature Buffalo sounds and something that can be approached by even more casual hip hop fans. On the whole, one thing that sticks out is how personal and open Conway gets on the album talking about Bells Pallsy and his struggles with mental health and substance use. Somehow that works to really sew all of the lyrical themes of this record together in harmony. The whole album is consistent but the first two tracks really just feel like a coming out party for Conway. 'Lock Load' is a perfect intro that gives you a taste of the true, gritty Conway and Tear Gas brings in excellent backup from Rick Ross and Lil Wayne to make one of the best songs from Conway yet (shoutout to the Russell Wilson lyric). Right after that it goes into 'Piano Love' which really feels like a signature Griselda track at this point; raw, spooky and conniving. This contrast between bold tracks like 'Tear Gas' and those like 'Piano Love' makes for an instant classic.Crizin da Z.O. AceleroBeing fairly unfamiliar to this type of Brazilian music and also not fluent in Portuguese makes it a bit difficult to dive super deep into thoughts on this record but in the end 'Acelero' is packed with energy and a wonderfully entertaining listen from end to end. The complexity in the beats and the rhythms and the attention to detail in the beats makes it one of the more interesting listens of the year so far and one that you can dissect seemingly endlessly. It feels like the more headphones or sound systems I listen on the more sounds I notice and the album just continues to open up after each and every spin. 'Calmo de apasar de tudo' is a highlight with an excellent guest verse from Saskia. 'Demônio do Rio da Prata' is another infectious track that kicks up the energy and blends a ton of different influences into one great song. Another true standout is 'Simulado' but in the end it is hard to find any lapses in the record.Danny Brown Atrocity ExhibitionAtrocity Exhibition. A fitting album title for a hip hop experience that is somewhat hard to describe in writing. Danny Brown covers all the bases on this record which stands above the rest in the game in 2016 from catchy bangers like Ain't It Funny to abstract, truly weird songs like Pneumonia. Atrocity Exhibition just feels like a journey into Danny Brown's brain, a unique one that certainly can't be imitated or matched by any other rappers. Psychadelic, dark, abstract, chaotic and at times catchy, this one will be remembered for a long time.David Bowie BlackstarNot much more needs to be said about this album because Blackstar started 2016 off with a bang and then a few days later threw the music world into mourning and a general sense of wonder and confusion. How often do you have an album that is truly excellent come out at the very end of someones career? On top of that this artist was literally on their deathbed and left the album to the world as a sort of goodbye. Only David Bowie could pull something like this off and Blackstar is stacked. The 41 minutes fly by with so many memorable moments covering the whole spectrum of moods with an overall sense of mystery throughout. Even more impressive is the experimentation with Jazz, Rock and Pop and the instrumentation involved. This album will warrant revisiting extensively as the years go by and I feel like its mystery will only grow deeper. One of my all-time favorite artists is gone but he has left behind a catalog that will satisfy any music lover for a lifetime.death's dynamic shroud DarklifeJust take the Sputnik review and make everything the opposite. 'Darklife' feels like an adventure through sound that would mimic Interstellar or something. There is a whole hell of a lot going on, a ton of awesome textures, layers and production details and just enough vocals to guide you through the soundscape. 'Judgement Bolt' really opens things up and the quality rarely dips after that. And put some respect on 'Neon Memories', this is definitely one of the top tracks of 2022. What a truly gorgeous sounding record and I am glad they left "some other version of the album on the floor'.Dorian Electra FlamboyantEnslaved In TimesAlong with Paradise Lost, the old men of the metal scene are destroying 2015. My favorite metal album this year, In Times delivers six tracks of intense proggy Black Metal. The interchange between the growls and melodic vocals are borderline perfect and the riffs capture a fine-line balance of death and melody. The prog is obvious but weaved in so well with solid song writing that it comes off naturally and not just "look at us, we are unpredictable" wankery. All great tracks but Building With Fire and One Thousand Years of Rain are classics.Fiona Apple Fetch the Bolt CuttersNot much more needs to be said or can be said about this album. The instant classic that lived up to the massive hype and then some. The percussion work is raw and genius. Some songs are centered around the fabulous piano work found here like 'Shameika' and 'I Want You to Love Me' and others are mostly just driven by the percussion and vocals with a smooth bass to provide a backdrop. Fiona's voice is ferocious whether it is the high falsettos or the lower end of her range, it is the common factor that keeps the album alive for the full 51 minutes. One could listen to the album for the percussion and instrumentation and then another time for the vocals and you would get two equally amazing experiences. Add in the highly creative, blunt, personal and some times humorous lyrics and you have yourself one of the best albums of the year. A gift that keeps on giving with tons of little subtleties to notice in the percussion, piano licks and vocals on repeated listens.Frost Children SPEED RUNSPEED RUN feels like the State of the of Hyperpop in 2023, which kind of feels like a genre that was in the limelight for 2 months and has already faded into a niche subculture of its own. That being said, Frost Children have released an album that feels like it takes the momentum 100 gecs had going with their electronic music and used it to make an absolute gem of an album that carries the torch for Hyperpop going forward. SPEED RUN flows naturally from start to finish, seemingly without stopping and it touches moods from joyous to angry to melancholic with seamless precision. The energy cannot be denied and just about every track has a memorable hook or infectious beat. The music itself is layered wonderfully many little production touches to discover upon repeated playthroughs, or speed runs, heh. An absolute fun time and a band that brings the heat live.Full of Hell Roots Of Earth Are Consuming My HomeSomewhere between powerviolence and crusty grindcore Full of Hell started out with an absolute gem. Roots of Earth... contains some of the grimiest, aggressive and dirty grindcore of recent memory. The album simultaneously feels energizing and inspiring like great hardcore albums as it feels like a true torturous nightmare; the combined feelings are wonderful. The vocals are the centerpiece right off the bat with solid death growls juxtaposed to some of the harshest, blood curdling screams out there. The underlying instruments are noisy, dissonant and anvil heavy. There is enough groove and rhythm to keep it from being old school grind but not so much that you approach anywhere near Nails territory. Last but not least the songwriting provides a contrast between slow noisy reverb breakdowns and sludgey grindcore riffs that allows the album to flow stunningly for the entire playtime. Not a single moment is wasted and Roots of Earth Are Consuming My Home is an essential grind/powerviolence record and a record that still defines who Full of Hell are.Grimes Art AngelsArt Angels is an essential album of the 2010s as it is a masterful combination of great electronic beats, unique vocal styling and genuinely some of the best hooks in modern pop. This record is so dense with memorable tracks that it is seriously hard to filter through and chose the best of the lot. Her beats are on point: you could listen to this record 40 times and still find new noises here and there that are placed with such precision it is remarkable. Her hooks and choruses provide catchy lyrics, intense emotional peaks and valleys and deliver tons of energy. Her style is certainly unique and it is a shame that many turn their nose to it and won't give it a chance. Like in cinema, many of the greatest achievements find a middle ground between mainstream elements while still pushing the boundaries of the craft further. Grimes has done that here. Gurr She SaysGurr accomplish more on this 22 minute EP than what many artists do in hour plus packages. The variety and execution of different song styles is downright impressive and it is as if the band was on a mission to do this on 'She Says'. The album opens with the downtempo, heartfelt title track driven by simple yet bold bass, dreamy layered vocals and warm guitar chord progressions. It then transitions wonderfully into 'Bye Bye', an uptempo anthem with stellar verse-chorus dynamics and grungier punk guitars; a true SOTY candidate. 'Bye Bye' also features great lead melodies something you will see echoed in Zu Spat and a thing Gurr excels at; simple and effective melodies. 'Middleton Mall' keeps things fastpace with great lyrics and vocals before slowing things down for the other great track 'Of Hollywood', another slow and heartfelt piece driven by clean guitars and soft vocals. 7 dynamic tracks showing this band can write short, very efficient songs in their jangle/indie rock/punk style that show off a wide variety of style.Horrendous Ontological MysteriumMetal album of the year for my ears in a year where I felt like it was kind of hard to find an album in that realm that really rose above the pack. 'Ontological Mysterium' has a wealth of individual tracks but also is knit together like a story where each chapter has its own personality but in the end they all contribute to a combined work of art. The stretch from 'Neon Leviathan' to 'Cult of Shaad'oah' is really the meat of the album and one of the best 15 minutes of music of 2023. 'Neon Leviathan' feels like typical Horrendous style of wild instrumentation, bold bass and what seems like death metal improv anchored by a few strong riffs. 'Aurora Neoterica' is a break from the intensity and just sounds wonderful with spacey leads and beautiful production. 'Preterition Hymn' is low key the track of the album with a Spirit Adrift-esque low-tempo brooding lead guitar harmony that builds and builds before a chant and one of the screams as of late. After that 'Cult of Shaad'oah' returns to great riffing and the wild instrumental antics that Horrendous do better than almost anyone else in death metal. Its like a looser, dirtier and grimy version of Athiest carrying that prog death metal torch.Horsegirl Versions of Modern PerformanceSometimes the best things are those that are simple and that is certainly the case with Horsegirl's debut album. 'Versions of Modern Performance' is a mellow, noisy and low-key album that doesn't pretend to reinvent the wheel or innovate in this genre space but lays down great fundamentals and songs that are easy to listen to, a lot. The production on the guitars is awesome and seems to vary riff by riff and track by track in minor ways that makes you hear something new with each playthrough. The pacing of the album is great with small noisy instrumental interludes giving slight intermissions between the vocal laden songs, it flows very well. The album is inherently dissonant and noisy but still very catchy and replayable and this is where Horsegirl has really hit the nail on the head. It feels slacker, punk, pop and indie rock all at the same time and that blending just hits. 'Anti-glory' and 'Option 8' are two classics from this album but the album just works so nicely all together.Illuminati Hotties FREE I.H: This Is Not the One...Whether it be punk, indie rock or more pop influenced anthems, illuminati hotties show they can do it all, impressively so, in only 23 minutes. The album is as effective when it is aggressive as it is when it is catchy and Sarah Tudzin just knocks it out with her vocal stylings. There is a wonderful balance of seriousness, sarcasm and goofiness to be found and it goes very well with the punk/rock music underneath. Whether she is singing, yelling or talking the vocals are always interesting and perfectly suit the lively mood the energetic guitars and drums create for them. For a pretty short mixtape the pacing is pretty great as well. The first five tracks are energetic and mostly mid to uptempo before the group slows down for a break and some reflection in 'free dumb'. This perfectly transitions into 'content//bedtime' which is arguably the best and most realized song on the album showcasing everything illuminati hotties has to offer right now. The track builds slowly, shows off all of Sarah's fun vocals and feels fully original and unique with its strange mix of chants and noise breaks. Beyond that the opening track and 'freequent letdown' are stellar but this album wastes no time and presents a ton of memorable tracks. Really hoping I.H. use this record to build some momentum and release more albums that blend punk, rock and pop so well.Imperial Triumphant AlphavilleNo other band is as good at creating atmosphere and such truly immersive landscapes in music as Imperial Triumphant right now. The obvious film influences aside, the group uses dissonant instrumentation, filthy vocals and primal rhythms to submerge the listener into another world. This world is as shiny and opulent as it is disgusting and dark, they transform excess into something sinister and foul. This message resonates in the world created by the music of Alphaville and in the world we live in today, perhaps the place visited in the music isn't so different from our society. As with Vile Luxury, this record rewards full attention and it is truly an immersive experience. The percussion work is once again other worldly and it is not a stretch to say Kenny Grohowski's work is some of the best and certainly most interesting in modern metal. The best group in avant-garde/experimental metal at the moment because they use their dissonance, dirtiness, freeflowing song structures and technical finesse to create absurdly indulgent atmospheres instead of just to make music that sounds impressive.Japanese Breakfast JubileeLingua Ignota CaligulaFor some reason the Chelsea Wolfe album title 'Pain is Beauty' comes to mind when thinking of a summary of thoughts on 'Caligula'. The actual pain in the lyrics and sounds expressed by Lingua Ignota themselves are not beautiful but, in the end, the album as a whole is a truly beautiful experience that feels akin to seeing the first film that left you speechless once the screen went dark. This record has personality. Kristen simply cannot be ignored with her violent screams, wonderful singing, angered lyrics and passion that bleeds into the music. The atmosphere is unreal. It feels like you are experiencing someone else's worst pain, depression and mental state in a dark, funereal ritual. All of this combined with songwriting/structures that almost have a cinematic feel to them make for an album that must be experienced as a whole and one that transports you out of your chair/headphones and into something truly scary. Less of a music album and more of a unique experience and one that is painful and beautiful.Litku Klemetti Juna KainuuseenInstantly catchy and addicting indie/psych/lo-fi Finnish pop. Even if you don't know a single word in the language it does not matter because the melodies are great, there is a ton of energy in the uptempo tracks and the singing is great all around, especially in the title track ender. An album that can be played over and over again with almost all of the songs being high quality during the short 25 minute run time. The production is nice as it bridges the modern era with the throwback lofi psych pop it is inspired by. One of those records that just feels so natural in its sound and gets better with every listen.Mannequin Pussy PatiencePatience is an album that seamlessly integrates rock, punk and hardcore just about as well as it has ever been done. Track to track, moment to moment the band switches between styles or just blends them into one accomplishing more in 25 minutes than some bands can in several LPs. The entire band is pivotal to the success of this record but extra nods must be given to Marisa Dabice for both her work on the guitar and especially her vocals. Whether its singing, shouting or screaming she hits all the right notes at the right time drawing you in with ferocity and charisma. Every song finds its own way to be great here but in the end nothing represents what Mannequin Pussy were able to accomplish more than 'Drunk II'. 'Romantic' was a very good record but it is clear that this band has taken a step forward in all musical departments and hopefully this is a stepping off point for their success and future releases. Farewell 2019.Mayhem De Mysteriis Dom SathanasAfter hearing this record it is hard to discuss or brainstorm on the genre without De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas coming to mind. Euronymous' guitar work is utterly classic and the rest of the band does well to keep up including a dramatic and creepy effort on the vocals from Attila. The vocals at times come off as cheesy but in the end it works with the atmosphere of the music as a whole. All of the tracks are memorable but it is hard to say where black metal would be without songs like Freezing Moon, Funeral Fog and Pagan Fears.Moonsorrow Jumalten aikaOn Jumalten Aika the legendary Finnish group Moonsorrow are able to blend black metal, folk, pagan and viking elements with a dash of progressive writing to create an experience greater than the sum of its parts. Throughout its runtime the listener is presented with moods ranging from epic to desperate, haunting to primal. The folksy, symphonic elements of the recording blend into the metal base seamlessly to elevate the atmosphere to one that feels authentic rather than clunky. Ruttolehto sis. Paivattoman Paivan kansa is perhaps the best track to personify Jumalten Aika. The song starts with an epic chant leading into groovy viking metal riffs which descend into desparate, manic screams over black metal madness only to go almost completely silent beyond a mouth harp and nordic chanting. It wraps up with down-tempo, epic metal riffs and a flute solo section. That may sound like a lot but the 15-minute masterpiece flies by with an almost cinematic air to it. As mentioned by others, Moonsorrow create so many memorable riffs and moments that it is hard to keep track of. Clocking in at almost 70 minutes the album feels like a page-turner thanks in part to the absolutely sublime songwriting and overall composition from track-to-track.Mutoid Man BleederFirst few listens: OK, cool, fast and crushing sludgey, hard/mathcore, punkish stoner goodness. Later listens: holy moly this album is savage. Brodsky's vocals took me some time to adjust to but he comes off so naturally while covering pure rage to playful melodies. 30' runtime give you an entree portion of aggression and technicality without a single moment wasted. Would be best enjoyed in a tiny, packed, sweaty venue and several double stacked amps. Sweet Ivy and 1000 Mile Stare deserve nods for best tracks of 2015. The ultimate title-track allows the group to slow things down, express emotion and expand a bit out of the mathcore speediness; the album wouldn't be nearly as powerful without this.Necrophagist EpitaphThe best technical death metal record I have come across thus far. All sorts of odd and even time signatures thrown into a blender but the riffs and songs as a whole still come off with great structure and delivery. This is the true feat of Epitaph that I have not found in any other similar groups. Both the rhythm and lead guitar work remains some of the most impressive out there as it retains a natural sound despite being staggeringly difficult to play. I am not sure how Muhammed managed to weave this masterpiece together and maintain very easy approachability. Plenty of uptempo brilliance but more importantly he slows things down in between many times to keep a fresh feel throughout. 33 minutes is a perfect run time as any more might tire out the ears of even the best musicians, so many thousands of notes to be heard. Hard to choose standouts because every track is great but The Stillborn One, Diminished to B, Seven and Epitaph are what I choose today. What keeps it from being a perfect score? A tiny bit of a one trick pony because his sound is just so damn tight.Otoboke Beaver Itekoma Hits'Don't light my fire' is one of the best hardcore punk songs I have ever heard, bar none. Fun, angry, chaotic, noisy. Otoboke Beaver just seem to have an incredible knack for riffing when they need to riff and wander off onto whacky tangents always at just the right time. The whackyness just ends up setting up the next riff/chorus/chant up so well and the energy of this record will beat you down even in just a 26 minute runtime. Otoboke Beaver also fit so much great content into sub 3 minute songs with at times 4+ sections developing in a track that all feel purposeful and necessary to the overall vision. It is wonderful. It feels like one of the most out of left albums of recent memory its a gift from the hardcore/punk gods.Pabllo Vittar AfterApparently no one on Sputnik listens to Pabllo Vitar. What a shame. This remix album absolutely slams from front to back and provides a platform for some of the best production of 2023 taking Pabllo's 'Noitada' tracks to new heights. The overall sound is blunt, heavy and in your face EDM (Funk mandelão) and it just feels like careful attention has been lent to each and every sound and track in the mix. You can find a new melody, drum or synth sound seemingly in every listen. While much of the album is super intense and heavy, almost industrial at times, there are gems like 'Balinha de coração' that combines a playful synth/xylophone melody with Mario coin sounds, great rap verses and intense techno breakdowns. It is these unique combinations of production combined with Pabblo's grounding vocals and a ton of great guest spots that make After a truly wonderful melting pot of sound. Wonderful from beginning to end or as individual tracks.Panopticon Autumn EternalAutumn Eternal by Panopticon (Austin Lunn) is the best metal album of 2015. Lunn has truly mastered his sound here, which should sound a bit familiar, producing one of the most focused and natural atmospheric black metal albums to date. Tamarack's Gold Returns introduces the listener to a solemn, almost melancholy outdoor environment where they will be left to experience an hour-long barrage of black metal that dips deeply into folk and melodic territory. The album's title does not need to be repeated but Lunn does paint a wonderful picture of the fall with his carefully crafted passages. Behind the crunchy distorted guitars often lays strings which truly weave this masterpiece together. Lunn's composition skills are on full display as long driving riffs, ambient wandering vocals, an underbelly of strings, masterfully placed clean vocal passages, variation between temp, intense drums and powerful transitions allow the full hour to stay interesting. While the tracks certainly are similar and Lunn sticks to a powerful formula each song takes on its own identity and it always feels like there is a purpose and destination in the writing. Production is truly intriguing working mostly as a strength in its natural and less-than-polished style; don't expect click tracks and vocal tuning here. Atmospheric black metal is not new. One-man black metal projects are not new. Panopticon has found a truly beautiful place with Autumn Eternal pushing a great genre even further with a dark yet hopeful journey through the outdoors.Post Pink No Problem, Probably15 minutes is all it takes to create the best post punk release of the year for this Baltimore quartet. Post Pink get the most out of dynamic vocals, groovy bass lines and scratchy guitar leads. Vocalist Angie Swiecicki does well when singing, nonchalant talking and the occasional yelling while the band beneath finds a nice balance between harmony and dissonance never relying on one too much over the other. The EP has a lot of energy often in the mid to uptemo range but the band creates tension with loud-quiet-loud dynamics and the occasional slow tempo buildup. Grapefruit Kiss and Moon both showcase the true songwriting skill Post Pink possesses with buildups and climaxes that provide replay value Keeping this record in the rotation for months and months.PRETTYBOY DARLENEPriests Bodies and Control and Money and PowerBodies and Control and Money and Power is an EP that comes with a long name but a blunt and powerful 17 minute musical package. All in all this edition of Priests sees them playing a blend of noisy post punk with some post-hardcore influence rattling off seven tracks which are all essential and memorable. Katie Greer's intense vocal performance is the driving force of the album and she has we wonderful texture that suits the raw, noisy punk instrumentation. All of the lyrics seem either personal or political and Greer gives off feminist, anti-establishment vibes throughout the EP. Greer is simply excellent here and he varied singing delivery is unforgettable. Beyond Greer is a great post-punk outfit with a noticeably groovy bass, tight drums and a wandering, dynamic guitarist. For only seven tracks, Priests traverses a lot of aural territory and one of the highlights is the stripped down Powertrip leading into the energetic, chaotic Modern Love/No Weapon (this track really sees Greer's excellence). After this the band then tones it down a bit for Right Wing before ending with a masterpiece in And Breeding. In only 17 minutes Priests accomplishes so much, builds a sound of their own; this EP is essential for anyone into punk, riot grrrl and hardcore.Priests Nothing Feels NaturalRaw, noisy and gritty artsy post-punk fronted by the startling and abrasive Katie Greer. Both the vocals and the instrumentation are absolutely on point and push the genre forward in wonderful ways. Greer has wonderful nuanced variations in her approach from yelling to singing to spoken word and subtle mixes of each. She can sing powerfully but also bring in raspy bass and high pitch shrills. Supporting the vocals is some of the best post-punk instrumentation of recent memory. Priests do well going from noisy guitar passages to more aggressive punk inspired sections to groovy 80s inspired bass lines. Throw in an excellent spoken word tune and sections that are akin to pop rock and you end up with a rather unique sound. There really isn't anything to miss in this 33 minute record as Priests really produced a stunner with their first full length.Pusha T DAYTONAPusha T goes out to Wyoming and we get one of the best hip hop records in years with vintage, stellar Kanye production and beats and Pusha's great wordplay and drug dealing raps. On one hand you can listen to the album purely for the beats which are on the grand side of thing with Kanye pulling out pianos, horns, guitars and full on samples to make a diverse yet tight style on DAYTONA. On another hand you can spend the entire experience appreciating the imagery Pusha draws up with a heavily storytelling approach about good ol' drug games. Obviously, as a whole these elements combine for a spotless 21 minutes of hip hop. Rick Ross and Kanye join in for the two guest verses and both provide excellent accompaniments to Pusha T. You cannot miss with any of the tracks here but If You Know You Know, Come Back Baby and The Games We Play are classics.Rakky Ripper Neptune Diamond2019 has been a great year for art pop albums that are less focused on catchy hooks and danceable beats. Rakky Ripper's 'Neptune Diamond' is the energy packed, always catchy electropop/bubblegum bass album that contrasts these bringing amazing beats and great hooks that utilize both English and Spanish to match the mood of the music. Excellent utilization of voice modulation/autotune, beyond solid singing, shiny production, the occasional rap for effect and a mood that is generally playful and plain fun. Rakky Ripper could be an artist we never hear from again or someone that becomes a household name with time in the Euro electropop scene, hopefully the latter because this is probably the best glittery, catchy pop album of 2019. 'Honda' and 'Fresa, Chocolate y Crema' are just fantastic.Ramones RamonesIf it ain't broke, don't fix it. On their debut self-titled the Ramones stick to their guns and deliver an album about as natural as it comes. Straightforward power chords and bass lines that are amazingly effective. Ramones might not force deep thinking and critical judgement of humanity as a whole but it does deliver a pure rock sound that very few others have managed to capture. Beauty in simplicity with fourteen tracks all worthy of being played time and time again. For me it only seems to get better with age.Rina Sawayama SawayamaAn absolute mammoth of a pop debut album with a massive range of influences that bridge pop from many different eras and come together to result in the best pop album of 2020. Whether it is Janet Jackson like grooves, alt metal guitar riffs or beats that sound out of Britney's prime Rina draws from the past while putting her own personal touch on everything and still sounding original and fresh. Never even approaches being emulation or derivative. The vocals are powerful and confident, there are plenty of catchy hooks and the lyrics approach real life issues without ever sounding goofy or distracting from the wonderful melodies and crisp production. XS and STFU! start the meat of the album off pretty aggressively and in your face before Rina shows off her vocal abilities over the wonderful groove of Comme Des Garcons. It really is packed full of variety and whether it is the rock influenced songs or the more conventional pop songs Rina absolutely kills it making it more impressive than any other pop release this year. Choosing a best track is hard here because XS just feels like the top notch song but it is hard to resist the fun on 'Paradisin', the grooves on 'Comme Des Garcons' and 'Love Me 4 Me' and the great metal crossover in 'STFU!'. Hardly a moment wasted here.Rolo Tomassi Time Will Die And Love Will Bury ItTime Will Die and Love Will Bury It is one of those albums that seemingly came out of nowhere without very much expectation and floors you from beginning to end. Rolo Tomassi do brilliantly to open the album with Towards Dawn leading into Aftermath teasing the listener with a clean heavily synth driven track before erupting violently into their crushingly heavy sound that draws influence from mathcore and post-rock with sprinkles of blackgaze throughout. Throughout the runtime Rolo Tomassi treat the listener to an emotional rollercoaster between ethereal clean sections and dark, angry scream-driven passages. This contrast and blending of moods is one of the best things about this record. At first impression this sounds as if acts like Dillinger, Oathbreaker and BTBAM had some sort of demon child but in the end Rolo Tomassi do enough to carve out their own niche thanks to the vocal variations, heavy but extremely well blended use of synth and approachable songwriting. At no point does it sound like Rolo Tomassi are trying to be overly technical or prog but the music contains many layers and complexities for those looking to dig deeper. Beyond that a nod must be given to the producers who really hit the nail on the head allowing each element of the music to really shine clearly through the speakers. The album as a whole is a contender for best of 2018 and A Flood of Light seriously may be the best heavy song of 2018. Please headline tour the US.Sir Babygirl Crush On MeGlittering over the top pop insanity. Thumping and oozing with energy from beginning to end, Sir Babygirl wastes not a second on 'Crush on Me'. If you wanna dance, play Crush on Me. If you wanna cheer up from a shitty day, play Crush on Me. If you wanna wake up after the 10000th new atmo-black metal release that kind of sounds the same as the first 9999 but still has some redeeming qualities, play Crush on Me. Crush on Me is an upper. Crush on me is a downer. Everything great needs balance and Sir Babygirl balances nervous, playful lyricism with electro/synthpop that will make you rise like Nosferatu and move your dead limbs in ways you never knew you could. It is hard to remember an album that is more fun and playful. Beyond this ball of infectious energy, the vocals are vibrant, in-your-face and chock full of melodies that will stick in your head for weeks. The production does well to balance synth drums with guitars and SBG's booming voice and all of the little screams, beeps and subtle noises strewn about. On top of all of this is the plethora of hooks that you will sing out forever and the storytelling lyrics that are filled with great metaphors and interesting scenarios. Will probably be a bit over the top for some folks but the brightness and sheer fun had on this album is an unstoppable force that cures grumpiness. Shorter is sometimes better and SBG wastes hardly a second on this 26 minute masterpiece.Slowdive Slowdive (LP)20+ years off would leave most artists rusty or stuck in the past but neither of these are the case with the timeless self-titled release of Slowdive. Atmospheric, dreamy and ambient poppy-gaze sounds bring on sentimental, hypnotic, bittersweet and melancholic feelings in a spot-on 45-minute run time. Every single song, every moment seems to serve a purpose and Slowdive do a fantastic job composing the album's flow. The record is flanked by mellow, slower tracks with songs in the middle made up of a mix of uptempo and quiet, timid sections. The songs really feel like they are in the perfect positions. Both vocalists do amazing work matching what the instrumentalists lay down next to them and the atmosphere is one that is easy to get lost in. At times the album feels so grand and at others it can be lonely and minimalist. Slowdive, simply put, just sounds amazing in every way and has some of the best songwriting of the year, if not the decade.Squid O Monolith'O Monolith' sees Squid bridging the gap between approachable/catchy and experimental/complex incredibly well with a repertoire of tracks that shows off a vast variety of sounds and wonderful instrumental depth. The album's opening track exemplifies all of the aforementioned very well. On the surface 'Swing (In A Dream)' has a A+ hook and is a true earworm but once you dive past that you hear the many, many intricate little details going on musically around that and within the vocals themselves. Immediately after, 'Devil's Den' starts out cautiously, again with some wonderful instrumental arrangements, before exploding into an anxious, noisy finish that pairs whacky vocals with a barrage of dissonant instruments. This mixture of memorable hooks and emotional moments with technical and complex layering of sounds continues and it feels like each song has its own personality that fits into the album as a whole. As good as it gets for noisy/experimental rock/punk in 2023.Stella Donnelly Beware of the DogsA record that just gets better and better with each and every listen. At first 'Tricks', 'Old Man', the title track and 'Boys Will Be Boys' impress but then the deeper cuts come out and in the end Beware of the Dogs is just incredibly well rounded and powerful. When it comes down to it, great singer/songwriters spill their soul onto their record and this is no exception as everything is deeply personal and you get a feeling for who Donnelly is. Stella's vocals are captivating and demand your attention at every turn and her lyrics are excellent. Lyrics can be expendable in many cases but here they are one of the best aspects of the entire listen. Stella is blunt and very personal showcasing some of the toxic aspects of our culture without ever being preachy or pretentious. 'Boys Will Be Boys' following up 'Tricks' is one of the best 8 minute stretches of music of recent memory and the contrast and commonalities between the two tracks shows Stella really knows how to piece an album together. 'Tricks' comes off as a catchy upbeat masterclass in songwriting and then things slowdown in 'Boys Will Be Boys', a tale that crushes your soul. A frontrunner in the relatively uneventful catalog of 2019.System of a Down System of a DownThe beginning of a wonderful music career and in my eyes a group that will be remembered for much longer than many of their peers in the genre. SOAD blasted onto the nu-metal/alternative metal scene seemingly out of nowhere and Sugar could be heard on the radiowaves throughout the world. To return to my first point, SOAD brings so much more to the table than just heavy riffs and hooks for the thousands to scream along to. There is truly an avant-garde aspect to their music and it almost amazes me that they became such a popular act headlining arenas around the world. Serj's vocals are the centerpiece to which lively guitars, somber acoustics, goofy intense vocal interplay and some great choruses support. SOAD also employs amazing song structures which change moods spastically and truly usher the listener through some strange soundscapes. The powerful moments are found around so many corners here it is almost astounding. For the time period and genre, absolutely superb.The Julie Ruin Hit ResetSimply put, Hit Reset is Kathleen Hanna back in prime form despite being far removed from the raw, intense Bikini Kill or the dance-punk classics of Le Tigre. The Julie Ruin certainly pulls certain elements from those two projects and retains Hanna's signature vocal style but forms its own identity with an indie rock spine centralized to punk, groovy pop and electronic character. The variance and breadth of mood is the strongest attribute of the album with no two tracks really relying on the same formula. Hanna also hits the nail on the head with many of her lyrics revolving heavily around feminism and more emotional lines about her parents and growing up. She also excels with changing up her style in almost every single track: Be Nice relies on a harsh almost chant where she ends the album with a beautiful piano ballad. Hit Reset is one of the strongest albums of the year with a superb blend of serious emotion, current issues, punk, pop, electronic, rock, silly fun and a timeless musician at the helm.The Red Chord Prey for EyesPrey For Eyes seamlessly blends elements of grind, hardcore and death metal to such a degree that the songs while being extremely technically written fly by with an intense grooviness. The songwriting is spastic but always makes you feel like you are going in a certain direction for a reason. The transition game is borderline unmatched for the genre and the drumming here is unreal. Imagining more fitting drums for any part of the album seems impossible. The actual sound of the drums is borderline perfection: brilliant skill that actually sounds organic like a human is playing, no robotic touchups at all. Guy's vocals are also stunning. Brutal anger with clarity that very few other death vocalists can match. Oh and the riffs. Breakdowns meet melodic calculated leads, sustained chords, groovy blues movements and a constant sense of machine gun rhythm. How to use breakdowns for powerful effect 101. Dread Prevailed, Send The Death Storm, Pray For Eyes, Birdbath and Bone Needle should be heard by any death metal fan. Also, It Came From Over There and Seminar have borderline jam session instrumental brilliance.Tom Waits Closing TimeHauntingly good lyrics join simple but perfectly complimentary singer-songwriter piano blues, jazzy arrangements. For those that have heard some of his later, more revered works it can be an astonishingly revealing experience to look back on this to see that Tom Waits in no way needed to be experimental to be great. An album that can be replayed without limits as Tom drags you through a bittersweet, romantic and fairly lonely experience with stripped down instrumental backing. There are certainly unforgettable standout tracks (Ol' 55, I Hope I Don't Fall in Love With You, Martha, Grapefruit Moon) but in the end the entire album is essential and provides a view of Waits' simple yet masterful songwriting in the beginning of a lavishly rich musical career.Vektor Terminal ReduxWhat a beast. What a beautiful beast. At 73-minutes long this sci-fi-thrash masterclass is chock full of riffs that move at the speed of light and bring the listener through otherworldly realms. Vektor somehow manage to live up to expectations that would easily crush any other mortals after a masterpiece in their previous effort 'Outer Isolation'. Prepare to get sore fingers just from listening to these guys saw through their guitars at machine gun pace. Riff variance is actually so high here that the record provides food for many repeat listens. Vektor seem to have intentionally set out to make a massive, epic of an album. The run-time combined with the sheer amount of content plays into the one true flaw here, it starts to drag and you can't help but wonder if some trimming down could have been done. Oh well, just dedicate the time and give this one respect and it will continue to reward you time and time again. Charging the Void, LCD, Ultimate Artificer, Pteropticon, Pillars of Sand, Collapse and the finale Recharging the Void are surely some of the best metal tracks of 2016. Vektor continue their push to elevate thrash into some higher form of alien art, mission accomplished.Young Thug Slime Season 3Personality. Young Thug provides a quick 28 minute album that is, almost, 100% straight from the man himself and he sure shines throughout the whole runtime. Slime Season 3 comes off as very focused with excellent beats, infectious hooks and most important of all a natural, unforced approach. The best Trap Rap comes from the artists that don't pretend and just leave themselves on the recording. Young Thug panders to no one and only allows guest verses in one track which is probably the least memorable one on the album despite its excellent beat. Lyrically Young Thug is obviously not the next Nas but once again he provides a tailored style that no one else has going right now and drops a refreshing mix of puns and borderline goofiness at times. The screaming outburst in Drippin' also adds to the slimy greatness on this EP. Last but not least is the savage use of autotune; obnoxious to some people but it is rather obvious the effect he is going for and achieves. It becomes harder and harder to not just default to listening to this album lately: a quick runtime, 1000s of memorable lines, top-notch hooks and... personality. With Them, Memo, Drippin', Digits and Tattoos rule while everything else is still worth it.4.0 excellent100 Gecs 10,000 gecsThis album is fun to listen to. Bonus points for frogs.A.A.L. (Against All Logic) 2012-2017A record that is hard to resist putting on. Between the constantly building and developing beats and the truly excellent use of sampling, AAL has created a Deep House album that has hypnotic dance-able beats, catchy and addictive vocal hooks and a great wealth of content that reveals new nuances upon almost every listen. When effortless replay-ability is combined with high energy and beats that make you want to move, you have something special. The hypnotic and repetitive nature of the record makes it one that you can put on in any situation (work, dance, relaxing) but that also doesn't mean it isn't intricate and worth very attentive listening. Jaar makes very good use of his tools and always seems to have a subtle shift on each beat or sample that both keeps things fresh and heightens the intensity of the transitions once they finally do come beat to beat. Also, Jaar really has a beautiful arsenal of snares and drum sounds on that spectrum. The variety in the drum sounds in the beats is just phenomenal. Not a single track to miss here but 'Some Kind of Game' is an instant classic.A.A.L. (Against All Logic) 2017-2019On 2012-2017 A.A.L dropped a collection of catchy, dance-able House tracks that utilized samples masterfully. In this more recent collection A.A.L makes an impressive shift from the groovy House songs to more abrasive tracks driven by intricate textural production, wonderful songwriting and hypnotic beats that suck you into a vacuum with just you and the music. By random circumstance it is pretty eye opening to listen to this in the same day as Squarepusher's newest LP and while the records are in a similar alcove of the music world they almost couldn't be more different. A.A.L's songs slowly develop adding small musical and rhythmic nuances bar by bar until they inevitably reach an epic climax without any need for flashy glitz and glamour. A.A.L feels like the chef cooking a simple 4-dish ingredient getting the most out of each thing in his arsenal whereas Squarepusher feels like the person making a 30 ingredient stew where everything melds together and loses its uniqueness. The textures alone on this album make it great but A.A.L's attention to detail and ability to make each element in his music feel extremely important combined with great songwriting push this over the top.Akhlys The Dreaming ITo quote the review just a bit I also had the best experience with this album "Walking tentatively through the woods." A nightmare from beginning to end while a haunting lead guitar guides you through Hell. Personally I have some trouble with a lot of Black Metal but the terrifying atmosphere and vocal/percussion intensity clicked for me here. May feel flat or repetitive to some but listening to it as the reviewer described turns it into a horrific trance. Highlights: The first 4 tracks with Consummation and Tides of Oneiric Darkness really standing out.Alcest KodamaKodama truly feels like a summation of what Alcest have been working towards since their formation in the early 2000s. It is easy to forget that Alcest (more specifically frontman Niege) are the true pioneers of the Blackgaze genre because their work really does span a vast amount of aural territory from the clean, ethereal Souvenirs d'un autre monde to the intense black metal infiltrated passages. Kodama combines all of this with some of the best songwriting Alcest have presented to date as the music flows effortlessly between melancholic, bittersweet rock landscapes to the blackened shoe gaze explosions. The music is so big despite a somewhat simplified approach compared to some of their previous work. Kodama is full of emotion with a dense, uplifting sound and it shows that Niege still has a lot left in the bag.Alvvays Blue RevLate to the Alvvays train but love what Blue Rev has to offer. Balance is one word that describes this album very well. The album is noisy but not defined by it. It is poppy but never feels like it is trying to be infinitely approachable or sacrificing any of the musical quality to be poppy. There are upbeat tracks, melancholy tracks and all things in between. Most importantly the group just has a knack for writing seemingly simple tracks that have a lot of layers to peel back and warrant many repeated playthroughs. 'Pressed' is my personal favorite and the guitar bridge there just sounds perfect. Nuance in short and effective songs.Amyl and the Sniffers Comfort To MeAngel Olsen Half Way HomeA huge maturation from her EPs adding warming production to her lonely and melancholy vocal delivery which rules and drives the entire album. The only respite from is the uptempo second track 'The Waiting'. Angel is extremely introspective and personal here with her powerful, warm voice arranged above fairly simple folk-country-Americana guitar arrangements. The stripped down instrumentation really allows Olsen to create an extremely lonely, sometimes haunting atmosphere despite her vocals being utterly beautiful on Half Way Home. This album heavily rewards repeat listens and it feels like almost every song is essential but it might test those who aren't ready for 43 minutes of lonely, stripped down vocal heavy approach. Looking back from the most recent releases it is amazing how well her discography develops.Angel Olsen Burn Your Fire for No WitnessA continuation of Angel Olsen's gradual evolution from the extremely depressing lofi Strange Cacti to a more rockin' indie influenced folk sound. While the album does contain more upbeat, full-band tracks like Hi-Five, Forgive/Forgotten and High&Wild most of the album is still centered around a lonely feeling with Angel's warm and melancholic (yes, both) vocal delivery. This album provides more variation than her earlier work and it really makes for a truly well rounded 44 minute album with excellence in the rock tracks (Hi Five) and essential slower ones (Dance Slow Decades, Windows).Angel Olsen All MirrorsOne of the most successful stylistic leaps forward of the year for a popular artist coming off an excellent string of previous releases. It doesn't take long before you realize that you are not going to get the folk/rock/pop that Angel produced wonderfully in the past. Instead you get an album focused around her vocals, almost more than ever, and most importantly string sections that rival any in recent pop releases. Taken together, All Mirrors provides so much beautiful atmosphere which is often lonely, ethereal and bittersweet but becomes lush and decadent at times when the strings really turn up. On top of this, Angel continues to produce wonderful vocal melodies to guide you through this fresh art pop landscape; her voice is just stunning here. Not as re-playable as her past releases but it is rather obvious she was aiming to create something on a grander scale and it is clear she succeeded at that goal.Anna von Hausswolff Dead MagicAnna can sing and Anna can drone. On Dead Magic she does both with such great composition, in terms of songs and the album's entire flow, creating one of the more unique and memorable albums of the year thus far. The album pits very long stretches of minimal, ambient mystery against truly amazing, beautiful vocal outbursts that pack so much power and emotion. These two approaches perfectly contrast each other when woven into an atmosphere most similar to a wake at times. Anna creates true beauty in the ominous and melancholic. The Mysterious Vanishing of Electra is a true track of the year contender but the musical context surrounding only serves to elevate its greatness.Ariana Grande Thank U, Nextthank u, next is so much more than your typical mainstream pop album as Ariana Grande manages to drop catchy hits (NASA, 7 rings) and some very personal and emotional tracks surrounding the poppy ones. After what Ariana has gone through in the last few years (Manchester, Mac Miller) it is hard to even imagine having the energy to produce new music but here Ariana has triumphed. The combo of pop, R&B and trap beats is luscious and produces a very deep and often melancholy atmosphere to support Ariana's excellent vocals. The beats all around are just fantastic and things really culminate with the wonderful guitar forward, trap bass backed Bad Idea. Beyond that Imagine, NASA, Fake Smile, Ghostin, 7 Rings and thank u, next are all really, really exemplary modern pop songs covering the obvious hits to the very deep and introspective. This album makes you feel like you get to know Ariana a bit more than just some pop goddess who you see on TV. It is reminiscent of how Carly Rae changed her trajectory with EMOTION and hopefully Ariana can continue in this direction.Artificial Brain Infrared HorizonInfrared Horizon is a technical death metal experience that sticks to a formula throughout but stays refreshing thanks to a few key elements instrumentally and vocally. Artificial Brain hammer away at dissonant chords for much of the album rather than relying on down-tuned open string rhythms and on the whole this gives the experience an anxious, creepy atmosphere as if there is imminent danger but you do not know where or what it is coming from. Perhaps the true key to the musical side of things is the percussion. AB's drummer takes a spastic, unpredictable rhythmic approach rather than hammering away at the double bass constantly. Focusing in on the drums on this record is exhilarating; what an impressive performance. The vocals range from piggy grunts to harsh shrieks, a variety that allows the album to elevate itself above many of it's contemporaries. Sticking to one would have been a tragic mistake. It is a bit difficult to chose a few tracks that standout above the rest because many of them are similar but in this case they are all pretty high quality and the album flows just fine.Asagraum Dawn of Infinite FireSimilar to Immortal's 'Northern Chaos Gods' this album wastes absolutely no time getting into aggressive and energetic black metal riffing with intense, ghastly vocals that will chill you to your spine. While the record could be identified as black metal by just about any music fan, Asagraum just write really quality riffs that have purpose in the overall context of their songwriting creating memorable ebbs and flows in the midst of the speed barrage. While many of their peers are exploring atmosphere (this has a great torture chamber feel) and extended song lengths, this group seems to follow a quality over quantity ethos that is most apparent in 'Abomination's Altar', the opener and the title track. Every riff feels necessary and the music is filled with drama in just 4-6 minute songs. The type of black metal that will energize you and you will want to play it at max volume while driving 120mph.Atheist Unquestionable PresenceA visionary album from 1991. This is an album that you wish you could immerse yourself back into the culture at the time and really, truly hear it when it dropped. The blend of death metal, jazz, thrash, plain insane songwriting and some of the highest technical mastery seen in the genre still keeps this record relevant to this day. If you have not heard this album you probably haven't heard something quite the same. An essential that must be heard by any fan of death metal or even just progressive music.Bad Waitress No TasteBetween the Buried and Me Colors IIBilly Woods AethiopesAtheiopes wastes no time establishing one of the best atmospheres on a hip hop record of recent memory. 'Asylum' opens with guitar which is joined by piano, live bass and eventually a sax and these instruments are used throughout the album to create a creepy, anxious mood that perfectly compliments Billy Woods' direct rap approach. Beautifully produced instrumentation and this one is a treat to listen to on your expensive headphones. The album evokes imagery and it feels like you are trapped in a dusty dive full of worn wooden fixtures located adjacent to a creepy swamp. It is hard to find a weak track on the album but perhaps the almost complete lack of strong percussion leads to slight exhaustion by the end of the record but this is only a minor complaint. Props to 'No Hard Feelings' and 'Remorseless' where Billy raps over nothing but minimal flutes and horns. In retrospect 2022 feels like one of the best years of hip hop in a long time and this was just part of the first major wave oif the season.Billy Woods and Kenny Segal MapsBilly Woods has to be the sneakiest best artist out there right now. 'Maps' on the whole is an album you can just straight chill out to but at the same time when you take a deeper look at the Kenny Segal production and mixing, it really becomes a lot more complex than the chill mood it exudes. This record sounds good anywhere you listen to it but god damn does it just, sound good. Everything from the beats to the samples to the instrumentals and vocals just feels so precisely and thoughtfully placed. Billy Woods deliberate delivery really matches the mood that Kenny produces and if Mr. Woods rapped for an entire album about cooking and food no one would complain in the least. It is fantastic to listen to tracks like 'Kendwood Speakers' and 'Soundcheck' and then go to 'Bad Dreams are Only Dreams' or 'NYC Tapwater. The first two give off East Coast boom bap vibes and the latter feel more like you are in a film noir than a rap record. There are a lot of good songs here.Black Crown Initiate Selves We Cannot ForgiveFirmly rooted in technical death metal, Selves We Cannot Forgive is so much more than that with Black Crown Initiate able to truly bonecrushing riffs with elements of progressive metal. Where this album really shines is in the songwriting. For example, the opener 'For Red Cloud' is filled with intense double bass and generally brutal riffs. Upon its ending, the album goes tame for the long intro of Sorrowpsalm before returning to beat you down with even heavier riffs. This theme stays throughout the entire 51 minutes and allows the record to stay fresh for each and every song. Black Crown Initiate do a great job with variation with careful attention to songwriting giving the listener a break where it is needed. Stark contrast is found between guttural vocal ridden blast beat riffs leading directly into more melodic, chordal passages lead by clean vocals. Both vocal styles are done well and the interplay between them is special here. Selves We Cannot Forgive is a must listen for any metal enthusiast with For Red Cloud, Sorrowpsalm and Belie The Machine being essential tracks. Despite those being standouts, it would be a shame to not experience the entire journey which at its heaviest is beyond brutal and at its softest gives way to proggy jam solos that do not come off as forced or pretentious as in many other modern metal records. Black Dresses WASTEISOLATIONIncredibly abrasive and unrelenting for the entire 42 minutes WASTEISOLATION is a deranged and chaotic dive into noisy industrial pop. Within seconds of entering DOORWAY you will get a taste of what is to come. Banging, fuzzy beats and depressed, angry vocals from Dizzy and Rook. At times the beats and production are reminiscent of prime-time Reznor work and this is a true compliment to the atmosphere and style Black Dresses are able to create. Without a doubt the vocals will be the most polarizing aspect of WASTEISOLATION with Dizzy and Rook's abrasive cries, howls, shrieks and raps adding to the abrasiveness the beats and distorted synths provide underneath. Luckily, the album is truly one that rewards with patience and repeat listens and doesn't let up throughout the entire runtime. ETERNAL NAUSEA, IN MY MOUTH, THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS and LEGACY are all fantastic and if Black Dresses could become best friends with Sophie and go on tour we would all be better off.Black Dresses Love and Affection for Stupid Little BitchesAfter WASTEISOLATION the anticipation for the future of Black Dresses was high. It is hard to imagine anyone saw just how productive they would be! Love and Affection for Stupid Little Bitches sees Rook mastering her growls/screams, an integral part of the follow ups to WASTEISOLATION and an element that really adds a great dimension to this music. The music often pairs static and noisy beats with bright synth and their signature vocals which range from talking to friendly banter to coughing to screaming to melodic singing; they cover the entire gamut. Dizzy and Rook pour personality all over everything they create and there is truly no other band that sounds exactly like Black Dresses out there right now. Beautifully noisy electropop industrual madness. Hertz through Cartoon Network is stellar, and maybe the best stretch of songs in a row of any of their work. Blood Incantation Hidden History of the Human RaceThe direction and flow of the album as a whole along with the songwriting put this into the upper echelon of death metal albums of 2019. The riffs match those of the best DM albums of 2019 but Blood Incantation have a great way of putting their foot on the gas pedal, giving you a bit of ambiance and then turning things back up. The vision of this album is clear even if you just casually listen to it. It is progressive without trying to use four dimensional song structures or overly whacky chord progressions. The less death metal sections are beautiful (middle of 'The Giza Power Plant' and all of 'Inner Paths...') and shows that this band is capable of producing something on a higher level than their riff focused peers. If anything, the last track is a bit overextended (not quite as bad as it's title though) but it concludes the record well and leaves you waiting for what comes next. A lesson on how to inject progressive elements into a pretty stubborn genre and come away extremely successfully. Brockhampton SATURATIONSimply put one of the best hip-hop records from end to end of 2017. Brockhampton do well covering all the bases from bangin' hype tracks like BUMP to slower, more emotive tracks like FACE and they fill in the space between with plenty of approachable hip hop, pop rap and alt. R&B feels. Many people seem to be set on drawing comparisons to other modern acts but Brockhampton's hip hop boy band description fits very well and as a whole the act just feels extremely fresh. This freshness is great with Kanye, Kendrick and Vince Staples releases dominating popular hip hop as of late. Brockhampton provides a nice contrast to these artists and their in-your-face flair is unique with so many different personalities coming onto the mic in SATURATION. To add to the obvious strengths of the album, Brockhampton do a good job telling their own stories and avoid relying on the stereotypical trap rap topics that dominate on most popular rap radio stations. They are passionate, playful, very introspective and as a whole a really eclectic mix of personas that come off as naturals in the hip hop game.Brockhampton SATURATION IIPop rap boy band's second effort is once again excellent but fails to really expand the ideas found on the first album of the SATURATION series. The strength in songwriting, beat-making, rapping and singing are all here once again and stylistically II is extremely similar to I. That may sound somewhat negative but Brockhampton get away with it because they have a great knack for weaving great rap, delivered by such a diverse cast of personalities, with infectious pop hooks. Their formula is just so strong and fresh right now. The stretch of music between GUMMY and JUNKY is untouchable and it really shows how good this outfit truly is. All of the members bring their own flavor and styles and this massive group effort is what makes Brockhampton special. They approach racism and LGBT topics (Kevin Abstract on JUNKY is legendary) in refreshing ways and there are hints that this hip hop group has members who may actually respect women, something unheard of since the rise of trap rap (/s but when will rappers stop using bitch/your girl as a lame lyrical crutch). Infectious songwriting, soulful singing and strong rapping are a dangerously good combination and Brockhampton has a unique, approachable flair that is reminiscent of when Outkast rose to fame.Brockhampton Roadrunner: New Light, New MachineBully SugareggSUGAREGG starts off hot and never seems to cool off while still remaining interesting throughout all 12 tracks over 38 minutes. Alicia Bognanno's vocals are the focal point for much of the record bringing a nice mix of cleans, bright falsettos and a yelled punk delivery with a nice bit of rough texture to it. She leaves seemingly nothing behind in the vocal booth and her vocals really add a huge dose of personality to this record. The first two tracks showcase this very well with more of a punk driven approach in 'Add It On' and the wonderful extended chorus on 'Every Tradition' displaying all of the different vocal styles. Outside of the vocals, the songwriting and guitar work are nothing to sneeze at. The guitars are very effective with a mixture of bright leads and standard indie/punk chord progressions. Each song seemingly has a well constructed melody on the lead guitar that sets a great backdrop for the singing. The songwriting is a lot of verse chorus verse that you find in this genre but many of those verses and choruses contain multiple parts creating effective, energetic buildups which always seem to transition very nicely into the section following. Having not visited this record for months it still feels incredibly fresh and is one of the better offerings of 2020.Carly Rae Jepsen Emotion: Side BAs if EMOTION itself wasn't good enough, Carly Rae Jepsen decides to release eight more tracks as B-Sides, most of which are outstanding. The songs here are obviously in the light of EMOTION and with any other artist would be a breakout album. In short: infectious vocals, hooks that are catchier than Discovery Channel fishing shows, beats that masterfully straddle the line of 80s and modern, sassy style and lyrics that focus on relationships but come off as relate-able and genuine. Just enough polish and plenty of character. Carly is the queen of pop, confirmed.Carly Rae Jepsen The Loveliest TimeBest CRJ material since EMOTION. From the live jazzy instrumentals of the opening track, to the breakbeat-esque drums of 'After Last Night', to the catchy CRJ signature bangers 'Shy Boy' + 'Stadium Love', to the slowed down soulful 'Kollage', Carly really expands her repertoire here and injects some much needed creativity into these tracks after a few albums that found the mark but started to get somewhat repetitive thematically and musically. The Daft-Punk nod on 'Psychadelic Switch' rules and perhaps Carly used this record to overlay her signature pop stylings with some influences or musical styles that are important to her. Regardless of the creative aim, Carly's vocals and melodies mesh extremely well with the varying jazzy to electronic to funky to disco-esque music tracks laid beneath them. Personally I find 'After Last Night' to be the best track with snappy beats and wonderful vocal melodies but the album is chock full of catchy staples.Cephalic Carnage Lucid IntervalCephalic Carnage used to blow my mind when they played live often trumping the large acts they were opening up for. Commanding stage presence, fun antics, ganja worship, one of the best drummers I have ever seen in a live setting and of course their unique blend of grindcore and technical death metal. It has become pretty clear that Lucid Interval is their best work and I am admittedly, unfortunately unfamiliar with half of their other records. Lucid Interval is an adventure. Rooted in low tempo dissonance and grindcore the album never really allows you to find a safe footing. Pseudo is a track that exemplifies this: fast paced mish mash riffs lead to a wall of reverbed noise and then into a short spoken word interspersed with a breakdown, what a song indeed. Due to its wild nature many Grindcore groups lack an ultimate direction, sometimes intentional, but this album for me represents one with plenty of direction: the moments are chaotic but the overarching organization leads you to fantastic places. Perhaps a bit on the long side and much of Arsonist Savior feels unnecessary but overall an excellent collection of music. Lucid Interval is one of the best songs ever written, period, seriously. That track alone is enough for to garner greatness but plenty of other top notch tracks are here like Anthro Emesis, Pseudo, Rebellion and Black Metal Sabbath.Cerebral Rot Odious Descent Into DecayIt is not a new concept for death metal to be filthy and disgusting but Cerebral Rot certainly take this idea to task here. The first two tracks are some of the best metal songs of the year and perfectly showcase the bands goals in their music. The production is rough where it needs to be allowing the music to come off as dirty but still balanced and clean in places so that the mix isn't a mess. The vocals are chilling grunts/growls and often use layered production techniques with reverb to really make them hit hard; there is one passage in "Swamped in Festering Excrementia" that is truly legendary after a long instrumental buildup. The band gets a ton out of slow tempos and knows when to ratchet things up to higher pace for great effect to keep things fresh, or rotten, throughout the 45 minutes. Death metal that is as good at riff/songwriting as it is at creating an atmosphere that transport you into a vile, horrific and truly foul place.Charli XCX CharliBest pop album of 2019 from an artist that is fairly well known in the mainstream. Charli feels like a culmination of what Charli XCX has been working towards providing both mainstream, addictive bangers (1999, Gone), songs that sound like they are from another galaxy/millenium (Shake It, Click, 2099) and most of the rest being somewhere in between. Charli XCX has an obvious vision for shiny, futuristic production and it feels like everything clicked here. It is probably safe to say that Charli XCX is the most dynamic pop artist right now and Charli is a record that really keeps on getting better with each and every repeated listen. Beyond the aforementioned, 'White Mercedes' is just a stunning pop track that focuses more on Charli's vocals and dramatic song writing with a chorus for the ages, wonderful.Charli XCX How I'm Feeling NowCharli XCX 2016-?, an absolute tear of pop essentials. Coming just over a half a year after 'Charli' this record shows you a different side of the artist and just how dynamic she is. Less polished and much more introspective than her previous release and in all cases this is a good thing. In her previous efforts it feels like Charli is some sort of futuristic pop god hidden behind the aggressive beats and mechanical production. Here you feel like you sort of get to know her without sacrificing anything musically. Much of the album is bittersweet and gives a sense of loneliness and of all of the COVID albums so far this one will always remind me of the long days, weeks and months spent mostly in 3 rooms of my apartment.Chelsea Wolfe AbyssDark, gloomy and depressing blend of folk guitars, loud noisy synth and wavering melodic vocals. An overall haunting but not shocking atmosphere, it is not actively trying to make you feel down but it lets you explore the darkness on your own. Vocal and synth production/balance is one of the shining highs of this record. Lay down in a dark room and put this one on loud in headphones and drift away. The title and cover art sum it up beautifully, floating in an mysterious abyss, woah. Highs: Carrion Flowers, Iron Moon, After the Fall, Crazy Love, Survive.Cobalt Slow ForeverSlow Forever is rarely that. Sludgey and black, Cobalt deliver a massive amount of content in their comeback album after a seven year gap. Harsh and scratchy high-pitched shrills with a hardcore vibe blend smoothly with a primal sludge atmosphere that incorporates elements of progressive rock (Tool really comes to mind), black metal and even punk, which can be heard in the vocals and guitar riffs. Double LPs often run into trouble with content becoming diluted where the truly memorable moments are left between too much filler... Cobalt does not have that issue here. They use several interlude tracks, vocal samples, acoustic sections (some which have a great Western sorta vibe), tempo drops and breaks from the intense vocals to keep the album from dragging on. At times it does feel somewhat repetitive but their excellent formula keeps this from being a tragic flaw. Seemingly energized by a new vocalist, Cobalt has come out with a vengeance and a blend of sounds that any metal fan would be truly mistaken to pass up on.Courtney Barnett sometimes i sit and think, and sometimes i just sitAn indie rock, singer/songwriter effort that excels with excellent songwriting, track to track variation and refreshing clarity in the lyrics thanks to Barnett's very much to the point writing style. With each of Courtney's anecdotes it feels like there is something most of us could relate to and the entire album just has a very natural feel. Her lyricism really adds a lot to the experience. Courtney proves that she has a wide range with the rockin' and catchy 'Pedestrian at Best', a slowed down and all too real feeler in 'Depreston' and the more extended, jam in 'Kim's Caravan' where the instruments shine. Great melodies all around with production that just helps exemplify the clarity captured on this record. All of this directness just makes it an album that becomes addicting right from the first spin and allows for tons of replaying.Danger Mouse and Black Thought Cheat CodesInsane that the guy from the Fallon Show dropped one of the best albums of 2022! Bad jokes aside, this album just comes off so natural and effortless. All of the guest spots just seem to land at the right time and suit the tracks so well with each guest just bringing their own flavor and feel. Out of left field for me but at the same time 2022 was such an amazing year for hip hop that I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Belize and The Darkest Part are amazing!Danny Brown uknowhatimsayin¿The general feeling around this album is that it features a less whacky/nasty side of Danny as far as the lyrics go and less experimentation in the beat/production side than was featured in his magnum opus 'Atrocity Exhibition'. If anything both of these things can be taken as truly positive. 'XXX' is a great, classic album for many reasons but a lot of the lyrics sound incredibly dated just 8 years later and Danny no longer has to rely on that gross crutch in his lyricism. The lyrics here feel more personal and real than ever and it shows that Danny is just a gifted writer and doesn't need to be whacky and out there to make great rap songs. To the second point, uknowhatimsayin¿ is the most accessible Danny Brown has ever been and he has taken a move from a more abstract hip hop artists to making an album that is approachable for any rap fan. The difficulty of doing this cannot be understated and Danny does it with ease. Almost human being would be capable of following 'Atrocity Exhibition' up. Instead Danny side stepped and released something fresh to his own style and there are just a lot of really, really good songs here.Denzel Curry Melt My Eyez See Your FutureAnother stop on 2022's train of hip hop excellence. After having some time to reflect on this record, it is one that is best enjoyed from end to end. Sure 'Walkin', 'Troubles' and 'X-Wing' are great tracks on their own but for some reason this album just shines best in its entirety, and flies by in a full listen. Another thing I like about Denzel is he can be serious without coming off as some conscious, semi-pretentious rapper. As everyone mentions, the production is next level so put your best headphones on (the piano+strings in X-wing, the bass+drums in Angelz, really the instrumentals in general are just fantastic here). Fav tracks are the aforementioned as well as 'Ain't No Way' and 'Sanjuro'. Der Weg Einer Freiheit FinisterreAufbruch is one of the best opening tracks of recent memory and in contention for the best black metal song of 2017. Finisterre combines the ferocious with the melancholic to create a truly great black metal record that strays somewhat into the atmospheric category. Der Weg Einer Freiheit really excel with the pacing and songwriting creating ebbs and flows, rises and falls that are captivating by juxtaposing rapid fire blast beat BM sections with drawn out atmospheric chordal/lead passages. They also seem to have mastered the transitions between these two modes. The Skepsis series is truly wonderful with a very interesting instrumental in Pt.1 leading into a ravenous, savage awakening in Pt. 2. The album is on the longer side and certainly can be fatiguing but it is one of those records that demands attention with truly wonderful riffs and songwriting brilliance. A must visit for any BM fan.Die Spitz TeethSimply put, one of the best punk records of 2023. A very grungy and grimy punk rock sounds that is reminiscent of Hole but brings an overall sound that just feels so needed at the moment. The album begins with the slower, relatively mellow 'Grip' before exploding into the fantastic 'Hair of Dog' which serves as a an excellent rock song and a barometer for the overall sound of Die Spitz. The album is short and the quality really doesn't drop throughout but for me the standouts are 'Groping Dogs Gushing Blood' and the sort of suite 'Slater/Monkey Song' which blends together and acts as one track. Great riffs and awesome gripping vocals that have the perfect blend of raw expression and melody. Grungy punk is back? Well it is for at least this record.Dorian Electra My AgendaDryad The Abyssal PlainOne of those albums I listened to a lot a few months ago and liked but returning to it on a closer inspection realize that just about every track is enjoyable if not great. Dryad creates a stew of crust and black metal that retains the groove and short format songs of the former and the dark, decrepit atmospheres of the latter. This isn't exactly a new idea but Dryad nails both aspects so well and delivers catchy riff after catchy riff laid beneath some excellent ghastly vocals. Can't discount the synth in this situation either, it adds some great depth.Emma Ruth Rundle and Thou May Our Chambers Be FullEmma Ruth Rundle's powerful and consistently great vocal delivery meets a collection of killer sludge metal riffs. The trading off between the guttural growls and Emma's cleans is just divine and that effect never gets old throughout the entire album. 'Out of Existence' sees a fairly timid clean verse explode into a heavy sludge rhythm and shows off just how good these artists can work together. It is a tight a short song and works wonderfully. 'The Valley' is really where these collaborators find their best groove. The song builds and builds with strings and lead guitars setting the back drop for Ruth Rundle's voice that gains intensity over about 7 minutes before everything resolves in an explosive finish. Two really good artists come together and actually pull it off together bringing out the best in each other.Endon Through The MirrorThrough The Mirror is an auditory journey that is bound to test the patience of just about any listener much thanks to the effort of the vocalist Naichi Taguro; this is a good thing. Get out the thesaurus and find synonyms of brutal: savage, vicious, barbaric, ruthless, etc. and you will have descriptions of what this person is doing with the microphone. Patience testing? In a good way?... because Naichi seemingly never stops screaming, loudly and furiously, in your ears. This band must have quite the live show. He matches the machine gun pace of the excellent backing band and compliments the great blend of noisecore, mathcore, powerviolence and black metal found here. There are long stretches where the band slows down, much of the two longest tracks, but they remain as loud, dissonant and noisy as ever during these times. Not your everyday listening album but a complex, chaotic dive into the depths of noise and metal. The title track and Your Ghost Is Dead are highlights but this one deserves an attentive straight-through listen.Enslaved FrostAn early Viking Metal and Norwegian Black Metal essential, Frost from Enslaved starts off with the a mysterious synth track before diving into 47 more minutes of blistering black metal rhythms woven together with abrupt synth, folksy guitar sections, progressive song structure and unrelenting raspy guttural vocals. As many others have stated Jotunblod and Wotan are absolute classics that will transport you directly to Norway in 1994. The true joy here is the contrast between the extended black metal torment and the Viking metal aspects of clean guitars and low-budget synthesizers. Svarte Vidder is a great summation of the sound on this album, despite it not being as tightly knit as aforementioned tracks. Yggdrasil seems to be the love-or-hate track on Frost. What it does very well is provide a respite in the middle of the madness with its low-tempo, echoing chants that sound like they are being sung in a dinner hall. Without it the album would be tiring and boy does it lead into Jotunblod absolutely perfectly; this cannot be by chance.Envy The Fallen CrimsonIt is not hard to imagine how post-rock, screamo and post/hardcore elements could be combined successfully but to do so with such proficiency and great songwriting skills is truly what Envy has accomplished on 'The Fallen Crimson'. Countless beautiful melodies, wonderful wandering bittersweet atmospherics, numerous textures on the guitars and success with spoken word/screamed/sung vocal elements are some of the things that make this record special. The songs feel like discrete entities that can be enjoyed on their own and at the same time the whole play-through adds up to what feels like a cinematic journey or story of its own. It is impressive how Envy are able to do well with the hardcore powerchord sections and the long melodic lead guitar driven passages to create an album that has one of the best overall flows of recent memory and excellent tension builds and releases. One of the best early 2020 releases.Esperanza Spalding Emily's D+EvolutionRooted in Jazz, Emily's D+Evolution did not take very long to win me over. In fact about twenty seconds in to be exact. Good Lava erupts out of the gate paves the way with raspy jazz-rock guitars, Spalding's groovy bass and signature vocal stylings. I feel like I need a break after that track, it surely isn't an accident that things get toned down a bit with Unconditional Love. After these two tracks it is obvious that Esperanza is an excellent songwriter and knows how to lay out quarters of an hour of music. Instrumentation all around is very fine but the album also shines rhythmically. Spalding's vocal cadences are key to her aggressive vocal approach and they are used to promote an almost proggy sense of rhythm. Always a nice feeling when Jazz fusion out rocks a vast majority of the prog rockers out there today. Jazz fusion, prog rock, psychadelic rock, funk, soul and pop all come to mind at times and the blend is smooth as silk.Fever Ray PlungeArtsy/electro/darkwave pop that is testing on the first few listens as it lacks an abundance of signature/hit tracks but what is missing there is made up for by high quality electronic atmospheres, great vocal stylings/layering and a general sense of Fever Ray's unique style. The lyrics are an ambitious mix of sexual and political topics but Dreijer finds a way to push boundaries and explore relevant issues while still suiting the futuristic, dark atmosphere the music provides. She is rarely cheesy or overly blunt and when that line is crossed it is done effectively. Every song has it's own identity but when it comes down to it Musn't Hurry, To The Moon and Back and Red Trails are essentials with the last being absolutely stunning.Fever Ray Radical RomanticsCold and brooding synth joins Karin's unique vocals and spicy lyrics in a sound that toes the line of pop and industrial music. Some particular sonic highlights for me are the vocal bridge in 'Shiver' where high pitch wails harmonize with piercing synth, the entire beat of 'Carbon Dioxide' and the buzzing synth tones in 'New Utensils'. There are many more such highlights because in general there is a lot of care taken with the production and adding in little sounds here and there that you notice more and more with repeated listening. Fever Ray is never going to be for everyone but this act continues to forge a super unique, weird sound that still retains catchy pop tropes. 'Shiver', 'Carbon Dioxide' and 'Even It Out' are highlights but the record shines from front to back.FKA Twigs MagdaleneIn a year where Charli XCX paved the path for mainstream pop to follow it feels like her fellow Brit FKA twigs is paving the way for the weirder side of pop, more ambient and artsy kind. The beats/instrumentals here could probably exist on their own and be interesting and atmopsheric as could FKA twigs' truly stunning vocals. When they are paired together you get something that feels slightly cinematic in nature and an album that just moves along wonderfully from chapter to chapter with so many memorable moments along the way. 'Sad Day' and 'Fallen Alien' are as close as it gets to singles here providing much needed energy in between more ambient and experimental tracks. The whole journey ends with the fantastic closer 'Cellophane', a perfect ender and the best track on the record showcasing that FKA twigs can sing with the best of them and compose an album that has one of the best flows of the year.FKA Twigs CaprisongsExtremely consistent mixtape where only about 5 of the 17 songs feel less impactful than the rest of the album. Twigs feels less alien or ethereal here and much more approachable than past releases and nails it with a blend of R&B/pop/hip-hop that still brings some experimentation but is saturated with catchy moments. Standout tracks: Darjeeling, honda, meta angel, papi bones, careless.Fontaines D.C. DogrelPost punk that often leans towards rock and the artsy side of punk with a distinct vocal style, great instrumentation from the entire lot and great variation in their songwriting approach. The vocalist is the first thing to face on Dogrel. Grian Chatten is blunt in his approach often using a more talking approach but this only serves to accentuate when he delves further into melodies. His lyrics, while often very repetitive, evoke interest and thought and come off as poetic; something to dive into and figure out. Dublin City Sky highlights his storytelling ability. Beyond Grian are some talented musicians. The guitars utilize many different tones and are key in creating dynamic textures to compliment the vocals. The bass is standout as well often carving out its own place separate from the guitars and vocals but never becoming distracting. Last and opposite of least is the arsenal of approaches Fontaines DC takes on. Each and every single song is a unique track and they never rely on the same songwriting formula track to track. They have energetic tunes, more meditate melancholy downers and everything in between, all executed very successfully. Liberty Belle, Dublin City Sky, Roy's Tune and Too Real are excellence.Foxtails FawnHair-raising and petrifying screams combine with a violin that feels as much as a backing instrument as it does a story teller. Not really the combination that comes to mind when thinking of Screamo and post-hardcore but one that foxtails absolutely nails on 'fawn'. The violin adds an element of suspense you don't normally associate with short format screamo tracks and the vocals provide all of the intensity you will ever need. Really consistent from beginning to end but the buildup of the first minute of 'gazelle' that ends in a truly bonecrushing conclusion of growls and blastbeats might be the ultimate highlight of 'fawn', for me.Frank Ocean BlondeBlonde is a long, very personal album that wanders and meanders along with a blend R&B, Soul and Pop roots but never drags or overextends itself. On Blonde, Frank Ocean provides great depth of instrumentation, emotional and impressive vocals, great pacing as highlight tracks are intermingled with skits and interludes, and just a weird moody overall atmosphere. Blonde seems to capture Frank Ocean's soul focusing on introspective feelings while delivering plenty of tracks to remember.French Vanilla How Am I Not Myself?Quirkly and energtic art punk with new wave vibes that is as catchy as it is dance-able. Downright groovy and infectious bass lines lay a great foundation for the entire album which often features sax in lieu of guitars. The vocals bring a bit of a bratty attitude and range from talking to full on singing staying within the context of the music as a whole quite well. This is essentially disco punk with an enthusiastic sax player who crushes it at every twist and turn. Bonus points for lyrics that tackle important real world topics and keeping the music about as fun as it gets. Almost every song has its charm and shows off this bands unique style but extra shout outs to Friendly Fire and Suddenly, truly fantastic tracks.Full of Hell Trumpeting EcstasyTrumpeting Ecstasy finds Full of Hell somewhere between the realms of Grindcore, Death Metal and Powerviolence with an extremely aggressive, crusty and somewhat sludgy overall sound. The tracks as a whole aren't the most memorable standing alone but damn does this album have it's great moments and great pacing thanks to samples and extended noise breaks often found on the tail ends of the tracks. One of the obvious highlights and climax moments is the chant at the end of Crawling Back to God leading into the furious, spastic Fractured Quartz. The nihilistic, breakdown ending to Gnawed Flesh is also fantastic. The layout of the album is also worth noting. The first 14 minutes are mostly pure chaos and the last two tracks take up 9 minutes with a subdued, almost industrial noise title track leading into a triumphant 6-minute ender that sums up the album covering all of the ground Full of Hell traverses here. A short experience that is dense with material.Full of Hell Weeping ChoirIs it safe to say Full of Hell is more death than ever while still capturing grind, powerviolence and noise elements in their sound? It sure feels that way on Weeping Choir and in no way is that a bad thing. Full of Hell firmly solidify themselves as one of the most consistent acts of the last decade with their newest full length and at this point Dylan Walker is the monarch of extreme music vocals. It is true bliss to listen to his range on the record and even more captivating to see them live pummeling through these chaotic, violent and dissonant tracks. For anyone familiar with their expanded discography it is clear that Full of Hell have incorporated some new tricks into their playbook with expanded guitar elements (chord work especially) and in the best track on the album, Armory of Obsidian Glass, they are able to produce a true epic that wonderfully wraps up what the band is about as a whole. Slow, sludgey screaming sections peppered with eerie moans lead to a beautiful clean choir vocal section before the song explodes with one of FoH's best minutes of music ever combining all of the aforementioned. Not quite as re-playable as their last albums but when you give it a close inspection it is just stellar.Gojira MagmaMagma represents even further evolution in the complex career of Gojira. Long gone are the spastic and mechanical feelings brought on by their first three albums only to be replaced by more emotion and simpler songwriting. The most important thing about Magma is that it still remains one-hundred percent full blown Gojira. Their identity has grown so strong and this album continues to exemplify the mastery that the Duplantier brothers have crafted around heavy grooves. This is probably the least heavy and technical album from Gojira yet but that seems absolutely purposeful and they have chosen to weave instrumental complexity into simpler, yet amazingly powerful songwriting. With their sixth album in fifteen years, Gojira have grown into a metal monster without losing their identity despite their music being as friendly to a wider audience than ever. You simply can't go wrong with this group up until this point.Hath Of Rot And RuinMeteoric energy and a massive wall of sound that somehow manages to stay uptempo for the majority of the 54 minutes without tiring the listener or becoming repetitive. Hath manages to do this with some of the best metal songwriting chops of the year so far. A lot of the album is backed with pounding double bass aggression but Hath does so well to break these sections up with sustained chord progressions, the occasional acoustic bridge, some proggy licks, at one point a bass/guitar solo section and in general they have created very dynamic tracks. It seems like they pay great attention to track and album flow when writing. The vocals also play into the effect of keeping the album fresh as it progresses. The vocalist has an excellent growl where you can understand most of the words but it still sounds intense and the occasional vocal hook goes a long way in this journey. Certainly one of the flat out heavier metal releases in recent memory that shows off technical prowess and subtle prog elements without ever having to be flashy thanks to excellent songwriting and vocals.Havukruunu Uinuos Syömein SotaHavukruunu's pagan, folky and melodic take on black metal is simply epic and incredibly natural sounding. The music almost feels like it is being played live and the band sounds a lot looser and simply more fun than most other bands in this corner of metal. Memorable, driving riffs transition wonderfully into fast guitar solos and vice versa without compromise. Some of the riffs are reminiscent of Moonsorrow but overall the song structure and guitar work have allowed this group to develop their own sound in the everchanging landscape of black metal.HMLTD West of EdenA lot of great tracks, in a lot of different styles with a vocalist who always finds a way to grab your attention as the centerpiece of this artsy glam punk outfit. The album finds a long, hot streak between tracks 2 and 7 and then is quite good again between 9 and 12 with nothing topping the back to back best tracks 'Satan Luella and I' and 'Mikey's Song'. Those two tracks alone show how much flair this group can have and how dynamic they can be both vocally and instrumentally. The former is more of an experimental track reminiscent of Bowie and the latter sounds like it could be playing on the radio and no one would bat an eye. Great melodies found in both cases. In the end it just seems like every track has something different to offer and while they are not all classics that variety is key to giving the album an amazing flow and it makes 49 minutes absolutely fly by. Stumbled onto this one randomly but always happy to give it another spin and realize just how many solid tracks there are to be found here.Horrendous IdolA huge breath of fresh air in the realm of progressive and technical death metal. This album just feels like it is constantly moving as on the whole the music is very groove based and all about the rhythm. Horrendous simply have no time for wankery and robotics and Idol proves to be the exact opposite as it bleeds soul and emotion at every turn. Plentiful headbanging grooves lead into blissful solos all accompanied by very throaty and grimy vocals. At the heart of it the record doesn't feel all that complex but further listening reveals just how good Horrendous are at harmonizing and layering tracks. It feels like you can discover a new lick or subtlety with every listen and the clean production does wonders to allow this. Last but not least is the drumming and bass. Jamie Knox takes a much cleaner jazzy approach on the drums compared to the genre standard and his style fits so well giving the record so much soul instead. No robotic drum triggers at 1000bpm here, thank god. The very pronounced and groovy Alex Kulick bass is also integral to the mix and should be given attention. Such fresh air.IDLES Joy as an Act of ResistanceBlunt, angry and in-your-face as any good punk record should be, Joy as an Act of Resistance has it all. Frontman Joe Talbot deserves massive credit for his magnificent performance as does the band backing him. Talbot is energetic and refuses to hold anything back with lyrics that are political, humorous, brutally personal and generally witty with plenty of references and call-outs to explore in each song. Beyond the lyrics Talbot is always a joy whether he is singing, shouting, rambling or yelling, his personality shines through in every song. Musically, 'Joy...' is a gem for those who love high energy punk. The band is able to cover so much ground in the twelve tracks. "I'm Scum", "Danny Nedelko" and "Great" are legit punk anthems while "June", "Never Fight a Man with A Perm" and "Samaritans" delve a bit further with their subject matter and music approach. They have both the catchy riffs and the arsty dissonance and it comes off effortlessly. It is hard to think of a band in the punk realm recently that is able to be as fun and approachable as Andrew W K and as serious and personal as it gets all in the span of 20 minutes. Good front to back but Colossus, Danny Nedelko and Samaritans are god-tier.Illuminati Hotties Let Me Do One MoreImmortal Northern Chaos GodsFerocious no gimmicks needed black metal from beginning to end. No Abbath, no problem for Immortal as the black metal veterans return with an absolute gem 9 years after their previous release. This album just rips and shreds the eardrums from beginning to end with nonstop energy throughout the runtime. Sure this is not re-inventing the wheel or the most innovative album of the year but riff-wise it is up there with the best of 2018 because every single riff on Norther Chaos Gods will make you wanna get up and go to war. The production is great allowing the album to be played at insanely high volume with just enough murkiness that it feels like you are at a live Immortal show if you blast this one. To be honest, Demonaz does a better job on the mic than Abbath did on his recent self-titled. What a time to be alive, Immortal taking names at almost 30 years old.Imperial Triumphant Vile LuxuryThis album will make you feel so dirty and impure that you will have to immediately take a shower after listening and hope that what you have done is not going to ruin your life. Cue the opening horns and Imperial Triumphant immediately transport you to some surreal nether realm where nothing is pure and chaos and evil reign above all else. The atmosphere is as thick as sludge and a dense fog seems to entrench the sounds that emanate from this vile creation. The production is amazing on this record. It is not crystal clear, it is foggy. It is not pristine, it is murky. This effect is what really allows the record to transport you out of your comfortable home and into this other realm. It feels like you are listening to a live concert in hell, you are around the corner and you don't wanna play witness to this ritual. But, in the end your curiosities get the best of you. You can't resist and you must become part of the primal act Imperial Triumphant produce here. Very few records go this hard with avant garde black/death metal carnally infused with avant-jazz and come off as relentlessly re-playable. A... triumph.Indigo De Souza All of This Will End'All of This Will End' brings a potent mix of indie/slacker rock, indie pop with a touch of alt-country and Indigo de Souza pretty much nails it on all fronts. Indigo has a knack for producing warm, interesting vocal melodies and songs that bleed emotion and develop wonderfully, even in short runtimes. A lot of criticism of this record is how it is all over the place or lacks cohesion but in the end that is a strength of the album. Indigo bobs and weaves through different styles leaving a nicely flowing album that goes from the soft, introspective 'Losing' to the heavier slacker rock tune 'Wasting Your Time' and so on. The one minor criticism I agree with is the blunt lyrics but really only once or twice on the record does it bother me, personally. While the album starts with shorter, catchier songs the album ends with two songs that really develop slowly and bloom wonderfully. The ender 'Younger and Dumber' is the icing on the cake, a slow burner that is the perfect conclusion, showcasing Indigo's powerful vocals and true songwriting talent.Injury Reserve By The Time I Get To PhoenixJay Som Everybody WorksDreamy pop with shoegaze and indie rock vibes. Jay Som borrows some elements from the past using them to support her magical melodic approach and delicate, warming vocals which co-star with a wealth of different guitar approaches. So why is this album, on the whole, excellent? Songwriting, pacing and flow are absolutely on point for the entirety of Everybody Works. The stretch of songs from the opener through (BedHead) is one of the best of recent memory as Jay Som excels in many sonic territories. The dream-like intro (Lipstick Stains), a poppier lead single (The Bus Song), a very mellow dream pop track (Remain), the uptempo rockin' 1 Billion Dogs and tracks that sounds in between all of that with One More Time, Please and Baybee are placed in perfect order to create variation which makes this pleasant for many repeat visits.Jeff Rosenstock NO DREAMFirst go round with Mr. Rosenstock and really regret not jumping for his records in past years. It is not easy to produce fun music that transports you back to your youth years without sounding on the cheesy side or too juvenile, NO DREAM does that without issue. Not only is it often super energetic and really fun, Jeff manages to weave in political issues and more personal, emotionally driven anecdotes without sacrificing any quality. It feels like if someone asked you what punk is in 2020 this would be an obvious place to point and it also feels like you could play this record for (almost) anyone and they would find something enjoyable in it, impressively approachable for the genre. From the anthemic, hilarious 'Scram' to the longer, more introspective songs like 'Ohio Tpke' and 'State Line' it just shows how capable of a songwriter Rosenstock is. If I had to choose, I would be partial to 'State Line' but there are like five SOTY candidates on here and everything in between is pretty darn solid as well.jonatan leandoer96 Sugar WorldThis album starts off with maybe the worst guitar riff of all time and overall the singing is deadpan and at times abrasive but in the end it all comes together and works as ugly yet addictive pop-rock. A lot of the strength of this record is the way the songs develop and the songwriting. The title track is a good example of this with a simple piano melody which is then joined by nice strings and walked along for a few minutes before Leandoer lets out 'wanna have some fun' completely out of tune to a guitar solo and backing vocals. The songs have a sneaky bittersweet atmosphere and musically there are a lot of interesting things going on. As of the moment of writing this I just learned that this is Yung Lean... between Bladee and now this the sad Swedish Boys have me in their clutches. Listened to this maybe 30 times and didn't realize that. Touche. 'Swedish Elvis Storm' and 'Rivers of Another Town' slap.JPEGMAFIA and Danny Brown Scaring the HoesThe first five or so listens were not the most comfortable but after some time this album really grows and settled in. Maybe I was a bit scared too. After adjusting to the chaotic and abrasive soundscape this record really shines. jpegmafia brings great energy and intensity on his rhymes and Danny Brown brings his signature personality and transparency to the table. Somehow the Street Fighter backdrop they had at the live set made me appreciate the album a bit more, to me Fentanyl Tester feels like a Street Fighter set between the two rappers the way it ebbs and flows with the up tempo beat and switch offs between the rappers. Really not even close to something I want to listen to everyday but there is a lot of great stuff to unpack here.Kamaiyah A Good Night in the GhettoAnd summer 2016 is gone. One thing that will certainly not be forgotten from the season is A Good Night in the Ghetto by Kamaiyah. A West Coast, G-Funk style hip-hop album at heart that feels like it could fit in at just about any point in the last two decades but still stays modern enough with a unique blend of lyrics and Kamaiyah's own refreshing style. It only takes a few moments to realize that the record is a rap album at heart and the lead lyricist is ready to live it up partying, sexin' and drinking. These topics sound somewhat stereotypical but it is all too rare coming from the ladies it feels like a true change of pace; especially with the caliber of rap talent put on display here and the lack of poppy hooks (hopefully this album is a new trend, blame the game). At times the production is flat and the album certainly can be taken as a bit one-note from beginning to end but these negatives weigh in very little on the overall experience which flies by and leaves truly great tracks behind such as I'm On, Niggas, Ain't Goin Home, Drinkin' Out the Bottle and more. Considering this is classified as a mixtape and her debut work, the future looks more than bright for Kamaiyah, the out come of 'How Does It Feel' seems certain.Kanye West Late RegistrationLate Registration along with College Dropout and MBDTF are probably Kanye's best three records. How people arrange them is subject to much debate and MBDTF generally wins out in the top spot. Late Registration is certainly reminiscent of his debut but much more boisterous and polished up with squeeky clean production. Grandiose beats ala Kanye and A-list guest appearances combine with some of Kanye's best lyrical content to make a truly great Hip Hop album. Listening over 10 years later it is almost astounding how much Kanye changes from his debut to this. Overall it does run pretty darn long but outside of a few tracks it is jammed full of excellency. Touch The Sky, Drive Slow, Crack Music, Roses, Diamonds from Sierra Leone and We Major should all be heard by any fan of Hip Hop.Kanye West YeezusThe worst thing about Yeezus is reading comments about it on music rating websites. So much talk of Kanye's ego, fish and less talk of the actual music. It truly seems that if someone else released this same album it would be held in a much different esteem, oh well. The first four tracks are borderline surreal, perfect industrial beats with a very blunt and angered Kanye. One of the best album openings I can think of. The music in general is on another level from most hip hop. Simple at times but sonically intoxicating. The production on Yeezus is other worldly creating a spacious, crisp environment. For me On Sight, Black Skinhead, I Am A God, New Slaves, Bound 2 and Blood On The Leaves are on par with any of the Kanye classics. Kanye's ability to thrive in so many distinct styles of hip hop is beyond amazing and I hope he can reinvent his style effectively in the future. That being said he doesn't need to release another second of music with the stunning pedigree he has already created.Kanye West The Life of PabloBottom line: Kanye West's consistent and impressive stretch of always releasing one of the most interesting, well produced and well written Hip Hop albums of the year continues. It is hard to imagine what people are expected from Kanye at this point in his career but The Life of Pablo keeps things fresh pulling elements from seemingly every point of his career and adding more, or maybe pulling some back in a somewhat stripped down, less-grandiose atmosphere. In this case, it works out nicely allowing each element of each track to shine. Whereas Yeezus was all Kanye, TLOP pulls from guests seemingly at every turn: Chance the Rapper slays Ultralight Beam alongside epic operatic choruses, Sia delivers on Wolves and Kanye recycles Desiigner to create a track more enjoyable than the original. Variety keeps TLOP interesting from end to end with drastic changes in style between each track. There are certainly some duds but the experience flies by with highlights at Highlights, Ultralight Beam, Waves, FML, Wolves and Famous. People are probably waiting for the next MBDTF but it is so refreshing to see that Kanye can create fresh, excellent albums time and time again.Kendrick Lamar untitled unmastered.Kendrick's excess is excellence. The dude is just at the top of the game right now and can't be contained or even approached by anyone consistently. An obvious collection of b-sides and extras from recent Kendrick productions with funk, jazz and hip hop all colliding beautifully with Kendrick's great lyricism and style. I would consider everything but 04 and 07 tracks that I would throw on anytime. One thing I feel like this really accentuates is Lamar's masterful ability to compose albums. This perhaps defines him as an artist as Section 80, Good Kid and Butterfly are all so well put together. The fact that these excellent tracks were left off his full length really makes it seem like he has an other worldly ability to compile a list of tracks into an art piece.Kendrick Lamar DAMN.Damn. This pretty much solidifies Kendrick Lamar as the king of his hip hop era and one of the all time greats, if he wasn't already up there. Lamar takes a more direct approach here and drops much of the concept album stylings he has done so well in the past for a more traditional, mixtape-esque hip hop record. As usual, Kendrick presents a fantastic mixture of tracks with the intense and aggressive bangers like DNA, HUMBLE and XXX and softer songs like LOYALTY, LOVE and GOD. As usual, no matter what approach he takes, he just hits the nail on the head and makes most of the competition look silly in comparison. The argument could be made that this is his "worst" LP to date but the crazy part is when your "worst" is a contender for both best Hip Hop and best album of a given year, you know you are doing something right. Perhaps the best thing about DAMN. is the fact that the album stands on its own in terms of style when compared to all of his previous efforts. Comparing this to his more conceptual releases is just a dead end and it is refreshing to see an artist truly mix things up release to release. Kendrick has seemingly stuck to his own ideas and is a true craftsman of rap. If he releases another album that lives up to the quality of his discography, he might just be the best to ever do it but at the same time one could argue that he already is. Kendrick Lamar Mr. Morale and the Big SteppersAnother awesome adventure from Kendrick. Right now it feels like Kendrick had way too many bangers and amazing singles early in his discography and now an album like this, which is a lot different than his previous efforts will get a bit less praise. 'To Pimp a Butterfly' perfectly skirted the line between serious/artistic and catchy/listenable, it might be the best example of that, ever. Here, Lamar has leaned a bit more towards the former and he still shines despite the album as a whole not being quite as re-playable with a distinct lack of what one would call singles. At times it is downright challenging to listen to but that seems like a clear objective with songs like 'We Cry Together' and many other tracks bringing up some seriously heavy subjects. As usual, Kendrick can approach those subjects directly, with grace, and it feels like an open discussion at times of psychological issues and political topics that you inevitably have to deal with in life. Kendrick has dominated the last decade of music, and it really isn't that close.Kim Gordon The CollectiveBetween Judas Priest and Kim Gordon, 2024 is displaying that some artists just seem to have their finger on the pulse of how to produce fresh and interesting music during careers that span four to five decades. I had no idea what I was getting into and I think that only made the dark, dissonant and mysterious atmosphere this album provides hit even harder. Right from the get go 'The Collective' produces a sound that is distant and strange in the music backing but one that is grounded in reality with Kim's lyrics. The beats and bass in general are fantastic and the occasional noisy guitar or live instrument just add to the chaos, a chaos that isn't in your face but slowly percolates. Highlight moments for me include the upbeat noisy guitar and booming bass in 'Dream Dollar', the autotuned climax in 'Psychadelic Orgasm', the turning point in 'It's Dark Inside' and the list of every everyday item in 'BYE BYE'. Kim Gordon and Injury Reserve tour when?King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard Flying Microtonal BananaDrenched and saturated with psychedelia Flying Microtonal Banana is a whirlwind mix of that, acid rock and krautrock King Gizzard absolutely excel at a modern approach to a five-decade old sound. Perhaps one of the greatest strengths showcased here is the fact that they have created a psychadelic rock record that sounds original and fresh but still reminds one of those classic 60's albums all while not trying so hard to obviously sound like the golden era. This pitfall seems to capture a vast majority of good modern psych acts whole fail to become great; but not the Lizard Wizard. These Australians really hit the nail on the head with the pacing, track layout and songwriting here. Rattlesnake is about as natural as an opener as it gets and from there the music traverses great landscapes in each individual track while still remaining a tight blend of trippy, wandering psych-based rock. The triumph here just may be Open Water which turns up the pace and drowns the listener in an anxious scenario due to stellar lyrics and an almost trance-inducing musical approach. Stu Mackenzie seems to have a knack at writing lyrics which could be goofy on paper but fit right into his music harmoniously. Finally, it must be noted that this is apparently the group's first delve into microtonal music which makes the venture even more impressive. Flying Microtonal Banana is an adventure in modern rock which may bring even those totally sick of psychadelic rock back into that arena.Lana Del Rey Norman Fucking Rockwell!I mildly enjoyed this album after 2 listens. Thought it was quite good after 5 plays But after 10 listens it is an album I couldn't stop listening to. The main drawbacks here are the length, you could definitely trim 2 songs off the end and it would improve the flow as a whole but in the end Lana's vocal textures and melodies are an exercise in killing you with ballads. Creating ebbs and flows and tension dynamics without straying too far from the middle. For someone who often complains about lack of energy in albums I am very surprised I find this album as enjoyable as I do but in the end there are so many beautiful vocal passages, wonderful production, underrated backing instrumentals and catchy lines (it is easy to see why people are divisive over the lyrics, I don't mind them). The Doin' Time cover was a mistake and skip-worthy but 'The greatest', 'Fuck it I love you', 'California', 'Mariners Apartment Complex' and 'Venice Bitch' are among the best songs of 2019.Le Butcherettes bi/MENTALNatural and seemingly endlessly re-playable art punk/rock with a tracklist that delivers very solid songwriting in the first half of the record and more experimental offerings towards the ending. The entire record is centered around very eccentric and energetic (and likely polarizing) vocalist that truly demands attention delivering great singing as well as many other vocal sounds. The best thing Le Butcherettes do here is write very approachable songs with verse/chorus/verse structures while doing most of their experimentation with the vocals and instrumentation. The second track give/UP is a bonafide rock banger with tons of energy and a very catchy hook. The next track strips things down to a very simple synth track and beat putting vocalist Teri Gender Bender in the spotlight to shine. From there on out the record is a mix of styles somewhere in between the guitar and synth driven approaches all united by the stellar vocal performance. Extra shoutouts to the production here, the album just sounds so clean and beautiful on the ears. Only downside here is the Biafra spoken word, just skip it, yikes.Leprous The CongregationGrowth in a great direction. Definitely a bit more straightforward than their previous efforts but that is not always a bad thing. Many powerful vocal driven bits which at times does become a slight weakness of the album; several of the choruses are classic. I also wish he would scream more, it is savagely powerful on this record. The synth:guitar balance is also a bit off for me. Highlights: The Flood, Down, Slave, The Price. 100% Leprous style wrapped up a tad more neatly and heavy on the Einar.Leprous AphelionLeviathan Scar SightedPainful and tormenting experience with black metal, death, thrash and ambient dark atmospheres all weaved together. While some knock the samples I find they are placed brilliantly and add a creepy layer that could not be achieved without them. Brilliant vocals with black metal shrills, growls and screams of pure terror and pain. It is a bit drawn out towards the end but every track on the album presents fresh sounds as the harsh sounds wear you down. Several slowed, albeit still creepy, moments (ex. ends of Smoke and Coprolite) provide enough variance to stop the album from seeming repetitive. The Smoke of Their Torment, Dawn Vibration and Within Thrall are all up there with the best of 2015.Lorde MelodramaFollowing pop is fun because writing a pop album that appeals to the masses (and in this case, truly the masses) and comes off as genuine, original and fundamentally solid is no easy feat. With Melodrama, Lorde manages to do all of these things with style and it all comes off as natural, her. Though few are buying this album for the lyrics (which deal with common pop topics), Lorde spins things and approaches them peripherally drawing on specific experiences and heavy use of metaphors rather than your typical breakup/love/party song anthem. They end up decent and nothing comes off as artificial. Lorde's vocals are not going to floor anyone but she has a great way of staying bittersweet but also producing an endless barrage of strong melodies. On the music side of things Melodrama is excellent. The electro/synthpop beats and art pop atmospheres are enagaging allowing one ot appreciate the rhythms and sounds that are found beneath Lorde's lead. To top that off, Melodrama has some of the best production in modern pop. Everything feels like it came from Mt. Fuji; clean, natural and crisp. A pop album that allows a natural artist to shine and also provides catchy, fun music is a job well done, Melodrama leads the way in this regard in 2017.Marina The Family JewelsQuirky and contagious electropop with no shortage of catchy hooks, well composed beats and just all around fun. Marina does a great job bridging the gap between downright serious and full blown cheesiness. The Family Jewels shines in just about every category. Marina has the pipes with great range and the soul necessary to be next level good in Pop. Her beats are full on synth with some throwback elements but the sound as a whole is totally modern. The production is clean as a whistle and impressive for a debut full length. So what is wrong here? Slight complaints with some of the lyrics and the back end of the album would have benefited from some trimming. The lyrics of Hollywood are just... bad. The Family Jewels blasts off with excellent songs in Are You Satisfied?, Shampain, I Am Not A Robot, Mowgli's (maybe the most unique, best song on here) and Obsessions. From there on out it is not nearly as consistent and drags on just a bit. Fun and really well done modern Pop.Marina FrootDiscovered on a 100% random basis this album has blown me away and each listen strengthens my adoration of it. Synthy dance-pop is about the last thing I expected to get into in 2015 but Marina makes it infectious with powerful singing and energetic electronic back tracks. Her voice is the star as it should be in this neck of the woods. Impressive vocals throughout with joyous dance tracks and somber moods interspersed very effectively. A good middle ground between poppy and seriousness. Marina speaks of relationships quite a bit but the way she goes about it makes it relatable for anyone who has been through a few themselves. While some find some weakness in her lyrics I find the simplistic nature of them to be comforting and it really makes it feel like she is the boss behind her music. 53 minutes that fly by with great standouts in Happy, Froot, I'm A Ruin, Blue, Solitaire and Better Than That.McKinley Dixon Beloved! Paradise! Jazz!?For only 28 minutes 'Beloved! Paradise! Jazz!?' accomplishes more than most musicians produce in albums more than twice as long as that. The record starts out with a fairly unassuming reading setting the stage for many great moments that follow. 'Sun, I Rise' shines a light on both Dixon's powerful lyricism and bold delivery as well as the instrumentation on the album, in that case a wonderful string section and live drums accompany the lyricists. 'Mezzanine Tippin' gets a bit weird reminiscent of something like Atrocity Exhibition before a battery of some of the best jazz rap songs of recent memory come through. Personally, it feels like 'Live! From the Kitchen Table', with wonderful rap + saxophone + keys interplay, is the triumph of this record but you can make the case for many of the songs here. 'Tyler, Forever' deserves a bit of a shoutout too, bringing in a less jazz focused style to help give the album a bit more variety and flow.Mirrored Hell Welcome to the SlaughterhouseExcellent Boston area post-punk. The atmosphere is very shrouded and mysterious and the production delivers in that area and also bringing clean, live sounding instruments with great balance in the mix. 'Vein of Love' is one of my personal favorite tracks of the year and overall the album brings great energy from beginning to end. Misery Signals Of Malice and the Magnum HeartThe debut for Misery Signals, Of Malice and the Magnum Heart, offers up some of the most powerful metalcore tracks to date utilizing tight breakdowns, melodic leads and vicious vocals to create both energetic and emotional atmospheres. A Victim, A Target is one of the best openers that comes to mind setting the stage for classics like This Year Summer Ended in June and The Stinging Rain. Even though Misery Signals are more mature than most on their first album, in both playing and production, and use Worlds & Dreams for some relief the album still gets tiring in the latter half. The average intensity is so high and perhaps relies on a few elements, even though they are excellent ones, too often leaving the listener drained for the long enders Five Years and Difference of Vengeance and Wrongs. Pacing and trimming would have brought this one over the top. Despite that, Of Malice and the Magnum Heart is a true treat with an unforgettable use of melodic chordal arrangements and breakdowns that make me wanna get up and cause chaos.Mitski Puberty 2Puberty 2 accomplishes more in 31 minutes than most long-winded, similar releases are capable of doing in an hour or more. Mitski blends indie rock, pop and even a bit of punk and shines all around with enough song variety to give this album some of the highest replay value of albums in recent memory. One of the keys to this is Mitski's different vocal styles ranging from the melancholic approach to Once More to See You to the abrasive and loud chorus of My Body's Made of Crushed Little Stars. The album's introspective lyrics cover issues from racial stereotypes to feelings of being lost and depressed and Mitski does well weaving these topics into both somber and more upbeat tracks. Dan the Dancer and Your Best American girl are superb highlights with the latter being one of the best tracks of 2016.Myrkur MExcellent fusion of nordic folk and atmospheric black metal. Amalie Bruun has a majestic way of contrasting her angelic cleans and intense, ghastly screams. Those expecting a straight-up "trve""cvlt" (lol) black metal will be, and clearly are, disappointed but those looking for music that is headed in a different direction than the current trends might be pleased. The album's flow is fantastic with each metal track sandwiched in between folk and instrumental interludes. This approach makes the dark tracks more intense and shows that Bruun has diverse songwriting skills. For the most part the black metal riffs are slowed down and simplified but this only focuses the listener more on Amalie's great vocal work, a smart choice. Adventurous and bold.Myrkur MareridtA wandering and epic adventure taken with a dark folk, nordic folk and metal (atmospheric black, doom) soundtrack. Amalie Bruun absolutely knocks it out of the ballpark as the guide for this entire piece with traditional nordic folk singing, black metal shrieks and the ethereal cleans that make up the majority of the vocals on the album. Mareridt flawlessly transitions between intense metal riffs, chuggy doom bits and purely string driven folk moments. As a whole the experience feels cinematic with each song being a scene. Myrkur's ability to pull off such adjoin such a deep variety of moods and styles is impressive and it makes for one of the more interesting folk/nordic/metal music blends in recent memory; there is nothing boring, over-the-top or forced here.Nails Unsilent DeathUnsilent Death, the debut "LP" of Nails features the groups most unrestrained sound and subsequently their best. Nails' blend of crusty grindcore and powerviolence is violent, aggressive and energetic but stays structured with low end, beefy rhythms that contrast the all out snare barrage grind sections in between. The alternation between grooves and chaotic blasts is incredibly successful here and more effective than Nails' later releases where they start straying more towards the grooves. Kudos to Todd Jones on the vocals because without him this wouldn't be nearly as great. His angry, passionate, all-out rebellious yells and screams are the icing on the cake and he conveys a true conviction in his approach. The rest of Nails' discography is great but they truly started off with a special 14-minute masterclass.Nails Abandon All LifeA base of hardcore, grindcore and powerviolence gets a thick layer of sludgy metal slapped all over it. Abandon All Life is heavier and closer to the metal realm than Nails' debut Unsilent Death but still carries the anger, violence and energy that made the debut so good. Much of this is thanks to the work of Todd Jones on vocals and guitar, the man's passion shines through with relentless aggression. The vocals may be repetitive but this is all made up for by the 17 minute runtime; quality over quantity here. Nails also do very well by using longer, slower tracks in Wide Open Wound and Suum Cique in the middle and end of the album to give it a natural flow. These tracks break up a barrage of 1-minute machine gun tempo grind tracks with heavy, almost meditative, chugging downtempo destroyers. Nails isn't the most original outfit in the business but they are extremely consistent with what they do delivering some of the most aggressive heavy music and memorable riffs in the game.Night Witch Host Body10 minutes of blistering and ferocious hardcore that combines excellent blood-curdling screamed vocals and riffs that just hit each time and transition into one another seamlessly. Uptempo and energetic and leans into the thrashcore/queercore areas of hardcore punk. I would imagine anyone that likes HIRS would find this massively enjoyable. For me, a bit too late to the party as the band will not continue past 2023. Still one of the best hardcore releases of this year though.Nine of Swords Beyond The SwordsProbably my favorite "standard" hardcore album of 2022. The sound instantly brings me to that little, comforting local venue where the hardcore shows are. Starts off ferociously with two excellent tracks and rarely lets up with the intensity after that. Great riffs, raw screamed vocals and a good mix up of tempos that creates some tensions in the songwriting; the ingredients for a great hardcore album executed with effectiveness here.Oathbreaker RheiaA blackgaze rollercoaster ride with a beautiful contrast between post metal builds, acoustic interludes and some of the most aggressive metal of recent memory. Just listen to Second Son of R as Caro Tanghe alternates between chilling screams, black metal shrills and beautiful clean vocals; a great juxtaposition of styles. This album feels like a passing of the torch in the genre after Deafheaven's disappointing New Bermuda. Oathbreaker shines in all of the styles they take on here but the biggest strength of the record may be the songwriting. Being Able to Feel Nothing is one example where the majority of the track is a tense buildup before exploding just after the five minute mark into some of the most powerful screams on the album. The tracklist seems to alternate between intense blackgaze epics and extremely quiet, more atmospheric pieces and works favorably giving the listener a break where it is needed. Not an album that will warrant being replayed over and over again but one that deserves a listen from any fan of blackgaze, black metal or even post metal.Obscura CosmogenesisThe coming-of-age of one of the best Technical Death Metal groups in the business and in retrospect the passing of the torch from Necrophagist (RIP) as far as taking over a very niche side of the genre. Cosmogenesis has everything Obscura has to offer from the insanely complex in terms of both instrumentation and song structure (Incarnated, Desolate Spheres) to the catchier (relative to the genre) and more replayable tracks like Anticosmic Overload and Centric Flow. The one thing that may stand out the most compared to the more recent, and excellent in their own right, releases is the aggression here. Obscura were just pedal to the medal on this release and it is great to see where they came from if you started with albums that would come later. For those looking for the supremely complex and technical side of death metal where the band simultaneously goes full virtuoso but can still write legible songs, start here and for that matter check out all of Obscura's records.Obscura AkróasisTechnical Death Metal mainstay Obscura return in 2016 with a very different lineup and a fresh take on their progressive sound incorporating shredding metal rhythms with mastery of all instruments they touch. The most impressive element to this album is the songwriting because many other artists in similar genres just can't seem to find a balance between structure, themes and building up to truly great climaxes in between all of the shredding. Obscura have seemingly revived a Death influence into their sound and the balance it provides is key to the success of this record. The major qualm here, and many others have said it, is the last track. It takes up about 25% of the runtime and departs from the rest of the tracks into a more grandiose and progressive theme. That isn't always a bad thing but it ins't nearly the same quality as the first seven tracks, all of which are great to masterful. Akroasis, the title track, is a masterpiece with excellence also found in The Monist, Ode to the Sun and Ten Sephiroth.Obscura DiluviumObscura return with their, unsurprisingly at this point, spacey and complex take on slightly progressive technical death metal. The leads are numerous, the bass is given a starring role and the entire package has a slightly melodic and thrashy feel. The songwriting is a highlight on the album as Obscura stick to a more structured approach where many modern acts are all about rapid twists and turns. Obscura allow the songs to develop with verses, choruses, bridges and solo sections. This allows each track to have an identity and you don't need to study the album or listen to it one hundred times to get a great feel for it, it comes naturally and quickly. The bass and guitar work is also once again stellar with both instruments providing so much content to digest. The vocals have not changed much but Stefan has always done well between his trashy gutturals and the effects laiden space vox. All in all one of the recent highlights of technical death metal and to no one's surprise.Obscura A ValedictionOlivia Rodrigo GutsThe award for mega celebrity status pop star of the year that releases a blockbuster album that delivers both the catchy radio hits in Apple commercials and songs with substance that music connoisseurs can enjoy award goes to Olivia Rodrigo. For the first few listens there are moments where you question the lyrics and certain themes but when you realize all of these songs are from the perspective of someone probably 17-20 years old while writing them, it makes it all that more enjoyable and authentic. Still, some of the songs (Get Him Back!) feel a bit too juvenile but this is a minor issue. Far more songs (Ballad of a Homeschooled Girl, Pretty Isn't Pretty are standouts) show maturity and are truly some of the best radio hits of the year. Honestly, for me, this feels like the 'Melodrama' of 2023 but I hope Olivia doesn't go down the 'Solar Power' road after GUTS but continues to craft an excellent mix of pop and rock songs that display her personality. A lot of people seem to hate on the ballads on the record but they add great flow between the more uptempo tracks and highlight Olivia's vocals really well. Fun and extremely catch from beginning to end.Oranssi Pazuzu Mestarin KynsiOne of those records you really have to be in the right mindframe to put on but everytime you do, its like a fresh, completely wild experience. Heavily atmospheric inducing a sort of dark, ominous mood getting a lot from psychadelic rock and a ton of different metal influences. In the first track alone you spend about 5 minutes meditating to some throaty golbin grunts/cries out words before the riffs absolutely crush you while the synth and noise elements give this thing a spacey/futuristic vibe. Weird in the best way as the deepest, darkest corners and trenches that you find in this album will absolutely 100% engross you and make you feel like you are gone from the world we call our own. 'Uusi teknokratia' is a true track of the year candidate.Otoboke Beaver SUPER CHAMPONSuper Champon is one of those albums where I ask, what is there to not like here? How could someone give this collection of music a negative review? Otoboke Beaver bring so much fun, raw, whacky energy in something that resembles riot grrrl, hardcore and noise rock without ever, ever feeling alienating or pretentious. Compared to their previous collection, this one feels a bit more all over the place and a bit less catchy in terms of singular tracks you go back to but that is certainly the point. Beyond that it is hard to knock. 10/10 fun factor, please bless the world with more chaotic, angry, fun music Otoboke Beaver.Panopticon The Scars of Man on the Once Nameless WildernessThough it is fairly obvious what one will get going into a Panopticon record these days, Austin Lunn continues to build on his repertoire of pairing atmospheric black metal with folk and Americana. The Scars of Man on the Once Nameless Wilderness is grand and ambitious and showcases Lunn's full, impressive arsenal of instruments and his ability to produce top notch black metal and folk, this time separated into two distinct records. The entire record takes on a melancholic, sombre atmosphere and this feeling really ties the two discs together. As the name of the album suggests Lunn once again visits themes of nature and how man relies on and interacts with the, once, wild world that surrounds us. Both the lyrics and music work wonderfully around this theme and makes the listener ponder about the need for wilderness in a human's life and how humans are now affecting nature. 'The Itch' gets very direct and political and is the only true sore spot on the album, both the lyrics and mood break from the rest of the theme and it just feels sloppy. Despite that, Lunn has triumphed here with plenty of more great black metal material and the best purely folk driven music he has recorded to date. Panopticon's discography is truly rich at this point.Paradise Lost The Plague WithinLifelong metal fan but new to Paradise Lost; feels like perfect timing. I don't think many other bands could put out a 14th effort like this, sometimes the veterans outdo the young bucks. Rhythm guitar mastery throughout with masterful use of both harmonic and gruff vocals. Doom at heart but covers a wide range of tempos while remaining ominous. An Eternity of Lies=song of the year candidate. Other greats: No Hope in Sight, Sacrifice The Flame, Punishment Through Time, Victim of the Past.Perfume Genius No ShapeNo Shape is an artsy, minimal, ambient Pop album that traverses a soft, ethereal atmosphere with sentimental and introspective lyrics from singer-songwriter Mike Hadreas. Despite coming off as soft and even lonely, this is no way a negative thing, Perfume Genius utilizes strings in many situations to create anxious, melancholy or wandering moods with guitars, synths, pianos and bass as accents. The instruments are certainly secondary to the inspiring performance of Hadreas whose tone and execution display passion and are bound to evoke a range of emotions in any listener. Throw in a great Weyes Blood guest spot with the wonderful vocals and production and No Shape quickly becomes one of the more memorable albums in the first half of 2017. Wreath is a fantastic track but unfortunately the album flutters out a bit after this with the average track quality being rather front-loaded.Portrayal of Guilt We Are Always AlonePower Paladin With the Magic of Windfyre SteelI don't know anything about Power Palandin and at this point I am too afraid to ask. Definitely doesn't reinvent the wheel or do much for moving the genre forward but damn are the fundamentals here. Hardly a wasted moment in the 9 tracks that span 50 minutes and Power Paladin shines with great vocal hooks, vocal melodies that take me back to early Helloween and tons of energy on the drums and guitars. Way of Kings, Creatures of the Night and There Can Only Be One are the cream of the crop but this album slaps from front to back.Power Trip Nightmare LogicA very refreshing Trash/Crossover album. Power Trip excel in blending in retro thrash elements without it sounding forced or incredibly obvious that they are trying to hommage old school thrash. This approach results in a great blend of metal that captures what the greats were able to accomplish in years past but still sounds like a 2017 effort. Short and sweet at 33 minutes long, the average track length of about 4 minutes allows each song to stand out on its own. They really did a great job with the layout of the tracks here. Aggressive, full of soul and in your face. This album is one that any fan of metal should spin at least once. It will be interesting to see where they go from here and hopefully it isn't another 4 years between albums.Primordial To the Nameless DeadOn 'To The Nameless Dead' Primordial captures a celtic, folk metal essence without the use of any non-traditional metal instruments. The creation of such an environment without any flutes, extraneous strings or much acoustics is impressive and the best trait of the album. The length of the album is a bit intense if you consider most of it is driving rhythm guitar riffs but subtle melodies, epic buildups and the raw power of Nemtheanga's vocals manage to keep strong momentum for the entire length. The album is a bit draining because it keeps such high energy for so long but every-time I put it on I ask myself, why don't I listen to this much more. It took some time to grow on me but the gimmick-less Celtic with a hint of black metal on this record is excellent. Tracks 1-5 are truly fantastic.Rakky Ripper Xtra CostRakky Ripper Nadie lo va a hacer por mÃSimply put, the first six tracks of 'Nadie lo va a hacer por mí' are the best hyperpop/bubblegum bass of 2023. Between the production, massively catchy hooks and energetic/futuristic beats it all comes together as Rakky Ripper navigates the tracks with her signature blend of English/Spanish vocals. 'Irresistible', 'Centro de Atencion' and 'No Puedo Dormir' are all wonderful, five-star tracks and at times it feels like you took Britney Spears and transported her to the bubblegum bass universe in the year 2100. Listening to this images of neon Miami nightlife and the movie 'Drive' come to mind for whatever reason. After those first six tracks, things hold steady and are quite good for the most part with 'Zip' being another triumph but outside of that the quality just isn't as stellar making the album take on a frontloaded feel. A bit of trimming on the backend would bring this to all-time hyperpop heights. Truly the most underappreciated artist in this corner of pop after three very good releases in the past 4 years.Rhapsody of Fire Power of the DragonflamePower of the Dragonflame is the conclusion of an epic tale laid out on the three Rhapsody albums prior. What an appropriate finale it is. On Dragonflame you can hear the elements of the entire saga woven into a slightly more straightforward neoclassical power metal package. Some may cite that as a weakness but Power of the Dragonflame still contains all of the medieval elements (March of the Swordmaster), ripping top notch classical Turilli solos (Gargoyles solo is his best work), grandiose choruses (many examples) and heavy symphonic elements just polished up a touch with more heavy rhythms. Some of the silly fun, which I am a huge fan of, is gone but the quality and originality is as bright as any other Rhapsody album. Also, Lamento Eroico is Fabio's peak, what a seriously amazing ballad to add some relief between blistering power metal. March and Lamento end up pacing the album wonderfully.Rivers of Nihil Where Owls Know My NameAfter the first few listens it felt like 'Where Owls Know My Name' might just be too big, a bit repetitive and a saturation of heavy aggressive death metal. Luckily, this album is one of the most rewarding beasts of the year for repeated listening. Each and every listen reveals a new intricacy laced into the very impeccable blending of tech death, djent, jazz and prog metal. The composition of the 56 minutes is stellar and songwriting talent is on full display. Rivers of Nihil present a perfect juxtaposition between groovy riffs, wandering instrumental sections, soft interludes and strong choruses. They do well to present 'A Silent Life' immediately, one of the strongest tracks on the album, and match that intensity at many points throughout the album. The album feels like a story with many twists and turns, it almost demands to be listened to as a whole and not track by track. To anyone looking for something that is reinventing metal, don't expect that here. Expect a refined, superbly written and incredibly heavy blend of complex and diversely influenced metal. Also, shoutouts to the drummer and production, they find that perfect dividing line between drums that sound incredibly impressive but still sound like they are played by a human being.Run the Jewels RTJ4RTJ returns after 3.5 years with renewed energy and some of their most personal, political and focused tracks yet. RTJ3 came in 2016 and it is very obvious from the lyrics and mood of this record that the events of the last few years (and even just early 2020) shaped the direction RTJ4 would follow. Some time off has seemingly been a great thing for RTJ as they come back feeling as fresh as ever with huge beats, some nice instrumentation, timely lyrics and songs that feel at times angrier than ever and extremely relevant to today's political climate. It also feels like Mike and El-P just poured their feelings and souls into each and every track, especially the ender. 'Walking in the Snow' contends for their best song ever but the opener, ender, JU$T and Out of Sight also show that RTJ still has plenty in the take and maybe more staggered releases is the correct path forward as this album is up there with any modern hip hop release.SAINt JHN Ghetto Lenny's Love SongsPop/trap albums are the best when the personality of the artists bleeds into the music. That is in full effect here especially with the R&B aspects of Ghetto Lenny's Love Songs that comes packed with bangers and good melodies in the singing, catchy hooks and beyond competent rap bars. Has a great mix of high energy/uptempo tracks (5 Thousand Singles, All I Want is a Yacht, Trap) and more chill vibe songs (Borders, Who Do You Blame). A bit on the long side and maybe 2 tracks could be trimmed off but for every average song there are 2-3 good to excellent ones. Easy to replay and get addicted to thanks to the dynamic mix of styles here.Saor Forgotten PathsForgotten Paths is atmospheric black metal with pagan, folk and celtic elements so seamlessly integrated that, while they are obvious and up front, they feel very natural right alongside the uptempo BM riffs and rhythms. Saor use pianos, violins, woodwinds and bagpipes throughout the journey and often very Celtic sounding melodies but it never feels forced or has that mash-up effect; this alone is a triumph as so many bands manage to make these things sound goofy in the metal context. Right from the get go Forgotten Paths transports you to nature. It nails the atmosphere. The mood is often somber but there are triumphs and the album always has a sense of direction forward, another path to follow. The three long, epic tracks all feel like different journeys or adventures in the same tale. Saor go on long passages without vocals but when they do use them they are well-placed and powerful. Neige absolutely nails his shrieks on the title track. Sophie Rogers provides a great, angelic clean section on Bron. If any longer the album might start getting a bit tiring but Saor deserve full credit for just how naturally they manage to integrate folk and celtic sounds into atmospheric black metal here.SeeYouSpaceCowboy Songs for the Firing SquadGrind influenced mathcore that absolutely crushes from beginning to end. The best things SeeYouSpaceCowboy has going for them is the variation in the vocals, the short and concise songwriting that provides dynamic shifts in energy and the ability to write riffs and breakdowns that could make even the most lifeless slug want to get up and fly around. Most of the tracks on this collection do very well to contrast absurdly heavy rhythms with the dissonant, mathy leads that mathcore is known for. It has balance. It never feels like the vocalist needs to shut up, it never feels like they use the dissonance as a crutch and it never feels like it is just riff after riff used to setup breakdowns that try too hard to be heavy. Back to the vocal variation. You have the sassy talking vocals, the desperate cries, the full on screams and the more sparingly but so clutch deep guttural growls. There is almost nothing worse than a mathcore album where every vocal is uttered in the same way, this is the exact opposite and it provides endless value. Songs for the Firing Squad gets better with every listen and at 18 minutes it is the perfect length for a grindy mathcore record to wear you out but not leave you feeling beat.Shining (SWE) IX: Everyone, Everything, Everywhere, ends.Hmm... depressive black metal, now it is starting to make a bit more sense. Angry, desperate and passionate Kvarforth leads a intense and painful effort with black, death, thrash and doom metal influences woven together into an ultimately unique sound. The juxtaposition of tracks is brilliant here with slow acoustic tracks jammed in between heavy metal riffage and machine gun black metal blast beat sections. Even though I can't understand a single word on the album I can follow the intricate moods created by both the guitars and the intense vocals; for me this is one of the biggest strengths of the album, its alternating moodiness. Most of the tracks stand on their own but a few go above and beyond. Framtidsutsikter builds from a passionate acoustic serenade into all out heavy metal beauty. Inga Broar brings out the best of Kvarforth for me with sounds of what feels like a dying human being choking on blood echoing out over beautifully captured acoustic guitar and electric leads. Finally, Besok Fran almost brings the whole album together with the most intense black metal sections of the album juxtaposed with medium tempo smooth jazz guitar tones. Intricate and an album that has really grown on me after the first few listens.Shooting Daggers Love and RageAttitude-driven and energetic Hardcore/Riot Grrrl that sneaks in a solid amount of grunge influence and some really great metalcore/90s heavy metal sounding riffs that amounts to a pretty unique overall sound. Favorite moments include the groovy metal riffs in 'Smug' that lead into a cheeky vocal harmony in the chorus, the entirety of 'Wipeout' with its skating references and awesome drumbeats, and 'Tunnel Vision' which is the most polished and heavy hitting track on the record. The band also does a great job slowing things down a bit in 'A Guilty Conscience...' and the title track. Between the unique blend of riff influences, the energy, the great riffs and variation in tempos and atmosphere from track to track, 'Love and Rage' encapsulates just that and is one of the most overlooked/underrated albums I have come across in quite sometime. Snail Mail LushWhen it comes to indie rock-pop that is centered around a singer/songwriter the vocals can often make or break the experience and first impressions have heightened importance. Not only is Snail Mail's Lindsey Jordan up to the task, she absolutely owns it on 'Lush' with a quiet confidence that captivates during the entire runtime. Jordan is not virtuosic and thank god. Her very melodic and emotive approach really forces the listener to feel what she is feeling and this is where many of the most technically gifted musicians often fail. Lindsey's approach demands your attention and it is impossible to look away. Lush seems to get a some flack for being just another indie album and while it certainly isn't re-inventing the genre the music accompanying Jordan is both interesting and dynamic enough to warrant it's own attention. There are well produced guitar tones and fun chord progressions underneath the excellent vocal efforts. An album that may take a few spins to get into but extremely rewarding with more replays. Pristine, Heat Wave, STICK, Golden Dream and Deep Sea are all top notch tracks.Soakie SoakieGreat little 13 minute record that makes me happy that raw, nasty hardcore punk is alive and well in 2020. The first three tracks are incredible examples of this showing how high energy, good gritty guitar riffs and unique, impassioned vocals can create great tracks without need for anything else. The rest of the songs follow suit and the entire album makes you want to get up and open up the floor at your local VFW or show space and shout along to every song. The lyrics and vocals themselves are likely to be divisive among listeners but in the end it is hard to remember many albums recently that create such a dirty, authentic hardcore punk experience driven only by power chord guitar riffs and the vocalist. Flywheel 2021 lets go.Sophie Oil of Every Pearl's Un-InsidesOil of Every Pearl's Un-Insides is an adventure in a surreal, futuristic landscape that feels like a reflection of Sophie's soul. Sophie absolutely excels at creating an invigorating experience from beginning to end where every turn feels like it has purpose in creating a stunning overall album; there is no time wasted. Sophie takes us from the emotional, quiet opener to more rhythmic beat-driven bangers and then to ambient tracks with sounds that are open to interpretation and back again. The flow of the album is just perfect. The record is so diverse and has just enough of both the poppy and experimental approaches, at different times separate and others together. A lot of the sound here is glitchy and even mechanical but what Sophie does so well is back that up and contrast it against passionate and playful vocals. Faceshopping, Immaterial, Is It Cold in the Water? and Ponyboy are all essentials and the transition between Pretending and Immaterial is one of the best musical moments of the year. Truly beautiful listened front to back but the above tracks can stand on their own and show just how good a musician and producer Sophie is.SOUL GLO Diaspora ProblemsBlistering hardcore tracks and some really good rap songs make for a mix I am not sure I have ever really come across that is executed so well. Sort of on the border of a 3.5 and a 4 for me but in the end "Spiritual Level of Gang Shit" is a top contender for the song of the year and also unlike any other song I have ever heard before, ever. So huge props for that.Stef Chura MidnightMidnight is certainly not re-inventing the wheel in its indie rock approach but it is not an issue as the songwriting is consistently great and Stef's vocals grab and keep your attention from beginning to end. This is very much a vocal driven album and Stef is up to the task with multiple approaches (soft singing, loud singing, yelling, gritty, clean) and this effect keeps the album very interesting for many repeated listens. Beyond the vocals is dynamic songwriting where Stef often utilizes bipartite song structure instead of simple verse-chorus-verse and really gets a lot of use out of loud-quiet-loud contrast. The songs themselves all feel like they have their own identity and this variety (along with Stef's vocals) is key to making Midnight standout in a very saturated genre. Instrumentally, the guitars have a ton of energy, interesting textures and feature very nice tones with strength in both the chord progressions and the leads ('Degrees' is a nice example of this). Great uptempo rock songs (Scream, Method Man), melancholic feels (Sincerely Yours, Sweet Sweet Midnight) and everything in between as Stef Churs knocks it out of the park with her vocal depth and delivery. Suiyoubi no Campanella SUPERMANA bright, fun and eclectic Electropop/J-Pop/J-HipHop experience bringing on some club-ready bangers with house vibes but also delivering with tracks that aren't afraid to experiment with both the vocals and the music. KOM_I is the voice that guides you through SUPERMAN and she performs admirably in this star role with beautiful melodies, playful passages, addicting hooks and some good hip-hop verses. The rest of the group provides a great sound stage for KOM_I to shine on with beats and hooks that create a somewhat tropical, summer vibe containing plenty of random noises, u-turn transitions and sampled sounds to keep each and every song interesting. All in all, SUPERMAN is incredibly warm and playful with Ikkyu-San and Kamehameha The Great being absolutely essential tracks for any electropop fan.Suldusk Lunar FallsSome albums have a ton of great individual songs that just don't get it done when the record is played through as a whole, and others are like 'Lunar Falls'. Suldusk debuts with a dark folk atmo-black metal album that is most certainly enjoyed in full and the excellent flow and tension dynamics are one of the highlights of 'Lunar Falls'. The album starts off with a lot of energy from Solus Ipse to Aphasia (the best overall stretch on the record) before moving off into vocally driven folk tracks which highlight just how good Emily Highfield is on the mic. Crisp acoustic guitars and atmospheric string sections accompany her on this adventure. If there is one obvious weakness to the record it is probably that this cleaner, quieter section lasts maybe a track too long but there is still plenty of drama and great songwriting to be found here. 'Catacombs' is a wonderful track and 'Nazare' provides a ton of emotion as well in both the vocals and the instrumentation. The conclusion of the album is fantastic. 'Sovran Shrines' is the longest track on the album and it wanders from folk into an ethereal guitar bridge before concluding with the fiercest vocals on the record. The ender along with 'Aphasia' are the best songs on the album and show that there are plenty of avenues to explore by mixing folk and black metal in different ratios. SZA CtrlSZA's full length debut sees her skyrocket into the spotlight after a history of mixtapes and plenty of prominent guest appearances. Her blend of alt-R&B and neo-soul is sensual, bittersweet, lush, playful and rife with mentions of past/current relationships, booties, sex and introspective evaluation. The album is frontloaded to a certain degree but not because the latter half is weak by any means. The first five tracks of Ctrl are probably the 18ish minute stretch of music of 2017. Each and every song between Supermodel and Prom are essential tracks and incredible in every aspect of music making. Overall both the beats and vocals are excellent and the guest spots all add value to the album by giving you a fresh voice and some rap between SZA's soothing passages. The lyrics are mostly derived from personal experiences and SZA leaves all filters detached when discussing adult matters. It is hard to imagine anyone may have missed this one, a contender for best of 2017.Terry Call Me TerrySimple, easy-going and playful record that generally falls in the punk realm with some indie pop sound as well. Bright and for some reason the word charming always comes to mind when this album is playing. Guitar driven at times, synth driven at times and sometimes the vocals take center stage in an often mellow sound that isn't really in your face but lets a few simple things shine at any one given time. Catchy and replayable with a set of tracks that each have their own charm. 'Gold Duck', 'Gronks' and ' Golden Head' all start with g but are also highlights of 'Call Me Terry'.The Black Dahlia Murder MiasmaMiasma straddles the line somewhere between metalcore and death metal with a focus on the former. Blistering pace throughout the entire album with a root firmly in the palm-muted open E string. Chugging riffs with a heaping serving of melodic tones throughout creating some of the tightest grooves above robotic drumming that actually sounds real. The Black Dahlia Murder obviously draw on At the Gates but turn up the burners a few notches and on Miasma deliver ten brutal tracks. Trevor Strnad is the star with some of the best deathcore vocals the business has to offer. The other obvious stellar trait here is the overall style: TBDM create a true mood of horror in their music with the melodic leads and harmonies. Statutory Ape, Novelty Crosses, I'm Charming and Miasma are fantastic.The Body No One Deserves HappinessNo One Deserves Happiness is not an album that I visit very often and one that often invokes the question: "Why don't I listen to this more?" The answer to this is simple: This album is a somewhat harrowing, albeit beautiful experience. Rooted somewhere in the pits of hell between sludge, drone, industrial and pop this record provides an amazing, memorable atmosphere. Screeching death screams contrast soothing clean vocals, gainy industrial bass rides a wave of electronic percussion and entropy ensues. No One Deserves Happiness brings the listener to many different places all while forging a sound of its own, which is worth praise in its own right. It is obvious that an album like this won't be for everyone but tracks like Wanderings, Shelter is Illusory, Two Snakes, Adamah, Starving Deserter and Prescience deserve a listen from anyone seeking dark, fun and unique music.The Coathangers Nosebleed WeekendFalling somewhere between garage rock and early punk The Coathangers carve out their own place on their 2016 effort Nosebleed Weekend. One of the best things about the album can be described with one word: variance. Multiple vocalists, all of which perform their duties admirably, contribute to this with everything from catchy hooks to more emotional, angsty coos. Songwriting also varies with slowed down tracks in Excuse Me? and I Don't Think So, quick paced zingers like Dumb Baby and Make It Right, the anthemic title track and the silly, somewhat odd Squeeki Tiki. This is the single most important thing about the album, it feels entirely fresh throughout the entire 13-song, 38-minute experience. Beyond that The Coathangers make the most of the guitar work with power-chord heavy punk riffs, bright melodic chordal passages and some surf rock influence strewn into the mix as well. Dumb Baby, Excuse Me?, Watch Your Back, Down Down and Had Enough are all standouts with most of the other tracks being instantly memorable.The Coathangers The CoathangersThe start to what I have recently found out to be an excellent discography. By far their most silly and sometimes cringe inducing album, The Coathangers' debut effort starts them off with a heavy Garage Punk approach littered with some Indie Rock character throughout. Their inexperience is obvious at times but it only adds to the charm of the record giving it a nice raw, punk feel. The biggest strength of this band, and it shows in their entire discography, is the dynamic and varied nature track to track. Here you have lo-fi stripped-down tracks like Wreckless Boy, the broken telephone melody driven Don't Touch My Shit full of screaming, more melodic stuff like Buckhead Betty and plenty of more standard, yet great punk tracks. The listener is brought to a wide range of different places and it pays huge dividends into the replay-ablility of the album. Perhaps one of the most under-appreciated artists I have come across.The Courtneys The CourtneysLo-fi indie rock that sounds straight out of the 90s as far as production and style goes but isn't an obvious emulation of anything that was done in that era. The bratty vocals are pointed with attitude and somewhat intrusive, melding very well with the noisy guitar and raspy bass. Despite being indie rock it is hard to not feel some riot grrrl and punk influence here reminiscent of earlier Sleater-Kinney. Most importantly it comes in at 25 minutes and there is rarely a dull or throwaway moment with Manion, 90210 and Nu Sundae as true standouts.The Distillers Sing, Sing Death HouseDuring the last year of my high school experience I listened to this album way more than is healthy allowing Brody Dalle's classic hoarse, should be sponsored by Marlboro voice pierce my eardrums day after day for months. Even almost ten years later I remember every single moment of this 28 minute 2002 punk rock masterclass. The short run time and variation of style on each track along with truly excellent bass and great vocals make this one of the easiest listens out there; unless you do not like Brody's vocals, then you are in trouble. Sick Of It All, Seneca Falls, The Young Crazed Peeling, City of Angels, Hate Me and Lordy Lordy bring back some insane memories for me but also stand the test of almost 15 years time. Many people hate this era of punk but this album is a diamond in the rough.The HIRS Collective Friends. Lovers. Favorites.Intensely angry and aggressive pro-trans grind/powerviolence/queercore that incredibly violent in sound and focuses heavily on the rights and experience of trans persons. HIRS do a great job when they are at their fastest and heaviest naturally combining massively heavy grind riffs with faster, more power chord based hardcore riffs. The various vocalists found on the record are a treat all lending their best screams and yells; this vocal variety is a key to the success of the album as a whole. HIRS does not have a filter and their lyrical content is bound to turn off listeners who are not looking for a political, heavily opinionated experience. That aside, HIRS are incredibly energetic and dedicated to their cause and this only augments how powerful the music on this record comes out. The main issues for Friends. Lovers. Favorites. is the slight repetitiveness of the songs and the remixes included at the end, which really feel out of place after the first 25 tracks. It's OK to Be Sad, It's OK to Be Sick.The Julie Ruin Run FastThe Julie Ruin comes together like an amalgamation of what Kathleen Hanna has done up until this date but still feels fresh and vibrant. A very fun mix of Indie Rock, Dance Punk and Riot Grrrl with Hanna's signature in-your-face styles elevating the eclectic mix of rock guitars and synth. At times makes you want to dance and at others it deals with feminist issues which one would expect in any Hanna project. This effect elevates the album to greatness as The Julie Ruin excels in creating a wonderful variance in their songs. Plenty of good tracks but Run Fast is seriously one of the best songs in Kathleen's entire discography, an utter classic.The Last Dinner Party Prelude to EcstasyPeople on here spend more time talking about a band being an 'industry plant' and gossip around bands in general than they do listening to music. After listening to this record for the last few months I had no idea about any of this and am glad I stay away from these message boards. It is way more fun to just listen to a record and know nothing about the artists, I guess until you go to do this silly exercise. In the end 'Prelude to Ecstasy' is an excellent glammy, proggy pop rock album from beginning to end. The music is catchy, the melodies are engaging earworms, the arrangements are grand and the band's music matches their image, which is kind of bleh but it works when paired with the tunes they play. Favorite moments are the romantic chorus in 'On Your Side', the transition from the simple first verse to the grand chorus of 'My Lady of Mercy', the vocal harmonies in 'The Feminine Urge' chorus and in general the catchy hooks throughout the entire record. Industry plants, aliens, boarding school rich folks or just normal musicians, this record just hits from end to end. There are more conspiracy theories and gossip on some Sputnik pages than my uncle's Facebook page.Thy Catafalque NaivThere is avant-garde/prog material that makes you wanna go to the closet to find your dunce cap because you need a music PhD to understand what the group is going for and then there are bands like Thy Catafalque. Blending Hungarian folk into prog rock/metal while using what feels like an endless set of singing styles and instruments is no small feat. If one thing must be said about Naiv is that it comes off as beautifully natural, never feeling the least bit forced. The album flows so freely and wonderfully from beginning to end without ever making the listener feel lost in the technical aspect of the song structures or instrumentation. Thy Catafalque can groove, they can pull of string sections, they can bathe you in traditional folk vocals, they bring the energy and they cover so much ground without overextending their stay in this 47 minute record.Tigran Hamasyan MockrootFor a listener with very little musical training Mockroot sounds at times like djent, prog rock, Armenian folk and jazz woven into a hard-hitting, powerful sound. Rhythmic mastery on display with drums that act to accentuate what Tigran is doing on his keys. It turns out the piano is a great substitute for a chugging low-tuned guitar and Hamasyan displays great technical abilities throughout Mockroot whether it be in the playing or writing of the tunes. Another excellent trait of this album is variety. Tracks like 'Double-Faced' and "To Negate' lean towards the uptempo, djent polyrhythms while showings like 'The Apple Orchard' and 'The Roads...' showcase dramatic vocals, slower tempos and more natural rhythms. 'Song for Melan and Rafik' and 'Kars 1' fall in between and could be the best place to start for anyone wanting a sample as they both contain a balanced mixture of what Tigran is great at. All of the tracks of the hour-long Mockroot fit in and have their place in a jazz fusion album that should not be missed by fans of any of the aforementioned styles.Triangulo de Amor Bizarro oɹɹÉzıqɹoɯÉÇpolnƃuÉıɹʇWonderfully consistent 42 minutes of noisy rock/pop that is at times gritty, to the point and energetic and other times gazey, ethereal and all about the atmosphere. Two excellent sets of tracks accentuate just how much quality the band is able to get out of vocalists Rodrigo Caamaño and Isabel Cea and the guitar work that sets the stage so well. 'No eres tu' builds wonderfully with mostly Cea's vox and bass before spiraling out of control and setting the stage for the upbeat guitar centered 'Vigilantes del Espejo' focusing on Caamaño's vocals. The band is able to achieve a wonderful pace and flow for the entire record using these contrasting styles and again this is seen with 'Folia de las apariciones' transitioning into 'Cura mi corazon'. No two parts of the album sound the same and the work of the synth and drums can't be understated in helping to round things out and build, at times, thick and dreamy atmospheres. Throughout it all is great songwriting and a ton of personality that is so desperately needed to stand out in this part of the genre spectrum. Highly suggested for anyone into noise, shoegaze or indie rock in general.U.S. Girls In A Poem UnlimitedMeghan Remy and US Girls do a wonderful job seamlessly combining a trove of influences from over the last five decades into a sort of artsy-disco-psych pop record that sounds natural and right at home in 2018. There isn't a track on the album that should be ignored but there are several instant standouts. M.A.H. is the pinnacle of 'In a Poem Unlimited', a bonafide disco banger that serves as a platform for Remy's disappointment with the Obama administration. Rosebud, another top tier track, slows things down and showcases Remy's singing before going back into the grooves in Incidental Boogie. The contrast between the lyrics and groove of Incidental Boogie is startling and wonderful, Remy seems to have a knack for this. The album flies by at 37 minutes but it is clear that Remy was going for quality over quantity and the record as a whole has a great flow. A standout of the first half of 2018 and one that hopefully gets U.S. Girls more on the map, they deserve it.Ulver The Assassination of Julius CaesarUlver go synthpop, and to no one's surprise they do it well. The entire album takes on a dark, romantic sort of mood maintaining that feeling throughout without feeling desperate or overtly melancholy, it all comes off as very natural. This atmosphere mixes very well with the clever, interesting lyrical themes that deal with Roman mythology and more modern events like the death of Princess Diana. Musically Ulver stay loyal to the synthesizers but overall the sound is very refined and at times features almost orchestral percussion elements and great guest vocals. Ulver also do well with songwriting. The album finds strength in more straightforward tracks like Nemoralia, Southern Gothic and 1969 as well as more complex efforts like Rolling Stone and Coming Home which move more freely musically. In the end, The Assassination of Julius Caesar is a synthpop album, reminiscent of Depeche Mode, that should be accessible to almost any music fan but contains musical and lyrical depth that elevates it to greatness.Wormrot VoicesVoices is a beast. 20 tracks in 26 minutes and pure, unadulterated violent energy. Grindcore with chordal complexity akin to melodic black metal and even some metalcore at times. The sheer amount of noise and energy makes it a hard one to really listen to over and over again but as with any good grind album each track makes even the deadest of souls want to get up and move; it drains you. A lot of grind albums make it hard to recall tracks from, this is the opposite. There are many memorable riffs spread throughout the record and Wormrot do good by juxtaposing slower, chugging rhythms with breakneck tempo, ride cymbal backed chaos. The ebbs and flows are key similar to what Nails accomplished on their 2016 release. Lots of good tracks with Hollow Roots, Oblivious Mess, Dead Wrong and Fallen Into Disuse standing out.Wormrot HissGrindcore can be a hard genre to standout in but Wormrot continues to impress thanks to limitless energy, excellent riff writing skills, vocal mixups and great groove-grind-groove variation. 'Hiss' has some of the straight up hardest hitting song sections of recent years. The inclusion of strings, chants and even some singing adds to the fun and this album just feels like what it is, a send off to the best group of musicians to do grind in recent times.Wound Man Human OutlinePowerviolence that captures the essence of the genre in terms of vocals, songwriting and especially production. Most importantly a lot of the riffs are great, the aggression is refreshed with well-timed mid tempo breaks and that goes really far to keep things interesting when there is a snare drum constantly blasting you in the face for 20 minutes. All of that makes it one of the best pure PV records I have come across in quite some time.Yukika Soul LadyAs someone relatively fresh to K-Pop and City Pop it is hard to say much about how this album apparently brings an older genre into more modern context but it is extremely approachable, a concise/quick 41 minutes and unbelievably easy to get hooked on. The production is well polished and you can appreciate the vocals, percussion, live instruments and synth elements without issue, everything has its rightful place in the mix and sounds great. 'Soul Lady' is on fire on the title track and the two tracks surrounding bit but it really is quality from beginning to end throwing in a few interludes to add some atmosphere and really enhance the pacing of the record. 'Shade' and 'Cherries Jubiles' are highlights in the second half and honestly the acoustic version of the latter features some great acoustic guitar work and glistening production of both the vocals and the guitar. This album just feels like a gateway into the world of K-pop and even into City Pop for someone who really enjoys modern Western pop releases. Zulu A New TomorrowMetalcore/hardcore/a sprinkle of powerviolence meets spoken word and sound collage in an album that thrives as a full playthrough. At 28 minutes, A New Tomorrow flows wonderfully through many contrasting atmospheres but solid, riff and vocal driven hardcore meshes well with the old school samples and the heartfelt, thought provoking spoken word passages. The samples are great breaks from the intense, heavy and often spastic hardcore sections. There are some great individual tracks but nothing that stands out as a lead single. It just feels like it's meant to be enjoyed like a short film. Powerful and something I keep revisiting.3.5 great...and Oceans Cosmic World MotherPedal to the metal, highspeed melodic black metal that keeps the pace intense for most of the record but gives you a nice synth bridge or downtempo break everytime you feel you need it. Vox are a very nice mix of ghastly black metal shrieks and more throaty screams while the riffs have nice melody and the symphonic backings are laid on thick but compliment what the guitars are doing without ever feeling cheesy. 'Five of Swords' is really great in all aspects and shows the band can write a catchy track with a nice hook. Another standout track like this and it would put the album over the top....and Oceans As in Gardens, So in TombsMelo/symphonic black metal chock full of some of the better synth seen in recent black metal albums. The synth really adds an excellent layer of melodies and atmosphere to this record. Really recommend the first two tracks as well as the last one but perhaps a bit repetitive in the middle portion of the record.Aara Triade III: NyxAbsolutely blistering atmospheric black metal that pretty much keeps the pace at max for the entire album and has some of the best high pitched shrieked vocals of memory. A lot of nice use of extended lead guitar sections here to guide the listener through the hellish landscapes and setup great riff transitions that generally explode in sync with the shrill vocals.Abadir MutateAbbath AbbathAbbath by nature is a clear throwback Black Metal album with a conservative approach but ironically in this era of metal it provides a full-circle sort of freshness. Abbath's approach may be somewhat straightforward but when it ain't broke, don'f fix it. And honestly, there are many great subtleties to this record and the production perfectly captures the blend of Black Metal ride-beating, Pantera-esque rhythm riffs and Abbath's unique vocals; damn dude buy a humidifier or something. Despite just about everyone calling it done-before and safe the album is one that provides repeated playbacks that are always worthy of the 40 minute runtime. Bonus points for the varied approaches in the best tracks. Fenrir Hunts is staggeringly quick with a relentless assault from the entire group. Ashes of the Damned is a bit more grandiose with some epic one-off horns, tasteful touch that was beyond unexpected. To War by all accounts is the best possible way to start the album with a groovy rhythm eventually diving into the machine gun black metal snare beatdown. The old guys seem to be ruling metal lately, add Abbath's name to that list.Acrimonious Eleven DragonsFast-paced and ominous black metal with 66 minutes of aggressive riffs that evoke a satanic, dark feeling reminiscent of BM from the days of old. Eleven Dragons on the surface is primarily black metal thanks to those guitars. Acrimonious is not trying to blend genres as so many do these days but deeper down there are hints of death metal. Right beside the guitars is one of the smoothest basses ever found on a black metal record. The basslines are just phenomenal at times. The album does run on a bit long but repeated listens are extremely rewarding thanks to the depth of the guitars, bass, drums and to a bit of a lesser extent the vocals. The man on the mic is not boring by any means but does stick to a standard BM yowl sans a few wayward screams. Eleven Dragons is one of the better BM albums of 2017 that doesn't stray too far into other genres and one that would translate amazingly to a very dark, foggy room in a live setting. It would benefit from a bit of a trimming but Acrimonious do well by giving the listener some instrumental sections that really help pace everything.Ad Nauseam Imperative Imperceptible ImpulseAda Rook UGLY DEATH NO REDEMPTION ANGEL CURSE I LOVE YOUGRAVITY WEAPON and XANAFALGUE are some god tier angry industrial tracks that accentuate everything Ada Rook has come to be great at with intense guttural screams and tracks that blend industrial beats, raw electronics and heavy guitars. This album picks up at track 2 and delivers a relentless assault right on through the entire 35 minute run time. The two tracks at the album's conclusion wrap things up very nicely with a somber penultimate track and a finisher that has an oddly regular pace with a simple bassline verse leading into loud, harsh choruses that contrast each other so well. Any Black Dresses fans have probably heard this by now but if not it is definitely a treat.Aepoch Awakening InceptionProggy death metal that at times draws heavily from thrash and has production that is reminiscent of metal in the early 2000s. One main highlights are the extensive use of guitar solos which have more flavor and soul than most prog DM bands of late; they are not robotic at all. Delirium of Negation is a standout where the group lays down a few verses of thrashy DM before blissfully jamming away with heartfelt guitar and bass solos; a wah-wah that sounds right at home in a death metal song is a feat on its own. Another highpoint is the raspy bass which provides more technical flare to chew on and even has some leads of its own. Awakening Inception sounds like a debut between the rough production and a bit of repetitiveness throughout the tracklist. That being said, it is a great debut for the group and they should be on any tech/prog death metal fans radar here on out.Agoraphobic Nosebleed ArcArc represents sludgey new territory for Agoraphobic Nosebleed kicking off a four-EP set ambitiously by stepping into fairly unchartered waters. The album as a whole sounds great. Kat delivers passionate and very angered vocals with unsettling lyrical themes never letting the foot off the pedal. The riffs are slimy and beefy traversing both groovy and frightening territories. Last but not least the crisp drums which actually allow the EP to flow rather nicely with a natural feel. Combine all of this with clean production and what could one complain about? Direction. The album feels mish-mash and you are left not really sure where Agoraphobic Nosebleed wants to take you. This is my only major problem here. Kat also sticks to her guns with one vocal style throughout and you wonder if a bit more variety could help. That being said I personally love her performance and I find myself putting this record on more and more. Kudos to the well placed samples which tie into the overall theme of the album. Not A Daughter is the highlight.Alcest Spiritual InstinctFeels like a very natural next step for this band that has been infusing more metal and rock elements into their music with each and every release and at the same time it feels like a culmination of what Niege has been working on for over a decade. The dreamy landscapes and ethereal vocals of the shoe/blackgaze are still prominent but more often contrasted by groovier uptempo post-metal riffing and the album just has more energy overall than any previous release the band has put out. If there is any knock it is that a lot of the riffs, chord progressions and especially vocal melodies will sound rather familiar if you have been following this band since the beginning. Despite that it is another very, very good release from one of the most important contributors to the fusion of metal and shoegaze. Tons of great up and down dynamics to the songs although the peaks just fall short of matching the best moments on previous Alcest releases.Alkaloid The Malkuth GrimoireAlkaloid's debut The Malkuth Grimoire is a showcase of progressive technical death metal from a group of musicians with seemingly endless talent. Luckily for us the talent is not wasted in endless wankery but used to generate strong compositions which allow musicianship to shine while retaining song structure. The ebbs and flows from spacey, almost funky clean parts to hammering death metal can be attributed to true songwriting skills. The vocalist shines with a creepy clean tone contrasted with a traditional death metal growl. Unfortunately the biggest problem becomes the extensive content. The album is front-loaded with borderline genius trackers like Carbon Phrases, Cthulu, Alter Magnitudes, Orgonism and the first parts of the Dyson suite. These are some of the best metal tracks of the year but much of the second half of the album feels like recycling but executed as precisely as the beginning half. I wish for these guys to pull off the anti-Necrophagist, with a bit more focus I could see this group of maestros producing an all-time great technical death record.Alkaloid Liquid AnatomyA worthy follow up to their debut album and one the best acts out there right now to go really progressive and very technical death and make it work out so smoothly. Throughout Liquid Anatomy the group does a great job creating contrast between absurdly heavy death riffs and softer proggy sections. The vocalist seamlessly switches between aggressive growls and light singing suiting the flow of what the instrumentalists are doing. There is a ton of content here and Alkaloid focus less on defined song structure than they did on Malkuth Grimoire, it can be a lot to digest but repeated listening is rewarded in this case as it seems like there is always something new to be found. Alkaloid do well to retain the positive aspects of both prog and death metal in a brutal and musically complex style without giving off the trying to be radically complex vibe.Allegaeon ApoptosisKind of a tale of two halves. Apoptosis is the fifth LP from the very consistent tech/proggy/melodic death metal outfit out of Colorado. If you forgot the cell cycle stages, Allegaeon has you covered in the first few tracks and in general the album's themes revolve around science. The first six tracks are really, really good with the band sticking to more structured songwriting often trading groovy verse riffs with chord driven hooks, the occasional breakdown and blistering solos in between. These tracks are dynamic and Interphase//Meiosis and Extremophiles (B) have beautiful tension and transitions. At about the midpoint of the album, things seem to change gears and become a bit more toned down and less tight in terms of songwriting, it feels like the band is wandering with less direction. What makes this a great album? The vocals are a step up from some of their earlier work. There are at least 3 or 4 guttural tones and good cleans to keep things fresh. The riffs and basslines are proggy and technical but still groovy, clean and energetic. Worth checking out for anyone into the genre but an album that kind of shows its card early and teeters on the edge of too repetitive and one that won't need endless replays.Amorphis Under the Red CloudFinnish veterans Amorphis return in 2015 with their 12th studio album averaging an impressive biannual studio full-length release since 1992. Relying on many familiar sonic elements the Finns deliver a tight sound rooted in melodic death metal blended with heavy influence of folk and prog metal. Production is shiny allowing this mix to succeed balancing deep growls, powerful clean opera vocals, atmospheric ethnic synth tracks and crunchy melo death guitars. Amorphis are very skilled musicians but end up relying on songwriting with great death and clean vocal hooks over technical skill. The album also possesses a smooth folky, medieval mood. Each track follows a strong, almost poppy, formulaic composition which is mostly a strength but in the end does present a minor problem. Repeat listens expose the fact that most of the tracks follow a similar path even if many of them are truly great. After a few times through the entire record it starts to feel a bit too spiffy and polished due to the production and songwriting, sometimes there is too much of a good thing indeed. Under the Red Cloud puts Amorphis with Enslaved and Paradise Lost where it seems like 2015 is a great year for metal revivals and your 10th-14th album could be your best. Four Wise Ones, Bad Blood, Death of a King, and Enemy at the Gates are great tracks for someone looking for a sample of Under the Red Cloud.Amyl and the Sniffers Amyl and the SniffersIn your face and rebellious, aggressive punk that certainly has a tinge of old-school hardcore to it in the vocals and the instrumentation (at times). Amy Taylor leads the way with singing, shouting and yelling depending on the mood of the song, of which there are plenty. 'Gacked on Anger', 'GFY' and 'Punisha' are very aggressive, while 'Got You', 'Angel' and 'Monsoon Rock' are more midtempo with themes of love and the anthemic monsoon rock party. These songs shows that Amyl and the Sniffers can write great tracks in a few different styles and it makes the album really fun to replay a lot. No re-inventing the wheel here and sometimes a bit too familiar in its garage/punk roots but great songwriting, a commanding vocalist, good hooks and in the end just fun. 'Gacked on Anger' is fantastic.Astrid Sonne Great DoubtFairly minimal mixture of viola, vocals, drums and some electronic elements with an overall mellow and atmospheric vibe. The sparseness and clear production really allows one to appreciate each and every element of the arrangements as a whole. Highlight moments are the piano bassline underneath the viola in 'Do you wanna', the layered viola harmonies in 'Give my all', the Doom like atmosphere of 'Boost' and 'Say you love me' being the perfect chill ender showcasing piano+vocals+viola all at once. Just a pleasant listen.Augury Illusive Golden AgeThe review is pretty much spot on. Augury display hard-hitting tech death with a splash of prog, most prominent in the bass guitar. Some death metal fanatics scoff at the use of this bass in the genre but Dominic Lapointe's performance is truly memorable and, literally, cannot be ignored on this album. Besides the obvious talent from every musician, the songwriting here is spot on with rapid tech death outbursts giving way to instrumental jams, solos and the occasional groovy riff. Augury know how to play with those highs and lows and this is truly exemplified in Mater Dolorosa, the best track on the record. Beyond the bass, the vocalist puts on a memorable performance with disgusting guttural lows, screeching demon highs and some catchy cleans in between.Baaba Maal The TravellerMy personal quest to find albums randomly has once again led me to something great that I would never come across otherwise. Rooted somewhere between African pop, folk and rock The Traveller by Baaba Maal combines traditional sounds with modern production techniques to create something special. Despite Maal's natural ability to create bright, beautiful vocal melodies he chooses at times to juxtapose hyper-autotuned hooks with African rhythms and folk guitar tracks; it is obvious he is a careful skilled songwriter. Juxtaposition becomes a theme with the tracks and it allows the record to progress naturally. The booming banger Fulani Rock opens it up with intense energy only to bring things down for a few tracks between Gilli Men and Lampenda which cover a very wide range of instruments and vocal stylings. Traveller ramps it up once again and is one of the best tracks so far this year. Opening with a whisper and quiet guitar it builds into passages that I could imagine playing during the dawn of life on Earth, splendid. Jam Jam is next and is also one of the better songs on the album. How to end? How about a duo War and Peace with spoken word first above insane percussion and then joined by hymns above flutes and guitar. The blend of African traditions with pop, rock, funk and folk is fascinating at times and The Traveller stays fresh throughout thanks to Baaba Maal's wide range of vocal stylings and some excellent instrumentation.Backxwash God Has Nothing To Do With This Leave Him Out Of IHip hop that creates a dark and ominous atmosphere through heavy hitting personal lyricism, clever sampling, smart beat production and vocals that are anxious and raw. No need for the in your face spooky lyrics or overt horror tropes here, it feels serious and personal instead. The guests spots from Rook and Devi from Black Dresses are great and result in two of the better tracks on the record. The rap itself should not be understated. The verses on both 'Spells' and 'Black Sheep' are very nice with some creative wordplay and use of multiple flows. Easy to get into considering the short runtime and a lot to chew through in the excellent beats.Beach Bunny HoneymoonWell produced, vocally driven power pop with a hint of emo. A lot of what is here may feel familiar musically but the songwriting is top notch and there are 4-5 great hooks, so who really cares that it isn't groundbreaking originality? Perhaps a bit samey because Lili's voice is the main higlight throughout the 25 minutes but Beach Bunny are able to do a range of songs from upbeat more rock geared anthems to quiet, slowed down more emotional songs like 'Rearview'. Starts out on fire with the first three tracks being the best of the lot but still remains very solid with finishers 'Dream Boy' and 'Cloud 9'. Bittersweet at times and energetic and bright at others this album feels like it is settling in a bit more mood-wise in the last few months.Beach House 7Psych, gazy, shoey, dreamy pop that is easy to get lost in. Props for all of the song variation, the lush production and the lethargic, melancholy atmospheres. It feels like each track is it's own and Beach House manage to cover a lot of ground in the 47 minutes given on 7. After revisiting Souvlaki and Slowdive S/T it is hard to not see the extreme influence and borderline emulation at times but Beach House do just enough to distinguish themselves from all of that. The vocalists have a natural and smooth complimentary sound and Victoria does a good job taking on several different approaches and even languages here, a nice touch. Pay No Mind and Drunk in LA stand out as the highlights that one could replay over and over and the rest of the tracks serve as a nice exploration of dreamy, dense sounds.Behemoth I Loved You at Your DarkestI Loved You at Your Darkest is a natural follow up and progression from The Satanist and Behemoth have become more approachable than ever without sacrificing anything from their sound or image. Orchestral/symphonic elements are dialed back with Behemoth seeming to prefer choirs, whether they are children's or adults', as their new stylistic tool here. In all cases the choirs work well and ironically they might remind some people of going to church with the creepy atmosphere they dredge up when combined with the blackened death metal base music. The record is aggressive and dark but the major downside is a lot of songs follow a similar songwriting approach and it feels like there is filler along the way. It feels like one of those albums where there are two great segments (tracks 2-5, 9-11 here) and some of the in between is less memorable. Also, it is much more of a track to track based listen and this doesn't allow the atmosphere to become as strong as on The Satanist. It was never going to be possible to follow up the, worthy, hype of The Satanist but Behemoth have still done very well taking their music to the next natural place while keeping all of their values in tact. Nergal and Inferno with the most notable performances. Highlights are Ecclesia Diabolica Catholica, Bartzabel, God=Dog.Benny The Butcher Tana Talk 4Tana Talk 4 is another very strong contender in hip hop in the year of 2022. The train keeps plowing forward and it seems like more and more excellent rap albums are still coming out this year. 'Johnny P's Caddy' is a straight up masterclass, 5/5 and opens this thing up with one of the best tracks of the year but it also highlights one of the issues here, the album feels a bit frontloaded from tracks 1-7. The second half of the album feels like a slight step down comparatively but thankfully doesn't ever feel like a let down. The beats are pretty mellow and chill with strength in their simplicity where they draw interest but allow the rap itself to be the focus of the album. It will be interesting in years to see where the era of Griselda peaked and how things shake out. Are we there yet? Will there be a 'Fishscale' equivalent in a decade that revitalizes things and overshadows the group efforts? The output from the Buffalo artists is impressive to say the least.Between the Buried and Me Automata IBTBAM have abandoned some of the true wonky prog wank found on their previous release Coma Ecliptic for a heavier, more focused sound on Automata I. Heavier all around with more gusto back in Tommy's approach as he comes off as harsh and powerful for most of this record. This sound is as tight as it was on Parallax as BTBAM effortlessly navigate complex but well-written song structures. In the end Automata is held back by the fact that BTBAM really don't do much exploration from their what they have previously accomplished. That being said, a tight BTBAM record is better than one where they explore needlessly and miss, like on Coma.Between the Buried and Me Automata IIBTBAM went full prog and goofy on Coma Ecliptic and with the Automata series have brought more of the metalcore and heaviness back into their sound instead of just more wankery. Automata II is a good mix of both worlds with a huge variety of instruments and BTBAM going BTbigband for the most discussed track on the album 'Voice of Trespass'. This is certainly one of the more memorable tracks for the band in quite some time and they hit the nail on the head perhaps giving a nod to Diablo Swing Orchestra along the way. It seems like BTBAM have hit a stride again finding the great balance they have always had between prog and metalcore and it will be fun to see live iterations of the tracks on Automata II.Billie Eilish When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?The hottest and most argued about album of 2019. Not much to add here but as someone who came into this album without knowing much of the controversy before listening its a really solid pop album. Much stronger in the first half and sort of fizzles in the latter half (post 'My Strange Addiction', though 'I Love You' rules); maybe a bit more attention to the track order could have gone a long way. Great execution to create dark and ominous moods while remaining extremely catchy and poppy. The beats, awesome booming synthy bass and production help produce these effects as does Billie's vocals; kudos on both fronts. One of the coolest things about this album is how it is often very quiet and minimal. There are often long sections of true loneliness with just Billie's voice and a barebones synth line to escort you that feel pretty unique to this record. Her vocal style matches the beats and synth parts very well. An album that many people have probably spent more time arguing about/drumming up conspiracies than actually listening to but in the end, for many reasons, it is one of the more interesting mega-popular mainstream albums in a long time. Billy Nomates CACTIHard to really pin a genre on this but its somewhere in the realm of new wave/synthpop/post-punk. The synth and Billy's voice really drive the album with some great supporting groovy basslines and guitar licks here and there. For me it comes out of the gate quite strong and then fades a bit in the middle. Billy has a pretty distinct voice and I feel like that is what I will remember the most from this record. The title track, 'blue bones (deathwish)' and 'balance is gone' are some standout tracks.Black Curse Endless WoundThings that are really great about this record: The production and atmosphere combine to make an experience that really lives up to the name 'Endless Wound'. The record is incredibly heavy, murky and terrifying between the brooding drums and bass and the hellish screaming of the vocalist. The drums and bass just beat you down and 38 minutes neither feels overextended or too short, they accomplish their mission in that timing. It feels like an album that would be captivating in a live experience, an atmosphere you could get completely lost in. On the flip side, the vocals are great at times but you lose some of the desperation because the screams/shrieks are used so much; they become less powerful before it all ends. Also the songs lack that dynamic moment that all the intense buildup is leading to even if they have great riffs and stellar intensity when things really kick up into high gear. Great as a full listen but 'Charnel Rift' and 'Enraptured by Decay' really standout.Black Dresses THANK YOUBlack Dresses are like the gift that keeps on giving, and in 2018-2019 they have just kept on giving and giving. Thank You has a lot of really nice tracks (Dog Shit, Water, There's Nothing Worth Dying For, Wheel of Fortune) but in the end the production and electronics are quite as dynamic as the full lengths that bookend this one. This album is very noisy and tends to use static as a crutch over a majority of the records runtime. This static effect ends up being a bit annoying by the time the album is over and overly abrasive. Shoutouts to Rook's screams in 'There's Nothing Worth Dying For'.Black Dresses Peaceful As HellPerhaps Black Dresses are becoming slightly more predictable but that is no surprise considering the sheer volume of content they have released since their debut. That being said their raw and chaotic take on industrial electronic music stll feels original and bleeding with the personalities of Devi and Rook and the production always brings new things to the table with each release. 'Creep U' rules, opening with a great live bassline and it builds with nice vocal harmonies before falling apart with the noisy electronic stylings Black Dresses are known for. 'Damage Suppressor' and 'Please Be Nice' are also awesome and 'Peaceful as Hell' finds as much good in the groups singing melodies as it does in the anxious noisy production. Interested to see how they will evolve from here as this record feels like a bit less of a step forward compared to the progression of their previous material.Black Midi CavalcadeBlack Midi Hellfire'Hellfire' has a lot of amazing musicianship, layering of many many numerous instruments and a great energy. As far as prog goes, it has a lot of things you want with various song structures and whackiness without pretentiousness, I get a sense that these guys live it the way they write it. Didn't quite stick for me personally as much as many others and maybe that energy is the reason. While I like the pace, it just rarely ever stops and there is always a ton going on so its hard to appreciate some of the nuances because it just goes and goes without relief.Bladee SpiderrA bit of a step down from the last two major Bladee projects but still quite a nice listen. Not much in terms of sonic evolution from recent Bladee, if anything just a tiny bit more approachable in some ways and less wandering than 'Crest'. Highlights include 'I AM SLOWLY BUT SURELY LOSING HOPE', 'HAHAH' and 'VELOCIRAPTOR'.Blood Incantation Timewave ZeroDamn. People are straight up angry on this page. Ambient and spacy tracks and really shines in the second half. I wanna see a 90 minute set from these guys where they throw in this stuff between their death metal songs.Boosie Badazz In My Feelings. (Goin' Thru It)In My Feelings. (Goin' Thru It) is a brutally honest Southern Hip Hop album where Boosie Badazz pours out his emotions after going through yet another rough chapter of his life. The blunt delivery in 'Cancer' combined with the minimal, dark backtrack makes for a truly memorable song. The beats throughout are fairly simple and it forces the experience to rely almost entirely on Boosie who meets the challenge with his unique delivery and style. To be honest, without Boosie's character there wouldn't be anything else all that noteworthy here as much of the production is slapdash with variations in volume and a general sense that it feels rushed. Perhaps it needed to be as Boosie doesn't seem to have a confident outlook on life eventually asking how long he will last without his kidney. Boosie and the subject matter make for a rap record 100% worth listening to with The Rain, Cancer, Call of Duty and Smile to Keep From Crying making a great place to start. Bully Lucky For YouOutside of some of the lyrics in the last two tracks (which honestly aren't even that egregious on the scale of 10 to the time Le Tigre endorsed Hillary Clinton), 'Lucky For You' is a deeply personal and emotive album that carries on the energy Bully created in SUGAREGG but adds some more introspective expression. 'How Will I Know' and 'A Love Profound' form a really special part of the album that exemplifies all of that. Tight, crispy riffs with catchy hooks that hit you in the feels and then a super simple track that shines because of great production, musical layering and atmosphere. Bully feels a bit underrated to be honest.Car Seat Headrest Teens of DenialA seventy minute Indie Rock with plenty of very long tracks seems like it should instantly suffer from dragging on and on forever but that is not the case with Teens of Denial. Will Toledo does a great job balancing the highs and lows and ups and downs in this Car Seat Headset release where the highlights are some of the best Indie Rock songs of recent memory. Great pacing throughout as it alternates between more downbeat, clean tracks and full on, upbeat indie rock anthems laiden with crunchy guitars. Drunk Drivers/Killer Whales is a catchy standout but powerful moments are found in a majority of the twelve tracks on the record.Carly Rae Jepsen DedicatedAfter the 2015 masterclass EMOTION it is hard to not call this the most anticipated pop album for the year 2019. Although it doesn't top its predecessor it shows that Carly Rae Jepsen is here to stay and is able to successfully expand her style with some more disco and dance influence blended into her synthpop sound. Right off the bat, there are a lot of great to SOTY candidate level tracks here. Julien, Want You in My Room and No Drug Like Me are SS+ tier essentials. Now That I Found You, Too Much and Happy Not Knowing are also very nice. The problem here is the album is like 1.5 tracks too long. Throw in a ballad, a slow track, something to break up the disco-synth-dance barrage. Right around the point where you hit Automatically In Love it feels like time to wrap things up and the quality of the songs noticeably drops compared to the bonafide bangin' first 9 songs. The other major issue is Carly has now released like... 40 straight songs about relationships, with few exceptions. She does it better than anyone else at the moment but surely there is something else to address thematically? It is hard to imagine not listening to this an unhealthy amount of times but in the end it just doesn't have the masterful album flow and track/vocal/instrumental variation that EMOTION and EMOTION: Side B had. Carly Rae Jepsen The Loneliest TimeIf a 3.8 was available this would probably be it. On the whole this is a bit of a step up from the last record if not just a bit more inconsistent. There is hardly an unpleasant moment here and some truly beautiful ones (Bends, Bad Thing Twice, The Loneliest Time) and while 'Beach House' might just be a bit blunt and cheesy, when was Carly ever not including a few tracks like that on her albums, its just carefree fun. I was admittedly skeptical that this would be just another pop record but Carly has proven me wrong and I am happy to see her thriving in the post-Emotion part of her career. I would say I am optimistic about the next stages of Carly's career given her vocal style and knack for writing songs.Cerebral Rot Excretion Of MortalityCharli XCX CrashFelt more like a 3 at first but then I listened to it like 30 times over the course of a few weeks. The biggest complaint here is there is a clear departure from the Bubblegum Bass and much less depth musically/production-wise/instrumentally compared to the last 6 years of Charli releases. Feels obviously more mainstream in most tracks but that being said, a lot of these tracks make for really great mainstream dance pop songs. Perhaps seeing most of the album live skewed things up a mark but its hard to argue against the catchy hooks and vintage yet tasteful beats on many of the songs. Love that bass track on 'Constant Repeat'.Charlie Hilton PalanaThe random number generator delivers once again. Palana is an exploration of dreamy, psychedelic and chamber pop covering a wide range of sounds with moments of beautiful simplicity as well as those with layered depth. A humble 1980s feel throughout. Highlighting a set of tracks only displays the ground this record covers all knit together by Hilton's somewhat bored singing style. The opener, Palana, is a lonely emotional track with Charlie over synth and guitar lacking any percussion. Pony, one of the best tracks, picks up the pace with shoegaze elements alongside bright synth. Funny Anyway pairs mellow Charlie with smooth cello backing. Let's Go to a Party, a true highlight, balances robot beats with a wavering synth track. The Young, another lonely one, throws in some free form sax for juxtaposition to Charlie's fairly monotone style. The ender, 100 Million, feels a bit like a country diddy with, relatively, upbeat percussion and acoustic guitars. Some will say it is a Nico impression/ripoff/emulation but when it comes down to it there is a lot of good music on this record and it would be a shame to not give Palana a chance. Pony, Let's Go to a Party and 100 Million would make an excellent sampler.Charly Bliss GuppyPower Pop that brings you right back to every sunny day scene out of every 90s movie ever. Sure there were a lot of really bad songs in 90s movies but this album is chock full of the good ones. To say it bluntly, Charly Bliss have really, really god damn good songwriting skills. This is far and away their greatest strength and it shows with every insanely catchy chorus and every great musical transition. The biggest issue with Guppy is that Charly Bliss has one really good approach and they stick to it on every track. That shouldn't deter listening but it is encouraging because with a bit more variation on style this band could have an amazing future ahead of them. Charly Bliss Young EnoughA reasonable follow-up and evolution in sound compared to their 2017 release Guppy trading the energy of grungy guitars for modern pop tropes. At times Charly Bliss have this new formula nailed down with the title track being one of their most impressive, epic compositions to date. This song marks the halfway point of the album and unfortunately it is a turning point and outside of 'Hard to Believe' the second half takes a step down compared to the firast. The first half is full of energy and strong hooks where the last half just kind of fizzles out and the ender almost feels out of place in the tracklist. That being said there are a lot of very strong, catchy power pop songs here and the band just has natural songwriting talent packing a ton of energy and strong verse-chorus energy transitions into short compositions. And again, Eva Hendricks lyrics and vocal style just fit this genre unbelievably well. Charly Bliss have truly become a pop-first outfit with polished synth and production replacing raw rock elements but still they find success ultimately due to their strong songwriting.Chat Pile God's CountryReally great, horrific industrial sludgey music with some vocals and lyrical sections that absolutely hit but others that are a bit hard to take seriously and/or they become overly grating. Just a bit more time for the music to show and develop would go a long way. Still an awesome listen the first couple times but gets a bit tiring on repeat, but maybe that's part of the point? WHYChelsea Wolfe Hiss SpunThe queen of gothic rock and darkness returns in 2017 this time adding several cups of doom metal to her signature mix of goth rock and darkwave. The electronics are noticeably dialed back in comparison to her 2015 masterpiece 'Abyss' and the songwriting simpler. This formula on the whole creates the most approachable Wolfe album to date and one where it wouldn't be surprising to hear the best tracks, Vex, Twin Fawn, Static Hum and 16 Psyche in a more mainstream/popular setting. Chelsea deserves enormous credit for this feat considering her music has evolved naturally and she has not sold her soul to make these changes. So why isn't Hiss Spun her best album yet? Beyond those four tracks the rest of the music is just not as dynamic and many of the songs just sound like less good versions of those four. The album also lacks the extreme highs and lows in atmosphere and flow she was able to find in past releases; some of the tracks here feel more disposable. All of this together, Chelsea is still one of the most interesting artists of the last five years carving out a niche sound of mainly gothic rock and darkwave that one can instantly identify as Wolfe material due to her excellent vocals. Hiss Spun is an essential 2017 listen but not as addicting or jam packed with essentials as other 2017 releases or Chelsea's 'Abyss'.Chelsea Wolfe She Reaches Out to She Reaches Out to SheA return to form as Chelsea Wolfe returns to her industrial/darkwave blend that has been slightly more absent in the last few albums. Never reaches the absolute mastery that was on display in 'Abyss' but some moments do even if the album as a whole isn't quite that level. 'House of Self-Undoing' is brilliant combining upbeat drums, Chelsea's creepy ethereal vocal melodies and great industrial tones. Beyond that, 'The Liminal', 'Dusk' and 'Everything Turns Blue' are highlights. Really like a 3.75 on here. One of the main things to criticize is it feels like after 'House of Self-Undoing' the album stays at the same mid to slow tempo the entire time and another faster paced track would have been amazing for pacing. Chelsea really has had a good decade plus creating music.Chepang ChattaDissonant saxophone and jazz elements meet devastating, noisy grind/powerviolence insanity. Uptempo and ferocious for most of the runtime with plenty of great riffs that make this one easy to get into upon the first few listens. The vocals are great oscillating between pure feral screams and more growled guttarals and the sax seems to always show up at the right time belting out dissonant wailing before returning to the grind beatdown. Some grind albums lose your attention in all of the madness, even with a short length, this is not one of them.Children of Bodom HexedIt should probably surprise no one that a band like Children of Bodom has had a very up and down career in the 20 years since the release of their masterpiece 'Hatebreeder' in 1999. While the band has had a steady lineup (Laiho and Warman being the key players) their sound has wavered as the band found the metal limelight after the release of Hatecrew Deathroll. There were obvious attempts to tune the sound to the masses but despite overall albums being lackluster there were always good tracks here and there and Bodom pushed forth with their signature melodic death metal sound. Here we are in 2019 and Bodom has released their best work in 16 years. It seems like Alexi has found his knack for dynamic, catchy songwriting and both Janne and Alexi have gotten back to their ways harmonizing keyboard and guitar melodies successfully. Hexed has variety from the blisteringly fast 'Kick in a Spleen' to the groovy, downtempo 'Hectate's Nightmare'. The songs are catchy and addicting. Great riffs all around, aforementioned sweet harmonies, the solos you have come to expect from Laiho and Warman and some throwback Bodom elements like the mob shouted choruses. As someone who listened to Bodom's first four albums 100s of times each it seemed like the band had chased fame a bit too much but boy is it sweet to see them back playing into their strengths once again.Cindy Lee What's Tonight to EternityDon't come here for catchy individual tracks but a somber exercise in utilizing noisy and dreamy (more nightmare here) pop to create an atmospheric and constantly transforming 42 minute experience. The record has great pacing with peaks evenly spaced out in the experience as 'I Want You to Suffer', the title track, 'Lucifer Strand' and 'Heavy Metal' are the highlights here. 'Lucifer Strand' uses a simple synth that constantly builds momentum before finishing with a perfectly placed sample. 'I Want You to Suffer' builds on an arpeggio becoming energetic and catchy before diving into a fantastic lofi noise section. Patience is rewarded when approaching this fairly dense album but repeated listens reveal more and more key, memorable sections.clipping. Visions of Bodies Being BurnedProduction that is out of this world creating an ominous industrial feel for the album and percussion that just sounds incredibly crisp and satisfying. The raps feel a bit improved over the previous album but the rapping and lyricism still remain the least interesting part of the music and still lack so much personality. Is this album actually scary? Thankfully clipping. recruit some guests, which generally deliver the more interesting vocal segments, and '96 Neve Campbell came to be. This feels like a 3.25 but giving the edge because of the truly great sonic qualities found throughout the record and the excellent work in the beats.Cloud Rat PollinatorGrind that gets a lot of value out of crust/sludge/screamo influence. Wonderfully grimy and throaty screamed vocals that really haunt you to your core at times. Guitars that do a good job of providing an aggressive, heavy base while peppering melody into the dissonance from time to time creating a lot of interesting transitions and chord progressions. The vocals are surprisingly engaging for a genre that often doesn't produce that effect, a lot of subtlety to the screams and true painful emotion.Converge The Dusk in UsConverge seem like they can do no wrong with their signature sound releasing now the sixth album in a row that the majority of metal/core fans would call essential. The Dusk in Us sees them sticking to their guns and making very few mistakes along the way. The album is passionate, angry, raw and at times blisteringly fast and technical. The songwriting has great twists and turns/ups and downs creating raw emotion from riff to riff and segment to segment. If you are part of the Converge cult it was probably AOTY easily, if not you probably see this as just another Converge album which means it is really damn good because Converge just have great songwriting, riffmaking and production skills. It feels a bit familiar but in the end you can't fault them for sticking to their guns, it hasn't gotten old yet.Courtney Barnett Tell Me How You Really FeelTell Me How You Really Feel sees Barnett going from mostly bright and upbeat/tempo with some angst/melancholy in her last LP to a more mellow atmosphere with fuzzier production and a few upbeat tracks. There is nothing wrong with a more toned down, introspective release but this album just feels closer to other indie rock than the brilliantly natural and clear 'Sometimes I Sit...' The album does start off with great track variation and some really memorable choruses and vocals from Barnett but the second half of the album starting at 'I'm Not Your Mother...' shows a bit of drop off and a sort of lull to the finish, some sameness in this stretch. Crippling Self Doubt and a General Lack of Self Confidence might give us a hint here as Barnett sounded much more confident and direct in her previous releases and here she comes off as much more reserved, this change just doesn't suit her vocal style as much. That being said, her knack for songwriting and top notch melody making is still apparent and there aren't any poor tracks offered here. The first five songs are all memorable and it is definitely worth sticking around for the second half of the album.Craven Idol The Shackles of MammonBlack and thrash metal combine to make something that sounds like the ugly spawn resulting from coitus between Bathory and Slayer's Show No Mercy. If you like convincing throwback metal that truly sounds like the times of old then this is for you, it is not the most original or innovative thing but damn does it work. The vocals are pure evil with a mix of high pitch shrieks and yells. The guitars do well to make riffs that sound right between old black and thrash metal. Screeching thrash solos follow up bare bones rhythm riffs while the bass provides a nice raspy backbone to it all. The general mood is very dark and the singer provides some good spoken word and callouts to mix things up in between the manic yells. In a year where Power Trip did amazingly to put their own spin on crossover, Craven Idol make a great mix of black and thrash that fits in now but would also pass 20+ years ago.Critical Defiance MisconceptionThese guys seem dedicated to making authentic thrash metal that will take you back to the glory days of Slayer and such but still will leave you feeling like there is more to the tale of thrash metal to come. The guitar work is just fantastic on the whole here and there are often long segments of music where the band just lets solos and riffs develop and grow without any vocals. This effect is strong and really works very well for them because the guitar work is intricate and technical without being wanky and it is a pure joy to listen to it unfold. One of the better thrash albums of late that goes full thrash without bringing it towards ahrdcore like Power Trip or into another dimension like Vektor.Crochet Birth PieceI don't listen to much Screamo but this was on a playlist and would come on from time to time between albums. Absolutely love the transition between the first intro track and the second track 'Unsex Pledge', which might be one of my favorite tracks of the year. Chaotic, dissonant and depressing music that brings fantastic, aforementioned screams and some of the most spastic guitar licks I have heard in a lil bit in a punk genre. Definitely hits that vibe hard.Cryptosis Bionic SwarmCult of Luna The Long Road NorthHas there been another band so consistent in continually putting out records that capture their sound. Enslaved comes to mind in another part of the metal spectrum but it feels like Cult of Luna are the Sludgy Post Metal dynasty at this point. Epic screams, rich atmospheres and riffs that put you in a trance and crush you at the same time. I don't even listen to this band all that much but damn I would love to see them live.cupcakKe EphorizeWhether CupcakKe is being serious, sexual or totally comical one thing remains the same, she can seriously rap. Her abilities are without question and she does a great job going from serious introspective topics to some of the raunchiest lyrics out there right now. The album starts off swinging with excellence in the fast flows of Cartoons and the hilarious yet well worded Duck Duck Goose summing up what you might come to expect from the rest of Ephorize. CupcakKe has a knack for making excellent references and riding a nice line between playfully sexual and at times serious.cupcakKe EdenA step forward for Cupcakke in terms of tight production and being succinct but a step backwards when it comes to hooks and the flow of an album as a whole when compared to Ephorize. This comparison is fair as Eden feels like an extension and a slight evolution from the style Cupcakke displayed in her first 2018 release; it is fresh enough where it doesn't feel like B-sides. The best thing about Eden is there is probably a 1:1 ratio of serious rap tracks to the playful, intensly sexual rap CupcakKe is known for. Quiz and Blackjack are the best tracks here showing off Cupcakkes ferocious flows and both don't rely on sexual rap to allow Cupcakke to show off her skills. The downside to Eden is a lot of the hooks (ex. 'Prenup', 'Typo', 'Don't Post Me' and the worst of all 'Starbucks') are 100% mailed in and don't compare to the infectious hooks she produced for Ephorize. The other thing is Cupcakke continues to make some questionable decisions with lyrics. She closes the album with a wholesome track 'A.U.T.I.S.M' just a few tracks after dissing someone as being 'fucking retarded'... bleh. PetSmart, Dangled, Quiz and Blackjack rule and for the most part Cupcakke once again shows she can flat out rap with ease.Dalriada NyárutóFast paced power metal with an extremely heavy folk influence most notably in the instrumentation where it is common to see strings and a flute joining an epic rush with a pounding double bass drum. The two vocalists are the stars of the show with great contrast between the two signature voices and they both do a good job in bright cleans, anthemic choruses and some death style vocals that really help spice things up. Much of the album is mid to up tempo and the non-traditional metal instruments keep up so well that the Celtic/folk character of the music really feels seemless. The album feels long but Dalriada do well to add some slower paced tracks and instrumentals to help keep things flowing. The vocals, instrumentation and style can be appreciated without any knowledge of the language. Bright and fun folk-filled power metal that never feels cheesy or overblown.Danny Brown QuarantaSuper introspective and at times downright melancholic, Danny Brown mellows out even more since his last release. That in itself is not really an issue here, the major issue is the last 10 minutes of the album is just very low key and kind of leads to an album that starts off with a ton of variety to just deflate a bit. One thing the introspection leads to is a bit more opportunity to learn about Danny Brown and his personal struggles while getting some great story telling verses. From the opener to 'Celibate' the album is a 4 with 'Tantor' probably being the highlight of the record. Just fizzles out a bit too much at the end.Darren Keen It's Never Too Late To Say You're WelcomeBright, quirky and manic footwork/club electronic album where Darren Keen creates complex, rich and mesmerizing beats and sounds with a seemingly simple tool kit of MIDIs and electro-drums. The rhythms Keen comes up with are generally fast, unrelenting and multi-layered and they do a great alongside fun and frisky melodies. Rather energetic and something that is sure to brighten up the day or just provide some rhythms to get lost in as you are skimming through layer and layer of sound or just finding new things you never noticed on previous listens.Daughters You Won't Get What You WantThis album would have been perfect with a better vocal performance. Daughters absolutely slaughter it on the instrumental side of the record with an equally noisy and industrial dissonant take on rock. The atmosphere is decadent and the music is downright scary at times making you anxious about what lies around the next corner with an ever churning mechanical beast constantly hammering your ear drums. The uniqueness of the sound cannot be argued against but back to the vocals. Marshall is never bad on the mic but boy is he consistent. Skimming around the album you hear basically the same thing over and over again, banter and shouting, his vocals are just not distinct and the least interesting thing about the album. Either give the insanely beautiful industrial noise time to breath, the constant muttering is tiring, or put some variation into the vocals and you have a perfect record. 'The Reason They Hate Me' is stunning.Deafheaven Ordinary Corrupt Human LoveA step up from New Bermuda as Deafheaven have seemed to really solidify their signature sound. The blackgaze, post-metal and post-rock are all as apparent as ever here and this might be the groups tightest sounding recording yet. Deafheaven seamlessly weave their way through intense blast-beat ridden blackened sections, ethereal cleans, post rockin' guitar riffs and even more guitar solos without compromising their approach in the slightest. At first glance this one had the potential to match their masterful Sunbather but more detailed inspection shows that it just lacks the unreal emotion the group was able to capture on the aforementioned. Canary Yellow and Honeycomb are truly great and the ender is also up there but the rest of the album feels less memorable. Either way, Deafheaven do a great job with the pace and flow on this one with clean tracks breaking up the longer more intense ones. Death Pill Death PillA solid hardcore punk/riot grrrl debut out of Ukraine. If anything it is a bit inconsistent with the songs switching from super heavy hardcore to those with the clean vocals. A fun listen and hopeful that this project continues as the members have had to migrate rather far away from each other.Denzel Curry TA13OOHas all the potential and makings to be a classic but it just feels like Denzel is a bit late to the punch and while he can produce a ton of really good to great tracks still hasn't made any singular track that could be called a classic. In general it feels like Curry is stuck in the middle ground when it comes to his style. He is often super aggressive and political with very conscious, scathing lyrics and intense energy (Sirens, Vengeance come to mind) but sometimes he goes straight for the catchy trap banger (Sumo, Switch It Up come to mind) and in the end the styles clash a bit when back to back on the same tracklist. His aggression can be exciting but he falls back on it too often perhaps trying to create his own unique style and the approach just loses its magic when overused. TA13OO has a ton of great tracks but in the end it comes off a bit more underwhelming than it should because, despite his insanely great flows, Curry's lyrics are certainly not the most approachable/relatable and the beats feel like they have been done before and are really not that exciting even by Trap standards.Devil Master Satan Spits On Children Of LightSuper sleazy and chaotic collision of black metal and punk rock. Devil Master combine the best elements of both worlds with the succinct songwriting/structures of the latter and the atmosphere and evil of the former. Aggressive through and through as it should be with the influences they draw from in their sound. This album is like the soundtrack to a very dirty and dimly lit occult divebar. The drawbacks are the production and repetition. The songs are all pretty similar and when they miss on a riff it kinds of makes that track kind of disposable in the overall experience. The production is dirty, which is fine in many BM cases but the vocals and guitars sometimes just come off lackluster in the mix. Great atmosphere, energy and combo of two great genres but you kind of get everything they have to offer after the first 5 tracks and then the rest is good but predictable. Devin Townsend EmpathEmpath is an album that has a lot of great moments but in the end is just too busy and unfocused even for the prog/avant spectrum of metal. It seems like every time Devin comes up with a great riff or hook it will change within seconds without much rhyme or reason or transition to a new riff. Obviously this album is experimental and quite the adventure but at times it is just too jumbled. Devin deserves credit for the warm and uplifting atmosphere. The variety of the vocals is fantastic. The breadth of instruments and sounds is staggering. There is a great balance between the symphonic, lighthearted episodes and Devin's throwback to near Strapping Young Lad heaviness. This album has it all, it could just be sewn together with more care and probably be about 10-15 minutes shorter. Rather than a fluid concept, Empath at times just feels like a greatest hits of musical styles Devin effectively creating mashed together.DJ Taye Still TrippinFootwork infiltrated by trap, R&B and hip hop vibes. The combination of the beats and the laid back raps is instantly satisfying in 'Trippin' but Taye fails to follow up much on that track. The album as a whole feels very much like a mixed bag of tracks, many of them very good, thrown together without much cohesion for the full run length. Songs like Get Jukin' and Pop Drop just feel a bit clunky back to back. Still Trippin' feels stuck between the worlds of footwork and hip hop rather than a seamless and fully integrated blend of the two. Also, if every rap wasn't about the hardest hitting blend of kush it would be an instant improvement. This blend is worth further pursuit if Taye can improve a bit on the rap front and work on the album flow. If I was a betting man, I'd imagine Taye is still trippin' to this day.Dorian Electra FanfareFirst half rules but the second half (outside of the excellent 'Phonies' and the trash rant in 'Lifetime') feels like a mish-mash of things and B-sides that just don't bring the creativity or hooks that Dorian has produced in past efforts. 'Idolize', 'Freak Mode' and 'Sodom & Gomorrah' are the most complete tracks here and somewhere between the approach of Flamboyant and the spastic My Agenda. Haven't heard a Dorian Electra release that has disappointed yet and excited to see where this artist brings their music next.Dream Wife So When You Gonna...The vocals here are truly top notch, whether in the softer more melody driven sections or the angrier punk passages, the music is centered around well executed and nicely produced vocals. The production in general is great and leaves everything in a great place in the mix. Some of the lyrics may be a turn off for some but they are not nearly bad enough to justify blocking out the good songwriting and satisfying vocal harmonies and melodies found here. Also not quite as aggressive or angry as their previous release but if anything that shows the band is capable of different styles and a strength considering a lot of the tracks here are quite catchy. Hasta La Vista! is a great song and a good place to start if on the fence about putting this one on.Drive-By Truckers American BandAn even mix of Alt-Country and Southern Rock with a heavy dose of political themes. Drive-By Truckers approach some of the more uncomfortable issues in America with grace and precision getting their messages across while still delivering well written music. Most of the album is mid to up tempo leaning more into the Southern rock realm but Drive-By Truckers do well on the more emotional, down-tempo tracks like Sun Don't Shine and Ever South too. What It Means is a stand out track telling the story of Treyvon Martin and bluntly dealing race relations in America but many of the other songs are beyond worth a listen. Drudkh They Often See Dreams About The SpringMelancholic, sombre and moving atmospheric black metal that uses repetitive guitar riffs to set a cold and dark mood conjuring images of nature. The songs tend to build slowly off of a verse riff and Drudkh return to each riff with slight variations in the bass, drums and backing keyboards. The effect pays off and each song feels like its own tale and journey as the guitars lead you through each sonic landscape. The mix is refreshing as the guitars shine but the bass and synth easily hold their own, plenty of content to focus on in each repeat listen. Vocal passages are spread and paced between guitar passages and this lessens the fatigue of the entire experience compared to more vocally heavy metal albums. The drummer deserves praise as the cymbal playing is just delightful throughout the entire album; hi-hats, ride and crashes saturate the melodic guitar work. The second to last track is the standout but as a whole They Often See Dreams About The Spring should not be missed by any BM fan.Dua Lipa Future NostalgiaA great record that is so close to being in the upper echelons of recent pop but it falls short for a few reasons. Let's start out with the good. 'Don't Start Now', 'Physical' and 'Break My Heart' are phenomenal tracks. Immaculate production, groovy energetic bass, addicting hooks and very much bring intense, danceable energy. These are pop tracks you could listen to endlessly and they always make you want to get up and move around. That being said this album rides the fine line between a modern classic and something a few things here and there bring down from that tier. The lyrical content gets tiring. Not because of the sexual aspects or the feminist themes at times but because of stuff like 'Good in Bed' and pretty much the four tracks surrounding it having the exact same theme. 'Boys Will Be Boys' delivers a fine enough overall idea but just feels like it has no place on the record. 'Good in Bed' is just confusing, if anything... foot notes = "we have a toxic relationship, oh you touched me... let's have sex"... sounds healthy? In many cases Lipa's in your face attitude is great but it also leads to a few missteps at the end of the record. A few true SOTY candidates but it loses its magic after many listens as a whole album.Eevil Stöö Iso vauva JeesusA really nice atmosphere overall with some Cloud and Trap elements. Overall it takes on a dark characteristic and the MC sticks to a very monotone, deep robotic vocal approach but somehow the two compliment each other well. No idea what this man is talking about but there seems to be a thick layer of goofy satire with references to Easy-E, Toni Moontanna and Jeesus throughout. The beats, samples and music is on point for the most part and the hooks are well done. A random find but a very good one at that.Emma Ruth Rundle Marked for DeathMarked for Death is a singer-songwriter album which contains a good marriage of folk, shoegaze, country and post-rock. Emma has worked out her own style and the overall feeling of the album is a blend of grungy, atmospheric, passionate and melancholic. Protection may sum up the parts the best of any singular track: the song opens with a simple guitar track and Emma's powerful vocals eventually building into a very loud, noisy chorus which sounds like it belongs on an ISIS album. Emma's vocals are heartfelt, passionate and bring variety from beginning to end keeping the album fresh during the 38 minute runtime. People will inevitably compare her to many other female singer-songwriters but the shoegaze, post-rock elements blended into a folk base truly give her newest effort a powerful atmosphere. Protection, Hand of God, Real Big Sky and Marked for Death are all highlights.Enslaved EIt is no secret that Enslaved are one of the most interesting, ever-evolving outfits in black metal history and E. is once again proof of this. At this point Enslaved are as much prog metal as they are black metal and they are seemingly not afraid to approach anything with their music. This is on clear display in 'Hiindsight' which combines their signature proggy black metal sound with long drawn out sax passages to near perfection to put the album to bed. Throughout the runtime Enslaved seems to be able to switch from black metal intensity to prog metal jams with flawless transitions. What is lacking here? While the songwriting is for the most part excellent E. lacks the truly amazing, memorable hits like 'In Times' had (Building With Fire, One Thousand Years of Rain were legendary tracks). Enslaved have come around the world and back again since their roots and continue to release albums that should not be missed with an ever evolving style that stays fresh and many metal acts would die for.Enslaved HeimdalSixteen albums that are all seemingly worth a listen, legends. Enslaved can always be counted on for a great adventure through gloomy, almost cold atmospheres that still bring epic and energetic moments. Always love how they can pull off the guttural and clean vocals as about as well as anyone. Particularly fond of 'Congelia' which feels like a true dirge and a slog that relies on harsh repetitive guitars before opening up into something more grand in the last quarter, it feels like a beating. Enslaved have their signature style, they keep using it, but it never feels like people get tired of it. Good songwriting doesn't get old.Ex Eye Ex EyeEx Eye is an instrumental amalgamation of sax, synth, guitars and drums playing an ill-defined mixture of jazz and metal (black, prog, sludge). Ex Eye do not need a singer and the imagination of a singer over the music makes you realize they stand strong and are probably better off without one. Where many instrumental metal bands feel rather dry without vocals Ex Eye strives with deep musical content, strong/epic ebbs and flows and a perfectly balanced sax performance. Colin Stetson fits in so well with the rest of the musicians as the sax is neither bluntly in the foreground or cast aside to be only atmospheric. The dark music overall is repetitive, seemingly purposefully, as it drives forward intensely but also has a creepy trance inducing, calming feeling to it.Exquirla Para Quienes Aún VivenPara Quienes Aún Viven blends the sounds of post-rock, flamenco and prog rock to create a melancholic, passionate and almost ritualistic atmosphere where the highs are beyond monumental and the lows allow room for thought and reflection. The general flow has short, downtempo tracks that act as intermissions interspersed with the 9-10 minute acts that often feature the vocalist reaching epic, passionate heights emotionally. Reading into the themes of the album after listening it is not surprising to find out the tracks deal with oppression and struggle because the atmosphere is always down and sentimental. The album flows through each segment very naturally and leaves many memorable moments but none more intense and noteworthy than the track Un Hombre which ends with a furious vocal segment after traversing through dreamy guitar landscapes and Tool-esque prog rhythms. Un Hombre is a masterpiece. Despite there being some great strengths in Exquirla's sound, the epic-soft-epic approach is a bit repetitive and this hurts in the almost one-hour runtime where the last track feels out of place sonically and almost like a bonus track after the unmatched climax of Un Hombre.FAIM Your Life And Nothing ElseIntense and passionate hardcore that has a tinge of screamo to it in the vocals and the guitar work. 'Silver Spoon' and 'Boys Will Be Boys' are two awesome tracks from this one.Fen WinterWinter is a bit of a giant with a 75-minute run time and massive track lengths but one that deserves the attention thanks to Fen's ability to knit together a coherent musical experience. The ebbs and flows of the album are all well placed and it feels that every buildup is executed with precision and most importantly emotion, Winter just has a very natural feel to it. Throughout the experience Fen meander from slow atmospheric pieces to post-rock riffs to some of the most intense black metal of recent memory. The album as a whole feels a bit like a film; one with a careful and skillful director. III and IV are some of the most memorable passages.Fievel Is Glauque God's Trashmen Sent to Right the MessFontaines D.C. A Hero's DeathA bit of a step back from 'Dogrel' as the track to track variation isn't as great here, the atmosphere is down and melancholy for much of the record and the last 10 minutes of the record kind of fizzles out. That being said the first seven tracks are all pretty great individually but this album just doesn't congeal as well as their last one which had amazing pacing and more varied moods. Still easily worth a few spins from any post punk fan and just a minor step down from what they are capable of. Just doesn't feel fully fleshed out or realized. The opening track, title track, 'I Don't Belong' and 'Oh Such a Spring' are very nice.Fontaines D.C. Skinty FiaFontaines D.C. continue to be super solid post-punk but haven't quite topped or reached the heights of 'Dogrel' again. Skinty Fia once again feels just a bit subdued, which is fine, but it felt like Fontaines were at their best when they injected a bit more life and energy into the tunes. Sonically the album is very pleasing with a great mix and production in general. 'Jackie Down the Line', 'Roman Holiday' and 'I Love You' stand out.Fotbal Why Is This Happening To You?There are a lot of really good things happening here. The dreamy landscapes and vocals. The noise and dissonance on the guitars is well balanced being abrasive but still finding some nice clean tones to blend in with the fuzz. There are great wandering, hypnotic sections driven by the lead guitars with excellent basslines and synth backings. If anything the songwriting could be just a bit tighter and some of the songs meander a bit much with similar styles and tension dynamics. Gonna keep this group on the radar. Really adored 'Does It?'.Full of Hell Garden of Burning ApparitionsGatecreeper DesertedDoomy death metal that is deliciously groovy and a riff fest from front to back. The vocalist is great with an approach that is right between death gutturals and screaming and he is capable of going back and forth between both very proficiently. The production leaves the bass and guitars in unison and they plod along through great riff after great riff. Main drawback is a lot of the songs have a similar overall feel and structure but the quality of the vocals and riffs makes it a very easy 40ish minute playthrough.Geese 3D CountryGel (USA-NJ) Only ConstantAnother solid hardcore option of 2023. A plethora of solid groovy riffs and D-beats that make your energy levels rise. The vocals do get a bit grating and are texturally lacking some variation but that is a bit of a nitpick and there isn't too much to complain about here. 'Honed Blade' and 'Dicey' are two excellent tracks on Only Constant.Genesis Owusu Smiling with No TeethGEZEBELLE GABURGABLY GaburgerSometimes you just know based on an album's aesthetic and sound, the Sputnik music crowd will be down on it compared to just about all other places. Probably a 3.25 but sometimes you gotta round up or down. The album is kind of all over the place musically falling somewhere in the noisy/slacker/bedroom indie rock/pop world. For the most part the album is driven by the guitar and the vocals with key accents from synth and drum tracks in an overall lo-fi mix. 'Predictable Shame' is an obvious banger and 'Quarter Pounder' also displays a lot of what this album is made of. Lyrics and the production on the vocals often leave a lot to be desired but on the whole the album flows by nicely and has a lot of catchy moments. Ghost (SWE) MelioraMeliora by Ghost delivers a true, well, Ghost experience with a goofy mixture of mystic vocals and a psychedelic, proggy heavy metal/hard rock musical backing. After missing out on their previous effort but being a big fan of Opus Eponymous it was good to see Ghost making waves in the rock world again in 2015. Meliora appears to draw from the strengths of both past albums combining strong catchy hooks and rock solid rhythm guitars with psychedelic synth tones and at times symphonics. Great production allows Ghost to achieve a truly grandiose sound without needing virtuosic performances on any instruments. This combined with Papa's drone, almost stiff yet mesmerizing vocals creates a sound that is truly only Ghost, even if it is based in about four other decades of influence. Fresh enough that it stands besides the debut but it makes me wonder what tricks they will be able to pull on future efforts to add to their strong catalog. If you must take your music 100% seriously and need in your face prog or technical mastery you might wanna stay away but you will miss out on a great hard rock experience. Tracks to start with: Cirice, Pinnacle to the Pit, Mummy Dust, Majesty, Absolution.Gloryhammer Legends From Beyond the Galactic Terror.Symphonic power metal that rides the line between cheesy-fun and too cheesy to be taken seriously almost too well. 'Legends From Beyond the Galactic Terrorvortex' has all the elements of a great symphonic power metal album with an attention grabbing, powerful vocal performance (utterly owns it in Masters of the Galaxy), character voice acting, original lore, epic neoclassical guitar solos and string/horn/synth/choir sections that blend right into the metal mix naturally. So what keeps this from becoming the next 'Dawn of Victory'? The song structures can feel a bit repetitive and some of the vocal hooks and choruses just don't reach truly triumphant levels. The Land of Unicorns and Legendary Enchanted Jetback feel a bit weak as well. That being said there are a lot of really, really good power metal songs here and it will be interesting to see what is next for the Hoots.Godspeed You! Black Emperor 'Asunder, Sweet and Other Distress'Energetic opener, drone/atmospheric for 15 minutes and then one hell of an ender. 'Peasantry' and 'Piss Crowns' each find strength in repetitive leads and epic builds to climax. Instrumentation all around is top-notch with the string sections being the highlight carrying the listener through the strongest parts of the record. Overall the mood feels somewhat in a dark place but plenty of high, hopeful moments are heavily accented throughout.Gojira FortitudeGorguts Pleiades' DustA 33-minute epic journey through suffocating atmospheres with dissonant guitar-bass arrangements, harrowing vocals and Gorguts' unique take on Technical Death Metal. Efforts like this can often be tough to digest but Gorguts do a good job dividing this up into what seem like separate passages traveling from intense death metal to soft, atmospheric almost tribal sections.Gorod The OrbTech death that is full of great riffs and really driven by heavy, primal rhythms. Fans of Gojira and Revocation would have a good time with this record as it has similar rhythms to the former and leads that are reminiscent of the latter. 'Savitri' is a wonderful track that starts off with a crushing, repetitive riff before delving into some awesome lead guitar driven sections that exemplify both the proggy and technical DM aspects of the record. Would be a 3.75 if I could.Gulch Impenetrable Cerebral FortressAt only 15 minutes there really is no excuse to not give this a few spins for anyone into hardcore, deathcore, metalcore, what have you. Aggressive and ugly screaming vocals, catchy riffs on the rhythm guitars contrasted by anxious dissonant leads, an amazing snare tone and tons of energy throughout that makes it feel like a pit is going to open up at any given moment. Feels suited to your favorite dive bar venue and ends with a transformative, excellent cover track.Haken AffinityAffinity marks a turn where Haken have doubled down on synth and added a surplus of groovy djent rhythms to their already strong arsenal of sound. The overall character remains 100% Haken and Affinity only serves to solidify their place in the upper echelons of Progressive Metal even further; they have become a mainstay. Per usual, Haken shines with intricate songwriting, infectious melodies, borderline-wank-yet-tolerable progginess and refusal to rest on their laurels. Affinity has a throwback sound but still feels fresh for the genre and Haken's evolving sound. Musicianship is also top notch once again with each member of the band providing impressive individual work from the keys to guitars to drums. The main issues here? Songs 1-5 heavily outshine songs 6-9 to the point where an EP release might have actually worked out better. Also, the vocalist remains somewhere in the middle of the road; there is nothing over the top exciting about his style besides the actual melodies themselves. Initiate, Earthrise and 1985 are good samplers while The Architect is the best track of the album even at over 15 minutes long.Hannes Grossmann The Crypts Of SleepHannes Grossmann has been spreading his fingerprints throughout the Techincal Death Metal scene in the most impressive of ways. While this release is not quite as impressive as Alkaloid's Malkuth Grimoire, it comes close. Grossmann once again shows his prowess being one of a select handful that can provide the most technical of metal arrangements while writing coherent songs in many forms. The first two tracks show this very well with the blistering opener followed by a more down-tempo, chugging track in "Silence Speaks". Both tracks are full of impressive instrumental layering and obvious technical prowess all around. If anything, Hannes has strayed a bit too close to safe here with verse-chorus-verse style songs and the album drags on just a bit towards the end. That and the constancy of the vocal style lend to the drag. All in all, Mr. Grossmann has one of the most impressive discographies in the business and has absolutely knocked it out of the park from 2004 to the present.Hannes Grossmann ApopheniaWhenever Hannes Grossman is involved in a project, it is worth checking out. On Apophenia Hannes Grossman once again pulls influence from his past projects to create a proggy, sciencey blend of Technical Death Metal. The musicianship here is fantastic. It is no secret Hannes is one of the best drummers on the scene and this release further showcases that. He also gets the best out of his guest musicians with Loomis, Friendman and Muenzner writing flashy solos that fit right into Hannes' style of death metal. The music is technical and complex without being wankery and Grossmans' solo project continues to provide dynamic riffs in a variety of tempos giving the album an enjoyable flow. The first five tracks overshadow the ending three but in the end this release should provide replay-ability for anyone who enjoys the Obscura realm of TDM as it seems like every listen opens up more nuance from each and every instrument.Haru Nemuri Shunka RyougenA lot of really great moments but if anything 21 tracks was just a bit too ambitious and consistency becomes an issue throughout the last half of the record. At times it feels like a collection of tracks tossed together than a cohesive album but there are many bright spots. 'Deconstruction' is bright, pairing simple marching-band-esque drums with an angelic vocal melody before opening up to a grand synth chorus. 'Never Let You Go' is certainly one of the best tracks here, which brings rock energy, pianos and a blood curdling scream bridge right at the midpoint. 'Bang', the title track and 'Kick in the World' also come to mind as highlights. Pretty adventurous and a very worthy follow-up to their 2018 debut.Hatari NeyslutransThe classic roll of the dice first album listen of the year, 2020. Great blend of aggrotech, darkwave and synthpop combining distorted gritty vocals, heavy hitting bass/beats and songwriting that makes the music extremely approachable for any music listener. The highlights really are the aggressive, unrelenting beats combined with the many different vocal approaches (yelling, singing, whispering, rapping) and the dark but danceable atmosphere. Focuses mostly on the industrial dance tracks but breaks things up nicely with two classical tracks which are really nicely produced. A bit frontloaded but overall things remain super solid throughout with the perfect balance of edgy/harsh and poppy/catchy. Klamstrakur, Hlauptu - CYBER and Ni?url?t - GDRN are highlights.Havukruunu Kelle Surut SoiPagan black metal packed full of amazing riffs that inspire, uplift and energize, one of the livelier BM records of recent memory. Pressing play transports the listener to the Scandinavian lands as Havukruunu really capture the Pagan BM flavor in each and every song. The riffs travel and wander and really just push forward relentlessly. The vocals have great variation with standard BM/deathly snarls, heathen viking chants, outward yells and some solid anthemic singing. The guitarist manages to fit in a few full on solos that sound right in line with their sound. Havukruunu really have a signature sound and despite it being very strong the album does run on for a bit long with some of the tracks sounding similar. Helium Horse Fly HollowedAvant/experimental post-metal/rock out of Belgium with a commanding vocalist, great use of negative space and a mysterious atmosphere/sound and an album on the whole that gets the most out of tension dynamics. The music on Hollowed doesn't really follow any traditional structure as it meanders and wanders along with a dark and ominous mood. Helium Horse Fly often allow the music to explore quietly for extended periods with just an instrument or two being the guide before exploding into a heavy riff composed of unique and often dissonant chord arrangements. Their dedication to allowing things to be quiet for long periods gives so much power to the heavy sections when they get there. There are long stretches without vocals but when there are vocals they are powerful and match the music's atmosphere perfectly without sounding pretentious. The first three tracks are all really great but this one is better enjoyed end-to-end.Helloween HelloweenHellripper Warlocks Grim and Withered HagsSuper impressive solo effort to brew up some blackened speed/thrash metal that never lets its foot off the gas pedal. A lot of great riffs and an equal amount of solos that aren't just there for show but drive the songs forward thematically. The title track, "The Cursed Carrion Crown" and "Poison Womb..." are a few standouts. Oddly enough with this record the more time that passes and more listens I give it, the less of an effect it has on me. Just becomes a bit repetitive with time. Pretty much any metal fan should check this one out as it should have appeal across a wide spectrum of listeners in the genre.HMLTD The WormMusically this feels like a step up from their previous full length but in terms of songwriting, hooks and replayability it feels like a tiny bit of a step down. The concept of the album is fine and actually helps drive the proggy, artsy, operatic themes of the music very well but in the end the concept isn't a story to really be entranced by. 'Saddest Worm Ever' rules.Ice Spice Like..?'In Ha Mood' and 'Princess Diana' lead things off really well but after that the album gets a bit less exciting besides maybe the beat in 'Bikini Bottom'. I feel like there is a lot of potential here and considering how massively successful Ice Spice already is maybe there is a full album coming someday that will realize all of the potential.Igorrr HallelujahGoing backwards from Igorrr's 2017 release, Hallelujah holds up very well and solidifies Gautier Serre's vision for this beautifully strange project. Obvious and heavy classical influences in the vocals, pianos and wealth of other instruments thrown into a breakcore electronica blender with the heavy grooves and guttural vocals of metal makes Igorrr one of the more standout Avant-garde music projects of late. Serre seamlessly blends these very contrasting influences and the music never feels pretentious or cheesy, almost the complete opposite. The best chicken breakdown of all time and vocalists who really delight with standard classical passages often devolving into desperate screams.Igorrr Savage SinusoidAvant/experimental metal and breakcore mixture which gets experimental enough without sacrificing integrity or songwriting fundamentals. On Savage Sinusoid Igorrr brings an amalgam of hardcore screams, metal growls, polka accordions, symphonic female accompaniments, breakcore stuttering and heavy electronic elements (synth, dub, etc) with an aggressive approach and a surreal atmosphere. Many metal musicians who set out to be experimental end up forgetting many of the fundamentals of putting together a decent album in exchange for pushing the envelope too far, Igorr does well with a good pace to the ups and downs and they sound unique without being cheesy or showboating virtuoso abilities. A good album for any experimental metal fans who don't mind modern electronic elements in the blend.Igorrr Spirituality and Distortion'Spirituality and Distortion' feels like a bit of a continuation of 'Savage Sinusoid' furthering Igorrr's progression towards metal but still retaining the base of Breakcore that is the lifeblood of Igorrr's music. The beats are as spastic and energetic as ever and this effort feels more riff based than ever. The one major complaint here is the vocal performances aren't as dramatic, beautiful and intense as they have been in the past. They are just less featured overall and the record centers more around the instrumentals than in the past and it leaves a bit of a void. That being said Igorrr's sound feels as polished and approachable as ever while still mashing intense electronic beats and metal riffs together effectively.Ihsahn TelemarkA very adequate prog/black metal mashup EP for the year of 2020. If you treat the EP like the first 3 tracks are the EP and the covers are a bonus it makes a lot more sense as the original tracks are really, really great examples of how Ihsahn can elevate black metal with thick avant/prog character. Honestly these are some of the best Ihsahn original tracks I have heard in years. Great guttaral vox, nice melodic backing vocals, horns which elevate the guitars beautifully and dynamic songwriting that goes beyond your normal black metal song structure. Ihsahn is able to create great drama and atmosphere in his music while keeping songs in the 5-7 minute range. The covers are worth listening to but get old pretty fast, especially the Kravitz one.Imperial Triumphant Spirit of EcstasyA really great record and this score is more of a comparison to their other recent releases. Imperial Triumphant continue with their avant metal jazz indulgence and at this point have carved out an amazing signature sound. This record just doesn't have the same highs and lows (thinking Swarming Opulence vs. Lower Worlds) and is a but more murky than the last two. Still a must listen to band in metal right now as they are the only ones making music like this. PS. their drummer is the best at what he does at the moment.ionnalee Everyone Afraid To Be ForgottenLong with several obvious standouts and high quality pop beyond those starring tracks (Not Human, Gone, Samaritan). Despite ionnalee sticking to a somewhat similar approach in many of the fifteen tracks the album never feels like it drags on or runs too long thanks to a knack for dynamic songwriting. The songs tend to contrast quiet slower approaches to loud, bold synth heavy choruses and anthems. The atmospheres are mysterious and futuristic in a artsy, synth and dance-y blend of pop. The production is smooth pitting several different vocal approaches together with the crystal clear beats and electronics. Not Human is one of the best tracks of the year and anyone looking for a good synthpop album should give this one a spin.Ithaca The Language of InjuryThe Language of Injury straddles the border between metalcore, mathcore and hardcore but finds influence from so many different core and metal corners it really isn't necessary to try to pin a genre on this one. What does Ithaca do really well here? They bring the heavy with ample breakdowns sewn into the fold between the riffs that are often as melodic as they are dissonant. This balance sets a mood that is at times purely angry but at other times more melancholy and it is all blended together seamlessly. There is just a breadth of well crafted lead guitars, clever chord implementation and dissonant twang throughout this one. The vocals are aggressive and super intense when they need to be but cleans are well placed to give some relief because the majority of this one is loud and heavy. While the production isn't bad it fails to highlight just how raw and passionate the heavy vocals are and there feels like there is gain on them and they are distant in the mix. Also the band has great riff-writing skills but the transitions between them often come off as rushed. They could work on building more tension between the heaviest sections to accentuate just how intense those heavy bits are. A great full length debut with passionate anger and awesome dynamics between breakdowns and the melodic and dissonant guitar work.Ivar Bjornson and Einar Selvik Skuggsja: A Piece for Mind & MirrorSkuggsja combines Nordic folk music with metal in a way that employs a traditional, always serious approach to create beautiful atmospheres that cast one into a dark, barren universe. This album brings the listener to a somber place where a campfire seems nearby, absolutely necessary and is surrounded by people who will tell the tales of sorrow, hard work and all of the realness of life past and present. The interplay between the acoustic instruments, droning chants, black metal scowls and distorted guitars is essential in creating the unique atmosphere Skuggsja provides. Without knowledge of the language the listener may become a bit tired by the experience, which could use a tad bit more variability, but this is truly not a barrier to keep anyone away from the greatness within the record. Headphones or a good system will do this album more justice than the average record because of the delicate balance between the various elements recorded. Start with Makta Og Vanaera, Tore Hund and Skuggeslatten for an excellent sampler.Jaga Jazzist StarfireMy first Jaga album and one that I admittedly went back and forth on before I came to an important realization. The sheer amount of detail by the musicians and the extraordinary depth in the instrumentation really begs the listener to lend their best attention. Layers and layers of subtleties build into a bold final product somewhere between Jazz, prog and electronic (an extra dose of the synth). The strength lies in the loud, jarring arrangements which build up extensively and make me think of flying through the brightest city lights in a spaceship. That being said the softer parts, such as the beginning of Shinkansen, provide relief to the brain. Those calming passages are needed as there is plenty to digest in the stronger tracks Starfire, Big City Music and Prungen.James Blake Assume FormAssume Form blends R&B with some pop elements, trap beats and James Blake's vocal talents to create an album about love that feels very sentimental and has a bittersweet and lush atmosphere. What is really well done here? The guest bits from Andre 3000, Travis Scott and Rosalia add a ton of depth to the content as each guest has a unique personality and James Blake really fits them all into the tracks they were given perfectly. Blake uses his vocals and vocal layering really well to keep things very interesting on the singing front. He has passionate vocals at times, sweet harmonies, a less singing more talking approach at times and it really makes a big difference keeping things fresh. The atmosphere is also a highlight as it feels spacey and dark/bittersweet, something that contrasts the R&B beats and vocals quite nicely. The things holding it back? The theme of the album being so constant and the atmosphere basically being the same for the entire runtime. A lot of the tracks just have the same overall feel to them despite most of them being really good. Also, at times the lyrics (Power On comes to mind) aren't all that convincing and Assume Form just feels like it is lacking a signature, true standout track. Lots of great ones but it is missing that single that you will remember forever.Jeff Rosenstock HELLMODEQuintessential feels like more than a 3.5 but absolutely cannot justify a 4, 3.75 feels like the perfect territory for HELLMODE. This album finds a mixture of songs that are catchy boisterous anthems (the first three) and those that find Jeff introspective. A few tracks bridge that gap and accomplish both things and those really stand out, 'DOUBT' (best song on the album) and 'GRAVEYARD SONG'. Even as a new-ish Jeff Rosenstock listener, it is becoming pretty obvious what his songwriting style is but at the same time he bleeds personality and authenticity so the songs carry weight and are truly catchy anthems. It feels like HELLMODE may rest on that formula maybe just a tad too much and can feel samey at times. Also, 'LIFE ADMIN' is just a strange song, it sounds like a 2014 Weezer C-side or something and is a sore spot for this release.Jessie Ware What's Your Pleasure?Why does this album have to be 53 minutes long? Another record that feels like it just goes on for a track or two too long for the ideas being presented. Jessie Ware is certainly not giving us a fresh take on pop but it is a very, very solid mix of dance-pop and disco with standout tracks like 'Spotlight', 'What's Your Pleasure' and 'Save a Kiss'. The bass is absolutely slamming and groovy and Jessie brings sultry vox needed to suit a sensual and romantic atmosphere but she also has a ton of natural soul in her voice as well. You could probably dance to this thing from front to back but it is frontloaded and fizzles out until the eventual, triumphant ending track. Kinda wears you down as it isn't a quick 53 minutes. Also, please don't steal a kiss from anyone please.Jucara Marcal Delta Estácio BluesKanye West 808s and HeartbreakSeen by many as Kanye's weakest effort but he is Kanye. His worst efforts still out class mostly any other artists' best and every single one of his records is worth checking out as they all bring a unique experience to the table. Coated in autotune but its extremely obvious the style Kanye was trying to create on 808s. Heartless, Paranoid and See You In My Nightmares are great tracks and the album as a whole creates a melancholic, dreary, lonely atmosphere that preserves Kanye's impressive streak of quality albums.Kelela RavenThis album just feels about two tracks too long. There are a handful of very strong tracks (Happy Ending, Missed Call, Contact, Enough for Love) and the album on the whole has a nice story-like flow with emotional highs and lows but the stretch between Fooley and Sorbet just feels a bit lacking and wandering. 100% worth checking out because there are a few songs that just have the most bangin' beats that seem to be a Kelela signature at this point.Kero Kero Bonito Time 'n' PlaceKero Kero are somehat hit or miss in a short 33 minute runtime with their dreamy, noisy synth/twee pop sound. The three best tracks on the album really show off what the band is capable but also highlight why the album as a whole doesn't really end up being one of the best of the year. Time Today is a laid back, dreamy and bittersweet pop track mostly driven by the vocalist and reserved synth. It paves the way perfectly for Only Acting which is driven by guitars and eventually dissolves in on itself into distorted noise at the end. The last of the trifecta is Make Believe which falls somewhere in between the latter two in terms of style and is a bonafide synth pop hit showing what the band is capable of in terms of melodies, vocal hooks and dynamic songwriting. Beyond those tracks the album is consistently good but on the whole the vocalist is just consistently consistent. There is a marked lack of vocal variation on Time 'n' Place and Sarah basically sticks to a similar timid, mellow approach for the entire runtime hurting some of the in between tracks that just don't have the amazing pace, catchiness and atmosphere of the three mentioned. All in all this album is great with a few truly awesome tracks but on the whole it could use some more variety especially in the vocals.Kids See Ghosts Kids See GhostsCudi and Kanye join together to create Kids See Ghosts which really feels like a natural and smooth collaboration as they venture into psychadelic, artsy pop rap territory blowing 'ye' out of the water in terms of albums which heavily feature Mr. West. The beats have a Kanye feel to them but often feature obscured and ethereal samples creating something that works very well for both Kanye and Cudi vocals. Kids See Ghosts does a great job diving into the ghastly cloud, psych rap style while still retaining what Kanye and Cudi were always good at. The poppy and artsy both contrast and compliment each other in a way that makes this record so easy to keep putting on over and over again. Unlike the perfectly concise Daytona, this album feels like it could use some more time to expand on the concept and create a grander work with more flow to it; the atmosphere seems like it would lend itself to a longer more digestible full-length. Also some of Kanye's meh 2018 lyrics, not quite as bad as ye here, show up and are just forgettable. The production on this album and Daytona are certainly the best Kanye work behind the booth in quite some time and it is hard to not be hopeful for the future after these two projects dropped in one year.Kimbra Primal HeartPrimal Heart is an arsty pop album driven by both real instruments and synth elements leaning toward the latter for most of the beats and backdrops. Kimbra as a vocalist is talented and powerful, brings a certain swagger and can pull of the poppy anthems (ex. Top of the World) and more emotional, introspective slow jams (ex. Right Direction, Version of Me). As others have noted, this album is front-loaded, a lot, with the first four tracks being the best on the album and all being really, really great. These tracks serve to show off Kimbra's singing skills and also contain the best music on the album in terms of beats and production. The tribal rhythms and Skrillex infusion in Top of the World is fantastic and Kimbra absolutely crushes the microphone in Everybody Knows. Beyond the first half things are always good and perhaps peak at Past Love (incredibly underrated) but Kimbra loses the creativity that is showed off in the first few tracks in terms of songwriting and beats. Kimbra will be one to watch for people that enjoy artsy synthpop with a wide range of influences and Primal Heart, despite not being a masterpiece, can be replayed a lot before it gets old.King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard Murder Of The UniverseThe second Gizzard album of 2017 is a venture down an entirely different path from their first 2017 release sans the fact that it is once again loosely based in psychedelic rock. During the Murder of the Universe you will be bombarded with narration and several stories which will result in more exposure to the Altered Beast, the Balrog, the Lord of Lightning and a cyborg than most are used to. At first this narration feels very much over the top but revisiting the album and learning the concept a bit more makes the story fit the repetitive and energetic psych rock. After some time it becomes obvious that this album wouldn't even survive without the narration and the spoken word and rock need each other so there is at least minimal structure to the album. King Gizzard once again bring their own flair, fun and whacky creativity to a classic rock genre but if you don't like storytime this one is probably a record to avoid.King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard L. W.King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard Omnium Gatherum'The Dripping Tap' is a masterpiece. Omnium Gatherum feels like a collection of many of the different sounds King Gizzard has put out over the years, perhaps a review before new ventures. Beyond that there is a lot of nice material (Gaia, Predator X, The Garden Goblin) but since I have listened to this they have released 3 more, do these guys sleep and eat? The output is impressive to say the least considering it is quite good for the most part. This album doesn't need to be 80 minutes long but at the same time it is pleasant throughout so its not like there is a ton of throwaway either. The closest thing to throwaway would be the rap tracks which are funny the first time but get pretty tiringly cheesy after that. Is there a world record for albums created that aren't made by bots, I think they might be on pace.Laura Marling Short MovieMy first experience with Laura Marling and on average apparently her least liked album by the masses; that makes me excited. Pleasant the first time around and something that grew on me rather quickly. Goofy lyrics from time to time but most of the tracks display strength in the vocals, guitar work and production. Her spoken word sounded a bit pretentious in the first go around but it soon became a strength adding some variety to the heavily folk rock feel of the album. The variation between electric and acoustic sounds bodes very well and accompanies the roller coaster of energy from confident tracks like False Hope to quiet tracks like Walk Alone. Greatness in False Hope, Walk Alone, Don't let Me Bring You Down and Gurdjieff's Daughter with good tracks surrounding those. A great brunch-making, Saturday morning mood.Leonard Cohen You Want It DarkerThe best part about You Want It Darker is the seemingly calm approach Cohen takes to the subject matter of his own death. Dramatic is the last word one would use to describe this record. The experience just feels surreal as Cohen deals with mortality and his spirituality. Most of the album is down-tempo, fairly simplistic musically and many of the songs are very similar to each other but this is not a huge issue as Cohen's lyrics and vocals shine as the centerpiece throughout. A short runtime of 36 minutes also prevents any fatigue due to the constant musical approach. Treaty, On the Level and Steer Your Way give a great sample of what Cohen was able to accomplish here.Let's Eat Grandma I, GeminiA nice start. Considering this is a collection of songs from the band written when they were pre-teens and teenagers it shows a nice evolution of music all on one record. Some of the tracks sound incredibly juvenile, they literally are, yet the more developed songs like Deep Six Textbook, Shiitake Mushroom and Sax in the City really display the duos' songwriting talents and foreshadows what they would become on their followup. This record is all over the place and more of a collection than a carefully woven full-length but in the end there is a lot of variation in the content, a few really great tracks and a unique artsy ambient experimental pop sound. Certainly worth visiting if you are a fan of I'm All Ears but don't expect it to be similar at all or polished in production. Let's Eat Grandma Two Ribbons'Two Ribbons' is a pretty tough pill to swallow. 'I'm All Ears' was such a unique modern pop record that dropped beyond the distant reaches of left field and surprised many synthpop fans. One of the biggest strengths of that album was the constant back and forth and natural chemistry between Jenny and Rosa that showed in the songwriting, instrumentation, live show and most importantly in the vocals. The songs were not standard format pop tracks but evolved naturally over the course of their extended run times and you kind of just faded into the synth and let the vocals overtake you. Here it feels like you get some of that in the first few tracks but the division between the songwriters grows with each song and by the end, especially in the last three tracks, it feels like B-sides or a bit mailed in. It is hard to get too down on this album because it really does open up very strong with 'Levitation' and 'Happy New Year' and that energy is conserved through 'Insect Loop' which feels the most out of the tracks like it would fit into their older songwriting mold. Certainly a new direction and a bit of a step down. Although it would have been nice to see some evolution on 'I'm All Ear's', these musicians clearly have the potential and the talent so who knows what the future may bring.Lil Nas X MonteroLil Ugly Mane Volcanic Bird Enemy and the Voiced ConcernLimp Wrist FacadesSeemingly the first release from the upstate NY queercore quintet that have been at it for over 15 years. Facades brings two very, very different genres to a head with the first half of the album presenting intense queercore before it transcends into an acid/industrial house music ending. The unifying theme to both halves of the album is the lyrics which seem to boil down to standing up for the LGBT community, their rights and a need to be strong. Sorrondeguy is not timid with his opinions about these topics, at one point screaming "Fem fearing cock-suckers (lame homosexual alphas who dislike women) get away, Cuz Iain?t got the time." His lyrics are more than worth the time and dealing with these subjects atop extremely strong and memorable hardcore music makes his approach even more powerful. More to that end, the hardcore first half of the album is full of great riffs and vocal hooks; it makes you want to get out and shout along; the energy is addicting. The house side of the album is much less memorable and somewhat boring but honestly Limp Wrist deserves a shoutout just for bringing their two musical approaches together on one record.Lindstrom Everyone Else is a StrangerCosmic/space disco is a new one for me but this record combines futuristic synths and electronics with thumping bass grooves and a very bright, clean atmosphere. 'Nightswim' is a highlight and overall it is a really enjoyable listen even for someone very new to this particular type of instrumental music.Lingua Ignota SINNER GET READYLione/Conti Lione/ContiThe longtime master of Rhapsody(/of Fire) (Lione) is joined by the guy (Conti) that did vocals for Luca Turilli's second version of Rhapsody: Luca Turilli's Rhapsody. Considering their backgrounds it felt odd to see a full length collaboration appear out of the blue between the two vocalists but it should come to no surprise that these two know how to belt it out with the best of them and produce catchy heavily symphonic power metal. Anyone who is a fan of what Fabio Lione has done in his career must check this out as it is truly some of his best material outside of the prime era of Rhapsody. There are no dragons here and no fantasy but both singers really shine and their slightly different styles do well serenading each other between epic anthem choruses. Gravity, Glories and Misbeliever are standouts. Somebody Else is also a nice slower ballad.Litku Klemetti Taika tapahtuuLitku Klemetti wastes no time coming back with a 2nd LP in as many years this time adding more a more progressive flair onto her lo-fi brand of psychedelic pop. Once again saturated with organs, synth and Litku's balalaika the album has a 60s/70s feel without being a full on emulation or worship of that era, Litku's overall sound has a nice freshness. The group does best at higher tempos but does well here to feature a nice variation of tempo throughout Taika tapahtuu. Overall the record has a very bright and happy atmosphere, the music is just fun and makes you want to move. The 2017 effort had more catchy hooks and memorable tracks but here Yöt on unta varten is just a classic.Litku Klemetti Ding ding dongOn par with or slightly better than her 2018 release but not quite up to the standard of Juna Kainuuseen. At this point you probably know what you are going to get from Litku but she continues to polish the prog-psych-hypnagogic pop/rock blend and produce songs that are all pleasant to listen to and some really, really great. The wealth of different instruments and attention to detail in the different tones and production elements remains a selling point to this project. Obviously derivative of the great psych music eras but Litku delivers modern prog and production values that keep her music from being emulation. Pelkuri rules.Little Simz Grey AreaThis album blows you away in the first half and slowly fades away in the second half where it is still very good but loses consistency and focus. Offence, Boss, Venom and Selfish are all fantastic and show just how great of a lyricist and rapper Little Simz is capable of being switching flows and rapping over great jazzy beats. The bass in the first two tracks, the guitar in Wounds and the strings in Venom are all highlights and produced in the context of a rap-centric album so very well. After Venom things just don't feel as clean and focused with Pressure being a standout of the second half but the last three songs on the album all feeling like B-sides from another EP that don't fit quite as well into the album as a whole. Grey Area has three of the best hip hop tracks of 2019 thus far but fades off considerably in its second half.Little Simz Sometimes I Might Be IntrovertLoathe I Let It In And It Took EverythingI guess I am not too surprised that there is a 2.4 and a 5.0 review of this album. 'I Let It In And It Took Everything' is riding the wave of alternative nu metal rebirth while blending in djent, metalcore and atmospheric gaze elements and really, really honing in on prime era Deftones feels in the best tracks Loathe has to offer. The flow of the record is really superb. 'Two Way Mirror' is an alternative metal masterclass which precedes an ambient interlude track before Loathe explodes into 'New Faces in the Dark' which blends djent, alt metal and metalcore seamlessly. Honestly, the songs that focus on the singing are the best here but are they too derivative of Deftones? The heavy songs are effective and give the album a nice flow but often the breakdowns and djent elements seem repetitive and less memorable than those softer tracks. A lot of great things going on here but some moments feel a bit too emulative for this to really be an AOTY contender.Lupe Fiasco Tetsuo and YouthMural is up there with the best tracks of the year, 9 minutes of Lupe destroying it lyrically over a great piano track. Complex lyrics but savage flow. Beats are super solid harboring their own unique style. Gotta check out more Lupe. To agree with one point of the reviewer, the album is definitely stretched out too long. I have listened to a few highlight tracks a LOT: Mural, Dots & Lines, Prisoner 1 & 2, Body of Work, Adoration of the Magi.Lurid Panacea The Insidious PoisonsThis feels like one of the few Death/grind albums that has gotten some attention over the past decade that truly focuses on the grind side of things and celebrates them way more than the death metal aspect of the music. 47 songs in 24 minutes, a lot of which sound very similar but in the end this album just bleeds grind. The snare drum will be embedded into your brain for hours after listening reminding you of the best grind records to ever exist. The dense, always energetic and just an exercise in brutality. I wish I could listen to this more but it just beats the shit out of me too much every time.Machine Girl The Ugly ArtAggression from beginning to end. The break neck pace and chaos on this record is both its strongest trait and part of why it is a record that is best enjoyed in small doses. A full on play-through The Ugly Art is a slog and at 53 minutes long with 16 tracks it easily feels like 4-5 of those songs could be left off for a more enjoyable experience. Status, Necro Culture Vulture, Psycho Signal Jammer and Fuck Your Guns are a great but in the end the very nature of this whirlwind is what keeps it from being an album that will stay in the rotation for a very long time.Machine Girl U-Void SynthesizerU-Void Synthesizer mixes Machine Girl's chaotic, aggressive uptempo digital hardcore with a decent dose of slower, more groovy sections which really gives the album a great pace and flow. Angry vocals and intense, rapid beats/electronic sections are still the base of the music but there are plenty of nice bass driven progressions to allow for breathing room amidst the intensity. The lower end work on the bass tones really is excellent on this record. The opener, 'Blood Magic', 'Splatter' and 'Scroll of Sorrow' are highlights and a 32 minute runtime feels appropriate for a Machine Girl release as the music beats you up but never leaves you feeling sick of it.Madlib Sound AncestorsMagdalena Bay Mercurial WorldManu Delago Snow From YesterdayHard to even classify this composition as a whole but it evokes intense ethereal dreamscapes, peaceful/warming atmospheres and sometimes moments that feel alien/surreal. Often very delicate and almost always delivers very solid vocal harmonies and melodies that tend to drive the music along. Some very enjoyable moments are the syncopated vocals in 'Paintings on the Wall', the transition that happens when 'Immersion' ends and 'Slow-Mo Moving River' begins and 'Docklands' on the whole. Somehow the album feels intricate and grand in composition while being mellow and down-to-earth overall.Mastodon Emperor of SandMastodon have taken both a step forward and one backward with Emperor of Sand. Forward with their ever evolving sound and it is true: it is as mainstream as ever. Backwards in the fact that they have blended in more sounds from their impressive past into the new approach, specifically elements from Blood Mountain and Crack the Skye. For the Mastodon veteran it may take some time to warm up to but in the end Mastodon have made an album that can be approached by any music fan and appreciated by those who have followed the band since their debut. Mastodon have taken a place at the top of the metal game but they refuse to sacrifice the quality and strength of songwriting despite their sound going through a major sea change since Leviathan and Remission. Roots Remain and Jaguar God are excellent.Mastodon Cold Dark PlaceEPs consisting of extras from a bands' previous recording sessions are often some of the least memorable music releases available. Cold Dark Place is one of the occasions where everything seems to go right for one of these types of EPs. The four tracks are leftovers/extras from '....Round the Sun' and 'Emperor of Sand' but in the end they are clearly distinct in sound from those two LPs. Cold Dark Place represents a more minimal, soulful style from Mastodon with richer melodic vocal harmonies and more melancholic, personal lyrics. It leans towards progressive and stoner rock more than prog metal and is clearly more Mastodon but in a more restrained manner. Some of these tracks could easily be featured on the LPs but it seems like they didn't fit the flow or style of those LPs so Mastodon scrapped them. Oddly enough, 'Toe to Toes' is better than any track on the LP it was left off (Emperor of Sand) and one of the best Mastodon tracks of the last decade, outstanding.Metaroom Oxidized ArchiveIntense breakbeats and synths that bring delicious, luscious textures all peppered with nice melodies and timely use of vocal samples. The energy of the beats always feels nicely balanced and tempered by those other elements mentioned. A nice overall atmosphere. Feels timely to check this out just getting past the videogame 'Neon White' and this feels like it could be an alternate soundtrack to the work that Machine Girl produced for that game.Mgla Exercises in FutilityFast-paced and always moving black metal with elements reminiscent of viking metal and a melodic underbelly. Two parts black for every one part melodic allowing some color and emotions in a mostly bleak atmosphere. The 43-minute runtime is just about perfect as this album never allows relief and could easily become too repetitive if allowed to go on longer. In my eyes it feels a bit like Pale Folklore and Primordial run through the gauntlet of traditional Norwegian black metal; it feels like a throwback that has been polished up. Effective efforts all around with good production, intense drums with quick-strike ride beats, slightly lo-fi crushing rhythm guitar riffs and energetic, angry vocals that sound desperate at times. I, II, V and VI bring me back to the album but none of the tracks are to be skipped.Misthyrming AlgleymiEnergetic and cold black metal that is truly driven by excellent melodic guitar work that is more interesting than your standard black metal fare. Misþyrming are not afraid to get a bit groovy and even anthemic in the fifth track 'Og er haustið líður undir lok'. There are many moments on the album where they deviate from common black metal tropes and this is what will keep you coming back for more spins. On top of that they are still able to write blistering black metal tracks such as the opener 'Orgia'. What keeps this from being a classic are the very repetitive vocals and some of the guitar tones, the high end is unrelentingly muddy and piercing and gets tiresome.Mol JORDNothing particularly out of the ordinary but a really nice example of the use of heavy melody in blackgaze and how fairly short songs can still bring huge emotions when songwriting chops are up to par. JORD has seven tracks that are intense, angry blackgaze with one shoegaze instrumental, Lambda, that breaks up the barrage and will remind listeners of Slowdive and the like. The vocals are intense and mostly ghastly shrieks but the band does make good use of some cleans especially in the title track ender. All in all, mol showcase strength in songwriting to create drama without needing 10+ minute tracks and they take advantage of bright and melancholic leads to add contrast and emotion to the angry black metal underbelly. If anything the shrieks get a bit repetitive and tha band sticks a bit too much to their formula at times.Mortiferum Disgorged from Psychotic DepthsDoomy death that is spattered with filth but not quite full on disgusting sewage level gross that is often centered around downtempo grooves but also has much appreciated energetic outbursts and the occasional classic DM guitar solo. The vocalist often lets the riffs and instruments a chance to breath without constant interjection above them and this creates a fairly lonely, mysterious atmosphere which goes a long way. 'Inhuman Effigy' and 'Putrid Ascension' are highlights on a record that should be given a chance by any death metal fan.Mortiferum Preserved in TormentMSPAINT Post-AmericanObviously this is synth driven punk but I love just how in your face and important to the music the synth is. 'Acid' is a great track that has synth tracks that remind me of Machine Girls work for the game Neon White and they suit the punk yells quite brilliantly. If anything for me the vocals get a tiny bit samey and grating, for example 'Decapitated Reality' brings a more fast paced screaming section and it is very refreshing.Mutoid Man War MoansWar Moans is an obvious maturation of the Mutoid Man sound but not necessarily a step forward from their previous two efforts. Still entrenched in a stoner metal/rock and hardcore base the group really favors the former here and it all becomes a much catchier, approachable experience. Compared to Bleeder, War Moans is much more melodic and quite a bit less aggressive. With that being said, this can't be taken too negatively as Brodsky has found a masterful balance of cheesy yet fantastic lyrical hooks and the band itself stays as energetic and technical as ever with things just more on the rock side rather than metal/hardcore. Another great thing about this album is the track variation. Mutoid Man excels at a wide variety of styles like the hyper, intense Micro Aggression, a pure ballad in Bandages and the super catchy rock track Kiss of Death. Check them out live whenever possible, one of the best on-stage acts around right now.Myrkur FolkesangeBlack metal community summary of Myrkur: "Woman + black metal = bad, woman now singing doing what she does best, love the way her sound is progressing, hopefully she continues (stays out of BM) in this direction".rMyrkur had a great take on BM and now proves she can just straight up sing with the best of them. Amazing production. 'Fager som en Ros', 'House Carpenter' and 'Vinter' are highlights.Nails You Will Never Be One of UsYou Will Never Be One of Us starts off with brutally violent, just-about-one-minute tracks to get your mouth watering: You Will Never Be One of Us, Friend to All and Life is a Death Sentence provide ferocious grind riffs with flawless transition making any fan of heavy music want to get up and run around like a savage. The next five tracks between Violence is Forever and Into Quietus are more hodgepodge and lack in the songwriting department leaving less of a memorable section for the listener and making less efficient use of the nuclear energy that NAILS brings to your ears. The finale is much more drawn out and revives the spirit that the record began with and is probably the best track on here; more downtempo but the songwriting and lyrics are the most powerful of the album. As a whole the production is somewhat frustrating relying on too much gain and grain to meld the elements together beyond what is needed; it comes off as jumbled. A bit less post on the vocals would go a long way. Several great moments of grind, hardcore and metal beatdown are not enough to make this great as a whole.Natalia Lafourcade Musas Vol. 2As someone who knows a very small amount of Spanish I can say you don't need to know the language to enjoy this great collection of Mexican folk music. As expected, Natalia Lafourcade is front and center in every track and she is a true star showing off great vocal range with warmth and personality in almost every line. The production on the vocals and guitars is stellar and on a good set of headphones it feels like you are in the studio with Natalia. Overall, the album is on the mellow, calm and warm side but that is not to say there aren't moments of emotional intensity, especially on La llorona. Passionate, soothing and melodic. Truly an amazing album to listen to while working.Native Construct Quiet WorldNative Construct are clearly great musicians with an endless level of talent and seemingly endless depth of instrumentation. Quiet World is a platform where they truly display this with obvious influences from groups like BTBAM, Dream Theater and Queen. Jazz, progressive metal, funk, classical, opera etc... you name it and its probably in here somewhere. The strength in the album lies in their ability to layer these genres atop one another with every segment transitioning smoothly into the next, it is like controlled chaos. Another high point is the harmonies created and strong melodies throughout allowing the complex writing and instrumental parts to come through naturally. That being said talent isn't everything and beyond it lies some obvious pitfalls. The concept itself is weak. The vocal production is borderline annoying and I disagree with the reviewer that it doesn't take away at all, why cover up the music with a blaring vocal track? Lastly there are some cheesy moments and I think the influences are a bit too obvious. An impressive debut and I look forward to a followup that might help them find a bit more of their own identity.Ne Obliviscaris ExulA really nice prog death metal effort with obvious talent across the board instrumentally and a violin that adds great tension and drama to the tracks. The Misericorde suite is fantastic but on the whole the album doesn't have the lasting power that Citadel and Portal of I had. Those albums felt very much cinematic and on the whole like a story passing by. Exul feels a bit more disjointed and lacks those super high moments that are built up to over the course of a long track.Noisem Blossoming DecayPissed off, depressed and energetic blend of grind and death with a bit of thrash and hardcore feel. Revives familiar sounds I have heard but blended into a unique final product. A refreshing, to the point album for 2015. See 'em live if you get the chance, the vocalist is a beast and your eardrums will be sore. While most of the album is lightning fast the intro to Cascade of Scars is a great touch to give you a brief respite.Nokturnal Mortum Verity?????? finds Nokturnal Mortem hurling out a whirlwind of heavily pagan, heavily folk and heavily progressive blackened metal. Based on the rather even blend of influences it would be hard to distinguish what is the dominant sound but in the end it is rather unique. Suffice it to say there is a lot happening here. You have the vocalist who has an extensive range of approaches from a prominent black metal yowl to ritualistic deep tones to clean singing. There is a flute that is not used as a background piece but stars in several tracks as the driving melody; in no way does it ever come off as cheesy or unnecessary. This flute just highlights the true wealth of instrumentation here. The distorted guitars, clear acoustics, drums, bass, synth (horns, chimes, strings, you name it) and vocals are all really well composed and balanced in the production, there is no shortage of music writing talent in this group. With all of this going on some bands run into a wall and the music lacks clarity but Nokturnal Mortum produce something special. The album overall feels like an adventure through another land guided by the soundtrack the band has produced. The album is a bit overextended and sometimes meanders too much but ????? ???? (Wolfish Berries), ? ????? ? ??????? (Wild Weregild) and ?????? ??? (Night of the Gods) are truly special tracks.Normans NormansEnergetic and chaotic noise rock/punk that delivers a nice mix of upbeat, dissonant instrumentation and groovy, bassy riffs. The stretch of songs from 'Shut Up I'm Shopping' to 'Dead Snakes' is the meat of the album and shows that Normans has the ability to deliver on multiple styles of songs (if you compare 'Anti Crusoe' to 'Dead Snakes' for example). In general the instruments sound live, great and there are some great guitar tones here. The vocalist delivers a nice mix of yelling and singing and lyrics that can be funny at times but never cheesy. I hope this project tours at some point.Numenorean HomeAs just about everyone else says, the influences on Numenorean are obvious. The blend of gaze atmospheres and black metal has become a staple in the past decade and it is hard to avoid the comparisons. For a debut effort, Numenorean have gone above and beyond here. Some folks cite the true album cover and the philosophy behind the music as something to take away what has been recorded here but that is truly a shame as they all go on to say how much they enjoyed the music itself. "Home" hits hard right out of the gate as the vocalist mumbles a few lines before ramping into a full on desperate, angry and chilling scream; a vocal style that is still under-explored compared to the usual shrieking. Numenorean do a great job weaving their way between heart-wrenching anger and somber, depressing backdrops rife with beautiful guitar leads. The only qualm might be that they stick to their guns from song to song and there are a lot of elements repeated from track to track. That being said, they are just getting started and could easily contend with the best in this niche corner of the black metal world.Numenorean AdorePersonality and dynamics aren't necessarily the first thing that come to mind when thinking of atmospheric black metal but Numenorean provides a ton of both on Adore. The record is atmo-gazy-melo-BM with hints of post metal throughout and this collection of approaches allows Numenorean to go in many different directions throughout the runtime. The band will pit tremelo black metal arrangements next to groovy, proggy acoustic jams and you don't even blink. Horizon is an excellent track that shows just what Numenorean are capable of with tons of different guitar tones, several varieties of vocals and beautiful songwriting. If anything can be taken away perhaps the band relies a bit too much on the rhythmic post riffs and could use a bit more of the black metal passages. In the end their sound on a whole is unique and a very tight mix of a wide range of influences worth a spin for any post metal or BM fan. Ona Snop GeezerGood ol' Powerviolence in the traditional sense, not the new-school (which can be amazing in its own right) style where someone in the band needs a PhD in producing noise. Ona Snop have the high pitched screamer, the low-pitched belly yeller and everyone shouting in between. Ona Snop have the spastic riff transitions from punk groove to lightning fast blast beat noise to crusty circle pit inducing rhythms. Shout outs to Charles Bronson fans, you should probably check this record out as should anyone into some good ol' Powerviolence. Orphaned Land Unsung Prophets and Dead MessiahsA long and winding journey that traverses the depths of symphonic, proggy, folk metal with Isreali influence woven into just about every second of the album. More often than not, at any given moment you can just close your eyes and what you are hearing is a rich layered piece of beautiful sounds. Skimming through the album after a listen reminds you of how many damn good pieces of music exist on this album. The symphonic elements don't even begin to sniff cheese (those background choirs are magnificent at times) and the folk influence is truly majestic with strings, acoustic guitars and non-traditional metal instruments making up many of the tracks. This sound is huge and bold as are the intensely political, philosophical lyrics. As a whole it definitely drags on just a bit but all in all Orphaned Land once again come out swinging with a complex, rich concept album. Extra shoutouts to the vocalists (all of them) on this album, so many good melodies and symphonic backdrops on that vocal track. Extremely rewarding on those revisits.Outer Heaven Infinite Psychic DepthsOld-school and slightly techy death metal that relies on grooves, heavy riffing and a barrage of guttural caveman vocals to beat the listener into submission. The first two tracks and 'Starcrusher' are standouts for me but compared to 'Realms of Eternal Decay' this record feels a bit repetitive and lacks the bangers of the previous release. Still a great, ferocious DM album that anyone in the metal game should check out.Oxbow Thin Black DukeThin Black Duke requires some patience but with time the cryptic, sombre mix of noisy/bluesy/artsy/symphonic/experimental rock becomes rather rewarding with a combo of strong musicianship and an intense performance by frontman Eugene Robinson. The most interesting part about Thin Black Duke is the juxtaposition and balanced blending of groovy bluesy rock and big orchestral arrangements all backing a manic, erratic vocalist. In the end the songwriting and album's flow are very strong without any reliance on a verse-chorus-verse structure. The album meanders around and the band does a great job creating ebbs and flows that feel very natural backed by a rich breadth of instruments. Repeated listens focusing on the instrumentation is very rewarding to show just how deep this music actually is. A Gentleman's Gentleman is the most experimental track on here and probably the tipping point for most people as they decide here if they can stand Eugene Robinson; his style is not for everyone but his approach really does suit the sometimes strange blend of music. The album is a concept album for those that are into it and seemingly has a depth of mysteries to unravel for the patient about the duke himself. This album is not about the singles and thus should be experienced end to end.Perfume Genius Set My Heart On Fire ImmediatelyA little bit of a step down compared to 'No Shape' but still a few really great tracks here despite the album being somewhat front loaded. The main issue is a lot of the album is on the more timid and quieter side with just a few brighter and uptempo songs to mix up the pacing. 'Describe', 'Without You', 'Jason' and 'On the Floor' are all really great PG songs but after that it fizzes out a little bit. Like a 3.75 but not quite a 4 album. The other issue is 'No Shape' had a few songs that felt like hits and were endlessly catchy, 'On the Floor' feels like the main example of that here despite all of the album being really solid musically and vocally.Pest Control Don't Test the PestCrossover thrash with mostly sub-2-minute songs that bring great energy and pace. The album art is an all timer and 'Buggin' Out' and 'Don't Test the Pest' are some of the stronger tracks on here. 'Buggin' Out' in particular features some nice tempo shifts and ends with a crossover staple slow down refrain, certainly worth checking out for any hardcore/thrash fan.Petrol Girls Cut and StitchLyrically driven hardcore/punk that gets the message across without ever being pretentious while delivering the aggressive riffs the genre needs but also providing extra instrumental pizzazz to take it to the next level. Vocalist Ren Aldridge is front and center shouting with some occasional singing. The vocals are fairly constant and if you can't get onboard with her yelling it can certainly be a bit grating; there is no way around it. The passion in the vocals keeps up with a very capable backing band. The guitar work here is jumps out right away as the band often contrasts standard chordal riffs with lively lead driven passages. The production allows a very clear picture of the organized chaos allowing both the vocals and guitars to shine and harmonize with the rest of the band; nothing is muddled at all. 'Big Mouth' is an extremely good song and 'The Sound', 'Weather Warning', 'Naive', and 'Tangle of Lives' show how much this band is capable of musically while still writing three-ish minute long hardcore/punk tracks. Impressive depth of sound for the genre.Petrol Girls Baby"Baby, I Had an Abortion" is stellar. Overall they have an awesome sound that mixes punk, hardcore, noise and math elements and that goes a long way to distinguish their sound from a lot of other acts in this realm. I appreciate the sound and messages here but by the end it feels a bit grating and "Fight for Our Lives", musically feels like a bit of a misstep. The chorus just feels a bit out of place and there are a few more moments on the album that just feel a bit pasted together for me. Still a great, angry record and an act I would love to see play live.Pinkshinyultrablast Everything Else MattersMy general inexperience in shoegaze probably helps and hurts my review. Many claim this is just another revival/typical nu-gaze effort but the boisterous bass and ambitious songwriting instantly caught my ear. Dreamy, intense, poppy atmospheres. While reviewing the tracks it was immediately obvious that something memorable was found in each one. The vocals may be "typical" but they are solid. The bass is the star and provides direction while guitar brings the beef and substance. Hectic yet smooth transitions between clean and noisy, energetic rocking out provide enjoyable listening throughout. Great mood swings. Production also plays a key role in a complex sonic landscape giving each element the right amount of freedom. Tops: Holy Forest, Metamorphosis, Umi, Land's End.Poppy I DisagreePoppy is just something I would expect to dislike if someone were to describe her image and music to me but in the end it doesn't take long to enjoy this album. The first 60 seconds go from whispering over a siren to like two bars of a stereotypical dissonant lead over breakdown rhythm to an uptempo dream pop chorus right back into the nu metal breakdown. The album continues with these eclectic, energetic ups and downs and in the end it is kind of a wild ride full of humor and a great mix of the dark heavy nu metal and glistening, shiny, over the top pop elements. Perhaps the best thing here are the transitions between both worlds, at times flawlessly morphing from the metal into the pop. It feels like this album shouldn't work but in the end most of the tracks are catchy and display above average songwriting to be able to blend heavily contrasted styles.Porridge Radio Every BadMelancholy and anxious, but never really sad, indie rock that makes use of post-punk elements. Overall it feels pretty atmospheric for the genre and makes nice use of synth, loud bass and strings in addition to the more standard indie rock instrumentation. The vocals are what really standout on 'Every Bad'. Dana Margolin is very intense, dramatic and in your face and fails to every lose your attention with this expressive approach. On the flipside this intensity remains constant for most of the 41 minutes and the lyrics are often, purposefully, extremely repetitive. Something you do once or twice and it is fine but that gets done a bit too many times here. With a bit more attention to songwriting and sonic variation it wouldn't surprise me at all to see an excellent release coming from Porridge Radio, the tools are there.Portal IONDreary and chaotic technical/avant-garde death metal that is sure to transport those that listen to it to Portal's own version of hell. Once the music fully kicks in Portal abuse your eardrums with a mix of incredibly complex, dissonant guitars, ominous ghastly vocals and a drummer who seems as if he is playing with his own life on the line. At about 37 minutes, the album feels appropriately paced with few places to breath in between the hectic uptempo barrages of noise. Portal repeat a few fleeting ideas here and there but for the most part the album comes off as mostly unstructured and live performances will only feel more powerful than the recorded version of ION. Portal deserve praise for creating such a disturbing and dark atmosphere with music that is incredibly technical and really unlike most metal out there. Porter Robinson NurturePower Trip Manifest DecimationA very good start for Power Trip with an angry blend of early Slayer influenced thrash and NY style hardcore. While the album brings plenty of aggression and energy many of the songs have the same structure and as a whole it is kind of repetitive, something they would improve quite a bit on their 2017 follow up. Dive-bomb screeching thrash solos reminiscent of Kerry King lead into brooding hardcore breakdowns which are followed by chanting choruses, it makes for a great live show. Power Trip have done very well to embrace the violent, aggressive side of crossover and never leave the listener bored. A remaster of this album at some point could be interesting, the vocals sound so distant and the production is a bit muddy at times.Priests Tape 2Raw, angry and noisy riot grrrl post punk that serves as a great jumping off point for their wonderful 2014 and 2017 releases. The groovy bass stands out and plays very well alongside the dissonant noodling guitars and Katie Greer's dynamic, passionate vocal performance. The political and feminist lyrics are front and center and may not be everyone's cup of tea but in the end the musical performances are great all around and Priests are one of the better punk outfits around right now.Protomartyr Ultimate Success TodayNoisy post punk with a dark and dreary atmosphere with some excellent cameos from less traditional instruments for the genre. First and foremost are the vocals, which seem to get a lot of attention when reading around through reviews and comments. The vocals aren't the most standout for the genre but their monotonous and impassive delivery do serve to add to the feeling of dread and hopelessness you get out of the music on the whole. The guitars really drive Protomartyr with a nice mix of leads and chord progressions as well as some nice dissonance to match the noisy tones. The sax and clarinet were a surprise and luckily they were added in with great taste. They serve as an enhancement to the guitars rather than the stars of the tracks they are used in and they really match the ominous atmosphere here quite well. 'Processed by the Boys', 'June 21', 'Michigan Hammers' and 'Worm in Heaven' are all super memorable tracks that show this band does not lack songwriting talent.Pusha T It's Almost DryI am beginning to think that Pusha T knows a lot about cocaine. P.S. 'Neck and Wrist' is one of the best songs of 2022 and while this album isn't quite as good as DAYTONA, it is a great continuation of hip hop in that vein.Revocation NetherheavenDave Davidson is Mr. consistent in both his name and his ability to release consistently good tech, thrashy, melodic death metal albums. Somehow we are up to album #8 and while Existence is Futile still seems fresh as yesterday, that was more than a decade ago and the band has still retained a lot of their signature sound but has still evolved and matured with each release. I feel like at this point you know a Davidson solo when you hear one. This album leans more into the death and despair than the showy tech/jazzy influences of the past but again is incredibly solid. Is it time for a greatest hits album?!Rivers of Nihil The WorkRolo Tomassi Where Myth Becomes MemoryA great follow up to their stunning 2018 effort. They still have a really good knack at juxtaposing super heavy rhythms and ferocious screams with ethereal clean sections. The biggest issue with this record is the riffs become very similar after a while and so does the songwriting. Time Will Die... felt like a rollercoaster that you could never get off of, and never wanted to while this feels like more of a collection of moments. While there are a lot of beautiful ones they just don't quite add up in the totality of the record.Rose Elinor Dougall StellularExcellent songwriting and crystal clear, beautiful production all around creating a bittersweet, ethereal indie pop atmosphere. Stellular may not deliver the generational pop classic but the average quality of the tracks is stunning without any misses. When making a quick scan through the album it is hard to imagine why this isn't the best pop album in some time but it becomes apparent when giving it the full go. The album as a whole lacks variation, Dougall's vocals seem a bit laxe at times and repetitive and it is fairly long and drawn out.Scar Symmetry The Singularity - Phase II: Xenotaph'Chrononautilus' is absolutely one of the better opening tracks on an album this year. The album is consistently good after that but never quite reaches those same heights again, unfortunately. To no one's surprise, the instrumentation is beyond ridiculous and matches the themes about aliens in the lyrics.ScHoolboy Q Blank Face LPBlank Face is a tale of two stories. One subset of tracks are some of the best of recent memory covering diverse sonic landscapes with elements of hardcore hip hop, West Coast beats, trap, soul and jazz. This bunch includes THat Part, Groovy Tony/Eddie Kane (the best track on the record), Dope Dealer, JoHn Muir and Big Body. Q manages to paint a glamorous yet serious picture of street life with a moderately paced, confident flow. The beats are also very strong at times with a truly soulful backbone borrowing elements from seemingly all hip hop worlds, funk and some jazz. The soundscape is diverse and deep. It is obvious that this is a modern rap album but it borrows some charm from the past few decades of hip hop. These highlights are enough to make this a great album but the worst tracks on the album do a few negative things. They extend the album needlessly by about twenty extra minutes and make you wonder about Schoolboy Q's ability to put together the full length package. Overtime and By Any Means are just bad songs, plain and simple. Blank Face LP is a great album but with a bit more effort and a bit less content it could have been a borderline classic.Sewerslvt Draining Love StoryDark and melancholy atmospheric electronic/drum and bass with nice contrast of hard hitting breakbeat drum driven passages and wandering ambient noise sections. 'Mr Kill Myself' is probably the go to track to get a summary of what this album will be like, containing both of the above elements with thick, ethereal synths behind driving, intense drum beats and deep groovy bass. Great usage of samples, especially in Ecifircas, they lineup with the mood and tension dynamics of the track wonderfully. If anything a bit long and slightly repetitive.Shame (UK) Drunk Tank PinkAt times a bit too similar to other contemporary post-punk acts but downright catchy, groovy and infectious at many points through the albums runtime. Very accessible and I wouldn't be surprised if this got some attention from folks who aren't normally into noisy, anxious post-punk. Best moment is the explosion in 'Snow Day' surrounding the lyrics about walking past the ocean, being the most beautiful thing you will ever see, and ignoring it on your way to work; that hard hitting line will stick for a long time.Sharon Van Etten Remind Me TomorrowThis feels like one of those albums where it is hard to say a whole lot about. Van Etten has apparently traded in her guitar for a very synth heavy take on pop in Remind Me Tomorrow. The peak quality on the record is remarkably high and for the most part the songs are well composed and memorable because Van Etten is able to create lush, often dark and droning synth sounds to back her attention grabbing vocals. The peak is Seventeen. Easily a candidate for song of the year early in 2019 with its uptempo pace, emotional climax with the best vocals on the record, relate-able lyrics and a clean, catchy hook. Comeback Kid, No One's Easy to Love and Jupiter 4 are also essential tracks to check out. While Seventeen is stunning, Van Etten doesn't match this intensity on the rest of the record, and while it is all really good it feels overshadowed by that track. You Shadow may be the only slight misstep here, it feels out of place the vocals/lyrics are weak compared to the rest of the album. For anyone who likes artsy, synth filled pop this must be given a chance but expect darker, bittersweet atmospheres and some droning wandering; a refreshing departure from some of the other synthpop genre contemporaries.Sigh Heir to DespairEccentric and at times surreal blend of avant/prog metal and Japanese folk with electronics thrown in to the mix. Sigh is the kind of avant-garde metal that doesn't feel like it is taking it self too seriously and in the end is just a super fun listen. The vocals are definitely strange at times and probably something that will keep some away as they are kind of hard to relate to and latch on to (the effects laiden ones, not the folksy ones). One thing that stood out is how bright rand energetic this album is at times not falling back on the use of guttaral vocals but rather the opposite. Get ready to get weird with this one check out Homo Homini Lupus if you are on the fence, a standout track!Sleater-Kinney No Cities to LoveAfter this it seems like Sleater-Kinney can truly do no wrong. All that more impressive after a decade-long layoff; they did not miss even one beat. I enjoy the grittier part of their discography but can't stop going back to this record with each song seemingly getting stuck in my head. Highlights: Price Tag, No Cities to Love, Fangless, Bury Our Friends. Ten more tight tracks, non even close to dull, from the best ladies in the rock business.slowthai Nothing Great About BritainStill not 100% sure if this record ends with Northampton's Child and the rest is bonus? Either way, 'Nothing Great About Britain' is extremely consistent whether or not both discs are included as slowthai navigates through political issues in Britain with an aggressive style. The beats are a mix of grime and grandeur with strings often accompanying slowthai's anger as well as guitars, choirs and booming UK bass. 'Doorman' is one of the best hip hop tracks of recent memory.slowthai TYRONslowthai UGLYWas really getting into this but lost most motivation to listen to it after the rape charges came out. Potentially dive back in some day.Slugdge Esoteric MalacologyProggy tech death somewhere in the realm near Opeth, Gojira and Mastodon with a bit more emphasis on the death side of things than any of those mentioned. The grooves, riffs and percussion are absolutely stellar throughout the album and this is what really makes Escoteric Malacology special. The vocalist does a good job with a mix of growls and sort of hymnal cleans at times keeping things from getting boring. If you just shuffle to a random track none of them will be a miss and most of them will be great but the album as a whole drags on after the first two-thirds because Slugdge have a solid but limited bag of tricks that doesn't provide much variance track to track. For a fairly young band this is one to keep an eye on if they can find a way to bring more variables into the equation. Would be a killer live set because these riffs and grooves just keep coming.Snooper Super SnooperQuirky and energetic punk album that rattles off 14 songs in 23 minutes. Once the party starts it really doesn't let up beyond a sample here and there. If anything the lo-fi-ish production makes some of the songs feel a bit repetitive but that really isn't much of an issue here because of the length of the record and the playful mood laced throughout. 'Fitness', 'Microbe', 'Bed Bugs' and 'Powerball' are all great tracks.Snuffed Coping Human WasteIntense and upbeat hardcore with some real raw aggression. A very nice record but the production leaves things a bit too gainy and muddled and I feel like the vocals don't get their fair share on here. Still very glad I found this and suggested for anyone who likes some good old school hardcore punk.Soen LykaiaFirst listen = cool! Second listen = this is quite good. Subsequent listens = damn, this is really, really good! Sometimes it is appropriate to beat a dead horse: Soen marries elements of Tool and Opeth without sounding like a rip off of either. Personally, I almost feel like this is the direction Opeth should have went in during their ongoing Prog fantasy. This is certainly better than anything Opeth have done in their last few efforts, good on you Soen! Competent songwriting, dense chordal grooves, tribal bass, progginess without being like WE ARE PROGGGGGG, a great all around vocal performance, clean production and a memorable balance between heavy and melodic are things you will find on Lykaia. This album needs to go back into the rotation ASAP.Soen LotusComparison to the last release, Lykaia, is incredibly appropriate as Soen stick to their guns, double down and push forward with their take on Prog Metal with heavy Opeth and Tool influences. The main things that become apparent after repeated listening is that Lotus lacks the addictive, catchy hooks that Lykaia but improves in terms of production and vocal delivery. Joel Ekelof knocks it out of the park and continues to be one of the more pleasant and passionate vocalists to listen to in this genre. The major issue here is the songwriting being very repetitive, especially if you look this as a bit of a softer continuation of Lykaia. The formula for the tracks is becoming very apparent and this is something Soen could really changeup to push their style further. That being said, the ebbs and flows and melodic ups and downs are still as powerful as ever and it is hard to call any song subpar here; there also aren't any bonafide classics here either. Any fan of prog metal/rock should give this its deserved spins.Soen ImperialSpread Joy IISuper solid if not a bit repetitive and predictable post-punk. The vocals are great and the basslines are infinitely groovy. Excited to hear more from this band. Really enjoy 'Excesses', 'Spa Schedule' and 'Repetition'.St. Vincent MasseductionArtsy synthpop blending electronic and traditional instruments into a modern mix akin to some Bowie/80s pop/Eurythmics but still fresh and unique in its own right thanks to the brains behind it, Annie Clark. MASSEDUCTION covers a lot of ground with plenty of emotion in Happy Birthday, Johnny and New York and more poppy, fun tracks in songs like Pills and Masseduction. Clark does well to cover serious and personal topics in her lyrics while still maintaining a very pop driven sound but can also get sexy with songs like Savior. From the opener to New York is stellar but after that the album does feel like it drags on a bit even though the tracks are still quite good; perhaps some rearrangement of songs would have done well for the flow.State Faults ClairvoyantA screamo record with plenty of atmosphere and post rock/hardcore injected throughout that could likely be enjoyed by anyone into dissonant rock/hardcore/punk because of the rock solid performances on all instruments and excellent screamo vocals. For the most part brings on a wall-of-sound effect with constant painful screaming but a few brief respites (the excellent title track, a few slowed down non-screamed sections of chanting/spoken callouts) provide much needed relief in the overall pace of the record. 'Sleeplessness', 'Clairvoyant' and 'Olive Tree' standout and provide a good picture of what State Faults are capable of with their dissonant, melancholic and energetic take on screamo.Sturgill Simpson A Sailor's Guide To EarthA Sailor's Guide to Earth is rooted in Country but oh is it so much more than that. Simpson's country style invokes elements of funk, rock and soul and this blending is central to the album's success. Much of the content seems reflective of Sturgill's own life experiences as the album serves as messages written to his newborn as some sort of guide to learn from his father's past. This approach proves effective as the listener is brought onto a very personal level with Simpson. Just as the lyrics are strong, Simpson's actual vocals are on point throughout and he captures a wide range of moods from a very somber Breaker's Roar to the outlaw yells in Call to Arms. While much of the pop country on the radio is mostly concerned with trucks and tailgating, Sturgill Simpson delivers a highly artistic, beautiful record that delivers a very lively approach to the genre.Teini-Pää Sata syytä aloittaaA fun power pop/pop punk album out of Finland. For the most part it brings a nice energy and is on the brighter side in terms of mood. "Ydintyttö" and "Sun ei tarvi pelätä" are highlight tracks that show two nice sides of the band.The Armed Only LoveHyper and chaotic yet surprisingly melodic noise rock/hardcore/mathcore/punk from the purposefully mysteriously Detroit musicians. Very few really know who The Armed are but Only Love shows us a band that is pushing the boundaries of hardcore with a very electronic, melodic approach replacing what usually is a traditional guitar driven genre approach with a wall of sound made up of guitars and electronic instruments. While the electronics are extremely refreshing and key to the success of the album, the very noisy production and utter amount of layered sounds can be a hindrance at times obfuscating what is going on just a bit too much. It leads to a lack of things to latch onto during the 37 minutes. As far as the pace of the album, The Armed crush it here with a great flow of fast paced hardcore songs broken up by more long winded slower pieces, plenty of room for exploration of this unique sound. The Coathangers Larceny and Old LaceAn obvious but efficient and satisfying continuation of The Coathangers progression from raw, silly garage punk to a more focused blend of punk and indie rock; here straying a further toward the latter with a clear jump in production. As with most of their discography the thing they shine with is track variation and album pacing. Larceny and Old Lace has aggressive punk tracks like Hurricane and Jaybird, softer rock tracks in Tobacco Rd and Go Away and plenty of other tracks right in between; it really doesn't stale. Also in Coathangers fashion the album is short with 11 tracks in 30 minutes making it easy to replay over and over again thanks to the interplay between two good punk rock vocalists and fun, surfy garage rock guitars. The only thing lacking here is the true standout classic tracks found their self-titled and later releases.The Coathangers Suck My ShirtAll of the fun and garage-punk, indie rock sound of The Coathangers first few releases, now with better production. A stark maturation in both the music, members themselves from the first three releases which at times were both extremely goofy, loose and raw; quite a bit less of that here with a more focused, tight-knit surfy-punk sound. The production accentuates the rock sound of the group while the riffs still remain rather punk in nature; it is not clean as a whistle but definitely polished considering the rest of their discography. Shut Up, Springfield Cannonball and Adderall are a great way to start with this one but the entire record is beyond solid. The Coathangers The Devil You KnowThe Coathangers return with their first full-length since 2016 moving back a bit towards their more angsty punk roots as compared to 'Nosebleed Weekend' but still staying firmly in their realm of garage punk/rock. The best thing about The Coathangers has always been how all three musicians provide interesting dynamics to the songs as a whole and the vocal interplay. Julia's sweeter, more melodic approach contrasts and compliments Stephanie's more gruff, raw vocals wonderfully and between the two the vocals never become boring or repetitive. Underneath all of that you have Meredith's groovy bass-lines to sew everything together. The Devil You Know provides a lot of track to track variation, something this band has always been great at. Whether its the anti-NRA punk anthem, the brooding rockin' Crimson Telephone, the stripped down bass lead Stasher or the slowed-down vocal driven ender Lithium, it never feels samey. They manage to approach political and modern societal issues without coming off as holier-than-thou, which is never facile. Awesome vocal harmony, three musicians who all have a starring role and short yet satisfying song composition on yet another really good album by The Coathangers. The Contortionist Exoplanet (Redux)I must admit: I am a flip-flopper. Only a few weeks ago I was saying how I thought this album was fairly average, overly reliant on chugging and somewhat unoriginal. Well, I always give albums a few chances. This one wrestled with me more than any album in recent memory. At first it was the vocals: brutality with a wide range of style dipping into pure gloomy death, thrash and harmonic cleans. Then it was the riffs: jarring, unsettling breakdowns between spacey technical leads and semi-groovy grind licks. The chugging is plentiful but the high quality makes me want to unleash my inner beast and/or hide on a corner. The overall mood of the album is a lonely and disheartening one and I find the ratio of brutality to harmonious melody to be particularly on point. The first six tracks here are all borderline excellent while I find the band loses my attention in the latter third; the only reason this isn't a superb release in my eyes. Less of a blend and more of a layer cake of deathcore, djent and prog elements, Exoplanet explores galactic themes and creates a lonely, uneasy mood to match. Bonus points to the vocalist as his effort alone makes it worth the listen. Flourish, Expire, Contact and Vessel are all fantastic starting points.The Garden Kiss My Super Bowl RingUnapologetic and unique set of songs that are loosely based in punk and definitely all over the place. Low key impressive how The Garden is able to do both electronic and live instruments in almost every track and you rarely feel like there is any contrast between them. Despite how weird things might get at certain moments here things feel like they belong and it just feels like two people making the music they want to make without any outside influence. At first the vocals felt a bit lax but repeat listens really make you appreciate the intensity of the screams littered throughout the record. AMPM Truck is the most well written song here but almost every song has something unique to offer. 'A Fool's Expedition' feels like a summary of The Garden opening with a slow, heavy groove and powerful yells before moving into a fast hardcore riff and finally ending with a flute solo that feels strange but oh so at home in the context of the album.The HIRS Collective We're Still HereNot a 3.5 but also not quite a 4 in my books. Ferocious and heavy as ever but over time it just lacks the staying power, flow and replayability the last collection of tracks had. That being said, the barrage of guests on this record is amazing and adds a lot of unique vision to the tracks. Oddly enough the songs aren't long by any means but longer than in the past and I think that hurts a bit here compared to the true rapid fire tracks of past collections. HIRS is an amazing force in powerviolence, awesome in a live setting and a force that I hope continues on for a long time.The Ruins of Beverast The Thule GrimoiresThe Soft Moon Deeper1980s synth, post-punk and industrial sounds brought together by solo-man Luis Vasquez to create an intensely bleak soundscape. Diversity in the tracks with uptempo, loud, jagged songs leading into slow, wavering ones. As much as people like to say that this has all been done before, credit must be given to musicians that can create an old sound effectively. Vasquez has clearly done that here with his own twists and I have revisited tracks like Far, Wasting, Wrong, Feel and Being numerous times. At times reminds me a of Pretty Hate Machine era Reznor which is always a plus.The Weeknd Dawn FMThis one feels like its an album that a 3.25 rating would be pretty much spot on but when skimming back through the album there are enough moments to put it over the hump from good to great. Plenty of super catchy hooks and great vocal melodies which is completely unsurprising with The Weeknd. The whole Dawn FM concept doesn't really work but it is easy to just zone out during the interludes and such, very inoffensive. The lyrics are hit or miss, again mostly fine but certainly some lines where you kinda cringe. Standout tracks: Less Than Zero, Take My Breath, Out of Time.Thy Catafalque GeometriaGeometria is a triumph immediately because it so effortlessly combines a whole host of influences and styles while still being incredibly approachable by any music fan. The album consists of 11 songs which are on the shorter side for this artist but as a whole the record feels like one journey with each track being a distinct chapter in what feels like a cinematic experience to the ears. Tamas Katai does a great job pitting the upbeat against the folksy tracks and the metal against electronic tracks. The opening track covers so much ground beginning with a jazzy rhythm accompanied by an organ and ending with bright, luscious folk vocals before giving way to the second track chuck full of very heavy metal rhythms. This trend continues onward but the album never feels lost or pretentious at all while still remaining progressive blending so many different musical elements at once. On the downside the production as a whole feels a bit flat and the vocalists, besides the excellent female vox, are just not the most intriguing and engaging. There also isn't that much of a sense of identity with each track and with the 55 minute runtime and the often instrumental-centered feel of songs it leaves the listener without much to latch onto and it feels samey by the end of the disc. Fantastic blending of styles, stellar rhythmic work and a great overall sense of journey but often lacks a star of the show.Thy Darkened Shade Liber Lvcifer II: MahapralayaChaotic, evil dirge that feels like you went to a haunted house for fun but ended up in a real haunted house that you ain't getting out of anytime soon. Disjointed and jumbled at times but it works because of the strong rhythm guitars providing a solid riff base and the excellent production where it feels like you can pick out any member of the band at anytime and focus in on them. Love how the bassist and lead guitars seem to just be on a sabbatical at times while the vocalist serenades Satan. I am beginning to think these guys have an affinity for Lucifer.Tomb Mold Primordial MalignityGrimy and raw death metal. The songs for the most part are rather short allowing Tomb Mold to develop some beefy, heavy hitting riffs without overextending themselves or boring the listener as the 8 track record is over in 32 minutes. The production is a strong point as the overall sound is grimy and moldy but all of the instruments are crisp and clear. Perhaps the best strength here is in the songwriting as Primordial Malignity weaves its way from one riff to another with powerful transitions and great continuity.Tomb Mold Manor of Infinite FormsTomb Mold is back and that tomb must be dank and moist because it seems like a new EP or LP comes out from this outfit every six months. As with their last LP Tomb Mold have a traditional death metal sound that is tweaked a bit to appease to 2018 listeners with a fair bit of tech and modern production. The atmosphere is dark and dense and the sound is driven by the rhythm guitars which are the best element the group has going for them. Tomb Mold just generate riff after riff with despair, gloom and a heavy weight pummeling down on the listeners. Beyond the strength in the riffs Tomb Mold have good instrumentation and vocals but at times the vocals feel repetitive and secondary to the guitar work. A bit more variation in style for the vocalist could go a long way. Come here for the dense riffs which ride the line between traditional and new death metal very well and you will not be disappointed. Tomb Mold Planetary Clairvoyance'Beg for Life' and 'Planetary Clairvoyance' are phenomenal death metal tracks but unfortunately the rest of the record doesn't quite meet the heights the first two songs are able to reach. Max Klebanoff continues to kill it with great texture to his death growl and drums that are technical without being overly flashy and support the grooves of the riffs very well. Tomb Mold get a lot of use out of changing tempos here which keeps the record from staling in the nearly 40 minute runtime. They do well complimenting groovy caveman riffs with hurried technical sections and sometimes slower atmospheric parts with ominous, anxious guitar leads. Unfortunately they get away from this a bit in the last few songs and a lot of it feels medium-fast tempoed and a bit samey. Either way, Tomb Mold have remained one of the more productive and consistent death metal acts as of late and you can't go wrong giving their stuff a spin.Tomb Mold The Enduring SpiritIronically only saw the soundoff about flipping the tables with Blood Incantation but I feel the exact opposite. While 'The Enduring Spirit' is a great, proggier side of Tomb Mold that approach to a proggier sound has their songs lacking a bit of direction compared to in the past even if they still write some of the better tech death metal riffs of recent memory. Sometimes it feels like the proggy, instrumental sections are just tossed in without as much care as someone like Blood Incantation and the record kind of just meanders along at times.Tricot MakkuroBright, uplifting and groovy mix of mathrock/pop that is very often energetic and heavy but has plenty of downtempo, softer sections to keep a good contrast and prevent the album from being repetitive. If anything it is very interesting to see the collision of massive math rock and big pop elements on one album. The songs are catchy while containing technical instrumentation. The guitar tones and the work on those strings deserves extra attention and the drums deserve an extra shoutout as well. If anything, the vocals have great melodies and harmonies but they feel a bit overbearing and constant by the time the album finishes, a bit more room for the instruments to breath would be massive here. Consistently great moments here but in the end it lacks that signature track that you feel is a year end best song or a true classic song.Tropical Fuck Storm A Laughing Death in MeatspaceDissonant, chaotic and noisy post punk with a whole lot of other subtle influences and a nice contrast between the two vocalists. The guitar work and instrumental material in general deserves high praise due to it's abstract and unique nature. Nothing about the album is straightforward but it flows along very smoothly and naturally. Gareth Liddiard's vocals are probably not for everyone. At times it is a bit hard to buy his manic, desperate sounding vocals. His approach general comes down to him rambling on about real world issues and after four to five tracks this gets a bit repetitive and tiring. The album starts off with a massive bang in "You Let My Tyres Down' and comes close to reaching that quality again but not quite; this one is somewhat frontloaded and the quality fades in the latter half. A must listen due to its unique nature but after ten or more listens the magic starts to fade.Tyler, the Creator Flower BoyTyler, The Creator lives up to the latter part of his name here generating a record that flows well through many different vibes grounded in West Coast soulful, funky hip hop. The stretch of See You Again (sublime singing by Kali Uchis) to Who Dat Boy (bangin' hard hitting raps) to Pothole (chill hip hop) really speaks for how much ground Tyler is able to cover on Flower Boy even if much of the record sticks to a chill, soulful West coast mood. The lyrics are very introspective and you really get a feel for who Tyler has matured into and it really benefits the record as a whole. Besides Tyler the guests really knock it out of the park and allow the album to bloom into one of the better hip hop efforts of 2017. Really works well as a full playthrough but Who Dat Boy, Pothole, Ain't Got Time and 911/Mr. Lonely are all great places to start.Tyler, the Creator IGORComing off of Flower Boy with very high expectations IGOR just isn't as compelling and Tyler lacks the some of the charisma and style he has on his previous release. IGOR does very well with the production and a ton of cool sounds and beats formed from the soul, psychedelic, funk and hip hop influences. On the other hand a lot of the albums mood is very repetitive outside of I THINK and WHAT'S GOOD which bring (what feels like) huge energy between the more bittersweet tracks that make up most of the run-time. Huge marks for the creativity and just how much depth there seems to be on each and every beat and the courage for Tyler to delve even further into a very funky and unique music making arsenal and put singing ahead of rapping here. Just a bit drab with a lot of stripped down sections seeing Tylers scratchy singing dominate and doesn't have the addictive catchiness that made Flower Boy one of the most replayable albums of 2017. Ulcerate Stare Into Death and Be Still'Stare Into Death and Be Still' really excels at creating an amazing foreboding atmosphere thanks to great lead guitar work and the ability to write songs that build up a lot of tension with satisfying, epic releases. The drum performance is the biggest standout in terms of instrumentation; this guy is just a machine and plays with an amazing mix of technical virtuosity and the ability to carve out unique, interesting rhythms. The vocals also have a nice mix of screams and growls and act as a solid centerpiece to bring the intense rhythm and atmospheres together. The biggest issue is repetitiveness. This album will grind you down to nothing as it runs out to an hour long and really never gives you a break from the madness. Drums not to be missed and a great atmosphere created with heavy dissonance and melodic guitar work but a bit of variety or a track shaved off would really make it a better experience on the whole.Vengeful Spectre Vengeful SpectreBamboo flutes, insane high-pitched shrieking ghost vocals and a dark, sombre and dramatic atmosphere makes for some fresh melodic black metal. The vocals are an aggressive assault and the vocalist has a scream you will not soon forget that pairs very well with the atmosphere. The band is good at both faster tempos and also letting the drama and sombre mood ruminate at times, where the flutes often take over and paint a beautiful landscape. These flutes are integrated into the metal sound about as well as it gets for something non-traditional in the genre. The riffs have plenty of older BM fare but also some nice death metal sounds here and there. Really hoping this project continues onward because this is a very impressive debut which is as heavy and powerful as it is almost theatrical.Viagra Boys Cave WorldHilarious at times and at others just a bit too blunt. Cave World is about as funny and satirical as you can be without becoming the rebirth of The Bloodhound Gang and I certainly appreciate walking that fine line. That being said I think one of 'ADD', 'Creepy Crawlers' or 'The Cognitive Trade-Off Hypothesis' would have sufficed where the truly silly and somewhat nonsensical humor of 'Ain't No Thief' and 'Troglodyte' just works better in volume. A very enjoyable listen for any punk or rock fan I would imagine.Vince Ash Do or DieAn impressive debut for Vince Ash with a 21 minute record that hits hard from beginning to end. Do or Die will take any rap listener back quite a ways with a core sound that is reminiscent of the 90s in both the beats and the rapping. That being said this album is in no ways an emulation or worship of the classics despite Vince's actual voice sounding quite a lot like Tupac's. One thing any listener will notice right away is the lack of singing and melodic hooks, this one is all about the rapping and bass heavy room shaking beats. The lyrics feel mostly of experience and at times have storytelling elements allowing Ash to really infuse his personality into the music. The album does feel a bit short and Vince uses similar elements in each track leading to some sameness but this feels like the prelude to something larger. A truly refreshing rap record for 2018 and an artist with a whole lot of potential.Vince Staples Prima DonnaAfter a Summertime 06, Vince Staples should be on anyone's hip-hop watchlist. The bleak and somewhat dark atmosphere carries into Prima Donna which features everything from bangin' beats to depressive spoken word interludes. At first glance the EP might seem a bit flat but with each listen it opens up and upon reviewing track by track it becomes obvious that just about every song is beyond worth revisiting. It becomes especially interesting when one takes into account the concept behind it; telling a story in reverse as the album progresses. Vince is able to convey a message with minimal content, hopefully this carries over into his next full length as Summertime 06 was way too long drowning out what were some of the best rap songs of 2015.Wednesday Rat Saw GodProps to the first two tracks coming out of the gate swinging around a filthy, noisy indie rock sound that really makes a basically ten minute track work, and work really really well in a genre where that is not always the case. 'Bull Believer' ends with a Mortal Kombat reference and seemingly after that the album flips a switch to more structured songs and dots in some country vibes into the noisy rock blend. The quality stays consistently great throughout with 'Chosen to Deserve' through 'Quarry' being a particularly good stretch. For my last thought I will steal someone else's take that the vocals are a bit too overly dramatic, eventually for me they become grating the melodies and the texture.Wet Leg Wet LegCan't remember an album where I see so many comments in negative reviews that aren't about the music itself. What does "the atmosphere surrounding the band" have anything to with leaving a score about a music album. Are people just mad this band has a following? It is pretty simple here. Catchy, extremely re-playable pop rock that leans more towards the pop side and has a nice mix of raspy guitars and soothing, sometimes angelic vocals. The lyrics are a meh at times but beyond that and a few tracks that leave something to be desired the album is very good. 'Wet Dream' is an easily finalist on the best tracks of 2022 and represents everything that is great about this album. Truly one of the weirder albums to read reviews of this year, a lot of anger surrounding a gentle, fun album.Weyes Blood Titanic RisingRich and bittersweet baroque/art/dream pop that calls back to the 70s at each and every turn. The instrumentation (strings, use backing of guitars, pianos, synth) and vocal layering provides great depth to Titanic rising and is the highlight of the record thanks to superb production values; Andromeda showcases this best and turns out is the best track on the record. Natalie Merings vocals guide you through this ethereal landscape with soothing melodies and often beautiful harmonies but on the whole Titanic Rising just feels one note. This one note at times reaches near perfection (mostly in the first four tracks) but on the whole the record lacks vigor trudging along in a very narrow style for the entire runtime. On top of that the 70s callbacks are just too blunt at times and too repetitive. Influence is one thing but at times this begs for something new to be added to the mix. The first four songs are one of the strongest stretches of music this year but after that there just isn't a lot of variation on the formula behind Titanic Rising.Wiley GodfatherDo a bit of research into Grime and you are destined to come across Wiley, or you are probably doing it wrong. Godfather is probably about 3-tracks/10-minutes too long but the highs are really, really good. The beats are bodacious and so in your face it feels like you are in the studio with Wiley and they never let up sans a few small respites. The lyrics for the most part come at a blistering pace and are very grimey, introspective and constantly telling you who the king truly is. That being said it somehow doesn't come off nearly as arrogant as many other modern Hip Hop artists, maybe the reviewer is truly onto something. Check out Bring Them All/Holy Grime, Can't Go Wrong (that fucking beat bangs), On This and Laptop for a memorable sampler.Wolf Alice Blue WeekendWolves in the Throne Room Black CascadePerhaps not as dense and rich with atmosphere but darker and heavier than the previous WITTR releases but still a great black metal album. Repetitive and entrancing guitar riffs with excellent shrill vocals to match. Almost like black metal meditation at times but when things do transition the riffs are very powerful and moving. A bit straightforward but it seems very clear they were going for that type of experience allowing both the guitars and vocals to stand tall. The first two tracks are fantastic black metal experiences.Wolves in the Throne Room Thrice WovenThe return to darkness for the Cascadian black metal troupe out of Olympia, WA. Thrice Woven sees WITTR moving towards their roots instead of the electronic sounds they preferred on their last release Celestite, in 2014. In short it is very clear WITTR have not lost their touch or dulled in approaching atmopsheric black metal that makes heavy use of dark folky and ambient sounds. Blast beats, throaty ghost vocals, wavering clean backing accompaniments and rich guitars that make you want to drown into a sea of firs and pines. There is strength in the songwriting and flow of the album as the music alternates between walls of dark melancholic guitars and folk acoustic/ clean vocal passages. One weakness in the songwriting is the approach to each long track is rather similar. WITTR have always been extremely proficient in atmospheres and this album is no exception. Put this one on loud and close your eyes and you will just get lost; imagine yourself in a cold desolate forest and it gets even better. To summarize WITTR have released another great black metal album that stands up with the best of modern black metal even if Thrice Woven as a whole feels a bit familiar standing up to their discography. Wolves in the Throne Room Crypt of Ancestral Knowledge'Beholden to Clan' is straight up WITTR gold and the followup 'Twin Mouthed Spring' is also an excellent track but it just feels like the order or flow of this EP is off a bit as the two finisher tracks just kinda end things with a whimper. Honestly maybe just switching up the order would improve things but can't complain too much since the first two tracks show that WITTR still has what it takes to create dramatic and atmospheric black metal tracks in 2023.Yellow Eyes Rare Field CeilingA dense exercise in pushing things to the limits of what is possible with chord work in atmospheric black metal. An unending barrage/wall of dissonant guitar harmonies/disharmonies with seemingly no end and very complex/wandering song structures. The song structures might feel too abstract at times if were another band in metal but the guitar work is just so interesting it doesn't make you want to be grounded by verse/chorus and comes off as very ritualistic. The vocals are also extremely desperate and haunting acting as some sort of guide in the loud madness. These guys are far beyond worth checking out live. They put a ton of effort into capturing their sound in a live setting and that immersion is wonderful with this sort of songwriting and instrumentation.Youth Code Commitment to ComplicationsIndustrial beats somewhat reminiscent of Pretty Hate Machine era with an energetic, relentless vocalist in Sara Taylor. The beats and production are the strongest elements of Commitment to Complications while the vocals, as many have mentioned, are good but somewhat monotonous. Taylor's yells are complimentary to the mechanical, dark feelings brought on by the synths but she sticks to the same style of vocals for 100% of her output. A bit more variety in the approach could really allow Youth Code to make something for the ages but what they have is a really good blend of booming industrial music and punky shouted vocals. Doghead, Avengement and The Dust of Fallen Rome are standouts.Zeal and Ardor Devil is FineDevil is Fine is an album that is great to experience completely blind without any knowledge of what you are about to get yourself into. A mixture of Spirituals and Black Metal with some random electronic bits thrown sounds goofy conceptually but Zeal and Ardor pull it off here. The black metal, spiritual combo is the meat of the content and these sounds are beyond complimentary. The combination of these sounds creates a creepy, ritualistic atmosphere that is seemingly unique to this record. The lyrics chosen for the spirituals also compound onto this and somehow become catchy in a strange way. THE RIVER BED WILL RUN RED WITH THE BLOOD OF THE SAINTS AND THE BLOOD OF THE HOLY is officially burnt into my synapses forever. The only major complaint is the fact that the electronic elements, only at certain times, feel totally out of place. It would be very interesting to see a full length album dedicated to a more depressive black metal plus spiritual combo.Zeal and Ardor Stranger FruitZeal and Ardor follow up nicely on their 2016 release with a more polished and refined approach to their avant-garde blending of black metal, gospel, spirituals and blues. The band along with Kurt Ballou really find a necessary focus and elevate their sound to a new level. The black metal vocals sound more ferocious than on Devil is Fine and the gospel and spirituals are found around every corner. Don't You Dare might be the bands finest achievement yet with gospel and black metal perfectly conjoined. Looking at the track list is a bit confusing when you realize there are 16 songs and the first half of Stranger Fruit is certainly better than the second where it feels like the band is wandering quite a bit with electronic tracks that feel completely unnecessary on this release.3.0 goodABRA PrincessAlt R&B with 80s throwback production, heavy synth and a generally dark and lonely atmosphere. Apparently recorded in her bedroom closet, PRINCESS excels at capturing ABRA's lovely vocals which are clean and front and center in the mix. The record also contains some great hooks and simple, yet powerful beats blending 80s drum sounds and chilling synth vibes. CRYBABY, BIG BOI and THINKING OF U are highlights while the rest of the tracks are somewhat forgettable lacking the aforementioned hooks and atmosphere. This EP is short and easily worth checking out and no one would be surprised if ABRA dropped a great full length any time now.Aesop Rock The Impossible KidAesop Rock seemingly has an excellent mix beats and signature impressive vocab flow on The Impossible Kid, a mix that could be classic. The beats combine both loud electronics and pure instrumentation. The lyrics tell life's stories with just about the entire Merriam Webster on display. So what is wrong here? How is this not the best hip album of 2016 or an instant classic? The individual elements just don't combine into a truly memorable experience. Most of the songs sound very much like the last and there is a glaring absence of memorable hooks, despite this being his "most accessible release yet". That and the fact that it is 48 minutes of Aesop filling bars with complex, voluminous rhymes and no guest spots; it seriously gets tiring after word #10000. Good but an album that struggles to have many memorable songs that one will look back on after a few years. If you are not a huge fan of his sound, prepare for 15 tracks that rest on the same laurels.Ails The UnravelingVery crunchy and crusty black metal with two distinct vocalists sharing the spotlight. At it's best The Unraveling has a fairly upbeatsound that shows the intense painful shrieks and doomy cleans of Christy Cather and Laurie Shanaman pitted in front of consistent black metal riffs that have folk, doom and death influence. The energetic opener Echoes Waned and later Mare Weighs Down are the high points of the album as the vocalists seem to find the best balance in these tracks. The production is OK as it leaves the vocals somewhat in the backdrop lending some dread and atmosphere to the consistent howls but it gets tiresome as the guitar is somewhat repetitive in the foreground. Ails rely a bit too much on a similar formula for the riffs and a few tracks is enough to get exactly what they are going for. In the end Ails have a great overall sound but some polishing in the production, varied songwriting and riffage could make for something really special.Amen Dunes FreedomDamon McMahon does really well to convey a lot of emotion in each and every track despite a fairly minimal and lonely sound. That is the single best thing about Freedom. The overall album is quite nice for a few listens but after that it feels like it needs some variation and there's not a ton to come back to for repeat listens. Very much psychadelic and americana feeling from the instruments but the voice on this album is what really makes it special.Amorphis Queen of TimeThis album simply feels like Under the Red Cloud II but it lacks the great hooks, soul and melodies that Amorphis was able to find on their previous release. Amorphis reach into their old bag of tricks with layers of folk and symphony pasted onto melo death metal rhythms and Queen of Time presents 10 songs that all basically follow the same formula that the band did well with previously but here the songs are just not as memorable. The Bee, Daughter of Hate and Amongst Stars are standouts but on the whole the album just lacks a soul and variation.Anaal Nathrakh DesideratumAnaal Nathrakh deliver a brutal barrage of black metal folded into industrial and grindcore packages in similar vain to Vanitas. Compared to Vanitas this is a bit of a let down as the tracks really do all sound very comparable to each other and AN relies on bass drops, glitchy sounds and chug chug low-tuned rhythms constantly throughout this one. Vanitas contained a few more epic buildups and beyond memorable choruses that are mostly lost here. A crisp, accessible and tight blend of sounds and 100% Anaal Nathrakh but not something I will revisit that often when the previous effort incorporates identical elements with superior songwriting.Angel Olsen Strange CactiStrange Cacti finds Angel Olsens beginnings in a stripped down lo-fi indie folks soundscape with a sparse, melancholy and bittersweet mood. 'If It's Alive, It Will' is the obvious highlight in a 21 minute EP that sounds very similar throughout the runtime as Angel and her guitar stand together. The dark and lonely feeling of the album is powerful but some more, even subtle, variation on this theme could go a long way; it becomes taxing on the listener even as an EP. Hindsight is 20-20 but it is obvious Angel showed major potential with this release and it is great for us that she delivered with a stretch of LPs that all deliver greatness. The best part is in all of those LPs you can still hear the influence of this strange, borderline haunting EP even in the most approachable of her new material. The melancholy beginnings of one of the best Singer/Songwriters of the last five years.Angel Olsen Big TimeAngel goes more country/Americana than she has in quite some time and in the end a lot of this album just feels like material she has already done before. 'Right Now', 'Big Time' and 'All the Good Times' are great tracks but the album just kind of goes by outside of that. It still feels like there is plenty of space for Angel to explore in that boundary between country, rock, pop and singer/songwriter and I have no doubt she will rebound in the future. Not bad, just not on par with her excellent run prior to this.Angra Secret GardenMassive Rhapsody/Fabio fan and adore Angra's earlier albums. Good album with several great tracks but overall it comes off as overproduced and a tired especially in the verse/chorus riffs. The proggy elements and Fabio's vocals are the strength while the rhythm guitars let me down, opposite of how I usually feel nowadays. Many of these riffs just feel worn out and predictable. Amazing Synchronicity II cover must be noted. Highlights: Newborn Me, Upper Levels, Silent Call, Black Hearted Soul, Synch II.Angra ØmniAngra's dedication to proggy, bright and uplifting symphonic power metal continues but they make the all familiar mistake of releasing way too much solid but nonetheless filler surrounding several damn good stand out tracks. This feels just like how Secret Garden felt in that regard, a bit of trimming around the edges would make it feel like less of a slog and more powerful. The addition of the legend Fabio Lione seemed like a shoe-in fit when it was announced but despite his talents he doesn't always seem to suit Angra's huge sound as sometimes it feels like two unstoppable forces colliding, it can be overwhelming. Black Widow's Web, Insania and Magic Mirror feel like the most natural tracks on the album and end up being the most memorable. I hope this combo works out the kinks and can focus on the entire album's flow as they just have so much potential.Apollo Brown and Che Noir As God IntendedChe Noir does a great job with a storytelling rap style that gives you an appreciation of many different aspects of her life and the album overall feels very personal. The beats are crisp with strong boom bap percussion driving the beats that also make use of samples, pianos as well as jazz and soul musical elements. 'Anti-Social' and 'Hustle Don't Give' start things off really strong but this album just feels a few songs too long as Che's delivery does feel a bit monotone in the long run and some of the beats are pretty similar.Arca ArcaDark, abstract, atmospheric, surreal and rather melancholic and emotional glitchy art pop. Through the vocals, it is extremely obvious that the passion Arca has for his work and the music and underlying sounds are interesting and sometimes otherworldly; the approach is certainly not standard. The sonic elements, both vocals and music, are interesting and used to create a unique, cold atmosphere but in the end this self-titled release just feels like it has almost no sense of direction. Many of the tracks just meander along, wandering into the void with similar synthy musical backdrops and Arca's intense vocals trudging along. When Arca does turn up the rhythms and crackling beats, things get more focused but that foothold is only in place momentarily before wandering back into the black hole without navigation. It is clear that Arca has a passion for this art but here things feel a bit lost despite the creation of a truly memorable atmosphere and overall sound. Those whips sure sound awesome though.Archspire Relentless MutationWhere there is so much technical prowess and talent there is always potential but like many in the tech-death genre Archspire end up losing some power to dry vocals and terrible drum production. Relentless Mutation is a 30-minute tech-brutal-neoclassical death metal barrage of machine gun snare and a vocalist who spits more syllables than most modern rappers. In the end this style of vocals comes off as unique but overbearing and too repetitive; some drawn out words would add a powerful effect rather than constant syncopation with the music's rhythm. Where the production and vocals fail, the instruments shine. The drummer has a unique style utilizing quick burst, spitfire passages that change extremely quickly. That being said, his drums are clearly all triggered and snapped in post; lifeless. The bassist is often in the background as support but busts out insane multi-finger tapping leads every so often. The guitars speak for themselves often sticking to impressive trance-like rhythm sections instead of wanking around on the high notes all album long. The songwriting here is OK but in the end this along with the shameful production and repetitive vocals are why Relentless Mutation fails to reach the peaks of this corner of metal.Artificial Brain Artificial BrainReally appreciate this band and their sound but this album feels more muddled and samey than the last ones and just didn't draw me in as much. The production doesn't seem to help, it just feels like everything is a but obscured in the mix and nothing in particular shines, and why the vocals like 30 feet away.Astronoid AstronoidAstronoid is a very atmospheric and energetic take on dreamy post-metal that incorporates gaze elements. Lush and bright guitar leads are layered over a constant rhythm driven by the guitar, bass and quick drumming and almost always joined by very ethereal, melodic clean vocals. While the vocals themselves are never bad, they eventually wear their welcome and keep Astronoid from becoming anything great. The vocals are produced to sound very dreamy and they feel somewhat pushed back in the mix. The main issue is they are constant and there is never any variation, the vocalist sticks to the same style and similar melodies throughout the entire record. In general, Astronoid is samey. Most of the tracks sound like a very minor variation on each other and over 47 minutes it gets tiring especially since the best tracks are all in the beginning. Astronoid do good with atmosphere and energy but miss on songwriting and production. Better as individual tracks than an album experience.August Burns Red Phantom AnthemAugust Burns Red has released an album every two years since 2005 and is one of the more consistent outfits that spawned out of the golden age of Metalcore. With Phantom Anthem they continue to polish their formula but really don't do much beyond that. If you are familiar with the last few releases, expect more of the same. The songs generally consist of a bright, technical lead over a heavy riff verse/chorus repeat into a quieter bridge only to finally explode once again into a crushing, attempting to be epic breakdown. If you were into metalcore during its prime you have probably heard at least 1000 variations on this same breakdown structure; it's hard to find originality here these days. The vocals are much more of the same and with the 53 minute runtime they get tiresome by the end as this album unfortunately overextends itself. The Frost and Lifeline are standouts and will give anyone a sense of what they are getting into.Aurora (NOR) Infections of a Different Kind - Step 1A short but solid art pop album with chamber, folk and synthpop elements that starts off very approachable and poppy and eventually ends with more intimate, adventurous material. The album begins with Queendom and Forgotten love, the two most straightforward tracks on the record. These songs are good but feel a bit forced and made to attempt to garner appeal from larger audiences. After these two tracks, the album truly feels like it settles in and Aurora is at her best with It Happened Quiet and Churchyard, slower and more emotional songs. Infections of a Different Kind (Step 1) is one of those records where skimming each song it feels like every song has its great moments but on the whole the album lacks. Aurora has a very angelic voice and there isn't a ton of variation with her vocal approach, it can be hard to relate to and it just doesn't always pull you in like the best pop singers. The songwriting for the poppier tracks is also incredibly predictable and Aurora falls back on quiet, ethereal builds erupting into tribal, dense beats with that "epic" feel a bit too much. Ava Max Diamonds and DancefloorsA lot of catchy tracks, strong vocals and some really solid production even by modern pop standards. Despite many of the songs being quite solid the album just feels like it draws influence from a lot of other modern pop sources but doesn't quite carve out it's own identity. Pretty much a 3.25 type deal and a good listen for Charli, Weeknd or even Dua Lipa fans.Axe Rash Axe RashSwedish hardcore punk that will bring you back some years and make you wanna circle pit. Think of a Black Flag, Circle Jerks lineage rather than the tougher side of hardcore. The sound is rather crusty and driven by dirty fast paced power chord guitar riffs and super gritty, distorted vocals the pace hardly ever lets up throughout the twenty minutes. The vocals do become a bit repetitive but there are some nice groans and variations on the yelling that keep it from being too much so. A good debut album but it kinda feels frontloaded from tracks 1-5 and the vocals/production get a bit grating by the end. Slow Dying Officer Kane, Double Standard and Abuse of Power are highlights and worth checking out for any hardcore punk fans.Bell Witch Mirror ReaperMirror Reaper is certainly one of the most intriguing albums of 2017. The backstory is both chilling and inspiring and one can only imagine how hard a task it would be to write an album under the circumstances with pre-recorded vocal tracks. The atmosphere is stunning, the bass is epic and the vocals do well shifting between different styles but in the end the record does not need to be 83 minutes long. Beyond the first 50 minutes the music is fully developed and it is left to the vocals to carry the experience. They do that to some extent but at times many passages feel unnecessary. With the backstory in mind the entire experience adds up to something surreal but without knowing that the album is overextended and loses steam before its ending.Bent Knee Land AnimalLand Animal starts off incredibly strong with the first three tracks all standing out above the rest and really showing off what Bent Knee is made of. They have a certain playful attitude that lends a freshness to the artsy prog rock approach they are taking. Courtney Swain's vocals are powerful and she really excels in the entirety of Holy Ghost. This first quarter of the album leaves the listener wowed and excited for what is to come. The album feels cryptic and one awaits the mysteries to come to light in the latter portions but for the most part the last seven tracks fail to reach the quality of the first three and Land Animal flattens. There are flashes of brilliance from time to time with Swain paired to some very rich synth compositions. The music meanders from long quiet lows to energetic, grandiose highs but relies on this contrast a bit too much. Their playfulness goes from fun and quirky to borderline laughable in 'Belly Side Up'. Truly the worst track on the album and some hard lyrics to listen to. Very much cinematic and artsy rock but Land Animal starts with a bang and fades thereafter.Big Thief Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in YouSpud Infinity goes hard. Bjork VulnicuraVulnicura by Bjork with glitchy beats and intense strings delivers a trippy and deeply personal experience that, at least for me, leaves the listener lost on the outside. Bjork gives a strong performance and the combination of beats and strings is truly interesting and all Bjork; credit must be given for this signature sound. The composition is also interesting but lacks direction and the staggering amount of disjointed content makes it a massive chore that takes patience on the part of the listener (and in this case, after enough focused listens I apparently do not have enough patience). I admire anyone that can share their innermost pain, I really like Bjork's ideas and singing, I think the beats and strings are original and intense but the extremely wavering songwriting and lack (probably purposefully) of direction doesn't make me want to listen to the album for any extended period of time. It is almost too personal to dive into from the outside.Black Crown Initiate Violent Portraits of Doomed EscapeProg DM that bookends brutally heavy djenty riffing with chord driven clean vocal hooks. The variety in the vocals is definitely impressive going from filthy guttural bellows to pristine cleans with plenty of range. The drumming hasn't toned it down since previous BCI releases and in general the musicians are just tight and on point but the songwriting is a bit of a let down at times. It feels a bit contrived and too deliberate and a lot of the songs follow a similar chug to clean sung chorus to chug formula. Also while the clean vocals are good technically the band definitely feels stronger during the heavy portions of the music. 'Years in Frigid Light' and 'Holy Silence' give a great look into what this band is capable of.Black Dresses Forever In Your HeartBlack Dresses Forget Your Own FaceJust feels a bit more thrown together than their previous releases without as much songwriting focus as their best material. Devi and Rook are still producing some of the most aggressive and interesting industrial music and hopefully they continue on this trajectory but this feels a bit more like extras from their three most recent records rather than a continued evolution of this project.Black Fast Terms of SurrenderFerocious vocals highlight a trash metal effort filled with explosive speed and energy. This energy serves as the basis for many great moments but also allows the album to become a bit uni-dimensional in later tracks. The often great, high-speed riffs do not allow for much contrast and that becomes somewhat tiring in 45 minutes. Black Fast has a good song structure here but I am not sure I would be able to tell if shuffle was on even after many listens. The production must be mentioned as it is great all around placing focus on key elements of each track.Black Midi SchlagenheimDiverse, chaotic and truly interesting instrumental work collides with vocals that are incredibly over the top and very hit (sometimes) or miss (often). The guitar work, song structures and general direction of the music is great. Utilizing whacky time signatures, heavy dissonance and seemingly improvised track flow and still creating understandable, coherent songs is the thing black midi should be revered for here. Bass, drum and guitars all really nail it playing super complex music and not losing the listener and overall just sounding super tight and focused. Unfortunately the vocals on half of the tracks are way too over the top and dramatic. bmbmbm features some of the funniest lyrics and vocal delivery in an album that (I assume) is serious to date (the various ways he says purpose, ffs). Similar effects in Reggae and Western, the vocals just remove from the experience too much and overshadow the great craftsmanship in the backing tracks. Near DT, MI is a true SOTY candidate and the album has many great moments but it seems like this vocalist moves with too much of a purpose.Black To Comm Seven Horses For Seven KingsDark Ambient which right from the get go is all about the dissonant and mysterious moods and sounds that can be created both electronically and with electroacoustic methods. Seven Horses for Seven Kings starts off with buzzing, dissonant horns and never really lets up as it wanders through a dark, surreal atmosphere which never comes off as horrific but more mysterious than anything; it doesn't feel dangerous. While Black to Comm really captures a beautifully mysterious mood the tracks feel too individual and often cut extremely abruptly with no transition, it really removes from the overall experience of the atmosphere created in an album that begs to be listened to end to end. Seven Horses... is also bottom heavy, it feels kind of samey until the last two tracks which stand above the rest.Blut Aus Nord HallucinogenAtmospheric black metal with some prog elements in the instrumentation with a strong guitar performance but vocals that fail to keep things all that interesting. The mix and chanting/ambient/background vocal flavor makes the album very much more of a black metal guitar album more than anything. There are a lot of guitar leads and riffs that stay within the black metal realms but push the boundaries making this record worth checking out. Beyond those guitars, there is just not that much to take in unfortunately.Bohren und der Club of Gore Patchouli BlueSee: the first two sentences of xxPaleGhostxx's soundoff. The album has wonderful production and the atmosphere is bleak, somber and as many have said that of a brooding film noir. Twin Peaks waiting room. The big issue is if you don't have an extremely patient attention span, a penchant for very slow music or special interest in dark jazz the record as a whole is kind of monotonous. The 59 minute runtime feels like hours with the constantly very low bpm and minimal instrumentation and there aren't enough inspiring or memorable melodies or passages laid throughout to keep your brain into the atmospheric experience. Sounds stellar on good headphones, great atmosphere but lacks much else to motivate one to traverse this very slow hour more than a few times.Bonson Postanawia umrzećEverything about the track Pozory is awesome; other standouts are W dó?, Moi idole nie ?yj?, and Chcesz mnie pozna?. Solid Polish hardcore hip hop with a few random English guest spots and hooks. A good mix of emotions throughout with slower more emotional feeling songs and more upbeat hardcore, fast-lyric rap tracks.Boosie Badazz Out My Feelings (In My Past)I kind of wish Boosie stayed in his feelings but based on the subject matter and raw emotion on that album it was obvious that would be a one time thing. Out My Feelings has many great moments and some bangers and Boosie returns to grimy subject matter splattered with violence, sexism, homophobia, gang relations and of course his ladies. Something about Boosie's personality captivates me and he always comes off seemingly authentic. For me the themes here just overlap with so many other rappers that the captivation turns down a notch compared to In My Feelings and I get bored in the last quarter of the album after hearing so much about gun talk and hoes. Beats are all around good and that brings me back to the album along with a few bangers like Problem, Take Em Back, Mann, Choppaz and Gunnz and True. Keep it up Boosie, oh shit his 3rd release of 2016 is already out, perhaps slow it down a bit.Born Ruffians Uncle, Duke and The ChiefPoppy indie rock with a very natural feel to the songwriting and the execution all around the band. The singer comes off like a veteran who's style feels like a mix of old school rockers and newer indie like Modest Mouse. Plentiful catchy, anthemic choruses often contrast more melancholic, deeper lyrics. In the end the whole album comes off as a bit standard indie with a strength in how natural it feels musically but weakness with how memorable the songs actually are after a few listens. As the reviewer points out, the production leaves a whole lot to be desired as the sound is distant and lacks warmth.Cable Ties Far EnoughPunk that really allows for the tracks to develop a bit more than you usually find in the genre as of late. Most notably in the opener 'Hope', this song is a gem and really shows this group has a lot of potential. 'Sandcastles' is another high point. The vocals get a bit repetitive as time goes on but got to give them a nod for their songwriting skills.Cassandra Jenkins An Overview on Phenomenal NatureCattle Decapitation The Anthropocene ExtinctionThe Anthropocene Extinction by Cattle Decapitation delivers a bone-crushing blend of death metal and grindcore with impressive performances by every member of the group. Blistering technical death guitars, lightspeed drumming and glorious death vocal range impress but ultimately the songwriting comes off a bit sloppy and less than focused. The brutally honest message about the death of our species helps move the album along but it is not enough to organize sometimes messy transitions between ideas. Some tracks just feel like random technical death ideas strewn together leaving the listener lost during a fairly short, 46 minute record. Many of the songs are forgettable and you leave pleased overall but without much specific to draw on. Plagueborn, The Prophets of Life and Not Suitable for Life are standout tracks. Cattle Decapitation have the ingredients in place to be excellent and relay refreshing social messages for a death metal band but the lack of focus and sloppy composition ultimately keep the album from being a great one.Cattle Decapitation Death AtlasBrutal, supremely heavy and obviously technically sound with some of the best vocals in the business. Machine gun drumming that is polished and truly impressive. Travis Ryan continues to impress with his insane range of shrieks, growls, gutturals, pig squeals and screams but in the end the album on the whold is a bit of a slog at 55 minutes long. A lot of the songs sound familiar like their previous releases and similar to each other on the record. Trimming the fat would go a long way here.Caustic Wound Death PostureRead the great review here. Death Posture combine the grimiest side of death metal with the pace and ferocity of grind. The production, low tuned instruments and vocals bring you to a dirty, dark place but even for just 26 minutes it feels very repetitive. Would pair amazingly with $1.5 Genesees in Worcester, MA.Ceres Drag It Down On YouCaught up somewhere between pop punk, indie rock and a bit of emo, Drag It Down on You captures pure emotion both lyrically and sonically with strength in its production. The album sounds raw and unpolished which perfectly suits the general musical approach and style of the vocalist with very heartfelt, personal topics and an overall dark to melancholic atmosphere. The entire setting just makes one feel like reminiscing and points at introspection and very importantly it all comes off as truly authentic. Musically Ceres are solid all around and it doesn't feel like an entirely vocalist driven experience with guitar riffs ranging from heavy punk to chordal emo. The album's closer, Baby's Breath is the best track here and if anything Ceres would do very well to take this extremely raw, emotional and anxious approach even more. Chelsea Wolfe Birth of ViolenceDidn't really see Chelsea Wolfe going in this direction after the wild success of Abyss and Hiss Spun. Even without considering those, Birth of Violence feels like a bit of a step backward despite very nice production, Chelsea's vocals being as good as ever and creation of a lonely, sparse atmosphere with a dark folk singer/songwriter approach. Chelsea gets a lot done with her vocals, guitars and sometimes strings but the songs feel a bit simpler than we are used to considering her past discography. They are often fairly short and aren't given as much time to breath, adventure and develop/experiment as she has in the past. She really does have a great voice and atmospheric touch for this style of music it just seems like an EP or weaving songs like this in with her rock and industrial style could be more effective.Children of Bodom Are You Dead Yet?The beginning of a departure from the earlier, superior Children of Bodom sound found from Something Wild through Hatecrew Deathroll. The biggest difference is the songwriting: it is obvious that Children of Bodom were gaining recognition and in order to keep rising up the ranks the songs would have to become more structured and somewhat catchy. The production also feels like Hot Topic. This album represents a very interesting crossroads because while hoping to appeal to a wider audience the songs simultaneously become much less memorable. The dumbing down of the synth is also a true shame. The magic of some of the earlier releases was the in your face almost battle between keyboard and guitar with classical leads melting the listeners brain. All of that being said this album still has top notch riffs, stellar leads and some great hooks. Those traits alone make it worth the listen but the lack of songwriting prowess makes some of the songs as a whole easily forgettable. For a good synopsis listen to Are You Dead Yet?, Punch Me I Bleed and Were Not Gonna Fall. Also the solo section in If You Want Peace... Prepare For War is a classic.Christine and the Queens ChrisFound on just about every year end release list around the globe. Chris is an art/synthpop album with plenty of R&B and funky vibes that showcases pristine production, wonderful synth beats and heavy 80s soul. One of the most impressive things about the album is the fact that there are full length versions in both French and English, not something you see every day and something one can imagine would lead to songwriting challenges. One of the major issues of the album is how Chris stays in the same mood and style for basically the entire run time. The album is fairly timid and you are left waiting for that breakout banger to play but left hanging. Sure there is a ton of soul and emotion in the vocals but the album begs for a more uptempo, upbeat sort of track and it never comes. There is never that one chorus or climax that invigorates, rarely is the album invigorating and Chris isn't that pop vocalist that gets you addicted. So much potential here, excited to see what comes next.Chthe'ilist Le Dernier CrépusculeEvery time I listen to this album I feel like I need to take a shower as if I just emerged from a swamp of pure filth and all things horrible. Le Dernier Crepuscule is pure Death Metal with a tablespoon of doom and a dash of technicality. The entire album is good but doesn't really radiate anywhere around that. Solid low-tuned guitar rhythms that constantly wear the listener down into a pit of despair with a bass that seems to run the show at times, fresh for the genre. At 52 minutes long the album feels much more than that as the tracks blend together beneath the filthy dread while the vocalist and drums really don't ever stand out. Also, is this vocalist part insect or something. Highlights are Voidspawn and Scriptures from the Typhlodians. Props also go to the end of Into the Vaults of Ingurguitating Obscurity; whatever is going on there sends chills up my spine every-time, sickening. Solid death metal but the themed-lyrics and bass are not enough to make this album a great one.Cinemechanica CinemechanicaExtremely high energy blend of metalcore, math rock and post-hardcore with a vocalist who yells his ass of from start to finish; for better or worse. Technical riffs galore and with speed to kill, Cinemechanica creates an atmosphere of a speeding train that could go off the rails at any time. The heavy use of leads and sometimes dissonant harmonies creates tension and the guitar work is probably the best part of the album as a whole. Somehow the drummer keeps up providing the necessary energy to compliment the speedy string slayers. While Cinemechanica have a good blend of energy and strong guitar leads, they play it somewhat safe and rest on their laurels too much. The first few tracks foreshadow what the rest of the album provides and by the end the vocalist has worn out his welcome. He does not have a second gear but uses the same yell at every turn.clipping. There Existed an Addiction to BloodOn one hand this album has amazing production, atmosphere and attention to detail. On the other hand the vocals, rap flows and lyrics are just lackluster on the whole. Most of the raps sound the same and the lyrics which people hail as "scary" and "creepy" are honestly not, at all, and corny at times and the importance of the narrator of the experience cannot be understated despite amazing industrial/horrorcore elements. The vocals often remove you from the truly immersive experience and it feels like the rapping is one flavor while the beats and production are an expansive palate. 'Run for Your Life' rules.Clown Core ToiletSomeone find a better album played inside of a toilet. The opening track is brilliant but the rest of the project fails to even come close to the heights of 'Hell'. For only 13 minutes of runtime, Clown Core do a good job of exploring a whole lot of genres and honestly show off some musical chops along the way. 'Witch Pussy' is 100% underrated and it seems like those who really, really hate this album fail to find the humor in it, which seems like the point of the project anyways.Cosmic Putrefaction The Horizons Towards Which Splendour WithersDeath metal that is at times very groovy and riff based and at other times a meandering exercise in atmospheric immersion. Cosmic Putrefaction feels by far the most focused in the former as the atmospheric sections just feel a few bars too long in most instances and don't always grab your attention. It makes you appreciate Blood Incantation's last record even more as every single moment felt like it had a purpose for setting up the next where here things feel a bit lost at times and less purposeful in the album as a whole. Clearly a ton of potential here but some work on piecing the whole puzzle together and tighter songwriting would go a long way.Crypt Sermon Out of the GardenIn an age when it seems like there are countless good Doom albums to choose from it is hard to pick a starting point; Out of the Garden came to me on a 100% random basis. Crypt Sermon delivers a solid blend of Doom and more traditional Heavy Metal which reminds me instantly of Dio most obviously because of this frontman's epic pipes. Undertones of folk and medieval times throughout. Brooks Wilson's vocals are the best part of Out of the Garden which also has strength in its production and some memorable guitar parts. Best tracks for me are Temple Doors, Heavy Riders, Ancients Call and Master's Bouquet with the last being the most unique and standout track of the album despite its touch of silliness. Despite showcasing great vocals, some insane guitar solos and moments of creative songwriting I don't find myself going back to this album much and the individual tracks don't stand out much. Many of the riffs blur together and become forgettable but I see some potential in Crypt Sermon and future efforts could be great with some small changes considering the talent the band members possess.Crystal Fairy Crystal FairyFilled to the brim with rockin' sludgey Melvins riffs and Terry Gender Bender's unique and dynamic vocal stylings, what could possibly go wrong? All in all, for some odd and strangely specific reason this album feels like it should be the soundtrack to a 2001 4-Wheeler PS2 racing game. Perhaps Melvins and Terry just stuck to their guns too much and as in many other super groups it just sounds like two forces collided to sound just like they used to. There are some great riffs here, the vocals rise to the occasion and may be the most interesting part of the album but as a whole it just won't go down as the super group that changed the game. Necklace of Divorce is the best track and Posesion is also excellent. If you want some boom bangin' sludgey rock give it a go but don't expect it to be super.Cult of Luna and Julie Christmas MarinerMariner seems like a tale interweaving two separate subplots. On one hand you have Cult of Luna who come off as lacking effort and putting out rock solid sludgey post-metal riffs that sound like they have been done time and time again, even by CoL themselves. The music comes off as too polished at times and rather predictable. On the other hand you have Julie Christmas, new to me, who provides an extra dimension to this experience and seems to be putting in a ton of effort. At times this effort is too much and she sounds like she is trying way too hard to stand out and be quirky-crazy. At times this effort is just right and she compliments the music to perfection. She allows this album to be more than just a post-metal greatest hits riff collection that replays in your head for 54 minutes. The production and musicianship pull back at this and skipping around the album it is very hard to tell you have even changed songs at any given moment. If the songwriting here was more interesting this combo of players could be beyond greatness but for now it is just an album for Cult of Luna enthusiasts and those who absolutely love atmospheric post-metal sludgeness as it was like ten years ago. Try the Julie heavy songs first like SS Needle and Chevron because you will A) Find out if you hate her style and B) Hear something that doesn't sound so gruelingly familiar.Dead To A Dying World ElegyElegy is an adventure full of beautiful instrumentation, great vocal variation,dramatic thematic twists and turns in a style that mashes blackened post-metal, sludge and doom. Overall the production is wonderful whether it be the rich string sections, froggy caveman bellows, black metal shrieks, clanking wood blocks, tremelo guitars or the female guest vocals; the production nails it. The elements themselves don't always come together as a whole. Any given minute or moment of this record can be beautiful but the songs are very long and Dead to a Dying world don't always piece the parts together in a way that will keep your attention. At times it feels like they wrote a very good 5-6 minute section and then stretched it out a few minutes here and there. Also, perhaps just too much of the heavy strings into tremolo+shrieking BM vox trick. The long tracks feel a bit formulaic at times. An adventure worth taking for the sheer production values and the really gorgeous soundscapes here and there but a bit sparse overall. Deafheaven New BermudaNew Bermuda from Deafheaven delivers a familiar package of black metal, post-rock and shoegaze akin to the group's previous effort Sunbather. Unfortunately much of New Bermuda comes off as uninspired and even sloppy at times with 'Baby Blue' and 'Come Back' creating a 20 minute void between superior tracks. On Sunbather Deafheaven provided an hour of masterful contrast between gentle instrumental sections and writhing, anxious black metal screaming. On New Bermuda a similar theme is followed but the songwriting is average with many awkward transitions between the poles of soft and heavy; some of the album almost feels like it could be B-sides from Sunbather. Chugging breakdown riffs and a wah-solo come out of nowhere and provide the worst moments of the album. It feels at times that the musicians lost focus and the inspiring moments are surrounded by large pads of filler. New Bermuda warrants a listen from any avid music listener with Brought to the Water and Gifts for the Earth worth revisiting.Denzel Curry and Kenny Beats UnlockedFor some reason just feels underwhelming after the very over the top and grand TA13OO. The beats are fun with a nice mix of sampling, electronics and nice snappy snares and they suit Denzel's aggressive rapping, but the lyrics aren't as engrossing as what Curry has been able to do in the past. Usually EPs are perfect for these kind of collabs but it feels like longer songs might actually work better in this case.Desperate Journalist Grow UpGrow Up is a good alt/indie-rock, post-punk album that is held back by a few rather obvious flaws. The groups' overall sound is clean, synergistic and really, really good with bright energetic vocals paired with well-produced post-punk instrumentation. The main problem is the band sticking to a set songwriting formula without much room for imagination from track to track. Each song sounds very familiar after the first few have passed by. Vocals and instruments included, the band seems a bit desperate for more ideas despite most of the songs being rather high quality. Another minor gripe is some of the lyrics most notably the hooks coming off as being written to be obvious hooks and catchy, a bit too blunt at times. The rhyme scheme in Radiating is also just, bad and the song feels unnecessary. Enough complaints though. This is a solid 45-minute record with some truly great tracks in Resolution, Be Kind, Why Are You so Boring? and Oh Nina and worth visiting to any post-punk/indie rock fan. A great overall sound gets a bit subdued by lack of variation.Destruction Unit Negative Feedback ResistorCrusty and highly energetic blend of noise and hardcore driven by great efforts on the bass and the drums; both of which bring a real, raw feel. 40 minutes of boisterous riffage chock full o' feedback with each track blending right into the next. The intense energy and the unpolished drone style is a great feat here but the lack of vocal variance (both the vocalists effort and the drowned out mixing) and slightly repetitive ideas keeps this one from being great overall. Proper Decay and Chemical Reaction/Chemical Delight receive extra attention but the album as a whole does not come together as cohesively as one might expect considering some very strong individual elements.Diablo Swing Orchestra Pacifisticuffs11 years after the release of their first LP, The Butcher's Ballroom, Diablo Swing Orchestra turn out their 4th LP sounding worlds away from Balrog Boogie but still retaining their unique Avant Big Band/symphonic/ska/prog metal sound. Skipping the first track here actually improves the overall listening experience quite a bit but Knucklehugs (Arm Yourself with Love) cannot be ignored. This track could make for a fun, goofy bonus track but as an opener it feels incredibly out of place and starts things off poorly before quality is recovered in Vulture Culture, Jagganath and Jigsaw Hustle. After this stretch things are mostly average/hit-or-miss besides Karma Bonfire which is another highlight. Powerful when they combine their strong songwriting and unique blend of styles but equally disappointing when they miss. Four good to great songs listed above, a slew of so-so less memorable efforts and a truly terrible opener. If for some reason you thirst for horn-laiden prog metal it is worth checking out but it fails to reach the level of their previous LPs which do a similar thing, but better.Diablo Swing Orchestra Swagger and Stroll Down the Rabbit HoleDissona PaleopneumaticPaleopneumatic incorporates a slew of genre influences into a package rooted firmly in melodic progressive metal. The best part of the album is the production where synth meets traditional metal instrumentation in a beautifully crafted soundscape. Dissona also cover the bases with plenty of variation in the stylings of the vocals, guitars, synth, drums and even some piano thrown in. Another Sky opens up the album with a big ban and unfortunately Paleopneumatic never reaches up that high again. The memorable moments seem to thin out as the album goes on despite most of the 61 minutes being at least good quality. Trimming this one down would do wonders but the best songs to start with are Another Sky, Fire-Bellied and The Last Resistance.Dodsrit Spirit CrusherDense and melodic black metal reminiscent of the cascadian/forest influenced variety meeting up with some crust punk influence in the riffs. They do a good job incorporating long instrumental sections in the tracks to let the emotions build and creation tension ebbs and flows but the vocals are kind of draining and repetitive. The songs are also rather similar on the whole and the atmosphere is not as dense or entrenching as the best of the best in atmospheric BM. A band to keep track of but there are plenty of better BM records out there these days.Dopplereffekt Cellular AutomataFull on synth barrage with a lack of any actual beats leaving a chilling ambient atmosphere like one is lost in space or about to embark on a mission in an 80s sci-fi horror thriller. Overall the synth comes off as dark and anxious with some booming 80s bass, electric crackling sounds and bright, sometimes screeching strings; it feels like it could be the backing to a spin-off of sci-fi film Beyond the Black Rainbow. Dopplereffekt do a good job creating very interesting sounds like those found in Isotropy, Pascal's Recursion and Exponential Decay, highlight tracks, but in the end it hardly feels worth it to revisit the album much as tracks bleed into one another and it drags on a bit because of that.Duster TogetherHits a nice groove between 'Time Glitch' and 'Familiar Fields' but outside of that its hard to remember much of this record. Boring, depressing, cold and a pretty good encapsulation of the cover art in the music but much of the record is pretty samey.Earl Sweatshirt Sick!This album seems to end right when you just start getting into it. The beats all around are pretty cool with a mix of live instruments and trappy electronic stuff. The title track, the piano beat and 'Vision' in general and the hard bars in 'Titanic' stand out but even for 24 minutes it feels like a decent amount becomes forgetabble.Emma Ruth Rundle/Jaye Jayle The Time Between UsRuth Rundle's side contains two new tracks which are not up to the quality of those found on Marked For Death and a bit ironically the best track here from here is an acoustic version of her great track 'Hand of God'. Her songs are good but feel a bit rushed and the composition is just not as memorable as what she has done previously. Jaye Jayle's half takes on a dive bar bluesy rock sound that never turns things up. It is almost as if he is aiming to sound like that band you will hear playing in a dark, musty bar scene of an art house movie but it never takes the spotlight or focus away from the viewer. A bit of Tom Waits influence in his sound for sure. One can see why they would release a split but neither put their best material forward for this one.Enforced War RemainsWhen your boy tells you its the most by the books Crossover Thrash album in recent memory and he's right.Exhumed NecrocracyDeath metal and thrash thrown into the mixer with a pinch of grindcore for some extra brutality and intensity. Mid to uptempo thrash riffing provides a backbone to both deep growls and snarling screams, which when used together/alternating provide one of the best elements of the album. Fairly predictable after about 2/3 of the experience but set in its ways and good all around. Scaley, semi-melodic thrash solos provide a needed respite from the constant barrage of death vocals, which become overbearing after half of the tracks. Another slight knock is the production at times really drowns the listener in the snare and vocals, bring out those groovy riffs a bit more please.Exmortus Ride ForthRide Forth by Exmortus starts off with a bang delivering a neoclassical influenced blend of thrash and death metal but unfortunately the momentum is lost in the mid section of the album. Ride Forth is a good name, on one hand, for the record as the thrash riffs produce a great driving force for the entire experience with ripping technical solos placed throughout. The use of neoclassical leads all over the place placed alongside death vocals gives Exmortus a unique feel but the vocalist ends up being overbearing delivering the same vocal style in abundance during the 43 minute run. The song structures end up feeling all too familiar, repetitive and the blanket of vocals does not allow the epic moments an album like this would need. The flat production does not help in this cause. It lacks a certain freshness for a long time metal listener. Speed of the Strike, For The Horde, Appassionata and Fire and Ice keep the album from being average and are worth checking out for anyone looking for deathy thrash with a large glass of neoclassical guitar licks.Failure The Heart Is a MonsterThe Heart is a Monster by Failure with its incredibly spacious alt-rock sound is an album that leaves me incredibly conflicted. Production, instrumental layering/effects and mood swings are all fabulous bringing the listener into a sonic space filled with plenty of layers to chew through. It might sound elementary but the depth of sounds here is the best characteristic of this effort. Each instrument shines leaving interesting content to be found in repeat plays. The best parts of the album are truly rock solid and you can tell they pondered upon with careful attention. All of this being said the true failure of the album, a damn shame, is the feeling that 25%+ of it is filler between the Segues and a few less than memorable tracks. In my eyes it seems that the ability to trim content and lay an album out is a rare trait for any musician. A shave and a haircut and more tracks like AM Amnesia, Hot Traveler, Mulholland Dr. and I Can See Houses would bring this over the top. I feel lost in space, in the bad sense, from tracks 10-16. So close to being great.FilthxColins FILTHxCOLLINS / SkinLoverUK powerviolence split. FILTHxCOLLINS side is more upbeat, dirty, wild and throwback powerviolence akin to Spazz and the classics of the genre. The last song on the first half is a cover of "Lets Fucking Go" by the aforementioned innovators. Skinlover section is slowed down a bit with heavier, more beefy guitars and less wackiness in general. Given that it is 14 tracks in 10 minutes anyone that has access to it and wants some throwback powerviolence in 2018 should check it out.Fire! The HandsSquealing and often abrasive sax flows freely above a raspy, punk bass guitar with most arrangements sounding like a mixture of jazz and post-punk reminiscent of Wire. The atmosphere is dark and anxious with a mix of upbeat and downtempo tracks. Washing Your Heart in Filth really stands out. After the halfway point the album feels repetitive and there might just be a bit too much of the stressed out wailing sax for one record. Firespawn The ReprobateComing in with Swedish Death Metal all over it The Reprobate by Firespawn delivers fast, memorable top-notch riffage but falls short in other areas such as songwriting and vocal performance. These guys seem to have a great riff generator as each song features bold, heavy rhythms which carry the record quickly through its forty-two minutes. That being said, the riffs could use some more variance and unfortunately they are placed into a formulaic verse-chorus-verse-chorus-solo song structure in literally every single track. The quality of the riffs ends up becoming diluted and repetitive. Speaking of repetition: the singer sticks to the same guttural growl for one-hundred percent of every vocal part. By itself, this approach really hurts the album's replay-ability especially because this growl isn't exactly the most inspiring, passionate or powerful one out there. Lastly, the songs all have interesting and appropriate themes and feature really good lyrical hooks in the choruses. This stands out as it is not usually what one comes to find in Death Metal. High quality riffs, lyrics and good solos but boring vocals and identical song structures leave The Reprobate somewhere right above average.Freddie Gibbs You Only Live 2wiceFreddie Gibb's rapping skills show plenty of prowess on You Only Live 2wice but just about every other aspect of the record is right next to or slightly above the rest of the competition. The beats, singing, hooks and general atmosphere of the album are all good but fail to really stand out like the flow, and lyrical skill Gibbs shows in his verses. His lyrics are a good mix of personal anecdotes and make-it-rich flair, he comes off as a natural. However, the sense of good-but-not-great is compounded even further as the record goes by because all eight of the tracks are all rather similar in structure and feeling. You Only Live 2wice starts off with pure gold in 20 Karat Jesus but never really finds that excellence again in the rest of the 30-minute playtime. The quality of the first five tracks is high but the last three are borderline B-sides.Freddie Gibbs and Madlib BandanaThe spotlight is way too bright on Freddie Gibbs and his constant flow and treadmill of repetitive lyrical themes makes for an album that starts off with some potential but fizzles out somewhat early. Gibbs has good rap technique but damn does he recycle the same exact topics over and over and over again. The lyrics and rapping are just unrelenting and the beats, while really good in their own right, definitely accentuate this. The beats are technical and make great use of guitars, keys and a wealth of instruments but they often lack a prominent bass or bass drum. This dryness really shoves Gibbs into the forefront and exposes his repetitive style. Honestly, every single guest feature comes off like an oasis of variation and they all outshine the feature rapper here. 'Half Manne, Half Cocaine', 'Palmolive' and 'Crime Pays' live up to the hype but overall it is unclear how people chalk this up as an all-time great rap album.Frost Children Hearth RoomI appreciate releasing a dynamic set of albums with two drastically different sounds and a hyperpop band going for an indie rock/emo/pop album but it falls quite a bit short of their prowess in the upbeat electronic music world. In the end it is not bad but it doesn't rise above other stuff in this genre. 'Stare At the Sun' is really good and 'Frost Park' and 'Bob Dylan' are also cool.Frozen Soul Glacial DominationPerhaps finding this album super hyped up on some lists gave me greater expectations. Don't get me wrong, this is a really solid DM listen but it also feels a bit by the books for aggressive, riff based death metal. The winter/frozen theme is a fresh and cool idea that works well for this genre.Fuming Mouth The Grand DescentAlbum art of the year candidate without a doubt. Super heavy with hardly any moment to catch your breath throughout the 33 minutes of aggressive, groovy deathcore. This album perhaps teaches a less as to why Nails albums are so successful despite really short runtimes. There are only so many beatdown breakdowns and blast beat laiden grindy death riffs under screamed vocals you can pull off before songs start to lose their individual identity, which is the main issue here. After 'Burning Hand' the album really blends together and becomes samey. It is never bad but it is easy to get lost in the last 2/3 of this one, a lot of the riffs are very similar and the vocals rarely utilize variation. A lot of good here but it feels like Fuming Mouth need to take another step to really carve out their own identity.Funereal Presence AchatiusAn overextended and at times awkward early era black metal record with hints of speed/heavy metal, guitar leads that sounds thrown in at random and production that leaves a lot to be desired. It feels like Funereal Presence are caught in between two styles. At times their medieval sound works as a base to the speed/heavy metal guitar and at the very least is interesting. On the whole it sounds pasted together and haphazard and Funereal Presence are at their best when they stick to the fast-paced buzzsaw black metal riffs. When things slow down the lead guitar sounds very out of place and the band feels lost. The production does not help with the efforts to integrate all of the leads into an old-school black metal package. The leads sound very sharp in the mix and everything else comes off as fairly dull and flat. Last but not least, the pace and structure of the songs is so hit or miss. At times they lineup a few juxtaposed fast-slow-fast moments that create great movement evoking emotion but for the most part it just feels thrown together riff to riff. Great vocals, a lot of really good BM riffs and plenty of instrumentation that garners interest but in the end it feels way longer than 48 minutes and is just too haphazardly thrown together (oh, the cowbell actually works very well here).Gorillaz Cracker IslandCracker Island is a good album but it just feels so safe and doesn't really expand upon what Gorillaz has done or provide those two to three true bangers that you expect on their great albums. I guess to add to that none of the songs are really all that exciting, the mood is pretty timid for most of the time and doesn't fluctuate like Gorillaz did so well in the past with such highs and lows. The title track and Skinny Ape are fun.Grimes Miss AnthropoceneFirst off, the positives. Grimes' touch with production, beat intricacies/textures, atmosphere and putting her own personal stylistic stamp on music is well and present and while not good as ever, still very strong on Miss Anthropocene. There really is a lot to appreciate with what she is able to do with the electronics here and throughout here entire discography. What makes this record feel like a step down? It is just lethargic and the songs aren't as dynamic and fail to develop like the best Grimes tracks do. One example of this is 'Darkseid' where you have a great bass backdrop and an immersive atmosphere but almost nothing happens beyond that. This can be said of the opening track too, it feels like a mistake to open the record with 'So Heavy...'. '4AEM', 'Violence' and 'My Name Is Dark' represent a great stretch in the middle of the record but outside of that none of the tracks are worth revisiting long term. Where the self-proclaimed "piece of crap" 'Art Angels' was dynamic, endlessly energetic and addictive while still retaining the intricate production elements Grimes is a genius with, 'Miss Anthropocene' feels lethargic for the most part with just a few memorable peaks.Griselda WWCDAwesome East Coast Hip Hop vibes and great beats but the rapping and lyrics themselves aren't always the most interesting. The first 6 tracks demand attention but things start to get samey and less vital in the second half of the album. The 50 Cent guest spot is OK and stays within the context of the record but the Eminem spot in the last track feels forced and entirely unnecessary. Also it kind of lacks that signature track or two that will demand you to come back and listen more.Haircuts for Men 大ç†çŸ³ã®ãƒ•ã‚¡ãƒ³ã‚¿ã‚¸ãƒ¼Somewhere between dreamy, ambient and chill falls this Haircuts for Men release that came to me by random selection of early 2016 albums. At first it seemed like an album that was great to listen to while cooking or laying back on the couch but with time it slowly grows on the listener with strength in percussion tracks, synth layering, cloudy atmosphere and well executed gradual building of ideas. The second track is a standout for me with slow groovy keys contrasting a quick strike electro-drum line. An album where you find something new on each listen and it is certainly interesting but one that does not grab hold of you and really demand further attention.Haken VectorHaken continue onward in their journey of progressive metal with their heaviest and most Djent influenced album to date. If you have listened to Haken before don't expect anything massively different besides the introduction of heavier riffs and Djent rhythms. If you have not listened to Haken expect synth tracks that approach but don't quite reach self parody, proggy technicality at every turn, great vocal melodies by Ross who sounds as strained and pitch corrected as ever and a level of prog wankery that is just below the limit before being annoying. Haken has gotten heavier here but in the end the short run time and the concept driven album has sacrificed some of the variety they usually bring to the table with most of the tracks following a similar formula. Worth a decent amount of listens but if you have heard Haken before the Djent/heavy elements only go so far to keep this one fresh.Haken FaunaFrom Visions (masterpiece) to Affinity I felt like Haken brought something new to the table each time and the songs were more memorable. Since, the musician and vocals have continued to hone in their skills and get better but the banger moments on the albums feel sparse. This is a good listen and probably more suitable for those prog enthusiasts versus general rock and metal fans.Hamferd Támsins likamA 45 minute march down a seemingly endless pit as excellent vocals are supported by a rich mix of heavy gradual rhythms and melancholic, ominous leads. It doesn't take long to realize that Jon Aldara has some serious talents on the microphone as he drags you down with a mix of Akerfeldt-esque growls and striking, emotional cleans. Tamsins likam has the feel of a concept album like you are constantly being dragged towards a sombre and ominous objective and you just have to sit there and watch. Worth a listen for the vocalist alone but rewarding for fans of dramatic death influenced doom.Hannah Diamond ReflectionsConsidering the genres and a decent amount of hype around the web, this album is just flat compared to other electro/synth/bubblegum/glitch pop records this year. Sure, 'Concrete Angel' and 'Love Goes On' are upper echelon songs but a lot of the rest of the record and especially the singing/melodies are just run of the mill. Great beats on the whole and the production is quite nice but it feels like there is a lot of downtime and lack of energy in a genre where that really, really hurts.Hardcore Anal Hydrogen HyperCutA lot better in the first half than in the second half. This band is at their best when they are uptempo, using ducks as an instrument and really flat out experimenting between metal, mathcore and electronic. Vibes of Igorrr throughout but much more out there and all over the place as far as songwriting and style mashing goes. Jean-Pierre and Coin Coin are awesome but after that the album just progressively loses steam and the extremely repetitive and totally non-discriminant vocals get tiresome. Haru Nemuri Haru to ShuraJ-pop infused heavy on the synth and infused with some noise, rock and hip hop elements and a quirky and energetic atmosphere. The first few tracks are really good, catchy and worth revisiting over and over again. The latter parts of the album and the bonus remixes are less memorable and are a step down from the beginning making the album feel like it drags on a bit even for only 48 minutes. Some of this stems from the fact that Haru really doubles down on using a similar singing style and melodies for most of the album and the production is a bit dry lacking a lot of depth. The synth work on the whole is interesting and brings a lot of variation to the table and Haru does do good sometimes to integrate screams and yelling but it is too seldom. Worth a few listens for a nice blend of J-pop and noisy rock but the majority of the album isn't catchy or memorable enough to make this stick around for that long.Hath All That Was PromisedA pretty good followup to their debut but listening back and comparing the two it becomes apparent pretty quickly that 'All That Was Promised' just lacks some of the energy the debut brought and the excellent pacing of the first record. In their debut Hath brought a ton of diversity in the riffs, tempos and song structure where here it feels a bit more by the books and the production becomes very mechanical and less organic. Still a band I would love to see live up here in Boston at some point but a step down in my eyes from Of Rot and Ruin which felt a lot more adventurous.Hermodr Forest SkyDepressive, down tempo and repetitive black metal that conjures up atmospheres portrayed by the album art and the title of the album itself, Forest Sky. The best thing this album has going for it is the unrelenting and methodical, yet slow, pace that truly feels like you are taking a walk down a trail for the entire album. The atmosphere is cold and melancholy hinting at depressive but for whatever reason it feels like there is reason to continue and it is never sorrow or truly sad. The production is very distorted and lofi reminiscent of 90s BM. The downside of Forest Sky is the vocals and track blending. The vocals are incredibly distorted and repetitive and feel entirely secondary to the experience, it is easy to focus on the instruments and forget what the vocalist contributes. The individual tracks really don't distinguish themselves and the 54 minutes feels pretty long because of that.Heron Oblivion Heron OblivionFaro and Your Hollows are excellent tracks but Heron Oblivion fall short with their overall approach. Each song generally begins with a long drawn out low-key, atmospheric buildup and then a dirty garage rock jam solo. The consistency of those two elements is lacking while some feel great and other parts just feel like any other Psych Rock riff ever. The album as a whole just feels too tame and the songwriting approach falls flat after just a few listens failing to pull the listener back for more. Iceage BeyondlessArtsy post punk supplemented with horns and strings at times and saturated with a vocalist who takes a very lax approach that makes the album lose steam after a few tracks. Elias Bender R?nnenfelt is not a bad vocalist but he really makes it come off like he isn't putting any energy into the words he says, coming off like a I'm trying to sound drunk Beck or something. He takes this approach in every single song on the album and the lack of variation holds Beyondless back. After several listens it is hard to think of any of his vocals coming off as all that memorable compared to the smart blend of post-punk bluesy musical arrangements. When individual songs come on they are all quite compelling but the album experienced as a whole is one big lazy vocal slog.IDLES Ultra MonoIDLES cool off a bit after a hot streak but not all is lost. Joe Talbot still has one of the best deliveries in punk and the band just has a knack for writing great riffs and building some of the best tension dynamics in punk. That being said the lyrics seem clumsier than ever and feel lazy at times missing the mark for the issues they are approaching. They seem less blunt, aggressive and less thought out than on Joy... and while there are a few catchy hooks they don't reach the absolute powderkeg intensity the band was able to produce in the past. The album is nowhere near a disappointment but it leaves you wondering where the band is heading next and how they will use their natural gift for songwriting to produce another gem.Ignite A War Against YouA War Against You shows that Ignite can return after a long while off with a shiny blend of melodic singing over a hardcore skeleton. Even though the entire record comes off as solid, Ignite stick to a constant formula throughout the album and never really reach great heights (basically read knight's review as I feel exactly as they do). Yes Zoli can belt out vocals with the best of them but his constant and repetitive use of harmonies gets a bit tiring throughout the listen; despite his obvious talent. The rest of the mix feels lost at times underneath the powerful singer and great riffs make great hardcore albums. Here you end up finding many of the same melodic chord progressions. If you really love melodic hardcore perhaps this could be a classic but the album feels a bit too one-note and at times the lyrics, Work..., are kind of are to deal with (dude, a vast majority of people have to work hard to make it by despite dreams they may have) Rise Up and Nothing Can Stop Me are a good place to start if you are on the fence with this one.Immolation Acts of GodPeaks at the title track and sustains pretty well throughout but kind of feels a bit formulaic in the song structures and especially the guitar solos. True respect to Immolation for staying relevant and producing solid albums over the span of 35 years in this genre but it can be a challenge to tell one track from another on this album.Integrity Howling, For the Nightmare Shall ConsumeMetalcore meets Crossover Thrash sprinkled with some hardcore. Howling is one key word to describe the 47 minute onslaught led by very enthusiastic, relentless vocalist Dwid Hellion. Hellion sounds like a cross between a 90s NYC hardcore vocalist and Lemmy and he unfortunately only has one constant approach. This yelling rarely leaves the strong guitar work to shine and becomes fatiguing by the 6th or 7th track. Speaking of the guitar work, the riffs are generally well above average with a unique blend of old school thrash and hardcore styling. Solos are sprinkled throughout and 'Serpent in the Crossroads' finishes with a heartfelt lead guitar complimenting Dwid Hellion's shouting, a highlight of the album. An interesting and ambitious crossover thrash/metalcore effort with borderline excellence in the guitar work but vocalist who becomes tiring fast and never leaves breathing room for the instruments to bloom.Internal Rot Grieving BirthHas a whole lot of great riffs and in the end the guitar work is the most standout aspect of this record. Definitely rather repetitive but at 23 minutes that doesn't really make itself that much of a problem. The vocals on the whole are good gutturals with a few great screams and screeches here and there that would definitely be an upside if a few more of those were thrown in. None of the individual tracks really standout in the mix but in the end you get 23 minutes of blisteringly paced grind that represents the genre well and in a fairly pure form. Worth a few spins for anyone looking for fresh grindcore.Isabella Lovestory Amor HardcoreFound this after binging on Rosalia in 2022. Has some nice energy but is a bit frontloaded and doesn't really have the staying power of other good pop records where you want to listen to it every day without fail. A fun mix of pop, rap and reggaetón and a project to probably pay attention to.Jay Som Anak KoAfter many listens of both Anak Ko and Everybody Works it really feels like Jay Som have improved their production by miles but lost some footing in their songwriting and variation of their material. The production here is wonderful. The ending of Nighttime Drive just sounds beautiful and this crisp production is probably the strongest part of the experience. The guitars are flat out beautiful and it really allows Jay Som to create a lush and warm dream pop atmosphere. Unfortunately the vocals and lyrics just don't provide what they were able to on their past release. It is dangerously easy to get through a playthrough of this album without paying much attention, especially the vocals at times. A bit too soft on the whole. It is obvious that it is a mellow and sombre album but a little bit more punch could go a long way especially between Tenderness and the end of the record. Jean Grae/Quelle Chris Everything's FineEverything's Fine from Jean Grae and Quelle Chris provides plenty of content, an ample amount of humor and satire about modern life and at times great abstract, jazzy atmospheres. The problem with this record is it is an hour long and for every highlight there is an equivalent or even more average to just pretty good content. And to that end, there aren't a whole lot of true, gotta go back and repeatedly visit highlights; the record as a whole is good but doesn't really move much beyond that in either direction. While the lyrics and huge cast of characters is great the beats aren't all that exciting and it feels like Jean Grae is underutilized for the most part. Perhaps a record for those that really like to take a deep dive into hip hop lyrics but in the end a few listens on this one is enough.Jesca Hoop Memories Are NowFolksy, Singer-Songwriter approach pays off for Jesca Hoop who is obviously the core and driving force of the album. Animal Kingdom Chaotic, Simon Says, Songs of Old and Pegasi stand out but for whatever reason the summed experience isn't one that demands much revisiting. Many of the songs rely on a similar, somewhat minimal and vocal heavy approach. A bit more songwriting variation like that seen in The Lost Sky may have payed off with great results. Jesca has great personality and dynamic vocals and it would not be one bit surprising to see her be part of something great in the future.JPEGMAFIA VeteranGlitchy and experimental hip hop that despite this probably being purposeful comes off as too all-over-the-place and lacks focus. The highs are really great (Real Nega, Baby I'm Bleeding, Rainbow Six, Curb Stomp) but beyond that are a lot of tracks that feel like filler and some borderline laughable (Libtard... so bad). The best part of this album is the editing and non-traditional beat sounds (ODB, tongue clicking, indiscriminate human moaning) where the strange approach and glitchyness feel natural and elevate the experience rather than feeling forced. Beyond the music his raps and lyrics are extremely hit or miss and usually aren't the most creative or dynamic as he kind of uses the same tone and yells about a lot of random things. A ton of potential in the music itself and worth a few listens just for the sound collage aspects and the beats.JPEGMAFIA All My Heroes Are CornballsThe sampling and experimental elements make this album worth a few spins but the production, even compared to Veteran is just a miss here and JPEGMAFIA has just gone way too full human meme machine to still be interesting. Thot this, waifu that, internet culture bleeds out of this record and it seems like Peggy has left behind all of the good rap for experimentation and tallying up the memes. An album you could listen to 5 times and go away without remembering any key moments and kind of just flat from beginning to end. Bring back the rap, energy and ODB sample from 'Real Nega,' a song that blows away anything found here.Kaunis Kuolematon VapausVapaus by Kaunis Kuolematon brings melo-doomy death metal with strengths in stellar growls, dramatic melodic guitar riffs, clean-death vocal interplay and songwriting but fails to really set itself apart from things that have been done in the past; not necessarily that long ago either. As mentioned, this vocalist can belt it with the best of them with a growl reminiscent of prime-death era Mikael Akerfeldt. The best part of the music itself is the smooth transitions between groovy death and doom riffs and quiter, acoustic guitar and string laiden sections featuring clean singing. It all takes on a melodic, perhaps melancholy atmosphere and the ups and downs in the music are powerful. Unfortunately a lot of the riffs sound painfully familiar to contemporaries and the production doesn't necessarily do a great job accentuating the beautiful guitar leads and uplifting vocals. Certainly should be checked out by anyone into melo-death but the album loses a lot of steam after the standout tracks Eloton, Hurskas and Yksin.Kelela Take Me ApartA long Alt. R&B, UK Bass journey that overextends itself as it all seems to be based on one idea that is repeated throughout a 54 minute runtime that could surely be trimmed down quite a bit. Take Me Apart contains some really solid tracks (Frontline, LMK, Truth Or Dare, Altadena, Onanon) that present passionate, lush singing and intense deep bass grooves but none of these songs feel like they will stand the test of time and they don't come off as instant classics. Beyond the standout tracks there is a lot more content which finds Kelela sticking to her talents and similar well-polished bass-centric beats. Considering how most of the songs stick to this formula, listening to the whole album is a chore despite how pleasant the overall sound is. Kelela has major potential and there are actually a lot of good songs here but in the end the album in it's entirety leaves room for improvement.Kelly Lee Owens Kelly Lee OwensMinimal but perhaps too minimal in some places. Ambient but at times too restrained. A commendable and strong first effort for Kelly Lee Owens falls a bit short of greatness because in the end Owens relies on the same key elements a bit too much. Dwelling on an idea is fantastic if the idea itself is incredibly strong but if the idea is anything less than that the patience of the listener is tested as the runtime goes on. The stripped down, wavering bassy electro beats are well done and Kelly's very minimal, delicate vocal approach does a good job suiting them but in the end, the package as whole leaves you yearning for something to grasp onto. Kikuo Kikuo Miku 7There are some really great things going on here in the production and the music itself but the vocals are very repetitive and overbearing on the whole. Exciting beats and atmosphere.King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard PetroDragonic Apocalypse; or, Dawn of Eternal Night: An Annihilation of...A lot of cool instrumental sections and generally the keys and guitars find their way of wandering around and sounding good in the proggier moments of the record but the vocals are just so bland, repetitive and boring. It sounds like someone emulating someone emulating what thrash metal vocals sounded like four decades ago and it detracts from what otherwise would be a great record. King Gizz's proggy psych rock records with a metal filter applied, essentially.Knife Wife Family PartyLo-fi, angsty post punk rich with gross lyrics and mostly minimal instrumentation placing the vocals front and center for most of the record. This is a good thing as Family Party captures strange teenage vibes with great authenticity much thanks to the lyrics and the attitude the vocals bring to the table. A bit rough around the edges in general and it peaks early as the first three tracks are the most solid of the lot and its a mixed bag from there on out. Reptile is as close as it gets but this record is just missing that one track you wanna go back to over and over again. Shout outs to "Every Living Thing" for being a lyrical skit/song masterpiece.Knocked Loose A Different Shade of BlueMetalcore that is skewed very much towards the hardcore part of the genre. Constant aggression both in the intense screamed vocals and the riffs themselves. The anger in the vocals is great and it suits the energetic, groovy hardcore instrumentation layered beneath. A bit more of the lower growls to go along with the screaming would be a savior as well as a bit less reliance on chugging breakdowns and riffs that are derivative of that but not quite a full blown breakdown. Not going as far as saying this is boring like "KMassam" but it is definitely repetitive and lacks those key, memorable moments (whether it be hook, callout, breakdown) you want to listen to over and over again that help pace an album. Not gonna lie, the breakdown at the end of "In The Walls" is kinda funny right before an awesome sample.Kreator Gods of ViolenceA good modern Thrash record with great production, solid work on the lead guitars and some very heavy riffs that are trash at heart but have elements of power metal and melodic death metal sprinkled in. The major drawback to the album is the vocals and lyrics. The vocal approach is very standard for the genre and the same approach is taken throughout the entire album. The lyrics dwell on stereotypical themes of the apocalypse, Satan and war without adding anything new to the equation. Good guitar work, competent production and all around solid to above average music but it just feels like an album that has been done so many times before.Krypts Cadaver CirculationCadaver Circulation has its moments and certainly captures a dank, rotten atmosphere with a sense of impending doom but in the end the album lacks energy overall and the vocals are just not that memorable. The first track starts things off with a ton of energy and after that Krypts just lose steam. While the commonplace downtempo, funeral-esque chord progressions spattered with dissonant leads provide the creepy setting they often feel like they are wandering aimlessly and overextend themselves. People will argue but while this is certainly death metal, it might as well be equal parts death and slow doom. It seems in the latter half of the album, every-time the band spends 30 seconds in uptempo riffs they compliment it with several minutes of half/quarter note chords. It feels like right when they get your attention they end up losing it in their next riff in many cases. Very high marks for the eerie atmosphere but less than captivating vocals and sloppy songwriting.Latitudes Old SunlightOld Sunlight by Latitudes is an album that constantly feels like it is going to provide greatness but never truly solidifies. A mostly instrumental mix of blackgaze, sludge, prog and hearty atmospheres provides plenty of great riffs but the best moments are when the vocals come in and unfortunately that is just a bit too seldom. The use of tremolo provides a unique feel to the whole experience but they end up going a bit overboard with it and the effect is lost after several tracks. Great guitar work but the end product feels like it is constantly moving towards a destination it never reaches. Start with Ordalian and In Rushes Bound.Laura Marling Semper FeminaA step backwards in terms of both songwriting, album flow and musicianship from 2015's Short Movie. Semper Femina finds Laura Marling pretty much semper in the same exact gear for almost the entire album until the best and last track, Nothing, Not Nearly. Where her previous works featured great variance in the tracks, Semper Femina is pretty low key with a lot of minimal guitar plus string compositions and Laura staying pretty mellow vocally. She finally opens up on the last track but alas it is too little, too late. A pleasant, well-produced folksy singer-songwriter album but it lacks the life that Short Movie had and many of the tracks in the middle of the album are good but ultimately not memorable.Laura Stevenson The Big FreezeThe Big Freeze is a very melancholic and for the most part downtempo indie-folk/singer-songwriter. Much of the record is focused around Laura's vocals and her guitar with backings from drums and string accents on certain tracks. Laura has a very warm and pleasant voice that suits the folk approach quite nicely but outside of Dermatillomania, Low Slow and Living Room, NY the songwriting isn't that captivating especially in the section of the album between Hum and Big Deep. This is an issue as the album starts off strong and there is a big lull until Low Slow wakes you up and truly impresses. Great for a few spins but in the end a lot of the tracks are just too similar.Le Butcherettes Don't BleedQuick, unassuming EP that has a mix of garage rock songs similar to what you found on their last LP and more synth driven, artsy pop songs that explore new territory with even some new wave elements here and there. Teri's commanding vocal presence makes it worth a few quick spins and Out For You, Love Someone and Now I Know are highlights.Leprous MalinaLeprous has evolved from album to album, as any good artist should, but on Malina they find themselves sacrificing some of what made them truly amazing in the past in search for simpler, and sometimes superior songwriting. Making progressive music that is approachable and enjoyable to a wider audience is about as difficult as it gets; what prog elements do you keep and what stays? The songwriting, vocals and production are the strongest things about Malina. Leprous present some extremely catchy tunes with excellent melodies and production that accentuates those elements. Einar shines, but when hasn't he and where would Leprous be without him? The main problem with Malina is that Leprous downgrade their instrumentation in search of this new style. Yes, the songs are still using uncommon rhythms and generally proggy but Leprous are as simple as ever and it shows. In the past one could chew apart every Leprous song and find seemingly infinite material moment to moment in the instrumentation to boast about. Here that aspect is gone and revisiting the album is more for the melodies and hooks rather than listening to a vitruosic-but-not-wanky drum/bass/vocal/guitar exhibition at any moment. Leprous have done well here but there is no doubt this is their weakest major release.Leprous PitfallsAll aboard the wonderful vocals and not much else to see here train. 'At the Bottom', 'Below' and 'Distant Bells' will be remembered but as a whole album Leprous have just sacrificed the instrumentation too much to make 'Pitfalls' an album you want to replay and explore for 50+ listens like TPS - The Congregation were. Bands change, of course, and props for Leprous for really exploring and doing what they wanted to but beyond the vocals there are beyond pedestrian synth workings, the occasional interesting drum part and strings that feel a bit forced into the compositions. Fun for a few listens and staggering to hear just how good Einar is but loses its charm rather quickly.Lianne La Havas Lianne La HavasReally like 'Bittersweet', 'Weird Fishes' and 'Sour Flower' but outside of that it feels like the album is just meandering along and lacks the beautiful and truly powerful vocals and energy those tracks manage to encapsulate. The album is best when it is mid to uptempo and the instrumentation is allowed to wander and develop a bit more and that does not happen quite enough for an album that is almost an hour long.Loyle Carner Yesterday's GoneLoyle brings passion and a clear drive for his craft in his lyrics but Yesterday's Gone is just a bit monotone and mild overall. The production and jazzy, instrumental beats are excellent and the best part about this album. The flow and lyrics are all around good and interesting but Loyle sounds the same in every verse. From the separate elements here it is clear that Loyle is capable of greatness but it will take a more dynamic, varied vocal approach to make that happen. Lucy (US-MA) 100% PROD I.V.The sparse and minimal beats are great and from a production standpoint the album is very enjoyable. That bass in the background of some of the tracks just sounds wonderful. The vocals and lyrics seem to be the dividing point on this project and they just don't do it for me. Almost like a less enjoyable Bladee for me. 'Oil Change' and 'In the Will' are highlights.Malibu Ken Malibu KenAesop's consistent flow meets Tobbaco's minimal, abstract, synth-heavy beats in a record that has a lot of great individual elements and moments here-and-there but one that doesn't quite gel in the end. Anyone that has heard any of Aesop Rocks work will recognize him right away. Dense and wordy bars with a constant basically non-stop flow and his endlessly heralded vocabulary. He obviously has a natural knack for wordplay and is one of the best out there when it comes to squeezing in complex syllables and references into every line. That being said, it feels like you could basically copy and paste the lines from his last album onto here and it might not even be noticed, he is too consistent. Also, it feels like his style and flow do not always meld and jive with the underlying minimal beats. On top of that while he says a lot, he certainly isn't the most relate-able rapper like a good storyteller or the likes. It is hit or miss track to track for the marriage between the beats and the rapping. To that end, the beats are unique and interesting but after repeat listens they just come off as dry and the mix overall lacks depth. A lot of praise for this album loves how weird it is and how Aesop's wordplay just keeps on giving but after like five listens the novelty wears off and its just another Aesop vocab showcase.Malokarpatan Krupinské OhneBlack metal with heavy, speed and folk metal influence and an overall sound that really isn't defined by one single genre but one that bounces around between those mentioned. The different vocal styles are nice with chanting, black metal gutturals and singing and it is impressive at times how the band can transition between black metal riffs, heavy metal worship and folk instrumental passages but it feels like something is lacking in the songwriting department. The songs lack direction at times and in some cases it is riff after familiar riff in which not all of them feel that intriguing; it feels a bit random in certain moments. A cool atmosphere and interesting loose take on black metal but it lacks those key passages to keep you wanting to go back.Messa Feast for WaterDoom metal that takes influences from jazz and relies on a cold atmosphere and a very powerful performance by vocalist 'Sara'. For the most part the music is driven by standard doom metal guitar rhythms and at times features saxophones and backings that may dredge up memories of Pink Floyd and the like. For only 50 minutes long the album feels kind of long and the true standout tracks are back to back early in the running with 'Leah' and 'The Seer' showing what Messa is capable of. Unfortunately after that the album feels samey and Feast for Water does not reach the emotional highs in the latter half besides in 'Tulsi' which features a great sax cameo. Truly great vocals but lacks a bit in the riffs and songwriting departments. Metallica Hardwired...To Self-Destruct100% Metallica and somewhere between Black Album, Justice and the Load series in style with the bluesy style of the later albums blended with a pinch of heavier thrash elements. Hardwired... manages to sound like the 90s and late 80s but still fresh enough to please Metallica fans in 2016. While this could be construed as a great album, it just feels like Metallica is playing it a bit too safe and familiar here where Death Magnetic strayed further; making it a more interesting release. The biggest issues with Hardwired are the lyrics, cheesy at times, and the sheer length of the album. Many of the songs feel like they would make amazing B-sides and end up diluting out the truly great tracks like Moth into Flame, Halo on Fire and Spit Out the Bone. Metallica continue on with their signature styles but maybe at this point, 35 years and 11 albums in the spotlight, there just isn't much to expand upon. Metallica still put perhaps the best live show for the giant metal bands and it will be great to see some of the highlight tracks from Hardwired weaved into the live set; similar filtering of this album would have gone a long way.Metallica 72 SeasonsA refreshing surprise that Metallica stuck to uptempo thrashy metal instead of going back to the radio rock era but at the same time this album desperately needs some variety. Unforgiven IV would have been a solid idea or something similar to The Day That Never comes. Metallica are definitely capable of writing more adventurous tunes still but outside of Lux AEterna you have a lot of chuggy, groovy, bluesy metal riffs that sound rather similar. Too Far Gone and Immorata try to provide that respite but by that time you are an hour in and the other tracks have put you into a bit of a trance due to some repetition. Not bad, not great.Michael Romeo War of the Worlds / Pt. 2Michael Romeo is still plenty of capable of making good symphonic/power/prog metal and actually has found a vocalist who tops modern Russell but many of the tracks sound very similar and lack a unique feel, similar to the most recent Symphony X material. Regardless, a lot of good riffs and quality you come to know and expect from Mr. Romeo.Mid-Air Thief CrumblingAt times beautiful, at times something that can lose your attention for 5-10 minutes at time. Crumbling by Mid-Air Thief is a folktronica album that uses dense layers of dreamy, psychadelic synths, guitars and vocals conjuring up ethereal, other worldly atmospheres. The best thing this album has going for it is it will transport you temporarily to another state of mind and there is a lot of content to digest. On the flip side, it is not nearly the most approachable album and there are long stretches that just don't demand or grab the listeners attention. They often use long stretches of timid, atmospheric music to accentuate a high point but these stretches are just not that interesting sometimes. The result are a few really epic, intense moments surrounded by what sometimes feels like a lull, too much so. The 44 minutes becomes long despite what are sometimes amazing soundscapes. Gorgeous layering and production but the songwriting just isn't the most exciting.Miscarriage (US) Imminent HorrorAn hour of a gurgling-shrieking toilet monster to often slow and dark sludgy-death-doom riffs. The guitar work is not in the least bit memorable and neither is most of the instrumentation. BUT... the package as a whole is one of the most disturbing, horrific and un-listenable hours that comes to mind so Misscarriage deserves some credit there. No idea how these vocals are produced and honestly am not sure I want to find out. It is unique, scary and gory to the ears and something I have no interest in revisiting anytime soon, which is a compliment through and through. Imminent Horror indeed. (Shoutout to the randomly placed teeth in the seemingly MS-paint produced artwork)Mitski Be the CowboyBe the Cowboy is a lonely, bittersweet artsy pop/rock record that is a worthy follow up to Puberty 2 but ultimately falls short of Mitski's previous work as a full album. One of the main reasons for this is the abundance of short songs that fail to fully develop before they are gone. Of the 14 tracks, maybe 5-6 are rather memorable and of those 3 are excellent (Geyser, Nobody, Two Slow Dancers). Mitski has had better batting averages on previous releases. The songs in between are mostly good but in the grand scheme of things they tend to blur together as Mitski approaches this record with a more narrow set of instruments and singing/production styles than in the past. Putting the album on at any one point the track will sound really nice but as a full play through much of the content goes by without the true wow moments that Puberty 2 had. Mitski is a great vocalist but in the end much of Be the Cowboy feels underdeveloped and less engaging then her previous work, especially when enjoyed as a full album (which can sometimes feel long for just 32 minutes).MooM Plague Infested Urban Dump Of The FutureSolid powerviolence album but after a while the vocals get a bit grating and oit just doesn't have the riffs and transitions that make the individual tracks all that memorable in the long run. Mors Principium Est Embers of a Dying WorldA solid melodeath album that feels great for the first few listens but loses some steam after that. Many of the riffs sound familiar and a lot of songs blend into one another with a similar songwriting approach and structure. That being said, Mors Principium Est make it very clear they are good at what they are doing here. Everything is solid but the experience as a whole comes off a bit lackluster due to the repetition. The most memorable song here, by far, is Death Is The Beginning. Everything from the lyrics, theme, vocal interplay and musicianship is spot on. It is kind of a melodeath ballad with a very sad subject matter but damn is it borderline perfect. The album could have used more moments like that to break up the more standard melodeath tracks.Mortality Rate You Were the GasolineExtremely aggressive 10 minute metalcore jaunt. Super heavy riffing and a constant surge of energy from beginning to end. If you like vocally driven metalcore this one is for you as the vocals are front and center and basically non-stop to the point where they start to be jarring by the end. It almost feels like there is a bit of extra production on the vocals that is unnecessary and harsh. 'Roses' absolutely crushes after a simple but effective intro and the title track also stands out. Clearly a lot of potential here but if you are not in love with the vocals it might be hard to keep going back to this one over and over again.Mount Eerie SaunaFolk base with some toppings of drone and noise all brought together by blunt, to-the-point nature-centric lyrics. Major props for the instrumentation and lo-fi production as this is key to allowing the aforementioned blend of style to work in the first place. The haziness of the actual music accompanies the lyrical themes and imagery brought up in Phil's singing. Good use of ambient guest vocals on a few tracks, I feel like it might become a bit monotonous without them. You feel right alongside him as he describes things and the track variance is strong on this album. That being said I don't find myself revisiting this album all that much. Strong tracks in Boat, Pumpkin, Dragon, Emptiness, This and Planets. Shoutouts to the longer tracks as well, they do not bore despite the extended length.Mrs. Piss Self-SurgeryOne of those records where all the individual parts and elements are really likeable but on the whole, while it is quite good at times, it doesn't bring you back to listen to a ton and doesn't possess that signature track or two. You get the epic Chelsea Wolfe howling cleans and some great screaming but the production on the whole leaves a bit to be desired as it just feels like there is cheap layer of fog over everything trying to add some mysterious mood to it all. 'Downers Surrounded by Uppers' really kicks things off nicely with tight riffs, anxious, noisy verses wedged between great energetic hooks by the Wolfe. A lot of potential but not quite as focused as it needs to be.Municipal Waste Slime and PunishmentSlime and Punishment sees Municipal Waste return after 5 years with a new album that is a bit of a return to form but in the end that form is all too familiar. Much of the album sounds like an homage to their 2005 classic Hazardous Mutation but with less memorable riffs, lyrics and just less mosh/rage inducing power. Comparisons to previous MW albums are fair game because on this record Municipal Waste haven't done much to reinvent their sound and continued with their signature Crossover sound. Municipal Waste are always reliable for a good, fun metal album and this is no exception, solid tracks all around just nothing that will blow anyone away.Mutoid Man MutantsA slight step down from their previous two releases and it just feels a bit samey throughout with more predictable verse chorus verse structure and hooks that aren't as powerful as their previous material. Just also not too into the lyrics on this record to be honest. 'Broken Glass Ceiling' is awesome as is the opening track but beyond that some of the songs just lack personality.Myrkur SpineAs someone who really enjoyed M. and all of Myrkur's releases quite a lot, 'Spine' lands as a good album but one that feels stuck between worlds. This is not to say that the folk and the black metal sides of Myrkur can't mesh but here they feel like they haven't been blended fully but pulsed a few times and laid out in an album that lacks a natural progression. 'Mothlike' and 'Valkyriernes Sang' are the standout tracks, where everything balances out nicely but a lot around those just feels like filler.Necrot MortalGood but not great. The biggest issue is a lot of it just feels like something that has been done before and the album on the whole is pretty repetitive, especially with the riffs and the vocals. Production is actually really great but without those super memorable riffs or something unique to draw you in it is hard to stand out in this genre nowadays.Neurosis Fires Within FiresAs someone fairly unfamiliar with Neurosis it is hard to read 5-star review after 5-star review and not feel a bit confused. Fires Within Fires contains some great atmospheres that feel like a dirty, dense slogging mud pit but overall the album is repetitive and the vocalist seems like he has seen better days; which could actually be seen as a positive in one light but his style becomes tired and stale later in the album. Fires Within Fires seems like an album built upon the great mountain of achievement of a cult classic band but a record that doesn't do much for the genre as a whole; a bit recycled.Noisem Cease To ExistNoisem back on it with their relentless uptempo blend of trashy grindy death metal. Once 'Cease To Exist' begins there is basically no time for breath and everyone goes full bore from start to finish of the 21 minute album. The energy, aggression and heaviness are all great but the choice to transition to more uptempo vocals and almost constant speed picking on the guitars removes some of the soul and emotion that Noisem had on their previous record. There are a lot of good riffs here but they are constantly uptempo and the few times they slowdown (end of Eyes Pried Open, end of Deplorable) they get it right, they needed more of this because this is samey even for 21 minutes.Opeth SorceressIt is not even a stretch to say this is the weakest Opeth record to date. The more proggy and psych they become, the more they approach what has already been done and is being done by others. The album is a good one with obvious strength in production, vocals and some of the best keyboard work to date by Opeth. That being said the blend of prog rock, folk, psychadelic influences and metal works out well but it is never great. Bands will and must evolve, that is not the problem here. The problem is the music that Opeth have chosen to make just bring them closer to the pack and makes them lose some of their identity. It is hard to imagine an Opeth release ever being bad but one should never judge this band until they have listened to Morningrise through Watershed, one of the greatest stretches of consecutive releases in metal history.Opeth In Cauda VenenumIt has been over a decade since Opeth has made death metal but its kind of funny that they have become a prog rock worship band which feels less progressive than they ever were as a band overall. Great string use and varied instrumentation throughout the record and nice, adventurous long tracks that come with twists and turns. There are some nice tracks here like 'Heart in Hand', 'The Garroter' and 'Lovelorn Crime' and the production is mighty fine but it feels like more of the same from Opeth since the release of Heritage. Wonky psych prog rock that creates a somewhat mystic atmosphere but feels like Mikael is trying to recreate things that were dear to him as a young man.Oracles (BE) MiserycordeMiserycorde has a lot of good to great things working for it: a complimentary blend of soft, clean vocals and harsh deathcore growls, impressive guitar work, orchestral synth elements and headturning technical drumming. All of these individual elements are great and really shine on this record but the package and blend as a whole really doesn't hold up as well. In the end it really comes down to songwriting and track variety being the main weaknesses. Each track is a mix of great riffs that seem to be brought together without any overarching premise, jumping around without building off of each other. To that end the album gets a bit boring at about the halfway mark as you are introduced to more and more of the same. Also, the production does not feel appropriate: it all just feels so shiny and overproduced to the point that some of the intensity usually found in the genre is lost. With that being said, Oracles could easily produce something special with the group of musicians present if more attention would be paid to songwriting and the layout of the record. Also, the Manson cover is actually quite good but seriously should be at the very end of the track listing.Ossuarium Living TombLiving Tomb is a death metal album that does really well to pair the music with the album title/art with a dirty, ominous atmosphere but in the end the album doesn't break away from the competition in terms of song composition, memorable riffs or vocals. The riffs are hit or miss. The intro to 'Corrosive Hallucinations' is just awesome but on the whole Ossuarium seem to wander a lot and there aren't a lot of long stretches of great riffs. This also links into the composition and flow of the tracks. There are the ebbs and flows of energy but the transitions between riffs are rarely hair-raising or ones that make you wanna get up and move. There are a lot of good sections but only a few truly great segments on this album. That being said, reading about what an Ossuarium is and looking at the cover art while listening really dredges up some great imagery and the muddy, eerie production fits the narrative and tomb imagery. Nice for a few spins but nothing all that addicting or replayable.ostraca lastPassionate and chaotic Screamo that lives up to the name of the genre as the vocalist desperately shreds his throat cords apart for much of the 29 minute runtime. Ostraca are very convincing in their their mission on 'Last' but in the end the repetitive vocals and chaotic, meandering music do not leave all that many individual moments that standout. The album starts off loud and intense and this continues for the first three songs. The true standout here is 'Nausea,' a track that builds up incredibly slowly before exploding with gut wrenching screams for the latter portions. Beyond 'Nausea' the rest of the tracks are very similar and the passionate screams are sometimes lost upon the often run of the mill songwriting and instrumentation. Worth checking out for the raw passion and intensity and seemingly loved among Screamo connoisseurs but the repetitiveness of the music is tiring even in sub thirty minutes.Paara RiittiPagan and atmospheric black metal that really hits on the first listen but repeated listens downgrade some of the initial impressions as much of the album becomes repetitive and a bit flat vocally. There are many epic moments and powerful riffs but nothing about the songwriting feels all that dynamic and memorable as it feels like a collection of moments rather than cohesive tracks with significant ebbs and flows. Paara also fail to separate themselves from the established artists in this corner of black metal. Definitely worth a few spins for any BM fan but it wears its welcome faster than anticipated/doesn't stick.Panphage JordJord is a Pagan Black Metal album full of energy and dense guitar riffs but ends up front loaded and somewhat repetitive. After the first two tracks which display the somewhat festive, folksy and heavily pagan influence the album continues to push forward without opening up many different dimensions in the sound. The vocals and drums are the largest offenders of this with constant Viking black bellows and a double bass on 90% of the album. The individual guitar riffs are generally excellent but the songwriting suffers and the combination of the passages don't add up to the most memorable overall tracks. Worth a stop for the black metal (especially Pagan) enthusiast but not one that will be on the 2018 year end lists.Parannoul After The MagicYear after year Parannoul pops up on the albums you must look into lists and year after year it feels like another noisy, gazey, dreamy album that blends a lot of different influences and perhaps utilizes the quiet to loud noisy build just a bit too much. The songs tend to blend together and it feels like they have a similar structure in most cases. Perhaps I am the problem here as Parannoul got that real hype.Persefone AathmaPersefone have always felt like a band that has very high ambitions that show way too much in their music. The band is very obviously about as talented as they come in the progressive melodic death metal world but as a whole Aathma suffers from being a very flat experience. Emotionally the album has very few memorable ups and downs and the songs for the most part just blend in together. It is hard to remember any portion of the album even a few days after listening to it, they haven't really done much to push this style of music forward here. Impressive instrumentally and some solid songwriting moments but the experience as a whole is rather forgettable. All in all Persefone clearly has the drive and the ingredients to make a great album but they seem to suffer from trying to to way too much losing sight of composition.Pillorian Obsidian ArcThe Agalloch comparisons are inevitable and ultimately impossible to avoid so let's make a terrible beer analogy out of it. Agalloch = KBS; a legendary barrel aged stout with complexity, absolute superb craftsmanship shown in every aspect of the brewing process while remaining incredibly approachable for any beer drinker. Each sip of the drinking experience is bliss. Pillorian = New Holland Dragon's Milk; a good barrel aged stout for sure but one that lacks the true artistry to make it a classic that drinkers will return to it over and over again. Dragon's Milk is not trying to be KBS just like Pillorian is not trying to be new Agalloch but at the same time they are so intertwined in the same realm that one must and should compare them. In the end Obsidian Arc is some good dark metal and at times great, see Archaen Divinity and The Vestige of Thorns. Haughm's classic tough is extremely apparent but it stays too close to the overall sound of Agalloch and it comes off as sort of Agalloch lite. Similar atmosphere but the songwriting, transitions, riffs and emotion is just not up to par. Obsidian Arc at times lacks life and it stagnates on the same ideas in many of the tracks. They take a pretty direct approach to a darkened (not quite black) metal schtick and remove much of the folk elements Haughm used to make use of so wonderfully. This puts a lot of pressure on the riffs to be amazing and some are but on the average they are good but not noteworthy.Pinkshinyultrablast GrandfeatheredGrandfeathered follows up an excellent debut full-length from Pinkshinyultrablast. From the get go it appears that Grandfeathered has the quality to drastically improve on 'Everything Else Matters' with Glow Vastly and I Catch You Napping starting the album off with a bang. Diverse sections of noise and clean alternate hooking the listener in and builds climax with great effect. Unfortunately from there the album isn't album to muster up the same magic, slowly and consistently trending downwards towards more generic songs getting caught up in dreamy production and repetitive noisy riffs. The second half of the album just isn't very memorable. Pinkshinyultrablast still has a pretty darn good overall sound but the songwriting and album pacing must improve drastically to bring their music to a new level.Plague Bearer Summoning Apocalyptic DevastationThe name of the first track really describes it all pretty well, 'Unholy Black Satanic War metal'. Grimy, spooky, evil and dirty blend of death and black metal that has some nice production elements that give all of the instruments a nice live feel. Lacks the riffs and songwriting to produce those moments that will leave a lasting impression but a fun listen through for fans of the genre and probably a great band to see in a smelly, small venue.Pottery Welcome to Bobby's MotelDanceable, lively post-punk that capitalizes on infectious, playful energy but falls short because it sounds oh so familiar, bordering on too much so. 'Bobby's Motel' has a great live and loose atmosphere that truly comes off as 100% natural and most importantly, straight up fun. The percussion, vocals, funky bass and guitars all draw you in with 'Texas Drums I, II' and 'Bobby's Forecast' really standing out and surviving the test of time. For whatever reason the album is way more fun the first few times and doesn't quite have as much replay value as you might expect, perhaps from sounding pretty familiar. Priests The Seduction of KansasA somewhat hit or miss followup, and a veritable sea change in sound and style to the excellent debut full length "Nothing Feels Natural" that is weakened by unnecessary production choices but sees growth of vocalist KAG. Production choices for "The Seduction of Kansas" just strange and perhaps best showcased by the title track itself. The mix in this song is straight up bad. Throughout the album, the guitar track seems to change volume in 100% intervals while moving from the right channel to the left channel way out in outer space. This can be done effectively but there is often one, simple guitar melody and it often leaves KAG on a pedestal alone with no support. The same effects are often applied to the vocals and it is immensely frustrating because when played live a lot of the songs here carry as much raw power as Priests had on their last release but the production undercuts the recordings on "... Kansas" so hard. Jaguar also has simplified his approach just a bit too much, a lot of the guitar tracks feel dry and to minimal. Most of the tracks here are passable to really good but Priests seem to push their new sound to the limit on Youtube Sartre and Ice Cream which are misses. Highlights are Jesus' Son, Texas Instruments and Good Time Charlie. Primordial Exile Amongst the RuinsExile Amongst the Ruins on the whole sounds like Primordial's signature blend of pagan, celtic, folk, doom and black metal but the production feels a bit flat and the songwriting is not up to standard of the high bar they have set in the past. The production is disappointing as the instruments come off a bit flat and the bass and drums often feel lost in the mix compared to the guitar and vox. The riffs and songwriting also feel like they are stuck in autopilot and Primordial just don't setup the epic moments they have on past releases. On the positive side of things Nemtheanga does very well with the vocal variation from blackened growls to epic shouts and even at a low point Primordial still write songs that feel like they have a great tale to tell. A bit of a lull but still worth a few spins for any metal fan.Protomartyr Formal Growth in the Desert'Make Way' and 'Polacrilex Kid' are really nice tracks but I always seem to think I will be in it for the long run with Protomartyr's music but it doesn't end up having the lasting effect I am looking for. Noisy, artsy and atmospheric post punk with great guitar work. In the end I think it is a bit too artsy or philosophical for me, and the vocals/songs in general are a bit samey throughout the album.Public Enemy Yo! Bum Rush the ShowYo! Bum Rush The Show is a good debut album and really fun one for the first few listens and then the flaws begin to truly show through. The raw beats at times are gritty and powerful but for the most part are generic for the era. Chuck D, while commanding and powerful, hasn't nearly found his full stride yet with a somewhat awkward delivery and typical me me me subject matter. Tinny and dry feel gets tiring after the first third of the album which outshines the rest of the album. A solid start to a legendary group's career but one that time has not been generous to. Also, Sophisticated Bitch is just sad.Quiet Commotion Red GrasshoppersThe 10-minute tracks 'Ghostly Wind' and 'Hollow Moon, Strange Fires' are great but outside of that only 'Moss I Trampled' is a highlight. 53-minutes is a bit too long for this blend of slowcore/indie pop/slacker rock and while the vocals are on par for the genre, they just get old after a bit. When it hits, as the long tracks, it hits the spot but not too much outside of that.R.A.P. Ferreira bob's son: R​.​A​.​P. Ferreira in the garden levelRaum DaughterReally like the last track and how the piano pierces into the ambinent, atmospheric backdrops. Mysterious and ethereal but not one I expect to go back to all that often.Real Estate In MindJangly, dreamy, soft psychadelic sound which creates an atmosphere as if you are stuck in a slightly breezy summer day in suburbia. Gorgeous production all around with superb guitar tones and excellent work all around on that instrument. The guitars steal the show while the vocalist does an admirable job softly cooing away but really doesn't stand out in the mix with solid but forgettable melodies and lyrics. In the end, the album remains too constant in this hazy, dreamy summer-day atmosphere and the only, very much welcome, departure is the breakdown ending of Two Arrows; one of the best tracks on the album. After Two Arrows the songs are good but in the end this album is definitely top heavy with a great stretch between Darling and Two Arrows. Real Estate definitely have their signature sound and guitars that any enthusiast should drool over but a bit more songwriting knack and perhaps more vocal variation would go a long way.Reverend Kristin Michael Hayter SAVED!Enjoy the simple vocal and piano approach and in general Kristen Hayter has a voice that commands your attention and one that just sounds good in the context of a piano + vocals album. The production and degraded sounds the album takes on is also cool but in the end there is a lot of talk about the blood of Jesus and it gets a bit repetitive until the excellent 'HOW CAN I KEEP FROM SINGING' finishes things off hauntingly.Revocation Great Is Our SinIf anything, Revocation have found a great way to do things and stuck to that formula releasing 6 albums over the past 8 years. Their signature sound provides for some of the heaviest hitting, consistently good riffs that blend thrash and death in a way that you could tell what band was playing the instant one of their songs came on. Beyond the riffs, things are just not as consistently great. Even with the addition of plentiful clean sections the vocals and lyrics themselves just don't standout; the vocalist is rarely the highlight at any point of the album. Despite that being the case on many metal albums, it hurts more here because of Revocation's pure dedication to their style. Each song sounds more and more like the last and an album at 48 minutes long becomes a drag. The production also plays into this with a very heavy guitar and vocal-centric mix; the rest of the band becomes lost. This all makes the replay value rather low here even though it features some of the best metal riffs of recent memory. A bit more diversity in sound and production would go extremely far for this group.Copernican Heresy and Arbiters of the Apocalypse might be a good place to start out.Revocation The Outer OnesSimply put, 'The Outer Ones' is a step up from Revocation's 2016 release 'Great is Our Sin' in terms of production but Revocation stay safe with familiar songwriting and riff generation. It is hard to refute the reviewer about Revocation "treading water" but at the same time they have such an infectious, aggressive and energetic style of thrashy technical death metal that treading water isn't bad. The energy and the harmonies in the guitar leads are the shining aspects of Revocation. In terms of style, there is no sea change between the last 3-4 Revocation full lengths but Davidson et. al. keep refining their tight style with more intricate leads, harmonies and in this case much clearer and well-rounded production on all fronts. It might be time for Revocation to start branching out a bit more or they run the risk of tiring out their fan base with releases that could become hard to distinguish.Rhapsody of Fire The Eighth MountainSomeone needs to make a diagram of all of the different Rhapsody/Turilli/Leone/Rhapsody of Fire projects that have existed and how the members have been distributed throughout. Rhapsody of Fire is now the project of original Rhapsody legend keyboard player Alex Staropoli with new vocalist Giacomo Voli. For the most part the songs will be a familiar blend of power/neoclassical/symphonic metal for anyone who has followed Rhaspody and its spawned projects. Blazing low end rhythms lead into symphonic buildups lead into glorious high-pitched vocal hooks. And, for the most part, Rhapsody of Fire have done pretty well for the first time since 2011's From Chaos to Eternity and for the first time without the genius of Luca Turilli. The mix showcases the strings without drowning out the metal heart of the music and does the best it can do for Voli's singing. Voli is technically sound but he lacks the soul, personality and depth (esp. Leone, obviously). The vocals don't sound strained often but they aren't as commanding over the music as other power metal singers and they sound dry from time to time. Who knows what will happen in the future with Rhapsody's lineage but this is a bit of a return to form for Staropoli and co.Riot V Armor of LightOld school American power/heavy metal continuing the legacy of the original Riot that formed in 1975. Despite the group doing well with songwriting, melodies and catchy hooks the album is a tough sell at 55 minutes long and just about every single song follows the same exact formula. The lead guitar dynamics and the vocals are the most memorable thing about Armor of Light but even then they start to stale after the first half of the run-time. An extremely dedicated fan of this style of metal might be blown away by this but it sounds like something that has been done many, many times.RX Papi 100 Miles & Walk'inSarah Neufeld The RidgeWith 'The Ridge' Sarah Neufeld delivers an album rooted in classical violin that is anything but a full on modern classical album. Electronic, post-rock, minimalism, drone and pop influence help develop the overall sound on this record even if they aren't always cohesive. The obvious gripe is the overstated hammering percussion in several tracks; they are just clunky at times. The Ridge has several great moments with the title track, The Glow and A Long Awaited Scar coming to mind but on whole it becomes a bit repetitive with many similar tracks. There is no doubt Neufeld is a great musician but a bit more composition and variety would go a long way.Setsuko The Shackles Of BirthAggressive and unrelenting emoviolence/grindcore that makes good use of noisy guitars and a bold bass and a vocalist who is consistent with their shrieks and flat out screaming. The raw and noisy production is a highlight as it feels like both the guitars and bass have their place in creating the violent, angered mood of the record. While the vocalist is certainly captivating and provides some excellent screams, this performance becomes one of the reasons the records feels flat at times. Together with the riffs writing, the vocals are sort of always good but never provide something to grasp onto or get hooked into and as a result the record kind of just goes by without those signature moments. Setsuko succeeds in capturing a raw, violent sound but a lot of the record blurs together.Shining (SWE) X - Varg Utan FlockThis album kind of feels like B-sides to their previous release. Kvarforth still comes through with his powerful vocals and actually does really well in the cover tracks but on the whole the record feels like more of the same with less powerful songwriting on the whole. It also feels like Shining has missed the mark on the depressive black metal shtick here as the production just feels too... shiny. The album has a lot of mammoth ShiningTM riffs, angry gut wrenching vocals, ominous dramatics and quite a few memorable moments but as a whole it feels forgettable and really doesn't warrant a lot of repeat listens. Solid for BM fans and those looking for something early on in 2018 but a step down from their last releases.Sinmara HvÃsl StjarnannaHvísl stjarnanna is that kind of album that really impresses for the first few listens but then loses its magic with further inspection. Sinmara have a tight sound showing off guitar work that balances the dissonant and melodic through heavy layering of leads upon chord progressions to build atmosphere and add depth to the music. They also have a drummer who adds a lot to the mix especially in their heavy use of multiple cymbals in almost every beat. What is wrong despite this tight sound? The album as a whole just feels like it is in the same gear and direction constantly. It feels like 90% of it is driven with uptempo double bass beneath a myriad of guitar leads and melodies with the same guttural yell from the vocalist. While they have the atmosphere nailed down there really isn't tension from riff to riff and section to section and when there is, like in "Crimson Stars," it is the best part of the album. Good black metal but Hvísl Stjarnanna doesn't produce many classic moments or differentiate itself enough from similar BM projects out there today.Sleater-Kinney The Center Won’t HoldWhere to start with this one? Not a disaster as people are hyping it out to be but boy oh boy, a massively new direction. A band with one of the finest indie rock/riot grrrl resumes known for producing some of the best guitar work in the genre replaces a lot of that with generic electronics and synth. The production is the biggest issue as the mix often feels out of sorts drowning out the vocals and live instruments in favor of quirky synth. Change in direction can lead to magic but this change sees Sleater-Kinney losing a lot of their signature sound and sounding a lot more generic in the process. Are they possibly trying to appeal to wider audiences with the synth driven songs and poppier sound? Who knows. All of that being said Corin and Carrie deliver nice, energetic vocals and most of the songs are good outside of RUINS and Bad Dance; its just that none of them are truly great and differentiate themselves from other indie rock/pop of today.Sleater-Kinney Path of WellnessSleater-Kinney Little RopeThe title track, 'Needlessly Wild' and 'Small Finds' are really solid tracks but outside of that it doesn't really bring as much to the table as I had hoped. The songs they played from Little Rope live sounded pretty nice in context of a broader setlist and I am glad Sleater-Kinney are still at it but it just feels like the new music output is in a holding pattern since 'No Cities to Love'. Pretty good but inconsistent.Slowdive Everything is AliveMore of a dream pop album with a touch of shoegaze here and there. 'Shanty' opens up the album nicely with a super ethereal, dreamy atmosphere trading guitars and synths in the forefront and beyond that 'alife' and 'andalucia plays' are highlights. Despite those tracks being solid, the album feels like it lacks a true signature track and the band trades guitars for synths in too many situations. Thinking back to their 2017 comeback, songs like 'Star Rover' and 'Sugar for the Pill' were both dreamy, gazey and incredibly catchy/powerful, I am not sure there is a track here that reaches those heights.Snoop Dogg DoggystyleOne of the most historic and important West Coast rap albums with impeccable sampling, supreme G-funk style and an overall sense of smooth rhythms and great beats. The music itself is fantastic and to anyone who has listened to a few hip hop albums this should instantly transplant your brain to the streets of CA. Gin and Juice is a true classic. Even with all of that strength this album is hard to listen to me, very hard. 75% of the tracks I have forgotten about since the last time I threw this one. Snoop has good flow and silky smooth style but wow, his lyrics are just atrocious. I am fully aware 23 years ago the world was much different but the best albums improve with age, this crumbles apart and getting through the full 52 minutes is hard labor. I feel like I have a personal knowledge of Snoops nutz, weed habits and sexual abilities after this. It's a bit of a shame because the music presents a backbone for a classic but Snoop does not deliver. There are so many hip hop albums from several years surrounding 1993 that still sound beautiful, this is not one of them.Spirit Adrift Divided by DarknessA ton of great guitar and bass work, stellar production to accentuate all of that and a lot of good individual tracks of doom tinged heavy metal but an album as a whole that feels like it is missing something. Vocal melodies become very repetitive with time and overall the sound as a whole just feels too familiar despite the fact that there are so many good riffs and leads throughout 'Divided by Darkness'. 'Angel and Abyss' and the closing track 'The Way of Return' are standouts. Seemed like an album that would take off and warrant tons of replaying but the lack of standout vocal hooks and addictive melodies along with the somewhat repetitive riffing prevents that.Squarepusher Be Up a HelloStarts off strong with 'Oberlove' which features both great aggressive beats and a nice emotional melody. The next track 'Hitsonu' is similar but feels like a less superior version of the first track. Things continue this way until a more ambient track in 'Detroit People Mover' and then the album turns darker and peaks on 'Terminal Slam'. The beats are fast and chaotic throughout the record but they are simply not enough to make one want to revisit the record repeatedly as a handful of the tracks feature great melodic and atmospheric elements but some of the intermediate songs feel like filler. Fun for a few spins with a lot of great aggressive beats, some nice 8-bit elements and a few great melodies here and there but chaotic beats for 50 minutes at a time can get a bit samey and tiring.St. Vincent Daddy's HomeSvdestada CandelaSolid Spanish crusty black metal that rarely ever takes the foot off the gas pedal. For my ears a lot of the riffs and guitar leads feel samey throughout the 33 minutes and it kind of makes the album blend together. Great energy and intense vocal effort here but wishing for a bit more variance in the riffing.Swallow the Sun When a Shadow Is Forced into the LightGothic and death influenced Doom Metal that has some powerful moments but for the most part never breaks out of the shadows. A lot of this comes down to the clean singing where the melodies and lack of emotion at times is just flat out dull and too timid. Swallow the Sun is at their best on this record when they are trading the cleans with guttural screams but they stick to the low key cleans in most cases. It is obvious they are going for a slower paced and melancholic, sombre atmosphere on the majority of the record but in the end the more uptempo, energetic moments are the highlights of the record. The slower paced sections all blend together and approach generic in some cases. In terms of production just check out the review on the album page. The whole record feels very polished and "glossy", a perfect descriptor for how this one feels. The production doesn't fit the style of doom they are going for. There are definitely some great moments and vocal exchanges here but in the end they are too rare with most of the record being a low tempo, funeral slog that lacks memorable clean vocals and melodies.TDK ÐемеÑта'Ivane' and 'Petnayskata' deliver some really great avant-garde metal moments and awesome tension/release dynamics that result from a suspenseful, brooding and anxious atmosphere. Those tracks really deliver but the album as a whole just lacks the flow or other great moments beyond those two songs. A lot of potential here due to a unique, bizarre sound and a gripping vocalist.Tennis SwimmerPleasant is the one word I would use to describe this album. 'Need Your Love' and 'Runner' are great songs but beyond that the rest of the tracks sound very similar with a mix of twee guitars and thick 80s synths. The vocals are warm and soothing but the melodies really just fail to stick and become catchy even with repeated listening. An album you kind of wait and wait to take that next step and have it's signature moment or song but it doesn't quite come despite the record being well produced and solid overall.Thank You Scientist Stranger Heads PrevailNo need to thank me guys, I am just doing my job.rStranger Heads Prevail is reminiscent of Dogfish Head Brewing Company. Perhaps they should make a beer together. Throw a ton of wild stuff together and despite the fact that you clearly are really good at your craft and know what you are doing the final product often feels middle of the line or just above that. Thank You Scientist have their signature sound with elements of progressive rock, metal, ska, jazz, you name it but after sixty seven minutes none of that really sticks. The reason for that is the songwriting and production. Each song feels stuck in the same gear in the same general realm. Wild horns, jazzy grooves and Michael Jackson vocals but devoid of much emotion. Not the album of the year and also not trash like others harshly claim. Just another prog band that has strayed past powerful songwriting and out thought themselves.The Armed Perfect SaviorsOn 'Perfect Saviors' The Armed move more towards a noise rock, indie sound that honestly just kind of loses a lot of the edge that made some of their previous material great. 'Modern Vanity' is a great song and a reminder the group still has something left in the tank and for the most part nothing is offensively bad but it all kind of just blends together and catchy/important moments are hard to find outside of that track. Honestly what hit me in the face the hardest was the singing vocals that dominate the album and are about as milquetoast as it gets.The Black Dahlia Murder NightbringersThe most consistent train in melodeath keeps on rolling into the night with their eight consecutive full length released on an odd year since 2003. Over that whole time period The Black Dahlia Murder have evolved a lot but the last several releases sound familiar with standout tracks becoming harder and harder to pick out. BDM have a formula and they stick to it with Trevor Strnad being one of the best vocalists in the extreme metal business. The production here is about as good as it gets for the BDM discography; it has come a long way since the Miasma days and overall BDM's sound just gets tighter and tighter. Perhaps it has gotten just a bit too tight. The aggression is on full display and sans a few midtempo riffs in the title track and Kings of the Nightworld, things are somewhat indistinguishable unless you want to spend a lot of time with this record. This is despite a relatively short 33-minute runtime. BDM ain't broke so don't fix it but introduction of a few fresh elements to the music could go a long way or this might become the classic band you go out to see live and spend less time with the new records. Go see them live, they are incredibly entertaining. Checkout 'Nightbrigers', 'Kings of the Nightworld' and 'As Good As Dead'.The Body I’ve Seen All I Need To SeeThe Claypool Lennon Delirium South of RealityPsychedelic rock with some proggy/artsy styling as Sean Lennon provides vocals that mimic his father's and Les Claypool's brings his signature bass flair, the latter being less effective than the former. 'South of Reality" is an up and down affair with the obvious highlights being Blood Rockets and Amethyst Realm. The rest of the tracks are pretty good but sometimes the duo gets too outright goofy for its own good with the play fullness failing to add anything valuable to the experience; the lyrics can especially be tough to swallow at times (Boriska, Easily Charmed by Fools for ex.). Going into this record the Claypool bass might be highly anticipated but in the end it doesn't always meld in with the very psychedelic guitars and vocals and at times feels downright thrust into the forefront of the mix just because it is Les Claypool, a bit more restraint would have gone a long way here. Heavy Beatles vibes but the band does explore the proggy sides of psych rock allowing songs to wander and develop with less adherence to traditional song structure. Cool for a few listens but as one grows more fond of Lennon's contributions to the mixture Claypool's feel more and more out of place.The Coathangers ScrambleThe least memorable effort from The Coathangers. The production is somewhat lackluster and this album lacks something that the group usually is very good at, track variance. Generally their albums have 4-5 tracks that really stand out and almost demand being replayed over and over but this one doesn't have as many of those standouts. Stop Stomp Stompin', Toomerhead and Pussywillow are a good place to start for a sampler. Still punky garage rock, still a lot of fun, still great mingling between the two vocalists and still has the charming silliness that the Coathangers capture so well but the production and the overall quality of the tracks are the least compelling of their discography.The Coathangers ParasiteThe new tracks on here give a great preview of what is to come, hopefully, from The Coathangers with solid production accentuating the blend of garage punk and indie rock they have become known for. Parasite is more on par with Suck My Shirt and hints at the band blending more punk elements back into their sound but keeping up with the cleaner production and songwriting of Nosebleed Weekend. Half point deducted for 1/3 of the EP runtime being a slight variation of a recent track; a micro EP with this left off would have come off as a stronger release. This band is consistent and the future looks bright.The Courtneys IIII marks a bit of a shift in The Courtneys' nineties indie rock/pop sound with a more matured, pointed approach which sacrifices some of the charm and natural feeling of what made the self-titled debut great. Much of the dropoff comes in a different vocal approach, increased production efforts and overall composition. The vocals come off as a bit too lax and they do not command as much attention as on the self-titled. The production places the vocals at a distance and adds a fuzziness to the guitars which makes The Courtneys sound a lot more like many of their contemporaries on II. These effects could be strong when used sparingly but they are utilized in every single track. Also, the vocals and guitars aren't as gripping as they were on the debut and it exposes the underlying composition which has many of the riffs sounding similar throughout II. There are some gems here like Mars Attacks and Silver Velvet, and on the whole The Courtneys present a solid, re-playable 38 minutes of tracks but lose some of the natural, bratty feel which made their self-titled fun. The Dillinger Escape Plan DissociationMaybe it is a personal issue but these types of albums, the summation of a band's career, always feel so forgetful. Calculating Infinity and to a slightly lesser degree Miss Machine are bonafide important albums which will forever cement Dillinger as having a deserved place to be remembered in music history. Not only were those albums fresh and unique, they had excellent pace, songwriting and experimental sounds. Considering how different they are from each other, it is amazing they came out back to back, albeit 5 years apart with different lineups. Recalling those records highlights the issue with Dissociation. The entire album feels like it was borrowed from the past. Sure, the songs are actually quite good and well written but it is hard to not hear Miss Machine and Calculating Infinity in almost every single moment of this album. One cannot expect a band to do something fresh on every single release but the overall package here is not good enough, dragging on a bit, to warrant excellency.The Soft Moon CriminalThe Soft Moon returns after a few years with Criminal, a follow-up to 2015's Deeper, which it emulates quite a bit and fails to really improve upon. Familiar chunky and mechanical industrial electronics are paired with anxious atmosphere in a post-punk industrial darkwave sound. Criminal starts off strong with two of the most rhythmic tracks on the record before beginning a long march towards the finish of a dragging 39 minutes. Fuzzy production, piercing electronic leads and obscured, echoed vocals quickly saturate the palate and the songs sound all too familiar after the first few. Vasquez deserves credit because his sound is distinct in the modern music landscape but he must find more dynamic songwriting to further evolved The Soft Moon.The Zenith Passage DatalysiumThe theme of the album, the musicianship and the overall sound are nice but I always find myself having a hard time getting into tech death metal albums with the rapid fire vocals that track with the instruments at 200bpm 16th notes. It all just ends up sounding too synchronized.Turnstile Time and SpaceUpbeat and aggressive NY style hardcore with vibes of Fugazi throughout. Turnstile impress when they have the speed turned up and the vocalist yelling but fail to accomplish as much with some of the tracks that branch into more diverse instrumentation and more clean vocals. The true exception to this is Moon which really hits the nail on the head for what they were going for outside of the total hardcore tracks. High Pressure is one to remember but beyond that there are a lot of good songs but nothing that will change the lives of anyone that is seasoned in hardcore.Tyler, the Creator Call Me If You Get LostU.S. Girls Heavy LightJust kind of feels incomplete and for the most part the songs follow a very similar production/style/overall mood. Where 'In a Poem Unlimited' felt free flowing and filled with experimental tracks and straight catchy bangers this feels like a much more formulaic and repetitive psychedelic pop record. '4 American Dollars' is a great track but not quite a SOTY candidate and that is another issue here, it doesn't really carry the signature tracks that you will keep on a playlist for years to come. The spoken words feel like filler in an album that is short and lacks content but overall there really isn't a bad song on here, just nothing over the top excellent. Starts off strong in the first three tracks and peaks again with 'And Yet It Moves / Y se mueve' but the rest isn't quite enough to keep the whole runtime all that memorable.Urfaust The Constellatory PracticeExtremely ritualistic and repetitive atmospheric droning doom which finds great strength in having a massive and powerful sound but falls flat where only several of the riffs and moments are truly worth repeating to the nth (n= 20-100) time. Urfaust are unique. They mix a doom instrumental base with very spectral, priestly and operatic vocals to create a very spacey, occult and hypnotic atmosphere. Something you might expect to find in a fictitious cathedral or sounds you could honestly meditate to. One of the impressive things is they do this without any major use of guttural or shrieking vocals and very much doom metal production qualities. On the downside, Urfaust stick to a small bag of tricks and really don't produce too many breathtaking passages in the 53 minutes of music. Obviously in this droning style things will be repetitive but The Constellatory Practice just doesn't build and relieve tension as well as other records of similar nature.Vince Staples Summertime '06Vince himself is great job all around with a natural, smooth flow and smart lyrics portraying an ominous summertime. The beats: the deepness, darkness and minimalist approach is strong but at times leaves things to be desired; honestly boring at times but brilliant sometimes as well. Plenty of content with the second, especially after Might Be Wrong (save for C.N.B), disc being the weakness of the album. Get Paid, Street Punks and Hang N' Bang bring the average down, these tracks are just straight misses and lack the emotion and creativity found on the highlight tracks like: Lift Me Up, Birds & Bees, Loca, Jump Off The Roof, C.N.B. Very up and down and falls just short of being a great overall album considering I would omit almost a third of it for general listening.Vince Staples Big Fish TheoryFantastic beats paired with same old Vince. Perhaps it is too much to ask but Vince seems to approach almost every song since Summertime '06 with the same plan. He seems bored or uninterested, sticks to a similar flow, uses the same tone and raps about the same few topics. He is a good rapper for sure but this album has some of the best beats and production for a hip hop album of recent memory and it seems like they mailed it in in the rap department. A lot of solid tracks but an end to end listen feels like you are getting the same rap over and over again with different, great at times, hooks and beats. More guest sections and some variation from Vince could have put this one over the top as the beats are to die for.Vylet Pony Cutiemarks (And the Things That Bind Us)Vylet Pony Can Opener’s Notebook: Fish Whisperer'ANGELFISH' and 'the yak song' feel like prime examples of what this artist is capable of but in the end there is not enough highs like those in the hour of music presented here. Shoutouts to 'the hippogriff festival' as well. Clearly some real potential here but more consistency is necessary.Wardruna KvitravnWaste of Space Orchestra SyntheosisA whole lot going on in some insane, atmospheric mashup of doom/sludge/prog/avant metal and space/psych rock but in the end the album is kind of boring. That is going a bit too far but for a record that spends much of its time wandering in spacey, slow-paced atmospheric metal it is ironic that the best songs are the more focused, uptempo tracks rather than the long-winded exploratory stuff. Sometimes less is more and here it seems like where the band seems focused it pays off but when they try to get too convoluted and whacky wtih the influences the tracks aren't as rewarding to listen to.Westside Gunn Pray for ParisThe potential feels like it is there but if anything on the whole 'Pray for Paris' ends up feeling inconsistent and frontloaded. 'George Bondo' and '327' start the album very, very strong with some great guest features and songs that feel polished with shiny beats and nice production. The one issue this brings up is the best verses on the album come from Benny the Butcher, Tyler the Creator and Freddie Gibbs overshadowing Westside Gunn. The beats feel luxurious and often feature pianos and sometimes horns, choir vocals and other live instruments. They are nice but don't always suit Westside Gunn's style. He finds a nice groove in 'French Toast' but 'Versace', 'LE Djoliba' and 'Claiborne Kick' kind of fall flat despite having interesting beats and production. The adlibs are fun the first few times around but eventually it gets old hearing the same gun sound impression and skrrrrrrt boom booo boom boom for the 1000th time. Also, the monologue in 'Party with Pop Smoke' is supposed to be shocking/disturbing? It kind of comes off as an 8th grader trying to write something violent and edgy and is just a skip track.rWhite Lung ParadiseParadise is a record with a lot of good parts but the sum of those parts do not reach their full potential. The vocals are quality and suit the rest of the band well but May ends up sticking to the same style for most of the runtime and it ends up being repetitive. The guitars rip and roar with speed and bright riffs but riff to riff many of the songs become too similar. For instance, Below and Hungry really stand out compared to the rest and it would be extremely refreshing if more outlying tracks like that were featured. Tight songwriting but once again not much variation. Lastly, the production just feels a bit too smooth for the music the band is playing; it comes off as oddly dreamy for an angsty punk album. Enough with the negatives. White Lung have created some memorable tracks here with greatness in Narcoleptic, Below and Kiss Me When I Bleed. The album also has great pacing but in the end it suffers towards the second half where it fizzes out and loses the steam created in those earlier tracks.Wiegedood De Doden Hebben Het Goed IIA black metal album worth listening to a couple of times but one that will likely not be remembered for very long. Everything here is pretty much your standard black metal approach and for the most part well executed but as a whole nothing sticks out as all that memorable or very original. Perhaps just a bit too many fast tremolo riffs without much to refresh and interest the listener as it progresses; it could certainly be more dynamic vocally and instrumentally.Wiegedood There's Always Blood at the End of the RoadFinds some great momentum between tracks 2-5 but outside of that a lot of it feels quite repetitive without being the type of repetitive that brings any kind of satisfying or important resolution or transition. Really enjoy "Until It Is Not" and "Now Will Always Be".Wode Servants of the CountercosmosStraight up black metal outfit from the UK who bring a mostly traditional sound on 'Servant of the Countercosmos' that is littered with minimal hints of melo/trash in the guitars. On their second album, Wode deliver a short 31 minute barrage of aggressive, ominous BM with an in your face vocalist sounding somewhere between 90s black and death metal. The vocal approach is constant for the entire album and overall is one of the least appealing parts of this record. The guitar work here is rather good but the individual riffs are neither groundbreaking or overly compelling. The bass sticks out in the mix but is clearly in a support role here for the guitars; it is neither distracting or something that adds a lot to the sound. Servant to the Countercosmos (really not sure what "countercosmos" actually means...) is a solid effort for a modern traditional BM record but in the end a few listens is enough as the riffs and vocals are good but not all that memorable.Wolfbrigade Run With The HuntedA crusty D-beat album in 2017 that runs just under 27 minutes; always worth a shot for those that delve into this corner of the music realm. Wolfbrigade are a heavy version (plenty of the metal side here) of the aforementioned and have no shortage of energy and aggression but when all is said and done repetitive vocals and songwriting keep listeners from running with the pack for all that long. D-beat by definition is kind of repetitive but strong riff writing and a convincing vocal performance can lead to greatness. Here Wolfbrigade is good in both categories but never succeeds to turn heads with the music. An excellent live performance could be a game-changer here but this album doesn't put them in the high priority part of the see-live list.Xiu Xiu ForgetFORGET brings an anxious and dark atmosphere with a sound that draws from art pop, post-industrial, rock and noise centered very much around main man Jamie Stewart. For the most part the music is by far the most interesting thing as it takes on an almost surreal and ominous feel at times if you allow yourself to get lost in it. Unfortunately the album starts off with some of the worst lyrics in recent memory akin to something peers of around the 5th grade age would think of and ends with a spoken word sorta thing that feels too pretentious to be taken seriously; it just feels like this person is trying to hard to make the next artsy masterpiece and nowhere near natural. Memorable music and atmosphere, bleh frontman.Yo La Tengo Stuff Like That ThereFun times getting logged out when pressing submit... anyways. Veterans Yo La Tengo deliver us a natural, gentle blend of folk, country and alt-indie-rock on Stuff Like That There as soothing vocal harmonies seamlessly blend into twangy guitars. The chemistry between the husband-wife duo is especially apparent here and the best part of the album. Is it anything eye-popping and revolutionary? No, considering since it is almost all cover songs (of their own and others). Is it a soothing and solid album to play on a lazy relaxing morning, snowy day or when a crowd of just about anyone is visiting? Yes, very much so. Almost all of the songs are good but my personal favorites are: My Heart's Not In It, Im So Lonesome, Friday I'm In Love, Butchie's Tune, Automatic Doom and Somebody's In Love.YOB Our Raw HeartOur Raw Heart has a lot of powerful moments but it also has a lot of filler that really makes the album needlessly long and at times even boring. This effort from YOB is downtempo, sombre sludge-doom metal that takes its time sticking to slower tempos and a melancholy atmosphere throughout the runtime. YOB get heavier in The Screen and Original Face, which are great standalone tracks that somehow get lost between the longer songs on the album. There is a lot of heart and passion in the three longest tracks and the vocalist does well to match the musical atmosphere but in the end these songs just go on and on without much sense of direction or purpose. YOB have all of the elements for greatness here but some condensation and songwriting focus are needed to make Our Raw Heart one to remember.Young Thug JEFFERYJEFFERY is another good effort from Young Thug that incorporates all sorts of fresh style and a wealth of different producers which leads to his most sonically diverse record to date. Each song feels like a whole new experience and this writing approach is perhaps the strongest aspect of the album as a whole. Young Thug covers so much ground in 10 tracks. Despite that obvious strength, the album as a whole lacks the masterful hooks that his previous albums have had and the beats just don't hit has hard; they feel somewhat muddled and washed out at times. Young Thug took a more serious approach here and it feels like that is to his detriment as some of his wild personality is lost and the lyrics just don't ingrain themselves in the listener's head as on Barter 6 or Slime Season 3. If Young Thug could find some sort of middle ground between this approach and those used on the last few mixtapes it would yield something truly amazing. Most of the tracks are good but it is hard to really pick one that shines above the rest.Your Old Droog PacksPotential. Your Old Droog has the potential to be a great rap artist: the beats are classic East Coast boom bap, the flow is polished, the lyrics come fast and convey Droog's own experiences and ideas. With that being said, this album on the grand scale sounds a bit too much like the great era of East Coast hip hop. It conjures up too many thoughts of the past and leaves Droog without his own true identity. Grandma Hips and Bangladesh are hits whereas White Rappers, My Girl is a Boy and You Can Do It! (Give Up) are misses. Also, the skits are so unnecessary on this album; they are neither fun or interesting.Yves Tumor Heaven To A Tortured MindNot a whole lot to say here. Both the music and backup vocalists outshine Yves' vocal performances in many instances. He just kind of talks along a lot and sounds bored while in the backdrop you have some pretty intense music. Contrast like this can work in music but here it often doesn't. Kerosene! and Dream Palette are really great songs because of the instrumental and backup vocalist performances more than Yves. The opening track is also quite nice but outside of those there isn't a whole lot to look back on and get hooked on and the production leaves too much blurriness and a vocal dominated mix. Three pretty stellar tracks but on the whole not an essential listen.Zebra Katz Less Is MoorWorth checking out if only for the beats, production and the unique ominous, industrial sort of atmosphere in this experimental hip hop record. Zebra Katz is able to rap well in multiple flows and on a variety of different tracks but his lyrics are very hit or miss and his delivery is very monotone leading to your attention being stolen by the great beats. The raunchy lyrics work on some tracks, specifically the highlights of the album "IN IN IN" and "LICK IT N SPLIT" but in general they often feel like shock factor over substance. "ISH", "ZAD DRUMZ", "MOOR" and "SLEEPN" also tracks worth looking at. Love the beats and atmosphere but the rapping itself could improve.2.5 averageA Forest of Stars Grave Mounds and Grave MistakesBlack metal meets Victorian folk meets prog/avant metal meets a lead vocalist named Mister Curse who is sure to divide those who happen upon "Grave Mounds and Grave Mistakes". A Forest of Stars are a unique outfit with a sound that you will have a hard time finding elsewhere. Violins and cellos join synth elements book-ending a black metal base sound all in support of one of the more theatrical vocalists you will find in the black metal world. Mister Curse will not be everyone's cup of tea because he may come off as tortured genius artist to some and the kid who tried way to hard in English class to others. At times his shrieks really compliment the creepy atmosphere but the more he rants and gets involved the more tiresome it becomes and at times approaches laughable with his use of curse words. On the whole Mister Curse is just a bit too much to be taken seriously. Grave Mounds... has its moments but on the whole it drags on too long and the songwriting is too jolting with black metal voyages randomly interspersed with folk passages without much sense of marriage between the two. On top of that the production accentuates Mister Curse and the violins drastically more than anything else and you almost forget they have a bassist and drummer at times. A nice idea for genre blending but this album just becomes way too easy to stop paying attention to for a 64 minute journey.All That Remains Behind Silence and SolitudeMelodic death metal, stress the first part, and Metalcore meet up on a debut with extremely rough-at-the-edges production and the weakest vocals on an ATR album preceding Phil's addiction to auto tuning. The strength of this release is certainly in the rhythm guitar sections where they find balance between grooves, thrash and melody. It is also worth noting the heart felt guitar solos. A decent blueprint that somehow would turn into two stellar metalcore records that launched ATR to the top of the game. Worth listening to a few times if you are looking to relive the history of Western MA metalcore or a giant genre fan. Sadly, after a few times through it gets extremely repetitive and the track diversity is truly lacking. From These Wounds, Follow, Clarity and One Belief are highlights.Arcane Existence The Dark CurseA melodic and symphonic black metal release that at times feels closer to melo death metal considering the guitar work and production. The album is apparently a concept work about the show Once Upon a Time and at some points in the music you can tell they are going for this effect. The mood and atmosphere are brooding and evil and at times it goes a bit too far. Often the chimes and symphonic elements feel artificial and crowd the listener basically forcing you to feel what they are going for. Honestly some of the instrumentation and symphonic bits make the overall effect akin to evil Christmas music, probably not what they were aiming for. The vocalists do well to contrast each other with a good mix of clean and growling takes. In the end the riffs and vocals are rather solid and the synth elements end up taking away from what was established by the former.Beach House Once Twice MelodyBeach House have had many really great moments throughout their decorated career but I just don't see how this record is a step up from their last one. I listened to this record a few times and really fail to recall a single moment from it. Going through it again now, my feelings remain unchanged. It is Beach House... what do you do when a group has carved out their sound so hard that you feel like you have heard it all before a million times? Long and samey and why are there 4 discs?Benighted NecrobreedA collection of great musicians who are certainly beyond proficient in making high-tempo Brutal Death Metal/Deathgrind tracks which ultimately lack a signature sound to bring Benighted above the rest of the game. If what you seek is 38 minutes of repetitive brutal madness saturated with indiscriminate yelling, gurgling and screaming accompanied by endless billion bpm blast beats this might be for you. The vocalist uses a varied approach but in the end none of them really come off as unique or something to grasp onto. Ironically the song with Mr. Strnad of BDM is far and away the best track here and the only one worth going back to several times. A bit of time invested in songwriting and using the brutal approach in a more varied way might give these talented instrumentalists the much needed lift to the next level. Until then at the end of the album you could be left wondering, what about that chaos do I remember?Between the Buried and Me Coma EclipticWhere there is classic BTBAM and innovative riffs on this album there is 2-3x more space filled with things that are re-hashed or just not memorable. The great transitions are seemingly gone or overshadowed by messy ones that make it seem like they are just trying too hard now. Supposedly a deeper concept lies beneath but the music doesn't make me interested to spend more time diving into it. Fun at times but ultimately a sloppy letdown for this group. Highlights: The Coma Machine through Famine Wolf; The Ectopic Stroll is the worst song in their discography. (I have listened to BTBAM more than any other band over the last 10 years).Bloodbound War of DragonsAn enjoyable listen and all around a solid power metal album but after one listen that is enough. War of Dragons uses every old trick in the power metal arsenal and the overall experience sounds like an amalgamation of everything that has been accomplished in the genre previously; Bloodbound lack their own identity. Lyrics about flying in the sky, arpeggios ripping along, birds chirping along to synth flutes, a vocalist who wouldn't stand out in a power metal police lineup and standard modern metal production that lacks any beef in the sound, it just feels thin. Battle in the Sky and Dragons are Forever are the most energetic and consequently end up being the best tracks here. Bloodbound do nothing overtly bad but they do not stand out in the pack.Callisto Secret YouthSecret Youth by Callisto combines prog rock, sludge, post metal and atmospheric sounds into a pleasant listen but one that really does not demand replaying. While the guitars, production and songwriting are solid the vocals are not memorable and do not enhance the sound of the group. Personally I do not prefer clean vocals or growls over the other but here the few moments of heavy screams trump the other 90% of the album which is par for the course singing. After giving this one a spin every few weeks over the last few months only Ghostwritten, Lost Prayer and Backbone stand out and compared to other albums of 2015 they often get skipped. The first listen had me intrigued but repeated sampling only exposed how this album doesn't really conjure up many great moments and the whole experience ends up blending together into a generic hour.Carach Angren Dance and Laugh Amongst the RottenDance and Laugh Amongst the Rotten is a fitting title for the musical package contained in Carach Angren's newest release. The album is first and foremost a symphonic horror story concept and secondarily black metal. Symphonic arrangements are present during the entire 41 minutes and overall the album sounds like a poor man's black metal version of a horror Christmas/holiday movie. Many of the main issues for this album revolve around the frontman. The approach to BM vocals is very dry and stale with hardly any variation. When the lyrics can be deciphered it is often hard to take any of them seriously and they are extremely literal. One moment sticks out is the part where he mentions countries and the gem "United States.... OF AMERICA" comes out. Moments like this pull the listener out of the concept/story that is going on and serve as a distraction. The album is truly just not evil enough for what they are seemingly going for. Oddly enough, the parts where the vocalist is more incomprehensible shine with good beefy guitar riffs and sometimes excellent symphonic elements. That being said, the songwriting itself is sometimes too haywire and the lack of structure serves as a weakness to the album as a whole. Before the first half is over the entire bag of tricks is used and for a short runtime this one drags on. Cheesy vocals but some good metal lies underneath that fans of traditional black metal are sure to hate.CHAI ChaiFound this randomly from a poster for an upcoming show at a venue and decided to check it out. Don't know a ton about CHAI but it seems like they used to be more dance-punk and now have become more synthy dance-pop. Perhaps they should have stuck with more of an edge/punk sound because this is just about as middle of the road as it gets for dance pop. The synths are bored, the vocals are timid and it just feels disinterested without being purposefully so. Just feels like a release for the sake of a release and not much energy or passion put into the project.Chance the Rapper Coloring BookWith the star-studded lineup found on Coloring Book, being one of the best rap albums in a long time should be no problem. Well unfortunately outside of No Problem, the album is run-of-the-mill pop rap with heavy gospel, soul and all of god's grace sown in. After hearing Chance's masterpiece verse in Kanye's 'Ultralight Beam', it seemed like a no brainer that a great Chance solo album would be natural. Unfortunately the album has a forgettable track for every good to great one. The most impressive part of the album is the sheer amount of diverse styles with everything from Trap to full on Gospel. Sadly this falls short as the album progresses, the gospel and Christian elements are seemingly shoved down the listeners throat and it becomes tiring. Everyone rejoice, rejoice, rejoice; we get it. Impressive lineup, instrumentation and production but somehow the frontman (is it Chance or Jesus?) becomes lost and has left his best work on The Life of Pablo. Children of Bodom BlooddrunkBlooddrunk seems like an album where Children of Bodom played it a bit too safe and were rather tired and out of fresh ideas. This release coincided with a blow up in popularity and despite some classic Laiho riffs and soloing the overall song structure is very predictable like they were trying to reach a broader audience. Blooddrunk feels like CoB is caught between their masterful ways of 'Follow the Reaper' and 'Hatebreeder' and overproduced metal meant for business. Blooddrunk is not poor by any means but it hardly demands any attention and CoB lose some of their signature identity especially in the songwriting and production. Hellhounds, Blooddrunk and Banned From Heaven are worth a listen now and again but the rest is truly par for the course considering how dominant Laiho was in the metal scene in the decade preceding this record.Demon Eye Tempora InfernaliaA difficult record to judge. On one hand you have excellent riffs which flow seamlessly throughout the album, shining in simplicity and providing great song structure being an obvious throwback to past metal gods like Priest, Maiden and Sabbath. On the other hand you have vocals which sound truly uninspired and lyrics that are obvious and lack vision. Considering how great many of the diverse bluesy riffs turn out to be there are great expectations for the singer. If you are going to emulate the past you have to be great to stand out, the band does that here while the singer does not. Highlights: Listen to the Darkness, Poison Garden, Give Up The Ghost.Disillusion The LiberationIf this is one of the best progressive metal releases of 2019 it feels like it must be an off year for the genre in some ways. Cutting to the chase, the vocals on this album just ruin the immersion. The songwriting feels adventurous and you weave through different worlds as the album runs on. The guitars shine in both the heavy and more melodic passages with nice harmonies and memorable riffs. It has the base of a good prog metal record but the non-clean/guttaral vocals as well as the lyrics weaken the experience. They just sound like someone trying to do a tough guy voice and often feel pasted on the music in awkward rhythms (see: The Great Unknown). At times 'The Liberation' takes you into an epic world of prog metal but the vocals hinder that effect too much in the long run.Dragony Viribus UnitisAbout as by-the-books as it could get for power/symphonic metal. You have heard this before even if you haven't listened to this record yet. Some really nice guitar solos and riffs and the vocals are really proficient but the songs themselves are just forgettable even a week or two after your last spin.Eefje de Visser NachtlichtArt pop with some electronics and plenty of singing. Nachtlicht seems to alternate between dreamy, ambient singing tracks with tame atmospheres to slightly upbeat pop jams with a steady electronic beat. The latter standout perhaps because they literally provide the pulse of the album when mixed in with the timid approach of many of the songs. Mee, Stof, Jong and Wel are all good tracks worth revisiting but as a whole the album doesn't provide much in the way of extra playbacks.Electric Eye Different SunElectric Eye's Different Sun is a solid Psych Rock album with some spacey elements throw in for good measure. It might suffice as a great hommage to the 60s and some of the 70s but it really ends up coming off as been-done-before. Ironically the best track, Mercury Rise, literally sounds like I have heard it a thousand times before but damn is it catchy. Beyond that Silent by the River is the only other track that really stands out. Production is one of the best parts of this one and they really do a good job capturing a spacey atmosphere while integrating many different tracks. Good album with a few shining moments but nothing to hook the listener.Eminem Music to Be Murdered ByGood beats, energy/atmosphere and Eminem's technical skills are still right up there with anyone else but it just feels like he has been out of ideas for a while and skating by on his rap abilities alone. Honestly he makes some good points about gun violence in 'Darkness' and where are we that Eminem has to do this in 2020 considering the topics of his best work 20 years go, wild. On other songs he misses the mark (Stepdad, Farewell) whether its the lyrical content or the singing in the hooks. If anything, we have learned by now, well like 10 years ago that Eminem is angry, the whole entire schtick and persona is just old now. The edgy stuff just doesn't work anymore and isn't funny most of the time. Never truly horrible and there are plenty of good moments here but it is not hard to empathize with people dragging this through the mud.Endon Boy Meets GirlEndon retain their experimental, noisy approach on 'Boy Meets Girl' but lose a lot of the qualities that made their previous effort 'Through the Mirror' so great. A lot of Boy Meets Girl, to put it bluntly, sounds like Endon just fucking around in the studio while Taichi Nagura screams, cries, shrieks and delivers painful and intense vocals. The production and instrumentation, especially in the guitars, is very underwhelming at times and feels like it was thrown together haphazardly with very little focus or effort. The noise aspects of the album are still well done and without them this album would actually be hilarious considering some of the very run-of-the-mill guitar riffs. So why isn't this just bad? The vocals as mentioned are one-of-a-kind, Nagura grabs your attention and translates pain through a microphone with the best of them. Some of the songs have decent ups and downs and tension dynamics. Doubts as a Source starts off with a shitty guitar chugging along before Nagura begins to rapidly breath and writhe his vocal chords through the best section of the album before the song devolves into a symphony of shrieks and cries. A great journey and the longest track on the album. Heart Shaped Brain also sticks out as an uptempo, violent noise track. It has the energy that some of the rest of the record lacks. A fair effort from Endon but honestly a truly massive step down from the grand, focused Through the Mirror.Equipoise DemiurgusAmazing instrumentalists meet uninteresting songwriting, a massive lack of any soul and an overall effort that is much too long and samey throughout the 63 minutes of high energy, complex death metal. Equipoise is a pretty young outfit but it is very apparent they do not lack drive or talent. Whether it be piano, vocals (throaty lows, shrieks), guitars, bass or piano they are extremely gifted in playing these instruments. It all just feels too ambitious. There is rarely breathing room or any time for ideas to develop. The hyperspeed playing is glorious but it all eventually blurs together and they fail to create that riff, bridge or solo that you want to go back to and revisit time and time again. Further beyond that is the production. It is probably extremely challenging to mix an album where every single player is a star but the piano, strings and bass just feel forced into the limelight at times. There is no problem with a loud bass or piano in this genre but everything feels like it was tossed into a blender at times. Ambitious with obvious potential but it feels like Equipoise lack focus.Every Time I Die RadicalHooded Menace Ossuarium Silhouettes UnhallowedHeavily melodic doom metal with death metal accents in the vocals and guitar work. The overall sound is good but after a few tracks of the a long-feeling 46 minutes Hooded Menace seem to run out of ideas. Slow dirge followed by groovy doom riff followed by dense and lonely, fuzzy melodic leads; the songwriting and variation leaves a lot to be desired. Some uptempo riffs are sprinkled in throughout but they aren't enough to break up the constant slow barrage of drawn out leads that sound extremely familiar from track to track. On the whole, the vocals feel secondary in the mix and the long tracks feel long for the sake of being long. Perhaps worth a stop for the death-doom aficionados, which based on other comments and reviews seem few and far between.Hum InletThe extremely hyped release that everyone loves but you just can't seem to understand winner of 2020, for me. The vocals are monotone and sleep inducing. 55 minutes pass and at any given moment you'd be hard pressed to separate one track from the next, unbelievably too long and samey. Has some great riffs and production at times but none of this justifies the lull that is brought on before the midway point of the album is even reached.Hurray For The Riff Raff Life on EarthThe lyrics and the vocals make it pretty tough to get through this one but musically its not actually half bad and some of the tunes can be pretty catchy.IDLES TANGKAbout as middle of the road of artsy rock/post-punk as it gets. Outside of 'Dancer' and 'Gift Horse' there really isn't much here that evokes the raw emotion and catchiness that IDLES was so good at providing previously. TANGK feels like a band running out of ideas that met with a fancy new producer to pivot direction and is just hanging on by a thread. Bands should and can successfully change their style but here it just leads to a very mediocre record end to end.Infernal Coil Within a World ForgottenPropose a genre for the latest Infernal Coil album and you might start a war. 'Within a World Forgotten' is a dark, ominous and very atmospheric record with death, grind and black metal influences with the always present argument as to whether something is 'War Metal'. Semantics aside this record is dense and chaotic with extremely abrasive and raw production. Indeed, the mics do sound like they have been covered in mud and the vocalist sounds like he is 100 yards away recording in a bog. While the musicians here create excellent atmosphere that is kind of all they do. The songs are directionless and the record just feels like a 35 minute blur of intense chaotic metal. The vocals are entirely forgettable and at times you might not even notice there is a vocalist. Terrifying atmospherically, and probably insane live, but in the end its a big samey slog.Janelle Monae The Age of PleasureFor an artist that seemingly has put a ton of effort and dedication into their past work, 'The Age of Pleasure' just comes off as so thrown together and nonchalant. Nothing offensively bad here besides some of the sexy time lyrics that again feel lazy but nothing that even remotely stands out either. Didn't know Janelle had a new album coming out and I kind of wish I didn't realize there was one.Kamaiyah Got It MadeNot a ton to say here. The beats are your average West Coast beats. The rhymes and hooks are not nearly as interesting or catchy as they were on "A Good Night in the Ghetto" where they felt more personal and story driven. The guest spot in 1-800-I'm-Horny is hilarious for all of the wrong reasons and takes away from what is a pretty good track overall. Kamaiyah just sounds bored and disinterested for a lot of this release and the music follows suit so it is no surprise that this mixtape is mostly forgettable. It felt like Kamaiyah had extreme potential after her 2016 release but after four years it is hard to imagine her returning to that form or elevating above it. Rarely overtly bad with some bright spots in 'Pressure' and 'Set It Up'.Kanye West yeAt first ye felt really disappointing due to the fact that there just isn't much content and it doesn't have that grandiose feel that Kanye has been so successful at providing with his best work. Also, it goes without saying Kanye's ego and antics have reached a level where things have gotten a bit more uncomfortable supporting him. It is basically impossible to see any hint of the man that made College Dropout in Kanye now. That being said, most of the album is quite solid musically with solid guest spots supporting Kanye and some memorable lyrics/hooks here and there. It feels very up close and personal and that is one of the biggest strengths of this album. More mellow and minimal beats and arrangements with the clear production allows for that to happen. The album feels a bit too one note as a whole and once again, if you don't care for the Kanye madness/ego saga it is hard to care for much of the lyrics. Also, while Violent Crimes is musically quite nice, the theme of the lyrics and some of the lyrics are just bad; "I only learned to treat women as people once I realized my daughter will be hot some day and men will be after her," ugh.Killer Mike MichaelWas very excited to see Killer Mike releasing another solo album after RAP Music. It turns out a lot changes in 11 years (how was that 11 years ago?!) and this record is more of a confused album that seems in between Killer Mike's aggressive in your face style and more mainstream rap. It also seems like Killer Mike is less interested in sticking up for the disenfranchised at this juncture and more interested in re-telling awkward personal stories from decades ago that confuse the listener even more as to what this guy stands for. It just feels like cuts were taken from two different albums or recording sessions and mashed together because there are some really good tracks here but also like what is half of this?King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard Infest the Rats' NestLocal Natives Sunlit YouthAnother random pick and another Indie Rock, Synthpop blend comes out of the woodwork. Better than what Grouplove was able to do but as a whole it still feels fairly generic and if one was to skim through the 45min of content most of it would sound pretty much the same. Credit must be given for the fact that the album has nice production and there is a general soul to it, which can't be said for other anthemic, Indie Pop efforts. Dark Days is probably the only truly memorable track because most of the rest of the songs just blend together into a synth-heavy, male cooing amalgamation.Mammoth Grinder Cosmic CryptDeath metal and D-beat come together to sound, well, like pretty standard Death metal with a very repetitive drum beat. Mammoth Grinder's overall sound on this album is certainly not mammoth as the production and song variation leave room for improvement. Despite having a tight mix of styles none of the songs come off as instantly memorable and they all tend to blend into a crusty, muddy amalgam as the vocalist takes the same approach to every word and the guitar riffs are all rather similar. More dynamic vocals would be huge and the production leaves the mix dusty and obscured as the vocalist sounds like they are standing in a tunnel around the corner from the mic. Skip around to any point in the album and you probably wouldn't know where you are unless you listen to this many times. Unfortunately not as dynamic of a sound as needed for a somewhat simple songwriting approach despite having a tight deathy Dbeat old school hardcore sound.Marina Love + FearMarina talks about nearly quitting making music and the comes back to release a 16 track double album and the approach just does not pay off for LOVE + FEAR. Had there been 4-5 less tracks (trimming away the very generic 'Orange Trees' and the truly bad 'To Be Human' alone would go miles here) it might have been a different story, but hindsight is 20/20. While Froot was so bright and dynamic, this output is so safe and generic in many ways. The beats are very lackluster and certainly never the focal piece of the experience; the bass tone is so dull and the drums sound like a pre-programmed piece. Marina's vocals are clean and well executed but she fails to emit passion or inspire and the hooks are OK but never top notch (thinking back to I'm A Ruin it seems like another artist entirely). For the most part the tracks are passable and often good with standouts like Handmade Heaven, Superstar, Baby and Believe in Love (this one really grows with time, maybe the best overall track) but there are many that you will just forget exist and the offenders mentioned above. LOVE + FEAR just feels like it lacks focus and its sound is centered around a very grey and timid palate beyond a few standout tracks that bring the energy and unique style Marina had in the past.Potty Mouth SNAFUDecent hooks here and there. Good vocal and guitar melodies as well as some nice riffs on most of the tracks. On the whole it is just pretty generic pop punk/power pop and the vocals don't really ever feel enthusiastic which hurts in a genre like this. Starry Eyes is an excellent song but a lot of the other songs lack energy and feel like something you have heard many times before.Progenie Terrestre Pura oltreLunaA dense, atmospheric blend of proggy black metal with unique electronic elements resulting in a general futuristic, sci-fi moodscape that is ultimately brought down by shoddy production and repetitive vocals. The major strengths of this record lie in the atmosphere they pull off which is spacey, epic and gloomy. Between the music and the cover art the experience brings one into another dimension and the musicians provide a soundtrack to this. The synth does well in the mix and the overall sound has a deathy black metal feel. Also joining in on the fun are flutes, tribal drums and even a dubsteb section all of which work out well in this space atmosphere. This all sounds fine until you actually hear the production; it is an absolute mess. All of the instruments come off as overly compressed and the vocalist is totally lost in the mix. To accentuate this further there seems to be gain on the vocals and it makes them come off as beyond generic. Even more so the singer sticks with the exact same approach for the hour runtime. Summed together the vocals are boring and loud drowing out some of the strengths of the album. A remastering of this album might help resolve some of the issues as after a while it just isn't pleasant on the ears despite good atmosphere and solid songwriting. Great instrumentation but lots of room for improvement beyond that.RealYungPhil Dr. PhilvinciI feel like I spoiled the RealYungPhil superfan party, sorry. Rina Sawayama Hold The GirlFeel a bit harsh here but almost everything that made the masterful debut 'SAWAYAMA' seems to be missing here. What was quirky, fun and unique seems to have been traded for very generic melodies and songwriting. There is a lot of soul and introspection here and I do applaud the more personal songs on the record but for me this was the album of 2022 that I listened to twice and just didn't have much desire or need to go back to despite it being perhaps the most looked forward to record of the year. Hopefully just a sophmore slump for my enjoyment of the artist.Skeletal Remains Devouring MortalityBlunt and to the point old school death metal. Dense riffs that will take you back to the first time you delved into the brutal world of DM but vocals that are dry and repetitive to the point they kind of drown out the music. The sections without the vocals are the ones that shine the most. Beyond 'Ripperology', the track names sound awkwardly like they are from a death metal word generator.Skrillex Don’t Get Too CloseTracks 2, 4 and 5 are worth checking out but even then the Bladee feature 'Real Spring' is so much better in the first half before the beat really kicks in. A lot of the beats and production comes off as even too clean, almost sterile. The record also feels like it is emulating recent underground pop tropes but trying to bridge them for a wider audience.Sufjan Stevens Carrie and LowellCarrie and Lowell, perhaps the most universally acclaimed album of 2015 beside To Pimp A Butterfly, provides a harrowing experience of personal loss to soft folk and Sufjan's quiet vocals. Right away I must say this album was very underwhelming on a blind first listen (no prior Sufjan experience, no idea what the album was about). It was immediately clear the album was about loss, death, depression and both the vocals and lyrics conveyed a dark portrait of a person truly struggling; this alone is the great strength of the album. Extended research on the album allows one to empathize with Sufjan and it is a true feat to release such an intensely painful and personal experience to a wide audience. All that aside, the actual music and singing has all been done so many times over and depressing subject matter doesn't exactly drag a listener back to an album for more listening. Besides a few slight standouts the album is mostly forgettable folk guitar and synth below a monotonous signing style. Honestly if the lyrics were ignored I would think Sufjan was more confused than anything. Strong personal content and, at times, beautiful lyrics but weak musically. Perhaps I just don't "get it", oh well.Textures PhenotypePhenotype by Textures is a Djent forward proggy metal album that is certainly very heavy and full of beefy thick riffs and complex rhythmic blends. Textures have a wealth of talent but almost nothing on this album really brings me back for more listening. Even after four listens its hard to really think of any outstanding moments. Much of the album feels forced with intense heavy sections contrasted to melodic metal sections that have been done time and time again. Never bad and never great but an all around average mix of Meshuggah influenced ultra-heavy rhythm guitar. As others have noted, the vocalist is also rather generic all around.The Contortionist ClairvoyantClairvoyant - able to see beyond the range of ordinary perception. With a sea change in their sound, The Contortionist shred away any deathcore and djent elements from their sound and settle for a more ordinary, commonplace prog rock/metal approach. This move really brings them right back to the mean and leaves them to rely on some of the weaker elements from their past, most notably the clean vocals. There is no other way to put it, this band was much more exciting when they had dynamic interplay between crushing heavy sections and the more spacey, meandering clean ones. Having Lessard take the clean, repetitive approach for 54 minutes makes the album get boring fairly quickly; his vocal abilities are never going to carry a band. The band still shines with some wandering instrumental sections but in the end the album as a whole is very one-note and lacks range. Give the title track a listen and then decide if you want to listen to that same thing for another 47 minutes but of much more average quality. You might need to be clairvoyant to find much joy in listening to this.Toothgrinder Nocturnal MasqueradeNocturnal Masquerade by Toothgrinder sounds like a band torn between styles with clear songwriting prowess and general instrumental talents but as a whole the package falls... flat. Each song flows by naturally and transitions between segments are like butter. Combine that with intense hardcore vocals, Southern rock rhythms, proggy structures, occasional ambient bliss and clean production and what could possibly go wrong? Well, first of all get a vocalist that needs to rifle off cliche lyrics in quick succession and turn that track way up drowning out the superior instrumentation. The vocal outbursts in Lace & Anchor and Coeur d'Alene (the ending about nursery rhymes is so bad) ruin what could be decent songs. Second off, add a slick radio-rock production and this is where the songwriting becomes somewhat negative. The band sounds stuck between radio metal and hardcore madness; this clash is so apparent in Dance of Damsels, one of the worst tracks in recent memory. All of this together makes for a forgettable overall experience which drags on even for 42 minutes. Glimpses of excellence balanced out by shiny polish and mediocre, invasive vocals. Blue and Waltz of Madmen end up being highlights.Vein.fm ErrorzoneAt the very least this is an interesting record bringing a huge amount of nu metal influence into a metalcore package. On the other hand, the vocalist uses the same scream throughout the entire runtime and the riffs feel extremely repetitive. Much of the content feels like something you have heard maybe 15-20 years ago just re-purposed into a mathy metalcore package. The one thing you can't take away from Vein is the energy. This is one of the more aggressive and truly heavy albums of recent memory. There are rarely breaks and hardly any room to breath in between breakdowns and manic fast-paced dissonant riffs. That being said, just being heavy is not going to make an album great and Vein use the same chuggy lows to dissonant highs trick way too many times. An interesting listen a few times around but the samey sound of every track and the fact that it just feels like some nu metal shuffled around makes it get old fast.Violet Cold AnomieStripped down to the elements, Anomie in theory could be excellent with a blend of black metal, gaze, ambient and middle-eastern influences but the execution lacks in both songwriting and production. The album starts of ferociously with blast beats and distant black metal yowls before transitioning into a bridge of tribal percussion and synth. While these things could work together, it feels rather sudden and Violet Cold lacks the grace and songwriting technique to really make their vision come together all that effectively. This does not just apply to the first track but also to the rest of the 53 minute record that tends to drag on and on. One of the major production issues is on the vocals and synth. The vocals sound way too drowned out and distant, they do not evoke any emotion and are impossible to grasp onto. The synth at times sounds out of place and the tones chosen do not jive well with the black metal guitars; this is really obvious in the track Lovegaze. All in all, Anomie comes off as somewhat formulaic in its songwriting and at the end of the album there aren't many memorable moments to go back to despite the music itself sounding fairly good for the most part.Yeule Glitch Princess'Perfect Blue' and 'Don't Be So Hard on Your Own Beauty' are wonderful middle of the album with 'Bites on My Neck' being another standout. Much of the album is forgettable and honestly the nearly 5 hour ambient (bonus?) track is more of an annoyance than anything else. The 'glitch' aspect of this feels entirely overstated as well.2.0 poorAll That Remains MadnessA decade and quite a few LPs later, All That Remains find themselves completely distanced from the sound that was found on metalcore staples 'This Darkened Heart' and 'The Fall of Ideals'. Madness falls somewhere between alternative metal and melodic metalcore but fails trying to simultaneously come off as tough and approachable. The lyrics and song structure of all the tracks sound like they were written for the radio, to be anthems or for vocalist Phil Labonte to prove some point. Phil's lyrics continue to devolve over time perhaps hitting a new low in "Louder." To make things worse, the vocals are overproduced seemingly to make Phil sound even angrier and the bad choices don't stop there. Electronics are used quite a bit in a fashion similar to what one might expect from Linkin Park and it couldn't sound any more forced; these sounds are entirely needless. The album starts with Safe House, which is actually a fairly good ATR-style metalcore track (that being said, a gun click before the breakdown... seriously?) before running the gamut through generic alt-melodic metalcore jams and some ballads which unfortunately put even more focus on Mr. Labonte. The guitar work is solid with generally good rhythms and tasteful solos but this cannot overcome the work of their frontman, pointless electronic accents and generally bad production choices.ANOHNI HOPELESSNESSHopelessness starts off with two memorable tracks but beyond that there is not much about this record to write home about. The production and beats on the album are the saving grace and at times fantastic but the blunt, hard to swallow lyrics do a great job counteracting that goodness. Sure, pairing extremely political lyrics with sometimes almost ironically upbeat music is not something found on your everyday electropop album but the lyrics never end up being eyeopening or even convincing. Sometimes they are downright bad; much of 'Obama' and 'Execution'. There is potential in the ideas behind Hopelessness but unfortunately the album is bogged down by poor... execution.ANOHNI ParadiseB-sides from HOPELESSNESS? The lyrics remain in stride but unfortunately the music itself is a fairly drastic step down from ANOHNI's controversial 2016 release. Music is a great place to make a statement or convey one's personal experience but just like on HOPELESSNESS with 'Obama', songs like 'Jesus Will Kill You' just taint the entire experience. Are you trying too hard to be edgy or do you truly believe some of the things you are saying? Unfortunately either way it just doesn't produce good music, in this case.blink-182 CaliforniaAfter a couple of plays California will have you wondering why blink-182 even bothered making another record. There are certainly shades of the once great pop punk band in this album but the feeling of forcing themselves to do this and trying be funny ends up taking all of the fun out of the music that blink-182 used to deliver borderline brilliantly. The 42-minute experience ends up being longer than it should be and most of the tracks are built on the same general formula. The formula is not a terrible one but when you take away the silly, spontaneous edge and lyrics that captured the so-called best years of your life blink-182 really just isn't the same. Spotless production only adds to the radio-rock feel of it all and instantly one should just go put on Enema of the State to clean out their ear tracts.Bullet for My Valentine GravityOverproduced vocals with a band that sounds stuck somewhere between bad Linkin Park songs and tough melodic metalcore. The lyrics and the singing itself is probably the worst part about this record and it seems at times the band is just trying to hard to be catchy or edgy. On the whole it is just extremely generic and something you would expect to hear on your local alternative rock station as one of the "heavier" songs. Metalcore made for the radio sure is a strange thing.Code Orange ForeverAmbitious album with an interesting blend of genres. Unfortunately that is about the best thing to say about Code Orange's Forever. The most glaring downfall is the songwriting. Metalcore, Industrial, Sludge and Hardcore elements are just thrown together seemingly at random. Transitions between each section are just abrupt and it forces the listener to think the artist is trying way to hard to mix genres for the sake of mixing genres. The production for the most part is good creating a very, very heavy mix but it falls short with the vocals leaving them in some weird zone where it feels like I am listening to them with a winter hat over my ears. Code Orange has some clear talent and aspirations but this album is just too much of a hodge podge of genres lacking clear planning.Danzig Black Laden CrownBlack Laden Crown stands in the Danzig area of metal with a blend of Heavy Metal, Hard Blues Rock and some DOom but one word that sums up the entire album, flat. Everything about the album is gloomy, not in a intentional or positive way, and lull from the production to the riffs to Glenn's worn out vocals. At times it is borderline hard to listen to Mr. Danzig struggle to keep up and sing like hid old self, who was once one of the most energetic and talented frontmen in this side of metal. Despite the flatness, this is not the worst metal album of the year because at times some of the tracks are reminiscent of what Danzig was once the king of. In the end you will forget this entirely and just want to revisit those prime, early Danzig albums.Destroyer Have We MetGood production, good synth, good opening track but beyond that this album is an album that really, really does not make you want to go back and listen to it repeatedly. Within hours of listening you pretty much forget this album existed, maybe remember Crimson tide, and for the most part it just lacks instrumental parts, hooks, tension dynamics that get you want to dig into the music more. And for me, personally, the lyrics are painfully overdone and the vocals themselves are just kind of boring. Destroyer might be the act name that suits its content the least, of bands in recent memory.Five Finger Death Punch F8At times abysmal and at times something you would expect to hear on the radio and not be all that offended by, kinda like generic background metal. When this band is at their worst it is when Ivan Moody is front and center, acting all tough and spewing out possibly the worst lyrics written by a fairly big band in the 21st century. The awfulness is not quite as ubiquitous as their 2018 release which featured 'Fake', maybe the worst metal song ever but in the end it kinda must feel bad to be a bandmate of this Moody guy. His singing has improved in the last two years and there are actually some pretty good riffs throughout this with decent enough solos and instrumentation. However, you cannot ignore the angsty 8th grader lyrics. Songwriting is hit or, mostly, miss but more generic than horrible. Tough guy verse into singing chorus into short over-produced soft-spoken interlude back into tough guy verse into solo. 'Full Circle', 'Bottom of the Top' and 'Mother May I (Tic Toc)' drive these points home.Gang of Four Happy NowA bad but not totally horrendous album. Its worst aspects are the stale synth and beats, truly obnoxious/mystifying production choices and from time to time laughable lyrics. There is no way around it, the drums, the way-too-frequent vocal effects, the heavily altered guitar tones and synth textures chosen here are almost always cheesy. At its best (relative to the rest) are the opening track 'Toreador' and the ender 'Paper Thin' which both have passable beats and decent hooks. They don't, like most of the other tracks, make you stop and question your decision to turn this album on. The Trump references come often and while they aren't Otep level bad they certainly aren't original or even effective. Not a dumpster fire destined for the 1's but pretty funny when you go and listen to 'Entertainment' right after this.Grouplove Big MessA truly big mess full of Indie Pop-Rock-Electronica anthems that make one feel like they are stuck in some circle shopping at Old Navy and Urban Outfitters while watching the newest phone or car commercial or sick sports montage on repeat. Big Mess draws up memories of shopping or watching playoff sports rather than conveying a powerful or memorable musical effort. Every turn is predictable and the production is just ever so squeaky clean. These guys want their songs to get stuck in your head and the only reason they ever would is because they will be found in TV advertisements. Perhaps this music is something that people party or have a grand old time to but beyond that there isn't much to see from Big Mess by Grouplove. Is this what MGMT and bad, late-career Modest Mouse has led to?Joey Valence Punk TacticsJust not sure why this album is so revered. Cheesy and at time downright bad lyrics. Massive emulation of the Beastie Boys at each and every turn when it comes to the style. Some cool production and beats but beyond that it is just silly.Justin Timberlake Man of the Woods66 minutes of an uninspiring mix of pop, funk and country makes for one big disappointment as JT tries to convince us that he is in fact a Southern boy straight out of the backwoods because of his favorite flannel. Most of the songs are somewhat tolerable but Filthy, Supplies and Flannel are fairly awful and sound incredibly forced. Breeze Off the Pond, Midnight Summer Jam and Say Something try to bring some credibility to the project but the album is just stuffed with so much other mediocre content that you quickly forget about these tracks. The production is obviously big time but for the most part JT's singing feels washed out or even distant and lacking any passion or depth, a big miss on that end.M.I.A. AIMMIA's great albums were chock full of creative beats, catchy yet serious lyrics, a fun atmosphere and an infections sense of style that you could not find anywhere else. With AIM it seems that most of those good traits are wearing away and the album drags on despite not really being that long; it comes off as tired and lost. MIA, at her best, found an amazing line between club hit and socially aware. AIM is shifted towards the latter and has basically lost all of the former. Many of the tracks feel like they were forced, rushed or both. MIA just doesn't stand out here and the musical intricacies and unique creative drive of the past are seemingly gone.Ministry AmeriKKKantThere are slightly redeeming musical qualities AmeriKKKant (is this 5th grade?) but everything about the vocals brings the album down into a pit that not many should venture into. The industrial metal base here isn't all that bad and if the vocal tracks, including the 11000 samples of Trump, were erased it would be hard to totally bash the mix of metal and electronics; sans the revival of scratching in metal here. The vocals themselves sound like a tired old man and the production only serves to make them sound even more distant, distorted and just worse. Reading the song titles it shouldn't surprise anyone what they are about to get into. Wargasm, as much as war sucks, serves as a parody of itself more than a true anti-war anthem; and some of the lyrics here are just so fucking awkward. We get it, you hate Trump, but after sample #666 the effect is sort of lost; he sounds dumb but what is this album actually accomplishing? If I was Trump I would use this as an example of the truly dumb things people are using to try to disparage me. Ministry have some industrial chops left but damn this album is like a rambling drunk uncle rant that makes Thanksgiving incredibly awkward.Misfits Friday The 13thA quick eleven minute ride with Jerry Only down Elm Street on Friday the 13th. The whole experience just feels tired and if one jumps around the EP it all sounds the same. Choruses about monsters and horror movies devoid of the powerful hooks and truly memorable riff writing from 30+ years ago. One cannot blame Jerry Only for releasing new tunes every few years but everyone will just go right back to Walk Among Us, Static Age or any 80s era release immediately after getting through one of these new records.Oceans Ate Alaska HikariWhen modern metalcore and djent run into talented instrumentalists who have less interest in songwriting and more interest in songs with more twists than an M. Knight feature you find yourself listening to Hikari. These guys are talented, no doubt; but talent only gets you so far. Right when a riff or theme seems to be developing Oceans Ate Alaska seemingly decides that it is time for this to stop and move frenetically onto the next idea without any obvious link between the two. As a listener you either need to lovelovelove this style of music or be the most patient human being on Earth to delve fully into this record. The problem here is the substance just doesn't demand that patience. The metal vocals are strong but the clean vocals just feel out of place atop the intense music. The vocalist also decides to make some whacky choices with a pseudo-rap in Entrapment and something about 'hush little baby' later on. Both of these could elicit audible laughter (is that on purpose?) from any listener. The riffs are solid but none memorable over the baseline. The drums are fast and clean but that's it. Avoid Hikari unless you live for djenty metalcore that is spastic and sometimes hard to take seriously.Papa Roach Who Do You Trust?Shout-out to 'I Suffer Well'. That track is a super catchy pretty much hardcore song that would have fit in on the THPS soundtracks decades ago and no one would even blink. Unfortunately beyond that one highlight the rest of the album is as bad as people have described it. Dubstep beats that just feel so out of place, a lack of emotion and edge that at least Papa Roach had at one time, hooks that feel entirely mailed in and alt rock riffs that you will forget the moment you turn off the album are a few things that drag Who Do You Trust? down. The lyrics are not good but still not on the extreme low tier compared to other popular artists like 5FDP, just 100% generic in all aspects. It has been almost 20 years since this band was being played on every single radio station and it doesn't seem like they have to drive to change or write that addictive popular track again, just staying afloat with seemingly minimal effort. Don't bother unless you want an album to remind you why the truly good music is so good and the lower end of the rating scale is out there somewhere.Riff Raff Aquaberry AquariusGeneric and awkward rhymes/flow. Extremely safe and typical beats. These are some things you will find on Riff Raff's Aquaberry Aquarius. The lyrics make it clear that Riff Raff has plentiful ice and an amazing clothing collection but they also display that he can't write lyrics that really fit comfortably into the underlying beats. The guests outclass him in just about every song and nothing he says is interesting at all. This isn't the worst rap album as it does have some decent hooks, at times hard hitting beats and clean production but the cons heavily outweigh the pros. Word Around Town and Codeine Counselors are decent tracks and I'm Not Waiting On The Summer is something that must truly be experience first hand. It will only take about 10 minutes before you just want to put on another, better Hip Hop album.Sum 41 13 VoicesStarting off with a grandiose, confusing blend of strings, synth and electronic percussion, 13 Voices ends up being a bizarre album from beginning to end. Right off the bat, Sum 41 enter into the realm of pop punk in Goddamn I'm Dead Again but decide to throw in some ripping metal solos overlaid with Dragonforce-esque guitar tones. Neither the pop punk or the solos are interesting or all that great. Did Sum 41 always have these ripping solos? Since when is Sum 41 so heavy? At times, the music sounds more like bad early 90s heavy metal than alt rock or pop punk. Breaking the Chain features a mostly down-tempo alt rock pop punk core but randomly has an angry break down section and string sections. As mentioned above, the entire album sounds confusing and generic. What are Sum 41 aiming to do here? Do they even know?Thirty Seconds to Mars AmericaHard to put this alongside the truly offensive and terrible releases of 2018 like Otep and Ministry but it sure does come close because it is one of the most generic and boring records ever created. The beats and backing tracks sound like they were created in some sort of 2016-2018 pop beat generator and Leto's vocals are constantly pitch adjusted if not full blown autotuned. The worst part about that is the vocals would probably be just fine without the obvious alterations and lend some soul to this lifeless endeavor. The production matches what the vocals bring and it almost sounds shiny, a bit too much polish all around. Nothing offensively horrible but probably the most generic record that can be found in 2018.Venom From the Very DepthsSometimes I leave my listening choices up to random chance; this is how I arrived here. I am not a Venom aficionado but this is almost sad. Energetic on the surface but I think someone could tell this album was produced by tired, burnt out musicians if they had never listened to their previous efforts. Cringeworthy, early 80s throwback lyrics that sound so out of place nowadays. Starts off with two good tracks and ends with 45 minutes of strange, heard-it-before, tiring music.Watsky x InfinityWatsky raps really fast and impressively and even has some good beats and production. So what is the problem? After one listen, there is really no reason to go back and listen again. The album just doesn't have any soul when all is said and done and at a beastly 78 minutes that makes for a tough album to get through. The obvious Eminem influence is almost too much to handle and Watsky's inflection at times just sounds arrogant. Where Eminem often yells and acts silly it actually worked, when Watsky does it is just hard to swallow. And that leads right into Going Down. On an album with a seemingly overall concept, what is this track even doing here? It is hard why it works for some rappers to get off with overly sexual odes but Going Down might be one of the worst. A very skilled wordsmith that the end of the day just doesn't really seem like he has that much meaningful to say. Maybe there is something to find deep down but after a few listens it is hard to justify looking deeper into x Infinity.Wire Mind HiveHate to say it but Mind Hive is just... boring. Dull. Cactused is a really nice track but outside of that there are 31 minutes of music that just kind of passes by without many high points and certainly some low points. The singing is very repetitive throughout the album and at times the lyrics are pretty stereotypical 2020 political jabs. Wire are legends but this is below average for post-punk over the last 5 years as it lacks energy, memorable moments and textures in the production that can make this genre great.1.5 very poorAnti-Flag Lies They Tell Our ChildrenMusic to start a fifth grade rebellion to. Did you know the media is trying to control us? The album was bad enough on its own but then you learn the singer who preaches all this stuff and inclusivity just did it to serially assault women, barf (not reflected in score, if so= 0).Five Finger Death Punch And Justice for NoneIf you're gonna write one of the worst songs of all time, you might as well have it be the opener of your album. Between the incredibly poorly written lyrics and the most stereotypical rhythmic chugs, 'Fake' sets the bar low and Five Finger Death Punch are plain bad for most of And Justice for None. Seriously, 'Fake' might be one of the worst songs in metal history. At times, the riffs are decent only to be overshadowed by Ivan Moody's truly questionable lyrics. 'Sham Pain' is another prime example of this where Moody pseudo-raps about how much he doesn't care about the haters and how much distaste he has for buses and planes. The delivery of the words is perhaps even worse than the lyrics in that case. If you showed the lyrics to 'Sham Pain', 'Fake', or 'Rock Bottom' to an adult they would think it was a child who got kicked out of school for the day for writing swear words in class. The album is at its worst when Moody is playing tough metal guy and at its relative best when they slow down like in 'Blue on Black' and 'I Refuse', which are by no means good but tolerable. Avoid at all costs but if you do choose this path skip the Offspring 'Gone Away' cover, it cannot be unheard unfortunately.Jacob Sartorius Last TextMake some Youtube videos, write an EP and suddenly a quick Google search brings up things like "Beliebers move over, the next star is here." Already a World Tour in 2017 at prominent venues in every major city but what has Jacob actually done? What a strange world we live in. A label can literally just create the next star and somehow get people to buy expensive tickets to see them around the globe. I wonder who actually came up with most of the music and lyrics on here but in the end it doesn't really matter, it is equally bad no matter the answer with slightly different arguments. Awkward lyrics about getting chicks and being all in love despite the fact that Jacob is only 14. Go out and be a kid. Nothing to see here unless you seek a half hour session to remind of the value in other music. Artificial.Lil Pump Lil Pump 2Just juvenile. The lyrics sound like they were written by someone in middle school and boy was it great to learn about how he drives his Ferrari when too high off the molly, gets his dick sucked by all sorts of bitches and doesn't care what the bitches think of him. Production and beats could be worse I guess but beyond that there is absolutely nothing redeeming about this record. I suppose the comedic value of "Pump Rock x Heavy Metal" is something worth a listen.Lil Reese 300 DegrezzCan't make Sum Out Nun sums up this album fairly well. You truly can't make something out of nothing. Lil Reese really doesn't present anything to make this album worth listening to. Simple, boring beats below incessant rambling and extremely repetitive lyrics that Reese seemingly spent about fifteen seconds coming up with. Even where there are decent beats as in Still Workin' they are drowned out by the production of the blaring vocals. Each listen only makes the album draw even less of my attention. Instead of releasing this he should be Still Workin.Logic Supermarket (Soundtrack)Don't subject yourself to this album. At first, it was hard to see what the hype was about but after the first two tracks things go from poor to abysmal. It is hard to imagine what this man was thinking when producing this record, if though was even involved. Tracks 3-13 are one of the worst, most generic stretches of music of recent memory and honestly it feels surreal at time especially when you queue it up on Spotify and see his songs with 100M+ listens and guest spots with Eminem. Not a 1 because it isn't as in your face offensively bad as some other records and it starts with two tracks that really aren't horrendous. The lyrics are all around awful and 'Lemon Drop' might be a contender for worst song of all time. It is like Red Hot Chili Peppers if they all received gruesome head injuries 10 minute before recording a song. Why did I put myself through that?Nonpoint The Poison RedIt doesn't take very long before The Poison Red starts to feel toxic to the listener. In fact, Nonpoint manage to drop some of the worst lyrics to see the light of day on the single 'Generation Idiot'. The frontman is of course worried that the newest generation of human beings is straying from what is important in life and too distracted by things like texts, computers and technology; essentially he thinks we are all becoming zombies. Well, unfortunately for him just about everyone has said that about the next generation since... ever. Calculators will make us all forget how to do math... etc. Unfortunately for his bandmates the lyrics really don't get much better from there on out because the music itself has some strong points. The songwriting is good at times and the guitarists manage to sneak in a few riffs that go beyond the standard Nu Metal/Alt Metal arsenal. Beyond the musicians, the production is not very flattering. The vocal track feels a bit isolated and the music a bit flat, further centralizing the singer and his questionable lyricism. I am sure if you are reading this full review, the purity of life has already been sucked from your soul and you are just another member of the Generation of Idiots that Nonpoint despises; shame on you.Otep Kult 45It seems like the more up front and overtly anti-Trump an album gets in 2018 the worse the actual music becomes. (As someone who doesn't support the POTUS this becomes like the biggest facepalming of all time) First there was Ministry and now there is Otep, which makes the former look pretty good comparatively. For those that grew up on Nu Metal this might bring you back to 5th grade where raps and acne-inducing guttural screams were just an everyday thing in music. Unfortunately Otep is really not that good at either. Most of the riffs here feel like the band listened to RATM the night before writing everything and then forgot everything that made RATM great the next day. Ironically there is a, sigh, cover of RATM at the end of the album borderline confirming that they basically rip off that style. On the surface it seems like Otep means good, sticking up for the less fortunate and pointing out the hypocrisy we see in our leadership. That is OK but her delivery could not be worse. Fav. line on the album is the one about Trump's "bitch boys". Not being that familiar with Otep it is hard to say how authentic her approach is but her delivery just feels so artificial and drawn-up. Since bonus tracks are basically necessary in 2018 (it feels like) shout out to the 31 minute track of her fans thanking her and praising her. Again, most of these anecdotes are heartfelt and sincere but this track comes off as so self-centered and congratulatory. Rachel Platten WildfireWildfire by Rachel Platten has made me realize the line between good and bad electropop is not as fine as I'd thought. In fact it is a very wide line. Wildfire is poor or at best generic in every aspect with extremely predictable song structure, overused big time pop beats, unoriginal melodies, intense shiny polishing of everything and at times beyond cringe inducing lyrics. Listening to this a second time was hard to say the least. Avoids the awful category because there are a few decent moments and Platten certainly has potential with her singing skills but just about every other choice sounds years behind other pop stars and devoid of originality. Rachel is riding the coat tails of other billboard toppers and it is clear as day.Suicide Silence Suicide SilenceAn odd collision between nu metal and deathcore. Worth listening to at least once just to experience what happens when a band is seemingly completely lost and fallen off the tracks. There are just so many strange things going on from the nu metal grunts/deranged clean vocals, the odd juxtaposition between down tuned death and nu metal riffs, some things that remind me of Fred Durst/Limp Bizkit trying too hard to be weird, vocals reminiscent of Jonathan Davis to a random bombastic wah solo. It just feels like they are forcing the fact that they are either depressed or deranged way too hard on the listener and forgot to actually write meaningful songs with thoughtful composition. All in all it feels like a stripped down deathcore base with 2000s nu metal sauce slathered all over.Tyga KyotoDragging 52 minutes of some of the most boring R&B/pop rap of recent memory. After several listens it is actually very difficult to remember a single moment of this record and that is kind of impressive in all the wrong ways. Truly might be the most generic, soulless album as it hits all of the checklists of modern day popular trappy rap. Nothing to see here.Yngwie Malmsteen World On FireWorld on Fire really blazes out of the gates showing the listener all of its flaws in the starting minute of the album. The guitar sounds like it is inside of some kind of hollow apparatus, the vocals are incredibly overwhelmed, the drums contain enough reverb that you think you hear them a second time with each hit and the songwriting is just thrown out the window. Yngwie wanks his way to one of the worst shredding centric albums of recent memory apparently not remembering that anything else matters on a record besides playing guitar like an absolute madman. You might never want to hear arpeggios again after an experience like this.1.0 awfulbrokeNCYDE 0 To BrokencydeJust in case you thought Crunkcore was dead in 2018, Brokencyde has got you covered. Laiden with the most generic trap beats of all time and edgy 7th grade lyrics, 0 to Brokencyde is impressively bad from beginning to end. Make no mistake these hard dudes are gonna have their way with your girl, smoke a ton of dank kush and make a ton of money at their sold out shows, they said so. Mueve is the only track that even approaches interesting but for extra laughs check out Psychos, D@ Good, No Bodies Safe (perhaps the worst hook of all time) and Ass & Titties. To top it all off the production is horrendous making everything extra muddled and sloppy. These psychos should tour with 5FDP.
Bands: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
