flug made a 2021 list
I've already been on sput for over eight years now, this website really changed my life.
Damn, the last time I made such a list was for 2018, flipping 3 years ago! My last list is also almost two years old. Times a bitch.
Not gonna lie, the one single source of music I listened to the most this year was unquestionably hololive,
but, possibly as a product of that, I felt more excitement for new music this year than in a long time.
Honestly, it might've been the best year for new releases since I started paying attention in 2014.
I haven't delved into too much but what I checked out was likely great to amazing.
This is most of the music I rated from 2021. |
| 48 |  | Sputnik
Christmas At Our House
Here is an arbitrary list of releases I also wanted to check, but I had to give myself january as a deadline so I could move on from 2021, thus these just didn't get in on time.
Der Weg einer Freiheit - Noktvrn
Dvne - Etemen Γnka
Godspeed You Black Emperor - G_d's Pee At State's End!
Wolves in the Throne Room - Primordial Arcana
Between the Buried and Me - Colours II
The World Is a Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid to Die - Illusory Walls
Zao - The Crimson Korridor
King Buffalo - The Burden of Restlessness
King Buffalo - Acheron
Malignant Altar - Realms of Exquisite Morbidity
Thy Catafalque - Vadak
Ad Nauseam - Imperative Imperceptible Impulse
Empyrium - Γber den Sternen
Low - Hey What
Steve von Till - A Deep Voiceless Wilderness
Plebeian Grandstand - Rien ne suffit
Cynic - Ascension Codes
Kauan - Ice Fleet
Kayo Dot - Moss Grew on the Swords and Plowshares Alike
Kishi Bashi - Immigrant
Kyary Pamyu Pamyu - Candy Racer
Lantlos - Wildhund
Panoptikon - ...And Again Into The Light |
| 47 | | Sputnik
Christmas At Our House
Poppy - EAT
Poppy - Flux
Katatonia - Mnemosynean
Darkthrone - Eternal Hails......
The War On Drugs - I Don't Live Here Anymore
So Hideous - None But a Pure Heart Can Sing
Skepticism - Companion
SeeYouSpaceCowboy - The Romance of Affliction
Rob Zombie - The Lunar Injection Kool Aid Eclipse Conspiracy
Rivers of Nihil - The Work
Pupil Slicer - Mirrors |
| 46 |  | Eyehategod
A History Of Nomadic Behavior
2/5
Messy might be an adjective you'd use to describe Eyehategod's whole discography but in this case it's not messy in a good way. Sadly found almost nothing of value to me here.
fav track: Fake What's Yours |
| 45 |  | Front Line Assembly
Mechanical Soul
2.5/5
I do vibe to the beats on here though they are a bit too low-key for my taste and the vocals really don't mesh well with this subdued style. FLA fans really b gettin fed scraps lately |
| 44 |  | Squid
Bright Green Field
3/5
I do enjoy this to some extent but this really just feels like a post-punk mush pressed through a King Gizzard blender, wow we so quirky |
| 43 |  | Limp Bizkit
Still Sucks
3/5
daddy please daddy please daddy please daddy please daddy please |
| 42 |  | Swallow the Sun
Moonflowers
3/5
Definitely an improvement from their last effort but still limping behind most of their other records.
fav track: Enemy |
| 41 |  | First Fragment
Gloire Eternelle
3/5
I've always disliked neo-classical noodling in rock music but this is just written well enough and simply fun that I don't mind getting rid of one more of my arbitrary barriers I limited myself with before. Still, the offering here is too long to not be exhausting after around 2/3rds into it and I am unable to make any kind emotional connection with this. |
| 40 |  | Evanescence
The Bitter Truth
3/5
Definitely some slappers on here, production is not optimal
fav track: The Game is Over |
| 39 |  | Devin Townsend
Snuggles
3.5/5
Just a very calming ambient record |
| 38 |  | Archspire
Bleed the Future
3.5/5
Headache inducing intensity, some truly awesome stuff on here but a step down from Relentless Mutation in terms of pure enjoyment |
| 37 |  | Fear Factory
Aggression Continuum
3.5/5
As a big Fear Factory fan, this was kind of a let down. |
| 36 |  | Perturbator
Lustful Sacraments
3.5/5
As a big Perturbator fan, this was kind of a let down.
fav track: Excess |
| 35 |  | Musk Ox
Inheritance
3.5/5 |
| 34 |  | Gojira
Fortitude
3.5/5
fav track: Into the Storm |
| 33 |  | Turnstile
Glow On
3.5/5
Ultra punchy drumming, crushing riffs, a spacey, vibey production, and they said punk rock was dead |
| 32 |  | At the Gates
The Nightmare of Being
3.5/5
Probably the best album of the ones they put out since the lengthy hiatus, pretty nice diversity, riffs and atmosphere on here. Vocals are still hard to stomach sometimes.
fav track: The Fall of Time |
| 31 |  | IRyS
Caesura of Despair
3.5/5 |
| 30 |  | Knocked Loose
A Tear in the Fabric of Life
3.5/5
Absolutely brutal metalcore
fav track: Permanent |
| 29 |  | Carcass
Torn Arteries
3.5/5 |
| 28 |  | King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard
L. W.
3.5/5
Second half teeters on sameness but the first 4 tracks are fire, they can't keep getting away with it writing this much potent microtonal psych rock.
fav track: Pleura |
| 27 |  | MouthBreather (USA-MA)
I'm Sorry Mr. Salesman
4/5
Some brilliantly creative and borderline experimental mathcore, each track bringing something completely new to the table. Lots to like on here even though this album is short as hell. |
| 26 |  | 1914
Where Fear and Weapons Meet
4/5
Relentless doomy war metal with epic scope and conceptualized around events of the great war |
| 25 |  | C R O W N
The End of All Things
4/5
Beautiful synthwave-esque music from a band that previously made some of the most tonally potent and unique post metal I've ever heard, great mood piece |
| 24 |  | BRUIT
The Machine Is Burning...
4/5 |
| 23 |  | Twelve Foot Ninja
Vengeance
4/5
Very fun genre hopping on top of Twelve Foot Ninja's unique blend of prog metal |
| 22 |  | Cult of Luna
The Raging River
4/5 |
| 21 |  | Idles
Crawler
4/5
Lot more experimenting on this one, they achieve great density of interesting atmospheres and thus remain on top of the post-punk game for me here |
| 20 |  | Trophy Scars
Astral Pariah
4/5
Very short journey that begs for multiple replays to really sink in, not quite the opulent slugfest that was their previous album
fav track: Brother |
| 19 |  | Kero Kero Bonito
Civilisation
4/5
fav track: Well Rested |
| 18 |  | Tricot
Jodeki
4/5 |
| 17 |  | Weezer
OK Human
4/5 |
| 16 |  | Suisei Hoshimachi
Still Still Stellar
4/5
Very fun and uplifting J-Pop with one of Hololive's most powerful voices as its centerpiece |
| 15 |  | Cannibal Corpse
Violence Unimagined
4/5
Can't get enough of CCs brand of death metal, the rhythms, the grooves, the brutal sound, it all just works |
| 14 |  | Mol
Diorama
4/5
This some real dope shit, pretty riffy and punchy for what one might consider blackgaze but man, some of these riffs and melodies on here are just divine
fav track: Serf |
| 13 |  | King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard
Butterfly 3000
4/5
This band just can't be stopped, they created something completely new in the realm of psychedelic electronics with this album and I'm absolutely here for it. |
| 12 |  | The Ruins Of Beverast
The Thule Grimoires
4/5
Introverted doomy atmospheric black metal that makes you imagine old damp structures
fav track: Kromlecβh Knell |
| 11 |  | Mori Calliope
Your Mori.
4/5
< 3 |
| 10 |  | The Ocean
Phanerozoic Live
4.5/5
the two phanerozoic records work really well with a live sound here |
| 9 |  | Be'lakor
Coherence
4.5/5
best melodeath in years
fav track: Foothold |
| 8 |  | Leprous
Aphelion
4.5/5
My favorite album to sing along to this year, just as good and even slightly more interesting track to track than Pitfalls but with less impactful high points overall
fav track: Castaway Angels |
| 7 |  | Converge
Bloodmoon: I
4.5/5
fav track: Coil |
| 6 |  | Failure
Wild Type Droid
4.5/5
I feel like Failure could easily become one of my favorite rock bands ever if I'd give them more time, almost seems like their brand of alt rock is genetically bred to specifically appeal to my sensibilities
fav track: Bring Back The Sound |
| 5 |  | Mastodon
Hushed and Grim
4.5/5
Every single song is a highlight, maybe the most consistent double album I've ever heard
fav track: Gigatium |
| 4 |  | Ethereal Shroud
Trisagion
4.5/5
Stunning and lavish black metal epics painting a deeply emotional journey of a lifetime |
| 3 |  | Biffy Clyro
The Myth of The Happily Ever After
4.5/5
brutally awesome alt rock, even the ballads slap on here, a true return to form... god I love this band so much haha
fav track: Separate Missions |
| 2 |  | Vola
Witness
4.5/5
Pure ecstasy, every song on here is absolute ear-candy, probably their best record to date
fav track: Inside Your Fur |
| 1 |  | Every Time I Die
Radical
5/5
No other album has brought me so completely into its gravity field in the last few years as Radical has, peak metalcore right here. RIP to these legends, hope they find together again. |
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