| 4.5 superb |
| A Lot Like Birds Conversation Piece |
| A Perfect Circle Thirteenth Step |
| Aesop Rock The Blob |
| Aesop Rock None Shall Pass |
| AFI Black Sails in the Sunset |
| AFI All Hallow's E.P. |
| American Football American Football |
| Anberlin Cities |
| Anthrax Spreading the Disease |
| As Cities Burn Come Now Sleep |
| Athletics Who You Are Is Not Enough |
| Athletics Why Aren't I Home? |
| Atmosphere God Loves Ugly |
| Biosphere Substrata |
| Black Sabbath Black Sabbath |
| Blood Gemini Snow Season |
| Circle Takes the Square As the Roots Undo |
| City and Colour Little Hell |
| Clipse Hell Hath No Fury |
| Closure in Moscow First Temple |
| Closure in Moscow have created a near-perfect album here. Catchiness is not sacrificed for technicality, and there is a strong sense of experimentation that exists in song structures that still have an appearance of conventional. The album is a dichotomy in itself of a band that is unabashedly catchy and unafraid to chase different influences at the same time. |
| cLOUDDEAD cLOUDDEAD |
| Coheed and Cambria In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3 |
| Cryptopsy None So Vile |
| Dark Tranquillity The Gallery |
| Darkest Hour Hidden Hands of a Sadist Nation |
| Daughters Hell Songs |
| Deaf Havana Fools And Worthless Liars |
| Deafheaven Sunbather |
| Dear Landlord Dream Homes |
| Deas Vail Collapse |
| Collapse is beautiful; its ethereal and dream-like quality naturally draws the listener in. The beautiful falsetto of vocalist Wes Blaylock and the tasteful use of keys punctuated by the the percussive talents of Wes Saunders allows Deas Vail to stand out among the glut of indie rock bands currently in existence. The soothing beginning to "Follow Sound" sounds otherworldly with its use of synthesizers and a simple clean guitar line complementing Blaylock's best vocal performance of the album. This band is unabashedly a Christian band in its message, but the lyrics are vague enough (and good enough) to be taken in a more personal manner. "Light As Air" demonstrates the band's songwriting capability perfectly; propulsive drumming meshes perfect with catchy melodies and memorable lyrics. The skeletons of all six songs present here would end up being used for their first LP All The Houses Look The Same, but what is presented here is the perfect time capsule for Deas Vail. Indie rock does not get more authentic than this, and the passion exuded here has not been replicated in the genre since for me. Highly recommended for listeners who want to feel something. |
| Death Scream Bloody Gore |
| Death Symbolic |
| Death Grips Exmilitary |
| Decapitated Winds of Creation |
| Deep Puddle Dynamics The Taste of Rain...Why Kneel? |
| Demilich Nespithe |
| Deniro Farrar Rebirth |
| Drake Take Care |
| dredg Catch Without Arms |
| Earl Sweatshirt Doris |
| Electric Wizard Dopethrone |
| Eluvium When I Live by the Garden and the Sea |
| Eluvium Talk Amongst the Trees |
| Eluvium Curious Things |
| Eluvium Pianoworks |
| Eluvium (Whirring Marvels In) Consensus Reality |
| Emery ...In Shallow Seas We Sail |
| Enslaved RIITIIR |
| Entropia (PL) Vesper |
| Every Time I Die New Junk Aesthetic |
| Eye of Solitude Dear Insanity |
| Face Candy This Is Where We Were |
| Fear Before The Always Open Mouth |
| One of my favorite bands, and their best release. A tad more structured than previous releases, it blends the manic cacophony that defined past albums and combined it with a more mature sound. They experiment, but not to the point where the songwriting suffers. They utilize everything from monstrous riffs to eerie keyboards, and it works better for them than most bands attempting to do the same. Atmosphere coincides with heaviness in the spirit of a truly experimental band. Recommended Songs: "Drowning the Old Hag", "Mouth", and "...As a Result of Signals Being Crossed" |
| Finch Say Hello to Sunshine |
| Frank Ocean channel ORANGE |
| Frank Ocean created something that transcended my disdain for the genre, which I didn't think possible. The variety in beats, guest appearances, and tone will appeal to most listeners. There are a few missteps here, as some songs are brilliant but awkwardly placed, with a few songs that should not have made the cut. This is dangerously close to an absolute masterpiece, and for the time that Ocean has been in the game, it has become obvious from this release that he will be a staple for critics and mainstream listeners alike. |
| Fuck the Facts Abandoned |
| Funeral Diner The Underdark |
| Ghost (SWE) If You Have Ghost |
| Glassjaw Our Color Green (The Singles) |
| Glassjaw Coloring Book |
| Gorguts Considered Dead |
| Hammock Kenotic |
| Hammock Everything and Nothing |
| Heathen Victims of Deception |
| Helios Eingya |
| Holy Other With U |
| Incubus (USA-CA) Morning View |
| Iron Maiden Killers |
| Iron Maiden The Number of the Beast |
| Iron Maiden Powerslave |
| Jimmy Eat World Bleed American |
| Joy Wants Eternity You Who Pretend to Sleep |
| Joyce Manor Joyce Manor |
| Killing The Dream In Place, Apart |
| Latterman No Matter Where We Go...! |
| Lavinia Take Shelter |
| Lucian the Wolfbearer Paradise |
| Mac Miller DELUSIONAL THOMAS |
I actually like this better than anything that Mac Miller has put out; the pitched-up voice
is hard to get used to, but the lyrics are surprisingly very good and the flow is more than
serviceable. The murky and off-kilter beats are some of the best that Mac has created, and
his choice of guest spots on this are impeccable. Recommended songs: "Halo", "Bill", and
"Grandpa Used To Carry a Flask" |
| Mac Miller Circles |
| Manners Apparitions/Escapism |
| Manners Apparitions |
| Matthew Robert Cooper Miniatures |
| mewithoutYou Catch For Us the Foxes |
| Mick Jenkins Wave[s] |
| Misery Signals Of Malice and the Magnum Heart |
| Modest Mouse Building Nothing Out of Something |
| Modest Mouse The Lonesome Crowded West |
| Modest Mouse This Is a Long Drive for Someone with Nothing to Think About |
| Morbid Angel Domination |
| Musk Ox Woodfall |
| My Dying Bride The Light at the End of the World |
| My Dying Bride A Map of All Our Failures |
| Odd Nosdam Burner |
| Olafur Arnalds Living Room Songs |
| OutKast ATLiens |
| Overkill The Years of Decay |
| Perturbator I Am the Night |
| Seriously amazing stuff. Dirty, grimy, and sounds like it came straight out of an eighties horror flick. |
| Pianos Become the Teeth The Lack Long After |
| Poison the Well You Come Before You |
| Raekwon Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... |
| Run the Jewels Run the Jewels |
| Run the Jewels Run the Jewels 2 |
| Saosin Translating the Name |
| Search The City A Fire So Big The Heavens Can See It |
| Something Corporate North |
| Stars of the Lid The Tired Sounds of Stars of the Lid |
| Strata Strata Presents The End Of The World |
| Sunny Day Real Estate Diary |
| Team Sleep Team Sleep |
| Testament The New Order |
| Texas Is the Reason Texas is the Reason |
| The Banner Greying |
| The Black Dahlia Murder Nocturnal |
| The Candlepark Stars Very Big Sky |
| The Dead Texan The Dead Texan |
| The Dear Hunter Act II: The Meaning of, & All Things Regarding Ms. Leading |
| The Fully Down Dont' Get Lost In A Movement |
| The Gaslight Anthem Get Hurt |
| The Number Twelve Looks Like You Worse Than Alone |
| The Psycho Realm The Psycho Realm |
| The Psyke Project Daikini |
| The Receiving End of Sirens The Earth Sings Mi Fa Mi |
| The Smashing Pumpkins Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness |
| The War On Drugs Lost in the Dream |
| Thrice The Alchemy Index Vols. III & IV |
| Thrice The Alchemy Index Vol. II: Water |
| Title Fight Floral Green |
| Trap Them Filth Rations |
| Vince Staples Summertime '06 |
| 4.0 excellent |
| $uicideboy$ Eternal Grey |
| '68 In Humor and Sadness |
| ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead Source Tags and Codes |
| ...Of Sinking Ships ...Of Sinking Ships |
| A Million Dead Birds Laughing Bloom |
| A Slow Descent Utopias |
| A Slow Descent On Ganymede |
| Ab-Soul Control System |
| Abigail Williams Becoming |
| Abigail Williams The Accuser |
| Aborted Goremageddon: The Saw and the Carnage... |
| Aborted The Necrotic Manifesto |
| Action Bronson Dr. Lecter |
| Aesop Rock Skelethon |
| Aesop Rock Fast Cars, Danger, Fire and Knives |
| AFI The Art of Drowning |
| All Shall Perish The Price of Existence |
| American Football American Football EP |
| Anberlin Dark Is the Way, Light Is a Place |
| Aphelion Aonarach |
| Arctic Monkeys Who The Fuck Are Arctic Monkeys? |
| Arsis We Are the Nightmare |
| Arsis A Diamond for Disease |
| Arsis Unwelcome |
| Arsis A Celebration of Guilt |
| As Cities Burn Hell or High Water |
| As Tall As Lions As Tall As Lions |
| ASAP Rocky At.Long.Last.A$AP |
| Aspherium The Fall of Therenia |
| At the Drive-In Relationship of Command |
| Atheist Unquestionable Presence |
| Atmosphere Sad Clown Bad Spring 12 |
| Atmosphere Seven's Travels |
| August Burns Red Thrill Seeker |
| Autopsy Mental Funeral |
| Autopsy Tourniquets, Hacksaws and Graves |
| bansheebeat Spiral Power |
| Barrow Being Without |
| Behemoth The Satanist |
| Best Wishes Best Wishes |
| Between the Buried and Me Alaska |
| Between the Buried and Me The Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues |
| Between the Buried and Me The Great Misdirect |
| Big K.R.I.T. ReturnOf4eva |
| Biosphere Cirque |
| Bloodbath Grand Morbid Funeral |
| Blue Sky Black Death and Nacho Picasso Lord of the Fly |
| "All the drugs I abuse and I'm still not amused." This rules, probably going to be my next review. |
| Bodysnatcher This Heavy Void |
| Bon Iver Blood Bank |
| Born of Osiris The Discovery |
| Brian McBride The Effective Disconnect |
| Burial Rival Dealer |
| Cannibal Corpse Tomb of the Mutilated |
| Cannibal Corpse Butchered at Birth |
| Cannibal Corpse Gallery of Suicide |
| Cara Neir Portals to a Better, Dead World |
| Cara Neir/Venowl Split |
| Caravels/Gifts From Enola Well Worn |
| Carcass Surgical Remission/Surplus Steel |
| Carissa's Wierd Songs About Leaving |
| Caster Caster |
| Cerce Cerce |
| Cerce Teen Bible |
| Chevelle This Type Of Thinking (Could Do Us In) |
| Chevelle Sci-Fi Crimes |
| Chevelle Vena Sera |
| Childish Gambino Because the Internet |
| Circa Survive Descensus |
| clipping. Midcity |
| Closure in Moscow The Penance and the Patience |
| Coffins The Fleshland |
| Coheed and Cambria The Second Stage Turbine Blade |
| Coheed and Cambria From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness |
| Columns Please Explode |
| Comeback Kid Die Knowing |
| Counterparts The Difference Between Hell and Home |
| Crypt Sermon Out of the Garden |
| Currents I Let the Devil In |
| Cynic Focus |
| Dance Gavin Dance Whatever I Say Is Royal Ocean |
| The foundation is placed for what's to come in future albums, but Whatever I Say Is Royal Ocean is still very raw. I love the melodies, and Craig's less imposing appearance on this release makes it much more palatable for me. |
| Danny Brown XXX |
| Darkest Hour So Sedated, so Secure |
| Darkest Hour The Eternal Return |
| Darklands Bring Out The Dead |
| Dashboard Confessional So Impossible |
| Daughters Daughters |
| Dead And Divine The Machines We Are |
| Dead And Divine Antimacy |
| Dead Congregation Promulgation of the Fall |
| Dead in the Manger Cessation |
| Dead Poetic New Medicines |
| Dead Sea Apes High Evolutionary |
| Deas Vail Deas Vail |
| Deas Vail All The Houses Look The Same |
| Death Human |
| Death Individual Thought Patterns |
| Death Grips Fashion Week |
| Decapitated Nihility |
| Despised Icon The Healing Process |
| Despised Icon Day Of Mourning |
| Devics If You Forget Me... |
| Dorena Nuet |
| Drake If You're Reading This It's Too Late |
| Dream Theater Train of Thought |
| dredg El Cielo |
| dredg Live at The Fillmore |
| Duck Duck Goose Noise, Noise and More Noise |
| There is undeniable groove present in this record for how spastic and unpredictable the song structures can be. The vocals range from impressive clean passages to ear-splitting high screams to visceral lows. The drumwork is absolutely thunderous, DDG are able to carve out their own path in this unique release. |
| Earl Sweatshirt EARL |
| El-P I'll Sleep When You're Dead |
| Eluvium An Accidental Memory in the Case of Death |
| Eluvium Nightmare Ending |
| Eluvium Static Nocturne |
| Emery I'm Only A Man |
| Envy Insomniac Doze |
| Ethereal Shroud They Became the Falling Ash |
| Every Time I Die Gutter Phenomenon |
| Every Time I Die From Parts Unknown |
| Explosions in the Sky All of a Sudden, I Miss Everyone |
| Explosions in the Sky Those Who Tell the Truth Shall Die... |
| Explosions in the Sky The Wilderness |
| Fearless Leader Half Dead |
| Fennesz Venice |
| Finch Finch |
| Fireworks Gospel |
| Flatbush Zombies BetterOffDEAD |
| Followed By Ghosts The Entire City Was Silent |
| Forevermore Telos |
| Frank Ocean Nostalgia, Ultra. |
| Free Throw Lavender Town |
| From A Second Story Window Not One Word Has Been Omitted |
| Full of Hell The Inevitable Fear of Existence |
| Full of Hell Roots Of Earth Are Consuming My Home |
| Funeral Diner The Wicked |
| Funeral Diner Doors Open |
| Funeral for a Friend Welcome Home Armageddon |
| FFaF come through on all of the promises they made on past albums. This is their most complete to me. |
| Ghost (SWE) Meliora |
| Gifts From Enola Loyal Eyes Betrayed The Mind |
| Glass Bones Seasons |
| Hammock Raising Your Voice... Trying to Stop an Echo |
| Haste the Day Dreamer |
| Heartsounds Drifter |
| It isn't always easy to balance pop punk with technicality, all while managing to sound heartfelt and passionate. Drifter gives all of that in spades, with two of the four members coming from metal band Light This City. The fast-paced drums and incredibly varied guitars, mixed with the dual male-female vocals, help to give fans of the pop-punk reason to rejoice. One of most consistent releases in recent memory, and my personal favorites (especially for summertime listening). |
| Heiress Of Great Sorrow |
| Helios Unleft |
| Hester Prynne The Goswell Divorce |
| Hexis Abalam |
| Hutcher Hauntpop |
| Interesting project here. I am definitely going to review this. Reminds me of what would play in a grocery store in a post-apocalyptic world. Strange, almost alien-like, but with a forlorn familiarity that would inherently attract people to it. |
| I Exist From Darkness |
| Illsugi Catalyst |
| Incubus (USA-CA) Make Yourself |
| Incubus (USA-CA) S.C.I.E.N.C.E. |
| Incubus (USA-CA) A Crow Left of the Murder... |
| Iron Maiden Piece of Mind |
| Jack's Mannequin Dear Jack |
| Many will disagree with this, but I believe this little release to be the best thing that has come of Jack's Mannequin. All four of the tracks present on Dear Jack are keepers, and the reinterpretation of "Swim" is chilling in its perfection. If you thought Everything in Transit was a bit too pop-punk and thought that The Glass Passenger lacked the songwriting chops and hooks, this is the perfect middle ground. |
| Jakob Sines |
| Jay Rock 90059 |
| Jesu/Eluvium Jesu/Eluvium |
| Jimmy Eat World Futures |
| Job For A Cowboy Sun Eater |
| Job For A Cowboy Gloom |
| John Murphy 28 Weeks Later Soundtrack |
| Joyce Manor Never Hungover Again |
| Kevin Devine Brother's Blood |
| Kevin Devine Split the Country, Split the Street |
| Kevin Devine Put Your Ghost To Rest |
| Kingdom of Giants Abominable |
| Krimh Krimhera |
| Kublai Khan TX Nomad |
| Lakutis 3 Seashells |
| Lakutis I'm In The Forest |
| Lamb of God Ashes of the Wake |
| LANDMVRKS Hollow |
| With LANDMVRKS favoring mood and atmosphere over excessive heaviness, they craft an album that is enjoyable from front to back. The clean and screamed vocals are both fantastic, and the variation that exists in songwriting allows the album to be an invigorating listen. |
| Less Than Jake Hello Rockview |
| Less Than Jake Anthem |
| Less Than Jake Borders and Boundaries |
| Loscil First Narrows |
| lovechild In Heaven, Everything is Fine |
| Mac Miller Faces |
Mac Miller has been progressing at an impressive level. His lyricism is getting better but
still needs some work; however, that doesn't stop Faces from being startlingly honest
at times. It's interesting to watch Mac work backwards from most hip-hop stars, in that the
shitty mainstream aspect of his music came first and he has progressively gotten weirder (in
a good way). The production and attention to detail on some of these beats are astounding,
and he sets himself up with some very impressive features spanning from Rick Ross to Vince
Staples. Obviously 24 tracks is too much of anyone for one release, but the majority
of material here is stronger than anything that has preceded it. rRecommended Tracks:
Diablo, Apparition, Rain, Angel Dust, New Faces, and Insomniak |
| Mac Miller GO:OD AM |
| Mac Miller Swimming |
| Mac Miller Watching Movies With The Sound Off |
| Manchester Orchestra I'm Like a Virgin Losing a Child |
| Manners Escapism |
| Mastodon Once More 'Round the Sun |
| mewithoutYou Brother, Sister |
| Midnight Static Daydream |
| Mike Mictlan Snaxxx |
| Minus the Bear This is What I Know About Being Gigantic |
| Modern Baseball Sports |
| Modern Baseball are undoubtedly a fun listen; their emo-infused pop punk style may leave some to be desired songwriting-wise; but it is immediately engaging and plenty catchy. The nasally vocals will definitely get on the nerves of listeners not used to the style, but the sarcastic and youthful attitude present in the lyrics will bring a full-on nostalgia trip to the open-minded. The songs are individually powerful enough to keep your attention, and the plaintive yearning in the vocals speak to the honesty of a band that seems to wholly represent the average twenty-something sad-sack. There are a few songs that just do not match up to the highlights, but overall Sports is much more consistent than Modern Baseball's follow-up, and is perfect for a summer listen. |
| Modest Mouse Everywhere and His Nasty Parlour Tricks |
| Morbid Angel Abominations of Desolation |
| Morbid Angel Altars of Madness |
| Morbid Angel Covenant |
| Morbid Angel Gateways to Annihilation |
| Morbid Angel Formulas Fatal to the Flesh |
| Morning Effort I heard you the first time, it just wasn't funny |
| Mortician Chainsaw Dismemberment |
| Mr. Muddle General's Quarters |
| Municipal Waste Hazardous Mutation |
| Ne Obliviscaris Citadel |
| Necrophagist Onset of Putrefaction |
| New Found Glory Radiosurgery |
| New Found Glory Sticks and Stones |
| Noah Gundersen Family |
| Noah Gundersen Saints & Liars |
| Noah Gundersen Ledges |
| Nodes of Ranvier Nodes of Ranvier |
| Noisem Agony Defined |
| Norma Jean Redeemer |
| Norma Jean The Anti Mother |
| Norma Jean Wrongdoers |
| Wrongdoers is the sum of the parts Norma Jean have been quietly collecting throughout rtheir entire career. Barring a few setbacks over the years, the band have not stayed rstagnant in a genre renowned for recycled ideas from most of the bands. Finally the longer rtracks have a palatable experimental feel to them; "Hive Minds" is one of the band's best rofferings with eerie distortion building up to immense riffs. The album itself is a rcombination of their most frenzied aggression matched up with a strong focus on continuity. rVocalist Cory Brandan has never been more on point both vocally and lyrically; "Funeral rSinger" is certainly proof of that. Wrongdoers proves that an already-established rband can eschew self-made constrictions and put out an album that is miles above and beyond rwhat was anticipated by fans. |
| Northaunt Istid I-II |
| Obliteration Nekropsalms |
| Obliteration Black Death Horizon |
| Obscura Cosmogenesis |
| Oceana Clean Head |
| Of Machines As If Everything Was Held In Place |
| Panopticon Roads to the North |
| Pelican The Fire in Our Throats Will Beckon... |
| Pet The Preacher The Cave and The Sunlight |
| Pianos Become the Teeth Keep You |
| Premonitions of War Left in Kowloon |
| Protest the Hero Fortress |
| Pusha T My Name Is My Name |
| Radiohead OK Computer |
| Rancid Rancid (2000) |
| Red (USA) Innocence and Instinct |
| Rotten Sound Species At War |
| Sage Francis The Known Unsoldier "Sick Of Waging War..." |
| Sage Francis Personal Journals |
| Sarcofago Rotting |
| Scale the Summit The Migration |
| Scary Kids Scaring Kids Scary Kids Scaring Kids |
| Self Defense Family Disappear Here |
| Sense Field Tonight and Forever |
| Senses Fail Still Searching |
| Senses Fail Life Is Not a Waiting Room |
| Senses Fail continue to hone their craft on Life Is Not a Waiting Room. While the highlight songs don't match up to the last full length, it is a more consistent album. The screaming has matured quite a bit, and even if Buddy Nielsen isn't utilizing it as much on this album, it is incredibly effective. Ultimately, if you like Senses Fail, you will enjoy this album. If you didn't like them before this, you won't enjoy this one very much, either. |
| Set Your Goals Mutiny! |
| Sharks Keep Moving Pause And Clause |
| sigh (US) batch.01 |
| Silent Planet Iridescent |
| Slipknot Slipknot |
| Snowmine Laminate Pet Animal |
| So Long Forgotten Baptism |
| So Long Forgotten Beneath Our Noble Heads |
| Sororicide The Entity |
| Spiritbox Singles Collection |
| State Champs The Finer Things |
| Stomach Earth Stomach Earth |
| Straight Reads The Line The Author |
| Strawberry Girls French Ghetto |
| Summoning Old Mornings Dawn |
| Sunn O))) and Ulver Terrestrials |
| Texas Is the Reason Do You Know Who You Are? |
| The Album Leaf Into The Blue Again |
| The Album Leaf Seal Beach |
| The Antlers Hospice |
| The Black Dahlia Murder Everblack |
| The Blood Brothers Crimes |
| The Blood Brothers ...Burn, Piano Island, Burn |
| The Dangerous Summer If You Could Only Keep Me Alive |
| The Faceless Akeldama |
| The Fall of Troy The Fall of Troy |
| The Forecast Late Night Conversations |
| The Grouch x Eligh x CunninLynguists The Winterfire EP |
| The Handshake Murders Usurper |
| The Knife Trade/Through the Eyes of the Dead The Annihilation of Expectation |
| The Magic Lightnin' Boys The Magic Lightnin' Boys |
| The Matches Decomposer |
| The Postal Service Give Up |
| The Smashing Pumpkins Pisces Iscariot |
| The Smashing Pumpkins Rotten Apples |
| The Twilight Singers Powder Burns |
| The Twilight Singers A Stitch In Time |
| The Weeknd Trilogy |
| Themselves TheFREEhoudini |
| Thrice The Alchemy Index Vols. I & II |
| Through the Eyes of the Dead Bloodlust |
| Through the Eyes of the Dead The Scars of Ages |
This EP was one of my first loves in terms of extreme music, and still represents one of the
best examples of metalcore with a pinch of melodic death metal. The short length of the
release, along with interesting tempo changes and varied vocals help to keep this much more
original-sounding than many bands that have similar influences. The breakdowns don't disrupt
the songs in any noticeable way, and I find myself seeking out bands that adopt the model of
songwriting that Through the Eyes of the Dead have perfected here.rStandout Tracks: Beneath
Dying Skies, To Take Comfort (In Yesterday's Scars) |
| Thursday Common Existence |
| Thursday War All the Time |
| Thy Art Is Murder Infinite Death |
| Thy Art Is Murder Dear Desolation |
| Tim Hecker Haunt Me, Haunt Me Do It Again |
| Tiny Moving Parts Pleasant Living |
| Trap Them Darker Handcraft |
| Trap Them Sleepwell Deconstructor |
| Trap Them Seance Prime |
| Trenches The Tide Will Swallow Us Whole |
| Ulver Messe I.X-VI.X |
| Underoath Ø (Disambiguation) |
| Underoath Define the Great Line |
| Underoath Lost in the Sound of Separation |
| Unearth The Oncoming Storm |
| Vince Staples Stolen Youth |
| Vince Staples Hell Can Wait |
| Whitechapel The Valley |
| Windmills By the Ocean Windmills By the Ocean |
| With Dead Hands Rising The Horror Grows Near |
| Within the Ruins Phenomena |
| Upon repeated listens of Phenomena, it's fairly safe to say that this is the band's best work to date. There are plenty of chugs and breakdowns in this album, but I'll damned if this isn't one of the catchiest metalcore releases of the year so far. "Gods Amongst Men" starts the album off as one of WtR's best songs, and it becomes obvious after a few listens that there is zero filler on this album. Both instrumental tracks rank as some of the strongest songs, with "Enigma" boasting guitar licks very reminiscent of both Mario Bros and Inspector Gadget. The fun that Within the Ruins had making this one is translated well on the record, and the band have not sounded tighter in their playing than they do now. |
| Wolves in the Throne Room Celestite |
| Yoma Approaching Silence |
| Young Thug Slime Season 3 |
| 3.5 great |
| $uicideboy$ I Want To Die In New Orleans |
| 36 Crazyfists Bitterness the Star |
| 36 Crazyfists A Snow Capped Romance |
| A Heartwell Ending Trust Us We Lie |
| A Life Once Lost A Great Artist |
| A Lot Like Birds Plan B |
| Abigail Williams In the Absence of Light |
| Abstracter Wound Empire |
| Acceptance Phantoms |
| Acceptance Black Lines to Battlefields |
| Action Bronson Saaab Stories |
| AFI Sing the Sorrow |
| Alexisonfire Alexisonfire |
| Alexisonfire Crisis |
| All Shall Perish Awaken the Dreamers |
| Anberlin Never Take Friendship Personal |
| One of my go-to listens for catchiness and content. I love this one, and this rating is obviously skewed; what do you want from me?! |
| Anberlin Lost Songs |
| And Hell Followed With Domain |
| Anesthesia An Infinite Winter, Vol. I: In Memoriam |
| Antwon Heavy Hearted In Doldrums |
| Architects Lost Forever // Lost Together |
| Lost Forever // Lost Together does everything that is expected of Architects at this point, but they haven't done it this well in quite some time. The renewed vigor shines through the entire album, most notably in standouts "Gravedigger" and "Broken Cross", but the album in general is a step in the right direction. |
| As Tall As Lions Into The Flood |
| ASAP Mob Lord$ Never Worry |
| ASAP Rocky Live.Love.A$AP. |
| ASAP Rocky LONG.LIVE.A$AP |
| Atmosphere Sad Clown Bad Summer 9 |
| Atmosphere You Can't Imagine How Much Fun... |
| Atmosphere Headshots: Se7en |
| August Burns Red Rescue & Restore |
| August Burns Red Constellations |
| Autopsy The Headless Ritual |
| Barrow Though I'm Alone |
| Bayside Killing Time |
| Bear//Face Beat_Tape |
The chilled-out beats on this are fantastic. Whether it's the amazing vocal sample in "Taste My
Sad" or the melancholic vibe on "GANGY", there is a surprising amount of variation on
Beat_Tape. "Bruh Bruh" is a more energetic electronic track but still works very well
within the context of the EP. There are a few duds here, most notably the third song entitled
"$o0oo Wavey" which is much too repetitive for its own good. Even with a few songs not really
matching up to the others, it's still a great way to spend twenty minutes if you're interested in
the genre at all. |
| Beneath the Massacre Evidence Of Inequity |
| Beneath The Sky In Loving Memory |
| Between the Buried and Me The Silent Circus |
| Between the Buried and Me Coma Ecliptic |
| Black Lungs Send Flowers |
| Boys Night Out TrainWreck |
| Brand New Daisy |
| Brand New Deja Entendu |
| Brand New Your Favorite Weapon |
| Buried in Verona Faceless |
| Caina Setter of Unseen Snares |
| Cannibal Corpse Gore Obsessed |
| Cannibal Corpse Eaten Back to Life |
| Carcass Swansong |
| Chevelle Wonder What's Next |
| Childish Gambino Royalty |
| Childish Gambino STN MTN |
| Children of Bodom I Worship Chaos |
| Children of Bodom Are You Dead Yet? |
| Circa Survive Juturna |
| Circaic False Prophetic Roads |
| City and Colour Bring Me Your Love |
| City and Colour Sometimes |
| Cloudkicker The Discovery |
| Coheed and Cambria No World for Tomorrow |
| Conditions Fluorescent Youth |
| Converge Axe to Fall |
| Copeland Eat, Sleep, Repeat |
| Copeland Know Nothing Stays The Same |
| Crying Get Olde |
| Currents The Place I Feel Safest |
| Dance Gavin Dance Downtown Battle Mountain |
| Dance Gavin Dance Happiness |
| Darkest Hour Undoing Ruin |
| Darkest Hour The Mark of the Judas |
| Daughters Canada Songs |
| Dead And Divine What Really Happened at Lover's Lane |
| Dead Man In Reno Dead Man In Reno |
| DMIR are one of those bands that I want to defend constantly. I want to say that they aren't like the horde of metalcore bands that aren't doing anything interesting in the world of music, but the truth is that I just enjoy what they are doing on their self-titled. The vocals are erratic, as is the songwriting, but it works in favor of the album. Meatheaded breakdowns give way to gorgeous, melodic clean guitar passages. It is simple, by-the-books metalcore, done better than most of the masses. |
| Deas Vail For Shepherds & Kings - EP |
| Deas Vail succeed greatly in creating dreamy, gorgeous pop music that has more substance than most acts out there. With this EP, Deas Vail cover Christmas songs, and do it much better than the myriad out there butchering them. Wes Blaylock's angelic voice soars on this release. |
| Deas Vail White Lights |
| Death The Sound of Perseverance |
| Death Spiritual Healing |
| Death Grips The Powers That B - Part I: Niggas on the Moon |
| Delain The Human Contradiction |
| Die Antwoord Ten$ion |
| Doctor Smoke The Witching Hour |
| Domo Genesis Genesis |
| Drake Views |
| Drake and Future What a Time to Be Alive |
| Dream Theater Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory |
| dredg The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion |
| Eluvium Similes |
| Eluvium Pedals / Petals |
| Eluvium False Readings On |
| Emarosa Emarosa |
| Embrace The End Counting Hallways to the Left |
| Emery We Do What We Want |
| Enslaved In Times |
| Escape the Fate There's No Sympathy for the Dead |
| Eso-Charis Eso-Charis |
| Every Time I Die Last Night in Town |
| Every Time I Die Ex Lives |
| Explosions in the Sky The Earth Is Not a Cold Dead Place |
| Fall to November Sky... A Little Sounds for an Empty World |
| Fear Before Art Damage |
| Fear Before Odd How People Shake |
| Flatbush Zombies D.R.U.G.S. |
| Followed By Ghosts Dear Monsters, Be Patient |
| Free Throw Free Throw |
| From Graves of Valor Famine |
| Funeral for a Friend Casually Dressed & Deep in Conversation |
| Future DS2 |
| Ghost (SWE) Infestissumam |
| Gifts From Enola From Fathoms |
| Glassjaw Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Silence |
| Good Weather for an Airstrike A Home for You |
| Grave Endless Procession of Souls |
| Grieves Together/Apart |
| Hands (US-ND) Give Me Rest |
| Hands Like Houses Ground Dweller |
| Haste the Day Burning Bridges |
| Haste the Day When Everything Falls |
| Hawkboy Hawkboy |
| As Cities Burn's frontman Cody Bonnette makes few missteps on Hawkboy's first EP. His passionate vocals overshadow the songwriting here, but this much is sure; if you enjoyed his last band, there is alot to love here. |
| Hiroshima Will Burn To The Weight Of All Things |
| Horrendous Ecdysis |
| Hour of Penance Regicide |
| Hutcher Hauntpop Vol. 2 |
| iamthemorning MISCELLANY |
| Incantation Dirges of Elysium |
| Invocation of Nehek Invocation of Nehek |
Invocation of Nehek's self-titled is very dynamic for a metalcore record, and a great early
example of why so many listeners flocked to bands like Unearth and Through the Eyes of the
Dead in the early 2000s. The vocals vary from a high-pitched shriek to a low growl and are
executed spendidly. They end up being the highlight of Invocation of Nehek, if only
for the fact that the instrumentation takes on a somewhat similar sound throughout. The
breakdowns are also surprisingly powerful, given the fact that they are (for the most part)
well-timed and groovy. There are influences outside of the norm that help this stand out as
well, such as the tranquil instrumentation present on "Drawing Blood From A Stone". The
overall execution of this album leaves quite a bit to be desired, and certainly would have
led to an even more varied and dynamic sophomore release had they continued on. |
| Jarrod Gorbel Devil's Made A New Friend |
| Jarrod Gorbel Ten Years Older |
| Jeff Martin and Steven Padin The First Joke & Other Matters |
| Job For A Cowboy Demonocracy |
| Jonwayne Rap Album One |
| Kids in the Way Apparitions of Melody |
| Kitty Impatiens |
| Kool A.D. WORD O.K. |
| LANDMVRKS Fantasy |
| Legs Like Tree Trunks Future Reference |
| Less Than Jake Losing Streak |
| Lights and Motion Reanimation |
| Living Sacrifice Ghost Thief |
| Lorde Pure Heroine |
| Loscil Plume |
| Loscil Submers |
| Lower Than Atlantis Bretton |
| Mac Miller Run On Sentences Vol. 1 |
| Make Them Suffer Neverbloom |
| Man Overboard Real Talk |
| Manchester Orchestra Mean Everything to Nothing |
| Manchester Orchestra Let My Pride Be What's Left Behind EP/DVD |
| Manchester Orchestra Live at Park Ave. |
| Matt Pond PA Winter Songs |
| MellowHype BLACKENEDWHITE |
| Metallica Ride the Lightning |
| Metallica Kill 'Em All |
| Midas Fall Wilderness |
| Midnight Static Colorwave |
| Mike G The Award Tour EP |
| Miss May I Apologies Are for the Weak |
| Modern Baseball You’re Gonna Miss It All |
| Modest Mouse Good News for People Who Love Bad News |
| Modest Mouse No One's First, and You're Next |
| Morning Effort Mourning Effort |
| Municipal Waste The Fatal Feast |
| murk daddy flex third compilation |
| My Dying Bride Feel the Misery |
| Necrophagist Epitaph |
| New Found Glory Not Without a Fight |
| Noah Gundersen Brand New World |
| Nocturnal Witch Summoning Hell |
| Norma Jean O' God, the Aftermath |
| Norma Jean Meridional |
| October Falls The Plague of a Coming Age |
| Origin Omnipresent |
| Our Lost Infantry The New Art History |
| Oxford Drama Oxford Drama |
| Palm Reader Palm Reader |
| Pathology Throne of Reign |
| Paths Of Possession The End of the Hour |
| Pest The Crowning Horror |
| Pianos Become the Teeth Old Pride |
| Poison the Well The Opposite of December |
| Poison the Well Tear From the Red |
| Pouya Underground Underdog |
| Prof King Gampo |
| Protest the Hero Kezia |
| Pusha T Fear of God II: Let Us Pray |
| Pusha T Wrath Of Caine |
| PVRIS White Noise |
| Quarterbacks Quarterboy |
| Quarterboy is just one of those releases that is nostalgia personified. When life was a little simpler, you might spend your days agonizing over girls with your friends; that was a few summers of my life quite a long time ago (longer ago than I care to remember, honestly). It's trivial looking back at it now, but what this album provides is 16 minutes of gentle, inoffensive twee pop. The quick compositions and tongue-in-cheek lyrics make this quite the listenable little gem; although to that end, it comes and goes without any real highlights. Quarterbacks crafted a full-length that left me interested enough to follow their progress to see how they mature in the coming years, because the potential is certainly there. |
| Rae Sremmurd SremmLife |
| Rain City Drive Through Art We Are All Equals |
| Through Art We Are All Equals is certainly Jonny Craig's project through and through. It ends up being a question of how much you enjoy his vocals, because instrumentally speaking there simply isn't much going on here. Most of what is going on here has a second-rate Emarosa feel to it, but the good news is the lyrics on here are much more honest and revealing than on past projects. "Starving For Friends" is certainly a highlight with Craig intoning, "I miss the days of being on fire". Vocally we haven't seen Craig this good in awhile, and this album seems the stepping stone that was necessary in order for him to release a truly impressive album in the future. Though the highlights are fantastic on this, too many of the middle songs sound similar and create a plodding tempo throughout. |
| Reflections Willow |
| Ringworm Hammer of the Witch |
| Rittz Top Of The Line |
| Russian Circles Geneva |
| Sage Francis A Healthy Distrust |
| Saosin Saosin |
| Say Hi Impeccable Blahs |
| Scary Kids Scaring Kids After Dark |
| ScHoolboy Q Oxymoron |
| Second Thief Brainwashed |
| Senses Fail Let It Enfold You |
| Senses Fail The Fire |
| Skeletonwitch Serpents Unleashed |
| Snow Tha Product Good Nights & Bad Mornings |
Good Nights & Bad Mornings provides the listener with an artist that possesses both
technical ability and an ear for catchy songwriting. Snow tha Product doesn't mince her words, and
it's refreshing to see a female so authentic in the genre. "Cookie Cutter Bitches" is an incisive
take on the sameness that can pervade the female MC, while "Fuck the Rent" provides a focus on
relatable monetary troubles balanced with dreams of making it big in tow. Also, the verses on
"Hola" just rip. |
| So Long Forgotten Things We Can See and Things We Cannot |
| Sorority Noise Forgettable |
| State Lines For the Boats |
| Stone Sour Stone Sour |
| Structures Life Through a Window |
| Supa Sortahuman & Shawn Kemp Supasonic |
| I didn't love this at first listen, but it's really a fun release. The beats are incredibly varied (provided courtesy of Shawn Kemp) and Supa Sortahuman is a serviceable rapper. "UFO'in" boasts the catchiest beat and Lil Ugly Mane's verse on "Me & You" a capella is downright amazing. |
| Swain Howl |
| Sylosis Conclusion of an Age |
| Sylosis The Supreme Oppressor |
| T'Saatsuna/Reverend Desaad Churnmilk Peg!!/Hypatian Codex: Compendium Dub |
| The Amazing Picture You |
| The Black Dahlia Murder Deflorate |
| The Black Dahlia Murder What a Horrible Night to Have a Curse |
| The Black Dahlia Murder A Cold-Blooded Epitaph |
| The Bright Star Alliance Oceania |
| The Chariot The Fiancee |
| The Chariot Long Live |
| The Color Morale My Devil In Your Eyes |
| The Color Morale seem to have everything it takes to be a prototypical Rise Records band; endless chugging, sing/scream dynamic, and a littany of breakdowns. With that being said, there are nuances that make this record stand out among many others in the genre. Passionate, incredible clean vocals and interesting guitar leads make for a great listen. It helps that the lyrics aren't the normal drivel about lost love and devotion to God; it is in the small details here that point to a good record and an even better one in the future. |
| The Damned Things Ironiclast |
| The Dangerous Summer Reach for the Sun |
| The Dear Hunter Act III: Life and Death |
| The Devil Wears Prada Zombie |
| The Fall of Troy Manipulator |
| The Fall of Troy Doppelganger |
| The Fall of Troy Phantom on the Horizon |
| The Hotelier Home, Like NoPlace Is There |
| It's strange; this album took a very long time to grow on me, and I really don't know why I listened to it so much when I didn't care for it initially. It's passionate and gritty, honest and revelatory. It possesses an identity amongst a gluttony of bands that don't dare to be so strikingly personal. The lyricism paints a picture that is easy to understand, and it almost seems like you're just listening to a friend recount a difficult time in his life where nothing made sense and everything was an uphill battle. Musically speaking, it is almost painfully average. The bland instrumentation and predictable songwriting is what stops this from getting a higher rating. With that being said, this is an album that will mean quite a bit to so many music lovers out there, and that cannot be taken away no matter what. I would advise anyone who is into pop punk and emo to check this one out, as it is incredibly affecting. |
| The Knife Trade Annihilation Of Expectation (Split W/ Through The Eyes Of The Dead) |
| The Receiving End of Sirens Between the Heart and the Synapse |
| The Taste Of Blood Predator |
| The Uncluded Hokey Fright |
| This or the Apocalypse Dead Years |
| Thou Heathen |
| Thrice The Artist in the Ambulance |
| Thursday A City By the Light Divided |
| Thursday Full Collapse |
| Thy Art Is Murder Holy War |
| Trap Them Blissfucker |
| Trapped Under Ice Big Kiss Goodnight |
| Travis Scott Owl Pharaoh |
| Trophywife Hold Onto Your Luck |
| Underoath Act of Depression |
| Vendetta Red Between the Never and the Now |
| Vince Staples Shyne Coldchain Vol. 2 |
| Whitechapel Whitechapel |
Whereas most self-titled releases signify a band on the decline, Whitechapel show the
band at their strongest thus far. The biggest difference between this and previous albums is
the variation; each and every song has its own easily discernible identity, which is
especially a feat given the fact that they are still firmly rooted in the deathcore genre.
The over-reliance on breakdowns has been replaced by interesting leads and the emergence of
piano on a few songs, most notably on the penultimate track "Make It Bleed". The brief solo
in "Section 8" is just one more example of quite a few that point to Whitechapel
incorporating subtle influences to stand out from the pack. Unfortunately, there are also
some sophomoric lyrics that make this seem much more juvenile than the actual songwriting
would suggest. As it stands, this is a heavy dose of deathcore done correctly, with a
sprinkling of different influences and balls-out heaviness. |
| Within the Ruins Elite |
| Wolverine Still |
| Wolves Like Us Black Soul Choir |
| Wovenwar Wovenwar |
| Young Thug Barter 6 |
| Young Thug I'm Up |
| 3.0 good |
| 36 Crazyfists The Tide and Its Takers |
| 36 Crazyfists Time and Trauma |
| A Breath Before Surfacing Death Is Swallowed In Victory |
| A Lot Like Birds No Place |
| Abigail Williams Legend |
| All Shall Perish This Is Where It Ends |
| Anberlin Blueprints for the Black Market |
| Architects The Here and Now |
| As Cities Burn Son, I Loved You at Your Darkest |
| ASAP Ferg Always Strive and Prosper |
| Atmosphere The Family Sign |
| Some good songs, but overall it doesn't really grab my attention. Atmosphere have strayed far from their comfort zone, and it seems to detract more than reward. Slug's lyrics and perspective on things keeps it interesting for me, as he is still a masterful storyteller. |
| Atmosphere Sad Clown Bad Fall 10 |
| Bad Books Bad Books |
| Boys Night Out Make Yourself Sick |
| Brand New The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me |
| Bring Me The Horizon Sempiternal |
| Burns Out Bright Distance and Darkness |
| Carnifex Die Without Hope |
| Chevelle Hats Off To The Bull |
| Chevelle La Gárgola |
| City and Colour The Hurry and the Harm |
| Coheed and Cambria Kerrang! / XFM UK Acoustic Sessions |
| Coheed and Cambria Year of the Black Rainbow |
| Converge Jane Doe |
| Copeland Beneath Medicine Tree |
| Crosses Crosses |
| Dance Gavin Dance Dance Gavin Dance |
| Darkest Hour Darkest Hour |
| Darkest Hour The Prophecy Fullfilled |
| Darkest Hour The Human Romance |
| Dead Poetic Four Wall Blackmail |
| Deas Vail Birds & Cages |
| Deception Of A Ghost Speak Up, You're Not Alone |
| Domo Genesis Under The Influence |
| Drake Nothing Was the Same |
| Eluvium The Motion Makes Me Last |
| Emery The Question |
| Emmure Goodbye To The Gallows |
| Essence Beyond Carnivalism |
| Explosions in the Sky How Strange, Innocence |
| Fallujah The Flesh Prevails |
| Feed Her to the Sharks Savage Seas |
| Finch What It Is to Burn |
| Flatbush Zombies 3001: A Laced Odyssey |
| Freddie Gibbs and Madlib Pinata |
| From A Second Story Window Conversations |
| Future EVOL |
| Gerard Way Hesitant Alien |
| Goonies Never Say Die No Words To Voice Our Hopes And Fears |
| Haste the Day Pressure the Hinges |
| In Hearts Wake Divination |
| Job For A Cowboy Ruination |
| Jonny Craig A Dream Is A Question You Don't Know How To Answer |
| Kitty D.A.I.S.Y. Rage |
| Lower Definition The Greatest of All Lost Arts |
| MellowHype Numbers |
| Miss May I Monument |
| Neck Deep Wishful Thinking |
| Neck Deep A History of Bad Decisions |
| Neck Deep Rain in July |
| NehruvianDOOM NehruvianDOOM |
| Nervous Impulse (CA) Time to Panic |
| Nick Murphy (fka Chet Faker) Built on Glass |
| Nights Like These The Faithless |
| Pain (USA) Wonderful Beef |
| Pathology Lords of Rephaim |
| Pathology The Time of Great Purification |
| Psycroptic Psycroptic |
| Red (USA) End of Silence |
| Red (USA) Of Beauty and Rage |
| Sage Francis Human The Death Dance |
| Scary Kids Scaring Kids The City Sleeps In Flames |
| Screams of Erida The Red Testament |
| Secret And Whisper Great White Whale |
| Shattered Skies Reanimation |
| Signal the Escape These Scars Are Just the Beginning |
| Sigur Ros Von |
| Sir Michael Rocks Populair |
| Sleeping With Sirens With Ears to See and Eyes to Hear |
| Spitalfield Remember Right Now |
| Structures All of the Above |
| Texas in July Uncivilized |
| Texas in July release more of the same; generic metalcore with slightly above-average musicianship. It's not inherently bad music, and if you've enjoyed their past releases, there isn't any reason for you to not pick this up. "Fight Fair" starts out with a fun riff, and then proceeds to chug for the next three minutes or so. Nothing less, nothing more than what should be expected from an outfit such as them. |
| The Amity Affliction Let the Ocean Take Me |
| The Black Dahlia Murder Ritual |
| The Black Dahlia Murder Miasma |
| The Black Dahlia Murder Unhallowed |
| The Damascus Intervention Carefully Built, Carelessly Destroyed |
| The Plot In You First Born |
| The Receiving End of Sirens The Receiving End of Sirens |
| The Workday Release Farther From Familiar |
| Through the Eyes of the Dead Malice |
| Through the Eyes of the Dead Skepsis |
| Nostalgia is forcing me to give this an average rating; all my history with this band haha. That should tell you something. Stay far away. |
| Thy Art Is Murder The Adversary |
| Thy Art Is Murder Hate |
| Travis Scott Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight |
| Trophywife An Innocent Orphan In The Post-Modern World |
| Tyler, the Creator Goblin |
| Upon a Burning Body The World Is My Enemy Now |
| Villagers Fever Dreams |
| Viraemia Viraemia |
| Volumes No Sleep |
| This is certainly a polarizing listen. Up until now, Volumes have been entrenched in the techy/metalcore/djent craze with bands like Structures and Within the Ruins. It's not necessarily a bad place to be; it's just difficult to progress naturally out of that sound. With some atmosphere and more clean vocals added in, Volumes certainly sounds reinvigorated. "Erased" sounds like a completely different band, favoring driving clean vocals and eschewing the usual one-dimensional songwriting. The lyrics are laughable at some points (check out "Pistol Play" for the lulz), but this is a good transition album for the band. The new influences sprinkled in this time around will certainly blossom if given enough time, and as it stands now No Sleep is a fun listen. |
| War of Ages Supreme Chaos |
| Whitechapel A New Era of Corruption |
| Whitechapel Our Endless War |
