Best of 2021
Following all the new releases this year has been a big challenge for me. First, my typical news/leak source shut down on the first of the year, then life just kind of got in the way, as it does. But overall, I wrote up 50 pages of album reviews, made a playlist of over 620 songs, and tracked over 250 releases. As always, I’ve absolutely loved every second of it, even if I didn’t do a great job keeping up with it towards the end of the year.
As I said, I’m going to take this time off at the end of the year to figure out how/if I plan on continuing this in the new year, but honestly, I would really like to. So even if it’s scaled back a bit, you can still expect to see at least something from me to help keep track of all the new releases in 2022. But we’re not quite done with 2021 yet, I want to take a minute to go over all my favorite albums and EPs from this past year.
First off, a few observations. Man, this is basically all metal. Over the years, these lists have usually been a lot more diverse, but this is all fairly uniform. I don’t know if I was just on a one-track mind this year, or if metal was just really batting 100. I think, if I had to guess, it was kind of the latter. I also took the time to really dig in and explore different genres of heavy music; I got into a lot of deathcore this year, some death metal, etc. And I’m glad I got to experience all that, cause metal has really been doing some great, creative things these past few years. I feel like I may have missed out on a few post-rock releases, and a few other genres that I tend to follow, as well, but that will be a goal for next year. This may not be the most diverse representation of genres, but I’m incredibly happy with what I found.
Also, I can’t remember a year that has ever had this many good EP releases. Usually, I’ll mention one just as an honorable mention type thing, but every EP I mentioned here at least compares to, if not surpasses, the full-length albums on my list. I honestly really like this release format, it lets bands pump out content more frequently and evolve quicker in between releases. Now, I still love full lengths, I feel like that really gets you the full experience of a band, but these were very, very good. TDWP, Knocked Loose, and LMTF especially, they were only about 5 or 6 songs, but each song had more than enough content to leave me content. Of course, it would have been nice to get more from Lorna Shore, but we should be getting their full length soon.
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves, here are my favorite releases from 2021:
Top 10 Albums
Every Time I Die – I’ll be honest, I knew this album would be at the top of this list back in 2019. But I didn’t know just how far at the top of this list would be. When albums are hyped up this much, you’ve always got to be worried about whether it’s going to be able to live up to the hype, but once again, ETID have managed to surpass it. I don’t know how they’re still just getting better and better 20 years on but man, am I glad they are.
Silent Planet – This is another album that I already knew would be fighting for the top of this list. Now, I’m not quite sure if it had quite the impact their last album did, and it doesn’t really differentiate itself from that sound too much, but they have gone further and further towards absolutely perfecting what they do. The vocals sound so much more mature and comfortable, the band is heavier than ever, and the songwriting is untouchable. This is a big step forward for an already incredible band.
Erra – Back at the beginning of the year I thought this was a shoe in for album of the year and honestly, I wasn’t too far off. This is exactly what progressive metalcore should be. It’s got heavy breakdowns, technical riffs, huge melodies, and an absolutely sublime mix of clean and harsh vocals. I’ve been a big fan of these guys for a while and their last album fell a little flat but honestly this one is just about perfect.
Born of Osiris – I feel like I spent the entire summer listening to this album. Now, BOO have always been an incredible band but something about this new album just feels like an even bigger step forward. In fact, I don’t think there’s ever been a BOO album that’s stuck with me as much as this one did so quickly. Also, the sax over the djent riffs was an absolutely epic choice, and it made this album even better.
Landmvrks – I 100% did not give this album enough credit when it first came out. In fact, including it here almost felt necessary just so I could go back and right those wrongs and just point out exactly how fucking good this album is. It’s incredibly diverse, with pop punk, metalcore, djent, even some French hip-hop elements in there, and it all comes together so well. It’s just a hugely impressive listen start to finish.
Fallfiftyfeet – This is my favorite new band that I found this year. Really incredible, emotional, complex mathcore from West Virginia. Every year I find that new upcoming band that I absolutely fall in love with, Greyhaven, Thornhill, Loathe, and now Fallfiftyfeet, and I’m absolutely in love with this album.
Movements – I honestly almost forgot about this album but I visited it again after their tour announcement with Knocked Loose and I’m so glad I went back to it. I don’t want to call it just emo/pop punk but think of it as the type of band that plays that but can also tour with Knocked Loose. It’s incredibly creative, heartfelt, and well written. Absolutely incredible album.
Zao – Zao are another band that’s been around forever and put out tons of albums but this new one really is something special. Incredibly heavy, but also slow, grinding, and sludgy, it’s a hell of an experience and adds a whole lot of diversity to what you would normally expect from a metalcore band. Not quite as fast paced, but every bit as heavy.
Mogwai – Mogwai is one of those bands that’s monumental enough in their own right that they deserve a spot on this list simply because they released an album, but it also helps that the album is remarkably good, as well. They aren’t rewriting the rulebook nearly three decades on, but they’re continuing to refine the sound that so many have tried to emulate over that time.
Mental Cruelty – This has been a huge year for blackened deathcore, and this is a perfect example of exactly how it should be done. This is a release that went under a lot of people’s radars and that’s a real shame. Obviously people couldn’t stop talking about Lorna Shore this year, but Mental Cruelty are one of those bands that really helped the genre progress by leaps and bounds whether the masses heard it or not.
Top 5 Eps
The Devil Wears Prada – This EP was absolutely incredible. This somehow feels like the culmination of everything The Devil Wears Prada has done over the past 15 years or so, and as a result, it might just be the best thing they’ve ever done. Not only is it a return to form – not that I thought they ever lost it, but their latest stuff was a departure from this heavier sound – but it’s also a massive step forward. I can’t wait to see what they have in store next.
Lorna Shore – How could I not include this one? This past year, Lorna Shore somehow managed to break into the semi-mainstream consciousness with a 3-song deathcore EP. I’m still not quite sure how they pulled this off, but that feat is almost as impressive as the EP itself. My only complaint is that it isn’t longer, but they have now finished their first full length with Will Ramos, so I’m sure we’ll be getting more from them very soon.
Knocked Loose – This is a prime example of some of the EPs being even stronger than the full lengths that came out this year. If I had to rank this with everything else, it would probably still be in the top three. I know these guys have been on a roll for years now, but this EP felt really special. It was heavier, more cohesive, and complete than anything else they’ve done before, and it makes me even more excited to see what else is to come for Knocked Loose.
Like Moths to Flames – I was not expecting this to be this good, at all. Like Moths to Flames have been around forever and they were pretty cool a decade ago, and their last few albums were pretty good too but nothing that really stood out in a huge way. Definitely not like this EP does. This EP is just really, really well done melodic metalcore, and it’s just done with a level of mastery that’s more than earned them a spot on this list.
SeeYouSpaceCowboy/If I Die First – This split is probably one of the most forward-thinking pieces of music I’ve heard this year. Now, of course, both of these bands basically sound like everything I listened to back in 2004, but they’re doing it in a brand new way that’s, frankly, probably better than everyone that did it first. They also get bonus points for the collab track and bringing back the split EP in the first place.