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.
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New Music Report – October 22, 2021
Ok, so I’m gonna be honest here, there’s only one album I really want to talk about this week. There have been lots of great albums and singles coming out this week; Sentinels put out an incredibly technical metalcore album, Silent Planet singles are always awesome, SeeYouSpaceCowboy are still one of the best new-ish names in the game, and Phaeleh’s music is always breathtaking. But holy fuck this ETID album.
Every Time I Die – I don’t know, man, what do I even say here? ETID is one of the few bands I’ll actual fanboy over, and I’ve been waiting for this album for like 2 years thanks to Covid. Of course I’m gonna love it. But man, this is fucking sick. This is so good. First off, Goose is the best drummer they’ve ever had, and that’s a very high bar. Everyone talks about how ETID is one of those bands that manages to raise the bar with every release, and this is just another example of that upward trend. Radical feels like the most complete ETID album, bringing elements from their back catalog and all their past sounds into this lengthy masterpiece. It features some of their chunkiest, heaviest riffs, clean vocals from Keith that sound like the ETID version of a Damned Things song, some of the most quotable lyrics Keith has ever written, and their most touching song ever with Andy from Manchester Orchestra on guest vocals. I mean, honestly, it’s pretty much a perfect album. I’m definitely biased about this, I adore this band, but this album is a perfect example of why.
Singles/Albums – Sentinels (LP, Metalcore), Thecityisours (LP, Post-Hardcore), Phaeleh (LP, Downtempo/Ambient), Bullet for my Valentine (LP, Metalcore), Waking the Cadaver (LP, Deathcore), Cradle of Filth (LP, Metal), Circa Survive (EP, Post-Hardcore), Silent Planet (Metalcore), No Bragging Rights (Hardcore), Obscura (Progressive Metal), Void of Vision (Nu-Metalcore), SeeYouSpaceCowboy (Screamo), Arch Enemy (Metal), Kublai Khan (Metalcore), The Word Alive (Metalcore)
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Best of 2020
Well, here it is, this is basically the culmination of all my weekly music posts, here’s my end of year list with all of my favorites from this year. I had to leave a few out, which is ultimately a good thing cause that means, despite all the bad this year, we were really spoiled for choice with new music, and you know what, I’ll take it. Anyway, be sure to tell me what your favorite albums were.
Top 10 Albums
Loathe – I Let It in and it Took Everything – This was a surprise hit that came out earlier in the year but holy shit, was I impressed. It’s like a perfect mix between metalcore and heavy Deftones vibes. People are gonna be biting this sound for years, I’m calling it now.
Phoebe Bridgers – Punisher – I’ve been very vocal about my love for Phoebe Bridgers this year, but there’s a reason this album made it on every end of year list from everybody from Barak Obama to Nate from Converge. This woman and this album are INCREDIBLY special.
END – Splinters From an Ever-Changing Face – I’d been looking forward to this album for about 2 years and it didn’t disappoint. This was an absolutely incredible supergroup that somehow managed to be even greater than its individual pieces and gave us this absolute beat down of an album.
Currents – The Way It Ends – It’s hard to name any bands that do metalcore better than these guys. Out of all the truly incredible metalcore albums that came out this year, this is a massive standout that managed to more than live up to the incredible name these guys have built for themselves.
Lorna Shore – Immortal – I called this as one of my albums of the year about a year ago, before the album itself had even come out. Despite some controversy that was handled promptly by the band, this blacked deathcore still went on to be the absolute heaviest album of the year.
Invent, Animate – Greyview – Honestly, I was surprised by this one. These guys have always been good but failed to really captivate me. Greyview was entirely different, it was a technical masterpiece and captivating from start to finish. It may be more Djenty, but these guys and Currents owned metalcore in 2020.
Be Well – The Weight and the Cost – This album is a special one, not many people caught it, and it probably won’t make many year-end lists, but this DC-born supergroup featuring a bunch of old metal and hardcore guys just really hit home for me, this felt very special and very personal.
Emma Ruth Rundle & Thou – May Our Chambers Be Full – This collaboration really showed us the possibilities of the meeting of creative minds from two groups at the top of their different yet complimentary games. This folky, almost ethereal doom/sludge metal (sounds weird, right?) turned out to be perfect.
The Acacia Strain – Slow Decay – The music on this album was incredible, The Acacia Strain is always awesome, but this may be a highlight of theirs over the past few years, More than that though, the unorthodox release of this album – a series of 2-song EPs released every month or so spelling out DECAY, was just the coolest thing in the world.
Polaris – The Death of Me – I almost didn’t include this album cause it felt like another step towards the nu-metal trend in metalcore, but ultimately, I think that’s precisely why it deserves a spot on this list. This album is a bit of a blueprint for where metalcore is going, and it feels different, but it’s damn good.
Best EP (tie)
Bilmuri – Eggy Pocket – Again, I legit thought this project was a joke, the whole premise of it is just so weird. One of the guys from Attack Attack has a post-hardcore/R&B kind of project with just the weirdest aesthetics ever but man, does it work. This EP was so well done, I loved it so much.
Salem – Salem – This gets kind of into novelty territory, releasing a horror punk album right around Halloween, it’s a surefire way to get my attention. But they really played on the old Alkaline Trio, My Chem, AFI, Tiger Army sound and feel, and not only was it perfect contextually, it was pretty damn good full stop.
Best Single
Every Time I Die – All – This kind of goes without saying. We may not have gotten the new album this year, but we got three incredible singles, which are not only enough to hold me over until the new year, but also enough to make me more excited than ever about this new album.
Spiritbox – Holy Roller – This music delivery methods may be a bit unconventional, leaning towards releasing singles one by one as the main event, rather than a promotional tool for a full album. But it works, cause every stand-alone single that Spiritbox has released has been unreal, especially “Holy Roller”.
Best Show – hahahahahahahahaha *sobs* Nah, I saw Cult of Luna and Emma Ruth Rundle this year and it was awesome, but that’s literally it. That said, there were a lot of very good live streams. The Devil Wears Prada ones were very good, especially Roots Above. The Every Time I Die ‘Tidathon was basically a hilarious fever dream so that was awesome. And the Thursday and Darkest Hour/Misery Signals steams were also really good. Hopefully I’ll be able to add some actual live shows to my list for 2021 though.
That said, I think that does it for me for 2020. Thank you all again so so much for paying attention to these, it really means a lot. I’ve had a ton of fun writing them, but hearing all the encouragement from some of you, telling me how much you enjoyed it, how you found new bands from it, or how you have absolutely no idea what I was talking about cause you don’t listen to any of this music but still read it every week anyway, all of that was incredibly encouraging and made this all worth it. So, thanks again, and as I said, I’ll be back at it in a few weeks when the first real releases of 2020 start coming out.
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New Music Report – December 11, 2020
Well, this is it, folks, this is the last of my new music posts for 2020. This is more or less the last week that will feature any notable releases for the remainder of the year, so I’ll be taking a few weeks off. I hugely appreciate every single one of you that’s read these, talked to me about new music, or discovered some new bands through my posts. I’ll pick these back up in January when the new releases start rolling out again, and in the meantime, I’ll be back in a week or so with my Top 10 list from the year.
Inspirit – This is a big one, I’m gonna need you all to bear with me for a second while I explain this. A little more than a decade ago, I was living in Boston playing in a post-hardcore band and there were two bands in particular in the Boston music scene that everyone loved universally: Therefore I Am and Vanna. This band, as it turns out, is literally Vanna from that point in time. If put the Boston music scene from the late-00s into a time capsule, and opened that time capsule up in 2020, Inspirit is what you would get. This is the 2006-ish Vanna lineup with the 2006-ish Vanna sound. They’ve made no attempts to modernize their sound or pander to any contemporary standards. They just made good, classic metalcore with strong vocal hooks, just as we enjoyed it back then, and it turns out, I enjoy it just as much today. Sure, I’m sure it’s partially due to some nostalgic value, as it will be for anybody that’s missed classic Vanna all these years, but there is an undeniable charm and honesty that comes from these songs that feels lacking in today’s hyper-technical, hyper-produced metalcore, and even for that alone, I love it.
Deftones (remix album) – Ok well, what can really be said about White Pony? It’s one of the most monumental albums of all time. So, choosing to remix it on its 20th anniversary was, well, both a no brainer and a bit of a risky move. On the one hand, everyone loves this album, and any opportunity to revisit it is certainly a welcome one. On the other than, what are the chances that songs like “Passenger” and “Change” can actually be improved upon, especially two decades later. I believe that songs are not only representative of the musicians, but also the time they were created, and White Pony really could have only existed in the year 2000. So, even with big names like Mike Shinoda, Squarepusher, DJ Shadow, Phantogram, and Purity Ring remixing these almost untouchable works of music, it wasn’t a sure thing. But did they miss the mark? I guess that’s a subjective answer. “Passenger” is one of my favorite songs of all time. Do I think Mike Shinoda improved upon it? No. Do I appreciate the new perspective on a song that means so much to me? Absolutely. And I think that’s the takeaway. This doesn’t improve upon White Pony, it simply allows you to look at it through a new lens, and I think for that, it’s worth a listen.
Singles – You know how I’ve been saying for weeks that I don’t usually talk about singles then proceed to talk about singles? Well, these are two of my favorite bands and I can do what I want.
Every Time I Die – God, what a fucking year 2020 has been. And the postponement of the new ETID album was another giant turd on a great big disappointment of a year. But man, are they coming in at the last minute to save the day. These two new singles prove that they really are one of the greatest bands out there. ETID may be my favorite band so I’m very, very biased here, but these new singles; holy shit, dude. Not only are these absolute rippers, but the production value is the best we’ve ever heard from the boys, Goose’s drumming fits the band perfectly, and the on top of all that, the band are still out there willing to keep experimenting with new and adventurous compositions. As a result, these singles are a very enticing taste of what’s to come. Now here’s hoping we can get our shit together in 2021 so we can get the new album and I can see these guys live again. In the meantime, check out the livestream they’re doing this Saturday (12/19).
Cult of Luna – Speaking of 2020 being a disaster, this was the last band I got to see live, I’m actually wearing a Cult of Luna hoodie right now. So, I’m awfully fond of these guys too. I honestly wasn’t expecting new material from them so quickly after their absolutely incredible 2019 album, A Dawn to Fear, but here we have the first single off their upcoming EP. “Three Bridges” is an epic, almost 9 minute long sludgy, post metal masterpiece. It feels like a continuation of A Dawn to Fear, but very much its own piece moving into a new, grander direction. This is fantastic, and now I’m VERY excited for the new album.
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New Music Report – September 18, 2020
I would like to start this week’s new music post with a moment of silence. Today was supposed to be the release date for the new Every Time I Die record until it was postponed because of COVID. This is a huge deal, this was going to be my album of the year, bar none. I haven’t heard it yet, of course, but I was fully planning on stuffing the ballot box for this one. Anyway, the album is done, we’ll get it eventually, it’s just a shame. Thankfully, there’s still plenty of other good music coming out this week to almost make up for it.
Fit For a King – It’s kind of hard to explain how I feel about this album. It’s a very good album. Technically speaking, it’s quite good, it’s well produced, and it’s an accessible somewhat mainstream-facing take on metalcore. But that’s about where it ends. If you’ve heard a Fit For a King album, you’ve heard everything this album has to offer. It’s like they focused a little too hard on providing an album that was easily digestible that they lost a little bit of the depth, creativity, and dynamics that made Fit For a King really special. All the individual parts are there, it just feels like it was slightly watered down to the point where the album as a whole is rather forgettable compared to say, Dark Skies. Which is weird because all the key factors that should be important to an album are actually better than Dark Skies, but when the whole package comes together, it’s just not quite the same, unfortunately. That said though, give this album a listen. It’s still very good, it’s just not as impressive as I was hoping it would be, and not as special as Dark Skies. It’s store brand metalcore, what you see if what you get. And I guess the same recipe gets tired after a while.
Movements – This album is the highlight of this week, no question. The dreamy, ambient, and at times dreary guitar work compliments the passionate and thoughtful vocals incredibly well and the result is a really lovely album that just feels quite special. I know there has been a lot of hype around Movements with their earlier releases, so it’s hard for a sophomore effort to stack up to the early hype train, and certainly, I’d say that this album isn’t flawlessly strong. It features some of the best songs the band has ever written, but also some of the weakest. I don’t want to say ‘worst’ because these songs aren’t bad, but some of them feel like they were a little rushed and lack a little bit of substance that is indeed very important for bands like this. But ultimately, I loved this album. The whole vibe of it just made me feel good, I know it isn’t the most upbeat album, but it filled me with a breath of fresh air, and I enjoyed the hell out of it. And I think that’s the biggest difference between this and their first album. Honestly, their first album was probably objectively better, but this album had an undeniable vibe to it, which may be an intangible quality, but it counts for something, and I love it.
Knuckle Puck – I might catch some shit for this, but this album is neat but I’m just not loving it. It’s a step in a different direction for Knuckle Puck, and they’ve forgone some of their grittier pop punk style for something a bit smoother and a bit more upbeat. And, uh, it’s alright. For what it’s worth though, I didn’t like their last album either and I haven’t enjoyed anything they’ve done as much as, say, The Wonder Years, who I’m convinced accomplish the same idea as Knuckle Puck, but do it much better. I said what I said, and I’m sticking by it. But ok, more than that, it’s very straightforward pop punk, which I guess is the whole idea of pop punk in the first place. It overcomplicates precisely nothing and perfectly meets the standards of what you would expect from a mainstream angled pop punk album. And hey, if that’s what you want, you could do a lot worse than this. That said, I prefer bands in the genre that infuse other styles, add some more depth to their lyrics, etc. As mentioned before, The Wonder Years are my golden standard for this, and Knuckle Puck just can’t hang. But if you wanna party like it’s Warped Tour 2011, then you’ll dig this album.
Napalm Death – I have a massive amount of respect for Napalm Death, though admittedly this album wasn’t quite as high on my Most Anticipated list as some would expect. I guess the issue with bands like this, is that it’s easy to fall into a rut, not just in a career trajectory, I think they’ve proven that they can build a diverse, interesting career over the past 30 years, but on a more granular level, from album to album and song to song, the same unrelenting beatdown of extreme metal can get a bit tiresome. And you’re never quite sure which side of Napalm Death you’re going to get. This record, however, was quite a treat. It’s brilliantly diverse, and not just a straight up political grind album, which I sort of feared it would be. It’s got an incredible range, from the standard extreme metal that you’d expect, spanning all corners of heavy music, with influences from post punk, drone, to ALMOST black metal at times. I have to say, I stand corrected on this one, this is a really captivating and challenging album, I really enjoyed it.
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