New Music Report – January 21, 2022
The world is still starting to pick up again after the new year, there usually aren’t any releases this early on that I’ve been this excited about, but every single album I’ve covered so far as been brilliant. These two this week could not possibly be more different but I love them both.
Comeback Kid – Sometimes all you really need is just a straight up hardcore record, and you’ve been able to count on Comeback Kid for just that for over 20 years now. As a result, you kind of always know what you’re going to get with a Comeback Kid album, but not in a bad way. It never felt stale or old, it was familiar and comfortable, aggressive and cathartic. Just like this new album is.
Ludovico Einaudi – This album is beautiful. I’ve mentioned this guy before, he’s basically a neo-classical composer that I found through an episode of Top Gear 15 years ago and I’ve been hooked on everything he’s done ever since. This is one of those pieces of music that is simply relaxing. I don’t listen to a lot of relaxing music, but this is incredibly calming and honestly, who doesn’t need that every once in a while?
Singles/Albums – Northlane (Nu-Metalcore), Erra (Metalcore), Boris (LP, Post Rock), Halo Effect (Death Metal, this is basically members of In Flames from the 90s), For Fear Itself (EP, Metalcore), Wolves at the Gate (Post-Hardcore), Hot Water Music (Post-Hardcore), Zeal & Ardor (Avant Garde Metal)
Read More
New Music Report – January 14, 2022
Welcome to the first new music post of 2022! I know I said I was going to rethink these, but I do really enjoy them, so I’m going to keep them going. I’m just going to shorten them up a bit. My old reviews were about 12 lines each, I’m going to try to keep these short and sweet and keep them under 5, that should make it a lot more manageable. And let’s be honest, we’re mostly here for the playlist. Anyway, today is deathcore day. Underoath also put out an album and that’s really cool, but I’m going to focus on the four HUGE deathcore releases this week.
Fit For an Autopsy – These guys are my favorite band out of the bunch that released albums today. They managed to combine so many different elements from metal into their sound, and it really forces you to look at deathcore from a new perspective, there’s bits of metalcore, apparently mathcore now, some thrash, death metal, etc, and it’s all put together brilliantly cause Will Putney is a genius. This album is more of the same, not quite as melodic as their last album, and maybe not their best, but still very consistently good.
Shadow of Intent – Chris Wiseman, the primary songwriter of Shadow of Intent, is also the genius behind Currents, so I’ve always loved this band. That dude is just an incredible songwriter. And the cool thing about this album, is you can start to see the lines between the two projects blurring just a little bit, while still maintaining their own identity. It’s much more varied and diverse than I was expecting, which is good since it’s such a long album. I was really, really impressed with this one.
Worm Shepherd – I didn’t know much about this band before this weekend. . I had heard a couple singles and I knew they played blackened deathcore which has become a quite popular subgenre lately, and that’s about it. But these guys are filthy. It’s some of the darkest, heaviest blackened deathcore out there, and – I am not exaggerating when I say this – features the fastest double bass section I’ve ever heard. This album is by far the darkest out of the bunch, and quite possibly the heaviest.
Enterprise Earth – I was honestly expecting to like this album the least, and while none of them disappointed, this one blew me away. Maybe it’s because it’s the one that exceeded my expectations the most, but holy hell, this is amazing. First off, it’s very hard to make a 1+ hour deathcore album that isn’t boring, but with a diverse mix of songwriting, just the right amount of clean vocals, breakdowns, etc. Enterprise Earth absolutely nailed this one. This will likely end up on my AOTY list, which is a bold statement two weeks into the year.
Singles/Albums – Vein.fm (Hardcore), Loathe (Deftonescore), Underoath (LP, Post-Hardcore/Nu-Metalcore), Bonobo (LP, Downtempo), Toundra (LP, Post Rock), Burial (EP, Ambient), A Wilhelm Scream (Punk), Dark Funeral (Black Metal), Darko (Deathcore), Landmvrks (Metalcore), As Within, So Without (LP, Metalcore), Venom Prison (Death Metal), Cult of Luna (Post-Metal), Circa Surivive (Post Hardcore), Mono (Post-Rock)
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.
Read More
New Music Report – December 3, 2021
This is it, folks, my last post of 2021. I know I haven’t really been the best at keeping up to date on these, especially from the fall til now, but it’s been a pleasure to share all this music with you all, and I hope you’ve found something you enjoyed out of it. I’ll be taking a break for the rest of the year, save for my album of the year list, and I’ll be kinda taking stock to see if/how I want to do this going forward. I may do things a little bit differently, I may just do a playlist, or maybe I’ll motivate myself to pick this up full time again, who knows. Any feedback is certainly welcome, though. As always, thank you all for listening to me talk about a bunch of really obscure, hard to listen to bands, I hope you enjoyed it. Have a great rest of your year, and enjoy this playlist as long as you like.
Of Mice & Men EP – I’m not gonna lie, I don’t really listen to these guys much anymore, but I was kind of intrigued by this release. They did this kind of like how The Acacia Strain released their album last year, bit by bit, by three EPs released over the course of the year, which are supposed to be combined into, basically, a full length. They were all a bit different thematically, and this one is by far the heaviest of the trio. I wasn’t really too into the previous two, but this one is actually pretty good. This is probably the best OM&M have sounded since Austin Carlisle left. Honestly, I’m still not really in love with it, but it’s pretty solid and well worth checking out.
Singles/Albums – Devin Townsend (LP, Progressive Metal), Cult of Luna (Post-Metal), Fit For An Autopsy (Deathcore), Underoath (Metalcore), Arch Enemy (Metal), Crowbar (Sludge), The Browning (Electronicore), The Bronx (Punk), Eskimo Callboy (Electronicore), Zeal & Ardor (Avant Garde Metal), Comeback Kid (Feat. Joe Duplantier from Gojira) (Hardcore/Metalcore), Sylosis (Progressive Metal), Venom Prison (Death Metal)
Read More
New Music Report – November 26, 2021
Now this is it, this is another album that I’ve been waiting for basically all year, and officially marks the end of my list of albums that were truly anticipated by myself. I’m tracking a few more, but this is the last big one. It’s been a hell of a year, but it sure is going out on a high note.
Imminence – This is a Swedish post-hardcore/metalcore band that’s honestly been pushing the genre further than just about anyone else these days, but since they’re from Sweden, not nearly enough people are noticing it. I prefer to look at them as a very heavy post-hardcore band, but I suppose they can be viewed from the other direction too. They have some really creative and heavy breakdowns, but the clean vocals and violin parts are definitely more on the post-hardcore side of the fence. What they really do, however, is blur that line brilliantly. It’s basically like what would happen if Architects went post-hardcore with their new album, rather than more mainstream alt-metal (not that there’s anything wrong with that). And for that, I love them, it’s nice to see that sound carry on in the form of an inspiration and a progression rather than just another blegh-core cookie cutter copy of All Our Gods. But no matter how you look at this band’s sound, they’re absolutely nailing it. The composition is brilliant, the vocals are amazing, diverse, and strong, the breakdowns are, as I said, display Architects levels of mastery, and the violin is honestly just the icing on the cake that really makes this band perfect.
Singles/Albums – Ten56 (LP, Nu-Metalcore), Resolve (Metalcore), Of Mice & Men (Metalcore), The Last Ten Seconds of Life (Metalcore), Sleep Token (Instrumental) (Metal), The Wonder Years (Emo/Pop Punk), Sion (Metalcore), Snapcase (Live EP, Hardcore)
Read More