Top 25 Albums of the Decade: 2010-2019
Albums of the Decade
I’m not going to write descriptions for each of these albums, and I also can’t really commit to the way I ordered this. This covers so many different styles of music and albums that had such powerful, yet incredibly unique significances to me over a very challenging decade that saw many different versions of myself with many different tastes. And each of those iterations of myself came together with one of these albums at just the right time to create something incredibly important and in a way, both fleeting in its circumstances and eternally lasting in the feelings that they deliver. As such, I really can’t say with any certainty that Rescue & Restore ranks above The Greatest Generation. But that said, I can separate the top 10 out as being the most significant over this period of time. Even still, I felt I needed to make this list 25 albums long to really do justice to my experience over the past decade and the music that meant the most to me.
- August Burns Red – Rescue & Restore
- Every Time I Die – Low Teens
- The Wonder Years – The Greatest Generation
- Architects – Lost Together // Lost Forever
- Silent Planet – When the End Began
- Caspian – Dust & Disquiet
- Emarosa – Emarosa
- The Chariot – Long Live
- We Lost the Sea – Departure Songs
- Russian Circles – Memorial
- Mogwai – Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will
- Cult of Luna & Julie Christmas – Mariner
- The Dillinger Escape Plan – Dissociation
- Currents – The Place I Feel Safest
- Amenra – Mass VI
- Converge – The Dusk in Us
- Dance Gavin Dance – Acceptance Speech
- Deafheaven – Sunbather
- The Devil Wears Prada – Dead Throne
- Norma Jean – Wrongdoers
- Erra – Drift
- Texas in July – Bloodwork
- Greyhaven – Empty Black
- Go Radio – Do Overs & Second Chances
- If These Trees Could Talk – Bones of a Dying World
Album of the Year 2019: Top 10
Top 10 Albums of the Year
- Counterparts – Nothing Left to Love – It seems silly to expect anything sort of remarkable from Counterparts but man, did this album exceed expectations. I knew it would be good, but honestly, I wasn’t quite expecting this. But of course, it should be no surprise that these guys would go on to continue pushing the boundaries of what we all understand to be hardcore. As the lines between genres of heavy music continue to blur, Counterparts will be leading the charge. And thanks to brilliant and emotional albums like this, I don’t believe anybody will dare to question that. Nothing Left to Love is a brutally honest and personal.
- Cult of Luna – A Dawn to Fear – You know those albums that you just know are going to be incredible before you even hear the first single? This was one of them. This is an absolute masterclass in post-metal. It’s a huge composition with an incredible dynamic range, fascinating songwriting, and top notch production. In practice, this isn’t anything that’s wildly different than what Cult of Luna have done in the past, nor do I think it’s quite as monumental as their album with Julie Christmas. However, it stands on its own with a moodier and more hypnotic take on their churning, gloomy post-metal, utilizing the vast expanse of time they have to play with on this 75-minute album to really contemplate every detail put into this fantastic record.
- The Devil Wears Prada – The Act – I’ve been saying for years that the maturation of The Devil Wears Prada from the Roots Above days to now is one of the most incredible progressions in metalcore. Anyone that wrote them off as a MySpacecore band are doing themselves a huge disservice by missing out on this powerful, emotional, and thoughtful songwriting. The Act is an incredibly raw take a sound that they have been marching towards for the better part of a decade. Not as consistently heavy as something like Dead Throne, but just as powerful. It combines several elements from not only metalcore, but post-metal, screamo, and several other genres and the final form of this amalgamation is just breathtaking.
- Northlane – Alien – This album is a weird one, honestly. It’s incredibly polarizing; a lot of people really don’t like it or don’t get it for whatever reason. All said, it was a huge surprise either way, it was very un-Northlane in a lot of ways, with a lot of electronic elements, and even a few nu-metal cues. Even after the first listen, I wasn’t quite sure I was sold on this one. But something kept pulling me back to the album and soon enough I couldn’t get enough of it. This was a remarkably innovative and surprising album that was brilliantly executed by an incredibly talented band that’s working to push the boundaries of metalcore. Like it or not, this might just be the album that metalcore needs right now.
- Thornhill – The Dark Pool – I’ll be honest, I didn’t even know who these guys were a couple months ago, but holy shit, what an album. Bands like this are the reason that I spend so much time scouring new releases and refuse to just settle on waiting for new music from the old favorites. I would hate to have missed out on such a relative masterpiece. It combines some of the innovation found on albums like Alien with huge technical prowess and one of the best vocalists in metalcore. Thornhill combines huge., almost ambient soundscapes with creative, progressive riffs and the result is a remarkable take on progressive metalcore.
- Norma Jean – All Hail – Well, what all really needs to be said about Norma Jean? They’ve been one of the leading names in brutal and chaotic metalcore for decades now, and as usual, the new album didn’t disappoint. There aren’t many bands out there that can say they’re still at the top of their game more than twenty years on, but there’s a reason why Norma Jean has been such a mainstay. In fact, this continues the streak they’ve had from their previous two albums of being some of their best work ever, which I know is rather blasphemous to people that believe NJ peaked with Bless the Martyr, but I highly recommend those folks check out All Hail for a pleasant surprise.
- The Callous Daoboys – Die on Mars – There has been a massive void in my heart for the past 6 years, ever since The Chariot called it quits. But earlier this year, The Callous Daoboys rolled onto the scene and filled that niche very nicely with a similar breed of charmingly chaotic mathcore that doesn’t take itself too seriously. Not only is this album heavy, brutal, and technically incredible, it’s also genuinely fun. Melding a sense of pure chaos that plays with the conventions of metal and hardcore to the point of self-effacing absurdity. The whole album is just utter nonsense, and I fucking love it for that.
- Russian Circles – Blood Year – While this may not be a universally renowned masterpiece like Memorial, it offers a different take on the Russian Circles style. Blood Year delivers raw and powerful, yet clean and precise production (thanks to Kurt Ballou) which creates huge, airy soundscapes allowing every instrument and every melody to really utilize its own agency as an important individual piece of a grander puzzle while still creating a hefty, crushing, and driving final product that we know so well from them.
- Pelican – Nighttime Stories – Pelican really stepped things up on this one. I’ve always considered them to be in a similar league to Russian Circles but never quite being able to match the songwriting ability and raw power captured by their counterparts. This time was different though; with Nighttime Stories they were able to take their sound to all new heights. I was truly impressed with this album and it really made me rethink the entire Pelican discography as a result. It caused something to click on a much broader scale, and any album that has implications beyond its own limits merits celebration.
- Knocked Loose – A Different Shade of Blue – For quite a while, Knocked Loose has been a treasured, but rather well-kept secret, however with this release they’re quickly being jettisoned onto an absolutely meteoric rise to acclaim in all corners of the heavy music community. Hardcore kids love them, the death metal crowd loves them, metalcore guys love them; Knocked Loose are pummeling their way into the hearts of everyone, and with good reason, A Different Shade of Blue was an absolute landmark hardcore album for the year. I’m sure we’ll be hearing a lot more from these guys, and I’m personally very, very excited about that.
Best EP
Captives – Ghost Like You – Captives is a relatively unknown post hardcore band out of the UK, and who would have known that they would pump out the most impressive debut EP that I’ve heard in some time. It’s a very polished and powerful post hardcore, kind of reminding me of early Hands Like Houses, which is a wonderful comparison to be able to make. I’m hoping for big things from these guys, and maybe a US tour, as well.
Best Single
Killswitch Engage – The Signal Fire – I mean, come on, Killswitch Engage with BOTH Jeese Leach and Howard Jones? This one was obvious. This has been every metalcore fan’s dream for a decade now, whether they knew it or not. And for a song that comes with such lofty expectations attached to it, man, did it live up to the hype. Not only is it a remarkable song, but it brings a great sense of closure to a tumultuous piece of the history of one of the most acclaimed bands in the genre. And I dare you to watch the music video without a smile on your face.
Read MoreNew Music 2.15
Music has been pretty boring so far this year, but a few cool things came out this week, so I figured I’d do another new music post. I’m gonna try and make these a habit again as long as something new is coming out. The beginning of the year is always slow for stuff like this though, so it won’t be every week for a little while.
Alexisonfire – First off, I need to get this out of the way, Alexisonfire is back and that’s just the best news. They have a new single out today called “Familiar Drugs”, it kinda sounds like Old Crows/Young Cardinals era AOF, but with a bit more soul in Dallas’ vocals, which is great. I’m trying to reconcile the excitement of experiencing the first new music from one of my all-time favorite bands in 10 years to be objective about it, but I really do believe that it’s a good track – not their best, but good enough to make me really look forward to more new material (and hopefully a tour?) from them.
Hotel Books – I actually had no idea this album was coming out. I’ve been a big fan of these guys for years and if I’m honest, their last album really disappointed me, so I was pleasantly surprised with this release. Hotel Books is a spoken word post hardcore band, kinda like La Dispute, but more spoken word, and somehow more depressing. They’ve always had this anxious urgency that made things extremely impactful. This album is different though. It’s very ethereal and atmospheric, almost relaxed in its melancholy, yet still very heavy and heartbreaking. This is both a progression and a return to form. I’m a big fan.
Millencolin – I guess skate punk is alive and well in 2019. Honestly, if you told me this album came out in 1998, I would 100% believe you. So really, anyone that is familiar with Millencolin or bands like them (Bad Religion, No Use for a Name, etc) then you know what to expect, but with this sort of album, that’s exactly what you want.
Copeland – This album is pretty hard to explain. It’s like indie, but also emo, but also mixed with some downtempo electronic elements? It’s almost like depressing pop music, but it’s very good. Copeland is a semi-obscure name, but I’m sure it will resonate with some of you, and for those old fans of Copeland, it’s a familiar progression. I lost touch with them after the mid-2000’s so this seemed like a bit of a departure that made sense when you connect the dots.
Read MoreTop 10: Best of 2018
Apologies for this being a little bit late. I almost didn’t finish this, but I realized there was a lot of truly incredible music that came out last year that absolutely deserved some credit. So here it is, better late than never.
Top 10 Albums of 2018
- Greyhaven – Empty Black
- Dance Gavin Dance – Artifical Selection
- The Wonder Years – Sister Cities
- Silent Planet – When the End Began
- Architects – Holy Hell
- This Will Destroy You – New Others pt. 1 & 2
- Erra – Neon
- Fit For a King – Dark Skies
- God is an Astronaut – Epitaph
- Hopesfall – Arbiter
- Greyhaven – Empty Black
To be perfectly honestly, I feel bad ranking this album above DGD and The Wonder Years. Those were both incredible albums released by incredible bands, but I think that’s why this one outranked either of those; everyone expected those albums to be great. Those bands just don’t put out bad music. But when a relative newcomer on the metalcore scene like Greyhaven comes out of nowhere and releases an absolutely legendary album like this, it’s hard not to notice. I can’t remember the last time a new band left such a profound impression on me. Empty Black is a chaotic masterpiece that harkens back to classic Norma Jean with the almost bluely swing of old school southern metalcore, and yet it doesn’t feel like a carbon copy of a style of music that was extinguished the moment Maylene released “IV”. This feels fresh and brand new and gives me reassurance that we’ll be hearing from these guys for many years to come, and that’s a very good thing for metalcore as a whole.
- Dance Gavin Dance – Artificial Selection
This is so routine at this point, you could set your watch to it. Dance Gavin Dance puts out a new album every few years, and it tops countless Album of the Year lists a few months down the line. It would be kinda boring if these albums weren’t all so fucking good. I still maintain that Tillian Pearson is the best thing to ever happen to the original guys from Dance Gavin Dance. He’s a perfect fit for the band, and this album really feels like the most cohesive and polished effort they’ve done together. The result is absolutely stunning, especially the closing track, “Evaporate”, which pays homage to a number of tracks from DGD’s back catalog. This track, of course, is really set off by the guest vocals from touring guitarist, and vocalist for the (incredible) band, Eidola, Andrew Wells.
- The Wonder Years – Sister Cities
A new Wonder Years album produces almost as predictable results as a new Dance Gavin Dance album, except this album is something completely different. You could draw a line through The Wonder Years’ catalog like constellations to see the artistic maturation and progression throughout their career, and this is truly the pinnacle of it. It’s such an achingly honest, heartfelt, and raw album that still remains completely relatable with no hints of dramatics. It’s the perfect representation for where The Wonder Years have come; from scrappy pop punk band from Philly, to a perfectly introspective alternative/emo band in such a heartbreaking and beautiful way that hasn’t been touched since Brand New.
- Silent Planet – When the End Begins
When I said that I can’t remember the last newcomer on to the metalcore scene that left as profound an impression on me as Greyhaven, that isn’t necessarily true. It was definitely Silent Planet. And When the End Begins is such an immeasurably massive step above those still truly remarkable albums, it’s really hard to conceive how they can pull this off. The dynamics, the musicality, the sheer vocal range of Garrett Russell, they all come together to create something truly special. And that’s not to mention the hugely lofty topics that they tackle and do beautiful justice to like LGBT+ homelessness, or Alzheimer’s disease. Rarely can a band combine such touching sympathy with such musical brutality and might.
- Architects – Holy Hell
No one really knew how, or if, Architects were going to come back from the death of their guitarist, songwriter, and brother, Tom Searle. His untimely death following a brave and lengthy battle with cancer was such an incredible loss throughout the music scene, it seemed almost unthinkable to be able to pick up the pieces and solder on. But if anyone out there has the strength to continue and a message to deliver, it’s Architects. And you can absolutely feel every ounce of pain in this album. If you want to know what determination feels like, listen to the drumming of Tom’s brother, Dan Searle. You can feel the mourning, you can feel that they set out to do this for Tom. To show him that they remember him, and they knew he wouldn’t want them to give up. And the result is just breathtaking. This immediately silenced anyone that questioned their songwriting abilities without Tom and paid beautiful homage to one of the true revolutionaries in the metalcore scene.
- This Will Destroy You – New Others Part 1 & 2
Technically, I’m cheating here. This is a two part album; the first part was released in September with little to no fanfare or information regarding the second part of the album, save for the “Part 1” in the album title. Then, with absolutely no warning and after speculation that Part 2 would be released some time in 2019, TWDY dropped Part 2 about a month later. If I had to choose, I’d say I prefer Part 2, but I also genuinely feel like these albums are better experienced as one grand piece. This is yet another brilliant post rock composition from one of the most highly respected names in the genre. More of a continuation of the style they developed on Tunnel Blanket and Another Language than on either legendary self-titled album or Young Mountain, it takes a bit more appreciation of the subtle, slow burn that can be found in post rock, but this is yet another masterpiece that proves that even through stylistic evolutions, This Will Destroy You are up there with the best of the best in post rock.
- Erra – Neon
First off, the guitar parts on this album are going to be talked about for years; they’re simply untouchable, I’m not sure anyone in the metalcore scene can even land in the same realm as the guitar work Erra has been perfecting for years now. Neon is the second album with ex-Texas in July vocalist, JT Cavey, and he really fit himself perfectly within this band from day one. Cavey’s vocal range is not only a perfect complement to Jesse Cash’s clean vocals, but it helps bring even more weight to Erra’s formidable instrumentals. This was certainly one of those cases where it seemed nearly impossible for Erra to top their previous album, Drift, and so each new single was met with mounting anticipation as it seemed as though they may just pull it off. And sure enough, as the album dropped, it became immediately apparently that not only can lightning strike twice, it feels as though they managed to mature to an even higher level of technicality combined with song writing ability. This album is a technical masterpiece, and I’m sure it’s one that people are going to be citing as a benchmark for musicality for years to come.
- Fit For a King – Dark Skies
I remember when the first single for Dark Skies dropped sometime around July. It was “Tower of Pain” and the anticipation was immense. Days before the single dropped, a few YouTube videos surfaced showing this song played live. The quality was awful, but holy shit was that song heavy. It was only a short clip, but it was enough to prove to everyone what Fit For a King had in store. And for what it’s worth, “Tower of Pain” genuinely has one of those breakdowns that make you pause and say, “Holy shit.” The studio version managed to surpass the hype from the live video. As did each of the other singles released in the build-up to the record release. This was one of the first times that so many singles had been dropped ahead of a release; this was done to capitalize on potential revenue from streaming platforms according to front man, Ryan Kirby. And of course, this only did more to build the hype. When you have five singles leading up to an album release, it’s easy for the release itself to feel a little lackluster, but this was anything but. Dark Skies really cemented the fact that Fit For a King are some of the true visionaries and tastemakers in metalcore. Putting this album in 8th place really seems like a disservice to how truly incredible and impressive it was.
- God is an Astronaut – Epitaph
It’s kind of hard to rank a post rock album like this within a list that’s mostly metalcore, it feels like it can lack a little bit of perspective, especially ranking somewhat lower on the list. But make no mistake, Epitaph is a beautiful and haunting album from one of the greatest names in post rock. While not as heavy as some of the bands on this list, they can create an atmosphere of weight, darkness, and sorrow better than any of them. Epitaph also marks a big attempt from God is an Astronaut to step further away from their traditional sound and into something a bit more experimental, drawing influences from all over the instrumental music spectrum, with elements of shoegaze and post metal working their way into the grand compositions found within this album. That fact alone seemed to turn some people off to this album, but the brilliance is impossible to ignore, and the emotions conveyed by this album are absolutely breathtaking. This album was an absolute treat and an emotional burden at the same time, which of course only added to the significance of this piece of music.
- Hopesfall – Arbiter
I honestly never thought I’d be able to write one of these lists and be able to include Hopesfall on it. They were a big favorite of mine growing up in the early 2000’s throughout their hardcore phase, through their legendary Satellite Years record, and into their more digestible post-hardcore of later years. Throughout each of those stages, Hopesfall was a master of their craft, and that continues to reign true with their comeback album, Arbiter. This feels like Hopesfall haven’t missed a minute, yet also feels like they took a decade to reflect on the growth of their music and mature as musicians and songwriters. It’s almost as if the best parts of The Satellite Years met the best parts of A Types and formed a truly brilliant album that will, unfortunately, fly under the radars of so many. Which of course, is oddly appropriate for how Hopesfall have been recognized throughout their careers.
Read MoreHogan’s Albums of the Week – 11/17
So I totally missed Thursday, which means this week my new music Thursday is on a Friday, and this week is actually a pretty special one. Two of these albums are from bands that are actually pretty special to me, they’re both bands that I crossed paths with in one way or another back when I was living in Boston. It’s always really nice to see new material from those guys that I used to hang out and play shows with. And the other albums aren’t ones to sleep on either, there’s actually a lot of good new music coming out this week.
Actor|Observer – I came across these guys as my time with Like Waves was coming to an end, but I was so impressed by them, and basically our entire band became instant fans, and have been ever sense. I remember I reviewed their last album, The Longer Now, after I had moved back to DC, and aside from being a great album, it was a huge nostalgia trip. Everyone knows about that Boston sound; you really don’t hear it anywhere else, and it kinda transcends genres, Vanna has it the same way that A Loss for Words has it. And Actor|Observer captures that hard-edged northern grit better than anyone else. Full disclosure, this is a 7”, not a full length, but this is a really incredible band and they deserve to be heard by as many people as possible.
Que Sera – So these guys broke up awhile ago, but they’re just so fucking good. I got to know these guys back when I was living in Boston, I met them through a friend of mine and ended up playing a few shows with them over the years, and have been a fan ever since. These guys are the perfect embodiment of New England post-hardcore that was popularized by The Receiving End of Sirens. Clean, impossibly technical, emotional, with just immense depth with layers upon layers of sounds, vocals, melodies… It’s just brilliant, all of it, I can’t say enough good things about these guys. So anyway, they broke up a little while ago, but have been sitting on this unreleased EP since then, and they finally shared it with everyone earlier this week, you can get it for free on their SoundCloud, so please check it out.
Ghost Atlas – I’ll try and keep these short since I was a bit more personally invested in the other two and already went overboard. This band is the side project of the clean vocalist from the metalcore band, Erra. This is another technical post-hardcore band, with some hints of Cove Reber-era Saosin, or Secret & Whisper.
Electric Wizard – This is the quintessential doom metal band, they really set the standard with their 2000 album, Dopethrone. We’ve been waiting on this album for a long time now though, it was supposed to come out last Halloween, but here we are. And I’d say it’s well worth the wait. So if you’re into some sludgey stoner metal, this is the album to check out. A few other doom albums have come out this year, but this is by far my favorite so far.
Phinehas – There have been a ton of metalcore releases this year, and this is another one. It’s really good, don’t get me wrong, but it’s very hard to stand out in metalcore right now. They’re up against August Burns Red, Veil of Maya, Oceans Ate Alaska, Like Moths to Flames, etc, all with new albums out recently. This is a very good album, but I think I prefer those.
Emancipator – Of course, most of you know Emancipator, but maybe some of you don’t know about the new album, so here ya go. And if you don’t know, Emancipator makes really excellent trip hop and is some of the only electronic music I actually listen to.
Read MoreHogan’s Albums of the Week – 11/10
So I initially thought my new music post was gonna be kinda short this week, I really didn’t have much I wanted to talk about when the day started, but things kinda fell in my lap over the past few hours, and predictably, it snowballed quite a bit from there. Much to my surprise, I’ve actually got some really good albums for you all to check out this week. Some of them have actually been pleasant surprises for me, as well. The last album on this list, for example, is from a band that I discovered probably 30 minutes ago, so this post has proven informative to myself too, which is always nice.
Hail the Sun – When today started, I thought there was only one album that I was gonna write about, but just this morning, these guys dropped a new single and announced a surprise 5 song EP, to be released tomorrow. I’m actually listening to it right now, and it’s incredible. But that should come as no surprise to any of you that are familiar with Hail the Sun. They’re a part of that kind of unofficial collective of progressive post-hardcore bands that orbit around Dance Gavin Dance, so bands like Eidola, A Lot Like Birds, Stolas, Sianvar, etc. Basically, the Blue Swan Records crowd. Sonically, it’s just organized chaos; how these guys can weave so many different rhythms, melodies, time signatures, etc and make it all come together in one cohesive piece of music is absolutely beyond me, but they pull it off brilliantly. The only way I’d be happier with this is if it were a full length. If you’re a fan of Dance Gavin Dance, or any of these other bands (which if you’re a fan of DGD, you should be), you’ll love this EP.
Speak the Truth… Even if Your Voice Shakes – You know how I said there was only one album I was planning on writing about this week? This is it. To start things off, this band features the final lineup of Finch, with Buddy Neilson, the singer from Senses Fail. I honestly think that tells you everything you need to know about this album. It sounds like a more mature version of early 2000’s emo bands like, well, Finch and Senses Fail. For some reason, be it coincidence or clever mindfuck marketing, Finch has been popping up in my life rather frequently lately, and this really feels like the perfect follow up to what was, honestly, a band that was terribly underrated mostly due to their commercial success early on in the early 2000’s emo movement’s surge of popularity. That sort of mainstream adoption didn’t really fly very well back then, but I think people are starting to look back and realize how special they actually were. And Buddy Neilson does an excellent job of helping the guys continue that legacy.
Spook the Horses – This is the band that I discovered maybe 30 minutes ago, and I’m just so impressed with them. I will admit, they are kind of out there. Spook the Horses appeal to that weird side of my musical taste that loves some of the less accessible things like Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Bell Witch, or Year of No Light. Which are, incidentally, all apt comparisons. These guys are a kind of really dark, atmospheric post-metal; they aren’t as avant garde as Godspeed, or as sludgey as Bell Witch, but they’re still kind of out there, and really just straight up spooky, and I love it. The guitars permeate what is already a massive soundscape with this unsettling dissonance that sounds wonderful, but you can never quite get comfortable with. You know in some horror movies where the monster or whatever moves in a really weird way? Like the way they walk isn’t quite human, but you can’t figure out what it is, and that fact alone makes everything all the more eerie? That’s what this is. Which if, of course, exactly what they were trying to accomplish, and they did so brilliantly. I’m in love with this band from the get go, I’ll be checking out their back catalog for sure.
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