CoreySzn

All year long I was thinking that I wasn’t in touch with newer music as I used to be and was originally going to skip doing a list like this. However, that isn’t true at all because while I’m not as into music as I was in high school or when I was a staff writer for Scene Point Blank, there were a ton of great records I got to listen to this year so I’m going to make a list anyway. One thing I am not doing this time is ranking albums because every time I decided on one, I changed my mind seconds later. Ranking music just seems kind of fruitless to me now aside from naming a #1 (which I do have), so I’m just going to rattle off my 20 favorite albums of the year and explain why I liked them.

Not trying to sound like a critic here, just doing some personal reflecting.

Scar Symmetry - The Unseen Empire

Melodic death metal is something that I never grow tired of and Scar Symmetry are one of my favorite bands of this style. It took me awhile go get used to the new singers but they really make it work on this album. They’re everything I love about melo-death: Great riffs, harsh growls contrasted with beautifully sung choruses and some shredding thrown in every now and then. The one problem I have with this album is that they jumped on the “let’s make our albums shorter” bandwagon. Only nine songs, guys?

Funeral for a Friend - Welcome Home Armageddon

This is what I hoped their last two albums would sound like. I’m all for bands trying new things but neither Tales Don’t Tell Themselves nor Memory & Humanity had much staying power for me. The best thing FFAF could do was go back to their sound on Hours and build on that, which is basically what this album is. It’s got a lot of sentimental value with me because it sounds similar to Hours but I think that’s why I like it so much.

Red Fang - Murder in the Mountains

Listened to them because I thought their name sounded cool and they were on Relapse…I think I’ve done that with a lot of bands. Anyway, I think Red Fang are what Kyuss, Mastodon and Clutch would sound like if they got together and made a band. What could be better than that?

Social Distortion - Hard Time & Nursery Rhymes

I am a huge Social D fan, so it was a given that this would make it on my list. That and the album is really damn good. I would say that Social D is one of the most consistent bands if it didn’t take seven years for this to come out but it was well worth the wait. It’s pretty much them doing what they do best and that’s perfectly fine with me.

Ryan Adams - Ashes & Fire

Most of Ryan’s recent stuff is hit-or-miss with me but I think this is his best solo effort in awhile. Really like how he went back to the softer singing style, too because I’ve always liked that more. It’s also nice that he put out another record that’s toned-down all the way through.

Wild Flag - self/titled

Oddly enough, I did not start listening to Sleater-Kinney until this year (and they are quickly becoming one of my favorite bands) and it was around the same time that Wild Flag put out their debut album. It’s a great record, though. Not much to dislike about it unless you hate fun.

Bayside - Killing Time

I’m pretty sure that Bayside has yet to release an album that I haven’t liked. It might be their debut on a major label but Bayside don’t show any signs of losing their fire here at all. I actually think that this is their best since the self/titled album even though that’s probably not something most would agree with.

Basement - I Wish I Could Stay Here

Basement are exactly what I want to hear from this new wave of “post-hardcore” that’s been popular lately. They are fast, aggressive and somewhat catchy but also includes some melodic passages that fit perfectly. Can’t wait to hear more from them.

Iced Earth - Dystopia

I was very hesitant to check this out because I didn’t like either of their last two albums and I heard they got yet another new singer. Much to my surprise, Dystopia is a terrific album. I think the best thing about it is that they tried to make something that was different from their other material instead of trying to re-create one of their older albums. Plus, Stu Brock’s got an awesome range and he manages to work well with the band’s sound. So great to say that Iced Earth still have something left in the tank after all these years.

Fen - Epoch

Another band found thanks to last.fm. They play black metal with a lot of folk and post-rock influences thrown in and it is so, so good. Black metal has gone in such an interesting direction the past decade or so and I’m glad there are bands like Fen and Agalloch who are expanding on it.

Rwake - Rest

Rwake have fit in well with my mood over the last few months while at school. Desperate, hopeless, bitter and somewhat hateful. They remind me a lot of Eyehategod only with a lot more doom-influence and less focus on riffs. That and you can actually understand the vocals.

Cave In - White Silence

This album takes just about everything that makes Cave In’s other records great and puts it into one. It sounds like a mess on paper but it really blends in well on the White Silence. Another record that came with a long wait that was well worth it.

Primordial - Redemption at the Puritan’s Hand

This came out of nowhere for me because I never thought much of Primordial until I checked this out. I was missing out on a lot because they play one of the more unique styles of metal that I’ve heard recently. It’s tough to describe but this album is what I would call the right mix of doom and black metal with a lot of dramatics added in for good measure.

Nothington - Borrowed Time

Nothington write some of my favorite lyrics because they describe how I feel on most days and it’s easy to connect with a band like that. It also helps that their music is extremely catchy. That’s how it was with Roads, Bridges & Ruins and that claim reigns true on Borrowed Time.

40 Watt Sun - The Inside Room

Doom metal at its finest. The Inside Room is so good that if someone clueless to metal were to ask me what doom metal would sound like, I would recommend this album. It’s got all the basics; crushing riffs, droning vocals and an overall feeling of solemness that you expect to get out of this kind of record. I know that Pat Walker was working under the Warning title for years, but 40 Watt Sun are technically a new band from this year, so I’m considering them one of the best newer metal bands I’ve heard in awhile. They just do everything about the genre the right way.

William Elliott Whitmore - Field Songs

How did I go so many years not listening to an album from this man? He is a fantastic song-writer and has a great voice for folk music. I should know to trust Murder By Death’s word about an artist from now on.

Thursday - No Devolucion

I thought people were crazy for calling this Thursday’s best record at first but after a few more close listens, I’m starting to have that mindset. Thursday really pulled out all the stops on here to make something that’s unique. You can tell that it’s still them but it’s still nothing like the band has done before and it’s fantastic. I could see this becoming my favorite album from them in due time. Shame they had to call it quits but at least they ended things on a high note.

Thrice - Major/Minor

Who really didn’t see this coming? Unfortunately, they decided to go on hiatus this year too but, like Thursday, they ended things on a very high note with Major/Minor. This actually reminds me a lot of the first two volumes of The Alchemy Index and I was so glad to hear them re-visit that sound without getting too experimental. You really don’t know what you’ll get with a Thrice record aside from it being something great. That statement reigns true with Major/Minor.

Dave Hause - Resolutions

While I wouldn’t consider it the best album of the year, it might be my favorite. The songs on Resolutions pretty much hit home with me and the semester I just went through. Dave Hause can sing anything and it’s bound to be good.

Album of the year:

Boris - Heavy Rocks

I hate to make statements like this but I think Boris are one of the best bands making music right now and the three albums they released this year prove that. Boris is the definition of a band that does whatever the hell they want and that’s made for some pretty dull albums in the past, that isn’t the case with any of the three records they released this year, especially Heavy Rocks. This one sounds the closest to the rest of their discography but it is still very different from anything they’ve done. The band said they wanted to “re-define heavy music” with this album and while I don’t think it’s that good, it is fantastic and definitely takes metal into some uncharted territory. I know that I’ve listened to “Missing Pieces” more than any other song this year and with good reason, it’s one of the most beautiful, doom metal tracks ever created. I know there aren’t that many of those out there so I feel comfortable in saying that. Boris just know how to do almost everything right when it comes to making quality music no matter what it is. I’m excited to hear what they cook up next.