Very technical Progressive Metal. Loads and Loads of notes and time changes. Initially I really liked it, but then I sadly got bored very quickly on the second spin.
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Soundtrack to the Italian crime drama of the same name. Not quite a new record but still contains twenty-one new pieces of music from these extraordinary scots. There is no band like Mogwai. Lots of imitators but nobody actually like them.
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Punishing Death Metal from Denmark. Harsh and non-compromising. Lacked any contrasts to break up the unrelenting noise.
On other lists this will be higher, much higher. That is not because I don’t like Lamb of God. I do, lots and lots and lots. I just was expecting more, much more from this. I found it OK, which for a band of Lamb of God’s calibre is simply not enough. I wasn’t inspired. It didn’t make my heart sing in the way that “Wrath”, "Sacrament” and “Ashes of the Wake” all did. It might well be me, but it just felt muted.
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Dreamy indie-pop from Dream Wife. Pleasant and suitably uplifting but lacking in staying power.
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They had me with the moniker alone. Fairly standard Black Metal. Unrefined, gnarly and full of menace.
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More Black Metal. But of much more sculptured and palatable variety. This is Melodic Black. Essentially what Goats of doom are doing but with recognisable tunes.
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Even more Black Metal. But this time with twists, turns and added weirdness. This is avant-garde black. Basically, what Goats of Doom are doing if they were doing it whilst on Acid.
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Stoner Rockers go all prog. Not as clever as it thinks it is.
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Oh my god! Jon Bon Jovi wants to be Springsteen. I thought he had got that out of his system decades ago and was happy with being Jon Bon Jovi (which is a pretty cool thing to be on its own merit). But no, this is his Springsteen album. It so desperately wants to be a Springsteen album. It has socially aware lyrics, it has rousing tales of families ground down by the system, it has tales of forgotten America, hell he even sings like Springsteen. But it must be so galling to make this inferior facsimile of Springsteen record, only for the boss to then turn up with “Letter to You” not a month later and go “that’s not a Springsteen record, this is a Springsteen record!
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Another year, another unremarkable Trivium album.
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It’s Metalcore. It goes shouty and spiky, then melodic and smooth and then shouty and spiky. Then it stops.
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Northumbrian Black Metal that is more interested in English folklore than it is in Satan. It's alright.
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Ok this is a weird one. It's essentially a National album with a millionaire pop star warbling over the top. I rather enjoyed it if I am honest, but I do not think I ever need to hear it again. If I want a National album, I'll go off and listen to High Violet.
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Big booming Death Metal. Actual not bad at all, just failed to capture my imagination enough to crack the magic hundred.
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Atmospheric Death Metal. Erie and moody.
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The (pirate) kings of Pirate Metal. No one does jaunty riffs and inappropriate lyrics like they do. It’s ok.
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Heavy, groovy, primal metal. Another record where, I reckon that further listens would have seen it creep up the list.
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Mercury prize nominated post-punk. It is quirky enough to stand up in a world where modern indie is so sanitised but still didn’t follow engage me.
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Another year and another DevilDriver album. Sounds, to be honest, like the last one.
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