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VT Albums Of The Year 2021


Seat68

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17 minutes ago, bickster said:

You've been subject to too much music by The Hoff

Worse... I prefer going back and trying to find "new" music rather than discover new bands and albums, I've more or less given up on new stuff

Favourite track this year has been nineteen hundred eighty five remastered from the band of the run archive collection by wings and I heard that thanks to a noel Gallagher interview on jools, love that kind of thing, spent a lot of time at the start of the year listening to early bee gees albums thanks to their documentary (which is brilliant) and ended it listening to the beatles thanks to theirs 

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3 minutes ago, villa4europe said:

Worse... I prefer going back and trying to find "new" music rather than discover new bands and albums, I've more or less given up on new stuff

Favourite track this year has been nineteen hundred eighty five remastered from the band of the run archive collection by wings and I heard that thanks to a noel Gallagher interview on jools, love that kind of thing, spent a lot of time at the start of the year listening to early bee gees albums thanks to their documentary (which is brilliant) and ended it listening to the beatles thanks to theirs 

Band on the run is a fantastic album. My favourite of McCartney's post Beatles output, even more than his eponymous debut. As a teenager I had Picasso's last words on a loop. 

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58 minutes ago, villa4europe said:

Worse... I prefer going back and trying to find "new" music rather than discover new bands and albums, I've more or less given up on new stuff

Favourite track this year has been nineteen hundred eighty five remastered from the band of the run archive collection by wings and I heard that thanks to a noel Gallagher interview on jools, love that kind of thing, spent a lot of time at the start of the year listening to early bee gees albums thanks to their documentary (which is brilliant) and ended it listening to the beatles thanks to theirs 

It's worse than I feared, you've been subject to....

 

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7 minutes ago, cyrusr said:

So sorry a little later than planned. Work has unfortunately picked up a lot over the last few months so finding the time/energy to do this has been somewhat harder! What hasn’t helped is that there has been a flurry of late releases this year which has made me rethink a little! This is also a lot longer than I anticipated and I apologise to you in advance! I have spoiled the details as well to make it look a little shorter. 

So initially I had thought it had been a little bit of year that has not been so great. I think that this feeling has been exacerbated somewhat by bands that I love (Mastodon, Gojira, Iron Maiden in particular) producing albums I am not convinced meet their high standards. That being said, if they were made by any other band, it is very likely that I would think are awesome and I still stick them on, and they will be pretty awesome with some great songs on it. I think in particular with Mastodon and Iron Maiden, creating double albums have a real risk of being bloated and the great tracks get lost in the mess. Maiden with this album I think really struggle and are a good example. The album is 82 minutes; just a few minutes shy of being able to be put on 1 CD but listening to the album, they could probably shave a minute or 2 here of the songs and not lose the impact/feel of the song. The concept of “less is more” seems to have been lost. I do touch upon these later on and in fact I may in time go by come back to enjoy them more in the future so I do feel I may be somewhat unfair on them. 

So anyway, with that in mind and having revisited the year, there has some really solid albums that deserve a lot of praise and should be checked out. I’ve decided to instead do a Top 3 and a list of other stuff that really deserves to be listened to. 

3. Converge & Chelsea Wolfe – Bloodmoon: I

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When this collaboration was first announced/performed back in April 2016, it was one eagerly anticipated. However, for those that failed to watch one of the shows, we finally have the album that has culminated from the collaboration. 

This album not only takes the expected parts of Converge that are probably more on the progressive elements but also their harsher sounds as well. Mixed in with Chelsea’s gothic tones and darker elements, it creates a beautiful piece of art that develops the more it is listened to. You then end up with elements that lend themselves to Cave In as well (unsurprising given Stephen Brodsky’s involvement) which just appear from nowhere. 

If you are a fan of any of the parts, this is worth your time. It is a majestic blend of all the best parts. Even if you are not a fan of any of the separate parts, you still need to give this a listen. It is truly a great piece of art. 

2. Five the Hierophant – Through Aureate Void 

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Avant-Garde Jazz Doom? Yes please! This was a recommendation from @GarethRDR (thanks again) and a very good one at that. 

So yeah, I was completely oblivious to the band prior to this year, this is their 2nd full length album. A curious concept but without the vocals the saxophone definitely takes the role of “lead vocals” and becomes that centre piece to the music. It really takes you on the journey through the album of highs and lows. Absolutely cracking way to use the instrument and very much a welcome addition!

The remainder of the band forms the backbone of a doom band that has that nice “headbang swagger” (not entirely sure what I am trying to say here to be honest?!). Quite simply I have often just simply got lost in the songs and one where your mind can travel and soothes the soul. An album that when it ends, it leaves you wanting more. Exactly how it should be. 

1. Møl – Diorama 

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Even when this was announced, I knew that this would be high up on this list. When their debut came out Jord, I got it as part of the Holy Roar subscription package, and it was decent enough, but it didn’t necessarily grab me. Later that year though I caught them supporting Ghost Bath and Møl absolutely blew them out of the water with how they performed, and I think that is when I understood the band. 

I was therefore very excited with this release, and it has thankfully lived up to expectations. What we received was further development of the sound first pitched in Jord. The guitars remained that “washy” shoegaze dream like feeling, but with Kim’s vocals screams/growls creating that sense of urgency and power gives a perfect blend that almost makes you feel like you are listening to a nightmare that appears out of nowhere. The appearance of some clean vocals creates a false sense of beauty that really gives those songs just that little bit of a calm but then you are struck with the full force of the song again. That is perhaps where these guys are sticking out, whilst they have without question these lighter influences, they remain firmly in the “metal” camp; unlike say Deafheaven (whose album I still enjoyed, just not as much). 

If you are one for seeking the latest reaches of Black Metal that doesn’t “stick to the formula” this an essential listen for you. Without a doubt, my favourite this year and very excited to see them live in February again (hopefully).

So, those are my top 3 but by no means not the only records I have enjoyed this year. In relation to the honourable mentions, here there are in no particular order (some of these are definitely recommendations from here as well so thank you all!): - 

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1. Wardruna – Kvitravn – another album of traditional Viking songs. I found this a bit accessible than previous ones and looking forward to hearing this live in Symphony Hall next year. 

2. Revulsion – Revulsion – a good Death Metal album that doesn’t necessarily push boundaries but is a good representation of the genre. I cannot recall where the recommendation came from but if it was from here, thank you!

3. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – “L.W.” & “Butterfly 3000” – only 2 records from these guys, definitely slowing down! Firstly “L.W.” is a follow on from K.W. and more microtonal sounds from the band. Another decent album from the band. With Butterfly 3000 there is a move more towards their psychedelic style than “L.W”. Again, decent effort from the band and I am sure that there will be more to come next year. 

4. Anneke Van Giersbergen – The Darkest Skies Are The Brightest – former “The Gathering” singer doing a stripped down album dealing with difficulties within her relationship with her husband. She has a cracking voice and for those who favour the singer/songwriter concept this one may appeal more to you from this list. 

5. Godspeed You! Black Emperor – G_d’s Pee AT STATE END! – don’t really need to say much about this as I think they are a favourite around here. Another record of some really good songs that continue the standards. I am sure that others will give this more justice than I have but hopefully the world will be in a good enough state to allow them to travel over next month and play live. 

6. Herzel – Le Dernier Rempart – this very nearly made it into a top 4. A French power metal band that has some exceptionally good guitar work. Was a surprising discovery to say the least and a great representation of the genre but perhaps less twee than power metal can be. Still do not have a clue what the lyrics are about though but excellent vocals none the less. 

7. The Offspring – Let The Bad Times Roll – somewhat of a surprise that this was much better than expected. It doesn’t hit perhaps the highs of the classic albums (*this opinion will be disputed by some, but I always have a massive soft spot for The Offspring as one of the first bands I got into). Nonetheless it is a collection of catchy pop punk that doesn’t disappoint. Also includes a cover “In the Hall of the Mountain King” which is unexpected?! 

8. Cannibal Corpse – Violence Unimagined – this is really great. If in doubt that the world is a bit too nice or soft, shove some Cannibal Corpse on and your neck will hurt. First album without long time guitarist Pat O’Brian (for understandable reasons) this continues the strength of Cannibal Corpse as one of the godfathers and remains an absolute solid album. Probably the best album cover of the year as well (well the alternate cover NSFW version anyway!). 

9. Gojira – Fortitude – so I know I mention this higher up but despite that I think this is still a really good record. I think for me it just again takes a couple of tracks to really get into the swing of it. Some absolutely cracking song writing and good songs, it just still didn’t quite “click” and felt a little disjointed. I know this is getting the plaudits A LOT and perhaps I am being a little harsher on it than it deserves because of this, but still go listen. 

10. Epiphanic Truth – Dark Triad: Bitter Psalms to a Sordid Species – a “collective” of members from former and current bands (presumably linked heavily with Church Road Records) dealing with personality disorders, it is an interesting mix of prog and black metal it was a very surprising record to come out of nowhere! Elements that lend itself to Cynic (see later) and others to more modern metal sounds, it is a very accomplished record that should be checked out.   

11. Noctule – Wretched Abyss – Black metal solo project from Svalbard frontwoman Serena Cherry based around the video game Skyrim. Ultimately it is more of a solid black metal album that has been written by someone who can write decent songs but if that is your cup of bloody tea then you should give this a spin. 

12. Horndal – Lake Drinker – thanks @sne for this. A Swedish band in the vein of Mastodon/High On Fire providing that sludgy sound with some absolutely cracking riffs. This was a great record full of headbanging moments that I have thoroughly enjoyed. 

13. Pupil Slicer – Mirrors – this one is thanks to @GarethRDR. Ferocious record full of venom and spit. Angry, frenetic but also rocks a lot. References to Dillinger (more on them later), Converge and Pig Destroyer well-earned but is different in its own right. A record that is quite bonkers and very, very good. It also deals with a number of different issues including 

14. Fear Factory – Aggression Continuum – so a lot of back story/legal issues to this record which has basically culminated in the singer quitting and the sole remaining member being the (allegedly) egotistical guitarist who has previously been kicked out. However, even with that background, this is certainly a return to form from the band and actually holds up. Curious as to what they do next in the circumstances though… 

15. Deafheaven – Infinite Granite – so referenced this with the Møl record and like how Opeth became a full-on prog band, Deafheaven have now more or less now become a shoegaze band but having a soft for this anyway I quite liked this. Still think it wasn’t anything special than their earlier albums but good nonetheless. 

16. Iron Maiden – Senjutsu – why 82 minutes? Why?! Sure, it is a good Iron Maiden album, there are some cracking “gallops” but again another double album and it doesn’t have a classic like “Empire of the Clouds” adding 18 minutes to it. I do think that Maiden really need to start to have some editing of themselves in order to create a proper classic though. Again, though a good record in my opinion. 

17. Employed to Serve – Conquering – a new offering of “metallic hardcore”, these guys are really becoming a professional and tight band. Having not got on as well with the last record, I have found this record to be more of a mature record from them, developing into a much more solid metal album with hardcore sensibilities. Justine still has great roar/scream as well. Very enjoyable record. 

18. Spiritbox – Eternal Blue – this is a record which was hyped up a lot. Formed by husband-and-wife duo Mike Stringer and vocalist Courtney LaPlante from iwrestledabearonce, it has a lot of reminisces to bands such as Rolo Tomassi, Svalbard, etc. and there are definitely similarities; but this is a far more polished/pop sound and whilst Courtney LaPlante does have a beautiful voice, it is almost too poppy for me when she sings cleanly. Musically it has elements of Gojira, Meshuggah, pop punk, industrial elements and does sound great. Relistening to it now whilst I write this, I think I may be too harsh on the vocals and yeah it is a very good record. 

19. Mastodon – Hushed and Grim – this is a frustrating record. I am a HUGE Mastodon fan and have been since Leviathan and whilst I appreciate, they have softened over the years, they have still produced cracking albums and I was definitely a fan of Emperor of Sands. This does have some really good songs (Sickle and Peace, Peace and Tranquillity, Savage Lands), but the tracks in between are more forgettable than memorable (e.g. Had It All). Sadly, this suffers from a lack of editing and certainly could have probably done a b-sides record/EP like they did with Cold Dark Place. To be honest, these could be really good songs/albums, but at 1 hour 26 minutes it just feels bloated and a little meandering. It remains though much better than a lot of music out there, but sadly Mastodon I think I hold to a higher standard. 

20. Me and That Man – New Man, New Songs, Same Sh*t, Vol. 2 – so this is another record from Nergal (Behemoth) doing some “dark country rock” songs (I am sure @seat68 will be horrified). The first 2 records were so so, but this time he has managed to get some decent vocalists (Tobias Forge from Ghost and Kristoffer Rygg from Ulver in particular) which I think finally made it crack for me. I actually really enjoyed this one and would recommend.

21.  Cynic – Ascension Codes – after the deaths of some key members, it was curious to see this being released. One of the classic prog metal bands having created some beautiful music previously, it was hard to consider how this would actually sound and how it would be received. Thankfully it is a great record. Annoyingly it has come out at the end of the year and is a record that requires more time to properly digest and evaluate, but a wonderful record nonetheless. 

22.  Volbeat – Servant Of The Mind – not given this much time as it has only just been released but I have enjoyed this more than the last few albums. Again, nothing perhaps extraordinary about this, but a decent album from them providing more of the same. If you are in the mood for something perhaps more light-hearted and not “deep” then yeah this ticks a lot of boxes. 

23. Gatecreeper – An Unexpected Reality – this is a short, sharp record that doesn’t really take any prisoners. 18 minutes long but the last track is 11, the songs come thick and fast, and it is some very good Death Metal that deserves your attention. I think that they have replaced Power Trip () on the Lamb of God tour which is now taking place December 2022. One to watch out for. 

24. Outlander – Sundowning/Unconditional – it is a shame this is only an EP as both tracks are phenomenal. Some very heavy shoegaze which is great, and they are from Birmingham. Didn’t realise that they supported Bossk recently last week (I was tempted by the show, but it was the same night as the Norwich game, and I was already out most other nights that week) but hopefully they will be doing some more shows and music very soon. Another one to watch out for. 

25. A.A. Williams – Songs From Isolation – a collection of covers from her. Dark, depressing, withdrawn from society. Taking some good songs and just doing something different with them. 

26. Devin Townsend – Devolution Series #1 – Acoustically Inclined, Live in Leeds – a live album from when he did acoustic set. Get reminiscent from the tour and thoroughly enjoyed the intimacy of this. 

And as with last year, I ended up buying a lot of a back catalogue music as well… Whilst there was plenty I again enjoyed, these were a couple of choice records for me: - 

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1. Heretoir – Heretoir – one of the purported early blackgaze records and it is dark, dank, depressing. It really draws you into the music screaming but also ensuring that you feel utterly alone. Loved it. Didn’t think the follow up was quite as good but this was definitely worth my time! 

2. Bell Witch – Mirror Reaper – a double album about the loss of their drummer. At 83 minutes you would think that I would be quite critical of the length from what I wrote above but you are wrong. This is a solid single-track album that really delves deep into the recesses of doom. It is heavy, it is slow, it draws you into the realms of the music and that emptiness that it portrays. A worthy album. 

3. Death - …For The World To See – a recommendation from @bickster of a pre-Ramones punk band that never really came to light at the time. Great songs that have definitely stood the test of time. Both the record and the documentary are worthy of your time of a band that should have been. 

4. The Dillinger Escape Plan – Calculating Infinity – I really don’t like Dillinger. I have tried listening to them a few times now; I’ve seen them live a few times. Never clicked for me. On paper, I should absolutely love them but just couldn’t like them. Never, ever stuck with me. Until now. I am not even sure why, but I decided to listen to this and I finally f***ing got it. This is a great record and I do wonder whether I just simply didn’t like Puciato fronting the band (which seems odd writing as I don’t mind his solo stuff and I think he is great in Killer Be Killed). Never mind, this quirky, jerky crazy mathcore is great and reminds me of Down I Go so much (although I suspect chronologically that should be the other way round given not many will have heard of an old Undergroove band!). Anyway, I may not be converted to later stuff yet, but I have at least got 1 record of theirs I like!

So, onto 2022. Already a number of releases very much anticipated for me: -

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  1. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – Butterfly 3001
  2. Boris – W (Wata on vocals F*** YES!)
  3. Zeal and Ardor – S/T
  4. Rolo Tomassi – Where Myth Becomes Memory
  5. Cult of Luna – The Long Road North
  6. Napalm Death – Resentment Is Always Seismic - A Final Throw Of Throes 
  7. Sabaton – The War to End All Wars
  8. Porcupine Tree – Closure/Continuation

And that is only those announced. Already some albums there I am really looking forward to. Hopefully another excellent year for music and one where we can actually get back to some normality with live music again. 

So the TL/DR version:

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There is still a ton of decent music out there to go listen to both new and old. Just don’t continue to listen to Oasis :trollface: 

Thank you to those that actually spent the time to read this! I really appreciate it! :) 

Will give 20 a listen today.

 

Regarding Volbeat, I missed that they had a new album out and as they are immense fun, that will also be listened to. 

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2021 has mostly been a year or listening to old albums that I love and a lot (I mean a lot) of electronic music playlists of techno, dnb, dub and similar. However there are a few albums that I've particularily enjoyed this year and here are a couple of them:

  • Lantlôs - Wildhund (like if foo fighters were good)
  • Kayo Dot - Moss Grew on the Swords and Plowshares Alike (experimental progressive gothic metal I guess? masters of odd music)
  • Gojira - Fortitude (metal)
  • MØL - Diorama (blackgaze)
  • Skee Mask - Pool (techno, breakbeat, ambient)
  • Wolves in the Throne Room - Primordial Arcana (black metal)
  • Der Weg Einer Freiheit - Noktvrn (black metal)
  • Ad Nauseam - Imperative Imperceptible Impulse (angular death metal, experimental)
  • Janusz Jurga - IST (ambient techno)
  • martinou - Rift (ambient techno)
  • Portico Quartet - Monument (nu-jazz)
  • Lone - Always Inside Your Head (jazzy, ambient house/acid. this man always produces gold!)
  • Stimming - Ludwig (organic house/techno)
  • Rival Consoles - Overflow (organic house/techno. one of the masters up there with Jon Hopkins, Max Cooper et al)
  • Cult of Luna - The Raging River EP (the gods of post-metal)

Still got a lot of albums that I've yet to check out that are bound to be amazing. There are also a myriad of albums from death's dynamic shroud.wmv that I've yet to check out which I'm sure will be awesome, they've been hella busy! Also gotta check the latest from Hiatus Kayote as I'm sure that will absolutely slay.

Edited by osmark86
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I purchased a total of zero albums this year 

I did purchase one single , so  the 2021 Tonyh " all music after 1999 is shit , but here's an award for not being totally shit"  award goes to Spangled for their single " Cosmic vibrations "

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