My Top 20 Albums Of 2010
I listen to a lot of deathcore so I'm prepared for some flaming, but oh well. EDIT: This is routdated, innacurate, and gay. |
| 1 |  | Whitechapel
A New Era of Corruption
Phil Bozeman is an absolute monster on vocals. The lyrics commonly involve an overused topic
(misanthropy) but are still intelligent. This album is also much more personal than previous Whitechapel
albums. The song "Murder Sermon" is about the death of the vocalist's mother. A New Era of Corruption
also gets a thumbs up for the guest vocalists, Chino Moreno of Deftones in "Reprogrammed To Hate" and
Vincent Bennett of The Acacia Strain in "Murder Sermon". the music is heavy as hell while still being
impressive. The songs never get old to me, I'll be listening to this for ages. |
| 2 |  | Upon A Burning Body
The World Is Ours
Extremely impressive for a debut album. From the moment I heard the intro I was hooked. These guys
have
an impressive vocalist and also show some great musicianship on their instruments. They have a unique
style of breakdowns (in most songs) and they really hit hard. The one at the end of Carlito's Way just may
be
my favorite breakdown ever. Overall this album is mostly just really really FUN and is guaranteed to get
people moving. |
| 3 |  | The Breathing Process
Odyssey (un)Dead
Quite innovative deathcore that uses keyboards and two vocalists. The keyboard parts are very atmospheric
and do not detract from the music. The vocals are done by a man who does the standard deathcore growls
and screams (But does them well might I add) and a female who sings quite beautifully. The music in general
is unique and surprising, and is definitely doing new and great things for the genre. |
| 4 |  | The Reign of Kindo
This Is What Happens
With the first non-deathcore album in this list, I obviously hold This Is What Happens in high regard since it is
such a different genre. The Reign of Kindo is a wonderful example of a band composed of impressive and
skilled musicians making music simply because they love it to death. This Is What Happens shows off a
singer with a great voice, a talented drummer, beautiful piano playing, memorable lyrics, and much more. |
| 5 |  | Sufjan Stevens
The Age of Adz
This is the first Sufjan Stevens album I have listened to and upon my first listens of a few of the songs from
The Age of Adz, I was turned off by the eccentricity. After several more listens I fell in love with it, and
realized the eccentricity is what is so genius about the album. Each song crafts a different and memorable
atmosphere, the music itself is catchy and memorable, and it is all tied together by heartfelt and highly
personal lyrics. |
| 6 |  | A Loathing Requiem
Psalms of Misanthropy
A Loathing Requiem is comprised of a guy named Malcolm Pugh and.... that's it. This is a solo project and it's
one hell of a good one. Malcolm plays each instrument with lots of talent and has created an album that is
concise, impressive, and brutal. |
| 7 |  | After The Burial
In Dreams
Soooo groovy. After The Burial definitely went in a different direction with In Dreams, but it's not a bad thing.
While Rareform was more technical, In Dreams is more focused on songwriting. This is not to say however
that it is instrumentally weaker. The 8-string guitar playing is still amazing. |
| 8 |  | Diskreet
Engage The Mechanicality
sputnikmusic user adb said about Diskreet that "They occupy a niche market comprised of fans who are
probably transitioning from deathcore to technical death metal." I don't see this as a bad thing however. They
combine some elements of deathcore and tech death to make one great sound. They play death metal but
aren't afraid to play a chuggy quasi-breakdown from time to time. |
| 9 |  | Within The Ruins
Invade
With Invade, the members of Within The Ruins have proven themselves as extraordinary musicians. The
guitarists especially put on a simply stellar performance. Invade has tons of replay value and is extremely
catchy. With a combination of blazing-fast, technical riffs and pulverizing breakdowns, Invade is a fun and
powerful album. |
| 10 |  | The Tallest Man on Earth
The Wild Hunt
I've never been into this genre, but with one listen of "King of Spain" by The Tallest Man on Earth I was
compelled to listen to more. Kristian Matsson has a rugged but pleasing way of singing and the passion in his
voice is obvious. This combined with fantastic acoustic guitar playing made this album one of my favorites. |
| 11 |  | Circa Survive
Blue Sky Noise
Anthony Green has an amazing voice and has put it to use on a great album. Blue Sky Noise makes you want
to get up and dance, in a non-cutesy and cheesy way. The songs are quirky, but not weird or unintelligent.
Each song is different than the last. It keeps your attention and draws you in, and is a joyful listen all the way
through. |
| 12 |  | Veil of Maya
[id]
Being the single guitarist of Veil of Maya, I believe Marc Okubo deserves praise for all that he does on this
album. His guitar playing creates a unique atmosphere that sounds alien, foreign, and for some reason,
secret. Listening to the album all the way through is comparable to a journey through a hidden world. |
| 13 |  | Gorillaz
Plastic Beach
So retro and so different. Each track stands out from the others. I never really considered myself a Gorillaz
fun but this album changed that. Some songs I like a lot more than others, but there's a song here for
everyone and it's great. Really awesome to listen to while driving by the way. |
| 14 |  | Pierce The Veil
Selfish Machines
Vic Fuentes has a voice that everyone will either love or hate. I'm in the former category. He's the focal point
of the band and fits the role nicely. The lyrics are also a high point and when you learn them it will have you
attempting to sing along. I say attempting because no one will come close to matching Vic's peerless voice. |
| 15 | | Beneath The Massacre
Maree Noire
This EP is short, but it's a roller coaster ride of metal. The vocalist and instruments are both ridiculously heavy
and lots of times Maree Noire sounds like it was composed in the middle of a tornado, in a good way. |
| 16 |  | A Traitor Like Judas
Endtimes
Upbeat hardcore in the vein of The Ghost Inside. It has a way of being cheery but still being hardcore. For me
personally it's motivational, but not overtly. It's great music and it's encouraging, plus it has some really
heavy breakdowns. |
| 17 | | King Conquer
America's Most Haunted
This is some of the most crushingly heavy music I can tolerate while still being really good. King Conquer
boasts a vocalist with grimy, gutteral growls that really add to the beefy sound of the album. Extremely heavy,
but still an awesome album. |
| 18 |  | Castle Grayskull
To Live as Brutes
Similar to Born of Osiris, but with a little more thrash thrown in. The vocalist is unique thanks to his rough,
yelling tone. Thrashy riffs, epic keyboard parts, and breakdowns are frequent. |
| 19 |  | Burning The Masses
Offspring of Time
Burning The Masses is a similar band to Diskreet in that they are somewhere between death metal and
deathcore. Breakdowns are infrequent and the real allure of the band is the guitar solos. The first time I
heard the solo from "Lair Of The Blind Ones" I was floored. |
| 20 |  | Impending Doom
There Will Be Violence
One of the few great Christian deathcore bands. They spread the Christian message without being really lame
about it, and even feature a guest vocalist who is an outspoken atheist (Vincent Bennett of The Acacia Strain
on the song The Great Fear.) The album is really heavy and has some intense breakdowns without
overindulging in them. |
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