Sab's slim 2018 list
I didn't care much for current music in 2018 (with exceptions) and I reached the conclusion that I no longer recognize most of my ratings, so this isn't really a ranked list, as you can tell by the shallowness of a lot of entries. Of course, it's not random either. It's honestly not much of a useful list, but I didn't want to break the yearly tradition. Here I list only the stuff that interested me the most, though not necessarily checked properly. I'll try to list up to only 3 highlights per album. Here's to a sweet 2019 for everyone. ~ |
| 45 |  | Storm{O}
Ere
screamo // didn't really check but shoutout to the dudes of Belluno. The vocals kinda sound like he is reading the lyrics in slow-mo, it's a bit weird. // https://stormo.bandcamp.com/ |
| 44 |  | Marnero
Quando Vedrai Le Navi In Fiamme Sarà Giunta L'Ora
post-hardcore? proggy/experimental/those terms thrown // Didn't check but I like their past stuff. Dont' expect constant aggression. // free download: http://www.donnabavosa.com/marnero/ |
| 43 |  | Merciful Nuns
Anomaly X
gothic rock // didn't check but I can safely recommend this to anyone who wants some goth. |
| 42 |  | King Dude
Music To Make War To
gothic // didn't check but it looks cool. The snippets sounded interesting. One song is gothic rock, the next has a dark jazz vibe, then another has an electronic beat.
Edit: I actually listened to some songs during the making of this list and I dug: "Good & Bad", "In the Garden", "Velvet Rope". |
| 41 |  | Sadist
Spellbound
prog death metal // an album dedicated to Alfred Hitchcock. Nice and crunchy but know that it has a lot of keyboard presence. |
| 40 |  | Screature
Old Hand New Wave
fuzzy, noisy gothic rock (female-fronted) // chaotic sound, deserves a shot. |
| 39 |  | Ultra-Violence
Operation Misdirection
thrash metal // I didn't like this as much as Deflect the Flow, it feels less urgent. I like the urgency/heaviness of "Cadaver Decomposition Island" and the surprisingly melodic turn of the song three quarters in. |
| 38 |  | Axel Rudi Pell
Knights Call
heavy metal // It's another ARP album, but a step up from Game of Sins. Gioeli has a great voice as always. Pell loves long songs but he needs to learn how to make them dynamic. Also what's up with Rondinelli's unexciting drumming? I wouldn't care too much for this if it was by another band. Favorites: "The Wild and the Young", "The Crusaders of Doom", "Wildest Dreams". |
| 37 |  | Paradise Lost
Believe In Nothing (Remixed/Remastered)
alt metal, alt goth? lel // This new version is now more metal but also flatter and more plastic. Busy moments like the snare-heavy "Sell It to the World" sound annoyingly flat. Still, the remix deserves credit for drawing me to this album, turns out it isn't that bad, albeit stiff and formulaic. Favorites: "I Am Nothing", "Mouth", "Never Again". |
| 36 |  | Breaking Benjamin
Ember
alt metal // I dig how it's their most aggressive but catchiest too. They tried to amp it up (and marginally did) but Ben is far too rooted in accessibility. Furthermore the production deals quite a bit of damage to the music, burying things that should have been more audible. You could remix this and make it almost sound like another album. That said, overall I'm honestly surprised by how easily I can jam this, I didn't expect to genuinely like it. Favorites: "Psycho", "Tourniquet", "Blood". |
| 35 |  | Visigoth
Conqueror's Oath
heavy metal // more immediate than its predecessor, but still worth a shot. |
| 34 |  | The Black Queen
Infinite Games
synthpop, darkwave // it sounded cool but with less immediacy and hooks than the debut, a more reflective experience perhaps. If you dug the debut this is a no-brainer. |
| 33 |  | Usurpress
Interregnum
prog death metal // "In Books Without Pages" adds a dark jazz element, while "The Vagrant Harlot" is straight-up gothic metal with only clean vocals. That said it's still very much a death metal album at its core. In fact, the external influences give it a bit of an identity crisis. |
| 32 |  | Gygax
2nd Edition
hard rock // didn't really check, only peeked. I loved "Dice Throwers & Rock 'n' Rollers", very catchy and melodic - a cutie. I don't care for the D&D theme but it didn't hurt my listening. |
| 31 |  | Delta Sleep
Ghost City
math rock they call it? Twinkly something // a pleasant and dynamic album which clean sound sits somewhere between warm and cold. The more ethereal parts didn't really move me, but I dig the livelier stuff like "El Pastor" and "Single File". |
| 30 |  | Slow Crush
Aurora
shoegaze // didn't check! Shame because the snippets seemed really cute. Love the art. // https://slowcrush.bandcamp.com/album/aurora |
| 29 |  | Saxon
Thunderbolt
heavy metal // solid! |
| 28 |  | Praying Mantis
Gravity
AOR // Serviceable, well performed and with an edge of heavy metal. Obviously saccharine. Cool to see them still kicking. The preceding album wasn't bad either. |
| 27 |  | Loreena McKennitt
Lost Souls
celtic new age // very pleasant but perhaps a bit inoffensive here and there. "A Hundred Wishes" gets me genuinely emotional, thus becoming my favorite song here. Another cool one is "Spanish Guitars and Night Plazas". |
| 26 |  | Prime Minister of Doom
Mudshadow Propaganda
deep house I think // Clearly outside of my comfort zone, I definitely dig this as a form of background music. It's a start. |
| 25 |  | Jon Hopkins
Singularity
tech/micro house?? // I liked this more than I expected, but for now I'm still a bit cold towards this kind of music. It's certainly atmospheric and I'm sure it'd work wonders in the right environment. "Neon Pattern Drum" is perhaps my favorite here but I'd have to relisten. |
| 24 |  | Phantom Winter
Into Dark Science
atmospheric blackened sludge // crushing pained sound, "Ripping Halos from Angels" floors me. |
| 23 |  | Satan
Cruel Magic
heavy metal // pretty solid singles, I didn't listen to the rest yet. Silly move probably! |
| 22 |  | Ghost (SWE)
Prequelle
hard rock, pop metal // this didn't tell me much at first, however as I give another peek for the list I notice that it's catchier than last time. Honestly, I don't think I gave it enough attention, because it feels like another album right now and I'm having a sweet time. I'll have to revisit. My favorite part could perhaps be the trio "See the Light", "Miasma" and "Dance Macabre". |
| 21 |  | Riot V
Armor of Light
power metal, heavy metal // the combination of Thundersteel-era veterans plus new blood is working fine. Saw them touring with Primal Fear and they killed it, really great choice for a new singer especially. Very energetic album with more melodic parts. Bloated for sure, but worthy. Favorites: "Victory", "Set the World Alight", "San Antonio". |
| 20 |  | Voivod
The Wake
voivod metal, prog metal // a solid album that partly recaptures the feel of an album like Nothingface. It's not peak Voivod, but an admirable 14th full-length nonetheless. |
| 19 |  | Stefano Bollani
Que Bom
jazz fusion, piano-driven // his "Brasilian album". Really something in places but definitely overlong and I'm not too hot on the sung tracks, mostly because of the shaky Italian accent (then again the singer isn't Italian). I didn't spend enough time with the 70+ minutes thing, but I can say that I really really like "Certe giornate al mare". |
| 18 |  | mol
JORD
blackgaze // blackgaze that constantly slaps, sadly ruined by the oppressive production. Come here if Deafheaven 2018 was too soft. Favorites: "Ligament", "Jord", "Vakuum". Note that an instrumental version of the album is also available. // https://moeldk.bandcamp.com/album/jord-2 |
| 17 |  | Opeth
Garden of the Titans
prog metal // heard once, thought it was pretty good. Beefy, crunchy sound. Growls aren't perfect but better than I expected. At first I wasn't sold on the tracklist but now I think it's not bad at all. |
| 16 |  | Sons of Kemet
Your Queen Is a Reptile
afro-jazz // I think I recall that it's a bit samey, but still worthy of time. Every track is dedicated to an important black woman (don't kill me if I'm wrong) and the bookend tracks feature angry hip-hop vocals. One track that really stuck with me is "My Queen Is Anna Julia Cooper" because of its soothing nature. "My Queen Is Albertina Sisulu" is a more energetic one I remember liking too. Groovy album, definitely deserves another spin. |
| 15 |  | All The Luck In The World
A Blind Arcade
indie folk // very pretty and refreshing-sounding album. At times a bit too homogeneous, during the more stripped down moments it often feels like you are waiting for the more interesting (strings, rhythm changes, etc) moments to happen. Thankfully, it works. Favorites: "Landmarks", "Golden October", "Into the Ocean". |
| 14 |  | Deafheaven
Ordinary Corrupt Human Love
twinkly blackgaze // I was never super into this band because I always felt that their music was bloated, so on paper this album is definitely welcomed by me with its more expressive identity. Plus the very sweet drumming. Problem is the actual music lacks the teeth I search for in my blackgaze. Basically, it doesn't slap hard enough. Favorites: "Honeycomb" (1:10 especially), "Canary Yellow", "Glint". |
| 13 |  | Pale
Pale
blackgaze // fierce blackgaze for those who wanted the genre to be harsher. Favorites: "Hortus Sanitatis", "Gossamer", "Zodiac". // https://paleofband.bandcamp.com/album/ep |
| 12 |  | Witherfall
A Prelude to Sorrow
gloomy prog metal // I was really curious to hear this band again. They ventured in a more complex, variegated and heavier route, fitting for the memorial concept of the music. As such, this isn't as catchy as the debut. Cutting ~10 minutes to tighten the ideas would have worked big time I think. Biggest problem here is that the music can feel tiresome even in small sittings. All that said, the chorus of "Shadows" is one of their most memorable. Other highlights are the heartfelt last 4 minutes of "Vintage" and the soft section around 3:50 into "We Are Nothing". |
| 11 |  | John Surman
Invisible Threads
ECM jazz // as pleasant and relaxing as its cover artwork; a gem for lovers of sax, piano and a side of vibraphone. Check "Autumn Nocturne". |
| 10 |  | Magnum
Lost on the Road to Eternity
AOR, proggy // my first new rating of 2018, I also wrote a review for it in which I detail a few highlights so I won't spend many words here. These dudes are approaching 50 years of being a band, and the two remaining founding members are both 70 (one of which is the singer). Not essential at all but at this point it's still very decent, even if with obvious filler. The best songs are obviously the ones that flirt the most with prog. I managed to catch this tour, glad I finally saw them. Favorites: "King of the World", "Show Me Your Hands", "Welcome to the Cosmic Cabaret". |
| 9 |  | Sigh
Heir to Despair
experimental thrash/black metal // overall more down to earth for a Sigh album, I'm not the biggest fan of the more normal tracks. However I dig the other half of the record, especially the central suite. All things considered, this could be a good entry point for new fans. Favorites: "Aletheia", "Heresy" suite, "Heir to Despair". |
| 8 |  | Messa
Feast for Water
doom metal, dark jazz influence // I can dig the blending of styles, as they commit to keep it throughout most of the album. Favorites: "Leah", "She Knows", "White Stains". |
| 7 |  | Coast
Coast
jazz fusion // I especially loved the quieter tracks, they sound very comfy and give the feeling of sitting near a fireplace while it's snowing outside. I'm losing my mind I swear. Favorites: "Tide" (man!), "Obin" and I'm not sure, I used all the Bandcamp streams available, please send me money. // https://coast-aus.bandcamp.com/ |
| 6 |  | Turbowolf
The Free Life
fuzzy stonery psychy heavy rock // tight, unpredictable songs, improved vocal melodies, short and sweet runtime... and obviously infectious riffs. Quirky and full of curveballs; a madly catchy album, at times instrumentally almost apocalyptic ("Last Three Clues"' chorus) and wasteland-esque. The t/t is particularly excellent, not to mention that it flows seamlessly into the surprisingly emotive "Concluder". I'm so glad that they finally delivered the great album I knew they had in them. Now, let's see what comes next. Favorites: "No No No", "Very Bad", "The Free Life" + "Concluder", everything else to a smaller degree really. |
| 5 |  | An Autumn For Crippled Children
The Light of September
blackgaze // an album with a lot of energy and little wasted time where every song offers something. Always loved their rhythm section. My major complaint is that I crave more of those blast beats found in the final climax of "Fragility". // I'm captured by the exuberancy of "The Golden Years" when it kicks into gear and the piano-driven climaxes of "The Silence Inside". Or the uplfiting main keyboard theme of the t/t. Or the infectious drumming of "Hiding in the Dark". Or- // https://anautumnforcrippledchildren.bandcamp.com/album/the-light-of-september |
| 4 |  | Toto
Old Is New
creative AOR // new and old tunes completed for the occasion. We get to hear all the Porcaros again! Four pieces were already released (the three singles for the recent 40 Trips compilation + a feature in an electronic song by What So Not... wait, what?), the other six are inedited. These six songs are rather interesting, as they phisically mix old and new recordings. Pretty low on the prog factor but still with quirks. Not essential by any means but fans will surely dig. That is, if it makes its way out of the All In box-set exclusivity. Favorites: "Devil's Tower", "Chelsea", "Fearful Heart". // Jam this very loudly, this is how you produce rock music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Scu1dtL6k0E |
| 3 |  | La Coscienza Di Zeno
Una vita migliore
prog rock // after a guitarist change the CdZ comes back with their most mature and refined album. Perhaps they could rock a bit harder in places (like they do live) but still this is a pleasure to listen to. I attended the live show in which they presented the album and I managed to talk to them all. Great people made great music. Favorites: "Lobe iste calabu", "Danza ferma", "L'aspettativa del bimbo scuro". // https://amsrecords.bandcamp.com/album/una-vita-migliore |
| 2 |  | Electric Light Orchestra
Secret Messages
prog pop, art rock, pip pop, what it is // In 1983, Secret Messages was forced to not be a double album and a lot of stuff was cut. 2018 is the first time when it finally becomes a reality and I have to say: this is one of my favorite ELO albums. 70 minutes in which Jeff Lynne takes the sound of Time and toys with it. It's criminally underrated. Then again, some of this stuff is basically brand new for a lot of listeners. I'd list about 75% of the songs as highlights, but I'll stop at three: "Loser Gone Wild", "Stranger", "Mandalay", aha you can't stop me, "Take Me On and On", "Danger Ahead", "Letter From Spain", "Endless Li- // A little note: to my ears this sounded more compressed than the original. |
| 1 |  | Tropical Fuck Storm
A Laughing Death in Meatspace
punk blues, noise influence, Nick Cave on drugs, whatever you want to call it // I'm sure Sputnik is familiar with this one. Explosive debut. Favorites: "You Let My Tyres Down", "Antimatter Animals", "Soft Power". // "tropical fuck storm? wtf were you listening to?" |
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