Toondude10
Toondude
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Last Active 01-08-23 12:33 pm
Joined 10-02-12

Review Comments 15,184

 Lists
10.02.22 10 Years on Sputnik12.17.18 Toondude's 2018
12.07.18 Favorite EP's of 201812.07.18 Least Favorite Albums of 2018
11.12.18 R.I.P. Stan Lee02.17.18 Support my friend's band Peruse
12.16.17 Least Favorites of 201712.13.17 So...The Last Jedi
12.12.17 Toondude's 201712.07.17 Overlooked in 2017 ♦
11.16.17 So...Justice League11.05.17 Saw Trivium last night
10.02.17 5 Years on Sputnik ♦08.21.17 Solar Eclipse digs
07.18.17 So...Dunkirk06.05.17 saw Iron Maiden last night
01.28.17 R.I.P. John Hurt01.24.17 89th Academy Award Predicitons
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Toondude10's 50%: The Halfway Stretch

Yeah I know that it's early but I've listened to pretty much everything I wanted to cover so I might as well. It's been a pretty good year so far for music. Not to mention there is a lot more albums coming out that people are hyping up for. Like last time, if you have any recs for this year that you think I might be interested in, then fire away.
1Veil of Maya
Matriarch

1.5/5
This is getting good ratings. Why is this getting good ratings? It's a steaming pile of shit that doesn't deserve the ratings it's getting. What in the world is it that is making this album good? This whole record is practically diet Periphery. The production, the vocals, the guitar work, pretty much everything. This is just absolutely horrendous.
2From First to Last
Dead Trees

2.5/5
Speaking of Periphery, Spencer Sotelo makes is mark of From First to Last. Being honest I haven't listened to too much of this band that much but their earlier material was great. This is pretty passable though. It's got a few decent songs but other than that most of this is pretty forgettable. And my god does Spencer need to shut up.
3Dance Gavin Dance
Instant Gratification

2.5/5
Yeah I know a lot of people are into this band, and their first album was actually pretty good. But this probably wasn't the best choice for a first listen to these guys. The lyrics are absolutely abysmal and Tillian is by and far a nominee for the worst vocalist of the year. He is so bad that he makes Kellin Quinn from Sleeping With Sirens look good. Even so the overall great instrumentation and John Mess' vocals prevent this from being terrible. I understand that Dance Gavin Dance are trying to be nonsensical and fun but it ends up being cringeworthy more than enjoyable. I feel like I would like this more if they took themselves more seriously.
4And So I Watch You From Afar
Heirs

3/5
Pretty boring album honestly. The shorter tracks are great but the longer tracks really drag the album, not to mention the vocals are pretty uninteresting. I haven't listened to their earlier material, though I plan to at some point, so I don't know too much about this band. There's some nice stuff on here, but the album isn't really good enough to warrant more than a few listens.
5God Is An Astronaut
Helios/Erebus

3/5
Well it's post rock, which means you know exactly what to expect. One of the things I love is that the track names are Latin (or whatever language it's supposed to be) and then there's 'Pig Powder'. Seriously, that's the best name you could come up with? Otherwise, it's a nice listen but again, not too interesting compared to other post-rock outfits.
6NYVES
Anxiety

3/5
Very disappointing this one was. It had so much potential but the problem was that it didn't have enough variety and Ryan Clark's performance was incredibly lackluster. The second half on the other hand ended up being great, and it was what I expected this album to be. It's just that I had to face some mediocre material before I got what I wanted. It's not a bad album, but boy oh boy was I hoping for a lot more.
7Haste the Day
Coward

3/5
Another disappointment for the year as Haste The Day deliver quite possibly their most stale album. I was hoping for some sort of grand epic comeback but all I end up getting is a lack of variety with bland production. The more melodic moments on here are fantastic and what I wanted more of, and the idea of combining their different musical styles is an awesome idea, but the production and the mixing were really off. This is far from being "the album to end all albums" and the 4 and 4.5s it's getting is just most likely from the hype.
8Idlehands
Dena Mora

3.5/5
One of the more overlooked albums this year. While some songs slip through one year and out the other just like that and the overall production isn't the most original, it's actually a really decent album. The vocals are great and the overall instrumentation is very good. Overall it's a solid entry into this year's alternative rock genre.
9I The Mighty
Connector

3.5/5
While their last album (which I still need to listen to in full) was more post-hardcore, this is has more of an alternative rock feel to it, which is fine. There's a lot of great songs on here and the last track is just so good. I feel like this band would be amazing if they took a bit more risks but this is still a great album overall.
1010 Years
From Birth to Burial

3.5/5
Another decent album from a very nostalgic band, even though it's arguably the weakest album since their debut. It's still a good album and the last three songs are just killer. There aren't really any bad songs on here, but there's a lot of forgettable ones. It's more or less the band playing safe rather than just giving up. There's some great stuff to be found here, it's just there's also some pretty meh stuff as well.
11Muse
Drones

3.5/5
Slight confession, I enjoy The 2nd Law. I understand why people hate it (same goes for this album) but I thought it was a enjoyably fun and gimmicky album. I have a similar opinion with Drones as well. It's gimmicky, not to be taken seriously, and it has a few awful moments, but again it's fun. I don't really take Muse's later material that seriously and I think that's why I enjoy it. Even so, this is better than the 2nd Law, I will agree on that.
12Breaking Benjamin
Dark Before Dawn

4/5 (objectively 3.5)
Breaking Benjamin is back and I am very happy that they are. Considering the fact that this is my favorite band of all time it's obvious that I loved this. I understand why people wouldn't like considering that they don't really experiment more or that it's similar to their other material, but I feel like that was the overall point of this album. As a huge fan, I'm please, but I really do hope that the next album will have them trying out some different outfits for them. After all they have three guitarists now, you might as well use that advantage while you still have it.
13Voices from the Fuselage
Odyssey: The Destroyer of Worlds

4/5
Fear not fans of Ashe O' Hara, Voices from the Fuselage has come to save you! This ended up being a lot more enjoyable than I thought it would be. The post rock/ambient elements are just so amazing and O' Hara's vocals are just fantastic. This is an album where the variety of different musical styles (I'm looking at you NYVES and Haste the Day) actually work like it's supposed to. I can understand why some people wouldn't like it as much considering that the djent (I hate the word so much) parts are some of the more uninteresting parts, but this is different than much of TesseracT's material, and I think that this is an album people should check out.
14Sufjan Stevens
Carrie and Lowell

4/5
I know this was technically in the last quarter, but I didn't really listen to it until after about two weeks after. I'm not too used to this kind of music but this was a really nice listen. I'm not surprised that Sowing has this at his No. 1 Spot so far. The lyrics are great and the vocals are superb. While it's not as memorable as I wanted it to be, it's still a very lovely album.
15Rosetta
Quintessential Ephemera

4/5
As someone who isn't too used to the post-metal genre, this was a great album. This is my first time listening to Rosetta and this album has me excited to listen to their earlier material, and from what I can get, this is their best album in years. I'm definitely going to listen to this a bit more when I can, and possibly download it, after all it is free on Bandcamp.
16Mew
+-

4/5
We're getting a lack of dream pop this year. Thankfully, Mew is here to give us a supply of it, and this was a stellar album. Again, I haven't really listened to their earlier material but I might as well considering how much I enjoyed this. The first two and the last two really sold this album in so many levels and are some of the most memorable songs this year in my opinion. Now we need to wait for another Sigur Ros album to drop.
17Hiatus Kaiyote
Choose Your Weapon

4/5
This album rules. Seriously, it fucking rules, despite the fact that it's just a little too long. By far the most unique album I've listened to so far this year and I enjoyed the fuck out of it. It's catchy, it's relaxing, it's powerful, it's calming, it's everything. This is just a great album, and a possible entry into my top 10 of the year list.
18mewithoutYou
Pale Horses

4.5/5
A definite contender for this year's best. I'm a recent fan of these guys and this album just blew me away. I know there's a debate on whether this or Ten Stories is better, but I feel like this is the superior album. While it may not hit as hard as Brother, Sister does, this is still one of the best albums that this band has released so far, and one of the best record that I've listened to this year.
19Kamelot
Haven

4.5/5
I love this album. I always end up going back to it just because there are so many amazing songs. Definitely the best album that Kamelot has put out since The Black Halo and obviously better than Silverthorn (though the average says otherwise, fucking haters). Not only that, but Haven contains one of the best songs that Kamelot has ever done (Revolution). Kamelot hits it home yet again as possibly my most played album of the year.
20August Burns Red
Found in Far Away Places

5/5
My album of the year so far. Say what you will about it being similar to Rescue and Restore (or Leveler for that matter), this album was just purely amazing from start to finish. Every single song just nailed it harder than anything they've done since their first album. In fact, this is probably their most experimental album to date since there they manage to incorporate many different styles into their songs that it's hard not to love it. Found in Far Away Places may not redefine the metalcore genre (seriously, who says that?) but this is arguably one of the best metal albums in years, and my favorite album so far this year, period.
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