Gameofmetal's quarter 4
Yeah I'm sure we're all pretty jaded by these, but they're almost over with thankfully. Not gonna stretch it out with a succession of lists like some have done or do a strictly top 10 of the year (anyone that followed the voting poles will probably have seen mine anyway). So this is just my final quarter of tunes to open up the new year. |
| 1 |  | Demi Lovato
Confident
This quarter was a pretty decent one as far as my ratings go. The bottom of the barrel is still some minorly enjoyable, but overall average releases. I really wanted to love this because Cool for the Summer is an absolute earworm of a banger, the album suffers from some of the same problems as Justin Bieber's latest. The singles outweigh a lot of the other tracks, which come off as forgettable in comparison. She's on her way up though. |
| 2 |  | Ice Nine Kills
Every Trick in the Book
Big disappointment for me as I've always had a soft spot for these guys. This album just lacked solid songwriting throughout and a lot of the music felt a little dumbed down compared past output. A lot of passages especially hurt for some guitar leads to color them up. A few solid highlights, but forgettable. |
| 3 |  | An Autumn For Crippled Children
portugal EP
This was probably a bad place for me to start with these guys considering the general consensus on this compared to their full lengths, but whatever. Essentially ineffectual post rock with vague trappings of black metal. Really wants to be emotive but falls far short. |
| 4 |  | SECRETS
Everything That Got Us Here
Incredibly simplistic poppy post hardcore. Really the only thing the album has going for it is a great clean singer and some really catchy choruses, but that's just not enough to make a good record. |
| 5 |  | Run the Jewels
Meow the Jewels
The passable/good. Rap remix with cat noises for beats. Mildly funny on first listen but if I ever try it again I swear I'll 1 it. |
| 6 |  | Fit for an Autopsy
Absolute Hope Absolute Hell
Deathcore. There are some interesting new ideas along with a new vocalist in the mix, but I found this a bit less entertaining than their last couple records. |
| 7 |  | For Today
Wake
We probably all know that For Today has been on a sharp decline for a while now, but this album was quite a step up. A lot of it is par for the course (granted, with a lot of energy), but Mattie's vocal performance is all over the place for the first time since Ekklesia and Bitter Roots is a really interesting song that steps as far from their core sound as they've ever been. |
| 8 |  | Sevendust
Kill the Flaw
Nu metal tinged hard rock I guess. Catchy stuff, solid songwriting. Not much to say about it. |
| 9 |  | The Plot In You
Happiness In Self Destruction
You can read my review for my full thoughts, but essentially this is Landon Tewers' most intensely personal recording yet, but deeply flawed by filler. The highlights hit fucking hard though. |
| 10 |  | The Icarus Complex
Horizons of Endless Gray
XfingtheSullen's band. Good mash up of different metal styles but primarily melodic death metal. The clean vocals need work but everything else is strong. |
| 11 |  | Born of Osiris
Soul Sphere
I must be missing something here, but I actually think this is less interesting than Tommorow We Die Alive, which is was panned pretty hard on release. Sure some songs call to mind The New Reign or The Discovery but most of it is TWDA influenced with even less memorable songwriting. I mean, it's not bad at all but could be a lot better. |
| 12 |  | Myka Relocate
The Young Souls
Pretty generic metalcore/post hardcore. Their last record was one of those intensely fun guilty pleasure albums and this is sort of the same thing. The only real surprise is the genuine R&B influence in places, which doesn't grate or overstay quite like a band like Issues would. |
| 13 |  | Hailee Steinfeld
HAIZ
Pop. It's pretty teeny and saccharine but it's also catchy and easy as hell going down which kinda even each other out. |
| 14 |  | Justin Bieber
Purpose
One of the bigger surprises of the quarter. When this goes in, it really GOES in, but just like Demi Lovato the singles overshadow much of the album. Props to Justin for really stepping it up though. |
| 15 |  | Andrew W. Gold
The Defeatist
Insurrections ep. Good shit, check it out. Prog metal is probably the best overarching term for it. |
| 16 |  | Foo Fighters
Saint Cecilia
Proving the Foos can rock like the old days, if not to the same heights. |
| 17 |  | Nisan Farber
Folk Songs
KriegdemKriege's folk ep. Good shit, check it out. [2] |
| 18 |  | Cage The Elephant
Tell Me I'm Pretty
Taking the softer sound of Melophobia to new heights, but not the same quality. Something about this just isn't sticking with me like I want it to. |
| 19 |  | CHVRCHES
Every Open Eye
The great. Indie pop/electronica. It's dreamy and catchy, and the songwriting is pretty solid. A good time through and through. |
| 20 |  | Elision of Animus
Contrition
Moreia's new deathcore ep. Good shit, check it out. [2] |
| 21 |  | Mayday Parade
Black Lines
Pop Punk. Seems like every other Mayday album is great, and the next is only decent. This happens to lean towards the former. |
| 22 |  | State Champs
Around the World and Back
Pop Punk. Doesn't come close to topping the Finer Things, but damn it's still some catchy, energetic pop punk. |
| 23 |  | Abigail Williams
The Accuser
Once again, Abigail Williams fail to carve out a sound that's really them, but their latest take on psychedelic black metal is too damn good to ignore. It's just too bad they can't stop aping other artist's sounds and start working on one of their own. |
| 24 |  | Echo Tail
Ultraviolet
Final Origin's prog rock project. Very good ep, not quite at his last full length's level though. |
| 25 |  | Cryptopsy
The Book of Suffering – Tome 1
A satisfyingly visceral ep from one of OSDM's finest. Their current vocalist is no lord worm, but he's competent and the music is plenty entertaining. |
| 26 |  | Revenge (CAN)
Behold.Total.Rejection
URGH WAR METAL. Fuck this thing is heavy. Arguably features a bit more grind influence, which may or may not just be a result of the different production compared to most war metal, but otherwise it's another filthy, erratic outing from these guys. |
| 27 |  | Intronaut
The Direction of Last Things
Prog metal/maybe a little sludge influence (?, idk really, not my forte). Reminded me a bit of mastodon at times. Solid stuff, but not necessarily my favorite cup of prog tea. |
| 28 |  | Julia Holter
Have You In My Wilderness
The excellent. No prior experience with Holter, but I thought this was a lovely, dreamy set of memorable pop songs. |
| 29 |  | Underling
Bloodworship
A supergroup, of sorts, featuring members of Arkaik, Battlecross, and most notably Fallujah which is what caught my eye. Their core sound is atmospheric/post black metal but with their debut full length they added about every influence imaginably into the pot. Numerous varieties of death and black metal are touched on, along with several styles of hardcore, to make some of the most emotive extreme metal I've heard in a while. |
| 30 |  | So Hideous
Laurestine
Post black metal that really leans towards the post. You could argue that it's more or less post rock tinged in screamo and black metal. very effectual, which is a must with this genre. |
| 31 |  | Birds in Row
Personal War
A condensed and furious fifteen minutes that show off everything BIR do well. A mashup of melodic hardcore, screamo and emo. |
| 32 |  | Hooded Menace
Darkness Drips Forth
Death/doom metal. Fuckin m/, what else is their to say. |
| 33 |  | Autopsy
Skull Grinder
Autopsy continuing their streak of incredible doomy death metal records. Pretty up to snuff next to Tourniquets and The Headless Ritual. |
| 34 |  | Batushka
Litourgiya
Religious themed atmospheric black metal. I really feel bad for sleeping on this so long because it really has the potential to hit my top ten of the year with some time. |
| 35 |  | Chorder
The Experiment
Djent. Very experimental compared to a lot of releases of this ilk, must more intriguing than many of them as well. |
| 36 |  | Swallow the Sun
Songs From The North I, II & III
The top. A triple album is quite an undertaking, but as far as I'm concerned Swallow the Sun nailed it. Each record is vastly different from the others but each hits incredibly hard in their respective ways. Not quite in my top ten, but very close. |
| 37 |  | Panopticon
Autumn Eternal
There's nothing like some top notch folk/post black metal to hit the spot with me and Panopticon did exceptionally well this year. Earned an easy spot in my top ten pretty much immediately, this thing ebbs and flows magnificently for one of the most unforgettable black metal experiences in 2015. |
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