Better late than never, right? In no particular order are my top picks for 2021. You'll notice I snubbed a lot of big releases that have got a lot of attention elsewhere. While I did try to incorporate a lot of different genres, it inevitably skewed towards having a lot of hardcore.
Perturbator - Lustful
Sacraments. For fans of synthwave, goth, & post-punk. For those who know him he's veering further into stylistic changes on what I would consider his best work yet.
The Chisel – Retaliation. FFO old-school punk & Oi! This one ticks all the boxes!
Face First – Demo I & II. I got this on tape in the mail after hearing a lot about these guys locally. I used to be obsessed with old Metallica and I always appreciate thrashy bands with a little crossover appeal. I love their dual vox as well! For example, check out "Exiled From Life" to hear some "Big 4" type of riffs/drums. Check out "Ruin" for a more HC sound.
Dick Medusa - Rabbit Hole. Why not read my full feature I did on this??
Game – Legerdemain – Incredible D-beat band I almost slept
on – check it out. I especially love the vocals, they have an almost early
metal type of vibe. So Sick, this could be my #1! From the UK.
Information Age – Information Age This is a darkwave/synthpop album from members of the esteemed doom band Pallbearer and Pinkish Black. You have got to hear this!
Knocked Loose – A Tear In The Fabric of Life – This band really improved their emotional depth on this one.
Vocalist Bryan Garris reveals the EP’s theme in a press release:
It’s a story about extreme grief and the levels a person is willing to go through to get rid of it. The story follows the main character through a traumatic car crash late one night in the woods that leaves his partner deceased, and from there you spiral with him into the depression and guilt that comes with being the cause of something so detrimental. This is the first time we really dove in and tried to create something sonically that evokes a different range of emotions and overall something that…
Regional Justice Center – Crime & Punishment - FFO Heavy HC, powerviolence, fastcore, Closed Casket Activities. A true standout for me due to the variety of aggression on display.
Vessel of Iniquity – The Doorway Sentient Ruin Laboratories never lets me down. There were a TON of great black metal albums released in 2021, but many were quite usual in terms of their sonic adventurousness. You know what? I'm calling this black metal but it's really the cold onslaught of a multitude of styles. Often in terms of the black metal community calling something post-black metal or black metal-inspired is not really a compliment... but its not like that here. There's no clean vocals or shoegaze - just pure harsh, incomprehensible cosmic terror!
Prayer – In Your Arms Okay, I am going to have to start paying attention to Hooversound Recordings from London. I've never heard anything like this. I may not be in the know in terms of the latest DnB, but to me this is *THE* most exhilarating, emotional drum n'bass with vocal elements not so unlike deep house tracks that I have ever heard. Another must!
Honorable Mentions:
Abstractor - Abominion. 2021 was filled with incredible doom, death-doom, stoner-doom etc releases such as the ones by Worm, Mortiferum, Monolord, and more. Out of all these I happened to personally listen to Abstracter a lot more. I was on a major kick with this type of music after seeing the Funeral Leech show!
Full of Hell & Gatecreeper - you don't need me to tell you in a top list these bands are great and that I love them. Their latests were all quite good but perhaps not my favorites.
Pictureplane - Dopamine. You all know Pictureplane is the GOAT anyway!
Old Tower – The Old King of Witches - Worth a mention because this is absolute count dracula dungeon-synth dark ambient mastery!
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