(Re-RANK’d): Albums Of The Year 2021
Sprich sie einfach an, Sprich sie einfach an
Don’t adjust your auto translate, we back. Re-ranking my old Facebook posts and making them great again…wait. This is probably the most STACKED year yet. By far, the longest i’ve ever done, a whopping 18 albums!. This one also features: no exclusions, a new Category, and a brand spanking new Genre tab in each entry. So from here on, it gets BIGGER. We’re getting ever so closer to my final vision for 2023. I wanna go all out. But for now, let’s get to 2021!
As mentioned before, no exclusions. Only 1 addition and it’s not even an album!
Best Single Of 2021: Electric Callboy - We Got The Moves (Originally…this one)
Genre: Electricore
Ah yes, this one. Discovered on a random Reddit excursion, saw the thumbnail, immediately had to see what the hell this was. To recite my original thoughts: “I saw the screencap of the single on reddit, clicked the video, got 15 seconds before I asked myself "What the fuck is this?", by the time the song was over I decided to get off the internet for the day for my own good. But the fucking song never left my head...my god i couldn't stop singing the damn chorus...then I listened to it 20 more times....then i learned it on guitar....now this song is life.”
It is indeed, my 29 year old self, indeed.
They’ve since had a name change(go see the documentary about it) and put out a fantastic album along side it, which you may or may not see on a future list. Love this band, can’t wait for more.
EP(s) Of The Year: Cane Hill - Krewe De La Mort, Vol.1 and Knocked Loose - A Tear In The Fabric Of Life (Originally, just Knocked Loose)
Genre(s): Sexy Swamp Metal and Kid Punching Music/Hardcore
I don’t think i’ve ever had a more insane stack of EP’s in a year. On one hand you have some of the best Cane Hill songs you’ll ever hear and on the other you have what could have easily been album of the year had it only been 3 or more songs longer in Knocked Loose. I couldn’t choose before….so now they’re both here.
Cane Hill first. So, I needed more Sexy Swamp Metal in my life, and what do I get? The best fucking Cane Hill song ever in Power Of The High. My god this drug fueled power trip is magnificent. The guitar riffs are so fucking HEVY. Elijah’s vocals are perfection. And do NOT get me started on the chorus…”This Is What Playing God Is Like.” Oh and for good measure, let’s drop two more fucking bangers in Kill Me and God Is The Enemy while we’re at it….fuck you Cane Hill, I love you so much.
Now for Knocked Loose….Album Of The Year material condensed into a seamless 20 minute story on EP. The music video is pure art and an incredible companion piece to what I feel is their best work. They’ve never sounded better, they’ve never been HEVYer. God tier level of musicianship meets storytelling. The opener, smashes you in the face with nothing being held back…”A Tear In The Fabric Of Life” *dies*. God Knows is unrelenting, mired only by the unfortunate editing out of the original Beach Boys section of the ending. Was a very creepy moment at the end, now just a build up of ambiance to the next song, lame. Forced To Stay tips the Richter scale to unfathomable heights with it’s riff drop. Contorted In The Faille continues the onslaught of riffs that transitions into the short in-betweener Return To Passion. Then the epic conclusion Permanent is perfection. Fast, unsettling riffage, builds up to their best ever piece of music in the ending section. “Closure, in a physical form. Reject the hand of the Devout. When I saw the ghost was you…..all the lights went out.” And what follows is pure metal euphoria. The riff that descends deeper into hell, the harrowing ambiance in the background, the frenetic drum work…an absolute masterclass. Powerful piece that NEEDS to be seen as well as heard, go watch the video. Now.
Also, fuck the Beach Boys for killing the original version of God Knows
Favorite Track(s): Everything on both EPs
18. The Browning - The End Of Existence (Originally #.15)
Genre: Synthcore/Metalcore
The Synth Metal pioneers, The Browning. Discovered them back in 2011 with Burn This World. Fantastic blend of synthwave-y electronic-y goodness with the brutality of Metal, breakdowns….LOTS of breakdowns, very much like Dubstep or EDM. This album was a bit of a rediscover for me back in ‘21. I fell off a bit with them since 2011, so coming back to this was like seeing an old friend. Really good stuff in here, but particularly the clean-laden track No Man Can Become A God. Kinda new for them to do cleans, I really appreciated it. A stand out among the HEVYness.
Favorite Track - No Man Can Become A God
17. Trivium - In The Court Of The Dragon (Originally #.18)
Genre: Straight Up Metal
FANTASTIC artwork aside, another ok Trivium album! ONE YEAR after their last. Insane. It’s definitely a step up from their last in the HEVY department while still maintaining the catchy hooks. Just more Trivium in the same vein as The Sin and The Sentence, while still not quite reaching those heights. But it’s good, and the standout for me is Like A Sword Over Damocles. Shreddy guitar and a great hook in the chorus, plenty good for me.
As of writing, they haven’t put out another album…yet.
16. Jinjer - Wallflowers (Originally #.17)
Genre: Djent / Prog
The proggier Jinjer record that didn’t jive as much for me as their 1-2 punch in ‘19. They STILL rip though, no doubt. Just not as hook-y or as many stand out moments. Just all around brutality and pure insane talent from the 4. The opener is exactly what i’m talking about. Groovy brutality and a lot of poly-rhythmic goodness. Vortex captures that Tatiana magic with her cleans and growls. But my favorite, is Wallflower. A clean Tati powerhouse with slow smooth bass and guitar work with Vlad’s deceptively insane drums that eventually swell up and explode in your face. Fantastic track.
Favorite Track - Wallflower
15. A Day To Remember - You’re Welcome (Originally #.16)
Genre: Ramen Fueled(tm) Pop Punk
Woo boy, where to begin? Their worst album by far, with the shittiest production of any song i’ve ever heard in Brick Wall and so much Ramen Fueled(tm) hot garbage thrown in. So why is it here? It’s STILL A Day To Remember, and dammit they can(sometimes) still make some of the best pop punk in the game. Like half of this album is the good stuff: Mindreader, Last Chance To Dance, Resentment, Permanent. While the rest is either a mixed bag or a bag of smelly dog shit. Looks Like Hell is a genuine attempt at the new sound that, for the most part, works. Meanwhile, Bloodsucker is exactly that, bloodsucking. So many unnecessary modern pop sensibilities that needlessly bog down otherwise ok songs. Why can’t we just have stuff like Last Chance To Dance and Mindreader. The perfect blend of genres that they’re known for. Since this album, they put out a much better track in Miracle that feels like old ADTR, so here’s hoping going forward they switch from Ramen(tm) to something more palatable.
Favorite Song(s) - Last Chance To Dance // Looks Like Hell
14. Capstan - Separate (Originally #. 13)
Genre: Easycore / Metalcore
An underrated little gem of an album from an underrated band in Capstan. A very gifted easycore band(meaning, very catchy clean yet HEVY music thats easy on the ears). Very unique sounding guitar work throughout with perfect accompanying vocal work. PLENTY of catchy choruses to get the hooks in deep, especially in the first 4 tracks. The third of which Take My Breath Away // Noose particularly gets my ears perked up. A bouncy, groovy, catchy, poppy, little ditty that is a ton of fun with some great guitar work that is unusual in the genre. Like actual solos, man. Fantastic stuff. Definitely a record to show off to the more clean leaning people in your life.
Favorite Track: take my breath away // noose
13. Archspire - Bleed The Future (Originally #.8)
Genre: Technical Death Metal
Now for something your clean laden people will absolutely hate you for, Archspire. The most unrelenting album on this list. Pure breakneck speed the entire time you’re inside, with few chances to catch your breath. Insane shredding guitar AND bass, impossibly fast drums, and SPEED growl vocals. Has to be heard to be believed. A standout in the genre since Rings Of Saturn did, whatever the hell they did. A drop down the list purely because the rest marinated better for me. This is still a fantastic record and it’s standout for me is the track that started my Archspire listening journey, Bleed The Future.
Favorite Track - Bleed The Future
12. Limp Bizkit - Still Sucks (Originally #.12)
Genre: Is it still considered Nu-Metal in 2021?
Who the hell woulda thought Limp Bizkit of all bands, would put out an absolute BANGER of an album that’s so damn fun to go through. That muthafucka Fred Durst, is full dad mode and it’s great. And Wes Borland is still a massively underrated guitarist. From the jump, Out Of Style is a blast. Pure old school nu-metal goodness. Dirty Rotten Bizkit, is more nu shit. Dad Vibes, is Fred Durst having fully evolved into a “mature” rapper…well maybe not. Turn It Up, Bitch is my go to chorus on this record. I do, in fact, need that hardcore, fucked up, bang ya head shit. Don’t Change is the first of couple of ballads, a decent cover of INXS. You Bring Out The Worst In Me is a surprising HEVY track from Fred and co. Love The Hate is the perfect self diss song. Barnacle is a pretty straight forward rock track. Empty Hole gets us back to mellow Durst. Pill Popper is more HEVY thrown in. Snacky Poo is pure guilty pleasure goodness, Freddy-d rapping it up and it ends with the incredible deep dive interview with Wes Borland, can’t miss. Goodbye ends the record with a nice somber track to tie everything up. A pleasant surprise of an album that I still sometimes go back to from time to time.
Favorite Track(s) - Turn It Up, Bitch / Snacky Poo
11. Gojira - Fortitude (Originally #.11)
Genre: Tribal Progressive Metal
Number one on COUNTLESS AOTY lists, but only number 11 on mine. Not due to its quality, yet it’s for me having a more, interesting taste in metal. This album is Gojira fully evolved from Magma, coming out with a much better album this time around. It’s still the brothers Duplantier killing it in pretty much everything they do, just with more tribal flavor this time around. Seen in tracks like Amazonia, Fortitude and The Chant, which in particular is my favorite of the bunch for me. A slow chunky groove backdrops said “chant” throughout and is just a fantastic chill song to throw on from time to time, just don’t forget the intro Fortitude.
Favorite Track(s) - Fortitude into The Chant
10. ERRA - ERRA (Originally #.10)
Genre: Djenty Metalcore aka: Doo Bee Doos
My only Doo Bee Doo fix of this year, and i’m gonna take it. The phoenix that has risen from the ashes of Texas In July, ERRA are a fantastic metalcore band that might not be my Doo Bee Doo go to, but are still an incredibly talented group of guys that bring the genre forward with the more progressive style of guitar and drum work that veer them more towards Djent rather than old school metalcore like Texas In July. The track that is the personification of Doo Bee Doos and my favorite track, is Scorpion Hymn. A SICK groove throughout that shifts and turns in all kinds of directions yet still maintains that infectious groove. The outro riff is PERFECTION and an albatross in my own guitar work that I have yet to master.
Favorite Track - Scorpion Hymn
9. Bullet For My Valentine - Bullet For My Valentine (Originally #.14)
Genre: Highschool Metalcore
The single most hot/cold band in existance. You go from the hottest hots(?) of Trustkill, The Poison, Scream Aim Fire and Fever then go on the COLD run with Temper Temper then heat back up with Venom, drop down to subzero with Gravity, then, somehow, go back to being as hot as you were in the 00’s? WHAT? I’d never predict this album being as good as it is. Like right off the bat with Parasite, I was flabbergasted. Like, this is old school Bullet. Then it just keeps going and going until the album ends. If anything it gets BETTER as the album goes on. Nary a pop song in sight. Oh there’s still hook-y choruses, PLENTY of those. But this is old Bullet in full force, fast and furious with vocalist Matt Tuck doing his best vocal work since….Scream Aim Fire? It’s astounding they had this still in them at such a late stage in the game. And I’m wholly hoping we don’t have another blizzard on the way. My favorite is a tough choice here, but Can’t Escape The Waves has my favorite chorus of the bunch, while Shatter is my favorite overall HEVY track that reminds me of Parkway Drive(RIP).
Favorite Track(s) - Can’t Escape The Waves / Shatter
8. Fear Factory - Aggression Continuum
Genre: Industrial Metal
The final Burton C Bell record. Bittersweet in all the ways. His vocal work is as synonymous with Fear Factory as the industrial, drop tuned riffage they’re famous for. I can’t imagine them without him. The new vocalist, from what i’ve heard, would better fit Static X than Fear Factory. But, while all the drama sucks, this album doesn’t. If they never regroup again, i’m at least glad they didn’t end in a whimper. Rather a full on riff assault. This album is probably the best in this 2nd run of guitarist Dino Cazares, with Mechanize a close second…oh shit i feel another list coming along…anywho, this whole album RIPS. Fast paced, HEVY riffage througout, plenty of anti-system/anti-conforming vocals. Particularly the single DISRUPTOR. Infectious main riff, an anthem of a chorus, and a GOD tier riff in the bridge that gets me Will Farrell head bobbing with ease.
Favorite Track - DISRUPTOR
7. We Butter The Bread With Butter - Das Album (Originally #.5)
Genre: German Synthy Deathcore
I never knew I needed this kind of music until these guys came back. My god its so good, HEVY riffs and breakdowns but mixed in with synths and a maniacal German man behind the mic. Personified perfectly in tracks like Dreh Auf or my favorite, 20 km/h. Furious HEVY riffage, then you have said maniacal German man, singing in his native tongue with poppy synths behind him. The breakdown is PHENOMENAL, the stuccato in the guitars and synths…it’s nuts, it’s brilliant. My wife in particular likes the smooth joint Sprich sie einfach an, a CATCHY song that(unless you’re German) you have no idea what’s being said, you just vibe with it.
Favorite Track - 20km/h
6. Slaughter To Prevail - Kostolom (Originally #.6)
Genre: Deathcore/BLYATcore
Say what you want about the masks, I think they’re sick. Got me one awhile back from Etsy before they even had a store for them. STP have exploded in popularity thanks to vocalist Alex The Terrible, so much so they’re even in the Modern Warfare III campaign! Hard not to see why, the man has some of the nastiest lows in the genre. Couple that with his native Russian tongue, the man sounds of Satan himself. Kostolom is the more “Nu-Metal” version of them that they’ve stuck to, whereas before they had more of a straight death metal/core deal going with less groove and more blast beats. I prefer this newer take purely because it fits Alex’s vocals more, especially since he’s doing “cleans” now. Though it’s an album i’ve softened a bit on in the 2 years since release. The style only has legs for so long before it’s tiring, which is how I feel after the midway point of the album. Not saying it’s bad, just doesn’t have as much dynamics to keep you fully engaged, just great background angry music. The GREAT stuff on the other hand, are tracks like Demolisher, Baba Yaga, Zavali Ebalo and, my personal favorite, I Killed A Man. The latter involving the best combined vocal work of Alex, doing his legendary lows in a chant like sequence, then the clean section kicks in with a real nasty riff after it. That “chorus” is excellent. And there are many moments on the album that match it: Bratva’s intro, Demolisher’s Russian breakdown, Zavali’s breakdown. All incredible. Just hope what comes next from them has many many more moments like this album.
Favorite Track: I Killed A Man
5. Darko US - Darko
Genre: Industrial Deathcore
The side project of newer Chelsea Grin vocalist Tom Barber and Spite guitarist Baby J, and honestly…this should be the main project. Darko is phenomenal, such a unique take on the Deathcore genre, adding a lot of ambiance, synths and cleans to an already rejuvenated style of music and cementing Tom as one of the greats in the game. This was my first toe in the Darko pool, and i’ve been swimming deep ever since. With a seemingly yearly release cadence, they are showing no signs of stopping and i’m giddy as fuck. The best tracks on this album are definitely the HEVYer ones, such as Pretenders, Pale Tongue, Insects and my tippy top favorite of theirs, Praise The Sun. A 4 minute breakdown, pure disgusting groove the entire song, all about Dark Souls. The ambiance ascension into the final death nail in the song is pure euphoria. You WILL die, it’s amazing.
Favorite Track: Praise The Sun
4. God’s Hate - God’s Hate (Originally #.3)
Genre: Hardcore
Now we’re in the section of the list that was almost impossible to arrange, #1 was easy, but the next 3 in this list were TOUGH. So i’m gonna go with God’s Hate’s self titled BANGER of a record for 4. Birth child of guitarist/drummer Colin Young and vocalist, the big badass wrestler from AEW, Brody King. This album is pure beatdown hardcore, face smashing riffs, gut punching drums and plenty of violence inducing vocals. “Life Is Hard, Be Harder.” Essentially the theme of the album. And every song, front to back, is all killer. From the jump with the intro of Number One to the anthemic Social Class Warfare, which is my favorite track of the bunch. Every riff, every quotable line, all hit so damn hard. Such a pleasant surprise for me to discover a favorite wrestler of mine is in a sick hardcore band that just so happens to have put a record out in ‘21 that makes the top 5 albums of that year.
Favorite Track: Social Class Warfare(w/ it’s intro from War Man)
3. Spiritbox - Eternal Blue (Originally #.2)
Genre: Djenty Metalcore
Spiritbox are a household name in Metal these days, with vocalist Courtney Laplante’s insane vocal range taking over Metal in 2020 and of course the song Holy Roller. Hell, they just put out a remix of a Megan Thee Stallion joint, with feckin screams in it! Much like Jinjer’s ascent, Spiritbox have set the bar for modern Metalcore, especially with the women of the game. Plenty of great newer female fronted bands popping up these days, love to see it. This album, as of writing(their new EP is marinating on me), is their best work. Fantastic hooks and choruses laden with the lowest of low tuned djenty guitars. Nothing incredibly technical, but all groove and easy to digest. Perfect gateway drug for the potential metal-head in your life. The standouts for me, well, really the whole album is fantastic, but Secret Garden hits especially well for me after getting Holy Roller’d out before this album released. Incredible vocals from Courtney on this one, just a simple riff accompanying her throughout, doesn’t need more than that, great song. But honestly you oughta just listen to this one front to back, it’s a staple in modern metal.
Favorite Track: Secret Garden
2. Twelve Foot Ninja - Vengeance (Originally #.3)
Genre(s): Uhm….yes.
Potentially the last for this criminally underrated gem of a band. Insanely talented Aussies, Twelve Foot Ninja, sought out to change what traditional metal is, and completely flip it on it’s head. This album alone, features: Mariachi, Synthwave, Funk, Pop, Jazz, Classical Theatre, and of course the aforementioned Metal thrown in a bit. Catchy as all hell, once you decipher it of course, this record from start to finish is an absolute treat. Your first listen will confuse the hell outta you, but let me tell you, after 50 listens, you’re gonna be singing the classical theater spot, with me, in full old English garb, EVERY SINGLE TIME. So damn fun, just go in blind you’ll be confounded, astounded and slightly aroused by the end of it. Favorite track is the one including the previously mentioned Classical Theatre joint, Shock To The System. Gonna miss these guys dearly if they decide to hang it up, I know this record took forever to come out, but DAMN was it worth the wait.
Favorite Track: Shock To The System
Ice Nine Kills - Welcome To Horrorwood: The Silver Scream 2
Genre: Theatricore / Metalcore
You like Ice Nine Kills? Their older stuff was a little too, “scene” for me. But when The Silver Scream came out, I really think they came into their own, commercially and artistically…..HEY PAUL!
Yeah, there was no doubt. After the first one blew me away, the sequel was due to KILL as well. But I was surprised just HOW good this was. A step up in every department from production, to the instruments, to Spencer’s vocal work to somehow even the songwriting, ALL incredible here. Shown in the forefront with tracks like Assault & Batteries, The Shower Scene, Hip To Be Scared, Wurst Vacation, and Ex-Mortis. Once you enter Horrorwood, the hooks are set in DEEP. Spencer’s vocals are of course the main stand out(he has great guests in here too), you will totally be singing along in no time with these. But I have to mention the incredible step up on the guitar work that is EXTRA HEVY this time around due to the new line up. Funeral Derangements and Rainy Day are a great example of the lower tuned CHUNKY riffage in here and Take Your Pick is probably the HEVYest track they’ve EVER done, but it’s kind of cheating since Corpsegrinder is in there. The genre departure tracks are great too, like Wurst Vacation pulling in a Rammstein style performance out of them, totally caught me off guard the first time through. But if I had to choose, at the threat of stabbing or an axe to the head, i’d have to pick The Shower Scene, purely for the vocal powerhouse display from Spencer, best chorus he’s ever done. Really though, you could pick a track from 3/4 of this album and they’re an all timer, the rest are just icing on the cake. Since this album, they’ve of course put out 100 different remixes and music videos, really GOUGING the life out of this album before they move on. Also, have put out great singles like Hunting Season and the Shining joint Meat & Greet, as well as the surprisingly great Stacy’s Mom cover, Jason’s Mom. At any rate, i’m sure the inevitable sequel to this one will be fantastic as well.
Favorite Track: The Shower Scene
*PHEW* MAN, this one was a lot. Forgot how good 2021 was, I don’t think i’m gonna have this kind of stacked year again for awhile. But, we got ONE MORE LIST before I eventually end this series with 2023’s RANK’d, and it’s good….but not AS good.