When I sit down every year to assess the music I have heard, usually the question I'm asking myself is how to balance my feelings as a so-called musician with my feelings as a listener. There are albums I know are great I don't listen to as much, and albums I know are flawed that I can't stop playing, and some years I find myself too conflicted to make the choice between the two options.
This year is unique among them all, because this is the one where my honesty would put myself in an extremely awkward position. To tell the truth, my favorite music this year will not appear on this list. That is because my favorite music is my own (of a sort), and of course something that is so much a part of myself is going to occupy a space entirely its own. No album released by anyone, no matter my affection, would be able to compete with hearing decades of dreams and failures finally coming to fruition in a way that brings me satisfaction. I'm saying this just to be honest, so now we can move on.
This years was... difficult when it comes to music. Once again, I found myself listening to fewer albums than the year before, continuing the trend. I still sampled everything that caught my attention at all, but full listens were harder to come by, as I have little patience anymore for music that is music for music's sake. Perhaps shifting my focus to looking for emotional connection was necessary at the time, but it has dulled my interest in a lot of the rock and metal that has nothing of human value to say.
Still, there were albums that excelled, and that's what we're here to talk about today. These were the ten albums that stood above all others as the best of this year.
10. Harem Scarem - Chasing Euphoria
The band's previous album could well be the best melodic rock albums of the last ten-plus years, so expectations were sky high for what they would do next. They might have been chasing euphoria with this one, but I can't say they quite got there. Their brand of melodic rock and gritty vocals is in full effect, and there are some absolute gems throughout the record, but it doesn't quite reach the same heights. In a year that didn't have much to offer, Harem Scarem still gave us plenty.
9. Battle Beast - Steelbound
Very much like Powerwolf, you know exactly what you're going to get from a Battle Beast album. That's a good thing, as they continue to deliver fist-pumping power metal with tons of hooks and some of the best vocals on the scene. Noora is a force of nature, and these songs punch you in the face the way the best power metal should. They don't offer up anything new, but musical comfort food is very much a thing, and Battle Beast is a hot dish of it.
8. Taylor Swift - The Life Of A Showgirl
Given the way Taylor's poetry has been in decline as she replaced inventive language for four-letter invective language, returning to making 'fun' music was the best thing she could have done. There's no way she could have written songs about her fiancé's dong in the "Folklore" style, and I think we can all admit the dour pop of the last two records was getting quite old. Taylor has always had a bit of schmaltz and cheese in what she does, and that plays well off the glistening pop melodies. This record is a bit of an adult-themed version of "1989", and that's far better than I would have thought the idea sounded.
7. Ginger Evil - The Way It Burns
Sometimes an album will give you something you didn't know you wanted until you hear it. Ginger Evil is one of those bands, as their debut album delivers a blend of melodic and classic rock that is lovely on its own, but so damn good when you factor in the vocals that bring the same gritty tone as Pink. It's a peek into an alternate universe, and it's one I wish I could spend more time in. Ginger Evil has delivered one of the more promising debuts of the last few years, including "Wake Me", which is undoubtedly one of the best songs of year. I can't wait to hear what comes next.
6. Avantasia - Here Be Dragons
The Avantasia formula is getting a bit stale, and needs a refresh. Even when the cast of characters is tiresome, and his well of inspiration doesn't feel quite as deep, Tobias Sammet is the kind of songwriter who can still crank out melodic metal with the best of them. Whether the straight-ahead pop songs like "Creepshow", or an epic like the title track, the album grows with every listen. It may never go down as an Avantasia classic, but it delivers what I want out of this kind of music, and I didn't hear anyone else do it close to as well.
5. A-Z - A2Z2
Side projects are seldom better than the main band, but I will make an exception when it comes to Ray Alder of Fates Warning fame. His time with Redemption was by far better, his two solo albums are better, and now A-Z is added to that list. This record puts the progressiveness to the side, focusing on delivering music that is still heavy and intricate, but focused on delivering melodic hooks and a bit more fun. It works damn well. Ray continues to sound great, and pairing with Nick Van Dyk again reminds us why both Fates Warning and Redemption feel hollow if the two aren't working together. This was a lovely surprise I wasn't expecting to like this much, but I'm glad I do.
4. W.E.T. - Apex
It continues to fascinate me that I love Erik Martensson's side projects far more than I do Eclipse. There's something about other voices that make his songs sparkle, and that happens again on this record. Their "Earthrage" album is the other contender for best melodic rock album of the last ten years, and this is nearly as good. That's high praise, and a turn-around from their last record that disappointed me somewhat. These songs deliver uplifting feelings and massive hooks from beginning to end, turning in a masterclass in writing songs that stick in your head. Other than one questionable lyric, the record's almost perfect.
3. Palecurse - Dark Room
Emotion... connection... I mentioned those are what I look for in the music I'm listening to, and that is what Palecurse delivers on this album. With a sound that borrows from emo and post-hardcore, there is an emotional weight that hits even harder when the choruses are this anthemic. Palecurse takes up the mantle of a sound I was hearing a fair bit a few years ago, but they do it better than any of the others ever did. Song after song, they swing a hammer at us, and by the end we are bruised, but thrilled we survived for the next round. I think I played this record more than any other this year, because it's that infectious, and it's uplifting in the way that reminds us of the strength we embody for enduring as we have.
2. Halestorm - Everest
For months, I felt it was inevitable Halestorm would once again climb to the top of my list. Lzzy Hale's voice is one of the special things in life, and her honesty throughout this record was inspiring as I struggle to escape the doom loops in my own mind. Our mental health issues are very different, but both stem from the fact we want(ed) to be different versions of ourselves, and have to come to terms with being who we are. Lzzy delivers the songs and vocals that spoke to me more than any other this year, with tracks like "Darkness Always Wins" and "Gather The Lambs" creating a tingle that runs down my spine that no one else was capable of. There is much I dearly love about this record, but like our relationships with ourselves, there are also a few moments of self-doubt and self-loathing. Those couple of songs that reveal the stark difference between Lzzy and me are just enough to make me hesitate.
1. Taylor Acorn - Poster Child
There are a few records I have always wished got a spiritual successor, because they stand out as unique moments and feelings that we needed to have again. Kelly Clarkson's "Breakaway" is one of those records, and is to me the high-water-mark for what pop/rock was, and could be. There is something about telling painful stories through pop melodies, and giving sugary pop the heft of crunchy guitars, that is special. Taylor finds that perfect balance on this album, delivering anthems for a generation that hasn't had much music to lift them up through he hard times. There is nostalgia to it, but also a realization that some things become timeless. As she sings songs about compulsively wanting to help people at your own expense, and feeling as if we are the very definition of how to screw everything up around us, I found some of my own psychology echoing back to me. I am the person "People Pleaser" and "Poster Child" describes, and perhaps it's a bit easier to deal with when I hear the evidence that I'm not the only one messed up in that way. The truth hits harder when it sounds human, and this record is the poster child, if you pardon the pun, for a sound we need to get back to, and one we simply need. For that reason, "Poster Child" is unambiguously my Album Of The Year.
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