Bear with us for a moment here, because we’re going to begin by not talking about the album in the headline that grabbed your attention.
Many genres of music, but most prominently rock and rap, are at their level best when the band is capable of telling a story with some weight. Whether that was the ethereal wish for better days espoused by folk music sixty years ago, or the explosion of politically-motivated rap in the late ‘80s and into the ‘90s, wordcraft and messaging have served as a vehicle for artists to succeed, different but equal from the place upon which pure musical talent has catapulted so many others.
Punk and metal have their own entries into this manner of storytelling, though it is worthy of admission that their history with introspection and poignancy is somewhat more infantile than many of the laudable artists of the past. That doesn’t mean that The Clash or Nuclear Assault were any less impactful or important than luminaries like Public Enemy or Buffalo Springfield, it just means that they lacked for a certain subtlety.
Yet, hardcore, the alleged fusion of punk and metal into a single being, has never been as willing to go into messaging beyond the superiority of the individual and the basic, endemic struggle to survive. (With the noted of exceptions of bands like Earth Crisis or Cattle Decapitation, single-issue candidates who are overbearing in their insistence.)
And now we come to the Cancer Bats and their new album “Psychic Jailbreak.” The Bats are that most unique of all hardcore bands (perhaps in some part because of their ability to bend the conventions of genre,) which is to say that they are an artist who has things to say.
This is really the power of “Psychic Jailbreak.” Vocalist Liam Cormier, possessed as ever of his casual, out-of-tune, half-screamed style, manages to wend through a vocal wordplay that impresses with its creativity and delivery. There’s a lot of themes tackled here, many of them dealing with internal torment, as has become fashionable for aggressive music over the last decade or so. In any event, the Bats separate themselves by demonstrating that all their songs say something. Personal or universal, there are yarns being spun here.
But Cormier writes his lyrics outside the margins, often refusing an easy rhyme to make sure he’s picked the words he wants. To wit, in “Pressure Mind” towards the end of the album, he bites out “Here we are, another day and nothing's changing / Thousand miles starring with my eyes wide / What's the plan asking in the mirror daily / It's 3am, TV is my best friend.” Other than a regular cadence, there’s little there to suggest that this is lyrical verse. In some regard, this pattern is similar to the great songs of Clutch, where Neil Fallon essentially just tells a folksy story that happens to be set to music.
Seldom does the lister to “Psychic Jailbreak,” have to decipher dense patterns of metaphor, like one would with countrymates Rush, but that it to the record’s benefit – density, as discussed above, would be ill-suited to this, and would stain the elegant simplicity of Cormier yelling repeatedly in “The Hoof” “my life was saved by a skateboard.”
Within all of this is the reality that this is also the Bats’ first album as a three-piece. With longtime guitar player Scott Middleton departing and bassist Jaye Schwarzer doing double duty, there was some question as to what this record would sound like, and if the Bats could keep their reputation for catchy, accessible riffs couched within all the standard discordant cacophony that the band employs.
The answer to this is mixed. “Lonely Bong,” probably the album’s best single effort viewed through the traditional Cancer Bats lens, still rumbles along with a simple, repeatable riff that hooks the attention and carries into the big singalong chorus. This has been the bread and butter for Cancer Bats for the past fifteen years, and it feels just as accomplished here.
There are, however, fewer moments such as those, where the music feels familiar and within the mold of the band. Which does serve to make “Psychic Jailbreak” diminished relative to the sublime, full-octane presentations of “Dead Set on Living” or “The Spark That Moves,” which were both vital and defiant and vitriolic.
Instead, we are faced with a new Cancer Bats model, and in that vein, the album’s real gem might be “Hammering On,” a borderline stoner metal slog sang entirely as a duet with indie rock songwriter Brooklyn Doran. Cancer Bats have played in small pieces with this model over the years, but never given in full-bore to this kind of song. It’s a haunting and absorbing piece that speaks to the band’s adaptability and shines perhaps a small light on what this next phase of the band may be.
In summation, we see Cancer Bats focusing on one of their most unique qualities, their storytelling, as their other principal talent, that of writing infectious riffs, may be under reconstruction. In the end, is “Psychic Jailbreak” as sublimely excellent as “Dead Set on Living” or “The Spark That Moves?” No, it probably isn’t. Especially not if the listener’s goal is to bash around and forget their troubles to some joyous, unconscionably loud music. That said, it’s a different kind of record, and should be enjoyed for what it is, for it has many excellent moments.
First off, let me stage a minor protest in that I do not think 2019 represents the end of the decade. That should be 2020, and for two reasons – first, because in counting sets of ten, you do not start with zero and end at nine (unless you’re a software engineer,) and second, because when the calendar was unified and the division between BC and AD established, there was no year zero (Nine Inch Nails album aside.)
Okay, now that I’ve logged my protest, allow me to actually get to the point. When Chris C and I first started discussing listing our best albums of the decade, he wanted to confine it to three. I immediately loved the exclusivity of his idea, that it was lazy to list the top fifty or twenty or even ten. Let’s really see who cut muster and made an impact over the past ten years.
There was only one problem. I couldn’t keep it at three. I pleaded, nay begged to have Chris go to five. He saw my plight and relented. Here we are.
A brief primer – the usual rules apply – original studio albums only. No covers albums, no live albums, no compilations.
The cut down process was excruciating. It took me two full months to decide on the top 5. I fully admit, it’s the top 5 of the decade...for now. Ask me next month, it could be almost entirely different. As such, I would like to pause for a moment to recognize the albums that didn’t quite make the cut. Consider these the honorable mentions in alphabetical order:
Blood Ceremony – Lord of Misrule
Cancer Bats – Dead Set on Living
Children of Bodom – Relentless, Reckless Forever
Destrage – Are You Kidding Me? No.
Graveyard – Hisingen Blues
Midnight Ghost Train – Cypress Ave
Red Eleven – Round II
Shawn James and the Shapeshifters – The Gospel According to Shawn James and the Shapeshifters
And now, without further reservation, the top 5 albums of the (sort of) decade:
5 Cancer Bats – The Spark That Moves
Possible that there’s some recency bias here, but this is an excellent, easily digested and highly listenable album. It’s just so damn catchy, and that’s something you don’t often say about a hardcore album. Liam Cormier’s vocals are like when you go see a band and they invite their local friend up on stage – the guy can’t really sing, but he’s giving it his all and his authentic performance is eminently enjoyable. That’s not to say that Cormier can’t sing. His throaty rumble during “Bed of Nails” might just be his best performance ever.
4 The Sword – Warp Riders
This is bittersweet. Remember when we thought The Sword was going to take over the world? I’m gonna move on before I start remembering what happened after Apocryphon.
We’ve talked about it a lot over the years; the quest for something different. To find a sound that is new and unique and yet appealing is incredibly difficult in the modern era. Destrage has captured something. There’s a frenetic violence to their music, but woven through it all are huge, hook-laden choruses and spots of fragile beauty. To be able to command this many raw elements and have them make sense is a level of songwriting most aren’t capable of. Destrage did it three times this decade, and this is the best of them.
1 Turisas – Turisas2013
There are only two bad things you can say about this album. One, the title is dumb. Two, we haven’t heard from Turisas since. Nevertheless, this album remains the gold standard for the kind of transcendent genre-blending that metal is and should be capable of. It’s a magical ride, the kind of experience that can only be described in absurd terms. For example, when people ask me to define what this album sounds like, I say “imagine if Andrew Lloyd Webber had an angsty son who wrote metal.” Turisas also released the outstanding Stand Up and Fight in 2011, and this album completely buried it. No one did it better this decade.
This is all pretty straightforward. Nothing makes us happier as a society than an arbitrary list of a subjective medium, so here’s mine!
The rules, such as they are, remain the same as ever – must be an original stadium album. No re-releases, no greatest hits, no live albums, no covers albums. Got it? Second rule – it goes to 11.
Moving on.
The list you see below, simply for informational purposes, was whittled down from approximately thirty semifinalists that ranged in genre, composition, production and release date. Thirty candidates is probably fewer than I’m accustomed to compiling, but this may not be a reflection of the year in music, at least not anymore than it is a reflection in my personal and professional life and the diminished time I had to spend with new albums on the whole. It is entirely possible that I missed something this year I would have really enjoyed, but I remain confident in the caliber and conviction of this list.
The one casualty of having less time, however, was my Little Album That Could award. I just didn’t get exposed to much local or truly independent music this year, so I have decided not to award that honor, rather than award it in a lackluster, half-assed fashion.
First out of the gate, EP Of The Year – There can be no other choice, it has to be Red Eleven’s “Fueled By Fire.” These guys are among the best bands working today, and their production is spotless for a group working with less than a full budget. Their guitars are sharp, the harmonies soar, and the songs click with a combination of ‘90s rock sensibility and new age pomp and circumstance.
HONORABLE MENTION– Fair number of bands just on the outside looking in this year, but honorable mentions still abound – The Browning followed up the excellent “Isolation” with “Geist,” and while this new record isn’t as groundbreaking or bombastic at its predecessor, it’s still an album of high merit. I enjoyed the grunge throwback overtones of Kobra and the Lotus’ “Prevail II,” actually significantly more than I enjoyed the original “Prevail” last year. Orange Goblin put out another Orange Goblin record, and I also found it was the year for ‘Black’ bands – Black Elephant, Black Royal and Black Wizard all held my attention for a moment. I had my requisite hour of fun with Parasite, INC, and they flirted with the list for a moment before ultimately falling short. The last album to be cut was Black Mirrors and their record “Look Into the Black Mirror.” It was the 12th man on an 11 player roster. So kudos to them in particular.
Without further ado –
#11 – KING WITCH – “Under the Mountain”
I spent a lot of time with this album when it first came out, and then as the year wore on, I found myself less and less attracted to it. Some of that was an influx of new material, and I think some of it is that the album doesn’t have a lot of secrets to unravel – the first listen and the twentieth are much the same experience. That said, this is as great a straight-ahead metal bulldozer as was released this year, and it should be treated as such. There’s got to be something to be said for being in my personal rotation for five months.
#10 – WITCHSKULL – “Coven’s Will”
It was a great year for doomy, drone-y artists, and Witchskull was no exception. Relative to the fine wines of high-end production and popular tastes, Witchskull goes down like grain alcohol, but that actually works in its favor. It’s too easy to draw parallels between this and the grand Black Sabbath albums of old, but sometimes the easy way out is the best way out. There’s a lot of bluesy dust covering every inch of this album, which makes it infectious. It’s entirely too easy to just start nodding your head and bob along with the strangled rhythms. Good stuff.
#9 – GHOST – “Prequelle”
Suck it, haters! This is a fun record. I know, I know, there’s a million papercuts of betrayal to all we thought Ghost or wasn’t, blah, blah, blah. I don’t care about any of that crap. Ghost has the right to do whatever they want. Is this a pop album? Yeah, maybe. Is the single a sugar-coated affair that leans way over the line? Sure is. But the recognition of that fact doesn’t make it any less fun. You do you, Ghost.
#8 – LORD OF THE LOST – “Thornstar”
I’ll admit it, this got by me on the first pass. On my running list of music I take in over the course of the year, I marked it down, but didn’t make any special notations next to it. On some whim in the late fall, I went combing through and tried it again, and that’s when it stuck. Part industrial, part dark rock, part melodic singalong, “Thornstar” does a lot right, and deserves its place on this list for “Loreley” alone. I say this through gritted teeth because I have such respect for the artist I’m about to impugn, but Lord of the Lost released the album that Emigrate should have released.
#7 – BLACK MOTH – “Anatomical Venus”
This album hit early and I just kept coming back to it. The cover art is….well, blech. But the album is freakin’ great. I’m starting to think that any band with “Black” at the front of their title is using the word as a family name – it’s their honorific tie to Black Sabbath, a band they all hope to emulate in some form or fashion. Black Moth takes that formula, injects some rock into it, and then combines the entire proceeding with a siren, hypnotic overlay. There’s something about this music that’s difficult to describe, something with the tone that’s new and original and haunting. Every couple months, this would work its way back into my ear.
#6 – SUNDRIFTER – “Visitations”
The desert rock is strong with this one. Yet, it’s companion is doom, and so the combination of those elements makes for an unique experience. “Visitations” isn’t solely colored by the red and yellow hues of a sunset among the sand, nor it is entirely given to a black, forested midnight, but lives at the twilight of both those images. If Witchskull released an album that was easy to fall into the groove of, Sundrifter gave us all an opportunity to zone out entirely, a chance to separate from time itself and just be swept by the undulating wave of music. This entire paragraph has been too dramatic in general, but it should illustrate the point.
#5 – FEAR OF DOMINATION – “Metanoia”
Many years ago, I reviewed an album by a duo called Alien Vampires, and I think at one point I think I said something like “grab your many-buckled leather pants, colored dreadlock extenders and gas masks, we’re going dancin’!” I feel the same about this album. I remain eminently fascinated by the revival of industrial metal that seems to be hand in hand with the rise of EDM, and the fact that those train tracks are colliding with increasing frequency has led to the creation of something entirely new – Alien Vampires, The Browning, Kontrust and 6:33 have all toyed with varying aspects of the idea, but Fear of Domination seems to have found the most complete synthesis of the metal and the electronic. “Metanoia” also feels the most like a recording of a live experience of any album on this list. “Sick and Beautiful” might be my favorite song of 2018, and also might be the most fun metal song of the year.
#4 – ALIEN WEAPONRY – “Tu”
We’re getting into the big hitters now. This is the separation point, where the albums before now were one caliber and this one and on are the gems of the season. When I first heard this band described as a bunch of teenagers making metal, I shuddered involuntarily as horrible, uninvited memories of the hype machine surrounding Black Tide came swarming back into my brain. So it was with considerable caution that I hit play on “Tu”…and was instantly taken by it. Make no mistake, these kids have a lot of work to do, because the music rough around the edges at the best of times, but the core is a diamond. There’s one album every year that cracks my list just because it’s so impossibly heavy, and this is it this year. “Tu” is a straight-ahead banger, a wrecking ball of noise and chanting. The incorporation of the Maori verses and heritage works to give the band a novel feeling in much the same way as culture works in favor of Tengger Cavalry. Musically, there’s not a lot new here, but the accents make it feel different and unique.
#3 – GRAVEYARD – “Peace”
I feel a little bad about this, only because as late as October, I was really convinced this was finally going to be the Graveyard album that made it to #1 for me. This is one of the three or four best bands active in modern music, regardless of genre, and I really felt good giving them the top spot….but then as time went by, two albums edged ahead. Graveyard, if you’re reading this, I am sorry. I am out of superlatives to describe this band – they’ve never disappointed me, and every song on this album, and the three albums before it, gives us another piece of an amazing puzzle yet to be completed. Graveyard does everything right, and reaches across a hundred aisles to attract fans from all walks of music. “Peace” is a masterpiece, but then, four of the band’s five albums are (and the first one is still good, but not as iconic as the others.) If you’re not a Graveyard fan yet, I don’t know what to tell you at this point. Get on the bandwagon, damn it!
#2 – CLUTCH – “Book of Bad Decisions”
Clutch is still teaching masters classes on how to write music. For a few years there, I was leaving them for dead (my full apology can be found in my formal review of this album,) but now here they are, having hit a double with “Earth Rocker,” and two home runs with “Psychic Warfare” and “Book of Bad Decisions.” While different in craft and sound, this is some of the band’s best work since “Blast Tyrant,” and Clutch’s impact and command of the genre can’t be undersold. These boys from Maryland are still a force to be reckoned with and they’re not done yet.
#1 – CANCER BATS – “The Spark That Moves”
What strikes me the most about this album is that Cancer Bats appear to have dropped all pretense of anything else and have gotten back to having fun. “Searching for Zero” was a fine album, but it lacked a certain human quality that made “Dead Set on Living” such an instant classic. “The Spark That Moves” is just that, full as ever of piss and vinegar, but also grinning from ear to ear, punching out a combination of styles that still remain harmonious and catchy. It’s a difficult niche to live in – the speed and simple hooks of punk, the abrasiveness of hardcore and the edgy gravitas of metal must exist in their proper balance, and more bands that we care to recount have tried and failed, or at their best only managed to carry two of the three. Cancer Bats, by contrast, have found the secret formula. Much like “Sick and Beautiful” mentioned above (though for wildly different reasons,) if you can’t get up and feel your pulse quicken for “We Run Free,” then you’re abusing the privilege of music. Every song on this album feels much the same, leaving us with a glorious album that rolls and rumbles with power and conviction. Find it. Buy it. Then buy it for a friend.
I think by this point we’ve covered everything that needs to be said by way of introductions, so here we go with a recap on the rules of this game: To merit consideration, all records must be composed of entirely new studio material – no re-releases, live albums, re-masters or compilations. Also, we do a top eleven here, because as we all know, 'it goes to eleven.' Got it? Here we go:
Other Receiving Votes) Clutch – “Psychic Warfare,” Iron Maiden – “The Book of Souls”, Mongol Metal – “Mongol Metal” (disqualified only because it was made up of previously released material.)
Honorable Mention) Niche – “Heading East”
A late comer to the party! Niche blends classic rock and with folk and just drop a psychedelia in a way that harkens back to the storytelling rock heavyweights of yesteryear. Three part vocal harmony and intricately layered melodies make “Heading East” an absorbing and yet relaxing listen.
11) The Great Game – “The Great Game”
This record doubles as my Little Record That Could for 2015, as it stuck in my memory for most of the year. For those following, 2015 was the Year I Tried to Hear Something Different, and really, each time someone would ask me what I had heard this year that fit the bill, “The Great Game” jumped back in my head. Infectious in its liberal deployment of genres and tropes, The Great Game, a band of the world if ever there was one, can tie together a melody with everything from a guitar to an accordion and back again. This is an expansive effort that can be a challenging listen, but its heart is a passion for experimental music that just plan works.
10) Annihilator – “Suicide Society”
Because very year there’s a record that’s worthy of the cut solely because it’s fun to listen to, more than that it actually possesses novel artistic merit. Jeff Waters’ guitar tone remains one of the all-time greats, and becomes his de facto signature on every track of this album. You can say what you want about Annihilator; that they’ve put out some very average records (true) and that they’ve never really tried to change their game plan (also probably true,) but that steadfast dedication to what got them here also means that they can drop a great record at any time. “Suicide Society certainly isn’t going to qualify for the ‘Something Different’ title like The Great Game does, but it’s a blast to listen to, and damn it, that counts for something.
9) Pentagram – “Curious Volume”
And yet, amidst all the upstarts, we see a second legacy act join the fray and produce their best record in years. Every metal fan keeps in his or her heart a small, burning love of doom metal, and Pentagram fills that niche will not getting bogged down in the idea that doom must be slow or plain. Rich melodies, hook-y blues riffs and veteran craftsmanship show those damn kids how we did it back in the day! (Note: back in the day for me was like, 1992, so I can’t really lay legitimate claim to the ‘we’ there.) Anyway, Pentagram.
8) Children of Bodom – “I Worship Chaos”
After the shoulder-shrug of “Halo of Blood,” CoB comes back re-engineered as a quartet, which oddly ends up expanding their repertoire rather than collapsing it. Alexi Laiho ends up writing a couple emotional pieces that no one would have ever expected from the alcohol celebrating, Finnish, metal champions and perhaps most surprising of all, they work! This is a more mature sound from Children of Bodom while at the same time really bringing their keyboard work back into the fore. The style is a work in progress for these guys still, but this record shows a ton of promise.
7) 6:33 – “Deadly Scenes”
Am I cheating here? I think I might be cheating a little. If memory serves, there were parts of the globe that got this album in the latter half of 2014, but Kaotoxin Records lists the official release date at January 15th, 2015, so I’m going with them. Anyway, 6:33 is in that same vein as The Great Game, music designed to go way beyond the borders, except that 6:33’s production is both more compelling and well, this might sound simple, but more fun. The best moments on “Deadly Scenes” have a jaunty swing in an inverse relationship with how much sense the songs make, which is weirdly all the album’s benefit. Five dudes in masks with no live drummer playing music that wanders in a hundred directions? Sold!
6) Cancer Bats – “Searching for Zero”
Following up the singular greatness that was “Dead Set on Living” was a tall order, but Cancer Bats delivered with “Searching for Zero,” an album that eschewed some of the rock overtones of its predecessor to deliver crunchy, ugly riffs circled around personal torment and rebellion. There’s depth here in the bass tones alone, never mind the slow, churning drudgery that the band mated with it to create an authentic feeling of dread. It’s rare that a band with hardcore roots can show this much discipline and growth, but Cancer Bats fit the bill.
5) Midnight Ghost Train – “Cold Was the Ground”
I’m starting to sense a theme within my own list, which is that everything I really connected to this year largely fell into one of two categories – different and complex, or ugly and fun. Midnight Ghost Train swings the needle the farthest in the latter direction, slopping out fuzzy riffs and channeling immense amounts of distortion to create a romp that sounds, well, like I imagine a midnight ghost train would. What sets this album apart and finishes its showcase is two-fold; first, that if you can sift through the grime, there’s a really accessible metal album underneath and second, there’s a sense of humor here that makes the proceedings lighter than the music would seem at first blush. An enjoyable ride, and hey, they made a tour poster with a vintage-style nude woman hiding in the shadows on it. Bonus!
4) Mountain of Wizard – “Casting Rhythms and Disturbances”
Apparently, it’s becoming a trend that I put an instrumental album in my top ten. Well, here’s this year’s entry, an avalanche of inspired, monster riffs that nod heads and demand notice. It’s a curious thing when an album can capture attention without speaking a single syllable, and that makes Mountain of Wizard all the more notable for what they’ve accomplished here. Each of these songs feels like an organic, handcrafted creation, a thoughtful plan executed by musicians who had an idea and then jammed it out a bunch of times until it sounded right. There’s a lot to like here.
3) Powerwolf – “Blessed and Possessed”
Okay, if Midnight Ghost Train was the ugliest of these albums, then by comparison in the ‘ugly and fun’ category, “Blessed and Possessed” is the most fun. Don’t get me wrong, every Powerwolf is fun just because of what it is and what the band does, but this album in particular screams ‘road-trip sing-a-long.’ The Christian werewolves have outdone themselves this time, creating a tome of epic anthem after epic anthem, running the gamut from thumping arena rock to heart-pounding chase. Attila Dorn’s vocals are as resonant as ever, but the brothers Greywolf outdid themselves this time with sharp, poignant riffs and excellent articulation. Just look at that video! I mean, doesn’t that look like fun?
2) Graveyard – “Innocence and Decadence”
Okay, at this point, Chris C and I have salivated over this album enough that everyone knows why it’s on here. “Innocence and Decadence” is the most complete, best composed record of 2015, assembled and executed by talented musicians who display not only a complete mastery of their sound, but a healthy respect for the heritage of it. So, what’s holding it back from being #1?
1) Shawn James and the Shapeshifters – “The Gospel According to Shawn James and the Shapeshifters”
This would be the answer. Sometimes, there is an album so raw, echoing with the vibrations of sheet power, that it overwhelms even the best-laid blueprint of its competitors. “The Gospel According…” may not be a match for “I&D” when it comes to precision or craft, but the pulpit-shaking bellow of Shawn James stirs the listener on a different level altogether. This is vigorous, commanding music that’s tempered with enough sense of humor to prevent it from being melodramatic. The fury and bluster of opener “No Gods” is balanced only too perfectly by the stark, cold grip of “Lost.” Each track has a different character, a different feel, as the down-home riffs and bluegrass instrumentation create a dynamic sound from the album’s beginning to end. If you are someone who appreciates being moved by music, or if you simply enjoy being absorbed by the album you’re listening to, there’s something for everyone on this record. It’s the clear choice for Album of the Year.
