Top 10 Worst Albums of 2018

Well, now that the worst songs list is out, let's talk about the worst albums of the year. This was a year where most albums I heard where most were good, if not great. However, there were a select few that I just didn't care for at all. Keep in mind that this is my opinion, and if you do like any of these, that's great! Your opinion is the one that should matter most to you, and stick by it. Don't change or alter it because I disagree. With that said, let's get started.

10. Various Artists - The Black Panther Soundtrack (Hip-Hip)

The film Black Panther was one of the most successful films of the year, both critically and from a box office perspective, so of course a soundtrack with some of the most successful hip-hop and pop artists today like Kendrick Lamar, Travis Scott, and The Weeknd would attract quite a bit of attention. However, this album is just filled with bland, middling hip-hop tracks that just leave your mind once you hear them. While there are highlights like All The Stars with Kendrick Lamar and SZA and Pray For Me with The Weeknd and Kendrick, most of this record is just bland, uninspired material that does  not live up to the potential many of these artists can achieve. It honestly reminds me of the film Black Panther, because it's an overrated piece of media that is actually rather bland and uninteresting (Sorry; I think Black Panther is one of Marvel's worst movies). There's really nothing else to say here other than a resounding "meh".

9. Muse - Stimulation Theory (Pop Rock/Electronic)

Okay, now here's an album that's actually interesting to talk about. While the previous entry was bland, this one is overblown and inconsistent. Stimulation Theory starts out well enough with the first three tracks, those being Algorithm, The Dark Side, and Pressure. This is not Muses' best material by any means, but it showed potential for a really interesting album. However, it slowly fades into crap after this, with the boring Propaganda, which has one of the worst openings and refrains to a song I've heard this year, Break It To Me is an embarrassing piece of dubstep-inspired trash that makes me want to die while listening to it, and Something Human is boring, sloppy pop. The rest of the album beyond this point is boring, with the exception of Thoughts Contagion, which is probably the best song on the record. The other songs aren't even worth mentioning because they're so bland. So yeah, it's a very messy album and an inconsistent one at that, but it isn't higher because it at least I feel it's trying, it just falls flat. There are parts of this album I like, such as the previously mentioned good tracks, and Matt Bellamy's vocals are great as always, but it gets too caught into the electronic elements and generic lyric writing. 

8. The Smashing Pumpkins - Shiny and Oh, So Bright (Alternative Rock)

Well, here's another boring one. At least with the new Muse album I was engaged in what was going on, even if a lot of it sucked. This album, though... Was just boring. I will admit I have not explored The Smashing Pumpkins discography that much, but this was not a good start. There are a couple highlights, those being Silvery Sometimes and the closer Seek and You Shall Destroy, which are really good and worth checking out. The rest of this album doesn't do anything except have mediocre alternative rock tracks. I already talked about how overblown and confused the opener Knights of Malta is on my worst songs of 2018 list, so I won't say much other than it has way too much going on. The rest of these are just not worth talking about. It's comparable to listening to a void. All I can say is that this album is not the best the year had to offer for 90s rock bands. Bland and uninspired is how I would describe this album. 

7. Disturbed - Evolution (Hard Rock)

Okay, I already reviewed this album, but that will not stop me from ranting about it again. This album is Disturbed not trying. Every song feels like it was written with "Would this get radio airplay?" or "Is this like our Sound of Silence cover?" and not with the mindset that they wanted to create inspired music, because most of this is far from inspired; It's trash metal. Not as bad as a band I will talk about later down the list, but it's still a decent example of it. Tracks like Are You Ready, No More, Stronger On Your Own, and The Best Ones Lie feel like they're rehashing old ideas because they want a commercially accessible album and they failed at making the tracks fun and they failed at having some sort of spirit. Also, the acoustic cuts on here are all really bad, especially Hold Onto Memories and A Reason To Fight, which have some of the most generic lyrics and instrumentals I've heard all year. There were plenty of other modern mainstream rock acts that released way better albums than this this year, like Bad Wolves or Underoath. These two albums are ones I highly recommend you check out instead if you want good mainstream rock and/or metal. Disturbed gives nothing to offer this time around, and proves they're not trying anymore.

6. Imagine Dragons - Origins (Pop)

UGH! Why did this have to come out now? Like, the band couldn't take lots of time to improve from Evolve, which was terrible in basically every way? Nope, instead we get an album less than a year-and-a-half after Evolve, and like Evolve, this sucks. It's ever so slightly better, but that's because it doesn't have as many grading songs like its predecessor did, and it focuses on the bland ones, and they're actually sung within Dan Reynolds' limited vocal range for the most part! Still, there are moments where Dan Reynolds sounds his voice is about to explode like on Natural and Machine, and not in a good way; When he sings with that level of grit in his voice, he sounds grading and trying too hard to be "rock n' roll". When he doesn't sing like that, he's indistinct on tracks like Boomerang and West Coast, which are bland and forgettable while and after listening. Bullet In A Gun and Digital are two of the worst songs Imagine Dragons have ever done because of the awful production and writing, Bad Liar had potential but was ruined by the mediocre production, and Zero has an incredibly annoying chorus. Look, if you like this band, good for you, but I don't understand their popularity. They make the most safe, uninspired, and bland music imaginable and they don't "imagine dragons", they imagine paychecks.

Five Finger Death Punch - And Justice for None (Groove Metal)

...And the kings of trash metal have returned. Wow. What a disgusting listen. This is a prime example of trashy, lazy radio metal that adds nothing to the genre. What's frustrating about it is that this is a very talented band. No joke, if they put a decent amount of time into a record, it could turn out pretty good. Their guitarists are good, their drummer is good, and Ivan Moody, for all the crap he gets, is a great singer when he tries, unlike here. The band sounds like they wanted a paycheck, and that's it; They didn't want to put an ounce of creativity or fun into this entire record and instead opted for the cringy, poorly made, and frankly boring groove metal they've been putting out for years. They're on autopilot, and they bring nothing to the songs on this record. The opener Fake is one of the best so bad it's good songs of the entire year, as is Rock Bottom, because of their try-hard nature. Sham Pain was placed second on my worst songs of the year list, so that should say enough. The Blue On Black cover is basically Five Finger Death Punch doing a karaoke version of the original, and the Gone Away cover is incredibly boring and rips the energy right out of the original song, and those are really the only songs worth bringing up. The rest makes you feel like trash after listening, and that's all I can say about it, except for that the album cover sucks. It legitimately makes me wanna puke. If you want something like this that's actually good, check out Disobey by Bad Wolves, which is a great groove metal album and, while not perfect, it is a great example of this genre done right. This is groove metal done horribly wrong.

4. Machine Gun Kelly - Binge (Trap/Mumble Rap)

Ohhh boy. Here we go. This is technically only an EP, but that does not excuse it from this list. Pusha T's DAYTONA is another rap album considered a full length album and its shorter than this, and that album is also WAY better. This is similar to the Five Finger Death Punch album, that being I feel dirty after listening to it. It sounds disgusting and it makes me want to take a shower after listening. The much discussed Rap Devil, an Eminem diss track, makes a couple of decent points, but it ends up as pathetic and Eminem's diss track topped it in every way. There's nothing else to talk about. The beats are disgusting, the verses are generic, and the production sucks on every level. This is trap and mumble rap at its absolute worst. There are much better rap album this year, as the previously mentioned DAYTONA or the Kanye West and Kid Cudi project Kids See Ghosts. Please, seek those albums out instead. This is just a failed attempt from Machine Gun Kelly to remain relevant. Just pathetic in every sense of the word.

3. The 1975 - A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships (Art Pop)

I know I'm in the minority for this one, but this album is terrible. While it's technically not as bad as the last two albums on the list, this one frustrates me more. At least with the previously mentioned albums they're just bad. This is trying so hard to be good, but it messes up in execution. From the first couple tracks, you know you're in for a ride of the worst kind. Give Yourself A Try has the most annoying guitar part of the year, and TooTimeTooTimeTooTime is annoying pop at its worst. The lyrics on this record are either pretentious or confused, I don't know which, but either way, I can't tell what they're trying to convey most of the time. The autotune is also a serious issue, especially in the album's first ten tracks, where almost every song as an excessive use of autotune. I understand that it can be a good tool to clean up a vocal performance, but it's overblown here. Honestly, I can see why when I listen to Love It If We Made It, which features vocalist Matt Healy struggling to sing competently and it comes off as annoying rather than actually decent. The Man Who Married A Robot/Love Theme ended up as my least favorite song of the year because of its in-your-face lyrics and annoying factor, Inside Your Mind comes off as creepy and boring, and the whole album comes off as boring and pretentious. I don't know how most of these lyrics connect in any sort of way, and the music is going for the atmospheric feel, but it ends up putting me to sleep rather than engaging me. What really ticks me off about this record is that it could've been great if done right. No, seriously, there is legit potential here. It's Not Living (If It's Not With You) and I Always Wanna Die (Sometimes) are okay moments that show this band can do good music, and apparently the critics think so, since they've treated this like it's the Second Coming of Christ. I just don't get it, though; The pretentious lyrics, bad vocal performances, boring instrumentals, and the overbloated nature of the record make me want to listen to Disillusioned by A Perfect Circle, which has many of the same themes and a somewhat similar atmosphere to many of these songs, but it's actually well-executed and gorgeous. Heck, go listen to the entire Eat The Elephant record instead of this, it's awesome. The same can't be said for this record, however.

2. Fall Out Boy - M A N I A (Pop/Dubstep)

Okay, time to rip on Fall Out Boy once again. This record is just trash from start to finish with not a single good song on it. When I heard this record, I knew this wasn't just a bad album; This transcended the now meaningless term bad. You know what you're getting into immediately with Stay Frosty Royal Milk Tea with its dubstep-like production and nonsensical lyrics. While this is my least favorite cut on the record, it does have cuts that rival it. Hold Me Tight or Don't has this weird Caribbean beach vibe that comes off as a bizarre choice that just doesn't work, and it doesn't help that it it contains the line, "I want to sleep on every piece of fuzz and stuffing that comes out of you", which might be the worst line I've heard in a song this year. Church is one of the most overblown and terrible songs of the entire year, Young and Menace doesn't even deserved to be discussed, and Sunshine Riptide featuring Burna Boy is the closest you'll ever get to a Fall Out Boy trap song, which says enough. There are a few shining moments of potential, like The Last of the Real Ones, Wilson, and Bishops Knife Trick, but they're ruined by first draft songwriting and the crappy dubstep inspired production. This Fall Out Boy reunion has been terrible ever since Save Rock And Roll and it needs to end. I don't care if Lake Effect Kid was a great song; One great song does not mean a reunion with three mediocre to bad albums was worth it. Fall Out Boy either needs to get their act together and write good songs or break up. That's how I see it at this point. This reunion has officially gone too far.

Well, here we are the worst album of the year. Before we get to this pick, I will say that I love this artist very much. However, this album was an absolute disaster that somehow is worse than a modern Fall Out Boy album. Oh boy, here we go, number one is...

1. Tom Morello - The Atlas Underground (Dubstep/Electronic/Rock)

Holy. Crap. WHAT IS THIS THING? No joke, this may be the worst album I've heard not just this year, BUT EVER HEARD. It's that bad. At least with Fall Out Boy's latest there were songs that had potential, while this is just front-to-back garbage. Tom Morello decided to try and fuse dubstep and a bunch of random artists together to create a pathetic attempt at trying to be relevant, but he ended up being dated I don't even know where it begin with this thing. 

Let's take it from track 1 I guess, which is a boring and repetitive instrumental featuring of electronic duo Knife Party with Tom Morello's guitar playing. It feels completed, but it's bland, but it shows that this could be done well. Let's see what comes next, which is AWFUL. Rabbit's Revenge has a really bad repetitive instrumental and two lame, overblown rap verses about gun violence, an important topic, but not done well here. Every Step That I Take is generic radio pop crap, We Don't Need You is so bad it's hilarious, Find Another Way mixes together way too many elements, making the track disjointed; How Long had some potential, but falls short of it due to the crappy mix and production, Lucky One is boring, One Nation and Vigilante Nocturno are both filler instrumentals that are annoying more than anything, Where It's At Ain't What It Is literally only has two or three lines repeated throughout and it becomes irritating quick, Roadrunner is just as, if not more annoying, than the track before it, and Lead Poisoning features more crappy political rapping. Wow. Not a moment of good will. What's worse is that these songs are 100% incomplete. These sound like demos, and for the most part, they're not even good demos; These are the kind of demos that an artist throws away immediately in order to save their career, not resurrect it. They're forced, the production is crap, the song writing is crap, the guests don't fit with Tom Morello's guitar playing, and it's way too long. The only shining moments are the ones where the album is so bad it's hilarious, but those moments rarely ever come. Tom Morello has shown through his other projects like Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave that he can do way better than this. He is one of the greatest guitarists working right now, and I hate to see him create something this desperate. Maybe he'll learn from this mistake and make another record by himself or with another band that's well-done and actually politically powerful. Oh well, I guess. Oh well.

That raps up the Worst Albums of 2018 list. I hope you enjoyed reading. I will be doing a list of best songs and albums of the year very soon, lists of 20 and 10, respectively. I will share more positive thoughts there and hopefully will come off more likable. Anyways, Merry Christmas! Bye.