Alright, time for mini reviews. This time, we'll be covering 8 albums from 8 different artists that I felt were worth talking about. Keep in mind this isn't everything I heard, and I reviewed two other albums in full length released in this time frame (Skillet's Victorious and Tool's Fear Inoculum), so those will not be covered here. If you want to know my thoughts, please check out my reviews of those albums. With that being said, let's get started with an album that'll give you one heck of a wake-up.
Oh, Sleeper - Bloodied/Unbowed
Metalcore band Oh, Sleeper return after a recording hiatus of 8 years to hopefully deliver a welcome comeback. I wasn't familiar with these guys before these album came out, and after checking out this record, I definitely need to, because this was really good. This album is filled with great lyric writing and striking technical guitar riffs. The opening track Let It Wave is one of the strongest here, as it shows off how good of a lyricist their unclean singer is with lines like "If all your heroes are martyrs, shouldn't you be the same?" and "The flag is more than a symbol... I live to die in its shadow". Fissure is an absolute barn burner from the opening second that is absolutely superb, as all the lyrics on the track are fantastic, the chorus is infectious, and the band's backing them up well. The low growls on Decimation and Burial are fantastic, Two Ships starts out like a ballad and it's pretty, but then it explodes in the second half rather unexpectedly, and it works startlingly well, and Oxygen has a great chord change in the chorus that makes a decent song a great one. I well say that this record is not paced the best in the best manner. They choose ballad The Summit as the album's closing track, and I'm not sure that was the best choice. It's a good song, but it doesn't give the ending the punch that it needed. Two Ships, while I also like that track a lot, also comes out of nowhere. There's no warning, and all of a sudden you're dropped into a song that's very slow, and it feels a bit awkward. Some of the clean choruses also sound kind of similar to one another in parts and it gave me a bit of a hard time distinguishing the tracks. However, the positives far outweigh the negatives. I still give this album a strong recommendation, despite some of its shortcomings. If you're into metalcore, definitely check this out. This is one of the genres strongest albums this year.
Grade: B+
Moron Police - A Boat on the Sea
So, I heard about this album from my favorite music reviewer, The Rock Critic. He all of a sudden dropped a review of this album no one had ever heard of, and he gave it his highest of recommendations. I listen to it, and yeah, it's really good. This has a unique sound, a mix of progressive rock with some pop elements and even saxophone. It's a very fun, sugary sound that has intricate composition and catchy hooks. Tracks like The Invisible King and especially Captain Awkward (One of my favorite songs of the year) have strong production and great performances, but are also pretty accessible for those who don't want potentially unusual structure and just want a fun track. It's really a record that has something for everyone, and I appreciate that. However, the sound does get a little too sugary for me as it goes on. It's like eating a little sugar compared to a lot. A little sugar is delicious and is a nice treat every once in a while, but having too much sugar eventually makes you feel bloated and tired, and while this album doesn't get to a point where it gets annoying or tiring (It's a mere 32 minutes), it is a bit much for me. However, that's a personal preference and I still enjoy listening to this. Not an album of the year contender or anything, but I could totally see why this could be someone else's.
Grade: B
Lil Nas X - 7
Yes, we're covering the guy who did Old Town Road's EP. Why am I covering this? Because this is genuinely pretty decent. There, I said it. Sure, it isn't great, but this is a fun little release and also unexpected to some degrees. Old Town Road is awesome, no matter how much of a novelty it is. It's just got a unique charm to it that never makes it get old to me. There's also a lot of other songs that are enjoyable. Panini is a fun little trap jam, even if it is way too short and it's nothing out of the ordinary. F9mily and Bring U Down are legitimate pop rock songs (No, I'm not joking) that are surprisingly really fun and likable, and C7osure is a great closer (Pun unintended) that closes the album on an emotional note (I don't count the original Old Town Road). This isn't perfect, however; There are two main issues I have with this project. First of all, I appreciate Lil Nas X branched out into other genres, but it shows he still hasn't truly found his identity as an artist yet, and it makes the EP feel somewhat disjointed in areas. The second issue I have is that this feels rushed, because it was. Sure, these songs are good for the most part, but what could've made them great is more time spent developing them. I'm sure the artist is not to blame here, but rather the label after Old Town Road became such a phenomenon. Still, I see potential for Lil Nas X here, despite the issues I may have with this release. I'm hoping he's more than just a one-hit wonder, because he's got talent, but I see this EP as a mere taste of what's to come, and here's hoping whatever's next is truly great.
Grade: B- or B (Depends on how generous I'm being)
Lana Del Rey - Norman Fucking Rockwell!
This one had a lot of hype around it, and by a lot, I mean A LOT. Even people who aren't fans of Lana Del Rey's music were hyped due to the singles such as Mariners Apartment Complex and Venice Bitch, which actually got me interested in this album as well. I've had no experience with Lana's music until now, and I do see the appeal of it. Her voice is very soothing, and the music is very pretty, shown on the title track and Mariners Apartment Complex, which open the album on a very good note and show that this album has a very calming but emotional vibe, and, well, it's complicated for me. You see, this is a record that is refined and well written with excellent production, but for me, it feels bloated. This record is 14 tracks and 67 minutes long, which is long and a lot to take in. While an album like Tool's Fear Inoculum (Which actually came out the same day) is an even longer record that has constantly different and interesting songwriting with basically every song, this record has a lot of tracks that blend together, and even if I really liked listening to them, they often faded from my memory pretty quickly. After those first three tracks, which are very solid, The Next Best American Record is the only song that stands out pretty well, but that's about it. Besides that, it's just drowning in similar piano notes and lyrical themes that don't feel very distinct to me. If this record was 40 to 50 minutes long, I'd be more forgiving, but the fact that this record has 14 tracks and I can only imagine revisiting 4 of them makes me feel rather disappointed. I'm still more positive than I am negative, since there's nothing offensive or even bad on here, it just could've been better. That's all.
Grade: B-
Plugs of Apocalypse - Stay
So, this was a random record I found while watching a YouTube live stream. Weird place to find a new album, I know, but I was intrigued by this band's sound. They have a sort of a poppy metal vibe to them. There's chugging guitars, but there's also electronics and synths infused into the sound these guys have crafted, and it's a very pretty sound. The instrumentals are all solid here, and create a potentially interesting backdrop for what could be something special. The instrumentals on the title track, Eyes Wide Shut, and Our Song remain particularly memorable to me, with the blending on the genres really coming full circle on those songs. These could've been great if it weren't for one thing; The vocals. There are two vocalists in this band, those being a male and a female vocalist. The female vocalist is good enough, but the male vocalist flat-out sucks. I don't know what he's doing on this record, because if he was gone, this could've been great. He's got a thick accent to his voice that the few people who've heard this record are polarized by, and I'm definitely negative on it. It sucks because there are legitimately catchy hooks on tracks like Eyes Wide Shut, Disappear, and Midnight which could've been so much better if it weren't for this singer. So, this is a complicated album to me; An album that could've been really solid, if not great if it weren't for one thing, and that just irritates me. If this band ever gets a different vocalist, I'll be interested in their future, but for now, I'm just frustrated.
Grade: B-
Falls of Rauros - Patterns In Mythology
So, let's movie away from some of the poppier stuff that was presented on the previous couple of albums and talk about some really good black metal. This is a band that brings a nice blend of both atmosphere and heaviness to the genre. The opening instrumental Detourement sets the stage up the stage , with its atmosphere, then once the absolutely terrific Weapons of Refusal comes in, showing how stellar this album is at its best. It hits you with the heavy guitars, but is guided by an epic vicking-esque feeling in the instrumentation that is epic sounding. It's one of those songs that's a lot to take in, but it's worth it, as is the rest of the album. New Inertia's intro is strikingly beautiful, and the guitar solo at the midway point is one of the better ones I've heard this year. Last Empty Tradition kicks into full gear immediately with the aggressive guitars and, while it does slow down, it picks up the the last 3 and a half minutes, and that's where this track shines; In its absolutely terrific outro, which is both heavy but melodic, creating a mix that I absolutely love. Then Memory at Night happens and... Yeah, this is one of the finest moments on the album for sure. The guitar work is some of the best of the year, and the bass line that opens the song is really solid. So overall, I love this band's sound. It can get heavy and almost all the vocals are screamed, but it has melody and it's actually pretty accessible for an album like this. My only real problem with this album is with the track Renouvellement, which was mostly a forgettable shorter cut that could've not made the record and it would've helped the pacing. Also, a band called Saor released an album somewhat similar to this (I reviewed it back in February if you want to check that out), and it was better, and I honestly can't see pass that, no matter how stupid that sounds. Still, if you want to get into black metal, this is a very accessible release with some terrific guitar work that will bring you back over and over, and if you already like black metal, well, here's some more of that good stuff.
Grade: A-
Sum 41 - Order In Decline
"So, Sum 41 are a thing in 2019?". That's what my reaction was when I heard they were releasing a new album. I was thinking this was gonna be another pop punk record. I was wrong. While the band still has pop punk-esque hooks, the album has a lot of hard rock and even metal influences that work extremely well, and the fact that there are very catchy hooks added to my enjoyment of the record. The aggression on this album isn't just from the instrumentals though; It's in the fiery, political lyrics which are clearly jabbing at the current political climate of the United States, and while I won't go into my thoughts on the topic, I think these lyrics are pretty solid for what they are. Tracks like The People vs..., The New Sensation, and 45 (A Matter of Time) are clear jabs at someone in particular (You know who), but it works for me because these tracks are loud and these "loud" statements fit with the music. The instrumentals are what keep me coming back, however. The riffs and solo on Out For Blood are top notch, as are The People Vs..., A Death In The Family, and The New Sensation, with moments that scream Metallica to me in a good way. That doesn't mean the album is just aggression, as the ballads Never There and Catching Fire give you a moment to catch your breath and they're genuinely very good. As for flaws, some of the songs sound kinda similar at points, and even if those tracks are good, it's sometimes kinda bothers me. Besides that though, this was way better than it had any right to be. It's fiery, fun, and purposeful hard rock that makes for one of the best albums of the year. Absolutely worth every minute of your time.
Grade: A-
Slipknot - We Are Not Your Kind
To close off this review, I needed a good album to review. No, not just a good album, a great album, a true album of the year contender, and well, this is it. This album's hype was only topped by Tool's Fear Inoculum is terms of hype for any metal record this year, and I'm happy to say it's everything I wanted and more. It's not just 63 minutes of your typical heavy, angsty Slipknot tracks; It's also full of successful experiments. It gets you invested with Unsainted and Birth of the Cruel, which are both incredible slices of Slipknot at their most "accessible" (For Slipknot at least), with the former having a great singalong chorus and a memorable bridge, and the latter having great riffs and a catchy hook. After that, it's some of the best, if not the best, material of this band's career. Nero Forte and Critical Darling are those first two songs of steroids. Like holy crap, this is one of the best two punch tracks I've heard in a while. Nero Forte comes in swinging immediately with Corey Taylor's aggressive delivery and fantastic guitar riffs, and Critical Darling is even more aggressive, with the best elements of Nero Forte put on steroids and a great chorus reminiscent of Stone Sour. After this, the album gets experimental with cuts the haunting and dark A Lair's Funeral, which is one of 2019's greatest songs. The lyrics and acoustic guitar used in the first half are haunting and dark, and when it kicks into full gear, it becomes face meltingly amazing with the chants "Burn the liar" being something I could totally see being chanted in the mosh pit. The industrial and endlessly fun Spiders is catchy and, despite being so different, fits really well in the album, the bizarre atmosphere of My Pain is easily the album's weirdest moment but it works really well for reasons I can't quite explain, and the fantastic and aggressive closer Solway Firth is one of the album's most unconventionally structured, and it works as both a closing track and as a singular track. There's so much to love here, and I can't praise this album enough. Don't be surprised if this ends up as my favorite album of 2019 (And if it isn't number 1 it'll definitely be in the top 3), because so far, this may be the one to beat. I'm serious. It's really that good.
Grade: A+
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