In no particular order, all of the albums I liked from the year 2018.
Jimmy NaNa – Vita
Mandatory plug, the new Vita EP came out this past summer with 3 brand new tracks, and 3 live recordings of new and old songs. Check it out
Slaves – Beautiful Death
I had given Slaves’ first two albums a listen and nothing really hooked me, but, as always, thought Jonny Craig gave great vocal performances. However, the hooks just weren’t there until Beautiful Death. Every song on this album is stellar. The first time I heard the lead single “I’d Rather See Your Star Explode” I knew this album was going to be different from the others. Every song grabs you lyrically, vocally and instrumentally from the get-go. I’m looking forward to more music from them in this vein.
Nonpoint – X
Going back to their roots a bit, with what I consider their best album since To the Pain, X is strong from start to finish. The album is full of classic Nonpoint riffs, which had been inconsistent since the original guitarist left the band a few albums back. The vocal performances are reminiscent of Development and Statement era Nonpoint. This is the album I have been waiting for them to put out since 2005. I was able to catch them on tour this year and they sounded great.
Coheed and Cambria – The Unheavenly Creatures
I have mixed feelings about this album. The good definitely outweighs the not so good. There isn’t a bad song on the album, per se, but there are some songs that I felt may not have been necessary to include. This is the first Coheed album where I feel the need to skip a few songs here and there to get to the ones I really like. Overall it’s definitely a good album, but compared to their past work, I think it’s their weakest collection of songs. The second half of the album outshines the first half for me.
Beartooth – Disease
Beartooth’s last album, Aggressive, had some standout tracks, but overall I tended to lose interest halfway through. Disease is the exact opposite. There aren’t any single tracks that tower above the rest, however, the album is a solid listen from beginning to end. It’s also a slightly more diverse effort. A few songs move a little closer to the radio rock sound while others keep with their original sound on Disgusting. The biggest achievement with this album are the choruses. Every single one sticks in your head for weeks.
Eminem – Kamikaze
I have to admit, I haven’t really listened to anything Eminem has done since the first Marshall Mathers LP. This album was a surprise in more ways than one. The most obvious is that no one knew it was coming, until it was out. Personally, I was surprised at how different it was stylistically from anything I’ve heard Eminem do prior. He loses the gimmicky hooks, beats and music videos and relies solely on his lyrics and flow. I was also surprised that I could get through an entire rap album in 2018. I’ve slowly lost interest in the genre over the years and this is the first thing I’ve heard that kept my interest for more than one play-through. I also enjoyed the few featured rappers on the album. I’d be cool with more Eminem music that sounds like this album.
Trophy Eyes – The American Dream
I really enjoyed Chemical Miracle, Trophy Eyes’ last album. They have come far from their punk/hardcore roots and are making some legitimately great music lately. The American Dream sounds like the logical progression from Chemical Miracle. The production moves more toward radio friendly tracks but doesn’t abandon the passion that made their music great in the first place. This is a well conceived and written album. I love the overall positive vibe it gives off. It doesn’t shy away from heavy lyrical concepts, but the tone of each track bleeds inspiration. With this release, Trophy Eyes has solidified themselves as one of my favorite new bands.
Dance Gavin Dance – Artificial Selection
It’s almost expected at this point that anything DGD puts out will be great. I didn’t care about this band until Tilian joined and I think this combination of members is the definitive DGD lineup. They’ve forged a wholly unique sound that has been unstoppable for 4 straight albums. In a sense, Artificial Selection is a little “quieter” than their last 3 releases, but not inferior in any way. In a strange way, it sounds like a fully matured DGD. I can’t think of another current band that has put out this much great music in such a short period of time. I was able to catch them on tour this year as well, and it was the best show I’ve seen by any band in quite a while. They were flawless. Always excited to see what they do next.
Tilian – The Skeptic
Possibly even more impressive than the fact that DGD put out yet another great album is that Tilian had enough left to put out a full length solo effort in the same year. While this is definitely a pop/rock album, it can’t help but feel like an extension of DGD due to the fact that Tilian’s voice is so recognizable
Fall Out Boy – MANIA
Fall Out Boy have come a long way from their pop-punk beginnings and will never go back. That’s not a bad thing. I loved the progression of sound they achieved with Save Rock and Roll, wasn’t crazy about American Beauty/Psycho, but have thoroughly enjoyed MANIA. I can’t say I love every song, but I don’t skip any when I put this on. Another good effort by a band that’s not afraid to push the limit of their sound into new territories.
Sevendust – All I See is War
Sevendust have had such a long career that one would think it was impossible for them to still put out something worthwhile. I would argue that some of their more recent albums may be their best and most consistent releases to date. The period of time they went without Clint Lowery in the band was a low point in my opinion, but since his return it seems they have been on a solid upward curve. Black Out the Sun was my favorite album since Home. In between those releases, I liked some songs here and there, but never could listen to anything start to finish. Kill the Flaw, while not terrible, was largely forgettable to me. But boy did they come back strong with All I See is War. This is an album I can listen to repeatedly without getting sick of it. Seeing them this year on tour reminded me why they are still around and are one of the few bands from the late 90s that are at the top of their game.
Imagine Dragons – Origins
Hot off the heels of the truly explosive Evolve album, Origins veers off in the opposite direction. There’s a couple of the standard hit single type tracks, but the majority of this album feels like an indie artist’s project. That’s not a bad thing. I enjoy the melancholy, chill & introspective vibe this collection exudes. It feels very personal and relatable from a listener’s perspective. There isn’t much of that in popular music these days and it is refreshing to hear. The album still manages to cover a lot of ground stylistically, from experimental electronic based tracks, to acoustic folky songs and even songs nodding to 80’s synth pop.
The Word Alive – Violent Noise
I’ve been aware of this band throughout their career but never found any real connection to their music until I heard this album. It’s received criticism for it’s obvious stylistic departure from their previous albums but that’s neither here nor there. On it’s own, this album is an enjoyable listen.
Monuments – Phronesis
I’ve enjoyed listening to this band’s sound progress with each new album. Phronesis keeps their heavy, technical sound while putting more emphasis on vocal melodies. The singer branches out and takes a different stylistic approach in some songs than he has in the past. They are all very talented musicians and I always enjoy hearing what they do next.
Secrets – Secrets
Secrets never stray far from their formula, but why fix what isn’t broken. This is another solid release and I would even highlight that their songwriting and vocals have improved over time. There are some great dynamics and memorable hooks on this album. The clean vocals definitely step it up a notch from previous albums
Silent Planet – When the End Began
Yet another strong release from Silent Planet. I have to listen to this album in small doses because it is so dense that it’s hard to take in everything in a single setting. Their song structure takes some very interesting turns and they continue to utilize dynamics more proficiently than any other band I’ve heard.
Biggest Disappointments
Third Eye Blind – Thanks for Everything
This is mainly disappointing because it’s not original 3EB music. However it’s also disappointing because it’s a collection of cover songs that I, personally, have never heard. So hearing 3EB perform them doesn’t really do anything for me. It’s not that it’s bad, but considering the best part of 3EB is the songwriting, hearing them perform songs by artists I would consider to be less talented songwriters is lackluster.
Disturbed – Evolution
Disturbed has been known to be somewhat formulaic and never really break from their sound. Within those confines though, they put out some great albums over the years. Their last two albums in particular, I felt were some of their strongest work since Down With the Sickness. Unfortunately I can’t get into anything on Evolution. I know they attempted to mix it up with some ballads after their success with the cover of The Sounds of Silence but the songs just are not great, regardless of the style they are in. I’m a fan of all genres, so I can get behind them softening up… if they did it well. But it just comes off bland and forgettable. Even the heavier songs sound generic and uninspired. Maybe next time.