311 – Voyager
Following up strong to the superb 2017 release, “Mosaic,” 311 prove they still have something worth saying. Aside from the Crossfire debacle, the songs on Voyager are all strongly written and the production is flawless. While many like to criticize the band for treading into more pop-tinged waters, I really never saw 311 as anything but a catchy band with chops and this collection of songs proves that. Yes, they’ve toned down the rap and metal vibes steadily over time, but songs like Stainless and Charge It Up can still kick it.
After the Burial – Evergreen
Dig Deep (2106) was a brutal album, but Evergreen somehow manages to amplify that. The riffs are nasty, the kick drum is meaty and the vocals maintain a tortured vibe throughout. Whatever I’m doing while I listen to this album seems to get done in half the time.
Ariana Grande – thank you, next
While I personally don’t think it’s her strongest album front to back, there are certainly more than a handful of excellent songs. A bit more down-tempo and less sugary pop than previous efforts, it’s an album worth putting on now and then with a few songs that can hold their own.
Billie Eilish – When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?
I’ll admit, I wrote this album off when I first heard it. It wasn’t a sound that hit me right away and I had to force myself to give it a few listens before I could appreciate what was going on. The vocals are certainly unique and the production is crisp, but what really stood out was the composition. The songs have so many different layers that feel modern but if you imagined many of them played with only piano or guitar, they could fit right into any time period. It’ll be interesting to see what comes next.
Bring Me the Horizon – amo
As the band moves further from their metal roots, they only get better in my opinion. The obvious additions of electronic elements and more clean vocals are only the tip of the iceberg. When it comes down to it, they’re simply great, memorable songs with a diversity of styles that keeps you coming back for more. The lyrics are thoughtful and clever and the amalgamation of hard rock and electronic pop sets the crossover bar a notch higher. For a band that started out mostly one dimensional, even the vocals are sufficiently varied.
Dayseeker – Sleeptalk
This could be my favorite album of 2019 and possibly one of my all time favorites. I knew the album was good when I first listened to it, but listening repeatedly made me realize it was great. Dayseeker is another band that has progressed from heavier origins into a more broadly digestible sound. This has greatly played into their favor, as their singer is one of the best in the game. I had the pleasure of seeing them live recently and everything was flawless. The album has a somber tone throughout, but that really works in favor of the lyrical content. I don’t think I could ever listen to this album too many times.
Diamond Construct – Diamond Construct
I’d listened to this band previous to their self-titled album, and they are indeed a great band, but this time around they kicked it up to the max. When this album is playing it’s hard to physically keep still. The last album I felt was on this level of heavy was Danza IIII, which is the epitome of the genre. Diamond Construct just gave them a run for their money. I think it’ll be hard for them to top this.
Ed Sheeran – No 6 Collaborations Project
What more can you say about something involving Ed Sheeran? Everything he touches is better solely because he’s on it. With different featured artists on every song, we really get a full view of just how versatile Ed is. Some songs are stronger than others, but that’s mostly due to the featured artists. To be honest, some people on here really have no business being in the same session with Ed Sheeran, but I won’t name names coughYoungThugcough.
I Prevail – TRAUMA
I wasn’t really a huge fan of I Prevail prior to this album. They were on tour with another band I wanted to see so I checked out their latest album and I was pretty impressed. There’s really not a bad track on the album and every song has something different to offer from hooks to breakdowns. The performance is solid in every area and they sounded huge in a live setting.
Issues – Beautiful Oblivion
I’m a bit torn on this album. It’s not bad by any means, but it really wasn’t what I was expecting from Issues. When they announced the departure of their second vocalist I was pretty excited because I felt the majority of his parts were sort of dead weight. I have no problem with them going in a less “screamy” direction, but overall I felt the songs weren’t as strong as they have been in the past. Many of the tracks are sort of forgettable, one-time listens, which is never the way I felt on everything they’ve done prior.
Korn – The Nothing
This is by and far the best thing they have released since Issues (1999). They don’t quite go back to their roots, but they definitely sound like they are inspired and playing to their strengths for the first time in years. They aren’t breaking new ground here, but this is a solid effort from a band that were once pioneers of metal.
The Lonely Island – The Unauthorized Bash Brothers Experience
If you need to be convinced that this isn’t one of the best albums of the past year, you only need watch the accompanying Netflix exclusive. As usual, the trio channels incredible humor, but this time paired with old school hip hop and the most random, but equally hilarious subject matter.
Post Malone – Hollywood’s Bleeding
This might be my most listened to album for the year. I don’t have anything else to say other than he continuously gets better with every release.
Shrezzers – Relationships
Shrezzers is a genre-bending band from Russia that somehow manages to combine R&B/Pop vocals, progressive metal & acrobatic saxophone solos into the same song(s). Check it out, it’s a trip.
Third Eye Blind – Screamer
As one of my top favorite bands, this is my least favorite 3EB album. That being said, it’s still a pretty strong release. There are some questionable moments here and there, but for a band that’s been around this long and continuously evolved, taking chances keeps things from getting stale.
Wage War – Pressure
This album got a lot of hate from fans claiming the whole “sell-0ut” thing because it wasn’t as heavy as their last two releases. I get it, it’s not what you like. But the band has grown considerably on this album. While I definitely enjoy their other work, putting out something that sounded the same would be redundant. This album covers a lot of ground and takes the listener in quite a few directions. Personally, I prefer bands that make albums and songs that are distinct from one another. I have no issues here. It’s a great collection of songs.