2014 in Music: A Year in Review

What a year 2014 was for music. While it was a bit of a step down from the excellent year of 2013, there was still plenty of stuff to get excited about this year. One thing that made 2014 standout was the amount of comeback album releases. Everyone from D'Angelo to Behemoth to Slipknot to Weezer to Body Count ended lengthy hiatuses to release new material in 2014. While not all of them were great, it was nice to see all of these acts get back in saddle after being absent from music for so long. Aside from a number of major comebacks, 2014 was also a strong year for technical death metal, metalcore and hardcore hip-hop. Of course amongst all the triumphs in 2014, was a fair share of letdowns. Heavy-hitters like Mastodon, The Black Keys and Foo Fighters all followed up a standout release with somewhat underwhelming new records while once-proud acts such as Atmosphere, Against Me! and Devin Townsend continued to show alarming signs of regression. At the end of day, 2014 was another solid year for music, but I really hope that 2015 offers up a larger number of high-quality albums. Below are my rankings from worst to best of all the EP's and LP's I heard in 2014, complete with star ratings and my pick for the best track from each release.  
 
EP's:

9.Childish Gambino-Kauai (2/5) (Favorite Track: "Retro")

8.Kitty-Impatiens (3/5) (Favorite Track: :"Retrograde")

7.Four Year Strong-Go Down in History (3/5) (Favorite Track: "What's in the Box?")

6.XSPONGEXCOREx-How Tough Are Ya? (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Dubby Dan")

5.XSPONGEXCOREx-Don't Mess with TExXxAS (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Brootal Buddy")

4.Isaiah Rashad-Cilvia Demo (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Soliloquy")

3.Cult Leader-Nothing For us Here (4/5) (Favorite Track: "Mongrel")

2.Periphery-Clear (4/5) (Favorite Track: "Feed the Ground")

1.Vince Staples-Hell Can Wait (4/5) (Favorite Track: "Blue Suede")

LP

95.Modern Baseball-You're Gonna Miss It All (1.5/5) (Favorite Track: N/A)

94.The War on Drugs-Lost in the Dream (2/5) (Favorite Track: N/A)

93.Code Orange-I Am King (2/5) (Favorite Track: N/A)

92.Dead Congregation-Promulgation of the Fall (2/5) (Favorite Track: N/A)

91.Atmosphere-Southsiders (2/5) (Favorite Track: "Southsiders")

90.Gerard Way-Hesitant Alien (2/5) (Favorite Track: "Juarez")

89.Bleachers-Strange Desire (2/5) (Favorite Track: "Rollercoaster")

88.Devin Townsend Project-Z2 (2/5) (Favorite Track: "Zilotoid Goes Home")

87.D'Angelo-Black Messiah (2.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Ain't That Easy")

86.Crown the Empire-The Resistance: Rise of the Runaways (2.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Bloodline")

85.Against Me!-Transgender Dysphoria Blues (2.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Drinking with the Jocks")
84.A$AP Ferg-Ferg Forever (2.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Jungle")

83.Charli XCX-Sucker (2.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Gold Coins")

82.Ariana Grande-My Everything (2.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Love Me Harder")

81.Real Friends-Maybe This Place is the Same, We're Just Changing (2.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Loose Ends")

80.Wolves at the Gate-VxV (3/5) (Favorite Track: "The Bird and the Snake")

79.Migos-No Label II (3/5) (Favorite Track: "Antidope")

78.The Kindred-Life in Lucidity (3/5) (Favorite Track: "Wolvish")

77.The Kennedy Veil-Trinity of Falsehood (3/5) (Favorite Track: "Seventh Circle")

76.Iggy Azalea-The New Classic (3/5) (Favorite Track: "Goddess")

75.Bane-Don't Wait Up (3/5) (Favorite Track: "Park St.")

74.Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers-Hypnotic Eye (3/5) (Favorite Track: "Fault Lines")

73.Rise Against-The Black Market (3/5) (Favorite Track: "The Great Die-Off")

72.The Black Keys-Turn Blue (3/5) (Favorite Track: "The Weight of Love")

71.Suicide Silence-You Can't Stop Me (3/5) (Favorite Track: "Sacred Words")

70.Linkin Park-The Hunting Party (3/5) (Favorite Track: "War")

69.Circa Survive-Descensus (3/5) (Favorite Track: "Only the Sun")

68.Neck Deep-Wishful Thinking (3/5) (Favorite Track: "Crushing Grief (No Remedy)")

67.Ratking-So It Goes (3/5) (Favorite Track: "Remove Ya")

66.Secret Band-Secret Band (3/5) (Favorite Track: "Projectile Comet")

65.Origin-Omnipresent (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Continuum")

64.Death Grips-Niggas on the Moon: The Powers That Be Disc 1 (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Black Quarterback")

63.J.Cole-2014 Forest Hills Drive (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Wet Dreamz")

62.Whitechapel-Our Endless War (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Diggs Road")

61.Open Mike Eagle-Dark Comedy (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Doug Stamper (Advice Raps)")

60.Mac Miller-Faces (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Rain")

59.Boris the Blade-The Human Hive (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Mortal Procession")

58.Flying Lotus-You're Dead! (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Turkey Dog Coma")

57.Wovenwar-Wovenwar (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "The Mason")

56.Jack White-Lazaretto (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Lazaretto")

55.Destrage-Are You Kidding Me? No. (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: My Green Neigbour")

54.People Under the Stairs-12 Step Program (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Cool Story Bro")

53.Migos-Rich Nigga Timeline (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Hit Em'")

52.Trap Them-Blissfucker (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Lungrunners")

51.Foo Fighters-Sonic Highways (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Something from Nothing")

50.Gates-Bloom and Breathe (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: At Last the Loneliest of Them")

49.Morbus Chron-Sweven (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Aurora in the Offing")

48.Weezer-Everything Will Be Alright in the End (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Eulogy for a Rock Band")

47.Big K.R.I.T.-Cadillactica (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "King of the South")

46.The Contortionist-Language (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Thrive")

45.The Mire-Glass Cathederals  (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Pale Heart")

44.Intervals-A Voice Within (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Moment Marauder")

43.The Ghost Inside-Dear Youth (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Dear Youth (Day 54)")

42.Within the Ruins-Phenomena (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "The Other")

41.St.Vincent-St.Vincent (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Huey Newton")

40.ScHoolboy Q-Oxymoron (3.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Los Awesome")

39.Septicflesh-Titan (4/5) (Favorite Track: "Prototype")

38.Riff Raff-Neon Icon (4/5) (Favorite Track: "Aquaberry Dolphin")

37.Vince Staples-Shyne Coldchain II (4/5) (Favorite Track: "Earth Science")

36.Hour of Penance-Regicide (4/5) (Favorite Track: "Redeemer of Atrocity")

35.At the Gates-At War with Reality (4/5) (Favorite Track: "The Circular Ruins")

34.Cannabis Corpse-From Wisdom to Baked (4/5) (Favorite Track: "Pull the Carb")

33.Killer Be Killed-Killer Be Killed (4/5) (Favorite Track: "Wings of Feather and Wax")

32.Allegaeon-Elements of the Infinite (4/5) (Favorite Track: "The Phylogenesis Stench")

31.Overkill-White Devil Armory (4/5) (Favorite Track: Where There's Smoke...")

30.Mastodon-Once More 'Round the Sun (4/5) (Favorite Track: "The Motherload")

29.Slipknot-.5 The Gray Chapter (4/5) (Favorite Track: "Killpop")

28.Thomas Giles-Modern Noise (4/5) (Favorite Track: "Siphon the Bad Blood")

27.Cannibal Corpse-A Skeletal Domain (4/5) (Favorite Track: "Headlong into Carnage")

26.Affiance-Blackout (4/5) (Favorite Track: "Death Cycle")

25.CunninLynguists-Strange Journey Volume 3 (4/5) (Favorite Track: "Drunk Dial")

24.Ne Obliviscaris-Citadel (4/5) (Favorite Track: "Devour Me, Colossus (Part I): Blackholes") 

23.Beyond Creation-Earthborn Evolution (4/5) (Favorite Track: "Neurotical Transmissions")

22.Black Crown Initiate-The Wreckage of Stars (4/5) (Favorite Track: "Withering Waves")

21.Arch Enemy-War Eternal (4/5) (Favorite Track: "As the Pages Burn")

20.Son of Aurelius-Under a Western Sun (4/5) (Favorite Track: "Long Ago")

19.Darkest Hour-Darkest Hour (4/5) (Favorite Track: "Rapture in Exile")

18.Machine Head-Bloodstone and Diamonds (4/5) (Favorite Track: "Eyes of the Dead")

17.Archspire-The Lucid Collective (4/5) (Favorite Track: "Fathom Infinite Depth")

16.Lana Del Rey-Ultraviolence (4/5) (Favorite Track: "Shades of Cool")

15.Body Count-Manslaughter (4/5) (Favorite Track: "Institutionalized 2014")

14.Beartooth-Disgusting (4/5) (Favorite Track: "Body Bag")

13.Monuments-The Amanuensis (4/5) (Favorite Track: "Quasimodo")

12.Goatwhore-Constricting Rage of the Merciless (4/5) (Favorite Track: "Baring Teeth for Revolt")

11.Alterbeast-Immortal (4/5) (Favorite Tracks: "Throne of Maggots")

10.Animals as Leaders-The Joy of Motion (4/5) (Favorite Track: "Another Year")

9.Job for a Cowboy-Sun Eater (4/5) (Favorite Track: "Buried Monuments")

8.Royal Blood-Royal Blood (4/5) (Favorite Track: "Blood Hands")

7.Behemoth-The Satanist (4/5) (Favorite Track: "Ora Noa Probis Lucifer")

6.Freddie Gibbs & Madlib-Pinata (4/5) (Favorite Track: "Harold's")

5.Run the Jewels-Run the Jewels 2 (4/5) (Favorite Track: "Lie, Cheat, Steal")

4.Every Time I Die-From Parts Unknown (4/5) (Favorite Track: "El Dorado")

3.Unearth-Watchers of Rule (4.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Never Cease")

2.Fallujah-The Flesh Prevails (4.5/5) (Favorite Track: "The Night Reveals")

1.Revocation-Deathless (4.5/5) (Favorite Track: "Scorched Earth Policy")

20 Best Albums of 2014: #10-1

As promised, here's my picks for the 10 best albums of 2014. My full recap of 2014 in music should be up later on this evening or early tomorrow morning. Thanks for reading and without further ado, here's my 10 albums of 2014.

10.Animals as Leaders-The Joy of Motion: Instrumental virtuosos Animals as Leaders managed to step their game up even further on their third LP, The Joy of Motion. The technical prowess that has driven all their releases is more restrained this go-round as the band decides to focus more on diverse songwriting that experiments with as many different genre as possible over the 54-minute runtime. This melody-based, heavily experimental approach is a welcome refrain from the strictly technically-dazzling progressive metal they've made in the past. Previously, Animals as Leaders has kind of felt like they only exist as a showcase for Tosin Abasi's guitar playing. On The Joy of Motion, they finally feel like a full, cohesive band and that pays off majorly in the quality of their music. The Joy of Motion is by far the heaviest, layered and well-rounded album Animals as Leaders has released thus far.

Standout Tracks 1.Another Year 2.Mind-Spun 3.The Woven Web 

9.Job for a Cowboy-Sun Eater: Job for a Cowboy has been fighting an onslaught of criticism from the metal community since their inception and with their latest LP, Sun Eater, they can finally silence those critics once and for all. If Jonny Davy wasn't still the vocalist, you wouldn't even be able to tell that this was the same band that burst onto the scene with the pig-squealing, breakdown-laden deathcore opus Doom in 2005. Sun Eater has been more in common with European atmospheric death metal a la Obscura and Morbus Chron than the various types of American death metal they've played on their past few releases. There's prominent bass throughout, the guitars are often restrained and there's a strong aura of gloom running through the entire record. If you don't believe me that this an entirely different band, take a listen to the opening 1-2 punch of "Eating the Visions of God" and "Sun of Nihility". At the very least, you'll be shocked that this is the same band that made songs like "Knee Deep" and "Embedded" back in the day. Sun Eater is a brilliantly constructed record full of striking musicianship and chilling atmosphere that blows the doors off of anything Job for a Cowboy has done in the past.

Standout Tracks 1.Buried Monuments 2.The Synthetic Sea 3.Sun of Nihility 

 8.Royal Blood-Royal Blood: Earlier this year, Kiss frontman Gene Simmons said that “Rock was finally dead”. On their self-titled debut LP, British duo Royal Blood proved that Simmons is full of shit. Royal Blood is loaded with an unfathomable amount of killer riffs, big hooks and vintage rock energy. The best part about Royal Blood? They manage to do all of this without a guitarist. Royal Blood consists of just a bassist and drummer, which makes the massive sound they achieve on this record that much more impressive. As long as bands like Royal Blood exist, Simmons' stupid, hyperbolic statement will never become true.

Standout Tracks 1.Blood Hands 2.Figure It Out 3.Loose Change 

 

7.Behemoth-The Satanist: Behemoth's first record since vocalist/guitarist Adam “Nergal” Darski successfully defeated stage 3 leukemia is a monster. Nergal's brush with death didn't make him any cheerier, as The Satanist is the darkest album Behemoth has ever crafted. The Satanist sees Behemoth combining the haunting black metal of their early records with the death metal fury of their newer albums for a record that takes the band in an epic and sinisterly beautiful direction. The Satanist marks the start of an exciting new chapter for Behemoth and given the fact that Nergal was close to death just a few years ago, it's a chapter that the metal community is very fortunate to see play out.

Standout Tracks 1.Ora Pro Nobis Lucifer 2.Meese Noire 3.O Father! O Satan! O Sun!

 

6.Freddie Gibbs & Madlib-Pinata: Enter hip-hop's new odd couple. The pairing of hardcore gangsta rapper Freddie Gibbs and producer Madlib, who specializes in laid-back, jazzy production may sound like an extreme mismatch, but their two vastly different styles converge beautifully on this record. Pinata sees these two artists simultaneously playing to their established strengths and switching up their styles to adapt to each others' biggest assets. It's awesome to see Madlib throw down some aggressive beats on “Shitsville” and “Harold's” and Gibbs rap over mellow beats on tracks like “Deeper”, "Robes" and “Shame”. With this record, Gibbs finally gets the consistent, high-quality production that's prevented him from breaking out in the past while Madlib finally gets to work with an artist that allows to him stray from his comfort zone and cover a ton of new musical territory with his beats. Pinata is a fiery yet chill hip-hop record with plenty of great lyrics and guest spots that I won't be forgetting about anytime soon.

Standout Tracks 1.Harold's 2.Shitsville 3.Uno

5.Run the Jewels-Run the Jewels 2: Killer Mike and El-P are not human beings. That's the only logical explanation I can up with for how they were able to release yet another modern hip-hop classic less than 18 months after their last release. Run the Jewels' second LP manages to be even more monstrous than their debut thanks to the inclusion of more subdued serious material to go alongside the duo's trademark bangers. No matter what the lyrical content or production style is, Run the Jewels kills it and their stranglehold on the throne of modern hip-hop has only strengthened after this release.

Standout Tracks 1.Lie, Cheat, Steal 2.Oh My Darling Don't Cry 3.Early

  

4.Every Time I Die-From Parts Unknown: It didn't even take one full listen to figure out that From Parts Unknown wasn't your average record for Every Time I Die. As soon as album opener,“The Great Secret” kicks in, there's an overwhelming sense of chaos that hasn't been present in any of the music they've put out in the past decade. From Parts Unknown marks a return to the raw, relentlessly heavy metalcore that band mastered on their 2003 breakout LP Hot Damn! With Converge guitarist Kurt Ballou behind the boards, the band just runs wild and creates the most gritty and rewarding music of their entire career. These grizzled metal veterans have been simply unstoppable of late and unless something drastic happens, that isn't going to change anytime soon.

Standout Tracks 1.El Dorado 2.Moor 3.Decayin' With the Boys

 

3.Unearth-Watchers of Rule: Someone needs to give the guys in Unearth a hug. Their sixth LP is the single most relentless and pissed-off record I heard all year. Unearth has always been an abrasive band, but there's normally some melody and sporadic clean vocals to offer the listener a reprieve from the heavy sections. There's not even an ounce of room to breathe on Watchers of Rule and that all heavy, all the time mentality makes this one of, if not the best release Unearth has ever put together. The enhanced aura of intensity hammers home the impact of their usual onslaught of riffs, blistering solos and perfectly-timed breakdowns, and allows them to hit levels of heaviness I didn't think they were previously capable of. Watchers of Rule is proof that the allegedly dead genre of metalcore is alive and well.

Standout Tracks 1.Never Cease 2.From the Tombs of Five Below 3.Trail of Fire

2.Fallujah-The Flesh Prevails: If the extreme metal world wasn't already paying attention to San Francisco technical/progressive death metal act Fallujah, they will be now. Their second LP, The Flesh Prevails, is a dense, heavily nuanced record that handsomely rewards patient listeners who are willing to soak in all of the album's many layers. Fallujah is the rare technical death metal act that favors subtlety over constant balls-out shredding. Every song on the album, whether it be a traditional song or an instrumental, features moments of stunning ambiance that builds into sheer death metal chaos or vice versa. The way Fallujah seamlessly combines these two radically different styles is staggering and shows an immense level of songwriting talent that the modern death metal world desperately needs. The Flesh Prevails is yet another punishing, gorgeous and expertly crafted record from a band that I consider to be the torchbearers for the next generation of American death metal.

Standout Tracks 1.The Night Reveals 2.Sapphire 3.Levitation

1.Revocation-Deathless: 14 months after dropping their self-titled album- which was previously their best work- Revocation manages to top it pretty handily with Deathless. What makes Deathless standout is the sheer strength of the songwriting. This is the record Revocation has been striving to make since their inception. The tech-death/thrash hybrid that first got them noticed back in 2009 with Existence is Futile is still very much at the heart of their sound, they just experiment with it more than ever before. From the Gothenburg melo-death of “A Debt Owed to the Grave” to the straight-up prog of “The Blackest Reaches” to the pummeling grooves of “Labyrinth of Eyes”, this record is a constantly shifting and exciting musical adventure that never up in quality at any point. Deathless is quite simply extreme metal perfection and helps Revocation further solidify their place at the top of the modern metal heap.

Standout Tracks 1.Scorched Earth Policy 2.A Debt Owed to the Grave 3.Labyrinth of Eyes

20 Best Albums of 2014: #20-11

Unless you are blissfully unaware of the calender, you know that 2014 is about to come to a close. With the end of the year just days away, it's now officially time for me to delve into my year-end best lists, starting today with the revealing of albums 20-11 on my 20 best albums of 2014 list. Albums 10-1 should up be tomorrow baring any strange, unexpected setbacks. Hope you enjoy and I encourage you to comment below! 

Just missed the Top 20:
Arch Enemy-War Eternal
Black Crown Initiate-The Wreckage of Stars
Beyond Creation-Earthborn Evolution
Ne Obliviscaris-Citadel
CunninLynguists-Strange Journey Volume Three
 
 20. Son of Aurelius-Under a Western Sun: Son of Aurelius returned from their mini-hiatus armed with a new vocalist and a new sound on their second LP Under a Western Sun. After listening to Under a Western Sun, it's hard to believe that this is the same band that released The Farthest Reaches in 2010. Aside from the occasional death growl and chug riff, there's no traces of the technical death metal that ruled their debut on this record. Instead, the listener is treated to a sprawling and highly rewarding prog record with melo-death undertones. The operatic vocals of Riley McShane perfectly complement the constantly shifting arrangements from the wildly underrated guitarist/bassist duo of Carey Greare and Max Zigman. The chops this band is possesses is amongst the finest in the genre and their abundance of talent is a large part of why this record is so intriguing to listen to. Son of Aurelius covers a lot of new ground on Under a Western Sun and they're better for it. If you're a fan of progressive metal of any kind, you need to check out this record as soon as possible.
Standout Tracks 1.Long Ago 2.The Stoic Speaks 3.Under a Western Sun

  

19. Darkest Hour-Darkest Hour: Darkest Hour's turn to straight metalcore on their eight LP was met with a lot of resistance from their fans and the metal community on the whole. Personally, I didn't see what all the bitching was about. Prominent use of clean vocals and breakdowns may have entered the fold for the first time in their career, but the same level of excellent musicianship and dedication to decimating the listener with catchy riffs and pure, unadulterated fury is still very much present. The new elements are all used quite well and there's still quite a few gritty, face-melting vintage Darkest Hour tunes to go alongside the more melodic, accessible ones. This may not be the next Deliver Us or Undoing Ruin, but it's a nice change-of-pace for Darkest Hour as a band and yet another worthy entry into their highly underrated discography.

Standout Tracks 1.Rapture in Exile 2.By the Starlight 3.Futurist 

18.Machine Head-Bloodstone & Diamonds: The mighty Machine Head has continued their run of excellence with Bloodstone & Diamonds. It may not be as consistent or groundbreaking as The Blackening or Unto the Locust, but there's still plenty of excellent tracks along the way that showcase their trademark groove metal sound and increasingly improving melodic side. Robb Flynn and co. are in the midst of their finest years as a band, and Bloodstone & Diamonds only adds to their recent reign of dominance.

Standout Tracks 1.Eyes of the Dead 2.Now We Die 3.Ghosts Will Haunt My Bones

17.Archspire-The Lucid Collective: 2014 has been a PHENOMENAL year for technical death metal and this wave of standout releases started with Archspire's The Lucid Collective back in April. The Lucid Collective isn't the epitome of creativity in the genre, but for what it lacks in innovation, it makes up for in earth-shattering musical precision. The guitars are strikingly fast without ever drifting into full-blown wankery, the drums are thunderous and the bass is an understated delight throughout. Beyond Creation and Augury may forever be considered the kings of Canadian tech-death, but Archspire 100% deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as those genre darlings.

Standout Tracks 1.Fathom Infinite Depth 2.Scream Feeding 3.Join Us Beyond

16.Lana Del Rey-Ultraviolence: Wildly popular yet incredibly polarizing art pop songbird Lana Del Rey traveled outside of her established comfort zone for the first time in her career on Ultraviolence. The breezy trip-hop soundscapes of Born to Die and Paradise have been replaced with somber string arrangements and faint guitars on Ultraviolence. While the music itself couldn't be more different than her previous material, Del Rey's uncanny ability to create a hauntingly beautiful and hypnotic atmosphere remains in tact. The raw vocals and stirring hooks that Del Rey offers up in droves on Ultraviolence manage to get under your skin in ways that other pop/indie artists simply can't. With its minimalist and generally gloomy nature, it's much more of a grower than Born to Die. However, once Ultraviolence starts clicking, it's every bit as memorable as its predecessor.  

Standout Tracks 1.Shades of Cool 2.West Coast 3.Brooklyn Baby

15.Body Count-Manslaughter: On the surface, Body Count's Manslaughter appears to be a complete joke. Body Count is fronted by Ice-T-who hasn't put out any music since 2006, and in recent years has become more known for his acting on Law & Order: SVU than his musical endeavors- and the lead single of the album is called “Talk Shit, Get Shot”. In reality, it's a shockingly well-written, darkly hilarious and absurdly fun record. Ice-T and guitarist Ernie C make for a nu-metal dream team. Ice-T delivers each song with just as much as venom as he did on Body Count's debut 22 years ago and proves to be quite the sharp comedic mind on hysterical jams like “Get a Job” and “Institutionalized 2014” while Ernie C lays down a barrage of excellent riffs and chaotic solos that would make Kerry King proud. If nu-metal suddenly gets revived in the near future, it will be because of records like Manslaughter.

Standout Tracks. 1.Institutionalized 2014 (re-imagining of the Suicidal Tendencies song) 2.Get a Job 3.Back to Rehab

  

14.Beartooth-Disgusting: Who would've thought the new band of one of the founding members of the infamous Attack Attack! would be so damn good? Beartooth's Disgusting is a raw, infectious metalcore album that serves as a perfect showcase for Caleb Shomo's talent. Shomo wrote this entire album (save for “In Between” which he co-wrote with Goldfinger guitarist and Disgusting producer John Feldmann) himself and there is a not moment on this record where his immense passion doesn't bleed through. On Disgusting, Shomo shows an introspective side and a serious skill for writing ridiculously catchy choruses that's been noticeably absent from his previous musical ventures. Shomo spends most of the this record singing with candor about his struggles with depression and addiction. The openness Shomo displays in the lyrics are reenforced by his near-perfect vocal performance and well-timed breakdowns that emphasize the album's emotional power. There was no bigger surprise in 2014 than Disgusting and I expect big things out of Shomo and co. in the future.

Standout Tracks: 1. Body Bag 2.The Lines 3.One More

  

13. Monuments-The Amanuensis: I don't know what it is with British prog bands and their ability to make gigantic strides on an album-to-album basis. Last year it was The Safety Fire, who followed a wholly forgettable album in Grind the Ocean with a truly excellent one in Mouth of Swords. This year it's Monuments- who manages to eviscerate their decent albeit entirely forgettable debut Gnosis with their second LP The Amanuensis. Monuments improvement on The Amanuensis can largely be tied to the addition of vocalist Chris Barretto (Ever Forthright, ex-Periphery) to their ranks. Barretto's wide vocal capabilities that range from beautiful falsetto cleans to borderline death metal screams allow the band to be much more confident and take more risks in their songwriting. Barretto can tackle just about anything you throw at him vocally, and his knack for soaring hooks and using punishing screams to punctuate the heaviness of the rest of the music is showcased at length on this record. The instrumentation is certainly improved as well with more headbang-worthy grooves and richer melodies, but they wouldn't be nearly as good without Baretto leading the ship. Monuments made some serious waves with The Amanuensis and as long as Barretto is on board, these guys will be in the top-tier of modern prog metal acts.

Standout Tracks 1.Quasimodo 2.Saga City 3.Garden of Sankhara

12. Goatwhore-Constricting the Rage of the Merciless: Goatwhore is the modern extreme metal equivalent of Motorhead. They've been making the same album for the entirety of their career, but it doesn't grow stale because they're so damn good at what they do. Goatwhore's latest blast of grimy, Bayou-bred blackened death thrash is one of their most consistent, riff-heavy, energetic and just plain best releases of their decade-plus career. As long as Goatwhore continues to put out material that's as strong as Constricting Rage of the Merciless, they'll be no calls from any of their fans to switch up their time-tested formula.

Standout Tracks 1. Baring Teeth for Revolt 2.Schudenfrede 3.FBS

  

11.Alterbeast-Immortal: In a year where loads of technical death metal albums were heavily praised, Alterbeast's Immortal managed to all but completely avoid the hype train. The lack of attention for Immortal is a serious shame because it's easily one of the best releases the genre has seen in a long time. This California quintet sounds like if Trevor Strnad was the frontman Necrophagist. While fast-riffing, blast beats and shrieked vocals are the backbone of Alterbeast's music, they use plenty of subtle guitar work and occasional brief spurts of melody to set them part. Don't get it twisted, these guys aren't another prog/tech death hybrid a la Fallujah or The Faceless. They are a straight-up sinister tech-death act who just happen to throw some well-calculated melodies in the mix from time to time to keep their song structures fresh. Immortal is a serious hidden gem and far and away, the best debut album in all of metal this year.

Standout Tracks 1.Throne of Maggots 2.Ancient’s Retribution 3.Flesh Bound Text

Concert Review: Four Year Strong-- Worcester, MA-- December 27th, 2014

One of the proudest holiday traditions in the state of Massachusetts is the annual Four Year Strong post-Christmas show at The Palladium in Worcester. Last night, I attended my first Four Year Strong post-Christmas show and now completely understand why this has become such a cherished staple in the Massachusetts music scene.

I arrived at The Palladium just as openers Under Fire were wrapping up their set. I didn't hear much of their set, but from what I did see, they were a half-decent pop punk act with a solid vocalist. The first band I got to see in full was New Jersey's Gates. As an emo-tinged post-rock act, Gates was certainly the outlier on a bill that was loaded with pop punk acts, but that didn't stop them from putting on a pretty killer set. Gates' music is often quite beautiful with a lot of low-key melodies and powerful, emotionally-charged vocals from Kevin Dye. It's always cool to see a band that isn't afraid to break the mold of post-rock by incorporating higher-pitched vocals than what you typically see in the genre. As you would probably expect given their vast difference in sound from the other bands at this show, Gates got a polarizing reception from the audience. When they finished each song, the crowd was pretty even split between heavy enthusiasm and visible indifference. Gates is some of the stronger post-rock I've heard in a while and served as a nice change-of-pace from the rest of the lineup.

A Loss for Words hit the stage next. After missing out on them at Warped Tour 2012 and being teased with a couple of partial sets over the years, I was really excited to see them play a full set for the first time. On the whole, A Loss for Words was pretty solid. They thankfully all but completely ignored their terrible 2013 album Before it Caves, and instead played a plethora of tracks from their excellent earlier records The Kids Can't Lose and No Sanctuary. "Honeymoon Eyes" perfectly set the tone out of the gate, "Raining Excuses" and "Wrightsville Beach" showed off Matty Arsenault's vocal chops and "Stamp of Approval" closed out the set on a high note with the mostly lively crowd reaction of the set. While they certainly put on a good performance, there was no denying that they were kind of off as a unit. For those who don't know, they are breaking up at the end of 2015 and after watching this performance, I can see why. Arsenault screwed up lyrics and didn't bother singing certain parts at multiple points of the set, and the whole band just looked miserable on-stage. They possess too much talent and energy to be a complete trainwreck, but they are also far from top-form in their current state. Despite their missteps, A Loss for Words put on a pretty fun show and I'll hopefully get to see them again before they disband.

State Champs started a mere 10 minutes after A Loss for Words wrapped up. After they put on a slightly underwhelming performance when I saw them at Warped Tour earlier this year, I was a bit nervous they were going to disappoint again this time around. Those worries prove to be entirely unwarranted as State Champs proceeded to absolutely kill it for 45 minutes. This was a completely different band than the one I saw at Warped Tour this past summer. Their energy was through the roof, vocalist Derek DiCanio was spot-on and the crowd was beyond enthusiastic. Their extended set time also helped matters, as they got to play a majority of their debut LP The Finer Things. Aside from the lack of "Over the Line", the set was pretty much perfect as it covered all of the strongest material from that album. Near the end of the set, they confirmed that they're entering the studio in February to record their second LP. I'm really stoked to hear what they do next. The Finer Things is one of the best pop punk records of the past decade and given the fact that they're still in their relative infancy as a band, it's entirely possible that they've haven't even fully hit their stride yet. In just over two years of being a national band, State Champs has already risen to the top of the pop punk hierarchy and with their performance last night, they proved they're every bit as good live as they are in studio.

The cultivators of this proud Bay State holiday tradition, Four Year Strong, finished out the evening. As always, they brought it. This was the first time I had the pleasure of seeing them play in their hometown of Worcester and it was truly a fantastic experience. They went over great the previous two times I had seen them at Warped Tour, but that was nothing compared to last night. Seemingly everyone in the room was jumping up and down, singing along and moshing/crowd surfing for every single song; regardless of how popular or obscure it was or what record it was off of. This type of dedication to a band is rare to see in any genre, so kudos to Four Year Strong for having some of the most rabid, passionate fans on the planet. As for the band itself, they sounded great per usual. Alan Day and Dan O'Connor are as good of vocalists as you'll find in the genre and they both have their own unique strengths that make Four Year Strong standout from pretty much every band that covers similar territory with their music. The entire band was having a blast on-stage and you can tell that these hometown holiday shows are the highlight of their years. Seeing Four Year Strong in their a hometown was a total blast and I'll almost surely be hitting up their holiday show again next year.            


Scores:
Gates 7.5/10
A Loss for Words 7.5/10
State Champs 8.5/10
Four Year Strong 8/10

Setlists:
A Loss for Words:
Honeymoon Eyes
Hold Your Breath
Pirouette
Raining Excuses
Wrightsville Beach
Distance
Mount Saint Joesph
Stamp of Approval

State Champs:
Simple Existence
Nothing's Wrong
Prepare to Be Noticed
Deadly Conversation
Easy Enough
Hard to Please
If I'm Lucky
Critical
Remedy
Elevated

Four Year Strong:
Prepare to Be Digitally Manipulated 
Tonight We Feel Alive (On A Saturday)
Tread Lightly
Stuck in the Middle
Catastrophe
What the Hell is a Gigawatt?
Find My Way Back
Enemy of the World
What's in the Box?
One Step at a Time
Maniac (R.O.D)
Go Down in History
Heroes Get Remembered, Legends Never Die
It Must Really Suck to Be Four Year Strong Right Now

Encore:
Bada Bing! Wit a Pipe!
Wasting Time (Eternal Summer)

Album Review: J. Cole-2014 Forest Hills Drive

Just over a year after releasing his second straight gold album, Born Sinner, J. Cole went a very unexpected  route for his next release. Cole decided to go against his previous formula for success and dropped 2014 Forest Hills Drive with practically no promotion (the album was announced just three weeks before it came out) and, didn't release any singles until after the album was released. Cole's low-key promotional approach is fitting for 2014 Forest Hills Drive, which is his most personal piece of work to-date.

2014 Forest Hills Drive is clearly an immense passion project for Cole. The album title stems from the address of his childhood home- which he recently re-purchased after it was foreclosed on when he was in college- and Cole spends a majority of the album reflecting on his youth and the experiences that made him the man he is today. Aside from the personal narrative that brought him back to his roots, Cole produced or co-produced nearly song on the album for the first time in his career. Cole's DIY approach to 2014 Forest Hills pays dividends. With so much invested in this album, Cole made the conscious decision to delve even deeper into what makes him tick. Cole has never been shy of sharing his feelings, but he's never come close to bearing as much of his soul as he does here.

On "Wet Dreamz", Cole addresses losing his virginity and the fear he had of the girl finding out that he had never sex before. Addressing the awkward feelings and personal doubts that come with losing your virginity is the complete opposite of the overwhelming sexual confidence you typically find in hip-hop. Cole's reflections on the topic are painfully real and it makes "Wet Dreamz" one of the most honest hip-hops to be released in ages. Cole displays a similar level of powerful personal storytelling competence on tracks such as "03 Adolescence", which details Cole's envy for his drug dealer friend's lifestyle and his friend's envy for Cole's choice to stay on the straight and narrow and attend college, and "A Tale of Two Citiez" in which Cole documents the struggles of adjusting to going to college in New York City after growing up in rural North Carolina. With the generally sharper insight Cole offers up on 2014 Forest Hills Drive, it's clear that Cole is finally starting to come into his own as a storyteller.

Even though the album sees Cole being more open about his struggles than ever before, Cole's ego is still massive, and it drags down the quality of the record. Cole may be vulnerable throughout the duration of 2014 Forest Hills Drive, but that level of candor is completely counteracted by the self-congratulatory style that Cole raps with. He's practically begging for kudos from the hip-hip community throughout this album. While it's great that he isn't afraid to address a lot of unconventional topics and expose so much of himself on 2014 Forest Hills Drive, his staggering lack of humility makes the album a much more empty effort than it should be. If you look at hip-hop's best storytellers (Nas, Slug from Atmosphere, Kendrick Lamar, countless others) they are able to tell deep, introspective tales without simultaneously putting themselves on a pedestal. Arrogance and modesty are two personality traits that just don't mesh and until Cole realizes that, the full impact of the messages he is trying to convey in his music will not be felt.

2014 Forest Hill Drive is a clear step forward musically for J. Cole yet is still hindered by the same unjustified arrogance that has hampered him throughout. Cole has plenty of ambition, a really good flow and a budding skill for crafting meaningful narratives, but if he doesn't tone his overwhelming self-admiration, he'll never realize his full potential. Now that Cole has overcome his previous woes with repetitive song structure and lackluster production, he has all the tools to join modern hip-hop's elite. He just needs the right attitude to match his musical ability.

3.5/5 Stars
Standout Tracks
1.Wet Dreamz
2. 03' Adolescence
3. St. Tropez   



   

  

2014 Week 16 Fantasy Football Winners and Losers

Quarterback
MVP: Russell Wilson (Seahawks)
In typical Russell Wilson fashion, he was at his best when it mattered most. Wilson had his best game through the air all season throwing for 339 yards and 2 TD's while adding another 88 yards and a score on the ground, as the Seahawks dominated the Cardinals on Sunday night, and reclaimed the lead in the NFC West. Wilson had his best season to-date from both a real life and fantasy perspective in 2014, and he delivered the goods for fantasy owners in a week where most elite QB's stumbled. 
Honorable Mentions: Ryan Tannehill (Dolphins), Colin Kaepernick (49ers), Tony Romo (Cowboys)

LVP: Andrew Luck (Colts)
What the hell happened to Andrew Luck this week? Luck, who has been the clear top fantasy quarterback all season long, had a disastrous outing at the worst possible time for his owners. A combination of bad play calling, a banged-up offensive line and a few really bad throws, led Luck to finish the day with just 109 yards, 2 INT's and to top it all off, 0 TD's as the Colts got shockingly decimated by the Cowboys on Sunday afternoon. Luck's performance no doubt cost a lot of owners a title (I was lucky enough to get doubly burned by Luck this week!) and ended what was an otherwise great season on the sourest of notes.
Dishonorable Mentions: Tom Brady (Patriots), Drew Brees (Saints), Matthew Stafford (Lions)

Running Back
MVP: Marshawn Lynch (Seahawks)
All hail Beast Mode. In a game where he was battling severe stomach pain and going up against a Cardinals rush defense that's one of the best in the league, Lynch still went off. On just 10 carries, Lynch picked up 113 yards and 2 TD's- the latter of which was a career-long 79-yard run that rivaled the infamous "Beastquake" run against the Saints in January 2011 as the finest of his entire career. Lynch was one of the very few bright spots at running back this season and for the sake of the NFL as a whole, he better not retire at the end of this season.
Honorable Mentions: Frank Gore (49ers), Matt Asiata (Vikings), Lamar Miller (Dolphins)

LVP: Jammal Charles (Chiefs)
Of all the top-tier running backs in the league, no one has had a more schizophrenic season than Jammal Charles. Like all of Charles' poor performances this season, he got a shockingly small amount of touches (14 total for 77 yards) and lost a key fumble in the Chiefs loss to the Steelers on Sunday. When Charles doesn't get the ball a ton, the Chiefs don't win games, so it was odd to see him be used so sparingly in a game where the Chiefs playoff hopes were at stake. Despite weak performances like this, Charles was still mostly an elite fantasy player this season and proved once again to be worthy of his high draft position. 
Dishonorable Mentions: Justin Forsett (Ravens), Daniel Herron (Colts), Bishop Sankey (Titans)

Wide Receiver
MVP: Odell Beckham Jr. (Giants)
The ridiculous reign of dominance by Odell Beckham Jr. continued in week 16. Despite being targeted by the entire Rams defense and falling victim to numerous late hits/dirty plays, Beckham Jr. still managed to put up 148 yards and 2 TD's on 8 receptions. Beckham Jr. has manhandled opposing defenses all season long  and if he continues to play like this in the future, he'll be one of the top wideouts in the league in no time.   
Honorable Mentions: Ruben Randle (Giants), Emmanuel Sanders (Broncos), Torrey Smith (Ravens)

LVP: Jeremy Maclin (Eagles)
The Eagles demise with Mark Sanchez at the helm has been swift and no player has suffered more from the Sanchize's presence than top wideout Jeremy Maclin. Maclin's numbers have been pretty mediocre over the last month and this week was no different as he put up just 62 yards against the horrid Redskins secondary. Despite his weak finish, Maclin was one of the top steals in fantasy drafts this year (he went somewhere between the 8th-10th rounds in most leagues) Maclin is a free agent after the season, but based on his production in Chip Kelly's offense this season, I wouldn't be surprised if he stayed with the Eagles for a long time.   
Dishonorable Mentions: DeAndre Hopkins (Texans), Kelvin Benjamin (Panthers), Mike Evans (Buccaneers)

Tight End
MVP: Antonio Gates (Chargers)
With Keenan Allen out for the season, someone in the Chargers receiving corps had to step up and fill the void and as you would probably expect, that man was Antonio Gates. Gates had one of his strongest outings of the season posting 92 yards and 2 TD's on 7 receptions in the Chargers insane come from behind win against the 49ers on Saturday night. The preseason rumors of Gates' demise proved to be completely unwarranted as he was once again one of the top TE's in the league, putting up 754 yards and 12 TD's on the year. In a year where tight ends were pretty much a non-factor in fantasy football, Gates was even more of a godsend to his owners than usual.  
Honorable Mentions: Jason Witten (Cowboys), Jordan Cameron (Browns), Zach Ertz (Eagles)

LVP: Martellus Bennett (Bears)
Martellus Bennett could not finish the fantasy season on a high note, as he got completely shut out against the Lions on Sunday. Bennett was targeted just 3 times and ended up with only a single reception for 0 yards as he was delegated to more of a blocking role to make up for the absence of injured guard Kyle Long. Bennett was one of the few highlights in a highly disappointing season for the Bears, and is on track to be a top-flight fantasy tight end again in 2015 if he can keep progressing in Chi-town.    
Dishonorable Mentions: Greg Olsen (Panthers), Dwayne Allen (Colts), Travis Kelce (Chiefs)

Defense
MVP: Cincinnati Bengals
Hold up the Bengals delivered in a primetime game for the first time in an eternity and it was against the mighty Broncos!?!?!?!?! The Bengals were highly productive on both sides of the ball as they shocked the Broncos and eliminated them from the chase for home-field advantage in the playoffs on Monday night. The defense got under Peyton Manning's skin all night with constant pressure that led to 4 interceptions, 2 sacks and a late pick-six that sealed the victory. The Bengals defense has been up-and-down all year long, but they closed out their season on a triumphant note in the toughest possible matchup. 
Honorable Mentions: Green Bay Packers, San Fransisco 49ers, Chicago Bears

LVP: Buffalo Bills
The Bills defense has been giving opposing offenses fits for the past month, but that all came to an end this week against the Raiders. The Bills allowed 26 points, got just 1 sack and failed to get a takeaway in what seemed like a golden matchup for this elite defense. The Bills D slipped up at a really bad time for their owners, but that doesn't put much of a damper on their otherwise excellent season. They'll be strong contenders in the conversation for top projected fantasy defense heading into the 2015 season.
Dishonorable Mentions: New England Patriots, St. Louis Rams, Arizona Cardinals

Concert Review: Despised Icon-- Worcester, MA-- December 21st, 2014

Reunion shows have a special atmosphere that just can't be duplicated by a majority of normal concerts. The audience at the Palladium in Worcester, Massachusetts was treated to a pair of high-profile extreme metal reunion last night, as Canadian deathcore titans Despised Icon and the Bay State's own abrasive icons The Red Chord played their first shows in the United States since 2010 and 2011 respectively.

After the parade of local bands that had been playing since mid-afternoon finished upstairs, New York's Extinction A.D. opened the downstairs stage just before 7:00. As a thrash band, they were undeniably out-of-place on a bill loaded with deathcore/death metal acts. However, that didn't stop them from putting on an energetic and relatively enjoyable show. Their vocals were strangely clean for thrash and they were a little too mid-paced for my liking, but they had enough solid riffs and solos to make their flaws forgivable. Extinction A.D. was a respectable opener that successfully got the crowd warmed up for the rest of the bands on the bill.

Deathcore upstarts The Last Ten Seconds of Life hit the stage next. In short, they sucked. They play the type of one-note, laughably predictable deathcore that I previously thought had died out years ago. Every song featured an abundance of subpar guttural vocals and delayed slow breakdowns with the trademark crash cymbal hit in between each drawn-out chug of the guitar. Their 25 minute-set seemed like one long song which only paused so the vocalist could say a few words to the audience to take a breather from the relentless monotony of the music. If you enjoy early Chelsea Grin or Carnifex, you will LOVE The Last Ten Seconds of Life. If you don't, steer clear: There's no shortage of other bands in the genre that do the exact same thing a whole hell of a lot better.

As bad as The Last Ten Seconds of Life were, they didn't come close to touching the musical flatulence Lorna Shore produced right after them. Everything that The Last Ten Seconds of Life did poorly, Lorna Shore did much worse. If Impending Doom made music about worshiping the devil instead of Jesus, they would be Lorna Shore. Not since the aforementioned Chelsea Grin have I heard a band with worse vocals, blander song structures or an overall aura of faux-hxC bro toughness than Lorna Shore. I have to gave Lorna Shore credit because their piss-poor use of breakdowns and pig squeals provided me a lot of laughs, which made their set about as entertaining as it could possibly be. Lorna Shore is a comically terrible band that without question put on one of the worst shows I've seen in quite some time.

After dealing with The Last Ten Seconds of Life and Lorna Shore for the past hour and change, just about anything would've sounded great in comparison. Thankfully, the next band slated to perform was the always enjoyable Within the Ruins. I don't know if it was because the previous two bands were so god awful or they were just in top form, but Within the Ruins was even better than usual. The growth these guys have shown over the last few years is really impressive. They continue to become a more confident and efficient live band , and that improvement has never been more evident than it was during this performance. Joe Cochi's blistering guitarwork will be always be the centerpiece of the band, but vocalist Tim Goregen and drummer Kevin McGuill are also incredibly gifted musicians who are largely responsible for their recent noticeable improvement as a band. Their setlist was basically the same as it was the last time I saw them on Summer Slaughter this past August, which is completely fine because it's a solid collection of songs that exposes their strengths as a band. The lone addition they made to the set was "The Other" off of their new album Phenomena. I was pretty stoked about this as "The Other" is my favorite song on Phenomena and as expected, it translated beautifully to a live environment. Within the Ruins is a consistently fun band to see live and if their upward trend continues, they'll only become formidable as time goes on. 

After an agonizing half-hour wait, The Red Chord finally hit the stage. While I had no doubt that The Red Chord would eventually end their hiatus, I didn't think they think they would reform for a show. I honestly haven't been this amped to see a band since the System of a Down reunion show in 2011. Even with my unreasonably high expectations, they didn't come close to disappointing. The band ripped through a perfectly balanced set of staples ("Antman", "Black Santa", "Dreaming in Dog Years") and lesser-played material     ("Lay the Tarp", "Tread on the Necks of Kings") without any semblance of hesitation or signs of visible rust. They truly have not lost any of the grit and ferocity that made them such a force back in the day. Not only did they sound excellent, they were even funnier than usual. Guitarist Mike "Gunface" McKenzie introduced their new song (which was excellent) as an "unreleased Eagles track that they re-recorded because the Eagles asked them to" and after their bass drum pedal broke and needed to be replaced, bassist Greg Weeks went on an absurd rant about killing a squirrel with a shovel and how this event made him question his morality while the drummer switched out the pedal. I am well aware that The Red Chord will never be a full-time band again, but with the tease of new material and strength of this performance, I really hope this isn't the last we've heard from them.

Despised Icon hit the stage pretty promptly after The Red Chord finished up. While they weren't quite as important to me as The Red Chord, Despised Icon was still a pivotal band in forming my love of extreme metal when I was in my early years of high school. Despised Icon only played a couple of shows in the United States during their run of reunion shows this year, and Massachusetts was one of the the lucky two cities to land these exclusive shows (Alex Erian said in a genuine statement near the end of the set that they knew we're only going to be able to play a few shows in the U.S. and they wanted Massachusetts to be one of them.) Just like The Red Chord before them, Despised Icon was incredibly cohesive as a unit, and put on a damn fine performance. What makes them standout from the deathcore pack is their two-vocalist attack and the drumming of Alex Pelletier. Erian gives the band a hardcore punk vocal edge to contrast the straight-up heaviness of the music and a commanding stage presence that can incite chaos at any moment while Steve Marois has some of the most ferocious high-pitched screams and pig squeals I've ever heard. The two complement each other perfectly and their two very different styles allow them to cover a lot of diverse ground vocally. While the diversity of their vocals is a big plus, the most impressive aspect of the band is Pelletier's drumming. There is pretty much no one in the business that does extreme metal drumming better than Pelletier. His blast beats are inhumanly fast and it's utterly captivating to watch him play this material live. About the only downside to their set was the length. Their music isn't overly dynamic on the whole, so it got a little bit stale towards the end of the set. That being said, pretty much every aspect of Despised Icon's performance was great and any of their fans should take advantage of the opportunity if they play a show in their city.  

Scores:
Extinction A.D. 6.5/10
The Last Ten Seconds of Life 4/10
Lorna Shore 2/10
Within the Ruins 8/10
The Red Chord 9/10
Despised Icon 8/10

Setlists:
Within the Ruins:
Gods Amongst Men
The Other
Invade
I, Blasphame
Feeding Frenzy
Calling Card

The Red Chord:
Nihilist
Hour of Rats
Bone Needle
Tread on the Necks of Kings
Demoralizer 
Clients
Black Santa
Hymns and Crippled Anthems
New Song
Fixation on Plastics
Lay the Tarp
Antman
Dreaming in Dog Years

Despised Icon:
Furtive Monologue
A Fractured Hand
Day of Mourning
Sheltered Reminiscence
Compelled to Copulate
All for Nothing
The Sunset Will Never Charm Us
Retina
Warm Blooded
In the Arms of Perdition
Les Temps Changent 
Sleepless
MVP

Update

Hello All,
If you frequent this site, you've probably noticed the lack of content of late. Given the fact that I just finished finals on Tuesday and am using my free time to catch up on a bunch of albums and movies that I ignored from earlier in the year in preparation for year-end list season, I just haven't had much time to write recently. I apologize for this lack of content, and I assure you that I'll be back to writing regularly in early January when this chaotic season is over. What you can except before the publishing of my year-end lists, is reviews for The Red Chord/Despised Icon and Four Year Strong shows at The Palladium in Worcester, Massachusetts, J. Cole's 2014 Forest Hills Drive and if time permits, Chris Rock's new film, Top Five. I wish you a healthy and wonderful holiday season and hope you check back in the coming weeks for new posts!

Chris Maitland

Album Review: Big K.R.I.T.-Cadillactica

If there was an award for hardest working man in hip-hop, Big K.R.I.T. would get it. K.R.I.T. has been steadily dropping at least one release a year since his 2010 debut K.R.I.T. Wuz Here as well as handling production for the likes of Rick Ross and A$AP Ferg and doing guest spots on tracks by A$AP Rocky, CunninLynguists and countless others. K.R.I.T keeps his streak of releasing new material annually alive for another year with his second major label full-length, Cadillactica. While Cadillactica, may have taken more time to put together and cover more diverse musical territory than any of K.R.I.T.'s other records, it has the exact same strengths and weaknesses as every one of his prior releases.

Cadillactica starts off a bang with a string of excellent tracks that sees K.R.I.T. once again checking all his usual musical boxes. Six of the first seven tracks are evenly divided between grimy, dirty south jams ("My Sub Pt. 3", "Cadillactica", "King of the South",) and conscious material ("Kreation","Life", "Soul Food"). All of these tracks are driven by K.R.I.T's effortless confidence on the mic and flawless production choices. K.R.I.T has stereo-thumping southern hip-hop and sharp, introspective storytelling down to an exact science at this point in his career. About the only surprise in the opening stretch of Cadillactica is "Pay Attention", a solid, radio-friendly anthem with a wildly catch hook from Rico Love. "Pay Attention" marks the only time on all of Cadillactica where K.R.I.T departs from his usual bag of tricks with any level of success   

After album standout "King of the South", K.R.I.T. delves into experimental mode for the second half of the album, and the results are mostly underwhelming. A majority of these tracks see K.R.I.T. trying to appeal to the R&B crowd ,and it's just not a natural fit for him. "Do You Love Me" and "Third Eye" are grand-scale misfires that sound like rejected Chris Brown or Ne-Yo songs while "Angels" wastes a gorgeous beat from Terrace Martin on a song with a hook so sickeningly corny that it almost led me to puke on my keyboard. The swagger and natural confidence K.R.I.T. possesses on the earlier tracks is replaced with an overpowering aura of awkwardness and lack of aplomb in his rhymes. K.R.I.T quite simply doesn't have the vulnerable demeanor or singing capabilities to pull off these pure pop and R&B tracks. K.R.I.T. is an artist with a well-established comfort zone and when he leaves it, he pretty much always falters.

In typical K.R.I.T. fashion, there's also a number of awful guest spots to drag the down the overall quality of the music. E-40 and Wiz Khalifia each drop predictably bland verses on "Mind Control" that basically kill the song before it gets a chance to get going. At least "Mind Control" was DOA from the start, "Mo Better Cool" starts off strong with a top-notch verse from K.R.I.T., only to come to a screeching halt when Bun B and Big Sant finish up the song with a pair of atrocious verses. Bun B and Big Sant are typically pretty decent, it's just that their contributions here come off as rushed and lack any semblance of the fire K.R.I.T.'s verse has. K.R.I.T. has struggled with weak guest spots his entire career, and it's easily the number one issue he needs to address on his next project.

Cadillactica is another solid yet incredibly frustrating album from Big K.R.I.T. While there's plenty of moments of brilliance on the first half and tail-end of the record, there's an abundance of average-to-bad tracks along the way that drag down the overall quality substantially . If K.R.I.T. cut out the filler, Cadillactica would without question be amongst the strongest hip-hop releases of 2014. K.R.I.T. is a very talented artist whose shown flashes of serious potential throughout his career, but until he makes a more consistent album, he won't come close to touching modern hip-hop's elite artists.

3.5/5 Stars
Standout Tracks
1.King of the South
2.My Sub Pt. 3 (Bang Bang)
3.Cadillactica

2014 Week 15 Fantasy Football Winners and Losers

Quarterback
MVP: Drew Brees (Saints)
Drew Brees nicely recovered from a terrible outing against the Panthers in Week 14 by eviscerating the Bears under the bright lights of Monday Night Football this week. Brees caught fire out of the gate and didn't let up as he finished the night with 375 yards and 3 TD's. Brees has bucked his typical trend of being a quarterback that can only perform on his home turf, as his numbers away from the Superdome have been better (16 TD's, 5 INT's) than his numbers at the Superdome (15 TD's, 7 INT's) this season. While Brees has without question had a down year in 2014, he's still a great QB to have in fantasy. Brees is a very strong start in championship week for most fantasy leagues, as he faces a Falcons secondary that has been getting progressively worse as the season goes on.
Honorable Mentions: Eli Manning (Giants), Alex Smith (Chiefs), Matt Ryan (Falcons)

LVP: Aaron Rodgers (Packers)
Aaron Rodgers may have had a brutal matchup against the Bills this week, but having a career-worst day in the midst of the fantasy playoffs is more than enough to earn worst fantasy quarterback of the week honors. Rodgers was uncharacteristically sloppy on Sunday afternoon, as the Bills stout front consistently applied pressure and their underrated secondary was able to keep Randall Cobb and Jordy Nelson mostly in check. Rodgers finished the day completing just 17 of his 42 passes for 185 yards, 2 INT's and a late fumble that ended in a safety that clinched the game for the Bills. With the lowly Buccaneers next up on the schedule, there's no doubt in my mind that Rodgers is going to come out pissed-off, focused and eager to make everyone quickly forget about his career-worst performance.
Dishonorable Mentions: Mark Sanchez (Eagles), Phillip Rivers (Chargers), Peyton Manning (Broncos)

Running Back
MVP: Jeremy Hill (Bengals)
Revenge was on the mind of Jeremy Hill this week as the Bengals traveled to Cleveland to face a Browns squad that held to him just 55 yards and forced him to lose an embarrassing fumble in their first matchup this season. Hill successfully got his revenge as he ripped up the Browns for 148 yards and 2 TD's on Sunday afternoon. Hill now appears to be locked in as the Bengals feature back, and he'll be a decent start this week against a good but not invincible Broncos run D.   
Honorable Mentions: Le'Veon Bell (Steelers), DeMarco Murray (Cowboys), Knile Davis (Chiefs)

LVP: Justin Forsett (Ravens)
2014's surprise fantasy stud of the year, Justin Forsett, put up a rare weak outing this week against the Jaguars- who he played for in 2013. Forsett got 16 carries for just 48 yards on the typically weak Jaguars rush defense. Forsett is a bit banged-up right now with ankle and knee ailments, but he should be in-line for a bounceback game against the Texans, another one of his former teams, in Week 16 barring any medical setbacks.
Dishonorable Mentions: Isaiah Crowell (Browns), Jammal Charles (Chiefs), Alfred Morris (Redskins)

Wide Receiver
MVP: Odell Beckham Jr. (Giants)
Can Odell Beckham Jr. be stopped right now? Beckham Jr. put up yet another week of video game numbers as he ruined the Redskins awful secondary for 143 yards and 3 TD's on 12 receptions. Beckham Jr. has already proven that he's a legit WR1 over the first 10 games of his career. With his streak of 7 straight games with at least 90 yards receiving and the fact that he's basically alone in the Giants receiving corps at the moment, he's about as strong of a fantasy start as you can have going into championship week. 
Honorable Mentions: Dez Bryant (Cowboys), Demaryius Thomas (Broncos), Mike Wallace (Dolphins)

LVP: T.Y. Hilton (Colts)
Andrew Luck had a relatively quiet outing on Sunday against the Texans and no one was held back by that more than top wideout T.Y. Hilton. After a strong first drive where he caught 3 passes, Hilton practically disappeared as he finished the afternoon with 50 yards on just 4 receptions. Hilton is still the uncontested number 1 wideout on the Colts and he should be able to get back to his top-flight WR1 status this week against a middling Cowboys secondary. 
Dishonorable Mentions: Calvin Johnson (Lions), Jordy Nelson (Bills), A.J. Green (Bengals)

Tight End
MVP: Rob Gronkowski (Patriots)
Only someone of Rob Gronkowski's caliber can go the entire first half without a reception and still destroy a team. Gronkowski made the most of his 3 receptions (his lowest total since the Patriots horrific loss to the Chiefs in Week 4), picking up 99 yards and a touchdown as the Patriots throttled the Dolphins on Sunday. Gronkowski has been in kill mode since early October and unless something very bizarre happens, that won't change this week as the Patriots face the Jets- who are one of the strongest matchups for a TE in the league.
Honorable Mentions: Owen Daniels (Ravens), Antonio Gates (Chargers), Greg Olsen (Panthers)

LVP: Larry Donnell (Giants)
Larry Donnell was unable to recapture any of the magic of his 3 TD outburst in Week 4 in the Giants second meeting with the Redskins in Week 15. Donnell picked up a mere 11 yards on his only 2 targets of the day. Donnell continues to be wholly unreliable down the stretch, and is only worth a YOLO start against the Rams this week.
Dishonorable Mentions: Jordan Reed (Redskins), Jared Cook (Rams), Jordan Cameron (Browns)

Defense
MVP: Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens became the latest defense to manhandle the Jaguars in Week 15, as they posted 8 sacks, an interception, a blocked punt and a touchdown. The Ravens have quietly been one of the best fantasy defenses this season thanks to their excellent pass rush (45 sacks, which ranks only behind the Eagles and the Bills for best in the league) and respectable number of takeaways (19). They should be a quality start this week as they face a Texans squad, who will be starting either Thad Lewis or Case Keenum at quarterback.
Honorable Mentions: New England Patriots, Buffalo Bills, Cincinnati Bengals

LVP: Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles were unable to recreate any of the magic they had 2 weeks ago in Dallas when the Cowboys traveled to Philadelphia this week. The Eagles allowed 38 points and finished with just 3 sacks and a fumble recovery in Sunday's night disheartening loss at the hands of the Cowboys. The Eagles have a strong chance at redeeming themselves this week as they face the wildly inept, turnover-prone offense of the Redskins. 
Dishonorable Mentions: Minnesota Vikings, Green Bay Packers, St. Louis Rams   

Concert Review: The Ghost Inside/Every Time I Die-- Boston, MA-- December 11th, 2014

When it comes to modern hardcore/metalcore, there are few bands that have as much clout as Los Angeles' The Ghost Inside and Buffalo's Every Time I Die. These heavyweights brought their co-headlining tour to the Paradise Rock Club in Boston, Massachusetts on Thursday night and showed an almost sold-out crowd exactly why they've risen to the top of the crowded metal/hardcore scene.

After a delayed start due to the doors opening an hour late, Backtrack came on to kick things off at 6:30. I'd heard nothing but great things about these guys over the past few years, so I was excited to get the chance to finally check them out. After seeing them, I can honestly say that I'm confused where all the hype for this band came from. Backtrack plays the same aggressive, relentless beatdown hardcore that countless other bands play with none of the personality that's needed to make it work. More than any other genre in metal, hardcore lives and dies by the vocalist and Backtrack frontman James Vitalo just doesn't cut it. While he certainly has the energy to be a hardcore frontman, his vocals are below-average at best and his stage presence is obnoxiously over-the-top with faux-macho bullshit. It must be noted that I was definitely an outlier for Backtrack. The hxC bros in attendance were going crazy throughout their set and flocked to the pit in droves to show off their sweet spin-kicks and two-stepping moves. Backtrack isn't a completely worthless band, there's just a ton of others bands that do the exact same thing much better than them.

Hundredth hit the stage next. Their combination of melodic and traditional hardcore fit the bill perfectly as they bare a striking musical resemblance to the show's co-headliner The Ghost Inside. Their 30-minute set pretty much flew by as they tore through a mix of songs from their 2011 LP Let Go and pair of recent EP's Revolt and Resist at a brisk pace with practically no breaks. These guys are easily one of the top up-and-comers in the genre and based on the reception they got here, people seem to have finally taken notice. Hundredth set the tone for the rest of the show with a consistently fun, high-energy set, and I look forward to (hopefully) seeing these guys again on Warped Tour this summer.

Britain's latest highly popular metalcore export, the Architects, were due up next. I'm not going to lie, I was dreading their set. The first time I saw the Architects all the way back in July 2010 on The Cool Tour with As I Lay Dying, Between the Buried and Me and Underoath, they put on one of the absolute worst performances I've ever seen. They were so mind-numbingly dull and repetitive that they made the lifeless, sloppy set the Cancer Bats played directly before them seem triumphant. I don't know if it was because my expectations were so low or they've just grown as a band over the past four and a half years, but I can honestly say the Architects weren't bad. Actually, they were pretty damn good. Their music still has basically no variation and Sam Carter's clean vocals need some serious work, but the nice groove of their songs, respectable screams from Carter and towering stage presence made their set relatively enjoyable to watch. The quality of their performance was only aided by the explosive reception they got from the crowd. Though they weren't headlining, you would have never of known that based on the audience reception. Their fans were every bit as present and passionate as those in the room for The Ghost Inside and Every Time as they sang along to every song (every time Carter held out the mic for people to finish a lyric, more than half the room would scream it back at him) and turned the floor into a warzone for the duration of the set. While there's certainly still some major flaws in their music, the Architects are much a more formidable band than I previously thought they were. I'll never be a big fan of theirs, but I have to give them a lot of credit for transforming from an embarrassingly awful live band to a pretty solid one.

Every Time I Die had the honor of being the first of the co-headliners to play last night (this is a true co-headlining tour as ETID and The Ghost Inside are rotating who closes the show each night) and per usual, they flat-out destroyed. Their hour-long set perfectly showcased the band at their crushingly heavy yet fun as hell best. As expected, the band played a ton of material from their new album From Parts Unknown. From Parts Unknown is easily the heaviest album they've put out in over a decade and the raw, gritty nature of these tracks really come alive live. "The Great Secret" and "Idiot" can go toe-to-toe with anything from Hot Damn! for the title of heaviest song in their catalog, "Decayin' with the Boys" is just an absolute blast and "Moor" was a stirring and appropriately hard-hitting closer that served as the finest moment of the entire set. The older selections were solid as well as set staples "We'rewolf", "Bored Stiff" and "The New Black" remain some of my favorite songs to hear in a live setting. They even sprinkled in some deeper old cuts ("Roman Holiday", "Cities and Years" and best of all, "Champing at the Bit" ) alongside their more well-known tracks, which was a nice and unexpected touch. Of course, it wouldn't be an Every Time I Die show without random, hilarious riffings from vocalist Keith Buckley. Buckley dumped on the hometown Bruins (being from Buffalo, he's a huge Sabres fan) and dropped a ton of deadpan jokes before starting a song ("If you have a head bang it". "If you don't, borrow one from someone else. he told the crowd before "No Son of Mine"). Buckley is clearly having a great time performing and his lighthearted stage demeanor makes their shows that much more enjoyable. Every Time I Die is one of the finest live acts in all of metal right now. The whole band sounds phenomenal and they put 200% into every single performance. If you're a metalcore fan and you haven't seen these guys live, you need to remedy that the next time they play in your area.

The Ghost Inside closed out the evening. In typical Ghost Inside fashion, they lit the room on fire with an immensely passionate and energetic performance. This was the first time I'd seen them outside of a festival setting (the previous two times I'd seen them was at Warped, while the first time was at New England Metal and Hardcore Festival) and this was the easily best performance I've seen out of them to-date. The Ghost Inside's melodic-tinged hardcore really thrives in a club setting. Vocalist Jonathan Vigil is an ace at working the crowd and has the genuine emotional edge and vocal capabilities that are needed to succeed in this genre. The music perfectly supports Vigil's spirited presence, with perfectly timed breakdowns and soaring melodic riffs that maximize the band's emotional impact. Their setlist focused heavily on 2012 album Get What You Give, which isn't exactly surprising given the fact that it was their breakout album and they have a tendency to not play (their newest record Dear Youth was just released in November) a lot of material off their newest record directly after it's released. Tracks like"Dark Horse", "Outlive" and "Engine 45" were amazing as always, but hearing the emotionally-charged "White Light"-which is dedicated to vocalist Jonathan Vigil's late brother- for the first time live was awesome and it ended up being the finest moment of the set. My only complaint for their set was the general lack of new material in the set. Dear Youth is a pretty great record and it deserved way more recognition in the set than it got (they played a mere three songs from it during this 12-song, nearly hour-long set). The Ghost Inside's success is more than warranted, and their live shows are only getting better as time goes on. Every generation has its great hardcore band and The Ghost Inside very well could be the torchbearers for their generation.

Scores:
Backtrack 6/10
Hundredth 7.5/10
Architects 7/10
Evey Time I Die 9/10
The Ghost Inside 8.5/10

Setlists:
Hundredth:
Carry On
Free Mind/Open Spirit
Shelter
Live Today
Retain & Sustain
Weathered Town
Soul

Every Time I Die:
Thirst
Decayin' With the Boys
Ebolarama
The Great Secret
Underwater Bimbos from Outer Space
Pelican of the Desert
Bored Stiff
Wanderlust
Champing at the Bit
The New Black
Cities and Years
Floater
Roman Holiday
The Marvelous Slut
Idiot
No Son of Mine
We'rewolf
Moor

The Ghost Inside:
Avalanche
Unspoken
The Great Unknown
Between the Lines
Faith or Forgiveness
Dark Horse
Out of Control
This is What I Know About Sacrifice
Outlive
Thirty Three
White Light

Encore:
Dear Youth (Day 52)
Engine 45 

2014 Week 14 Fantasy Football Winners and Losers

Quarterback
MVP: Cam Newton (Panthers)
Where the hell has this Cam Newton been? Newton has had a miserable 2014 campaign thanks to playing through a laundry list of injuries and having one of the worst offensive lines in the league tasked with protecting him. Against all odds, Newton broke out this week and showed everyone what is he capable of doing when he's given a chance to make plays. Newton was a menace through the air on the ground, accumulating 309 total yards (226 passing, 83 rushing) and 4 total TD's (3 passing, 1 rushing) in the Panthers epic beatdown of the Saints on Sunday afternoon. Newton's mostly horrid performances this year make him hard to trust, but owners can take solace in the fact that Newton has another relatively favorable matchup next on the schedule, as the Buccaneers travel to Carolina this week.
Honorable Mentions: Matt Ryan (Falcons), Russell Wilson (Seahawks), Ben Roethlisberger (Steelers)

LVP: Peyton Manning (Broncos)
Well I don't think anyone saw this coming. Manning's streak of 51 consecutive straight games with a touchdown pass came to a close this week as the Broncos faced a stingy Bills defense. Manning threw the ball just 20 (completing 14 passes) times for 173 yards and got picked off twice, as the Broncos once again heavily leaned on the running game to pick up a victory. Manning has faced basically every elite defense in the NFL over the past month, so you can't really fault him for not putting up his typical inhuman numbers of late. Manning gets a bit of a reprieve this week against a decent, but not particularly scary Chargers defense, so you should except a solid performance at the very least out of him.
Dishonorable Mentions: Ryan Tannehill (Dolphins), Colin Kaepernick (49ers), Phillip Rivers (Chargers)

Running Back
MVP: Le'Veon Bell (Steelers)
Anyone still doubting the legitimacy of Le'Veon Bell as a running back should finally be silenced after this week. Bell became the first running back since Walter Payton to pick up 200+ yards from scrimmage in 3 consecutive games, as he trounced the Bengals defense on Sunday. Bell ran 26 times for 185 yards and 2 touchdowns and added another 60 yards and a touchdown on 5 receptions. Bell is an absolute freak that can do anything that's asked of him on the field. Bell faces the lowly Falcons run D in Week 15, so another monster performance could very well be in the cards.
Honorable Mentions: DeMarco Murray (Cowboys), Joique Bell (Lions), C.J. Anderson (Broncos)

LVP: Mark Ingram (Saints)
It was an embarrassing afternoon for everyone on the Saints, as the Panthers came into the Super Dome and manhandled the Saints 41-10. On the offensive side of the ball, no one looked worse than Mark Ingram. Ingram-who gassed the Panthers for 100 yards and 2 TD's in their previous meeting- was held to just 43 yards and fumbled this time around. Ingram has looked solid for most of the year, but he's also put up a fair amount of stinkers. Ingram faces the relatively solid Bears run defense in Week 15, so its far from a guarantee that he bounces back.
Dishonorable Mentions: Alfred Morris (Redskins), LeSean McCoy (Eagles), Tre Mason (Rams)

Wide Receiver
MVP: Julio Jones (Falcons)
When Julio Jones is on, he's as good as any wideout in the league. For the second straight week, Jones set a career-high in receiving yards in a game, as he decimated the Packers secondary for 259 yards and a touchdown on Monday night.Unfortunately for his fantasy owners, Jones exited the game in the 4th quarter with a hip injury and his status is currently unknown. If Jones is good to go, he has arguably the best schedule of any WR for the last 3 weeks of the season as the Falcons face the Steelers, Saints and Panthers. I can speak for Jones owners everywhere, having him not be available for these matchups would be devastating. In the case the Jones misses time or god forbid, the rest of the season, you need to race to the waiver wire and put in a claim for Harry Douglas if he's available in your league.
Honorable Mentions: A.J. Green (Bengals), T.Y. Hilton (Colts), Jordy Nelson (Packers)

LVP: Demaryius Thomas (Broncos)
The Demaryius Thomas double-digit fantasy point streak is over. For the first time since the Broncos returned from bye in Week 5, Thomas had a garbage fantasy outing on Sunday against the Bills. Between Peyton Manning's performance and going up against the Bills highly underrated top corner Stephon Gilmore, Thomas just didn't have a lot of chances to produce this week. Thomas faces a Chargers secondary this week that he torched for 105 yards earlier this season, so as long as Manning can be effective, Thomas should be able to return to form.
Dishonorable Mentions: Randall Cobb (Packers), Josh Gordon (Browns), Mike Wallace (Dolphins)

Tight End
MVP: Jared Cook (Rams)
Another week, another random tight end ends up being the top fantasy play of the week. The typically silent Jared Cook had his best game of the year in Week 14, picking up 61 yards and 2 TD's against the Redskins on Sunday afternoon. Cook is far too inconsistent to expect good numbers from every week, but he's worth a start for desperate owners this week, as he faces a Cardinals team that he scored on in their first matchup and continues to struggle against tight ends.
Honorable Mentions: Mychal Rivera (Raiders), Rob Gronkowski (Patriots), Martellus Bennett (Bears)

LVP: Kyle Rudolph (Vikings)
Remember all the talk of Kyle Rudolph being a huge factor for the Vikings offense once he returned from injury? Well, that hasn't exactly happened so far. Rudolph picked up just 9 yards on 2 receptions in Sunday's contest with the Jets, who have been awful against tight ends all season long. With Teddy Bridgewater at the helm, this offense is extremely limited in the passing game, and owning a Vikings receiver is just not a wise choice at this point in time.
Dishonorable Mentions: Delanie Walker (Titans), Antonio Gates (Chargers), Jimmy Graham (Saints)

Defense
MVP: St. Louis Rams
The Rams defense continued their return to dominant form in Week 14 as they suffocated the trainwreck otherwise known as the Redskins. The Rams picked up their second straight shutout, and registered 7 sacks, 2 INT's and a kick return touchdown on the afternoon. The sledding gets tougher this week against the Cardinals, but with the way they're playing right now, you just can't bench them.
Honorable Mentions: New York Giants, Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions

LVP: San Francisco 49ers
The rapid demise of the 49ers hasn't been more evident than it was this week, as they got their asses kicked by the Raiders, who were coming off of a laughable 52-0 loss against the Rams a week ago. The 49ers defense, which has been the backbone of this squad this season, couldn't bail out their limp offense this week as they allowed 24 points, got only a single sack and failed to get a turnover against their Bay Area "rivals". The 49ers are traveling to Seattle this week to face the Seahawks, so don't even think about starting their defense (or anyone else on the team for that matter.)
Dishonorable Mentions: Cincinnati Bengals, Chicago Bears,  Miami Dolphins