Honorable Mentions (in alphabetical order):
Flatbush Zombies-Vacation in Hell
Future-BEASTMODE2
Monuments-Phronesis
Skeletonwitch-Devouring Radiant Light
Unearth-Extinction(s)
20.Night Verses-From the Gallery of Sleep:
Not only did the departure of vocalist Douglas Robinson lead Night Verses back to their instrumental roots on their third LP From the Gallery of Sleep, it also led to a sound change that turned their previously impressive musical attack into a god damn lethal force of nature. Swapping out the more melodic post-hardcore style they favored in the past for a flashier progressive metal/math rock-driven sound allowed them to tighten up their songwriting while also providing a long overdue showcase for the impressive technical chops of guitarist Nick DePirro, bassist Reilly Herrera and drummer Aric Importa that weren't always prevalent when Robinson's powerful voice was at the forefront of their music.
Standout Tracks: 1.Vantablonde 2.No Moon 3.Phoenix IV: Levitation
19.Coheed and Cambria-Unheavenly Creatures:
After a noble but ultimately misguided experiment with a stripped-down pop rock sound and introspective lyrics on 2015's The Color Before the Sun, Coheed and Cambria returned to their gleefully cheesy prog sound with quite a bit of success here. That time away from the world of complex sci-fi sagas allowed them to regain the irresistible catchiness and over the top theatrical scope that had inexplicably alluded them on their past couple of releases.
Standout Tracks: 1.The Dark Sentencer 2.The Gutter 3.Queen of the Dark
18.City Morgue-Vol 1: Hell or High Water
If this record had come out when I was 15, it probably would've changed my life. Hell or High Water bristles with the type of palpable rage, youthful energy and general griminess that was abundant in the prime era of nu-metal back in the late 90's/early 2000's. Combining this vintage metal aesthetic with more traditional modern trap rap sensibilities made this a unique, visceral rush that deeply resonated with my inner angst-ridden teenager.
Standout Tracks: 1.33rd Blakk Glass 2.Arson 3.Sk8 Head
17.Behemoth-I Loved You at Your Darkest:
Behemoth's return to the dark, atmospheric sound they established on their superb 2014 LP The Satanist may not be as immense as its predecessor, but it's still an engrossing ride that makes excellent use of the Polish extreme metal icons gift for crafting songs that combine striking sinister melodies with unfathomable ferocity.
Standout Tracks: 1.Ecclesia Diabolica Catholica 2.Sabbath Mater 3.Bartzabel
16.21 Savage-I Am>I Was:
21 Savage spent most of 2018 delivering quotable, spotlight-stealing verses on other people's records, so it's only fitting that he closed out his phenomenal year with a standout project of his own. This late December gem sees Savage branching out a bit with well-executed forays into the worlds of old-school gangster rap ("good day"), pop rap ("all my friends", "out for the night") and conscious hip hop ("a lot", "letter 2 my momma", "ball w/o you") that show off his maturation as a performer alongside a healthy dose of the deadpan melodic trap anthems he's been proficiently churning out since the days of The Slaughter Tape. With the impressive growth he's displayed since dropping Without Warning in late 2017, the Saint Laurent Don is now on the cusp of entering my trap Mount Rushmore.
Standout Tracks: 1.all my friends (feat. Post Malone) 2.1.5 (feat. Offset) 3.asmr
15.Vein-Errorzone:
The disbanding of The Dillinger Escape Plan has opened up a vacancy for the title of most chaotic band on the planet. On their crushing debut LP Errorzone, Boston's Vein makes a very compelling case for the crown. Their blend of mathcore spasticness, metalcore grooves and raw nu-metal aggression makes their brand of auditory fury a distinctly destructive delight that only gets more devastating on repeat listens.
Standout Tracks: 1.End Eternal 2.Broken Glass Complexion 3.Old Data in a Dead Machine
14.Inferi-Revenant:
It's finally time to honor the shameless tech death release that brought the most smiles to my dumb, guitar wank-obsessed face this past year. Thanks to a healthy dose of neo-classical strings, potent high screams and wailing solos that take up about 30% of the gaudy 57-minute runtime, Inferi's Revenant is a glorious assault on the senses that checked all of the necessary excess boxes and then some.
Standout Tracks: 1.Thy Menacing Gaze 2.Smolder in the Ash 3.Condemned Assailant
13.Rolo Tomassi-Time Will Die and Love Will Bury It:
Mathcore is defined by its sudden, often drastic tempo changes. That long-established definition doesn't seem like its apt enough to describe the kind of genre-shifting sorcery Rolo Tomassi engages in on nearly every song of this record. They go from wildly technical fits of seething rage to serene shoegaze and back again in as little as 15-20 seconds. Even as a longtime fan of this genre where unpredictability is the norm, I was very impressed by their ability to make such a drastic juxtaposition work so seamlessly over the course of an entire record. Really haunting and excellent stuff.
Standout Tracks: 1.Alma Mater 2.Whispers Among Us 3.Rituals
12.Metro Boomin-NOT ALL HEROES WEAR CAPES:
Roughly 6 months after announcing his "retirement" from the music industry via a vague Instagram post, star hip-hop producer Metro Boomin reemerged in early November with an outstanding solo LP that further solidified his place as one of the genre's most exciting figures. Making a diverse yet cohesive body of work with a revolving door of artists (11 in all) in front of the mic is a testament to Metro's strong vision and tremendous understanding of what his collaborator's strengths are as artists.
Standout Tracks: 1.10 Freaky Girls (feat. 21 Savage) 2.Space Cadet (feat. Gunna) 3.Dreamcatcher (feat. Swae Lee and Travis Scott)
11.Slugdge-Esoteric Malacology:
I'm glad we live in a world where a slug-themed band not only exists, but releases absolutely killer death metal. Esoteric Malacology served as my introduction to this British quartet and oh boy, what an introduction it was. This record comes together like a bountiful feast with enough dank riffs, off-kilter drum patterns and varied vocal choices to make fans of progressive-tinged technical death metal salivate, and leave worshipping the gastropod mollsuc gods that cooked it up.
Standout Tracks: 1.Transylvanian Fungus 2.The Spectral Burrows 3.War Squids
10.Playboi Carti-Die Lit:
Few projects could provide more extensive rant material for detractors of trap rap than Die Lit. Playboi Carti revels in mindless, hollow lyrics, has next-to-nothing in the way of technical ability and deploys ad-libs at a comically high rate. While he might lack the skill set of a traditional rapper, he is a fucking virtuoso in his polarizing little corner of the genre. Aided by his strong understanding of atmosphere and consistently brilliant psychedelic production primarily handled by longtime collaborator Pi'erre Bourne, Carti is able to create a hypnotic, deceptively catchy powerhouse that was as addictive as anything I heard in 2018.
Standout Tracks: 1.R.I.P. 2.Shoota (feat. Lil Uzi Vert) 3.Old Money
9.Between the Buried and Me-Automata I:
Since I'm a cynical jackass who is still trying to cope with the unfortunate fact that my other all time favorite band (Mastodon) has morphed into a mediocre ZZ TOP/Thin Lizzy clone over the past five years, I was very concerned that Between the Buried and Me was going to suffer a similar fate after they released the horrific diet Dream Theater record Coma Ecliptic back in 2015. Automata I provided a much-needed sigh of relief that these progressive metalcore vets hadn't lost their impeccable creative touch. It may not reach the dazzling heights of their finest works (Colors, The Great Misdirect, Parallax II: Future Sequence), but it brings back the sweeping tempo changes and bursts of earth-shattering heaviness that makes them such a standout act while also making much better utilization of the more traditional prog elements they started to embrace on Coma Ecliptic .
Standout Tracks: 1.Blot 2.Condemned to the Gallows 3.Yellow Eyes
8.Greyhaven-Empty Black:
Not since While She Sleeps have I come across an up-and-coming metalcore act that's as polished as Kentucky product Greyhaven. The fact they put out a debut record that's as full of vibrant energy, soaring earworm choruses and unwavering confidence in their craft as Empty Black is a huge testament to the rare talent they possess. I'm expecting big things from these guys moving forward and I hope I'll get the opportunity to see if their eyebrow-raising prowess translates to a stage at some point this year.
Standout Tracks: 1.Blemish 2.Mortality Rate 3.Ten Dogs/Red Heaven
7.Denzel Curry-TA13OO:
It may have taken a bit longer than expected, but Denzel Curry has finally parlayed his flashes of tremendous potential into consistent greatness on TA1300. In an era where hip-hop fans are constantly squabbling about "real" hip-hop vs. "mumble rap", TA1300 simultaneously serves as a perfect bridge between these two manufactured subsects of fandom and a pointed reminder that they aren't nearly as different as they're made out to be. Curry tackles a variety of different subjects (politics, fame, hip-hop's promotion of prescription drug use, being molested as a child, several other topics of lesser weight) over a diverse pallet of beats that range from soulful ("Black Balloons", "Cash Maniac") to overwhelmingly abrasive ("Vengeance", "Black Metal Terrorist") with the necessary tenacity, emotional transparency and delicate technical touch to ensure that this lofty balancing act never turns into a jarring mess.
Standout Tracks: 1.Black Balloons (feat. Twelve'len and GoldLink) 2.Vengeance (feat. JPEGMAFIA and ZilaKami) 3.Cash Maniac (feat. Nyyjerya)
6.Kali Uchis-Isolation:
There wasn't a ton of pop/R&B records that really impressed me this year. Sweetener, Be the Cowboy, Primal Heart, Lost & Found and High as Hope were all very enjoyable listens that achieved respectable landing spots on my full year-end countdown, but they were an additional highlight or two away from being truly special. The notable exception in this merely solid year was the long-delayed debut from Kali Uchis-who wastes absolutely no time establishing herself as one of the genre's brightest talents. Armed with a lush yet powerful voice and a vast array of influences (pop, R&B, reggaetón, hip-hop, soul, funk) that cohesively mesh together, Uchis is able to create a stirring collection of songs that is remarkably well-realized for an artist that only had a pair of self-released projects on her resume prior to this.
Standout Tracks: 1.Tyrant (feat. Jorja Smith) 2.Dead to Me 3.Your Teeth in My Neck
5.Dance Gavin Dance-Artificial Selection:
Older, wiser, cliché-disposing people have told me (and every other whippersnapper they come in contact with) on countless occasions that one of the keys to achieving happiness is being able to find enjoyment in the simple pleasures life offers up. One of mine is veteran post-hardcore act Dance Gavin Dance. They've been utilizing the same falsetto clean singing+sloppy yet charming screams+odd time signature guitarwork/drumming formula for 12 years now, but I'll be damned if their material isn't almost always absurdly catchy and incredibly well-written. Artificial Selection continues this long-running trend. In fact, it just might be their most varied, endearing and flat-out best effort to-date! Cheers to simple pleasures and stunningly consistent musical acts.
Standout Tracks: 1.Count Bassy 2.Suspended in this Disaster 3.Slouch
4.Between the Buried and Me-Automata II:
While Automata I served as a very encouraging sign, Automata II was the ultimate confirmation that these brilliant mad scientists trip to Pooptown USA was merely a short stay. The latter half of their separately-released double album is chock full of the stellar musicianship and invigorating unpredictability that made me such a huge fan of theirs in the first place. Fingers crossed that they don't head back down the fecal highway on their next record!!!
Standout Tracks: 1.Voice of Trespass 2.The Proverbial Bellow 3.The Grid
3.Revocation-The Outer Ones:
Considering the thrashier style extreme metal act Revocation deployed on their last record, 2016's Great is Our Sin, it only made sense for them to continue their tour of the subgenres that shaped who they are by following it up with a pure death metal release. Embracing a crushing, colossal sound that is reminiscent of the genre's forefathers beautifully plays to their strengths as a riff-driven band while also proving that they are capable of exceling at just about any heavy subgenre they feel like conquering at this point of their career. As far as I'm concerned, this is right alongside Deathless and Chaos of Forms in the conversation for their best record to-date.
Standout Tracks: 1.Blood Atonement 2.Fathomless Catacombs 3.Of Unworldly Origin
2.Travis Scott-ASTROWORLD:
As tired of a metaphor as it is, ASTROWORLD-which is a reference to a defunct Six Flags that was located just outside of Scott's hometown of Houston from 1968-2005- is best described as a musical amusement park. There's plenty of high-flying thrills ("STARGAZING", "NO BYSTANDERS"), trippy freak show detours ("SKELETONS", "STOP TRYING TO BE GOD") and even some adventures you didn't expect to embark on when you walked through the gates (minimalist psychedelic ballad "ASTROTHUNDER", infectious acoustic guitar-driven banger "YOSEMITE"). The rich detail of this vivid world Scott created is simply stunning to take in and it results in not only the most ambitious, exhilarating effort of his career thus far, but one of the finest hip-hop records of the decade.
Standout Tracks: 1.YOSEMITE (feat. Gunna and Nav) 2.ASTROTHUNDER 3.STOP TRYING TO BE GOD (feat. James Blake)
1.Rivers of Nihil-Where Owls Know My Name:
Rivers of Nihil's sophomore LP Monarchy was a borderline masterpiece that solidified their place as one of the most exciting young bands in metal. Where Owls Know My Name isn't just a natural progression from the immense promise they displayed on Monarchy, it's a monumental leap forward. The introduction of clean vocals and jazz fusion elements including the addition of a full-time saxophone player has injected their already sprawling progressive death metal sound with a grander sense of scale, emotional resonance and more complex melodies that perfectly complement the crushing simplicity of their heavier elements. This is a grand, awe-inspiring piece of work that quite frankly wasn't even close to being topped by anything else I heard in 2018.
Standout Tracks: 1.A Home 2.Hollow 3.Subtle Change (Including the Forest of Transition and Dissatisfaction Dance)
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