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1.
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Insomnium - Argent Moon
(9.00) [melodeath] Usual fantastic output by Insomnium. Haven't listened to them in a while so this was a nice surprise. |
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2.
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Between The Buried And Me - Colors II
(8.33) [progressive metalcore] I love the continuity between songs. As someone new to the band, this makes me want to go through their other albums. Excellent album. |
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3.
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Musk Ox - Inheritance
(8.20) [chamber folk] Everything about this, from the cover to the melancholic music, is spectacular. Fills that same cello-based post-music as Industries Of The Blind. |
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4.
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Tacoma Narrows Bridge Disaster - The World Inside
(8.17) [post-metal] Great album showing the heavier side of post-rock. |
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5.
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Year Of No Light - Consolamentum
(8.10) [atmospheric sludge] Excellent atmosphere and continual buildup throughout. |
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6.
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Nightlife - New Low
(8.00) [r&b/djent] I'm all about this blend. The big and loud meshes so well with the groove and rhythm. |
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7.
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Mono - Pilgrimage Of The Soul
(7.89) [post-rock] Another band I haven't listened to in forever releases another reason to get back into them. |
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8.
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Lesotho - Summer Wars
(7.88) [post-rock] Solid first EP for post-rockers in the mold of Tacoma Narrows Bridge Disaster and The End Of The Ocean. |
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9.
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Unto Others - Strength
(7.84) [heavy metal/gothic] An excellent follow up to Mana, if somewhat linear in scope. But in this case, consistency is far more important. |
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10.
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Iron Maiden - Senjutsu
(7.80) [heavy metal] The lengthy album doesn't overstay its welcome and continually introduces new things to keep it interesting. |
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11.
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Bokassa - Molotov Rocktail
(7.66) [stoner rock/hardcore] The blend of stoner and hardcore is so well done here. It's surprisingly accessible and just a great vibe throughout. |
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12.
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Halsey - If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power
(7.63) [pop/alternative] Trent Reznor's style is all over this. Halsey's lyrics blend really well with the industrial tone. Great example of how industrial and pop can mesh well. |
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13.
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Unreqvited - Beautiful Ghosts
(7.50) [post-metal/atmospheric black/depressive black] Much like Violet Cold and Lights And Motion, Unreqvited builds great atmosphere. Not as consistent as I'd like it, though. |
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14.
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Black Flak And The Nightmare Fighters - Ad Meliora
(7.50) [post-rock] I like the inclusion of singing and makes a more engaging album than their last one. Excellent balance and great meandering post-rock. |
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15.
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Spiritbox - Eternal Blue
(7.50) [progressive/djent/metalcore] Great vocals and cadence set this apart. Music, minus interesting electronics, not so much. |
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16.
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The Bronx - Bronx VI
(7.50) [alternative/punk] Enjoyable blast of high-energy punk rock. |
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17.
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At The Gates - The Nightmare Of Being
(7.50) [gothenburg] There's a lot of great nuanced textures to the sound but the vocals feel muffled. Great release regardless. |
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18.
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Act Of Denial - Negative
(7.40) [melodeath] Fine melodeath. I am disappointed that, even with Steve DiGiorgio on bass, the low end isn't prominent or interesting. |
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19.
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Chvrches - Screen Violence
(7.35) [synth-pop] Enjoyable, easy listening. |
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20.
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Dok Wol - Avenoir
(7.33) [djent/intrumental prog] Engaging and well-rounded. Definitely fills that instrumental post-rock vibe for me. |
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21.
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Deafheaven - Infinite Granite
(7.31) [atmospheric black/post-metal/shoegaze] Was not expecting their sound to change to much. It didn't quite nail the change for me. |
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22.
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Rivers Of Nihil - The Work
(7.30) [techdeath] The variation and blend of sounds is welcome, though I wasn't into some of the unnecessaryily lengthy outros. |
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23.
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Alien Weaponry - Tangaroa
(7.29) [groove thrash] Songs play themselves out quicker than they are over, nor does the production help, which sounds a bit empty on the quieter moments. |
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24.
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Leprous - Aphelion
(7.28) [progressive metal] Complex, if not quite my thing. Definitely fills that Pain Of Salvation vibe for me, so maybe a few more listens to get it. |
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25.
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Anette Olzon - Strong
(7.27) [aor/heavy metal] I always liked her work with Nightwish, and it's nice to see Anette releasing a new solo project. |
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26.
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Powerwolf - Call Of The Wild
(7.23) [power] I much prefer this bassier approach to power metal. |
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27.
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Burial In The Sky - The Consumed Self
(7.23) [tech-death] Excellent tech-deathThe sax element here is really understated and removes that uniqueness. |
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28.
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Born Of Osiris - Angel Or Alien
(7.23) [progressive deathcore] Excellent use of electronics but often under-utilized. |
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29.
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LLNN - Unmaker
(7.18) [post-metal] Heavy, abrasive, and dynamic. Really surprised how well-rounded it is given the similar speed throughout. |
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30.
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Wolves In The Throne Room - Primordial Arcana
(7.18) [atmospheric black] As an introduction to WITTR, it's underwhelming. Doesn't really intrigue me or make me want to listen to their older albums. |
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31.
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King Woman - Celestial Blues
(7.17) [doom/post-metal] Minimalist music and barely whispered lyrics. Should be annoying but works well here. |
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32.
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Seven Spires - Gods Of Debauchery
(7.16) [symphonic] The vocalist is extremely talented, but some lackluster songwriting choices and unnecessary length detract from this being an outstanding album. The Roy Khan feature was a nice surprise. |
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33.
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Wormwood - Arkivet
(7.14) [melodic black/atmospheric black] Haunting melodies with a provocative atmosphere. |
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34.
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Chiliasm - Flesh Over Finite
(7.13) [neoclassical/techdeath] Incredible display of skill, though that does sacrifice other elements. Loved the fretless bass work. |
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35.
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Chiiild - Hope For Sale
(7.10) [experimental soul] Nice variety of electronic soundscapes to make a really chill vibe. |
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36.
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Trna - Istok
(7.08) [atmospheric black/post-metal] Reminds me a lot of Audrey Fall. There's a decent balance between the airy post-rock moments and the more focused, punchy elements here. |
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37.
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Nas - King's Disease II
(7.07) [hip-hop] Solid album from a hip-hop legend, and with a Lauryn Hill feature to boot. |
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38.
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Tremonti - Marching In Time
(7.02) [heavy metal] Not as memorable as what he does with Alter Bridge, but solid work. Never knew he had such a great voice. |
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39.
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Homeboy Sandman - Anjelitu
(7.00) [experimental hip-hop] Bizarre beats and insane flow make this short EP fly by. |
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40.
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Jinjer - Wallflowers
(7.00) [progressive metalcore] Vicious growls and punishing music sadly punctuated by iffy cleans and unremarkable riffs. |
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41.
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Wizardthrone - Hypercube Necrodimensions
(7.00) [meldodeath/symphonic black] A sarcastic album but one that does more to hurt itself than anything else. Fun for a spin, and definitely my threshold for good/meh albums. |
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42.
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Imprisoned - Nerve
(7.00) [hardcore/death] It nails the Machine Head and Hatebreed vibes but interrupts itself with needless spoken elements. |
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43.
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Andrew W.K. - God Is Partying
(6.98) [hard rock/alternative] I found myself really into it at first, but slowly annoyed at some the repetative and samey qualities of the songs. |
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44.
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Osi And The Jupiter - Stave
(6.95) [atmospheric folk/neofolk] Immediate impressions of Wardruna without the chanting and a distinct Midwest/Old West feeling. Great atmosphere woven throughout but shines when it's solely instrumental. |
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45.
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Walking Across Jupiter - Talk
(6.93) [post-rock/djent] The music is well executed but overall largely jarring due to the spoken tracks. |
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46.
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Lord Of The Lost - Judas
(6.92) [gothic/industrial] Basically like going to see a musical at the theatre. |
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47.
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Loch Vostok - Opus Ferox - The Great Escape
(6.85) [extreme prog/melodeath] Great riffs but wore out its welcome after the first third. |
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48.
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Thief - The 16 Deaths Of My Master
(6.84) [industrial/darkwave] Botanist side-project with early NIN aspects. The length feels unnecessary, and several songs devolve into edge-lord territory. What works, works really well though, and generally makes a good listen. |
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49.
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Ranges - Cardinal Winds
(6.83) [instrumental post-rock] Really fanastic post-rock from veteran performers, sadly broken up by unnecessary short tracks. |
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50.
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Tones And I - Welcome To The Madhouse
(6.79) [pop] Typical modern pop/electronic blend, but has a snappy production that serves it well. |
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51.
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Lantlôs - Wildhund
(6.77) [atmospheric black/post-rock] The electronics feel haphazardly inserted, sometimes on point, sometimes not. Not my flavor of post-rock. |
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52.
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Wavves - Hideaway
(6.61) [surf rock] A chill and laid back experience. |
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53.
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Seether - The Wasteland - The Purgatory
(6.50) [alternative] If you've listened to one Seether album, you've listened to this one. |
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54.
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Times Of Grace - Songs Of Loss And Separation
(6.43) [melodic metalcore] Nothing stands out here. Each song feels repetative of each other and is a slog to listen to. |
