Best New Music of 2018

I respect your opinion but that list is just baffling for me... Worst AA album, 4th worst Metallica album, never heard of them, one of the worst "metal" bands I've ever heard and worst or 2nd worst DT album. Again, I respect your opinion :P

I have a few albums left to check out before I make my own list.
 
Night Prowler said:
I respect your opinion but that list is just baffling for me... Worst AA album, 4th worst Metallica album, never heard of them, one of the worst "metal" bands I've ever heard and worst or 2nd worst DT album. Again, I respect your opinion :p

I have a few albums left to check out before I make my own list.
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This is plucked from a relatively sparse list, to be fair. I don't shop around too much with regards to music and there weren't too many non thrash high profile releases that I'm aware of. This said:

- Amon Amarth: do you really think Jormsviking is worse than their first few albums? I did see a fair amount of dislike based on it being a little less harsh than usual but I don't necessarily think that's a bad thing.

- Metallica: I'm not about to argue with because I am not a Metallica fan. To hammer that point home, I have never listened to most of their 80s albums, though I know specific songs. But I enjoyed the album nonetheless.

- Dynazty: then listen to a song! :P worst that can happen is that it just continues to baffle you.

- Amaranthe: not surprised you hate it, lots do. Whether or not they fit under the spectrum of metal doesn't really matter too much though given that the thread didn't specify metal. They're here because I think they're a lot of fun, not necessarily because I think they're a very "good" band or however you say such things.

- DT: No, just no. :O
 
DJMayes said:
- Amon Amarth: do you really think Jormsviking is worse than their first few albums? I did see a fair amount of dislike based on it being a little less harsh than usual but I don't necessarily think that's a bad thing.
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I barely found anything memorable on Jomsviking, nothing really bad but nothing great either. Even though Deceiver has some pretty low lows, it has a few good highs too. Jomsviking is currently fighting it out with both Deceiver and Avenger for my 2nd worst AA album (Crusher being the worst). Once Sent is a great album for me.
 
Over the next week or so I will attempt to review every new album I've listened to this year. Don't expect the level of detail you'll get from Forostar though! I'll give my top 5 albums after I've reviewed them all.

I'll start with a couple before I go to bed tonight.

Megadeth - Dystopia
Overall this is a step up from 'Super Collider' which was a bit of a mess. However, there isn't anything that stands out on 'Dystopia' - it's a consistently average album, which is as good as we can expect from Dave these days. Obviously there's no use in expecting anything like 'Rust in Peace' anymore but there have been some songs on recent Megadeth albums such as 'Sleepwalker' and '44 Minutes' but I strongly suspect that Megadeth are now releasing albums because they're obliged to rather than because they have actually made good music. I guess 'Dystopia' starts out fairly strongly with 'The Threat is Real' and the title track but once one has reached the second half of the album there's nothing particularly interesting going on. Perhaps if Megadeth were less prolific at releasing albums they could have made one or two top quality albums made from the best ones from the last four but unfortunately they're just churning them out. Rating: 5/10 (distinctly average). Highlight: none.

Alter Bridge - The Last Hero
Not a band I was at all familiar with until the last couple of months, Alter Bridge have mostly been a band that I've known about because @Ariana keeps banging on about them. I'd heard a couple of their songs here and there and thought they were OK and that I'd maybe check them out properly but then never got round to it. I was told that 'The Last Hero' was a good album though and I thought "why not?" and then gave it a go on Spotify. I'm really happy I did this as it's a sold album. I guess Alter Bridge aren't doing anything outrageously different from other rock bands but they don't need to. 'The Last Hero' has big choruses, songs with good tempos and overall creates a good atmosphere. There are certainly some great stand-out tracks too, such as 'Show me a Leader', 'My Champion' and 'Poison in Your Veins' to name a few. A very enjoyable album and I will make a point of listening to their other albums as well. Rating: 8/10. Highlight: Poison in Your Veins.

Killswitch Engage - Incarnate
For the last few years I've lost interest in Killswitch a bit as I've grown out of my Metalcore phase into more mature, interesting music. It turned out that Metalcore wasn't that good anyway. Killswitch Engage were one of the bands who I listened to a lot of when I was a teenager and they were one of my first ever gigs when I was 16 (just under ten years ago and I haven't seen them since). I wasn't too bothered by their last two albums and after the last one I'd pretty much given up on them but when 'Incarnate' was released I'd already heard a couple of songs on Spotify and my interest in them was rekindled so I listened to the whole album and found out I loved it. They've definitely managed to find some of what they had ten years ago that caught my attention in the first place. Some of the impact from their early albums has returned and much of the soppiness which I felt marred the albums since 'Daylight Dies' has gone and been replaced by more aggression and attitude in their music. It's not like they've suddenly become a Thrash band overnight. 'Incarnate' is still a typical Killswitch Engage album and they've done what they've always done, but this time they've done it better than they'd been doing for the last ten years. It's good to call myself a fan again. Rating: 8/10. Highlight: Quiet Distress.
 
CriedWhenBrucieLeft said:
I'm really surprised & who liked that post. Ariana? Never...
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Perhaps I'll start listening to bloody Buckethead soon too...

More reviews...

Avantasia - Ghostlights
This album is the sequel to 'The Mystery of Time' from 2013. I don't pay much attention to the storyline on these sort of albums to be honest and just listen to the music. Tobias Sammet brought together another all-star line-up for 'Ghostlights', with Jorn Lande, Dee Snider, Michael Kiske and Sharon den Adel featuring in varying amounts throughout the album. 'Ghostlights' doesn't really do anything that hasn't been done before on Avantasia albums: it has an epic centrepiece in 'Let the Storm Descend Upon You', a soulful song with female vocals in 'Isle of Evermore' and a couple of short, upbeat songs to keep the record label happy in 'Mystery of a Blood Red Rose' and the title track. This is basically what one should expect from a Power Metal album anyway, and even if 'Ghostlights' doesn't do anything new it certainly does it well. 'Let the Storm Descend Upon You' is comparable to their earlier epics such as 'The Wicked Symphony' and 'The Scarecrow' and works really well with four different singers. 'Draconian Love' provides probably one of the strangest moments on the album with Herbie Langhans (Sinbreed) pairing up with Tobias Sammet. The combination of vocal styles is really odd (high and low) but it quickly grew on me and became one of my favourite songs on the album. It's a good album overall but some songs could be considered as filler although the best bits make it worth listening to. Rating: 7/10. Highlight: Let the Storm Descend Upon You.

The Amorettes - White Hot Heat
I hadn't heard of The Amorettes until shortly before Download Festival. They played the fourth stage on the first day (not when I was there) but having read on the Download website that they are an all-female trio from Falkirk (Scotland) I was curious to hear what they were like. They're basically a straightforward Rock band with no gimmicks and songs averaging about three-and-a-half minutes long. They've got swagger and attitude and they keep it simple. In October I saw them play in a pub in Islington (London) and the were great, bringing the attitude and swagger onto the stage, albeit a tiny stage. I'm looking forward to seeing how they progress and I recommend checking them out! Rating: 7/10. Highlight: White Russian Roulette.

Gojira - Magma
I know that 'Magma' might be something of a, er, divisive album among Gojira fans. I remember @Night Prowler was particularly angry about this album, comparing it to 'Load'. This comparison is, I think, somewhat unfair and a massive exaggeration. Gojira have taken a slightly different approach on 'Magma' and I think they should be applauded for trying something different. This doesn't seem like a change driven by money or fame but an attempt to bring something new to their music. This is not a huge change in style of the kind that In Flames and Avenged Sevenfold are guilty of. 'Magma' still sounds like a Gojira album and the riffs sound like the riffs Gojira have always used. They've used clean vocals more than I can remember them doing previously (or for the first time?) but that's hardly a crime is it? Well, perhaps it is if you only like Metal in its heaviest, darkest form. Is 'Magma' as good as previous Gojira albums? No, it's not, but I'm happy for them to continue experimenting with this but I'd like some of the aggression from 'L'Enfant Sauvage' to return in future albums as I felt that aspect of Gojira's sound was missing from 'Magma'. I don't think it's a brilliant album but it's not the catastrophe as some other may think. Rating: 6/10. Highlight: Only Pain.

Dream Theater - The Astonishing
This is such a bizarre album. Since I bought it I've struggled to focus on it and actually take anything away from it. It's just too long and I get bored listening to it. There are a few nice moments I suppose, notably the last two tracks of disc 1, but any stand-out moments are few and far between. James Labrie actually sounds pretty good on 'The Astonishing' and I'm sure it's really good musically, but there doesn't seem to be anything to focus on as the album is too long. Double albums seem to have become very popular among the big Metal bands now (hello Iron Maiden and Metallica). Sure, 'The Astonishing' does sound like Dream Theater, but it sounds like bits and pieces of Dream Theater that weren't good or interesting enough to make previous (better) albums. Perhaps in time I'll grow to appreciate 'The Astonishing' more but it's get to grab my attention. Astonishingly disappointing. Rating 4/10. Highlight: A New Beginning.
 
Black Wizard said:
They've used clean vocals more than I can remember them doing previously (or for the first time?) but that's hardly a crime is it?
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Off the top of my head, there's a clean vocal section in Oroborus so it's not the first time. How does newer Gojira compare to The Way of All Flesh, anyway? I remember loving that album.
 
I don't hear anything particularly new on that album, it's just an extremely stripped & watered down version of their previous albums.
 
I've never listened to Alter Bridge, but that guy that sings & plays guitar has nice hair. I'm sure their music is very good too...

In fact I know it is! Because Ariana tells me so.
 
CriedWhenBrucieLeft said:
Nice! :p

I've been listening to new stuff, for me; but not much actually released this year besides Buckethead. Bucket released 15 albums in the first three months of this year before going out on tour in April. He genuinely isn't all about shredding & guitar nonsense. If you've never listened to him, give one of these a listen. They're pretty atmospheric...
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As a follow-up to what I posted earlier in the year here's some further Buckethead albums that came out later in the year after he'd finished touring in September; first two are in the same vein as Buildor (posted previously); Attic Garden not so much...

Pike #235 Oneiric Pool (October)

Pike #237 The Five Blocks (November)

Pike #238 Attic Garden (November)


I posted this in another thread too, but this album is awesome; post-rock band from Russia called Artificial Waves...

Heavy. Deep. Sad. Ironic (September)
 
Awesome Buckethead albums @Cried. Attic Garden not as much but the others are totally in my street, also from your older post. I honestly didn't discover such good music in other pre-2016 recent Buckethead. Great to know he still has it.
 
It's not really like anything he's done in the past; he's definitely evolved in that direction over the last year or so. Attic Garden is totally different & kinda chaotic, but I'm started to quite like it. Still a solid release, just maybe not everyone's cup of tea. There's been quite a few half-dozen runs recently that have been stellar. In fact the run of 10 albums or so in late 2015 (after Halloween, Pike #208-218) is probably the strongest run of albums he's had in the entire Pikes series. They were all incredible.
 
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I'm curious. He has like 300 albums, how many of those have really memorable songs/moments that you replay often? And do you have all the albums rated somewhere to help you keep track?
 
Night Prowler said:
I'm curious. He has like 300 albums, how many of those have really memorable songs/moments that you replay often? And do you have all the albums rated somewhere to help you keep track?
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I rate every track on every album.

Speaking about his Pikes series only: The biggest problem is variation, quantity & format (& probably production too). The music is not all the same type of music. He's also released so much, so quickly that's it's pretty difficult for those grower albums to become albums you really like. There's albums from years back that I've returned to that are really, really good; but I literally only played them a couple of times when I bought them & moved on. I've stopped doing that now as I don't buy them as they come out any more; I wasn't really giving the albums enough time to sink in & I can't afford it. I buy them in bulk every time there's a $2 sale. And this is coming from a fan. It's pretty intimidating if you're just wanting to dip into his music for the first time. Also, the format means he tends to have Pikes where the whole album is in the same style/vein. This can make them hard to digest just playing them start-to-finish. The solution is to put him on shuffle! :ok:

I'd say there must be about a dozen albums that I have no real interest in revisiting that often. But there's more albums than I can count that I return to again & again. He's not really a "memorable song" kind of guy. For example Buildor mentioned above; two tracks, 30 minutes; but basically just one big track. Love it. Can't think of any other artist that could put out a 30-minute track that I could listen to start-to-finish multiple times. He doesn't always pull it off, but when he does it's truly the best instrumental guitar music I've ever heard.

He needs a filter though.
 
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I really want to be a Buckethead fan but I can't keep up. Even before the Pikes series it was difficult, now it's impossible. There are other prolific musicians I'm still wading through like Zappa and John Zorn.
 
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