Truly, Hostile Architecture being this low on the list speaks to the absolutely insane quality of the releases we saw this year. A weaker year would have seen this one at the top, but here we are all the same.

This album is undoubtedly a challenging one; pulling from so many genres and at times settling into an almost spoken word album in places, this is a dischordant, brutal, and explicitly political record that I would not be shocked to hear that many bounce right the fuck off of. However, ... read more

What can you say about this? It is criminally underheard, I say that only from looking at my extremely small circle of the internet, but jesus christ, this should be on everyone’s fucking lips and list this year. A truly stunning and beautiful album from start to finish that manages to combine peace and fury in a way that feels almost effortless.

It should be clear to everyone who listens that Besna are something special, and a band to have your eye on moving forward.

Experimental and explicitly political hip hop from the absolute fucking legends of Non Serviam. This side project from these folks is unreal, and manages to be among the best metal and hip hop albums I’ve heard this year. Honestly, the cross-over potential of metal and hip hop that you can find here and later on in the list really show how limiting a focus on genre expectations is.

Biollante manage to be unlike anything else and still have the accessible qualities that fans of both ... read more

Going back to an album isn’t something that I often have a ton of time to do with the glut of excellent music coming out this year, and any album that gets me to come back is well worth remarking on. That significant honour goes to the fellas from Winnipeg: KEN Mode. Null goes fucking hard and is not at all interested in wasting anyone’s time when it can misanthropically make you miserable instead. I have the phrase “I don’t believe that you mean well” permanently ... read more

Truly, the first time I heard this effort from Knoll, it bounced right off me. I don’t think I had yet come to properly appreciate grind in all of its glory, and so it wasn’t until my second run at Metempiric that I really understood why this ruled so fucking hard. Honestly, something about those fucking trumpets that hit so hard and so good in my brain that unlocked my now overwhelming love for grind music and avantgarde music.

An album as vicious as it is unique, this should be ... read more

Perhaps the nastiest piece of work that I’ve heard all year. Absolutely downright fucking filthy. If it’s not clear, those are absolutely my deepest compliments. Another explicitly political album for the pile, and the thing is just fucking nasty. Somehow a band that has made grind into sludge and I don’t understand how this alchemy was done but fuck me does it ever work.

The kind of album that makes you want o go out and flip cop cars. ACAB.

Any opportunity to put SNRK on people’s radar is an opportunity I will take. While this one may not rank as high in their discography as previous efforts, it is still a fucking bop and you should hear it. Indigenous hip-hop from up here in Canada, and these dudes are really popping off right now, so it’s time to catch the flight or whatever they say. Every song is a jam and shows of the unquestionable talent of SNRK so get on board.

Surprisingly, of all of the music on this list, Jakey‘s Romcom was my most anticipated album of the year without question. After some delays and things, I wondered if the album would be out this year but I’m sure fucking glad it is.

Now is it the transendent hip-hop album that I had maybe imagined it could be? No, of course not. Is it a jam and should you fucking listen to it right now? Yes. You should. Jakey is a really solid talent in indie hip-hop, and is also funny and seems to ... read more

A year of second chances for me, it would seem. Tyrannus is one of a few albums that made this list that I really wasn’t quite on board with the first time around. Thankfully, enough folks were talking about this that I needed to give it another go and fuck me if it doesn’t rule.

Some black thrash metal with Lovecraftian overtones are sure to tick some boxes for someone, and it really doesn’t get much better.

Also, honestly, that fucking cover is so good. Just look at it.

Gonemage is a beautiful rabbit hole, as you start to look into them more and see the absolute glut of work that Garry Brents puts out under different names all year fucking long. It’s unbelievable to me that anyone could do this much with a genuinely high quality product everytime.

All that said, Handheld Demise does stand out amongst everything with its bizarre chiptune/black metal combination that feels like it should in no way work, and then continues to prove that it absolutely ... read more

Look, if you’ve not jumped on board with Iōhannēs yet, this is the time to do it. The album is a showcase of so much of what makes them who they are, and it just fucking rules. I worry, sometimes, that in a lot of cases I’m repeating myself in these reviews —but only reviewing things that I like does seem to come with a lot of connection in the reasons that I like them. This album is great, and you should just fucking listen to it. Now, go away, listen, and get off the ... read more

There is so much to love about this album, and while I know that there is some kind of weird snobbery about metalcore—you know its there, I’ve seen it on Metal Twitter™—to suggest that this thing doesn’t absolutely rip in all of the best ways would be disingenuous to say the fucking least. There is a whole lot of fun to be had here, and you should absolutely check it out.

Mar has a real fucking banger here: it’s brutal and honest and vulnerable, and it really does work on a number of different levels as a piece of cathartic art for both artist and audience. If it’s not currently on your radar, it fucking should be.

Strictly Hip Hop’s Who’s Next? is an absolute gnarly fucking beast and you should just go ahead and listen to it right now.

This open defiance of genre and avant-garde production just instantly gets it’s hooks in me and I can’t stop listening to it, and it sticks with me even when I’m not listening to it.

Eradication is an absolute blast and one that hits just as hard as you want it to, and is just as serious as you want an album from a band called Eaten By Sharks to be. I wholeheartedly recommend this beast and hope that you have fun listening to it. I did.

A rare thing in reviewing music is the feeling that maybe you should include a spoiler warning, and yet TRISTYS’ Cities and the Dead is such a unique beast that it almost feels like a spoiler warning is in order, and so with that said, spoilers for this album I guess? I can’t recommend enough going in blind to this and taking a look at it before reading the review, but that’s just me.

This is almost my exact kind of thing, almost to the degree that I’m assuming Ammothea made it for me specifically or I made it in some kind of fugue state. Both seem equally reasonable and likely. I adore the thing and I hope that you do as well.

Karnage absolutely fucking rules and I won’t hear any contrary opinions. Is it a genre defining masterwork? No. Is it a 29 minute “Slamdeathcore” album with a three headed bear on the cover that genuinely brings me joy? Fuck yeah it is.

Fire to the Prisons launches into this space with a vengeance, shows off a serious multitude of abilities and announces Fire to the Prisons as an act to keep your eyes on going forward. Apart from some inconsistent production, there is no reason not to get on board as soon as possible.