“Baltimore!” *cheers* “BALTIMORE!” *more cheers* “You all sound like Philadelphia.” *gasps and boos*
The interaction between the Baltimore crowd at CFG Arena and Maynard James Keenan ensured to capture everyone’s attention. After opening with the title track of the 2019 Fear Inoculum, TOOL started off their Winter 2024 tour focusing on several of the longer jam tracks the band is known for. It proves there is definitely a place for this style of music in the current world, when crafted and performed as tightly as TOOL did in Charm City.
Of the 11-track setlist performed in Baltimore, six of the songs were from the band’s latest Fear Inoculum. In a recent interview, drummer Danny Carey said that he would be up for writing shorter tracks akin to Aenima. While the long tracks do suit TOOL, it would be interesting to hear the short blast style that TOOL are also capable of making. Keep in mind that “Short” for TOOL is still four to five minutes (and I’m happy with that).
The full video board were created with the iconic imagery TOOL has become known for at live shows. The visual artwork and creations of guitarist Adam Jones has become associated with all of TOOL’s music and I hope that is something that continues as the potential new music from TOOL comes forward.
2024 starts with wild graphics, long jam-tracks, a blonde mohawk, and booing Philadelphia. Somehow, this all seems right.
TOOL 2024 Live Baltimore, MD Setlist: Fear Inoculum Jambi Rosetta Stoned (Lost Keys intro) Pneuma Intolerance Descending The Grudge Chocolate Chip Trip Culling Voices Invincible Stinkfist
Unrelated to the music, but Maynard James Keenan recently obtained his black belt in Jiu Jitsu. If anyone questions his motivation or ability, keep in mind the singer travels with specific mats to roll around on at arenas. If that’s not dedication, I don’t know what is. I just hope he doesn’t randomly pull in techs or venue staff unwillingly to practice submission moves on.
Elder was given the great spot to open for TOOL on this Winter 2024 Tour. Singer Nick DiSalvo opened the set saying they were honored to be in Baltimore and opening for TOOL. You could see that sincerity in the entire band. This was the perfect band to open on this tour as Elder also have a longer playing style that allows for big instrumental sections.
Elder US Tour 2023 – 8mm Recap
TOOL Live In Baltimore, MD January 10, 2024. All photos taken by Luke Spencer at CFG Arena, with permission.
Southern California’s DAYSEEKER have shared the video for the intensely intimate song “Dreamstate” from 2022’s Dark Sun.
The vehicular video features performance footage and a mechanic who may be living in a dreamstate of her own.
“‘Dreamstate’ is about vivid dreams I had of my father after he passed,” shares singerRory Rodriguez. “There were truly times it felt as if we were communicating with one another, but I’d wake to reality and it would deeply affect my ability to cope.”
Dayseeker will also embark on a headline tour this spring. The tour kicks off April 19 in Tampa and runs through May 25 in San Diego. All dates are below, including spring festival appearances, such as Rockfest, Earthday Birthday, and more.
Polaris, Rain City Drive, Avoid, and Ayron Jones are set to appear at select dates on the bill, as well.
DAYSEEKER ON TOUR: WITH POLARIS, RAIN CITY DRIVE, AVOID, + AYRON JONES: 4/19 — Tampa, FL — Amalie Arena (98 ROCKFEST) % 4/20 — Orlando, FL — Central Florida Fairgrounds (Earthday Birthday) % 4/22 — Columbia, SC — The Senate &@ 4/23 — Norfolk, VA — The NorVa &@ 4/25 — Newark, NJ — Prudential Center (WDHA’s Rock The Rock Fest) % 4/26 — Baltimore, MD — CFG Bank Arena (98 Rock Spring Thing) % 4/27 — Las Vegas, NV — Sick New World % 4/29 — Buffalo, NY — Buffalo Riverworks *+@ 4/30 — Ft. Wayne, IN — Piere’s Entertainment Center *+@ 5/1 — Grand Rapids, MI — The Intersection *+@ 5/3 — Milwaukee, WI — Fiserv Forum (Hog Fest) % 5/4 — Saint Paul, MN — Xcel Energy Center (93X Twin City Takeover) % 5/5 — Des Moines, IA — Val Air Ballroom *+@ 5/7 — Sauget, IL — Pop’s *+@ 5/8 — Chattanooga, TN — The Signal *+@ 5/10 — New Orleans, LA — House of Blues @ 5/11 — Birmingham, AL — Iron City *+@ 5/12 — Little Rock, AR — Little Rock Music Hall *+@ 5/14 — Kansas City, MO — Uptown Theater *+@ 5/15 — Oklahoma City, OK — Town Theatre *+@ 5/16 — Omaha, NE — The Admiral *@ 5/18 — Louisville, KY — Mercury Ballroom +@ 5/19 — Bloomington, IL — Castle Theater *+@ 5/22 — Albuquerque, NM — Sunshine Theater *+@ 5/23 — Tucson, AZ — Rialto Theatre *+@ 5/24 — Las Vegas, NV — Brooklyn Bowl *+@ 5/25 — San Diego, CA — Soma *+@ %Dayseeker only *Polaris +Rain City Drive &Ayron Jones @Avoid
Dayseeker are a quiet killer. The band has steadily built a buzz over the past several years — and they have reached a tipping point. Dayseeker built themselves into a scene standout with 2019’s Sleeptalk, which was hailed by Alternative Press as “a warm and welcome release to higher ground” and as “much needed fresh air into the post-hardcore scene.” The album has gone on to accumulate over 125 million streams, and it positioned the band as a formidable force — and one that is primed to take its next big leap. In 2021, the band dropped a deluxe version of Sleeptalk, featuring four reimagined versions of album tracks, which offered fans a fresh and unique take on songs they already love. It also demonstrated the depth and breadth of the band’s creative vision, scope, and possibilities. However, Dark Sun catapulted the band beyond the scene’s stratosphere. The album is out now via Spinefarm and is at 80 millions streams.
Beloved New Jersey post-hardcore icons Thursday and Velocity Records have announced the pre-orders for the upcoming vinyl re-press of the band’s classic, 2003-released album War All The Time Live via the label’s webstore.
Pre-orders for multiple color vinyl variants in extremely limited quantities, as well as a limited edition CD version of the album, are available here.
Initially released on vinyl and digital formats on June 30, 2022, War All The Time Live has been out-of-print and unavailable on vinyl since it first dropped. This “can’t-miss” live celebration of the War All Time album is available to hear on all streaming platforms here. Go ahead and listen, and be transported to front and center at a Thursday gig.
Thursday are on the road and touring this winter with Rival Schools and Many Eyes. All dates are below. The winter trek finds the band performing War All the Time in full.
THURSDAY ON TOUR: WITH RIVAL SCHOOLS + MANY EYES: 1/25 — Buffalo, NY — Town Ballroom 1/26 — Detroit, MI — The Majestic Theatre 1/27 — Columbus, OH — Newport Music Hall 1/28 — McKees Rocks, PA — Roxian Theatre 1/30 — Chicago, IL — Concord Music Hall 1/31 — Minneapolis, MN — First Avenue 2/1 — Omaha, NE — Slowdown 2/2 — Denver, CO — Summit Music Hall 2/3 — Salt Lake City, UT — The Depot 2/5 — Seattle, WA — The Crocodile 2/6 — Portland, OR — Roseland Theater 2/8 — Sacramento, CA — Ace Of Spades 2/9 — San Francisco, CA — August Hall 2/10 — Santa Ana, CA — Observatory OC 2/11 — Mesa, AZ — The Nile Theater 2/13 — Austin, TX — Mohawk 2/15 — Jacksonville, FL — Jack Rabbits 2/16 — Fort Lauderdale, FL — Revolution Live 2/17 — Orlando, FL — The Beacham 2/18 — Atlanta, GA — The Masquerade 2/20 — Philadelphia, PA — Theatre Of Living Arts 2/21 — Boston, MA — Paradise Rock Club 2/22 — Baltimore, MD — Baltimore Soundstage 2/23 — Virginia Beach, VA — Elevation 27 2/24 — New York, NY — Irving Plaza
War All the Time arrived in September 2003. It was described as “sensitive as a teardrop, but hitting with the impact of a two-by-four across the jaw” by Entertainment Weekly and “as intense enough to resonate outside their corner of the underground” by Rolling Stone. Elsewhere, Blender highlighted how the band and album “combine emo’s nervous-breakdown emotionalism and hardcore punk’s aggression.” The album is equally beloved by the band’s diehard legion of fans and is considered a benchmark of the ’00s.
Commenting on the track, frontman Jack Underkofler says, “This song took years to write and it’s one of our favorites. It’s about knowing that nothing matters, so might as well go for what brings you fulfillment and do what you want.”
DPS have also announced details of an exclusive and intimate record release show. Rock Night Out presents Dead Poet Society: The FISSION Album Release Experience, sponsored by Spinefarm Records, is set for January 24 in Los Angeles at Pico Union Project. Stay tuned to the band’s social properties for more information on this special show.
Additionally, The FISSION Tour is set for this spring, including appearances at festivals such as Shaky Knees, Welcome to Rockville, and Sonic Temple. Tickets go on sale on Friday, January 12 at 10am local time. All dates are below. Get tickets here.
In the meantime, fans can find themselves transported to a DPS show by watching video comprised of live performance footage for “How Could I Love You?” Watch it here. The footage is culled from the band’s recent performances at Blueberry Hill in St. Louis and at the Subterranean in Chicago.
FISSION TRACK LISTING: “- 5:29:45” “Running In Circles” “Hurt” “How Could I Love You?” “I hope you hate me.” “UTO” “Tipping Point” “LA Queen” “Hard To Be God” “81 Tonnes” “My Condition” “KOET” “Black and Gold”
DEAD POET SOCIETY ON TOUR: 4/14 — Vancouver, CA — The Pearl 4/16 — Seattle, WA — El Corazon 4/17 — Spokane, WA — District Bar 4/18 — Boise, ID — Olympic 4/20 — Colorado Springs, CO — Black Sheep 4/23 — Omaha, NE — Waiting Room 4/24 — St. Louis, MO — Delmar 4/26 — Minneapolis, MN — 7th St Entry 4/27 — Milwaukee, WI — Rave 4/28 — Chicago, IL — Bottom Lounge 4/30 — Grand Rapids, MI — Stache 5/1 — Detroit, MI — Loving Touch 5/2 — Toronto, ON — Velvet Underground 5/4 — Atlanta, GA — Shaky Knees* 5/6 — Boston, MA — Sinclair 5/7 — Philadelphia, PA — Foundry 5/9 — Asbury Park, NJ — Wonder Bar 5/10 — Washington, DC — Union 5/12 — Daytona Beach, FL — Welcome to Rockville* 5/14 — Asheville, NC — Grey Eagle 5/15 — Nashville, TN — Basement East 5/17 — Johnson City, TN — Capone’s 5/18 — Pittsburgh, PA — Thunderbird 5/19 — Columbus, OH — Sonic Temple* 5/21 — Little Rock, AR — Rev Room 5/22 — Oklahoma City, OK — Beer City 5/24 — Dallas, TX — House of Blues 5/25 — Houston, TX — House of Blues 5/26 — Austin, TX — Parish 5/28 — Tucson, AZ — Club Congress 5/29 — Phoenix, AZ — Crescent 5/30 — Los Angeles, CA — Troubadour 6/1 — Santa Ana, CA — Constellation Room *Festival Appearance
Dead Poet Society accumulated over 100 million global streams, with nearly 50 million streams in the U.S. alone. The band also enjoyed two Top 15 singles at radio and key playlisting. They have also spent as much time as possible on the road — having toured with alt rock powerhouses Badflower, Biffy Clyro, Highly Suspect,and BRKN Love. The band has ultimately established itself as an intense live act not to be missed!
Since 2000, Fearless Records have promoted a lot of bands with punk and metalcore bands covering pop, 90’s, crunk, and more. This video looks at 10 GREAT Punk Goes…Covers
10 GREAT Punk Goes… Covers
Punk Goes… is a series of albums released by Fearless Records in which punk rock bands perform covers of songs from other genres. As of 2019, the series consists of nineteen compilation albums.
Thanks to everyone that made suggestions for what covers to include on the 10 GREAT Punk Goes…Covers list. There were a couple I hadn’t heard before I started doing research. Next time will be the worst of Punk Goes… Covers and I’m hoping it won’t be as brutal as I anticipate.
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“The “Punk Goes…” compilation series, launched in 2000 by Fearless Records, features punk rock bands covering songs from other genres. For example, I Prevail covered Taylor Swift’s “Blank Space” in the “Punk Goes Pop Vol. 6” album. The series has released nineteen compilation albums, including “Punk Goes Acoustic,” “Punk Goes Christmas,” “Punk Goes Crunk,” and more, with each album showcasing a unique theme or musical style. The series has been a platform for bands to showcase their creativity and has garnered a dedicated following over the years.” (Perplexity)
Rock band New Years Day is thrilled to share their powerfully defiant new single “I Still Believe,” out now and streaming here. The song comes from the band’s forthcoming 5th studio album, Half Black Heart, set to be released on March 1, 2024. Pre-order/pre-save Half Black Heart now, here: https://newyearsday.lnk.to/HalfBlackHeart.
“The first song we wrote for our new album was actually ‘I Still Believe.’ It was during the summer of 2020, amidst the challenges of the Covid pandemic, when it felt like all our previous efforts and all the work we had put in the years prior were in vain,” shares Ash Costello.“Personally, I felt lost and uncertain about what lay ahead. However, a voice within me urged me to persevere, to never give up, and to maintain faith that things would eventually fall into place as they were meant to. I realized the importance of not overthinking and simply embracing the present moment. ‘I Still Believe’ is a heartfelt anthem dedicated to anyone in need of a reminder that with unwavering self-belief, anything is possible.”
New Years Day announced Half Black Heart in late 2023, following the release of “Vampyre” and “Secrets”. The record also features the band’s 2022 hit “Hurts Like Hell”. Last fall they also embarked on The Kiss of Death Tour with In This Moment and Ice Nine Kills, in addition to being featured on WWE NXT’s Halloween Havoc. Fans can catch New Years Day back on the road this spring with Lacuna Coil. They’ll also be performing at Welcome To Rockville and Sonic Temple Art & Music Festival. For a full list of dates, please see below or visit: nydrock.com.
About New Years Day:
Kerrang! Magazine counts New Years Day among an elite handful of bands inspiring the next generation. Led by “the vibrant force of nature that is frontwoman Ash Costello,” New Years Day unleash anthems of discontent and empowerment, delivered with gothic flair and theatrical bombast.
It’s a sound that crashed into the Mainstream Rock Top 40 for the first time in 2019 with a top 15 rock radio charting single “Shut Up” followed up by the cathartic “Hurts Like Hell,” which finished 2022 as one of SiriusXM Octane’s Top 25 songs of the year. Each successive victory is a celebration of hard-fought creative freedom, unstoppable determination, and dedicated fans. Throngs of diehards and newcomers alike sing and sweat along with New Years Day, at festivals, in clubs, or on tours with Halestorm, Falling In Reverse, Motionless In White, Ice Nine Kills, and In This Moment.
Saints and sinners, victims and victors. In sound and vision, New Years Day walk the line between darkness and light. The band’s duality comes to fruition on Half Black Heart, an unrepentant and unashamed album championing discovery, from the darkest secrets to one’s inner strength.
Unrestrained fury collides with arena-ready glamor, confrontational DIY passion, and melodic hooks. “Hurts Like Hell,” “Vampyre,” “Bulletproof,” “Fearless,” the title track, and the rest of Half Black Heart join an already impressive catalog of songs, like “Come for Me,” “Skeletons,” “Kill or Be Killed,” and “Shut Up.” Fans have streamed “Angel Eyes” more than 14 million times on Spotify alone.
Victim to Villain (2013), Malevolence (2015), and Unbreakable (2019) deeply resonate with listeners who cherish them as timeless keepsakes, marking different times in their own personal evolution. It’s because Costello, who skillfully conjures horror and comic book aesthetics as allegory, is one of them.
In cinematic music videos, transcendent live performances, and daily interaction (virtual or in-person) with like-minded misfits, this band makes pleasure from pain. Even when it hurts like hell.
Half Black Heart Tracklisting:
1. Vampyre 2. Half Black Heart 3. Hurts Like Hell 4. Secrets 5. Fearless 6. Bullet Proof 7. Burn It All Down 8. Enemy 9. I Still Believe 10. Unbreak My Heart 11. So Sick 12. Creature of Habit
Upcoming Tour Dates:
5/2 – Wilmington, DE @ The Queen 5/3 – Asbury Park, NJ @ The Stone Pony 5/4 – Reading, PA @ Reverb 5/6 – Norfolk, VA @ The NorVa 5/7 – Charlotte, NC @ The Underground 5/9 – Daytona Beach, FL @ Welcome to Rockville 5/11 – Nashville, TN @ Brooklyn Bowl Nashville 5/13 – Fort Smith, AR @ Temple Live 5/14 – Wichita, KS @ TempleLive at Wichita Scottish Rite Center 5/16 – Columbus, OH @ Sonic Temple Art & Music Festival
A video discussing the apparent end of Rage Against The Machine, recorded live on Twitch. Discussion about the band, Tom Morello at the Rock Hall, and covering the Chicago performance in 2022.
The End Of Rage Against The Machine
“I know a lot of people are waiting for us to announce new tour dates for all the canceled RATM shows,” he wrote on his personal social media. “I don’t want to string people or myself along any further. So while there has been some communication that this may be happening in the future… I want to let you know that RATM (Tim, Zack, Tom and I) will not be touring or playing live again. I’m sorry for those of you who have been waiting for this to happen. I really wish it was…” -Brad Wilk
Abort The Supreme Court | Rage Against The Machine
“Rage Against the Machine, a legendary rock band, was formed in 1991 in Los Angeles and consists of members Zack de la Rocha, Tom Morello, Brad Wilk, and Tim Commerford. In 2022, they embarked on their highly anticipated reunion tour, which was unfortunately cut short due to Zack de la Rocha’s injury. The band had to cancel their European tour as a precautionary measure, and later, their North American dates as well.
Sadly, drummer Brad Wilk announced in January 2024 that Rage Against the Machine will not be touring or playing live again. Despite the cancellation of their 2022 tour, the band’s legacy and impact on the music industry remain undeniable. They were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, further solidifying their status as a groundbreaking and influential group.” [Perplexity]
After several years of not being accessible, Saud Ahmed, vocalist of The Holy Guile, has made the band’s music available for streaming on Spotify, Apple Music, and many more services.
Deathcore act The Holy Guile rose to prominence in the mid 2010’s after The Crimson Armada called it quits. The band released a four-song EP entitled Guardians 2.0, which songs landed on The Holy Guile’s debut record FSU in 2013. Characterized by frenetic guitar runs, monstrous breakdowns, and succinct production, it became a fast favorite in the genre. This was followed up by OG in 2014, injecting some compelling raps while maintaining the winning formula.
A few years passed and it appeared The Holy Guile project was no more, as Ahmed pursued a software engineer career. Fast forward to the final days of 2023 and Saud posted in a Facebook group that the albums would return after more than 5 years of them being visible but not playable on streaming services. A moment that felt almost too good to be true for longtime fans of The Holy Guile, it was cathartic to see both records back out of nowhere, as previously the only way to listen was if you had a CD or through YouTube.
The Holy Guile’s return to streaming services was warmly welcomed in comments sections: “I was literally talking about what a gem the holy guile was with a friend the other day” and “We hyped as f*ck, was literally listening to them on YouTube last night”, and “Immediately went to listen to sour d” were gut reactions from excited fans. Where some bands fade from memory after time, others are memorable enough to stick in people’s heads several years past. It was awesome to see ENEMY AC-130 ABOVE cover “The Celebration” recently, which sparked my memories of the band flooding in.
It’s always a win to see lost media come back into the fray, as we recently saw the same with The Browning’s first two albums being stuck in their old label’s grasp only to return ceremoniously. In the case of The Holy Guile, it’s stellar to have these songs so easily available as after all these years, there’s still a cult following of the group despite them not extensively touring or being active for quite a long time. Never say never in the world of music. If you need me, I’ll be streaming FSU over and over and over again.
Breaking down the Slipknot discography starting with the self-title and compromising where to put each album in a tier list from gold to trash. Recorded live on Twitch, this video is all about Slipknot and discussing each studio album.
Slipknot Discography | Tier List
Five Songs To Get Into Slipknot
“Slipknot is an American heavy metal band known for its attention-grabbing image, aggressive musical style, and energetic live performances. The band rose to fame with their self-titled debut album in 1999 and gained further popularity with their 2001 release, “Iowa.” Slipknot has released seven major albums, including their eponymous debut album in 1999, “Iowa” in 2001, “Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses)” in 2004, “All Hope Is Gone” in 2008, “.5: The Gray Chapter” in 2014, “We Are Not Your Kind” in 2019, and “The End, So Far” in 2022.
“Slipknot’s self-titled album is brash, “Iowa” is broken, “Vol 3: (The Subliminal Verses)” is unison, “All Hope Is Gone” is militant, and “.5: The Gray Chapter” is regretful. The band’s tone and masks have changed with each album, symbolizing their evolution as individuals. Slipknot’s albums are known for their unique sound, evocative storytelling, and relentless pursuit of artistic authenticity.” -Perplexity
This year had a ton of variety and many bands pulled through to give us some great music. This video looks at the Top 10 BEST Albums Of 2023. Watch the video below for a full breakdown of each entry, or scroll below to read an excerpt from the video for each album.
Probably the most difficult album for Foo Fighters to make turned out to be their best in a decade. But Here We Are, dedicated to Taylor Hawkins and Virginia Grohl, is the cathartic, expressive, and in some ways inspiring album that Foo Fighters had to find out the hard way they were capable of making.
The title track and “Under You” have those huge sing-along moments but it’s the slower and more sincere moments in “The Glass” and the 10-minute “The Teacher” that add depth and make the tributes feel personal to everyone, even those who never met Taylor Hawkins and Virginia Grohl. The delicate music flow in these tracks truly gives the air of making something unique to their loved ones.
Foo Fighters “Under You”
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9.) Baroness Stone
The color scheme might be gone but Baroness still has plenty of ideas to work with. STONE is the groove-filled sludge metal excellence John and company have been executing for years, but this time it feels like a new page has turned. This is Baroness unbound from formats and formulas, but instead working with raw creativity.
The rhythm section is crushing and stands out in the right moments, and the combined guitar work from John and Gina repeatedly stands out. STONE is proof that Baroness knows how to steer their ship into uncharted waters and come out sounding great.
Baroness “Last Word”
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8.) Dying Wish Symptoms Of Survival
Classify this as deathcore, metalcore, hardcore, a combination, or whatever you want, Dying Wish does it all well. Not only an amazing sophomore release from the Oregon five-piece but an impressive display of range with that vicious attitude. The drumming stands out through the heaviest tracks and Emma Boster proves her singing range in the cleaner moments.
It’s fierce and at times extreme with how intense the volume and anger get, but it’s all times and calculated precisely to make each element of the band stand out. Unrelenting is the best word to describe Symptoms Of Survival. Dying Wish is still an unstoppable force.
Dying Wish “Watch My Promise Die”
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7.) Drain Living Proof
It’s difficult to have joyous fun and a big goofy grin when listening to music that’s heavy and thick like this, but Drain proves it’s possible. Living Proof is not even half an hour but that also adds to the charm of this album because you want to play it all as a relentless rush of symbols and riffs and makes you feel like high-fiving someone as soon as it’s over.
When you get to “Evil Finds Light” is the point where you need to make sure you aren’t around anything breakable in the house because it’s most likely going to shatter. Drain created a tightly made package that has plenty of full-run time replay value. It’s so much fun, it is almost worth rushing security to get on stage.
Drain “Living Proof”
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6.) Horrendous Ontological Mysterium
Ontological Mysterium, which is fun to say, is filled with transitions, speed changes, genre changes, and jam sessions to the point of losing track of where you are in that crazy Mysterium. It’s proggy and groove-filled and screaming of death and it all just blends smoothly.
As heavy and dark as Horrendous gets, it’s never TOO much to the point of being overwhelmed. Just under 38 minutes and enough time to breathe in between rounds of onslaught. As a result of all that, it’s hard to find ANYTHING similar to what Horrendous can combine in one nine-track album.
Horrendous “Cult Of Shaad’oah”
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5.) Blondshell Blondshell
Singer-songwriter Sabrina Teitelbaum proves that indie and alternative have a new killer performer with creative songs and catchy lyrics that are as witty as Teitelbaum and Blondshell are great names. Blondshell the album is bluesy and gritty when the moment requires which adds more to Blondshell’s hand.
This self-titled debut packs a lot of talent and style that is lacking in the alternative world, especially when it comes to subject matter. Take topics like toxic relationships and sobriety, and then turn the attitude and volume up at a moment’s notice. The clever writing along with emotional swelling moments become massive.
Blondshell “Salad”
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4.) Slowdive Everything Is Alive
Describing Slowdive as shoegaze sounds appropriate, but after you experience Everything Is Alive and take everything in, you realize it’s so much more that gazing into space. This album doesn’t allow you to phase out with background music but grabs your attention while pulling you in the music, swaying arms and all.
Only eight tracks but they all complement each other as well as showcase what Slowdive can create. Everyone contributes from the different vocals to imaginative instrument work and synths. The guitar tones are immaculate, the changing moods all sound natural, and again, you get pulled in from the opening minute when the first lyrics hit. This is distinct shoegaze with layered elements and endless replay value.
Slowdive “Alife”
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3.) Creeper Sanguivore
Grandiose riff and synth-filled rhythms, all while Will and Hannah sing their hearts out. It’s becoming clear they could just sing Wikipedia entries on the most boring topics ever and they could make it work. There are so many selling points from the singles like “Cry To Heaven” to the huge opening track “Further Than Forever”.
What SHOULD be total cheese ends up being completely engaging. Vampire bites and all. Sanguivore delivered uniquely and it’s incredible to think that Creeper hasn’t tried this approach before as the style fits them like a black leather glove. Creeper continues to impress.
Creeper “Cry To Heaven”
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2.) Sufjan Stevens Javelin
The all-encompassing songwriter who can bring in an orchestra or just use one acoustic proved himself with Javelin. If there was ever an album that sells Sufjan Stevens being around for the long haul, it was this 2023 entry. Stevens continues to prove his music depth as a songwriter.
Stevens opened himself up a bit on Javelin, letting his personal events take focus which isn’t something he has done lightly in the past, if ever. The intimate expressions in “Will Anybody Ever Love Me” and “S*** Talk” give so much personality and voice that it’s hard not to relate to the emotions and feelings, as well as feel for them.
Javelin is as heartbreaking as it is triumphant and expressive. The music makes you feel like you are listening to something big in scope and important as a piece of art. This album needs to be heard and respected as such a welcomed album this year.
Sufjan Stevens “Will Anybody Ever Love Me?”
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1.) Sleep Token Take Me Back To Eden
As divisive an album could be in the heavy music world. Take Me Back To Eden slowly took over much of the music buzz in the beginning of 2023 when singles were being released in pairs. Then when the full album came out in May, Sleep Token became inescapable. You were going to listen to Vessel, and rock, metal, alternative, and everything in between would not be the same.
Take Me Back To Eden is creative, has hooks, has diversity, has range, memorably distinct tracks, a narrative, and sounds amazing live as well as on record. it checks so many boxes of what people LOOK FOR in a great album. But it’s still massively divisive for many previously listed reasons. Maybe that’s just more proof of Sleep Token’s success.
Take Me Back To Eden is an album that people can point to that defined music in a positive way for 2023. A band trying something different with multiple genres and making it great.
