My Favorite Records of 2021
Another weird year. I spent more time on practicing guitar and working on other stuff than listening to music, apparently, as my volume is down about 40% from last year. Guess I was focusing on other things. Anyway, 2021 was a great year for metal, yet again, and there was tons of new releases that made it fun to continue discovering music.
And now, on to my favorites of the year…
35.) Annihilus - Follow a Song from the Sky
Fellow Chicagoan Luca Cimarusti’s solo black metal project (released on Federal Prisoner), this is outstanding from start to finish.
34.) Spectral Wound - A Diabolic Thirst
Outstanding black metal record. At times, it’s just a cacophany of madness in the absolute best way possible.
33.) Throne - Pestilent Dawn
Grindy death metal? Or blackened grindcore? Rips.
32.) Converge & Chelsea Wolfe - Bloodmoon: I
After hearing the singles ahead of release I knew I’d love this. I can only hope they follow this up in the near future. And tour, please, because I would love to experience this live.
31.) Ophidian I - Desolate
This band is virtuoso level talented and I am here for it. Tech death to the max, I still think their drummer is a cyborg or a bot.
30.) Deafheaven - Infinite Granite
Loved this record, they finally went full on synthwave and I’m cool with it. I miss the fast, heavy shit but this is good, too.
29.) Leprous - Aphelion
The production on this is outstanding, if you’re into proggy metal this is your jam.
28.) Yautja - The Lurch
Filthy, noisy metal. One of my more anticipated releases of 2021 and it delivered with a bang.
27.) Sermon of Flames - I Have Seen the Light, and It Was Repulsive
This was incredibly good, grindy death metal. Real chaos.
26.) LLNN - Unmaker
Unmeasurably heavy record. Start to finish this album just bludgeons you in the temples and it doesn’t let up. Wonderful.
25.) Julien Baker - Little Oblivions
This was one of my most listened to records of 2021, apparently. I enjoyed a lot of Julien Baker’s previous records but this one latched onto me and wouldn’t let go. I particularly enjoyed Hardline and Bloodshot but the whole thing is great.
24.) Dessiderium - Aria
Dense, proggy, blackened, technical death metal out of Phoenix, Arizona, Dessiderium is the solo project from Alex Haddad. This record was something I was looking forward to for a while after hearing one of the pre release tracks before the album dropped in December. Wonderfully catchy and simultaneously brutal riffs. Loved this.
23.) The Felice Brothers - From Dreams to Dust
Folky rock that reminds me of Bob Dylan if he sat in and wrote songs with All them Witches or something. Masterclass in song writing on this record. I challenge you to listen to the first song on this record and then turn it off. Impossible, I say! Simply some great, toe tapping songs to get you through your day.
22.) Grey Aura - Zwart Vierkant
Wonderful black metal record. Listen to this for the wild bass lines alone. This trio captured magic on record. I love the atmosphere they bring to the table here. Fantastic performances throughout, but the standout for me is the bass playing, which is unusual in this genre. Looking forward to their next one.
21.) Every Time I Die - Radical
Swan song. I penned this in January after they broke up. Such a shame but they definitely carved out their legacy, and Radical is as good an addition as any other piece of their catalog. I love this band and look forward to the next chapters for all of them.
20.) Archspire - Bleed the Future
You know exactly what you are in for with Archspire. This record never lets up for a single moment and I am here for it. Tech death to the extreme, this is yet another perfect example of why they are one of the best there is at doing the damn thing.
19.) Ghost Bath - Self Loather
I loved Starmourner and I love this record. Dennis Mikula’s screams are wonderfully terrifying. This is a fantastic atmospheric black metal record and a great introduction to this band, although I would recommend starting with Moonlover and going forward if you’re interested in their progression.
18.) Sunless - Ylem
Dissonant death metal from Minnesota. This rules, and another fine example of stellar bass playing in an extreme metal format.
17.) Knocked Loose - A Tear In The Fabric of Life
I still remember vividly the day this film was released. I’m not a huge Knocked Loose fan, but I am familiar with their catalog and enjoyed A Different Shade of Blue. This EP is just about as perfect of a release as you can get. This also lands on my list of best EPs of all time, phenomenal record. Check out the film that accompanies the EP if you haven’t yet, it’s as good as the record.
16.) Suffering Hour - The Cyclic Reckoning
Was not familiar with this band before spinning this record. I am a big fan now. This record is ambitious and wonderful and exactly what I look for in a blackened death metal album. They get psych-y and spacey at times and really flourish throughout with their songwriting and musicianship. The 16 minute closer is, in my opinion, one of the best songs released in 2021. They’re on Profound Lore, too, so you know you’re going to enjoy them. Highly recommended.
15.) So Hideous - None But a Pure Heart Can Sing
My love for So Hideous goes back to 2014 with their release of Last Poem / First Light. I played that record so many times, especially the first track, Rising. Anyway, they’re back and this is exactly what I’ve been missing since Laurestine in 2015. Cinematic is an understatement. This band knows how to capture a mood and exploit it on record. I don’t think I’d call them black metal anymore, not really sure what to genre this record, but the orchestra is wonderfully arranged and the chaos is permeating. A wonderful extreme metal record, experience this loud.
14.) Grave Miasma - Abyss of Wrathful Deities
Grave Miasma is becoming one of my favorite death metal bands. This is a masterclass in OSDM style bludgeoning. Riffs for days, and the production is beautifully filthy.
13.) Halsey - If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power
I think I’m a little obsessed with listening to Halsey sing. Their voice is just breathtakingly gorgeous, and this entire record turned me into a huge fan of theirs. Coupled with production from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, this sounds like it belongs with Ghosts I-IV and it really works in a haunting and ethereal way. The Tradition got me hooked right from the start, You asked for this reminds me of 90’s alt rock the absolute best way possible, and honey is just a perfect pop song. Love this record.
12.) Turnstile - Glow On
One of my most played records of 2021. I haven’t been a huge fan of Turnstile over the years, I’ve known of them and check them out when they release records. GLOW ON really changed that. Every second of this record is catchy and clings on to your brain for dear life. I’d describe this as something along the lines of “a grunge version of a punk rock band trying to be like 311” and that’s about as close as I can get. First time I spun this I was humming the songs all week, I didn’t listen to it again for a couple weeks, but then I kept coming back to it constantly for the rest of the year. BLACKOUT and HOLIDAY are both perfect brainworms. This album led me to revisit their discography, and now it’s easy to say I’m a big Turnstile fan. Also, HOLIDAY might be the catchiest song of all time.
11.) Mastodon - Hushed and Grim
I love Mastodon, they’re one of my favorite bands. I go back and forth with Leviathan and Crack the Skye being my “favorite” of theirs. Hushed and Grim is a really ambitious record that I feel like borrows a lot from both those records. But it also takes a ton of inspiration from those huge production 70’s records from bands like Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, The Who, and The Beatles. Outlandish, over the top production and tons of instrumentation. And it works. I’m glad they went all out and released a double album, because in this context it really works. The ending (Eyes of Serpents into Gigantium) is just mind blowing to me. Brann continues to cement himself as one of my favorite drummers, and he’s becoming a very proficient vocalist, too. Bill and Brent keep on coming up with nasty riffs after all these records, it’s cool to hear them pushing themselves all these years, and Troy is just a beast on the bass and mic as usual. I feel like this is top tier Mastodon, hopefully they can keep this up going forward and they haven’t peaked.
10.) Rivers of Nihil - The Work
This seems to be a pretty divisive record amongst my peers. I get it, especially following up Where Owls Know My Name. But I loved this. The first day I listened to this I replayed it two more times. I was enthralled with the journey they take the listener on. Technical death metal can sometimes put yourself in a box when it comes to arranging and writing, but something I’ve really liked about Rivers of Nihil, and especially on this record, is they really do experiment and try out a lot of cool stuff that not a lot of bands do. It can be risky, but in my opinion they nailed it on The Work.
9.) MØL - Diorama
This is just a flawless blackgaze record. Just go listen to it and experience it loud. Phenomenal sophomore record, I’d love to see this band live some day.
8.) Khemmis - Deceiver
I am a huge Khemmis fan. Hunted is a perfect record, in my opinion. I loved Desolation and Absolution. Deceiver carries the torch well and continues their legacy. This album is huge, and these Colorado metallers keep bringing the riffs.
7.) St. vincent - Daddy’s Home
I was very excited for this release and it did not disappoint. Annie Clark is one of my favorite songwriters and this tribute to the big production records of the 70’s hits the mark. These songs are still spinning in my brain to this day. Pay Your Way into Pain and The Melting of the Sun are my favorite tracks but this entire record is a fantastic homage to the productions of yesteryear and it’s excellent.
6.) WHARFLURCH - Psychedelic Realms ov Hell
Filthy death metal. In droves. This is so great. Fitting album title, too. This was my favorite death metal record of 2021, and it came in just under the wire in December.
5.) Spectral Lore - Ετερόφωτος
This was my AOTY for a bit. Start to finish, this is how it is done. Ayloss conjures a masterpiece across 7 tracks of dense atmospheric black metal that left me awestruck. I love the production on this, too. If you dig this kind of music check it out.
4.) Fluisteraars - Gegrepen Door de Geest der Zielsontluiking
I loved Bloem last year. This record is a worthy follow up. Rawer production and more imaginative songcrafting bring their brand of black metal a step forward. Bob Mollema’s shrieks are frightfully terrifying and truly cut through the mix into your brain in a way that catapults their delivery to another level. Multi instrumentalist Mink Koops is phenomenal on this, riffs for days and I love the rhythm section.
3.) King Buffalo - The Burden of Restlessness
King Buffalo have come a long way since I saw them open for Elder in 2017. They released two stand out LPs last year, the other recorded in a cave. The Burden of Restlessness is my favorite, though. This record is just leaps and bounds ahead of where they were just a couple years ago. The production is great, but the songwriting chops and performance of this trio is out of this world from start to finish. They take you on a wondrous, psychedelic journey that you don’t want to end. “Another one dead in the wasteland.” Perfect record.
2.) Ethereal Shroud - Trisagion
It was very difficult to decide my top 2 this year. I’ll admit that I didn’t have a familiarity with Ethereal Shroud before my friend, Andrew Rothmund, sent me the pre release link of this album on bandcamp, the second track, Discarnate. I was in immediately. Atmospheric black metal done the way my brain wants to experience it. What I wasn’t ready for was just how incredible the other two tracks were going to be. This album is everything I want in this kind of music. Cinematic, progressive, grandiose. The melodies on this record have been indelibly scarred onto my brain with the fire hot intensity of an exploding star. I didn’t know about the history of this band, and it’s a shame because it seems like this is best experienced after hearing the other records in their catalog as it’s meant to cap a trilogy of records, if I understand correctly. This is flawless and I am overjoyed to visit the previous records. If you’ve not listened to this record you have some homework to do later.
1.) Woman is the Earth - Dust of Forever
I visited the Black Hills of South Dakota last fall, and I fell in love with the quiet, majestic beauty of it all. Honestly, I could have set up camp somewhere and been at peace with that as my home going forward. Alas, the vacation was only a little over a week and we had a packed itinerary so we only stayed there a few days. But that short time captured me. Woman is the Earth is based out of those same hills, and Dust of Forever delivered me back to that moment in time. This is my favorite atmospheric black metal album of the year and my favorite record of the year.
This record drew me in from the start with some of the best album artwork I’ve ever seen and it doesn’t let up. Riffs on riffs on riffs and a pounding rhythm section do. not. let. up. Jon Martin on drums beats the living shit out of his kit and the fills and performance on this record are so good. Such a frenetic pace and immediacy to every strike and fill. Andy Martin and Jarrod Hattervig combine to deliver such a memorable set of guitar riffing and fury of melody it’s unforgettable and breathtaking. Jarrod’s vocal delivery is exceptional and truly haunting. Production on this record is perfect, neither too raw nor too polished, it reminds me of Inter Arma in how they layer all the sounds together as one voice. This entire record is exceptional but The Crystal Tomb is my favorite. The opening riff on that track that continues to permeate throughout gets my blood going in all the best ways.
This was my favorite record of the year, without question. Great year for music.
Honorable Mentions
- Abiotic - A Universal Plague: Mutation
- Alkerdeel - Slonk
- Amenra - De Doorn
- AnkerkeriA - Matriarch
- Aran - Pimeyttä Vasten
- Atvm - Famine, Putrid and Fucking Endless
- Between the Buried and Me - Colors II
- black midi - Cavalcade
- Blackwater Holylight - Silence/Motion
- Canyyn - Canyyn
- Cathexis - Untethered Abyss
- Coyote Man - Relics
- Eidola - The Architect
- Emma Ruth Rundle & Thou - The Helm of Sorrow
- Erdve - Savigaila
- Eremit - Bearer of Many Names
- Frontierer - Oxidized
- Godspeed You! Black Emperor - G_d’s Pee AT STATE’S END!
- Gonemage - Sudden Deluge
- If I Were the Devil - If I Were the Devil
- Kadaver + Elder - ELDOVAR - A Story of Darkness & Light
- King Buffalo - Acheron
- Krallice - Demonic Wealth
- Këkht Aräkh - Pale Swordsman
- Lavaborne - Black Winged Gods
- Pan Daijing - Jade
- Panopticon - …And Again Into the Light
- Paysage D’Hiver - Geister
- Portrayal of Guilt - We Are Always Alone
- Robert Plant & Allison Krause - Raise the Roof
- SEIMS - FOUR
- Soen - Imperial
- Starless - Hope Is Leaving You
- Summoning the Lich - United in Chaos
- Tacoma Narrows Bridge Disaster - The World Inside
- The Waterfall King - Vol 1.
- Thrice - Horizons / East
- Thy Catalfaque - Vadak
- Tigercub - As Blue As Indigo
- Untamed Land - Like Creatures Seeking Their Own Forms
- Unto Others - The Strength
- Vince Staples - Vince Staples
- Wanderer - Liberation From A Brutalist Existence