2021, for so many people, was an incredibly difficult year. In some ways, given the immense challenges that everyone has faced, and especially those in the arts (too often seen as non-essential by a more materially-minded society), it is remarkable that the year provided so much amazing music from which to choose – certainly, the task of whittling down so many releases to a mere twenty-five proved quite an undertaking. In the end, objectivity is impossible and so, given the wealth of amazing releases this year, the focus fell on those albums that, for one reason or another, provided a sense of solace over the course of a tumultuous year.
It’s a varied list, too. From the subtle melancholy that underpins Mastodon’s quite excellent Hushed and Grim to the effervescent anger that sits at the heart of The Offspring’s Let The Bad Times Roll, these releases have remained firmly on rotation – by turns brightening or darkening the mood, encouraging contemplation or providing catharsis. As always, we’d love to know what moved you over 2021 – what did we miss (we’re sure that it’s a lot) and what did we get just right. Let us know. Nevertheless, these albums made our 2021 and we hope that, if there’s anything here you didn’t get a chance to hear, they will brighten your 2022.
Easily the band’s most coherent and consistently impressive work since Crack the Skye, Hushed and Grim is a varied, emotionally charged and musically faultless double set that pushes the band’s already wide boundaries ever further toward the horizon. Mastodon really excelled themselves here and, from ambitious opener Pain with An Anchor to the haunted majesty of Dagger, the band don’t put a foot wrong. A truly stunning double set, Hushed and Grim shows that the years have not stripped away the Mastodon’s ability to surprise their fans and it stands as a monumental achievement.
Year of no Light – Consolamentum
Not so much a musical act as a force of nature, in Consolamentum Year of no Light produced an album that is both refined and tumultuous, condensing their astonishing live show to a quite remarkably disciplined degree. Augmented (but not overshadowed), by some of the most stunning artwork seen this year (something of a speciality of Pelagic Records), Consolamentum is a mesmerising work of art from a truly astonishing band, as those who caught them at Damnation can comfortably attest.
Offspring – Let The Bad Times Roll
The Offspring have had a strange decade, releasing only one album (2012’s As Days Go By) before finding themselves mired in legal issues, personnel changes and business disputes. I hadn’t realised how much I’d missed them but, with the tracks juxtaposing pointed social commentary with typically singalong choruses, there’s a considerable potency to the album that is irresistible. Even a haunting piano reworking of perennial favourite Gone Away is delivered with touching poignancy, and the result is an album that firmly places The Offspring back at the top of the punk pack.
Mol – Diorama
Ethereal, beautiful, fractured and unholy, Diorama is an album that effortlessly switches moods, drawing the listener into a world that feels somehow alien – alive with possibility, but also threat. From the Western-hued Fraktur to the densely packed Redacted, Mol simply dazzle, drawing on a wide range of references from Darkthrone and My Bloody Valentine to Anathema and Mogwai. It’s a thrilling ride and one that showcases Mol emerging as a unique prospect in the blackgaze realm.
Cradle of Filth – Existence is Futile
It’s hard to believe that people still bang on about Cradle of Filth as if ambition is somehow the antithesis of rock, but there you go. So, yes, I know that there are those who will never be convinced as to the quality of Existence Is Futile, but that’s their loss because it is a frankly excellent album. Typically dramatic, blisteringly precise and with a glorious sense of the absurd, Existence Is Futile offers a heady mix of lyrical dexterity and heavy metal thunder, while the production is enough to cut you to the bone. A very strong effort indeed from the Filth crew.
Melvins – Working With God / Five-Legged Dog
Melvins don’t care. They don’t care about this feature, they don’t care about your opinion, and they don’t care if a Beach Boys’ pastiche (titled, with sledgehammer wit, I Fuck Around) brings aficionados of the wholesome surf dudes out in a rash. The only thing Melvins care about is making the music they want to make and, if the world isn’t smart enough to catch on, then tough fucking luck. For those that do recognise Melvins for what they are – a shit hot band able to ramble across genres at will – Working With God surely is an awesome album that sits comfortably alongside the best of the band’s catalogue.
Then there’s Five Legged Dog. Offering acoustic reworkings of existing songs, I honestly debated whether to include this, but it’s so monumental a collection and with so irreverent an approach, that it simply can’t be overlooked. Proving once and for all that you don’t need distortion to be heavy, Five-Legged Dog gathers a massive selection of reworked tracks and random covers (some more predictable than others) and spreads them over eight sodding sides of vinyl. Never ones to do anything by halves, Melvins took on the acoustic album and won – fuck yeah, it’s an album of the year!
Future Past sees Duran Duran cleverly drawing upon their storied history to deliver a surprisingly coherent and entertaining album. At points referencing the effervescent pop of their still-glorious debut, elsewhere sampling the darkness of the underrated Seven and the Ragged Tiger, Future Past (as the title implies) also casts an eye to where the band still may go. It’s not a perfect album, with a couple of numbers serving to pad out the runtime, but tracks like Invisible, More Joy! Falling and Beautiful Lies show that the band have lost none of their penchant for penning memorable, slightly left-of-field pop tunes with aplomb.
Live, Amenra are one of the most oblique, intense experiences there is. On record, they operate with a near-psychic precision that threatens to blot the very light from the sky. Their work is poetic, mesmerising, and disturbing. As such, De Doorn feels like the soundtrack to some unmade movie, a dark cinematic journey into a heart of darkness, and it is a journey that, once undertaken, is not easily forgotten.
Joe Bonamassa is one of the hardest working musicians in the industry. A product of the old school, he recognises the importance of graft and, therefore, it should be no surprise that almost every year sees some sort of Bonamassa entry. Following hot on the heels of the excellent Royal Tea, Time Clocks sees Joe putting the pedal to the metal in one of his rockiest outings in years. Always handy with a cracking riff, Joe certainly delivers on Time Clocks – brow furrowed, sweat pouring and fingers flashing as his band pick up the slack. Maybe one day Joe will miss the mark, but in Time Clocks he remains as essential as ever.
Not quite as blisteringly intense as Amerikkkant, Moral Hygiene is a different sort of triumph, with Al leading his band down a gothic avenue in the wake of some truly remarkable political upheavals across America. Fiercely intelligent and with hulking great hooks, Moral Hygiene consistently surprises across its runtime, and it forms an excellent companion piece to its more abrasive forebear.
A fantastic set of crackly blues covers and sparky originals, Heavy Load Blues sees Gov’t Mule perfectly channel their love of the genre. So natural is the band’s approach that it’s hard to believe that this is their first straight blues effort. A hugely enjoyable album, and one that rewards endless replays with its exquisite musicianship and the wide range of blues styles on offer, Heavy Load Blues stands as one of the best Gov’t Mule albums to date.
The sound of a socially conscious band unleashing hell upon its audience, Torn Arteries is a masterclass in ruthless efficiency. Intense and delivered with all the savagery of a bar room brawl, Torn Arteries is one of those albums that will have you headbanging from start to finish, and not a moment feels out of place. The highlight is surely the marathon Flesh Ripping Sonic Torment Limited, which clocks in at just shy of ten minutes, and every one of those minutes used to batter the listener into submission. Brilliantly unpleasant.
With a sound not dissimilar to Cult of Luna’s collaborative Mariner album, Blood Moon I is a collaborative effort between Converge, members of Chelsea Wolfe and Cave In. The results are stunning, and the album that is as progressive as it is ferocious. Melodic, but without any corresponding loss of power, Blood Moon I is a memorable marvel that, at its heaviest, could comfortably eclipse the sun. Truly awesome.
Rob Zombie – The Lunar Injection Kool Aid Eclipse Conspiracy
The first two Rob Zombie albums are basically essential – hulking day-glow monsters filled with cheeky horror references and crushing riffs. After that, you could argue that the quality varies but here, with The Lunar Injection Kool Aid Eclipse Conspiracy, Zombie and his merry band of Munsters have hit an inspirational peak. The whole album screams fun, from the opening battering of Expanding The Head Of Zed to the bizarre, Butthole Surfers-esque madness of 18Th Century Cannibals, Excitable Morlocks and a One-Way Ticket on the Ghost Train, the result being Zombie’s most gloriously excessive album in years.
Thy Worshiper – Bajki O Staruchu
Indulging a unique form of black metal that draws on Polish folk music and frozen riffs, Thy Worshiper are a satisfyingly unique prospect whose decision to sing in their native tongue only serves to make the music all the more poetic. Beautifully produced and adorned with suitably evocative art, it is a standout release from the Pagan Records stable, a label that became increasingly essential over the course of 2021.
Tomahawk – Tonic Immobility
One of Mike Patton’s more accessible projects (bearing in mind that accessibility is a very relative term) Tonic Immobility offers an eclectic mix of sounds veering from angular punk (closer to Fugazi than Faith No More), to film noire and cinematic western soundscapes. Yet, for all the variety, the tracks are concise and forthright, ensnaring the listener and holding their attention for the duration.
Wildhearts – 21st Century Love Songs
Ginger is a national treasure, albeit a troubled one, and The Wildhearts have always been an unsteady vehicle for his muse, seemingly as riven with internal tensions as their albums are with showstopping riffs. Few would have believed that the band could return, and so forcefully, with Renaissance Men and even fewer would have believed that the band would casually top that album a bare couple of years later, but there you are. Massive riffs, super-massive melodies and a glorious sense of abandon make for an album that barely lets up across its run time.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse – Barn
A late contender, but a worthy one. Neil Young remains a prolific artist content to follow his muse, with typically raucous results. However, while there are plenty of [ahem] barn stormers on the album, there’s a tender underbelly that sees Neil ruminating on love and loss with an emotional honesty that is frequently breath taking. Although the album is strong across the board, it is the second side that really cements the deal, with the epic Welcome Back harking back to Broken Arrow era Young and, overall, Barn is a focused and impressive outing from an artist who shows no sign of slowing down.
A controversial choice, I suppose, given how completely this record divided the esteemed Mr Wilson’s fanbase, but then surely that’s the point of art as opposed to commerce. Across the album, there’s a vibrancy that comes from an artist doing exactly what they want, and it’s hard to escape the feeling that this is Wilson’s So – a ruthlessly pared back pop album with plenty of soul and gleefully subversive lyrics that, while dressed up in accessible clothing, still manage to savage the capitalist hand that feeds.
Walking Papers – The Light Below
Our review, written in January made the confident claim: “A masterpiece? Most certainly? Album of the year? A strong contender. The Light Below is a truly special album and essential listening” and nothing I have subsequently seen or heard has served to make me question that claim. The Light Below is a slow-burning, intense and deeply satisfying album and it has remained a firm favourite from the moment I first heard it. An album that continually throws up new surprises, it’s a record I expect to still be exploring well into 2022.
Arab Strap – As Days get Dark
Arab Strap are back to paint a grim picture of love and lust in middle age. As with previous releases, wit and wisdom often gives way to near-unbearable poignancy (Another Clockwork Day) but, for all the weariness Aidan Moffat projects, there’s a vitality to the music that is utterly irresistible. One listen to thumping opener The Turning of Our Bones (“I don’t give a fuck about the past”) and you’re struck by the power of the performance and the quality of the production. Few bands are this brutally honest, but Arab Strap show that it’s entirely possible for a band to age comfortably alongside their audience making this a minor masterpiece
Me And That Man – New Man, New Songs, Same Shit Vol. 2
Backed by an all-star cast, Nergal’s latest outing ran the risk of becoming an ego fest. The fact that the album is surprisingly low key, travelling a similar, if expanded, road to the mesmerising debut speaks volumes about Nergal’s iron control. The result is a surprisingly coherent and emotional album that sees the various guests pushed out of their comfort zone in service of an impressive collection of songs.
Big Paul Ferguson – Virtual Control
An unexpected gem from the Killing Joke drummer, Virtual Control is an album of mesmerising, tribal pulses and occasional bursts of metallic fury. It’s an eclectic mix, too – with elements of King Crimson and David Bowie evident in its DNA – all of which serves to make Virtual Control a thought-provoking album that has remained glued to the player throughout the year, offering up new elements with every successive listen.
Fear Factory – Aggression Continuum
It took a six year wait and, when it finally emerged Aggression Continuum proved to be Burton C. Bell’s Swansong. Yet, listen to the album and there’s little sign that anything was amiss. Mixed by Andy Sneap, Aggression Continuum is a mighty powerful offering from the embattled band and, while it’s entirely unclear as to where they might go next, it is arguable that the record stands as the strongest of the post-reformation run of albums that began with 2010’s Mechanize. With a strong theme and memorable anthems, not least the ferocious Disruptor, Aggression Continuum is Fear factory at their Terminator-inspired best.
Best EP:
Mayhem – Atavistic Black Disorder / Kommando
A handful of offcuts from the mighty Daemon album, augmented by a bruising selection of punk covers, with guest shots from Maniac and Billy Messiah. Given greater weight thanks to the awesome artwork of Daniele Valeriani, this is basically an essential purchase for Mayhem fans.
Best Reissue:
Black Sabbath – Technical Ecstasy
I can see this being a controversial choice but hear me out. While the album may be one of the most dismissed in Sabbath’s storied catalogue, there are some real gems here. More to the point, the original album was the result of a flawed production by a damaged band and this box set, while not righting every wrong, certainly helps to redress the balance. With Steven Wilson once more on board, this extra-stuffed box set features a warts ‘n’ all book (good work Hugh Gilmour), a well-sequenced selection of extras, essentially amounting to an alternate version of the album, and a cracking live set. While it will never convince naysayers, this is surely the ultimate edition of a much-maligned album and a tantalising vision of what might have been had the band not been in turmoil.
Best Live Album:
Mr Bungle – The Night They Came Home.
A typically obtuse affair from Mr Bungle, The Night They Came Home features almost the whole of The Raging Wrath Of The Easter Bunny album, a smattering of covers, an excruciating stand up routine and a bunch of spurious guest cameos that are as hilarious as they are otherwise pointless (Henry Rollins winning the award for most disdainful appearance). In a year of bands vying to make the most extravagant live stream appearance, Mr Bungle managed to combine a strong production with gleeful irreverence, making for an endlessly rewatchable show.
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