What are the Best Releases of 2018 So Far?
In internet parlance, I’m asking for a friend. Except the friend is me, which I think is the whole gag with that anyway. Whatever, you get the point.
Among my several — always charming — compulsions, I keep ongoing notes for this site. I log upcoming reviews, stuff for the Quarterly Review, ideas for things that never manifest — I swear someday I’ll put up that list of the best desert rock songs written nowhere near a desert, so help me — and most importantly, the best releases for the year. Best albums, best EPs, best songs, best cover art. Everything that goes into the year-end lists that come up in December is the product of the whole year’s worth of keeping track.
My notes for 2018 were on my old laptop, Big Red, which was stolen from me while I was in the UK early in May. Some you win, some you lose. I’ve got The Silver Fox these days, but I haven’t been able to replenish my notes to their fullest as of yet.
It’s been tradition around here to do a six-month check-in on the best albums of the year. I could go back through all the reviews and find what I’ve covered and add it to the 20 or so records off the top of my head, but, frankly, that’s no fun. I’d rather see what everyone else thinks.
So instead of telling, I’m taking the opportunity to ask: What are the Best Releases of 2018 So Far?
I don’t care about genre, album, EP, single, demo, live record, whatever. Anything at all you want to name is welcome here. Really. All I’m interested in is knowing what you’re passionate about, and if I get reminded of something I had in my old notes along the way, bonus. I’m still going to go back and dig through the 2018 reviews, but I’m hoping this will be a good time for all.
Again, any picks welcome, and in any number. Top five, top 10, top 50. Please just leave a comment on this post with your favorites and let’s have some fun talking about kickass records.
Oh, and if you want to mention something you’re looking forward to that’s not out yet, that’s welcome too.
Thanks in advance.
Tags: Best of 2018 So Far, The Obelisk
My top 10 so far
Judas Priest ~ Firepower
Visigoth ~ Conqueror’s Oath
Witchsorrow ~ Styxxhexenhammer
ASG ~ Survive Sunrise
Gruesome ~ Twisted Prayers
Amorphis ~ Queen Of Time
Rivers Of Nihil ~ Where Owls Know My Name
Hooded Menace ~ Ossuarium Silhouettes Unhallowed
Khemmis ~ Desolation
Nervosa ~ Downfall Of Mankind
So far I’ve listened most to the following albums:
Corrosion of Conformity – No Cross No Crown – the return of Pepper on vocals delivers just what I hoped to.
Judas Priest – Firepower – I’ve never been a real passionate fan of Judas Priest even in my teens when I listened mostly to heavy metal. And about 20 years ago I gradually found heavy metal more and more boring. But this year Judas Priest brought the metal back to my heart with such a powerful album with such a classic heavy sound.
Brond – Graveyard Campfire – the debut LP by the Bulgarian rock band has all the right ingredients – a powerful and blissful mixture of the math-rock precision, the groove of stoner rock, the madness of Melvins – it’s all in there and yet the band keeps its own signature.
Limb – Saboteurs of the Sun – I love how this album has heavy groove and punk attitude with great vocal lines. Perfect for moshing or riding the bike in the mountain.
I have to mention also Monster Magnet’s Mindfucker – not their best album but their first with straight ahead rock’n’roll in years.
And I loved the brand new Florence + The Machine album – a guilty pleasure but she has such strong feminine power and this folkish attitude behind the indie pop sound that she got me helpless
BEST OF 2018 (so far)
1. Boss Keloid- “Melted On the Inch” ??
2. Yob- “Our Raw Heart” ??
3. Gozu- “Equilibrium” ??
4. Apostle of Solitude- “From Gold To Ash” ??
5. Wolftooth- “Wolftooth” ??
6. Sleep- “The Sciences” ??
7. Black Rainbows- “Pandaemonium” ??
8. The Sword- “Used Future” ??
9. Graveyard- “Peace” ??
10. Witchsorrow- “Hexenhammer” ??
11. Absent- “Towards the Void” ??
12. C.O.C.- “No Cross No Crown” ??
Lots of great albums so far this year.
If I had to vote right now, I would pick the new Earthless album. The introduction of the vocals sounds so natural to me & it has enough jams to keep true to their sound. Sudden End may be one of the best songs I ever heard. So much emotion in the riff and singing.
The new Sleep is great as well, we’ll see if it can top Earthless by the end of the year. PS, I need a new Sleep T-shirt, nothing in a large on their merch website arrrrrg!
I like the new Monster Magnet, but don’t think it’s quite as good as the other 2.
Another Dave with another nod to the latest Earthless. So good that I even convinced my dad to buy the album and blast it in his home.
Also props to the new Sleep album.
Must be a Dave thing.
Monster Magnet – Mindfucker.
Shadow Witch – Disciples of the Crow.
High Reaper – High Reaper.
Killler Boogie – Acid Cream.
Sundrifter – Visitations.
Kayleth – Colossus.
Black Rainbows – Pandaemonium.
Gozu – Equilibrium.
Sun Voyager – Seismic Vibes.
The Lazys – Tropical Hazards.
The Watchers – Black Abyss.
Stonefield – Far From Earth.
Green Lung – Free The Witch.
Neil Merryweather, JanneStark – Carved In Rock
# Metal
Fractal Gates – The Light That Shines
Oceans of Slumber – The Banished Heart
Sinistro – Sangue cássia
Tribulation – Down Below
Thy Catafalque – Geometria
Alkaloid – Liquid Anatomy
Amorphis – Queen of Time
Sludge – Esoteric Malacology
# Stoner/Psychedelic/Blues
CHICKN – Wowsers!
Black Space Riders – Amoretum Vol. 1
Whoopie Cat – Illusion of Choice
The Death Wheelers – I Tread on Your Grave
Walking Papers – WP2
# Punk/Hardcore/Noise/Post-Punk
Treedeon – Under The Manchineel
shame – Songs of Praise
Horror Vacui – New Wave Of Fear
Iceage – Beyondless
The Damned – Evil Spirits
War on Women – Capture The Flag
Turnstile – Time & Space
# Alternative
Lost Avenue – Fears
Heads. – Collider
Awooga – Conduit
Habitants – One Self
# Rock/Pop
Brandi Carlile – By the Way, I Forgive You
Lauren Ruth Ward – Well, Hell
Clare Bowen – Clare Bowen
Bryde – Like an Island
Neko Case – Hell-on
Flamingo Tours – Lucha Libre
Kacey Musgraves – Golden Hour
# Other
Anna von Hausswolff – Dead Magic
Khemmis – Isolation
Ihsahn – Amr
Graveyard – Peace
Ghost – Prequelle
Octopus- Supernatural Alliance
YOB – Our Raw Heart
No particular order:
Frank Zappa – The Roxy Performances
Sleep – The Sciences
YOB – Our Raw Heart
Khemmis – Desolation
Slomatics/Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard Split – TOTEMS
Forming the Void/Pyreship – Split
Earthride – Witch Gun (Single)
Melvins – Pinkus Abortion Technician
Witchskull – Coven’s Will
In no particular order (other than the first three, which are definitely my top three so far):
Yob – Our Raw Heart
Sergeant Thunderhoof – Terra Solus
Earthless – Black Heaven
Hashteroid – Hashteroid
Nervosa – Downfall of Mankind
Besvarjelsen – Vallmo
TONS – Filthy Flowers of Doom
Realm – Read Clay Dead River
Bismarck – Urkraft
Okwaho – Okwaho
Black Rainbows – Pandaemonium
Sierra – The Mirror
Mr Bison – Holy Oak
Miesha and the Spanks – Girls Girls Girls
Fu Manchu – Clone of the Universe. If it’s not the best album so far this year, it for sure has the best song of the year, the 18 minute masterpiece Il Mostro Atomico.
My faves so far in no particular order –
Ecstatic Vision – Under The Influence
Earthless – Black Heaven
Green Druid – Ashen Blood
Black Rainbows – Pandaemonium
SVVAMP – SVVAMP 2
Crypt Trip – Rootstock
Sleep – The Sciences
Graveyard – Peace
Very much looking forward to second half of 2018…
Dunbarrow, Brant Bjork, Yawning Man
Gonna go check out some of your faves…
Earthless – Black Heaven
Judas Priest – Firepower
A Perfect Circle – Eat The Elephant
Church of The Cosmic Skull – Science Fiction
Fu Manchu – Clone of The Universe
Monster Magnet – Mindfucker
Ghost – Prequelle
Justify Rebellion – Unleash the Beast
Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons – The Age of Absurdity
Philip Anselmo and The Illegals – Choosing Mental Illness as a Virtue
1. Fu Manchu – Clone Of The Universe
2. Sleep – The Sciences
3. Freedom Hawk – Beast Remains
4. Patrick Sweany – Ancient Noise
5. Suicidal Tendencies – Get Your Fight On
6. Monster Magnet – Mindfucker
7. The Sword – Used Future
8. C.O.C – No Cross No Crown
9. Jimi Hendrix – Both Sides Of The Sky
10. Roger Daltrey – As Long As I Have You
11. Merlin – The Wizard
1- Sleep
2- Earthless
3- Graveyard
4- Khemmis
5- SVVamp
6- Burning Saviours
7- High Reeper
8- The Sword
How I forgot to put Fu Manchu on my list I’ll never know. That should be right at the top of my list.
Probably the same way you forgot Weedpecker III. Put down the bong man!
We’ll see what this looks like in December!
1. Weedpecker – III
2. Huntsmen – American Scrap
3. The Atlas Moth – Coma Noir
4. ASG – Survive Sunrise
5. Gygax- 2nd Edition
6. Somali Yacht Club – The Sea
7. Black Salvation – Uncertainty is Bliss
8. Death Alley – Superbia
9. Crypt Trip – Rootstock
10. Atala – Labyrinth of Ashmedai
11. Dead Empires – Designed To Disappear
12. Mountain Dust – Seven Storms
13. Birth of Joy – Hyper Focus
14. Dommengang – Love Jail
15. Tribulation – Down Below
16. Green Lung – Free The Witch EP
17. Hypno5e/A Backward Glace on a Travel Road – Alba-Les Ombres Errantes
18. JIRM – Surge Ex Monumentis
19. Wedge – Killing Tongue
20. Hot Snakes – Jericho Sirens
21. Them Moose Rush – Don’t Pick Your Noise
22. Gloop – The Tourist
23. OroborO – Laughing Death
24. Between The Buried and Me – Automata I + II
25. King Buffalo – Repeater EP
Sleep
YOB
Graveyard
Dead Meadow
Monsternaut
Grayceon
Hooded Menace
Sunnata
Sixcircles
The Steams
Sleep – The Sciences
Weedpecker – III
Naxatras – III
Fu Manchu – Clone Of The Universe
The Sword – Used Future
Monster Magnet – Mindfucker
Orange Goblin – The Wolf Bites Back
Yawning Man – Revolt Against Tired Noises (based off the first couple of spins)
Ghost – Prequelle
ANTHROPROPHH!! If you haven’t heard Omegaville you’ve made a terrible mistake.
Graveyard
Sleep
Yob
Drug Cult. This band scratches that EW itch.
Green Druid. Am interested to see where they go from here.
Bong
Blackwater Holylight. Local band here in Portland. These ladies bring it. And catchy.
Didn’t care much for the new Witch Mountain nor Khemmis.
Sleep “The Sciences” LP
Slomatics/Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard “Totems” 12”
Power “Turned On” LP
No Class “Painted in a Corner” LP
Leon Bridges “Good Thing”
Battle Ruins “Glorious Dead” LP
Chrch “Light will consume us” LP
Civic “New Vietnam” LP
Wound Man “Pre-History” EP
King Buffalo “Repeater” 12” EP
Arms Race “The Beast” EP
S.H.I.T “What do you stand for?” 12”
Here Lies Man “You Will Know Nothing” LP
Parasite “Zankyo” LP
Alienation “Bitter Reality” EP
My Favorite of the year by some amount has been:
Somali Yacht Club- The Sea
IN ORDER
1) River Cult – Halcyon Daze
2) Crypt Trip – Rootstock
3) SVVAMP 2
4) CHILD – I
5) Astral Blue – Out of the Blue
6) Dommengang – Love Jail
7) Vvlva – Path of Virtue
8) Crazy Bull – The past is today
9) Fu Manchu – Clone of the Universe
King Buffalo, Sleep, and The Death Wheelers have all been getting heavy play from me.
I’m really glad I checked out the comments on this post…I listened to Svvamp 2 after seeing it listed so many times and I agree. That album is fantastic.
Also, the new Bongripper just came out on July 6th and I’ve already played that multiple times. I can already tell that’s going to be a favorite of mine this year.
– Sleep
– Amorphis
– Ghost
– Khemmis
– Judas Priest