The Best of 2021 Year-End Poll is Now Open!
I have been looking forward to this for months. I always do, but I’m extra curious to get a look at everybody’s favorite picks from 2021, and I feel like it might be close when it comes to how the final list shakes out. There’s been so much creative ground being broken, it’s awe-inspiring and humbling at once.
To that point, yes, there are still some really good records to come in the next couple weeks. I know. This post will be here until Dec. 31. If you’re holding a spot for something, that’s fine. But I want to give people as much of a chance as possible to add their favorites to the poll, and that means posting this sooner. If I waited until Dec. 31, it would be silly, and by January, everybody’s head is tired of lists, my own included. So just trust me. I’ve done this before.
Maximum participation is encouraged and appreciated. Thank you.
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Thanks for being part of this. Please share the link if you can.
Same rules as always: Anything from Jan. 2021 to whatever’s coming out between now and Dec. 31 is eligible. If something is out digitally now and physical later and you want to include it, do so. Two lists are tabulated; one of the raw votes, and one in which a 1-4 ranking is worth five points, 5-8 worth four, 9-12 worth three, 13-16 worth two and 17-20 worth one.
Poll runs until Dec. 31, 2021. Results go up Jan. 1, 2022, along with all the individual lists. I am not kidding when I say this is my favorite post of the year. It will be on the top of the front-page for the next month.
As ever, the Year-End Poll would not be possible without the diligent and respected efforts of Slevin behind-the-scenes. Every year like clockwork I bug him with an email or a text about the poll — and I’ll do so again when it’s time to do the final tally — and he’s never yet told me to screw off, which it only feels like he’d be increasingly within his rights to do. Thanks dude. You’re amazing.
And thank you one more time as well. Let’s have some fun. We’ve all earned it.
Tags: Readers Poll, The Obelisk, The Obelisk The Top 20 of 2021 Year-End Poll, The Top 20 of 2021 Year-End Poll
HDQ
Yes!!!
Yay, this is fun and I’m glad my Excel work is going to be put to good use. I also look forward to discovering a few other great works I missed this year based on everyone’s recommendations.
Personally, it’s looking like King Buffalo by a landslide, and their live album drops in a couple days. Long live the King.
Do we need to have the full 20?
Also anyone got a good list of 2021 releases?
This has prompted me to go back to the 2020 list and listen to any that I missed last year.
Hi Brett,
You don’t have to do all 20 if you don’t want to. I’m not sure of a full list of 2021 releases though.
Thanks,
JJ
My top 20 best albums of 2021:
1.King Buffalo – The Burden of Restlessness
2.Iah – Ominess
3.Samsara Blues Experiment – End of Forever
4.Blackwater Holylight – Silence/Motion
5.Eldovar – A story of Darkness & Light
6.Acid Mammoth – Caravan
7.The Kings of Frog Island – VII
8.Jack Harlon & The Dead Crows – The Magnetic Ridge
9.Dope Smoker – The devil’s Bridge
10.Electric Octopus – Inclinations
11.Monolord – Your Time To Shine
12.Delving – Hirschbrunnen
13.Stöner – Stoner Rules
14.Sunnata – Burning in Heaven,Melting on Earth
15.Domkraft – Seeds
16.Green Lung – Black Harvest
17.Long distance Caling – Ghost
18.Greenleaf – Echoes from a mass
19.Bongzilla – Weedsconsin
20.Amenra – De Doorn
This is a great list. A lot of my own picks on here too. Did you add it to the poll with the form above?
Yes, I add
Good list, but I think some of those are technically 2020 releases. Samsara Blues Experiment, Kings of Frog Island… wish those bands had new stuff though.
I’m happily wrong about Kings of Frog Island. Looking forward to that surprise.
no they are all 2021 releases
Wonderful list… just typed in my list into the poll and later I figured out, that I hardly could have been copying your list to make it short cut :oD But there are several records on your list I still did not know – so good distraction. Here s what I have to add:
The Wheel – Preserved in Time
Monster Magnet – A Better Dystopia (cover album though)
Red Fang – Arrows
Kadavar – Isolation Tapes
The Night Eternal – Moonlit Cross
All Them Witches – Nothing as the Ideal
Joe Bonamassa – Time Clocks
risk an ear (as we say in German) “Riskiere ein Ohr” hehe
like… Give it a try
Couldn’t narrow it down to just 20!
1. Greenleaf- Echos From a Mass
2. High Desert Queen- Secrets of the Black Moon
3. GoodEye- GoodEye
4. Plaindrifter- Echo Therapy
5. Domkraft- Seeds
6. King Buffalo- The Burden of Restlessness
7. Maha Sohona- Endless Searcher
8. Tomahawk- Tonic Immobility
9. Stöner- Stoner’s Rule
10. Low Orbit- Crater Creator
11. Thunder Horse- Chosen One
12. Monolord- Your Time to Shine
13. Mother Iron Horse- Under the Blood Moon
14. The Age of Truth- Resolute
15. Lord Buffalo- Acheron
16. Kal-El- Dark Majesty
17. Void Vator- Great Fear Rising
18. Acid Mammoth- Caravan
19. Borracho- Pound of Flesh
20. The Melvins- Five Legged Dog
21. Red Beard Wall- 3
22. Mother Iron Horse- Under the Blood Moon
23. Savanah- Olympus Mons
24. Failure- Wild Type Droid
25. Red Fang- Arrows
26. Hippie Death Cult- Circle of Days
27. Solar Mantra- Away
28. Slowshine- Living Light
29. Duel- In Carne Persona
30. Low Flying Hawks- Fuyu
31. Taxi Caveman- Taxi Caveman
32. Savanah- Olympus Mons
Great list
Where I stand for 2021:
1. Zombi – Liquid Crystal
2. Sun Crow – Quest For Oblivion
3. Snail – Fractal Altar
4. Weeed – Do You Fall?
5. King Buffalo – The Burden of Restlessness/Acheron
6. Giobia and The Cosmic Dead – The Intergalactic Connection
7. Earthless – Live in the Mojave Desert
8. Tommy Guerrero – Sunshine Radio
9. Monolord – Your Time To Shine
10. Delving – Hirshbrunnen
11. Mainliner – Dual Myths
12. Greenleaf – Echoes From A Mass
13. Sepulcros – Vazio
14. Green Desert Water – Black Harvest
15. Wolves Like Me – Who’s Afraid?
16. Spellbinder – Abyssal Trip
17. High Desert Queen – Secrets of the Black Moon
Again, my List is a little out there because I’m on the Psychedelic Stoner Rock side… Acid Rock, Desert Rock, Fuzz Rock, Garage Psych, Heavy Rock, Kraut Rock, Prog Rock, Heavy Psych, Space Rock… Proprietor of the Psychedelic Genocide BandCamp Compilation Series… Remember, we like a little Angst with our Psychedelics, powered by Peyote and Shrooms… PeAcE…
Hell yes!! My top three were Morganthus, King Buffalo and Spelljammer. Lots of people here loving Burden of Restlessness. Can’t wait to see the results. (#129304#)
Hi,
This could be my 2021 TOP20… unfortunately, the year is not finished yet and I’ll probably dig some new crazy stuff…
1 CAVERN DEEP CAVERN DEEP
2 KING BUFFALO THE BURDEN OF RESTLESSNESS
3 MAD CHICKEN CHICKEN OF THE GRAVE
4 OLD MAN WIZARD KILL YOUR SERVANTS QUIETLY
5 MESSERSCHMITT OH DEATH
6 WOLFNAUT III
7 PARALYSED PARALYZED
8 QUEEN(ARES) FROM THIS GROUND, FROM THIS SEA
9 MATTERHORN PROJECT THE TRAVELER
10 CROMN LANDS WHITE BUFFALO
11 INDIGO RAVEN LOOKING FOR TRANSCENDENCE
12 KESEM POST TERRA
13 ELEFANT TALK ELEFANT TALK
14 GYNOID THE HUNGER ARTIST SHOW
15 DOCTOR SMOKE DREAMERS AND THE DEAD
16 CANYYN CANYYN
17 10,000 YEARS II
18 SHIVA THE DESTRUCTOR FIND THE OTHERS
19 HIGH DESERT QUEEN SECRETS OF THE BLACK MOON
20 HOLY DEATH TRIO INTRODUCING…
Sorry, I have to re-edit
01. CAVERN DEEP – CAVERN DEEP
02. KING BUFFALO – THE BURDEN OF RESTLESSNESS
03. MAD CHICKEN – CHICKEN OF THE GRAVE
04. OLD MAN WIZARD – KILL YOUR SERVANTS QUIETLY
05. MESSERSCHMITT – OH DEATH
06. WOLFNAUT – III
07. PARALYSED – PARALYZED
08. QUEEN(ARES) – FROM THIS GROUND, FROM THIS SEA
09. MATTERHORN PROJECT THE TRAVELER
10. CROMN LANDS – WHITE BUFFALO
11. INDIGO RAVEN – LOOKING FOR TRANSCENDENCE
12. KESEM – POST TERRA
13. ELEFANT TALK – ELEFANT TALK
14. GYNOID – THE HUNGER ARTIST SHOW
15. DOCTOR SMOKE – DREAMERS AND THE DEAD
16. CANYYN – CANYYN
17. 10,000 YEARS – II
18. SHIVA THE DESTRUCTOR – FIND THE OTHERS
19. HIGH DESERT QUEEN – SECRETS OF THE BLACK MOON
20. HOLY DEATH TRIO – INTRODUCING…
Good list either way. There’s a couple on here I haven’t heard, including Mad Chicken in your top three. Guess I better check that out. Definitely thought the Cavern Deep was one of the year’s best debuts though.
I hate ranking stuff, but I did my best for this assignment’s sake:
1. Elder & Kadavar – ELDOVAR: A Story of Darkness and Light
2. Hooded Menace – The Tritonus Bell
3. Snail – Fractal Altar
4. Nephila – Nephila
5. Converge & Chelsea Wolfe – Bloodmoon: I
6. Monolord – Your Time To Shine
7. Deafheaven – Infinite Granite
8. The Armed – ULTRAPOP
9. Hippie Death Cult – Circle of Days
10. Acid Magus – Wyrd Syster
11. Red Fang – Arrows
12. Häxmästaren – Sol i Exil
13. Greenleaf – Echoes from a Mass
14. Jack Harlon & The Dead Crows – The Magnetic Ridge
15. Maragda – Maragda
16. BIG|BRAVE – Vital
17. King Woman – Celestial Blues
18. Green Lung – Black Harvest
19. Khemmis – Deceiver
20. Somnuri – Nefarious Wave
And oh so many more I wanted to add.
This was (and still is) a phenomenal year for music honestly.
Easily could have made a top 100, which means it was another killer year for music.
1. Weedpecker – IV: The Stream of Forgotten Thoughts
2. Dvne – Etemen Ænka
3. Cosmic Reaper – Cosmic Reaper
4. Noctule – Wretched Abyss
5. Mastodon – Hushed and Grim
6. Ungraven, Slomatics – Split
7. Terminus – The Silent Bell Toll
8. Gravpel – Power to the Filthy Masses
9. Cave of Swimmers – Aurora
10. Steel Bearing Hand – Slay in Hell
11. Wolves in the Throne Room – Primordial Arcana
12. Vokonis – Odyssey
13. Shun – Shun
14. Somnuri – Nefarious Wave
15. Wheel – Preserved in Time
16. Battle Hag – Celestial Tyrant
17. Heavy Temple – Lupi Amoris
18. Iceburn – Asclepius
19. Green Lung – Black Harvest
20. GoodEye – GoodEye
Hi,
Let’s vote People!!!
Thanks to you and this poll I always discover new great music.
From my list I recommend Kowloon Walled City album – hidden gem
Mine top 10 of 2021 albums:
Dvne
Monolord
Mastodon
Kowloon Walled City
Spaceslug
Cult Of Luna
Gojira
Boss Keloid
Chevelle
Jerry Cantrell
I’m not making any friends with my list…I can see the eye rolls at a few of my choices.
It’s all subjective though right? So many good releases in 21.
If only we had a Casey Kasem type year end round up radio program for this thing……………………..(JJ?)
That’s like the whole idea behind the Gimme Metal show, except my radio voice is just me mumbling.
This year I tried to keep a list with all my favorite albums, but it was extremely difficult to narrow it down to 20. And I still have 30 albums to listen to that could potentially enter the top 20.
Here’s my list, alphabetically order:
Acid Magus – Wyrd Syster
Aiwass – Wayward Gods
Alastor – Onwards and Downwards
Amour – Hyperborea
Apollo80 – Beautiful, Beautiful Desolation
Crypt Witch – Ritual Herbs
Deathchant – Waste
delving – Hirschbrunnen
Domkraft – Seeds
Draken – Draken
Elara Sunstreak Band – Vostock 1
Electric Valley – Tapes from the Galactic Tavern
Froglord – The Mystic Toad
Green Desert Water – Black Harvest
Green Lung – Black Harvest
Jack Harlon & the Dead Crows – The Magnetic Ridge
Jointhugger – Surrounded by Vultures
Kadavar, Elder – Eldovar – A Story Of Darkness & Light
Kal-El – Dark Majesty
Kanaan – Earthbound
King Buffalo – Acheron
King Buffalo – The Burden of Restlessness
Little Jimi – The Cantos
Maha Sohona – Endless Searcher
Monolord – Your Time To Shine
Moon Coven – Slumber Wood
Nephila – Nephila
Our Man In The Bronze Age – Hexed Endeavours
Rat King – Omen
Robots of the Ancient World – Mystic Goddess
Saturnia – Stranded in the Green
Shiva the Destructor – Find the Others
Shun – Shun
Snowy Dunes – Sastrugi
Spaceslug – Memorial
SpliffRipper – Spliffripper
Straytones – Magic Green River Swimmin’ & Stunning Tarzanka Experience
Suncraft – Flat Earth Rider
The Fur – Sonntag
Tremor Ama – Beneath
Vokonis – Odyssey
Wax Brain – Hive Mind
Weedpecker – IV: The Stream of Forgotten Thoughts
Weeed – Do You Fall?
White Canyon & The 5th Dimension – Spectral Illusion
White Powder – Blue Dream
Wolfnaut – III