#30: vola: witness (5.9)
- Genre: Progressive Rock
- Another one of those "not a bad song on the album" jams, but nothing super standout either
#28 TIE: cynic: ascension codes (6.0)
- Genre: Progressive Rock / Progressive Metal
- 18 tracks, few are full length
- Another album without a bad song
- A little flat dynamically, but smooth like modern The Contortionist
- Mythical Serpents is great
#28 TIE: Humanity's last breath: Välde (6.0)
- Genre: Deathc0re / Tha11 / Duhdj0nt
- Tuned to Drop Q
- Solid Listen front to back
- Another album without a bad song, but no true A rated songs
- "Tide" is my personal favorite from the album
#26 tie: mastodon: hushed and grim (6.2)
- Genre: Heavy Metal
- 86 minutes
- Why is this 86 minutes?
- As with so many of these albums, the Jurassic Park quote applies: "your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could that they didn't stop to think if they should "
- Another album full of B- to B+ rated songs
#26 TIE: Brand of sacrifice: Lifeblood (6.1)
- Genre: Progressive Metalcore / Tech Death
- One of those bands whose individual songs are far better than their albums
- Tender meat and a bunch of fat - like a ribeye
- If they could stop releasing an album per year they could probably make a much better album with nothing but bangers
#23 tie: landmvrks: lost in the waves (6.2)
- Genre: Metalcore / Hardcore / Rap Metal
- Band has incredible range and well written parts, but can be predictable and unimaginative at times
- The vocal performance on "Say No Word" is incredible
#23 tie: resolve: Between me and the machine (6.2)
- Genre: Modern Metalcore
- If the 2021 styles of Northlane, Architects, and ERRA all combined into a band
- One of those albums where they've front loaded all the good tracks
- First few tracks are bangers, then gets stale
#23 tie: As everything unfolds: w.e.l.t.o. (6.2)
- Genre: Modern Metalcore
- Catchy and decent variety of songs
- Like a slightly poppier more Warped Tour friendly version of CrazyEightyEight
- A heavier version of Paramore
#22: Gojira: Fortitude (6.3)
- Genre: Heavy Metal
- Really good album from an overrated band
- "Born for One Thing" is an A- song
- "Amazonia" is a D song
- Everything else is a B- to B+
#19 TIE: MØL: Diorama (6.4)
- Genre: Blackgaze? Shoe Metal?
- This one bats pretty okgud
- Album flows end to end.
- "Black Metal" for Pop Punk fans
#19 TIE: Signs of the swarm: absolvere (6.4)
- Genre: Deathcore
- Overall solid and brutal
- "Death Whistle" is one of the nastiest tracks of the year
#19 TIE: Converge / Chelsea Wolfe: Bloodmoon: 1 (6.4)
- Genre: Heavy Metal / Doom Metal / Goth Metal
- This was a pleasant surprise
- Really well done start to finish but nothing that overly moved me
#18: ERRA: ERRA (6.5)
- Genre: Modern Metalcore
- Solid, but a little overhyped
- Predictable
- Last 90 seconds of "Divisionary" is beautiful
#17: Holding Absence: the greatest mistake of my life (6.6)
- Genre: Progressive Rock
- Just a solid modern rock album
- Big moments, big songs, big feels
- "Celebration Song" is a standout track, though they have plenty of actual singles from the album