So, somehow 2015 is nearly over, where I could swear people were talking about the end of the world in 2012 only a couple of weeks ago, but here we are. It's been a fairly good year for music, with a number of incredible releases, of which I'm going to briefly review the top 10:
10 - Ghost Bath, Moonlover
7/10
Though classified as black metal, the seven songs that make up Moonlover are delicately composed masterpieces, which are surprisingly pleasant to listen to given its parent genre. For an album released this year, it feels very traditionally melodic, and it will definitely stand as a favourite in my library for years to come because it's so beautiful.
Highlights: Golden Number, Happyhouse, The Silver Flower Pt. II
9 - Black Tongue, The Unconquerable Dark
7/10
Almost the antithesis of Moonlover, Black Tongue's first full-length is the height of sonic assault, and seamlessly bridges the gap between modern black metal and deathcore, which no other band has achieved so well, with bitter and low vocals and ugly bludgeoning guitar play, depicting nihilism and other such dark themes without ending up parodying themselves.
Highlights: Plague Worship, L'Appel Du Vide, I'm So Tired Of Sighing. Please Lord Let It Be Night
8 - Florence + The Machine, How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful
7/10
Though this may stick out as rather odd, following such heavy releases, this album is well worth mentioning as a damn good rock album. Perhaps not the same as modern rock, but it has a rather nostalgic feel to its sound, and maintains a good beat throughout most of its songs without feeling like a crowd-pleasing record, and whilst Florence's vocal talent is absolutely phenomenal, it's nice to see an album like this which sells not only on vocal talent but also because of the accompanying musicians' songwriting and proficiency.
Highlights: How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful, Delilah, Mother
7 - Celldweller, End of an Empire
7/10
I hadn't even thought about Celldweller for years before I heard the title track of End of an Empire, and I was instantly gripped. Far surpassing his earlier works, each track in this album is a work in its own right, with no filler whatsoever, and Klayton has perfected the sound of industrial rock mixed with dancefloor beats.
Highlights: Down to Earth, Just Like You, Jericho
6 - Blind Guardian, Beyond The Red Mirror
7/10
Though perhaps not exploring much new in the way of musical territory, Blind Guardian's latest offering is as clean and delicately written as ever, further cementing their place as one of the leading symphonic rock/power metal groups there have ever been.
Highlights: Twilight Of The Gods, At The Edge Of Time, Grand Parade
5 - The Hell, Brutopia
8/10
The Hell's first album, You're Listening To The Hell, was perhaps one of the most unusually polarized albums of heaviness and humour, but an album to remember; its successor, Groovehammer, was unfortunately hit and miss, with the hits being somewhat dull anyway, and so I was prepared for disappointment with their latest. Brutopia is, however, without a doubt their strongest record to date, being funny, heavy and anthemic, with a heavier focus on big riffs and tunefulness, gladly bringing it to a wider audience than ever.
Highlights: Sick, The Fever, Brutopia
4 - Shinedown, Threat To Survival
8/10
Ironically, for an 8/10 album, Shinedown's Threat To Survival was a bit of a disappointment for a band of their skill. Brilliant choruses, soaring riffs, and arena-written music, there's no doubt it's a damn good album, but that still pales in comparison to The Sound of Madness and Amaryllis. True, there is a lot of good music on this album, but, more so than its predecessors, there is also a fair amount of filler, and the final track is clearly an attempt to parallel Amaryllis' 'Through The Ghost', but utterly fails to deliver anything of note, and is frankly an awfully boring song. However, having said that, there is enough good on this album to maintain it in regular play.
Highlights: Asking For It, Cut The Cord, Black Cadillac
3 - Marilyn Manson, The Pale Emperor
8/10
Nine albums in, and it's clear Marilyn Manson has changed. That's not to say the days of Antichrist Superstar are over, but their entire sound has shifted from the angsty teen rocker to a more mature writing style, and the important thing about that is that Manson himself has realized that too. I'd have to say, with largely slower, more measured songs and a more intelligent tone to the lyrical content, this is his best written album to date (easily eclipsing the messes of Eat Me, Drink Me and Born Villain).
Highlights: The Mephistopheles Of Los Angeles, Cupid Carries A Gun, Odds Of Even
2 - Bring Me The Horizon, That's The Spirit
9/10
It's astounding to me that a band that five years ago produced metalcore, and ten years ago deathcore, can come up with such a fantastic stadium rock album as That's The Spirit. Almost every track is a five star for me, with memorable, well-sung lyrics and some of the best song of Bring Me The Horizon's career so far.
Highlights: True Friends, Follow You, What You Need, Blasphemy
1 - Ghost, Meliora
10/10
This is easily the best album of the year. There's nothing wrong with it, and there's everything good about it. And, what's more, as evidenced by the show I went to in Manchester on Saturday, they can rock the album live too. There's not much I can say about it other than listen to it from beginning to end.
Highlights: Spirit, From The Pinnacle To The Pit, Cirice, He Is, Majesty, Absolution, Deus In Absentia
