19. Ethereal by Jivebomb - 7

-Are you interested in hearing a cute girl growl over hardcore punk music? Well Jivebomb delivers that! It's funny that there are ten songs on here but the entire album is only 15 minutes.

20. Bloom In Heaven by Invent Animate and Silent Planet - 9.9

-Who needs Secret Wars when you have team ups like this going on? Two of the best metal bands in the lands combine their forces for 3 of the most awesome songs I've heard not only this year, or decade, or century, but possibly ever! Yes, its only 3 songs, but the length is about the same as the last album I reviewed lol. Armageddon Eyes is an early contender for song of the year.

21. Shapeshifter by Memphis May Fire - 6

-Eh ... on the surface this probably isn't too different from their previous album (which I gave an 8.5 to and is probably my favorite from them.) But, at the same time, it reminds me more of what bands like The Ghost Inside and Wage War have been doing recently - chasing the crossover audience that has been attracted to the genre by Bad Omens and other girlcore bands. I can't blame them for that though, I'd probably want to make money too. And its certainly not bad music or anything, much like TGI and WW its just the metalcore genre stripped down to its most basic and easily accessible elements. I can listen to that and be happy about it. Just won't be making my aoty list.

22. Lonely People With Power by Deafheaven - 9.6

-Many people have called have called this a return to form for Deafheaven. I disagee. I call it the best record they've ever made. After years of experiment (successfully I might add), they have come back to perfect their very unique Blackglaze style (black metal + shoegaze.) Just beautiful uplifting ethereal music mixed with death screams and an assault of drumming. This albums fucks ... hard. "Doberman" is my favorite song.

23. Save Our Souls by Balance Breach* - 6.5

-More metal, but this time by a newish band from Finland. It doesn't really sound like viking metal though. Just like anything that's been produced in the genre over the last few years. So I can't give it too high of a grade or too low of one. It was fine. I probably wouldn't go out of my way to see them in concert but if they were opening for someone else or playing at a festival then I'd happily bang my head and throw some fisticuffs.

Have fallen behind with new releases and am going on vacation in a few days. So gonna try to bang out as many of these as I can in the next 2/3 days. And usually I write reviews after two listens but these will be after only one. Starting with....

24. Is by My Morning Jacket - 7.7

-MMJ are a (now) classic jam band whose live show will carry them on until the day they decide (or don't) to call it quits. However, can they still rock on their new albums and add some new spices to said live show? Yes! I wouldn't place any of these songs on an MMJ top ten songs list (maybe a Flava'd Fifty if I get a computer that works well enough) but they will all be welcome additions to the setlist.

25. The Cost of Compromise by Leave* - 6

-Debut full length album from a band who might be from germany or might be from several other places. It's hard to look up artists with names like Leave since that triggers so many different search results lol. Anyway, these fellas (I assume) are another group that went to the school of Bad Omens with their melodic hard rock (calling themselves post-hardcore but I dunno about that.) In fact, I can hear how these songs would sound like Bastille or Imagine Dragons if they were released ten years ago, but the synthesizers have been replaced by power chords. I suppose thats a good thing for music on the whole? This album was fine, nothing too special but a solid listed. I'd see them at a festival and will probably try their next album too.

26. Dreams on Toast by The Darkness - 6

-Yes, before anyone asks, they still do believe in a thing called love. Normally I'd assume a band wouldn't wanna constantly be referenced by their one hit wonder, but for Darkness I don't think they mind. They were always a throwback to hair metal and now they are a throwback to a throwback. Dude doesn't sing in all falsetto anymore, and who can blame him as I'm sure it kills his voice, but still can hit those notes every now and then.

27. BODIES by Thornhill - 7.3

-Australian metalcore here and honestly they might be the continent doing the best work in the genre. Like Nature, it seems to get to experiment more in the isolated setting and come up with something different. Thornhill seem like they are just chasing the sound, but then they flip it on you and do some more progressive stuff, reminding me just as much of Deftones as all the other hot bands in the metalcore scene right now.

28. The Place After This One by Underoath - 6.9

-It's still always a bit jarring to start a new Underoath album and go "wait is this the same band?" Even though they've been full on metalcore way longer than their iconic, but short spanning emo years. This record is fine, but if it was the first one I listened to I would have never guessed they produced such amazing stuff when certain people were in high school.

29. Nu Dehli by Bloodywood - 5.5

-Blooodywood could be the name of the genre too as these Indians (from India) blend metal with their own cultural music. It reminds me of how RRR has those bone crunching action scenes back to back with the two most badass fighters in the land tap dancing at a wedding. They even have Babymetal on a song in case you didn't get what they were going for. Unlike Babymetal (and the Hu for that matter), I get tired of their sound after a few songs and find it to be a bit much. However, much like Babymetal (and the Hu for that matter) they will be a gateway band for so many more new fans of metal and you gotta love that.

As much as I can turned out to be 7 .. which is pretty good, but there are a few I missed (apologies to Black Country New Road and Cane Hill, you shall have to wait.)

30. For Melancholy Brunettes (and sad woman) by Japanese Breakfast - 4.9

-So I'm hoping that maybe cramming so much music into a short space has impacted the grade here, because it would be a real bummer if such a promising altpop singer made such a boring album after seeming to crack the code with Jubilee back in ... 2021 (really? Fucking covid ruined time perception.) I'll give it another try sometime in the future and hopefully come to a different conclusion. Cause there's nothing near as fun on here as Be Sweet or Slide Tackle or even as interesting as her older, mellower songs like Road Head.


When I get back (well actually like several days later) Beach Bunny will be releasing her third full length album. Very excited!!!

Hearing these songs in the live show really unlocked them for me and now I love it lol. Won't do a regrade here, but it is now alot higher on my musicboard.

31. Tunnel Vision by Beach Bunny - 10

-Lily Trifilio and the boys continue their streak with their third 10/10 album. I love her so much if that wasn't clear. And she really just continues to improve as a vocalist and writer. This is an album that all pop girls wish they could make ... but they don't have to because they are hot lol. Beach Bunny may neve rise to superstardom, but at least we can count on them for 10 excellent songs every couple years.

32. Skeleta by Ghost - 6

-I probably write the same thing for every Ghost album review. If you like their style of 80s throwback hair metal this will be a good time for you, if not then skip as usual. I will say they went really heavy on the 80s throwback, and less heavy on the devil stuff which is nice and makes it an improvement over their last album. I doubt they'll ever top Prequelle though (the one with Rats and Dance Macabre.)