So it begins... The end-of-year list-posting.
I'll preface this post by saying that I do not consider these albums as "bad".
Who am I to belittle the months, sometimes years of effort that go into the making of these albums from well-established bands that have been making a living out of their musicianship for years while I write these words from the safety of my phone or laptop.
This is not what my page is about and I do not consider myself a critic in any way.
However, as a consumer and a fan, I do have expectations and opinions to share when I feel those personal expectations have not been met.
Thus begins my end-of-year posting with albums that either underwhelmed me or flat-out disappointed me :
Silent Planet - "Iridescent" :
Objectively, it's harsh to include this album here as it is still head-of-the-class in its style and genre. But subjectively, this was my biggest let-down, especially regarding the downgrade of the lyrical contents which made it feel as though the band lacked what made them stand out from other metalcore acts on this release.
Architects - "For Those Who Wish To Exist" :
An album that sees a band looking for their footing in a needed and expected change of style, however the result is a bloated, repetitive and generally uninteresting piece of predictable symphonic, poppy arena-core.
DARKO (US) - "Darko" :
Hyped by the singles, yet ultimately found the album itself to be quite dull and unpleasant, especially due to its production.
Employed To Serve - "Conquering" :
A matter of personal taste but I much preferred their fresh and biting hardcore to their new-found arena-filling, modern american metal worshipping.
Whitechapel - "Kin" :
I was looking forward to how the band would keep morphing their signature deathcore with other genres but the execution came off as lackluster and the mixing of styles felt blunt and unorganic.
Gojira - "Fortitude" :
More accessible; less impressive, memorable and enjoyable than its predecessor but still has some solid tracks.
Full of Hell - "Garden of Burning Apparitions" :
Another one that feels harsh to include but I was expecting much more experimental madness from this album.
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