2017 has been a great year for me. I got the opportunity to combine my two main passions – music and writing -, I got to publish my writings and meet a few of my favorite artists for interviews. But mostly talking about the newest releases this year has brought, although most of the people I know disagree with me, I think it has been a fantastic year for alternative music.
| 7-10 | 4-6 | 2-3 | 1 |
6. Acid Witch – Evil Sound Screamers
The band seemed to have disappeared, but after 7 long years they released another record and it’s exactly what I hoped it would be and more. The extremely underrated band has a creepy 80’s Halloween theme and horror sound, further it’s hard to put them into a specific genre, which is exactly why you can keep listening to them. They experiment with bizarre sounds and dare to use keyboard and organ sometimes. While these elements make it harder to put together, Acid Witch made it work perfectly again. Songs like Cheap Gore and Mutilation Mansion make this record my favorite one out of their discography so far.
5. Chelsea Wolfe – Hiss Spun
This is without a doubt one of the most angsty sounding things I have heard in a long time. The dirty sound and dark lyrics, sang by Wolfe‘s silk, yet fragile voice, are put together so well. The artist’s mental health issues shine through the most in songs like 16 Psyche and Twin Fawn, and the whole album is drenched in a dark, nearly uncomfortable atmosphere. This record is for sure the most intriguing and mesmerizing one of the year.
4. Power Trip – Nightmare Logic
This is without a doubt one of the fastest growing bands of the -you could say- decade. The youngsters had already made a mind-blowing debut by releasing Manifest Decimation in 2013. But Nightmare Logic went way beyond that. Soul Sacrifice features one of the most powerful riffs of all time, and Executioner’s Tax (Swing of the Axe) even won the “Loudwire Music Award for Metal Song of the Year”. The rest of the album is just pure anger and power put into some incredibly good crossover thrash. It doesn’t have to be more than that sometimes, and there couldn’t be a better way to put it together than the way Power Trip did it. The inexhaustible band doesn’t sit still and keeps on touring, unfortunately mostly with bands that I don’t really like. I hope to finally catch them at a headlining tour next year!
2018 is going to start off ridiculously well with a brand new Corrosion of Conformity album! No Cross No Crown will be released on January 12th and the singles Cast the First Stone and Wolf Named Crow sound very promising! After many years, they will finally be touring Europe again this summer! One of my all time favorite bands, Alice In Chains, are also back on tour this summer. With the new artwork of their tour poster and the rumors that I have heard, it looks like they might be working on a new album too! I also hope to catch Body Count on tour this year, and of course the resurrection of the almighty Carnivore A.D. What are you looking forward to the most? Let us know! Cheers everyone, to a new year filled with new music!
