Top Albums of 2015: 05) Hooded Menace-"Darkness Drips Forth"

Finnish death metal kings Hooded Menace have returned with quite possibly heaviest album of the year. Darkness Drips Forth clocks in at over forty three minutes with only four songs present, but what it may lack in speed and technicality is more than redeemed with its ruthlessly crushing brutality and haunting atmosphere that is guaranteed to send chills down your spine.

It makes perfect sense the band’s name was derived from the title of a horror film because this album could easily function as the ideal soundtrack for the genre. Horror flick samples are used effectively at certain points throughout the record to add a haunting sense of agony and the thunderous growls drowned in reverb provided by vocalist Lasse will prompt you to change your trousers immediately. 

This mammoth of an album keeps its hind legs firmly grounded in the band’s classic doom/death sound but uses the rest of its strength to venture into sudden yet well-executed tempo changes. The guitar work differs from the band’s previous works because it occasionally draws upon riffs more along the melodic spectrum of death metal. Some of the effectively placed solos may bring acts such as At the Gates or early 90’s era In Flames to mind.

The risks that the band chose to take to expand their sound are what makes this album truly stand out. Lengthy doom songs rely on atmosphere and such is an art Hooded Menace has mastered fully. Look no further if you’re searching for an album that sounds like it was recorded straight from the depths of hell. Darkness Drips Forth has you covered.

                                                                                                                          

Top Albums of 2015: 06) Joey Bada$$-"B4.Da.$$"

90's nostalgia has been a reoccurring theme throughout my year end list primarily zeroing in on various forms of alternative rock music including emo, dream pop, or shoegazing. Twenty-year-old Joey Bada$$ brings that retrospective feel to the hip hop realm with his massive debut, B4.Da.$$.

Joey’s lyricism is sincere and paints a vivid picture of the daily struggles encompassing his life. Leading single “Paper Trail$” shares with the listener the financial difficulties of himself and his family as he exclaims “they say money is the root of all evil; I see money as the route of all people.”

The instrumentals on this record are excellently produced exploring soul-jazz and boom-bap influences. The album’s opener “Save the Children” features a unique backing of sliding ambience and highlight track “Hazeus View” has a piano-driven beat that will cause one to reminisce on “N.Y. State of Mind.” The overall production has a sound similar to that of ’93-94 era hip hop and Joey’s genuine and clever hooks add to the nostalgia.

The young rapper sets his aims high by attempting to craft his own Illmatic in 2015. Such boldness has caused him to receive recent backlash in the alternative hip hop community for not even being born yet upon its release. What most fail to realize is that most current hip hop does not stand up to the authenticity of the classics, and for a young up-and-coming artist raised under the magnifying glass of the social media generation to stand proudly and confidentially release a mammoth of an album such as B4.Da.$$ is a feat in itself.

It is at this state of the game a young MC must find his own sound and trademark flow to make it to the top. The irony is that this identity crisis and passionate pursuit “before the money” tends to be the classic everyone remembers. Jay-Z had Unreasonable Doubt, Eminem had Infinite, Nas had Illmatic and Joey Bada$$ has B4.da.$$.

Top Albums of 2015: 07) Beach House-"Depression Cherry"

Beach House’s first album of 2015, Depression Cherry, is easily my favorite release by the Baltimore dream pop duo. This may come as a surprise as Bloom is recognized by most as their magnum opus, but I do recall mentioning my shoegazing infatuation in the Wildhoney post. The album’s leading single “Sparks” sounds as if it could comfortably fit in My Bloody Valentine’s self-titled track listing (which is nothing short of a triumphant compliment if you are aware of also previously mentioned Loveless obsession).

The pairing of Victoria Legrand’s angelic voice and Alex Scally’s usage of synthesizers and drum machines has never sounded better. Legrand’s vocals now have a more ethereal sound than on previous releases and instead of floating on top of the mix, they comfortably slips into Scally’s synth-layered wall of sound giving it that shoegazey feel I so dearly love.

The Julie Cruise influence is one of the first things I noticed about Depression Cherry. The album’s closer “Days of Candy” could easily fit into the Twin Peaks soundtrack to the point where I would pay to see David Lynch collaborate with Legrand and Scally for Season Three.

Depression Cherry brings shoegaze infused dream pop to the mainstream spotlight and such is executed flawlessly. If you are looking for a beautifully layered album to get lost in, this is the one for you.

Top Albums of 2015: 08) Totem Skin-"Weltschmerz"

Strap in your seatbelts and get ready for the most unique and intense metal album of 2015. Sweden’s Totem Skin have returned for a ferocious sophomore LP that will take you across seven tracks of dense soundscapes painted by pure bloodthirsty savagery.

In the early 90’s, Boston legends Converge took the music scene by storm with their unique palette of hardcore punk borrowing from elements of thrash, sludge, black, and many other flavors of metal. Converge’s frontman Jacob Bannon has since formed Deathwish Inc. recruiting young bands such as Code Orange or Cult Leader that also approach writing with a hardcore punk foundation and toy with a vast array of metallic influences. Totem Skin would fit comfortably on the Deathwish roster, taking the likes of hardcore punk, sludge metal, melodic death metal, and even highlight moments of ambient black metal.

The Swedish quintet’s writing balances the fast-paced, crushing chaos with ambient breaks. Such contrast calls for skilled production, and Weltschemerz’ is top notch. The sludge and chaos-laced riffs sound dirty and explosive while the ambient moments are captured as pristinely as they should.

Weltschemerz is a record that explores the feeling of agony stemming from loneliness and involuntary solitude. We are, waste; Beaten, broken, forgotten. Chained to our conscience; left in isolation. Beaten, Broken, forgotten.  The reoccurring theme of contrast occurs within the vocals as well going back and forth between high pitched demonic shrieks and emotionally-charged hardcore shouts.

If you are a fan of the Deathwish roster or love ambient black metal acts such as Wolves at the Throne Room or Deafheaven, then Totem Skin is a band you must absolutely listen to. It’s been a long while since I have witnessed this much potential at the genesis stage of a metal band’s career.

Top Albums of 2015: 09) Foxing-"Dealer"

It goes without saying that The Albatross was a beautiful mess of a record. It was raw, abrasive, passionate, and considered a flawless masterpiece in the realm of emo revival. It was also the band’s debut, and a perfect start may lead to unfathomable stress and pressure for a sophomore release to meet the expectations of the first. Luckily, Foxing managed to create a new masterpiece that goes by the name of Dealer. 

Dealer is not The Albatross Part II by any means. The key difference is that Foxing now functions as one cohesive unit as opposed to an instrumental backdrop for Connor Murphy’s emotionally explosive vocal performance. While Murphy’s approach is not as aggressive in nature this time around, his overwhelming emotion is still ever present in each syllable sung.

The St. Louis quintet’s sound has matured and mellowed out by zeroing in on its post rock side entirely. This news may come as a letdown to the emo kids clutching their Albatross vinyl ever so tightly, but I promise the passion and emotion the band pours into their art is equally as present; just channeled differently.

Foxing manages to meet every expectation The Albatross set by crafting a completely different yet equally layered work of art. However, the band’s true talents come to light with their live performance. I highly recommend both Foxing LPs primarily to familiarize yourself with the material before immersing yourself in what will probably be one of the most memorable live music experiences of your life.

Top Albums of 2015: 10) Cloakroom-"Further Out"

Formed from the remnants of the disbanded emo/math rock hybrid Grown Ups, Cloakroom is a devastatingly underrated band despite being a part of the widely adored Run For Cover roster.

The trio of factory workers hailing from Indiana apply their daily practice of heavy machinery operation into the art they create. The band’s debut full length Further Out is an album that manages to both bathe in the trending emo revival and become a gateway drug for stoner rock and sludge metal.

Lead vocalist/guitarist Doyle Martin’s reverb-drowned vocals sound as if they were recorded in a damp cave and his unique guitarwork dabbles in psychedelic rock, blues, and reverts back to pounding sludge riffs that will leave you head-banging in slow-motion. Bobby Marko serves as the backbone of the group with his groovy loud basslines, and Brian Busch thunderously pounds the drum kit with all of his might.

The shining aspect of the record is its overall structure. The first half consists of the loudest and heaviest tracks while the second half zeroes in on the more clean aspects of the band’s sound.

The placement of the album’s single “Starchild Skull” serves as one of the highlight moments of Further Out because it prevents any chance of the LP losing your attention. As the album begins to approach its halfway point, the songs begin to wind down, but “Starchild Skull” picks things back up again with its catchy hooks.

The juxtaposition of the third track “Moon Funeral” and the third-to-last track “Clean Moon” should also be taken note of. “Moon Funeral” is the most crushing song found on the record while “Clean Moon” is the same song revisited but rewritten as the LP’s softest track replacing with hard-hitting sludgey riffs with clean-distortion free guitars.

Further Out strongly concludes with the epic “Deep Sea Station” which takes every aspect of the album’s sound and meshes into one complete song. Cloakroom’s debut is perfect for anyone looking for a well-structured album to get lost in.