Music Reviews

My Favorite Albums of 2016

Before this starts, keep in mind that this is MY OPINION and if I left out something you love or had something in here that you didn't like, then that's your own problem. Everyone is entitled to an opinion. This is mine.

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Okay, so as much as people generally hated 2016, I think music-wise, it was a pretty great year. We got new music from Green Day, Red Hot Chili Peppers, blink-182, Metallica, and even two from Frank Iero. I feel like 2016 was a good year for fans of old alternative, metal, or pop-punk fans. Out of all these new album releases, I narrowed it down to my top twelve favorites of this year. Enjoy!

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TWELVE- Hardwired... To Self-Destruct by Metallica

I know what you're all thinking. Why isn't this album higher up on the list? First of all, I DO like Metallica, quite a bit in fact, but even though this album is really good, I prefer their older style. I love the tracks "Hardwired" and "Atlas, Rise!" especially with their head-banging worthy riffs. Just compared to the other albums on the list, I didn't enjoy it quite as much.

My rating: 2/5

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ELEVEN- Boom Boom Room by Palaye Royale

Actually, I only recently, about three-four months ago, discovered Palaye Royale from a fellow wattpader (@wreckless-wonder ), and was hooked the second I hit play on "Mr. Doctor Man". This track has a very catchy tune with an absolutely stunning vocal performance from lead singer Remington Leith. As my friend described, his voice gives a very Gerard Way feel for all you My Chem fans. The track "Sick Boy Solider" makes me feel very, almost creeped out, in a good way at the intro, and the feeling of creepiness turns into a sense of floating through someone's thoughts, even if it's only your own.

My rating: 2.5/5

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TEN- 2004 by Anthony Amorim

I fell in love with Anthony only half a year ago when I first downloaded vine on my phone (rip vine) and decided to follow him on twitter, which ended up being one of my best digital decisions I have ever made. My notifications were filled with tweets from Anthony and all his re-tweets about his recently released album 2004. After seeing so many good things about this album, I finally decided to listen, and, once again, did not regret that decision in any way. I was immediately hooked by tracks such as "Pretending", "Class Clown", "The Marks You Made", and a previously released EP, "Lockdown". Each of these songs are different and special in their own ways, but almost all of them have something to do with being in a relationship with a girl. I can personally relate to "Pretending" as I had a friend who I could tell blatantly liked me, but just wouldn't say. Other then the extremely relateable lyrics, Anthony has a way with his voice along with a ukulele or guitar that mix together very well. In some tracks, his voice is more of a background to the instrument, where it gives the instrument the spotlight, which is something I don't see a lot in single artist's work. I definitely am looking forward to more of Anthony's music in hopefully the near future.

My rating: 3/5

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NINE- Cold World by Of Mice & Men

This album is not what I expected. I was really looking forward to it, seeing as the previously released songs like "Pain" and "Contagious" were so good. I was expecting it to be leaning more toward the heavier side, like their 2014 album "Restoring Force", so when I heard the opening track and the lightness to the song, I was very surprised. I still liked the album, though. It feels like the band is finally finding their real (ba dum tss) sound, and using it. You can defiantly feel lead singer Austin Carlisle's pain (ba dum tss, again) from everything he has gone through, especially living through the same disease that killed his mother. In conclusion, I really enjoyed this album, but I learned to not expect so much from a artist, even if their old albums surpass the new.