Alright folks, let the butthurt commence! THE TOP 20 WORST ALBUMS OF 2015!
The Top 20 are in Alphabetical Order.
1.) All That Remains The Order Of Things
An album I am going to be particularly associated with as being the very first noted source of information about the album in question (Blabbermouth/Wikipedia/etc). While there are a couple good songs on here. A lot of it was written as if the label told them to write some radio friendly songs again (which is exactly what sadly happened). The song Tru Kvlt Metal is a slap in the face to any Metal fan who liked ATR's older material and doesn't like their new stuff. a real "LIKE US OR FUCK YOU" mentality I just can't get behind Not everyone who doesn't like Radio Rock is a Tr00 and Kvlt. Granted, this album is miles ahead of their last release and closer to how most older fans can appreciate them. This album is little bit in the right direction, but still very disappointing.
2.) Apocalyptica- Shadowmaker
The band best known for their 4 piece cello assault on Metallica and Sepultura covers is now making Three Days Grace style Pop Rock/Hard Rock. If you didn't see the name before hand, if you heard the title track, for instance, on the radio, you'd never guess it's Apocalyptica. And no, that's not a good thing. The only difference between this and the average hard song you hear on typical top 40 radio is replace guitar and bass guitar with Cello. As a long time fan, I did see this happening 2 albums ago, but dreaded the idea of it coming to fruition.
3.) Audiotopsy- Natural Causes
Remember when everyone got so excited to hear that half of Mudvayne was getting together with Vinnie Paul to make a band? Sounded awesome didn't it? Until you heard it! Same with Audiotopsy. You take two members of Mudvayne with the singer of Skrape and and you get a very disappointing album. The only thing that stands out is hearing Matthew McDonough back on drums with his style, but the rest sounds like a rip between Sevendust, Coal Chamber and Snot. If you're into aggro Nu Metal, You'll dig it, to the rest of the world, not so much.
4.) Bill Ward- Accountable Beasts
Whoever told Bill Ward he can sing is insane! And whoever sings with him on the album is equally bad. Musically the music isn't bad in and of itself. Although, the production basement quality. The vocals from both Bill Ward and Keith Lynch makes this a very hard listen. I can appreciate that it sounds occult and evil, but from a founding Black Sabbath member, it's hard not do be disappointed by this.
5.) Bring Me The Horizon- That's The Spirit
I actually don't mind early day BMTH. It's mid 2000s Metalcore, but it was listenable. New BMTH. Basically taking the idea of "Hey, if we follow the trends of making everything sound electronic, we'll get big! And it worked! I can't find anything redeeming about the album and it sounds way too forced to be hip and trendy to be enjoyable by even hardcore fans of the band in say 5-10 years...that is of course they changed to the next hip style at the time that is. I don't liked forced/pandering albums. Never have, never will. That's exactly what this is.
6.) Bullet For My Valentine- Venom
The last statement of the Bring Me Horizon post is EXACTLY what the new BFMV is. A Pandering Metal album. I distinctly remember reading years ago when Scream, Aim Fire, came out that they didn't want to make that album because they didn't like being that heavy all the time. Their next couple albums were on the softer side while keeping it a little heavy. Once they realized they weren't making as much money as they did when they were "metal" they made this album and it could not sound any more forced. It's still quite poppy at points like the trendy Mallcore scene is known for. But with the listens I've given this album, it's hard to believe they had their whole heart behind this album and just wanted to play bigger venues again and on the next album wanting to go back to the softer side again. It's possible that they really did want to make a heavy album again, if nothing else, to purge it out of their system. But that just leads me again to believe that it's not an album they truly wanted to make. And if all of that is false and this is the best they could do from the heart. That is even more disappointing.
7.) Chaos Magic- Chaos Magic
Timo Tolkki ripping off Amaranthe....no thanks...
8.) Chelsea Wolfe- Abyss
I know this album is making the rounds in the Best Of lists, but I can't stand it. I appreciate what she is trying to do. She is adding different styles together, all by herself, to create new, different music. But it is nowhere near for me. There are better bands that try to incorporate some of the styles she tries to do (Doom, Industrial, Metal, Drone, etc) and maybe in time she will make music I can handle. But Abyss is not that album.
9.) Chris Caffery- Your Heaven Is Real
As a big Chris Caffery fan, this one hurts a bit. Just one listen to the song Arm And A Leg is reason enough for this album to be on the list. While there are some great songs on here, the overall experience is way too much to bare. If this was an EP, it would have been WAY better, but it's not. So...
10.) Dodheimsgard- A Umbra Omega
I'm not familiar with the type of thing I'm hearing. This is pretty much the definition of Avant Garde Metal. Those of us who don't appreciate all music styles will never understand. The music is in no way shape or form bad. But the vocals, most specifically the cleans, are unbearable. Imagine listening to the Metal version of the one man play The Dude's landlord puts on in The Big Lebowski and that would pretty much be a perfect description. The odd thing is, early day Dodheimsgard is actually quite awesome! This on the other hand, nope, can't do it.
11.) George Kollias- Invictus
The idea of doing a solo album is that you get to do something different that you don't get to play in your main band or other side bands. So you'd imagine that this would be something completely different from Nile, right? Maybe a Prog Rock album or Latin Jazz, hey, maybe even a Skrillex type album. But this album is essentially Nile without the Egyptian scales. I get that Kollias does pretty much everything except the guest spots on the album, this is nothing you can't hear on ANY Nile album. IF that's your bag, by all means check it out, but to others, it's really hard not to be disappointed by the lack of the Drummer Of Nile putting out a solo album of Nile inspired songs.
12.) Hotel Books- Run Wild, Young Beauty
Quite possible the worst thing my ears have ever been forced to hear. ANd I did hear this whole album! The music is essentially Post Rock, which I love me some Post Rock, but the vocals.....Spoken Word Emo Poetry! Imagine that kid still working at Hot Topic, hating the fact that they now support Taylor Swift and Katy Perry, his girlfriend cheated on him several times but stays with her, his parents didn't buy him an Escalade for his 17th birthday 10 years ago and he is still pissed off about it. He's too edgy and deep for society to understand. He just discovered Explosions In The Sky and he uses the music as a background for his commentary on his Post Hardcore life at a spoken word club on a Tuesday night and there is 3 people in the bar, 2 of them bartenders and the other is his mom waiting to pick him up. He looks into the crowd, presses play on his iPhone 6S and approaches the mic and begins...
...That is this album.
13.) MuteMath- Vitals
This band with their first EP and Album were absolutely amazing, but since the second album, they have been going deeper and deeper in the Electronica/Hipster territory that is really hard to appreciate. What happened to the MuteMath that I used to know (Haha Gyote reference in an anti hipster sentiment, but I digress. If you dig the Trendy Electronica Pop of 2015, you'll love this. Me? Not so much.
14.) Parkway Drive- Ire
Much like my thoughts on Bring Me The Horizon and Bullet For My Valentine. This is the result of what happens when a mid 2000s Metalcore band wants to appeal to 2015 kids. Make a pandering album that will appeal to them. While th vocals are still fo the style you won't hear on Top 40 Rock radio, by the time of the next album or one after, it will be. Kinda sad, I still really dig the first album a lot.
15.) Plaguewielder- Chambers Of Death
One man Black Metal that would be really good if it had better production and way better vocals. I can appreciate the creepy atmosphere it brings, but overall, if you can make through more than one song, you are a miracle worker.
16.) Psychonaut 4- Dipsomania
Anyone remember Amesoeurs? The French band started by Neige from Alcest, female fronted, mix of Post Rock and Black Metal. GReat Stuff, Right? Imagine that band but with the absolute worst screams ever recorded. The normal screams on the album are bad enough, then when you hear the ultra high pitch vocals, it could potentially stop making you a Black Metal fan altogether. At that point, shut off the song and turn on Emperor or 1349 and get back into a good sense of how things should go.
17.) Scott Weiland And The Wildabouts- Blaster
For the love of all things holy, stop making horrible music, get clean and make good music. You are capable of it. You were in Velvet Revolver and fucked it up. You contributed to Art Of Anarchy, which is the best thing you've ever done, and you deny doing anything more than sing on it. Yet this is what you take pride in? Come on Scott!
18.) Shinedown- Threat to Survival
Boy, does the album title fit so very very well. Much like In Flames with Reroute To Remain. Change your sound if you want to survive and stya popular. Shinedown was a band I could always respect, even the album, which I didn't like, I could respect because it was still a Hard Rock album of their style. THIS HOWEVER....remember when Timbaland produced that one Chris Cornell album? Imagine the southern version of that! This probably wins the most disappointing album award of 2015.
19.) The Sword- High Country
Actually scratch that, THIS wins the most disappointing album of 2015. The fuck happened? I love The Sword, so much so, my favorite album is the one that, before this one, was the most crapped on album, Warp Riders. High Country does away with any Black Sabbath vibe, and Prog vibes. It is essentially The Sword just discovering Thin Lizzy, copying their sound but changing the lyrics to make them about smoking pot. Maybe this works in a live setting, which I would have to see the band live (which I still want to) for that to be tested, but on album, this is how I imagine Hardcore Metallica fans felt in 1991 when they picked up the Black Album. Maybe in time they started to like it, but that initial hit may takes years to get over, if ever.
20.) Weedeater- Goliathan
Weedeater was actually pretty awesome up till this point. But now they started really focusing on the Drone aspect of their sound, which makes me lose all interest. Much like you'd imagine by the name of the band. If you enjoy weed, this is some good backing music for you. Drone, Sludge, and some Southern style Black Metal vocals used sparingly. Overall, if you stay sober, this is some of the most boring music you'll find in quite some time.
Topic: JRundquist's 2015 Music In Review (Read 10799 times)
