TOP FIVE DEATH ROW RECORDS RELEASES
For as much of a cliché as it’s become, it is true that like Nirvana’s Nevermind in the rock world, when Dr. Dre’s The Chronic dropped, the landscape of rap completely changed pretty much overnight. As a case in point, listen to MC Lyte on either side of The Chronic: "Poor Georgie" (1991) versus "Ruffneck" (1993). Pretty dramatic change. Gangsta rap, already gathering some significant momentum on the back of NWA collectively and individually, became the predominant mainstream form courtesy of another alumnus in Dr. Dre, where it remained for a much longer time than is typically the case with a particular flavor of a genre. Dr. Dre's g funk variety in particular dominated rap for a good half-decade, in the same way grunge directly or indirectly influenced virtually every prominent rock act and an untold number of others.
While it quickly became a geographic rivalry of the West Coast versus East Coast practitioners of gangsta rap, I never felt compelled to pick a side. I liked the menace and grit of Wu Tang Clan as much as the more laid-back West Coast g funk flavor, the polished "take hits from the 80s" of the Puff Daddy and the Family variety and the more hard-hitting gangsta rap from both coasts. Eventually in the 2000s the sound and geographic focus would shift south, but the 90s were the decade of gangsta rap in the mainstream, and the g funk sound was so popular that even quintessential East Coast rappers like Notorious B.I.G. would borrow the sound ("Going Back to Cali").
On the West Coast/g funk side of things, Death Row Records is to this day synonymous with that sound, with its brand, logo, and signature sound having achieved iconic status. Having said that, for such an instantly-recognizable label, its discography is surprisingly lean. Nevertheless, there are a trio of legitimate classics in the catalogue as well as several other fine albums in their own right. While the label would be surrounded by characters of questionable morals and the attitudes of many of the artists on its roster could hardly be called enlightened, sonically and aesthetically since Dr. Dre’s The Chronic hip-hop has never been the same. In this Top Five, we’ll take a look at the best of the massively influential and highly controversial Death Row Records.
5. The Lady of Rage-Necessary Roughness (1997)
Super underrated emcee. This album is what a hungry rapper sounds like, with The Lady of Rage spitting fire and never taking any bars off. While there might not be an "Afro Puffs"-level track here (although a few like "Super Supreme" come close), it’s a strong listen from a somewhat forgotten figure of the era, who you’ll find featured on seminal albums like The Chronic and Snoop Dogg’s Doggystyle. They say timing is everything, and with the release of the record pushed back by several years and given g funk was starting to yield ground to the onslaught of the sheer volume and quality of New York producers and emcees by this time, her first (and only) full-length kind of got lost in shuffle, which is really too bad, as it’s quite good.
4. Above the Rim Soundtrack (1994)
"Afro Puffs" is great, but this soundtrack is not just The Lady of Rage doing all the heavy lifting. In fact, it’s a very strong track list overall that also includes highlights like the first-rate "Anything" by SWV with its instantly-recognizable beat and first-rate vocal performance, a vintage cut in "Pour Out a Little Liquor" from the Tupac-helmed Thug Life, and the all-time g funk classic "Regulate" by Warren G with its iconic Michael McDonald sample and the vocals of the king of g funk hooks Nate Dogg, who, like The Lady of Rage, we’ll see again below. There are plenty of gems on here, an interesting snapshot of where this branch of rap and R&B were at the time of peak g funk.
3. Snoop Dogg-Doggystyle (1993)
The atrocious cover art belies an all-time classic in Snoop Dogg’s high water mark Doggystyle, featuring mega-hits even non-hip-hop fans recognize like "Gin and Juice" and "Who Am I (What's My Name)." The Lady of Rage comes roaring out of the gate in the "G Funk Intro" "bout to tear shit up," which contrasts very effectively with Snoop’s laid-back flow, while other highlights include: the g funk update to Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rick’s "La Di Da Di" in "Lodi Dodi"; the eerie "Murder Was the Case"; "Doggy Dogg World," an example of the perfect marriage of old-school funk with this then-fresh hip-hop approach; and my personal favorite track on the record in "Ain’t No Fun (If the Homies Can't Have None)," with its easy late-afternoon-sun beat, Nate Dogg’s vocals, and the simple, sticky chorus.
2. Tupac-All Eyez on Me (1996)
This was the last album Tupac would put out before his death—a double-album in fact—and it is packed with bangers: the "Ain’t No Fun"-esque "All About U," the seemingly-effortless flow from Tupac and the memorable chorus from K-Ci & JoJo on the lighter "How Do U Want It," the one-two punch with Snoop Dogg on "2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted," and the soulful ballad "I Ain’t Mad at Cha," one of the best lyrical performances in Tupac’s catalogue. Alas, if only Tupac had chosen to include the original single version of the dancefloor-filling anthem "California Love" with Dr. Dre and Roger Troutman rather than the remix on here (side note: the video, conceived of by Jada Pinkett Smith inspired by Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, is a fantastic accompaniment). Nevertheless, it’s still a classic record. This is like nit-picking the 1992 Dream Team roster.
1. Dr. Dre-The Chronic (1992)
A true game changer. The rapping is of course superb, and the production was groundbreaking; despite being steeped in Parliament Funkadelic and other throwback funk, it was in the manner Dr. Dre employed it that was so distinct not just from contemporaries but to this day. It's striking how a record could be so chilled-out yet nakedly menacing at the same time. Dr. Dre’s oeuvre including The Chronic is a masterclass in production; back in 2005 Kanye West would write for Rolling Stone:
Dre productions like Tupac's "California Love" were just so far beyond what I was doing that I couldn't even comprehend what was going on. I had no idea how to get to that point, how to layer all those instruments. The Chronic is still the hip-hop equivalent to Stevie Wonder's Songs in the Key of Life. It's the benchmark you measure your album against if you're serious.
Not only is the album monumentally significant as explicated above—to say nothing of the numerous other careers that exploded off The Chronic’s wild success—it is no mere historical artifact. It doesn't sound in the least bit dated despite being over three decades old. The classics—"Let Me Ride," "Nuthin’ but a 'G' Thang," etc.—are just that, but the whole album is essentially without weakness, considered by many to be one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time.
TOP FIVE FOUNDATIONAL ALBUMS THAT SHAPED MY TASTE
In October 2023, I got the idea that despite not being a musician myself and with no industry connections, no currency in any scene or any reputation to speak of, I would start writing about music again after having done so for a few years in college in the late 2000s. I figured why not? If I’m shouting into the void, then I’m shouting into the void. I’m going to do it. This is a labor of love. It is my hope that I can continue to build this site as a destination for people who value my perspective and message, and we can foster a sense of community here.
All that being said, if you’ll forgive the self-indulgence, in order for readers to get to know a little more about me—more specifically what started my musical journey—I thought it would be interesting to write a list of the albums from my youth that proved most foundational in shaping my taste in music. This is a post to peel back the curtain and give you a sense of what got me into music in the first place, and set the stage for me to dive into the musical "deep end" and, eventually many years later, decide to write about it. The cut-off for this list is my first two years of high school, as at the end of that period is when I began going down the iceberg, so to speak, of all kinds of different genres. We all start somewhere, though, and for me, chronologically in the order I got into the albums not necessarily when they were released, this is where my musical journey began. I also cheated and included nine albums while shouting out way more albums and artists, so it’s really not a top five at all, but I like the top five format, so here we are. I was of course listening to many more artists than this, but these are the ones that stand out to me in hindsight for introducing me to a particular genre and/or generally having a lasting impact on me or my musical taste direction(s).
5. (Tie) Green Day-Dookie and The Offspring-Smash (1994)
Two of the first albums I ever bought, albeit not right when they came out as I would’ve been a little too young. I can’t say exactly when, but I had to have been old enough to be earning allowance money for miscellaneous chores and actually have a nascent taste in music. Smash outstripped even the wildest expectations of Epitaph Records, going many times platinum and putting the label on the map, where it remains to this day an alternative music powerhouse. Green Day caught a lot of flak for leaving Lookout! Records and taking advantage of the increased budget, influence, and connections of Reprise Records (eliciting accusations of "selling out," even though their sound didn’t appreciably change). If it wasn’t for bands like Green Day and The Offspring, though, kids like me wouldn’t ever be exposed to punk music and go down the iceberg to find more "real punk," either from the bands’ labels (or former labels) or elsewhere. It would be a while yet before I’d be digging into the catalogues of Epitaph, Lookout!, and others, but I was already gravitating to the punk rock sound at an early age.
4. (Tie) Puff Daddy and the Family-No Way Out and Mase-Harlem World (1997)
This is the era where I was rocking a XXL Puffy "It’s All About the Benjamins" t-shirt and my mom, after seeing Tommy Hilfiger on TV saying baggy was about to be out, recommending clothing that actually fit me properly. Mom and Tommy would in time be proven correct.
In any case, I could’ve also put a bunch of other albums from this year here, too, because this was the year my taste in music really started to become much more defined. These are the two from the rap world I gravitated to most, but I also really liked Sugar Ray’s Floored (tell me a hardcore band covering "American Pig" wouldn’t be sick) and Third Eye Blind’s self-titled album, as well as bands like Spacehog, Silverchair, and Better Than Ezra. I knew Sublime and Rancid from the radio and loved those songs, but hadn’t fully gotten into their other music yet.
Shout out to the dance music like Real McCoy, Technotronic, and La Bouche my sensei would blast during sparring practice at karate.
3. (Tie) Rage Against the Machine-Evil Empire (1996) and The Prodigy-The Fat of the Land (1997)
Rage sat right at that crossroads of some of the different sounds I was gravitating toward and really drew me in. The Prodigy had and has a very different reputation in America than in Britain, coming out of the rave scene; in America their fan base was more of the alternative/rock crowd, and they were played pretty much exclusively on the alternative/rock stations. It was kind of the Nine Inch Nails treatment. I had some prior familiarity with The Prodigy from watching the extremely advanced movie Hackers with my grandparents, but I didn’t really put two and two together if you will until "Breathe" and "Firestarter" came along, blew up, and I was like "oh, that Prodigy." Also, I’ll never not find it funny that "The Prodigy’s video for ‘Firestarter’ terrified thousands watching Top of the Pops in ‘96. Several channels banned the song altogether after concerned parents complained that scary Keith Flint was causing their darling children to cower in fear behind the sofa. The video also broke an impressive record: achieving the highest number of complaints ever received by the BBC." How can you not like that as a kid looking for something edgy?
2. (Tie) Orgy-Candyass (1998) and Sevendust-Home (1999)
Orgy was the first show I ever went to. I was ten or eleven, and my dad took me to see them play the Asylum club in Portland, Maine. There was one other younger kid there with her mom. I was hooked, and for the next few years I would go with my dad and/or my friends to see bands like System of a Down, Korn, Slipknot, Godsmack, Sevendust, Breaking Benjamin, really most of the big nü metal or hard rock bands out at that time, as well as a lot of the next level in popularity down like American Head Charge, Cold, Nonpoint, etc. I also saw other bands like 311, Alien Ant Farm, and Incubus. I was very into the stuff getting heavy rotation on the alternative rock radio stations such as the aforementioned bands and others like Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park. I was especially into Sevendust, and Home in particular, as I loved how crunchy it was. Interestingly enough, years later I’d read Bury Your Dead cite Sevendust as an influence. Another shoutout from this era for me would be Nothingface’s 2000 album Violence, which like Home was released by TVT Records.
I also got really into Sublime at this time, and Blink-182’s classics Dude Ranch and Enema of the State, and New Found Glory’s Nothing Gold Can Stay, were in heavy rotation for me. I discovered reggae, soul, and funk as well, and would later see Ziggy Marley and George Clinton, separately, in my early high school years.
1. Bad Brains-Rock for Light (1983)
I can’t remember when, exactly, some time in my freshman or sophomore year of high school, I was talking to a friend about how as much as I liked the bands from above, I was looking for something more nakedly aggressive. Considering I was also very into reggae at this time—I probably had almost everything in the Trojan Records catalogue—the ground was quite fertile for the Bad Brains seed to be planted and for my love of punk and later hardcore to blossom (in terms of hardcore, it didn’t come until the end of high school as I really only listened to the early 80s stuff like Bad Brains and Black Flag—and I guess we can put the more metal Earth A.D. by The Misfits in here, too—that is the shared ground of punk and hardcore before they really became two separate entities). More knowledgeable friend smirks, brings a burned copy of this CD in to school for me the next day, and that was that.
If there was one album I could pinpoint that sent me down the rabbit hole of alternative music of all sorts, this is it Michael Jackson. In short order, I was not only listening to The Dead Kennedys, Fear, Crass, Leftover Crack, Operation Ivy, the Descendents, Jodie Foster’s Army, the Germs, the Circle Jerks, etc., but also had stuff ranging from Godspeed You! Black Emperor to Neurosis and Maine doom metal outfit Ocean on my mp3 player. Through my head-first dive into punk, in some ways my taste came full circle, as I would get really into Epitaph Records (shout out to the Punk-O-Rama compilations), launched into prominence by The Offspring’s Smash, and syncing with my existing love of hip-hop and rap, the alternative and underground hip-hop albums released by Epitaph would also figure in my immersion in that world. For underground hip-hop, The Coup, Dead Prez, and Atmosphere would become my favorites, and more mainstream favorites would be Wu-Tang Clan, Common, Tupac, Big Punisher, and Notorious B.I.G. I had been listening to a lot of Dr. Dre, and also in heavy rotation would be many Stones Throw and Barely Breaking Even Records releases, J Dilla, Three Six Mafia, 2 Live Crew, Big L, Arrested Development, and Black Star; I would say I really gravitated to g funk and new jack swing and went way down that iceberg. I listened to a lot of Erykah Badu and Lauryn Hill as well, and there was a fair bit of "real screamo" in there, too. I already knew of Rancid from songs like "Ruby Soho," but in high school they would become my favorite band with The Misfits a close second. After a few years later I ran headlong into the embrace of modern hardcore after hearing Refused and American Nightmare followed by This Is Hell’s Sundowning, Gallows’s Orchestra of Wolves, and Blacklisted’s …The Beat Goes On, that was more or less the foundation right there.
TOP FIVE HELLCAT RECORDS RELEASES
Epitaph Records has been one of the most important record labels of the last thirty years not just in punk, but in all of alternative music. In the late 1990s, after major breakthrough mainstream success while remaining on Epitaph despite receiving nudes from Madonna and multimillion dollar offers to jump ship, Rancid had solidified their status as one of the most prominent and important punk bands in the world. The sprawling, The Clash-esque Life Won’t Wait, clocking in at what for punk is a marathon of over an hour, had dropped in 1998 on Epitaph, and although it wasn’t the smash that …And Out Come the Wolves had been, it still did well. Around this time, Hellcat Records was launched as a subsidiary of Epitaph with Rancid vocalist and guitarist Tim Armstrong given control; Rancid would decide to release their 2000 self-titled album through the label. But Hellcat was not and would not be just an outlet for Rancid records, in the same way Epitaph ultimately wasn’t for Bad Religion. Hellcat would become one of the most important punk labels of the 2000s, and has an impressive catalogue that stacks up with pretty much any other punk label’s in its prime. In celebrating this great label, I thought it would be fun to give it the old Top Five treatment. There were quite a few great options to choose from, but if I were to go with just five they would be:
5. Tiger Army-III: Ghost Tigers Rise (2004)
This album is the perfect mix of the different eras of Tiger Army. It still has plenty of punk and psychobilly aggression, but the record really shines where they throttle back that aggression to explore different sonic textures that are more subdued and play more to the strengths of Nick 13 as a vocalist. This album finds Tiger Army leaning further into country and other influences, and crafting an eerie and otherworldly atmosphere that suits the band’s aesthetic. The result was more memorable songs such as the one below, and a distinct blend that would set Tiger Army apart from the psychobilly crowd. Ghost Tigers Rise is best listened to on chilly October nights after having watched The Lost Boys.
4. Transplants-Self-Titled (2002)
The Transplants are a supergroup of sorts comprised of Armstrong, Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker, and vocalist Rob Aston, who also collaborated with Barker and Paul Wall in the group Expensive Taste. I’ve heard this album described as drum n bass for punks, and while that’s generally accurate in a lot of places, there’s a lot more happening on this album than "just" that, which in and of itself is quite cool and works surprisingly well; it’s really an exploration of a variety of sounds sometimes individually, sometimes in combination. With features including other members of Rancid, the Nerve Agents’ Eric Ozenne, The Distillers’ Brody Dalle, AFI’s Davey Havok, and Danny Diablo (Crown of Thornz, Skarhead, etc.) and influences ranging from the aforementioned punk and drum n bass to hardcore, hip-hop, and more, Transplants is really a unique record that despite the wide range of guests and influences sounds perfectly natural and cohesive. That nasty opening riff in "Romper Stomper," "D.J. D.J.," "Diamonds & Guns" (which despite quite explicitly being "about that life" was somehow featured in a Garnier Fructis shampoo commercial), "Quick Death," and "California Babylon" are particular highlights.
3. Rancid-Self-Titled (2000)
After the above-discussed Life Won’t Wait, Rancid came back with this ripper of an album, much more pared-down and early 80s hardcore-influenced. It has the same number of songs as Life Won’t Wait but is about half as long, with few songs even hitting the two minute mark. Songs like "Blackhawk Down" are highlights in this vein. Nevertheless, there are still some Clash-esque songs here, too, with "Radio Havana" a clear standout. If I were to ever do a Top Five of Rancid albums—and there’s a good chance I might—this album would definitely be on it, even if it’s not quite at the level of …And Out Come the Wolves or Let’s Go.
2. Dropkick Murphys-Do or Die (1998)
Dropkick Murphys are legends in the city of Boston and are one of the most recognizable and popular bands of the Irish punk subgenre, and while that element of Irish music and nods to that heritage are integral to this album’s sound, it’s really more of a street punk record, their only with Mike McColgan on lead vocals, who left the band shortly after Do or Die to join the Boston Fire Department. McColgan would eventually go on to start the band Street Dogs. Not only is this the Murphys’ best album, it’s one of the best street punk albums of all time. The songwriting here is exceptional, and the album actually gets stronger as it goes on; although there are precisely zero skips on this one, the back half is packed with S-tier punk songs like "Finnegan’s Wake," "Noble," "Barroom Hero," and "Fightstarter Karaoke."
1. The Distillers-Sing Sing Death House (2002)
While The Distillers would pursue a more accessible rock orientation with their next album Coral Fang (guitarist and vocalist Brody Dalle has often been compared to Courtney Love in her vocal style if not—thankfully for Dalle—Love’s other…quirks), this album preserves most of the straight-ahead charge of the self-titled debut, but it levels up in songwriting dramatically and gives the listener much more to sink their teeth into. This ability to exhibit hit songwriting capability without sacrificing any edge, exemplified by the anthemic "City of Angels," stands shoulder-to-shoulder with what a band like Rancid was also able to accomplish, albeit more consistently and over a longer timeline and in higher profile. That does not, however, diminish how good Sing Sing Death House is. I still remember the first time a friend of mine played this album for me: I was blown away. It’s a neo-punk classic, nailing this sound to perfection—easily one of the best punk albums this side of Y2K. Fun fact: founding member and guitarist Rose "Casper" Mazzola, who left the band after this album, is the daughter of Joey Mazzola, a founding member of the great 90s rock band Sponge.
TOP FIVE EVERY TIME I DIE ALBUMS
I first got into Every Time I Die some time before the release of The Big Dirty, probably the winter of 2007 if I remember right. They quickly became one of my favorite bands, and though as an outfit they are no longer with us, they remain one of my favorites to this day. I have so many great memories connected to their music, whether it’s road trips with an ETID soundtrack or getting tattooed in Bulgaria while Ex Lives is blasting (shout out to Sofia Hardcore Tattoos!).
It’s rather uncommon for a band or artist to have the longevity to release five albums, let alone nine to choose from—and in a real rarity for them to never miss over a multi-decade career! It’s really a shame they broke up, beyond the break-up’s contentious nature, as it’s not like they were trending downward on their final release, 2021’s Radical. Spoiled for choice, we’ll be looking at the top five of Buffalo Music Hall of Fame Class of 2019 members Every Time I Die.
"With the noble irreverence of shrapnel she came for us."
5. Radical (2021)
As I said above, they were not trending downward when they broke up. Although this album doesn’t reinvent their wheel, the band is firing on all cylinders here. Keith Buckley’s razor-sharp wit is as always on display with the lyrics—it’s rare an artist can actually make you laugh at loud with some of their lines. Lyrically the record is also at once topical and personal. Album highlights include: "Post-Boredom" and "White Void," which showcase the band’s ability to write catchy and memorable rock songs, with more of a stoner metal influence in the latter case, while still retaining their signature heaviness; "Planet Shit," which like several other songs on the album such as "Dark Distance" seems to be written from the lens of COVID, whereas in actuality they anticipated it; and "Distress Rehearsal," a relentless track featuring a nasty breakdown halfway through the song hearkening back to their early days. Lyrically it makes a surprising turn from "Envision obliteration / Every last detail / Blast wind blows, breathe it in, let it go / A tragedy that's so big, it cannot fail" to:
But now there's beauty all around me
What's happening? (What's happening?)
What's happening? (What's happening?)Now I'm left with all this lightness
Now I'm left with all this lightness
Left out here with all this lightness
Left out here with all this graceImagine my surprise
I thought my heart would break
I thought it would break but it started healing
It was more than I could take
So I gave it everything
4. Gutter Phenomenon (2005) and The Big Dirty (2007)
Okay, I cheated, but I think you have to take these two albums together as they are the heads-and-tails of Every Time I Die’s Southern metalcore output. Alongside its "rock-core" mini-trend analog in Britain (Outcry Collective, The Ghost of a Thousand, The Plight, etc.), the Southern metalcore trend was booming in the mid-2000s, with (shout out to Ferret Records for a lot of these releases) Every Time I Die along with He Is Legend, Maylene and the Sons of Disaster, The Hottness, Fight Paris, Norma Jean to an extent, His Name Was Iron, The Showdown, The Great American Beast, I think you could put A Life Once Lost’s Iron Gag in this category, so on and so forth. One of my favorite styles of metalcore—we need a revival!—and one of my favorite eras of ETID. In a word: riffs. In another: riffs!
As a lyricist, Keith Buckley is one of the best to ever do it, and that was always a strength of his, as was his charisma and stage presence as a frontman; indeed, the personalities of band mainstays Keith Buckley and guitarists Andy Williams and Jordan Buckley were a large part of the magnetic appeal of the band. Gutter Phenomenon is the album where Keith Buckley really leveled-up as a vocalist; according to screaming coach Melissa Cross of "The Zen of Screaming" speaking to the Los Angeles Times in 2005, when asked who had mastered this new technique—keep in mind the quantum leap vocalists have made in the last maybe fifteen years and the fact that this was way before the animal noise Vocal Olympics of modern deathcore—"Corey Taylor from Slipknot is a master. Keith Buckley from Every Time I Die." Buckley’s raw and harried vocals suited the frenzied chaos of ETID’s first two albums, but you can clearly hear the jump on Gutter. His singing voice had also improved.
As for the songs themselves, many of the ingredients from Last Night in Town and Hot Damn! were still present, but as Keith Buckley stated at the time, "Too many bands find their niche, and put the same ingredients into every soup. Not us. We knew we had changed, grown up, and acquired new tastes and distastes for music, and became a little more accepting of the background we all had—which was growing up, listening to classic rock from our parents. But on this record, we embraced that. We tried to hide it before because we didn't think it had any room in the 'hardcore community.'" Exemplifying their leaning in to this rock sound would be tracks like "Kill the Music" and "We’rewolf."
3. Low Teens (2016)
Their heaviest record emotionally, "Buckley came terrifyingly close to a devastating loss last year [2015] when his wife—seven months pregnant at the time—suffered a sudden and severe complication that threatened her life and that of the couple's unborn child." As Keith Buckley told Revolver in 2016:
I learned more in that one night than in the previous 36 years I was alive. The worst part was dealing with these insane and vivid images of the what-ifs: What if my wife dies and the baby survives? Who helps me raise the baby? What if the baby dies? How does that affect our relationship? I had to envision these things because they were real possibilities. It was difficult, but it was fortifying as far as your soul goes, and it all went into the record.
You can certainly hear that in the desperation, darkness, and urgency of the album. "Petal," in particular, is about as heavy as it gets for the band, musically and emotionally. The album runs the gamut of styles ETID has incorporated, from more accessible songs like rocker "Two Summers" and the "burn slow, there’s no rush" of "It Remembers" featuring Brandon Urie of Panic! at the Disco to the aforementioned crushing "Petal." Every drummer ETID’s had has been awesome, but Daniel Davison brought a different dimension than they’d had before, and I think added some really interesting playing on this record. While there might not be anything particularly new for the band on this one, everything here is executed at an extremely high level; every song is fantastic, the album flows really well, and the lyrics are as good as it gets Jack Nicholson.
Around the release of this record would be the last two times I saw them live—I can’t remember in which order it was but I know I saw them at Warped Tour that year (I don’t believe the album was out yet but they definitely played "Petal"), and my dad and I also saw them headline a stacked lineup in Portland, Maine with support from Eternal Sleep, Harms Way, and Knocked Loose. They killed it, as always.
2. Hot Damn! (2003)
Though 2001’s Last Night in Town has some of their best songs ("Jimmy Tango’s Method" and my favorite ETID track "The Logic of Crocodiles"), it is their most uneven full-length. Hot Damn! is the peak of their nervous-breakdown-core/Deadguy era. The frenetic and harried nature of the music reinforces the hysterical (in multiple senses) quality of the lyrics and vocals. Classics like "Floater" and "Ebolarama" (with the latter’s preposterous music video) pretty much speak for themselves, but beyond those, the whole album rips from front-to-back. "I Been Gone a Long Time" is another great song that foreshadowed the band’s leaning in to their more rock sensibilities.
1. New Junk Aesthetic (2009)
Part of the embarrassment of riches that was the years 2008 and 2009 in heavy music—in my humble opinion the best two-year stretch of all time, and I’m sure I’ll write about this at some point—New Junk Aesthetic re-combined elements from what we can now call the first half of their career in the Deadguy and Southern metalcore eras, respectively, while introducing some new ones as well. It took me a little while to warm up to this one when it first dropped as it wasn’t necessarily what I wanted, but it turned out to be exactly what I needed, if you will. The different influences at work here plus the maturity of the band resulted in a really unique sound I’ve always described as "the blues for hardcore kids." The guitar work in the band was always excellent, but on this record Jordan Buckley and Andy Williams really hit another level, and this is also the album Keith Buckley took another huge leap as a vocalist. This album is a 10/10 classic, perfect in every way.
TOP FIVE PREDICTIONS FOR 2024
1. Thrown will be the next "it" band in hardcore.
They’re already on the verge, but in 2024 they’ll hit peak Trapped Under Ice/Knocked Loose/Turnstile levels. Instead of every newjack with an Expire beanie, it’ll be a Thrown windbreaker—and that’s good for the scene.
2. Metalcore will continue its ascendancy.
Metalcore has had two past major peaks in relevance in its short life, and it’s experiencing a third. This time, however, it will continue elbowing its way into the mainstream, spearheading a general explosion in alternative music it feels like everyone is ready for.
3. A new sound will sweep through and revitalize rap.
Speaking of things it feels like people are ready for, in my conversations with rap fans, it seems like the current sound everyone’s chasing is becoming exhausted and the market over-saturated, as is always the case following a sonic paradigm shift (see: grunge in the 90s, Risecore metalcore, etc). I have no idea what the sound will be or who the artist will be, but I am willing to wager it will come seemingly out of left-field. Since I don’t know, I’ll simply shout out my favorite song in “MODERN JAM” from what I think was 2023’s best rap release in Travis Scott’s UTOPIA. Having said all I’ve said above, this record still felt fresh and had a lot of interesting moments on it. Clearly there’s still some oxygen in the current landscape, but 1) we’re forecasting here, and 2) most other rappers aren’t on this level nor do they have his vision.
4. The rap-metalcore crossover trend will continue and only grow, yielding more interesting and high-end collaborations.
Maybe this is precisely where the paradigm shift will come from, although my instinct is that this will be concurrent with something originating from within rap and not as a hybrid.
5. Electric Callboy will win Eurovision 2024.
Loreen, representing Sweden, has won the contest twice, most recently this year. Cascada’s 2013 entry was accused of plagiarizing Loreen’s 2012 contest-winning track "Euphoria." Electric Callboy has both submitted a track to represent Germany and covered Cascada. Using this convoluted logic, I am calling Electric Callboy to win the contest, notching Germany’s first victory since 2010. This will be the cherry on top of metalcore’s global takeover.
Bonus. There’s a good chance I’ll be dead wrong about everything.
Such is life.
TOP FIVE SONGS OF 2023 (so far)
This is a list of my favorite tracks released so far in 2023. Understanding there will almost certainly be more great songs put out over this final sixth of the year, it’s nevertheless always fun to look back on the year to date, and I decided rather than focus on albums I would mix things up a little and go with specific songs here. I may still end up doing a true year-end top five list for albums if I’m moved to do so, but we’ll see.
We’ll start with the honorable mentions I wanted to shout out before getting into the top five. There were so many more songs I wanted to talk about, but in the interest of this piece not being insanely long I decided on the somewhat arbitrary number of a half-dozen tracks to highlight as honorable mentions.
Bad Rabbits-Goin Up
As an admitted new jack swing respecter, hearing Bad Rabbits continue to carry the torch with their nü new jack swing brings me joy. The positive energy on this track is infectious, with the euphoric ebullience and catchiness of “Goin Up” keeping me coming back time and again.
Doja Cat-Paint the Town Red
It’s entirely possible that because BBC Radio One played this song basically hourly when I was in Scotland this summer I’ve been the victim of a state-sponsored brainwashing campaign, but the song is a legitimate earworm with its chilled-out beat based around the Dionne Warwick “Walk on By” sample perfectly complementing Doja’s easy confidence and seemingly-effortless smoothness here.
To the Grave-Deadskin Skimask
This is just absolutely filthy, ferocious deathcore, harkening back to a less polished, more brutally nasty era of the genre.
Thrown-On the Verge
These Demi Lovato-approved Swedes are gathering serious momentum. Thrown is one of those bands I just call “core-core” or “heavy.” I’ve seen this style referred to as “pissedcore” and it’s easy to see why. Regardless of what you want to call it—and does it really matter?—what adds a memorable wrinkle to Thrown’s airtight fury is that it’s sneakily catchy, incorporating the very unexpected, in their own words, “slick, hypnotic rhythms of modern phonk.” It slaps.
Electric Callboy-Everytime We Touch
Given the heavy Europop/dance influence on Electric Callboy, it is only fitting they’d look to fellow Germans Cascada for this cover. It’s not reinventing the Electric Callboy wheel, but it’s a fun track that pays homage to a cornerstone of their sound while making the song their own.
Emarosa-Forgiveness
If “Preach” and its modernized version of late-80s-style pop which leads off January’s release Sting hadn’t already been released as a single in 2022, it would’ve been a slam-dunk top five selection. Alas, I don’t make the rules (actually I do, but I’m trying to only highlight music that appeared this year for the first time), so it stays off the list. Having said that, the whole album Sting is excellent, finding Emarosa leaning heavily into the 80s pop with some Don Henley “Boys of Summer” vibes strewn throughout the record for good measure. The vocal performance is exceptional. If I had to choose one Sting exclusive, I think I’d go with this one, but I also love “Cinnamon.”
TOP FIVE
5. Heart Attack Man-Freak of Nature
On the edgier side of pop punk, with some hints of Nerf Herder, these guys offer up a huge chorus that makes it feel like we’re right back in the genre’s mainstream heyday.
4. Bilmuri-ALL GAS
Somehow not only did both Attack Attack! alums Caleb Shomo and Johnny Franck level-up dramatically this year, they both released countrycore bangers. What kind of cosmic energy connects them I cannot speculate upon, but Franck’s recent output (including "Boutta Cashew" and "Livin’ Laughin’ Lovin’")—like Beartooth’s The Surface—is exceptional. On paper, working country and djent riffing into the same song should be a disaster, yet it’s anything but.
3. Bring Me the Horizon-LosT
The genre-hopping and -blending Brits have been on an absolute tear lately, operating at an impressive level of output and skill; “LosT,” though but one example, is the best of the most recent bunch. Its seamless incorporation of 2000s mall emo, hyperpop, and metalcore produced one of the most memorable, creative, and anthemic songs of the year. Setting up a massive breakdown with the lyrics "If I keep this up / I think I’m gonna break down" and then repeating the line “I think I'm gonna break down” over it is a nice touch.
NOTE: I used the audio-only video here as the music video is age-restricted and can only be viewed directly on YouTube; it’s worth a watch!
2. The Amity Affliction-I See Dead People
I remembered this band from years ago being a solid-if-unspectacular Risecore-type band and never really followed them, so when I happened upon this song I was…surprised. I was definitely not expecting something this punishing and dark. The tortured feel of the song is borderline overwhelming—this isn’t paint-by-the-numbers, it’s urgent and raw. The torrential drumming is really interesting and adds a distinctive aspect that might in theory clash, but it doesn’t, rather adding to the claustrophobic atmosphere.
1. Beartooth-I Was Alive
I could’ve put half a dozen songs from The Surface on here, but the one that resonates deepest with me is the gorgeous and uplifting “I Was Alive.” It’s pretty much the polar opposite of a lot of heavy music that often goes past catharsis and into wallowing and self-defeat. The message of embracing life and living without fear and regret is a vital reminder to cherish what is truly valuable and not let lower emotions drag us down and away from realizing our potential. The song is a perfect capstone to the incredible achievement that is without question my album of the year in The Surface.
You can read my full review of that album here.