I was born in 1991. Look back and it’s arguably one of the greatest years in rock music. Nevermind, Loveless by My Bloody Valentine, Ten by Pearl Jam, and of course Metallica‘s Black Album. I’ve talked about my affection for that record. It was also their last great album. Load through Death Magnetic were not good, by their standard. Maybe there was nothing left creatively. Their first five records were unbelievable. If that was all they had it would still be a hall of fame career. This year they surprised the world.”Hardwired” nuked everyone like it was 1983. Hardwired… to Self-Destruct surprised me the most of any album I heard this year. Listening through the first time I kept uttering “what the fuck” during every song. How after 25 years could this band drop an album that sounded like Kill’em All and Ride The Lightning?
Remember for the majority of my life Metallica has released disappointing music. What changed? Without exploring too many conspiracy theories, Hardwired shows James Hetfield is still on that riff life. “Atlas, Rise!” and “Moth into The Flame” sound as epic as any Ride The Lightning track. “Confusion” and “Here Comes Revenge” remind me of better moments from Death Magnetic revisited with the heavier edge and free reigning solos from The Black Album. “Am I Savage?” gets uncharacteristically chuggy at the end. Most of it sounds dark and brooding and closes out with metalcore-esk chuggs with evil sounding harmonics in-between. “Spit Out the Bone” should satisfy the … And Justice for All people with seven minutes of shredding. I would have never imagine an album this solid. It’s reinvigorating hearing songs just as good as the first demos.
“It only took like 20 years for people to start kinda digging our music” said Tomas Haake in a Metal Evolution interview. Meshuggah has been around since 1987. Thanks to the emerging djent scene about 7-8 years ago their work got the respect it deserved. They ushered in a whole new genre, scene, and wave of musicians with a unique style of music. The Violent Sleep of Reason cashes in reverence and dives deeper into the Marinas Trench of their music. It’s incredibly heavier in tone and weight than Koloss. The grooves steamroll relentlessly. The groove riff half way through “Clockworks” mesmerizes for an eternity. It’s honestly one of the best Shuggah songs ever. That groove could go on forever. “Born in Dissonance” plum-mutes through brick walls. Like the song before it never stops the furiosity or relaxes. “Nostrum” has those signature floating Ornette Coleman notes hoovering the intro. You still get those percussive grooves and beats through out but that jazzy element returns for the solo. You can hear these signature elements all over the record. Infinite groove, earth smashing weight, and dark jazz tones. This is another classic album.
I forgot about Touche Amore for a couple of years. There’s probably several good reasons why I didn’t pay attention for a while. I was in a metal band and immersed in that music. I was in love and blissfully happy. When relationships and family members passed away Stage Four came along at an opportune time. While I lost a lot last year and this year this record reminds me a lot of my grandfather. His influence on my life can’t be measure. What he meant is more than I can ever describe. As I got older, living on the opposite side of the world, and having my own life we lost the connection we had. We spoke sporadically. I guess I just thought he’d always be there, but when he passed it broke me. A year later hearing “New Halloween” broke me too. Just the opening words “how has it already been a year” crush me. I feel Jeremy Bolm’s loss, he can feel mine, we all can feel whatever we’ve lost. I could put that song perspective with Karlsberg or my ex but I think about my grandfather. I wasn’t there at the end. I can only hope he was proud of me. I will never know how he felt about me at the end or who I become.
“New Halloween” is the standout track here but there’s plenty of depth to Stage Four. “Displacement” rips. It harps back to their Thursday influences. That word everyone hates, emo, comes through. I hadn’t heard the music open up like that in a while. “Palm Dreams” feels like California. They reference interstate 5 and driving fast. I’m not sure what it’s about but there’s something that seems familiar being on your own going 65 MPH plus here in the golden state. “Posing Holy” stands out too. Bolm talks about it’s a right of passage to lose people. I wasn’t prepare as he mentioned. When if I was I would have never been able to handle it properly. I grieved a long time. Maybe I still am but it’s something I had to go through eventually. Maybe you’re never ready but now I’m stronger. Perhaps fortified to get through loss.
I was pretty sure Deathgrip would be my top album of the year and it was pretty close. Since Slave to Nothing I’ve waited impatiently Fit for a King to continue producing what is now their prime. Metalcore, metal in general, doesn’t connect with me as much as it used to. Nothings at fault other than I’ve changed. These guys are one of the few that still connect with me and Deathgrip came at the right time. I talked extensively about “Pissed Off” when it dropped and I reviewed the whole record in depth too. My reviews speak pretty strongly about my affection for the music and what’s meant. It’s been yin to the yang of my top album. It’s the dark hopeless version of the positive side of how music has chronicled my year. There’s an apocalyptic element here that describes my disparaging moments in 2016. Self harm, hatred, depression, abuse, whatever grip death had on me it’s all here. I’m not sure any of you reading this will get how hard the last 18-24 months have been. I was going somewhere you don’t come back. Deathgrip really crystallized those moments in a way that reminds me of where I was and where I don’t want to be anymore.
Disaesthetic 
