Best of the Worst: Top 20 Albums of 2020

Most would agree 2020 was a terrible year.  Music-wise, the pandemic eliminated almost all in-person concerts across the world, and postponed albums from several artists.  I was extremely bummed to not get to finally see Rammstein in person.  Weezer, Foo Fighters, and Rob Zombie postponed album release dates until spring 2021.  One thing that made it bearable was several streaming concerts including those from Dropkick Murphys, Papa Roach, Seether, Nonpoint, Post Malone, and more.  Others like Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Stitched Up Heart, and HedPE made regular streaming events to connect more with fans on social media.  There's lots of things that I could talk bad about, including disappointing new releases from Smashing Pumpkins, ACDC, and Pearl Jam.  However, I'm choosing to focus on the positive, and to highlight some of my favorite releases of the year.  Unlike past years, I'm not going to rank them because the music is so diverse.  You're guaranteed to find a few things to like, and if you haven't heard of some of these, I recommend you check them out.  Don't miss the honorable mentions all the way past the album covers.

Top 20 Albums of 2020 (alphabetical order)

All Time Low - Wake Up, Sunshine  In their 8th studio album, All Time Low come hard with infectious grooves and catchy emo-pop-punk choruses.  At times they remind me of Panic at the Disco, Blink 182, and Alkaline Trio.  They can bring you up (Favorite Place; Monsters) or down (Pretty Venom; January Gloom) with equal brilliance.

Avatar - Hunter Gatherer I don't know if this album has as strong standout tracks as some of their previous, but this album slaps just as hard.  Colossus has a big chorus and, thanks to Octane, is a recurrent ear worm.

Bring Me the Horizon - Post Human: Survival Horror  BMTH continues to dominate Octane airwaves with their unique brand of hard rock.  This album has some angsty nu-metal vibes along with some crazy collaborations with everyone from Yungblud to Babymetal!

Four Year Strong - Brain Pain  Songs like Crazy Pills and Talking Myself in Circles blend melodic hardcore with pop-punk vocals in a style that is reminiscent of early 2000s, but with a splash of 1990 and a twist of modern 2020.  It is also an excellently produced album.

Goldfinger - Never Look Back  Contrary to the album title, this record harkens back to their earlier sound and also reminisces about "Golden Days" of skating, ska, punk, So-Cal, smoking cloves, Doc Marten's etc.  The is the second recording with bassist Mike Herrera (MXPX) and the first since 2008 with original guitarist Charlie Paulson back.

Intervals - Circadian  Intervals is primarily an instrumental band from Canada.  They cannot be explained.  They must be experienced.  If you like any kind of prog rock or djent, or just want to hear some rocking guitar without whiny singers, look these guys up.  I have three of their albums, and they are each ridiculously good.

Lamb of God - s/t  This album came out in June, and it was not a moment too soon.  I was already tired of the Covid lockdowns and our shitty president, and Randy sang my feelings.  "I wrote this record thinking about the mess that is modern day life," he says.  Who else can write songs you can mosh to about water pollution (Poison Dream) and the NODAPL movement (Routes)?

Less Than Jake - Silver Linings  After seven years without a studio album release, we were blessed with this comeback album of ska-rock glory.  Recorded in Gainsville, Florida and originally slated for an April release, it finally came out in December, and I for one am thankful that it did.  It's the best they've sounded in 20 years.

Local H - Lifers  This little alt-rock band out of Illinois is like what would result if Helmet and Queens of the Stone Age had a baby.  They aren't nearly famous enough, although they opened for Metallica in 2017.

Primal Fear - Metal Commando  If you like Dio and Iron Maiden, check out this German power metal (sung in English).  This whole album is fantastic.

Red - Declaration  I own play all seven studio albums from Red.  Their latest effort may be my favorite since their debut.  It definitely has its darker and heavier elements that I like, while still remaining true to what the band stands for.

Ritchie Kotzen - 50 for 50   Ritchie Kotzen is so prolific, he put out a three disc album of 50 songs before the "found time" in quarantine in honor of his 50th birthday!  I don't hear any singles as big as those from his band Winery Dogs, but they also have more musical range and emotion.

Ross the Boss - Born of Fire  Founding guitarist of Manowar, Ross Friedman, shreds on this heavy metal headbanger as singer Mike Cotoia shows off his six octave range in a style rivaled only by Rob Halford and King Diamond.

Seaway - Big Vibe  I own all four studio albums from this Canadian pop-punk band, and they are remarkably consistent.  When I need feel good music, I'll put these guys on.

Seether - Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum This album (translation "if you seek peace, prepare for war") has some bangers and some of the slower somber songs that should please any Seether fan.  For me, I like the heavier ones like album opener Dead and Done, single Dangerous, and screamer Beg.  Wasteland is slower, but very groovy and catchy.  It prompted a millenial to ask, "What's a teenage wasteland?" To which I replied, "Ask The Who."  He didn't get it :'(

Silverstein - A Beautiful Place to Drown  This album has collaborations with Intervals, Caleb Shomo, Princess Nokia, and Simple Plan!  If that wasn't enough to pique some interest, it is just a typically good post-hardcore emo-rock album.

Static-X - Project Regeneration Vol. 1  I was very hesitant to support anything under the Static-X name without Wayne Static being the front man; however, they took Wayne's vocals from previously unreleased demos to provide the basis for most of the songs on this album.  Tony and the boys also did so after getting the blessing of Wayne's family.  It will have to do, and judging by the live performance I saw in June 2019 with Xer0, there may be a future here.

These Damn Crows - Point of No Return  I discovered this band out of Wales this year, and I am thankful I found them.  They have a pretty straight up rock sound in the vein of Shinedown and Breaking Point.  Both this album and its predecessor Murder and the Motive are really great.

Trivium - What the Dead Men Say  Trivium are simply one of the best metal bands out there today.  Their latest album mixes elements of metalcore with melodic death metal all with lyrics you can understand and sing along to.

Unleash the Archers - Abyss  Canadian Power Metal that totally kicks ass.

Honorable mentions - other albums of 2020 that don't suck:

Amaranthe - Manifest

August Burns Red - Guardians

Black Stone Cherry - Human Condition

Body Count - Carnivore

Clint Lowery - God Bless the Renegades

Corey Taylor - CMFT

Deftones - Ohms

Firewind - s/t

L.A. Guns - Renegade

Ozzy Osbourne - Ordinary Man

Sepultura - Quadra

Sevendust - Blood & Stone

Stitched Up Heart - Darkness

Stryper - Even the Devil Believes

Testament - Titans of Creation

10 Years - Violent Allies

Rolling Stone pulls a 2020 with their new top 500 albums list

I don't have a problem with Rolling Stone wanting to update their top 500 albums list.  I don't mind if they thought it needed to diversify and be less rock-centric.  I don't even mind that they wanted some more 21st century representation, except here is where we start to have problems.  86 albums from the 21st century made the list.  I don't think that there has been that much good music in the last 20 years to be considered some of the greatest albums of all time.  This isn't a nu-metal best of list after all.  I do have a problem with the fact that I did not see one metal or classic rock artist listed as a voter, yet they included millennial pop stars such as Taylor Swift, H.E.R., and Billie Eilish.  Billie was still in diapers when the first list was published in 2003.  154 albums made their way onto the list for the first time.  That is a red flag, and an astonishing fact.  The only album to maintain its place in the top 10 was Pet Sounds at number 2.  What's Going On by Marvin Gaye moved from #6 to #1.  It's a great album, but really only has one single that everyone would know.  Besides the top 2, the other 8 top 10 spots were filled by albums that weren't even close in the original list.

What's more of a problem is that the first Billy Joel album (The Stranger) is listed at #169, dropping from #70!  The first Who album (Who's Next) is at #77, dropping from #28.  The first Led Zeppelin album (IV) is at #58.   There is no Bat Out of Hell to be found in the top 500!  These are abominations.  Pink Floyd's The Wall somehow goes from the top 50 to #129.  Similarly U2's Joshua tree falls like a rock from #27 to 135.  Inexplicably, the first Black Sabbath album (Paranoid) is at #139.  Surely this is a top 100 album of all time.  It is the granddaddy of heavy metal with monstrous singles War Pigs, Paranoid, and Iron Man not to mention cult classics Rat Salad and Fairies Wear Boots, among others.

I know that no music list is perfect, and that taste is subjective, but I'm still not done shitting on this list.  Less egregious, but still surprising to me is the placement of Appetite for Destruction at #62, Jagged Little Pill at # 69, Back in Black at #84, Master of Puppets at #97, Weezer at #294, Aerosmith's Rocks at #366, and Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Pronounced" at #381.  These are cited by me and many critics as some of the best rock albums of all time.  The positions on the Rolling Stone top 500 are criminally undervaluing their excellence and influence.  Meanwhile, Bob Dylan and The Clash get pushed out of the top 10.  Dylan previously held two of the top 10 spots.  Sgt. Peppers somehow drops from #1 to #24. Rubber Soul from #5 to #35.  The White album from #10 to #29.   Yet, inexcusably Kanye West appears at 17.  Are you kidding me with this list!?  They lose all credibility with these numbers.

You want to give R&B some more dues?  Explain how Boys II Men II is at a paltry #495 when it sold over 12 million copies (Diamond status), had four hit singles plus an amazing cover of Yesterday by the Beatles, and won a Grammy for Album of the Year in 1995.  This list is a joke.

Rammstein - album by album

A few friends said they'd be interested in a Rammstein history & exposé, so here we go.  Rammstein formed in Berlin, Germany in 1994.  Unlike many bands, their original lineup has remained intact.  It consists of lead vocalist Till Lindeman, lead guitarist Richard Kruspe, rhythm guitarist Paul Landers, bassist Oliver Riedel, drummer Christoph Schneider, and keyboardist Christian Lorenz.  As someone who studied German in high school and college, I understand more lyrics than most Americans, but I never got proficient so I still don't know a lot of what Rammstein is saying.  Still, I find the music pleasurable to listen to.  Nowadays you can translate lyrics pretty easily online, and also read about song meanings from interviews and other websites.  I do delve into this sometimes and other times just listen and bang my head.  Some people may be surprised at the sexual nature and horror themes of some of Rammstein's songs.  A lot of times these dark songs are about famous cases of murder, rape, cannibalism, etc.  Lindeman's solo stuff is even more out there in some ways.  However, they are true artists, and I think very important ones.  In the late 90s they had a non-English crossover hit in America; this happens rarely.  Their live shows are legendary, at times including flame throwers, fire breathing, and S&M reenactments.  Fast forward to today, and I think that Rammstein are at their creative peak in terms of pushing boundaries even further, especially with their videos.  They are scheduled to have their first American tour in about a decade.  I hope this doesn't get cancelled, because I have a ticket for August 23, and this would be my first time seeing them live.  Since I was inspired most to write about their latest album (self-titled), I'll start there and then go chronologically from the first release.

RAMMSTEIN (2019)
In May of last year, we were blessed with the band's first major release in a decade.  Lead single, "Deutchland," carries an electronic rhythm behind an industrial sounding, driving drum beat and guitars.  The lyrics discuss a love-hate relationship with the motherland.  It juxtaposes young and old, cold breath and flaming heart.  I believe this to be about the conflicting feelings of pride in some of the modern progression of German society with shame about their obviously heinous history.  There's also political dichotomy happening now, like in the US with push and pull between the left and right.  The video may be disturbing to some.  It is like a movie.  I think the imagery really makes one think, and it has to be seen to be believed and analyzed.  If you view now, promise you'll come back to read more.  The second track is another banger with a driving rhythm, classic Rammstein electronica, and an earworm of a chorus.  The lyrics are a poetic love song to the radio, an instrument that opened the imagination and expanded the mind of the young author.  The video this time also adds a celebration of the rise of feminism.  Honestly, the album could have ended there and it would be amazing.  The other songs go on with equal passion and energy.  Another controversial song, and one becoming a cult favorite already, is the song "Puppe."  This song is about a young girl violently playing with a doll while listening to her prostitute sister in the next room.  "Was Ist Liebe" is a much less controversial song about love.  However, it still has a dark twist as Till sings about what he loves is also ruined and love must die.  This is followed by a ballad that juxtaposes a somber tone with lyrics about someone as beautiful as a diamond.  Tattoo is a faster tempo song about, you guessed it, tattoos.  The album closes with a creepy song about a guy luring a young girl to the beach to take advantage of her.

Sonically, there is nothing groundbreaking from this album; however, it is enjoyable.  The music compliments and helps emote the lyrical themes, and there is not one bad song in the bunch.  This album is to be celebrated for Rammstein's return, and also for the artistic masterpiece it is lyrically, thematically, and so far, visually.  Again, I'm excited to see them perform and hope that the tour is not affected by the coronavirus. (edit: the tour was postponed to 2021 because of the virus and then again by the band to 2022 so they could have full attendance with fewer restrictions)


HERZELEID (1994)
This album title translates to "heartache" and these songs explore various aspects of relationships which don't always end up happy.  "Das alte Leid" translates to "the old sorrow" and is one of the heaviest songs on the album.  I also really like singles "Du reichst so gut" and "Seeman" as well as lead track "Wollt ihr das Bett in Flamen sehen?"  Some songs have some electronic elements, but I think this is just pretty straightforward hard rock leaning towards metal.  This album brought about the phrase Neue Deutsche Harte (New German Hardness) which is kind of like American new metal minus the rapping.  It combines alternative and groove metal with industrial and techno.  Another song of note is album closer Rammstein.  It consists of a heavy riff repeated through most of the song.  It's on the slower side so it doesn't really get me going, although it is cool to have a track about the band's name.  Legend says their name was inspired by the Ramstein air show disaster of 1988 where Italian air force planes collided during a demonstration.  There were 70 deaths and several more injured.  After gaining popularity, Rammstein have claimed to be named after a doorstop.  The second "m" in their name makes it translate to "ramming stone."  Pretty badass either way.

SEHNSUCHT (1997)
Rammstein burst onto the scene in America with their second single "Du Hast" that got significant play on MTV (including TRL).  It was different because it was in German.  It was different because it was rooted in industrial metal.  And yet a lot of the general public started to accept it and love it.  I think bands like Korn and Limp Bizkit paved the way for this kind of music in the mainstream.  Also, Rammstein played for an MTV sponsored gig called Hanging Out in London in 1996 which put them on their radar.  In 1997 Trent Reznor picked two Rammstein songs to use for the soundtrack to 1997's Lost Highway and the cat was out of the bag.  I don't think this album is as strong as their first, but it is still pretty solid.  Highlights are the singles "Engel" and "Du Hast" along with the title track "Sehnsucht" and "Buck Dich."

Much has been made about the translation of "Du Hast."  Some claim it is "you hate" while others claim it is "you have."  Here is where my German knowledge comes in handy.  "Hast" is the past tense of "haben," meaning "to have."  Hate is a homonym spelled "hasst" or "haßt."  My theory is that Till wrote it with a homonym on purpose to give it kind of a double meaning.  They are interchangeable and he is playing with the duality such as "Du Hasst Mich" meaning "You Hate Me' and then "Du hast mich gefragt, und ich hab nicht gesagt," meaning "You had asked me and I did not say."  The song goes on to talk about asking about marriage and the narrator not wanting to commit.  In the English translation you lose some of the double meaning and flippant attitude.  Adding to the confusion, in the English version of the song he sings "You Hate Me...You hate me to say and I did not obey."  Obey is nowhere in the German version, but does play off of traditional wedding vows.  Exclamation "Nein!" is sung as "Never" in the English version, but this would be "niemals" in German.  I find that a lot of Rammstein lyrics are tongue-in-cheek and several phrases are meant to have multiple meanings.  Translating them to English does not always work, especially when you try to do it word for word.

MUTTER (2001)
This album brought more awareness and critical acclaim to the band.  The album produced six singles, the last one being ten years after the fifth.  "Feuer Frei" was featured in the opening scene of XXX and as a part of the soundtrack.  It is one of the band's most famous songs and is performed at nearly every live performance, often with flamethrowers operated by the band members.  Sonically, this album was more experimental with orchestral string instruments on songs like Mein Herz Brent.  The album is also noted for its quality production.  Mutter isn't their boldest album, but it may be their most accessible to the masses, and it certainly is melodic and sonically impressive.

REISE, REISE (2004)
This album was certainly not promoted well in the U.S.  I heard about it after reading a preview in a metal magazine while browsing in a Barnes & Nobles one day.  I bought it as soon as I could and I became obsessed with it because of the combination of riffs, dark themes, and catchy choruses.  The opening title track is one of my favorites of theirs.  The chorus is an earworm.  The lyrics talk about men spearing either a fish or each other.  Some have interpreted this to mean one either gets engrossed in a hobby like fishing, or fighting and warring with others.  Another interpretation is that the spearing of man is a euphemism for homosexuality.  To me, the lyrics make me think of the navy.  "Mein Teil" is about a 2001 cannibalism case by Armin Meiwes.  Live performances often incorporate the band members acting out butchering and cooking a human for consumption!  Dalai Lama is an adaptation of Goethe's poem "Der Erlkonig" and inspired by the Japan Airlines Flight 123 crash, the deadliest plane crash in history.  "Los" is a German suffix meaning "-less" (as in "meaningless"), but it is also an adjective meaning "off" or "loose", and when used as a command it means "go!" or "come on"  The repetition of the word los with a heavy acoustic riff is another one of my go-to Rammstein songs.  Then you have the political commentary of songs "Amerika" and "Moskau."  The former crticizes the blind capitalism exemplified by Disneyworld, Coca Cola, and more.  The incorporation of English lyrics saying "this is not a love song; I don't speak my mother's tongue" is further damming the imperialism of the U.S.  "Moskau" then follows, comparing Moscow to a prostitute: beautiful, but corrupt.  There are strings and choral parts on this album as well, but they are more in the background compared to Mutter.  In my opinion, this is Rammstein's most complete album.

ROSENROT (2005)
This album was put together starting with six songs that were written during the Reise Reise sessions that didn't make the track list.  It was originally going to be called Reise Reise II.  As such, I feel that this album starts off strong and then fades towards the latter half.  To the ear, I like "Benzin" and "Mann Gegen Mann."  The former is a song satirizing love of all things petrol.  The latter plays lyrically with the meanings of "man against man" in a song against gay-bashing.  Reportedly, all of the band members are heterosexual, but they have been allies of the LGBTQ+ community for way longer than it has been popular.  In 1998 band members were arrested in Massachusetts after simulating anal sex on stage.  More recently, two band members kissed on stage in Moscow in protest of Russia's "gay propaganda" law.

LEIBE IST FUR ALLE DA (2009)
The lead track "Rammlied" borrows heavily from the chorus of 1994's "Rammstein."  It is an improvement over the original song, modified to sound bigger and more ominous.  It is basically a self aggrandizing anthem.  "Ich Tu Dir Weh" flips a common expression "Ich tut mir weh" meaning "I'm sorry" into a song "It hurts you" about S&M.  It is kind of like Rammstein's version of Judas Priest's "Pleasure and Pain," but with more explicit lyrics.  Themes do not get any lighter as songs about losing virginity, sodomy, lust, and even the Fritzl case, where Austrian Josef Fritzl imprisoned, raped, and abused his daughter.  Rammstein make songs such as the Beatles' "Helter Skelter" seem like child's play.  This is a really solid album of eleven songs.  The bonus version offers four more along with an orchestral version of "Roter Sand."  I'm not as much of a fan of the slower bonus tracks, but overall this is a really strong representation of the band's range.

They are not for the feint of heart.  I started liking their music at the same time I was getting into heavier rock.  I became curious about the lyrics and found it an interesting way to put my German studies to use.  The deeper I got into the band, and the longer they have continued to put out their work, the more I really came to admire their artistry.  I hope you have been inspired to delve more into the world of Rammstein.  Rock on!