Diary of a Madman: December 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.