Brian Kim’s Top 10 Albums of 2020
- Elder – Omens
Since first hearing Elder, they’ve maintained a high position among my most favorite bands, and the rich proginess of Omens keeps them solidly up there. While some may complain about the dulling of the band’s metallic edge since 2017’s Reflections… I think it’s a move very few can make while keeping, if not expanding, the artistic integrity and style of the band, and Elder fiercely accomplishes both. Truly epic and clever songwriting makes Omens one of my most listened to albums of the year, and maintains Elder as one of the most interesting heavy bands around today.
- Hum – Inlet
This album is an instant classic. Of all the bands from my childhood to make a comeback in recent years, Hum has absolutely been one of the most satisfying. Inlet doesn’t hold any punches, and picks right back up with the immensely heavy and melodic grooves that inspired a future generation of big riff rockers. I’m pretty sure I’ve listened to this album more than any other released this year and I’m not even close to getting sick of it.
- Run The Jewels – RTJ4
It’s RTJ. What else is there to say about such a banger of an album? Everything these guys put out just immediately hits so hard, and RTJ4 is no exception. The production, the flows, the lyrics, RTJ4 is just absolutely masterful hip hop in every way.
- Elephant Tree – Habits
This one was a bit of a surprise for me, as I’d never heard Elephant Tree before and checked this album out on a whim. I was immediately blown away by the sheer scale of this record. The production is masterful, catapulting my ears into the stratosphere, and the songwriting takes slow, reverb soaked stoner/doom riffs and polishes them into razor sharp diamonds. This album is dynamic and engaging and carries an emotional weight that hits hard.
- King Gorm – King Gorm
While so many metal bands tend to implement a “progressive” influence into their sound, it’s rare that a band can completely embrace the absurdly wonderful outlandishness of vintage prog rock and actually pull it off. King Gorm manages to magically accomplish this, effortlessly wielding throwbacks to the likes of Rush, King Crimson, Pink Floyd, and Yes, to name a few. This album is hands down one of the most well written and engaging I’ve heard this year, and any fans of rock and roll classics would be doing themselves a huge disservice by not listening to it.
- Guitar Fight From Fooly Cooly – Soak
Upon first hearing this band, I was immediately reminded of the effortlessly carefree days of my youth, shitty punk basement shows and naively hopeful optimism. Soak captures the indie/emo/punk vibes I relished in during the mid-late 00’s, with a sharp tinge of mathy hardcore riffage and shamelessly nerdy anime/videogame references. If these folks ever make it to Seattle after the apocalypse, you bet your ass I’ll be the weird old guy there telling stories from “back in my day”. Also gotta give some props to the Blynd Submyshynz folks for introducing me to this band and a ton of other killer music I would have never heard otherwise, check em out on YouTube!
- Deftones – Ohms
Deftones were one of the bands that got me into heavy music in my younger years, and with Ohms the band really takes me back. I absolutely love their more lush atmospheric work as well, and it’s certainly not absent on this album, but Ohms feels like it’s recapturing some of the raw edge the band had back in the day. The guitars cut deeper, the drums sound more explosive, and the overall sound has a more aggressive vibe that makes this one of the band’s strongest recent releases.
- Peace’d Out – Feelings Blade
Feelings Blade is a wild rollercoaster of riffy experimental post-hardcore, drawing influences from punk, black metal, and grindcore. One of my favorite guitarists, Steve Choi (RX Bandits, The Sound of Animals Fighting), really shines on this record, conjuring a never-ending whirlwind of blazing hot riffs at lightning speed. This album hits hard and fast and keeps you guessing what’s coming next.
- The Ocean – Phanerozoic II: Mesozoic | Cenozoic
This album is massive. It’s a sprawling journey, spiraling through crushing heaviness and deep, lush atmospherics, with plenty of proggy weirdness thrown in for good measure. There’s an expertly orchestrated depth of layers here, guided by a steadfast, albeit slightly meandering, purpose, that is entirely engrossing.
- Forming The Void – Reverie
I think 2020 has been a really fantastic year for new music in general, but especially for the fuzz drenched, epically massive, groove infused, hauntingly hooky melodic rock that is captured on Forming The Void’s Reverie. With Reverie, Forming The Void take the sludgy stoney rock they’ve built a name off of and really transcend it to the next level. The mix of crushing heaviness and explorative atmospherics conjure a potent spell that’s impossible to ignore and all too easy to get lost in.
TOP LOCAL ALBUMS
Ambergris – The Electrician
Blood Hot Beat – Repeat Offender
Cape Nowhere – The Chamber Echos
Chrome Lakes – Real Silence
City of Industry – False Flowers
Egregor – It Never Sleeps
Hillside ‘77 – Scorpio
The Ironclads – Tropical Mediocrity
Lasting – The Silent Scream
Noonmoon – Bedroom Songs Volume 1 & 2
Rat King – Vicious Inhumanity
Sorcia – Sorcia
Sun Crow – Quest For Oblivion
They Walk Among Us – Return To The Living For The First Time
TOP EPS/SINGLES
Despairer – Unburdened
Eastern Promise – Vita
Francis Roberts – Story From Another Time
Fvtvre Wife – Saudade
Holy Fawn – The Black Moon
Hundred Eyes – Vulture In A Suit
Isdal – Celestial
Vultures At Arms Reach – I/E
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Bad Snacks – Neat Tape 2
Childish Gambino – 3.15.20
Coastlands – Death
EOB – Earth
The Fall of Troy – Mukiltearth
Fiona Apple – Fetch The Bolt Cutters
GoGo Penguin – GoGo Penguin
Intronaut – Fluid Existential Inversions
Lamb Of God – Lamb Of God
Master Boot Record – Floppy Disk Overdrive
Merlock – That Which Speaks
Portal To The God Damn Blood Dimension – Rotten Fruit; Regular Orchard
Matt Scherer’s Top 10 Records of 2020
- Sun Crow – Quest For Oblivion
Debut of the year from these locals, just an awesome and super unique mix of Western Americana steeped doom and grunge. I really want to see them live now (once shows are a thing again…)
- Temple of Void – The World That Was
Crusty and rusty death doom from the deepest pits of hell. The traces of melody that is starting to seep into their sound really sets them apart from their peers.
- Freeways – True Bearings
2020 was anything but fun, but this record is damn fun. Thin Lizzy-influenced, denim jacket wearing, dirtbag rock from the Great White North. A perfect record for a long road trip.
- Wolftooth – Valhalla
What The Sword should have/could have been. Triumphant, muscular stoner proto-doom from Indiana about warriors and monsters. Another gem from Ripple Music label, which had an incredible year of quality releases.
- Bismarck – The Oneiromancer
Norwegian stoner doom with generous Arabic infused themes results in a trippy, almost spiritual, listening experience. Fans of Neurosis, Om, and Conan (this album was produced by Conan’s front man Jon) will find a lot to like here.
- Elder – Omens
Elder will make my top ten every time. They are starting to lean into their prog tendencies much more here and the vocals feel far more confident and self-assured than in previous releases. This aptly titled album feels like a jumping off point for a new era for this band.
- Kvelertak – Splid
A nice return to form. After a few records where their sound seemed to be getting stale, but the introduction of a new vocalist helped breathe new life into their Turbonegro meets High on Fire Viking party metal.
- Bonehawk – Iron Mountain
The second album from these bearded Kalamazoo, Michigan based hard rockers is the perfect beer drinking/weed smoking album. This album is all about the RIFFS, but the dreamy psychedelic qualities of some songs makes this a nicely varied listen from front to back.
- Loviatar – Lightless
My favorite doom record of 2020. Perfectly bleak, emotive, and yearning epic doom with generous post metal tendencies – these Canucks perfectly managed to capture the spirit of 2020.
- Lowrider – Refractions
It’s not often that you see a band go 2+ decades between albums and the follow up being this good (it actually happened twice this year with Cirith Ungol too). These fuzz-peddling Swedes’ debut Ode to Io is still held in very high regard in stoner rock circles and this is a more than worthy follow-up. The best straight-up rock record of 2020.
James Ballinger’s Top 20 of 2020
- Living Gate – Deathlust
- DeathCAVE – Smoking Mountain
- Executioners Mask – Despair Anthems
- Kesha – High Road
- Nothing – The Great Dismal
- Mrs. Piss – Self-Surgery
- Napalm Death – Throes of Joy in the Jaws of Defeatism
- Ulcerate – Stare Into Death and Be Still
- City of Industry – False Flowers
- Oranssi Pazuzu – Mestarin Kynsi
- Raspberry Bulbs – Before the Age of Mirrors
- Necrot – Mortal
- Deftones – Ohms
- IDLES – Ultra Mono
- Emma Ruth Rundle/Thou – May Our Chambers Be Full
- Mr. Bungle – The Raging Wrath of the Easter Bunny Demo
- Coriky – Coriky
- Hum – Inlet
- Run the Jewels – RTJ4
- Dua Lipa – Future Nostalgia
Matt Koroulis (Photographer/Musician) 10 Favorite Albums of 2020
Unnatural Helpers – Four Wolfs
Ils – Curse
Mr. Gnome – The Day You Flew Away
Exhalants – Atonement
The Whip – The Whip
Metz – Atlas Vending
Idles – Ultra Mono
Couch Slut – Take a Chance on Rock ‘n’ Roll
Heads. – Push
June of 44 – Revisionist: Adaptations & Future Histories in the Time of Love and Survival
Before everything shut down, there were a handful of really great shows that would’ve stood out even in full year of shows. These were my 4 favorite shows of 2020.
Jan. 25th – Sandrider, Fucked & Bound, Tacos!, Cat Toy at the Clock-Out
Feb. 11th – Big Business, Sandrider at Belltown Yacht Club (early show and late show)
Feb. 28th – Serial Hawk, Glose, Tacos!, Gold Sweats, Known Liar at Southgate Roller Rink
Feb. 29th – Helms Alee, Wild Powwers, deathCAVE at Bar House
