Part 2! The bit you’ve all been waiting for (and definitely care more about than most other people’s top 10). So here were go:
10. Gogol Bordello- Trans-continental Hustle
Gypsy-punk is one of those odd genres that only exists really to accommodate one or two bands. Gogol go very neatly into it. The nutty Romani tribe have released an absolute gem here, bringing together politics, love and general silliness into their unique style. The folksy Pala Tute and My Companero kick the album off brilliantly, building to the fantastic Immigrada and finishing off with the folky title track, as they take you on a journey through punk-folk perfection. As main support to Rage Against The Machine for their free Finsbury Park show, they have started to break even further into the public eye.
9. Gorillaz – Plastic Beach
The third instalment from the animated band, which has morphed into a huge machine including a string quartet and plently of guest stars. Many have said this album sees Gorillaz taking a big move towards Pop. This is obvious in singles Stylo and Superfast Jellyfish, which have the simple and catchy melodies, but the usual portion of guest rappers is still present. There are a lot of guests on this album, and I was afraid this might detract from the music. But instead it adds something to the experience, to know that a large group of very talented musicians have come together to create something so mellow and chilled, perfectly capturing the warm image Damon Albarn wanted, while still making you question the relevance of our plastic obsessed world.
8. 36 Crazyfists – Collisions & Castaways
It’s almost impossible to imagine this band releasing a bad album. Each album they release provides a different take on the metalcore template they helped to build, but every time it is distinctly them. Whether it’s Brock’s almost warbling voice, or the perfect offset of crunchingly heavy and beautifully melodic, this album definitely Crazyfists. From the opening acoustic fade-in of In The Midnights through some of the heaviest tracks the band have produced, we see a true testament to how crazyfists can adapt and modernise their sound to fit what is happening around them, and yet still stand out from the crowd. How they haven’t properly broken into the mainstream is somewhat a mystery.
7. Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip – The Logic Of Chance
An album that didn’t make the midyear top 5, yet now comes above two that were... told you to ignore it. But what we have here is another genius hip-hop album. Scroobius Pip’s insightful lyrics flow from his mouth as he schools us on such wide topics as the state of the country in Great Britain, love in Cauliflower and music snobbery in the standout track, the aptly titled Snob. It’s political, pointed, yet still something beautiful. They may be white, bearded and from Essex, but these guys know their hip-hop. Perhaps more importantly, they know their music.
6. Cancer Bats – Bears, Mayors, Scraps and Bones
With Hail Destroyer being such a solid album, you'd think Cancer Bats would struggle to build on it. Yet this is possibly their best album to date. From the pounding opening of Sleep This Way, through the hardcore swagger of Black Metal Bicycle and Doomed To Fail and finishing with an epic cover of Sabotage, we are given a master-class in hardcore. There are thrash tracks, slow pounding tracks and modern groove-metal classics, we have the whole spectrum making this a brilliantly varied album. This band were without a doubt a highlight of Download this year, and after more great shows on their tour it looks like they're going from strength to strength.
5. Avenged Sevenfold – Nightmare
2010 could well have been a nightmare for A7X. With drummer The Rev dying in late 2009, halfway through the recording of this album, there was no knowing whether they could carry on without their friend. But they were able to call upon one of The Rev’s (and my) heroes, Prog Metal legend Mike Portnoy. And he’s worked wonders. The album is a drummers wet dream, but other than that it’s a fantastic rock album. Quite possibly, it is their best work to date. Title track Nightmare perfectly encapsulates how far the band has come from the early, heavier days into something more mature, more solid. Welcome To The Family, Natural Born Killer, God Hates Us, show off Portnoy’s already well-known percussive prowess, while Buried Alive show how well M Shadows has developed his voice, less whiny and high-pitched than before. It is a huge album for them, and with a slot on the Download Main Stage next year, it looks like it’ll be another exciting year.
4. The Damned Things – Iconiclast
The newest entry, only released in December this year, but one that absolutely cannot be ignored. When you put together Keith Buckley & Josh Newton (ETID), Scott Ian & Rob Caggiano (Anthrax) and Joe Trohman & Andy Hurley (Fall Out Boy), someone is going to be at least interested. And so they should, because this is a brilliant heavy rock n roll album. First single We’ve Got A Situation Here sounds like a modern Thin Lizzy track, and the whole album bleeds traces of Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and other heavy blues-orientated rock bands from the 70s. If they’d been born today, this is what they’d play. It is revivalist, but at the same time modern and new. Brilliant.
3. As I Lay Dying – The Powerless Rise
Well, this is just amazing. As I Lay Dying's last album was an absolute cracker, defining their sound and maturing into one of the best metalcore bands ever. It was going to take something spectacular to beat it, and that's what they've done. Brutal riffing with sing-a-long choruses is what AILD do best, and there is plenty of that on The Powerless Rise. It comes flying at you from the first brutal guitar riff, and doesn't let up until the last note fades away. Anodyne Sea and Parallels are almost the perfect metalcore songs, Without Conclusion is one of the heaviest songs they've ever written, yet the lyrics are extremely profound and soulful. This is without a doubt their finest hour, and as another band who slayed at Download this year, it just goes to show how fantastic the line-up really was.
2. The Dillinger Escape Plan – Option Paralysis
And another band who stunned Download this year (are you starting to see a trend here?). Having for years been at the forefront of avant-garde metal, they have been creeping ever more towards the commercial side of the genre, while still keeping the distinctive, spasmodic sound. This album continues this, becoming their greatest album to date. Starting typically offbeat and crazy, we navigate through the absolutely mental in Endless Endings to the sublime Widower, arguably their best track ever. There are bits to sing-a-long to, bits to go nuts to, bits to sit back and listen to, soaking up the brilliance of this very special band. It is, without a doubt, an absolute masterclass in experimental music.
1. Deftones – Diamond Eyes
And so to number one. And even with the vast amounts of incredible music having been released this year, it just had to be this. And again, it hasn’t been easy for them. After Chino’s rehabilitation and a devastating car accident that left bassist Chi Cheng in a coma, it looked bad for Deftones. They scrapped Eros, the album they’d been working on, but luckily moved on to this. It's been hailed by some as their best ever, and those some are not far off. On Diamond Eyes we are treated to the full range of Deftones unique style, from the crunching heavy licks of Rocket Skates to the ethereal, wandering melodies of Sextape, with others such as the title track that mix the two for epic results. Although there are arguably less stand out tracks as previous offerings, the album as a whole is a clever, solid and beautiful piece of work that shows off just how fresh Deftones can be with each album, yet still keep their instantly recognisable sound. Live the new tracks have sounded powerful, fitting in perfectly with the rest of the back catalogue, blowing audiences minds as they have been for years. It is a testament to the band that they can still produce some of the best music around after this many years, surely now it must be their time.
So that’s it. My top 22 of the year. If you disagree, let me know, and tell me if I missed something.
