1. Ice Nine Kills – The Silver Scream
Release date: 5 October
Favourite song: A Grave Mistake
Inspired by horror and thriller movies, The Silver Scream is an absolute masterpiece. Pretty much every song perfectly captures the tone of the movie it’s inspired by, and the ongoing music video narrative is just amazing. The fact that my favourite band also released an amazing album this year only highlights just how good it is.
2. Secrets – Secrets
Release date: 23 February
Favourite song: Lost Cause
An almost perfect post-hardcore album from my favourite band. You could even say that’s it’s incredible. Filled with catchy songs that balance clean and unclean vocals exceptionally well, picking a favourite song is pretty tough.
3. Fit For A King – Dark Skies
Release date: 14 September
Favourite song: Oblivion
Fit For A King get better and better with every release. This album takes their trademark heaviness and refines it beautifully. It probably didn’t live up to the power of the singles, but it’s still a fantastic album. The biggest criticism would be that the album isn’t long enough.
4. blessthefall – Hard Feelings
Release date: 23 March
Favourite song: Welcome Home
While this is more of a rock album that the usual metalcore we’ve come to expect from blessthefall, it gets better an better with every listen. It’s a lot lighter and softer but still harbours a lot of what we’ve come to expect from them. Lots of bands talk about maturing when they change their style dramatically, but this is on album where it actually comes off.
5. Silent Planet – When The End Began
Release date: 2 November
Favourite song: Firstborn (Ya’aburnee)
Silent Planet’s music is so difficult to define and explain. When The End Began explores the cyclical nature of humanity and produces a social exposition, and like their past albums uses Garrett’s dreams and historical events to present their message in their blend of metalcore and spoken word. Lyrical complexity and epic musical ability produces an awe-inspiring album.
What was your favourite album of 2018?