Mick's Töp 15 Albums of 2021

2021 was an interesting year. It cleared the lowest bar possible of being better than 2020, but still was another year of adjusting to whatever the “new normal” is supposed to be. I work from home and do have a job that I love, but the monotony of not leaving my house basically ever has surfaced more moments of existential dread than I typically like to allow in one calendar year. My wife and our two cats have continued to be my foundation. Having each other has certainly meant the world in navigating through these weird times. I fell deeper into some hobbies which mostly were video game related (shocker, I know) but the tradeoff was that I wrote about music less. Durf really put the team on his back by coming up with the Durf’s Weekly Workout column, but it was personally a slow year around these parts. All in all, 2021 was like beating Dark Souls (which was also something I did for the first time this year); there were plenty of moments that felt like I was beating my head against the wall, but seeing it through was ultimately worth it. And since I didn’t write a ton this year, please allow me to word vomit a bit about the albums that carried me through.

Durf's Töp 15 Albums of 2021

Yeesh, what a year.  Yeah, I know, I say that pretty much every year, but this year I mean it.  In the span of really ten short months, the Durfette and I welcomed the Durfling 2, I got a promotion at work, the Durfette got a new job, we both decided we wanted to get the fuck out of Idaho, I got a new job, we sold our house, bought a new house, moved to Tennessee, and that's just off the top of my head.  It's been a year.  Not to mention that until shit got real bonkers around August/September, I managed to actually write something nearly every week for this her blog, which was a lot of fun.  I'd love to be able to tell you that Durf's Weekly Workout will make a triumphant return sometime soon, but I can't commit to that, and I just can't lie to you terrific folks.  The new job takes a lot of my time and energy, and I'm still trying to figure out how to make sure my family doesn't get shortchanged, and until I do, I need to do other things than tell you how wicked lifting to Suffering Hour is (it's pretty fuckin' wicked though).  But hopefully it will be back at some point.  But for now, let's talk about sixteen albums from this year that were phenomenal.  I listened to more music this year than potentially any year previous, so you know these sixteen are the choicest of choice cuts.  As always, the amount written about any album does not speak to my thoughts or feelings about it; that's what the numbers are for.

Durf's Weekly Workout # 23: July 2nd, 2021

Well holy cow, it's July already!  This year is going by much, much quicker than last year, which is a huge relief.  If you've been with us for a bit, you know that for my first post in April I did a baseball-themed sort of quarterly recap, and I said then that you should expect similar posts in July and October.  Well, as we've established, it's July, so I think you know what lies ahead.  So without further ado, play ball! 

Durf's Weekly Workout # 21: June 18th, 2021

Obviously, when a lot of people think about working out, they think about it in physical terms.  Wanting to lose weight or build muscle.  Trying to be healthy.  Things like that.  And it makes sense to think about it this way, since it's a physical act.  But there is a mental/emotional component to working out too.  Pride in your accomplishments in the gym, confidence from looking and feeling your best are two big mental aspects; I know that I personally feel off all day if I skip a workout during the week.  I've been able to get around that feeling on weekends, which is great, but if I don't lift before work, it takes a whole lot of mental energy to stay on top of the workday with a good attitude.  I've had coworkers say to me "No workout today?" because it's that pronounced; I'd like to say I'm getting better at it and maturing to the point where I don't let it affect me like that... but I'm not, and it's a whole lot easier for me to just not skip a workout than it is to skip one and then deal with the fallout.  But there's another emotion that I routinely find driving my workouts, and it can definitely seem strange: Fear.

Durf's Playlist: Roadtrip Edition

This past Saturday, I drove from Middleton, Idaho, to Little America, Wyoming, to get a dog.  It was a 940 mile round trip.  It took me thirteen and a half hours.  During that time, I listened to a lot of things, which I will now tell you about.

Mick's Töp 15 Albums of 2018

It's been a much quieter back half of the year here then we typically are accustomed to, but life has taken over the driver seat for us : I was busy getting hitched, Durf was busy welcoming a new addition to his family, and as for Tom I do know those New York football Giants have been having a less than stellar year so I can only assume he's been finding some other ways to grieve. Despite all of these momentous event we had going on, we've kept up on all of what 2018 had to offer as best we could.

So without further ado, check out my Top 15 Albums of 2018 after the break!

Durf's Töp 15 Albums and 5 EPs/Splits/Demos of 2018

2018 was a pretty momentous year for me personally, as the Durfette and I packed up and moved from Chicago, IL, our home for over a decade, and moved out west to Boise, Idaho.  It's been a great move, but owning a home and finding a new job have definitely brought with them their own challenges, as has the addition of the Durfling just a few short weeks ago.  Because of this most recent addition, my year end lists are a bit scaled down this year; I won't be listing my favorite concerts (Fire in the Mountains, not even close), non-metal albums (Panopticon's The Scars of Man on the Once Nameless Wilderness, Part 2, similarly a Crimson Tide-level blowout), or songs (Marche Funébre's "Darkness" or Panopticon's "At the Foot of the Mountain"), because it's taking all of the limited time I have to put together this admittedly half-assed list of what I consider to be the best EPs/Splits/Demos and Metal Albums of the Year.  I hope that 2018 has been good to you and yours, and that big things are on the horizon for your 2019.  Let me know if you agree with my selections or think I missed something obvious in the comments, but don't fucking talk to me about Prequelle.  That record sucked and I'm pretty sure Ghost blew their load in two albums and is running on fumes.  Here are some albums that didn't make me want to bash my head in with a square hammer.

Tom's Töp 15 Albums of 2018

 2018 was my first full year as a parent of two, and if that doesn't frighten you, then you must not be human. 2018 was a year that I learned to experience and appreciate more of the small things; small people and small towns included. Yep it was small except for the sheer amount of great music it produced. It was a tremendous year for heavy music of all varieties, as it provided more great albums on average since 2015. Seemingly every month had an album that would surprise and it made it harder to put a line in the sand as to what and when you wouldn't include anything on the list anymore. So after months on non-speculation here are my honorable mentions and my Top 15 albums of 2018.

Fire in the Mountains - A Review, Photo Journal, and Thought Piece

Metal festivals are all alike; each metal festival is metal in it's own way.  Tolstoy said that (or something quite similar), and this quote found its way into my head during my two days at Fire in the Mountains, a metal fest situated about thirty miles outside Jackson, Wyoming.  This year's edition of Fire in the Mountains marked my sixth ever music festival, and third metal specific fest after the twelfth and fourteenth editions of Maryland Deathfest.  Fire in the Mountains was appealing to me for its lineup (Panopticon, Falls of Rauros, Wayfarer, Krallice, and more), its location (the Grand Tetons are RIGHT there), and its proximity to my home (six and a half hours, give or take).  So with my trusty sidekick (my buddy Bryce) in tow, I headed toward the mountains to see whether a new festival was establishing itself or coming in DOA.

Tom's Top 15 Albums of 2015

2015 will be a year for the record books in the Campagna household. Why the New York Mets made it to the World Series, I bought a house, and of course my wife and I welcomed out little boy Connor into the world. Aside from those wonderful feats, there was metal to be had in 2015 and it was a damned fine year with so many huge bands putting out great records; listing them is a chore unto itself, but ultimately no one pays me for this so this list is what you make of it honestly. Make sure to check out the albums I did a full review for by clicking the link in the album title and also listen to a selection from each album by clicking the song below each write up.

Panopticon - Roads To The North

With the return of Panopticon and their new LP Roads To The North, it now marks over 2 years to have digested their most recent output, the masterful Kentucky. The immense task of following up such a sensational album could be something that could break (mostly) lone member Austin Lunn whose has gone through many different life affirming changes in the time between these records; whether it be trying out a new profession or even with wonderful new additions to his own immediate family. Whatever the case may be, such experiences seem like they have gotten to Lunn who is able to weave the good and the bad into his emotive style of black metal, mixed with progressive death metal and a touch of bluegrass; not forgetting his Kentucky roots.