Mick's Töp 15 Albums of 2022

In terms of my output to this blog, this past year felt like a 2021 redux. Not only did I devote an embarrassing amount of time digging through my video game backlog (Elden Ring is 100% deserving of all the praise it’s received) but I also traveled quite a bit more than usual to play more dodgeball while my body can still handle it. Yes…dodgeball. No…it’s (mostly) not like the movie. This double whammy left me with virtually no energy to write reviews. I can’t promise 2023 will see any fewer video games or less dodgeball but I’ll do my damndest to prioritize throwing together some more writing for around these parts. That all being said, 2022 had plenty of gems that are worth checking out!

 

Durf's Weekly Workout # 30: April 15th, 2022

Well, that was a much larger break than I was anticipating!  When the Durfette and I moved our family to Tennessee last October, I thought I'd step away from this column for a couple of weeks, maybe through the end of the year.  So much for that.  The learning curve of my new job coupled with figuring out life with two kids under three in a new state absolutely torpedoed any chance I had of keeping up with Durf's Weekly Workouts, and while there were a couple of weeks in there where I probably could have made something happen, enough time had already gone by that I didn't really want to pick it back up unless I thought I could realistically keep it going every week.  And since you're reading this now, that means I think I'm at that point!  Hopefully this is the beginning of a trend of DWW being a much more common Friday occurrence around these parts, but I suppose time will tell.

Animals As Leaders - The Madness of Many

As long as music continues to exist, there will always be a market for musicians who can play their respective instruments at god-like speeds in varying styles. For many of these often progressively-minded bands who successfully corner this market, technicality is harnessed as the hook that piques the ears of a first time listener and ultimately keeps them coming back for more. Instrumental act Animals As Leaders became such a band with the release of their self-titled debut in 2009. From that point forward, regardless of how much I ended up liking or disliking their subsequent material, knowing the capabilities of Tosin Abasi was enough reason to warrant at least a few honest listens. With The Madness of Many, the band continues in the slightly different path established with their last album, The Joy of Motion. But while this path favors technical flourish over heaviness, The Madness of Many dials it in much more smoothly than their previous effort.

Animals As Leaders - The Joy of Motion

Whether you love or hate the whole djent movement, at least you have the instrumental trio in Animals As Leaders to thank for the good things that developed out of it all. On previous releases like their 2009 self-titled debut and 2011’s Weightless, the group has developed expectations for what forthcoming releases should sound like. For instance, such expectations might include Meshuggah-esque grooves and electronic soundscapes, melded with other-worldly technical abilities from lead guitarist Tosin Abasi; the outcome being something that’s usually both heavy and varied. In other words, the bar was set high for their latest release, The Joy of Motion…..but perhaps a little too high. Ultimately, The Joy of Motion fails to captivate as much as its predecessors had. With the majority of the songs sounding more like warm-up exercises than they do actual songs, it makes you question whether or not this album should’ve actually been called The Joy of Going Through the Motions.

Summer Slaughter: From WTF to HOLY SHIT in a matter of a couple years

First of all, HEY THERE. If you don’t already know who I am, my name is “Angela”, and I enjoy the metal. I used to write for a few websites such as Reign In Blonde and MetalSucks. I also have been known to get blackout and make an ass of myself. Fuck you, don’t judge me. ANYWAY, Brutalitopia has graciously invited me to come and make a mockery of all things metal on their website, and I couldn’t be more excited to upset all of you. With that said….let’s get to it, bitches.

God Help Us: The Saints and Sinners Tour 2011 Lineup Announced

I shouldn't really have to say much here.  Your eyes don't deceive you.  This fall, Between The Buried and Me will be headlining the Saints and Sinners Tour with support from Animals as Leaders and Tesseract.  If you aren't in the least bit ecstatic about this concert, you clearly don't give a f**k (props to Islander at No Clean Singing for posting this up) about great/epic music.  Nothing else needs to be said.  God help us.

Tour dates after the break

We'll Do It Live Fridays: Animals As Openers?

So it seems like I'm destined to post proggy clips for my WDILF sections for the next few weeks or so.  But looking at what will be coming out this year can you really blame me?!  The band I'll be featuring this week is even more relevant though because I just got the approval to host an in person interview with these guys when they come through Chicago in about a week and a half.  Check to see who it is after the break.