Best of 2021 Playlist on Spotify

How much of a bummer is it that our first post of 2022 is still about 2021?  We swear we're working on it. Anyways, here's the boilerplate message about our 2021 Spotify playlist:

Still catching up on the unholy goodness that 2021 had to offer? We're here to help. If you have yet to view any of our year-end lists, and have no intention of doing so, we've compiled our favorite tracks from each of the albums that made the cut onto a Spotify playlist.

You can get to that playlist using this link.

If you want to know the playlist but for some reason don't want to follow that link above, then read on after the break!

Best of 2020 Playlist on Spotify

Still catching up on the unholy goodness that 2020 had to offer? We're here to help. If you have yet to view any of our year-end lists, and have no intention of doing so, we've compiled our favorite tracks from each of the albums that made the cut onto a Spotify playlist.

You can get to that playlist using this link.

If you want to know the playlist but for some reason don't want to follow that link above, then read on after the break! 

 

Durf's Töp 15 Albums of 2020

Listen, we all just lived through the same year, so let's not bother rehashing it.  Instead, let's jump right into fifteen albums that were bright spots in 2020, like finding graham crackers, marshmallows, and chocolate bars right next to a big ol' dumpster fire!

Best of 2019 Playlist on Spotify

Still catching up on the unholy goodness that 2019 had to offer? We're here to help. If you have yet to view any of our year-end lists, and have no intention of doing so, we've compiled our favorite tracks from each of the albums that made the cut onto a Spotify playlist.

You can get to that playlist using this link.

If you want to know the playlist but for some reason don't want to follow that link above, then read on after the break!

Durf's Top Albums, EPs, Songs, and Concerts of 2016

2016's been an odd year, to say the least.  It has been tough to watch the news; a worldwide refugee crisis is in full swing, climate change may have passed a reversible threshold, and the corpse of a moldy jack o' lantern was elected US President.  Enough beloved, respected actors, artists, and musicians have died this year that there's a 10% chance another passes away while you read this article.  I miss Gene Wilder more than I ever thought it was possible to miss someone you've never met.  But there have been good moments.  The Chicago Cubs finally won the World Series (and somehow Chicago didn't burn to the ground).  And the music... blessed Dio above, the music was great this year.  Last year, I found six albums that I felt were worth writing about.  This year, I filled a full fifteen, with honorable mentions and a separate list for EPs.  How good was the music this year?  Two of the biggest progressive metal legends ever put out the worst albums of their careers, and no one batted an eye, because there was so much other great stuff out that two cosmically huge misfires were no big deal.  Seriously, 2016 is the new bar to clear in terms of great music (replacing 2013).  Below are my Top Albums, EPs, Songs, and Concerts from the year that was; check 'em out, tell me what I missed, and pour one out for all those we lost this year.  Also remember that "Top" is my own preference, because I am woefully unqualified to tell anyone what is good or bad when it comes to music.

Durf's Top 15 Albums of 2014

2014 was a banner year in metal for me, primarily because I made it to my first metal festival (Maryland Deathfest); the fact that said festival destroyed all of the expectations I had en route to being one of the premier music experiences of my life certainly helped that.  More than any of the albums on my list, MDF XII stands out as the top metal anything this year, as well as one of the all-around highlights of my year (though not quite topping the Durfette and I getting engaged, because that was pretty bitchin' too).  It's a nice feeling, because it feels like each year these lists get harder and harder, but the reason they're exponentially harder annually is because there's always so much new music to discover, which is fantastic.  I've been working on this list for the past month, and even in that time albums have been released that have either been added to it or warranted serious consideration.  It kills me every year, knowing that there's at least a decent chance that I completely missed the "best" album of the year, or the album that will eventually become my favorite for the year.  On the other hand, perusing year end and Best Of lists is how I find things I missed, so I take solace in the fact that maybe I heard something you didn't, and by reading this post you'll be introduced to something you'll come to love.  Or you'll wonder how in the hell I'm qualified to write for a metal blog in the first place (hint: I'm not).  Either way, I hope this list finds you in good health, with music in your ears, a cold beer in front of you, and friends all around.  2014 was an insanely great year for metal, so soak it all up, because 2015 promises to bring even more.