This is a quick overview of my top albums of the year thus far. I might do a more in-depth write-up once I get some more time at the end of the year.
1. AFI - Crash Love
Absolutely brilliant. Their best album and Davey Havok's best vocal performances. How many singers can say that about their 8th album, 14 years after their debut release?
2. Muse - The Resistance
Phenomenal album that is dropped to #2 by Matt Bellamy's weak vocals, which are normally stellar. Still probably Muse's best album.
3. Silversun Pickups - Swoon
Sophomore release from California rockers does everything their debut release did but better. Frontman Brian Aubert's riffs will burn your goddamn ears off (and they did when I saw them live from the front row this past August. Not kidding, just about went deaf), and his vocals have only gotten better.
4. Mastodon - Crack the Skye
Mastodon moves towards a more melodic metal style and in the process crafts one of the best metal albums of the decade. It's really too bad that there were other career-defining albums this year, otherwise this would probably be #1.
5. Megadeth - Endgame
Asinine, albeit hilarious lyrics drag this one down a few spots, but Endgame shows that Megadeth can still shred their asses off, unlike another certain 80s thrash metal band with a semi-recent record.
6. Third Eye Blind - Ursa Major
Third Eye Blind's fourth effor evokes images of their self-titled debut, which was one of the best albums of the 90s. The single, Don't Say A Word, plants itself among their best songs.
7. The Black Dahlia Murder - Deflorate
Great album from one of the better modern metal bands out there.
And the two most disappointing albums of the year were Pearl Jam's Backspacer and Paramore's Brand New Eyes.
