5 Rock And Metal Albums You Might Have Missed In 2020
By nearly any measurement, 2020 has been a bit of a dud. But, despite the turbulent times, the rock and metal scenes are having one of their best years in recent memory thanks to a steady stream of stellar releases. So, as we approach the home stretch, it’s time to look back on the five best rock and metal albums you might have missed out on.
Brave Faces Everyone // Spanish Love Songs
Released: February 20
Although it was recorded in 2019, Brave Faces Everyone by emo/punk up-and-comers Spanish Love Songs encapsulates misery in a way that is almost prophetic of what was to come from 2020. Having been released pre-lockdown, a song like ‘Kick’ which sees frontman Dylan Slocum bellowing a line like, “You know the truth in what they say / the world’s gonna kick you either way,” has only become more and more relevant as the year has gone on.
Sadly, as is the case for many bands, the current situation has meant that any hopes of capitalising on the record’s great critical reception — including an 86/100 score on Metacritic — by touring have been scuppered. Spanish Love Songs were on tour with scene icons The Wonder Years when the world first went into lockdown, which unfortunately brought a halt to what promised to be a successful year for the promising LA group. The upside is that the quality of these songs means that they aren’t going to lose potency anytime soon, so when things get back to normal look out for these guys when they come to a city near you.
Underneath // Code Orange
Released: March 13
The cancellation of touring hardly aided anyone in the music industry, but it came at precisely the wrong time for Pittsburgh’s Code Orange. After the breakout success of Forever in 2017 and years of blistering live shows, the loosely dubbed hardcore quintet were building up a furious amount of momentum heading into Underneath, leaving the whole scene on tenterhooks as they eagerly awaited to see where one the scenes most exciting bands would go next. Sadly, the circumstances have meant that despite rave reviews from fans and critics, who praised the record for its challenging musical landscape and ambitious scope, Code Orange’s journey towards conquering the metal scene is temporarily halted.
None of that takes away from the sheer class of the record itself though. While potentially daunting on a first run-through, listener persistence is rewarded as the complexity and abrasiveness starts to come together as you learn its steps. What separates Code Orange from their peers is the way they masterfully balance the brutality with memorable hooks. Nowhere is this more evident on ‘Sulphur Surrounding’, a perfect combination of Reba Meyers’ clean melodies and Jami Morgan’s guttural screams.
Nothing Is True & Everything Is Possible // Enter Shikari
Released: April 17
After the more pop inclined sound of The Spark in 2017, Britain’s favourite electro-rockers wanted to make their most definitive and quintessential album yet. An album that you could present to your unsuspecting friends and say, “this is who Enter Shikari are.” The result is a grand and poignant journey through a diverse range of genres, from sugary synth-pop to soaring orchestral sections, which tackle weighty political, social and existential issues. Fans responded well to the project, hailing it as the best Shikari record to date and a realisation of the band’s enormous potential.
It was also a huge commercial success, entering the UK album charts at number two — the bands highest to date. It’s easy to see why when you consider how immediate and punchy tunes like ‘The Dreamer’s Hotel’ and ‘The King’ are, leaning heavily into the groups rockier side and getting straight to the point. Whereas a proposition like album standout ‘Marionettes’, a bold and epic two-parter which builds from a menacing opening into a glorious, hopeful conclusion, doesn’t exactly scream mainstream success. Although the pandemic has forced their planned UK tour to be postponed until next year, fans are chomping at the bit to hear these songs in all their glory.
Check out our review of the album here.
Sex, Death and the Infinite Void // Creeper
Released: 31 July
It’s been a whirlwind few tears for Southampton based goth-punks Creeper, from infamously ‘breaking the band up’ on stage in 2018 and going radio silent for an entire year, to the months of internal struggle within the band which nearly called time on their promising career for real. Throw in a delayed release because of the pandemic and just getting this album into people’s hands is an achievement in and of itself. Luckily for the band, the follow-up to their critically acclaimed debut Eternity, In Your Arms doesn’t just break the old adage of a sophomore slump, it smashes it to pieces.
While leaving behind the fast-paced, AFI-inspired punk they were known for caused some concerns initially, Creeper proved fans wrong by making an artistic statement that is truly difficult to assign a genre to. There’s still some punk sensibilities lingering around, but they’re covered in eyeliner, doused in Americana and sprinkled with Ziggy Stardust. It’s a breath of fresh air to hear vocalist Will Gould’s pure flamboyant creativity unfold of the course of the record, and it’s even more refreshing to see an album harbouring songs as bold and unapologetic as ‘Thorns of Love’ and ‘Black Moon’ bag a top five in the UK charts.
A Celebration of Endings // Biffy Clyro
Released: 14 August
The very fact that a band as strange and quirky as Biffy Clyro have scored three consecutive UK number one albums is a triumph for the country’s rock sphere. Even more impressive is that they’ve done it without compromising what makes them a fascinating proposition from album to album. Despite its predecessor Ellipsis’ mainstream success, this new release has been hailed as a return to form by fans critics alike, even scoring an impressive five K’s out of five from Kerrang!.
Their eight ‘proper’ record is arguably their Biffy-est releases to date, with trademark angular riffs here in abundance and constant experimentation at every turn. Tracks such as ‘Tiny Indoor Fireworks’ and the perhaps too chart-chasing ‘Instant History’ are sure-fire radio hits thanks to their huge chorus’ and catchy hooks, while the mathy guitars on ‘Weird Leisure’ sound as at home in underground rock clubs as they do on the main stage of Reading and Leeds. Originally due to release in May before you know what happened, the band are planning on taking these new songs on the road in 2021, in the aptly named ‘Fingers Crossed Tour’.
Words by Nathan Warby
Originally published at https://www.indiependent.co.uk on September 13, 2020.
