@@paulboechler1314 definitely, I've just heard the "they're really impressive but not my thing" speech many times, playing in an extreme tech death band. Not for everyone, glad we made a positive impression anyway! :)
Haha yeah he did a great job of being an objective reviewer which I always appreciate. Killer record though, I think Drain of Incarnation is my new favorite track. Hope to see you guys on tour soon!
@@DeanLamb Wasn't the biggest fan of Tech Death, but Blayne is absolutely correct in that you guys helped bridge that gap (for me anyway) and I'm definitely a fan now. :) Great job on the album!
definitely no surprises on this list lol, but you generally can’t expect any underground albums on a popular vote list. But there are still some good albums on this list, and I got enough new recommendations off the Banger staff pick video. Happy holidays and New Year to all at Banger!
I agree with both of you on Mastodon. Leviathan was one of the albums that changed the music that I love and shifted my tastes…but I’ve stayed with them and they’ve continued to be a band for me that’s opened up different genres. One of the best drummers in the game.
I mean this as constructive criticism, but I do not care for the split screen layout with the two camera angles. I much prefer the regular straight ahead camera layout. Neither Blayne nor Sam actually look at their camera anyway. Great discussion, as usual though. Banger is great, keep doing your thing! Cheers you guys!
I actually like the idea of the split screen, especially since they can play off each other pretty well... but when the guys are talking to the intended audience, they should be looking at the camera.
I’d rather have the old look and if you want separate cameras just switch between them when each of them talk. Id rather have them just sit beside each other and look into the camera. Still much much better content wise than the part 1 train wreck. At least Sam is here to baby sit Blayne and make sure they actually talk about the albums in a way that isn’t just Blayne being an elitist for the whole video.
The Mastodon album just gets better each listen. It´s so versatile. You just have to remember it´s a double album (86 min!) and I like the 1st album better (tracks 1-8) and listen to it more. The 2nd album is good though, not as heavy but cool songs.
@@SelfHealingGod they would tell you they don’t give a shit about being a metal band. Just because someone changes the style of music they play doesn’t mean they’ve sold out. I don’t like this album, but they’re still an amazing band.
It would be awesome to see a best-of list where people vote on the best underground albums of the year!! Otherwise it is always going to come down the same few top-selling bands.
they cover some UG here, but my guess is that they are getting paid by some labels to talk about some of their releases… Seasons of Mist and Nuclear Blast may be doing this…
This list is the viewers vote so it's going to be popular releases. If you watch the album of the year and staff pick videos that are by the Banger TV staff there are many more UG releases.
Defining underground is difficult too, a band that is underground to you might not be to someone else, like what is the defining line between a big underground band and a small mainstream band
I don't agree with pretty much the whole list, but what the heck, it makes me feel good to see a wide different range of genres in the top ten, glad we can enjoy a healthy metal community on this channel. PS: I'll say it once more, y'all gotta go check 'Angelus Apatrida' selftitled album from this year, 5th for the Spaniard Thrashers and a killer killer thrash metal album. Cheers from Spain!
We could get even more of a wide range of albums but if Blayne doesn’t like the political themes or politics of a certain band or just the politics of one of its members he will not feature it.
I'd like to shout out King Buffalo's The Burden of Restlessness. I'm not sure if they're really "metal" maybe more "heavy psychedelic" but awesome none the less.
@@CelticPaladin Burden is probably my least favorite of their albums (they're all good though) but it released this year and I'll take literally every chance I can to recommend KB to anyone willing to listen. And yes, Acheron is quite good too.
Agree with Mr Dunn on Rivers of Nihil. It just did not grab my ears like “Owls “. Mastodon’ s H&G is a freaking masterpiece. Lucky to have caught them live a few weeks ago. These new songs exploded off the stage. A highlight of the year for me.
I agree about Rivers, but you can't be serious about Mastodon lol. The record is a complete catastrophe. I honestly believe they never put out a bad record up until now. Sounds so uninspired, repetitive and just a waste of time and talent. There's literally just one song with good old classic Mastodon riffs, Savage Lands, which is like all the way at the bottom of the album. 90 minutes of pretty much nothing but bad prog masturbation. The mix is also really suspicious, especially the vocals which are at certain places REALLY high up in the mix - with Brent's being the most obvious example. He really sounds unlistenable here. I keep seeing extremely positive reviews and I wonder if these people have ever heard their previous material.
Emperor Of Sand was the real weak link album. Hushed An Grim is an improvement on that one in every conceivable way. You are also wrong about Rivers Of Nihil. As far as Gojira, they have been overrated from day one.
Two thoughts: 1. I'm on the side of Hushed & Grim being Mastodon's most compelling listen since "Crack The Skye". "Had It All" is their first track ever that I flat out dislike, but the rest of the album expertly covers so much ground. 30 years ago, 99% of bands were creatively bankrupt by album five and today, we can count on most bands to take their time and craft something at least worth conversation which is amazing. 2. What Blayne said about the old days of what was atop the metal mountain. I remember growing up with Skid Row and Cinderella as what was thought of as "metal"..... sitting through 2+ hours of hair metal every Saturday in hopes of getting one Testament video at 1:45 a.m.
Surprised Exodus didn’t make the cut, disappointed to say the least Albums I bought this year: Gojira - Fortitude Exodus - Persona Non Grata Carcass - Torn Arteries BTBAM - Colors II Dream Theater - AVFTTOTW Mastodon - Hush and Grimm getting Flotsam and Jetsam and Rivers of Nihil next
@@BOBT3AM Idk, it's nice to hear new Exodus, but at the end of the day it's just a standard package of thrash. A few kickass moments of course (especially with the first couple tracks). Overall though, nothing bad, but nothing amazing.
Defeated Sanity’s “The Sanguinary Impetus” is my favorite metal album from the last few years, hands down. Lille Gruber is doing incredible things for extreme music with his compositional skills.
Mastodon is definitely my pick, the album gets better and better, even a month after the release. I am a bit surprised by Gojira and Rivers of Nihil - both had great tracks but overall they felt a bit lackluster for me. I would have loved to see some Der Weg einer Freiheit in here, they are incredibly consistent.
Yeah, 'Hushed and Grim' is a grower for me. Definitely beats 'Emperor'. And it's also above Rivers and Gojira for me. I echo your thoughts exactly on this.
I will have to respectfully disagree with the Mastodon. I understand wanting more of the Leviathan thing but I think Hushed and Grim is a classic. Maybe it's my current state of mind.
1. Rivers of Nihil - The Work 2. Inferi - Vile Genesis 3. Trivium - In the Court of the Dragon 4. BTBAM - Colors II 5. Panopticon - ...And Again Into the Light These are the five albums I came back to most, but some honorable mentions are The Neal Morse Band, Dream Theater, Archspire, Obscura, and Cradle of Filth.
Rivers of Nihil is AOTY for me. When compared to Owls, it is a divisive album for me. The highs of TW hit higher (The Void is my favorite track by them ever) but the lows are lower than Owls. It feels more cohesive in terms of theme (DU DEGH WURK) but less cohesive sonically. Either way, I love it and expect the album to age like fine wine. Owls sure is, there are songs on there that I am only starting to really love now after 13287143295 listens. Gojira is an easy #2 for me.
Never heard of Rivers of Nihil until Blayne's review. The work is my favorite album of the year. I love heavy, but also love mellow. This album was great.
and btw if you love heavy and mellow go check Revocation, you'll find the sweetest solos and melodies plus aggressive riffs all over their discography. Also Ne Obliviscaris and In Mourning are coming to my mind.
GOJIRA - FORTITUDE is also my #1 - Metal album of 2021 also. I love GOJIRA and they have become one of my most favorite groups over the past 12 years now. And FORTITUDE is another incredible album from them. They are so creative and they have such a heavy massive sound that l truly love. No one sounds like GOJIRA.🤘
i LOVE mastadons new direction. the twangy sound works great for them imo. cold dark place EP commits even more to it than this album did and i think they should really keep the ball rolling with it.
These guys and this list represent everything I love about metal. The fact that you have so many sub-genres that divide us and spark so much emotion! People think all loud music is the same but the metal heads know and truly understand all the nuance that makes this music so fucking great! Happy New Year!
Faith No More is the most underrated band of all time and so is Mike Patton as a singer! They inspired so many other bands and deserve to be in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame!✌️
I love Faith No More but I don't think they or Patton are underrated. As far as the rock and roll hall of fame, who cares? It's run by Rolling Stone, a bunch of baby boomer hippies
Nice job as usual. I always like the tag team format as it brings out better moments as the hosts play off each other. Archspire is my silver medal winner this year, Gold goes to Green Lung's Black Harvest. My teenage boy chose Gojira as his 2021 AotY too! Looking forward to 2022 with Banger and crew.
Saw Mastodon on their short tour about a month ago. I gained a ton of appreciation for their new album hearing it live! They had great energy and the songs sounded awesome in person. Started off with Pain with an Anchor and hearing Brann on the drums was unreal.
Agreed. Most people would be disappointed with 7 songs from a new album, but that setlist was pure fire and that was the best I've seen them live (Austin, TX).
@@paulgrudowski4383 I love that they are a band that actually plays a lot of their new stuff live, some bands with the popularity of Mastodon just play the two or three singles of the newest album and then just the same old stuff. To me it proves that Mastodon believes in the music they release and are not just phoning it in!
Not a bad list. Some I wouldn't have picked personally. Little disappointed to not see Inferi's "Vile Genesis" or First Fragement's "Glorie Eternelle" make even the honorable mentions though.
As someone who hasn't listened to Owls (shame on me, I know) and had no idea what to expect from The Work, I absolutely adored that album, and it was by far the most emotional experience I've embarked on this year. A perfect 5/5 for me. That being said, here are some albums I would have liked to see on this list: Vertebra Atlantis - Lustral Purge in Cerulean Bliss Vildhjarta - måsstaden under vatten Iotunn - Access All Worlds
Amazing albums mentioned here but I can't help but mention Hooded Menace here. That album surprised me the most as a completely new listener and has just left a lasting impression.
It’s just so wholesome, watching you two nerding out over all of ours favorite music genre! Just keep up the good work, a happy new year to all of the Banger team!
Sad to see Bewitcher -Cursed Be Thy Kingdom not make the top 10 as it is my absolute #1. Go listen to it if you haven't heard it. But hey, they are still really early in their career so I'm sure one of the next records will reach more people.
1. Ironbound - The Lightbringer 2. Thelemite - Thelemism 3. Blacksword - Alive Again 4. Emerald Rage - High King 5. King Mountain - Kingdom of Shadows 6. KK's Priest - Sermons of the Sinner 7. Helloween 8. The Wildhearts - 21st Century Love Songs 9. Iron Maiden - Senjutsu 10. Powerwolf - Call of the Wild
I mean I expected the popular bands to be voted this much by the viewers, but damn there were far more interesting albums this year than the Mastodon, Carcass, Gojira and Iron Maiden picks.
I agree with you except off Mastodon. A 86 minutes double record with so many different influences sculptured into a master piece - I think they belong there. But each to their own I guess :)
I have had Hushed and Grim on repeat pretty much since it came out, so I disagree with you. I've listened to some of this "underground" stuff and it isn't more interesting to me, and I guess a lot more people agree with me. I can find some songs I like in those, some snippets of songs, and I can definitely appreciate some of the musical technicality and skill. But at the end of the day those don't add up to something I'll listen to over and over. Just my opinion.
Gojira is my all time favorite band and Mastodon and Rivers of Nihil are some of my favorite bands on the planet but I do really wish my album of the year by Harakiri for the Sky was mentioned! That album is a freaking masterpiece! Loved the Tribulation album as well. Not lover by Blayne but Gosh Spiritbox released a freaking Ripper!
Mastodon, Gojira…always been more of a hype then surprising music to me…discovered Amyl and the Sniffers just recent, now that’s some dirty, filthy old-school rocking punk!
They should have at least switched the squares so it would look like they were facing each other and the album art in the center lol. Just giving you guys a hard time, I realize it was a technical issue. Enjoyable video, it's cool that there's a place for metal people to get together.🤘
Exodus - Persona Non Grata gets my vote for metal album of the year. Gary Holt is the king of thrash imo. My vote would've gone to Cynic - Ascension Codes but then I heard the new Exodus album.🤘
I’m really happy to see Mastodon at number 2 . It was by far my favorite of the year and I still play it all the time to this day. For me clean vocals still rules and hope to hear more metal groups using more clean vocals or combinations of clean & guttural.
Great Pt1 & 2 guys. Love your work. Yeah with Rivers of Nihil - The Work I picked up on the FNM and even some Mr Bungle in there also. Was a complete double take. Enjoyed the Journey that album takes you on. Great year for metal.
Great! One of my faves is also the band Asphyx and their album of 2021 "Necroceros" especially the track "Molten Black Earth" Gave me so much of Bolt thrower vibe and i just love it, and i thought for a moment is Bolt thrower back? Bolt thrower 2.0 i thought. But just amazing track and album.
I dunno. Snobbish opinions of this sort, when it comes to metal, just feels wrong to me. So some of those viewers’ choices aren’t for you, maybe everyone is entitled to their own opinions without having others make value judgments over taste?
Gojira starts a European arena tour mid-January, it begins in Finland Jan 17th, Norway Jan 19th, the Sweden, Danmark, etc. All the Scandinavia countries are under lockdown or have restrictions to how many can be at a concert..... _so why won't Gojira officially say the tour is postponed or cancelled?_ *There won't be a miracle and 5,000-10,000 capacity arenas will be open in January*
Wow I'm so off with my Top albums apparently 😱🤣 🤘🏼😈 1. Mental Cruelty 2. Sin Deliverance 3. Humanities Last Breath 4. The Breathing Process 5. Brand of Sacrifice 6. Vestigial 7. Depths of Hatred 8. W.E.B 9. Times of Grace 10. Slaughter to Prevail & Whitechapel
Gojira! Ça fait plaisir pour le metal français ! My top this year : 6)Thy catafalque, Vadak 5) Subterranean masquerade, Mountain Fever 4) Iotunn, Access all worlds 3) Gojira, Fortitude 2) Lord of the Lost, Judas 1) White Void, anti And a good year for french bands as Molybaron, Akiavel, LANDMVRSK...
Great top of the list. I know it's blasphemy to see a top ten list of "mainstream metal" and not lo-fi technical ambient djent blackgaze recorded analog-only in a burned down church, but if listening to Archspire, Mastodon, and Gojira makes me a filthy casual, feels good man.
great reviews as always guys. Im a little bit sad that the new swallow the sun didnt make it in any list or review, but i would like to know what you think about the moonflowers album
In my admittedly limited listening count, I would probably go with Mastodon for album of the year. Because it's Mastodon. And I did enjoy The Work, perhaps not as much as Owls, but enough.
Don't think I can agree more with you Sam on Gojira. Gojira live was just as an experience as it was for you. It's like the whole crowd is 'dancing' along with all the musical waves they produce. Truly a unique experience.
Seems like most of Banger's vieweres began to listen metal music after 2000. Top 4 made me smile.. glad to see that at least Carcass there as fifth. How a metalhead pass Tribulation's last masterpiece... anyway, it was fun to check.
whoa...."SO much better"?? Yeesh...I definitely wouldn't go that far, although it was pretty good. That said, I loved Surgical Steel, possibly more than Heartwork
Metal is certainly diverse. I've watched 3 separate Best of 2021 videos on different channels, and there's very little overlap. And none of these lists included some of my own favorites, like UDO and KK's Priest. But my overall favorite album of 2021 is probably Hushed and Grim by Mastodon.
Golden & Rhythm-Beat Jazz & More Album by Golden? Gotta say. This video and the one prior are some of the best Sam and Blayne have done and definitely some of the best Bangertv videos in general overall period.
Top 3 are all major releases. Gojira continues to do what they do. Mastadon is growing with every album. Rivers of Nihil is possibly album of the year for me. They are pushing boundaries like no other. 21 was worse than 20 but at least we had some amazing music created out of it!
I loved Torn Arteries, but if anyone is looking for the Reek of Putrefaction sound you gotta check out the split from Fluids and Pharmacist this year. Top tier goregrind!
I generally have different taste than Blayne, but I agree 100% on his Mastodon take. Fortitude would be my AOTY as well. They can do no wrong to my ears, and just keep getting better. I was fortunate enough to see them live a few months ago and wooooooooo. I do enjoy these lists though, it helps me go back and check out all that I missed
funny how this viewers list almost replicates our editors list as well. we have been called sell out as well because of just huge names out there but i think people will forget that in everything where there are MULTIPLE votes by people of different tastes, that the ones with the most lets say mainstream or common denominator appeal will end up high in the list, these are the albums, that arguably most metal fans, whether you are power metal fan, metalcore fan, death metal fan or black metal fan, can agree over. so do not expect ever that that underground thrash band or death metal band will make it far on these polls. thats what personalized polls are for. these are like the average across the metal scene. and I think all albums here actually deserve their spots!
Gojira never fails to deliver. They might not be exactly what you want from album to album, but Fortitude feels like most of the previous albums rolling up into the current era. L'enfant Sauvage (or the Baby Sausage, as my friend calls it) is their best. But this one is a close 3rd. I saw them on tour with Behemoth, Volbeat, and Slipknot. It was like the best metal sampler ever. I think the weirdest was Devin Townsend opening for Gojira. That was a weird and up close show.
For me Mastodon was the album of the year, Gojira second and BTBAM 3rd. As far as Blaynes comment about mastodon hitting that dark low place i feel like Forged By Neron absolutely went there even tho it isnt on the album. That said i love when bands grow and change and try new things, and i wouldnt be surprised if we got a heavier album next
I too disagree with the majority of the list. Rivers of Nihil definitely needs to be on it, but Be'lakor's Coherance was sadly missing as was Winterfylleth's The Reckoning Dawn, Windfaerer's Breaths of Elder Dawns, Evergrey's Escape of the Phoenix, Pyramaze's Epitaph and Witherfall's The Curse of Autumn all made my top 10 list.
@@GundamZeroDevil ah so it did. Maybe I thought it came out this year as I only got my pre-order delivered this year. Stupid pandemic lol. Scratch that one off my list!
Aggregated votes usually give the most predictable lists, and this one is the same. Still some undoubtebly solid stuff, even if very safe. I would've loved to see some love for what I think is by lightyears the very best and most singular album of the year. CREATURE - Eloge De L' Ombre". Fucking incredible and different release, really never heard anything like it. Hard to describe, but some kind of otherworldly black metal that goes into a lot of other territories. Epic, emotional, and just plain awesome. Miss only if you're a fool!
"Dudes were out there pretending to read Moby Dick." lol. I actually started listening to Leviathan while teaching abroad in China, and shortly after found a copy of Moby Dick that some one had left in the teacher's lounge. I took it home and read it. I also read Jude the Obscure that year. Hands down, those are two of my favorite books.
Gojira and Mastodon have consistently been two of my favourite bands of the past 15 years, but these two albums were just boring for me :/ The Rivers of Nihil album filled that Gojira shaped hole in my life this year, and Archspire was my AotY, so I'm pleasantly surprised to see those both so high. Well done Banger people :)
I’m surprised that you called Sickle and Peace more jazzy than The Beast considering to me, the Beast is the most jazzy song in the album. Edit: To me, Hushed and Grim is the album of the year. I have not stopped listening to it since I heard that Mastodon released it. It is the definition of a genre-bending piece. It is an album that will be looked at as a shift in the metal genre for sure
