Top 20 Albums of 2025 (Part One 20-11)

 Here we go, the second year that I have expanded from a top 10 to a Top 20 albums of the year. This is the first part, counting down from album 20 to 11.  These are the albums I listened to most. When you take into consideration the fact that I listened to over 900 albums this year, it's impressive for these albums to have endured the influx of new music that hit my inbox every morning and made me want to hear them again and again. Yes, this is the culmination of all the other lists done up to this point for other blogs and was refined down to this master list of all genres.; So here ya go...

20-Deadguy-"Near-Death Travel Services." 

30 years after Victory Records hardcore band Deadguy cemented their legendary status with their album "Fixation on Coworker ". The band is not just back to reaffirm their relevance; this album has the benefit of 2025 production value, so it sounds far better than the more metallic guitar sound they debuted with. This makes for an album that is heavier with the guitars, creating a more organic wall of sound. They hit you with a more fully realized onslaught. The vocals did retain their command, which has always been similar to Henry Rollins in their confrontational tone. Coming back stronger is what hardcore is about, and this album is the epitome. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/06/deadguy-near-death-travel-services.html

19-Alice Cooper -The Revenge of Alice Cooper." 

The first album with the original Alice Cooper band since "Muscle of Love".  Bob Ezrin is also producing it.  Does it perfectly capture the fire enough that it picks up where they left off on "Muscle of Love"? Almost, it is pretty energetic for a band in their mid-70s who have not played together since the 70s.  not at the level of his most classic work, but way better than other rockers close to his age are doing, it's closer to "Muscle of Love" than it is "Love it to Death" s it's not what I expected, but still congruent with what these guys used to do. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/07/alice-cooper-revenge-of-alice-cooper.html

18-Internal Bleeding- "Settle All Scores." 

For this band to have been around since the 90s, they are inspired and were ahead of their time.  Kids now call this Slam, but it's really just hardcore-influenced death metal. It's fair to say these guys are also big fans of Cannibal Corpse. After all, Cannibal Corpse, formed in Buffalo, three years before these guys. This is the first album to feature Sacrafical Slaughter vocalist Steve Worley, who sports a very commanding grunt and gurgle. His lyrics are growled in such a manner that, despite their brutality, you can still make them out. They shift into more traditonal metal riffs that provide enough dynamics to make most metal heads happy. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/09/internal-bleeding-settle-all-scores.html

 

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17-Blut Aus Nord - "Ethereal Horizons." 

The French Black Metal band's 16th album shows Blut Aus Nord never makes the same album twice, and they are embracing every side of the genre here while cloaking them all in their signature atmosphere. It is like listening to a smoke machine envelop a band rather than just seeing it on stage. Atmospheric black metal is being pushed in new directions, while the pained moaning of the clean vocals cuts through the thickness of sound, bringing' Mercyful Fate's earliest incarnations of black metal to mind. There is the needed cauldron of blast beats and tremolo-picked guitars needed to identify their blackened intent, but not sounding like everyone else in the process

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/10/blut-aus-nord-ethereal-horizons.html

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16-Scorpion Milk- "Slime of the Times

 Mat Mcnerney from Beastmilk is taking things in a more apocalyptic direction with this album. Joining him is the drummer from the Viagra Boys and Nate Newton from Converge on bass. The elements that differed from what I expected, due to the rough punk edges, grew on me, and it became an album I could just keep playing all afternoon. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/08/scorpion-milk-slime-of-times.html

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15-Callous Daoboys - "I Don't Want to See You In Heaven."

 

You are thrown into their bizarre progressive take on metalcore. While the screamed vocals are more dominant, Carson Pace's voice continues to grow. His poppy-sung vocals carry the need hooks to contrast the chaos. If there is any justice in the universe, these guys should be at least as big as Knocked Loose, just on the merits of songwriting.

  

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/05/the-callous-daoboy-i-dont-want-to-see.html

14-Lord Huron- "The Cosmic Selector Vol 1." 

This is the 5th album from this melancholy folk rock band, which employs a reflective atmosphere in its sound that feels honest in its soul-baring introspection. They're playing a more modern take on Americana, as the vocals gain more confidence in their narrative, thanks to the shuffling groove provided by the drums that keep them moving as country influences slide in. Pull out the bong for this album. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/07/lord-huron-cosmic-selector-vol-1.html

13-Author & Punisher - "Nocturnal Birding' 

This is the first album that finds guitarist Doug Sabolick joining as a bandmate, which contributes to the more rock feel to things. Every song has a bird theme. There is a more overt industrial crunch to the amazing stomp this album carries . Megan from Couch Slut, lends her voice to the ruckus erupting, with more detailed layers of melody luring you into one of the year's best industrial songs. The addition of guitar offers a big step forward, even if it moves them marginally closer to the conventions of industrial rock. The genre itself allows and fosters experimentation that creates almost an anything-goes attitude. This song and the previous song have been the noisiest so far, with this texture being most effective here.  

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/09/author-punisher-nocturnal-birding.html

12-Viagra Boys - "viagr aboys" 

The Swedish punk band wastes no time making this work them up into more of a frenzy despite the more melodic elements in the chaos that touch on a similar avant-garde pop style as Xiu Xiu.  They keep their hooky sarcasm cracking off lyrical observations in sharp humor that fuels the disco beats and punk sneer alike.   The topics that are subject to their lyrical scorn veer from the news to health care, with some country twang, and recalling some of the alt-rock classics of the '90s. Above all, it's all a non-conforming attitude that keeps this old school punk rock with the emphasis on rock. 

tps://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/04/viagra-boys-viagr-aboys.html

 

11-Rwake -"The Return of the Magik." 

The Arkansas-based band is back after 13 years. A more melodic expanse of sound brings elements of Southern rock to the forefront of the opening track as guitar solos cascade around it. Brittany Fugate's scathing vocals provide a counterpoint to the lower, ominous vocal tones of Chris Terry. They bring a menacing thunder with metallic riffing, as well as contrast it with really tasteful guitar work. They ripped the hardest when it came to sludge this year. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/02/rwake-return-of-magik.html

 

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The Top 40 Songs of 2025 (Part 3 : 20-11)

 

This is part three of the Top 40 songs of 2025. It's a list of the 40 catchiest songs that got the most airplay from me this year. These are the songs that I kept on repeat and got stuck in my head, which certainly factored in when ranking these albums in the big picture, only one artist on this list delivered an album that was underwhelming with the single as one of the only memorable songs on the album, but a great deal lies in how that was hyped leading up to the album's release. 

I have split this up into four more digestable play lists of 10 songs, each I think these songs all speak for themselves, so there is no need for me to wax poetic about what makes them great as their hooks will do that for them so take a listen and maybe these will be the melodies that haunt you when you get up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night so lets continue into the top 20 songs of 2025.

20-Scorpion Milk- 'Will to Live.'

19-Noah Cyrus - "What's it all For." 

18-Taylor- Swift- "Eldest Daughter."

 

17-Lord Huron- "Bag of Bones."

16-Pixel Grip-"Stamina." 

 

 

 

15- Ethel Cain- "Fuck Me Eyes." 

14-Bush - "I Beat Loneliness." 

13-Viagra Boys- 'Bog Body

12-Street Sex- "Turn Blue." 

1-HAIM- "All Over Me." 

pst636

The Top 40 Songs of 2025 (Part 1 : 40-31)

This list is pretty straightforward; it's a list of the 40 catchiest songs that got the most airplay from me this year. These are the songs that I kept on repeat and got stuck in my head, which certainly factored in when ranking these albums in the big picture, only one artist on this list delivered an album that was underwhelming with the single as one of the only memorable songs on the album, but a great deal lies in how that was hyped leading up to the album's release. 

I have split this up into four more digestable play lists of 10 songs, each I think these songs all speak for themselves, so there is no need for me to wax poetic about what makes them great as their hooks will do that for them so take a listen and maybe these will be the melodies that haunt you when you get up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night so here we got with the top 40 songs of 2025. 

 40--Blut Aus Nord- "Shadows Breathe First." 

39-Deadguy- "New Best Friend." 

38-Hotline TNT  -"break right."

37-Viagra Boys - "Man Made of Meat."  

 

  36-Alice Cooper -"Black Mamba" 

35-Internal Bleeding "Settle all scores." 

 

34-RWAKE- You swore we'd always be together."

33-Propaghandi- "Cat Guy."

32-Dax Riggs -"Even the Stars Fall."

 

31-chokecherry- "You love it when" 

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The Top 10 Punk Albums of 2025

Punk has been in an interesting place. There is no shortage of people claiming to play it, and its sound evolved to a more rock vibe this year, but finding real punk driven by the desire to not conform was a harder aspiration, given the masses' willingness to conform.   These albums captured the true spirit of punk by doing their own thing. It was a competitive year for the genre, and tough choices had to be made.   After I sort through the top 10 albums of all the respective genres, I use those lists to compile the top 10 albums of  2025.The very fact that these bands made it on the list speaks to how great these albums are, so it's not a slight that the number 8 album is above the 9th album; there is something that just gives it an edge that makes me want to listen to it more. After all, we can try to look cool and pick the hippest bands for a list, but at the end of the day, what makes an album the best is that it makes you want more, and you look forward to listening to it again. Perhaps you can find your next favorite on this list, and I have included links to reviews of these albums if you want to check out the audio on these guys. Anyway, here are the top 10 Punk albums of 2025.

10- Militarie Gun-"God Save the Gun." 

When this album kicks in, they are more punk than I remember from the last time I checked them out. It sounds big and dumb, but is fun like some male cheerleaders gone wrong. The multi-tracked vocals are often uniform, making it clear that this is how West Coast punk is changing.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/12/militarie-gun-god-save-gun.html

9-Intercourse- "How I Fell In Love With the Void." 

These guys are on the heavier side of noise rock, but are also smart enough not to just rely on brute force by delving into introspection. The lyrics are hilarious. They are smart and angry.  The vocals howl with less malice the deeper into the album you go to help create tension on the verses. They are raging against the ragers here, and it is lots of fun. Almost like a stand-up set to music. Nobody can accuse them of taking themselves too seriously.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/08/intercourse-how-i-fell-in-love-with-void.html

8-PUP- "Who Will Look After the Dogs?" 

The band's 5th album finds them instantly kicking into the noisy brand of pop punk that owes more to Weezer and the Get-Up Kids than Blink-182. Their dense, rough-hewn guitar tone would have still been radio-ready in the '90s. The lyrics are just as clever as ever. They began experimenting with the layers of sound and were not attached to one mix for the entire album, as they let the bass slide up closer to the front and center , as the  Guitars jangle and shimmer in equal measure.. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/04/pup-who-will-look-after-dogs.html

7-Staticlone- "Better Living Through Static." 

 A ripping crust punk barrage. The vocals are a gruff Lemmy-like rasp that finds the rest of the band racing behind the vocal, but with a sense of songwriting smarts, as there are guitar melody lines that provide a hook, over the rumble of the bass. In many ways, this is like the crust version of Motorhead, due to not only George's vocal style but the rumble of the fuzzed-out bass-blowing speaker, as it provides the backbone. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/03/staticlone-better-living-through-static.html

 6-DAACHT-"Crying Houses." 

This German punk band is way more melodic than I expected going into this album, though this is balanced by a pretty dense wall of guitar banging at your ears in juxtaposition to the croon of the vocals, which almost brings to mind what you might expect from the late 70s. ,

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/07/daacht-crying-houses.html

5-Slug Boys - "Listen to Slug Boys"  

Norwegian punkers Slug Boys offer a rowdy rock n roll baked blend of punk rock, that is not unlike some other boys on Viagra. The boisterous beer-swilling attitude and garage rock sensibilities are a little heavier with a bigger, less tongue-in-cheek worldview. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/11/slug-boys-listen-to-slug-boys.html

4-Modern Life is War- "Life on the Moon" 

The band's first full-length in over a decade finds them deviating from what you might expect from punk in 2025. Though it might make sense if you were asking about the mid-70s. There is still plenty of aggression in the vocals, and the guitar carry.a frantic jangle rather than a hardcore chug.  It's organic chaos even in the more layered sounds that unfold, reminding me of the Stooges' "Funhouse" album. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/08/modern-life-is-war-life-on-moon.html

3-Home Front- "Watch it Die." 

These charming Canadian punkers are back. They play a melodic yet tense style of punk that flirts with post-punk, but even with the synths that crop up time to time, there is more of aggression driving the songs that keeps them with their dominant foot being planted in punk. Sometimes, the subtle ambiance created by the more experimental elements like synths does cast a shadow on the mood and darkens it a bit. If there are any doubter as to the merit of their punk status, just listen to sneet in the guitars and vocals.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/12/home-front-watch-it-die.html

2-Spiritual Cramp -"Rude." 

 Lyrically catchy, with enough of a punk attitude to keep it legit, they are as playful as Vigara Boys, but more melodic with a more new wave-like sheen to the melodies, and throw in a duet with Sharon Von Etten. Despite the album's best efforts to keep me from pinning it down to a specific genre, it leans closest to the punk roots. This does not mean they do not frequently jangle their way into a more 90s feel, more often than not split the difference on given the fact that the croon of his vocals this time around flirts with the more arena rocking sounds of "indie" like the Killers. But this still proves effective. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/10/spiritual-cramp-rude.html

1-Viagra Boys - "viagr aboys" 

The Swedish punk band wastes no time making this work them up into more of a frenzy despite the more melodic elements in the chaos that touch on a similar avant-garde pop style as Xiu Xiu.  They keep their hooky sarcasm cracking off lyrical observations in sharp humor that fuels the disco beats and punk sneer alike.   The topics that are subject to their lyrical scorn veer from the news to health care, with some country twang, and recalling some of the alt-rock classics of the '90s. Above all, it's all a non-conforming attitude that keeps this old school punk rock with the emphasis on rock. 

tps://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/04/viagra-boys-viagr-aboys.html

Thanks for reading. Please "like" and share on social media to give music a voice 

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Scorpion Milk : "Slime of the Times"

 Mat Mcnerney from Beastmilk is taking things in a more apocalyptic direction with this album. Joining him is the drummer from the Viagra Boys and Nate Newton from Converge on bass. "Will to Live" is hooky in the same way Killing Joke is. The guests keep coming as Big Paul Ferguson plays drums on 'She Wolf of London" as Creeper vocalist Will Gould lends his voice to the song.  It is starker sonically than the previous songs, and might take a few more listens for me to digest. The guitar is almost abrasive. The hooky refrain of "Another Day Another Abyss" is on the dancier new wave end of post-punk and works really well. 

"Wall to Wall" has a harder punk edge to it, but is balanced out by Mat's superior songwriting skills. They have captured a mood that is angry and ominous yet hooky in this bleak take on post-punk. The Killing Joke influence is very apparent here. The tense shadows of atmosphere that hang over this song feel very organic. "Slime of the Times" is more angular in its dissonant doomsday waltz. 'Silver Pigs" is driven by a more punk feeling that feels pretty natural. 

"All Snakes, No Ladders" is the kind of vocal performance I prefer from Mat. This might be because it sounds the most like Beastmilk of all the songs on this album. All the songs on this album lock into a droning jam of their refrains that is an effective formula. The last song is more melodic and more melancholy as it ponders a post-apocalyptic outcome. I will round this up to a 10, as the elements that differ from what I am familiar with coming from him are due to the rough punk edges, which just need to grow on me. 

pst411

April's Top Ten Albums

 

It's time for April's top 10 albums. Staying abreast of the month's highlights might help casual readers see what they missed and check these artists out. I am not writing little blurbs on them; I am just linking the reviews. Inclusion here does not mean that these albums have been released this month, but it is a list of new or upcoming albums I have enjoyed the most. I have albums in my inbox that are not coming out til July, so I am normally way ahead of the curve in this regard. They are ranked in order of what I have listened to the most. This month, there is a wide variety from Pop to Death Metal, so you may find your new favorite among them. Here are the Top 10 albums of  April.  

10-Black Country New Road - "Forever Howlong" 

Progressive Rock

 

  https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/04/black-country-new-road-forever-howlong.html

9-Scowl -"Are We All Angels"

 

Grunge/alt-rock

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/04/scowl-are-we-all-angels.html

8-SKUNK ANANSIE - "The Painful Truth" 

Pop

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/04/skunk-anansie-painful-truth.html

7-Floating - "Hesitating Lights"

Death Metal 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/04/floating-hesitating-lights.html

6-Viagra Boys -"viagr aboys" 

indie rock 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/04/viagra-boys-viagr-aboys.html

5-Bon Iver - "SABLE fABLE" 

Pop

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/04/bon-iver-sable-fable.html

4-Blackwater Holylight - "If You Only Knew" 

post-doom

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/04/blackwater-holylight-if-you-only-knew.html

3-Superheaven- "s/t" 

Post-Hardcore-/shoegaze 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/04/superheaven-st.html

2-Youth Code - "Yours With Malice" 

Industrial 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/04/youth-code-yours-with-malice.html

1-Propagandhi-"At Peace" 

Thrash / Punk

 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/04/propaghandi-at-peace.html

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Viagra Boys : ""viagr aboys"

The Swedish punk band wastes no time making this work them up into more of a frenzy once they get to "the Bog Body."There are some melodic elements in the chaos that touch on a similar avant-garde pop style as Xiu Xiu.  They keep their hooky sarcasm cracking off lyrical observations in sharp humor that fuels the disco beat of "UNO II".  The topics that are subject to their lyrical scorn veer from the news to health care on "Pyramid of Health," which carries a bit of a country twang.  It recalls some of the alt-rock classics of the '90s. 

"Dirty Boyz" has a more Rolling Stones-like swagger. Midway into the song, it takes on a more manic electro groove that buzzes with orgiastic delight. "Medicine For Horses" finds them letting up on the rock intensity for more of an indie rock ballad. This is a noted shift in Sebastian Murphy's vocal style that finds him continuing to mature as a singer. While it works off a simple, sedate beat, it proves to be effective. "Water Boy' has a 90s Brit-pop like it could be a Blur song. 'Store Policy' brings more of a confrontational energy. The production begins to experiment and bring more sounds into the mix as the album progresses, taking them out of the realm of punk.  Once flutes arrive at the party, it's not punk is a good rule to follow. 

"You N33d Me" is lyrically crazy, though not the most dynamic moment of the album, as it settles into its noisy groove. "Best in Show Part IV" When a saxophone enters the chat, you know your song is turning into a jam. "River King" closes the album in a rather unexpected manner, as I would not have predicted a ballad. More brass colors the background, to give this a more hopeful feel than if they had taken a darker Tom Waits approach to things. Overall, this album continues to show growth and is a great deal of fun. I will give this album a 9.5. I have a feeling it will continue to grow on me with each listen.

 

pst193

Gothtober- the Top 10 Post Punk Albums of 2021

It's that time of year again.  It might seem early to start these now, but record labels have pretty much sent me most of what this year has to offer already, by the time I am done sorting through the top 10 albums of all the respective genres, I will use them, to compile the top 10 albums of the year. As I predicted last year 2021 was not much better than 2020, as things continue on a downward spiral ug dark music more important as a soundtrack for this.   As far as 2021 goes for post- punk, musically I think these albums are better than last year. Some faces that appeared on last year's list reoccur, and three new bands on this year's list.  The very fact these bands made it on the list speaks to how great these albums are, so it's not a slight that the number 8 album is above the 9th album, there is something that just gives it an edge that makes me want to listen to it more. After all we can try to look cool and pick the hippest bands for a list, but at the end of the day what makes an album the best is that it makes you want more, you look forward to listening to it again. Perhaps you can find your next favorite on this list; and have included links to reviews of these albums if you want to check out audio on these guys. Anyways here are the top 10 post-punk albums of 2021 

10- Flood Twin - 'S/T" 

They have the tension part right and are dark enough to make it work, vocals are their weak spot , but they make up for it with the aggression in the guitar that keeps an unsettling tone going that works for me. 

Abysmal Hymns: Gothtober- Flood Twin : "S/T"

9-Fotocrime - "Heart of Crime"

Uber-retro synths and more spoken vocals caught me off guard, guitars and more actual instruments come in on the second song things begin to feel more familiar. There is a touch of Sisters of Mercy, though at time the guitars make me think of Bruce Springsteen. Often early80s moods creep in and get dancey seeing a progression from post-punk into this

Abysmal Hymns: Fotocrime : "Heart of Crime"

 8- Pink Turns Blue - "Tainted"  

Here is a comeback album I did not expect. Less creepy than their early years, they are less dark wave and starker post -punk. The album sounds great, alongside bands like the Cure and Joy Division these guys have been doing this since the 80s so it is pretty much like riding a bike. Much like riding a bike they allow themselves to coast along on songs that are really easy on the ears.

Abysmal Hymns: Gothtober- Pink Turns Blue : "Tainted"

7-Liars - "the Apple Drop" 

The 10th album from this experimental project whose only consistent member is the founder Angus Andrew. They continue to throw electronic music against post-punk and see what happenings. Each album has a different result, this one is no different in that regard. Perhaps equal parts moodier and darker. At times conforming more to conventional song writing than previously expected. His melodies range in shades of depression and unhinged tension. 

Abysmal Hymns: Liars : " the Apple Drop"

6- Spectres - "Hindsight"

This is not a return to the kind of goth infused sound they gave us on "Nothing to Nowhere", but it is their best album since then, even if some of the punk moments, keep it being just shy of perfect there are enough almost Smiths like moments to compensate for it and put it at the number 8 spot here.  

Abysmal Hymns: Gothtober- Spectres : "Hindsight"

5-Johnny Marr- "Fever Dreams pt 1 "

"I Can't Stand Morrissey but Johnny Marr is a great guitarist. While it is true Marr is great this is a common phrase uttered by many a poseur to afraid of what people think of think them to admit to listening to the Smiths. Funny enough the press release by BMG does not mention the Smiths but calls him a legend, which is funny because The The, Electronic, Modest Mouse and the Cribs did not make him a legend. What he did in the Smiths works here. 

 Abysmal Hymns: Gothtober- Johnny Marr : "Fever Dreams pt 1 "

4-Rope Sect-  "Proskynesis"

The German lords of gloom are back. This time we only get 6 songs, but I will take whatever I can get. This album finds them going down the dark road. Less aggressive than their previous offering in terms of the guitar attack, the mull on the melodies more and give the vocals room to breathe. This album is odd as the first three songs are three parts of the title track. 
 

Abysmal Hymns: Gothtober - Rope Sect :" Proskynesis"

 3-Old Moon- "Altars"  

This album beat out Rope Sect for the number three spot which says a lot. While Rope Sect continued to be themselves, this project carved its way into the world with modest ambition and roughhewn charm in their sound that is familiar enough to still be different. 

Abysmal Hymns: Gothtober- Old Moon : "Altars"

2- Viagra Boys - "Trailer Park Jazz"

This is another band that makes solid argument for Scandinavian post-punk. This album is also a stylistic shift for the band in many ways. Punchy yet still manages to be very danceable. The horns that crop up bring the Stooges to mind  at times even though the groove has a more electronic feel.

Abysmal Hymns: Viagra Boys : " Welfare Jazz"

1- Black Country New Road- "For the First Time" 

This album reminds us post-punk can span from many things. It emerged in the 1970s as a more artful way to add thought from a somewhat cruder punk rock movement. It is thinking man's punk in many ways. Not content with being a Joy Division cover band, This band is an example of how the best of the genre seems to be now comings from England. This group embraces the tension and inner darkness and explore how to convey starkness with more sonic colors

Abysmal Hymns: Gothtober- Black Country, New Road : "For the first time"

Viagra Boys : " Welfare Jazz"

This is another band that makes solid argument for Scandinavian post-punk. This album is also a stylistic shift for the band in many ways . It kicks off with the punchy "Ain't Nice" which still manages to be very danceable. The horns that crop up bring the Stooges to mind though the groove has a more electronic feel. Sabastian leads into "Toad" with an Elvis like swagger to his narrative. The song it self is less aggressive. They might have a punk back ground , but this album is not punk. The blues tinged bass of "Into the Sun"  contrasts the electronic elements blended it around it. Sabastian's vocal on this one is more soulful, They take turn a more toward new wave on "Creatures". The bounce to this one is infectious so it is hard to complain about this change in direction. 

With the grooving instrumental " 6 Shooter" there a more energetic turn towards rock. Production wise it is more polished and rough around the edges, though not burdened with the slick over production of a pop album. Lyrically there is a absurd tone to "Secret Canine Agent". This is not the first song on this album that I have detected a Devo influence. It is just most prominent here. The album continues  to weave in other sonic colors that draw from a wide range of colors including gospel and disco. There is a more organic stripped down feel to "To the Country" .  Yes it does have an odd country tone to the melody. It is a misanthropic love song that is more sweet than sour.

The trailer park vibes continue with a brilliant cover of John Prine's "In Spite of Ourselves" which is one of those rare cases where I like the cover better than the original. It is the first track on this album that I seek to listen to multiple times I will give this album a 9. I think I was pretty clear about what I liked, perhaps it will grow on me

Many lamented the woes of 2020. If you are more of the mind it was not the year that was shitty , but merely a reflection of man's continuing decline then this album is going to be a very suitable to 2021 which seems to be telling 2020 to hold it's beer.