October's Top 10 Albums

It's time for October'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 and just linking the reviews. I am using this to organize my lists for the end of the year, by listing the genre of music the album falls under. 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 in-box that are not coming out til next year 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 Folk to Black Metal so you may find your new favorite among them. Here are the Top 10 albums for  October of 2024.

10-Vision Video - "Modern Horror"

Post-punk 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/10/gothtober-vision-video-modern-horror.html

9-Seven Hours After Violet - "S/t" 

nu-metal 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/10/seven-hours-after-violet-st.html

8- 49  Winchester - "Leavin This Holler" 

Country 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/10/49-winchester-leavin-this-holler.html

7-Kite - "VII" 

New Wave 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/10/gothtober-kite-vii.html

6-Drug Church - "PRUDE" 

Punk 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/10/drug-church-prude.html

5- High Vis -"Guided Tour" 

Punk

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/10/high-vis-guided-tour.html

4-Nachtmystium- Blight Privilege "  

Black Metal 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/10/nachtmystium-blight-privilege.html

3-Chat Pile - "Cool World" 

Sludge

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/09/chat-pile-cool-world.html

2-DEATH KILLER - "Total Destruction of the Entire Universe" 

Industrial 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/10/gothtober-death-killer.html

1-Chelsea Wolfe- "Unbound" 

Folk 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/10/chelsea-wolfe-unbound.html

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The Top 10 Post-Punk Albums of 2024

 It's that time of year again. It might seem a little early to begin sorting through the year's best post-punk albums, but record labels have already sent me most of what this year has to offer. After I sort through sorting through the top 10 albums of all the respective genres, I use those lists to compile the top 10 albums of the year. 2024. Perhaps it was marginally better than the previous year, though given the current climate of the world, we are progressing on a downward spiral, making dark music more important as a soundtrack for this.   As far as 2024 goes for post-punk, there were strong albums, especially those in the top 5, though the influx of new material from the genre is beginning to slow.  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 the audio on these guys. Anyway here are the top 10 post-punk albums of 2024.

10-New Model Army- "Unbroken" 

At 67 Justin Sullivan is keeping New Model Army going. With their 16th album "Unbroken" they are going with great vigor. Powerful anthemic choruses that ring out. It does not take you back to their punk days, though they come close at times. The guitars have more jangle to them here. There is plenty in the world for Sullivan to angrily ponder and these songs express that in full. The key to their success is not the sound they have cultivated, which is distinct to them as much as their songwriting chops.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/01/new-model-army-unbroken.html

 

9-Rosegarden Funeral Party- "From the Ashes" 

This band might have dialed up the Siouxsie influence on this album, but they did it oddly.  Rather than just pay tribute they pondered what if Siouxsie fronted Roxy Music during the Brian Eno years. It's dramatic and glammed out while basking in the indulgences of cocaine-fueled art rock, almost to the point of taking them out of the post-rock revival,

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/07/rosegarden-funeral-party-from-ashes.html

 

8-Fourth Dominion-"Diana's Day" 

This New York-based band's sophomore album feels like a cross between AFI and older REM. This means we are combining organic jangle along a more 90s-influenced goth rock. Lyrically there is a great deal of occult metaphor. The production works for what they are going for here as it gives this more of a rock edge. The bass rumbles harder on their more palm-muted grooves to add a bit of balls. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/06/fourth-dominion-dianas-day.html

7-Negative Gears -Moraliser" 

Dark moody punk from Australia. They are big on the tension and the vocals are more punk, though not yelled in the typical fashion.  One of the things this album is mad about is how Sydney wants to be America which has turned it into a shit hole.  I am fine with not really into political punk unless it's just focused on anarchy. There are some early Cure-sounding guitar melodies in the mix. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/10/negative-gears-moraliser.html

6- the Chameleons- "Tomorrow Remember Yesterday" 

As long as both Mark Burgess and guitarist  Reg Smithies then this is the Chameleons. Having formed in 83, it puts them behind other British bands like the Cure or Joy Division as the forerunners of post-punk. This album puts melody before punk tension. Burgess's voice sounds great, and it captures who they were and who they are now in a genuine manner. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/10/gothtober-chameleons-tomorrow-remember.html

     

5-Vision Video - "Modern Horror" 

 2022's "Haunted Hours" took the top spot in our end-of-the-year post-punk top 10, so the bar is set high for this one. The 3rd album from this Athens, Ga, based band finds, them opening things up with the moodier organic sound that earned them their place here. All of this comes together thanks to the smooth melodies and great vocal performances of  Dusty Gannon. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/10/gothtober-vision-video-modern-horror.html

4-Louse -"Passions Like Tar" 

The album is crisp. It pays tribute to the era this music evolved from without being a straight-up tribute band to it.  There is a hopeful brightness to the shimmer of their sound and the vocals are not totally despondent. They marry the sound of two of my favorite bands, the Smiths and the Cure, so how can I complain about that, is. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/10/gothtober-louse-passions-like-tar.html

3-the Jesus and the Mary Chain -"Glasgow Eyes"

The Reid Brothers are back for the 8th album of their 40-year career. This album does touch on their more depressive side at times but finds them employing a wide range of moods. An upbeat pulse lasks the melancholy,  It is experimental in different ways, as they toy around with synths and effects. Jim's voice sounds ageless, with his hushed dusky muttering. Lyrically things are brilliant. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/03/jesus-and-mary-chain-glasgow-eyes.html

  2-Metz - "Up On Gravity Hill" 

 The band once again shifts the sonics of their attack, and amid its weirdness, the album proves to be accessible to a wider audience. Woozy guitar counterpoints punk-inflected vocals smoothed out by overdubbed harmonies. The normally rough edges of noise-rock, are less abrasive thanks to the refined nuances of their songwriting to create a more 90s style atl-rock not unlike the bar-room brooding of the Afghan Whigs.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/04/metz-up-on-gravity-hill.html

 

1- Crippling Alcoholism - "With Love From a Padded Room" 

This band beautifully captures a darkly honest misery, that has not been done this well since  Planesmistakenforstars was a band. The singer's raspy voice makes you imagine what it might sound like if Tom Waits fronted Interpol. It took the top spot because not only are the song uniquely engaging, but this album can be played countless times without getting tired of it. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/06/crippling-alcoholism-with-love-from.html

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Gothtober - Vision Video : "Modern Horror"

The 2022's "Haunted Hours" took the top spot in our end-of-the-year post-punk top 10, so the bar is set high for this one. The 3rd album from this Athens, Ga, based band finds, them opening things up with the moodier title track, yet leans more into the organic post-punk side of what they do. All of this comes together with a smooth melody thanks to another great performance by Dusty Gannon. "Dead Gods " is the lead single, and it continues with a similar lyrical theme as the title track, as it's very bleak and agnostic in its outlook, which works for me. Religion is the passive-aggressive target of the dance floor-rocking anthem. To complement the lyrical shift the music is more aggressive in its drive that is empowered by some solid bass playing.

This is almost a concept album as "Sign of the Times" is only marginally less stark than the previous song. It is not as geared for the dance floor and feels more firmly rooted in post-punk. Gannon's voice seems to be soaring a little higher on this album. It's more Duran Duran sounding at times. "Balacave Kiss" is just as rooted in the sounds of the 80s, though the melodic nature reminds me more of Merchandise than anything dark wave. Keyboardist Emily Fredock lends her voice to the chorus to add a new sonic color.  They get a little darker on the more Cure-like"Normalized". Which bemoans the woes of the common man.  Gannon's croon is supple on this one with a tinge of vibrato. 

"Living Dead" is not as Halloween-minded as you might expect. The synth melodies often being the most goth thing about the overall. In fact, the chorus is rather upbeat. "Haunt Your Dreams' almost feels more like Roxy Music than the Cure, but it's a really well-written song so that does not matter. At this point, the lyrics have shifted to a more introspective musing. This feels like it might be the album's best song. It has some of the most driving drumming. The Roxy Music comparisons gain more weight with "Let Go of Time". Then they steer things into a new wave direction for "Never Enough" which has more in common with 80s synth wave revivalists like Gunship or the Midnight. The last song is the first song that taps back into the Smiths-like jangle. His croon is more relaxed, as they take you on a casual stroll.  I will give it a 9.5, so not quite measure up to the last album, but It might just need to grow on me. Though unlikely to usurp Crippling Alcoholism from the band's firm grip on the post-punk throne this year. I need to give it a few more spins, but it's still and impressive offering. This album drops on Oct 22nd. 

 

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the Top 10 Albums of 2022

At the end of the day...year these are the albums I listened to the most. The reason that makes these the best is because I listened to over 2000 albums this year and these are the ones that 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...

10-Vision Video- "Haunted Hours"

 Athens based band won a spot on this list due to the catchy and melodic nature of what they do drew me in for more repeat listens. They remind me of the Twilight Sad, so I am fine with that. They are also huge fans of the 80s and pay homage while crafting wonderfully infectious songs. 

Abysmal Hymns: Gothtober- Vision Video: "Haunted Hours"

9-Zola Jesus - "Arkhon"

One of my favorite singers of the past decade, I breathed a sigh of relief when I pressed play and found this album is another step into the darkness instead of taking a poppier turn. This time rather than taking everything on herself she worked with producer Randall Dunn, and former David Bowie drummer Matt Chamberlin. With each album she has become ore sure of herself as a singer and the songs continue to soar with the benefits of this.  

Abysmal Hymns: Zola Jesus : " Arkhon"

8-Ozzy Osbourne- "Patient Number 9" 

Releasing album 13 at the ripe age of 73, Ozzy is holding up better than expected, especially when you consider the tour cancelling issues of the past few years. This album has less of a pop sheen and feels more like a rock record than "Ordinary Man". He brings Zakk Wylde back, along with Toni Iommi, Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton. So, the big guns of rock guitar.  They helped him crank out a batch of songs that I have not heard him get as catchy since "Ozzmosis"   

Abysmal Hymns: Ozzy Osbourne : "Patient Number 9 "

7-Tension Span - "the Future Died Yesterday"

Here is how punk should be done. Bleak and grim. It is brought to you by Noah Landis of Neurosis and members of Asunder and Dystopia. The songs deal with the impending apocalypse the world is heading toward. Dark and tense as post punk, but it has the middle finger pointed at the sky as punk should. An aggressive drive not unlike Black Flag with burning chug infusing the guitars. Thought at times they back off to create more of an atmosphere that is more Post-punk, which has always been one of the under currents that influenced Neurosis, but it fits into the cross roads where early punk came from and lines of sub-genres we define music now by where not yet common place. An album you can just leave on an let play. 

Abysmal Hymns: Tension Span : " The Future Died Yesterday"

 

6-(16) - "Into Dust"  

After 2020's "Dream Squasher" proved to be a slab of sonic devastation I am still listening to 2 years later, the bar could not be higher for this California band. The continued to bring it with this album firing from all cylinders with their foot to the gas of this tank. The weighty sludge rolls over you, but with a bit of swing and hook.  There is more rock n roll flowing through their veins this time around. It is most commonly bled out on the frets of the guitars. Catchy song writing does not mean they are any less in your face or forceful in their intentions.

Abysmal Hymns: November is Doom- (16) : " Into Dust"

 

 

5-Hangman's Chair- "A Loner"

The French band's 2018 album took the top spot as the doom album of the year. Their reign of bleak continues, even though the more over metallic edges is dialed back. They make up for this is the mood they have captured which is as dark as the glory days of Katatonia. There is a driving riff when the opening track kicks in once the clouds of atmosphere have lifted. The lead single "Cold & Distant" is more accessible than anything we have heard from them thus far. Driving hooks with being too poppy. Songwriting is where they dominated and just because there is a more accessible slant to this album it is not a sign of weakness.

Abysmal Hymns: Hangman's Chair : "A Loner"

4-Bush- ' the Art of Survival"

Here is an album that grew on me with each listen. In some ways this is a Bush album in name only, as Gavin Rossdale is the only original member. It does still retain the gritty grunge feel of their 90s work. This band came across as a less of a band wagon jumper in their prime and had an emotional grit that told me Rossdale had deep personal wounds he was processing through his music. At the same time, he had record companies breathing down his neck and pressure on his to get radio hits. He has delivered more solidly than most of his peers from this era have yet to

Abysmal Hymns: Bush : "the Art of Survival"

3-Brutus - "Unison Life" 

Thankfully this Belgian band is back. I was a big fan of their last album. This time around they are leaning more into the atmosphere set against a bigger more rock like sound as the Bjork like quality still lingers in her voice. It can be hard to define what they are doing here, though at their core this is shoe gaze with a post-hard-core punch.  This is run through a filter of matured songwriting. It is this song writing that earned the number one spot because not only is this the best of the shoe gazing album released this year, but these songs stand up against albums of other genres as well. 

Abysmal Hymns: Brutus : "Unison Life"

 

2-Birds in Row- "Gris Klein" 

This French hard-core band is ready to live up to the anticipation for their newest album bringing all the explosive energy and urgent emotional catharsis. The shouted vocals are very serious even though their anguished screams at time sound more like punk than what we think of as hard core today, but the term hardcore, used to be hard core punk, and this is a good example of what that is, while not just sticking to the most commonplace blueprint. The sonic passages, feel more like what screamo bands have been doing over the past twenty years. Even in the fact of all the intensity they are expelling in these outbursts, they have still crafted dynamic, melodic songs. The nuanced interplay between the bass and drums, proves what great musicians these guys are. They do not need mathematic acrobatics but work of jerking grooves. This album is a must for anyone who wants emotional hard core with a sense of adventure

Abysmal Hymns: Birds in Row: "Gris Klein"

 

1-Taylor Swift - "Midnights"

Imagine a pop album not overrun by an assembly line of producers and outside songwriters. Taylor has got you covered with that. Having started off as a musician and song writer before fully wading into the pop waters, she has an advantage over her peers with whom she shares the radio waves. Taylor continues to excel while making music in a genre that normally vomits up disposable jingles for audiences who fall for anything sold to them, so imagine pop music with some thought behind it, what a concept. She writes great songs with clever lyrics which carries an infectious nature that found her beating out everyone else. 

Abysmal Hymns: Taylor Swift: "Midnights"

Gothtober- the Top 10 Post-Punk Albums of 2022

 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. 2022 was perhaps marginally better than the previous year, though given the current climate of the world we are progressing on a downward spiral, making dark music more important as a soundtrack for this.   As far as 2022 goes for post- punk, musically I think these albums are better than last year.   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 2022

10-Crime of Passing - "s/t" 

This band out of Ohio released this album back in April and it is time for it to coast under your radar no more. This band is also pretty self-aware. You can hear it in the mix. The vocals are actually better than most bands of their ilk but are mixed back against the guitars. Rather than sounding like punk rock Karaoke, it packs a punch

Abysmal Hymns: Gothtober- Crime of Passing : "s/t"

 

9-Black Math Horseman- 's/t"

Sera Timms of Ides of Gemini is back with this project that features Chelsea Wolfe's live guitarist Bryan Tulao. Marginally less goth than Ides, they occupy a more metallic space that succeeds in brewing up tension that is dark enough to feel heavy. They occupy a shadowy sonic space that blends elements of many genres. They waste little time building the tension, like clouds gathering over the ocean. Her voice cries out in a melancholy moan.

Abysmal Hymns: Gothtober- Black Math Horseman : "s/t"

8-Killing joke- "Lord of Chaos" 

The world needs Killing Joke more than ever.  The band is currently working on a full length to that the two new songs on this ep are setting the tone for. Hopefully we will see a new album from them before the world ends, but if we do not then this will have to serve as their last will and testament, as it is the first new music in 7 years. They have gotten even heavier over the years with their brand of industrial strength post-punk.

Abysmal Hymns: Killing Joke - "Lord of Chaos"

7-A Place to Bury Strangers - "See Through You" 

Before the current wave of post punk revivalists were a thing this band was at it. They continue to be more experimental and put together a rather bleak tapestry of sound. It gets darker as it progresses.

Abysmal Hymns: A Place to Bury Strangers : " See Through You"

6-Deeper Graves-'the Colossal Sleep" 

The second album from this project, finds the band growing in the songwriting department and perfecting their sonic balance to weight darker almost industrial sounds against dense atmosphere, while focusing on writing songs not just making cool sounds. 

Abysmal Hymns: Deeper Graves : "the Colossal Sleep"

5-Nyx Division -"Dark Star" 

 Another goth leaning post-punk band, which given my taste is no surprise, this band from Portland bucks many of the hipster genre expectations, though are certainly in more of a punk mode than really laying the Halloween on thick. Siouxsie-tinged vocals that weave outstanding melodies that earned their place here.

Abysmal Hymns: Gothtober- Nyx Division : "Dark Star"

 

4-False Figure-"Castigations" 

Wonderfully written post punk from a band that once leaned in a rawer death rock direction. Some of those Halloween decorations are still left up in their sound though this works off an urgent tension that feels like the Oakland underbelly they crawled from. 

Abysmal Hymns: Gothtober- False Figures : "Castigations"

3- Dead Register- "Alive" 

 This album picks up where they left off, but in a more refined manner. They groove with smooth syncopation into industrial stomps devoid of gear grinding abrasion. There is more of a 90s grunge influence in the drumming this time around. The blend of brooding shadows is streamlined as the song writing is more noticeably matured

Abysmal Hymns: Dead Register : "Alive"

2-Lesser Care -"Underneath, Beside Me"

This Texas band has their shit sounding great. All too often bands in this post-punk genre are so dead set in trying to get a retro sound rather than caring about how the album as a whole sound. Here the drumming and bass playing are more nuanced so that factors into their need for clarity to keep these performances crisp and popping. This barely got edged out of the number one spot. 

Abysmal Hymns: Gothtober-Lesser Care : "Underneath, Beside Me"

1-Vision Video- "Haunted Hours"

This one was a tough call that went in favor of the Athens based band due to the fact that the catchy and melodic nature of what they do drew me in for more repeat listens. They remind me of the Twilight Sad, so I am fine with that. They are also huge fans of the 80s and pay homage while crafting wonderfully infectious songs. 

Abysmal Hymns: Gothtober- Vision Video: "Haunted Hours"

Gothtober- Vision Video: "Haunted Hours"

 This Athens Ga post-punk band likes to dress up for Halloween and pretend they are a goth band. They are catchy and melodic so I am not complaining in many ways they remind me of the Twilight Sad, so I am fine with that, but you should go into this with reasonable expectations regarding to what is going on here. They are huge fans of the 80s as heard on "Cruel Commodity".  It reminds me a little of Merchandise in the singer's casual croon. "Haunted Hours" is pretty catchy and works off being musically more upbeat than the lyrics. Things get more tense on "Death in a Hallway". The drums get more driving and the rest of the band launches into their instruments with a greater sense of urgency. 

They bust out a pretty respectable cover of Joy Division's "Transmission".  "Promises" is such a strong song that I had to check and see if this was also a long lost 80s cover, and the original was slipping my mind, but that is not the case, they are just that good. There is more of a Cure like feel to guitar on this one. This album is really well produced as it pays attention to the retro feel they are trying to capture, with still putting all the instruments in a clear focus in the mix. They float further down the dark dreamy path hinted at on the previous song, with melodies that wink in the general direction of Robert Smith. There is a romantic mourning to it. 

"Nothing Changes" finds the pace picking up as they find hope in the melancholy trappings framed around the song. Things get progressively darker in the albums third act as "Burn It Down" is more morse than the previous song. But the leave the darkest brooding for the simmer shadows that make up "End of Days". It hits that sweet spot that even with the glimmer of hope in his croon it is still sonically dark enough to feel emotionally heavy.I will give this album a 10 and see how it grows on me, so far all the songs connect, but the key is how much staying power, will it have, I did buy this album off their Bandcamp which is high praise in and of itself.