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~~MicShazam~~ · 12-03-2017, 04:17 PM

A Quick Tour Through My Year in New Music - part 1/4

I'm an old fashioned moron that still buys CD's, which means that I can't afford to get every single new album that I'm interested in for 2017. This is just as well, since I can't really hold all that much music in my head anyway. I've got my plate full with all of the new tracks I'm checking out weekly, the mountains of older albums that I've bought and the 2017 albums that I did manage to get my hands on.

During this 4 part series of posts, I'd simply like to briefly write a little bit about each of the albums that I've bought this year. Parts 1 to 3 will be all the 2017 albums that I have now (there's 11 of these) and part 4 will be those that I might possibly get as a Christmas present, since I did put quite a few 2017 albums on my wishlist.

Of course, these are not the only albums from this year that I've heard, but they are the only ones that I own on disc and the only ones that I've made it my business to listen to in full enough times that I can remember the whole album. It's hard to get really intimate with albums when there's so much music to pay attention to, what with all the streaming services and media news outlets, this forum, etcetera. I find that buying CD's actually helps me build that sort of close relationship with new albums that I have with those old favorites from my teenage years. Once you bought a disc, you kind of feel like you have to listen to it - otherwise, what was the point?

Moving on.

Arch Enemy - Will to Power

My enthusiasm for this album has cooled quite a bit since I first got the disc. It's pretty good. Even one of the best of the band. It's just that Arch Enemy really isn't the most interesting band on the planet. It's a good album for when I'm in a particular sort of mood, but mostly, I've got other metal albums lifting the task of being a solid melodeath album much, much better.

Basically: Non-essential.

Crystal Viper - Queen of the Witches

Rock solid heavy metal. Sounds like it could have been released in the 80's and been considered a classic by now. I don't actually think this album is getting all that much attention, but we're in 2017 and this is "just" a slab of regular, ol' no-frills heavy metal. Pretty damn good such, with enthusiastically colorful solos, soaring vocals and impressively sharp songwriting making this one a genre-favorite of mine already.

Basically: Best pure heavy metal album of 2017.

Depeche Mode - Spirit

I never gave up on Depeche Mode, but around the time they put out Sounds of the Universe, I did feel like their best days were well behind them. Spirit makes a really strong argument that it's too early to count Depeche Mode out. Basically, this album is really, really strong. Detailed, moody, well written, emotinally potent - sometimes even fun. Plus this album has atmosphere in spades. **** yeah.

Basically: One of the best albums of the year? Certainly one of the most pleasant surprises.

12-03-2017, 04:17 PM	#63 (permalink)
~~MicShazam~~ Account Disabled Join Date: Aug 2015 Location: Aalborg Posts: 7,636	A Quick Tour Through My Year in New Music - part 1/4 I'm an old fashioned moron that still buys CD's, which means that I can't afford to get every single new album that I'm interested in for 2017. This is just as well, since I can't really hold all that much music in my head anyway. I've got my plate full with all of the new tracks I'm checking out weekly, the mountains of older albums that I've bought and the 2017 albums that I did manage to get my hands on. During this 4 part series of posts, I'd simply like to briefly write a little bit about each of the albums that I've bought this year. Parts 1 to 3 will be all the 2017 albums that I have now (there's 11 of these) and part 4 will be those that I might possibly get as a Christmas present, since I did put quite a few 2017 albums on my wishlist. Of course, these are not the only albums from this year that I've heard, but they are the only ones that I own on disc and the only ones that I've made it my business to listen to in full enough times that I can remember the whole album. It's hard to get really intimate with albums when there's so much music to pay attention to, what with all the streaming services and media news outlets, this forum, etcetera. I find that buying CD's actually helps me build that sort of close relationship with new albums that I have with those old favorites from my teenage years. Once you bought a disc, you kind of feel like you have to listen to it - otherwise, what was the point? Moving on. Arch Enemy - Will to Power My enthusiasm for this album has cooled quite a bit since I first got the disc. It's pretty good. Even one of the best of the band. It's just that Arch Enemy really isn't the most interesting band on the planet. It's a good album for when I'm in a particular sort of mood, but mostly, I've got other metal albums lifting the task of being a solid melodeath album much, much better. Basically: Non-essential. Crystal Viper - Queen of the Witches Rock solid heavy metal. Sounds like it could have been released in the 80's and been considered a classic by now. I don't actually think this album is getting all that much attention, but we're in 2017 and this is "just" a slab of regular, ol' no-frills heavy metal. Pretty damn good such, with enthusiastically colorful solos, soaring vocals and impressively sharp songwriting making this one a genre-favorite of mine already. Basically: Best pure heavy metal album of 2017. Depeche Mode - Spirit I never gave up on Depeche Mode, but around the time they put out Sounds of the Universe, I did feel like their best days were well behind them. Spirit makes a really strong argument that it's too early to count Depeche Mode out. Basically, this album is really, really strong. Detailed, moody, well written, emotinally potent - sometimes even fun. Plus this album has atmosphere in spades. ** yeah. Basically:** One of the best albums of the year? Certainly one of the most pleasant surprises. Last edited by MicShazam; 12-03-2017 at 04:57 PM.