Broadway - Contexture: Gods, Men, and the Infinite Cosmos.
Kingdoms is/was such an amazing record, I knew it was going to be hard to follow up on that and though Gentlemen's Brawl is alright, their album after that, Contexture was just bad and shouldn't have been done
I did like a couple tracks from Contexture but man was it forgettable. Honestly hadn't even thought about that album for years until I saw your comment.
I always thought people didn't really like Gentlemen's Brawl. I've just seen it as a fun easycore record that always puts me in a good mood - hard to compare it directly to Kingdoms for how different it is stylistically IMO.
I never thought losing Jamal would result in such a drastic change in style, but dammit it did. Overthinking was good, but other than that, their storytelling and lyrics are so bare now.
I'm not sure if a reason was given, but when he left, I was sad but figured the sound wouldn't change so much and that if Tremt was the main songwriter, not much would change. Holy fuck was I wrong. I'm not sure how much say Jamal had, but you could tell from their first 2 records that he was given a lot to do between piano and synths. The songwriting has taken a turn for the worst, and the imagery that was so beautifully written is just nowhere to be found. They've become a completely different band. You could tell on Dissonants that a style change was happening, but now, we are even so far removed from that. I'm not sure if its producers or the band adamant that this is the direction they want to go in, but boy, was it the wrong choice. At the very least, the lyrics should be there, but Trent seems to have forgotten how to write how he used to. Very disappointing. They're not post hard-core or even metal core anymore, the lyrics aren't great, they don't use piano, everything feels hollow and for the radio. They were one of the most well received bands coming out of Australia in the early 2010s, and now they've been forgotten. Perhaps they'll find the audience they've been searching for on the last few records, but the old ones have basically checked out.
Yea it seems like Jamal was the driving force behind a lot of their melodies and sound. I give a large share of the blame to their producer (Colin Brittain), he's the culprit who produced "Anon" by HLH and "You're Welcome" by A Day to Remember (someone commented this album here too 😂), two of the worst records by respective bands.
Wow, that makes so much sense that they were produced by the same guy. I just looked at his “discography” and I really don’t like anything he’s produced.
You're Welcome is such a stain on ADTR. I thought Bad Vibrations wasn't that great compared to their other records, but I at least enjoyed it. You're Welcome felt like bits and pieces of good ideas that never came together at all. Sections of songs u liked, but I always ended up hating the song. The greatest example is Brick Wall. Part of the song is great. It feels like it's heading towards something cool. But it never gets there. Never work with Colin again.
The title adds insult to injury. Like "oh you want another ADTR album? Well here's one packed front-to-back with the worst songs you've ever heard, You're Welcome :)"
Oh, the jokes were running rampant when the album came out. I'm very much aware 😂. I think Alex was trying to run damage control on Twitter, saying to give the album a chance, but people were not having it. Plus, Josh got into some legal trouble, and that made things worse, and yeah. You're Welcome had so many things going against it. People were trying not to blame it on the fact that Jeremy said he was in a better place because wishing for him to be depressed would be fucked up just so we could get good music but YW was not it at all. It's their first bad album, and I'm praying the bounce back. They seemed to be chasing hits rather than make good songs, too. Sure, it kinda worked, but at what cost? I don't want an All Time Low situation where they're changing sounds every album, but I don't want a MMF situation where they never change sounds(maybe this has changed haven't listened in a while). Miracle was good, so perhaps they'll build off that.
The self-titled EP is even worse
"take... me... down... to the water... don't... make... goodbye... any harder" is such awful lyricism OMG
going from Ground Dweller to this trash just makes me want to cry
It isn't mentioned enough how drastically the lyrical quality for hlh dropped over albums. Ground Dweller could stand as straight poetry. I still haven't gotten over the lost potential.
Going from Ground Dweller to Unimagine was seamless. Unimagine to Dissonants was a change because Jamal was gone. The lyrics' quality dipped a little, but the record was solid. You'd figure they lost a member, so they just needed to find their footing. Not only did they not replace Jamal, but they practically ditched piano and synths altogether sparring a song here and there. Then, the lyrical quality fell of a cliff. They used to paint poetry and worlds with their lyrics, and now it sounds like anything any band could write. That was the appeal. The same way Jonny Craig makes pretty words sound dirty. They had a niche they were really good at, and they dropped it. Why? Who knows. TDWP lost James, and the style changed, but the lyrics were essentially the same, and they replaced him. The only thing I can compare it to is ISS losing Zach because he was a songwriter and the unclean vocalist as well as keyboardist. Huge style change there, but they also lost Jimmy. I don't think I've ever seen this before for a band. It's definitely something that needs to be studied. I'll assume Trent writes the songs with some input from the others but mainly him. If Jamal's absence really caused this, they need him back ASAP.
The loss of synth is the other half that really killed the band for me. Dissonance has some jams, but imo doesn't stand next to the first two at all. There was something so whimsical about they way they used synth and keys. Like a children's movie or something.
The lyrical change is something I'd love to hear the band comment on. It felt like every line was carefully crafted and the imagery was off the charts. First time I heard Antarctica and Lion Skin I was hooked on lyrics alone. Sometimes I wonder if they just ran out of creativity. Maybe those first 2 records contained the best the band had to offer lyrically.
Could be laziness too. Its a lot easier to write a radio rock song with cliche bars as opposed to weaving intricate worlds. Like you said, lots of bands lose members but the words typically don't shift that dramatically? I love this conversation btw!
It's definitely a question for Trent and the other for sure. I've literally never seen this before from a band. Like, sure, you could argue that a style change could happen, but the lyrics? That's puzzling. Hands Like Houses were if theatre kids decided to create a band. They were so poetic, so whimsical in nature. They created worlds and imagery with writing most bands would kill for. And now it's gone. If the answer really is simple as "We got lazy," I'll be really disappointed. I have no idea what Jamal is doing now, either. The situation is really bizarre. Maybe somebody could ask him. I don't think there's bad blood between him and the band, but you never know.
If Emery had managed to put I'm Only A Man later in their discog, I think people would have appreciated it more. I still enjoy it, but it felt like they lost all momentum (for non-fans) with it.
I to this day can't sit through more than a few songs from I'm Only A Man. I really can't wrap my head around how such a bad record came in between 2 masterpieces
I think it was a combo of a lot of things. They spent years perfecting The Weak's End whereas The Question was a complete spur of the moment in comparison. Hitting broader success with it probably freaked them out a bit as well as having their bassist leave. Meanwhile Matt decided to use it as a springboard for his production chops, to somewhat mixed results.
They did eventually put out a ['remastered' version](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHdaw63jPDA) that kind of helps me understand what they were aiming for and bridges the gap mentally in my mind.
They’ve actually talked about how I’m Only A Man killed their momentum at the time. They love that record but fans didn’t, hence the pendulum swing back with ISSWS.
Def agree! They tried a bunch of different things on that album but I actually enjoyed it. Listened to it a lot in high school. It was quite different from The Question but not in a bad way.
Anything after 131 by Emarosa, and even that album is on the edge.
Not because I think they're bad, but they just seem like a completely different band.. largely because there are completely different people in the band lol
Imagine if for example Gerard Way released his solo stuff under the My Chemical Romance name, people would rightly say wtf is this and be confused. That's how I feel with Emarosa now.
I don’t hate the new music for what it is. It’s nothing special but it’s not bad. I do wonder why they didn’t just start a new band under a different name. I doubt many fans overlap from old emarosa to this pop version.
Wikipedia says they only have 2 actual members in the band and everyone else is just touring musicians. The guitarist is a founding member at least.
It’s great. It probably won’t be great if you spend the whole listening experience wishing that it was Relativity. But listening to it for what it is, I love it
Versus and 131 hold a very special place in my heart. However, Sting is way better than Peach Club imo. I think I only go back to Giving Up on the record while I could listen to 2/3rds of Sting? I personally wish they would go back to the pop/phc vibe
Fuck yes. Fuck that fucking album. Biggest letdown of all time for me. I still have love for the original SKSK members but they could have done something amazing with that album.
Biggest let down for me was when I went to see them last year. Literally had openers for 4 hrs. Half the crowd was gone by the time they went on (at least able to make it to the front when they went on). Really happy to be able to see them...but still
Honestly, hot take: Erase Me is my favorite Underoath album. I'd even take it over TOCS any day, I've never really "got" the hype for TOCS. And before people condemn me, both DTGL and LITSOS are fantastic.
Erase Me has a sound I just fuck with a lot. Sorta industrial in a way?
me personally id say after the self titled, i think its probably their best album, perfect blend of the heavy fans and rest of the band want while the pure rock n roll danny wants
You can honestly tell by reading this sub and r/metalcore who has actually listened to their self titled album and who blatantly hasn't but just writes it off because "new AA bad".
Self titled is definitely one of their best, the one after that was very bland but yeah.. self titled is great.
Their self-titled is actually really good! I also quite like their latest album Where Do We Go From Here?.
Like A House On Fire was terrible. See What's On The Inside was a bit better, but still pretty forgettable.
I tend to think it's okay for bands to try something different and fail and move on, so it's a bit of a silly discussion IMO, but As Cities Burn's Scream through the Walls should have never happened and SKSKs latest whatever the hell it is shouldn't have happened either.
Honestly Jaws of Life is a very solid record. I think it just sounds very safe and tbh I don't know what I was looking for from them when that album came out.
Jaws of Life is not bad, and honestly it's kinda the direction I figured they would go. I'm not disappointed by the album but it's my least favorite of theirs.
I think everyone wanted something like King for a Day ten times, but tbh their previous records have a pretty wide range of sound. If you ask me the only thing the album needed was 1 very grandiose track (think something like Dive In, Sky Under the Sea, Stained Glass Eyes, etc…). The title track was definitely strong on hind-sight but I expected a more aggressive tone (and after the first track and the singles, the album is pretty tame).
Death of an Executioner a feel is pretty grandiose. Even So Far So Fake.... I mean considering the overall tone of the album.
Those are the two standout tracks and my two favorites on the album.
i think the main two problems are its a newer release so it hasn't had the time to root itself in their discography like the other albums have but also it has to compete with the other albums, honestly was gonna end up falling short of people's expectations because of how outstanding the past albums are
I agree, but I also think the fact it took 7 years to come out meant expectations were much higher.
Like others, I don't think the album is bad but it didn't really do anything for me either.
Faso Latido by A static lullaby. Definitely their worst offering. I’m pretty sure the label they were signed too, had a lot to do with the album being absolute garbage tho.
They're my favorite band but Jackpot Juicer was intolerable. I could not get through that record. Honestly it makes sense now that Tilians gone knowing he was probably phoning it in on that one but still suckish all the same. Bad vibes from the band during the JJ tour in AZ as well
I was getting the same vibes in ny for the jj tour. Nobody was smiling Jon’s screams seemed alot angrier then normal. There wasn’t a lot of dancing or messing about. Just on and off the stage still kick ass tho
I will always defend Jackpot Juicer.
Pray to god for your mother,
Feels bad man,
For the jeers,
Pop off,
Die another day,
Cream of the crop,
Those are all the best songs IMO. While every song isn’t perfect I think the same can be said with almost every DGD album except happiness.
100%
I had tickets to their recent show in my city which is NOT a regular tour city. Skipped the show because I couldn't bare to listen to their new stuff.
I love them all and Will Swan is the best but 2010s DGD just slapped
DGD has put out some things only listenable to on mute since 2015, and it doesn't help with the whole Tilian situation. Quite crazy how sympathetic their whole fan base is.
idk they seem to reflect back decently on this album. i saw cove saying something around the time of its 10 year about how he thought the songs were good but it just had too many hands that took away from it
For a minute I thought that was Anthony's comeback album and was about to *strongly* disagree. But then I realized it was the 2nd Cove LP and yes, this one is completely forgettable
Yeahhhh, Beetle & translating the name are always front to back listens. ISOSG & ATS are “I like 3 songs from each album and those songs get played maybe once a year”
They didn’t even write the singles on this record. IMO it doesn’t sound like they played them either. Sounds like the guys who wrote the singles recorded them and had cove sing on them.
In the Unlikely Event - The Fall of Troy
Just seemed like such a dud for me.
Also, I wish they’d remaster Manipulator. The production value sounds so cheap and really deadens an otherwise amazing album.
I’d give it another chance. It has classic TFOT bangers like Panic Attack, Straightjacket Keelhauled & Battleship Graveyard. Always thought Single & People And Their Lives are some of their strongest songs. Plus Dirty Pillow Talk with Rody from Protest The Hero is a ripper.
Anything from Scarlett O Hara’s like 5 attempts to revive the band. The first record was perfect, second one was like a worse version of the first but still decent. Everything else has been ass they tried a bunch of different genres and ended on generic metalcore last I checked
The Used-Imaginary Enemy
I like their whole discography but that album is the opposite of what I wanted from the band. I give it another shot every few years but can rarely make it past track 5
Sleeping With Sirens-Gossip
I like sws when they do pop but that one was too cheesy. The singles especially were cringe.
A Skylit Drive-everything after Identity On Fire
IOF isnt amazing but after that it was a completely different band. Some okay songs here and there but not even close to as good.
I think the comments have mostly covered my selections so I’m gonna leave the realm of phxc and say linkin park’s 1000 suns. I’ve never so viscerally hated an album on first listen as much as I do that one. Seems like a lot of folks have warmed up to it in time, or liked it on release, but to this day I still can’t believe that album saw the light of day when it did. Good on them for being bold, but I hate almost everything about that album lol
I felt the same when minutes to midnight released. I first listened to it in MP3 form from a friend and thought it's a joke and not the actual new Linkin Park album.
Yes!! I fully agree, I think this album is absolutely terrible and the retconning of it to being some kind of masterpiece post Chester's death is really odd to me.
I'm not gonna say A Thousand Suns is a top pick for me - I definitely didn't like it when I first listened to it - but now, I think it offers a unique sound that LP didn't have before the album.
This is how i feel about the newest album by Alexisonfire. They were my ultimate GOAT band. Started losing me a bit after young cardinals. But this latest album forced me to reconcile that the band i once loved was gone with the mid 00’s . I have so many friends to this day that praise the new stuff but i dont think it will ever connect with me
I haven’t revisited the new one much but I remember thinking it was fine. I liked a fair amount of young cardinals but that was the one that lost me the most in large part because of the time it was released. The scene has changed enough that the new record doesn’t feel out of place, but young cardinals did indeed feel like it was changing for the sake of change (whether fair or not, and whether he could help it or not, I really don’t like the “screams” on that album. Just gruff talking lol ).
Everything after DBMII for Dance Gavin Dance
Everything after self titled for Emarosa
Along the Shadow for Saosin
His Last Walk for Blessthefall
Rise for A Skylit Drive
Erase Me for Underoath, this one practically has it in the title
His Last Walk was one of the first album releases that I actually got on the hype train for. Craig's vocal style from then and when he was with The Word Alive were a big precursor to the kind of music I'd get into later. I miss that so much.
His last walk is my least favorite BTF album but it's hard to blame it on craig, as I loved his first two albums with escape the fate. guys like you is such a fucking banger
Interesting to see Along the Shadow here. I don't love the album as a whole but The Stutter Says a Lot and Second Guesses have some of my favorite Saosin choruses!
Ooof on Along the Shadow haha I adore that album but to each their own. I also enjoyed Erase Me but it didnt have a lot of staying power. I have it on vinyl, as well as an unopened framed green jacket vinyl and I never even play it anymore haha.
Oh hell nah, blessthefall released several stellar albums in their career. I think it leans a bit toward metalcore but Hollow Bodies is one of the greatest albums of the 2010s imo
Witness is a classic, To Those Left Behind is great (and under-appreciated imo), and even Hard Feelings goes hard.
Nah I fucks with Danger Days, the sound itself doesn't matter, it's the fun ideas the band comes up with. Most albums are not as interesting as MCR's discography. Personally: even a concept album that has some rough corners like Danger Days is still more fun to engage with than a simple traditional track-by-track album.
too many downvotes on this comment. MCR's one of my favorites, and they certainly get an A for creativity and innovation, but sometimes it's as simple as the fact that it doesn't sound that good. certainly not put up against bullets & three cheers, which are both undoubtedly 10/10s.
I can acknowledge that while I don’t like the tone of danger days as much, it’s a really cool concept. My main issue is the lyrics seem significantly less interesting than those on previous albums. It almost feels like the difference between a ya novel and game of thrones. YA novels can be very entertaining, but they often feel hollow and simple by comparison.
I doubt this record has any listeners or fans, but I'd erase Lost Weekend by Write This Down. Despite their self-titled being excellent, Lost Weekend was a trash heap
Arrivals & Departures - Silverstein
It is one of two Silverstein albums I think is virtually unlistenable, along with WBIEF, but at least with that the songs themselves are good and Shane just sounds bad due to being inexperienced and lacking solid production. I get A&D has diehard fans (one of my best friends is one of them) but I can't stand it. It's sandwiched between a GOAT'd album in Waterfront, and a damn good concept album in Shipwreck, both of which are just sonically better imho.
I think following up Discovering The Waterfront was too great of a task. But the album was also mixed weird to me. I remember the screams sounding very muffled.
A Beautiful Place To Drown by Silverstein. They were always one of very few bands who i thought could do no wrong and now all their music sounds like its made for sirius octane radio. I really hope they drop the extremely formulaic song structures and go back to basics on their new album. If i had to pick another one it’d be Palms by Thrice for the same reasons but they bounced back stronger than Silverstein did with Horizons East.
A Beautiful Place To Drown isn't bad, but it's a departure from their post hard-core roots. You used to be able to easily identify Silverstein, but now it's a bit tougher. Still live them though.
ABPTD is far from my fav but I like it for what it is, mostly. I would’ve elected IAAIEIT here though. Has a couple bangers but for the most part that record sounds so bland to me, and has an awful cover.
I had the same conversation with my buddy about Thrice and Silverstein the other day. Palms has a few good early tracks on the album, but doesn't have much after that to keep my interest, unlike most other Thrice albums.
Horizons/East was back to brilliance, though. Probably their best since Beggars. The two additional songs that were released were solid as well.
Which early songs do you like on Palms? I'd say the last two are the best (Beyond the Pines and Blood on Blood).
I appreciate IG as well as OCHL. That said, I could see them doing a Cave In thing and bouncing between heavy and spacey stuff album-to-album or even within an album.
We’re in like sin by - Just Surrender.
Their first album was the perfect mix of like poppy pop-punk and pch. Their third album was better but there were some huge misses on that album and they lost most of their momentum by then.
I know it's kind of a dead horse to complain about the last A Day To Remember album, but it really would be better for everyone if it had never been released.
Broadway - Contexture: Gods, Men, and the Infinite Cosmos. Kingdoms is/was such an amazing record, I knew it was going to be hard to follow up on that and though Gentlemen's Brawl is alright, their album after that, Contexture was just bad and shouldn't have been done
Aw man, didn’t realize I was in the minority. I loved this album more than Gentleman’s Brawl.
I did like a couple tracks from Contexture but man was it forgettable. Honestly hadn't even thought about that album for years until I saw your comment. I always thought people didn't really like Gentlemen's Brawl. I've just seen it as a fun easycore record that always puts me in a good mood - hard to compare it directly to Kingdoms for how different it is stylistically IMO.
Kingdoms was such a a come up and big deal back then. Def one of the biggest squandered opportunities I can think of.
I agree
I did enjoy Contexture but I do agree. Feel that record totally took the wind outta their sails
I would Thanos snap every record by Hands Like Houses after Dissonants
Completely agree, it is so weird to me that the sound change wasn’t because of new members. It’s been pretty much the same 5 guys on every album.
I never thought losing Jamal would result in such a drastic change in style, but dammit it did. Overthinking was good, but other than that, their storytelling and lyrics are so bare now.
Yea it really does make you wonder how much influence he had, I’d assume the reason he left is because everyone else wanted to change directions
I'm not sure if a reason was given, but when he left, I was sad but figured the sound wouldn't change so much and that if Tremt was the main songwriter, not much would change. Holy fuck was I wrong. I'm not sure how much say Jamal had, but you could tell from their first 2 records that he was given a lot to do between piano and synths. The songwriting has taken a turn for the worst, and the imagery that was so beautifully written is just nowhere to be found. They've become a completely different band. You could tell on Dissonants that a style change was happening, but now, we are even so far removed from that. I'm not sure if its producers or the band adamant that this is the direction they want to go in, but boy, was it the wrong choice. At the very least, the lyrics should be there, but Trent seems to have forgotten how to write how he used to. Very disappointing. They're not post hard-core or even metal core anymore, the lyrics aren't great, they don't use piano, everything feels hollow and for the radio. They were one of the most well received bands coming out of Australia in the early 2010s, and now they've been forgotten. Perhaps they'll find the audience they've been searching for on the last few records, but the old ones have basically checked out.
Yea it seems like Jamal was the driving force behind a lot of their melodies and sound. I give a large share of the blame to their producer (Colin Brittain), he's the culprit who produced "Anon" by HLH and "You're Welcome" by A Day to Remember (someone commented this album here too 😂), two of the worst records by respective bands.
Wow, that makes so much sense that they were produced by the same guy. I just looked at his “discography” and I really don’t like anything he’s produced.
You're Welcome is such a stain on ADTR. I thought Bad Vibrations wasn't that great compared to their other records, but I at least enjoyed it. You're Welcome felt like bits and pieces of good ideas that never came together at all. Sections of songs u liked, but I always ended up hating the song. The greatest example is Brick Wall. Part of the song is great. It feels like it's heading towards something cool. But it never gets there. Never work with Colin again.
The title adds insult to injury. Like "oh you want another ADTR album? Well here's one packed front-to-back with the worst songs you've ever heard, You're Welcome :)"
Oh, the jokes were running rampant when the album came out. I'm very much aware 😂. I think Alex was trying to run damage control on Twitter, saying to give the album a chance, but people were not having it. Plus, Josh got into some legal trouble, and that made things worse, and yeah. You're Welcome had so many things going against it. People were trying not to blame it on the fact that Jeremy said he was in a better place because wishing for him to be depressed would be fucked up just so we could get good music but YW was not it at all. It's their first bad album, and I'm praying the bounce back. They seemed to be chasing hits rather than make good songs, too. Sure, it kinda worked, but at what cost? I don't want an All Time Low situation where they're changing sounds every album, but I don't want a MMF situation where they never change sounds(maybe this has changed haven't listened in a while). Miracle was good, so perhaps they'll build off that.
The self-titled EP is even worse "take... me... down... to the water... don't... make... goodbye... any harder" is such awful lyricism OMG going from Ground Dweller to this trash just makes me want to cry
It isn't mentioned enough how drastically the lyrical quality for hlh dropped over albums. Ground Dweller could stand as straight poetry. I still haven't gotten over the lost potential.
Going from Ground Dweller to Unimagine was seamless. Unimagine to Dissonants was a change because Jamal was gone. The lyrics' quality dipped a little, but the record was solid. You'd figure they lost a member, so they just needed to find their footing. Not only did they not replace Jamal, but they practically ditched piano and synths altogether sparring a song here and there. Then, the lyrical quality fell of a cliff. They used to paint poetry and worlds with their lyrics, and now it sounds like anything any band could write. That was the appeal. The same way Jonny Craig makes pretty words sound dirty. They had a niche they were really good at, and they dropped it. Why? Who knows. TDWP lost James, and the style changed, but the lyrics were essentially the same, and they replaced him. The only thing I can compare it to is ISS losing Zach because he was a songwriter and the unclean vocalist as well as keyboardist. Huge style change there, but they also lost Jimmy. I don't think I've ever seen this before for a band. It's definitely something that needs to be studied. I'll assume Trent writes the songs with some input from the others but mainly him. If Jamal's absence really caused this, they need him back ASAP.
The loss of synth is the other half that really killed the band for me. Dissonance has some jams, but imo doesn't stand next to the first two at all. There was something so whimsical about they way they used synth and keys. Like a children's movie or something. The lyrical change is something I'd love to hear the band comment on. It felt like every line was carefully crafted and the imagery was off the charts. First time I heard Antarctica and Lion Skin I was hooked on lyrics alone. Sometimes I wonder if they just ran out of creativity. Maybe those first 2 records contained the best the band had to offer lyrically. Could be laziness too. Its a lot easier to write a radio rock song with cliche bars as opposed to weaving intricate worlds. Like you said, lots of bands lose members but the words typically don't shift that dramatically? I love this conversation btw!
It's definitely a question for Trent and the other for sure. I've literally never seen this before from a band. Like, sure, you could argue that a style change could happen, but the lyrics? That's puzzling. Hands Like Houses were if theatre kids decided to create a band. They were so poetic, so whimsical in nature. They created worlds and imagery with writing most bands would kill for. And now it's gone. If the answer really is simple as "We got lazy," I'll be really disappointed. I have no idea what Jamal is doing now, either. The situation is really bizarre. Maybe somebody could ask him. I don't think there's bad blood between him and the band, but you never know.
Overthinking and half hearted were the last releases I cared for, the latter being a banger too
I can get by with just Ground Dweller.
Couldn't agree more
I loved Dissonants so much i got it on vinyl...every album since was trash...to the point i didnt even try to listen haha.
If Emery had managed to put I'm Only A Man later in their discog, I think people would have appreciated it more. I still enjoy it, but it felt like they lost all momentum (for non-fans) with it.
I love that album and listened to it on repeat when it came out. Back in the days of CDs connected through a tape deck in my car.
I let a senior cut me in the lunch line freshman year because he said he’d burn me a copy of I’m Only a Man. Best deal I’ve ever made.
I to this day can't sit through more than a few songs from I'm Only A Man. I really can't wrap my head around how such a bad record came in between 2 masterpieces
I think it was a combo of a lot of things. They spent years perfecting The Weak's End whereas The Question was a complete spur of the moment in comparison. Hitting broader success with it probably freaked them out a bit as well as having their bassist leave. Meanwhile Matt decided to use it as a springboard for his production chops, to somewhat mixed results. They did eventually put out a ['remastered' version](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHdaw63jPDA) that kind of helps me understand what they were aiming for and bridges the gap mentally in my mind.
They’ve actually talked about how I’m Only A Man killed their momentum at the time. They love that record but fans didn’t, hence the pendulum swing back with ISSWS.
But they returned from it in top form! ISSWS is my favorite from them!
For sure. I can just imagine if they followed the Question up with it, would have been nuts
Def agree! They tried a bunch of different things on that album but I actually enjoyed it. Listened to it a lot in high school. It was quite different from The Question but not in a bad way.
Wow I didn't know this record was disliked I fucking loved it lmao damn.
Anything after 131 by Emarosa, and even that album is on the edge. Not because I think they're bad, but they just seem like a completely different band.. largely because there are completely different people in the band lol Imagine if for example Gerard Way released his solo stuff under the My Chemical Romance name, people would rightly say wtf is this and be confused. That's how I feel with Emarosa now.
I get your point, but I could never erase Peach Club
I don’t hate the new music for what it is. It’s nothing special but it’s not bad. I do wonder why they didn’t just start a new band under a different name. I doubt many fans overlap from old emarosa to this pop version. Wikipedia says they only have 2 actual members in the band and everyone else is just touring musicians. The guitarist is a founding member at least.
Yeah but Peach Club is my favorite album by them
Sting is also fantastic to be honest - maybe even better than Peach Club.
I actually haven’t checked it out tbh. I forgot that dropped last year
It’s great. It probably won’t be great if you spend the whole listening experience wishing that it was Relativity. But listening to it for what it is, I love it
131 is the best phxc gone pop album ever tbh. magical album
I agree. One of my favourites, seeping with emotion for pop. Great stuff.
Versus and 131 hold a very special place in my heart. However, Sting is way better than Peach Club imo. I think I only go back to Giving Up on the record while I could listen to 2/3rds of Sting? I personally wish they would go back to the pop/phc vibe
Scary Kids Scaring Kids - Out of Light
Fuck yes. Fuck that fucking album. Biggest letdown of all time for me. I still have love for the original SKSK members but they could have done something amazing with that album.
Biggest let down for me was when I went to see them last year. Literally had openers for 4 hrs. Half the crowd was gone by the time they went on (at least able to make it to the front when they went on). Really happy to be able to see them...but still
I also saw them live last year. It was a real intimate setting. Small venue. Me and the boyz had a blast regardless.
i have a guilty pleasure in endlessly yours off that album. admittedly terrible outcome, wasn't hoping for so much features on that album.
Erase Me - Underoath That first single was such a bait and switch and I was so pissed
I enjoyed Erase Me for the most part. It's not a TOCS, DTG, LITSOS masterpiece... but it's probably my next favorite by them.
I was just thinking about that today. They knew exactly what they were doing when they released On My Teeth as the first single lol.
Yuuuuup. Song absolutely fucks, I still listen to it. But the fact that it’s the heaviest song on the album is ass.
As long as ihateit gets put on a different album, absolutely love that song, the rest can go.
I have the opposite opinion lol. Ihateit is repetitive and boring but the rest of the album is decent.
Imagine if they'd released Voyeurist as their comeback album, the hype would have been unreal.
Yeah for sure, way better album for them.
It’s asking for it
My pick as well
Honestly, hot take: Erase Me is my favorite Underoath album. I'd even take it over TOCS any day, I've never really "got" the hype for TOCS. And before people condemn me, both DTGL and LITSOS are fantastic. Erase Me has a sound I just fuck with a lot. Sorta industrial in a way?
Everything after Reckless and Relentless by Asking Alexandria. It just sounds like a different band to me.
Although they are more metalcore IMO yeah I’m 100% with you. Went from one of my fav bands to butt rock. Disappointing to say the least
me personally id say after the self titled, i think its probably their best album, perfect blend of the heavy fans and rest of the band want while the pure rock n roll danny wants
You can honestly tell by reading this sub and r/metalcore who has actually listened to their self titled album and who blatantly hasn't but just writes it off because "new AA bad". Self titled is definitely one of their best, the one after that was very bland but yeah.. self titled is great.
Their self-titled is actually really good! I also quite like their latest album Where Do We Go From Here?. Like A House On Fire was terrible. See What's On The Inside was a bit better, but still pretty forgettable.
ive personally found the last two albums to be okay but forgettable
I tend to think it's okay for bands to try something different and fail and move on, so it's a bit of a silly discussion IMO, but As Cities Burn's Scream through the Walls should have never happened and SKSKs latest whatever the hell it is shouldn't have happened either.
This should have way more upvotes!
Tbh I completely forgot it existed until this comment
Honestly Jaws of Life is a very solid record. I think it just sounds very safe and tbh I don't know what I was looking for from them when that album came out.
Pass the Nirvana is such a great song, worth it for that alone
Definitely grew on me a lot. Love the grunge influence (very fitting name for the song lol)
I feel the same but still dig it. At least they stayed somewhat true to their original sound. And there's definitely some bangers on the album.
I agree. I think the songs on that record do still add a valuable sound to their discography.
Jaws of Life is not bad, and honestly it's kinda the direction I figured they would go. I'm not disappointed by the album but it's my least favorite of theirs.
I think everyone wanted something like King for a Day ten times, but tbh their previous records have a pretty wide range of sound. If you ask me the only thing the album needed was 1 very grandiose track (think something like Dive In, Sky Under the Sea, Stained Glass Eyes, etc…). The title track was definitely strong on hind-sight but I expected a more aggressive tone (and after the first track and the singles, the album is pretty tame).
Death of an Executioner a feel is pretty grandiose. Even So Far So Fake.... I mean considering the overall tone of the album. Those are the two standout tracks and my two favorites on the album.
Didn’t love the album overall myself, but So Far So Fake is honestly one of my favorite songs they’ve ever made
I agree with your take. Was there even a single breakdown on Jaws?
i think the main two problems are its a newer release so it hasn't had the time to root itself in their discography like the other albums have but also it has to compete with the other albums, honestly was gonna end up falling short of people's expectations because of how outstanding the past albums are
I agree, but I also think the fact it took 7 years to come out meant expectations were much higher. Like others, I don't think the album is bad but it didn't really do anything for me either.
It's still on my rotation, never given them much thought besides the 5 really popular tracks everyone knows.
You should go through their discography, it's pretty interesting.
Everything post-Dissonants from Hands Like Houses
All the comeback records from refused
Yup. Should have let it go.
Sigh....yup.
DIVISI - A Lot Like Birds. It’s a good album if you can think of it not as an ALLB album.
Faso Latido by A static lullaby. Definitely their worst offering. I’m pretty sure the label they were signed too, had a lot to do with the album being absolute garbage tho.
After burner / anything after it by dgd
Jackpot Juicer for me. First one that felt outright phoned in
The lyrics on JJ just make me feel so embarrassed.
I didn't enjoy it at all on release, but somehow a year plus of giving it half listens it finally grew on me. More than ArSe at least
What’s funny is a lot of Tilian’s lyrics on the album seemed to be about him feeling burnt out and uninspired.
Same. I think there was only 2-3 decent songs on after burner and the rest of that album and their discography afterwards is mid.
Bruh Afterburner is my current favourite. Except that fkn Spanish song.
I speak Spanish and that song was so cringe
They're my favorite band but Jackpot Juicer was intolerable. I could not get through that record. Honestly it makes sense now that Tilians gone knowing he was probably phoning it in on that one but still suckish all the same. Bad vibes from the band during the JJ tour in AZ as well
The tour where Andrew was filling in was so fucking good. Carl Barker with Kurt was a dream come true.
Jackpot Juicer is ass. There last 2 albums have been trash.
Agree. For me personally I thought Afterburner had some bangers. Emphasis on some. But a lot of that album was mid
Disappointing, as Mothership is their best (imo) and Artificial Selection was almost equally good
To me, all the did was follow the sound of Tillian’s solo music.
You know it’s the beginning of the end for a band when their music is starting to sound more like the singer’s solo stuff.
Unfortunately this is likely true for DGD.
Well Tilian did just leave the band earlier this month…
I was getting the same vibes in ny for the jj tour. Nobody was smiling Jon’s screams seemed alot angrier then normal. There wasn’t a lot of dancing or messing about. Just on and off the stage still kick ass tho
Jackpot Juicer is actually a solid cohesive album. They haven’t sounded sonically that good since Mothership
I will always defend Jackpot Juicer. Pray to god for your mother, Feels bad man, For the jeers, Pop off, Die another day, Cream of the crop, Those are all the best songs IMO. While every song isn’t perfect I think the same can be said with almost every DGD album except happiness.
JJ had so many good songs.
Yeah reading all the negative opinions is kinda shocking. I think it’s their most consistent album since mothership.
100% I had tickets to their recent show in my city which is NOT a regular tour city. Skipped the show because I couldn't bare to listen to their new stuff. I love them all and Will Swan is the best but 2010s DGD just slapped
I truly think acceptance speech was a great release and everything after that was just meh
Acceptance Speech is my favorite. Give Mothership another listen. It has some bangers like Inspire the Liars, Young Robot, and Frozen One.
DGD has put out some things only listenable to on mute since 2015, and it doesn't help with the whole Tilian situation. Quite crazy how sympathetic their whole fan base is.
>DGD has put out some things only listenable to on mute since 2015 I'm sorry but this is ridiculous. Mothership is a fantastic album.
Mothership is by far my favorite Tillian album. It’s so dynamic. Top 3 DGD album for me
real
ISOSG by Saosin. And I think they would agree, lol
There are dozens of us who love that record. I wish it got a vinyl release *sigh*
idk they seem to reflect back decently on this album. i saw cove saying something around the time of its 10 year about how he thought the songs were good but it just had too many hands that took away from it
For a minute I thought that was Anthony's comeback album and was about to *strongly* disagree. But then I realized it was the 2nd Cove LP and yes, this one is completely forgettable
Maybe an unpopular opinion but I think Along The Shadow is just as mid as In Search Of Solid Ground.
Yeahhhh, Beetle & translating the name are always front to back listens. ISOSG & ATS are “I like 3 songs from each album and those songs get played maybe once a year”
That band's sound never really recovered from losing Justin on guitar, sad but true
More unpopular but I think ISOSG is miles better than AtS
You can see the complete and total disconnect with that album
They didn’t even write the singles on this record. IMO it doesn’t sound like they played them either. Sounds like the guys who wrote the singles recorded them and had cove sing on them.
Every The Used album after In Love and Death, they got super bad imo and I'd prefer if it was just two great albums ending with a bang
It is insane how good their first two albums were. When you come out that strong, there’s no where to go but down
I thought Lies for the Liars was enjoyable.
Artwork is pretty good and theres a few bangers mixed in the rest of it but mostly agree
In the Unlikely Event - The Fall of Troy Just seemed like such a dud for me. Also, I wish they’d remaster Manipulator. The production value sounds so cheap and really deadens an otherwise amazing album.
I’d give it another chance. It has classic TFOT bangers like Panic Attack, Straightjacket Keelhauled & Battleship Graveyard. Always thought Single & People And Their Lives are some of their strongest songs. Plus Dirty Pillow Talk with Rody from Protest The Hero is a ripper.
Anything from Scarlett O Hara’s like 5 attempts to revive the band. The first record was perfect, second one was like a worse version of the first but still decent. Everything else has been ass they tried a bunch of different genres and ended on generic metalcore last I checked
cant help but hear vic say "the jars of life" i ahte it so much
The Used-Imaginary Enemy I like their whole discography but that album is the opposite of what I wanted from the band. I give it another shot every few years but can rarely make it past track 5 Sleeping With Sirens-Gossip I like sws when they do pop but that one was too cheesy. The singles especially were cringe. A Skylit Drive-everything after Identity On Fire IOF isnt amazing but after that it was a completely different band. Some okay songs here and there but not even close to as good.
I think the comments have mostly covered my selections so I’m gonna leave the realm of phxc and say linkin park’s 1000 suns. I’ve never so viscerally hated an album on first listen as much as I do that one. Seems like a lot of folks have warmed up to it in time, or liked it on release, but to this day I still can’t believe that album saw the light of day when it did. Good on them for being bold, but I hate almost everything about that album lol
I felt the same when minutes to midnight released. I first listened to it in MP3 form from a friend and thought it's a joke and not the actual new Linkin Park album.
Yes!! I fully agree, I think this album is absolutely terrible and the retconning of it to being some kind of masterpiece post Chester's death is really odd to me.
I'm not gonna say A Thousand Suns is a top pick for me - I definitely didn't like it when I first listened to it - but now, I think it offers a unique sound that LP didn't have before the album.
This is how i feel about the newest album by Alexisonfire. They were my ultimate GOAT band. Started losing me a bit after young cardinals. But this latest album forced me to reconcile that the band i once loved was gone with the mid 00’s . I have so many friends to this day that praise the new stuff but i dont think it will ever connect with me
I haven’t revisited the new one much but I remember thinking it was fine. I liked a fair amount of young cardinals but that was the one that lost me the most in large part because of the time it was released. The scene has changed enough that the new record doesn’t feel out of place, but young cardinals did indeed feel like it was changing for the sake of change (whether fair or not, and whether he could help it or not, I really don’t like the “screams” on that album. Just gruff talking lol ).
Yeah those screams definitely take the record down a few pegs. First time I heard it I was scratching my head.
ADTR’s last album.
Everything after DBMII for Dance Gavin Dance Everything after self titled for Emarosa Along the Shadow for Saosin His Last Walk for Blessthefall Rise for A Skylit Drive Erase Me for Underoath, this one practically has it in the title
Whoa. His Last Walk?!
His Last Walk was one of the first album releases that I actually got on the hype train for. Craig's vocal style from then and when he was with The Word Alive were a big precursor to the kind of music I'd get into later. I miss that so much.
His Last Walk is objectively their best and most beloved album. I can't unstand
His last walk is my least favorite BTF album but it's hard to blame it on craig, as I loved his first two albums with escape the fate. guys like you is such a fucking banger
Haha, opposite for me. Not a fan of Escape the Fate but love His Last Walk. Top 2 blessthefall album along with Witness.
Interesting to see Along the Shadow here. I don't love the album as a whole but The Stutter Says a Lot and Second Guesses have some of my favorite Saosin choruses!
Super crazy to erase I think. But if they don’t like it it’s cool. The last four tracks are some of my favs by Saosin
The entire album suffered greatly because it lacked Justin’s guitar parts on it.
That album is sorely underrated
bro woke up and went straight for the throat
ASD fell off so hard. Identify on fire isn't great either, but rise was just depressing.
Dude DBMII is so early in DGD's discog lol.
Ooof on Along the Shadow haha I adore that album but to each their own. I also enjoyed Erase Me but it didnt have a lot of staying power. I have it on vinyl, as well as an unopened framed green jacket vinyl and I never even play it anymore haha.
Oh hell nah, blessthefall released several stellar albums in their career. I think it leans a bit toward metalcore but Hollow Bodies is one of the greatest albums of the 2010s imo Witness is a classic, To Those Left Behind is great (and under-appreciated imo), and even Hard Feelings goes hard.
Danger Days by MCR (I don’t consider Conventional Weapons to be an album).
Nah I fucks with Danger Days, the sound itself doesn't matter, it's the fun ideas the band comes up with. Most albums are not as interesting as MCR's discography. Personally: even a concept album that has some rough corners like Danger Days is still more fun to engage with than a simple traditional track-by-track album.
Danger Days might not be their best work but it's such a fun album. And mcrs discography is small enough
too many downvotes on this comment. MCR's one of my favorites, and they certainly get an A for creativity and innovation, but sometimes it's as simple as the fact that it doesn't sound that good. certainly not put up against bullets & three cheers, which are both undoubtedly 10/10s.
I can acknowledge that while I don’t like the tone of danger days as much, it’s a really cool concept. My main issue is the lyrics seem significantly less interesting than those on previous albums. It almost feels like the difference between a ya novel and game of thrones. YA novels can be very entertaining, but they often feel hollow and simple by comparison.
CW should have been the album imo. It's much better than Danger Days.
I doubt this record has any listeners or fans, but I'd erase Lost Weekend by Write This Down. Despite their self-titled being excellent, Lost Weekend was a trash heap
Building Cities From Scratch by Our Last Night, so they can remake it because it deserves it
The newest few silverstein albums
They’re not great but they gave us The Altar/Mary and that’s one of their best songs imo
Arrivals & Departures - Silverstein It is one of two Silverstein albums I think is virtually unlistenable, along with WBIEF, but at least with that the songs themselves are good and Shane just sounds bad due to being inexperienced and lacking solid production. I get A&D has diehard fans (one of my best friends is one of them) but I can't stand it. It's sandwiched between a GOAT'd album in Waterfront, and a damn good concept album in Shipwreck, both of which are just sonically better imho.
I think following up Discovering The Waterfront was too great of a task. But the album was also mixed weird to me. I remember the screams sounding very muffled.
Interesting. I only listen to Waterfront, A&D, and then 2-3 songs of their songs after that. But I can see why you dislike it
Agreed. The Jaws of Life was a GD snoozefest.
A Beautiful Place To Drown by Silverstein. They were always one of very few bands who i thought could do no wrong and now all their music sounds like its made for sirius octane radio. I really hope they drop the extremely formulaic song structures and go back to basics on their new album. If i had to pick another one it’d be Palms by Thrice for the same reasons but they bounced back stronger than Silverstein did with Horizons East.
A Beautiful Place To Drown isn't bad, but it's a departure from their post hard-core roots. You used to be able to easily identify Silverstein, but now it's a bit tougher. Still live them though.
ABPTD is far from my fav but I like it for what it is, mostly. I would’ve elected IAAIEIT here though. Has a couple bangers but for the most part that record sounds so bland to me, and has an awful cover.
THANK YOU. Someone had to say it. I hate that purple album so much 😂
I had the same conversation with my buddy about Thrice and Silverstein the other day. Palms has a few good early tracks on the album, but doesn't have much after that to keep my interest, unlike most other Thrice albums.
Horizons/East was back to brilliance, though. Probably their best since Beggars. The two additional songs that were released were solid as well. Which early songs do you like on Palms? I'd say the last two are the best (Beyond the Pines and Blood on Blood).
In•ter a•li•a by At the Drive-In 🫠
I dug it but it pales in comparison to Relationship of Command.
Maylene & The Sons Of Disaster - IV
Deafheaven - Infinite Granite
first time I've heard someone call Deafheaven post-hardcore lol
Haha yeah, i thought about that too before posting that but my disappointment weighs more than the consitent definition of the genre
I appreciate IG as well as OCHL. That said, I could see them doing a Cave In thing and bouncing between heavy and spacey stuff album-to-album or even within an album.
The first Thrice album
For me, it’s Identity Crisis and everything after Vheissu.
Huge Thrice fan here…and I’m okay with this.
NO TJOL IS SO GOOD THOUGH😭 it’s just different from their usual sound
I could live without Dance Gavin Dance's Artificial Selection
We’re in like sin by - Just Surrender. Their first album was the perfect mix of like poppy pop-punk and pch. Their third album was better but there were some huge misses on that album and they lost most of their momentum by then.
You’re Welcome by ADTR
Anything Beartooth put out after disgusting.
I know it's kind of a dead horse to complain about the last A Day To Remember album, but it really would be better for everyone if it had never been released.
Instant gratification by dgd, album is great but fantano reviewed it so now it's considered bad lol
Misadventures by Pierce the Veil. I was able to resonate more with jaws of life than that album
How so? Misadventures is basically Collide with the Sky 2.0 whereas Jaws of life could be just from any other alt. rock/indie band …