Monday
Dec312018
The Best Albums of 2018
Monday, December 31, 2018 at 07:09AM Here's my favorite albums of 2018 - in no particular order. Hopefully you've heard some of these. If not, check them out!
Judas Priest - Firepower
Halestorm - Vicious [Explicit]
Saxon - Thunderbolt
Stryper - God Damn Evil
Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper - A Star Is Born Soundtrack [Explicit]
Favorite single of the year:
"High Hopes" from Panic! At The Disco and their album Pray For the Wicked. This is just one hell of a catchy tune. I know it because of college football - it sure got played a lot on TV this season!
Reader Comments (67)
The reason why Greta Van Fleet are selling out EVERYWHERE they go months in advance is because of their superhuman sound with Jake Kiszka’s blazing guitar pyrotechnics (not that kind, BK) and his twin brother Josh Kiszka’s incredible Plant worthy shrieking
Yes, Ghost are phenomenal but it is Greta Van Fleet who are a phenomenon!
And now, without further ado, I give you THE BEST of the Rest and some other amusing lists ...
... Next page, please ...
(In no particular order) ...
Riot - Armor of Light
The Poodles - Prisma
Bulletrain - Start Talking
Hardcore Superstar - You Can’t Kill My Rock ‘n Rol
Dynazty - Firesign
77 - Bright Gloom
Pennywise - Never Gonna Die
Bullet - Dust to Gold
Electric Boys - The Ghost Ward Diaries
Red Dragon Cartel - Patina
Thunderpussy - Thunderpussy
Lucifer - Lucifer II
Doomsday Outlaw - Hard Times
Grand Design - Viva La Paradise
Love and a .38 - 7th Street Shuffle
Dogs D’Amor - In Vino Veritas
The Struts - Young & Dangerous
Lizzy Borden - My Midnight Things
Impelliteri - The Nature of the Beast
Doro - Forever Warriors
East Side Gamblers - The Big Machine
Halestorm - Vicious
Wilson - Tasty Nasty
Black Stone Cherry - Family Tree
Junkyard Drive - Black Coffee
Lady Diesel - Store Bought Love
Ginger Red - Donuts and Coffee
Avatar - Avatar Country
Thundermother - Thundermother
Revolver - Soul Collector
The Cruel Intentions - No Sign of Relief
Stryper- God Damn Evil
Loudness - Rise To Glory
Blood Red Saints - Love Hate Conspiracies
Bonfire - Legends
Blood of the Sun - Blood Is Thicker Than Love
City of Theives - Beast Reality
Nita Strauss - Controlled Chaos
Tremonti - A Dying Machine
Walking Papers - WP2
Stephen Pearcy - View to a Thrill
Tokyo Blade - Unbroken
Nazareth - Tattoed On My Brain
Graham Bonnet Band - Meanwhile Back In The Garage
Ammunition - Ammunition
Crystal Ball - Crystallizer
SteelCity - Fortress
Flush the Fashion - Failure Is Totally An Option
Bullet for My Valentine - Gravity
Hellions - Rue
Voodoo Circle - Raised On Rock
Phil Campbell & The Bastard Sons
Dizzy Reed - Rock N’ Roll Ain’t Easy
Jizzy Pearl - All You Need Is Soul
Majick Touch - Blades, Chains, Whips & Fire
Crosson - Invincable
Augusta - Orguddah
Stray Bullets - Shut Up
Universe Infinity - Rock Is Alive
Captain Blackbeard - Struck By Lightning
Skindred - Big Tings
Hawthorne Heights - Bad Frequencies
Good Tiger - We Will All Be Gone
Rust n’ Rage - Tales From The Wasteland
Vega - Last Man Standing
Dangerous Curves - So Dirty Right
Mother Feather - Constellation Bro
Chrome Division - One Last Drive
Soul Healer - Up From The Ashes
Flash Lightnin’ - Homage
I will also suggest that some of you take a listen to Overdrivers. Not really sure what the hell is going on with those French folks. But this is definitely a slice of AC/DC mixed with purely bafoonish lyricism (and one of those covers that you can't unsee and titles you can't unthink). Catchy though.
Final thought on the whole Fleet thing: I hope they figure it out soon. Flashes in the pan tend to flame out and their staying power is, ahem, fleeting.
HIM, my “Best of The Rest of 2018” list may very well be veering on “Everything That Was Released In 2018” side, except I omitted about 1/3 of that, NOT including my Top 11. Oh, and “The Lazys” don’t seem to be included either, for some strange reason, hahaha!!!
And, now, for a couple more ways of looking at it for added perspective and I hope that’s exactly what some of you do is add to these lists as they may jog your memories of 2018 ...
1) Ted Nugent - The Music Made Me Do It
2) Myles Kennedy - Year of the Tiger
3) SLASH - Living The Dream (The reason? See #2)
4) Ron Keel - Metal Cowboy
5) Dee Snyder - For The Llve of Metal
6) Stone Temple Pilots - Stone Temple Pots
7) Five Finger Death Punch - And Justice For None
8) Ace Frehley - Spaceman
9) Reece - Resilient Heart
10) Shinedown - Attention Attention
11) Maverick - Cold Star Dancer
p.s. Bob! Thank you for your list! I will check them out and add the ones I didn’t already have as you’ve never steered me wrong yet! Same with Shaun! Where the h*ll are you, boy! You surprise me every year and I look forward to your recommendations.
And Christian! Great to see your comments on the Maiden Photo post! Even though we may disagree on what the h*ll Eddie is (Huh-uh-lo-oh!!!) ... Would love to know what your favorite 2018 albums are!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2N4tXf3Ensw
Started by the original guitarist in Battle Beast, this band is flat out astonishing. I'm doing three festivals and a Manowar show in Europe this year and the thing I want more than anything is for this band to show up. Otherwise, the best albums of the year were Judas Priest, Ghost and Clutch. I have to admit, I've not heard the new Halestorm (I'll see them at Download), Overall, apart from quality music like Clutch, I don't follow many American bands. I thought the last 5FDP was dreadful. Nowadays I like bands like Avantasia, Ensiferum, Korpiklaani and Alestorm
Metalboy - I thought the Slash album was pretty good. I can't even imagine checking out half of your list. Incidentally, we have a far right politician in Australia who has almost no support, given the huge amount of competition, but who Dee Snider has realised is ripping off 'we're not gonna take it' in his ads. He's here in a few weeks, and the ads are still on. Looking forward to how that pans out....
The new Hardcore Superstar was really good i thought. Anyways here's my list, in no particular order except the first two.
Judas Priest-Firepower (killer top to bottom, theor best since Painkiller)
Dee Snider-For The Love of Metal
Halestotm-Vicious
Hardcore Superstar-You Cant Kill My Rock N Roll
Alice In Chains-Ranier Fog (got into this late, but it made a big impression, AIC dosent change much, but they do what they do and they do it well without seeming to sound stale)
Turnstile-Time And Space (new hardcore, dont know if the readers here will like it, but they're a newer hardcore band that bring more of a funk/rap influence than most hardcore does)
Bullet For My Valentine-Gravity
Stephen Pearcy-View To A Thrill (One of the best albums and worst shows of 2018..I know I've given Stephen and Ratt a tough time here, and the single didnt do much for me, but this album much like AIC I got into late and it made an impression. He might not sound great or look great live but this album is a reminder of classic Ratt and dosent get too far off base than what fans would expect, really solid and a fun album)
The new 5fdp I agree was a disappointment as well as the new Avenged Sevenfold ep. I was also disappointed with the new Black Veil Brides initially but it grew on me, still not their best effort though.
Ah, Christian! Love STRIKER! Kickin’ myself for not going to see them when they came through Orlando where I live now (lived in Naples, Florida (where Marq Torien used to reside, haha!!) when I joined in the banter with you in Comments of this site. They played the only REAL ROCK BAR in Orlando called HAVEN (the others are Alternative Rock Bars where all the Wimp Rock bands play) twice over the last couple of years and I missed them both times. Kickin’ myself again, because DORO played there a couple of years ago and I missed THAT, too, dangit!!!
Amd, no question, Christian, BEAST IN BLACK ROCKS! However, they don’t get on the list because of a technicality, their latest album isn’t out yet, due to arrive sometime in 2019 and their previous album debuted in 2017. But you probably just putting us to the test, knowing this all along, haha!!
Needless to say, I’m already slotting in Beast In Black at the very top of my “Best Albums of 2019”, or, should I say, “Beast Album of 2019”, since I haven’t gotten any new Metal Albums with the year 2019 across my virtual Metal desk yet, haha!!
Lastly, though you’re probably hesitant to listen to anything with the word “H*LL” in the name, if there’s one album you should check out from my “Best of 2018” list, I strongly recommend Hank Von Hell, “Egomania” (spoof off “Pyromania” in the title, get it? Hahaha!!), which is, hands down, my favorite album of last year. It’s SO good, IMEO (In My Egomaniac Opinion, haha!!), just breakdown and check it out, “H*ll” in his name or not, and just ask for forgiveness afterward! And let me know your honest opinion, as you always do, haha!!
Watch this space, Heavy Metal Kidz, more lists to come shortly!
(Shawn! Where’s your list, boy! I need me some Metal I may have missed!)
Another list or two coming up as soon as I get home, Metal Kidz!
No SH*T, it’s not female lead singer fronting Beast In Black!!!
I misread what you said, thinking you said it IS a chick lead singer, not you “thought” it sounded like a chick ... When I listened to it I didn’t think it was a dude at all on vocals!
You want a band that has a chick singer who sounds like a guy, of course, we have the legendary Smashed Gladys.
And if you want a band with a guy singer who sounds like a chick, well, there’s plenty of those, haha!! But one in a particular that’s completely mind blowing is Cobra Dane. Check out their song on YouTube, “For Never More” ... UNREAL! Oh, yeah, and then there’s Wayne Newton, hahaha!!!
And to get back on track ... More lists to come ... Stay tuned, Kidz!!! ...