2021 was a horrible year on almost all fronts, but definitely not on CD releases. This year I could have easily made up a top 42 of 2021. Well in order not to bend the rules too much I had to take some tough decisions and tomorrow I will post my end of year list with my favorite 21 albums of the year. So today I will by subject come up with fake reasons and lame excuses why certain albums are not in my list.
So first to set the playing ground I don't have spotify or any other streaming service. I rarely receive CD's to review, since my reviews are mainly based upon personal experience with an album and not so much technically or deeply describing the music. So my range are CD's I bought throughout the year. Then there is my living in two countries factor. Sometimes I am looking for a CD, can't order it for a quick arrival and skip it. When coming back a month later, the list of albums still to buy only grew, so I never get back to actually buying some albums. Finally a few years ago the Dutch Olympic committee would send athletes back home if they were finished and not win anything. This became known as the losers flights. Welll no losers here, as I highly enjoyed all the albums I mention below. For omnious reasosn they just did not make it to my Top 21 of 2021
Reissues:
Some of the best albums this year were re-issues. If Marillion pack their best album in booklet format or UFO releases the best live album ever with all shows of that tour competition is false. So I do not let these compete. Heir Apparent gave me Foundations I and II, Twisted Illusion now officially released their catalogue and Jump and Cyan came with good re-issues of albums I did not know originally. All not entering competition here.
Not enough time yet to fully grasp:
November gave us a ridiculous amount of albums I had to buy. This meant so much new music and so little time. I think Cynic is well above expectations, Mastodon one of their strongest ever and Kayo Dot needing many more spins to fully get. I did not dare ranking them yet, but especially the first two on long term should have made my list probably.
No gigs means no picking up of their album:
Some bands I follow, but I typically would pick up their CD after appreciating a live show and supporting the band directly. So this year I for sure would have done so after shows of The Quill, Flotsam and Jetsam or Cryptosis. Now I did not get them online either.
Bands I still love to see live again, but stopped buying new albums of:
Same argument as above, but one class lower. They really must blow me away live to get me buying their album. In most cases I bought their music in the past and find myself never listening to them anymore or not needing more of similar albums. So I did not listen to Gojira, Evergrey, Leprous or Transatlantic this year.
Extreme metal I prefer live over listening at home to:
Some albums I got and I did see the bands live this year, Melting Eyes, Satan Worship. Others I got on CD, but would prefer to see live on stage (again) 1914 and Dordeduh.
Good albums but not their best:
Several bands I bought this year released good albums, but are not as good as other recent work. Among the examples here MSG, Cosmograf, Moonspell, Stormtrooper, Tuesday the Sky and definitely Vola (soon following Leprous?).
And than the last three categories, which all could have made my Top 21 on any other day really.
Albums I simply did not get to (yet), but pretty sure would love:
JUst that. No streaming means indeed I can't get everything. The following bands I did not have the chance to pick up yet for various reasons: Exodus, Big Big Train, Funeral, Fractal Universe, Eldritch and Helloween.
Albums I did not get due to ridiculous high postage costs or digital release only.
If released digitally I shall never play it, so no Rust Belt Gothic or Kenn Nardi (CD in 2022) on my list. Others I tried to find against reasonable costs but postage twice the album price went against principles. Stone Healer, Black Sites and First Fragment.
Finally albums I loved and have, but today fell just outside my list:
Heyoka's Mirror - The Uninvited King exciting djenty progmetal
Cassius King - Field Trip Doomy heavy metal by favorite artists
Vulture - Dealin'Death Speed Metal Rules
Jason Bieler - Songs for the Apocalypse Light music and dark lyrics by the Saigon Kick master
Slaves to Fashion - The History of Heavy Metal. One band visiting all genres 1970-2020
Smith Kotzen - Smith Kotzen wonderful bluesy hardrock by two famous gitarists
The Spectre Beneath - The New Identity of Sidney Stone fast progmetal great female vocals
Resurrection Kings - Skygazer For thso emissing Dio Craig Goldy / Vinnie Appice classic heavy metal
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