MMA best of the 2010s - discussion thread

I think we're all aging... I just noticed this morning that the top 5 albums on the site on the front page are all 30 years old or more!

I find watching YouTube videos of younger metal fans looking at what they call definitive or defining albums is quite useful for how things have changed.

I think the 2010's have probably been the weakest decade for music in general since the 60's, but at the end of the day it's all subjective. Personally though, I think a problem is that in our current internet-dominated culture, there's really not much of an underground music scene anymore. Let's face it, metal is mainstream these days, in the sense that there's several huge metal labels and I'd be surprised if there weren't at least some label plants in the scene. I think I can list on one hand the number of death metal bands today that still sound like death metal, instead of being over-produced and sterile.

and by mainstream, I don't mean just popular. I think most of the metal bands of the 70's, 80's, and 90's that got popular got there for a good reason. Many of them are among my favorite bands, Pantera, Metallica, Megadeth, Anthrax, Judas Priest, Korn, Soundgarden, Ratt, Motley Crue, Alice in Chains, Black Sabbath, etc. These are all amazing bands, but it's not like they started out as major-label superstars. Many of today's metal bands I see start right off on Napalm, Nuclear Blast, Century Media, etc. 

As far as what is underground, most of it seems to be within electronic music, which I think has been the strongest genre in the past decade. With Bandcamp, it's easier than ever to release your own music, and unfortunately I haven't noticed many metal bands releasing their own stuff yet. (I've seen plenty of metal on Bandcamp obviously, but usually attached to a label. There's a few cool independent bands I've found though). Electronic artists have benefited most from Bandcamp in the past decade from what I've noticed.

There's a lot of pretentiousness these days as well within the general internet music populous, certain genres are shunned while others are propped up as the best. If a metal band today does something "new", it's bound to be some critic approved form of metal combined with another critic approved genre (For example, black metal and shoegaze, a very popular combination of two critic favorites. Also, this isn't a diss at those bands, just an observation. I liked the Alcest album I've heard, so I don't hate these bands). You'll never see a big beat or nu metal on any RYM top of the year chart, but you're bound to see a free jazz or shoegaze album there. In a sense, avant-garde is the new mainstream in some circles.

I just listen to whatever sounds good to me, whatever the genre, but this is just something I've observed and for all I know I'm talking a bunch of shit. This could get into a way deeper philosophical discussion and I don't know how well I could communicate that on a forum. 

As far as how I decide what to vote for, I'm planning on (and already started) re-listening to several albums from the past decade and maybe check out some new ones if they sound interesting. I'm just voting for whatever albums I like best, limiting myself by artist or something would make it too hard.

If anyone's got any recommendations for something you think I'd like, send them my way. Nothing political please (unless very vague and doesn't get in the way of the music), and I'm open to most metal genres. I usually don't like black metal, prog metal, hardcore/grindcore, modern death metal, or modern power metal though, with few exceptions. I haven't checked out much of it from this decade, but the sludge I've heard have sounded really good (Floor's Oblation and Kylesa's Exhausting Fire in particular), so some sludge recs would be nice.

I'll check out some Old Man Gloom.

That album sounds interesting, may check that out.

I wasn't trying to imply that most black metal today is just blackgaze, I was just using it as an example of a popular combination of two genres that are generally pretty popular among critics. I'm sure there is really unique stuff coming from there as you say, and if I was more of a black metal fan I'd probably be more excited about it. Music wise, it's just a matter of personal taste, but my biggest problems with black metal are with the scene. Both the trve kvlt purists, and on the other side the RYM elitists who act like black metal is so much better, creative, and higher art than any other metal. Goes to what I was saying about avant-garde being the new mainstream in some ways.

Listened through some of it, sounded good though it has the same issue that I have with Apartment 26's Music for the Massive. When the dubstep and other non-ambient electronic elements are there, it sounds REALLY good, but I don't think they utilize them enough. I'll be looking forward to seeing if they do on their next album though.

If you like that sound, I can recommend some of Eat Static's stuff, this song in particular: