What a year 2020 has been. From the world-changing and life-altering COVID-19 pandemic, to the increased prominence of social justice movements leading to protests sweeping the globe, to an intensely stressful and divisive U.S. election, 2020 has impacted so many people in different ways. One thing that is universal and helps us get through these tough times is music and what a year it was. With standout releases from artists like Greg Puciato, Ulver, Bully, Run the Jewels and many more, emotions were expressed across the board and many of these albums served as a pick-me-up during the toughest moments of 2020. Perhaps it was owed to the creative juices that flow during crisis but 2020 made for one of the most difficult years to whittle a list of incredible music down to 50. Without further ado, here’s our picks for the year’s best albums.  

50. Bob Moses – Desire

A deep and mystifying production, the house duo brings forth a lyricism that embodies humanity’s desires.

– Olivia Barbato

49. Nine Inch Nails – Ghosts V: Together & Ghosts VI: Locusts

Some 12 years on from the first four volumes of Ghosts, Nine Inch Nails quietly dropped another breathtaking instrumental release of immaculate melodies and ominous atmosphere drones in Ghosts V: Together and Ghosts: VI: Locusts.

– Raymond Flotat

48. No Joy – Motherhood

After cutting her teeth on fairly straightforward modern shoegaze over the course of three LPs, Jasamine White-Gluz of No Joy took the band’s fourth LP to entirely new and adventurous places. Motherhood melds disparate elements like trip-hop, death metal and noise music, making for the most compelling album in the band’s discography.

– Matt Matasci

47. Enslaved – Utgard

The Norwegian band Enslaved have stayed constant and consistent throughout their time and Utgard continues to show new fans and old why they thrive in progressive black metal.

– Erin Winans

46. Alestorm – Curse of the Crystal Coconut

Yar! Avast ye landlubbers. Alestorm have sailed to you with the ultimate party metal album for 2020.

– Raymond Flotat

45. Oranssi Pazuzu – Mestarin kynsi

Ornassi Pazuzu once again slams together folk and black metal in an innovative fashion. It’s a concoction that any medieval witch would be proud to hear.

– Drew Pitt

44. Torres – Silver Tongue

Mackenzie Scott’s outreached hand on the cover of Silver Tongue analogizes the adventurous invitation extended to the listener. Brimming with spirit, the album provokes introspection as Scott deals with the harsher realities of the music industry. Authenticity and heart shine through despite the darker undertones sprinkled throughout the work. With her vocal depth and originality, it’s unsurprising Scott has continued her succes into 2020.

– Phoebe Smith

43. Soccer Mommy – color theory

On sophomore album color theory, Soccer Mommy adeptly balances lyrical vulnerability, wistful retrospection and cutting wit.

– Burke Joslin

42. King Buzzo with Trevor Dunn – Gift of Sacrifice

King Buzzo with Trevor Dunn allude to the sins of civilization with a miserable and sharp sound.

–Liam Thropp

41. Anna von Hausswolff – All Thoughts Fly

Through her immaculate use of the pipe organ, Anna von Hausswolff creates soundscapes that loom like gothic cathedrals and burrow into your mind like termites.

– Drew Pitt

40. Logic – No Pressure

Logic takes it back to his early days with No Pressure. Reminiscing on his youth, stardom and being a dad are the main themes on the rapper’s final album before his retirement.

– Jahniya Morris

39. U.S. Girls – Heavy Light

A spunky pop dream that takes dark and traumatic events and turns them into a story. Heavy Light is like walking into a picture book and watching the colors blend into each other.

–Grace Galarraga

38. Thundercat – It Is What It Is

As the title suggests, Thundercat is at peace with the world and more than ready to relax into a record full of entirely new and intensely creative takes on jazz. Highlights like “I Love Louis Cole” and “Dragonball Durag” illuminate his singular ability to modernize the genre while injecting some of his own tongue-in-cheek accents.

–Matthew Jordan

37. Talking Book – Talking Book II

The magical compositions on Talking Book II practically pull you out of your body. Each track is a pocket dimension begging to be explored, and the level of detail and care placed into each one makes it feel just as, if not more, real than the one we find ourselves in every day.

– Drew Pitt

36. Touché Amoré – Lament

With Lament, Touche Amore landed a hit. The sounds are deep but the lyrics are deeper. The album hits emotionally hard and we appreciated it. Post-hardcore is alive and well.

– Alison Alber

35. Sturgill Simpson – Cuttin’ Grass Vol. 1

Sturgill Simpson takes old works and turns them into something fresh, new and exciting on his bluegrass album, Cuttin’ Grass Vol. 1. Previously recorded Sturgill songs such as “Long White Line,” “Breakers Roar” and “Turtles All The Way Down” receive a breath of fresh air from tinny banjos, bright mandolins and dark upright basses.

–Ben Bryson

34. Hayley Williams – Petals for Armor

It should come as no surprise that there is powerful energy behind Paramore’s lead singer’s LP, Petals for Armor, with kicking and driving beats like “Simmer” and “Cinnamon” to rock the roof off of 2020.

–Sven Kline

33. Myrkur – Folkesange

Myrkur’s typical M.O. involves operating unconventionally within conventional genre guidelines. Instead of shaking up black metal as she has for years, she dove deep into traditional Danish folk. Like her other endeavors, it’s paid off.

– Cervante Pope

32. Black Thought – Stream of Thought Vol 3: Cane & Able

Black Thought gets vulnerable on the third installment of Streams of Thought. Using precise lyricism and an array of genres fused in, the MC releases all the thoughts that have plagued his mind.

– Jahniya Morris

31. Sad13 – Haunted Painting

Transmuting gloom to glee, Haunted Painting wants to be seen by the person it stifles its laughter at for the express purpose of pissing them off while also proving them wrong. Twinkly synths and acetic sandblaster guitars assist Sadie Dupuis’s fairytale princess vocals while she blithely instructs how to confront mortality.

– Logan Blake

30. Deftones – Ohms

Ohms shows Deftones are continually capable of creating emotionally deep and melodic alternative metal. The instrumentation is heavier and riffier than previous outings and Chino Moreno’s vocals show off a powerful intensity.

– Caitlin Stoddard

29. The Microphones – Microphones in 2020

Despite its off-the-cuff nature, Microphones in 2020 manages to be as emotionally arresting as A Crow Looked at Me and Now Only. Featuring ruminations on time, death, love and life, the musings of Phil Elverum never cease to amaze and enlighten while emotionally connecting with you the entire time.

– Drew Pitt

28. Mark Lanegan – Straight Songs of Sorrow

Infused with Mark Lanegan’s naturally defaulted fathom-deep voice, Straight Songs of Sorrow is a story of a misspent youth. This album’s striking realization of life will reveal that time is foolproof in moments of crisis, a theme that serves as the album’s emotional drive. But Lanegan’s bewilderment transcends the tracklist as he cheats the reaper in this affecting record.

– Liam Thropp

27. Jeff Rosenstock – NO DREAM

Jeff Rosenstock shows us the many sides of punk. The album is honest and layered, making it the perfect companion for the year. Highlights of the album are the ironic lyrics in songs like “***BNB,” mixed with different sound styles, which gives the album a distinct flair that is a very welcome change.

– Alison Alber

26. Poliça – When We Stay Alive

This may be the most arresting Poliça solo record to date. Whether you find yourself swimming in the midnight haze of “Driving” or wrapped in the warm nostalgia of “Steady,” each track pulls you into its orbit with striking ease. The fact that an album can be so immediately engaging on all levels while still pushing the boundaries of production is nothing short of miraculous.

– Drew Pitt

25. Mrs. Piss – Self-Surgery

When you’ve got the likes of Chelsea Wolfe and the aggressively talented drummer Jess Gowrie at the helms of anything individually, the chance of it turning out amazing is high. When you put the two of them together, those chances are blown out of calculable proportion. Marrying the broodingly dark airs of Wolfe with Gowerie’s ability to communicate emotion without words, Self-Surgery is a brief breath of intensely fresh air.

– Cervante Pope

24. Tricky – Fall to Pieces

Over three decades into his illustrious career, Tricky is at his absolute best on Fall to Pieces. The English artist has never shied away from the darkness and this project sees him going even deeper. On skeletal tracks like “Chills Me to the Bone” and “Like a Stone,” the futuristic nightmares are all-consuming.

– Matthew Jordan

23. Dogleg – Melee

It’s rare that a punk band can make such an impact with their debut album like Dogleg does with Melee. A nearly flawless record, the 10 songs on the record combine the “whoa-oh-oh” singalongs and breakneck tempos of No Idea punk bands with the heady riffs and emotional heft of post-hardcore legends like At The Drive-In. Each and every song gives you a reason to get up and thrust your fist to the sky.

– Matt Matasci

22. HAIM – Women in Music Pt. III

The female trio HAIM’s third album is full of energy and drive, expressing the powerful individuality that this group has. These three sisters have written this collection to unveil the mental and physical privations they have had in relation to the death of a loved one and the conditions they struggle with.

– Allie Galis

21. Napalm Death – Throes of Joy In The Jaws of Defeatism

Napalm Death is known for being a politically driven non-political band, and this year, their sentiments resonated greatly. Throes of Joy… calls out societal injustice and human rights issues in a way that’s uncomfortably on the nose, especially considering how it wasn’t written through an American lens. It’s a nod to how tragic the entire world is and a public declaration of its need for change.

– Cervante Pope

20. Gorillaz – Song Machine: Season One – Strange Timez

A project as ambitious as the online minisodes that preceded it, Song Machine continues Gorillaz reconstruction of various genres into their own distinct style. From the new wave contributions care of Peter Hook and Robert Smith to the afrobeat drums of the late Tony Allen, each sonic blend is refreshing.

– Aaron Grech

19. Boris – NO

Even after 26 albums, the Japanese experimental band Boris finds ways to please longtime fans and gain new ones. NO has elements for heavy metal fans, hardcore punk and any doom metal appreciators. From the vocal-less “Genesis,” which creates a foreboding atmosphere, to the melodic close of “Interlude,” listeners experience thrashy, doom riffs and an aggressive hoard of harsh noises that accentuate the frustration poured into each song. The emotions conveyed in the vocals and instrumentation are palpable throughout, like in “Temple of Hatred,” which contains wailing cries, or the following song, “Zerkalo,” which is slower, but the anguished vocals speak volumes.

– Erin Winans

18. Night Club – Die Die Lullabye

Following up their scorching album Scary World, duo Night Club returns with another slamming series of songs on Die Die Lullabye deftly blending sugary pop hooks, industrial-strength pulse, rock energy and dark subject matter. In a truly all killer, no filler approach, the album stands up nine solid tracks (considering the opener is a brief intro), diving deep on bubblegum danceable hooks on “Sad Boy” and “My Valentine” before mutating into darker, sexier, more sinister territory on “Miss Negativity” and “Misery Go Round.” This group’s ascendancy is one not to be missed. Few are navigating the realm between pop goodness and pure counter-culture in all of music as expertly as Mark Brooks and Emily Kavanaugh are right now.

– Raymond Flotat

17. Phoebe Bridgers – Punisher

Soft yet soulful, Phoebe Bridgers delivers a decade-defining performance in Punisher. Marked by her unmistakable vocal style, Bridgers offers a wellspring of authentic emotion and wisdom to her listeners. From her musings on imposter syndrome in “Kyoto” to her heartbreak in “I Know The End,” Bridgers holds nothing back in Punisher, exploring a diverse array of issues in her own life. In doing so, she breathes life into the shadows people fear exploring, allowing for Punisher to sound like a series of diary entries rather than a typical tracklist. By infusing this intimacy into the album, Bridgers cements herself as one of the year’s most memorable artists.

– Phoebe Smith

16. Killer Be Killed – Reluctant Hero

Through their second album, Reluctant Hero, the talent each member brings to the supergroup is undeniable. From opening track “Deconstructing Self-Destruction,” listeners will be drawn in by the masterful instrumentation all around. After six years, this song aptly brings people back into the world of the band. The mixture of clean and screaming vocals on Reluctant Hero is nicely balanced throughout, and the drumming courtesy of metal all-star Ben Koller is a constant powerhouse track-to-track. The songs simultaneously emit a heaviness and aggressiveness by containing slow, brooding moments and melodic flashes that mingle with fast-paced thrasher points.

– Erin Winans

15. Steve Earle and the Dukes – Ghosts of West Virginia

Steve Earle and his band of rockers, The Dukes, appear to be unfazed by the persistence of time or the manipulative nature of the music industry in their newest album, Ghosts of West Virginia. Still the same man and artist that gave us the beloved “Copperhead Road,” Earle continues with his tribute to rural America. Songs like “Union, God and Country” and “John Henry was a Steel Drivin’ Man” show the working class sorrows of Middle America. In “It’s About Blood,” he pays homage to working-class life by mourning and speaking the names of all 29 miners that were killed in a 2010 mining explosion in West Virginia—this being the event that sparked the album and its name. All of this acknowledgment of an often-unseen and unheard United States is not just an acknowledgment though, songs such as “Time is Never on Our Side” and “Fastest Man Alive” bring lyric and melodic mastery to the album.

– Ben Bryson

14. Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist – Alfredo

Freddie Gibbs takes time to reflect on everything that has happened in his life in Alfredo. From the retelling of his upbringing, the early days of his career and the struggles that come with gaining fame, Gibbs lets it all out. Features from Rick Ross, Benny the Butcher, Tyler, the Creator and Conway the Machine give a diverse sound that can appeal to different listeners. With production from The Alchemist, the two create a dark and unfiltered project on the reality of how upbringings play a role in life moving forward.

– Jahniya Morris

13. Mr. Bungle – The Raging Wrath Of The Easter Bunny Demo

In a year of the greatest uncertainty in modern times as a whole, fans finally saw the reunion of avant-garde genre destroying masters, Mr. Bungle. Doing the unthinkable given their massively diverse catalog, the three original members Mike Patton, Trevor Dunn and Trey Spruance brought in support from two of their high-school era heroes in Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian and ex-Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo. They then promptly re-recorded their first demo (which nearly nobody had outside of bootlegs) using all the immaculate skill and talent they’ve accumulated in the 3.5 decades since. The Raging Wrath of the Easter Bunny Demo plays like a shocking exploded view of what heavy music can be, could be, but all too seldom is. It’s breathtaking and serves as both a fitting tribute to the metal, punk, hardcore, death and doom of the ‘80s but a fearless command for how high-minded skill can still drive the best music.

– Raymond Flotat

12. Bully – SUGAREGG

In a year where everyone felt isolated, Alicia Bognanno of Bully finally reached out to someone. SUGAREGG is the first Bully record to bring in outside help, as Bognanno called on Grammy-winner John Congleton (St. Vincent) for engineering and mixing. The result is a more refined sound, one that cuts down on the raw roughness of her previous work. Still, Bully’s signature energy remains intact. With banging riffs and shout-along choruses, tracks such as “Where to Start” and “Prism” are among the best in the project’s lexicon to date. Bognanno said she broke the exhausting spell of listening to the news to feel more driven while making the record, and that burst of energy shows.

– Tom Hindle

11. Charli XCX – How I’m Feeling Now

Written in quarantine, How I’m Feeling Now is both an earnest love letter to the fans who collaborated on the record through a number of Zoom calls and the next phase of Charli XCX’s hyper pop evolution. Going from stunningly simple and catchy hooks on “Claws” to heartbreaking anthems like “7 Years,” How I’m Feeling Now manages to retain the direct sincerity of an indie-pop record while holding a forward-thinking aesthetic. Don’t worry, the album is generous with its bangers, too, making a giant splash on its opener “Pink Diamond” and bringing new surprises to the party on “Anthems.”

– Aaron Grech

10. Death Valley Girls – Under the Spell of Joy

Time travel is possible. Just give Under the Spell of Joy a listen. It’s an album out of time, yet just in time–amidst a cataclysmic, chaotic year unlike any other, Death Valley Girls open a psychedelic, gloriously retro portal to simpler, more carefree times. Upbeat tracks like “Hold My Hand,” “Bliss Out” and “Little Things” encourage listeners to slow down, take it easy and live their best lives. Life is short, after all, so why not enjoy each moment as it occurs? Meanwhile, songs like “Hypnagogia” and “The Universe” get nebulous, with the latter waxing esoterically on the natures of dreams, love and free will. Under the Spell of Joy masterfully emulates and immortalizes the carefree, flower crown-adorned excesses of the 1960s and ‘70s.

– Burke Joslin

9. Dua Lipa – Future Nostalgia

The pop icon’s second full-length LP is continually self-referential, adding sophistication to pop with surprisingly substantive themes like the misandry of “Boys Will Be Boys” and equally bawdy themes classically linked to the pop paradigm like the not-so-concealed nymphomania of “Good in Bed.” Upcycling all those dear tropes from decades past, Future Nostalgia sometimes shifts between multiple eras and genres in a single track–from DJ to electronica to funk and disco–while crafting its own nostalgia. It contains 11 paragons of the three-minute pop template she masters in an international pop star persona of stratospheric stature. Pink and preening and flirtatious, every track flits its feathery lashes as multi-colored electronica notes splash up in geysers backed by the intricate production that blends and blurs the relationship between vocalist and recording studio, compelling the most taciturn to surrender to the spell of its glitzy allure.

– Logan Blake

8. Laura Marling – Song For Our Daughter

There’s a reason Brit folk-rock artist Laura Marling was nominated for a Mercury Prize and Best Folk Album award for Song For Our Daughter. There’s so much passion and life that resonates in this LP that can keep you feeling uplifted, especially during this year that only seems to get worse by the month. Fortunately, Marling’s melodies are here to help soothe our trodden and depressed minds in this chaos. With such a lively opening to Song For Our Daughter, your soul is destressed and enlightened with energetic tracks like “Alexandra,” “Held Down” and “Strange Girl” that may enable you to burst out of your seat dancing to such catchy melodies. Feeling down in dumps? Song For Our Daughter still has you covered, with lowly sympathetic tracks like “Only The Strong,” self-titled track “Song For Our Daughter,” “The End Of The Affair” and of course, “Hope We Meet Again.” All in all, there’s no mistake picking up this LP and hitting repeat.

– Sven Kline

7. Austra – HiRUDiN

Vulnerable and minimalistic, Austra’s HiRUDiN might be the Canadian electronic artist’s most personal work to date. Across the record’s 11 tracks, frontwoman Katie Stelmanis weaves a tale of heartbreak, renewal, doubt and solace, and her production on the project rarely misses the mark, the music swirling and swelling around her angelic vocals. Stelmanis’ voice wavers delicately like a pitched-up Florence Welch, caressing each track with an almost choral etherealness as she sings about lovers lost, spurned and discovered.

HiRUDiN is an album with sublime cadence. Minimalistic synth, horn and keyboard riffs blossom into sprawling choruses that envelop the listener with warmth and emotion. Stelmanis’ heartbreak is palpable on tracks like “Anywayz” and “All I Wanted,” and the rest of the record poignantly explores her hopes, doubts and dreams for a relationship. An album with plenty of emotional highs and lows, HiRUDiN is a testament to Stelmanis’ skill as both a producer and songwriter.

– Jack Daleo

6. Puscifer – Existential Reckoning

Puscifer’s daring new album, Existential Reckoning is the epitome of the experimental rock genre. Tracks like “Bread and Circus,” “Apocalyptical” and “Theorem” reflect Maynard James Keenan’s profound creativity and playfulness as they are reminiscent of ’50s electronic music but have a modernized sense of pulses and rhythms. “The Underwhelming” features a hybrid of upbeat pop and rock music. What makes this track, and the rest of the album, special is the presence of enigmatic vocal harmonizations and catchy riffs that Keenan has mastered throughout his career as a long time member of the band Tool. “Fake Affront” incorporates rhythmic non-lexical vocables and pauses, which adds extra exuberance and distinctiveness to the song. In the midst of political unrest and global pandemic, Existential Reckoning, seems more relevant than ever. The fact that Keenan had endured a COVID-19 infection prior to its release strengthens the album’s messages. Despite the ongoing confusion in our world, Puscifer’s lyrics encourage us to face reality but also to think optimistically to overcome problems.

– Sean Nabari

5. Hum – Inlet

A lush, landmark reunion album from one of the greater bands to emerge out of their scene. Hum has long been championed by the underground for their lovely layers upon layers of heavy tones and straightforward yet genius songwriting, but never got the recognition they really deserved. The opening track, “Waves,” instantly sinks you into an abyss of nostalgia and tranquility, as followed suit on the rest of the album, flirting and experimenting with tight, dynamic performances that include softer, space-rock sections, as well as massive riffs, found on tracks such as “Step into You,” and especially the closer “Shapeshifter.” A superb comeback album from a band that we needed now more than ever.

– Victor Nica

4. Fiona Apple – Fetch the Bolt Cutters

Fiona Apple’s fifth solo album, Fetch The Bolt Cutters was recorded in her Venice Beach home, where the walls, floors and her dogs each make their appearances throughout the album. Apple has always had a way with words, and there is quite a bit of content to unpack throughout all 13 of the songs, as she sings on topics ranging from love to bullying and toxic masculinity. It’s a journey through Apple’s youth, from recognizing her potential in “Shameika” to wanting to fit in with the rest of the “Ladies,” to not wanting to be confined in “Under the Table,” and resolving with “On I Go,” propelling her forward as she strives to resolve the past.

Apple’s lyrics are the true star of each song, cutting down her past lovers and so-called friends. She builds her sound from the ground up, with the percussion as the driving force, utilizing rhythms that are challenging to pin down. While many of the songs are heavy in content and not exactly easy to sing along to, they beg the attention of the listener throughout the album. Apple, with bolt cutters in hand, is breaking free and allowing this album to be unapologetically herself.

– Ilana Tel-Oren

3. Ulver – Flowers of Evil

Ulver returned in 2020, following up their stellar 2017 release The Assassination of Julius Caesar with the equally brilliant Flowers of Evil. While Julius Caesar found the fearless group delving deep into the sultry sounds of ‘80s darkwave, on Flowers of Evil, they went even further into electronic dance music while carving out their own amazing groove. A soft bed of synths unfurls delicately on each track, creating the bedrock where subtle atmospherics can sparkle and punctuate. The BPM never gets aggressive, overreaching for anything beyond a steady pace, but damned if after 60 seconds you don’t want to just up and start dancing along.

“One Last Dance” and first single “Russian Doll” set the tone early, and then “Machine Guns and Peacock Feathers” steps it up with only the lightest of electric guitar. “Apocalypse 1993” and “Little Boy” impressive just as much with lead singer/programmer singing like a latter-day Dave Gahan with effortless baritone. “Little Boy” in particular clicks, even more, benefiting from supreme counterpoint and pounding drum fills. It all nestles back down to Earth on the dreamier and more subdued “A Thousand Cuts” as the album comes to a close. If 2020 was a year where live dance music concerts and festivals were possible, this is who should have been headlining. Like Ministry in their heyday, Ulver may have just slyly reinvented dance music while everyone was looking the other way.

– Raymond Flotat

2. Run the Jewels – RTJ4

Run the Jewels have always been aware of what is happening in the country, whether it be politically or socially. Following the murder of George Floyd, the duo decided to release their album, RTJ4 a little early. The reason for this was in a note written to fans saying, “Fuck it, why wait? The world is infested with bullshit, so here’s something raw to listen to while you deal with it all.”

The album is a raw and eye-opening approach to the realities that are the cause of the social issue movements. Tracks like “walking in the snow” and “JU$T” give listeners an inside look into the reality of police brutality, how social media plays a role in this and their own opinions on the matter. Combined with production from El-P, and lyrics that question what freedom really means, as well as some that call out social media activists, RTJ4 is intense but a well-needed commentary on the issues. While a way to educate, it also a sense of release, letting listeners affected by this trauma know they are seen and heard.

– Jahniya Morris

1. Greg Puciato – Child Soldier: Creator of God

In a year full of disruption, Greg Puciato’s debut solo album is a fitting placement for our Album of the Year and not just because it’s an incredible record. A planned release date of October 23 was scuttled when a rogue, unnamed “journalist” leaked the album three weeks ahead of schedule. In response, Puciato and his label Federal Prisoner surprise-released the album immediately on October 1, with minimal lashing out at the unnamed leaker. Early singles like the aggro-industrial influenced “Deep Set” and caustic rager “Roach Hiss” showed a great deal of promise for the project; when released, it quickly became clear the eclectic-yet-focused LP would fly under the radar as 2020’s most impressive album.

The 2017 dissolution of The Dillinger Escape Plan left a small void in the world of extreme music, one that the band’s longest-running lead singer quickly filled with his debut solo album. While Puciato already had a synth-pop offshoot in The Black Queen, Child Soldier: Creator of God is legitimately a whole different animal and deserving of the solo tag. The numerous melodically-inclined tracks like “Temporary Object,” “Down When I’m Not” and the aching “You Know I Do” offer an appropriate contrast to the hardcore, metal and industrial tones throughout the rest of the record.

Songs like the aforementioned “Roach Hiss” feature drums by Puciato’s Killer Be Killed bandmate Ben Koller while original The Dillinger Escape Plan drummer Chris Pennie brings the house down on “Fire for Water.” Those two, along with Poison the Well’s Chris Hornbrook provide the drumming across Child Soldier: Creator of God while Puciato recorded the rest of the instrumentation. After three straight songs of pummeling, a brief respite is provided by the gorgeous “Temporary Object” and “Fireflies,” before throwing the listener back into the roiling distortion of “Do You Need Me to Remind You?” and “Roach Hiss.”

The album begins to lighten up a bit towards the back end, smartly avoiding any sort of sameness or repetition in the sequencing. “Down When I’m Not” is a surprising bit of blissful pop-punk, while “You Know I Do” and “Through The Walls” provide a slow-building introduction to the emotional core of the album, “Evacuation.” One of the more unique songs on Child Soldier: Creator of God, it’s defined by its metal-tinged electronic body music chorus and alternately clean and screamed vocals. “September City” makes for an compelling conclusion to the 15 track, building up from a minimalist electronic base until it emerges with a big, melodic alternative metal conclusion. It’s an exciting cliffhanger to what promises to be an instant classic and yet another winning volume in Puciato’s career.

– Matt Matasci

Featured Image Photo Credit: Raymond Flotat