Mojo’s Favorite Albums of 2021

This may be the first year I thought to start right away in January making notes of my favorite albums, so that when I start my month-long music binge in November to write this post, it isn’t so overwhelming. I’m glad I did, this was another great year for music of all genres, and especially for the area that grips my soul in a leather glove, heavy rock and metal.

There was definitely a resurgence of 80s/90s hard rock and metal, giving us really solid new albums by Accept, L.A. Guns, Dee Snider, Exodus, and others, as well as newer acts like Todd La Torre giving us some 90s style metal. Plus plenty of indie and international heavy rock, still arriving mid-December. It’s honestly been tough to keep up with it all, and I love it.

As usual, I feel like I need to give a disclaimer – these aren’t what my amateur ass considers to be the best albums of the year. I’ll leave that to Spin and Rolling Stone. These are my favorites from the year, the ones I kept coming back to, the ones I’ll keep coming back to, like I do with the albums that made my list in previous years. You know how your favorite albums make you feel. Merely good albums aren’t it. The ones that get you going and keep you coming back are it.

So, in no particular order (but kinda). The albums that got under my skin and demanded repeat listens, here are my favorite albums from 2021.


Death by Rock and Roll by The Pretty Reckless
TPR surprised me by making my list out of nowhere back in 2016 with Who Are You Selling For. I had barely heard of them, and they just blew me away. Well, Taylor Momsen and crew have dropped what I think is the Album of the Year with Death By Rock and Roll, with scorching emotional vocals on songs like 25, And So it Went (ft. Tom Morello), and the title track. Absolutely love this album top to tail.
Standout tracks: Death by Rock and Roll, And So It Went, 25, Witches Burn

The Burden of Restlessness by King Buffalo
This album was a little bit of a slow burn after hearing their hypnotic meditation “Silverfish”, but this excellent full length eventually earned the power position in my car CD player. Every song on The Burden of Restlessness is hypnotic and haunting, harmonic and heavy, which is the hallmark of this band. So glad I got to see them live this fall, my first concert since the “before times”, and I’m guessing the last time I’ll be able to catch these future classics in a small club.
Standout tracks: Burning, Hebetation, Silverfish

Exordium by Wytch
This was a very pleasant surprise, the debut by Finland’s Wytch, a female fronted heavy rock band dripping with 70s roots and reverb. The confidence and storytelling in these catchy songs sound like they’re spun by a veteran band. Fans of Ghost and Jefferson Airplane will dig this. And oh, the pipes.
Standout tracks: Black Hole, Savior, Warrior, Break You Down

Resolute by The Age Of Truth
What can I say about the Age of Truth, I love these guys, they’re the real deal, and their sophomore album Resolute rightly made a lot of year-end lists in 2021. I’m looking forward to many years of great songs, incredible musicianship, outstanding storytelling from this hardworking Philly band.
Standout tracks: Palace of Rain, Horsewhip, A Promise of Nothing

Secrets Of The Black Moon by High Desert Queen
At turns heavy and hypnotic, this future classic of stoner/psych rock grew on me quickly and was on repeat before long. Hats off to Austin’s High Desert Queen for this one.
Standout tracks: Heads Will Roll, As We Roam, The Mountain Vs The Quake

When Their Gods Come For You by Witchcryer
I loved Witchcryer’s debut Cry Witch, it was a workout staple for me pre-pandemic. I’d been looking forward to this followup for a while then was pleasantly surprised when it arrived, a concept album featuring various gods throughout history and civilizations, yet still rocking just as hard as ever. Keep an eye on this up and coming Austin doomy rock band.
Standout tracks: The Devil & the Deep Blue See, Hellmouth

Quest for Oblivion by Sun Crow
This one hooked me right away, solid stoner rock from Seattle’s Sun Crow. And there’s something about that spooky, simple album cover, looking like a skull and a moonscape at once. Great stuff.
Standout tracks: Collapse, Black it Out, Fear

Marriage by Deap Vally
I’ve been a fan of this post-punk duo since their debut, and this full length made up of new originals and the cherry-picked gems of recent EPs is one of their best. I’m hoping more people recognize the quirky genius of Lindsey and Julie, who somehow managed to do some of their best work while starting families in a pandemic. Hopefully we’ll get to see them on tour soon, as they’re amazing live!
Standout tracks: Perfuction, Billions, I Like Crime

Checkered Past by L.A. Guns
If there’s such a thing as a fresh throwback, this is it, an all killer, no filler album from one of the L.A. rock scene’s seminal bands, sounding as fresh as ever while still kicking it old school, 90s style.
Standout tracks: Cannonball, Bad Luck Charm

Dreamers and the Dead by Doctor Smoke
I’d never heard of Doctor Smoke before this started making the rounds this year, but the twists and turns of time signatures, melodies, and storylines wormed their way into my heart. Dreamers and the Dead conjures up some satisfying spells indeed.
Standout tracks: Reborn Into Darkness, These Horrid Things, Waking Dreams

Niratias by Chevelle
Chevelle keeps rolling along, putting in the work and putting out albums that keep riding under the radar. I first listened to this album looking for a standout gut punch like The Red or Face to the Floor, but what it really is is a teeth-gritted, restrained slow burn of rage beneath the surface that calls to mind Korn, Tool, and other outliers of alt-metal. Let this one grow on you.
Standout tracks: Verruckt, So Long, Mother Earth, Self Destructor

False Dawn by Spacelord
This one was a surprise, I simply asked Twitter what were their favorites this year and this came up in the responses. I hadn’t heard of this band from Buffalo, let alone heard the album. And though it didn’t sound like what I expected, I ended up putting it on repeat for a while. Touches of Clutch, Led Zeppelin, and even a bit of that Screaming Trees Seattle sound are all in there somewhere.
Standout tracks: Enemy Lines, How the Devil Got Into You

Onwards and Downwards by Alastor
Another slow burn, this mellow, melodically doomy album from Sweden’s Alastor settles into the back seat like it owns the place and stays there as long as it wants, smoking and telling haunting stories with a charming accent.
Standout tracks: The Killer in My Skull, Dead Things in Jars

Dark Majesty by Kal-El
Kal-El is another band that’s been around a while, but somehow managed to evade my radar until I heard Dark Majesty. This album is an unwavering demonstration of mastery of craft by this Norwegian stoner rock band. Fans of the Sword and Nekromant will dig this.
Standout tracks: Spiral, Hyperion, Dark Majesty 

Moral Hygiene by Ministry
In Ministry’s best album since their classic Psalm 69, Al Jourgensen lets us know he still has plenty to be angry about, as we all do, but he still expresses it in the most heavily groovy way, asking us “how concerned are you?”
Standout tracks: Alert Level, Good Trouble


Honorable mentions – The Lunar Injection Kool Aid Eclipse Conspiracy by Rob Zombie, Mammoth WVH by Mammoth WVH, Leave a Scar by Dee Snider, Too Mean to Die by Accept, Blood & Iron by Wolftooth, Great Fear Rising by Void Vator. Good albums that just didn’t make it into my heavy rotation. yet.

Bonus – once again, I’ve created a Spotify playlist of selected songs from the albums listed here, enjoy! Micropayments for everyone!

What are your favorite albums of 2021? Comment below or let me know!

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Mojo’s Favorite Albums of 2020

Vinyl RecordWhatever else happened this year — and it was a lot — it was still a very good year for music.

2020 saw the surprise returns of Fiona Apple, AC/DC, Deep Purple, Armored Saint, Public Enemy, and the Smashing Pumpkins. We got great new albums by Ozzy, Taylor Swift (yeah I said it), and Testament, among others. But as I say every year, this is not an attempt at listing what I think are the best new albums of the year, but instead the ones that got under my skin and stuck around on repeat for a while.

I do enjoy making this list. I listen to tons of music all year (Spotify tells me that on their platform alone I listened to 423 new artists for 25,914 minutes in 2020!) This list gives me a chance to share albums that might not be more widely known, and also to revisit music I’ve missed, when I take time in early December to look back and catch up. As usual, there’s a few you’ll know, a few you won’t, and a surprise or two!

AMMA by Puta Volcano


Normally I say ‘in no particular order’ but these are a little bit in order. I unashamedly love Athenian rockers Puta Volcano and I had this album on hard repeat on and off all year. AMMA is a little less up front and obvious than Dune, their previous full length, which is one of my all-time favorite albums, but that just means there’s more to grow on here. Dig in!

Refractions by Lowrider


Speaking of surprise returns! After a 20 year break between albums (take that, Tool!), Sweden’s legendary Lowrider dropped this bomb in early 2020, causing shockwaves throughout the heavy music world. Refractions is the awesome follow up to Io, the now-classic debut by these seminal stoner rockers. I expect to see this album on a lot of year-end best-of lists.

Dead Star by King Buffalo


King Buffalo quickly came out of seemingly nowhere to become one of my favorite bands in the last couple of years, and I was really looking forward to seeing them again in SF this past spring, before the world got cancelled. Dead Star is a semi-concept EP bridging the gap between 2018’s critically-acclaimed Longing to be the Mountain and whatever masterpiece they cook up next. Just killer progressive stoner rock that you don’t listen to as much as experience.

Habits by Elephant Tree


Elephant Tree is one of those bands that if you know, you know. Granted, I had never heard of them until Jamie from San Francisco’s Brume told me about them some years ago. But I was hooked instantly on their hypnotic brand of psychedelic space rock, which has one foot in the 60s and one in the future. Habits is the highly anticipated follow up to their 2016 self-titled album, and it definitely doesn’t disappoint.

Acid Communion by Bone Church


Balls out, straight ahead rock and roll, just turn it up and get your headbang on. Heavy 70s style Aussie hard rock in the vein of Sabbath, Deep Purple, Rainbow. It’s just feel good, top down, get your ya-yas out bluesy heavy guitar rock.

Mother by In This Moment

In This Moment - Mother

Maria Brink and crew bring their special brand of hair-raising cathartic power and emotion to In This Moment‘s newest release, Mother. With powerful covers of songs like Fly Like an Eagle and We Will Rock You (feat. Lzzy Hale of Halestorm), as well as amazing originals like The In-Between, the latest from In This Moment is a must listen.

Father of all Motherfuckers by Green Day

Part QUOTSA, part early Beatles, all Green Day and a whole lot of fun. A little less cynical, and a little more power pop, Father of all Motherfuckers is an energetic treat, with a lot of nods to early rock and roll in its peppy songs and polished production. I love that these guys just keep on doing their thing and dgaf what anyone thinks of their sonic experimentations.

Ohms by Deftones

Deftones are an acquired taste, and I wonder if people out there who love classic Deftones will feel like this is watered-down, accessible Deftones, but then again who cares, it’s just good. Relentless raw nerve vocals alternated with mellow melodies over staccato beats, Ohms is… well, it’s Deftones.

Casting the Circle by High Priestess


Casting the Circle is the second full length release by LA doom trio High Priestess. If you’re unfamiliar with the psychedelic swirls and melodic mist of High Priestess’ magical brand of doom rock, then now’s your chance to dive in and get caught in their spell.

Reverie by Forming the Void


Somehow, while I was listening to Reverie on repeat, trying to decide if I liked it or not, it wormed its way into my psyche and lodged there for several weeks. The funny thing is that this album sounds very much like it doesn’t care if you like it or not, it is what it is despite it all — crushingly heavy pounding fuzz rock, swirling through time and space and passing through your brain on its way.

Valhalla by Wolftooth


Wolftooth is back and has stepped up their game with their second full length, Valhalla, sounding more like the best of the Sword than they did on their self-titled 2018 debut. just pure riff rock fury in NWOBHM style from these Louisiana metalheads.

The Woes of a Mortal Earth by Brimstone Coven


Wait, another 70s Sabbath-sounding blues rock band? Well, yeah, but it’s, you know, really fucking good so just go listen to it okay? Bonus: cowbell!

Love Like Machines by the Heavy Eyes


Last but not least is the latest from Louisiana rockers The Heavy Eyes, Love Like Machines. Not to be confused with the now-defunct Flying Eyes, who they call to mind on this fuzzed out feast of funky catchy riffs. Fans of Kyuss, Clutch, and Freedom Hawk will dig this one, a future desert rock classic.


Honorable mentions – Ordinary Man by Ozzy, Excruciation by Curse the Son, Cyr by Smashing Pumpkins, Scorpio by Atomic Bitchwax; What You Gonna Do When the Grid Goes Down? by Public Enemy, Si Vis Paceum, Para Bellum by Seether. And honestly I wanted to like Marilyn Manson’s latest We Are Chaos but I didn’t.

Bonus – this year I’ve created a Spotify playlist of selected songs from the albums listed here, enjoy! Micropayments for everyone!

What are your favorite albums of 2020? Comment below or let me know!

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Mojo’s Pick of the Week – AMMA by Puta Volcano

Puta Volcano AmmaI can’t express how excited I am that those crazy groovy Greeks in Puta Volcano have delivered another syncopated, riff-heavy album of killer tracks with their latest release AMMA, out everywhere now. With their third solid release, Puta Volcano has planted its flag in the sand and saying ‘we are here, motherfuckers.’

The tighter-than-ever quartet has refined its sound from a raw, gritty energy into a restrained, slightly understated but confident power, more like muscles flexing and less like a punch to the face. The rhythm section of Bookies on bass and
Steve Stefanidistill on drums lays a heavy groove and Alex Pi’s guitars go from mean, tight riffs to warm fuzz shower with ease. Anna Papathanasiou’s powerful, husky vocals still raise the hair on the back of my neck. Fans of Tool will dig the latest from these rising stars.

Standout tracks: Venus Lullaby, Black Box

Puta Volcano on the web:

http://putavolcano.com/
https://putavolcano.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/putavolcanoband/

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