For the third straight year, Ethan thinks you care about his opinion.

This year was a big one in the rock and metal community. TOOL released a new album, Ozzy announced a new record, My Chemical Romance reunited, and Motley Crue announced their comeback tour next summer. It’s been a big year and I’m excited to give you guys my Top 10 albums of the year. A couple of them might come off as surprises, and there might be a couple that I don’t include that might be a bit surprising. Let’s get to it.

1. We Are Not Your Kind by Slipknot – This album was everything I wanted to be and 10x more. Corey’s vocals sound better than ever before and the lyrics on this record are really phenomenal and might be the best the band has ever written. Musically, it’s a really diverse album from songs that are clearly Slipknot to ones that sound like they were pulled right out of a John Carpenter movie. Overall, the album was very satisfying and I find myself listening to it all the time.
2. Disguise by Motionless In White – I really cannot stop listening to this album. My biggest complaint about this band is that Chris has such an amazing voice that tends to get masked by a bunch of screaming, but this time around they really let his vocals shine and that was something I really loved. Also, “Another Life” might be the biggest departure from the sound they’re known for, but in my opinion it is by far the best song on the record.
3. The Nothing by Korn – I don’t find myself coming back to this album as often as the two named above, but that isn’t a knock on the music, but rather a compliment towards JD and his lyricism and vocal delivery. This is Korn’s best album in 20 years and it’s really special, but at times it can be hard to listen to because you can really feel the pain JD is dealing with in the music. In order to give this album the respect it needs you kind of just need to sit down and listen without distractions.
4. amo by Bring Me The Horizon – This record was a major departure from what the band sounded like when they first came out. It was a cool fusion of pop and metal that I think works rather well. It’s a lot of fun to listen to and I think it will bring in more fans that have never heard heavier music before and introduce them to a genre that I love so much.
5. Trauma by I Prevail – I don’t tend to like bands that blow up with a cover song. I’m not a fan of that, but I do really like this new record. It really feels like these guys have found their groove and are making the music that they want to make. Like many of my favorite albums this year, this one also has some really personal lyrics and it takes some guts to talk about your personal life in your music.
6. Hollywood’s Bleeding by Post Malone – This one kind of came out of nowhere for me. I was not expecting to like this album at all, but I did. I mean, who can really dislike an album that has Ozzy’s vocals on it? I appreciate the artistry here even though it isn’t what I would normally listen to everyday. This album is a lot of fun. Go listen to it.
7. Who Do You Trust? by Papa Roach – This album has some “bangers” on it as Jacoby would say. It is a really different sound than what we’re used to with them, but they keep that same old school energy and apply it to the new music that makes it really fun and enjoyable.
8. Strength in Numb333rs by Fever 333 – The debut Fever album is similar to the new Korn record in a lot of ways in that the lyrics really talk about the pain and the struggles for Jason, the lead singer. This was a band that I didn’t expect to come out of nowhere and blow me away, but they did. It’s also worth noting that they have one of the coolest and most intense live shows that I’ve ever seen.
9. OK, I’m Sick – Badflower by I had no idea who these guys were until last March when I saw them at a show opening up for a band called Nothing More. They blew me away man. They’re songs are catchy and are written with a lot of heart. They’re honest. They sing about what they believe and their own experiences in life and I respect the hell out of that.
10. Flawed Design by Saint Asonia – I’d be lying if I said I loved this album right away because I didn’t, but I do really enjoy it now. It has some of Adam’s best vocals over his career and it really does sound like a cool Staind/Three Days Grace fusion that works really well. I have a feeling these songs are going to be amazing live.

There you have it. This year’s top albums all involved evolution for the band and had pretty personal lyrics that I could feel while listening to the record and then a couple of them are just fun to listen to. The biggest take away for me in 2019: change is good. There were a couple of albums that didn’t make my list for the simple fact that it just sounded like other stuff we’d gotten from that band before, TOOL’s new album for example. I’m really looking forward to what 2020 will bring us with new music from Ozzy Osbourne, A Day to Remember, Nothing More, and (hopefully) My Chemical Romance.

I wanna know what your top albums of the year were. Tweet at me to let me know. @ejacksonmedia on Twitter.