If a great record comes out in October or November, it’s probably far more likely to end up on someone’s ‘best of the year’ list than if it were to come out in February or March. If you released a record in the first half of the year, and an equally good record came out in the second half, but you had to cut one from your ‘top ten records of 2018’ list, you’d probably be more inclined to cut the earlier release, simply because the newer one is still new and exciting. If you release an album in December – forget about it, you’re later for your deadline than I am right now. These are the things that keep me up at night. Here are some words I wrote about a couple of records we still have to look forward to before 2018 is out that I expect will end up in a few of these lists.
AlithiA is a progressive rock/metal band from Melbourne that has been getting themselves on a lot of good gigs over the last couple of years. They’ve been on national tours in support of international leaders Leprous and The Contortionist, and have some solid European adventures under their belt. From purely a personal perspective, I never quite ‘got’ it – none of their earlier recordings really had ‘it’ for me. Years of hard work and experience (especially at such levels) can do wonders for a band, and I was actually a little surprised to find myself impressed by more than just the musicianship, however, and found myself genuinely liking their newest single ‘Empress’. The song feels like it has an identifiable point, and isn’t just a wander into progressive nothingness. I’m looking forward to seeing what the band serves up in completion on Friday October 26 with their new full-length The Moon Has Fallen.
Psycroptic is the best band to have ever come out of Tasmania, and probably Australia’s best-ever (or at least most accomplished) death-metal band. Nearly 20 years into their career, they’re still finding ways to reinvent themselves, while still sounding like no other band. After several albums mixed by guitarist Joe Haley, As The Kingdom Drowns was mixed and mastered by Will Putney (Thy Art Is Murder, Northlane, Fit For An Autopsy), and the first single ‘We Were The Keepers’ sounds absolutely massive. I probably write about this band too much, but I love them, and always have. Check it out if you haven’t – album’s out on Friday November 9, and they’ve announced a massive national tour with Orpheus Omega around a pretty vast majority of the country.
