This was a killer year for music across the board. I love a year where it’s challenging for me to put together a top 10 list; I initially start my process with a top 20 and then work my way to those really special records. It’s also exciting to share my personal top records with you all through Haunted Riffs! This column has been a real joy for me, and in 2022, I look forward to bringing you more features, interviews, and reviews.
A couple of notes before diving into my top picks: First, these are my top picks, and not an effort to say these are the best records of the year objectively. Also, while Haunted Riffs has involved a lot of metal, I’ve also included my favorite non-metal records.
Without further ado, here are my top 10 records of 2021!
10. Rob Zombie – The Lunar Injection Kool Aid Eclipse Conspiracy
With Zombie being one of the longest-running artists I’ve been listening to, The Lunar Injection Kool Aid Eclipse Conspiracy is one of my favorite records from him. It sounded like a great fusion of arena rock with some industrial touches and other fun musical flavors. In these sounds, Lunar Injection comes off to me like a fresh spin on Hellbilly Deluxe, with Zombie providing a range in tongue-in-cheek horror lyricism as the band delivers rocking metal cuts. You can read more of my thoughts regarding the record via my review.
9. John Carpenter with Cody Carpenter & Daniel Davies – Lost Themes III: Alive After Death
Easily my favorite film composer of all time, John Carpenter always knows how to grab the listener’s attention. My love for Lost Themes III is very much the same when it comes to why I have enjoyed the previous Lost Themes records – John, Cody, and Daniel know how to create remarkable atmosphere. Their brilliant fusion of electronic, industrial, and rock are captivating, creating soundscapes that are dreamy and riveting.
Again, you can read my full review of the record for more.
8. The Body & BIG|BRAVE – Leaving None But Small Birds
To be real, while I sincerely appreciate and enjoy folk music, I can’t claim to be a veteran listener of the genre. That said, I am a huge fan of The Body and all their noise material, so when I heard they had a new record coming out – I was already on board. Having not experienced much of BIG|BRAVE prior, I didn’t know what to expect from Leaving None But Small Birds. But when I heard the record’s first single – I think this was the fastest pre-order I have ever jumped on in terms of music releases.
A stunning and grim display of folk instrumentation, creating a haunting experience that is beautiful and chilling.
7. Lingua Ignota – Sinner Get Ready
When I first came across Lingua Ignota’s All Bitches Die, I knew I was listening to something that would forever change how I listen to music. She is the main reason I started listening to noise, and her follow-up LP Caligula is easily one of my all-time favorite records.
While the record involves some similar elements found among the past two albums, Sinner Get Ready is a whole other experience. Heartbreaking, angry, and ethereal all at once, Sinner Get Ready is a devastating venture of folk; Lingua Ignota once again delivers powerful emotion that is raw, unnerving, and significant.
6. Body Void – Bury Me Beneath This Rotting Earth
Pure dread. Pure doom (well, with a little bit of noise in there as well). Body Void is unrelenting and I adore the utterly crushing nature of Bury Me Beneath This Rotting Earth. In just four tracks, these folks annihilate eardrums. This is music to churn the soul, that washes over one’s skin and creates a physicality of unease. It’s madness and brutality and incredible. A work of grim distortion, space, and technical chaos. I love it and if you somehow have not checked it out – prepare yourself for one of the year’s heaviest records.
5. King Woman – Celestial Blues
I came across King Woman through their debut LP Created In the Image of Suffering. I had never heard doom performed that way before and found myself in awe of the music. Unlike the more abrasive display of doom I had heard previously, King Woman offered something more – calming, yet heavy. In their instrumentation and the vocals and lyrics of Kris Esfandiari, King Woman easily became an act I would follow moving forward. This is why when I finally got to hear Celestial Blues, I was astounded.
Let alone the record plays off of one of my favorite pieces of literature ever, Esfandiari and the band once again amaze. The intimacy of this record is remarkable, tapping into the energies that great doom is capable of, all while creating a rich, personal experience. You can check out my review of the record here.
4. Mountain Goats – Dark In Here
Having come across Transcendental Youth back in college, that record got me to fall in love with the Mountain Goats. John Darnielle is one of my all-time favorite lyricists, his words providing an immersive power to each song. With a lot of personal struggles I went through this year, I found a lot of comfort in Darnielle’s words, as well as the soothing instrumentation of the band.
I wrote a review of the album via Treble Zine, which you can read here.
3. John Carpenter with Cody Carpenter & Daniel Davies – Halloween Kills OST
While my thoughts on the Halloween Kills film are sort of “meh,” there is no doubt in how much I love the soundtrack. It was a joy getting to talk with John Carpenter about the process behind the film’s music and experiencing the thrill and chills of each track. Much like Lost Themes III, the Halloween Kills OST is brimming with electronic finesse, along with touches of heavy rock instrumentation. “Unkillable” is a standout cut, making for one of the most pulse-pounding songs I’ve heard in a film.
2. Khemmis – Deceiver
I’ve been following Khemmis since their 2016 LP Hunted and have been blown away by their approach in creating doom. The epicness of their music overwhelmed me with adrenaline and melancholy, making for an unexpected duality that I find nothing short of fascinating. With their fourth LP Deceiver out, Khemmis once again strike gold, presenting a record that is packed with emotion and technical prowess. Throughout Deceiver’s runtime, listeners will find a plethora of thrills and feeling – the music exuding a sonic physicality of sorts.
Khemmis has not only released another solid album in their discography, but has crafted a banger I’ll love for the rest of my life.
1. Emma Ruth Rundle – Engine of Hell
There and then we stumble upon works that hit us in profound ways. Engine of Hell is one of those works for me. I am a relatively new fan of Emma Ruth Rundle, having discovered her music with 2018’s On Dark Horses, and then exploring the rest of her catalog afterwards. In a world where so many heavy bands try to take the approach of pummeling listeners with aggressive instrumentation or violent lyricism to cause a reaction – it’s wild what Rundle does with just her singing, a piano, and a guitar.
This record is sincerely haunting, riddled with heart and agony. It is extortionary in the existential depths it traverses; touching and painful in how much Rundle willingly opens herself to the listener. I wrote about the record for Treble Zine, and honestly, I could go on and on with praise. This is a really special record – absolutely give it a listen.
Thank you to all the readers who have been following Haunted Riffs! Stay safe, keep on headbanging, and enjoy your holidays!