In the second portion of the AOTY rankings, we are going to highlight some amazing records by artists who are making a name for themselves now and will be bigger names in the future. Some of these artists are signed and under the radar but touring on some serious tours, and some are still looking for that big opportunity. Nonetheless, they are extremely talented and deserve your attention.
1. Sleep Token- Sundowning
FFO: Bastille/Bring Me The Horizon/BANNERS
Sleep Token. Sundowning. Worship.
2. Thousand Below- Gone In Your Wake
FFO: Dream On Dreamer/Awaken I Am/Sleeping With Sirens
Gone In Your Wake is a roller coaster of emotions and feels. Sometimes they’re high sometimes they’re moody and dark. This record is catchy throughout yet isn’t afraid to land a punch a time or two.
3. SeeYouSpaceCowboy- The Correlation Between Entrance & Exit Wounds
FFO: Underoath/The Devil Wears Prada/Knocked Loose
Looking at the FFO bands, one would wonder how can a band take those three bands and make it work? Well, that’s what SeeYouSpaceCowboy did on their latest offering. Also, when we say Underoath, we are referring to the 2003 era of the band and the Changing Of Times record. Throw in some 2009 style breakdowns and panic chords and hard-hitting riffs/two-step parts, you have a recipe for melody, brutality, and rawness.
4. Empty- Hope & The Loss Of It
FFO: Underoath/Norma Jean/Oh, Sleeper
The most explosive offering to come from Solid State Records in some time, let’s be honest they have been killing it this year with releases, Empty offer a modern take on the chaotic metalcore genre their predecessors helped usher in. You have break your shit moments, you have your sing-along moments, and you have your sit and think moments. For a young band and this being their debut, we can’t wait to see where Empty goes.
5. Woes- Awful Truth
FFO: Broadside/nothing, nowhere/Grayscale
With emo-rap becoming bigger and bigger, we are seeing a merge of the genre into the worlds of pop-punk, post-hardcore, etc. Woes definitely let it fly on Awful Truth. Keeping true to the pop-punk genre and putting their take on it, we hear a perfect blend of emo-rap mixed into this record. This could be the ultimate sad boi album of 2019.
The Rest Of The Best:
6. The Burden- Sinking Feeling
FFO: From First To Last/Underoath/Silverstein
7. The Callous Daoboys- Die On Mars
FFO: The Chariot/The Dillinger Escape Plan/Converge
8. Patternist- I Don’t Know What I’m Doing Here
FFO: The 1975/Pale Waves/Bleachers
9. Mayfield- Careless Love
FFO: Counterparts/Thousand Below/The Ghost Inside
10. wristmeetrazor- Misery Never Forgets
FFO: SeeYouSpaceCowboy/Knocked Loose/Eighteen Visions
11. Reason Define- In Memory…
FFO: Evanescence/Halestorm/Breaking Benjamin
12. Seasons For Change- Petals Of Tomorrow
FFO: Linkin Park/Further Seems Forever/Ivoryline
13. PINE- PINE
FFO: Hundredth/Pale Waves/Turnover
14. Holding Absence- Holding Absence
FFO: Underoath/Being As An Ocean/Saosin
15. City State- Equinox
FFO: Erra/Northlane/In Hearts Wake
Honorable Mention:
Harm- What We Know Is A Drop, What We Don’t Know Is An Ocean
Despite this being a great record, it did not make our list due to most of it being an EP we ranked last year. Still, if you haven’t heard it, go jam it!
