You can find the Collective List as well as all our Best of 2021 content including contributors’ individual lists, podcasts and radio DJ shows here: CGCM’s Best of 2021 (Year in Review)
BEST OF 2021
SPARKY 🇬🇧
(Radio DJ/Writer/Photographer/Contributor)
We entered 2021 with great optimism expecting the terrible 2020 to be well and truly behind us.
How wrong we were. In many ways, this year in my neck of the woods, the UK, has been worse.
Broken promises of a brighter Covid-free future were peddled at regular intervals, never to be fulfilled. We’re still battling with an ever-increasing number of unvaccinated people filling emergency wards all over the country.
Still, life must go on and rock will always play its part to dull the pain. We even have live events back which is a huge step forward.
Here are my Top 10 albums that have helped me through yet another shitty year.
ICON OF SIN 🇧🇷
Icon of Sin
If only because it’s the Iron Maiden album that should have been released 25 years ago.
https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fyoutu.be%2FJC2hHqdANnI%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR2d6EzyyivJHb9wHe6AKIDKaXZXZbaroX5JSx136R_NDEo9uKiYXWttb1k&h=AT1z03f4vL4YQA3F6rMs_hBcM5YCy0X4EfV2OtxJWHTXkMw_I7BW5SjpoisAFqClLhnfFTYZukODXI0PuJzVLsFPtZ0u1t9Wj6D1GfBQzM00MuOZ2P-Zd09IWMTO1xhdZA&__tn__=H-R&c[0]=AT1ssdarLIKR0etZnPXnLKIhj8MNb56jSVWaesW79m8UW9KvXambe0KKSmHj–j9RDPAQ4PWsadI__w6QdB-ptaUyv6joQftl_R0oy0rfQxOpAxlE6jrDC4fiV3c3KQevR2Zdy9YMPJmGmb45Sa0i4jJC0Uya_NHChBW3qTHTTZYZQ
LESBIAN BED DEATH 🇬🇧
The Witching Hour
Taking my lead from the inestimable Mr. Dave Wilks, this rocks, rocks hards and maybe even rocks you in ways you’ve never been rocked before.
CGCM album review by Dave Wilks HERE
BUY / WEBSITE / FACEBOOK / TWITTER / INSTAGRAM / BANDCAMP
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBY3uyYRKXQ[/embedyt]
WIG WAM 🇳🇴
Never Say Die
The truth is in the title as the band make a triumphant return after a 9-year hiatus. There’s nothing unusual or unexpected here but what they do is top-notch. Great catchy melodies, humdinger choruses and quality solos. Cracking stuff.
CGCM album review by Sparky HERE
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gv3AyHcZmH8[/embedyt]
CHEZ KANE 🇬🇧
Chez Kane
A first solo outing for the Welsh songstress and it’s a killer. A voice with power and feeling that is rarely rivalled and the songs hark back to the big hair pomposity of the mid-1980s.
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8X2POSIxjU[/embedyt]
LIQUID STEEL 🇦🇹
Mountain of Madness
Everything you’d want from a traditional heavy metal album. These Austrians dish out riffs, solos and fantastical tales in equal measure. Add to that a dollop of New Wave of British Heavy Metal and you’ve got yourself a veritable feast.
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h23VPfGSBV0[/embedyt]
TOLEDO STEEL 🇬🇧
Heading for the Fire
The NWOBHM inspired UK metallers deliver another winning effort. An album with a real edge, it possesses the steel of the band’s name. The final track “Last Rites” has everything for the metal fan, almost 9 minutes of outstanding work.
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBXJsfNkoy4[/embedyt]
VANDOR 🇸🇪
On a Moonlit Night
A power metal belter, simple. Check out “The Sword to End All Wars”, 17min 30secs of unparalleled genre-defining metal.
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSTkDM8YqHY[/embedyt]
BLACKOUT 🇺🇸
Hindsight 2020
There’s something for everybody in this album. Blues, rock, politics, riffs, even funk. They thought 2020 was a really shit year, it looks like they’ll have to get themselves back in the studio to reflect on 2021……..
CGCM album review by me HERE
BUY: AMAZON.com / AMAZON.co.uk
WEEZER 🇺🇸
Van Weezer
This isn’t rock I hear you say? Well, fight me. Rivers Cuomo and his buds have all the chops, licks and riffs on this nod to EVH, planned well before the legend’s premature death. Melodies to die for and with an edge not seen since Pinkerton this is up there with Weezer’s best.
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rl-hSj3gnks[/embedyt]
SEVEN SISTERS 🇬🇧
Shadow of a Fallen Star Part I
Holy hell, this is a stone-cold winner. The most underrated UK band around (along with The Struts) has given us a masterclass in modern metal with a NWOBHM twist. Strong vocals, interesting subject matter, rip-roaring riffage, storming solos; this album has got the lot and thoroughly deserves its place at the top of the tree.
CGCM album review by me HERE
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAnfrLpf-Ag[/embedyt]
GRAHAM “Sparky” SPARK
Find more of my album reviews here: AUTHOR LINK
CGCM and Author Links
Don’t forget to take a look at all our Best of 2021 content including the COLLECTIVE BEST ALBUMS LIST (culminated via the ratings in the individual lists), all our contributors’ individual best lists, podcast episodes and Radio DJ shows CGCM’s Best of 2021 (Year in Review)
