Wall of Sound presents: “2018 YEAR IN REVIEW” – by Wall of Sound Writer Ricky Aarons

Walladmin
Heavy Metal Wordsmith
Dec 8, 2018
7 min read

My name's Ricky and I've been writing for Wall of Sound since close to inception and the entity has shared some of my most endearing musical experiences, including and not limited to reviewing Green Day live in Perth and interviewing the likes of Dire Straits musicians. These anecdotes are purposeful to depict my vast tastes as I predominately seek deathcore gigs with the intention of maximising ferocity of the senses.

I've just relocated to Melbourne from Perth for various reasons, but can't deny a part of the reasoning is linked to the gig city of the country. Anyway, enough babbling, here's a reflection of the year with my Wall of Sound 2018 Year In Review...

TOP 10 ALBUMS OF 2018?


1. Post Malone – Beerbongs & Bentleys
So I’m going to start this read off controversially; my album of the year is not metal at all. Although, I have found it interesting how many metal-heads have engaged with Post Malone’s ground-breaking debut album. I myself do not listen to a lot of RnB and so this is a bit out of character but a record that’s definitely worth a listen – literally every song is a banger. He is charging $200/ticket for his upcoming Aussie tour though which I think is a bit rich considering how long he’s been on the scene for, anyway be open and check this guy out!
2. Deafheaven – Ordinary Corrupt Human Love
3. Parkway Drive - Reverence
4. Beartooth - Disease
5. Bullet For My Valentine - Gravity
6. Machine Head - Catharsis
7. For the Fallen Dreams - Six
8. Impending Doom - The Sin and Doom Vol II
9. Three Days Grace - Outsider
10. Breaking Benjamin - Ember

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UceaB4D0jpo&w=640&h=360]

MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR?

Attila – 'Pizza'

Mate, seriously. How could you not rate this video? What I love about it is how it accurately channels the typical aggression that we see in metal songs and videos but in a completely hilarious way.

What I love about Attila is that they do whatever the hell they want. This year they stripped themselves of a record label and have just released a few songs here and there because they’ve wanted to. Front-man Fronz has also released his own rap EP which is definitely worth checking out.

My final words on this video and why it encapsulates “best video” is that it doesn’t take life too seriously, and I wonder if music has become a bit too serious for my liking – I’ll leave it there.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIgBj-G1Vj0&w=640&h=360]

TOP 5 GIGS OF 2018?

  1. Thy Art is Murder - February 14th @ Rosemount Hotel, PerthThy Art is Murder’s valentines day show in Perth takes the cake. I’m pretty sure I voted this gig as most looking forward to, around a year ago from now – and then maybe again in June this year. It was just unreal. It boasted some of the biggest deathcore names on one bill, and in one small band room. Emmure almost stole the show but the entire gig was marvellous and brought a good old head-bang.(Review & Gallery Here) Photos by Denis Radacic (@denocide)

[gallery ids="https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/TAIM-11.jpg|,https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/unnamed-2.jpg|,https://wallofsoundau.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Emmure-7.jpg|" type="rectangular"]

  1. Parkway Drive (Horizons Tour) – January 20th @ Metropolis, Fremantle (Review Here)
  2. The Devil Wears Prada (From Roots Below and Branches Above in Full) - November 5th @ Plastic, Melbourne (Review Here)
  3. Make Them Suffer - August 18th @ The Corner Hotel, Melbourne (Review Here)
  4. Escape the Fate (This War is Ours Anniversary Tour) - May 28th @ Amplifier, Perth (Review Here)FAVOURITE BAND DISCOVERED IN 2018?Fever 333

I only very recently discovered these guys as I am preparing for my first Download Festival in Melbourne. I really miss letlive. and I think this is a great next step. The band give me a Rage Against the Machine vibe mixed with a contemporary hip-hop beat, with the political views – a little bit contradictory to what I said regarding Attila above, but I stick with it. Very cool style, big things ahead for these guys I think.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2nU2JS_XuY&w=640&h=360]

WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO IN 2019?

So I don’t care how many times I see them, but I’m still patiently waiting for Metallica to return to Aussie shores to play tracks from their latest album which is not so new anymore. Despite the majority of the music I listen to being deathcore drek that not many people around me endorse, I still can’t quite shake my traditional metal roots. I find myself sipping on a latte in the backyard listening to Metallica albums from the 80s in my robe. Maybe I’m keeping it classic, or maybe I’ve moved to Melbourne and become a bit of a wanker – I’ll let you decide.

In reality, I think I’m most looking forward to Download Festival. I’ve always dreamed of heading to Donnington but it never quite lined up, so let’s do this!

Written by Ricky Aarons @rickysaul90

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGiJ6JerHQA&w=853&h=480]


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Heavy Metal Wordsmith
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