RWEI Awards 2019
As 2019 comes to a close, it's time to have a look back at the albums and gigs that have really made an impact over the first proper year of this blog's existence. Bring forth then, the first edition of the RWEI Awards! Reflecting upon all of the albums we have covered- and some we haven't... yet- as well as all of the gigs/festival sets we've seen throughout the year in Glasgow and further afield, we have collated some lists for your viewing (and listening) pleasure.
First of all, we'll give out some awards to our favourite albums this year before we count down our Top 20 and reminisce about the great gigs we've been to this year. Enjoy!
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Best Rock Album
The Menzingers - Hello Exile
WORDS: Joanne Gray
Starting off with rock music, there has been a distinct lack of huge releases that have really turned up the gain to 10 and showed off exactly what's so good about this style of music. That's not to say that we haven't had great releases though: just that they have come from humbler locations.
And that's where The Menzingers come in. Having taken a bit of time to decide on which category the punk-meets-heartland-rock band deserved to be recognised, the songs here really did make the decision quite easy for me. The Menzingers are a band who are increasingly going into more thoughtful musical territories. That's not to say that Hello Exile is a gentle album by any stretch of the imagination though. In fact, much like its spiritual ancestor Rented World, it presents some of the band's most pessimistic and troubled material to date, as they worry about the state of the world around them and the growing distance between their aging bodies and the glory days of their early twenties. It's a trope that The Menzingers have long relied upon, but god damn, it works so well in this context where their heart wrenching sense of nostalgia has a more bitter side to it.
Needless to say with this band though, things never feel too miserable when the utterly euphoric and cathartic melodies ring out within pretty much every song here. I can't tell you how many times I have listened to this album in its entirety, and I absolutely can't wait to see these songs in their rightful live environment early next year. Even the slower songs have grown markedly on me to the point where I can't say I dislike anything the band do here. Yeah, this album doesn't quite live up to After The Party, but that is an album that has rapidly climbed up my Top 20 albums of the decade let alone the year, so that shouldn't be too harsh of a criticism. One of my favourite releases of this year, and one which (once you decide that this is thoroughly a rock album rather than a punk one) deserves the accolade of best rock album of the year. Without question.
Honourable Mentions:
Dinosaur Pile-Up- Celebrity Mansions
The Wildhearts- Renaissance Men
Allusinlove- It's Okay to Talk
Pixies- Beneath the Eryie
Allusinlove- It's Okay to Talk
Pixies- Beneath the Eryie
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Best Metal Album
Slipknot - We Are Not Your Kind
WORDS: Joanne Gray
Slipknot - We Are Not Your Kind
WORDS: Joanne Gray
On the flip side to the bigger rock bands out there, the big titans of the metal world have came out swinging this year. And for the most part, they have managed to land some impressive blows on the audience around them. Although special shout outs have to go to Rammstein and Korn in particular for their efforts, the accolade can only go to one band and one alone this year.
Because when Slipknot set out to prove a point, there is very little that can stand in their way. And that's exactly what happened with (what is quite commonly argued now as) their best album since Volume 3. Emerging from years of traumatic internal and external struggles with a view and a vision to really up the ante, Slipknot's We Are Not Your Kind is without a doubt the heaviest album the band have produced in well over a decade. As has been shown by their recent shows, the band are more fired up now than they have been in about as long too, and this sense of venom spills out from every aspect of this album. I would argue that there are more moments in this album alone where the band feel more dangerous and temperamental than they have since Iowa. And it's nothing short of astounding this far into their career.
Rather than simply sounding like a band that is trying to keep up with the heaviness of metal's more cutting edge bands, there is a wonderful experimental nature to this album that suggests that Slipknot have retained their place at the very top of the metal hierarchy. And they're aren't going to give that up to the younger bands anytime soon. One of the most heartwarming things to have witnessed this year is quite how much this band have gotten people excited about them once again. Although metal's triumph has mostly come in the larger parts of the genre this year, the thought of up and coming bands taking cues from Slipknot's current blisteringly hot form is a hell of an exciting prospect for 2020 indeed.
Honourable Mentions:
Swallow the Sun - When a Shadow is Forced into the Light
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - Infest The Rats Nest
Idle Hands- Mana
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Best Punk Album
Lagwagon - Railer
WORDS: Gabriel Martinez
This year has seen some amazing records from every corner of the punk scene. Even Lagwagon's contemporaries Millencolin released a tightly focused album earlier this year. Yet, Lagwagon's latest stands out more thanks to their seemingly effortless writing skills: fast skatepunk coarsing with a one-trick-but-its-a-hell-of-a-trick formula.
Just like the first time. Home after a late skate session. It's a Friday. No school tomorrow. What to do what to do? Hey, here's an idea. Let's spin Lagwagon's newest
Railer is filled with electric punk, throwing thumping verses at you with one hand and hurling with exciting sing-along choruses at you with the other. The vocals are clean as they can range from dire assaults to praise-worthy anthems, and the guitars are dynamic and bleeding. Drums and bass really carry the record with precision, keeping everything locked in tight - they take all that chaos and energy and keep everyone focused in a prime example of how to organise chaos.
My favourite bands have always been the ones who make the music I wish I'd have been a part of. Lagwagon are a face-value punk rock band through and through. They know this and they know everyone knows this. They also don't really give a shit. Lagwagon has a tightly perfected sound with polished serrated edges and it's wonderful.
Music is meant to be enjoyed and my god do I love this record. There have been many releases this year which have statements about life; are an hour and a half long; are deep reflections of the human condition. They're all complete works of art and I'll revisit them for years to come. But there is something the way Railer hits me every time I play it. It's a reliable friend. A fast and fun body of work that will not leave my ears. It's inspired me to pick up skating again after 15 years. It's perfect driving music. It's headbanging drinking tunes. It's a night out. It's fucking great. That's why Lagwagon's Railer is my personal album of the year.
Honourable Mentions:
Amyl and the Sniffers - Amyl and the Sniffers
PUP - Morbid Stuff
PUP - Morbid Stuff
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Best Hardcore Album
Knocked Loose - A Different Shade of Blue
Knocked Loose - A Different Shade of Blue
WORDS: Joanne Gray
It's perhaps not all that surprising to those who have been paying attention that hardcore has had a bit of a shot on the arm since Code Orange released Forever last year. And this has only just began to manifest itself in 2019. Everywhere you look, bands are starting to muscle up their sound and are beginning to think about the ways in which they can make things feel a bit more unpredictable and dangerous. Even though a respectable amount of these bands have done so from this side of the Atlantic; this year has really belonged to Knocked Loose above all others.
Amping up the most ferocious elements of metallic-tinged hardcore, the second album from the band has one of the most pummelling guitar tones I've heard all year. Bringing the brutal influences from some of metal's lowest sounds to the table, there is a sense of ignorant and lumbering aggression to the songs here that is just so satisfying to latch onto. Add to this the distinct interplay between the yelping throat shredding lead vocalist Bryan Garris and the monstrous growled rumbles of the backing vocalist Cole Crutchfield really gives A Different Shade of Blue a sense of chaos that works so damn well, and gets you raring to go like few other albums out there.
In what is perhaps the most surprising step up from a band this year, Knocked Loose have improved in every aspect- from the sense of ominous danger constructed throughout to the anvil heavy but razor sharp riffing to the increasing sense of musical technicality. Retaining such a level of brutality into the live environment would also be a challenge for most bands, but in the two times I have seen the band this year, they have genuinely made things feel unsafe while completely blasting it out of the park. And in this day and age where extremity is at its all time-high in all aspects of pop culture, this is quite a feat indeed. I'm already looking forward to seeing these songs again in the live environment and fearing for my life in the process.
Runners Up:
Stray From The Path - Internal Atomics
Ithaca - The Language of Injury
Employed To Serve- Eternal Forward Motion
Employed To Serve- Eternal Forward Motion
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Best Extreme Album
Cattle Decapitation - Death Atlas
WORDS: Ross Donald
WORDS: Ross Donald
2019 was a damn good year for extreme metal. Legends from years and decades past returned and showed that they still had something to say, heavyweights in the genre added to their legacies with bigger and bolder records, and some of the newer acts made a name for themselves with some of the year’s best material.
Even with all of this going on, deathgrind legends Cattle Decapitation made the biggest statement in my eyes. As I said in my review of Death Atlas, I’ve only really been listening to the band since September and they’ve quickly become a favourite of mine. The hype for this release grew and grew to the point where it couldn’t possibly live up to expectations. And yet somehow it did that and more. I’ve already got the album on vinyl and have a hoodie with the artwork on it.
Most bands that have been around for a while have one album that is considered their masterpiece and Death Atlas is Cattle’s masterpiece. A bold statement on the current state of the planet filled with brutality and even moments of sadness and regret, the band pulls no punches on a near perfect death metal record that everyone should try at least once. 'Bring Back the Plague' indeed.
Honourable Mentions:
Insomnium - Heart Like a Grave
Fit For An Autopsy - The Sea of Tragic Beasts
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Best Alternative Album
Brutus - Nest
WORDS: Joanne Gray
Brutus - Nest
As is often the case with the 'alternative' tagline, the albums listed below are largely records that don't really fit within other categories. This presents the opportunity to showcase some of the bands which would have slipped beneath the radar otherwise. It's a good thing as well, because it has ensured that I now have a greater appreciation for the outstanding effort that is Brutus' second album.
Signalling the continued growth of the awesome experimental music scene which exists within Belgium at the moment, Nest is an album which I really did not give adequate time and attention to earlier on in the year. Sprinkling metallic riffs and increasingly progressive post-rock and post-metal elements on top of their jagged, but melodic branch of post-hardcore, Brutus present one of the most interesting and unique fusions of music I have heard in a very long time.
As someone who (foolishly) only really listened to the album once more in the collation of this list, I've not had the pleasure of seeing the band live. But from all accounts I have heard, the sheer energy on display here is pretty much unrivalled by most bands out there. And that's not to mention that frontwomen Stefanie Mannaerts is somehow managing to balance her vocals while smashing the ever-loving shit out of the drums at the same time. Honestly, I'm still blown over by the fact that the intricate layering of the instruments here and the contrasting raw screams, melodic hooks and delicate lulls compliment each other so well. What a talent and fountain of creativity that is on display from all members of the band on this album. Although I got into this one so late in the year, I know for a fact that it will only grow on me as I get into the new year. Maybe in 2020, I can right the wrongs of sleeping on this band all year...
Honourable Mentions:
Puppy - The Goat
Aaron West and the Roaring Twenties - Routine Maintenance
Blaqk Audio- Only Things We Love
Blaqk Audio- Only Things We Love
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Best Scottish Album
Biffy Clyro - Balance, Not Symmetry
WORDS: Joanne Gray
Best Scottish Album
Biffy Clyro - Balance, Not Symmetry
In creating this blog, there was an underlying hope that we could shine a light on some artists from Scotland who tend to fly under the radar in larger rock media. It only made sense then to make a category which was solely dedicated to these smaller Scottish artists. You'll need to forgive me for picking pretty much the biggest rock band that this country has produced in the last few decades then... Sorry local bands, maybe 2020 will be your year. Only if Biffy Clyro don't release an album which also happens to be their best album in years that is...
Bias aside, I really wasn't as keen on the Biff's last album Elipsis, as it seemed to showcase a band who had already reached their creative zenith in previous albums and were now just in it to churn out some rather stale radio rock. I had no idea that the one thing this band needed to inject some sense of vitality and oddness once more was for them to write a soundtrack album to an admittedly rather gash film. This is a band who often writes their most interesting material as part of B-side albums though, so I guess I really shouldn't have been surprised that the band have created their most focused and cohesive, yet ambitious release since Only Revolutions.
Even though the musical canvas is typically broad (perhaps more so than in any other release bar Opposites), there isn't anything here that doesn't feel out of place or that it doesn't fit around the feel and narrative the band are going for. Electronic droning hums alongside jagged dissonance all the while some of the most catchy pop vocal hooks the band have crafted yet play alongside them. Which other band could implement monk chanting within an acoustic ballad and make it feel like it belonged to be there the entire time and actually enhances the song? I could go on and on about how this album has continued to astound me throughout the year, but the fact that I almost made this my album of the year probably says everything you need to know. If Biffy can keep up this sense of creative freedom and playfulness into album 8, the sky really is the limit for the Ayrshire boys.
Honourable Mentions:
Saor - Forgotten Paths
The Twilight Sad - It Won/t Be Like This All the Time
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Throw away any semblance of ownership or knowledge of Tool's previous body of work. Approaching Fear Inoculum expecting anything like the crushing kicks from Undertow or the soaring miasma from Aenima and Lateralus will meet you with the look of a stranger. The band have matured, and in their break between LPs, the boys have reached a point in their career where their confidence is- without question- absolute.
The opening title track is a slow burn that carefully lulls you into a blanket of security. Maynard uses his voice as an ambient instrument that passes the harmony back and forth between Jones' sleepy notes. Without a doubt, the rhythm is locked in with a simple, yet calculated, perfection from Chancellor and Carey, who are Tool's secret weapon and carry everyone through the waves of 'Fear Inoculum's first half. Then, once they have you in the palm of their talented sweaty hands, you're hit with an electric crunch, kicking down the door and kicking up the pace. It's here we have the formula for the rest of the album. Each similarly structured with its own undefinable individuality. 'Pneuma' is meditatingly dizzying while 'Invincible' is velvet smooth, both of which have spellbinding dynamos of the opening track's formula. 'Pneuma' has grooves to get you bobbing, capping it off with cerebral forces near the end, getting you on your feet. 'Invincible's polish is glamorously creepy with passages repeating "weapon out and belly in". When it peaks it's impossible not to get your best dancing shoes thrown down and feel the thunder in each note. Two definitive powerhouses.
'Descending' is aptly named as it grabs us by the neck and drowns you upside down, giving us a fearful curiosity of what's really down there in the depths of our minds. Madness? Self-actualisation? Grief? All of which seep into your bloodstream from Maynard's liquifying words. There is some light at the bottom in Jones' harmonic helping hand, but soon we begin to choke on a dark and haunting instrumental passage into the unknown, reminding us the real descent is always in the most powerful instrument: The human mind.
On the mend, resting itself deep within the latter half of the record is a sleeping whisper floating amongst the hills and valleys of a gray morning. 'Culling Voices' is the most straight forward you'll find on the record. While it goes nowhere near as daring as the other tracks, what is does it does well if you're looking for a lengthy Tool song for beginners, and that is by no means an insult. Before moving on, the album has a few short instrumentals, acting as a breather between the colossal tracks. 'Litanie contie la peur' is a light nightmarish conga. 'Legion Inoculent' is...well...weird. 'Chocolate Chip Trip' could easily be mistaken for a Grateful Dead jam session with synths weaving in and out. 'Mockingbeat', the last track on the album is actually quite forgetful as it comes right after the mighty '7empest', which, as you're about to find out, is the perfect finale for a record surging with moments seething with recognition of the limelight. Let's not joke around anymore. The real highlight of the record is the final big track. '7empest', from start to finish, makes you feel every second that passes during its 15 minute runtime. Every riff. Every note. Every beat. Jones lets loose his emotional lineage through bleeding his fingers to get every ounce of energy he can from his guitar. Carey's outdone himself with his polyrhythmic grooves. Chancellor keeps everyone together, a mother goose herding it's children into a single formation despite the potential chaos when they finally let loose. Hands down, '7empest' is the song of the decade, giving you everything you never knew you absolutely needed from one of the defining acts in modern music.
Fear Inoculum is the dark and challenging masterpiece of 2019. As such, it is also the number one pick for RWEI's album of the year.
Tracks to check out: 'Fear Inoculum', 'Pneuma', 'Invincible', 'Culling Voices', '7empest'
And with that, we have our collated Top 20 Albums of the year. But hold up, we've still got the live shows we want to give a shout out from this year. Go and check out the reviews below if you fancy reliving some of these ones!
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As we get to the final category of RWEI's best album of the year overall then, we'll first have a count down of the Top 20 records we've enjoyed the most this year.
RWEI Albums of the Year
20) Dream Theater - Distance Over Time
19) Aaron West and the Roaring Twenties - Routine Maintenance
18) Fit For an Autopsy - The Sea of Tragic Beasts
Tracks to check out: 'The Sea of Tragic Beasts', 'Your Pain is Mine', 'Mirrors', 'Napalm Dreams'
Original review here
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17) Baroness - Gold & Grey
Tracks to check out: 'Front Toward Enemy', 'Tourniquet', 'Throw an Anchor'
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16) Idle Hands - Mana
FFO: Iron Maiden, Depeche Mode, Sisters of Mercy
Tracks to check out: 'Nightfall', 'Give Me To The Night', 'It'll Be Over Before You Know It'
Original review here
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15) Rammstein - Rammstein
14) Saor - Forgotten Paths
13) Killswitch Engage - Atonement
12) Insomnium - Heart Like a Grave
Original review here
2) Slipknot - We Are Not Your Kind
FFO: Sepultura, KoRn, Static-X
Tracks to check out: 'Unsainted', 'Nero Forte', 'Red Flag', 'Critical Darling', 'Solway Firth'
Original review here
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FFO: Rush, Symphony X, Queensÿrche
Tracks to check out: 'Untethered Angel', 'Room 137'
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19) Aaron West and the Roaring Twenties - Routine Maintenance
FFO: The Wonder Years, Bruce Springsteen, The Hotelier
Tracks to check out: 'Lead Paint & Salt Air', 'Just Sign the Papers' , 'Runnin' Toward the Light'
Original review here
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18) Fit For an Autopsy - The Sea of Tragic Beasts
FFO: Thy Art is Murder, Whitechapel, Despised Icon
Tracks to check out: 'The Sea of Tragic Beasts', 'Your Pain is Mine', 'Mirrors', 'Napalm Dreams'
Original review here
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17) Baroness - Gold & Grey
FFO: Mastodon, Pelican, Red Fang
Tracks to check out: 'Front Toward Enemy', 'Tourniquet', 'Throw an Anchor'
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16) Idle Hands - Mana
FFO: Iron Maiden, Depeche Mode, Sisters of Mercy
Tracks to check out: 'Nightfall', 'Give Me To The Night', 'It'll Be Over Before You Know It'
Original review here
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15) Rammstein - Rammstein
FFO: Kraftwerk, Skinny Puppy, Ministry
Tracks to check out: 'Deutschland', 'Radio', 'Aüslander', 'Puppe'
Original review here
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14) Saor - Forgotten Paths
FFO: Winterfylleth, Alcest, Wolves in the Throne Room
Review to come shortly!
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13) Killswitch Engage - Atonement
FFO: Hatebreed, At The Gates, Light the Torch
Tracks to check out: 'The Signal Fire', 'The Crownless King', 'I Am Broken Too', 'I Can't Be The Only One'
Original review here
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12) Insomnium - Heart Like a Grave
FFO: Opeth, Children of Bodom, Dark Tranquillity,
Tracks to check out: 'Valediction', 'Pale Morning Star', 'Mute is my Sorrow', 'Heart Like a Grave'
Original review here
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11) Opeth - In Cauda Venenum
FFO: Yes, Devin Townsend, Katatonia
Tracks to check out: 'Dignity', 'Heart in Hand', 'Lovelorn Crime', 'Universal Truth'
Original review here
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10) Puppy - The Goat
FFO: Ghost, Weezer, Helmet
Tracks to check out: 'Black Hole', 'World Stands Still', 'Poor Me', 'Entombed'
Original review here
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9) Cattle Decapitation - Death Atlas
FFO: Dying Fetus, Aborted, Nile
Tracks to check out: 'The Geocide', 'One Day Closer to the End of the World', 'Bring Back the Plague', 'Time's Cruel Curtain', 'Death Atlas'
Original review here
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8) Brutus - Nest
FFO: Refused, Rolo Tomassi, Steak Number Eight
Tracks to check out: 'Fire', 'Cemetery, 'War'
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7) King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - Infest The Rats Nest
FFO: Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, Thin Lizzy
Tracks to check out: 'Planet B', 'Mars For The Rich', 'Superbug', 'Venusian 1'
Original review here
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6) The Menzingers - Hello Exile
FFO: The Gaslight Anthem, Alkaline Trio, Hot Water Music
Tracks to check out: 'America (You're Freaking Me Out)', 'Anna', 'High School Friend', 'Strain Your Memory', 'London Drugs'
Original review here
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5) Biffy Clyro - Balance, Not Symmetry
FFO: Reuben, Marmaduke Duke, Frank Ocean
Tracks to check out: 'Balance, Not Symmetry', 'All Singing and All Dancing', 'Sunrise', 'Fever Dream'
Original review here
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4) Swallow The Sun - When a Shadow is Forced into Light
FFO: My Dying Bride, Katatonia, Ghost Brigade
Tracks to check out: 'When a Shadow is Forced into Light', 'Firelights', 'Stone Wings', 'Here on the Black Earth'
Original review here
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3) Lagwagon - Railer
FFO: Millencolin, Pennywise, Face To Face
Tracks to check out: 'California', 'Jini', 'Bubble', 'Auf Wiedersehen'
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FFO: Sepultura, KoRn, Static-X
Tracks to check out: 'Unsainted', 'Nero Forte', 'Red Flag', 'Critical Darling', 'Solway Firth'
Original review here
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1) Tool - Fear Inoculum
WORDS: Gabriel Martinez
FFO: A Perfect Circle, King Crimson, Melvins
WORDS: Gabriel Martinez
FFO: A Perfect Circle, King Crimson, Melvins
Throw away any semblance of ownership or knowledge of Tool's previous body of work. Approaching Fear Inoculum expecting anything like the crushing kicks from Undertow or the soaring miasma from Aenima and Lateralus will meet you with the look of a stranger. The band have matured, and in their break between LPs, the boys have reached a point in their career where their confidence is- without question- absolute.
The opening title track is a slow burn that carefully lulls you into a blanket of security. Maynard uses his voice as an ambient instrument that passes the harmony back and forth between Jones' sleepy notes. Without a doubt, the rhythm is locked in with a simple, yet calculated, perfection from Chancellor and Carey, who are Tool's secret weapon and carry everyone through the waves of 'Fear Inoculum's first half. Then, once they have you in the palm of their talented sweaty hands, you're hit with an electric crunch, kicking down the door and kicking up the pace. It's here we have the formula for the rest of the album. Each similarly structured with its own undefinable individuality. 'Pneuma' is meditatingly dizzying while 'Invincible' is velvet smooth, both of which have spellbinding dynamos of the opening track's formula. 'Pneuma' has grooves to get you bobbing, capping it off with cerebral forces near the end, getting you on your feet. 'Invincible's polish is glamorously creepy with passages repeating "weapon out and belly in". When it peaks it's impossible not to get your best dancing shoes thrown down and feel the thunder in each note. Two definitive powerhouses.
'Descending' is aptly named as it grabs us by the neck and drowns you upside down, giving us a fearful curiosity of what's really down there in the depths of our minds. Madness? Self-actualisation? Grief? All of which seep into your bloodstream from Maynard's liquifying words. There is some light at the bottom in Jones' harmonic helping hand, but soon we begin to choke on a dark and haunting instrumental passage into the unknown, reminding us the real descent is always in the most powerful instrument: The human mind.
On the mend, resting itself deep within the latter half of the record is a sleeping whisper floating amongst the hills and valleys of a gray morning. 'Culling Voices' is the most straight forward you'll find on the record. While it goes nowhere near as daring as the other tracks, what is does it does well if you're looking for a lengthy Tool song for beginners, and that is by no means an insult. Before moving on, the album has a few short instrumentals, acting as a breather between the colossal tracks. 'Litanie contie la peur' is a light nightmarish conga. 'Legion Inoculent' is...well...weird. 'Chocolate Chip Trip' could easily be mistaken for a Grateful Dead jam session with synths weaving in and out. 'Mockingbeat', the last track on the album is actually quite forgetful as it comes right after the mighty '7empest', which, as you're about to find out, is the perfect finale for a record surging with moments seething with recognition of the limelight. Let's not joke around anymore. The real highlight of the record is the final big track. '7empest', from start to finish, makes you feel every second that passes during its 15 minute runtime. Every riff. Every note. Every beat. Jones lets loose his emotional lineage through bleeding his fingers to get every ounce of energy he can from his guitar. Carey's outdone himself with his polyrhythmic grooves. Chancellor keeps everyone together, a mother goose herding it's children into a single formation despite the potential chaos when they finally let loose. Hands down, '7empest' is the song of the decade, giving you everything you never knew you absolutely needed from one of the defining acts in modern music.
Fear Inoculum is the dark and challenging masterpiece of 2019. As such, it is also the number one pick for RWEI's album of the year.
Tracks to check out: 'Fear Inoculum', 'Pneuma', 'Invincible', 'Culling Voices', '7empest'
And with that, we have our collated Top 20 Albums of the year. But hold up, we've still got the live shows we want to give a shout out from this year. Go and check out the reviews below if you fancy reliving some of these ones!
__________________
Gigs of the Year
1) Ghost, with All Them Witches and Tribulation
@ SSE Hydro, Glasgow (18th November)
Original review here
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2) Knocked Loose, with Malevolence, Justice For The Damned and Renounced
@ Classic Grand, Glasgow (5th November)
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3) Metallica, with Ghost and Bokassa
@ Twickenham Stadium, London (20th June)
Original review here
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4) Fangclub, with Stuffed Animals and Dead Cyotes
@ Mash House, Edinburgh (7th October)
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5) Behemoth, with At The Gates and Wolves in the Throne Room
@ QMU, Glasgow (11th February)
Original review here
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6) Dropkick Murphys, with The Devil Makes Three and Grade 2
@ O2 Academy, Glasgow (22nd April)
Original review here
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7) Basement, with Hockey Dad
@ Mash House, Edinburgh (27th August)
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8) Mastodon, with Kvelertak and Mutoid Man
@ O2 Academy, Glasgow (19th January)
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9) Stray From The Path, with The Devil Wears Prada, Loathe and Gideon
@ G2, Glasgow (4th December)
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10) Suede, with The Ninth Wave
@ Kelvingrove Bandstand, Glasgow (31st July)
Original review here
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Festival Performances of the Year
2) Foo Fighters
@ Glasgow Summer Sessions, Bellahouston Park (17th August)
Original review here
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4) Electric Wizard
@ Lords of the Land, SWG3 Glasgow (6th April)
Original review here
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6) The Cure
@ Glasgow Summer Sessions, Bellahouston Park (16th August)
Original review here
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7) Def Leppard
@ Download Festival, Donington Park (14th June)
Original review here
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8) Parkway Drive
@ Bloodstock Festival, Catton Hall (10th August)
Original review here
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9) The Menzingers
@ Slam Dunk Festival Leeds, Temple Newsam (25th May)
Original review here
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10) The Offspring
@ Barna N' Roll, Poble Espanyol (3rd August)
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And with that, we end the year and the decade on this list. Thanks to everyone who has given RWEI a read, like or share this year and thanks again to all the people who have written or contributed in any other way. Feel free to leave a comment below to give us your favourite albums and gigs of the year, or give us a like/share over the socials so we can keep growing into 2020 and beyond. Cheers!
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