Brian's Five Favorite Rock Albums Of 2015

Though there were definite gems spread throughout the year, 2014 was a disappointing year for me in terms of the albums that released. Thankfully, 2015 was a much better year for rock music as far as my tastes go. In addition to discovering awesome albums I had missed from 2014 like Royal Blood’s debut and The Pretty Reckless’ Going to Hell, I thoroughly enjoyed a large collection of albums released during 2015.

Narrowing the list to just five proved difficult this year. I had to leave albums like Chris Cornell’s Higher Truth and the eponymous release by Alice Cooper-fronted all-star cover band, The Hollywood Vampires. The fact that neither of those albums, which were given heavy rotation on my iPhone, made the list is a testament to the strength of this year overall. 

My favorite EP was The Struts’ Have You Heard, which is most well-known for its mega hit “Could Have Been Me,” but the track that stuck with me the most was the super catchy glam pop tune “Kiss This.” The other tracks, “Put Your Money On Me” and “Where Did She Go” round out a stellar EP that has me excited to see what this band can do with a full album.

The Foo Fighters put out a surprise EP that gave fans five new tracks for free. The Saint Cecilia EP was one of the safer recordings that the Foos have released over the last decade, and doesn’t quite deliver to the levels of Echoes, Silence, Patience, and Grace or Wasting Light, but it does give us a few solid additions to the band’s impressive library of tracks, and also adds one of its greatest hard hitting rock tracks of its career in “Savior Breath.”

Check out my five favorite rock albums of the year. If you have any you think I should give a listen to, leave those in the comments. I’m always looking for more music to listen to!

5. Halestorm – Into the Wild Life

The Grammy Award-winning group followed up its acclaimed 2012 release, The Strange Case Of…, with Into the Wild Life. The album lives up to its name more through its subject matter than it does songwriting, as the album is a bit softer as a whole, but touches on topics related to rebelling against the expectations of others. Just because the band takes it a bit slower this time around doesn’t mean that there aren’t plenty of hard rocking tracks, however. Into the Wild Life is a solid album from start to finish that sees the band maturing in its songwriting and gives singer Lzzy Hale a strong platform to give perhaps her most diverse performance of her career.

Highlights: “Mayhem,” “I Like it Heavy,” “Apocalyptic”

4. Marilyn Manson – The Pale Emperor

I’ve never been a big fan of Marilyn Manson, but The Pale Emperor immediately caught my attention. By taking a decidedly different approach that infuses folkish chops into his established trademark sound, Manson was able to win back fans that had left due to what many considered creative bankruptcy, as well as several new ones. While the vast majority shows off Manson’s new approach, glimpses of his past do emerge to combine with the new elements to brilliant results.

Highlights: “Killing Strangers,” “Deep Six,” “The Mephistopheles of Los Angeles”

3. Scott Weiland and the Wildabouts – Blaster

Following his firing from Stone Temple Pilots, frontman Scott Weiland formed The Wildabouts and released Blaster, a crowd-funded album that may have delivered the most accessible collection of songs in the late singer’s entire career. Lacking the psychedelia of his most beloved solo album, 12 Bar Blues, Blaster is more of a trek along Weiland’s poppier influences. The fuzzy guitar riffs delivered by Jeremy Brown (who passed away as the album released) keep the sound familiar for Weiland’s biggest fans, and it’s fun to hear Weiland cover T. Rex’s “20th Century Boy” or channel his inner Beach Boy with the blatant summer rock song, “Beach Pop.” Blaster isn’t Weiland’s best work of his career, but it showcased an exciting direction for him and his new band. Sadly, that direction will never be further explored, as Weiland was found dead on his bus while on tour in support of the album.

Highlights: “Hotel Rio,” “Blue Eyes,” “Amethyst”

2. We Are Harlot – We Are Harlot

Danny Worsnop of Asking Alexandria joined up with several veterans of hard rock to form We Are Harlot. The band released its first album this year, and it’s undeniable that Worsnop is a more natural fit as a hard rock frontman than a metal vocalist. The best way to describe We Are Harlot’s debut album is simply the clichéd, “down and dirty rock” phrase. The band’s debut album is full of big harmonies, crunchy guitars, and driving melodies. Though the sound tends to land on the heavier side of the spectrum, it’s absolutely a radio-friendly release that has several songs that are not only good to workout to, but can also have you humming for the rest of the day. 

Highlights: “Dancing on Nails,” “Denial,” “One More Night”

1. Blacklist Union – Back to Momo

In the band’s fourth studio album, the Los Angeles group finally transcended its own typecasting. Blacklist Union’s Back to Momo continues the evolution the group started with its prior release, Til Death Do Us Part. Moving even further away from the sound of its first two albums where it relied heavily on its Black Sabbath and other classic metal group influences, Blacklist Union fully embraced the Sunset Strip pedigree. No longer relying as heavily on dark overtones, Back to Momo transforms the band into the '80s hard rock band it felt destined to become. With Blacklist Union, I always recommended them to rock fans who liked the brand of rock that the band put out. When Back to Momo hit, that caveat dropped off and I felt confident simply recommending it to anyone who likes rock and roll.

Highlight: “Alive and Well Smack In The Middle of Hell,” “Superjaded,” “It’s All About You”