Worst Albums of 2023

[@ja3377]

It aint a Fantano 'Worst Albums' list without my boys AJR. They've truly done it again!

[@PuffySZN]

Consistency is key 🤞

[@genesisosuna]

AJR 🤝 NAV Consistently being on worst of the year lists

[@Aditya_mq]

@genesisosuna ah yes Nav, the best Brown Boi in the game sadly he didn't drop another masterpiece this year to be on the list

[@itscjhey]

I've legitimately never listened to AJR in my life and only know them as 'those guys who turn up on every Fantano Worst Of list', and I'm happy to keep it that way 😂

[@sirgemini5743]

don't forget tom macdonald....

[@benhlogs]

As someone named Ben, I’m very honored to be on this list. Thank you Anthony

[@Aditya_mq]

Congrats Ben 👏

[@lesbiankickflips]

proud of u ben

[@etovakala]

You did it Ben

[@Ayooo444]

niko pfp

[@teensuite]

happy for you my man

[@jare___]

“This album is late on at least 3 child support payments” is genuinely one of the best lines of music criticism I’ve heard all year.

[@colddickrick2927]

Would have worked 100x times better if Tom was black

[@shlockofgod]

It's a pretty racist comment.

[@TheseBitchesWantNikes]

​@@colddickrick2927This. Would've made more sense lmao.

[@oligarchies]

​@@shlockofgod Pretty sure every race has deadbeat dads schlockboy

[@jare___]

@@shlockofgod racist towards.... tom mcdonald? that's... an interesting take

[@bigtks3005]

The fact that the Gunna album got a 1 and didn't make this list shows how truly great this year has been. Anthony had 10 albums he preferred to what was at the time his number 1 album 💯

[@IsuckatDBD]

He gave TEC a not good but that didn’t make the list either 😭😼

[@idkwhatthisis4158]

@@IsuckatDBDyeah but tec wasn’t even bad

[@CashSoprano]

@@idkwhatthisis4158gunna had one of the best rap albums of the year so….

[@idkwhatthisis4158]

@@CashSoprano yeah but it’s Fantano he’s gunna’s biggest hater

[@CashSoprano]

@@idkwhatthisis4158 yea, he makes no sense with what flys and what doesnt hahaha

[@staticturbulence]

0:29 BEN - Macklemore 1:40 Resistance & The Blessing - World’s End Girlfriend 3:20 Leyenda Viva - 6ix9ine 4:39 Lil Pump 2 - Lil Pump 6:31 The Maybe Man - AJR 7:30 If Looks Could Kill - Destroy Lonely 8:40 Starcatcher - Greta Van Vleet 10:32 the mocking bird & THE CROW - HARDY 11:48 The Brave 2 - Tom MacDonald & Adam Calhoun 13:05 Life Is But a Dream - Avenged Sevenfold

[@michaelc2334]

I'm a rock/metal fan but never got much into Avenged Sevenfold. Going to have to listen to it today as I was surprised to see it as 'the worst' on this list, yet while looking at the reviews of it most are very positive. Also, not a fan of Tom MacDonald but I'm very sure Anthony just has it at number two since they aren't pushing the liberal bs that's so cool to bow down to in the music world. 69 should be number one, period. If i recorded myself taking a shit and put a beat behind it, it would make a better album that what 69 put out.

[@urmomma2688]

​@@michaelc2334there are many albums fantano has given good reviews to this year that aren't pushing any "liberal bs". I think your hypothesis there may have some holes chief

[@ThomAvella]

​@@michaelc2334you can "not push the liberal bs" on a record without being an insane bigot like tom is

[@Dogy0909]

Went and listened to a bit of World’s End Girlfriend album and there’s some good stuff here. Not deserving of top 10 worst, other than being over 2 hours long and not really justifying that runtime

[@ВячеславШипин-э8э]

Surprisingly MGK couldn't find a place right here😊

[@zanewurtz8493]

I'll always admire Avenged Sevenfold for being two decades on and putting out weird, divisive shit like this instead of just coasting on Hail to the King-era buttmetal, no matter how strange their choices get

[@timlandes1965]

I have to say, I enjoyed the album quite a bit. That being said, I will always skip 'We Love You', to the point where I made a playlist of the entire album minus that song because I got tired of skipping it. Did I think the album had any deep, meaningful lyrics? Did it move me emotionally? Did I connect personally with any of the songs at all, or derive any sort of meaningful message or point they may have tried to get across with this album? Nope, not at all. However, I found it to be a fun collection of songs that I played on repeat a load of times. Avenged Sevenfold ended up being my #4 most listened to artist on Spotify, and I listened to 1,101 artists according to my Wrapped. Mattel was #4 most listened to song, and Cosmic was #5. Even with all of that being said, I don't think it was close to being a top 10 album, but I sure didn't expect it to be the #1 worst.

[@cogito919]

Yeah I must be on the other end of that divide because while I don’t think it’s their best, I would absolutely not say it’s the worst album of the year.

[@eighteen-naked-cowboys]

​@@timlandes1965 cosmic's lyrics don't do anything for you? I think it's beautiful how it reflects on mankind as a whole. As much terrible shit as people do, there's still a lot of beauty in the world and, most likely, the universe. "sometimes we got it right".

[@trencehumphries645]

​@@eighteen-naked-cowboysno that doesn't move anyone. Not to mention yall that "like it" always seem to only like the same 2 songs. The other 9 are garbage fires.

[@ZeludeRose]

I was at least actively engaging with the album while it played, even if just to go "lol wtf why are they doing this". far more than i can say about most of their discography.

[@quadenorman8014]

i hated life is but a dream when i first heard, as a lifelong avenged fan and metal fan. since then it has become my favorite album of all time. i don’t know how, something just clicked when i listened again.

[@DaMustaine]

It was my fav since first listen and i was so shocked by how much hate it got on release day. Most people came to their senses but some people still have boomer ass takes about it like fantano does.

[@boyboynova]

I only recently started listening to them because my girlfriend is a huge fan, I didn’t really like the album too much when I first heard it but when I saw them live it just makes it a lot better

[@6li8storm40]

It’s not my fav of theirs, but I really don’t get the hate.

[@jaykeith526]

What? I instantly fell in love with nobody and beautiful morning

[@Tylerclinch]

I really think Life Is But A Dream will age very well. It’s hard to make the songs sounds so diverse yet the album still be cohesive

[@throwaway1743]

Brave 2 deserved higher praise, it was such a highly anticipated sequel to a Disney classic

[@Daniel_Boni]

I ya had the opportunity to change the outcome of an election wouldja?

[@rouge939]

The movie sucked too

[@logestt]

@@Daniel_Boni i bet you think you owned him there

[@V3r0nicle]

"Funny how the money make so much change.. money, change get it?!" Was my favourite quote from Adam Calhoun in the entire direct to DVD sequel

[@PuffySZN]

Macklemore actually named his album after Ben the talking dog

[@alienboy1322]

Or Ben the rat.

[@turboshazed7370]

Or Ben 10

[@Jackm34]

Or Ben from Thomas the tank engine

[@V3r0nicle]

Or that flowerpot guy with the same name

[@Jackm34]

Or Benoftheweek

[@bruhhhead]

respect to fantano for not rushing these videos to put them out at the same time as the other major publications. putting them out early in December leads to shit like Pitchfork having a 2022 album as their top album of 2023

[@xpythagoras4044]

he recorded them probably like 5 days ago tho

[@TheAndrewj96]

I’m glad I’m not the only one who was annoyed by that. I like to think Caroline is their true #1 spot.

[@atomicwarlord8]

@@xpythagoras4044I heard he records these at the start of the year and guesses the albums

[@kirbyliciouss]

​@@atomicwarlord8yeah, he does! I was a little skeptical when i first heard the rumor, but last week I found he actually does it!

[@nemesis8195]

he would do the video on early 2024 tho. There are usually albums dropping in last day of the year

[@ryan.j4359]

The fact he hated the a7x album more than the embodiment of hatred and ignorance in one album is crazy

[@HonkeyKongLive]

It's one thing when the message behind an album sucks but that a7x album is just an agonizing experience for the music itself

[@hectorlagos8937]

not really

[@Drogon7102]

​@@HonkeyKongLive cosmic alone makes it not worthy of a worst list imo

[@ryanmuhlenberg1480]

He probably didn’t wanna give bigotry the album the satisfaction of being number 1

[@User-b9q2z]

Because it's that bad lmao

[@svoidsofinfinitechaos9367]

I love that Fantano intentionally never puts Tom McDonald at the top of any lists, just to spite him 😂

[@nicolaszaninisantos8993]

hell yeah, noticed that too

[@tylerhackner9731]

Basically “you suck but you suck in ways that are too obvious”

[@tanatos1552]

​@@tylerhackner9731 Bro so bad he sucks at sucking

[@bowietwombly5951]

Yea, very smart of him to call Macdonald out on his aggressive mediocrity and not to play into the ragebait that he’s made his whole obnoxious persona around

[@theviniso]

​@@tylerhackner9731 It makes sense. He should try being a ragebaiter in more interesting ways.

[@SilliusSodus]

I love this segment. Specifically so I can see the pain in your eyes when you have to describe the album.

[@vippandabear2870]

...

[@SilliusSodus]

@@vippandabear2870 who doesn’t love a bit of schadenfreude? 🙌🏽🙌🏽

[@ConnorThompson-w2k]

Suffer, Anthony. Suffer for AJR and whiteboy McDonald...

[@portomilk8080]

Enjoying ppls suffering is pretty dark bro

[@SilliusSodus]

@@portomilk8080 I get what you mean but it’s not that serious.

[@OwainCynanRoberts]

Bro hated Tom MacDonald so much he didn’t even bother to provide a link to the album so that he could save everyone’s sanity.

[@sagecolvard9644]

I loved that Avenged Sevenfold album, and I don't even disagree with most of what you said. It is a truly ridiculous thing for an established band to release. I love it for how outlandish it is.

[@rudeboyspodcast]

I massively disagree with him. I think they made a really fantastic album and it being on his worst list just proves how subjective music opinions really are.

[@feargm]

​@@rudeboyspodcast Agreed

[@ariteuwsen6382]

​@@rudeboyspodcast I also think it kind of kicks ass

[@V3r0nicle]

I was honestly surprised to see it at number one above things like that Macklemore album and that Lil Pump album

[@keviaaar]

Yeah it's really not that bad at all tbh

[@0s862]

Didn't expect Sleep Token to be spared

[@Kirusdagon]

its almost as if its one of the best albums this year

[@olavjorvik94]

@@Kirusdagon😂😂😂 yeah right

[@Jamesp1972]

Aren't they just every slick post-metal band with halloween costumes?@@olavjorvik94

[@baronvonbeandip]

Let's be real, that Sleep Token wasn't completely unlistenable. It was really bad but at least they are trying something (kinda like the A7X album, actually). It's like a better groomed SB2H

[@haydenhuffman7976]

I love seeing the variety of opinions on Life is But a Dream. It’s one of my favorite records of the year and it’s almost my favorite A7X record too. I genuinely think that the album was made with passion and I hope the folks had a lot of fun writing and recording it. I definitely understand the opposite perspective though.

[@LicoriceLain]

Yeah, Life is But a Dream is a top 10 of 2023 for me. The wildly differing opinions is funny.

[@flataffect]

Agreed. Amazing album ! A lot of the best art is the most divisive.

[@BG-wp3do]

Absolutely love the album, it's made even better by the fact that people seem to either think the same as I do or think it's unlistenable garbage.

[@Advent3546]

The one thing I can give Tom Macdonald & Adam Calhoun is their consistency. Not many artists can be as consistently shitty, whiny, and close-minded with each record.

[@V3r0nicle]

Let's not forget boring whenever they don't say something outlandish or hilarious I still haven't forgotten when Calhoun said that he had drive like a cah

[@shlockofgod]

Tom Macdonald is a philosophical genius and erudite sophisticate when compared to the average black artist.

[@PearLock]

​@@shlockofgod"don't read to me!" 🐍

[@shlockofgod]

@@PearLock Oh. I get it. You fash?

[@Maj-SHIPWRECKED]

Based Tommy M & his magic triggering powerz

[@jeremyrfarkas]

I love the A7X album, hearing the exact opposite of how I feel about it is honestly hilarious 😂

[@ChrisChaquay]

I'm not even the biggest Avenged Sevenfold fan but man their new album really stood out to me and is one of my favorite albums this year, painful to see it at the top of the list with these other trainwreck albums

[@Gothstana]

Can't wait for 5 years from know, when everyone will look back on this A7X album with the same sense of sentimental appreciation we look at Speedin' Bullet 2 Heaven.

[@sfglim5341]

The album is actually good, game over is one of the best metal songs this year

[@TheIntenseLime]

Who the hell looks at Speedin Bullet 2 Heaven with appreciation?

[@mr.froglegs]

A remarkable amount of people actually, go looking and youll find tons of people whove grown into liking it. ​@TheIntenseLime

[@ethansprague2005]

I like them both a lot lol

[@nero3k]

I fully expected to see Sleep Token on here the way he eviscerated it.

[@Whocares792]

Bradtasteinmusic has it in his sights

[@Kyla1112]

That Greta Van Fleet impression is one of the funniest things I've ever seen.

[@Camo_bomb]

The world’s end girlfriend rating and placement here is the most confusing thing for me. I don’t really understand why you think this project is torture

[@Dogy0909]

Sounds absolutely lovely from what I sampled. I can imagine the kinds of people who hate prog rock would hate this though. Idk if that includes Fantano

[@StudioScarecrow]

Yeah I listened to some of it and it was pretty, not 100% my thing but absolutely not one of the worst albums of the year by a long fucking shot

[@jessechuff]

Yeah I’m battling with that still. I COMPLETELY understand not digging it, it’s experimental and noisy and abrasive and can border on tacky, but it is SUCH an experience. It’s beautiful in its audaciousness. I also find it strange he took issue with the noisy moments seemingly, when the man likes harsh noise. Sure the inclusion of noise in the project can understandably be seen as bad taste, but it seemed he jokingly mentioned tinnitus and that seems like more of a problem with the noise, and not the context it is surrounded by. Because I went in and was waiting for the noise to like make me reel in pain but it never did. A couple moments of shots of noise scared me, but aside from that I’m still confused what was so torturous. Some of them are almost entirely just nice classical ambient pieces which are nothing BUT relaxing and pleasant. Idk, to each their own, but I definitely have trouble understanding his complaints about it. Really crazy there wasn’t ONE track he came away from enjoying.

[@A.I.Gaming]

Ken Carson dodging the list 🔥

[@turboshazed7370]

Destroy Lonely took one for the team

[@TheseBitchesWantNikes]

In some ways, I kinda feel like DL being here was kinda his indictment of Opium as a whole.

[@Lotuscv]

@@turboshazed7370can’t believe he made it on here😢

[@tribemans]

Dark Side of the Moon Redux deserves a spot in here for sure.

[@Daniel-jz9td]

That album doesn't even deserve attention, it's so abhorrent that I'm glad no one even cares about it.

[@jessechuff]

Finally worked my way through the Worlds End Girlfriend album and I really had trouble understanding the hate. I mean, I totally understand not digging it, but I felt like the mix and the incoherence almost came together coherently in a way? It was SO all over the place it created a tone and an aesthetic I really appreciated. It’s 50/50 in terms of enjoyment for me, but there was always something happening and I even kind of enjoyed the Ave Maria cover??? I really don’t know how but driving on a cold dark night and having that play was sort of surreal and enveloping in a very unique way. It’s not an album I would relisten to often in full, but it was a very very memorable project. It definitely is challenging and there are questionable decisions all over the place, but I can’t help but be endeared by it. That said, it’s nice it wasn’t #1 here because I think the A7X album is objectively in so much poorer taste and so so so much less interesting or impressive.

[@GwyndolinOwO]

I think in terms of what Fantano does (and doesn't) enjoy the placement on the list makes sense. HOWEVER I think if you like HEAVILY experimental projects its not a bad album at all. I like stuff like this. Like on one hand i get why someone wouldn't, the way the sounds get choppy or harsh don't really sound "good". But I think in a way it works. I like that these kinds of musicians exist. Even if its not something you'd listen to all the time its a new way of thinking about music and sound. Like Trout mask Replica. I probably won't listen to Trout ever again, but it was fun experiencing it. I think experimental games are also endearing in the same way? Not all experimental games have good controls, a lot of them have very questionable decisions, some of them have really bad music and art in them, but they offer an experience a lot of other games would never think of giving you and that makes them worth playing.

[@YoRezzi]

The combo of Fantano hating Tom MacDonald is almost as powerful as the combo of Fantano associating Quadeca with the number 7

[@peepnox7747]

.

[@Aditya_mq]

wat

[@georgeandfriendsadventures5073]

I don’t know a single living person who likes Tom MacDonald unironically

[@Aditya_mq]

@georgeandfriendsadventures5073 true I know one music reactor on KZbin who does but that's about it

[@clam6254]

most humans hate tom macdonald

[@kevinpearson8562]

I love how a lot of the comments here are saying the Avenged album worked for them/ they liked it, yet at the same time no one is surprised that fantano put it in this list. It was my most listened to album, most listened to artist, and my top 5 listened songs of the year. Idk the album felt like a shock to my ears and specifically the guitar playing and drums are pretty impressive and catchy at times. The inspirations might be a bit too on the nose though I do agree.

[@joshbeck9761]

Most critics liked this album along with fans. There's a lot of bands that fantano hates on that others don't, like Korn, and Deftones.

[@hugojay3040]

Damn, that imitation of Greta Van Fleet so accurate it low key caught me off guard

[@JJ-tk7xf]

I think the fact that the A7X album is entertaining and pushes the band forward creatively gives it an edge over the Tom McDonald album- Tom's album couldn't manage either of those things.

[@greatcoldemptiness]

lmao it did none of those things either.

[@vintagesonofab]

for a No.1 Bad album you also have to scream dissappintment, who has expectations from a Tom Mcdonald album? he borrowed his name from a clown literally.💀 To this day i still think he has to be a troll. That being said the greta album is also bad but... is it THAT bad?

[@lulw1935]

But he managed to come up with an album that at least sonically isnt pain

[@JJ-tk7xf]

@@lulw1935 I'd argue it's pain sonically because of how generic and also poorly executed it is

[@Randomjackass135]

@@lulw1935hearing somebody rap like he’s reading out of a bill o’reilly book is a nightmare sonically

[@esDOTNET]

“For Disney adults who swear” lmfao

[@baronvonbeandip]

💯💯💯

[@DayzeRemedy]

I haven’t watched the video yet, but I bet my whole ass this is about AJR.

[@pigperfect9831]

Id love to see a full video on Mr.Bungle/ Faith No More, curious to hear what you think of their influence on music as a whole, maybe even a worst to best/tier list?

[@neminem233]

Excited to see how many of these are also in Brad's 10s

[@bentheman2348]

True

[@Leo-qe3gl]

What Brad?😮

[@vintagesonofab]

this the dude that classified alice in chians and soundgarden as "uninspired dad rock"? the fantano copy himself? 🤣🤦

[@neminem233]

@@vintagesonofab idk but he seemed to like alice in chains

[@thepurpdoesthework]

Ok ngl I randomly looked up the number 9 one cuz ur roast of it actually had me intrigued. Im a few songs in and honestly its very relaxing like a nostalgic relaxation idk how to explain it. It just worked. Def wanna finish the album soon 😂😂🎉🎉

[@janelle7778]

So glad you put Hardy on this list! Your NOT GOOD review was one of the funniest things I’ve heard all year. Birdsona needs to be in everyone’s vocabulary. Also when I heard Brad Taste talk about Radio Song as his #2 worst, I knew it was something special. Thanks Anthony!

[@turboshazed7370]

WEAR SHOES BRO. Put some goddamn shoes on! 😂

[@apostle127]

So glad you changed your mind and gave Take Me Back To Eden the 10/10 it deserves 😊

[@AmethystBad]

as a huge ajr fan, i went into this video knowing they were going to make it onto the list, my goat fantano did not disappoint 🔥🔥🔥

[@bruhmoment8699]

I love them too, but why are they so hated?

[@eliaskapravelos7171]

Music for avocado toast eating man children and new Disney moms @@bruhmoment8699

[@trashpandatee]

It's the meme to hate AJR, they're like Nickelback lol

[@donkeyching8339]

as a certified ajr enjoyer i agree whole heartedly with fantano lmao their stuff sucks but damn if i don’t love it for some reason

[@MrBaskins2010]

Got an ad for AJR on tour. Heard a snippet in aforementioned ad and went “oh damn, this ain’t it” lol

[@NatsumiMovies]

I legit thought The National's FTPOF was gonna be on here considering that you literally slept on that album reviewing it so I'm surprised it didn't make it onto this list 😅

[@noelc8927]

How is he gonna hate on an album that gave him some well deserved shut eye

[@NatsumiMovies]

@@noelc8927 he gave it a light 2 iirc which is like a very low score. in my headcanon this album is maybe ranked #11 lol

[@sanfordcurtis8242]

It’s completely forgettable so I get why it didn’t turn up on this list

[@theboi5584]

@@sanfordcurtis8242exactly

[@genesisosuna]

At least it puts you to sleep instead of being annoying and pointless and bad

[@harbarycarbary]

I honestly liked the avenged album. Not their best but respectable. They have always been pretty out there with their song ideas and have consistently pushed themselves into new territory.

[@TheMetalTempestYT]

Timestamps: (If anyone wants them, will put the records below to not spoil anyone scrolling: 0:29: Macklemore - Ben 1:42 World’s End Girlfriend - Resistance & the Blessing 3:24: 6ix9ine - Leyenda viva 4:39 Lil Pump - Lil Pump 2 6:31 AJR - The Maybe Man 7:34 Destroy Lonely - If Looks Could Kill 8:42 Greta Van Fleet - Starcatcher 10:35 Hardy - the mockingbird & THE CROW 11:52 Tom MacDonald & Adam Calhoun - The Brave II 13:07 Avenged Sevenfold - Life Is But a Dream…

[@CameronShull]

Is my music worse than Tom madonald 🗣️🔥

[@TheMetalTempestYT]

@@CameronShull Judging by your need to spam reply to people's comments on an Anthony Fantano video to generate buzz by asking a rhetorical question aimed to get ppl to check u out and not even bein able to spell the dude's name right, my money's on probably lmao

[@CameronShull]

@@TheMetalTempestYT fair 💯

[@lztrfilms8250]

I wish NAV would've released something this year so that it could land a spot on this list 😢

[@justaguywithhisgrasseson5522]

dont worry. Even tho he didn’t drop this year, he will get all the 50 spots in the best albums of 2023, like always

[@SirTheory]

Oh man, that description of Avenged Sevenfold makes me want to check the album out. Back in the 00s I had a friend at the time who was in a pretty cool band. Kinda weird but catchy stuff. Dude was into niche, weird music like The Residents and The Danielson Famile and Sleepytime Gorilla Museum and shit like that. Anyway, he released a solo album after the demise of his band and was excited for me to hear it because I'm into weird, niche music like The Residents and Sleepytime Gorilla Museum and The Danielson Famile. The album was absolutely unlistanable. It fundamentally didn't understand what made weird, niche music good and interesting, instead just doing "strange for the sake of strange." And I told him that. We are not friends anymore. (We're actually not friends for a completely different reason, and a big reason why I'm not naming projects here, lol.)

[@jacobbelyea7945]

We should normalize being “strange for the sake of being strange” in art. Wanting to make something strange is enough of a reason imo

[@Noelci035]

@@jacobbelyea7945 We already did. Mr. Bungle, Kayo Dot or Faith no More did that type of metal way better 20 years ago. A7X's is nowhere near the worst albums of the year but it genuinely sounds like a less competent, badly produced version of a mr. bungle record

[@jacobbelyea7945]

@@Noelci035 I gotta disagree. I love Mr. Bungle, and agree that most of their discography is better than the new A7x, but Bungle usually kept their eccentric pop sounds and their thrash metal sounds separate. The new A7x is clearly inspired by them, but it does enough unique twists on the aesthetic and combinations of the sounds to make it stand in its own right. Even if you hate it, I don’t think it’s fair to just call it a worse version of something that exists already

[@SirTheory]

@@jacobbelyea7945 So I'm of two minds on that front. In a corporate, consumeristic world where overproduced pop songs dominate charts and music ends up more a product than artistic expression, yes, "strange for the sake of strange" can feel like a positive attribute in and of itself. At the very least it's a countercultural statement of some kind and there can be value to that. At the same time, I am leery of ascribing too much value to descriptive words like "strange." There's no indication of quality to the actual music being described. Which is to say, someone making strange music but not understanding there's still a need for structure, songwriting, sound mixing, etc, is not going to make something that is compelling.

[@____smith]

Avenged Sevenfold record was awesome to me, always fun to see a record be that divisive tho

[@MUSE1795]

It's shit tbh

[@rudeboyspodcast]

I really loved it. I can see why he wouldn't, but saying that there's no musical talent or that the mixing is bad is straight incorrect.

[@eighteen-naked-cowboys]

@@rudeboyspodcast the mix on their last two records has been stellar you can hear EVERYTHING. Andy Wallace for you

[@CommanderWar64]

Agreed@@eighteen-naked-cowboys

[@aledandrian]

Reminder that Tom Macdonald isn’t even American, he’s Canadian

[@D0ug1997]

Probably the greatest plot twist of all time

[@MichaelM-id3ii]

Yeah, that makes no sense to me

[@ideitbawxproductions1880]

As a Canadian, I can say we don't want him back. He seems right at home now, you can keep him

[@gpics900]

I’m actually shocked to see Destroy Lonely here. I get he doesn’t really like Opium artists but come on now ILCK was far from being one of the worst of 2023

[@stevenr8513]

facts, there are some bangers on that album, ILCK, Fly shit, make sun work, and safety are such great songs, while yeah, it’s kinda bloated, it’s definitely not a bad album

[@turboshazed7370]

Bangers? I don't see it. I liked no stylist enough to think it's mid and not garbage but holy shit ILCK was a struggle to get through.

[@blah55044]

Ken better

[@bigchungus5oo160]

he either doesnt get the appeal or refuses to get it, he complains abt the production which is one of the main appeal if not the biggest appeal in opium artists imo

[@perhaps1094]

​@@bigchungus5oo160He doesn't get it because it doesn't click for him, it's not like he is intentionally shitting on Ur fav artist, I don't agree that it's super bad but it wasn't for me at all and I don't mind some opium style music

[@Platanov]

Sweet, List Week! When Fantano leans a bit to the side like an improperly loaded boat. I can't wait!

[@pacchiam9756]

How Maneskin are not in this list???

[@xos]

Surprised to see the World's End Girlfriend album here. I definitely didn't enjoy it nearly as much as I did Last Waltz, but I wouldn't have thought to put it anywhere near a bottom 10 either. I do see how someone could find the abrasiveness and abruptness of it annoying though.

[@neminem233]

Good thing I checked out the best of playlist today because otherwise I would not have seen this this early Nice list! I've not heard any of these and don't plan to

[@HenryStihl]

I really liked the A7X album. Heck, I even went to a concert of them recently, and I loved it. But I do find the record easy to hate when there's so much people calling it a masterpiece, when it simply isn't. I think the flashy weird ideas oddly combined is what drives people insane (to both extremes). Fair point, the mix is all over the place. As well as much of the musical ideas. They really pushed the Camus absurdism ideas on the whole record, lyrically and musically. I think the fact that they tried to make something experimental is cool (as opposed to going back to old formulas they know they work, which was the easy way out). I think it's a fun listen. But idk, that's just me.

[@mickjager]

Didn't expect A7X to be number 1 lol. While it's no where close to a AOTY contender, I thought most of it was a lot of fun. While I agree with most of his points, I don't see a big problem in the album being all over the place.

[@mikkilazy885]

Do you remember that one store at the 34th st Manhattan mall from like 2007 that had crispy polos with knock off Ed Hardy logos? Wearing one of those crispy shirts is the physical form of that Avenged Sevenfold album,

[@confusedowl297]

As much as love the best of the year lists, the worst albums lists are always so fun to watch

[@OFranzy]

I personally really enjoyed the avenged album and the ideas it brought forward. I think the vocals and guitar work were amazing, but I understand that they’re not for everyone. Putting it above the tom macdonald album is WILD though

[@dragonfruitreal]

lol i'm pretty sure it's only above the brave 2 cause he doesn't want tom macdonald to be #1 on any list

[@OFranzy]

@@dragonfruitreal that’s fair lmao

[@baileydicus7716]

It is truly awe inspiring how divisive And Life Is But A Dream has become since its release and (even though I agree it's not that great for me personally) it's kinda wack that it made a few top album lists this year lol

[@emmettceglia]

Convinced that the number 2 spot on this yearly list is generally his flat out least favorite of the year, and then the number 1 spot is something that, while also terrible, holds a place of endearment in the heart of the Melon. (The Corey Feldman effect)

[@SB87613]

Can't disagree with you harder on life is but a dream, literally one of my favorite albums this year

[@FUNCism]

respect to fantano for encouraging my insomnia by uploading at 2 am

[@avilliontalks]

We know you weren't as high on Jane Remover's Census Designated as the rest of us, but you didn't need to put it at number 1 :(

[@icecube7685]

cant believe you forgot the djent black metal album Portals by melon-y martinez

[@Gamelunatic1992]

Thanks Anthony, I’ve been meaning on cleaning up my music library!

[@MarkSide_]

Phew! I thought Sleep Token would’ve been on here. Can’t touch them 💪🏽

[@DaftPunked3811]

I unironically enjoyed the WEG album… I have mixed feelings about the shout out…

[@SmartVandelay]

It's a good album, though unnecessarily bloated. It's really no departure from WEG's earlier stuff, so I truly don't understand Fantano's weird vendetta against this particular record.

[@francisguyman3819]

i thought i liked it until i started getting sonic whiplash in a not good way. some of it was corey feldman tier corny.

[@millennial_falcon2240]

None of my favorites ended up here yes this is the validation i’ve been looking for

[@cenjal1665]

Fantano, as someone who also believes Rage is uninspired right now, listen to Edward Skeletrix's new album. It's creative for the genre and a refreshing listen in my opinion.

[@CompleteProducer84]

Life is But a Dream is maybe the only album I can remember that I’ve seen on some reviewers’ best album of the year, and some reviewers’ worst album of the year. I thought it was decent, but I honestly just got annoyed by all of the people calling it a genius masterpiece

[@Dogy0909]

I also thought it was decent. I’d even call it inoffensive. I only really remember one track and I listened 6 months ago

[@CompleteProducer84]

@@Dogy0909 Yeah I’m right there with you. I listened to it a handful of times when it came out and appreciated that it wasn’t just another “Hail to the King”. But unfortunately it just didn’t really stick with me

[@DaMustaine]

It is a really developed album and people who dont like the bands it was inspired by will definitely not like it

[@CommanderWar64]

It is awesome.

[@brandonhiebert2012]

That Greta Van Fleet impression has me in stitches. I almost spat out my coffee.

[@frinky]

bradtaste is currently taking notes

[@curtisparker2651]

Fantano growing a Viltrumite mustache

[@thomasjenkins9373]

The love and enjoyment with which Anthony insults AJR is truly heartwarming to see this holiday season.

[@chromesandwich4878]

Very surprised that Morgan Wallen isn't on this list lol. 36 song album with dud after dud except for like 3 songs maybe. It was a crushing listen.

[@jimr299]

Avenged sevenfold being worse than Tom McDonald is wild

[@sethbuehnerkemper8629]

Am I missing something...have you never reviewed Eartheater? I love her, unbelievable talent.

[@smackheadsgyro]

That Avenged Sevenfold album feels like a level 1 character walking into a level 99 boss fight with full confidence.

[@SirgiantTtv]

and beating the shit out of the boss ;)

[@greatcoldemptiness]

​@@SirgiantTtv LMAO not even close. Listen to more music

[@theofficialthehomedepottmy9160]

i hate that album but im still fine with people liking the album, people can like stuff they like well except for tom macdonald thats a good exception

[@SirgiantTtv]

@@greatcoldemptiness hey I agree it's not for everyone but as long time A7X fan nothing makes me happier seeing how much people are so mad about their new direction. hopefully next album pisses more people off

[@greatcoldemptiness]

@@SirgiantTtv They were never good, so changing sounds doesn't matter if everything they do is garbage and their fans even bigger idiots for liking it

[@kenimerlewis]

I kind of love the fact that Resistance and the Blessing is in here, I would say this is one of my favorite projects of the year, because the reasons Fantano hates this is exactly why I love this lol. I mean, I would rather it be hated than mid

[@StudioScarecrow]

I feel really bad for the person who made it, though. Being plucked out of obscurity to be shredded by Fantano must be an absolutely horrible experience

[@keatsta2928]

​@@StudioScarecrowhe's been making music for like 15 years along with a collective of artists under a record label he founded. I don't think some American KZbin critic not getting it will phase him even slightly, so don't worry.

[@SmartVandelay]

@StudioScarecrow WEG is not obscure at all, he's been well-regarded in post-rock circles for 15 years.

[@mariusbraun450]

Fantano's laugh gives me life

[@LavenderPaws99]

I thought I liked the new A7X album, then I tried listening to it again this month and could not get through it

[@noahbeal4555]

What pisses me off the most about Life Is But A Dream is that a7x already dropped an album that perfectly blended their old sound with more progressive ideas with The Stage. LIBAD's schizophrenia has retroactively made me question whether The Stage's excellence was a fluke. The whole album is so meticulously put together. It's long but doesn't feel long. None of the tracks feel like filler. Then LIBAD actively wastes time with tons of half-baked ideas and songs that don't really go anywhere. If any other band had dropped LIBAD, it would have received absolutely zero critical praise. But since it's from a band as established as a7x, its sheer unexpectedness causes mainstream rock/metal listeners to give it a pass. Anyone who thinks LIBAD is clever has never listened to any rock/metal that is remotely progressive, even from a7x's own discography.

[@CarnerioTostado]

But it's not a prog metal album at all, A7X stated that themselves. It's just progressive music. They've always been very progressive (except in Hail to the King) ever since City of Evil where they mixed a multitude of sounds. So yeah, as a huge fan of Prog Metal myself, I'm fine with the album. It's not my favourite but I just like it for what it is and what it accomplishes. It doesn't have suuper deep lyrics, but it's still their best lyrical work to date imo and takes inspiration from most of my favourite artists. Anyways, there were so many other outragiously bad albums this is that it really feels like Fantano was just rage baiting with LIBAD being #1 worst album.

[@nastusalmander]

I'm so glad to experience none of these albums

[@thedudeunderyourbed8474]

Listen to #1, it's not that awful, it was critically well received, there's good tracks as well as bad tracks.

[@somecanadiangirl1]

Do people who think Tom MacDonalds “telling the truth about America” or whatever know he’s Canadian? There has never been a more blatant grift.

[@JammyJD]

Loved the new Avenged Sevenfold album.

[@Lifertube]

@theneedledrop When it comes to your number one pick, have you truly never heard of Pinkly Smooth? The albums' "Mr. Bungle/Mike Patton/System of a Down" qualities will make some more 'sense' when you check them out.

[@rawkguy4896]

Nice, got a lot of rock representation this year. Edit: Oh shit, I wonder if he forgot about that terrible Smashing Pumpkins record

[@pedreulo]

where's portals by melanie martinez

[@lennoxt.anderson8966]

Also he should've put Nymphology on the worst songs of 2023 list.

[@ConfydeMusic]

Most of the albums on this list could be widely considered terrible music but Life Is But A Dream was hella DIVISIVE, and that to me is the ticket. Personally, I loved it BUT.... Yes a lot of people thought it was abysmal but then others thought it was pure genius, almost in 50/50. I think that's an insane achievement for a band at A7X's level. I think polarising opinions on a release within a fanbase is a real testament to a band's creativity, as they didn't just pump out what they thought the fans wanted and generated really *strong* opinions in both directions. Sure Hail To The King had mixed opinions, but the negative ones were mostly people underwhelmed, whereas people who didn't like TIBAD HATED it. I'm almost excited to see if I hate A7X's next album. Genuinely it's better for people to hate your album, than to listen to it and go "meh".

[@evieTVv]

blink-182 fans gotta be happy they finally made it off this list

[@tylerhackner9731]

Great 👍 list agreed. Especially your ajr takedown

[@gabrielcoutinho653]

He wears pants and sleeps with a night light

[@BigOwl51]

That Avenged Sevenfold album is really the gift that keeps on giving. I haven’t laughed so hard at an album since Corey Feldman. A7X trying to copy Daft Punk on multiple songs had me wheezing

[@Kee23383]

It’s a good album

[@mememachine-386]

The A7x fans that unironically love the album keep the content rolling as well

[@MUSE1795]

​@@Kee23383if you're deaf sure

[@Kee23383]

Dude, it’s a good album. Somewhat solid. Like a 7 out of 10

[@eighteen-naked-cowboys]

@@mememachine-386 you're weird.

[@jordancourtney9142]

A7x’s devolution into crypto bro core is honestly super fitting

[@fernandodannemannneto7453]

LIBAD at no. 1 is hilarious! 😂 Thank you for making me laugh, Melon, I really needed that.

[@genesisosuna]

Surprised not to see dream's album on this list. That album was god awful.

[@icecube7685]

it was terrible, but it was an EP. i'm more surprised to not see melanie martinez tbh.

[@genesisosuna]

​@@icecube7685true actually, that album was so bad I completely forgot about it. Thanks for reminding me of it lmao

[@icarusfluffybottom899]

MAN. As someone that actually really loved Life is But a Dream, I highly suspected it'd be on this list, but I did NOT think it'd be number 1. Honestly, after some of the absolute dogshit he listed, I was thinking, "Oh wow, I guess there's just a lot of shit music that comes out. There's no WAY A7X gets put higher than these fuckin' things..." Then he does it. Pulls it out at NUMBER ONE! Bro, worse than Brave 2!? Eesh. I mean that's music for ya, probably the most subjective of all art forms imo, but still. I was NOT expecting it to be placed worse than some of this other crap.

[@Mr.Foggybrain]

A7X's Life Is But A Dream album was a grower, if you could see how amazingly they pull it off on tour mixed in with their back catalog, it fits so perfectly 👌 they continue to push their own boundaries and I'd rather have them doing that than them grinding out radio ready rock... It felt like City of Evil had a baby with The Stage 😎 the Revs influence was everywhere like never before. Felt like we had his spirit back on this record to me.

[@potis]

I'm still baffled that people actually like the new Avenged Sevenfold album. I personally only found it entertaining for how shitty it is lmao.

[@GingerNingerish]

I get the A7X album not being for everyone, but calling it the worst is just attention seeking, edgey and shows a massive disconnect between critics and people who are actually musicians and people who know anything about actually making music, it just comes off as being completely out of touch.

[@ey3z4ya]

You don't have to "know music" to dislike an album. You guys are just butthurt

[@GingerNingerish]

@ey3z4ya You are correct. But this isn't albums he disliked. This is the worst album of the year he is talking about.

[@c4gam1ng12]

@@GingerNingerishNo kiddo, it’s the 10 worst albums of the year IN HIS OPINION. He’s not saying these albums are objectively bad, and anyone with half a brain would know that. These are the 10 albums he enjoyed the least this year, not the 10 objectively worst albums point blank period.

[@driskull4249]

I'm not gonna sit here and say the new A7X album was good because it really wasn't but number 1 for worst of the year? Damn that's rough I don't think its THAT bad.