Revolver has teamed with For Your Health on a limited-edition "Butterfly" vinyl variant of their debut album In Spite Of on clear base with opaque red wax. Only 100 were made — get yours before they're gone!
2021 has been, without a doubt, one of the most memorable years in modern music history. The invisible elephant in the room was obviously COVID-19, which triggered the unprecedented year-plus blackout on nearly all live shows. Thankfully this spring's widespread vaccination rollout proved effective enough for the restrictions to lift, and by summer bands were finally able to hit stages throughout the country.
While we're not quite in "post-COVID" times just yet, the sheer joy of experiencing the cranked sounds and singular live energy of gatherings big and small — from sweaty Turnstile club gigs and raucous Slipknot road shows to massive Metallica-led festivals — has been beyond rejuvenating.
Plus, there's also been a bunch of killer albums released this year to keep us entertained in between mosh pits. Old-school heavies Iron Maiden, Carcass and At the Gates brought the heat, scene leaders Mastodon and Gojira upped the ante, Converge and Chelsea Wolfe dropped a bomb collab and a clutch of up-and-coming trailblazers — Spiritbox, Jinjer, Turnstile, Scowl, Portrayal of Guilt and more — pushed heavy music into exciting new territories. (See Revolver's 25 favorite albums of 2021 here.)
As we close the books on 2021, we're catching up with some of our favorite artists to get their picks for the best of the best of the past year. Below, Damian Chacon, guitarist for rising Ohio post-hardcore/screamo/mathcore antagonists For Your Health, shares his favorite shit: from "explosive, triumphant" hardcore punk to the television show that "changed how we communicate with each other."
Best Album: 'nuoc' by Hawak
A truly powerful, poignant, urgent and beautiful record. The guitar work and tone are just indescribably my favorite thing, but everyone shreds. I bought the vinyl with $45 in my account. Favorite track: "haiyan."
Best Split: Amygdala/Listless
The Amygdala/Listless split LP was my favorite collaborative album. Both bands bring this frenetic onslaught of rage and contemplation. Heavily recommended. Favorite tracks are Amygdala's "Zeke's Song" and Listless' "No Remorse."
Best Song: "B.O.M.B.S" by Soul Glo
I played a Dropbox link that [programmer Gianmarco] GG [Guerra] sent me in the van once, and for seven months [For Your Health bassist] Johnny [Deborde] remembered the hook. Explosive, triumphant, confessional and lacerating. Soul Glo are the best doing it.
Best TV Show: I Think You Should Leave
I Think You Should Leave has changed how we communicate with each other and has added needed comic relief when tour gets stressful.
Best Book: Blood in My Eye
I'd been meaning to read Blood in My Eye by George L. Jackson [1996] for a while, and I think I read it at the perfect time. It references two texts extensively: The Wretched of the Earth by Frantz Fanon and The State and Revolution by V. I. Lenin, which were the two books I'd finished immediately before this one. Blood in My Eye is a brilliant perspective on what fascism is, and why it's revolution every time, not reform. Excellent material and historical analysis on the multitudes of struggle and the diversity of tactics. Insightful and important, it made me view the world in a different way.
Best New Band: Thirdface
Thirdface's album Do It With a Smile — when I listen to it, there's this visceral feeling I get, like I'm at a live show. Furious, captivating vocals over this impeccably tight, yet washy cacophony, with the best bass tone I've ever heard. I had their single "Villians!" on repeat for weeks. I can't wait to see them live.
Best Musical Moment
Playing a sold-out show in Chicago at Subterranean. It feels special to sell out a spot, not in our hometowns, with our friends in Hazing Over. Truly a team effort, we built something out of nothing. ... I'm looking forward to touring as much as possible and writing new music in 2022.
