Best Music Of 2017

author PP date 10/01/18

2016 was rightly dubbed as the year of the comeback, where almost every major band you didn't think would ever release records again returned with a bang. In contrast, 2017 was much less eventful. Fewer spectacular reunion releases, fewer stylistic breakthroughs in terms of genres rising their profile massively from previous years, and fewer surprises overall. Instead, 2017 it was largely characterized by fulfilled expectations by household names, which is what is also reflected in our sum up of the highlights below.

Bands like Converge, Anti-Flag, Hot Water Music, The National, Comeback Kid and others released albums that were perhaps not their career masterpieces but nonetheless among the highlights in their respective discographies, whereas smaller bands like Sorority Noise and Code Orange made some serious noise suggesting they will be contenders for years to come.

2017 was also a year where some of our longtime editors decided to hang up the writing gloves for good. We will sorely miss TL and BV for their countless contributions and invaluable insight into their respective genres.

The remainder of our writers were given the usual task: pick and mix your favorite records from 2017 and combine them into an ordered list of sorts. No particular minimum or maximum limit for each list. The only catch? They had to be releases you'd reflect back on three to five years from now, thinking along the lines of "damn, that album was good" , or ones that you'd keep returning to as they pass the test of time, thus cementing their place among the highlights in their given genre when we look back at the decade gone by at some point in the future.

Thus whatever you take interest in from below, you can rest assured that we have listened to it many times over and ultimately found that these records satisfy from the first track to the last. PP

Petteri Pertola (PP)

PP is the Editor In Chief for Rockfreaks.net, primarily covering punk, hardcore, and related genres with occasional ventures into other genres as well. With between one and two hundred album reviews a year for more than a decade straight, you can be sure that if an album is on this list, it's still worth a listen a few years down the line.

Disappointing releases:

Aleksi Pertola (AP)

AP revels in the riff, and as such his tastes often find a match within doom, prog, stoner and all things ‘post-‘. On top of that, he has an affinity for the more deviant and atmospheric forms of extreme metal and is also an avid connoisseur of punk-rock.

Honorable mentions:

Lærke Fenger (LF)

LF is usually intrigued by bands that fall within the genres of indie/emo rock, pop punk, or anything progressive or post-. This year has seen her delve further into indie and melodic punk at the cost of the more classic post-rock releases which shows on her list.

Honorable mentions:

Makky Hall (MAK)

MAK dabbles in all sorts of alternative music, commonly covering ska and punk as his main tastes, though often touching on metal and hardcore too. 2017 even saw him leave his comfort zone to check out some acts that are a bit more extreme than he’s used to.

Honorable mentions:

Mikkel Neubert (MIN)

MIN will cover most genres and love it, whether it be peculiar indie-rock, bludgeoning hardcore or expansive metal excursions – as long as the music’s genuine, passionate and/or innovative.

International records:

Danish records:

YOUR TURN

And with that note, dear readers, we invite you to list your favorite records of the year below in the comments section. Feel free to argue, praise, or defame if you so wish, but please do provide your own 'best of' list that consists primarily of records you know you'll be listening to in years to come as well.

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