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falloutbradreviews · 2 years ago

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Top 10 Albums Of 2023... So Far! Part Two: 10 - 6

Welcome to the next part of my list of top ten albums of 2023! We started with five honorable mentions, but now it's time to get into the first half of the list proper, starting with...

Drain - Living Proof

2020 was a clusterfuck of a year that derailed the careers of a lot of bands, including the hardcore / crossover thrash band Drain. They released the incredible California Cursed in 2020, only to have their touring plans halt in their tracks, but three years later, we've got their second album, and first for Epitaph, Living Proof, and it's another solid record. It's more or less the same as what they were doing on their debut, but in a tighter package, and including a bit of variety, such as a hip-hop interlude towards the end of the record. This record doesn't quite hit as much as California Cursed, but we'll see if that changes by the end of the year. This is just the first half of the year, but even then, this is a great hardcore / crossover record that fans of the genre(s) will certainly appreciate.

Blood Star - First Sighting

At the same time the new Enforcer came out, I came across the debut record from a band called Blood Star, entitled First Sighting, and come to find out, that this band is a new endeavor from the guitarist of Utah heavy metal Visigoth. They're a big name in the 1980s metal influenced camp of the genre, and listening through this record, I can hear it. The guitarwork is wonderful, and even the vocals are incredibly good. Like Nostalgia by Enforcer, this doesn't do anything unique that a lot of other bands already did, but I wanted to pick one of these albums to include on the proper list, and I found myself coming back to this one more. As far as 1980s styled metal records go, this is a good one, and it's worth your time and attention, especially when this album is only around 35 minutes, give or take.

Paramore - This Is Why

Six years after their last LP, After Laughter, Paramore are back with This Is Why, and it's, uh, a post-punk album? Yeah, Paramore surprised everybody with a new record and a new sound. Instead of their 80s synth-pop / power-pop sound they had with their last album six years ago, they came back with another sound with its roots in the 1980s -- post-punk. Armed with angular guitars, vocals are almost like they're spoken-word poetry, and lyrics that have a more political bent to them at times, This Is Why is a very interesting album that works quite well, for the most part. The first half is a lot stronger than the second, but it's not by much. I also wouldn't say that This Is Why is Paramore's best album, but it's easily their most interesting, and one of their most unique, because you don't hear a lot of bands doing this anymore, so it's worth a listen for that alone, and it'll be interesting to see how much I come back to this album throughout the year. 7. Enforced - War Remains Thrash metal has had a bit of a lackluster year, as not a whole lot of notable releases have come out, other than one that I'll talk about here in a second, but Enforced dropped their third album (and second for Century Media), entitled War Remains, and if anything at all, it tightens up their sound after their last LP, Kill Grid, whether it's shortening up the length of this record, or just making fast, loud, intense, and energetic thrash that pulls no punches and doesn't hold back. War Remains also doesn't waste its time, or spend any time bullshitting around, like their last album unfortunately did. This is a quick half hour that comes and goes real quick; it knows what it's trying to do, and it does it extremely well. Not too many thrash albums have come out this year, but hopefully fans have playing this one a lot to hold themselves over from the next thrash album that will take up their time and attention. 6. Metallica - 72 Seasons This year has been a big one for the biggest bands in certain genres, but the biggest metal band in the world, and possibly of all time, released their first album in seven years -- Metallica. 72 Seasons is the name of that record, and I reviewed it earlier this year a bit after it came out. I already went into detail about it, but Metallica is one of my all-time favorite bands, and this record is the best possible scenario that we could have gotten from a modern-day Metallica -- a nice mix of classic metal and thrash. I wish I would have put this higher, because it's a great record, but this record is way too long at times, and it does get slightly boring and middling, but just when it starts to get that way, something comes back and catches my attention again. I just can't put this extremely high for that reason, but I do really love this record. Who knows if it'll change later this year, but I don't want to put this album at the top of the list just because it's Metallica. With that said, though, it'll be interesting to see what's at the top, if Metallica's not (although if you look at the collage I made, you can already see what the rest of the list looks like).

#heavy metal #metal #country #thrash metal #pop-punk #hard-rock #metallica #thrash #enforced #metal music #blood star #paramore #this is why #drain #living proof #crossover thrash

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kaiyunsim · 2 months ago

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still into you —

pairing : idol!ni-ki x manager m!reader

summary : one minute you’re managing chaos at work, the next you’re realizing the kid you used to babysit is taller and totally in love with you. somewhere in the middle, your brain forgets how to function.

warnings : fluff, age gap (ni-ki is ~4-5 years younger), kinda cliche tbh, reader is boynextdoor’s rookie manager

a/n : trying to get these requests done ! also do we like these ^ photos / header ?? or should i go back to the normal ones

queuing : still into you - paramore, who are you? - saga faye, always - daniel caesar, endlessly - bixby, night changes - one direction

[requested] by anon

— wc : 2.0k — not proof read —

you’re running late. not a great first impression when you’re barely a week into your new job, sprinting down hybe’s polished hallways with coffee in one hand and a tablet tucked under your arm. the building feels endless, identical glass doors and blinding white lights making you dizzy. you skid around a corner too fast, don’t even see the group coming until it’s too late.

coffee sloshes out of the cup, splattering the floor and the front of someone’s black hoodie. you freeze, heart thudding.

“shit, i’m so sorry—” you start, looking up—

and then up. and up. because the guy you’ve just doused is tall. ridiculously tall. he blinks at you, stunned for half a second, before this slow, familiar grin spreads across his face.

“hyung?” he says, voice somewhere between disbelief and amusement.

you blink at him, brain buffering. the face is vaguely familiar, sharp jawline and messy hair and a glint in his eyes that you can’t quite place.

“you grew,” he says, laughing as he plucks the empty coffee cup out of your hand and tosses it in a nearby trash can. ��you’re still tiny though.”

you stare, heat creeping up your neck. tiny? who does he—

and then it clicks.

the way his nose crinkles when he laughs. the way he tilts his head, waiting for you to recognize him.

“riki?” you say, almost a question.

his grin widens. “you remember.”

you do, but it’s like an unconfortable amazement. because the last time you saw nishimura riki, he was twelve years old, barely up to your chin. he had just moved to korea, awkward and shy and homesick, and you, freshly eighteen and cocky with the title of “part-time babysitter” had been assigned to look after him.

he’s not that kid anymore. not even close.

“you got tall,” you mutter, dazed.

he laughs, and it’s deeper now, richer. “yeah. you didn’t.”

you scowl instinctively, and that just makes him laugh harder, like it’s the most natural thing in the world after not seeing eachother for about 8 years. like there’s not a solid foot of height difference between you now.

“still cute though,” he adds, and then winks.

you’re too stunned to respond, standing there while he and his group, enhypen, shuffle around you, offering half-hearted apologies and amused glances. someone hands you a napkin. ni-ki doesn’t move his arm until one of his members drags him away by the sleeve, still grinning at you over his shoulder.

you’re left in the hallway, clutching the napkin

later, when you’re sitting in the boynextdoor practice room, trying to scrub coffee stains out of your jacket with a half-dry wet wipe, your mind drifts back to earlier. to him.

to the way he’d had to double take when he saw you. like he wasn’t expecting you at all. like he was happy.

you chuckle under your breath, shaking your head.

you remember that kid, the one who used to tug on your sleeve and show you secret corners of the trainee dorms, dragging you into trouble with his bright-eyed plans. the one who fell asleep on your shoulder halfway through every movie you put on.

you hadn’t thought much about where he might end up. hadn’t pictured him all grown up.

but there he is now. somehow taller than everyone in the hallway. flashing the same grin like no time had passed. it’s weird, seeing someone you used to babysit look so… grown.

but it’s not a bad feeling. just strange. like looking at a before-and-after photo you didn’t know you were waiting for.

you shrug it off. he’s just being friendly. you did spend months babysitting him, after all. maybe he’s just happy to see a familiar face. you let it go.

except, you keep running into him.

hallways, practice rooms, elevators. it’s almost funny how often your paths cross. and somehow, every time, ni-ki’s there first, already grinning like he knows a secret.

he leans on your shoulder casually whenever you’re standing close, treating you like his personal armrest.

he tosses snacks at you like it’s a sport, flipping bags of chips across rooms with scary precision.

he lingers after rehearsals, pretending he’s looking for something he dropped, just so he can stick around a little longer.

“you’re really bad at pretending you’re not following me,” you joke one afternoon, catching him loitering by the vending machines again.

ni-ki just smirks, handing you a cold can of coffee without being asked. “maybe i’m not pretending.”

you snort, bumping your shoulder into his without thinking. easy. familiar. like slipping into an old hoodie you forgot you loved.

he’s always teasing you about your height, too, leaning down exaggeratedly when he talks to you, grinning like he’s waiting for you to get mad.

“swear i grew another inch this week,” he says once, ruffling your hair before you can duck away. “you’re basically a collectible now.”

you roll your eyes, laughing despite yourself.

it’s just ni-ki being riki.

it feels almost normal, falling back into this pattern. even if he’s bigger now. sharper around the edges. a little more confident than the kid you remember.

you’re not overthinking it. you don’t need to overthink it. he’s just someone from your past, someone who you helped make trainee life a little less lonely, finding you again.

you’re just…happy he’s doing well. that’s all.

but sometimes you catch yourself staring at him, across practice rooms, down long corridors. you can’t help but think about how fast everything changes.

he used to be the homesick kid you snuck extra snacks for. the one who needed you to stay up late playing video games so he could fall asleep with company.

now he’s chatting with the members of the group you’re managing, about to record a collab video to advertise the recent comebacks.

you clear your throat and flick your pen against your clipboard, focusing on your task list.

it’s good to see him again. really good. but you’ve got a job to do. and he’s got his own path, too. whatever this is, friendship, familiarity, something in between, you’re just glad you didn’t lose it.

—

you’re running on fumes by the time the day ends.

it feels like you’ve been putting out fires since noon. double-booked schedules, a last-minute venue change, two different members bickering over nothing. your head’s buzzing from all the noise.

so you escape. just for a second.

you find an empty breakroom tucked into the corner of the floor, dim and too quiet, and drop yourself onto the nearest couch like a puppet whose strings got cut. you lean forward, elbows on your knees, hands dangling. just breathing.

you don’t even hear the door creak open. not until a cold can taps lightly against your knee.

you blink up.

ni-ki’s standing there, casual, hands stuffed in his hoodie pocket. he doesn’t say anything. just nudges the drink toward you again, like: take it, dummy.

you crack open a tired smile, accepting it. “you stalking me or something?”

he huffs a laugh and slides down onto the couch beside you, slouching until his knees are practically level with yours.

“could smell the burnout from the hallway,” he says easily.

you snort, tipping your head back against the cushion. “yeah, well. it’s been a day.”

you expect him to crack another joke, something about you getting old and fragile or short and tiny, but he doesn’t. he just sits there, his shoulder a warm line of comfort next to yours, fiddling idly with the tab on his drink.

it’s… nice. the quiet. the way he’s not pushing you to talk, just being there. you take a sip, the coldness biting pleasantly at your throat, and let yourself laugh under your breath.

“you’re weird, you know that?” you murmur, side-eyeing him. “not a lot of people would track me down just to hand me a drink.”

ni-ki shrugs, mouth tilting into a small smile. “not a lot of people babysat me through my weird dancer phase,” he says, casual as anything.

you chuckle. yeah. you did live through that era..

for a second, it’s easy to believe you’re just those two people again, him, the stubborn kid dragging you into whatever weird idea he had next, and you, the one trailing behind.

you’re about to say something stupid, something like, ‘you turned out alright’

when he speaks again, it’s soft. like he’s thought about it for a while.

“i’ve liked you forever, you know.”

the words land like a dart hitting the exact center of a target. sharp. impossible to ignore.

you blink, mid-sip, nearly choking. “huh?”

he shifts, turning a little to face you, expression open and weirdly calm, like he’s not just detonating your entire brain with a single sentence.

“i used to think it would go away when i grew up,” ni-ki says, eyes steady. “but… it didn’t.”

your brain shorts out. completely.

liked. you.

liked you.

used to? didn’t? WHAT.

you stare at him, mouth slightly open, like he’s suddenly started speaking a language you don’t understand because the lingering after practices, the snacks, the teasing, the leaning down so he could look you in the eye, like it was some kind of private joke.

you thought—

you genuinely thought he was just being friendly. nostalgic. grateful.

not this.

not into you.

your ears burn. you’re pretty sure your soul just left your body.

‘the kid i used to babysit is into me??’

in caps. bolded. flashing like a giant neon sign. actually caps doesn’t even show how stunned you are.

you make a sound. a wheezy, useless one.

then you laugh, awkward and breathless and absolutely struck with something, rubbing the back of your neck because your hands don’t know what else to do.

“i… i’m sorry,” you stammer out, the words tumbling over themselves. “i didn’t—i mean, i didn’t notice. at all. seriously. i’m the biggest idiot, huh?”

ni-ki laughs too. a little embarrassed, sure, but there’s relief in it too, like he was bracing for something worse.

“you noticed now,” he says simply, bumping your shoulder with his. “that’s enough.”

you sit there, heart hammering away in your chest, trying to catch up to the reality you just crash-landed into.

ni-ki likes you. riki has liked you. for years, probably.

and somehow, you, who prides yourself on noticing everything, missed every single sign.

you glance sideways at him. he’s leaning back against the couch now, sipping his drink like nothing earth-shattering just happened. like he didn’t just turn your world slightly sideways.

and he’s still riki. still the kid who used to tug you out to the park on weekends. still the one who fell asleep next to you with his shoes half-on.

just… taller now. steadier. more himself than ever.

you breathe out slowly. “can i be honest?” you say, voice a little hoarse.

ni-ki tilts his head, waiting.

“i… need a little time,” you admit, fiddling with the tab of your can. “not because i don’t… like you—” you break off, not sure how to finish that sentence without lying. “just… it’s a lot to process, you know?”

he smiles. small, but real. “take all the time you want,” he says, standing and stretching like a cat. “i’m not going anywhere.”

you watch him walk to the door, tall, unhurried, somehow carrying the same stubborn hope he always had. you watch him grin over his shoulder one more time before slipping out, the door clicking shut behind him.

you stare at the empty room.

your heart’s still fluttering. soft and persistent. like it’s remembering something your brain hasn’t caught up to yet.

you drag a hand over your face, groaning under your breath. “maybe i’m into him” you mutter to yourself.

── ⟢ ・⸝⸝

tysm for reading :>

enha taglist :

perm taglist : @s0shroe @minoouz @the0p @mon2sunjinsuver @solkver @lov3lyaaru

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