Powerful lyrics and relentless emotion drive “The Weight”, which is one of the most impressive musical commentaries on the nature of love and marriage that I’ve ever heard. Kensrue’s passion really shows and the stripped down nature of the music makes the song feel entirely sincere.

“Some talk of destiny, others of fate, 

But soon they’ll be saying goodbye. 
But I won’t leave you high and dry. 
Because a ring don’t mean nothing 
If you can’t haul the weight, 
And some of them won’t even try, 
But I won’t leave you high and dry; 
I won’t leave you wondering why.”

Epic and grandiose, beginning with the relentless pounding of war drums, “The Breach of the Deeping Wall” reaches a climax halfway through the track only to descend into chaos until a familiar melody rises to it’s uplifting finish. The atmosphere Howard Shore creates with his compositions is one of the things that makes The Lord of the Rings films what they are, and I love every minute of the soundtrack.

With lyrics ripped directly from chapter 40 in the book of Psalms, “40” is refreshingly simple, and while lyrically uplifting it is played in the style of a lament. U2’s ability to contrast style with subject matter in “War” is what makes it one of my personal favourite albums.

“I and Love and You” displays the breadth of the Avett Brothers talent in a song combining folk/rock acoustic melodies with distinctive bluegrass influences into an addicting and unique musical experience that is present throughout the album.

Thrice’s second album, The Illusion of Safety, is riddled with nostalgia as their music takes on a sound that throws back to punk rock and mixes it with hardcore. It’s a really intense and enjoyable combination that shines in a lot of The Illusion of Safety, including “Betrayal is a Symptom”.

The hauntingly beautiful piano melody, slow moving bass line, and richly meaningful lyrics about how pain can help people help others, “For Miles” joins the long list of darkly toned masterpieces offered by Vheissu.

Blissfully chaotic, “Drunks, Lovers, Sinners and Saints” is post-hardcore of the greatest kind. The heavy elements are balanced out with just the right amount of underlying poetry. A great lead in to a great album.

Touchingly sentimental and at times shamelessly silly, “If I Told You That I Loved You” takes us on a heartwarming story through a blissful romance.

Oddly enough, despite being a metal band, most of my favourite tracks from Demon Hunter’s “The Triptych” are their acoustic ones. The original version of “My Throat is an Open Grave” is arguably just as good as the acoustic, but the acoustic version’s simplicity gives it a clean sound that makes for a great addition to the album. While not their most impressive work, the song provides a great point of reference to juxtapose the heavier elements of the album, along with the other acoustic tracks, and helps give the album some balance.

Of all the songs in Wicked, “For Good” is without doubt the most sincere, the most emotional. The Wicked witch of the west has been humanized, and we sympathize with her in her pain and vulnerability. The song begins as a melancholy lament and builds into a stirring duet.

While I’ve never been a big fan of country music there a few exceptions, including Steve Earle. Steve Earle’s colourful antihero characters exploring american culture are strikingly compelling, and while “Nowhere Road” is less about that and more of a metaphor, it remains just as thoroughly engaging.