Although the decade definitely isn't over (thank Jeebus, I'll probably have dementia by 2020), there has been plenty of good music released; certainly enough to warrant an excuse for me to make a list about it. The following are a few albums that I think really stand out from the past few years, in no particular order (this is not a "Top 10").

10. "Descensus" by Circa Survive

The song you ought to know already: "Schema"

Three more for ya: "Child Of The Desert", "Nesting Dolls", "Descensus"

If you liked this check out: "Juturna"

Similar artists: Saosin, The Dear Hunter, Coheed And Cambria, The Mars Volta, As Cities Burn

Circa Survive is a band that I have come across more recently, but I'm all the more glad for it as they are excellent at what they do. "Descensus" is their most recent album and shows a more aggressive side to the progressive post-hardcore sound that the band is known for. Within the ambient layers of noise are piercing vocals that soothe the mind as it's rendered asunder. Nevertheless, this album is definitely worth checking out.

9. "Dirtyland" by Symbol Six

The song you ought to know already: none

Three more for ya: "Generation Damnation", "Spit It Out", "Dirtyland"

If you liked this check out: "Fang/Symbol Six Split EP"

Similar artists: Social Distortion, Bad Religion, Agent Orange, The Cult, Alice Cooper

If you're a fan of classic or maybe hardcore-tinged punk and go around saying phrases like "real punk is dead," then have I got news for you. Punk's not dead and neither is rock and roll, in fact it's all right here in "Dirtyland." This is a nice solid chunk of obscure punk rock you've never heard of. Symbol Six is a really good punk band and it's sad no one listens to them. With hard elements of punk and general rock and roll, this album is a steamroller from start to finish. Check it out if you like bands like Fear, Social Distortion, or Bad Religion.

8. "Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies" by Volbeat

The song you ought to know already: "The Hangman's Body Count"

Three more for ya: "Room 24", "Lola Montez", "Let's Shake Some Dust"

If you liked this check out: "Beyond Hell/Above Heaven"

Similar artists: Godsmack, Stone Sour, Trivium, Drowning Pool, Five Finger Death Punch

A real quick comment about Volbeat: I love how their albums have usually have a cool instrumental at the beginning. As a result of this, I put "Let's Shake Some Dust" as a great song to check out because not only does it have a smooth western vibe, but it also sets the tone of the album.

If you've ever listened to mainstream rock radio before, you've probably heard Volbeat. People I know tend to be very divided as to their thoughts on the band and their music. Apparently the singer's voice is something that can be hard to get past (this is probably because they're from Denmark), but I can understand this sentiment.

Anyway, this album has a really good flow from song to song and almost feels like a concept album even though it's not. If you're a metalhead "Room 34" features a collaboration with fellow Dane, the almighty King Diamond. If pop rock is more your style they also do a cover of "My Body" that is pretty gosh darned good.

7. "The Pale Emperor" by Marilyn Manson

The song you ought to know already: "Deep Six"

Three more for ya: "Killing Strangers", "Third Day Of A Seven Day Binge", "The Mephitopheles Of Los Angeles"

If you liked this check out: "Antichrist Superstar"

Similar artists: Godhead, Orgy, Dope, Rob Zombie, White Zombie

When I first heard "Deep Six", I immediately thought "holy shite, Manson's back", and they are back, with a vengeance. But for realsies, this is the new shite from Marilyn Manson and it's friggin' awesome. I would almost call it a comeback (I haven't really listened to much of "Born Villain" so I can't say for sure), but I can definitely say it's the best thing Manson's done in years and it might be their best work. Every song has that creepy feel, but doesn't rely on the shock, proving that Manson's songwriting is solid without the gimmicks. Worth checkin' out.

6. "Signed And Sealed In Blood" by Dropkick Murphys

The song you ought to know already: "The Battle Rages On"

Three more for ya: "The Prisoner's Song", "Rose Tattoo", "The Boys Are Back"

If you liked this check out: "The Warrior's Code"

Similar artists: Flogging Molly, The Pogues, The Dreadnoughts, Buck-O-Nine, U.S. Bombs

If you don't know who the Dropkick Murphys are, then you've probably never been outside on St. Pattie's Day. In short, they play Celtic punk and they've been doing it for 20 years. That being said, they've been pretty consistent and their new album shows that they've still got it. Though perhaps not as good as their older stuff, there's still tons of good old Irish sounding songs with enough attitude to remind you they're a punk band too. Give it a listen if you like banjos, bagpipes, and/or alcohol.

5. "Slash" by Slash

The song you ought to know already: "By The Sword"

Three more for ya: "Watch This", "We're All Gonna Die", "Ghost"

Three extra: "Promise", "Back From Cali", "Crucify The Dead"

If you liked this check out: "Apocalyptic Love"

Similar artists: Velvet Revolver, Guns N Roses, Slash's Snakepit, Alter Bridge, Airbourne

I love this album. Slash is generally know for his tenure with Guns N' Roses, but they have certainly kept busy since then. Slash has been in Slash's Snakepit, Velvet Revolver, and rivals the great Dave Grohl in musical guest appearances. So in 2010 it was about time for Slash to go solo.

What surprises me about this album is that it includes a multitude of guest singers, many of which music snobs, such as I, would find questionable. Before I gave it a listen, I was worried it might turn out like Santana's "Supernatural" (a few good songs amongst a heap of trash), but unlike some collaboration albums, "Slash" exceeded all expectations. Every song I thought that I would like, I loved and every song that I thought that I wouldn't enjoy, I ended up enjoying.

Short example; there's a song with Fergie on it called "Beautiful Dangerous", it's probably one of the better songs off the album. Slash has taken all these singers and proven that they can make awesome music with anyone and at the same time, shown that some pop singers have a surprising range. Even the Kid Rock song was good. The only song that kind of disappoints is the one with Adam Levine.

Aside from that, every song is a friggin' masterpiece. The instrumental "Watch This" with Dave Grohl and old bandmate Duff McKagan is one of the best rock instrumentals of all time. Iggy Pop, whom I love, is awesome on "We're All Gonna Die" even though you can tell it was improvised. Lemmy, Ozzy, Chris Cornell, and many more all get a cool song. Listen to this please.

4. "Royal Blood" by Royal Blood

The song you ought to know already: "Out Of The Black"

Three more for ya: "Figure It Out", "Come On Over", "Little Monster"

Three extra: "Ten Tonne Skeleton", "Blood Hands", "Careless"

If you liked this check out: none

Similar artists: Middle Class Rut, Queens Of The Stone Age, Foo Fighters, The White Stripes, Death From Above 1979

Royal Blood is one of the best new bands there is; it's that simple. The fact that they do everything they do with just bass and drums just makes it all the more incredible. They formed in 2013, this album came out in 2014, and they haven't really released anything new since. This album though, it's something else entirely. It's friggin' great. Jimmy Page (of Led Zeppelin fame for those unfamiliar) has basically said that they are taking rock and going above and beyond with the genre. All the way through it is amazing.

3. "Universal Pulse" by 311

The song you ought to know already: "Sunset In July

Three more for ya: "And A Ways To Go", "Weightless", "Time Bomb"

Three extra (off of "Stereolithic"): "Sand Dollars", "Five Of Everything", "Ebb And Flow"

If you liked this check out: "311"

Similar artists: Red Hot Chili Peppers, Sublime, The Urge, Jimmie's Chicken Shack, Sugar Ray

This one has sentimental value to me. It's not the fist CD that I owned, but it's the first that I bought with my own money that I had earned. There was a period of time around 2011 that I had decided that pirating was bad and I made the decision to start buying CDs. That lasted about a year, until I realized it was a mistake and went on to various other bad decisions (iTunes, Spotify, how the hell do you do music in this world anymore).

So I listened to this album a lot (a friend even called me a "goddamned beach rocker") and it kinda has some meaning to me. That being said it's a decent amount of "good times" tunes in the style of funk/ska/rap rock. 311 is an awesome band, and they've put out a lot of good albums with a lot of good songs. This one is actually in the middle as far as how good it is compared to the rest of their music. "Stereolithic," their most recent work, is a better album. It is also worth checking out. Some people complain that they can be too laid back or that the rap style doesn't mesh with the rock, but I love them anyway. If you like Sublime or the RHCP you might like 311.

2. "Melophobia" by Cage The Elephant

The song you ought to know already: "Come A Little Closer"

Three more for ya: "Telescope", "Cigarette Daydreams", "Spiderhead"

Three extra: "Shake Me Down", "Aberdeen", "Around My Head"

If you liked this check out: "Cage The Elephant"

Similar artists: Modest Mouse, The Strokes, Franz Ferdinand, The Vines, Arctic Monkeys

An amazing, spectacular work of art does not begin to describe "Melophobia," so I'm not even going to try. Just listen to it. It's a little different than their widely known first album. I'd describe this as the energy of their early work combined with the somber sounds of a band akint o Modest Mouse. Still, it goes further into experimental territory and psychedelic pop. I'd say it's a must hear. Oh, I threw in some songs of heir earlier album, they really are a great band.

1. "The Hunter" by Mastodon

The song you ought to know already: "Curl Of The Burl"

Three more for ya: "The Hunter", "Dry Bone Valley", "Black Tongue"

Three extra: "High Road", "The Motherload", "Once More 'Round The Sun"

If you liked this check out: "Crack The Skye"

Similar artists: Baroness, Kylesa, Red Fang, Black Tusk, Clutch

This might possibly be the best metal album of the 2010s. If I was in an endless fog until the end of time, I'd want this to be the album that played. This isn't as heavy as their earlier stuff and any remnants of a thrashy sound are all but gone, but in their stead is an amazing blend of progressive metal and sludge. From start to finish this album is glorious and if you like this they have another one, "Once More 'Round The Sun," that came out in 2014 and follows a similar style. If you like metal or prog check it out, if you like harder stuff, check out their early work.

That's it for now, if there's any questions, comments, feel free to message or e-mail.