If I would have to sum up the Metal Year of 2009 with only one word it’d be ”parity”. In previous years, I’ve had a clear-cut favorite for Album of the Year, and I stand by those picks still today. Where 2009 differs from previous years is that to me, there hasn’t been an album that has stood out like ”Colors” (2007) or ”Traced In Air” (2008) did. Instead it’s a much more even race from top to bottom, and I greatly prefer that over albums that run away with the title. Without further ado, let’s cut to the chase and hand out the awards…
After a fairly mediocre showing in ”Sacrament”, Lamb of God fortunately returned to a rawer and more aggressive sound in ”Wrath”. Gone was the polish and instead it seems like they decided to anoint the entire recording with the kind of foot-pudding you find in Mark Morton’s shoes after a couple of months of touring.
As nigh all other albums to make this top 10, ”Wrath” possesses a level of quality without significant dips. It’s not an album with 2-4 killer songs and then 30 minutes of mediocrity, but a focused effort which delivers aggression, power and punch over the course of it’s 45 minutes. While it’s fair to argue that Lamb of God took a stylistic step or two backwards in some departments, one must also note that they’ve expanded their sound to include acoustics, while Mark Morton has continued to explore his role as lead guitarist.
”Wrath” isn’t the band’s best effort to date, but it’s still a damn fine metal album and most certainly worthy of a spot on This Year In Metal.
9. Shadow Gallery – Digital Ghosts
Most critically acclaimed bands don’t continue after losing their lead singer, and very few of those who do continue manage to produce an album that can stand up to their back catalogue. Shadow Gallery endured the tragic loss of their long-time lead singer Mike Baker, and then managed to produce another great album with new vocalist Brian Ashland.
Fans of bands like Dream Theater and Symphony X will probably be aware of Shadow Gallery’s existence, as they’ve set up shop in more or less the same niche in the metal genre.
”Digital Ghosts” is a great progressive metal album that is full of instrumental prowess while retaining a general feeling that the guys are all working together for the benefit of the song. And what is special in this case is that the feeling is sustained for the entire 55-minute existence of the album.
8. Isis – Wavering Radiant
Isis’ sound is at times like a dense, milky fog. On ”Wavering Radiant” the wonderful thing is that just before you’ve had enough of the fog, it dissolves and something much lighter and soothing is delivered to you. To balance these two worlds is not an easy task, but Isis accomplish just that on ”Wavering Radiant”.
Despite the apparent thickness of the fog, the production delivered still manages to give the music room to breathe and the band manages to retain the air whilst filling it with additional instruments and layers.
At the end of the day, the apparent troubles coupled with labelling an album like ”Wavering Radiant” stems from the music. The darkest moments are very dark, as are the corresponding light moments, yet the album manages to perform the transition between these elements perfectly, something only the sun itself can claim to do on a daily basis. And it doesn’t take much of a brain to figure out that such a feat is rare in the world of music, not to mention the metal genre.
7. Obscura – Cosmogenesis
Very rarely do supergroups work out, but we can’t put Obscura in that category, not after this clinic in technical death metal. ”Cosmogenesis” is the album of the year in that category, and while being brutal and technical it is also extremely tuneful and catchy.
Much of the credit for their sound must go Jeroen Paul Thesseling (Pestilence) whose fretless basswork is really the true highlight of the album. Thesseling’s tasty delivery where he drifts in and out between grooving with the drums, supporting the guitars or playing countermelodies, is something you can only achieve when you completely dedicate yourself to your instrument. Obviously the other guys contribute a great deal as well, most notably Christian Muenzner (ex-Necrophagist) and his neo-classical soloing, but this is one of few metal albums where bass guitar can be the focal point for an entire album. And that does not have to be a bad thing, my fellow guitarists.
6. Swallow The Sun – New Moon
”They’ve got the potential to be great”. I’ve thought that to myself several times when listening to albums by bands that haven’t quite made it. Swallow the Sun would definitely fall into that category and while it may be heresy to some, I’d say that they’ve just started to realise their potential with their last two releases. ”Plague of Butterflies” would’ve made it onto my Top 10 last year if it’d been an album and not an EP. Their earlier output had the potential but lacked the execution. Well, they finally hit home with ”New Moon”.
There’re albums that sound like they were tailored to fit a particular season, and ”New Moon” sounds like a dark, rainy and cold October evening. The music is mostly rooted in doom, with melancholic melodies that would make a suicidal teen feel upbeat by comparison, but there’s also a good chunk of black metal-esque sections.
Is the opening 1-2 punch of ”These Woods Breathe Evil” and ”Falling World” the best one this year? Highly likely. Then again, add ”Sleepless Swans” and you may have the best opening trio of 2009. While recognizing the greatness of these songs, it should be noted that the rest of the album isn’t far behind and the drop in quality is negligible.
Unless your party clientele consists of suicide cultists, I doubt you’ll throw on ”New Moon” to get the party started (imagine the afterparty!), but as far as emotional and melancholic music goes, it’s hard to do better in 2009.
5. Immortal – All Shall Fall
As far as triumphant returns go, it’s hard to do better than Immortal. Seven long years had passed since ”Sons of Northern Darkness” was released in 2002, and for good reasons the band had huge expectations to meet. After such a long hiatus from recording, it’s natural that along with the expectations, a lot of questionmarks were raised.
Well, the bottom line is that ”All Shall Fall” sounds like a full-on blizzard delivering atmosphere, aggression and even a touch of catchiness amidst all the grim riffing. What is also very pleasing is that the band understands that music like this is best delivered in short bursts and rarely does it do an album much good to continue past the 40-minute mark.
”All Shall Fall” is one of the best albums in 2009, one of the best comebacks in many years, and they needed just seven tracks and forty minutes to accomplish it.
4. Dream Theater – Black Clouds & Silver Linings
Not many bands have the privilege to be around for almost a quarter of a century, let alone be relevant and produce great albums that far into their career. Fortunately for us, Dream Theater fit that category just nicely. After a couple of lackluster albums in the 2000’s, they finally hit it big again with ”Black Clouds & Silver Linings”.
”Black Clouds” differs a bit from the other albums on this list, in the aspect that it’s not a very even effort. There’re a handful of honest-to-Petrucci amazing songs, but also one or two songs that don’t achieve much. ”The Shattered Fortress” is an unfortunate mish-mash of older songs in the AA Saga and ”A Nightmare To Remember” would’ve benefitted greatly if DT’s pseudo-brutal attempts would’ve been cut.
So, how on earth is it that it manages to reach #4 on my 2009 Top 10? Well, the remaining four songs are among their best ever. ”The Count of Tuscany” and ”The Best of Times” are very reminiscent of 1990’s DT, ”Wither” is one of their better ballads since ”Through Her Eyes”, and finally ”A Rite of Passage” might be their best single since ”Pull Me Under”. What it all boils down to with this album is that the silver lining stands out much more than the black clouds. And rightly so.
What is this you say? Three albums tied for the #1 spot? Surely someone on UG must’ve made a mistake?
No, actually it’s all as it should be. All of the albums on this Top 10 are great releases and as I was reviewing the past year, I found it increasingly difficult to separate the albums and decide which one was better than the other. The closer to the top I got, the lesser the gap was between the albums. And the more I tried, the more futile it felt. So I thought ”Why not celebrate all three as if they were #1?”, because I truly feel they are. So without further ado, the winning trio:
1. Between The Buried And Me – The Great Misdirect
There is both a blessing and a curse involved when you release an album like ”Colors”. The blessing is of course that you’ve created a brilliant piece of music, and the curse is that your follow-up will have to face enormous expectations.
”The Great Misdirect” could also be called ” Meeting And Exceeding Expectations 101”. I always try to keep my own expectations at bay, but even I found it hard when the release date started itching closer and closer. Obviously you have by now figured out that it delivered on all fronts. Between the Buried And Me are the new Progfathers and they are here to stay.
Much like ”Colors”, ”The Great Misdirect” manages to take seemingly schizophrenic segments and merge them into something that makes sense, something that sounds beautiful and something that is filled with emotion…while being an intelligent piece of music. To do it once in your career is an amazing achievement, to do it twice should be a criminal offence.
1. Amorphis – Skyforger
When you talk about bands whose careers have undergone a complete rejuvenation, Amorphis should be one of them. ”Skyforger” is their third great-to-brilliant album in a row and it’s also arguably their best effort to date.
”Skyforger” is an album filled to the brim with hits. Just about every song on the album could be played on the radio, and every single one of them has at least one huge hook that’ll lure you in. Tomi Joutsen, who took over vocal duties in 2005, delivers another excellent performance, showcasing his ability to mix brutal growls with angelic clean vocals.
On the surface the formula of ”Skyforger” is fairly simple, but such a thing is irrelevant when the quality of the songs operate on the level that these do. Front-to-back, this is probably the most even album of the year, and when every song could be considered a hit, how can you go wrong?
1. Mastodon – Crack The Skye
Every album released by Mastodon has been coupled with a fairly large shift in terms of style. With every album they’ve moved further and further away from their sludgy beginnings, and ”Crack the Skye” finds them nestled in somewhere between progressive rock, classic rock and metal. What’s most interesting to note is that while we’re graced with their most intricate album to date, it’s also by far their darkest and most melancholic offering.
”Crack the Skye” is also arguably their most complete effort to date, even though ”Leviathan” might disagree. The album is truly an epic journey from the opening notes of ”Oblivion” to the ending solo frenzy in ”The Last Baron”. The individual songs work very well when taken out of context, but ”Crack the Skye” truly shines when you sit down, without distractions, and just listen to the whole damn thing from start to finish. There’re a lot worse ways to spend fifty minutes of your life, but few better as far as metal album released in 2009 go.
You messed up the listing from 4th onwards. Good choice of bands though. I believe that Dream Theater and Mastodon should switch places. Petrucci is really ripping the guitar solos on this one
You messed up the listing from 4th onwards. Good choice of bands though. I believe that Dream Theater and Mastodon should switch places. Petrucci is really ripping the guitar solos on this one
Oh I should've read the entire thing through. My bad
After a couple of lackluster albums in the 2000’s, they finally hit it big again with ”Black Clouds & Silver Linings”.
What?
Sorry, I didn't know Six Degrees of Inner Turbulance, Train of Thought, and Octavarium were considered lackluster. Especially since Black Clouds and Silver Linings is worse than those three.
I am horrified by that statement.
(Unless it was specifically aimed at Systematic Chaos)
After a couple of lackluster albums in the 2000’s, they finally hit it big again with ”Black Clouds & Silver Linings”.
What?
Sorry, I didn't know Six Degrees of Inner Turbulance, Train of Thought, and Octavarium were considered lackluster. Especially since Black Clouds and Silver Linings is worse than those three.
I am horrified by that statement.
(Unless it was specifically aimed at Systematic Chaos)
The lackluster albums I'm referring to would be SC, 8vm and ToT.
And if you're horrified by such statements, you probably need to sort out your priorities in life.
Honestly I swear every 'this' such and such in metal includes the same kind of bands all the time. Have you thought about collaborating with people with different tastes? They aren't bad.. it's just it seems like it's this year in metal for whatever genres suit your tastes.
That's what I call a damn f*cking decent list, even if I'd obviously modify a few things, such as including Evangelion in the Top. But you definitely mentioned them all, great.
After a couple of lackluster albums in the 2000’s, they finally hit it big again with ”Black Clouds & Silver Linings”.
What?
Sorry, I didn't know Six Degrees of Inner Turbulance, Train of Thought, and Octavarium were considered lackluster. Especially since Black Clouds and Silver Linings is worse than those three.
I am horrified by that statement.
(Unless it was specifically aimed at Systematic Chaos)
The lackluster albums I'm referring to would be SC, 8vm and ToT.
And if you're horrified by such statements, you probably need to sort out your priorities in life.
In my opinion, they're all great albums! Granted, SC wasn't too good, a bit too modern, although ToT was a very strong record if you're into all that shred and shiz, but 8vm was such an amazing record! It had everything, every aspect of DT in it. BC&SL is better than the three you mentioned though
I'm pleased with this, although I still can't really get into BTBAM's new album, not too sure why, Alaska has been my favorite by far. Great to see Amorphis on here, I wish baroness would have been placed in the top 10 though.
deflorate should have made it on there. And black valour is no where near the best song on that album - its all about "I will return" that song was definitely the song that darth vador and the emporer were listening to when they were busy destroying planets.
After a couple of lackluster albums in the 2000’s, they finally hit it big again with ”Black Clouds & Silver Linings”.
What?
Sorry, I didn't know Six Degrees of Inner Turbulance, Train of Thought, and Octavarium were considered lackluster. Especially since Black Clouds and Silver Linings is worse than those three.
I am horrified by that statement.
(Unless it was specifically aimed at Systematic Chaos)
The lackluster albums I'm referring to would be SC, 8vm and ToT.
And if you're horrified by such statements, you probably need to sort out your priorities in life.
Ok. I am really going to disagree with you here. ToT was an amazing album. People fail to look beyond the fact that though it was a shred fest yet, the distribution and the song composition was amazing!
Plus Octavarium wins just on the basis of the title track. I still maintain that that's the best song I've heard in past 5 years.
Cheers
Why is Wrath sat on its arse at the back? About the only other album on that list that touches it in greatness is Crack The Skye. Wrath was incredible, much better than Sacrament, Gospel and Palaces; AOTW was probably almost as good.
And I notice that The Infection is once again missing from this sort of list...
...does no one like Chimaira?!
This is a great list imo. Two or Three arguables on my part, but the rest is great. also, the Obfuscation music video is great, would be cool if it was up there instead of a video with just the album art.
sXe170 :
Is this a joke? Lamb of God, Immortal, and BTBAM all had SHIT albums. WHERE IS THE LOVE FOR SHADOWS FALL!!!???
Here's a better question - Where is the good music from Shadows Fall? BTBAM clearly deserve recognition. Shadows Fall is a mediocre band with 2 very good guitar players (leads not riffs or songwriting). Listening to a Shadows Fall song is a snore-fest until the guitar solos. Good lead playing alone isn't enough, it needs to be in the context of quality music.
good list, glad to see LoG on there however i disagree with the lackluster comments towards 'Sacrament' that album was full of good songs.. >..< again we rise, redneck, blacken the cursed sun? good enough for me.. DT shouldve been in at one of the #1 spots though \M/
that mastodon album is overrated no matter what people say, their Sludgeier albums are so much better I would put up Deflorate by TBDM, The Incident by Porcupine Tree, Endgame by Megadeth, The Eternal Return by Darkest Hour, Static Tensions by Kylesa, or Ruination by JFAC. good choice on the Immortal, Dream Theater, BTBAM, and Obscura
There is a band that nodoby gives a **** here but anyway I'll mention it, Epica.
Their new album shows a nice approach to progressive music and features new solos and a new style of riffing.
That album would be in my top ten.
I also would have included Baroness, which I saw mentioned there, and Porcupine Tree's The Incident, too bad it isn't even mentioned.
Crack the skye deserves Nº1
glad to see mastodon up there, i got to see them live this year with dethklok and converge. Must say they are wicked live. I probably would have put wrath in the honorable mentions list and put baroness at #10 though
GREAT list! I thought to myself that the three shoe-ins for the top spots would be BtBaM, Amorphis, and Mastodon. Not disappointed at all, haha. I didn't like Dream Theater at all on the first few listens, but I will grant that the Count of Tuscany is one of their best songs ever. And thank you so much for recognizing the beauty that Isis is capable of.
I'm surprised Suffocation isn't up here after creating such a freaking good death metal album as Blood Oath, but I'm even more surprised Nile didn't score higher since this may actually be my favorite Nile album... Oh, and 44 Minutes? Good choice.
Not sure if The Great Misdirect tops Colors for me... the very end of it was a little weak, whereas the outro of White Walls may be some of the best music I've ever heard. But when I can only point out ONE SECOND I have a problem with on the entire record, I have no room to complain. All in all, Between the Buried and Me has won at music.
Mastodon is WAY overrated. I honestly don't see why people like the band so much, they bore the hell out of me... Immortals new album is probably the worst album they've ever released. What happened to Abbath's awesome riffing? Wrath is also a pretty ridiculous album, every song sounds very much alike. THERE, I'm finished haha.
Russian Circles latest effort "Geneva" should've replaced Mastodon's spot [or at least showed up in the Notable Mentions section]. I suppose they're not metal enough
Russian Circles latest effort "Geneva" should've replaced Mastodon's spot [or at least showed up in the Notable Mentions section]. I suppose they're not metal enough
I wouldn't dub Russian Circles metal, but it's a very good record by a very good band.
Here's a better question - Where is the good music from Shadows Fall? BTBAM clearly deserve recognition. Shadows Fall is a mediocre band with 2 very good guitar players (leads not riffs or songwriting). Listening to a Shadows Fall song is a snore-fest until the guitar solos. Good lead playing alone isn't enough, it needs to be in the context of quality music.
If the new Shadows Fall had been up to par with, say, The War Within, it'd been a shoo-in for the top 10. But alas, it isn't. Solid effort though.
There is a band that nodoby gives a **** here but anyway I'll mention it, Epica.
Their new album shows a nice approach to progressive music and features new solos and a new style of riffing.
That album would be in my top ten.
I also would have included Baroness, which I saw mentioned there, and Porcupine Tree's The Incident, too bad it isn't even mentioned.
Crack the skye deserves Nº1
I love Porcupine Tree to death, they've released some of my favorite albums, but I wouldn't call them metal. Obviously they've had some heavy leanings towards metal on some albums, but as awhole I think more of them as a prog rock band WITH metal tendencies.
Actually, I'm surprised that Cybion by Kalisia hasn't made appearance here, let alone the list. It was commended quite a lot.. Anyway, I don't care. I didn't like it as much..
But great list nonetheless. I can't believe I hadn't checked out the new album of Swallow the Sun. I'm off to do that now.
Only thing i found missing was a mention of an Obscura song in the best songs of the year.. Hopefully you forgot one Pete, than deliberately omit one..
4. Dream Theater – Black Clouds & Silver Linings
1. Between The Buried And Me – The Great Misdirect
1. Amorphis – Skyforger
1. Mastodon – Crack The Skye
Mastadon I would have to agree with, but I think that Job For a Cowboy's new CD was a drastic enough change to warrant some excitement from the deathmetal community that feels deathcore etc... has no future. The same Could be said of Whitechapel's This is Exile which I find to be a much more introspective work than the Somatic Defilement. Not to be forgotten should be Behemoth's new CD which as hard working and as long as they have been around should warrant a spot on the top for their triumphant return from the muddled Apostasy. Slayer is Slayer (nuff said). What I would like to see in 2010 is the Return of At the Gates and another CD from All Shall Perish and Dimmu Borgir.
intelligently said stoneburner655.
i agree with everything but the slayer part :P
but this is a great list, WAYYY better than the OTHER list.. :/
too bad theres not more room...
Deflorate was a good record, nice n shiny production, and the new guitarist is a breathe of fresh air, but i dont think the songs themselves are quite as good as nocturnal
-my 2¢
RocknRollRay wrote:
BTBAM shouldn't be called metal, clearly it's hardcore with "prog" influences. CLEARLY.
Clearly it is country western music you silly goose.
But for the reals TGM was an amazing album and deserves its seat at #1, HOWEVER it was indeed disappointing if you were expecting another Colors.
Colors was so much better than TGM, however give credit where its due because TGM was still none-the-less a terrific album
Dude, most of Colors was just like 1 or 2 really good riffs and then a bunch of filler, bar White Walls. TGM is much more consistent and flowing, but how they ended the album was poorly done, I think that's the only reason people are disappointed with it.
It's not as straightforward as Alaska, but TGM still kicks its ass nevertheless.
Hacride's Lazarus deserves a spot up there or at least an honorable mention, but good list otherwise. Definitely gotta check out Swallow the Sun since I loved A Plague of Butterflies.
I found both The Great Misdirect and Crack the Skye disappointing from an overall standpoint.
Not that they weren't good, because they were, but I really hate how both bands threw away the sounds that made them awesome in the first place (sludge for Mastodon and that progressive yet hardcore sound for BTBAM)and went for an all out progressive metal route. Which, like I said before, isn't bad... it's just nowhere near as original.
Instead of BTBAM continuing to develop their own sound like in Alaska, they end up just picking parts off of their favourite Mr Bungle, Opeth, and DT release and making an album that sounds like a mashup of all three.
That's one hot 3-way tie.
It pleases me that TBDM at least made the "close call" list.
Skyforger was sure a surprise, but I don't think it's unfounded.
As much as i don't like BTBAM, i think the album got the well deserved top spot. the only reason i dont like them is cuz im more of an Opeth guy. all i hear is critical acclaim for it, and its actually starting to grow on me. the fanboys of it seem endless, and i think if i never heard of Opeth id be all over it. Crack the Skye is overrated. Wrath needs to be higher up. other than that its a solid list imo.
I think this is an awesome list- I'll have to check out the two bands that I haven't heard of before...
Gotta disagree with your claim that Swallow The Sun haven't delivered technically until their EP Plague Of Butterflies, though. Hope is every bit as good as New Moon, and their first two albums are both very good.
Megadeth - Endgame
Steel Panther - Feel the Steel
Mastodon - Crack the Skye
Five Finger Death Punch - War is the Answer
Lamb of God - Wrath
Malefice - Dawn of Reprisal
Kiss - Sonic Boom
Alice in Chains - Black Gives Way to Blue
I found both The Great Misdirect and Crack the Skye disappointing from an overall standpoint.
Not that they weren't good, because they were, but I really hate how both bands threw away the sounds that made them awesome in the first place (sludge for Mastodon and that progressive yet hardcore sound for BTBAM)and went for an all out progressive metal route. Which, like I said before, isn't bad... it's just nowhere near as original.
Instead of BTBAM continuing to develop their own sound like in Alaska, they end up just picking parts off of their favourite Mr Bungle, Opeth, and DT release and making an album that sounds like a mashup of all three.
I'll agree with you on that. Alaska was pretty much really ****ing intense deathcore, with some weird time signatures and cool melodic parts in between. Listening to it was like being repeatedly punched in the face with small breaks to recover. TGM didn't really have any of that, except in maybe , but it's short-lived.
I like that UG had the audacity to share the top 3 because bands realiese so much good stuff every year that you really can't make a real top ten every year. No real conpromices here.
After a couple of lackluster albums in the 2000’s, they finally hit it big again with ”Black Clouds & Silver Linings”.
What?
Sorry, I didn't know Six Degrees of Inner Turbulance, Train of Thought, and Octavarium were considered lackluster. Especially since Black Clouds and Silver Linings is worse than those three.
I am horrified by that statement.
(Unless it was specifically aimed at Systematic Chaos)
Octavaruim and Systematic Chaos were both pretty lackluster
I am horrified that BTBAM made it to #1 and Baroness didn't make the list at all.
I see that Deflorate was a close call...unfortunate that it didn't make the list, I really enjoyed that album. Still, a good list, and Crack The Skye is an amazing album as well.
I'm pleased with this, although I still can't really get into BTBAM's new album, not too sure why, Alaska has been my favorite by far. Great to see Amorphis on here, I wish baroness would have been placed in the top 10 though.
yeah man me too. I start listening to the new album and just get the feeling I'm listening to Colors PT. 2
4. Dream Theater – Black Clouds & Silver Linings
1. Between The Buried And Me – The Great Misdirect
1. Amorphis – Skyforger
1. Mastodon – Crack The Skye
Nicely numbered there.
Nice job of attempting to making yourself seem intelligently insightful while maintaining a noticeable degree of sarcasm, yet still being a complete dumbass:
What is this you say? Three albums tied for the #1 spot? Surely someone on UG must’ve made a mistake?
Megadeth DEFINITELY deserve one of those top 10 slots. More than Dream Theater or Mastodon anyway. Don't get me wrong, I like both of those bands, but I don't think that either of their albums are as good as Endgame.
As soon as I saw Lamb of God I knew this list was going to fail hard. Then I scrolled down and saw BtBaM and Mastodon tied for number one and my suspicions were confirmed.
As soon as I saw Lamb of God I knew this list was going to fail hard. Then I scrolled down and saw BtBaM and Mastodon tied for number one and my suspicions were confirmed.
Oh you.
something that is filled with emotion…while being an intelligent piece of music.
It's not possible to do...both?
BTW, Geneva is the best "metal" album of all time.
Yes, it's post-metal, but it's still grand.
Best album: Peste Noire - Ballade ****re lo Anemi Francor, followed by Blut aus Nord's Memoria Vetusta II - Dialogue with the Stars closed by Arghoslent's split EP.
There's a dominance of hardcore and post- influenced bands in this list.
I feel the popular metal bands and overall sound are becoming more stale and predictable, like the concept is getting stuck for some reason. I think that perhaps the focus on creating heavy, sick or technical music gets too much attention instead of just using the music as a form of expression. (if that makes sense?)
I don't see what the interest in Lamb of God is at all though.
The concept behind the band Between the Buried and me is too formulaic, and to me the music feels as if was composed from a distance to the music, and stuff on the cd just happens without getting my attention or care. The connection between them and King Crimson doesn't add up to me if you compare for example Red's Fallen Angel or songs off of Islands, Lizard to any off of the Buried's albums.
Nile and Amorphis was pretty much disappointing too, rehashing the basics and presenting it to you on a shiny platter.
Haven't heard too much of Mastodon, the stuff I've heard was okay but not great, however I do really like the song Crack The Skye.
Glad to see Mastodon is #1, for it quite easily slays most of this decade's albums (this album is unique and magical ) ! I think Endgame should have been #2 though !
I found both The Great Misdirect and Crack the Skye disappointing from an overall standpoint.
Not that they weren't good, because they were, but I really hate how both bands threw away the sounds that made them awesome in the first place (sludge for Mastodon and that progressive yet hardcore sound for BTBAM)and went for an all out progressive metal route. Which, like I said before, isn't bad... it's just nowhere near as original.
Instead of BTBAM continuing to develop their own sound like in Alaska, they end up just picking parts off of their favourite Mr Bungle, Opeth, and DT release and making an album that sounds like a mashup of all three.
where the hell is Ulcerate? Anaal Nathrakh? THE CHASM??? You aren't going to include one of THE BEST metal releases by one of the best death metal bands ever on a metal of 2009 list?
Okay, much thanks to Pete for allowing me to discover some totally awesome bands. As I wrote above, I'm satisfied with the list but I didn't know all the bands. Turns out I checked Immortal, Swallow the Sun and Shadow Gallery and absolutely loved the three of them.
There's a dominance of hardcore and post- influenced bands in this list.
I count three. Is that so bad?
I count more. 5 -6 (depending on how much you're looking for influences)
Not bashing the list, but I forgot to mention that -besides revivalist bands-, post- and hardcore influences in metal are becoming more prevalent among all types of (american) bands. In retrospect I should've added this.
There's a dominance of hardcore and post- influenced bands in this list.
I count three. Is that so bad?
I count more. 5 -6 (depending on how much you're looking for influences)
Not bashing the list, but I forgot to mention that -besides revivalist bands-, post- and hardcore influences in metal are becoming more prevalent among all types of (american) bands. In retrospect I should've added this.
Hardcore kicks ass anyways, most "tr00 metal" bands to me are kind of bland.
I can't help but notice that world painted blood is conspicuously absent from your list, as is retribution from shadows fall. Other than that I believe that endgame deserves more than an honorable mention, as this year I believed marked the triumphant return of thrash metal.
I am a massive Dream Theater fan, but BC&SL was really disappointing. Perhaps even more so that SC since it was hyped pretty hard. Really what kills it for me are the lyrics which are easily the worst DT has ever done.
Completely in agreement with the winning trio. Crack The Skye introduced me to Mastodon and some of the most creative (albeit sludgy) metal out there. BTBAM just plain drives it and Amorphis... Skyforger was just plain epic for them. I've got to look up their earlier stuff.
Shadows Fall is a mediocre band with 2 very good guitar players (leads not riffs or songwriting). Listening to a Shadows Fall song is a snore-fest until the guitar solos. Good lead playing alone isn't enough, it needs to be in the context of quality music.
dude wtf. you could decide to be a dick and say that about almost every band on here as an excuse to not like them. i really think lamb of god should be higher and so should btbam... oh and mastadon should not be on here cause that cd sucks. shadows fall's retribution pwns mastadon's crack the skye any day and i cant believe that its not on here. the new megadeth cd is amazing and shoulda made it up there... i really dont like that dream theater is on here either
No Ulcerate. No Portal. No Animals as Leaders. No Augury. Pretty shocking list. The only one I agree with is Obscura, but the description is pretty warped. I mean, brutal? Seriously?
Can't say I have heard BTBAM's newie though. So there's one which I'm not sure on.
How do people think Crack the Skye is overrated? I don't understand it. I consider it album of the year, period. One of the best releases of the decade.
How did 'Wrath' make this list? I dig LoG, but this last record was a total disappointment. While it may be "heavier" than 'Sacrament', the bottom line is that the songs just aren't as good. A few standout tracks sandwiched in between boring filler.
I Think that world painted blood was better than anything that Between the buried and me has ever done, and i saw Mastodon with Dethklok and they blew
If you could put laughing smilies in the comments page I would give you a lolstack right now.
Why? I'm a fan of their guitar work, but I think BTBAM couldn't write a decent song to save their life. Their songs are incoherent and inconsistent, and I mean that in a bad way. Not a 'pseudo-jazzy-you-normal-people-just-don't-get-it' kind of way.
I Think that world painted blood was better than anything that Between the buried and me has ever done, and i saw Mastodon with Dethklok and they blew
hahahaha, what ? not even going to comment
this list is pretty good, although i would replace dream theater with nile's record and mention Animals As Leaders somewhere as well. BTBAM's record also didn't deserve tied number one, it should have been behind crack the skye and skyforger. LOG also doesn't deserve to be on that list.
I Think that world painted blood was better than anything that Between the buried and me has ever done, and i saw Mastodon with Dethklok and they blew
If you could put laughing smilies in the comments page I would give you a lolstack right now.
Why? I'm a fan of their guitar work, but I think BTBAM couldn't write a decent song to save their life. Their songs are incoherent and inconsistent, and I mean that in a bad way. Not a 'pseudo-jazzy-you-normal-people-just-don't-get-it' kind of way.
BTBAM has that strange kind of music you think you hate at first, and then as you listen to a song over and over again, it makes more and more sense. It's hard to explain. Alot of mathcore bands have this same element, Dillinger Escape Plan in particular.
The reason it's incoherent to you is because there is so much going on at once that you can't comprehend it in one listen. I've been listening to this kind of music for a long time, and I still have to listen to a song multiple times for the full effect.
You call their music incoherent and inconsistent, but really, it's just plain chaotic. Once you make sense of the chaos, you really start to appreciate it.
After a couple of lackluster albums in the 2000’s, they finally hit it big again with ”Black Clouds & Silver Linings”.
What?
Sorry, I didn't know Six Degrees of Inner Turbulance, Train of Thought, and Octavarium were considered lackluster. Especially since Black Clouds and Silver Linings is worse than those three.
I am horrified by that statement.
(Unless it was specifically aimed at Systematic Chaos)
Octavarium, barring the title track almost turned me off Dream Theater. Utterly pathetic. Train Of Thought was pretty bland excepst for In The Name Of God and I think one other track. I haven't heard Six Degrees... so I wont comment on that one.
I Think that world painted blood was better than anything that Between the buried and me has ever done, and i saw Mastodon with Dethklok and they blew
If you could put laughing smilies in the comments page I would give you a lolstack right now.
Why? I'm a fan of their guitar work, but I think BTBAM couldn't write a decent song to save their life. Their songs are incoherent and inconsistent, and I mean that in a bad way. Not a 'pseudo-jazzy-you-normal-people-just-don't-get-it' kind of way.
BTBAM has that strange kind of music you think you hate at first, and then as you listen to a song over and over again, it makes more and more sense. It's hard to explain. Alot of mathcore bands have this same element, Dillinger Escape Plan in particular.
The reason it's incoherent to you is because there is so much going on at once that you can't comprehend it in one listen. I've been listening to this kind of music for a long time, and I still have to listen to a song multiple times for the full effect.
You call their music incoherent and inconsistent, but really, it's just plain chaotic. Once you make sense of the chaos, you really start to appreciate it.
That's great and all but I do listen to 'Mathcore (what a stupid name) and enjoy DEP's earlier work, so I can comprehend it. No offense, but I probably listen to more extreme/chaotic music than you do.
The problem with BTBAM for me, is that their songs just seem like random riffs, pasted together sloppily, with no real underlying structure going on. They'll occasionally hit a home run with songs like Selkies, All Bodies, and Mirrors. But, I just have a hard time listening to an entire album from them.
That's just me. It has nothing to do with me not being able to 'get it.' That's such an arrogant and elitist way of viewing things.
To add to that, I'm not trying to pick a fight with you, I just think the 'majority' of their songs aren't very good. "Selkies" is one of my favorite songs to listen to period. But I just can't stomach an entire album from them.
There is a band that nodoby gives a **** here but anyway I'll mention it, Epica.
Their new album shows a nice approach to progressive music and features new solos and a new style of riffing.
That album would be in my top ten.
I also would have included Baroness, which I saw mentioned there, and Porcupine Tree's The Incident, too bad it isn't even mentioned.
Crack the skye deserves Nº1
Agreed; Epica's new album was amazing. I don't like their other ones all that much, but Design the Universe was so much more than what I was expecting. Also Simone Simons is incredibly hot, so there's that.
Apart from Epica, the only bands this list is missing are Hacride, Redemption and Ghost Brigade. Especially Hacride - they're easily up there with Mastodon, Amorphis and BTBAM (as others have said, it's no Colors but it's still great).
And thank God for no Dethklok (imo again, of course). It's decent as far as metal goes, but decent doesn't translate to great..although I feel the same about Lamb of God.
Just a note to all the haters of this list:
The author of the list obviously favors music leaning towards emotion and consistency example: "as far as emotional and melancholic music goes, it’s hard to do better in 2009." Also notice how nearly all the albums are Technical or Progressive bands? This list is th author's own ideals as to HIS favorite albums of 2009. Love it or hate it, the author is simply expressing his own beliefs. Can't believe it raises such hype among everyone...
What !? Where the hell is Darkest Hour's The Eternal Return ? These guys made a ****en great album even with the departure of their former lead guitarist Kris Norris .. it's not as melodic as their last release,Deliver Us, but it was def one of the best metal albums of the year !!
Im glad for BTBAM they really deserved this, tho TGM is not as epic as Colors, they did an amazing job afterall.
Idk about Mastodon's Crack the Skye, its a good album, but not that good... Amorphis album is epic. really nice band.
DyingToFish wrote:
ummm cannibal corpse? where r they!?
+10^789. That album just have been included. IMHO, Cannibal Corpse are the only band in all of metal to be here 15 years+ and to still be improving, where most bands together that long have stagnated stylistically.
I welcome Isis' inclusion on this list. I'd probably bump it upto 5 or tie DT's BCASL with it. I would be inclined to exclude BCASL altogether considering what has been done to JMyung's bass on the album.
Baroness and Black Dahlia Murder dont make the cut and Asstodon get top spot? Yeah right. This list is horrid. Only good things there are BTBAM and Obscura.
I would definitely give Mastodon the definitive #1 spot this year. Crack The Skye is just that good. I like the honorable mentions of Baroness & The Black Dahlia Murder
I stopped reading after the first paragraph. Sacrament is one of my top 5 favorite albums of all time, and Wrath was a huge disappointment. Of all the LoG fans I've talked to, none of them disagree with me on that one.
The Great Misdirect could easily be most disappointing album of the year.Thank you.
Doppelgänger wrote:
sorry it's not hardcore like they used to be, who wants the same album every year? I think that's why nobody listens to disturbed anymore after their first cd..
I found both The Great Misdirect and Crack the Skye disappointing from an overall standpoint.
Not that they weren't good, because they were, but I really hate how both bands threw away the sounds that made them awesome in the first place (sludge for Mastodon and that progressive yet hardcore sound for BTBAM)and went for an all out progressive metal route. Which, like I said before, isn't bad... it's just nowhere near as original.
Instead of BTBAM continuing to develop their own sound like in Alaska, they end up just picking parts off of their favourite Mr Bungle, Opeth, and DT release and making an album that sounds like a mashup of all three.
lol @ this guy...you should learn how to listen to music.
Truthfully, TGM by BTBAM was a much more accessable album than colors (but was still an amazing album). ive had the album for about a month now, and i havent been able to stop listening to it. but between colors, alaska, and TGM, ive had a hard time playing anything else on my ipod... everything else has started to bore me. I love DT, but BCASL wasnt that amazing of an album, but maybe thats just because i expected so much more from one of my favorite bands. Dont think the immortal album should have been in the top ten... honorable mention maybe, but several of the others deserved to be in there besides them.
but overall a good list, and im gonna go check most of the others out that i havent heard yet.
Now that i have listened to all the albums off the list i do agree with him more. I do think that behemoth deserved more recognition, maybe in the top 6, and wrath should have been a bit higher. Endgame probably should be a bit lower on the list, and i see crack the skye as a clear #1, i have listened to that album every day for months and still enjoy every minute of it. The Black dahlia murder could have been 9th or 10th spot as well. Over all solid list for 2009.
1) Amazing list. This was very well thought out, mad congrats to the writer. However...
2) DETHALBUM 2. AWWW MAN, BEST ALBUM OF 09.
3) Daimonos? Best song EVER. Just bought that album today, and pooped cinderblocks all the way through.
2008 dude, but don't worry, it got an honorable mention (which is quite satisfactory in my book). Thank you RP for the lists... Swallow the Sun is at the top of my acquisition list now, that is some damn good music.
Crack the Skye is really a no-brainer for number 1, as it goes outside the comfort zone in just the right amount to be an amazing and very cohesive album. Even my parents and non-metal-loving friends like it. Nothing from them could top Leviathan to me, but Crack the Skye is absolutely beautiful.
Ahh what shall 2010 bring? No Machine Head til 2011 so... Dillinger Escape Plan for sure.
I was disappointed with Crack The Skye because I missed the rugged brutality of earlier songs like "Blood And Thunder", "The Wolf Is Loose", and "Crusher Destroyer". I will not deny that it is a strong, well composed album. I would have liked it more if it weren't Mastodon, or if this were the first album I'd heard from them.
The Great Misdirect is phenomenal. I hated it the first three times I listened to it, but after the depth of instrumentation on the album became apparent, I couldn't turn it off. My only standing complaint is that there weren't as many memorable riffs that stood out to me as there were on Colors, such as the opening riff on "Foam Born B".
I'd hate to be one of those "Why didn't (this) make it on to the list" people, but Every Time I Die's New Junk Aesthetic deserves at least a hug or a cuddle. It's the best example of a band perfecting their own sound that I heard all year. Instead of stepping in completely new directions, like Mastodon, or taking two steps back to an older sound, like Lamb of God, they seemlessly merged the previous variations of their style to perfect their sound. It's something that bands today struggle to do, and for them to accomplish it deserves some recognition.
Just a note to all the haters of this list:
The author of the list obviously favors music leaning towards emotion and consistency example: "as far as emotional and melancholic music goes, it’s hard to do better in 2009." Also notice how nearly all the albums are Technical or Progressive bands? This list is th author's own ideals as to HIS favorite albums of 2009. Love it or hate it, the author is simply expressing his own beliefs. Can't believe it raises such hype among everyone...
Haha, exactly! That's why I said those who don't like it should go and make their own list somewhere. There's a few I agree/don't agree with and some I would swap around but you know what??? Ain't my list so no need to care for it so much.
Please tell me that was a joke. I love both records but come on, Leviathan owns Blood Mountain.
I mean Blood Mountain has a nicer mix and a couple stand-out tracks, but it doesn't compare. Leviathan takes the crown there.
I must admit I haven't listened to Leviathan as much as I've listened to Blood Mountain, but I like the overall style of BM more than Leviathan. I still think Leviathan is a great album, but I like Blood Mountain just a little more.
I'm sorry but you clearly don't know metal, even though I won't get to your band selections, 44 minutes is one of the best songs?! Endgame has much beter material than 44 minutes and yet you seem to choose the most mainstream-ish one. I'm sorry but this really sucks to me.
I'm sorry but you clearly don't know metal, even though I won't get to your band selections, 44 minutes is one of the best songs?! Endgame has much beter material than 44 minutes and yet you seem to choose the most mainstream-ish one. I'm sorry but this really sucks to me.
I agree, sir.
There should've been a better deth song picked like 1,320 or Headcrusher or This Day We Fight for ****s sake!
Anyways this was a horrible year for metal. Hell, it was a horrible decade for metal.
Awesome year for metal. You guys can sit and be angry that it isn't 1986 if you want; I'll listen to Isis, Between the Buried and Me, Nile, and all the other brilliant music that came out this year.
I have been noticing a almost war between sub genres in metal and thats why it will die. they just need to get their heads out of their asses and love metal for what it is.
Much better than the "Top Bands" list, but I'm amazed that Baroness and Converge aren't on here. Blue Record and Axe to Fall are being hailed by critics everywhere, and they bloody well deserve it.
Does anyone here think that Shadow Gallery sounds strangely like Dream Theater?
In the sense that they both write melodic songs, are technically proficient musicians and have higher register singers, yes. In terms of songwriting, not especially.
Best part of these is even with Pete throwing albums out that i may of missed, everyone else gives a ton more too. I hate doing this but I feel Animals as Leaders & Converge at least deserved mention as well.
Does anyone here think that Shadow Gallery sounds strangely like Dream Theater?
In the sense that they both write melodic songs, are technically proficient musicians and have higher register singers, yes. In terms of songwriting, not especially.
They're both 90's prog metal bands, and they sound alike in the same sense that 80's thrash or 80s NWOBHM bands sound alike.
megano28 wrote:
I'm sorry but you clearly don't know metal
OK.
askikr91 wrote:
Just a note to all the haters of this list:
The author of the list obviously favors music leaning towards emotion and consistency example: "as far as emotional and melancholic music goes, it’s hard to do better in 2009." Also notice how nearly all the albums are Technical or Progressive bands? This list is th author's own ideals as to HIS favorite albums of 2009. Love it or hate it, the author is simply expressing his own beliefs. Can't believe it raises such hype among everyone...
I feel that the best music out there is the one that pushes boundaries, dares to experiment and doesn't do what is expected. That often applies to progressive music, because the aim of it is just that. It also applied to early 80's thrash, late 80's/90's death metal, the 90's black scene, etc etc. I wouldn't want to say that I prefer this genre over that genre, but it is pretty clear to me that genres, as a whole, have their dips and peaks.
And yes, while I've been doing this for a few years now, I'm still amazed at how much people care what a dude from a small town in Sweden thinks about the metal genre.
After a couple of lackluster albums in the 2000’s, they finally hit it big again with ”Black Clouds & Silver Linings”.
What?
Sorry, I didn't know Six Degrees of Inner Turbulance, Train of Thought, and Octavarium were considered lackluster. Especially since Black Clouds and Silver Linings is worse than those three.
I am horrified by that statement.
(Unless it was specifically aimed at Systematic Chaos)
I really can't understand the hype around Swallow The Sun. I saw them supporting Apocalyptica a while back, and aside from every song sounding the same (I watched their keyboardist for half the gig and I swear he only played 3 different chords for the entire thing), they had less stage presence than a dead squirrel. And to piss me off even more, in a review of the gig they got an 8 to Apocalyptica's 5 when the only people cheering were the scene kids at the front. The only band I've seen where I had space to sit down WHERE THE PIT SHOULD BE.
On a side note, am I the only one who thinks Dark Tranquility when someone says DT?
I like most of the bands on the top 10, and own Crack the Skye, The Great Misdirect, and Black Clouds and Silver Linings. My favorite album of the year was none of those, it was Constellations by August Burns Red.
Levaithan > Crack the Skye
I agree but Leviathan was not released this year so we dont hafta even mention it
In my books, Amorphis gets the win. For sure their best album
I agree 100%...Leviathan might be my favorite Mastodon record.
DTFreak7 wrote:
genghisgandhi wrote:
Levaithan > Crack the Skye
I agree 100%...Leviathan might be my favorite Mastodon record.
Gotta say, Crack the Skye can't get enough credit. Once every few years, an album comes along that just ****ing destroys- fundamentally changing my perception of music in general. This was one of those albums. Happy to see it at the top of the list.
eh i didn't much care for crack the skye. i liked blood mountain better. it seemed more original. the kinda singing took out a hint of uniqueness, making them more mainstream. the only other uniqueness they had was instrumentals being ****in outta wack, which were alright, but i still liked blood mountain better.
Well, I guess I gotta give Mastodon a second chance, when I first saw them live on NovaRock '09, they sucked some serious cock. Well, day's condition, I guess.
Does anyone here think that Shadow Gallery sounds strangely like Dream Theater?
In the sense that they both write melodic songs, are technically proficient musicians and have higher register singers, yes. In terms of songwriting, not especially.
They're both 90's prog metal bands, and they sound alike in the same sense that 80's thrash or 80s NWOBHM bands sound alike.
megano28 wrote:
I'm sorry but you clearly don't know metal
OK.
askikr91 wrote:
Just a note to all the haters of this list:
The author of the list obviously favors music leaning towards emotion and consistency example: "as far as emotional and melancholic music goes, it’s hard to do better in 2009." Also notice how nearly all the albums are Technical or Progressive bands? This list is th author's own ideals as to HIS favorite albums of 2009. Love it or hate it, the author is simply expressing his own beliefs. Can't believe it raises such hype among everyone...
I feel that the best music out there is the one that pushes boundaries, dares to experiment and doesn't do what is expected. That often applies to progressive music, because the aim of it is just that. It also applied to early 80's thrash, late 80's/90's death metal, the 90's black scene, etc etc. I wouldn't want to say that I prefer this genre over that genre, but it is pretty clear to me that genres, as a whole, have their dips and peaks.
And yes, while I've been doing this for a few years now, I'm still amazed at how much people care what a dude from a small town in Sweden thinks about the metal genre.
Crack The Skye is really great at number 1. This particular album is softer, not so agressive and not so dirty. After all, it's about one of the elements: air.
Just looking at Mastodon's progress is amazing, really. They completely changed their style, and they rock nonetheless. I really think Blood Mountain is their best, being Capillarian Crest my favorite song, but every album is amazing, each in a very unique and different manner. I think there isn't a band that is so... broad, so expansive, so open-minded, and yet so delightful. Just imagine that they can put almost everyone in the band singing, and achieve an enourmous variety of melody and "effect" by that. And honestly, I don't think that any of them, perhaps with the exception of the drummer, sings that well. Its just that with so many variables in the music and so well put together, they can achieve atmospheres that would be unachievable with just one voice. Not to mention the out of space guitar work, sweet, quiet, yet thunderous drumming...
Well, the list goes on and on. I really think everyone should give them a GOOD listen. Not a casual listen, but a GOOD listen.
Crack The Skye is really great at number 1. This particular album is softer, not so agressive and not so dirty. After all, it's about one of the elements: air.
Just looking at Mastodon's progress is amazing, really. They completely changed their style, and they rock nonetheless. I really think Blood Mountain is their best, being Capillarian Crest my favorite song, but every album is amazing, each in a very unique and different manner. I think there isn't a band that is so... broad, so expansive, so open-minded, and yet so delightful. Just imagine that they can put almost everyone in the band singing, and achieve an enourmous variety of melody and "effect" by that. And honestly, I don't think that any of them, perhaps with the exception of the drummer, sings that well. Its just that with so many variables in the music and so well put together, they can achieve atmospheres that would be unachievable with just one voice. Not to mention the out of space guitar work, sweet, quiet, yet thunderous drumming...
Well, the list goes on and on. I really think everyone should give them a GOOD listen. Not a casual listen, but a GOOD listen.
Skyforger is monolithically good. It has taken over my year. This is the album to win over metal haters who think the genre is about stuff like Limp Bizkit or 20 minute indulgency. Just beautiful.
Does anyone here think that Shadow Gallery sounds strangely like Dream Theater?
In the sense that they both write melodic songs, are technically proficient musicians and have higher register singers, yes. In terms of songwriting, not especially.
They're both 90's prog metal bands, and they sound alike in the same sense that 80's thrash or 80s NWOBHM bands sound alike.
megano28 wrote:
I'm sorry but you clearly don't know metal
OK.
askikr91 wrote:
Just a note to all the haters of this list:
The author of the list obviously favors music leaning towards emotion and consistency example: "as far as emotional and melancholic music goes, it’s hard to do better in 2009." Also notice how nearly all the albums are Technical or Progressive bands? This list is th author's own ideals as to HIS favorite albums of 2009. Love it or hate it, the author is simply expressing his own beliefs. Can't believe it raises such hype among everyone...
I feel that the best music out there is the one that pushes boundaries, dares to experiment and doesn't do what is expected. That often applies to progressive music, because the aim of it is just that. It also applied to early 80's thrash, late 80's/90's death metal, the 90's black scene, etc etc. I wouldn't want to say that I prefer this genre over that genre, but it is pretty clear to me that genres, as a whole, have their dips and peaks.
And yes, while I've been doing this for a few years now, I'm still amazed at how much people care what a dude from a small town in Sweden thinks about the metal genre.
I'm still trying to figure out why people are horrified by the fact that BTBAM made #1 again. Please go find another album that is as original, technical, progressive, varied, and any other word you could possibly include, and show it to me, I beg of you. Not only is it an amazing album, but they can play all of their songs almost perfect live. I honestly think they sound better live, than they do on the album. Are you guys all just to thick to comprehend whats happening? I don't like music where I can sit there and guess what they are going to do next. It gets boring.
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