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The Top 40 Of 2009
It's been a fantastic year for music, the very best of all genres coming out with superb records. From full on Death and Black Metal to Pop drenched Post Hardcore and Folksy Punk. There has been a great many albums I wanted to include but in the end I just couldn't stretch this list any more. I normally do a top 20, I nearly went for a top 30 but in the end it just didn't cover the records I wanted to share with you. So without further ado my Top 40 albums of the year.
1. Alexisonfire - Old Crows / Young Cardinals
2. Enter Shikari - Common Dreads
3. Alice In Chains - Black Gives Way To Blue
4. Paramore - Brand New Eyes
5. Scar Symmetry - Dark Matter Dimensions
6. Devin Townsend Project - Ki / Addicted
7. White Lies - To Lose My Life
8. Frank Turner - Poetry Of The Deed
9. Lamb Of God - Wrath
10. Mastodon - Crack The Skye
11. Steel Panther - Feel The Steel
12. Baroness - Blue Record
13. Billy Talent - III
14. My Dying Bride - For Lies I Sire
15. Isis - Wavering Radiant
16. Nile - Those Whom The Gods Detest
17. Vnv Nation - Of Faith Power And Glory
18. Paradise Lost - Faith Divides Us Death Unites Us
19. Dream Theatre - Black Clouds And Silver Linings
20. Sonic Boom Six - City Of Thieves
21. Killswitch Engage - Killswitch Engage
22. Heaven & Hell - The Devil You Know
23. Keef Baker - Pen Fifteen
24. Kylesa - Static Tensions
25. Cannibal Corpse - Evisceration Plague
26. Anaal Nathrakh - In The Constellation Of The Black Widow
27. Karnivool - Sound Awake
28. Jeniferever - Spring Tides
29. Megadeth - Endgame
30. Bat For Lashes - Two Suns
31. Shadows Fall - Retribution
32. November's Doom - Into Nights Requiem Infernal
33. The Prodigy - Invaders Must Die
34. Atreyu - Congregation Of The Damned
35. Katatonia - Night Is The New Day
36. Five Finger Death Punch - War Is The Answer
37. Epica - Design Your Universe
38. Immortal - All Shall Fall
39. Candlemass - Death Magic Doom
40. Evile - Infected Nations
1. Alexisonfire - Old Crows / Young Cardinals
Their last album Crisis is one of my favourite records of the last few years; however I missed that albums release by nearly a whole year. So I was looking forward to hearing this new one. And I think I’ve found my album of the year. Anthemic post hardcore with passion and aggressive wholehearted songs about getting older and trying to understand the world around us. The opening track Old Crows is a slow burner with the chorus refrain "We are not the kids we used to be, stop wishing for yesterday!" it says a lot about how this band have grown in sound and stance, second track Young Cardinals is one of the album highlights with such a high in the chorus it nearly takes off. Third track (Sons Of Privilege) and fourth (Born And Raised) rip the doors off with hooks and lead riffs smashing headlong with melodies from the gods. No Rest has a wonderful swirling riff pinning the rest of the band back until the chorus kicks in screaming, The Northern is a slower track that’s almost like a hymn with call and response vocals. Midnight Regulations is about the struggle of the common man to make ends meet, Emerald Street is so heartfelt it raises the hairs and Heading For The Sun sums up the plight of the world nicely. Accept Crime is another highlight, the subject matter is up for debate but with the chorus line of "There’s no police between two beating hearts!" the message is quiet clear. Then the closing track Burial is as close to the bone as any song will get with its double meaning. A fitting end to a fine album. Post hardcore, Emo, Punk, Rock whatever you wanna call this album is an unbelievable experience from start to finish. Wonderful.
2. Enter Shikari - Common Dreads
I loved their first album. Taking the amazing bits of post hardcore and metal and splicing them with trance synths and dance elements they made one hell of splash. For those of us in the know it was nothing new, Kmfdm and a whole host of Industrial bands had done the same kinda thing just not on this scale. This album is the make and break point for Enter Shikari. If they can't top the first album with more inventive use of synths and rhythms then it could be all over. The opening track Solidarity confirms everything I had hoped. This is one genius of a band. The third track Step Up further confirms this; everything about this album is brilliant. Juggernaughts is great if a little surprising with spoken word lyrics that remind me of The Streets Mike Skinner at times. Zzzonked is a fairly good example that they ain't lost any post hardcore bile even if it's filtered through The Prodigy. No Sleep Tonight is one of the highlights as is Gap In The Fence but every track here just flows from start to finish with ease and talent. Antwerpen is fucking awesome. The Jester uses Happy Hardcore at its centre to amazing effect, Hectic is an anthem all on its own and Fanfare For The Conscious Man ends the album with a flourish. I didn't think this album was gonna be as good as their first but it far outshines it. It's gonna be interesting to see if they can top this one.
3. Alice In Chains - Black Gives Way To Blue
The thing that many thought would never happen has, Alice In Chains have a new album. Complete with their new singer William DuVal. Most people know the ragged and tragic story of Layne Staley who finally succumbed to his long and well documented heroin addiction. The band had been on hold since their last full album in 1996 and the follow up MTV Unplugged session. There were a couple of new tracks in 1999 to coincide with the Music Bank box set but otherwise they dropped off the map. With the tragic death of Layne came some benefit shows with famous friends filling in. Then came William DuVal. And the verdict? This is AIC's best and most diverse album. The vocals are just right; they are a perfect lament for one of the finest voices in rock. Every track here is great The opening track All Secrets Known has a dreamy feel; Check My Brain is catchier than it has the right to be and Last Of My Kind has a riff to die for. Your Decision is light and full of meaning. A Looking In View is as heavy as fuck with some of the best vocal harmonies on the whole record and Acid Bubble is bi-polar with the slow riff breaking into a faster riff for the centre and end sections. The track Lesson Learned has one of the best lyrics "In your darkest hour you strike gold" I think that sums this album up fairly well I think. A fantastic come back and an honest nod to the past and the memory of Layne Staley.
4. Paramore - Brand New Eyes
Third album from the U.S. pop punk band. And this is pop in so many ways too, their last album Riot was an international hit and spawned four smash hit songs allow the band to play to ever larger shows. I love that album so much, it's my happy album puts me in a good mood. However it's that success that almost pulled the band apart and many of those issues resulted in cancelled shows and inner band tensions. All of those issues are poured into this album and what an album. The music is much the same, a little more diverse maybe. The acoustic flair is more apparent on tracks like The Only Exception Misguided Ghosts but tracks like Ignorance and Careful are full on pop punk. The track Decode from the Twilight film is here too and that is one of the highlights. All in all a stellar addition to their repertoire.
5. Scar Symmetry - Dark Matter Dimensions
Holographic Universe was my favourite metal album from 2008 and it seems having to replace their stunning singer with two guys to keep the sound in the same ball park has done nothing to slow these Sweades down. Full on melodeath at it’s finest. There is only Soilwork who can so thoroughly cover this kind of sound with such flair for the heavy and the melodic. Hard edge (true) death metal vocals working in harmony with the pop like melodic vocals is such a revelation the first time you hear them. It's hard for me to pick a highlight from this total melodic metal monster. However the tracks The Iconoclast and Sculpture Void are early standouts. As is the stunning A Parenthesis In Eternity. Also tracks Mechanical Soul Cybernetics and the title track have huge dollops of prog elements. So everything this album is is something I love.
6. Devin Townsend Project - Ki / Addicted
I love everything about Devin's music, from the full on rip your face off speed and brutal dynamics of Strapping Young Lad to the lush sweeping prog vistas of Ocean Machine and Terria. This record falls into the second category. In fact this is maybe the lightest sound wise Dev has been for a long time. Not that there isn't any growly bits because there are, it's just all a little held back. But as far as his monumental song writing talent goes this collection is flawless. Coast, Disrupter, Terminal are awesome prog tunes, the funky boogie of Trainfire is a little surprising but if you remember some of the tracks from Infinity not that surprising. Heaven Send and the title track Ki are expansive prog masterpieces. Dev has done it again; he's added another flawless album to his already flawless back catalogue.
It's not unusual for Devin to release two albums in one year; we had The New Black by Strapping Young Lad and Synchestra by The Devin Townsend Band both out in 2006. And his two records this year are totally different from each other too. However it must be said if your any kinda fan of Devin this new album Addicted will feel very familiar. Not that it isn’t brilliant because it is, but there are elements of all the poppy edge stuff from albums as far back as Ocean Machine, Infinity, Terria and Physicist. But there are the keys and progy elements from The Devin Townsend Band and a little bit of crazy nut job stuff from Ziltoid. What makes this album so different is the addition of vocals from Anneke Van Giersbergen formally of The Gathering another favourite band of mine. Her vocals are layered, sumptuous and in total harmony with the back ground music. She adds such a new dimension to this album I really hope that Dev and Anneke work together again. The opening tracks Addicted and Universe In A Ball are standard Dev (they remind me of Infinity era stuff) then the following track Bend It Like Bender! is pure pop metal. It's then that the prog comes out; Supercrush (which is by far one of the highlights) and Hyperdrive are two tracks that really remind me of Ocean Machine and Terria. Resolve is dedicated and inspired by The Wildhearts and Ih Ah is bliss. The closing three tracks are perfection too, truly upbeat positive melodic metal Awake being a particular highlight. By far one of his best albums. I'm so looking forward to the other two parts of this quadrology.
7. White Lies - To Lose My Life
One of the first no one albums of 2009 this and I have to admit it took me a while to really listen to this album properly. A first thing out of the way is the sound. They sound a little like Joy Division jamming with The Killers. The epic guitars, the loose base the synths and the mournful lyrics, this a happy album it is not. Third track A Place To Hide sounds a little like the Editors (which is no bad thing). But the album is so tuneful and catchy and epic in its song writing it's hard not to dance about to it, much like The Wombats said "Lets dance to Joy Division and celebrate the irony!" Every track has its own life and it's very hard not to fall in love with this band. An English band doing what we do best, indie on the highest possible level.
8. Frank Turner - Poetry Of The Deed
One of my favourite artists, an English singer song writer with the lyrical flair of a poet. His last two albums have been on constant play with me since I first heard them and I’ve seen the guy live and it was the best gig I’ve ever been to. The songs themselves aren’t that original (he'd say that too). But what you get are English folksy punk of the highest order much like The Levellers. Try This At Home is one of his best by far. Sons Of Liberty is the best political song he's ever done. Other tracks like Faithful Son and Isabel are lovely and genuine. I love this guy’s work because he comes across as honest and true, passionate about what he's doing and in return he gets that from us, his fans. FTHC.
9. Lamb Of God - Wrath
Beginning with a deceptively melodic intro The Passing, this is the calm before the storm and once In Your Words rips into you, you know its neck snapping time. This track doesn't go full out though to begin with, it's a careful introduction to the best metal album you'll hear this year. The production is clear and well constructed but leaves enough crust on to make this raw and organic. Like The Great Southern Trend Kill by Pantera it is brutal and unfilled. And as the so called heir's to their throne they do not let you down. Set To Fail and Contractor just fucking slay as do Grace (which manages to be bloody savage and melodic at the same time) and Broken Hands. Then to top the album off is the simply flawless epic bludgeon that is Reclamation. Everything about this album is absolute killer; this is the kind of metal album that will live on forever. The best metal album this side of The Blackening by Machine Head or Leviathan by Mastodon. A milestone.
10. Mastodon - Crack The Skye
I've loved Mastodon for years now since I first heard March Of The Fire Ants on a Relapse compilation. The groove, the riffs, the gruff vocals and the drum prowess of Brann Dailor. I was bowled off my feet when they released Leviathan, as was the whole of the metal world. I liked Blood Mountain but it was just a little on the wrong side of strange for me. It kicks every other bands arse but it wasn't a patch on Leviathan. So it's with a big fuck off grin on my face when I say Crack The Skye is flawless. The seven tracks are melodic in a way Mastodon have never been before but their groove is here in abundance. Every track a master class in song writing perfection. On the first listen through you will be stunned at the width and breadth of this bands vision. Oblivion and Divinations open the album with flare and The Czar and The Last Baron hold the epic monolithic end of the bargain with massive prog grooves. The guitars are sublime and stunning, the vocals the best they've ever been. I approached this album with a hint of trepidation and was surprised by this wonderful and inventive album. A Nine in Metal Hammer, an Eight in Terrorizer and a staggering Ten out of Ten in Rocksound. Surely a contender for album of the year in most of the mags?
11. Steel Panther - Feel The Steel
And the comedy record of the year goes to..... Steel Panther! Every track on this album you've heard before. Or you'll think you have. You see all the tracks here sound dangerously close to original material by Motley Crew, Bon Jovi, Van Halen, Whitesnake, WASP and Extreme. But way dirtier (every track is about sex, pretty much) and way funny. Death To All But Metal is great telling Dr Dre and Eminem to suck each other’s dick. Fat Girl (Thar She Blows) sounds almost like Whitesnake and Party All Day (Fuck All Night) could almost be You Give Love A Bad Name. So this stuff is nothing new and they look like they crawled of the Sunset Strip circa 1982 but hell its funny and it rocks too.
12. Baroness - Blue Record
This album surprised me by the time track three began, I was expecting something similar to the fantastic Kylesa. But this is far more eclectic in its influences. Not that there ain't heavy bluesy sludgy guitars because there is. But with clean vocals and proglike riffs these guys are the missing link between EyeHateGod and the most recent Mastodon masterpiece. Track five Swollen and Halo is so upbeat it's hard not to like it and A Horse Called Golgotha has riff structures that remind me of Battles. This is one fantastic record it really is. It rare to find so much flavour in one album. This album put me in a great mood and sometimes that’s all you need isn't it.
13. Billy Talent - III
Their second album entitled II was one of my favourite albums of 2006, their first (entitled I, you see what they’re doing here don't you) is a fairly good album too. This one is an awesome example of modern punk rock at its finest. This Canadian band has something else in their sound and I’ve always found it difficult to pinpoint exactly what it is. It's here too in abundance in songs like White Sparrows and Tears Into Wine. Other tracks like Rusted From The Rain and Devil On My Shoulder exhibit a darker edge that's never been there in this form before. I think The Dead Can't Testify is one of the weaker tracks but when you've got a track like Diamond On A Landmine for it to be up against that’s not surprising as this is by far the highlight of the album. I really like this band I hope they keep making records like this I really do.
14. My Dying Bride - For Lies I Sire
If the hairs aren’t standing on end by the end of track one of this the new My Dying Bride album then you won't be listening to the rest of the album. In this one track My Dying Bride lay down every trick in their extensive arsenal. The simple picked guitar line, Aaron’s mournful vocal, and then the crushing riffage with the welcome return of that single Violin. This track manages to sound so naked, venerable and fragile while still being wise and heavy as fuck. And it just gets better from here on out. Every track is so perfectly formed it really staggers the imagination. The title track, Bring Me Victory and Santuario Di Sangue are highlights but this is the Yorkshire Doom legends finest work to date. A far better production and a clear and fine tuned performance that really exudes class and the tragic sense of death and mist that only a band from West Yorkshire can put down on tape. I've been floored by this band on their last three albums but this is of the rocks itself. A primeval whisper from the dark past. Gothic doom never sounded so downright good.
15. Isis - Wavering Radiant
This album is superb, progtastic post-metal. Now don't get me wrong Isis certainly hasn’t reinvented the wheel here. If you liked their last album or the amazing Panopticon then you'll like this. There are subtle differences though. The use of background ambiance is sublime, the vocals are pitched perfect. The gruff vocals never out stay there welcome and the lighter vocals are used to good effect. Hall Of The Dead starts the album with an excellent flourish but the title track and the amazing 20 Minutes / 40 Years are defiantly the standouts. The later with a Neurosis euphoric groove to it. Overall an excellent addition to their back catalogue.
16. Nile - Those Whom The Gods Detest
I've been a fan of Nile since I was given a copy of Black Seeds Of Vengeance. This is the fastest, most brutal style of Death Metal out there. Mixing in their unique vision of the middle east’s history and traditional instrumentation they have always provided a strange and exotic journey. This album isn't vastly different from their last. However I think it's a little straighter forward, there is still the technicality that there has always been but the tracks seem a little more direction based this time. Beginning with Kaffir! this track has some amazing Iranian chanting interlaced with the raging riffs and frantic drums. Track two Hittie Dung Incantation has some truly jaw dropping drum work in it too. Utterances Of The Crawling Dead is tuneful in a way only Nile can be and the title track is destined for true greatness alongside Unath Slayer Of The Gods in the epic war of Monolithic death metal. In fact if you were to compare this album to any it would be In Their Darkened Shines, the use of death metal next to traditional instrumentation and a dramatic sense of the epic make this compelling listening. Another fine addition to their flawless backcatologue. Oh and Yezd Desert Ghul Ritual In The Abandoned Towers Of Silence has to be one of the strangest track titles this year.
17. Vnv Nation - Of Faith Power And Glory
I share an infinity with Vnv; they find a way to infect my very soul. I love Futureperfect with a passion; their last album Judgment was awesome with more than its share of dance floor anthems. This album is very good, however I don't think it's their best. The tone of the electronics has a slightly rougher edge to them and the faster style of past tracks has gone too. But the epic lyrics and trance like elements are all there, the background atmosphere is lush as always and I find it very easy to get lost the sounds. The album opens with the tribal but regal Pro Victoria intro and then seeps into Sentinel one of the highlights. The third track is also very good; Tomorrow Never Comes has a trance like feel too. Great Divide has an old school electro feel to it and Ghost is a sad and epic track like only Vnv can do. The Art Of Conflict is the hardest tune on offer here with Ronan reading rules and truths about war in the background, In Defiance is standard Vnv, Verum Aeturnus has rays of light streaming through it and From My Hands is a fragile piano led Ballard. The whole thing comes to a close with the epic Where There Is Light, while this is trying to attain the lofty heights of Beloved or Perpetual it falls a little short, still it's a fitting end to another fine album from Vnv Nation.
18. Paradise Lost - Faith Divides Us Death Unites Us
Over the years I’ve fallen more and more in love with this bands music, from the gothic rock of One Second (which is where I began listening to them) to the past glories of Draconian Times and Icon to the more electronic sounds of Host and Symbol Of Life and back again with In Requiem. This album is by far their most sweeping and epic yet. The brutal heaviness has been pulled back a little but the crunch is still there as are the strings and the electronic touches. Opening with As Horizons End and closing with three bonus tracks this album never lets up with the gothic beauty. Last Regret is stunning as is In Truth. And the title track is perfect. This band gets better and better as the years pass. And they're from West Yorkshire. I am so proud to say I walk the same soil.
19. Dream Theatre - Black Clouds And Silver Linings
Total prog metal. In the best possible sense as well. Dream Theatre is a band I only just discovered a couple of years ago with their Octovarium album. But the combination of metal riffs, thrilling solos and melodic approach to prog I was hooked. Their last album was superb but this one is great. The opening track A Nightmare To Remember may be 16 minutes and 10 seconds long but it certainly doesn't seem that way. Neither does the massive final track The Count Of Tuscany. The Shattered Fortress begins with a riff to die for and although the beginning of The Best Of Times is a little maudlin you still feel this very sad song hit home. By far the best prog band in the world right now and that’s saying something with the likes of Opeth out there.
It's been a fantastic year for music, the very best of all genres coming out with superb records. From full on Death and Black Metal to Pop drenched Post Hardcore and Folksy Punk. There has been a great many albums I wanted to include but in the end I just couldn't stretch this list any more. I normally do a top 20, I nearly went for a top 30 but in the end it just didn't cover the records I wanted to share with you. So without further ado my Top 40 albums of the year.
1. Alexisonfire - Old Crows / Young Cardinals
2. Enter Shikari - Common Dreads
3. Alice In Chains - Black Gives Way To Blue
4. Paramore - Brand New Eyes
5. Scar Symmetry - Dark Matter Dimensions
6. Devin Townsend Project - Ki / Addicted
7. White Lies - To Lose My Life
8. Frank Turner - Poetry Of The Deed
9. Lamb Of God - Wrath
10. Mastodon - Crack The Skye
11. Steel Panther - Feel The Steel
12. Baroness - Blue Record
13. Billy Talent - III
14. My Dying Bride - For Lies I Sire
15. Isis - Wavering Radiant
16. Nile - Those Whom The Gods Detest
17. Vnv Nation - Of Faith Power And Glory
18. Paradise Lost - Faith Divides Us Death Unites Us
19. Dream Theatre - Black Clouds And Silver Linings
20. Sonic Boom Six - City Of Thieves
21. Killswitch Engage - Killswitch Engage
22. Heaven & Hell - The Devil You Know
23. Keef Baker - Pen Fifteen
24. Kylesa - Static Tensions
25. Cannibal Corpse - Evisceration Plague
26. Anaal Nathrakh - In The Constellation Of The Black Widow
27. Karnivool - Sound Awake
28. Jeniferever - Spring Tides
29. Megadeth - Endgame
30. Bat For Lashes - Two Suns
31. Shadows Fall - Retribution
32. November's Doom - Into Nights Requiem Infernal
33. The Prodigy - Invaders Must Die
34. Atreyu - Congregation Of The Damned
35. Katatonia - Night Is The New Day
36. Five Finger Death Punch - War Is The Answer
37. Epica - Design Your Universe
38. Immortal - All Shall Fall
39. Candlemass - Death Magic Doom
40. Evile - Infected Nations
1. Alexisonfire - Old Crows / Young Cardinals
Their last album Crisis is one of my favourite records of the last few years; however I missed that albums release by nearly a whole year. So I was looking forward to hearing this new one. And I think I’ve found my album of the year. Anthemic post hardcore with passion and aggressive wholehearted songs about getting older and trying to understand the world around us. The opening track Old Crows is a slow burner with the chorus refrain "We are not the kids we used to be, stop wishing for yesterday!" it says a lot about how this band have grown in sound and stance, second track Young Cardinals is one of the album highlights with such a high in the chorus it nearly takes off. Third track (Sons Of Privilege) and fourth (Born And Raised) rip the doors off with hooks and lead riffs smashing headlong with melodies from the gods. No Rest has a wonderful swirling riff pinning the rest of the band back until the chorus kicks in screaming, The Northern is a slower track that’s almost like a hymn with call and response vocals. Midnight Regulations is about the struggle of the common man to make ends meet, Emerald Street is so heartfelt it raises the hairs and Heading For The Sun sums up the plight of the world nicely. Accept Crime is another highlight, the subject matter is up for debate but with the chorus line of "There’s no police between two beating hearts!" the message is quiet clear. Then the closing track Burial is as close to the bone as any song will get with its double meaning. A fitting end to a fine album. Post hardcore, Emo, Punk, Rock whatever you wanna call this album is an unbelievable experience from start to finish. Wonderful.
2. Enter Shikari - Common Dreads
I loved their first album. Taking the amazing bits of post hardcore and metal and splicing them with trance synths and dance elements they made one hell of splash. For those of us in the know it was nothing new, Kmfdm and a whole host of Industrial bands had done the same kinda thing just not on this scale. This album is the make and break point for Enter Shikari. If they can't top the first album with more inventive use of synths and rhythms then it could be all over. The opening track Solidarity confirms everything I had hoped. This is one genius of a band. The third track Step Up further confirms this; everything about this album is brilliant. Juggernaughts is great if a little surprising with spoken word lyrics that remind me of The Streets Mike Skinner at times. Zzzonked is a fairly good example that they ain't lost any post hardcore bile even if it's filtered through The Prodigy. No Sleep Tonight is one of the highlights as is Gap In The Fence but every track here just flows from start to finish with ease and talent. Antwerpen is fucking awesome. The Jester uses Happy Hardcore at its centre to amazing effect, Hectic is an anthem all on its own and Fanfare For The Conscious Man ends the album with a flourish. I didn't think this album was gonna be as good as their first but it far outshines it. It's gonna be interesting to see if they can top this one.
3. Alice In Chains - Black Gives Way To Blue
The thing that many thought would never happen has, Alice In Chains have a new album. Complete with their new singer William DuVal. Most people know the ragged and tragic story of Layne Staley who finally succumbed to his long and well documented heroin addiction. The band had been on hold since their last full album in 1996 and the follow up MTV Unplugged session. There were a couple of new tracks in 1999 to coincide with the Music Bank box set but otherwise they dropped off the map. With the tragic death of Layne came some benefit shows with famous friends filling in. Then came William DuVal. And the verdict? This is AIC's best and most diverse album. The vocals are just right; they are a perfect lament for one of the finest voices in rock. Every track here is great The opening track All Secrets Known has a dreamy feel; Check My Brain is catchier than it has the right to be and Last Of My Kind has a riff to die for. Your Decision is light and full of meaning. A Looking In View is as heavy as fuck with some of the best vocal harmonies on the whole record and Acid Bubble is bi-polar with the slow riff breaking into a faster riff for the centre and end sections. The track Lesson Learned has one of the best lyrics "In your darkest hour you strike gold" I think that sums this album up fairly well I think. A fantastic come back and an honest nod to the past and the memory of Layne Staley.
4. Paramore - Brand New Eyes
Third album from the U.S. pop punk band. And this is pop in so many ways too, their last album Riot was an international hit and spawned four smash hit songs allow the band to play to ever larger shows. I love that album so much, it's my happy album puts me in a good mood. However it's that success that almost pulled the band apart and many of those issues resulted in cancelled shows and inner band tensions. All of those issues are poured into this album and what an album. The music is much the same, a little more diverse maybe. The acoustic flair is more apparent on tracks like The Only Exception Misguided Ghosts but tracks like Ignorance and Careful are full on pop punk. The track Decode from the Twilight film is here too and that is one of the highlights. All in all a stellar addition to their repertoire.
5. Scar Symmetry - Dark Matter Dimensions
Holographic Universe was my favourite metal album from 2008 and it seems having to replace their stunning singer with two guys to keep the sound in the same ball park has done nothing to slow these Sweades down. Full on melodeath at it’s finest. There is only Soilwork who can so thoroughly cover this kind of sound with such flair for the heavy and the melodic. Hard edge (true) death metal vocals working in harmony with the pop like melodic vocals is such a revelation the first time you hear them. It's hard for me to pick a highlight from this total melodic metal monster. However the tracks The Iconoclast and Sculpture Void are early standouts. As is the stunning A Parenthesis In Eternity. Also tracks Mechanical Soul Cybernetics and the title track have huge dollops of prog elements. So everything this album is is something I love.
6. Devin Townsend Project - Ki / Addicted
I love everything about Devin's music, from the full on rip your face off speed and brutal dynamics of Strapping Young Lad to the lush sweeping prog vistas of Ocean Machine and Terria. This record falls into the second category. In fact this is maybe the lightest sound wise Dev has been for a long time. Not that there isn't any growly bits because there are, it's just all a little held back. But as far as his monumental song writing talent goes this collection is flawless. Coast, Disrupter, Terminal are awesome prog tunes, the funky boogie of Trainfire is a little surprising but if you remember some of the tracks from Infinity not that surprising. Heaven Send and the title track Ki are expansive prog masterpieces. Dev has done it again; he's added another flawless album to his already flawless back catalogue.
It's not unusual for Devin to release two albums in one year; we had The New Black by Strapping Young Lad and Synchestra by The Devin Townsend Band both out in 2006. And his two records this year are totally different from each other too. However it must be said if your any kinda fan of Devin this new album Addicted will feel very familiar. Not that it isn’t brilliant because it is, but there are elements of all the poppy edge stuff from albums as far back as Ocean Machine, Infinity, Terria and Physicist. But there are the keys and progy elements from The Devin Townsend Band and a little bit of crazy nut job stuff from Ziltoid. What makes this album so different is the addition of vocals from Anneke Van Giersbergen formally of The Gathering another favourite band of mine. Her vocals are layered, sumptuous and in total harmony with the back ground music. She adds such a new dimension to this album I really hope that Dev and Anneke work together again. The opening tracks Addicted and Universe In A Ball are standard Dev (they remind me of Infinity era stuff) then the following track Bend It Like Bender! is pure pop metal. It's then that the prog comes out; Supercrush (which is by far one of the highlights) and Hyperdrive are two tracks that really remind me of Ocean Machine and Terria. Resolve is dedicated and inspired by The Wildhearts and Ih Ah is bliss. The closing three tracks are perfection too, truly upbeat positive melodic metal Awake being a particular highlight. By far one of his best albums. I'm so looking forward to the other two parts of this quadrology.
7. White Lies - To Lose My Life
One of the first no one albums of 2009 this and I have to admit it took me a while to really listen to this album properly. A first thing out of the way is the sound. They sound a little like Joy Division jamming with The Killers. The epic guitars, the loose base the synths and the mournful lyrics, this a happy album it is not. Third track A Place To Hide sounds a little like the Editors (which is no bad thing). But the album is so tuneful and catchy and epic in its song writing it's hard not to dance about to it, much like The Wombats said "Lets dance to Joy Division and celebrate the irony!" Every track has its own life and it's very hard not to fall in love with this band. An English band doing what we do best, indie on the highest possible level.
8. Frank Turner - Poetry Of The Deed
One of my favourite artists, an English singer song writer with the lyrical flair of a poet. His last two albums have been on constant play with me since I first heard them and I’ve seen the guy live and it was the best gig I’ve ever been to. The songs themselves aren’t that original (he'd say that too). But what you get are English folksy punk of the highest order much like The Levellers. Try This At Home is one of his best by far. Sons Of Liberty is the best political song he's ever done. Other tracks like Faithful Son and Isabel are lovely and genuine. I love this guy’s work because he comes across as honest and true, passionate about what he's doing and in return he gets that from us, his fans. FTHC.
9. Lamb Of God - Wrath
Beginning with a deceptively melodic intro The Passing, this is the calm before the storm and once In Your Words rips into you, you know its neck snapping time. This track doesn't go full out though to begin with, it's a careful introduction to the best metal album you'll hear this year. The production is clear and well constructed but leaves enough crust on to make this raw and organic. Like The Great Southern Trend Kill by Pantera it is brutal and unfilled. And as the so called heir's to their throne they do not let you down. Set To Fail and Contractor just fucking slay as do Grace (which manages to be bloody savage and melodic at the same time) and Broken Hands. Then to top the album off is the simply flawless epic bludgeon that is Reclamation. Everything about this album is absolute killer; this is the kind of metal album that will live on forever. The best metal album this side of The Blackening by Machine Head or Leviathan by Mastodon. A milestone.
10. Mastodon - Crack The Skye
I've loved Mastodon for years now since I first heard March Of The Fire Ants on a Relapse compilation. The groove, the riffs, the gruff vocals and the drum prowess of Brann Dailor. I was bowled off my feet when they released Leviathan, as was the whole of the metal world. I liked Blood Mountain but it was just a little on the wrong side of strange for me. It kicks every other bands arse but it wasn't a patch on Leviathan. So it's with a big fuck off grin on my face when I say Crack The Skye is flawless. The seven tracks are melodic in a way Mastodon have never been before but their groove is here in abundance. Every track a master class in song writing perfection. On the first listen through you will be stunned at the width and breadth of this bands vision. Oblivion and Divinations open the album with flare and The Czar and The Last Baron hold the epic monolithic end of the bargain with massive prog grooves. The guitars are sublime and stunning, the vocals the best they've ever been. I approached this album with a hint of trepidation and was surprised by this wonderful and inventive album. A Nine in Metal Hammer, an Eight in Terrorizer and a staggering Ten out of Ten in Rocksound. Surely a contender for album of the year in most of the mags?
11. Steel Panther - Feel The Steel
And the comedy record of the year goes to..... Steel Panther! Every track on this album you've heard before. Or you'll think you have. You see all the tracks here sound dangerously close to original material by Motley Crew, Bon Jovi, Van Halen, Whitesnake, WASP and Extreme. But way dirtier (every track is about sex, pretty much) and way funny. Death To All But Metal is great telling Dr Dre and Eminem to suck each other’s dick. Fat Girl (Thar She Blows) sounds almost like Whitesnake and Party All Day (Fuck All Night) could almost be You Give Love A Bad Name. So this stuff is nothing new and they look like they crawled of the Sunset Strip circa 1982 but hell its funny and it rocks too.
12. Baroness - Blue Record
This album surprised me by the time track three began, I was expecting something similar to the fantastic Kylesa. But this is far more eclectic in its influences. Not that there ain't heavy bluesy sludgy guitars because there is. But with clean vocals and proglike riffs these guys are the missing link between EyeHateGod and the most recent Mastodon masterpiece. Track five Swollen and Halo is so upbeat it's hard not to like it and A Horse Called Golgotha has riff structures that remind me of Battles. This is one fantastic record it really is. It rare to find so much flavour in one album. This album put me in a great mood and sometimes that’s all you need isn't it.
13. Billy Talent - III
Their second album entitled II was one of my favourite albums of 2006, their first (entitled I, you see what they’re doing here don't you) is a fairly good album too. This one is an awesome example of modern punk rock at its finest. This Canadian band has something else in their sound and I’ve always found it difficult to pinpoint exactly what it is. It's here too in abundance in songs like White Sparrows and Tears Into Wine. Other tracks like Rusted From The Rain and Devil On My Shoulder exhibit a darker edge that's never been there in this form before. I think The Dead Can't Testify is one of the weaker tracks but when you've got a track like Diamond On A Landmine for it to be up against that’s not surprising as this is by far the highlight of the album. I really like this band I hope they keep making records like this I really do.
14. My Dying Bride - For Lies I Sire
If the hairs aren’t standing on end by the end of track one of this the new My Dying Bride album then you won't be listening to the rest of the album. In this one track My Dying Bride lay down every trick in their extensive arsenal. The simple picked guitar line, Aaron’s mournful vocal, and then the crushing riffage with the welcome return of that single Violin. This track manages to sound so naked, venerable and fragile while still being wise and heavy as fuck. And it just gets better from here on out. Every track is so perfectly formed it really staggers the imagination. The title track, Bring Me Victory and Santuario Di Sangue are highlights but this is the Yorkshire Doom legends finest work to date. A far better production and a clear and fine tuned performance that really exudes class and the tragic sense of death and mist that only a band from West Yorkshire can put down on tape. I've been floored by this band on their last three albums but this is of the rocks itself. A primeval whisper from the dark past. Gothic doom never sounded so downright good.
15. Isis - Wavering Radiant
This album is superb, progtastic post-metal. Now don't get me wrong Isis certainly hasn’t reinvented the wheel here. If you liked their last album or the amazing Panopticon then you'll like this. There are subtle differences though. The use of background ambiance is sublime, the vocals are pitched perfect. The gruff vocals never out stay there welcome and the lighter vocals are used to good effect. Hall Of The Dead starts the album with an excellent flourish but the title track and the amazing 20 Minutes / 40 Years are defiantly the standouts. The later with a Neurosis euphoric groove to it. Overall an excellent addition to their back catalogue.
16. Nile - Those Whom The Gods Detest
I've been a fan of Nile since I was given a copy of Black Seeds Of Vengeance. This is the fastest, most brutal style of Death Metal out there. Mixing in their unique vision of the middle east’s history and traditional instrumentation they have always provided a strange and exotic journey. This album isn't vastly different from their last. However I think it's a little straighter forward, there is still the technicality that there has always been but the tracks seem a little more direction based this time. Beginning with Kaffir! this track has some amazing Iranian chanting interlaced with the raging riffs and frantic drums. Track two Hittie Dung Incantation has some truly jaw dropping drum work in it too. Utterances Of The Crawling Dead is tuneful in a way only Nile can be and the title track is destined for true greatness alongside Unath Slayer Of The Gods in the epic war of Monolithic death metal. In fact if you were to compare this album to any it would be In Their Darkened Shines, the use of death metal next to traditional instrumentation and a dramatic sense of the epic make this compelling listening. Another fine addition to their flawless backcatologue. Oh and Yezd Desert Ghul Ritual In The Abandoned Towers Of Silence has to be one of the strangest track titles this year.
17. Vnv Nation - Of Faith Power And Glory
I share an infinity with Vnv; they find a way to infect my very soul. I love Futureperfect with a passion; their last album Judgment was awesome with more than its share of dance floor anthems. This album is very good, however I don't think it's their best. The tone of the electronics has a slightly rougher edge to them and the faster style of past tracks has gone too. But the epic lyrics and trance like elements are all there, the background atmosphere is lush as always and I find it very easy to get lost the sounds. The album opens with the tribal but regal Pro Victoria intro and then seeps into Sentinel one of the highlights. The third track is also very good; Tomorrow Never Comes has a trance like feel too. Great Divide has an old school electro feel to it and Ghost is a sad and epic track like only Vnv can do. The Art Of Conflict is the hardest tune on offer here with Ronan reading rules and truths about war in the background, In Defiance is standard Vnv, Verum Aeturnus has rays of light streaming through it and From My Hands is a fragile piano led Ballard. The whole thing comes to a close with the epic Where There Is Light, while this is trying to attain the lofty heights of Beloved or Perpetual it falls a little short, still it's a fitting end to another fine album from Vnv Nation.
18. Paradise Lost - Faith Divides Us Death Unites Us
Over the years I’ve fallen more and more in love with this bands music, from the gothic rock of One Second (which is where I began listening to them) to the past glories of Draconian Times and Icon to the more electronic sounds of Host and Symbol Of Life and back again with In Requiem. This album is by far their most sweeping and epic yet. The brutal heaviness has been pulled back a little but the crunch is still there as are the strings and the electronic touches. Opening with As Horizons End and closing with three bonus tracks this album never lets up with the gothic beauty. Last Regret is stunning as is In Truth. And the title track is perfect. This band gets better and better as the years pass. And they're from West Yorkshire. I am so proud to say I walk the same soil.
19. Dream Theatre - Black Clouds And Silver Linings
Total prog metal. In the best possible sense as well. Dream Theatre is a band I only just discovered a couple of years ago with their Octovarium album. But the combination of metal riffs, thrilling solos and melodic approach to prog I was hooked. Their last album was superb but this one is great. The opening track A Nightmare To Remember may be 16 minutes and 10 seconds long but it certainly doesn't seem that way. Neither does the massive final track The Count Of Tuscany. The Shattered Fortress begins with a riff to die for and although the beginning of The Best Of Times is a little maudlin you still feel this very sad song hit home. By far the best prog band in the world right now and that’s saying something with the likes of Opeth out there.