...of 2009

The end of 2009 has passed and my listening of new releases this year was worse than that of last year. Needless to say, this edition of 'best of' will be less wholesome than last years. I've altered some of the catergories to make it more economical.

Best Album

Dream Theater ~ Black Clouds and Silver Linings

Dream Theater apologise to their fanbase for releasing the poor Systematic Chaos in '07 by releasing Black Clouds and Silver Linings. Darkness meets heaviness in a convincing display of profound emotion. Lengthy numbers full of adventure ('The Count of Tuscany'), prog rock styled nostalgia ('The Best of Times') and themed frustration ('The Shattered Fortress'). The erratic solos have been considerably turned down with a focus more on overall composition as opposed to individual passages. Unfortunately, Portony's poor vocal efforts are around but are much less dominant than on their previous full-length. The songs are intensely visual and despite the remarkable duration of this album, it all sails by too quickly. Dream Theater are back. For real.

Honourable mentions: Porcupine Tree ~ The Incident; Putrid Pile ~ House of Dementia

Best EP
Lifelover ~ Dekadens


Sweden's finest DSBM band must be hard at work, with Dekadens following the recently released album Konkurs. Lifelover entreat the audience to a varied and uncomforable journey of solitude. From the sleek 'Luguber Framtid' to the dramatic 'Myspys' (with a rhythm that reminds me of Aura Noir for some reason) to the punchy 'Androider', this EP showcasing the band pushing their limitations further away. Can they ever disappoint?

Honourable mentions: Pain of Salvation ~ Linoleum; Victimizer ~ Ressurrected Abominations

Best Song
Dream Theater ~ 'A Nightmare to Remember'
The opener from Black Clouds and Silver Linings is one of the best songs Dream Theater have penned in a while. The song opens strikingly heavy, with a tinged gothic edge before creeping into sinister territory, unfolding an adventure. The heavy passages are juxtaposed with a peaceful and medical one rich in textures and haze. There is a lot to praise in this songs (and unfortunately, Portnoy's vocals are hell bent on tainting the ending). The instruments support each other with no painful contradictions. Nothing is too distracting or over the top. LaBrie's vocals are beautifully versatile, underscoring this track as nothing short of magnificent.

Honourable mentions: Porcupine Tree ~ 'Time Flies'; Megadeth ~ 'This Day We Fight'


Biggest Disappointment
Queensryche ~ American Soldier


I probably enjoyed this album substantially more than everyone else but it is still disappointing by my standards. I like Tribe and Operation Mindcrime II but this album lacks the dynamic nature of the latter and the moving creativity of the former. Most people detract this album for its patriotic American concept, but I can look past that. It's the music that disappoints me. The ballad is terrible - Tate's daughter should NOT be on this album. She is distracting and not a particularly decent child singer. The rapping depletes the album further as does the tedious 'modern rock', heavy guitar riffage as can be heard during the chorus of 'If I were King' - what is otherwise a commendable and memorable rock song. I can deal with Queensryche not wanting to continue to uphold the metal banner but just be intelligent about the creative process. There are some gems in this album but it's covered in a fair amount of embarrassment to wade through. How this band have fallen from grace. I still retain my faith in them though, probably because they remain one of my favourites.

Honourable mentions: Dying Fetus ~ Descend into Depravity

Best Cover Art
The 11th Hour ~ Burden of Grief

Maybe I'm simply being lazy and can't be arsed to check out other album art this year but this cover is amazing (unlike the album...). In fact, it was so good I decided to sketch the crow with decent results. You know precisely what to expect from looking at the cover and that's what good album art does. Unusual yet moody tones, smoky atmospheres, a stone clock with the final number showing 23, branches in Autumn and the centre-piece - a painted crow looking rather sinister. The glowing light makes it look somewhat less melodramatic, although the over the top nature of the cover can not be disputed. Having said that, death/doom metal is hardly reserved. The detail on the crow is profound and a marvel to stare at. The effect of the individual features is a success. The realism is so great that the textures shine right through. Artist Mick Koopman should be very proud of this effort and the band were more than lucky to be able to work with him.

Honourable mentions: Pain of Salvation ~ Linoleum; Diablo Swing Orchestra ~ Sing-Along Songs for the Damned and Delirious

Best Lyrics

Porcupine Tree ~ 'Time Flies'

Freak Kitchen probably would have stole this section but I can't find their lyrics online. Listening to them make me smile as they've updated their inventory with all the fashionable pop culture staples like Facebook, optical mice etc. But this behemoth of a track literally flies by because it's so astonishing. Lyrically, it's concerned with archetypal and personal prog nostalgia but the way their written adds a maudlin and cute quality to them. They just feel so personal and have some great metaphors like 'suburb of heaven'. Catchy stuff.

Honourable mentions: Megadeth ~ 'Endgame'; Katatonia ~ 'Forsaker'

Best Newcomer

Fleshgod Apocalypse ~ Oracles

Think death metal-era Behemoth but with intricate spurts of technicality and classical interludes thrown in for good measure. Fleshgod Apocalypse are a remarkably talented trio, releasing their debut Oracles this year. Coupled with a compelling live show, this band is certainly worth keeping an eye on in the future. Hopefully a follow up explores more territories and doesn't stagnate the mediocre tech death scene.

Honourable mentions: Kalisia ~ Cybion; White Wizzard ~ High Speed GTO

Best Live Show

Kampfar, Underworld, London, 16th February

I was overtly thrilled when Kampfar anounced their UK debut show, an exclusive London date with coheadlining band Vreid and support from Iskald. Fortunately, Kampfar were last on and Dolk was a tremendous frontman, the audience never taking their eyes off him. His growls were intensive and enduring throughout. The setlist was beautifully varied, showcasing rarities and favourites from all of their albums. Opening with 'Vantro' as their intro tape they launched into a full-on attack with 'Inferno' and never laxed their iron grip. The encore was 'Bukkeferd' from their debut, which was surprising. Such a shame the audience did not react so enthusiastically and predictably 'Ravenheart' was the track greeted with the best ovation. People ruin the metal shows but without them, they cannot exist. Anyhow, these Norse pagans are lined up for Hellfest this year and I hope to be in attendance. I can imagine Dolk shining in an open air environment.

Honourable mentions: Putrid Pile, The Gaff, London, 1st July; Dream Theater, Manchester Apollo, Manchester, 9th October

Best Festival

Hellfest Open Air 2008, Clisson, 19th ~ 21st June

If I was to be calling this one based entirely on social factors, it would be awarded to Hard Rock Hell but based purely on line up and organisation, than France's premier metal festival reigns victorious again. Pulling out a line up that particularly excited the prog factor in me with Dream Theater, Queensryche and Pain of Salvation (all in one day) among others, I couldn't lose. Add in New York death metal favourites of mine Skinless and Immolation, along with bands who avoid London like Aura Noir and Manowar and this festival had me sold. I'd never see Motley Crue perform live because they are so poor but being one of my favourite bands and at the festival, I could watch them headlining without exclusively dropping a large sum of money to see them. I thought it would be impossible to top last year's line up, but I was indeed wrong. The festival itself ran smoothly despite the surge in numbers. Socially, it was hit-and-miss thanks to the conclusion of my two year relationship (avoid doing weekend long festivals with your ex and said ex's object of jealousy) but a great weekend of metal was not ruined by social politics. I talked to more people this year and yes, festivals surely due attract the mentally-touched metalheads in armies. The line up for 2010 so far looks stunning (Kampfar, Sabaton, Freak Kitchen, Urgehal and more) and has effectively confirmed my attendance. I suspect this time next year, I'll be listing Hellfest as festival of the year again.

Honourable mentions: Bloodstock Open Air, Catton Hall, 14 ~ 16th August; Hard Rock Hell III, Prestatyn, 4th - 5th December

Best Discovery

Forced Entry (US)

This year I discovered plenty of new bands I'd never heard of before but the best of these were Seattle's Forced Entry, a thrash metal band who formed in 1985. I discovered them via Metal Inquisition at the start of last year and was interested in the idea of technical thrash metal. Their second album As Above, So Below from '91 is incredible. It's technical thrash metal without being progressive such as bands like Atheist, Cynic, Anacrusis etc. They have their own particular style with angular riffs, well-timed pinched harmonics, amazing audible bass lines and their own style of thrashy vocals. The lyrics were usually intelligent (especially for thrash metal) but the band never took themselves too seriously, penning such party tracks as 'How We Spent Our Summer Vacation' and 'We're Dicks'. Unfortunately they only released two albums and one EP before being overpowered by the grunge movement and were coerced into splitting up after a flood of issues out of their control. It seems a travesty that bands like Sacred Reich made it (sort of) whilst Forced Entry are condemned to complete thrash metal obscurity, despite doing something creative and intelligent. What's worse is the contemporary thrash metal revival, spearheaded by such trite and unoriginal bands like Evile and Municipal Waste who rehash old ideas from thrash metal's heyday and consider themselves mind-blowing. Forced Entry need to reunite and bring real innovative thrash metal to the world. I truly believe they are metal's most underrated band and I listen to all the metal subgenres profoundly. I pray they will reunite this year, as they once did in 2002. They rereleased As Above, So Below last year so you never know. They're so compelling that I dedicated my Summer to them. This band is proof that there is no justice in the world. They truly deserve to be making a living off their music.

Honourable mentions: Internal Bleeding; Joyless

~~~

And that's about it. 2009 was a decent year of metal but I never got round to acquiring all the releases I so desired. Last year was a particularly busy year and I just didn't have the time. Hopefully 2010 will be less hectic and I can satisfy my desires. Already planned for release this year are the new Sabaton, Scythe, Nevermore and Dream Evil. Hopefully the live scene will be just as good, if not superior.

...of 2008

As the year comes to a close, I find it fitting to do one of my own 'Best of 2008' style polls that so many are inclined to do. Unfortunately, due to no longer having all the time in the world, several key albums were completely ignored by me this year (the new Shining, Evergrey, Lifelover, Origin, the debut Jeff Loomis, to name but a few). Other albums just didn't get a profound enough listen to provoke an opinion (the new Edguy) and I'm sure I'm forgetting some of the more obscure releases I listened to so this list is far from substantial but I feel I must pen something down before the close of the year. Naturally, only bands I enjoy (or enjoyed) have been nominated here.


Best Release of 2008:
Opeth ~ Watershed

2008 was a poor turnout in regards to high-quality metal albums. I cannot help but feel that Opeth win by default. Watershed was fairly outstanding, with the band pushing their own boundaries in terms of experimentation ('The Lotus Eater' especially). The opening number, 'Coil', featured a female vocalist in its brevity and it seems near suspicious that a band like Opeth have not employed a female guest singer in the past. However, I felt 'Derelict Herds', one of the bonus tracks, was probably the strongest song on the album. It was wild, convincingly heavy and more colourful than the other songs on the opus. Why this is not on the main body of the album seems like a mistake. Nonetheless, Watershed is an aggressive piece of progressive art, another step in the right direction for Opeth.

Honourable mentions: Unleashed ~ Hammer Battalion; Cynic ~ Traced in Air


Best Song of 2008
Opeth ~ 'Coil'

It is a gentle track, completely acoustic with female vocals. For Opeth, the song is incredibly concise and indeed leaves the listener begging for more but this track acts as a prelude to the remainder of the album. There is a folk feeling here, no doubt produced from the acoustic method utilized. The song is dense in atmosphere and sweetly sung by both Akerfeldt and the female vocalist, two voices that compliment each other in an unconventional way. It sounds pure and untainted but there is a sense of foreboding woven within.

Honourable mentions: Moonspell ~ 'Scorpion Flower'; Kampfar ~ 'Vansinn'


Best Cover Art of 2008
Amon Amarth ~ Twilight of the Thunder God

This is certainly the most striking image from cover art this year. I feel that most modern album arts seem to be some thoughtless and supposedly mature Photoshopped image which could have been produced by anyone with the program, or some 'minimalist' piece of forgettable art. I believe the cover art should be a visual representation of the music and Amon Amarth's Twilight of the Thunder God actually harvested some interesting musical techniques which saw the Swedes' melodic death metal progress, rather than stick to the same old tried and tested formula the band are more than comfortable with. The album art sticks out more than anything pictorial the band have released as part of their discography too. This picture of Thor battling Jormungand after he fished him up, lifted directly from Norse mythology, is nothing short of powerful, probably to underscore the potential power of the CD. The colours are bold and dark but the use of white is what makes it so tenacious to behold. The attention to detail makes the realism that much more compelling even though the average person knows such a tale could never be true. Some may complain about the image being over the top but when you're dealing with (melodic death) metal centred around Vikings...well, nothing more needs to be stated.

Honourable mentions: Asmegin ~ Arv; Darkthrone ~ Dark Thrones and Black Flags


Best Lyrics of 2008
Opeth ~ 'Coil'

Again, Opeth steal this victory by default because I have not really had the time to digest the lyrics of much else this year. Over the years, I feel Opeth's lyrics are denaturing in quality. Most of the lyrics on Watershed seem banal for a band such as Opeth but the lyrics belonging to 'Coil' stick out, probably because its too short to be ruined by slap-dash work. I suppose this is a biased call again because the lyrics remind me of far too many personal situations and make me nostalgic. They seem somewhat arcane (who is the man and who is the woman), completely clouded by mystery. It seems vaguely stylish the way the words of the man are mirrored for the woman's use. Above all, the lyrics corroborate the mood of the music. Well chosen stuff.


Best Newcomer of 2008
The Rotted ~ Get Dead or Die Trying

I cannot think of many outstanding bands that made their debut this year (I know there is Trinacria but frustratingly I cannot get my hands on their album at all). Alas, I am cheating by putting The Rotted as best newcomer, seeing as they changed their name from Gorerotted but nonetheless, their 'debut' album Get Dead or Die Trying is a great slab of death metal. The presence of punk-sourced riffs is prevalent throughout the entire release, making it gritty and raw compared to straightforward death metal or even most standard grindcore acts. The catchy nature of Gorerotted remains, which marks songs like 'Kissing You With My Fists' and 'Angel of Meth' more memorable. Songs like 'The Howling' and 'The Body Tree' are unexpectedly aggressive and literally smack the listener in the face. This album is far more commendable than Gorerotted's final album A New Dawn for the Dead and should be picked up by anyone who thought Gorerotted were, at the least, amusing. The tongue-in-cheek element of Gorerotted has been severely eroded in The Rotted but Get Dead or Die Trying seems more so than A New Dawn for the Dead.

Honourable mention: Warrel Dane ~ Praises to the War Machine


Best Live Show of 2008
Queensryche, Leeds Metropolitan University, Leeds, 15th June

Usually, I take my camera to every live show I attend, however, this abnormal hike to Leeds to catch Queensryche live forced me to forget it. Of course I would pay for it, this being the best gig of the year! There was no support act and the band proceeded to perform both of their Operation Mindcrime albums back to back. The albums were acted out so it was more akin to watching a musical than the average metal spectacle. I was completely blown away. Geoff Tate's voice was on top form, despite circulating comments about how poor it is these days. The costume design, the stage design, the acting ~ it was all superlatively executed, culminating in a compelling watch. The only way it could have been improved was if Dio himself was there to perform his guest vocals (and the backing vocals were distributed more effectively). The encore was composed exclusively of Empire tracks, that being my favourite Queensryche album and one of my favourite releases of all time. This was the first time I had caught Queensryche live (various impediments obstructed me in the past) and it was mind-blowing. I had to see them in Leeds because the London show clashed with Hellfest and there was no way I was missing Queensryche this time. There was the option to pay an extra £30 or so to obtain the VIP package, which gave you a few Queensryche stickers, earlier access into the venue by fifteen minutes and an opportunity to meet the band. I had no interest in any of this but the thought of the VIP purchasers getting right at the front and taking up all the best positions was frustrating. However, being up North, there were barely any VIPers and they spent their extra fifteen minutes at the bar or cloakroom, it seemed. The front row was entirely void of life when I got in there. It certainly would have been a different story in crowded London, not to mention the stage would have been larger and less intimate. Great stuff.

Honourable mentions: Helheim, Purple Turtle, London, 10th March; Sabaton, Purple Turtle, London, 5th December


Best Festival of 2008
Hellfest Open Air 2008, Clisson, 20th ~ 22nd June

The 2007 edition of Hellfest was a total disaster in terms of organisation and general appeasement of the audience and bands. With clashes, poor toilet (even for festival standards)and camping services on top of the uncontrollable weather conditions, many a fan and band swore to never return to the festival again. I was lured back with a stellar line-up and the promise of an improved festival over all. Everything was drastically improved, flawless in fact. There were more fatal clashes this year compared with last but I had already seen the bands I was forced to skip. The line-up crushed all the other European festivals especially when you factored in the clash deficiency that other festivals cannot avoid (take that, Wacken!) and the number of attendees was very small for a weekend long open air metal festival in a place as easy to reach as France (around 12,000 per day). Everyone I conversed with who attended the 2007 and 2008 editions of the festival agreed that this year was far superior and in terms of festivals, it was amazing too. I caught some of my personal favourite bands, including Helloween and Katatonia, caught live bands I'd never bother to see headlining now in London like Motorhead, and caught talent that would never come across to England for various reasons such as Alchemist and Haemorrhage. Of course I did the obligatory discovering new bands and talking to some of the ostensibly craziest people on the planet.

Honourable mentions: Bloodstock Open Air, Catton Hall, 15th ~ 17th August; Damnation Festival, Leeds, 22nd November


Biggest Release Disappointment of 2008
Judas Priest ~ Nostradamus

Judas Priest are one of my favourite bands and when I heard they were creating a full-length that would spread across two CDs, I was apprehensive. The problem with bands doing this is the possibility of not having enough ideas to spread across two discs, like Therion and their Gothic Kabbalah album. Priest fell into this category. I love Angel of Retribution but when I heard the song 'Nostradamus', the first track the band officially released for audience consumption, I was concerned that the band might be recycling Painkiller stylings to satiate the high expectations they were anchored to. When I got the album, I listened to both discs numerous times before concluding that the shade of Painkiller were absent but the album spent all of its tracks building up to some kind of overwhelming climax which did not really surface. On the first disc, the 'climax' arrived in the form of 'Persecution'. It was a decent track but certainly not worth the wait. On disc two, the high point was the title track and this was followed by 'Future of Mankind', a song that stretched to over eight minutes when it could easily have been condensed. Disc two was certainly inferior to disc one. Disc one had some highly commendable solos. Another issue with Nostradamus was that the sub-songs that essentially linked the proper full-length songs together were far too common and only isolated the songs and dislocated the flow of the album over all. It was like watching a film with far too many intermissions in between. This was worse than all those brutal death metal bands who insist on having a sample at the start of every track. I hope Judas Priest can pull out something more impressive next time round. This album was hotly anticipated for a couple of years. A real disappointment.

Honourable mentions: Keep of Kalessin ~ Kolossus; Psycroptic ~ Ob(Servant)


Most Embarrassing Release of 2008
Cryptopsy ~ The Unspoken King

Cryptopsy's legacy as one of the greatest technical death metal bands was horrendously besmirched when the band released their new album with their new vocalist. Animosity was stirred when the new growler, Matt McGachy, was announced as Lord Worm's replacement before this album was released after a simplistic vetting process informed the death metal scene that McGachy's past endeavours were for that of a metalcore band. Rumours flew about that Cryptopsy would turn metalcore but I reserved my opinion for when the album was released. The addition of a female keyboard player into the band's line-up additionally raised eyebrows. The first song the band released was 'Worship Your Demons' and it was deathcore! Sure, Flo Mounier's drumming was top form but the song was undeniably deathcore, complete with metalcore boat-ruddering growls. When The Unspoken King was officially released the entire Cryptopsy fanbase was in utter dismay. 'Worship Your Demons' was actually the best song on the album. The rest of the pestilence included metalcore/death metal hybrid guitar riffs, an insignificant bass and worst of all clean vocals in the whiney emo style. Everybody hated it and by everybody, I mean every metal fan. For most universally detested metal albums, I generally come across at least one defendant whether online or in person but I am yet to meet the individual willing to stand up for this reprehensible effort. Cryptopsy continued to grave-dig for themselves; the female keyboard player they recruited was dropped from their ranks because they did not use the keyboards enough on The Unspoken King. This was a smart move even though it got them ridiculed by their fanbase further for making such an indescribably questionable decision in the first place but all the promotional pictures had her marketed more so than the vocalist. A grasp towards sex appeal to sell more? Mounier would deny it. I conducted an interview with him at the close of the year where he denied he had ever heard metalcore, even though over the past few years, Cryptopsy have been touring North America with countless metalcore bands. Mounier's fall from grace continued before my interview with rant after rant, proclaiming all The Unspoken King detractors were George Bush supporters among other childish insults. The band eventually went as far as recording the track 'Dinner Time' which begins with an apparent ex-Cryptopsy fan ranting about how the band have sold out and how their new effort is a disgrace to death metal. His monologue is interrupted by his mother who vehemently knocks on the door, wailing at her son to get off the Internet because it's dinner time. Mounier just needs to learn to ignore the people that make him feel bad. Not even Metallica reacted as violently to their fanbase after releasing St. Anger.

Honourable mentions: Kataklysm ~ Prevail; Communic ~ Payment of Existence


Most Overrated Release of 2008
Krisiun ~ Southern Storm

I don't really converse with metalheads much but it seems that Krisiun's Southern Storm is commanding attention. I cannot understand what people see in this release; I have a theory that most of those worshipping it have not heard any previous Krisiun efforts prior to this one. Krisiun are doing nothing new in the slightest with this full-length, severely lacking variation between songs and doing nothing new for their discography. I could handle AssassiNation but this release is totally redundant as far as death metal goes. The Sepultura cover is the best part of the album, simply because it is discernible among the rest of music here. Generic brutal death metal at its finest (after that inaudible static-guitar rubbish).

Honourable mention: Eluveitie ~ Slania


These are all the categories I can care to compose at the moment. If I think of anymore, I will post them here but I doubt it.

~ ~ ~

I look forward to hearing the releases of 2009. Hopefully it will be a superior year to this one. The forthcoming Pain of Salvation, Megadeth, Katatonia, Freak Kitchen, Scythe, Kreator (which has already leaked), Slayer, Cannibal Corpse, Suffocation among countless others will at least give me enough material to reproduce an updated version of these 'awards'. Fingers crossed anyhow.