ROADRUNNER ARTISTS + STAFFERS NAME THEIR FAVORITE ALBUMS OF ’08 (AND WE SOMEHOW MADE THE LIST)

Tuesday, January 6th, 2009 at 4:00pm by

Even before we were an “industry type” (I think we can safely call ourselves that now), I loved the fact that Roadrunner Records posts their staffers and some of the artists “best of” lists every year; these people work at/with one of the biggest metal labels out there, so it’s pretty interesting to see what they were grooving on from year to year.

The 2008 lists are on Roadrunner’s website now. Here are some highlights:

  • Dream Theater’s Mike Portnoy (Y’know, the Jewish one) and Trivium’s Paolo Gregoletto (Y’know, the short one) both named Metallica’s Death Magnetic as his favorite album of the year.
  • Machine Head’s Robb Flynn named All Shall Perish’s Awaken the Dreamers as his favorite album of the year (which I imagine will totally make the members of All Shall Perish’s lives).
  • Dragonforce’s Frederic Leclerq named Guns N’ Roses’ Chinese Democracy as his favorite album of the year (Do we think Axl Rose knows who Dragonforce are?).
  • Max Cavalera really, really liked the new Bad Brains album. I knew someone must have.
  • Trivium’s Matt Heafy gave both his number one AND number two spots to Coldplay albums.
  • You’ll be five albums deep into Killswitch Engage axeman Joel Stroetzel’s list before you even see a metal album.
  • One of the dudes from Nickelsuck (not the ugly blond chick who sings for them) claims to like Meshuggah.
  • Jonathan Miller from DevilDriver named In This Moment’s The Dream as his favorite album of the year. I’m sure the fact that he’s sleeping with Maria Brink had nothing to do with that.
  • Roadrunner Senior VP of A&R Monte Connor (a.k.a. the dude you can thank for Sepultura, Deicide, Obituary, etc.) named Amon Amarth’s Twilight Of The Thunder God as his favorite album not released on Roadrunner.
  • Roadrunner Director of New Media/frequent MetalSucks commentor Jeremy Rosen listed MetalSucks as his number ten album of the year. We’re flattered, Jeremy, but let’s be real: we were so much better than that Mourdella album.

Read everyone’s lists in their entirety here.

-AR

  • Jesse

    SAY IT AINT SO MATT! SAY IT AINT SO!

  • http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com Jeremy Rosen

    Sorry Axl, but when you guys prove you can shoot fire out of your vaginas, I’ll bump you up a spot. I also know a few carnies who’d be interested in your talents. At any rate, I’m not a frequent commenter for nothing.

  • some guy

    “Trivium’s Matt Heafy gave both his number one AND number two spots to Coldplay albums.”

    Like I needed a reason to hate this band any more.

  • Tim

    yeah i like the new trivium album, but that’s just gay…. coldplay? c’mon.

  • Thisnamesucks

    Alot of WTF choices sum this list up.

  • iolanach

    And this surprises people because…?

  • seveword

    BECAUSE IT’S REAL TO ME, DAMMIT

  • o0Stacey0o

    Its interesting to see Trivium go from this exciting new entity in metal the last few years to giving Jon Edwards a run for his money in the Biggest Douche of the Universe Competition. Coldplay? Weaksauce.

  • mahkiavelli

    So I wonder if they were all contractually obligated to include “All hope is gone” on their lists. It was ok, but not top 10 of the year…

  • http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com Jeremy Rosen

    There are plenty of staffers who did not include Slipknot in their top tens. For instance, me!

  • Sammy

    Funniest on the lists is that of Roadrunner’s IT director who put Death Magnetic on his list just so he could disparage it and tell Metallica to fuck off.

  • sacha

    interesting how every shit band on this label has shit taste, except for the guy from nickelback…..

  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cliff Person J. Nobody

    Geez, and Matt puts his own band in there. Well, at least Cynic got some love.

  • http://www.myspace.com/bminekime enemyofgod72

    I don’t believe for a nano-second that the dude from Nickelsucks listens to Meshuggah unless that is if he really enjoys hearing a band that shows him just how little talent he has. Tomas Haake’s last dump had more talent than anyone in Nickelsucks. And does Matt Heafy need to put his douchiness out there just to make us all laugh? I mean my tastes are pretty varied but fucking Coldplay? I think he just picked the one band that is more gay than he is.

  • pluto

    anyone else notice the guy from Dragonforce is an idiot?

    Disturbed????? WTF? I thought only 12 year-olds listened to them

  • The Mighty Fucking Quinn

    I want to let it be known that I love the fact that both of the dudes from Trivium who made lists put their new album as their No. 10 choices.And no surprise from Paolo, with Death Magnetic as No. 1, but I was surprised Heafy only had it at No. 9.I guess he’s done being star-struck after having James Hetfield’s cock in his mouth more often than Hetfield’s wife.

  • Senior Swanky

    I knew sending out a few copies of The gaslight anthem would pay off!
    Thanks Guys

  • http://metalmartyr.com MetalMartyr.Com

    I actually like Shogun, but to see Matt Heafy put it in his own list…makes me kind of feel sorry for that dude. As a Slipknot fan (Yes I like Trivium and Slipknot..Strike two!) I can say that All Hope Is Gone was not in my own top ten this year because it wasn’t that great of an album. Death Magnetic? Obviously these people anticipated a new Metallica album and were impressed that it didn’t suck…but it wasn’t mind blowing or anything. The more I hear about the album and the more times I hear the songs the less I like it. It doesn’t have that lasting effect like the early albums or even the black album. It was cool to see Mike Portnoy recognize Bloodbath’s Fathomless Mastery and Unblessing EP. The way he explains them is cool too.

  • b-rad

    i’m not offended by the fact the Trivum boy gave the first 2 slots to Coldplay… i am mortified that he and someone else in the band had the audacity to put THEIR OWN album in the top 10! god, i hate those pompous little cocksuckers.

  • pHHH

    I Read everyone’s lists and no one included The Faceless’ Planetary Duality in their list.
    I’m sorry for them because they didn’t know about it.
    I’m more sorry if they listened to it and didn’t like it.

  • wh1zz pig

    “you know how i know you’re gay. cause you listen to coldplay”

  • http://www.vimeo.com/3104078 Teresa George

    Generally I do not post on blogs, but I would like to say that this post really forced me to do so! Good post.