THE BEST ALBUMS OF 2009 SO FAR — TOO SOON? (VINCE’S PICKS)
Tuesday, August 11th, 2009 at 4:30pm by Vince NeilsteinIt’s been a doozy of a year for metal releases already, hasn’t it?
After the jump, the records I’ve been jamming the most so far that might or might not end up on my year-end Top 10.
Anaal Nathrakh – In the Constellation of the Black Widow
Animals as Leaders – s/t
Behemoth – Evangelion
Cannibal Corpse – Evisceration Plague
Coalesce – Ox
Daath – The Concealers
God Forbid – Earthsblood
Gorod – Process of a New Decline
Hacride – Lazarus
Iron Age – The Sleeping Eye
Keelhaul – Keelhaul’s Triumphant Return to Obscurity
Mastodon – Crack the Skye
Obscura – Cosmogenesis
Rumpelstiltskin Grinder – Living for Death, Destroying the Rest
Scale the Summit – Carving Desert Canyons
Devin Townsend – Ki
Zao – Awake?
fuck yes on Scale the Summit – Carving Desert Canyons, but i’m disappointed to not see Dream Theater on that list
the infection
Um… Isis’ Wavering Radiant?…. Anyone?….
I like wavering radiant, but it doesn’t seem to be a favorite of a lot of peoples. It’s certainly better than “absence of truth”, though.
QFT
agreed.
Whoop de doooo
Anaal Nathrakh should be #1 for sure.
The only one I really agree with is Mastodon. Obscura and God Forbid might also make my top 10 at the end of the year, not because I think they’re great, but simply because I’ve found most of the two dozen other CD’s that I’ve listened to totally mediocre. Of the new albums that I’ve heard this year, the only one I’ve really liked are:
Believer – Gabriel
Mastodon – Crack the Skye
Lazarus A.D. – The Onslaught
Havok – Burn
Kreator – Hordes of Chaos
Still hoping for good albums this year by Megadeth, Evile, Nile, etc.
no kylesa = no list.
Good call! Static Tensions is phenomenal.
haha agreed.
Yawn…better than Axl’s at least.
Agreed. Strike Mastodon though.
cause axl’s a retard.
What about Smaael’s Above? It takes about ten listens to get into but it works and God Dethroned and Sunn O))) belong on your list as well.
THY WILL BE DONE “In Ancient Of Days” should have been on the list
yes yes it should beers for this guy
A few different from Axl’s.
So, rinse and repeat my previous comment.
magrudergrind
Technically it hasn’t been released yet, but the new Burnt By The Sun is pretty damn sweet.
You are all forgetting about Cattle Decapitations The Harvest Floor and Napalm Deaths Time Waits for no Slave.
true, cattle deserves to be here.
was that two lists with no Lamb of God? WOW
In order: no, no, no, yes, really yes, deffinately not, no, no, no, no, no, sucks cock, hell yes, no, no, sort of, no.
That’s what I think of these picks in order.
+1 on Animals as Leaders
+1 on Anaal Nathrakh
+1000 for not including Born of Osiris or JFAC horribly Yawn-tastic new albums
Amen.
Animals as Leaders is freakin sweet!
Like the new Mastodon, too. Great album. :)
btbam has yet to come out with their new album, #1 fa sho
Archgoat – The light-devouring darkness
Good album, but not as good as “Whore of Bethlehem”… just saw them live last month in Chicago….fucking AWESOME.
Mastodon – Crack the Skye
He Is Legend – It Hates Me
Obscura – Cosmogenesis
Killswitch Engage – S/T
Isis – Wavering Radiant
Zao – Awake?
Hacride – Lazarus
Benea Reach – Alliviat
The Chariot – Wars and Rumors of War
Coalesce – Ox
SWWAATS
Still waiting for:
Baroness
Converge
Burnt By The Sun
Them Crooked Vultures
Dillinger Escape Plan
In alphabetical order:
Altar of Plagues – White Tomb
Amorphis – Skyforger
Anaal Nathrakh – In The Constellation Of The Black Widow
Augury – Fragmentary Evidence
Blut Aus Nord – Memoria Vetusta II/Dialogue with the Stars
Candlemass – Death Magic Doom
Dawn of Tears – Descent
Devin Townsend – Ki
God Dethroned – Passiondale
Graveland – Spears of Heaven
Gwynbleidd – Nostalgia
Kalisia – Cybion
Lacrimosa – Sehnsucht
The Lord Weird Slough Feg – Ape Uprising
My Dying Bride – For Lies I Sire
Oranssi Pazuzu – Muukalainen Puhuu
Sarke – Vorunah
Suffocation – Blood Oath
Suidakra – Crogacht
Tyr – By The Light Of The Northern Star
Voivod – Infini
Vreid – Milorg
Wolves in the Throne Room – Black Cascade
Favorite live albums of the year:
Iron Maiden – Flight 666: The Original Soundtrack
Emperor – Live Inferno
I have yet to hear the new one by Destroyer 666 or that would probably be on here. I’m also anxiously awaiting the new albums by: Insominum, Hypocrisy, Vader, and Immortal.
altar of plages fuckin rules
Blut Aus Nord! Yes, that album is amazing. My favorite album of the year, so far.
WITTR, Devin Townsend and Candlemass are also really excellent.
I forgot to mention the one album that came out last year, but I’m still constantly listening to it all throughout this year.
ColdWorld – Melancholie²
I can’t seem to stop listening to this album. It completely blows me away.
The new Destroyer 666 is disapointing. Its a good album on it’s own, but not a good D666 album if that makes sense. It lacks the catchy riffs and anthemic nature of their other releases… you’ll know what I mean when you hear it. There is only one song on there that I would consider a soon to be D666 ‘classic’ and that is “A Stand Defiant”.
Worth a listen, but don’t get your hopes up.
I was hoping for something along the lines of “Phoenix Rising” or “Cold Steel…”. Sounds as though I may be disappointed though.
See, mentioning Hypocrisy, Vader, and Immortal pretty much sums up that it is WAY TOO EARLY for the best of 2009 list.
I just purchased the new Behemoth album but I haven’t opened it yet….maybe it should be added to the list also?
Kudos to Canvas of Flesh for having superior taste in metal.
Thank you. Although I know Lacrimosa isn’t exactly metal, but I’ve enjoyed all their releases and they’re one of my favorites.
Gotta agree with you one White Tombs. Profound Lore has had some outstanding releases this year.
I see no love for Giant Squid … I still spin that album on a weekly basis
GIANT SQUID! Not exactly my cup of tea, but they’re good at what they do. For the whole “post-metal” thing going on as of late, these guys are certainly some of the best at it.
For fuck’s sake what about Cobalt?
Also Tombs, Magrudergrind, Goatwhore, Isis, WITTR, Clutch
1. Mastodon- Crack the Skye
2. Ignominous Incarceration- Of winter born
3. Luna Mortis. The absence
4. God Forbid- Earthsblood
5. Darkest hour- The eternal Return
6. Obscura-Cosmogenesis
7. Lazarus A.D-The Onslaught
8. Submission-Code of conspiracy
9. Xerath-I
10. Susperia-Attitude
11. Lamb Of God-Wrath
12. Killswitch Engage-Killswitch engage
13. Mantic Ritual-Executioner
14. Gorod-Process of a New Decline
15. Fleshgod Apocalypse – Oracles
16. Woe Of Tyrants – Kingdom Of Might
17. Ex-deo-Romulus
18. Job for a cowboy-Ruination
19. Suffocation – Blood Oath
That isn’t a especific order!
How ’bout Gnostic – Engineering the Rule?? Oh, I’m sorry its not fucking Mastodon or Meshuggah…*sniff,sniff*
Their vocalist is ABSOFUCKINGLUTLEY AWFUL. He singlehandedly ruins that band, although the rest of the band didn’t really write good music either.. He was even worse live, and he looked like a giant chicken to boot.
Because he isn’t screaming and howling like he’s being raped by spears as in every totally trve band you adore.
Oh wait, he is.
Probably not enough phlegm in his growl or not enough gravel in his screech though, right? Non-trve bastard.
I have no idea why you would think that about the vocalist & just saying that he is awful really doesn’t explain it. To me, they sound like they are trying to cover some different ground like Jazz Metal. If that’s the intention then you need a vocalist that can hit higher octaves. I think he does a pretty good job,sure, he’s not the best ever but it is a damn good mix of growling & quasi “screaming”. IMHO, a top 10 effort especially compared to the safe & boring shit that has made these lists that I have been reading.
The “jazzy parts” seem forced (unlike in Atheist), and the vocals are awful because they simply don’t go at all. The screaming isn’t high enough to really be high pitched, but it’s nowhere near guttural. It’s a bad blend of both. The music is C-rate Atheist, and Atheist worked perfectly with Kelly Schaefers vocals. These vocals are a -core, bro-magnon pseudo-imitation of Schaefer, and as a result, it fails miserably. I laughed at them while they played, and this guy clucked around like a chicken.
HOW MUCH DO YOU WEIGH?!? I’M GUESSING QUITE A LOT.
Unfortunately, these guys are never gonna compare to Atheist,but,these guys weren’t even the key players (except for the drummer) so why would you even bother trying to compare the two. I was merely talking about what I felt works in the realm of Jazz/Metal/Fusion. Hell, Atheist’s “Unquestionable Presence” was a mind fuck when it first came out and to say that you “got it” when it was released would be a lie. SO, For a first release, Gnostic’s album has some flaws but I have to stick with my opinion that,at least, they are trying to work a different angle and not sound like the other crappy 95% that makes it onto these lists all the time. I would love to hear the next CD when they figure out how to tweak their song structure a little better because they definitely don’t suck as musicians.I just think that maybe the ideas got a little lost in translation. For fucks sake, all these shitty bands release album after album so why not release their hard work??
I can’t believe neither of you mentioned Mantic Ritual. Corey Mitchell didn’t call it the best thrash debut since Kill Em All for no reason. I mean, the Rumpelstiltskin Grinder’s alright but Mantic Ritual is easily the best nu-thrash band I’ve heard this year.
Almost as terrible as Axl’s list. Please stop pushing the BS metal flavor of the month. We understand you have to pay the bills but this is becoming dumb. I’m losing respect for this site. Not that I had much to loose.
I’m sure no one gives a fuck, but here’s mine (in no particular order):
Absu-Absu
Blood Red Throne-Souls Of Damnation
Destroyer 666-Defiance
Drudkh-Microcosmos
Fleshgod Apocalypse-Oracles
Gnostic-Engineering The Rule
Gorod-Process Of A New Decline
Heiden-Obsidian
Infernal Poetry-Nervous System Failure
Mechanism-Inspired Horrific
Napalm Death-Time Waits For No Slave
Necrophobic-Death To All
Obscura-Cosmogenesis
Psyopus-Odd Senses
Razor Of Occam-Homage To Martyrs
Saros-Acrid Plains
Vomitory-Carnage Euphoria
Vreid-Milorg
Black Pyramid-Black Pyramid
Black Sun Aeon-Darkness Walks Besides Me
Church Of Misery-Houses Of The Unholy
Dååth-The Concealers
Devin Townsend-Ki
Dream Theater-Black Clouds & Silver Linings
Eternal Tears Of Sorrow-Children Of The Dark Waters
Hacride-Lazarus
Heaven & Hell-The Devil You Know
Isis-Wavering Radian
Kylesa-Static Tensions
Loch Vostok-Reveal No Secrets
Mastodon-Crack The Skye
Maudlin Of The Well-Part The Second
New Keepers Of The Water Towers-Chronicles
Novembers Doom-Into The Night’s Requiem Infernal
The Lord Weird Slough Feg-Ape Uprising
Týr-By The Light Of The Northern Star
Dorena-Holofon
Steven Wilson-Insurgentes(
The Mars Volta-Octahedron
Maudlin Of The Well-Part The Second is so good!!
The more I listen to it, the more I like it.
True. I wouldn’t call it a metal album, but holy shit…it’s just beautiful.
Ulcerate. YOB. Obscura. Agoraphobic Nosebleed. That’s all I got.
Eternal Tears of Sorrow, Augury, Be’lakor, Centaurus-A, Darkest Hour, Gorod, Nightrage, Obscura, Týr.
Magrudergrind
Scale the summit is really good. So is Obscura
no Havok?
Between the Buried and Me – The Great Misdirect
Ensiferum – From Afar
The Black Dahlia Murder – Deflorate
These three albums are still on their way. Hold onto your butts.
Any of you homos ever heard of devildriver
No mid-year top ten list would be complete without
Kylesa – Static Tensions
Goatwhore – Carving Out The Eyes of God
I also the following were pretty good!
November’s Doom – Into Night’s Requiem Infernal
Jungle Rot – What Horrors Await
Thick As Blood – Embrace
Mastadon & Lazarus A.D. are way overrated this year!
Lazarus A.D kind of sounds like new Exodus only it doesn’t suck.
I fully agree with that statement.
Brutal Truth and Magrudergrind
Nice list!!!!…………for me to poop on!!!
Anyone heard the new Indukti? Idmen is a very innovative release. :)
Plus, check out this band and their recent debut “The Epillanic Choragi”:
http://www.myspace.com/nomadesense
I think it’s uh…coz kinda like Mastodon meets Neurosis meets Pelican…
Suidakra-Crogacht
Pestilence-Resurrection Macabre
Suffocation-Blood Oath
Dream Theater-Black Clouds and Silver Linings
OSI-Blood
Scale The Summit-Carving Desert Canyons. (Best band at Progressive Nation besides DT)
Devin Townsend Project-Ki
Derek Sherinian-Molecular Heinosity
Mastodon-Crack the Skye
Pestilence fucking rocks.
EVERYONE THE NEW INSOMIUM ALBUM HAS LEAKED FUCK YEAH WOOO ITS FUCKING CLASS
Yeah, it leaked….whoopteedoo
First off I know it is going to be killer, secondly, i’m too old school to go download it.
I’ll be picking it up when it drops in September, it will give me something to look forward to.
If any of you retards (Revrant) have not heard Insomnium yet, I urge you to go pick up any one of their three previous albums.
Above the Weeping World was amazing. With a band of Insomium’s caliber I never download their album ahead of time. I tend to wait to be surprised when it’s released.
Agreed.
I think they are good, and are a great live band….but they really do get boring to me. It seems that the first 2 or 3 songs on their albums are always great…then it gets old REALLY,REALLY fast.
how the fuck could you put IWABO and leave off Lamb of God and DevilDriver?
Iwrestledabearonce, Devildriver and Lamb of God suck massive amounts of cock.
…and balls.
no no no you’re mistaken, METAL sucks massive amounts of cock…and balls.
dont forget people
Skeletonwitch is coming
album of the year in the waiting.
I have never heard of Gorod, but I just checked them out on Myspace and they sound pretty goddamned spiffy to me.
agree with some, disagree with some, haven’t heard others.
Kylesa and Clutch are strangely missing. as are Pestilence, Suffocation and Blood Tsunami.
THERE’S ONLY ONE GOOD ALBUM ON YOUR LIST NEILSTEIN.
all horrible
Carving Desert Canyons, Axe To Fall, The Great Misdirect
The only albums anyone could possibly need released this year. And I’m going out on a limb with TGM, but how can it be not good, y’know?
I can not fucking wait for Rosetta who plan to release a 3-way split EP on vinyl (only)with Year of No Light and East of the Wall. Don’t know about the other two but I fucking love Rosetta.
heres my list for the fuck of it not in any order
Rammstein – Liebe ist Fur Alle Da
Suicide Silence – No Time to Bleed (The Cleansing was way better but still a flawless album)
Mastadon – Crack the Skye
Alice in Chains – Black Give Away to Blue
Born of Osiris – A Higher Place
The Red Chord – Fed through the Teeth Machine
Animals as Leader (Every second of this album is amazing)
Megadeth – Endgame
Chimaira – the Infection
Lamb of God – Wrath
Between the Buried and Me – the Great Misdirect
Caliban – Say Hello to Tragedy
The Devil Wears Prada – With Roots Above and Branches Below
Arise and Ruin – Night Storms the Hailfire
Oceana – Birth Eater (Not really metal but still sic album)
Wretched – The Exodus of Autonomy
That my list so go head and bitch about especial about Devil wear prada cause i dont give a fuck that album rocked
Whats up with scale the summit? If there were not so many fans of them on here I would say they really really suck ass, but…I checked out “Bloom” & “Sargasso Sea” Live (Cd Release Show) on ustube, man i don’t know what the rave is all about…borrrrring.