Best of 2009 thread

[zeppelin]

Hounorable Mentions:

God Dethroned - Passiondale
Necrophobic - Death to All
Legion of the Damned - Full of Hate
Ravage - The End of Tommorow
Warbringer - Waking Into Nightmares

The Megadeth didn't relly do it for me, the Slayer is OK.

 

[KMADD]

Sorry, it is released in 2010

But I have it already. I have good connections/friends.

 

[Lateralus14]

Amazing, a grand total of one album mentioned in this entire thread made my list

 

[Wyvern]

Amazing, a grand total of one album mentioned in this entire thread made my list

Why you're sad? I consider that stimulating as your taste is pretty individual and thus you're not going with the herd. Please post your list if you want to, no one is going to flame, bang or anything and it's always good to have another point of view.

 

[Lateralus14]

Mono
Blut Aus Nord
Katatonia
Shrinebuilder
Siena Root
Mournful Congregation
Stabat Mater
Katharsis
Grave Miasma

And #10 could be a lot of things right now but the leading competitors are currently Isis and Urna

 

[Death Animal]

Megadeth - Endgame
(I didn`t realy like last two album but this one is just great.)
Candlemass - Death Magic Doom
Amorphis-Skyforger
Wolfmother-Cosmic Egg
Wolf-Ravenous

Like last year most album I bought were made at 70s-80s.

 

[Hawk]

Katatonia

I really like 'night is the new day' I might check some of your other bands. Thanks for the info.

 

[Wyvern]

Mono
Blut Aus Nord
Katatonia
Shrinebuilder
Siena Root
Mournful Congregation
Stabat Mater
Katharsis
Grave Miasma

And #10 could be a lot of things right now but the leading competitors are currently Isis and Urna

Nice list, something different is good. I have a friend who loves Blut Aus Nord and I'm familiar with it and Katatonia, don't know the others, so thanks for pointing them out.

@Death Animal: I know what you mean, I bought 2009 stuff but also a lot of stuff I didn't/couldn't find back in its day (like every year). I'm like crazy to have been able to find all three Hexenhaus albums, original edition (OOP), mint condition at $15 each at the PPX market. I can't believe nobody pick those up

 

[TENTH DREAMER DECEIVER]

Not in order and I will probably add rank later:

Uriah Heep: Celebration
Edenbridge: Live Earth Dream
Heaven and Hell: The Devil You Know
Hardline: Leaving The End Open
IQ: Frequency
Ian Hunter: Man Overboard
Candlemass: Death Magic Doom
Barren Cross: Our Twilight
Sepultura: A-Lex
Alice In Chains: Black Gives Way To Blue
Touchstone: Wintercoast
Grimmstine: S/T
Geff: Land of the Free
Dream Theater: Black Clouds & Silver Linings
Subsignal: Beautiful & Monstrous
Lillian Axe: Sad Day On Planet Earth
Transatlantic: The Whirlwind
W.E.T.: S/T
Axxis: Utopia
Fool's Game: Reality Divine

 

[Vicious Robbie]

Wow, there are so many good choices and I think it was a wonderful year in many ways. Here's a few of mine for this year in no particular order (along with a commentary, sorry Sixx for copying bro!)

W.E.T. - S/T
On paper this collaboration looked like a sure hit but when I heard it I was blown away. Wonderful compositions from the main songwriters from Eclipse and Work of Art and JSS sounds fantastic on vocals. This is one magical debut and my hard rock/AOR record of the year.

Danger Danger - Revolver
Another wonderful surprise. Ted returns to the fold and they release a fantastic album mixing the magic from the past with a more contemporary sound. Rock solid!

Winger - Karma
Now, this a return to form! Kip, Reb and the rest of the gang gave us a true follow up to the fantastic Pull and it is their heaviest yet. Enough hooks to keep you humming along and enough riffs to make the air guitar dude in you smile!

Nile - Those Whom the Gods Detest
I've been following these guys since Annihilation and they are truly a class act in the death metal genre. Ithyphallic was a bit of a dissapoitment for me but they really picked it up with this one. The production is much better and Kollias is a monster drummer. Karl continues with the Egyptology class in the liner notes and his partner in crime, Dallas, assists him in creating a monster of a record.

Lazarus A.D. - The Onslaught
I'm glad these guys remastered this one and it is truly a great thrash record. They are young, hungry and have hooks. That's all I ask

Thunderstone - Dirt Metal
I was sad to hear that their original singer left but no worries, new vocalist Rick Altzi's somewhat raspier vocals does the job perfectly as Nino continues to write his trademark melodic-yet-a-bit-thrashy brand of metal. Well done

Bloodbound - Tabula Rasa
One night at Rolando's house he informed that these guys had released a new record this year. I dug Nosferatu but I still though it was just ok. On this one the band really shifts direction and Urban helps them get there with a wonderful performance. I hope they continue down this path.

House of Lords - Cartesian Dreams
Since World Upside Down, James Christian has been on a roll and this record just continues that streak. Great melodic metal/rock from him and his new collaborators but the hooks remain the same. Rock on!

Overkill - Ironbound
I've been waiting a long time for Blitz and the boyz to release a solid album and with this one they've finally done it. The tempos are up and the band sounds really renewed and ready to rock. These veterans still have a little bit of gas left in the tank. The six-plus minutes of the title track should be enough to convince you that this is old school thrash of the highest caliber.

 

[Burkhard]

I'm like crazy to have been able to find all three Hexenhaus albums,

What do you mean by "all three"? Hexenhaus have released four albums: "A Tribute To Insanity", "The Edge Of Eternity", "Awakening" and "Dejavoodoo".


The list of my favourite metal(-related) albums released and bought in 2009 is rather short:


1. Madder Mortem - "Eight Ways"
2. Bergtatt - "Røtter"
3. Ava Inferi - "Blood Of Bacchus"
4. Candlemass - "Death Magic Doom"

 

[Wyvern]

What do you mean by "all three"? Hexenhaus have released four albums: "A Tribute To Insanity", "The Edge Of Eternity", "Awakening" and "Dejavoodoo".

My fault not to get clearer on writing. I always have been tracking the first three which were closer in releasing. "Dejavoodoo" was released 6 years after "Awakening" so seldom I remember it exists.
Since the line-up it's basically almost as the previous album, worth the effort to track/have it?

 

[yngwie1029]

augury - fragmentary evidence
obscura - cosmogenenesis

 

[nafnikufesin]

Overkill - Ironbound
I've been waiting a long time for Blitz and the boyz to release a solid album and with this one they've finally done it. The tempos are up and the band sounds really renewed and ready to rock. These veterans still have a little bit of gas left in the tank. The six-plus minutes of the title track should be enough to convince you that this is old school thrash of the highest caliber.

Save that one for next year's list. I know it's been widely available on torrent sites for about a month, but it won't officially be released until the end of January

 

[nafnikufesin]

Lazarus AD - The Onslaught: Have you ever been to a great thrash show, where during the encore they bring out a frantic assault that pulls everyone in to the pit, and follow that song with an even higher intensity song? This album is packed with 10 of those songs. A great debut, reminding me of equal parts Testament and Exodus; if these guys can follow this up with a similar quality album, they may prove to be a force on the metal scene for years to come. (Okay, so technically, it's a re-release, but seeing how nobody heard the it the first time, and they are on a new label that will hopefully take them places, I'm giving them top spot this year)

Lamb of God - Wrath: Speaking of forces on the metal scene, these guys are at the top of their game right now. With a brutality reminding me of early-90's Pantera before Phil got too much into his screeching phase, this album might be their best yet.

DevilDriver - Pray For Villains: Another band that seems to be peaking, I'm not sure this album is quite as brutal as their last one, but it is solid all the way through, with a little more maturity in the songwriting coming through.

Slayer - World Painted Blood: I never used to be a big Slayer fan, but the last two albums have got me into them, and this one is bigger and more diverse than Christ Illusion.

November's Doom - Into Night's Requiem: I've never been a fan of death metal vocals, but for these guys, I make an exception, as the song writing is powerful, and the vocals blend an aggressive growl with a softer, haunting side, without becoming pretentious and boring like some bands. Not as good as The Novella Resevoir, but still a great listen.

Honorable mentions:
Hatebreed - For the Lions/Hatebreed: Any band that can put out two solid albums in one year has to be at least worthy of an honorable mention. Sure, For The Lions was a cover album, but the song selection is great, paying tribute to both their punk and metal roots. A particular standout is their cover of The Misfits "Hatebreeders", which one can only assume was a major inspiration for them.

Static X - Cult of Static: If they had put out an album as strong as their last one, they might have cracked the top five, but barring a couple weaker tracks, there are still enough solid tunes here to give this one an honorable mention.

The Black League - Ghost Brothel: This album starts strong, with tracks that wouldn't have sounded out of place if they were played by Down on Nola. Unfortunately, the album doesn't finish quite as strong as it starts, keeping them from cracking the top 5.

 

[Burkhard]

My fault not to get clearer on writing. I always have been tracking the first three which were closer in releasing. "Dejavoodoo" was released 6 years after "Awakening" so seldom I remember it exists.
Since the line-up it's basically almost as the previous album, worth the effort to track/have it?

IMO yes. My overall favourite by far and one of my favourite thrash metal albums of all times is still their debut "A Tribute To Insanity", but I'd say that for me "Dejavoodoo" is Hexenhaus' second best. Unfortunately, since I had been a bit disappointed by "Awakening", I hadn't bothered to buy "Dejavoodoo" when it was released. I only have got it on a CD-R, which Flo sent me a couple of years ago. Since tastes might differ, I can't promise that you will like it. There's one song from "Dejavoodoo" I found on youtube, so listen and decide for yourself if it sounds promising enough:

 

[Wyvern]

IMO yes. My overall favourite by far and one of my favourite thrash metal albums of all times is still their debut "A Tribute To Insanity"

Yes, the debut actually got me into the band, but I couldn't found their albums for a long time. When I found the first three in mint condition at a ludicrous price (and no need for S&H ) I just bought them.

I like them all despite the fact they have a different vocalist in each one, great technical thrash all the way. Strangely "Dejavoodoo" being on Black Mark records is the most difficult to find, to the point I forgot it's existence until you remind me of it. Oh, well I suppose one day...

Thanks for the link

 

[Bryant]

Biggest disappointmentd: Brainstorm. Songs weren't too bad but the production is crap. C'mon guys, your last two records sounded incredible and you're on a big label!
AIC - This is just like their 1995 S/T release. Boring grunge songs that go nowhere. And just like their 1995 release, the only good song is on radio! [well, I guess that's not true as Grind was a half decent song]

Dude !! I couldn't agree more with the production of the new B/S release. It actually smokes their last release by a good bit in my ears as far as songwriting. I love the songs, but the production is flat out terrible. This release would actually stand up to their best if the production was better.


As far as AIC..... I disagree. I won't argue with you because I respect your opinion as it is always well thought out and intelligent, but I simply like the release. AIC was always one of those "in between" bands of grunge and metal. I lost interest in them many years ago, but I actually like this asd much as anything I have heard from them.


Bryant

 

[Priest of Evil]

Doro "fear no evil"
Heaven & Hell "The Devil you know"
Candlemass "Death Magic Doom"
Grave Digger "ballads of the hangman"
Slayer "world painted blood"
Megadeth "endgame"
WASP "babylon"
Marduk "wormwood"
Absu "Absu"
Yet to hear 2009 Saxon & Overkill...

Necrophobic "death to all" was a big disappointment to me

 

[poundingmetal74]

Dude !! I couldn't agree more with the production of the new B/S release. It actually smokes their last release by a good bit in my ears as far as songwriting. I love the songs, but the production is flat out terrible. This release would actually stand up to their best if the production was better.

I'd love to hear Shiver re-recorded by Akim Kohler (the guy who did Liquid Monster). Yeah, some great songs and I was very pleased with the mastering, but mastering can't make up for a mediocre drum and guitar sound.

As far as AIC..... I disagree. I won't argue with you because I respect your opinion as it is always well thought out and intelligent, but I simply like the release. AIC was always one of those "in between" bands of grunge and metal. I lost interest in them many years ago, but I actually like this asd much as anything I have heard from them.

Yup, and that's totally fair enough. I really loved AIC's first 2 albums, Facelift was a major influence for myself getting into metal. Just like Pearl Jam, I've not been able to get into grungey stuff beyond a few songs.