Tom Strutton
As usual I spent most of my year trawling through the last 35 years of popular music history, playing catch up. However, I did find the time to listen to and appreciate several outstanding releases of 2006. No doubt the early part of 2007 will be used to familiarize myself with the great albums of 2006 that slipped past me unnoticed.
Only two albums released in 2006 really made my jaw hit the floor so far, these being the first two on my list. As for the other four…I would recommend them strongly but not above anything that the other writers have put on their lists.
1. Jeniferever – Choose a Bright Morning
Jeniferever are a post-rock band from Sweden, and
Choose a Bright Morning is their debut album. This is by far and away one of the most intelligent, sensitive, musically complex and self-assured albums I have ever heard, and if this was the only album to have actually been released in 2006 I would be a happy man. Every track is magical and the songs will stay with you for a long, long time.
2.
Decapitated – Organic Hallucinosis
Hands down my favourite and most highly recommended metal album of 2006.
Decapitated are in a league of their own and this is a monumental leap forward from 2004's
The Negation. New vocalist Covan fits remarkably well into the band and his anxious vocal delivery adds a much-needed sense of urgency to the furiously technical compositions. I worry that
Decapitated are a little misunderstood and underappreciated in the metal world; in my mind
Organic Hallucinosis has cemented their rightful claim to legendary status. This album is a shining beacon of hope amidst the gloom of mediocrity that threatens to envelop and extinguish the good taste of metal fans everywhere.
3.
Yyrkoon – Unhealthy Opera
With this follow up to 2004's
Occult Medicine,
Yyrkoon look unlikely to ever disappoint. No-nonsense, hard-hitting death metal with an emphasis on grooves that bring a smile to the face. The world is a better place for
Yyrkoon.
4.
Disillusion – Gloria
This simply oozes class and sophistication. On top of that it is incredibly self-assured for an album that takes a stylistic departure from its predecessor when arguably one wasn't necessary. This won't be to everyone's taste, but if you like your choruses sumptuous and memorable then
Gloria was made especially for you.
5.
Negura Bunget – Om
Om inhabits its own little world, and I was more than happy to dwell in that world soaking up its rich ambient soundscapes. Very pleasant indeed.
6. Dragonforce – Inhuman Rampage
Okay, these guys get boring really fast and their live show is as boring as…well, just really boring. But they sure as hell know how to make a happy, catchy, adrenaline-fuelled eight-minute long pop song. This is included in my list because it is a guilty pleasure. I am not interested in how fast or technical the band can play, what impresses me the most is how their songs are constructed. I won't go into detail here but any composers out there may know what I'm getting at. Oh, and the production value is superb, ideally married to the style of music.
