2009 has been a great year for metal, as we have listened to one great album after another. There are many yet-not-thoroughly-listened albums that have the potential to upturn everybody's favorites lists. What's more, I am sure there are many buried gems of 2009 out there that we may discover months, maybe years later. All these point to the fact that metal creativity is alive and well.
On the commercial side, the new darling of labels is definitely varieties of drone-stoner-prog-rock, a genre I fail to appreciate except a few shining examples, which give me the impression that Black Sabbath music is being revisited and reproduced at a different level. The result of such soul-searching is, I must say, surprisingly good in exceptional circumstances.
Nevertheless, the path Mastodon has opened is now full of young bands, mainly from the US, as labels have started encircling above the genre, having feasted on metalcore with dazzling speed. As metalcore listeners may be witnessing now, when the dust settles, this new genre will have matured enough to put forth solid musicians. But for now, prepare for an influx of bad music, among which listeners will have to search for true gems. Is Baroness one of them? For Decibel, they have produced the album of the year. I listened to it a few times but could not get what Decibel people have obviously gotten. I may be willing to give the "Blue Record" a few more spins, so to speak, but not more, I am afraid.
Maybe I am getting old, but in the aftermath of the metalcore wave, this stoner wave is making me think whether this "distortion" of "good old metal" will have a permanent negative effect on the music we cherish.
But then, that is the United States. The Old Continent, meanwhile, has unleashed great, moving, thought-provoking and aggressive music upon us throughout the year, as black and death blended with other musical forms of expression, conquered them all and created unique listening experiences.
On to the hall of fame, then. Among the many excellent albums I was able to listen, four were truly exceptional.
Behemoth, Evangelion
The ninth studio album of the Polish masters is their best, and probably one of the best albums of the past decade. For me, as Behemoth moves closer to the depths of death metal, combining that with its black past, it exceeds itself further. Excellent music, excellent lyrics, crisp production and the best metal video of the decade! Nergal, Orion and Inferno continue to reflect on the war of humanity against humanity. I can't wait to see the band live in Istanbul in March!
Fragments Of Unbecoming, The Everhaunting Past Chapter IV, A Splendid Retrospection
On the commercial side, the new darling of labels is definitely varieties of drone-stoner-prog-rock, a genre I fail to appreciate except a few shining examples, which give me the impression that Black Sabbath music is being revisited and reproduced at a different level. The result of such soul-searching is, I must say, surprisingly good in exceptional circumstances.
Nevertheless, the path Mastodon has opened is now full of young bands, mainly from the US, as labels have started encircling above the genre, having feasted on metalcore with dazzling speed. As metalcore listeners may be witnessing now, when the dust settles, this new genre will have matured enough to put forth solid musicians. But for now, prepare for an influx of bad music, among which listeners will have to search for true gems. Is Baroness one of them? For Decibel, they have produced the album of the year. I listened to it a few times but could not get what Decibel people have obviously gotten. I may be willing to give the "Blue Record" a few more spins, so to speak, but not more, I am afraid.
Maybe I am getting old, but in the aftermath of the metalcore wave, this stoner wave is making me think whether this "distortion" of "good old metal" will have a permanent negative effect on the music we cherish.
But then, that is the United States. The Old Continent, meanwhile, has unleashed great, moving, thought-provoking and aggressive music upon us throughout the year, as black and death blended with other musical forms of expression, conquered them all and created unique listening experiences.
On to the hall of fame, then. Among the many excellent albums I was able to listen, four were truly exceptional.
Behemoth, Evangelion
The ninth studio album of the Polish masters is their best, and probably one of the best albums of the past decade. For me, as Behemoth moves closer to the depths of death metal, combining that with its black past, it exceeds itself further. Excellent music, excellent lyrics, crisp production and the best metal video of the decade! Nergal, Orion and Inferno continue to reflect on the war of humanity against humanity. I can't wait to see the band live in Istanbul in March!
Fragments Of Unbecoming, The Everhaunting Past Chapter IV, A Splendid Retrospection
I was sort of emotional in not declaring FoU's latest as the album of the year, but Behemoth accepts no competition there. "The Everhaunting Past" is not the best offering from the German melodic death band. It, in fact, pales in comparison to the 2004 and 2006 albums. Nevertheless, it is one of the best metal albums of the past year, simply because of the fact that FoU have uncovered the secret to reflect opposing emotions in a single song, an art so few have mastered. Just listen to "Deadlight" and you will know what I mean. Since listening to this band for the first time in 2006, I have been searching for a melodic death band that has similar depth, to no avail. Melodic death metal of today is, sadly, corrupted by record labels and FoU is probably the only band that defies commercialization. "The Everhaunting Past" may not be its best effort as the band has sort of "spoiled" us listeners by their excellent albums in the past, but it is one of the best melodic death albums of the past decade, with the upper slots also invaded by this band!
Fleshgod Apocalypse, Oracles
Brutal death is not my cup of blood, save a few exceptions. But this Italian band has the most original concept of all time: Combining brutal death with classical music. Surprisingly, it works great! Aptly, "Oracles" is a testimony to enlightenment, the human intellect and positivism, a declaration of war against the obsession of superstition that has become stronger as humankind loses hope for the future. The brilliant "In Honour Of Reason" tells it all. I have to say that it has become some sort of a game for me to observe with awe the classical partitions and influences throughout the songs. The most original album of the year, definitely.
Klabautamann, Merkur
This is the third offering of this German band and the first time I've heard of it. Their Myspace page describes the band as 'black, progressive, folk.' I would say progressive black metal at its finest. Never heard of such a brilliant record in this vein since Enslave's Ruun. "What Rush would sound like if they were black metal," says a reviewer at metal-archives.com. Well put.
Of course, I have to mention other brilliant releases of the year.
Slayer's World Painted Blood, the band's 11th studio offering, took me completely by surprise. The longevity of this record, for me, makes it the 28-years-old band's best since 1994's Divine Intervention. I would like to point toward the "relaxed" drumming of Dave Lombardo, as he plays with the attitude of a drummer who has nothing to prove to no one and is captivated by the “sounds” he produces, not complexity or speed. Tom Araya's voice somehow becomes more impressive as he gets old. I've been listening to this nearly every day now, and the album keeps growing within, unlike “Christ Illusion” (2006) that amazed me at first listen, but wore off too quickly.
Candlemass' Death Magic Doom, though not as good as 2007's King Of The Grey Islands, was a solid offering that cemented Rob Lowe's position as one of the best metal vocals of all time. A few songs sounded too commercial, but those such as The Bleeding Baroness and Clouds Of Dementia more than make up for that.
Paradox's Riot Squad is also an excellent album, with "Nothingness" standing out as one of the best metal songs of the 2000s. Great musicianship and a balanced melodic thrash that grips you from the first note. The Germans have done it again!
Black Sun Aeon's Darkness Walks Beside Me becomes this year's "Cherno" for me: excellent atmosphere, grandoise musicianship and a smooth-moving album is enough to declare this offering from the Finns one of the best of 2009.
After all these artful metal, Necrophobic's Death To All might leave a bitter taste in your ears, and that is exactly what the band is trying to achieve. Another death-black offering here, which derives its power from excellent riffing. Necrophobic reminds all the basics of this music.The Swedish satanic quintet ranks a few steps below the almighty Dissection, Behemoth and Watain. "Wings Of Death" is one of the best metal songs I've ever listened to. I hope they get the praise they deserve soon.
Heaven and Hell's The Devil You Know should be there in all personal favorite charts, as it captures perfectly the glory of the Dio years in Black Sabbath. Ronnie James Dio, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Vinny Appice; those are the guys that we owe this music most. And they are all here in this album.
Gotthard's Need To Believe might be a weird choice for a guy who likes Behemoth, but this Swiss hard rock band reminds all how rock should be. They have never released a mediocre album and "Need To Believe" ranks among their best offerings.
Finally, Lamb of God’s Wrath deserves special mention. I don’t care whether this is their “weakest” record to date. This is Lamb of God. Enough said.
Fleshgod Apocalypse, Oracles
Brutal death is not my cup of blood, save a few exceptions. But this Italian band has the most original concept of all time: Combining brutal death with classical music. Surprisingly, it works great! Aptly, "Oracles" is a testimony to enlightenment, the human intellect and positivism, a declaration of war against the obsession of superstition that has become stronger as humankind loses hope for the future. The brilliant "In Honour Of Reason" tells it all. I have to say that it has become some sort of a game for me to observe with awe the classical partitions and influences throughout the songs. The most original album of the year, definitely.
Klabautamann, Merkur
This is the third offering of this German band and the first time I've heard of it. Their Myspace page describes the band as 'black, progressive, folk.' I would say progressive black metal at its finest. Never heard of such a brilliant record in this vein since Enslave's Ruun. "What Rush would sound like if they were black metal," says a reviewer at metal-archives.com. Well put.
Of course, I have to mention other brilliant releases of the year.
Slayer's World Painted Blood, the band's 11th studio offering, took me completely by surprise. The longevity of this record, for me, makes it the 28-years-old band's best since 1994's Divine Intervention. I would like to point toward the "relaxed" drumming of Dave Lombardo, as he plays with the attitude of a drummer who has nothing to prove to no one and is captivated by the “sounds” he produces, not complexity or speed. Tom Araya's voice somehow becomes more impressive as he gets old. I've been listening to this nearly every day now, and the album keeps growing within, unlike “Christ Illusion” (2006) that amazed me at first listen, but wore off too quickly.
Candlemass' Death Magic Doom, though not as good as 2007's King Of The Grey Islands, was a solid offering that cemented Rob Lowe's position as one of the best metal vocals of all time. A few songs sounded too commercial, but those such as The Bleeding Baroness and Clouds Of Dementia more than make up for that.
Paradox's Riot Squad is also an excellent album, with "Nothingness" standing out as one of the best metal songs of the 2000s. Great musicianship and a balanced melodic thrash that grips you from the first note. The Germans have done it again!
Black Sun Aeon's Darkness Walks Beside Me becomes this year's "Cherno" for me: excellent atmosphere, grandoise musicianship and a smooth-moving album is enough to declare this offering from the Finns one of the best of 2009.
After all these artful metal, Necrophobic's Death To All might leave a bitter taste in your ears, and that is exactly what the band is trying to achieve. Another death-black offering here, which derives its power from excellent riffing. Necrophobic reminds all the basics of this music.The Swedish satanic quintet ranks a few steps below the almighty Dissection, Behemoth and Watain. "Wings Of Death" is one of the best metal songs I've ever listened to. I hope they get the praise they deserve soon.
Heaven and Hell's The Devil You Know should be there in all personal favorite charts, as it captures perfectly the glory of the Dio years in Black Sabbath. Ronnie James Dio, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Vinny Appice; those are the guys that we owe this music most. And they are all here in this album.
Gotthard's Need To Believe might be a weird choice for a guy who likes Behemoth, but this Swiss hard rock band reminds all how rock should be. They have never released a mediocre album and "Need To Believe" ranks among their best offerings.
Finally, Lamb of God’s Wrath deserves special mention. I don’t care whether this is their “weakest” record to date. This is Lamb of God. Enough said.
