Paradise LostWell here is the list of best albums of 2009. Hope you like it!
34. Sirenia– The 13th Floor
Some good gothic/symphonic metal here from Morten and co. It is definitely an improvement from Nine Destinies and a Downfall being heavier, but unfortunately not as good as At Sixes and Sevens. Still there are great vocals from Morten as always and it is worth checking out.
33. the aeonic order of vacuity – Nether
This is a demo I heard on Myspace and its absolutely fantastic considering that. It is very good slow heavy, brooding funeral doom metal. If you like funeral doom I command you to give this a try.
32. Absu – Absu
fantastic blackened thrash, and their best album to date. Recommended.
31. Exivious – Exivious instrumental progressive metal, really excellent with lots of changes and styles. Recommended to any prog rockers.
30. Paradise Lost – Drown in Dakrness - the early demos
I hadn’t ever heard anything by them before, but this is excellent! Really good death doom, quite badly produced but excellent quality in the musicianship. If you’re looking for something raw, rather than the very well produced stuff like Swallow the Sun, then look no further than this.
29. Stream of Passion – The Flame Within
This is another very good symphonic metal album from Marcela Bovio and co. but after Arjen Anthony Lucassen left, they were left to make this one on their own. They do an amirable follow up to Embrace the Storm, but the songs are less memorable than the first album.
28. Kreator- Hordes of Chaos
Good melodic thrash metal, Hordes Of Chaos is a catchy song that would be good live. It has nice riffs and solos. Not as good as Enemy of God, but highly recommended.
27. Napalm Death - Time Waits For No Slave
The grindcore kings do it again, just as well as on previous releases.
26. Wyrd – Kalivagi
More folky black metal, this time with a few more hard rock elements, this band is just as good as ever!
25. Ashes You Leave – Songs For The Lost
Nearly all doom metal elements are gone; this is solely a gothic metal album, but a very well done one. Their cover of Placebo’s Every You Every Me (which I hate, I can’t stand them) is excellent, and amazingly is the highlight of the album. If you like female fronted gothic metal, then this is for you.
24. Cannibal Corpse – Evisceration Plague
Not as good as Kill, but still a very good death metal album.
23. Within Temptation – An Acoustic Night At The Theatre
Those waiting for a new album may be slightly annoyed at getting another live album, though it is extremely good. It’s completely different from black symphony, being mainly acoustic, but the vocal performance from Sharon Den Adelis breathtaking as ever. Utopia is a very nice new song, but they are straying further and further from the metal genre with this one.
22. Lethian Dreams – Bleak Silver Streams
Good atmospheric doom metal that sounds a bit like Amederia. Excellent vocals, and very heavy. Recommended
21. Mastodon – Crack The Skye
Not as good as Leviathan, but more of a progression away, this is still a very good album with lots of very good ideas. If you want some metal that’s a bit different then give this a listen.
20. Ahab – The Divinity of Oceans
The most depressing album I have ever heard, this is such a monolithic album, heavy and slow, but excellent. My favourite funeral doom album of all time!
19. Alestorm – Black Sails at Midnight
The most fun album of the year! This is not just a gimmick by some idiots wearing pirate hats, it is actually well written heavy metal, and the keyboardist is just excellent.
18. Fen – The Malediction Fields
Seems that most British black metal these days has elements of post rock in it, and this is no exception. Its very good atmospheric black metal with some clean vocals now and again. If you like Negura Bunget, then give this a try.
17. 3 Inches of Blood – Here Waits Thy Doom
An excellent heavy metal album, taking influence from lots of different places, from Led Zeppelin, to Judas Priest, to Iron Maiden, but still maintaining their excellent vocal style prevalent in previous albums. Their best yet by far!
16. Dream Theater – Black Clouds and Silver Linings
A really good progressive metal album and their best for several years. Listen out for the cover of Queens Tenement Funster/Flick Of The Wrist/Lily Of The Valley on the bonus disc; this is one of the best covers ever!
15. Epica – [album artist=epica]]design your universe[/album]
Their best yet, Simone is at top notch, and it is possibly the heaviest album they have done to date. A real surprise and a very enjoyable listen.
14. My Dying Bride – For Lies I Sire
The violins are back! Every bit as good as the previous releases and the vocals are absolutely to die for!
13. Wolves in the Throne Room – Black Cascade
More of the same, but a bit more atmospheric and experimental, with clean female vocals scattered in it. This, as well as Malevolent Grain are a must hear for any fans of atmospheric black metal.
12. Wodensthrone – Loss
Good organic black metal in the vein of Drudkh. Excellently performed, with a few post rock elements too. Superb atmosphere shows again how good British Black Metal is becoming. If you like Drudkh or Negura Bunget, then you owe it to yourself to give this a try.
11. Leaves Eyes – Njord
Unbelievably this is a step up from the excellent Vinland Saga; both vocalists have improved (although in the case of Alexander Krull it wasn’t hard, he is actually listenable now!). This is a really good symphonic metal album, with the guitaring at top notch, as well as the bassist. There are a lot of folk elements again on this one.
10. Wolves in the Throne Room – Malevolent Grain
This is excellent. It comprises of just two tracks, the first A Looming Resonance is a rather relaxed atmospheric black metal song with clean vocals. It is 13 minutes long, but it’s so good you could listen to it over and over again. Hate Crystal is more of the usual Wolves in the Throne Room we know and love.
9. Blut aus Nord - Memoria Vetusta II: Dialogue With The Stars
Even better than Memoria Vetusta I, this album has less of a fuzz and more melodic beauty. Fantastic.
8. Drudkh – Microcosmos
Drudkh do it again, this is another excellent pagan influenced black metal album, with beautiful melodies, but still retaining the harsh vocals from the previous albums. Even better than Estrangement[album], this is one of the best black metal albums of the year.
7. Sunn O))) – [album artist=sunn O)))]Monoliths and Dimensions
Never heard anything by them before, but this is an excellent work. It is unbelievably heavy and icy cold. Attila’s vocals are fantastic, and all the brass instruments on Alice (best track on the album) just make it. If you have any interest in either doom metal or experimental music you need to hear this. Truly a Monolithic Effort!
6. The Gathering – The West Pole
Anneke has left, but you didn’t expect them to stop rocking did you? This is such an amazing album by all accounts, and Silje Wergeland (previously of Octavia Sperati) is just excellent. She is a really dreamy vocalist; her voice is just a joy to listen to. All the instruments are played very well, creating beautiful atmospheres throughout. The first 3 songs make you want to run about in the sunshine, just really happy songs to put you in a good mood, but after this the atmosphere changes to one of a hopeless desperation. It is still quite experimental, but not as much as Home or Souvenirs. A special mention must go to the bassist Marjolein Kooijman who does a fantastic job.
5. Nox Aurea – Via Gnosis
Absolutely mind blowing. I heard a track on Myspace and was instantly hooked. They play gothic doom and are influenced by Draconian, but are a bit more atmospheric than this, at times sounding like Lethian Dreams and Shape of Despair. If you like Draconian you will go crazy for this.
4. Emperor – Live Inferno
This is the best live black metal album ever. Anyone who has ever seen them live (I haven’t :( ) or heard/watched Emperial Live Ceremony knows just how good they are live, its just a fantastic CD with all their best songs played in stunning fashion
3. Heaven and Hell – The Devil You Know
What a surprise this was. I never really expected any new Black Sabbath material under any pseudonym, but this is fantastic. Its unbelievably heavy, Tony Iommi is on form (when is he not) and every riff is heavy. This is the heaviest album that they have made, and Dio is an absolute god on the vocals. He is 69 and this is still the best vocals all year!
2. Slayer – World Painted Blood
A lot of people like to hate on Slayer for God Hates Us All, but I don’t see why at all. I love that album, as well as everything else they have released. World Painted Blood is a step up from the last two though; it’s a solid thrash metal album and heavy as fuck. It’s easily the best since Seasons in the Abyss, although there is one thing I have noticed. It doesn’t sound great through headphones, or low quality speakers, but when I play it through the excellent ones I have in the house it sounds amazing. Hate Worldwide and Psychopathy Red are two of the best tracks I have ever hard, and easily in my top ten Slayer songs. A lot of people (again for reasons I don’t understand) complain about Tom Araya’s vocals, but I think they are excellent, you can hear all the malice, hatred and venom intended to be put forward.
1. Anaal Nathrakh – In the Constellation of the Black Widow
This is such an incredible album. After The Codex Necro, which is the most extreme album I have ever heard in my life, their later releases were somewhat lacklustre, with only 2 or 3 great tracks. But this one brings back the intensity of the The Codex Necro, and combines with it the melodies and clean vocals present on Eschaton and Hell Is Empty, and All the Devils Are Here. This album is fucking heavy, with great riffs and some of the best black metal vocals I have ever heard. The clean vocals are epic, there are piercing screams, amazing shouting, and seriously there are about 15 different vocal styles present here. From start to finish this album kicks serious butt and I am proud to call it my album of the year.
Dissapointing albums, because not everyone can create the best
Xasthur – All Reflections Drained
This is just shitty ambient noise with no good musicianship whatsoever. Malefic just seems to have given up because this is boring as hell. Avoid at all costs, worst album I have heard all year.
Lacuna Coil – Shallow Life
Bland and commercial nonsense, this is just sugary sweet pop music. Shame because I seem to be in the minority who enjoyed Karmacode. Spellbound was a fantastic single and I thought this would be good, but no. It’s just plain awful, avoid completely unless you would like to hear Britney Spears with some poor guitars.
Edenbridge – Live Earth Dream
Good songs performed well but the quality of the recordings is awful and on some of the songs they don’t even record the whole thing. Wild Chase is superb and better than the album, but I was expecting more considering how good A Livetime in Eden is.
Epica – The Classical Conspiracy
Ok, so I don’t have a problem with the performance of their own material, in fact I think it is a rather good performance, and I would have really liked it had it just been their own material. But it’s the "classical" stuff that annoys me. It is so patronising! Instead of real classical music (which several metalheads like) we get Pirates of the carribean, Darth Vaders theme tune, and the one from Spiderman. I actually felt slightly insulted by that, after expecting some real classical music.
Delain – April Rain
Not as commercial and bland as Lacuna Coil’s Shallow Life, but its not that good. On Lucidity they had a lot of guests, and they made it all seem like an excellent album. Now that they are down to their own talents it shows that they aren’t really very good. Charlotte is a decent singer though.
Nightwish – Made In Hong Kong
A very poor live album, and not even a whole concert because of some sort of dispute with record labels regarding being able to play pre-Annette songs. The Escapist is a fantastic bonus song though, but it still feels like a cash grab.
1349 – Revelations of the Black Flame
All the intensity present in Hellfire that made it such a good album has completely gone, replaced with some attempt at making intelligent progressive black metal. Instead we are left with a boring album with hardly any good ideas, and a rasped cover of Pink Floyd’s
Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun, which is a disgrace to those mighty prog rockers. Avoid, particularly if you liked Hellfire.
Belphegor – Walpurgis rites – hexenwahn
Probably my most highly anticipated album of the year, as Belphegor have been one of my favourite bands for years. Unfortuantely it just sounds bland, as if the well of ideas has dried up, and all that was left was some songs rejected while recording Bondage Goat Zombie. That said Veneratio Diaboli – I am Sin, is among their best songs ever.
Muse – The Resistance
Ok, so until about October when I discovered The Gathering I thought that Muse were the only good rock band left on the planet. Rock to me is just dead, with hardly any good bands, but Muse seemed to be the only one I really liked, even loved. But [a;bum artist=muse]the Resistance[/album] fell far short of expectations. They have always had a lot of influence from romantic era classical music, but on this album they actually just become a clone of their influences rather than using them to create something unique. United States of Eurasia just sounds exactly like a Queen Song, with no originality, and on the end they just use a piece from Chopin. Laziness much? Overall it isn’t an awful album, but there is no originality, and instead of using influences they just steal from them.
Anyway thats just my take on the years music. There is a lot of dtuff I haven't gotten round to hearing yet, so it won't have everything. If anyone wants to comment and suggest bands or albums that I may like judging from this journal that would be appreciated!
34. Sirenia– The 13th Floor
Some good gothic/symphonic metal here from Morten and co. It is definitely an improvement from Nine Destinies and a Downfall being heavier, but unfortunately not as good as At Sixes and Sevens. Still there are great vocals from Morten as always and it is worth checking out.
33. the aeonic order of vacuity – Nether
This is a demo I heard on Myspace and its absolutely fantastic considering that. It is very good slow heavy, brooding funeral doom metal. If you like funeral doom I command you to give this a try.
32. Absu – Absu
fantastic blackened thrash, and their best album to date. Recommended.
31. Exivious – Exivious instrumental progressive metal, really excellent with lots of changes and styles. Recommended to any prog rockers.
30. Paradise Lost – Drown in Dakrness - the early demos
I hadn’t ever heard anything by them before, but this is excellent! Really good death doom, quite badly produced but excellent quality in the musicianship. If you’re looking for something raw, rather than the very well produced stuff like Swallow the Sun, then look no further than this.
29. Stream of Passion – The Flame Within
This is another very good symphonic metal album from Marcela Bovio and co. but after Arjen Anthony Lucassen left, they were left to make this one on their own. They do an amirable follow up to Embrace the Storm, but the songs are less memorable than the first album.
28. Kreator- Hordes of Chaos
Good melodic thrash metal, Hordes Of Chaos is a catchy song that would be good live. It has nice riffs and solos. Not as good as Enemy of God, but highly recommended.
27. Napalm Death - Time Waits For No Slave
The grindcore kings do it again, just as well as on previous releases.
26. Wyrd – Kalivagi
More folky black metal, this time with a few more hard rock elements, this band is just as good as ever!
25. Ashes You Leave – Songs For The Lost
Nearly all doom metal elements are gone; this is solely a gothic metal album, but a very well done one. Their cover of Placebo’s Every You Every Me (which I hate, I can’t stand them) is excellent, and amazingly is the highlight of the album. If you like female fronted gothic metal, then this is for you.
24. Cannibal Corpse – Evisceration Plague
Not as good as Kill, but still a very good death metal album.
23. Within Temptation – An Acoustic Night At The Theatre
Those waiting for a new album may be slightly annoyed at getting another live album, though it is extremely good. It’s completely different from black symphony, being mainly acoustic, but the vocal performance from Sharon Den Adelis breathtaking as ever. Utopia is a very nice new song, but they are straying further and further from the metal genre with this one.
22. Lethian Dreams – Bleak Silver Streams
Good atmospheric doom metal that sounds a bit like Amederia. Excellent vocals, and very heavy. Recommended
21. Mastodon – Crack The Skye
Not as good as Leviathan, but more of a progression away, this is still a very good album with lots of very good ideas. If you want some metal that’s a bit different then give this a listen.
20. Ahab – The Divinity of Oceans
The most depressing album I have ever heard, this is such a monolithic album, heavy and slow, but excellent. My favourite funeral doom album of all time!
19. Alestorm – Black Sails at Midnight
The most fun album of the year! This is not just a gimmick by some idiots wearing pirate hats, it is actually well written heavy metal, and the keyboardist is just excellent.
18. Fen – The Malediction Fields
Seems that most British black metal these days has elements of post rock in it, and this is no exception. Its very good atmospheric black metal with some clean vocals now and again. If you like Negura Bunget, then give this a try.
17. 3 Inches of Blood – Here Waits Thy Doom
An excellent heavy metal album, taking influence from lots of different places, from Led Zeppelin, to Judas Priest, to Iron Maiden, but still maintaining their excellent vocal style prevalent in previous albums. Their best yet by far!
16. Dream Theater – Black Clouds and Silver Linings
A really good progressive metal album and their best for several years. Listen out for the cover of Queens Tenement Funster/Flick Of The Wrist/Lily Of The Valley on the bonus disc; this is one of the best covers ever!
15. Epica – [album artist=epica]]design your universe[/album]
Their best yet, Simone is at top notch, and it is possibly the heaviest album they have done to date. A real surprise and a very enjoyable listen.
14. My Dying Bride – For Lies I Sire
The violins are back! Every bit as good as the previous releases and the vocals are absolutely to die for!
13. Wolves in the Throne Room – Black Cascade
More of the same, but a bit more atmospheric and experimental, with clean female vocals scattered in it. This, as well as Malevolent Grain are a must hear for any fans of atmospheric black metal.
12. Wodensthrone – Loss
Good organic black metal in the vein of Drudkh. Excellently performed, with a few post rock elements too. Superb atmosphere shows again how good British Black Metal is becoming. If you like Drudkh or Negura Bunget, then you owe it to yourself to give this a try.
11. Leaves Eyes – Njord
Unbelievably this is a step up from the excellent Vinland Saga; both vocalists have improved (although in the case of Alexander Krull it wasn’t hard, he is actually listenable now!). This is a really good symphonic metal album, with the guitaring at top notch, as well as the bassist. There are a lot of folk elements again on this one.
10. Wolves in the Throne Room – Malevolent Grain
This is excellent. It comprises of just two tracks, the first A Looming Resonance is a rather relaxed atmospheric black metal song with clean vocals. It is 13 minutes long, but it’s so good you could listen to it over and over again. Hate Crystal is more of the usual Wolves in the Throne Room we know and love.
9. Blut aus Nord - Memoria Vetusta II: Dialogue With The Stars
Even better than Memoria Vetusta I, this album has less of a fuzz and more melodic beauty. Fantastic.
8. Drudkh – Microcosmos
Drudkh do it again, this is another excellent pagan influenced black metal album, with beautiful melodies, but still retaining the harsh vocals from the previous albums. Even better than Estrangement[album], this is one of the best black metal albums of the year.
7. Sunn O))) – [album artist=sunn O)))]Monoliths and Dimensions
Never heard anything by them before, but this is an excellent work. It is unbelievably heavy and icy cold. Attila’s vocals are fantastic, and all the brass instruments on Alice (best track on the album) just make it. If you have any interest in either doom metal or experimental music you need to hear this. Truly a Monolithic Effort!
6. The Gathering – The West Pole
Anneke has left, but you didn’t expect them to stop rocking did you? This is such an amazing album by all accounts, and Silje Wergeland (previously of Octavia Sperati) is just excellent. She is a really dreamy vocalist; her voice is just a joy to listen to. All the instruments are played very well, creating beautiful atmospheres throughout. The first 3 songs make you want to run about in the sunshine, just really happy songs to put you in a good mood, but after this the atmosphere changes to one of a hopeless desperation. It is still quite experimental, but not as much as Home or Souvenirs. A special mention must go to the bassist Marjolein Kooijman who does a fantastic job.
5. Nox Aurea – Via Gnosis
Absolutely mind blowing. I heard a track on Myspace and was instantly hooked. They play gothic doom and are influenced by Draconian, but are a bit more atmospheric than this, at times sounding like Lethian Dreams and Shape of Despair. If you like Draconian you will go crazy for this.
4. Emperor – Live Inferno
This is the best live black metal album ever. Anyone who has ever seen them live (I haven’t :( ) or heard/watched Emperial Live Ceremony knows just how good they are live, its just a fantastic CD with all their best songs played in stunning fashion
3. Heaven and Hell – The Devil You Know
What a surprise this was. I never really expected any new Black Sabbath material under any pseudonym, but this is fantastic. Its unbelievably heavy, Tony Iommi is on form (when is he not) and every riff is heavy. This is the heaviest album that they have made, and Dio is an absolute god on the vocals. He is 69 and this is still the best vocals all year!
2. Slayer – World Painted Blood
A lot of people like to hate on Slayer for God Hates Us All, but I don’t see why at all. I love that album, as well as everything else they have released. World Painted Blood is a step up from the last two though; it’s a solid thrash metal album and heavy as fuck. It’s easily the best since Seasons in the Abyss, although there is one thing I have noticed. It doesn’t sound great through headphones, or low quality speakers, but when I play it through the excellent ones I have in the house it sounds amazing. Hate Worldwide and Psychopathy Red are two of the best tracks I have ever hard, and easily in my top ten Slayer songs. A lot of people (again for reasons I don’t understand) complain about Tom Araya’s vocals, but I think they are excellent, you can hear all the malice, hatred and venom intended to be put forward.
1. Anaal Nathrakh – In the Constellation of the Black Widow
This is such an incredible album. After The Codex Necro, which is the most extreme album I have ever heard in my life, their later releases were somewhat lacklustre, with only 2 or 3 great tracks. But this one brings back the intensity of the The Codex Necro, and combines with it the melodies and clean vocals present on Eschaton and Hell Is Empty, and All the Devils Are Here. This album is fucking heavy, with great riffs and some of the best black metal vocals I have ever heard. The clean vocals are epic, there are piercing screams, amazing shouting, and seriously there are about 15 different vocal styles present here. From start to finish this album kicks serious butt and I am proud to call it my album of the year.
Dissapointing albums, because not everyone can create the best
Xasthur – All Reflections Drained
This is just shitty ambient noise with no good musicianship whatsoever. Malefic just seems to have given up because this is boring as hell. Avoid at all costs, worst album I have heard all year.
Lacuna Coil – Shallow Life
Bland and commercial nonsense, this is just sugary sweet pop music. Shame because I seem to be in the minority who enjoyed Karmacode. Spellbound was a fantastic single and I thought this would be good, but no. It’s just plain awful, avoid completely unless you would like to hear Britney Spears with some poor guitars.
Edenbridge – Live Earth Dream
Good songs performed well but the quality of the recordings is awful and on some of the songs they don’t even record the whole thing. Wild Chase is superb and better than the album, but I was expecting more considering how good A Livetime in Eden is.
Epica – The Classical Conspiracy
Ok, so I don’t have a problem with the performance of their own material, in fact I think it is a rather good performance, and I would have really liked it had it just been their own material. But it’s the "classical" stuff that annoys me. It is so patronising! Instead of real classical music (which several metalheads like) we get Pirates of the carribean, Darth Vaders theme tune, and the one from Spiderman. I actually felt slightly insulted by that, after expecting some real classical music.
Delain – April Rain
Not as commercial and bland as Lacuna Coil’s Shallow Life, but its not that good. On Lucidity they had a lot of guests, and they made it all seem like an excellent album. Now that they are down to their own talents it shows that they aren’t really very good. Charlotte is a decent singer though.
Nightwish – Made In Hong Kong
A very poor live album, and not even a whole concert because of some sort of dispute with record labels regarding being able to play pre-Annette songs. The Escapist is a fantastic bonus song though, but it still feels like a cash grab.
1349 – Revelations of the Black Flame
All the intensity present in Hellfire that made it such a good album has completely gone, replaced with some attempt at making intelligent progressive black metal. Instead we are left with a boring album with hardly any good ideas, and a rasped cover of Pink Floyd’s
Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun, which is a disgrace to those mighty prog rockers. Avoid, particularly if you liked Hellfire. Belphegor – Walpurgis rites – hexenwahn
Probably my most highly anticipated album of the year, as Belphegor have been one of my favourite bands for years. Unfortuantely it just sounds bland, as if the well of ideas has dried up, and all that was left was some songs rejected while recording Bondage Goat Zombie. That said Veneratio Diaboli – I am Sin, is among their best songs ever.
Muse – The Resistance
Ok, so until about October when I discovered The Gathering I thought that Muse were the only good rock band left on the planet. Rock to me is just dead, with hardly any good bands, but Muse seemed to be the only one I really liked, even loved. But [a;bum artist=muse]the Resistance[/album] fell far short of expectations. They have always had a lot of influence from romantic era classical music, but on this album they actually just become a clone of their influences rather than using them to create something unique. United States of Eurasia just sounds exactly like a Queen Song, with no originality, and on the end they just use a piece from Chopin. Laziness much? Overall it isn’t an awful album, but there is no originality, and instead of using influences they just steal from them.
Anyway thats just my take on the years music. There is a lot of dtuff I haven't gotten round to hearing yet, so it won't have everything. If anyone wants to comment and suggest bands or albums that I may like judging from this journal that would be appreciated!
