Samael2009 was a good year, certainly heavy in quantity, but what about quality? I'll note now that the order of items below are opinion and will most likely change. Disappointingly, it appears I listened to exactly 49 albums this year - one short of having a top 50. It should also be noted that some of the albums here I do not rate highly, such as albums #48 and #47, and they appear here to give a complete view of last year in music (for me).
49. Lamb of God - Wraith
48. Cannibal Corpse - Evisceration Plague
47. Daath - The Concealers
46. Obscura - Cosmogenesis
45. Blindead - impulse
44. Vomitory - Carnage Euphoria
43. Absu - Absu
42. Samael - Above
41. Paradise Lost - Faith Divides Us - Death Unites Us
40. Asphyx - Death... The Brutal Way
39. Slayer - World Painted Blood
38. God Dethroned - Passiondale
37. Altar of Plagues - White Tomb
36. Kylesa - Static Tensions
35. The Prodigy - Invaders Must Die
34. Ahab - The Divinity of Oceans
33. 1349 - Revelations of the Black Flame
32. My Dying Bride - For The Lies I Sire
31. Nile - Those Whom The Gods Detest
30. Shining - IV: Klagopsalmer
29. Napalm Death - Time Waits For No Slave
28. Ulcerate - Everything is Fire
27. Nadja - Numbness
26. Ephel Duath - Through My Dog's Eyes
25. Lifelover - Dekadens
24. November's Doom - Into Night's Requiem Infernal
23. Blut aus Nord - Memoria Vetusta II - Dialogue with the Stars
22. A Storm of Light - Forgive Us Our Trespasses
21. Sunn O))) - Monoliths and dimensions
20. Heaven and Hell - The Devil You Know
19. Nadja - When I See The Sun Always Shines On TV
18. Gnaw Their Tongues - all the dread magnificence of perversity
17. Khanate - Clean Hands Go Foul
16. Shrinebuilder - Shrinebuilder
15. Swallow the Sun - New Moon
14. Pelican - What We All Come To Need
13. Amesoeurs - Amesoeurs
12. Fen - The Malediction Fields
11. OM - God Is Good
10. Cobalt - Gin
For any album, this is outstandingly composed. It's a very varied album, but one with strong black metal roots, which show mainly in the drums and vocals. It's hard to place a name of Cobalt's sound - a popular description on their shoutbox is 'Black metal Tool. Challenging music - and very worth picking up.
9. I Shalt Become - The Pendle Witch Trials
Criminally under-rated. To sum it up - it's very, very good depressive/atmospheric black metal from the UK. The album has no pretensions, just ample amounts of great black metal. Well worth finding, it has all the hallmarks of becoming a real gem.
8. Isis - Wavering Radiant
One of the earliest releases of 2009, and it set the right tone. It's a really great album, gives an excellent atmosphere and the vocals are very well done. My only comment is that the songs become slightly boring as the album wears on. Still, one of their best.
7. Baroness - Blue Record
The follow up to Red Album, this album serves as a showcase for Baroness's talent. The songs ooze with life, and the album carries a vein of vitality throughout that gives it a unique flow. The music is heavy, but not overly so - it forms a perfect back drop for John Baizley's grating vocals. There are some genuine moments of brilliance... Jake Leg!
6. The Axis of Perdition - Urfe
Where to start. It's a huge album - two discs (The Grief of The Unclean and The Great Unwashed). The content is mainly ambient soundscape, with spoken word from Leslie Simpson throughout. Very briefly, the album chronicles a man, lost in what seems to be a hellish, urban nightmare. This man runs, aware of demons at the edge of his reality. He relives memories of a hospital, or at least some sort of twisted experiment. What is the meaning? It is unclear - perhaps the demonic city was a dream, a side effect of the man's medical experiments. Maybe the city is a metaphor for the decay of our urban society. Who is Pylon? What is this 'axis'? Take from it what you will, maybe it's just a good story. This will disturb you. Ambitious certainly, but utterly excellent, hauntingly so. When you're out, we're in.
5. Jesu - Opiate Sun
More of an EP than an album, but as before, much of Justin's best music is hidden away on four-track releases. This effort has received flack for it's melodic, shoegaze like approach. Maybe people can't get over the Heartache EP just yet. Fuck them. This is genius. Can't wait for another full length.
4. Anaal Nathrakh -
Anaal Nathrakh have been a band of change recently - of their music, and their fans' opinions. ITCOTBW is an amalgamation of the sheer brutality of The Codex Necro era with the more structured songs and choruses of more recent albums. This album may fuck with your ears, but rest assured - you'll hum along too.
3. Candlemass - Death Magnetic Doom
Unbelievable effort - the songs are devastatingly simple, but hit you with the force of a tonne weight. Actually, this would get on the list simply for
The Bleeding Baroness, but it's full of really iconic doom songs. If you're new to Candlemass or doom - look no further.
2. Mastodon - Crack The Skye
An album that has appeared, and has won many lists and polls this year, and it will come second here. I wasn't a fan of Mastodon before this year, and the sheer craft and ambition of this album swayed me. Great riffs, great vocals, and great songs.
1. Katatonia - Night Is The New Day
Perhaps I'm biased; this year was the year that Katatonia really grew on me, and that they released a new album this year only added to it. It is with an air of predictability for myself that I give Night Is The New Day the top spot, but it is an incredible album. Full of melodies, highs and lows, gloom and renewal. It's a less polished, but much more emotional Katatonia album. To quote a magazine feature on this album - 'Lets hope they never cheer up'.
So, overall a good year. Some great new bands, and some old masters returning in style. I still have a few albums to obtain, such as Moss 'Tomb of The Blind Drugged' etc. Lets see...
Best EP: Jesu - Opiate Sun
Biggest disappointment: Shining - IV: Klagopsalmer
Worst album: Lamb of God - Wraith
Over-hyped: Absu - Absu
Now, I'll leave you with the best song of 2009.
A belated happy new year to all.
DarkthroneDeathspell OmegaMetallicaMegadethTriviumCarcassIron MaidenOpethSanctitySatyriconStonesourStone SourTestamentVenomAnthraxDevilDriverXasthurMossMardukDarkspaceAgallochElectric WizardBlack SabbathDark TranquillityPanic CellDownGodfleshLeviathanDeicideMorbid AngelCarpathian ForestEarthFear FactorySlipknotCoilPainDivine HeresyHead Control SystemMeshuggahThornsCynic
49. Lamb of God - Wraith
48. Cannibal Corpse - Evisceration Plague
47. Daath - The Concealers
46. Obscura - Cosmogenesis
45. Blindead - impulse
44. Vomitory - Carnage Euphoria
43. Absu - Absu
42. Samael - Above
41. Paradise Lost - Faith Divides Us - Death Unites Us
40. Asphyx - Death... The Brutal Way
39. Slayer - World Painted Blood
38. God Dethroned - Passiondale
37. Altar of Plagues - White Tomb
36. Kylesa - Static Tensions
35. The Prodigy - Invaders Must Die
34. Ahab - The Divinity of Oceans
33. 1349 - Revelations of the Black Flame
32. My Dying Bride - For The Lies I Sire
31. Nile - Those Whom The Gods Detest
30. Shining - IV: Klagopsalmer
29. Napalm Death - Time Waits For No Slave
28. Ulcerate - Everything is Fire
27. Nadja - Numbness
26. Ephel Duath - Through My Dog's Eyes
25. Lifelover - Dekadens
24. November's Doom - Into Night's Requiem Infernal
23. Blut aus Nord - Memoria Vetusta II - Dialogue with the Stars
22. A Storm of Light - Forgive Us Our Trespasses
21. Sunn O))) - Monoliths and dimensions
20. Heaven and Hell - The Devil You Know
19. Nadja - When I See The Sun Always Shines On TV
18. Gnaw Their Tongues - all the dread magnificence of perversity
17. Khanate - Clean Hands Go Foul
16. Shrinebuilder - Shrinebuilder
15. Swallow the Sun - New Moon
14. Pelican - What We All Come To Need
13. Amesoeurs - Amesoeurs
12. Fen - The Malediction Fields
11. OM - God Is Good
10. Cobalt - Gin
For any album, this is outstandingly composed. It's a very varied album, but one with strong black metal roots, which show mainly in the drums and vocals. It's hard to place a name of Cobalt's sound - a popular description on their shoutbox is 'Black metal Tool. Challenging music - and very worth picking up.
9. I Shalt Become - The Pendle Witch Trials
Criminally under-rated. To sum it up - it's very, very good depressive/atmospheric black metal from the UK. The album has no pretensions, just ample amounts of great black metal. Well worth finding, it has all the hallmarks of becoming a real gem.
8. Isis - Wavering Radiant
One of the earliest releases of 2009, and it set the right tone. It's a really great album, gives an excellent atmosphere and the vocals are very well done. My only comment is that the songs become slightly boring as the album wears on. Still, one of their best.
7. Baroness - Blue Record
The follow up to Red Album, this album serves as a showcase for Baroness's talent. The songs ooze with life, and the album carries a vein of vitality throughout that gives it a unique flow. The music is heavy, but not overly so - it forms a perfect back drop for John Baizley's grating vocals. There are some genuine moments of brilliance... Jake Leg!
6. The Axis of Perdition - Urfe
Where to start. It's a huge album - two discs (The Grief of The Unclean and The Great Unwashed). The content is mainly ambient soundscape, with spoken word from Leslie Simpson throughout. Very briefly, the album chronicles a man, lost in what seems to be a hellish, urban nightmare. This man runs, aware of demons at the edge of his reality. He relives memories of a hospital, or at least some sort of twisted experiment. What is the meaning? It is unclear - perhaps the demonic city was a dream, a side effect of the man's medical experiments. Maybe the city is a metaphor for the decay of our urban society. Who is Pylon? What is this 'axis'? Take from it what you will, maybe it's just a good story. This will disturb you. Ambitious certainly, but utterly excellent, hauntingly so. When you're out, we're in.
5. Jesu - Opiate Sun
More of an EP than an album, but as before, much of Justin's best music is hidden away on four-track releases. This effort has received flack for it's melodic, shoegaze like approach. Maybe people can't get over the Heartache EP just yet. Fuck them. This is genius. Can't wait for another full length.
4. Anaal Nathrakh -
Anaal Nathrakh have been a band of change recently - of their music, and their fans' opinions. ITCOTBW is an amalgamation of the sheer brutality of The Codex Necro era with the more structured songs and choruses of more recent albums. This album may fuck with your ears, but rest assured - you'll hum along too.
3. Candlemass - Death Magnetic Doom
Unbelievable effort - the songs are devastatingly simple, but hit you with the force of a tonne weight. Actually, this would get on the list simply for
The Bleeding Baroness, but it's full of really iconic doom songs. If you're new to Candlemass or doom - look no further. 2. Mastodon - Crack The Skye
An album that has appeared, and has won many lists and polls this year, and it will come second here. I wasn't a fan of Mastodon before this year, and the sheer craft and ambition of this album swayed me. Great riffs, great vocals, and great songs.
1. Katatonia - Night Is The New Day
Perhaps I'm biased; this year was the year that Katatonia really grew on me, and that they released a new album this year only added to it. It is with an air of predictability for myself that I give Night Is The New Day the top spot, but it is an incredible album. Full of melodies, highs and lows, gloom and renewal. It's a less polished, but much more emotional Katatonia album. To quote a magazine feature on this album - 'Lets hope they never cheer up'.
So, overall a good year. Some great new bands, and some old masters returning in style. I still have a few albums to obtain, such as Moss 'Tomb of The Blind Drugged' etc. Lets see...
Best EP: Jesu - Opiate Sun
Biggest disappointment: Shining - IV: Klagopsalmer
Worst album: Lamb of God - Wraith
Over-hyped: Absu - Absu
Now, I'll leave you with the best song of 2009.
A belated happy new year to all.
DarkthroneDeathspell OmegaMetallicaMegadethTriviumCarcassIron MaidenOpethSanctitySatyriconStonesourStone SourTestamentVenomAnthraxDevilDriverXasthurMossMardukDarkspaceAgallochElectric WizardBlack SabbathDark TranquillityPanic CellDownGodfleshLeviathanDeicideMorbid AngelCarpathian ForestEarthFear FactorySlipknotCoilPainDivine HeresyHead Control SystemMeshuggahThornsCynic
