-phage-

Here is my Compulsory the Best of 2009 - journal, yours truly. Feel free to greet or bash it or just state your case.

I'm a metal head, music consumer and married with children. I love to explore the essence of metal music and various shapes it is expressed. I also attend to live gigs as much as possible. Huge fan of melodic death metal, death metal and progressive metal not forgetting the thrashier stuff, black metal or other forms of the best music on Earth.

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Bringer of joy and mostly despair year after year:



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Latest CD in my collection:

Shrinebuilder - Shrinebuilder




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The album of the Month:

Katatonia - Night Is The New Day



I don't know is it the autumn and darkness or what, but somehow I'm at the moment very much into slower doom metal and especially melancholic music such as Katatonia. Their latest album suits almost perfectly this "mood" and I've given it considerable "play time" lately. This has proven to be a lucky choice what comes to this album, since at first I didn't appreciate it to be in any way special but simply mediocre Katatonia album. After more careful examination it started to make a little sense and then some more and now I think it is actually pretty damn good album even in Katatonia's scale.

I find album (against many reviews available in the internet) "Night Is The New Day" very catchy and interesting. It is filled with hooks that makes you want to listen to the album again when it has just ended. I like a lot of the opener track "Forsaker", but personal favorites are (surprisingly) in the end. Last three tracks (I'm referring to the special edition) "Day and Then Shade", "Departer" and "Ashen" are just perfect stuff, beautiful and moody.

All in all, pretty good value for the hard earned money of yours, even if you're Katatonia-fan boy/girl that consider band's earlier production sacred.

Check my previous Albums of the Month here

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Present recommendation:

Slayer - World Painted Blood



As a member of the "Big Four of Thrash Metal" Slayer's new album is always interesting event upon releasing although the hype isn't as huge as it was around Death Magnetic. While DM last year, Formation of Damnation by Testament in 2007 or Endgame earlier this fall are all good albums, I think that Slayer delivered the best record of them all.

WPB is simply amazing. It's a straightforward thrash metal album so typical for Slayer and yet the same time it's deeper and more versatile record the band has made in years. Hell, in my book it might be the best Slayer album ever! It's fast, heavy, aggressive, very much contemporary what comes to lyrics but what appeals most is the versatility of the record. Just listen to the title track World Painted Blood, just brilliant song!

I don't agreed the sound issue that has been attached to this album. Although drums are mixed pretty clean I think it just fits perfectly to the atmosphere of the album. Lombardo does pretty good job behind the set, King's guitar is mean as hell and Araya's voice absolutely great. These guys ain't that young anymore but do they maintain their intensity. Other bands should really learn a few things from them. One of the best albums of 2009. Honestly.

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