Domingo 23 Dez 2007, 23h:22
Way back in January, I said I was going to keep as updated as possible on 2007 music and hear as much as possible. Well by February that had fallen through. In total I probably listened to around 120 music releases from 2007, at least 30 of those in January alone.
That said here's a top 15 of what stood out:
15. Moonsorrow- V: Havitetty
2 tracks long. Infinitely epic.
14. Black Betty - Black Betty
http://metal-archives.com/review.php?id=159580
13. Shining - V: Halmstad
Kvarforth may encapsulate everything wrong with the black metal scene today, but this album is still refreshing and great.
12. Darkestrah - Epos
Short and fairly formulaic, but still great to listen to and interesting.
11. Causa Sui - Free Ride
Woaahhh. What did I just hear?
10. Demiurg - Breath of the Demiurg
That guy from Ribspreader and Dan Swano are back to prove that they still can make great death metal.
9. Sunn O))) - Oracle
I'm not sure if this counts as a full album of what, but either way it's the best thing Sunn has put out since their first LP. Ambient and foreboding.
8. Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
It's not Funeral, but it's another healthy dose of somber yet fun indie rock n' roll.
7. Saul Williams - The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of Niggy Tardust
Free album? Do want. Trent Reznor lends his experienced producing skills to make this blend of Saul's unique flow and industrial beats.
6. Earthless - Rhythms from a Cosmic Sky
The title describes exactly what this album sounds like, and it is glorious.
5. Reverend Bizarre - III: So Long Suckers
A little on the long side (2+ hours), this album ends RB's tenure in the finest way possible.
4. Neurosis - Given to the Rising
What's there to say? This doesn't deviate much from Neurosis' proven formula and it works wonderfully.
3. Alcest - Souvenirs d'un autre monde
Goodbye black metal, hello shoegaze. Melancholy yet uplifting, this album fits most any mood or day.
2. Mayhem - Ordo Ad Chao
This album is ugly, raw, industrial, noisy, and unforgettable. Containing the most demented riffs since Mayhem's first LP, Necrobutcher shows us that one of the first black metal band still has it.
1. Porcupine Tree - Fear of a Blank Planet
Expecting anything different? Porcupine Tree combines all their influences here to create an original piece that fulfills Steven Wilson's intentions of making a progressive album more similar to King Crimson of the 70's than anything today. Seeing all the tracks live twice didn't hurt either.
These albums were close, but for one reason or another didn't make it:
3 - The End is Begun
Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank
Pain of Salvation - Scarsick
Venetian Snares - My Downfall
Dax Riggs - We Sing Only of Blood or Love
Electric Wizard - Witchcult Today
The Ocean - Precambrian
Porcupine Tree - Nil Recurring (Technically, you could just tack this on w/ FOABP)
And here's five albums that were greatly disappointing or just sucked:
50 Cent - Curtis
Sorry, Kanye wins this one by a mile.
Dethklok - Dethalbum
Unoriginal chug riff, short melody, lame solo. Repeat for all tracks.
Peste Noire - Folkfuck Folie
You're ubergrim black metal who hates Myspace and stays tr00, we get it.
Dream Theater - Systematic Chaos
My bad for believing that even though Octavarium sucked, this album might be ok.
Wolves in the Throne Room - Two Hunters
This album isn't really bad, but it's just…stupid. Not to mention the band plays on gimmicks way too much.
Albums I didn't get to hear, but might have made the list:
Lupe Fiasco - The Cool
Some say it's the best hip-hop album in years.
Jay-Z - American Gangster
The movie was amazing so why not?