MY LIST OF RECOMMENDED RELEASES FOR 2009

1. Mastodon - Crack the Skye

I was a big fan of Mastodon when Remission was released in 2002. I loved their unique sound, and the killer drumming was a huge selling point for me given that I had never been able to get into Brann Dailor’s far crazier previous band, Lethargy. (I finally came around on Lethargy, but I still vastly prefer Mastodon.) Mastodon’s next two albums, however, did not impress me nearly as much. I missed the busy drumming, and the songs did not grab me like they did on Remission and their debut EP, Lifesblood. So I expected to like Crack the Skye, but I did not think it would significantly impact me in any way. To my great surprise, Mastodon created a classic. Crack the Skye is one of those rare albums that sweeps me away in its epic scope, and I lose myself amongst the brilliant soundscapes. This is Mastodon at their most progressive and ambitious, yet that never diminishes their capacity to craft engaging and memorable songs. Their use of predominantly clean vocals (that oddly smack strongly of Ozzy) on this album has allowed them to create infectious melodies to go along with the impressive musicianship. Crack the Skye is a shining example of the wonderful world a metal band can create for their fans.

2. Artillery - When Death Comes

This is easily the best comeback album by a classic thrash band, though I suppose When Death Comes is a second round comeback since the band released B.A.C.K. in 1999, nine years after their stellar third album, By Inheritance. B.A.C.K. was an acceptable album at the time, but it certainly was not a return to form for one of the most memorable bands during the glory years of thrash. Now, ten years after B.A.C.K., Artillery has come roaring back with a CD that can go toe to toe with their thrash classics Terror Squad and By Inheritance. Gone are the unique vocals of Flemming Rönsdorf, but the acquisition of his replacement, Søren Adamsen, is a huge coup for these elder statesmen of thrash. Adamsen’s voice is the perfect mix of aggression and melody. He sounds similar enough to Rönsdorf to retain the classic Artillery sound, but he definitely adds a novel and greatly appreciated edge to the band’s tunes as well as some smoother choruses. As an old thrasher, I am always eager to hear what many of my favorite bands from back in the day have to offer me in modern times, but their work always pales in comparison to the albums that have been a part of my life for twenty years. Artillery bucked that trend, and I cannot thank them enough for doing so.

3. Exivious - s/t

After the best thrash comeback album comes the best substitute comeback release ever and my favorite instrumental disc of all time. Of course, I am cheekily referring to Exivious as a substitute for the godly bliss of Cynic – Focus. The members of Cynic had clearly moved on from the sound of their debut rather quickly after releasing it, and although I can enjoy Traced in Air for what it is, it is certainly not Focus. Not even close. Enter Tymon Kruidenier, the primary force behind Exivious. I had followed his work for years, as he released one very Focus-like demo (even down to the vocoder vocals), followed years later by his even jazzier instrumental myspace samples. These samples were then removed while Tymon reconceptualized the Exivious sound. I assumed this guy would never get his act together enough to actually release an album. However, in 2008, Tymon joined Cynic for their comeback effort and announced that the full length Exivious debut would finally see the light of day. My (expected) disappointment in Traced in Air in 2008 primed me for the Exivious release this year, but it cannot be held responsible for my intense appreciation of this instrumental offering. The very best complex music leaves you in awe of each individual’s performance on their respective instruments and always gives you something new on which to focus. Exivious accomplishes this rare feat and also manages to maintain a metallic edge throughout their flights of fusion fancy. The student has become the master.

4. Heaven Below - Countdown to Devil

Each of the past few years, one or two mainstream metal or hard rock albums have managed to really get under my skin and never let me go a long period of time without playing them. In 2007, it was Hardcore Superstar - Dreamin' in a Casket. In 2008, it was the one-two punch of Shinedown - The Sound of Madness and Disturbed – Indestructible. In 2009, Hardcore Superstar returned to the spotlight, but even the world’s best hair metal band was slightly outshined by an obscure group from L.A. selling their CD on CDBaby. Countdown to Devil is a monster of a hard rock album that brings to mind the sound of both Shinedown and, I hate to say it, Nickelback at times. Please do not let that deter you, however, as the similarity is in the vocals and only to some degree. The tunes on Countdown to Devil are far more ass-kicking than anything you have heard on hard rock radio, believe me. One of the tunes that is obvious single material, “When Daylight Dies”, is excellent in both its original form and, surprisingly, as an acoustic bonus track. The band must really love this tune, as it looks like it will be on their sophomore album, due out this summer. Countdown to Devil also features an awesome cover of the 80s hit “Major Tom (Coming Home)” complete with its unforgivably catchy chorus. These guys should be huge. Help spread the word.

5. Futures End - Memoirs of a Broken Man

Memoirs of a Broken Man is everything a fan of the classic American power metal sound could hope for – thrashy riffage, soaring melodic vocals and memorable choruses, a deft proggy approach at times, an aggressive edge in other passages. They even nail the ballad, something I almost never say. For the thrashier tunes, Destiny’s End comes to mind as a good benchmark. When Futures End slows it down a bit as they often do on this disc, they remind me somewhat of Malpractice, another must have in this genre. It is always fun to find such pleasure in a long-established musical style. In such a scenario, the band has to be exceptional at what they do, and Futures End definitely makes the grade.

6. Eminent - Death of the Pilgrim

This is the third independently released album in my list so far (after Exivious and Heaven Below), and it came out of nowhere for me having never heard of the band before a reading a post on the ProgPower USA message board. I am very thankful for that introduction, as Eminent came on strong for me during the latter part of 2009. I liked the CD more with each listen until I realized it was easily a top 10 release for me. The music on Death of the Pilgrim is best described as a mix of melodic American power metal in the vein of Archetype with some Antithesis in there as well and, to a lesser extent, Into Eternity circa Dead or Dreaming. Yes, there are some gruff vocals on the majority of the tracks, but they are not prominent at all. More metalheads should know about Eminent. If you like any of the bands I mentioned as benchmarks, you should definitely give Death of the Pilgrim a chance.

7. Hardcore Superstar - Beg for It

I hate to start out a blurb this way, but let’s get this out of the way. Beg for It is not as good as its predecessor, Dreamin’ in a Casket. It is less consistent in quality, and the songs do not feature quite as much cocky, sleazy goodness as those on the best hair metal album since, oh, Slave to the Grind. That said, Beg for It is still a great slab o dirty, heavy glam that I have played many, many times in 2009. I do not care for most of the groups hailing from the Swedish sleaze scene (odd that the Swedes can corner the market on melodeath *and* hair metal), but on their last two albums, Hardcore Superstar has shown me that I can still thoroughly enjoy this type of material without having originally listened to it when I wore Ocean Pacific jam shorts and rocked the mullet.

8. Mindwork - Into the Swirl

Mindwork’s surprisingly mature debut is an equal blend of the Cynic - Focus and Death - Individual Thought Patterns styles, though the songwriting and chops are a bit below those of the aforementioned tech death gods. Most complex death bands just reference Cynic in short jazzy inserts into songs, but Mindwork adopts the classic Cynic sound and melds it with the heftier, angular riffing style that was Chuck's signature. Amidst the growls, they also incorporate some clean vocal choruses that won’t win any prizes for melodic brilliance, but they do give the songs greater texture and variety. I eagerly look forward to hearing Mindwork’s future forays in the complex death genre.

9. Serdce - The Alchemy of Harmony

Well, this was a pleasant surprise - A complex death band getting *more* intricate and diverse on a follow-up to a reasonably musically involved album itself, their 2004 release Cyberly. I had been impatiently anticipating The Alchemy of Harmony for a few years (it took the band a long time to find a label in their native Belarus) before it was finally released at the very end of 2009, and it was definitely worth the wait. The music is an involved mash-up of many different styles within the genre. Cynic, Scholomance, Neglected Fields, and Pitbulls in the Nursery all come to mind at various points in the disc’s running time, but Serdce clearly has their own sound. The production of the album is its only drawback. I would prefer clearer, less mushy distorted guitar, but this does not significantly detract from my considerable enjoyment of The Alchemy of Harmony.

10. Centaurus-A - Side Effects Expected

Centaurus-A is another complex death band I had been monitoring and periodically pestering via myspace messages for a few years, waiting for them to release their disc. Side Effects Expected is not as complex as I had hoped it would be, but there's still some widdly on display on occasion. Regardless of the level of apparent intricacy, the guitarwork on this disc is excellent - both the infectious riffage and the killer leads. Each song is somewhat distinct as well, which is another plus, especially in the death metal world.

11. Bibleblack - The Black Swan Epilogue

Bibleblack is not easily categorized. Their sound is hardly revolutionary, but it contains elements of a variety of metallic genres including power metal, thrash, symphonic death, and even a little traditional prog metal due to some of the keyboard flourishes. The vocals are mostly of the gruff variety though there are some cleaner passages. The key elements that drive this CD for me are the copious amount of cool thrashy riffage courtesy of the prolific Mike Wead, and the variety of styles and textures on display. The Black Swan Epilogue is not for the weirdos by any means, but for fans of modern thrash, power death and thrashy death, this offers something a little nonstandard to enjoy.

12. Candlemass - Death Magic Doom

Candlemass finally did it! They finally listened to me! They picked up the pace and released a very likable traditional metal album. Okay, there’s as much doom as standard metal on Death Magic Doom, but the energy and pace are higher than is typical from the masters of doom. Robert Lowe’s vocals are excellent. In fact, I prefer them to Messiah’s work on the band’s classics. This kills the new Sabbath disc for me and beats out Nightfall as my favorite album from the band. To put my appreciation of this CD in context, I only own three other doom albums: Nightfall and Tales of Creation and My Dying Bride – Turn Loose the Swans. Having a Candlemass album at number 12 on my year-end list is perhaps the surprise of 2009 for me.

13. Dismal Lapse - Eon Fragmentation

I picked up Dismal Lapse’s debut EP, The Nameless Faceless, in 2008 and thought it was a decent slab of brutal death with some hints at widdly, but it was hardly a favorite of mine. Eon Fragmentation features three of the five tracks on their EP in a form similar to the original, but along with the six new songs, they benefit greatly from a vastly improved production. The riffage is crisp, and the noodling is more apparent. This CD elevates Dismal Lapse as a contender for the top tier of brutal complex death. If they raise their game on their next offering half as much as they did on Eon Fragmentation, they will be walking the same hallowed halls as Odious Mortem and Decrepit Birth, just a short distance away from the throne room of the unholy triumvirate of Necrophagist, Psycroptic, and Spawn of Possession.

14. Cerebrum - Spectral Extravagance

Cerebrum is the third member of the Impatient Complex Death Fanboy Victim Trio, as I have been bugging these Greek guys about the release of their debut disc for almost as long as I was annoying Serdce and Centaurus-A. Spectral Extravagance took longer to grow on me than the other two groups’ albums, but I ended up looking past the less than ideal drum sound and my initial uncertainty over the vocalist and came to appreciate Spectral Extravagance as another highly enjoyable addition to my roster of complex death bands that sound primarily influenced by latter day Death. A more precise benchmark for Cerebrum is Polluted Inheritance – Betrayed, as the drumming is a clear highlight, and the riffage is quite interesting but rarely gets much faster than mid-paced.

15. Crown the Lost - Blind Faith Loyalty

Crown the Lost plays thrashy power metal in the vein of Scariot and incorporates elements of classy progpower bands like Mercury Rising. On Blind Faith Loyalty, the band has improved both their vocals and their sound compared to the occasionally iffy singing and the subpar production on their nonetheless enjoyable 2006 album, Reverence Dies Within. Killer, crunchy riffage abounds on Blind Faith Loyalty, and the melodies are often quite memorable. Unfortunately, their vocalist recently left the band, but they are working on their next album with a new guy that will stay with the melodic, clean vocal style. I look forward to hearing their new material.

16. Obscura - Cosmogenesis

No, they sound nothing like Gorguts. Twisted into Form was hardly a Bay Area thrash band either. Get over it. Given that Obscura contains the drummer and second guitarist that played on Necrophagist – Epitaph, it is not surprising that there are frequent nods to the reigning kings of brutal complex death metal (though I have to wonder if Necrophagist will ever release another album as they’ve been touring in support of Epitaph for over five years now, and a whole cadre of bands following their musical lead have taken up the torch). Despite their origins, Obscura is far from a Necrophagist clone. They incorporate a fair amount of latter day Death in their sound as well as a good deal of melody amidst the brutality. I am also very pleased to say that many of the songs highlight some of the coolest fretless bass I have heard on a death metal album.

17. Dååth - The Concealers

I don't think much of their previous disc, The Hinderers (2007), but The Concealers is an energetic and fun death metal disc. There is not much here in the way of progginess or brutality. Just catchy, thrashy death metal riffs - one after another.

18. Dark Age – Acedia

Acedia is one of the best Depeche Mode Era Soilwork albums to come along in years. This is especially surprising for me given I had not been able to get into any of their previous work.

19. Kreator - Hordes of Chaos

Kreator has perhaps been the most consistently appealing classic thrash band throughout their long career. With the exceptions of Outcast (1997) and Endorama (1999), the band has kept my interest beginning with my personal favorite, Terrible Certainty, in 1987. Hordes of Chaos seems more bare bones basic than its predecessor, Enemy of God, but that is not a bad thing as there is some killer thrash riffage on display on their latest offering. Mille’s vocals are impressively vicious as well. The only downside is the drumming, which is quite boring.

20. Redemption - Snowfall on Judgment Day

The Fullness of Time (2005) and The Origins of Ruin (2007) are not only two of the best traditional prog metal releases ever, they also make it onto my overall list of all-time favorite discs. Given that, this latest effort from Nick van Dyk and crew clearly came with the highest of expectations. I cannot say I appreciate Snowfall on Judgment Day as much as its two amazing predecessors, but I obviously still found a lot to like on Redemption’s fourth CD. The song “Walls” with its awesome percussion and killer chorus is one of the band’s best tracks as well as one of my favorite songs of 2009. “Peel” and “Leviathan Rising” meet my high bar for Redemption’s music as well. The rest of the songs are enjoyable, even the pseudo-hair metal power ballad “What Will You Say”, but they do not impact me they way my favorite material from the band does. The majority of my slightly dampened enthusiasm has to do with my perception that most of the songs on Snowfall are not as busy as those on the previous two discs. I hear fewer time changes and interesting drum fills accompanied by more streamlined song structures. The lyrics remain a major strength for the band due to their thoughtfulness, maturity, and impressive use of language. There is no greater testament to this I can give than when I tell you that I sing along to “Leviathan Rising”, a Libertopian screed antithetical to everything I believe. I can hear Nick sneering at my commie ass throughout the song, and yet I cannot help but admire the writing. Hopefully, he won’t include a song about Ladder Theory on the next album.

21. Submission - Code of Conspiracy

Most bands with Soilwork as their apparent primary influence have chosen to emulate the band starting with Natural Born Chaos. Submission, on the other hand, seems to share my preferences with regard to Soilwork’s discography as Code of Conspiracy is in the vein of the amazing A Predator’s Portrait. This is a very welcome deviation from the norm when it comes to the vast numbers of Soilwork minions out there in the world of metal.

22. Expulsion - Wasteworld

This is fast and furious thrash with death vocals. The many great riffs make up for the speed-by-in-a-blur segments. The energy and fast pace of Wasteworld at times reminds me of Vio-lence – Eternal Nightmare. That’s high praise from this old thrasher. The primary drawback to the disc is that there is little variety in the songs, but the album is short enough that it does not overstay its welcome.

23. Within the Ruins - Creature

This is one of the best deathcore discs I have heard in quite awhile. The semi-complex staccato riffage combined with the swirling leads remind often remind me of Protest the Hero, one of my favorite currently active bands. Unlike PTH, Within the Ruins utilizes death vocals and some core screams – no clean vocals to be found.

24. Circle of Contempt - Artifacts in Motion

Circle of Contempt is perhaps the best of the BornofTheFacelessVeil bands cluttering your local Hot Topic. Their riffage features thankfully little core chugga chugga and focuses more on semi-complex Meshuggah choppiness. They spice things up nicely with a good deal of off-kilter drumming and atmospheric guitar segments. I hope Circle of Contempt starts getting a higher profile in the metal market, as I think they outplay almost all of their better known peers.

25. Hellfueled - Emission of Sins

This is the best Ozzy record since No Rest for the Wicked. Sure they are from Sweden, and the vocalist’s name is Andy Alkman, but he sounds just like the venerable front man. The music is often a little rockier than that on the classic Ozzy albums, but it is quite similar overall – a mix of No Rest for the Wicked and Bark at the Moon. Nothing original here, but damn if it doesn’t get me throwing the horns and recalling the awesome time I had watching Ozzy jumping around on stage like a fool during The Ultimate Sin tour. I should note that I had not been able to get into any of Hellfueled’s previous three albums, so on Emission of Sins they clearly raised their game for my tastes.

26. Reciprocal - s/t

On their independent, self-titled debut, Reciprocal often sounds like one of the better Unique Leader brutal semi-complex death bands such as Severed Savior or the latest Deeds of Flesh. Reciprocal, however, also has some more traditional death in their veins, as they slow things down often to let the songs breathe a bit. This variety is welcome and makes their songs more memorable and less exhausting at times.

27. Horfixion - The Art of Agony

This is the Québécois thrashers’ fourth album, their first since Self Inflicted Chaos in 2004. I have been singing the praises of the these guys since I was introduced to them in 2001, as they are one of the few active thrash bands that are clearly influenced by classic thrash, but do not merely ape old Slayer and get Ed Repka to do their cover art. (Note that Repka’s work is the best thing about most of those albums. I would never knock Ed.) As with all of their previous albums, The Art of Agony features plenty of killer galloping BayArea Crunch riffage, tasty leads, and better than average drumming for a classic thrash band. Patrice Hamelin, the drummer extraordinaire of tech death gods Martyr, had played on Horfixion’s previous two releases, but he did not contribute his amazing skills to this album. In fact, the only remaining member from Horfixion’s previous work is their driving force, guitarist and vocalist Samuel Landry. That said, the new drummer puts in a good performance on The Art of Agony, and the album sits nicely next to their other three discs in terms of style and quality. Certainly, living in an area that gave birth to awesome complex metal bands such as Voivod, Obliveon, Martyr, Quo Vadis, Descend into Nothingness, Disembarkation, Winter Bestowed (ok, I’ll stop) has inspired Horfixion to rise well above the standards set for thrash in the modern age. I sincerely hope they will continue to provide this old thrasher with both a nod to the past and a glimpse to the future.

28. Amoral - Show Your Colors

Prior to 2009, Amoral had released three thrashy death albums, two of which, Wound Creations (2004) and Reptile Ride (2007), I quite enjoy. On Show Your Colors, the band made some radical changes. They somehow recruited a new vocalist, Ari Koivunen, who was the winner of the Finnish version of American Idol in 2007, and they shifted to a far more melodic power metal approach. I was initially turned off by their new sound not because they wimped out but because I did not hear interesting or catchy enough guitarwork to go along with their newfound accessibility. I revisited the disc at a considerably later date and realized that the guitarists had not lost their touch. Though the monster riffs of their past were gone, they were replaced with some infectious melodies and leads and were accompanied by catchy vocal lines. I don’t know if this reinvention of the band has gained them market share in Finland or elsewhere, but they provided me with another album to enjoy, so I wish them the best of luck.

29. Cormorant – Metazoa

Cormorant plays an enjoyable blend of traditional metal, folky touches, atmosphere, and classic melodeath. Their warm sound and epic, sprawling songs at times also remind me of bands like Hammers of Misfortune and Slough Feg. I suppose there is a bit of the Opeth sound as well, but Metazoa is much more engaging for me than any offering from the far more well-known Pitchfork faves. As an additional bonus, Cormorant easily has the most enjoyable Facebook updates from any band.

30. Decadence – Chargepoint

More thrashy death from Sweden featuring the growlies of their female vocalist, Metallic Kitty! Like 3rd Stage of Decay, their previous album, Chargepoint is a catchy mix of Arch Enemy and Death without the widdly, and it is likely their best work to date.

31. Shadows Fall - Retribution

I am not quite sure why Shadows Fall gets so much shit from my peers, many of whom love classic thrash as much as I do and have an appreciation for the more modern sound as well. The Art of Balance (2002) and The War Within (2004) make my list of all-time faves, but Shadows Fall fell from grace in 2007 on their major label debut, the tepid Threads of Life. Given my disdain for their Atlantic debut, I had very low expectations for their next album. It seems like their shift to a new label, Everblack Industries/Ferret Music, did them a lot of good, as I was pleasantly surprised by Retribution. It is not as enjoyable as their aforementioned classics, but it's a quality release to my ears. Their approach is similar in style to their classic era, just a bit smoother. Retribution is definitely not a sellout. I am glad the boys are back.
32. The Arusha Accord - The Echo Verses

The Echo Verses is the full length debut from these British lads with emo hair, and it is clear from the first track that The Arusha Accord is the heir apparent to the spastic proggy metalcore throne vacated by Sikth. All the elements are here – Meshuggahized riffage and frantic leads, prominent cool bass guitar, plenty o drum fills, and the core scream/melodic clean vocal combo. The Arusha Accord may not be the most original metal band in the world, but they certainly kick a lot of ass.

33. The Beneath - City of Light

I hate to be reductive for two blurbs in a row, but just as The Arusha Accord is the new Sikth, The Beneath really seems to be trying to be the new Protest the Hero. Frankly, I applaud them for their efforts. City of Light is a fun ride filled with constant changes in feel and tempo, yet the band also manages to craft some extremely catchy choruses amidst the craziness. Their clean vocals are very good, not whiny at all, and the core screams provide decent counterpoint without grating on my nerves. This is a band to watch.

34. Coram Lethe - …A Splendid Chaos

These Italians were promising complex death metallers on their debut Reminiscence (2000), which smacked strongly of latter day Death but was not without its idiosyncrasies. The band waited five years to release their next disc, The Gates of Oblivion, which I viewed as a big disappointment due to the lack of widdly or even memorable songs. Now, four years later, Coram Lethe was back for more, and I was not very eager to hear their latest effort. When I finally listened to A Splendid Chaos, I noted that their music still lacks the complexity of Reminiscence, but the new songs were actually quite appealing on their own merits. The Death influence is still present, but it is incorporated as more straightforward, yet very engaging riffing. I am reminded of The Unchallenged at times, which is a huge compliment from me, given that their 2002 album Sceneries is in my top 20 of all time. Coram Lethe also incorporates some of the classic melodic death style as well, which helps give A Splendid Chaos some extra flavor.

35. Depresy - Morph - Near Death Experiences

I had no idea these Slovakians were still active, so I was shocked when their album showed up on-line, six years after their previous effort, Psychomantium Phenomenon (which I subsequently listened to and decided that I needed to have it as well as their new product). Depresy plays a somewhat quirky style of melodic death metal that features a strong keyboard presence and the ability to keep the listener guessing as to what will come next in a given song. There is perhaps some Dark Tranquillity and Embraced in their sound, but Depresy definitely creates soundscapes that are uniquely theirs.

36. Gonoba - Chains of Ignorance

Chains of Ignorance is the debut album from this Slovenian thrashy death band, and it is a fun ride. Chock full of catchy riffage, each track changes things up enough to keep the listener engaged. When listening to Gonoba, I am most often reminded of Quo Vadis circa Day into Night (high praise indeed), but there are also elements of classic thrash, melodic death, and touches of latter day Death at times throughout this thoroughly enjoyable album. I just wish the band had much better distribution, as their CD is difficult to obtain. I bought it from the band directly, but most folks do not bother to order discs if they are not stocked by one of their preferred vendors.

37. The Burning - Rewakening

I am a big fan of Rewakening, which cements my rep as a random crazyass. These guys play really basic, groovy riffs (almost traditional/doom metal in many songs) and have a mix of death and bully boy vocals. I think one of the links for the band referenced Hatebreed as a band you might like if you liked The Burning. Well, I really despise Hatebreed and their peers, but The Burning has been one of my go-to discs of 2009. All I can say in my defense is I find the riffs, simple as they are, to be very effective and catchy. The vocals are not overbearing, and they sound great when singing songs like "Evangelical Cannibal".  The groove, vibe, and attitude on this album often hit the spot for me in 2009, and I can sing several of the choruses in my head – no small feat given my general apathy for most lyrics.

38. Ignominious Incarceration - Of Winter Born

This is the full length debut from these awkwardly named youngsters from the UK. They essentially play thrashy death with a good helping of melodeath touches and a smattering of core. Though not overly busy, their music is fairly involved and changes often enough to make a strong impression. At times, I am reminded of Shades of Dusk on their excellent melodic death debut, Caress the Despair, and the occasional nod to Arsis is certainly very welcome. Of Winter Born is a very promising offering, and I eagerly look forward to hearing how the band progresses.

39. Savage Circus - Of Doom and Death

Yes, clearly I am a random crazyass. I am not a fan of Blind Guardian, but I quite dig their Mexican (fine, German) non-union equivalent, Savage Circus. Maybe my enjoyment of their tunes is due to the warm fuzzy I get from hearing their vocalist belt it out given that the first two albums from his other band, Persuader, are personal favorites. Or maybe Savage Circus just executes this style so damn well with their thrashy riffage and infectious manly melodies that I cannot help but appreciate their skill at what they do.

40. Vektor - Black Future

These Arizona youngsters clearly are into Voivod, as their band logo, cover art, and sci fi themes scream “We love you, Away!”, yet their brand of somewhat proggy classic thrash only rarely reminds me of Killing Technology or Dimension Hatross. Instead, their music sounds more like a twisted amalgam of Deathrow – Deception Ignored, Destruction – Release from Agony, Megadeth – Peace Sells, and the best of the Slayer-worshiping rethrash bands with impressive guitar leads constantly woven throughout the chaos. The vocals are a somewhat unfortunate mix of Schmier, the guy from Sadus – A Vision of Misery, and much high pitched shrieking, but at least they have character. I have actually grown to like them, just as my appreciation of the band’s musical approach has significantly grown over time. Vektor is a band to watch.

41. Gnostic - Engineering the Rule

Gnostic is a messier version of Atheist with more annoying vocals and much less cool work on bass. The drumming by Steve Flynn is quite cool though, and I like the guitarwork on most of the songs. Engineering the Rule is not destined to be a complex death classic for me, but it certainly is worthwhile and will tide me over nicely until we get a new Atheist album.

42. Gory Blister - Graveyard of Angels

The days of their killer latter day Death worship are long gone, but the members of Gory Blister still create interesting music. Though the band is no longer a member of the complex metal camp, I detect some similarities to Coroner circa Mental Vortex in many of the riffs on Graveyard of Angels. That style is melded with a more straightforward approach not far removed from Arch Enemy. This combination makes Gory Blister stick out amongst the death metal masses even though they are no longer hanging with the likes of Illogicist, Forlorn Legacy, and Deathbringer.

43. Keeper of Dreams - Taste Smashed to Pieces

Keeper of Dreams is yet another band strongly influenced by Chuck Schuldiner’s legacy, and as usual, I like what they have to offer. I really enjoy this style of semi-complex death metal, and I do not require originality on the albums released by latter day Death acolytes as long as they execute the style well. This Hungarian band does just that, though their playing is somewhat sloppy, and the album suffers from subpar sound. In addition to offering engaging riffage and the occasional bit o widdly, Taste Smashed to Pieces also has the rare distinction of getting better as the album progresses. This disc is a hard sell to people less willing than I to like any band that pays tribute to Death so obviously, but fans of the style should definitely give these guys a shot.

44. Tracedawn - Ego Anthem

Ego Anthem is a fun followup to Tracedawn’s self-titled debut. The band is very loosely in the Soilwork vein, but their music is not slick or overproduced. In addition, the guitarwork and song construction is more varied and less formulaic than that of Depeche Mode Era Soilwork and their clones. The clean vocals are not stellar, but they are serviceable. Tracedawn is one of the first bands I mention when, on a seemingly bimonthly basis, someone states they like latter day Soilwork and Scar Symmetry and asks for recommendations for other bands that have a somewhat similar sound.

45. Delain - April Rain

This has to be the poppiest non-hair metal disc I own, but I cannot help myself. I love the female vocals, and most of the songs are darn catchy. Delain reminds me a lot of the last Nightwish album, especially the first single “Amaranth”. I checked out their previous release, and I think the band has come a long way since then in terms of crafting memorable choruses and infectious melodies. To test just how broad Delain’s appeal might be, I posted the video for the title track on my Facebook page and asked my non-metal friends what they thought of the tune. Everyone who answered thought it was an overblown, silly slab of cheese. This experiment taught me two things: (1) I am not a good judge of what songs could have mainstream appeal, and (2) My friends may not live and breathe music like I do, but they sure can be vicious critics if provoked. 

46. Gama Bomb - Tales from the Grave in Space

Rethrash done well. I did not care for their 2008 effort, Citizen Brain, but Tales grabbed me right away. Gama Bomb has several things going for them that most bands in this overcrowded genre do not. Instead of aping early Slayer, these lads from Northern Ireland seem to draw primarily from classic Overkill, which is rather uncommon. Gama Bomb’s vocalist also sounds a lot like Bobby “Blitz” Ellsworth, which is a big plus, given that the vast majority of these new thrash bands feature rather crappy vocal performances. In addition, I respect that the band experimented a bit with the traditional album release protocol by initially offering the complete Tales disc as a free download. In 2010, they released Tales as a physical CD and included a new EP, Half Cut, as a bonus (at least on the import version).

47. Sickening Horror - The Dead End Experiment

It took me some time to get into this disc, as I could not initially get past their more streamlined approach. The drumming still is rather boring to my ears, but there are many catchy riffs on The Dead End Experiment. The audible (though not particularly fascinating) bass playing and the occasional cool keyboard touches add to my enjoyment of the album as well. The Gorguts-lite dissonance featured on their great debut, When Landscapes Bled Backwards, is mostly absent on TDEE, but Sickening Horror still sounds fairly unique overall. I look forward to hearing what these Greek death metal merchants come up with next.

48. Prayers of Sanity - Religion Blindness

Enjoyable retrothrash. The debut from this Portuguese band breaks no new ground whatsoever, and I could care less. If you like bands such as Defiance, Havoc Mass, and Faith or Fear and want to hear some new music in that style, Prayers of Sanity has an album for you.

49. Obtenebris - Dust of Time

Good melodic death in the classic style. I don't hear much of this from current bands. Dust of Time does not measure up to my favorite releases in this subgenre, but many of the tracks remind me of the short-lived and greatly missed Without Grief, which is about the highest compliment I can give to a melodeath band. In addition, Obtenebris hails from Quebec, which is usually a sign of quality in the world of metal.

50. Suicidal Angels - Sanctify the Darkness

These Greek thrashers did not hook me in 2007 with their full-length debut, Eternal Domination, but they certainly made up for that on Sanctify the Darkness. There is nothing fancy here, just rethrash firmly in the Slayer vein, but damn if they do not execute this style extremely well. Some of the riffs on this album remind me of the monster headbangers heard on Dew-Scented – Inwards. High praise indeed.

51. Ram-Zet - Neutralized

I cannot think of a band as unique and quirky as Ram-Zet that has released albums that are so stylistically similar. As I wrote in 2002 for my blurb on the enjoyable Escape, they utilize harsh male vocals (not death or black metal per se), clean female vocals, heavy guitar and drums, violin, a variety of keyboard styles, and occasional industrial overtones. This description also applies to their third album Intra (2005), but I felt the songwriting was lacking on that offering. I did not know the band was still active when I became aware of the impending release of Neutralized, but I am happy to say the band is back in fine form. In fact, this might beat out Escape to become my favorite offering from the band. The tunes are as engaging as ever, and the disc is consistent in quality throughout its running time, which is something I cannot say about Escape.

52. Sixguns over Tombstone - Putting Revenge on the Map

Depending on the song, you could label these Canadians as traditional metal, American power metal, or thrash. This variety in musical approach along with their skilled use of melody, both in the vocals and the guitarwork, makes Putting Revenge on the Map a fun listen. This album is for those who want their old school metal to be less predictable and to show some creative fire.

53. Gorod - Process of a New Decline

Process of a New Decline features the same style of complex death that filled their excellent sophomore effort Leading Vision chock full of fluid, swirling riffs. The drumming still is not a highlight, but it is more interesting than the performance on their previous disc. That said, the disparity between Leading Vision’s #12 spot on my 2006 list and Process not even making my top fifty this year is largely due to songwriting that is not as engaging to my ears. Leading Vision is exceptional in its ability to grab the listener’s attention with plenty of hooks amidst the widdly, and this new material suffers a bit in comparison. It does not help that the latter half of Process does not catch my attention as much as the first half does. Regardless of this setback for my musical tastes, I look forward to hearing what they come up with next, as they are a very talented and unique band in this genre.

54. Believer – Gabriel

We’ve had many classic thrash band comebacks in the past 10 years, but Believer is the first progressive thrash group from back in the day to release new material. I was looking forward to the release of Gabriel, but I believe my expectations were more realistic than they usually are when it comes to bands that have an album on my list of all-time faves. That album is Sanity Obscure (1990). It was followed by Dimensions (1993), a disc I find enjoyable, but it is far from a classic for my taste. Fast forward sixteen years, and Gabriel is not as proggy as Dimensions, nor does it feature the stellar twisted riffage of Sanity Obscure. What we get instead is a more straightforward thrash album in terms of riffs with some proggy touches due mostly to interjections of quirky keyboard passages. The riffage is also hurt by the mushy production to some extent. Even though Believer did not offer up another personal favorite, they are still able to craft a catchy riff or two and create their own sound. I am glad they are back, and I look forward to hearing what they come up with next.

55. Judgment Hammer - Arbiter of Fate

Bay Area thrash from Montana! Arbiter of Fate features no frills thrashy goodness in the vein of early Metallica and Xentrix. This is how I like my rethrash – the vocals have character, and the riffs are memorable. I hope the thriving metal scene in Missoula allows Judgment Hammer to have a long and successful career.

56. Exence - Hystrionic

The debut platter from this Italian band features decent latter day Death-inspired tunes without most of the complexity found on Chuck’s offerings. The vocals are quite awful though. I am talking almost Sadus - A Vision of Misery bad. The music is good enough to overlook the screeching, despite the thin production.

57. Scar Symmetry - Dark Matter Dimensions

This is the first Scar Symmetry album without the growls/crooning of Christian Älvestam, but nothing much has changed in terms of their sound. Sure, they had to hire two guys to replace their former singer, but they fill his shoes adequately enough. The music is in exactly the same mold as it has been on the last two discs. Formulaic, sure, but they have yet to release an album that does not retain my interest. I would rank Dark Matter Dimensions third in their discography. The debut will likely always be my favorite from the band, but DMD follows very closely on the heels of Holographic Universe as an enjoyable genre effort.

58. Kings of Modesty - Hell or Highwater

On this Finnish melodic metal band’s full-length debut, I hear Circus Maximus, Malpractice, and Mercury Rising mixed with some more commercial/hair metal elements. The ballads suck ass, of course, but the rest of the songs range from good to great. If the rest of the album lived up to the excellence of the first three tracks, Hell or Highwater would rank much higher on this list.

59. Job for a Cowboy - Ruination

I find it amusing how many tr00 metal warriors hate these guys with a passion. I also find it funny that Job for a Cowboy pulls the core kids and are considered metalcore when they clearly sound like a death metal band to me on their previous disc and on this new offering. For those few metalheads who do not vehemently shit on the band, most seem to be disappointed in this compared to Genesis. I too do not like it quite as much, and the quality tends to fade towards the latter half of the album. I still enjoy listening to Ruination though. I guess I am not a real metalhead.

60. The Binary Code - Suspension of Disbelief

This is an enjoyable slab of semi-complex death metal with some core elements and perhaps just a touch of early Mastodon. The Binary Code thankfully took the time to craft cool riffs and mix up the drumming as opposed to pummeling the listener into a stupor with a wall of dissonant, blasting noise and shrill screaming.

61. Random Mullet - Remission EP

This is another brief, on-line only release from these crazy Finns. As on their 2007 EP, Infection, Remission’s three tracks feature an eclectic mix of traditional prog metal, Sikth freakouts, staccato Meshuggah riffage, and general weirdness. A short, but enjoyable, ride.

62. Never - Back to the Front

This album was a surprise to me for two reasons. It had been seven years since this Polish group’s previous release, so I was not aware the band was still active. More importantly, I actually like the music on Back to the Front. Never’s first two discs have been described as tech death, but I never heard much to get excited about on either Monument (2000) or Mind Regress (2002). Back to the Front is essentially a thrashy death offering, although there is the occasional nod to latter day Death. More prominent, however, is the Arch Enemy feel, as the band went as far as having Angela Gossow contribute vocals to four tracks. Unfortunately, this disc is only available as a Japanese import, but it is worth the extra cash.

63. Beholder - The Awakening

The debut from this UK band is an enjoyable mix of Nevermore and Iced Earth with some of the classic thrash sound thrown into the mix. The Awakening is not as polished as the offerings from those power metal merchants, but the band makes up for that with their enthusiasm.

64. Eradicator - The Atomic Blast

The Atomic Blast is an enjoyable rethrash debut from this German band. The songs are mostly midpaced and contain simple, catchy riffs in the vein of early Metallica and Slammer with the occasional Exodus reference. The vocals are also enjoyably old school with no growling or blackened shrieks to be heard.

65. The Number Twelve Looks Like You – Worse Than Alone

The band’s previous disc, Mongrel, ranked highly on my list of releases in 2007, and it still is the most enjoyable complex noisecore release I have heard. Their approach on Worse Than Alone is generally similar to that on Mongrel, but the dissonance and mania have been toned down slightly in favor of more accessible quirkiness and a bit more variety. I occasionally get an early Thought Industry vibe, which is a huge compliment coming from me. I just wish the songs were a bit more memorable.

66. Beheaded Zombie - Happiness for All

Yeah, horrible name, I know, but they are Russian so maybe their moniker is cool in Moscow. This is the band’s fourth album, but it seems to be the first that is really worthwhile. The band labels their music as avant-garde post death metal, which sounds pretty accurate to me. The vocals consist of growls, but the music is far removed from anything you would hear a typical death metal band play. There is often little to no distortion in the guitar, which consists of melodious swirling jazzy playing. The audible bass is not overly busy most of the time, but it adds to the cool vibe of the songs. The drum performance is solid with the occasional flourish to add spice.

67. Neurosplit Prophet - Encrypted Future Contingency

Neurosplit Prophet also hails from Russia and plays a groovy brand of modern death metal with some degree of influence from Meshuggah, Fear Factory, and early Decapitated. This is not my favorite style of death metal by any means, but the band spices things up well with some off-kilter time signatures and the occasional bit o widdly.

68. Back from Ashes – s/t EP

As on their 2007 album, Broken, this EP features modern commercial metal with the occasional core element. Melodic clean vocals are utilized along with a fair amount of gruffness, but there are few annoying screams. Back from Ashes writes simple, effective songs that could easily be at home on a modern rock station if they got the right push.

69. Outloud - We'll Rock You to Hell and Back Again!

This is 80s American hair metal played by Europower dudes in 2009. Outloud features members of Firewind and Talon, and they do their best to sound like Bon Jovi, Mr. Big, and perhaps just a smidge of 38 Special. Yeah, like most sane people, I normally would not like such a combo, as I was always more on the Crue/Ratt/Dokken side of the leather studded codpiece, but most of these tunes work for me. The ballad “Lovesigh”, however, deserves special mention for the depth of its saccharine grotesquery.

70. Complex 7 - c7.09 EP

After a six year absence, this German prog metal band has issued another interesting album that melds the classic Fates Warning template with a more aggressive approach. The vocals are a mix of clean, melodic singing and gruffer vocalizing similar to that heard in some thrash bands. Works for me.

71. Arise - The Reckoning

I guess this is why I try album after album from a band even though I never like their material. On their fourth disc, this Swedish group has finally learned how to write enjoyable thrashy death riffage. Nothing new, but fun enough.

72. Obsequy – Thoughtcrime

Obsequy (noun) - A funeral rite or ceremony at which teenage musicians pay tribute to Chuck Schuldiner and interject some tentative jazzy interludes. These kids would appear to have a bright future ahead of them in the complex death realm, especially since they look like they have not even hit puberty yet.

73. Urto - Upside Down

Italian thrash featuring music that is not an unimaginative slave to the past. Sure, the bludgeoning crunchy riffs of yore are present (and done quite well, I might add), but these lads mix up the music with a decent amount of tempo changes, guitar pyrotechnics, and interesting drumming. The only drawback is some of the songs sound a bit similar to each other.

74. Witheria - Painful Escape

Enthusiastic, intense classic thrash riffage with death/screaming vocals from the lads hailing from Espoo, Finland. I like their 2005 debut, Infernal Maze, but Witheria has raised every aspect of their game on Painful Escape. Even the cover art is kind of cool. This hardly transcends the genre, but thrashers might well find this album to be worth their time.

75. Steel Panther - Feel the Steel

This is the debut from the L.A. parody band. I think some of their lyrics are funny, and many others are way too obvious and dumb. I like Feel the Steel well enough overall because, despite the jokiness (or perhaps because of it – is there such a thing as taking a song seriously in this genre?) most of the tunes on the album are enjoyable hair metal ditties. The music and melodies are well done, even if the humor is rather hit-or-miss with me.

76. Corroded - Eleven Shades of Black

Mainstream radio metal from Sweden with some elements of Disturbed and, gasp!, Nickelback. If the album was more consistent in quality and featured more killer tracks like “Six Feet of Anger”, “Time and Again”, “King of Nothing”, and “Come on In”, Eleven Shades of Black would rank significantly higher on this list. The weaker songs are still worthwhile, however, which makes it easy to want to buy the album. Good luck doing so though, as Corroded is yet another Euroband who does not seem to care that no one in the US can actually purchase their CD.

77. Woe of Tyrants - Kingdom of Might

Kingdom of Might is a fun collection of melodic thrashy death riffs with the occasional nod to the busier sound of, say, Arsis circa We Are the Nightmare. These guys seem to have a lot of potential, and I look forward to hearing what they come up with next.

78. Pitch Black - Hate Division

Modern thrash with some decent simplistic stompin' riffs. Think Dew-Scented – Inwards meets Susperia – Unlimited… in Portugal. Hate Division is certainly a vast improvement over their lackluster 2005 debut, Thrash Killing Machine.

79. Angel of Disease – Hypercube

This Georgian (the country, not the state) band incorporates the styles of latter day Death, proggy Voivod, and perhaps some recent Sadist. The production could be crisper, but the music is quite engaging, especially the rhythm section. Hypercube is a worthy addition to the collection of any fan of complex death.

80. Skiller - Novels of Suburbia

This is one of the few releases I have bought in digital form because it is not available in a physical format. That annoys Old Man Frank, but I make up for that a bit by liking Skiller’s decidedly modern musical approach. Novels of Suburbia is yet another example of a band taking the Depeche Mode Era Soilwork style and making it more engaging to my ears. Fans of Scar Symmetry and their ilk should definitely give Skiller a shot.

81. White Wizzard - High Speed GTO

Unabashed throwback metal with Maiden guitar melodies and proto-metal/hard rockish riffs and choruses. Fun stuff.

82. Widescreen Mode - The Hanging Man

More mainstream metal from Europe, this time from the metallically overachieving country of Finland. The vocals are not world class, but they work well enough for me. Disturbed comes to mind again, but Widescreen Mode also incorporates some modern Metallica groove and crunch.

83. Violated - Only Death Awaits

This CD opens with Jesse Ventura’s “Ain’t got time to bleed” line from Predator. That tells you all you really need to know about the debut from these Norwegian thrashers. Only Death Awaits sounds like it could have been released in 1987, well, except for the slightly more intense vocals. I guess it is a little more Dew Scented – Inwards than Reign in Blood, but I think you get the idea.

84. Revocation - Existence Is Futile

Revocation’s previous CD, Empire of the Obscene, occupied the fifth slot on my list for 2008. They blew me away with their invigorating brand of thrashy death and were one of the most exciting new bands I had heard in years. So what happened on Existence Is Futile? The music is generally in the same style as that on Empire. It’s not like they recorded a duet with Cristina Scabbia or anything. I just find the songwriting to not be nearly as engaging as on their previous offering. The songs also seem less busy overall, with many of them relying on simpler riffs that neither impress with their virtuosity nor get under my skin and force me to bang my head to the embarrassment of my wife and amusement of those in the lane next to me. I kept trying to rank this album higher on the list, but I couldn’t do it. I still think this band has a tremendous amount of potential, but they did not let it shine on this album.

85. Verdict Denied – Condamned

The riffage on this Greek band’s debut brings to mind two specific albums: Accuser – Who Dominates Who and Poltergeist – Depression. Verdict Denied is often labeled as “tech thrash”, but their music is not busy enough to my ears to earn that moniker. That said, the band certainly is more ambitious and has more going on than the vast majority of current thrashers.

86. Verdict - Assassin : Nation

This is the third album I have bought directly from this independent German band, and they have yet to sour our international relations with a subpar musical effort. Assassin : Nation is another enjoyable foray into vicious thrash a la classic Kreator and Slayer with harsher vocals that border on death metal.

87. Fool's Game - Reality Divine

Crooks and crew did a good job on this one. I enjoy the simple, catchy power metal riffage and the melodic leads. I am not normally a fan of the vocals of Lars from Manticora, but his performance on Reality Divine fits the music quite well and adds a lot to the atmosphere of the disc. Add in some memorable choruses and some earnest Crookie monster vocals, and you have an enjoyable album that, though traditional in approach, does not sound a lot like anything I've recently come across.

88. Trazom - Reclamation of Power EP

Classic thrash from Ohio with a somewhat mushy production (it is an independent release) that is more than made up for by the band’s enthusiastic journey into the glory days of my favorite style of metal. The relatively clean, somewhat melodic vocals are a nice change of pace from the typical rethrash growlies. Fans of the good old days of thrash and American power metal should check out Trazom.

89. While Heaven Wept - Vast Oceans Lachrymose

I know a lot of people who were feverishly anticipating this album, the band’s first in six years, but I was not one of them. I never got into Of Empires Forlorn, which many consider to be a classic, so I had no reason to expect much from Vast Oceans Lachrymose. In the end, I was pleased that the band eschewed doominess for the most part in favor of more energetic styles such as the early Sculptured vibe (sans death vocals) on the epic opening track or the spot on early Fates Warning tribute on “To Wander the Void”. The disc unfortunately peters out for me during the last three tracks, as the songs are a bit too repetitive and the epilogue is just an excerpt from my mom’s Soothing Sounds of the Sea CD. I look forward to hearing their next album in 2015 (While Heaven Wept not Nature’s Soundscapes or K-Tel or whoever the hell puts out those background noise albums for grandmothers and hippies).

90. Slayer - World Painted Blood

Well, I liked the retro feel of Christ Illusion (the first Slayer disc I had appreciated since a few songs on Divine Intervention), and I also respect Slayer’s desire to look forward on World Painted Blood. This is not another attempt to return to their glory days. Of course, it still sounds like Slayer, but, for better or worse, the tunes have a slightly more modern feel. I miss their heftier sound of yore (the riffs especially would benefit from some beefing up), but I can deal with the downtuning. The solos, if you can call them that, however, are rather embarrassing, even by Slayer’s standards. They honestly seem like a parody of the far more effective frantic whammy fests on, say, Reign in Blood. Despite these misgivings, I am quite pleased to be able to enjoy the last two albums from one of the Big Four of Thrash. I cannot say the same for the other three branches of the royal family tree.

91. Dysrhythmia - Psychic Maps

I finally like an album from these guys! Psychic Maps is heavy, interesting, and quirky without being overly complex. Obviously, I hear a touch of Behold the Arctopus due to Marston, but the music is not nearly as crazy as the material on Skullgrid. Dysrhythmia also has a more accessible vibe to them, as I was occasionally ever so lightly reminded of Mastodon in a few passages. I am happy I can add a Dysrhythmia disc to my collection.

92. Disarmonia Mundi - The Isolation Game

This is easily the most consistently solid effort from the band that holds the title of “Most Brazen Depeche Mode Era Soilwork Minion”, as they just cut to the chase and hired Speed Strid to sing on their last few albums. He sounds good on the seven songs to which he contributes vocals, and the other singers are actually decent as well. Yes, this style blazes no new ground whatsoever, but as long as I like the songs, I am happy.

93. Invection - Demented Perception EP

Classic thrash through and through, right down to the muffled production and old school shouted and gang vocals. They remind me a bit of Agony circa The First Defiance (1988), if anyone remembers that one. Works for me!

94. Derelict - Unspoken Words

Worthwhile death metal that, depending on the song, sounds like old school death, thrashy death, or Death sans the widdly. Nothing awesome, but I appreciate that they change it up a bit from song to song.

95. Deviated Presence - Fractured Mind

Deviated Presence is a busier, more energetic and progressive version of Opeth. I revisited this German band this year, and I am quite pleased that I took the time. I ended up acquiring all three of their albums, including Fractured Mind, their latest. My main issue with their latest effort is that it features a lot of clean vocals, and the vocalist really should stick to growls. The epic music kicks ass though. Sometimes I can get past the dodgy warbling to enjoy all the interesting, varied riffage and cool drum fills. Some days I cannot.

96. Delirium - All These Years of Dying

Classic melodic death… from Mexico! These guys have their shit together much more than most of their metalhead countrymates. I ordered both this CD and their 2005 debut, A Day after Die (okay, they could have come up with a better title perhaps) from the band, and I was impressed with the cool packaging. Definitely not a cut-rate product. Very few worthwhile bands still write music in this style, and I am happy to have found another band to feed my hunger for new melodeath records.

97. Need - Siamese God

These Greek lads have an interesting sound. They play modern metal that is significantly groove-oriented and has aggro moments, but they also throw some Nevermore (no more obviously than on their track “Flesh Machines”), GracePoint, and Tool into the mix. The rhythm section is the musical highlight for me given the clearly audible bass playing and the little touches on the drumming that keep things interesting. Several of the tracks have choruses that are so catchy, I could almost hear them being played on a mainstream hard rock radio station. Of course, that will never happen, so I suggest you support the band by ordering Siamese God from them. As with Delirium, the packaging is pretty cool for an independent band.

98. August Burns Red – Constellations

Holy shit, a standard (no widdly, no death metal, no eclectic touches) metalcore disc that I actually find worthwhile! Constellations is not as engaging as its predecessor Messengers, but it is a worthwhile entry in a style that has yielded very little of interest to me in recent years.

99. Baroness - Blue Record

Blue Record seems less heavy than Red Album, and there is a more traditional metal feel to some of the songs. Turns out this is an improvement for my tastes. I appreciate the clean vocals, as they much more enjoyable than the gruff vocals on the previous disc. Some reasonably catchy choruses and vocal melodies exist, and the music, while nowhere near the awesomeness on Mastodon's Crack the Skye, shares some of the same elements on a basic level. If more of the songs were as cool and catchy as “Jake Leg”, Blue Record would be a scorcher.

100. Skeletonwitch - Breathing the Fire

Breathing the Fire is another worthwhile no frills thrash offering with some melodic death stylings from these upstanding citizens of Ohio. Skeletonwitch does a good job of being Witchery for today’s youth.

101. Return from Exile - s/t

Return from Exile is a metalcore band that embraces the melodeathcore style whole-heartedly with oodles of melodic riffs and leads, but adds enough chugga chugga and core screams to insure you are listening to something modern. This is a good genre effort.

102. Divinity - The Singularity

The Singularity sounds like a mix of Fear Factory and Darkane – Layers of Lies to my ears with a touch of Meshuggah and Soilwork. This is not a bad mix by any means, but it is not my favorite style of metal. Divinity could benefit from writing more songs like “Lay in the Bed You’ve Made”, which combines some Soilworkian catchiness and lightens up a bit on the bludgeoning and screaming. That said, the album is quite good for the genre. If I appreciated the aggro side of things more, this would easily be much higher on my list.

103. The Black Dahlia Murder – Deflorate

Deflorate is similar to their solid previous disc, Nocturnal. I never get too enthused over TBDM, but I now like three of their four albums. At their best, they remind me of a less involved, less talented version of Arsis. That may not sound like much of a compliment, but given that Arsis has two albums in my top 20 of all time, that's not too shabby.

104. God Forbid – Earthsblood

Earthsblood does not touch their one great disc, Gone Forever, but this is better than its boring predecessor. This album is a bit more diverse too, as there is considerable variation among the tracks, and there is not much standard metalcore left in their sound.

105. The Isosceles Project - Oblivion's Candle

This instrumental offering consists of four songs ranging from around eight to fourteen minutes in length. The opening track “Doppleganger” is my favorite with its catchy stomping baseline riff and the shifting ancillary variations that follow. To my delight, this happens to be the 14 minute track. The album as a whole has a bit of a jam feel to it, like some of the extended instrumental segments on the latest offerings from Mastodon and Baroness. I also get a Scale the Summit vibe occasionally, but I find The Isosceles Project to be more engaging overall than StS.

106. Savage Messiah - Insurrection Rising

Enjoyable power metal of the American variety, from the UK. Quality thrashy riffage and decent clean, yet gritty vocals. Not much of this style out there that I like these days.

107. Odium - At the Bottom

This Canadian band is pretty much equal parts Dark Tranquillity and Soilwork. Most of the choruses feature clean, melodic vocals that are performed quite well. This is good material, but it feels overly familiar at times.

108. Wolf - Ravenous

With Ravenous, Wolf’s winning streak has been extended to five albums. That said, the Swedes barely made the cut. The music is still a fun romp through the realm of traditional metal, and the band remains one of the best current bands playing this venerated style. The songwriting, however, is noticeably weaker for my tastes. There are no killer tracks, nor are there any highly infectious choruses. These shortcomings make Ravenous my least favorite entry in their discography. I hope they get more of their mojo back on their next album.

109. Lye by Mistake - Fea Jur

This is an odd one. On their 2006 debut Arrangements for Fulminating Vective, Lye by Mistake was an abrasive complex noisecore band that inserted some very jazzy segments into their tunes. For Fea Jur, they signed to Metal Blade and released an instrumental metallic jazz fusion freakout. Not exactly typical for the record label that brought us bands such as Artch and Lizzy Borden. The primary reason for the lower placement of Fea Jur on my list is that, unlike the mighty Exivious, the metal and fusion are not integrated as well as I would like. Often on this album, a significant portion of a tune is straight fusion, which causes my interest to wane. Regardless of my preferences, these guys are clearly quite talented, and I look forward to hearing what they come up with next.

110. Animals as Leaders - s/t

This is a bit too Shrapnel guitar hero for me at times, but the more interesting passages make this instrumental metal effort from Tosin Abasi, former Reflux guitarist, worthwhile. I really wish Reflux was still active though, as The Illusion of Democracy (2004) is one of my favorite metalcore releases.

111. Scale the Summit - Carving Desert Canyons

Another enjoyable instrumental metal album from the metalized version of Canvas Solaris. I even heard LITE in a few songs as well. Similar to their debut, in general.

112. Born of Osiris - A Higher Place

One of the titular BornoftheFacelessVeil bands releases its sophomore effort. The chugga chugga breakdown segments from the debut are thankfully less prevalent, and the tunes are a bit more diverse overall. The music, however, feature less widdly than they displayed on their first disc, and the songs themselves are less engaging. A Higher Place is worthwhile, but I hope they change their approach a bit on their next album.

113. Augury - Fragmentary Evidence

I have never been as big of a fan of Augury as most tech death aficionados seem to be, but last year I came to appreciate their 2004 debut Concealed. I also enjoyed their 2006 demo and was eagerly anticipating their sophomore album. Once Fragmentary Evidence arrived, however, I found the riffs forming the basic structure of many of the songs to be rather uninspiring blackened death. The fun comes in short stretches of bass and guitar widdly. I hope they get more adventurous on their next album.

114. Enfold Darkness - Our Cursed Rapture

Music: Melodic thrashy death with the occasional nod to semi-complex brutal death (see “Exaltations, Parts 1 and 2”). Vocals: Mix of black metal shrieking and growlies. See if you can guess which musical and vocal approach I prefer. Yeah, when the shrieking dies down, and the music gets busier, Enfold Darkness is pretty cool. When they stick to the more classic melodic approach, they do not interest me as much.

115. Nocturnal Fear - Metal of Honor

I did not much of interest on this Michigan rethrash band’s previous effort, Code of Violence (2008), but Metal of Honor features enough simplistic classic thrash riffage for my nostalgia to provide enough of a warm fuzzy to give these guys a spin occasionally. They also incorporate some melodeath (blasting and oscillating riffs), and the vocals are solidly in the death metal vein.

116. Nightrage - Wearing a Martyr's Crown

I was into Nightrage’s 2003 debut, Sweet Vengeance, for a bit, but I tired of it. Their subsequent two releases did little for me, so I hardly had high expectations for their latest effort. To my surprise, I found Wearing a Martyr’s Crown to be solid melodic thrashy death. Nothing new here, but the songs are executed well enough to warrant a listen from time to time.

117. Warbringer - Waking into Nightmares

Warbringer seems to be one of the more highly regarded groups in the overpopulated rethrash movement, but I could not get into their 2008 debut, War without End. On Waking into Nightmares, the band has come up with more engaging riffs and a bit more variety in their songwriting. Just a bit though – they basically still sound like a less catchy version of Exodus with perhaps a touch of Extreme Aggression/Coma of Souls era Kreator.

Bulb - Best of Misha Mansoor [Not an official release, so it is not ranked]

This is the dude from Periphery playing some kickass instrumental metal. A lot of the riffage is very Meshuggized, but it's still interesting and there's lots of additional widdly in the mix.

2008 RELEASES

Devian - God to the Illfated

These Swedes play a brand of predominantly mid-paced death metal that incorporates both the sounds of yore (early Death and Entombed) and the slightly more recent stylings of melodic death. Many of the riffs on God to the Illfated are some of the catchiest I have heard on what is essentially a standard death metal album.

Hybrid Heaven - The Textures of Spirits

Complex, sloppy thrash somewhat akin to Aydra, but they're not as heavy or frenetic as the Italian band. The vocals on this suck in a rather large way, but I can ignore them in order to enjoy the awesome music. This is a lot of fun is you're not into precision or vocals. Available from the band for $10!

In Malice's Wake - Eternal Nightfall

This is a quite enjoyable slab of classic thrash with above average drumming from this Aussie band. The gruff vocals are not the best, but they are not full blown scratchy growls of the typical rethrash variety.

Necropolis - There Is a Place

Latter day Death-influenced effort from this Argentinean band. The music is much rawer and far less accomplished than anything Chuck released, but the album is worth a listen for fans of this style.

Outcast - Self-Injected Reality

I did not get into this French band when I first heard them in 2008, but I have had a change of heart. Outcast plays an interesting blend of semi-complex Meshuggah off-kilter riffing and the more fluid style of Illogicist. The resulting mix is occasionally a bit abrasive, but it is almost always engaging.

PRE-2008 RELEASES

Abstrakt Algebra - s/t (1995)

When revisiting Candlemass’s backcatalog, I added Abstrakt Algebra into the queue as well, and I am glad I did so. As expected, I significantly prefer the band’s power metal tunes over the doomier numbers, but all of the songs have something to offer.

Apocryphal Death – Demo 2003
Apocryphal Death – Hybrid – Promo 2006

Decent obscure complex death from the Czech Republic. No specific comparisons come to mind other than there is some of the ubiquitous latter day Death in the mix. Too bad they never released an album.

Ark - Burn the Sun (2001)
Ark - s/t (1999)

Yes, I finally came around on this band. Burn the Sun is not an all-time favorite for me like it is for many of my metal friends, but it definitely is a tasty slab of catchy prog metal. The Whitesnake vibe makes it even more fun. Note that that is a compliment from me – I even like several songs on Slip of the Tongue! The songwriting and production on Ark’s debut are not as top notch, but there is still plenty to like on that album as well.

Astharoth - Gloomy Experiments (1990)

This album will only appeal to the classic thrash diehards that grew up with this kind of material, but a few folks might dig this as much as I am right now. The production is poor, but the music is cool. Astharoth played somewhat proggy thrash with some elements of Mekong Delta and Deathrow - Deception Ignored. They were clearly not as musically accomplished as those two bands, so do not expect Astharoth to live up to the greats. For those who love this style of music, however, Gloomy Experiments is definitely worth a listen.

Atrocity - Todessehnsucht (Longing for Death) (1992)

I had tried at least one Atrocity album in the past, but I did not get into what I heard. I revisited Todessehnsucht (Longing for Death), and it wasn't bad. Early semi-proggy death. This disc reminded me a tiny bit of Nocturnus without the spacey keyboards. Not my favorite style, but definitely worthwhile. It is too bad Atrocity abandoned this style on their subsequent releases.

Candlemass - Tales of Creation (1989)

I knew Tales of Creation was my second fave album from their classic era, but I had previously decided I did not need to own it. After giving it another listen, I wanted to buy the disc. It's very solid throughout, and it's actually in print! That is a rarity for me when exploring backcatalogs these days.

Coram Lethe - Reminiscence (2000)

Another band from the amazing Italian complex metal scene. Coram Lethe is not quite as exciting to me as some of their countrymen playing this challenging style of metal, but Reminiscence is definitely an enjoyable listen. A latter day Death influence is prominent, but the band add some interesting twists and turns.

The Crinn - Kills Curiosity EP (2006)
The Crinn - s/t EP (2007)

Manic, insane, chaotic, and intricate, the music of The Crinn is easily some of the best complex noisecore I have ever heard. I am ashamed I had not heard of these guys earlier, as they are from the Twin Cities in Minnesota, which is where I grew up.

Crionic - Different (1993)

This is a great find. Cool proggy thrash from the Czech Republic, and I actually was able to track down the CD pretty easily! Needs more listens to better describe it, but all fans of classic thrash should check it out. Those who need lots of widdly probably won't find enough craziness, but those who enjoy good thrash riffage with a little something extra should find Crionic to their liking.

Delirium - A Day after Die (2005)

More melodeath from Mexico. I might like this better than All These Years of Dying.

Deviated Presence - Eerie Sphere (2005)
Deviated Presence – Falls Passage (2004)

See my blurb on this year’s Fractured Mind. The clean vocals are dodgy on these two as well, but they do not seem to be as prominent.

Disaffected - Vast (1995)

A few years ago, I believe I received this from the tech death guru, Brian Meloon, but I must have been in a bad mood when I spun the CDR because I wrote it off. I saw it on a blog and picked it up again, and I am a happy camper. The music is mid-paced for the most part and is interesting without being overly busy. Proggy more than complex. Keyboards add atmosphere without calling much attention to themselves. The first comparison that comes to mind is old Nocturnus, but Disaffected does not have that spacey, keyboard-driven vibe. Though the tracks on Vast are not particularly long, they have an epic feel to them due to the many changes in mood and tempo. No blastbeats or cricket chirps/bullfrog calls to be found, folks.

Disharmony (France) - Reversed Involution (2005)

Instrumental metal from the drummer from Necrophagist. It sounds like all those Shrapnel shred discs I could care less about, except it is heavier and more interesting musically to my ears. I don't recall the drumming itself being anything special. The guitarwork is what stood out to me.

Don Caballero - 2 (1995)

Another revisited disc success story. After enjoying LITE so much, I wanted to listen to DC again, and I was rewarded. Of course, the drumming sells the disc, but the guitar is interesting enough to make this instrumental album worthwhile.

Duobetic Homunkulus - Části a Mechanismy Strojů Demo(2006)

Proggy, quirky, spacey death metal from the Czech Republic that is fairly original.

Fifth Angel - s/t (1986)

I never got into this back in the day, but I decided to try it again after they were mentioned on my favorite metal nerd board. I found the album to be a solid entry in the old Queensryche/Crimson Glory vein, though it is quite sparse musically (few riffs, slower pace). The primary shortcoming of the album is that the boring drums are too loud in the mix. They draw the listener's attention, and they really shouldn't. The vocals are quite good, however, and the songs work for me overall. It’s too bad the followup, Time Will Tell (1989) is almost a hair metal album at times. I will stick with the debut.

Goldenseed - Creatures of the Sea (1999)

Goldenseed is the project of Gabriele Pala, the guitar player in Karnak. This is some quirky progressive metal with clean and dirty vocals. Creatures of the Sea is not as interesting or as polished as their 2006 album Collector of Illusions, but it is still pretty cool. Those leaning toward the weirder end of the spectrum might like this one.

Gross Misconduct - The Process of Indoctrination (2007)

This Canadian band plays an engaging blend of classic thrash, thrashy death, and a touch of melodeath. The drumming is especially noteworthy for this type of music. Some of the song structures are a bit busier than what is typical. I look forward to hearing their forthcoming release.

Karnak - Perverted (1997)
Karnak - Melodies of Sperm Composed (2002)
Karnak - Tutti I Colori Del Buio EP (2002)

One of the oldest complex death bands from Italian scene, Karnak is an eclectic mix of Atheist, Death, and assorted weirdness, including an aggressive demeanor and a good helping of keyboards. My favorite of their releases is Melodies, but Tutti is quite interesting as well. Perverted is less musically involved and considerably rawer, but it has its moments. Their most recent release, the 2004 EP Laboratorium, is just too weird and dissonant for me.

Lord Crucifier - The Focus of Life (1988)

I had a horrible sounding tape transfer of this years ago, but the sound was too bad to bother listening to it. Thanks be to blogs, as this much better recording recently popped up. The music on this thrash album is quite frantic and messy, but it has a certain quirky charm. It even dabbles in slight progginess from time to time. Closest comparison I can come up with is Nasty Savage circa Indulgence, but LC does not sound much like any particular band I can think of.

Mithras - Beneath Shadows Lie Madness (2007)

This UK death metal band plays a somewhat unique style of death metal. The riffing that forms the structure of the songs is basic and monotonous. In addition, there are long stretches of prominent, constant double bass drumming that are quite distracting and annoying. So why do I find this disc worthwhile? Into this uninspiring framework, Mithras weaves oodles of odd, spacey guitar leads, and during these breaks, the tedious riffing and drumming morphs into something more interesting.

1980 - s/t (2007)

Fun instrumental jazzy Meshuggah metal.

Resistance - And Denied Was Their Future (1989)

An obscure nugget reviewed on the Random Metal Reviews blog (link below). Based on my first listen, it seems up my alley although I agree the band definitely had room for improvement.

http://randommetalreviews.blogspot.com/2009/06/resistance-and-denied-was-their-future.html

Sacred Rite - Rites of Passage Volumes 1 and 2 (2002)

This two disc compilation set features all of the recorded music from this traditional metal band from Hawaii. Their three albums (s/t [84], The Ritual [85], Is Nothing Sacred [86]) represent some of the best New Wave of British Heavy Metal-inspired music I have heard. There are a few more straight rock songs on each album that I do not care for, but the metallic songs range from good to great. I am glad I finally caught up with these guys.

Valkyria - s/t (1993)

The sticker on the Target - Master Project Genesis/Mission Executed reissue states: "For fans of Mekong Delta, Holy Moses, Valkyria, Living Death, Aspid, early Metallica." I found the reference to Aspid amusing since maybe ten people even know of the band, and none of us knew about them until their album Extravasation was issued for the first time on CD a few years ago. Anyway, I had not heard of Valkyria before. Turns out the joke was on me, as their self-titled debut album from 1993 is pretty cool. The songs sound somewhat like Mekong Delta, but not as proggy. They do throw some primitive keyboards amidst the classic thrash riffage though. This album was reissued as "Mystical Mass" in 2005, and I was lucky enough to snag a copy thanks to Matt Johnsen.

Vintersorg - The Focusing Blur (2004)

The music on The Focusing Blur is much better than what I had heard from the band in the past. There's a nice proggy edge to the tunes, and they even have some decent hooks. The impressive band lineup includes Steve DiGiorgio on bass and Asgeir Mickelson on drums. I have not noticed much spectacular insanity on bass, but the drumming is definitely cool. Some folks feel that this disc is unnecessarily similar to Visions from the Spiral Generator (2001), which features the same stellar rhythm section, but I feel The Focusing Blur features vastly superior songwriting.