MY LIST OF RECOMMENDED RELEASES FOR 2009

About dang time!

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.

Not a fan.

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.

Its good, but not great as some think.

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.

No thanks.

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.

Now this is pretty awesome.

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.

There were a couple songs that I liked, but I found it to be uneven overall.

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.

It's good, but not something I need.

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.

No disrespect to Nick, but I've never listened to his band.

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.

Very cool album.

81. White Wizzard - High Speed GTO

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

Kinda fun, but Holy Grail are better and by a fairly wide margin.

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.

Kind of a letdown after EotO, but there are some killer tracks.

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).

There is no good reason for this being ranked this low.

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.

Really good and their most metal album to date.

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.

It's cool, but I got tired of it really quick. A friend mentioned that this album was what StS was trying to do.

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.

Snooze-fest.