BEST OF 2009
2009 saw the return of that curiously strange phenomenon, the concept album, band careers have been won and lost on such releases but thankfully the ones released this year really good to OK. It started in January with Sepultura, who released an album based on the controversial Stanley Kubric film “A Clockwork Orange” and form the most part it worked. Both Vreid and God Dethroned released albums about the 2nd World War and both worked really well and Queeensryche, who are no stranger to the concept album released the excellent “American Soldier” which was more about the suffering of combatants and Green Day did one as well.
Album of the year eventually came down to 3 worthy candidates, Slayer, Immortal and The Sign Of The Southern Cross, the latter being the best debut I’ve heard in years. It was a difficult decision but eventually I came down in favour of Immortal purely because it was the first new album from them for 7 long years, the rest of my top 20 is listed below.
2009 has seen the decline of the CD single in favour of downloads, I have issues with this as what is the difference between an album track and a single when they are both the same, maybe its time to ditch the top 20 completely, in favour of most downloaded tracks.
Thanks to everyone for you support, without your help I could not do the Metal Mayhem show at all for Pipeline or HFM, Hfm reaches its 3rd year on air in February 2010 and Pipeline 15 years in September. Special thanks go out to Chris, Moley and all the Hfm crew, Simon (webmaster) Parry, Tom and all Pipeline and to the labels that still send promos, keep it up, the IPool is OK but no substitute for actually holding a real CD.
See you all in 2010.
Regards
Justin Case
Best Of 2009
Cannibal Corpse - Evisceration Plague
Candlemass - Death Magic Doom
Chimaira – The Infection
Ex Deo – Romulus
God Dethroned - Passiondale
Heaven & Hell – Better The Devil You Know
Herman Frank – Loyal To None
Hypocrisy - An Extreme Taste Of Divinity
Immortal – All Will Fall
Kreator – Hordes Of Chaos
Lamb Of God - Wrath
Mastodon – Crack The Skye
Megadeth – Endgame
My Dying Bride – The Lies I Sire
November’s Doom – Into Nights Requiem Infernal
Queensryche – American Soldier
Saxon – Into The Labyrinth
Scar Symmetry – Dark Matter Dimensions
Sign Of The Southern Cross - …Of Mountains & Moonshine
Slayer – World Painted Blood
Susperia - Attitude
Swallow The Sun - New Moon
Winds of Plague - The Great Stone War