Metal Reviews

So what are your 2009 favorites so far? I'm curious to hear since I haven't really picked up any new albums this year except Kreator.

Hmm I dunno really. Arcana Coelestia - Le Mirage De Lideal is maybe my favorite. Other than that the new Razor of Occam, Destroyer 666, Kreator, Crystal Viper, Altar of Plagues are all honorable mentions.

Mastodon, I think.

From the top of my head Candlemass, Solstafir, Pensees Nocturnes, Kreator, Giant Squid, Isole, Wolves in the Throne Room.

(And Slough Feg, how can I have forgotten Ape Uprising).

I'm starting to love this annual mid-year thread.

1. Cattle Decapitation - The Harvest Floor
2. Candlemass - Death Magic Doom
3. Mastodon - Crack the Skye
4. Slough Feg - Ape Uprising
5. Saros - Acrid Plains
6. Wolves in the Throne Room - Black Cascade
7. Cobalt - Gin
8. Devin Townsend Project - Ki
9. Hacride - Lazarus
10. Ulcerate - Everything Is Fire
11. Altar of Plagues - White Tomb
12. Spiritus Mortis - The God Behind the God
13. God Dethroned - Passiondale
14. Mumakil - Behold the Failure
15. Warbringer - Waking into Nightmares

Crack The Skye and Spoils Of Failure is all I have so far... and both of them are really stinkin' good.

Plenty, I think it's been a good year.

I might be more systematic later, but big standouts so far are

Azarath
D666
Razor of Occam
Cobalt
Altar of Plagues
Madder Mortem
And I'm listening to the new Voivod now; it's fucking cool.

Gorod, Slough Feg, Centaurus A, maudlin of the well, Mastodon, Isis, Buried Inside

Mastodon, Animal Collective, Peste Noire. Throw in the new motW as well, I suppose.

In no particular order:

1. Wolves in the Throne Room - Black Cascade
2. Cage - Science of Annihilation
3. Gory Blister - Graveyard of Angels
4. Amorphis - Skyforger
5. Blut Aus Nord - Memoria Vetusta pt. II
6. Anubis Gate - The Detached (why any of their albums is reviewed here is beyond me, awesome band).
7. Khors - Mysticism
8. Kreator - Hordes of Chaos
9. Suidakra - Crogacht
10. Necrophobic - Death to All

2009 is proving to be a slow year for Metal. And I still don't understand what is so great about the new Slough Feg, I think is an overrated band. I prefer Dark Quarterer any time over them.

Cobalt - Gin
Napalm Death - Time Waits For No Slave
Autumn - Altitude
Sunn O))) - Monoliths & Dimensions
Ava Inferi - Blood Of Bacchus
Obituary - Darkest Day
Mastodon - Crack The Skye
Candlemass - Death Magic Doom
Ulcerate - Everything Is Fire
Dream Theater - Black Clouds & Silver Linings (loving this)
Brutal Truth - Evolution Through Revolution
Isis - Wavering Radiant
Ruins - Cauldron
She Said Destroy - This City Speaks In Tongues

Been a great year so far! Keep meaning to listen to that Khors, supposed to be good stuff.

for fucks sake... I forgot Blut Aus Nord, Gory Blister and Ulcerate!

Zad, you loving the new Dream Theater?

Not much in the way of metal, but my favourite album of 2009 so far has been Manic Street Preacher's "Journal for Plague Lovers". I'll pull up a list later.

Some top releases for me:

311 - Uplifter
Answer, The - Everyday Demons
Ben Harper And Relentless7 - White Lies For Dark Times
Candlemass - Death Magnetic Doom
Cauldron - Chained To The Nite (2CD)
Charm City Devils - Let's Rock-N-Roll
Dave Matthews Band - Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King
Derek Trucks Band, The - Already Free
Desolation Angels - Feels Like Thunder (4CD)
Devin Townsend - Ki
Emm Gryner - Goddess
Freakshow - Freakshow
Great White - Rising
Halestorm - Halestorm
Heaven & Hell - The Devil You Know (CD/DVD)
Living Things - Habeas Corpus
Rhino Bucket - The Hardest Town (w/Bonus Track)
Sam Roberts - Love At The End Of The World
Tori Amos - Abnormally Attracted To Sin
Vienna Teng- Inland Territory

Not a lot of metal did it for me so far this year.

Isn't Derek Trucks the guy who played with the Allman Brothers for a stint? Awesome slide player.

Kreator and Candlemass, so far. Can't wait to hear new Maiden, Megadeth, Slayer, Sacrifice, At War, and Obituary.

EDIT: oh yeah want to hear the new Cage aswell...

Cage-Science of Annihilation
Stratovarius-Polaris

Mastodon...

I should check out new Wolves in the Throne Room. Will mostly likely get new Dream Theater, just because.

If I had to make a top 15, it would feature, in alphabetical order

Agoraphobic Nosebleed - Agorapocalypse
Absu - Absu
Altar of Plagues - White Tomb
Antigama - Warning
Azarath - Praise the Beast
Cobalt - Gin
D666 - Defiance
Excoriate - On Pestilent Winds
Funeral Mist - Maranatha
Giant Squid - The Icthyologist
Hacride - Lazarus
Impiety - Terroreign
Madder Mortem - Eight Ways
Pensees Nocturnes - Vacuum
Peste Noire - Ballade...
Razor of Occam - Homage to Martyrs

Good year for bands beginning with "a"

Yeah, I think so. I just got into him this year. He's a wicked good guitarist. Definitely worth checking out if you can dig on that style of music.