20. Orcustus - Orcustus - Southern Lord aren’t typically known for Black Metal Releases, but this album came out of nowhere are totally killed it. Really great beefed up BM that is equally planted in traditional style and with some thrashy guitars thrown in to round things out. Definitely worth checking out.
19. Goatwhore - Carving Out the Eyes of God - I’ll be honest, I really didn’t like Goatwhore until I heard this album, and even then it took me almost a dozen listens to admit I was into it. A lot of people call this “Southern Black Metal,” but I think that’s a little generous. I would say it’s about 75% thrash and 25% BM. The real star on this album is the guitar work; some of the best riffs of the year.
18. Drudkh - Microcosmos - I love this band. They play BM that’s lo-fi but in a very likable way. Couple their tr00 sound with a great knack for song structure and great atmosphere and you’ve got a winner. Microcosmos is as epic an album as I’ve ever heard, and definitely one of the best in BM in the last 5 years.
17. Agoraphobic Nosebleed - Agorapocalypse - A lot of people tried to hate on AN for slowing things down on this album, but they can all fuck off. AN was borderline painful to listen to on previous release, but Agorapocalypse highlights all of the band’s strengths. Scott Hull is a total badass and can shred like no one else.
16. Lord Mantis - Spawning The Nephilim - I love this record. It’s super sludgy, doom, death metal. It’s brutal and never lets up. This album is all things metal. Check the review posted a while back for more details.
15. Kylesa - Static Tensions - This is the album I’ve been waiting for ever since Damad broke up. Kylesa’s last few albums were good, but not great; Static Tensions is great. Easily the best sludge album of the year, and contender for best of the decade. If you like sludgy metal with a D-beat hardcore influence then look no further.
14. Urna - Iter Ad Lucem - This album took me a little while to get into because it takes a long time to get through all of the tracks in one sitting, but once I invested the time I was blown away. Inter Ad Lucem is a stunning mix of funeral doom and black metal. Musically, Urna do a great job creating an eerie atmosphere but the star for me are the vocals, which are BM through and through and round out the sound of the album beautifully. A must own for doom fans.
13. Wodensthrone - Loss - I reviewed this album recently so I won’t say much about it. I love this record and feel it’s one of the strongest BM releases to ever come out of the UK. A stunning debut for sure.
12. Culted - Below the Thunderous Upper Deep - The most amazing thing about this album is the fact that these musicians have never played together in person. BtTUD is a crushing slab of blackened doom that gets more infectious every time I listen to it. I’m surprised how much I like this album now, because I didn’t really care for it all that much at first. A grower for sure.
11. Sunn O))) - Monoliths and Dimensions - The most accessible Sunn O))) album ever, and it’s totally great. This is Sunn O))) doing what they do; heaps of atmosphere that switch between suffocating and vast. If you like Sunn O))) then I’m sure you already have this and if you never liked them I doubt this will change your mind.
10. YOB - The Great Cessation
FUCK YES! I love YOB. They have been one of my favorite doom bands for the last 5 years, and I was really bummed when they split-up, so imagine my joy when I heard they were reuniting and putting out a new studio album. The Great Cessation plays on everything YOB did well on their first two records, but it sounds meaner this time around. A killer album from beginning to end.
9. Asphyx - Death…The Brutal Way
Another recently reviewed album, Death…The Brutal Way is a real barn burner. This is the epitome of the Swedish death metal sound, and it’s coming from a Dutch band.
8. The Gates of Slumber - Hymns of Blood and Thunder
If you like Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, or even relatively new bands like Pharaoh, but want less annoying vocals then you should love this. Classic metal with a kick. Killer riffs, great grooves, and songs about dragons = Awesomeness.
7. Funeral Mist - Maranatha
Arioch (Daniel Rosten) is probably the best black metal vocalist working today. Pulling double duty between Funeral Mist and Marduk, this guy just sounds like the devil. Maranatha is only slightly eclipsed by the new Marduk album.
6. Marduk - Wormwood
I never took this band seriously until now. Wormwood is stunning black metal that pushes the boundaries of the genre. The great thing about this album is its pacing; switching between slow and grating, and high octane shred-fest. A truly great album in a year filled with excellent BM releases.
5. Burnt by the Sun - Heart of Darkness
This is BBtS’ swansong, and it is magnificent. I posted a more in=depth review a month or so ago in which I gave praise to the attention to groove present on Heart of Darkness, and I stand behind my initial reactions wholeheartedly. Math metal can be good!
4. Nile - Those Whom the Gods Detest
Nile finally delivered on the promises made on In Their Darkened Shrines. If you love death metal go get this album, if you don’t stay far, far away.
3. Napalm Death - Time Waits For No Slave
The band who basically invented Grindcore deliver the best grind album of the year…go figure. This is probably the catchiest grind album I’ve heard since Nasum’s Helvete. Time Waits… is brutal, unrelenting, and altogether fantastic.
2. Krallice - Dimensional Bleedthrough
Nerd metal album of the year for sure. This is black metal for people who think too much. I liked Krallice’s debut, but I never imagined that a year later they would come back with a monster like Dimensional Bleedthrough. Listen with headphones.
1. Ahab - The Divinity of the Oceans
Here it is, my pick for the best album of 2009. This was a stellar year for metal releases, but the one album that stands above the rest is Ahab’s The Divinity of the Oceans. A modern funeral doom classic, TDotO is a gorgeous album that builds layers and layers of texture and engulfs its listeners. The audio mix on this album add a lot of extra punch, and helps translate the band’s talent for songwriting. A fantastic example of funeral doom, and a must own for any self respecting metal fan.
19. Goatwhore - Carving Out the Eyes of God - I’ll be honest, I really didn’t like Goatwhore until I heard this album, and even then it took me almost a dozen listens to admit I was into it. A lot of people call this “Southern Black Metal,” but I think that’s a little generous. I would say it’s about 75% thrash and 25% BM. The real star on this album is the guitar work; some of the best riffs of the year.
18. Drudkh - Microcosmos - I love this band. They play BM that’s lo-fi but in a very likable way. Couple their tr00 sound with a great knack for song structure and great atmosphere and you’ve got a winner. Microcosmos is as epic an album as I’ve ever heard, and definitely one of the best in BM in the last 5 years.
17. Agoraphobic Nosebleed - Agorapocalypse - A lot of people tried to hate on AN for slowing things down on this album, but they can all fuck off. AN was borderline painful to listen to on previous release, but Agorapocalypse highlights all of the band’s strengths. Scott Hull is a total badass and can shred like no one else.
16. Lord Mantis - Spawning The Nephilim - I love this record. It’s super sludgy, doom, death metal. It’s brutal and never lets up. This album is all things metal. Check the review posted a while back for more details.
15. Kylesa - Static Tensions - This is the album I’ve been waiting for ever since Damad broke up. Kylesa’s last few albums were good, but not great; Static Tensions is great. Easily the best sludge album of the year, and contender for best of the decade. If you like sludgy metal with a D-beat hardcore influence then look no further.
14. Urna - Iter Ad Lucem - This album took me a little while to get into because it takes a long time to get through all of the tracks in one sitting, but once I invested the time I was blown away. Inter Ad Lucem is a stunning mix of funeral doom and black metal. Musically, Urna do a great job creating an eerie atmosphere but the star for me are the vocals, which are BM through and through and round out the sound of the album beautifully. A must own for doom fans.
13. Wodensthrone - Loss - I reviewed this album recently so I won’t say much about it. I love this record and feel it’s one of the strongest BM releases to ever come out of the UK. A stunning debut for sure.
12. Culted - Below the Thunderous Upper Deep - The most amazing thing about this album is the fact that these musicians have never played together in person. BtTUD is a crushing slab of blackened doom that gets more infectious every time I listen to it. I’m surprised how much I like this album now, because I didn’t really care for it all that much at first. A grower for sure.
11. Sunn O))) - Monoliths and Dimensions - The most accessible Sunn O))) album ever, and it’s totally great. This is Sunn O))) doing what they do; heaps of atmosphere that switch between suffocating and vast. If you like Sunn O))) then I’m sure you already have this and if you never liked them I doubt this will change your mind.
10. YOB - The Great Cessation
FUCK YES! I love YOB. They have been one of my favorite doom bands for the last 5 years, and I was really bummed when they split-up, so imagine my joy when I heard they were reuniting and putting out a new studio album. The Great Cessation plays on everything YOB did well on their first two records, but it sounds meaner this time around. A killer album from beginning to end.
9. Asphyx - Death…The Brutal Way
Another recently reviewed album, Death…The Brutal Way is a real barn burner. This is the epitome of the Swedish death metal sound, and it’s coming from a Dutch band.
8. The Gates of Slumber - Hymns of Blood and Thunder
If you like Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, or even relatively new bands like Pharaoh, but want less annoying vocals then you should love this. Classic metal with a kick. Killer riffs, great grooves, and songs about dragons = Awesomeness.
7. Funeral Mist - Maranatha
Arioch (Daniel Rosten) is probably the best black metal vocalist working today. Pulling double duty between Funeral Mist and Marduk, this guy just sounds like the devil. Maranatha is only slightly eclipsed by the new Marduk album.
6. Marduk - Wormwood
I never took this band seriously until now. Wormwood is stunning black metal that pushes the boundaries of the genre. The great thing about this album is its pacing; switching between slow and grating, and high octane shred-fest. A truly great album in a year filled with excellent BM releases.
5. Burnt by the Sun - Heart of Darkness
This is BBtS’ swansong, and it is magnificent. I posted a more in=depth review a month or so ago in which I gave praise to the attention to groove present on Heart of Darkness, and I stand behind my initial reactions wholeheartedly. Math metal can be good!
4. Nile - Those Whom the Gods Detest
Nile finally delivered on the promises made on In Their Darkened Shrines. If you love death metal go get this album, if you don’t stay far, far away.
3. Napalm Death - Time Waits For No Slave
The band who basically invented Grindcore deliver the best grind album of the year…go figure. This is probably the catchiest grind album I’ve heard since Nasum’s Helvete. Time Waits… is brutal, unrelenting, and altogether fantastic.
2. Krallice - Dimensional Bleedthrough
Nerd metal album of the year for sure. This is black metal for people who think too much. I liked Krallice’s debut, but I never imagined that a year later they would come back with a monster like Dimensional Bleedthrough. Listen with headphones.
1. Ahab - The Divinity of the Oceans
Here it is, my pick for the best album of 2009. This was a stellar year for metal releases, but the one album that stands above the rest is Ahab’s The Divinity of the Oceans. A modern funeral doom classic, TDotO is a gorgeous album that builds layers and layers of texture and engulfs its listeners. The audio mix on this album add a lot of extra punch, and helps translate the band’s talent for songwriting. A fantastic example of funeral doom, and a must own for any self respecting metal fan.
Comment. Co-ma-ma-ma-ment. (to the tune of Final Countdown)
ReplyDeleteSuck it nerd!
Also; beep! beep! beep!
ahab is definitely #1. i can't stop listening to it.
ReplyDeleteGood list, I would probably change Ahab and Yob. The Great Cessation is definitely my #1 metal album of the year Sorta suprised you didn't have the new Black Cobra....but they really don't do anything new, but they do it well. Did you hear the Children album? Get it here: http://www.mediafire.com/?jzfthel3lmy
ReplyDeleteits probably in my top 5.
Thanks for the link. That Children album kills.
ReplyDelete