Phage's Best Albums 2009

I don’t know about you, but personally this has been one of the best years what comes to new releases. There were plenty of good stuff released last year too, but somehow the overall amount of great albums was much greater. It might be due to my somewhat broader taste in music that increased the selection but still what a year for a music fan – especially a metal music fan. All of the listed records are also in my CD shelf as they should be…

Traditionally people tend to rank their selection starting from number one and end up to some even number like ten or twenty but I won’t do that. It simply isn’t fair to put albums to order meaning that one is better than the other. I only separate three albums from the rest – mainly based on the play counts (one of the best indicators of my appreciation, of course corrected with normalization to the time they’ve been available). 
Top three new releases of the year 2009:

1. Deströyer666 – Defiance



What more can I say but a perfect album. I wasn’t familiar with D666 before so I didn’t have any expectations from earlier albums. Everything I like about metal music is included here: aggressiveness, heaviness, perfect riffs, atmosphere and a certain level of epic storytelling. In addition the package is perfect. Nice cover art and inner leaflet. The diversity of this record guaranties my attraction for a long time.

2. Amorphis – Skyforger



Epic ending for the Kalevala –trilogy from the Finish masters. I loved the two earlier concept albums Eclipse and The Silent Water and it was hard to figure out how they could keep up the level. I should never doubt it is possible for they proved otherwise. Great album, great band.

3. Artillery – When Death Comes



This is somewhat a comeback album from these Danish thrashers boosted with a new vocalist. I think this upgrade really helped them to create almost a perfect metal album. Amazing songs, great riffs, just what more could one ask? “When Death Comes” is definitively one of the most positive surprises of the year 2009.

The rest of the best as I call the following great records are (in alphabetical order): 

Alice in Chains – Black Gives Way To Blue *****
Be’lakor – Stone’s Reach ****
Candlemass – Death Magic Doom **** 
Ghost Brigade – Isolation Songs ****
Highway Child – On The Old King’s Road ****
Hypocrisy – A Taste Of Extreme Divinity *****
Immortal – All Shall Fall ****
Insomnium – Across The Dark ****
Katatonia – Night Is The New Day *****
Mastodon – Crack The Skye ****
Megadeth – Endgame ****
Paradise Lost – Faith Divides Us, Death Unites Us ****
Shrinebuilder – Shrinebuilder *****
Slayer – World Painted Blood *****

Best DVD-release of the year is Where Death Is Most Alive by Dark Tranquillity



DT if any band in the world needed a new Live-DVD for their earlier DVD "Live Damage" suffered from a really poor audience. This new live set is filmed in Italy and big thanks goes to the fans - you really made this DVD so great. I bought the biggest version including the live CD's as well. Very good worth for money I'd say.

Best EP and "new" band of 2009 is Barren Earth - Our Twilight

Phage's Best Albums 2007

I got an inspiration for this from one of my last.fm neighbour and his journal. These kinds of lists are besides fun to make.



Dark Tranquillity's Fiction is without a doubt the best album so far is.



This record has it all: brilliant melodies one after another, catchy choruses, excellent guitar play and keyboards that acts in concert with the guitars in a way I haven't heard before. Mikael Stanne gives again an example of his clean singing abilities in Misery's Crown. Lyrics are also bright and somewhat topical (at least according to my interpretation). A perfect melodic death metal album and one of the best albums all in all. A great buy. Only sad thing is that you don't get bonus tracks with the special edition CD. 

Amorphis - Silent Waters is a solid classic already.



Amorphis made its second long play with the same members and it really shows. They continue what the Eclipse started and vocalist Tomi Joutsen (Finnish word meaning a swan)does amazing job. This album is a journey and best when listened through from the beginning to the end, but it also works if you pick uo single songs. Story in based again in the Kalevala, a Finnish national epic. Sogs vary from heavy death metal styled to the ballad like. It's really facinating to listen to Joutsen's ability to switch from clean singing into growling and back flawlessly. One of the best Amorphis ever and solid number two after Fiction in the competition of the best album 2007. 



Paradise Lost - In Requiem was one of the biggest surprise of all. 



This album opened up doom metal to me. Every once in a while one needs tranquillity and doom metal is the music of choice for that. In Requiem is a solid entity without a week song. I bought a special edition that came in a black velvet box. That must be one of the most beautiful and coolest CD jewel case I ever seen.


Dimmu Borgir - In Sorte Diaboli



Another subgenre of metal that I wasn't acquainted with was black metal. I was quite close-mouthed toward black metal since many of the fans of black metal are narrow-minded teenagers. This record maybe one that is under a debate weather it is black metal or not. Frankly I don't care. To me, this is black metal and at least this I like. In Sorte Diaboli is an interesting mixture of metal and symphony music. Together they make a unique ensemble that is dark and gloomy. 

Shadows Fall - Threads Of Life



I can smell thrash metal hidden in this album. Former metalcore band has taken a leap forward with this album. 
I recommend this one to all metal fans since it is quite accessible and very well produced album.


Hellyeah - HELLYEAH



This album just rocks. Without a pretty stupid name :) this is a solid presentation from a super group build around Winnie Paul Abbot. Very versatile album from hardrock to something like metalcore, just like something you'd expect after mixing Pantera and Mudvayne. Chad Gray does a good job as lead vocalist.


Megadeth - United Abominations



One of my all times favourite has returned to the path I personally prefer. Dave Mustaine is a brilliant song writer, but previous albums have been somewhat below the expected level. UA corrects this in a single blow. I can easily pick up a future radio hit "Never Walk Alone...A Call To Arms" along "Sleepwalker" and "Washington is Next". Should have bought limited edition, but it wasn't available in a local record store by the release date and that was an album I just had to had on that day. I didn't even pre-listened to it before release date :) and it was worth waiting. As a completion to a perfect musical experience I saw Megadeth live about two weeks after the new album. 


Before the Dawn - Deadlight



It is always nice to find some homeland color from my list. Before The Dawn's latest is an interesting mixture of typical melodeath growling combined with clean vocals and very wisely portioned out female vocal and choir singing. Together they bundle up to dark and enigmatic ensemble. This is such record that when it ends you simply replay it at once. Single "Deadsong" has got lots of radio plays in Finland but I'd mention also opening track "Wrath" and ender "..." where female vocals bring some extra ambiance.