Sami's best albums 2010

My best albums for 2010

19 Jan 2011, 21:14

My best of the best 2010. The list is absolutely subjective and proud to be so. I don’t even try to objectively analyze the albums since I know that there is so many people who can do it better. If you want to compare this to anything, check my list of listened tracks and if you agree with that you might also agree some to this list.

1.Barren Earth – Curse of the Red River
-Long waited album after the excellent EP. Did not let me down although the style was a bit different from the EP. Strong album in so many ways, does not wear or tear from listening tens of times.

2.Dark Tranquillity – We are the void
-Even if this album might not be just like the previous ones from DT, it is definitely a step to better for me. And hey who says that the bands can’t evolve. Fiction already made me a huge fan of this band and Void only strengthened it. Had a tough competition for the first podium with Barren Earth.

3.High on Fire – Snakes for the Divine
-The next three or four albums raced also very evenly in my list. The order could have been different in some other day, but this is how I put it now. Snakes for the Divine is just so heavy album that it really does not need a deeper analysis.

4.Brant Björk – Gods & Goddesses
-Feel good music, if you don’t feel relaxed after listening this there might be something wrong in you. Strongly reminds me of my old (past?) favorite singer Lenny Kravitz in his best days.

5.Enslaved – Axioma Ethica Odini
-If I would have found this album earlier it could be number three in my list. Now it probably suffered from too few times of listening and just lost to those two above. A full flawless album that grows with time.

6.Soulfly – Omen
-This album does good when you want to release some pressure. Full sounds, strong bass and quite a tempo throughout the album, does not require anything from you except maybe some headbanging.

7.In Mourning – Monolith
-This should start that the album was not as good as the first one, but it would not make justice for this album. The first album is soooo good that even not as good can earn its place in top ten. Great melodic death metal that is not and tries not to be too cute.

8.Throes of Dawn - The Great Fleet Of Echoes
-Dark metal perfectly describes the music in this album. I have no experience with their previous music, but this album alone makes sure that I will familiarize myself to it, even if it will not be as good as this. Melancholic, dark music without a hint of depression (which I do not like e.g. in Katatonia’s music).

9.The Sword – Warp Riders
-Again the album that I have listened too little to say anything clever. Keeps getting better every time I listen it. A solid top ten album without a doubt though, ended up to be ninth since I had a more profound knowledge to put other above it.

10.Nevermore - The Obsidian Conspiracy
-A total surprise even to myself that this album is in my list. I tried some of the bands music when they were signed to Tuska metal festival in Helsinki in July. The gig did not impress me much, but since there is so much to follow in this festival I might have not paid too much attention to this “unknown” band for me. For some reason I kept returning to their new release and again to my surprise started liking the complicated and yet thoroughly controlled style of progressive metal that they play. It remains to be seen if my interest spreads to the older albums I have not yet dared to break this honeymoon by introducing a third wheel into a relationship.

Phage's Best Albums 2010

I feel kinda obligated to write this journal. As a matter of fact, I've made this listing in several times contributing to different forums, but I somehow feel this one to be the list. I've made some changes to my list as the year approaches the end. This is based partly on my play counts in Last.fm and partly somewhat objective idea of how good the album really is. Of course things are subject to changes but this is how I see things on 31th December, 2010.

Here it goes:

1. The Sword - Warp Riders



Not the top album based on play counts but objectively the best album of the year. I think The Sword simply hit the jackpot with this one. Perfect riffs, songs, lyrics (I love concept albums) and cover art. Sound fusion between stoner rock, hard rock, old school heavy rock spiced with their very own distinctive style of playing music. Their best album and a future classic.

2. Dark Tranquillity - We Are The Void



I had to be honest with this album. It generally wasn't received with big cheers but nevertheless it is by far my most played album of the year and as totally subjective fan boy, its a great album from the band I love so much. But continuing being honest, it isn't as good as Fiction was as a whole. Some songs are top notches and some are more or less average quality of the band often noted for the overall top level of the whole discography. I liked particularly of Arkhangelsk, Her Silent Tongue and Iridium for they all represent a new direction in bands sound. Dark Tranquillity has always been developing toward something new and I really hope these songs lead the way. Anyway more than 1000 songs played from We Are The Void -album speaks for itself.

3. Barren Earth - Curse Of The Red River



After Our Twilight, this was one of the most anticipated new release in addition to We Are The Void by Dark Tranquillity. It didn't let me down although the album was a bit less heavier I was expecting it to be. Curse Of The Red River is typical debut album from a super group. The influences of the other/former projects are clearly audible but I can't say it really matters since those include bands like Moon Sorrow, Kreator Amorphis, Mannhai and Swallow The Sun. Result is solid album of progressive death metal and I've spent several hours of my year listening to it.

4. Enslaved - Axioma Ethica Odini



I love this band. Every record is different than the previous one, the style changes every time but the band are somehow able to maintain to level and the central idea from album to album. Vertebra was mind blowing stuff and so is Axioma Ethica Odini. It maintains the progressive touch of Vertebra but while Vertebra explored the softer frontiers in the band's music, Axioma takes a huge step toward much rawer and aggressive expression. This isn't the most easiest album to start with, but in the end it is rewarding experience.

5. Brant Bjork - Gods & Goddesses



This was perfect summer album but it is a damn good album no matter the season. There is no other person who could make such floating, dreamy and groovy stuff than Brant Bjork. Man's a master, what can I say. This record flirts with stoner, blues and classical rock but the atmosphere is unique. Just listen to Radio Mecca and imagine yourself to some beach bar somewhere in California...

6. Throes Of Dawn - The Great Fleet Of Echoes



This is one of my most played albums. Beautiful, relaxing and solid records. With The Great Fleet Of Echoes this band somehow appears to found peace and certainty of the style they want to make music and the end result is very appealing and mature. I enjoyed their live performance as well. 

7. Overkill - Ironbound



There were many great thrash metal releases this year, but this one stroked me most. Perhaps the most solid entity of them all and filled with so many hit tracks a winner was found. Thrash vets keep astonishing me year after year with their never ending energy and ability to deliver year after year. I got the chance to see them live in Tuska Open Air and their gig was one of the best. 

8. High On Fire - Snakes For The Divine



With the best single track of this year, the title song Snakes For The Divine, Matt Pike and others made one killer album. Although the ride gets a little more relaxed toward the end, this album made a new definition to "heavy". Such a crushing riff storm kicked my ass worth for the 7th position.

9. Monster Magnet - Mastermind



With the ugliest covers released in this year, Mastermind totally surprised me. It continued to grew on me (and actually this is the first list I write where Mastermind makes to the top ten) to the very end of this fine year.With lots of great songs, riffs and groovy touch, I know this one will appear often on my play list.

10. Deathchain - The Death Gods



The biggest surprise of the year and also the best death metal release. Everything just clicked in this album. I simply can't sit still while listening this one, the riffs are awesome. Some Bloodbath influences are clear but yet they are able to use familiar features in new, fresh ways and end result is such a strong record. End track Cthulhu Rising is one of the best songs released this year, an epic 12 minutes long masterpiece. More of this and I continue smiling.

_____________________________________________________________________


This is so damn difficult to narrow the top list to ten (or to twenty, makes to difference). There's always albums that could have as well made to the top ten and only reason why they didn't is, that I don't either remember them or I just don't feel like it today. Here are some of those great, great records:

Electric Wizard - Black Masses
Solace - A.D.
Howl - Full Of Hell
In Mourning - Monolith
Sigh - Scenes From Hell
Soulfly - Omen
The Wounded Kings - The Shadow Over Atlantis
Triptykon - Eparistera Daimones
Watain - Lawless Darkness

Happy New year!

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.