2009: End Of The Year Lists – James T.

Top 10 Albums Of 2009:

10. Despised Icon – Day of Mourning

The term brutal gets throw around all too much in the genre that Despised Icon gets thrown into, but hell when you write grooving death metal jams that get crowds to tear the venue apart, your pretty fucking brutal. Personally loved Day of Mourning where others called it generic based upon the genre tag, I found it to be heavy and to show the staying power of Despised Icon, ignoring the label and continuing to do what they have done from the start. A little better production value would have upped their spot but the blend of sound leaves them at 10.

9. Napalm Death – Time Waits for No Slave

Napalm Death was slowly fading out of my mind until this album dropped and made me realize the Brits who started grindcore madness for me still have it. More traditional death metal approach, but still grinding away with shredding guitars and trademark vocals Napalm Death slides in the tops of 2009.

8. Dead Swans – Sleepwalkers

Didn’t expect much when I picked this one up, only to be surprised as my speakers exploded with excitement Thinking of You, an anthem of sorts sets the stage for the rest of the album. With grace Dead Swans take flight and prove themselves on their debut full length for Bridge Nine Records. All in all just a great album that needs to be heard.

7. Weekend Nachos – Unforgivable

I still have a place in my heart for power violence and Weekend Nachos takes the spot this year. Hard, fast, straight fucking scary jams is what the terror unit brings. Normally I hate short albums but the twenty four minute massacre that is Unforgivable just rage, and want to punch kids out in the pit. Probably wont make most peoples lists but, Fuck it, it was good.

6. Revenge – Revenge

Single handedly the hardest unknown I heard all year. At surface level it seems like just an underground band with some rough recording but the delivery just blew me away. This album had everything you would want from a hardcore band, and more. You don’t know who this band is but you damn sure should go find out who they are. Oh, not to mention, Haunted is by far my favorite song this year, foreshadowing intro, brings the hate, pulls it back to show guitar shredding, then finishing it off with the hate once again.

5. Gallows – Grey Britain

Not what I expected at all. Chilling, grooving punk with handfuls of hooks make up Grey Britain, from London is the Reason, to I Dread the Night, to my favorite The Vulture(Acts I and II). Gallows remained aggressive with thoughtful lyrics and subtle sense of anarcho-punk that only a British band could bring. Not to mention the DVD that went alongside the album was a visual spectacle to be enjoyed by all with a fitting play by play to go alongside the music. It will be interesting to see where Gallows goes in the future.

4. The Black Dahlia Murder – Deflorate

From the opening riff, and Trevors signature vocal stylings flooding in, you would be insane not to continue listening. Same old style with some new flair, it is Nocturnal 2.0 with more interesting guitar solos and some bad ass lyrics. Where other bands have slacked and thrown out generic garbage *cough” JFAC *cough*, others stay true to form and bust out brutal ass jams. If you can’t enjoy the art of music on Deflorate you obviously hate death metal, and despise the Swedish influences within Dahlia’s craft. The talent is all there, the bar has been raised once again, good luck topping this one Dahlia. To all the “oh Miasma was better,” people your retarded and listen to Deflorate again it fucking owns.

3. Rise and Fall – Our Circle is Vicious

A standard hardcore album, with a very Converge-esque vibe, that branches out and grows on you as you listen. If you like metallic hardcore, this is your album of the year by far, well unless you got hooked on Converge, but for some reason I did not. In spite of that Rise and Fall grabbed my attention with passionate vocals, catchy riffs, and just some damn good drum work, nothing fancy but just the perfect mix of everything to grab my attention and keep it. Beautiful is not usually associated with hardcore but I think you can make that stretch with some of the songs on Our Circle is Vicious, In Circles has been one of my favorite tracks to listen to on repeat since I heard it.

2. Lewd Acts – Black Eye Blues

From the start, the album feels personal with a chilling first track, leading to a fast paced hardcore anthem. Memorable choruses, smooth flowing tracks that make this twenty eight minute ride. It is hard to find an album that has so many different aspects of several genres that flows so cohesively. The vicious vocals glide across hardcore anthems that know how to change the tempo rather than keeping the pedal to the floor. All in all it was different, not your run of the mill fast, pissed, two minute anthems about overcoming something. If you didn’t pick it up your missing out on a SICK hardcore album.

1. Behemoth – Evangelion

In three words Intelligent, Intense, Brutal as Fuck. I was never a huge Behemoth fan but from the release of the singles for their upcoming album I was curious. Then I got pummeled, by the best album I had heard all year and it has not left my rotation since. Blistering drums, cutting riffs just blend together in a diabolical harmony that not only demands your attention, but takes you and punches you in face repeatedly. One hook after another, with so many subtle details that leave me in awe when most death metal bands get lost in chugging guitars and violent screams. Honestly, arguably the best Behemoth album ever for both detail and production value, if you listened to their early more black metal work you know what I mean. If you didn’t buy this seriously go out with your Christmas money and pick this up, it is flawless.

Final Thoughts on 2009:

R.I.P Animosity

Where the fuck are my new Integrity and Necrophagist albums?

Deathcore please do not invade 2010.

That goes for crunkcore as well.

-James Terry