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User
Reviews 5
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Album Edits 34
Album Ratings 460
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Last Active 12-02-12 5:42 pm
Joined 12-03-08
Review Comments 675
| Top 10 Albums Of 2009 (so Far)
It's almost August, so I guess I should start to see what albums are going to be serious
contenders for this year's top album in my book. | | 1 |  | Isis
Wavering Radiant
This album is awesome from start to finish. While not as raw as past releases (Oceanic, Panopticon), the
increased vocal presence of Aaron Turner gives more feeling to his always incredible lyrics. What really
struck me the most about this album is how much it grooves. Everything from the album artwork to the
production is spot on in this release. It still has to battle some heavy hitters in 2009 (Thrice, BTBAM, Rx
Bandits), but I expect it to stay in my top-5 for sure. Top track: Hand of the Host | | 2 |  | Dredg
The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion
This album really bugs me. On one hand, it features some of the best songs that Dredg has penned to date
(Quotes, Information, Pariah, Ireland). On the other hand, it features some of the worst songs (Saviour, I
Don't Know) in the band's catalogue, and is broken up to often with instrumental tracks that probably
should have been left out (with the exception of Down to the Cellar). Despite my dichotomous feelings
about the album, the good tends to outweigh the bad, and I can safely say that I enjoy Dredg's latest
release. Top track: Quotes | | 3 |  | Mastodon
Crack the Skye
Mastodon albums always were hit AND miss for me. Most albums featured good songs mixed with average
ones that ended up killing my enthusiasm for the whole disc. This is not the case with Crack the Skye,
which shows Mastodon going in their most progressive direction yet. Gone is the downright brutality of
Remission and Leviathan, but it is replaced by captivating song structures and a really cool (albeit spacey)
concept for the album. Top track: Crack the Skye | | 4 |  | He is Legend
It Hates You
I really did not think that I would enjoy this album as much as I have, but so far I am seriously digging it.
Suck Out the Poison was an average album to me because it was a somewhat akward transition between
the technical and southern flavored 'emo' of I Am Hollywood and the current sludgy stoner metal sound
that this album boasts (PS - I'm not good with genres so my bad if they are incorrect). There are times
where some of the songs seem to drift off into their own world while leaving the listener behind, and the
album does seem to start off stronger than it ends. Still a solid release though, and one that should
undoubtably end up on my top-10. Top track: Dicephalous | | 5 |  | The Mars Volta
Octahedron
When listening to older TMV tracks, I always would chuckle wondering to myself what it would be like if
these guys wrote a song that didn't feature their standard insanity or crazy head-trip sections. Of course,
they went ahead and wrote an entire album in this way. The album features some strong songwriting and
great subdued instrumental work. One of my only real complaints is that for a lot of these songs, the
extended track lengths don't justify what usually ends up to be a verse-chrous-verse-chrous-bridge etc.
structure, where in the past half the track would be taken up by some crazy instrumental expose. Cotopaxi
also is terribly out of place, even though the intro riff kicks serious ass. Top track: With Twilight As My
Guide | | 6 |  | Poison the Well
The Tropic Rot
To be fair, I really haven't given this album a serious listen yet, so it could very well move up. The songs so
far seem like tracks from Versions and You Come Before You with a serious boost in the energy
department. I can't really comment more on this until I hear it a few more times, but so far it seems like
another solid PTW release. Top track: Antarctica Inside Me | | 7 |  | Dream Theater
Black Clouds and Silver Linings
Dream Theater has been doing this progressive metal thing forever, so it is always interesting to see what
direction the band is going in every time they release a new album. After two somewhat subpar releases,
Dream Theater come out strong with a double kick pedal to the face, and some solid song structures that
just don't dissipate into mindless noodling after a minute or two. This is another album that I want to
listen to a little more, as 19 minute tracks can tend to get lost on you unless you really focus your ears in
on them. Top track: The Shattered Fortress | | 8 |  | Maylene and the Sons of Disaster
III
I guess all Dallas Taylor needed to do was reunite with some of his former Underoath band mates to write
a seriously good album. III is a big step for this young band, featuring cooler riffs, well-placed guitar solos,
more interesting songs, and a big improvement in Taylor's vocals. The only negative aspect of this album is
the redundancy of many of the songs in the middle section. Top track: Waiting on My Deathbed | | 9 |  | Darkest Hour
The Eternal Return
It looks like Darkest Hour can still shred without Kris Norris. Again, I haven't listened to this album as
many times as I want to, but so far I enjoy how the feel of this album is more similar to Sound the
Surrender then Deliver Us. The solo section in "The Tides" is amongst the best guitar work ever featured
on any Darkest Hour album. Top track: No God | | 10 |  | Cursive
Mama, I'm Swollen
This album will probably not make my year-end list, but it is currently noted because the first two songs
kick some serious ass. It is a shame the rest of the album doesn't follow suit. Top track: From the Hips | |
Nach0
07.29.09 | Wheres Thrice- Beggars?? think should be in there... | Blindsided
07.29.09 | Agreed on 8. So good. | killrobotmusic
07.29.09 | Beggars will undoubtably end up in here, but I refuse to listen to it until it is actually released. I also plan on hearing this year's releases by As Cities Burn, Closure in Moscow, mewithoutYou, Portugal. The Man, and Rx Bandits, so this list still may change a lot. | Yazz_Flute
07.29.09 | Beggars has been uploaded on youtube for about a week it's kinda funny how it hasn't been removed yet.
The only one of these in my top 10 is 1, 7 is close. | BenedictVII
07.29.09 | Yeah definitely check out the new mewithoutYou, As Cities Burn and Rx Bandits. They are all amazing | Electric City
07.29.09 | Come on dude, at least tell me you got to "What Have I Done?" on 10 | shade
07.29.09 | agree with 1 | GBJ
07.29.09 | None of these are in my top 10 I don't think. I haven't listened to 2 yet though.
And yeah, "the tides" is awesome. I just don't think the album as a whole had enough character |
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