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Just an idea for doing something a bit different with the concept of 'top albums of 2009'.

Before I start, I'll say that all of this is entirely subjective, and was never intended to be considered otherwise. When I say "best" I essentially mean "my favourite" (only it sounds slightly lamer if I write that in the titles). Given that they're nothing more than preferences, keep in mind that you would make yourself look silly if you posted to tell me that my choices were rubbish or that I was a terrible person or anything along those lines xD. That said, you are more than welcome to tell me what you'd put in any of the categories instead (indeed, I'd love to hear) or to give any other comments you might have.

I'd also like to say that these are picked out of the albums I've bought this year, not albums that have been released this year (although some of them obviously fulfill both categories). So yes, I am, in fact, aware that Mandylion didn't come out in 2009 :D

Best Cover Art:
Souvenirs (The Gathering)
The first win is rather predictive of the rest - I warn you, there will be a lot of wins from The Gathering ;). Souvenirs has probably the best cover art I've seen. The ethreal form, artistic patterns and dark green lighting perfectly match the hypnotic effect that the album has. The lyrics booklet is similarly beautiful.
Runners-up: Accessories, The Days of Grays

Best Drumming:
Metropolis Pt 2 (Dream Theater)
I'll say this now - I know nothing about drumming, and therefore am completely unable to judge what takes more technical skill and what's easier, only what I like and what I don't like. And I love the drumming in Metropolis Pt 2. The final sections of Finally Free are probably my favourite piece of drumming ever, but the drumming really hits home in all of the heavier tracks in this album (Beyond This Life, Home etc.). Great stuff.
Runners-up: At the Heart of Winter, Fate of Norms

Best Guitar Riffs:
At the Heart of Winter (Immortal)
I've only started listening to Immortal quite recently with At The Heart of Winter, and what an experience listening to that album is. It's some of the most powerful music I've heard. The riffs really pack an incredible punch, from the darker and more dissonant riffs in Tragedies Blows at Horizon to the brighter and catcher in Where Light and Dark don't Differ, and I certainly intend to explore the rest of Immortal's discography in 2010.
Runners-up: Mandylion, Night Eternal

Best Guitar Solos:
Images & Words (Dream Theater)
The obvious choice, really. The long solo sections in Metropolis Pt 1 and Learning to Live, the incredibly powerful solo in Under a Glass Moon and the shorter but still very effective solo sections in the first four tracks make this a sure winner for guitar solos. John Petrucci's work is stunning throughout, and he makes me feel thoroughly ashamed of my own rather poor guitar skills.
Runners-up: Wintersun, Paradise Lost, Metropolis Pt 2

Best Keyboards:
Metropolis Pt 2 (Dream Theater)
Come on, Dream Theater. This is the third out of four instrumental awards so far that you've won. Give the others a chance :p. The fact is, though, that Dream Theater's instrumental work is ridiculously good. Their use of keyboards in Metropolis Pt 2 is stunning. It's obviously necessary to highlight The Dance of Eternity, as some of the patterns in that are stunningly complex and work amazingly well, but really throughout Metropolis Pt 2, the use of keyboards is brilliantly composed and equally brilliantly executed.
Runners-up: Images & Words, The Days of Grays

Best Bass:
Piece of Mind (Iron Maiden)
Not that I really need to justify the legendary Steve Harris, Iron Maiden uses bass like no other (perhaps more than a little by virtue of their bass player being the main creative force behind their music). Not only is it very distinctly audible and brilliantly written, it works fantastically with the drumming to create an amazingly strong rhythm section.
Runners-up: Images & Words, Powerslave

Best Male Vocals:
The Days of Grays (Sonata Arctica)
The legend that is Tony Kakko; there was no chance of anyone else winning this category. Hitting every note perfectly with an incredibly emotional voice (even when recovering from illness...), Tony is probably the best frontman of any band I know of, from his vocal abilities to his showmanship. The Days of Grays has some wonderful examples: the chorus of The Dead Skin, the creepy whispers in Juliet, the mocking tones in Zeroes. An irreplaceable vocalist.
Runners-up: Somewhere Far Beyond, Paradise Lost

Best Female Vocals:
How to Measure a Planet? (The Gathering)
Anneke van Giersbergen is without competition as a female vocalist. Quite apart from being note perfect with an incredible range, she is capable of expressing emotion like no other vocalist. As if that weren't enough, she's also an excellent lyricist. Really, I could have picked any of The Gathering's albums, and was tempted towards Mandylion, but the incredible expression in tracks such as Travel, Red Is a Slow Colour and Illuminating meant that How to Measure a Planet? pushed ahead. If you're a fan of female vocals, you should consider The Gathering or Agua de Annique (Anneke's more recent project) essential listening.
Runners-up: Theatre of Tragedy, Mandylion

Darkest Album:
Det Som Engang Var (Burzum)
Creating a dark and depressive atmosphere is something that metal musicians regularly try to do, and rarely pull off really well. Which isn't to say that the music isn't still worth listening to, but it's a rare album that completely surrounds the listener, and makes them feel genuine anguish or despair. Fortunately, there's always Burzum's Det Som Engang Var. Agnoising screams pierce a landscape of harsh and dissonant guitar chords. I finally feel like I'm starting to get to grips with this album, but at first I could barely listen to such an intense expression of unhappines and, strange as that may seem, that's a major point in favour of this album.
Runners-up: Theatre of Tragedy, At the Heart of Winter, Bergtatt

Most Emotional Album:
Mandylion (The Gathering)
I won't lie, Mandylion is a pretty tough album to really get into, despite the female vocals. There are a couple of reasonably accessible tracks on there (Strange Machines, Eleanor), but even those you don't really get that much out of beyond "hey, that's a nice riff" on your first few plays through. With fifteen or twenty hours listening investment, however, the album is something truly wonderful to behold. The Leaves solo is my favourite guitar solo of all time, not because it's fast or technically demanding, but because it's so incredibly warm and emotional, and it really makes you feel something special as it hits that climax. Meanwhile, the chords that end Sand & Mercury send shivers down the listener's spine, whilst the feeling of hearing the break into the chorus of In Motion #1 near the end of In Motion #2 is one of the most emotionally charged moments in anything I've ever heard.
Runners-up: Metropolis Pt 2, The Days of Grays, Sleepy Buildings

Most Energetic Album:
With Oden on Our Side (Amon Amarth)
Amon Amarth have been a great discovery of the last few months. They aren't particularly deep or complex, and they haven't made me look at life in a new way, but when I want to sit down and listen to some angry Sweedish guys growling about Vikings and killing people, they're unbeatable ;). With Oden on our Side has an epic energy to it, right from the opener Valhall Awaits Me. Great strong riffs, powerful vocals, and just enough melody that it gives you something to grab onto and carry the energy through each warlike track.
Runners-up: Dancing With The Dead, Fate of Norms

Most Atmospheric Album:
Souvenirs d'un autre Monde (Alcest)
One of a very few albums that I can just lie back and close my eyes and listen to for a completely other-wordly experience. That sounds rather melodramatic, but it's true - Souvenirs d'un Autre Monde has an amazingly thick atmosphere, and won this title by several miles (as much as musical quality clearly can't be measured in miles...). If you haven't heard this album, I really, really recommend you look it up - it's an experience completely unlike any other, and very accessible, whatever your preferred genre of music (in some senses, it can't even be called metal).
Runners-up: Aegis, Souvenirs, Det Som Engang Var

Best Live Album:
Sleepy Buildings (The Gathering)
One of the things that I have loved about getting into The Gathering is the way that they make me think about and concentrate on their tracks. There's something about the music they write (something beyond just complexity) that makes their music challenging to get into. The main thing that I loved about Sleepy Buildings was how much it helped me to understand tracks that I hadn't got anything out of before, and to appreciate the original versions so much more. Amity, Saturnine, Marooned and Shrink were instantly transformed on the first listen from dull tracks not really worthy of the rest of the album into beautiful and emotional pieces. Meanwhile, tracks that I already knew well and loved were given a new angle - hearing an acoustic version of Eleanor was breathtaking. Most of all, Anneke's voice sounds absolutely incredible on the live recording, showing qualities that she didn't have on the studio recordings, and I certainly intend to purchase more of The Gathering's live albums.
Runners-up: End of An Era

Best Concept Album:
Metropolis Pt 2 (Dream Theater)
For this category, I put a lot of weight on how the album as a whole fits together, and how strongly it follows its chosen concept. Metropolis Pt 2 was therefore the very obvious choice. Metropolis Pt 2 follows the story of Nicholas, a man haunted by dreams of a girl. Through hypnotherapy, he discovers that he was this girl ('Victoria') in a past life, and then has to search through his memories and through stories of the past to uncover the truth behind Victoria's tragic murder. Every song is tied in so closely to the concept, and follows an original and inventive story to a rather stunning twist in the climax. The story itself is extremely emotional in parts (I feel a great surge of sadness even now when I listen to Nicholas breaking down in tears when he visit's Victoria's grave in Through Her Eyes). It's an album that gains about 500% extra value if it's listened to straight through, and I've never heard an album quite so closely tied to its concept as Metropolis Pt 2 is.
Runners-up: Nightfall in Middle Earth, How to Measure a Planet?

Most Important Album:
Velvet Darkness They Fear (Theatre of Tragedy)
Probably the most difficult category to pick a winner for. This was for the album that had the greatest influence on my music taste - that helped the most to transform and improve it. My taste was extremely limited this time last year, and has transformed so much over the past year that it's almost unrecognisable, so there were lots of albums that were considered. In the end, I had to go for the one that caused me to finally break away from my dedication to power metal and start investigating the rest of metal properly. Quite apart from that, Velvet Darkness They Fear is a fantastic album, and one I'd recommend to anyone.
Runners-up: Wintersun, Nighttime Birds

Best Albums:
(I decided for these that I would have to make a rule that each album had to be by a different artist - otherwise four out of the five would be albums by The Gathering ;)

5. Souvenirs d'un autre Monde (Alcest)
Mind-blowingly atmospheric, Souvenirs d'un Autre Monde was effectively my first taste of black metal, but as it was black metal in shoegaze form, it provided an incredibly accessible introduction. More than that, Souvenirs d'un Autre Monde is one of the most beautiful albums I own, and I found it had an incredibly powerful way of 'surrounding' me in a way that I haven't come across with other albums (although it's what I hope to get out of black metal once I know it better). Neige is without doubt a masterful composer, and I am looking forward very much indeed to seeing him perform live in April.

4. Wintersun (Wintersun)
I had a very difficult time getting into the growled vocals present in the heavier subgenres of metal, and I consider Wintersun the turning point. Before Wintersun, I could bear to listen to growled vocals, but Wintersun made me see that they can actually add a lot of energy and power to a track, and are often preferable to clean vocals. Not only was Wintersun important for my musical development, it's also an incredible album. Technical melodic solos, fast-paced drumming, and very powerful vocals. At the end of 2009, Wintersun are the only band other than The Gathering to have got a track into my top 15 most played, and for good reason - it's fantastic work. Now I just have to join the endless legions of fans waiting for Time...

3. The Days of Grays (Sonata Arctica)
Short of copying and pasting bits out of my review for The Days of Grays, there's not much to say about it, other than that it's yet another amazing offering from Sonata Arctica, the band that introduced me to metal, and who are just about still my favourite band, a crown that they have sustained over the last few months thanks to this album, and to their incredible performance on the 3rd (quite possibly the best hour and a half of my life). They are probably to (sadly) lose that crown to The Gathering in 2010 (partly a function of me moving away from the kind of music they make anyway, and partly a function of The Gathering just being so ridiculously good), but I will forever appreciate the good that Sonata Arctica have done my music taste. The Days of Grays is a fantastic album, and I will be listening to it for quite some time.

2. Metropolis Pt 2 (Dream Theater)
A surprise entry at number 2? Perhaps. A month or so ago, I would never have considered putting anything other than The Days of Grays at number 2. I would like to say that it was a difficult decision to put Metropolis Pt 2 here at the number 2 spot, but in actual fact, even in the light of having seen Sonata Arctica's amazing performance of The Days of Grays, it wasn't. Metropolis Pt 2 simply contains better music than The Days of Grays. Whilst James LaBrie's vocals are obviously inferior to those of the great Tony Kakko, the guitar work in Metropolis Pt 2 is far superior (both in terms of the solos - see above - and the incredible rhythm guitar in tracks such as Beyond This Life and Finally Free). The songwriting is on another level, the lyrics of individual tracks are slightly worse, but the way that the lyrics slot together across the album and refer back to each other and to Metropolis Pt 1 is ridiculously clever. Sonata Arctica would usually have won me over on the strength of its emotional and romantic lyrics, but Metropolis Pt 2 even does these better than Sonata Arctica. Most of all, the way that Metropolis Pt 2 fits together makes listening to it straight through an incredible experience - almost like watching a film through music - and an album so unique as this more than deserves to win out over my favourite band's most recent offering.

1. How to Measure a Planet? (The Gathering)
The Gathering are by far my best musical discovery of the year, and well on their way to replacing Sonata Arctica as my favourite band (quite an incredible feat, given how much Sonata Arctica have been responsible for, and how long they've held that position). Were it not for the unfortunate lyrics of Liberty Bell, I would consider How To Measure a Planet? a perfect album. Beautiful, deep and incredibly emotional, from the anguish at the end of Travel to the uplifting Illuminating. The songwriting and every instrumental performance is incredible - the wonderful guitar solo in Great Ocean Road, the drums in Probably Built in the Fifties, the bass in Frail and My Electricity, the incredible attention to detail in the synth work, and it goes without saying that the vocals provided Anneke van Giersbergen are indescribable. A masterpiece.

"Dream Theater / A Rite of Passage (ドリーム・シアター / ア・ライト・オヴ・パッセージ)"のpvに載っていた和訳です。

重苦しい感じが...

和訳はこちら。

Black Clouds & Silver Linings
A Rite of Passage

kengetsu's top albums (3 months) 1. Versailles - Noble (80)

I actually like Lyrical Sympathy just a little better overall, but otherwise Noble would've been my favorite album of all. Plus, Noble has Aristocrat's Symphony, which I lovelovelove. Favorite song second only to SILENT KNIGHT, and the song that got me into Versailles in the first place. I love this album so much.

Favorite Songs: Aristocrat's Symphony, After Cloudia, -Second Fear-Another Descendant, History of the Other Side, SUZERAIN, Fuck I love them all, but they're my favorites.


2. Versailles - PRINCE & PRINCESS (68)

I blame SILENT KNIGHT for this. This is what, a three-song single, and it tops all the full-length albums I have (except Noble)? I love that song way too much. I love Prince and Princess, too, but god, SILENT KNIGHT. FAVORITE SONG OF ALL TIME. SO MUCH LOVE.

Favorite Songs: All of them. But most of all SILENT KNIGHT. That song by itself I could listen to forever and ever and ever.

3. REPO! The Genetic Opera Soundtrack - Repo! The Genetic Opera - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (66)

Zydrate comes in a little glass vial... enough said.

Favorite Songs: Legal Assassin, Zydrate Anatomy, Let the Monster Rise, Chromaggia

4. Versailles - Lyrical Sympathy (56)

There's Lyrical Sympathy. Favorite album, ever. If Aristocrat's Symphony and Silent Knight and Serenade are on it it will become an album of way too much godliness to handle. But sadly, they aren't. Dx
Still my favorite album of all time.

Favorite Songs: Love From a Dead Orchestra, The Red Carpet Day, Beast of Desire (same sentiments I have for Noble, and everything Versailles ever comes out with)

5. Adagio - Archangels in Black (48) 6. Lacroix Despheres - Dernier Paradis -The Symphonic Gothic Rock Opera- act1 (40)

Gah. I love Sho and Saya's vocals. I'm a sucker for Opera vocals, and you'd expect Saya to have a little cutsey J-pop voice, but no. FULL-BLOWN OPERA VOCALS. Amazing.

Favorite Songs: 古の刻より舞い降りし者たち, La vérité fermée

7. Versailles - ASCENDEAD MASTER (29)

Most of Versailles's releases are going to be on my top ten and stay there. :D I love Ascendead Master, but nothing tops SILENT KNIGHT for me.

Favorite Songs: It's a single. Let's leave it at everything on there.

8. Blind Guardian - Nightfall In Middle-Earth (29)

I fucking love the vocals. So powerful.

Favorite Songs: Nightfall, The Eldar

9. Aina - Days Of Rising Doom - The Metal Opera (28)

This is Epic. That's all I have to say.

Favorite Songs: The Siege of Aina

10. Kamelot - Karma (25)

Finally, Kamelot, all these recent discoveries... But Kamelot is still my favorite band after Versailles, even if I haven't been listening to them as much lately. And Karma is certainly a great album.

Favorite Song: Elizabeth I,II, III, Don't you Cry

11. GPKISM - Atheos (24) 12. Kamelot - One cold winter's night (23) 13. Emilie Autumn - Opheliac (21) 14. BIG BANG - Remember (21) 15. HIZAKI grace project - Ruined kingdom (20) 16. Mika Nakashima - Voice (19) 17. Dream Theater - Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory (18) 18. Dream Theater - Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence Disc 2 (18) 19. Dream Theater - Octavarium (18) 20. Yngwie Malmsteen - Rising Force (17)

1.How did you get into no.29?
高木正勝
Don't even know.

2. What's the first song you ever heard by no.22?
Muse
"New Born"

3. Whats your favorite lyric by no.33?
RENTRER EN SOI
The ending of "PROTOPLASM"

4. How did you get into no.49?
SUICIDE ALI
Heard "Favorite song" and was immediately in love.

5. How many albums by no.13 do you own?
凛として時雨
0 lol

6. What is your favorite song by no.50?
World's End Girlfriend
"Red Red Red"

7. Is there a song by no.39 that makes you sad?
The Jimi Hendrix Experience
Not really.

8. What is your favorite song by no.15?
Frank Zappa
"Chunga's Revenge" off of Trance-Fusion

9. What is your favorite song by no.5?
Lotus
"Wooly Mammoth" or "Wax"

10. Is there a song by no.6 that makes you happy?
Ronald Jenkees
Most of them!

11. What is the worst song by no.40?
NOMAK
No real bad output from him :P Probably one of his random collabs.

12. What is your favorite song by no.10?
Dream Theater
"The Glass Prison"

13. What is a good memory you have involving no.30?
MaroMaro
"WTFFFFF?"

14. What is your favorite song by no.38?
Niccolò Paganini
"Caprice No. 24 in A minor: Tema con Variazioni: Quasi Presto"

15. Is there a song by no.19 that makes you happy?
光田康典
EVERY. SONG.

16. Is there a song by no.25 that makes you sad?
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
No song as a whole really. Lots of segments in his compositions are pretty melancholic though.

17. What is the first song you ever heard by 23?
Between the Buried and Me
It was either "Selkies: The Endless Obsession" or "Alaska"

18. What's your favorite lyric by no.11?
Sound Tribe Sector 9
No lyrics man.

19. Who is a favorite member of no.1?
Buckethead

20. Is there a song by no.14 that makes you happy?
柏大輔
More like makes me feel really good.

21. What is a good memory involving no.27?
D'espairsRay
Seeing them fucking live at Megacon 2006. Best concert ever.

22. What is your favorite song by no.16?
Thanatopsis
Hmm, that's really hard. I guess ultimately "Axiology"

23. What is the first song you ever heard by no.47?
Fair to Midland
Don't know what it was at the time. It was live.

24. What is your favorite album by no.18?
ムック
"6"

25. What is your favorite song by no.21?
Amon Amarth
"A Fury Divine"

26. What is the first song you ever heard by no.26?
The Mars Volta
"L'Via L'Viaquez"

27. What is your favorite album by no.3?
the GazettE
"NIL". Forever.

28. What is you favorite song by no.2?
植松伸夫
There is not a question more impossible to answer.

29. What was the first song you ever heard by no.32?
HIM
"Join Me in Death"

30. What is you favorite song by no.8?
Coheed and Cambria
"Delirium Trigger" mmmmmmmmmmm

31. How many times have you seen no.17 live?
John Zorn
Fuck you. =[

32. Is there a song by no.44 that makes you happy?
The Black Mages
Oh yeah.

33. How did you get into no.12?
Opeth
You can't explore metal as a genre without getting into Opeth.

34. What is the worst song by no.45?
Tetrafusion
Their one album has no bad songs, I'm sorry.

35. What was the first song you ever heard by no.34?
Venetian Snares
Either "Második galamb" or "Kétsarkú Mozgalom"

36. What was the first song you ever heard by no.48?
Swallow the Sun
No clue. =/

37. How many times have you seen no.42 live?
Eluveitie
0

38. What is you favorite song by no.36?
-OZ-
"Butterfly"

39. What was the first song you ever heard by no.28?
シド ~汚れた指? Again not sure at all.
Darkspace
"Dark 3.11"

40. What is you favorite album by no.7?
Bulb
He's got no albums yet.

41. Is there a song by no.31 that makes you happy?
Fredrik Thordendal's Special Defects
lol

42. What is your favorite album by no.41?
Kettel
So unfair... but I'm thinking either "Myam James 2" or "Smiling Little Cow"

43. What is your favorite song by no.24?
girugämesh
WTF. Uhhh... "ドミノ," maybe? ... or the rest of their catalogue?

44. What is a good memory you have involving no.46?
Eluvium
Marijuana

45. What is your favorite song by no.35?
Bright Eyes
"Haligh, Haligh, a Lie, Haligh"

46. Is there a song by no.9 that makes you happy?
雅-miyavi-
Unless you know Miyavi, you got no idea :P

47. What is your favorite album by no.4?
Dir en grey
"UROBOROS".... maybekindalmost tied with "Withering to death."

48. Who is your favorite member of no.37?
Enter Shikari
No clue, don't care.

49. What is the first song you ever heard by no.43?
Envy
No idea. Coulda very well been "A Will Remains in the Ashes" though

50. What is your favorite song by no.20?
SikTh
"Can't We All Dream?"

PLEASE help me create a list of as many film or literary references in Porcupine Tree song titles as you can (titles only), from official releases only.

Thank you!!!

Opeth Katatonia Dream Theater Riverside Steven Wilson Gazpacho Oceansize Pure Reason Revolution Blackfield

Well here is the list of best albums of 2009. Hope you like it!

34. Sirenia– The 13th Floor

Some good gothic/symphonic metal here from Morten and co. It is definitely an improvement from Nine Destinies and a Downfall being heavier, but unfortunately not as good as At Sixes and Sevens. Still there are great vocals from Morten as always and it is worth checking out.

33. the aeonic order of vacuity – Nether
This is a demo I heard on Myspace and its absolutely fantastic considering that. It is very good slow heavy, brooding funeral doom metal. If you like funeral doom I command you to give this a try.

32. Absu – Absu
fantastic blackened thrash, and their best album to date. Recommended.

31. Exivious – Exivious instrumental progressive metal, really excellent with lots of changes and styles. Recommended to any prog rockers.

30. Paradise Lost – Drown in Dakrness - the early demos
I hadn’t ever heard anything by them before, but this is excellent! Really good death doom, quite badly produced but excellent quality in the musicianship. If you’re looking for something raw, rather than the very well produced stuff like Swallow the Sun, then look no further than this.

29. Stream of Passion – The Flame Within
This is another very good symphonic metal album from Marcela Bovio and co. but after Arjen Anthony Lucassen left, they were left to make this one on their own. They do an amirable follow up to Embrace the Storm, but the songs are less memorable than the first album.

28. Kreator- Hordes of Chaos
Good melodic thrash metal, Hordes Of Chaos is a catchy song that would be good live. It has nice riffs and solos. Not as good as Enemy of God, but highly recommended.

27. Napalm Death - Time Waits For No Slave
The grindcore kings do it again, just as well as on previous releases.

26. Wyrd – Kalivagi
More folky black metal, this time with a few more hard rock elements, this band is just as good as ever!

25. Ashes You Leave – Songs For The Lost
Nearly all doom metal elements are gone; this is solely a gothic metal album, but a very well done one. Their cover of Placebo’s Every You Every Me (which I hate, I can’t stand them) is excellent, and amazingly is the highlight of the album. If you like female fronted gothic metal, then this is for you.

24. Cannibal Corpse – Evisceration Plague
Not as good as Kill, but still a very good death metal album.

23. Within Temptation – An Acoustic Night At The Theatre
Those waiting for a new album may be slightly annoyed at getting another live album, though it is extremely good. It’s completely different from black symphony, being mainly acoustic, but the vocal performance from Sharon Den Adelis breathtaking as ever. Utopia is a very nice new song, but they are straying further and further from the metal genre with this one.

22. Lethian Dreams – Bleak Silver Streams
Good atmospheric doom metal that sounds a bit like Amederia. Excellent vocals, and very heavy. Recommended

21. Mastodon – Crack The Skye
Not as good as Leviathan, but more of a progression away, this is still a very good album with lots of very good ideas. If you want some metal that’s a bit different then give this a listen.

20. Ahab – The Divinity of Oceans
The most depressing album I have ever heard, this is such a monolithic album, heavy and slow, but excellent. My favourite funeral doom album of all time!

19. Alestorm – Black Sails at Midnight
The most fun album of the year! This is not just a gimmick by some idiots wearing pirate hats, it is actually well written heavy metal, and the keyboardist is just excellent.

18. Fen – The Malediction Fields
Seems that most British black metal these days has elements of post rock in it, and this is no exception. Its very good atmospheric black metal with some clean vocals now and again. If you like Negura Bunget, then give this a try.

17. 3 Inches of Blood – Here Waits Thy Doom
An excellent heavy metal album, taking influence from lots of different places, from Led Zeppelin, to Judas Priest, to Iron Maiden, but still maintaining their excellent vocal style prevalent in previous albums. Their best yet by far!

16. Dream Theater – Black Clouds and Silver Linings
A really good progressive metal album and their best for several years. Listen out for the cover of Queens Tenement Funster/Flick Of The Wrist/Lily Of The Valley on the bonus disc; this is one of the best covers ever!

15. Epica – [album artist=epica]]design your universe[/album]
Their best yet, Simone is at top notch, and it is possibly the heaviest album they have done to date. A real surprise and a very enjoyable listen.

14. My Dying Bride – For Lies I Sire
The violins are back! Every bit as good as the previous releases and the vocals are absolutely to die for!

13. Wolves in the Throne Room – Black Cascade
More of the same, but a bit more atmospheric and experimental, with clean female vocals scattered in it. This, as well as Malevolent Grain are a must hear for any fans of atmospheric black metal.

12. Wodensthrone – Loss
Good organic black metal in the vein of Drudkh. Excellently performed, with a few post rock elements too. Superb atmosphere shows again how good British Black Metal is becoming. If you like Drudkh or Negura Bunget, then you owe it to yourself to give this a try.

11. Leaves Eyes – Njord
Unbelievably this is a step up from the excellent Vinland Saga; both vocalists have improved (although in the case of Alexander Krull it wasn’t hard, he is actually listenable now!). This is a really good symphonic metal album, with the guitaring at top notch, as well as the bassist. There are a lot of folk elements again on this one.

10. Wolves in the Throne Room – Malevolent Grain
This is excellent. It comprises of just two tracks, the first A Looming Resonance is a rather relaxed atmospheric black metal song with clean vocals. It is 13 minutes long, but it’s so good you could listen to it over and over again. Hate Crystal is more of the usual Wolves in the Throne Room we know and love.

9. Blut aus Nord - Memoria Vetusta II: Dialogue With The Stars
Even better than Memoria Vetusta I, this album has less of a fuzz and more melodic beauty. Fantastic.

8. Drudkh – Microcosmos
Drudkh do it again, this is another excellent pagan influenced black metal album, with beautiful melodies, but still retaining the harsh vocals from the previous albums. Even better than Estrangement[album], this is one of the best black metal albums of the year.

7. Sunn O))) – [album artist=sunn O)))]Monoliths and Dimensions
Never heard anything by them before, but this is an excellent work. It is unbelievably heavy and icy cold. Attila’s vocals are fantastic, and all the brass instruments on Alice (best track on the album) just make it. If you have any interest in either doom metal or experimental music you need to hear this. Truly a Monolithic Effort!

6. The Gathering – The West Pole
Anneke has left, but you didn’t expect them to stop rocking did you? This is such an amazing album by all accounts, and Silje Wergeland (previously of Octavia Sperati) is just excellent. She is a really dreamy vocalist; her voice is just a joy to listen to. All the instruments are played very well, creating beautiful atmospheres throughout. The first 3 songs make you want to run about in the sunshine, just really happy songs to put you in a good mood, but after this the atmosphere changes to one of a hopeless desperation. It is still quite experimental, but not as much as Home or Souvenirs. A special mention must go to the bassist Marjolein Kooijman who does a fantastic job.

5. Nox Aurea – Via Gnosis
Absolutely mind blowing. I heard a track on Myspace and was instantly hooked. They play gothic doom and are influenced by Draconian, but are a bit more atmospheric than this, at times sounding like Lethian Dreams and Shape of Despair. If you like Draconian you will go crazy for this.

4. Emperor – Live Inferno
This is the best live black metal album ever. Anyone who has ever seen them live (I haven’t :( ) or heard/watched Emperial Live Ceremony knows just how good they are live, its just a fantastic CD with all their best songs played in stunning fashion

3. Heaven and Hell – The Devil You Know
What a surprise this was. I never really expected any new Black Sabbath material under any pseudonym, but this is fantastic. Its unbelievably heavy, Tony Iommi is on form (when is he not) and every riff is heavy. This is the heaviest album that they have made, and Dio is an absolute god on the vocals. He is 69 and this is still the best vocals all year!

2. Slayer – World Painted Blood
A lot of people like to hate on Slayer for God Hates Us All, but I don’t see why at all. I love that album, as well as everything else they have released. World Painted Blood is a step up from the last two though; it’s a solid thrash metal album and heavy as fuck. It’s easily the best since Seasons in the Abyss, although there is one thing I have noticed. It doesn’t sound great through headphones, or low quality speakers, but when I play it through the excellent ones I have in the house it sounds amazing. Hate Worldwide and Psychopathy Red are two of the best tracks I have ever hard, and easily in my top ten Slayer songs. A lot of people (again for reasons I don’t understand) complain about Tom Araya’s vocals, but I think they are excellent, you can hear all the malice, hatred and venom intended to be put forward.

1. Anaal Nathrakh – In the Constellation of the Black Widow
This is such an incredible album. After The Codex Necro, which is the most extreme album I have ever heard in my life, their later releases were somewhat lacklustre, with only 2 or 3 great tracks. But this one brings back the intensity of the The Codex Necro, and combines with it the melodies and clean vocals present on Eschaton and Hell Is Empty, and All the Devils Are Here. This album is fucking heavy, with great riffs and some of the best black metal vocals I have ever heard. The clean vocals are epic, there are piercing screams, amazing shouting, and seriously there are about 15 different vocal styles present here. From start to finish this album kicks serious butt and I am proud to call it my album of the year.

Dissapointing albums, because not everyone can create the best

Xasthur – All Reflections Drained
This is just shitty ambient noise with no good musicianship whatsoever. Malefic just seems to have given up because this is boring as hell. Avoid at all costs, worst album I have heard all year.

Lacuna Coil – Shallow Life
Bland and commercial nonsense, this is just sugary sweet pop music. Shame because I seem to be in the minority who enjoyed Karmacode. Spellbound was a fantastic single and I thought this would be good, but no. It’s just plain awful, avoid completely unless you would like to hear Britney Spears with some poor guitars.

Edenbridge – Live Earth Dream
Good songs performed well but the quality of the recordings is awful and on some of the songs they don’t even record the whole thing. Wild Chase is superb and better than the album, but I was expecting more considering how good A Livetime in Eden is.

Epica – The Classical Conspiracy
Ok, so I don’t have a problem with the performance of their own material, in fact I think it is a rather good performance, and I would have really liked it had it just been their own material. But it’s the "classical" stuff that annoys me. It is so patronising! Instead of real classical music (which several metalheads like) we get Pirates of the carribean, Darth Vaders theme tune, and the one from Spiderman. I actually felt slightly insulted by that, after expecting some real classical music.

Delain – April Rain
Not as commercial and bland as Lacuna Coil’s Shallow Life, but its not that good. On Lucidity they had a lot of guests, and they made it all seem like an excellent album. Now that they are down to their own talents it shows that they aren’t really very good. Charlotte is a decent singer though.

Nightwish – Made In Hong Kong
A very poor live album, and not even a whole concert because of some sort of dispute with record labels regarding being able to play pre-Annette songs. The Escapist is a fantastic bonus song though, but it still feels like a cash grab.

1349 – Revelations of the Black Flame
All the intensity present in Hellfire that made it such a good album has completely gone, replaced with some attempt at making intelligent progressive black metal. Instead we are left with a boring album with hardly any good ideas, and a rasped cover of Pink Floyd’s Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun, which is a disgrace to those mighty prog rockers. Avoid, particularly if you liked Hellfire.

Belphegor – Walpurgis rites – hexenwahn
Probably my most highly anticipated album of the year, as Belphegor have been one of my favourite bands for years. Unfortuantely it just sounds bland, as if the well of ideas has dried up, and all that was left was some songs rejected while recording Bondage Goat Zombie. That said Veneratio Diaboli – I am Sin, is among their best songs ever.

Muse – The Resistance
Ok, so until about October when I discovered The Gathering I thought that Muse were the only good rock band left on the planet. Rock to me is just dead, with hardly any good bands, but Muse seemed to be the only one I really liked, even loved. But [a;bum artist=muse]the Resistance[/album] fell far short of expectations. They have always had a lot of influence from romantic era classical music, but on this album they actually just become a clone of their influences rather than using them to create something unique. United States of Eurasia just sounds exactly like a Queen Song, with no originality, and on the end they just use a piece from Chopin. Laziness much? Overall it isn’t an awful album, but there is no originality, and instead of using influences they just steal from them.

Anyway thats just my take on the years music. There is a lot of dtuff I haven't gotten round to hearing yet, so it won't have everything. If anyone wants to comment and suggest bands or albums that I may like judging from this journal that would be appreciated!

Recommended Songs (sorted by most recommended songs)

30/30-150 : Stone Sour (Score = 160.65)
Our Solemn Hour : Within Temptation (Score = 132.32)
Never Enough : Epica (Score = 118.82)
New Disease : Spineshank (Score = 118.49)
Lost Inside : Nemesea (Score = 113.42)
Looking Glass : Genuflect (Score = 112.76)
The Edge of Infinity : Lunatica (Score = 108.85)
Broken Promises : Element Eighty (Score = 107.06)
The Celebration Song : Unwritten Law (Score = 103.51)
Energize Me : After Forever (Score = 103.1)
Frozen : Delain (Score = 101.89)
Poem : Taproot (Score = 101.88)
Parents : Budgie (Score = 100)
Masquerade : Genuflect (Score = 99.37)
69 Tea : Seether (Score = 98.74)
Break Stuff : Limp Bizkit (Score = 97)
Need to Feel : SOiL (Score = 95.24)
Synthetic : Spineshank (Score = 95.22)
Die Motherfucker Die : Dope (Score = 94.25)
warm up your neck : .sPout. (Score = 92.03)
Migraine : Thumb (Score = 90.85)
The Bleeding : Five Finger Death Punch (Score = 88.67)
The Usurper : Shattersphere (Score = 88.59)
broken : .sPout. (Score = 88.55)
The Gift : Seether (Score = 87.99)
Norwegian Lovesong : Leaves' Eyes (Score = 86.81)
Giving In : Adema (Score = 84.76)
God Has a Plan for Us All : Angtoria (Score = 84.63)
Reckoning : Ünloco (Score = 82.75)
Discord : After Forever (Score = 81.92)
The Seventh Summer : Sirenia (Score = 81.57)
River Of Tuoni : Amberian Dawn (Score = 81.18)
Loco : Coal Chamber (Score = 80.4)
What Comes Around : Ill Niño (Score = 80.15)
Do You See Me Now : Angtoria (Score = 79.97)
Youth of the Nation : P.O.D. (Score = 79.91)
Blackest Eyes : Porcupine Tree (Score = 78.44)
Elegy : Leaves' Eyes (Score = 77.56)
More : Thumb (Score = 76.25)
Break In : Addiction Crew (Score = 75.22)
Hand of Sorrow : Within Temptation (Score = 75.03)
All In The Family Version (Explicit)) : Primer 55 (Score = 73.01)
Overload : Bloodsimple (Score = 72.12)
The End : Roadrunner United (Score = 71.97)
Face The Truth : UnSun (Score = 71.24)
Unfounded : Five Foot Thick (Score = 70.78)
Through Glass : Stone Sour (Score = 69.27)
Lost in Space : Avantasia (Score = 69.2)
Closure : Opeth (Score = 68.83)
Nothing Left : Visions of Atlantis (Score = 65.86)
The Gathering : Delain (Score = 64.71)
IFO : (hed) Planet Earth (Score = 63.93)
Mirror : Imperia (Score = 63.39)
My Dark Side Home : Visions of Atlantis (Score = 62.67)
Prozac : Five Foot Thick (Score = 62.42)
Shinobi vs. Dragon Ninja : Lostprophets (Score = 62.16)
Linchpin : Fear Factory (Score = 61.35)
Into Your Light : Leaves' Eyes (Score = 61.03)
Shadowplay : Edenbridge (Score = 60.89)
Windowpane : Opeth (Score = 60.88)
Sisters of the Light : Xandria (Score = 60.54)
First Born : E.Town Concrete (Score = 60.17)
Smothered : Spineshank (Score = 59.59)
Out of Myself : Riverside (Score = 57.63)
Gothic Kabbalah : Therion (Score = 57.58)
Snitch : Mower (Score = 57.43)
Blitzkrieg : Deathstars (Score = 57.4)
Becoming The Bull : Atreyu (Score = 57.18)
Pull Me Under : Dream Theater (Score = 54.97)
NND : Mower (Score = 54.95)
The Obsessive Devotion : Epica (Score = 54.61)
Razorbliss : Flowing Tears (Score = 53.83)
Heaven's a Lie : Lacuna Coil (Score = 53.83)
At the Back of Beyond : Visions of Atlantis (Score = 53.68)
Archetype : Fear Factory (Score = 53.4)
My Generation : Limp Bizkit (Score = 52.99)
Sancta Terra : Epica (Score = 52.99)
In Control : Nemesea (Score = 52.8)
Enemy : Drowning Pool (Score = 52.63)
Oblivion : Mastodon (Score = 52.02)
Winterborn 77 : Sirenia (Score = 51.68)
The Abrasive : Twin Method (Score = 51.63)
Broken : 12 Stones (Score = 51.3)
Haunted : Midnattsol (Score = 51.22)
Stand My Ground : Within Temptation (Score = 50.66)
Mercyside : Tristania (Score = 49.94)
Zephyr : Pleymo (Score = 49.35)
Pacemaker : E.Town Concrete (Score = 49.15)
Slither : Velvet Revolver (Score = 48.55)
Ghost of Karelia : Mastodon (Score = 48.36)
Who You Are : Lunatica (Score = 48.18)
Televators : The Mars Volta (Score = 48.12)
Shattered : Delain (Score = 47.62)
Jumpdafuckup : Soulfly (Score = 47.31)
Sleeping Dogs Lie : Xandria (Score = 46.86)
Sensorium : Epica (Score = 46.67)
Now & Forever : Xandria (Score = 46.56)
Nobody : Skindred (Score = 46.56)
Don't Say a Word : Sonata Arctica (Score = 46.19)
The Heart of Everything : Within Temptation (Score = 46.17)

2009

20/12 - Red Snapper - Athens
19/12 - Sivert Høyem - Athens
24/11 - Alice in Chains - Prague
12/9 - Asian Dub Foundation - Athens
11/9 - Archive - Athens
10/8 - Faith No More - Athens
19/6 - Ejekt Festival: Röyksopp, Jarvis Cocker, Klaxons, The Subways, James Lavelle, 2 Many DJ's, Echo & The Bunnymen - Athens
18/6 - Ejekt Festival: Pixies, Editors, Starsailor, White Lies - Athens
12/6 - Radioactive Festival: The Last Drive, Deus Ex Machina, Rockin' Bones - Heraklion
15/5 - Goran Bregović - Heraklion
8/5 - Γιάννης Αγγελάκας & Νίκος Βελιώτης - Heraklion
24/4 - the Gaslamp Killer - Dublin

2008
28/7 - Ψαραντώνης - Heraklion
11/7 - Ρόδες - Athens
10/7 - Rockwave Festival: Manu Chao, Patti Smith, Locomondo - Athens
8/7 - Rockwave Festival: The Offspring, Siouxsie, Marky Ramone, Flogging Molly, The Gossip - Athens
5/7 - Locomondo - Varkiza
25/5 - Madrugada - Athens
5/4 - Χάσμα - Heraklion

2007

9/12 - The Toasters, The Smoking Barrels, Les SkartOi! - Athens
28/10 - Manu Chao - Munich
27/10 - W.A.S.P. - Athens
4/10 - Muse - Athens
30/6 - George Clinton - Athens
16/6 - Ejekt Festival: Beastie Boys, Madness - Athens
5/5 - Legalise Protestival: Locomondo - Athens
13/4 - Γιάννης Αγγελάκας & οι Επισκέπτες - Athens

2006
23/12 - Nightstalker, Deus Ex Machina - Athens
8/5 - New Model Army - Athens

2005

9/7 - Rockwave Festival: Twisted Sister, Dio, Katatonia, Ολέθριο Ρήγμα - Athens
8/7 - Rockwave Festival: Slayer, Accept, Candlemass - Athens
30/5 - Slipknot - Athens
15/1 - Rotting Christ - Athens

2004

13/12 - Machine Head - Athens
26/11 - W.A.S.P. - Athens
5/7 - Athens Open Air: Motörhead, Sentenced, The Haunted, Hatebreed - Athens
19/6 - Rockwave Festival: W.A.S.P., Soulfly, Gamma Ray, Dark Tranquillity - Athens
16/6 - Alice Cooper - Athens
7/5 - Nightstalker, Vibratore Bizarro - Athens
25/4 - Hypocrisy - Athens
16/4 - Monster Magnet - Athens
27/2 - Sepultura - Athens
30/1 - Kreator, Ektomorf - Athens

2003

28/12 - Nightstalker, lord 13, The Earthbound - Athens
9/11 - Destruction, Overkill - Athens
12/10 - Nevermore - Athens
21/9 - Dimmu Borgir - Athens
22/7 - Motörhead - Athens
21/7 - Bruce Dickinson - Athens
14/7 - Jethro Tull - Athens
10/7 - Queensrÿche - Athens
3/5 - Cannibal Corpse, Nuclear Assault - Athens
2/3 - Soulfly - Athens
23/2 - Septic Flesh - Athens
8/2 - Rotting Christ - Athens

2002

15/12 - Exodus, The Haunted, Tankard - Athens
24/11 - Sentenced - Athens
16/11 - Deicide, Benediction - Athens
7/11 - Dream Theater - Athens
? - Rotting Christ - Patra
26/10 - Rotting Christ - Agrinio
20/10 - Candlemass, Entombed, Dark Tranquillity - Athens
21/9 - Deadsoul Tribe - Athens
17/8 - Chania Rock Festival: U.D.O., Anathema, The Gathering - Chania
11/4 - Nightstalker - Athens
23/2 - Iced Earth - Athens
16/2 - Destruction, Kreator, Sodom - Athens

2001

7/12 - Cannibal Corpse, Kreator, Krisiun - Athens
1/12 - Marduk, God Dethroned - Athens
12/7 - Nightstalker - Piraeus
1/7 - Rockwave Festival: Judas Priest, Megadeth, Cradle of Filth, Savatage, Rotting Christ - Athens