Zoo
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Reviews 4
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Album Edits 274

Album Ratings 2636
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Last Active 02-09-11 2:24 am
Joined 01-01-07

Review Comments 3,759

 Lists
11.28.10 I'm Back06.23.10 Sex, Blogs, And Fantasy Football
06.09.10 Top 50 Of 201003.07.10 Indie Blog Raids
03.06.10 Help Me Out....for Once12.27.09 My 2009 Was Better Than Yours
09.05.09 A Cure For A Musical Famine05.06.09 Digs From The Zoo
02.05.09 200912.21.08 My 2008
12.01.08 The Best Albums Of 2008 You Haven't Hea09.03.08 Metal Wreckage: September
08.22.08 Metal You're Dying To Hear08.10.08 The Best Diggage

Digs From The Zoo

The best of what I've come across so far in 2009.
1Isole
Silent Ruins

Traditional doom metal doesn't get much better than this, or at least it hasn't been for quite some time. Isole has changed that with their latest release and the top doom metal album so far this year (after the dismal efforts put forth by Candlemass and MDB). 4.5
2Gwynbleidd
Nostalgia

As someone once put it, the US finally as their own Opeth. This Brooklyn progressive death metal outfit puts out one of the best releases of the year with Nostalgia, an album that's sure to make my top 5 for 2009. 4.5
3Altar of Plagues
White Tomb

Refreshingly unique atmospheric black metal infused with doom, post rock, post metal, and even hardcore influences. The most haunting album I've heard in a while, this expansive journey through an entrancing soundscape is nothing short of an ambient, tragic masterpiece. Another album that will, no doubt, be in my top 5 for the year. This must be heard. 4.5
4Enmerkar
Starlit Passage

Another atmospheric masterpiece in the form of a dark ambient/depressive black metal project from the US. Although Enmerkar does borrow heavily from Burzum and Alcest here, they've somehow managed to make the music their own. If you're looking for some inescapably dark music, this is for you. 4.5
5Tribulation
The Horror

Old school Swedish death metal done right. With some obvious thrash influences, Tribulation manages to blend seamlessly death metal's crushing riffs with thrash's blazing speed and intensity like no other band before them. This albums will rip your face off. This is the best death metal release so far this year. 4.5
6Vomitory
Carnage Euphoria

An inexplicably brutal foray into old school death metal. While not as headbangable as The Horror, Tribulation's fellow countrymen have still managed to craft one of the best death metal albums of the year in Carnage Euphoria. Fans of Grave and especially Dismember owe it to themselves to look into this one. 4
7Necrophobic
Death To All

Believe it or not, yet another Swedish band has graced 2009 with an excellent death metal album. Necrophobic, perhaps the longest lived black/death metal band, has returned with a strong release with Death To All. Recommended for those who like Sacramentum, Unanimated, Grave, Dissection, and Marduk. 4
8Svarttjern
Misanthropic Path of Madness

Nasty, gritty, and disturbing, Svarttjern releases what is currently the second best black/death metal album of the year. Hansfyrste (Ragnarok) lends his well suited, grating vocals to the crushing riffs and rapid fire percussion to make this album all but irresistible to Marduk and Necrophobic listeners. 4
9Demonical
Hellsworn

Back to Sweden we go for yet another superb old school death metal release. Founded in 2006 by three former Centinex members, Demonical put out a promising debut with Servants of the Unlight in 2007. They're back this year, this time much improved, with Hellsworn. Once again, all fans of Swedish death metal (Dismember, Grave, Kaamos) should check this out. 4
10Lay Down Rotten
Gospel of the Wretched

A German death metal outfit that has often shown much potential but continued to disappoint has finally ascended from their plateau of mediocrity to release this pleasant surprise. With Martin van Drunen (Hail Of Bullets, Pestilence) and Dan Swano handling the production and even some vocals, this is quickly turning into my favorite melodic death/thrash album since The Absence's Riders of the Plague. 4
11Fleshgod Apocalypse
Oracles

This Italian technical/brutal death metal band releases what is, make no mistake (Cosmogenesis), one of the best technical death metal albums so far this year. Mixing some neo-classical melodies in their songs in addition to some epic orchestral arrangements, Fleshgod Apocalypse shows that hype, blatant plagiarism, and even having former members of Pestilence and Necrophagist means nothing next to possessing good song writing skills. 4
12The Firstborn
The Noble Search

With a progressive/avant garde metal album entirely focused on Buddhism, Portugal's The Firstborn create a highly original album in The Noble Search. With interesting song structures, guest vocals by Hugo Santos (Process of Guilt), and even the use of traditional Indian folk instruments such as the sitar and the kanjira, no song sounds even remotely similar. For fans of any progressive black metal including Emancer and both Transcending Bizarre? and Enslaved's latest releases. 4
13Black Sun Aeon
Darkness Walks Beside Me

An excellent Finnish melodic doom/death metal solo project from Tuomas Saukkonnen with some glaring similarities to Katatonia and Swallow the Sun. 4
14Depressed Mode
...For Death...

Finnish melodic doom/death metal with some progressive and funeral doom elements. Fans of Hanging Garden, Doom:VS, and Shape of Despair will enjoy this one. 4
15Irrbloss
Bloodline

More excellent Swedish black/death metal with obvious Dissection and Marduk influence. 4
16Lo-Ruhamah
The Glory of God

Surprisingly awesome Kansas City Christian blackened death metal infused with ambient and post rock. If you're a fan of Agalloch and/or Fen, this may be for you. 4
17Disappearer
The Clearing

Seemingly out of nowhere (Well, not really. They're actually from Boston, an instrumental and post metal capital of sorts with Isis and Kayo Dot/maudlin of the Well calling the city home) comes this sick little sludge/post metal album with some post rock and post hardcore mannerisms. 4
18Karl Sanders
Saurian Exorcisms

The talented multi-instrumentalist (he plays eight different instruments here, including the oud, buzuq,and the saz) and Nile frontman releases the second album in his Egyptian dark ambient solo project in the form of Saurian Exorcisms. Simply put, this is one of the most authentic, ethnic, and dark atmospheric albums in existence and I'm sure those who like to chill with Maria and Juana will find themselves walking through the Valley of the Pharoahs in no time. 4
19Pensees Nocturnes
Vacuum

Very haunting depressive black metal blended with classical piano arrangements. 4
20The Green Evening Requiem
Bastards of Atlas

TGER release an interesting venture into progressive doom/black metal while injecting some stoner, sludge, and post metal elements. Similar to Electric Wizard but not quite as thick. 4
21Corrodal
Xei

Very experimental progressive metal from Hungary with ambient/electronic moments. 4
22Nebukadnezar
Dawn Pervades the Twilight

Nasty "Babylonian" death metal from Germany with great atmosphere. 3.5
23Armagedon
Death Then Nothing

Solid, brutal old school Polish death metal. 3.5
24Ryashon
The Stone of Triumph

Instrumental/progressive metal with a good deal of catchy guitar wankery. 3
25Bibleblack
The Black Swan Epilogue

Swedish progressive/melodic death/thrash metal. 3
26Blood Tsunami
Grand Feast For Vultures

Decent enough death/thrash metal. A good listen until it wears out (fairly quickly). 3
27Vassilis Tsabropoulos
The Promise

Beautifully structured neo-classical piano arrangements so superbly composed that it's almost certain to bring out some type of emotion in the listener. 4
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