| 4.5 superb |
| Alice in Chains Black Gives Way to Blue |
| Alice in Chains The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here |
| Definitely has the "Dirt" feel to it that "Black Gives Way To Blue" was missing. The old AIC sound is a very welcome presence. |
| Amia Venera Landscape The Long Procession |
| Anciients Heart of Oak |
| Baroness Blue Record |
| Blue Record is Baroness' defining album. Gone should be all the comparisons between Baroness and any other Georgia based metal bands, whether it be Kylesa or Mastodon. Blue Record is a top tier metal opus that shows great technicality, vocal harmonies, and even instrumental interludes. The combo of Steel that Sleeps the Eye and Swollen and Halo are quite possibly the best two pieces of music my ears have experienced this year. Easily a best of 09 contender! |
| Between the Buried and Me The Great Misdirect |
| Between the Buried and Me have combined everything good about their previous albums into one completely impressive, complex, and accessibile recording. The Great Misdirect is a personal standout of 2009 for me and has totally blown my expectations away. Not sure how I like it compared to Colors but it could very well end up being my favorite release by BTBAM. |
| Between the Buried and Me The Parallax II: Future Sequence |
| NASA-Core has made it's long awaited debut. Can't wait to listen to this in my space suit....ermahgerd sperccce serht |
| Bison B.C. Lovelessness |
| Coheed and Cambria In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3 |
| Coheed and Cambria Year of the Black Rainbow |
| Year of the Black Rainbow is the Coheed album I have been waiting for since I first heard IKS3. Ever sicne that album, they have been progressing into a heavier, solid band and with this album, they ditch any extremely "made for radio" pop songs found on previous albums. Instead they have crafted a cohesive, creepy, dark, brooding, and beautiful masterpiece that sounds like nothing else out there. I for one am happy they have made five different albums instead of five of the same. Kudos Coheed and Cambria, I can't wait to see some of these songs live |
| Coheed and Cambria The Afterman: Ascension |
| Coheed and Cambria continue to progress with this release. Instead of going back to SSTB, IKS, and GA....they give us a new flavor of Coheed that can appeal to fans of each album, and what more can you ask for? I would much rather have something new, than something that sounds like the albums they wrote in their twenties. This is the album they needed to make. Can't wait until February |
| Deftones Diamond Eyes |
| Ghost B.C. Infestissumam |
| I loved Opus Eponymous......but it came off as a bit tacky at times. Looking past the themes and gimmicks associated with Ghost, Infestissumam is a legit hard rock album. Nothing out there sounds like this. |
| Gojira The Way of All Flesh |
| I, Omega Tale of the Complex Circuit |
| Take Coheed and Cambria, Between the Buried and Me, and Protest the Hero...put them in a room and force them all too mate....the resulting offspring would be The Syncope Threshold. A magnificent blend of all three of the bands I mentioned above. Tale of the Complex Circuit is one of the best independant albums of the year, including some of the best musicianship and vocals. Throw in a killer concept and you get awesomeness. Check this album out! |
| Intronaut Valley of Smoke |
| Intronaut? I say Intro-yes!!! This lp is by far the best album of the year in terms of metal |
| Isis Wavering Radiant |
| Isis In the Absence of Truth |
| Isis Panopticon |
| Isis Oceanic |
| Karnivool Sound Awake |
| Mastodon Blood Mountain |
| This is the album that made me a fan. In August 06 or so, I was reading an interview with Brent and Bill in guitarworld magazine..when they explained the concept, I immediately laughed but also had to see how/if they made it work. From the first time I heard "The Wolf is Loose" I have been in love and from the sound of the new song "Divinations", they will continue being in my top 3 bands. This album eclipsed my favorite band Tool for album of the year |
| Mastodon Leviathan |
| Mastodon The Hunter |
| Ne Obliviscaris Portal of I |
| Finally a fresh new sounding metal band! I've been in a drought for a long time trying to find something half decent to get drawn into and with the release of Portal of I, it's happened. It's a rare feat these days to listen to an album that hasn't been done before. Very fresh and fucking awesome |
| Periphery Periphery |
| Periphery: Love that shit! |
| Protest the Hero Fortress |
| Protest the Hero Scurrilous |
| Gone are the crazy concepts and mythological lyrics and yet PTH still manages to come out with their most mind fuck of an album yet. |
| Rishloo Eidolon |
| The Mars Volta Noctourniquet |
| This is The Mars Volta playing in outer space.....could go well with Mass Effect 3 |
| Tool 10,000 Days |
| 4.0 excellent |
| Baroness Yellow and Green |
| First off, I can see why hardcore Baroness fans would hate this, but I actually quite enjoy it. It's pretty funny to see these guys follow Mastodon in almost every way in terms of career paths. Not to say this or any other Baroness works sound like Mastodon albums but just the way they went from "Brutal" to more accessible with each album. With Yellow And Green you get pure emotion which was lacking in previous efforts. You can tell this album comes straight from the heart and has pain and anguish driven right into it. Great listen, but not for everyone |
| Bison B.C. Quiet Earth |
| Brand New Daisy |
| Whether you enjoy this album or dislike it, Daisy is a one of a kind album. With that being said, Brand New continues the trend they have created for themselves by crafting a completely different sound with each album they put out. This album sounds nothing like TDAG much like TDAG sounded nothing like Deja Entendu....and for me, that is a huge plus. Brand New crafts a new sound even though it is undoubtedly a Brand New album |
| Circa Survive Blue Sky Noise |
| Circa Survive Violent Waves |
| Took the third listen for it to actually sink in as a great album. Definitely could be placed at the top of their discography and it's evident being label-free had a positive impact regarding the sound of this album. Lets hope being label-free has an impact on Coheeds next two albums! |
| Closure in Moscow First Temple |
| Coheed and Cambria The Afterman: Descension |
| Converge All We Love We Leave Behind |
| Cult of Luna Vertikal |
| Neur-Isis who? This album is a post metal masterpiece. |
| Disturbed Indestructible |
| Gojira L'Enfant Sauvage |
| Looook! It's God-Jira!!!! Pretty awesome effort. Ranks up with all the others |
| He Is Legend Suck Out The Poison |
| He Is Legend I Am Hollywood |
| He Is Legend It Hates You |
| Inter Arma Sky Burial |
| Album is seriously intense. Offers a taste of Neurosis and Mastodon with a little old school Opeth sprinkled on for good measure. Relapse is the breeding grounds of great music |
| Mastodon Live at the Aragon |
| Very impressive. Musically amazing and even vocally not too bad. Brent is still pretty weak but Troy and Brann sound terrific. Moar Troy harsh vox plssss!!!! |
| Minsk With Echoes in the Movement of Stone |
| Muse The Resistance |
| First three songs released had me very pessimistic about this album. I listened to it in full and as soon as I finished Unnatural Selection, I was sure this wasn't going to be the disappointment I once thought it would be. By most standards, it is an amazing album, by Muse standards, just above average. Better than Blackholes imo |
| Neurosis Honor Found in Decay |
| Really don't get the Neurosis hate lately...but this album is pretty good. Upbeat compared to past, sometimes dull albums |
| Periphery Periphery II: This Time It's Personal |
| I understand Periphery aren't very well liked around here but damn, I have never seen so many spammed low ball ratings with no real reasoning. This album is, in my opinion, pretty catchy and fresh. Spencer has grown leaps and bounds since the first album and the instrumental aspect of the band has evolved to be more than just a Meshuggah clone, in fact I hear little to no resemblance between the two on this album. This is Periphery being Periphery....not Periphery being "Djent" |
| The Fall of Troy Phantom on the Horizon |
