| A Perfect Circle Eat the Elephant | 3.5 |
| I swear if someone ever pronounces delicious the way Maynard does on this album, I will instantly hate them. Album is a solid 3.5 for me, enjoyable but a bit long and a tad pretentious. |
| Alexisonfire Otherness | 4.0 |
| World Stops Turning is my new favorite Alexisonfire song |
| Alice in Chains Black Gives Way to Blue | 4.5 |
| Alice in Chains The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here | 4.5 |
| 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 | 4.5 |
| Anaal Nathrakh The Whole of the Law | 4.0 |
| Anciients Heart of Oak | 4.5 |
| Baroness Blue Record | 4.5 |
| 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! |
| Baroness Yellow and Green | 4.0 |
| 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 |
| Baroness Gold and Grey | 4.5 |
| Baroness Stone | 4.5 |
Agreed with the “best since Blue?” sentiment. It’s focused and concise and it’s nice to hear John bring back some of
those gruffer sounding vocals of early albums on a few of the songs. Also, does the solo in Last Word not sound like it
was recorded from the shitter? |
| Bell Witch Mirror Reaper | 4.5 |
| Between the Buried and Me The Great Misdirect | 4.5 |
| 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 | 4.5 |
| NASA-Core has made it's long awaited debut. Can't wait to listen to this in my space suit....ermahgerd sperccce serht |
| Between the Buried and Me Automata I | 4.0 |
| I've pretty much enjoyed everything BTBAM has done and this is no different. I thoroughly enjoyed Coma Ecliptic and I find this builds on that album quite a bit while revisiting some of the qualities that made them so unique in the first place. Can't wait for part II |
| Bison Quiet Earth | 4.0 |
| Bison Lovelessness | 4.5 |
| Brand New Daisy | 4.0 |
| 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 | 4.0 |
| Circa Survive Violent Waves | 4.0 |
| 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 | 4.0 |
| Coheed and Cambria In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3 | 4.5 |
| Coheed and Cambria Year of the Black Rainbow | 4.5 |
| 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 Vaxis I: The Unheavenly Creatures | 4.5 |
| Coheed and Cambria The Afterman: Ascension | 4.5 |
| 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 |
| Coheed and Cambria The Afterman: Descension | 4.0 |
| Converge All We Love We Leave Behind | 4.0 |
| Cult of Luna Vertikal | 4.0 |
| Neur-Isis who? This album is a post metal masterpiece. |
| Cynic Traced in Air | 3.5 |
| Cynic Kindly Bent to Free Us | 4.0 |
| I really enjoyed this. I'm more of a fan of this sound than the tech-death sound. The vocals and lyrics are the weakest aspects of the album but still enjoyable |
| Deftones Diamond Eyes | 4.5 |
| Deftones Koi No Yokan | 5.0 |
| Heavy as fuck musically. Beautiful as fuck vocally. Didn't think we would see such a progression this far into their career. Deftones are this generations most consistently awesome band album to album |
| Deftones Gore | 4.5 |
| Deftones Ohms | 5.0 |
| Disturbed Indestructible | 4.0 |
| Every Time I Die Radical | 5.0 |
| Ghost (SWE) Infestissumam | 4.5 |
| 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. |
| Glassjaw Material Control | 4.5 |
| Their best album since White Pony! In all seriousness though, a very pleasant, yet chaotic listen. Was weary over the length being so short but it's perfect |
| Gojira The Way of All Flesh | 4.5 |
| Gojira L'Enfant Sauvage | 4.0 |
| Looook! It's God-Jira!!!! Pretty awesome effort. Ranks up with all the others |
| Gojira Fortitude | 3.5 |
| He Is Legend Suck Out the Poison | 4.0 |
| He Is Legend I Am Hollywood | 4.0 |
| He Is Legend It Hates You | 4.0 |
| Inter Arma Sky Burial | 4.0 |
| 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 |
| Intronaut Valley of Smoke | 4.5 |
| Intronaut? I say Intro-yes!!! This lp is by far the best album of the year in terms of metal |
| Intronaut Fluid Existential Inversions | 4.0 |
| ISIS Wavering Radiant | 4.5 |
| ISIS In the Absence of Truth | 4.5 |
| ISIS Panopticon | 4.5 |
| ISIS Oceanic | 4.5 |
| Karnivool Sound Awake | 4.5 |
| Karnivool Themata | 3.5 |
| Mastodon Blood Mountain | 4.5 |
| 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 | 4.5 |
| Mastodon Crack the Skye | 5.0 |
| This album makes me proud to be part of a generation that can spawn such classic albums. Crack the Skye will be the album kids will be buying 20 years from now. This album sets Mastodon right at the top of the progressive-rock mountain and really sets te bar high in terms of songwriting. I am really finding it hard to enjoy any other metal album right now...just because it all seems so generic compared to this epic masterpiece. Buy this album twice... |
| Mastodon Live at the Aragon | 4.0 |
| 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!!!! |
| Mastodon The Hunter | 4.5 |
| Mastodon Once More 'Round the Sun | 4.5 |
| Once More 'Round the Sun is pretty much an orgy of all the sounds Mastodon has experimented with....and I gotta be honest, it kicks ass. The music is heavy and the vocals are utilized perfectly. More Brann, less Brent, and equal amounts of Troy with a little bit of Scott Kelly is the recipe for a great Mastodon album. I will definitely be blasting this one loud for months and probably years to come |
| Mastodon Emperor of Sand | 5.0 |
| Mastodon Hushed and Grim | 4.5 |
| Minsk With Echoes in the Movement of Stone | 4.0 |
| Moon Tooth Phototroph | 4.0 |
| Dude has a helluva voice. Reminds me of the dude from Blues Traveler a little bit |
| Muse The Resistance | 4.0 |
| 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 |
| Ne Obliviscaris Portal of I | 4.5 |
| 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 |
| Neurosis Honor Found in Decay | 4.0 |
| Really don't get the Neurosis hate lately...but this album is pretty good. Upbeat compared to past, sometimes dull albums |
| Oranssi Pazuzu Mestarin Kynsi | 4.0 |
| This album is a terrifying listen. I was completely uneasy for the whole duration of it. |
| Periphery Periphery | 4.5 |
| Periphery: Love that shit! |
| Periphery Periphery II: This Time It's Personal | 4.0 |
| 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" |
| Protest the Hero Fortress | 4.5 |
| Protest the Hero Scurrilous | 4.5 |
| 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. |
| Protest the Hero Palimpsest | 4.5 |
| Rishloo Eidolon | 4.5 |
| Slugdge Esoteric Malacology | 4.5 |
| Soen Lotus | 3.5 |
| Feels like a heavier version of heritage era Opeth. Really enjoying it |
| The Fall of Troy Phantom on the Horizon | 4.0 |
| The Fall of Troy In the Unlikely Event | 3.0 |
| In the Unlikely Event is an average album at best, yet I still find it to be good ol' fashioned fun brought to us by our good friends in The Fall of Troy. First off, Thomas is not a good singer, he thinks he is, but he never has been and probably never will be. I have never enjoyed the vocals but have always enjoyed their albums. The great musicianship here alone warrants nothing lower than a rating of 3. For disappointed fans, just put it on, and let go. |
| The Mars Volta Noctourniquet | 4.5 |
| This is The Mars Volta playing in outer space.....could go well with Mass Effect 3 |
| The Syncope Threshold Tale of The Complex Circuit | 4.5 |
| Tool 10,000 Days | 4.5 |
