| 2009 |
| Tyler, the Creator Bastard | 3.5 |
| Felt (USA-MN) Felt 3: A Tribute to Rosie Perez | 4.5 |
| Shpongle Ineffable Mysteries from Shpongleland | 3.5 |
| Katatonia Night Is the New Day | 4.0 |
| Tech N9ne K.O.D. | 4.0 |
| Sole and the Skyrider Band Plastique | 4.0 |
| Relient K Forget and Not Slow Down | 3.5 |
| Orphans of Cush White Noize | 3.5 |
| A Place to Bury Strangers Exploding Head | 4.0 |
| Converge Axe to Fall | 4.0 |
| What are you all smoking, Sputnik? This is obviously not nearly as good as Jane Doe, better than their last two full lengths by a small margin, but no where near the classic that is Jane Doe. By the way, anybody else reminded of Mike Patton in "Cruel Bloom?" |
| Brand New Daisy | 3.5 |
| Megadeth Endgame | 4.5 |
Endgame is proof that Thrash Metal has not died, something fellow "rivals" (if you will) Metallica couldn't prove, and even legendary thrashers Kreator couldn't quite pull off, despite a noteworthy effort in Hordes Of Chaos. My god, even Slayer hasn't put out an LP worth owning since 1991s Decade of Aggression.
This record will see Megadeth's return to their late 80s early 90s acclaim. Admittedly, I fully expected a record of lazy solos, recycled riffs, and uninspired vocals. Instead, I was floored with some of the best lead and rhythm guitar work out of Megadeth in nearly 2 decades (not to mention plenty of blistering solos), and vocals from Mustaine that mark his best work...ever. From the sickly (in a good way) morose (yeah... in a good way) vocals in the ballad-ish "The Hardest Part of Letting Go...Sealed With a Kiss," to the surprisingly sing-along friendly "44 Minutes," the vocals are as good as ever.
While many bands in Megadeth's position tend to get lazy on their instruments as time goes by (once again Metallica is the easy target here), Megadeth have managed to keep pushing forward in terms of aggression and speed. The aptly titled track "Head Crusher" is up there as one of the heaviest and fastest tracks Megadeth have written and features a phenomenal breakdown.
There isn't one bad song here, and definitely not a "top heavy" record, so when you put this album on, don't go anywhere because the second half is where this record really shines through.
Best tracks: "How the Story Ends," "Bodies," "The Hardest Part of Letting Go...Sealed With a Kiss," "Head Crusher." |
| The Ruins of Beverast Foulest Semen of a Sheltered Elite | 3.5 |
| Raekwon Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... Pt II | 2.5 |
| A Fine Frenzy Bomb In A Birdcage | 4.0 |
| Insomnium Across the Dark | 3.5 |
| Sepsism Distorting the Mortal Visage | 3.5 |
| Mew No More Stories | 4.5 |
| fun. Aim and Ignite | 5.0 |
| Behemoth Evangelion | 4.0 |
| Sol.Illaquists Of Sound No More Heroes | 4.0 |
| Appalachian Winter Winter Eternal | 3.5 |
| Our Lady Peace Burn Burn | 3.5 |
| Portugal. The Man The Satanic Satanist | 4.5 |
| Rx Bandits Mandala | 4.5 |
| Jonsi and Alex Riceboy Sleeps | 4.0 |
| Cave In Planets of Old | 3.5 |
| Anaal Nathrakh In the Constellation of the Black Widow | 3.5 |
| Mount Eerie Wind's Poem | 3.5 |
| Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros Up From Below | 3.5 |
| Shining (SWE) VI - Klagopsalmer | 3.5 |
| jj jj n° 2 | 4.0 |
| The Mount Fuji Doomjazz Corporation Succubus | 4.0 |
| La Roux La Roux | 3.5 |
| Shiina Ringo Sanmon Gossip | 3.5 |
| Regina Spektor Far | 4.0 |
| The Mars Volta Octahedron | 4.0 |
| Drudkh Microcosmos | 3.5 |
| Panopticon Collapse | 4.0 |
| Deerhunter Rainwater Cassette Exchange | 3.5 |
| Mos Def The Ecstatic | 4.0 |
| Taking Back Sunday New Again | 3.0 |
| Grizzly Bear Veckatimest | 3.5 |
| Old Man's Child Slaves of the World | 3.0 |
| mewithoutYou It's All Crazy! It's All False! It's All A Dream! It's Alright! | 3.5 |
| Green Day 21st Century Breakdown | 2.5 |
| Geist Galeere | 3.5 |
| Unholy Matrimony Croire, Decroitre | 4.5 |
| Sun of the Blind Skullreader | 3.5 |
| Japandroids Post-Nothing | 4.5 |
| ISIS Wavering Radiant | 4.0 |
| Black Math Horseman Wyllt | 4.0 |
| Manchester Orchestra Mean Everything to Nothing | 4.5 |
| Mae (m)orning | 4.0 |
| Altar of Plagues White Tomb | 3.5 |
| Silversun Pickups Swoon | 4.5 |
| FM Static Dear Diary | 2.5 |
| Finale A Pipe Dream and a Promise | 3.0 |
| Metric Fantasies | 3.5 |
| Del Tha Funkee Homosapien Funk Man (The Stimulus Package) | 3.5 |
| Hellsaw Cold | 4.0 |
| Wumpscut Fuckit | 4.5 |
| Lene Marlin Twist the Truth | 3.5 |
| Peste Noire Ballade cuntre lo Anemi francor | 3.5 |
| Keri Hilson In A Perfect World... | 3.5 |
| Mastodon Crack the Skye | 3.5 |
| The Decemberists The Hazards of Love | 4.0 |
| Mono Hymn to the Immortal Wind | 4.5 |
| The Antlers Hospice | 3.5 |
| Thursday Common Existence | 3.0 |
| Gavin Castleton Home | 4.5 |
| P.O.S Never Better | 4.0 |
| Platinum Pied Pipers Abundance | 3.0 |
| Cymbals Eat Guitars Why There Are Mountains | 4.5 |
| Fen The Malediction Fields | 4.0 |
| Afterlives A Ticking Clock I Couldn't Stop | 4.0 |
| Kalisia Cybion | 4.5 |
| Animal Collective Merriweather Post Pavilion | 3.0 |
