Top 13 Metal Albums Of 2009

This year, I decided to tag certain albums as ‘Best of 2009′ as I wrote the reviews in order to make a year-end compilation list easier to construct. It helped some, but man was this ever a dense year! It’s difficult to make the decisions (and we all know opinions are like assholes), but I’m dang proud of this here lineup.

13. Church Of Misery – Houses Of The Unholy [Rise Above Records] … So the band is a Japanese trio that sounds like it should’ve erupted from 1960s England, and they exclusively write doom-laden tunes about serial killers. I bet you’re wondering (as I did) how this group has remained off your map for so long.

12. Dream Theater – Black Clouds And Silver Linings [Roadrunner] … It took a few spins for this to really sink in. I finally concluded that this is the best thing DT has done since Awake. There’s less wankery, the ballad actually works, symphonic black metal comes outta nowhere, and they channel Rush like there’s no tomorrow. There’s some minor offenses present (mostly in the vocal department), but this is an ultimately dark and satisfying opus.

11. YOB – The Great Cessation [Profound Lore] … Crushing, that’s what it is. Absolutely crushing. After all the hoopla with breakups, name wars, and reformations, I was amazed how well the new album came together. A starker, crueler monster was bred, clouding Portland skies with inevitably dominating DOOM.

10. Pelican – What We All Come To Need [Southern Lord] … One of the many bands to have possibly achieved the apex of their songwriting skills in 2009, the Chicagoans demonstrate in no uncertain terms their mastery of riff-building soundscapes. All the old fat is trimmed off, leaving only the leanest driving dirges to hook into your memory.

9. Nile – Those Whom The Gods Detest [Nuclear Blast] … There’s plenty of bands that have quirks, gimmicks, or trendiness that keeps them afloat, but Nile has never been one of them. Heavily steeped in ancient lore and frighteningly talented, their albums are honed to greater perfection with each release.

8. Vreid - Milorg [The End] … The black metallers finally step out of Windir‘s shadow, sing in English for the first time, and are afforded better distribution via The End Records. The vibrant production brings the horrifying past of a war-torn Norway to light, on one of the most dynamic black metal albums I’ve ever heard.

7. Alice In Chains – Black Gives Way To Blue [Virgin] … The darkest band of the grunge era remerges after a long absence with a new member and somehow records one of the finest albums of their career. I think the world was ready for it to painfully disappoint, but Jerry Cantrell’s deft pop sensibilities and kindled chemistry with William Duval soon proved too potent to pass off. Mainstream rock music is rarely this dark and intrinsically heavy.

6. Heaven And Hell – The Devil You Know [Rhino] … Speaking of bands recording their first new album in many years…unholy shit! Have you heard this?! When a group of legendary hexagenerians can get together and not only maintain their relevance, but genuinely master the metal landscape, it only further underscores the longevity of this music. Thank you, gentlemen.

5. Coalesce – OX and OXEP [Relapse] … Oh and would you look at that, yet another archetypal group that recently reformed! I appreciate Converge and all they did on Axe To Fall, but the metalcore pioneers in the synonymously-named Coalesce just recorded more adventurous material. Then to drive that point home, they released a companion EP a few months later to further illustrate their expansion. While they may be enjoyed separately, I highly recommend picking up both.

4. Shrinebuilder – Shrinebuilder [Neurot] … Wino. Al Cisneros. Scott Kelly. Dale Crover. “Greater than the sum of its parts” is a turn-of-phrase often tossed around, but never has it been so emphatically executed as it was on this album. Sounding as if they channel some otherworldly power, these four friends created music beyond my wildest expectations.

3. Kylesa – Static Tensions [Prosthetic] … Considering I was so lukewarm to Time Will Fuse Its Worth (strong start, then fades), I had low expectations for this one. I have rarely, if ever, heard a band progress this logically and thoroughly. Maybe it had something to do with their new rhythm section, maybe they wanted to live up to the gorgeous John Baizely artwork, who knows? All I know is I could not stop listening to Static Tensions for several months, and it was a no-brainer for a top 3 slot.

2. Mastodon – Crack The Skye [Reprise] … I was one of those dorks who didn’t listen to a note of Crack The Skye until its full release, then listened to it completely with headphones and the lyric sheet in front of me. And then I listened to it again. And then I listened to it again. I was not expecting this level of sonic maturity…who was? And now this band is rightfully ready to assume its place among the upper echelons of modern metal.

1. Baroness – Blue Record [Relapse] … There were so many rumors I heard before listening to Blue Record, the least of which was that it was “better than Crack The Skye” (which made me reflexively dubious). I’m still taken aback by how meticulously this album is arranged, how well it flows, and how strong are its compositions. It’s the first 5/5 review I’ve ever given, and I’m proud to have done it. YOU MUST LISTEN TO THIS.

There you have it! Feel free to agree or disagree. Comment. Rant in the forums. Whatever.