Top Albums of 2009 [column]

It was a hectic year, and trying to come up with a top 10 list to close things out seemed like an almost overwhelming task. Where there really 10 albums that stood out to me? Well, when I finally sat down to build and rank a list, I realized there was, and then some. There were obvious picks, and happy surprises, and a couple that came out of left field and completely blew me away. At the end of the day, this represented, to me, the best 2009 had to offer.

So, without further ado...

Best albums of 2009...

10 (tie).

Taking Back Sunday
New Again
(Warner Bros. Records)
30 Seconds to Mars
This is War
(Virgin Records)
Eyes Set to Kill
The World Outside
(Breaksilence Records)

And in a cheat of sorts, a three-way tie for the No. 10 slot. Taking Back Sunday sounds positively invigorated on New Again, Snarling through an enjoyable mix of high-energy tracks with the typical trademark tongue-in-cheek lyrics. Check out the catchy-as-hell “Summer, Man,” the melancholic “Where My Mouth Is” and infectious “Swing.”

While a daunting task to follow-up the break-out A Beautiful Lie album, 30 Seconds to Mars didn’t try to make a sequel, and instead crafted one of the most interesting albums of 2009. From the slow build of “Escape” to the explosive anthem “Kings and Queens,” the band continues to surprise as an alternative standard bearer.

Finally, the sophomore release from Eyes Set to Kill. The beauty of the music that Eyes Set to Kill are beginning to craft is in the juxtaposition of the various elements continues to mature. Whether it’s the dual-vocal approach, the quieter piano moments sandwiched between stutter-stop riffing and thunderous groove, or when the parts pull into one mass attack (executed to perfection on “The Hollow”), the band never seems to get lost or overdo it with the individual elements.

9.

Pearl Jam
Backspacer
(Universal Distribution)

"When somethings broke, I wanna put a bit of fixin on it; When somethings bored, I wanna put a little exciting on it; If somethings low, I wanna put a little high on it; When somethings lost, I wanna fight to get it back again."

Pearl Jam’s recent rocker, Backspacer follows in the footsteps of 2002's Riot Act, and while the band has, in many ways, moved away from the raw power of Ten or Vs. (something I think it tried to recapture with the self-titled album a few years ago), it’s still able to put out a raucous collection of music, continuing an almost 20-year streak and pretty much solidifying a spot as one of the most reliable rock bands of the last, well, 20 years.

8.

Thursday
Common Existence
(Epitaph Records)

"When I first saw you there were guns in the river; Black birds of warning circling high above the marquee where the blue notes of lovers mixed with the loneliness of others turned our breath into snowflakes as we whispered in the gutters."

Thursday seemed to have rediscovered and recaptured the energy and emotion so prevalent on the band’s first two albums and channeled it into one raging beast of an album. While the band sort of drifted off into mellower, experimental fare gradually over the past couple of albums, Common Existence is a true return to form. From the abrasive album opener “Resuscitation of a Dead Man” to the slow-burn dirge of closer “You Were the Cancer,” every song is a Thursday masterpiece.

7.

Slayer
World Painted Blood
(American Recording)

"Like a storm that devastates; Religious power instigate; Take religion to my confession; There is no filter on my aggression; With a blister open wide; To keep the massacre alive; I got cold devastation; With my moral imperfection."

What World Painted Blood does manage to do, is far outshine the band’s more recent releases (2001’s God Hates Us All and the oft-overlooked 2006 release Christ Illusion), and it does so by pulling from a deep bag of tricks, strung together to craft their best offering of the new millennium. There’s a little bit of everything on here: Tom Araya’s schizophrenic vocal delivery on the blistering “Hate Worldwide” and deliberate “Public Display of Dismemberment”; the pure thrash bliss of “Unit 731”; the punk aesthetic of “Snuff”; the chilling dirge of “Playing With Dolls”. Truth be told, the band almost seems to have taken a page out of 1990’s Seasons in the Abyss, shifting between the roles of chaotic thrash masters or slowing things down to sound like the metallic bringers of death.

6.

Mastodon
Crack the Skye
(Reprise Records)

"The screaming arrows tear through my soul; In the dawn your face is haunting; White ghostly dreams."

Mastodon continues to push the boundaries of metal, and Crack the Skye further solidifies the band’s post as one of metal’s best new bands. While the album seems more polished and directed than some of the group’s previous efforts, this set is still chock-full of crushing riffs and features two 10-minute-plus epics as the band drifts and lilthes over a musical landscape. A little less stoner-metal, a little more 70s-inspired progressive rock, the band never disappoints as each song impresses more than the last.

5.

Paramore
Brand New Eyes
(Fueled By Raman)

"And the worst part is before it gets any better we‘re headed for a cliff; And in the free fall I will realize I‘m better off when I hit the bottom."

Every band has one of those moments; It’s not necessarily a break-out song or album, but a time where everything falls into place to become a defining moment. This is that moment for Paramore. On this album, the band fires on all cylinders to amazing affect. The music is tight, the lyrics smart and thought-provoking, the songs are catchy at times, deep at others. While All We Know is Falling established the group, and Riot! caught everyone’s attention, it’s Brand New Eyes that proves lead singer Hayley Williams can front a band and command a stage, and the rest of the band continues to craft nice little power pop/punk songs. Of note is the snarling “Ignorance” and “Brick by Boring Brick,” the melancholy of “The Only Exception” and album closer “All I Wanted,” and the near perfection of the album’s best moment, “Turn it Off.”

4.

Lamb of` God
Wrath
(Epic Records)

"Everything you've ever begged me to be; Could never have meant any less to me; Everything you've ever asked me to say; It's so far away from the truth."

Wrath is everything you expect from a Lamb of God album: crushing blast beats and choking rhythm, along with the snarling, haunting vocals of Randy Blyth. The fact of the matter is that, while perhaps not the most innovative metal band out there, Lamb of God has pretty much set the stage to be the best metal act of the decade. Album after album of blistering metal -- at times insanely catchy -- and with little filler, the band’s latest is no different. Opening with a slight curveball with the layered “The Passing,” the band soon explodes with fury with “In Your Words,” grabbing a hold of the listeners’ throats and never letting up. And hey, Slayer is a little predictable, too, but no one’s trying to deny their status as legends.

3.

Silversun Pickups
Swoon
(Dangerbird Records)

"How many times do you wanna die; How many ways; Do you wanna die; Do you feel safe again? look over your shoulder; Very carefully look over your shoulder."

I can’t think of a song in the last five years that has captured my ear quite like the gentle drone of “The Royal We”. It’s like the band somehow recaptured that moment in 1994/1995—the tail end of Jawbreaker and the beginning of Sunny Day Real Estate, with the lo-fi dirge and muddy guitar play. The band is definitely channeling a lot of classic ’90s acts (the aforementioned, and possibly Pixies, or Mudhoney), with just a hint of something like Coheed and Cambria (in the vocal delivery). It sounds like a throwback, but manages to somehow sound fresh at the same time.

2.

Alice in Chains
Black Gives Way to Blue
(Virgin Records)

"And I always paid attention to all the lines you crossed; Forgive this imperfection it shows, and know; I am the child that lives and cries in a corner; Dies in a corner."

The album really picks up where the band left off. Most of the time, you almost forget Layne Staley isn’t still front and center with the group, both a comfort and a curse as a long-time listener. DuVall does a great job continuing in the tradition of the classic AIC sound, managing to somehow emulate Staley but push through with his own style, too. Without going through track-by-track, I’ll simply say that the band does a good job of mixing all the different elements of its sound — with some hard-rockers (“Acid Bubble”), mellow fair à la Jar of Flies (“Your Decision”) and thunderous dirges (“A Looking in View”) — to craft a complete experience. Perhaps not quite the perfect release, it’s exactly what fans were hoping for. And, with the replacement of such a legendary vocalist, way more than most bargained for. In the end, Black Gives Way to Blue is quite the little gem to turn a whole new generation of fans onto the band.


1.

Silverstein
A Shipwreck in the Sand
(Victory Records)

"You broke my heart, You promised me the moon and stars; I fell for your dreams; I fell for your lies; There was no other way; You know I tried. And I knew you could never love me; I had so much sorrow inside; You could never reach; But can I still keep; A place in your heart."

While they could have easily been lumped in with the rest of the dual-vocalist screamo bands that popped up in the early part of the decade, Silverstein offered a little something more. The clear vocals were just melodic enough, and the groove in the guitar work just deep enough, that the band managed to stand out and craft a sound uniquely its own (when you hear a Silverstein song, you can immediately tell it's Silverstein). On this album, everything that made the band unique — each element of its sound and approach to songwriting — seems to have been ratcheted up a notch or 10. Just listen to “American Dream” with its balladic opening that gives way to a hardcore dirge (the spark) that the band is more than willing to douse with enough melody (the fuel) to start, well, a house fire. That driving, hook-laden guitar work pops up in every song, but this time out the band looks to rely on a lot of solid bass work, too, to push the songs forward (check out “You‘re All I Have”). Ultimately, what the band has done a fantastic job of here, is creating a series of moods, dragging the listener on a musical journey through the heartache, betrayal, vengeance and angst—weighty matters to be sure—that are tempered with a lighter mood in the music’s melody.

Warbringer -- 'War Without End' [review]

Warbringer - War Without End
Century Media Records (02/05/08)
Metal

It’s 1985, and you, being the metal head that you are, pull out your box of tapes from the back of the closet, album after album of speed and thrash strewn before you . Look, it’s Slayer’s Hell Awaits. Hey, Megadeth’s Killing is My Business … and Exodus’ Bonded by Blood. There’s probably a copy of Anthrax’s Spreading the Disease and Overkill’s Feel the Fire in there, too. And no doubt a worn copy of Metallic’s Kill ’Em All (most probably a copy off a friend).

If any of those albums were in your collection, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see War bringer’s debut War Without End in there, too. Well, except for the fact the album was released in 2008.

But enough with the analogy. If you’re a fan of any of the abovementioned bands; If you’ve owned any of those albums or heard a song off of any of them, then you know what Warbringer sounds like.

Solos galore, crushing riffs that just tumble over one another and drumming that bears down on the listener like a freight train. And don’t forget those snarled vocals that are so pissed-off there’s no need for the singer to scream.

Warbringer seems more than willing to wear its influences on its sleeve, so much so that chunks of the album (moments in the songs) sound like they were lifted right out of 1985. It’s likely not thievery, more of an homage, but it stills hinders the band in that nothing on the album sounds particularly inspired or new.

Sure, “Hell on Earth” is a terror, the riffs on “Shoot to Kill” are inspired, and “At the Crack of Doom” just crushes, so the band is sure to earn plenty of new fans. But any die-hard fan out there would rather pick up any of the (at least) 20 classics that were released in the mid-’80s instead. And that’s a shame, because Warbringer has crafted one punished metal album in War Without End. A definite two thumbs up for this debut, so dig out your suitcase from ’85, put on your tight jeans and denim jacket, and prepare to bang your head. This album is great as a one-off. One just has to wonder what the group could possibly offer for an encore.

Slayer -- 'Diabolus in Musica' [classic review]

Slayer
"Diabolus in Musica"
(American Recording)


Few can string together a metal album like Slayer. A streamlined power-punch of rhythm and a crushing wall of drums, intermingling with intense sociopolitical influenced vocals. Tom Arraya in still album to string together a violent string of choked vocals as good as the foreboding bass riffs he supplies to the band. Add to the proceedings one of the best guitar duos in metal (six-string god Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman) and the vastly underrated drumming skills of Paul Bostaph and what do you expect? Nothing short of "the devil's music."

King's minor key riffs seethe with a sense of foreboding and fans wouldn't want it any other way. The one-two attack opening of "Bitter Peace" and "Death's Head" is one of the best openings of a metal album (ever!). "Bitter Peace" begins with slow, plodding drumming and down-tuned guitar that slowly pick up steam before plowing into the opening riff. King's guitar riffs mid-way through the track are particularly venomous. The track abruptly comes to an end, giving way to the "Death's Head" rumble of heavy bass and guitars opening.

The rest of the album is no slouch either: from the bludgeoning force of "In the Name of God" to the incendiary cry of "Stain of Mind," if it weren't for Slayer classics like "Reign in Blood" and "Seasons in the Abyss," this would be the focal point of the band's storied career. Instead, as it stands, "Diabolus" is simply another reason Slayer is one of the most noteworthy and influential metal bands of all time.

Slayer -- 'Soundtrack to the Apocalypse' [review]

Slayer
"Soundtrack to the Apocalypse"
American Recordings


Slayer.

Every fan of heavy metal has listened to this band.

Even people that don't listen to heavy metal are familiar with the name.

Over the years, Slayer has consistently built a strong catalogue and even stronger fanbase, from 1983's "Show No Mercy" on Metal Blade Records to their debut on American Recordings, 1986's "Reign in Blood," to newer albums like 1998's "Diabolus in Musica" (one of my all-time favorites) and 2001's "God Hates Us All," Slayer has cranked out some of the most blistering, awe-inspiring tracks of all time.

Singer and bassist Tom Araya, guitarists Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman, along with a rotating line-up of drummers (most notably Paul Bostaph and Dave Lombardo), have been tearing through the metal scene for over 20 years. Surely it was time to put some sort of career retrospective out.

Enter: "Soundtrack to the Apocalypse."

"Soundtrack to the Apocalypse" is a box set of Slayer material spanning its years with American Recordings.

There are two different versions of the box set: a four disc set and a limited edition five disc set. The four disc set consists of three CDs worth of "greatest hits," rare and live tracks, songs from soundtracks, overseas releases and a DVD of performance footage spanning 20 years. The limited edition consists of the same thing but comes in an "ammo box" and also features a banner, backstage pass and fifth disc that features a full concert.

So, is this a box set worthy of one of the greatest (metal) bands of all time? Let's take a look at each aspect of the set and then at the set as a whole.

Disc 1

The first disc acts as a "greatest hits collection" off the band's first four albums for American Recordings (the band's Metal Blade catalogue is ignored). There's a nice remix of "Criminally Insane" and crisp transfer of "Raining Blood" (both off the "Reign in Blood" album). From the live version of "Chemical Warfare" (off 1991's "Decade of Aggression") to the chunky, riff-heavy "Seasons in the Abyss" (off the 1990 album of the same name), Slayer's older stuff sounds as good as ever.

Disc 2

Most of the second disc continues chronologically, touching on Slayer's next four albums. There's a whopping five tracks from Divine Intervention (with "Serenity in Murder" and "Dittohead" standing out as the stronger cuts), three off Slayer's "Undisputed Attitude" ("Gemini" was a nice pick), three off "Diabolus in Musica" (including "Stain of Mind") and three off of "God Hates Us All" (with the obvious inclusion of "Disciple" with a chorus of "God hates us all...").

The remaining tracks are where the meat of the collection finally starts to get exposed.

First up, there's Slayer's cover of "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" off the soundtrack for the 1987 movie "Less Than Zero." It's not a bad cover per se, but I remember thinking at the time of it's initial release that Slayer could have really made this a creepy-ass, heavy cover.

Also from the realm of movies, there's "Human Disease" from "Bride of Chucky" and "Disorder" off the "Judgement Night" soundtrack.

The tracks off the "Judgment Night" soundtrack featured heavy metal bands and rap artists joining forces (Cypress Hill and Pearl Jam; Biohazard and Onyx). In this case, Slayer teamed up with Ice T which wasn\'t such a stretch at the time since Ice T was also fronting the metal band Body Count.

Rounding out disc two are songs available off the overseas releases of "Diabolus" and "God Hates Us All" (two each) -- with "Wicked" being one of the stronger tracks on the entire set.

Disc 3

The third disc consists entirely of rarities. There's live tracks from the very early days (the disc kicks off with "Ice Titan" live from 1983) all the way to 2002 ("Bloodline" live in Sweden), rehearsal stuff, home recordings (a couple of home recordings by Jeff Hanneman -- "Raining Blood" and an early version of "South of Heaven") and a rough studio mix of "Piece by Piece." There's also a track Slayer did with Atari Teenage Riot complete with industrialized techno that seems totally out of character for the band, but at the same time not a terrible song.

Disc 4

This is the DVD of the box; it contains 15 live tracks spanning the band's career. From "Die by the Sword" (live from 1983) to "Disciple" (live from 2003), the disc offers a glimpse into the evolution of Slayer, from an 80's big-haired, thrash band in a small California club, all the way to grizzled, tattooed, head-shaved, arena-touring, metal veterans.

The earlier clips are pretty rough. The video is as clear albeit somewhat grainy, but the audio is murky at times, with a lot of bass; the sound is ambient instead of coming off the sound board (which is what is done when the show is specifically being taped for release). Obviously these shows weren't taped to be put on DVD and released, but they do their job showing the band in its beginning stages. Though the clips are seen out of context (I know it's California, 1983, but what club? And is Slayer the opener or headlining?), it's still amazing to see them packing the house with what appears to be die-hard fans. "Aggressive Perfector" is particularly fun to watch.

The later clips are great both sonically and visually. "War Ensemble" and "South of Heaven" (live from Michigan in '91) feature great live energy. The ESPN performance of "Bloodline" is solid, even if the band was performing in a cramped space. "Disciple" and "God Send Death" (live from France, 2003) sound good, although the band was performing on a dark set so there's not too much to look at.

In addition to the live footage, there's two other "gems" to be had. There's some home video footage of the band accepting the Heaviest Band Award at the Kerrang! Magazine Awards in 1996, and an electronic press kit for "Diabolus in Musica." While the award thing is a little too lengthy for what it was (the band simply said thanks and that was it), the EPK is great to watch -- spliced between interview clips from all band members is rehearsal and live shots of the band performing what was, at the time, new material. But it also gives a little insight into the album in general and where the band was at that point in its career. The EPK is definitely the highlight of the DVD.

Disc 5

The deluxe edition of "Soundtrack to the Apocalypse" also features a fifth disc: a full-length concert from the band's Anaheim stop on the God Hates Us All tour (2002). This was Slayer's first tour with original drummer Dave Lombardo back in the fold (he had left the band in the early '90s). The CD comes in a "Blood pack" sleeve -- essentially a slip case that's filled with fake blood and floating skulls -- that looks pretty cool.

As for the set list, the band dug way back for this one. After kicking off with the two opening tracks off "God Hates Us All," the band essentially played all their classics. Sure, they fit in "Stain of Mind" (off "Diabolus in Musica"), but the rest of the material had been aged at least 10 years (maybe this had to do with Lombardo re-entering the fold). It's nice to know the band can still bust out old favorites like "Chemical Warfare" or "At Dawn They Sleep" (featuring a kick-ass mini drum solo) and not miss a beat while "Seasons in the Abyss" and "Raining Blood" still sound as strong as ever.

The Extras

The limited edition of "Soundtrack to the Apocalypse" includes a wall banner and a replica backstage laminate. Both versions of the box set come with a booklet featuring tons of pictures spanning the band's career, along with interviews with each band member and producer Rick Rubin. The booklet is pretty big in the deluxe version of the box, so I'm not sure how it is packaged in the regular version (from what I saw on the shelf, the regular version seemed to be packaged in what was, essentially, a double CD case).

Assessment

Well, the set kicks off with "Angel of Death," and it's such a great thrash-based song and a perfect way to kick off things. Slayer has just always been such a strong, riff-based metal band, and all of these tracks are great reminders. The "Decade of Aggression" live tracks are still phenomenal -- the live version of "Hell Awaits" is full of fury with great King riffs throughout. In between you've got gems like "Raining Blood" (with a great opening of rain and drums before the riffs and double-bass kick in) and "Seasons in the Abyss" (another one of my Slayer favorites). Also nice to hear the great Araya scream on songs like "Aggressive Perfector."

I'm particular happy with the inclusion of "Bitter Peace" on disc two, just because it has one of the coolest openings of any Slayer song -- the slow, plodding drumming and down-tuned guitar slowly picking up steam before plowing into the opening riff (great opening track for "Diabolus" too). And the guitar riffs mid-way through the track are particularly venomous. It's great to have "Death's Head" following because you expect the heavy bass and guitars of this tracks opening right after the abrupt ending of "Peace." Drummer Paul Bostaph shines on the "Intervention" tracks but instead of having such a heavy focus on this release I would've preferred a cover or two off "Undisputed Attitude," or maybe something else off of "Diabolus" or "God Hates Us All." The Ice T track is pretty interesting too, as it's substantially different from T's Body Count stuff, and he adds a weird element to the band that almost makes them sound slowed-down. Plus, it's weird hearing Araya moved down to background vocals.

The sound quality on disc three is questionable, but that's what you expect given the source material. The vocals on "Seasons in the Abyss" threw me off at first, and the rawness of the garage recordings is fun, but overall this is a hit-or-miss collection of rarities. The Atari Teenage Riot track really caught me off guard, but was pretty good.

As for the DVD, I was pretty disappointed with it. What was there was fine. The club shows sounded raw but I "get it" and still enjoy watching those clips (I had the same problem with the old clips off Fear Factory's "Digital Connectivity"). Still, I was dying for the band's actual videos. And maybe a couple of interview clips or something. Even something off a Headbangers Ball, or some festival stuff -- ANYTHING. As it stands, the whole thing clocked in a little over an hour, so there was obviously room for more.

The setlist for the live disc is strong. The sound quality is great and it stands unedited (with Araya comments throughout the set including a nice rant against the bouncers at the front of the stage). Plus, it's a nice capture of the energy the band has live (better than the other live clips sprinkled throughout the set apart from the "Decade of Aggression" tracks). In short: a strong live disc.

I loved the booklet that accompanied the set, but was mixed with the rest of it. I guess collectors would be into the banner and laminate, but I'll just keep those things in the box. I never understood the point of the laminate anyway, it's just a replica. (Now if you could keep it for potential fan meet-and-greets down the road, it would be a different story.) I just look at these things like prizes in a Cracker Jack Box: they kind of fun to get but useless overall.

OVERALL

Well, first off, the Metal Blade stuff is largely ignored except for live tracks or the DVD (although the studio version of "Aggressive Perfector" was a nice addition). The set could have been a lot stronger even if there was just an EP as the sixth disc with five or six tracks on it.

As for an anthology of sorts, the first 2 discs do a great job of spotlighting the band's career. Slayer's music hardly sounds dated, and the energy from the earlier tracks is comparable to anything being released today (there's a reason Slayer's considered one of the greatest metal bands of a ALL TIME).

The rare stuff is probably something only diehard fans would really be into, although there's nothing wrong with any of it. The DVD fell below expectations which is the biggest problem with the set overall. As for the bonus disc: there's nothing quite like seeing (or in this case hearing) Slayer live, and the set list is a great mix of old and new tracks.

You get the sense there could've been more included here. The band supposedly had done a rumored 50 or so tracks during the sessions for "Undisputed Attitude." There were also rumors of older tracks getting re-recorded at some point. I suspect there were a couple other unreleased tracks that could've been dug up.

There's some nice touches here. The CD's themselves are black (on the underside -- instead of shiny and reflective like most retail CDs). The box itself is what it is, the booklet is great to look through, and while I question the value of the extras, they were nice inclusions.