At the end of last year, as has been my tradition, I let loose with a completely premature "best of" top 10 list for metal/hardcore albums in 2008. Of course I hadn't heard all that I should have/needed to, and for what it's worth I still haven't (most notably Mirror of Dead Faces and InExordium), but I've heard a lot more. So here goes the "other" tradition -- a more finalized top ten with some more music digested and a few months of perspective.
But first, some honorable mention:
Azmaveth -- Strong as Death: The whole album wasn't as strong as the samples I'd heard, but this still has to be the best Christ-influenced black metal that Puerto Rico has produced, right?
Austrian Death Machine -- Total Brutal: If there's a better joke band (musically or jokingly) around, I haven't heard them.
Once Nothing -- First Came the Law: They've broken up and are again nothing, I suppose, but not before they took us on a riiiiiiiiiiiiide!
Soul Embraced -- Dead Alive: Dead Alive? Is that like True Lies? Don't get me wrong, this isn't on True Lies level, but it's quite good still.
Miseration -- Your Demons - Their Angels: A little overblown as far as the hype went in my opinion, but I guess if something has to be hyped you could do a lot worse.
And now, the winners:
10) The Famine -- The Raven and the Reaping: A great album, but if only it was as heavy as their live show it would be top 5.
9) Once Dead -- Visions of Hell: Yeah, so the production got jacked up and it sounds like it was recorded in 1988. Great songs are still great songs, and this one delivers 'em.
8) Divine Symphony -- The History: Brazil has produced about a thousand Christ-influenced metal bands in the last couple years, but with only Eric Bruntlett-like "success." Divine Symphony represents the one home run for the year (wait -- Bruntlett still hasn't hit one -- well, here's to hoping).
7) With Faith or Flames -- A Conquest Triumphant: What is that like "Paper or plastic?" Ummm. . . faith, please. Don't have to think to hard on that one. Oh, and extra metal!
6) Call to Preserve -- From Isolation: On a certain level this isn't all that special, but I just keep coming back to it. Probably the best tough-guy hardcore band currently active in the scene.
5) Synnove -- The Wh0re and the Bride: I like this title a lot better than my web filter does. I saw this marketed as "epic and aggressive" and I can't find two better words for it myself.
4) War of Ages -- Arise and Conquer: These cats are churning out great albums with a speed and consistency that I don't think I've ever seen matched.
3) Sympathy -- Anagogic Tyranny: In many ways this "should" be at number one. Unmatched in brutality and technicality, but it just needs a little more personality and memorability to take me where I'd like to go. Nonetheless, a remarkably outstanding album.
2) MyChildren MyBride -- Unbreakable: The exact opposite of Sympathy, where on one level there's nothing all that remarkable going on here. Except for -- oh yeah -- brilliantly compelling and memorable songs.
1) Enshrouding -- Volitale Times: Here's one I didn't see coming. A one-man project out of nowhere (or at least he won't say where) that was only replicated into 100 units and "released" (if you can even call it that) with absolutely no fanfare or expectation. But it captures everything that's right and good (ha ha -- that will really chap off the black metal elitists, won't it?) about raw, primitive black metal in such a way that probably only Dark Endless (equally impossible to find in 2009, I'm afraid) really comes close to. Don't bother looking for this one though, it's gone.
Legitimately, the titles at the top here aren't quite up to par for a yearly best-of, and although there were tons of strong and worthwhile releases, the superior few at the very top of the bell curve didn't quite show up. Do note, however, that Becoming the Archetype was removed from the list because (even though it was out in '08) the copyright is '09, and along with them bands like August Burns Red have already assured us of a monumental 2009 for metal. So look forward to those heading up a strong but pre-mature '09 list in a couple of months. Wohoo!
Friday, August 28, 2009
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
It's Just Funny
Tonight the Phillies inserted 37 year-old Pedro Martinez into their starting rotation. . . and it got 9 years younger.
Friday, August 7, 2009
Cliff Notes
It's been a long time since I've posted, but you have to understand -- I'm lazy. Doesn't it all make sense now?
One of the big happenings in the interim was the baseball trading deadline, and from a Phillies perspective what a soap opera. For a month or so solid all we would hear about is that they "led" in the chase for Roy Halliday and that he would obviously put us over the top and probably make us favorites to win a 2nd straight World Championship. As the deadline approached, however, various "sources" said that the Jays were asking for Drabek (stud pitching prospect), Taylor (stud outfield prospect), and Happ (young guy who's 8-2 with an ERA under 3 in the bigs right now). So my thought was to do the deal -- if they let us replay the bottom of the 9th of Game 6 from '93! Are you kidding? Seriously, no wonder nobody made a deal -- the whole "firstborn son" was a big price to ask for, Rumplestilskin.
So instead we gave up 4 different and somewhat less intriguing prospects (and decent ones at that -- it was no gift to be sure) for Cliff Lee. Happ stays in town and in the rotation, Lee gets added, and guys with value but nowhere to play (Donald, at least) get shuffled off. GREAT deal -- unless someone else picks up Halliday. I was scared to death the Dodgers would step up, but no. He remains a Jay, and all of the sudden the playoffs are basically assured and another parade is a distinct possibility. Wow do I love baseball.
In the meantime, the C's add a legitimate front court All-Star to come off the bench, as well as another big body to throw fouls at Shaq in the Eastern Conference Finals this year, plus a commitment from some back court depth from Indiana, PLUS Baby might still be back. This might be the deepest team we've had, as if we can steer clear of the injuries that took us down last year the playoffs should be absolutely epic.
Not to mention that OU was one of exactly 4 teams that received at least one first-place in the pre-season coaches poll, and deservedly so. Whoever gets out of the Red River Shootout this year (as often, of course), is going to be pretty tough to take down. Here's to a rematch from last January, but in Pasadena this time. (Side note -- the last 4 times that OU has played for a national championship, on a "neutral" site, it's been in the home state of the opposing team. Seriously, Florida State at the Orange Bowl in 2000, LSU at the Sugar Bowl a couple years back, Florida at the Orange Bowl last year, and that's not to mention The Game of which We Do Not Speak, which happened to be against a team from southern California in Pasadena. Not whining, just pointing out.)
Finally, lost in all the excitement of legitimately contending teams -- camp has opened and we have reason to believe that the Lions may win a game this year!
One of the big happenings in the interim was the baseball trading deadline, and from a Phillies perspective what a soap opera. For a month or so solid all we would hear about is that they "led" in the chase for Roy Halliday and that he would obviously put us over the top and probably make us favorites to win a 2nd straight World Championship. As the deadline approached, however, various "sources" said that the Jays were asking for Drabek (stud pitching prospect), Taylor (stud outfield prospect), and Happ (young guy who's 8-2 with an ERA under 3 in the bigs right now). So my thought was to do the deal -- if they let us replay the bottom of the 9th of Game 6 from '93! Are you kidding? Seriously, no wonder nobody made a deal -- the whole "firstborn son" was a big price to ask for, Rumplestilskin.
So instead we gave up 4 different and somewhat less intriguing prospects (and decent ones at that -- it was no gift to be sure) for Cliff Lee. Happ stays in town and in the rotation, Lee gets added, and guys with value but nowhere to play (Donald, at least) get shuffled off. GREAT deal -- unless someone else picks up Halliday. I was scared to death the Dodgers would step up, but no. He remains a Jay, and all of the sudden the playoffs are basically assured and another parade is a distinct possibility. Wow do I love baseball.
In the meantime, the C's add a legitimate front court All-Star to come off the bench, as well as another big body to throw fouls at Shaq in the Eastern Conference Finals this year, plus a commitment from some back court depth from Indiana, PLUS Baby might still be back. This might be the deepest team we've had, as if we can steer clear of the injuries that took us down last year the playoffs should be absolutely epic.
Not to mention that OU was one of exactly 4 teams that received at least one first-place in the pre-season coaches poll, and deservedly so. Whoever gets out of the Red River Shootout this year (as often, of course), is going to be pretty tough to take down. Here's to a rematch from last January, but in Pasadena this time. (Side note -- the last 4 times that OU has played for a national championship, on a "neutral" site, it's been in the home state of the opposing team. Seriously, Florida State at the Orange Bowl in 2000, LSU at the Sugar Bowl a couple years back, Florida at the Orange Bowl last year, and that's not to mention The Game of which We Do Not Speak, which happened to be against a team from southern California in Pasadena. Not whining, just pointing out.)
Finally, lost in all the excitement of legitimately contending teams -- camp has opened and we have reason to believe that the Lions may win a game this year!
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