Metal Was Great, Redux

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!