Best ov Metal 2008: A Year-End List Thread

OK, so not exactly the end of the year yet, but it's getting towards the time where print journalists have to turn in their lists, so I figured that it wouldn't be a bad idea to start posting some here for debate (and also to maybe remind people of albums they forgot). So, to start things off, here's my list for The 'Edge as of now. They are numbered, but this isn't necessarily the final order:

1. Opeth - Watershed
2. Nachtmystium - Assassins
3. Testament - Formation of Damnation
4. Torche - Meanderthal
5. Gojira - The Way of All Flesh
6. Amon Amarth - Twilight of the Thunder Gods
7. Saviours - Into Abaddon
8. Into Eternity - The Incurable Tragedy
9. Death Angel - Killing Season
10. Bigelf - Cheat the Gallows
11. Moonspell - Night Eternal
12. Vader - XXV
13. The Haunted - Versus
14. Metallica - Death Magnetic
15. All That Remains - Overcome
16. Dragonforce - Ultra Beatdown
17. Eluveitie - Slania
18. Scar Symmetry - Holographic Universe
19. Graveyard – Graveyard
20. Supagroup - Fire for Hire

I have like 90 2008 metal releases on my iPod to go through, plus I'll flip through back issues of Edge to see if anything sparks in my memory. But my rough 20 (in alphabetical order because I haven't ranked 'em yet) is currently looking like this, though it's of course subject to change:

Amon Amarth, Twilight Of The Thunder God
Annihilation Time, Annihilation Time III: Tales Of The Ancient Age
Blessed By A Broken Heart, Pedal To The Metal
Cavalera Conspiracy, Inflikted
Coffins, Buried Death
Runhild Gammelsaeter, Amplicon
Gates Of Slumber, Conqueror
Gojira, The Way Of All Flesh
GridLink, Amber Gray
Hate Eternal, Fury And Flames
Into Eternity, The Incurable Tragedy
Judas Priest, Nostradamus
Merciless Death, Realm Of Terror
Metallica, Death Magnetic
Neuraxis, The Thin Line Between
Opeth, Watershed
Prostitute Disfigurement, Descendants Of Depravity
Unleashed, Hammer Battalion
Wetnurse, Invisible City
V/A, This Comp Kills Fascists

Ten more albums I thought at one point or another might make the list, but now almost certainly won't:

Boris, Smile
DragonForce, Ultra Beatdown
Enslaved, Vertebrae
Genghis Tron, Board Up The House
Lair Of The Minotaur, War Metal Battle Master
Meshuggah, obZen
Motörhead, Motörizer
Nachtmystium, Assassins: Black Meddle Pt. 1
Slipknot, All Hope Is Gone
Testament, The Formation Of Damnation

Great stuff on both lists...good to see you're liking the Into Eternity, Jeff.

I'll try to get a list together tonight. I still haven't heard This Comp Kills Fascists...and who the heck is Runhild Gammelsaeter?

Runhild is from Thorr's Hammer (Southern Lord 001 or whatever). She also did a nice spoken word intro at the first Sunn0))) show that I put on. I laid down on the floor and she laid her head next to mine and then twenty other folks followed suit. This was before the grimmrobes so the band just played behind a wall of amps. Epic show.

***

I am personally smitten with the new Enslaved but I doubt if I'll hear a more extreme and rewarding record this year than the Gnaw Their Tongues.

Sort of in descending order:

Harvey Milk – Life…the Best Game in Town
Opeth – Watershed
Meshuggah – obZen
Disfear – Live the Storm
Krallice - Krallice
Gojira – The Way of All Flesh
Caina – Temporary Antennae
Wetnurse – Invisible City
Enslaved - Vertebrae
Nachtmystium – Assassins
Made Out of Babies – The Ruiner
Torche - Meanderthal
The Gates of Slumber – Conqueror
Cynic – Traced in Air
Amon Amarth – Twilight of the Thunder Gods
Jucifer – L'Autrichienne
Genghis Tron – Board Up the House
Mar de Grises – Draining the Warerheart
Tyr – Land
Hammers of Misfortune – Fields/Church of Broken Glass

Of course, this might change as there are a bunch more on the bubble, like All That Remains, Arkona, Arsis, Boris, Cursed, Death Angel, Eluveitie, Hail of Bullets, Hate Eternal, Ihsahn, In This Moment, Into Eternity, Lair of the Minotaur, Merciless Death, Misery Index, Neuraxis, Plague Bringer, Sahg, Soilent Green, Testament...agh!

I have high expectations for the new Gojira.

Also, please take into account Soulfly's "Conquer".

i haven't thought about rankings yet. stuff that might make a list:

5ive
boris
coffins
harvey milk
leviathan
made out of babies
nachtmystium
opeth
torche

arsis, hate eternal, neuraxis and disfear might back in. haven't heard new gojira or enslaved. those have a shot.

On the bubble for me: Cavalera Conspiracy, Blessed by a Broken Heart, Gates of Slumber, Enslaved, Earthless (it's a live album, so I'm debating, but it's really freaking good), King's X, Battleroar, Intronaut, ASG. Haven't heard the new In This Moment yet, although I want to.

Also, Into Eternity would have to put out a real clunker at this point for me to not love it.

I've heard a stream of the new In This Moment, and saw the band perform five or six songs from it at a little bar the other week; it's really good, but it's way more commercial radio hard rock than their last album, with some touches of New Wave in the melodies, too.

Ha. That's exactly what I said they should do when I reviewed their first album.

In approximate order, excluding stuff that I inadvertently excluded and including metal-leaning "hard rock" where I arbirtrarily deemed apprpriate (which for some reason meant leaving out White Lion and Night Ranger and Man Raze) because I honestly have no idea where you folks draw the line anymore:

1. Legless – Finding Mr. Perfect (leglesstheband.com)
2. Ted Nugent – Sweden Rocks (Eagle)
3. Crash Street Kids – Transatlantic Suicide (Hot City Recording Company)
4. Early Man – Early Man (The End EP)
5. Other Fools – 12 More Lies (Of)
6. Opeth – Watershed (Roadrunner)
7. Blood Ceremony – Blood Ceremony (Rise Above)
8. Helrunar – Baldr Ok Iss (Lupus Lounge)
9. Sienna Root – Far From The Sun (Transubstans)
10. Klabautamann – Our Journey Through The Woods (Vendius)
11. Farmakon – Robin (Candlelight USA)
12. Helix – The Power Of Rock and Roll (Perris)
13. Noekk – The Minstrel’s Curse (Prophecy)
14. Amassfer – Slaves For Life (Inside Out/SPV)
15. Archer -- -Doom$day Profit$ (Wilde Silas Musicwork)
16. Arkona – Ot Serdca K Nebu (Napalm)
17. Jex Thoth – Jex Thoth (myspace.com/totemdoom)
18. Dornenreich – In Luft Geritzt (Prophecy)
19. Alestorm – Captain Morgan’s Revenge (Napalm)
20. Nucleus Torn – Knell (Prophecy)
21. Harvey Milk – Life…The Best Game In Town (Hydra Head)
22. Ayreon – 01011001 (SPV/Inside Out)
23. Bigelf – Cheat The Gallows (Custard)
24. Boris – Smile (Southern Lord)
25. Blessed By A Broken Heart – Pedal To The Metal (Century Media)

Had no idea people liked that Into Eternity album so much. Hit me as totally so-what and not remotely special, but I'll give it another chance, if you say so.

Right, Blood Ceremony, I'd already forgotten about that one.

If I remember correctly, you didn't like the last Into Eternity, right? The new one is a continuation of that sound.

Personally, I'm surprised that Bigelf isn't getting more love. Damn good record. Not exactly metal, to be fair, but close enough for horseshoes.

That one probably deserves to be higher on my list. (Blessed By A Broken Heart, by the way, squeezed onto my list by virtue of its two songs that don't totally suck, both of which I love.)

Did you hear the new Stephen Pearcy solo album, xhuxk? I kinda figured it'd be right up your alley. It probably won't make my list, but it's a definite runner-up.

I wanted to like the Blood Ceremony record, but that girl's vocals are awful. Flat and lifeless.

Definitely find that Blood Ceremony chick's quasi-Grace Slick schtick (I dunno, maybe she's as good as whoever the woman was who sang for Curved Air?) more useful not to mention graceful than the ugly vocalists for Harvey Milk (whose Budgie riffs and occasional Velvet Underground references I like a lot regardless), Into the Eternity (who I just relistened to, until I got bored by it -- the Rushy prog changes underneath are okay, but the emo-and-witch combo up top is ridiculous and just makes me turn the thing off), or Blessed By A Broken Heart in the 90 percent of the album where they're doing screamo bullshit instead of pretending to be Night Ranger. Not saying Ms. Blood Ceremony is great, but against the competition here, she's really not bad at all, to my ears.

Haven't heard the Stephen Pearcy album, Phil. What you said about it on the hard rock thread a couple months ago was intriguing, but I never figured out how to land a promo of the thing. (If I saw a used for a couple bucks, I'd snatch it up, of course.)

(And yeah, I know Blood Ceremony vs. those other bands is like comparing apples to watermelons. Just seems odd, in a genre that prides itself on its unbearable vocalists, to single her out. She's actually pretty easy to take, and her particular schtick doesn't hit me as completely tired yet -- though it easily could before long, I know.)

>Just seems odd, in a genre that prides itself on its unbearable vocalists, to single her out.

Most "extreme" metal vocals are about the least important element of the albums they appear on. I don't even pay attention to them unless they draw attention to themselves in some relatively unique way (I love the vocalist for Psycroptic, for example, because he doesn't sound like Cookie Monster - he sounds like the Tasmanian Devil). In the case of Blood Ceremony, though, it's a more mainstream early '70s retro hard rock sound and consequently she must be weighed not as a metal vocalist but as a rock vocalist, and on that score I find her wanting.

Ha ha, I thought of the Tasmanian Devil thing with Psycroptic, too (seeing how they're from the "remote island of Tasmania," or however the press release put it), but the geographical appropriateness of the vocal sound sadly didn't make me hate the record any less. Wanted to like them, but found them unlistenable, and their trying-so-hard-to-sound-angry routine just hit me as stupid.

Maybe most "extreme" bands should just bite the bullet and go instrumental, if what you're saying about the pointlessness of their vocals is true. (What I tend to like about those Prophecy albums on my list -- and certain other blackish metal albums I've grown to like in recent years -- is often just that the vocal grumbling fades into the woodwork and winds up working as just another instrument, without becoming intrusive in the manner of their less tolerable extreme brethren.)

(In fact, I'd call Blood Ceremony's vocals "just another instrument", too -- It's not like her words are connecting like say Grace Slick's -- who is one of my favorite singers ever btw -- but I like how the vocals sound regardless. Goes real good with the Sabbath riffs and Uriah Heep organs and Jethro Tull flutes if you ask me.)

I don't have the Blood Ceremony yet and I'm curious how they beat out Jex Thoth on Chuck's list since both bands seem to be in the same genre and both worship Grace Slick...

Here's my current nomination list:

Dalriada: Szelek
Decrepit Birth: Diminishing Between Worlds
DragonForce: Ultra Beatdown
Eluveitie: Slania
Enslaved: Vertebrae
Everon: North
Grand Magus: Iron Will
Gyöngyvér: Világok Virága
Ihsahn: angL
In Flames: A Sense of Purpose
Into Eternity: The Incurable Tragedy
Leviathan: Massive Conspiracy Against All Life
Monolith Deathcult: Trivmvirate
Moonspell: Night Eternal
Trinacria: Travel Now Journey Infinitely
Týr: Land

Enslaved, Monolith Deathcult and Trinacria are album-of-the-year candidates, possibly even as a three-way tie...

I'm also looking forward to the new Cynic, In This Moment and Poisonblack.

I don't have the Blood Ceremony yet and I'm curious how they beat out Jex Thoth on Chuck's list since both bands seem to be in the same genre and both worship Grace Slick...

I like Jex's vocals more but overall I prefer Blood Ceremony - in fact it might end up in my top five come the year's end.

I have heard some good metal this year but this and rolling metal has made me all too aware of how much I've not heard, so a list from me would be pretty superfluous

Toss one up, anyway. It'd be interesting to see what made the list of someone who isn't as saturated with the stuff.

I'm still a bit away from finalizing my list, but I really can't see these albums not appearing on mine:

Torche - Meanderthal
Black Mountain - In the Future
Nachtmystium - Assassins: Black Meddle,Pt. 1
Opeth - Watershed
Gojira - The Way of All Flesh
Harvey Milk - Life..the Best Game in Town
Krallice - Krallice
Coffins - Buried Death
Lair of the Minotaur - War Metal Battle Master
The Goslings - Occasion (debatable whether or not this counts as "metal", but I think it does)
The Gates of Slumber - Conquer
Disfear - Live the Storm
Racebannon - Acid or Blood

still working through my thoughts on Metallica, Sothis, Toxic Holocaust, Genghis Tron, Enslaved, Zozobra and a few others

I'm undecided on how good the Zozobra is.

Trinacria, there's another I have to give some attention to.

It's probably not the best of this year, but is there really no love for Darkspace at all?

I don't have the Blood Ceremony yet and I'm curious how they beat out Jex Thoth on Chuck's list since both bands seem to be in the same genre and both worship Grace Slick...

Really good question, actually -- I hadn't connected the two bands in my mind myself, but they both do definitely play in the same ballpark, obviously. And maybe if I played them back to back, I'd actually prefer Jex Thoth; my list is totally fluid, not carved in stone, and those two could probably just as easily change places. As for why I did rank Blood Ceremony higher, though, hmmm....fewer songs to wade through? more flutes? better cover artwork? or maybe it's just that I heard Blood Ceremony more recently, hence they were fresher in my head? Something totally arbitrary like that, probably. And I'm probably wrong.

Actually, my untested sub-conscious hypothesis is that Blood Ceremony somehow have a fuller sound than Jex Thoth -- warmer, thicker, like that -- though a scientific test might totally disprove that hunch.

i can't believe i didn't know that jex thoth was roger adultery's wife until i saw a picture of her. and that roger is in the band. shoulda known by the name alone. still haven't heard the music though. talk about hipster metal! do they really do a bobb trimble cover?

(i was actually a fan of jessica and james' electrotriphop duo the blood group. or the one album i have that they did. i haven't heard a lot of the wooden wand stuff.)

So, speaking of shitty vocals, what exactly is supposed to be good about Gojira? I don't get that one at all.

Also curious (in a much less cranky way) about what people especially like about this year's Tyr album (and what songs stand out to them). It sounds real good to me, but I'm not sure if it advances in any way what I loved about their two previous albums; seems like kind of a Faroe-Island jousting-metal rehash. That's more or less what I think, at least so far, about the Korpiklaani album from this year, too -- How many albums by those bands do I need taking up room on my shelf? But maybe I'm missing something. With Tyr it's especially hard, since my copy is one of those promos that keeps being interrupted by that stupid announcer voice to fend against web-sharing. So I get frustrated with it quick.

(Okay, partially scratch that about Tyr -- listening to "Hail to Hammer"'s mix of doom metal and Odin-worship folk music right now, and it sounds awesome.) (Though wait, the "god of thunder" with hammer in hand would actually be Thor, right? Or am I mixing mythologies again?)

You should probably just file Gojira under Not For Me and stop wasting your time worrying about it, Chuck. (I will reiterate once again, just in case, that I don't mean that in any way as a slam - I file a dozen or so records under Not For Me every single day, and still manage to assign reviews or features on a bunch of 'em.) If you don't like arty chugga-chugga, which you don't, they are gonna do exactly nothing for you. This new album is slightly more melodic than their last two, but that's a relative term. I like them because they're sort of Meshuggah-esque without the alienating inhumanness of Meshuggah, which I can only take in limited doses. (I listened to obZen front to back last night for the first time since the first week I got it.)

I like Gojira because it's music made by space whales.

"Actually, my untested sub-conscious hypothesis is that Blood Ceremony somehow have a fuller sound than Jex Thoth -- warmer, thicker, like that -- though a scientific test might totally disprove that hunch."

Well I haven't heard the Blood Ceremony yet, but my feeling on Jex Thoth is similar. Great voice. Great material. But the production should be a bit more Mazzy Star-ish to really capture the whole vibe perfectly. I'm hoping their next album will do just that. Could be a masterpiece if they pull it off right.

Was Swallow the Sun's latest this year?

Swallow the Sun's last album was 2007, but they have a new EP out now. Or coming out right away, something like that. It's pretty good.

i can't believe i didn't know that jex thoth was roger adultery's wife until i saw a picture of her. and that roger is in the band. shoulda known by the name alone. still haven't heard the music though. talk about hipster metal! do they really do a bobb trimble cover?

yeah, "when the raven calls" or whatever. it's the best song on the album by far.

man eff posting a year-end list in september, takes all the fun out of december

September is the new December.

Well, like I said, there is nothing final or definitive about my list. It's just a snapshot in time. Could just as well have been in March or July.

production should be a bit more Mazzy Star-ish

Haven't heard a note of Mazzy Star music in forever, so I could be wrong (weren't they sort of a vague hazey shoegazey band?), but I predict I'd find this a lot more boring than I find Jex Thoth now.

If you took just the exhalations on a Cocteau twin record and drenched it in digital reverb you;d have Mazzy Star.

It's the warmth, closeness, and timeless sound of the instruments that appeals to me. It's simultaneously hazy and crystal clear.

I think Jex Thoth sort of aim for this and just barely miss.

Dead Meadow kind of aim for this, but then add in more mud than is perhaps necessary (though it seems to work for them).

Okay, here's my list, properly arranged.

1. Harvey Milk – Life…the Best Game in Town
2. Opeth – Watershed
3. Krallice - Krallice
4. Disfear – Live the Storm
5. Meshuggah – obZen
6. Gojira – The Way of All Flesh
7. Enslaved - Vertebrae
8. Caina – Temporary Antennae
9. Wetnurse – Invisible City
10. Nachtmystium – Assassins
11. Made Out of Babies – The Ruiner
12. Torche - Meanderthal
13. The Gates of Slumber – Conqueror
14. Cynic – Traced in Air
15. Amon Amarth – Twilight of the Thunder Gods
16. Jucifer – L'Autrichienne
17. Hate Eternal – Fury and Flames
18. Genghis Tron – Board Up the House
19. Origin – Antithesis
20. Intronaut - Prehistoricisms

And I'm done futzing with my list.

1. Torche - Meanderthal
2. Nachtmystium – Assassins: Black Meddle Pt. 1
3. Harvey Milk – Life.. the Best Game in Town
4. Gojira – The Way of All Flesh
5. Opeth – Watershed
6. Krallice – Krallice
7. Coffins – Buried Death
8. Metallica – Death Magnetic
9. Black Mountain – In the Future
10. The Gates of Slumber – Conqueror
11. Racebannon – Acid or Blood
12. The Goslings - Occasion
13. Melvins – Nude with Boots
14. Lair of the Minotaur – War Metal Battle Master
15. Genghis Tron – Board Up the House
16. Saviours – Into Abaddon
17. Testament – The Formation of Damnation
18. Disfear – Live the Storm
19. Eluveitie – Slania
20. Toxic Holocaust – An Overdose of Death

And theres a pile of albums I still haven't been able to hear - Wetnurse, Intronaut, Made Out of Babies, Cynic, Amon Amarth.

Better late than never? here's my top 15

The Gates Of Slumber - Conqueror (Profound Lore)
Opeth - Watershed (Roadrunner)
Isole - Bliss of Solitude (Napalm)
Toxic Holocaust - An Overdose of Death (Relapse)
Various Artists - This Comp Kills Fascists (Relapse)
Intronaut - Prehistoricisms (Century Media)
Hammers Of Misfortune - Church Of Broken Glass/Fields (Profound Lore)
Tyr - Land (Napalm)
Testament - Formation of Damnation (Nuclear Blast)
Death Angel -Killing Season (Nuclear Blast)
Alestorm -Captain Morgans Revenge (Napalm)
Unearthly Trance - Electrocution (Relapse)
Torche - Meanderthal (Hydra Head)
Krallice - s/t (Profound Lore)
Grand Magus - Iron Will (Rise Above)

my list for metal edge, slightly amended

1. Fuck the Facts, Disgorge Mexico
2. Equilibrium, Sagas
3. Meshuggah, ObZen
4. Cuong Vu, Vu-Tet
5. Ayreon, 01011001
6. The Mars Volta, The Bedlam in Goliath
7. Opeth, WatershedDornenreich, In Luft Geritzt
8. Devian, Ninewinged Serpent
9. Dornenreich, In Luft Geritzt
10. Uli Jon Roth, Under a Dark Sky
11. Taint, Secrets and Lies
12. Korpiklaani, Korven Kuningas
13. Made Out of Babies, The Ruiner
14. Mourning Beloveth, A Disease for the Ages
15. Cowboys From Hell, Monster Rodeo
16. Trinacria, Travel Now Journey Infinitely
17. Arghoslent, Hornets of the Pogrom
18. Urn, Soul Destroyers
19. Belphegor, Bondage Goat Zombie
20. Helrunar, Baldr Ok Iss

whoops on #7, just opeth there

list that i send to no one because i write for nothing

1. Enslaved - Vertebrae
2. Made Out of Babies – The Ruiner
3. Gojira – The Way of All Flesh
4. Harvey Milk – Life…the Best Game in Town
5. Torche - Meanderthal
6. Opeth – Watershed
7. Genghis Tron – Board Up the House
8. Cynic – Traced in Air
9. Amon Amarth – Twilight of the Thunder Gods
10. The Gates of Slumber – Conqueror

man, just read through this. slagging harvey milk's vox is one thing I can't get behind AT ALL. I mean yeah, they might be ugly... but god, they are PERFECT for that band.

love the way the burly, aggro grunting takes on an almost fragile quality due to blown-out, strained delivery. especially during the quiet moments, which admittedly, there aren't too many of on the new record. "anvil will fall" is maybe my fave example in their catalog. the version from this set is good:
http://blog.wfmu.org/freeform/2008/03/harvey-milk-at.html

the harvey milk and meshuggah records would make my list.

would cherry pick from these as well: gridlink, goslings, coffins, gates of slumber, caina

kinda disappointing: cynic, genghis tron

btw based on everything I'd read about Blood Ceremony I expected to love it and then.....Jefferson Tullship?

Here's my top 20 as of now:

1. Opeth - Watershed
2. Nachtmystium - Assassins
3. Testament - Formation of Damnation
4. Torche - Meanderthal
5. Gojira - The Way of All Flesh
6. Amon Amarth - Twilight of the Thunder Gods
7. Hammers of Misfortune - Fields/Church of Broken Glass
8. Into Eternity - The Incurable Tragedy
9. Death Angel - Killing Season
10. Bigelf - Cheat the Gallows
11. Earthless - Live at Roadburn
12. Eluveitie - Slania
13. Moonspell - Night Eternal
14. Vader - XXV
15. The Haunted - Versus
16. Esoteric - the Maniacal Vale
17. Graveyard – Graveyard
18. All That Remains - Overcome
19. Dragonforce - Ultra Beatdown
20. Bison B.C. - Quiet Earth

1. Torche - Meanderthal
2. Made Out Of Babies - The Ruiner
3. Harvey Milk - Life... The Best Game In Town
4. The Melvins - Nude With Boots
5. Black Mountain - In The Future
5. Boris - Smile
6. Nachtmystium - Assassins: Black Meddle Vol. 1
7. Various Artists - This Comp Kills Fascists
8. Black Boned Angel - The Endless Coming Into Life
9. Trash Talk - Trash Talk
10. Keep Of Kalessin - Kolossus

My list upthread isn't changing. Enslaved, Cynic, and Amon Amarth might bump up, but that 20 is impenetrable.

I was assigned the Harvey Milk and Krallice albums for the ME feature, so I downloaded them, but for me they fall into the "I can appreciate this but will probably never be in the mood to listen to it" category.

It is, of course, entirely possible that this is an epic fail on my brain's part.

I really cant be bothered doing a list. maybe in January..

I'm boycotting this thread until somebody puts up a list with the new Black Elk on it.

i haven't heard the new black elk album. i really liked the last album. great jesus lizard rip-off.

Best Album Made by Black Elk This Year

1. Black Elk - Always a Six, Never a Nine

It's a good album, that.

2. Guns n' Roses - Chinese Democracy

What's your list, Metal Edge Contributor Ned Raggett?

Ned writes for Metal Edge???

He does. And quite well at that.

I'm pretty sure I didn't submit a list, I remember telling Phil as such. I'm just not interested in making year-end lists much anymore, it's been a slow, steady burnout on them. (This is just me talking, I'm hardly advocating a universal dictum.) The vast majority of my listening has been a couple of listens and on because there's so much music out there, new and old, and I want to hear it. All of it.

Well, could you at least tell us a few of the metal albums that you really enjoyed this year? I'm kind of curious, since you're one of the few people on ILM that likes metal but isn't primarily a metalhead.

more of you fuckin guys need to put aura noir on your lists because their album slays.

what I sent to Decibel, don't know if it counted 'cause there weren't 20:

1. Wetnurse, Invisible City (Seventh Rule)
2. Aura Noir, Hades Rise (Tyrant Syndicate)
3. Amon Amarth, Twilight of the Thunder God (Metal Blade)
4. Krisiun, Southern Storm (Century Media)
5. Coffins, Buried Death (12 Buck Spin)
6. Blood Ceremony, self-titled (Rise Above)
7. Church Bizarre, The Liberating Darkness (Hells Headbangers)
8. Hate Eternal, Fury and Flames (Earache)
9. Prostitute Disfigurement, Descendents of Depravity (Willowtip)
10. Morbosidad, Profana la Cruz del Nazareno (NWN)
11. Earth, The Bees Made Honey In The Lion's Skull (Southern Lord)
12. Jucifer, L'autichienne (Relapse)
13. Septic Flesh, Communion (Season of Mist)
14. Origin, Antithesis (Relapse) (gets a pass on shitty drum sounds, but for the last time)
15. Voetsek, Infernal Command (Tankcrimes/Selfmadegod)
16. Indricothere, self-titled (The Sacrosanct Opuscule)
17. Indian, Slights and Abuse/The Sycophant (7th Rule)

Hoos I don't really hear any Jefferson Airplane in BC, woman doesn't sing like Grace Slick even a little and the band doesn't play like JA either. Wanna bear that one out a little more?

I guess I hadn't heard Cynic yet when that list came due so you can throw that one in there

Thanks, Jeff, I'm flattered -- let me think about it, but don't hold your breath. Alfred joked on another thread that my 'top ten' list overall would consist only of the Cure and Portishead, which is actually kinda accurate in that those *are* the only two albums that leap to mind in general. Then there's all this stuff I've reviewed and listened to and talked about here and there and I'm really just fine with that rather than aiming at some sort of overarching ranking and organization, genre specific or not.

I mean, just looking at John D's list there I'd go, "Oh yeah, the Coffins, Earth and Voetsek albums are all pretty great," and they are!

Adrien's article is up ..

The Best Metal Albums of 2008 < PopMatters Picks: The Best Music of 2008 | PopMatters
http://www.popmatters.com/pm/feature/66487-the-best-metal-albums-of-2008/

Good work, Adrien.

Worst Album On Kerrang Albums Of The Year List 2008

Lots of albums yet to hear, but from what I've digested so far the following are worthy of a best of 2008 list, in no particular order:
Kampfar
Arckanum
Darkspace
Esoteric
Krallice
Bloodbath
Skepticism
Decayed
Septic Flesh

adrien's list is the best i've seen so far imo

FUCK YOU, HOOS

(line cut off - Caina was supposed to be the tenth on the list)

2008 releases on heavy rotation, starting with what I estimate got listened to the most:

Nachtmystium
Enslaved
Hammers of Misfortune
Prostitute Disfigurement
Torche
Earth
Isole
Leviathan
Amon Amarth
Arckanum
Jucifer
Made Out of Babies
Esoteric
Aura Noir
Harvey Milk
Darkspace III
Gojira
UFOMammut
Withered

i just have to say, i'm no music writer, just an ordinary fan and consumer, and it's probably pretty obvious from that list how much the Rolling Metal threads influence what I listen to. <3 u guys, for real.

^ Yeah, this

Reading Adrien's great list, I was proud to have heard most of those CDs, then realized that was just me leeching off the collective power of Rolling Metal.

Harvey Milk, Esoteric, Opeth, Krallice, and Cynic have all been in regular rotation over here, but there are still quite a few listed above I would have to hear before attempting a 2008 list.

Yep, thanks, lot of useful guidance off the metal threads here. 2008 has been all about Levaithan, Darkspace and (especially) the Paysage D'Hiver reissues.

xpost Totally agree. I only got back into metal 5 years ago or so. Finding the metal threads here was a godsend. The quality and diversity is amazing. Melvins, Opeth and Nachtmystium have ruled the roost at my house this year.

Nominate Albums For ILM's Metal Albums Of The Year 2008 (closes Jan 1st )

Terrorizer's top 20:

01. ENSLAVED - Vertebrae (Indie Recordings)
02. CYNIC - Traced In Air (Season Of Mist)
03. NACHTMYSTIUM - Assassins: Black Meddle Part 1 (Candlelight)
04. GOJIRA - The Way Of All Flesh (Listenable)
05. TORCHE - Meanderthal (Hydra Head)
06. MESHUGGAH - ObZen (Nuclear Blast)
07. OPETH - Watershed (Roadrunner)
08. METALLICA - Death Magnetic (Warner)
09. BLOODBATH - The Fathomless Mastery (Peaceville)
10. ESOTERIC - The Maniacal Vale (Season Of Mist)
11. EARTH - The Bees Made Honey In The Lion's Skull (Southern Lord)
12. AC/DC - Black Ice (Sony)
13. ASVA - What You Don't Know Is Frontier (Southern Lord)
14. HAIL OF BULLETS - ...Of Frost And War (Metal Blade)
15. SEPTICFLESH - Communion (Season Of Mist)
16. DARKTHRONE - Dark Thrones And Black Flags (Peaceville)
17. LEVIATHAN - Massive Conspiracy Against All Life (Moribund)
18. GRAND MAGUS - Iron Will (Rise Above)
19. HARVEY MILK - Life... The Best Game In Town (Hydra Head)
20. SATYRICON - The Age Of Nero (Roadrunner)

I had a funny feeling Enslaved would win.

1) METALLICA – Death Magnetic (Warner)
2) TESTAMENT - Formation Of Damnation (Nuclear Blast)
3) OPETH – Watershed (Roadrunner)
4) ENSLAVED – Vertebrae (Nuclear Blast)
5) AC/DC – Black Ice (Sony)
6) DISMEMBER - Dismember (Regain)
7) MOTORHEAD – Motorizer (SPV)
8) WARREL DANE – Praises To The War Machine (Century Media)
9) DESTRUCTION – D.E.V.O.L.U.T.I.O.N. (AFM)
10) AMON AMARTH – Twilight Of The Thunder God (Metal Blade)
11) CHILDREN OF BODOM – Blooddrunk (Universal)
12) IHSAHN - angL (Candlelight)
13) GOJIRA - The Way Of All Flesh (Prosthetic)
14) WHITESNAKE – Good To Be Bad (SPV)
15) CRADLE OF FILTH - Godspeed On The Devil's Thunder (Roadrunner)
16) NACHTMYSTIUM - Assassins: Black Meddle Pt. 1 (Century Media)
17) IN FLAMES – A Sense Of Purpose (Koch)
18) SLIPKNOT - All Hope Is Gone (Roadrunner)
19) MISERY INDEX - Traitors (Relapse)
20) SATYRICON - The Age Of Nero (Roadrunner)
21) ICED EARTH – Crucible Of Man (SPV)
22) VENOMOUS CONCEPT - Poisoned Apple (Century Media)
23) GRAND MAGUS – Iron Will (Candlelight)
24) THE GATES OF SLUMBER – Conqueror (Profound Lore)
25) THE HAUNTED - Versus (Century Media)
26) EVERGREY – Torn (SPV)
27) HEADHUNTER – Parasite Of Society (AFM)
28) WEDNESDAY 13 - Skeletons (DR2)
29) URIAH HEEP – Wake The Sleeper (Universal)
30) INTO ETERNITY - The Incurable Tragedy (Century Media)
31) CAVALERA CONSPIRACY – Inflikted (Roadrunner)
32) DAYLIGHT DIES – Lost To The Living (Candlelight)
33) JOURNEY - Revelation (Nomota LLC)
34) UNLEASHED – Hammer Batallion (SPV)
35) BLOODBATH - Unblessing The Purity (Peaceville)
36) BENEATH THE MASSACRE - Dystopia (Prosthetic)
37) KING’S X – XV (InsideOut)
38) KIUAS – The New Dark Age (Spinefarm)
39) MESHUGGAH – obZen (Nuclear Blast)
40) AIRBOURNE - Runnin' Wild (Roadrunner)
41) DEATH ANGEL - Killing Season (Nuclear Blast)
42) BULLET – Bite The Bullet (Black Lodge)
43) THE HELLACOPTERS - Head Off (Psychout)
44) KRALLICE – Krallice (Profound Lore)
45) MOTLEY CRUE - Saints Of Los Angeles (Eleven Seven)
46) NORMA JEAN - The Anti Mother (Solid State)
47) EPICUREAN - A Consequence Of Design (Metal Blade)
48) HAMMERS OF MISFORTUNE – Fields/Church Of Broken Glass (Profound Lore)
49) HATE ETERNAL - Fury & Flames (Metal Blade)
50) STUCK MOJO – Southern Born Killers (Napalm)
51) BUCKCHERRY - Black Butterfly (Eleven Seven)
52) CYNIC - Traced In Air (Season Of Mist)
53) HATCHET – Awaiting Evil (Metal Blade)
54) DANKO JONES - Never Too Loud (Bad Taste)
55) GRAVEYARD – Graveyard (Tee Pee)
56) LEVIATHAN – Massive Conspiracy Against All Life (Moribund)
57) MIDNATTSOL - Nordlys (Napalm)
58) JUDAS PRIEST – Nostradamus (Sony BMG)
59) BIG ELF – Cheat The Gallows (Custard)
60) ZIMMERS HOLE – While You Were Shouting At The Devil… (Century Media)
61) JORN – Lonely Are The Brave (Frontiers)
62) KORPIKLAANI - Korven Kuningas (Nuclear Blast)
63) FALCONER – Among Beggars And Thieves (Metal Blade)
64) BRAINSTORM – Downburst (Metal Blade)
65) ALESTORM – Captain Morgan’s Revenge (Napalm)
66) HAIL OF BULLETS - ...Of Frost And War (Metal Blade)

First reaction: Journey?

Oh, that was Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles' year-end list.

It's more than a feeling... wait, no, that's Boston. I got nothing.

A lot of good in that list, but a whole heckuvalotta wrong as well. In my opinion, anyway!

starting with the no1! Lets hope the ilx metal poll is a good list.

ahem
VOTE In ILX's BEST METAL ALBUMS Of 2008 POLL (Voting Ends Jan 15th)

Metal Storm Awards 2008 - Nominations
http://www.metalstorm.ee/awards/index.php

Best albums by genre

Alternative Metal

Atmospheric/Symphonic Metal

Avantgarde Metal

Black Metal

Death Metal

Doom Metal

Extreme Doom Metal

Gothic Metal

Grindcore

Hard Rock

Heavy Metal

Melodeath/Gothenburg Metal

Metalcore

Pagan/Viking/Folk Metal

Post-Metal

Power Metal

Progressive Metal

Sludge/Stoner Metal

Thrash Metal

Other awards

The Best Cover Song

The Best Debut Album

The Best DVD

The Best Video

The Biggest Letdown

The Biggest Surprise

Special awards

The Best Drama