!!!!!!!! ILX METAL ALBUMS of 2009 POLL RESULTS!!!!!! (FINAL RESULTS NOW IN! LISTENING TO THESE ALBUMS WILL MAKE YOU STRONGER FRAIL INTERNET PERSON!)

m.etal?

i have a terrible substitution related affliction these days

#27 , 147 Points , 11 votes

http://www.musicdirect.com/shared/images/products/large/ldt2114.jpg
Tombs - Winter Hours

Meanwhile, I get the feeling Tombs' Winter Hours (Relapse) is pretty good, but it keeps going through one ear and out the other. Not to say that it won't grow on me, but so far nothing has stuck. Noisy post-black metal stuff never really does, though.

― Agent ov Fortune (J3ff T.),

Like the first thing I put on this morning was the new Tombs album 'Winter Hours', which is also pretty badass

I've been meaning to check out that Tombs album, but I've been having loads of trouble getting the Relapse promo flash player to work right.

― jon /via/ chi 2.0,

They sound virtually nothing like Jesu for anyone taking djmartian notes btw - I mean they both have an evident boner for olde tyme shoegazing but take it in basically the opposite direction to each other

― Peter Andre Test Tube Babies (DJ Mencap),

Yeah, I hate the streamer too. I don't see the Jesu thing, either. I heard something a bit more post-post-metal.

― Vulgar Display of Flowers (J3ff T.),

Okay, I'm really liking the Tombs album. Post-metal that actually gets to the point, it doesn't drag on and on.

― A. Begrand,

will this album crossover to a wider audience? i.e fans of these bands: My Bloody Valentine, Swans, Black Flag, Wetnurse, Helmet, Killing Joke, Botch, Dazzling Killmen, Husker Du.

elements of: sludge metal, post-metal, hardcore, shoegaze, experimental rock, mathcore, math-rock

you know, they can say this stuff, but as someone who has listened to a fair amount of "shoegaze, experimental rock, mathcore and math-rock" but not a lot of metal, the tombs album doesn't sound especially different from most other metal albums to my ears. so i'm guessing the crossover elements are exaggerated. i am a philistine though.

― congratulations (n/a),

with Tombs there is a heavy shoegaze, hardcore and indeed industrial-rock twist embedded into their sound vortex - that's why the metal purists have probably barred them from metal-archives

― djmartian,

got that tombs album the other day, ppl tar me as a "purist" sometimes but I thought that album was great

― J0hn D.,

Tombs sounds very 90s to me; like I dunno, a boogie-less meeting of Neurosis, Tad and Fudge Tunnel? But then "Beneath the Toxic Jungle" that has a black metal lead riff.
(Note that I've not heard the album, I've just played the stuff on their myspace page)

― Øystein,

lissening to tombs. liveblog! first track = boring, though scary-pretty at times. screamo vox a huge problem, gotta admit. almost gave up, but "golden eyes", holy shit! esp dig the straight-up, heavy-handed rock drumming. first half of "beneath the toxic jungle" is great too. then it drags again. don't dig the stonefaced blackened postrock when they play it straight. want more catchy shit. and the ambient stuff is straight filler.

second half (side 2) ups gaze quotient, for the better. "the divide" could easily be some midwest amrep also ran. hammerhead? really, really prefer the less hysterical vocals here. dude should pull back more often. good shit, fucking standout track. jeez, now that i think about it, hammerhead/vaz seem like the template for a lot of this record's tricks. beyond the more obvious godflesh thing i mean. "merrimack" goes back to the wounded howling (with some embarassing "look inside your soul" lyrics), but melodicism saves it. kinda started to tune back out after that.

really nice guitar tones throughout, raw and sharp, albini-ish, kinda, but thicker, more lo-end luv. clink clanky junkyard cymbals are weird, but maybe that's just the rip. good record, though the harder they try to crush my soul, the more bored i get. serious godflesh vibes on the 2nd half of "filled with secrets".

super short! without the short interludes, only about 33 min. probably for the best at this stage, though i'm surprised they don't stretch out more.

― welcome little swetty (contenderizer),

^ maybe that sounds too unimpressed/bitchy. i dug it, spun it twice, will listen again.

― welcome little swetty (contenderizer),

I'm glad the Tombs isn't more than 33 minutes. Any longer would have been overkill...this album gets it right, concise and catchy.

― A. Begrand,
weird! my friend mary came in to the store - i sell her handmade art cards - and i was blasting Graveworm and i turned it down when she came in and she said: "oh you don't have to turn it down my son is in a metal band i don't mind this music." turns out her son is the drummer in Tombs! they are touring europe right now. i told her if they ever wanted to play in the store to let me know! hahaha!

― scott seward,

Fucking love that Tombs record, just fantastic!

#26 , 163 Points , 11 votes

http://shop.northern-silence.de/cover/10199amesoeursstcd2720090313.jpg
Amesoeurs - Amesoeurs

Meanwhile, the samples from the new Amesoeurs CD have me very excited for the full album: http://www.myspace.com/amesoeurs

Coldwave metal!

― A. Begrand,

And the new Amesoeurs songs I've heard have me geeked. This is going to be one of my 09 faves, I just know it.

― A. Begrand,

Amesoeurs will definitely have some of the purists hollering 'false!', but the new album's not without some vicious moments, including one track of full-on, stripped down black metal.

― A. Begrand,

There was some pretty traditional black metal stuff on the EP, IIRC. Really excited about the upcoming full length. Have they set a hard date yet, or still just sometime this spring?

― EZ Snappin,

Yeah, 90% of the album follows where the last track on the Ruines Humaines EP left off. So much so, that the raw BM track kind of sticks out...it's still a good track though. There's a European date, I just don't know when it is. March something? For North America, yeah, it's apparently April-ish.

― A. Begrand,

Liked the Amesoeurs EP, looking forward the album.

― glenn mcdonald,

you do get two or three indie-oriented tracks ("Video Girl"), and the one straight BM track sticks out a bit. Neige's guitar work and the girl's 4AD style vocals cinch it for me, though, I'm a total sucker for that stuff.

I think "La Reine Trayeuse" perfectly encapsulates what they're trying to achieve on this record...

― A. Begrand,

i have been awaiting this new amesoeurs for what seems like forever ( 2 years anyways) and what i have heard so far has not disappointed. i just hope it does well enough that they follow it up with at least one more. although i was getting used to the idea that all i was ever gonna get from them was the ep and the split single.

― drone/a/sore,
They split up

I had no idea...it was only today when I did a little searching that I learned of their almost comical girl-related squabble.

― A. Begrand,

Never actually listened to the Tombs album but saw them open for Marduk and they were pretty good. The drummer would raise his arms way over his head and bring them smashing down on the snare; I liked that. Also they didn't wear corpse paint or anything - they kinda looked like Unsane.

#25 , 168 Points , 10 votes

http://www.metalrockmuseum.com/band/absu/absu.jpg
Absu - Absu

I'm listening to the new Absu. I was not a big fan of Tara, so I fully expected to just skip through a few songs and delete this, but it's holding my attention so far.

― glenn mcdonald,

The new Absu kills, I wasn't sure what to expect. Another blackened album that benefits hugely from a cleaner, warmer mix. I like this trend.

― A. Begrand,

maybe it's just the grim, frostbitten weather, but the last absu album is sounding pretty good to my ears after a disappointing few spins when it first came out.

still ain't no tara, tho.

― ' ( *_*) ERROR HANDLING (^_^ ) (Alan N),

Another really great example of cover art and, yes, yet another album on my "to get" list.

I like the art too, musics pretty good as well.

#24 , 175 Points , 9 votes , One #1 vote

http://www.earache.com/webstore/images/225598.jpg
Funeral Mist - Maranatha

So I'm really transfixed by the new Funeral Mist album. So much of it is such overly contrived black metal (processed vocals, samples of sermons, disturbing artwork), but it's so deliriously over the top and above all catchy, especially the wickedly groovy 12 minute jam "Blessed Curse". Good stuff.

― A. Begrand,

Absolutely, my fav album of the year so far. Glad someone finally brings this one up, def. deserves a lot more attention. For instance, "Sword Of Faith" has got a positively mindblowing Dick-Dale-in-corpse-paint tremolo picking breakdown. Also the buzzing amp atmospherics in "White Stones", very impressive. And that's just the first two songs.

― Hiram,

nd the new Funeral Mist disc is great. First black metal record I've really liked in what feels like forever.

― unperson,

Absolutely, that Funeral Mist album is incredible. The artwork on that thing is something else, too.

― A. Begrand,

My newest Black Metal discovery is Funeral Mist, who I'd somehow ignored until now. Nothing too likely to convert outsiders, but the new album, Maranatha, is a particularly good mix of ominous atmosphere and intermittent breakneck BM sputtering.

― glenn mcdonald,

Also, I'm so into this Funeral Mist album. More after each listen. The cover needs to be cropped, however. Logo to the bottom left, angel in the top right, make it square. Much better.

― glenn mcdonald,

I think lately my tolerance for doom shit is even lower than my tolerance for black metal. At least black metal has coughed up that new Funeral Mist album.

― unperson,

Also also, I'm still thinking the new Funeral Mist has album-of-the-year potential

― glenn mcdonald,

finally listened to the new funeral mist today. does "jesus saves" sample popul vuh? (opening track on einsjager & siebenjager.) this is during the last couple minutes. sounds EXACTLY the same! very weird.

album seemed cool but I got reeeeeeeal tired of the preacher sermons.

― picture me lolin' (Alan N),

Finally got around to listening to Funeral Mist's "Maranatha", much raved about upthread: Amazing production, wild Lovecraft-monster vocals, reminds me quite a bit of Leviathan, specifically "Massive conspiracy . .", which makes me wonder about some common 2nd wave influence I haven't got to yet. Lots of effects and samples, and changes that make you feel like your head is coming off. Suspect I'll be spending some time with this.

― Soukesian,

ok im making my way through here and listening to the stuff i didnt know and wow i am really digging that saros album

and the peste noire as well

yeah good stuff. Peste Noire, dudes dodgy politics aside, are not bad. Wish music i liked didnt attract such arseholes.

yeah really. wont much matter since as far as i can see the album has only been released on limited run cassette, so not much chance of getting my hands on it?

its fucking insane though, the song i found on youtube was the one with the "la la la la" section in it and its really great and super legit creepy

ok john one of your faves is up next i think

if this is pearl jam you are getting stricken from the metal christmas card list

actually its not you, it was whiney i think.

and dj mencap and jess and colonel poo, so they can post here why they rated it so highly

#23 , 193 Points, 8 votes , Two #1 votes

http://cdn.pitchfork.com/media/pissedjeanscov.jpg
Pissed Jeans - King of Jeans

It's tighter, doomy almost. "Spent" is like Swans, if Gira lived in a milltown.

― bendy,

like "Hope For Men" tried to be emotionless. just this boring album about scrapbooking and jogging and shit. To wit:

"Mainly we just wanted to bludgeon the listener with dull, monotonous droning rock music that just sucks the energy out of you, the musical equivalent to watching a toilet flush.”

And now they have balls, and play like they give a shit, and are awesome. The end.

― kschoice (Whiney G. Weingarten),

this is awesome

― plax (I know, right?),

I'm digging this one way more than "hope for men", it's great.
"she is science fiction" is the jam. These guys are getting better with age!

― chad,

Just listened to it again after gorging on it for a review. I'm thinking it's my fav of the year now, displacing Future of the Left.

― bendy,

or to put it in terms whiney might better understand: think of it as "break stuff" for people who want to skip the middleman and get right to the self-abasement and self-disgust that's pooling under the i-hate-everybody attitude. with appropriate sonics to match.

― strongohulkingtonsghost,

posts taken from the pissed jeans thread.

I wrote some stuff about it here http://thequietus.com/articles/02527-pissed-jeans-king-of-jeans-album-review

See, I love that album but I didn't even think of voting for it in this poll. I guess its a very thin line separating early 90s style pigfuck from metal sometimes, but I just didn't associate those guys with metal at all.

hahaha glad that got straightened out, i would have been really confused since i dont really like pissed jeans much at all

some of your faves are bound to come john

feel free to start speculating on whats still to come

I think the next entry will shock people..

great band/album though..

i want slough feg to be in the top five, this better not be that

Wolf?

ok so wait if pissed jeans really now sounds like early 90's pigfuck i will give them another go, that isnt what i remembered them sounding like AT ALL

and bear in mind that initially it was stoner rockers that were into this band (in europe at least) before the band got labelled it and hated it and moved away from it.
xp

I'm honestly no expert on pigfuck, but I've heard Pissed Jeans mentioned as similar to that many times. And from what I have heard of pigfuck bands, there are similarities.

There's quite a run of great albums going on right now.

#22 , 205 Points , 10 votes , Two #1's

http://cdn.pitchfork.com/media/rated_o.jpg
Oneida - Rated O

don't even know where to start with Rated O, in a good way. i've listened maybe 5-7 times and can't find anything that isn't mind blowing about it

― I'M IN MIAMI, TRICK-OR-TREAT (Beatrix Kiddo),

OMG
am listening to 'rated o'

it is quite something

― Puddle of Thudd (acoleuthic),

It is feckin' brilliant.

― Doran,

okay, so i picked up Rated O the other day. holy shit this is great! by far by far BY FAR the best thing i've ever heard oneida do, like Each One Teach One made more and better longer louder crazier crazier world without end. on that note kinda funny how the MC who does vocals on the opening epic dub track even namechecks EOTO (each one a teacha waaaan).

surprised by the mixed reviews. i mean, if yr averse to epic length hammering on a single change (or chord!) this obviously isn't the band for you, but if yr at all interested in the space btwn heavy garage rock, noise & space/kraut hypnosis, this is the fucking GODHEAD. space ritual shit right here. three lps, each aesthetically/conceptually distinct, and all fucking fantastic. i even like "the human factor", which seems to be the sticking point/bellwether for folks who don't quite "get it". yeah, he's shrieking hoarsely for like five minutes, but it's kinda funny and the drumming is awesome.

SO glad i made time for this. instant top-of-the-heap album of the year contender, displacing a lot of potential favorites.

― a dimension that can only be accessed through self-immolation (contenderizer),

Kid just emailed me the other day. He's sending me the triple vinyl. Stoked!

― Nate Carson,

Fucking great album

Don't recall Oneida having stoner rock attached to them at all as a thing but that doesn't mean it wasn't the case - I was really into 'Come On Everybody Let's Rock' (which I'll grant you is a red flag of a title, and also features a song about coke) when it came out (2001, 2002?) but didn't really have a handle of where they sprang from I don't think

trust me they did, it was because of that i bought their 1st or 2nd album. Kerrang definitely had them down as stoner rock for the album you mentioned.
Back when Kerrang was still decent pre-emo days.

Dudes! Off the rails! They're good albums an all, but this is indie rock!

#21 , 239 Points , 11 Points , One #1 vote

http://www.progarchives.com/progressive_rock_discography_covers/4871/cover_3141319112009.jpg
Blut Aus Nord - Memoria Vetusta II: Dialogue With the Stars

I'm really liking the new Blut Aus Nord album. It is, as the Memoria Vetusta II title implies, a little more accessible than their last couple, but I kind of think that maybe (unlike with Deathspell Omega) they were closer to their personal strengths in that mode, and the combination of focus plus distance ("maturity"? experience?) sounds pretty good to me.

I've also been doing some remedial catalog-spelunking while things are still pretty quiet on the new-release front, and am really enjoying Ven Buens Ende's old album Written in Waters. A Black Metal Classic, I've been assured by the internet, but I had never heard of it until a few days ago. Excitingly strange, in no small part because it was done in 1995 before as many of the genre-tropes had been trope-ified.

― glenn mcdonald,

Switched over to the new blut aus nord instead. loving it on first listen. surprisingly melodic for a hypnotic, repetitive black metal album. (especially after that dissonance fest a couple years back.) plus, it swings.

― Alan N, Friday,

man, the blut aus nord is KILLER. I wish the longest track on it went on forever. and I found it on youtube! compressed as all hell but hey...

the melodic guitar leads on this are just fantastic. almost remind me of a more polished countess. work so well with the head-nodding drums.

and I've liked bits-and-pieces of what I've heard for blut aus nord before but I love this whole thing. well, maybe except for the generic black metal keyboard intro, but that's hardly offensive and kind of funny in a "how to make a black metal album" checklist kind of way.

― Alan N,

Wow, Blut Aus Nord has really found a perfect middle ground between their experimental side and raw black metal. Brilliant album..."Meditant" (Alan N is right) and "Disciple's Libration" really stand out, plenty of gorgeous melodies in there.

― A. Begrand,

from what I've heard of the new Blut Aus Nord, I am going to love this album for a long time.

― The Lost Boys Buff Guy Playing Sax (rockapads),

still loving that blut aus nord. anyone even mildly interested should check that one out, imo.

― picture me lolin' (Alan N),

Yeah, I like Oneida, but calling them (and Mount Eeerie) metal is pushing it. But then again, I voted for Amesoeurs, so what do I know?

so, I'm the only one voted blut aus nord at #1... :-/

also - wtf @ katatonia barely cracking the top 30!!!

Yeah, wow @ Oneida. I mean that was my overall fifth favorite album of the year, but no way was I voting for it here!

oneida are totally not metal but I think oneida dudes are in knyfe hits and they cover "running free" so oh well.

mind you, the album is first class

and I'll just say it again - the blut aus nord album is really special. check it out if you have any interest at all. masterpiece.

also - wtf @ katatonia barely cracking the top 30!!!

It kind of mirrors the album's sales. I was one of two people who gave it a Pazz & Jop vote, too.

Hey guys remember to go vote in !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!~~~FINALLY - 2009 ILX Albums 'n' Trax Poll voting thread ahoy~~~!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (ballots due TOMORROW)

I'll start the top 20 about midday prob, will try finish by midnight UK time so americans at work can see it.

Thanks again for all your hard work!

oh and since i didnt do it upthread, thx to glenn for all the work he put into this, esp considering i was a chump and didn't send in my ballot on time.